The darling of the media has once again proven why she is the richest woman on the airways as her recent show on the Virginia Tech nightmare was a nightmare itself. It seems nearly every interview was cut short because of the need of the program to cram advertisements into every nook and cranny of the one hour program. During the time I watched the show there was a commercial break nearly every two minutes with the advertising time far in excess of the program content.
Somehow it just doesn't seem right that shows like this, the national TV networks and the companies desperate to reach the maximum number of viewers with their call to buy something you probably don't need, can take advantage of situations. Yet they can all count on a mindless pubic to have their globes glued to the bloob tube not having a clue that the message being fed them is not news but sheer, crass, commercialization.
I say watch PBS, at least your mind will not be filled with the latest offering from the drug companies and others. Did you notice the increase in ads for "depression" drugs?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The Glorification of Seung Chow Mein
I've had it with the media bending over backwards to cover the killer when the victims deserve the attention in the Virginia Tech incident. What is wrong with these people? If I see that psycho pointing a gun at me again on TV I might just shoot the TV.
I know the media are hungry for continuous repetitious coverage of the campus tragedy. If you pay close attention you will note that many more advertisements are running right now as the capitalists attempt to reach bigger audiences with their TV commercials. Mass murders sell in our sick society and the more coverage by the networks of the tragedy the more advertising dollars in the network bank account.
Is it possible they don't understand that by glorifying the killer with extensive coverage they only give a roadmap for every other psycho walking the nation on how to get maximum media exposure and fame? They also have set a new goal for the next nutcase by playing up the fact this is the worst mass murder in our nation's history.
Seung Chow Mein sent a package to NBC TV between murder sites and NBC exploited that sick self-serving package of evil by starting an avalanche of pubicity just like the killer wanted when they released most of the contents.
We glorify the killers, forget the victims. We empower the potential killers and denegrade the families of victims. We get higher Nielsen ratings and spread fear across the nation. Now some greedy journalist will write a book about it, a greedy network will make a movie, and then we wait for the copycat killings to begin. Is this what we get for having a free press in America? Nothing free about those that capitalize on tragedy. It is all about big money.
I know the media are hungry for continuous repetitious coverage of the campus tragedy. If you pay close attention you will note that many more advertisements are running right now as the capitalists attempt to reach bigger audiences with their TV commercials. Mass murders sell in our sick society and the more coverage by the networks of the tragedy the more advertising dollars in the network bank account.
Is it possible they don't understand that by glorifying the killer with extensive coverage they only give a roadmap for every other psycho walking the nation on how to get maximum media exposure and fame? They also have set a new goal for the next nutcase by playing up the fact this is the worst mass murder in our nation's history.
Seung Chow Mein sent a package to NBC TV between murder sites and NBC exploited that sick self-serving package of evil by starting an avalanche of pubicity just like the killer wanted when they released most of the contents.
We glorify the killers, forget the victims. We empower the potential killers and denegrade the families of victims. We get higher Nielsen ratings and spread fear across the nation. Now some greedy journalist will write a book about it, a greedy network will make a movie, and then we wait for the copycat killings to begin. Is this what we get for having a free press in America? Nothing free about those that capitalize on tragedy. It is all about big money.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Weekly Update
What a week! First my computer gets wiped out by a virus, clearly from a disgruntled reader. Then we have the Imus fiasco, the tragedy at Virginia Tech, the report that cell phones are destroying the bee population, and now the governor from my old home, New Jersey, gets critically injured in a car wreck.
Imus - the mouth that couldn't stop! Well this was not hard to call. Imus has been spouting his shock jock language since radio first began and other than an occasional wrist slapping nothing ever happened. Suddenly he takes on the Rutgers womens basketball team and all hell breaks loose.
If Imus is to be driven off the airways, and he was, then I think the sponsors of his BS and the networks behind his BS should be as well. He generated over $8 million a year for CBS radio and NBC TV. They encouraged him to be offensive, radical and sarcastic. Yet the minute the Jackson-Sharpton national censures opened their mouths freedom of speech, broadcaster and sponsor responsibility and every other consideration in a land of the free went out the window.
I think the networks should have their licenses to broadcast investigated by the FCC to see if there is documented evidence they encouraged his senseless rantings and the documents do exist. Then the sponsors should be investigated to see how they got off the hook on being responsible for also encouraging him.
At the same time the rap and hip hop music flooding the radio airways, the music the Jackson-Sharpton censures claim they have worked to stop, should be declared politically incorrect, a hate crime, pornographic, encouraging unlawful behavior and bigoted beyond belief and the music thrown off the air and the writers and artists publicly persecuted for doing a better job than Imus at undermining the Constitution of the United States, except the part of the Constitution about the right to bear arms which the rappers desperately need for meetings and public executions.
As for Jackson and Sharpton, tell them to slay the rappers like they slayed Imus or shut up! Now the Rutgers coach and team were the only classy, sensible people involved in this entire comedy. And by the way, tell Hillary and the other candidates to stop taking all the money from the rappers and hip hoppers if they want to demonstrate any integrity in the election.
Virginia Tech - a test of faith! This hit awful close to home with so many area residents involved as victims, the shooter and friends. Nothing much can be said the networks haven't said over and over again except the killer was clearly nuts and the schools should have a way to detect the potential danger in such people. Ever since we radically liberalized the mental health laws and released patients from institutions there has been a steady increase in mass murders and maybe we should go back and see if we didn't deinstitutionalize the wrong people.
The students proved they could function in spite of the short falls of the leaders with the delays, strange police actions, and lack of an APB for the shooter in the morning. The internet and technology proved to be valuable in this case and the kids are demonstrating a resilience the adults should not underestimate.
The Cell Phone Bee Killer Report! Yet another tidbit of data has leaked out that the explosion of cellphones may not be doing all that much good for humanity. I have a study from England several years ago that says too many cell towers will produce radiation harmful to the human brain. Since our experts ignored this study and every street corner now has a cell tower, I just figured we were too stupid or content to open our eyes. Now we find out the radiation from cell phones is destroying the honey bee population and a lot of us are probably happy, no more stings.
Fools. Honey bees don't sting, they are not agressive unless they are the African honey bee which wasn't supposed to be here in the first place. Certainly the European bees in this area aren't agressive. On the other hand, much of our fruit and vegetable crops depend on the honey bee to pollinate or whatever them so they can produce food to stuff in our faces. You may turn off your cell phones when the price of an orange hits $5.00 each or there isn't enough fruit and vegetables for all the diets we are obsessed with today.
NJ Governor Demonstrates Auto Safety! Okay, this is really odd. The Governor of the state with the highest rate of seat belt use in the nation (91% of all New Jersey drivers wear seat belts) almost gets killed in his Governor's limo doing 92 miles per hour, yes I said 92 miles per hour in a 65 MPH zone, and he is not wearing a seat belt. He is protected 24 hours a day by State Police and the driver of the limo was a State Polieman. The driver was wearing a seat belt, an assistant to the Governor in the back was not.
At 92 miles per hour don't you think the Policeman in front might have mentioned to the Governor to put on his seat belt. Why was the Governor's limo doing 92 in a 65 zone? His chief of staff says he should be fined $46 for not wearing the seat belt. What about the fine for excessive speeding? Is this a case of politicians believing they are above the law we normal six pack majority people are expected to follow? I wonder if the insurance was expired too?
In closing, with the strange and tragic things going on in our immediate world, maybe the End Times are here.
Imus - the mouth that couldn't stop! Well this was not hard to call. Imus has been spouting his shock jock language since radio first began and other than an occasional wrist slapping nothing ever happened. Suddenly he takes on the Rutgers womens basketball team and all hell breaks loose.
