A REALLY BIG RUMBLE

I note from the news today that the F.T.C. is hiring Beth A.Wilkinson, a high-powered litigator to represent them in a case against Google. Ms. Wilkinson was one of the lead lawyers in the case against the Oklahoma Bomber Timothy McVeigh, so she is obviously a heavy hitter.

The F.T.C. has not officially started proceedings against Google, but the fact they hired Wilkinson is indicative that they are seriously contemplating same. As the papers point out, this will "...be the biggest showdown between regulators and Silicon Valley" since the Microsoft investigation back in the late nineties.

As the internet expands exponentially and the computer world moves ahead with blinding speed, great leaps in knowledge and expansion of information are coming. We are already saturated with more knowledge in the last twenty-five years than in the history of man. With great leaps forward also come great potential problems in invasion of privacy, monopolistic practices and pirate plundering of markets.

You don't have to use tea leaves or a crystal ball to look into the future and see a big fight between the government and private I.T.s coming. It's been simmering for quite awhile. Congress has even been involved and has backed away so far from interfering, but you can bet Big Brother in government is checking this one out. Round one was Microsoft; the second will doubtless be Google. who's next? Facebook, Twitter? it will be verrrrry interesting...

THE SLEAZY FACTS OF LIFE

The news of Walmart's involvement in bribes to key political officials in Mexico created quite a stir. I am no fan of Walmart, as I think their predatory actions against small retailers has had tragic consequences for American retailing in eliminating or marginalizing small stores. But, in the case of bribery in Mexico, all I can say, "So what else is new?"

I don't like it morally but accept that it is a reality in the world of international business: in a lot of the world, if you are going to crack international markets, greasing the palm has become accepted practice. So long as governments look the other way or tacitly approve such dealings, bribery will be an accepted practice in many places. To change such practices will take a radical reeducation process in morality and strict punishment for the guilty. You will be fighting a long-established tradition of bribery all around the world---and I don't think this reeducation will ensue easily or quickly.

I remember about thirty-odd years ago that one of my major buyers in a large chain store operation was caught "on the take" when a group of suppliers complained to his boss about his greedy actions. Fortunately, I never had this problem with him because his boss had been an old friend and former buyer that my family knew well so that this tainted buyer thought it wise to desist from hitting me up. I think there is less bribery here in America, but the disease still exists and flourishes in certain industries and situations.

Greed is considered one of the seven sins, and it continues to be a problem for many. It is a sleazy fact of life that we must try to combat, wherever possible,but it is always there,lurking in the background.

THE INTERCOURSE OF EMPLOYMENT

Wow, I really believe I've seen it all now. I always thought the Aussies were much like we were fifty or one hundred years ago: you know, individualistic, self-reliant, free-spirited. Now, much to my chagrin, i find they are putting up with the same political correctness bullshit as we are. It's a shock, I tell you!

I just read that a judge in Australia has awarded workers' compensation to a woman on a business trip who was having sex with "an acquaintance" in a motel when a chandelier fell on her. (The vibes from that action must have been fierce!)

I quote: "She filed for workers' compensation with Australia's federal government's safety agency ComCore, which says its compensation scheme 'covers any injury or illness arising out of and in the course of employment.'"

Oh, I get it now. They mean "in the INTERCOURSE of employment. Did you ever think you could get paid for doing the wild thing?

FLASH, FIRE AND FURY

Before my eldest daughter went home on Monday---always a sad day---we took her to the local theater to see "Wicked". As I explained in an earlier blog, her two daughters, particularly the elder, loved "The Wizard of Oz". I ended up buying two of the show poster, showing the black witch and the white witch, signed by all the cast members and will give these to the two girls.

"Wicked" is entertaining and spectacular. The sets, dancing and music are flash and fury. The two leads were superb as the two witches. As I said, it is spectacular---but I would not rate it as one of the great musicals such as "Oklahoma", "South Pacific", "My Fair Lady" or "Kiss Me Kate", to name a few.

