Another groaner from Stephan Pastis at Pearls Before Swine:
Filed under Chastise Man, Comic Relief, Fun Stuff, Humorous by 
“If it’s Sunday Morning, it’s Meet the Press”
Those words have been uttered by Tim Russert since 1991. And now, suddenly, he has left us in the midst of what must have been for him one of the most exciting times of his life – an historic election, the graduation of his son from Boston College, and the enormous popularity of his books Big Russ and Me and Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons.
We will remember him, of course, as “one of the good ones” in political journalism. Like anyone, he wasn’t perfect, but he was a voice and a face we knew and trusted. There he was, every Sunday morning.
Through his devotion to his family there is a particular poignancy to his passing on Father’s Day weekend, leaving behind both a father and a son.
Perhaps then the best way to honor Tim’s life and work is to honor our own fathers and the wisdom they have laid down for us as we make our way through life.
Tim Russert died at the top of his game. He seemed to relish his life and work. But it was all done too soon.
Filed under Chastise Man, News, People, Something Nice to Say by
Chastise Man recently had a brief sense of regret that soon his old nemesis George Bush, The Man Who Broke the Country, would soon be gone and there would be no easy outlet for his wrath (which he soon got over). Then Chastise Man remembered a couple weeks ago, watching Keith Olbermann’s “special comment” about Hillary Clinton’s unfortunate reference to the RFK assassination.
While Hillary used the word “assassination” once in her comment, Olbermann kept repeating it, over and over. He was upset, outraged, indignant, but for what? It seemed that he was becoming a bit unhinged in his righteous indignation (unlike many of his previous rants in which he expressed appropriate outrage).
This got Chastise Man to thinking; it’s a fine line between righteous indignation and insanity – simply barking at yourself.
I think we’ve all become so accustomed at being pissed-off, at how the Bush administration has wrecked things, at how Congress can’t get anything done, at how liberals are immoral, unpatriotic, terrorist-loving scoundrels and conservatives are war-mongering, lying, thieving, fear-loving scoundrels.
Since we’re all scoundrels in some form or another it becomes our choice to let it either divide or unite us – at least in a time of crisis. And this is a nation in crisis.
And so we look beyond George Bush and to the possibility of a new presidency and a new start.
There are smart folks that Chastise Man respects who have expressed concern over Barack Obama – rhetoric over substance and inexperience being foremost. These are valid concerns. But after eight years of neither good policy or soaring, inspirational rhetoric, Chastise Man is happy to take the soaring inspirational rhetoric, at least for now.
This country needs inspiration, it needs to be reminded that the American experiment is still, and always will be, a work in progress. It is a country that was founded on change, and if ever there was a time we needed change in America, it is right now.
It remains to be seen of America can overcome her worst tendencies toward fear, hatred, and racism. Right now I choose to believe she can.
Filed under Barack Obama, Chastise Man, Politics, Presidential Election 2008, Something Nice to Say by
A young man of conscious:
And the conscious of the King – in solidarity with his subjects :
Said with a straight face as if he has no idea, no idea at all, that the world would be a better place if he had stayed on the golf course and never set foot in Washington.
And what’s up with the jerk doing the interview? “Uh, Mr. President, was there a particular moment or incident that brought you to that decision, or how did you come to that?”
He “came to that” because you’re an idiot, Mr. Interviewer, the President is an idiot, and this country and the entire world will pay for it for years to come.
How is it that we have sunk so low as to take the president’s alleged abstinence from golf as some meaningful act of solidarity with those whose lives he has ruined? WHY IS THIS MAN STILL IN OFFICE??!!
If we get the leaders we deserve, then we have gone woefully astray my friend. January 2009 will come eight years too late.
ARRGHHHHHH!!!
Filed under Chastise Man, George Bush, News, Politics, Things That Make Me Cranky, War, War in Iraq by
I must have been sleeping in 7th grade civics class…
To wit:
“There shall be oversight of or law passed constraining the Vice President of the United States – as long as his name is Dick Cheney – from allowing him to do or say whatever the hell he wants.”
Darn, I really must of slept like a baby when that part of the Constitution was read.
