On First Looking into Sinatra's "Home on the Range"

It's the weekend and we're a little tired of politics here at the Post. I haven't posted a youtube music vid in a while either and I've got a couple that blew me away when I first heard them.

I've always enjoyed the simple old western/cowboy songs like "Home on the Range," but I never have heard "Home" sung the way this guy did it way back in 1946 when I was a first grader. I'm pretty sure I didn't hear it then or I'd have remembered it.

 (1947 photo, William Gottlieb)

Hearing this now, in the present, I felt a little like the speaker in John Keats' lyric poem, "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer," where he describes his amazement at reading the Chapman translation of the great Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken...

It may be a little over the top and some will be dismayed that I compare my reaction to a Frank Sinatra song to Keats' response to a famous translation of Homer. But listen carefully to Sinatra's rendition of this song and I think you'll agree that it's pretty amazing. Young "Blue Eyes" was at the top of his form.

And here's another nice one, The Sons of the Pioneers with "Montana." The lyric speaks of the bond that can grow between a man and his home state. People these days are much more mobile and cynical about such things, but there are still some of us around who feel those "ties that bind."

Candy Crudley and the Presidential Rasslin' Debate

The crowd is noisy and rambunctious, pushing and shoving as they try to get closer to the announcer and his guest, but the tight security ring of ex rasslers is more than up to the task of holding them back. The two big TV scoop lights suddenly light up and the jostling crowd cheers, knowing they're about to hear their favorite World Rasslin' Federation announcer do his thing.

Nelson: Hey out there in TV land, this is your favorite World Rasslin' Federation announcer, Twisted Half Nelson, reporting live from inside the Hufstra University arena where history was made tonight. Although Hufstra is another academic hive of progressivism and is located in one of the most Democratic states in the union, the arrangement committee did an excellent job in providing a neutral venue and objectively screening the audience.

This was the second match between the two contenders for the title and in the first one, Romney the Bain Bone Breaker came to fight and mopped the floor with the champ who looked tired, flat, and according to some observers a little hung over. But that fight is history now and so is tonight's second match which will go down in the books as one of the greatest.

As everyone who's anyone knows, tonight's battle royale featured the two main dudes of the fast growing Political Rasslin' category. First, the challenger who stood tall in the right corner...the Mr. Clean of the GOP...the Bain Bone Breaker...the take no prisoners Mormon Monster...Mitt "the man with the plan" Romney.

And in the left corner...media hero, the staunch defender of the 47 percent, the man who stopped the oceans in their tracks, the Solyndra Kid, the holder of the only 5th degree apology belt ever awarded, the chosen One, the magnificent O, the current US champeen, Barack "Mr. Food Stamp" Oooobaaaammmmaaa!

I'm here at ringside with Candy "Big Mama Prog" Crudley, former rassler extraordinaire herself in the heavyweight ladies circuit, and the referee in tonight's match. Candy, let me first congratulate you on a job well done. The questions you chose from the fans were very nicely masked setups for the champ.

Crudley: Thanks, Nelson, that means a lot coming from you.

Nelson: But, Candy, I gotta ask. What made you rip of your stripes and join in the fray? I mean one minute you were hiding your bias and playing that objective referee role to a "T" and the next minute you had torn off your striped referee shirt to reveal that very familiar Big Mama Prog golden bra and then you rushed into the ring yourself to flatten Romney with a full body dive. I mean what happened there?

Crudley: Well Nelson, I just couldn't stand by and watch O go down again. I mean the current champ's lost a lotta weight, he's lookin' a little scrawny even, and he just looked so pitiful in that first debate, and what with the pressures of bein' the champ weighin' on him and all, and then seein' him take that Benghazi shot to the jaw, seein' him stumble back, I just knew he was gonna go down. He's weak on defending that, we all know, I mean O and his team spent the two weeks after the attack blaming it on the movie and trying to discredit the idea it was a terror attack. And I dunno, Nelson, I think my long buried maternal instincts just kicked in. It was illegal I know and I was wrong but I had to step in and help the poor little thing.

The crowd cheers and begins to chant "Four more years..." over and over. Finally the security rasslers restore order.

Nelson: Candy, I guess you can tell the crowd is happy with your decision to intervene.

