Tracy Morgan

Comedian Tracy Morgan said some pretty stupid stuff during a recent comedy routine that involved his son, homosexuality and stabbing.  The actual diatribe is not worth repeating, but if you want to read more, you can follow THIS link.

While I don't support violence against any group, I think this needs to be put in the perspective of being delivered by a comedian who is trying mighty hard to sound "shocking".  If we held every comedian's feet to the fire every time they said something silly/stupid/offensive/outlandish/etc., then that's pretty much all we would be doing as a society.  Call him out on his comments?  Sure, but keep it all in perspective.  Now in fairness to Tracy Morgan, he has apologized, so I say let's all just move on and deal with actual pressing issues of the day, including those that face the Gay/Lesbian community (ranting about Tracy Morgan's routine will not solve issues of job discrimination and domestic partner benefits).  What we don't need is, for example, Tracy Morgan meeting with the families of homosexual teens (I believe as suggested by GLAAD) or some other silly act meant more for show than anything else.

The best comment I've heard so far?  That comes from fellow comedian Chris Rock, who commented that...

• 
  
• Tracy morgan is a tad off we all know that so when tracy says something i usually don't take it anymore serious than i would a statement from gary busey or flavor flav .when i first heard the statement i thought it was offensive but it also reminded me of my father saying ill kill you if you ever bring home a white girl but after reading everything tracy said . wow i get it that shit wasn't called for and i don't support it at all. now can i please go to the tony awards without getting my ass kicked .
• 
  

Reference at THIS link.

"...now can I please go to the tony awards without getting my ass kicked."...now that is funny.

Bernard Goldberg's column on Sarah Palin & Newt Gingrich in the news

Bernard Goldberg is one of those Republicans along the lines of George F. Will that I actually agree with some of the time.  One of those times of agreement can be found in his latest column about Sarah Palin. You can read it for yourself HERE.

I particularly like his point about compromise.  I've actually heard Limbaugh talk about how Republicans should never compromise with Democrats, that somehow it always has to be "my way or the highway" and that anyone who tries to gain consensus via compromise is somehow "selling out".  Well, in the real world, sometimes getting PART of what you want is far better than getting NONE of what you want, which I think is part of Mr Goldberg's argument.

Another point from Mr Goldberg's piece that I found insightful:

"The hard-right (like all true believers) lives in a bubble. They don’t care much what people on the outside say. Listen to conservative talk radio for 10 minutes and you’ll “learn” that the only reason Palin isn’t doing well in the polls is because the mainstream media have convinced the American people that she’s a dolt. And since conservatives can’t let the liberal media call the shots, that’s another reason they want her to run."

I'd add that his point about "true believers" is equally true for the hard-left as well.

In other news Republican, Newt Gingrich's senior staff has left his campaign, en-mass.  Story link HERE.  I'm actually NOT glad to see this, chiefly for two reasons:

• When Newt sticks to intellectual arguments (as opposed to social issue bomb-throwing), he's actually a pretty reasonable and thoughtful guy. His possible departure from the race is a loss for the GOP.
• This apparently creates an opening for current Texas governor Rick Perry, who, among other things, hinted that secession could be considered in this day and age by individual states.  Don't believe me?  Check THIS out.  Anything that creates an opening for someone like Gov. Perry isn't a a good thing.

When last time I checked, the previous time states tried to do this there as a war.  Maybe Gov. Perry learned history the Sarah Palin way and forgot this small point.

Road Apples, #103

Mobile Optimized...File this one under the "only I care" department, but this blog has now been optimized for mobile devices. This is more a benefit for me I suppose, as I do check in every once in a while with my Palm Pre.

Getting Older...A sure sign of getting older occurs when your children grow up.  For me, I get a double reminder of this over the next few days, as my "baby" graduates from Scranton High School (this evening) and turns 18 (next week).  Among the blessings I have enjoyed in life to date are the three daughters that make me so proud.  My oldest just stared a new job, fresh out of college.  My middle daughter is changing schools in the Fall to study Nutrition and Spanish and my youngest (in addition to graduating and becoming something of a legal adult) will be studying Social Work at West Chester University in the Fall.

