"Cartooning is a 'fairly' kind of proposition. You have to be fairly intelligent, if you were really intelligent, you'd be doing something else; you have to draw firly well- if you drew really well, you'd be a painter; you have towrite fairly well- if you wrote really well, you'd be writing book. It's great for a 'fairly' person like me." ~ Charles M. Schulz
Friday, January 05, 2007
a 'fairly' kind of proposition
"Cartooning is a 'fairly' kind of proposition. You have to be fairly intelligent, if you were really intelligent, you'd be doing something else; you have to draw firly well- if you drew really well, you'd be a painter; you have towrite fairly well- if you wrote really well, you'd be writing book. It's great for a 'fairly' person like me." ~ Charles M. Schulz
a 'fairly' kind of proposition
"Cartooning is a 'fairly' kind of proposition. You have to be fairly intelligent, if you were really intelligent, you'd be doing something else; you have to draw firly well- if you drew really well, you'd be a painter; you have towrite fairly well- if you wrote really well, you'd be writing book. It's great for a 'fairly' person like me." ~ Charles M. Schulz
...if you do not say anything in a cartoon,
"...if you do not say anything in a cartoon, you might as well not draw it at all. Humor which does not say anything is worthless humor. So I contend that a cartoonist must be given a chance to do his own preaching." ~Charles M. Schulz
...if you do not say anything in a cartoon,
"...if you do not say anything in a cartoon, you might as well not draw it at all. Humor which does not say anything is worthless humor. So I contend that a cartoonist must be given a chance to do his own preaching." ~Charles M. Schulz
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Requiem for a decent guy from Omaha
Some men strive for greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them. Gerald Ford was such a man. Ford brought Midwestern common sense and sense of community to a difficult time in our history. Ford wasn’t a general or a revolutionary. He wasn’t aggressive or power-hungry, you might even think he was kind of “square.”
Ford was the right man at the right time and did the right thing, even though at the time, it was very unpopular. Ford had other Midwestern qualities that made him just what America needed as it celebrated it’s turbulent 200th birthday. He was practical, pragmatic, and realistic. He was self-effacing and grounded. He was patient and unselfish. He led by example, rather than by edict, rhetoric, scheme, or coercion. These qualities that were all so needed by our country at the time are attributes that would probably make him unelectable today.
Like Eisenhower, he sometimes may have appeared that Ford wasn’t really in charge because he was surrounded by so many strong personalities with high profiles. People thought Ike was constantly taking naps or on the golf course while his Vice President, Richard Nixon ran the show. People feared that Ford’s Chiefs of Staff Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney ran Whitehouse while Ford was off skiing.
History has since revealed that both Presidents were much more decisive and in-control that it may have appeared. They listened to subordinates, but in the end, made their own decisions that frequently ran counter to the party line or their advisors’ ambitions. Both rose above the influence of ideologues and wanna-be power brokers.
Ford was the Congressman for Grand Rapids, Michigan when he was picked to replace Nixon’s first Vice President, Spiro Agnew. No doubt, he was chosen because he was known for his integrity. Agnew resigned under suspicion of accepting bribes back when he was governor of Maryland. Not only was Ford someone without skeletons in his closet, but as Minority Whip in the House, he was a proven consensus builder.
Ford’s hope was to get enough Republicans elected to Congress, that he could someday move from being Minority Whip to being House Speaker. Nixon was a hot dog, a glory-hound, a ball-hog. He wanted to be the star. Ford was a team player, and really, America was his real team, the Republican Party was just the squad he played on to scrimmage.
Vietnam and Watergate had polarized Americans more than anytime since the Civil War.
Senate Minority Leader Barry Goldwater convinced Nixon to resign rather than face Impeachment in the House and removal from office by the Senate. Impeachment is like indictment and the House of Representatives is like a Grand Jury. The Senate has never had to serve as a trial jury to determine guilt and implement sentencing. They recognized the Clinton impeachment as political theatre and didn’t even begin proceedings. When Nixon left office, his Vice President, who had been appointed, not elected, succeeded him as the 39th President.
