The World According to Hoppy

The Democrat Socialist Party? Pardon Me While I ROTFALMAO!!!

2009-05-13T22:54:00.004-04:00

Holy smoke!

The Republican Party, while unable to find a solution for double digit unemployment or to find a way to end a war which costs America's federal government billions of tax dollars every month, has found that it isn't merely adequate for the Democratic Party to simply be the Democratic Party anymore.

The Democrats aren't leveling with the American people and, in the spirit of truth in advertising, they really need to change the name of the party to reflect that which they believe in and care about. Be it resolved, the Republicans are prepared to help the Democrats with their "identity problem".

Be it resolved, the Democratic Party will now be called the Democrat Socialist Party. It's clear, concise...and truthful. The party that wants to lead us into a cradle-to-grave governmental utopia now has a name befitting its true mission.

Be it resolved, the Republican Party has helped us all to see the light emerging from the heart of darkness. The Republicans will save us and deliver us from the enemy that is the U.S. Federal Government.

Never mind that the Republicans have yet to be resolute enough to work with the Democrats to find a solution to the myriad problems that arose from their leadership in the years while George W. Bush minded the store at 1600 Pennsylvania Av. NW. The Republicans have no answer to the unemployment problem. Or to the energy problem. Or to a solution to end the war in Iraq.

All the Republicans have done to answer the problems that reached fruition during the Bush years is to go teabagging against the Democrat Socialist Party's alleged lust for tax revenues to build previously mentioned cradle-to-grave socialist government utopia.

Of course, if Americans had jobs where income would be taxed at a reasonable level while they could reinvigorate their livelihoods and contribute to society and to its economy, you might see this magical ability for the government at the federal, state and local levels to be able to provide services that would work so well provided by oneself...simple things like plowing snow-covered streets in the winter or covering potholes or paving streets in the spring, for example.

It's things like that which we rely on government to handle with greater efficiency than that which we could find a solution on our own. If we, as Americans, could do all of the things we depend on government to do on our own, why the hell would we need a government at all? At any level?

Americans that decry "socialism" fail to realize the scope and magnitude of what government provides which actually makes their lives that much easier. Or safer. Or quieter. If not for the progress of government, most Americans would still live in the cities that have been abandoned in favor of building the roads leading them to the bucolic ideal of exurbia.

The root word for "socialism" is "social". As opposed to being "anti-social" which is, the last time I checked, a negative attribute which could potentially lead to behavior which we would need a governmental entity like, say, a court to determine the guilt or innocence of behavior deemed to be "anti-social".

"Social" behavior is the trait which allows for neighborhood. It allows for cooperation between people to find solutions to problems. It is a trait that we could use between Democrats and Republicans to find a solution to the very real problems of this country that are not going to go away any time soon unless we, as Americans, demand that EVERYONE in government cooperate and do the work to improve the American Society.

The Democratic Party is the organization at the moment that is working through the problems we face. It is a duty that is hard to accept, but must be accepted if America is going to work again in any way resembling the way it has worked in its successful past.

The Republican Party feels its duty is to "teabag" against being, allegedly, outrageously taxed and to find new names to call their ideological counterparts.

I'm fine with the Republican Party renaming the opposition party the Democrat Socialist Party...so long as they add an apostrophe "T" to the end of "Republican", seeing as though they can't work a solution for America's future...and can't seem to find it in their hearts to drop the bullshit partisanship and work to get America back to work and back to being a proud nation and a great society in which to be a part.

Between Friends: A Discussion on the Economy

2009-03-23T00:40:00.004-04:00

A high school classmate of mine whom I have recently reconnected with after many years was telling me of her consternation over the Obama flap on the Leno show. That's perfectly understandable since, as an admitted Obama voter, I was a little put off by his statement, too. It's certainly not an appropriate comment to come flying out of the soup cooler of someone who calls himself President of the United States.

She was also concerned with how our country is quickly moving toward class warfare and how the political system is just making matters worse. Something she said to me spurred the following response, which I will share with you here. I have added italics to denote my portion of the discussion.

It's unhealthy for the Republicans and Democrats to be this fractured. That's especially true when both parties are this ineffective. This country is completely ripe for a polycameral political system much like you see in European democracies or in Canada. Problem is, the voters in this country and the politicians that could all make this happen are too chicken shit to defy the status quo. In that regard, it is almost embarrassing to be a conscientious voter in this country.

Obama is allowing the celebrity aspect of his office to get to him and he really needs to watch what he is saying. He really needs to get a handle on the state of this economy because EVERYBODY is underestimating the magnitude of our economic situation. The situation is going to get a lot worse before it improves. Throwing money at the AIGs and Citis, Banks of America and JP Morgan Chases of the world is going to solve nothing and will probably make matters worse.

