No More Shamoo Whale Shows - -Oh No!

Well it seems a charished part of Southern California culture may be coming to an end, at least in this state.  Some wise acre assemblyman has introduced a bill to ban the killed whale shows or any killer whale being forced to perform.  They say that "the keeping of a schedule every couple hours to perform before an audience is a human construct and that the whales would just as soon spend that time swimming around in the tank.  I think the whole idea of banning these shows is nonesense.  But I'll use the Ed Schultz caviat of "I'll continue to look into the matter and see what I come up with".  They talk about the training and being compelled to perform being stressful to the animal.  Sea World reminds us that they no longer go out and capture whales in the wild but rather rescue beached whales or whatever, or get the whales from other amusement theme parks.  In another animal story, they inform us that elephants are so smart they know when electrified fences to keep them confined- - are turned off and it's safe to go out and forage for food.

The unemployment rate nationwide is just about Unchanged at 6.7%   Better news is however that the "real employment rate" has actually risen- - and we know that in most months as the Republicans are oh so happy to remind us, the "real employment" declines, month after month, year after year.  What this means is that despite the record cold weather in so much of the United States and despite the effects of budget cuts and the sequester- -and the unemployed having less money to spend now, the economy has bucked all these trends and seems now in a permanent growth phase.  So we progressives should take heart from this and that the flagging economy will be a very slight issue in the upcoming Congressional races.   Rick Perry spoke at today's C-Pac convention being the first batter up.  Perry spoke of how all the U Haul trucks run one way from San Francisco to Dallas and San Antonio and that it's a lot cheaper to try and rent out a van going the other way.  However we have much reason to doubt the things the soon to be Ex Texas governor said.  First of all he said that the Florida unemployment rate has fallen since Rick Scott has been in office, but he only did this by attacking another republican, Charlie Christ, who was governor before him.  But this fact is true with the Whole Nation!  And everybody knows that.  2010 was a bad year for everybody and it's better for everybody now.  Note that when Rick Perry directed his remarks to Scott Walker of Wisconsin, he did NOT talk about the Wisconsin economy, which is still in the tank, but rather just said 'Scott Walker has upheld conservative principles.

Rush Limbaugh has attacked the whole idea that Governor Christie should have even spoke at C-Pac, and then maintained that "You know C-Pac must be getting too watered down, and we'll have to form a more conservative organization".  These people go on to say that "There was a talk show host in Huntsville who was deluged with callers saying that the liberals are taking over everywhere and we have to do something about it".   Of course these people lie like rugs.  For instance Paul Ryan told this story about a little boy who brought a brown bag lunch to school and he says he didn't want to trade it in for a Government subsedized lunch because "I want my lunches made by someone who really cares about me, like my mother".  It turns out the remark was fished out of some book, but attributed to someone Paul Ryan 'just happened to get into a conversation with".  Ronald Reagan told this story about ghetto black teenagers he talked to one day and they told him that "We can't find any jobs, and it's all due to the fact that Jimmy Carter has raised the minimum wage".  So many of these little anicdotal stories told by the Right when investigated prove bogus, just like Joe the Plumber being a real plumber, or earning more than $250.000.  And apparently a lot of tales of woe about insurance rates for Obama Care doubling or whatever- - when investigated prove to be totally bogus.  Liberals are creatures of facts and socialogical statistics.  The tea party opperates on sheer emotion and the oft told story, which perhaps grows in each retelling.

Apparently they are claiming that the LA Marathon is this weekend.  If so they must expect to have it a case of the early bird catching the worm.  We are entering upon that great national insanity called setting our clocks forward and going on DLST while most of the country is still in the dead of winter.  I knew the change was this weekend- - but a part of me couldn't believe it because it just several weeks premature.

Rush Limbaugh talks about "Not telling us everything but necessarily reserving a few secrets that won't be shared with us- - to create the necessary Mystery".  I must confess I opperate on the same principle myself in my blogging because I don't tell you people everything but I too have reserved secrets.  Although I must say the vast majority of things I learn from "The other side" I share with you- - sometimes almost immediately and some of the time I let the ideas perculate and figure out the best way to present them".   Safeway was bought out by Albertson's.  Safeway- - is cosmically what they call a "Cortessian" mean they are half "generic Reigelian" and half "The Pegasus group", which is their official name, though it's really Perseus and not Pegasus.  We are informed the actual Pegasus doesn't have Life- - or at least anything that we humanoids would in any way consider Life".   There are things that are marketed here that aren't now any more, and I can think of a number of beer brands like this.