Crudley (smiling broadly): Oh yeah, I knew I'd have them with me.

Nelson: Do you think it helped turn the match in Obama's favor?

Crudley: Well, the media judges were gonna give it to Obama no matter what tonight but I think my action turned it into a sure thing. You know, when I hit Romney, I could tell how hard and muscled up this guy is. I usually can just run an opponent over with no resistance. But when I hit him, I stopped cold. Sure he went back a couple of steps, but he didn't go down. So, I'm very happy I did what I did. Hey, whatta ya say, the champ's back. I think he's gonna win this thing now.

Nelson:  There you have it rasslin' fans. A history making match...Obama wins in a squeaker... thanks to a big chunk of Candy Crudley, the ref who made a difference.

A Marriage/Varriage Proposal

The institution of marriage (the religious or socially sanctioned union between a woman and a man)  apparently existed before the beginning of recorded history. It's also safe to say that many religious ceremonies have used the term in this sense for ages.

The concept of gay marriage, however, goes against that long tradition, and therefore many people oppose it. In my opinion, it's not necessarily the union of two like gender people that upsets many people, or the fact that gay couples somehow don't deserve the rights and privileges associated with traditional marriage. Well, maybe some people might object to it on those grounds, or religious grounds, but not me.

I think the problem is the word "marriage" itself. "Marriage" is of course associated with that long lived traditional definition. That definition is fixed tightly to the old word and it interferes with the acceptance of the idea of a gay union being a "marriage" as most people understand it. I've heard several traditionally married couples say, "Our union is not the same as a gay union, it's different, and should not be classified in the same way."

I propose then, that we don't change how we use the word "marriage," that we keep using it the same way.

But I also propose that we simply create a new word for gays and for other variant unions that carries exactly the same civil rights and privileges afforded a male/female union. If you're gay and reading this, don't be upset with the word "variant." Here's what the Free Online Dictionary says about this word:

1. Having or exhibiting variation; differing.

2. Tending or liable to vary; variable.

3. Deviating from a standard, usually by only a slight difference.

A gay union is unquestionably different from a traditional marriage, it varies from that concept in that the sex of the partners is the same. But I want gay couple and other non traditional unions to enjoy the same rights and privileges as a married man and woman.

So, using the word "variant" as a neutral guide, I propose then, that for all other kinds of unions (e.g. male and male, female and female, three people of varying or the same sex, etc.) we use the new word "varriage."

In summary, when a man and a woman have a socially and religiously accepted union, we still call it a marriage. And, in all other cases, when like gender couples or other variant combinations have a socially and religiously accepted union, we use the new term "varriage."

(Some will object to my use of the word "religiously" in the previous sentence because many religions and some Christian denominations denounce gay unions; but a few Christian denominations already accept gay marriage; therefore my use of the word is not completely inaccurate here.) 

As I said earlier, both unions--a varriage or a marriage--would enjoy the same rights and privileges. The only change I'm proposing is that the word "marriage" itself be slightly altered, varied if you will, so as to linguistically note the distinction and make the terms involved more precise. We will call traditional male/female couples married...other unions will be varried.

And should we take this to the next level? Should the term "vedding" be used to describe a varriage ceremony?

I realize I'm probably stepping into something here, but what's your view?

A Walk in the Park and a Visit to the Cemetery

1. Back in September, Joyce and I started going down to the local park for a brisk walk. We'd been promising ourselves for sometime that we would do this and we finally made good on the promise. Our community park is a really nice one, with lots of trees, picnic tables, little league baseball and kids football fields, and a huge array of paved walking trails. There's even a replica of the log fort the earliest settlers to our area built. And the restored Bowen Campbell House (1787) still stands at the center of the park.

The main walking trail runs along beside Mansker Creek for awhile and you can see and hear the moving water as you walk or run. The trails are all nicely paved now, but back in the day, they were cinders which was nice from an impact perspective, but dirty on shoes and car carpets. I think the park opened some time in the mid '70s; I know we've been going down there since 1978.

From '78 to about '83 we both exercised regularly and I ran in some 10ks and a couple of marathons. I'm a plodder but it was fun and good for me... I think. (My back problems today could possibly have something to do with all that running in my late '30s and early '40s. But I don't regret it.)

