What I want for New Years'

So, I am assuming that everyone survived the Christmas holiday intact. Now we get to face 2007. We could have done a lot better this year, but we surely could have done a lot worse. And we have some things to be hopeful about.

We won back control of Congress. Now, while I'd like to see subpoenas flying around all over the place, I'll settle for more and better work for America. Real investigations may be too much to ask.

I'd like to see us get the hell out of Iraq, instead of sending more troops in. This may be too much to ask, however, as they are already trying to sneak more troops in. I hope that idiot doesn't decide we need to invade Iran, or to do anything else stupid to them. We don't get to decide who can play with nukes and who can't. While I wouldn't like to see any new country with nuclear weapons, I think that ship has sailed.

I want us to be nicer to each other this year. We spend so much time lost in our own worlds, arguing about such petty things, not showing the least civility. Let's start small, with please and thank you. Let someone in front of you in line, or in traffic. Smile once in a while. After all, it can't be that bad.

I'd just like to go through a whole year without any more misery, suffering, or rudeness than is absolutely necessary. I'm not asking for much. It's not like I asked for world peace or anything. Like that would happen. Happy 2007. good night and good luck....stimp

Merry, Happy, Joyous...

Tomorrow is Yule, the Winter Solstice. I will light the Yule log my husband made for me, complete with candles to sub for a fireplace. I try to come up with something for all the major holidays to post here. I was coming up empty, I admit, because I am depressed. Things around here, and in the world, have me in somewhat of a funk. But then, a phrase crossed my mind, cliche as that sounds. Peace on Earth, goodwill to men.

It seemed so right somehow. It's what I'd ask Santa for (well, that and a job). It's what I hope for, pray for, and despair for. Peace on Earth, goodwill to men.

There seems to be little of either this year, but I suppose if I tried hard enough, it could be said of any year. There is always a war, or poverty, or crime. No peace, and very little goodwill. And still, every year we sing for it in our carols. Some of us work for it, as much as any one person can. We smile at our neighbors. We give our time and our money to charity. We acknowledge the homeless man when he speaks to us, giving him the humanity he desperately needs and deserves. We say please and thank you and have a nice day to strangers, or let someone in front of us at the store, or in traffic. There are a million ways to spread peace, and goodwill.

It is something we can start, right now. One of the greatest losses with all our technology is a bit of our civilization. We rush, and push, and forget that we aren't the only ones in the world. As bad as I have ever felt, and I have felt pretty bad, I always said "It could be worse". Somewhere, for someone, it is.

So this year, before the new one gets here, let's find our civilization. Our own peace on Earth, goodwill to men. My mom always says the only place you can change is your own corner of the world. I think we can do more than that. But either way, we must change, for all of us.

Whatever your holiday, I wish you all the blessings of the season. May you have the brightest of new years. Just in case I don't get back here before then. I'll be making merry with the ones I love. good night and good luck...stimp

If you hear a loud popping noise...

It is probably my head exploding. Didn't we just have a watershed election, where at least some of us made it clear that this shit in Iraq didn't make sense anymore? Haven't we been saying, more and more loudly, that we are tired of this horrible waste of money and life? We have been lied to, frightened purposely, and made to feel disagreement was treason.

Now, from the looks of it, that dumb son of a bitch is going to ignore everything that went before, and try to send MORE troops to Iraq. To expand the military.

To quote MSN news:
Bush said he has ordered Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to develop a plan to increase the troop strength of the Army and Marine Corps, heeding warnings from the Pentagon and Capitol Hill that multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan are stretching the armed forces toward the breaking point. "We need to reset our military," said Bush, whose administration had opposed increasing force levels as recently as this summer.

So instead of listening to the Iraq Study Group, the people of America, the people of Iraq, and everyone else who has more than four working brain cells, he's going to send more troops over there.

Where is he going to get them? Recruitment levels are falling, and the people we have plus those that are joining are not going to go around forever. So what is he going to do? Frighten us some more? I think that ship has sailed. Start a draft? I'd like to see that. I don't think the American people, especially those registered for Selective Service, would stand it. Stop loss the ones there forever? I don't think so. Too many National Guard and Reserve families are having their lives messed up as it is. And don't tell me about "They signed up for it". My husband was in the Guard after he left active duty. It's no mystery to me.

