I know you are but what am I?

So Donald Trump has called Martha Steward a moron.

LOL

Any ole' port in the storm?

W is at it again. And completely flip and unapologetic as usual. This whole episode with contracting out the operation of our ports in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami and New Orleans to a state-owned company in the United Arab Emirates--to use a term exceedingly overused--boggles the mind.

Bush said, "If there was any chance that this transaction would jeopardize the security of the United States, it would not go forward." This from a man who has brought untold death to our service men and women in the middle east, let alone those killed as a result of his ill-advised war. This from a Commander-in-Chief who does not supply adequate body armor to our troops, leaving them vulnerable to death or severe, life-changing injuries.

He also said, "I can understand why some in Congress have raised questions about whether or not our country will be less secure as a result of this transaction, but they need to know that our government has looked at this issue and looked at it carefully." How can anyone have even the slightest bit of confidence in this man?

Rightly, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have promised to pass legislation to put this issue on hold if the White House did not move to delay the action. And, Republican governors of New York and Maryland are virently opposed. With so many in his own party leadership voicing serious concern to this proposal, how can Mr. Bush state emphatically that by his approving of the deal, that it was final? Why then does our government exist on a system of checks and balances? He promises to veto "if they pass a law."

My 86-year old Great-Aunt told me yesterday while I was visiting her that she believes Bush to be the most Dangerous president the country has ever had. Now while this comes from a woman who has always been a tried and true liberal, I do know her to be a fair thinker. On this issue, she is not off base. While we can hope that control of one or both houses of Congress returns to the Democrats, anymore, I don't know if that is the solution either. With the advent of 24-hour news channels, I don't know if anyone is truly in this game for anyone but themselves, and that is scary as hell. Can we really, though, handle 3 more years of W?

What's next?

Thanks, O.J.!

"Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt ... making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, [was] shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird." -- Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

Ever since the O.J. Simpson trial, we have all had to deal with news "stories," run into the ground whether the topic was major or minor. I do not watch any of the news channels, and I rarely watch televised local or national news. I rely on the www to get my news, mostly from the Associated Press which for the most part tells things like they are, and in a simplistic manner.

Are there ever instances with round-the-clock in-your-face news reporting is necessary? Yes. September 11, the Tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina come to mind. Does anyone need to be subjected to James Frey and Oprah stories on all cable news networks, all night long, and into the next day, after she publicly bashes him on her show for lying? HELL NO! Was the Terri Schiavo melodrama overplayed? HELL FUCKING YES!

Yes, Vice President Dick Cheney shot a man while hunting. Quail hunting. What is it with VP's and quayle... er... quail, anyway? As Sophia Petrillo would say, "but I digress." Is this a major story? Maybe. Is it worthy of the monologues of our late night talk show hosts? Hell yes. For god's sake, media, let the poor man who was shot, and his family, be. Let him recuperatete. Leave them to deal with him. Don't camp out at the hospital waiting for news of the poor man's condition. ENOUGH!

I suppose, we as a society are to blame for the monster media which now exists. Nancy Grace. Good god. Don't get me started. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to put a microphone on that bitch and put her on TV is/was insane. Same for Bill O'Reilly, and Tucker Carlson, and James Carville, and even though he started out eons ago in what I call the legit media, Geraldo Fucking Rivera too. What a bunch of pompous assholes.

Did you ever stop to ask yourself why such a fuss was made over the death of Peter Jennings? It's quite simple actually. He was a class act. He did his job well. He was not controversial. He told things as they were, and did not speculate. To think that people believe Nancy Grace is a journalist is enough to make you toss your lunch. Guilty until proven guilty is her mantra. And why is Bob Schiffer of CBS Evening News doing so well in the ratings? He is old school, he's a true journalist, with the utmost of integrity.

The www isn't without fault either. It's a wonderful tool. I love it. But, it's turned many of us into robots who search for the most ridiculous news. Do I need to know on Yahoo's homepage under it's "In the news" section that the actor who played Tom Willis on the Jefferson's died? NO! Yeah I'm rambling on and on now, but so what, this is my blog. And I can if I want to.

Now back to why I began this. While it is certainly newsworthy that the vice president shot a man, what does this really have to do with any of us? Regardless of how we feel about the man from a political standpoint, it has no bearing on his politics or on how the Country is or is not run. It does not deserve the insane amount of media attention it is receiving.

Getting back to an earlier blog, when non-stories such as this get airtime and print space, and major items such as the United States siding with Iran on anything does not, it is a sad, pathetic commentary on the state of the media in this country.

So, again, Thanks O.J.!