At first I didn't keep any records, but we were walking down to the 1/2 mile marker and returning (one mile total, if my out of date math skills still work). Joyce's recent bout with diverticulitus has stopped her for awhile, but she's urged me to keep going.

I'm now keeping records (I found that back when I ran, if I logged my daily efforts, it helped keep me honest and on track) and I'm up to two miles (approx. 35 minutes) four days a week for a total of eight miles. I plan to get that up to about 12-15 miles and then maintain it. I've been going at it now for a month, at least 4 times a week.

As it did when I ran, most of the time I feel much better after a walk than before. It looses up the muscles and joints and gets the blood pumping. Joyce will be rejoining me as soon as she finishes her recuperation.

2. On Thursday, Joyce and I took a short trip down I-24 and visited her Mom's, Dad's, and younger brother's graves. We hadn't been since her own illness two years ago and she wanted to do a little cleaning and put out some new fall color faux flowers.

It was a gloomy day, not what we'd hoped for, considering the nature of the trip. I wonder if this (regular visits to family graves in the cemetery) is a fading practice. I hope not, because, it is, I think, a valuable ritual. By confronting the resting places of your family loved ones, your memories of them are revisited, plus you're forced to face your own mortality for at least a little while.

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee. ― John Donne, No Man Is An Island

Attack of the Conservative Zombies, Starring George Looney, Mutt Damon, and Janeane Garatoolo

We watched the big debate last night between Joe "the Jerk" Biden and Paul "the Kid" Ryan. Ryan's behavior was for the most part, respectful and civil, while Biden was ugly, boorish and condescending. Yet this morning Biden's "aggressive" style seems to have Democrats foaming at the mouth in political ecstasy. Although a CNN poll immediately after the debate showed otherwise, they apparently think his performance brought them back into contention after Obama's embarrassing debacle last week.

Jonathan S. Tobin pretty much summed up our feelings here at the Post in his Commentary article with these two statements:

Though they [Democrats] rarely own up to it, they don’t think Republicans are so much wrong as they are bad. By contrast, most Republicans think Democrats are wrong, not evil....     

The problem here is not just that presidents and would-be commanders-in-chief must appear presidential. It is that the liberal base of the president’s party is so filled with anger and contempt for Republicans that they can’t abide even a show of civility from their champions.

Why is this? Why do they hate conservatives so much?

In my opinion, this deep seated hatred is the fruit of about three decades of conservative debasement in the popular culture (movies, TV shows, popular music including rock and roll, novels, art, etc.) and in college (and to some extent, secondary public school) classrooms.

After years and years of  this, day in and day out in the classrooms, and night after night on TV or in the movies, the message of disrespect and contempt has eaten its way into the liberal psyche. To progressives, conservatives are greedy, evil people, so vile that hate speak (which liberals claim to loathe) aimed at them is acceptable and expected. Republicans are heartless and rich fat cats, ignorant unsophisticated rednecks, war mongers, and bigoted zombie racists. What's not to hate?

And in recent years that kind of debasement has spread into major newsrooms so that even a "serious" journalist like Anderson Cooper can disparage the Tea Party by attaching the nasty epithet "Tea Baggers" to what is in reality a growing and powerful grassroots political movement of ordinary citizens.

As I've said in an earlier posts, it's time for Republicans and conservatives to get into the popular culture business. I mean get into it Big Time, jump in with both feet. There are plenty of smart creative conservatives around and a lot of others who have money to invest. But I'm not talking about propaganda or a bludgeon approach in terms of spreading conservative views. We should take a subtle, long range approach to the problem of progressives dominating pop culture. Just nick 'em a little here, nick 'em a little there, first thing you know we've whittled 'em down to size.

Some of us know how to build a business and make money. Some of us know how to make movies, books, TV shows, or art. What say we bring these talents together on a large scale/ Such an investment can make investors and artists money and make a big difference in popular culture over the long term.

To me, a conservative investment in popular culture would be like buying a blue chip stock, one that you buy a five thousand shares of at $10 a share; thirty years later those shares are worth $200 each and your $50,000 investment has turned into $1,000,000. Or in this case, millions of people with conservative views and values.

