The Friday Follies

Here it is folks, a collection of random rants, quips, thoughts questions and miscellany for a Friday, my first, and certainly NOT last Friday Follies. Have to admit though, I got the idea from one Jim Wooten, a regular columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constiution with his weekday "Thinking Right" column and it's "Friday Free-For-All edition. Well, here goes:



1) The Scooter Libby Sort-Of-Pardon: Err, excuse me, COMMUTING HIS SENTENCE.

OK, it irritates me enough that George Dubbaya COULD NOT leave well enough alone a much deserved (and in my honest opinion, a rather LIGHT) prison sentence (his assertions that he respected the jury's decision are COMPLETE BS!). In his typical mediocre, weak, spineless fashion, he can't even be honest enough to come out and issue a full pardon. but I guess 'ol Wimpy George is biting his nails thinking he'll be percieved as "condoning criminal activity" (which is moot poot given that this current administration is one big criminal enterprise to start with). I guess all well and good that he left the $250,000 fine and 2 years probation stand (real civic minded of ya there GWB) but it galls me that he went only half-way. George, either do something the whole danged way or not at all! Wimpiness is NOT a trait of a leader. AND REAL LEADERS DO NOT CONDONE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY LIKE THIS!!



And while I'm at it, the Democrats and a few Republicans with some spine are outraged at this short-circuiting of justice. I normaly don't agree with the Democrats on much, but I do share the outrage. However, I think Hillary specifically should've kept her trap shut, only because her husband issued a ridiculous amount of last-minute "Fire-Sale" pardons (146 to be exact) for some really sleazy people like fugitive financier Marc Rich for example. Justice short circuited time and time again.



2) Read of The Week: Lee Iacocca's brutally honest, witty and oddly uplifting "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?", in which the veteran former CEO of Ford and Chrysler shares his hard-earned life lessons, EXCORIATES the Bush administration for their incompetence and puts on the table a number of very good ideas for us as a nation to regain our greatness. This is one of those, "Can't Put It Down" books for certain, and very refreshing on many fronts. Dang Lee, I wish you were running for President!



3) Two Things That REALLY Bug Me About 9/11: Outside of the fact that a bunch of mindless, ruthless Islamic terrorists attacked our country completely unprovoked, the fact that we continue to have ANY kind of relationship with Saudi Arabia in light of the fact that the Saudi government provided (and probably still continues to do so) funding and facilities for the training of terrorists (INCLUDING THE ONES WHO HIJACKED THOSE PLANES!), as if having us dependent on their damned oil wasn't enough! I'll admit it, after 9/11 happened, I wanted so bad for war to be declared on S.A. for their complicity in what happened on 9/11 and other terrorist attacks as well. Why didn't we?


a) Our damned oil addiction! This could be a whole rant by itself (and likely will be), but you know, maybe it's time we took a clue from the sizable nation of Brazil (of course, we're too danged arrogant to think we can learn from anyone outside our national sphere unfortunately). Over 10 years ago, Brazil wised up and took a GIGANTIC leap of faith to energy independence (by way of bio-fuels and more). Within this coming year, they will NEVER have to buy a drop of foreign oil again and be at the mercy of ruthless and unscrupulous cartels and unstable oil prices/markest. Can we get outraged enough to say to the cartels and short-sighted oil companies alike "SCREW YOU and your arrogant manipulation!" and do it ourselves. I honestly believe we have the resources to do it, but where's the outrage? Where's the resolve? The Bush administration and many previous have sadly shown a gross lack of leadership and concern over this dilemma. But worse, we as a nation have become too complacent! Can we get up off our duffs and say ENOUGH!!!!???



b) The Bush family has a rather close relationship (and one methinks is HIGHLY inappropriate and just plain WRONG!) with the Saudi royal family. Amazing, ain't it!! For folks who claim to value the ideals of our Founding Fathers, they so readily take to being a little too chummy with a regime that lives in resplendent luxury while it oppresses it's citizens with harsh, draconian Islamic religious police, finances and facilitates terrorists and has us by the family jewels with their damned oil! George Dubbaya has indeed given the Saudi goverment a free-pass on 9/11. Criminals all in my book! I hope one day in my lifetime that the Saudi government is called to account for their complicity in these horrific crimes against humanity.



And wasn't it George Washington who once remarked "Avoid entangling foreign alliances"


4) The ONE Redeeming Feature of the Bush Administration: It ceratinly has provided DECADES worth of material for comics, satirists, historians, bloggers and social critics alike!

5) Just Wondering # 481: What is the appeal of wax/plastic fruit? Have any lawsuits ever erupted over someone biting into these things unwittingly? A conspiracy by the dental industry? (LOL)

6) Santa Claus, Jolly Old Elf or CIA Spook?

7) Just Wondering # 322: Can lawyers sue themselves?

8) On Genesis reforming and touring this year, is it possible 'ol Phil Collins needs a little extra "Divorce Money?" He lost wife #4. Would I have gone and seen them, NO WAY! I couldn't have cared less about the Phil-era pop material (it was so cheesy and had NONE of the brilliance of the Peter Gabriel-era) Gabriel and Steve Hackett were approached to do the reunion but declined. Probably just as well, Phil hasn't exactly got the chops he once had on drums.

9) Why is it that dogs LOVE to stick their heads out the window of a moving car and feel a vicious wind, yet if you blow in their face, they get mad at you?

10) Are there such things as, Subliminal Advertising Agencies?