Rats Leaving the Ship...Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has left the university to begin an NFL career.  Reference HERE.  Of course there is the whole "Buckeye Sleaze" factor at work, what with a head coach leaving after basically lying to the NCAA about compliance violations.  Somehow I'm thinking that Michigan might actually win this Fall's match-up.  No word on whether or not Mr Pryor was one of the individuals who actually traded a championship ring for a tattoo.

The Dynamic Duo of Much & Cord...I've actually been reading the Scranton Times reports on the dual trial of former county commissioners Mike Munchak and Bob Cordaro.  It's pretty interesting stuff.  Then again I have been reading the stories while in the gym, using the elliptical, so I'm something of a captive audience (reading, I've found, make the work-out seem to go faster). So far the prosecution seems to have painted a good picture of two men lining their pockets.  So far the defense is relying on the phrase "did anyone ask you to do anything illegal" as their chief weapon.  Somehow I'm thinking that this may not look so good for Mr Munchak and Mr Cordaro.  Call me crazy, but pocketing contributions from county vendors seems like a fairly easy thing to prove...did they get the money?  Did the report getting the money?  If they answers are "Yes" and "No", well then maybe there is a problem.

Palm Pre...As referenced in the opening "apple", I've been using a Palm Pre Plus now for about two months and I have to report being exceptionally happy with the device.  I do wish there were more applications for it, but never the less it has made me more productive.  It also has enabled me to stay in the blogging loop when I don't actually have time to write (which has been the case over the past few days).  My middle daughter just got a Blackberry Torch, so I'm interested in how that device is working, as it was one of the phone I was considering buying back when I made the Palm decision.

The Sarah Palin History Network...Courtesy of Conan O'Brien, this is very funny stuff.  Check it out HERE.  Found via a link by Sabrina McLaughlin on Facebook.



Now that's a great way to start a day.

Maureen Dowd Column, June 7th

Now that I've gotten the "panties in a bunch" stuff off my chest, on to more serious business.

There is a great piece by Maureen Dowd that was published yesterday.  You can link to it HERE.  In the midst of the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals, it's great to read about someone inside the Church who is making a positive difference.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin's washing the feet of abuse victims isn't something that the media normally would report...and it's certainly a small statement in the midst of a large scandal...but it says something about the true nature of faith and contrition.

In the "Panties in a Bunch" Department...

...we have THIS POSTING from Wilkes-Borough'sBarre's favorite blogger, Mark Cour.

Now at the risk of further incurring the Wrath of Khour (don't get mad Mark...it's just play on words...you know, "Wrath of Khan"...honest...I promise...calm down), I'm going to make a comment or two of my own.

• "Word Police"?  That's rather ironic actually, considering the social conservative bent towards book burning and banning (see links).  I guess that stuff doesn't count as "word policing", since books technically have more than one word in them.
• Also ironic?  The fact that, despite what Mr Cour may think, I wasn't actually referring to anything he wrote.  The "Barry" part came from spew I've repeatedly heard from serial nut-job Michael Savage, which I do listen to once in a while (he is entertaining, in a train-wreck kind of way).  As for "Obamalama", that came from something that I think I also heard Savage say and as well as stuff I've read on several message boards (such as THIS ONE).   
• The worst part?  Mr Cour didn't attribute the quotes to me.  That's a rather douchey thing to do.  Disagree with me until the cows come home, but for God's sake be stand-up enough to call me out by name (you know, like I've just done).  When I've disagreed with other bloggers I've been man enough reference them by name (for example THIS POSTING & the times I've disagreed with NEPArtisan).

For the record, I actually do enjoy reading Circumlocution for Dummies (see, I'm linking back to it, again).  In fact, I've been downright complementary every once in a while. Life is far too short to get too caught up in on-line flaming, so I'm done with this.

Oh wait, one more thing...from me to Mark Cour, here's something of a long-distance dedication;





Cheer up Mark, it's just a blog.

