On Being Groovy

So there's this dog here at the house, a bona fide canine, I mean. This said to distinguish the curious quality of Stray Dog which hovers about my particular person. Then there's my personal affinity with canines in general - but I digress.

The wee dog here is a mostly Sheltie dog, some other canine mixed in with it I guess, and she's about mid-sized and I realized a few years back I have known this one dog longer than any other dog in the span of my life. That milestone is also added to the appreciation I have for this particular dog's name, which is Groovy. So much fun to stand on the porch and yell out her name in the wee hours of the morning, calling her home. "Groooooooooooovvveeeeeeeee!!!"

I did not name her. I met her when she was almost a year old, and that was about 15 years ago, so her age is somewhere between 16 and 17 -- doing the mythic dog math means Groovy is 112 or older.

So Age itself hunkers about the poor creature of late, her hips corroded with arthritis and the extra weight she has place on her front legs now often leaves them slightly swollen, and she limps somewhat too. A year or so ago, she lost some control over her bowel movements --- you know what I mean - that ugly revenge Death takes on the Living. There usually are no messes, though, as she knows when action is imminent and she is well looked after in her home.

All those years in the past, the days and hours spent running and playing are dwindling away to days mostly spent sleeping - a walk in the yard nearly taxes her beyond her strength. I ponder on how long I should allow the Groovy One to suffer, and then she has a few days when she is fine - able to walk at least, run just a little. I can tell when her spirits are high and when she is dipping into pain, too.

She does take some pain medicine via the vet who cares for her and we add glucosamine supplements to her food.

But time is not on her side.

Truth be told, given the Stray Dog qualities of my life, I have only a few friends (other than my immediate family) with whom I have spent as much time. I am most thankful for them all -- But on many days, I prefer and have always preferred Groovy's company to almost any other life form on the planet.

Growing up, like bajillions of other humans, I have had pets and have buried them. It is never easy. And in the last 8 years, I have also attended the burials and passings of many of my family, so that the number of those who have populated my own life since birth are likewise dwindling.

So I am aware the passing and pain of one lone pup is barely a blip in the Universe of considerations of everyone and everything alive which exists.

I attempted to describe to a friend recently a certain mental image which has developed in my own muddled mind over the years as I (just as many others) try to accomadate an acceptance, an agreement with the spectre of Life's end. Again, to dredge up facts of my own past, I grew up with Death as a large presence -- my grandfather's farm was connected to a cemetery where he and my uncles worked to maintain the grounds and dig graves; my father, as a minister, ushered many families through times of Death; and I had a close childhood friend whose family home was the lone mortuary in the small town where I grew up.

So Death has always been in the edges and sometimes in the center of experiences.

With the recent demise of many in my family, along with an elderly and often sick mother and a few other elderly friends I help with household day-to-days, the particular mental image I have made might seem grim to some, but to me, it's more of an image of symbiosis.

One cannot be without the Other. Death and dying hover about each of us, like carrion birds, vulturous pets which as time passes begin to gnaw away at the very perch they require, to whittle away on us. In too many places one the planet, violent death and destruction are constants. So in context, living in this fortunate country is a wild and imagined luxury for many.

But here's the deal: Groovy is my friend and Death is replacing my prominence in her life - Age and Time grip each of us in a smothering hug which culminates in lifelessness.

For now, I assist the Groovy one as much as I can and am mindful that a day is swiftly rising in which a decision will have to be made, unless through some merciful moment, she simply fades while sleeping. I doubt that will happen - and it is a selfish thought, for my benefit but also for hers.

One day she'll look at me with eyes that ask for me to play Dr Kevorkian instead of fetch. I don't like that fact, but again, as I mentioned, I am forced by Time and Experience to be ... accomodating. It's like that line of Dickinson's poem which I have always liked -- "because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me."

"Kindly."

As a writer (and a living creature, too) I so appreciate that particular word choice.

Both the creamy warm human center in me and the aforementioned Stray Dog-ness crave to Live as long as Groovy - to be 112 one day would be fine, as long as it did not happen at the end of a hose or on handfuls of dizzying medicines. If I were to reach that age, the year would be 2072, and in all my imaginings that part of my life would be in the early days of galactic human migrations. Given the state of humans in this year, 2006, I seriously doubt any such event is likely by 2072. Maybe by 2172. Maybe.

Humanity's taste for self-destruction which reigns so supreme in 2006 makes it more likely that 2072 will still be a time of Tribal Wars, as it is today.

Personally, I am glad to have no affinity for minds which see honor, glory or goodness in exploding or shooting other living things. Maybe those minds never had the simple joy of having a dog as a friend, maybe their minds were nutured in some holy fervor wherein Death and Killing are the (deeply misunderstood) avenue to moments of transendence.

Most days, for instance, I think the world's Tribal Leaders (and their fervent followers) have not even the tiniest grasp of what Life or what Death means. So it is no suprise to me they have no concept of what words like Freedom or Equality actually mean. Their non-creamy human centers must be instead bitter and barren plains, vast and endless. They and their followers must be swamped in such learned ignorance and greed for intangible and imaginary Power that they barely (if at all) touch the outer-most edges of Humanity

Again, to be more direct, it's that I treasure this rather simple problem of boy and dog and the progression of Time.

Within that parameter of Time, we are playing, or she is nuzzling my hand as I scratch her nose. Those millions of moments have more value than a flag or an anthem or a committee. Within that section of Time, Joy is the constant, and the end is barely a millisecond.

Like George Bailey in "It's A Wonderful Life", I know I am one of the wealthiest people on the planet.

POSTSCRIPT

I wrote the above about one month ago. Today, the Groovy one died, due to her failing health and our ardent wish for her suffering to end. Not an easy thing, but it was the right thing. She gave me that look late last night.

When I got to the animal hospital with her this afternoon, she waited in the truck while I spoke to the vet. An assistant asked me what color of fur she had (I have no idea why that was important) Before I could even think to answer, the words "She's golden" came out of my mouth. She is and always will be.

Your Vote = $10, More or Less

Vote buying scandals were reported widely in August, and I understand the TBI is investigating several allegations. In a story today from the Knoxville News Sentinel, a hearing on the matter in Union County was so garbled and absurd it could easily be a People's Court segment. Or maybe a weird mashup of Jerry Springer and Judge Judy with a little Kafka and a little Dukes of Hazzard all mixed together. I got a headache trying to follow it all.

When witnesses who had previously signed affidavits professing their votes were purchased for 10 bucks actually got on the stand, they began to claim a common woe - they were mentally ill and illiterate. The judge asked if everyone testifying was also incapable of voting too.

Charlie Cox,a Union County Commissioner accused of the vote buying in the election for 10 bucks a whack tells the KNS that is too low a price:

" Later in the day, sitting in the bay of his body shop north of Maynardville, he said he's not concerned about the possibility of a criminal probe into the vote-buying allegations.

"I don't give a (expletive)," Cox said in a profanity-laced interview, adding: "I haven't done anything."

Cox said he'd given the Miller family money for years to help them out. Plus, he said, buying votes costs more than $10.

"I've never seen anybody buy a vote for $10," he said, "and I've been around a lot of elections."

It is a fascinating account of an election. And the judge did dismiss the case, even though the TBI is still investigating the events. But Cox is wrong about the price - it could just be equal to the value of a bag of pork rinds.

A case that has been unfolding over the course of this year in Appalachia has accounts of votes being purchased for 10 bucks and less - and yes, even pork rinds.

It is a very convoluted case to track through, but reports in the Kingsport Times-News do reveal one very clear scam - seizing and altering absentee ballots.

Also last week an editorial in The Tennessean had some startling statistics about voting fraud, noting:

"Legal experts say most voter fraud occurs in absentee balloting, not covered by the new photo ID laws. Plaintiffs challenging the Arizona law have shown that only 238 of 2.7 million registered voters in the past 10 years have been noncitizens, and only four of them voted."

It truly shatters the myths about our process, that every vote counts. Seems as if some people hold pork rinds in higher esteem than the right to vote. Seems they hold the right to vote with something like contempt. But for all the modern equipment and no matter which state is involved, multiple problems continue to be reported -- and none of them would be solved with the proposed changes in voting IDs.

In Hamblen County, Judge James Beckner has been appointed to investigate challenges to the August election -- but I wonder if anyone will be investigating the absentee ballots along with alleged malfunctions in voting machines. Info on the case so far can be found here.

There is an expression that it isn't who votes that counts, but who counts the votes. But as best as I can find, even determining who actually said that is in much doubt.