There is a culture of entitlement in the corporate world that is every bit as insidious and profound as the welfare state entitlement they've railed against. Both are wrong, but it is the masses in the middle that are going to be the casualties. When that happens, you've got a class war where the rich accuse the poor of their malfeasance while asking their government to bail them out of their own incompetence and the poor continue to require assistance for basic maintenance of a spartan lifestyle. And who gets the bill: that's right, the middle class who gets up daily, goes to work and pays the taxes that government then extends to the welfare state among the poor and the rich.

What that would look like is three kids on the playground. The bully pushes one kid over another who is kneeling behind the kid getting pushed. The bully is the rich. The kneeling kid the poor. And the middle class is the one getting pushed. And in the scenario, the middle class is the only one really getting hurt.

Look, we all work hard in this country. It used to be that we were all in this together. When did that stop being the case? When did the rich become the enemy of the middle class who has invested so much sweat equity into living bucolic suburban lives where children could be raised in the way that reflected parent's middle class values?

We all want to be a success. But does it really require material possessions and bank accounts with several numbers beyond the left of the decimal to be a success?

The feeling is that the perversion of that concept has caused the rift between classes. It's causing a now elite, corporate class that says that what's mine is mine and what you have I can take away if I can't maintain what I have in the manner I have become accustomed. It's a feeling that is wrong on so many levels, but it still exists and it can't be helped. One can only hope that it can be stopped.

Government is empowered by the Constitution "to promote the general welfare". What that means is that we are all Americans and that we will not let other Americans slip away into despair and poverty. It can't be meant to be a handout and once the help is received that the giver is forgotten. We were once a great country because we worked hard and made things. We still work hard, but we have the con artists who will say one thing and their lives reflect a wholly different ideal.

But we are not making the things we need to sustain a middle class economy in this country. Believe me, I will be discussing this in another segment in these pages (stay tuned). Until then, the hallmark of what created the American middle class is slowly going away and it is threatening to strip away an entire class of people if we are not careful and if we do not hold our government accountable to take decisive, non-political and non-partisan action.

Mr. Obama, it's very nice that you are now "POTUS #44". But you now have a big mess to clean up and America (or, at least, this American) expects action. The legacy of your Presidency hinges on this very important issue. Don't blow it in a fog of bowling score discussions!

Finish The Sentence

2009-03-12T23:09:00.000-04:00

Thanks to my former colleague and dear friend Molly for this one

1. A moment ago.....I cleaned up from dinner and loaded the dishwasher.

2. I am listening to....Keith Olbermann tell me how America is "Still Bushed".

3. I talk.....like I have a mouth full of marbles, sometimes.

4. I love......the Ol' Lady and my kitties.

5. My best friend's.... Karen, Wes and Storey.

6. My first real kiss.......is still a pleasant memory...thanx Suzie, wherever u are!

7. Love is......grind.

8. Marriage is........not a bad thing at all.

9. Somewhere, someone is thinking......about sex.

10. I'll always......feel good about being a Steelers fan in Cleveland.

11. The last time I really cried was because......of a memory I had of my mom.

12. My cell phone.......is my home phone.

13. When I wake up in the morning......I usually have a cat sitting on my chest.

14. Before I go to bed......I brush my teeth.

15. Right now I am thinking about......what I will do this weekend.

16. Babies are.....great, and they're even greater when you can give them back to their parents.

17. I get on Myspace......only when looking at someone elses' profile.

18. Today I......took a three hour nap

19. Tomorrow I will be....working 7 hours and change thanx to the overtime freeze at work.

20. I can't wait to.....see the Indians win a World Series!

I'm Rushing To Judgment!

2009-03-07T16:49:00.001-05:00

Rush Limbaugh. Rash Limpjaugh. Same difference!!!

For those who don't really know me, I was formerly a Dittohead! I stress the words “was formerly”. I had Dittohead, as if I had a terminal illness. I got better.

Let's not mince words: Ol' Rash is spreading over the Grand Old Parody like...well, a Terminal Illness! Couldn't happen to a more fraudulent political movement. This loud mouthed pot of piss might just be arrogant enough to be the answer to a future trivia question: Who was the opinion leader who talked his preferred political party into its grave? Putting it the way I choose, Ol' Rash can't tell his asshole from his elbow.

Rash is a three-time divorcee, a proven drug addict and a cheeseburger away from a massive heart attack. If he wasn't also a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, he would be a complete basket case.

This is what happens when you allow the nosy and the busy-body hausfrau element of the Republicant Party to control the social agenda. At the end of the day, government should never dictate social policy. Allowing the free market that the Republicants love so much to dictate the ideal social agenda would probably work far better and yield more acceptable results on the American culture. Rash has been a huge cog in informing this segment of the population, even though his personal missteps run at loggerheads with what most social conservatives would find acceptable.

