Next Time... Collateralized Debt Obligations, Sub Prime Mortgages, Hedge Funds, and Derivatives. The Ongoing Financial Crisis in America

A Short History of GSE's

The Federal National Mortgage Association or Fannie Mae was a Government Sponsored Enterprise or GSE formed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal in l938 in response to the Great Depression. It attempted to facilitate liquidity in the market by making mortgages available to lower income families. It bought mortgages from Savings and Loans, which encouraged more lending and insured the value of the mortgages by the United States government. In l968 Fannie Mae was converted into a privately owned corporation with shareholders. A newly formed publicly funded partition institution, The Government National Mortgage Association or Ginnie Mae, took over the role of Fannie Mae. In l970 The Emergency Home Finance Act created a new private corporation GSE to further stimulate the secondary housing market. The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation or Freddie Mac buys mortgages on the secondary market, pools them, and sells them as mortgage-backed securities to investors on the open market.

Julie Sweeney's Religulous

Comedienne Julia Sweeney created a thought invoking character on past episodes of Saturday Night Live. “It’s Pat,” the fictional comedy routine she realized, effectively probed the public’s perception of gender. With her androgynous character Pat O’Neil Riley, Sweeney pushed the boundaries of sexual orientation by creating a gender-neutral human being. Her recent sketch on Comedy Central’s “Pulp Comics” parodied an English professor’s analysis of the Bible. Staunchly supporting Bill Maher’s views in Religulous, Sweeney’s effervescent literary critic uses a useless technique to try to understand the books of the Bible. Like Maher, the college professor tries to analyze a literal interpretation of the Bible. While television has digressed to a primordial level in recent years, God has not. Because education in America has been failing at an epic level does not mean God is any less intelligent. That intelligence, one capable of devising and creating the universe, is formidable. That is why the Bible not only is not the verbatim words of God, but is not an oration. In certain ways the Bible could be considered a collection of human fables designed and collected to create interest and provoke thought about the history of Christianity. Interpretation of the Bible is academic, and America is doomed to misunderstanding without a more pious and inquisitive look into its meaning. A simple decrying of the words of God’s disciples is not enough to prove that God does not exist. It is a narcissistic and self-deluded neurosis that contradicts the purpose of art and condones human sloth. As Barack Obama continues to say, Americans will have to become engaged in the processes of religion and government to reap the results of both. With dumb founding ignorance of the economic aesthetic visible in Washington, America needs to rally around something other than the hopes of an interim government. The spirituality of America’s black gospel church is being met with grave resistance in the newly convened federal government. President Obama is attempting to bring a swagger of religious confidence onto Capital Hill. Like Bush’s preceding white America always has, they fail to understand, “Taking it to church.” It is a little bit like watching James Brown saunter through the Supreme Court. While a pragmatic approach to healing America’s economy would be welcome, it is obvious no one has the answers. There is nothing wrong with trying to loosen the collar of the GOP while caustically approaching the past agenda of George W. Bush. While a newly invigorated Republican philosophy could serve such a dire economic crisis, the GOP like the Democrats have to prove they know something. At the moment we have the same discrepencies we had before January 20th. Barack Obama has undertaken a mammoth presidential agenda. Each day of his new administration has planted a singular and separate executive order in the furrows of America. With such a diverse agenda it is difficult to see his forest for of the trees. The majority of his decisions have been frugal in abiding by his former campaign promises. Each topic systematically has been reversed in what seems like a schizophrenic about face to Bush’s ironhanded Nazi regime. Stem cell research, abortion rights, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered agenda and Muslim Diplomacy all have been marinated in democratic blood. It is a lot to bite off, and America still is chewing on the lunch. Let’s just pray to the “fictional” Religulous God that the supper of an economic stimulus plan will prove a nutritious meal to the appetite of the American economy.

Discussing the Bosnian Problem

The most interesting executive order to be issued by the White House so far is the one concerning Bosnia. While the Dayton Accords masterminded by former President Bill Clinton ended Slobodan Milosevic’s evil genocidal rein and recognized the individual sovereignty of former Yugoslav republics, it didn’t charter the White House’s new policy on presidential sex. If Bill had been busy instead creating protocol for White House blowjobs, the mayhem may have continued. Ironically he mistakenly was impeached for sexual impropriety led by the soon to be martyr of the GOP Newt Gingrich. Carl Rove is on the line and wants his “No sex in the White House back.” Maybe they could get together with Rush Limbaugh and hire Jessica Hahn to quell their adolescent sexual longings once and for all. Jimmy Swaggart could say the opening prayer and Debra Murphree could take photographs. More appropriately the White House has devised a failsafe method to disguise a potential White House sexual liaison if it doesn’t occur in the Oval Office. Breaking with the Bush tradition the Obama’s have consented they may be interested in sexual intercourse. If so codenamed Renaissance and Renegade will, “Discuss the Bosnian problem.” Such activity wouldn’t seem so extreme if the Obamas slept together. As tradition would have it there are separate bedrooms for the President and the First Lady. “Do we really want this job after all?”

Bond, James Bond

If Matt Damon’s quotes in a recent Miami Herald interview are true, then he has sealed his fate as a non-actor. While his screen abilities are starkly limited, a careful study of and reverence for one’s own aesthetic often make up for one’s shortcomings. If Damon indeed did want to blossom into an actor of stature, then he never would have reprimanded his chosen lineage. Petty bickering is the modus operandi of choice on America’s modern “Reality Television,” but it has no place for screen legends. Slandering Ian Fleming’s novel and film character easily seals his fate as an immature, juvenile, and narcissistic Gen. X’er. If his assessment of James Bond was true, then he would get a shallow plug for his crippled film career. It wasn’t, and any educated adult with a fondness for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang knows this. Bond was never a misogynist, and his playboy attributes in Fleming’s definition were an attempt to disguise the pain of his murdered wife. In Fleming’s novels Bond is a different character all together. He is broken, tired, and lonely. The necessities of cinema created a different character, one that was synonymous with a l940’s-style leading man. If Damon is threatened by Bond’s knowledge and savvy in the films, then he more is afraid of his own shortcomings on the screen and in the bedroom. It is not that often a would be actor gets it this wrong. James Bond was an iconoclastic hipster. He was the real Hugh Hefner and achieved his fortunes with the quill of his own pen. He didn’t bed women. He earned them with savoir-faire, obviously something of which Damon has no understanding.

Salem's Lot of Media

America still is living in the trappings of the “Sexual Revolution” that began in Britain. Hugh Hefner traveled to England, frequented the places associated with this newfound sexual liberation, and brought those images to America under the guise of Playboy Magazine. “Good composers borrow, and great composers steal.” While at its onset in a conservative society, Playboy Magazine may have been groundbreaking. Today in the age of the Internet original media has been forced to redefine itself. Newspapers, record labels, and cable television are scrambling to keep up with the advertising campaign created by Google. Google simply took the advertising concept from television and brought it to the Internet. Steve Jobs took Apple’s graphic interface from Xerox, and Bill Gates took it from Apple. In our modern Entrepreneurial Age it is a matter of who markets their stolen product most quickly and effectively. With ADD a common component of modern media, your competition will be forgotten in weeks. Our economy has become disposable. With this shift toward transient values and disposable products society has become confused. “If our commercial lives are so shallow, how are our personal lives to maintain value and integrity?” Formerly the answer to that question was religion, but with gracious modern entrepreneurism the extreme right media have launched a campaign to doubt the existence of the Creator. With no God and a disposable economic infrastructure, how are our personal lives to maintain value and integrity? Formerly the answer to that question was art, but with gracious modern entrepreneurism, the extreme right media have launched a campaign to disguise the existence of art. Instead we received corporate propaganda, Newspeak, and fortunately it is unmistakable where that has led the American economy. Could the last vestiges of education represent the integrity of our personal lives? Certainly with cable television and the Internet setting such good examples of effective social behavior, do we not all want to go out and buy three twenty-something Playboy playmates to be our concubines? In the name the anachronistic “Sexual Revolution” we could pay them a thousand dollars a week, post a 9:00 p.m. curfew, and have our staff record their every move in a little black book. Hugh Hefner himself has become confused like the American people forgetting the very populace to which he sells his magazine. While under the guise of gracious modern entrepreneurism, Hef overlooked his role as a mentor to quickly growing adolescents. Investing in short term high yield markets all ready has proven to bankrupt a large percentage of America. Can we afford to continue to do this with the future inhabitants and leaders of America? God, art, and education are the mediums that provide such examples, and without them our social behaviors will be lost. What is interesting is that in the right wing media-induced spin, the simple pleasures of Christian living have been lost. America has forgotten that sexual activity is a core component of socialized living, and marriage for heterosexuals is the oasis upon which this activity should be based. Why is it the gay agenda seems to be the only agenda promoting marriage? The divorce rates from marriage have continued to increase since the “Sexual Revolution,” and heterosexual Americans still are searching for answers to success in marital sexual fulfillment. Could it be because the gay agenda has confused heterosexual America? Marriage never has been easy, and the shifting of the sacrament of marriage to a validation of sodomy won’t help. The separation of church and state could allow civil unions for which Barack Obama has shown support. It must be left up to the institution of the church to decide if two thousand years of history must be changed. For this reason God, art, and education must remain the substructure of our country. The alchemy being practiced by Salem’s Lot of right wing media needs to be quashed once and for all. Maybe we should burn Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone, and Les Moonves at the stake.

Bridget Jones's Senatorial Bid

"Will you complete me, United States Senate?"

