POINT / COUNTERPOINT

 With the entire World going to Hell in a hand-basket, I thought I might give this a whirl. I “cherry picked” some of the Headlines

from articles in the New York Times, Vol. CLXII…No. 56.167. Friday, June 14^th, 2013. Read ‘em & weep!

                 NY Times Headline:                                                “We The Peeps 1” Interpretation:

“Justices, 9-0, Bar Patenting Human Genes”	The Supreme Court never does anything 9-0. Who on that Court even knows what a Human Gene is? But, what the Hell, they’ll vote on it anyway.
“Push To Prepare City’s Buildings For Next Storm”	I’m guessing that President Bloomberg is going to deploy the Defense Department’s “Iron Shield”. Why not; it worked so well in Israel (not!).
“Suit Over Who Owns A Song”	We can’t pray in schools. We can’t say Merry Christmas. And now, we can’t sing Happy Birthday!?? Oh, come on.
“China-Japan Dispute Brews”	Oh, crap…..not again! Can’t anyone tell China to shut up and sit down?
“Murdoch Files For Divorce”	Before he’s all done, good old Rupert will eclipse Liz Taylor in failed marriages and failed News Agencies.
“Bloomberg Reporters’ Tactics Become Crucial Issue”	I’m not in the 1%. I didn’t know that Bloomberg Reporters were getting hung out to dry. I didn’t have to read half the Article to realize all the hullabaloo is about Insider Trading; only, we can’t use that term for these folks. It’s time to man up and call it what it is.
“ Turkish Protestors Say Talks With Premier Lead To A Tentative Agreement”	Good! Now we won’t have to watch them burn down Istanbul on the nightly news. And, things better quiet down some before all those U.S. Service Men and Women arrive. Hey, I can see Syria from my back porch. How about them apples?!
“Citing Chemical Warfare, U.S. Is Said To Be Ready To Send Arms To Rebels”	I just love Red Lines. Don’t you? The biggest line we’re going to cross is that of starting another senseless Armed Conflict in the Mideast. I hope our Army likes Turkish cuisine.
“Nicaragua Approves Building Its Own Canal”	Oh, this ought to fun to watch. I know they’re hard working; but, a Canal? I don’t think so.
“Hague Court Turns Down Abuse Inquiry”	Please don’t tell me the Vatican has the World Court in its pocket. A parent has to be crazy to allow one of their children to step foot inside a Catholic House of Worship.
“Greece: Unions Stage a General Strike”	Who cares?!!
“Inspector Commits Suicide After Building Collapse”	It’s time someone took ownership of their bad behavior.
“Agency’s Crusade Against Leaks of a Potent Greenhouse Gas Yields Results”	Yep…we got your depleted ozone layer, global warming, climate change, super storms, major draughts….that Crusade is doing some mighty fine things, I’d say.
“A Promise Of Changes For Access To Secrets”	Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but that kind of makes them NOT secrets anymore. I know the logic is hard to follow, but we pay these folks big bucks to dazzle us with BS.

I will leave you with these sweet little morsels. There were more, but I would run the risk of putting you to sleep, if I continued.

Oh, wait, I’d end up putting myself to sleep, too.

Brought to you by Fox Noise

Well, it’s Saturday afternoon, and I thought it might be nice to get horizontal on the big couch and watch some television. I was surfing through the channels when, low and behold, I caught a wave at Fox Cable Network News. The “show” that was airing at the time was a re-run of “The Five”. Those of you who watch Fox News already know who the five panelists are, and the rest of us really don’t give a damn. I could only watch about twenty minutes of this show, as I was doubled over in laughter and fell from my perch on the big couch more times than I care to remember.

Very loosely, the main topic of discussion was that of street violence and the efforts at small arms gun control. The panelists started out with three bad people who have been up front in the News lately. First up was a discussion about the South African paraplegic Olympian who allegedly shot his Super-Model girlfriend. It didn’t take the Fox Noise Makers more than thirty seconds before arguments centering around Apartheid took over the conversation. It was at this point that I figured I had better stay tuned to see where this path was going to lead. Well, sure enough, it lead to the college student in Georgia who went on a rampage killing anyone who even resembled a white person. Stating Anthropology as his college major, he obviously blamed his curriculum for creating the rage inside him to boil over. He claims he was trying to get even for the slave trade in this Country. Then came their “Piece d’Resistance”. Center stage shifted to the ex L.A. cop turned murderer. Immediately the claims of liberal bias were leveled at the 47% of this Country who have put this man up on a pedestal, and are using him to point out all the conservative short comings of our Society.