If Imus is to be driven off the airways, and he was, then I think the sponsors of his BS and the networks behind his BS should be as well. He generated over $8 million a year for CBS radio and NBC TV. They encouraged him to be offensive, radical and sarcastic. Yet the minute the Jackson-Sharpton national censures opened their mouths freedom of speech, broadcaster and sponsor responsibility and every other consideration in a land of the free went out the window.
I think the networks should have their licenses to broadcast investigated by the FCC to see if there is documented evidence they encouraged his senseless rantings and the documents do exist. Then the sponsors should be investigated to see how they got off the hook on being responsible for also encouraging him.
At the same time the rap and hip hop music flooding the radio airways, the music the Jackson-Sharpton censures claim they have worked to stop, should be declared politically incorrect, a hate crime, pornographic, encouraging unlawful behavior and bigoted beyond belief and the music thrown off the air and the writers and artists publicly persecuted for doing a better job than Imus at undermining the Constitution of the United States, except the part of the Constitution about the right to bear arms which the rappers desperately need for meetings and public executions.
As for Jackson and Sharpton, tell them to slay the rappers like they slayed Imus or shut up! Now the Rutgers coach and team were the only classy, sensible people involved in this entire comedy. And by the way, tell Hillary and the other candidates to stop taking all the money from the rappers and hip hoppers if they want to demonstrate any integrity in the election.
Virginia Tech - a test of faith! This hit awful close to home with so many area residents involved as victims, the shooter and friends. Nothing much can be said the networks haven't said over and over again except the killer was clearly nuts and the schools should have a way to detect the potential danger in such people. Ever since we radically liberalized the mental health laws and released patients from institutions there has been a steady increase in mass murders and maybe we should go back and see if we didn't deinstitutionalize the wrong people.
The students proved they could function in spite of the short falls of the leaders with the delays, strange police actions, and lack of an APB for the shooter in the morning. The internet and technology proved to be valuable in this case and the kids are demonstrating a resilience the adults should not underestimate.
The Cell Phone Bee Killer Report! Yet another tidbit of data has leaked out that the explosion of cellphones may not be doing all that much good for humanity. I have a study from England several years ago that says too many cell towers will produce radiation harmful to the human brain. Since our experts ignored this study and every street corner now has a cell tower, I just figured we were too stupid or content to open our eyes. Now we find out the radiation from cell phones is destroying the honey bee population and a lot of us are probably happy, no more stings.
Fools. Honey bees don't sting, they are not agressive unless they are the African honey bee which wasn't supposed to be here in the first place. Certainly the European bees in this area aren't agressive. On the other hand, much of our fruit and vegetable crops depend on the honey bee to pollinate or whatever them so they can produce food to stuff in our faces. You may turn off your cell phones when the price of an orange hits $5.00 each or there isn't enough fruit and vegetables for all the diets we are obsessed with today.
NJ Governor Demonstrates Auto Safety! Okay, this is really odd. The Governor of the state with the highest rate of seat belt use in the nation (91% of all New Jersey drivers wear seat belts) almost gets killed in his Governor's limo doing 92 miles per hour, yes I said 92 miles per hour in a 65 MPH zone, and he is not wearing a seat belt. He is protected 24 hours a day by State Police and the driver of the limo was a State Polieman. The driver was wearing a seat belt, an assistant to the Governor in the back was not.
At 92 miles per hour don't you think the Policeman in front might have mentioned to the Governor to put on his seat belt. Why was the Governor's limo doing 92 in a 65 zone? His chief of staff says he should be fined $46 for not wearing the seat belt. What about the fine for excessive speeding? Is this a case of politicians believing they are above the law we normal six pack majority people are expected to follow? I wonder if the insurance was expired too?
In closing, with the strange and tragic things going on in our immediate world, maybe the End Times are here.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
POINTERS POINT TO MORRIS POINT
Made it to the Morris Point Restaurant as promised Saturday night and we just beat the crowd that came roaring in after the Saturday night Bingo, or the Fire Barn Auction, or the cockeyed crab races or whatever drew them to the Point.
Now this place can give you lots of culture, conversation and cuisine. Halfway between the parking lot and the restaurant you get the first shot of culture when you pass that naked statue, well maybe there was a fig leaf or two.
When you get to the front door there is a temporary construction sign directing you around the back way. A clever idea saying the place is under construction as you are then made to walk around the building and across the dock and patio situated right on the river, or creek, or whatever gets this mass of water to the ocean
It is a rather spectacular view and might have been even better if it didn’t get so cold and windy that night. Summer nights would be great I’m sure. But it was nice and cozy inside, might have had something to do with Haughty Helen and her hot date, the mystery boyfriend in the cowboy boots, who were waiting inside. Now that the mystery of his identity has been revealed I’m pretty sure it was him in those boots.
Once inside Debbie, the field marshal of the restaurant battlefield, nodded in the direction of a big table with Haughty Helen and Little Jon Wayne and we made our way over. At this point I became torn, my interest ranging between the operation of the restaurant and the conversations between Haughty, Broadway Linda, Stevie Van Zany and Little Jon Wayne.
Quaint place that Morris Point Inn, with turn of some century woodwork, a menu of the same vintage, proprietors right out of central casting and a chummy bunch of patrons. You want privacy stay away. This is a place you go to for good company, a few laughs, and food better than momma can make if you’re honest and providing she’s a good cook which mine wasn’t but most Pointer mothers seem to be.
The food was certainly good enough to have been served from some New York or Paris bistro or upscale café though the ambience was grounded in the plastic cups, the silverware provided only as needed - not expected, and the paper table cloths which seem most appropriate for the Coltons Pointers. If you gave them a bib to eat with it simply would not be enough. Come to think of it, giving them a full set of silverware could upset their dinner with too many choices to eat with.
The dominate personalities at the restaurant are Debbie, her husband Chris and their son Rambo. Chris was focused on the cooking to the point I overheard him talking to the food. Clearly he was on his best behavior. Imagine Steven Wright crossed with Lenny Bruce and you have Chris. Stone silent one minute, full of passion the next. For those who don’t remember him, look up Lenny Bruce. Chris would be the culmination of a DNA merger of these two.
Debbie, well she is the Shirley MacClaine of the Point serving the regular patrons their drinks before they get a chance to order, engaging in small talk with each and every one, hovering over tables like a Bald Eagle waiting to pounce on the first sign of trouble. Debbie seems to live the life Shirley described in her book “Out on a Limb”, or was that “Out on a Broken Limb?”
Finally you have the son Rambo, well maybe the Rambo part if it was played by John Belushi. Now Rambo was on such good behavior all night he must have had his medication increased significantly since my last visit. Like his father, he was also invisible in the kitchen. A couple of other kids seemed to be shuffling stuff around and I have no clue whether they were family or patrons trying to help out.
The bottom line is this, don’t go to the Morris Point Restaurant just because it is the only place close to the point that serves food, go because it is five star food served at the Point. Everything is home made and these people clearly knew how to cook before they got the restaurant. You don’t even need a car to get there, just take your boat up the creek. Enjoy the people, absorb the quiet environment, savor the delicacies and then head home to your sorry existence.
Now, for a look at the family that runs Morris Point the first two pictures are Chris in a passionate mood and quiet mood, then Debbie being Debbie at the door to the Point, and finally their son Rambo.
Now this place can give you lots of culture, conversation and cuisine. Halfway between the parking lot and the restaurant you get the first shot of culture when you pass that naked statue, well maybe there was a fig leaf or two.