Watch it and Weep:
Filed under Chastise Man, George Bush, Politics, Things That Make Me Cranky by
If you really wanted to help, you’d go run your foundation. I don’t like you as much as I used to. In case you care…
(By the way, could you not wave that bony finger in my face?)
Shaddup Already!
Filed under Chastise Man, News, Politics, Things That Make Me Cranky by
And that’s just in his own congressional district. (California District 8, Nancy Pelosi – yikes! A San Franicsco Liberal!!).
Maybe we don’t need 19,045 music and arts teachers in this one district, but in California it seems we’re more and more hard-pressed to see to educating our children at all, let alone in the arts. And don’t think music and arts isn’t important. Without music programs (and an excellent teacher) in his school many years ago, Chastise Man could easily have pursued a life of crime. (who knows?)
But what of other issues?
With the $1.3 billion my congressional district has spent on the war in Iraq to date, there could have been 135 new elementary schools built, staffed with 19,363 new teachers to educate the children in those schools, 503,943 of those children could have health care, or 161,260 more Head Start organization for those children to go to. Seems like we could have blanketed the district with education with plenty left over for other districts (who, of course, could have blanketed their districts… Hell, America could have actually lived up to Bush’s rhetoric of “no child left behind”)
Ah, but what about national security, the “hotbed of terrorism” the “central battlefield on the war on terror”; keeping America safe from those who would do us harm and all that?
My $1.3 billion would have put in place 17,027 Port Container Inspectors, or 24,085 public safety officers.
Our dependence on foreign oil? $1.3 billion from district 8 would have built 2,402,036 homes with renewable energy. That’s two million, four hundred two thousand, eighty five homes – from the tax bill thus far for the Iraq war from one congressional district.
Health care? 554,874 more people with health care.
Affordable housing? 4,035 more units…
I think the point is clear.
Obviously America is much better off after five years of war in Iraq, our kids are better educated, our streets and ports are safer, we’re well on the way to kicking our “addiction to oil”, the less fortunate have affordable housing, and we all have access to health care.
Not.
Happy April Fools from Chastise Man. In the time it’s taken you to read this happy post, America has spent nearly a half-million more dollars on the war in Iraq.
click here to learn more
Filed under Chastise Man, George Bush, Politics, Things That Make Me Cranky, War, War in Iraq by
When an interviewer recently stated that two-thirds of the American public feel the war in Iraq has not been worth the cost, Cheney replied:
So indeed.
Just in case anyone thought the vice-president might care just a little what those for whom he serves think and feel – he doesn’t – never has, never will.
Lucky for us, the clock is ticking (just take a look at the sidebar on the right… tick, tick, tick)
Filed under Chastise Man, People, Politics, Things That Make Me Cranky, War in Iraq by
The Musical:
The Time: May 1st 2003
The Place: USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of San Diego; Iraq
US Army Pfc. Jesse Givens died in Iraq in the service of his country on the first of May, 2003, in his 34th year. He wrote this letter to his wife Melissa, his five year-old son Dakota (nicknamed ‘Toad’) and his unborn child Carson (nicknamed ‘Bean’). He asked Melissa not to open the envelope unless he was killed. ‘Please, only read it if I don’t come home,’ he wrote. ‘Please put it away and hopefully you will never have to read it.’
Andrew Garland, baritone
Lee Hoiby, composer and pianist
Filed under Chastise Man, George Bush, Things That Make Me Cranky, War, War in Iraq by
Holy cow, is it really so bad for Hillary that she’s willing to let this woman continue to speak on her behalf?
Gosh Gerry, we’re sorry you’re so offended.
But do you really think you’re helping anyone other than yourself? Many of us, you know – voters – are already pretty sure that there’s something about Hillary and her rabidly blind ambition that’s just a little, well…
… scary.
Everyone involved is a little too eager to scorch the earth for their own narrow interest for me to care much for any of it.
I’m not sure if you’re getting the message though. Perhaps I should give a call and explain it in more detail. What y’all doing at 3AM? Seems to be a popular time to call these days.
As for Ferraro: Gerry, me think ye doth protest too much…
Filed under Chastise Man, News, People, Politics by
