Stupid Decisions: Can We Avoid Making Them?

Excellent, Pat. I love the analogy at the end. Exactly right. Thanks. 

Spin leads to group think and group think is a substitute for critical analysis and rational thought.  This is especially true in my environment of the SF Bay Area where, as Mayor Gavin Newsom is always so fond of proclaiming, we celebrate our diversity.  Well, it is celebrated until an individual decides to engage in independent thought and is quickly ostracized upon formulating any opinion outside of the group think realm.  Ideological tyranny against others of different thoughts and opinion abounds in this self proclaimed bastion of diversity.

After last weeks State of the Union address, my Obama flavor kool-aid addicted friends were commenting on the speech.  Not one of them addressed the substance, only its tone and the coolness of its presenter.  When I said he lifted a page right out of President Reagan’s administration, whom they consider the evil emperor incarnate, they all freaked and proclaimed nausea at the mere thought that I could make any comparison, despite the fact that Obama himself paid tribute to Reagan, along with JFK, in his speech.

I tried to tell them, but my words fell on death ears just as much as the substance of Obama’s words were death to them.  I tried to convince them, in the text of Obama’s speech he called for lower corporate tax rates, an elimination of capital gains tax on small businesses and expansion of nuclear power, all being core elements of Reagan’s policies.  Heads exploded when I said his call for opening up offshore reserves to further oil drilling echoed the words of Sarah Palin, “drill, baby, drill.”

With the printed text of the speech in front of them, they still refused to acknowledge the words contained therein are identical to Reagan’s on those issues.  These are not uneducated people either, they are all highly educated professionals, caught up in their highly educated non-critically thinking group thinking elitism.  The coolness of Obama and his oratory are all that matter.

I was short of cash one day, years ago, and picked up a cheap six pack of Old Milwaulkee Beer, double bagged to hide my shame.  I liked it.  I did some research and discovered that it often wins blind taste tests, nationaly and internationaly.  Now it is my beer of choice.  I used to defend my choice with my snooty friends by telling them about the awards.  Now I hand them a beer and they can drink or not.  I pick my political candidates with experience in mind – drunk.  No.  Just kidding.  I pay attention to the sound of the violin.

Thoughtful post, Pat.

with THAT experience..

Yes GK, I experience the same reactions.  It always puzzles me that rational analyses often fall oin deaf (or already programmed might be a better way to look at it) ears.

Pat,
Like the subject (and the graphics of course).

“We are so influenced by hype, glitz, cultural biases and tricks, and other gimmicks that lead us to make decisions already predetermined by others.”

Anybody buy ZIMA?

As a woman of a certain age, I feel free to say “know thyself”.  There is nothing like experience to know the difference between the real thing and a phony.  Sometimes we are lucky enough to be able to spot the phonies quite easily(like Obama).  The real thing is harder.  I love my sound system for the tv, it has a mute button on it that I use quite frequently.  That, and the dvr where I can fast forward through the commercials are my favorite things when watching tv.
I don’t take part in politics any longer, so that doesn’t bother me as much as it used to.  I just feel so sad for all our children and grandchildren.  They will never know a world like I grew up in.

Stupid Decisions: Can We Avoid Making Them?

Obama has one advise about that. He said, “You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”

I think this is one of the few times that Obama has said something right. Lets celebrate.

Stupid Decisions: Can we avoid making them.
 
Obama has one advise about that. He said, “You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.” 
 
I think this is one of the few times that Obama has said something right. Lets celebrate.

Pat,

Great article that really puts things in perspective, when it comes to avoiding being bamboozled.  The last line of your article is absolutely right on. 

All that glitters is not gold, especially in politics!

Stupid Decisions: Can we avoid making them. 
  
Obama has one advise about that. He said, “You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”  
  
I think this is one of the few times that Obama has said something right. Lets celebrate.

Well, maybe there is something wrong with that sentence after all, but not being a connoisseur of the English language I wouldn’t know what it would be.

