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Roses are red, poems are blue

Posted by Scott Keys on Thursday, May 17, 2007 8:30:04 PM
I'm pretty sure I don't have what it takes to be the resident poet at a university. Here's a "poem" from Nikki Giovanni, Virginia Tech's resident rhymestress who read another of her masterpieces at the memorial service for the murdered students a few weeks ago. Pithy, cutting edge stuff, no pun intended.

In a travesty of giant proportion, Melinda Doolittle was voted off of American Idol last night. She was not only EASILY - I repeat - EASILY the best of this year but maybe the best singer ever to have been on the show, period. That the Idol electorate chose the pedestrian vocalizing of Jordin Sparks and whatever-that-other-talentless-guy's name is evidence that the death of music education in this country has lead to a complete inability of people (mostly 50 and under) to recognize the difference between utter drek and the irrefutable mastery of great art exemplified on a weekly basis by Miss Doolittle for the last 4 months. Every style she sang was on the button: jazz, R & B, rock, pop, a master class in 20th century popular song. Who cares who wins now? I predict we'll still be listening to her in 20 years, long after the all the other Idols have slipped into deserved obscurity. And that goes triple for whoever is this year's winner.
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On a personal note or 2

Posted by Scott Keys on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 6:24:58 PM
Further proof of the UN's absolute uselessness except as an example of ludricrousness too extreme for anything but mockery. As Dave Barry might say, you can't make this stuff up. First Libya on the Human Rights Commission.
Now this.

A blog note for my musician friends: My good friend, the bari sax god,  and rapier-witted Bill Zacagni died last week. Bill was a sweet, funny guy who kept the right side of the band in stitches and anchored the woodwind section on Mathis gigs in Atlantic City. We'll all miss you, Bill. Enjoy your wings.

If you'll indulge me on another personal front, the head of my family's favorite family passed away also. The Smith house was our second home growing up and my thoughts and prayers are with the Mrs. and all the kids today (May 12) in Berne, Indiana. Of the old golf foursome, Carl went first, Stu next, then my dad.  Mr Smith sadly completes the foursome. They're finally back together and playing a round on the pearly links, I'm sure, even as we speak.

It's now Wednesday and this item just in: The jig's up, Al (Gore). Folks are wising up or at least asking questions and being -  let's see, what's the word I'm looking for? - Oh yeah, a little SKEPTICAL!

And finally, a Get Well Quick note to the ever-faithful Dave Johnson. Dave turned left when his horse, spooked and at a full gallop, turned right on Saturday and fell gracefully and literally on his face. Broken cheekbone, rib and severely bruised hip, along with, undoubtedly, a renewed sense of mortality. Feel better, Bubba.
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Spin from the Tornado

Posted by Scott Keys on Tuesday, May 08, 2007 3:35:49 PM
Yes, it's true. Everything bad can be attributed to the Bush administration in some way or other. The AP sums it up.

This sounds like one mean kitty. Hope the Canadian mounties are a lot tougher than the mail carriers.

Take two seconds and do something nice for service moms (and others) in service overseas. Send a free message for Mother's Day courtesy of 1-800 FLOWERS.

Some years ago a cockroach crawled into my brother's ear while he was sleeping but this is maybe worse. Spiders in a kid's ear. Yech.

So the Virginia Tech shooter was ordered to get involuntary treatments for his menta condition but didn't because noone followed up. Here's a quote from an obviously clueless official:

Virginia law says community services boards "shall recommend a specific course of treatment and programs" for people such as Cho who are ordered to receive outpatient treatment. It also says these boards "shall monitor the person's compliance."
"That's news to us," said Mike Wade of the New River Valley Community Services Board.

Well, it shouldn't have been, don't cha' think? Isn't that your job, bonehead? After he was found a danger to himself by the judge isn't someone supposed to ask, "What do we do with this guy now?" Sheesh.

The inventor of the large-size, Starbucks coffee has passed away here in California.

