outlined
a full moon
rises,
all life
outlined
in silver.
Acrylic on canvas painting and poetry
(c) 2009 by R. Burnett Baker
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Monday, December 29, 2008
A PRIVATE FAMILY MATTER
Sarah Palin's a grandmother! How sweet.
As reported today, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin's UNWED daughter Bristol gave birth to a seven pound son this week. And the father, Levi Johnston (referred to several times in today's AP article as "the young man") can't wait to take him hunting and fishing. Send them a rifle, amo, hooks, and a box of worms as a gift. God bless America. Pass the bait.
Back in October I wrote about Governor Palin campaigning against gay marriage during the presidential race. She had been interviewed by CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network), home of former presidential hopeful and television preacher Pat Robertson, about the gay marriage subject. My main point was that gay marriage was (and still is) a non issue. At the time it was a smoke and mirror subject that pandered to the religious right for votes, got a segment of the voting population lathered up with emotional content, and diverted attention away from the little matter of the conservative Christian Governor's reported family disfunctions, most notably her UNWED pregnant daughter. Oh yeah....As I mentioned in October, it also diverted our attention away from issues like the Afgan and Iraqi wars, health care, energy, education, and the crumbling economy, just to name a few.
It's not my intention here to rehash that story. I just want to point out, and keep in view, yet another example of the ongoing hypocrisy we tend to ignore about these public figures as they blather on out of both sides of their mouths about how we should be living our lives and how what they do is ok, fine, or none of our business. According to the AP, the governor's office would not comment on Governor Palin's UNWED pregnant daughter giving birth, saying that it was a "private, family matter." Indeed. I would imagine that thousands of gay men and women would say the same thing about their own marriages, if they were allowed to marry.
As for Bristol Palin and "the young man" getting married, it was hinted in today's report that they were "considering" getting married next summer. Sweet! My question is, what the hell are they waiting for? The responsibility has arrived. Let's see some of those evangelical Christian values put into action, even if the morality part was cast aside nine months ago.
Well, that's ok. No one needs the governor's office to make any official announcement. And the Christian Broadcasting Network need not blush over the matter either. Sarah Palin doesn't have to call Tina Fey and have it announced on Saturday Night Live. No, none of that. Colleen Jones, the sister of Bristol's grandmother, according to the AP, spilled the bait.
She's the family member who was arrested this month on felony drug charges for allegedly trying to sell OxyContin to a couple of police informants. Another "private, family matter"?
In the mean time, let's hope (where's Obama when you need him?) this doesn't tarnish Sarah Palin's image. After all, according to the media, she's a potential candidate for president in 2012. And all of these trials and tribulations simply "humanize" her and her family, according to the AP report.
Pass the bait. But don't tell anyone, it's a private family matter.
(c)2008 R. Burnett Baker
Friday, November 28, 2008
BLACK FRIDAY, BLOOD RED
On Thursday we gave thanks. This Friday morning we trampled a man to death.
Yes, at 5AM today Long Island, NY Wal-Mart employee, Mr. Jdimytai Damour, trying to control the doors just before opening, was knocked down by crazed shoppers forcing their way into the store, running for those oh so freakin important bargains. They trampled him to death. All for Samsung flatscreen TV's, Bissel vacuum cleaners, and The Incredible Hulk DVD's for $9. Black Friday has taken on, not the color of green, but the color of blood red.
Happy Thanksgiving! Merry freakin Christmas!
Having been in retail for over 25 years, I long ago lost any respect for customers overall, and I absolutely loathe the holiday period from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. As my college classmate, columnist, and close friend Andrew T. Durham has said many times, "Everything has the potential to be meaningless." Today selfish, greedy, thoughtless, lowlife, consuming scum in a New York Wal-Mart showed that to be true.
A Wal-Mart spokesman issued a statement today saying that the security and safety of Wal-Mart employees is a "top priority." A meaningless statement. Otherwise Mr. Damour would be alive tonight.
And ALL retailers must be held accountable for this as well. They have purposely created the monsters called customers who literally commit manslaughter to boost traffic, sales, and profits in the name of free enterprise and yes, Jesus!
If security and safety were a priority for any retailer, none of them would be open at 4AM or 5AM or 6AM. Period. They would open when daylight appeared. They would have ample security for crowd control. And ideally they would not have these idiotic "door buster" sales and promotions to lure these braindead shoppers to their doors in the first place. None of these shoppers - I repeat NONE of them - are shopping early in the spirit of love and giving. No, these jackasses are shopping for themselves. I've seen them, waited on them, and been "polite" to them (meaningless) just to satisfy the corporate masters' desire for higher comp sales.