In many ways, Ford was the antidote for Johnson and Nixon. He was calm, steady and paternal. He had the opposite of a mandate, he knew that none of his constituents actually chose him, so he didn’t try to impose any half-baked agenda. Where Nixon saw himself as above the law, operating outside the system, Ford sought to impress upon us the merit and effectiveness of our Constitutional system of checks, balances and the processes that have our founders so carefully engineered for us. Maybe he didn’t think of himself as god’s gift to politics, certainly in true modest Midwestern fashion he didn’t claim to be. But in many ways he was indeed a godsend. He helped us heal and bridged tears in the fabric of our society. Many would have liked to have seen Nixon prosecuted and held accountable for Watergate. Ford recognized that our system received what it needed in his resignation, for national and international balance, civil and economic, what we needed was not to become even more divided and more focused on our problems, but instead to move forward. Like Lincoln, Ford recognized the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation for the sake of National unity. He put country before party, and the interests of the common good ahead of personal ambition. He paid for that politically.
If only there were candidates running for President with the same kind of character as Gerald Ford. What a shame that someone with down to earth Midwestern values only came to power by accident, and yet, what a blessing. And this, from a “yellow-dog” Democrat like me.
Bonus for Blog Readers:
Many attribute Jimmy Carter’s victory over Ford in 1976 to Ford’s pardoning Nixon. Carter would pay a similar price for pardoning people who fled to Canada to avoid the Vietnam draft. Both men would eventually develop a close and lasting friendship after their presidencies. That friendship may not be as famous as that of other rivals, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, but it was a testament to putting country before party, and putting the interests of the common good ahead of personal ambition.
While Ford’s love affair with his wife Betty may not have been as famous as that of John and Abigail Adams, it was a model of fidelity, candor and commitment.
Johnson connived a blank check from Congress for military action in Vietnam without an actual declaration of war. He later lied about American casualties there. Nixon talked about having the South Vietnamese stand up for themselves but secretly escalated the war including illicit operations in Laos and Cambodia. To prevent further leaks like the ones that exposed Johnson’s dishonesty (revealed in the New York Time’s “Pentagon Papers”) Nixon established a secret security team called “the plumbers.” In order to insure his re-election and guarantee himself a landslide, Nixon and his inner-circle pulled “dirty tricks” and had the “plumbers” break into the Democratic Party’s national headquarters at the Watergate.
In recent interviews with the Washington Post, Ford made clear his disappointment in the decision to invade Iraq and the subsequent mishandling of the war. He didn’t shrink from criticizing his former staff members Cheney and Rumsfeld. It’s good to know that there area at lease some “cloth-coat” Republicans who aren’t in lockstep with the radical-right and the neocons. Maybe if Ford were President today, both would have been fired long ago. I’d like to think that if Ford had been head of the RNC back in 2000, George W. never would have been nominated.
Long time readers know me as a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, but as a student of history, I can’t help but admire and appreciate what Ford tried to do for our country. Sarcasm and hyperbole are a columnist’s stock and trade- but when I urged Republicans to regain their self-respect by voting against Congressman Steve King, I was genuine and didn’t mean to demean or offend anyone. If more Republicans were on the mold of Gerald Ford instead of Steve King and George H.W. Bush, maybe we could debate actual issues and ideas rather than having to suffer personal attacks and faux-patriotism.
Ford was the right man at the right time and did the right thing, even though at the time, it was very unpopular. Ford had other Midwestern qualities that made him just what America needed as it celebrated it’s turbulent 200th birthday. He was practical, pragmatic, and realistic. He was self-effacing and grounded. He was patient and unselfish. He led by example, rather than by edict, rhetoric, scheme, or coercion. These qualities that were all so needed by our country at the time are attributes that would probably make him unelectable today.
Like Eisenhower, he sometimes may have appeared that Ford wasn’t really in charge because he was surrounded by so many strong personalities with high profiles. People thought Ike was constantly taking naps or on the golf course while his Vice President, Richard Nixon ran the show. People feared that Ford’s Chiefs of Staff Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney ran Whitehouse while Ford was off skiing.
History has since revealed that both Presidents were much more decisive and in-control that it may have appeared. They listened to subordinates, but in the end, made their own decisions that frequently ran counter to the party line or their advisors’ ambitions. Both rose above the influence of ideologues and wanna-be power brokers.
Ford was the Congressman for Grand Rapids, Michigan when he was picked to replace Nixon’s first Vice President, Spiro Agnew. No doubt, he was chosen because he was known for his integrity. Agnew resigned under suspicion of accepting bribes back when he was governor of Maryland. Not only was Ford someone without skeletons in his closet, but as Minority Whip in the House, he was a proven consensus builder.