Appropriately sprinkled throughout this panel discussion was black-on-black crime, white-on-black crime, the ACLU’s unconditional love of criminals of any color, or gender, and President Obama’s attempt to quell his detractors by showing up in Chicago to speak about gun control. I won’t get into the statistics that were quoted, because I don’t want anyone falling off their perch in uncontrollable laughter. Of course, the rightwing mantra was repeated over and over again, “The Government wants to take your guns!” As I exited stage left, there was an equally humorous advertisement about how “Obama-Care” is about to deny everyone in this Nation medical care of any type, and how “Obama-Care is about to bankrupt every business, large and small.

I have one small request of Rupert Murdoch; “Please rename Fox News as The Comedy Channel II.” I think your ratings might actually go up.

Jesus rode a Harley Davidson

This is a partial reprint of a post from my facebook friend, and OMG, he hits a bunch of nails squarely on the head with this one. I have picked his observations regarding “religion” and “Jesus”, because it just about mirrors my sentiments on the subject. The remainder of this missile can be found under his name, on Facebook. It is a long read, but one that can easily be taken in sections, and well worth the read.

Facebook © 2012

Edgar Rossini Francois

The Center for an Informed America

[Random Thoughts at the Dawn of the Year 2012, February 13, 2012]

I thought I’d begin this rant by sharing some of my thoughts on the historical figure known as Jesus of Nazareth. I think we can all agree that, unlike some of the other subjects I have weighed in on in the past, this is one on which people do not tend to have strongly held points-of-view, so there is little chance that I will offend and alienate readers right off the bat.

So let’s jump right into it then with observation #1: When the likely outcome of an unwed pregnancy is death by stoning, people can be really creative liars.

Nothing in the least bit controversial about that … right? Let’s move on then to observation #2: It is fully understandable why the lie was told, and even why many people in that era might have believed it; what is more difficult to understand is why tens of millions of people around the world still believe it 2,000 years later.

I doubt that I’ve lost anyone yet, so let’s quickly move on to observation #3: Jesus was initially described as coming from a line of men who worked with their hands, which was later interpreted to mean that he was a carpenter. Given though that the primary building materials in the land of his birth were sand and rock, it is far more likely that Joseph and his sons were stone masons. Just saying …

Observation #4: Jesus of Nazareth’s real father was undoubtedly a Roman citizen. Some have speculated that he was the product of rape by one of the notoriously ruthless Roman storm-troopers, but his later actions suggest to this completely impartial observer that it was more likely a consensual coupling and that the father was someone of considerably more importance than a mere soldier.

Observation #5: Jesus was very likely a controlled Roman asset. Just as, nearly two thousand years later, the obviously controlled asset known as Jesse Jackson replaced the slain Martin Luther King, and the equally controlled asset known as Louis Farrakhan replaced the eliminated Malcolm X, so it was that Jesus was maneuvered into position to replace the executed John the Baptist, who had, I’m guessing, become a bit of a problem for the Roman overseers.

The message that the emergent messiah delivered to those living under the brutal hand of those Roman occupiers was, by any rational analysis, exactly the wrong one. It was a message brimming with advice about loving neighbors and turning cheeks … a message that constantly reinforced the notion that it was better to be poor and oppressed than wealthy and powerful, for the poor, you see, were going to spend all eternity in the glorious ‘Kingdom of Heaven,’ while the rich were going to burn in the fires of Hell (unless they were somehow able to steer their camels through the eye of a needle, or something like that).

It was, in other words, a belief system seemingly designed specifically to suppress any thoughts of rebellion amongst the unwashed masses. And the beauty of it was that no one would find out if the fabled Kingdom of Heaven actually existed until it was too late for them to get a refund.

I know what you’re thinking here: “But Dave, didn’t the Romans execute Jesus, and do so in a horrifically brutal and sadistic manner – you know, like in that Mel Gibson torture-porn flick?”

