This year can’t end fast enough

December 21st, 2011 0 Comments

Still needs a little love...

First of all let me apologize for the length of time between posts. Things have not been going well here for us lately and I’ve been tending to family business instead of my blog. But now that Christmas is almost upon us and the time has come for my annual year-end column, I thought that it was high time that I gave you all an update.

It is my sad duty to inform you that my dad-in-law, Charles Thomas Gray, died on the evening of November 28, 2011 from Bronchitis complicated by his Parkinson’s Disease.

It all started when our heat went out three weeks before. For some reason our heater just wasn’t heating the house and the temperatures were beginning to drop for the Fall. So after we contacted the organization which helped us out with our air conditioner, stove and windows this last summer and waited for them to get back to us, we broke out the space heaters to try to keep the house as warm as we could. They worked overtime to try to keep the house at a comfortable level, but it was really a losing battle. What complicated matters was that Wifey got sick during all of this. I tried to stay away from her as much as possible so that I wouldn’t get sick and then pass it on to Dad, but it didn’t work out as I came down with it as well.

Well as it turns out it was a stubborn strain of bronchitis that has been going around that none of us were able to shake. In the end dad got it as well and he went downhill at an alarming rate. The morning we called 911 to get him to the hospital it sounded like he was trying to breathe through liquid – which in fact he was. His Parkinson’s had effected his swallowing reflex and now it was preventing him from being able to cough up the phlegm that was accumulating in his lungs. When he was in the ER the doctors were trying to find a “medically necessarily reason” to actually admit him to the hospital. We had heard that before and we were gearing up for the fight to get him in there and get the treatment that we couldn’t provide. Well, they found the ”medically necessarily reason” to admit him and they did.

Wifey and I were also really sick with the same thing he had and we took the next couple of days to rest up and get better before we took the hour-long trip down the mountain to go visit him. The problem was Dad got worse really quick and they eventually had to put a tube down his throat so that he could breathe with a machine. It got to the point where the doctors knew that there was no way he would ever come back to the way he was, and they met with us about his advanced directives. Luckily Dad had talked to Wifey about what he wanted if this situation ever arose, and we decided to honor his wishes. An hour after they gave him drugs to make him comfortable, turned the machine off and took the tube out, he was gone.

Since Dad was a Veteran he was eligible for full military honors and burial in a Military Cemetery – free of charge. We didn’t know that this service is accorded to all Veterans, but we are glad that it is as we had no way of paying for anything. Besides, we think he would have gotten a kick out of it since he was justifiably proud of his service in the Navy.

Just as I am proud to call him family.

OK, that said it is time for…

The Good, The Bad, and the Downright Idiotic

Good – Auburn Tigers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Mavericks, Green Bay Packers, Tony Stewart, Sebastian Vettel, Los Angeles Galaxy, St. Louis Cardinals.

Bad –Ohio State scandal, Jerry Sandusky, Frank McCourt. I guess with every Jedi there has to be a Sith Lord or two…

Good – Talk of a Playoff in College Football thanks to LSU-Alabama in the BCS Championship.

Bad – The SEC monopoly hold on College Football.

Idiotic – All of you SEC homers who feel that College Football begins and ends with you. Look, you want to praise your programs, fine – I get that. But talking smack about other universities and calling the facilities, curriculum, professors, and students “second-rate” because they are outside the SEC is crossing a line. You want to talk about the football in Boise, Eugene, Fort Worth, Stillwater or Palo Alto that’s one thing. You start denigrating people who don’t play on their football teams then you invite the same comparisons about your people on your campuses. Don’t start something you are not prepared to finish.

Good –Boise State QB Kellen Moore.

Idiotic – All of the NFL scouts that are writing him off and saying he’s too small to play in the NFL. Look, the kid has the intangibles that NFL coaches want their QB’s to have and yet can never coach – and he has them in spades. He could be the next Drew Brees (who by the way is the same height) if you idiots would just give him the same chance you are giving Andrew Luck.

Good – Tim Tebow just winning baby.

Bad – He still gets no respect from some critics.

Idiotic – The sour grapes being shown by some of those critics when he wins. Get over yourselves already.

Good – The NFL solved its lockout.

Bad – So did the NBA.

Good – the comeback of Michael Vick continues.

Bad – The comeback of the American worker does not.

Good – Tony Stewart becomes the first owner-driver to win a championship since the late Alan Kulwicki.

Bad – Kyle Busch losing his mind in a truck race.

Good – Danaica Patrick is coming to NASCAR!!!

Bad – The Danica haters are coming with her.

Ouch – The end of the Indy 500.

Oh…God…no… – The beginning of the IZOD IndyCar World Championship race in Las Vegas. Rest in Piece Dan Wheldon.

Good – The Dallas Mavericks win their first NBA title.

Bad – The smugness of the LeBron haters. Its getting old people…

Good – The St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series.

Bad – Frank McCourt taking the L.A. Dodgers through the mud.

Salvation – McCourt agrees to sell the Dodgers.

Uh oh – Ryan Braun tests positive for steroids. *sigh* are we ever going to be done with this crap?

