Tony Robbins and Richard Kiel

Happy Father's Day, Dad

Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!
Lydia M. Child (1802–80), abolitionist, writer

Dear Dad:

Happy Father’s Day. I decided to write an open letter to you to let you know how loved and appreciated you are by me, and many others including my siblings, but this is my letter and my blog, so I will use it for my letter to you.

I find it rather interesting that the older I get the smarter you have become. All the many virtues such as your unselfishness and tenacious attitude have been passed down and carried on. I see a few of your qualities in me, and I recognize many in Daughter too. So, while time takes its unrelenting toll on all of us, it does not diminish your standing in my eyes.

You taught me much through your hard work and by the simple eloquence of your example. Your tireless and most impressive, your uncomplaining (a trait that neither Daughter nor I possess) efforts over the years to provide for us all. The years of toiling outside carrying heavy loads, waking at the crack of dawn have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.

One of my proudest memories is of you coming home night after night from a full day of the hard labor of sheet metal work to see you at the dinner table each evening working with mom to transcribe your notes and compile your final notebook for the sheriff’s academy, which you aced with a perfect score. You did this for the love of it, not for any financial gain. Once you retired from your day job and public service, you moved on to plying your trade for the space program. Impressive indeed.

Like a championship team where the individual efforts work together to bring about the best; you and mom have succeeded. Thank you.

Love,
Your son

On The Mark -- Remembering Dad

I was flipping hamburgers on the BBQ on Father’s Day when my asked me, “Do you remember that opening day game when you were 12?”

Yeah, dad, I thought to myself. That game had occurred 35 years ago but I still felt I had played it that afternoon. It was opening day in Little League, 0-0 in the bottom of the last inning. I was pitching a gem. There were two outs and an opposing runner at third base, the first player to get that far all day. At the plate was the other team’s best hitter, who would go on to lead the league in home runs that year. I had struck him out in each of his previous at-bats.

My dad, the manager, a two-time state champion as a high school pitcher who threw two complete game shutouts on the same day to win the second championship, came to the mound.

“This kid hasn’t gotten around on your fastball all day, so don’t fool around. Throw him fastballs and let’s win this thing in extra innings.” I threw fastballs and had a one ball, two strike count on him. But I felt he was starting to time my pitches better, plus I was in love with my curveball, so I decided to fool him and throw a curveball.

Problem was, the ball didn’t curve, and all I remember from that point was the sound of the crack of the bat as the ball soared over the center field scoreboard and we lost 2-0. My dad never mentioned it later. I figured he knew I had learned my lesson and silence was more powerful than rubbing it in my face.

“Yeah, dad, I remember it like it was this morning.”

“Well, so do I, and I want you to know that I gave you bad advice that day, son. That kid was sitting on your fastball. You should have thrown him a curveball.”

Oh my god. For half his life my dad had agonized over that pitch, but for the wrong reason. I flipped hamburgers for a few more minutes, the silence between us interrupted only by the sizzle of hamburger fat on the coals. This was a major moment for me, perhaps the toughest decision in my life at that point. I could let it go and let him live with the false memory. Or I could own up to it and get the lecture I thought I was going to get at home that night long ago.

“I did throw him a curveball, dad. Only it didn’t curve.”

Again, silence. I could hear 35 years of tape rewinding in his head.

“You what?! I told you to throw fastballs. No wonder he hit the shit out of that ball.” The words came out as fast as air from a popped balloon. Perhaps the fastest words he ever spoke in his life. We brought the hamburgers in and the family talked about current times, reminisced about the past. Then my dad turned to my mom.

“You remember that opening day game where Mark” and he went on to re-tell the story. It was obvious she had heard it many times while I had moved on with my life. At the end of the story he turned to me.

“Well, I hope you learned a lesson.”

You have no idea, dad. You have no idea.

He passed a couple years later (and a couple years ago), complaining of a headache while walking to his car and then suddenly collapsing from a massive stroke.

