Children Behave...

"Good grief," as Charley Brown often says. It has been a busy time and the blog suffers, but I was moved to write today as I see the "tit for tatting" between the Repubs and Dems over the waterboarding briefings. Poor Nancy is trying to make the English language work wonders to get her out of this mess where she allegedly was briefed about waterboarding in 2003 but had no particular objections at that time.

So the Repubs, or some of them, are hammering her with some convoluted logic that only rabid Conservatives can fathom. Let's move on from this old news, as the President is trying to do, and quit tossing this issue in the air hoping it will land on its feet.

The country has so much to do to right itself so these politicians (read children) need to stop the bickering soon and get down to real work, or "Mom and Dad" might start to restrict privileges.

The "you did it first - I did not" debate is tiring and off message. While we cannot yet "fire" those in office, many are tempted to say, "All right Buster, you're grounded". Not a bad idea.

Detroit Finally Defeats Pontiac

Sadly, today marked the beginning of the end of GMs stalwart middle-class Pontiac model. To say it is an end of an era is almost too trite, and unfortunately we may see more "endings" than "beginnings" in the American auto industry for some time.

I was closely related to three Pontiacs over my lifetime; the first a 1951 two-door, two-tone green model owned by my parents. A behemoth by today's standards, that car gave off a husky whirr from the automatic transmission (or was it Hydra-matic?) as it pulled away from a stop. I especially liked the lighted orange hood ornament of a stylized Indian Chief. It added a touch of class, especially at night, only to be outshone by the more uppity opera lights.

My second experience with a Pontiac, and another massive sedan, was with a 1957 Chieftain. I bought it in 1967, a little worn, and hardly a color I would have chosen - pink. Actually I think it was called "salmon" but I got more laughs protesting that it was salmon, not pink, than if I had just kept my mouth shut.

My third and last venture into Pontiacdom was when I bought my wife a 1979 Firebird Trans Am, black with gold accents. It was a tough car for sure, with rumbling exhaust and a T-top. It didn't last long, however, when my lovely wife fell asleep at the wheel returning from a conference and rolled it 2 1/2 times. Hanging from her seat belt, she was saved by that T-top and roll bar.

Ironically, Detroit has finally beaten Pontiac. In 1763, Pontiac, an Ottawa chieftain, attempted to take Fort Detroit by storming it with his band of Indians. They didn't beat the British but the Pontiac name was destined for history by his actions. That long history for Chief Pontiac's namesake will now soon end.

Don't Mess With the U.S. Navy

The calm demeanor of President Obama belies something fuming underneath. When a U.S.-flagged ship is taken by Somali pirates, he and the U.S. Navy didn't wring their hands and say "We must exhaust all diplomatic efforts before we even think of force". Instead, the President gave the Navy its head to solve the crisis as he ordered three U.S. warships to the area. It was clear that even while some talks might start the process, the Navy made sure that no one else would try to come to the rescue of those terrorist pirates in the meantime. A destroyer and helicopter ship were there to guarantee that.

Today, even while "negotiations" were happening onboard the U.S.S. Bainbridge, our elite Navy Seals made their move to rescue Captain Phillips. It may be too bad that three Somali pirates had to die....no, it is not too bad. They are putting so many others in jeopardy, they surely know they could lose their lives in an instant in the criminal field they chose. And they did today.

Although we can be happy that Captain Phillips is unharmed and this incident is over, these pirates must now get the message that this high piracy must end. All nations must stand up to them and not "negotiate with terrorists". It won't happen of course; the ransoms will continue to be paid, and the pirates, although slowed today, will get back in their little boats and continue to harass the ships that pass through that area. Maybe it will give them pause if they notice the "Star and Stripes" flying off the fantail.

"She Touched Me First!"

It's not like there aren't any important issues around the world these days, but it looks like the fact the Michelle Obama had touched Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, when they met the other day created a stir among those who like to be stirred. This apparently is a violation of royal protocol -- to touch a royal, that is (that in itself can cause a sight picture of sorts, doesn't it?).

While we may be be all for protocol, as it does have its place in civility, it seems that the Obama bashers have it a little wrong. Further reading, and in fact viewing the video, clearly shows the Her Majesty first placed her hand around the First Lady as they were talking about how tall Michelle was, and then the First Lady, in a perfectly natural movement, put her arm around the stately (and diminutive) Queen's waist as well.

It should be clear that the Queen felt very comfortable in the presence of Mrs. Obama, and was in fact, quite animated in their discussion.

So, although the Queen does like protocol to be followed, it can hardly be a breach of protocol if the Queen herself initiates the friendly gesture. I have a feeling these two women will develop their friendship over time - far more than usual. No "Off with her head" in this case. At least the President didn't wink at the Queen.

Who's Minding the Store?

I was reminded of the old saw my grandfather said in response to a statement I often made with knitted brows, "I'm Serious!"

