Things We Need....or Don't!

Let's face it, we are dab smack in the middle of a great age of expanded information and invention. The most simple of devices have been taken to the next level. Our science has become very sophisticated. So sophisticated that we now know that headaches are not caused by a snake living in the skull. No, that was medieval thinking. We know we can safely say that headaches are caused by small gnomes living in a persons belly. Alright, enough of modern medicine, back to the topic at hand. We have lots of stuff and a lot more stuff available to us. In life, there are things we need and want. Many times we have difficulty telling the two apart. So, with that in mind, I'm here to lend a hand.

In this blog (and for pete's sake, isn't that just a sick sounding word?), I'm going to help you start a life of higher thought. I'll tell you some things we need and don't need. Even better I'm gonna tell you WHY you need or don't need 'em. If you bore easily, read no further......

WE DON'T NEED:

Cell phones with so many features. It's a phone, folks. Does it have to play music or movies? Movies? Are you kidding me? Television shows? Who in the hell watches television or movies on a 3 inch screen? If you watch a downloaded copy of "2001: A Space Odyssey" on a phone, you should just dig up Stanley Kubrick's corpse and violate his skull by taking a dump in it. I get the GPS on a phone thing, but cameras, voice recorders, games, internet.....and on....and on....and on, why do so many people think they need it? It's overkill. Isn't it enough to sit and play "Farm Town" for 3 hours a night, but you have to be able to "hoe some taters" while you are driving to work also?

More reality shows. Enough is enough. It was a novel concept, but it has worn out its' welcome with all sane Americans. Flavor Flav had a show. Which, while weird as it may be in and of itself, it becomes even more bizarre since for him to have a show it means there was someone else, other than Fucking Flavor Flav, who thought it would be a good idea to put that laplegged, cracked out, no talent skeleton on tv. This thing with putting cameras in someones home and watching them all day makes me ill. Why does anyone watch it? Is it to feel better about yourself when you realize that Bruce Jenner and Ozzy Osbourne have the collective I.Q. of butternut squash? Maybe so.

Laws against marijuana use. It's time to get consistent. I'm not saying that I support the legalization, but I do support that it should be legal or alcohol and tobacco should be made illegal. Alcohol and cigarettes kill thousands every year. They lead to sickness that puts a tremendous strain on our health care system. Alcohol leads to more abortions in a day than there are African babies living with Brad Pitt. Think of all those 3 am, closing time hook-ups that take place through beer blinders. It must be stopped! And I think I've hammered smokers enough on an earlier blog. We shouldn't legalize marijuana because unlike alcohol, it loosens you up and changes your behavior. Ooops, bad example. OK, no pot because it would be bad public health policy. Ooops, the legal cigarette kills someone in the world of lung cancer about every 30 seconds. It also stands to NO reason that it's legal to produce, distribute and profit from cigarettes and alcohol with full knowledge that the two do cause disease, do cause broken families, do cause unnecessary accidental deaths, and do make it to the consumers KNOWING that it can kill people.

We don't need newspapers any more. Just like buggy whips, porn movie theaters, and clean air, the daily printed news media is no longer needed. Just send us the coupons every Sunday and keep the bird cage liner. Why get information as it happens on television and the internet when you could just as easily catch it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow on a piece of paper delivered to you by some anonymous early morning driver who you feel compelled to give a McDonald's gift card to every Christmas? Sports is a total waste of time in the newspaper. If the game is taking place out west, the printed media will likely send you the score in a couple of days. As the nation and world were watching the events of September 11th, 2001 unfold on television as it was happening, newspapers all over the place were scrambling to let the world know all about it, as soon as 20 hours after it happened! It's over! Classifieds? Ha! Try monster.com or Ebay. Editorial page? Guffaw! Turn on Rush Limbaugh, Keith Olberman, or Glenn Beck! Funny pages? Puhhhleeeezzzzeeeee! Why watch Dennis pull the wool over Mr. Wilson's eye's or see Beetle get the best of Sarge for the 3,492,588 th consecutive day, when you can watch South Park, King Of The Hill, or Aqua Teen Hunger Force? Save a tree. Cancel the paper and open up the world of webs.

WE NEED:

More country artists like Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams. More movies with Seth Rogen and John Cusak. More honesty in politics. More Ryan Seacrest, because we can't move forward as a species until every man, woman, and child have had exposure to him. More integrity in every day life. More children having childhoods. More repackaging of Beatles material, because the 800 million that Paul is worth may not hold up to the crumbling economy. And by the way, are any Rob Zombie or Sylvester Stallone movies eligible to be turned in under the "cash for clunkers" program?

"Take back Vanessa Redgrave. Take back Joe Piscopo. Take back Eddie Murphy. Give them all some place to go."

