"Hate?!?" Are you talkin' to ME?!? And a second look at President Barack Obama!
Because of something unavoidable, I'm a day late with this week's blog and I thank you very much for your patience.
A lot of stuff to talk/write about and I find myself asking, "Where should I begin?"
Have you noticed the gas prices? Our economy is in a ditch, millions of us are unemployed and in many cases have been unemployed for several years and these greedy bastard oil companies have decided to jack up gas prices. Where I live, the company responsible for the oil explosion in Louisiana has raised gas prices close to 30 cents in the last couple of weeks. "Tis the season to be jolly", right? Not according to the oil bandits. Ho, Ho, Ho!!!
CRN: That's the Digital Talk station that's heard around the world and has more than 30-million listeners. For the past several months, I've had the pleasure of being on that station every Friday, 4-5 pm, Pacific Time, unless I've been "under the weather" or had a film obligation. The person I'm usually on the air with is the owner of CRN, Mike Horn. And I'll be there again this Friday, December 10 on a show, that as usual, will be repeated throughout the weekend. You're invited to check us out by clicking onto www.CRNTalk.com We talk about a lot of different things and we also have NFL football picks that feature professional handicapper, "Jimmy Mac".
Here in California, we have a prison population problem. A severe prison population problem. Some other states might have that problem as well, but here is a partial "solution" that to me, is so simple which means it's pretty much guaranteed it'll never be tried, much less, done. DEPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FELONS.
Too easy a solution, huh? And too many people who are scared of "bleeding hearts" screaming about the "unfairness" of it all.
Yeah, I've always thought dealing with lawbreakers in a punitive way was/is "unfair" (sarcasm intended) but, and I'm sorry for sounding like a "broken record", but I can't get the idea out of my head about illegal immigrants being people who have broken our laws by being here and then when they get put into prison for breaking another law or laws, we still can't think about deporting them?
A SECOND LOOK AT PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:
WWII military veteran and retired Los Angeles radio legend, Bill Mouzis has written a short commentary about what he sees as the "caving in" by President Obama to Republicans regarding tax cuts for the rich. You are about to see what Bill wrote and after that, I will add some comments of my own.
From Bill Mouzis: "Now that Obama caved in, I am devastated and who do we turn to NOW? The man talked a good game, but now must be considered a total failure for those of us who had placed our faith in him. Can you possibly condone that tax cut continuing for another two years for these billionaires who will simply store the money away in a gopher-like hole? Is anyone naive to think these turds will use the money they are saving to employ people?
Maybe you can shed a bit of sunshine on what I view as a total disaster for Obama and his Chicago henchmen. Who the hell do we turn to for fairness NOW?!? Franklin Delano Roosevelt would have never succumbed to the filthy rich group of greedy pigs, the same ones that got rich supporting Bush's war in Iraq and headed by Cheney. Reinstating the tax for those making above one million dollars a year would have been more than fair, but no, they had to have it all.
In God only do we trust."
Thank you brother veteran, brother radio guy, brother concerned citizen (and friend), Bill Mouzis.
AND NOW SOME PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SECOND THOUGHTS FROM "The Jammer with the Hammer":
As long time readers of this blog know, I voted for Barack Obama. As long time readers of this blog know, I am a lifetime Republican. Voting for a Democrat for anything was something I had never done until I voted for Barack Obama. Didn't I know that he was relatively inexperienced in the political world? Yes I did, but like so many other Americans, I figured if George W. Bush could be President, anybody could. A frat boy failure in everything he ever did except to be born into a rich family? A Governor of Texas who's main accomplishments seem to have been the amount of prisoners who were given the death penalty? I mean, did "W" lie about the "weapons of mass destruction" excuse for us to invade Iraq? I don't know if he did or didn't, but someone in his administration did and because he was the boss, Bush got the blame. Same deal with the Afghanistan mess and our current economic mess that became the out of control mess that it is while "W" was our President. Again...Was all of the bad stuff that happened totally "W's" fault? No, but when you're the "boss", as Harry Truman once famously said, "The buck stops HERE!"
Before I go any further, let me make something perfectly clear. Do I think that George W. Bush was or is a "bad man"? No! I believe that George W. Bush was a President who was in over his head, but that he honestly wanted things to be done well for everyone in our country while he was a 2-term President of the United States.
And that brings me to President Barack Obama. Because he's the President we have now, I want things to go well for this President and all the rest of us. But after two years, I find myself agreeing with those who think that Barack Obama is in over his head.
And this latest tax business regarding the giving a break to rich people when he said he was against doing that is the "straw that broke the camel's back" for me.
