Nobody 811

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Nobody # 811

Nobody Asked Me But:

I don’t know how the historic vote will go today, but I do know how horrified I am about the anger and violence that run rampart in “my” America. I called it during the campaign when Republican mobs tried made a mockery out of free speech and civil debate. I wondered why Republican candidates did little or nothing to defend these two values?

I watched it again on last night’s news. Mobs were abusing Democratic congressmen, using the N word and the Q word, and even that wasn’t enough for one cowardly bastard. He actually spit on Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO). If you know me, you know I am not, by nature, violent. But I would have cheered if a policeman’s baton had separated this vile person from as many teeth as one blow could manage.<<<

I watched the first episode of HBO’s “Pacific” last Sunday, and I felt both horrified and sad to be reminded once more of the evil that happens in war. We do the unthinkable to each another in the name of religion or race or power or a piece of land. I believe the only justifiable war is one fought because it is the absolute only way to save others or ourselves from tyranny and/or destruction.

Alexander wasn’t great. Nor was Caesar or Patton or any of the others who loved to play God by sending troops off to be killed. Patton gets a bye because he was fighting a just war but loses most of it because he enjoyed himself too much.

Even worse were the presidents who waged unjust wars, who ordered death from behind a desk, Polk and McKinley, LBJ, Nixon and Bush. And the worst was Lyndon Baines. His was a total and complete ego war that caused the death of 58,000 Americans and over 1,000,000 Vietnamese and the maiming of 350,000 Americans and countless Vietnamese.<<<

DEEP THOUGHTS

1. How does a person with a weak chin ever get pillowcases on pillows?<<<

2. Men take a lot of blame, deservedly, for lagging behind women in the evolutionary road, so it is only right that they get credit for one of the few places they are ahead. I am talking about house cleaning where pretty good is clearly more evolved than spotless.<<<

The new film, “The Runaways,” the story of the rise and fall of Joan Jett’s first band, opened Friday. There is an interesting side story to go with it. Barbara’s brother, Tom, worked for the band for almost two years. He did publicity shots and the cover photography for one of their albums. (See pictures above.)

Is that not cool?<<<

Given the hypocrisy record of so many moral judges, I wonder if all those who criticize Tiger’s comeback should be required to take a lie detector test about their past?

Come to think about it, didn’t Jesus have something to say on this subject? Something like: “He that is without sin among you…..”<<<

LIKE TEA FOR ELEPHANTS

Democratic Representative Jason Almire, a former hospital executive recently hosted a gathering of “tea party” activists from his district. At one point, he asked them: “Shouldn't the government help low-income people afford basic health insurance?”

Their collective shouted out answer was “NO!”

I wonder if the question had been: Shouldn’t the government euthanize low-income people, would their collective answer have been YES?

ACTION: There is a bill circulating in Arizona’s Republican- dominated legislature that would allow college faculty members to carry guns on campus.

Reaction: Why am I not surprised?

Reaction # 2: This would give extra meaning to when a college teacher says “This is your final grade.”

Reaction # 3: You are sick, Arizona, sick!<<<

Action: Arizona on Thursday became the first state to eliminate its Children's Health Insurance Program, leaving nearly 47,000 low-income children without coverage.

Reaction: You are sick, Arizona, sick!<<<

Book recommendation: “Ordinary Thunderstorms” by William Boyd (No, not that William Boyd, not “Hoppy”)

I was drawn to the last two books I read by reviews in the LA Times. (“The Information Officer” and this one.) Both turned out to be winners. Adam Kindred, a cloud scientist, has come home. He is returning to London from the United States for a job interview. Afterwards he stops off for a drink and strikes up a conversation with another man who leaves his briefcase behind. When Adam returns it, he finds the man murdered. Yes, as you might suspect, he is falsely charged with the crime and goes on the run. No, he does not, as you might have expected, spend most of his time seeking out the real killer. Instead, Boyd has him seeking and finding a new life among London’s lost. My first reaction was disappointment. I wanted him to do the expected. My second was fascination with Kindred’s success. My third was elation as Boyd completes the circle game in this excellent novel.<<<

Words to inspire from our president:

"I don't know how this plays politically. Nobody really does. I don't know whether my poll numbers go down or they go up. I do know that this bill, this legislation, is going to be enormously important for America's future."<<<

BRUINS VS. WILDCATS

There was a time, deep in the recesses of history, when the University of Arizona, sporting a 25-4 record, turned down an invitation to the NIT. One would have thought that their record would have won them an NCAA Tournament invitation except that one of their wins was against the Los Angeles School for the Deaf and another against Chihuahua University.<<<

And while on the subject of the Wildcats, isn’t it about time they stopped calling themselves “point guard U”? The last time I looked, one starting point guard in the NBA played for the Cats, (Mike Bibby), one (Jason Terry) came off the bench to play shooting guard for Dallas and one was just plain shooting (Gilbert Arenas) for Washington.

Meanwhile, five graduates of UCLA start at point for NBA teams – Russell Westbrook, Baron Davis, Earl Watson, Jrue Holiday and Darren Collison – and one, Jordan Farmar, backs up at point for the Lakers.<<<

However, on three-point shooting, Arizona has the edge. Steve Kerr’s .4540 is NBA’s all-time best for making threes. Ex-Bruin Jason Kapono is #2 at .4421.<<<

"I know one thing: If I was a coach, I'd let someone else shoot a layup before I let him beat me. I'd have everyone guarding him." Jerry West on Kobe<<<

Former Louisville head coach and Bruin assistant, Denny Crum, on the person he would love to trade places with for a day: “John Wooden, the best human being I have ever known.”

And did you know that Crum’s first job was selling Look Magazine door to door for $.05 when he was 13?<<<

And here is the moment you have been waiting for. My Final Four – picked last Tuesday. (I swear!)

Syracuse over Ohio State. West Virginia over Baylor.

And the National champion will be……..Syracuse.