These Truths Which I Hold Self Evident

Monday was the second inauguration day for President Obama. It was a glorious day of speeches, fanfare, and of course a broken mass transit system. It doesn't matter who you voted for or even if you voted but rather it's a wonderful celebration of the symbolic transfer of power of this country. Not a single shot was fired, no blood poured, and only a few protesters climbed trees.

So here are some "truths" that I've learned:

It was warmer then last time. 
If you go back and look at the weather report for Monday it topped out in the low 50's which is certainly quite a bit warmer then the freezing temps we had to brave out at the Capitol in 2009. Now it didn't hurt that I was sitting in the comfort of my own home this time around surrounded by friends, family, heat, and fresh chili. Speaking of which...

Fritos are gluten free
We generally are healthy eaters around here. We don't stock the cabinets with Twinkies and Snickers. We try to stick to egg whites, fresh vegetables, and lean turkey.  But because of the aforementioned festivities, we added the highly addictive, not so healthy, fried corn chips to our pantry. They went great with the chili but unfortunately not so well that they were completely gone. So because I don't have much to fill my days with anymore I took to reading the small print in the packaging. Did you know they are gluten free? Me neither. Now I don't know if they are also glue-free but at least I can eat them knowing that I won't suffer from the effects of celiac disease. Plus if I can't stop eating them at least there's a reason out there.

Levin and Franklin are related?
One of our esteemed guests on Monday was observing that there was a lot of shots of Senator Carl Levin of Michigan. It also seems that the esteemed Senator looks a heck of a lot like another Senator. Ben Franklin. Well actually Senator Ben Franklin was from Texas and served in the late 1800's. But the Founding Father Ben Franklin is whom I'm referring too. They really do look a lot alike. As one blogger pointed out, "If Levin had syphilis he'd be Franklin." Hopefully he didn't mean Senator Franklin too...I always thought of him more as a gonorrhea type fellow.

That is all for now. We'll see what happens in January 2017. Hopefully I'll have some new material by then.




 

Protesters That's My ChocoTaco

The only time I should be thinking of processed ice cream treats and soap products in the same wavelength is when I need to clean my hands and face after diving headlong into a box of Klondikes. More about the protesters shortly.

I'm dismayed again and the culprit is once again corporate America. I fall into that demographic of "people who like chocolaty ice cream treats ". I proudly align with this small 99% of the population. He'll, give me a bumper sticker and I'll strap it across my chest. So of course I'm a sucker for a delicious combination of Mexican street food, creamy vanilla and lots and lots of chocolate. I'm talking about a ChocoTaco.

I think I made it 35 years or so without ever seeing ChocoTaco advertising (that wasn't pasted to the side of an ice cream truck). But now the boob tube is flashing that delicious concoction on my screen as part of the Klondike commercials (what would you do for...). Great. I don't mind seeing one of my favorites on tv in the early morning before going for a run. Then at the very end a banner drops down, silently, from the upper right corner. It proudly proclaims that the ChocoTaco is part of the "Unileaver Family".

I understand that we live in a corporate-dominated society. It's a byproduct of capitalism and sucess. But Unileaver makes soap and other household products not ice cream. Why do you want me to think of soap and ice cream at the same time? I get it. I like ChocoTacos and now I should remember other great Unileaver products when I'm shopping. The catch is I won't do that.

The other thing won't do is believe that the "Occupy" movement has any organization or clear and direct message. This past week the DC branch has decided to start camping again. They were already kicked out of McPherson Square and retreated back to apartments (dedication!) but now they're back. Now they have stared sleeping on the sidewalks outside of a Bank of America branch near the park. They say they are doing it to bring attention to the mortgages that got us in this financial mess. What I'm STILL not clear on is why they think that bank employees (many of whom make less then the protesters on unemployment collect) actually care or could do anything.