The shameless New York Times headline today (Tuesday) purposely mischaracterizes the content of this article to indicate that "...Little Rock [Arkansas] Can't Escape Race." Obvious implication? Just like "50 years " ago, segregation's still a problem and people can't get along. But read the article: the black superintendent of schools has made other blacks unhappy by trying to streamline schools and weed out unnecessary jobs. Oh yeah, and white folks like this guy and think he's doing a good job.





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P.T. Barnum woulda' been proud!

Posted by Scott Keys on Wednesday, May 02, 2007 8:25:42 PM
Costume shops did big business, apparently, the day before the "big" immigration rallies Monday. Coincidentally, the circus appears to have pulled into San Francisco the same day.

Gee, I wonder who I'd vote for in the French presidential election. Here are my criteria:
1. I don't want to have to look for or necessarily be qualified for a job; I want to be guaranteed one after I graduate from university or
2. Get further job training that's paid for by the government and
3. Make a minimum wage of $2000 a month, no matter how crappy and how little skill it requires. Oh yeah, and...
4. If me or any of my underage buddies get in trouble we won't go to prison, we'll be sent to "educational camps" run by the military. Also
5. I want free, government-funded tutors if I'm not doing so good in skool
6. If I'm not making as much as that dude over there I want some freakin' government redress, I want income equality of outcome, dang it!
...man, I'm really gettin' into this...
7. I want more taxes on the people who create jobs and wealth and less taxes on people who already pay very little
8. I think the government should figure out how companies can increase salaries. They always have a good plan for stuff like that
9. Free contraceptives for my girlfriend! Yeah!
10. An interest-free loan would be nice, too. I know: Give one to ALL young people! Woohoo!!
11. I want an end to the - let's see how did she put it - the "unfettered rein of financial profit." That's obviously not in the "general interest," as the madam comrade puts it.
12. Even if it's redundant and moronic-sounding, I really like the ring of her "participative democracy"!! That's some impressive word-play there!
And here's my candidate! Segolene Royal! Everything I was looking for and a red blazer. Egalite!!



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A Look Back

Posted by Scott Keys on Wednesday, May 02, 2007 2:57:57 PM
Take 3:44 and watch this video of every prominent Democrat you can think of talking about the threat Iraq posed in the late '90's. Maybe he'd changed his stripes a few years later; you know - during the W. administration -so Bush and others had to "lie" about the threat to get us into war. The "Bush lied, people died" mantra is so tiresome. If this phrase still runs through your tiny brain please watch the video. That's an order.


Indoctrinate U is the name of a new film about illiberal campus politics and the universitys' attempt to, well, indoctrinate students. Here you'll find compelling evidence of Orwellian prophecies come true, complete with mandated diversity and sensitivity seminars, speech codes, censorship, and outright abrogation of students' other basic Constitutional rights .   Here's an excerpt from David Horowitz's excellent FIRE [Foundation for Individual Rights in Education]  website(emphases mine):

Students at Colorado State University (CSU) will hold a rally this afternoon to celebrate their newfound right to express themselves outside of a designated free speech zone[!!] on CSU’s campus. This rally was organized by members of the Campus Libertarians, who worked with FIRE to successfully pressure the university to clarify a free speech zone policy that quarantined open expression to one small area of campus. CSU has now clarified that spontaneous assembly is allowed[!!] and encouraged at numerous locations across the campus.

If you're unfamiliar with what's happening on many of America's  college campuseprepare to be shocked. Here's another good blog covering current issues on campus. Grab a pithe helmet: It's an ivy-covered jungle out there!
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Thoughts on health care

Posted by Scott Keys on Thursday, April 26, 2007 6:27:11 PM
In answer to "johninoregon" regarding the Michael Moore post:

I understood what Moore's point was. Did you understand my point, as underlined by the link to the pictures of Cuban health care clinics?   Cuba's system, as well as the health care systems in the "30-plus advanced industrialized countries," is in a pitiful state, as exemplified by poor quality of care, long waiting lists, out-of-date equipment and their citizens' flight to other countries (the US, by the way, if they're allowed to leave, which, of course, they're not in Cuba) to get timely and efficacious treatment. So it's not a question of "managing" to do it or national wealth, necessarily, it's a question of whether taxing people to pay and then the government running a national system is the best way to go about it. From a Constitutional and evidentiary standpoint I don't believe it's the right thing to do.



