I've been reading Kid
Cary's column for a few years and it's interesting/encouraging to note how
his column seems to be coming better and better while so many others are
going stale and stuffy.
The last few were like Herb Caen in San Francisco of NYC's Jimmy Breslin. (Yes,
I now, they're gone. Still... The mix of wry humor and useful information,
the straight reportage and editorial zaps are just right. Only a few of the
columnists I've read have pulled all this off so well. I'll keep on
a-reading Kid Cary regularly.
Please convey my applause to this heft maven. And what's the story on the
column's name? 'The Boss Asked Me . . . ' Seems like KC is his own boss.
Such is a draw - independence and a feisty nature - for readers to come in
and stay, week after week.
{NEW}
High School Graduation Ala the 2008
Extended Family
By: Nana Banana
Mom & New Husband
Dad & New Wife
Younger Brother
Maternal Grandma (me) &
Grandpa
Paternal Grandma &
Grandpa
Mom's new husband's
Parents
Dad's new wife's father
Each
of these family members are actively involved in my granddaughter's life.
Except for me (of course), each grandparent either natural or step are
equally important in this family.
I,
am the self-appointed and uncontested family matriarch.
Six
tickets to the graduation ceremony were allotted to each of the graduating
students.
We
needed no less than 12. There was no one to cut. After calling the school
only to
be
told 'no exceptions, 6 tickets per student,' I told my granddaughter to ask
her peers if anyone had any extra tickets.
What
happened next still leaves me with my mouth ajar. Her 'friends' told her
they
are going to 'sell the tickets outside the school on the morning of the
graduation.'
I
got to the school one hour before everyone was due to arrive on the big day.
Sure
enough it was like Madison Square Garden. There were at least a dozen
students adorned in cap & gown hawking their extra tickets. Student
Scalpers!
I
managed to purchase the needed 6 extra tickets at a negotiated price of
between
$25
and $75 each before the scalping was discovered by the school security
and
the students forced to go into the school.
Until this confession, only my granddaughter and I know how we got 12
tickets to her graduation. Unbelievable!!!!
How Do You Draw McCain?
By: Sy
Baron
BUSH +
CARBON PAPER = McCain
American Idol
By: The Baroness
(The Sy Baron Family Granddaughter)
More
Americans voted for American Idol contestants than they did in
any presidential election.
Could it be that we liked the
contestants who ran but didn't like the candidates who ran.
Could it be that a 17 year old can vote on American Idol, serve in
the military and yet not be allowed to vote in a presidential election.
Could it be that on American Idol, what you see is what you get but in a
presidential election it's all smoke & mirrors, undeliverable promises,
deceptions & lies.
American Idol counts the actual votes.
There are no super delegates.
All
votes are equal.
American Idol doesn't have chads or hanging chads.
American Idol contestants strut their stuff without berating the
competition.
What say you out there?
Where to Buy Gas - Not from OPEC
From Nina W.
WHERE TO BUY AMERICAN GASOLINE.
THIS
IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW.
READ
ON.
Gas rationing in the 70's worked even though we grumbled
about it. It might even have been good for us!
Are you aware that the Saudis are boycotting American
products?
Shouldn't we return the favor? Can't we take control of
our own destiny and let these giant oil importers know who REALLY generates
their profits, their livings? How about leaving American Dollars in America
and reduce the import/export deficit?
An appealing remedy might be to boycott their GAS. Every
time you fill up your car you can avoid putting more money into the coffers
of Saudi Arabia. Just purchase gas from companies that don't import their
oil from the Saudis.
Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every
time I fill up my tank, I'm sending my money to people who I get the
impression want me, my family and my friends dead. Don't you think it
might be of interest to know which oil companies import Middle Eastern oil
and which do not?
These companies import Middle Eastern oil:
Shell
205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco.
144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil.
130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway.
117,740,000 barrels
Amoco.
62,231,000
barrels
And CITGO oil is imported from Venezuela by Dictator Hugo
Chavez who hates America and openly avows our economic destruction! (We pay
Chavez's regime nearly $10 Billion per year in oil revenues!)
The U.S. currently imports 5,517,000 barrels of crude oil
per day from OPEC. If you do the math at $95 per barrel, that's over $524
million PER DAY ($191 BILLION per
year!) handed over to OPEC, many of whose members are our
confirmed enemies!!!!!
Here
are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:
Sunoco.
0 barrels
Conoco
0 barrels
Sinclair
0 barrels
BP / Phillips
0 barrels
Hess
0 barrels
ARC0
0 barrels
Maverick.
0 barrels
Flying J
0 barrels
Valero.
0 barrels
I AM
GOING TO ADD THE FOLLOWING…
Murphy Oil USA sold at Wal-Mart is from South Arkansas and
owned USA. Not only that they give scholarships to all children in their
town who finish high school and are legal US citizens.
All of this information is available from the U.S.
Department of Energy and each company is required to state where they get
their oil and how much they are importing.
But to have a real impact, we need to reach literally
millions of gas buyers. With the help of the internet, it's really simple
to do. Now, don't wimp out at this point....keep reading and I'll explain
how simple it is to reach millions of people!!
I'm sending this note to about thirty people. If each of
you send it to at only ten more (30 x 10 = 300)....and those 300 send it to
at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000)....and so on, by the time the message
reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE
MILLION consumers!!!!!!!
If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten
friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes
one level further, you guessed it....THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE-the entire
population of the United States of America!!!!
Again, all you have to do is forward this message to 10
people. How long would that really take you? If each of us sends this
e-mail out to ten more people, within one day all 300 MILLION people could
theoretically be contacted during the next eight days!
Is Life
Just A Bowl Of Cherries
Mrs. Sy Baron asks
Life
is just a bowl of cherries
Don't take it serious,
Life's too mysterious
You
work,
You
save,
You
worry so
But
you can't take your dough
When
you go, go, go
No
matter how clever I think I am, there's no beating the slot machine. I
reconciled myself to seeing my coins flowing away in a steady stream, paying
tribute to the engineering brains which have designed these pick-pocket
machines so efficiently that they can't fail to keep half or more of the
coins I feed into them, giving me nothing in return except the thrill of
seeing my money vanish.
If
"Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" these cherries will never pay enough to
make me rich.
Bob Wins the Lottery
Brought to you by
The Green Frog
(1) Rearrange the
letters: SLOT MACHINES.
(2) Bob rushes into
his house and yells to his wife, `Carmen, pack up your things! I just won
the lottery." Carmen replies, "Should I pack for warm weather or cold?" Bob
responds, "I don't care. Just get out!"
Answer: CASH LOST IN
EM.
Open Invitation to Obama, Clinton & McCain
For Dinner at My House
From Sy Baron & Family
I
finally figured out how to
figure out who to vote
for. At first I thought I'd vote for the guy/gal who promises to end the
Iraq war. Perhaps the candidate who will bring down the gas prices. Or
even better, which one will promise a lifetime pass to Disneyland. Any of
these would be great.
But
then I gave serious thought to deciding who will get my vote. You see, none
of the candidates are really capable of delivering on any of those
promises. I had to come up with a better decision making plan. I want
someone who will make the country it's old self again as seen by the rest of
the world.
I
will not try and
see if he/she are in agreement with me on any issue. I have a better
plan. I will invite each of them, one at a time, over for dinner. After
dinner we can relax in the living room and I will look into their eyes and
listen to the words coming out of their mouth. If I feel comfortable, not
with what's being said, but with the tone of how they are said, then that's
my man (or woman).
My
point is that I've got to trust them to do the job the same way I do mine,
with determination and sincerity and a strong belief that makes me feel I'm
in the presence of an honest person. I want to believe that he really
doesn't want the power of the presidency but he/she takes it because they
know America is a great country and wants nothing more out of life than to
serve his fellow Americans.
My Short Bucket List
By: Mrs. Sy Baron
Sixty Five years in
the making, I am now ready to attack my personal bucket list.. one by one.
In no particular order, my top 10 list is as follows:
1.
Learn how to twirl a baton.
2.
Attend Friday night services at least once a month.
3.
Call my college sweetheart requesting a current photo.
4.
Wear a bikini swimsuit at the Rio's beach.
5.
Clean behind the refrigerator.
6.
Organize my car trunk.
7.
Learn how to accessorize my wardrobe.
9.
Make Gefilte Fish from scratch.
10.
Take the Jeopardy contestant test for the 3rd time.. this time try and pass.
Chutzpah 101
By Merner Terna
It was only a few months ago that we flew back to New York
to attend a wedding.
While there we drove past our old house in Forest Hills to
see if the new owners changed the landscaping or built additions to the
house. As luck would have it, the owner was on the lawn talking to the
mailman. We stopped and introduced ourselves and immediately realized he
wasn't the owner we had sold our house to just 6 months earlier. The couple
to whom we sold turned out to be 'flippers.' They would purchase a house,
renovate it and resell it almost immediately for huge profits. In this
case, there were no renovations, just the flip. The new owner was shocked
to learn that he paid $150,000 more than we sold the house for just 6 months
earlier.
My husband, on the other side of the coin, still laments
that we “lost $150,000." He insists we should have asked more for the
house. But like life, timing is everything. In today's housing trend, we
should consider ourselves lucky to have gotten our asking price back then.
