Short Rounds

A few short things on the Dr.'s mind tonight:

***

I'm watching the Michael Jackson Memorial Footage on You Tube as I type this. I'm enjoying the music immensely, touched by the versions of "We are the World" and "Heal the World," but can't help thinking there's an unfortunate number of children on that stage. It's a damn shame that the man's legacy will be a ridiculous talent with horrificly inappropriate behavior towards young boys..

*****

"I am not a quitter. I am a fighter," Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told CNN on Monday, July 7.

Um....excuse me...but...well...here's the thing...

Dear Soon to Be Ex-Gov. and Future Footnote, please be advised:

Quitter

Quit"ter\, n. 1. One who quits. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998

Apparently, Gov. Youbetcha also told CNN: "She resigned because of the tremendous pressure, time and financial burden of a litany of ethics complaints in the past several months..."

I'm certain there's absolutely no pressure in the job of President of the United States. Seems like a cakewalk. I'm sure that mean David Letterman will leave her alone once she's President...

*****

Former Titans QB Steve McNair's death in let's say a "suspiciously murder/suicide-ish manner" over the weekend has drawn a lot of commentary from the perpetually dumb. The man had some issues in his personal life there can be no doubt. Can we maybe try to remember, though, the differences between a dude who was a football player, and, say, a Pope.

I was listening to a little sports talk radio yesterday (WSCR, AM 670 The Score, Chicago, 'natch) and a listener who could be generously described as a "$&#$&#*" called in to give the brilliant opinion that because the man was allegedly an adulterer, he "deserved what he got." So the penalty for cheating is now...death by handgun.

Hmmmm, the so-called "moral" America, eh? If only there were a guidebook, maybe something containing a story...maybe even a parable... where there could be some insights into how to live one's life...maybe there could be a part with a chick with an adulterous past is about to be severely punished (rocks, maybe? I hear they hurt). Then--listen this is when it gets good-- someone, a venerable figure with a beard perhaps (I'm thinking a Jim Caviezel or Willem Dafoe type) steps in and says, in his best action hero voice "There any of you jackasses who think you're perfect-- you go ahead and fire away?" Man, that would be so cool.

*****

Speaking of the idiot masses, let's talk Fourth of July. Don't get me wrong, I love the Fourth. I like BBQ. I like fireworks. I like sparklers. I like flags. Here's my bitch. During my local fireworks show (surprisingly impressive considering many of the surrounding towns canceled due to the economy) I was treated to the following musical accompaniment with my fireworks:

1) The Star Spangled Banner--- Acceptable and expected.

2) God Bless America--Ditto.

3) God Bless the U.S.A.--Overused? Cliche? Yes, Yes, by God, Yes. However, is the sentiment appropriate? Certainly. Plus, it's pretty much a tradition at this point.

4) Born in the U.S.A.-- Well...it's Springsteen, which is cool. If you bother to listen to the lyrics the song is obviously about veterans coming home and feeling abandoned by the government and fellow citizens they risked their lives for...but, again, it's the Boss, so I'll forgive.

It's still not as unfortunate as...

5) Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue.

Let's examine, shall we:

The Star Spangled Banner:

"Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

That appears to be a stirring tribute to our nation's flag standing proud... announcing to our troops that the flag continues as a beacon of liberty despite times of adversity.

Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue. (The great poet, Toby Keith)

"Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.
And the eagle will fly and it's gonna be hell,
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell.
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you.
Ah, brought to you, courtesy of the red, white and blue."

Ahhh, that is in fact a redneck jingoistic paean to bombing the living hell out of mostly innocent civilian the majority of whom did nothing wrong except for being brownish and praying to the West once in awhile.

I don't want to spend my future holiday's being reminded of the lies, deceptions and, yes, murders disguised by borders perpetuated during the previous Administration..maybe that's just me.

--30--