Happy Father’s Day, dad.

What I'm Listening to and Watching

Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she had to walk into mine.
Rick Blaine, Humphrey Bogart from "Casablanca"




As Time Goes By --- Frank Sinatra
Memories of You – Frank Sinatra
Until the Real Thing comes along – Carmen McRae
Black Coffee – Ella Fitzgerald
Somewhere Along the Way – Frank Sinatra
A Million Dreams Ago – Frank Sinatra
Willow Weep for Me – Frank Sinatra
Blues in the Night – Frank Sinatra
My Melancholy Baby – Ella Fitzgerald
I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry – Frank Sinatra
Only the Lonely – Frank Sinatra
Autumn Leaves – Frank Sinatra
Maybe You’ll Be There – Frank Sinatra
Too Late Now – Frank Sinatra
I’m Pulling Through – Carmen McRae
Don’t Worry ‘bout Me – Frank Sinatra

Sam: [singing] You must remember this / A kiss is still a kiss / A sigh is just a sigh / The fundamental things apply / As time goes by. / And when two lovers woo, / They still say, "I love you" / On that you can rely / No matter what the future brings-...
Rick: [rushing up] Sam, I thought I told you never to play-...

The Misanthrope – Miscellaneous Musings

Life’s an awfully lonesome affair. … You come into the world alone and you go out of the world alone yet it seems to me you are more alone while living than even going and coming.
Emily Carr (1871–1945), Canadian artist

Quotidian. Nothing new, nothing exciting all is quiet this week. The air conditioning system is working, but I have had no need to use it, which is always the case, right. Management also fixed the fireplace, which I also don’t need at this point. I firmly believe that carrying on and not accepting that status quo results in action. Note my new air conditioning unit compared to the people below me. I also suspect that my electric bill will be less because the units are more efficient these days.

Plays. Watched an excellent play this week with my playwriting colleague from work (PCFW). We saw “The Trials and Tribulations of Trailer Trash Housewife” Zephyr Theatre at 7456 Melrose Ave., L.A. From the theater’s press release: The play explores the hidden emotions, shame, and secrecy battered women face, while also offering hope, healing, and truth. A delicate blend of frightened humor and pain, it delves right into the heart of abuse. In just a mere two hours audiences will journey into a world that could fill a lifetime. Explosive one-sided arguments erupt and build, until one disastrous night it all goes too far and the lives of those in the trailer park will never be the same.

Soccer. I watched the World Cup Saturday afternoon. I enjoyed the game between Argentina and Ivory Coast. Soccer is a wonderful sport. I don’t buy the idea that American are not interested in it. I believe that our newspapers and television media do not cover it as they do other local sports.

Self Portrait. While taking a snap shot of my exciting new air conditioning unit (you can tell how exciting my weekend is), I decided it was time that you had a vision what The Misanthrope looked like, trust me your imagination is to my advantage.

Elvis Costello. His newest CD, which it seems that I just wrote about not too long ago was a jazzy set of songs titled “My Flame Burns Blue.” The even newer CD that came out this past week is called “The River in Reverse” with Allen Toussaint is another wonderful CD, which I recommend.

Dinner for one. Saturday tonight, I had a barbeque boneless chicken breast. I will accompanied it with corn on the cob, half a twice-baked potato, a seafood salad and baked beans. All accompanied with a white wine. I read a bit, watched the Dodger and the Angels a bit, watch a movie (see below), and called it a night. Not too exciting, but I needed the rest.

Wedding Crashers. This was a blockbuster movie? I thought it would never end. Ok, granted I watched the uncorked version. After the three main stars, I only knew Henry Gibson. I'm not even sure B2 will remember Henry Gibson. This movie only gets two stars on my Netflix rating.