A lot of people who voted for Obama have been complaining about Obama's seeming inability to "fight" for what he wants to get accomplished. To "fight" against Republican and Tea Party politicians who refuse to be helpful in any way shape or form and want only one thing from Obama; For him to fail and to be a one-term President of the United States.
Bi-partisanship? Fuh-git-about-it! Ain't gonna happen.
One option left, Mr. President. You gotta use that "bully pulpit" and fight!
Yes, I know that he appears to have sounded like he was doing that a couple of days ago. Is that too little or too late? Only time will tell, but time is running out.
As a couple of my closest friends know, I've been kicking around a theory about Obama's seeming passivity being related to what the late Hall of Fame baseball player, Jackie Robinson went through. When Jackie Robinson became Major League baseball's first African American player in the late 40's, that was a huge deal. "America's Pastime" allowing a black guy to play? A lot of people didn't like that. Before he went onto the field for the first time, Jackie Robinson knew that he would get a lot of shit from fans in the stands and his marching orders were to put up with that shit. Over and over and over again. What would happen if Jackie Robinson didn't put up with the shit he was having to endure? It would be a long time before a second African American would be allowed to play in baseball's Major Leagues. Well, while hating it, Jackie Robinson did put up with the "shit" and the rest, as they say, is "history". So...Was Jackie Robinson just one of these "easy to push around guys" that the Dodgers found and decided to use him as one of the most famous pioneers in America's existence. Well, not exactly. A little known story about Jackie Robinson is what happened to him before he came to the Dodgers. He was a Lieutenant in the Army when after getting onto a bus one day, he refused to sit in the back of the bus. It didn't matter that he was wearing his uniform that showed he was an Officer in the United States' Army. In the 40's, Jackie Robinson was just another uppity nigger who wasn't doing what he was told. Jackie Robinson continued to refuse to sit in the back of the bus until he was arrested. Robinson then had to suffer the indignity of being court-martialed. The charge? For being a nigger soldier who refused to sit in back of the bus. What was the verdict? An all white jury voted, "Not guilty".
For quite a while, I've been thinking that President Obama's "passivity" was a direct result of the kind of thinking used when Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in the 40's. In other words, if he, Obama, makes too much noise by fighting too much, the chances of a second person of color making it to the White House anytime soon would be slim and none. And like with baseball, once a "second" person of color is allowed to "play" that's the beginning of everything (except for the biggest of bigots) being accepted as "normal".
Upon reflection and hoping that history will prove me wrong, I now have serious second thoughts about my theory. I don't think Barack Obama is "back of the bus" tough enough.
SARAH PALIN:
If you read last week's blog, you know that I did a piece on Sarah Palin, five women who love her and some other observations. And it was those "other observations" that resulted in one of those five women telling me on the phone that I had printed "hatred" about Sarah Palin in that story. "Hatred" that was coming from ME!
After hearing that, my first thought was, "And good morning to you, too!"
Trust me, I've looked at that story over and over again and even had an "expert" look at it.
I think what happened was something that was innocent and easy to understand at my end. I understand the passion associated with people who believe in Sarah Palin and who will defend her against anything negative that is said and or written about her. Hey, my mother and sister are that way, too. But believe me when I tell you this; If my mother thought I was writing "hateful views" of my own about Sarah Palin, my mother would have already taken me to the "woodshed".
In case there are some of you thinking the same way as the woman who challenged me on what she thought my "meaning" was, but haven't written to me about it, here's all that I ask that you do. Read it again. And when you do, you'll see that I repeated a rumor or two, I wrote about things that Palin has written about in her books, I wrote about an observation made by L.A. Times' columnist, Tim Russert and I wrote what John McCain had refused to allow Palin to do when she was McCain's running mate. I also mentioned that this was something that Palin was angry about, but that she seems to be (again) "okay" with McCain. Here's something I didn't write; That thing that McCain wouldn't let her do? It was something that Sean Hannity and others had encouraged Palin to do.
OTHER POSSIBLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR 2012:
Barack Obama might run, Sarah Palin might run, but who else might run? My thanks to blog reader Patrick Gallagher for sending me 21 reasons why Ralph Nader thinks Michael Bloomberg would be a good presidential candidate. And I love what Nader wrote at the end of his 21st reason; "Bloomberg would get votes for simply NOT being an 'Obamabush'!"
Here's another candidate who has my attention; Republican Mike Pence. He favors a "Flat Tax" and that's something I've been in favor of for 30-years.
BEFORE THE ENTERTAINMENT STUFF, THIS THOUGHT FROM MY GOOD FRIEND, HAROLD SYLVESTER:
"If we believe that Heaven is a place that's THE place, why do we try so hard to stay ALIVE?!?"
