GOODBYE SOUPY!

Some readers may not be familiar with Soupy Sales, a childhood icon for some of us. I remember sitting in front of the TV as Soupy performed this magical feat asking, “Kids, can you rub your belly and pat your head at the same time?” I STILL find that hard to do.

And, there were the pies in the face, of course. Soupy will probably be best remembered for not only the pies thrown on his show at his face but for all the celebrities that took a pie in the face for Soupy that included Frank Sinatra and Tony Curtis.

He was once suspended for a week for telling kids to empty their Mommie’s purses and send all the green pieces of paper with presidents’ faces on them to Soupy.

Something I didn’t know was that he was once a fill in host for the tonight show – being a kid, I wasn’t allowed to stay up that late.

Soupy made us laugh and he lived a productive but quiet life. No front page pictures of Soupy with other women or falling down drunk. I think maybe he was just happy being able to make money doing what he loved.

He died Thursday night at Calvary Hospice in the Bronx, New York at the age of 83.
Goodbye Soupy, and thanks for the memories!

Internet Freedom Act and Net Neutrality

No, no, no. The Internet Freedom Act isn't about freedom for you as an internet user and you should know by now that when a Republican uses the word Freedom it's about corporate control over your options. John McCain's "freedom act" appears now, after we've just begun to recover from eight years of the Bush FCC acting as a wholly owned subsidiary of big communications corporations; fudging the science and ignoring its own rules with impunity. Under Michael Powell and Kevin Martin, the Commission has stifled, hidden and falsified studies concerning the adverse effects on the public airwaves and even disaster relief services, of using power lines as a conductor for broadband internet and has made censorship of "indecency" a prime directive. It's high time they were prevented from protecting the public interest rather than the power of the telecommunications industry and the religious right.

If McCain's legislation is passed, the Internet Service Providers will have the power to limit your web bandwidth and mine and give preference to - you guessed it - the people they like, the people they own and the people who say what they want said. Have a blog that criticizes Comcast? Back to the days of 300 baud for you old chap! Fox News can blaze along at any speed they like with all the streaming and screaming video and Glennbeckery they can produce and the FCC won't be able to represent you. The freedom of giant corporations and puritanical moralists to censor you -- that's the kind of freedom John McCain thinks is worth fighting for!

OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK

A homeowners association wants to evict a 6-year old child. Too heartless, too outrageous to describe, just watch the video.

Glenn Beck, Performance Artist

Remember that focus-group we heard about the other day? The one that basically says today's conservative movement is a cult, and Glenn Beck is the cult leader?

Two aspects of the discussion on Beck among conservative Republicans were particularly noteworthy. One was a common fear among the women for his personal safety, a belief that his willingness to stand up to powerful liberal interests was putting his life, as well as the lives of those working with him, in danger. Of course, his willingness to face this danger head on only adds to his legend.

As it turns out, Beck was spotted with an armed bodyguard that very same day:

Guests at the other day's preview of Broadway musical "Memphis" noticed Beck was closely accompanied -- even to the men's room -- by a bodyguard with a gun partially concealed under his jacket. Beck, who famously accused President Obama of being "a racist," tweeted after the show: "Just got back from 'Memphis' on Broadway. Amazing cast & music. 2 songs abt Hope & Change. rlly? Only 2?"

Beck's performance art has spilled out of the studio and into the New York gossip pages. Which is not to say that Beck doesn't receive death threats; I'm sure he does -- but from under-medicated lunatics, not "Obama goons." As I've demonstrated before, the "goons" are products of a lunatic imagination.

I'll go further and say this "bodyguard" is another plastic frog. A fake. A fugazi. There is no such thing as a "partially-concealed" firearm; the gun was another ostentatious show in a very public setting. Beck is actively courting his cult status.

We need a name for his cult. I'm going with "Beckies" right now. Any nominations?

Adding: "Beckentologists"?

RECOGNITION FOR (O)CT(O)PUS

About a month ago, I received an invitation from Change.Org to participate in Blog Action Day, an initiative to build awareness for global climate change on the web. I registered for the event and posted my contribution on October 15, 2009.

According to the organizers, 12,000 registered bloggers contributed 32,000 trackable posts reaching 17 million people. Among those contributing: Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the UK, the government of Spain, and President Barack Obama’s White House blog.

Non-government contributors include: The Economist (magazine), Google, Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Federation, and The Nature Conservancy, among others.

Late last night, I received e-mail from Michael Stickings of The Reaction who brought this to my attention: Benno Hansen of Novo Nordisk, posted his review of the submissions. It is a hierarchy ranging from the Ugly and the Bad to the Good and the Best. If you scroll down to the best, you will find my article, Energy, climate change, and the indignant desert birds of willful self-destruction.

