Rosa Parks
Saturday night I spent time lambasting Ashlee Simpson's appearance on Ellen today when an interview with Barbra Streisand aired on the same bill. Where are we when an incompetent syncer is on the header with one of the few legendary talents of the past century? If you were lucky enough to see Jolson, Garland, Midler and Streisand (and there were a few who did) live, you knew that after them the mold was broken. Well, I lost the entire piece. Its destiny was apparently thin air. While the above names were from birth destined to hang with the constellations.
With these thoughts swimming in my head still - I mean how soon am I going to get over Ashlee Simpson's raw gall and Ellen's idiocy? - I learned of Rosa Park's death. As it did with my grandmother age increased her dignity.
Since I am not an historian, I can only say that, if you get up on any morning, knowing that you cannot possibly change the world that day, remember Rosa Parks.
Baby Breeze
"Walt Whitman wrote, "When hope is gone, when honour dies, the man is dead."
Hope. It is that great gift which, if we are conscious, thrills us in every cell of our being. Hope makes us just ready to explode.
If you can give it, you are a gift to the world. A baby gives hope just by being.
If you find hope in the world, you are life's greatest beneficiary.
It is so easy for me to be cynical, but this once I'll tense my muscles and think about hope.
If you are ill, a blanket pulled up to your chin and a hand holding yours may feel like hope enough.
If you are poor, hope is your ally every day, isn't it? You know things will get better and, before that, you will survive it all.
If you are mistreated by a storm or a storm of prejudice, hold on to the hope that there will be a better day and infinitely kinder people.
When you are old, it is memories that sustain you. They were built of hope, you know.
Bob Lowblob
Arrested Development, displaying its smart and skewering writing once again last night, introduced an attorney, played by an "Oh-My-God" Scottie Baio, named Bob Lowblob, getting a shot off right between the eyes of TV-advertising attorneys.
The writers said much more, though. They described everything we hear from the worst president and most corrupt administration in history. We have ceased even to listen to the lying and pandering of Bush and his cronies.
Yesterday, I wrote about the administration's efforts to turn propaganda into news stories with the American public none the wiser.
Today, and even I could hardly believe it, Bush nominated the woman in charge of the above fascist effort to the Supreme Court. She is, of course, a Bush crony and family friend from Texas. She is also a person who has never sat on a bench. I believe Bush would, if the situation should present itself, nominate someone in his pocket who never even went to law school.
All this makes one thing horribly clear: Bush is now thumbing his nose at the entire country, including lawmakers. (Well, they had it coming.) Now there is nothing the lame duck president will not do to stamp the nation with his near criminal moves (that is to say, faith-based agenda) carried out on a daily basis. Get ready, kids: The worst is yet to come.
And in a related matter, Tom Delay, the once and we hope former House Majority Leader, was indicted for money laundering today. The alleged crime took place in - could it be? - Texas. The ghost of Boss Tweed must be weeping, because he is not alive for all this. He could really dig his heels into this kind dirt.
But none of it's funny. The lights really should turned off on the Statue of Liberty.
P.S. Five U.S. boys died in Iraq yesterday. In the name of democracy.
Next up: What the hell does "I take full responsibility" mean?
It's Here
I think I never told you that my friend Tim Klein set me up and taught me to Blog. I am, as usual with I.T., way behind in nearly every way. It seems that a friend can change everything.
The time: Judy Garland time. Do not sleep until the late am. It's fun. And keeps the scary night at bay, because you're awake. Dawn is a good time to go to sleep.
I'm taking out time, even though I have a reader of one, to note a story from The New York Times. Ted Kennedy and another Democratic Senator asked the Administration's public affairs, that is to say P.R. people, for an accounting of their pay and work. There is an agency, G.O.P. - the initials really pop, don't they?- that investigates press releases that are submitted as news.
The American public sees and hears these blurbs as real stories on CBS, ABC, Fox, NBC, CNN - any news outlet imaginable. This news is nothing but spins on stories such as the President's record on education, which as most of us know is abysmal. No Child Left Behind is nothing but a lie. And an insidious one.
Of course, the auditors found the Administration guilty on every charge. But here's there thing. There is no punishment for these crimes. The President is charged: Don't do that.
The subject here is propaganda. Ask any historian or political scientist (who's father did not buy his degree - more on that later) and he or she will tell you that these actions are an inch away from fascism. I think we're already living in a fascist regime: Taking prisoners at will, covering up or lying about nearly all its actions, supporting those companies that cover up lies in exchange for money. But I'm not trained as a political scientist, so these are only my observations. And fears.
The Supreme Court, having put a president in office - and NO, we should never stop talking about that - has placed on it's agenda a suit involving Vermont's stringent laws regarding the amounts of money candidates can spend to get elected. The suit is brought by among others, Right To Life. Do you see the pattern? Republicans can raise more money in an election, so if they can spend it, they have a better chance of winning elections. Day by day the Republican Party is fighting for a one party system that will disenfranchise the poor, the old, the sick, blacks, homosexuals, Jews - anyone who is not the scion of a rich, old, white man whose wife belonged to the D.A.R.
These people are hanging on now from the visions of Franklin Roosevelt and, to a lesser, but still great degree, Lyndon Johnson.
People like me were branded as nuts in the early days of Nazi Germany. I imagine I am, too. I think people just don't want to believe anything as horrible as what is already here.
As of last week FEMA had provided temporary housing for 109 families who lost everything during Katrina. You should not even find that hard to believe. What do old, white men care about the people who are not themselves. Not a damn thing.
I feel I have figured out what the secret of Skull & Bones (I hope I have the name right.) to which George Bush belongs. Their secret is that their diplomas were bought by their wealthy fathers. Think about it. Do you seriously think that George Bush could have gotten through Yale on his own. A man who pronounces running as runin' never managed to read Great Expectations or understand his Southern comrade Faulkner. He could never even been accepted by Yale.
The President's life is a lie which he has passed on to us. A lie that has evolved into fascism. See you in the camps.