ENTERTAINMENT STUFF:
Don Meredith. Was he entertaining? You betcha! Monday Night Football has never been as good as when Don Meredith, Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford were on the air. A few months ago, I saw a relatively new film on cable that Meredith was in. It was a serious film and I think he was playing a troubled cab driver. After he left Monday Night Football, Meredith became a pretty good actor, but like a lot of actors, he didn't get as many opportunities as he would have liked to have gotten. R.I.P., Dandy Don.
The final episode of "Boardwalk Empire" was shown on HBO last Sunday and we were given a clue as to some of the things that will be happening next season.
The final episode of the 5th season of "Dexter" will be shown on Showtime this Sunday. It has been a great season for "Dexter", I'm very much looking forward to what kind of ending we'll see and yes, there will be a 6th season.
Meanwhile, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters", a show that used to be the best show on television, is now a show that seems to have tried hard to become the "dumbest show on television" and I think they're succeeding.
Two old films and a new film:
On cable, I saw two films I didn't see when they were released. "Original Sin", starring Angelina Jolie, Antonio Banderas and Thomas Jane is a film that didn't do all that well at the box office, but Jolie looks great in it, I actually enjoyed the film until what I thought was a cheesy ending, but if it pops up again, check it out.
A 1998 film called, "Hush", stars Jessica Lange, Gywneth Paltrow, Jonathan Schaech, Debi Mazar, Hal Holbrook and in what might have been her final performance, Nina Foch who was very, very good. I liked the film.
A film that's at your favorite Cineplex now is a film I liked a lot!!! "Love and other Drugs". It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad and Gabriel Macht. This is an adult love story. When the film begins, it certainly doesn't look like it's going to be an adult love story or any other kind of love story. But that is what it becomes and I thought it was terrific. Especially the performance of Anne Hathaway who has become not only a "good" actress, but a "World-Class actress"! There are a couple of moments when the Josh Gad character is whacha call annoying, but he's good the rest of the time as are all the other supporting actors. To me, "Love and other Drugs" is a very good film.
THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you ASAP. Don't write to the blog because there's no way for me to know your email address which means I won't be able to respond. All "Anonymous" emails are ignored.
THE NEXT BLOG? Well, I was late a day this week, but hopefully the next blog will be late Wednesday night, December 15 or early Thursday morning, December 16.
Have you begun your Christmas shopping yet?
A lot of stuff to talk/write about and I find myself asking, "Where should I begin?"
Have you noticed the gas prices? Our economy is in a ditch, millions of us are unemployed and in many cases have been unemployed for several years and these greedy bastard oil companies have decided to jack up gas prices. Where I live, the company responsible for the oil explosion in Louisiana has raised gas prices close to 30 cents in the last couple of weeks. "Tis the season to be jolly", right? Not according to the oil bandits. Ho, Ho, Ho!!!
CRN: That's the Digital Talk station that's heard around the world and has more than 30-million listeners. For the past several months, I've had the pleasure of being on that station every Friday, 4-5 pm, Pacific Time, unless I've been "under the weather" or had a film obligation. The person I'm usually on the air with is the owner of CRN, Mike Horn. And I'll be there again this Friday, December 10 on a show, that as usual, will be repeated throughout the weekend. You're invited to check us out by clicking onto www.CRNTalk.com We talk about a lot of different things and we also have NFL football picks that feature professional handicapper, "Jimmy Mac".
Here in California, we have a prison population problem. A severe prison population problem. Some other states might have that problem as well, but here is a partial "solution" that to me, is so simple which means it's pretty much guaranteed it'll never be tried, much less, done. DEPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FELONS.
Too easy a solution, huh? And too many people who are scared of "bleeding hearts" screaming about the "unfairness" of it all.
Yeah, I've always thought dealing with lawbreakers in a punitive way was/is "unfair" (sarcasm intended) but, and I'm sorry for sounding like a "broken record", but I can't get the idea out of my head about illegal immigrants being people who have broken our laws by being here and then when they get put into prison for breaking another law or laws, we still can't think about deporting them?
A SECOND LOOK AT PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:
WWII military veteran and retired Los Angeles radio legend, Bill Mouzis has written a short commentary about what he sees as the "caving in" by President Obama to Republicans regarding tax cuts for the rich. You are about to see what Bill wrote and after that, I will add some comments of my own.
From Bill Mouzis: "Now that Obama caved in, I am devastated and who do we turn to NOW? The man talked a good game, but now must be considered a total failure for those of us who had placed our faith in him. Can you possibly condone that tax cut continuing for another two years for these billionaires who will simply store the money away in a gopher-like hole? Is anyone naive to think these turds will use the money they are saving to employ people?
