What's in a name?

The given name "John" was very popular in the U.S. for many years. It became so commonplace that we began to call restrooms, ubiquitous facilities for excretory relief, johns. My uncle and his son, and millions of other men so named never complained.

Recently, a British teacher was sent to jail for 15 days and was deported from Sudan for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." She could have received 40 lashes, six months in prison, and a fine for "insulting the faith of Muslims."

Millions of Muslims are named Muhammad, after the 6th-7th Century prophet. Men named John can trace their name back to one of the Twelve Disciples of the 1st-2nd Century. Is there any longer any doubt that the enemy we face is dangerously devolved?

How can Muslims possibly deal fairly with those thousands of their number named Muhammad who commit civil and religious offenses? The children in this case chose the name for the teddy bear, and I'll bet at least one of the little ones was named Muhammad. How many lashes will his 7-year-old body receive?

#260 and waiting

The Oprah is supporting Barack Obama, Barbra is hot for the Clinton Machine, Chuck Norris is fronting Mike Huckabee, and all of Hollywood admires John Edwards' hair. I'm waiting to see who Britney, Paris and Peewee are behind (oops).

Meanwhile the debates go on unabated (ha). Of course, I have seen none of them. I hope that sometime the candidates will stop pandering, and tell us what they actually believe.

A young lady, during a local TV "on the street" segment, said that Wal-Mart was a "necessary evil." That could also apply to political parties, except, if something is evil, it should be avoided, and if it's necessary, every effort should be made to make it the best it can be. Neither Wal-Mart nor politicians are trying.

The haps

What a bummer! I thought I was going to jury duty today, but, alas, no. Darn plea bargain.

We had Thanksgiving, late as usual, at the second born's home. We missed the third born, and, especially the youngest, and were reduced to watching parts of cable movies and petting dogs. I did see one film all the way through, but I won't embarrass myself by identifying it. (Suffice it to say, I did enjoy Captain Marvel as a child. Shazam.) A good family board game, even with the inevitable squabbles, would have been much better.

I made the trip without breaking anything, and I wish I could have continued to test my strength while doing my civic duty. I will have to be satisfied with walking about aimlessly and perplessly.

I am puzzled by the writers' strike. I have always thought of writing as a creative activity which you revise until it's right. I don't understand the concept of "overtime," and the writers' desire for the same, as applied to creativity. If a writer cannot satisfy himself or his client, he should quit. It's not an hourly wage job; it's piecework. When a true artist accepts a commission, he works as long as it takes to create his best.

Error

As I was perusing Roget's Superthesaurus (Third Edition), by Marc McCutcheon, Writer's Digest Books, 2003, I came across the word "racism" which listed one final synonym as "white supremacy." Carelessly, the editor had overlooked the racism practiced by members of other races against whites.

For instance, two of most prominent racists in America are the Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. They injected themselves into the Jena, Louisiana situation to try to excuse the behavior of six cowardly black boys who admittedly beat one white boy into unconsciousness. Even more egregiously, the Revs rushed to condemn three white members of the Duke University lacrosse team falsely accused of raping a black stripper. The players were subsequently declared "completely innocent," and the prosecutor was disbarred. The Revs have yet to apologize.

Then, there's Mexican ex-president Vicente Fox, who made little effort to improve his subjects' circumstances, because, as he recently admitted, they could always seek their fortunes by crossing the U.S. border, legally or otherwise. Although Fox is fluent in English, he comes to the U.S. and encourages "his people" to defy the law, in Spanish.

How about those Asian lobbyists who finagled sizeable illegal contributions for American politicians, subverting the process by attempting to exert undue political pressure? Finally, and I admit this may be an exaggeration, I believe that Indian casinos are, at least in part, racist retribution against General Custer and other "white men" who oppressed Native Americans. Certainly taking our money and addicting the weakest among us could be considered a measure of punishment.

Gobble, gobble

The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, Columbia University Press, 1983, describes Thanksgiving Day as a "national holiday in the U.S. commemorating the harvest reaped by the Plymouth Colony in 1621. The first national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by Pres. Washington for Nov. 26, 1789. Pres. Lincoln revived the custom in 1863. In 1941 Congress decreed that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of November. The customary turkey dinner is a reminder of the four wild turkeys served at the Pilgims' first Thanksgiving feast."

Modern political correctness would have us eschew that idyllic story, and accept the depressing version that says our ancestors brought disease and crime to the New World, and decimated the native population and the natural resources. Not only because it's greatly exaggerated, but because most or our ancestors didn't come here until over 250 years later, let the guilt go. Neither you nor your forebears killed any Indians or buffalo, cut down any trees, nor enslaved anyone. However, if any of them did, it was long ago, and in those days, it was, as Whoopi said about dogfighting, "a part of the prevailing (southern) culture."

Happy Thanksgiving.

Paradise

I submitted the following to the pamphlet, but I guess it sounded too unbelievable or restrictive to print:

I worked full-time through nine Presidential administrations, and I never earned more than $1,700 in any one month. Yet, I raised four children and provided health care for all of us. Richard A. Douglas of Paradise, in his letter of 11/7, stated that a person lives on the cusp of poverty if he "only" earns $5,000 per month. My life challenges that absurdity.