Foley and Bush Chat, or Make Your Own Caption

Can't help but laugh when I see this photo.

The original caption for this reads

"President Bush walks with Rep. Mark Foley, (R-Fla.) (L) after Hurricane Charlie in Florida in this August 15, 2004 file photo. A seamy Capitol Hill sex scandal is the latest bad news to deflate Republicans and leave them scrambling for political survival four weeks before elections that will decide whether they keep control of the U.S. Congress. REUTERS/Larry Downing"

The story is here. And it isn't a good one. (And who is surprised they were there to see Charlie?)

However, the one and only Tits McGee has found another notable photo to commemorate the Foley scandal. (um .... scroll down to the photo in the post)

Time to Arm and Train Teachers To Shoot?

School teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons while on the job, or so says one state legislator in Wisconsin.

Why?

To prevent or at least change the outcome of someone attacking students/faculty with a gun.

Since school property has already been deemed a "gun-free zone", it is amazing that armed killers somehow get their insane plans to work.

"Republican Rep. Frank Lasee said he planned to introduce legislation that would allow school personnel to carry concealed weapons. He stressed that it would hinge on school staff members getting strict training on the use of the weapons, and he acknowledged he would have to work around a federal law that bans guns on school grounds."

Despsite recent events and some continued fears - statistically, kids are at their safest while in school. But hey, an Algebra or Geometry teacher might just be able to decide the right vectors and probabilities faster than any would-be attacker. And kids darn well better get that homework in on time.

A Story With More Diversions Than A Political Campaign

So I walk into the tiny convenience store the other morning, probably to get more of those cigars my doctor has said I really should avoid since I am toying with a return to my dangerous habit of starting to smoke cigarettes again, which I won't, they smell so nasty now and it has been an impossible habit to break, and anyway, I just spent the last few weeks wandering the hallways of a hospital in Knoxville in the section where people dying from smoking habits fill each room and echoes of pain seared my ears, so even if I do have a few cigars, I have so much fear of smoking-related illnesses I've begun to equate having that cigar to chewing on radioactive cyanide bubble-gum and wonder why I do it at all.

Jeez. Where the heck was I?

Oh yeah, I walked into this little market. And really anymore, if the store I walk into isn't a hundred-bajillion-square-feet of Monster Store, then it is a teeny market that carries odd items like cans of Vienna Sausages, beef jerky, Power drinks, B.C. Powder and usually something like a Confederate Flag shaped into a Yin-Yang symbol on the outside of an imitation Zippo lighter. And lottery tickets.

And why is that hundreds of billions of dollars has been awarded to states and attorneys on behalf of lawsuits related to bad business practices of cigarette companies and I have never received one thin dime for the 30 years I spent smoking, which results in me having Immense Fear of the sleeping rattlesnake of smoke coiled in the bottom of my lungs? I mean, do I have to find some actual group of people who have signed onto some class-action lawsuit and then join them officially by spending what little money I have filing some sort of legal papers? What if the suit is lost? Do I have to pay even more?

Aw, jeez. I'm waaay off from where this one started. I blame that habit of telling long jokes usually populated with talking animals, imaginary creatures or religious leaders simply to end in a really bad pun, like "Silly Rabbi, kicks are for Trids" or some such nonsense.

And really, at this point, can I even get to where I was going from here? Lemme go get a cup of coffee to clear my head and try this again.

Ahhhhh, coffee, my favorite bean product.

Let's try this approach - after reading the above it may (or may not) seem obvious I have various fears of inanimate and animate objects which clutter up the world and sometimes going out to do something simple requires I somehow gather a hefty amount of courage to attempt interaction.

I used to just think I had a verrrry low tolerance to Stupid and actually being out there in the world among Others, that threshold was quickly crossed and I got headaches and felt anger and bile rising up my gullet. I sincerely fought to combat that by trying to imagine, all Zen-like, that everyone and everything I saw and heard was just another facet of myself, which can make you think you're either really messed up or humble you into realizing you ain't all that. And on those rare occasions when I can see something of myself in everyone, I start to get dizzy.

OK, wait - I'm drifting again. Must be these sinus problems and my general slacking, procrastinating ways.

Suffice to say, I think everybody has to suck it up and get out in the world since it is populated by both people and things which often seem so alien it's no wonder wingnuts and wackos seem to fill up the world. I mean, I see some order in stuff like the trees and the grass and the sunshine (or clouds), but I fathom zero usefulness or order to some now-agendized and activated political program which requires me to staple myself into my taxed and insured mode of transportation, which I am only allowed to use on certain stretches of tax-funded pavement, and if I'm lucky enough to work I can only sit at the desk a certain way and not have photos or personal items in my work area for fear it may somehow de-value the stock of the company I work for or offend some tenderfooted numbskull who fears the affects a word or a picture might have on the Structure of Civilization itself.

Ah. damn! Sorry, sorry everyone. There really was a rather funny little event I was going to relate and these somewhat deranged diatribes have pretty much sucked all the Funny out of this post.

Sigh.

Sure, I could delete all the above and write it again. But just this week I was wondering how many fine and excellent pieces of writing appear on the internets in all the pages and blogs, fine sentences and metaphors which in the past some would-be writer might struggle for a week or a day to achieve and even if created, what chance did that person have of seeing other people read it? Of course, sometimes finding a good sentence or thought in all the digitally textualized moments on the Web is rather akin to sifting a pan through muddy waters for a year to find a few nuggets of valuable mineral.

And now that this story I wanted to tell has trailed away with so many distractions and diversions it could qualify as a campaign for public office, then let me summarize as the Would-Be Campaigner:

"I can assure you, my friends, the story you could have heard today would have warmed the hearts of America's family and embiggened us all with our common humanity. And again, let me assure you of my good intentions - I am sure the honesty of my words will be perceived as such by all honest men and women.

For now, I shall take my leave but upon my return, I vow to provide the story we have all come here today to hear, and have every right to hear as Liberty-loving Americans, will be presented in it's entirety.

Thank you and God Bless America."

More Friday Film Fun

Begin by checking out The Mother of All Trailers here for the most awe-inspiring film preview of the season.

Writer/director Joss Whedon vents on all the web rumors about his work and says "Wonder Woman" will be played by that "interweb" star, Lonelygirl. Heh heh. Also, he'll tell you about CLEM! The Musical.

In the Real World, Ann Coulter gets buuuurned in Reason 5,346 why she is an unreliable hack.

And lastly, there is one huge Harvest Moon up in the sky this weekend. With the approach of this giant orb and the impending arrival of Halloween, here is what happens when a creation from the mind of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft turns into a call-in talk show host -- it's Calls For Cthulu --

Camera Obscura - The Departed, The Proposition and Other Acts of Vengeance

It"s no secret I am a big fan of the Hong Kong action films and many of them draw power and ideas from American Cinema. Director John Woo's operatic "The Killer" is dedicated to Martin Scorsese, who returns the thanks this weekend with the release of "The Departed," a loose remake of one of the best HK films in some years, "Infernal Affairs."

The hallmarks of Scorsese violence are large in "The Departed" and he leans heavily on three A-List stars - Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson - in an epic story of living double lives, as police detectives, mob informants and mob bosses. His version of the film, set in Boston, also runs about 50 minutes longer. Scriptwriter William Monahan says he never saw the original film, but made his adaptation after reading a translated version of the original Chinese script.

It's a good way to re-interpret the movie, since the original's visual style, pace, acting and music are truly without match. The Scorsese film flows more from his own style, which will give audiences two distinct takes on a similar story. But I get so disgusted with American critics/media promoters who claim this movie is a "triumphant return" for Marty -- as if he last two or three were somehow sub-par, half-assed nonsense.

What I do encourage viewers to do, however, is to vigorously search out "Infernal Affairs." Not only does it boast it's own A-List Asian stars, the movie is expertly engrossing, suspenseful and constantly surprising with the way it twists and turns the characters. It swept up so many awards in 2002 and has such respect in the film community, it clearly echoes the admiration Hollywood gave to "Seven Samurai", which has been endlessly remade.

NEW ON DVD

As with "The Departed," another type of cop drama, another type of re-imagining of genres hit DVD shelves with the visceral and relentless Australian "western", "The Proposition". A gritty and character driven script by punk rock legend Nick Cave, the movie takes on a time-honored story of what is deemed necessary to "civilize" the countryside from haven for "outlaws and savages". It opens in mid-shootout, which is as grim as anything from Peckinpah -- messy, chaotic and not one bit sanitized.