The whole quote would probably sounds better. Obama said about “Stupid Decisions: Can we avoid making them”

During the president’s town hall meeting in Nashua, New Hampshire, he discussed the need to curb spending during tough economic times.  “When times are tough, you tighten your belts,” the president said. “You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”

I love it when Obama says something right. But did he?

Stupid Decisions: Can we avoid making them.  
   
Obama has one advise about that. He said, “You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”   
   
I think this is one of the few times that Obama has said something right. Lets celebrate. 
 
Well, maybe there is something wrong with that sentence after all, but not being a connoisseur of the English language I wouldn’t know what it would be.

The whole quote would probably sounds better. Obama said about “Stupid Decisions: Can we avoid making them” 
 
During the president’s town hall meeting in Nashua, New Hampshire, he discussed the need to curb spending during tough economic times.  “When times are tough, you tighten your belts,” the president said. “You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.” 
 
I love it when Obama says something right. But did he?

I find that this is a buttery, chewy, brawny post with a supple toasty finish, and just a hint of herbaceous rusticity. 

“We are so influenced by hype, glitz, cultural biases and tricks, and other gimmicks that lead us to make decisions already predetermined by others”

Indeed, Pat.  And now that we are entering the Academy Awards season, we are about to be treated to a dazzling parade of apparitions who have transcended mere humanity and exist in a godlike empyrean of wealth, beauty, and sophisticated though perhaps artfully disarrayed coolness . . .

But underneath all that they’re just naked people, similar to the rest of us.

I’m so sick of celebrities!  I’ll settle for a tumbler of 2-Buck Chuck.

oowawa–You are so priceless!

If you work in tourism, a noble trade I believe, you don’t want the President telling people not to support your business.  Maybe he should do his next town hall from the WH, via TV.  That would save money.  Jimmy Carter told people to tighten their belts, stay home, don’t spend money.  That worked out like mud in a wine bottle on an already sluggish economy.  Looked good on the label but tasted like mud.

You don’t buy a house you can’t afford (unless your friend is Tony Rezko).

Obama’s Razor-”do as I say , not as I do”

He didn’t mean not to go to Vegas to have a good time. He meant not to play at the gambling tables. But don’t despair tourist workers, more and more cities and states are adding gambling tables to their entertainment choices. Definitely not a stupid decision, no? Definitely something  that can’t be avoided.

I double that. ..or make mine a double.

Hey oowawa,
    “I find that this is a buttery, chewy, brawny post with a supple toasty        finish, and just a hint of herbaceous rusticity.”
You don’t by any chance write the food column in New Yorker Mag.?
Oooooo-au natural in flagrante–enticing.

Priceless?  Does that mean “cheap”?  (Blush)–Thanks Pat, you’re priceless too! (Blush again) and all that blushing reminds me of a refreshing summer beverage scorned by wine snobs–vin rose or white zin poured over ice–mouth filling and totally quaffable!

Obama when he speaks he sounds to me like the newscasters when they are presenting a video for us to look at and they say: “take a listen.” I love it when they say that. Don’t you. Take a listen.

Funny.  I had a friend in Pittsburg tell me she heard Obama say, DURING A RADIO INTERVIEW, “Look here..”  But here again the fancy label.  Since the words came from her radio during a show she respected she said she actually turned and looked at the radio.

On Quality and Price

My ex always focused on quality.  If necessary, she would have fewer clothes, but they would always be of high quality.  One of her most important criteria for judging quality was the cost of the item.  She wouldn’t buy a $60 dress, skirt, or even blouse…unless it was marked down from $100 or more.  Kinda like those Jos. A. Bank $700 suits that you can get almost anyday for $199, with a second one for $99.

The point in her mind was that things needed to cost ENOUGH to testify to their quality.

i used to have a closet full of cheap clothes that I wouldn’t wear.  That makes them kind of expensive.

