Rush is Wrong!
I must begin by stating that I have been and still am a fan of Rush Limbaugh. I listen as often as I can and Rush still provides helpful insights into the political realm. However, I and many others cannot abide by his new affiliation with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). This allegiance has alienated the millions of gun owners and hunters who have faithfully supported this radio icon. For clarification, HSUS operates NO shelters for animals. It is an anti hunting lobbying group playing on its perceived affiliation with the local Humane Societies and animal shelters nationwide. The HSUS opposes all hunting and ultimately would like to end the hunting tradition in America.
So why does Rush endorse a group that is directly opposed to a large part of his audience? There are two plausible scenarios. In the first, perhaps Rush truly opposes hunting and underestimated or ignored the backlash. He is, after all, an animal lover as the frequent mention of his cat “Pumpkin” will attest to. The second is that Rush was misled, or made the convenient but erroneous connection with local or state Humane Societies which do such an enormous service with often heartbreaking choices concerning abandoned animals and which no one could oppose. I tend to believe the latter.
As a listener since the late 1980’s I have noticed the drastic difference in the Rush of today. Not to sound like one of the main stream media attacks, but he does seem to be out of touch with the common man. Even during the time of his painkiller addiction and the rehab triumph he still seemed as sharp on the show as usual. Now however, a critical week of tuning in may reveal a sad truth. He seems to be trapped in a bubble of celebrity golf outings and dinners along with his near isolation of his Florida compound. Though he does give speeches to large crowds, how much actual interaction is there? Traveling in his own orbit, he takes any trifling criticism as an attack on him personally. Any event scheduled from noon to three is somehow connected to his show. Even in his patter, which many of us can recite verbatim with him it is evident that something is amiss.
His well rehearsed and delivered rants often still include Peter Jennings and Dan Rather as relevant broadcast media members. Sadly, the ability to follow the salient point of the callers to his show cannot go unnoticed. Though his now frequent misunderstanding of callers may be explainable by his hearing loss, it cannot explain his trouble with misunderstanding events or headlines. Recently Rush believed a British headline referred to President Obama as a mutt. He even read the headline aloud which cited Obama as “the owner of The First Mutt”. It took several minutes before he realized his error. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. I know some will attack me for taking this “one” mistake and insinuating the loss of mental acuity. So be it. Before you do though, listen and I mean really listen to Rush. Not with the ear of a fan or someone listening to an old friend recount a favorite story, but with the ear of someone listening to Rush for the first time. With one week’s critical listening, you too may discover that a beloved radio icon has started down the long road to pasture.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Redemption in the City of Sin
Redemption in the City of Sin
I had the opportunity to revisit St. Mary’s church in Lynn, Mass. for the first time in quite a few years. Yes it the same Lynn, Lynn the City of Sin… famed in song and story. It is also my hometown. I was born and raised in Lynn in the 1960’s and early 70’s. I moved first to Maine, then in 1984 I moved to North Carolina before returning to New Hampshire to live. Though I have been a practicing Catholic for decades I had not gone back to St. Mary’s since childhood. I have always told my wife about how beautiful it was and of the statues of the stations of the cross that line the walls .She wanted to take her Confirmation class there as a field trip from here in New Hampshire to see the church so we made a dry run this past week.
As soon as you come to the light at North Franklin and Boston the steeple dominates the skyline. It’s funny how it was always “hidden in plain sight” when I lived there. The sheer size of St. Mary’s is impressive. Usually when you get a chance to see something from your childhood through adult eyes, whether it be a toy, cartoon or TV show it always seems diminished. You are left wondering how your memory and reality can be so divergent. St. Mary’s was not like that.
From the massive oak doors to the marble floors and soaring columns, this church remains magnificent. Nearly every church I have attended in the last 20 years would fit inside St. Mary’s arched roof, steeple and all. The relief behind the altar was painted gold when I was a kid and the pulpit which rose 10 feet was gone but for the most part here was the church of my youth. The museum quality statues in their alcoves have been refurbished and the capitals at the top of the column sport new gold paint. We had the added benefit of the choir practicing prior to the 4pm Mass. This lent a solemnity to the already awe inspiring surroundings.
So what has changed? The schoolyard now has a huge building where recess was held for us at the grammar school. The high school buildings seem to have been expanded but remain recognizable. There was never a list of masses for specific ethnic groups on the bulletin. What remains and dominates though is the overwhelming presence of faith. You can’t admire the work and craftsmanship that built such an architectural wonder and not think of the endurance of faith. It makes the daily travails, hopes, fears and worries recede. It quiets the soul. Your mental lists of perceived personal inequities and injustices seem less relevant. I really was disappointed when Mass came to an end and it was time to leave. In these uncertain times people are looking for answers. They are searching for solace. If you have never been or even not been in decades, attend a Mass at St. Mary’s or any of the hundreds of city churches built when they were expected to last for centuries. Go for the architecture, stay for the redemption.
I had the opportunity to revisit St. Mary’s church in Lynn, Mass. for the first time in quite a few years. Yes it the same Lynn, Lynn the City of Sin… famed in song and story. It is also my hometown. I was born and raised in Lynn in the 1960’s and early 70’s. I moved first to Maine, then in 1984 I moved to North Carolina before returning to New Hampshire to live. Though I have been a practicing Catholic for decades I had not gone back to St. Mary’s since childhood. I have always told my wife about how beautiful it was and of the statues of the stations of the cross that line the walls .She wanted to take her Confirmation class there as a field trip from here in New Hampshire to see the church so we made a dry run this past week.
As soon as you come to the light at North Franklin and Boston the steeple dominates the skyline. It’s funny how it was always “hidden in plain sight” when I lived there. The sheer size of St. Mary’s is impressive. Usually when you get a chance to see something from your childhood through adult eyes, whether it be a toy, cartoon or TV show it always seems diminished. You are left wondering how your memory and reality can be so divergent. St. Mary’s was not like that.
