Monthly Archives: November 2012

Nov 22 2012

A Day of Thanks

In light of most of my rants and ravings there is relatively little time where I am not grateful for what which I have been blessed.  While there are many days where I consciously spend brain cycles recognizing how lucky I have been in my life, Thanksgiving provides a better time to share.  Whether read or understood by anyone else, writing these down and having the opportunity to see the words helps solidify and deepen the appreciation I should never lose sight of.

I am thankful for many things – some personal and some a bit broader:

1.  My wife – the most important person in my life.  She is my best friend and she has provided me guidance, advice and support for almost 32 years now – despite me often pushing back or trying to ignore it.  She has got to be one of the most caring and giving people I know and she has been an ongoing balance to much of the imbalance I’ve brought to the party.

2.  My kids – they were a lot of work (as all kids are – if you do it right) but they have both blossomed into great, capable and caring adults.  They are a source of both pride and ongoing discovery for me as they grow, learn and continue their journey thru adulthood and all that goes with it.

3. My life in general – I am extremely blessed for what I have.  Yes, I have worked for it but there are many that work hard and meet greater challenges and have less.  I want for little and don’t really have to think twice for anything I really need that I don’t have.  I am blessed that when the unexpected comes up I don’t have to make the hard choices that many do.  I can take care of my family as needed without much concern other than recognizing that I can’t fix everything. (sorry Erin…).

4.  My health – yes, I’m getting older and there are aches and pains that come with that and I have had to have a few parts fixed so they will continue to work as I get even older.  But I am healthy and my family is healthy.  How does it go – when you have your health… –  a saying that becomes more and more true if you look around and see what many deal with on a day-to-day basis.  Anything I have pales in comparison so my complaints don’t really count for much.

5.  It might sound strange but I am thankful for what lies ahead.  We have planned well and have been pretty balanced in how we have lived life so as I look out towards retirement (not that far away) I don’t feel panic.  We will be okay.  I have a life partner to share it with, we will be far from destitute and we will have time to discover new adventures for ourselves.

6.  I am thankful I have lived during a time where the change in this country has been dramatic.  Growing up and coming of age when things like civil rights and equality for women had their roots, experiencing the impact of the war in Vietnam as well as Woodstock, JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King, Jr.  – it has all been instrumental in helping shape who I am today.  It all helped my form a sense of conscience about we as people and how a society should be.  It helped establish a view that we need to be aware of others and that we, as a society, have an obligation and responsibility to take care of others who need help and support.  Not sure what happened to a lot of my peers but for me it is hard to ignore.  And we had the best music.

7.  I am thankful for this younger generation.  While it is important to realize that my generation reared many of them and that is why much of the attitude and perspective is there, how refreshing to see a generation of young adults who are less bigoted and biased.  There is a core of our society that truly doesn’t see people around them as less deserving or 2nd class because they are black, gay, a different religion, whatever.  It gives me hope (and some solace) that my son will be able to live a normal life and will be able to marry and live without constant discrimination because he is gay.

8.  I am thankful for this last election and the American public that made it clear it isn’t just about the economy and it isn’t just about the present at the expense of the future.   Because enough of us cared about others and not just ourselves, we will have at least four more years of progress in rights for women, rights for our LGBT community, forward progress on our environment and global warming, healthcare rights and reform, maybe some fairness in terms of tax reform, etc.  For those of us on the side that won, it was pretty much goodness and a break from having to worry about what progress we’ve seen being rolled backward.

9.  From a different perspective, I am thankful that the likes of Romney, Ryan, Rove, Trump, Santorum, McConnell – the names can go on and on – were unable to really hide who they really are – which are pretty much self-centered shit heads and assholes – to the extent that it became pretty obvious and helped move the election in the direction it went.  Taking nothing from Obama and the Democratic machine, the other side and their views of a “new” America, was so out of touch it became almost laughable if it hadn’t been so sad.

