On the President’s Abject Disconnect
Times of war are times of sacrifice.
In my grandparent’s generation — World War II — resources were rationed for the war effort. People from all walks of life gave up necessities so that the Axis could be defeated.
President Bush, in our own Iraqi quagmire, believes in sacrifice.
He sacrificed his tee time. He gave up golf.
Let me repeat that.
He gave up golf.
To show his support for the war effort, he gave up golf.
He! Gave! Up! Golf!
Only…
He didn’t.
He lied about it.
Not only is it a hollow, trivial sacrifice at best, Bush’s story doesn’t hold water. While he dates his decision to abjure golf to Aug. 19, 2003 — the day a truck bomb in Baghdad killed U.N. special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and more than a dozen others — the Associated Press reported on Oct. 13, 2003, that he’d spent a “cool, breezy Columbus Day” playing “a round of golf with three long-time buddies.
“Bush played at Andrews Air Force Base with Clay Johnson, Office of Management and Budget deputy director, Richard Hauser, Department of Housing and Urban Development general counsel and another friend, Mike Wood.”
On that outing, he was typically full of what passes for good humor at the White House. The AP reported: “‘Fine looking crew you got there. Fine looking crew,’ Bush joked to reporters. ‘That’s what we’d hope for presidential coverage. Only the best.’
“He hit a couple of practice balls before flaring his tee-off shot into the right rough.”
Dan Eggen writes in The Washington Post: “Democrats have criticized Bush for allegedly not requiring Americans to sacrifice enough while waging wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and for urging people to keep shopping as a way to fight terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush was also widely criticized in August 2002 when he decried terrorist bombings in Israel while golfing and then told reporters: ‘Now watch this drive.’
“Although Bush says he has given up golf, he is a mountain-biking enthusiast who has been photographed taking part in rides. He took up biking after an injury sidelined him from running.
“Presidential historian Robert Dallek. . . said Bush’s remarks about Iraq ’speak to his shallowness.’ Dallek added: ‘That’s his idea of sacrifice, to give up golf?’”
He! Lied! About! It!
Does the President live in a fucking bubble? Is he tone-deaf to his own abject stupidity?
He gave up golf.
On Musical Tastes
After watching “The Doctor’s Daughter,” I downloaded the latest episode of Radio Free Skaro, to see what Warren, Steven, and Chris thought of the episode.
For anyone who’s not listened to an episode of Radio Free Skaro, they break down a bit like this:
- 0-10 minutes: They talk about the Doctor Who episode
- 10-35 minutes: They talk about anything but the episode. It may not even be Doctor Who-related.
- 35-45 minutes: They surf the internet looking for more things to talk about.
It’s a fun system, and it works.
In the latest episode of RFS, the topic of David Tennant’s musical tastes came up. Apparently, Tennant had given an interview with a Scottish newspaper, and he mentioned *gasp* that he liked to listen to Avril Lavigne. *gasp*
Here we go. It’s not even a recent article. It’s three years old!
Tennant says, and I quote:
I’m quite an Avril Lavigne fan. And I know I shouldn’t be, I’m aware that that’s wrong on quite a few levels. She’s a fine, fine musician. She understands the pop world very clearly. She’s great! So if you’re reading this Avril… I mean, I’m ashamed of myself but you know, I still admitted it.
Okay, I’m going to confess that I, too, enjoy listening to Avril Lavigne.
Now, now, now, put away the pitchforks. Maybe I won’t use the word “fan” to describe myself. I don’t own any of her CDs, and I doubt that I ever will. And I think the song she did for Eragon, which is probably the most recent thing of hers I’ve heard, is an excretable mess. And I thought that “Sk8er Boi” was more interesting when I seriously misheard the lyrics.
Yeah, I’ll turn one of her songs up on the radio. I particularly like “My Happy Ending.”
She has a good voice, and she uses it. Her music is catchy, and it makes me feel happy when I hear it.
There. My confession. Like David Tennant, I also enjoy listening to Avril Lavigne. 
On the Exciting Memories
Yesterday, like Sunday, was miserable and rainy. Raw, even. Cold.
Very un-May-like.
I wonder if there’s a real word for that — un-May-like. I digress.
And yet, I was strangely thrilled by the un-May-like conditions.
There was something enticing about waiting for a light rail train as a light rain fell from the darkened sky, as a wind rose up and whipped on by. There was something exciting about hoofing it three blocks in the rain in downtown Baltimore from the light rail stop to the subway station.
Isn’t that weird? That moment — walking the downtown streets, police sirens echoing in the concrete canyons, rain falling, the wind whipping — was the most exciting memory I have of yesterday.
Not that yesterday was a bad day. It wasn’t, by any means.
It doesn’t take much to amuse me, I guess.
On “The Doctor’s Daughter”
Wow, was that meh.
