Happy Halloween

Today I saw a sign on a church advertising a "Festival of Lights" for the evening of October 31. I'm sure my conception of this is very different from theirs. My ideal would be all these kids dressed in costumes carrying flashlights or lit up pumpkins throughout the neighborhood where all the windows have illuminated Jack-o-Lanterns or glow-in-the-dark black cats or witches...... cackle cackle.... boil and bubble, toil and trouble..... wingardium leviosa. Please can I have some extra candy????

But this is a special time of year for the denizens of the CPS Nargle. Obviously they can't have chocolate and too much sugar is worse for their teeth than for the average kid. But they get excited none the less.

Captain 'Roid has been plotting in the Nargle about vengeance on the cats. Her musings are interrupted whenever anyone goes into the kitchen, however. The Captain is the original chow hound. You can see from her face she just was giving orders ending in "ARRRRGH". Just look at that scowl!!!! Lord help whichever cat she has decided to take action against.

Now First Mate Leny has just returned from her patrol of the perimeter of the yard. Her primary duty is to bark and hassle any travelers in the alley behind the house. She also keeps a wary eye out for any stray cats who happen by. Her favorite prey is Skippy-Kee who loves to tease and run. But have you ever seen a cuter pirate dog?

Lookout Weetzie keeps both eyes peeled for trouble, especially in the form of joggers or walkers in front of the house. Her assignment is to nag the First Mate until the latter goes to the window and acts ferociously enough to deter any passers-by. Even though Weet's right eye doesn't look all that clear in the picture, she doesn't miss a trick---or treat.

After all, isn't that what this holiday is all about?????????? So be generous, especially if these three come to your door:

Happy Halloween from the Pirate Dogs. Remember, they love you and a little treat goes a long way----Trust me, you don't want their "TRICKS."

Sunday Thoughts

Sunday morning----- Sitting in a recliner, relaxing with coffee, reading the Sunday New York Times (online---wouldn't get it until Tuesday by mail here). I just finished mowing the lawn and doing some other chores that don't get done during the work week. Sunday mornings.......

I just read a segment somewhere that talked about the "liberal religious" movement. What??????????? Today's "religious right" would definitely not be confused with any progressive agendas. Anti-abortion, anti-same-sex relationships, anti-Muslim, anti-immigration, anti-just about any kind of social progress it seems. (Just for the record, being "pro-choice" is NOT the opposite of being "pro-life." I personally find the use of abortion as a means of birth control unacceptable. It's a failure to excercise the plethora of choices and options already available. It mocks the very term "pro-choice.")

Take the modern harvest celebration. The Christian Church around the corner is having a "Fall Festival"; the Nazarenes down the road are having "Neewollah" (isn't speaking backward a sign of demonic possession----just asking). I like the idea of putting Christ back into Christmas and also favor putting the Witch back into Halloween. I hate the political correctness namy-pamby-ism that doesn't allow parades of costumed kids on the last day of October. We make sure that if there's candy left over, it's the type we like best!!!!

By the way, the liberal religious movement I referred to above was the Berrigan brothers and other clergy opposed to the Vietnam war. I wish our present day clergy had the same moral fortitude, but seeing the size of some of these churches, I guess the need to fill them with donating worshippers frequently overrides a sense of moral conviction. As the ad for one of the Baptist congregations states: "Religion with a casual approach." Now if that's not an oxymoron.........

Time Travel

Driving on the highway the other day, a perfect confluence of events punctured the space-time continuum and transported me back to when long hair for men was ok and my guitar strap was red with white doves alternating with white peace symbols.

The radio was playing Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. As the vocal wailed "Four dead in Ohio" I passed a pick-up with a bumper sticker reading America, Love It or Leave It. Serious flashback, man.........................Today, we'd say Blue or Red, Joe the Plumber or "palin around with terrorists". ( I meant to spell it that way!!!!)

Why there are people who "'oppose your interests' and 'really believe that if they can make you afraid enough or angry enough, you can be tricked into voting against yourself. It is all part of the same contempt, and [on Election Day] you can show them the mistake they have made.' The debate wasn't between left or right, but between 'the politics of fear and the politics of trust. One says: you are encircled by monstrous dangers. Give us power over your freedom so we may protect you. The other says: the world is a baffling and hazardous place, but it can be shaped to the will of men...cast your vote for trust, not just in leaders or policies, but trusting your fellow citizens, in the ancient tradition of this home for freedom and, most of all, for trust in yourself."