10.  Lastly, thankful I live in a country where I can say and write all the things I have in this blog and not have to worry I’ll be in jail or shot for it.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Nov 15 2012

If You’re a Republican, Politics Trumps America Every Time

McCain caught doing his best Rodney “I don’t get no respect” Dangerfield imitation

There is no doubt the killing of four Americans in Benghazi is a tragedy and there should be the required reviews and assessment of the situation to learn what we can, understand what was not done that maybe should have been and to work to reduce the likelihood this will happen again.  I say reduce as I expect to take any position that implies there is anything we can do that will prevent these sort of incidents in the future would be stupid and illogical – especially given the temperament of the world today.  I would doubt that any ambassador or any staff member in a US embassy in most of the rest of the world recognizes they take the position with some element of risk being evident.   Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything we can to protect them but we are not dealing with people or situations where we can anticipate every move and action.   There are actions to be taken but to turn this political is unacceptable.  This brings me to today’s “Head in the Butt” award.

The Dynamic Duo of 2008 – Two halfwits not adding up to a whole

There was a time where I had a lot of respect and time for John McCain.  He was a man who had served his country and a man who appeared to obviously have some standards for which he stood – and he actually seemed to be a pretty nice guy  – at least from afar.  My naiveté.  As he took the national and global stage in his run for President, it quickly became clear that behind the public persona I had seen was someone who was pretty much a jerk, someone who was pretty angry and basically a man who was pretty much a bastard.  With his pick of Palin for VP he further showed his inability to understand what was important and the degree of his shortsightedness.  To think he could have foisted that half-wit of a governor on this country is unconscionable and the fact he would allow the Republican Party to push that on him puts his leadership ability seriously in question.  His recent attacks on Obama and Susan Rice continue to show this is a man who has an ax to grind and again reminds us of the Peter Principle in practice.  I can only imagine where this country would be four years later and with the challenges we have faced.  But I digress.  These most recent McCain political attacks show that he is no different from the rest of his party and he will put politics before country.   His grandstanding and his obvious lack of civility brings only one good thing to the forefront – we get to see the newly enthused Barack Obama start to show the muscle and attitude many of us have figured was there and were waiting to see.  So on that note, thanks, John.  You’re still an asshole but every cloud has a silver lining.

So today, please take a bow and accept the most recent “Head in the Butt” award.  In reality, I think it is long overdue.

There was a close runner up but not this time Lindsey.   Lindsey Graham, by joining the same chorus with McCain, definitely put himself in contention for the “Head in the Butt” award.  Unfortunately, this time around you weren’t quite up to the same level of cluelessness but I have to give you some slack given your area of study in college – one I expect leaves you entirely out of step with many of us but probably more in line (or at least a little ahead) with many of your Republican peers.  Your B.A. in Pseudoscience actually implies you have some inkling that science might have some bearing in our lives.  I, for one, didn’t know this even existed as a major in any college.  It seems somewhat contrary to most of what I would expect from any college curriculum but that could be my shortcoming.  For others in my same stead, Pseudoscience is often characterized by the use of vague, exaggerated or unprovable claims, an over-reliance on confirmation rather than rigorous attempts at refutation, a lack of openness to evaluation by other experts, and a general absence of systematic processes to rationally develop theories (Wikipedia).  I expect this helps when you want to basically ignore fact and make it up as it meets your need.  So, Lindsey, I’m not of the mindset you should get the “Head up the Butt” award but have no issue giving you a runner up prize of the other award of notice – the “Bag of Shit” award seems appropriate given I can’t expect you to look at anything beyond the use of vague and unprovable claims.

Yes Lindsey, that is pretty rank – on par with your recent attack on Susan Rice.

Nov 13 2012

It’s a New Day

Back from vacation – turned out to be a great week – almost 6 days in Las Vegas (Disneyworld for adults where real life only intrudes in small pieces) and an election that pretty much worked out as I had hoped.  I will admit there was a point a week or so before the election where I had I had my doubts as to whether we would bring back President Obama for another four years but as the election grew nearer I was pretty sure we would be okay.  I already expressed some of my initial feelings on election night – posted from my cell in our room right around the time Romney appeared to deliver his concession speech.  I was not awfully elegant nor was I gracious in the least but I’ve reached that point in my life where I realize that conciliatory is not necessarily better – something I hope the Democrats keep in mind as I expect the Republicans are far from looking to make things work going forward.