To quote again:
"I've got more consultations to do with the national security team, which will be consulting with other folks. And I'm going to take my time to make sure that the policy, when it comes out, the American people will see that we . . . have got a new way forward."

A new way forward? Who is he trying to kid? The hard core hawks and the idiots who believe anything that comes out of his mouth? The acolytes of Hannity, Bill-o, and Rush? This is not a new way forward. It is an expensive game of cover your ass. He invaded when he didn't need to, didn't send enough folks to get the job done correctly, and then let us get bogged down in a mess. Meanwhile, Iraqis are being killed everyday by their own countrymen, and they are taking our guys with them. I hate to break the bad news, but it is a civil war now, and our meddling started it. We can't end it. And the war we started ostensibly to root out the bad guys who did attack us is forgotten. The Taliban and terrorists are regrouping, and they are coming back.

So let's review. We are needlessly getting our soldiers killed everyday, in part because we wrote checks our military couldn't cash. Billions upon billions of dollars are gone, and we have a deficit my grandkids are going to be paying off, if we aren't owned outright by another country by then. All of it for what? Saddam's show trial? The elusive Osama bin Laden? Summer vacation?

And this asshole wants to make it bigger. What a fucking genius. Start praying, if you aren't already. I have a bad feeling it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. good night and good luck...stimp

addendum

Well, they didn't show up. The loonies who were going to protest at Sgt. Marco Miller's funeral didn't show. Thank God for small miracles.

Of course, it makes me proud to see who did show up. A large number of members of the community were there, to honor the fallen Marine, and to help shield his family in case those idiots did show up. The number of people, including a group of veterans serving as kind of an honor guard on motorcycles, was wonderful. Makes me proud to be from my hometown.

I hope the other families who are targeted by this horrible group (and there were others on the list) are as fortunate. I love and believe in free speech. But the fallen and their families deserve better than this kind of treatment. good night and good luck...stimp

Oh, God, No...

I am a pacifist. I think that over time I have made that quite clear. I have also made clear that I have nothing but respect for those who serve in uniform. My nephew has done a tour in Iraq, working in a hospital in Balad. So imagine my horror and shock when I learned that the pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, Fred Phelps, was encouraging folks to come to my hometown.

Recently, a young man from here was killed in Iraq. I heard on the news last night that these crazy bastards were going to come here and picket his funeral. I didn't want to believe it. So when I got up this morning, I went to their website, charmingly titled "GodHatesFags.com", and lo and behold, I found this.
http://www.godhatesfags.com/fliers/dec2006/20061212_marco-miller-funeral.pdf

These people are sick, insane, and without soul. Marco Miller gave his life for his country. And considering that the leaders of his country have thrown his life away, it is even more tragic. That is a discussion for another day. But to picket a soldier's funeral, to disturb those who love and mourn him for an agenda, is nothing less than horrifying. I do not have the words to explain how angry and soulsick this makes me. So I'll share some of their comforting thoughts.

"God himself has become America's terrorist, killing and maiming American troops in strange lands for fag sins."
"They turned America over to fags; they're coming home in body bags."
"Thank God for IEDs"
"America is now in God's eternal crosshairs."

We worry about carry on bags, secular progressives, and terrorists falling out of the sky, when we have these guys sitting in Kansas, doing the "Lord's work". Now I'm no Bible scholar. I have read the book, and tried to understand how the message of peace, tolerance, and love could be so perverted. Hell, I'm even nice to the sweet little old lady who brings me Jehovah Witnesses publications every couple of weeks. And when I think of these things, of the true Christians I see around me every day, who love me in spite of my liberal Pagan soul, I want to explode with anger at these terrible people for perverting God's word, and using Scripture to justify their evil.

Strangely, the most class of all was shown by Sgt. Miller's brother. He suggested on the news last night that free speech was something his brother had died for. He didn't like it, but there it was. Bravo. And Bravo to our local law enforcement, and Trumbull County's American Legion, DAV, police and fire departments, and some 60 school children, all of whom will be there, and will try to shield the family from this atrocity. To mangle a phrase, they can't stop then, I only hope they can contain them.

