Saturday morning headlines

ALL I KNOW IS WHAT I READ IN THE PAPERS:
Springsteen revs up for Super Bowl Halftime
Guess this means Bruce Springsteen is gonna be the entertainment. I'll guess he doesn't have any 'costume malfunctions'. This is how much attention I pay to the Super Bowl-first I knew who the entertainment was going to be was when I read this headline. It kind of amazes me that with the economy around the country in the toilet like it is, how many hundreds of thousands of people without work, people killing their families because they lost their jobs, people losing homes, leaving pets behind, people having to choose between heating and eating that there is an event like this that will cost millions for the highly touted ads, the entertainment, not to mention the player's salaries, the rings, the price of a ticket, all the escess, and people can't feed themselves or their families. Something is wrong here, and I sure don't know how to fix it or who ever could.

At least 7 dead in bus crash near Hoover Dam
Sad – people coming for a vacation, probably saved up for a long time to do it, and this is what happens. No word that I saw on the cause of the crash, but I will make a guess. I've driven that road, and when you get up to that part of it, it's pretty steep and winding. I will guess the generic 'speed too fast for conditions', judging from accounts of those watching it happen, swerved back and forth across the road, into the median, crash. Now, I know that most people drive too fast for conditions – witnessed it first hand going up to Saratoga the other day in the snow – and I did notice a few of them in the snow alongside the road, which I love to see, btw, when someone has gone speeding past me. But one of the ones I particularly noticed was – yup, a bus. Big ol' Trailways, in the hammer lane, passing everybody who was slowing down on a curve, heavy traffic, slick road, a wreck a little ways ahead. And there goes the bus, with presumably a bunch of people on it, passing them all. Hey, driver – YOU are responsible for all those people, not to mention the other drivers around you. But, nope, they're not going to crash, not them. I hate busses, but that's all for another story.

Obama's Super Bowl guests revealed
By the time I got to this link, this story was nowhere to be found. But do we really care who watches the Super Bowl with the president. I guess some body must, or they wouldn't report on it. And, yeah, I guess we should because he could have spies and who knows what all in there with him, cheering on whichever team – but really? Isn't there enough real news? Guess not.

Drew Peterson, fiance call it quits
Remember Drew Peterson? Investigated in the disappearance of two of his wives, not enough evidence to charge him in either? The way I read this story it sounded like she did the auitting, not him, but whatever. Now this man is the epitome of egotistical, plus being a bit stupid and probably a murderer, but at least he was smart enough to do that so he has not been caught and charged – yet. He did a tv interview where he said that with women he likes younger ones and the thrill is the chase, once he has them for a while he gets tired of them. He then watched the interview with his current (now ex) fiance. She got pissed – can't say I really blame her – to think that she'd be replaced (or worse, given his record) and a fight took place, ending with her leaving and then coming back with her father, who had to call the cops to get her things out of his place. Smart girl – not too smart to get hooked up with such a scum bag in the first place, but smart girl to walk out, still alive. Somebody needs to nut this guy.

Horse Abuse Leads to Jail Time
I have been following this one for several months, in the Missoula paper. Seems a father and son (I think from New Jersey but I don't remember for sure) from someplace where they don't have much to do with horses, mountains, back country and all that macho stuff, bought four horses and went off into the mountains for an extended pack trip. They did not take care of the horses, lots of things that are pretty disturbing: the horses got sores, malnutrition, lots of problems, and they left one by the trail almost dead when two women came along and found it, rescued it, and somehow the men were found and charged with 21 counts of animal cruelty. They are sentenced to just under 2 years in jail each and must pay damages plus for the care of the horses. There is some justice, although not enough. The son had never been on a horse before, never mind know how to take care of one, especially in those conditions. How do you spell d-a-m-n-f-o-o-l-s? Should have been them laying beside the trail covered with sores and skinny as a rail. But that's just what I think.