From the massive oak doors to the marble floors and soaring columns, this church remains magnificent. Nearly every church I have attended in the last 20 years would fit inside St. Mary’s arched roof, steeple and all. The relief behind the altar was painted gold when I was a kid and the pulpit which rose 10 feet was gone but for the most part here was the church of my youth. The museum quality statues in their alcoves have been refurbished and the capitals at the top of the column sport new gold paint. We had the added benefit of the choir practicing prior to the 4pm Mass. This lent a solemnity to the already awe inspiring surroundings.
So what has changed? The schoolyard now has a huge building where recess was held for us at the grammar school. The high school buildings seem to have been expanded but remain recognizable. There was never a list of masses for specific ethnic groups on the bulletin. What remains and dominates though is the overwhelming presence of faith. You can’t admire the work and craftsmanship that built such an architectural wonder and not think of the endurance of faith. It makes the daily travails, hopes, fears and worries recede. It quiets the soul. Your mental lists of perceived personal inequities and injustices seem less relevant. I really was disappointed when Mass came to an end and it was time to leave. In these uncertain times people are looking for answers. They are searching for solace. If you have never been or even not been in decades, attend a Mass at St. Mary’s or any of the hundreds of city churches built when they were expected to last for centuries. Go for the architecture, stay for the redemption.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Obamanomics: The Curly Doctrine
Obamanomics: The Curly Doctrine
One of my favorite Three Stooges episodes involves the stooges in a boat that springs a leak. While Larry and Moe attempt to bail out the water and plug the hole, Curly spies a hand powered auger-style drill. With perfect childlike logic he says “ Oh! A water-letter-outer” and commences to drill holes in the bottom of the boat to let the water out with the obvious result. His theory, as illogical as it is, makes some sense if all knowledge of fluid dynamics, physics and even common sense are ignored. Holes can be used to drain water and many holes can drain even faster. Which brings us to the Curly Doctrine now being employed to solve our economic issues by President Obama.
Though he tries to keep it to himself, President Obama vaguely hints that he may have ‘inherited” the current economic situation from his predecessor George W. Bush. Well… alright he says it a lot and seems quite convinced. Though the economy was in a down turn before the election, the fact is the Dow has lost 3,000 points and dropping since Obama was elected. So what is his answer: SPEND! That always worked for me. Every time I find myself out of money, a mad spending spree always balances my checkbook.
Obamanomics will grow government, nationalize banks, extend the welfare state, implement national healthcare, raise taxes on everyone capable of employing others, and pay for it with crippling taxes and by printing money, which guarantees astronomical inflation in a couple of years. Each one of these is another hole drilled through the bottom of our boat which is quickly becoming the USS Sieve. Though there are instances of corporate greed and excess, all CEOs are not the evil robber barons opposed by the original “Progressives”. Our corporate tax rate remains one of the highest in the world, driving many corporations and jobs overseas. But rather than take steps to alleviate the situation, President Obama decries the private jets, limos, and lavish business junkets. All of which incidentally create jobs. Any CEO who drives anything bigger than a moped covered with sheet metal is pilloried as evil incarnate. So junkets are cancelled, private jet orders dwindle etc.
While this augering of America (pun intended) continues where is the backlash? Anyone who criticizes or is guilty of merely mentioning an alterative is either “following the failed policies of the past” or playing politics. While the Bush administration left a leaky ship, the Curly Doctrine of President Obama is exacerbating the situation. Despite the current Bear Surge of the stock market this week, the overall direction is down. Man the life boats!
One of my favorite Three Stooges episodes involves the stooges in a boat that springs a leak. While Larry and Moe attempt to bail out the water and plug the hole, Curly spies a hand powered auger-style drill. With perfect childlike logic he says “ Oh! A water-letter-outer” and commences to drill holes in the bottom of the boat to let the water out with the obvious result. His theory, as illogical as it is, makes some sense if all knowledge of fluid dynamics, physics and even common sense are ignored. Holes can be used to drain water and many holes can drain even faster. Which brings us to the Curly Doctrine now being employed to solve our economic issues by President Obama.
Though he tries to keep it to himself, President Obama vaguely hints that he may have ‘inherited” the current economic situation from his predecessor George W. Bush. Well… alright he says it a lot and seems quite convinced. Though the economy was in a down turn before the election, the fact is the Dow has lost 3,000 points and dropping since Obama was elected. So what is his answer: SPEND! That always worked for me. Every time I find myself out of money, a mad spending spree always balances my checkbook.
Obamanomics will grow government, nationalize banks, extend the welfare state, implement national healthcare, raise taxes on everyone capable of employing others, and pay for it with crippling taxes and by printing money, which guarantees astronomical inflation in a couple of years. Each one of these is another hole drilled through the bottom of our boat which is quickly becoming the USS Sieve. Though there are instances of corporate greed and excess, all CEOs are not the evil robber barons opposed by the original “Progressives”. Our corporate tax rate remains one of the highest in the world, driving many corporations and jobs overseas. But rather than take steps to alleviate the situation, President Obama decries the private jets, limos, and lavish business junkets. All of which incidentally create jobs. Any CEO who drives anything bigger than a moped covered with sheet metal is pilloried as evil incarnate. So junkets are cancelled, private jet orders dwindle etc.
While this augering of America (pun intended) continues where is the backlash? Anyone who criticizes or is guilty of merely mentioning an alterative is either “following the failed policies of the past” or playing politics. While the Bush administration left a leaky ship, the Curly Doctrine of President Obama is exacerbating the situation. Despite the current Bear Surge of the stock market this week, the overall direction is down. Man the life boats!
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