"Jammin' Me"---Tom Petty

September 11th Looms, Again.....

Well, we are at that time of year again. The anniversary of the attacks on our country. I don't think anyone will forget where they were when they first saw the planes fly into the buildings, whether it was live or later in the day on the news. For my generation, it's sort of our, "where were you when Kennedy was shot?" moment.


For many years I thought about September 11, 2001 daily. And I mean that....every single day. In the past couple of years, it's faded a bit. Not that it's a bad thing. I'm all for remembering the past, if for nothing else, to stay aware that evil and hate can rise up when you least expect it. Our country and our way of life has many enemies and our leaders should always have that on their minds, as should we.


That being said, I think it's time that we stop using the date 9-11 as a political football. The right has ran campaigns on the back of the attacks and the fear of more attacks. The left has used our reactions (through polling) to decide which side of the fence they line up on during election time. You remember. Folks like John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards voting and talking hawkish until the political mood changed. We also had Dick Cheney and Tom Ridge amping up the rhetoric, as well as the terror alerts as elections came to a close. It's sick to use that attack and the death of thousands to keep or gain power.


It's time to let this date, 9-11, slip into oblivion a little bit. I'm not saying forget it, but I am saying we should stop letting the day be treated as a holiday. On September 11th, the talking heads will pound their fists on tables and paint anyone who doesn't support the two fronted war as unpatriotic and liberal. Others will argue that we are fighting against an enemy we can't beat. Still others will wonder why we have not brought justice to Osama Bin Laden. Well, those may be valid points at some level, but it's not helping us move forward as a society.


Our attention should turn towards changing the hearts and minds of those who are oppressive or use religion to inspire hatred against others. This change can't be done through force. We must be willing to reach a dialogue with those who disagree with us and find common ground. I'm in no way saying back down or water down our beliefs, but we need to explore what we have in common and try to further relationships built on that.


And while we are at it.....let's put the towers back up, just as tall as before. It's not a graveyard. It's not hallowed ground. When you fall, you get back up. As a nation, let's get back up, together. We should be showing strength and solidarity, not partisan bickering. Let's demand that our politicians and leaders work hard to keep us safe, and rebuild our reputation as a forgiving country that wants to promote freedom and equality for all people. Let's stop using the dead as martyrs. Let them rest in our minds and hearts. Let's reach beyond politics and rhetoric.


"...tall buildings shake, voices escape, singing sad, sad songs...."
Jesus, etc.----Wilco

Bigotry, a thing of the past?

I don't have a great deal of anything to say today. But, I do want to address something I heard this afternoon. A person said, "I don't like all that black and white, mixed dating. It ain't right." So, of course, I say "What's not right about it, and why does it matter to you?" The reply was, "I don't have a reason, I just don't think it's right." And so, there's that.

Are we a racist country overall? No, certainly not. Do too many people bring up race every time that there is trouble involving a minority? Yes. There are certain instances where race does play a role in folks being wronged, excluded, or held back. But, we have a black president, so it's not as if we live in Nazi Germany. All that said, there is still plenty of bigotry.

You would think that something as simple as interracial dating wouldn't phase anyone or bring out negative emotions, but there are still plenty of people who have a problem with it. Same thing with homosexuals. It's not my choice (or born mindset), but I don't have a problem with it. Hell, I don't have a problem with civil unions (and that's another topic I'll explore later). Try being the ONLY person in a Sunday school class with that opinion and expressing it openly (not that I got any grief for it, just a little uncomfortable)!

We are on this earth for too short a time to be bothered by such things. We all have our prejudices....that's just human nature. People fear or distance themselves (in general) from things that are different or out of their comfort zone. But we should challenge ourselves from time to time. Challenge our minds to get to the core of the problem we have that really has nothing to do with our lives, our happiness, our way of life. Once you discover that there is no real reason behind a prejudice you may have, it will be easier to let it go. The more of us that can honestly stop disliking the harmless behavior of others, the less we'll have to worry about. Who really wants to stand in the way of someone else's happiness?

I know, not very witty or funny today (if I ever am), just something I thought needed to be said.

"I said, if you're thinking of being my baby, it don't matter if you're black or white"

Black or White---Michael Jackson

We Ain't Been To No Damned Moon! ***UPDATED*** 10/24/09

UPDATED 10/24/09
*OK, apparently, Stanley Kubrick (director of The Shining, 2001, Eyes Wide Shut, etc) was in on the moon landing conspiracy. Here's a link;
Kubrick: The Shining Tells About Fake Moon Landing 


OK, who is buying this garbage that we have been to the moon? Or even better yet....to Mars??? Come on, are you kidding me? NASA and the government can reel all you lemmings in, but I am not falling for it. There are many people who have questioned the moon landing over the years, but I don't really need the Cape Canaveral janitorial staff, circa 1969, swearing on the Bible, that we really flew up there. All I need is to look at the technology that surrounds us.

