Intuitively I knew that the large menacing man, who was very obviously not of Irish heritage and was approaching me on a side street in New York City, was going to try his panhandling skills on the recent college grad who had been warned by his mother: "Never give money to a bum, because they'll say they want a cup of coffee, but they'll go straight to the liquor store if you give them any money."- I prepared to challenge the big guy as a liar just as soon as he uttered the word "coffee."- The guy walked right up to me, looked me straight in the eyes, and said: "Son, I wouldn't try to (the "s" word) ya, I need a drink!"- I pulled out a hand full of coins and told him to take what he needed. [It took a few moments to sink in but I quickly figured out that a bottle of beer probably did cost more in Manhattan than it did in a dive bar in Scranton.]
So when I hear that Senator John McCain has to skip the debate and resume his banking industry advisory role where it was left off at the end of the Keating Five scandal, in my mind all I hear is the (imaginary) voice of the California Governor saying: "The little girly-man has to run and hide."-
Up until a week (or so) ago, the Republicans describing the status of the economy, sounded like they were on acid. "Everything is grooooovey."- It was like hearing an announcement at Woodstock: "Come on everybody, sing along!"- My gut reaction was to ask myself: "Are you spinning me?,"- which translates into texting as: "AYSM?"-
Yeah, man, take one of these pills and everything and the economic situation will look sooooo meloooow. Everything will be bright colors morphing into exciting new shapes and forms. What ever happened to Wavy Gravy? What ever happened to Gen. Hershy Barr?
Look at the successes brought about by the surge. Peace (as Nevil Chamberlain so loudly proclaimed) is at hand and the troops will be coming home right after McCain is inaugurated. This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Faaaaaaar out. Right? AYSM?
One, two, three, four, what are we fighting for? I don't give a damn. The Iraqis must have done something to deserve the invasion, and the particulars of no concern right now, the (inevitable) war crimes trial will figure that out. Right now, the prevailing wisdom is: "Never question authority."-
In California, they used to sell a poster that showed the (then) governor in a still from his acting days, portraying a gunfighter snarling: "Thanks for the votes, suckers!"-
When was the last time someone on Bruin Walk that someone uttered the line: "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?"- Well, actually on Thursday, when a coed presented me with some sales literature for Servana.com, I asked her: "Where are the war protesters?"- and added that call to my inquiry. She thought it was pretty funny and tried to inform me that the Sixties were over.
Back in the Sixties, some hippies (if you can believe reports in the liberal media) would walk out into the middle of Highway 1, up near Big Sur, and stick out both thumbs into both lanes of traffic and take the first ride that stopped. Bush seems to expect that attitude in response to the bailout, from all right thinking (pun?) voters. I don't care what momma don't allow, I'm gonna back the bailout any how . . . .
So Senator McCain is running the "straight talk express"-? Is it possible that while being a POW, he learned to make life better by telling people just what they wanted to hear? You want to feel better at a time when it looks like the Great Depression is about to do an encore? Well, then the country needs a strong, resolute former military man who will be an effective father figure. How did that work out for Germany? They tried that, didn't they?
This week, there were reports online stating that one particular United States military unit will be deployed inside the USA to be available to help quell any civil unrest. As we write the last sentence, a writer being interviewed on the Stephanie Miller radio show, mentioned the posse comitatus objection to that move. That brings up a wild question: "Is the bailout, Bush's version of Kristallnacht?"- It could destroy a lot of small businesses while saving the fat cats' asses.
Senator McCain is using every bit of deception and subterfuge suggested by Karl Rove and he wants my vote, does he? WTF? He'd have a better chance if he just said: "I wouldn't try to (the "s" word) ya, I want to help establish the Forth Reich."-
On Thursday, while the JAS Photo Team was combing the Venice Beach for photo ops, we came across a guy who has been a fixture on the Ocean Front Walk for (about) . . . well it must be at least 20 year. He sings "Jingle bells, jingle bells, help me get drunk"- as his panhandling pitch. Has anything changed since 1966? Asking me for money for a drink worked then and it worked again this week. What's not to like about unabashed candor?
Johnny Cash had one rather obscure song about a gunfighter who wandered out into car traffic on a modern street, thinking that he was facing a bad guy on an empty street for an old fashioned "reach for your gun"- confrontation. Senator McCain reminds me of the fellow in that Johnny Cash song.
We must invade Iraq because of the WMD's. AYFSM? (That's a more vulgar version with a very naughty word included.)
The local Muslims will arrest the fugitive Muslims in the Tora Boar mountains because we just gave them a bag of loot. AYSM?
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