Ford’s hope was to get enough Republicans elected to Congress, that he could someday move from being Minority Whip to being House Speaker. Nixon was a hot dog, a glory-hound, a ball-hog. He wanted to be the star. Ford was a team player, and really, America was his real team, the Republican Party was just the squad he played on to scrimmage.
Vietnam and Watergate had polarized Americans more than anytime since the Civil War.
Senate Minority Leader Barry Goldwater convinced Nixon to resign rather than face Impeachment in the House and removal from office by the Senate. Impeachment is like indictment and the House of Representatives is like a Grand Jury. The Senate has never had to serve as a trial jury to determine guilt and implement sentencing. They recognized the Clinton impeachment as political theatre and didn’t even begin proceedings. When Nixon left office, his Vice President, who had been appointed, not elected, succeeded him as the 39th President.
In many ways, Ford was the antidote for Johnson and Nixon. He was calm, steady and paternal. He had the opposite of a mandate, he knew that none of his constituents actually chose him, so he didn’t try to impose any half-baked agenda. Where Nixon saw himself as above the law, operating outside the system, Ford sought to impress upon us the merit and effectiveness of our Constitutional system of checks, balances and the processes that have our founders so carefully engineered for us. Maybe he didn’t think of himself as god’s gift to politics, certainly in true modest Midwestern fashion he didn’t claim to be. But in many ways he was indeed a godsend. He helped us heal and bridged tears in the fabric of our society. Many would have liked to have seen Nixon prosecuted and held accountable for Watergate. Ford recognized that our system received what it needed in his resignation, for national and international balance, civil and economic, what we needed was not to become even more divided and more focused on our problems, but instead to move forward. Like Lincoln, Ford recognized the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation for the sake of National unity. He put country before party, and the interests of the common good ahead of personal ambition. He paid for that politically.
If only there were candidates running for President with the same kind of character as Gerald Ford. What a shame that someone with down to earth Midwestern values only came to power by accident, and yet, what a blessing. And this, from a “yellow-dog” Democrat like me.
Bonus for Blog Readers:
Many attribute Jimmy Carter’s victory over Ford in 1976 to Ford’s pardoning Nixon. Carter would pay a similar price for pardoning people who fled to Canada to avoid the Vietnam draft. Both men would eventually develop a close and lasting friendship after their presidencies. That friendship may not be as famous as that of other rivals, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, but it was a testament to putting country before party, and putting the interests of the common good ahead of personal ambition.
While Ford’s love affair with his wife Betty may not have been as famous as that of John and Abigail Adams, it was a model of fidelity, candor and commitment.
Johnson connived a blank check from Congress for military action in Vietnam without an actual declaration of war. He later lied about American casualties there. Nixon talked about having the South Vietnamese stand up for themselves but secretly escalated the war including illicit operations in Laos and Cambodia. To prevent further leaks like the ones that exposed Johnson’s dishonesty (revealed in the New York Time’s “Pentagon Papers”) Nixon established a secret security team called “the plumbers.” In order to insure his re-election and guarantee himself a landslide, Nixon and his inner-circle pulled “dirty tricks” and had the “plumbers” break into the Democratic Party’s national headquarters at the Watergate.
In recent interviews with the Washington Post, Ford made clear his disappointment in the decision to invade Iraq and the subsequent mishandling of the war. He didn’t shrink from criticizing his former staff members Cheney and Rumsfeld. It’s good to know that there area at lease some “cloth-coat” Republicans who aren’t in lockstep with the radical-right and the neocons. Maybe if Ford were President today, both would have been fired long ago. I’d like to think that if Ford had been head of the RNC back in 2000, George W. never would have been nominated.
Long time readers know me as a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, but as a student of history, I can’t help but admire and appreciate what Ford tried to do for our country. Sarcasm and hyperbole are a columnist’s stock and trade- but when I urged Republicans to regain their self-respect by voting against Congressman Steve King, I was genuine and didn’t mean to demean or offend anyone. If more Republicans were on the mold of Gerald Ford instead of Steve King and George H.W. Bush, maybe we could debate actual issues and ideas rather than having to suffer personal attacks and faux-patriotism.