Come on, Conservatives, Let's Have Some Fun!

I'm a conservative, have been now since 2002. It took me a long time and some heartache to come to this point, and the journey involved wandering many years in the liberal wilderness. But maybe that was a good thing because I learned some things during that time of error.

One thing I learned is that progressives don't like to laugh at themselves. And they very much don't like it when others make fun of them.

But, on the other hand, I do think they like to laugh at conservatives and conservative values and viewpoints. They really get down with that. And they actually, in my opinion, do it a lot better than conservatives. They know how to put a happy face on their ugly debt creating, dependency inducing brand and at the same time really stick it to conservatives. They learned early on (late '60s) about the power of popular culture and how it could slowly move the immovable.

So over the past few decades they have supported the creators of music, fiction, art, movies, and TV shows and the creators responded by developing works that support liberal policies and values. Sometimes the creators are not so subtle and use a bludgeoning propaganda approach like Michael Moore's Farenheit 9/11. In other situations, other movies, it's just a little chip here, and a little chip there. You know what I mean. A one liner about George W. Bush that seems to be spoken in the spirit of "oh, everyone laughs at him, he's so pathetic." Or a scene or two that depict a right wing congressman (or military hero, or minister, or...) discovered to be gay or having an affair, whatever. You know those scenes because they've been used so much they are a cliche.

Don't get me wrong. I know conservatives know how to have fun, but somehow there's a disconnect between that and their political work. If conservatives support a movie that is successful, it more than likely is a serious movie, probably a documentary. A good example would be the magnificent documentary by Dinesh D'Sousa, 2016: Obama's America.  Another example is the two part Atlas Shrugged. I'm not knocking these movies; they're great.

But where is the conservative stand up comic that jabs sharp one liners at liberals? Is there anybody out there other than the great Dennis Miller? Where is the conservative writer who writes a book or a movie script that makes fun of progressives? And, if that happens, where is the conservative support for that comic or that writer? For every Greg Gutfield there are ten John Stewarts, or Stephen Colberts, or David Lettermans, or Jimmy Fallons, or...well, you get the picture.

Maybe it's because many conservative political leaders and pundits, especially in the leadership ranks are middle aged or older and understand that they're in a very serious business and perhaps mistakenly think that the best way to advance their cause is by serious dialogue. I agree that it's a serious business, but I also think there's more than one way to catch fish.

I believe it's time for conservatives to rare back and laugh! Time for us to understand that using popular culture to promote and spread our views is a good thing. Time to understand that skewering liberal/progressive views and values in an entertaining way might help spread our own ideas, especially among young people.

So, putting  humility aside, I urge you to please click this link to get a Kindle copy of my very funny $0.99 ebook, Ken Tool, Or Obamaism. MAY THE FARCE BE WITH YOU!

P.S. I'm working on getting a copy on NOOK, uploaded my ePub file, etc., but so far I seem to be stuck at the "processing" stage.

UPDATE: 

Ken Tool, Or Obamaism is now available on NOOK! Just click this link to purchase.

New Progressive iPem 4 Com Device

Progressives do love their new iPem 4 Communication and Entertainment Flip Pads.

iPem? Don't know what an iPem 4 is, haven't heard of the latest development in cool tech stuff? Man, you're just not with it.

Okay, okay, I'm pulling your leg. The iPem 4 is just my mnemonic device for remembering the four cornerstones of the progressive movement.

"I" or "i" is for identity politics. Progressives will protect your race, your gender, your sexual orientation, etc. They've got your back. Your front. Your side. And your color.

The "P" is for political correctness. Progressives will ensure that no racial or sexual or hateful words or phrases will ever be used in personal or public communication. Unless you happen to be speaking about George W. Bush or Mitt Romney.

The "e" is for environmentalism. Progressives will save the ocean, the rain forests, the world through regulatory and sustainability policies. The earth will stop warming and be cool, the icecaps will cease to melt, and the Katrina winds will subside.

And the "m" is for multiculturalism. Progressives will work to keep your native language and culture (African-American, Mexican-American, Asian-American, etc.) intact in the US. Relax, they down with that.

You've obviously heard of these things before. They are things that sound pretty darn good, don't they? Who could be opposed to saving the planet, for example?

