One of the first fatalities when a totalitarian government takes over is the free expression of humor. Think about it. Totalitarian governments are humorless, by definition. Not only do they have no sense of humor; they squash every attempt to get laughs that they can find. Why? Genuine humor, again by definition, is subversive. The real Adolph Hitler never would have been a great guest on, say, Saturday Night Live. The absurdity of the idea of Hitler's being such a guest, from my perspective in the here and now, is amusing, however. Hitler, not funny. Hitler, being made fun of without realizing it, very funny.
I nonetheless regard with increasing trepidation events of late in Russia. A government spokesman there recently denounced the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, asserting that its "unfortunate stereotypes" were enough to re-ignite the Cold War. The statement is absurd on its face, so it's very funny. The spokesman who said it was deadly serious, which is not in the least bit funny--it's frightening. And it speaks ill of Russia's future direction, and thus hope for world political stability. [Then again, maybe it's not so bad after all. With Boris and Natasha coming back, can Rocky and Bullwinkle be far behind?--Ed.]
If this whole thing were an Apple commercial, the US would be the Mac and Russia would be the PC. "PC's Number Two! PC's Number Two!" Only this PC has the capability of throwing nukes all over the place if its government gets its collective knickers in enough of a twist. Oh, I am mixing my similes and metaphors, aren't I? Well, it's late, I'm tired, and my synapses make extra silly connections under such circumstances.
I wouldn't last long under a totalitarian regime. I cannot live without air, water, and food. I cannot live well without humor.
Friday, May 30, 2008
It's Hedley!
Count me among those who mourn the death last night of the comic actor Harvey Korman. Not only was he brilliant in some of Mel Brooks' best movies--as everyone reporting on his death has noted with a clip or two from Blazing Saddles--he was delightful to watch on TV in The Carol Burnett Show. So far, most reporters mentioning Korman's work there have used bits of the infamous "Went With the Breeze" sketch . . . wherein Carol famously made a dress out of curtains with the curtain rods still attached at her shoulders.
My own favorite Korman moments include every time Tim Conway's ad libs cracked Korman up. The harder he tried to fight losing it, the funnier he and Conway got. There's something delightfully infectious yet healing about such uncontainable guffaws.
My very favorite Korman moment, however, will always be one from a series of Burnett Show blackout sketches featuring twisted interpretations of songs from great American musicals. Korman, in plaid logging gear, entered the stage (decorated like a forest) belting out that Paint Your Wagon tune, "I Talk To The Trees." And several men in white coats with butterfly nets and a straightjacket come to take him away.
Heaven is a happier place today. Earth may not be, but at least we have the DVDs to console us.
My own favorite Korman moments include every time Tim Conway's ad libs cracked Korman up. The harder he tried to fight losing it, the funnier he and Conway got. There's something delightfully infectious yet healing about such uncontainable guffaws.
My very favorite Korman moment, however, will always be one from a series of Burnett Show blackout sketches featuring twisted interpretations of songs from great American musicals. Korman, in plaid logging gear, entered the stage (decorated like a forest) belting out that Paint Your Wagon tune, "I Talk To The Trees." And several men in white coats with butterfly nets and a straightjacket come to take him away.
Heaven is a happier place today. Earth may not be, but at least we have the DVDs to console us.
No One Expects The Spanish Inquisition!
Confess! Confess!
OK, I confess--I was very pleasantly startled by the US Supreme Court's recent decisions in this term's two workforce discrimination/retaliation claims cases (by 7-2 and 6-3 margins), especially after last term's 5-4 decision that restricted certain discrimination claims. Last term's case had do do with when a woman could file a gender-based discrimination claim for not getting equal pay for equal work. The Supremes ruled in that case that she was limited to a certain amount of time after she received the first discriminatory pay (interpreting each pay check as a separate discrimination, not as all her pay over all the years being one, long, on-going act of discrimination). Her claim was denied as having been filed years too late after she experienced the initial discrimination. No matter that she didn't even learn she was being paid less, MUCH less, until right before she filed her claim in the first place.
This term's cases had to do with people who were fired after complaining that other, previously-fired employees, had been discriminated against. In both cases this term, the Supremes ruled largely in favor of the people who were retaliated against. My apologies for not being more specific with case citations and quotes. I've been waiting most of the week for the Omaha World-Herald to publish something about the cases so that I could have the information in front of me as I blogged. So far, the paper has published precisely nothing about the cases that I have seen. But I had to say something before the news got so stale that not even the USSCt junkies would care. Please accept my apologies for the somewhat general nature of my remarks.
What really startled me, however, was how blatantly the dissenters in the 7-2 decision confirmed my long-held contention that making law is inherent in what judges do, and that it's only called "judicial activism" by those who disagree with the verdict.
When a decision is 7-2, and especially when the majority decision is reasonable, the dissenters most likely will be Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. So it was in this case. Surprise--not!
Scalia said plainly that the majority's reliance on what he called "the fig leaf" of stare decisis was erroneous since the prior cases on which the majority relied had been "decided wrongly" in the first place.
The gist of his argument is thus revealed: it's OK to ignore precedent if you disagree with it. And that's the sine qua non of judicial activism . . . an approach that Scalia and Thomas are on the record as opposing. Vehemently. In fact, however, they oppose it only when they disagree with the substance of the result. They are thus just as much judicial activists as was, say, Earl Warren, though to an opposite substantive result.
I never thought they'd admit it so openly. My confession, therefore, is that I am surprised by their confession. And Michael Palin didn't even need to "get the comfy chair" to make me admit it!
OK, I confess--I was very pleasantly startled by the US Supreme Court's recent decisions in this term's two workforce discrimination/retaliation claims cases (by 7-2 and 6-3 margins), especially after last term's 5-4 decision that restricted certain discrimination claims. Last term's case had do do with when a woman could file a gender-based discrimination claim for not getting equal pay for equal work. The Supremes ruled in that case that she was limited to a certain amount of time after she received the first discriminatory pay (interpreting each pay check as a separate discrimination, not as all her pay over all the years being one, long, on-going act of discrimination). Her claim was denied as having been filed years too late after she experienced the initial discrimination. No matter that she didn't even learn she was being paid less, MUCH less, until right before she filed her claim in the first place.
This term's cases had to do with people who were fired after complaining that other, previously-fired employees, had been discriminated against. In both cases this term, the Supremes ruled largely in favor of the people who were retaliated against. My apologies for not being more specific with case citations and quotes. I've been waiting most of the week for the Omaha World-Herald to publish something about the cases so that I could have the information in front of me as I blogged. So far, the paper has published precisely nothing about the cases that I have seen. But I had to say something before the news got so stale that not even the USSCt junkies would care. Please accept my apologies for the somewhat general nature of my remarks.
What really startled me, however, was how blatantly the dissenters in the 7-2 decision confirmed my long-held contention that making law is inherent in what judges do, and that it's only called "judicial activism" by those who disagree with the verdict.
When a decision is 7-2, and especially when the majority decision is reasonable, the dissenters most likely will be Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. So it was in this case. Surprise--not!
Scalia said plainly that the majority's reliance on what he called "the fig leaf" of stare decisis was erroneous since the prior cases on which the majority relied had been "decided wrongly" in the first place.
The gist of his argument is thus revealed: it's OK to ignore precedent if you disagree with it. And that's the sine qua non of judicial activism . . . an approach that Scalia and Thomas are on the record as opposing. Vehemently. In fact, however, they oppose it only when they disagree with the substance of the result. They are thus just as much judicial activists as was, say, Earl Warren, though to an opposite substantive result.
I never thought they'd admit it so openly. My confession, therefore, is that I am surprised by their confession. And Michael Palin didn't even need to "get the comfy chair" to make me admit it!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Margaritaville This Ain't
This year's hot trend in beer is adding a touch of genuine lime flavor to one's brew. Corona commercials for several months have been showing Corona bottles with a real wedge of lime in their openings; Miller Lite has been advertising its "Chill" beer (lime flavor and a hint of salt flavor added) since at least February; Budweiser recently released Bud LIght Lime with a flurry of ads on TV sporting events.
I am glad that one series of those ads has already died and been yanked off the air--at least, off the air of the channels I watch. These are the ads wherein an oversized lime with human arms and legs--and no head--breakdances (among other things). Creepy!
The only time fruit should be dancing is when it's in Carmen Miranda's [or Bugs Bunny's when dressed as Carmen Miranda--Ed.] hat.
I am glad that one series of those ads has already died and been yanked off the air--at least, off the air of the channels I watch. These are the ads wherein an oversized lime with human arms and legs--and no head--breakdances (among other things). Creepy!
The only time fruit should be dancing is when it's in Carmen Miranda's [or Bugs Bunny's when dressed as Carmen Miranda--Ed.] hat.
Bass-Ackwards
The Omaha World-Herald has done it again. In a "Furthermore" editorial this past week, the Editor chastised Barack Obama for his response to Dubya's speech in the Israeli Knesset wherein the President equated negotiating with hostile entities to appeasement.
The Editor reasoned that it's unseemly to let domestic political disputes play out on the world stage. The traditional American axiom is "politics stops at the water's edge," though the Editor didn't say that so concisely.
