A Small Request

A Texas Republican yelled "baby killer" inside the House chamber as a Democrat spoke Sunday night, although he claims he yelled "it's a baby killer." Whatever. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri) was spat on by a protester while walking to the Capitol on Saturday. Another protester yelled a racial epithet at Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia). Rep. James Clyburn (D-South Carolina) has been subject to racist mail, including an anonymous fax sent to his S.C. office, addressed to "James the Slimy N***** Clyburn" and with a drawing of a hangman's noose. A Republican candidate for Governor of New York compared the passage of health care reform to the attacks of 9/11. And Sarah Palin is encouraging her followers to reload and she has provided a list of Democratic targets.

In light of these events, my request is simple. Can someone--ANYONE--please bitch-slap Sarah Palin and any other Republicans? Trust me, the act is warranted. To borrow a line from the movie First Knight, "They have been weighed, they have been measured, and they have been found wanting."

Happy Birthday to Willa!!!!!

First of all, many thanks to those who sent happy anniversary greetings. You know who you are and THANK YOU for your thoughts!

A very special person will be celebrating a birthday on Monday, March 22nd: WILLA. Willa is the daughter of Cindy and Jana.



Willa is a wonderful and intelligent little girl (thanks to her Mommies). And her Tias from Midland wish her a fun and exciting birthday with all the trimmings!



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR WILLA...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.

Fire the parents!!

I just have to include the following video clip from HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher." To conclude his show, he includes a "New Rules" list and the final "new rule" gets an explanation. This past Friday, he alluded to the termination of several Rhode Island teachers, an action supported by Obama. I have no doubt that there exists a few rotten apples in the teaching profession. I have never denied that fact. But it irks me when people place ALL of the responsibility of on teachers. People: ACADEMIC SUCCESS BEGINS AT HOME!!!! At the risk of sounding pessimistic, I don't think this country will ever fix the problem with education. We have dug our own hole and can't seem to dig ourselves out of it. The more we try to get out, the deeper the hole gets. How do we fix it? Everyone claims it's the lack of funding. Sure it is. I certainly don't like it when people suggest cutting it from teachers' salaries or complaining that teachers have just gotten a raise. I support teachers getting raises. In fact, teachers do not get paid what they're worth when compared to other professionals with bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Listen to the clip....Bill tells it like it is!!!

