Getting Healthy on Finger Food

           I am one of the Forgotten Americans who don’t eat properly or go to the gym. I eat in the car on the way to work. I could eat maybe some milk and candied cereal, but I don’t want to set a bad example for the kids. They’re teenagers, and being a parent who reduces the amount of sugary cellulose fiber available for their well being, well that just isn’t me. So I sleep in until 4:30 AM. My wife would fix breakfast, but she works nights these days.

           There’s something about a bread-egg-mystery meat-cheese sandwich eaten in the dark, in the car, that makes me just drool. So I start every working day by going to the drive thru to get a “droolie”. I take my own coffee of course!

          For lunch it’s drive-thru salads, (with chili to kill the taste). Not really finger food, but I like to eat healthy at least for this one meal. There’s never enough time, so I eat in the car. It’s not dark, but then one does not eat salads, especially with chili, in the dark.

          For dinner, I let go—burger,fries, and a soda! Once a week, I go even further and change the soda to a milk shake. I eat in the car on the way to my other job. It’s not dark yet, most of the time. But while you can get away with salads in the dark, only a fool eats French fries in America without looking at them first.

Cheese Would Smell Better

          Mitch McConnell and The Obstructers, the U.S. Senate’s favorite choir group members, are grinning like a glee club. They don’t really like their next likely NOM-CAN-POTUS, America’s own Trumpeter Swan, The Donald. They have that in common (and I mean ‘common’ in the worst possible way) with God’s own grandiose ‘Ted’ Cruz. But they also hate Cruz, and that’s the one thing they get right with the majority of America. Even Texas hates Cruz and THEY voted FOR him. So it looks like Lady Liberty is headed for a bad case of the D.T.’s.

           But Mitch and The “O’s” are still gleeful. They believe they’ve found another political ‘golden fleece’—the mantra that American voters deserve a say in who the next Supreme Court nominee will be. It’s a great line and Mitch has been SINGIN’ it. It’s not a verse from the U.S. Constitution, however. It’s just a choir song, and who can say the choir isn’t one hunnert pussent ‘Merican.

           Problem is, it sounds good, but there’s no reason why it should. The Senate has a Constitutional duty to review and vote on Obama’s nominee. Most Americans feel whatever happens, if you are being paid to do a job, you should do it, or quit. Probably not a lot of Americans know how much we pay our U.S. Senators to do their jobs. Even at that, we deserve better than some con artist’s choir verse from the people we elect.

      My dog, Woof-man, would probably say, “It sounded like cheese being unwrapped, but it wasn’t!”

Sociopathy

          What is it about extreme political viewpoints that attracts so many sociopaths? Somebody is always comparing a political enemy to Hitler in a pathetic display of anger or fear, and demanding punishment based on his or her own thinly veiled hatred. Or it’s another sociopath throwing huge sums of money into the ring to sway actions on threat of election challenges. Or somebody tough-talking about America’s greatness while proposing a course of bigotry, greed and selfishness.

Extremism is hardly conservative politics. It is radical, in some cases relentless, and almost always remorseless. It occurs all the way from the ‘lobster and caviar’ set to the ‘beer and burger’ crowd. And it is amazing that extremists seem to have an endless supply of money!

Still, a lot of people recognize political extremism for what it is—poison. If you look you will find them—the rich and the poor alike who oppose the hostage-taking extremists that want to eviscerate safety net programs or grind America to a halt regardless of the damage to our country.

Extremists want to seem tough on crime and drugs, but are unable to acknowledge the truth about crime and drugs, and honestly propose a humane course of action to mitigate them. Oh, and they’re tough on illegal immigration. They take a stance that fits perfectly the “Bully the weak” paradigm—and they energetically coach Americans to be stupid and hateful about immigrants…and almost everything else.

What toughness. Around here we just call them sociopaths.

Bainwarble Gets A Pony

           The loss of his Yugo and the adoption of Senator, his sneaky coyote, doubled Bainwarble’s need for transportation. He had several extended conversations on the subject with Wiley Stinks, our chef, whom he considers a “man of the world.” At the end of one heated argument, Wiley told Glassshard, “You can’t carry a coyote around with you on a horse! What you need is a car named after a horse. Go find a car, any car,” Wiley said finally, “with a name that sounds like a horse!”