Rash has been running roughshod over the early days of the present administration, encouraging the failure of his agenda. Rash just needs to admit that his candidate lost the last election and if he can't be anything more than a sore loser he can move to another country where his particular brand of liberty will be embraced...can't think of one off the top of my head...America has been the only country tolerant enough to dig its own grave with unregulated capital markets and a government who over-regulates social mores like abortion, the drinking age and marriage.

What the hell could Rash possibly be bitching about? We just spent the last eight years with a country whose federal government invented new and better ways of maximizing the wealth of the chosen few while making it exponentially more difficult for a middle class to exist.

Rash's bed has been made and he still feels the need to stir the pot...wonderful! He should do us all a favor...if he really wants to affect change in government why doesn't he just simply run for office? I know he's said he can't afford the pay cut (likely story). But is the real reason because he'd have to lay himself bare to voters and subject himself to public scrutiny and ridicule over his less than stellar social history?

Instead, Rash chooses, like many of his ilk, to simply be a mouthpiece and to point fingers of blame and cheer on the ruin of his country when we all need to get things together and create a country that goes to values that encourage looking after one another and being a better society and culture instead of leaving everyone to fend for themselves.

We are Americans, no matter what the political preference...we should be great enough to put differences aside and help each other become great again and not simply look out for #1. That's NOT what made America great.

Of course, this is all lost on the Rash Limpjaugh's of the world. He has his own, so should he really give a damn about his millions of “Dittoheads”? I'm sure we can all answer that question on our own.

A Friend Gone Too Young

2009-03-05T00:40:00.001-05:00

Many of my friends online, as in real life, are peers...we are the same age and grew up in the same time and are in the prime of life. When a peer dies, at our age, it can be a wake up call. I'm 43. Will Gunther was 47. Between you and me, that is far too young.

I attended Will's wake. We were Jaycees together and the wake was a kind of reunion of sorts among the old Berea Jaycee crowd. We will be meeting soon under much more normal circumstances. It was good to catch up with people that I haven't seen since the chapter dissolved five years ago.

Kim (Will's SO) was holding up very well. Then again, much of her life for nearly the last two years was tied up in helping Will beat the cancer. She appeared relieved. The way she knew things were different...she had to use the keys to get into the house. Her house was locked for the first time in nine months. The last nine months of Will's life he was attended by hospice.

In the end, he was bedridden and unable to speak. If relief was the emotion Kim felt most, I can relate.

I can tell you from personal experience that I was there with my own father. His heart failed him, ultimately. But it didn't last the nearly two years Will's lingering episode did. Nowhere near. But I was relieved when my father passed, if for no other reason that the pain of my mother's death which weighed upon him heavily was finally gone.

Another old Jaycee friend put together a video tribute to Will's life. Will enjoyed himself. He had a great smile. He was always very calm and laid back. I think had most of you met Will, you would have liked him, too.

When people die you can't help but think, even if just for a moment, of your own mortality. But when a person is your own age when death comes, you think of things like justice and how wrong it is that a person in their prime of life won't get to be old.

That won't happen for Will and it sucks that it won't.

But, for the friends he left behind the hope of greater life that is still ahead is what motivates us all to keep going all out everyday.

The Plain Dealer, Women and the Future of Print Media

2009-02-22T18:34:00.002-05:00

This is a copy of a rebuttal I made to legendary Cleveland journalist Roldo Bartimole on an article he submitted today to The Cleveland Leader website. I believe his analysis in the article is spot-on, even if I am not 100% in agreement with where he is coming from.

To read the balance of his article, along with his replies, please go to this link:

www.clevelandleader.com/node/9067#comment-30509

His article isn't so much about the overall dearth of women in journalism as it is about a newspaper whose future is very much in flux from the emergent electronic media and the blogosphere that is growing daily and has all the potential in the world to drown out the opinion of the print media worldwide.

Give this a read:

We may need more women editors in the world. But, in the grand scheme of the shrinking world of print journalism, Susan Goldberg's attitude is out of line.

We don't just need good female editors...we need good editors, period. Playing the sex card doesn't add up to a hill of beans anymore. You can either do the job or you can't. Judging from the product being turned out from East 21st and Superior lately, she has lots of work to do.

The electronic, non-paper media is NOT going away. The Plain Dealer is dying...slowly and surely. So, Ms. Goldberg's offense to Mr. Ettore's statement isn't going to do a shred of good for women in the world of print journalism anytime soon.

Choosing Betsy Sullivan was a good move for the PD editorial page. She has paid her dues on the street and, if she is left to do her job, she should improve the content of the PD op/ed page.

However, if she can't stand up to Brent Larkin he will have every chance to sabotage her aims and goals for the PD op/ed. Brent Larkin knows what he is doing and is just arrogant enough to put a dagger in the heart of those who would question his motives. If Betsy Sullivan can't stand up to him, her standing at the PD will be largely ceremonial.