The local "sheriff", Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) and his crew ends up capturing members of the brutal Burns family and, in his mind, offers a crafty plan. He tells Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) he will hang the somewhat innocent youngest Burns brother unless Charlie seeks out and kills the oldest of the family, brother Arthur (Danny Huston).

Just as Sergio Leone did in the 1960s, director John Hillcoat, fills the screen with a scarred and barren landscape of faces and scrubby wastelands. The story also draws from ideas used by Clint Eastwood to examine the nature and effects of equating revenge and retribution with justice. No mistake, the Burns brothers are ugly beasts - but the ugliness of the settlers and the law is made nearly identical. And for all the intense violence, the story is also deeply subtle and never preachy. It has moments of lyrical beauty and absurd madness.


The movie is not for every taste, I admit. But it is deeply haunting and a brilliant take on the Western genre. Also of note are the fine performances by Winstone (who also provided the voice for the cuddly li'l beaver in "Narnia'), Pearce, and Huston. Huston, the son of director John Huston has been making terrific supporting roles in a wide range of films over the last few years. But here he stakes out a real breakthrough performance.

RATHER SAD NEWS

Poor George Lucas - loved for creating the "Star Wars" movies and hated for making more of them - is truly having a tough time with what to do now. He announced this week he is giving up on film and is taking Lucasfilm to television -- "We don't want to make movies. We're about to get into television. As far as Lucasfilm is concerned, we've moved away from the feature film thing because it's too expensive and it's too risky. "I think the secret to the future is quantity," Lucas said."

George -- it's the Quality we all miss.

BANNED BOOK WEEK VIDEOS

As the American Library Association has again devoted time and attention to books that have been banned or removed from shelves due to complaints, I noticed a webpage of short student-made videos based on some of these nefarious writings.

Take that, you censors!! If a parent was horrified their child might encounter "Catcher In The Rye," the short video translating it with a lesbian twist may well make their heads explode. Also featured are videos based on such banned titles as "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "Brave New World" Check the page out here.

IT IS OCTOBER, BRING ON THE ZOMBIES!

Here's one for your discussion and review -- a list of the best ever zombie movies via RetroCrush. The good folks there even give you YouTube clips of all their picks.

Happy Halloween!

Why Sen. Frist Loves Mark Foley

A roundup of the outrage and verb-rage among Tennessee bloggers about the Congressman Mark Foley scandal which Brittany put together is an astonishing thing.

Those are just a few of the writers in one state, so the entire national media output on this whole deal, if converted to, say, electrical energy, would likely be enough to eliminate the infamous 'oil addiction' our humble country shakes and shivers from like the most stereotypical junkie of all time.

Of all the many thoughts I read today, however, I liked how the folks at Liberadio framed it -- the political landscape is currently eyeball-deep in disastrous leadership of nearly every stripe, but a sex scandal - now there's an attention-grabber!!

The one and only Republican who is on his knees (*cough*) thanking Mark Foley for getting freaky with the boys is Tennessee Senator Bill Frist.

Why?

Because Foley's problems have pushed the dangerous confessional comments the senator made about appeasing the Taliban terrorists so far into the background, it's like he never said what he did say:

"U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said Monday that the war against Taliban guerrillas in Afghanistan could never be won militarily, and he urged support for efforts to bring "people who call themselves Taliban" into the government.

Frist said he learned from military briefings that Taliban fighters were too numerous and had too much popular support to be defeated on the battlefield.

"You need to bring them into a more transparent type of government," he said during a visit to a military base in the Taliban stronghold of Qalat. "And if that's accomplished, we'll be successful."

Frenzied internet sex scandals win the day - and idiots rule in Washington.

Schools of Violence

I was driving past a few elementary and middle schools yesterday on my way into Knoxville, and I had to wonder how many of the parents, teachers, and of course the kids, were thinking about the three most recent violent attacks inside schools in America.

One of the schools I passed was the scene last August of an incident where a fight over a weapon in a bathroom led to one teen being shot in the leg and two students being charged with planning to kill a teacher. So even in the most rural of settings, violence erupts in a school.

The horrific events in the small Amish school were created by a very disturbed adult, and not a child. In just about every way, I'm glad I do not easily grasp how such a thing can happen. Even though there may be explanations and reasons provided in this case - the acts the man took made everything worse.

Writer William Gaddis once wrote that it was one of the "blessings of childhood that when they are being warped the most they are aware of it the least." I used to think that line had some truth, but not so anymore. With friends who work with abused children, with an awareness of how brutal and sadly how often adults can warp a child, I tend to marvel instead that any of us make the passage from infant to adult with few warps and twists.

The school years seemed to take an eternity to pass for me, as slow as the endless seconds which might occur on the event horizon of a black hole. I have some fine memories of those days, but mostly I never liked being there. And there violent events in my own school, back when nearly every boy carried a pocketknife. I remember one girl in 5th grade who gained infamy when she boasted about the straight razor she carried in her purse. But no teacher or administrator ever confronted her or took the weapon away.

The items teachers confiscated in those days were comic books, yo-yos, or stuff ordered from the ads in comics like joy buzzers and whoopee cushions and "x-ray specs" and vampire teeth, or maybe the toys one could fit into our pre-techno pockets like Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars, green toy soldiers, and other tiny distractions we used to enliven the dull droning days.

By fifth or sixth grade, educators were experimenting with the effects of circular chair placements, "learning pods" instead of classrooms, and other oddities that seemed to emphasize the geometries of space rather than the efficacy of lesson plans.

By the last few years of high school, you would sometimes see a student hustled into "the office" with a small bag of marijuana or some pills they snagged from the home medicine cabinet or maybe bought from a fellow student.

And also in those last days of my time in high school, I could sense this real and growing deep despair among students and faculty alike - some prompted by the multitudes of "broken homes", by the depths of poverty and the increasing pressures and menace of social status. That social ordering was becoming vicious - who you were or were not friends with started being an intensely cruel situation. And I was in a very small school, which I typically think of as so small we hardly had enough people to form more than one clique -- but they were formed and the rules of association and disassociation were very harsh.

When I graduated, I felt as if I had been released from prison, though I'm sure that sounds like a very lame comparison.

I admit there were a few teachers in high school which I actively punished with psychological attacks, pushing at boundaries and behaviors if only to define those boundaries. One dull afternoon in my senior year, I was standing in the hallways prior to a class with a few of my friends and one of them whipped out a deck of playing cards and we started flipping them at each other - well, trying to flip them. We were hardly ninja assassins with throwing acumen. Still, a vice-principal saw us, took us into "the office" and lectured us for half an hour on the Evils of our card throwing. He actually said "someone could have lost an eye" and I nearly hemorrhaged suppressing a laugh.

If that event were to occur in a school setting today, myself and my companions would likely be treated to the absurdity of "Zero Tolerance", be forever expelled and possibly have to appear in court.

Statistics currently indicate episodes of school violence are declining, but obviously the intensity and media feeding frenzy that follows create the impression of schools as dangerous, dark places with metal detectors, windowless rooms, constant camera surveillance, lockdowns, constantly roving police officers.

Current policies labels like No Child Left Behind or Zero Tolerance, along with constant testing pressures in which scores must reach certain levels and continue to roll upwards or loss of federal funding is threatened, all that policy-making and pressure, along with events like those in recent weeks and the Columbine Fear that seem to envelope all education make me even happier that I left school long ago and that I don't have children who would be immersed in such bizarre cultures.

Instead, as I did yesterday, I drove past the school zones feeling some sympathies for all those kids and adults left in these buildings to make their way in an ever more convoluted maze. It appears to me the process has become more confusing, the goals and methods obscured by federal or local regulations with mystifying meanings.

I consider myself fortunate that while I have the maddening adult world to contend with, I don't have the added confusions and fears of what my children may or may not experience in public education. Too often I hear the emphasis being placed on students that they must learn well in order to obtain a good job, and seldom do I hear emphasis placed on the real value of education for it's own sake - to develop critical thinking skills and comprehension, to realize that we must constantly process information and determine whether it is factual or theoretical, that learning to express yourself can be the most important of lessons.

'Greatest American Hero' Returns

Back in the early months of 1981, the nation was about to have an actor transform into a president and the hostage nightmare in Iran was about to end. MTV was about to be launched. In 1981, Justin Timberlake and Paris Hilton would be born. And in those early months a new adventure-comedy TV show arrived and it finally arrives this week in a brand spankin' new DVD set.

"The Greatest American Hero" was an unusual mix of comedy and drama and fantasy. A mild mannered school teacher (William Katt) receives an unwanted draft into superhero status one night when aliens give him a vivid red super suit and an instruction book on how to operate it. The aliens depart and unfortunately, our "hero" loses the book.