If that don't sound like the Bush/Cheney era and the tone of the 2008 presidential campaign, I don't know what would. Divisiveness, the culture wars, an unpopular military action overseas, fear of terrorism and crime......The above is from Nixonland by Rick Perlstein on pgs.536-537. The context is a televised speech by then Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine exhorting voters to cast their ballots the next day for Democratic candidates. The fear-mongers were Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. And their speeches and approaches would be so familiar to John McCain and Sarah Palin----because they are the same. And for me, Edmund Muskie's words ring as true today as when he spoke them on that evening in 1970.

Vote early if you can (I did) and please vote with your head, not your fears!!!!!

Plumbers and Attacks

Joe the Plumber, Joe the Plumber, Joe the Plumber, Joe the Plumber, Joe the Plumber, Joe the Plumber, Joe the Plumber.....A campaign that gets too much money can become corrupt.....
These are Republican talking points, coming in large part from the candidate John McCain himself. Personally, I'd be distancing myself from Plumbers and corruption if I were a Republican. Or doesn't the Maverick remember a little break-in at the Watergate Hotel by someone linked to him personally, G. Gordon Liddy, a member of Nixon's Plumbers, the epitome of corrupt campaigning. John, John, John, where did you go?

So there I was, walking through the bedroom. When a flash erupted from the top of the Nargle. Poor little Weetzie the look-out fled in terror. AndromeClee had leaped from the mast of the ship and slashed her vicious claws at the look-out. And the Captain is brooding in the recliner.......

Another Roller Coaster

So another roller coaster week comes to a close. The president addressed the nation about the economy and caused the Dow to fall and our retirement investments to lose value. I'd estimate he's causing me to add 2 months to my planned retirement date every time he opens his fool mouth!!!!! Enough already----let's inaugurate the winner of Nov. 4 on Nov. 5 before W can wreak any more havoc.

Then Saturday Night Live---Sarah "'Cuda" Palin and Sarah "Tina Fey" Palin on the same screen. Holy secret identity crisis!!!!! That's like Superman and Clark Kent or Batman and Bruce Wayne appearing in the same frame!!!!!!!!!!!! Will this nation ever recover................

Next, there was Meet the Press on Sunday. Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama. But even more tellingly, he emphasized what America is all about. It makes no difference if a candidate is Arab, Muslim, black, or a veteran, old, white, and out of touch. As long as he's an American and eligible for the presidency. Powell showed more sense with his observations than either candidate has shown with their attacks. Maybe McCain's biggest error was not getting him for V.P. Or perhaps it's a sign of how low the Republican Party has sunk that it could not field him as their candidate.

Thursday night was miraculous. Not only do los socquitos rojos thrive on being 3 games down, they came back in 2 innings from SEVEN runs down as well!!!!! And they won Saturday!!!!! Isn't it a foregone conclusion who will win Sunday and sweep the Phillies in 4???? Like there's any suspense left to the baseball season.........

Space Cadet

Talk about appropriate venues for campaign appearances!!!! Sarah Palin (click on the link and click on objects around the picture, especially the door on the left---do that several times!! Save the red phone for last.) has a rally scheduled for Sunday in Roswell New Mexico.


For the uninitiated, Roswell is the home of the only UFO crash that yielded an alien body. Even the McDonald's has an alien and flying saucer theme. The creature was whisked off to Area 51 in the Nevada desert for scientists in the employ of the US Air Force to examine and experiment on. I kid you not--here's proof:

Down that dirt road is the crash site, now on private property. The sign has the contact info for the tour company that can show you the site. Guess beef prices were down and this guy needed something to hold him over...............

Speaking of abductions, shouldn't the government and Wall Street do that to the formerly lame-, now dead-duck President W? Have you noticed that the biggest drops in the Dow this past week all came on days when George W. spoke to the American people about the economic crisis and how his government's actions would get us through it!! Maybe the 'Cuda-Pit Bull-Hockey Mom should go to Wall Street and W can visit Roswell. Then we'd know there was really extraterrestrial life because I'm sure he's a fish those UFO pilots would throw back!!!!!!!!

The Last Debate

OK, I'm sure you've all been deluged with the analysis and commentary about the last presidential debate Wednesday night. So what have I got to add? Probably not much, but............
As the Pirate Dogs and I watched the candidates, we noticed a couple of statements that screamed out for some further exposition but as of this posting I haven't seen any---in the N Y Times, on MSNBC, the BBC, FoxNews, etc.