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Pre-empting Michael Moore

Posted by Scott Keys on Thursday, April 26, 2007 12:47:42 PM
If you hadn't heard, Michael Moore's new movie will be called "Sicko" and attacks American drug companies and HMOs.  Here's a story in the New York Post about him taking ailing 9/11 workers down to Cuba to illustrate the faiings of our system and highlight Cuba's superior one. And here are some pictures from a recent article on Castro's facilities. Nice.

I guess the shooter at Virginia Tech was unaware of the campus being a "Gun-Free Zone." And where was security during all this? Probably out buying guns because they were gun-free as well!!
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And now, the News

Posted by Scott Keys on Monday, April 16, 2007 1:15:15 PM
This is for real, no kidding. The Democrats are tackling the big issues in predictable fashion. Maybe we can get Neville Chamberlain to be the first Secretary of the Department of Peace.

In the Well It's About Time!! category, there WILL be an Anna Nicole Smith biopic. Yes!! We can all breathe a little easier.

So upon hearing that my son was (kiddingly) denying his girlfriend the right to drink water I wittily commented, "Oh, you are a brut." ...no I'm not going to explain it to you. Hint: Note the spelling of brut.

I liked growing in the 50's and 60's. Here are some of the reasons.
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The beam in Al and Jesse's eye

Posted by Scott Keys on Thursday, April 12, 2007 9:12:06 PM
The problem with the outcry over Don Imus is in the disproportionate outrage. If even half this much attention was paid by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to the filth spewed at black women (and women in general) by black rappers we could take their anger at Imus a little more seriously. Michelle Malkin has it right. Warning: If you've never paid attention to rap lyrics before you may be surprised at the depths of the coarseness contained in the "lyrics" she features in this post. Be sure to dig Snoop Dogg's rationale for heaping criticism on Imus while excusing black rappers misogyny at the bottom of the post.
Update: And good for CBS for firing Imus, the old poop.

Every once in awhile Tony Blair says something that noone could say here and get way with, especially a politician. Not to say that he's not correct.

Charges have all been dropped against the Duke lacrosse players. The woman who accused them, Crystal Gail Mangum, deserves extreme contempt but no more than the professors and president of Duke who tried and convicted the players within days of the incident with nothing to back their opinions but misplaced sympathy for the "oppressed" accuser-stripper and knee-jerk prejudice against the players. Here's the excellent K.C. Johnson's blog on the case. He started almost a year ago on this.A sad and pitiful incident.
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The Cluster Bomb Hunt

Posted by Scott Keys on Saturday, April 07, 2007 1:12:49 AM
This seems like a wildly inappropriate exploitation of kids to make a political statement. What kind of nightmares are these idiots trying to induce in these tikes? Of course you can take your pretend cluster bomb home tonight, Timmy!

From the friendly, tolerant, compassionate, rational folks at the leading, leftie, internet blog the Daily Kos. And just in time for Easter! Warning: hate crimes ahead.

Lineup of Useful Idiots. This picture at least proves that Nancy Pelosi CAN, in fact, close down the shades on those seemingly perpetually wide-open peepers of her's.

It's Billie Holiday's birthday commemorating another year of me not understanding her appeal. Sorry but I'd rather listen to Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughn.

Here's the woman who's 3rd in line for the Presidency playing footsie with Hugo Chavez supporter Cindy Sheehan. And she's proud enough of it to put it on the front page of her official website. Sheehan, keep in mind, recently said she'd rather live in a country ruled by Chavez than by George Bush.