By the Editor's own reasoning, the blame really should be laid at the feet of the President. After all, he's the one whose overseas revelation of his utter incomprehension of history started the verbal brouhaha in the first place.
But the World-Herald will never pass up the opportunity to take a swipe at someone with whose politics it disagrees, the facts and truth be damned.
What distresses me the most about the President's reliance on straw man logic and the World-Herald's support of same is that so many people accept it without question. These are the same people who, during the Vietnam War, quoted "America--love it or leave it" without realizing that the quote in its entirety required patriots to work to change America when America's policies were wrong. Intelligently questioning the actions of those in power is the essence of patriotism, and should be done as rigorously to those with whom we agree as much as to those with whom we disagree.
The Editor reasoned that it's unseemly to let domestic political disputes play out on the world stage. The traditional American axiom is "politics stops at the water's edge," though the Editor didn't say that so concisely.
By the Editor's own reasoning, the blame really should be laid at the feet of the President. After all, he's the one whose overseas revelation of his utter incomprehension of history started the verbal brouhaha in the first place.
But the World-Herald will never pass up the opportunity to take a swipe at someone with whose politics it disagrees, the facts and truth be damned.
What distresses me the most about the President's reliance on straw man logic and the World-Herald's support of same is that so many people accept it without question. These are the same people who, during the Vietnam War, quoted "America--love it or leave it" without realizing that the quote in its entirety required patriots to work to change America when America's policies were wrong. Intelligently questioning the actions of those in power is the essence of patriotism, and should be done as rigorously to those with whom we agree as much as to those with whom we disagree.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Take A Memo, Candidates
a/k/a "Take My Advice--I'm Not Using It"
Memo to Senator John McCain: stop trying to smear Barack Obama with your perceived implications of his long-term relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. For one thing, your "logic" isn't. I know plenty of people who regularly attend a church, which they consider to be their church, and who disagree (often vehemently) with official stands of that church on important matters of doctrine and history. Just because the Rev. Wright has said things odious to many of us doesn't mean Obama either agreed with him or is tainted by them. Or that his reluctance to throw the Rev. Wright "under the bus" is a fatal shortcoming on his part.
Furthermore, you, Sen. McCain, are on very shaky ground slinging such mud. You are either telling the truth or lying about your prior knowledge of Pastor Hagee's more disgusting beliefs. Remember, you actively sought Hagee's endorsement. So you and your staff either knew but didn't care about Hagee's venomous spewings, or didn't know and didn't bother to find out. That makes you and your staff either liars or incompetent. Either option disqualifies you to become president.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Memo to Senator Hillary Clinton: your tenacity in your now quixotic pursuit of the Democratic Party's nomination is not as unabashedly admirable as you think. Tenacity is normally a value I applaud wholeheartedly, but even I recognize there comes a point where tenacity slips over the edge of sense and falls into the pit of stupidity. Blind tenacity does not speak well of your powers of observation and reasoning, let alone of your concept of reality. And to bring up Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's assassination in June of 1968 as another reason to keep up your fight (thus to lessen strife and uncertainty during the party's convention later in the summer) is beyond tone-deaf--especially in light of Sen. Edward Kennedy's malignant glioma diagnosis this past week. Even more so in light of your implication that Obama could be assassinated, too.
Give it up, girl! Pull on your big-girl panties and deal with it. You screwed up your campaign. You do not have any right to be the Democratic nominee, no matter how much it cost you personally to stay with Bill in light of his very public philandering while he was president. Concede graciously and soon so that you can turn your attention to mending the rifts you've caused in the party. After all, the ultimate goal is a Democrat in the White House. If you keep up this fight, you're going to tear the party in two and McCain will wind up winning in November. Maybe that's what you want, but in the real world, a Pyrrhic victory will help no one but the very, very, very rich right-wing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Memo to Senator Barack Obama: Be very, very circumspect and careful as your staff begins to vet potential vice presidential candidates. It doesn't belong to Hillary, and I would think she'd have no interest in taking it if offered, but her opinion about whom you should select must be given serious consideration. Your best bet for the future of the country is to get Hillary to realize that her most effective option is to stay in the Senate--with her increasing seniority and her admitted mastery of policy issues, her position on key committees (indeed, possible chairmanships) makes her an invaluable ally in getting your legislative agenda passed, should you become president. [After all, Senator Edward Kennedy may not be in a position to continue that role for long, given his present medical situation.--Ed.]
Whatever you do, keep it exceedingly low key until after Hillary has regained her senses and conceded the nomination to you. Being perceived as "jumping the gun" won't help you during the fall campaign at all, as it will alienate a large, vocal wing of the party--some members of which have already said if they can't vote for Hillary, they'd rather vote for McCain than for you. You need to win them over, and fast. If you do, you can point to your success as showing your skill and experience in diplomacy. If you don't, you may well lose in November.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here endeth the lesson. I have nothing to say to Ralph Nader (Green Party) and whomever the Libertarians nominate later today. Sadly or no, they are irrelevant.
Memo to Senator John McCain: stop trying to smear Barack Obama with your perceived implications of his long-term relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. For one thing, your "logic" isn't. I know plenty of people who regularly attend a church, which they consider to be their church, and who disagree (often vehemently) with official stands of that church on important matters of doctrine and history. Just because the Rev. Wright has said things odious to many of us doesn't mean Obama either agreed with him or is tainted by them. Or that his reluctance to throw the Rev. Wright "under the bus" is a fatal shortcoming on his part.
Furthermore, you, Sen. McCain, are on very shaky ground slinging such mud. You are either telling the truth or lying about your prior knowledge of Pastor Hagee's more disgusting beliefs. Remember, you actively sought Hagee's endorsement. So you and your staff either knew but didn't care about Hagee's venomous spewings, or didn't know and didn't bother to find out. That makes you and your staff either liars or incompetent. Either option disqualifies you to become president.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Memo to Senator Hillary Clinton: your tenacity in your now quixotic pursuit of the Democratic Party's nomination is not as unabashedly admirable as you think. Tenacity is normally a value I applaud wholeheartedly, but even I recognize there comes a point where tenacity slips over the edge of sense and falls into the pit of stupidity. Blind tenacity does not speak well of your powers of observation and reasoning, let alone of your concept of reality. And to bring up Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's assassination in June of 1968 as another reason to keep up your fight (thus to lessen strife and uncertainty during the party's convention later in the summer) is beyond tone-deaf--especially in light of Sen. Edward Kennedy's malignant glioma diagnosis this past week. Even more so in light of your implication that Obama could be assassinated, too.
Give it up, girl! Pull on your big-girl panties and deal with it. You screwed up your campaign. You do not have any right to be the Democratic nominee, no matter how much it cost you personally to stay with Bill in light of his very public philandering while he was president. Concede graciously and soon so that you can turn your attention to mending the rifts you've caused in the party. After all, the ultimate goal is a Democrat in the White House. If you keep up this fight, you're going to tear the party in two and McCain will wind up winning in November. Maybe that's what you want, but in the real world, a Pyrrhic victory will help no one but the very, very, very rich right-wing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Memo to Senator Barack Obama: Be very, very circumspect and careful as your staff begins to vet potential vice presidential candidates. It doesn't belong to Hillary, and I would think she'd have no interest in taking it if offered, but her opinion about whom you should select must be given serious consideration. Your best bet for the future of the country is to get Hillary to realize that her most effective option is to stay in the Senate--with her increasing seniority and her admitted mastery of policy issues, her position on key committees (indeed, possible chairmanships) makes her an invaluable ally in getting your legislative agenda passed, should you become president. [After all, Senator Edward Kennedy may not be in a position to continue that role for long, given his present medical situation.--Ed.]
Whatever you do, keep it exceedingly low key until after Hillary has regained her senses and conceded the nomination to you. Being perceived as "jumping the gun" won't help you during the fall campaign at all, as it will alienate a large, vocal wing of the party--some members of which have already said if they can't vote for Hillary, they'd rather vote for McCain than for you. You need to win them over, and fast. If you do, you can point to your success as showing your skill and experience in diplomacy. If you don't, you may well lose in November.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here endeth the lesson. I have nothing to say to Ralph Nader (Green Party) and whomever the Libertarians nominate later today. Sadly or no, they are irrelevant.
Maybe I'm Not Such A Lonely Voice In The Wilderness After All
Do you ever listen to NPR's weekly feature, This I Believe? It is always interesting to learn how other people think and why they believe what they do--and often most enlightening to discover what events got them to where they now are.
This morning, I heard an essay for the feature by Kenneth Weinberg, an attorney who, among other tasks, helped determine the distribution amounts of financial compensation to the family members of the victims of the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11.
After having accepted for his entire professional life the premise at law that the major method for determining such compensation is to determine the economic impact on the survivors of each victim's death, Weinberg's actual experiences relating to 9/11 changed his mind. He no longer thinks that an attorney who, say, represented (among other clients) Emeril Lagasse should automatically be worth more than a firefighter who lost his life trying to rescue others on that horrible day, just because the attorney had more education and training and thus a higher lifetime earnings potential. Mr. Weinberg now believes that all life should be valued equally.
