So I heard about this comment California Secretary of Education Richard Riordan made to this little girl. At first I thought what a dumb-ass thing to say to anyone let alone a little kid. But then I read about all the uproar that has gone on over it. It's obvious to the mother of the child no harm was done, and it's obvious to most people he was trying in a lame way to be funny and do what kids do and call each other names like poopy-pants and smelly-breath.
But after reading more of this I am struck by just how low this country has sunk when the NAACP is about ready to protest because they mistakenly thought the young girl was African-American as did Mervyn Dymally ..."
State Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally was quoted in the San Jose Mercury News Thursday saying the child was "a little African-American girl. Would he (Riordan) have done that to a white girl?"

First thing we need to ask ourselves is who are the people with true prejudice/racism in their heart? The man who called a girl a names or the people who heard a girl named Isis was called names. The girl told Riordan that her name means Egyptian Goddess, which it doesn't, it's actually a proper name of an Egyptian Goddess, but the girl is six and her mom is named Trinity(read hippie) so let's cut the kid some slack. People who assume that because the girl was named after an Egyptian Goddess is African-American have more issues than Riordan does.

The second thing we need to examine is why in the hell would race be a factor IF the girl HAD been African-American? Does every single thing that happens to someone have to be based on racism? I am pretty sensitive to such things as racism and sexism, but I also have a brain that doesn't let me become some paranoid nut about it either.

The third thing that bothers me is that when it was assumed the girl was African-American the NAACP was poised to protest, but when hearing she was white, they canceled. Why? If the thing Riordan did was wrong enough to cause a protest why cancel it? Obviously the NAACP has a race based agenda, and that's fine, so it makes little sense to waste their time. But why did they jump the gun to begin with? And then show a lack of concern for the girl by backing off when it's found out she is white? A wrong is a wrong is it not?

Now I hope that there wouldn't be much of an uproar beyond the 'what a lame thing to say' if Riordan was let's say Treasurer of CA. But while this isn't the end of the world as some would make it out to be. Neither is it in the words of someone I overheard at lunch today..."blown out of proportion by the stupid NWCP, the girl didn't care..." Well my ill-informed friend it should matter that the person in charge of Education for the state of California would even in jest call a six year old girl names. That kind of behavior is not appropriate and shouldn't be encouraged or tolerated. Yes it happens, sticks and stones and what not. But it is a schools responsibility to foster a safe environment that is conducive to learning. Making fun of people, as much as I may love to do it, is just not what is needed in schools or even the workplace.

Well I had pretty much hoped that John Kerry would pick John Edwards as his vice presidential nominee. As I pointed out on March 3rd, Kerry would have to pick a conservative Southerner. And that is who he gets with Edwards. Republicans will try to paint them both as liberals, but Edwards is much more conservative though he has an large degree of Populism in his speeches. I am pleased that the choice has been made and we can stop this whole John McCain talk. The way that the media ate that up and kept it boiling is just beyond me. Anyone with enough sense to keep a toaster out of the bathtub could have seen that it was just talk and would never have happened.
John McCain is a good and decent man, a bit gruff at times, but very Republican. And with his rise in name recognition he wouldn't stoop to becoming a vice-president to a Democrat. It would make no political sense.
The news media are so consumed with ratings and spin that they just can't let go of the little things. And Michael Moore is right to call the news media onto the carpet for not asking more questions about Bush/Iraq. But what do we expect when huge corporations own the major news outlets. As mergers and FCC regulations governing ownership of media are loosened it is no surprise that this country is slowly losing it's "free press." The one thought that keeps me from despair over this is the growth of Blogs and other online ventures that allow anybody to speak out. And more people are speaking out each day to a wider audience. Of course if GE or CBS offered to buy me out for a vast sum of money, maybe I'd be more than happy to worry about Lindsay Lohan's dad getting arrested instead of wondering what Bush will do to keep his promise to fight AIDS in Africa.
But that's a big maybe, and even then I don't think I would want to have someone else dictate what I can or can't say.

Independence Day. Everybody has their own way of celebrating it. Some don't even celebrate it. I'll skip the debate over how best to celebrate secular holidays for another time. Since TIME Magazine came out with their articles on Thomas Jefferson, I have been rereading some books about the man and his ideas. Today marks the anniversary of the day the Declaration of Independence was issued not just to Americans, but to the world. Our Revolution was an extraordinary event and one that inspired many other people to rise up against oppression. I hope it continues to inspire people here and abroad to respect the rights of man and uphold the ideals that helped create this country. The most perfect thing about this country is that we allow for improvement, for progress. That simple thing has always made me proud and grateful to be an American. For any other flaws or mistakes our government/country may have, the idea that it is up to the people to make those changes is the very essence of freedom.

