LEAVE IT TO PEEVER
2008
— Bumper sticker of
the week: I Miss Bill
— Quote of the week:
ÒBut here the empire is finished, and I believe that before the end of this
century, it will be finished in the rest of the world. We will see the burial
of the empire of the eagle.Ó Hugo Chavez, President, Venezuela
— IÕve always been
wary of people that God talks to.
— IÕm sitting here
writing the peeves on my back porch in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. I have
mixed emotions about living among people who have money. TheyÕre all
Republicans. IÕm probably the only Democrat in a 25 mile radius. While IÕm not
happy listening to how ungrateful the poor are, or how much they steal from the
rich on such worthless things as health-care, housing, or food, it does bring a
smile to my face to be in such fertile Peeving territory.
— I like all the
prescription drug commercials. Ends up youÕd be better off with the disease
than the side effects.
— I donÕt mind
conservatives, although they do get on my nerves.
— Age of Paranoia:
Terrorists everywhere, lurking in the dark recesses of our mind. Gee, maybe I
should hide in the basement, clutching that handgun I so desperately admire,
and pray for peace.
— Lighten up a
little:
¥ Is it possible to have
Railroad Days and nobody know it?
¥ Why would you bother
ordering a diet coke with a Whopper?
¥ Disney World is a people
trap operated by a mouse.
¥ Is a Super Wal-Mart and a
Menard's coming to town called "progress"?
¥ IÕd like to meet the
person who puts those little plastic things on the end of shoelaces.
¥ If every business in the
country goes to China or India, whoÕs going to be left to exploit us?
¥ Some people say
globalization is good. So far, all I can make out of it is a sorry excuse to
exploit the world for cheap labor.
¥ Right when I think IÕm
starting to get it, along comes another brain-teaser. ItÕs usually a
politician.
— Universal
health-care: The rich call universal health-care "socialism." I
wonder what they call Medicare?
— Carl Sandburg:
Seems our hometown hero leaned a bit to the left. And it wasnÕt because of a
stroke. IÕve read some of his poems, but never really thought much about the
poet. From a few people that knew him, I have heard him described as a
son-of-a-bitch, but I figure poets are an odd lot to begin with, so I never
thought much of it. Then one Sunday night, on "60 Minutes," I heard
Andy Rooney use a Carl Sandburg quote. It was a blistering attack on
capitalism. Sparking my attention, I did a little research. Seems our Mr.
Sandburg embraced socialism in his Milwaukee and Chicago days. He even hung out
with Eugene Debs. This was not too unusual in SandburgÕs time. People actually
thought about what was going on and acted accordingly. I still havenÕt been
able to whip the grin off my face. To think our hometown poet laureate, a
socialist. It seems so appropriate.
— Keep your eye on
Obama. Not to be confused with Osama. Obama, the next President of the United
States.