Road Apples, #102

Let me do my Conservative Republican imitation for you..."Barry.  Like that Hope and Change yet?  Osama Obama. Obamalama.  This picture." ...and I could go on.  It's as if political criticism from a party of supposed "thinkers" has degraded into nothing more than a bunch of Limbaugh sound bytes.  Note that not only can Republicans do better than that, but they will have to do better in order to win in 2012.

Schools, budgets and sports...I will respond to the comment by blogger Coal Region Voice to THIS posting some time this week.  He has a great blog that is well worth checking out.  I was going to do something yesterday, but Sunday seemed like a great day to go for a late afternoon walk, which is precisely what I did, at McDade Park.  By the way, can we re-name the park after someone who hasn't been implicated in fraud and hasn't exposed his genitals in public?  Just wondering on that last part.  And so I digress.  Anyway, seeing the well thought-out comment I wanted to reiterate that I'm not anti-sports.  As a kid I played tennis, basketball, baseball and I dabbled in some wrestling.  These days I hit the gym 4-5 days a week and, one of these days, I'm going to get my Trek out and hit the pavement. The central point is this:  sports should be a secondary part of the educational process in our public schools.  Hell, they already are in grades K to 8, so my point is that they shouldn't be some kind of sacred cow in grades 9 to 12, especially when hard choices need to made with budgets.  More to come.

Voter ID...There is a great piece in NEPArtisan about the voter ID legislation that is being pushed in Congress these days by Republicans.  I'm actually of two minds about this whole things.  Here's where I think both sides have it wrong:

Democrats have it wrong in the sense that it is NOT unreasonable to ask a voter to produce some form of ID.  Voting is an important process, and there is plenty of precedent for asking for ID when something important is on the line...a policeman can randomly ask you for it at just about occasion...you have to produce ID to get on an airplane...to start a new job you need one to complete your I9 form...etc.

Republicans are doing this simply to cut out as many lower-economic scale voters as is possible.  You know, these would be voters who typically vote Democratic.  The simple fact is that there is no wide-spread voter fraud in this country, and even if there was, it should be handled on a case-by-case basis.  Imposing a fraud solution in an area where there is no evidence of fraud makes you suspect the intentions of Republicans.  And I am.

My solution: ID yes, but just about any form of official ID should do, including a social security card.  Requiring a valid photo ID is too onerous.  My mother, for example, is 76 years old and does not drive.  She does have a photo ID, but it expired years ago.  By virtue of pending legislation she would be disenfranchised. Why?  To prevent some mythical fraud from occurring?

In the "Why" department...Why does the media continue to feed the attention gluttony of Sarah Palin?  Simply stop following her around.  Outside of dirty old Conservative men, Rush Limbaugh and Matt Drudge, I suspect that most people don't particularly care what she does OR the fact that she routinely mangles history. I get it, she is a moron.  Can we move on now?

    

Housekeeping

Ever since I started using the mighty Palm Pre Plus I've been dismayed by the amount of time it takes to load the blog on my phone.  I know, it probably gets no more nerdy than that previous statement, but so be it:  I am a proud, self-confessed 6' 3.5" nerd.  Anyone got a problem with that?  Go ahead, try and take my lunch money now!

Sorry, I was having junior high flashbacks.

Anyway, I've altered the blog header to, in theory, make the page load faster.  We shall see.  I will miss the picture of the Morris Arboretum though.

Also, I wanted to give a shout-out to Harold Jenkins and the the other administrators of NEPA Blogs for all the great work they do.  Most of the blogs on my blog roll come from suggestions I find on the site, with the latest being the blog by Kevin Jordan.  Since that kind of work is somewhat thankless, I wanted to indeed buck the trend and thank the NEPA Blogs crew for publicizing the great cyber-work done in NEPA.  It's hard work proving that we are not all a bunch of backward-assed hillbilly coal miners in this part of the state...hard but necessary work.

Blog on!

Et tu, Brute?

I was reading in yesterday's edition of the Scranton Times that the Abington Heights school district is taking steps to close the looming budget shortfall that all school districts in Pennsylvania are facing by making a number of changes, including the elimination of Latin classes.  I've read where other districts are eliminating all day Kindergarten, increasing class sizes, reducing the number of teachers, and just generally slimming down programs in order to fit into a smaller financial footprint.