According to the Academy's explanation as to why they intentionally left out Farrah Fawcett from the "Memorial" montage, Farrah was better known for her "remarkable television work," and should thus be honored by the TV industry at the Emmy Awards. Another explanation: "In every category, you're going to miss some wonderful people." BULLSHIT! Yes people, I'm still reeling over the blatant omission of Farrah during the Academy's "Memorial" montage during the Oscars!
As a general rule, I rarely watch the Oscars. Like the Grammys, the Oscars tend to be too political. Recently, though, I decided to fill three hours of my life watching the awards show, as well as the lame jokes and dance numbers. Not the best way to spend my time, I must admit. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were not entertaining and the dance routine...oh my gosh...the dance routine...what was that?! Going foward, the Academy should simply scrap the entertainment because...well...it's not entertaining.
To be honest, the only redeeming aspects of these awards shows is the fact that they still take the time to honor the people who work behind the scenes: the graphic designers, the animators, the wardrobe specialists, the make-up artists, the cinematographers, the sound mixers, the editors, etc. They deserve the recognition.
So...the one and only genuine aspect left in the Oscars, in my opinion, is the "Memorial" montage...until this year's presentation. This is the portion of the show when we look back and remember those film legends we have lost in the last year, and we either say "awww" or "who the hell is that?" Well...like I said before...until this year's presentation. The Academy decided to take a crap on any shred of respect I had left for them.
So...if I sound pissed off, it's because I am!!!! Please indulge me as I dissect the Academy's explanation for leaving Farrah out of the tribute. The Academy claims that she was better known for television work. Yes, she did a lot of television work. This explanation seems to suggest she didn't do anything else. Idiots!!!! Farrah starred in a number of films: LOGAN'S RUN (1976), which was nominated for 2 Oscars; SOMEBODY KILLED HER HUSBAND (1978), starred w/Jeff Bridges; SUNBURN (1980), starred w/Charles Grodin; SATURN 3 (1980), starred w/Kirk Douglas and Harvey Keitel; THE CANNONBALL RUN (1981), starred w/Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Fonda, and Adrienne Barbeau; EXTREMITIES (1986), Farrah was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama; SEE YOU IN THE MORNING (1989), starred w/Jeff Bridges and Drew Barrymore; MAN OF THE HOUSE (1995), starred w/Chevy Chase; THE APOSTLE (1997), written and directed by Robert Duvall, Farrah was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, starred w/Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton, June Carter Cash, and Miranda Richardson; THE LOVEMASTER (1997), starred w/George Wendt; DR T AND THE WOMEN (2000), starred w/Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Laura Dern, Shelley Long, Kate Hudson, and Liv Tyler; THE COOKOUT (2004), written by Queen Latifah.
There you have it. Farrah made more than one motion picture, EXTREMITIES and THE APOSTLE included her most powerful performances. Therefore, she deserved to be a part of the tribute.
In addition to her filmography, Farrah was a member of the Academy...for 40 years!!!! Did her membership mean nothing?!?!
But no....the Academy found it necessary to pander to the Michael Jackson family by including him in the montage. Michael?! Really?!
A friend of mine recently posted a comment on her Facebook wall: "They [the Academy] included Michael Jackson (made 1 movie but not a member of the Academy) but left out Farrah, and she WAS a member of the Academy. It was bad enough she died on the same day as MJ, and that his death overshadowed hers. She hurt no one and never got herself in any mess where her character came into question. I remembered why I had stopped watching awards shows..." Great posting. Jackson starred in "The Wiz" and yeah...yeah...the song "Ben" won an Oscar, but that's only two movies. And before any Wacko Jacko fans get their panties in a wad, I'm not saying he shouldn't have been included, but the fact that they chose to include him and not Farrah is a travesty! I really appreciated my friend's posting when she wrote: "She [Farrah] hurt no one and never got herself in any mess where her character came into question." Character? Oh, you mean the pedophilia? Let's just call a spade a spade. Remember folks, "not guilty" does not mean "innocent." We learned that fact from the infamous, no good, low-class, scum-of-the-earth O.J. Simpson. But....this isn't about Jackson...it's about how the Academy left out Farrah. And if time was the issue, then leave out the lame entertainment! The show had long enough pauses on full screen of people who I had never heard of and I had time to read what they were (i.e. sound man, script writer, director), but everyone else had flash pics on four small screens at once. I barely saw Paul Newman in an upper corner flash bye. They paused on Michael on full screen and didn't indicate what he was (i.e. actor). I guess the Academy didn't consider him an "actor" (and he wasn't) but they still included him in the montage on a full screen. Go figure. It's equally interesting that the Academy claims Farrah was known more for her television work so she should be recognized at the Emmys. Using that same logic, Michael was known more for his musical achievements, so shouldn't the Academy leave his recognition and tribute to the Grammys? Tsk, tsk, tsk! The Academy can kiss my ass! I shall never ever watch another Academy Awards show. I don't care if Madonna is scheduled to perform an Oscar-winning song from a motion picture soundtrack, I will remember the 2010 Academy Awards and refuse to tune in.

About the Oscar Buss

Because I was on my soapbox, I forgot to mention the Oscars. This year, there's not much to say. In all fairness, I haven't seen all the nominees for Best Picture. I have seen "Up" and it was boring. The film had a great beginning, but the balloons that carried him away were cheesy. What a tragic turn-of-events for a picture that could have been great.
I liked "District 9" but not enough to give it an Oscar nod much less the Oscar.
I saw "Inglourious Basterds." Normally, I love anything Tarantino touches, but this flick was less than stellar. Let's put it this way: I fell asleep. It was nothing like "Pulp Fiction" or "Kill Bill."
I saw "The Hurt Locker" last night, but the indie warfare movie didn't move mountains. It was okay, but not Oscar-caliber.
And as much as I enjoyed "The Blind Side," I don't think it deserved an Oscar nod either. To be sure, the movie was inspiring and you came away feeling happy about the ending. I like Sandra Bullock, too, and her performance was good but not powerful enough for an Oscar. Her performance in the movie where she played a recovering alcoholic was a strong performance and deserved an Oscar nod.
I haven't watched the other nominations for Best Picture, so I really can't say which one should deserve the Oscar. I will say this though: I am really looking forward to renting "Precious" when it premieres on DVD this Tuesday. I had wanted to see it at the theater, but unfortunately, didn't get to make it.
I guess whoever wins the Oscar wins it. I have no favorites.