Go away, Fred Phelps. And flights of angels sing you to your rest, Sgt. Miller. good night and good luck...stimp

A new phrase

There is a new "catchphrase" floating in the air, coming from the general direction of the White House. Like a thought bubble over a comic strip, it is just as substantive from the looks of it. Our Glorious Leader keeps talking about a "New Way Forward" on the war in Iraq. Now I'm no genius, but catchphrases do not bode well for this administration. "Wanted, Dead or Alive" became "I don't think about him very much" as Osama bin Laden slid off the radar like it was Teflon. "Mission Accomplished" was premature celebration at best, a flat out lie and photo op at worst. "Stay the course"? If I had a dime for every time he and his lackeys uttered that phrase or one like it, I could pay off the deficit. And now we have a new way forward. From the looks of things, it is the same way forward wearing new shoes. Mr. Bush has given the least possible time to the very people who he asked for counsel. An hour to the Iraq Study Group, and no questions for them? Why bother with them at all, if you are not going to use what you asked for? A brief meeting with some hand-picked generals, looking for answers? Why? Aren't they going to tell you exactly what you want to hear? How can we have a new way forward if we are doing the same old shit we have been doing all along? Talking to who will agree with us, blowing off those who don't. He says he is not going to accept the recommendations of the ISG in full, because he is not going to "outsource" the job of Commander in Chief. Why not? He has outsourced lots of jobs during this war, particularly to Halliburton and KBR. If the ISG had some better ideas, we need to listen and follow them. We cannot continue to bleed money and kill our countrymen and Iraqis to keep Bush from having to face, to borrow a phrase, and inconvenient truth. It may be a New Way Forward, but it is the same road and driver we've had all along. good night and good luck...stimp

Mommy, what did you do during the war?

I almost fell out of my seat when I saw Bill O'Reilly's name in my church newsletter.

My minister was talking about the War On Christmas, and how Wal-Mart, Target, Kohl's and Sears were officially endorsing Christmas. I thought that Christmas already had an endorsement deal. For at least the last 1500 years, give or take.

The whole War deal has really annoyed me. Christmas has never come under attack. I figure that other faiths, some of which have been around a lot longer than Christianity, decided they wanted to be of worth as well. I remember saying Merry Christmas until it made no sense when I worked in retail. Yet somehow, Christmas needs to be endorsed, and fought for. Hmmm.

You would think that time would be better spent on finishing up some of the other wars we have going. We seem to be waging a war on peace, a nice traditional Christmas value. If I recall correctly, Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace, not the Prince of Wal-Mart. Seems lately that all you have to do to be a terrorist is to have heard of them, and not have the proper bumper stickers on your car. Which reminds me of the war on poverty. We supposedly started that one in the Sixties. We were going to eliminate poverty, and hunger, and homelessness. Haven't seen any real progress on that one. And since love for fellow man, and charity, are biggies on Jesus's list, you'd figure more effort would be expended. And how about the war on drugs? That is another one we're still pouring money into. Grandma can't get a cheap prescription to save her life. But we can pour money and time into what has been a fruitless quest to get rid of drugs. Course, we don't help our fellow man by getting him off drugs, helping him solve the problems that started him off. That would be too easy. Instead we warehouse these guys in prison. At least they'll get Christmas dinner, right? That will fulfill our generosity clause...way to go!

The older I get, and the more things we declare war on, the more I lose hope. I have no problem celebrating all of the holidays of the season. On the up side, you add one more party! And maybe, if we open our minds, we can love one another in concrete ways all the time. That was the idea, after all, in Scrooge's keeping Christmas all year long. Not beating people over the head with the idea that their holiday is the only valid one. But giving, and loving, and taking care of one another. With or without Santa...or Bill O'Reilly.

so Merry, Happy, Joyous, Blessed, as I usually say during the holidays. Have a happy Thanksgiving. good night and good luck...stimp

what is it with kids today?

I sometimes wonder what in the hell is going on with this world. I watched people tear each other apart trying to get PS3's, trying to be first, not caring who got hurt in the process. We are uncivil sometimes to the point of real cruelty. This is a place sometimes that the Marquis de Sade would not only recognize, but approve of. And before anyone asks, I have read works of the Marquis in sufficient quantity to say.