The Fife and Drum of America

Great American composers should be receiving a nice royalty check from ASCAP. While Aaron Copland is dead, both his “Fanfare for the Common Man” and “Lincoln Portrait” were celebrated at the inaugural of newly elected President Barack Obama. Forrest Gump candidly stood in for Lincoln, and the United States military band (a conglomeration from different branches of the military) mightily performed the realization of Copland’s vintage l942 musical portrait. The inaugural, while in the service of America’s first African-American president, served as a dichotomy of previous President Bush’s lack of understanding of the importance of American patriotism and religion to America. With the blink of an eye the Bush family was whisked off to Midlands, Texas aboard “Special Air Mission 28000.” (Because Bush no longer was president, it could not be called Air Force One.) What occurred in America over the airwaves was startling. Suddenly the self-aware, conservative, and a-religious sentiment of Bush buckled, and waves of warm glorified reverence to God and country emerged. Hillary and Bill Clinton were almost brought to tears by the heartfelt National Prayer Service held at Washington’s National Cathedral. It was almost like Christmas had come again. Jesus all ready had been born, but a new Messiah was in the midst. Could such extreme symbolism be appropriate? The sentiments of the people involved seemed to say yes. Presiding priests from varying religions and countries each spoke in a communion that reached deep into the heart. The music of the service, like the music at the inauguration, was representative of the virtue, sincerity, and lineage of both religion and country. It provided the artistic model upon which worship and patriotism are supported. Thwarting separation of church and state the musical performances proved that religion and patriotism are one in the same. John Williams, while absent from the watchful eye of the television camera, paid homage to Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” with his arrangement of the 1848 Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts.” His was an air for a quartet of piano, violin, cello, and clarinet. Williams successfully resurrected the voices of William Grant Still, John Alden Carpenter, and George Gershwin in a setting that integrated the diverse and complex concerns of a foundling America and America today. Throughout the inaugural festivities the American military bands proved to be the example. By combining historical perspective, diligence, and soul they tactfully continued to set the example for protocol in American patriotism. While the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps itself pays homage to America’s British roots, the child still must be thankful to her rearing parents.

Bungling and Lip Syncing

America is in transition. As quickly as inaugural optimism came it faded into the sunset replaced with cantankerous media analysis. There could be no better example of this than NPR’s scrutiny of the administering of the Presidential Oath of Office by Chief Justice John Roberts. He and newly elected President Barack Obama both hiccupped on what seemed like an unrehearsed rendition of the oath. It broke the ice. Nina Totenberg, in gracious Nancy Grace style, critiqued the event with the overzealousness of a fastidious wedding planner. Did the nation really need to hear in such detail how our most powerful leaders stumbled verbally on such an anxious, strenuous, and omnipresent day? While punditry of the Constitution prevailed, and the two men went through the ropes again inside the White House, could National Public Radio not have found a more productive thing upon which to report? While the validity of the Oath of Office was in contention, comparing America’s third youngest Supreme Court Justice to veteran William Rehnquist was senseless. Nina made the point that Rehnquist performed a more accurate version of the Oath in 2004 with a tracheotomy tube implanted in his throat. If that is not petty partisan lambasting, what is? The majority of the country is elated a dying breed of white-haired, conservative, grifters are being forced to eat their own rotted flesh and contract Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The more savvy financiers are playing David Blaine and are proving more difficult to find than Eric Rudolph. Isn’t it appropriate the new sheriff has run them out of town? Is this not why we elected Barack Obama? It is why we are proud to have a J.F.K like youthfulness in government again. While juniors Roberts and Obama stumbled on their words, it certainly will not reap the same consequences of a child George W. Bush stumbling on his words to Osama Bin Laden on the playground.

Piloting the Riverboat of Dreams

In today’s pressing political climate it is appropriate Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn her name from the prospective pool of senatorial candidates in consideration from New York’s interim Governor David Patterson. While Kennedy may be qualified for the job, in light of her expressed responsibility to uncle Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy, she has decided to sidestep the political limelight for the moment. What a moment it has been. With the electing of America’s first African-American President, there is enough civil drama on America’s plate. As represented by Jeb Bush’s decision not to run for the Senate, now may not be the time for the perpetuation of another white political dynasty. “Now’s the Time” for Barack Obama. The sentiment in America is Caroline Kennedy could be a worthy replacement for outgoing Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton who today was confirmed as Secretary of State. Sarah Palin would disagree saying Kennedy would be riding the “Kennedy Express” toll free from Manhattan to Washington, DC. Duke Ellington might believe the “A” Train to Harlem would be more appropriate. It certainly is with this presidential election. America chose to take the “A” Train to Harlem with its choice of Barack Obama to the United States Presidency. Barack Obama navigated the riverboat of dreams to the White House doors, knocked, and asked for his mint julep. He got it yesterday and enjoyed it in front of millions of Americans hoping for a better tomorrow. Timing is everything certainly in comedy and music, and good timing is proving to be an asset to politicians in America. The masses have spoken, and the era of dynasties is over for the moment. Let’s take the hint from Aretha Franklin, don a new lid, and sing the daylights out of an patriotic hymn. Maybe this lead on a trip to Harlem will give America her new soul. It least it will get you to Bill Clinton’s place.

Attending the Balls of New Orleans

There are certain reasons why Classism is important to America. On the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s birth and with the inauguration of America’s first black president it could be difficult to surmise. Classism, while not defined by economic status, often is. While the definition of Racism becomes visible with color of skin, Classism is more savvy. It is a form of elitism that uses money as a tool for popularity and power. If other desirable traits are not possessed, economic status often in America becomes synonymous with both. It is a tangled web of social and economic ladder-climbing that could make Regan MacNeil's head spin. Circumventing the ambiguity of the above definition, Classism is a ramification of the American Revolution. Americans fought for and sought financial freedom from the oppressive monarchy of the British Crown. Because America is young and naive Classism remains. Two decades ago Classism was highly visible. America was her own self-contained econo-sphere immune from the influences of "rogue" nations. With the advent and rise in America of Bill Clinton’s "Multiculturalism" and George Bush’s "Globalization" the economic infrastructure of America’s populace has become distorted. Mainstream America disappeared and with it went the paradigm of American life. In the l980’s there was no discrepancy over how we lived. Social and economic strata were highly visible and as a result people on lower levels knew for what they were striving. In all probability it was the “American Dream.” What was this dream? Was it similar to Martin Luther King’s dream? While the answer probably is yes, capitalist America shaped the “American Dream” into something tangible monitarily. Vintage television reinforced this image. If often is said Hollywood, the Mecca of television production, was founded by Jews seeking solstice from the oppression of Hitler’s Nazi Germany. They immigrated to America and used television as an art form to create a more humane way of life. Hollywood television shows became the paradigm for Mainstream America if not inventing it completely. Without a visible model of Classism today, how are we as Americans to know for what to aspire in our meager lives? Classism, while an enemy of Civil Rights, gave us an answer to this question. The thing that disturbs wealthy capitalist America about Socialism is the acquisition of their own fortunes. Transforming the world’s superpower into a Socialist state would mean the eventual disarray of the socio-economic system that created their wealth. This is why universal healthcare has failed. The medical profession in America is a means to become wealthy. The physiological needs of America usurps this unhealthy hierarchy. Examples of Classism like this in America need to be dismantled before we as a nation can proceed with universal healthcare. Similarly other professions that have evolved into a social elite must become liberal and recognize their economic viability and Mainstream America are not mutually exclusive. In certain parts of the country these concepts have been more successful, and one such example is the city of Columbus, Ohio. Columbus for many decades has been the testing ground for commercial products. This landlocked culture demands a high degree of intellectual mobility, socialization, political savvy, and artistry. There is nothing else there. There are no oceans in which to swim. There are no mountains on which to ski. There is a long, cold, and gray winter that demands more humanity than survival. Columbus demands and supplies an artistic culture, and that separates them from other areas of America. In Columbus intellectual ability and artistry prove to be a rough foundation for the small amount of Classism that exists. It is one of America’s biggest shames that Hurricane Katrina destroyed the birthplace of jazz music. This port city bustled with the international influences of French Caribbean Creoles, Acadians, and misplaced African slaves. The mixture of these cultures with European blood formed the roux upon which was created the gumbo of jazz music. Without New Orleans America desperately is searching for her soul. In this case Classism is not helping. The best proof of this is the host of balls that are being held in Washington, DC for the Presidential Inauguration. A ball, while not defined by Classism, often is. How many Mainstream Americans attend balls in their lifetime? Few. What is important for a ball is music. While traditional European balls may have utilized an orchestra because many of the dances of Europe were formal, balls in America deserve a potpourri of American styles of music appropriate for dancing. In the last eight years of George Bush’s presidency, the popular joke that Baptist’s never making love standing up because they are afraid of being caught dancing, has held true. In America there has been little emphasis on dance music until the recent television series “Dancing with the Stars." The music that has saturated the airwaves has been pop music. Pop music is not designed for dancing. Both Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky would be turning over in their graves not to mention the great early American jazz bands. New Orleans to America is the Vienna of Austria, and unlike the last eight years having a good time should not frowned upon. Americans do not need a ball to enjoy dancing. Without quality American music any ball would be incomplete. While the minuet, the Viennese Waltz, and the polka could suffice in a pinch, they will not provide the colloquial indeginous rhythms necessary to ensure a truly American experience. Ironcially for this moot point Classism could be appreciated, because often only the upper class can afford such musical entertainment. The demarkations of Classism in the fields of medicine and musis need to crumble like the Berlin Wall. With such pretense and socio-economic awareness eliminated, it will be easier for America facilely to coagulate into the soulful, passionate, and economically potent entity she is.