A Carousel for Missoula

I read the Missoulian (Missoula, MT) online most days because that’s where the grandson is and I want to make sure he hasn’t made the headlines. It’s a nice little paper. Missoula is a nice little town. A river runs through it, the Clark Fork River (not the one of the movie, that was the Blackfoot which joins the Clark Fork a few miles from Missoula), and there is a lovely park alongside the river through much of the downtown area. There is a carousel in the park, inside a building and open almost year round. It was a gift to the city, story at: http://www.carrousel.com/. A feature story over the past few days tells of the volunteers who come in every year to fix up and repaint the horses; the carousel is closed for a short time while this is done. What fun that must be, to paint carousel horses. There are some beauties, both on the carousel itself, and around the building, there’s a small gift shop and a snack bar, and a playground outside it. You can stroll along the river, and if you go across to the other side and take the Kim Williams trail you can go all the way to the ‘M’ mountain and up it (no, I didn’t). I did spend a nice few hours in the park, and I did ride the carousel. I tried but I couldn’t grab any of the rings - but I rode the carousel, because here’s what I think: you should never be too old to ride a carousel.

An Historic Day

JANUARY 20, 2009 What an historic day this is. Whether or not you voted for Barak Obama, whether you are Democrat or Republican, left or right wing (personally I never did figure out what that means or who is which), conservative or liberal, you have to ‘fess up that this is an historic time. Who would have thought that in the span of one generation that African-American/Negro/Black, call them what you will, that one race of people could go from not being able to sit at lunch counters, ride in the front of the bus, drink from the same water fountains as white people to having a President of the United States? Not Martin Luther King, for all his memorable speeches and visions. Not Rosa Parks, who just wanted to sit down because she’d worked hard that day. Not the thousands of protest marchers, the children who were bussed to the first integrated schools, the reporters, the government which voted in history making legislation, no one could have guessed that our country would make such a giant step.

Slavery was a big issue in the First Continental Congress, at least according to the show 1776. Rutledge, from South Carolina, challenges Thomas Jefferson and the other men in that hot Philadelphia room that while they are debating freedom they are forgetting those who are not free in the soon to be a new country. His song Molasses to Rum to Slaves is one of the most powerful in any show. It was almost 100 years later that Abraham Lincoln’s presidency finally freed that part of the United States population, causing the most devastating conflict to take place in our country, the Civil War. Another hundred years had to pass before the race was made equal under law, if not in the thinking of some people. And now, a mere 40 years after that, there will be an African-American president and his family sleeping in the White House tonight.

Does this take away the pain of anyone who lost a family member, loved one, friend in those rough days of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement when one race fought another for freedom? Does it take away the feelings of those treated like a lower class for so many years in so many ways? Does it negate the thousands of people treated as property in the days of slavery? Does it heal the injustice that still does go on, even if it is only in a look or a mumbled comment from someone whose thinking is warped away from equality? No to all of the above. But is surely does help to balance the scales in the memory of all those who fought for equality and freedom.

I don’t care who you are for or against, you gotta admit that.

I admit to being a little more aware, since my grandson is mixed race, half African-American, but regardless, you gotta admit today is indeed historic.

Obama’s got a rough road ahead, whoever got into the office would, given the shape we’re in right now. Can he fix things? Who knows, but he’s taking the challenge and given the way that history has been working, here’s what I think: he’s got a pretty good shot at it. Give him time, give him a chance. We might see even more history made.

January 20, 2009. What an historic day this is. Not one I thought I’d ever see.

ALL I KNOW IS WHAT I READ IN THE PAPERS

ALL I KNOW IS WHAT I READ IN THE PAPERS

Will Rogers said that first, but looking at some of the headlines makes me want to comment. And there’s never a lack of something that invites it.

Friday, January 15, 2009:

Of course today the big news is the plane crash in the Hudson River. What a colossal job of flying that pilot did, he is indeed a hero. Right behind him are the crew and the passengers who got themselves out without a mass panic, and the rescue workers who were right there and got everyone out of the water. What an example of everything going exactly right when it could have gone horribly wrong. Just imagine the carnage if he had not been able to put the plane down in the water, but it crashed into a New York City street or neighborhood. No, let’s don’t imagine it, let’s just all give a little prayer of thanks for those people being saved.

'God was certainly looking out for all of us' - whichever one you pray to, he certainly was.

Jailed rapper DMX calls pink jumpsuits 'disrespectful' - Um, ‘Hi’ - you’re in jail. You’re probably in jail for a reason, some of which no doubt included being disrespectful of someone else’s life, person, property, or whatever. Suck it up, big guy, and start being a man.

Saturday, January 17, 2009:

Big news all over is the weather. And still the plane crash. And the inauguration.