Maybe they did and maybe they didn’t. Even if they did, that would not necessarily prove that Jesus was not a covert Roman operative. Most all assets are expendable if they become more valuable dead than alive. And it’s pretty clear that for the last couple thousand years, Jesus has proven his value as a dead martyr. But was he crucified? I tend to doubt that he was.

Consider that Mr. Nazareth was alone by choice when apprehended. He had supposedly wandered into a garden to gather his thoughts, or some such thing, allowing Roman authorities to conveniently apprehend him quietly and without incident. It was almost as if he had turned himself in, knowing that he was in safe hands. The most likely scenario is that he was replaced with a look-alike at the private palace of Pontius Pilate, where he was taken to supposedly be tried and convicted (so to speak).

Bear in mind that whoever had the misfortune of resembling Jesus needn’t have been all that close of a double. By the time he was beaten, whipped and outfitted with a custom crown of thorns, the battered, bruised and bloody body would undoubtedly have been all but unrecognizable. And following the crucifixion, as we all know, the body, uhmm, disappeared. Because it was, you know, resurrected from the dead. Or because it had to be disposed of before anyone caught on that it wasn’t really Jesus.

Personally, I’m going with option #2, primarily because I am not familiar with any documented cases of bodies being resurrected from the dead and I’m not really into taking huge leaps of faith. But maybe that’s just me.

As previously noted, the tactics deployed by the Romans circa 32 AD bear many similarities to the psychological warfare operations carried out today. And why wouldn’t they? After all, not much has changed in the last 2,000 years, including the identities of our overlords. I’m not much sold, as it turns out, on the notion that great empires rise and fall. Since at least biblical times, as best I can determine, there has only been one empire, though the perceived center of power has shifted in what basically amounts to a shell game.

The Roman Empire, in other words, did not fall just as its offspring, the British Empire, began to rise, nor did the British Empire fall just as its offspring, the American Empire, began to rise. No, the Roman Empire quite obviously transformed itself into the British Empire, which in turn used smoke and mirrors to create the ‘new’ American empire by sending a bunch of wealthy Masons posing as ‘Pilgrims’ over to the ‘New World’ and then later staging a patently fake ‘Revolutionary War.’ I mean, really people, do you honestly believe that the mighty British Empire, at the height of its power and with a formidable navy at its disposal, was unable to suppress a ragtag rebellion that most colonists had little interest in participating in?

And is it, after all, just a coincidence that the British countryside is littered with Roman ruins? Or that the Eastern Roman Empire fell, according to historians, circa 1453 AD, while the British Empire began its rise, according to those same historians, around 1497 AD? And is it also a coincidence that the British Imperial Century (which followed the 1st British Empire [1583-1783] and the 2nd British Empire [1783-1815]) ended in 1914, while the rise of the American Empire (never actually referred to as such) is generally pegged to the United States’ entry into World War I circa 1917?

And is it just a coincidence that the overwhelming majority of American presidents have been descended from royal British bloodlines? Speaking of American presidents, this seems like a good time to segue into a discussion of who our next fearless leader will be.

And, he goes on into a few other comments on the state of current affairs as he sees them.

The chicken and the egg

There is a movement in our Country to certify human status upon the physiological act of conception. So, let’s take this argument a step further. One could make a parallel argument for our Chicken population. Most folks, I’m guessing, don’t give a hoot about which came first; the chicken, or the egg. What does matter is the question of just when that egg becomes a chicken. If we adhere to the new populace theory that is sweeping the Country, we have to go with the premise that a chicken becomes a chicken shortly after the rooster has gotten busy in the hen house.

Well, “Lordy” be, think of the all the consequences that would befall the Chicken Nation. For starters, the hen houses would have to vastly expanded to cope with the influx of new fluffy little chicks. Who is going to pay for this urban renewal project? Don’t rely on the roosters and hens. The only capital they have to offer is chicken shit. And, who’s shelling out for the increase in chicken feed because of all these fluff balls? Certainly not Farmer Bill, he’s just making it by with his own family to feed. The question then arises, are we legally emboldened to still chow down on Chicken? That ‘s a dicey situation, given the whole inception argument.

