It's not about cheap flat screens!

MEMORIAL DAY

YOU get an extra day off.

YOU get to spend time with family and friends, or just doing whatever you damn well please.

And why, because somebody else died defending this idea of freedom.

Memorial Day is the one day of 365 that we are supposed to recall those who were killed in the course of defending YOUR American Dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. One day... would it ruin your life to think about those folks (and their families) for one day?

So it's not about cheap flat screen tvs (which were probably built in China by laborers paid slave wages and working in less than acceptable conditions, without health care benefits or 401K plans)! It's about the soldiers, sailors, airmen (and women), and the Marines who paid the ultimate price for us.

The next time you see a uniformed service person - maybe you'll thank them, buy them a cup of coffee or pick up their check. They're not getting rich working for the military, but many among us are living quite well because of their dedication.

And if you happen to be an American Service person or the family of someone serving this country, THANK YOU.

America's Idle

Well, I tried to avoid it. I really did. The finale of American Idol on Fox. Apparently I was not alone as even Prince got sucked into this vortex of insanity.

All I can tell you is Katherine McPhee should win the entire thing. How do I know this? I voted for her 14 times.

OK, I'll just go crawl off and hide in the massive shadow cast by my own shame.
-----------------------------------

History is History

While walking on the treadmill this afternoon, attempting to jump-start a new years' promise, I couldn't help notice that we've completely destroyed the entire concept of History.

Forget that the schools are re-writing the history books we were forced to read, memorize and recall during nightly Jeopardy tournaments, it's the CABLE channels are killing history.

Thanks to E!, VH-1 and MTV we are being force-fed a non-stop, all-you-can-watch buffet of the "50 Most embarrassing, Most Romantic, Most Bizarre, Most Talked-About... somethings on tv. And don't get me started on those "I LOVE THE 80s, 90s, 2000s... shows that VH-1 is pumping out faster than OPEC bleeds oil. Is History nothing more than a highlight reel with comedic commentary? Please.

We need real History to be taught - lessons to be learned and not to be repeated. Mindless drivel needs to be expunged from the universe. OH, "American Idol" is on, gotta run. ( BTW, Katherine McPhee is my pick.)





This photo has nothing to do with my blog today - it's just a nice little snap from my recent adventure. Cheers.

Britney Almost Spills Her Drink!

The world's newspapers were all carping about the same earth-shaking issue this morning, "What's to be done about Britney Spears and her (lack of) parenting skills?

Britney was caught on film as she almost dropped baby Sean while exiting the Ritz-Carlton in New York City. A drink in one hand (no word on the alcohol content, but let's assume it was non-alcoholic as she is carrying the second child) and little eight-month old Sean Preston Spears Federline in the other arm, Brit's stumble was luckily worse than it appeared. The baby's head did snap back and his hat was tossed off... but no apparent injuries were noted.

My only questions:

Where is the instinct to DROP THE DRINK AND USE BOTH HANDS TO HOLD ON TO YOUR BABY???

Where was KEVIN?

Kevin was off being interviewed... and being asked, "If you, Britney and the baby were on a raft in the ocean... sinking, and you could only save one of them... which would you save?" Kevin paused for a moment and appeared to be actually thinking about it, then he answered, "I'd save Sean P, sorry baby... I love you, but I'd save the little guy."

Odd? Not until you realize that Kevin would be the executor of little Sean's inheritance.

Wake up Britney... next time, drop the drink... but for now, DROP THE K-FED!

Midnight In The Garden of Girl Scout Cookies

Savannah Georgia. That's where the vacation arrow landed this Spring and that's where we planted for five days of soaking in history and the "culture" that is the American South.

Savannah is beautiful, quaint and historic if nothing else. It's also the place where most of Forrest Gump was shot and they are so proud of that fact - "Bless their hearts" - it seems that everyone does the "box of chocolates" line and believes theirs is the best impression in town.

Savannah was also home to one of the country's most famous murder mysteries as outlined in John Berendt's best seller "Midnight In The Garden of Good & Evil." They made THAT movie here as well but nobody is repeating lines from that one... I doubt anyone here saw it. They didn't need to see it, according to them, they lived it...

Savannah is a place deep with American history - from it's founding as the last British Colony to it's being saved from General Sherman's wrath along his "March To The Sea" during the Civil War. BUT, we live in the time of Brokeback Mountain... so the tragic tale of a gay man who killed his partner and then managed to survive three trials is the big story here... not the birthplace of a modern city... not a turning point in the Civil War... not one of the first big cities to ban slavery and look at every man as equal...