And that's where the PD is right now. The old guard at the paper has been entrenched for some time, but is now pulling back the reins. The comparative youth movement at the PD is welcome, but needs to be steadfast in putting their own signature on what they believe to be the direction of Cleveland and the surrounding region and need to report without lording over from the old guard.

If the PD is to remain relevant, it will need to focus on directing opinion to a new paradigm: not standing for the way things have been done for generations with the carcasses of business and political failure strewn across the city. If Cleveland is to improve, the powers that be need to be challenged and pushed not wined dined and gushed over like they were holy Roman emperors. We know the results of their "work" and they are hardly worth the adulation.

The blogosphere and the e-media will be competing for the ad dollar fairly soon. And, since the market isn't growing, the competition will be fierce from those who have a realistic and logical business model.

The PD has to change or be left in the dust if they are to remain relevant in the new world of information gathering and dissemination. They have the clout and reputation. But is the PD just as likely to rest on laurels and milk its reputation?

I'm sure the bloggers and the newly emergent e-media are banking on that stance from the PD.

Q & A wit' buckeyehoppy!!! Weeeeeee!!!

2009-02-16T01:51:00.003-05:00

Thank you Christina for the inspiration.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Not that I'm aware of. But my father's first name (Robert) is my middle name.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
At my friend's mother's wake. Her children did the eulogies and that had to be exceptionally hard. Their emotion got to me just enough to bring tears.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I don't do cursive. I CAN do it, but it just seems laborious to me. I do quite nicely with printing. Why change what works?

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Pastrami.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No human children that I am aware of. I have two feline children, though.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Sure..why not?

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
No way...me?...NEVER!... :)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
YES!!!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Kashi. Wheat Chex. Special K. Grape Nuts...I am a cereal junkie.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no...just depends.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Peach sherbet.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
I'm horrible with noticing a particular thing in people right off the bat. It usually takes a few minutes and, even then...

15. RED OR PINK?
Scarlet...as in Scarlet and Gray...Go Bucks!!!

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORlTE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My low threshold for anger. Depending on circumstances, I can have a real hair trigger, and that's obviously not good.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
I miss my mother...it's been seven years this coming Monday.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
No worries!

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
No shoes and gray workout shorts.

20. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My friend Joel, on the way home from work

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Jazz on WCPN-FM in Cleveland.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Goldenrod.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Nothing beats Italian sauce.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Yes. She is a very good person and her answers were very down-to-earth. That's very refreshing.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
In person: hockey, freestyle wrestling and baseball.
On TV: football.

27. HAIR COLOR?
Dirty blond with touches of gray.

28. EYE COLOR?
Baby blue!

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No, but I probably could use some form of vision correction at this stage of my life.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
House of Blues Jambalaya. Raw veggies. Cereal.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Mamma Mia.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
My washed-out reddish pinkish North Coast Parrothead Club long sleeve T.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Copping out here...both. It's actually refreshing to have both, at least for a little while.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Karen.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Who cares?

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
"Truth and Justice for Fun and Profit" by Michael Heaton

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Mouse pad?... LAPTOP!!!

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
I saw the end of the Cavaliers game.

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
The music of Pat Metheny. NOBODY inspires me like him!

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
The Stones, dude. Like the Beatles...LOVE the Stones!!!

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Jamaica.

45. WHERE WERE U BORN?
Lakewood Hospital, Lakewood, Ohio.

46. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
I'm sure everyone will have something worthwhile to contribute...(sounding like a politician there) :)

47. BIG WEEKEND PLANS?
Assisting the Euclid Jaycees with their Kid Wrestling tournament. Valentine's Day dinner at La Strada with my valentine. A drink at The Drink in Lakewood, then, awesome music from Michael Franti and Spearhead with about a thousand other hippies!

48. DOGS OR CATS?
BOTH!!! But I have cats right now, so they have the inside track!

44 Reasons buckeyehoppy is One Odd Fellow!

2009-02-16T01:43:00.003-05:00

Thanx to Kathy for providing much needed inspiration to do this

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes, I do.

2. Have you ever been drunk? Does right now count...j/k!

3. Do you own a gun? No. I'm too afraid of what I would use it for.

4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite? Grape.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? I'm not sure. I'm usually fidgety. Is that a sign?

6. What do you think of hot dogs? They're great...even if they are sucky for me.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? Scrooged.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? The Hair of the Dog.

9. Can you do push ups? I'm sure I can, but I'm too tired to try right now.

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I own no jewelry. The closest thing I have is an array of buttons that can be used as flair at TGIFridays.

11. Favorite hobby? Barstooling.

12. Do you have A.D.D.? What was the question...?

13. What's your favorite shoe? My Keen Hiking boots...the best US$120 I have spent in a while.

14. Middle name? Robert.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? President Obama, the new streetlight outside our house, sleep.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Hot tea, Iced tea and Beer.