Hallelujah and Amen! He didn't say it in so many words, but Mr. Weinberg's conclusions directly support several things I've been saying for years. First, that life itself is the most fundamental and important of our unalienable rights. Therefore, under our system of government, the things that directly affect life--like health care--should be made available to everyone, equally. Second, that financial worth is not a proper fundamental social value, for it promotes greed above other, more important social values, such as honesty, integrity, and yes, heroism. Third, that our adversarial system of justice doesn't necessarily provide the best way to learn the truth about any contested/litigated situation. Taking people who already disagree with one another and forcing them to adopt the most extreme version of their respective positions so they can maximize their chances to win a lawsuit is no way to guarantee long-term successful dispute resolution. Much better to have everyone sit down together and act like rational grown-ups and work out a solution with which everyone can live comfortably.
[However, this does not go so far as Dubya and Sen. McCain would have you think and make you into a wimpy "cheek-turner" to terrorists. Self-defense is never wrong. But note the prefix: self-defense. Hence one of my biggest problems with the US invasion of Iraq. That is not what the USA does. Not my USA, anyway. Especially when using Dubya's own reasoning, other targets of invasion would have been better, like, oh, North Korea. Then again, North Korea has no oil. And so the moral, intellectual, and policy bankruptcies of the Dubya administration are revealed.--Ed.]
I was half-asleep when Mr. Weinberg's essay started, but I was wide awake by its end. Now if we can only get the rest of the county to wake up, too.
This morning, I heard an essay for the feature by Kenneth Weinberg, an attorney who, among other tasks, helped determine the distribution amounts of financial compensation to the family members of the victims of the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11.
After having accepted for his entire professional life the premise at law that the major method for determining such compensation is to determine the economic impact on the survivors of each victim's death, Weinberg's actual experiences relating to 9/11 changed his mind. He no longer thinks that an attorney who, say, represented (among other clients) Emeril Lagasse should automatically be worth more than a firefighter who lost his life trying to rescue others on that horrible day, just because the attorney had more education and training and thus a higher lifetime earnings potential. Mr. Weinberg now believes that all life should be valued equally.
Hallelujah and Amen! He didn't say it in so many words, but Mr. Weinberg's conclusions directly support several things I've been saying for years. First, that life itself is the most fundamental and important of our unalienable rights. Therefore, under our system of government, the things that directly affect life--like health care--should be made available to everyone, equally. Second, that financial worth is not a proper fundamental social value, for it promotes greed above other, more important social values, such as honesty, integrity, and yes, heroism. Third, that our adversarial system of justice doesn't necessarily provide the best way to learn the truth about any contested/litigated situation. Taking people who already disagree with one another and forcing them to adopt the most extreme version of their respective positions so they can maximize their chances to win a lawsuit is no way to guarantee long-term successful dispute resolution. Much better to have everyone sit down together and act like rational grown-ups and work out a solution with which everyone can live comfortably.
[However, this does not go so far as Dubya and Sen. McCain would have you think and make you into a wimpy "cheek-turner" to terrorists. Self-defense is never wrong. But note the prefix: self-defense. Hence one of my biggest problems with the US invasion of Iraq. That is not what the USA does. Not my USA, anyway. Especially when using Dubya's own reasoning, other targets of invasion would have been better, like, oh, North Korea. Then again, North Korea has no oil. And so the moral, intellectual, and policy bankruptcies of the Dubya administration are revealed.--Ed.]
I was half-asleep when Mr. Weinberg's essay started, but I was wide awake by its end. Now if we can only get the rest of the county to wake up, too.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Regrets? I've Had A Few
Unlike Paul Anka, however, not too few to mention.
Is the singing of My Way still as ubiquitous at high school graduations as it was thirty-some years ago? Why? I think I may have stumbled upon a major cause of America's collective mental instability: we say we praise individuality and initiative, but we stomp down the truly creative and innovative at every turn. We publicly praise the iconoclasts amongst us, yet we collectively don't want anyone to be "too much" smarter than we are. We honor and reward some of the unique members of our society, but we hammer down most of them in small ways every day.
Is it an echo of the herd mentality of our ancestors? Most species which congregate in groups use the survival tactic of letting the group members who don't blend in be the main targets of the group's predators. The survival of the group matters more than the survival of any one individual group member.
Herein, too, lie the roots of Social Darwinism--for the individuals in a group who "stick out," who do not conform, are different in some easily identifiable way: they are old; they are sick; they are weak. Conservatives act like liberals are the bad ones in our society, but the logical end of much conservative thinking is euthanasia.
Which would horrify most conservatives if one brought this to their attention. Unfortunately for all of us, most people, liberal and conservative alike, do not bother themselves with the logical consequences of their expressed "thinking."
Even worse, reading many of the letters to the Editor of the Omaha World-Herald of late suggests that we've time-warped into George Orwell's 1984. Did you know, for example, that Democrats are the ones who don't tolerate anyone who disagrees with them? That Democrats run the media and control the spin on all the news we get, no matter its sources? That our starting the Iraq War was justified and is still a good thing? That tax breaks for the rich are good for all of us?
What's worst of all, many of these letter writers seriously think that "liberal" is a dirty word, and that liberals actively work to destroy the USA . . . not that liberals just have different ideas about what is best for our country.
I may be a lonely voice in the wilderness, but I am not ashamed of my stands on the issues. I came to them by thinking through the problems I see and determining what is the most practical, sensible solution. I did not start from any pre-conceived bias, liberal or conservative. For goodness' sake: I am the child of a true redneck (who was proud of it) and a Kennedy Democrat. Of course I can see things from all sides. It's how I was raised. I am just as angry at the radical left-wing as I am at the radical right-wing. Neither extreme has the best interests of the country in mind--only their own short-term advantage.
Just as the adversarial approach, in my opinion, is not the best way to run a legal system, it is not the best way to run a society. It only exacerbates the worst tendencies in all of us. We have to find a better way, or the future of America will be a bleak one, indeed.
Is the singing of My Way still as ubiquitous at high school graduations as it was thirty-some years ago? Why? I think I may have stumbled upon a major cause of America's collective mental instability: we say we praise individuality and initiative, but we stomp down the truly creative and innovative at every turn. We publicly praise the iconoclasts amongst us, yet we collectively don't want anyone to be "too much" smarter than we are. We honor and reward some of the unique members of our society, but we hammer down most of them in small ways every day.
Is it an echo of the herd mentality of our ancestors? Most species which congregate in groups use the survival tactic of letting the group members who don't blend in be the main targets of the group's predators. The survival of the group matters more than the survival of any one individual group member.
Herein, too, lie the roots of Social Darwinism--for the individuals in a group who "stick out," who do not conform, are different in some easily identifiable way: they are old; they are sick; they are weak. Conservatives act like liberals are the bad ones in our society, but the logical end of much conservative thinking is euthanasia.
Which would horrify most conservatives if one brought this to their attention. Unfortunately for all of us, most people, liberal and conservative alike, do not bother themselves with the logical consequences of their expressed "thinking."
Even worse, reading many of the letters to the Editor of the Omaha World-Herald of late suggests that we've time-warped into George Orwell's 1984. Did you know, for example, that Democrats are the ones who don't tolerate anyone who disagrees with them? That Democrats run the media and control the spin on all the news we get, no matter its sources? That our starting the Iraq War was justified and is still a good thing? That tax breaks for the rich are good for all of us?
What's worst of all, many of these letter writers seriously think that "liberal" is a dirty word, and that liberals actively work to destroy the USA . . . not that liberals just have different ideas about what is best for our country.
I may be a lonely voice in the wilderness, but I am not ashamed of my stands on the issues. I came to them by thinking through the problems I see and determining what is the most practical, sensible solution. I did not start from any pre-conceived bias, liberal or conservative. For goodness' sake: I am the child of a true redneck (who was proud of it) and a Kennedy Democrat. Of course I can see things from all sides. It's how I was raised. I am just as angry at the radical left-wing as I am at the radical right-wing. Neither extreme has the best interests of the country in mind--only their own short-term advantage.
Just as the adversarial approach, in my opinion, is not the best way to run a legal system, it is not the best way to run a society. It only exacerbates the worst tendencies in all of us. We have to find a better way, or the future of America will be a bleak one, indeed.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
It's All Greek To Me
Rather, maybe I should have been Greek. I find myself of late complaining mightily that "civilization" is going straight to hell. Such kvetching is a time-honored tradition, going back to ancient Greece, if not farther. Every generation thinks the next several are lesser than it in every measure. And every generation is right. Yet the world keeps turning.
I must admit that if things keep going the way I currently perceive them, however, I may not want to stick around to see how everything turns out. If it weren't so sad, the ignorance of those calling Barack Obama "an appeaser" would be laughable. I am glad for Sen. Clinton's sake that she immediately spoke out unequivocally against such accusations. Why is it that she finds the guts to act presidential only when it's much too late for hopes to become this year's Democratic Party's presidential nominee?
I was also glad to see Obama speaking forcefully and rationally against such wrong-headed attacks. I'll give the man this: he is cool under fire, which is a prime presidential character trait.
But for John McCain to claim Obama thinks America has no enemies and that Obama is living in la-la land is beyond ridiculous. McCain's supporters also called Obama's response to the absurd attacks hysterical political maneuvering.
