Nobody 829

Sunday, August 15, 2010
Nobody # 829

Nobody Asked Me But:

We had an excellent day over the hill this past Wednesday. (The destination was over the hill, not yours truly.) We started at Huckleberry Bakery. Their stuff is great and WOW expensive. We ordered a strawberry tart but blanched when the register rang up $15. When we pointed out that it was marked $7.50 in the case, the cashier’s response was, “Oh, that’s just the price to look at it.” So we ended up eating leftover crumbs on the table – but they were delicious crumbs.

(Note: The above picture of the author was taken a few days ago.)

ALL ABOUT HONOR

Fareed Zakaria - Man of Honor

Zakaria writes a weekly political column for Newsweek. He is thought by many to be one of the best foreign policy minds in the United States. Five years ago he was awarded the Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize by the Anti-Defamation League and was “thrilled to get the award from an organization that I had long admired,” one whose mission statement was “to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens.”

But now the ADL has a new mission that doesn’t fit with its stated ideals. They are sleeping with the enemy, working with the Right, to prevent the Islamic center from being built two blocks from Ground Zero.

Because of this, Zakaria has returned “both the handsome plaque and the $10,000 honorarium that came with it,” and has urged the ADL “to reverse its decision. Admitting an error is a small price to pay to regain a reputation.”

In this era of self-promoting journalism, it is both rare and thrilling to find a Fareed Zakaria.<<<

MORE ON HONOR Honorable congressmen of the Week – (Note: This award is given only occasionally due to a lack of qualifiers. It is very rare to have two in one week and the fact that both are South Carolina Republicans could almost be considered a sign of the apocalypse.)

“Why do I have to see Democrats as my enemies? I've got Al Qaeda. I've got the Taliban. I've got enough enemies. I'm supposed to call this President despicable? The people who are despicable are the ones who constantly mislead the public in the interest of selling books. Or themselves. And always cloaking themselves in patriotism. Shame on them." Representative Bob Inglls

"She (new SC justice Donna Kagan) is not someone I would have chosen, but it is not my job to choose. It is President Obama's job. He earned that right." Sen. Lindsey Graham.

But Lindsey has to immediately return half of his award for his support of rewriting the 14th Amendment – and for associating on this proposal with John McCain who, in recent years, has rejected the very concept of honor.<<<

Characteristics of a just world:

For Barbara – There would be a shoe store with every style and model next to Pie N Burger.
For me - Plumarias would blossom and scent our back yard year round.<<<

Here are two terrible questions faced by those we send into battle:

1. After what I've done in the war, do I deserve to be happy?
2. After what I saw in the war, can I believe in a world that makes moral sense?<<<

I am reading another book by a British writer (“Restless,” by William Boyd) and, as always, I love some of the phrasing. In describing the way a character gardened, Boyd writes – “She planted close and pruned hard.”

I also continue to be pleasured by British names for things, as in phone cabin for phone booth and phrases such as “she stood on her half-smoked cigarette” and “he too was a widow.”

I was also intrigued by Boyd’s mentioning Mateus Rose, which was my first regular wine – until I discovered that pink is a poor excuse for red.<<<

On to Norway where face can mean nerve, guts, etc – as in “You wouldn’t have the face to ask him that.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK – VOTE HERE

"I hear these people saying he's [Obama's] like George Bush," Gibbs (White House aide) told the paper. "Those people ought to be drug tested."

"Someone needs to go to Washington and knock the hell out of the plase." Ben Quayle (Dan’s son)<<<

Ponce de Leon had the right idea but the wrong state. The Fountain of Youth is on Tampa (perhaps that is what confused him) Street in Northridge in a place called Marie Callender’s. I know this, because I felt years younger eating there Wednesday night, in that Barb and I were kids compared to most of the other diners. And my chili size was very good.<<<

HISTORY CORNER Johnny Cochran Junior High – yes, that is a strange choice for a name, even if “the glove guy” did attend the school – sits on the site of Wyatt Earp’s last home. (4004 W. 17th Street) I used to be an Earp fan, but then I found out he was a lifetime Republican. But just to show that it is never too late to “see the light,” (Hugh) his last vote was cast for Democrat Al Smith. (Wyatt liked it that Smith favored repealing prohibition.)

When the school was built, Wyatt’s house was moved across the street. (Yes, it’s that green one.)<<<

BORN TOO SOON – If the Internet had come along even 10 years earlier, Barbara’s dad and my mom, both of whom had a an intense curiosity and a love of learning, would have been avid browsers.

Four writers who have long covered the NFL recently listed their choices for the all-time top five running backs. I combined their votes awarding 5 points for a first place vote, 4 for second and so on. Here, with point totals is their consensus top 5.

Barry Sanders 16
Walter Payton 16
Jim Brown 9
Emmitt Smith 7
Eric Dickerson 4

My list would put Sanders all alone in first, move Brown up to second and insert the great Chicago Bears open-field magician Gayle Sayers into the four spot between Payton and Smith.<<<

And this just in about Sharron Angle, Nevada’s to-the-right-of-Tea-Party Senate candidate:

"Sharron is the poster girl for Christ," said friend Sally Shaw, "and if you support Jesus Christ's values, you're labeled as extreme."

Reaction: WOW! I didn’t know that Jesus was an avid supporter of the Second Amendment?<<<

Action: A Long Beach Superior Court judge sentenced a youth convicted of carrying out a murder, to avenge his younger brother’s slaying, to 255 years and eight months to life in prison Friday.

Reaction: See! We don’t need a death penalty. My bet is that when he gets out he will be a changed man.

Reaction # 2: I think that by adding the 8 months, the judge’s sentence becomes both “cruel and unusual” and violates the 8th Amendment.<<<

Action: "This isn't 'Saturday Night Live,’ Al," Mitch McConnell to Al Franken, the Minnesota Democrat, who was presiding over the Senate.

Reaction: Mitch got that right. SNL is made up of intelligent people who are funny on purpose while the Senate is made up of accidental clowns.<<<