I wish I could say that Spider-Man 2 was a great movie. I really wanted it to be. But as much as they developed the characters, they just rehashed the same basic elements to the plot. Oh no Aunt May is in the clutches of Doc Ock, hmm last time it was the Green Goblin. Oh no Mary Jane is kidnapped by Doc Ock, hmm last time it was the Green Goblin. Oh another scientist has gone stark raving mad because of a failed experiment. Oh but he was a nice guy. Sounds familiar? It is. In the first movie they mentioned that Dr. Connors fired Peter, in this one Dr. Connors is ready to fail Peter. And of course they are setting the stage for the next one when Dr. Connors becomes the Lizard? Oh and of course for Harry Osborn to become the Hobgoblin.
The whole story line of aww it's tough to be a hero is such a copy of Superman 2 I just couldn't get into it. Plus the idea of gee Peter can't get involved with Mary Jane because then she'll be in danger is pretty weak when she is already in danger just as his damn friend. There is plenty of action, and the emotions run high in this movie. Though it makes no sense why he keeps unmasking himself. By the end of the movie almost everyone knows who he is. And since they keep using enemies that he becomes friends with before they become evil villains, it seems to pointless to even bother with a disguise.
They should also explain how he keeps from getting monstrous bruises all over his body, and put more of the scientist back into his character. Plus he and Harry should have had a talk before the end of the movie, and Mary Jane may have wanted to get her act together a little sooner than on her wedding day. It's just too lame for me to buy.
It's still fun and I enjoyed it, but it felt like the first one too much. Even Stan Lee again saving someone from falling debris and instead of a guitarist singing the old Spider-Man theme song we get a violinist. They should have just played the Ramones version of the theme they did a while ago.
Maybe I am just getting too old for movies to enjoy them anymore.

My brain almost never shuts off, it is in constant thought unless I can distract it with some external stimulus. Which is why I read so much, watch tv or movies, surf the internet, etc. I had about 3 or four posts worth of thought last night as I was reading the new issue of TIME Magazine, specifically the articles on Thomas Jefferson. I have always been a great admirer of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. I think I have always been drawn to their roles as the men behind some of our philosophy of American Democracy. Not the nuts and bolts of government, but the raw ideals that symbolize American Freedom.
It is funny though when you read about any of the founding fathers, because every author has their favorites, and usually that means they are very biased against who ever may have been a rival of said favorite.
Aside from the usual worship of Jefferson complete with the apologists who squirm with regards to Jefferson and slavery, and of course the ones who vilify Jefferson as some racist slave-monger who opposed the government and for no good reason also opposed Hamilton and his economic goals...there are those who can create a balanced view of Jefferson and put things into the proper context.
I liked the fact that TIME featured Jefferson, but I was concerned over some of the crap that kept creeping into the articles. A few of them were trying to draw Iraq and Bush into them for no reason.
Everybody has an agenda. The trick is to keep a sharp eye out and be aware of it.
I have too much to say on the subject of Jefferson, so I think I will go watch the Joe Schmo Show and relax.

Bush gets spanked by Chirac. And it's about time. Bush's arrogance is so firmly wrapped around his image that he can't help but draw fire for such comments. If Clinton or Bush Sr. or even Reagan had made the same comment, there would not have been any big deal. But because Bush jr. has made pushing people around his primary way of doing things, he has cast himself as the quintessential "ugly American." His cowboy image and his Christian moral certitude may win him votes in America's conservative heart but it gains us little with our Allies and only encourages our enemies to fight that much harder. Force-feeding Iraq democracy has only caused so many more of the people to fight something that they might otherwise have clamored for. There are times when pushing in one direction only causes someone to fight that much harder. It's like dealing with teens. Sure you can't be a permissive parent, but you can't be so strict and overbearing that they fight you just for the sport of it and to assert their sense of power.
The number one thing America has in it's pocket is our culture and standard of living. Sure we SuperSize more things than we should, we don't care much about Opera, and we gave the world Jessica Simpson. But our culture has such appeal to people that they emulate us and in tyrannical regimes, it undermines them and promotes democratic thinking.
Ugh. I do get so tired of seeing how much this Administration can screw things up.