17. Current worry? Why don't I have a cold one at my left hand?

18. Current hate right now? I'm not really into hate...I mean, "W" was a crappy POTUS, but I don't HATE him.

20. How did you bring in the New Year? At a very noisy club...should have stayed at the jazz joint we were at or at my friend's apartment.

21. Where would you like to go? Domestically...Key West. Internationally...Amsterdam.

22. Name three people who will complete this? Larry, Curly and Moe.

23. Do you own slippers? I do, but I use my Pittsburgh Steelers Crocs for the same purpose and they are much more comfy.

24. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Gray, with "Texas" emblazoned across the front in burnt orange.

25. Do you like sleeping on Satin sheets? No.

26. Can you whistle? Quite nicely, if I do say so myself, thank you.

27. Favorite color? Blue.

28. Would you be a pirate? Arggggggggg!

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower.

30. Favorite Girl's Name? I don't know...maybe Theresa. I like my mother's name, Margaret, but she didn't really like it herself.

31. Favorite boy's name? Anthony

32. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing.

33. Last thing that made you laugh? The Vermont Teddy Bear Commercial.

34. Best bed sheets as a child? My NFL sheets with all the team names.

35. Worst injury you've ever had as a child? My mother dropped a mixer on my hand and nearly severed the tip off my right middle finger. It was saved, but it still looks gnarly and is a bitch to manicure.

36. Do you love where you live? Yes. I do.

38. Who is your loudest friend? Joel.

39. How many dogs do you have? None. Would love to have one, but my cats will kill me if I bring one home.

40. Does someone have a crush on you? I am confident in my appeal to several women! No one in particular, but I am confident!

41. What is your favorite book? "Tuesdays With Morrie" by Mitch Albom.

42. What is your favorite candy? Skittles.

43. Favorite Sports Team? Baseball: Cleveland Indians; Football: Pittsburgh Steelers; College: The Ohio State Buckeyes.

44. What song do you want played at your funeral? "Farmer's Trust" and/or "If I Could", both by Pat Metheny.

The buckeyehoppy Top 25

2009-02-08T14:06:00.003-05:00

Inspired by a trio of classmates from my high school days: all female and all marvelous and, unfortunately for the single guys out there, all married, I am going to take a stab at the 25 things you (may, may not, may not want to) know about me. Hope you enjoy:

1. I miss both of my parents everyday and wish I was able to talk with either of them again as often as possible.

2. I LOVE the Food Network...I have a man crush on Guy Fieri!...and if I could have an affair with anyone other than my wife, it would be with Giada DeLaurentiis from "Everyday Italian".

3. I LOVE the people I work with in the HOB kitchen.

4. I want to make a pilgrimage to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia...the hometown of my favorite hockey player: Sidney Crosby from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

5. I think Cleveland is great...don't mind the weather in winter because I know the trade off is going to be a marvelous summer.

6. I am certain that snow is useless unless one is skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing or making a snowman.

7. I am in genuine awe of Warren Miller...60 years worth of skiing documentaries and they are the ONLY movies truly worth seeing on a big screen.

8. I believe that life is too damned short for hate...there are things that annoy me, but I am slowly, but surely, eliminating hate from my life one issue at a time.

9. I'm not much for wearing suits, but I really want to know if they sell men's clothing where Don Cherry gets his wardrobe. I watch Coach's Corner on NHL Network during the 1st intermission of the first game on Hockey Night in Canada when I'm home on Saturday nights just to see what he is wearing.

10. I believe the most necessary things in life are a sturdy bar stool, an imperial pint of REAL beer and a bar keep that can hold up their end of a discussion.

11. I am sure that Flannery's, Melt Bar and Grilled, The Buckeye Beer Engine and Sullivan's Pub are all great rides in the amusement park of potent imbibing.

12. I believe that if you can't afford the cab or bus fare after a night of drinking that you have no business being out in the first place. Drinking and driving is expensive on many fronts and is a dumb idea.

13. I am genuinely hopeful for the presidency of Barack Obama. I just fear that the damage he will need to clean up is too great and will consume his first term in office.

14. I am sure that non-mechanized travel by bicycle or foot is far superior to cars or buses.

15. I am inspired whenever I hear Pat Metheny play guitar. I've never had many heroes, but he is a hero to me.

16. I believe one of the most breathtaking cityscapes in America is emerging from the Fort Pitt tunnel from the Parkway West (I-279) to see the skyline of the city of Pittsburgh. It's like entering the Emerald City in the "Wizard of Oz". Every city should unfold like that.

17. I feel much more accomplished everyday when I've had the chance to work a crossword puzzle. I also feel smarter when I can do one in pen and make no mistakes.

18. I am sure that if I brought a dog in to live with us that my cats would never want to deal with me again. They are the brattiest creatures ever...but I still love them.

19. I'm not sure what people listened to before Sirius Satellite Radio, but I fairly sure that the choices were neither as many nor as interesting.