Not much I can add at this point re: the election results other than a couple of thoughts:

1.  The fact that it would seem the entire Republican Party, most importantly Romney, was totally taken off-guard when they didn’t win is pretty reflective of the lack of connection with reality Mitt would have brought to the Presidency.  While we all have a tendency to see things as we wish them to be, this takes it to a new height.  I think this is also reflective of the type of CEO Mitt probably was – surround yourself with only those who tell you what you want to hear.  Doesn’t make for a company (or a country) that can realistically deal with the real problems and solutions.  Only thing I wish is that I could have been in the room when the realization that they lost became clear.  There’s a sweet picture.

2. At some level, my faith in the people in our country is a renewed.  I was disheartened thru much of the election cycle by what appeared to be the same level of intellect and lemming-like mentality that re-elected Bush the 2nd to office twice.  To have an election that wasn’t really a close one was an uplifting experience.  Nice to see there are enough people out there not focused purely on economic considerations that the care and focus on people and social issues has not been lost.  No doubt we need to fix things from an economic side – but to do it with no consideration of other human costs is not a palatable strategy.  It’s not just the economy, stupid.

3.  I am most elated with the progress in the results of Gay Rights.  Aside from a plethora of elections of GLBT candidates to the Senate and House, the shift in state votes on gay marriage was monumental as same-sex marriage was legalized in three more states using ballot referendums and not legislation.  This was the people talking – this is the voting public.  Kudos to Maine, Maryland, and Washington who all voted to allow same-sex  couples the right to marry in their states as well as to Minnesota which became the first state to have voters reject a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.  While opponents to gay rights have quickly put their spin on why and how, the tides continue to change and we continue our march towards a country where all citizens are recognized equally under the law – how disheartening is it that this is even a statement that can be made in 2012.  The future for my son is looking better and while I labor under no illusion that there remain many out there who would have him stay a second class citizen, they are slowly losing.  In reality, there will always be stupid and hateful people around but we can only hope (as I’ve offered on many ocassions) that they die off quickly as they are a dwindling breed.  They remain a bane on our society all while sucking out everything they can while giving nothing back.

4. Nice to see that the idiot men whom so eloquently gave us insight into their prehistoric views of women and how they are treated in regards to sex, rape and all that were so soundly defeated.  Nice to see that there are some things that no level of spin can help.  The larger stain here is that the Republican leadership was essentially absent in their condemnation – yes, there was the attempt to distance but not the outrage one would expect (at least one who actually believes that men and women are equals and that rape is never legitimate).

5. The lack of influence of the Tea Party this time around was refreshing.  I guess watching all these old and uneducated people who are taking Social Security and Medicare rant on about getting the Federal government out of their lives resulted in a moment of cognitive dissonance for many in our country.  Trying to have it both ways is somewhat disingenuous –  another thing that Romney seemed to forget about.

6. Additional kudos to the youth of our country for showing up again – despite all the dire predictions.  It is good to see they all recognize they have quite the vested interest in making their voices heard. I know both my kids were there without prodding – my daughter even stood for hours in line down in Washington DC.

7.  I remain somewhat embarrassed at the obvious bias and bigotry that remains with white voters.  To think that only 39% of white voters were with Obama is disturbing.  Sure, I’m sure that there are many whites who would position that it was about policy and platform differences but we all really know there is much more beyond that.   As a white male over 55 I am definitely out of step with the majority of my peers – and boy does that feel good.

8.  Last point – after watching Obama speak to the crowds after his re-election and most pointedly in his talk with his campaign staff, I again saw probably what I saw as one of the main reasons I voted for this man – it was obvious he was tired and worn out from the process but his emotional reaction was not scripted and we got a good glimpse into the type of person we just re-elected.  His level of emotion and his deep sense of caring was obvious.  He wasn’t and hasn’t been playing a part or emoting a position based on who he is speaking to.  This is a man who, at least in my view, truly cares about this country and it’s people.  Not just some of the people, not just those who can help him.

Boy, do I feel better.

Nov 7 2012

Mitt – You Can’t Go Home

Hey Mitt – nothing like home sweet home.  Oh wait – doesn’t appear that Mass. or Michigan is looking like they are there with welcoming arms.  Maybe a nice plantation down south might work out better.

Let’s also recognize the huge message for our LGBT citizens – looks like four (out of four) states are going to pass gay marriage rights legislation.  Fuck you, Mitt, and the Republican Party you rode in on.  Maybe you can all realize it is the 21st century and not the 1950’s.  Looking to the Tea Party as your base is not an enduring strategy.