The article was also cross-posted at The Reaction where the Blog Action Day organizers found it.

This is the second nod this year. A few months ago, an editor in Toronto noticed my Michael Jackson article and asked permission to include it in an anthology of essays. This book should be out in a couple of weeks.

Not bad for a primitive cephalopod.

Jews, Guns and Jim DeMint

"There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves,"

said James S. Ulmer Jr. and Edwin O. Merwin Jr. chairmen of the Orangeburg and Bamburg county, South Carolina GOP.

There are a lot of "sayings" about the Jews. In fact there are a lot of "sayings" about all kinds of groups in South Carolina; real or fabricated but I suspect that these gems say more about South Carolina, the rest of the Bible Belt and it's prevalent mentality than they say about anything else.

Of course to substantiate an item of bigotry, one only has to show other bigots one example and I'm sure one could be provided, but I know a large number of Jews, rich and otherwise and those who have money seem to have acquired it by the same means as anyone else -- from inheritance to hard work and if I have to include myself, I'm notorious for letting the pennies fall where they may and other acts of negligent squanderation. I can't remember the last time I bothered to balance my checkbook and the luxury of not having to think about money is far more enjoyable than the big house and the boat and the sports cars.

Anyway these two party Chairmen wrote in a letter to a local newspaper that criticism of Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is unfair because he is like a penny pinching Jew for not bringing in federal dollars for projects in South Carolina. I hate to accuse the Republicans of being stupid, small minded and ignorant bigots, but they are in South Carolina. Imagine being dumb enough to print such things, not knowing how outrageous it is, not caring because there probably aren't enough Jews in those places to matter or enough decent people to be offended. They were wrong, of course but the comments at The Palmetto Scoop post decrying the letter are loaded with trollish anti-Semitic diatribes so scurrilous I'd be hard pressed not to gun down the writers in cold blood, given the chance. Well maybe not so cold.

In fact this prompted me to renew my membership in JPFO despite the furious anti-Obama rhetoric one sees there. It's obvious that despite over 150 years of family involvement in American life which includes a confederate great-grandfather, I'm still a hated member of a foreign conspiracy to the toothless, unwashed, tattooed and unlettered Republicans of the State where the Civil War started. It's a bit too soon to put away the weapons and maybe time to acquire some more.

Anyway, I'm already more than prepared to discuss "old sayings" with such redneck Republicans as may trickle down here like dog pee from a hydrant. Sometimes discussion just isn't enough though. Sometimes 9mm just isn't enough either.

THE ZEN OF VACATION

This past week I had the good fortune to find a few days and a great cottage at the beach in North Carolina. The good fortune continued because even though the weather was not the greatest, we chose the weekend of the NC Oyster Festival that takes place every year at a nearby beach. As several of the restaurants had entries in various oyster dish contests, it was hard not to be caught up in the excitement and anticipation while dining out.

Saturday dawned sunny and warm just in time for the festival. My husband loves oysters and other mollusks; me, not so much. But there was plenty of non-mollusk type food so I was gastronomically content. We also got to spend time with our youngest son who we don’t get to see much and his lovely girlfriend.

Molly, our soon to be five year old Border Collie also made the trip. This was her first time at the beach and she loved it! The rental company provided a welcome packet that included a water bowl, snacks and a bright red tag that reads “I’m on vacation and staying at ______” with the address of the cottage written in.

When we pulled in everyone said, ”The cottage is pink.” In the light of day, the cottage is actually a peachy, coral color, but, no matter, because I love the bright colored houses at the beach. The inside was bright and airy and had easy care tile floors so I didn’t have to worry about sandy feet or wet paws. While Molly loved all the new smells and chasing the sea birds, she very purposely ignored the ocean itself – she doesn’t really like water; bath time is a torture.

I had a lot of time, among the wild dunes and along the sandy beach, to enjoy simple pleasures. Like watching the sea gulls poking in the water for tasty morsels and looking down the crab holes to see if I could spot a claw or eye stalk and long walks with the roar of the mighty sea my constant companion, combing the beach for sea strewn treasures.

While reveling in my peaceful solitude, I realized we have all been locked in this endless political slugfest for over a year now and I am tired of the constant battles over healthcare, energy, global stewardship, war, peace and contending with those who have their own twisted agendas and continue to stir up the ignorant against whatever offends their prejudices; homosexuality, interracial marriage, certain books, liberals…
The baseless hysteria over the imaginary loss of freedoms and the imaginary destruction of this country and the imaginary coup by the socialist government – there is simply no rational way to respond and I don’t think any real, meaningful debate is possible because all issues are politically polarized.

