Bob Dylan

I need to run into Bob Dylan out for a walk, like these two Jersey cops did. They didn't recognize him and had to get him vouched for by some other people who knew him.

I should be so lucky, since I really like Bob Dylan.

But in their defense, I guess ... well, I can't think of any defense. I was going to say just because a guy says he's Bob Dylan in the dark doesn't mean he is. But take a look at him. It's Bob Dylan, you idiots! (Still, that is not a bad defense, now that I think of it.)

I'm glad to hear Bob was "cool" about it, which is what I would expect. This sounds like an encounter he would love. I don't know, maybe anonymity is a nice feeling when you're famous. I helped out with a program for children recently. Then I was in a restaurant and two of the kids were there. They saw me, not normally knowing me, and were going, "There's that guy..." etc. Then they kept looking at me, smiling, occasionally waving. And I said, This is what famous people get all the time. How terrible!

I'm not a creepy kind of fan, but I'd like to know Bob Dylan. After the first flush of "Oh wow!" I'm sure it would be very normal.

But he needs to take a walk someplace I am, because, not being a creepy kind of fan, I'm not chasing after him.

Oops, Grassley Hypocrisy Watch

Oh my. When Senator Charles Grassley was young and irresponsible it seems he was young and irresponsible. What else can justify this kind of erratic behavior?

The other day he said Grandma was up for death if we had health care reform. Because of these provisions for "end of life" counseling. Of course it's all just a lie, but that doesn't stop the Republicans.

Now, it turns out he voted for the exact same thing in 2003. A big fat "Yea" for the exact same thing!

And Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), are in the same bind, voting in 2003 for something they call a "Death Panel" now.

So which is it, hypocrites?

Krauthammer's Blurb

I don't read Charles "The Corpse" Krauthammer's columns anymore, because all he writes are worthless screeds against President Obama. Like if Obama flipped a coin and it came up heads, it should've been tails. And of course vice versa. (But amazingly, when George Bush snored, to Krauthammer it sounded like a symphony.)

But just because I don't read him, it doesn't mean I don't see the blurb on the WaPo's homepage. Today's sounded about typical for his nitpicking.

To paraphrase: 'President Obama says preventative care will save money. That's nonsense." That in a nutshell is Krauthammer's column.

Isn't it common sense that preventative care has the tendency to save money and trouble down the road? Like with your car? Taking care of your children? Fixing up your house? And, yes, with your health? Of course we all eventually die, so maybe we could say it would save money just to die and get it over with. Is that the Republicans' new argument?

This must be what they think when they veto children's lunches, breakfasts, and offer them lead paint chips with their sandwich. Why eat? What are you trying to prevent? Preventing things is for suckers, Charles Krauthammer says.

John Edwards -- One Thing's True

I like this sentence out of an article about John Edwards:

Edwards has declined interviews, the newspaper said, but in his last statement in May, he said he had not used funds inappropriately and he looked forward to a conclusion to the matter.

Out of all of Edwards' lies, this is something I believe, that he probably does look forward to a conclusion to the matter. Who wouldn't?

He should've concluded the matter before it started, the big dope.

I remember the heat of the primary season (not that kind of heat), over at Daily Kos, we had some fervent Edwards' supporters, whom I not-so-lovingly called "bliss bunnies," I don't believe to their faces. They were a weird bunch, with many loving videos to Edwards, almost like teenyboppers with their favorite Jonas Brother.

One thing about the bliss bunnies, you dared not say anything bad about John Edwards. O, woe is me, they'd complain, leave us in peace to worship John Edwards and go back to your own place!

It was one of the most sickening daily posts, the EENR (the Edwards Evening News Roundup), there could ever be. I still feel repulsed just at the memory of it. Teenybopper heaven.

Of course when the news was being leaked about Edwards and his campaign worker having an affair, it was like telling them one of the Care Bears slept around. They were dizzy with denials. And of course the limited credibility of the National Enquirer was always an issue.

Then Edwards admitted it all, but by then he was long gone from the primary and had earned his loss. The whole thing about a kid being his, that was dismissed as a lot of fantasy, because this other guy, Andrew Young, had claimed paternity.

Now it's being rumored about, including by the National Enquirer, that Edwards is about to admit paternity, that DNA confirmed it, etc. So if that happens, one more nail in the coffin.

To me -- and I believe I said this a year ago -- if Edwards denied his own kid for political gain, that's worse than denying the affair. Gee, Daddy, I love you, too!

The short version of this whole story: John Edwards is a scumbag. He was then, he is now.

P.S. - His wife isn't any better.

The People Of Pennsylvania

I've been watching Sen. Specter's townhall meeting, with so many totally boorish people from Pennsylvania.

They're screaming out, trying to shout him down, just venting their idiocy. (Where were these idiots during the Bush years? Oh, right, they weren't being led by the nose back then by Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and the corporate lobbyists to protest. Such morons, fighting against their own interests.)

One moron said we can't have health care, that it's "unconstitutional" because the Founding Fathers didn't write it in. So ... hmmm ... there goes the Air Force.

One pre-med student said he's already a quarter million dollars in debt. "What incentives are there for me to become a doctor?" Uhhh, maybe paying back your debt, Doctor Dumb. You really think doctors are going to be making minimum wage? Doctor Braniac also thinks there's a problem with the number of "czars" we have. Wow, that's lame.

Number 28 didn't have a microphone so I don't know what she said.

Another guy called him (or someone) "a socialist, fascist pig" and walked out. Good riddance to that guy.

The last guy who had a question just rambled on ... blah blah blah.

Charles Grassley Is A Liar

Senator Grassley just threw away whatever credibility he had.