Further adding to my aggravation level at this matter, is that the protestors some how think that accosting people in the street just passing by or even going into the bank is somehow going to help them gain sympathy for their cause. To think about it another way, when a homeless guy stops you on your way out of the bank, you give him a quarter and go on your way. Simple Transaction. When one of these fleabags come up, you have to not only smell them and their non-deodorizing vegan soap, but then you have to hear a 20 min diatribe on why big banks are ruining this country and how the 1% controls everything. Try offering them a dollar, they still won't shut up. Just think about that for a second. People prefer a homeless guy over you. Yep...you're doing a bang up job...keep it up their Moonstar.

Protesters Suck

Not as much as tourists (stand on the right! I have places to be!) but you and your sign-making, slogan-chanting ways need to get the hell out of my city.

The First Amendment to the Constitution is a wonderful thing. Our colonial ancestors couldn't gather freely. They couldn't rail for or against topics they felt passionately about. Then again, poster board and permanent markers had yet to be invented, so they had that going against them. Plus, they had to work so calling out sick to sleep on a sidewalk (followed by an actual sick day) wasn't an option.

It's not that I don't support your right to scream your head off but maybe you should be talking to people who actually give a damn. There's a time and place for everything. Protesting at the White House when the President is out of town is not as persuasive as you think. The same thing goes for marching on Congress during recess, or oh I don't know, the Supreme Court...anytime!

Congress and the President need to get elected and reelected. They *may* care a little bit (chances aren't really good), but the justices are appointed for life. What makes you think they care about your sign with the little smiley face on it? Plus do you think they actually see you? They drive in the back through an underground entrance and go up to their office with a cup of coffee. You have a better chance of getting them to see you if you take your signs and head to Rockefeller Plaza for the Today Show.

Don't feel too bad, I'm sure your mother and father love your little sign...plus the fact that the government set up those public schools so you could learn to spell and stuff...but don't let me get side tracked. No the people who I really feel for on cold days where there are no bathrooms and not a convenience store in sight are the camera men who have to be outside while the "talent" stays nice and warm in the van and checks their facebook accounts. These men and women who lug around heavy equipment all day are different from the iPhone toting panty wastes who call themselves "journalists". These guys actually work for a living and making the fancy anchors look good in the morning is not an easy job. I know, I've seen them come in for the morning shift...yikes! The camera and audio and lighting techs are the ones out in the cold with nothing but a thermos of vodka with a splash of orange juice (I kid) or a little coffee with a lot of irish (I don't kid that much).

But do you know the kicker here?  If these protesters would have followed the above observations, there would be no drama (outside of) at the court and no reason a camera crew couldn't roll their van up on the sidewalk and everybody stay warm.  Once again the bible thumpers are no better then their hippy wanna be counterparts. Anotherwords, you all suck!

Is it easier to get around downtown Baghdad?

Anybody working in downtown DC today? The answer is yes, but they are all late. Is it a case of "The Mondays" or is it just the IMF/World Bank meeting?

I'll give you a hint....it's not The Mondays!

The above mentioned world banking groups held their annual meeting this weekend and along with the influx of diplomatic plates and road closures came the ubiquitous protesters (I won't even begin to start on them because my seething anger at these dopes won't stop for 10 or so posts). But what really gets me are those road closures.

If you close down the streets between the World Bank buildings for the weekend, it's no big deal as those roads are usually really quiet then, but to have the audacity to close down the roads on Monday and force the thousands of cars who normally traverse that area to bail out and find alternate routes. Oh yeah and to top it off...our fearless leader decided 745am would be a good time to block even more traffic with a motorcade.

Only in America!

But would it be such a bad thing to move these meetings and the problems they bring to a remote location? Say they hold the meetings on a farm in the middle of Iowa? The World Bank's critics already complain that they are not being transparent enough, so why not become remote too? Or even better, lets hold the meetings in another country. Let's hold it over in France and let the french police and citizens battle with this traffic.

I'm going to have my morning coffee now.