Nobody # 796

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Nobody # 796

Nobody Asked Me But:

“By my age I ought to know. You don't get on by being original. You don't get on by being bright. You don't get on by being strong. You get on by being a subtitle crook.” Thomas Cromwell in the Booker Award novel “Wolf Hall,” by Hilary Mantel.

16^th Century England??: Oh! I thought he was talking about Wall Street.<<<

REVISITING THE PRESIDENT’S DECISION ON AFGHANISTAN

“Nation-building in Afghanistan is just too expensive, when balanced against our needs for nation-building at home right now.” Thomas Friedman, NY Times.

Last week I voiced a tentative and qualified vote for President Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. My support was based not in “right” but in practical. The war is long past its moral righteousness, but I felt that leaving precipitously was extremely dangerous both politically and strategically. Since last Sunday I have been reading and thinking. I have changed my mind. We should not send any more Americans to die in an unjustifiable conflict. Instead, we should withdraw from Afghanistan as quickly as we can do it, with as close as we can come to maximum safety for our military.<<<

Add-on

Accepting the Nobel – President Obama is right. There are just wars. But this isn’t one of them - any more.<<<

I told you I would forget a song for my top five. The song is “American Pie,” and my top five now numbers six.<<<

IN MY UTOPIA

The top 12.5% of a state's high school graduates will be guaranteed places in the university system. The top one-third of graduates will be assured places in the state colleges. Free community colleges will be open to all. Any graduate of a community college program will be guaranteed admission as a transfer student to a university or state college. Fees and books at those institutions will be no more than a few hundred dollars a year.

Oh wait! That WAS the California plan for higher education developed and put into practice in 1960. It was successful beyond belief until a series of Republican governors and anti-tax idiots fooled the people into destroying it.

But in my utopia, enlightened citizens will bring it back.<<<

ALSO IN MY UTOPIA

No restaurant will even think about serving baked French fries.

Gussied-up French fries (dusted with various seasonings) will only be served upon written request.<<<

Any gift from a lobbyist exceeding the established price for a cup of coffee will be considered bribery and subject to prosecution under the appropriate law.

DEARIE, DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN

Petula Clark touched the arm of Harry Belafonte on her 1968 NBC-TV special? One of the show's sponsors, Chrysler, almost edited it out because it would be considered inappropriate and offensive. (Yes, some memories are bad)<<<

THE GREAT HAMBURGER DEBATE

Above you will see two outstanding hamburgers. The messy one is from Pie and Burger in Pasadena. The other is from that Pico institution, The Apple Pan. Barb likes the P&B one while I will stick with Apple Pan.

But we both agree that the best is the one I cooked on the barbeque last week, and she served up on a cheese bun from Schat’s Bakery in Bishop.<<<

ACTION-REACTION

Action: United States and China have not offered to go far enough to combat climate change, a top European Union official said as a major international summit on the subject opened Monday.

Reaction: Score another one for Europe.<<<

Action: Collider Sets Record, and Europe Takes U.S.’s Lead.

Reaction (From Uncle Sam) – “I lost it! I lost my drive to be the best. Where did the damn thing go?”<<<

Action: Palin on Obama speech: “I liked what he said.”

Reaction: I have heard a lot of insults in my life and that’s right up there at the top.

Action: Sarah Palin’s approval rate is up to 46%.

Reaction: Canada calls.

Action: Arizona might ban texting while driving.

Reaction: Since Arizona is a “carry” state, they must be afraid that texting while driving might interfere with reloading their weapons.

NINTY-SIX YEARS OF FAILURE

In 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. It stipulated that Senators would be elected by the people, rather than appointed by state legislatures. The purpose of this progressive reform was to lessen the control of interest groups who dominated their respective state legislatures resulting the appointment of a “steel” Senator from here, and “oil” Senator from there and a “railroad” Senator from over there.

But here it is 2009, and not that much has changed. By donating huge sums of money, interest groups still control the votes of far too many U.S. Senators.

A solution? See my Utopia above.<<<

This partial headline from Friday’s LA Times is one of thousands of examples to justify my position directly above.

Opposition from the U.S. drug industry could endanger the healthcare overhaul.

The companies cite “safety issues” to justify their negative position. The safety they are concerned about is that of their huge profits.<<<

STRANGE BUT TRUE

A study of several hundred British dairies published in the journal Anthrozoös in March show that cows with names give 6 percent more milk a year than nameless cows.<<<

ASK THE ANSWER MAN

Q Mr. Answer Man: Where can I go to find peace?

A: It is different for everyone. Personally, I find peace at on the deck at Nepenthe in Big Sur. Forests and meadows surround you on three sides and on the fourth, the Pacific breaks against the shore far below. Buy a cup of black or a glass of red, sit quietly and let peace engulf you.

My second spot for peace is in our back yard, where you can join Barbara and me. You bring the steaks. I’ll cook them.

A third spot is Fosselman’s where, as I finish my chocolate-coffee malt and watch people with hot fudge sundaes walk past, I can signal the man behind the counter with an all-encompassing gesture to tell him - I want more of that and two of those!<<<