20. I am addicted to internet discussion boards...and I am a total "post whore" :)

21. I believe that baseball's Opening Day should be declared a national holiday.

22. I would write more. But I get off on the feedback that writing brings and I don't always get that feedback. Ergo, I don't write as much as I would like because I am never sure what the response will be.

23. I am radically different now than I was in high school...and I like it that way...it is so much more peaceful to not have to worry about actions or what everyone else thinks.

24. I KNOW that there is no greater group of people in the world than the Bay High Class of 1984...and THAT'S the TRUTH!!!

25. Finally, I don't know about you...but I'm gonna have a beer...taking an inventory of "random thoughts" can be a helluva challenge! Cheers!!!

P.S. I am sure there is crap that I didn't think of mentioning!!! :)

P.P.S. Yes...here's some bonus add ends:

1. I can tell you that there is nothing cooler to watch in weather than storms approaching off Lake Erie.

2. I am much better creatively when listening to jazz...there's just something about the rhythm of jazz that allows for unfettered thought.

3. I am convinced that I would be a better commissioner for the NFL than Roger Goodell.

I Just Joined Facebook!!!

2009-02-06T01:17:00.002-05:00

I am always up for new stuff and a dear friend of mine whom I have known for at least 35 years sent me an invitation to Facebook. I read through his profile and it looked fun enough. It was go time for Facebook and buckeyehoppy!

How fun is this thing? Well, I am in the process of catching up with lots of my classmates from Bay High Class of 1984. The reunion is approaching in July. But this is a great way to touch base with a few of them now. I am very much looking forward to reacquainting myself with some old buds from my more "innocent days" in Bay Village.

Facebook is a great place to find common interests and people who fall into those things you like. I can find stuff on the six-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Or stuff on the Cleveland Indians. Pat Metheny, who has no peer on the jazz guitar. Or maybe some doings in the world of comedy. Perhaps I can get a leg up on my friend Warlock in the comedy realm?

Either way, I have found a fun new toy to play with online. hope to talk with some of you soon on Facebook!

Sarah Palin...R U Nuts???!!!

2008-11-11T20:31:00.003-05:00

I've been reading a bit about Sarah Palin today and I'm watching a "Hardball" segment on her as we speak...so to speak.

Welcome the newest candidate for President of the United States...in 2012.

OMG!!!

...not HER god...or, whatever it is that tickles her innards.

I'm talking about MY god, who thinks she's out of her fucking mind.

She knows nothing about foreign policy. She knows nothing about domestic policy beyond the oil fields and military bases of Alaska. She was on a Presidential ballot before Hillary Clinton. To be honest, Hillary wasn't about to get my support in the last election. But Hillary would have gotten my vote every time over Bimbo Spice...did anyone bother to check Caribou Barbie for blonde roots?

The fear I have of any potential candidacy of hers...or anyone like her...is that she will be the tool for the Religious Wrong. If any movement in American politics has had the potential to divide this country like the agenda of the Religious Wrong, I haven't come across that movement yet.

Kids, we are NOT a so-called "Christian Nation". Personally, I take offense to the prospect of the Prince of Peace being used as a patriotic or political tool for ideological gain. If I may be so presumptuous, I believe that Jesus himself would take offense. Kind of like how the Jimbo character from "South Park" calls upon the help of God only to have Jesus sitting in the next seat telling Jimbo to "leave me alone".

This woman might not have cost John McCain election to the most powerful job in the world. But if I'm Sarah Palin's Jaysus,, I would politely tell her to "fuck off".

Studs Terkel and Captain Tony: R.I.P

2008-11-02T22:41:00.002-05:00

Two great Americans died this weekend.

Studs Terkel was an American writer, historian and multi-purpose media personality. He was 96 years old. He is perhaps best known for his role playing writer Hugh Fullerton in the movie "Eight Men Out" and his interview in Ken Burns "Baseball". He also wrote the books "Hard Times" and "Working", which were oral histories of the Great Depression and working life in America, respectively.

Captain Tony Tarracino was best known as the proprietor of the legendary Captain Tony's Saloon in Key West. He passed at the age of 92 after a lengthy illness. Captain Tony was a fixture in Key West and once served as its mayor.

Both men were well known as raconteurs and master story tellers and two men that I, for one, would have loved to have drank a beer with.

That is especially true of Terkel, who was as interwoven into the fabric and lore of the city of Chicago as Mrs. O'Leary and her cow. A fair degree of his work dealt with Chicago and his love of the city of "Big Shoulders". But his was the voice of America and the voice of 20th Century American history. He gave voice to the struggle of the Great Depression, American working lives, war and recovery and the people who lived the 20th Century. He wrote of what he heard. He was the great American observer, and told her tale.