Over the holiday break, a number of people commented to me about my past columns and cartoons that were critical of 5th District Congressman Steve King. Some, while they didn't disagree with me per se, didn't really get what the big deal was. Others whole-heartedly agreed with me, but pined with me that there's just no way to EVER get him out of office because Western Iowa is too red and he's just too popular. I recently found this article from last year on FOX news online (of all places!).
After my last King bashing column, one reader (who threatend to become a former reader) was very offended that I exhorted Republicans to regain their self-respect by not re-electing King, and proceded to write a glowing pro-King letter to the editor. I am all for using newspapers as a public forum, so her response was completely appropriate, but it certainly didn't persuade me to become a King fan. What's more, while hyperbole and sarcasm are the stock and trade of political columnists, I genuinely meant it. I didn't mean to be mean to Republicans, just to King. Gerald Ford and Barry Goldwater are great examples of Republicans who deserve everyone's respect because they could manage to be civil, bipartisan and practical when they needed to be. Heck Reagan and Schwarzenegger deserve infinitely more respect than Steve King. Believe me, some of my favorite people in this world are Republicans, I LOVE, respect, and care about many Republicans, so believe me when I tell you that Steve King makes Republicans, and Iowa look really bad.
2008 is a long way away, but it's never too soon for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents in our district to start looking for King's replacement. I would love to see Clarence Hoffman run, I might even vote for him. I'd love to see somone get up the gumption to start a recall campaign- can Congressmen be recalled? Arizona had a governor once, (Evan Mecham) who was as egotistical, anti-intellectual, racist, and corrupt as King and they got enough voter signatures to get him removed from office. SURELY, is we are such a red district, the Republican party can come up with somone to challenge this yahoo.
Iowa Lawmaker's Brashness Earns NoticeTuesday, September 26, 2006
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — He's described torture at Abu Ghraib as"hazing,"argued that living in Iraq is safer than in Washington and dismissed President Bush's guest worker immigration program as amnesty.
Two-term Republican Rep. Steve King doesn't shy from controversy, and his perspective has earned him praise from conservatives _ and disdain from those who consider him outlandish.
"He says so many idiotic things. I just see him as a wacko,"says Suzanne Ryan, one of King's constituents in his rural, western Iowa congressional district.
Still, King remains popular, and his penchant for brash, and some say offensive, sound bites has helped the 57-year-old construction company owner become something of a national spokesman for his party's far-right wing.
"At the FRC (Family Research Council), he's a good friend to the family,"says Tom McCluskey, the vice president for government affairs of the conservative group."Steve King is right out front. He's one of the most articulate and one of the most willing to speak up."
Among King's notable comments:
_He argued that the media exaggerated the story of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
_After compiling what he called an accurate civilian violent death rate for Iraq, he said living there was safer than in some U.S. cities, including New Orleans and Detroit.
"I have a feel for the rhythm of this place called Washington, D.C., and my wife lives here with me,"he said on the floor of the House."I can tell you, she is in far greater risk being a civilian in Washington, D.C., than an average civilian in Iraq."
_He called Bush and Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., an amnesty coalition and said"amnesty mercenaries of the Senate"should have a"big, bright, scarlet letter'A'branded on their robes."
King also led a rebellion of 80 House Republicans who opposed renewal of the Voting Rights Act because of a provision that required state and local governments to print ballots in foreign languages or provide interpreters.
Some see King's rhetoric and hardline views as bombast, but his methods have opened new avenues for his political ambitions, which may include a run against four-term Sen. Tom Harkin in 2008. King also has raised the profile of his district, a sprawling farming region with only two sizable cities _ Council Bluffs and Sioux City.
"He is a showman,"says Teresa Wolf, a Democrat from Sioux City who doesn't plan to vote for King this fall."He wants attention and he delivers messages in such outlandish terms that it gets him a lot of publicity. Which is apparently what the man wants."
In an interview, King owns up to wanting attention.
"I sometimes use flowery language to make a point,"he says."It's usually a way to start debate."
But he quarrels with the notion that he is flippant, that he doesn't think before he speaks.
"That wasn't an off-the-cuff remark,"he says of his comments on Abu Ghraib, the Baghdad prison where abuse of prisoners by U.S. soldiers led to an international scandal."I looked up the word'hazing'before I spoke."
In his district there are many, like Madeline Meyer, who think King is just what the country needs.
