War crimes and cats

Elderly woman driver
hits scooter rider, drives off
to keep hair appointment.

Is the die cast? It would seem to me that now that Bush/Cheney have admitted to condoning waterboarding, and waterboarding, according to our new Attorney General-to-be is torture, and torture is against U.S. law as well as International law, we will have no choice but to prosecute them, and some others, for war crimes. Would it not be completely unacceptable in the eyes of the world not to do so? What excuse could we possibly offer for such a failure? I don’t think explaining that we’re just too busy with other things is going to cut it. I doubt that claiming it is too expensive will work either. The way things are developing it looks like Obama and Holder are going to be compelled to prosecute, even if they might prefer not to do so for whatever reasons. Personally, I think prosecution is obviously the right course, and it certainly will be well-deserved. I hope I live long enough to see these criminals in prison where they belong.

Bush/Cheney have three days left before leaving office. They could do further irreparable damage in that amount of time, but what about pardons? So far Bush has not pardoned anyone we might have expected him to pardon. Some have said he might attempt to pardon himself along with others involved in the torturing and other crimes. I don’t know how he could do that as it would violate all common sense and logic to have a system whereby a President could pardon those he directed to commit crimes he was involved in as well as absolving himself from responsibility. I suppose he might try something like this, knowing that at the very least it would tie itself up in the courts so long he would be probably dead and gone before it was settled. Our justice system doesn’t seem to work very well, or very fast, when it comes to serious white collar crimes. If you have enough money, and can hire enough lawyers, you can keep a case alive virtually forever, and sometimes win even though you are admittedly and obviously guilty. Will Eric Holder be able to restore justice to the Department of Justice? Let us hope so.

Changing the subject entirely, let me say a few words about cats. We currently have four of these strange creatures here at Sandhill. I say “we” even though I am a pretty much an unwilling participant. It’s not that I don’t like cats, or find them interesting, I just would prefer not to have any. But that aside, let me describe these four strange creatures. Our oldest, Ceci, is a calico that was found when very small and left in a parking lot. The woman that found her took her home but her other cats didn’t like her so she gave her to us. Ceci is now about 13 years old. We have two all gray cats, sisters, that have been raised together since birth. They are now about 3 or 4 years old. One of them, Claire, is twice the size of her sister, Kate (I have no idea why). These three were getting along well until recently when Midnight showed up about six months ago. Midnight is now about 1 year old. We did not seek out this almost all black animal, he just showed up in our house, coming in uninvited through the cat door in the basement. He had obviously tried out at two of our neighbors houses but finally settled on ours (my wife is a real sucker for cats). Now we have a sort of cat chaos, even though we spent good bucks getting him fixed. The problem is he is too young to know how to behave. He wants to play with the other cats, but they don’t want to play with him. They don’t like him. He’s big and he sometimes chases both Claire and Ceci. He never hurts them, but he sometimes corners them and then just stands there not knowing what else to do. Ceci, especially, reacts like a hysterical old lady and starts screaming the moment she sees him, even if he doesn’t chase her. Claire also screams but not so much. Kate, however, by far the smallest of all, has his number. When he approaches her she chases him away and he does run from her. It is quite amazing how this littlest one can dominate all the others. Ceci is a grouch and does not like to be picked up, although she will let my wife pet her at times. Claire and Kate are affectionate enough when outside, but not in the house. Neither one likes to be picked up although you can briefly pet them otherwise. Midnight is the only one that is truly affectionate and will allow himself to loll in your arms or on your lap and cannot be petted enough. He is just a big dumb brute of a cat, Ceci and Claire are fat and relatively inactive, Kate is slim and elegant and fears absolutely nothing. She seems to have the metabolism of a hummingbird. They are all spoiled and rip up the furniture which has now badly deteriorated. I refuse to buy new until we rid ourselves of the cats. My wife will never agree to this so we just put up with our shredded furniture and the chaos. Someone said that “a house without a cat, is like life without sunshine.” I believe I might prefer the darkness. Such is life here at Sandhill. My son is away at University, the rest of us just slowly grow old together.

LKBIQ:
Cats and monkeys; monkeys and cats; all human life is there.
Henry James

TILT:
Gerald Brenan, to spite his father who wanted him to attend Sandhurst, set off with a friend to walk to China. They only made it to Bosnia where they ran out of money.

Progress?

When daughter refuses to
let father see grandaughter
he hires hitman to beat her.

At a little after 3:00 p.m today a U.S. Airways plane with 155 passengers aboard, with an exceptionally skilled and experienced pilot in charge, made a remarkable emergency landing in the Hudson River. One woman suffered two broken legs, all others were rescued safely with either minor or no injuries. It was quite remarkable. If you are blind, deaf, and had no human communication at all today, you probably still know about this. But if by some weird chance you didn’t, I suggest you read the above over at least a thousand times and you will then appreciate the MSM coverage of this event. I was especially disappointed with Keith Olberman, who spent most of his hour on this, and then with Rachel Maddow who also spent way too much time repeating the same story. From the crash until now this constitutes the news of the day. The Israeli/Palestinian bloodbath in Gaza is already being forgotten (covered up?). Where does the MSM get the idea that every plane crash, car chase, or idiotic starlet must have 24/7 coverage until the next one comes along. What do they think, there might be one person somewhere at the bottom of a well in the mountains of Idaho surrounded by grizzly bears and wolves, to say nothing of FBI agents, that might miss out on hearing about it?

Oh, yeah, the Moron-who-was-never-really-in-charge-or-interested-in-being-President made his farewell address. This, thankfully, received very little coverage. He did not mention Gaza. I guess there weren’t too many people interested in listening to his outrageous lies and claims. I never really know whether he knows he is just blatantly lying or if, in fact, he is that out of touch with reality. Soon this fake President, with his fake “ranch,” and his fake compassionate conservatism, and his fake cowboy act, will ride off into the sunset into what future I do not know. Personally, I hope it will contain an orange jump suit or some elegant prison stripes.

Along these lines, there was a very significant development today. Eric Holder, who is to be our new Attorney General, said unequivocally that waterboarding is torture. Now anyone who is even near sane has known that for a very long time. But Bush/Cheney have admitted to condoning it, which means they have admitted to a war crime. Neither Gonzales nor Mukasey were willing to say it was a war crime, thus aiding and abetting war criminals. But if Holder has said it was torture, and if torture is a war crime, and if the Constitution insists that such crimes be prosecuted, well…take it from there. I guess this does not necessarily mean that Obama will go ahead with investigating and prosecuting, but it certainly appears to be a step in the right direction.

A similar positive step (I think and hope) is that the Senate agreed to turn over the next 350 billion of “bailout money” to Obama. Now if Obama uses it wisely, instead of just turning it over with to restrictions to the financial institutions as Bush did, perhaps the beginning of a real turnaround may proceed. I don’t suppose there is any chance we might recover any of the billions upon billions that were given to Bush/Cheney corporate cronies in no-bid contracts and cost-plus scams, but talk of a windfall profits tax on the petrogiants rings a bell with me. Let’s have it. With that, the decriminalization of pot, abandonment of the war on drugs, and drastic reductions in the military budget, we ought to at least begin to recover from the past eight years of unremitting theft, lies, distortions, and stonewalling.

Tanka:

Beautiful stranger
beside me on the train –
what is it about me
that keeps her filing her nails
for nearly fifty miles?

Tom Hartman



TILT:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals want to rename fish “sea kittens” to discourage people from eating them.

My Life in France - Book +

I have just finished reading My Life in France by Julia Child (with Alex Prud’homme). What a delight! It is truly an example of “Remembrences of Things Past,” being an account of her life in France (and Germany, Norway, and the U.S. too, at least for a bit). A wonderful and engaging account of how this 6’ 2” young American woman from Pasadena arrived in Paris, speaking no French, and not knowing how to cook, and went on to become the greatest representative of French cooking in the United States, published a best-selling cookbook, and also pioneered cooking shows on television. It speaks to her love of France and the French, as well as their famous cuisine, her happy and productive fifty year marriage to her artist husband, and the unbelievable labor of love that went into her famous cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. And there are descriptions of the fabulous meals she cooked and was served, as well as the fine wines they drank, and the friendships they formed over the years with a wide variety of people, mostly well-known chefs and gourmands. A genuine liberal Democrat, she was unfortunately at odds with her ultra-conservative father all her life, especially over the McCarthy witch hunts. The book is well-written, honest and direct, and true to Julia Child, not in the least bit pompous or patronizing. If you have any interest in Julia Child, French cooking, and/or Paris and France in the 1940’s and 50’s, you should certainly read this fine book.

While I would not characterize the book itself as nostalgic, one cannot come away from it without a great deal of nostalgia. It is impossible to believe that her experiences in France, or the France of that time itself, could ever be replicated. What is past is past and can never be the same, however much we might wish it to be. One other observation (this is not meant to be a criticism) has to do with liberals in general. My experience over the years has led me to believe that as liberals wish to identify with those less fortunate than themselves they often understate the means at their disposal. In this case, I find it hard to believe that Julia and her husband could have eaten and drank, and in general done what they did, with the limited means she sometimes claims they had. This does not in the least distract from the charms of the book.