My immediate thought is that Mr. Rooster is going  to flee the scene, and look elsewhere for a better life. And, what’s Mrs. Hen going to do? I’ve got a feeling that she’s hooking up with Mr. Rooster, and leaving town, also.

That leaves poor Farmer Bill holding the bag with all the little ones. What the Hell is he going to do with all these protected chicks? My guess, here, is that Farmer Bill is going to cry all the way to Washington, D.C. to seek federal relief for this blight upon our land. Once again, our politicians are forced to deal with a whole lot of chicken shit; just when they thought they were out of the woods and had a balanced budget.

Hutch Dubosque and 267 others don’t like:

1)      Walmart

2)      Mittens

3)      3-G

4)      4-G

5)      e-speak

6)      Save The Whales

7)      hearing what you had for breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.

8)      seeing 23,000 pictures  without captions

9)      postings that could, and should, be sent via private message

10)   postings that shouldn’t be posted at all

11)   text block; “What’s on your mind?”

12)   right hand column; “sponsored ”

13)   stupid “polls”

14)   Timeline format

15)   Facebook preferred stock

MY NEXT LIFE, by Woody Allen

I normally would pass right by anything involving Woody Allen. This little tidbit is simply too good to pass up.

MY NEXT LIFE

          by Woody Allen

   “In my next life I want
                      to live backwards.

You start out dead and get that all out of the way.

Then you wake up in an old person’s home feeling better every day.

   You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day.

   You work for forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement.

   You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, then you are ready for high school.

   You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play. You have no responsibilities, you become a baby until you are born.

   And then you spend your last nine months floating in luxurious spa like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then, Voila!

          You finish off as an orgasm!

                                      I rest my case.”

What Will They Write On T-shirts Next? (Or, how to disrupt a pleasant breakfast at the diner.)

   Went out for breakfast this morning, being as it was the weekend, and saw a “saying” on the back of a t-shirt that I’m not totally convinced I understand. I was just taking my first few sips of coffee to shake out the cob-webs, and here comes a middle-aged couple and their son. They plunk themselves down in the next both, and, as they were plunking, I noticed the hubby had this saying on the back of his shirt: “When Lawyers Lead Society To Justice, Peace is its reward”. Well, that stopped me dead in my tracks on a number of levels. I knew I had to write down this “saying”, and did so with the aide of a pen from my wife, who had also eyed the aforementioned shirt.

   I must admit that I had a little trouble getting words to paper, as my mind was in some sort of serious lock-down. I couldn’t, for the life of me, make any logical, grammatical, or syntactical sense out of what my eyes had just seen. After a minute of utter disbelief, I was able to scribe the “saying” on the back of one of my business cards. As, I was engaged in writing this down, my Wife was looking at me with about half a grin on her face. Our eyes met, and she said ”This one really got to you, didn’t it?” I was speechless! I couldn’t find the words to describe what I was just feeling, let alone thinking. (You know what they say, “Don’t ask people what they’re thinking; they don’t do it very often.”) Now, I know, there is some truth to that caveat.

   My first cogent thought was that I should have worn my “OCCUPY” t-shirt. At the very least, that shirt “saying” makes sense. We did manage to finish our breakfast, but not before this gentleman stood up to go to the cash register and pay his cheque. (Sorry, that’s the French in me talking.) And, wouldn’t you know it, there was a small crest and some initials on the left chest of this shirt. I could not make out the crest too clearly, but the initials I recognized immediately. “NYSBA” was noticeable in white letters: “ New York State Bar Association”. No, we’re not talking your local gin mill, we’re talking the State lawyers association.

   Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I used to consider that lawyers had a reasonable command of the English language. And, God Damn It, this “saying” doesn’t make a pimple’s amount of sense. I’ve been reading it backwards, forwards, inside-out, and upside-down, and I cannot find anything in this short statement that even approaches validity. I really need some help with this conundrum. If anyone could shed some light on the subject, please let me know.

·         When lawyers lead society to justice, peace is its reward?

·         When society rewards lawyers with the practice of justice, peace occurs?

·         Peace is the reward society gets by having justice and lawyers?