Weather: it’s, depending on what I read either -2 or -10 here - I can’t see my thermometer because the wind the other night blew something in front of it and I haven’t wanted to wade through the snow to move it so I can see. Cold enough, whichever the actual temp is. People are griping but I keep saying ‘it’s what winter used to be’. We had a few easy ones and they got spoiled, I guess. Birds are busy at the feeders and the squirrels are leaving track in the snow, but so far the deer have not come to raid the bird feeders.

The plane crash, everyone has seen everything on the news and it’s still a miracle, people are still heroes.

The inauguration. Obama boarding the train to take Lincoln’s train ride from Philadelphia to Washington. He’s a different kind of guy, with the odds against him right from the start. Here’s hoping he can give the guidance to turn things around, and that there are not too many people just against him for the wrong reasons to not cooperate. Not trying to get political here, but I kind of have to agree it’s time for some kind of a change.

Of course that would have to spread throughout the country and change a lot of the thinking of a whole lot of people and I don’t see that happening, Scooter.

Better get going here, somebody’s gonna show up with costumes and I’m still in the pj’s.

Let’s see what tomorrow’s headlines bring.

The Gov and The Prostitute

Haven’t had anything to rant about for awhile - well, was in NYC for a week and came home from there with a nasty cold or bronchitis or something and didn’t have the oomph to do anything, but of course the week’s news has provided fodder.

Fodder: the New York State news of the week, of course, with the Governor getting caught with his pants down and his *#+^ up. The big question from most is ‘Why?’ and ‘What was he thinking?’ and ‘How could he think he could get away with it?’ The last is my question, because doesn’t anyone in any kind of position like that know that there are people searching and waiting for even the tiniest lapse of good sense to grasp on and make the most of? And this did not need much making. But the rich and powerful think they are somehow above reproach and will do such things and then be first surprised, then deniant (nope, don’t know if that is a word) and then repentant and perhaps after those indignant - not about what done but that they got caught.

To those who asked ‘Why?’ I say - he’s a man. Speaking from personal experience, if they think they can get away with it, they’ll try it. Or even if they don’t think they can get away with it. Must go back to the old hunter-gatherer thing, or some such. I don’t know. The other side of that is that none of us know what his personal situation was - personally I don’t want to, but obviously something beyond his at-home reach was needed.

‘What was he thinking’? I use the quip a lot, wish it was mine, but it has been credited to several high-paid comedians: “he’s a man - he was thinking with the little head. Mother Nature gave men two heads, but then only gave them enough blood to run one at a time”. Once again, thinking he was high enough, clever enough, above it all enough, who knows - but he did get caught, and now NYS is ‘Under New Management’.

Let’s hope this one knows which head to think with. I already like one comment, Mr. Patterson is credited with a quick wit and dry humor, which is evidenced by his response to a reporter’s question ‘Have you ever patronized a prostitute?’ His answer: ‘Only lobbyists’.

Then there’s Letterman’s Top Ten List: Why Spitzer thought he could get away with it - #1 reason: Didn’t Clinton make it legal? I’m not even goin’ there.

Meanwhile, who makes out like - well, like a prostitute in politics? The girl! From a relative unknown, outside of her own certain ‘intimate’ circles, she’s skyrocketed into stardom, a whole issue of the NY Post (well, let’s consider that a moment) devoted to skin pics, a household word - she’ll probably end up with a book and movie contract out of it, and a whole lot more fame and money than a whole lot of much more deserving people ever find.

That’s the way the world is. There’s screwers and screwees, and all too often the wrong people are on the wrong end of whichever action and definitely not the right ones getting the rewards - seems especially true when politics gets into it.

Recession vs. Slow Down

Well, today President Bush said we are not in a recession, we are in an economic slow down.

My first thought is - there’s a difference? And my second is - no shit, Sherlock.

But we’re gonna be saved because of the economic stimulus package - I’m gonna get what, $300 and that’s gonna encourage me to go out and buy a new car or house or some other major purchase that will bring jobs and prosperity to the multitudes. Yeah, right.

What are these people smoking? And can we get some, because we are gonna need it to get through this whatever it is.

The tax rebate - if they can afford to give it back, that must mean taxes were too high in the first place and let’s lower those so that people can have more money to spend on trinkets like food and fuel.

Oh, and that’s the other big news of the day - food prices are going up. Once again I say no shit, Sherlock? I bet the big brains that figured that out make a whole lot more money than I do and I could have told them that quite a while back.