That spirit was also in evidence in life of Captain Tony, who escaped the gambling underworld of New Jersey in 1948 to arrive in Key West on board a milk truck. He would later buy a Key West bar and rename it Captain Tony's Saloon. In the 31 years he owned his bar, it would emerge as a Key West institution that, to this day, is as vital as ever and a must see destination at America's southernmost outpost on her mainland. He would sell his legacy to inherit the keys to his Key West when he became its mayor. His friend, Jimmy Buffett, would be the chair of his mayoral campaign and he immortalized Captain Tony in his song "Last Mango In Paris". Captain Tony embodied the warmth of Key West. His colorful life has now disappeared beyond the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, but his legacy remains.

A toast to two great American lives well and colorfully lived...to Studs Terkel and Capt. Tony and R.I.P.

Chicago Tribune Endorses Barack Obama

2008-10-19T11:17:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine sent me a very refreshing link in my weekend morning e-mail.

I like refreshment on the weekends. I work during the week, as most people do, and I like to recharge on weekends in the most optimistic fashion possible.

That's why the link I received to the Chicago Tribune's endorsement of Barack Obama for President fits the refreshing column very nicely. It is not necessarily refreshing that the Tribune has never before endorsed a Democrat for President. However, in this case, I would say that it is about time the editorial board at the Tribune got with the program.

In the Tribune endorsement, there is a proclamation that the Republican Party has "lost its way" and they point to the historical link of the party being the "party of limited government". Very well. It was that promise that attracted me to the party in my otherwise wayward youth.

But the Tribune pointed out that the budget surplus that President George W. Bush inherited from President Clinton has reversed and doubled during his watch into a deficit of nearly half a trillion dollars. Chump change that is not.

John McCain has declared that he will balance the budget even declaring that he will be cutting taxes that will put the squeeze to the budget to the tune of $400 billion.

Gee, John, more power to ya if you can do it. Dubya couldn't do it. But I bet you could. Think of this...ending the war cuts the deficit by almost a third. And if you only cut taxes on families that earn less than a quarter mil, that probably helps, too. Gee, it would suck to be rich under those terms.

The Tribune also had issues about John's choice of running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin.

Let's look at it this way: Ms. Palin is the governor of Alaska, a state with a population just a little over 600, 000 and which is flush in oil money and military bases. I live in Cleveland, Ohio (pop. <450,000), and if you add the population of it's county, Cuyahoga, you have a place that has better than double the population of the entire state of Alaska.

That would mean that the mayor of Cleveland or any of the commissioners for Cuyahoga County would be just as qualified to be a presidential running mate as Ms. Palin if you look at it in terms of population numbers.

And that doesn't factor in to the equation that Ms. Palin doesn't have to deal with some of the all too real issues that the mayor of a large city has to deal with on a daily basis. Crime and drugs are things that are probably just as foreign a concept to Ms. Palin as dealing with China. But they are a very real thing in every large American city, not just inside the Beltway.

The Tribune accuses McCain of "put(ting) his campaign before his country". That, by the way, is the understatement of the year.

To sum up the endorsed Obama candidacy, the words I'd would put here pale in comparison to what the editorial board at the Tribune wrote:

"He has risen with his honor, grace and civility intact. He has the intelligence to understand the grave economic and national security risks that face us, to listen to good advice and make careful decisions."

No paragraph could put as succinctly the description of Presidential character as what the Tribune wrote in their endorsement of Barack Obama.

They didn't sugar coat their favor for the former Illinois state senator. They are concerned with his ability to balance the budget as well. But the Chicago Tribune is understandably concerned and troubled with the overall direction of the Republican Party and the overall judgment of its current standard bearer, John McCain.

I applaud the Chicago Tribune for their foresight in their Presidential endorsement, so I have included the link to the op-ed page here so that you can read it for yourself.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/

Talking A Friend Off The Ledge To Vote For Obama

2008-10-18T13:19:00.004-04:00

Last night, a friend of mine called me. He was in Berlin, Germany.

It was very early on a Saturday morning there. He had been up all night enjoying the Berlin nightlife. He said that he was conflicted. He was thinking of the upcoming Presidential election. He said he might vote for John McCain, even though he was troubled by the notion of doing so. Let's just dub him undecided.

I had to talk him off the ledge. A vote for John McCain, for most Americans, is a willing admission that they don't care about the outcome of the jump so long as their concept of the American Dream stays in tact.

Now, I wasn't always a Democrat. In fact, I voted very much like the Very Conservative Right wanted me to vote...for God-fearing American Republicans who attended church, had Norman Rockwell image families and didn't go about being vulgar or intemperate.

Fortunately, I got better...because I started paying attention.

The highlight, as I see it, for the resurgent Republican movement since the aftermath of World War II was the 1994 mid-term Congressional elections. The Republicans swept into the majority in Congress based on the tenets of a document known as the "Contract With America". The Contract, in short, was a blueprint of ten bills that were to be brought to a vote in the House and Senate with the promise of "reforming government". Many of the bills were enacted or were passed after negotiating compromises with President Bill Clinton.