Great post, Pat…very thought-provoking.

Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO

Great cartoon.  I am not a beer drinker so I don’t know about Old Milwaukee but as an old Traider Joe’s customer, I can certainly vouch for Two Buck Chuck.  <g>

The pity is that I have too many friends who are so dazzled by Obama that they act just like my other friends who were bambuzeled by GWB’s Christian Faith.  There is no difference between the two groups that I can tell.  How is it not possible to see the similarities between the most recent two presidents.  So sad. 

Thanks to you, Pat, for starting this discussion. 

A reminder to everyone to vote for Pat’s cartoon on the “Shark of debt.” 

Hi Stan.  Remember a few nights back you pitched CO mountains for skiing.  Tourism is our number one bread earner and I love those skiers, but..

It is STILL snowing and I can’t find my car.  I’ll gladly send some of our tourists your way if you would please also accept some of this snow.

It is very high quality snow, by the way.

2 Buck Chuck…one of my faves!  And, I’m sick of celebrities too, oowawa. 

Speaking of Academy Awards…Jeff Bridges is also one of my faves…as actors go.  I did like him in “Fearless”.  However, his new film is getting lots of hype, buzz, and nominations.  A friend just saw it and reports that it’s just more Hollywood crap…Crazy Heart  (sounds romantic doesn’t it?) is about a formerly famous musician and MIA father and husband; now a falling down drunk who spends most of the film playing in one horse dives, having one night stands and vomiting all over himself.  Redemption and all ya know, gotta hit the bottom in the gutter before you can find yourself blah, blah, blah, blah.  I don’t know…haven’t we seen this predictible POS before?  Yet it’s up for bestest of everything.  Consider yourself forewarned.

I just checked out the contest site.  Pat’s Shark Art is on page three.  They rotate the toons.  Everybody go vote!

http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/15558?order=recency&view_entries=1

Straight to page three.  Look for the DEBT Shark.

Yes, Geoff, you’re in the belly of the beast in SF.  I refuse to shop or go to restaurants in SF anymore.  I really resent that 4% surcharge added to my restaurant check for the SF “Universal” healthcare…which is anything but Universal since it’s only usable in SF.  Since the employees pay their own premiums for this, I guess I’m paying the establishment’s portion…good for the Sanctuary City illegals?  What’s better than FREE? 

Stupid decisions: Can we avoid them?

I have a question. What would happen if we would change everything and instead of our required education ending in 12th. grade, everyone, including PhDs would be required to go to school as a student one day a week for the rest of their lives or until age 65? That is just like the jews are required to go to the Synagogue every Saturday and Christians to church every Sunday, just everyone be required to every Monday to school – every Monday go to school and learn something new – until age 65. What would that cost?

Where are you, AY’s Mother?  Are there skiing areas around?

When I lived in the mountains (Frisco, CO–near Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, and only 25 miles from Vail), my wife had a theory:  It seemed that every April or May, some public official had to be skewered–a mayor, school principal or superintendent of schools, maybe a county commissioner.  She thought that the citizens had grown weary of being nice to the tourists and had to railroad someone out of town.

Stan

Freedom.  Freedom to learn more on our own.  Freedom to be dumb.  But still Freedom.  Priceless.

I rather like that idea Lark, but here’s an interesting fact.  It’s retired people who are going back to school in DROVES.  They want to learn new things and to take classes they never had a chance to take earlier.  But by then many have already figured out that the sound of the violin is all that really counts.

The question is how do younger and middle age adults get away from work and kids to learn?  Will tghe Kindle serve the same purpose (or some way to encourage more reading)?

Hi Annie–Yeah, Jeff Bridges is like the 2-Buck Chuck of the movie world.  IMHO-always underrated, always delivers–never disappoints.  Loved Fearless.  He’s good at playing a drunk who is hitting bottom (forget which movie that was).  Now I’m going to have to watch the AW’s!  I am curious which actor/actress is going to have an acceptance speech offering an offhand tribute to “that elegant man.”  And then there’s the gowns–Ah! The Cleavage!