When you get to the front door there is a temporary construction sign directing you around the back way. A clever idea saying the place is under construction as you are then made to walk around the building and across the dock and patio situated right on the river, or creek, or whatever gets this mass of water to the ocean
It is a rather spectacular view and might have been even better if it didn’t get so cold and windy that night. Summer nights would be great I’m sure. But it was nice and cozy inside, might have had something to do with Haughty Helen and her hot date, the mystery boyfriend in the cowboy boots, who were waiting inside. Now that the mystery of his identity has been revealed I’m pretty sure it was him in those boots.
Once inside Debbie, the field marshal of the restaurant battlefield, nodded in the direction of a big table with Haughty Helen and Little Jon Wayne and we made our way over. At this point I became torn, my interest ranging between the operation of the restaurant and the conversations between Haughty, Broadway Linda, Stevie Van Zany and Little Jon Wayne.
Quaint place that Morris Point Inn, with turn of some century woodwork, a menu of the same vintage, proprietors right out of central casting and a chummy bunch of patrons. You want privacy stay away. This is a place you go to for good company, a few laughs, and food better than momma can make if you’re honest and providing she’s a good cook which mine wasn’t but most Pointer mothers seem to be.
The food was certainly good enough to have been served from some New York or Paris bistro or upscale café though the ambience was grounded in the plastic cups, the silverware provided only as needed - not expected, and the paper table cloths which seem most appropriate for the Coltons Pointers. If you gave them a bib to eat with it simply would not be enough. Come to think of it, giving them a full set of silverware could upset their dinner with too many choices to eat with.
The dominate personalities at the restaurant are Debbie, her husband Chris and their son Rambo. Chris was focused on the cooking to the point I overheard him talking to the food. Clearly he was on his best behavior. Imagine Steven Wright crossed with Lenny Bruce and you have Chris. Stone silent one minute, full of passion the next. For those who don’t remember him, look up Lenny Bruce. Chris would be the culmination of a DNA merger of these two.
Debbie, well she is the Shirley MacClaine of the Point serving the regular patrons their drinks before they get a chance to order, engaging in small talk with each and every one, hovering over tables like a Bald Eagle waiting to pounce on the first sign of trouble. Debbie seems to live the life Shirley described in her book “Out on a Limb”, or was that “Out on a Broken Limb?”
Finally you have the son Rambo, well maybe the Rambo part if it was played by John Belushi. Now Rambo was on such good behavior all night he must have had his medication increased significantly since my last visit. Like his father, he was also invisible in the kitchen. A couple of other kids seemed to be shuffling stuff around and I have no clue whether they were family or patrons trying to help out.
The bottom line is this, don’t go to the Morris Point Restaurant just because it is the only place close to the point that serves food, go because it is five star food served at the Point. Everything is home made and these people clearly knew how to cook before they got the restaurant. You don’t even need a car to get there, just take your boat up the creek. Enjoy the people, absorb the quiet environment, savor the delicacies and then head home to your sorry existence.
Now, for a look at the family that runs Morris Point the first two pictures are Chris in a passionate mood and quiet mood, then Debbie being Debbie at the door to the Point, and finally their son Rambo.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Now Generation Anthem
Ain’t it great to be a kid in America
Ain’t it great we no longer have to read
We don’t have to think we can have another drink
Cause Microsoft is getting us the grades we need
It’s great to be a kid in America
Think of all we’ll accumulate
No one cares how much we steal, just bring home what is real
Keep it coming cause I just can’t wait, don’t be late
Ain’t it great to be a kid in America
If times are tough we’ll start another war
Our parents showed us how, we can go to war right now
No one cares if our deficit might soar and soar
But the kids growing up in America
Might be in for a big surprise
When the budgets must be slashed, when there ain’t no gas
When the waters everywhere are on the rise up to your eyes
When the kids growing up in America
Find social security is now broke
What’s a man to do when the money that you knew
Has disappeared and all gone up in smoke, you dope
Gas and the Global Warming
Am I the only one to find it odd that over 55 different dog food products for dozens of different companies were all made by the same processing plant at the same location. Everything from Iams to Wayne’s which I think is the Walmart brand name shared the same building, same people making it, and same meat or whatever that stuff is, same filler, and the same rat poison according to the feds.
Isn’t it about time the American consumer stop being the target of corporate scams like this making us think there was competition in dog food, a difference in the quality of the products, and that special handling could keep out the rat poison.
So a few thousand dogs and cats will die, Congress will hold hearings, the Democrats will blame Bush and big business, and the public will see nothing done about it. Ah the joys of watching capitalism at it’s finest.
So we’ve had a rash of outbreaks of mysterious diseases on cruise ships, in schools and hotels, and now in dogs and cats. We are now being told not to eat all the things we were told to eat before. More people die of malpractice in hospitals than from diseases and surgery.
Vaccines that once destroyed the threat of smallpox, polio, malaria and other diseases don’t work anymore against new strains of the same diseases that were supposed to be wiped out.
And good old Al Gore is running around Hollywood collecting Oscars and at our nation’s capitol trying to stage rock concerts all because of global warming. Well if man is responsible for global warming, then who the hell caused the global warming that ended the last Ice Age, or the ones before that?
Personally I think there is a direct correlation between the amount of beer, beans, onions, garlic and peppers consumed, the amount of high pressure gas they generate, the velocity of the gas emissions from people, and the impact on the atmosphere. Think about it, nearly 6 billion people passing gas at the same time. A few million cars and trucks don’t have a chance.
Add to that all the hot air generated in our nation’s capitol and every other capitol of the world and states where more than two politicians gather at once, and it is amazing we aren’t in the midst of a global meltdown. My only comment on the whole confusing mess is this, put a cork in it!
Bloob Tube Battles
I’ve had trouble watching the television lately. Can’t find the programs in all the commercials. Suppose it doesn’t matter since the TV fare was never meant to entertain, inform or educate, just to employ the many relatives of the network show business people.
The network evening news is in a whale of trouble now. Katie Couric has settled back into last place for CBS. It’s hard to take her too serious after all those years of sucking up to the people she interviewed on the Today Show.
The number crunchers for the networks have discovered an interesting fact. It seems that the quality of the local news just before the network news has a great impact on the network news viewers. Dah…
So old, ugly people put out to pasture on the evening news broadcasts are now costing Charles Gibson at ABC, Brian Williams at NBC and Katie Couric at CBS millions of viewers and more millions of ad revenues.
Look for a major overhaul of the local news programs leading into the network news. Every station has used the news for a pre-retirement assignment. They are experimenting with everyone for the time slot.
My personal favorite news announcer is Alison Starling who does the morning news. Her numbers and performance are great so the ABC owned station in DC has tried her at the 5 pm and 6 pm news shows.
Of course the station was too cheap to assign someone to her morning and noon shows so poor Alison was doing the 5 am, noon, and 5 pm news, sometimes the 6 pm news, and doing real reporter stories in between. Whoever thought up that schedule wanted to kill her or must have been a relative of one of the old anchors who might be replaced.
When she did the 6 pm news with three old guys she looked like a cheerleader at a geriatric ward. Before the DC station and network overseers give her the 6 pm news like they should some other network will steal her. Maybe this drag on the ratings by the local evening news anchors is why they call them anchors in the first place.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Morris Point Restaurant Beware...
The Morris Point Restaurant will be the scene probably March 31 for the next cuisine review by the Coltons Point Times. Accessible by land or water, which is not a bad way to be for the folks of the Point, this quaint place with it’s quirky owners, Chris, chef de cuisine of the seafood joint and wife Dainty Deb, will be put to the test. Of course it is the only restaurant within about ten miles of the Point besides the Potomac Gardens Arrow Beer bar with the bowls of beer nuts served for every meal, and most people find beer nuts to not be a very balanced meal. One thing I do know, you can always get the drink you want because you have to bring your own. So we will see you all on the 31st at the Morris Point eatery and give you our verdict shortly after the experience. Let's hope there is not another episode like our last visit when things got a little out of hand.