Part of the underlying problem with "The Contract" is that it purported to change government as America knew it. Yet, 14 years after "The Contract" promised such change, America still has a government that is loaded with waste, inefficiency and bureaucracy. In those 14 years, the Republicans have been in majority control of Congress for 12 and the Presidency for 8. For 6 of those years, the Republicans controlled both concurrently. It was in those years that the Republicans could have really led the country and imposed their will for the benefit of the American people instead of to the benefit of government largesse.

It was in the years between January 20, 2001 and January 20, 2007 that the Republicans did...nothing...

...to reduce the size of government.

...to reduce the National Debt, which has spiraled out of control and has left America subject to the mercy of a foreign entity in the Chinese.

...but relax economic policy to the point of allowing banks and lenders to permit the approval of thousands of irresponsible loans that have single-handedly propelled a massive scale default on home mortgages and have left millions of Americans in irreparable debt.

...but allow policies to be enforced easing the exodus of millions of manufacturing jobs out of the country and giving tax breaks to the same corporations allowing said exodus.

...but launch an offensive attack against a sovereign government, while cutting taxes on the richest of Americans causing an already perilous economic situation to worsen as they have allowed tens of billions of dollars every month to be spent to prosecute a war that promises to bankrupt the remainder of this century and the great-grandchildren of those who will be born today.

All of this was caused by George W. Bush and the so-called leadership of the Republican Party...people like John McCain.

Barack Obama, no doubt, has an unenviable job ahead of him assuming, as the polls suggest, he is elected. The chances of him, or Mr. McCain, turning the tide on the mess of the federal government in a first term are not good.

George W. Bush has done more to promote national disunity and division that any other president in American history. He has allowed America to become the butt of the international joke. John McCain voted in support of President Bush's policies over 90% of the time. That is a problem.

To my friend, who was raised in the reliable, Republican, western suburbs of Cleveland beyond the Rocky River this is the truth as I know it. It ain't pretty. I don't have to like it. But it is history. The Republicans, led by John McCain would like to extend that truth into the future, with probably disastrous results.

Random Thoughts From The Edge...Of The Buckeye State, 1.4.2008

2008-01-04T21:25:00.000-05:00

My ol' lady, a.k.a. the sweet person who set up this blog for me, says that I need to have something on the front page. She's right, but it has taken me a little while to figure out what I wanted to do. Since it is on the front page, I wanted to do something that wouldn't exactly fit into any of my notebooks.

Giving this feature the title of "Random Thoughts From The Edge..." seems to me to be a great place to start. It gives insight into my state of mind, which, as you will learn, is typically on the edge of something, or anything. The "...Of The Buckeye State" part, is self-explanatory when you factor in geography. I draft this missive a little less than a mile from the shores of Lake Erie.

Fair enough? Good. Let's proceed with edition #1.

Election 2008 has begun. Barack Obama for the Democrats and Mike Huckabee for the Republicans have emerged from the Iowa Caucuses as favorites for nomination. They’re good guys, but can either help America rebound from the disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush?

America has endured, to present, seven years of the current "resident", eight years of Bill Clinton before him and four years of the current occupant's father prior to Mr. Clinton. Mr. Clinton's spouse now seeks to be the replacement to the current occupant.

Let's do the math. Assuming Madam Clinton becomes the newest "resident" and attains re-election in 2012, the United States will have spent the previous 28 years prior to Inauguration Day on January 20, 2017 with two families occupying the White House.

The reality is that after 28 years of the Bush/Clinton dynasty that the America that existed in 1989 will bear little resemblance to the remains of America that will likely exist in 2017.

Assuming eight years of a Madam Clinton reign, America is likelier to be more unfriendly, isolated, polarized and suspicious that at any point in her history. Of all the candidates in 2008, Madam Clinton is the runaway favorite to maintain the status quo for the foreseeable future.

Can America afford to be this cavalier with its choice for the next president than to simply settle on the familiar and send Madam Clinton to the White House?

If Iowa is a bellwether; there may be hope. According to the coverage from MSNBC, there is a feeling that there may be yet another generational change in the offing and that if present trends hold firm in the election, that the Baby Boom Generation may be no better than two Presidencies deep.

The priorities of the post-baby boom are insular, yet appear to be focused on bringing America back to a sense of reality. The next generation doesn’t seek to dominate the world and engulf its subjects with ideology.

The post-baby boom is fearful that basic things like health care are going to end up posing a choice between good health and a regular meal on the table or basic transportation to employment that has not been shunted to a third-world country.

We'll see the election play out. For what it's worth, I'll be looking forward to the dismantling of the status quo of the Bush/Clinton cabal. American can ill afford much more of what is happening now.