Maybe you can shed a bit of sunshine on what I view as a total disaster for Obama and his Chicago henchmen. Who the hell do we turn to for fairness NOW?!? Franklin Delano Roosevelt would have never succumbed to the filthy rich group of greedy pigs, the same ones that got rich supporting Bush's war in Iraq and headed by Cheney. Reinstating the tax for those making above one million dollars a year would have been more than fair, but no, they had to have it all.
In God only do we trust."
Thank you brother veteran, brother radio guy, brother concerned citizen (and friend), Bill Mouzis.
AND NOW SOME PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SECOND THOUGHTS FROM "The Jammer with the Hammer":
As long time readers of this blog know, I voted for Barack Obama. As long time readers of this blog know, I am a lifetime Republican. Voting for a Democrat for anything was something I had never done until I voted for Barack Obama. Didn't I know that he was relatively inexperienced in the political world? Yes I did, but like so many other Americans, I figured if George W. Bush could be President, anybody could. A frat boy failure in everything he ever did except to be born into a rich family? A Governor of Texas who's main accomplishments seem to have been the amount of prisoners who were given the death penalty? I mean, did "W" lie about the "weapons of mass destruction" excuse for us to invade Iraq? I don't know if he did or didn't, but someone in his administration did and because he was the boss, Bush got the blame. Same deal with the Afghanistan mess and our current economic mess that became the out of control mess that it is while "W" was our President. Again...Was all of the bad stuff that happened totally "W's" fault? No, but when you're the "boss", as Harry Truman once famously said, "The buck stops HERE!"
Before I go any further, let me make something perfectly clear. Do I think that George W. Bush was or is a "bad man"? No! I believe that George W. Bush was a President who was in over his head, but that he honestly wanted things to be done well for everyone in our country while he was a 2-term President of the United States.
And that brings me to President Barack Obama. Because he's the President we have now, I want things to go well for this President and all the rest of us. But after two years, I find myself agreeing with those who think that Barack Obama is in over his head.
And this latest tax business regarding the giving a break to rich people when he said he was against doing that is the "straw that broke the camel's back" for me.
A lot of people who voted for Obama have been complaining about Obama's seeming inability to "fight" for what he wants to get accomplished. To "fight" against Republican and Tea Party politicians who refuse to be helpful in any way shape or form and want only one thing from Obama; For him to fail and to be a one-term President of the United States.
Bi-partisanship? Fuh-git-about-it! Ain't gonna happen.
One option left, Mr. President. You gotta use that "bully pulpit" and fight!
Yes, I know that he appears to have sounded like he was doing that a couple of days ago. Is that too little or too late? Only time will tell, but time is running out.
As a couple of my closest friends know, I've been kicking around a theory about Obama's seeming passivity being related to what the late Hall of Fame baseball player, Jackie Robinson went through. When Jackie Robinson became Major League baseball's first African American player in the late 40's, that was a huge deal. "America's Pastime" allowing a black guy to play? A lot of people didn't like that. Before he went onto the field for the first time, Jackie Robinson knew that he would get a lot of shit from fans in the stands and his marching orders were to put up with that shit. Over and over and over again. What would happen if Jackie Robinson didn't put up with the shit he was having to endure? It would be a long time before a second African American would be allowed to play in baseball's Major Leagues. Well, while hating it, Jackie Robinson did put up with the "shit" and the rest, as they say, is "history". So...Was Jackie Robinson just one of these "easy to push around guys" that the Dodgers found and decided to use him as one of the most famous pioneers in America's existence. Well, not exactly. A little known story about Jackie Robinson is what happened to him before he came to the Dodgers. He was a Lieutenant in the Army when after getting onto a bus one day, he refused to sit in the back of the bus. It didn't matter that he was wearing his uniform that showed he was an Officer in the United States' Army. In the 40's, Jackie Robinson was just another uppity nigger who wasn't doing what he was told. Jackie Robinson continued to refuse to sit in the back of the bus until he was arrested. Robinson then had to suffer the indignity of being court-martialed. The charge? For being a nigger soldier who refused to sit in back of the bus. What was the verdict? An all white jury voted, "Not guilty".
For quite a while, I've been thinking that President Obama's "passivity" was a direct result of the kind of thinking used when Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in the 40's. In other words, if he, Obama, makes too much noise by fighting too much, the chances of a second person of color making it to the White House anytime soon would be slim and none. And like with baseball, once a "second" person of color is allowed to "play" that's the beginning of everything (except for the biggest of bigots) being accepted as "normal".