"He's got a true feel for issues that don't work well in the national media,"says Meyer, a self-described 60-something from Odebolt, a sleepy town just a few miles from King's home in Kiron.
She supports King's efforts on immigration and establishing English as a national language, calling him an adept politician with a particular feel for voter concerns."He gets along with everybody,"she says."He listens."
Others don't share this sanguine view.
On the Internet, at least one Web site _http://www.kingwatch.org_ is dedicated to bashing King. The site is run by an anonymous group that claims to comprise residents in Iowa's 5th Congressional District.
King's opponent in November's election, Democrat Joyce Schulte, likewise has a hard time being diplomatic when she talks about him.
"I don't know if I have enough words in the English dictionary for this,"she says."It's unbelievable how he wastes the job."
King tends to ignore the critics and stands by what he says, even the crisp one-liners that make liberal groups howl.
A notable exception came earlier this year when King apologized to 86-year-old White House correspondent Helen Thomas. King had told a group of Republican Party activists days after the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,"There probably are not 72 virgins in the hell he's at. And if there are, they probably all look like Helen Thomas."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
After my last King bashing column, one reader (who threatend to become a former reader) was very offended that I exhorted Republicans to regain their self-respect by not re-electing King, and proceded to write a glowing pro-King letter to the editor. I am all for using newspapers as a public forum, so her response was completely appropriate, but it certainly didn't persuade me to become a King fan. What's more, while hyperbole and sarcasm are the stock and trade of political columnists, I genuinely meant it. I didn't mean to be mean to Republicans, just to King. Gerald Ford and Barry Goldwater are great examples of Republicans who deserve everyone's respect because they could manage to be civil, bipartisan and practical when they needed to be. Heck Reagan and Schwarzenegger deserve infinitely more respect than Steve King. Believe me, some of my favorite people in this world are Republicans, I LOVE, respect, and care about many Republicans, so believe me when I tell you that Steve King makes Republicans, and Iowa look really bad.
2008 is a long way away, but it's never too soon for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents in our district to start looking for King's replacement. I would love to see Clarence Hoffman run, I might even vote for him. I'd love to see somone get up the gumption to start a recall campaign- can Congressmen be recalled? Arizona had a governor once, (Evan Mecham) who was as egotistical, anti-intellectual, racist, and corrupt as King and they got enough voter signatures to get him removed from office. SURELY, is we are such a red district, the Republican party can come up with somone to challenge this yahoo.
Bushisms- US President Proves How Difficult English Really Is!
Bushisms - Demonstrating the difficulty of English by some of the more memorable quotes made by George W. Bush
Most teachers will certainly agree with me that we spend a lot of time trying to convince our students that English is really not so difficult.
Most teachers will certainly agree with me that we spend a lot of time trying to convince our students that English is really not so difficult.
English is so difficult that even the current President of The United States has some difficulty using it correctly. Here are some memorable quotes of President George W. Bush. Unfortunately, President Bush seems to have some basic English usage problems. Take a look at these quotes, have a good laugh, and see if you can spot the mistake. Click on the arrow to see if you have identified the mistake correctly.
Re: No Wonder English is so Difficult
More Reflections On Why English Is So Difficult!
- We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes; but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
- One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
- You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice; yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
- If the plural of man is always called men, why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
- If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet, and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
- If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
- Then one may be that, and three would be those, yet hat in the plural would never be hose, and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
- We speak of a brother and also of brethren; but, though we say mother, we never say methren. Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him, but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.
Some reasons to be grateful if you grew up speaking English (read aloud):
- The bandage was wound around the wound.
- The farm was used to produce produce.
- The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
- We must polish the Polish furniture.
- He could lead if he would get the lead out.
- The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
- Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
- At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
Let's face it - English is a crazy language. Screwy pronunciations can mess up your mind! For example...
- If you have a rough cough, climbing can be tough when going hrough the bough on a tree!
- There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
- English muffins weren't invented in England nor French fries in France.
- Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes
- We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square.
- A guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
- Why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham?
- Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
- If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
- If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
- If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
- In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
- Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
- Have noses that run and feet that smell?
- How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wiseguy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, across the ages, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all).
That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
OWCH!
This is why airlines shouldn't outsourse their labor force. Obviously, somebody working for Continental doesn't know that friends don't let friends taxi planes drunk.My Dad worked for American Air Freight for over 40 years, I hope he sees this. Work Union!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
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