None of these people could make themselves look more ignorant or worse liars/fools if they tried. They are the ones living in la-la land. I increasingly fear that their realization of the total bankruptcy of their "ideas" is going to make Dubya invade Iran before he has to leave office--worse yet (and thanks to my cousin Val for expressing this so concisely), he's amassed so much executive power and cowed so many people into submission that he may even try to declare martial law and suspend the elections just to hold onto power. Part of my brain is telling me I'm being paranoid . . . but the other part of my brain and my heart are palpitating in fear. I didn't think Dubya and his minions would be brazen enough to do some of the stupid things they've actually already done, so . . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Things are no brighter on the social front. I saw a commercial for the new season of The Bachelorette yesterday, and it filled me with sadness. The new bachelorette is the one who did not win the bachelor's heart in the just-finished season of The Bachelor. She says she's out to win her happy ending. The bachelors among which she gets to choose are all making "I'm going to win" noises. They don't even know her--nor does she know them. To expect her to find her "one and only" when she claimed to have done just that on The Bachelor, only to be rejected, is ludicrous. It's staged. It cannot be genuine. Everyone's behavior is geared to getting to a conclusion . . . a conclusion that probably wouldn't happen were events allowed to proceed without outside interference or influence.
Since when did love become such a callous and calculated win-or-lose proposition? Since when does one's success in life ride on "winning" in such an artificial, manipulated "game of love"? When it's a game, it can't be genuine. How many times has each of these shows run through its cycle? At least seven of each, if memory serves. And how many of the couples are still together? One, if memory serves.
It's all so coarse and callous. I'd rather be alone than subject myself to such public indignity. But the younger generations don't seem to have any understanding of what self-esteem really means. Nor any sense of shame. Nor any capability for truly deep feelings.
Why does anyone watch this crap?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Another reason the unregulated free market isn't such a good idea: if farmers raise their crops based purely on what's going to give them the highest price, we're going to have overages of some crops and shortages of others. Free Marketeers will tell you that this is OK because prices will shift in response and the farmers will then shift in response to that, and things will level out. But food is not something you can let the market control. For one thing, there's lead time--a/k/a growing seasons. It will take a year or two for changing prices to affect changing production. What do you do in the meantime? After all, farm production is also perishable. And what of people's health? What if we discover that some very unpopular crop is vitally necessary to human biological health? If we insist on letting a free market control farming, we could be committing long-term slow collective suicide.
Not to mention that unregulated free markets often dictate that the very best, most productive farming land is too valuable to be used for farming. We're importing food into this country that we could well produce here, but the farm land is worth more when built on for commercial development than it is to grow what sustains us. What's wrong with that picture?
If for no other reason, being dependent on other nations for our very "stuff of life" is no way to improve/enhance national security. I've heard some people say that when we get such global trade entanglements, it's actually good for national security, because (as they've said, in all seriousness) "no countries with McDonald's restaurants have ever gone to war with each other."
McDonald's has been around for only 50 years or so. That's not even an eye blink in terms of all of human history. Quarter Pounders with Cheese are no guarantee of world peace. The notion is nonsensical in other ways, too. Anybody who thinks he is on the short end of resource allocation is not going to let anyone else (fellow franchisee or not) take what he perceives to be rightfully his . . . not without a fight, at least.
I don't know what's going to happen. I hope I am wrong about Dubya's intentions. I hope the American electorate wakes up enough to realize what's happening and to do something about it. The historian in me wants to hang around and see how everything turns out . . . but the pragmatic realist in me wants to go hide under a very large rock.
I must admit that if things keep going the way I currently perceive them, however, I may not want to stick around to see how everything turns out. If it weren't so sad, the ignorance of those calling Barack Obama "an appeaser" would be laughable. I am glad for Sen. Clinton's sake that she immediately spoke out unequivocally against such accusations. Why is it that she finds the guts to act presidential only when it's much too late for hopes to become this year's Democratic Party's presidential nominee?
I was also glad to see Obama speaking forcefully and rationally against such wrong-headed attacks. I'll give the man this: he is cool under fire, which is a prime presidential character trait.
But for John McCain to claim Obama thinks America has no enemies and that Obama is living in la-la land is beyond ridiculous. McCain's supporters also called Obama's response to the absurd attacks hysterical political maneuvering.
None of these people could make themselves look more ignorant or worse liars/fools if they tried. They are the ones living in la-la land. I increasingly fear that their realization of the total bankruptcy of their "ideas" is going to make Dubya invade Iran before he has to leave office--worse yet (and thanks to my cousin Val for expressing this so concisely), he's amassed so much executive power and cowed so many people into submission that he may even try to declare martial law and suspend the elections just to hold onto power. Part of my brain is telling me I'm being paranoid . . . but the other part of my brain and my heart are palpitating in fear. I didn't think Dubya and his minions would be brazen enough to do some of the stupid things they've actually already done, so . . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Things are no brighter on the social front. I saw a commercial for the new season of The Bachelorette yesterday, and it filled me with sadness. The new bachelorette is the one who did not win the bachelor's heart in the just-finished season of The Bachelor. She says she's out to win her happy ending. The bachelors among which she gets to choose are all making "I'm going to win" noises. They don't even know her--nor does she know them. To expect her to find her "one and only" when she claimed to have done just that on The Bachelor, only to be rejected, is ludicrous. It's staged. It cannot be genuine. Everyone's behavior is geared to getting to a conclusion . . . a conclusion that probably wouldn't happen were events allowed to proceed without outside interference or influence.
Since when did love become such a callous and calculated win-or-lose proposition? Since when does one's success in life ride on "winning" in such an artificial, manipulated "game of love"? When it's a game, it can't be genuine. How many times has each of these shows run through its cycle? At least seven of each, if memory serves. And how many of the couples are still together? One, if memory serves.
It's all so coarse and callous. I'd rather be alone than subject myself to such public indignity. But the younger generations don't seem to have any understanding of what self-esteem really means. Nor any sense of shame. Nor any capability for truly deep feelings.
Why does anyone watch this crap?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Another reason the unregulated free market isn't such a good idea: if farmers raise their crops based purely on what's going to give them the highest price, we're going to have overages of some crops and shortages of others. Free Marketeers will tell you that this is OK because prices will shift in response and the farmers will then shift in response to that, and things will level out. But food is not something you can let the market control. For one thing, there's lead time--a/k/a growing seasons. It will take a year or two for changing prices to affect changing production. What do you do in the meantime? After all, farm production is also perishable. And what of people's health? What if we discover that some very unpopular crop is vitally necessary to human biological health? If we insist on letting a free market control farming, we could be committing long-term slow collective suicide.
Not to mention that unregulated free markets often dictate that the very best, most productive farming land is too valuable to be used for farming. We're importing food into this country that we could well produce here, but the farm land is worth more when built on for commercial development than it is to grow what sustains us. What's wrong with that picture?
If for no other reason, being dependent on other nations for our very "stuff of life" is no way to improve/enhance national security. I've heard some people say that when we get such global trade entanglements, it's actually good for national security, because (as they've said, in all seriousness) "no countries with McDonald's restaurants have ever gone to war with each other."
McDonald's has been around for only 50 years or so. That's not even an eye blink in terms of all of human history. Quarter Pounders with Cheese are no guarantee of world peace. The notion is nonsensical in other ways, too. Anybody who thinks he is on the short end of resource allocation is not going to let anyone else (fellow franchisee or not) take what he perceives to be rightfully his . . . not without a fight, at least.
I don't know what's going to happen. I hope I am wrong about Dubya's intentions. I hope the American electorate wakes up enough to realize what's happening and to do something about it. The historian in me wants to hang around and see how everything turns out . . . but the pragmatic realist in me wants to go hide under a very large rock.
Riddle Me This Redux
OK, so no one took the bait. Too bad. The answer is: They're all Cubs fans, unaware!
Don't blame me if you read this before you read the original "Riddle Me This."
Don't blame me if you read this before you read the original "Riddle Me This."
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Score One For Me!
I am insufferably pleased to report that Nebraska Democrats overwhelmingly voted yesterday to nominate Scott Kleeb instead of Tony Raimondo to challenge GOP candidate Mike Johanns in November for the Nebraska US Senate seat that Chuck Hagel is vacating. Kleeb's margin of victory was something on the order of 70% to 30%, so it's not as if Raimondo lost a squeaker.
As I wrote yesterday, I was sure NE Democrats didn't like the relatively negative tone of Raimondo's campaign, especially when contrasted with Kleeb's much more positive one. I also think NE Dems were quite aware that Raimondo's running in the Democratic primary was pure opportunism as opposed to a real shift in his political ideology.
I can't be too gleeful in my prognosticating triumph, however. I was wrong about how Nebraskans would vote on this year's proposed Amendment 1, which would let governmental entities in the state invest like they were private businesses. I thought fiscally sensible Nebraskans would see through that, but no . . . they didn't. No one campaigned against it, to be sure. Moreover, our other US Senator, Ben Nelson, along with NE Attorney General Jon Bruning, made a frequently-run commercial in favor of it.