And just why are food prices going up - and ps, what is gonna keep people from spending money on trinkets more that higher food prices? Hmm-choice between feeding the family and a trinket - yeah, really tough call, huh?

Food and all other prices are going up primarily because of one thing. Oil prices. Oil that gets made into heating fuel for all the factories that need to have heat for the people to work there. Oil that gets made into so many things that are associated with food and all of our needs and trinkets. But, mainly, oil that gets made into diesel fuel that gets used by the trucks that bring you everything.

Look around. Unless you’re living in a self-sufficient commune in the southern woods, what do you have that did not spend part of it’s life on a truck? Not much of anything. Where does food come from? This time of year, veggies from California, potatoes from Idaho, meat from the west and Midwest, fruit from Florida -I’ve brought enough of it here from all of those and more. And when the truck has to spend right around a dollar ($1.00) for every mile it runs to get that food to you*, who do you think is gonna pay for that? The experts? The President? Nope, you got it right again - it’s gonna be you. And me.

And that’s just food - not to mention clothing, furniture, books, paper, toys, soap, computers, Ipods - all of the other things you use everyday and take for granted. How about the trucks that bring the heating oil from the refineries to the plant that then delivers it to your house? And the gasoline tankers that bring the product to the gas station for your car? Yup, right around $1.00 a mile - so no wonder you’re paying $3.25 or so a gallon (in NY, with the damn taxes, that is) for gas and almost $4.00 a gallon to get some heat in your house in the winter. Let’s all move to Arizona - then they can run out of water and we’ll have to pay $4.00 a gallon for that!

* That comes to about $2,500 to bring a head of lettuce from Yuma, Arizona to the northeast. Well, not one head all by itself, there are probably a few thousand heads in the truck, but you get the idea. And that’s just for the fuel, not paying the driver or paying the over $100,000 for the truck itself, and more for licensing, insurance, permits and all the other fees that trucks get charged because why not, they can afford it, look how much they must be making by bringing all that stuff to us. Sorry, got off on an angle there, but trucking is close to me and I’ll defend it as much as I can.

So what’s the answer? Hell if I know, but maybe a start would be to encourage everyone to contact their politicians and demand they reposition their heads on their shoulders instead of - well, you fill in the rest - and Do Something to help us all. Maybe a start would be to get Obama and Hillary to stop their 3^rd grade squabbles and look in to what they could do to help this situation if elected and tell us what that would be. Maybe a start would be to get someone to look in to why the oil companies make so much money and still can’t pass some lower prices down to the common people.

Or, horrible as it would be, maybe it’s time for a big recession or even the ‘D’ word to clean up this mess and start fresh.

Who knows. Not me. I just know I’m glad I can walk to work and only have me to buy groceries for.

A Heroine

One of my e-friends (friends I have never met in person, I met them on line and only know them through email) send a newspaper story on the daughter of a friend of hers, returning home from a tour in Iraq. Made me tear up. Of course, I’m old enough that the whole women in the fighting military is a revolutionary new idea. I remember when I was in college a friend and I discussed going into the military (something I now wish I had done, but oh, well. . . . .) and did not because at that time the rumor was ‘the women don’t get to do anything but be secretaries, and have to be wh---s for the officers’. With apologies to two good e-friends who were in the military at that time.

Now women do everything the men do and no doubt do it as well or even better in some instances.

The article mentioned this woman’s niece wearing a shirt proclaiming ‘Aunt Val is my Heroine’. She, and all she represents, should be everyone’s heroine. Bad enough for men to leave their families and friends to go to any war, especially one so controversial. I cannot imagine the torn feelings a mother leaving her children to do the same.

But, for those who say ‘what’s a woman gonna do in combat’ - just think about a mother defending her children. I’d far rather face any man I can think of and some I can’t. Imagine knowing that seeing her children again depends on her survival. No, I think the women have the advantage here, in sheer will to get back to mother their children.

One of my aunts was a combat nurse in WWII. A cousin’s daughter compiled her letters home, and those are fascinating. At one time she and another nurse went on leave, and when they went back to where they had been stationed, their unit had been moved, and they were in fact behind the enemy lines! She never made much of her service, I don’t recall her talking about it too much at all. It was just something she did, and moved her life on. I’m having a hard time reading a thick book about those early combat nurses - what they went through is just amazing.

Heroines, every one. And don’t you forget it. Blessings on them all, and all the thanks that can be gathered.