Oh and WTF was Jack Ryan thinking? (not the Tom Clancy hero--and Ben Affleck's portrayal doesn't count) I mean dude you are married to 7of9 and your idea of "romantic getaway" is sex clubs? Isn't being married to Jeri Ryan enough of a sex club? Sure there are times when the club isn't open, but guess what, you are the only one on the guest list. What more do you need? People are never satisfied.

I don't care what anyone else may say, I think young killer whales should be tried as adults.

What makes people tick? What forces drive and motivate people to be who they are and do what they do? I look at people all the time and wonder about these and many other useless things. My mind is always on, always running, it's a non-stop think fest here. If it weren't for my child-like glee at some really stupid things, then I doubt I would be able to enjoy life as much as I do.
I took my friend who has been giving me a ride home this week, out to dinner. During dinner we talked and it's always interesting to get to know someone a little bit better. He's the type of person that thinks but can do it without delving too deeply into things. Though he also says he has sleepless nights worrying about all the things he has to do at work. Which is beyond me. Other than the odd/rare dream that involves work, I never have lost sleep over it.
Sure the stress can seep into my private life now and then. But that doesn't happen too often. Especially with this job. I remember when I was in college and doing telemarketing, I would see the dialpad in my sleep. But I get that with video games that I play too often and anticipate playing the next day. So I think that is more or less some type of visual imprint rather than some subconscious worry/thought.
Yesterday on the way home, the boss was trying to get someone to give him a ride to the airport. He looked at me and I told him I was without a car and was getting a ride from Ed, so he said that he would have Ed take him. I told him, "yah you are good at finding other options." Which was a compliment as the man is always looking for ways uh, original ways to do things. I'll save that for my tell-all book. But then he said "sometimes there are no options." Which was not his way of saying sometimes you are stuck in life, or something profound. It was his way of telling me/Ed that we had no choice but to take him. So I adjusted my response to that accordingly to address the broader idea that there are no options sometimes, as well as his implication that we had no choice but to take him.
My response was that one of the greatest things I ever learned from a teacher was that there are "NO Have-to's." You don't have to do anything in this world. He disagreed, but I pressed on with "we make choices." He again disagreed and I had to remember that this is a man who enjoys the idea that he can make people do things, but also he doesn't believe in his personal responsibility.
And that is what I was getting at. We have choices, we make decisions. And those decisions and choices have consequences. Ed argued that we don't always have a choice, eg jump from a building and you have no choice about landing on the pavement. However that is a consequence of jumping rather than a choice. And without dissecting each action in the universe into choices, I was focusing on those things that we have power over. The things we can choose from. I choose to wake up and go to work every morning, no one forces me to. I choose to pay my rent. No one forces me to. Sure there are consequences, I lose my job if I don't show up, I get evicted if I don't pay rent. But some people do in fact make those choices and they have to make new choices based on those consequences.
It's about taking responsibility and owning your actions and choices in life. People who say they "can't help it.." or the old "oh I am addicted to blah blah, I can't help it..." Bullshit. Sure you may be addicted. You may have other things shoved onto you, but you choose your actions. Anything else is a cop out. It's an excuse to remain powerless and give up control of your life.
For people like my boss, it's a way to not take responsibility for their actions. To say they have no choice, they were predisposed, they were born alcoholics, they had no father....etc. You fill in the excuses. When I was teaching I used to push it back to the students who used the old, "I have to be here" line when asked why they weren't paying attention. I didn't accept that. They chose to be there. So I'd try my best to make them realize that. At the very least even if they don't change the behavior, at least own it. Make it yours, empower yourself to at least take control of your shitty decisions. Some people are given fewer choices, others aren't given the best tools for making decisions, but again, only one person makes those decisions.
And I'll be damned if some asshole thinks that I have no choice but to give them a ride to the airport. I can choose to say No and lose my job if necessary. But it's my choice. Short of sticking a gun to my head and really forcing me to do it. And even then, I could choose to take the bullet. But that is taking it farther than I would allow, and besides sometimes we may not have much to choose from to make our choices.