Since when did lawyers ever lead society to justice? Since when have lawyers had anything to do with the creation and maintenance of peace? When was the last time either society, or you, were rewarded by a lawyer? Are not justice and peace two entirely separate entities?

I thought so!

A View Of The Bench (from the back row)

Riverhead, NY – Criminal Court – Non-jury – Section 13 – Part Y

   The reason for me being there is of no consequence to this entry. What I heard and observed is all that needs reciting and comment. It was the bright, sunny morning of July 10^th. Those of us having business with the Court, or simply there as an observer, were told, well in advance, that we should be at the Courtroom doors no later than 9:00 am. Being set forth in bold print on our notice, one would easily regard this order as a fairly stringent one. To be late, it seemed, might put you in jeopardy of being set further back in their calendar. Court dates are hard to come by, so you feel the urgency and necessity of following instructions closely.

   There are four non-jury courtrooms in a row at the facility; one of which we were assigned to. There were just a few people milling about, or leaning against a wall. It was 9:05 am by the time we actually got to the courtroom doors. In my naiveté, I was a little concerned that we might be considered as “tardy-to-the-party”, but I soon learning how sorely mistaken I was. For the next two hours the halls filled with us normal folk and a whole slew of lawyers and law clerks. They were all scurrying about like turkeys just before Thanksgiving; hauling massive milk crates of legal files; and generally flying in and out of doors apparently not quite sure where they were supposed to be and just what files they were to bring and where to put them. I did notice that close to show time most of the milk crates full of legal files that had been so proudly dragged about earlier had been retired from whence they originated.

   Our Man showed up promptly at 10:00 am. He had a few quick words with us then he, too, scurried into the courtroom with that special “lawyerly” look of concern on his face. Then he joined in the show and was in and out, in and out, etc. Finally, at 11:05 am, we were ushered into the courtroom, and we took seats in the last row. This was a good thing, as it gave me an excellent vantage point to see the proceedings. {One side note: I had overheard from a “lawyerly” looking type that the Judge only allows his court time to run until 1:00, or 1:30, pm. That got my attention.}

   Well we all rose when the Judge arrived, and he was courteous enough to command all in attendance be seated.  It was now 11:15 am, and the Bailiff called the first case. This went fairly smoothly I suppose, because everyone was talking very low and it sounded like the murmur you hear from any ordinary crowd of people. A few papers got shuffled, a few papers got signed, and then the papers got shuffled, again. The first entourage left in what appeared to be a good mood. Then, low and behold, our case was called up in second place. As one of our party was at the bar with our “lawyerly” looking lawyer, I was jotting down notes; much as I had been doing prior to entering the courtroom. Don’t you know this action drew the attention of the Bailiff, and over she came to have a look see at what I was so intently engaged in doing. Surmising that I was not a threat to humanity and I was simply applying pen to paper, she let out an audible grunt probably signifying her disappointment at not being able to wield her omnipotent power of authority. I smiled on the outside, and laughed on the inside. Score one for “We The Peeps”. There was some more unintelligible banter from the front of the room; a few papers were shuffled; a few papers were signed; and the papers were, once again, shuffled. The gavel struck, and our party of the first part was allowed to vacate the chamber. We were then obliged to go over to the Parole Board window to, you guessed it, fill out, shuffle, sign, and reshuffle some more paper work. It was then, and only then, that we were able bid a fond farewell to our “lawyerly” looking lawyer, and exit the building

   Throughout this whole exercise, I was very much surprised at the amount of paper that passed before my eyes. Whether under someone’s arm, cradled out in front, or wheeled in milk crates, there was just a lot of paper; a rough estimate might put the amount at three trees. Another aspect of this whole experience was the realization that this “judgely” Judge was going to devote a grand total of three to three and a half hours adjudicating to all the evil doers in his courtroom for that day. Now, I’m no expert of Judge’s salaries, but I’d be willing to place a small wager on the assumption that these people make a pretty good living wage. Of course, the money they put in their pockets is Taxpayers money. Call me old fashion, but when you pay someone that kind of money to do a specific job, its reasonable to expect a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. Anything less is gaming the system, and cheating us, the lowly Taxpayer, out of productivity, efficiency, ethics, not to mention our hard earned dollars.