But geez! Doesn't anyone remember what happened in Orange County, CA, a few years ago? CA taxing entities had that kind of private investing authority, along with all the bells and whistles that were supposed to go off in the event of problems, so that the taxpayer's "investments" would be protected. None of that mattered. The county went bankrupt after losing literally millions of dollars on investments that were way too speculative to begin with, and which only got worse as the County Clerk tried to recoup his initial losses by making even more risky investments when he started losing money.
Oh, well. I think we get one more shot at it in November, and by then, I hope, cooler heads will prevail. I'm still keeping my bragging rights about Kleeb's victory, though. I don't know anyone else who predicted it.
As I wrote yesterday, I was sure NE Democrats didn't like the relatively negative tone of Raimondo's campaign, especially when contrasted with Kleeb's much more positive one. I also think NE Dems were quite aware that Raimondo's running in the Democratic primary was pure opportunism as opposed to a real shift in his political ideology.
I can't be too gleeful in my prognosticating triumph, however. I was wrong about how Nebraskans would vote on this year's proposed Amendment 1, which would let governmental entities in the state invest like they were private businesses. I thought fiscally sensible Nebraskans would see through that, but no . . . they didn't. No one campaigned against it, to be sure. Moreover, our other US Senator, Ben Nelson, along with NE Attorney General Jon Bruning, made a frequently-run commercial in favor of it.
But geez! Doesn't anyone remember what happened in Orange County, CA, a few years ago? CA taxing entities had that kind of private investing authority, along with all the bells and whistles that were supposed to go off in the event of problems, so that the taxpayer's "investments" would be protected. None of that mattered. The county went bankrupt after losing literally millions of dollars on investments that were way too speculative to begin with, and which only got worse as the County Clerk tried to recoup his initial losses by making even more risky investments when he started losing money.
Oh, well. I think we get one more shot at it in November, and by then, I hope, cooler heads will prevail. I'm still keeping my bragging rights about Kleeb's victory, though. I don't know anyone else who predicted it.
Monday, May 12, 2008
This Ain't Chicago!
So it's OK to vote early, but not often.
Yes, tomorrow is--at long last--Nebraska's primary election day for 2008. In typical Nebraska fashion, we have choices among an odd list of candidates. In the Democratic Party primary for the US Senate seat that Chuck Hagel is vacating, we can choose between Tony Raimondo and Scott Kleeb (pronounced "Klebb"). Raimondo is a Republican-turned-Democrat, most probably to take a clearer path to a nomination. He's also a businessman who dies his hair [which wouldn't matter but it's cheap and badly done, and it looks worse than a bad comb-over, all suggesting that Raimondo has some serious self-delusion problems--Ed.] and who keeps saying we need to elect him "to change Washington." He subtly insults his Democratic Party opponent by calling him "an academic," and the Republican candidate (running unopposed) as a "lifelong politician."
Kleeb is young, and is an academic in that he teaches history courses at one of the state colleges. But the tone of his campaign has been more positive in that he's stressing "it's not a matter of right or left" and "it's what my grandfather taught me--a politics of service, not of self." In a western Nebraska populist way, it's an appeal for the partisans to take off their boxing gloves and work together for everyone's benefit. For my money, it's a much more mature campaign approach than Raimondo's. Then again, Kleeb has a lead foot and has run up a ton of speeding tickets covering western Nebraska's expansive spaces. This will not endear him to the majority of generally law-abiding Nebraskans.
One would almost be sure that the Republican candidate, Mike Johanns, former mayor of Lincoln, former Nebraska governor, former US Secretary of Agriculture, will win automatically come November. After all, Johanns is popular, and his association with Dubya's administration hasn't seemed to hurt him. But Johanns is a Democrat-turned-Republican. There are plenty of people in the western part of this state who will hold that against him even though he switched parties years ago, mostly so that he'd have a clear path to the governorship back when he ran for and won that office. He won it, by the way, by winning the two major population centers of the state: Omaha, because business interests perceived him to be a good choice, and Lincoln, because the university and government-oriented population there knew him and liked him. He got the votes he got in the western part of the state because a lot of people there voted by party affiliation only.
I can hear the program hawkers now: "You can't tell the players without a scorecard! Get your programs here!" Not that party-switching is new around here. Those of you who remember the late Nebraska US Senator Ed Zorinsky and our own current senior US Senator, Ben Nelson, just to name two, know that.
But back to tomorrow: Johanns' ad is more like Kleeb's in tone than Raimondo's, but it's Muzak rendition of Tom Petty's Won't Back Down oddly jarring. Still, it seems like Kleeb and Johanns are on the same page, at least. It would be fun to see their campaigns against each other come fall. Raimondo has made it clear that he'll just attack Johanns as being a Washington insider. Well, I have news for Raimondo: no one is going to "change Washington" all by himself, especially as a first-term junior senator from a relatively low-in-population state. So Raimondo is already falling into a typically Republican pattern of making promises he cannot or will not keep. That won't wash with many of the voters I know, be they Democrats, Republicans, Greens, or independents.
I do love the politics in this state! At some level, there's always unpredictability. Despite Nebraska's well-deserved reputation as one of the reddest of the so-called Red states, the way Nebraskans will vote in any given election can shock you. I wouldn't put it past Kleeb to beat Raimondo in the Democratic primary, for these main reasons: (1) Nebraskans do not like negative campaigning. Despite the relatively mild way Raimondo does it, his tone is more negative than is Kleeb's. (2) Not many of the Democrats in this state are fooled by Raimondo, even though--or maybe even because--he has the Omaha World-Herald's endorsement. Raimondo is the classic DINO ("Democrat In Name Only"). Nebraska runs closed primaries. Only registered Democrats can vote in the Nebraska Democratic Party primary. There may not be many Democrats in Nebraska overall, but we tend to vote in our primaries against those running for Democratic nominations who get the World-Herald's endorsement, just to be ornery.
Besides, Raimondo's call is "to change Washington." If he dislikes it so much, why does he want to become part of it? I, for one, do not trust people who say the system is crummy and the system needs fixing, but who still want to run the system. They tend to be out for their own gain more than anything else. I don't think there's that much seriously wrong with the system--only with the poor choices we've made of people to occupy positions in it. I'm not alone in my belief that someone like Kleeb, who makes it plain that he wants to work together with others to get the system to work better, sends a much more positive message than does someone like Raimondo, who despite his stated desire to change things, is running the same old negative campaign.
So go forth and vote tomorrow, Nebraskans. Just remember: only once! Till November, that is.
Yes, tomorrow is--at long last--Nebraska's primary election day for 2008. In typical Nebraska fashion, we have choices among an odd list of candidates. In the Democratic Party primary for the US Senate seat that Chuck Hagel is vacating, we can choose between Tony Raimondo and Scott Kleeb (pronounced "Klebb"). Raimondo is a Republican-turned-Democrat, most probably to take a clearer path to a nomination. He's also a businessman who dies his hair [which wouldn't matter but it's cheap and badly done, and it looks worse than a bad comb-over, all suggesting that Raimondo has some serious self-delusion problems--Ed.] and who keeps saying we need to elect him "to change Washington." He subtly insults his Democratic Party opponent by calling him "an academic," and the Republican candidate (running unopposed) as a "lifelong politician."
Kleeb is young, and is an academic in that he teaches history courses at one of the state colleges. But the tone of his campaign has been more positive in that he's stressing "it's not a matter of right or left" and "it's what my grandfather taught me--a politics of service, not of self." In a western Nebraska populist way, it's an appeal for the partisans to take off their boxing gloves and work together for everyone's benefit. For my money, it's a much more mature campaign approach than Raimondo's. Then again, Kleeb has a lead foot and has run up a ton of speeding tickets covering western Nebraska's expansive spaces. This will not endear him to the majority of generally law-abiding Nebraskans.
One would almost be sure that the Republican candidate, Mike Johanns, former mayor of Lincoln, former Nebraska governor, former US Secretary of Agriculture, will win automatically come November. After all, Johanns is popular, and his association with Dubya's administration hasn't seemed to hurt him. But Johanns is a Democrat-turned-Republican. There are plenty of people in the western part of this state who will hold that against him even though he switched parties years ago, mostly so that he'd have a clear path to the governorship back when he ran for and won that office. He won it, by the way, by winning the two major population centers of the state: Omaha, because business interests perceived him to be a good choice, and Lincoln, because the university and government-oriented population there knew him and liked him. He got the votes he got in the western part of the state because a lot of people there voted by party affiliation only.
I can hear the program hawkers now: "You can't tell the players without a scorecard! Get your programs here!" Not that party-switching is new around here. Those of you who remember the late Nebraska US Senator Ed Zorinsky and our own current senior US Senator, Ben Nelson, just to name two, know that.
But back to tomorrow: Johanns' ad is more like Kleeb's in tone than Raimondo's, but it's Muzak rendition of Tom Petty's Won't Back Down oddly jarring. Still, it seems like Kleeb and Johanns are on the same page, at least. It would be fun to see their campaigns against each other come fall. Raimondo has made it clear that he'll just attack Johanns as being a Washington insider. Well, I have news for Raimondo: no one is going to "change Washington" all by himself, especially as a first-term junior senator from a relatively low-in-population state. So Raimondo is already falling into a typically Republican pattern of making promises he cannot or will not keep. That won't wash with many of the voters I know, be they Democrats, Republicans, Greens, or independents.