A Folk Song for DC

Obama-fest was inscrutable. How could one feel that HBO’s donated air-time was not a propagandist feast? While Lincoln is a worthy figure of reverence cemented with his Emancipation Proclamation, is the electing of America’s first African-American President worthy of the same praise? That is all I could think. The work is yet to be done. In retrospect a homage to Abraham Lincoln always is welcome. Few know the sorrow he bore as President during the Civil War. African-Americans owe their lives to Lincoln, but the election of Barack Obama to the United States Presidency demands different results. Are African-Americans still enslaved? Is not all of America enslaved? If we are, are we to expect a synonymous result? Obama-fest suggested change was imminent. What is that change, a freeing of slaves? No one can dispute the balance of power in America has been tipped to the Extreme Right. A heartstring pulling affirmation of what has become minority interests is appropriate. Maybe his Leftist propagandist production was necessary to seal the fate of George W. Bush. Many think Bush will continue to spin his legacy. How could eight years of failed politics be recorded otherwise? Richard Nixon got a library as will George W. Bush. Is it not time to stop harping on the negatives and begin focusing on the solutions to his failed policies? Maybe a big campfire rendition of “Kum ba ya” is what the nation needs. It is setting the precedent for a newly installed 111th Congress. Without orientation such irrefutable change seems unrealistic. Although the Democratic Party has earned leadership in two out of the three branches of government, there is no guarantee they will be able to put Humpty Dumpty’s pieces back together again. A lot is resting on the shoulders of Barack Obama, and it will take more than Martin Luther King’s dream to make it happen. A resurgence of a Civil Rights rally in Washington is a good place to start. It reinforces Obama’s projected strategy. He expects everyone to be involved in the solutions of America. Could the hardball of Washington DC be outsourced Texas? Is it possible that grassroots Depression Era doctrine will prove effective in solving America’s financial problems? Obama’s Obama-fest certainly suggested that. With all of the pining, urging, and yearning let’s hope that solid, tangible, and realistic solutions are on hand for the future government of America. As with George W., all of the propaganda in the world can’t cover up America’s destiny.

Obama-land

President George Bush’s last national address to the nation was met with lukewarm compliance. In the proceeding days the media had been relentless about his record of service in ways fueling the breakdown of America’s financial system. The case has been made, proven with the election of America’s first African-American President, that Bush failed. We cannot beat that dead horse anymore, but I’m sure the media will keep on trying. What is interesting is the social class that is most highly involved is staying mum. The Country Club of Wall Street, Washington DC, and upper class America has not been spoken for in the war on Bush. That is because he was their man. Possibly without even knowing it Bush came into power to be played by elitist America. When you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, there is no easy way to become a liberal. Certainly without diligent study of the late Andrew Carnegie one merely would continue their entire life living in the bubble of economic security until now. All of the tangible mechanisms of making money it seems have been misplaced. There can be no more bluffing in the poker game of America’s economy. America must return to prosperity, but no one really seems to know how. Green industries, clean power, and expansion of infrastructure all have been proposed as tinder for re-igniting the economy. A brief survey of America’s industrial history could be enlightening. Carnegie made steel and later sold his company to J.P. Morgan. Henry Ford made automobiles, but ironically his industry is near bankruptcy. John D. Rockefeller produced oil. What happened? The magical trinity of steel, cars, and gas suddenly became extinct. Threats of Global Warming and depleting the earth of her natural resources became urgent. Almost overnight the dynasty fell almost as if being beckoned by Mother Nature herself. “Come to Butthead.” This is not all new. There was staunch resistance to Eisenhower’s proposed interstate highway system cutting through picturesque downtown areas to reach the Pacific Ocean. One faction opposed the polluting of cities with carbon emissions and noise. Systematically that was overrun and the automobile became the graven image of America. Everyone it seems needed an automobile. Without them there would be no Geico, no American Graffiti, and no revenues from traffic violations. It cannot be denied that America’s economy has become reliant upon automobiles, but what now? Is America, in a modern Progressive Era, suddenly going to attempt to do the right thing? Millions think so, but the future seems shady. With the examples of the sixteenth through nineteenth amendments to the United States Constitution what remains to be done? Could it be the legalization of drugs and prostitution? Could it go an opposite direction and instead of emancipating the rights of slaves and women attempt to regulate the industries and corporations that so drastically have gone awry? With shouts of Socialism still echoing in the air after Barack Obama’s election, regulation that prudently was enacted to safeguard such a failure of America’s financial markets still must remain the enemy of upper class America. Have they changed their minds? Has the fat lady sung? Have the Country Club’s of Wall Street and Washington, DC finally become contrite? With their fortunes, pensions, and future wealth in jeopardy there is no choice. America herself has become bankrupt with George W. Bush at the helm, and like Poseidon’s captain he never knew what hit him. Wealthy Americans have been living off trust funds, interest, and investments for decades, but now the gigue is up, or is the gigue really up? The question that remains to be answered is, “Where is all that money?” While they may not be making money on their money for a long while, one faction of America still is in the money. Any governmental attempt to redistribute their wealth again will be met with resistance. That is why attempts to reform America’s health care system are met with such tenacious resistance. The upper class in America, the student counsel, the cheerleaders, and the jocks that are the shining examples of the virtues of Capitalism still need a way to create their vast wealth. Any attempt to change that status quo will demand a national revolt, one that has begun with the election of Barack Obama to the United States Presidency. It is unfortunate that classism has to exist at all, but it is a postulate of Western Civilization. Although freedom of religion most often is cited as the reason for the American Revolution, was not it really a desire for financial opportunity and personal wealth? America would not have been built had it not been for European-born entrepreneurs who migrated to a future “land of plenty.” It is interesting the Puritans most often are used as examples of native America instead of the opportunists who immograted here to seek their fortunes. Classism as it directly relates to American slavery will remain a main tenant of the American soul, and it has to be addressed in any economic recovery of the economy. This has been an ongoing issue in national politics with George W. Bush, and it will remain with Barack Obama. It is certain the bell curve will modulate attempting to move its apex to the middle class. Does this mean the wealth in America will be redistributed? How can that happen when the motto of the Republican party always has been, “Get what you can, put it in a can, and sit on the can?” True conservatives prefer moderation in spending unlike the vain and narcissistic CEO’s of this decade. Somewhere there are wise Republicans sitting on their fortunes, and they are running the world. How Barack Obama mediates between these fortunate few and middle and lower class America will be the key to economic success in America. Will it yield, “Yessah massah, may I bring you a mint julep,” or will it fuel a new era of Civil Rights and Progression? Like the late Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama seems to strike a chord in the hearts of many Americans of Caucasian and ethnic blood. It seems this battle has been fought before. It will be up to the United States Secret Service to ensure Obama’s chances are not cut short. While he is riding into office on a Lincolnian train of optimism and with the down home demeanor of Johnny Carson, no one can forget the security of America rests in his security.

Pop/Rock Watch (bands that are both)

The Who
Jimmy Hendrix
The Clash
Dokken
Henry Rollins
Queen
Boston
Anthrax
Megadeath
Blue Oyster Cult
Van Halen
Foreigner
Heart
Poison
Journey
Black Sabbath
Metallica
Red Hot Chili Peppers (Really Funk/Rock, not Pop/Rock)

Rock Watch (band that are really rock)

The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
Aerosmith
Def Leppard
Crooked X
Kid Rock
Warrent
Living Colour

Pop Watch (bands that are not really rock)

AC/DC
Rush
Led Zeppelin
Deep Purple
Judas Priest
Kiss
Alice in Chains

Today's Top Ten List

1. It is reasonable that Senate Republicans have delayed the confirmation of appointee Timothy Geithner to the position of Secretary of the Treasury. While his credentials look good, his demeanor during the screening process seems to be evasive. Hopefully as a potential politician he like John Snow will realize corporate financial skills are not all that is necessary for a job in Washington serving the populace of America. Communication is key and a willingness to provide transparency in the actions of the United States Treasury.

2. Israel should be ashamed of themselves for shelling the United Nations Headquarter in Gaza. What were they thinking?

3. The Hudson River must be freezing.

4. America should pray for Steve Jobs, Patrick Swayze, and Senator Ted Kennedy.

5. The Honorable Senator Roland Burris

6. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger could learn a thing or two from Past Governor George Voinovich

7. Has Sarah Palin done a porno yet? Judging from the success of televangelist Pastor Melissa Scott, it could help her ratings.