But adult misbehavior and stupidity is not what troubles me. I was listening to the Lionel show tonight. (As an aside, Lionel is one of the best talk hosts on the air. He offers a podcast of his show free, and can be found at www.lionelonline.com .) There was a young man who called his show, and he entirely blew my mind. He was 15 years old, and had called to offer his opinion on one of the topics of the day. But he became the topic after listening to his opinions. Lionel questioned him briefly about himself. He was in a business program at school, and basically intended to go into international currency after college, because money was so important. The longer I listened to this budding Alex P. Keaton (Google it), the sadder I got. And I wondered...where had childhood gone?

Let me be clear, I am all for education. I am a big fan. I think schooling is one of the most important things we do. I hassle and help my own child as much as I can, sometimes too much, to do well in school. I understand its importance. But in expecting our children to plan their lives from kindergarten on, are we stealing something from them as well? When my son goes to school, I am not necesarily thinking entirely about what he will be when he grows up. I have told him that school will be important in helping him decide his future, that it is not optional. But what I want for him, this child on the radio seemed to have lost. I don't want a child programmed to perform at the highest levels without thought. A monkey can be tought to do that. What I want for my child, for all children, is the opportunity to search. I wish for them curiosity, exploration, critical thinking, and the joy that discovery brings. If I had merely wanted to program something for maximum efficiency, I would have bought a fancy VCR. I want my boy to see farther, look deeper. Money and materials are all well and good. But they mean nothing if you give your heart and soul away to get them.

I am sad for this boy on the radio. He was so certain, so set. No one should be set at 15. There are too many variables left to encounter. And eventually, even Alex P. Keaton found his heart and soul. good night and good luck...stimp

Thank you

We did it. After all the nastiness, confusion, hard work, wishes and prayers. I think we have a chance now. At last report, the House and the Senate have both gone Democrat. Not by a ton, but by enough. Our state has cleaned house. We have a new governor, secretary of state, attorney general, all Democrats. Ohio is, for the most part, blue, as she has almost always been. The minimum wage bill passed, so some folks can get closer to a living wage.

I am speechless in a way, breathless, from the good news.

But it is only a beginning. Now comes the hard work. We must end this murderous, unjust war in a civilized way. Which is a contradiction in terms, I know. Just sit down, make a plan, and find a way to exit with the most dignity and least bloodshed possible. Then, let's make sure that the people we sent over there have all the medical care they need, for both physical and emotional needs. No skimping. Heal their wounds, inside and out.

A part of me wants to take the newfound power of investigations we'll have in January, ram it up the White House's ass, and break it off ragged. But I hope cooler heads than mine will prevail. There are some things which must be looked at, investigated. Take care of those, and pin blame where it is due. Besides that, We can't afford to do anything else but try to fix our broken constitution, carefully restore the civil liberties we have had taken from us. We must not let these people scare us anymore. Tell us when it is a real, and important, threat. Make sure of what we have. No more telling us something that might or might not be, depending on the polls.

There is so much more, I am sure, that we will tackle in January. But for now, it is enough to take a moment and breathe. And again, to all who made a difference, who VOTED, my most sincere and humble thanks.

It looks like it might be all good from here. good night and good luck...stimp

Did ya do it? Well, did ya?

I voted.

I hate the electronic voting machines. I know they are easier to work and all. But there was always something satisfying in punching out my butterfly ballot. For all the supposed problems with them.

So did you vote yet?

It is too important not to go. All opportunities to exercise your right are important. But this time, there is a great deal more at stake. We need to inject some sanity into the government we are currently saddled with. We have allowed fear and anger to lead us into a war under false pretenses. We have given away some of our basic, fundamental rights, or let them be eroded beyond recognition. We have allowed our country, which once stood for what was right and decent, to embrace endless imprisonment and torture as a matter of course. Just good policy. The catch phrases have been endless, turning all the death and destruction into bite size pieces to swallow. Stay the course. Fight them there so we don't have to fight them here. The war on terror. Mission accomplished.

But the mission is not accomplished, because we were never clear on what that mission was. The target kept changing. We have lost the war on "terror", because good people are made terrified everyday by this administration. And staying the course is not a strategy, it is not knowing how to fix what you broke.

