Wednesday, June 29, 2022
I was sitting in a bar the other day. An Irish bar, called Muphy’s. Who could have guessed an Irish bar would be called Murphy’s? Okay, two tries. Maybe, three.
They were playing 90s rock videos. Music after my time, but I at least recognized it or the group named. and I came to a startling conclusion. The song I had heard for years and the name of a song by T-Rex called “Bang a Gong” were one and the same! Yeah. that’s my big learn for the week.
In other news, the person who thought Hugh Jackson as Wolverine would be the surprise witness was so totally wrong. Obviously, they didn’t think it through. With those metal fingers how would he get through the metal detectors? Slash and Burn.
What else? Apparently at least three of the Fox commentators were stunned into silence by the truth. Not Donald! He used his standard “woman dismissive” diatribe. it kind of reminds me of Dan Akroyd’s “Jane, you ignorant slut” routine.
Katie Ledecky continues to stun the world with her swimming. In the 1500 she came in 14 seconds ahead of the second place finisher and in the 800 it was 10 seconds. That’s crazy. The weirdest thing is that she doesn’t even look like she’s swimming that hard.
I long for the time when people sang you could understand the words. I’d like a return to culture, civility, manners, being suave and debonair. Ah me. Don’t say it! I know what you are thinking. Practice some restraint. That’s the first rule of savoir faire.
This brings me to politics and cricket. I’ve told this before, but I’ll tell it again. I was watching an episode of “All Creatures Great and Small.” The vets were engaged in a Sunday afternoon picnic and cricket game. The young doc hit the ball. It went off the pitch into a river and was retrieved from there. After the game, no one would talk to him, or only in the briefest of terms. I didn’t know if he had done a terrible thing or if perhaps everyone had bet against him and he had hit the equivalent of a bases loaded home run.
I decided to look up the rules of cricket in the Encyclopedia Britannica. (It was a long time ago.)
Okay. So. There’s a batsman and a pitcher. The field is homeplate and second base with a pitcher’s mound. Behind homeplate is the wicket. Three sticks set upright in the ground. On top of the three sticks are balanced two blocks of wood. The idea is that the pitcher hurls the ball trying to knock the two blocks of wood off the sticks. The batsman stands at homeplate and deflects the ball, thus protecting the wicket.
Okay, I understood all that. BTW I am not using, perhaps, the proper terminology, but that’s the idea. Oh and the pitcher has to throw overhand with the arm straight. He can run forward toward the stopping point, like the pitcher’s rubber and hurl the ball in a big arc motion toward the wicket.
Okay, got all that. Then the article said the batsman hits the ball and the “runners cross.” Runners Cross? What runners? Where did they come from?
The problem I discovered was that the Encyclopedia I had bought was a British version and it assumed some basic knowledge of the game.
In politics and culture and manners there are some assumptions. Like we want to be polite. Or we want to help people, maybe do the most good for the most people. Or we don’t want to be gross on purpose.
None of those assumptions can be assumed anymore. Not since Newt Gingrich in politics or The Simpsons in entertainment. It used to be funny, I thought, to pretend to be uncouth. Not anymore because it is no longer known by most that you are doing it on purpose for effect. Rather, it is considered the norm.
Rudy Giuliani back when he was sane, said that when listening to wiretaps you could tell when the gangsters had seen The Godfather, because they now knew how they were supposed to talk. We’ve had two generation that have grown up on “South Park” and “The Simpsons.” Is it any wonder that young people are boorish and uncouth? Now they are adults raising kids. Bring back Cary Grant, please.
Of course, at that time blacks were segregated, women had to fight to get the vote, and society was limited to the few and the rich. Not much has changed.
Except, one party is openly dismissive of our ideals as a country. All the while they are puffing out their chests and proclaiming how patriotic they are. And religious. Obviously, they have not read the history of this country and the reasons why are forefathers did what they did.
On the other hand, do we really want to hold up as our standard of justice and logic what a bunch of guys in the 1700s thought? Do we really want to be ruled by the religious thoughts of people from the Iron or Bronze Ages?
Let’s vote. Let’s tax what is rendered unto Caesar. Let’s return to being polite and civil. If people don’t want to do that let’s crucify them.
Oh yes. The testimony. Trump is a four year old child. All the excuses have now crumbled by facts and evidence under sworn testimony. The nitpickers have begun to swarm. They have little to pick. They say that Trump didn’t grab the steering wheel like she said. Oh yeah? Let’s put them under oath. You know, like Ginnie Thomas was going to do. In fact, she couldn’t wait to set the record straight. Now? She’s declining. My my, you have this big opportunity to get it all out there and you don’t want to? Maybe, you don’t want to join Ms Maxwell for twenty years?
So why did the committee want to rush to get this testimony down? I have two reasons: one, they were afraid she’d be targeted, either for death or to shut up. Two, they wanted to encourage others to come forward.
Isn’t it interesting how all these so called patriots and enablers are refusing to say anything under oath?
Michael Flynn taking the fifth was particularly egregious. I mean, even on basic questions of principle that he was willing to spout off about in rallies. Under oath? Not so much.
Come on, Mike Lindell. You have all the evidence. Rudy has all the numbers. Just give it to them. Oh wait, Rudy never had the numbers? Only theories. Got it. Lindell? You know it’s interesting how they claim all this stuff and then – nothing. I liked the guy from Michigan who said to Trump and Rudy, “give me the names.” Of the dead voters, of the illegal immigrants who voted. They never did. I wish he had pulled a Tartuffe and badgered them every day for the names. “Hey, I really want to get to the bottom of this. I need the names. Can you send them pronto?” And do that everyday twice a day. When Donald calls tell him, “We are on it. Yes in deedy. All we need is the names. We are waiting on your man Rudy. Don’t know what the hold up is.”
Of course I wanted Brett to explain his drinking game in his confirmation hearing too. I wonder if Susie Collins would have voted for him if she understood the game. Maybe Brett and Gorsuch could have demonstrated it on her. “Hey Susan, are you going to vote to confirm me?” “Argh and argh argh …”
As National Lampoon quipped about Vincent Van Gogh, “it’s hard to hear you with a banana in my ear.”
Likewise, it’s hard to talk with a similarly shaped item in your mouth being thrusted in and out.
What? Oh, it’s gross? Indeed.
Tell that to the twelve year old forced to have a baby.
Kathy Goodwind says
It seems as tho the FB Republicans have kept their noses to Fox. I can’t stand to listen to them but people on FB seem to think they are appalled. In this state we still have rogue Republicans in the Eastern section of the state. They are advertising lies. It doesn’t seem anyone is doing anything about it. Fortunately the larger Democratic population of the state is in Seattle. I wish I could know for sure that this state won’t turn Republican.