It's now time for President Obama to quit playing nice with these Republican cretins. It's now time to get some things accomplished. Quit pretending you're going to sway these people to our side.

Kick some butt.

Guns Around The President

Does anyone remember people being allowed to carry guns to George W. Bush's events? I sure don't. In my opinion it would be out of the question, absolutely.

But now, we have this guy, William Kostric, who not only carries a gun to the event with President Obama, but goes on TV like it's a very normal, acceptable thing to do. It's outrageous. How did our standards change so fast?

There ought to be something done about this guy and anyone like him. I just can't believe, let's say, a year ago when we had a Republican president, that this sort of thing was allowed. You're telling me this is the way it is now?

Was it perfectly acceptable that Lee Harvey Oswald brought a gun to see Kennedy? I wish he hadn't.

Republicans Against Health Care

What the Republicans are really afraid of on this health care issue is that it will work in a great way and people will like it.

They have this idiotic theory that government can't do anything right, then they stand, salute, and praise the military. A government thing.

The weirdest ones are the unreflective idiots who say, "Keep the guv'munt out of my Medicare. Keep Medicare in private hands." Fools.

Or the Social Security recipients who are suddenly against government programs. "Keep guv'munt out of my Social Security."

I hope the Republicans do stand strong against this. And that Obama rams it down their throats ... and that it turns out to be popular.

Then let the Republicans to the voters hat-in-hand, like they already have with the stimulus, "We were for it all along."

Anything ... those hypocrites will show their true disgusting colors on anything ...They swallowed Bush's camels and choke on Obama's gnats.

The Republican party makes the fur on my neck stand up. Why do I have with fur on my neck? I need it there if it's going to stand up, silly.

Anyway, I saw Obama on TV, delightful, making sense. Then we have the Republicans, scuzballs, flaky turncoats. There's no competition!

The Displeased Parent Motif

When it comes to member care, aren't there supposed to be various amenities to keep me happy, contented, and willing to keep tweeting?

Even if it's something as worthless as an "Attaboy" or participation certificate, at least it's something to tell my Mom about. A gold star?

She's sitting in a nursing home waiting for me to visit. But she's going to remain very lonely indeed until I have something to show her.

I told her the other day I had a thousand followers. When the actual number is somewhere under 100. If she finds out it'll break her heart.

She doesn't have that much to live for anyway, just the pride she has in her boy's achievements. Which hasn't been much to hang her life on.

A little bit of sympathy would be nice, at least, in the absence of something tangible I could present, like documentation of my success.

Consider this a cry for help, not so much for me, because I'm young, I can afford to fail. But she's old, feeble, drawing her last breath.

And at this point I don't expect she'll take my word for it. I'm going to need a printout, a screenshot, something notarized, very official.

One of my followers is trying to save an old building, a museum. Name a room after me, a shelf, anything, just so it makes the nightly news.

The dbkundalini Memorial Shelf, on which we place trinkets from 1716, stuff almost 300 years old, doilies, Dolly Madison's underpants.

Dear Mother, I'm going to Israel, the holy land like you always wanted me to. I'm investing all your money in orange trees. Wish me luck.

Isn't that something from 'Ulysses'? Correct me if I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong, because then I'll own the very valuable copyright on it.

Thank you. The Displeased Parent motif if very important to our psyches and literature. And I've been happy to explore it with you.

Death Panel Denies Shriver Reprieve

We say goodbye, fondly, to Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who has passed away.

We love the Kennedys (most of them) dearly and express our sympathy to her family.

But death is no respecter of persons, as the old expression goes. Going by 2006 stats, she joined the 6,647.2986 people who die on average on any given day in America.

Death Panels

I never heard such a stupid argument as this, that there are Death Panels.

The argument falls flat with this. If there are Death Panels, why aren't these people afraid?

Ergo, no Death Panels.

It's idiocy of the worst kind.

I'm Not As Good As I Once Was

I looked it up. The song "As Good As I Once Was" is by Toby Keith. I didn't know that.

I was at the pool yesterday and this song came over the speakers, as clear as a bell. I could sit there and hear the whole thing. Which at first sounded cute, but then as it went on, it seemed endless and trite. I probably don't need to say I don't need the MP3!

The basic point -- and this is a shocking song in the Cialis age -- is that he's getting older and he's simply not as good as he once was. But if push comes to shove, his pride will take over and he'll have to see if he can do it again.

The chorus as a line that I couldn't quite understand, even though I heard it the five or six times it's said, where he says, "But I'm as good once as I ever was." I thought it didn't make sense. But now that I see it in print I can tell what he's getting at. He's great once, then he'll go to sleep. I don't know.

Is it entirely sexual. Or is he talking about sports? Drinking people under the table. It has to be sex.

But is this the kind of song we need? People's failing abilities, aging, losing what they have and lamenting it -- then rising up in pride and giving it one last shove? Will we revisit the subject with a follow up hit ever 10 years?

I don't know how old Toby is, but let's say he's between 40-50. So when he's 60, "I Don't Know That I Can Do It Without A Week's Notice." When he's 70, "I'm Still Able To Imagine What It's Like." At 80, "Nurse, Do You Date Older Guys?" At 90, "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off."

Down Time

When you are tired and life has given you stress,
There's something you should take: Down time.
Don't let it drag you down 'cause you need your rest,
Go walk beside the lake: Down time.

Palin Claims Her Baby's Marked For Death

The headline is accurate. Sarah Palin says she thinks her baby is marked for death because of healthcare reform. She thinks there's some "Death Panel" that will execute baby Trig.

Leading to a very serious question. At what point does her stupidity and dishonesty become obvious to all?

Civics class discourse, this isn't.