So, please, go vote today. And when you do, think about what we have given away. Our freedom. Our government's basic setup of checks and balances. Thousands of lives in a distant land, and right here in ours. The freedom to feel safe. And then vote your conscience the best you can. In the meantime, I'll be praying that we can fix all of this, that it is not too late. good night and good luck...stimp

Do it. It doesn't hurt unless you don't.

I love politics, but I sometimes hate election season. The arguing, bickering, namecalling of it all. And with the 24 hour news cycle, it is almost as if nothing else in the world exists. I have gotten so many "Vote for me" phone calls I shut the ringer off. My mail is 2 to 1 political flyers over regular mail. It can be enough to make you want to lock the doors, stay home, and wait for it to be over.

But don't. VOTE.

People have fought, argued, marched, been hurt, and died for the privledge. They had to fight to make it a right for all of us. And yet many of us toss away this right through laziness, apathy, or despair. Don't give up. Vote.

I heard someone today say that the founding fathers didn't die to give someone like him the vote. That voting would be a compromise of balance, of integrity. I've got news for you, newsboy. A lot of people, from the founding fathers to today have died to give you the right to vote. You, and I, and everyone else who is able, must take responsibility for the country we call home. This is the place we live, we work or not, we learn or not, we succeed or not. We make it what it is. If we ignore participation in our political process, we are giving our voice away. And we don't get to decide who we give that voice to. We are soundless, surrounded by the noise of the process that we have let pass us by.

And the decisions that those who represent us, whether we vote for them or not, make everyday will define the world we live in. We are bound by their decisions, for good or ill. Why would we want to give that power away? Do we really want someone else to choose what is important for us?

So Tuesday, I will wade through the "Vote for me" folks outside the polling place, show my ID, punch the little buttons on the touchscreen, and sound my voice. I am only one vote, true. But better one vote than none at all. So go vote. Feel the force of democracy flowing through you. It won't hurt a bit. good night and good luck...stimp

ok, I've had it.

Ok...in my last post, I vented about some gossip. I tried to be circumspect, leave out names, be nice.

Now, I'm not going to be so nice.

First, the new gossip that lit the fuse...From the nice folks at the New York Post...

October 27, 2006 -- KEITH Olbermann is thisclose to his day of reckoning for a one-night stand. The 30-something Cuban lass who says the MSNBC loudmouth courted her, bedded her, then told her to get lost, says she's about to release the 100 or so more e- mails she claims he sent her before their night of un satisfying sex in a Manhattan hotel. The woman, who calls herself KarmaBites and launched a blog to warn others about his boorish bedroom habits, says of the outspoken Olbermann's refusal to say a single word about her story: "Do you actually believe KO wouldn't deny my story publicly if it weren't true?" And she believes Olbermann is getting heat from his new girlfriend, Katy Tur. "Methinks he's feeling the pressure of the new squeeze to deny this publicly, but sadly for him he can't," KarmaBites says. "I guess my only alternative is to publish the e-mails . . . I'm tempted to re lease the e-mails just to see what excuses they come up with." She also says the more criticism she gets from Olbermann's fans, "the closer I get to going full-throttle and publishing all of the dirt. You're KO's worst enemy. I hope you can live with it."

Enough is enough, KarmaBites. He's feeling the pressure? You're blog is "by invitation only". Why should anyone defend themselves against a nothing and no one like you. You behave like a tramp, and then complain because you are treated like one. Once again, what did you expect, moonlight and roses? Happily ever after? And that is assuming that what you are saying is true. Whether it is or not, you are now a tool, willing or not, of the big boys at the Post, and therefore NewsCorp. You know, the guys who own Bill O'Reilly, archenemy of intelligent people everywhere. Are you seeing the pattern here? You give your "story", and it offers the opportunity to discredit a competitor. Smart.

