SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER

I know how you feel.  I have that same baited breath (and what the fuck is baited breath anyway?) feeling as I wait each month for my Social Security check to be deposited.  I say to myself will it be there, will it be accurate, what do I do if it is not deposited?  That is exactly how you must feel twice a month (oh gosh, twice the anxiety) as you await my amazing words.  Well tough luck, campers.  We are off for a month and you won't be hearing from me until mid September.  But I will be keeping a list and checking it twice to be sure  I keep track of all the high and low lights in the world.  And lest I forget--Happy Labor day to all and, to those of the Jewish persuasion, Happy New Year--it comes very early, so get ready.

Where to start?  How about this direct quote from the Globe.  On an episode of "Face The Nation, John Boehner (he who has a perpetual tan) said:  "Congress ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal" not by how many laws we pass.  This is one of our leaders, third in line for the Presidency.  And they get all the help they need from the Supremes.  Beside everything else, he simply has no clue what leadership is and/or how to be a LEADER--and of course there is no outrage from any of his colleagues over this bit of nastiness.

Anthoney Weiner won't drop out?  What's wrong with that picture?  And his wife still is supportive.  People really are out of touch and so full of themselves that it boggles the mind.  Then we have the sad and pathetic tale of the city of Detroit.  Though it takes an average 60 minutes for police to respond to 911 calls, they are going ahead with a $400 million dollar arena plan for downtown.  And the conservative put in charge of the city by the Gov thinks it is a brilliant idea.  This in a city with 40,000 abandoned but standing houses.  Pathetic.

Elizabeth Warren is turning into one helluva Senator--plus she is actually doing what she promised which is going after Wall Street and protecting middle Americans.  Even going against her party at certain times.  And little Eddie Markey is following in her footsteps--what a turnaround.  But those wonderful House Republicans have not reversed their decision about eliminating food stamps even as they continued farm subsidies.  Next on their agenda--another vote to overturn Obamacare.
Nothing better to do especially with Boehner (he who has a perpetual tan--oh, I did say that once already, huh?) wanting more not fewer repeals.

A few words (a day late and way more than a dollar short) about George Zimmerman.  Jurors now saying he really was guilty but the law prevented them from finding him guilty.  I cannot bear it or hear it and want them to just shut up and go away.  The best piece I saw or read on this travesty was on the Jon Stewart show which is being hosted over the summer by John Oliver.  I saw it on You Tube and he was both funny and enraged--just terrific.  And oh, by the way, he is British where even the police do not carry guns.

Watch out:  The Popester had some semi normal things to say about gay folks.

A confession, I am starting to have sympathy for the devil.  The devil being Whitey Bulger.  Not exactly sympathy but they guy is 83 and is going to prison for the rest of his life no matter what.  I think the judge should just call it quits, let the victim's families give impact statements, and get it over with. Send him off. And if you don't think Whitey will be running a few little things from prison, you are nuts--he still has plenty of influence in that new yuppie world of Southie. Plus the much more important trial of  the Marathon bomber is going on in the same building and is deserving of much more of our attention.

Getting all sorts of communiques about my 50th HS reunion--one of which opened with "I am a widow"--what do you say in response to someone you have not seen in 30 years--seems a bit too intimate for our first conversation, no?

"The Bridge" on FX is excellent.

SPORTS TALK

Not getting too carried away with the US men's soccer team.  Though I did read someplace that part of their improvement is the greater involvement of Hispanic players especially those raised in Southern California.  Check out some of the names the next time they are on TV and then maybe someone should discuss immigration reform since most of them were not born here.

You heard it here first--two Buckeyes under Urban Meyer's blind oversight have already been arrested.  More surely will follow.  He is a thug coach with a proven track record of being just that at Florida.  On the other hand, when our prisons are disproportionately filled with men of color, should we expect anything different in the "real world"?  It is a very fine line and I have no answers; just questions.

See you soon Lilli and Oliver.
Sayonara

I WISH I WAS IN THE LAND OF COTTON, OLD TIMES THERE ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

That's from the song Dixie which I am sure someone famous wrote (?Stephen Foster?).  Anyhow, I was reminded of it when Barbara asked if I was surprised at the result of the Zimmerman trial and I said no.  Florida is the South--though if you start in Key West, you may not think so.  But as you move North, and eventually end up in Pensacola near the "Redneck Riviera", you know you are in the heart of the good ole boy South.  Six white women felt the killing of Trayvon was acceptable for someone "feeling fear".  The breakthrough here is that the verdict was delivered by the good ole girls--a victory for feminism?  So I don't care about the Justice Department inquiry and I don't care about civil suits.  Parents lost a son who was wearing a hoodie and scared poor little Georgie. I am not beyond any guilt.  On July 4th, we stopped on a bridge in South Boston to observe the fireworks--a bridge teeming with Hispanic teenagers.  I was quite tense and unsure of my own safety though I hope it could have been any group of adolescents raising hell and running around yelling.  The Florida self defense law which allows you to shoot if you "feel" threatened (not necessarily physically threatened) is beyond any words available to me.  The trial was the same week that Doonesbury resurrected "Jimmy Crow"--the character representing voter suppression in the South.  Clerks and registrars all over the South (and redistricting committees in legislatures) must of all had some good chuckles about how they could could further screw black voters.  All this thanks to the destruction of the enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act.  Sleep soundly Clarence Thomas. Cannot say enough but will move on.

