BAD MOUTHING In my book, it is "wrong."
I have long felt that for us to cheapen the process by which we elect our Supreme Court justices is harmful in many ways. By the ramshackle methods which as come to be more or less standard, we ignore entirely the best thought of the president, that of his immediate staff, and the process which takes place within the judicial system as it sifts, sorts and selects those individuals deemed to be considered as being qualified as potential leadership positions.
None of our Presidents could be accused of making such appointments by chance; by flipping a coin, perhaps, or ...by -. Now, that I see that word "none" in cold print I think I may wisely ask you to change it to "few" even though I realize some of our White House residents have made their decisions - even important ones - by means of some curious by-paths.
It made me feel good to hear just the other day that former President William J. Clinton along this line of making free choices quoted as having said was not in favor of the way in which we go to work on nominees to prevent Senate approval. Clinton, it seems, looks upon the concept of a sitting President has the right to suggest persons for such offices. It's among some of other perks that go with the job of being President
When we insist on dragging the good name of the worthy citizen suggested by the President we make a mechanism out of a method. T would be to the advantage of our national well-being if wed could arrange some other method whereby political party people m might refrain from such childishness as is so often displayed in this unpleasant situation. Our entire nation would benefit from such a change and we would allay our tendency to make public service something to be avoided. We need more people who are eager to seek a place in our government rather than fewer. Each time we go through this uncomfortable phase we drive someone away from a place of guidance and leadership.
A.L.M. December 1, 2005 [c366wds]
THE GRATE PYRAMIDS Our U.S.D.A. or some other agriculturally-oriented branch of our expansive shade tree of governmental ever-growing in foggy-bottomed rotation in Washington, D. C. started to emulate the work of the rulers of ancient Egypt by building pyamids honoring the foods we consume and which many of us have been accused of worshipping in a sense.
For some reason which I have never been an enthusiastic booster of their food pyramid charts through the years but now that have grown older my dimensions have changed somewhat. Like it or not, I am now eligible to be called f-a-t. I say have come around to admitting my general physical dimension shave exhanged somewhat. My physical structure is a few inches shorter North-to-South - head to toe - or that my exercise routines (Ha!) my work habits...my play habits....snack habits and all my habits in toto. It's my East -West dimentions which are proving to be troublesome. In the equatorial line area dominated by belt pressures I can work miracles to lessen the distance by several inches between where I stand an Venus off low in the last days of the month of November.
When one gets fat, one also learns to talk about big, ponderous, or outsize things.. We learn to mention Hummers rather than Jeeps; limos rather than boxy, little half-cars. We are selective and try to speak of speak mainly of larger items appoved by today's society. Think of Grand Canyon and not of your local landfill; think Niagra instead of a kiddie pool shower. on TV screens and to minimize [rise for skinny stars. Self-esteem is part of this overweight problem. Hire yourself as a sort of at-the-ready PR person.
Sooner or later, I suppose, I will have to look, up one of the latest pyramid charts and take it seriousl and not let it grate on my sensibilities. I do think they known what the answer might be. The old maxim is still with us: “Eat less; exercise more.” One of those pyramids things calls for five fresh fruits daily. What am I expected to do: gluttonize on five Concord grapes at one-and-a portion-of-another per meal?
A.L.M. November 30, 2005 [c385wds]
CHANGES Our conversation was about spectator sports and how different people might re-act to the regard to potentially inclement weather which appeared to be ready to become active at the football game were on our way to see. The exact sub- ject changed, however, when one of the older crew present shifted the talk a bit to changes he felt were taking place.
“We are seein' a different kind of game today 'n our folks used to watch. We see more deeply set team work today than they ever did, and millions of people watching get an even more deliberate dose of logistic details than we on the sidelines watchin' what pieces of a play we can patch together after we see how they worked out.
Someone mentioned today's simulations are, at best, cartoon-like, or tic-tak-toe-ish in appearance...stick people and stabs of coded colors. “In the future we're going to see quickie-shot “sims” which have what you now see in miltary simulations...movement!...action!..punch!”
The poker games have come to television only recently but we are
already seeing a flow of complaints from irate losers who think it unfair to allow
promoters to have computers play their end of the games. Even if the computer is a hundred miles away and used solely for “advice” the fact that it has memories of thousands successful ploys for winning players, could proved to be irksome while taking care of the promoters modest thirty per cent take. Imagine, if you will what tiny speakers in football helmets could do. Of, another such passage to perversity, allow just enough time when dealing quiz questions for someone to find the answer on a computer.
Our talkative futurist in the back seat claimed that new technology
will evolve much faster, too. Between now and 2015 we will see growth about like the amount we have seen from 1985 until now.
There will, of course, still be people who like to dress well in layers of woolen materials and seek out the colder spots which only “bowls” can generate. Another factor currently acting to cool down attendance at games and entertainment events in general, is the ever increasing cost of tickets. Lets hope these people find some way to get prices back down to where the average one of us can attend
such events now and then.
A.L.M. November 28, 2005 [c-408wds]