First, does John McCain really equate Down's Syndrome with autism??? And does the fact that Sarah Palin has a Down's baby make her one of the world's foremost authorities on autism and special education as Mr McCain stated???

Second, did anyone else out there catch the bit about making people who serve in the army teachers without making them go through all the rigors of certification?? Does John McCain believe that any veteran can teach?? Enlistment standards are so low that they waive high school graduation and minor drug offenses!!!!! I think BETTER teachers are what's needed, not just more of them.

Don't forget to pay attention to reason and think before you vote. The Pirate Dogs are counting on you since they can't get that armament ship and take over in DC.

Flashback

"We see Americans dying on distant battlefields abroad...We see Americans hating each other...at home. And as we see and hear these things, millions of Americans cry out in anguish. Did we come all this way for this?...When the strongest nation in the world can be tied down for four years in a war...with no end in sight; When the richest nation in the world cannot manage its own economy; And when the president of the United States cannot travel abroad or to any major city at home without fear of a hostile demonstration-then it's time for new leadership for the United States of America...My friends, America is a great nation. And it is time we started to act like a great nation around the world."


So did John McCain say this? Or Barack Obama? Maybe Joe Biden? In my humble opinion it seems to exhibit too much understanding of our times to come from Sarah Palin.


The answer is---NONE OF THE ABOVE. The quote is excerpted from Richard Milhous Nixon's speech accepting the 1968 Republican nomination for president of the United States as reported in the book Nixonland by Rick Perlstein (pgs 304-305).


The parallels to 1968 just keep on manifesting themselves. Obama "pals around" with terrorists according to Ms. Palin. Did she, or anyone else in the McCain organization, note that the terrorist, Bill Ayers, formerly with the Weather Underground who botched a couple of bombings when Obama was 8 years old, was named citizen of the year in Chicago in 1997? For helping with educational reform in the City of Chicago---serving on the same board as Obama? Which educational kudos have the Republican ticket won? And do you, watching your retirement funds bleed away into the bank accounts of the stupor-rich like Cheney, W, and, yes, John McCain, really care about this issue??? If you do, then you deserve what's happened to you.

Syndromes

Syndromes seem to be in the forefront around here this week. The Pirate Dogs' look-out has SDS, the Captain has SDS, and even I was SDS. And they're all different syndromes!!!!!!!!

Weets is part chihuahua so she is very noisy and aggressive---Small Dog Syndrome.
'Roid has the foulest breath in the western world, the result of a peculiar and disgusting habit I won't go into here--Stinky Dog Syndrome.
And this blogger was fairly radical in his younger years, even joining Students for a Democratic Society in college.
So why all the "syndrome-icity" this particular week??
How's your 401-k? How's your trust in the sitting government to get us on the right track? If you have any syndromes, now's the time to give them free reign. Loosen that halter and give them their head.



I think I've decided on the elections. Paris Hilton for Prez, Tina Fey for VP. (Although Gina Gershon does a good job as well.) Paris makes sense on the environment and the pool-side shots could be inspiring as well as profitable for the government. Sales of her exploits would dwarf the tax cuts of either main-stream candidate and could result in a surplus. Tina does a better Palin than Sarahcuda. Only problem is after she gets elected, where would she get her material? No worry though, the current VP candidate has just regurgitated the same lines since she was nominated. Is there really that big a difference between 6 weeks and 4 (or 8) years??
Hey, after this week we need to exhibit a sense of humor more than ever.

In a more serious vein, I'm currently reading Nixonland by Rick Perlstein. The sub-title pretty much summarizes the premise--"The rise of a president and the fracturing of America." I'm only about a quarter of the way through the 800-plus pages but the parallels from the 1968 campaign to today's are striking and, for me, terrifying. I have watched film of the current Republican rallies where either of the candidates whipped up the crowd to the point of denouncing the Democratic nominee as an Arab, a terrorist, or, even worse, calling for his head. First off, pandering to racism and fear is Nixonian. That's a large part of how he won. The "Silent Majority", "law and order", the menace of racial warfare. Have we learned nothing in 40 years? Watching McPalin is remembering Tricky Dick and Spiro. I've long felt that the Baby Boomers squandered their potential with their pursuit of riches pre-empting the idealism of the counter-culture. Now we pay for it with the Republican attacks that, let's face it, are racist without saying that word. I've seen comments on other blogs where people wrote about their fathers saying "Good, they shot another Kennedy" about RFK's assassination in 1968. I can remember comments about how "that uppity nigger" Martin Luther King got what was coming to him, also in 1968. I get the same feelings of foreboding listening to some of the McPalin supporters today. And I try to remember that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" but still there's this thing in he back of my mind..............a motorcade in Dallas, Nov 22 1963....