Landlord Frustrations

I feel as if I were a piece in a game of chess, when my opponent says of it: That piece cannot be moved.
Søren Kierkegaard (1813–55), philosopher

This is the letter I wrote to my apartment complex manager. I have not yet decided whether to copy the national office and let them think I have cc the newspaper. The manager called yesterday and said everything was going to be taken care of. Great, they'll fix it all up and I won't want to move. I once heard that former homeowners were the worst tenants, if that is true, I guess I'm proving it.

June 5, 2006

Address

Re: No solution to weekend emergency

Dear ____:

(Name of residential community) has outdone itself this weekend. You have made my life a living hell both figuratively and literally. Everything that was attempted was too little too late. I had to find other living arrangements this weekend. Weekend plans were canceled as you suggested that I stay in the unrelenting heat of my unit awaiting the promised relief that never arrived.

Finally, Sunday at approximately 3:40 p.m., the portable unit was put into my place (which was a temporary solution proposed Saturday afternoon, but was rejected then, but good enough 24 hours later), but because there was no place for ventilation the hot air negated the cool and all that resulted was a humid place and most likely a much higher electric bill.

I am delighted that I am supposedly receiving a new system today, maybe during the next heat wave, I will be able to live in my unit!

This is what I get for my $0,000, plus utilities I pay promptly each month! Let’s review my five months here:

• Water pressure mysteriously reduced after two weeks and never returned to its proper volume (your offer to reimburse me for a showerhead would not make a difference, since it used to work with the current showerhead),
• Neighbors who played music at 3 a.m. that I finally had to confront myself (twice),
• Fireplace gas pipe rotted and significant hole on pipe reducing the effectiveness of gas starter. It’s still bad, but now it’s summer and I’m dealing with your antiquated air conditioning,
• An apartment full of dead bees upon my return from one day away (did not report, my housekeeper took care of it),
• Dishwasher that is worthless as far as cleaning goes. (Have not officially reported, yet. Now please consider it officially reported),
• Piles of bird waste outside my garage from multiple nests of birds located on the eves above (Have not officially reported, yet. It was half-heartedly cleaned up once. Now please consider it officially reported),
• No one mentioned that this complex did not upgrade its cable system, thereby rendering it worthless for televisions or computers, and of course,
• The outdated dilapidated air conditioning unit that was never checked prior to moving in that has caused me nothing but grief and aggravation all weekend, while we have had record heat.

Maybe now you’ll understand my less than warm feelings for this place and how it is managed.

Thoroughly disgusted,

The Misanthrope

The Misanthrope – Miscellaneous Musings

Summer has set in with its usual severity.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834), poet

Dying of Heat. My apartment is rather nice; it has a wonderful view, which truly is its only feature. Friday night I decide it is time to turn on the air conditioning, but discover that there is no cold air coming out the vents. I have been yelling, leaving angry messaging, I have called their emergency line myriad times, I created a scene in front office, I carry-on in front my building rising my voice for all to hear as I argued with management about their incompetence and their entire bait and switch that I feel has taken place since I signed a lease. My place is well over 100 degrees inside and it is uninhabitable. I spent the night at a friend’s on Saturday and I will find another friend or go to my parent’s house tonight. Finally, today Sunday afternoon at 3:30 management is so proud of themselves for going to the hardware store and buying a portable air conditioning unit. They started to do that Saturday afternoon, but the head moron who is a condescending bitch, said no and they were going to get a repair crew out instead. Newsflash, when all of Southern California is sweltering under record temperatures there is not a repairman to be found, especially at 4 p.m. on a Saturday evening. The battle continues.

Ouch. I watched the movie “The Break Up.” As the movie drifted toward the end, I started feeling very uncomfortable. After it was over, I walked out of the theater with Daughter, I said, hit a bit too close to home to really be enjoyable and she agreed.

Playwriting Debut. I was unable to attend the rehearsal and direction of my short 10-minute, which I will explain a bit further down. The good news was that I watched the play for the first time with actors reading it while also do a few stage movements.