St. Patrick's Day Aftermath
It was generally a quiet day for St. Pats here in the Point with the exceptions of a couple of near disturbances in the north end. At Marie Antoinette's place there was a jam session with Stevie Van Zany leading the charge and an effort was made to play a rendition of Danny Boy in honor of the Irish. Sorry to say no one knew the words and the song was a very short but energetic performance. Up the road at the home of Sweet Sue and Colorado Chris another of their monthly family reunions took place, strange green stuff in glasses circulated freely, and no one cared what they sang.
But down at the Potomac Gardens and Arrow Beer Bar Quiet George actually refused to serve an Irish Cowboy at the bar and caused the biggest stir of all for the holiday as no one knows when George ever turned down a patron before. This time there may have been good reason. Does anyone know the name of the Celtic Cowboy trying to get served at the Arrow Beer Bar, and no it was not Haughty Helen's mysterious boyfriend?
But down at the Potomac Gardens and Arrow Beer Bar Quiet George actually refused to serve an Irish Cowboy at the bar and caused the biggest stir of all for the holiday as no one knows when George ever turned down a patron before. This time there may have been good reason. Does anyone know the name of the Celtic Cowboy trying to get served at the Arrow Beer Bar, and no it was not Haughty Helen's mysterious boyfriend?
Quiet George Gets Gator!
Quiet George, the outspoken owner of the Potomac Gardens Arrow Beer Bar can often be seen driving the long distance from his house to the Bar across the street in a vintage golf cart probably first used in the 1947 Masters Tournament. At other times he can be seen chugging around the Point in said vintage golf cart sputtering and wheezing as it cruises the Point.
But no longer. Seems Quiet George had an epiphany and decided it was time to admit the old cart had died long ago, and it was only surviving because of life support. So he pulled the plug and got himself a brand new shiny green and yellow Gator, the hottest off the road hot rod built for on the road drivers like Quiet George. At least Duke Deere says something like that about the John Deere Gator.
We caught Quiet George bringing his new gator home and thought we would share it with you. By the way, if you hear him coming be sure and get out of the way.
But no longer. Seems Quiet George had an epiphany and decided it was time to admit the old cart had died long ago, and it was only surviving because of life support. So he pulled the plug and got himself a brand new shiny green and yellow Gator, the hottest off the road hot rod built for on the road drivers like Quiet George. At least Duke Deere says something like that about the John Deere Gator.
We caught Quiet George bringing his new gator home and thought we would share it with you. By the way, if you hear him coming be sure and get out of the way.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Hillbilly Joe and the Incredible Labyrinth
We have not had too much to tell you about Hillbilly Joe and his adventures because, quite frankly, we were worried about the effect it might have on your mental stability. Now I figure if you all take the time to follow the news media today, which most of you do, then your mental state must already be pretty fragile and Hillbilly stories might only make you worse, thus raising the average income of the Coltons shrinks.
But now I don’t really care because they, the shrinks, are entitled to their income and what makes me the overseer of the mental state of the Pointers? People will find their own path to insanity and why miss good stories like those of the legendary Hillbilly Joe.
His latest misguided nightmare, which comes to him every time he adjusts the face mask he wears to sleep to regulate the oxygen supply to his brain, as if the oxygen flow to his brain really had anything to do with his thought process, is a tale of tragedy no one should miss.
Hillbilly made one of his infrequent ventures out of the safety of the Coltons swampland with a group of friends to attend a reunion, the kind of social occasion in reality he would avoid like the plague. It must have been some kind of reunion because it was in a hotel that was over 100 stories tall.
Hillbilly checked in and the concierge, the fact they even had a concierge shows you what kind of hotel this was, sent a bell hop to show Hillbilly his room. Like a good country boy Hillbilly left his bags in the lobby so as not to burden the bellhop and to avoid having to spend extra money tipping the guy just for carrying bags.
The room was on the 1st floor although the bellboy took him on the elevator to get there. That should have been the first sign of trouble to old unsuspecting Hillbilly but he didn’t find it odd figuring the bellhop was just taking the long way to get a bigger tip. Once he got there he graciously tipped the guy twenty-five cents and returned with him to the lobby to get his bags.
Armed with two giant suitcases packed by his mother so he would be prepared for anything and any weather, although he was only there for two nights, Hillbilly ambled over to the elevator and punched the button. Inside he punched the button for the 1st floor and the elevator took off for what seemed like eternity to get him where he started, the first floor.
When the door opened all Hillbilly could see were endless corridors and stepping out of the elevator, which promptly slammed the door shut and took off, Hillbilly noticed for the first time there were no room numbers on the doors. Now how in the world was he going to find his room?
At this point he had a key to a room and no clue where the room might be so down the hall he went trying door after door until he came to the 17th door which promptly opened. In the somewhat exhausted Hillbilly went only to discover someone had already moved all their stuff into the room and it couldn’t be his.
Back in the hallway he concluded he was clearly on the wrong floor and set out in search of a stairway as there didn’t seem to be anymore elevator doors around. Finding a sign for the stairs he slammed through the door with the two giant bags in tow and before him the stairs seemed to go straight, not up or down like he expected.
Suffice it to say the day was quite confusing for Hillbilly as he trudged along the flat stairs to the next floor, checked the numberless doors, and came back to the stairs. Several hours later he found a window in the lobby, looked out, and realized he was halfway up the 100 story hotel in search of his room on the first floor.
Well this sad saga goes on and on and he proceeded to meet two women in the stairway also lost. The three stayed together for hours sharing some of the snacks packed in his giant bags before parting company. It was 48 hours later, yes two days, when poor Hillbilly sat down on his bags in utter dismay and all of a sudden through the stairway door popped three of his buddies from the reunion.
They wanted to know where he had been for the past two days; he missed all the parties and beer. Then they led him out the door to his room, the first door they reached. Exhausted but thankful Hillbilly went in only to find the strangest sight.
When he made reservations he ordered a room with a king size bed. The bed he faced was kind of king size as the top mattress was a king, but the box springs under it were full size, thus leaving the king size mattress draping over the box springs to the floor. Some joke he thought.
Jerking the king mattress off he threw it on the floor, promptly dropped to the mattress, and tried to put the entire nightmare behind him by going to sleep without his sleep machine. He awoke to an earthquake, the floor and walls shaking, before he realized it was just his mom pounding at the trailer door wanting to know if he was ready for breakfast. Hillbilly Joe is not so sure about the sleep machine and face mask anymore. And he sure isn’t accepting any invitations to reunions.
But now I don’t really care because they, the shrinks, are entitled to their income and what makes me the overseer of the mental state of the Pointers? People will find their own path to insanity and why miss good stories like those of the legendary Hillbilly Joe.
His latest misguided nightmare, which comes to him every time he adjusts the face mask he wears to sleep to regulate the oxygen supply to his brain, as if the oxygen flow to his brain really had anything to do with his thought process, is a tale of tragedy no one should miss.
Hillbilly made one of his infrequent ventures out of the safety of the Coltons swampland with a group of friends to attend a reunion, the kind of social occasion in reality he would avoid like the plague. It must have been some kind of reunion because it was in a hotel that was over 100 stories tall.
Hillbilly checked in and the concierge, the fact they even had a concierge shows you what kind of hotel this was, sent a bell hop to show Hillbilly his room. Like a good country boy Hillbilly left his bags in the lobby so as not to burden the bellhop and to avoid having to spend extra money tipping the guy just for carrying bags.