It may be my age showing, but I like a bit more meat on the bones in the form of plot and structure. The music and lyrics are machine-gun-like in speed, and it takes a few minutes for my old ears to adjust to this quickened cadence and rhythm. The plot had some surprising twists and turns. Still, I came away, not quite totally satisfied.

I think what is nagging at me is so much of today's activities, whether theater, concerts, films and even some churches, depend on the form and not the content. Load us with sensory images of lights, action, special effects, ear-splitting sounds and total hype and assume we will be overwhelmed. Maybe we are, but not always in the right way. Sensory overload is the frequent result, as far as I am concerned.

I don't mean I have to go see a show or movie and not enjoy just the light entertainment value. All of the "Toy Story" movies were classics in this way. But I often get the feeling that sensationalism in special effects becomes more important than the story too often.

I also enjoy a drama that, in the famous phrase from Aristotle, purges the emotions through pity and terror, such as Shakespeare's tragedies. One of the most searing and memorable dramatic experiences of my old life---and I note it is being revived on Broadway right now---was seeing in 1949 the original production of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", to my mind the best American play of the twentieth century. I went to see it with two fraternity brothers while seniors in college. The three of us staggered out of the theater and gravitated by instinct to a nearby bar where our first words uttered were to order drinks. After slugging down the first round, we were able to begin to talk about the overwhelming experience of seeing that play.

Once again, my age is showing...

THE GANJA GRANNY

"Darlene Mayes allegedly ran a drug ring stretching from Tulsa, Okla. to Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas. This granny's ganja wasn't for glaucoma -- turns out she might have been the biggest pot dealer in town.

When cops kicked down the door of an elderly woman's Oklahoma home on Monday, they said they knew they'd find some marijuana. What they didn't expect was that 73-year-old Darlene Mayes was packing 4 pounds of pot, $276,000 in cash, a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver, The Daily reported.

Investigators had been following Mayes' alleged drug ring for years, but they didn't know she was the kingpin until Monday, KJRH-TV reported. They believe she supplied about 40 percent of the marijuana circulating in the vicinity, which includes Tulsa and parts of Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.

'That was quite a surprise,' Vinita Police Chief Bobby Floyd told The Daily, an iPad-only news site. 'She is in very good shape for her age.'

Cops alleged that Mayes had plenty of dealers working for her -- including her son Jerry, who was arrested Monday, accused of carrying thousands of dollars in cash and nearly 2 pounds of pot that he intended to sell.

In Mayes' house, cops found the supply in her bedroom, which reeked of weed. A vacuum-sealed bag full of the stuff was found in the closet, and bundles of bills labeled "$15,000" were found under her box spring. They found a pipe and another bag of weed in the bathroom, and a total of $200,000 in more vacuum-sealed bags in a guest room where Mayes' grandchildren reportedly slept.

Mayes allegedly first told officers that the money was for her retirement fund."

The above article is from the Huffington Post, the AOL newspaper. There's a moral there: don't mess with or undereastimate us old folks! We can be dangerous!

OF BUBBA AND ANNE

It was a great Masters with a fitting finish as the Master of Unorthodoxy pulled another incredible shot to win it all. Bubba Watson is so creative and a delight to watch.

And guess who was there on that drama-filled day? My middle daughter,Anne, who doesn't know a golf ball from a croquet ball, was there to feel that special magic. She called me Friday to tell me that a girlfriend of hers had family who had an extra ticket and would she like to go. She told me it would mean missing church---she's a devout Christian. I assured her the Lord would forgive her, and I, would pray extra hard for her! Then I gave her some background on the Masters, the history of Bobby Jones starting this tournament for champions, some of the great past champions, and the stars to watch on Sunday. I also suggested she sit down on Saturday and watch C.B.S. or the Golf Channel to get a feel for what was coming.