People never cease to amaze me. I was reading the news online today and noticed this article about gays in the military being dismissed. With so many reservists and National Guard units being called up you would think that they would stop dismissing people from the military soley based on their sexual orientation. Some time ago I was surprised that there was talk of reintroducing conscription in this country. So how does that work with not allowing openly gay personnel to serve in the military? Is this how everyone will be able to get out of the draft? The only bright point I saw in the conscription talk was that it would include women. Now for you ladies, allow me a minute and listen well....I grew up knowing that this country was involved in military conflict every generation. I grew up knowing about the draft for Vietnam and knowing that could happen to me one day. During the Cold War and the Reagan years, it was pretty scary growing up with either the prospect of a nuclear winter or else fighting Communism a la Red Dawn, which contrary to what some say, was a pretty good movie. So knowing I could be called to fight, but my sister wouldn't never seemed fair to me. I thought things were supposed to be equal. Then imagine turning 18 and having to register for the Selective Service on January 4th 1991. Yah days before we began bombing Iraq and Iraqi positions in Kuwait during the First Persian Gulf War.
Sure, now we know it was a cake walk (compared to other conflicts) with under 300 American lives lost. But at the time they were ordering thousands of body bags, there was constant talk about the well trained and experienced Iraqi Army that fought Iran for 10 years, and of course the elite Iraqi Republican Guard. No one knew how long this would last, or if they would need to reinstate the draft. It was a scary prospect.
So I say, if people are able and want to serve their country by risking their lives to defend it, then let them. Did anyone learn anything from the experience of trying to integrate the military in 1948? Black units fought with honor and skill and after nearly 100 years of having separate units, people realized that the bullshit racism that created all manner of myths about Blacks in the military was groundless. And even when some conceded that Blacks were capable of fighting, they still questioned the wisdom of integrated units. Making the same bullshit excuses we heard about women in the military and now gays, "oh it ruins unit morale and reduces their effectiveness."
People are people. End of story. If someone wants to put their life on the line, I respect that. And if you are in the same foxhole with that person, they had the same damn training and are there for the same reasons. Our military is built up of a diverse population and can handle differences among people. What matters is how they are trained to deal with those differences and how discipline is kept. And by that I mean preventing hate crimes, sexual assault, abuse of prisoners/civilians, etc. Do that and there won't be a thing to worry about. When bullets start flying the only thing that counts is who is on your side. And no one is looking at anyone's ass, they are too busy covering each others backs.
To me its about not having faith in people to be able to deal with their own prejudices for the sake of something more important. And in 50 years this will be another small step towards progress and will seem as minor as the controversial decision at the time, to allow Blacks into the same units as Whites and to share the same barracks.

Well the car is still in the shop. This time it sounds like the guy actually began to look at it. It's some lame-ass computer malfunction thingy. So I have a strong feeling I am going to have to end up taking it back to the dealer. So I was able to get a ride from a friend today and another one will pick me up tomorrow. Again, you just have to be grateful for good friends.
To thank my buddy who picked me up this morning, I bought him breakfast, which meant coming into work even later, but ask me if I really care. Thank my other friend for today's ride home, I bought him lunch. We went to this nice Peruvian restraunt around the corner from our office. The girl that runs the place is smokin' hot. I will assume she is Peruvian, but she is incredibly cute.
But a funny thing happened before we could go in. We had to park. Now this place is always crowded and we have had a few uh, 'incidents' before. So we are driving through the lot and this white car cuts us off and zooms ahead. We notice a guy getting into a silver truck and the white car is at least 3-4 stalls AHEAD of the truck and us. My buddy stops his car to wait for the truck to back out, and suddenly the white car has reversed and is motioning for us to back up so he can steal the space. I am just staring in absolute disbelief. After many years of parking on a college campus, you know that when someone is about 3-4 car stalls ahead, they have passed their opportunity. Well this guy was too important for that.
And he won't move, we wave him off, but he just sits there, switching to reverse every few seconds to scare us back. Now my buddy will not budge and meanwhile the guy in the truck is bewildered as well. He just wants to get back to work before his boss fires him, but he is just silently sitting there. So I said hell with this, got out of the car, walked up to the white car's passenger side and motion for him to move on. I am speaking rather loudly and he rolls down the window so I can speak directly to him. I keep repeating my mantra to him "you passed it, keep moving...you passed it, keep moving" and motion my arms accordingly. With the most feeble excuse he says, "no I was following that guy" to which I reply, "you passed it, keep moving." He wants me to ask someone standing behind us waiting for his wife, if they are leaving. Like suddenly he is being helpful and pointing out another possible place for us to park. I reply something to the effect that I don't care, repeat the mantra one more time and back off and ignore his further pleas. I throw in one more command, "at the very least move so this guy can go home.'
Walking away, he finally sees he will get nowhere with me and drives off. We park and go in to eat.
I normally don't do such things, but that was just too much. He didn't follow that guy, he didn't just pass him by one car stall. No way was I letting that kind of crap go. Especially when I am hungry and was looking forward to seeing the hot Peruvian girl again.