I want to pull my head out of the political cesspool and breathe a little fresh air and focus less on the negative energies of others for a while. I want to use my blog time and space to highlight more positive events and people. Not to imply that I’m no longer engaged. How can I not be when my country and my countrymen are in need? But the rantings and ravings of the right have taken up enough time and energy. I know there is joy and kindness and hope and courage out here in the universe and I feel the need to find it and savor it and share it with all of you.

Peace and love, Rocky.

Comic Relief, Sorta

I just have to share it with you, dear Zoners. The knowledge of this gem is too precious to keep it only to myself.

From NYT

All This Anger Against the Rich May Be Unhealthy

By PAUL SULLIVAN

BEATING up on the wealthy seems to be the order of day. I suspected that. But a recent Wealth Matters column touched a particularly raw nerve. It looked at how even people with sizable fortunes were concerned about money in this recession and the impact that could have on the rest of us.

Readers rejected the attempt to understand the concerns of the rich.

“That’s so stupid that you ought to be slapped for it,” one woman wrote. My favorite began: “Bowties and Reaganomics are for losers. You can cry for the rich all you want, the rest of us will be happy to see them get taxed.”

The vehemence in these e-mail messages made me wonder why so many people were furious at those who had more than they did. And why are the rich shouldering the blame for a collective run of bad decision-making? After all, many of the rich got there through hard work. And plenty of not-so-rich people bought homes, cars and electronics they could not afford and then defaulted on the debt, contributing to the crash last year.

But in this recession, anger flows one way. Eric Dammann, a Manhattan psychoanalyst, theorizes that a lot of people are angry that the rules of the game seem to have changed.

“There’s always been envy and hatred toward the rich, but there was also a strong undercurrent of admiration that was holding these people up as a goal,” Mr. Dammann said. “This time it’s different because it feels like it’s a closed club and the rich have an unfair advantage.”

What is troubling is that the anger has hardened for some into a suspicion that all wealthy people are motivated purely by self-interest, said Brad Klontz, a financial psychologist in Hawaii and a co-author of the forthcoming book, “Mind Over Money: Overcoming the Money Disorders That Threaten Our Financial Health” (Random House).

“The script goes like this: Money is bad, rich people are shallow and greedy, and people become rich by taking advantage of others,” Mr. Klontz said. “But the same people who say money is bad say money is connected to their self-worth — they wished they had it and you didn’t.”

In boom or bust, envy is natural, and the desire for a level playing field is understandable. But so too is the desire to do better financially, to the point where it seems at times to be hardwired into our national psyche. “To revile the rich is to revile the American dream,” said Robert Clarfeld, president of the wealth management firm Clarfeld Financial Advisors.

This resentment was so palpable, I started to wonder if it was having any effect — were the wealthy aware of it, and if they were, did they care?

Continue and, whatever you do, stay healthy! Which means do not get angry at the rich. They have enough problems as it is.

====

To help you get healthier, I encourage you to see this Elizabeth Warren's interview where she says that "bank bonuses make (her) speechless." While you are listening to her, remember to breathe deeply and repeat some relaxation mantra -- for example, "I love the Trumps!" or "Goldman Sachs is awesome!" or whatever works for you.

If you can get through the whole segment without blowing a gasket, you are quite healthy, my friends, and you can start focusing your anger on the real culprits here -- the poor, who destroy this wonderful country of ours and its robust economy through their willfully negligent poverty.

If not, we'll think of some more advanced techniques for you.

For example, Dr. Dammonn, the Manhattan psychoanalyst interviewed for the article (an aside: these guys have the highest fees in the helping profession) has this useful advice, should you be ready for the more advanced exploration of your clearly irrational anger at the rich:

People who get caught up in this paranoia spend all night reading these blogs, and six months later they haven’t done anything to better themselves. Even if they’re right, there is a lot of wasted energy put into this. They need to look at the mistakes they’ve made in their life.

Ouch. Paranoia!* And Dr. Dammonn is an expert, so surely he would not throw clinical terms willy-nilly here. If you're angry at the rich for, say, ruining our economy, your lost house and your unemployment, while you watch them pocket unprecedented bonuses yet again, you are obviously paranoid, what else?

Besides, instead of criticizing the poor rich, you should look at yourself and focus on your own mistakes in life. Why, if you didn't make horrendous mistakes, you'd be rich too, just like the rest of us.

