Movie Quote of the Week

It's things like this that can make a man a -- a Republican.
--Cary Grant, Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942)

TV Quote of the Week

Congratulations. You just reached a level of stupidity usually only seen in Republicans and other lower primates.
--Ted Danson, Becker, "Bad to the Bone"

R.I.P. George Herbert Walker Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush -- former President of the United States and father of former President George W. Bush -- left to join his late wife Barbara on November 30, 2018, at age 94.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush -- wife of former President George H. W. Bush and mother of former President George W. Bush -- retired from her duties on April 17, 2018, at age 92.

She will be missed.

R.I.P. John McCain

Arizona Senator John McCain -- most famous for his status as a former presidential candidate as well as for his status as a former military officer -- retired from office for the last time on August 25, 2018, at age 81.

He will be missed.

Movie Quote of the Week

You know, that's what I admire about you! Even though you are being hit on by absolutely beautiful woman, you are determined to maintaining your vow of chastity. You know, you'd make a hell of a Republican!
--Tom Sizemore, Passenger 57 (1992)

R.I.P. Nancy Reagan

Actress Nancy Reagan -- best known for such films as Hellcats of the Navy and Donovan's Brain as well as for being the wife of President Ronald Reagan and for leading the "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign -- took her last bow on March 6, 2016, at age 94.

She will be missed.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Abraham Lincoln!

Born February 12, 1809. Died April 15, 1865.

The 16th President of the United States and perhaps the last Republican presidential candidate most American liberals feel comfortable supporting. He presided over the bloodiest war in U.S. history and has been described as its last victim.

He used to have his own birthday celebrated as a federal holiday but unfortunately, he has to share it with another president these days.

Random Thoughts

Wow! The majority political party in a country much beset by high unemployment got voted out of power in an election year! Who in his or her right mind would have seen that coming?

I am so glad that none of my friends in the nursing community worked at the local hospital that messed up so badly with the Thomas Eric Duncan case.

If you dislike welfare recipients so much, why don't you hire one? If you're not in a position to make decisions about hiring because you're not the boss of your workplace, why not encourage your boss to hire a welfare recipient? It should go without saying that not everyone on welfare wants to be there. So why not help reduce the welfare state by helping someone seek employment?

The same bank employee who is eager to help you set up your account will generally not be so eager to help you if you ask for a job application.

How come you hear so much about people writing short stories but never about anyone writing a long story?

It is usually a lot easier to talk about how enlightened you are than to actually show it through your actions.

Actions not only speak louder than words but they also tend to drown them out.

A lot of the people who support the welfare system with their taxes are not much richer than the richest person on welfare. However, a lot of people tend to forget that.

One of the worst criminals in the world is the one who wear a badge.

It takes little courage to diss poor people and even less if you do so while working at a job that does not require the support of poor people.

Last time I checked, it was not illegal immigrants or welfare recipients that caused the recent economic crisis but that did not stop people from criticizing them.

Funny how the people who continually brag about how much they care about poor people never seem to show up when one of my poorer neighbors needs help.

The same person who will badmouth someone to your face today will be badmouthing you behind your back tomorrow.

Some people in my condominium complex find it much more convenient to buy a pack of cigarettes from their neighbor than to walk across the street and buy one from the local convenience store. For that matter, some of my neighbors find it more convenient to pay someone to drive them somewhere than to take the bus -- even though my complex is located on a DART route. I guess all of this is good news for those who would like to think that American capitalism is not doomed but it is not likely to make supporters of public transportation feel happy.

I hate myself for loving Who.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Abraham Lincoln!

Born February 12, 1809. Died April 15, 1865.

The 16th President of the United States and perhaps the last Republican presidential candidate most American liberals feel comfortable supporting. He presided over the bloodiest war in U.S. history and has been described as its last victim.

He used to have his own birthday celebrated as a federal holiday but unfortunately, he has to share it with another president these days.