My husband now walks around the house mumbling to himself
or whoever will listen about the Chutzpah of the 'flippers' we sold to. In
my mind they were just savvy. But I keep my mouth tightly shut....he feels
bad enough.
Dear VCO
As I
prepare for my Mother's Day with my children and grandchildren, I can't help
but feel for the mothers who have a son or daughter in the military. Could
you find a Clark County mother who ONLY has one child and that child is in
the military unable to be home for Mother's Day. Without fanfare or fuss
please give my prize to that mother.
I
love working as an extra on the movie and TV sets here in Vegas. Retirement
has afforded me the ability to divide my free time between charitable causes
and fun. I love opportunity of meeting new people, many in my age range and
financial bracket. Many even share my politics. With all the 'waiting
around time' one can't help but engage in conversation. The extras come
from all walks of life and all areas of the country. In this last year I've
learned more about people than I did in my previous 65 years. Fascinating
melting pot we have going on here in Vegas. Veddy veddy interesting! Lovin'
every day of it....
Déjà Vu All Over Again(Thanx
Yogi)
Submitted by: Sal Sagev
The time has come the walrus said to talk of many things...of shoes & ships
and ceiling wax and cabbages & kings.
The time has also come to talk about our first grandchild going off to
college
Wasn't it just yesterday when we took her mother, our first born, up
to college for the first time.
Where have the years gone...these are all good things happening and we are
happy but the years are slipping by so fast. My own father is almost 95 and
sharp as a tack, so there is hope I can dance at my grandchildren's
weddings. (Or at least be wheeled in if need be)...
I'm just
sitting here wondering where the years went. So quick....so darn quick.
Today's Souvenir, Tomorrow's Garbage
The Baron Family
We
returned from a recent visit to Lake Havasu to see the infamous London
Bridge.
Three hours in each direction, back and forth on the same day. Took some
pictures,
did
a little exploring and came back home.
The
first people to greet us were my children and grandchildren..."Did you bring
us back a souvenir?" We didn't. To be perfectly honest we didn't even
think of it. We did
visit the gift shop but it just had the usual generic overpriced items.
How
far do we have to travel? Is it distance that counts?
What
is the criteria that needs to be met to bring back a souvenir gift.
Old
Vegas vs. Vegas Now
From:
Old-time Las Vegan
I'm a real old-timer who's been here since the
late 60's and have watched Las Vegas grow from a small town to a
mega city... but what have those changes brought? Below is a
miniscule of the MANY reasons I'd like the Old Vegas back!
Old Vegas
Vegas Now
"The Boys"
Corporations
Giving Comps
all the time
Every
department - bottom line profits
No Traffic
hassles
Total traffic
congestions
99 cent Shrimp
Cocktail
$4.99 Shrimp
Cocktail
Lounge shows -
$5 incl. 2 drinks
Nightclubs -
$500 - $2,000 a night
You do the
math!
Thank You
Lois & Ben
We are proud that our submission on preventing global warming has
been chosen
as the winning Feedback for March.
It would please us to have our prize offered to Dr. David Hassenzah,
the Chair of the Environment Studies Department at UNLV for him to
present to a student of his choosing who is a member of S.S.C.Sierra
Student Coalition
S.S.C. is a student organization at UNLV that focuses on
environmental
issues facing Southern Nevada and the world.
Brando at the Seder
From: David S. Newman
This
was published last year in the LA Jewish Journal and this year some other
papers are running it.It is such
a weird juxtaposition of people----Dylan and Brando.Louis Kemp, of Kemp Seafoods, the author, is achildhood friendof Bob
Dylan.
Brando at the Seder
Louie Kemp
You
might remember him as Don Vito Corleone, Stanley Kowalski or the eerie Col.
Walter E. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now , but I remember Marlon Brando as a mensch
and a personal friend of the Jewish people when they needed it most.
I
got to know Marlon about thirty years ago through a mutual friend. His son,
Christian, came to work for me in fisheries I owned in Alaska and Minnesota.
Marlon impressed me as a dedicated parent. He would often call me to check
on his boy with all the tenacity and loving concern of a Jewish mother: Was
he eating enough? Did he get to work on time? Was he hanging out with the
right people?
Christian was a great kid. He worked hard, had a good attitude and earned
the respect of all his co-workers.
In
the mid-1970s, when I would visit Los Angeles from my home in Minnesota,
Marlon and I would get together. I was becoming increasingly involved in my
religion and he would tell me with great pride and satisfaction about his
support for Israel even before it became a State. Marlon explained that in
1946, two years before Israel achieved statehood, he desperately believed
that the survivors of the Holocaust deserved to have their own land wh ere
they could live free from oppression and the anti-Semitic tyranny of the
outside world.
True
to form, Marlon put his money where his mouth was and donated all of his
proceeds from the play, 'A Flag Is Born,' to the Irgun, a Zionist political
group dedicated to rescuing European Jewry and the establishment of Israel
as an independent sovereign nation. He continued his donations and
charitable work over the entire two-year run of the play as it went from
Broadway to touring destinations around the United States.
'A
people that fought so hard to survive need and deserve their own land,' he
told me. 'I did all that I could and actively supported Israel's statehood
anyway I was able.'
Marlon also told me with great emotion that his success in theater and
movies was largely due to the Jewish people in New Y ork who befriended and
taught him. He warmly mentioned Stella Adler, the legendary acting coach who
both taught Marlon his craft and housed him with her family while he was
getting on his feet as an actor. He was also especially proud of the fact
that he could converse in Yiddish, having learned it while living with her
family.
One
of my visits to Los Angeles coincided with Passover. I was not yet Orthodox
and made plans to attend a seder at a local synagogue with my sister. Marlon
called me that very day and invited me out to dinner. I graciously declined,
explaining that it was Passover and I was going to a seder. Marlon became
audibly excited over the phone and said, 'Passover -- I've always wanted to
attend a seder. Can I come with you?' He had made mean offer I couldn't refuse. I told him it could be arranged and
called the synagogue to add one more to our list.
A
short time later, Marlon called me back and asked if he could bring a
friend. I said, yes, by all means, never thinking to ask his friend's name.
I
called the shul again. They were a little less patient this time and
begrudgingly told me that they could squeeze one more person in, but this
was absolutely the last one as they were now officially sold out.
Still later that day, I received a phone call from a childhood friend of
mine who had become a well-known singer/songwriter. Being Jewish himself,
and hearing I was going to a seder, he asked if he and his wife could go
along. The shul was unhappy to receive my most recent request, but somehow I
softened the heart of the receptionist and she agreed to let my people go --
to the seder.
I
will never forget the sight of our table in the synagogue. Marlon Brando was
to my left and sitting next to him was his guest. This was during the height
of Marlon's involvement with Native American causes and he had brought with
him noted Indian activist Dennis Banks of Wounded Knee fame.
Banks was dressed in full Indian regalia: buckskin tassles on his clothes
and long braids hanging down from a headband, which sported a feather.
My
childhood friend Bob Dylan sat to my right, joined by his wife, my sister
Sharon, and other friends.
At
first the seder progressed normally without anyone in the temple noticing
anything out of the ordinary. After about forty-five minutes, the rabbi
figured out that ours was not your average seder table. 'Mr. Brando, would
you please do us the honor of reading the next passa ge from the Hagaddah,'
he said. Marlon said, 'It would be my pleasure.'
He
smiled broadly, stood up and delivered the passage from the Hagaddah as if
he were reading Shakespeare on Broadway.
Mouths fell open and eyes focused on the speaker with an intensity any rabbi
would covet. When he was done I think people actually paused, wondering if
they should applaud.
Somewhat later the rabbi approached another member of our table.
'Mr.
Dylan, would you do us the honor of singing us a song?'
The
rabbi pulled out an acoustic guitar. I thought he would politely decline
Much
to my surprise Bob said yes and performed an impromptu rendition of 'Blowin'
in the Wind' to the stunned shul of about 300 seder guests. The incongruity
of a seder, with Marlon Brando reading the Hagaddah followed by a Bob Dylan
serenade, would have made for a good Fellini movie. Needless to say,
everyone was both shocked and thrilled by this unusual Hollywood-style
Passover miracle. The entire shul came by to shake both Marlon and Bob's
hands and they actually paused and spent time with everyone.
Just
a couple of years ago, Marlon called me up in Minnesota, out ofthe blue. We had kept in touch through the trials and tribulations he
was going through with his family. 'Louie Kemp,' he said, 'I've been
thinking about you. Twenty years ago you took me to a seder. I want you to
know that I still think about it to this very day. In fact, I was thinking
about it today and that's why I called you.'
He
continued to thank me and tell me of the special spiritual impact it had on
him and how much he identified with a people freeing themselves from bondage
and uniting to celebrate and remember that freedom.
He
told me he was sending his three youngest children to a Jewish day school in
Los Angeles. When I asked him why, he said, 'Louie, don't you know that the
Jewish schools are the best?' I could almost hear him smiling over the
phone.
Dining Out Wishes
From: Lucky in Love Lucie
That li'l cup of coleslaw that accompanies a burger or
sandwich changed to potato salad
Gravy should be offered as a beverage
Instead of a pickle on the side, two strips of bacon
(yum!)