Now those U.S.Congress House Republicans are really special.  They passed a farm bill but totally eliminated food stamps.  Did not see Boehner (he of the perpetual tan) or Cantor (he who is a member of my tribe) do any sound bites about that.  And they are on the verge of scuttling the immigration bill because it rewards people who got here illegally--all of whom may vote them out of office.  One can only hope.  These same refugees are of course in schools and in the Armed Forces and literally dying so that the Republicans can fuck them over. They and their Senate colleagues also managed to squash any bill to freeze interest rates on student loans.  You gotta love their cojones and can only hope that we all remember them in 2014.

Then the animal stories featured in the Globe.  Great white sharks continue to swim off the shores of Cape Cod--as opposed to appearing in downtown Hyannis.  There are bears on the roads of Vermont as opposed to the main streets of Vermont.  And in upstate New York, deer will be shot with contraceptives as a way to manage their proliferation.  Really, do we need this news?  Aren't we better off with accident articles or crime stories or Whitey Bulger stories?

Quick notes:  Egypt is on the verge of civil war and is a totally out of control country.  The civil war in Syria is turning in favor of the government which is really bad news for the countries supporting the rebels.  And ditto for the citizens of the country.

Two culture items.  The most recent cover of the New Yorker showed Bert and Ernie with their arms around each other as DOMA was declared null and void on their TV.  "20 Feet from Stardom" is a terrific movie about the importance of back up singers in the lives of the best bands in the world.

SPORTS TALK

Will be brief because it feels a bit trivial.  Hate the Seguin trade even if he is an asshole.  Urban Meyer should be kicked to the curb and the real question is how many Buckeyes will be in jail (a la his time at Florida) before he is through there.  Hard to imagine what goes through the minds of the Haitian national soccer team as they play here in that CONCACAF tourney.  With what their country has gone through?  And a final stolen idea:  Hernandez should have his trial moved to Sanford, Florida.

So very proud of my children and grandchildren.  Love you all.

Sayonara

TWO RULES TO LIVE BY AND OTHER ASSORTED ITEMS IN MY WORLD

1. Never, ever, converse with someone in the supermarket who is talking to either canned goods or fresh vegetables.  Talking to the meat is ok.
2.  Never, ever, smile at a person who is entering the library--it is a super secret code for "I will see you in the rest room".

Been getting a lot of not so pleasant comments about a loss of "edginess" in this screed.  Will hope I have regained some of mojo in this post.

Moving on, we met with our financial planners recently and one of them plotted out how much money we would need given my life expectancy--which by the way is 81.  I was floored and at least once a day since then, the number has popped into my head.  I should have throttled him.  Then today an article appeared in the Globe about an upcoming arts festival funded by this 83 year old philanthropist who was told not to have it occur so soon.  His response:  "I don't even buy green bananas".  Love it.  The Globe also did manage on the same day to have 3 brief pieces about bears.

A close relative who knows much more about immigration especially how it plays out in Congress is not optimistic about this Senate bill passing the fucking crazy Republicans in the House.  The Republicans simply don't want "those people" to become citizens. However, those folks do vote and one can only hope that this will backfire and changes will occur in 2014. It is ok if they are in the military and die for the country but not ok if they also are citizens.  And a wall along the border will not solve the problem--just ask the Israelis.  After reading a recent article in the New Yorker, I will admit John McCain had a lot to do with the Senate passing the bill.  Ditto for that yokel Lindsey Graham. 

Hate to depend on Anthony Kennedy for every 5-4 Supreme Court decision.  They gutted the enforcement section of the the Voting rights Act (check out today's Doonesbury to see what he had to say about the return of Jim Crow).  Yet they virtually did away with DOMA.  Go figure.

That Texas State Senator who spoke for 11 hours straight was terrific; but Perry will have his way and Texas will end up severely limiting access to abortions.  She is a single parent who ended up at Harvard Law. Perry suggested she should know better since she chose not to have an abortion.  CHOSE being my operative word.  Meanwhile the Gov did permit Texas to execute another person making it an even 500.  Oh, Anna, do something down there, please. I am not sure where this guy Snowden will end up (what is a transit area anyway?) but I am damn sure the more we learn the better even if it takes leaks like this.

And now we are providing arms to the Syrian rebels.  I am not sure what the best choice was given Assad's murderous tendencies and his Hezbollah pals.  But I would be worried especially with Egypt starting to blow up and Turkey still simmering. 

Paula Deen deserves every bit of negativity we can summon.  Usage of the "N" word is bad enough--but she serves up the unhealthiest fattifying food on her show and chats us up with that "Y all" crap--makes me puke. A la Lindsey Graham.

Semi sports:  Trust me when I say it is not a good idea to wish you knew about the personal lives of athletes.  And I am not just talking about Aaron Hernandez and his plight.  Serena Williams had a few ugly words about the victim of that rape in Steubenville.  We know too much about Tiger Woods also.  Just focus on what happens between the lines.  Screw the rest . I am as guilty as the next person on this one.

Welcome to Jake, Tess, and Fay  Still trying to reach 100. Got any newbies?

SPORTS TALK

Very tough loss for the Bruins but I did love what they did to Sid the kid.  Their loss was in part due to the better team winning and Rask cooling off a bit.  Plus they gave up too many leads late in games.  Now the talking heads are going after Sequin who is all of 21.

I think the moves Ainge is making will in the long run be better for the team.  But if you have Celtic season tickets, you have a tough 2 or 3 years ahead. And I would dump rondo as well.  Just saying.

The Yankees, like water, are seeking their own level which is about .500 baseball.  Injuries for sure but also age. I wish Brian Cashman all the luck getting rid of ARod but it won't happen unless he gets busted for that steroid business.  Beware, you red flop fans, of the Blue Jays and the Orioles.

Sayonara and Happy 4th.