The room was on the 1st floor although the bellboy took him on the elevator to get there. That should have been the first sign of trouble to old unsuspecting Hillbilly but he didn’t find it odd figuring the bellhop was just taking the long way to get a bigger tip. Once he got there he graciously tipped the guy twenty-five cents and returned with him to the lobby to get his bags.
Armed with two giant suitcases packed by his mother so he would be prepared for anything and any weather, although he was only there for two nights, Hillbilly ambled over to the elevator and punched the button. Inside he punched the button for the 1st floor and the elevator took off for what seemed like eternity to get him where he started, the first floor.
When the door opened all Hillbilly could see were endless corridors and stepping out of the elevator, which promptly slammed the door shut and took off, Hillbilly noticed for the first time there were no room numbers on the doors. Now how in the world was he going to find his room?
At this point he had a key to a room and no clue where the room might be so down the hall he went trying door after door until he came to the 17th door which promptly opened. In the somewhat exhausted Hillbilly went only to discover someone had already moved all their stuff into the room and it couldn’t be his.
Back in the hallway he concluded he was clearly on the wrong floor and set out in search of a stairway as there didn’t seem to be anymore elevator doors around. Finding a sign for the stairs he slammed through the door with the two giant bags in tow and before him the stairs seemed to go straight, not up or down like he expected.
Suffice it to say the day was quite confusing for Hillbilly as he trudged along the flat stairs to the next floor, checked the numberless doors, and came back to the stairs. Several hours later he found a window in the lobby, looked out, and realized he was halfway up the 100 story hotel in search of his room on the first floor.
Well this sad saga goes on and on and he proceeded to meet two women in the stairway also lost. The three stayed together for hours sharing some of the snacks packed in his giant bags before parting company. It was 48 hours later, yes two days, when poor Hillbilly sat down on his bags in utter dismay and all of a sudden through the stairway door popped three of his buddies from the reunion.
They wanted to know where he had been for the past two days; he missed all the parties and beer. Then they led him out the door to his room, the first door they reached. Exhausted but thankful Hillbilly went in only to find the strangest sight.
When he made reservations he ordered a room with a king size bed. The bed he faced was kind of king size as the top mattress was a king, but the box springs under it were full size, thus leaving the king size mattress draping over the box springs to the floor. Some joke he thought.
Jerking the king mattress off he threw it on the floor, promptly dropped to the mattress, and tried to put the entire nightmare behind him by going to sleep without his sleep machine. He awoke to an earthquake, the floor and walls shaking, before he realized it was just his mom pounding at the trailer door wanting to know if he was ready for breakfast. Hillbilly Joe is not so sure about the sleep machine and face mask anymore. And he sure isn’t accepting any invitations to reunions.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
He’s Back…
I took a hiatus to see if anyone noticed I wasn’t posting articles. No one did. So I decided to wait until there was something in the news worth writing about. There wasn’t and still isn’t. So I guess I have to manufacture something news worthy and that’s okay, it can’t be any worse than the stories in the real news.
Today the Maryland legislature voted to apologize for slavery. What nonsense. Other states did the same earlier making the nonsense all the worse. Why in the world are the states apologizing for something that ended 142 years ago? Who are the elected officials who are worried more about 142 year old stuff than the problems of today?
What about the economic uncertainty facing the voters? Ethics? Campaign reform? Crooked credit card companies? Crooked predators working to collect money for the crooked credit card companies? Lousy building contractors? Contaminated food in the stores over and over again? What in the world is in the water in Annapolis to scramble their brains like this?
Maybe we should apologize to the Native American Indians we enslaved, put in prisons and called them reservations, stole their children and forced them into Christianity, and killed off about 100 million thanks to our liquor, guns and disease.
Then we can apologize to the Mexicans, the ones we now refer to as illegals, for stealing their country and homes which used to include all the western USA. Of course there are the Irish and Chinese we placed into the equivalent of forced labor to build the railroads crossing America.
Speaking of apologies, aren’t we owed a few as well? I think the English should apologize for driving us out of England for religious purposes, then stealing our free country back and fighting us in several wars trying to claim ownership to the USA.
The oil companies should apologize for stealing our money. Drug companies should apologize for making us an addicted nation on a collective national trip, to paraphrase former Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew.
Whites should apologize for the KKK, Blacks for the Symbonese Liberation Army. Voters should apologize for the idiots we put in office and politicians should apologize for what they do to us when they get there.
Schools can apologize for all the illiterate high school graduates. George and Barbara Bush can apologize for George, Jr. Yale University can apologize for giving us Bush and Clinton. Matter of fact, when George Jr. is finished next year the USA will have had a Yale educated president for 20 straight years, and Hillary Clinton, yet another Yale graduate, stands in the wings.
So get over it America! We are not a nation of wimps. We did not control the sins of our fathers, their fathers, and their father’s fathers. Get on to dealing with the sins of today and tomorrow, the ones hurting people right here and right now.
Today the Maryland legislature voted to apologize for slavery. What nonsense. Other states did the same earlier making the nonsense all the worse. Why in the world are the states apologizing for something that ended 142 years ago? Who are the elected officials who are worried more about 142 year old stuff than the problems of today?
What about the economic uncertainty facing the voters? Ethics? Campaign reform? Crooked credit card companies? Crooked predators working to collect money for the crooked credit card companies? Lousy building contractors? Contaminated food in the stores over and over again? What in the world is in the water in Annapolis to scramble their brains like this?
Maybe we should apologize to the Native American Indians we enslaved, put in prisons and called them reservations, stole their children and forced them into Christianity, and killed off about 100 million thanks to our liquor, guns and disease.
Then we can apologize to the Mexicans, the ones we now refer to as illegals, for stealing their country and homes which used to include all the western USA. Of course there are the Irish and Chinese we placed into the equivalent of forced labor to build the railroads crossing America.
Speaking of apologies, aren’t we owed a few as well? I think the English should apologize for driving us out of England for religious purposes, then stealing our free country back and fighting us in several wars trying to claim ownership to the USA.
The oil companies should apologize for stealing our money. Drug companies should apologize for making us an addicted nation on a collective national trip, to paraphrase former Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew.
Whites should apologize for the KKK, Blacks for the Symbonese Liberation Army. Voters should apologize for the idiots we put in office and politicians should apologize for what they do to us when they get there.
Schools can apologize for all the illiterate high school graduates. George and Barbara Bush can apologize for George, Jr. Yale University can apologize for giving us Bush and Clinton. Matter of fact, when George Jr. is finished next year the USA will have had a Yale educated president for 20 straight years, and Hillary Clinton, yet another Yale graduate, stands in the wings.
So get over it America! We are not a nation of wimps. We did not control the sins of our fathers, their fathers, and their father’s fathers. Get on to dealing with the sins of today and tomorrow, the ones hurting people right here and right now.
World News Recap
The Democrats have now been in control of congress for the first quarter of the year and how are they doing with their laundry list of immediate promises?
The stock market has collapsed, regrouped, and collapsed again.
The trade deficit set another record.
No news on immigration reform.
No news on campaign reform.
Oil prices are skyrocketing again for no reason.
Congress still refuses to investigate the interlocking ownership in oil.
Housing foreclosures are setting new records.
About half of congress is running for president.
The war in Iraq continues as if congress doesn’t even exist.
Hey, things remain pretty much the same and that’s all I have to say about that.
The stock market has collapsed, regrouped, and collapsed again.
The trade deficit set another record.
No news on immigration reform.
No news on campaign reform.
Oil prices are skyrocketing again for no reason.
Congress still refuses to investigate the interlocking ownership in oil.
Housing foreclosures are setting new records.
About half of congress is running for president.