She texted and then called last night to say she loved it. (I would have flown to Atlanta and shot her if she didn't!)

Living proof of the old adage: if you can't be smart, be lucky!

THIS IS GETTING SCARY

I don't know how I got on the email list for alerts@alerts.worldnetdaily.com. Probably one of my right-wing zealot-friends put me on as a joke. but it is ceasing to be funny, not one bit. This is Fortress America where everyman should have a gun and be ready for war on all those nasties out there. Don't simply be ready for trouble, but be prepared to go to war personally and end permanently any dispute.

It is really frightening what is going on in this chaotic world, but I was naive enough to believe here in America that good sense would prevail. How stupid can I be?

This latest from WND is "How and WHEN You should Use Your Sidearm" with the opportunity to buy eleven hours of video on defending yourself.

What is happening here, America? Are we all losing it? Must every home be an armed camp? Must we all walk down the street with our holsters in plain view? Must we become neighborhood vigilantes?

Read this sample from their latest email, pushing the videos. Welcome to the land of the free and the home of the brave packing guns.


"What to do if strangers knock at your door.
The very first actions you must take after shooting someone.
Drawing a gun in close quarters, in a car or when seated behind a desk.
Getting your gun out of the holster and past your concealed carry covering garments.
When to challenge, and when to shoot.
What will happen to you under a "body alarm" reaction.
Order of shooting when faced with multiple assailants, and what you will have to do with your arms.
Protecting a third party.
Learning one-handed responses, which "seem to have some hard-wiring in our brain."
And all of the precise types of actions you need to practice to keep your muscle memory acute and strong.
What to do if strangers knock at your door.
The very first actions you must take after shooting someone.
Drawing a gun in close quarters, in a car or when seated behind a desk.
Getting your gun out of the holster and past your concealed carry covering garments.
When to challenge, and when to shoot.
What will happen to you under a "body alarm" reaction.
Order of shooting when faced with multiple assailants, and what you will have to do with your arms.
Protecting a third party.
Learning one-handed responses, which "seem to have some hard-wiring in our brain."
And all of the precise types of actions you need to practice to keep your muscle memory acute and strong."


Makes you proud to be an American, doesn't it?

"OUT IN ARIZONA WHERE THE WILD KOOKS ARE"

I quote from alerts@alerts.worldnewsdaily.net:

"Tea party to Arizona: Check Obama's eligibility
Evoking an overlooked provision of state law, Arizona tea party groups are circulating a petition urging a chamber of the state legislature to pass a resolution that would force Arizona's secretary of state to examine Barack Obama's birth credentials.
Read the latest now on WND.com."

Arizone, to my mind, is rapidly gaining number one position as the kookiest state in the U.S.A. How long can you whip a dead horse, for God's sake?

This from the wonderful folks who enacted that zany Immigration law and are among the top in gun toters. They haven't recovered from the Wild West days, I reckon. The fort-surrounded-by-Indians mentality seems to be S.O.P. (standard operating procedure for all of you too young to remember this military phrase). The N.R.A. is on a real high these days: I expect Charlton Heston, in his Moses garb, to reincarnate, holding a tablet containing the Second Amendment and seek reelection as head of the N.R.A.---or maybe go for the big ring on the political merry-go-round and seek the Presidency.

The tail is beginning to wag the dog as witnessed by the Tea Party influence on the Republican Party and its candidates, past and present. The polarization of America continues unabated and flourishing as the rhetoric continues to inflame and distort.

I once went to school, back in the Dark Ages, in Tucson. It was a lovely town of 50,000, which doubled in the winter to 100,000. I have a strong feeling i wouldn't enjoy it as much today, listening to the crazy cowboy mentality apparently so evident in Arizona.

Maybe Mitt should tie the old dog to the roof of his car and motor "out in Arizona where the bad men are...", to quote the old classic, "Ragtime Cowboy Joe". He could put to rest those moderate appelations for good!