Strange though, in all of the articles I've read there seems to be no mention of touching that most sacred of local sacred cows, namely sports in general and football specifically.

Yes, apparently having a football team that benefits what, maybe 60 students, is more important that running a full day Kindergarten that would benefit potentially EVERY student that enters a particular district.

Latin?  Hell who needs that?  It's not as if the words are used in every day conversation (except of course if you are a doctor...or lawyer...or some other "fringe" job), right?  But football, well we all know that benefits the entire community.  Note that I am being sarcastic.

Getting to the heart of the matter, my thinking is pretty simple:  Playing football does help students, namely those students who choose to play football.  I get it that such a program instills discipline, provides the potential for college scholarships, may enhance a sense of school community, etc..  What it doesn't do is advance the core mission of every school district, namely to EDUCATE STUDENTS.  The fact that football programs are not on the table as potential areas for budget cutting is nothing short of astounding to me on one level, but on anther it simply validates the notion that many of the people who run school districts in this area are grossly non-qualified for the positions they hold.  While not claiming that I am qualified to be a school board director, I will say this...if it were my charge to fill a budget shortfall, the first thing I'd do is to parse out all of the districts expenses into four categories:

• Direct Education Expenses...what expenses do we incur as a direct result of educating students?  This would include teacher salaries, cost of books, etc.
• Legal Expenses...what expenses do we incur in order to comply with the law?  This could be building codes, Dept. of Education requirements, etc.
• Indirect Education Expenses...what expenses do we incur in support of educating students?  This would include things like busing students, paying for educational field-trips, etc.
• Non-Educational Expenses...this includes those extracurricular that have no direct connection to educating students, such as sports, non-educational clubs, conferences for administrators, etc. 

I'd then start reducing costs from the bottom of my list upward.  Then again I am a logical guy who thinks that "tradition" if fine, as long as it doesn't (in the case of a school district) prevent you from buying books.

Now do I expect any sports programs to be eliminated in NEPA?  Yeah, some local district may take the drastic step of cutting the rifle team.  Maybe the NRA can help.  What I don't expect is for any local school board director to be courageous enough to say "football is a nice to have program, but it doesn't have anything to do with education students.  Let's talk about eliminating the program", simply because we live in a society where there is still this mystique surrounding the "football hero".  Mystique and tradition are fine, as long as they don't prevent Johnny from learning how to read.

Finally, as for football being this wholesome activity that builds character, I'm reminded of what I see in the news lately about the Ohio State program.  In case you haven't been up on the sports news, the program had students who were trading championship rings for, among other things, tattoos.  Yup, there's some wholesome tradition for ya!

Road Apples, #101

President Mitt...Mitt Romney is set to state the obvious and announce his candidacy for President.  I predict a very good hair day.

I find Mr Romney to be far less objectionable than many of the others in the current Republican field.  What's more, he supports health care mandates.  Wait, does he?  I'm not sure.  It's all so very confusing.

One the rubs against Mitt is that he is rather boring.  Being boring is okay though in the primaries, as we always have Santorum saying stupid things to keep it interesting.  This includes such hits as implying that  John McCain doesn't understand harsh interrogation tactics.  Ahhh Ricky...he kinda was tortured once.

Super-Bug...and I'm not talking about a 70's vintage Beetle either.  Apparently the stain of E. Coli that has caused many a German to get sour (get it..."Sour Kraut") is some new version that is particularly toxic.  Given the German propensity for eating cured meats, I'm thinking it would have to be in order to make them sick.  Still no word on the source of the tainted veggies.

Leeloo Dallas, Multi-Pass...I love the movie The 5th Element, and there is a scene that I quote where Milla Jovovich's character holds out an ID and says in this thick accent "Leeloo Dallas, multi-pass" whenever I come up to an EZ Pass toll booth on the PA Turnpike.  Problem was that I didn't have an EZ Pass.  Problem now solved, as I joined the ranks of the EZ Pass(ed).  This should come in handy as make trips down to West Chester to move my youngest daughter into college.

