Food For Thought From Twitter

I found these tweets by @harryfinch in Twitter especially thought provoking:

Sometimes I wonder how long a year actually lasts.

Anyone looking for a sign eventually finds one.

Memo to Tea Party: the American Revolution was not a grassroots movement

My advice is to learn to mark the sun's progress, for only it knows when it is time for the first drink of the day.

He traveled exclusively by train, so when a destination could not be achieved by rail he was rewarded with the comfort of not having to go.

The demise of the book is no big deal, unless you regret the loss of beautiful objects.

If you want to understand America, consider the kitchen island.

Any American with half a brain considers himself an exile.

We are an entire country, a nation, sitting out a war. And it is our war.

The Indians Make the Playoffs (in 2012)

Chief Wahoo likes this

 My beloved Indians will not be in the play offs - no surprise but still a disappointment. That being the case, as far as I'm concerned the baseball season has been over since early September. Call me a poor loser but aren't most losers poor? Supposedly the post season presents an opportunity for fans like me to jump on someone else's band wagon.

 I appreciate the gesture but I’m having a difficult time selecting a team to root for. Looking over the teams that will be vying for the honor of playing in the World Series I cannot help but feel that the post season also for all intents and purposes is over. The Phillies I undersatnd have already been fitted for rings. Regardless I’ll still watch the playoffs and the Series but it will be strictly for entertainment. I can’t envision any team making me rise from my recliner, pump my fist in the air and bellow out, “ Yea -------” (be my guest and fill in the blanks).

There are a couple of teams which may prompt some exuberance from me. I’m originally from New York State and the Yankees were our team. There have been occasions when nostalgia gets the best of my senses and I'm tempted to throw good judgment aside and root for the Yankees. Damn it all, I just can’t do it. It’s not so much the Yankee players as it is the rude, taunting fans that show up in Yankee Stadium. So once again I must revert to my adopted team’s battle cry - DAMN YANKEES!

I mentioned two teams. The other team is the Detroit Tigers. Why would I root for the Tigers? Very simple. I like their Manager, Jim Leyland. Leyland is Mr. Baseball as far as I’m concerned. I could develop some enthusiasm for the Tigers to go all the way but it may take a couple of drinks.

Getting back to the Indians not making the playoffs, it all boils down to this. If the Indians do not have a shot at the big prize, I really could care less about the chances of any other team. I’ll enjoy watching them play but  I’ll leave the celebrating to their fans. Still it would be nice if Jim Leyland got another World Series ring. If that becomes a reality, I wonder if the rings being made for the Phillies will appear on E-Bay?

They say there is always next year but that’s wearing a little thin in Cleveland. If the Indians don’t come through in 2012 with at least a playoff appearance, this blogger may just become a Yankee fan. Ha,ha - don’t bet on it,it would take more drinks than are good for me. They say it's only a game but it would be nice to have a winner again. Go Tribe! ( I still feel that Chief Wahoo has cursed the Cleveland Indians - get rid of him!)

ed note: Detroit will be playing Philadelphia in the World Series. Jim Leyland will start smoking again and Detroit will be the World  Champions. You can take that to the bank but don't expect any interest.

Afghanistan Needs Rudy

The hit TV series “The Sopranos” ended over four years ago. I didn’t get to see the last episode but I understand Tony and his mob are alive and well. According to the New York Times, they are still operating and their activities can be viewed on the TV national news several days a week. It seems that Tony has moved his home turf to Afghanistan.

Tony has changed his name to Jalaluddin Haqqani and is the capo di capo of what has become known as the Haqqani Mafia, a ruthless crime family engaged in kidnapping, extortion, smuggling and even trucking ( Pauli Walnuts insisted on the trucking or he wouldn‘t move). Demanding protection money worked so well in New Jersey that Tony could not help but go after it from businesses building roads and schools with American reconstruction funds . Read all about it in “ Brutal Crime Clan Bedevils U.S. in Afghanistan.

 Of course I have fantasized my take on the story a little ( maybe a lot) but the whole idea that a crime family is sticking it to the most powerful country in the world sounds like a something out of Hollywood. Fantastic as it may sound, I might also conclude that we have been successful at nation building in Afghanistan. When and if we leave, we will be leaving a crime organization which rivals anything we have in our democracy.

The Administration and the Pentagon are at their wits ends as to how to deal with the Haqqani Mafia. Have they ever thought about sending Rudy Giulianni there as a special envoy. He did one hell of a good job as a U.S. Attorney in whittling down the New York Mafia. I bet he would take the job if someone made him an offer he coudn't refuse. How does President Rudolph Giulianni ( like in President of Afghanistan) sound?