A Love That Will Never Grow Old

A Love That Will Never Grow Old
Music by Gustavo Santaolalla; Lyrics by Bernie Taupin

Go to sleep, may your sweet dreams come true
Just lay back in my arms for one more night
I've this crazy old notion that calls me sometimes
Saying this one's the love of your life.

Refrain:
Cause I know a love that will never grow old
And I know a love that will never grow old.

When you wake up the world may have changed
But trust in me, I'll never falter or fail
Just the smile in your eyes, it can light up the night
And your laughter's like wind in my sails.

(Refrain)

Lean on me, let our hearts beat in time
Feel strength from the hands that have held you so long.
Who cares where we go on this rutted old road
In a world that may say that we're wrong.

(Refrain)

_ _ _ _

It's rare that a seemingly minimalistic song, as outlined in the above lyrics from the song, "A Love That Will Never Grow Old," from Brokeback Mountain, can hit someone so hard and so precise right between the chambers of one's heart. Written by the scorer of the movie's soundtrack, Gustavo Santaolalla, with lyrics by frequent Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin, such a song could have been turned into syrupy schmaltz. But by turning to one of this country's, or any country's, premier lyrical interpreters, Emmylou Harris, it has become at once both a haunting ode to what could have been and an undying love for the ages.

Can you really tell, upon listening, if the lyrics are true to the story and that the love cannot grown old, or if it can't grow old because it is forever young? Or are we even supposed to know? I asked a friend this question tonight and his response was that it's undetermined and we should make up our own minds.

I suppose for me, it depends on my mood at the particular time I hear it. I have balled my eyes out, when feeling especially lonely, and I have sung along with gusto when things don't seem so gloom. But then when you revisit your thoughts on the movie, you pretty much come to that conclusion as well.

I have seen Brokeback once, and plan on seeing it again this week. My memories of the film, and my fascination with its soundtrack, have engulfed me in the experience that is Brokeback. Oddly enough, as much as the lyric in this song speaks to me, it is the only song among those on the soundtrack that I can't place in a particular spot in the movie. I need to know that.

UPDATE, FEBRUARY 22, 2006

So I saw Brokeback again. And I saw the spot where the song is played, and it's quite fitting. To stray from the song for a bit, I need to vent about where I saw the movie -- Reston, Virginia. While no one got up and walked out of the movie, based on the very audible reactions from many in the theater, folks were not pleased. Gasps, giggles, EWWWs, and even a "oh no, man don't touch another man like that!" What were they expecting? That after all it was not a movie about a romance between two men? Good lord. (The experience of reminded me of the second time I saw "Titanic" during its initial run. I saw it at the Union Station theater in DC, and during the sinking scenes, there was more laughter, serious guffaws, as each person fell to their deaths. Such experiences tend to ruin moviegoing.) I must say though, by the end of the movie, when Ennis finds the two shirts, you could hear a pin drop. That scene is one of the most emotionally wrenching I've ever seen, and beautifully acted.

The United States and Iran, and ok... Iraq

A couple of weeks ago, I did something I don't often do -- read through the entire Washington Post. I suppose I was bored. Or maybe I was hungry for news. During this quest for information, I stumbled across something that infuriated me so much, for two reasons. One, that it happened, and two, that it was buried deep within an obscure article, and deep within the paper.

Following is the text of a letter-to-the editor I e-mailed the Post:

"The Post today buried an alarming news item on page A21 in Al Kamen’s column, “In the Loop.” The blurb stated that, “Washington has discovered there are always ways to work together (with Iran), to find common ground. For example, human rights groups Monday condemned a U.S. move "back[ing] an Iranian initiative to deny United Nations consultative status" in the Economic and Social Council to gay rights organizations.”

WHAT?

According to the International Lesbian and Gay Organization (ILGA), the U.S. joined Cameroon, China, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan and Zimbabwe in voting to deny ILGA and the Danish Association of Gays and Lesbians seats on the U.N.’s Economic and Social Council.

Chile, France, Germany, Peru and Romania voted in favor, so had the U.S. not voted as it had, nothing would have changed—almost nothing. For the uber conservative Bush administration to back a member of its self-described Axis of Evil on this or any topic, is reprehensible. Just yesterday, Secretary of State Condolleezza Rice said of Iran to Reuters, “It is the largest state sponsor of terrorism. It is a state that has now a president who says the most outrageous things about other states, like that Israel should be wiped off the map. So Iran is in the wrong direction.”

Not if that direction is at the expense of gay human rights groups, though. Mr. Bush ought to demand that this vote be retracted, and the Post and the rest of the mainstream media ought to hang their heads for burying this critical piece of news in the closet."

It should come as no surprise that the Post did not run my letter.

