IT'S ALARMING

In the not too distant past, we used to wake up to some serious rock and roll.  Then that station hired a couple of guys who preferred yakking to music and we changed to public radio.  This morning, when the alarm went off, the first thing I heard was that Israel has called up 16,000 more reservists.  I almost ache for the return of the yakkers.

Let me stroll out my bona fide credentials:  I want Israel to survive.  I happen also to believe that there needs to be a Palestinian state and, by having such thoughts, I am not a "bad " Jew.  I also thought "we" (meaning my tribe, the so called chosen people) were better than this.  Children are dying and have died in Gaza. Electricity and water are barely working.  Yes, Israel has the right to defend itself but we are verging into dangerous territory--and I am not just talking about the mounting casualties.  There is an ethical and moral side to this as well.  We are starting to fail the ethical and moral test when schools and UN shelters are bombed either by Israel or by misfired Hamas rockets.  It is alarming.

Ends and Odds
--Our Governor would like to open up a site for the immigrant children who are in detention along the US/Mexican border.  But it is becoming very clear that many of us in this state are not as welcoming as the Governor hoped--including some of our so called leaders.  Two great articles in the Globe about this.  One by a very Irish columnist who wondered how his grandparents would have gotten here during the Irish Potato Famine if not for America opening its borders.  The other was about Chelsea--a relatively poor and very Hispanic city just north of Boston.  This article focused on the school superintendent who made it very clear that her system is there to educate and not wonder about a child's legal status--and yet she acknowledged that there was a high percentage of her students who were not citizens.  BTW, you all do know our armed forces also take that position--don't need to be a citizen to fight for Uncle Sam.
--Two more typical and bizarre Globe stories.  The first about goats being let loose to clean up overgrown lots.  The second  about the Globe's decision to develop and operate a "Catholicism" website called Crux. Come on with all the Catholic stuff.  They are really becoming a paper with a very limited view of religion.
--John Boehner (he who has a perpetual tan) will not support impeachment but will support legislation to sue the President.  This is what we get from Republican leadership.  Oh, am I worried about the midterm elections and what might happen should they get control of the Senate.
--The mayor of New York while in Italy continues to eat pizza with a fork which apparently enrages all sorts of people with nothing else to do.
--Putin gets the Sochi Olympics which run $50 billion dollars over budget and then tells the rest of the world (especially Europe) to fuck off as he supports the Ukrainian separatists.  Terrific.
--Does anyone have or know where Kasey Kasem's body is--I am very worried.
--These two items only sound like sports.  A wonderful article in Sports Illustrated about Roger Angell, the 93 year old baseball writer for the New Yorker.  And there is this from ESPN.  One of their less than bright lights, Stephen A. Smith, said out loud that a certain football player's wife provoked him into abusing her. Fortunately two female sports journalists took him, stomped him so he hurt, and then kicked him to the curb.
--Off to the Berkshires tomorrow.  That young person from Austin will even join us.  You will hear from me again in September.  Hope you don't suffer any withdrawal pangs.
--Thinking a lot about Norma.

SPORTS TALK
--Lester has been traded.  Not a Sox fan but I think Cepedes is worth it.
--According to all the media hypers, the Patriots are guaranteed to be in the Super Bowl.  And according to other players on other teams, they would be foolish not to go after Gronk and try to hit his injured knee.  And you would let your kid play Pop Warner?
--The AL baseball teams are playing for one of the two wild card slots--the AL West will most assuredly have one while the second is what everyone is after.

Sayonara

LET'S PLAY MAKE BELIEVE

Let's pretend I live in Boston (turns out I do) along with a lot of other people.  Let's pretend there is a city across the river called Cambridge (turns out there is).  Let's pretend the name of the river is the Rio Grande (turns out it is called the Charles).  Let's pretend me and my friends want to live in Cambridge--they have better jobs, they have better housing, and they have no drug cartels like they do on my side of the river. Let's pretend it is illegal for me and me friends to go to Cambridge. And those mean Cambridge people stop us when we try to walk across the bridges, they stop our cars, and they stop our boats.  But we are both smart and resourceful so we hire guides (some of  them are called coyotes) to get us across often by swimming in the shallowest parts of the river.  Let's also pretend that except for a few residents of Cambridge who came over on the Mayflower, the rest of the residents all were either born in another country or their parents were or their grandparents were. Let's pretend, then, that most of them are either immigrants themselves or descendants of immigrants.

Let's quit pretending and just say that this immigration mess in which we send people back to strife torn countries (and some of those people are children) is fucked up.  The Ted Cruz's of the world who have forgotten their roots are mean spirited nasty unpleasant people.  And Obama blew it big time when he was in Texas and did not go to the border--are you serious?  Even if he was there for 5 minutes and patted two heads, he should have gone.  Yuck on him.

Speaking of children:  Three Israeli and one Palestinian teenager (not counting the number of dead since then) are dead.  Their parents have lost them forever and the adults on both sides are now blowing up each other.  I am beyond words.

Ends and Odds:
--The Governor of Maine is an idiot.
--The European countries also have mindless idiots fighting immigration openness--but did you notice that every European team had immigrants or immigrant descendants on their teams.  That seems to have worked out well--huh?
--So unemployment continues to slowly go down and the economy slowly improves and everyone still hates Obama.  Eric Holder was right--some of this is about race.
--And Boehner's (he who has a perpetual tan) response is to sue the President over Obamacare.
--Saw the wonderful, yet very sad, documentary about Roger Ebert.  What courage.
--Special Nike ad playing tonight focusing on Derek Jeter (and that is not about sports).
--A great documentary on POV/PBS last night about New Orleans and a race for City Council.

SPORTS TALK
--The U.S. deserved to lose to Belgium.  And no, I am not one of those who deems their performance so great.  This country has 300 fucking million people--we should be better.  I am one who believes playing in Europe is better for a player's improvement than MLS.  And Landon Donovan would not have made a difference.
--Germany was predictably boring and yet won.  That final goal against Argentina was just splendid.
--The Bruins for whatever reason blew it by not signing Iginla--they need goal scorers and I will not even get into my Seguin pet peeve.

N:  You may not get better but all of us love you and are here for you.

Sayonara.