Seltzer (club soda) in lieu of the free water
Extra napkins in the middle of the table mandatory..
part of the table setting
A few large print menus upon request as well as a
Braille menu
No auctioning off of food ....order taker codes who
gets what by seat #...
Specials of the day, when recited, should also include
the price
Diners at a table should be served simultaneously..
one dish shouldn't be served and the other guest told, "Yours will be
out shortly."
All That Glitters is Not Gold
By: Delilah
I really adore our city. I love the weather, the people and the landscape.
What I abhor is the traffic congestion. It has become unbearable. Years
ago I would drive to the Rio for their lunch buffet, pull a few handles,
play a little black jack then drive home. I would return to the strip later
in the evening for dinner and perhaps a show or a roll of the dice.
But that was then and this is now. If I drive to the strip it's not more
than once or twice a month. I avoid it like the plague. I cannot cope with
the traffic and time lost waiting for traffic lights to change 5 or 6 times
before I can cross an intersection. This is the one big drawback to living
in the valley. Legislation proposals come and go without any viable plan.
New York City's traffic, in it's peak gridlock days, the week before
Christmas, pales by comparison to everywhere in Vegas
Tony Curtis,
Horse Hair, La Cote Basque
By: Mrs. Sy
Baron
Back in the Bronx in the early 50's I joined the Tony Curtis Fan Club. At
the ripe old age of 11, I was madly in love with Tony Curtis and Eddie
Fisher. My mom (may she rest in peace) playfully made fun of my infatuations. When I watched the
15 minute show Coke Time starring Eddie Fisher she would say, "Oh you're
watching Eddie Pisher
again?" I sent away for a lock of Tony Curtis' hair. When it arrived I was
in ecstasy and slept with it under my pillow. One night during my mom's mah
jong game I heard the yentas laughing and heard words, "Curtis" "hair" and
"horse." I got out of bed and listened by my door. My mom was telling her
friends that they probably cut off part of the tail of a horse and sent it
to me as a lock of Tony's hair. That was the kiss of death for my love
affair with Tony Curtis.
FAST FORWARD...UPTEEN YEARS to the late 60s.
I was a guest at a dinner party at La Cote Basque in Manhattan.
The publishers from Simon and Schuster were wooing Jack Molinas (the
expelled basketball player) to write an autobiography.
At that time I was between husbands and was Molinas' date. Among
others at the table was Tony
Curtis. I remember feeling like a fish out of water. I
was very much out of my league and unable to participate in much of the
conversation. Tony Curtis
sat diagonally opposite me. He was the only person at that table to make
any effort to engage me in conversation. He was personable, witty, smiled
at me, made appropriate eye contact and most importantly he put me at ease.
Jack and I were the first to leave. I 'made the nice'
saying good-bye to all and how nice it was to have met them. Tony stood and
said to me, "The pleasure was mine. It was nice meeting YOU!" I'm sure he
doesn't remember the evening, and has no reason to remember me but I never
forgot how 'menchy' he was. I write this because he is a local and I want
everyone to know what a kind man is living in our midst.
DTV Transition and the Coupon Program
The Kassops
At
midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the
United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital
broadcasting. Digital broadcasting promises to provide a clearer picture and
more programming options and will free up airwaves for use by emergency
responders.
Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program for households wishing
to keep using their analog TV sets after February 17, 2009. The Program
allows U.S. households to obtain up to two coupons, each worth $40, that can
be applied toward the cost of eligible converter boxes.
A TV connected to
cable, satellite or other pay TV service does not require a TV converter box
from this program.
Consumers have a variety of options. Options to explore include:
Keep your existing analog TV and purchase a TV
converter box. A converter box plugs into your TV and will keep it
working after Feb. 17, 2009, or
Connect to cable, satellite or other pay service, or
Mrs. Sy Baron's article about Cheney flipping the bird to
us, reminds me of a few years ago when Tim Russert interviewed Cheney on
Meet the Press for the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Even though this was
about two years ago, I never forgot the interview.
Mr. Cheney repeatedly disagreed and repeatedly
disregarded virtually every concern voiced by many Americans about the way
Mr. Bush is managing his war. I never forgot how frustrated I felt when
listening to Cheney, in a position of responsibility such as his, could be
so callous in his views towards many of our citizens. There was simply no
connection either in his demeanor or his arguments that would give anyone
the feeling that views different from his might have a place in the grand
scheme of things.
I'm pretty comfortable with Teddy Roosevelt's axiom to
speak softly but carry a big stick. I am not comfortable with a brash
display of force to overcome some imagined adversary. If you have the big
stick you don't have too much to worry about when war is forced upon you.
But when you are the aggressor (as we are in Iraq) no stick is big enough
since, in addition to the new enemy, you've also chosen to fight the weight
of public opinion, here and worldwide. Cheney, of course, not being the
statesman we might wish for, will give no credence to opinions other than
his own. The literature is full of such tragic figures.
I have memories of the grandeur of America when we had
the respect of all nations on earth; when that respect filtered down,
despite our sometimes dysfunctional but generally operational political
system, to the rest of us because we were known as a people who gave more
than we took from the rest of the world. Now where are we? When I get up in
the morning, I have to beg for the ability to "forgive them for they know
not what they do."
A reporter from ABC News this week told Dick Cheney, in regards to Iraq,
"two-thirds of Americans say it's not worth fighting." Cheney cut her off
with a one word answer:
"So?"
"So?" As in,
"So what?" As in, "The heck with you. I could care less."
I would like
every American to see Cheney flip the virtual bird at us, the American
people.
Then ask yourself why we haven't risen up and thrown him and his puppet out
of the White House.
The Democrats have had the power to literally pull the plug on this war for
the past 15 months -- and they have refused to do so. What are we to do
about that? Continue to sink into our despair? Or get creative? Real
creative. I know there are many of you reading this who have the chutzpah
and ingenuity to confront your local congressperson. Will you?
Cheney spent Wednesday, the 5th anniversary of the war, not mourning the
dead he killed, but fishing off the Sultan of Oman's royal yacht! So?
Ask your favorite Republican what they think of that.
The Founding Fathers would never have uttered the presumptuous words, "God
Bless America." That, to them, sounded like a command instead of a request,
and one doesn't command God, even if they are America. In fact, they were
worried God would punish America. During the Revolutionary War, George
Washington feared that God would react unfavorably against his soldiers for
the way they were behaving. John Adams wondered if God might punish America
and cause it to lose the war, just to prove His point that America was not
worthy. They and the others believed it would be arrogant on their part to
assume that God would single out America for a blessing. What a long road we
have traveled since then.
I see that Frontline on PBS this week has a documentary called "Bush's War."
That's what I've been calling it for a long time. It's not the "Iraq War."
Iraq did nothing. Iraq didn't plan 9/11. It didn't have weapons of mass
destruction. It DID have movie theaters and bars and women wearing what they
wanted and a significant Christian population and one of the few Arab
capitals with an open synagogue.
But that's all gone now. Show a movie and you'll be shot in the head. Over a
hundred women have been randomly executed for not wearing a scarf. I'm
happy, as a blessed American, that I had a hand in all this. I just paid my
taxes, so that means I helped to pay for this freedom we've brought to
Baghdad. So? Will God bless me?
With Easter just passed and Passover less than a month away let God bless
all of us as we begin the 6th year
of THE BUSH WAR.
We need more than for God to bless us, we need God to help America.
Please!
Vegas'
1st Annual April Fools' Day Parade
Satirically Presented By: Sy Baron
The 1st
Annual April Fools' Day Parade will march down Las Vegas Boulevard South
beginning at 12 noon, Tuesday, April 1st, 2008.
The Las Vegas April Fools' Day Parade is being created to remedy a glaring
omission of Vegas' failure to recognize the importance of April 1st, the day
designated to commemorate the perennial folly of mankind. In an attempt to
bridge that gap and bring people back in touch with their inherent
foolishness, the parade will annually crown a King of Fools from parading
look-a-likes.
The
parade will be led by President George Bush and his entire cabinet. They
will be given a 60-second lead and then pursued by an outraged lynch mob.
This will be followed by a humongous parade-size helium balloon of a B52
Bomber Equipped with Nuclear Missiles flying overhead as the April Fools'
Day Parade Marching Band plays Woody Guthrie's "So Long, It's Been Good to
Know You." The Parade's Grand Marshall will be Ralph Nader, appropriately
dressed as The Jester.
The public is encouraged to participate, in or out of costume, with or
without floats, and may join the procession at any point along the parade
route. Floats can be no wider than 10 feet and no longer than 25 feet. They
can be self-propelled, towed, pushed or pulled. Customized bicycles,
tricycles, baby carriages and aerial balloons are welcome. The Parade
Committee assumes no liability for damages caused by satire. All
participants are costumed look-alikes.
This
year's floats will be led Mardi Gras-style by Angelo Mozilo, CEO of
Countrywide Financial, and instead of beads his Loan Shark Cronies will toss
out loans you can't refuse to the crowd; Michael Vick will be taking bets on
his Dog Fight Float with caged, snarling pit bulls; a Chinese Dry-Cleaning
Float will feature Roy Pearson screaming, "Where are my pants? I'm going to
sue!"; an Archeological Dig float designed by James Cameron will feature
Jesus and Mary's Bones; a Tourette's Syndrome Float will feature radio
personality Don Imus, political pundit Ann Coulter, the Reverend Louis
Farrakhan, radio talk show host Bill Cunningham, and Dog the Bounty
Hunter-all shouting obscenities at the crowd.
