Captain’s Log 4,573
Rehearsal is hilarious! One of the actors is soooo excited about wearing a white t-shirt that he is going shopping today! Apparently, he hasn’t work a t-shirt in years, so this is a big deal. So is walking about in his black socks and boxer shorts. He doesn’t have any boxers either, so he will have quite a time in the store! I love seeing people excited. It makes my heart purr.
Today is MLK Day and the second inauguration of President Obama. There is all sorts of upset out there over how much it all costs, so I did a little research. From CBS News…..
(CBS News) Taxpayers pick up the tab for the inaugural swearing-in, security, and the parade. But it’s private donors who pay for all those swank inaugural balls and celebrations.
Inaugurating a president does require some ceremony, but I am glad to see that I am not paying for the parties. I remember when the Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1987. I was living near the grounds of the state capitol at the time, and about a half a million people swelled into the city to greet the Twinkies when they came home to celebrate. The price tag on that alone was enormous. Porta potties, security, traffic control, etc. This is a much bigger deal. ANd with all the nutballs out there now who want to shoot anything or anyone they disagree with, security has to be tight for the protection of everyone, not just the president.
Speaking of protection, it was amazing to see how many guns did not kill people this weekend. People are even shooting each other at gun shows! Good thing the guns aren’t factored into the equation. But wait! If the person had been holding…let’s say….a bag of popcorn….I don’t think people would have been shot accidentally. It’s just a guess. I could be wrong about that. I am still trying to make sense out of why guns apparently aren’t dangerous. Those innocent guns just waiting to fall into some fool’s hands, a child’s hands, or someone with a screw loose.
And people want to have a list of those with loose screws. Have we never heard of HIPAA, my friends? It is fookin’ illegal to divulge medical information to other people! Get a clue! If someone is say….chronically depressed….would that preclude him from owning a gun? What if his pecker doesn’t work? Some people would say the psychological effects of that condition might make him want to compensate for his own lack of firepower. So how on earth would we manage mental illness and all the conditions covered by such a broad term? I agree that we need more care for mentally ill people, but you cannot put them on a LIST, fer crissakes!
The problem is our culture of fear and why we think we NEED this kind of protection. People in other parts of the world think we are fookin’ insane to have all these guns. When David Sedaris went to Australia, one of the questions was “How do you keep yourself safe from getting shot?” Indeed. We have such an awful reputation that people around the world think we live in a war zone. In some cases, we do. We live in a war zone of apathy and detachment. We live in a war zone where TV and video games take the place of good parenting. We live in a war zone where families go into restaurants and EVERYBODY fusses with cell phones and nobody talks to each other. We need to address the CORE of the issue. Arming ourselves with assault weapons and concealed handguns is a feeble attempt to treat the condition. Bad mistake. We need to teach our children that it is wrong to hurt people – that it is important to communicate with people. We need to stop the bullies who are destroying so many young lives in our schools and communities. It’s like we are standing in a giant vat of gasoline – and brandishing weapons is akin to lighting a match. Dangerous game. Not the solution.
I have a gun-free home and I am proud of it. The way I see it, if someone breaks into my house with the intent to kill me, it’s going to happen. By the time I would even get a gun ready to fire, I would be dead. So why should I worry about such things? If it’s my time, it’s my time. I refuse to live in fear. I refuse to allow violence into my home in any form. The intent of a weapon is to destroy something. Even in target practice, you are destroying the target, blowing up the bottle, etc. All of those things are meant to represent a life, and I will have no part of it.
I wish President Obama the best as he saddles up for another term. I hope the people who are so opposed to him and his ideas will bend enough to work together. Granted, not everything he says is absolutely true and right, but if we learn to COMPROMISE for the GOOD OF ALL and set aside the POLITICAL INTENT of the LOBBYISTS who pour so many FAVORS and so much CASH into the pockets of our politicians……..if we could learn a few simple ways….if we could put integrity over pride……can you imagine?
Life Aboard the HMS Pie Rat 
Our country is reduced to kindergarten tactics. Everyone wants their own way or else. They take their “baseball” and go home pouting. Wah Wah Wah. The bully mentality is getting stronger too.
I fear you are right. Big babies!
If you get a chance to hear or read the speech, please do so. Words like Gay and Stonewall were mentioned in the same time period as leaving SS and medicare alone. He dared congress to meet and compromise.
I just love him!
I actually listened to a news outtake on the radio this morning, one that made me ill. It was a Republican – can’t recall if a senator or representative – who said that the only good things happened when there was extreme opposition between the branches of government. In other words, ‘F*** you to anyone who doesn’t do what I want, I’m going to block you every way I can.”
It doesn’t surprise me that it is his attitude, but I’m surprised he was so openly militant in his presentation of it.
They all have a screw loose!
Integrity over pride? A great idea. And a great ideal. Only, EVERYONE would have to do it. Everyone. Everywhere. And compromise only works if BOTH sides compromise…which of course is the meaning of the word compromise. When was the last time you were in a room of more than 10 people where this ever happened on any subject? It’s been a while for me. You won’t see it unless you decide to be around only people who agree with you. I’m in a room with 6 other people every day and we can’t even compromise on how high to turn the frickin’ thermostat! Because the people who are always cold don’t realize that it’s their turn to compromise and put on a sweater if they’re a little chilly because the ones who are warm can’t take off their clothes! I will even BUY them one! That’s what I call compromise. But I like the diversity of being around people that don’t necessarily agree with everything I say, because in this way I learn so much more. They just have to agree with ALMOST everything I say. lol
That’s why we get along so well.
Yup!
You the bomb, Miss Joanie!
I respect your optimism, Poolie. But unless the key Republicans in Congress go through some miraculous metamorphosis, Obama has a rough road ahead. All of us do.
Someone has to hope. Might as well be me.
Well said! May I copy your last paragraph? (with attribution, of course)
I would be honored.
There was once a time when compromise was not a dirty word.
I know. How sad this has all become.