I’m back in school! It was the best decision I could have made.  When I lost my job in the stock market crash, I thought my life was over. Wrong, oh so wrong.

I came so close to losing my mother and husband last year. I didn’t. Money is tight, we are getting by and I am starting a new career.

It took a big kick in the ass for me to see what is really important.

Total agreeance about Jeff Bridges.

You are in good form tonight, oowawa!

Stan. I am WestVirginia304.  WV has many resorts and Snowshoe is the biggest.  Some call it the mile-high island in the sky because all the accomodations are at the top of the mountain.  Do you like my temporary screen name?  Yes.  By the end of winter many locals are tired of the rich tourists expecting the car they just ran into a ditch fixed before the locals’ that have been in the garage a week.  But we welcome them back.  Without them we would not have the skiing that we have here.  No mud here behind the label.  This is the real thing – Almost Heaven.

Found it!  Cookies must be enabled on your browser for that site in order to vote . . .

Sounds like you heard the violin.  Stay strong.  Your story is inspiring.

Ah, yes.  I remember.  WV is one of the half-dozen or so states I’ve never been to.

Thanks! I have a long road ahead of me with lots of challenges. Some people would say “Why is she smiling?”

But I smile. Every day.

I have had my fill of celebrities as well. I saw a clip of Ashton Kutcher from the view. When Ahton was asked about Tim Tebow and his superbowl ad, he said he hadn’t seen it, but that the guy ought to stick to football. I couldn’t help but to think how arrogant that was. Ashton might stick to punking people and quit judging football players who have causes of their own. He doesn’t have to agree, but let somebody have an opinion on their own. These celebrities think nothing applies to them. Sounds like a President we all know to me.

I am back in school at age 44.  I love it, love it, love it.  I am getting a bachelors and may get a masters after that!  I am impressing upon my young sons to take the time to get the degree and if by chance it turns out not to be what they want to do, go back and get another one!  It is never too late!

Pat–As always, thought-provoking article from you. Thanks.
 And by the way, I’m an old violinist who has not practiced in 40 years, so if you heard MY violin, you’d know what to do—Hit me over the head with it cause I sound like crap now!  And therein lies another lesson: never stop practicing, or striving, to give life your best.

West Va —–Yours is one of my favorite states. Gorgeous countrysides and good, decent people with a rich, interesting history.
And although y’all have only sent two women to Congress, that’s just two women LESS than Massachusetts (!!!)…and Delaware, Vermont and Iowa have sent NONE.
So, y’all are leaps and bounds ahead of some of those “liberally educated” states.
Stand proud.

Well.  We did go over 2 to 1 for Hillary over Obama in the 08 primary.  Pretty smart.  Yes?

That’s what I’m talking about, kiddo!

Cindy–you are funny!  I guess playing the violin isn’t quite like riding a bicycle, but I bet you would be much better at it than you think!

WVa—-p.s.  When I was young and teaching school in DC area, I also worked in a music store. Taffy Nivert’s mother came in all the time to buy record albums and would ALWAYS remind me that Taffy co-wrote ” Take Me Home, Country Roads” with Denver. She was very proud, and should have been.
Also Jim Morrison’s (of The Doors, in case you’re really young) mother  came into the music store the day after he died in Paris, and bought every Doors album we had. She was very stoic, sad, with dark glasses and a scarf. i’ll never forget that.

I voted. Thanks for the direction!

Pat–Thanks! And I just proudly voted for your Debt Shark. Good luck!

When I lived in DC in the early 80s there was a music store in Georgetown that could get any record you wanted.  I forgot the name of the store.  Did you work there?

Yum. Two buck Chuck.

If anyone actually sees the movie perhaps they can let us know what they think. With all all due respect, Annie, your review is given without seeing it yourself.