The D***head Comment & Oscar Buzz

Recently, the term "dickhead" was given to a person who supported Obama's decision in giving a small raise to the men and women of the military...the smallest raise in years. The term was given to her by a Marine. I know, I know...consider the source. But what do we expect from living in a country where, if you're not for the establishment (in this case the military), you're not only unpatriotic, you're a Communist. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not exactly what you would call "pro-military" by any stretch. Does that mean I hate the military? No, it does not. I just have a real problem when the military decides to display their blind patriotism and obnoxious arrogance, all the while telling the country that we owe them, we owe them, WE OWE THEM, we owe THEM. They're always harping that they get no respect. Oh yeah?! What about the gays and lesbians who serve in the military under the DADT rule? What about the fact that they cannot serve openly because this freakin' country is not ready to accept them even though they lay their lives on the line as well or better than the heteros? What about that? But what the service men and women do is not anymore special than what regular Americans do everyday. We keep the country going on a daily basis. We do our part. Perhaps if the military were more "dovish" and less "hawkish," my perspective would change. Perhaps if the military's top brass were less bigoted and more accepting of gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, my perspective would change. Until then, I will share the following poem I wrote in 2003 (keep in mind I wrote it during the Bush regime):

"Wanted: Followers!"

If you want to see urban warfare,
the sight of homes turned to rubble,
or the smell of burned flesh,
or the sound of a mother wailing among the debris,
searching for her missing child,
the pain of seeing your buddy die because you couldn't seal off his sucking chest wound,
experience the shock associated with having to fire on a civilian vehicle that would not stop for a checkpoint,
or seeing two women, an old man, and a child lying dead along the road,
the sight of those lying face down,
men, women, and children in the dust,
in some village with no name,
all the while thinking "was it an air strike that took them out, or was it me?"
(Not knowing will be the only salvation).
Forgiveness is what you'll be after,
Good 'ol Uncle Sammy will tell you that "the collateral damage is regrettable, but forgivable."

The requirements for this job?
Put your life on hold,
and that includes the life of your family.
You will not belong to your family,
not even yourself.
You will not be allowed to have a mind of your own,
as you will be compensated for following orders only,
even if they go against your principles.
The pay is mediocre but the benefits might be worth it if good 'ol Uncle Sammy remembers your name.

Still wanna be one of "the few, the proud..."?
Still wanna be "all that you can be"?
Still wanna "aim high"?
After all, "it's not just a job, it's an adventure."

Then dial 1-800-SCREW-ME.

Marching Into March

New month!!!! And first thing's first...birthday shout-outs go to:
Rudy Gamboa, our nephew, on the 5th
Rudolfo "Rudy" Dominguez, Jr., Dora's brother, on the 9th.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I have changed the background to my blog to reflect Women's History Month. Purple was one of the colors the suffragists chose during the time they were campaigning for woman's suffrage. I'm hoping we make a trip to Sweetwater, Texas. I have been wanting to see the National WASP World War II Museum. [WASP = Women's Airforce Service Pilots] During World War II, a select group of young women pilots, WASPs as they became known, became the first women in history trained to fly American military aircraft. The other place I'd love to go see is The Women's Museum in Dallas, Texas.

The winter olympic games have concluded...YES...FINALLY. They can be a real pain-in-the-royal-ass! "Oh come on," you say. "The games promote good sportsmanship on an international level." Really, do they...REALLY?! Hmm, I don't see it that way. But if I'm asked what could be done to improve the winter games...let's see.

1. Please...there's no need for both luge and skeleton (or, frankly, either of them), which are just mirror images of each other. If we're going to continue having these events, we may as well double every sport by having them all run backwards?

2. Get rid of the 4-man bobsled and 2-man luge. What does 4-man bobsled prove that 2-man bobsled doesn't? And what does 2-man luge prove that regular luge doesn't? Those events are redundant!

3. Curling is not a sport, it's a joke. Olympic sports should at least require a participant to be an athlete of some sort. Curling doesn't even approach that lowest of benchmarks. It should be removed.

4. How about an avalanche event, where individuals and teams try to dig out after a massive snow collapse before they get smothered?!?!

The main reason the winter games will never have the same appeal as the summer games for me is the fact that the winter games have too much judgment, which is open to bias--figure skating, ice dancing, aerials, ect.

Glad it's all finally over.