to the left of the right, and the right of the left

Helluva thing to wake up to, like a real bad Japanese horror film, (my apologies to the Japanese).

私はあなたの良い映画のアートワークへの私の無感覚な参照を丁重に謝る。

On the left, we have Michael Moore, and on the right, Rush Limbaugh. The two gentlemen have, surprisingly, a great deal in common. Both use the popular media very well, both seem to have a sense that since they have opinions on many things, (in Mr Limbaughs case this may not be true, he may simply represent himself as having opinions, but I digress), they are entitled to be heard, respected and possibly worshipped. Both are large repositories of cellulite and tend to disseminate bullshit.

I sometimes wonder if these two gentlemen are representative of the image that much of the world has of the United States. Accurate, fair or not, these jokers, and quite a few more like them, (that occupy points all over the political landscape), tend to dominate the media, discussions, forums and many forms and levels of discourse.

It is not enough to be heard, to have a vote, or have freedom of speech. In the eyes and minds of many, there is no substitute for total victory, which means that those who do not agree with you 100% are completely humiliated and politically eradicated.

Which brings me to the current debate on health care. (And I am being charitable in my choice of words here).

This is a mess.

My own opinions are widely disregarded and ignored, so I will ease them i here and there, but my feeling is that the whole process is going to bog down and probably die on the issue of abortion. Even if every other aspect of this jungle of issues were solved or compromised on, this issue with its all or nothing character would sink it, and indeed, this very day the 'A' iceberg was struck. The party on the left cannot agree on how to address this issue, its constituents, (make that VOCAL constituents), will accept nothing less than complete and total victory, and the rest of the party tends to stay mum, minding its own business or hiding from the meanie feminists. The GOP, at the same time, relaxes and takes in a movie while the opposition carves itself up.

Where are the politicians here? Can there be no give and take in this process? Where are the realists? One cannot make the proverbial silk purse from a sows ear, even if the ear came from a sow such as Michael or Rush.

Given the spirit of rancor in the capitol today, and the need for blood to be spilled and for politicians of all stripes to wave and shout VICTORY!, I would ensure that following things get done, this year:

1) Regulate the private insurance industry, and at the very least, undo the damage that has been done since the Reagan administration. Deregulation of this industry is the unsafe sex of the healthcare conundrum. As a regulated entity, the industry grew to become a financial powerhouse and top performer. we can live with that, we need not allow it to be a cannibal as well. With regulation in place, a clever Senator could concede that the private industry was in fact vital, and hang his or her head while admitting that it should go on.

2) Put a network in place to cover everyone on something, even if it is hangnails, and let it go.

A network in place can be maintained and sharpened, and expanded as the need is accepted by the antagonists as well as the zealots.

3) This is sensitive, but probably crucial. Cover children, in the prenatal arena. This would probably create a precedent for recognizing the rights of the unborn, and thus dealing a blow to some abortion rights, (specifically third trimester abortions), but it would negate enough ill will on the right to give such a bill some momentum. I would also specifically cover family planning and birth control to counter whatever leverage one side or the other might be perceived to have gained or lost.

4) Finally, as much as it would be possible, I would fund this from cuts in other spending, just so the cost of this can be seen and appreciated by everyone. The other programs could be refunded some way, but it would be known up front that the extra dollars from everyones pocket went to something that we all agreed on.

Long shot. Yep. Even to the point of being a fairy tale. And yes, I know you didn't ask, but if you got this far, you had to have a little interest in the whole thing.

Tell your friends.

in my quieter moments

It has been a banner week for old friends of the Recluse. In the past few days I have run into three old acquaintances, all old associates from my days as a flunkie for a large multi-national concern. Two of the three, like me, reached the point of having had it, combined with age and seniority, and bailed out. Another is still there, clinging by fingernails waiting for the day....

I got an email from a regular correspondent with an attachment; it was the first note that we exchanged, over a decade ago, back in the days when chatroom's were the going thing. That particular site was sponsored by Mr. Arlo Guthrie, and, unlike sites promoting celebrities and musicians, one could actually chat with the man and get close to his own perspective on issues both serious and frivolous. I know of only one other place for that kind of interaction, and I'm not tellin'.....

I got yet another email from another old friend from the same era, one inclined to hit the road and travel behind and sometimes with those nomads who follow bands, musicians and the like, sometimes supporting them in various capacities, sometimes making a living in the various industries that go with a tour and sometimes just having a good time.

Our lives have moved on in so many different ways, who would have thought...?

Just goes to remind a cynic such as myself, and perhaps either of you that stop by, that life can sometimes sneak up behind you, or sometimes even t-bone you, and that when it does, it is not always a bad thing.

On a more somber note, the tune you hear, (I hope anyway), is dedicated to the memory of Ms Mary Travers, who left us this evening. Her voice has always been something that I have enjoyed through the years, ever since I first heard "Puff the Magic Dragon" when I was about six. She did what she liked, she did it well, and stayed with it.

There.

I am smiling here. That may not seem like much, but for me, it is something. I am going to find a radio, tune in Rush Limbaugh, then smash the shit out of it.

g'night....

howdy

I have been messing around with my template.

Forgive me, it is a work in progress, but I have had some time on my hands and wanted to try something new. I have long admired some of the pages that I glance at from time to time, some for the style of the content, some for the presentation and some, for both. Salutations to you cyber artists who manipulate the hypertext code to give your sharp and acerbic observations just the right spin. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them.

Enough of that.

The lads from liverpool are re-releasing the catalog on CD yet again, and as Tommy Lee Jones observed in some movie, I'll have to buy the White Album again. Maybe. Has anybody heard the new releases? Are they worth it, audibly? I mean, I nice new booklet insert is sweet, but hardly worth the $14 bucks a pop. And do these things really do the Beatles justice? Part of what made the Fab 4 the Fab 4 was that the talent came through, on 45 RPM single, LP, 8 track, cassette, open reel, CD and even monophonic, black & white TV. Is this necessary, or did Yoko buy a boat or something?

I'm just asking here.