Nice Cartoon about a serious human condition, greed, wishful thinking, and gullibility.
As to the example of the speech, it is not just men v. women.  It can also be about short man versos tall man.  Also, how someone is introduced can affect how the same speech is heard and appreciated.
Any good snake oil salesperson, con person, good sales person, preacher, politician and others know how to manipulate people’s need for greed, to sound or look smart, to be in the in-group, to please someone, or hope against odds that what they know is not true and that this other person (I call “The Savior” ) will have some magic answer.  Whenever we give responsibility for one’s life over to others because we cannot be bothered to do our own research, we are vulnerable.  Whenever we want to be right, more than being correct, we are vulnerable to others who will gladly feed that need as long as it is in their best interest.  I believe you get the point.
I remember Madoff and the Ponzie  scheme.  All the pyramid schemes where people lost great sums of money.  Think of all the get rich quick schemes where people lost great sums of money and property. 
Take the time to listen to your gut and check to see if it is your gut or your greed that is in charge.  Look at your own life experiences and see if it matches the new information coming in and, if not, why not?  And look for verified experiences of others.  As the saying goes,” if it is too good to be true, the high probability is that it is not true,” regardless of how many people tell you that this time it is. 
Hope in God in my opinion is good.  Hope that a man can do God-like magic, not so good, not even if that entity’s name is Obama, Pelosi, the Democratic Party, or the Republican Party.
Rich

Whadda know!  We get the most expensive president (in spending) and he turns out to be skunked beer in a cracked bottle.

Our celebrity culture has come full force to bite us in the buttocks.

Andrew—-No, I worked at Giant Music. It was a blast, too, esp during those days. But I went to Georgetown alot. Loved it. I lived near Wisconsin & Mass Ave. originally.
I’ll never forget the night of Watergate break-in, because DC was about to have a devasting flood. newscasters said if it rained anymore, DC would be destroyed. The next morning we all went down to Potomac to see it come almost out of its banks.
Later I realized what a metaphor that was, because we almost lost DC that night and we almost lost the country, due to Watergate!

Nice work and sound advice Pat!
I was too young to vote for JFK, but thereafter dutifully hit the D button.
Truthfully, I was only “high” three times on the “home-brew” from Arkansas!

One of the best things about getting old, well maybe the only good thing about getting old, is the don’t give a crap gene exerts itself more often.

I don’t give a crap about designer clothes. I want good quality, decent fit and reasonable prices. The day I pay $100+ for a damn pair of jeans so some designer can advertise on my ass is the day I hope they haul me away. (Although considering the size of my ass these days it would be almost as good as advertising on a billboard.)

Brand names don’t impress me when I can often/usually get store brands cheaper and with no lessening of quality.

I am less than impressed with some snot-nose in the air elite telling me what wine I should drink or what art I should appreciate. If I’m gonna drink it then it should be what “I” like. The same for art. (Although I do draw a line a Elvis on Velvet.)

My grandmother, who had a degree in economics from Bryn Mawr College, spent the last few years of her life learning Ancient Greek. Why? Because she thought life was about learning. She was also a full-time artist, listed, with paintings in collections around the world, and politically involved. She was on the county planning commission for decades. She would have thought the required education after high school was a government intrusion on her freedom to decide what was best for her. I agree. I am a horseman, and when I was in “horse school” my instructor said something I still apply today, in all facets of my life. He said, “If you ride a horse, and you don’t learn anything, then you should get out of the business, because you are no use to your horse, your students, or anyone else.” I don’t ride anymore, injuries and age, but I still learn something from my horses, through observation and handling, every day. And I apply that maxim to all other aspects of my life too. Learning is good for your mind, it exercises it. And the brain is like a muscle, if you don’t use it, it atrophies.

kenoshamarge–very funny!  But wisdom in there also!

You’re right, Kenoshamarge–Paintings of Elvis on black Velvet tend to be rather tacky–especially when Jesus is in the same painting.  How’s this for a great action painting featuring a naked Obama on a unicorn, which is goring the moose ridden by a naked Palin?