Mixing the comedy and the drama was well done by stars Katt and an oddball FBI agent (Robert Culp), though most people recall the show these days because it's theme song actually broke into the Top 40 charts.

I'll have more on this new DVD boxed set from Anchor Bay in a few days, but the limited edition set now available boasts some true fanboy items to attract your attention -- the limited edition tin-box set includes all 3 seasons, a full length American Hero cape and the instruction book on it's operation (don't lose it!!), and 200 randomly inserted autographed pics of Katt. This new set has already earned the sci-fi Saturn Award for "Best Retro Television Release on DVD".

More of My One-Sided, Narrow Views

Had enough yet?

More on the forgetful Rice memory.

Thank you sir, may I have another?

(hey, you know, it's really, REALLY easy to imitate the blog stylings of InstyBoyWonderPundit - it's is just like they say - all linky, no thinky.)

Oh and AT refers us to 19 Terrific Midnight Movies.

Non-Denials of "Denial"

When I read the following comments from the Secretary of State for the current Bush administration, my head shook really hard and made one of those old Tex Avery cartoon noises. My eyes likely shot out of my head and rolled under the table, again as in Tex Avery land.

Bob Woodward's book "State of Denial" refers to a meeting held July 10, 2001 where then-CIA Director George Tenet and his top counter-terrorism aide Cofe Black informed Condoleezza Rice of their fears of an impending attack on the U.S. was likely. The book claims Rice brushed aside their concerns.

In a report from Rueters, Rice made several comments in response to the book, which are deeply contradictory.

"Rice said she had no specific recollection of the meeting, stressed that the threat reporting at the time was about potential attacks abroad rather than at home, and denied she was given a warning of a possible strike on the United States.

"I don't know that this meeting took place ... what I am quite certain of is that (it) was not a meeting in which I was told that there was an impending attack and I refused to respond," Rice told reporters as she flew to the Middle East.

"I would remember if I was told, as this account apparently says, that there was about to be an attack in the United States. And the idea that I would somehow have ignored that, I find, incomprehensible," Rice added."

So, she has no memory of the meeting, but she remembers she did not hear any warning from Tenet at that meeting."

Incomprehensible, indeed.

The report also includes a denial from Rice that she urged for the removal of Rumsfeld, but that she did express the idea of replacing the "entire national security team" -- which she then explains as meaning only herself.

Thomas Jefferson Sent Me an Email

I can honestly say it is not every day that I receive an email from Thomas Jefferson. Yeah, THE Thomas Jefferson. Even less likely, the email was a link to a video from YouTube. That website is truly gathering market saturation.

Added to Mr.Jefferson's email was the comment that "it is your patriotic duty to watch this video."

The video he sent is from what may well be one of the last true examples of a newscaster who crafts editorials and stories which exhibit courage, insight and relevant analysis of the news business today.

More than once, he has been compared to the legendary Edward Murrow - a man who dared speak frankly and eloquently on the dangerous failures and gross incompetence in our national leadership.

The newsman is Keith Olbermann, and in this video, he is speaking about former President Clinton's scathing and factual refutation of the hit job made on him by FOX news and "reporter" Chris Wallace.



Crooks and Liars has a post noting how rapidly FOX changed their headline on Clinton's response from "Crazed" to "Strong Reaction". Also on that page, you can read the transcript of the Wallace/Clinton discussion.

Mr. Jefferson also included this link -- it reveals the more wrong-headed and flat out incorrect information a person has regarding certain U.S. policies are FOX viewers. The other networks fare little better.

Camera Obscura - Silent Hill, Voodoo Moon and Howl's Castle

Some disappointments and some delights await in this week's edition of film reviews, including a sneak look at an upcoming DVD release and a few thoughts on the arriving fall television season. And as we approach October, I have a few Halloween-horror themed suggestions for you.

For the first of the delights, you can blame the fact that I'm a male, or that I'm easily amused, but I was very happy to see that the second of the Johnny Knoxville "Jackass" movies earned the top slot at the box office this past weekend raking in over $28 million dollars.

Yes, the antics and idiocy of Knoxville and his crew are jaw-dropping examples of stupid and dangerous. However I laughed constantly watching the first movie and the second one boasts even more bone-dumb moments of near self-destruction. Maybe you have to have grown up in Tennessee to understand the stupid, painful actions of Knoxville and crew. In other words, I've seen some guys do similar things and though they were stupid then too, they still made me laugh or made me glad I was not dumb enough to try such crazy things.

Be honest - one of the Free Spots on the Bingo Card of Life is that boys and men will do stupid and potentially hazardous things. I don't want to hang out with Johnny and his crew, I pity their parents and I also know all of them have made much money filming stooopid things. I doubt film critics will ever pen meaningful essays on the cinematic techniques or subtexts to be found in "Jackass."

But it makes me laugh and it reminds me of the line from the movie "Time Bandits", where France's Napoleon laughs insanely as the tiny heroes of the movie take to the stage and attempt to sing "Me and My Shadow" and end up fighting with each other. Napoleon, explaining his delight, says he likes "seeing little things hitting each other." And I guess one could say Johnny and his crew are the reality-TV versions of the Three Stooges and their painful slapstick.

And though the acting roles Johnny has had in other films aren't really that notable (though a small part in "Big Trouble" and a larger role in "Grand Theft Parsons" are worth mention), I still think one day the right part in the right movie will arrive. And in my book, he still has the coolest name in entertainment today.

The preview for the movie below wisely warns viewers that critics view Johnny's "work" as a sign of the End of Days.



NEW ON DVD

The videogame "Silent Hill" is brought to vivid and creepy life in movie form, now on DVD. Starring Radha Mitchell as a mom searching an eerily abandoned ghost town in West Virginia for her missing child, she roams in a dimension-shifting nightmare landscape. Darkly lit, endlessly maze-filled and encountering odd human inhabitants - the movie just doesn't make much sense or even attempt it. Simply, this is a ghost story with the emphasis on "ghost" and not story. The best I can say is if you liked the game, you might like this movie.

A new arrival on DVD on October 3rd is the movie "Voodoo Moon" from Anchor Bay. I confess at the outset here that the reason I wanted to see the movie is that it stars Charisma Carpenter, best known as Cordelia on Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel television shows. The movie also features TV actor Eric Mabius (of "O.C.", "C.S.I." and the new "Ugly Betty") and one of my favorite B-movie actors of all time, Jeffrey Combs ("Re-Animator").

The story centers on Carpenter and Mabius as brother and sister, who are the sole survivors of a horrifying town massacre some twenty years ago. Now, the brother has become something of a demon-fighter and must join with a motley crew of odd characters to protect his sister and hopefully defeat the nasty creature responsible for the massacre years ago.

The movie is more of one of suspense and mystery rather than jump-scares and horror. In fact, I often felt as if I had tuned into the 3rd or 4th episode of a TV series. The backstory is somewhat complex and the relationships of the characters are as well. It's a moody work, and director Kevin Van Hook (efx creator for "I, Robot" and "Daredevil") is a filmmaker of some promise. For fans of Carpenter and Combs, it's worth viewing.

PICK OF THE WEEK

The best I've seen this week is the latest from Oscar-winning animator Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away") titled "Howl's Moving Castle."

It is a dazzling and imaginative work which will astonish children and adults alike. His work, as always, is truly beautiful. The depth and careful creation of this magical world leaves the CGI world far behind.

The story is of a young girl, who is transformed into an old woman by an evil witch, and who then makes friends with an enigmatic magician named Howl. Howl's home is a walking castle and it's origins as well as Howl's provide a fascinating fantasy. My favorite of Miyazaki is still "Porco Rosso", but Howl is a must-see too.

RANDOM TV TAKES

Venture Brothers rocks!!

A new season of "The Unit" is underway.

"My Name is Earl" is back!!

And for October, Turner Classic Movies once again has a vast amount of classic and cultish Halloween horrors, but mark your calendar for a Russ Meyer double feature on October 20th - "Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill!" and "Mudhoney". Check out the full schedule for the month here.

GOP's Failures Blamed On Democrats

It is a gross lie and it is deeply deceptive, manipulative and idiotic for the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, Republican of Illinois, to proclaim that any questions or doubts to legislation regarding military tribunals is an act of protection for terrorists attacking the U.S. and its interests.

The legislation, H.R. 6166, brought out this outlandish comment from Hastert, that opposition to it: means "... more rights for terrorists. So the same terrorists who plan to harm innocent Americans ... would be coddled if we follow the Democratic plan."