The war in Iraq continues as if congress doesn’t even exist.
Hey, things remain pretty much the same and that’s all I have to say about that.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Admiral Gibby’s Seige…
Seems his long battle with the Giant Ground Hog might be at an end. The Admiral, as many of you know, lives at the first line of defense against the forces of nature that wander our way from the swamps and creeks surrounding the Point. Old Gibby is the first to encounter the dangerous varmints making their way in from the lowlands and one day a Giant Ground Hog showed up.
To hear the Admiral tell it, the Ground Hog proceeded to start undermining his entire house with holes big enough for New York subway cars to get through. Not only that but everything the Admiral planted, and he was well known for his abundant flower and vegetable gardens, seem to disappear over night.
Gibby put out the standard traps and the Giant Ground Hog made a mockery of them, casting them aside during nightfall. One morning the Admiral heard a real fuss in a trap only to discover he’d caught one of the cats in the neighborhood. After a few futile weeks he called in the Animal Control specialists and the Giant Ground Hog set out to show them how little they knew about trapping. Every day it seemed they would show up, find the discarded traps, and bring bigger ones. It got so we were worried the Admiral might go out some night and get caught in his own traps.
When the shotgun blasts started one night and in a matter of days it seemed like World War III was about to break out the Coltons Point Times decided it was time to get to the bottom of this situation. Long about sundown a reporter was sent to the Admiral’s homestead and sure enough, there stood Gibby staring out across his lawn with a shot gun in his hands waiting to spot the Giant Ground Hog before it could finish leveling his home. About ten feet directly behind the Admiral stood the wily old Ground Hog, up on his hind legs chewing an apple and watching to see what the old man was going to shoot next. For the longest time our reporter stood there watching the Giant Ground Hog watch Admiral Gibby. Finally he waddled off to the woods and not a shot was fired that night.
Rumor has it after several months of warfare either Gibby finally got the varmint or the varmint packed up and left for greener pastures. Then again, since the next occupants under the Admiral’s house were skunks, maybe the Giant Ground Hog decided to seek fresher air.
America – The Driven Society
Okay, it’s the middle of February and we’ve already seen the Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Directors Guild Awards and the Grammy Awards. In a couple of weeks we have the Academy Awards, to be followed by the Country Music Awards and Emmy Awards. Haven’t you had enough?
Don’t forget the NCAA Football Championship, the Super Bowl, and the upcoming NCAA Basketball March Madness Championship. Of course Reality TV offers us a virtual smorgasbord of competitions including America’s favorite American Idol, Nashville Star, the top chefs, models, designers, nannies, adinfnitum.
Let’s face it, America is obsessed with competition, with the strong beating up the weak, with a win at all costs and with an arrogance that we can be best at anything. Even our leisure time is spent watching an endless string of competitions on television, at games, kids soccer, cheerleaders, even when it comes to SAT scores. There are probably more heart attacks watching these competitions than at work.
The result, baseball’s home run champions are on steroids, tracks stars are on drugs, and now NASCAR champions are caught cheating with their cars. Do we ever stop trying to find a way to enhance performance illegally? Well, okay, maybe Viagra is a legal performance enhancement but most methods are not.
I often wonder are the millions of fanatics watching so they can cheer for the winners or ridicule the losers? Why do we get so worked up over sports, or entertainment? To find the answer I turned to the Pointer Philosopher & Psychiatrist Hillbilly Joe.
Me: What are your credentials Hillbilly?
Hillbilly: I dunno.
Me: Sounds good to me. At least you admit it.
Hillbilly: Not on purpose.
Me: So what, in your learned loftiness do you think of the obsession with competitiveness of American society?
Hillbilly: It’s a by product, sort of the folly of the capitalistic system.
Me: Really?
Hillbilly: The inevitable conclusion of greed driven performance and a waste based economy.
Me: My goodness, that’s pretty deep Hillbilly. I take it you have some doubts about capitalism.
Hillbilly: I have no doubt it’s doomed.
Me: So what, in your omnipotent opinion, is wrong with our society?
Hillbilly: Too many people stopped nursing too soon, were raised by surrogate parents, were instilled with false ideals and were taught to worship gold, not realizing it was fools gold.
Me: So where did we go wrong?
Hillbilly: When you drive off the cliff it’s a bit too late to worry about where you went wrong.
Me: This is pretty serious stuff Hillbilly.
Hillbilly: Interview is over. Got to go watch Ghost Whisperers.
Me: Any reason in particular?
Hillbilly: Love that “Love”. She’s well equipped to handle the dead.
Don’t forget the NCAA Football Championship, the Super Bowl, and the upcoming NCAA Basketball March Madness Championship. Of course Reality TV offers us a virtual smorgasbord of competitions including America’s favorite American Idol, Nashville Star, the top chefs, models, designers, nannies, adinfnitum.
Let’s face it, America is obsessed with competition, with the strong beating up the weak, with a win at all costs and with an arrogance that we can be best at anything. Even our leisure time is spent watching an endless string of competitions on television, at games, kids soccer, cheerleaders, even when it comes to SAT scores. There are probably more heart attacks watching these competitions than at work.
The result, baseball’s home run champions are on steroids, tracks stars are on drugs, and now NASCAR champions are caught cheating with their cars. Do we ever stop trying to find a way to enhance performance illegally? Well, okay, maybe Viagra is a legal performance enhancement but most methods are not.
I often wonder are the millions of fanatics watching so they can cheer for the winners or ridicule the losers? Why do we get so worked up over sports, or entertainment? To find the answer I turned to the Pointer Philosopher & Psychiatrist Hillbilly Joe.
Me: What are your credentials Hillbilly?
Hillbilly: I dunno.
Me: Sounds good to me. At least you admit it.
Hillbilly: Not on purpose.
Me: So what, in your learned loftiness do you think of the obsession with competitiveness of American society?
Hillbilly: It’s a by product, sort of the folly of the capitalistic system.
Me: Really?
Hillbilly: The inevitable conclusion of greed driven performance and a waste based economy.
Me: My goodness, that’s pretty deep Hillbilly. I take it you have some doubts about capitalism.
Hillbilly: I have no doubt it’s doomed.
Me: So what, in your omnipotent opinion, is wrong with our society?
Hillbilly: Too many people stopped nursing too soon, were raised by surrogate parents, were instilled with false ideals and were taught to worship gold, not realizing it was fools gold.
Me: So where did we go wrong?
Hillbilly: When you drive off the cliff it’s a bit too late to worry about where you went wrong.
Me: This is pretty serious stuff Hillbilly.
Hillbilly: Interview is over. Got to go watch Ghost Whisperers.
Me: Any reason in particular?
Hillbilly: Love that “Love”. She’s well equipped to handle the dead.
Too Cold? The Weather Watchers Series
Down here on the Point we have a way of knowing when it is too cold. It’s when all the Point People Walkers stay in for the day. If a day goes by and you don’t see at least three of the following people walking around the Point then it is just too damn cold for people to be out. Our weather indictors are King Bob, the Ink Spot, Cheerleader Sue, Haughty Helen, Brash Bren and Dogman Joe.
Maybe they should have stayed home.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weather indicators can be gleaned from their absence on the streets. Another way to tell when it is cold is when the roar of the lawn tractor fleet is gone. Duke Deere will pretty much be out in any kind of weather so when his Deere is silent watch out. Hillbilly Joe is never far behind. If Duke and Hillbilly are at work Mayor Bob or Dogman will always be out if it is humanly possible and if they go out on the tractors so will Admiral Gibby.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Histories Mysteries - A Light Hearted View of the Pilgrims Progress in Coltons Point
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St. Clements Island Lighthouse & Pilgrims Rest Stop
St. Clements Island Lighthouse & Pilgrims Rest StopMany of you may remember this classic work of literature by English author John Bunyan first published in 1678. He was in jail when he wrote it in 1675 for participating in religious services outside the auspices of the Church of England, the only allowable religion at the time. Well we decided to track the Pilgrims Progress here in Coltons Point as it was the first stop over of religious outcasts from England just 40 years before John Bunyan was imprisoned and were it not for the Calvert family back in England many of our ancestors might have been in jail with Bunyan.