 Before this I had this US and Israel relations thing on, which was sort of an Israel bashing club.  One thing I heard I was puzzled by is that the Israel lobby makes new congressmen sign these Grover Norquist style loyalty oaths.  I would explain that while I tend to side with Israel most of the time, I’m not going to sell my soul or sign any contract with anyone other than the people of my district who voted for me, and certainly not a loyalty oath to a foreign country.  Actually they said the number of Jewish PACS has now declined from 128 in 1990 to just about 31 today and all 31 combined in all races only raise a total of a little over three million per election cycle.  That’s two million for democrats and a million and something for republicans.  There is one compelling reason for a “Two State Solution” as it’s referred to I hadn’t thought of.  Since the Arab peoples will outnumber Jewish people in the land Israel claims, you have to either expel the Arabs or else make them permanent second class citizens in sort of an “occupied territory” with no rights, and that isn’t right. 

Dr Oz is now on the war path against Alka-Seltzer because he claims it would be likely that you’d have eight Alka-Seltzers in one day, and that could give you twice your normal daily allowance of salt.  I’m not worried because if I ever took that much- - I’d have bigger problems than too much sodium.  Dr Oz suggests children’s chewables.  Then Dr Oz talked about theater snacking.  Dr Oz divides theater snackers into chewers, crunchers, and moochers.  So you have people who like candy like gummy bears and Snickers and nuts.  Then you have the crunchers who like things like chips and crackers and ginger snaps.  Then you have your moochers who like creamy things such as Twinkies, fruit pies, and ice cream products.   I don’t know what’s with Dr Oz and putting things like cayenne pepper on everything that’s supposed to be sweet.

In terms of the weather that eighty degrees and Santa Ana winds things has been put on hold and it’s cooling off.  We had tomato soup and a cold cut sandwich on a bun, and also kind of a combo carrot and coleslaw salad, that I got generous seconds on from Dora.  But in soap land the news is that Abigail may be pregnant.  It’s because Sammy recognized the symptums and Abigail is emotional, and tired, and keeps running to the bathroom- and when Sammy mentioned being pregnant she freaked out.  Nicole tried to confess her great sin to Daniel but then chickened out in a case of bait and switch.  They are having coffee a little later now and I smoked my last cigarette of the pack.  I greeted Lisha.  I got two cups of coffee in the courtyard – and this RR called is talking about “P-Nac” and I haven’t the vaguest idea what that is.  There is more than enough fodder for ten “right wing conspiracy” charges, if you want to go there.

There is nothing wrong with "talking about things as though they were Real, when in fact any sane person realizes that they aren't."   In fact once Dr Laura received a call from some irate Christian who claimed that Laura was soft on all of this Harry Potter stuff and the envoking of occult powers, perhaps of demonic origen.  Dr Laura reminded this poor woman that it's all pretend and play and entertainment and diversion, and any person in posession of all their mental faculties realizes this.  But what do you do with Christian Preachers who browbeat their congragations into submission or whatever- - and act as though they are so cock sure of themselves and there isn't a doubt in their minds.  But privately they don't believe any of it in their "real life" where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.  I don't care if you call it "Theater" or "Radio theater" or whatever.  Some people would just call it the most sinnester kid of lies and deception.  We have little respect for other people who bullshit their way through life, be they hollywood agents, or the oh so maligned used car salesman.  These people will goad their audience with lines like "I wish they could be as enthralled with God the same way they are enthralled with their girlfriends when they first fell in love".  Or they say things like "People will get excited about a football play-off, but they won't get excited about the things of God.  It goes on 'People tell everybody when they are told they're getting a big Raise, but they won't get just as excited when they read in the Bible that Jesus loves them and wants to help you with your burdens".   Or they say "People will watch a TV commercial that says they can't live without a particular kitchen or cleaning product- - and not "realize" that with God they "don't need these things to be happy".   Let me make this simple by way of conclusion.  People will go for a little of something that's Real, over a LOT of something that's completely bogus.  People will go for something Real even though it may be tacky or banal, over something imaginary that's couched in the most Walt Disney type of fantasy speech.  Deep down - Pastors and Evangelists know all these things are true- -but if everybody believed these things- - they know they'd be out of a Job.