Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Get thee glass eyes; And like a scurvy politician, seem To see the things thou dost not. ~Shakespeare

Okay, so I watched the President last night—and it was clear to me that he was trying very hard to maintain his cool. And it was also abundantly clear that he’s right. Enough is enough. Eliminating the tax cuts for the wealthy (which should never have been enacted in the first place) is the only fair and equitable thing to do. Congress: eliminating these cuts is NOT a tax increase!!! Hello! It is having the wealthy pull their fare share.


The thought of my mother trying to survive on less than the measly 12K she gets a year is unconscionable—especially when someone who makes 250K or more is allowed to keep most of that due to some convoluted tax laws. It is also unconscionable that congress will continue to be paid, get their free healthcare and their pensions while the rest of us have to decide between paying the rent or getting our medicine for the month.

Well, I did what the President said: I called my lawmakers. I left a voice mail for Rep. Patrick Meehan and I sent an e-mail to the Speaker of the House. Yes, tough choices have to be made, but not at the expense of the poor, the elderly and education!

Then, this morning I did my usual quick cruise of CNN and saw the following poll:

Will you contact your lawmakers about the debt crisis?

No 58% [4330]
Yes 27% [2032]
Already have 15% [1163]
Total votes: 7525



Really people?!? 58% can’t be bothered to let your representatives know how you feel about our debt crisis? Really?

You can find the time to vote on American Idol? You spend hours playing Angry Birds? For heaven’s sake, you even took the time to answer the freakin’ poll!!!! But you can’t find the time to contact your Congressman!?!?!?!?!

That is just sad. No wonder our country is falling apart.



P.S. Just checked it again:
No 57% [52245]
Yes 26% [24045]
Already have 17% [15498]
Total votes: 91788



Still pathetic…….



[Drag your mouse over the title of this post for a link to a breakdown of the various plans. AND THEN CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!! Where would we be if Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams and their cohorts were as complacent as we are?]



Saturday, July 23, 2011

You taught me language, and my profit on’t Is I know how to curse.

I've decided to go green today....

                                                  and recycle an old post:  
[I have several younger actors in the cast of the show I'm currently directing, so I am editing the heck out of myself at rehearsals.   That's what brought this to mind.]


Oh…..f—f—fudge.
Yeah, that’s what I say when I hurt myself or something doesn’t go right.    

  NOT!   

In many circumstances, the only thing that will do is to let a good expletive fly.      I don’t really have a problem with that; I mean, the words roll off your tongue so nicely.      Not that the adults in my life were setting a bad example, mind you.     No, during my formative years, my dad was very careful around us; and one of my mom’s rules was “if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all.    [Boy that was a toughey sometimes…]
But, I must admit that since about my sixteenth birthday, I have been a big fan of shall we say “colorful language.”       I learned them all very quickly and very easily.....    Not that I’m necessarily proud of that—or of the fact that I’ve apparently passed that trait on to my kids and grandson.       When they were little, I tried very hard to set a good example; occasionally though my Irish temper would get the better of me and  certain "bad words" would fill the air of our house.      I was always duly apologetic afterward, but unfortunately the kids did choose to imitate that part of mommy's personality instead of my good grammar.     And their dad wasn't always a saint either--he had his moments too.     But I’d rather the occasional F-bomb than words of hate or derision.     Some other adults in their lives often said some very prejudicial things about certain groups of people (ethnic, religious and otherwise).    

In spite of the fact that they have developed a talent for salty talk like me, I think I taught them to accept others for who they are and not the surface stuff.     Yes, we have our snarky moments of commenting on stupid or odd moments in our days, but on a whole my kids and my grandson are decent people who try to be kind and help others when they can.     They have good hearts.

So, yeah, I’m okay with the curse words.

Of course, I think we should all educate ourselves to some of Shakespeare’s curses—dude could really put down.    When one of the Bard’s characters curses someone it’s inventive—and scary too.

Here are some examples:
Thou viperous hell-hated misbegotten-divel!
I scorn you, scurvy companion. What, you poor, base, rascally, cheating, lack-linen mate! Away, you moldy rogue, away!
So, so, thou common dog, didst thou disgorge thy glutton bosom.
Would the fountain of your mind were clear again, that I might water an ass at it.

So much more original than wishing someone a sexual experience……For more fun, click on the title of this post to link to a “Shakespearean Curse Generator” website.     Have Fun.