           Bainwarble found a Pinto and checked it out. It had 49,000 miles, and it was almost completely junk. Crack in the windshield, fender dings, broken headlight, bare metal on the foot pedals, holes in the floor mats, and the seat springs were barely functional. The rear end of the car seemed to have missed all the wear-and-tear: it was nearly pristine. Glassshard sat in the driver’s seat and gripped the smooth plastic wheel. The seat let him down far enough to see out perfectly.

           “Does it burn oil?” he asked.

           “It leaks some—the rear main seal—the undercarriage catches fire every 4 or 5 months. We just let the oil burn off.”

           “I like the vertical flames painted on the car,” said Bainwarble. The seller knew he was hooked.

           “After each fire, we use high-heat paint to protect the bare spots.”

           Bainwarble paid the guy and drove it home, thinking all the way how much more comfortable it was than his old Yugo.

Musical Mickey Mouse Moments

            Well, it’s happened again!  Sunday, March 13^th, the Sandhills Symphony treated those who were savvy enough to attend, with another wonderful musical performance, this one complete with spoken Shakespearian interludes.  Carolyn Clark gave us Portia’s ‘quality of mercy’ soliloquy.  Ritch Galvan gave us the Hamlet soliloquy and later delighted us with his presentation of “Puck” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Skip Altig gave us the “Romeo” soliloquy.  There seems to be no end to the ingenuity with which this group of dedicated volunteers entertains its audiences.

            All of this fun was wrapped up in their performance entitled: 400 Years: Shakespeare to Mickey Mouse.  You would have recognized music you heard in “Mickey Mouse and Friends,” “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” Allan Sherman’s “Camp Granada” song, “The Lone Ranger,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Beetlejuice,” and many more. 
            The next concert will be in October at the N.P. High School Performing Arts Center.  You really should make time to go!
            I hope many attendees were able to find the “Sandhills Symphony Donations” box and leave a token of appreciation.  This is a group that richly deserves the support of our community.  It comprises our friends and neighbors who work very hard to bring us moments of musical delight.  Anyone who would like to contribute to the Symphony, either musically, or financially, can make contact at Sandhills Symphony
                                                                        PO Box 1972
                                                                        North Platte NE 69103 or
                                                                                www.sandhillssymphony.org

Pulp Radio

          While the world laments the fading of quality journalism in the face of media takeover by huge corporations, a whole new breed of stars is on the rise in radio. It used to be morning chat teams who shared humor and homey patter with their listeners. Many are still around. Then it was the “shock jocks” that ascended the throne. But the real comers these days are the “talk radio” opinion mongers who ply their trade with sensationalism, conspiracy theories, exploitative exhortations, and fear.

           Spin the dial any time of day and you will find somebody on pulp radio screaming ‘scandal !’ and telling you how the Constitution of our great country has been sullied, or the honor of our military fighters has been tarnished, or how our country is being overrun by unsavory elements that must be expelled, or how lascivious and immoral people in our midst are destroying our religious freedom.

           Around here, we call it “Pulp Radio” because it is cheap and simplistic and caters to fear, hatred, and ignorance. Pulp Radio is doing as much damage in America as any other wrong-headed influence. It contributes to political gridlock and emotional adherence to unfounded accusations.

           It is clear that our system of education has not taught us an essential skill—that of asking, and establishing by fact, “What is true and what is false among the things that are found in radio, television, print, and internet media?” That failure has come home to roost in Pulp Radio.

Sandhills Symphony

          Today’s performance of a Spanish Salute by the many Sandhills Symphony volunteer musicians was an exceptional treat. Carmen Allen and crew filled the auditorium with great (and some familiar) music, all of it with a Spanish theme. This group deserves to have a huge area following, and therein lies the exception to the treat. Not nearly enough people are taking advantage of this wonderful community asset. Too many people, particularly young people, are missing out on exposure to this form of good music—exposure that would dramatically enrich their lives and their appreciation of quality entertainment and community involvement.

           Live local symphony is one of the things that families should enjoy together if possible, and it should begin when kids are young. It will turn into a lifelong joy for those who grow to appreciate it. Enlightened listening is after all an intellectual activity that engages the senses uniquely. Music of all genres belongs in our lives. It can relax, it can uplift, and it can energize us. There may not be a soundtrack to your life, but nearly everyone has a favorite song. Here’s the great news: with early exposure, nearly everyone can also have a favorite overture or classical composer, or orchestral piece that brings abiding delight.

           Around here, we are convinced of a couple of things. First, the volunteers who bring us this musical enjoyment deserve our appreciation and support. Thank you to all of you! Second, those who missed today’s Sandhills Symphony performance missed out on a cultural gem.