I do love the politics in this state! At some level, there's always unpredictability. Despite Nebraska's well-deserved reputation as one of the reddest of the so-called Red states, the way Nebraskans will vote in any given election can shock you. I wouldn't put it past Kleeb to beat Raimondo in the Democratic primary, for these main reasons: (1) Nebraskans do not like negative campaigning. Despite the relatively mild way Raimondo does it, his tone is more negative than is Kleeb's. (2) Not many of the Democrats in this state are fooled by Raimondo, even though--or maybe even because--he has the Omaha World-Herald's endorsement. Raimondo is the classic DINO ("Democrat In Name Only"). Nebraska runs closed primaries. Only registered Democrats can vote in the Nebraska Democratic Party primary. There may not be many Democrats in Nebraska overall, but we tend to vote in our primaries against those running for Democratic nominations who get the World-Herald's endorsement, just to be ornery.
Besides, Raimondo's call is "to change Washington." If he dislikes it so much, why does he want to become part of it? I, for one, do not trust people who say the system is crummy and the system needs fixing, but who still want to run the system. They tend to be out for their own gain more than anything else. I don't think there's that much seriously wrong with the system--only with the poor choices we've made of people to occupy positions in it. I'm not alone in my belief that someone like Kleeb, who makes it plain that he wants to work together with others to get the system to work better, sends a much more positive message than does someone like Raimondo, who despite his stated desire to change things, is running the same old negative campaign.
So go forth and vote tomorrow, Nebraskans. Just remember: only once! Till November, that is.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Snakes! Why'd It Have To Be Snakes?
"Indiana, he's my man
"He's my hero, I'm his biggest fan . . ."
[try singing it to the tune of the main title theme of the Raiders movies--it works]
I hate to admit it, but I am excited that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is about to invade movie theaters nationwide. I've been a fan of Harrison Ford's way back since American Graffiti was in initial release, and of George Lucas's for the same film. Of Steven Spielberg's? Since Jaws. Well, the first half of Jaws, anyway.
However, I was skeptical about this fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series until I heard that (1) Ford was going to play Indy at his own real age--'cause as good as Ford still looks, I don't think any 65-year-old can play 30-something realistically, and (2) Karen Allen would reprise her role as Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark. We should get answers to some questions that have long plagued us--like did their relationship 10 years before Raiders end because Indy left Marian at the alter, or did he just seduce her and then dump her? And is Shia LaBeouf's character Indy's and Marian's son? (According to what I've heard, the answer to this is "yes.")
But now, I can hardly wait to see it. This is additionally miraculous because I no longer much enjoy seeing movies in theaters. Too much talking, too much cell phone silliness, too much loudness from the speakers--going to the movies hasn't been "going to the movies" for a long, long time.
I'm going to make the exception to see this one, though. From the trailer and the buzz, it looks to be just as good, funny, and exciting as any of the first three. In other words, well worth the time and frustrations of seeing it in a theater.
As part of the pre-release hype, the Omaha World-Herald has been asking readers to submit their favorite moments from the first three films. My all-time favorite moment so far comes from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: it's the scene wherein Henry Jones, Sr. (Sean Connery) hugs his son tight once he realizes that Indy didn't go over the cliff with the Nazi tank. The feelings washing over Indy's face at that moment--the sense of relief, of reconciliation, of redemption--are wondrous. He finally is getting the one and only thing he ever wanted from his father--unconditional love. And then, of course, it's right back to business as usual, Saving The World. The breeze blowing Indy's fedora back to him when his father drops him and Indy collapses to his knees, exhausted, is Spielberg's version of the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony: it's Fate knocking at the door.
My second most favorite moment all-time also comes from The Last Crusade: it's the entire back-story of how Indy became Indy. River Phoenix was brilliant as young Indiana Jones [his death in real life was too tragic for one so young and talented--did you know he'd also played Ford's character's elder son in The Mosquito Coast? For my money, that's Ford's finest role, though it's incredibly painful to watch.--Ed.] Besides, it's screamingly funny and incredibly inventive. And it all makes perfect sense, given the context of what we already know about our intrepid archaeologist.
My favorite "moment" from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is actually the mine car roller coaster ride. It's a perfect encapsulation of what Indiana Jones movies are all about: extremely high production values, excitement, danger, humor, and revealing glimpses of the characters' inner selves, all delivered at breakneck speed. It literally careens almost off the tracks, without ever going too far over the edge into irrelevant campiness.
It's much more difficult to pick a favorite moment from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I watched it again last night, and realized just how much I'd been taking for granted of late. The entire movie is wonderful. It was unique when it was released in 1981; it remains so today. Though if I had to pick only one moment, it would be the one where the scimitar-wielding Arab in black is threatening Indy and with a look of perfect weariness, Indy takes out his pistol and shoots the guy. It gets the biggest and longest laugh of the movie. As I understand it, it was also Harrison Ford's idea. They'd been filming all day, he was suffering from dysentery, and he just wanted to be done. Spielberg and Lucas are to be commended for recognizing the brilliance of the moment and letting it stand, instead of filming the long "whip vs. scimitar" fight sequence in the original script.
No, I'm not objective about any of this. Harrison Ford has been an oddly significant presence in my life in many weird ways. My first date with my now ex-husband was to see Star Wars back when it was first released in 1977. We saw Raiders of the Lost Ark the night we got engaged in 1981. And the night I nearly died from my lung disease and it was finally diagnosed correctly was on Harrison Ford's birthday in 1988.
I wonder, though: at each of those moments, I thought Harrison Ford was my good luck charm. Given the way things have turned out, however, maybe I should hate him instead of being such a fan . . .
"He's my hero, I'm his biggest fan . . ."
[try singing it to the tune of the main title theme of the Raiders movies--it works]
I hate to admit it, but I am excited that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is about to invade movie theaters nationwide. I've been a fan of Harrison Ford's way back since American Graffiti was in initial release, and of George Lucas's for the same film. Of Steven Spielberg's? Since Jaws. Well, the first half of Jaws, anyway.
However, I was skeptical about this fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series until I heard that (1) Ford was going to play Indy at his own real age--'cause as good as Ford still looks, I don't think any 65-year-old can play 30-something realistically, and (2) Karen Allen would reprise her role as Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark. We should get answers to some questions that have long plagued us--like did their relationship 10 years before Raiders end because Indy left Marian at the alter, or did he just seduce her and then dump her? And is Shia LaBeouf's character Indy's and Marian's son? (According to what I've heard, the answer to this is "yes.")
But now, I can hardly wait to see it. This is additionally miraculous because I no longer much enjoy seeing movies in theaters. Too much talking, too much cell phone silliness, too much loudness from the speakers--going to the movies hasn't been "going to the movies" for a long, long time.
I'm going to make the exception to see this one, though. From the trailer and the buzz, it looks to be just as good, funny, and exciting as any of the first three. In other words, well worth the time and frustrations of seeing it in a theater.
As part of the pre-release hype, the Omaha World-Herald has been asking readers to submit their favorite moments from the first three films. My all-time favorite moment so far comes from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: it's the scene wherein Henry Jones, Sr. (Sean Connery) hugs his son tight once he realizes that Indy didn't go over the cliff with the Nazi tank. The feelings washing over Indy's face at that moment--the sense of relief, of reconciliation, of redemption--are wondrous. He finally is getting the one and only thing he ever wanted from his father--unconditional love. And then, of course, it's right back to business as usual, Saving The World. The breeze blowing Indy's fedora back to him when his father drops him and Indy collapses to his knees, exhausted, is Spielberg's version of the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony: it's Fate knocking at the door.
My second most favorite moment all-time also comes from The Last Crusade: it's the entire back-story of how Indy became Indy. River Phoenix was brilliant as young Indiana Jones [his death in real life was too tragic for one so young and talented--did you know he'd also played Ford's character's elder son in The Mosquito Coast? For my money, that's Ford's finest role, though it's incredibly painful to watch.--Ed.] Besides, it's screamingly funny and incredibly inventive. And it all makes perfect sense, given the context of what we already know about our intrepid archaeologist.
My favorite "moment" from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is actually the mine car roller coaster ride. It's a perfect encapsulation of what Indiana Jones movies are all about: extremely high production values, excitement, danger, humor, and revealing glimpses of the characters' inner selves, all delivered at breakneck speed. It literally careens almost off the tracks, without ever going too far over the edge into irrelevant campiness.
It's much more difficult to pick a favorite moment from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I watched it again last night, and realized just how much I'd been taking for granted of late. The entire movie is wonderful. It was unique when it was released in 1981; it remains so today. Though if I had to pick only one moment, it would be the one where the scimitar-wielding Arab in black is threatening Indy and with a look of perfect weariness, Indy takes out his pistol and shoots the guy. It gets the biggest and longest laugh of the movie. As I understand it, it was also Harrison Ford's idea. They'd been filming all day, he was suffering from dysentery, and he just wanted to be done. Spielberg and Lucas are to be commended for recognizing the brilliance of the moment and letting it stand, instead of filming the long "whip vs. scimitar" fight sequence in the original script.