I just got home after dropping off my car. I hate to leave work early to deal with car issues or anything like that. It just seems like such a waste. I don't mind skipping out early to go somewhere fun, that makes any flack you take worth it. But it's bad enough dealing with a car issue and then some jackass at work is going to give you flack for leaving work an hour early. Though the gods know they don't give you any grief when you stay an hour or two later. Funny how that works out.

Lucky for me that a friend at work was kind enough to follow me as I dropped off my car, and then took me home. All of which is out of the way as he has to drive down to San Diego and he would have been home by now if he didn't go out of his way. I said it a while ago, but finding some good friends is worth a lot of the crap at work.

So I re-read my post from last night thinking I should check to make sure I didn't slur too much. But other than using "shaked" their hands rather than the correct shook, I didn't do too bad. Of course I always want to go back and see if I also got too crazy, but hell with it. Think what you like. After reading that article in TIME about blogs I was disappointed that there was no mention of the First Amendment or any comparisons to the early days of the personal presses.
My knees ache, it tends to happen after much drinking. So I think I will take a nap and relax for a bit. That may just make leaving work early worth it.

Drinking loosens the tongue and the soul. Anyone who knows me knows my tongue is usually pretty loose anyway. I kept it pretty much in check tonight. Some of us gathered for a 'going away party' for this chick at work. Same one I asked out a couple weeks ago, who said yes, but was too chickenshit to just balls up and say no. WTF. Seriously just say No if you mean no. I am a grown man, sort of. And I can handle it if someone says no. But to say yes, then don't call back. C'mon. But I also knew better at the time. I had seen enough to know that the basics of honesty and honor, as well as common decency just weren't there. But I took the step anyway. Usually I don't mix work and pleasure. In fact it has been over 8 years since I last asked out someone I worked with.
Anyway, so this party was weak. I had fun up to a point and should have left at that point. Somehow this guy and I were stuck at one of the tables and the table next to us had the purses of a couple chicks we work with. Oh and yah chicks. So deal with it. Women they aren't. Hot chicks they aren't. I don't know, what exactly.
Anyhoo, so a buddy says lets go outside on the patio, and my nice guy in me said, aw shucks no, what about the purses. But the other guy in me, said "hey hell with them, it's been over 20 minutes and they have been outside chillin, so screw em, if their purses mean anything let them get them."
So we come back and everyone has moved, and the one chick I can't stand gives me weak attitude about the purses. She is too chickenshit to say anything directly, just like at work. She says indirect things, but I don't sweat it. I play the Fonz and just act cool. Cuz to hell with them or anyone else who expects me to watch their shit.
So we all chill and drink, have a good time. Talking to this other hot chick from work and her hot lesbian girlfriend and just having fun. Again, I have no illusions, I am at my talkative and superfriendly level at this point.
So a few people leave and somehow I get stuck on table duty again, as the chick I asked out is dancing with two other guys I work with. And I am just all alone. I am thinking how the hell did this happen? And it's getting late, I have to work tomorrow, I am not drinking anymore, and everyone else has gone home. So fuck it, I walk through the crowded dance floor, shaked hands with the 2 guys, hand the chick her purse and shake her hand as she gives me some bullshit look, and I am outtie.
Why do I even bother? My judgement and instincts said avoid this crap. Listen to it. Listen to it. My gut never fails me when I listen to it and do as I should.
So now it's just rant and listen to Seaweed, then off to bed.
And now I have to deal with car bullshit tomorrow and Saturday rather than drive up to see my dad for father's day. Don't ever buy a Hyundai or ask someone out when you know they are trouble anyway. Eitherway it ends in headaches. At least the car has a warranty.

I think the tide is beginning to turn against Bush jr. More and more it seems as though things are falling apart for the Bush Administration. Now Michael Moore has finally found someone to distribute his latest movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11" due out on June 25th. I think it's great that the movie is able to get out there before the election. Which of course is part of Moore's goal. At times he can be a little scary with his rabid chase of certain issues. It can even be very off-putting. But then I remember that at least he is out there saying things that other people just won't speak out about. Of course sooner or later if people will tune him out. I think a large part of it is image. But even if he were a clean cut guy who dressed decently, his message still makes some people actually think. And most people don't like to think. They like to be told what to believe in. Having to choose between different beliefs or viewpoints usually cause great anxiety.
Luckily Moore is not the only one speaking out. Retired General David Hackworth has the experience and credentials to keep most sane people from questioning his patriotism.
Of course everyone has their own agenda, and that is why most people just choose to stick to one viewpoint. On one side we have the "Reagan is evil" group and on the other we have that group that believes, as my roommate put it "Reagan shits gold and his farts smell like peppermint."
Nothing is ever just that absolute.
Oh, except for the fact that Bush jr. is a nutjob. That is just a fact.