Let's be honest about the failure of the GOP leadership from Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist -- they have failed for the last three years (or perhaps even intentionally delayed) constructing the systems and legal definitions necessary to conduct tribunals or hearings for individuals apprehended in the "war on terror".

Sen. Frist referred to the bill as a "critical tool", yet it is a "tool" which his leadership has failed to properly devise -- and now their failures are somehow blamed on Evil Democrats.

Only a decision from the Supreme Court has spurred these party bosses and the current administration to develop a proper legal basis for handling what is admittedly a very complex problem.

In recent months, I have heard deeply disfigured lanquage used in reference to actions termed "alternative interrogation techniques" or "extraordinary rendentions".

Last year, reports that the United States were operating "secret prisons" was rejected as nonsense, or as the near-treasonous reports of liberal media. Yet, a few weeks ago, the President reversed his stand and hailed these operations as successful detentions which resulted in vital security protections.

What is that can be done to effectively halt, prevent and investigate the crimes and acts of war against our nation and others by terrorists?

The one certainty is that these "critical" issues have been danced and waltzed around by congress like shy fifth-grade boys at their first dance. Thoughtful and wise and reasoned legislation is in tremendous demand now -- current and future generations of Americans and other free citizens of the world will deal with the outcome of decisions today.

And what is clear from this proposed legislation - and the Republican proclamations about it - is that they hope to use it as a "critical tool" on the campaign trail to scare the bejesus out of anyone considering casting a vote based on facts and not based in fear.

Perhaps the public - and the press - need to also highlight the other important actions made by the House of Representatives on Wednesday:

-- House Conference Resolution 478 -- "Supporting the goals and ideals of 'Lights on Afterschool!'. a national celebration of after-school programs."

-- House Conference Resolution 458 -- "Expressing the sense of Congress that there should be established a Let's All Play Day."

Wrong Judicial Decision in Hamblen Election

I just can't keep quiet on a local problem, despite the weight of personal issues here at the home front.

A razor thin two-vote difference in the race for a Hamblen County Commission seat has slowly moved through the courts and a judge has decided there should be a recount of the votes.

A recount is a useless and pointless action.

The local election commission has already stated the two vote difference was made via absentee ballots - so recounting all the votes will accomplish nothing to resolve the situation.

The critical questions are whether or not those ballots were cast by valid, registered voters and when they were cast.

Currently only the Knoxville media has bothered to report the judicial decision. Even the local paper's website has, as of 7 pm today, no report of the decision.

Given that the alleged victor in the race is a former employee of the newspaper, it's clear there is a desire for no change in the vote tally. The previous incumbent office holder deserves better from the election commission office and the judicial review. The vote count made on election day itself resulted in a tie -- so reviewing the status of the two votes cast via absentee ballots should be the only focus of judicial review.

More on the numerous problems election day and the judge's opinion here.

A Short Break

I am sad to say that my good friend Edmund passed away on Sunday. I mentioned this likelihood on Sept. 13 in a post, and I am taking a few days away to deal with much here at the homestead. Many of you have already expressed much fine and good thoughts and I am most grateful for your concerns.

When I have enough presence of mind to resume here, I shall.

So stay tuned. And thanks for your consideration and patience and warm regards.

Candiate Davis Ready To Bomb Iran

Comments by GOP candidate for Congress here in the 1st District, David Davis, get a thorough ripping via AC at Volunteer Voters. Here's what Davis said in reference to bombing Iran:

"I heard somebody up here (at the luncheon) say, ‘Go for it,'" said Davis, a state representative from Johnson City. "I think when you're in a position of power you have to be willing to listen to other people in positions of leadership. ... I would listen to the people of the 1st District. It is very, very important that we take this war seriously. ... This is a war that we need to be willing to win. I don't want to be in office and be in a position of power when we're attacked and we don't stand up."

AC replies:

"Some yahoo in the back of the room says "Go for it" and you're gonna take that into consideration when formulating your foreign policy views? Are you kidding me?

It is simply amazing to me how Republicans running for office are seriously considering another preemptive strike against an Islamic State after the first one went so well."

Sadly, Davis is likely to win the election and once again, the 1st District residents have a Party official dictating actions in congress and taking Party directions.

Representation falls to the wayside.

Read the whole post.

On Torture and American Principles

I know it's a hard and difficult situation in world politics and American policies regarding the apprehension, interrogation, detention and trials of a far-flung and loosely organized group of terrorists whose goal is to drag America and its allies into hateful, relentless tribal warfare and sporadic attacks on people of all races and religions around the globe.

I have a strong conviction and belief however, that this nation must maintain the strict adherence to civilized behavior, democratic ideals, the tenets of freedom and liberty and law. Isn't that the very core of our national ideals and principles which terrorists want to dismantle?

The recent push by the Bush administration to redefine (or "clarify") policies and rules for holding and interrogating enemies steps too far away from a position of strength, and threatens our credibility both at home and abroad.

A pointed essay by Paul Waldman at TomPaine.com raises important questions, presents challenging comments and also underscores the need for maintaining a "moral high ground" in this critical moment in American and World History.

Some excerpts:

"In the latest Weekly Standard, William Kristol, —fierce advocate of not only the war in Iraq but another war against Iran, so you know he knows what he'’s talking about, —enthuses that Republicans are becoming the pro-torture party, and therefore they'’re bound to do well in November'’s elections.

If this truly is a clash of civilizations, the conservatives have chosen to engage it by getting in touch with their inner barbarian.

And when progressives (and the occasional conservative) question whether such actions betray our values, the answer from Bush and his supporters is that we should be measured not by our principles, —or by any principles at all, —but by the actions of our enemies. The moral high ground is to be found no more than one step above the worst thing terrorists have done lately. The president may order the use of sleep deprivation and '“stress positions'” to induce mental and physical agony in prisoners, —but hey, he hasn'’t personally chopped anyone'’s head off, so you know he'’s on the side of the angels.

But it is moral poison to measure yourself by the worst acts of your enemies. This is what conservatives have brought to America; the time since 9/11 has seen a moral descent, —if not an outright moral deadening, —on the part of the right."

[snip]

"The justification is always that we'’re dealing with terrorists, who are really, really bad people. So why should they deserve due process? The answer that the twisted conservative mind seems incapable of grasping is that a nation committed to liberty, justice and the rule of law does not have one set of procedures for nice people and another set for mean people. It sets up procedures that reflect its values."

I urge you to read and consider the arguments in the essay. I'm sure there are many who will disagree with the opinions Waldman makes, but an open and plain discourse on these questions is vital not only today but for the future as well.

Another debate on these issues has been growing via a post a KnoxViews. Another essay on the topic is in the Washington Post.

Government Caskets and Hanging Elephants - A Web Walk

No story got my attention as much as a proposal from a Clarksville mayoral candidate who is suggesting the taxpayers fund a city-operated casket and funeral company. The candidate also wants a super-secret force to combat cell phone users/drivers.:

"Wilton Sowell suggested some unorthodox measures to raise revenue for the city, which he said would allow low-income residents over 55 to be forgiven of their local taxes.

Sowell is recommending the creation of a squad of 50 undercover traffic agents to combat road rage and driving while on a cell phone, whose fines would flow into the city coffers.

Sowell is also recommending a one-time tax charged to all city residents to create a municipal casket manufacturing company and funeral home, which proceeds will flow into the city and would conceivably guarantee affordable funerals for low-income families.

"Everyone should have a respectable funeral without burdening their loved ones," Sowell said."

11 are seeking the mayor's office. I am more than shocked at the idea the city go into managing final arrangements for residents.

In other news, John at Salem's Lots has a good question regarding a proposal to make English the official language of Nashville government:

"What problem are they really trying to solve? What is the real motivation for this bill?"

Read the full post here.

Michael at No Silence Here also has information on Tennessee being the number one U.S. exporter to China. What do we export??

And finally, a UT student is researching one of the strangest stories ever from East Tennessee - the hanging of an elephant in Erwin, TN and the many myths about it.

Now, Frist Supports Senate Filibuster

The flip-flopping Tennessee Senator Bill Frist now sees a value and a reason for the Senate rule which allows for a filibuster. The reason is the legislation in question is backed by President Bush on the issues of handling the prisoners captured by the U.S. in the ongoing "war on terror." Also facing little success of passage is a bill approving "warrantless wiretapping."

But in September of 2006, the likelihood of a Senate filibuster was viewed as an obsolete tactic of obstruction, one he vowed to oppose with a so-called ''nuclear option." In Spetember 2006, the senator sought to have the procedure made ''unconstitutional.''