In subsequent reporting I have seen on this issue, the State Department, under the leadership of Ms. Rice, has said that basically it's all a misunderstanding and that the United States was concerned that one of the organizations seeking membership on the Economic and Social Council might not have a strong enough policy against pedophilia. Now just what kind of chicken shit logic is that? Sadly, I have only seen mention of this news in gay media outlets.

DC's Metro Weekly reported last week that, "this U.N. fight has now arrived in Washington. LGBT organizations have begun lobbying allies on Capitol Hill. Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), founder and co-chair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, as well as the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, responded immediately in a letter to John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

''I sincerely hope that the U.S. vote on this issue was a technical error or the unfortunate result of an undisciplined U.S. officer operating on his or her own without instructions,'' writes Lantos. ''In any case, I am asking you to clearly and publicly disavow and explain this anti-human rights vote before it does any long-term damage to U.S. moral authority at the U.N. I would also like to discuss with you, at length, any possible breakdown in State Department procedures that may have led to this most unfortunate U.S. action.''

As of Jan. 31, Lantos's office reports no response from Bolton. A Metro Weekly call to the State Department days earlier to inquire both about the reason for the vote as well as any signal in policy change was answered by spokesman, Noel Clay, who said, ''We're not going to have any comment on it.'"

I don't know if I truly believe that there was anything sinister involved with this UN vote. I want to believe Congressman Lantos' hope that it was a big mistake, yet refusal from the State Department, and the White House on this matter doesn't give me much hope that this was in fact the case. George W. Bush and his administration continues to show a disregard for true human rights all the while spreading his message of peace throughout the world, evidenced in the body bags which arrive stateside from Iraq to the point where I think we've all become numb to it.

While spending a couple of rare mid-winter 60-degree days at the beach not too long ago, I was enjoying some draft beer at one of my favorite Rehoboth watering holes, the Frogg Pond. Sports were on TV mostly, and then one TV started showing CNN, who were airing video footage of kidnapped journalist Jill Carroll. I see images like that, of a clearly terrified young woman, and wonder why? Sure, she chose to be in Iraq to report for her newspaper. But would such reporting be necessary if Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney, Ms. Rice and Mr. Rumsfeld would end the thing and bring our men and women home? Perhaps. Would she had been there if the way didn't start at all? It's doubtful. When I saw the image of Ms. Carroll, I had to turn away, I just could not stomach it.

I wonder sometimes what the average citizen of the world thinks of the United States. Do they think of us all with disdain? With disgust? Do they truly understand that in the last two elections, almost an equal number of people voted for the losing party? Do they know that a vast majority of Americans do not support this war? I've been invited on a trip this fall to the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Will I be too embarrassed at being an American to go?

why is this man grinning?

My first blog

Feet. Something we truly take for granted and don't think about until for one reason or another we are immobilzed. I have had run-ins with gout and heel spurs. Neither are pleasant. Add both to the mix at the same time, though, and life becomes a challenge. I experienced this rare "two-step," if you will, about a month ago, culminating in 24 hours of sheer misery ending about 2 days later. After deciding that enough was enough, and after 2 doses of Motrin, I made myself stand up, grabbed my crutches from the closet and meandered, ok, lumbered, to the john where I saw a man about a horse and took a long shower. Nothing like a shower to make anyone feel instantly better.

I went to work the next day after calling in sick the day before, crutches and all. And the people in the building gasp and call out, "oh no! what did you to your knee?" Or to my leg. But never, "what's wrong with your foot?" Why is that? So I explain all day that it's a recurring problem. Before this recent attack, I haven't had any major foot issues since early June when I was down with a very bad heel spur. Aside from a kidney stone several Christmas mornings ago, this was the most pain I'd ever been in. By the time I got home from work that evening, I no longer needed the assistance of my friends the crutches. They are now in the corner in the closet where I know they'll always be.

That being said, I have committed to myself to work on losing weight, and walking more this year. Once I've developed a regular walking routine, I will then seek a gym nearby to where I work. And, I will follow as close as I can to a diet good in combating gout. This involves not drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and I'm wondering if excessive means 3 drinks every 2 or 3 days, or 8 or 9 drinks one night a week. Either way I might be screwed. But I'll figure something out.

As I'm writing this, I'm listening to one of my favorite recent albums: "The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family." Among my fave tracks are George Jones, "Worried Man Blues," Emmylou Harris and the Peasall Sisters' "On the Sea of Galilee," June Carter Cash's "Hold Fast to the Right," and Rosanne Cash's "Winding Stream." Really good stuff. Next up is Mary J. Blige's "The Breakthrough," which features a duet with Bono on U2's "One." This recording defies logic. It's amazing.

Tonight I head to Reston to watch the Grammys with friends. Looking forward to seeing Madonna and the Gorillaz, and as mentioned above, Mary J. and U2.