Marching celebrity fool look-alikes will include Senator Larry Craig
insisting, "I'm not gay!"; Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore insisting,
"I am gay"; Cheaney Aide Scooter Libby pleading "Pardon me, pardon
me!"; disruptive political protestor Andrew Meyer surrounded by cops
screaming, "Don't tase me, bro"; ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
asserting, "To the best of my recollection, I don't remember anything";
baseball great Roger Clemens protesting, "I never used steroids!"; ex-cop
Drew Peterson calling for his missing wife to "Come home, just come home";
contagious TB world traveler Andrew Speaker coughing on the crowd; and a
dazed Britney Spears looking for the Halloween Parade.
Color commentary will be provided by ex-Philadephia TV newscaster Alicia
Lane in a thong bikini. Security this year will be provided by mercenaries
courtesy of Blackwater.
As the parade ends in downtown Vegas , the party begins, featuring live
music, food, concessions & entertainment. The Chinese Government will be
sponsoring a Food and Drug Concession and a Chinese Pet Food Booth. The USDA
will be giving away free hamburgers. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and
the CIA will provide free demonstrations of Waterboarding. Sex offender Deb
LaFave will run a Day Care Center for paraders' children. And OJ Simpson and
his posse will hawk his sports memorabilia to raise money for next year's
parade.
We are grateful to the Las Vegas Council on the Arts, National Endowment for
the Arts, Mayor Goodman, Governor Gibbons and private funders for their
support of this year's parade.
The King or Queen of Fools will be chosen based on the loudest cheers of the
crowd on Freemont St. The winner will reign through March 31, 2009.
Green-Collar Jobs
Mrs. S. Baron
With all the building constantly going on in Vegas, I have yet to
see anyone spurring the creation of green-collar jobs. To me a green-collar
jobs is any job that directly contributes to preserving or enhancing
environmental quality. Like traditional blue collar jobs, green-collar
jobs can range from low-skill, entry-level type positions to high-skill,
higher paid jobs.
Green-collar jobs are found in construction, manufacturing,
installation, maintenance and many other industries. Some green-collar
jobs are extremely well paid, career track jobs that contribute directly to
preserving or enhancing environmental quality. Green-collar jobs tend to be
local because many involve work transforming and upgrading the already built
and natural environment—work such as retro fitting buildings, installing
solar panels, construction like our monorail, and landscaping.
NOT A GREEN COLLAR JOB: If a job improves the environment,
but doesn’t provide a family-supporting wage or a career ladder to move
low-income workers into higher-skilled occupations, it is not a green-collar job.
(e.g. workers installing solar panels without job security or proper
training, or young people pushing brooms at a green building site without
opportunity for training or advancement.)
I would be beholden to anyone who would direct me to the proper
agency and/or person who has the means, motive and opportunity to create
some honest-to-goodness GREEN COLLAR JOBS in Clark County.
Bush's Marching Orders
By: Mrs. S. Baron
I am delighted that John McCain finally made it as front runner of his
party, if only for the fact that anyone who went through what he went
through in Vietnam is certainly entitled to declare his candidacy for
president of the United States. Despite his allegiance to what has become of
the Republican party in recent years, he has still made an ongoing attempt
to comfort the afflicted as well as afflict the comfortable in the U.S.
Senate. And that is something sorely needed.
He has not yet announced who his running mate might be
and I'm disappointed that he turns toward Mr. Bush for support. For if he
panders to that kind of corruption, might he also not call for someone like
Mike Huckabee to be his vice-president if only to reach the far right vote
as well?
And, at 71 years old, is there not a reasonable
assumption that McCain might die in office, leaving the country in the hands
of a doctrinaire belief system of someone the Founding Fathers warned us
against?
I would much rather this country be led by a man
dedicated to the laws of the United States rather than another president who
talks and listens to God for his marching orders.
Do Not Call Registry
By: Sy Baron
The National Do Not
Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing
calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has
been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint at
this Website. You can register your home or mobile phone for free.
How To Intelligently
Choose Between Hillary & Obama
By: Sy Baron
One Potato, Two Potato
Eeny Meany, Mighty Moe
Odds, Evens
Rock - Paper - Scissors
Corned Beef My Way
Mrs. Sy Baron
As a card carrying, dues paying member of the Reformed Jewish Faith I look
forward to St. Patrick's Day for a few reasons. St. Patrick's Day means
corned beef is in abundance and on sale in the supermarkets. It's time to
fill the freezer. I love a corned beef sandwich on New York Rye Bread with
side of potato salad, a sour pickle and a Dr. Brown's Celery Tonic or Cream
Soda.
Arby's just came out with their new Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich with
Thousand Island Dressing and Swiss Cheese served on what they call marble
rye but is really soft texture.
Now I ask you, be honest....how would you prefer your corned beef sandwich?
Submitted For Your Enjoyment
By The One & Only Tony Cedrini
Green Gore
Submitted by Alice
Green with Envy
Submitted by Sy Baron
Go Green
Submitted by the Green
Family, Lois & Ben Green
Bike Instead Of Ride.
Riding your bike instead of riding in a car saves energy and reduces
pollution, of course. But it is also fun! That makes it a double benefit.
Buy Products Made Of Recycled Paper.
How can you tell if a package is recycled? Look right on the package. Many
have specific claims, such as "made of 100 percent recycled material."
However, some recycled packages don't advertise this fact, although there
are ways you can find out for yourself. For example, when shopping for
cereal, cookies, crackers, and other groceries packaged in cardboard boxes,
make sure boxes are made from recycled paper. If the underside is gray or
dark brown, the cardboard is made of recycled material. If it's white, it
is made of unrecycled material.
Change A Light Bulb.
By replacing a standard bulb with a compact fluorescent one you will get
more light for less money and save a lot of energy.
Cut Down On Packaging.
We've already given you several ways to do this. Keep in mind that about
half of what we throw away is packaging. By buying products that have as
little packaging as possible, you can help to reduce those mountains of
trash.
Don't Buy Aerosols.
There are environmentally better packages for most products. Aerosols can't
be recycled--which means that they are guaranteed to end up in
landfills--and some of their ingredients contribute to air pollution.
Instead of aerosols, look for spray bottles, liquids, powders, and roll-ons.
Eat Organic Produce.
Organic produce contains far fewer chemicals than other produce. That's
probably better for your health, and it is definitely better for the
environment. All those chemicals get washed off of farmers' fields into
rivers and streams, where they pollute our water. In addition, many of the
chemicals are made from petroleum and other nonrenewable resources. So,
don't eat chemicals--eat real food
Elect "Green" Candidates. During election
campaigns, ask candidates about their position on the environment. Try to
ask specific questions that relate to situations in your community--whether
they support a mandatory recycling program, for example, or whether they
plan to get tough on polluting companies!
Hold On To Balloons.
Helium balloons--they kind that float up into the sky--are lots of fun, but
if you let them fly away, they may harm fish and animals. Helium balloons
eventually fall back to earth and can be blown by strong winds miles away
into the ocean. Some sea animals mistake the balloons for jellyfish. When
an animal tries to eat a balloon, it can kill the animal. So if you have a
helium balloon, hold on tight. If you know of others planning to use them
for a celebration, warn them about the dangers of letting the balloons fly
away.
Look At Labels.
Reading labels can tell you a lot of things. First, you can find out about
a product's ingredients--whether it contains anything that might be
hazardous to your health or the the environment. A label will also tell you
how to contact the product's manufacturer with your questions and comments.
Feel free to let them know what's on your mind. Do you think their product
is good? Let them know! Could it be better? Let them know that, too. In
particular, let them know if you've decided to buy--or not buy--their
product for environmental reasons. Companies listen very carefully to what
their customers have to say. It doesn't take very many letters and calls
for a company to think seriously about making changes.
Quit Throwing Away Batteries.
Americans go through more than two billion batteries a year to power such
things as radios, calculators, watches, flashlights, and computers.
Unfortunately, batteries contain many hazardous materials, which leak into
landfills when batteries are thrown away. Many of these dangerous chemicals
get into our water supply. There are two ways you can avoid throwing away
batteries. One is by using batteries that can be recharged over and over.
You should also find out if there are companies in your area that recycle
batteries. If you must throw batteries away, do so at a hazardous-waste
collection site, if there is one in your area. Still another idea is to
send the batteries back to the manufacturers, signifying that you consider
used batteries a potential danger. This may encourage companies to begin
recycling
Green Eggs and Ham à la
Sam-I-Am
By: Lola
Ingredients
1-2
tablespoons of butter or margarine
4 slices of ham
8 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
1-2 drops of green food coloring
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
Melt a teaspoon of butter in a large frying pan
over medium heat. Add sliced ham and brown until edges are slightly
crisp. Remove the ham from the pan, cover with aluminum foil, and set
aside.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the eggs,
milk, salt, and pepper. Beat with a whisk until frothy. Then add 1-2
drops of green food coloring until you reach the desired shade of green.
Heat a tablespoon of butter or margarine in a
large frying pan over medium heat until the butter begins to sizzle.