   If this is a simple microcosm of how our Justice system works, on a daily basis, its no wonder where all our money goes. Reflecting on the past, I now do not think the Beatles ruined our Society, as so many folks still do. I truly believe that it is all these “lawyerly” lawyers and “judgely” Judges that are bleeding us dry. The retort I hear the most is that running this Country is so complicated that we need “lawyerly” lawyers to keep everything running smoothly. I’m going out on a limb, here, and saying, “How’s that been workin’ out, lately?” As far as I’m concerned, Physics and Rocket Science are complicated; running a government isn’t. Running a government is done with compassion, empathy, logic, reason, and rational thinking. It seems to me that when we get the Law Profession involved in anything, whatever it is turns into an unmanageable pile of crap. Let’s not allow everything to turn into an unmanageable pile of crap. Don’t hire any more lawyers.

life begins

life begins when you have a thought of having sex

raking your eyes over someone’s body gets you arrested for assault

just imaging it makes it rape

if you give your niece a birthday present, you’re a pedophile

if you dream that you are driving a fancy sports car, you are automatically guilty of grand theft auto.

i think you can see where this is going. i think you know what and who this is aimed at. our society has gone stark raving mad, totally bonkers, and is now taking stupid pills for breakfast.

what happened to logic and reason? not only did the middle of the road disappear, but the entire road has vanished. come on folks! enough with this crap, already. there are way more important issues and situations in this world than to be running around yelling; “the sky is falling, the sky is falling…”. the goddamn sky isn’t falling. it never will. what is falling is the tolerance we had for one another back in the good old days. By the way, the good old days were generally conservative in every aspect of life.

what happened to being your brother’s keeper? either no one has brothers anymore, or we just forgot how to keep them. i find myself thinking: hey, i have my own stuff to worry about. how do you expect me to worry about anyone else’s stuff? being courteous, honest, humble, and such has gone around the bend on us? silly me, i thought it was all going to be different with our generation. don’t blame it on our parents. they played the game according to the rules. we benefitted from that to a great degree. the trouble is some of our wiring short-circuited along the way, and we turned out to be greedy, selfish, little children (and that’s as adults).

well to my parents, i apologize. to my children i apologize. and, to the world i can only offer my condolences, because we certainly are not leaving behind a legacy anyone would be proud of.

to the folks that insist politically correct thinking and action is the only way to go, i say; stuff it, zip it, get over it. i am done with this crap. i am returning to those good old days when a person could freely speak his/her mind,  have his/her own  convictions, openly fight for what they believe in. and, do it as a proud American, not some sniveling little brat that needs to go with the flow and have mommy wipe his/her snotty nose.

ps: i was thinking of writing this all in capital letters. then, i realized that some people take offense to that style of penmanship. therefore, there is only one capitalized word. hey, if e. e. cummings can get away with it, surely i can as well.

PLEASE JOIN US IN THIS NEW ENDEAVOUR TO TOTALLY UNDERMINE THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES.

FOR A SMALL DONATION OF $25,000.00, YOU TOO CAN BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF DISMANTLING THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION AND EFFECTIVELY DO THE SAME FOR ALL FIFTY STATE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION. THIS IS A GROUND FLOOR,
GROUNDBREAKING OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING GREAT FOR YOUR COUNTRY. SO, DON’T HESITATE. GET THAT CHECK IN THE MAIL TODAY { WE ALSO ACCEPT STOCKS, BONDS, OR ANY OTHER TRANSFERRABLE METHOD OF PAYMENT}.

Okay, one last rant before tasting the turkey!

"Picking bones......."

Now, I’ve got a bone to pick with what is undoubtedly my favorite cable news outlet. MSNBC has held itself as close as possible to the true meaning of Journalism as any of the popular cable news outlets (yes, including CNN). It hurts the eyes and ears to witness a gradual drift away from Journalism into the the realm of tabloid style reporting. Spread the blame evenly from the producers, the editors and down to the delivery units; aka, Chris Mathews, Rachel Maddow, Dylan Ratigan, Ed Schultz, Lawrence O’Donnel, et. al.

