Supreme Court or Supreme Crap?

Like many political junkies and progressive advocates I am currently suffering from extreme issue fatigue. (If you haven't heard of this then you are obviously not thinking enough)

With the economy still faltering, unemployment above 10% and moving higher; with health care reform turned into a bad joke and financial reform a laughingstock among the informed, and of course there's those two pesky foreign wars we've been waging for years, it makes one just plain tired.

So the latest ruling by the Supremes should really come as no surprise, though to me it does seem a bit like piling on. The Superlative nine decided in all their wisdom ( well actually it was really a 5 to 4 vote) that what our political system needed most was more money from special interests. Hey, you can't make this shit up, they said it. Corporations are people and they have the right of free speech as much as any real person!

And what speaks louder and more freely than millions upon millions of corporate dollars spent on attack ads, yellow journalism campaigns and distorted reporting?. According to the top echelon of our judicial system, .....nothing.

If I had to register my disappointment with the actions of the administration, the houses of congress and the Supreme court it would be up there with my admiration of Hitler, Maddoff and Jack the Ripper.

I am a believer in personal freedoms and rights, not corporate ones. This latest abomination shows clearly that the we've lost control of our government.

The saddest part of this to me is that we will be subjected to more and more political BS for longer and longer periods of time. The already almost never ending election cycle will become filled with dreary, tedious, and mostly erroneous political bias guaranteed to misinform and dupe the sheeple. We can all look forward to continued episodes of political suicide where the masses vote time and again against their own self interest.

There's nothing like gun control, gay marriage or abortion to cloud the more real and pressing issues out of the spotlight and put more ideologues and monocrats into public office.

Oh Goodie!

RT

Christmas 2009

First and foremost I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas.

You might find your circumstances somewhat changed this year from Christmases past, or you might be one of the fortunate folks who are prospering in the current economy. Either way, I hope you take the time to enjoy family, friends, and this most special Christian Holiday.

Vicki and I will be attending the Lutheran Version of midnight mass (11:00 PM) tonight and spending Christmas afternoon with our oldest daughter, our grand kids and Vicki's parents.

Both of us went out this week to shop for each other and I finished my shopping yesterday. I wandered the malls, looked at women's stuff and finally managed to pick some presents for my spouse.

In this I feel blessed, there are many this year without the luxury of having even the minimal funds I possess to buy gifts. Take a minute if you can and say a prayer for all those less fortunate when you celebrate tomorrow.

I'll leave you with this bit of tomfoolery.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the House (well, really the Senate)
The Health Care Bill was circulating amid death threats from Senator Bennett
The amendments were hung throughout the Bill's tree
But hidden were possible so the voters won't see

While the bankers and Wall Street pulled strings as they could
Like our Congressmen and Senators were puppets of wood
And the foreclosures continued right on through the Season
Though the parties involved could not see the reason

And the Airlines and Trains and Buses and Cars
Ate up the petroleum we import from afar
As our citizens traveled to visit their kin
To forget the predicament our country is in

The weather got feisty with storms and with snow
Affecting our progress and where we could go
To deliver the presents and our shiny faces
To loved ones in various cities and places

But in spite of the contemporary circumstance and challenges faced
Old Santa's still coming with Reindeer well paced
To deliver the goodies on his annual flight
Saying "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Rich and Vicki

RT

Catching Up

I have not written in several weeks due to other pressing activities. Vicki and I have been rehabilitating the house next door for her parents. They were fortunate enough to sell their home in this market and are moving at the end of the month into a rental that's smaller, less expensive and more suited to their needs at their age.

I met the homeowner next door some months ago and eventually talked to him about renting to my in-laws at a reduced rate if I put in the labor to fix the place up and make it habitable. Since Vicki was available as well, she jumped in and together we cleaned, painted the interior and oversaw the tile contractors that replaced the flooring in the baths and the kitchen. The project (at least as far as we are concerned) ended today. The house is looking great. We finished hanging Levelor Blinds in the master bedroom, painted the entry double doors, caulked all the counter tops and bathrooms, hung a ceiling fan, installed a doggy door in the master and myriad other tasks.

We will be moving at the end of the month as well. We've leased a "Villa" (just a fancy duplex) on the golf course across the road at Oakwood (a gated community in Sun Lakes) and will start moving on the 27th.

So.... As you might guess, we've been very busy.