Then add the egg mixture to the pan.
Stir the egg mixture with a spatula until the
eggs are firm and not too runny.
Transfer the eggs to individual plates. Garnish
with a sprig of parsley. Add the ham prepared earlier. Serve with toast
or warm rolls.
Feeds 4
hungry green-egg lovers
My Next Life
Mrs. Sy Baron
I want to live my next life
backwards!
You start out dead and get that out of the way right off
the bat.
Then, you
wake up in a nursing home
feeling better every day. When you are
kicked out of the home for being too healthy, you
spend several years enjoying your retirement
and collecting benefit checks.
When you
start work, you get a gold watch
on your first day.
You work
35-40 years or so, getting younger every day until pretty
soon you're too young to work.
So then, you
go to high school: play sports, date, drink,
and party.
As you get
even younger, you become a kid .
You go to elementary school, play, and have no
responsibilities.
In a few
years, you become a baby and everyone runs
themselves ragged keeping you happy.
You spend
your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury,
spa-like conditions: central heating, room service
on tap.
It's Not Easy Being Green
Sing-a-long
Submitted By: Jamie
Cooper
It's not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that
It's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
But green's the color of Spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like an ocean, or important
Like a mountain, or tall like a tree
When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful
And I think it's what I want to be
From Sesame Street "It's not
easy to be green"
Wearin' Of The Green
Compiled by Mr. & Mrs.
Sy Baron
Leap Day
By: Freida
February is the only month that has four even weeks....four weeks of seven
days each. Except, every four years when we get a bonus February day.
Today is our bonus day. It's strange that this day is not celebrated. We
have a day of love celebrated right smack in the middle of February so why
shouldn't we celebrate February 29th. It is, in actuality, special.
Special because it surpasses what is considered usual.
Now
that we've been given a gift of an extra day, what say you we do on this
day?
I
vote for taking a leap of faith and paying a good deed forward...meaning
let's do something anonymously for someone who doesn't expect it. I, for
one, am planning to spend the afternoon at the home of a neighbor who is
homebound. I've already prepared a special meal for us to share. Happy
Leap Day!
On the Boardwalk of Atlantic
City
Mrs. S. Baron
It
cudda been any boardwalk resort town in the 1950s, Lakewood, Rockaway,
Jersey Shore, Wildwood or in my case Atlantic City. Fascinated by the
'claw/lobster machine' and the Planter's Peanut boardwalk store, I still
remember some 50 odd years later, the aroma of peanuts roasting and the Mr.
Peanut souvenirs. I still have my green plastic Mr. Peanut bank which
according to EBay sales commands something more than sentimental value
now. This is a photo of my brother and me on the boardwalk circa early
1950s. Notice my brother's gun and holster which was commonplace toys back
then.
Say it isn't so
Mrs. S. Baron
My 2 Cents Plain
By: Mrs. S. Baron
Bet On Bette
What a wonderful evening of entertainment. Midler on stage and a star
studded opening night audience. Where does one look first. As usual The
Devine was truly devine. Bath House Bette will not disappoint. One
question, she looks half her age and struts her stuff like she did 30 years
ago. How?
Pleeze No Obama...Pleeze
Obama has many flaws and omissions that seemed to have eluded the
press. The following is just one but says volumes. He is so very, very
inexperienced in the international arena that it is frightening to think
that he might lead this nation. He talks the talk but I seriously doubt his
ability to walk the walk.
He has taken several long trips as a lawmaker—through the Middle
East, Africa and the former Soviet Union. But there is one noteworthy gap in
Obama’s itinerary: except for a brief stopover in London, returning from
Russia in 2005, he has apparently never been to Western Europe since
launching his political career. What renders this gap especially surprising
is that Obama is Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on
Europe. Not only has the Senator not visited the region his committee
oversees, but as, Obama’s committee has not held a single policy-oriented
hearing since he’s been chairman. Europe may not be the central playing
field but it remains essential to the global set of alliances and
relationships that the U.S. needs to cultivate in the new century. In fact,
there is no place where it will be more urgent to rebuild bridges. As Obama
knows, the United States cannot do it alone—and Europe will need to play a
supporting role in whatever strategy the next president articulates.
I have voted in all presidential elections since and including
JFK. I would lose the farm on this election because if Obama beats
Hillary, I will be forced for the first time in over 65 years to vote
Republican.
Waterboarding is a form of torture
used to obtain information, coerce confessions, and for punishment and
intimidation.
Mukasey & My Mom
Submitted by
Brooklyn Benny
The
Background
President Bush nominated Mukasey to replace retired Attorney
General Gonzales.
He was eventually confirmed by the Senate but by the narrowest
margin in more than 50 years.
The Senate's concern was over Mukasey's opinion or lack thereof of
using Waterboarding as a means of interrogating terror suspects. Before his
confirmation, Mukasey said he would keep an open
mind on Waterboarding. After his confirmation, he said he reviewed the
CIA's current methods of interrogating terror suspects, which includes
Waterboarding, and finds them
to be lawful.
So on January 30th 2008 when Senator Ted Kennedy asked Mukasey if
he (Mukasey) would "considerwater
boarding torture if it was done to you", Mukasey
replied, "I would feel that it
was."
The Opinion
When I think of the lies I could have gotten away with as a
kid but was too afraid of what my mother would have done to me, I get
terribly upset.
If she hadn't bugged me so much about telling the truth,
I could have been president, for Pete's sake.
And, assuming I didn't make it to the White House, I
could at least have been elected to Congress and had a pretty good income
(plus medical benefits) for just repeating over and over again whatever I
could get the public to believe .. especially if I had the good sense to
deny I ever said what I said to begin with.
And if we assume I couldn't get elected to Congress .. a
big assumption considering how meager those qualifications are .. maybe I
could at least have settled into the job of Attorney General like this guy
Mukasey.
He and I are definitely cut from the same cloth. I
remember his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee a couple of
months ago when he conned them into believing that he'd keep an open mind
(after they gave him the job of course) about whether he believed
Waterboarding was constitutional.
I remember his words so well because it's the kind of
convoluted lie I could have told if only my mother had let me get away with
it! "If it amounts to torture then it is not constitutional." Beautiful...
Couldn't have done better myself.
Ah, what the heck. I'm too old now to change my ways.
Which just goes to show you what a terrible job my mother did in bringing me
up
In Depth
Waterboarding is a form of torture that consists of
immobilizing a person on his or her back, with the head inclined
downward and pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages.
Through forced suffocation and inhalation water, the subject experiences the
process of drowning and is made to believe that death is imminent.procedure.
It
was the Labor Day Week-end 1954. The camp bus pulled into the parking lot
of the "Y" and I immediately saw my uncle waiting for me. I was surprised
my dad wasn't there, but being away for two weeks at sleep away camp, I was
happy to see any family member. The walk home seemed exceptionally long
because I was anxious to see my mom who had been ill all summer.
My
house was full of relatives and friends. How nice, I thought, so many
people came to welcome me home from camp. After my father's initial hugs
and kisses he escorted me into his bedroom and closed the door. He
awkwardly began, "Do you know why all these people are here?" "Sure," I
said. "They're here because I'm home from camp." Then I asked if mom is
back in the hospital again. He said that mom is in a coma in the hospital
and the family has gathered here because mom is very sick. I was only 12
years old and had never heard the word 'coma.' I had no idea what that
meant. I asked when I could see mommy and he repeated that she is in a coma
and will not come out of it. I didn't know what it meant, but I remember
saying, "Will I ever see mommy again." I heard him say "No." I don't
remember anything else until found myself hours later in the bath with my
grandma sitting on a chair next to me. Why she thought a bath would help me
I have no idea, but nonetheless I am certain they did the best they could
under the circumstances. Mommy died that night.
Fifty-four years ago and I'm still not over it. I still cry. Correction, I
still sob. I can't watch any movie in which a mom dies or is ill. All my
life I was a daughter without a mother, a motherless daughter.
I've
had two marriages and didn't do either very well. I am, however, a
wonderful mother and grandmother. My children are devoted to me as I am to
them. My grandchildren adore me and I can't do enough for them. Over the
years my memory of my mother has faded despite my best efforts to hang on to
them but the sense of loss and a lack of a mother's nurturing love is very
real and ever present.
There is no other love like the selfless love of a mother. We only get one
mother. I missed growing up with that love. But I am sated knowing that I
have been fortunate to have my own children and grandchildren to whom I
bestow my motherly love.
You Can't Go Home
Again
**VCO's Steven Sorrentino
& Novelist Thomas Wolfe**
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE !!!
Presented by: Jackie Sussman
I
did go home again. Or did I?
It
was the Park Avenue of the Bronx. My parents always told me how lucky we
were to live on the Grand Concourse. Suffice it say that our huge pre-war,
three-bedroom, one-bath apartment needed to be shared with my grandparents
who helped pay the $97 a month rent.
Born in 1941, I
remember having one small windowless room designated as the 'take coverroom', our protection for
when the air raid sirens would sound. I remember my grandmother wetting the
end pieces of Wonder Bread and putting them on the fire escape for the
birds. Nothing went to waste. I remember our neighbor being locked out of
her apartment and my grandfather climbing on the fire escape to enter her
apartment and open the door for her. We had screen doors as well as the
steel apartment doors. All summer we slept with the steel doors open and
just an unlocked screen door. We never gave safety a thought.