I went back to school in my 40′s and took Philosophy. As a music major in undergrad, I never got to take Phil., or any of the “cool” subjects. Anyway, I made all A’s!! Amazing!
I learned that you’re more relaxed and grownup about education when you go back later…..and the fact that YOU’RE the one paying for it is definitely an incentive to do well.

Well at least Tebow is talking about something that affected him personally which makes him a much more appropriate spokesperson on the subject than Kutcher.  Someone ought to remind Kutcher he ought to stick to Demi Moore, bad movies and Being Punk’d because that’s about all he knows.

It’s none of his damn business how Americans choose to spend their time and their money!! Who the hell does he think he is?? After all, he spent $750 million dollars of OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY to gamble on winning the election. And now he is telling people not to gamble?? And when he first trashed Vegas it was over the companies that got bail-outs having “corporate retreats” that cost hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in Vegas. It had nothing to do with the ordinary American going there. Obama should stop talking and start working. IF he runs again, no one will vote for him simply because they are tired of listening to him. He NEVER shuts up and he sticks his nose into things he shouldn’t. He does everything but the job he was elected to do.

Good correlations to the main theme of this topic, Rich.  It also occurs to me that the general theme of being taken in by hype and packaging relates directly to the fable of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” which many of us have previously invoked in discussing O-worship.

Yes, that’s true.  The review came from a friend of 30 years (some 20 of hers spent in Hollywood).  Guess I can trust her to know my taste but you are right, maybe some will like what, I guess, is supposed to be a “message” movie.  Let us know what you think after you see it Ellen.  As for myself, I’ve seen too much destruction by drugs and alcohol up close and personal to want to pay good money to see one of my favorite actors play a down and outer.  The sad thing is he is nominated for something like this while not even a mention for the wonderful “Fearless” which was all about redemption, transformation as well as beautifully produced. Rosie Perez gave what I thought was the best performance of her career as well.  Isabella Roselini, John Turturro, Benicio Del Toro…I might have to Netflix it this week.

Is this original, oowawa?

Two things, first about the emperor’s new clothes..I saw a comment on another blog/opinion piece that said the problem is not that the emperor has no clothes, but that the clothes have no emperor. I thought that was a very acute observation, and wittily put too. And the other thing, my grandfather, who was very good at the stock market, told me that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

I never understood why the people who invested with Madoff didn’t have alarm bells going off all over the place when they didn’t get the financial quarterly reports on their investment, couldn’t get an answer when they asked questions, etc. I have a trust fund, not anything Madoff would be interested in, but I do get a financial report every quarter detailing how much I have invested in what and what the yield is as far as income and what the tax value is, how much income is taxable, etc. If they stopped sending them, I would sue for breach of fiduciary trust, since it’s their legal obligation to detail all my investments on a quarterly basis. And the people who got ripped off by Madoff were supposed to be finanically savvy enough to be entrusted with millions of dollars to invest for charities and foundations, among others. I wouldn’t care how charming or socially active the person I invested with was, I would yank my money out so fast his head would spin the first time I didn’t get a quarterly report. And I am not financially savvy by any means, that’s why I have a trust fund, my grandmother knew I don’t handle money well. But I can read a quarterly report and I know I am supposed to get one from my trust bank, or any bank or broker that invests my money for me. Why didn’t Madoff’s investors know the same thing? And if they did, why didn’t they pull out when they got the runaround instead of a financial report?

Cindy, I found that glorious work here:

You’ll notice that there is also a painting on that page of Michelle doing the naked Josephine Baker banana dance.

The artist is Dan Lacey, who normally specializes in painting famous people and animals with pancakes on their heads:

http://faithmouse.blogspot.com/2009/03/obama-unicorn-versus-palin-moose-final.html

When visiting this site, don’t neglect to click on the “Obama Unicorn Gallery” link on the left.  This is a real find!

