I mourn the apparent defeat of Hillary Clinton and her apparent concession to Barack Obama. Not because I believed in her message, but because of the cannon fodder it was making of the Democrat(ic) party. Also, because now my Hillary nutcracker action figure will not appreciate as much in value. ("Place nut between thighs. Squeeze.")
Hillary took flak from her own party for staying in the race until the bitter end, all while scratching the paint on the new model, Barack Obama. Didn't she know it was hopeless?
To some people, in some situations, it doesn't matter. Perhaps, in Hillary's case, it was due to the Clinton sense of self-entitlement. There are other reasons certain of our species don't quit even as the Fat Lady is in full aria.
By 1945, imperial Japan realized its position was hopeless. It knew that it could not win the war. But it did not surrender. It sent kamikaze pilots to their certain deaths. It ignored our warnings of atomic destruction and endured two atomic bursts before finally succumbing.
Clint Eastwood's movie, Letters from Iwo Jima, beautifully portrayed that resolve in the face of hopelessness. Read the New York Times review:
When word comes from Imperial headquarters that there will be no reinforcements, no battleships, no air support in the impending fight with the United States Marines, any illusion of triumph vanishes, and the stark reality of the mission takes shape. The job of these soldiers and their commanders, in keeping with a military ethos they must embrace whether they believe in it or not, is to die with honor, if necessary by their own hands.
Hooray for Hiroo
Hillary is our very own Lt. Hiroo Onoda, who continued fighting on the Philippine island of Lubang until March 1974 -- nearly 29 years after the end of World War II. I thought of the good lieutenant when Hillary was campaigning in Puerto Rico. The BBC tells his story:
After early attempts to flush them out had failed, humanitarian missions were sent to Lubang (read: Puerto Rico) to try to persuade Lieutenant Onoda (Hillary) and his companions (Bill and Chelsea) that the war (campaign) really was over, but they would have none of it. Even today, Hiroo Onoda (Hillary Clinton) insists they believed the missions were enemy tricks designed to lower their guard.
Other examples come to mind of refusing to say uncle even when you're beat:
- Cool Hand Luke's refusal to "stay down" even as George Kennedy pummeled him.
- The patient's determination to keep fighting despite a terminal cancer diagnosis.
- Being a Republican in Dane County.
The vagrant beat
Patricia Schneider reports:Some cities have employed retrofitted parking meters to discourage pedestrians from giving to panhandlers by providing a ready way to give spare change to agencies that support the homeless instead.
What? And not give the money directly to panhandlers? Paging Glenn Austin! (Cue that classic movie echo effect when the hero remembers fateful words. Our society doesn't do much for the poor so give them the money directly … directly … directly. No they don't just use it on drugs and alcohol, they mostly use it to buy food … food … food. Consider it a small tax … a small tax … a small tax …)
Do this experiment: when hit up by a panhandler, give them a choice. Do your best Monty Hall. O.K., Mr. Bum, you get to choose:
- This crisp $5 bill (grab both ends of bill and snap)
- A $10 certificate at this popular fast food emporium
- This airline sampler bottle of 190-proof Everclear.
By the way, I lied when I said I would attend the "Homeless Fest" at United Methodist Church last Thursday, June 5. I had golf league that night. We all make our choices. I played so bad the course was declared a FEMA site.
But my colleague in truth and justice, Dave Glomp, covered for me. His report is available in the related downloads at top right.
You can't handle the truth
My "control" at The Daily Page, Jason Joyce, is trying his damnedest to prime my creative pump. (Good luck with that!) Jason suggests I comment on the unfortunate former presidential press secretary, Scott McClellan, and his act of self-aggrandizement:
... You have spokesperson experience. Are people in that job expected to lie? Asked to lie? ... These days, based on Bill Lueders' experience, nobody in public life is allowed to speak for themselves anymore and the flacks' job is to stall and confuse.
Yes, Jason, I thought about writing a tell-all of my days with Tommy G. Thompson. I would entitle it "Tommy G. and Me, Architects of History." But there would be no market for it because I have only good things to say about this great man. And I was hardly a central figure. And no, I never once was expected to lie. Never wanted to. Never did so. Never needed to.
Now it seems that he realizes, and with a shock at that, that there was a certain amount of "spin" or propaganda involved in his job description. Well, give the man a cigar. Beyond that, the
...If you want to read a serious book about the origins and consequences of the intervention in Iraq in 2003, you owe it to yourself to get hold of a copy of Douglas Feith's reacts to the closing of GM Janesville… how? By calling for:
- Higher taxes. But then, it's always time for the Left to raise taxes.
- More trade protectionism. Yes, if only NAFTA had never come about, we could have stopped those Toyota Priuses on the shoreline.
And John Nichols of the hyper-partisan Cap(ital) Times tries to pin the donkey on U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's tail for:
- Not needling the U.S. government to help U.S. auto manufacturers modernize facilities in order to produce fuel-efficient vehicles, and...
- Trade policies that somehow encourage corporations such as GM to move production overseas.
Four comments:
- The Cap(ital) Times now supports government subsidies for corporations? Stop the presses. (Oops, too late!)
- GM Janesville's robotic welding machines are as advanced as any. It requires no special breed of factory to produce green machines. Janesville's job was to slap together whatever came in the door.
- GM has not been moving production "overseas." Yes, GM is making automobiles in China -- for Chinese consumption -- just as Honda makes cars in Ohio for American sales. (See the
Liberals: GM and Ford bet the farm on big sports utility vehicles. Gasoline prices went up and demand for their big trucks went down. They are reacting to market signals, albeit somewhat belatedly. So they're downsizing. That is something The Cap(ital) Times should be familiar with.
Sweet vindication
I give The Cap(ital) Times credit for running this piece: A gay leader is "No longer controversial" sayeth the Green Bay Press-Gazette:
More than a few people wondered why a separate news story was necessary to let the world know the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be the largest institution of higher learning led by an openly gay chancellor, Carolyn "Biddy" Martin.
Fair question. Martin's private life should have no bearing on whether she is the most qualified and did not enter into the equation when the search committee made its decision.Today's hilarity
Remember when it was a good thing to see Ed McMahon coming up the sidewalk? (Cymbal crash.) Now he's shaking the cup.
This original humor is just a sample of the extra-value content you get when you sign up for the Blaska's Blog platinum-level subscription. Be sure to tell your operator how you like your Blaska Blog:
- Mild (Lee Sherman Dreyfus/"Greater" Madison Chamber of Commerce/ABBA)
- Medium spicy (Tommy G. Thompson/WMC/Rolling Stones), or
- Release the Hounds of Hell (Augusto Pinochet/Club for Growth/Sex Pistols)
Four for the road
- Count every vote or, in the case of the Democratic National Committee, count every vote from Florida and Michigan but only by 50 percent. Even the original Constitution counted slaves as 3/5ths of a person, or 60 percent.
- Toured the Dane County-Columbia County line Sunday in search of German soul food in Roxbury. Many fields flooded. Don't ever take our farmers for granted.
- Hey kids, read my post from a few days ago titled "Too Much Mulch." It's got Uncle Rodney, "Fidel" Soglin v. WMC, J.B. Van Hollen v. 50-buck hitmen, and other goodies. It's one of my best efforts ever, and that is saying a lot! (I'll know next time not to lead off with mulch, which I realize now is not a ratings winner.)
- Don't forget to vote for your Favorite Blogger in the