My building stretched
from the Concourse to Walton Avenue on 166th Street. Our windows faced the
big hill on 166th Street where I often watched the older boys playing
stickball. This was a wonderful sleigh-riding hill and kids came from all
over to do just that.
Our big family
outing would be Sunday nights to the 167th Street Cafeteria. This was the
most wonderful place in the world for me. I loved taking the ticket from the
machine as we entered. My mom would take us to a large grocery/butcher on
167th Street where the chickens were walking around the sawdust floor. My
mother would choose her chicken and that would be our dinner. There was a
store for cheese and eggs; an individual store for everything.
On Friday afternoons
we would take the Trolley to Metcalf Avenue where my grandparents prepared
Shabbos dinner for us and my cousins, aunts and uncles. Every Friday night
for years and years this ritual continued. We were always sent home with the
leftovers.
I remember sitting in
the Concourse Park on a Sunday afternoon with my parents and grandparents.
We saw a young, lanky boy running away from the police. He was carrying a
shoeshine box which was common in the park for boys to shine shoes but the
police did not permit it.
My grandmother said,
"Look at that poor boy...trying to earn some pennies and the police chasing
him... "As he got closer to us my grandmother screamed, "Oh my goodness,
that's Addie." Addie was my grandmother's son. (my uncle) We all had to go
to the police station to get him out.
My mother died in 1954
when I was 13. My father packed us up and moved us to Queens with his
soon-to-be next wife.
I still cry thinking
of those days. They were wonderful days with wonderful people and family.
Last August, I went back to the Grand Concourse and knocked on the door to
my old apartment. A kind lady let me in and as I looked around I showed her
the 'take coverroom'. She had no
clue what I was talking about. Just as well...it's MY memory.
The rooms were much
smaller than I remembered. The long 'take cover room' wasn't long at all. In fact it was
quite small. The self service elevator was covered in graffiti. The other
elevator that had a uniformed operator was converted to a transport for
mops, pails and other maintenance items. The elegant lobby with its
oriental carpets was now nothing more than a concrete floor in disrepair.
The hill where the boys played stick ball was congested with rows of double
parked cars. The corner candy store was now a bodega.
Listening to the State of the Union address by George the Decider I couldn’t
help but reflect on what is the actual state of our union.
Our country is in grave danger of becoming a second rate
nation and losing our sovereignty. No other nation is giving up their
sovereignty. We are being pursued by terrorists, American America haters and
subverted by Communists. The outrageous thing about it all is too many
Americans are falling for the lies put forth by politicians and news media.
The Democrats (Obama & Clinton) want to give America
away, any way they can get the job done. There are Republicans who are
willing to sacrifice American freedom too. I don't like George Bush's
handling of our country's business.. None of the candidates have any
intention of protecting U.S. sovereignty, the working class Americans, the
U.S. Constitution or anything else Americans hold dear.
We need
a third party who will stand up for Americans. No more free trade
agreements, no more illegal immigrants. Make taxes fair. The rich don't pay
enough. We must be the laughing stock of the world with our criminal justice
system. Judges are appointed too much on their political beliefs. Voters,
vote, but don't let the "party" business blindside you.
When I Grow Up I Want To Be A
......
By:
Maria Holmes
All of
us with children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews are familiar with
this constantly changing declaration. The choices are many and can change
on a dime, minute to minute, day to day or week to week.
Super
heroes, such as Superman, Spiderman and Wonder Woman are pre-schooler's
favorites as that's what's familiar to them from TV, the movies and in story
books. When they enter elementary school their super hero is usually the
teacher and teaching is now the job of choice. At some time in their young
life, all children with a pet declare they want to be a Vet.
It's
been a little project of mine to occasionally, when appropriate, let the
infinite 'job/career' choices be known. I am careful not to gender
stereotype and only mention this when
it comfortably fits into a conversation. One day while sitting
on the porch swing with my granddaughter, the mailman was making his rounds
and I asked her what she thought were all the things he has to do on his
job. She replied to only what she saw, "He brings the mail to people's
houses." I asked where he gets the mail and what he has to do before he
delivers it.
While watching The Food Network Channel my granddaughter told me that it
looks like fun to cook and get to eat all the food. We watched the chef
measure and put the ingredients in the bowl. I asked her how she could know
how much to put in and about measuring and healthy vs. greasy foods. At a
recent dental visit we talked about the different jobs. We discussed the
dentist, his assistant and the office staff.
It's
just an eye opener. It provokes thought and expands their dreams and
horizons. The conversations are natural and never ever forced. At
this young age she knows so many career choices. She may choose none of them
but at least she knows she just doesn't have to be a ballerina or a teacher.
There is
a copious amount of books on the subject, like the Bob the Builder series by
Golden Books that allow children to know what's out there for them. The
children's book market is literally flooded with these types of books
so it shouldn't be difficult to locate them.
To end this on a personal note, yesterday she wanted to be a cook
in a 'healthy food restaurant' and if she can't do that she said she wants
to be a cook in her school and make only healthy food. That was yesterday.
Today she announced her intention work on an airplane so she could go all
over the world.
NowRuz, NoRuz, NoRooz
The Persian
New Year, Eleanor Roosevelt and ME
Offered by:
Anonymous
In the early 1960s I worked for a Persian Rug importer in New York
City. The owner invited my husband and me to a gala Persian New Year
celebration at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The guest of honor was Eleanor
Roosevelt. After her speech, she walked over to every table and personally
greeted each of the 500 dinner guests.
The guests at our table fawned over her proclaiming their
admiration. I don't remember her speech or what she said at the table. I
do, however, clearly remember shaking her hand and nervously and
stupidly babbling something about liking her shoes.(I
was a very unsophisticated 20 year old). She made eye contact, offered a huge smile
and held my hand a second or two longer than she did held the others.
Indelibly etched in my memory was her reply, "The pleasure is all mine and I
like your shoes too."
I think about this every now and again. Many Americans admired
Eleanor Roosevelt myself included.
Offered here are just three of her many memorable quotes the
most known of which is: "I am my husband's legs."(When FDR was stricken with polio,
Eleanor went down into the mines to see the conditions. It was then that
she spoke those famous words.)
"No
one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
"Great minds discuss ideas.. Average minds discuss events. Small minds
discuss people."
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process
never ends until we die, and the choices that we make are ultimately our
responsibility.
Bush's Republican's would suggest that to scratch your left ear you would go
around your back with your right hand. After all, it makes sense... they
wanted to win a war against Afghan terrorists by invading Iraq.
More
than ever before it's imperative that we think very carefully before voting
in this presidential election.
Right now the current crop of presidential wannabes are making loud noises
about ending the war in
Iraq. Perhaps the new guy/gal in charge will do just that. But don't hold
your breathe.
I
would like to fire both the Republicans and the Democrats. I would look for
that one man or woman I could
trust with my most prized possession -- my country. There's got to be
someone out there who loves America as much as I do.
Barack
Obama was clearly against beginning the Iraq war in a speech he delivered
Oct 2, 2002 (see below) while later that same month Hillary Clinton voted to
authorize beginning military action in Iraq. Once US troops were actually in
Iraq and fighting a war it would be irresponsible to not to fund the troops.
The key is that Barack Obama had the judgment to see the dumbness of
the war in October 2002 and Hillary Clinton didn't!
Bill
and Hillary Clinton's tactic of trying to paint Obama's war position as
"inconsistent" is "Clinton politics" and is a beautiful case in point as to
why we need the enormous breath of fresh air Barack Obama provides. Years
ago Senator Kerry from Nebraska referred to the Clinton's as "clever liars."
Later Bill Clinton wondered what the meaning of "is" is, and also said "I
did not have sex with that woman!" Goodbye Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Barack
Obama's Stirring 2002 Speech Against the Iraq War
Senator
Barack Obama (D-Il), then an Illinois state senator, delivered these remarks
October 2, 2002 at the Federal Plaza in Chicago "I stand before you as
someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances. The Civil War was
one of the bloodiest in history, and yet it was only through the crucible of
the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this
union and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil.
I Don't
Oppose All Wars
I don't
oppose all wars. My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl
Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army. He fought in the name of a
larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil.
I don't oppose all wars. After September 11, after witnessing the carnage
and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's
pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the
name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent
such tragedy from happening again.
Opposed
to Dumb, Rash Wars
I don't
oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is
a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and
Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration
to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the
costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.
What I
am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract
us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the
median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market
that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression.
That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on
reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.
On
Saddam Hussein
Now let
me be clear: I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man.
A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own
power.... The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.
But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the
United States, or to his neighbors...and that in concert with the
international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty
dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a
successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined
length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an
invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international
support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the
worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the
recruitment arm of al-Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to
dumb wars. So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our
children, let us send a clear message to the president.
You Want
a Fight, President Bush?