Stephen Greenhorn, the writer of the latest Doctor Who episode, “The Doctor’s Daughter,” said something to the effect that, in writing a Doctor Who story there’s one thing that never changes — the Doctor. So, Russell T. Davies gave Greenhorn the opportunity to write a story that, reputedly, would change the Doctor forever.
Which “The Doctor’s Daughter” doesn’t do.
There are good ideas in “The Doctor’s Daughter.”
But the good ideas are thrown in a blender, and they come out… not good.
This story was two rewrites away from being good.
And that the story screams out for sequel doesn’t exactly help.
And, supposedly, this episode was supposed to feel like a mid-season finale.
Umm, no.
Good ideas. Inconsistent and incoherent execution. Adds up to a giant “meh.”
On Mother’s Day
Today is Mother’s Day.
Hopefully, it was a restful and gorgeous day wherever you are.
It’s not gorgeous in Baltimore. I watched the Cubs game on WGN; it wasn’t gorgeous there, either.
But I want to think it’s gorgeous where you are. 
Mother’s Day began at a church in Grafton, West Virginia. I’d call it a “little known fact,” but I think it’s actually a fairly well-known fact.
I hope you all did something nice for your mothers today.
I didn’t buy a card for my mother. I couldn’t find a card I like. (And people who have received cards from me know that I pick good cards.)
I did, however, find her something nifty and keen.
Mother’s Day.
And a Cubs win.
Makes up for the rainy dreariness. At least, from where I sit.
On Being a Play
If I were a Shakespearean play…
Your Score: Julius Caesar
You scored 55% = Tragic, 34% = Comic, 14% = Romantic, 39% = Historic
You are Julius Caesar. Set during the mid-March in Rome, Julius Caesar tells the story of the conspiracy against and assassination of Julius Caesar. While not considered one of Shakespeare’s Histories, Julius Caesar is a fictionalized account of a true story. What your score tells us about you is that you are most likely a complex individual who, like Brutus, may struggle between the conflicting demands of friendship, loyalty, and patriotism. However, also like Brutus, you are undoubtedly someone to whom your friends often go before making a big decision. You are their rock, and they wouldn’t think of doing anything without first asking you what you think. However, like Caesar, himself, you tragic flaw, might be that you don’t take advice or criticism well even if it is constructive. Take heed to listen to good advice when you hear it, and for gosh sake… beware the ides of March.
| Link: The Which Shakespeare Play Are You? Test written by macbee on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(macbee) |
On an Alternate Clockwork Orange
You learn something new every day.
Mick Jagger wanted to star as Alex in A Clockwork Orange.
The Beatles wanted to compose the film’s soundtrack.
So says a letter from Mick Jagger’s manager, dating back to 1968. He was writing to John Schlesigner, the director attached to A Clockwork Orange.
Schlesinger passed on the project, and the involvement of Jagger and the Beatles passed along with him.
What a vastly different film that would have been.
I can almost imagine the Beatles’ Lord of the Rings film.
I can’t quite imagine this alternate Clockwork Orange, though.
On Something for the Beatles Fans
From time to time I’ve mentioned “Now and Then,” a John Lennon demo that keeps getting touted as a potential release in some fashion in the coming months. Indeed, there’s a fan-created mix of the song that I think sounds positively Beatlesque.
Maybe it’s all just wishful thinking. That there’s something in the vault, something new and exciting and different, and it will be awesome. Maybe.
Then, I was pointed in the direction of this.
An group of Argentinian Beatles fans put together an entire album. Lennon, Harrison, and McCartney demoes are given a polish, including rerecordings of “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.”
It’s an interesting curiosity, this album. Some things work, some things don’t. The sound is maybe a little too layered at times. “Grow Old With Me” in particular is mangled for no good reason.
I’ll keep it.
On Words I’ve Used Today
“Inhumanization.”
Hum. I think I’m going to change that to “dehumanization.”
No, I like “inhumanization.” It’s less well known.
On Political Geek-Fu
An e-mail I wrote was read on today’s Talk of the Nation!
Neal Conan asked the question — What state has gone the longest without voting for a Republican in the presidential election?
I sent a reply via e-mail:
Minnesota would be the state that’s gone longest without voting for a Republican. It was the only state that didn’t vote for Reagan in 1984.
After taking a phone call and reading other e-mails, all of which were wrong, Neal Conan read my e-mail in full.
And I was right.
I didn’t even have to go to Google. I just knew that.
Minnesota was the only state that Walter Mondale won in 1984. And since then, they’ve gone Democratic ever since.
Neal Conan even stumbled over pronouncing my name.
Neal Conan, by the way, has a fantastic radio voice. He also wrote a funny and exciting book on his season as a baseball radio announcer for the independent Atlantic League, Play by Play, which I highly recommend.
Political geek-fu!