Too many people make no effort to live within their means.. The secret is simplicity itself: If you can't pay for it, don't buy it. The corollary to that is: Spend your money first on the essentials, and acquire them at the lowest price possible. After these expenses are met, you may have to forego any extras.

A good place to start is to sacrifice alcohol and tobacco, and stop accommodating every whim of your children. Modern well-maintained automobiles last for 10-15 years. Eating out is more expensive than home preparation, cable TV is an unnecessary frill, and costly refreshments at public venues should always be avoided.

I could go on, but any fool can figure out other possible savings. Today, I would be living in a virtual paradise if I had $5,000 per month to spend. Of course, my children are grown, and they are using the lessons our life taught us to have a pleasant, if not lavish, existence. We all have health insurance; mine is Medicare, and I thank you all for that portion that your contributions help to fund.

Media wisdom

Ted Danson, who was wrong when he predicted the destruction of the oceans in ten years, now says 70% of the world's fisheries are "on the brink of collapse." Does he have "AlGore Syndrome?" Or is that the Hollywood Heebie-Jeebies?


Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell ("Prison Break"), says, "Information, like crumbs, always trickles down to the vermin on the floor. " T-Bag ought to know.

Politics suck(s)

As if there were any doubt, the newspaper article, "Mukasey is confirmed as AG," further proves the bias with which the Associated Press does reportage. Laurie Kellman and her editor peppered her "news" item with the lies that, "ten months of scandal. . . forced [former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales] from office. . . ", and that the removal of the nine federal prosecutors was a "purge."

This characterization of the events is untrue and reprehensible. There was no purge. The fired prosecutors had been appointed by and served at the pleasure of the President, and like any employer, he had the right to fire them for poor performance. None of them challenged their dismissals, because they understood that.

The President's political rivals fabricated the only scandal involved by hounding Attorney General Gonzales until he resigned. Their goal is now clear. They knew there was no crime; that's why they haven't followed up. They just wanted to embarrass the administration with trumped up charges.

The new A. G. is now in place, and it's a dead issue, except that a fine man was kicked to the curb. We are lucky to get anyone to take the the position, especially since Teddy Kennedy said, "Being better than Gonzales is not enough qualification for the job." Watch out, Mukasey, a man who gives fat drunks a bad name doesn't like you.

I know I have said this all before, but if the lies of the "new jouirnalism" go unchallenged, they will become the truth, just as Joseph Goebbels observed. My brief career as a journalist forces me to defend the way it should be. As Jack Webb always said, "Just the facts, ma'am."

Three for TV

If we're in Iraq for the oil, why are we paying so much for gasoline? Maybe we should accommodate those people who say we're running out of oil, and use it all up before the price rises any more. Enjoy your holidays.


The Do-Nothings in Congress now want to waste time and effort on discussing the impeachment of Dick Cheney instead of helping to win the war, secure the borders and provide health care for all. Who voted for them?


Schools are infested with teachers who indoctrinate the children with their outrageous political opinions, and we're worried about shows of affection? Principals should be more concerned with what's going on in the classroom than a little hand-holding in the corridor. They aren't having sex in the stairwells, are they?

Early Christmas on TV

If you're like me, every year we know when Christmas comes, and we don't need advertising to remind us. Also, I don't remember ever buying something because I saw it on TV. I'd prefer the stores forego their advertising, and, with the money they save, lower their prices.


Now, those who would drive God out of our society are attacking jolly old Santa Claus, a fictional character, because he's fat. These people won't be happy until December 25th becomes International Moral Indifference Day.

For posterity

There are two political mistakes I made in my life of which I am not proud. First, in the sixth grade, when the name of President Harry S Truman was mentioned, childishly, I booed. I can't recall why I thought that was appropriate, but I was wrong. Truman and Ronald Reagan are now acknowledged to have been the best Presidents of the twentieth century. Second, in 1972, I voted for Richard Nixon, although I could have voted for John Schmitz, a fine American Independent Party candidate for President. I rejected Schmitz only because a third party candidate has never had a chance, and the Democratic candidate, George McGovern, was the first truly dangerous liberal.

Today, I introduce you to Mike Bagwell of Chico, California. I am going to memorialize his embarrassing political mistake here, where it will rattle around the internet in perpetuity. I hope in 40-50 years he or his family will come to regret that, in a letter to the editor, he called President George W. Bush, ". . . the most corrupt, incompetent, unpopular and indeed un-American president in our history. . . "

Personal abuse is never appropriate, and published attacks on the President in time of war border on treason. How more un-American can that be?

Grading parents, ghosts, and prune whip

The woman (TV email) who had a secret abortion at age 13 apparently had inattentive parents. Perhaps, monitoring parents and giving them grades might reduce the amount of irresponsibility that causes children to have to ask the schools for the moral guidance which is their parents' obligation. Parents who don't properly prepare their children for school should be told. . . and told again.

I don't have enough imagination to see ghosts. Nor have I seen UFOs, aliens, and other imaginary things, like human-caused global warming.

Gravity is not science; it is natural law. So are sunset, sunrise, wind, rain, some fire, and the tides. Science is supposition and theory, like evolution and human-caused global warming. When people thought that the world was flat, and the sun circled the earth, that was science.

Speaking of science, the latest theory is that obesity is the major cause of cancer. Boy, am I glad I have given up prune whip, which is loaded with calories, for Lent every year.