In 1632 George Calvert, who had been King James I of England’s principal Secretary of State at a time when the conflict between Catholic Europe and Protestant England was most serious, was granted a charter to what is now the State of Maryland. After George’s death in 1633 his son Cecil inherited his charter and determining that his brother, Leonard Calvert was the family member most expendable, sent Lenny to lead the expedition to America and establish a settlement around religious freedom. November 23, 1633 about 150 pilgrims got in two ships, the Ark and the Dove, and set out on a treacherous four month winter journey to America.
On March 25, 1634 the ships landed at Clements Island a stones throw from Coltons Point and between 150 and 300 people got off the boat, went to the bathroom, and started negotiating with the Yaocomico natives on shore for a permanent settlement. March 25 is now known as Maryland Day, the day the Catholics came to America and the holiday is celebrated everywhere but right here where it happened. Maybe we could fix that.
So the natives finally agreed they could have St. Mary’s City downstream for a settlement, there was no reason to mess up the Island or the Point with a new development, a position that remains pretty much true today. Just two years later, in 1636 and in spite of the fact he didn’t really own it Lord Baltimore went and gave the Island and Point to Thomas Gerard with the grant showing the Island was 400 acres.
Today the Island has 40 acres. It has been 370 years (1636-2006) since the first measurement of the Island in 1636 and over that time 360 acres have disappeared into the waters. Nearly an acre a year for 370 years have vanished meaning in the year 2046 the island will be gone completely and join the legends of the sea such as Atlantis.
A comprehensive history of the Island and Point should be done and a lot of partial histories have been written and could form the basis for the definitive story. Until then I’m going to add my version of an incomprehensible history to the collection.
So Lord Baltimore gave this disappearing Island to Gerard and in 1669 the Blackistone family took it over and kept it for 162 years. After that other families, possibly a beer company and a tobacco company and who knows who else claimed ownership.
During the American Revolution the Island was headquarters for the British troops. Oops, wrong side. Thirty years later during the war of 1812 it again was occupied by the British troops.
In 1853 a lighthouse was built on Clements Island for $5,000, and it survived for over 100 years before it mysteriously burnt down in 1956.
I believe in 1865 John Wilkes Booth came to the Point after shooting President Lincoln, during the missing week after the assassination, where he was supposed to catch a British ship and flee to England. Maybe the weather was bad, or for some other reason he went back and crossed into Virginia on his way to a much larger port. There is one heck of a story here along with the question, what did the English have to do with Lincoln’s death.
By 1883 the original St. Clements Manor House, built in 1636, was a hotel and beer garden in Coltons Point and became so popular it attracted ferry boat loads of tourists from Baltimore and Washington. Three weekly steamers came down to Coltons Point for the dances that were held at the old Blackistone Hotel Pavilion.
The origin of the Coltons Point name is an unverified local legend as is so much of the history surrounding the Point. R. Johnson Colton, the first Pointer Postmaster, is said to have won the acreage in a poker game in the 1800s. John Colton, vice president of government affairs for the Maryland Forests Association and R. Johnson Colton's great-grandson said it's possible. "I come from a family of card players," he said. A generation later, his grandfather supposedly won a house in nearby Clements the same way.
In the meantime in 1919 the Island was sold to the US government – used for training and weapons testing during the 1940’s, and by the 1960’s the State of Maryland took control of it.
Back in the Point by 1933 Coltons Point was known as Kopel’s Point and the manor house/hotel was now the Kopel’s Point Hotel, a time few local townspeople seem willing to talk much about. Two hurricanes the next few years pretty much destroyed the hotel by the early 1950's and it was never rebuilt. King Bob and the Ink Spot might finally be willing to talk about this time in their family history that is shrouded in mystery.
Just across the Potomac from Coltons Point in Westmoreland County Virginia three rather important historical figures were born and raised, George Washington, James Madison and Robert E. Lee. We would do well to take a little credit for them.
In the 1960’s a group of childhood friends, some descendants of the original settlers, some might even have been the original settlers, formed The Optimist Club of the Seventh District and at the urging of Father John J. Madigan started the Blessing of the Fleet Festival. That brings us up to date.
Like I mentioned there have been a few decent articles written about various parts of the history of Clements Island and Coltons Point. None tells the whole story. We would like to appeal to the public to help fill in the missing gaps in our history. If you have boring details and family histories give them to the St. Mary’s Historical Society. If you have scandalous stories, myths, rumors or information provocative in nature give them to the Coltons Point Times. We only want the fun stuff.
Consider that Jamestown was first settled in 1607 but disappeared in time. Fact is none of the early settlements in the colonies including Jamestown, Williamsburg, Middle Plantation, St. Mary’s City, etc. survived so who knows, Coltons Point could claim a spot in history right up there with Williamsburg, Busch Gardens and all the other famous historical sites.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
The Road to Stardom with Billy Bush
Billy Bush, the ego starved host of Access Hollywood on NBC cannot resist the temptation to make himself a bigger celebrity than the celebrities he is supposed to showcase. But his latest escapade on TV has reached a new low in egomania, and it makes one wonder if NBC or the other networks carrying the show are a party to this nonsense.
Not content to just interview celebrities, Billy has decided that whatever Paris Hilton does he can do so he decided to become a recording star using the show to make himself what he isn’t, a record star. Now at least Paris had her own money to do this.
Billy used the show to get the best writers, producers, voice coaches and engineers to try and make him sound good. In the process he used all the resources of national television exposure to advance his personal career and didn’t pay a cent like every other artist in America must do.
Even a top producer, David Foster, was conned into the act and wound up looking like a stooge or patsy for helping someone with little talent to look good. Foster sold his soul for a few bucks and three nights of TV exposure. His integrity went down the toilet.
As for the Bush boy, his supercharged ego is beginning to drag co-host Nancy O’Dell down with him and we can only hope she can escape before her integrity is shot as well. Nancy is one of the few really good, objective hosts left on TV.
What in the world are the show producers thinking?
Not content to just interview celebrities, Billy has decided that whatever Paris Hilton does he can do so he decided to become a recording star using the show to make himself what he isn’t, a record star. Now at least Paris had her own money to do this.
Billy used the show to get the best writers, producers, voice coaches and engineers to try and make him sound good. In the process he used all the resources of national television exposure to advance his personal career and didn’t pay a cent like every other artist in America must do.
Even a top producer, David Foster, was conned into the act and wound up looking like a stooge or patsy for helping someone with little talent to look good. Foster sold his soul for a few bucks and three nights of TV exposure. His integrity went down the toilet.
As for the Bush boy, his supercharged ego is beginning to drag co-host Nancy O’Dell down with him and we can only hope she can escape before her integrity is shot as well. Nancy is one of the few really good, objective hosts left on TV.
What in the world are the show producers thinking?
What About the Other History Months?
There was a letter the other day in the Enterprise about eliminating Black History month because it is a disruptive influence on all the students not Black and for a variety of other reasons. Perhaps the more proper thing to do would be to honor all the appropriate major ethnic groups in the American population and maybe the Native Americans since they seemed to have been exploited by everyone else.