No, I'm not objective about any of this. Harrison Ford has been an oddly significant presence in my life in many weird ways. My first date with my now ex-husband was to see Star Wars back when it was first released in 1977. We saw Raiders of the Lost Ark the night we got engaged in 1981. And the night I nearly died from my lung disease and it was finally diagnosed correctly was on Harrison Ford's birthday in 1988.
I wonder, though: at each of those moments, I thought Harrison Ford was my good luck charm. Given the way things have turned out, however, maybe I should hate him instead of being such a fan . . .
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Is It What He Said, Or Did The Press Miss The Nuances?
The Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting, also known as "the Woodstock of Capitalism," just concluded this year's festivities in Omaha. CEO Warren Buffett, the "Oracle of Omaha," presided over events as diverse as a special shopping excursion to Borsheim's Jewelry and Fine Gifts, dinners at Gorat's Steakhouse, private bridge games, and the meeting itself.
Shareholders from all over the world come to Omaha for this event, to bask in Buffett's investing brilliance and to hear him deliver his evaluations on "life, the universe, and everything" [apologies to Douglas Addams--Ed.]. One of Warren's gems this year was to note that "risk is inherent in capitalism" as his reason for not helping bail out individuals trapped in the mortgage lending crisis.
Mr. Buffett is usually very wise and practical--for a maven of capitalism, he lives relatively modestly; he supports Planned Parenthood; he doesn't believe in investing in things he doesn't completely understand (one of the main reasons Berkshire Hathaway did not get caught when the so-called "dot.com" bubble bust). But I must disagree with his take on the mortgage lending crisis.
He did say that people who were misled about the adjustable rate mortgages they took should get some relief, but his implication is that many, many people were not misled and that their present problems are due to their own greed, so they should suffer the consequences and learn from their mistakes. (1) Is that even true? (2) Why doesn't he apply this same logic to the mortgage companies who lent exorbitant sums willy-nilly to people who really shouldn't have received such largesse in the first place?
The root problem is that we don't actually have true capitalism. Those with money and power influence legislation so that they get to reap the benefits of their money and power without taking any of the risks of doing the same. Joe Schmo, individual, is not afforded these same advantages, however. It's upside down. Collective greed, massed in companies to maximize power and influence, gets protected . . . and the majority of the burden is borne by those who can afford it the least. The little guy carries the big guys on his back. No wonder things break down and individuals' lives are thrown into chaos at the same time the biggest companies are reporting record profits. Anybody out there ever hear of noblesse oblige? Apparently not.
It's the same reason we need labor unions but much union-protecting legislation has been eviscerated of late. It's the same reason the US Supreme Court until after FDR's "court-packing scheme" in the 1930s, claimed that corporations, being artificial persons, had equal and identical bargaining power to individual job-seekers. It's the same reason the Fed will bail out Bear-Stearns but won't help individual mortgagors . . . except for the ones who don't really need it. The only individual mortgagors who will get relief under Dubya's plans are the ones who are not behind on their payments and whose credit is otherwise good. But the people who've been struggling along and whose crises are more immediate are hung out to dry. I've said it before and I'll say it again: "Them what has, gets. The rest of us gets screwed."
Then again, I'm basing my criticism of Mr. Buffett's remarks on a news report I heard yesterday on the radio. I, in turn, should know better than to accept what any reporter says without checking to make sure he didn't miss any nuances in what he's quoting. Context matters. I'll check further and post any changes to my analysis soon.
On the third hand, Mr. Buffett is also known to have said, "money cannot buy happiness." True enough. I wish, however, he'd indicated some understanding of the concept that the lack of money sure causes a lot of distress, especially when it forces people to choose between such frivolous things as eating or buying needed prescription medicines.
Shareholders from all over the world come to Omaha for this event, to bask in Buffett's investing brilliance and to hear him deliver his evaluations on "life, the universe, and everything" [apologies to Douglas Addams--Ed.]. One of Warren's gems this year was to note that "risk is inherent in capitalism" as his reason for not helping bail out individuals trapped in the mortgage lending crisis.
Mr. Buffett is usually very wise and practical--for a maven of capitalism, he lives relatively modestly; he supports Planned Parenthood; he doesn't believe in investing in things he doesn't completely understand (one of the main reasons Berkshire Hathaway did not get caught when the so-called "dot.com" bubble bust). But I must disagree with his take on the mortgage lending crisis.
He did say that people who were misled about the adjustable rate mortgages they took should get some relief, but his implication is that many, many people were not misled and that their present problems are due to their own greed, so they should suffer the consequences and learn from their mistakes. (1) Is that even true? (2) Why doesn't he apply this same logic to the mortgage companies who lent exorbitant sums willy-nilly to people who really shouldn't have received such largesse in the first place?
The root problem is that we don't actually have true capitalism. Those with money and power influence legislation so that they get to reap the benefits of their money and power without taking any of the risks of doing the same. Joe Schmo, individual, is not afforded these same advantages, however. It's upside down. Collective greed, massed in companies to maximize power and influence, gets protected . . . and the majority of the burden is borne by those who can afford it the least. The little guy carries the big guys on his back. No wonder things break down and individuals' lives are thrown into chaos at the same time the biggest companies are reporting record profits. Anybody out there ever hear of noblesse oblige? Apparently not.
It's the same reason we need labor unions but much union-protecting legislation has been eviscerated of late. It's the same reason the US Supreme Court until after FDR's "court-packing scheme" in the 1930s, claimed that corporations, being artificial persons, had equal and identical bargaining power to individual job-seekers. It's the same reason the Fed will bail out Bear-Stearns but won't help individual mortgagors . . . except for the ones who don't really need it. The only individual mortgagors who will get relief under Dubya's plans are the ones who are not behind on their payments and whose credit is otherwise good. But the people who've been struggling along and whose crises are more immediate are hung out to dry. I've said it before and I'll say it again: "Them what has, gets. The rest of us gets screwed."
Then again, I'm basing my criticism of Mr. Buffett's remarks on a news report I heard yesterday on the radio. I, in turn, should know better than to accept what any reporter says without checking to make sure he didn't miss any nuances in what he's quoting. Context matters. I'll check further and post any changes to my analysis soon.
On the third hand, Mr. Buffett is also known to have said, "money cannot buy happiness." True enough. I wish, however, he'd indicated some understanding of the concept that the lack of money sure causes a lot of distress, especially when it forces people to choose between such frivolous things as eating or buying needed prescription medicines.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Dumb Animals? No! Dumb People? Yes!
Whenever I can afford to contribute to charity, I always give first to organizations that work for the protection of and betterment of conditions for animals, such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Animals cannot speak directly for themselves--it is vital that caring humans do it for them.
Nonetheless, I do not support groups on or beyond the lunatic fringe, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Such groups do not recognize that their actions often do more to harm their credibility--and thus the credibility of other, more sensible groups--than those actions help the animals they say they are trying to protect.
PETA's latest nuttiness? It has written a letter to the Kentucky Horse Racing Association (KHRA) calling for the suspension of jockey Gabriel Saez's license. Saez rode the filly Eight Belles to a magnificent second-place finish in Saturday's Kentucky Derby. After galloping out following the finish, however, the filly collapsed when both her front ankles broke, and she had to be euthanized right then and there. [Thanks to all the networks which had footage of same but which didn't show it directly. It was sad and shocking enough to hear what happened. Seeing it would not have added anything but titillation to the broadcasts.--Ed.]
PETA spokesperson Kathy Guillermo claims that this suspension is necessary while the horse's death is investigated, because we need to know (1) whether the jockey "felt anything along the way," as the filly "doubtlessly was injured before the finish," and (2) even if not, we must blame the fact that the jockeys are "allowed to whip the horses mercilessly."
Excuse me while I roll my eyes in total disgust. Do PETA's members know anything about horses? Do they even bother to consider reality before they spew forth their idiocy? An animal weighing half a ton, moving at high speed, CANNOT land on a broken front ankle, let alone two broken front ankles, more than once before collapsing in a heap in a great amount of pain. It is physically impossible to do otherwise. I watched the Derby's stretch run, and have watched every replay of same that I could see. Eight Belles shows NO signs of discomfort, let alone pain or serious injury, through the stretch, at the finish line, or well beyond it. As her trainer Larry Jones noted, her ears were up (and I add, her eyes were bright) the whole way--a sign of happiness in a horse. If she were in any pain, her ears would have been flat down against her head and she would have been fighting her jockey, not going forward in a straight line with him.
As for the allegation that the horses are whipped "mercilessly," I wonder whether PETA's members have ever seen a racing crop. It's got two small squares of leather on the business end, attached only at the top--it's designed to make a noise as the leather pieces slap together. Even when applied quickly at full strength, it's more sound then sensation: it's to get the horse's attention and to keep the horse running along the line the jockey wants--s/he taps the left hip if the horse is bearing in to its left, the right hip if the horse is swerving out to the right. It's math in action: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Get the horse to run in a straight line, and you save distance, therefore time. You thus improve the horse's chances to win or finish in the money. You also improve the horse's chances of avoiding collisions with other horses, as the jockey can see things on the track which the horse cannot see, letting the jockey steer clear of trouble.