But, that is beside the point. I don't believe you. You could swear on a stack of e-mails. At best, you are a pathetic groupie who didn't get the "big romance" that you were hoping for. At worst, you are a psychotic lying wacko who is trying to stir up trouble for someone who didn't follow your playbook, whatever it was. I'll make it simple. Shut up and go away. Leave us all alone. Because sooner or later, someone is going to do to you what you are trying to do to him. Can you stand up to that scrutiny? Are you clean enough for it? Considering your current behavior, I doubt it. If you didn't piss me off, you would make me sad and sorry for you. Just fade away...stimp

grow up and shut up

I try, very hard, not to be a gossip. In a way, I've always found it a little gross. I don't read People, Star, Us, or any of the other crap factories that pump out "true" stories about celebrities and wannabes. I think that is probably obvious from my previous post. But recently, I have been reading about an ugly situation involving one of my faves. Woman not only insinuates a lack of class, personal good behavior, and honesty of said celeb, but goes so far as to claim a lack of prowess on the famed one's part. I have been trying, in all honesty, to ignore the whole sordid mess, which made its way into the blogosphere and the NY Post, setting up a horrifying feedback loop.

So finally, I am pissed. I am tired of all the nastiness. So here is my opinion.

WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU EXPECTING, IDIOTIC FEMALE?

Supposedly there was something of a long term internet conversation. Lovely. I talk to people on the internet every day. But I don't fly a couple of thousand miles to fuck them. If you were expecting moonlight and roses, you thought wrong. How old are you in your head, twelve? Did you somehow figure that some e-mails and a roll in the hay with what was essentially a stranger meant anything? "He wasn't nice to me, he blew me off after". What did your behavior invite? Sometimes karma, REAL karma, does give you what you deserve. And if you behave like a besotted preteen with a thinking problem, don't be surprised if you are treated like one. This whole story has made me sick. The only stupid thing our celeb in question did was having anything to do with a bimbo with arrested development and delusions of grandeur in the first place. Now I know that I am going to be branded an apologist, a mysogynist, or worse. But I am a woman, and not a prude. But I must say that it never ceases to amaze just how little class some people have.

So to the sad one who thought herself Cinderella, all I can say is: Pull up your big girl panties, pack your bags, shut your mouth, and go away. You've been here 15 minutes too long.

And to my celeb fave...try thinking with the big head next time, not the little one. good night and good luck...stimp

Rants Due

It has been a while since I had a good solid rant and blown off some steam. But something forces upon my notice made me just mad enough to go.

WHY IN THE HELL SHOULD I CARE ABOUT PARIS HILTON?

I mean really. I was just watching the "news", and it seems that our Paris has made up with her old friend Nicole. It is all part of a greater crapification of the news that I can't stand. If I tune into a sports program, I want to hear about sports, not who is dating who. If I am watching the news, with Iraq, North Korea, and Congress in such wonderful shape, with an election just a couple of weeks away, I want the news. Or at least to know that at some point, I will be given some celebrity sorbet to cleanse my palate. I don't care about this stuff. I don't care what Brangelina is doing this week. And it is really sad that they are trying to cram this stuff down your throat so fast that two "adults" can't each have a name. I don't care who or what Tom Cruise is jumping on. I don't care which actresses are too skinny or too fat. Since these idiots can't make up our minds for us what exactly we are "supposed" to look like this 15 minutes, I say screw them. I don't care what food/wall/cleaning implement Jesus or Mary showed up on this week. I figure if either of them wanted to make a statement, they have the personal wherewithal to make it on a much grander scale. REALLY get everyone's attention. So no more Virgin Mary pop tarts, OK? And speaking of pop tarts, no more Britney and K-Fed. I don't care. I don't want to know. Or about Madonna adopting an African child. If you want to impress me, part with some of your ready cash, and time, and do something to make a real difference. Guys like Bono and George Clooney are putting their time and money where their mouths are, and I haven't had either of them shoved up my ass recently. If someone is making a real difference, or doing something of real value, let me know. Otherwise, let your Mel Gibsons and all of your other idiot children remain on Entertainment Tonight or E!. Let my news be news, OK? good night and good luck...stimp

Baseball

(many thanks to Trekkerlass for the photo)