None of these retailers' balance sheets, profit margins, shareholders, or dividends are important enough to help participate in the meaningless death of an employee. The authorities should ensure that Wal-Mart is heavily penalized in some way as a form of accountability. And if, through reviewing surveillance videos, the police can identify and arrest those responsible directly and indirectly for the depraved indifference that caused Mr. Damour's death, they should be put in prison for life as examples to other crapheaded shoppers who push, shove and potentially kill to buy junk they don't need with money they don't have. Let 'em rot in jail!
And folks, I'm being restrained here as to how I really feel about retail and customers during this time of year. It was Harry Selfridge of Selfridge Department Store in London who, in 1909 coined the phrase "The Customer Is Always Right." It's hogwash. Today customers should be ashamed of themselves. They could never be more wrong as they were in Long Island this morning. Today retailers should be ashamed of themselves. They could never be more wrong about making Black Friday green: Their dollars are the color of blood red.
Merry Christmas!
(c)2008 R. Burnett Baker
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
THE WAR IS OVER! THE ECONOMY FIXED! (NO?)
Could have fooled me! I mean, I've been following Tina Fe... I mean Sarah Palin this week, and she's campaigning by harping on that oh so important "issue" of gay marriage. (As I've said before, it ISN'T an issue. It's a CAUSE) Yep! The Republican candidate for Vice-President is, according to this week's press reports, "breaking" with John McCain on the question of gay marriage. My guess is that she and the campaign strategists must believe that this stupidly emotional subject might get folks whipped up in a foaming mouth lather and spur the Republicans on to victory.
According to the Christian Broadcasting Network, Palin hopes to see a federal ban on such unions. CBN is home to former presidential hopeful and television preacher Pat Robertson. I suppose by being interviewed by CBN, Palin's handlers thought that by spewing more nonsense about this non-issue, voters would ignore this week's reports about her questionable use of taxpayers' dollars for her children's travel expenses to official functions. Functions, that according to some organizers, they were not invited to. According to reporters Brett Blackledge, Adam Goldman, and Matt Apuzzo of the Associated Press, these questionable expenses add up to well over $21,000.
Also in the CBN interview, Palin said that God and religion had been "mocked" throughout the campaign. I didn't read any explanation as to what she meant by that. But Palin, who by most accounts is a conservative Christian (Pentecostal), should be as at home at CBN as she is on Saturday Night Live. Such intellectual depth!
As for the gay marriage subject, Palin alluded to the ideal that strong families come from marriages of one man and one woman. We've all heard the arguments about how the family will be destroyed by gay marriage. Never mind that various studies and demographic data puts the divorce rate in the United States at somewhere between 41% to 50%, depending on methodology, and that divorce rates among conservative Christians are significantly higher than for other religious groups, and higher than agnostics and atheists. This according to on study conducted by the Barna Research Group.
It is interesting that these Bible thumping folks are so worried that gay men and women might legally marry and do what? Increase the divorce rates for conservative Christians? According to one Barna study, the divorce rate for Baptists is 29%, mainline Protestants 25%, Mormons 24%, Catholics and Lutherans both 21%, and non-denominational (evangelicals, fundamentalists, and others not affiliated with mainstream denominations) 34%. So much for the sanctity of heterosexual marriage.
And reading reports about Palin's various family "issues", I'd opine that she isn't quite the role model the Republicans would have wanted. Or CBN for that matter. But nevertheless, here we have it: A vice-presidential candidate going on comedy shows to boost network ratings (and presumably the Republicans' ratings), being investigated about questionable use of taxpayer dollars, being tabloid fodder regarding her reported family dysfunctions, and campaigning against a subject that isn't even an issue.
The issues are Iraq, Afghanistan, terror, borders, education, taxes, and health care. Oh yeah, the failing global economy and job security for all Americans. And the Republican VP candidate is worried about a subject that affects really NO ONE except for a fractional minority who would enjoy economic parity and social stability not currently allowed by law. Palin's "happy" family isn't going to be affected. Her UNWED pregnant daughter, certainly won't be marginalized by gay marriage. Her children will still be able to fly to various functions they're not invited to and have no business attending at taxpayers' expense. And she will still be able to mix and mingle with rich TV ministries, hypocrisy notwithstanding.
And the war won't be lost or won, nor will the global economic meltdown be stopped if Palin and those like her pass meaningless amendments to stop a non-issue. But I'd really like for both the Democratic and Republican candidates to stop the foolishness and tell me what the hell they plan for confronting and solving real issues and problems facing our citizens, the nation, and our global reputation.
What, the war isn't over? The economy isn't fixed? Well thank God for CBN, SNL, and all those causes that will provide a diversion and excuse for NOT thinking, and give the candidates "meaningful" forums for keeping us focused on nothing.
(c)2008 R.Burnett Baker
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