Kudos to the actors! They really transformed and brought life to the play. It was a thrill for me to watch it and here people laughing throughout. However, I there was a part of me that felt weird watching it and thinking I created it. It must be that old Groucho Marx comment about I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as a member.

The Misanthrope – Miscellaneous Musings

We are closer to the ants than to the butterflies. Very few people can endure much leisure.
Gerald Brenan (1894 - 1987),writer and novelist

Holiday Weekend. What a nice holiday weekend. I spent two days imitating a southern hound dog while in Palm Springs. I fell asleep in the sun, I dozed in the shade, I took forty winks on a raft and sawed Zs on the chaise lounge. I can tell you without a doubt that I would never get bored living that life everyday.

Saturday Morning. I walked to the coffee shop, picked up newspapers, took them back to the house, and read them in the backyard before I exerted myself to put lotion on and rest upon the raft.

Reading. Besides the newspapers that reported W had a few regrets, (while the citizens of the country of have a lot because of him), and Cheney addressing a military academy still carry on about terrorists, but doing nothing about it except spying on its citizens and attacking a country that had nothing to do with terror against this country (meanwhile, Bid Laden is planning his summer vacation), I started and just about finished “Everyman” by Philip Roth and it is very good as are most of Roth’s books.

Playwriting. A colleague, who is a very talented playwright, got me started on 10-minute plays. I took a four-week course with her and wrote my first play. I used the Toner Mishap for inspiration and wrote the play on the Urinal Selection post penned by B2. It was nicely received by the class, Neil Simon and David Mamet don’t have to worry, but I had fun. The instructor sent out a notice for a five-minute playwriting contest, which I plan to enter. Jack’s post over at Random Thoughts was my inspiration for my short play with his post on a new multifunctional toilet that provides a gentle spray of water up your tush. I am not a big fan of bathroom humor, but these things just write themselves. We have a reading of our 10-minute play by actors next Saturday. I’ll let you know how it goes next week.

Forever Young – In My Mind

May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young
Bob Dylan (singer/song writer), lyrics to “Forever Young”

It’s amazing to me that Bob Dylan is 65 today. Not that I knew him personally when he was younger, but all my rock idols are truly elderly now. Paul Simon in an interview mentioned that Paul McCartney, who turns 64 June 18th, called him up and sang “When I’m Sixty-Four.”

Now at his advanced age, when Dylan sings “One More Cup of Coffee” it takes on a completely different meaning.

There is nothing wrong that they are older, except that it makes me older. I used to be cool driving around playing the Stones, Dylan or the Kinks (at least I thought I was), now it’s a sure sign of old age. It’s akin to when someone was listening to Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra when I was a kid. Now I like Martin and Sinatra too.

I don’t like this getting old stuff, but what choice do I have?

On The Mark -- Maybe "Somebody" Read My Post

I was so angry with how the Democrats conducted themselves last weekend regarding the desire to impeach Bush, that I wrote a post stating (it's still on this page) that they'd already lost the elections. In addition I dashed it off to several senators and representatives of Congress.

Today I see that John Conyers, the Democrat from Michigan who was leading the charge, has now written an editorial for the Washington Post titled, "No Rush to Impeachment." Here are two paragraphs from the editorial:

"So, rather than seeking impeachment, I have chosen to propose comprehensive oversight of these alleged abuses. The oversight I have suggested would be performed by a select committee made up equally of Democrats and Republicans and chosen by the House speaker and the minority leader.

"The committee's job would be to obtain answers -- finally. At the end of the process, if -- and only if -- the select committee, acting on a bipartisan basis, finds evidence of potentially impeachable offenses, it would forward that information to the Judiciary Committee. This threshold of bipartisanship is appropriate, I believe, when dealing with an issue of this magnitude."

The Misanthrope – Miscellaneous Musings

It’s outrageous to line your pockets off the misery of the poor.
Outrageous, the crimes some human beings must endure.
It’s outrageous a man like me stands here and complains.
Paul Simon, Singer/song writer “Outrageous,” from the "Surprise" CD

Living with War. Neil Young’s new CD is terrific. Young shows what a talented veteran musician with a conscience can do. Every song has an important message and a recrimination of the Decider-in-Chief.