And Fuck you Donny Trump and Rush.  Back into your holes.

Nothing high road on my part – considering the campaign of hate and lies the Republicans ran, they deserve nothing more.

Nov 5 2012

Structurally Sound | It’s the randomness that keeps me going.

http://structurallysound.wordpress.com/

I don’t normally re-blog the writings of others but as always there are times where exceptions are called for. As parents of two great kids our feelings of pride are easily elicited. Then there are the times where one of them does something that drives it up even more. My daughter has the gift of words I will never approach but it becomes even more special when she writes of her childhood made more special thru her now adult eyes – and I get even prouder. This is her blog I’m attempting to re-blog made even harder as I attempt it over my cell phone. Thanks for sharing, Erin.

Nov 2 2012

Awards of the Day – Politics as Usual

It has been quite a week for many on the East coast including many of us not exactly on the coast.  To a great extent, we in the Poconos were pretty lucky.  As Hurricane Sandy made her way to landfall, we managed to pretty much be in the path of the eye of the storm – not that there wasn’t damage and impact.  For many in our area, they remain without power.  We lost power Monday evening and did not get it back until Wednesday afternoon around 3pm.  Inconvenient yes, but not the disaster that unfolded across much of the tri-state area.  I at least had a generator so within an hour of the loss of power, we were sitting in a lit house and our refrigerators and sump pumps were all functional.  The real inconvenience was we quickly ran out of water as there are relatively few areas with public utilities so when the volume of water in our captive air tank was exhausted, that was about it.  Luckily, we have learned to plan and were well stocked with water and other things we needed.   Again, this was an opportunity to realize how lucky we were which wasn’t clear until we got our cable and internet back and we could see what many had and will continue to have to deal with.

That brings me to probably to me what was so different from what has been front center almost every day for the past, I don’t know, 6 months or so – the presidential election.  I can’t say I thought too much about it and it was actually refreshing to get a break from the explosion of ads and political rhetoric with which we have all been inundated.  It also meant I got a break from blog material – less that incensed me and less to somehow find catharsis for.  But wait, it didn’t take too long.  So today I’m going to actually recognize some positive and give some kudos as well as cite some of the usual bullshit that I continue to be astonished that so many believe and embrace.

Let me start with the positive.  In the past I have not always been kind to Chris Christie, NJ Governor.  There is much of him that exemplifies everything I despise in Republican Party.  However, I need to give him credit for two things this week.  One, it is obvious the man says what he believes and feels – I have to respect that quality whether I agree with the content or not.  Secondly, Christie quickly put politics to the side and was unabashed in his praise of President Obama in light of the support and attention he got for NJ when it was most needed.  And I expect he knew he would take shit for it from his fellow Republicans.  Again, kudos for having some balls.  So today, I want to award Chris Christie the “Hero of the Day” award for being real.  I don’t labor under any illusion that when things calm down he will quickly move back into the fold but that’s okay – he at least showed he is not the imbalanced jerk that most of his Republican peers are.

BFFs

 

My other award today is actually related to the “Hero of the Day” award.  Let me say that the recipient demonstrated behavior that was not a surprise and is consistent with being probably one of the most vile people on the planet – so I guess there is something to be said for consistency.  But he does lose points for lack of creativity.  In any case, the immediate condemnation of Chris Christie by our recipient is indicative of his general lack of compassion, empathy and most other generally positive human emotions and feelings.  Yes, I expect many will have already guessed it – it is no other than that shit hole of a human being – Rush Limbaugh.  He again takes lowlife to a new level – as hard as that is in his case.  I might also suggest that his loyal followers get to share in this award given their general inability to deal with life in general – demonstrated by their blind allegiance to someone of Rush’s calibre and character.  Rush, take a bow – oops, you dropped one of your pills – is that a Viagra or a oxycodone?

A Triple Crown Winner! Take your pick – Head up the Butt, Horse’s Ass or Bag of Shit or any combination of the above!

 

I think it is also fitting to also recognize the runner-up for jerk of the day – a man who isn’t used to being 2nd in much of anything – Donny Trump – for a myriad of stupid ass things that come out of his mouth – he again provides some pretty interesting support that man did evolve from apes – some less than others!

 

Don’t feel bad – you are only runner-up today. You still are one of the biggest shit bags I see out there today!