No Actors or Dogs Allowed

The Los Angeles Times seems to have fallen in love anew with The Gropenfuhrer. They went so far as to ask California's Representatives and Congresspeople what they would think of changing the rules and allowing the foreign-born to run for the highest office in the land.

Don't take my word for it: here is the article, preserved as a PDF.(131Kb)

Here is my humble, considered opinion on the subject.

Sure, let a naturalized foreign-born individual run for the Presidency. I would not object. However, you would have to add one proviso to that amendment to our Constitution: no person who has ever been a member of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists or Actor's Equity can hold the Presidency.

That's right.

No more former actors as President.

I'm serious here.

Who is our only President who started out his adult life as an actor? Ronald Wilson Reagan. And I'm sorry to all those who still have fond memories of the Great Obfuscator...whoops, I meant The Great Pretender...whoops again, I mean the Great Communicator. Reagan frankly SUCKED as a President. He did. He almost bankrupted the nation, the Soviet Union was teetering at that point anyway and didn't need Reagan's push to go down in a smouldering heap. And he allowed a whole bunch of evil theocrats to get a toe-hold in the GOP who never should have been there and got way too much power than they deserved.

I know this would also mean some really good fantasy candidates for the Highest Office In The Land would also be disqualified. Disqualify Ah-nuld, and you also block off the possibility of a President Martin Sheen, a President Robert Redford, a President Paul Newman, a President Warren Beatty, a President Ed Begley, Jr., or my personal dream actor-President, President Samuel L. "B.M.F." Jackson. But seriously folks. Do we REALLY want another actor in the Highest Office In The Land? Do we? Do we feel lucky?

PS: lest I be accused of anti-Actor prejudice, the title of this post is a reference to the signs that would hang up in boarding houses near the Great White Way in New York City.

Why the word "Escalation" matters.

There is a semantic war going on within this Iraq War. George W. Bush and those who still believe in his fools' crusade are persisting in using the term "Surge" to refer to the increase in US troop involvement in the war. However, the term of choice for the reality-based community is "Escalation."

The term Escalation has special meaning for those of us who remember the Vietnam War. Escalation was the favored term in the Johnson and Nixon administrations for bringing in more troops to this unwinnable conflict. Escalation is a reminder that these two conflicts in Iraq and Vietnam are blood-brothers, wars of choice which are costing this country precious human lives and economic treasure.

"Father, Father...we don't need to escalate..." -- Marvin Gaye

A surge is what happens when power snaps back after a blackout. Surge was the predecessor Mountain Dew-like beverage to Coca-Cola's Vault and Vault Zero. The word surge is meaningless to describe an escalation of the conflict in Iraq. This is an ESCALATION. Get it right.

School Daze again...

Yes, it's once again time to deal with yet another chapter of the Woodbury Follies. Being in a small school is odd sometimes...word has gotten around about Richie's hospitalization, and now word is going to start getting around about his Multiple Myeloma. People are being uber-supportive, thankfully.

Due to all the uncertainties surrounding the past two weeks, I had to use a book voucher to buy my books, at the clip joint we know and hate as the Woodbury Bookstore. I'm now down almost $350 and I still have to buy some more books, dammit. At least most of them came in used versions. My monetary situation here is squared away and we'll at least get some financial aid overage to keep us going.

I have to keep going with this. Having my bachelor's will be good but unfortunately a BA in Psych is not so helpful in the job market. Once I get my Masters' things will be moving ahead somewhat. Since it has become clear that Richie's time on this planet is limited, and that he will not be able to do as much with that time due to the illness, it is also very clear that if I have a professional degree I will have a better time of it than if I don't have one.

The weight of this past few weeks is on me like a ton of bricks. It's painful. But I have to bear the pain and get through it somehow.