I am not saying that there are never any abuses of animals in horse racing. I am saying that at this level of horse racing, the likelihood of abuse is so small as to be virtually non-existent. The money spent to race at this level makes it counterproductive financially to hurt the animals. Eight Belles' owner is so devastated by what happened that he's not speaking to anyone.
I don't blame him. I get teary-eyed just thinking about what happened, and I didn't have any stake in the situation at all, except for caring about the horses, the beautiful horses.
Nonetheless, I do not support groups on or beyond the lunatic fringe, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Such groups do not recognize that their actions often do more to harm their credibility--and thus the credibility of other, more sensible groups--than those actions help the animals they say they are trying to protect.
PETA's latest nuttiness? It has written a letter to the Kentucky Horse Racing Association (KHRA) calling for the suspension of jockey Gabriel Saez's license. Saez rode the filly Eight Belles to a magnificent second-place finish in Saturday's Kentucky Derby. After galloping out following the finish, however, the filly collapsed when both her front ankles broke, and she had to be euthanized right then and there. [Thanks to all the networks which had footage of same but which didn't show it directly. It was sad and shocking enough to hear what happened. Seeing it would not have added anything but titillation to the broadcasts.--Ed.]
PETA spokesperson Kathy Guillermo claims that this suspension is necessary while the horse's death is investigated, because we need to know (1) whether the jockey "felt anything along the way," as the filly "doubtlessly was injured before the finish," and (2) even if not, we must blame the fact that the jockeys are "allowed to whip the horses mercilessly."
Excuse me while I roll my eyes in total disgust. Do PETA's members know anything about horses? Do they even bother to consider reality before they spew forth their idiocy? An animal weighing half a ton, moving at high speed, CANNOT land on a broken front ankle, let alone two broken front ankles, more than once before collapsing in a heap in a great amount of pain. It is physically impossible to do otherwise. I watched the Derby's stretch run, and have watched every replay of same that I could see. Eight Belles shows NO signs of discomfort, let alone pain or serious injury, through the stretch, at the finish line, or well beyond it. As her trainer Larry Jones noted, her ears were up (and I add, her eyes were bright) the whole way--a sign of happiness in a horse. If she were in any pain, her ears would have been flat down against her head and she would have been fighting her jockey, not going forward in a straight line with him.
As for the allegation that the horses are whipped "mercilessly," I wonder whether PETA's members have ever seen a racing crop. It's got two small squares of leather on the business end, attached only at the top--it's designed to make a noise as the leather pieces slap together. Even when applied quickly at full strength, it's more sound then sensation: it's to get the horse's attention and to keep the horse running along the line the jockey wants--s/he taps the left hip if the horse is bearing in to its left, the right hip if the horse is swerving out to the right. It's math in action: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Get the horse to run in a straight line, and you save distance, therefore time. You thus improve the horse's chances to win or finish in the money. You also improve the horse's chances of avoiding collisions with other horses, as the jockey can see things on the track which the horse cannot see, letting the jockey steer clear of trouble.
I am not saying that there are never any abuses of animals in horse racing. I am saying that at this level of horse racing, the likelihood of abuse is so small as to be virtually non-existent. The money spent to race at this level makes it counterproductive financially to hurt the animals. Eight Belles' owner is so devastated by what happened that he's not speaking to anyone.
I don't blame him. I get teary-eyed just thinking about what happened, and I didn't have any stake in the situation at all, except for caring about the horses, the beautiful horses.
Friday, May 02, 2008
A Thing I'd Like To See
I confess to being a bit of a TV commercials junkie. I get a kick out of critiquing the excesses of modern marketing. One thing I've noticed over the years is that really good--i.e., funny--ads never get shown enough, while the nauseating ones run constantly.
I never got tired of the Guinness Stout "Limburger Cheeseheads!" ad, for example. Just thinking about it makes me giggle. [It's probably the Irish inflection on "cheeseheads"--that is truly priceless!--Ed.]
For its diametrical opposite, watch the Pedia-Sure ad that's been running for at least a year now. You know the one: the mommy is steering the grocery cart and reading aloud from her list, while her little girl, riding in the cart, objects to everything on the list. "Chicken . . ." "I don't like chicken." The point being that even the most finicky eater likes and will drink Pedia-Sure, and moms everywhere who give their children Pedia-Sure will be doing a good thing. The more subtle message is that moms are here to cater to and be doormats for their selfish, bratty children, not to teach their children any manners or other social skills.
That is a message I do not like, not one bit! I'd rather the mom said to the daughter, "I don't care what you don't like. Until you are working and contributing economically to this family, you're going to eat what is put on the table for you or not eat at all."
But then again, not only would that put the family hierarchy right side up, it wouldn't sell the product.
Nevertheless, I can dream, can't I?
In the meantime, if you give me a brick to throw at the TV, make sure it's a Nerf brick. I can't afford to destroy my TV for real, no matter how irritated I get!
[I smell feet!--Ed.]
I never got tired of the Guinness Stout "Limburger Cheeseheads!" ad, for example. Just thinking about it makes me giggle. [It's probably the Irish inflection on "cheeseheads"--that is truly priceless!--Ed.]
For its diametrical opposite, watch the Pedia-Sure ad that's been running for at least a year now. You know the one: the mommy is steering the grocery cart and reading aloud from her list, while her little girl, riding in the cart, objects to everything on the list. "Chicken . . ." "I don't like chicken." The point being that even the most finicky eater likes and will drink Pedia-Sure, and moms everywhere who give their children Pedia-Sure will be doing a good thing. The more subtle message is that moms are here to cater to and be doormats for their selfish, bratty children, not to teach their children any manners or other social skills.
That is a message I do not like, not one bit! I'd rather the mom said to the daughter, "I don't care what you don't like. Until you are working and contributing economically to this family, you're going to eat what is put on the table for you or not eat at all."
But then again, not only would that put the family hierarchy right side up, it wouldn't sell the product.
Nevertheless, I can dream, can't I?
In the meantime, if you give me a brick to throw at the TV, make sure it's a Nerf brick. I can't afford to destroy my TV for real, no matter how irritated I get!
[I smell feet!--Ed.]
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Assigning "Fs" All Around
Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, Jack Diesing (president of CWS, Inc.), and the NCAA have announced they've signed a Memorandum of Agreement that promises to keep the College World Series in Omaha until at least 2030 . . . contingent upon the building of the new downtown stadium, of course.
So Fahey's Folly has reached fruition. I am surprised that the NCAA was willing to commit to a 20-year extension of the CWS contract (the present one expires after the 2010 CWS). I really thought the NCAA wouldn't be willing to commit for such a long time until after it saw how revenues and attendance would play out in the new facility. So I give myself an F on that score.
Still, the way this has developed merely reinforces my contention that Fahey and the NCAA had the deal in hand all along, despite everyone's protestations to the contrary. Fahey claimed he didn't want to give up on Rosenblatt Stadium until after he saw the numbers that made it financially imperative to do so. The NCAA says it had no preset preferences about anything except for need for whatever proposal Omaha presented to have "wide community support." CWS, Inc., through its president Jack Diesing, said it preferred to stay at Rosenblatt and re-re-renovate it until it became obvious that no such thing was going to happen.
But what has come about is exactly what Fahey said Omaha "needed" from the very first day he proposed the idea of building the new stadium. For that reason, I also give Fahey an F. He deserves it for his duplicity in the entire mess.
And while I have resigned myself to the facts of the situation, I will never attend a CWS game again. I have no interest in spoiling my lovely memories of great games in the pleasant summer breezes of Rosenblatt with the tears of good-byes. I have less than no interest in sitting in a concrete sauna in physical misery attending a game in the new facility.
BTW, one of the revenue streams to help pay for the new stadium is "naming rights." I know some corporate sponsor is going to pony up big bucks to get its name on the place, but it will always be "Fahey's Folly" to me.
So Fahey's Folly has reached fruition. I am surprised that the NCAA was willing to commit to a 20-year extension of the CWS contract (the present one expires after the 2010 CWS). I really thought the NCAA wouldn't be willing to commit for such a long time until after it saw how revenues and attendance would play out in the new facility. So I give myself an F on that score.
Still, the way this has developed merely reinforces my contention that Fahey and the NCAA had the deal in hand all along, despite everyone's protestations to the contrary. Fahey claimed he didn't want to give up on Rosenblatt Stadium until after he saw the numbers that made it financially imperative to do so. The NCAA says it had no preset preferences about anything except for need for whatever proposal Omaha presented to have "wide community support." CWS, Inc., through its president Jack Diesing, said it preferred to stay at Rosenblatt and re-re-renovate it until it became obvious that no such thing was going to happen.
But what has come about is exactly what Fahey said Omaha "needed" from the very first day he proposed the idea of building the new stadium. For that reason, I also give Fahey an F. He deserves it for his duplicity in the entire mess.
And while I have resigned myself to the facts of the situation, I will never attend a CWS game again. I have no interest in spoiling my lovely memories of great games in the pleasant summer breezes of Rosenblatt with the tears of good-byes. I have less than no interest in sitting in a concrete sauna in physical misery attending a game in the new facility.
BTW, one of the revenue streams to help pay for the new stadium is "naming rights." I know some corporate sponsor is going to pony up big bucks to get its name on the place, but it will always be "Fahey's Folly" to me.
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