You are going to tell me that we've been to the moon when my satellite TV cuts out every time it rains? Yeah, right. If we can land on the moon, then 40 years later there is no excuse for me having to miss 20 minutes of "Buffy" because of a rain shower! For crying out loud, I picked up a book the other night. A book!!!

And I know you guys got to see the beautiful high def pictures that came back from the Mars Rover, right? That's another hoodwink perpetrated by Uncle Sam. Sure, we can send crystal clear pictures back to earth from millions of miles. Hell, I can't even call Domino's, which is 2 miles up the road, without dropping the call. I have a Black Berry. I have AT & T. Yet, if I'm within 15 yards of a Pepsi can, I get fuzzy reception.

The American people can keep drinking the Kool-Aid.....I'm gonna go have my favorite bourbon over ice and play with my Neil Armstrong doll......errrrr.....action figure.

"Mars ain't the kind of place to raise a kid. In fact, it's cold as hell."

"Rocket Man"---Elton John

Dear Sports, you are losing me.....

It seems that over the past few years, I have started drifting away from being a "sports junky". It just doesn't hold my interest as much as it used to. Yes, I have moved toward other things, but sports has always been a big part of my life.

I started playing baseball in Little League when I was 8 years old and fell in love with the game and the major leagues. I followed the Reds, Red Sox, and pretty much every other team religiously. Steve Garvey, Dale Murphy, Johnny Bench...these were heroes of mine. I also had an interest in football at the pro level, settling on the Cowboys as my favorite team and Roger Staubach as my favorite player. Later, I started following the NBA, but it was never a passion. What turned out to be my biggest passion, was Louisville Cardinal athletics. I also was into UK basketball for a period, but was cured of that after the Final Four loss to Georgetown, back in 1984. Sucked the life out of my caring anything about the Cats. The Cards started being my biggest sports passion, and that has lasted up until the last few months.

Sports has been evolving for decades, and I don't think that evolution has been for the better, from a fans standpoint. Professional players have become increasingly inaccessible and "god like", as they seem to operate many times, outside the life rules that the rest of us follow. There isn't a week goes by that we don't hear about a player getting locked up for carrying illegal weapons, abusing hard drugs, animal abuse, drunk driving, rape, or physical assault. Those things are sports news now. The scores are relegated to second and third page status (for those who still read a newspaper). Most of us watch sports to enjoy the competition, the athleticism, and that strange camaraderie that comes out of gathering with like minded folks and cheering for your common interests. In today's sports, it's all about personality and headlines.

College athletics is following suit. Many of the top players, don't really want to be where they are, they are ready to "get paid". Many of the coaches don't really care about where they are, they are looking constantly to the next job and next big pay day. In Kentucky, we have had the most disgusting stories as of late. Rick Pitino and his marital infidelity is front page news, as is John Calipari's second Final Four being stripped from his former employer. It makes you wonder why you should care at all. Neither of these men, seem like they are steeped in integrity. Why do I worry about Louisville or the Red Sox winning or losing so much? What do I have to gain, other than some bragging rights and a short euphoric feeling after a win? It's time for me to get right with my life and start taking some joy out of things that I can do or things that I can appreciate without having to worry about cheating, jail time, court dates and other ordeals that sports figures seem to dwell in these days.

I do realize that media exposure has a lot to do with my feelings. A couple of decades ago, we didn't have 200 channels, the NFL Network, four or five different ESPN channels, FOX Sports, the internet, satellite radio, 24 hour sports talk, message forums, and Twitter. The news was mostly limited to on field activity. But, as sports grew in popularity, it also grew into a part of pop culture. Celebrities used to be actors, comedians, and musicians. Now, everyone is a celebrity. Everyone knows everyone else's personal business, and for some reason people care deeply about it. It's the ultimate in reality TV. Not only do you get to watch an athlete play, you get to know how he or she conducts their life off the field.

I think I'll move back towards music and film for my hobby time. I enjoy writing. I enjoy reading. Honestly, I never thought I'd get to this point with sports. I'm at take it or leave it. For the first time in well over a decade I don't have Louisville football or basketball season tickets. And I'm not worried about it at all. I simply don't care like I did.

"Now my old friend, The Bachelor,Well, he swore he was the Oklahoma Kid.And Cookie played hooky,To go and see the Duke.And me, I always loved Willie Mays,Those were the days!"

Talkin' Baseball---Terry Cashman