Seperated At Birth; part IV

Every now and again these just sort of come up, and in my compulsion I HAVE to post them....

Can you tell the difference between G.F. Handel, Baroque Master and Mikhail Hallak (Contemporary Voice Coach and Pimp Daddy)

A little bit of political angst....

Ok. so I opted to do homework rather than watch the SOU address last night. I expected that it would be exactly as I'd heard reported throughout the day. "Give Iraq a chance" , "Support our troops", etc.

In a nation where statistics, although many are of dubious reliability, indicate that a majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the Bush regime on virtually all topics I'd expected Bush to be a little bit penitent and our newly elected Democratic Congress to be a bit cold. However, upon reading about the event last night I saw it mentioned that the speech was interrupted by applause 62 times. Take in mind that this speech lasted less than 50 minutes.

That's an average of more than 1 interruption per minute for applause. Granted Bush did say many things which are easy applause getters. "Support the troops", "Fix health care", "Best possible education" are all things that we can agree with. But there certainly wasn't more than one of these catchphrases every minute of the speech.

I am now resigned to the fact that the SOU address has become nothing more than an hour long session like unto the exchanges I had as a child in Sunday School. Regardless of what the question was the Sunday School teacher asked, we knew that if we answered "Jesus" we'd be applauded. This kind of crap is just as insidious at the political level, and often the answers to America's questions are just a uniformly formatted, regardless of the correct answer.

The formatting of the SOU was a political can't lose scenario for Bush. All you have to say is one occasionally controversial thing padded with many other things with which everyone agrees. It's pretty easy to believe that if you're getting only 1 thing out of 10 you disagree with that it's a good situation. Given the 62 interruptions that indicates a lot of kowtowing to popular opinion in order to garner support for a few highly contentious issues. I hate the fact that our political system wastes time with this type of maneuvering, and even more that the Democrats have allowed it to happen without an appropriate strong response.

If it (a congress with a Democratic Majority) looks like a Republican, talks like a Republican, takes bribes and suffers from corruption like a Republican, and applauds 62 time in a speech given by a Republican can it really be anything but a Republican? The Democrats were elected in response to a call for something DIFFERENT. Unless they're willing to exhibit that difference their time in Congress is limited.

Calling a Spade a spade.

Former President Carter is coming under fire for his recently published book. You can read about the controversy here

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. I'm a fervent supporter of Israel, and would almost go so far as to recognize their status as the Chosen People. And they've been through a hell of a lot over that last few centuries at the hands of Christians and Muslims (read: mainly Christians). They've a rather a lot to be cranky about.

However I think that Jimmy is right when he calls Israel's approach to the Palestinian situation apartheid. Sometimes saying something, although perhaps brutally insensitive but true, is the right thing.

Everyone, including the righteous (perhaps especially the righteous), is going to screw up sometimes and do horrible crappy things to other people. However I think that when a figure arises from the chaos and says "This is a horribly shitty thing you're doing; Shame on you for knowing better and not doing better!" I think that they should be respected.

Again, I really like Israel. AND I understand their baggage that's led them to this decision. However that doesn't make it any less wrong. I congratulate and thank Carter for his candor, and willingness to say something on the issue.



As is typical there's a gut level "Not me. How dare you" reaction to this.