8. As soon as she is approved send Hillary Clinton to Gaza.

9. Kendra made the right decision. Abstinence will drive you crazy.

10. I never knew Aaron Copland was gay. What a let down.

A Question of Pop

The more I think about it the more confounded I become about the entity of pop music. Pop music must be qualified. Pop is not just a nickname for “popular music.” Pop is a concrete rhythmic concept based upon the ergonomics of the guitar. When faced with this adversary as a pianist, at first I lost. Unknowingly a war was created that pitted my vocation against this entity. Then I fully did not understand the definition of pop music. It took almost a year of study before achieving a compromise. Pop music is music that is reliant upon the strumming of the guitar. While that sounds elementary, a derogatory definition of something that is primary in education is appropriate. While I have come to understand and in certain instances appreciate pop music, it suffers from one major weakness that both immunizes it from the music hall of fame and creates its mystique. Pop music has no rhythm. Clarified it is mono-rhythmic. It has time and there is a subdivision of the beat, but traditional clave or rhythmic patterns do not exist. This may be why it is considered pop music or music that appeals to the masses. It has been stripped of any accountability, and that is created by rhythm. Pop music in short is missing one of the three in the trinity of the definition of music, melody, harmony, and rhythm. It was not until recently when I watched a “Live, In Concert” program on VH-1 that I threw pop a bone. Fulfillment can be created with pop music, and in certain definitions that fulfillment is most important. It does allow the emotion of the musicians to communicate. Pop music is reliant upon this emotion for the simple reason that no emotion can be created by the rhythmic concept being used. Strumming the guitar up and down does not create a clave. It does create a pattern, but it is a simplistic, folk-like, repetitive pattern that does not qualify as rhythm. Better pop bands with good material such as Rush and AC/DC have achieved great success with this concept. The unfortunate reality is the purely sonic outpouring of their music is unable to create a lasting tangible effect. If anyone were to sing along with the drummer, there would be no ups or downs in his dynamic phrasing. If there was then the music could not be called pop. It would be called rock. This delicate balance, one of alleviating the listener from the responsibility of having to “feel” the music while tantalizing their psyche, has become a watershed in the music industry. When I watched my first AC/DC video I was startled to see their musical approach. Their music never appealed to me for some reason, but I didn’t know why. The reason was AC/DC is a pop band. All of the fireworks, on-stage-antics, and juvenile histrionics merely are a ploy to convey the message of the music. They are playing in a rhythmic concept that eliminates the possibility of moving the listeners with rhythm. Without the additional components of lyrics, melody, and harmony their music would be disposable. This is the grift. Millions of people love pop music. They have not reached a point in their lives where being emotionally moved by their bodies is accepted with pleasure. In fact this specific characteristic could define the two poles of music. There is music that attempts to move the soul, and there is music that glorifies narcissism. Metaphorically this could be called God versus man. The idea of God deals with greater issues than man’s primitive desires. Consequently it could define pop music as music for children. I have always asked myself the question why capable musicians play pop music. One reason is it is world’s easier than playing soul music. Music that systematically disconnects the human body, its receptors and its stimuli, is much easier to play. There is little engagement of the body to produce an alternate response other than the status quo. The intent in pop music is to create a “box” or pocket of emptiness upon which sits the artist’s emotional output. While this could be desirable, it also could be considered vain. A survey of America’s pop music history confirms this concept was understood and heavily utilized in radio music beginning in the l960’s. My assertion is it was directly influenced by South American music. The high emotional content of Latin music coupled with its reliance upon the Spanish guitar became an effective foundation for future American pop music. In certain ways it also could be considered “cool.” The music contains a seemingly intellectual Zen-like detachment from the traditional requirements of emotion. It prefers the mind over the body. Only recently I have discovered soul music is produced with the body. Without the engagement of kinesthesia, it nearly would be impossible to produce the musical result of soul music. While the mouth, fingers, and arms can produce music of substance, music that truly is soulful must engaged the entirety of the physical body. A drummer that is not playing in a pop concept could be the best example of how the entire body is engaged in the act of making music. Each limb has a specific purpose, but the torso (the heart and guts) must synthesize the discreet motions and blend them together with highly complex nuances of timing and velocity. If the brain knows the intent of the music, then “The Inner Game of Tennis” subconsciously allows the human psyche to produce it. Pop does not engage the body at this level. While, like in Rush’s case, the music can be grandiose, substantial, and emotional, if lyrical content, melody, and harmony were removed the resulting organism would not engage the listener in any way shape for form. It would be inconsequential. A choice has to be made on the roadmap of music which route will be taken. It is disappointing that quality music is missing its mark.

Depriving Bin Laden of his Drug

An effective deterrent to the continual propagandistic harassment of Osama Bin Laden would be to vow never to show his face in America ever again. While it is an almost impossibility his presence will grace the native soil of America, the media could decide that terrorizing America is a heinous enough offense to merit the banning of his image completely. Instead of allowing the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to become a headline in our newspapers, the next best thing is denying him what he wants. That is publicity. It is true a modern American news agency has a responsibility to report news, but in this day and age the media has become the voices of the world. How does the American public know that what is being reported is true? This is the quintessential element in a “Campaign of Fear and Terror.” While outgoing President George W. Bush is being chastised more harshly now than during his presidency, it cannot be denied that America has been safe since the 9/11 attacks. It is highly probable, although flying jetliners into the World Trade Towers was a pinnacled act, other violent acts of terror would have occurred after 9/11. A token must be thrown to Bush for the Department of Homeland Security. Like jazz music it has not been around long enough to inscribe its intents in American culture. While FEMA reaped a huge scar from its delayed response to Hurricane Katrina, the Department of Homeland Security paradoxically has escaped persecuting scrutiny. It must be said then its founding has been one of Bush’s small successes. While a majority of the populace of America waits eagerly for troops to be withdrawn from Iraq, the remaining issue is can Barack Obama provide the same security. It would be about this that Republicans are worried. Republican ideals always have been a high standard of national defense supported by the individuals’ rights to arm and defend their homes. These are staunch values that are sorely needed in violent modern times. Keeping Obama’s face out of America, while not hiding America’s head in the sand about his threat, could deprive him of his kryptonite. In the never ending game of partisan politics “playing” Bin Laden seems a more appropriate choice. While reinforcing the threat of his evil agenda is important, it seems starving him from his fodder could be more effective.

Slander

If Sarah Palin so decided, it would be easy for her to sue for slander. As a newly led Obama judicial system tries to re-invent itself in the wake of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prison atrocities, it seems the media needs new regulations for accountability. Palin’s failure could be the trait for which she continually is being persecuted. Instead of dropping to the lowest level of the “he said, she said” concept in news journalism, she should hire a good attorney and file suit against her antagonists. Although this would take her off her self-proclaimed path of popularity, it may prove once and for all she is a leader with might. Media, particularly in the last decade, has blurred the line between celebrity and politician. Photo crews from reputable news agencies appear no different than the harassing paparazzi responsible for Princess Diana’a death. This behavior has set new records for uncouth protocol on the campaign trail. The only model of this devolution of proper journalism is in the tabloid journalism of Rupert Murdoch. His subordination of needed dogmatic American traditions have scarred this country, and it is from those ill influences America is attempting to free itself. Although America has a Hollywood, our country never has been a tabloid culture. No country holding the title of “World Superpower” could come to office riding on tabloid journalism. Edward R. Murrow would be turning over in his grave if he watched on episode of Anderson Cooper. While CNN spent several days reveling in their new year accolade of being voted best news network, the ever increasing pile of viterperative, slanderous, and purely speculative news continues to grow. Can we get off of Sarah Palin? Can we get off of Caylee? It is a disservice to that dead child that Nancy Grace is making her living off of her every day. President Bush will be out of sight and out of mind in six days. In the midst of what is purported to be the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, tabloid journalism is the least effective remedy.

Dear Diary

What a day it has been. Timothy Geithner, Barack Obama’s newly appointed Secretary of the Treasury, failed to pay $34,000.00 in self-employment taxes between 2001 and 2004 while working for the International Monetary Fund. It seems he was self-employed. Self-employed while employed by an organization that that, “oversees the global financial system by following the macroeconomic policies of its member countries, in particular those with an impact on exchange rates and the balance of payments? {sic}.” Sounds like a full time job to me. Needless to say its discovery presented a quizzical paradox for the United States Congress. Shortly before Obama made the appointment, Geithner paid the majority of the taxes. How could a financial guru with such reputable credentials mistakenly falter on his income taxes? All of America does knowing full well that paying taxes in America is like going to the dentist. The tax codes in America are steeped in red tape, politics, and deception. The issue is so severe that not long ago reformation of America’s tax policies was a prime issue in presidential campaigns. With daily newly emerging crises in America, this priority fell by the wayside. It seems the “flat tax” has fallen from grace, at least for the moment. It could be surprising that former House Majority Leader Dick Armey’s legislation for a flat tax was supported by current President George Bush, Steve Forbes, and John Edwards. If this consortium had been successful maybe Timothy Geithner would not be in hot water today. The United States tax code is confusing, and that is why passing scores on all five parts of the Certified Public Accountant’s exam usually are reserved for newly emerging graduates from college. There is no other way to learn the intricacies of the American tax code except from academia. It seems the high wages earned by C.P.A.’s may be merited if they go to bat for you. The same is true for attorneys. The same is true for judges. If they go to bat for you, the American citizen, then their credentials and accolades are well deserved. If their credentials are used for corruption, then the popular joke holds true. “The world is better off with them on the bottom of the ocean.” It is surprising the majority of United States lawmakers are attorneys. In other countries leaders come from many professions. The diversity is embraced so to give a balanced aesthetic to the practice of law-making. Republicans it seems are not embracing Senator-Elect Al Franken. A career in comedy doesn’t seem to coincide with the conservative policies of the United States Congress. Reflecting upon the success of the federal government in the last decade, it seems a class clown might be just the ticket to lighten the mood of a particularly stubborn, partisan, and stalemated political body. All of that aside can it be as severe as the team of Roller Derby lesbians I encountered at the local roller skating rink today? While Tuesday usually is gospel music night at Round-a-bout, the heavy metal music was crunching and the dykes were munching. There was not much place for the fluid arcs of figure skating, only seek and destroy in true hockey fashion. Secondly a woman for whom I wrote a beautiful piano piece de-friended me on Facebook. Is Jerry Seinfeld in the house?