Sometimes even I wonder why I watch half the movies that I do. Partly I think it is just a quest for knowledge and a desire to view as much of the cinematic arts as possible. I have seen some horrible movies, movies that I went into knowing just how awful they were. And not even because I liked the basic story, or the setting, or some hot actress. No, none of those things would ever explain why I watched Kangaroo Jack or other films like it.
I had already read the reviews of "Chronicles of Riddick" on several sites, my favorite being Mr. Cranky's review. And I found myself still drawn to the movie today. Partly because the whole Sci-Fi thing, but also I was just bored. Now Mr. Cranky was correct there is little to no science involved in this movie. I mean Riddick douses himself with water before going into the sunlight to brave the 700 degree heat. Yah, that's right. But at the end of the movie, I realized what they did. They stole "Conan the Barbarian." The last scene is what made it all the more obvious, but if you piece it all together, it is a basic rip off of Conan. But it did have the very hot Alexa Davalos playing Sandahl Bergman...er I mean Kyra.
Anyway the movie is so loosely thrown together that very little makes sense, the physics and the logic of it all are so absent that one has to wonder if there was any thought put into any of this beyond the creepy armor/ships of the Necromongers.
Sometimes, I think I watch things like this just to know how it shouldn't be done. I have always preferred to learn from the mistakes of others. Not that I will make movies, though at one time I gave it some thought. No, some people like to taste wines, others collect stamps,etc. I however like to watch a lot of movies. I don't watch all of them, just the ones that look mildly interesting or perhaps amusing. Though that still doesn't answer why the hell I watched Kangaroo Jack.

I watched the CA portion of the Ronald Reagan funeral service and was struck with the cynical thought that it was all set up so well in order to enshrine him as the greatest president ever. That view of the hills, the sunset, wow, it was almost as though he just played his last role in a movie. Oh, and I hate Larry King, the man is a jackass. He asked, I think it was Ed Meese, if he was surprised that Nancy broke down at the end, when she accepted the flag and wept at the casket. Jeez, she was married to the guy for half a century of course she is going to break down. They were expecting his death for sometime now, and had nearly a week to prepare for this, so of course through most of it she and her family were able to maintain their composure. But at that last moment when saying goodbye it is only natural to be struck with the finality of it and break down. And of course her kids are going to comfort her. Are people in the media told to act in such a moronic way? The shit that comes out of their mouths when it isn't scripted is beyond belief at times.
Ron Reagan gave a few jabs to modern politicians, which I thought was cool. Not only did he lovingly praise his father, but he implied that his father didn't use his religious beliefs for political benefit. Which was funny because his brother Michael spoke before that with a lot of Jesus talk that I found to be almost phoney.
I always liked Ron Reagan, I remember how brilliant he was when he had his on Fox show, it was sort of like the Dennis Miller show with less jokes. Course his sister hasn't aged well, but I still remember her Playboy spread way back when. Not bad.
Poor little Michael Reagan. I feel bad for that guy. He just seemed so left out of things. I could have sworn the ass-kissing priest who couldn't get off his knees while talking to Nancy, only mentioned Patti and Ron and neglected to mention Michael. Maybe I misheard it. But then when the kids go to comfort Nancy, Michael is in the back and it looked like he was blocked out of there. Sad.
Oh but back to the ass-kissing priest, he reminded me of Ray Milland in his later years, and he seemed so un-godly with his overly sweet praise for Reagan. Though I like how he mentioned that his father in South Africa had a big picture of Reagan in his house. How appropriate, Reagan who stood fast and firm in the face of a political system based on socialist ideology would be seen as a hero in a country with a political system based on a racist ideology that he did nothing about. Talk about an 'evil empire' a nation based on racial segregation.
Ah but I digress. I have to hand it to Arnold he didn't walk up and touch the casket or anything cheesey. Though I could have sworn that he made of sign of the cross backwards, while Maria did it correctly.
Well now that Reagan is laid to rest so begins the task of every politician attaching themselves to his image or legacy.

Oh and on a side note, I plan for a huge funeral pyre on a hill or a Viking funeral when I pass into the next world. A fire so big and glorious it can be seen from orbit. Of course there would be a lot of pageantry and it would be televised.