Upon reflection and hoping that history will prove me wrong, I now have serious second thoughts about my theory. I don't think Barack Obama is "back of the bus" tough enough.
SARAH PALIN:
If you read last week's blog, you know that I did a piece on Sarah Palin, five women who love her and some other observations. And it was those "other observations" that resulted in one of those five women telling me on the phone that I had printed "hatred" about Sarah Palin in that story. "Hatred" that was coming from ME!
After hearing that, my first thought was, "And good morning to you, too!"
Trust me, I've looked at that story over and over again and even had an "expert" look at it.
I think what happened was something that was innocent and easy to understand at my end. I understand the passion associated with people who believe in Sarah Palin and who will defend her against anything negative that is said and or written about her. Hey, my mother and sister are that way, too. But believe me when I tell you this; If my mother thought I was writing "hateful views" of my own about Sarah Palin, my mother would have already taken me to the "woodshed".
In case there are some of you thinking the same way as the woman who challenged me on what she thought my "meaning" was, but haven't written to me about it, here's all that I ask that you do. Read it again. And when you do, you'll see that I repeated a rumor or two, I wrote about things that Palin has written about in her books, I wrote about an observation made by L.A. Times' columnist, Tim Russert and I wrote what John McCain had refused to allow Palin to do when she was McCain's running mate. I also mentioned that this was something that Palin was angry about, but that she seems to be (again) "okay" with McCain. Here's something I didn't write; That thing that McCain wouldn't let her do? It was something that Sean Hannity and others had encouraged Palin to do.
OTHER POSSIBLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR 2012:
Barack Obama might run, Sarah Palin might run, but who else might run? My thanks to blog reader Patrick Gallagher for sending me 21 reasons why Ralph Nader thinks Michael Bloomberg would be a good presidential candidate. And I love what Nader wrote at the end of his 21st reason; "Bloomberg would get votes for simply NOT being an 'Obamabush'!"
Here's another candidate who has my attention; Republican Mike Pence. He favors a "Flat Tax" and that's something I've been in favor of for 30-years.
BEFORE THE ENTERTAINMENT STUFF, THIS THOUGHT FROM MY GOOD FRIEND, HAROLD SYLVESTER:
"If we believe that Heaven is a place that's THE place, why do we try so hard to stay ALIVE?!?"
ENTERTAINMENT STUFF:
Don Meredith. Was he entertaining? You betcha! Monday Night Football has never been as good as when Don Meredith, Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford were on the air. A few months ago, I saw a relatively new film on cable that Meredith was in. It was a serious film and I think he was playing a troubled cab driver. After he left Monday Night Football, Meredith became a pretty good actor, but like a lot of actors, he didn't get as many opportunities as he would have liked to have gotten. R.I.P., Dandy Don.
The final episode of "Boardwalk Empire" was shown on HBO last Sunday and we were given a clue as to some of the things that will be happening next season.
The final episode of the 5th season of "Dexter" will be shown on Showtime this Sunday. It has been a great season for "Dexter", I'm very much looking forward to what kind of ending we'll see and yes, there will be a 6th season.
Meanwhile, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters", a show that used to be the best show on television, is now a show that seems to have tried hard to become the "dumbest show on television" and I think they're succeeding.
Two old films and a new film:
On cable, I saw two films I didn't see when they were released. "Original Sin", starring Angelina Jolie, Antonio Banderas and Thomas Jane is a film that didn't do all that well at the box office, but Jolie looks great in it, I actually enjoyed the film until what I thought was a cheesy ending, but if it pops up again, check it out.
A 1998 film called, "Hush", stars Jessica Lange, Gywneth Paltrow, Jonathan Schaech, Debi Mazar, Hal Holbrook and in what might have been her final performance, Nina Foch who was very, very good. I liked the film.
A film that's at your favorite Cineplex now is a film I liked a lot!!! "Love and other Drugs". It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad and Gabriel Macht. This is an adult love story. When the film begins, it certainly doesn't look like it's going to be an adult love story or any other kind of love story. But that is what it becomes and I thought it was terrific. Especially the performance of Anne Hathaway who has become not only a "good" actress, but a "World-Class actress"! There are a couple of moments when the Josh Gad character is whacha call annoying, but he's good the rest of the time as are all the other supporting actors. To me, "Love and other Drugs" is a very good film.
THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you ASAP. Don't write to the blog because there's no way for me to know your email address which means I won't be able to respond. All "Anonymous" emails are ignored.
THE NEXT BLOG? Well, I was late a day this week, but hopefully the next blog will be late Wednesday night, December 15 or early Thursday morning, December 16.
Have you begun your Christmas shopping yet?
posted by Scott St. James at 11:32 PM
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