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Wi-Fi or Why-Fly

Posted by Scott Keys on Thursday, April 05, 2007 12:18:26 PM
Sweden: A great place to live, unless you don't like paying 75% of your income in taxes or you want to name your baby  something strange.


And here's good news  for traveling internet junkies.

Sorry, my hyperlink manager isn't functioning. Cut and paste the following website references, please!
Working today so I've made the fixes to the links.

You've got be kidding me!!!!!!  Sanjaya didn't get voted off of Idol!!!!!! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!! What's the matter with you people???? And who wrote that lame string arrangement at the beginning of "Smile" that Gina (the poor thing that got unjustly voted off)was singing at the end of the show? Oh, and another thing...without naming names (michaelbublĂ©) why would anyone pay big money to listen to a 5th-rate Sinatra when you can listen to the real thing? At least he's singing good tunes and musicians are working, I guess.

Some people still pine for the good old days of Stalin and Mao. Well, at least that style of government that worked so well for so many.





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A Plague upon your Mascot

Posted by Scott Keys on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 11:38:10 PM
Sammy the Squirrel seems like a questionable choice for a mascot for Public Health Week in Bakersfield, CA. Maybe next we can have Mikey the Mosquito for Malaria Week and how about the Marlboro Man for Stop Smoking Week.

I've played with some musicians who should donate to this effort.
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Monday, Monday

Posted by Scott Keys on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 12:52:26 AM
It's Holy Week for the Christian world and today is Passover. So a good Pesach to all our Jewish friends and what time should we be over for the seder?

Ouch! Hey! I'm with you! Robber shoots female accomplice and steals a bag of bread. Sorry, mate.

See, I told the Obama thing is getting out of hand. And just in time for Easter.

Pimping for your kids. And the most this "mother" can get for trying to prostitute her 7-year-old is 20 years in prison?

It's getting to be more like 1984, Orwell-style, all the time, especially in the UK where if it's upsetting to teach kids about, oh, let's say the Holocaust or the Crusades, we'll have the good manners not to mention it.

At least the Brit coppers are on top of the really serious crimes, like an 11-year-old calling a schoolmate "gay." 'Ere now, 'ere now! We'll be 'avin' none o' that, lad.
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More Obama stuff-a reply

Posted by Scott Keys on Monday, April 02, 2007 1:00:34 AM
Thoughts on "midwest affiliate"'s comments:

>I live in Obama's home state, Illinois. Seems to me the stuff the media is ripping him on, i.e. his >ancestors owned slaves, etc. is ridiculous.

Agreed. Stupid, inconsequential stuff.

>And now you- How do you know he is a flaming liberal if, as you also say, he hasn't stated his >position on much of anything? I haven't read his book...

That's a fair question. Perhaps I should have said, " He should have been more specific as to what his policies would be as President once he declared." If you've decided you want to be the leader of the free world folks deserve to know how you're going to do it.
As to the question regarding his basic political bent it's actually easy to ascertain that he's very liberal. All you have to do is look at his voting record. Here are some of the things he voted against last year:

against the Alito SC nomination, against award caps for malpractice awards, against the extension of the current tax cuts to 2010, against barring illegal immigrants from claiming SS credit for work before obt. SS #, against ending of the filibuster on the bill defining marriage as between a man and awoman, against ending of the filibuster on the bill to repeal the death tax, against Iran sanctions, against the Iraq government's no-amnesty-for-terrorists policy, He's also ranked 10th most liberal in Senate (even more liberal than Dennis Kucinich) by the (admittedly biased) American Conservative Union. And he's tied for first on economic issues. Here are the voter rankings. No matter your opinions on these issues, this is a liberal voting record. I think you should concede this point.

>I'm a libertarian. I'm all for liberal social policies, and conservative economic policies.