Well, this year's baseball season ended for me yesterday, when the Tigers beat the Yankees to clinch the ALDS. That's OK, I guess. With all that has been going on in the real world, it has been kind of hard to concentrate on baseball. For the three of you reading this, my nephew made it home from Iraq safe, and I am assuming, sound. Time will tell. And all the business with Foley and the pages, Hastert, the upcoming election, and world events are almost dizzying. But something happened the other day, not necessarily significant in the grand scheme of things, but noteworthy none the less. Buck O'Neil passed away Friday night, from complications of congestive heart failure and bone marrow cancer, at the age of 94, according to MSNBC.com. I will admit, I didn't know much about Mr O'Neil until recently. I learned a great deal about him after the controversial vote that left him one shy of entering Cooperstown with other greats (and not quite so greats) from the Negro Leagues. Such and uproar! There were baseball writers and fans all over America who were frothing at the mouth. Keith Olbermann was apoplectic. But for me, something kind of funny happened in all the outrage. I listened to Buck O'Neil talking about the "slight". And I realized that everyone else was angrier for him than he seemed for himself. Quiet and gentlemanly, he seemed happy just to be there, just to be considered. With the whole firestorm, he just smiled, and let it go by for the most part. He was even part of the ceremony at Cooperstown inducting the folks on the list he himself was not considered good enough to join. For class, there is none greater. So I wanted to remember this man I never knew of until it was too late. I'm not much of a historian, but I usually know a great ballplayer when I see one. And he will be remembered long after the Steroid Boys are gone. Thanks, Buck, for helping a little girl see the magic in baseball again. You're playing in a greater league now, and one that will not leave you out. good night and good luck...stimp

I love banned books

I love books. I think I love them more than I love some people. My son came home today with his Weekly Reader(there's a blast from the past), and in it, there was a discussion of the American Library Association's Banned Books Week. I didn't think of it too much for a while. But tonight I got to thinking that here I am, in the 21st century, hearing about books getting banned. So I went to the ALA's website to see what some of these horrific books were. And I was truly shocked. The entire Harry Potter series? We have read those together. Of Mice and Men? Captain Underpants? The Catcher in the Rye? As the list went on, it made less and less sense. Huck Finn. To Kill A Mockingbird. Brave New World. James and the Giant Peach. Slaughterhouse Five. Tom Sawyer.
This isn't the whole list, obviously. Which is sad, that there are so many that I can't even name them all. I looked at my bookcase, and thought of books I have either owned or read. They'd have to burn down my house, then burn me at the stake. The book I'm reading now, which I got for my birthday, would make some of these guys hair fall out. I love that the ALA brings the idea of the banned book to the fore every year. This is the 25th anniversary of Banned Books Week. I wish to make some suggestions for future book banners who approach the ALA, and save us and them a lot of time. If you don't think the book is appropriate for your child, DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM! Parents do have a certain amount of control, after all. If your kid reads something you find offensive, don't freak out. Talk to them, and explain why you think it's inappropriate. Takes away the feeling of forbidden fruit. And for crying out loud, if you don't want to read something, that's fine. But quit assuming that no one else should read it either. So you don't want to read the works of the Marquis de Sade, maybe I do. I'm a grown up, you don't get to pick my reading material. good night and good luck...stimp

Today

A great many words will be said today, some sincere, some expedient. I am going to add my words to the flood, and hope they will be sincere, and not noxious.

I live in Ohio. I knew no one personally who perished this ugly day, five years ago. I have some friends, who had some friends, but that is not the same thing. It is not the raw pain of the loss of someone you loved. As a matter of fact, not being involved and all, I can't imagine why life didn't go on. I was safe, my loved ones were safe, just mourn and move on, right?

Nope, I got it wrong. There has never been a day that hasn't been touched by what happened. I lost what little safety I thought I possessed. Because if it can happen there, it can happen anywhere. I don't send my family out the door now without saying "I love you", because you never can be totally sure if they're coming back. I lost my freedom. I never used to worry that an unpopular opinion could be possibly seditious. I can't go anywhere now without looking over my shoulder. I haven't slept properly in five years. I see our lives, my life, being whittled away into little fear boxes, where as long as we toe the line and don't make waves, we won't have to fight them here. People die every day to avenge the deaths of those who died today, world without end. There is no safety, no ending, only a never ending parade of lies, death, and passing the buck.

So this morning I watched the replay of the Today show an MSNBC, the original, honest to goodness broadcast from that morning. I was in chemistry class when it happened originally, and I saw nothing of it until later. It was a weird experience. Looking at the clock and remembering "This is when I was in chemistry class, this is when I went to Arby's between classes and found out what was known, and watched a massive building collapse, this is when I called my dad to find out what the hell was going on. " I went to my next class, took a quiz, started taking notes like normal. I only really got scared when they interrupted class to close the University, by order of the Governor. And it was a like an armed camp getting my kid out of daycare. Or him asking me, at all of 4, why all the grownups were scared.