Two New Leaders in the World

Reconciliation

Now that it has been made clear that outgoing President George W. Bush and President-Elect Barack Obama are working in tandem on the second installment of the Trouble Assets Relief Program, democrats can rest a little easier. In the last months of his troubled presidency it is a difficult pill to swallow that George Bush has attempted to do the right thing. After continual enactments of unconstitutional legislation, changing the pulpit of Liberal soap box shouting could prove to be a challenge. What will Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow have to do? With prudent and intense trepidation the American public could be mulling over the prospect of relenting on their disapproval of Bush. With America’s “New Messiah” en route for inhabitation of the White House, can America breath a sigh of relief? Have the two long years of political infighting been worth the consequences? Will Barack Obama prove to be the product of which he advertised himself during his presidential campaign. These are question that remain to be answered. The newly convened 111th United States Congress as well as the media seem to be in good spirits. Does this mean they are optimistic about solving and covering the huge problems facing the nation? Is this political couple tired of being scolded for irresponsibility? January’s inauguration is unprecedented, because never has the nation been in such a precarious position, or has it? America is not involved in a World War. While the Iraqi War was a watershed issue upon which Obama was elected, is its importance as globally consequential as either World War? Michel de Nostredame, the Ancient Greeks, and the Mayan Indians may think so. While Nostradamus’s prediction is shadowed by practices of the apothecary arts, the philosophical pursuits of the Greeks and Indians are factual. Astronomy and mathematics formed the basics of their discoveries and thus results the "Dilemma of 2012." Fifty percent of America believes Armageddon will occur in their lifetimes. They believe the second coming of Jesus will occur before their deaths. Does that mean, as the Biblical book of Revelations suggests, World War lll has to occur in the near future? It certainly seems so, so heightened scrutiny of political events is justified as a consequence. The more intriguing question is whether Jesus all ready has returned to the earth. Two thousand years is a long time, and earthly beings probably have forgotten that Jesus may not appear in a form familiar to men. He may not even announce himself. “Oh, God” the movie, while two decades old, offers a poignant and realistic depiction of God’s presence on earth. Who can say what He will look like? We know Satan has to be cast into hell by God, and he will rise one last time until he is silenced forever. A cataclysmic astronomical event will take place that will destroy one third of the earth, and a serpent will emerge from the oceans to wreak havoc. There also is an invasion by Israel from the North. Considering this imagery much pretense exists in this new millennium. Not only are Americans worried about their country, they are worried about the sustenance of the world. With Bush moving out of power, it could be in good old Texas fashion he wants to sidestep this reality and indulge in a little worldly self-assurance. As long as we know he is not the anti-Christ, what does America have to lose?

Balancing the Budget

Upon being interviewed about the federal government’s bailout of the auto industry, a forty-five year veteran of the industry remarked only about the curbing of his perks. He had no insight into a re-tooling of his industry, because the “Car Tzar has yet to be appointed. Evidently the automotive industry, just like the years since the Energy Crisis of the l970’s, has no idea what is going on in America. To comment only on his own personal losses was meant to be humorous, but it just reinforces the common sentiment of Wall Street CEO’s. They have no real interest in the philosophy of American life. They have no real interest in the people to whom they sell cars. Really they are only interested in themselves, and what they have. This particular man now has to stand in line at the airport to check in and fly. No more corporate jet travel. He has to stay at a budget level hotel. There are no more bonuses. It seems the good life is over for him, at least until he can come up with better ideas for a green America. “Why can’t things stay the same? Why can’t we keep going on making cars the way we always have? Why does the wealth have to be redistributed?” The answer is because humankind is killing the planet, and one’s own selfish monetary needs are subordinate to that of saving the earth. To have one’s head buried so deeply in the sand of socialite wealth could be a common perception of the Republican National Party. That does not have to remain true, although a few bad apples do destroy the barrel. Generally things do sink to the lowest common denominator. The RNC desperately is trying to redefine themselves in the midst of huge Democratic political victories. They are finding more African-Americans in their ranks, and it is reaping favorable rewards. It seems two distinct ideologies of the Republican Party are not bad, but they have become stealth in the wake of so much Wall Street economic corruption. Conservative in spending used to be the mantra of the RNC, but outgoing President George W. Bush changed that dramatically. His socialist program, TARP, was the largest bailout of the private sector in American history. It seems his Republican ideology didn’t prevent him from changing party views. He came in as a Republican, and is going out as a Socialist or Democrat. The Republican party always has run under the ideology of conservative spending. Achieving a trillion dollar national debt doesn’t coincide with Republican ideals, so party ideology has become greatly skewed. Although not well publicized in the media, there was a conspiracy theory circulating that consider Barack Obama a Republican plant in the Democratic Party. It was widely asserted that wealthy Republicans ran Obama as a Democrat later to capitalize on his loyalty to them. His decisions regarding his financial stimulus package will prove whether there could be any truth to this theory. Simply giving away the remaining 350 billion dollars of the TARP money would be a clear indication that it was true. Luckily in today’s headlines it was reported stricter guidelines were being introduced to make the money accountable to the American people. Still Republican ideology could be useful at such a time. If there was no accountability for the first half of the TARP money, throwing 350 billion at unknown recipients will not be effective in jump starting the economy. Responding immediately to private sector financial needs may not solve the problem. “Your procrastination, or in this case irresponsibility, does not make our crisis.” Careful methodical study of the mistakes made only will prevent them from being made again. With more transparency it seems Obama’s stimulus does differ from Bush’s previous tax cuts, which is good. As many a pundit has stated, a trillion dollar deficit, a War in Iraq, out-sourced industries, and a crumbling financial market are not tools to promote consumer spending. Eventually, as was the case when Bill Clinton left office, the budget is going to have to be balanced or this thing that we call American currency will have no value at all.

The “Old School” Dynasty of Hugh Hefner

Playboy Magazine became unappealing to me as a man at some time during the l980’s. Could it be as simple as homologous pubic hair? There was a marked change in style of the women that posed for Playboy, and what once was a girl-next-door concept changed to that of a pin up girl. Playboy has a centerfold, and this could be considered a pin up. Have men actually pinned up Playboy centerfolds? The classic pin up, because of the puritan roots of America, was not a nude. It could be difficult for a man to find a suitable place to pin a Playboy centerfold. Pinning a Playboy centerfold could be considered chauvinist, and that would not be effective attracting a centerfold. Older pin ups were found in garages where men worked on cars. A few could be found in gym locker rooms. The majority of centerfolds it seems are hidden beneath the mattresses of pubescent boys from which to masturbate. You cannot masturbate in a gym locker room or a garage filled with other mechanics. My question is, “What is the function of the Playboy centerfold?” Early in Playboys history their pictorials were voyeuristic. They were secret, subtle, and private glimpses of your sister’s best friend. There was no mall hair. There was little Victoria’s Secret lingerie. Pubic hair had not yet become homologous. There was variety to the women, and they seemed natural. Somewhere during the l980’s this changed. A concept was conceived and since the women in Playboy look the same. They became models. Models are professional women who excel at exhibiting products. Traditionally models modeled clothing. In Playboy there is little need for this, because Playboy is a nudie magazine. Why would Playboy need models? It could be because modeling one’s self could be a stepping stone to becoming a model. If one wanted to model, it seems the best practise could be found modeling the product you would be modeling, not yourself. Would men eventually want to see clothes on women they all ready have seen nude? The answer is no, because getting women’s clothes off is of high importance to men. Again, why would Playboy need models? Is it because men have lost interest in average women like the girl-next-door? Have men come only to desire models, or at least women aspiring to be models? What do women do after they pose in Playboy? They all ready have taken their clothes off, so wouldn’t it be a anticlimactic to see models modeling clothing? It seems all of this could be solved if models stuck to modeling, and Playboy stuck with the girl-next-door. Maybe women have gotten fatter and uglier, and there are fewer from which to choose for a Playboy photo shoot. Playboy was forced to pursue models, because they are the only ones that look good naked. The nude model was born. Should a nude model really be a pin up girl, because pin up girls traditionally wore clothing? Nude models who wear scant clothing could be pin up girls. What would the pin up girls do? Would they have to model nude? What would the centerfold do? The answer is a pin up girl should be a pin up girl, and a Playboy centerfold should be the girl-next-door, because a Sport’s Illustrated swimsuit model is a pin up girls. I think it should be a mafia war. “This is the girl.”

"Please, Don't Show Them the Money Barack!"

The term “passing the buck” could be appropriate for George Bush’s White House. It is unclear what the goal of Bush is in the last ten days of his presidency. While he has made a conscious attempt to ensure a smooth and effective shift of power to President-Elect Barack Obama, the Washington Post is reporting President Bush will ask for the remainder of the 350 billions dollars allocated by Congress in their financial rescue plan. It seems Bush and Obama are playing tiddlywinks. The first half of Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson’s method has been highly criticized for lack of transparency. Over the Christmas holidays both Bush and Congress took respite from the pressures of the mounting financial crisis, but in true Bush fashion the “midnight legislation” seems not to over. Bush seems to have opened himself to Obama’s intents and purposes. Obama spent the majority of the holidays vacationing with his family in Hawaii. How could either man miraculously concoct a plan in a few short weeks to save the failed financial system in America? It is not possible, but in true political sportsmanship Bush seems to have hinted that if Obama wants the money he can have it. Obama’s stimulus package has been the headline for the last few days, but with no time for scrutiny (like the original plan) it appears his anonymous plan similarly will be pushed through Congress in the first days of his presidency. Wouldn’t it be logical to allocate the 350 billion of the original plan for the basis of Obama’s plan? Is this partisan politics? Because the original money tapped from America’s pockets has been elusive, this new money should require accountability. These are the issues revolving in Washington, and again it seems as if no one really knows the answers or cares about the average American. If Obama does not request or demand the money, it gratuitously will be forfeited to the same invisible parties as the original bailout money. This is not an option for the American people. Because neither president seems to have an answer, the most logical decision would be to save the money. There is not as much need as Obama suggests to apply a short term fix to the economy. Ironically a plan of his that resembles his predecessor’s tax cuts will appear insane. Copying Bush’s plan is a cop out. It is understandable with the amount of pressure placed on Obama’s future presidency he feels the need to do something quickly. Wasting the second half of what is a sizable amount of money will prove to be a mistake.