You want
a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda,
through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the
financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program
that involves more than color-coded warnings. You want a fight, President
Bush? Let's fight to make sure that...we vigorously enforce a
nonproliferation treaty, and that former enemies and current allies like
Russia safeguard and ultimately eliminate their stores of nuclear material,
and that nations like Pakistan and India never use the terrible weapons
already in their possession, and that the arms merchants in our own country
stop feeding the countless wars that rage across the globe. You want a
fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure our so-called allies in the
Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people,
and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and
mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education,
without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells. You
want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to wean ourselves off Middle East
oil through an energy policy that doesn't simply serve the interests of
Exxon and Mobil. Those are the battles that we need to fight. Those are the
battles that we willingly join. The battles against ignorance and
intolerance. Corruption and greed. Poverty and despair."
Personal Pet Peeves
I've
Learned to Survive in a World That's Out to Get Me
By:
Misha Reuben
Grocery carts with
one bad wheel
People who think their pets are human
Loud cell phone talking in restaurants
Salesclerks who hover
People who wear too much perfume
Waitresses who call me sweety, honey or darling
People who change lanes without signaling
Hotel rooms with low wattage lamp bulbs
People who clip their fingernails in front of other
people
Waiting in a doctor's office
Magazine inserts
EMAIL THAT IS ALL CAPITALS
Bad Grammar
Senior citizens who still blame their parents
The Small "i" in Kid Carey vs. The Big
"I" in Bob Rind
Submitted by Jo
Kid Carey's January column
about Vegas in the 70s
is one of the best researched, best written and most entertaining columns
submitted since VCO's October '05 inaugural issue. No speed reading here.
I didn't want the article to end. The well written article engages you
at first by it's catchy title and continues to entice you with it's opening
sentence and paragraph. Kid Carey certainly did his homework. Kudos Kid!
Bob Rind's January columnNews, Peeves, and
Information,
on the other hand,
is a somewhat self-serving column.. In an article shorter than Kid's, Rind
has used the "I" word over 55 times. (count them) Mr. Carey, in his
much lengthier article, uses the "I" word only twice..
Get where I'm going?
I've gathered from Bob's previous columns that he is more of a "this 'n
that"...."it's all about me"... writer than he is as VCO promotes him
a columnist for Lifestyles of Las Vegas
Seniors. In particular he is using his VCO column for solicitation of
investors into a personal business deal.VERBATIM QUOTE:"Now what I need is investors
to whom I will set up a meeting and they will have to sign a non-disclosure
agreement. This is not a cheap deal, but I see franchising in the future.
Interested persons can contact via this web site."
Issue is also taken with his incorrigible statement, VERBATIM QUOTE:
"I believe that there are almost as many thieves working at the post
office as there our in some of our prisons."
Apparently a small package he sent with 3 books, arrived at it's destination
in a PO envelope containing only 1 of the books. For this, Mr. Rind is
calling our postal workers 'thieves.' Stuff happens! Get over it. Do
you know how many parcels are mailed every day! There is bound to be some
loss/damage. That is why the post office offers 'insurance.'
His Nathan's hot dogs are served to him on a cold bun at Sam's Town. He
continues to vent that he "sent an e-mail each time to the powers to be."
Apparently he meant, 'the powers-that-be.' Did he ever think of
actually
ordering his hot dog "on a warm toasted bun" instead of
entering into a letter writing campaign. My family eats at Nathan's all
the time. We always say the words, "A well done hot dog on a warm
toasted bun.!" Done! End of Story. (Don't curse the darkness, light a
candle!)
He writes that for years he has been trying to tell reporters that
Fidel Castrosingle
handedly created the bird flu.
Rind complains again to us that he's received no response from the reporters
he's told this story to. Always complaining, writing letters and getting
no responses.
Inactive
Avian Influenza Strain Virus has indeed been injected into birds BUT by
controlled government agencies (including WHO, World Health Org) when trying
to develop a human vaccine. It is very doubtful that under such
strict government control, no matter which government,
that these birds are "let out into
the trade winds" as Mr. Rind writes. I wish he would do
his research before propagating this hoax and being an alarmist.
As for Bob Rind's desire to breakthrough into
the world of comedyas ihe writes: "So, I say to you my friendsI am ready to do my stuff for free for any fundraiser party,
senior groups or whatever. I have loads of original material. I don't use
foul language, but some of my stuff is slightly off-colored for adults. I
probably could do about less than a ½ hour for older children."
May I offer this helpful suggestion to him:
He might want to make a short five minute video and upload it
onto YOUTUBE That's become the 21st Century Business Card. He could refer
prospective clients to his video and wa-la anotherMort Sahl or
Seinfeld.
Bob
Rind writes & I QUOTE VERBATUM: "Since
I've been in Las Vegas now 15 years I underwent
over a dozen medical procedures including 8 in the past three years of which
on I was at death doors 3 times. The medical and dental
services here on some basis is just okay, other times it is
likebeing in
HELL. "
Instead of writing letters about cold hot dog buns and alarming us with
deceptive rumors about Castro causing the
bird
flu, he might want to use his energy & writing skills toward
something more beneficial to our community like the medical situation in
Vegas. He can persue this by checking "quackwatch.com"
which is just one of several sites addressing this issue. Here
is one such entry:
Michael Gerber,
M.D., has practiced orthomolecular medicine, chelation therapy
and "nutrition" therapy for more than 25 years in Reno, Nevada.
However, prior to that Gerber's license to
practice medicine in California
was revokedin
June 1984 after the California Board of Medical Quality
Assurance concluded that he had improperly administered to patients
Disclaimer:
I don't know the columnists, my comments are based strictly on the written
words they offer in this venue.
Remembering Humorist Sam
Levinson
Mrs. Sy Baron
Popular in the 1940s and 1950s Sam Levinson was a humorist,
comedian, author and game show panelist.
He always managed to make me smile with his appearances on The Ed
Sullivan and Arthur Godfrey shows.
Many old timers like this scribe, still defer to his quotes when
appropriate.
For
attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone”
"When I was
a kid, they told me to do what my parents wanted. When I became a parent,
they told me to do what my kids wanted. When do I get to do what I want?"
It's so
simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say
it.”
The simplest
toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.
If you want
to know how your girl will treat you after marriage, just listen to her
talking to her little brother.
I like life.
It's something to do
. Somewhere
on this globe every 10 seconds there is a woman giving birth to a child. She
must be found and stopped.
(Quoted from
Sam Levinson, humorist)
Bush Making A Fool Of Us
Mr. S.
Baron
President Bush's visit to the Middle East in an effort to encourage the
Israelis and Palestinians to move closer to a peace agreement is a very
noble attempt indeed. And yet it gives me cause of concern. I had the same
reaction to past meetings with other foreign dignitaries and that whole
business of setting him loose outside the borders of the U.S. is kind of
worrisome to me. For example we don't know if his entourage is with him and
whether those who are capable of giving him the right words to say are
attending these meetings as well.
And so I feel kind of uncomfortable that he might be the
object of some ridicule by non-Americans as he is by most Americans. No
matter how much I may personally abhor his lack of understanding of the
office he holds, I don't like it when non-Americans hold him in disdain. I
just feel that our president, who represents us when he travels abroad,
should be respected if not for himself, then at least for the office he
holds.
But the feeling I have underneath it all is that he's
about to make a fool of us. I sure hope I'm wrong.
Tom Hank's memorable quote in the 1992 hit movie A LEAGUE OF THEIR
OWN:
"There's no crying in baseball! No crying!
On Jan. 7, 2008 during a meeting with potential voters, Senator
Hillary Clinton welled up in tears when she was asked about her campaigning.
A day away from probably losing the New Hampshire Primary Senator Hillary
Clinton welled up with tears
"There's no crying in politics!! No crying!
Didn't Even See It Coming
Mrs. Sy Baron
Chips issued by casinos in Las Vegas are supposed to be used for
gaming purposes only but are often treated as a de facto form of currency.
Players often give gaming tokens tips outside of gaming areas (valets, cab
drivers, restaurant servers), barter with them, or even offer them as
donations to charities or religious organizations. Recipients of such
tokens don't encounter problems cashing (moderate amounts of) them in their
issuing casinos.
Gaming tokens turn up in collection plates on Sundays. Since they
get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to
collect the offerings.
The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan
monastery for sorting. Then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin
and cashed in. This is done by the chip monks.
(Didn't even see it coming...did you?)
VCO Columnist Bob Rind's
November Column "American
Gangster", (4th Paragraph) talks about the boxer Mike Hunter.
Hunter’s
Eldest Son
Michael
“The Bounty” Hunter II
&
The Knockout Shot
A Former Boxer’s Encounter with LAPD Undercover Cops
RE: Pete
Michael “The Bounty” Hunter was considered one of the toughest heavyweight
boxers in the late 1980's and early 1990's. He fought at a time when
champions Mike Tyson, Evander
Holyfield and Lennox Lewis ruled the ring. Although he never
faced them for the heavyweight title, Hunter won his share of fame, nailing
down the U.S. Boxing Association (USBA) Heavyweight Championship and the
International Boxing Federation Cruiserweight Championship.
In 1996, he lost what would be his last fight to Brian “Danish Pastry”
Nielsen and retired. He left Los Angeles years ago for Las Vegas and had
recently moved back to Hollywood to train boxers at the Tru Boxing Gym on
Highland Avenue.
Along the way, Hunter also battled
drugs. It may have been that weakness that led him on February 8 to the roof
of the St. Moritz Hotel, where he encountered undercover officers from the
Los Angeles Police Department.