TV Quote of the Week

Your guilty conscience may move you to vote Democratic, but deep down you long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalize criminals, and rule you like a king.
--Kelsey Grammer, The Simpsons, "Sideshow Bob Roberts"

Random Thoughts

It is so depressing seeing a librarian referred to as a "customer service representive." Especially since most library patrons aren't necessarily likely to be flattered by being referred to as "customers."

It is even more depressing to wonder how many books my local library system got rid of in order to make room for its expanded internet system and its multiple DVD racks.

Let someone wish you a "Happy Holidays" instead of a "Merry Christmas" and certain Christian people will make a big deal out of it. Let a retail store deliberately expand its hours so that most of its staff has to miss out on Thanksgiving and those same Christians don't even bother to say a word.

How seriously should we take someone who talks about wanting to get rid of large corporations yet constantly talks about hanging out at Starbucks instead of the local library and buying their books through Amazon instead of the local indy book store?

The coming election won't hinge on how crazy Michele Bachmann looks or how weird Mitt Romney's religious background is. It will hinge on which candidate is most likely to do something that will improve this country's economy.

One does not have to be crazy to worry about the ever-increasing federal deficit but it certainly helps the current administration to think so.

Much of our country came from countries that could not afford to keep all their territory. Part of the reason they could not afford this is because they often ran up huge debts borrowing money to pay for foreign wars. And yet it is so fashionable to act clueless when Americans start to make a big deal about similar practices here in America.

It is no longer that big a deal to be mad at Wall Street. Even my conservative Republican mother is angry about the latest Wall Street scandals. What matters now is doing something constructive with that anger.

The real trouble with anarchy is that it is at best a temporary condition. Sooner or later it is replaced by a more ordered system such as, say, feudalism or fascism. Which means that those people who advocate anarchy are in reality a future dictator's best friends.

I am so glad that the Iraqi War is finally over. I just hope it stays that way.

TV Quote of the Week

Oh my God! The dead have risen and are voting Republican.
--Nancy Cartwright, The Simpsons, “Sideshow Bob Roberts”

Science Fiction Quote of the Week

“What‘s that again, lover?” he murmured. “Do my ears deceive me or are you sounding like one of those lousy radical politicians? Where’d you pick up that kind of talk, anyway -- you got ancestors in the GOP, maybe?”
--Robert Bloch, Sneak Preview

TV Quote of the Week

They were both infected with that infantile disorder known as Republicanism.
--Siân Phillips, I, Claudius, “Queen of Heaven”

Movie Quote of the Week

Don’t tell me it’s subversive to kiss a Republican!
--John Lund, A Foreign Affair (1948)

Political Quote of the Week

I like Ike.
--Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

My comment:

Indiana Jones is a Republican? You know, I always suspected as much.

All Politics Is Loco, Parte III

I can't help wondering if the most intelligent comment I'm likely to hear concerning the current presidential campaign comes from my eight-year-old niece, who recently admitted to supporting HilLary Clinton. Why? Because HiLlary's a girl. (Those are my niece's words, not mine.)

Since my sister is a Republican, I can't help but find this comment a bit unusual. (But then my niece recently admitted that Return of the Jedi was her favorite Star Wars movie because it has a girl on the cover. I sense a trend here.) But, hey, at least my niece is honest and not afraid to break with her parents' political beliefs. I can think of many people who are far older who can learn from her.

Meanwhile, the only thing my mother and my middle brother have said about the current campaign is that it's likely to be a Democratic year. (Note: none of them think that this is necessarily a good thing.) Of course, the Democrats have managed to pull defeat from the jaws of victory before. But with hardcore Republicans already damning leading Republican candidate John McCain before he has even gotten the nomination, anything is possible.

Anyway, it's going to be an interesting election year. And I'm still getting used to the notion of an U.S. presidential candidate who was born in the same birth year (1961) as myself. Gee, that makes me feel old.

All Politics Is Loco, Parte II

Last night, Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Primary and John McCain won the Republican primary.

Time will tell whether or not these victories were good things.

Suffice to say I'm not really a big fan of either candidate, nor am I a big fan of Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee.

It looks like another one of those "lesser of two evils" elections this year...