The Enforcer...It was noted in an article appearing in yesterday's Scranton Times that the husband of Scranton City Council President Janet Evans basically told a reporter that she would not be talking to that particular version of the press.  I guess that makes Mr Evans the de facto press secretary for Ms Evans.  Interesting stuff, particularly given the fact that Ms Evans is reportedly interested in becoming Scranton's first female mayor.  Call me crazy, but I expect my elected politicians to talk to the press, frequently.

On the Flip Side...I can almost (note the word "almost") understand the reluctance of Mr Evans to allow his wife to talk to the Scranton Times, as they have been fairly tough on Ms Evans over the years, especially over the past few months.  Why?  Well Ms Evans is apparently trying (or was trying) to get a disability approved by her former employer, the Scranton School District.  I've noted this before, but while I certainly respect the right of Ms Evans (or anyone else) to keep confidential medical information private, the basic facts and circumstances of her claim should be a matter of public record.  She was employed by the public, so the public should know whether or not she has filed a claim, the basic nature of the claim (was it an accident?) and why she believed that the injury prohibited her from sitting at a desk for a few hours a day.

Speaking of health...I continue to thoroughly enjoy the ability to now take very deep breathes.  It is a wonderful feeling.  My "cat free zone" seems to be doing the trick, and since I have been off the 'roids now for about a week I can no longer use that as an excuse for flying off the handle.  Okay, I don't really "fly off the handle", but I just wanted to make a snarky 'roid comment.  Anyway, breathing is a very, very good thing so don't take it for granted, and for God's sake don't do anything that might impede your ability do it.  Life is too short.

Happy Birthday...to Charlie Watts, drummer for the Rolling Stones.  He turns 70 today. That statement alone is rather saddening.

Unconventional Solutions

A few unconventional solutions that I have been pondering.

Helmet-less Motorcycle Riders
Don't want to wear your helmet while riding your Hog?  Then here is my unconventional solution to the problem of paying the medical bills when you turn your head into road paste (after it inevitably hits the asphalt):  you pay for it all.  No insurance coverage, no hospitalization, no medical coverage of any kind.  You are in debt for the rest of your natural life to the hospitals, doctors, etc. that provided you with treatment for your self-inflicted wounds.

Social Security Disability
While most people know that the Social Security system will eventually run out of money (on or about 2030-ish), they don't realize that the disability portion of the system is in even worse shape.  This is in part due to the fact that the term "disability" can mean everything from a real injury to the inability to read.  Here's my unconventional solution to this problem: everybody works.  If you don't have functioning legs, then maybe you work at recording audio books for the blind.  No arms?  Fine...then tutor children after school. Disability means that you can't do some things...it doesn't mean that you are incapable of doing  anything.

Juvenile Detention
For those hardened juvenile offenders who repeatedly screw up every opportunity to straighten their lives out, I have an unconventional solution:  work farm, preferably in the middle of no-where.  The rules would be simple:  you want to eat?  You work to grow/raise your own food.  Don't want to work?  You don't eat.  While on the farm the offenders may in fact learn a skill or two.

Smoking Contract
I get that smoking tobacco can be as addictive as shooting up smack, and I actually do have a tremendous amount of sympathy for those who picked up the habit when they were young and stupid but now can't seem to quit.  In fact I think smoking cessation should be fully covered by insurance.  However, for those insist that they "have a right" to smoke and are uninterested in quitting, I have an unconventional solution to the problem of countless health care dollars being sucked up into maintaining their existence:  no medical treatment for smoking-related illnesses...as long as the person continues to smoke.  Want medical treatment for that lung cancer?  Then sign a contract that obligates you to quit smoking immediately; fall back into the habit and the treatment stops.  Period.


Yeah I know, I sound like a heartless bastard, but so be it.  The common theme throughout these unconventional solutions is the notion that we have somehow as a society disconnected actions from consequences.  We have created a state where there is an entitlement for everything.  We have diminished the value of work. These things are, however, like gravity:  you can act as if it doesn't exist, but just don't try and jump off a building and expect to float.  There is no truly free-ride in life, as someone always ends up paying for your mistakes.  My point is that maybe it should be me that pays for my own, not society at large.