Think about it. Some estimates are there were about 100 million Native Americans when the white man showed up 500 years ago. Since then they are the only ethnic group in America to have lost population, and not just lost it but seen it nearly wiped out. Now (2005 US Census estimates) there are just 2.3 million Native Americans left, a whopping loss of 97.7 million people lost to the progress of civilization. They deserve at least one History Month if not a whole year of attention.
Of the rest of the groups Black History month seems to be the only one receiving an entire month of study by our schools. In America Blacks make up 12.1% of the population compared to 74.6% White, 14.5% Hispanic, and 4.3% Asian. Thanks to the march of mankind the Native Americans, once the only people in America, are now down to less than 1% of the population and if it weren’t for their casinos they’d probably be extinct.
So the Native Americans deserve at least a month so they won’t be forgotten. The Whites, since there are six times as many as the Blacks, would also seem to warrant a History Month. There are more Hispanics than Blacks and the Hispanics have a few bones of their own to pick with America since they once owned all the land from Texas to California so maybe we should give them a History Month as well. There are 41.8 million Hispanics compared to 34.9 million Blacks but if we add the 10 million more illegal immigrants there are more like 51 million Hispanics here, 17.6% of the population.
That leaves us with the Asians, 12.4 million strong, and they now control the automobile and electronics industries worldwide so we better not upset them or we won’t have cell phones, HD TV or reliable cars. I say give them at least three weeks to a full History Month as well.
We would now have a Black History Month, White History Month, Hispanic History Month, Asian History Month, and Native American History Month. If we were truly fair we must look to the ancestry of all Americans for a full picture. As of 2000 the Census Bureau said there were 42.8 million Americans of German ancestry, 30.5 million Irish, 24.5 million English, 15.6 million Italian, and more than 4 million Polish, French, Scottish, Dutch, Norwegian, Scotch-Irish and Swedish.
That means we need 16 months to celebrate all the diverse ethnic groups with more population in America than the Native Americans. According to the national educational test results our kids aren’t learning much anyway so at least we could teach them a little about themselves. We could also extend school to year round so we don’t have kids hanging around in the summer, so teachers are working for time they are already paid, so there are more jobs available at McDonalds for senior citizens, and so high school football teams could start practicing earlier in the summer.
Think about it. Some estimates are there were about 100 million Native Americans when the white man showed up 500 years ago. Since then they are the only ethnic group in America to have lost population, and not just lost it but seen it nearly wiped out. Now (2005 US Census estimates) there are just 2.3 million Native Americans left, a whopping loss of 97.7 million people lost to the progress of civilization. They deserve at least one History Month if not a whole year of attention.
Of the rest of the groups Black History month seems to be the only one receiving an entire month of study by our schools. In America Blacks make up 12.1% of the population compared to 74.6% White, 14.5% Hispanic, and 4.3% Asian. Thanks to the march of mankind the Native Americans, once the only people in America, are now down to less than 1% of the population and if it weren’t for their casinos they’d probably be extinct.
So the Native Americans deserve at least a month so they won’t be forgotten. The Whites, since there are six times as many as the Blacks, would also seem to warrant a History Month. There are more Hispanics than Blacks and the Hispanics have a few bones of their own to pick with America since they once owned all the land from Texas to California so maybe we should give them a History Month as well. There are 41.8 million Hispanics compared to 34.9 million Blacks but if we add the 10 million more illegal immigrants there are more like 51 million Hispanics here, 17.6% of the population.
That leaves us with the Asians, 12.4 million strong, and they now control the automobile and electronics industries worldwide so we better not upset them or we won’t have cell phones, HD TV or reliable cars. I say give them at least three weeks to a full History Month as well.
We would now have a Black History Month, White History Month, Hispanic History Month, Asian History Month, and Native American History Month. If we were truly fair we must look to the ancestry of all Americans for a full picture. As of 2000 the Census Bureau said there were 42.8 million Americans of German ancestry, 30.5 million Irish, 24.5 million English, 15.6 million Italian, and more than 4 million Polish, French, Scottish, Dutch, Norwegian, Scotch-Irish and Swedish.
That means we need 16 months to celebrate all the diverse ethnic groups with more population in America than the Native Americans. According to the national educational test results our kids aren’t learning much anyway so at least we could teach them a little about themselves. We could also extend school to year round so we don’t have kids hanging around in the summer, so teachers are working for time they are already paid, so there are more jobs available at McDonalds for senior citizens, and so high school football teams could start practicing earlier in the summer.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Diane Sawyer for Vice President!
There is a huge foreign policy problem in the White House that comes from decades of stagnation, inertia and plain old playground bullying. Look at the advisors that have the President's ear. There is Vice President Cheney and no other unless they were cronies of Cheney like Rumsfeld. Poor Condi Rice has been a mouthpiece for the ancients as long as she has been there which means she has no credibility when it comes to challenging the boys in the backroom.
Hey, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the gang have served the nation since Gerry Ford was President and most people don't even remember those days. We've had Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton and Bush 2 since those days, eight full terms of presidents, and over 30 years since they were new faces in the nation's capitol. You can't really expect new ideas for correcting the problems of the world when the policy makers are from the geriatric set. The world they grew up in no longer exists. Perhaps it is time they no longer exist in control of policy that is outdated and unrealistic for the world of tomorrow.
In recent months ABC correspondent Diane Sawyer, Kentucky's gift to the media mess reporting on world affairs, has quietly and calmly secured interviews with people the Bush Administration refuses to talk to on some long forgotten principles. She has been to North Korea and Syria, met with and interviewed the leaders, learned more about them than the collective efforts of our 18 intelligence agencies, and outlined a path to peace which just might work.
Instead of thanking her for finding out exactly what the leaders of these nations are thinking, the White House continued their playground bully practices. The mouthpieces for the president blasted the countries for backing terrorism, not securing their borders, and all the other things the old boys could dredge up from the sabre rattling days of old when the world was black and white. Haven't they learned anything to date?
The Syrian President said it best when he said the USA can't even secure the border with Mexico, how can they expect other countries to secure borders with hostile nations. Remember Mr. Bush, between 13 and 20 million people have illegally slipped through our southern border. Heaven knows how many more came through the thousands of miles of Canadian border.
It is a new world calling for new ideas and new ambassadors to seek out the new solutions. The old boys have had their day in the sun, now it is time for fresh faces without the baggage of the old boys. Bush could still pull off a reversal and not end up the most unpopular president in history if he has the ability to lead rather than do what he is told.
We can start the long road to healing the world rather than threatening the world if Vice President Cheney would resign for health reasons. It is a perfectly legitimate excuse. He can’t even shoot straight. Bush could then appoint Diane Sawyer as the new Vice President and give her the authority to negotiate one on one with our adversaries, which she has already done. No one in the Administration has even met these people.
Sawyer is humble, cool and knowledgeable, something in short supply in our nation's capitol, in politics and in the news media. Most important she is open-minded and already has access to the very people the Administration cannot talk to for fear of looking weak I guess. Wake up Bush and demonstrate you are capable of original thought, of pioneering peace rather than retribution, of shedding the bonds that bind you to the worn out ideas of the past. Give our nation back to the people. Let common sense rule over the playground bullying we know does not work.
You tried trusting the intelligence agencies and look what it got. You trusted the military and look what that got. You trusted your advisors and look what that got. You’ve trusted everyone no one else trusts. Maybe it’s time you trust someone others do trust, someone like Diane Sawyer, the girl from Kentucky Bluegrass country.
The history books might read you had the first female VP in history. You tore down the barriers of hate between the Syrians and other Moslems and the USA. You eliminated the DMZ between the Koreas. I mean you might even be able to sell tickets to your future presidential library at some point in time. Think about it.
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