Good – The Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup.

Bad – For all of their talent, the Los Angeles Kings have still not skated the Cup. The “Curse of the Curved Stick” continues.

Good – Elements of the Health Care Reform act are beginning to kick in. – I think.

Idiotic – The efforts of the right to repeal that reform and thus deny health care of any kind to millions of men, women and children in this country. That’s what many people in this country believe the repeal effort is trying to do no matter what the right says.

Why? – Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) is shot outside of a Tuscon, Arizona Safeway at the beginning of a “Congress on your Corner” gathering.

Good – Giffords’ intern Daniel Hernandez Jr., was able to apply pressure to the gunshot wound on her forehead, and made sure she did not choke on her blood – saving her life.

Idiotic – Sarah Palin’s eight-minute video on her facebook page accusing the media of creating a “blood libel” over the shooting. How insensitive can you be madam?!?!?!

Good – Muslims showed up at Christmas Eve services in churches around Egypt to offer themselves as “shields” to Egypt’s threatened Christian community.

Bad – The continued feeling in this country that all Muslims are the enemy.

Idiotic – The Florida Family Association objecting to the TLC program “All-American Muslim” because it did not depict Muslims as terrorists or hating America. The program shows the Muslim community in Dearborn, Michigan and shows them going through their daily lives.

Really Idiotic – Lowe’s for caving in to pressure and dropping their advertising of the show. They have yet to apologize for their callous behavior and their support of prejudice.

Silver Lining – Campbells’ Soup, Hershey’s, 3M, Big Lots, Church & Dwight, Citi Card, City Furniture, Ferrero Rocher, Geico, JC Penney’s, Kellogg’s, Pfizer, ADT, Del Monte, Nikon, Telebrands, Chrysler and Shari’s Berries continue to advertise on the program. I would encourage you to send messages of support to these companies for their stance against hatred and bigotry by contacting them. You can’t do it through the Florida Family Association website anymore because they caught on to the fact that people that oppose them were using their links to send the companies messages of support for advertising on the show.

Good – Keith Olberman gets more editorial control over at CurrentTV.

Bad – The manner of his departure from MSNBC. What the hell is Joe Scharborough thinking over there, and is Chris Matthews or Rachel Maddow next?

Good – The Arab Spring brings new hope to the Middle East – at least in terms of better governments for the people in the region.

Bad – The government crackdowns on the demonstrators there which lead to several protestors being martyred.

Good – Wisconsin Legislators leaving the state to prevent a vote that would bust the public-sector unions in the state and make every state worker a slave to the state.

Bad – Gov. Walker trying to have those same legislators dragged back to the state to force the vote.

Holy Mother of… – The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan.

Awwww – The Royal Wedding of William and Catherine.

Good – Osama bin Laden is killed.

Bad – What the hell took so long?!?

Idiotic – The Conservatives who rushed to condemn President Obama for getting bin Laden and wanted to instead give the credit to former President Bush.

Okaaaaay – The size of bin Laden’s porn collection.

“Hiking the ol’ Appalacian Trail” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Anthony Weiner.

Bad –Alabama’s new Immigration law which requires cops stopping anyone who looks like an undocumented immigrant.

Worse – Because of the new law, farmers in Alabama have trouble hiring workers to work in their fields.

Worse Still – When farmers try to hire white workers to do the same jobs as the immigrants before them, they find that the inexperienced white workers are not capable of picking fruits or vegetables at the same rate of speed and efficiency as the previous workers. As a result they either quit or get fired and the crops are dying on the vines. Get ready to pay $20.00 for a tomato.

Desperation is a hell of a drug – From Political Irony: “James Verone is a 59-year-old man with medical problems. He has a growth of some sort on his chest, two ruptured disks, and a problem with his left foot. But he has no job, no health insurance, his bank account is empty, and he isn’t quite old enough for Medicare.

So he figured out an unusual solution. He went into a bank and robbed it, demanding the teller give him just one dollar. Then he sat down and waited for the police to come take him to jail. Why? Because in jail he would get free medical care.”

Good – The comeuppance of Rupert Murdoch as he had to shut down “News of the World” because of a phone hacking scandal.

Bad – Murdoch’s surfs hacking the cell phone of a murdered 13-year-old girl to try to get some scandal that they could print.

Idiotic – Hacking Prince Charles’ cell phone?!? Seriously?!?!?!?!?!? Mr. Murdoch, how is it that you did not end up in theTower of London?!?!?!?!?!?

Awful – The terrorist attacks in Oslo, Norway and at a youth camp in Utoya by Anders Behring Breivik who hoped the attacks would be blamed on Muslim Extremists and would then start a war against them.

Idiotic – Glenn Beck for comparing the Workers’ Youth League in Norway to the Hitler Youth.

Just as idiotic – Bill O’Reilly for saying that Breivik was not a Christian by saying “That’s impossible. No one beliving in Jesus commits mass murder.” Obviously he has never heard of The Crusades or places like…oh…say Northern Ireland.

Bad – The debt ceiling bill compromise which has not created one goddamn job.