I guess we won’t have to keep grasping at straws much longer. After the inauguration we will begin to get a much better picture of what to expect out of the Obama administration. At the moment all we get are hints that things might actually change. For example, reading between the lines one might have the impression that Obama is not going to continue to pursue the Bush line with respect to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Hillary today actually mentioned “the suffering Palestinians,” and Obama himself in the past has expressed similar sentiments. Does this mean the Palestinians might actually begin to get fair treatment from the U.S.? Also, although it is impossible to tell whether Obama will actually investigate and pursue the crimes of Bush/Cheney, there are subtle hints that he might. He has said he will definitely close Guantanamo, but it is hard to tell how soon this will be completed. Even our ridiculous relationship with Cuba may change for the better. There is also a suggestion that our hopelessly silly and lost “war on drugs” may change for the better. Now there are also hints that he may be going to change our strategy in Afghanistan. While it appears that he still plans on sending more troops there, it is now being reported this is to be a temporary move while we rethink out plans for that troubled land. So here we are, desperately grasping at the smallest straws, left wondering what will really happen after next Tuesday, and hoping desperately for the changes we have been led to expect. But I guess after waiting these long, terrible, miserable, disgusting eight years, we can wait another week for our hoped for deliverance.

I guess we also got more than a hint of how cooperative the Republicans are going to be today. Obama has requested the 350 billion dollars remaining in the bailout money and the Republicans are going to vote against it. So Bush/Cheney were allowed to throw a 350 billion dollar bone to the Financial Industry, with no accountability, but Obama is supposed to turn the economy around with no funds. I wonder how long it will be before it dawns on Obama that trying to cooperate with Republicans is no more effective than baying at the moon.

LKBIQ:
“Ike was just not inspiring: I got nothing but a hollow feeling from his utterances, as if Pluto the dog were suddenly making human noises.”
Julia Child

TILT:
In 1440 Johannes Gutenberg perfected his method of printing using moveable metal type, thus making possible the mass production of books. Bi Sheng, in China, had invented moveable clay type in 1041.

The Israeli Death Wish

Chinese woman, 107, seeks first
husband, as her surviving relatives
are too old to care for her.

As the United States Congress, along with their Israeli “pals,” have now revealed themselves as a group of genocidal maniacs, the nation of Israel is almost surely doomed. No, not next year, or perhaps even for many years, but it will not ultimately survive. Try as they might, with all of their state-of-the-art U.S. supplied weaponry, even including their use of illegal phosphorous bombs, they will not be able to kill all the Arabs, not even all the Palestinians. No matter how the current genocidal program in Gaza ends, it will not be the end. The Israeli fat lady has not yet sung, but she will eventually, and it will be over. The Israeli death wish will come true, even with the help of its only friend trying to protect it.

The only realistic solution to the Israeli/Palestinian problem would have to be a two state situation, with both states living side-by-side in peace. I believe that is no longer possible. Even if there were to be two states they could never live in peace. Not now, not after this latest Israeli attempt at genocide, an attempt so blatant there is no longer even a pretense of anything else. For the Israelis, the Palestinians are non-humans and must be either totally eliminated or at least reduced to a population so emasculated, starving, and helpless they will have no alternative but to abjectly surrender and accept the reservation life that will be their fate. Even if this were to happen it is unlikely the Arab world, along with the Iranians, would ever forgive and forget. The Israelis have sealed their own fate. What will eventually become of them I do not know. Perhaps like the Flying Dutchman, they will be sentenced to roam the world until they find someone who loves them. After their current Gaza adventure this will not be easy.

The only alternative to the two state solution would be a one state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians share the same territory and the same government. But with the demographics what they are, the Israelis would be overwhelmed in just a short time by the Arabs. They could perhaps try for a time to continue the present apartheid situation, but like South Africa and other colonial attempts it would ultimately fail. Both Israel and the U.S. seem incapable of understanding that colonialism is dead. The rest of the world has moved on, given up their colonies and their empires to the judgment of history. We are presently witnessing the inevitable end of the American empire, as well as the failure of Israel to succeed in its attempt in Palestine. Thus, it seems to me that whatever happens in Gaza in the next few days or weeks, will not matter much in the long run. At best it is merely the penultimate attempt to maintain a dying chapter in human affairs. It may linger on painfully and hopelessly for a time, but is inevitably doomed. What might happen next is perhaps too potentially horrible to speculate about, but I guess the peoples of the world will either learn to live in peace or the earth itself may once again revert to some more primordial condition. Why do I worry or speculate about such things that are not going to affect me? I don’t know. It seems to be part of my own peculiar human condition.

There seems to be considerable excitement now on the internet that Obama will abandon the Bush/Cheney approach to the Israeli/Palestinian problem (which seems to have varied between either benign neglect or enthusiastic support for Israel) and become more actively engaged. As above, I fear this may be too little and too late. While I admire Obama and hope for the best, I do not believe he can walk on water or leap tall buildings at a single bound. History seems to move on inexorably, inevitably, and independently of human will, even though Great Men do sometimes influence it. Indeed, greatness is perhaps measured by the amount of influence involved. If ever we needed a Great Man it is now.

LKBIQ:
“Une maison sans chat, c’est la vie sans soleil!” (A house without a cat is like life without sunshine).
Therese Asche

TILT:
The Alhambra, completed in the late 1300's, was the official residence of the Moors when they controlled Spain. The translation of Alhambra is the "red fortress."

The Journey to the West (7)

Here is another brief contribution to my "sort of memoir."

My father must have bought the first house about the time I was born. It was virtually downtown, being only a block from the business district and across the street from the Elks Club and the Post Office. We must have lived there until I was about two. I have no memories of living there but there are photographs that attest to it. The house was fairly large, frame (as were most of the houses in our town), with bedrooms upstairs. My father decided to rent it and bought a duplex two doors away where we moved. We rented the downstairs of the duplex and lived upstairs. It was a kind of strange place. There was a very narrow, dark set of stairs that led to our home. We lived in two stories, the first of which consisted of a large kitchen, small bathroom with only a tub, two bedrooms, and a large screened in porch. This was screened with something I think was called cellotex (a kind of plastic screening that did not allow air to penetrate). On this porch was my mother’s piano, our ice box, and a few places to sit. We did not have a refrigerator until I was a teenager. The iceman would come once a week, climbing up the steep back stairs with a twenty-five pound block of ice on his shoulder. The milkman delivered milk up the same narrow stairway, milk that came in bottles that he left on the little porch we had, where in cold weather the frozen cream would rise up out of the bottles. Wood and presto- logs were also kept on the small porch, with a small hatchet to break them up. There was no central heating, merely a large wood cook stove in the kitchen that heated water and warmed the one floor where we spent most of our time. As I recall, we rarely bathed more than once a week, and we had no telephone. We slept upstairs in a third floor attic, my parents each had their own double bed on one side of the chimney and I had a similar bed on the other side. There was a large walk-in closet where my father kept his guns locked in an ugly home-made box and we kept our clothing. I remember it as being warm and comfortable. As it was also at the time of the Lindberg kidnapping I also remember being frightened at night at imaginary figures created by an old-fashioned chest of drawers with upright arms that supported a mirror where my father hung his neckties.

For a time we had a boarder named Alma. She was very Swedish. I do not think this was a financial arrangement as Alma was a friend of the family, working as a waitress, who needed a place to stay. After she left we never had another boarder. She was quite nice except for the one time I walked in on her in the bathtub. I thought it was her own fault for not locking the door, but children rarely get the best of an argument with adults. When I was still small my mother would get up in the morning, start a fire, and when it began to warm up she would stand me up on a stool and dress me for the day. She also used to warm the cold toilet seat for me. I was pretty spoiled in that way. In the winter when I came in with freezing hands and feet she would sit me with my feet in the oven and rub my hands. I never doubted that my parents loved me, although I later sometimes came to doubt why they should.

There was a small backyard, probably not much bigger than forty feet by forty. Along one side was a woodshed and a boardwalk that led to a tumbling-down garage. There was no grass in this yard, just dirt. But I often played there with a little pedal car and other toys. Virtually no one tried to garden in our town as the soil was not fertile and there was little room. Our next-door Italian neighbors, the Costellos, had a tiny garden where they grew mostly herbs. I remember Mrs. Costello offering me food from time to time, like red peppers in oil and such. As I thought all red peppers were hot I always refused her. She must have thought I was crazy. She had one son, Martin, who was three or four years older than me. He used to tinker a lot with an old Model A Ford, make lead soldiers, and snorkel in his bathtub. He was always nice to me although we did not play together. His father was said to be mean and often beat him for even minor offenses. My parents were horrified as they did not believe in corporal punishment for children.

I was fortunate in having playmates that were almost exactly my age living within just a few hundred feet of me. Billy Zent lived across the alley, and Norman Letchet lived in our rental house. Bill had an older brother, Clifford, a year older, who also played with us. In those early days we mostly played Cowboys and Indians, Robin Hood, Cops and Robbers, as those were what we saw weekly in the movies. We went faithfully every Saturday where there were serials to be followed and lots of “B” pictures to enjoy. Once a year there was “Pals Day,” where two of us could attend for only ten cents (ten cents was the going fee for movies in those happy days). Ice cream cones were a nickel, hamburgers were a dime or fifteen cents. We had two movie theatres, one somewhat better than the other, but both offering pretty much the same fare. I recall when seeing Frankenstein for the first time I hid under the seat with my sheepskin coat over my head. I never liked horror films, or anything grotesque in any way, including Halloween, a quirk of character that is with me to the present day.