A lot of perfectly ordinary days have passed since that day. My kid is now 9, I am going to be 40. We live our lives basically just as we did before. But nothing is different, and nothing is the same. It has been like being dropped on a new planet since then. I cried again today when I saw the remembrance. But to be honest, I think I have been weeping inside since the original occurrence. good night and good luck...stimp

no excuses

The other evening, Keith was on Craig Ferguson's show. As anyone who has known me more than five minutes knows, I think Keith is great. OK, maybe more than great, but that is not the point. Something he said struck me funny. He said he does not vote. If I understood him correctly, he thought voting would somehow compromise his objectivity as a journalist. I don't buy it. The fact that you have a certain job does not relieve you of your rights and responsibilies as a citizen. You were a citizen way before you were a journalist. And I hate to tell you this, since you should know better. But NO ONE is totally impartial about anything. From the stories you choose to do, to the way in which you choose to do them, what you leave out, what you leave in, is not an impartial process. No matter how great you are, nor how hard you try. Walter Cronkite was not totally without opinion, nor was the revered Edward R. Murrow. Neither is the great Keith Olbermann. Or Stimp for that matter. But as a citizen, an informed one, you have as much right, and carry as much weight as the rest of us. Not to sound too idealistic, but we all count, unless you live in Florida or Ohio. So come on Keith, fill out that registration card, and join us in the thrill ride I call democracy. I promise, it won't hurt a bit. good night and good luck...stimp

What More?

When I was younger, in my late teens and all through my twenties, I swore that I would never have children. I had nothing against kids. I had it against the world. I swore that this was not a world, not a time and place to bring a child into. It was too dangerous, and there was no real way to protect them. But times change. I met a wonderful man, and became a great deal more optimistic. The world seemed less dangerous, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the cold war, and the seeming prosperity.

Then the attacks on America came and changed all that, and I had had a child I couldn't protect. Not really.

I was watching MSNBC a little bit ago, getting my early dose of doom and gloom about the Middle East. And I saw the children, from both sides. Hurt, dead, traumatized, and unable for the most part to understand why the world has exploded around them, literally. I thought I was beginning to become numb, just a little, to the constant chaos. The war in Iraq has that neverending effect after a while. But this senselessness, this constant battle in Israel lately is breaking my heart. Not for the adults, who know better, or at least should. But for the kids, who always end up lost in the games grownups play. And they play for keeps. When there is a new wave of terrorists, or a new wave of Israelis who will do what they THINK they must no matter the cost, that is when the bill will come due for the things done to them today. We must once and for all find a way to live together in peace, or we will eventually perish together. This must stop now. good night and good luck...stimp

waving the white flag

I give up. Totally.

As most of the three of you have figured out by now, I love baseball. I have always said that I was the last person in America to believe that Pete Rose didn't bet on baseball. The creeping cynic has always said that I was pulling the pine tar rag over my own eyes. But in my heart of hearts I wanted to believe. Sure, I read "Ball Four" and "Juiced". I even started to read Rose's book. But still, I wanted to believe.

I guess I'm not in Kansas anymore.

The night Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris's home run record, I sat with my kid in my lap, wanting to share the moment, even if he was too little to understand it. I showed him the greats on ESPN Classic, even when he wanted to watch cartoons. I wanted him to know about fair play, good sportsmanship, and the wonder of the game. But after all is said and done, I feel like a liar.

Today on Bloggerman, Keith Olbermann related the final straw on my camel's back. You can read it yourself at www.countdown.msnbc.com. Another player, this time a guy in the league 15 years, playing with 7 teams. Looks like he was using, and dealing, as well as having an interest in a pharmaceutical company. More steroids, human growth hormone, whatever.

So I give up. I will probably still watch my beloved Yankees, but not with the same joy. These guys want to shoot themselves up with HGH, steroids, horse piss, tequila sunrise, have at it. They can continue to go to hell in their own merry way. When it all falls apart and everyone gets hurt bad, or arrested, or both, the creeping cynic will say good riddance.

But the pure fan inside will mourn for what she thought she had. Til she heard "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"

good night and good luck...stimp