( 9:09 PM )
My Way (or Random Ramblings)
Let’s start with crazy. Pat Robertson says some crazy, un-Christian shit about assassinating Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and deservedly gets a good amount of grief. According to the AP, Patty kind of apologized, but claimed he didn’t say assassinate even though he clearly did. So is it me or are crazy people the only people left listening to this boob?
Next – if you read the 8/21 post below, you’ll realize that this guy said it a lot better than I did (although he’s wrong about there being no organized war resistance).
And if I may interrupt myself for a second here, I’m watching Mike Mussina pitch against the Blue Jays. Up until I began writing this, he was pitching excellently, throwing a 1 hitter through 5 innings. I even started to think how funny it would be if he threw a perfect game from innings 2-9. And a few seconds after the thought passed, Moose walked a dude. Next thing I know the bases are loaded, then a hit, someone gets hit by a pitch, then another walk. Then a homerun and it’s 8-0. WTF? It’s the second time it’s happened to Moose recently and it’s mind boggling for such a good pitcher.
I know my friends will give me a lot of grief for saying this, but I really won’t be that upset if the Yanks miss the playoffs. Baseball (and sports) are not about your payroll, but about your heart. And hopefully the heart wins every time.
Now back to the “blog” (Hey Wallsy – if we’re going to continue this, we really have to give it a name, a purpose, a blogroll and some comments. C’mon man – get back in the game and let’s get it started!) A funny thing happened yesterday. As I was walking to work, Sinatra’s “My Way” came on the iPod. I’ve heard his and other versions of the song plenty of times, and I’ve always thought of it as a song of defiance. But The Chairman’s version was almost sad – like a lament. No doubt Francis’ voice does the work and gives it some backbone, but the arrangement is all tear-jerk city.
Anyway, I got to work and ended up setting up an interview for one of our young interns. I started thinking about how these kids have their whole lives in front of them, and will probably be successful and yadda yadda yadda. And naturally “regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention” pops into my head. So now I’m aggravated. I’m not going to go into how I’m a full-fledged middle-aged adult now, but….
And now, the end is here - And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear - I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full - I traveled each and ev'ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
Regrets, I've had a few - But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way
I've loved, I've laughed and cried - I've had my fill, my share of losing
And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that - And may I say, not in a shy way,
"Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way"
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows and did it my way!
Yes, it was my way
--Frank Sinatra (yeah I know Paul Anka, etc. wrote it, but we credit the performer here. All lyrics used in this “blog” are used without permission. Suck it if you have a problem with that.)
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( 7:06 PM )
She Blinded Me With Science
You know, if I may say so myself, one of my best qualities is that even though I'm a knee-jerk liberal, I often still question my orthodoxies. Perhaps it's because I'm surrounded by skeptics and they're rubbing off on me. But things that intuitively make sense must be thought about to make sure they still make sense.
Thus leading me to the calls for withdrawal from Iraq. Though some poor schmoes don't understand that the mere presence of the US in Iraq will keep the insurgency alive (can you imagine Mexico invading America and Americans just laying down while they changed our government, economic system, and challenged our religious doctrines?). So that's why I'm for America getting the hell out of the country.
But you have to remember that we stirred up a hornets nest that has attraced thousands of more hornets. Before we bashed the nest, the hornets were never really a threat to us. But now that there's an open pinata of hornets flying around, leaving them to be someone else's problem is not really acceptable. The withdraw callers seem to forget that WE made the mess and have a responsibility to fix it.
The bottom line is there are zip/zero/nada/none/no good alternatives in Iraq. If the friggin' American people and media had insisted on a real explanation for why we're taking over Iraq, perhaps we would have had time to think about whether oil, protection of Israel and forcing democracy down the throats of those who may prefer to live by another code was really a good idea.
The only solution to Iraq is never having invaded the country in the first place. But you can't go back in time, so we really have to think about what's the best outcome for the region, America and the rest of the world. And while I'm still in favor of the US withdrawing troops that are merely magnets for more terrorism and instability, I don't know what the right thing to do is because it involves so many other factors (like Iran, the UN, Europe, solutions to quelling Muslim extremism there and Christian fundamentalism here, future oil/energy policy, Israel's right to security vs Palestine's right to survival, the makeup and priorities of the American military, worldwide nuclear threats, yada yada yada).