Crazy

Is everyone crazy? Or is it just me? What is going on in Gaza is just plain “sick.” And the fact that the U.S. Congress voted overwhelmingly in support of the Israeli attacks on the innocent people of Gaza is every bit as sick as the behavior of the Israelis. There is no excuse for this mass slaughter, and don’t give me the crap about Israelis having the right to defend themselves. Of course they have such a right. Everyone does. But not everyone overreacts so egregiously as to engage in the bloody and deliberate slaughter of women and children. These deaths are not just accidental, just collateral damage. The Israelis are out to rid themselves of the Palestinians no matter what anyone thinks. And due to the immorality of the U.S. involvement in this holocaust they will likely get away with it. I cannot possibly describe my rage and disgust at this inhuman, racist, murderous behavior that is being carried out in full view of the entire world, nor can I possibly express my shame over the involvement of my country in this bloodbath. There is no excuse for what our Congress did with this vote. Either they are totally uninformed as to the history of the conflict, or they are blatant racists, or both. Do you believe for one moment that if the people in Gaza were Western-Europeans the world would tolerate this? I am quite certain they would not. But these victims are Palestinians, Arabs, non-humans in the eyes of the Israeli military, just as all others who have been destroyed were first defined as non-humans. That this is the Israeli attitude toward them has been obvious for years and there is no way it can be denied. For our Congress to sanction this is to admit they share in this view of the Palestinians. What the Israelis are doing is an obvious and outrageous war crime, every bit as bad as the holocaust, although granted on a smaller scale. There is no justification for it, and it cannot be explained as anything other than an attempt at genocide. If they cannot kill them all, the Israelis will decimate them to the point where they will be so defeated they will agree to the reservations the Israelis have in mind for them. You can forget a two state solution. The Israelis have now made that quite probably impossible. And as they will never agree to a single state that would inevitably have a much larger Arab population, there is no solution to the problem except continued violence until one or the other ceases to exist. And as the Israelis, thanks to us, have overwhelming military superiority, it’s not hard to guess at the outcome - unless the U.S. and the rest of the world come to their senses immediately and force the Israelis to give up their unfair and unwarranted treatment of these helpless people. What is happening in Gaza is not a “war,” it’s a hate crime.

There is a lot of other crazy stuff going on. For example, I had the misfortune to overhear a tiny portion of Bush’s speech about his father’s aircraft carrier. Basically all I heard before I could reach the control was Bush the Little talking about “integrity and honor.” What the hell does he know about either of those things? And why is he still allowed out in public when he obviously belongs in jail?

Then I heard an ad about something called “Lend America.” Supposedly there are billions available for people to finance or refinance their homes. I gather that this program allows one to finance up to 97 & ¾ percent of the value, and, and, and, there is no minimum credit score necessary. I thought that was how we got in this mess in the first place.

If this isn’t enough, think about Blagovich. If that isn’t crazy enough, think about Sarah Palin who claims if she had run as a Democrat she would have been treated with kid gloves. Then there is the U.S. Senate versus Illinois. The Senate won’t accept him without a signature from the Illinois Secretary, but the Illinois Supreme Court says the Secretary’s signature is not required. And now Yoo and Bolton (of all people) think the Executive should not have so much power. Dick the Slimy, when asked why the Supreme Court has ruled against him and Bush so often, simply said, “the Court is wrong.” See, crazy. And perhaps the craziest of all, in my opinion, is Obama’s belief that he will be able to work cooperatively with Republicans. If he tries to do that he will achieve none of the things he has said he wishes to do, and while he is trying to cooperate they will be scheming in every way possible to bring him down. If the past eight or ten years are looked at carefully one can only conclude that the Republicans gave up the right to call themselves a political party when they joined Bush/Cheney to become a criminal conspiracy, the Brafia.

The pressure mounts

Foraging moose calf (375 lbs.)
accidentally falls through Spokane
window into basement bedroom.

Much to my great pleasure the pressure is mounting for an investigation into the war crimes of Bush/Cheney and others. John Dean and Jonathan Turley, both keen legal minds, observed today on different programs that if the U.S. does not itself investigate allegations against these war criminals it is quite likely the case that some other nation will eventually insist on doing so, which would, of course, be a major embarrassment for our country. Bugliosi, too, has suggested Bush could be tried and probably convicted of murder. It now appears to me that however much Obama and Biden want to consider this something in the past, and do not wish to have to deal with it, they will most probably have to do so at some point (hopefully sooner rather than later as it will continue to hang over their administration until something is done). Nothing would make me happier than to see these monstrous torturers and murderers have to pay some price for their unforgivable horrible deeds. I have little doubt that if they were held accountable the world would rejoice. Maybe even Israel could be curbed (but as they haven’t been for more than 50 years, probably not). For me this comes down to a very basic question; is there justice and accountability in human affairs or not. In this case there is not – as yet.

In the movie, The Maltese Falcon, one of the policemen says, “Sam, I sure hope you know what you’re doing.” That is exactly how I feel when I think about Obama’s cabinet and other choices. I am certainly of two minds about some of them, but I have to admit I do have the feeling that Obama does, in fact, know what he is doing. He seems to have selected them with certainty, even though in some cases there are rather serious questions about their previous positions. Dennis Ross and John Brennan are good cases in point, but, then, so are Biden and Hillary, for that matter. Eric Holder has some baggage, as well. The only one I find no trouble with whatsoever is Leon Panetta, the CIA clearly needs someone from the outside to shape it up after the past eight years. Panetta would seem to have the necessary skills and authority to do so. Along these same lines, I keep telling myself that whatever Obama said about certain things during the campaign, and while waiting to be inaugurated, will not necessarily be precisely what he does after becoming President. I know that critics have been saying he may not do what he indicated he would do, like pulling our troops out in 16 months, or raising taxes on the wealthy, or unconditionally supporting Israel, or negotiating with Iran, and so forth. No doubt there will be pressures and constraints he will have to deal with, but there are things that I hope he will do: give more support to the Palestinians, raise taxes on the wealthy, get our troops out of Iraq as quickly as possible, find a way out of the Afghanistan mess, engage in diplomacy with Iran and others, including Hamas and Hezbollah, get us a universal health care program, prosecute war criminals, and restore our economy and stature in the international community. This sounds like a job for Superman. It is. Superman doesn’t usually need any help. Obama will need all the help he can get. I believe there is a Kenyan God named Asa, who has to do with mercy, help, and overcoming the impossible. Let us hope he will smile on Barack Obama.

LKBIQ:
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. They will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We've been asked to pause for a reality check; we've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Barack Obama

TILT:
Julia Child was 6’ 2” tall when she arrived in Paris for the first time. She could neither speak French or cook.

Confusion

Angry his friend is
being bounced, Alaska
man urinates on bouncer.

If Christians and Muslims worship the same God, do they all agree that Israelis have a Divine Right to Gaza? Somehow I wouldn’t think so. I confess to little understanding of all the gods, goddesses, angels, spirits, ghosts, and whatever other so-called supernaturals are claimed to exist. These various beliefs do seem to cause an inordinate amount of trouble.

Of course I don’t seem to understand much of anything that is going on at the moment. Take ads for automobiles and trucks, for example. Everyone, or at least some people, or perhaps only me, are supposedly concerned about getting vehicles that have much better mileage. As I don’t watch much TV, and thus don’t see many ads, I can’t claim to have much of a sample. But I have yet to see an ad for a car or truck that boasts of how many miles per gallon – other, of course, that a whole lot of them that boast of 24 miles to the gallon (my wife’s Honda beats that by far, so what’s so great about 24 mpg). All the ads I ever see are all still about horsepower (332 horsepower seems to be sort of “in” at the moment, or they are about power. They never are about small size, less horsepower, slower speeds (like, realistically, who needs a car that will go 100 or more miles per hour). What is said to be desirable by those who are concerned about this seems to have no relation to what is being built and marketed. This bailout of the auto industry is supposed to change this, but now that the price of oil is down again, don’t bet on it. You certainly don’t seem to be able to depend upon Americans to do anything sensible.

Another thing that confuses me is politics (of course politics have always puzzled me). For example, Obama wants a bipartisan plan to save us from disaster. Republicans say they will work with him. But then I see where they only want to work with him if he will do what they want him to do, because they fear if he is too successful in saving us from our pending disaster, they will quite likely be out of power for another 20 years as they were after FDR. In other words, staying in power is more important to them than saving the country. I understand that politics is supposed to be the art of compromise (it certainly hasn’t been that for the past eight years), but I believe there are some things that cannot easily or meaningfully be compromised. For example, I do not believe there could be any compromise over whether water is privatized or not. Water is too fundamental to life, too basic to our existence, to be allowed to be controlled privately. Air, likewise. Power, also. If people want a free market economy let it be restricted to things like cosmetics, fashion, tobacco, liquor, professional sports, and things like that. Absolute necessities cannot be compromised (I would include health care also). Goering apparently said, “When I hear the word culture I reach for my revolver.” That is precisely the way I feel about the word privatization.

Still another thing I cannot understand is International Law. I mean, I understand there is International Law, and I also understand more or less what it purports to regulate. It is supposed to regulate aggression toward others, as well as what is or is not permissible during hostilities. But it doesn’t. Israel has ignored International Law ever since its beginning in 1948, and no matter how often it has been condemned for violations, they still pay no attention to the law. I understand there is a difference between the formal, codified, and written law, and what is referred to as the “living law.” That is, there are things that are done that might technically violate the formal law, but are at the same time regarded as relatively commonplace and understood violations that are tolerated. So are we to believe that Israel is engaged in the living law, while the rest of the world is more compelled to observe the formal law? I don’t think so because the Israeli violations are by no means commonplace and understood by most people. We have a similar situation here in the U.S. Bush/Cheney have repeatedly violated both our own laws and International law and to date have gone completely unpunished. Does this mean they are using the living law while the rest of us are hung up on the formal laws of our nation and the world? I don’t think so. Anyway, as I don’t understand gods, goddesses, angels, or mpg’s and laws, I shall watch the football game. It’s relatively simple and straightforward.

LKBIQ:

If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.
Bertrand Russell

TILT:

The Ancient One, known as Unkulunkulu, is the Zulu creator. He came from the reeds and from them he brought forth the people and the cattle. He created everything that is: mountains, streams, snakes, etc. He taught the Zulu how to hunt, how to make fire, and how to grow food.