In the likely event that Giulianni turns down the opportunity to be a president ( at least of Afghanistan), the Administration has one sure fire solution to the Afghanistan mess. Get out as scheduled if not sooner!   

Rick Perry Exposes Himself

During last Thursday's Fox News Republican debate, Rick Perry exposed himself and was found wanting. Mitt Romney couldn’t help but smile and was quick to make it clear that Perry did not have what it takes to be President. Michelle Bachmann had a look which implied that she had seen better - debaters that is. Santorum’s relentless attack on Perry gave him little cover. All that Ron Paul could do was to look back to his days as a gynecologist. Apparently Perry’s performance has not discouraged his Tea Party supporters who say that they much prefer an earthy candidate than a prim one. When questioned about his performance, Perry could only mumble something about a wardrobe malfunction. Asked for an opinion, an Obama spokesman said he would not touch it with a ten foot pole.

Joined At The Hip Revisited

 In the midst of Campaign 2008 I wrote the post, Joined At The Hip, expressing concern over  how the Jewish vote holds our politicians hostage. Four years later, as Campaign 2012 gets underway, the words in this post hardly need changing. The events going on at The United Nations over granting statehood to the Palestinians is proof of that.

Isn’t it about time we let The United Nations do its job. The world must decide the issue of statehood for the Palestinians, not a third party. Years of peace making efforts by the United States have been fruitless. I don’t think they ever had a chance. It’s unfortunate that in the process, Israel with it’s west bank settlements has created a situation making it impossible for any good faith negotiating. If The United Nations is not the place to settle this issue, I would question the need for an emasculated international organization.

Of course the United States will veto any resolution  mandating a Palestinian state. When that happens I will refurbish my bike so that I can get around when Arab oil is no longer available( they too would like to hold us hostage). The rich need not worry. Tax reductions will give them that extra cash for an electric car providing China continues to supply those rare earth materials for batteries ( they too would like to hold us hostage).

 Ah yes, that's class warfare and the Republicans would have us believe that class warfare is only a luxury the rich can afford.. So maybe Israel should be a good ally and  settle for being a small country, make peace with the Palestinians and everyone can live happily ever after. That will be the day!

Arab Spring Republican Style

In his speech to a joint session of Congress on September 8, President Obama reminded both parties, "The election is 14 months away." His message was that it is totally selfish for both parties to battle each other instead of joining together to fix the economy. Predictably the message fell on deaf Republican ears. There is no doubt that the Republicans will stop at nothing in their quest to remove Obama from the presidency. Is this the Republican version of “Arab Spring”? If so, it looks like we have 14 months of chaos ahead of us. Hopefully there will not be an “Arab Spring” American style in our future.

Save USPS

It is inconceivable that we would abandon snail mail delivery or at the minimum castrate it. I acknowledge that I have contributed to the financial woes of the USPS  by paying my bills on line (it is important to note that I receive them by snail mail) and using E-Mail rather than buying stamps, but at the same time I do not want the USPS to disappear.  The possibility of its demise or a severe downgrade is unacceptable. Delivery of mail to our individual mail boxes I'm sure was guaranteed  in the Bill of Rights ( exactly where I'm not sure but neither is the Tea Party with some of its outrageous claims about the Constitution). It is up to the stalwart characters in Congress to step up the bar, have a drink or two on me and come up with the money to preserve an American institution.

 Technology has gone too far when it threatens us with the loss of first class mail delivery ( I'm not concerned about junk mail, after all it is junk). Our government owes us at least some reliable form of low tech mail service. I admit that is a tall order but Congress is up to it ( look at our tax code - better yet, don't look at it, just pay your taxes). Everything else in the country is moving at a snail's pace, so what's wrong with having  snail mail even if it must be slowed down ( if that is possible).  It will still be faster than the Pony Express.

 I don't mean to malign the Pony  Express. Had it not been for the Pony Express our flag would still only have a handful of stars on it.

 The mail carrier has been an American hero for decades but lately his image has been tainted. He or she hardly ever smiles and sleet and snow does deter them. He or she no longer walks from house to house but drives a vehicle from box to box . When push comes to pull, they still get the job done and my bills arrive before their payment due date. We need snail mail! On the other hand if the bill is not in the mail I won't need to pay it. Oh yes, I know, I will be asked to go green and opt to receive it digitally. The hell with that. No snail mail, then  I'm cancelling my Internet service unless Uncle Sam pays for it. Don't remind me - getting Washington involved with financing Internet service will start the mail delivery problems all over again except now some aliens in cyberspace will be involved. We can't afford that - save the USPS!

ed note: The high primal read this epic post and reminded me that a sentence should not end with a preposition. I retorted that it can. It's easy, I've done it a countless number of times. As Winston Churchill said when he received the same criticism, " It's my prerogative".