Okay Elvis and Jesus on black velvet is definitely over the top. However a “naked” Obama on a unicorn, just the thought of a “naked” Obama on a poor helpless unicorn is almost enough to make me take up drinking again. (FYI I quit drinking when I quit smoking because I knew that after a couple of Killian Reds a smoke would seem like a good idea.)

As for a “naked” Palin on a Moose I would like to see it only if she was riding through Coventry to protest taxes or some such thing. I think she would need hair entensions though.

Cindy, this magnificent work was painted by the artist Dan Lacey, who normally specializes in painting works featuring famous people and animals with pancakes on their heads.
Go to the following link and click on the “Obama Unicorn Gallery” link to the left.  This is a real find, IMHO:

http://faithmouse.blogspot.com/2009/03/obama-unicorn-versus-palin-moose-final.html

And at the following link, you can find a major work by the same artist, depicting Michelle Obama on a pink dolphin with a pancake on her head doing the Josephine Baker naked banana dance:

http://www.rightwingnews.com/mt331/2009/03/naked_obama_on_a_unicorn_vs_na.php

Sounds like it was a great movie – Rosie Perez is SO underrated. I know what you mean, Annie – sometimes I hear the plot of a movie and think “I don’t want to see a downer”. But sometimes someone in a group with a stronger stomach than mine orders it on Netflix and I find I like it.
Alcoholic movies aren’t our favorite either for personal reasons – and I can’t drag my husband to see a holocaust film.
Last year he steadfastly refused to see Milk until we had to watch all the nominated best movies and he just loved it.
And the best parts for actors are usually the self-destructive parts, or someone impaired in some way.
Sigh Well, we can always watch Wizard of Oz …again.

oowawa—Thanks for these web sites.
 I went to the eye doc today and my eyes are dialated, so should be perfect viewing!

kenosho—I quit tobacco and joy juice, also, years ago.
 I’m proud of myself and never missed them until Obama. 
I pity anyone trying to kick ANY bad habit now. Sheesh!

Did you hear that the Governor of Nevada has said that Obama is not welcome in the state?? One down, 49 to go!

WV, if you can find your car, get out your skis, or snowshoes!!

Then you will LOVE this poem, kenoshamarge, if you don’t already.

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
Jenny Joseph

I wouldn’t mind Obama sitting on a unicorn, as long as he was sitting on the horn.
O:-)

I do love it! Thanks for sharing. I was always sure that I would not grow old “gracefully”, whatever the hell that means and I was also sure that I would never grow into a “sweet little old lady”. The poem expresses much of what I am and believe. Just need to add a little cantankerous to the mix.

Ouch and yes we can picture such a thing and laugh.

Bad kenoshamarge, bad FlDemFem.

I love the poem, and I’m an old man!  I just hope the ladies at the Red Hat Society give in and let me join up.  Those gals have a good time all the time!

Hey oowawa, the whole point is that you are never too old!
Kick up your heels, until you are flat on your back for the last time!

Hey Sassy–i like it!

Standing up tall with my back flat on the ground . . .

I wonder what Sister Wendy Beckett would have to say about such a magnificent piece of work. (I’ll try to read her mind and post her impressions later when I have some time)

Dan Lacey wouldn’t happen to be a graduate of the “Yemeni Terrorist Rehabilitation Institute of Fine Art”, would he?

As long as you don’t have “Pants on the Ground”  you’re looking good.

I like the concept that the clothes have no Emperor, but I think in this case there has been an even greater reversal of the main theme of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. The throngs of Obama cultists apparently have no eyes, or perhaps no brains, that can process the mountains of compelling evidence that Obama is a pathetic pimple when compared to an average human. 

I wonder how many pancakes could quietly be impaled on a a unicorn’s horn if you sneaked up on one? But I suppose it’s butter not to think of such syruptitious activities.

Onofre,
Now that’s really punny. LOL