What a real downer. I had an awful day at work with lots of bullshit, then I decide to go for some drinks with some friends and proceeded to drink enough sangria to forget about the day, though I also forgot about my credit card bills and decided to pay for the evening. But what the hell yanno, my friends take care of me, it's nice to be able to take care of them. So then it's off to the bikini cafe for some iced coffee and iced tea and more fun. So anyway, on my introspective drive back home, I am thinking about all this other stuff and making plans in my head for the future and moving forward, etc.
But still feeling good. Then I go online and Ray Charles is dead. That is a sad thing. 73 years old and he made so much music as well as being a really cool music personality. That really sucks. I think the last time I was this moved by the loss of someone I didn't know, it was Vincent Price. And before that, I did actually tear up when I heard Jim Henson died. When Fred Rogers died, it was a loss but I hadn't really cared personally beyond just being sad that someone so good and pure of heart had left this world.

Anyway, such is life and while we may feel the loss of those who die, I can only mourn so much, as I know it is the way of things and ultimately they continue on the wheel of life to a new path. We have had a lot of people at work "lose" family members and I can never say anything beyond the usual, "you have my deepest sympathy." Because no one wants to hear "well the bright side is that they have moved on to a better place and you should actually be happy that they are gone." It just wouldn't go over so well with people. In my heart of hearts, I feel that way, but even I wouldn't want to hear it at first when I lose someone.

But here's to Ray Charles and may he be at peace in a better place/existence(or rather non-existence)

Nothing Lasts Forever...I was in Trader Joe's last Friday picking up some groceries, and I heard this lady at one of the registers tell her husband that Entropy was the Second Law of Thermodynamics and that all things decay. She had to be about 70+ years old, which led me to believe she was talking about herself. But it was interesting to hear anybody just casually mention it. Of course Entropy is more than just decay or change. But it is usually easier to just think of it in those terms.

Why can't people just be honest and let you know what's up? I think it is fear. And I always wonder what the fear is, or where it stems from. I try to think of that and keep it in mind so that I can deal with my fears and try to push through them. Not the fear of snakes but the social fears. Cuz I'll be damned if I deal with the fear of snakes thing. I think some of it is just pure genetic memory mixed in with seeing "SSSSSSS" at a very young age.
There are images in that movie that stick with me to this day. I was gifted with an excellent memory along with my other near-superhero senses, yet this also meant that images of a man turning into a snake are stuck in my head. Along with all sorts of other fun things that I probably shouldn't have seen at other times. That's how I remember all that stuff during the 80's and even a good deal of the 70's. Ah the heights I could have attained had my genius been harnessed in the proper direction. Of course anyone who knows me, knows just how introspective and over analytical I can be, so I am sure I would have gone even more insane than I am now. I would have an island somewhere and be some crazed mad genius bent on taking over the world and turning the worlds supply of drinking water into syrup.
BWWAAAAHAAAAAHAHAAAAA!

I did not want to say anything about the death of Ronald Reagan yesterday until I had time to think about it. For better or worse, if you liked him or not, there is no getting around the fact that he was very important in shaping American politics, international relations, domestic policy, and the way Americans view themselves. I never liked him. I never thought the man had much going on upstairs, I always felt that he was playing the part of a president as an actor would rather than being a president. Maybe the two are the same. Perhaps that is what has gone wrong with our recent president.
Reagan symbolized the 1980's for me. It really was his decade. Even today he has such an influence on politics. So many current politicians think they are Reagan Republicans, so many young Republicans claim Reagan as their favorite president and place him at the head of the Pantheon of American politicians.
I always saw his influence as similar to the Pied Piper of Hameln. He did bring back to America a sense of purpose, strength and self-respect that was missing after Vietnam, Nixon, Ford, Carter and an economy that was in deep trouble. He had a bit of the John Wayne cowboy American swagger that tends to turn off a lot of thinking individuals, especially our international allies. But that same sense of self is what many Americans love because of how we see it, but also because we know it scares the crap out of some countries, even if they are our allies.
I can't be one of the brainwashed nuts who reflect on how perfect the Reagan years were or how he single-handedly knocked down the Berlin Wall and won the Cold War. He continued policies and actions that Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy were all an important part of. After the Cuban Missle crisis there was a change in how we dealt with the Soviets, and it was more diplomatic. When Reagan came into office he returned us to a war footing that scared most people. It's no coincidence that most movies about Nuclear Apocalypse came out in the 1980's. "The Day After" influenced and demoralized a whole generation to a degree that I think has not been acknowledged. "War Games" showed us how tense things would be if we lost control of our power over nuclear weapons, but the Day After showed us what would happen (in a TV way) once those weapons were launched. And of course "The Road Warrior" showed us just how expensive Gazzoline could become.