My favorite song on the CD is “The Restless Consumer.” As On the Mark said, this is a new generation’s “Ohio,” a song Young wrote about the National Guard killing four students at Kent State.

This is probably not fair, but I’m going ask it and state it anyway. What the hell took him so long? I’m convinced if John Lennon were alive this CD would have been done by him three years ago. Nonetheless, we have it now and it’s certainly worth getting. I highly recommend it.

Surprise. Paul Simon’s new CD “Surprise” is also very good. My favorite song is “Outrageous” (see quote above for sample lyrics). My sentimental favorite is "Father and Daughter."

I’m gonna watch you shine, gonna watch grow.
Gonna paint a sign so you’ll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you.

This CD is also a winner.



Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers.

God bless our brave billionaires.

I don't yet know who this "mishap productions" guy is, but she (he?) makes some interesting points.

Truth in Advertising

Are you legal, decent, honest, truthful?
Anonymous, Slogan for the British Advertising Standards Authority

These photos came in an e-mail from Mother Misanthrope. I think they all speak for themselves:

On The Mark -- Dems Lost Mid-Term Elections: Not a Prediction; Already Accomplished

The Dems came out swinging this weekend, finally taking the initiative.

And they've already lost. They lost the mid-term elections. They lost the 2008 presidential election.

For some silly reason, they seem to be focusing their messages to their core voters. They already have their vote. They should be focusing their attention on the so-called undecideds, but even more important, on the tens of millions of people who might actually get off their butts this time and cast a vote.

I don't need focus groups or polls to tell me that this critical group, the ones who will make the difference about what color Congress will be next year, doesn't want to hear about revenge, about subpoena power, about impeachment.

If they're finally going to get off their butts and cast a vote, that means they care about the future, not the past.

Talk from powerful democratic leaders such as "He (Bush) is going to have to answer some questions," is like, well, suicide.

Sure this rhetoric makes the core dem voters feel good. But it's for another time and another place.

When asked about subpoena power and impeachment, the dems should state unequivocally that it's not on the agenda, but getting America back on track and cleaning up the mess the Republicans have made, is. Then they should state exactly how they're going to do it.

As Shakespeare said: revenge is best served cold.

The Misanthrope – Miscellaneous Musings

A sadder and a wiser man,
He rose the morrow morn.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834), poet

The Party’s Over. Damn that week went by fast. I so enjoyed doing nothing. I read a few newspapers, napped a lot, renewed my passport, didn’t go to the dentist or the DMV (why ruin a good vacation), read a little, but not enough to finish even half a book. Went to a play reading that was written by a friend, the reading, which was acted out and the play were both very good. I watched a few baseball games and a basketball games. Generally, I would wake up have my cereal, read the sports page, and go back to bed. I also went on a couple of hikes estimated total mileage for both hikes 12-14 miles. My legs are still a bit sore.

Life Shattering. All these many, many years I have lived under the impression that I was a Libra. Now, my mother sends me some information that states otherwise. Because, I was so shocked, I had someone else run the data and again it comes back that I’m a Scorpio. This means that I have to adjust all my traits to fit the appropriate sign. It’s no wonder my relationships don’t last, I have been consorting with the wrong astrological signs*.

Neil Young. I was disappointed last Tuesday because I was under the impression that Neil Young’s new CD was coming out, I was looking forward to listening to it while on vacation. Alas, I will have to wait for Amazon to deliver it and then play it commuting to work.

Driving Me Nuts. Speaking of commuting, I spent $60 to fill up my Nissan Maxima. Holly cow, that hurts. When that gas pump finally stopped and I saw the price, my hair resembled Don King’s. It used to be that I played the Lotto for riches, I guess now I play to afford gas for the next year. I am ready (actually I’ve been ready for years) to impeach President Decider, but I will have to settle for Young’s song because it won’t happen with a Republican majority.