While all this was going on I received word that a man for whom I worked at Lodi Door died on Sunday the 15th. He was just 58 years old, two years younger than me. I worked for him for several months, played golf with him, called on customers with him and was a proponent of hiring him when my good friend Jack went to another company.

The folks at Lodi are a close-knit group and I don't doubt he will be sorely missed. I know Jack will feel the loss of a friend and co-worker as well.

Life is a strange business at best; full of surprises, pitfalls, happy accidents and tragedies. The events of the past few weeks remind me that it's not so much what happens to you as how you handle it.

Take care of yourself, enjoy your friends and family, live on purpose and thank your God for each day given to you.

RT

An Economy run by Burglars

If you know who Matt Taibbi is and what he writes about, then you'll appreciate this.

RT

When do we get it?

Where's the outrage?

RT

It's about time!

What he said.



RT

As always please refer to the Raven's Nest for information about wordzzling.

The Ten Word Challenge: family, cheese cake, 20 years ago, refrigerator, laugh and the world laughs with you, bath brush, zombies, African violets, butterflies, holding hands

The mini: monsters in the closet, roughly, bowling, menu, Pennsylvania

My Last Wordzzle:

I will miss the weekly Wordzzle challenge. The people who read my work and whose work I read have become like an on-line family to me. And the words kept me guessing as to what would be on the literary menu for each week. Yet, like most goods things, this too must come to an end. After a year of a summer of my discontent (no job, 113 days in Phoenix over 100 degrees and still counting) and with my wife finally back to work and doing very well thank you; I have determined to fill my days with supporting her efforts, looking for work, writing seriously (if only I could) and generally being a 110% productive househusband till I am once again gainfully employed.

This effort leaves roughly zero hours a day and not many more a week to apply to internet writing. It might surprise some of you to hear this, but keeping house, fixing meals, shopping and the other varied pursuits necessary to provide comfort and care for your spouse is a full time job. I knew this before but was damned glad to be out of the house each day working. Now the joke (so to speak), is on me. I am keeping a good attitude and humor with the old adage in mind; "Laugh and the world laughs with you." It certainly beats the alternative.

No departure from the Wonderful World of Wordzzle would be proper without thanking the creator and literary hostess, Katherine at the Raven's Nest. I have greatly enjoyed my long distance relationship with her and consider her a great blog friend as well as a talented writer. Katherine resides in Hancock New York, a town just across the border from Pennsylvania. She is currently having her home remodeled and has graced us with progress reports and pictures of everything from her new refrigerator to a bath brush. (OK, maybe not a bath brush)

One of my favorite writers and readers is Dr. John. He writes from both his Castle and his Dragons' lair at Fandango. I have been consistently amazed at the exploits of 012 and the amazing poetic talent of his dragons.

There is no denying the imagination of Betty who introduced me to invisible Penguins and other hard to see animals. I always enjoyed the exploits of the various critters and their humans.

Speaking of imagination,Stephen has certainly shown me the depths to which a new world can be created in his writings. Jay at Bailey's Buddies entertains each week with tales of Phrog and the Salamander sisters. C.J. at Pro Atrz spins wonderful stories which leave me yearning to go on an archeological dig or some other adventure. Still no signs of Zombies yet, but who knows what she'll think of next. It's hard to tell what Monsters in the closet she has in store for us.

The folks at Reston Friends delight each week with a variety of poetry and prose. It's like getting coffee and cheesecake for the price of just one. Then there's Gabrielle at Wild Goose Scoops the Moon. (Man I love that blog title) and many others who have come and gone in the year or so I've been writing and reading the Wordzzle at the Raven's Nest.

I will often reflect on the varied styles and talents of the Wordzzle writers as Vicki and I, holding hands, take our evening walks now that the weather has finally cooled. In the past, perhaps 20 years ago, when Vicki still belonged to a bowling league and I coached the kids' baseball team, I would have never thought to write or meet people on the internet. Back then I would have gotten butterflies in my stomach just thinking about having to write something, especially weekly and with a deadline. My writing ability in those days paralleled my one experience with growing African Violets, which was sad indeed.

It has been a great experience for me to participate in Wordzzling. I can only hope that you get as much from it as I have. With all this practice at plot and character development, dialogue and narrative, perhaps I will find it in me someday to actually write a real book.

So, with no further ado, I bid you all farewell till next we meet amongst the electrons and packets of the ethersphere. Thanks to all for writing and reading.

RT