Of course, maybe there is a solution in W's disregard of the global warming crisis.
But then again, believing in global warming is just another knee-jerk liberal fantasy. Maybe the skeptic in me should wonder if the beautiful Miss Sakamoto is just blinding me with science.
It's poetry in motion
She turned her tender eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
Mmm - but she blinded me with science
"She blinded me with science!"
And failed me in biology
--Thomas Dolby
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( 7:24 PM )
Peter Jennings R.I.P.
Thought I'd share my lame, Peter Jennings-related story...
So last fall an elderly-ish woman calls me at work and tells me that I have to get this Naomi Klein story to the network anchors. Normally I say "yeah, sure" and try to get off the phone, but she kept going on about how important the article was (and it was - about how the Carlyle Group and the Bush posse were profitting from the Iraq war) and she said she'd help me. Then she said her son-in-law and daughter worked in the media business and that I should send it to them. So I took the bait and said, "ok, who should I send it to?" She said, "Send it to Peter Jennings and his wife Casey and their home address is...."
After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I thought I'd be a lame PR flack if I didn't take a stab at getting some attention for the piece from ABC News. So I wrote a note to the Jennings that said something like, 'I'm sorry to bother you at home, but a subscriber who claims to be your mother-in-law insisted I send you this issue. Since it is such an important issue, I hope you'll take a look and you can contact me here.' I threw in a business card and never expected to hear from them again.
Then a few days later Casey Jennings sent me an email that said 'thank you very much for the issue - we're subscribers and saw it - my mom does this all the time, so don't worry about it at all.' And that was that. Obviously I kept their contact info and was hoping that the occassion would come when I could contact them again. Unfortunately that moment didn't come soon enough.
So here's to you Peter Jennings. A shout out of love from a stranger who deeply appreciates the effort you put into it night after night. Rest in peace.
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( 7:55 PM )
My Doorbell
A couple of friends of mine, ok, mainly Greg, think the White Stripes suck because Meg White is not much of a drummer. And while it's hard to argue that Meg has the metronome capabilities of a Charlie Watts, she's never ruined a White Stripes song for me.
Anyway - Jack White must've been hearing the same complaint and decided to turn a weakness into a strength by changing her role in the White Stripes. As evidenced by Get Behind Me Satan which reduces Meg to a more of a percussionist and less of a drummer. Which is not to say she's gone because her rhythmic plow still explodes here and there. But for the most part, this is a quieter White Stripes affair because of the airier arrangements.
Jack put down the electric guitar and focused more on the piano and the songs. The acooustic melancholia of "As Ugly As I Seem" and the blusey and depressing ballad "Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)" with its taste of marimba are the highlights for me. But there's plenty of good stuff and I highly recommend the exploration if you're looking for exaltation.
I'm thinkin' about my doorbell
When ya gonna ring it, when ya gonna ring it
Yeah, I'm thinkin' about my doorbell
When ya gonna ring it, when ya gonna ring it
--White Stripes
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( 3:35 PM )
Won't Get Fooled Again
Ok - so I know I'm lame for posting about once a month after pleading for folks to blog regularly to keep the site alive. Sue me.
But I just got a note from the Campaign for America's Future that is calling for a search party to look for missing Democrats. Their point is there were six Congress folk who don't seem to understand what it is to be a "Democrat" and who voted in support of the Bankruptcy Bill, the Energy Bill, CAFTA and "tort-reform." Simply said (because I'm as simple as it gets), those 4 bills were boondoggles for big corporations. There's nothing in them for working class people, and no reason for a "Democrat" to support them.
So I know I don't usually do this, but these bills are such a prime example of why it's so hard for me to call myself a Democrat that I have to forward this along (and please note - lots of Democrats voted WRONGLY on these bills - but these 6 Dems voted WRONG on ALL 4 bills). So I deeply encourage you to visit this link, write your own letter (theirs is kind of lame), send it, then pass it on to friends. In my letter I basically asked these Reps/Sens, if you can't stand on the side of middle class Americans every now and then, why not just move to the Republican side of the aisle. Oh, that's right - you probably can't win an election as a Republican. Fine - but stop selling out real DEMOCRATS.
Away with ye.....
We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgement of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
--The Who
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