From Wikepedia

Divine Right

Doctor sues ex-wife for payment
for kidney he donated her
while they were married.

At this very moment a number of Israeli settler/vultures, most of whom were previously forcibly removed from Gaza, are waiting on the border to re-enter and re-claim (re-steal) land. Their rationale for this, “Divine Right.” That’s it. Remember the concept of Divine Right of Kings, whereby Kings were allowed to do most anything because they were believed to be sanctioned by God. In this case these Israeli bandits believe they have a Divine Right to Palestinian lands because God gave it to them. Whose God? Their God, of course. I don’t know what Allah might think about it, or any other God for that matter. It is a clever idea, however. In my case, for example, my God, “Big Juju,” has recently told me (I communicate with him ever Saturday morning at precisely 8:00 a.m.) that in a previously incarnation long ago I was an American Indian living on the land that is now under the Washington Monument. He has instructed me to take it back, partly because he cannot stand phallic symbols and I should destroy the monument. I told him I only have a pick and shovel whereas those that control the Monument have armies and tanks and cannons and helicopter gunships and F-16 Fighter jets and nuclear bombs and stuff like that. Big Juju said that doesn’t matter, I should keep on trying to re-capture it because it is the right thing to do. But the more I try, the more of my tribe gets killed and injured. We are also humiliated whenever we try to approach too close to this American icon. I have been throwing garbage cans full of garbage at them but it doesn’t work very well. Geez, I wish I had some real weapons, but more than that, I wish I had someone to help me. My people are starving and without medical attention or electricity and water and other necessities, but everyone just tells me it’s all my own fault. At least the “Mandate from Heaven” (a sort of Asian version of Divine Right) assumed a benevolent power would be in charge. And here I thought the concept of Divine Right went out with the bow and arrow as the chief weapon of warfare, or perhaps the side saddle..

How petty can you get? Barack Obama and his family were denied the use of Blair House, the usual residence of the President-elect and family, while waiting for the inauguration, on the grounds that it was booked. Blair House has 119 rooms. The only person booked is apparently the ex Prime-Minister of Australia who nobody even likes (except Bush who is going to give him a medal). So the Obamas, our next President and First Lady, are forced to stay in a hotel, that, I guess, was considered unsuitable for such an honored dignitary as the visiting Australian ex-Prime Minister. If that was not enough of a petty snub, Laura Bush has just revealed a whole new set of White House dishes, two weeks before she will be leaving the White House. I suppose she was honestly concerned about Michelle’s taste (they are colored, you know). These people are small, small, small.

It looks almost certain that Blagojevich will win! Roland Burris will almost surely be seated as the junior Senator from Illinois. Harry Reid and the rest of the Democrats will be seen as having egg on their face for some time to come, and are now stumbling and fumbling their way to a solution to a problem of their own making (of course Blagojevich, clever devil that he is, helped). Al Franken’s win is still being held up by the hypocritical Coleman who does not want to be the one defeated by both a professional wrestler and a comedian. I notice on MSNBC they have resurrected an old video clip of Franken imitating Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. I guess they think this will somehow make Franken look less Senatorial. Actually, it was a terrific imitation by a talented guy, and at least Franken was a comedian before he became a Senator, unlike most of the others who apparently waited until after they were elected to become comedians.

Would someone, anyone, please explain to me how it is possible to spend $236,000 remodeling a bathroom. I know it was paneled, and had a freezer (?) and a shower, and whatever else a bathroom presumably has, but, really, $236,000? What kind of baths does Dirk Kempthorne take? I can only assume they are not telling us that the fixtures were all of solid gold, but I was certainly relieved to learn that the towels were not monogrammed. I guess Dirk was trying to bring his Washington, D.C. office up to the standards he was used to back here in good ol’ Idaho. Is this just another example of Divine Right?

LKBIQ:
This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.
Will Rogers

TILT:
Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948 as a result of the previous British Mandate on Palestine.

Hate and Indifference

Four-year-old grabs shotgun,
shoots his teenage babysitter
for stepping on his foot.

Hate and indifference. I assume that is what must be involved in the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I mean, really, nothing else makes sense. Why would Hamas keep sending ineffective rockets into Israel when they must know they are only going to bring about an unpleasant Israeli response? And why would Israel overreact so terribly, killing hundreds of Israelis, including women and children, when the Hamas rockets killed at most half a dozen Israelis over several weeks? The Israelis must know that they will become (again) an international pariah (except for the U.S. which supports even their worst atrocities unconditionally). What both sides are doing makes no sense whatsoever, neither militarily or politically. Thus I conclude that both sides are driven primarily by hate. The Palestinians hate the Israelis, perhaps for good reason. Israel was created on Palestinian land and displaced thousands of Palestinians from their homes, and subsequently have taken over more of their land illegally. Not only that, for forty years the Israelis have subjected Palestinians to daily humiliations and reduced them to abject poverty. The Israelis hate the Palestinians because…because…well, because they are Arabs, I guess. Israelis, and their supporters, have made no secret of the fact that they consider Arabs to be decidedly inferior (if they didn’t believe this they could not hate them so much – this has been true in all colonial situations). Personally, I think there may be a deeper reason for the Israeli hatred of the Palestinians; they really hate themselves for what they are doing to them but project this self-hatred onto the Palestinians who simply refuse to go away. As long as any Palestinians survive they are a constant reminder of the Israeli’s shame.

Of course most everyone here in the U.S. says that the problem is simply that Hamas sends rockets into Israel and that no country could stand for such a thing, so therefore Israel has a right to defend itself. This is such a simple-minded explanation for a deep historical problem that I have to wonder if these supporters have any brains at all. They never seem to mention the forty years of brutal occupation, the theft of land, the destruction of Palestinian homes and farms and orchards, the humiliations imposed at Israeli checkpoints, the cutting off of medical supplies and food, and on and on. No, it’s simple, if only Hamas would stop the rockets everything would be fine. Actually, if only the Palestinians would all die or disappear everything would be fine from the Israeli point of view. They are slowly trying to insure that this latter will happen. With the continued uncritical and immoral support from the U.S. perhaps eventually it will.

This, of course, does not explain the apparent indifference on the part of the rest of the world. The U.S. is not indifferent as we are actively supporting these war crimes. But supposedly the rest of the world, especially the European nations, are outraged at the Israeli behavior. And there is talk of meetings to discuss what might be done to bring about a ceasefire. But this is apparently mainly just talk, as no action has been taken and the Israelis are in the tenth day of their bloodbath, the equivalent of shooting defenseless people in a pen (or, as is often said, shooting fish in a barrel). I have heard it said that the Israelis are very careful about killing civilians (bullshit). I have heard that Israel has always been a moral force in the region (bullshit). I have heard the Palestinians called barbarians (bullshit). I have heard repeated so often it is sickening that it is all the fault of Hamas (bullshit), I have heard repeatedly how badly Israel wants peace (bullshit), and I have concluded that there is no truth in anyone who speaks about this atrocious situation. I think the West is indifferent, frankly because the Palestinians are Arabs. I think the Arabs do not want Hamas around because they threatened their own status quo (in this sense they cannot be said to be truly indifferent). Thus, at the moment the whole situation is being drive by irrational hatreds of long standing (that are now being exacerbated even further) and the relative indifference of the world to human suffering and misery (as long as it is not their own). It should make one ashamed to claim membership in the human species.

LKBIQ:
Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings.
Helen Keller
TILT:
It has recently been claimed that early ancestral humans may have used fire as long as 1.5 million years ago.

The Journey to the West (6)

I cannot believe this is January of 2009 and I am living here in this remote corner of the country. My journey to the west draws closer to its conclusion each year. Before I should continue with the journey itself I should say something about my family background.

Both of my parents were from Norwegian stock. My father was born in Ottertail County, Minnesota, in 1897. He was one of 12 (or perhaps 13) children. His parents were solid middle class farmers who owned their own farm, including a small lake, and were reasonably prosperous. However, the farm could not support so many children so the children were forced to move on. My father only went to school to the fourth grade. By the time he was about 15 he was working in a lumberyard in Minneapolis (I believe it was Minneapolis, it could have been another city). He worked about 12 hours a day stacking lumber and doing manual labor. He was living in a boarding house. His only recreation was playing cards with some of the other boarders. As he invariably lost money he finally refused to play with them, at which point they took him into their confidences and he, too, became a professional gambler, which he remained for the rest of his life. In those days there was a gullible public and it was relatively easy to make a living just playing cards. For a time he rode the trains between Minneapolis and New York gambling with whomever he could entice into a game. He did well and began to dress in tailor-made suits, silk shirts, and ties with a diamond stickpin. He was a handsome man with dark curly hair in those days and was often called “Curly.” During WW I he enlisted in the army. He was sent to the Northwest to cut Spruce as that is what was used to make airplanes at that time. At war’s end he was discharged and found that it was not as easy to find prey as it had been. By this time there had been a number of articles warning people about playing with strangers and etc. So he started working in gambling halls as a dealer and eventually a floorman. He went where the money was in those days, Butte Montana, and Wallace, Idaho, thriving mining communities where gambling and prostitution and such flourished. At the time I entered elementary school he was a dealer and floorman in a cigar store that had gambling tables in the back room. I was told that when asked what my father did I should say he was a clerk in a cigar store. Having seen him at times sitting behind a green baize table with large piles of silver dollars in the middle I was well aware of the deception. But I could hardly have gone through my childhood trying to explain that my father was a gambler. He was good at what he did and in that environment was comfortable and did well. But as he had only a fourth grade education he suffered from some feelings of inferiority. For example, when offered employment in Reno, where he would have to wear a tuxedo and mingle with a higher class of people, he refused because he felt he would be out of place.