With this about-face turn on the issue, the senator proves once again he is in Washington to represent the Bush Administration - not to represent the people of his home sttate of Tennessee. The recent actions appear to make sure these bills will not be resolved until after the elections.

First To Blog From Orbit

Space toruism is still a serious expense at 20 million dollars and checking my financial outlook, I'd hazard to say that I will not be counted among the space tourists unless prices fall faster than a bowling ball dropped from the space station.

However, 40-year-old Anousheh Ansari will spend 10 days in space and be the first person to blog from the space station this week. She started her blog on September 12 prior to her launch tomorrow. In one post she writes:

"A long, long time ago, in a country far, far away… there was a young girl who had her eyes fixed on the twinkling stars of the night skies over Tehran. Back then the air was not so polluted and you could see many stars in the night skies. Summer time, when they would set up the beds outside on the balcony to sleep, she would lay in her bed and look deep into the mysterious darkness of the universe and think to herself, What's out there? Is someone out there awake in her bed, and gazing at her in the night sky? Will she ever find her… See her… Will she fly out there and float in the wonderful, boundless freedom of space?"

Ansari has already provided $10 million in prize money for SpaceShipOne, which made two successful flights into orbit in 2002. More can be fdund on Ansari and her voyage here.

Now, she is counting the moments for the journey. I'll keep counting the hours until I make mine, but like I said, that day is still farther away than Alpha Centauri.

Thong Girl Rocks Gallatin

The makers of the movie "Thong Girl 3" (anyone ever seen the first two?) were successful when they asked Gallatin Mayor Don Wright for permission to film a scene in his office at city hall. But now, other councilmembers are outraged - especially since they filmed on a Sunday.

From the article in the Tennessean:

"The plot line involves Thong Girl's alter ego, Lana Layonme, who went shopping at a lingerie store one day and put on a pair of red thong underwear, which gave her magical powers. In the third installment, Thong Girl faces off against her nemesis, the Dark Widow, who's out to take over country music and turn its artists into rappers, the filmmaker said.

Weiss was working on a scene involving a fictitious mayor, and he said he was pleased with the "agricultural look" of Wright's office, whose executive chambers are decorated with Civil War memorabilia and state artifacts."

I suppose this means Thong Girl has visible plot-lines?

Like I said on Newscoma's post (she had this story before I did) why not use the filming to promote tourism? Wouldn't the tagline - "Gallatin - Home of Thong Girl" bring some cheeky tourists??

John at Salem's Lots was all over Thong Girl News on Friday. TG got a right pretty invite, too.

All things Thong Girl related are here.

UPDATE: It turns out that Mayor Don Wright, a former state senator, has a rather troubled past when it comes to women in general. The info was brought to my attention via a post from the Anti Jim Bryson web log:

"This is the same Don Wright who helped squire Bryson around town during the Sumner County leg of his recent Big Double Talk bus tour. It’s also the same Don Wright who not long ago was reprimanded for making inappropriate comments to a woman about her breasts. Does anyone else see a pattern here?"

From the second link above: "Gallatin Mayor Don Wright has been forced to take sensitivity training after a controversial remark he made this month to a female employee.

In a letter written earlier this month to city attorney Joe Thompson, a female city employee goes into detail about an incident where the mayor admits to asking her, "Do you have implants?"

Also worth reading are the comments on the Anti-Bryson page, where one reader points to comments in the press from Wright regarding how difficult it is for a man to hear "No" from a woman, and that his fictional Civil War novel contains some rather unpleasant rape/forced sex scenes.

I know, fiction is fiction -- it just seems that the Honorable Mayor may have a way-too-public sex fantasy life.

The one good thing from all this - it just shows ya that stupid politicos are not just in East or West TN. They're statewide! What was that bumper sticker I saw the other day?

Oh yes - "Tennessee - Not All Our Politicians Are Indicted".

Camera Obscura - Classic Short Films, New DVDs and Some Jazz

Cinematic marvels can appear in many shapes and sizes. I was lucky enough to see movies in giant palaces in the 1960s and 1970s, and remember the announcement being made that movies would no longer be preceded by cartoons or short subjects.

Mostly I recall the giant screens filled with an animated dusky expanse of desert and towering rock formations, a ribbon of black road threading through the wastelands and the sudden burst of a racing bird (a Roadrunner) hotly pursued by a coyote with a knife and fork (one Wile E. Coyote to be exact). Occasionally, I'd see some short film before the feature, usually a wildlife piece or a more rare behind-the-scenes reel of a movie about to be released.

For some years now, Turner Classic Movies have included short films and cartoons on their schedule and today the entire day is nothing but short films. Some are from many years past, but tonight some rare short films will be presented by the top name directors - David Lynch, Martin Scorcese, Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock. So heat up the old VCR or program your Tivo or DVR and snag these rare films.

Other featured short films will be shown by Francois Truffaut, Ridley Scott and his brother, Tony, Jane Campion, Roman Polanski-- all starting with Lynch's short films tonight at 9 p.m.

A full list of the short films and the times they air are here.

NEW ON DVD

I must urge you to spend the time (and/or money) to watch the newly released first season DVD collection for a show that didn't get much attention this year, "The Unit." Produced and created by award-winning playwright/director David Mamet, the show follows a group of elite soldiers as they take on missions around the world, and face challenges on the homefront as well.

A great round-up of the episodes and the DVD extras are here. The show is lean and muscular, tough and realistic, and very satisfying both as drama and as a more realistic look at how military squads operate. I am eager for the new season to get underway.
-------

Landing on DVD shelves on Tuesday, September 19th is a new horror movie called "Left In Darkness". What I liked best about this new movie is the sharp eye of the director which provides an old-school approach - rich atmosphere, suspense and chills without heavy gore or computer generated effects.

The story centers on Celia (Monica Keena of "Freddy vs. Jason") whose 21st birthday is pretty dang lousy -- she gets drugged, raped and is killed by drug overdose at a wild frat party. But that is only the beginning of her problems.

She is trapped in a netherworld and in a battle between good and evil, battling the threat of Soul Eaters and searching for a way out. Actor Tim Thomerson plays her late grandfather to perfection. One never knows if he is helping her or leading her to an even worse fate.

The last third of the film turns up the confusion and fear a few more notches, and the result is a first-rate take on suspense and the macabre.

My thanks to Anchor Bay and M-80 for the screener copy of the movie. Definitely worth a viewing for fans of suspense and horror.

ONE FINAL NOTE

Since I started this post talking about the great old days of short films, I thought it a fine way to end today with a short film by filmmaker/photographer Gjon Mili, one of the best of the Life Magazine photographers. The short is called "Jammin' The Blues" from 1944.

Does U.S. Currency Contain 9-11 Secrets?

I noticed on Yahoo! News that a picture has been quite popular this week on their pages - an oddly folded twenty dollar bill which some say reveals an image of the smoking World Trade Centers just after being struck by terrorist-hijacked airplanes.

The caption for the photo says a "Palestinian man" is holding the bill.

Making new symbols out of the symbol-heavy U.S. currency is not new and according to the Urban Legends page, this particular 9-11 image first started popping up on the web in 2002. Folding bills and other items are mentioned in the article.

Another web site goes much further. It shows how certain newly revised U.S. currency contains images of the burning buildings, the buildings in mid-collapse and on the $100 bill, a rising column of smoke is all that is visible. The pictures and text are all on a web site called "Armageddon Online."

I had no idea the End of the World had it's own web page.

But, after all, we are in the modern age. Dire warnings of the End Times have likely been in existence since humans gained the powers of speech and communication. Secret signs and wonders, cryptic images, predictions and such are always hovering on the horizons for some people - they'll find conspiracy anywhere and everywhere. (and the site mentioned above has a whole zoo of endtime scenarios and provides some extra fuel for your Fear-filled fires).

Corker Popped?

In an already too-close-to-call race for the open Senate seat in Tennessee, GOP hopeful and former Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker lost an attempt to delay a lawsuit regarding the transfer of property and it's conservation management. The property in question went to Wal-Mart, and if Corker had his way, he would have delayed a deposition in the case until after the election.

Chancellor Howell Peoples said no to that, so the case will make much news in the weeks just prior to the start of voting.

Alice pointed out this story, and another report on trouble for Corker via Daily Kos over the 911 operations which challenger and Democrat Harold Ford Jr. has been hitting hard in recent TV ads.

Tennessee Ticket has more on the poll numbers and the Wal-Mart case.