At a time when our National house of cards is tumble down around us, there seems to be an awful amount of air time devoted to truly secondary and tertiary issues. Not that Women’s rights and the proper categorization of pizza vise-a-vie school lunches are not real and important issues, I simply feel very strongly that there are a few more pressing issues to deal with and to report on. And, I don’t mind these outlets for self promoting their content and celebrity presenters. But, when Chris Mathews has the gall to say that, of course, reporters don’t want to be regulated, they just want everything and every body else to be regulated, I have to shake my head and say to myself, “What the f#*k?”

I tell you what, Mr. Mathews, how about we regulate news casters, news presenters, talking heads, etc. by separating the true Journalists from from the likes of you and a handful of your cronies there at MSNBC, and elsewhere. In the true sense of adherence to Journalistic credo, let’s regulate the categories by which your “news” is produced, edited, and delivered. A quick trip to the dictionary will solve this argument without doubt. And, while I’m on the subject, let me remind everyone that Journalist are only supposed to report the news, not actually BE the news. Secondly, a true Journalist will allow those being questioned to actually answer the question without being interrupted by a self-promoting talking head. You simply cannot have this issue be a one-way street. Plus, its damn rude to interrupt and/or shout over someone trying give a cogent answer to a question from a “reporter”/ “journalist”. Didn’t your Mother tell you its not nice to interrupt? I’m most certain she did, as did mine.

And, where is it written that your questions have to include a complete encyclopedic preface? Please, God, keep it simple and you’ll be surprised at wealth of information you get in return. I know you love to hear hear yourself pontificate, but please confine it to privacy of your own environment, and don’t waste our time having to hear it ‘ad nauseum’.

At a time when we all need to get back to the basics, you have a bully pulpit from which you can make a positive difference. Please use it toward that end.

Call me old fashioned, but what the Hell has happened to the GOP of old? The GOP that always seemed to have a firm grip on foreign affairs and foreign policy has totally disintegrated; vanished into thin air. I have seen no evidence of anyone related to the Republican Party who has a clue to what’s going on in the rest of the world. I’ve got to say that the Democratic Party has “eaten your Lunch”. And, what is with this three ring circus being offered up as the best of in show now running for the Presidency? You have got to be kidding me. There simply has to be some deep, dark reason for all this buffoonery! There must be a “snake in the Grass” just waiting until the very last moment to come riding in on a great white steed to save the the day ( and the Party). For the life of me I can’t come up with just who that might be. Does the Republican Party really think they can rally popular support for any of these clowns? I can only guess that these so called candidates didn’t get the memo on “no kid left behind”. Maybe they thought that pizza really was a vegetable in the school lunch program. That deep, dark, bottomless abyss I have been referring to is looking more like our new reality every day now.

<a little drum roll, Maestro?>

My street “cred” has peaked! I foresaw this popular uprising we now know as “OWS” a year and and a half ago. The fact that it has remained relatively peaceful is a great testament to the true meaning of the movement. Whether you agree with it, or not, you cannot deny it is starting to have the desired effect. Sure, its going to take some more time, but I get a very strong feeling that the 1% have felt a disturbance in the force. The walls of their universe have been breeched, and some very arrogant, powerful folks are starting to feel the heat coming off the street. ‘Viva la revolution!’ Its been a long time, but we finally know who the enemy is and we have engaged them. Its going to be fun watching them fall.   

(more) Things That Make My Head Hurt:

Bi-Partisan – If I hear that term once more, I think my head head will explode!

Are we ready for a biological terror attack? – There is absolutely no way to defend against this type of terror attack, so get over it.

Blue- Ribbon Panels – How’s that been working out?

Q.E. – If I choose to ease into anything, I will not feel the need to quantify it.

1% -    Don’t get me started!

Governors from Texas – ‘nuff said?

Israel v. Palestine – You hit me first / did not / did so /did not…..

Useless trade agreements – I’m really impressed how well these agreements always work out for us.

Citizens who vehemently criticize our government -  but just can’t  seem to find the time to vote.

Executive bonuses – Whatever happened to ‘an honest days pay for an  honest days work’?

I-phones – Can we think of more things to waste our time on?

E-Clouds – I was always satisfied with Mother Nature on this one.

Face-Talkers – Back off there Skippy. I don’t need a shower of your saliva.

E-Speak – I thought we already had a National language!