My mother was also from a Norwegian farm family. Unlike my father she attended the University of Washington where she took a two-year degree in music. She was a pianist and a vocalist and played for a time in an all-girl trio that traveled, among other places, to Alaska. Unfortunately, she seriously injured one of her hands in an automobile accident and was unable to pursue her career in music. She became a waitress where she met my father. Although they were a somewhat unlikely couple they married and lived together more or less peacefully. Unfortunately, again, my mother became deaf at about the time she bore me. I do not recall her deafness being a terrible problem, but it was at times a bit of an embarrassment. But ours was a small town, everyone knew her and understood she was deaf, and she managed quite well as a housewife and had many friends. Being well-educated she had higher aspirations for me than most of the other mothers did for their children, hence the ridiculous short pants and ties she had me wear when starting the first grade. Anyway, I always knew that my parents loved me and I felt secure and well-cared for. We were not wealthy by any means, but we always had good food, clothing, and a roof over our heads.

One of the consequences of my being the child of such an odd couple was that my religious training was virtually nonexistent. We lived in the upstairs of a duplex only three doors from a church on the corner. I believe it was an Episcopalian church. As my father was a gambler he felt it would be hypocritical, or at least unseemly, to attend church. As my mother was deaf she did not attend. Actually, I think they used these conditions as an excuse, and neither one of them were really interested in church. But, trying to be good and conscientious parents they sent me to Sunday School. I would be dressed up and sent off to the corner to attend. The first couple of times I actually did attend but nothing made any sense to me whatsoever. I didn’t know what anyone was talking about, I hated the hymns and the sermons, and even the sandbox in the basement held no charm for me. I soon learned that if I just went to the front door, got a copy of the handout, I could then run off and play for an hour before returning home. My parents were not stupid, they quickly learned of my deception, and that ended my religious training.

Casablanca - movie

I am not much of a movie buff, and nowadays I seldom even watch a motion picture. I have never had any particular interest in the making of movies. But for some reason that I cannot even recall I asked my son a question about the movie Casablanca. I don’t even remember the question. Anyway, he brought me a book entitled The Making of Casablanca by Aljean Harmetz. This was published originally under the title, Round Up the Usual Suspects. The edition I was given was the 60th anniversary edition. This is not the kind of book I would ordinarily read but as I began reading it I found it fascinating so continued until the end. At the very least I learned that this movie making business is (or certainly was) far more complicated and involved than I would ever have suspected. To me, Casablanca was always just a kind of war/adventure movie starring a couple of my favorite actors, Bogart and Bergman. I guess in the course of my lifetime I have seen it probably five or six times. I suspect that anyone who has seen it has seen it more than once, and some people are known to have seen it dozens and dozens of times. I was surprised to learn a while back that it has been considered by some the finest motion picture ever made. And it seems to always be among the top five no matter whose list is involved.

Harmetz does a great job in linking the production of Casablanca to WW II, not only because of the subject matter, but also to the restrictions that were placed on movie makers at the time, the censors that became involved at that time, and the relationship of Jack Warner to FDR and the war effort. Neither Warner nor Hal Wallis believed they were making a movie that would someday be so highly regarded. Indeed, they thought of it as just another movie that was being made at the same time as a number of others. None of the writers or actors or anyone else thought it was anything more than just another run-of-the-mill production. Bogart and Bergman did not particularly like it, and Paul Henreid didn’t want to be in it and later in life still expressed his regrets at having done so. There was no particular chemistry between the stars and Bogart and Bergman seldom even saw each other for years afterwards. Henreid thought Bogart was a terrible actor (there are a few who believe he was one of the greatest). When it received an Oscar for best picture of the year, Jack Warner rushed to the stage before Hal Wallis to receive it, thus creating a break between the two moguls that never healed. Bogart had been nominated for best actor, but did not win. Bergman was not nominated for Casablanca but, rather, for, For Whom the Bell Tolls which she had starred in immediately after Casablanca. She also did not win. But Casablanca made them both huge stars and allowed them to go on to bigger and better things.

One of the greatest features of Casablanca to me was always the cast of supporting actors. I thought they were all marvelous. It was a movie about Europeans trying to escape from Nazi Germany and interestingly enough, most of the actors were people who were in that category. I don’t believe there are character actors nowadays that approach the stature of Peter Lorre, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Leonid Kinskey, “Cuddles” Sakall, and others (my son does not agree with me but as I do not watch recent movies I have no idea if he might be right or not). It was certainly wonderfully cast. Of course Paul Henreid and Claude Rains were both wonderful in their respective parts.

There was nothing about the story that was particularly unique or unusual. It was mostly boy has girl, loses girl, find her again, eventually sends her off with a rival as it was the right thing to do for the war effort. The sets were hardly outstanding although perfectly adequate given the constraints of the time, the photography was excellent for the time, and much of the dialogue has been added to our common language: “we’ll always have Paris,” “here’s looking at you, kid,” “Louie, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” and “round up t he usual suspects,” for example. It was, and is, a great motion picture, and it continues to please and fascinate us even after all these years, in spite of being in some ways dated (a bit sexist and racist). To me it’s just a really good movie. I still enjoy watching it once in a while. I have no explanation for why it has attained the super reputation and standing that it enjoys, although I believe I now understand how and why it was so successful at the time.

By now, of course, it has been analyzed and psychoanalyzed, sociologized, symbolically interpreted, and otherwise interpreted and dissected to the point that I think perhaps I really didn’t even see it (as most of these interpretations would certainly never have occurred to me, especially the suggestion by some of a suggested homosexual relationship between Captain Renault and Rick). If Bogart would have lived to see these attempts I believe he would have said, simply, “cut the crap.” I remember once hearing an interview with Golding after he wrote Lord of the Flies. A woman asked him if it was true there were something like five levels of symbolism involved (or something like that). Golding replied, “I wrote it a long time ago, I don’t know anything about that.” But don’t let this distract you from reading this unusually well-researched, fine and interesting book (if you have any interest in such things.)

Bipartisanship?

Flying at night two die
when their small plane
hits a Canadian goose.

While I applaud Obama’s plan to reach across the aisle and attempt to have everyone cooperate in trying to solve our many serious problems, I have no reason to believe he will find anyone on the other side that shares his desire. Republicans have so far shown no interest whatsoever in cooperating on our serious problems, and, indeed, have been doing everything they can so far to undermine any such effort. They tried to ruin the domestic auto makers with their union-busting mania, they are going to try to block the Obama plan to rescue the country, they will resist universal health care (socialistic), try to not seat Al Franken, help Blagojevich seat his Senate nominee, and continue their race-baiting and whining apparently until doomsday. And you can be sure they will resist any attempt to hold Bush/Cheney and others accountable for their crimes, just as they will try to prevent Eric Holder from becoming Attorney General. Given the tenor of the country, and the hope most have for Obama, they will quite likely fail in their attempts to sabotage everything Democratic, but you can be pretty sure they will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into doing anything that might benefit the country or its ordinary citizens. When in the past eight years have they been known to compromise? And what in those eight years have they ever done for the nation and its citizens, as opposed to what they have done for their party and their wealthy corporate sponsors? Personally, I believe Obama will just waste his time attempting to work with this sorry collection of greedy criminals.

The Israelis continue their slaughter of helpless Palestinians while the rest of the world just watches (with satisfaction?). How is it that the Israelis can violate any canon of international law or morality and even common decency and continue to get away with it year after bloody year? There is no excuse for the unconscionable things they are doing. Their claim they have the right to protect themselves is not a license for genocide. The fact that the U.S. continues to support their shameless colonial aspirations and murderous means is itself shameless and unconscionable. As they are apparently running out of things to bomb they will either invade on the ground or, perhaps, agree to another truce. It doesn’t matter in one sense, because whatever they do now will be too late to overcome the generations of hate they will have created and continue to experience.

Consider, if you will, the following account:

“__________ravaged numerous settlements without mercy, and in this barbarous manner conquered both banks of the river as far as ________. Below this tributary the region was ‘completely devastated within a week’s time as the _________looted and burned and cut down the natives ‘like trees.’ In one instance, they seized hundreds of women and children; ‘with God’s help,’ recalled _________, ‘we burned them, we knocked them on the head…and counting big and little, we killed six hundred and sixty one.’ His rampage continued….

Would you like to guess what country was involved in this behavior? In this case it was Russia, conquering Siberia, but I submit it could have been any European colonial power anywhere: Africa, the U.S., the Philippines, South America, India, wherever Europeans had colonies. The horrors that were perpetrated in the name of colonialism, if they had not been recorded, would not have been imaginable. They have not entirely disappeared although nowadays they take on a somewhat different form.

LKBIQ:
Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself.
James A. Froude
TILT:
In ancient Rome the testimony of a slave was not regarded as useful unless it had been obtained by torture, as slaves were not believed to otherwise tell the truth.

Times are tough

Caught with shopping basket
loaded with stolen lobster and steak,
he tells police, “times are tough.”

Times are indeed tough. In both of our grocery stores (I hesitate to describe them as real supermarkets) there are now special bins where meats that have not sold quickly enough are marked down “for quick sale.” Even with the marked down prices I see people, mostly elderly people, looking fondly at these various kinds of meats, but then rejecting them as still too expensive. I have seen this often in recent months and it is quite obvious that the recession (or depression) is taking its toll. Basic categories of foodstuffs are becoming so expensive people are unable to buy them. When a single steak is priced at $12 or more, a single loaf of bread at $4.25, a single potato at over a dollar, and so on, is it any wonder. About the only thing that has gone down in price is gasoline, so I guess it is less expensive to drive around hungry. What an incredible mess we have made of our lives in the past few years.