Ye Olde Courtesan

Prostitution is obscured by smoke and mirrors in America. Our Puritan roots will not allow America to become modern. We are too afraid of our own selves to trust our country with ourselves. It is time America grows up. Prostitution metaphorically is said to be the world’s oldest profession. This cannot be proven, but an understanding of the human condition could suggest it is true. Instead of hiding behind a scrim of hypocritical right wing conservative values, wouldn’t it be more prudent to recognize the foibles of man and move on? Why subject the American people again and again to sexual scandals that often times never are meant to be in the public eye. While politicians must remain financially honest to the American people, if they uphold their responsibilities to the republic shouldn’t the fidelity of their personal lives be kept separate? We could call it separation of sex and state. It is very likely John F. Kennedy had sex with film actress Marilyn Monroe. It seems, “His bird was allowed to fly the coop,” in the immortal words of the late Frank Sinatra. Similarly but with more potential lethal political repercussions, Senator Ted Kennedy abandoned Mary Jo Kopechne to drown in his submerged automobile in Poucha Pond between Chappaquiddick Island and Cape Poge Barrier Beach
in l969. The incident was covered up and the latter Kennedy was spared the charge of manslaughter because he was Kennedy. Sex scandals in America are not uncommon. It is only when marriage, dynasty, and politics are involved that sexual activity becomes disgraced. When sexual desire is understood and approached at a reasonable level without the drama especially of the l980’s, there is a great possibility its needs can be met. They can be met without a shadow of the Sexual Revolution of the l960’s. America necessarily does not need another Plato’s Retreat or Club 54 nor the homosexual bathhouses of old San Francisco. The fastest and easiest way to satisfy America’s needs is to legalize prostitution. The legalization of this profession would require a new and enlightened acceptance of its design and purpose. The antiquated notion that sexual desire does not exist or that all sexual gratification must come from marriage must be dispensed with. America as a whole knows this is not true. If it were we would not have a pornography industry. Although the Bible suggests that sex is only acceptable after marriage, with the failure rate of marriage in America as high as it is marriage shouldn’t be a prerequisite to getting laid. It creates entirely too much pretense and pressure for average human beings. It is a nice goal to shoot for, but child molestation, rape, and other sex crimes are not worth the price of a prostitute. CNBC’s recent expose on the prostitution industry is self-inflated. Setting the price of intimacy at $5,000.00 is as self-deluded as selling hammers to the United States government for $500.00 a piece. Anyone that has visited Acapulco knows the price of a woman for an hour varies from $40.00 to $200.00. No American in their right mind should pay more. Only the social elite with money to burn on expensive hotels, Dom Perignon, and pretense should even consider it. Intimacy can be had in a shack, as long as it is with the right person.

The Class Wars of Politics

A recent documentary concerning prostitution has aired on CNBC. In the wake of several political scandals involving high-priced call girls, it is the responsibility of the media to investigate such stories. It would seem escort services, like many other businesses in America, use the federal government as their bread line. Washington politicians seem to be at the mercy of relentless corporate lobbyists, and in the Bush White House they even went so far as to bully some Supreme Court justices. It is difficult for America to surmise where the corruption really is. In the immediate case of the impeachment of Governor Rod Blagojevich, it seems the balance of corruption seems to be pointed in the direction of the Illinois House of Representatives. In yet another savvy political move Blagojevich held a press conference concerning his impending impeachment. Strongly and without the demeanor of an accused criminal, Blagojevich talked about the legislation he has tried to enact against the wishes of the Illinois House. In a long list of what seemed like reasonable incentives, Blagojevich outlined a case against incumbent Illinois politicians who successfully turned the tables on state corruption. Somehow during the tentative transitional period of Barack Obama’s inheriting the United States presidency, the FBI felt it was necessary to make public illegally acquired phone taps of the governor. There was no case, and until today no formal charges had been taken against the Illinois governor. In a similar fashion to what seems to have become the status quo in politics, the mere mentioning of impending scandal is enough to try the case through the media in the public’s eye. Blagojevich has proven to be smarter than the consort against him, and although he may face eventual expulsion from the Illinois governorship he made it clear it will be in his best interest. Much like many past presidents have felt, how can effective legislation be passed when there is a party stalemate in effect? As was evident at the meeting of President-Elect Barack Obama with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, how can government move forward when democrats themselves seem not to be able to find common ground? Blagojevich made a good case that the Illinois House of Representatives does not have the interests of the people of Illinois at heart and simply is looking out for their own best interests. Isn’t Washington’s Congress the same? Is this not why effective legislation has not been passed in America? Blagojevich’s condemnation is not dissimilar to the treatment of past Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Palin, in a recent interview with John Ziegler, expressed concern over class bias. She, in a reasonable evaluation, remarked simply because Caroline Kennedy was a Kennedy she would be immune from the scrutiny to which she was subjected during her vice-presidential campaign. It seems the media is an able pawn in the class wars of politics.

The Grass Roots Movement

Porno Wednesday proved to be a nostalgic blast back into the past of pop culture in America. The stark retro party celebrating the existence of the porn industry in America probably was the most artistic rendering of the tough choices facing American politicians. Here was a campy and almost sentimental reflection of an America gone by, yet under closer scrutiny well does not represent the condition of human sexuality in America today. Instead it represents the excesses that were prevalent in decades of economic prosperity. The Roaring Twenties jump to mind, an era issuing in the “Jazz Age,” something about which F. Scott Fitzgerald often wrote. The feel of this era was dramatically different than the feel of America today, and Wynton Marsalis will be the first to tell you that. “The spirit of jazz music in America is not to be found.” That mainly is because the political and economic infrastructure of the county is in jeopardy. A case can be made about any kind of art, that its creation and showing in ill economic times could be considered superfluous. Glenn Miller would tell you otherwise. In the tumultuous times of World War ll, his band traveled across America providing diversion from the war and dancing enjoyment for millions. Maybe a resurgence of art is what America needs to revitalize her culture. The question raised by Porno Wednesday is one of modernization. America is bursting at the seams to grow. That growth surely will be inhibited if the clothes she is wearing are hand-me-downs that are too small. For America to grow modernism must be understood and embraced, not as a foe of Conservatives but as a plan for reconstruction. At the moment the existing problem is no one in government seems to know the answers. Clinging to remnants of conservative policy once may have worked in America, but as a country ages it is destined to evolve. To remain viable in a global economy America must grow. An examination of modern art, especially Abstract Expressionism could bring insights about the future of America. Why must Washington exist in a vacuum? Unlike past president John F. Kennedy’s presidency, the Bush White house seemed to have no interest in the artistic community in America. Isolating itself from the very life blood of America was a grievous mistake, one that will take time for Barack Obama to correct. At the onset of his adoption of power in Washington, the vacuous black hole of Congress and the media all ready seem to be smothering the President-Elect with social and political baggage. For life to exist there must be freedom. For good ideas to exist there must be no oppression. For ideas to become policy an adroit and politically savvy atmosphere must be created. Is this possible? With the swearing in of the 111th Congress this seems unlikely. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid seem like aging grandparents to Barack Obama. I’m sure it is an image Mr. Obama wants to shed as quickly as possible, yet he is faced with the test presented by Porno Wednesday. How does one shed the failed past history of something while keeping the relationship vital? Obviously cheesy porno movies from the l970’s realistically don’t represent America’s sexuality today. They do contain a necessary history of the country and a blood relationship with the American people. How the porn industry evolved may hold key, and the lock is is the internet. The internet has changed America, but because of the dot com bubble of the early l990’s corporate America has turned a blind eye to her possibilities. In grand tradition it seems if Wall Street cannot reap sizeable and immediate monetary rewards from companies, then they do not deserve to be recognized as fruitful entities. This antiquated view is the antithesis of the American way and is predicating entrepreneurship only deal with “big money.” With this decision to stifle “indy” ideals, America sealed her own economic fate. The field worker was stomped out of existence by the plantation owners. Until Washington realizes a revitalization of the Grass Roots movement is needed in America, the economic turmoil will continue. When America attempts to continue to understand the human condition including her sexuality, steps can be made to become modern.