I have also noticed that while the president arrived to do some fundraising for Corker, one face absent in his run is the current office-holder, Sen. Bill Frist. Call me cynical, but given that Frist is still under investigation by the Securities and Exchange officers and was also recently outed for faking information about his renewal of his doctor's license, then the two men together just might create more negative press than Corker could hope to overcome.

Hard roads are certainly ahead for both candidates, but the last stages of the campaign matching up with lawsuits a-go-go might give Ford the edge to win the race.

Changes For The Coming Days

Time moves swiftly here on the internets and I know my posting has slowed somewhat for the last few days. The reasons are sadly, grim ones.

On the one hand, I am proud to be the semi-adopted son of a family here in East TN, a family with much compassion and talents too numerous to mention, which I have known for 15 years. On the other and more immediate hand, the family is facing and coping with the failing health and apparently terminal cancer of the father. I'm not giving out names for privacy reasons. A full diagnosis is still underway.

His health turned quite bad late last week so the last few days have been brutal for his family and for him. He is in the great and caring hands of several doctors and nurses and I know he has been resting well and his pain is being managed well.

Words to describe all these recent events fall far short of the reality. I am not one to tiptoe around the topic of Death, but when It is a part of every breath, it starts to slur my speech and stun my thoughts. And I'm the fortunate one in this time. I know for the family and the critically ill father, breaths will not bring much relief for months and months to come.

For constant readers here, I felt compelled to explain the sporadic posts and the likelihood that the pace of this page is going to be slower than I want, simply because my attentions and thoughts are a part of this family's very painful present.

Their dad is my family too, and, as important, he is my friend. So my strengths and attentions are all with them. Whenever I have time and thoughts coherent enough to post here, I shall.

Send your best thoughts his way, and many thanks to readers for your patience. I hope this post finds you and yours well and happy, and please take some time to consider how fortunate you are and to explore the rich luxuries of Time and Health and the family and friends you care for and who care for you.

Update on 9-11 Aftermath

I was pleased that overall interest in a faked docudrama about the events prior to and on 9-11 on ABC this week pretty much tanked.

Same for CNN's re-broadcast of their coverage on 9-11-01 to hype their Pipeline service - my own indignation and questions about that has even garnered the attention of Slate writer Sonia Smith (scroll down for mention of this humble blog and thanks for reading, Sonia).

While many bloggers in Tennessee offered opinions, ideas and more on thoughts five years after the original attacks, I liked the post from Kevin at Lean Left:

"Osama Bin Laden is still free.

That, five years after the fall of the towers, is as good a symbol for the failures of the Bush Administration as any. As I mentioned earlier today, not only is Bid Laden till free, but the US government has lost all trace of him after bungling the operation to catch him at Tora Bora because it shifted focus to Iraq. Even worse, there is no one single person responsible for finding him; the various bureaucracies have been left to fight it out among themselves. Bin Laden’s freedom is hardly the only failure of the last five years."

I am convinced if Bush leaves office without capturing the living or deceased body of bin Laden, then most Americans (and perhaps many of our allies) will see his responses to the terrorism of 9-11 as a large failure.

A Real Sunsphere Report?

I had noticed the story and was not alone as even R. Neal at KnoxViews expressed surprise that some actual reporting has occurred on the massive eyesore and financial boondoggle that is the Big Gold Golfball, aka The Sunsphere in Knoxville.

Meant to symbolize the source of all Energy, it is an Energy Hog, and has never been a practical or useful piece of architecture. Leasing the site has nearly been impossible due to utility costs alone. It's a leftover symbol of irony from a failed Energy-themed World's Fair, where plans for alternate energy to run the pavilions resulted in huge electrical bills.

Objective and plain reporting? Yep, a good story was written. Sadly, though, I found the bulk of the stories in the Knoxville Voice too generic, and it needs a few more local reports - but I think the paper is working on it and the future is theirs if they wish it.

The print media is hard pressed in my opinion to compete with the information and views available via blogs like this, for just one example. If you run through all the links on this Cup of Joe, I think you'll find tons of local and national information.

And if you know of a site I should add as a new blog or news link, please offer your suggestions in the comments today.

A 9-11 Question

What is your reaction to the constant coverage in news and other media (movies, documentaries, etc.) being provided for the five- year mark of the terrorist attacks of September 2001?

Camera Obscura - "Simpsons" Meet "Star Trek"

Here are a brief collection of movie bits and tv items for a Saturday morning Camera Obscura - events this week have again conspired to keep me places not close to a computer/

Many people are remarking on the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek's arrival on television. What better time to note that indeed, we all continue to boldly go where no - "D'oh!!" - has gone before. Yes, it's The Simpson's theme and the Star Trek theme, all with the help of a Theremin and YouTube.



And an interesting blend of Episcopalians in Georgia and Buffy The Vampire Slayer has been reported by Reel Fanatic.

Just about every DVD in release this week and next week can be found here. It includes links to the re-release of the original "Star Wars" trilogy from laserdisc to a new DVD release. It is an untinkered with collection, as most space fans have asked for.

I'll get some work done and be back here soon!!

As always, thanks fer having that Cup of Joe.

Meanwhile, In The News

CBS floats a lighter than air bit on a movie star's baby appearing in Vanity Fair. Wow. Shocking.

Meanwhile, ABC reveals Pakistan is giving safe haven to terrorists.



Volunteer Voters has links to others on this peace settlement.

At KnoxViews, R. Neal pegs the problem.

And in the Iraqi parliament, they are working on a plan to split the country into three divisions, which aims to dampen the growing civil war.

OK. Feel free to go back and watch Katie Couric get chummy with another celebrity.

Near-Sidewards Crablike Skidaddle

A blogwoman who is a lifetime member of Target (goes there for special occasions, like an anniversary) who is also a bona fide Busy Mom had an "encounter":

"Toothless mountain man: "Ya wanna look at each other's stuff? I'll look at your stuff and you look at my stuff, and, we won't have to give any of it away."
Me: ... (!)

Heh Heh.

I've had those kind of moments when you look around to see if some TV show is filming your reactions. When you see there isn't, you begin a near-sidewards crablike skidaddle. (A difficult yet urgent form of movement.)

There was a moment this afternoon when I almost had to make the "near-sidewards crablike skidaddle" as I was perusing jars of salsa at the local market. Off to my left, I hear a woman say "you know, everything in here is getting more expensive."

"Hmmm ... yes, everything is getting more expensive...." I say in hopes of appearing agreeable and non-threatening while carefully, without making eye contact, I attempted to ascertain just who owned the voice.

"It sure is" she says.

"Yes. Yep. Uh-huh." and I am gaining some confidence this is just normal 'howdy-do-stranger' banter which used to occur with somewhat more frequency here in America, and then go back to studying salsa labels.

"You know, you can make some really great food by just adding salsa," says the lady, who, sensing my guard has been dropped, literally zoomed across the 15 feet which had separated us, "For instance -"

With my ninja-like reflexes, I immediately pivot and turn to both face the stranger and establish the necessary stance for a 'near-sidewards crablike skidaddle'.

The woman before me has long, straight white hair, looks to be somewhere between 60 and 70, but I see no tell-tale military camouflage outfit, nor a hideously streaked with some food or grease threadbare T-shirt with an obscure and oddly out of date catch-phrase, like 'Sit On It, Turkey!!.

In fact, the hair and fairly calm features make her look a little ... well, witchy was the word I thought, or maybe just earth-mothery.

She continued, saying "You can make a really good meatloaf, just find some salsa you like, and mix it in with the breadcrumbs and mix it into the groundbeef. Something with plenty of onions and peppers in the salsa, and then a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper."

Now, the way she said that bit about the pinch part for some reason shifted my view back to the "witchy" perception.

Thankfully, she followed that suggestion with, "Of course I always add some brown sugar, and a little Worcestershire Sauce for a glaze while it cooks." and I realize we are having a plain old share-a-recipe conversation, which, again, used to occur with some frequency within the aisles of a market in America. (And before I forget to mention it, I think "worcestershire" would make a great first-round spelling bee word.)

At this point she starts to back off, smiling very sweetly, and adds, "It saves time and tastes good, try it out sometime."

So I casually (yet again, with ninja-like subterfuge) shift my near-sidewards crablike stance into a jaunty one bent-knee at ease. And thanked the lady.

Figured I must have some reason now to just buy the dang salsa and quit pondering over it and get outta there before I actually made a friend. No sense in getting carried away.

"We Will Keep Control"

Watching what passes for campaigning these days, which is really just political party humping and grinding, Republican Sen. Dole exclaimed "We will keep control!!!"