But, as I was writing Ken Tool, Or Obamaism, I thought about the iPems and had a small epiphany. No, I didn't immediately call my doctor or take an asprin or a laxative. The epiphany just helped me realize something, see something in a new light.

These four great sounding, positive cornerstone values are all fronts or masks that hide destructive or disintegrating forces, sinister forces that work to reduce national cohesiveness and fragment the American body politic.

So, in the book I called them the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, those equine riding destroyers from the book of Revelations. Each of the four may look good on the surface, but in practice bring disunity and disintegration. Think about it.

The end result of identity politics is a squabbling rabble of groups more concerned with their own agenda than the good of the nation.

The major consequence of political correctness is an erosion of rights protected in the First Amendment to the constitution.

What the environmentalists have wrought is a rapidly expanding bog of regulations that is crippling domestic energy and manufacturing production.

The progressive party's emphasis on multiculturalism and protecting the language of various ethnic groups in the US is slowly shrinking use of the single most important element that maintains unity in the US, the English language. Multiculturalism also means regarding each culture's values as equal; this of course is relativism in action and destroys respect for the idea that there are universal values that we all share.

I suspect that many progressives don't realize that they are working to undermine the unity and success of the US. They just go along day to day playing games on their iPem and feeling good about themselves and their causes.

Did I just define a progressive TOOL? I believe I did.

Ken Tool, Or Obamaism: Timely Ebook Satirizes the President's Politics

I have posted much since earlier in the summer because of work on a little writing project, Ken Tool, Or Obamaism. I've always had trouble with categories, expecially literary ones, so you can call this project a satire, or an over the top farce, or just plain old political humor--any category works for me.

It's the story of a naive young progressive guy, Ken Tool, who's the son of a wealthy California senator. Ken loves him some Obama and everything the community organizer in chief stands for. In the narrative we join Ken on election night 2008 right after he has just received his Ph. D. in political science from Berkeley. His grandfather senator Uborus Tool has a big post election celebration planned to celebrate Obama's victory and to announce Ken's intention to run for congress in Buttface, Arkansas.

From there, everything goes downhill for Ken as he experiences one disaster after another from being kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, to serving time in Gitmo with dangerous terrorists, to losing his campaign for congress. Hollywood celebrities and mainstream "journalists" get their comeuppance as Ken struggles continue. Along the way he's also betrayed by his progressive tutor, Dr. Marx Pan-gas and rejected by the girl next door, Vaginia King. In the end, Ken realizes that almost all of the noxious events are a consequence of Obamaism.

Ken Tool, Or Obamaism is a 128 page ebook and is already listed in the Kindle store for $0.99; it's also "processing" for Nook as I write, so it should be in that store within another 24 hours. Here's the book trailer...

Nashville: ABC's New Series Focus Is On Nashville and Country Music

I was born in Nashville and have lived here most of my life. Over the years I've seen several movies or TV shows that have used the city as a setting or backdrop. Probably the most famous of those was the Robert Altman film, "Nashville" in the year 1975. A high school friend of mine, Bill Jenkins, had a small uncredited speaking role in the film; he played a local TV announcer (which he really was) at the old Berry Field airport who was awaiting the arrival of one of the characters.

Altman's film was a critical and commercial success and won many awards, including an Oscar for best original song ("I'm Easy"). People in the music industry and in Nashville however, were not so pleased with the film. Wiki says (and I remember this response well), "The movie was despised by the main stream country music community at the time of its release; man artists believed it ridiculed their talent and sincerity."

It's a good movie, but I have to agree with the Wiki quote. The country artists and their sincerity were ridiculed. And, by extension, so was the city and Tennessee in general. The film's depiction of country music celebrities and local people continued and expanded the "dumb ignorant hillbilly" stereotype. Several years ago at a conference I welcomed a large group of college educators to "Music City" and mentioned that it was also known as the "Athens of the South." Although I didn't intend it, the line got a laugh.

But, I'm kind of used to that now, after seeing and hearing that stereotype perpetuated throughout my lifetime. The old ignorant redneck stereotype been overused and expanded to the point of meaninglessness. It's grown so that it now includes, not just southerners, but all those yokels in "red" states. And political pundits and biased MSM "journalists" are fond of referring to us as people in the "flyover" states.

