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Monday, September 8. 2008
Size Matters
Just watched Joe Biden on Meet the Press and he was pretty good, as Biden always is when in front of a one-on-one interview. But that’s not what was on my mind as the Trusty Mac was firing up the “writing” user. “The ‘writing’ user,” you ask? Yeah. A few years ago I invested in Microsoft Office for Mac, 2004. Ran fine, did a few things with MS Excel, PowerPoint and even Entourage, which is a really great e-mail program. Much better than the Apple e-mail program. And of course did all my writing on MS Word.
Then, two years ago, the MS programs stopped working. Like everyone else I called Microsoft, who told me to call Apple, who told me to call Microsoft and finally, after being told any further contact with Microsoft technical support was going to cost money, the uninformed and inexperienced tech support representative at Microsoft told me the only remedy to the problem was to create a new user on my Mac and run the programs through that user.
So, it wasn’t a problem with the Apple operating system, it was a flaw in the Microsoft software. So, here we are today, with two users on my Mac, electronic evidence I do indeed have a dual personality. Hell, I should run for president.
What was on my mind though, when the “writing” user was loading up was first: “If you’re a slacker, never tell people you will do something — anything — because then you’ll have to follow through with said event or activity.” Last night I made the mistake of suggesting I would do a little cleaning — today. Now, instead of going to the beach I’m doing a little cleaning. The old saying goes, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Ain’t that the effin’ truth! House chores, for me, are Hell!Then, when the browser loaded, our family web site, my “home page” on the “writing” user, there were a few new messages and some photos. I clicked on a link to our “old” page photos and perused son epics from when my younger brother Ken came to visit in May 2005. The difference between me 28 months ago and today was stark! Forget the long hair and beard. It’s the waist size!
When you’re losing weight a little at a time, seeing the change from day-to-day is difficult. Often, people losing weight have days of exhilarating success and days when we feel life is just one miserable failure. This morning it was neither — until I saw the photos from May 2005. Now I’m pretty stoked! Cleaning be damned, I’m going for a bike ride later!
So, the day started with Reliable Sources, the public affairs program about the media. Now, is it a little narcissistic to be in the media and have a program about the media? I don’t know, but the panel members and host talked about how the media has been handing the two conventions, in particular, Governor Sarah Palin and the Republicans.
Howard Kurtz, the media critic for the Washington Post, hosts the CNN program and started the show with the hot topic — created by the McCain Campaign — is the media piling on Governor Palin? It’s an absurd question really. She’s the Republican nominee for Vice President and, well, press coverage goes with the job, sweetheart!Part of the question has to do with the coverage of her family. And? The Republican mantra is that the “Washington elite” is being sexist by asking questions of Palin they wouldn’t ask any male candidate.
First of all, the McCain campaign sent out the press release talking about Palin’s family — especially as it relates to Palin’s single, pregnant, 17-year old daughter. The McCain campaign made it news when they sent out the press release.
Crude rude thought #1: Were I the guy, the hockey-playing “redneck” Levi Johnston, who got Bristol Palin pregnant, I’d refuse to get married. Just to cause a little trouble. Defiance is my one outstanding characteristic and just the thought … wouldn’t that be funny!
“Mr. Johnston, Agent Smith from the MiB. If you don’t marry that girl you so recklessly got pregnant, you will disappear forever from the face and memory of the planet Earth.”
“Uh, okay … let’s fire up a doobie …”
Now, whenever someone asks about the family, and questions whether Palin can put the post of Vice President ahead of her family, people yell “sexist!” Whenever anyone asks about her positions in relation to abortion and sex education, they yell “sexist!” In fact, whenever anyone asks any questions regarding Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican spin-doctors yell, “sexist!”
What the Republicans are doing, by claiming the “elite media” is trying to “destroy” Sarah Palin’s candidacy is setting it up so the people in the media will treat Palin differently from her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, when asking her the tough questions about her life and her history as a public figure.For instance, why did her city of Wasilla, Alaska, have to hire a city manager when she was mayor? Was it, as a letter written by Wasilla resident Anne Kilkenny who claims to have known Palin since 1992, because she couldn’t do the job? Or, was it because as mayor, Palin raised taxes by record numbers to fund pet projects, many of which were partly funded by pork barrel money provided by Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. Money she was only too eager to lobby for as mayor. There’s nothing wrong with that; she was advocating for her city and what kind of mayor would she be if she didn’t do that?
Well, now she has flip-flopped on the issue and bites the very pork barrel hands that fed her as mayor and governor.
But don’t question her about it because that would be “sexist!” The Reliable Sources panel barely touched on the subject of how the Republicans are positioning Palin so they can take advantage of the media’s hoped-for gun shyness if and when she sits down for interviews or does a press conference.Not to forget “Trooper-Gate” isn’t going away. Did she use her influence to get her former brother-in-law fired from his job as a state policeman? One wonders why she is still on the ticket considering there is already evidence Palin’s people were pressuring the public safety commissioner to fire Mike Wooten.
This will be the issue that sinks Palin and the McCain campaign. The news about her family is just fluff around the edges and the Palin supporters, when Palin resigns from the ticket, will claim that it was rampant sexism on the part of the “Washington elite” that ruined Sarah Palin. The governor said, “Hold me accountable,” and the state of Alaska is doing just that.
Joe Biden was on Meet the Press for the 42nd time. He’s never shy about getting the questions and therefore he’s quite accomplished when doing it. When Tom Brokaw questioned Biden about his ties to the Delaware banking industry, a very strong lobby, Biden didn’t shy away from it, but explained what Biden considers a principled participation in the banking legislation that makes declaring bankruptcy more difficult.
Well, every politician has something; made a decision, backed a proposal or bill I don’t agree with. Biden included, but, his son works for one of the largest banks in that state—the second largest employer in Delaware—and a case can be made for a conflict of interest. Biden claims there is no influence because the contributions to his campaigns from the banking industry amount to less than 2% of the funds. Still, the question is there, Senator Biden.Now, it’s noon on Sunday and I’m a hankering to see the beach! But first I have to attend to some chores I so foolishly volunteered to accomplish. Call me stupid.
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