*I don't really base anything on my astrological signs, I use it for entertainment purposes only.

Justice Served

Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo—obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other.
Angela Davis, civil rights activist, educator, and writer

I am very pleased that Zacarias Moussaoui did not get the death penalty, not because I am against the death penalty in most cases, but because he had little to nothing to do with 9/11 and, most importantly, he wanted the death penalty.

Living in a cage will be far more punishing than allowing him to escape into nothing believing he will be honored as a martyr. He is a sleazy dirt bag that deserves the abuse he will receive in prison, even if it's only mental abuse from having to live with himself the rest of his natural days. Hell, we should secretly send him off to our torture camps in Cuba and throughout Europe for all I care about him.

The Decider-in-chief expressed disappointment at the verdict because he wanted a scapegoat he could point to that was executed for 9/11 because the White House gang has failed miserably in its war against terrorism.

News Items

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
[and work cheaply with no benefits]
Emma Lazarus (1849 - 1887), poet

Illegal immigrants. I watched the news yesterday of the peaceful demonstrations and was a bit surprised to hear several of the protestors say they have rights. As illegal immigrants, they don’t have the rights of U.S. citizens. However, the blind eye politicians have turned to allow workers who are willing to toil for less has now come home to haunt them. Republicans who chant about a free market have allowed the market place to be skewed with cheap labor to keep wages artificially low, have once again be caught cheating to fill their pockets with gold.

A free market is the Republican mantra, but they allowed the market place to keep artificially low wages by allowing businesses to exploit cheap labor. Then they try to scare us with threats of high-priced fruits and other goods. Let the prices rise and then you’ll see a truly free market place as those items will no longer be purchased. Maybe then, some of the lands used for farming will be saved from more housing tracts and thus no longer helping the big corporate farms to consolidate even more power.

This country has been helping major businesses and the rich at the expense of the poor and now the tab is coming due. I see no choice but to create a plan that allows workers to become citizens. After such an amnesty program, it would then make sense to either tighten labor laws by going after businesses, not the workers.

Political News. Having written Toner Mishap for a year, I really delved into the political news and I discovered that both parties are truly similar, except W who is so ignorant and self-serving that his gang will be off the charts in historical context as the worse president this country has ever appointed and then elected. He is a nightmare.

Also, making my skin crawl is Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. He truly blows with the fat cat wind. He’ll offer a plan and then when its rejected by the White House or corporate influencers, he will change his mind.

Thus after a year of daily blogging that ended last October, and trying to keep up the blog now, I have far less enthusiasm for writing about the political nonsense that serves to do nothing except obscure the fact nothing gets done in Washington, unless it puts money into the pockets of corporate barons. So I will just write as the mood strikes.

The Misanthrope – Miscellaneous Musings

"Good morning, Little Piglet," said Eeyore. "If it is a good morning," he said. "Which I doubt," said he. "Not that it matters," he said.
A. A. Milne (1882 - 1956), writer

Where does all the free time go? – On my own it seems as if there is very little free time. My book reading has dropped considerably, and as you have seen the blog writing goes on for a couple of days and then as the week kicks in wham’o no time to get anything done. I am taking this week off to do nothing, but try and recharge. Thank you boss!

Friends with money – Daughter and I saw the movie “Friends with Money” it was not bad, a bit on the depressing side, but good. Driving home we were singing to a Mick Jagger solo song “I’ve Been Lonely for so Long,” which she used to come out into the garage while I was exercising to dance to that song. I was thinking while we were singing so horribly off key (more her than me); the Stones have always supplied the soundtrack to my growing up and now growing old years, so it makes sense to have them played at my memorial. I told daughter that I wanted “Paint it Black” played. She, naturally was not thinking any such thing. Her thoughts were I wonder what song I’ll dance with my dad at my wedding someday. I suggested “Sympathy for the Devil,” just to send all the church hypocrites her mother will invite home with something to pray about.

