2010

Here Comes 2011

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

Happy New Year.  I’m off to Palm Springs to celebrate another birthday and soak my back in a hot tub.  See you there. . . 

R.I.P. Teena Marie

Monday, December 27th, 2010

“Over all my race hasn’t been a problem,” Teena Marie said. “I’m a black artist with white skin. At the end of the day you have to sing what’s in your own soul.”

The End of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Saturday, December 18th, 2010

At last.

Thanks to all the gay and straight military members and discharged activists who put their lives on the line and to those who served and sometimes lost their lives after living a lie while serving their country. You all brought a personal face to this blatantly discriminatory policy.

I had the honor of having lunch with the late Sergeant Leonard Matlovich in the early 80s in Guerneville, CA near the Russian River where he lived. He was kicked out of the Air Force because he was gay, after receiving both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He had been a hero of mine since I had seen him on the cover of Time Magazine in 1975. His quote, now famous around the world, has poignant meaning today, after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - here’s to you, Leonard, it finally happened. . .

“When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”

Today is for you, Sergeant Matlovich and for you, Army Specialist in the MPs, Luke Terpstra, my man.

5 DAYS BEFORE THE WINTER SOLSTICE AND THE WAXING OF THE LIGHT: Now and Again and Sometimes and Always Writers create magic. I give you Tennessee Williams - He inspires me to keep stringing words together. . .

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

EZMERALDA’S PRAYER, from “CAMINO REAL,” by TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, 1953.

“God bless all con men and hustlers and pitchmen who hawk their hearts on the street, all two-time losers who’re likely to lose once more, the courtesan who made the mistake of love, the greatest of lovers crowned with the longest horns, the poet who wandered far from his heart’s green country and possibly will and possibly won’t be able to find his way back, look down with a smile tonight on the the last cavaliers, the ones with the rusty armor and soiled white plumes, and visit with understanding and something that’s almost tender those fading legends that come and go in this plaza like songs not clearly remembered.”

Let’s Crunch the Numbers on the Tax (Compromise?) (Com Promise?)

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

In fact, the only groups likely to face a tax increase are those near the bottom of the income scale — individuals who make less than $20,000 and families with earnings below $40,000.  Although the $120 billion payroll tax reduction offers nearly twice the tax savings of the credit it replaces, it will nonetheless lead to higher tax bills for individuals with incomes below $20,000 and families that make less than $40,000. That is because their payroll tax savings are less than the $400 or $800 they will lose from the Making Work Pay credit.

– Hat Tip:  Jason Linkins, Jake Tapper 

Elizabeth Edwards’ Statement: Dec. 6, 2010

Monday, December 6th, 2010

You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces — my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And yes, there are certainly times when we aren’t able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It’s called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful. It isn’t possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel towards everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know.

“Civilization is based upon a renunciation of instinct.”

Monday, November 29th, 2010

– Sigmund Freud. 

Horse Bootley, my Doppelganger, speaks again in the NYTimes, in response to Frank Rich’s Sunday Op-Ed. At last count I had logged 1354 Recommends. Go to NYTimes website, I’m #29, or read my comment below.

Monday, November 15th, 2010
I literally weep at how Obama has lost his nerve, if he ever had any. The divide between the uber-rich and the rest of America is so wide and so deep that I see no way of avoiding the naked fact that the richest 2% will in another generation, if not sooner, make all the decisions that affect ALL Americans, especially since the Supremes decided the Citizen’s United case. All the groundwork is now in place for this ultimate corporate take over.

Time Change

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Let me say this:  It was dark outside today before 5 p.m.  The time changed, fell back, Sunday morning.  I have a hard time with these particular transitions -  both the time change and the diminishing sunlight, not to mention the falling back. 

Here’s the thing:  I will finish my short story collection TOO MANY PIECES because I love to write when it’s dark outside.  I just completed the story Somewhere Else and I have one more story to finish, Impatient Lives

I plan to make good use of the dark in other ways, too.

Sister Susan’s Quote the Morning after the Mid-Term Elections

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

“I may as well ‘open my mouth and let the moon shine in’ as Dad used to say about eating jello.”

Thanks for reminding me of that Dad quote, Susan, I had forgotten it. You nailed last night’s election better than all the pundits and TV bobble heads and pontificating politicians put together.  And you did a great job working for Billy Kennedy in his bid to defeat incumbent Virginia Foxx - it is hard to imagine that Ms. Foxx hails from the beautiful environs of northwestern North Carolina.