Are you sure you're a libertarian? And tell me how this works: I'm always confused by people who say they're social liberals and economic conservatives. How do you implement liberal social policies, and their accompanying programs, without asking taxpayers (me and you) to pay for these programs? I'm willing to be educated here. Seriously.

>A front-page article in today's Chicago Tribune (which, granted, loves Obama)talks about the fact >that Obama is, at heart, a very pragmatic organizer for social change.

This doesn't sound like a libertarian position to me. I don't think politicians should be organizing people for "social change." Most libertarians I know just want them to stay out of the way. As to the activism Obama was trying to organize, it sounds to me like the bickering busybody politicos in the Chicago city council were part of the problem anyway.
>In my opinion, anyone who can take a community/culture operating out of major "I'm such a >powerless victim at the hands of the white man" mode and get them to take some responsibility and >action on their own behalf wins some points in my book.

Taking responsibility and "action on their own behalf" is a very good thing, exactly the point and just underscores my point above. I'm glad we agree here.

>...He struck me as intelligent, thoughtful, genuine, idealistic, and practical...

All wonderful qualities if you're looking for, say, a philosopher but we're trying to find someone to be President so those qualities don't mean anything if his opinions and resultant policies are wrong-headed. We all know people who are intelligent enough but with whom we disagree strongly. And I'm not sure you can be idealistic and practical at the same time. I think being an idealist too often leads down that fabled road to you-know-where, paving as you go with all those good intentions.

>My impression so far is that Obama listens, rather than tells. And I think that is a rare kind of >leadership, and the kind of leader our country's future requires.

I'm sorry to disagree, but listening and not "telling" isn't leading so, yes, that is a rare kind of leadership. Of course being a good leader involves weighing the opinions of others but ultimately you have to be the "teller," or in W's case, the "decider." It's easy to

>The George W. paternalistic, authoritarian mode of handling whatever comes our way simply isn't >effective. I know you won't agree.

Well actually, the paternalistic aspect of the current administration (the Medicare drug thing comes to mind) offends me too. As I indicated before I'm happy if they leave me alone and take care of establishing justice, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare and helping  secure the blessings of liberty.
I'm not sure what you mean by the authoritarian thing. The Patriot Act maybe? I don't consider the actions that have been taken to heighten domestic security as authoritarian, per se.

>And I know I haven't articulated what I'm trying to say well enough. A practical idealist myself, and >a midwesterner to boot, I think Obama is the freshest option- i.e. non-plastic, non-pastuerized, >non-homogenized politician the presidential campaign has to offer. And he's giving Hilary a run for >her money, so who can argue with that.

I think you've been quite articulate. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
I certainly don't dislike Obama. He just seems like the latest Great Hope of the desparate, out-of-ideas Democratic party and a little bit of a poser at this point. He seems like just another liberal to me. Just look at his record. Oh, and the fact that he's black makes him appealing to some guilty, white people. And no, I'm not talking about you, midwest affiliate.


Hey, Mike M. - I updated my blog!


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The (anti-Semite) View

Posted by Scott Keys on Friday, March 30, 2007 8:37:19 PM
Up the ladder, out onto the diving board and off into the deep end goes Rosie O'Donnell. She gets more strident and loathsome every day. Here's her latest display of idiocy  in a guest posting on the website Daimnation![sic]. She's evidently joined the "It's the Jews!!" crowd. Stunning. Plus yesterday's lunatic ranting about her 9/11 conspiracy theories. Wonder if she's ever read anything outside her apparently narrow little circle of wacky, paranoid, leftie web sources? How am I ever going to enjoy A League of Their Own again?
Update: Popular Mechanics magazine has published a response to O'Donnell. If you're interested, they published this book, Debunking 9/11 Myths, to counter the conspiracy nonsense a couple of years ago.

On how many levels is this disturbing? A giant, laser-firing robot of Michael Jackson roaming the desert outside Las Vegas? Holy moley!!
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