"Well, I'm Roebuck, so who's minding the store?", my grandfather would say with a smile.

The American people are probably getting fatigued by all the drum banging over the bailouts to Wall Street firms and CEOs who now have clearly become anti-heroes. Just when the public has begun to absorb the latest blow, the CNNs and Foxes find one more piece of dry wood to add to the fire. Almost daily we hear what is another nuanced version of how much went to "bonuses" at AIG, how Merrill Lynch also paid bonuses as the ship was sinking, and on and on.

The President defends Treasury Secretary Geitner's behavior, feeling that his expertise is needed to save the country from collapse. And this may be true for all we know. The same argument was made by CEO Liddy of AIG who stated he needs those staffers (who are still there) who got bonuses to to stay on to close those toxic investment "books". That despite their ham-handed, if not immoral tactics, those same folks are now needed to right the ship.

But we heard conflicting stories from Larry Summers, from Senator Chris Dodd, and a lineup of others who seem not to have a view of the big picture. Someone needs to take a sober look at this financial mess in toto, and begin to put the pieces together. I'm serious.

Stimulus Money - Who's Accountable?

President Obama has directly warned governors and mayors that he will be looking over their shoulders as they begin to spend whatever stimulus funds come their way. He has emphasized that all spending will be "transparent" and open for public scrutiny. Woe be to those who spend this taxpayer money unwisely.

Yet this rule only seems to apply to the "good guys" -- the heavily strapped state and local governments. Did it apply to the banks who got the first stimulus money? Did they have to do what they said they would do, which was to loosen credit and allow citizens access to needed loans? Did they have to show that no money was going to be paid for "executive bonuses" which seems oxymoronic (or just moronic) that companies would give bonuses to execs who drove the companies into the ground in their greed for more, more, more.

It certainly makes sense that warnings go out to those who are getting stimulus money or other loans from the U.S. Government. It makes sense that every cent should be looked at "line by line". But what is good for one entity with its hand out, should be good for all.

It is beyond astounding that bonuses keep being paid out in these failed companies. They argue that they are not using the bailout money. Now how does that even make sense? The money in their coffers, whether it came from profits or handouts, should not be paid out as bonuses to anyone if they had to ask for a bailout loan or stimulus money.

The next thing we are going to hear is that AIG, that boondoggle that "could not be allowed to fail", will thumb its nose at the President and others, and begin to pay out more and more bonuses for excellence in failure. Just watch.

Pet Peeves - The List Is So Long!

I used to drive my friends (and relatives) nuts by constantly correcting them when they hit upon my pet peeves, mostly about English usage. This had to be most irritating to them, so if I wanted to be invited to parties and even Christmas dinner, I had to learn to temper my urge to play the know-it-all. I said "temper"; I did not say that I have been totally successful.

So rather than have these peeves push up my blood pressure, I thought I'd share a few things that drive me crazy. I know I should worry about much more important stuff but sometimes I just can't help myself. I apologize (again) to those I correct or chide with these vastly unimportant and vacuous items.

Does it bother anyone else that it seems there are a lot more TV ads these days where the sales huckster yells instead of just talks calmly? That guy Billy Mays hawking various products drives me to mash the MUTE button so much I may break my TIVO control. I would like to "KaBoom" him.

Another ad peeve of mine is those grossly unprofessional ads done locally with the actual staff of the car dealership or jewelry store, or whatever. They do some inane skit and then usually end with the whole cast speaking in unison. Spend a little more and hire an ad agency, please. It will do wonders for your business and they won't have a cast of thousands, all yelling "Come to Boastfull Chevrolet where the deals are Best!!!!!!"

My real peeves have to do with the abomination of the English language. McDonald's has begun to educate the masses on hunger "pangs" not hunger "pains" as some are wont to use. I am not perfect but I know that "irregardless" is not a word, and that Realtor (a person who sells REAL Estate) is pronounced REAL-TOR, not REE-Letter.

I also know that "importantly" is an adverb which modifies a verb, so that you cannot say "most importantly" because you can't modify a superlative. OK, I admit, that one's a little esoteric and although it grates on me, it is not nearly as bad as REE-Letter.

Speaking of esoteric, and one fight that I know I won't win is the use of FORTE to mean roughly, "what one has a talent for, or is good at" (Hey look at me, ending my phrases in prepositions -maybe there's hope yet). The correct pronunciation is simply FORT, not For-TAY as so many say. There is no accent mark above the "e" so it is not For-TAY, but common usage has now made that pronunciation acceptable. But if I said, "English usage is my FORT", I would get looks of scorn, so rather than having to explain this to the ignorant masses, I do not use the word at all (So there).

And finally for today I will end with this mind numbing comment I heard the other day. "The staff interviewed over 1000 people for this study, 55% of them women, and 45% men." Wow, were there other choices?