Well, OK, the rich are not totally heartless, not all of them. I'm sure Dr. Dammonn would like to help you to uncover your mistakes. But be mindful of the fact that psychoanalytic treatment requires several sessions a week and the fee per session may be as high as your mortgage.

You may also try to uncover those mistakes on your own -- in that case, the book(s) peddled in the article and other services of their authors should be helpful too. IF you can afford them.

And whatever you do, think of the children! Listen to the good psychologists, they know what they are talking about:

Mr. Klontz is even more concerned that this obsession with money and blame will affect children. He said the risk is creating a generation that distrusts investing and associates wealth with greed.

“People in their 20s have watched their parents lose their money and now they think, ‘You can’t trust banks, you can’t trust anyone.' ”

Oh no, we certainly would not our young people to distrust banks! Because if you can't trust banks, whom can you trust?

And this quote, from yet another expert, quite possibly beats them all:

“To revile the rich is to revile the American dream,” said Robert Clarfeld, president of the wealth management firm Clarfeld Financial Advisors.

Damn right. But why stop there? Let's just tell it like it is: To revile the rich is un-American and unpatriotic. Downright treasonous.

*That takes me back to the good old days of the Soviet psychiatry, where dissidents and most of those who had a beef with the system and did not believe the official propaganda telling people that they lived in the best of all worlds, were officially diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and other assorted mental maladies. The diagnosis was often followed by mandatory inpatient treatment designed to cure the "sick" of his or her dangerous delusions.

This piece, so heavily and readily supported by the opinions of mental health experts is no different in its shameless pandering to the established ideology and attempts at pathologizing those who do not buy it.

Cross-posted at The Middle of Nowhere.

Maddow: "Corporate Parasites"

Maddow takes on Tim Phillips of Americans For Prosperity, an astroturf group behind the tea party movement and sponsor of the Right Online conference:

J'Accuse!

Fox lies and America pays the price. Sean Hannity's latest witch hunt against anything good and decent has found yet another victim in Kevin Jennings. The Obama administration employee whom Czar Hannity, mad with power, calls a "safe schools Czar," has been accused of ignoring or not reporting the sexual abuse of a minor. Of course not only is Jennings not the absolute monarch of anyplace, he's only Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools (OSDFS) and more importantly, the story isn't true.

Hannity lies and one more piece of justice dies. Of course Fox sometimes quietly retracts a story after the damage has been done -- as they have with the story insisting that Jennings one ignored a report of sexual relations between a minor student and an older man, but such lies have momentum and the mad dogs of the GOP are issuing demands that he be fired for promoting a "radical gay agenda" they would like you to believe includes the exploitation of children by gay teachers.

Fifty-three House Republicans have written President Barack Obama calling on him to fire Jennings. Jennings isn't a Czar of any kind and the gay "child" in question was above the age of consent, but Jennings is also gay and Jennings has spent a lot of time trying to make schools safer for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Such things infuriate bigots and witch hunting religious idiots and Retro-Republican trolls and Fox is happy to fan the flames regardless of who burns as long as those ratings stay high.

The disgusting, shit-eating cockroaches calling themselves the Family Research Council (FRC) launched the “Stop Kevin Jennings” campaign this week, warning that he is a

“radical homosexual activist” who has “worked tirelessly to bring the homosexual agenda into our nation’s classrooms.”

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/16/kevin-jennings-should-res_n_323547.html

None of these people care that the story was a lie or that the accusation is a lie. Even if Fox were to give serious time recanting it ( and ten thousand other lies) it wouldn't matter. The excuse to persecute heretics, to stomp all over freedom and justice is too valuable to let go. More foetid slime to fling at Democrats is far more valuable than truth or justice.

If a lie is as good as the truth, if preventing the abuse and promoting the safety of gay students is radical activism and if truth and justice for all is to be despised as the "Gay Agenda" then maybe it is time to stand up and say "Long live the Radical Gay Agenda!" Maybe it is time for those decent citizens to say we've had enough of the hate-stinking madmen with hate-foam on their lips and the lying enemies of freedom who whip them into a religious frenzy.

Is it any wonder the Republicans oppose hate crime legislation so vehemently? The persecution of Kevin Jennings is a hate crime and the lies of Fox are hate crimes and the Republican Party is the party of hate mongering, small mindedness, injustice and persecution of liberty. It's long past time to tell those values voters their values are evil and their deeds are evil and certainly at odds with anything this country claims it stands for. We get tens of thousands of armed idiots in the streets protesting a tax increase that's actually a decrease, but why is it that we sit by and let a good man be ruined and say nothing? Why is it that we keep watching Fox and giggling and never speak up? Is it because we're no better?