Masterpiece Part I – Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment on said compromise as seen here:

And this surprises you? – The S&P downgrades the U.S. credit rating. What do we expect when anarchists get elected to Congress?

Masterpiece Part II – Keith Olbermann’s “Worst Persons in the World” for August 17, 2011. Watch the video all the way through because it is the Dr. Strangelove homage that Keith does at the end that truly makes this a classic…

Good – An entry over at PoliticalIrony which points out that it is not Taxes and Regulations that are killing small businesses but rather insurance premiums that is the culprit. You can read the entry here.

Good – The repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Idiotic – Tea Partiers who have at various points during Republican debates have cheered executions, booed a gay soldier and have yelled in favor of letting the uninsured die. They at long last have no sense of decency.

September 17, 2011 – Remember this date because it happens to be day one of the occupy Wall Street movement. The day when the peasants began grabbing the pitchforks, lighting the torches, building the economic guillotines and mapping out directions to the economic Bastille.

Good – The idea that ordinary people can make a difference and can get involved in the process by pointing out the economic inequality that has existed for a long time now – which is why many of us have been denied work.

Bad – The idea that intimidation and violence will somehow end this movement.

My hope – That the Occupy Movement will somehow ferment change in our politics, our economy, the hiring practices of businesses and will eventually bring about a positive change for those of us who struggle to survive day after day.

My fear – That over reactive police forces around the country will decide that they will no longer go after protestors with pepper spray and rubber bullets. My fear is that they will decide to end this once and for all by switching to live ammunition with orders to shoot anything that moves, and that they will be backed up by all the military tanks that they can get their hands on. That’s right, my biggest fear is that this turns into Tiananmen Square.

Idiotic – NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Balogna for pepper-spraying four women trapped behind a net as the protest was actually winding down. Thanks for the free publicity Tony!

Idiotic – Former Presidential Candidate Herman Cain for saying “Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!” Yeah, I think we now have our “let them eat cake” moment.

Idiotic – Former Speaker of the House and Current Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich: “Go get a job right after you take a bath.” If you are so eager for them to have jobs Mr. Gingrich, then why don’t you hire them to work for you? Oh that’s right – to you that would be a handout!!!

Idiotic – Police forces in Oakland and the campus of UC Davis for assaulting protestors with tear gas canisters that hit protestors in the head, and pepper spraying them as if you were an exterminator trying to eliminate vermin. They are not vermin, they are not cockroaches, they are human beings!!!!!

Idiotic – Any Republican politician who accuses President Obama or the left or the Occupy Movement of engaging in “class warfare” when they themselves have waged “class warfare” against the middle-class, the elderly, children and the unemployed for years now.

In Memorium – U.S. District Judge John Roll, Christina Greene, Gabe Zimmerman, Dorothy Morris, Dorwin Stoddard, Phyllis Scheck (The Tuscon Six), John Dye (Touched by an Angel), Jack LaLanne, Sargent Shriver, Susannah York, David Nelson (Ozzie & Harriet), Cookie Gilchrist, Anne Francis, Chuck Tanner (Pittsburgh Pirates), Betty Garrett (All in the Family), Dave Deuerson (Chicago Bears), Ollie Matson (Cardinals, Rams, Lions Eagles), Duke Snider (Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers), Jane Russell, Drew Hill (Rams, Oilers), Elizabeth Taylor, Geraldine Ferraro, Hunter Bryce, Trevor Bannister (Are You Being Served?), Elisabeth Sladen (Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures), Nicholas Courtney (Doctor Who), Seve Ballestros, Derek Boogaard (New York Rangers), Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Harmon Killebrew, Jeff Conaway (Grease, Taxi), Clarice Taylor (Cliff’s Mother – The Cosby Show), Dr. Jack Kevorkian, John Henry Johnson (49ers, Steelers), Clarence Clemons (The E-Street Band), Ryan Dunn (Jackass), Peter Falk (Columbo), John Mackey (Baltimore Colts), Dick Williams (Oakland A’s), Betty Ford, Sherwood Schwartz (Creator – The Brady Bunch), Amy Winehouse, Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, Bubba Smith, Rick Rypien (Vancouver Canucks), Pete Pihos (Philadelphia Eagles), Mike Flanagan (Baltimore Orioles), Lee Roy Selmon (Tamps Bay Buccaneers), Cliff Robertson, Andy Whitfield (Spartacus), Steve Jobs, Al Davis (Owner – Oakland Raiders), Dan Wheldon (Indy 500 Champion), Bob Forsch (St. Louis Cardinals), (Andy Rooney (60 Minutes), “Smokin” Joe Frazier, Heavy D, Harry Morgan (Dragnet, M*A*S*H).

Good – The nearly two years Wifey and I had living with her father, Charles T. Gray. There were times he could be funny and sad and exasperating, times when Wifey wanted to strangle him and times when she wanted to kiss him. It is never easy when a force of nature departs this plane of existence, but we know that he is in a place where there is no pain, no hatred, where there is only love and comfort. I have no doubt we will see him again someday.

Calm seas and favorable winds Dad.

So to all of my readers out there, once again I would just like to say…