For months I have not heard or seen anything about a pipeline through Afghanistan. I thought that perhaps this idea had been abandoned. But today I did see a reference to it, which leads me to believe that there is still some hope to create this Russian bypass that will deliver gas from Central Asia directly to us and our allies (if we still have any allies, that is). I would have thought that by now such a plan would surely have been given up as little more than a “pipe” dream, as history has clearly demonstrated that the Afghans do not take kindly to being invaded or occupied by outsiders, and their terrain, along with their fierce resistance has traditionally won out over everyone who attempted to conquer them. I see no reason whatsoever to believe that the U.S. will be successful where everyone else for hundreds of years have failed. Thus, in my opinion (such as it is), sending further troops to that distant and difficult land makes no sense. None, zip, nada, zero, whatever. And even if it were to be done, surely the cost would be prohibitive (unless, of course, the plan is really meant to just enhance the pockets of corporations by offering more unbid and cost-plus projects draining away more taxpayer money). I don’t like being so suspicious, but after watching the behavior of our so-called “government” for the past few years I can’t help it. Having naively believed for most of my life that government was intended to look after and protect the citizens, I have been bitterly disappointed to learn that the function of our government is to siphon off taxpayer money and give it to corporations and the already wealthy. Oh well, live and learn, I always say. I have.

According to many who support the actions of the Israelis against the world, common sense, morality, and international law, the current cause of the Israeli attack on the Gaza concentration camp is because Hamas was sending rockets into Israel, rockets that after weeks of bombardment seem to have finally killed one (1) Israeli (maybe by now 3 or 4). But what a convenient and nonsensical idea. Surely the cause of, or beginning of, or primary reason for, what is going on between Israel and the Palestinians is more complicated than that. Indeed, it is doubtless so complicated and goes back so far into the past as to now be probably impossible to pinpoint. As the Hamas rockets are clearly not the start of something new, and as the real beginning is now lost in the fog of history and will never be agreed upon, I suggest we forget about it and just start over from right now. It is clear by now that the Israelis and Palestinians are never going to solve their problems on their own. Someone (the best bet would be the U.S.) has got to get them together, force them each to make concessions, and settle their disputes once and for all. I realize this is easier said than done, but what is the alternative? Shall we just let the status quo continue on into such time as there are no more Palestinians? A final solution? I suspect the goal is probably not truly a “final solution” as such, but, rather, a Palestinian population so weakened, starved, sick, destroyed and helpless they will just agree to some kind of reservation life. I’m pretty sure that’s what the present Israeli government would like to see, but how about the rest of the world? Here we thought the worst evils of colonialism were over. Well, they’re not.

LKBIQ:
Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
Friedrich Nietzsche

TILT:
Immediately upon completion of Casablanca, which she did not like, Ingrid Bergman starred in For Whom the Bell Tolls, which she did like.

So happy new year

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND BEST WISHES TO ALL!!!

Teens use lighter fluid
to set sleeping friend’s
hair on fire, videotape it.

Thankfully, the first decade of the 21st century, the NIGHTMARE YEARS, is over. And as far as the past year is concerned, I know how awful it was and I don’t need Olberman or Matthews or others to review it for me. I prefer to forget all about it, other than for purposes of holding Bush/Cheney and their band of war criminals accountable for their many crimes. It was an awful year in almost every respect: politically, militarily, economically, morally, ethically, productively, internationally, and in most any other way you might think. About the only two positive developments I can think of are the election of Barack Obama, who will soon become the 44th President of the United States (and our first black and white President), and Rachel Maddow who manages to kind of cheerfully and cleverly point out what a bunch of hopeless half-wits are pretending to run our country. Obama is yet to be tested, but that doesn’t keep us from hoping and hoping and hoping that he might be able to actually do something about the incredible mess Bush/Cheney and their minions have made of our once great nation. Even if he were to fail miserably he would still be a thousand percent better than those he is replacing. Maddow is wonderful in spite of the fact that she insists on dressing herself like a character out of Charles Addams (I know, picky, picky). She has the marvelous ability to smile pleasantly while slipping the knife in between the ribs. Matthews and Olberman are being consistently upstaged, the former being too egomaniacal and dim-witted to understand it, the latter being able to escape to the sports desk.

I am trying to think of anything, even one single thing, that the Bush/Cheney administration did to help the citizens of our nation or the nation itself. What positive achievement can they point to, other than stealing from the poor to give to the rich, and driving up the price of oil for their friends in the industry (if you wish to consider those in any way positive achievements). You don’t have to look far on the negative side: an unnecessary and criminal “war,” torture, illegal spying, myriad war crimes, constitutional violations, chronic lying and stonewalling, treasonous “outing” of a CIA agent, the list goes on and on. Historians are going to ponder for years and years how it is these criminals got elected in the first place, and how it was they were allowed to continue for so many years. The danger is they may have placed the nation in such jeopardy there will be neither time nor funds available to bring them to justice. I believe this should not be allowed to happen, no matter what the cost. If this does not happen we might as well open all the jails and penitentiaries and let everyone go free because “it all happened in the past,” and it’s time to let bygones be bygones, thus admitting for all the world to see that we are not, in fact, a nation of laws, or at least that the laws do not apply to everyone equally.

I guess by now we have demonstrated time and time again that laws and international sanctions do not apply to our Israeli “friends.” They apparently enjoy shooting fish in a barrel so much they won’t even consider a temporary cease-fire. There is obviously either a serious lack of intelligence among the Israelis or they just plain and simply do not want any cessation in hostilities. I am pretty sure they do not lack intelligence, and I am equally pretty sure they need permanent hostilities to keep milking the U. S. of billions each year. If hostilities ever stopped they would have to face the reality of their situation and actually have to give up some of their stolen lands. As long as the Palestinians are kept relatively powerless so they cannot fight back with any reasonable chance of success, permanent chaos suits them just fine.

LKBIQ:
To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.
Sir Winston Churchill

TILT:
Elisha Cook Jr., who played Wilmer in The Maltese Falcon, lived alone in the Sierras where he tied flies and fished for trout between movies.

Politics and religion

Naked intruder flees when
88 year-old woman grabs
his crotch and squeezes.

I fear I have arrived at a point where I cannot decide if I think religion is more absurd than politics, or politics is more absurd than religion, or if both are equally absurd. I will not comment here about the politics of the past eight years which most everyone might agree have been pretty weird, and which I think have been totally absurd. For the moment I am thinking only of the Blagojevich/Illinois situation (I guess most people would agree that Illinois politics have always been absurd, but let’s just stick to the current goings-on). As I understand it, the current situation is somewhat as follows. Blagojevich has been accused of trying to capitalize on Obama’s replacement in the Senate, as he, Blagojevich, as Governor of Illinois, has the power to appoint someone to that exalted office. Put simply, he was trying to gain materially through his ability to do this. Everyone became outraged when this was revealed. One hundred percent of the relevant Congress officials signed a letter saying he could not make such an appointment, and if he did, they would not seat the person he chose. Impeachment proceedings have already begun to get rid of Blagojevich. A lesser man (politician) probably would have simply given up, but not Blagojevich, who went ahead and appointed his choice to succeed Obama. Now everyone is outraged all over again, and threatening to refuse to seat the man. However, there is apparently some doubt about whether the Senate can refuse the candidate or not. I guess there was a previous case which managed to last for two and half years, at which point the Senate lost and had to seat the person. As it appears at the moment, the best the Senate can do is to delay recognition of the person and let it drag out in the courts. Of course if Blagojevich is impeached he would no longer be Governor and then the question of his candidate’s legitimacy would be raised. It was assumed that if the Governor did try to appoint someone under the existing circumstances he would be unable to find anyone who would accept the appointment. But he did, appointing an ex Attorney General who has an unblemished record and in principle is perfectly acceptable. His problem is, he is regarded as a loser, having run for Governor himself three times and lost every time. If he were appointed he would have to actually run for the office in 2010 and most everyone believes he could not win (which could result in a Republican taking over the Democratic seat). What a quandary! As Blagojevich has not been tried or convicted, and as we must assume he is innocent until proven guilty, and if he remains the legitimate Governor of Illinois, why should he not make an appointment? But if he makes the appointment and the Senate refuses it, what then? And if they just stall until he is (probably) impeached, then what? Further complicating this situation is the fact that Blagojevich’s attorney claims the Governor has not actually done anything wrong (other than merely talking about it which is not a crime). But it also turns out that his candidate of choice has donated money to Blagojevich several times in the past (so the question of “selling” the office is still somewhat open).

Now, turning for a time to the question of religion. We have here where we live a fairly large contingent of Mennonites. There are two separate groups, each with their own followers and church. The women of one of these groups wear black caps while the females members of the other group wear white hats. I do not know the significance of this, but it appears that one group is somewhat more liberal than the other, one apparently can watch TV, the other one not, and I know not what else (and not wanting to snoop I have never asked any of them). Basically, they seem to be nice people and good neighbors and I respect them all in spite of what their respective beliefs may be. But I confess I cannot imagine that the schism between them can be very serious (or it would not be to me, I am sure). But just today, while reading a book on the Russian conquest of Siberia, East of the Sun, by Benson Bobrick, I came across this account of a disagreement between Russian and Greek Orthodox believers:

“The principal differences to be settled were: whether a triple halleluia should be pronounced, in honor of the Trinity, or a double halleluia, in reference to the double nature of Christ; whether processions around the churches should march against or with the sun; whether it was right or wrong to have a beard; whether at mass there should be upon the altar one or many loaves—the Russian used seven; whether the name Jesus should be spelled Iissous or Issous; whether in prayer, the Saviour should be addressed as our God or the Son of God; whether it was right to say of God, ‘whose reign is eternal,’ or ‘whose reign shall be eternal’; whether the cross should have four or eight points; and whether the sign of the cross should be made with three fingers extended, as denoting the Trinity, and two closed in reference to Christ’s double nature, or with two fingers extended, in allusion to the double nature, and three closed, in token of the Trinity.” (page 102).