She was chastising Democrat Sen. Schumer while some network goober played referee in a game of Bait the Question.

The question - not about the nature of issues facing the country, not about the failure or successes of either elected official, not about the massive public disgust with failures in Congress. Nope. It was a question of "Will the Republicans or the Democrats have control of the Senate after the elections this fall?"

Even the goober reporter knows the Public Good is a moot point. This is a billionaire's game of Party Politics and the Public Good is of no concern.

The response emphasizes that a political party runs America, aided by the party's donors and members. The clubs which are in charge have no desire to represent you unless you donate large cash sums. The emphasis is that the Time of "citizen-led legislature" has been long over and is not about to return.

"We will keep control."

In fairness, if you examine what that Royal We has done what will be found?

Tax cuts for the billionaires - check. Border Security and Immigration Reforms - ask after the elections. Minimum wage increase - ask after the elections. Social Security and Pension Reforms - no on S.S;, and companies now have years to comply with changes to Pension Management, insuring maximum profitability for corporate shareholders and the continuing decrease of Pension benefits to workers, all in a densely worded document which will allow a politician of either party to proclaim on the campaign trail "your money is safe!" without ever having to define "whose money" they mean. Health care reform - yes, pharmaceutical companies keep their control of Medicare and health insurance payment burdens have been removed from corporate concerns and are now the worker's "right". Federal deficit - highest growth in American history!! Housing and job growth - yes, the price of an average home is the highest in American history and there are more service jobs for illegal immigrants than ever before!!

But, Joe, the elections are about National Security and the Global War on Terror, which has been the tent-pole, the star attraction of the GOP for five years. We're winning that one aren't we?

Er. Um. I know we are "staying the course so we can fight them there on our terms rather than fight them here on their terms." Yep. Oh, and "we cannot cut and run."

So ... that means we are still in house to house, town to town, hill to hill battles in Afghanistan and Iraq. Years and years of hearings and trials for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein are underway, the illegal heroin business in Afghanistan is booming, and Iran is emerging as an atomic superpower in the middle east. Terrorist bomb attacks and plots are now taking place in Britain, India, Saudi Arabia - so, nope, not here in America. Oh, and that whole WMD thing wasn't the point anyway, so we don't have that to worry about.

In terms of public safety, the illicit pleasures and poorer sections of New Orleans have been eliminated and the land is ripe for corporate investment, as soon as the government contractual fraud funding is complete. Any citizens forced to flee have been merged into surrounding state budgets for them to care for.

The Patriot Act has been reauthorized so it can circumvent the Constitution, phones and email are under constant surveillance, and the airlines now rigorously check shoes and liquids.

Education? No child has been left behind, all the test numbers are new and totally misunderstood by the public in general and soda pop machines are quickly fading from campuses everywhere.

On the thorny issue of campaign financing scandals, lobbyist reforms -- well, looking at the race in Tennessee for the battle of the Senate seat, Democrat Harold Ford Jr has raised about $4.5 million and spent about $3.3 million, and Republican Bob Corker has raised $5.5 million and spent about $1.8 million. The edge goes to Corker, who has plenty of revenue left to whip away at the godless, liberal democrat Ford in advertising spots and exiting Senator Bill Frist is hard at working campaigning in Iowa.

Outside Tennessee, the battle is truly fierce in states like Pennsylvania, where incumbent Republican and cheerleader Sen. Rick Santorum is trailing in the polls, but has raised $18.3 million so should have plenty of chance to catch the current poll leader, Democrat Bob Casey Jr. who has raised only $8.4 million.

Congress itself is poised to return for a few weeks, where they will consider a bill to commemorate the victims and events of 9-11-2001. That should coincide with multi-media programs via news networks, DVDs and movies to remind everyone of how afraid they should be, and bring support to the side of Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld, who has successfully been able to stay in his position on the cabinet for a historic length of time.

In short, I think Sen. Dole is right. They are in charge. In glorious, terror-alert colors of half-witted, ill-thought and fear-filled charge.

The old military terms apply - the GOP has SNAFU. The Democrats have FUBAR.

The American Citizen - go back to work, move along, nothing to see here. "We will keep control."

Sunday Sermonette Number 2 (maybe 3)

The Sundays which fall in a holiday weekend are a bit better than other Sundays. A typical Sunday is a quieter day when you step outside - the usual stench of the Rat Race which runs Monday thru Friday is dampened, lessened somewhat since humans sleeping a bit later, or as in the South, lowered anxieties accompany the Faithful Flocks who make their way to the Church of Their Choice. This particular September Sunday is caught in the midst of a the Labor Day Holiday, and here in East TN, the silence is sweetened by the satisfaction of football fans who saw Their Boys win and slumber on more deeply, or wake a bit more quietly.

I always welcome this Sunday morning silence.

Religious or not, most humans seem to take one day a week to drift a bit.

The blurred confusion which circulates in the news about the state o' the world is still there, yes, and I often think the planet would truly benefit if even the 24/7 television world were to simply shut up as well - say from about 5 a.m. til about 3 or 4 p.m. every Sunday. Voluntarily, I mean. Everyone gets forced into too much these days, and I refuse to advocate more forced behavior. I just think the planet would benefit from a touch of self-imposed silence.

Maybe that's why Sunday mornings are so pleasant - most humans take some down time, or ponder the Creator from pews and pulpits, or prep a leisurely plate of brunch, or roll over and dream for a few more moments.

For this Sunday, I do have a few thoughts on worldly matters and the manipulations and machinations from the Powers That Be. But those are all on a back burner, concepts are slowly stewing away, perhaps for a post later today or tomorrow.

Front and center today, though, are a few manifestations of the Oddness of early September 2006. And so I offer to share some of these stray bits of strangeness which I have found in the last day or so.

From West TN, the mighty Newscoma includes a report on Bigfoot sightings in Arizona. The headline for the latest news reads "Bigfoot Kept Lumberjack As Love Slave." What might that be like? Just how does Bigfoot enslave the love of a burly lumberjack? Just how does the mythic creature get his/her Love jones on? If there is just one Bigfoot, isn't there a tragic quality to the creature who has no mate, no peer, no equal, forced instead to hold captive an unsuspecting lumberjack?

The Bigfoot story, from Weekly World News, reminds me of the pics and stories they used to run about President Clinton meeting with our Alien Overlords. So I wonder, if maybe the current administration, itself alone and unloved in a hostile world, might should reach out to Bigfoot, co-mingle their alienations, and send the creature out into the diplomatic world. Maybe for example, a country like Iran or Lebanon could benefit from a visit from Bigfoot. A newer, gentler myth of monstrosity could behoove them.

On the topic of monstrosities, I can confirm I have never, ever, never wondered what might happen if someone made a line of perfumes and scents based on the fantastical creatures from the mind of writer H.P. Lovecraft. But these folks here have.

For the scent of the haunted city of Arkham, makers say it is:

" A shadowy, unapproachable forest of maple, birch, dogwood, cypress and pine softened by a garland of New England wildflowers: bergamot, columbine, rue anemone, blue violet, creeping phlox, bloodroot, toadflax, and pixie moss.

I was thinking of contacting them and offering to work writing ad copy for them for today's modern-now-a-go-go youth -- I think ad ad reading "Smells Like Teen Nyarlathotep" might capture the national attention. Imagine a reality show, "The Next Pickman's Model."

Since it is a Sunday, I was more than a little disturbed to discover the new craze among Southern Evangelical Christians is Christian Wrestling. I mean, 'Rasslin'!

I had thought at first glance this was a story about the North Carolina singer/comedian Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, who had a tune back in the early 1990s called "Sleeper Hold On Satan."

Nope.

Seems there are even two Christian Rassling Leagues.

"I'm not going to sit here and listen to a shirt-and-tie preacher. But I might listen to a guy in spandex because he's like me',” said Timothy "“T-Money"” Blackmon, who wears tight black shorts with a "T“"” on one buttocks and a dollar sign on the other."

Ooops. That story has ruptured my calm Sunday.

Time to sign off and go make some waffles, maybe some biscuits, while the dogs hover near my ankles hopping for dropped morsels. And then a nap.

POSTSCRIPT: I am not sure what the hell is going on in the United Kingdom right now, but for the last four or five days hundreds and hundreds of U.K readers have been arriving here on this Cup of Joe after Googling for that old "Cats That Look Like Hitler" post. That can't be a good sign if Europe is pondering that guy, even in cat form.

Besides, for all those folk who've been visiting - they have yet to leave a single comment. That's just rude.