I haven’t had a Cuba rant on the new blog: I think it’s about time

This morning on my way to a staff meeting I tuned into the local news station hoping to catch a traffic report. Instead, I was treated to a rather animated reading of this article, which both frightened me and made me laugh out loud. I’ve often believed that one can say a great deal of powerful stuff through comedy because it both heals and delivers. This article does just that. It paints a picture of Obama that is too frighteningingly true.

For some time, Mark Shea, a well-known Catholic blogger and all-around funny guy has been tagging his Obama posts with The Son of God because the public falls over him like he is a god–really, I’m just too lazy to find the references about “enlightenment” and other spiritual consequences of coming into contact with him, but I will later, if only to lend myself some credibility here. But I digress.

As I was saying, I tuned into the local station to find Neal Boortz, bombastic and sarcastic fellow, reading this article from TimesOnline. A brilliant piece! Take your happy little mouse clicker over there now and read it. The rest of my post can wait.

What’d you think? Brilliant, I know! Imagine my surprise when I found the link to the article at Shea’s blog.  Here’s the bigger surprise, though — as I was reading the combox, I ran across this EVEN BETTER COMMENT. With apologies, of course, to Mark for hijacking it, I am posting the comment here until somebody tells me to take it off because I’ve already sent my gentle readers all over the place with links. Still, you should follow the link and read the entire mess for yourself.

Dear Editor, Times-Dispatch:

‘Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my Independence Day, and on July 4 I celebrate America’s. This year is special, because it marks the 40Th anniversary of my independence.

‘On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba, and a few months later, I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.

‘I’ve thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.

‘When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said, ‘Praise the Lord.’ And when the young leader said, ‘I will be for change and I’ll bring you change,’ everyone yelled, ‘Viva Fidel!’

‘But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner’s guns went silent, the people’s guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education, it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented, Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over, more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I’m back to the beginning of my story.

‘Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America?

‘Would we?’

Manuel Alvarez, Jr.

for Linda, anything for a laugh

I snatched this right off the Curt Jester’s blog—-sorry Jeff, for being such a hacker. You should read his stuff, anyway. Go. Read. The womynpriests are waiting.

Random Pet Peeve

Today I did the unthinkable. I totally blocked the intersection on a left turn and kept the on-going traffic from moving until my light changed and moved me through the intersection.

Thank God there were no cops or emergency vehicles trying to get through–not necessarily in that order although I would not have relished a ticket.

Sheesh. I really hate it when people block the intersection. Aren’t they paying attention? Can’t they see the flow of traffic? I share the pain and cursing of all the people who stared me down this morning. Ha! Oh well, I did it. It’s done.

Get over it.

What’s your pet peeve this fine Thursday morning?

“I have no response to that”

Evidently one can get a fish pedicure. You’ll have to read about it here  because there’s just too much to showcase.

Pay close attention to the last line; “it’s hilarious.”

A Momentous Day!

Today is a National Holiday in Belgium.

Today is also the feast day of St. Victor of Marseilles.

On this day in 356 B.C., Herostratus set fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus; it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

In 1861the South won the First Battle of Bull Run. So much for coming out of the chute strong.

In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. I saw that!

These famous people share a birthday today: Josh Hartnett, Robin Williams, Ernest Hemingway, Isaac Stern, Jon Lovitz, and Kenneth Starr. I left out Janet Reno because she’s just plain creepy.

birthday girl
birthday girl

And finally, the most important thing of all: it’s Vicky’s birthday!

Happy Birthday Vic! ! !

I enjoyed an egg salad sandwich, and it’s not even lent!

How delightful to work from home. I figure that I saved a quarter of a tank of gas, and another 4 or 5 bucks for not going out to eat. Hmmm. Could this be some crazy new trend for me? Could I possibly be on the road to better fiscal responsibility?

I just think it’s Plurk’s fault. How long does it take to buy a pair of shoes, anywhay?

Pop hits a homerun! ! !

Can you find me?
Can you find me?

So my dad reads about my nostalgic ramblings from 1969 and unearths my kindergarten picture. Kudos to him. This is so funny. I don’t know anyone in this picture. Well, I mean, I know me, but you know what I mean.

that sandwich smells like first grade

About a hundred years ago when I was in first grade I had a lunch box similar to this one in the picture. I don’t remember any yellow in it, but it was definitely a red plaid metal lunch box. In the world of school accessories, things like lunch boxes had not become big money makers that are product tie-ins to studios such as Disney. It was just a utilitarian box. McDonald’s had just opened and real people actually ate merely a hamburger and regular-size (i.e., small) fries with an 8 oz. Coke. We were a lot thinner back then.

Anyway, that was my lunch box. My mom used the thermos for coffee, so she would tape a nickel or five(!) pennies to the lid so I could buy milk at lunch time. HA! I need a part time job just to keep my teenaged son in milk–I might just try taping some pennies to a lunch box and see how that plays out when he returns to school next month.

I had a flashback to those days earlier today when I opened my lunch. I no longer carry around a metal lunchbox, and the contents of my lunch are a little more sophisticated these days: replace bologna with a delightfully rare roast beef–lose the mayo for a spicy horseradish on rye instead of Wonderbread, but the idea is the same. I pulled out my sandwich, and unwrapped the old school folding plastic instead of sealing ziplock, and BAM! it’s 1969 all over again.