Now, not being a religious person, I find this trivial to the point of absurdity. Perhaps the case of Illinois politics above may be of more importance, I do not know. But in either case it seems to me it is much ado about something that could be easily settled if the various parties acted as serious adults rather than unnecessarily petulant children. But that seems to be the way of both politics and religion. In both cases the issues seem to have nothing to do with the welfare of the people but, rather, with the lust for power and control, our way or the highway, etc. What depresses me the most is the fear that this sort of thing will continue forever. Aw, well, at least I won’t.

LKBIQ:
In politics, absurdity is not a handicap.
Napoleon Bonaparte

TILT:
A mondegreen is a misheard or misinterpreted phrase, usually in a poem or song. For example, “all of the other reindeer,” can be heard as “Olive, the other reindeer.”

Slaughterhouse

Burglar stealing meat from
woman’s freezer thwarted
when his van is stuck in mud.

It is by no stretch of the imagination a “war,” although it may be to the bitter end. Those “brave” Israelis are boasting that it is to “be a war to the bitter end,” but what kind of “war” is it when one side has a million and a half Palestinians cornered in a small area, starved and without medicines and whatever, and virtually helpless in the face of overwhelming Israeli military superiority? It’s not a “war,” it’s a slaughter, a massacre, a bloodbath, an extermination, a pogrom, a mass murder so cowardly and unnecessary as to be condemned by the entire world (except, of course, by the U.S., complicit in this criminal act and apparently proud of it). The Israelis are boasting of it, how they allowed a few truckloads of supplies into Gaza to lull the Palestinians into thinking they were safe, and how they attacked on the Jewish Sabbath to also throw them off guard, and so on. They have already killed about 350 Palestinians, many women and children included, and are threatening to increase their bombardments. And all of this apparently in advance of an actual ground invasion. In some cases Palestinians are called and warned to flee, but, of course, they have nowhere to go, even the Egyptians are apparently shooting at them. These are not brave Israeli soldiers, they are cowardly ghouls who are determined to finish Hamas once and for all. Their rationale is the usual bullshit about “Israel has a right to defend itself.” By this massive slaughter of innocents they are protecting themselves from some rather primitive, home-made rockets that over the course of weeks finally managed to kill one Israeli. It’s the same massive overkill they employed against Lebanon not long ago, which failed miserably to bring about the results they wished. Now they say their massive bombardment will show Hamas they will not be intimidated. The bully is not intimidated by the weaker people he picks on. But they will not succeed in quieting Hamas, only in multiplying and intensifying the hatred they already feel toward Israel. And it is not just Hamas that is the target, it is all the Palestinian people, those poor souls displaced from their own lands by the arbitrary acts of a colonial power, who still refuse to give up seeking their rights and justice. It appears the Israelis have decided that a slow genocide of Palestinians is preferable to giving up any of the lands they have illegally and immorally expropriated. With U.S. aid they seem to be getting away with this crime against humanity. By these barbaric acts it may well be true that they are sowing the seeds of their own eventual destruction.

What a travesty! Bush just looks on and sanctions the Israeli bloodbath, while Obama has no choice except to repeat “there is only one President at a time.” While this may be literally true, is it in fact true? That is, Obama must have been consulted about this (I think), and while he is acknowledging that he isn’t President yet, did he in fact endorse this policy, indicate that he would support it, that he would continue our policy of uncritical acceptance of anything the Israelis want to do? Once he is President will he just continue the Bush/Cheney policy of non-interference (in fact, active support) in Israeli outrages? He is on record as saying he regards the Israeli/Palestinian question to be of the greatest importance and will try to help negotiate a two state solution. But will he? Will he even be able to do so in the face of the current hostilities? While we are forced to wait how many more innocent lives will be lost and ruined by this shameless, murderous aggression?

LKBIQ:
History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.
Edward Gibbon

TILT:
The earliest known cave paintings in Europe have been dated at 32,000 years ago.

The Journey to the West (5)

Another dreary Sunday. Not much in the way of news. A bit of snow, turning to rain and then freezing. Lousy weather, difficult roads, cold and unpleasant. The world seems to be waiting for Obama to be inaugurated, waiting with high hopes. It is difficult to imagine how things can fail to improve from what is now. Anyway, installment number five of my "sort of memoir."

A little less than a year and a half after our return from Los Angeles I learned what my Uncle Otto meant when he said the scrap iron would be returned. The Japanese attacked Pear Harbor and we entered the war. I had just turned 12, old enough to understand what was happening but too young to have to become directly involved. Although the war was very far from our remote vantage point in North Idaho, we had English friends who had relatives in London, so we began to learn what was happening there. We listened to the radio and watched the news at our weekly movie theatre and began to learn of places and things we had never before experienced. There was rationing for one thing. Most everything was rationed: shoes, meat, sugar, gasoline, butter, cigarettes, and I don’t remember what all else. I confess the rationing did not really seem to affect us very much. Certainly we did not suffer. It was possible to trade ration stamps with others which helped some quite a lot. For example, as we did not drive very much, my father simply gave all his gas stamps to his hunting partner who also ran a garage. Whenever we need gas he just gave it to us, while he could use the extra stamps for those people who really needed gasoline. It was a small town, most everyone knew everyone else, and people helped each other as required.

We were supposed to collect things for the war effort, like aluminum foil, grease, and also paper. I have vivid memories of the paper drive. We collected newspapers and magazines from all over town. There were at least two collection centers, one in my friend Corky Thatcher’s garage and one in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. We filled these places with tons of paper. In Corky’s garage we used the magazines to build forts and then threw magazines back and forth at each other. And we met regularly in the abandoned house to deliver our paper, but also to catch up on our reading. There were, in those days, pulp magazines like “Spicy Westerns,” “Spicy Detectives,” “Spicy Science Fiction,” and so on. While these were not truly hardcore porn, they were close, and for twelve year olds whose hormones were beginning to race, they were spicy indeed. While we learned a great deal from this eclectic collection of reading material, I’m not sure how the war effort gained much as I’m not certain anyone ever picked up all this paper.

Among other adventures with Corky, he got me my first paying job. In one of the butcher shops they had wieners that came 100 to a box and had casings that were inedible. I believe these were called Lujacks, and Corky and I had to remove the casings, for which we received a penny each. Needless to say, we did not become wealthy “skinning Lujacks,” but it was productive work, the first I ever encountered, and the rewards of which I never forgot. It was the first of many experiences with the problems of labor and management in a capitalistic society. Although Corky was my age he was years ahead of me in experience and ability. His mother, among her other work, raised rabbits for sale. Corky could kill, skin, and dress a rabbit so fast I could scarcely believe it. He also taught me to roast potatoes in the ashes of a campfire and how to take care of a younger sister (although I never had one). His mother was either a widow or a divorcee. I believe she cleaned houses and such for a living. They lived in an old, somewhat decrepit rented house with very little furniture but seemed happy to be getting along so well. After a couple of years they disappeared, I know not where. Sometimes I find it rather strange that I actually knew a widow Thatcher with a son, Corky, and a daughter, Becky, but I did.

Girls, too, were now taking on an entirely new perspective. We didn’t date yet, but we met in groups to play “spin-the-bottle,” and kiss and giggle, and talk of imaginary conquests and encounters. We learned to dance to juke boxes and records played in the wealthier kids’ basements, and of course learned all the new songs, that in those days were often sentimental and had to do with the war. “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,” “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” “Saturday Night,” and other such favorites. It was the era of the big bands, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Les Brown, and many others. We learned to jitterbug and dress in pegged pants with key chains and had crew cuts and in general had a good time in spite of the war. In many ways I think this may have been the best time of my life.

The never-ending conflict

For making noise during
a movie, young man gets shot
in the arm by irate neighbor.

I am both sick at heart and outraged. The Israelis, having herded a million and a half more or less helpless Palestinians into Gaza, and having failed to starve them to death, or force the Egyptians to take them, have now bombed them again, killing somewhere between 150 and 205 (the reports differ). This bombing was said to be in retaliation for missiles sent into Israel by Hamas. These inaccurate missiles, and suicide bombers, are basically the only weapons left to the Palestinians. Remember that Einstein once said insanity was repeating the same thing over and over and expecting to get different results. The Israelis have been doing the same thing over and over again for years and it has only resulted in making the Palestinians more enraged and more determined to attack them however they can with their limited means. The U.S., which can always be depended upon to support Israeli genocide, predictably blames Hamas and says they should stop firing missiles into Israel. Hamas, the legitimately and democratically elected government of the Palestinians, is considered merely a terrorist organization by the U.S., disappointed at the outcome of an election that we encouraged. Democracy is wonderful as long as it produces the results we desire, if not, we either ignore it or label it an enemy of some kind. In the eyes of much of the world, Hamas and Hezbollah are not terrorist organizations, but, rather, freedom fighters trying to defend themselves from aggressor nations like Israel and the U.S.. Barak, who recently (finally) allowed truckloads of food and medicine into Gaza is being criticized for aiding and abetting the enemy. Can you believe this, food and medicine which they desperately need is being withheld? And the U.S. apparently sanctions this horrible war crime (the Israelis can do no wrong). Obama, so far, has merely said “no comment.” This does not bode well for the Palestinians. Will the Israelis, desperate to rid themselves of this population, eventually create their own “final solution?” And would the U.S. even sanction that? It is no secret what the Israelis are up to, and the entire world is watching while they do it, as if the Israelis are, in fact, a chosen people. I recall when I was much younger I supported the idea of a “Jewish Homeland,” and thought it was a fine idea. I believed that Israel would eventually be able to make peace with the Arabs and become a democracy in the Middle East. Only later did I begin to realize that trying to establish a Jewish state in the heart of Arab lands was really not a very good idea. And as Israeli greed for land and water and power has now made accommodation virtually impossible, I have become totally disillusioned and cynical. As long as the U.S. uncritically supports the outrageous acts of the Israelis towards the Palestinians there will never be peace in the Middle East. At this point in time it may be impossible to create a “two state solution.” It may well be there is no future except the status quo, festering forever in that troubled part of the world.