Reagan rattled his sword with SDI or Star Wars as it was called, built up our military to a huge degree, and really played the game of Nuclear Brinkmanship like no one else before him ever had. The fall of the Soviet Union was an amazing thing to witness. When it comes down to it there are two reasons why that happened the way it did. I think the most important was Economic, the other was Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev loosed the iron grip the Soviets had on their satellite nations as well as his own people. But I don't think he could have done that or would have done that if it weren't for the economic failures of Communism and the arms race that Reagan started and ultimately won.
When it comes down to it,Reagan gave us a 3 Trillion Dollar debt to revive our economy and bankrupt the Soviets. Towards the end it wasnt't a race to see who could build more weapons, it was a race to see who would go bankrupt first, the US or the USSR. Luckily we had better credit cards to count on. Which we are still paying to this day. And with a continued budget deficit we will never be able to pay off that debt. Love Clinton or hate him, he was serious about balancing the budget and making sure that the national debt wouldn't haunt the next generations of Americans. Then Dubya comes along and decides to monkey around with it because he bought into the Reaganomics that his father once called "Voodoo Economics."
That was swallowed hook, line and sinker by Republicans everywhere. But under Reagan, America was strong abroad. And that boosted American self-confidence, which we can see Dubya continuing with over-confidence to our detriment.

I could go on and on about deregulation, the environment, crime, etc. Though I think the biggest crime the Reaganites are guilty of is lying about his Alzheimer's disease. They point out that he didn't develop it until 1993/1994. They even call it "a surprise to many." Well I was not the least bit surprised. Where the hell were these people during the 80's? He showed signs of it during his presidency. The jokes were there for years about how he was senile. His defenders think it would hurt his image to say that he had the disease during his presidency. But what they don't realize is that they hurt the disease and those with it, by denying that a person could be a pretty functional president for 8 years with the disease. We know FDR couldn't walk, Kennedy had major health problems, so come clean about Reagan.
It angers me that they would lie so blatanly and that so many people tend to buy it and the rest of the revisions of history associated with his presidency.

Reagan really did change America and again, right or wrong he was an important president who has been a tremendous influence in much the same way Kennedy inspired generations of Americans. It will be interesting to see how that continues to develop or change.

I am stuffed. I just returned from a surprise birthday party for a friend from work. Carne asada, salsa, tamales, mmmmm. Good food. I didn't drink much just had a shot of the Bushmills I bought for my friend and a shot of some German grape brandy he had. It was a pretty small group so there wasn't any beer, just sodas and good bbq'd carne asada. It was very mellow for everyone. Which is good because I certainly don't want to drink or eat too much just for the sake of a party or having a good time.
Well I am off to watch MAD TV before I go to bed. Today was an early and productive day and I plan on doing the same tomorrow, getting up early and running errands and doing chores around the house. And later of course watch some TV and maybe look over some wishlists for books and cd's or dvd's. I want to continue to build my libraries and I have neglected my music collection in favor of movies and books. But lately I have wanted to get more music. I used to have a good list somewhere but since I don't listen to the radio at home anymore, just the car, I don't jot down ideas anymore.
It's always easier to hear a song and then remember that you don't have that album, but you should buy it, than to just sit and try to think of albums you want out of the blue.

Ah, such a wonderful day. More ridiculous shit at work causing me grief. But the upside today is that the GM is seeing more of it and is getting a more clear picture of the way things are. I forgot to put on my calendar that I had a lunch appointment with my hot milfy Staples rep. so that was a nice surprise today. I always look forward to having her take me out to lunch. Had a perfect steak and I didn't have to pay for it. So that killed two hours today. I did refrain from reminding her that last year when we had lunch during a conversation that drifted to politics, she said "well you will see they will find the weapons of mass destruction." Ah even then I knew the truth. It would be interesting to have heard her excuse for Bush though.
But when a hot older woman buys you lunch it's not polite to perform an "I told you so", as much as I enjoy those.
After work went out for a beer with some work friends, then off to the cafe for a bit. Good times.
I arrived home in time to shower and then sit back and watch Femme Fatale starring Rebecca Romijn. Not bad, what you would expect from Brian De Palma of course. Plus there is the hot sexy scene in the beginning of the movie.
Listening to some good music and looking forward to a productive yet relaxing weekend. Some days life is good. Other days, it is even better than good.