The Lost Art of the Television Jingle

Many historical, relevant, and effective concepts are missing in modern American television production. For an adult that has lived through more than one decade of pop culture, it is not difficult to characterize American television as disposable. An easy fix for many networks would be an artistic approach. While it could be considered “Adult Contemporary” upon which the now defunct VH-1 network used to rely, the immediate gratification of Rock ‘n’ Roll is effective only if the product packs the punch necessary to get the viewers off. How can a teenager or a twenty-something know anything with the state of education and media the way it is now? Talent would be the answer, and we have “Nature versus Nurture” to thank for that. With the virtual elimination of our eco-system comes the task of creating ideas without the inspiration of Mother Nature. Without the beauty and guidance of the earth, whence does man’s perception about life come? Certainly it does not come from a Japanese created video game. While Geisha traditions, automobile manufacturing, and living in small spaces are attributes of the Japanese culture, America should be defined by her own lineage. In the true spirit of Multiculturalism influences of other countries should be welcomed into mainstream America. The definition of America, because the entire world once looked at America as the pinnacle of human existence, should be kept American. Concept is a useful tool upon which to rely to insure product maintains integrity. Consequently concept requires study, understanding, and discipline. Unlike many colloquial definitions of jazz music, concept necessitates an aesthetic have boundaries, definition, purpose, and humility. Jazz never has been the potpourri many think it is. Conversely jazz music at its highest level is a synthesis of many skilled disciplines culminating in a spontaneous, organic, reactive, reflective, and highly soulful expression of human conditions. Unlike many believe the “rules for jazz” are very tangible, concrete, and understandable. They correlate to the human condition. The production of jazz music then merely is an examination of one’s condition in the context of humanity as a whole. It could be called therapy. The degrading and narcissistic practices of modern pop music are not applicable to jazz, and anyone expecting a subversion should expect to be disappointed. Jazz music is considered America’s only true art form, and as a result should be embraced like the life blood it is. There is little jazz on television, so media is not doing its part to promote the attributes of America’s only art form. Is it because Wall Street cannot benefit from the bounty of jazz music? That is ironic because the majority of jazz music was composed, performed, and produced on a shoestring budget by starving musicians. Many were exploited by record labels paying a meager few hundred dollars for the rights to songs which endured the test of time and reaped major royalties for an elite few. Jazz also if folk music, but it is not popular music. It is reserved for those willing to approach it with something in mind. It is not menial disposable entertainment. It requires artistry, something that modern TV programming has abandoned for shortterm monetary gain. The easiest fix for modern television would be the survey of how dialog and music peacefully coexist. What doesn’t work well and what is seen and heard on the majority of mediocre television networks is a blatant juxtaposition of dialog over music. This non-concept, although we now are forced to consider it as a concept, has no relevance in television programming. If it were considered in the mind of a child, how can dialog be heard and understood with music banging around underneath it? It is annoying. It is distracting, and it is a mistake. The only substance that can be inferred from this technique also is one of Capitalism. Studies have shown that loud annoying music in a retail store or restaurant will cause patrons to buy more product. They are so annoyed by the music they must buy something to pacify their aggravation. Any television producer could surmise this effect on the viewer would be counterproductive. In the home aggravating the viewer accomplishes nothing more than making the viewer change the channel. Artistry on the other hand pulls the viewer in and draws him into a reality that is better than the one he faces daily. It cannot be imagined that anyone would want to enter a world that was inferior to the one in which he exists daily. Escapism hence demands an artistic approach, one that embraces beauty of some kind. Superficial beauty is not required, but the beauty of attempting to understand the human condition and comment on it is. Anything other than that is a disservice to the television industry. Cleverness achieves many goals in television programming. Like the aristocracy of France wit was a major requirement for its members. The Theatre of the Absurd did not qualify, and there is no reason American television should use it as its model. While delighting in the deformity of its patrons could be considered fraternal, ultimately it will lose its appeal. Spoken poetry over music was common in France. It accomplishes two goals. Poetry alone possesses the ability to move the human heart. Music does also. This marriage of forms packs a formidable punch in its ability to effect the listener. Spoken dialog over music, unless great care is taken, is cacophony. That is the majority of television programming today except in the fewest circumstances. The television jingle once was a mainstay of the advertising industry. It, like the “hook” in a popular music song, has the innate ability to draw a listener in with rhythm. The best television program have rhythm in their dialog, kinesthesia in their actors, and thus a marriage of the two to produce what ultimately is traditional comedy and drama on the stage. If one were to flip through the channels of the television set late at night, there is little delineation between networks because the majority of them are spoken dialog superimposed over computer-generated, stilted, unexpressive music. If the producers would spend the money to hire a live band or orchestra to realize the music, much of this problem could be solved. Without the breath of live music, music should be eliminated completely as an underpinning for commercial dialog. Only the most skilled composer familiar with tension and release, ebb and flow, and organic movement should be allowed to underscore television dialog.

Porno Wednesday

While it is comical and appropriate Larry Flynt (the publisher of Huster magazine) and Joe Francis (CEO of the “Girls Gone Wild” series of videos) are traveling to Washington to ask for a bailout of the porn industry, the tone of the media coverage of this event realistically exposed America’s dysfunction with its own sexuality. Like the skewing of religion in America in the last decade by the media, sexuality always has been skewed in America. That skewing is a product of capitalism. The product in capitalism is sex. Unlike the majority of foreign countries that recognize sex as a normal biological need, America always through the venue of popular music has attempted to sell its image. The American people think they are buying the product, but in reality only are buying depictions of sexuality. In a country that is too immature to recognize its own needs, this is the next best thing. Also it spreads the wealth over a much broader area. “Why should the sex industry only reap the rewards of their industry,” Wall Street would ask? Because America’s puritan roots would not allow her to go public with the porn industry and trade it on Wall Street, another way had to be devised to reap the major profits from sex. That is what America always has done. We don’t sell sex, the thing that many people need as Larry Flynt suggests. We sell the illusion, allure, and possibility of sexual activity. Pimps and prostitutes from the beginning of time always have cut through this malarkey alleviating the red tape. In true rebelliousness similar to Rock ‘n’ Roll, it was sensible the two art forms eventually would fuse. Past president Ronald Reagan made it a campaign pledge to clean up the pornographic nature of homosexual bathhouses in San Francisco. Tipper Gore indicted Rock ‘n’ Roll with a campaign from Washington over suggestive lyrics in music. In retrospect the marrying of sex and Rock ‘n’ Roll was not in America’s moral interest. It was in the interest of Capitalism. Although it could be understood as appropriate the decadent and irresponsible behaviors of rockers in the l980’s has been prosecuted and tried in what has become America’s conservative right-wing media, the musical product of Rock ‘n’ Roll today remains as valid as ever. Art sustains the test of time, and this will prove once and for all if this music deserves social, cultural, and artistic respect. For this to occur the music needs to be preserved and made available for future generations to appreciate and study. It is not plausible in America a Nazi regime of nationalism should destroy our immediate and short term pop culture. It is a necessary vent for the hostilities brewing in America over the corruption in our federal government. Perhaps more astutely and with savvy the generation of the l980’s dispensed with mainstream America and her political ambitions. Rockers, with their huge amounts of generated income, set an example for America’s economy. As was suggested recently on Lou Dobb’s program, the American economy will revitalize when the federal and state governments are successful creating a stable infrastructure upon which Capitalism can flourish. An economic stimulus coming from the President and Congress again will not provide the national stability America needs. It is ironic amid shouts of “Socialist” at President-Elect Barack Obama, George W. Bush implemented the most socialist policies in the history of the United States. While they may have occurred in the last six months of his eight year presidency contrary to his former non-regulatory and free reign corporate policies, Bush’s abrupt about face probably was a desperate attempt to shore up the crumbling American economy on the eve of his exit of the United States Presidency. It proves Bush had no economic plan for America and in a last minute crisis implemented the only policy his team could devise to thwart a full blown revolution. As evidenced in all of Bush’s policies, he had no plan for any of them. In a shoot-from-the-hip Texas-styled shootout, Bush ran the White House with extremely shortsighted and instinctual decisions. Many believe these qualities are of what an effective president is made. History has shown governing in the midst of a complex, bureaucratic, and corrupt socio-economic system predicates knowledge of the system. Even with the election of Barack Obama as America’s new president, clear answers and therefore policies are not being created and implemented. The reason is simple, and with one look at the swearing in of the 111th United States Congress the answer can be found. The elected governing body of the federal government appears to be a group of socialites attending a cocktail party at their favorite country club in Washington, DC. Laura Bush set this example from the transition of power from George W. Bush to Barack Obama by booking the Blair House for a variety of social events unrelated to the inauguration of the future president. The Obama family, instead of being offered hospice by the American taxpayers dollar, was forced to live in a hotel so their children would not be tardy attending the new school session of Sidwell Friend’s School. This thoughtless, narcissistic, and egotistic behavior belies Christian ideals, and like Roland Burris’s filibuster sets the wrong example for America. Instead it reinforces “the plantation politics” of Washington cited by Burris’s supporters. This is why Roland Burris’s trek to Washington was so important for the nation. In the tradition of the Civil Rights Movement of the l960’s, Burris made a pilgrimage to the what could have been hostile territory of the United States Congress, knocked on its door, and asked for his job. In traditional exclusionary socialite form other senators were sworn in on the grand stage of the Congressional Country Club. Only after his Burris’s continued reverence and allegiance to American legal policy did Senate majority leader Harry Reid submitted to the potential Burris appointment. It was a grand victory for civil rights and the American way in 2009. It, although cast as a maelstrom by Senate democrats and the media, was a huge success for America. Minnesotan Senator-Elect Al Franken’s case has yet to be won, but with similar encouragement to dispel more party infighting it is likely the Minnesota Supreme Court will confirm Norm Coleman’s loss. Then at least there will be only one other outstanding Senate appointment. Who in America can resist a Kennedy? Long ago and far away in a country named America there were industrialists influenced by that revolution in Britain. They brought this successful model of productivity to the America and lives were changed forever. Without such a model America is floundering trying to define herself, her economy, her political views, and her people. Industry has changed and it has not been an easy transition. It is untimely Barack Obama has been faced with a political transition in the midst of an economic one. It may be the reason the first African-America was elected to the United States presidency. It is rude to say but because the proceeding socialite regime has failed so miserably it is possible they were faced with no alternative. The America people would not stand for it. Making Blair House unavailable to the Obama’s, although the Bush family has been gracious during the transition, reminds us what Washington is and has been. Seeing it again on Tuesday was sickening. The model for the swearing in of the 111th Congress could be seen on C-SPAN’s coverage of the armed forces farewell ceremony for its Commander and Chief hosted by the Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen. This moving and dignified service personified American patriotism proving that traditions must be upheld regardless of political complexity or financial constraint. With more grace and eloquence than normally seen on television, the armed forced honored the Bush family for service to their country. The mere presence of the Army’s Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps immediately puts America’s soul into perspective. Traditions like these are the ones that deserve to be preserved and maintained in these difficult economic times. It is unfortunate a simple model does not exist for this huge transition in economic structure in America. It has been coming for a long time, and it began a decade ago when millions of older Americans were fired from their jobs for being “out of date.” The rise of the World Wide Web and its offshoot internet businesses still threatens to be a major component of economic reconstruction in America. Now that Wall Street has been humbled for the umpteenth time, maybe they will stay out of the equation. The filthy rich in America do not deserve to gamble on the working man, not anymore. If America continues down the path on which she is we may reach a time when Washington socialites are forced to put down their champagne glasses and pick up a burlap sack to pick cotton. It is crucial the new blood of Barack Obama be transfused into the White House. With it he brings tenants of the Civil Rights Movement, nostalgia for the John F. Kennedy presidency, and a keen mind focused on the problems of America. He will not succeed in all areas, but like his democratic predecessor Bill Clinton, if he can “Get up and go to work everyday,” in the immortal words of James Carvel, he stands a good chance of improving the quality of life in America. It will be shocking to experience it. It seems once you have lived through the Great Depression, like the humility expressed by Jesus, God’s only son, it is difficult to see any other possibility. Let us hope Obama succeeds cementing America’s infrastructure, alleviating fear from terrorist threats, and providing a nurturing environment for which Capitalism to flourish. The porn industry will take care of itself.