Confession Time – I guess when I feel down I like to watch romantic comedies. The first movie I watched when I moved into my place was “Must Love Dogs,” which I liked. On the Mark thought I was nuts. So, this weekend I purchased “Harry Met Sally,” and “Annie Hall.” Since I am feeling rather blue tonight, I am thinking of going into the living room and watching Woody and Diane from 1977. When that movie came out, I really felt as thought it captured my life at that point. I also purchased John Wayne’s “Rio Lobo,” “As Good at it Gets,” “Casablanca” and “Something’s Gotta Give.” This is a person who normally does not buy DVDs because I don’t really watch them more than once, except for the Godfathers. So, this week I hope to watch my movies and read a couple of books.

iPod – I finally broke down and purchased an iPod. So far, I am not thrilled as I am going on day two of loading music. I got it because, I am going to join a new gym and I figured that I had to update from my cassette recorder. I’ll keep you posted on my iPod experience.

Theater Critic – I suppose it’s not a good thing that I am not a theater critic since the LATimes blasted Salome in yesterday’s paper. I loved it so much I went to see it twice.

Gimme Shelter

You ride around your white castle,
On your little white horse
You lie to your people,
and blame it on your war of course
You call yourself a Christian,
I call you a hypocrite
You call yourself a patriot,
well I think you're full of shit
Mick Jagger/ Keith Richards “Sweet Neo Con”

Thank you Mick !

My favorite rock and roll band just snubbed my most disliked U.S. President. The Great Decider wanted to book the luxury Royal Suite at the five-star Imperial Hotel in Vienna, Austria for a summit in June, but the Rolling Stones got there first.

The self-serving Bush gang was shocked that Mick Jagger would not release his room or the entire floor for them. The suite goes for approximately $7,000 a night. The Stones are scheduled to play in town that week.

Hopefully Mick will vary their play list to include their two political songs ("Highwire" and "Sweet Neo Con") that cover the father and son presidents, who both waged wars in the Middle East.

Now if someone can just evict the Great Decider/Idiot in Chief from the White House that would be a start in turning things around in this country away from the corrupt cronyism that has done nothing but further our path to the new Gilded Age.

The Great Decider

Learning had made us not more human, but less so. Learning had not increased our knowledge of good and evil, but intensified and made more rational and deadly our greed for gain.
Jan Carew, novelist, actor, and newspaper editor

.
I could really just let loose with a vitriolic string of swear words generally reserved for people I have to share the freeways with to describe how I feel about George Bush and his corrupt and greedy gang in the white house.

Those words would also be directed at the idiots who voted for him the second time, they can have a pass on the first time, but there was no excuse the second time around. This man is a menace and so are his cadre of religious rightwing zealots who all truly deserve a reserve seat in Dante’s Hell.

Yesterday, the Idiot in Chief as I call him or the “Decider” as he calls himself has begun warning people about high gas prices this summer. Right now, at the cheap station where I fill up gas is selling at $3.15 a gallon, of course that was Friday, it could be $3.25 on Tuesday when I return.

Let’s unpack (English class jargon) what the inept Decider has said:

"We're going to have a tough summer because people are beginning to drive now during tight supply," Bush said as he toured a California facility developing hydrogen-powered vehicles.

What he really means is that we working stiffs are going to continue to get in the rear end, despite what he thinks about gay marriage. It certainly will not be tough for him as he spends most of the summer vacationing on his Texas ranch and let’s the world go to hell in a hand basket.

"The American people have got to understand what happens elsewhere in the world affects the price of gasoline you pay here."

What he really means is that when he invades another country for no reason and screws up the oil supply, we are going to suffer, but the executives of oil companies are going to profit handsomely – such as the CEO of Exxon who received nearly a half billion dollars in salary and bonuses!

What is worse that people are not demanding investigations and impeachment hearings.