As there is nothing else to do but hope, I still wait for Obama’s inauguration (but not for Warren’s performance). But the problems we face may be far more than any ordinary, or even extraordinary President, can deal with. The state of the world and our country has never been this bad (with the possible exception of the Great Depression). Not only does Obama face two failing “wars,” a failed economic system,” a limited amount of funds, he is also going to have to deal with the issue of war crimes and prosecutions, the Israeli/Palestinian perhaps insoluble problem, the Iranians, Russians, and Chinese, the probable new depression, a hostile and uncooperative Republican party, and who knows what else. We should probably wish that he really is a visitor from outer space, sent here to protect us from ourselves, and try to straighten out a world gone very wrong. The Republicans, who should be standing behind him to try to solve our problems, are already plotting to bring him down, just as they tried to bring down Clinton. I have naively believed that the point of government was to look after the citizens and their well-being, with the understanding there would be differences of opinion along the way, but compromises would move us along. Now, however, under the Bush/Cheney/Rove administration, it has become a “war” between the haves and the have-nots, where compromise is unacceptable and the complete destruction of the other party is the goal. To me this is nothing short of political treason. It cannot be allowed to continue. Bush/Cheney/Rove et al must be held accountable for what they have done, never mind any “reaching across the aisle” to these criminals.

LKBIQ:
To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, right or wrong - is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
Theodore Roosevelt
TILT:
Evidence of fishing is known to date back at least 40,000 years

Dead time

We need to rethink the period between Thanksgiving and the first of the year. As it is now this is largely just dead time, at least for many. Of course it isn't dead time for those who man the stores and cater to the shoppers, but for many others it is basically a lost month, and whatever activity there is is mostly related to shopping and preparing for the "holidays." This is perhaps most noticeable in offices and in Universities. After Thanksgiving no one seems to think of anything other than doing their Christmas shopping and preparing for the feasts and festivities that are happening. Office Christmas parties galore, extra long lunch hours to allow for shopping, missed days of work due to hangovers and too many days off for travel and such. People are supposed to be at work, but in reality, while their bodies are there, their minds are not. I think we should just take a month long holiday and have done with it. Those who work in stores and shops could take off the month of January to compensate them for having to work during December. There isn't much work for them in January anyway, especially this year, as there apparently isn't even much work for them during December as most people don't have much money to spend this year. Apparently the annual shopping spree has been so bad there are some stores who many go out of business. Of course Wall Street, the banks and insurance companies are doing fine, but how many corporate jets can you sell in one season.

Along these lines, I cannot understand why any working person would ever vote for a Republican. They make no secret of the fact that they are anti-union, anti-working stiff, anti-decent wages, anti-pensions, anti-health insurance, and so on. They are completely up front about this, just witness what is going on with the big 3 auto companies, and what their hero, Ronald Reagan, did to the airline unions, which seems to have made union busting even more fashionable than ever before. "Freedom and justice for all," mean for Republicans "for all who have lots of money and power," not for "all." It has been so ever since I can remember. Republicans seem to think that ordinary people do not deserve living wages or benefits of any kind. I think it is no exaggeration to say there is a "war" between those who "have" and those who do not have, and the goal of this war is to make sure than no one, who isn't already someone, should have the right to anything other than work in a sweatshop. If Republicans have their way we will return to the conditions that obtained at the turn of the 20th century. To this end they have starved our public school system and fought every labor initiative for years and years. They do not believe in democracy, and would prefer that most of us would not even vote. And if we must vote, they fill our heads with garbage like the threat of gay marriages or abortions or gun control or, even worse, "socialized medicine." I am not sympathetic to Obama's plan to reach out to these people. Why should he reach out to those who basically want to destroy our democracy? He's something like the woman who believes she can change her man if only she can get him to marry her. I do not believe these "free market" believers will ever change, no matter how badly their philosophy has failed

I simply do not understand why it is that people are so resistant to reality or change, or to doing the fair and just thing. Take the Israeli case, for example. Now they are talking about invading Gaza again, in order to stop the rockets the Palestinians are launching from there. So once again they are going to meet violence with more violence, which will breed more violence, which will also breed more violence, ad infinitum. This has been going on for years and hasn't worked. Nothing could be more obvious than this. But will they try something else, like, for example, negotiating in good faith for a Palestinian state, or some other solution to this problem. Of course not, especially if that warmonger Netanyahu gets elected. The Israelis would rather cling to their stolen land and water than negotiate any kind of peace with the Palestinians. The never-ending violence will continue, apparently until the Israelis have successfully destroyed the Palestinians entirely. Why the U.S. continues to support this slow genocide I do not know. I cannot see any good reason for it. The Palestinians don't have any oil or other resources for us to gain. We are not going to gain any land or resources of any kind. You might say "we do not have any dog in this fight." And yet we persist in our mindless support of anything the Israelis wish, no matter how it violates all canons of International law and fundamental human decency.

Of course this year the dead time is worse than usual because we are waiting impatiently for the crooks in the White House to get out. If Bush/Cheney had any sense whatsoever of human decency they would have resigned years ago, and now they are busily trying to sabotage anything positive Obama might wish to do, destroy our environment for their corporate buddies, and pass new rules that are blatant attempts to steal and pillage right up to the last moment. This could have been avoided had democrats not been so cowardly, but, then, they all seem to be members of the same ruling class.

LKBIQ:

Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.
H. L. Mencken

TILT:
Controversy continues to the present day over the authorship of Shakespeare's many plays, sonnets, and poems, but no proof of other authorship exists.

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes to All.

Silently the snow,
that pure and peaceful blanket,
warms our mother earth.

Morialekafa

On Christmas shopping

Utah man steals $500,000
firetruck to visit his mother
at home in Washington.

After my eye appointment today, we took the opportunity to try to do a bit of Christmas shopping. Yes, of course, we’re a bit late. But we really enjoy the endless lines of automobiles, the thousands of shoppers (all late, just like us), the long lines, the jostling and shoving and bad tempers, the endless droning of Christmas carols, the well-below freezing temperatures, the new action figure of Christ, the thousands upon thousands of items of Chinese junk, the snow-covered slippery sidewalks, the suspicious floorwalkers, the waiting in line after line, driving home over slippery, frozen highways, the overwhelming Christmas good cheer, and all the other joys of the season. It really is the season to be jolly. You know, the annual time when we celebrate the Gods of Materialism and Merchandising. So, ho ho ho! In fact, we flunked Christmas shopping today, finding virtually nothing that any of us could possible want or use (if you can believe that).

I guess the reason for our failure today is the entirely new concept of Christmas shopping I unveiled this year. It beats all of the above and makes Christmas shopping a breeze, as easy as falling off a greased pig. It’s a simple concept, but foolproof, and fascinating in its own right. I just brought up Amazon.com, Shop.com, and whatever other shopping venues were necessary. Then I told my wife and son to order whatever they wished (depending upon their good sense not to over-do it). Thus they each ordered exactly what they would really like, rather than having to take a chance on the stupid or useless items that I might have given them. The stuff eventually arrives in the mail or by UPS or FedEx, I wrap it (somewhat clumsily) and put it under the tree. Simple, no? What, you think that takes all the surprise out of Christmas? Not at all. In fact, it makes it all the more exciting. It merely shifts the surprise from the receiver to the giver. As I don’t know exactly what they ordered, I am very surprised, and I’m even more surprised when I get the bills. It works exactly the same for them, I order stuff, they are surprised at my lack of taste or sophistication, but wrap it nonetheless , and then they are even more surprised when I complain about the bills. The other great feature of this system is that all of the items never arrive on time, thus spreading out the Spirit of Christmas and gift-giving over a longer period. You also don’t have to return unwanted items unless something is damaged in transit (this rarely happens anymore as everything is wrapped and smothered in thousands of plastic bubbles and such). You eventually have to take all this to the dump, but you have to do that no matter what system you employ. Our shopping today was mostly just nostalgia, and the search for those cute little items you might want to put in a stocking. As sorely as I was tempted, I resisted the urge to buy the new action figure of Jesus (I try to avoid hypocrisy). I can report in all honesty that not one single person of any kind wished us Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, not one. Perhaps it was the glazed look in our eyes that put them off.

Shocking! Obama was photographed in Hawaii with his shirt off. Imagine! His shirt off! How un-Presidental. Of course he was swimming, but even so, how awful. How long do you think it will be before someone brings out the pictures of Putin and compares the two of them? How will Obama fare, with that slim torso and the skinny legs of a basketball player, when compared to the stouter Putin, more of a body-builder or wrestler? Maybe Playgirl will get interested. It will help keep our mind off the 700 billion dollar con job the banks and Wall Street just pulled off. That is what you might call a real Christmas present. Paulsen, who arranged this job, will now become the “car czar.” He will probably arrange for the sale of the big 3 to the Japanese, all in the spirit of big bidness (as dear Molly Ivens used to say).

I can tell you one thing for certain, the gift of truly good sight is the finest Christmas present of all. Dr. Michael H. Cunningham, at the Inland Eye Center in Spokane deserves all the accolades he has received and more.

LKBIQ:
Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected.
Jimmy Cannon


TILT:
Whist is a trick taking card game that was played for centuries before becoming auction bridge and later contract and duplicate bridge.