Forget About It!

The art of procrastinating is fertile ground for cliches and jokes. The most familiar cliche about procrastination is, " never put off for tomorrow what you can do today". The cliche is relevant since I often start writing a post and then opt to leave it in draft form and follow Mark Twain's advice about never putting off for tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

Today I planned to write a post about the the Republican presidential hopefuls, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense not to touch it with a ten foot pole - at least not today. Maybe tomorrow , or better yet, the day after tomorrow if I can find a twenty foot pole. The stench is awful!

From the dust we shall rise again .....

After a day of flag waving, speeches and poignant stories of 9-11-01 it is fitting to have some music to reflect on the past and wonder about the future. Mahler's Symphony No. 2 is the perfect choice.  I'm listening to and watching the New York Philharmonic pay tribute to the victims of 9-11. When all is said and done, music is the perfect medium to stir up memories and at the same time the resolve to put those memories to constructive use. "All that has perished must rise again."

Bravo, Allan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic and thank you WVIZ!

Remembering Labor

Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. How ironic that today’s celebration of Labor Day finds organized labor villified and under assault from the Republican Party and Tea Party movement. It is apparent that the right is dedicated to taking us back to the gilded age. As we celebrate Labor Day, we must also be mindful that the very workers who have contributed to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country have a painful problem - too many are unemployed and their prospects for employment have never been so dim since the Great Depression.

Musing about labor, its contributions and its problems, I could not help but to go back in years. I remember my immigrant father toiling away in a men’s garment factory. I remember my immigrant father embracing the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America as a lifeline to a decent wage and working condition. I remember my immigrant father working the polls on Election Day for the American Labor Party.
 


American Labor Party logo

Labor leaders and liberals organized the American Labor party in New York in 1936, primarily to support Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal and the men favoring it in national and local elections. It gathered strength in New York State and particularly in New York City and had considerable weight there in tipping the scales toward chosen Democratic or Republican candidates. Internal strife eventually led to its demise. Perhaps the day has come for a new “American Labor Party”.

One thing for sure, in spite of the depressed job market, labor must learn the lessons of the ’30’s and start a solidarity movement to regain its strengths and once again become a force in this country’s future.

I write this fully cognizant that I spent my working career in management. I even was part of a management team  at an arbitration hearing seeking to end a nasty strike ( I'm sure that my father was rolling over in his grave). I recognize that labor must bear some guilt for its abuse of power  but I respect the contributions of the labor movement to the growth of this country. More importantly, I am grateful for the labors of my father and my mother which gave me an opportunity for a better life than they had.

ed note: Two years ago I wrote a post about Labor Day . Sad to say nothing has changed in two years as far as the job outlook is concerned.

Obama, Obama! Where art thou?

Obama has been accused of being just another cheap Chicago politician. Cheap shot? Maybe not. I'm far from being a political strategist but even I wondered why The President of the United States would stoop so low as to attempt to address a joint session of Congress at the same time that a bunch of Republican presidential wannabes were debating  - correction, ranting. Worse of all this president backed down when the Orange Man who runs the House told him he was whistling Dixie to think that he could pull such a stunt. This is scary. The man we depend on to be strong when facing world leaders cannot stand up to a political hack from Ohio. The man we depend on to develop strategies to keep this nation powerful cannot even develop a strategy to address a joint session of Congress. Worse yet he agreed to a date WHEN RED BLOODED AMERICANS WILL BE WATCHING A NFL FOOTBALL GAME AS THEIR NATION CRUMBLES.

I like Obama or I should say , I like the Obama who campaigned in 2008. There is no doubt that the Bush administration left him a country in shambles. Yet he has not proven to be a strong leader. I'd say dump him if there were someone in the wings, Democrat or Republican, who could prove to be a stronger leader. The Republicans are a disaster and would do more to divide this country than to make it stronger. The Democrats? As long as Obama seeks a second term , we will not hear much about a Democrat capable of challenging him.

If Obama truly wants a second term he had better start acting like he has the balls for it. If not, get out now while there is still time for a Democrat to jump on the donkey and run. As for me,  I will cross my fingers, remember to vote and hope for the best. Good luck Obama - may the wind be at your back or better yet, wake up and kick ass.