See http://zeesgowest.blogspot.com/ post for October 11 for a powerful video. We can take back this country. We can undo what Nixon spawned and W has promulgated.

WE ARE THE ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thimk

The Pirate Dogs are in a frenzy tonight. Commodore Cody took over the Nargle for most of the evening. Capt. 'Roid is agitated over the Somalian pirates. Seems they let the US Navy surround that hijacked munitions freighter. So rather than give up, the Somalis are threatening to blow the thing up. Let all the armaments sink and forgo the $millions in ransom. 'Roid and the crew wanted a share of the money (they'd love to help their dad retire this year) or the ship itself so they could stage a coup up the Potomac. Oops, that'll get the Pirate Dogs on the Homeland Security watch list...................Good thing their mom made a fresh batch of bone turks and there are leftover waffles from breakfast to sustain them.

Two pertinent definitions:

liberal
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
1.favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.
2.(often initial capital letter ) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.
3.of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism.
4.favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.
5.favoring or permitting freedom of action, esp. with respect to matters of personal belief or expression: a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.
6.of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.
7.free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.
8.open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.
9.characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts: a liberal donor.
10.given freely or abundantly; generous: a liberal donation.
11.not strict or rigorous; free; not literal: a liberal interpretation of a rule.
12.of, pertaining to, or based on the liberal arts.
13.of, pertaining to, or befitting a freeman.
–noun
14.a person of liberal principles or views, esp. in politics or religion.
15.(often initial capital letter ) a member of a liberal party in politics, esp. of the Liberal party in Great Britain.
Synonyms 1. progressive. 7. broad-minded, unprejudiced. 9. beneficent, charitable, openhanded, munificent, unstinting, lavish. See generous.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
conservative
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
1.disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
2.cautiously moderate or purposefully low: a conservative estimate.
3.traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness: conservative suit.
4.(often initial capital letter ) of or pertaining to the Conservative party.
5.(initial capital letter ) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Conservative Jews or Conservative Judaism.
6.having the power or tendency to conserve; preservative.
7.Mathematics. (of a vector or vector function) having curl equal to zero; irrotational; lamellar.
–noun
8.a person who is conservative in principles, actions, habits, etc.
9.a supporter of conservative political policies.
10.(initial capital letter ) a member of a conservative political party, esp. the Conservative party in Great Britain.
11.a preservative.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

So if we are to move forward which should it be??

Time for a Break

And if my beloved Boston Red Sox and the L A Dodgers survive early October and both make it to the Fall Classic, then the Soquitos Rojo will face Joe Torre, Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, and maybe even Nomar Garciaparra. Talk about "wheel in the sky keeps on turning".....



The Captain is having rear knee problems. She now has a new nickname, Ratso Roido, after my favorite Dustin Hoffman character, for which he really deserved the Oscar as best actor:

For those unfamiliar with this film, he's the one on the right, Ratso Rizzo. The guy on the left is Angelina Jolie's father.

A list of websites or magazines I read or visit regularly---unlike Saracuda, I don't have a problem letting you know where I get my information:

The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/ (The Atlantic Monthly has been around over 100 years. I've subscribed to the print edition for years.)

The Economist http://www.economist.com/ (socially liberal, financially conservative with an English perspective-- I subscribe to the print edition as well as online)

The National Review http://www.nationalreview.com (William F. Buckley started this in the '60's. Conservative and well-written. It's ok to be right-wing as long as you think.)

The Nation http://www.thenation.com/ (Left as it gets but well written and thoughtful)

The New Republic http://www.tnr.com/ (Dates back to the counter-culture but also well thought out.)

And of course, the national newspaper of record, The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/ (The op-eds are intelligent, thought-provoking, and very well written.)

Please be informed on the FACTS before you vote. This is the most important election since 1968 and, like the Congress on the bail-out/rescue, we really need to get this correct!!!! Normally I'd say "right" but I don't think that's the proper direction............

Remember, the Pirate Dogs depend on you because they can't vote and they love you.