Two Hollywood Division officers
had set up surveillance for a routine buy-bust operation at a Mobil Gas
Station next door. LAPD spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vernon
gives this account of what happened next: It was around 7 p.m. The
46-year-old Hunter came up from behind Officer Todd Ramsey, 41, who was busy
talking on his cell phone. Without provocation, Hunter hit him on the head
with a gun. Ramsey’s partner saw what happened and tackled the former boxer.
The two cops and Hunter struggled. Hunter broke free, stepped back a few
feet, and pointed his gun at Ramsey. Ramsey fired twice, hitting Hunter in
the chest and arm. Hunter was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center. Ramsey was also treated at the hospital, for the blow to his head,
and was sent home that evening.
“It does not appear that he knew they were police officers,” Vernon said.
“Perhaps he saw an opportunity to rob them.”
Hunter’s weapon turned out to be a fake — a black, polymer replica pistol.
“Unless you pick it up and pull the trigger, it looks like a real gun,”
Vernon said. A week earlier, Hunter had been arrested a block from the
Sunset Boulevard motel on suspicion of being under the influence of a
narcotic.
Hunter began his boxing career in 1985 in Maryland, ending up in Los
Angeles, where the South Carolina native’s unorthodox boxing style caught
the eye of actor James Caan, who saw a televised fight in which Hunter
stepped into the ring wearing a black cowboy hat, a black mask and a
gunfighter coat. Hunter dropped the outfit, and Caan became his manager for three years.
“We used to go to his [Caan’s]
house in Bel Air and ride around on his motorcycle,” said Hunter’s widow,
Gwen, whom he married in 1987. “[Actor] Tony Danza was also a good friend of
Michael’s. They were all really close. We would have
ringside seats. We went out to dinner and socialized. They were all very
nice people.”
Caan recalled what it was like to manage Hunter. “He had a style like no
other. It was truly unique. I am glad I didn’t get mad enough as to try to
hit him, because I certainly would have missed. He was quite a character.”
Caan later sold Hunter’s contract to renowned Los Angeles trainer Bill
Slayton, who also trained heavyweight champion boxer Ken Norton. During that
time, Hunter became the sparring partner for heavyweight champions Lewis and
Tyson. “He knocked Tyson down, but Tyson didn’t want to admit to it,” said
Gwen, who separated from Hunter in 2000 and now lives in Las Vegas with
their three children.
By 1990, Hunter was ranked in the Top 10 by both the World Boxing
Association and the International Boxing Federation in the cruiserweight
division and was ranked No. 18 as a heavyweight by the World Boxing Council
(WBC). That same year, he moved to Australia after his fourth-round knockout
of previously unbeaten Australian heavyweight champion Jimmy Thunder.
However, the Department of Immigration refused to issue Hunter a second
six-month residency visa after learning he had served a seven-year jail
sentence for armed robbery when he was 18 and didn’t disclose it on his visa
application.
Hunter also beat former cruiserweight and heavyweight champions Pinklon
Thomas, Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Oliver “The Atomic Bull” McCall. (After
McCall lost to Hunter, he went on to beat the unbeaten Lewis for the WBC
heavyweight championship at Wembley Arena in London in 1994.)
On January 17, 1993, Hunter, in a 12-round unanimous decision at the Union
Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, beat former Olympic Gold Medalist Tyrell Biggs to
become the USBA heavyweight champion. Hunter had taken over the spot of Tony
Tubbs, who was disqualified by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for
failing a drug test. It was considered by many to be Hunter’s greatest
fight.
“He fought on one day’s notice,” said Hunter’s brother-in-law and former
trainer, Kevin Henry. “It was a title fight. It was televised on ESPN. You
couldn’t turn it down. It was the best I saw him look. It was the time he
shined. He knew the opportunity was there, and he would never get it again.
It was his biggest fight. It boosted his career.”
After the Biggs fight, Hunter went on to win the WBC Continental Americas
Championship against Russian heavyweight champion Alex Zolkin. By October
1994, his record was an impressive 24 wins, three losses and two ties, with
eight knockouts.
Drug problems surfaced toward the end of his career. A win against former
USBA heavyweight champion Buster Mathis Jr. was short-lived, as judges
changed the decision to a no-decision when Hunter tested positive for an
illegal drug. Henry said that Hunter eventually got discouraged with boxing,
and his marriage fell apart in 2000.
“Mike was denied the chance to
fight for the heavyweight title,” he said. “He wasn’t with
the right promoter. He was a contender for five years without getting a
title shot. He did everything he could possibly do to get a title shot. He
fought former world champions and beat them. He was never knocked out in his
career. He was only knocked down once, and then he got up and knocked the
guy out in the next round. Time went on and he wanted to do family things.
He wanted to help kids do what he couldn’t do. He decided to give his career
up and dedicate it to others.”
Hunter eventually took a job at the Tru Boxing Gym as an instructor and
trainer. He worked seven days a week, starting work at 6 a.m.
“He was an upstanding guy,” said gym employee Stephen Hardy. “He had a heart
of gold..” But his stint at the gym was brief. “He soon was let go,” said
Hardy. Friends said that Hunter was living at the St. Moritz Hotel at the
time of his death.
“He was a champion,” said Young Dick Tiger, who worked out with Hunter in
the 1980s. “He was a good friend of mine. I don’t believe he is dead. I saw
him the day before he died pushing a friend in a wheelchair down Sunset
Boulevard. I said, ‘I will see you tomorrow.’ ”
Hunter’s rooftop encounter is being examined by the LAPD’s force
investigation division, which looks into all officer-involved shootings.
Vernon said the shooting looked justified. “He came up behind one of the
officers without any warning and hit him on the head. The fight was on.
There is no expectation at this point. You defend yourself first. There is
no obligation to identify yourself as a police officer before you shoot when
someone is already pointing a gun at you.”
However, Hunter’s widow and friends are still in disbelief over the boxer’s
death and question whether the LAPD shot first and asked questions later.
“He never knew it was a police officer or anything,” said Gwen Hunter. “He
was probably assuming he got into an argument with a private citizen.” Said
Young Dick Tiger: “You don’t have to shoot and kill. Shoot the leg or hand.
You don’t have to kill. The police are allowed to do whatever they want.”
“He would use his fists before he would use a weapon,” added Hardy. “He
wasn’t a thug. He was crazy but not stupid.”
Weight Class: Super heavyweight/201+ pounds Height:
6-2 Born: July 10, 1988 Weight: 215 lbs Reach: 34 Lives: Las Vegas,
Nev. Began Boxing: 2002 Coach: Michael Newson, Jr. Career Highlight:
Making it to the finals of the Golden Gloves with only five bouts
Biggest influence: My mom, she has played a big role in my boxing
career. She keeps my head on straight. She is my transportation and
she supports me. Draw to boxing: My dad was a professional boxer and
you know what they say like father like son Greatest Strength in the
ring: My mind and speed Other sports played: Basketball and football
Loves most about boxing: You get to travel and it's a new experience
every time. I like meeting new people Goals in and out of the ring:
I would like to go to college and go the Olympics. Favorite TV show:
Jamie Foxx .
Hunter’s
eldest son, Michael “The Bounty” Hunter II,
is following in his father’s boxing footsteps. He was undefeated as an
amateur super-heavyweight. He will be competing for the Golden Gloves State
Championship in Nevada.
“His dad couldn’t do it, but he
will become the heavyweight champion of the world.”
Submitted
By: Mrs. Sy Baron
Bush Has Already Revised History
It was refreshing to find out that our president never wanted to go to war
with Iraq. I knew all along our man was innocent of wrongdoing. After all,
this is our kind of guy. A home-loving, straight-talking good old boy doing
his level best to run this country the way it should be.
If it takes the largest national debt in our history to demonstrate his
brilliance as a military leader, to say nothing of the deaths of just under
4,000 military men and woman along with over a million Iraqis, well, we have
to admit it takes guts to be a decider. That doesn't come easy.
And now we know, courtesy of Karl Rove, that the war was not of Mr. Bush's
making: it was Congress who pushed him into Iraq in the first place. Doggone
it, I
just knew that was the case all along. I don't know why everyone kept giving
him such bad information, like about those WMDs (remember them?) or kept
hounding him to drop his old Texas drinking buddies as advisors.
And when his dad's best and brightest wrote themselves up a suggestion that
maybe he should take a look to see if it might help him get out of that mess
that Congress got him into, he tossed that business into the trash probably
without even looking at it. You sure can't take that away from him. How else
can anyone be a decider if they don't let him do the deciding?
Well, he'll be out of that office soon anyway and, like another one of our
erstwhile heroes said about himself some years ago, we won't have George
Bush to kick around any more. In a way, I'll kind of miss him.
One more point I would like to make...I've heard the Bush Administration
referred to as being 'flawed.' A flaw is a crooked nose, a bad knee, sour
breath or a penchant for Big Macs. The multitude of crimes committed by and
the moral bankruptcy of
"George" is nothing short of viscous disregard for those in your charge.
Fatal myopia and baseless arrogance are not 'flaws' they are our living
nightmare.
But who am I to judge? I ask you...think about it... can we turn
Halloween into a fun costume holiday where home baked goodies are delivered and not solicited.
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