At least they still hold the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Lowe in high esteem - in case you missed that day in history class - she founded the Girl Scouts of America. Think about that, next time you go to order a box of SAVANNAHS!

The South... They still don't get it, and God Bless'em!

I've been driving South on I-95 for the past three days (no, there is nothing wrong with the car - thank you - it's one of those romanticised road trips we all talk about taking, but rarely find the time or patience to do so) and on this trip I have discovered much is left to be discovered.

The most obvious thing about the road from NYC to Miami is how many of us are on it for just that purpose - to get to Miami (or somewhere close). And the billboard bear this out. They are focused on grabbing the attention of those headed South to FL. - My favorite was the one hawking discount tickets to Disneyworld - it read in large day-glo letters "SEE MICKEY FOR A MINNIE PRICE" - you cannot get much better than that!

Crossing the border from VA into North Carolina brings the reality of discounted cigarettes AND fireworks into play. One billboard asked how much you were paying per pack in New York City and then touted a carton of cancer for sale starting at just 12.99! (Think how much more you can smoke at those prices!!!)

And then there are the fireworks. EVERYWHERE - fireworks! The most! The cheapest! The biggest! But the most memorable stop was at a Citgo station which offered "Cheap Gas! Cheap Smokes! And The Cheapest Fireworks around. Think about it.

CHEAP GAS, CHEAP SMOKES, AND CHEAP FIREWORKS... ALL IN THE SAME 200 X 200 SQUARE FT LOT! Don't tell al Qeada... they'll look at these filling stations as targets. Come to think of it, Homeland Security might want to post a person at each gas station - we could have them undercover as pump jockeys! Which would also defray the operating costs for Homeland Security while helping to drive down the price of gas - after all, the Govt. has to kick in for using these sites as staging areas.


Tomorrow - I'm going to attempt to explain who this guy is...





And why you MUST stop and see him in South Carolina!

A drunken Kennedy... a car wreck... sounds a little familiar, no?

How many times did I hear a parent, grandparent, nun, or basically anyone older than me utter that phrase "The Apple Doesn't Fall Too Far From The Tree, Does It?" apparently it's the motto on the family crest of the Kennedys.

The insanity surrounding the treatment given to Senator Ted Kennedy's son and his late night traffic incident in Washington DC, further underscores what we've all known for decades. Money + Family name = a different set of rules.

I'm happy for his family that Patrick Kennedy is going to seek treatment for his problem and I hope he can handle these demons and beat them into submission. And then I hope he returns to the halls of Congress and spends his time in the House of Representatives actually REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE and not just hiding out in limited Govt Service until his trust fund or inheritance kicks in.

If Patrick Kennedy works to make the streets safer from people like him, that would be a victory.

If Patrick Kennedy tries to legislate better and more equal police treatment for all people, that would also be a victory.

The best thing we can say about this obvious abuse of the law, hideous cover-up and now cowardly hiding behind the cloak of rehab... is, that unlike his father's accident, nobody died.

Papal Condoms? Wait just a minute here.

Today's news sites are all reporting some of the most disturbing/exciting news I have seen in years. Pope Benedict XVI is wrapping up his first year as the guy in the big hat who is supposed to be without error in his thinking (check out the definition of "infallible") and his Vatican Council for Health Pastoral Care is reportedly going to approve the use of condoms by Catholics.

It's always been my thinking that the Church has little or no business in the entire reproductive part of life. The old theory of "If you don't play the game, don't write the rules" applies here. No?

Let's review that breaking news. The Catholic Church is giving the green light to condoms? Sort of. If you read further into the report, condoms will be OK'd for married couples where one of the people has AIDS or HIV. A good plan when you consider that 40million or so people are still infected with AIDS... and we'd like it to stop there.

I suspect there is something more to this. No institution as large as the Catholic Church makes a fundamental change this large without also doing so in order to preserve their status - or just to stay alive. There must be something more to this. The Catholic Church must be invested heavily in latex stocks.

No matter what the real reason this is certainly the opening of a Pandora's Box of sorts. If condoms are ok for married people... why not for singles? And what's next? "Marital aids?"

Today condoms... tomorrow? Vatican vibrators?