"Let My Children Sing!"

It is unfortunate America has to endure another Florida 2000 in 2008. After a strenuous and exhausting presidential campaign, Tony Trimble in true Republican fashion will file a lawsuit contesting Al Franken’s win in the Senate race in Minnesota. Both Illinois and Minnesota it seems will be club-footed in the convening of the United States 111th Congress. There is a history of Republican litigation concerning national campaigns, and the debacle of 2000 will not be remembered by Americans as a success. A Senate filibuster of Minnesota and Illinois will be met with the same animosity. Tawdry, collegiate, Ivey-league shenanigans could be accepted when the country was in the black. Fraternal judicial trial-lawering has become extinct with the totalitarian regime of Dick Cheney. The Democratic power base in Congress should be engorging on the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration. Not only has the first African-American been elected president, democrats will hold the majority in Congress. Every last morsel of Republican is being savored until its self-created demise. Ted Stevens, Norm Coleman, and Harry Reid while from differing political parties, should with eloquence step aside in the presidential tradition of Al Gore. “Let my children sing!” in the immortal words of Charles Mingus.

We Need a Bush Fire

Listening to the elder Bush promote the future political career of his other son was untimely. In what can only be perceived as an elder Kennedy-esque vying for power, the suggestion that Jeb Bush should run for president will sit with the American people like spoiled milk. We have had enough of the Bush clan. The only trace of logic that could be found in the elder Bush’s words was a desire for absolution for the Bush legacy. With the current state of Newspeak and the conscious disguising of America’s immediate history, few probably can remember Bush Sr.’s presidency. Shadowed under the charisma of “The Gipper” Bush Sr. must be fantasizing.

The Death of the Filibuster

A review of Marbury vs. Madison and Powell vs. McCormack in anticipation of the seating of Roland Burris in the 111 Congress is all that can be done to quell the simmering political debate. The Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution’s Article 1, Sec. 5, as quoted by Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, was it meant expulsion by a two thirds majority was the ONLY method for a House to determine the qualifications of its members. Filibustering Burris’s swearing in is the only legal recourse prolonging a process which systematically has been rejected by the democratic populace of America. Although Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is under investigation for conspiracy, without an impeachment by the Illinois Senate the United States Congress has no power to reject Mr. Burris unless they allow him to be sworn in. Then if they so chose and can muster the votes needed, the Senate could expel Mr. Burris by the only appropriate method stated by the United States Supreme Court in these cases.

The Preeminent Condition of Civil War

The American South is exclusionary. Anyone that does not fit into its traditions no matter how anachronistic, is cast as a redcoat. It is difficult to believe such a divide of American culture could create a civil war, a war claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent Americans. It is difficult to understand a regional culture could be so unwavering in its views it would rather fight its own country for liberation. Dixie plays Yankee Doodle. What is it about the American South that breeds such closed mindedness? Should Americans grab a long-necked beer bottle and graft a Jeff Foxworthy routine onto the Constitution? Foxworthy may have been the first successfully to make light of the utter reality of Deliverance. Appalachians are known for their steadfastness. Like the Pilgrims after enduring years of desperation through survival, they stuck to their guns. Those same guns were used to feud between themselves and other encroaching clans. It is understandable a culture vies for sustenance of their blood. This quality may be the very gene that ensures human existence. In a modern world blood feuds should seem antiquated, yet the invasion of Gaza clearly proves this cultural trait is stronger than all other. For some reason intellect, logic, and reason don’t seem to exist. Enlightenment does not seem to exist. Humans are fighting at the animal level, and this is the state of the world today. Inhabitants of Gaza are crying out to the world that innocent people are dying as a result of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza. Israel like America is responding to heinous acts of terrorism. Locally Israel is lucky enough to know whence their enemy comes. Rockets are being fired from within Gaza by Hamas. It would seem the dispute should be between the inhabitants of Gaza and Hamas. The reality of the political history of the Middle East shows leadership is a fragile entity and like Afghanistan changes often. It is unfortunate the citizens of Gaza are dying, but so did the citizens of Iraq. Civil war it seems is a condition of humanity.

The Chronicles of Benjamin Button

Because the majority of the money-spending American public is adolescent, it is safe to assume the majority of entertainment being offered America also is adolescent. So is the case with Brad Pitt and David Fincher’s most recent MTV collaboration. Unlike the gritty realism and social relevance of the film Fight Club, especially on the eve of America’s financial breakdown, the Chronicles of Benjamin Button is an epic fantasy cinematically filmed in the concept of Narnia. Fincher’s vocation as a music video director ruined the chances for this adaptation. I went because I was curious to see if a complex adult plot penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald successfully could be adapted to the big screen. Even without Renderman and the gloss and ADD of the videogame concept, achieving such an adaptation would be difficult. Live theatre might be a better venue for such a goal. Adrian Lyne carefully and successfully has achieved similar goals with Lolita. Juxtaposing these two films is a metaphor for the difference between adolescent and adult concept. I just could not stomach another Owen Wilson flop. Wilson has had great success in adult films, and I do not mean pornography. The Royal Tenenbaums is poignant look into the humorous dysfunction of an American family. Me, You, and Dupree was an unsuccessful parody of a homeless man erroneously cast into the comedic concept. It like Steve Martin’s Shop Girl was a gross depiction of cinematic confusion conceptually failing to understand its own approach. While Martin was able to drive the drama of Shopgirl from his own heart, its message was immoral, callous, and inhuman. You, Me, and Dupree never understood itself. If it had it would have been cast as sad drama failing to bring in the box office dollars. This it would seem is the ailment of American film subverting possible cinematic gems. The American economy has been strapped for a decade necessitating the Japanese’s reluctance to become patrons of film. Instead the most obvious un-artistic cinematic tricks are strewn on pixels in an adolescent stream of consciousness. The drama that once drove film through acting has conveniently has been replaced with video game programming. The film industry truly has lost touch with its roots, and the change to digital media has not helped. Juggling all of these issues used to be the job of huge movie production companies. That is what it took to produce a film of substance, longevity, and artistic quality. While Saturday Night Live pioneered the concept of reality TV, for most adults it fails. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button attracted me because its concept required this old school cinematic approach. Someone had to think through the dichotomy of a geriatric being born in a baby’s body and how it would be handled chronologically. It is a fascinating concept. Because I had not read the original short story, I felt this movie could be a good place to become acquainted with it. In the boredom of the American holidays I made the mistake of going to the film on New Year’s day. It was a sentimental decision, seeing as this as what we did as adolescents. What better way to spend Christmas day then seeing a good movie? An F. Scott Fitzgerald short story seemed more interesting then Marley and Me. While watching Jennifer Aniston always is a pleasure, watching these bad films is not. What exacerbates the situation is watching reputable and capable actors scratching for a living in such juvenile and inane material. While I do not agree with the Disney-izing of Times Square and Broadway, Walt Disney in his formative years understood the American aesthetic. Like Aaron Copland’s music, his animated characters birthed the American spirit in a moving but startlingly realistic way. Without this heart film and America will continue to flail in violence and confusion. The more quickly America as a country realizes her cultural roots, the more quickly American’s confidence will return. Consequently our economy will show America’s proven pioneering resilience.

The Dismal Failure of Benjamin Button

In what may have been the worst movie-going experience of my life, I desperately am trying to forget about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The culturally vacuous dire straights of a military town were no match for Ben. The fatigue-wearing, jar-headed, government-issued soldiers accompanied by out-of-school thugs were in the wrong theater. The chronic, empty, and despondent opening of the film would turn any viewer out. The director’s attempt at period filming, in the failed and callous “reality TV” style, served up a poisonous, vinegary, and disconnected depiction of the precursor to the Roaring Twenties. Whence do these approaches come? Has no working film director ever studied their craft? Has no one ever mentioned that camera angle is meant to be a synonym for the human eyes? What is the purpose of television and film media’s blatant disregard for the human condition? If they beat the dead horse anymore, it merely will disappear. Certainly it lost its power less than a year after its inception. Understand this. The “Blair Witch” concept of filming, while appropriate for a juvenile, homemade, horror film does not translate to adults. No adult, no matter how long you continue to pitch an altered reality, ever is going to acknowledge that the haphazard and chaotic approach of meth induced ADD is normal. Bring out the dollies, the cranes, and the hand helds and learn your craft. I can’t wait to forget how big a failure Australia and Valkyrie will be. Suddenly the “I can’t act” disease is an epidemic. Spare us Rupert Murdoch. No matter how much you try you cannot subvert the artistry and integrity of American tradition.