I have a strong feeling, however, that ABC TV's new series "Nashville" will not push that old stereotype, at least not as blatantly as did Altman's movie. Judging from what I've read about the series and the promotional videos I've seen, I would say that the characters depicted, at least the main ones, are smarter and much more sophisticated than the old stereotype.

For example, Hayden Panettiere, who plays the young rising star, is said by some critics to be modeled at least a little bit on Taylor Swift. If that's a fair comparison, then making her character fit the dumb yokel stereotype would be impossible. The real Taylor Swift could probably buy ABC.

The Tennessean's blog "music" provides a good overview of the series and its stars, so click on the link if you want more verbal info.

And here's some visual info to whet your appetite, the official trailer for the series.

And here comes my own promo. My two mystery novels, the award winning Blood Country and the paranormal mystery Dream Country, are also set in Nashville and feature characters in the country music business. The links in the left column will take you to a purchase page. Both are now only $0.99 on Kindle and Nook. And I guarantee you won't find any stereotypical rednecks in either of these stories. The productions standards are a little lower for the following video trailer for Blood Country, but so was my budget.

Mr. Eastwood and the Empty Chair

I agree with Mark Steyn. Clint Eastwood knew exactly what he was doing at the RNC on Thursday night. As Steyn says, "the hair was a clue. No Hollywood icon goes out on stage like that unless he means to." The whole thing was a schtick, and a very well played one at that.

And the lines about the country belonging to all of us, absolutely brilliant. Like Clint said, "when somebody does not do the job, we'v got to let them go."

                                                            *****

Mr. Obama, come into the office. I've been trying to meet with you for some time now, but I hear you''ve been travelling quite a bit lately.

Grab a chair there. Please sit down.

First, I want to thank you for your efforts, albeit however slim and ineffective they were, over the past three and a half years.

But, you and I both know, you're just not getting the job done. A lot of people had a lot of hope and you let them down. They depended on you, and the stuff you tried worsened their plight instead of making it better.

No, you can't blame the guy before you. He messed up some things at the end, but he had a lot on his plate after that attack. That argument was probably good for six months to a year at most, but now the record is yours, and it's not good. Not good at all.

Looking back now, I think we made a mistake in hiring you in the first place because of your abysmal lack of experience. Also, there's that redistributionist policy you advocated and the harebrained notion  that government is more important and productive than people. Plus, there was year after year of rampant over spending. And how in hell can you operate a huge enterprise like this without a budget? Don't get me started on that.

I could go on, and you know it. But all that's water under the bridge.

Anyway, we've got to get this whole thing turned around and turned around quickly. So we're going to have to let you go.

Yes, I know it's pretty abrupt, but the job you had was not tenured, and this is the real world. Not academia.

No. This is not about racism. It has nothing to do with color and it's time you and your friends stop playing that card all the time. It's become very tiresome and your overuse of the term has diluted the meaning of it in real situations. Listen, you're a smart enough guy and you make a pretty good speech from time to time, but overall, we're not satisfied with your performance, not satisfied at all.

You can keep drawing your salary till January 20th of next year and, like other past employees in your job, you'll still get protection and a generous pension. But that's it. On that date I expect you to clean out your office and vacate the premises. I wish you well after you leave.

Mr. Obama. One more thing. It wouldn't be a good idea to put us down as a reference, if you know what I mean.

Goodlettsville Wins Little League US World Series Title

In case you missed it, our home town boys won the US Little League World Series title in Williamsport, PA, today as they defeated Petaluma, CA, 24-16.

In a roller coaster battle, they saw a ten run lead evaporate in the 6th inning as Petaluma came back to tie it up. But the Goodlettsvillians were not to be denied and answered with 9 runs of their own in the top of the 7th to win it.

They play Japan, winner of the International title, tomorrow for the World championship.

Go Goodlettsville!

Wanted: Big Reward

This gang had far too much fun in the Great Smoky Mountains, but beware, they are armed and dangerous. They were last seen in a saloon in Pigeon Forge in the middle of a high stakes Texas Hold 'Em poker game. They cleaned everybody out and one hombre left the game in only his red flannel long handles. So keep your eyes peeled partner.