The 14 Biggest Lies of 2011

When I saw that headline on the Foreign Policy magazine website, I just had to read the entire article, written by David Rothkopf. You can read it yourself here. These are my favorites:

“The war in Iraq is finally over after 9 years.” For us, and for the moment, maybe. I can't help thinking about Colin Powell's Pottery Barn warning - "if you break it, you've bought it."

“America’s mission in Iraq was a success.” I can't do much better than Mr Rothkopf's summary: "The place is divided, undemocratic, heavily influenced by Iran, corrupt, and our invasion cost $1 trillion, thousands of U.S. lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and our national reputation. Look in the dictionary next to fiasco. There’s a little picture of a dude in a flight jacket standing on a carrier deck in front of a 'Mission Accomplished' banner."

“Pakistan is America’s ally.” Read all about it in Jeffrey Goldberg and Marc Armbinder's article The Ally from Hell.

A tie between “Republicans are the problem” and “Democrats are the problem.” As Mr Rothkopf points out, the real problem is money. He goes on to say, "The system is so resolutely corrupt that recent scandals have only resulted in more money flowing into the system and past reforms being undone." And you've heard me complain enough about how the Supreme Court sold our government to big business and the wealthy.

"Cutting the taxes of millionaires helps creates U.S. jobs.” This one is so obviously laughable that it really shouldn't be taking up space on the list that could be used by a more worthy lie. Of course, if you're a millionaire ... or a Republican ... or a millionaire Republican ... it makes perfect sense. Good luck getting Real People to believe it.

And, finally, my personal favorite:

“Only 9 percent of Americans approve of Congress.” This is an obvious howler ... nobody could possibly believe that so many Americans approve of this embarrassing clown show that has made our government a laughingstock and squandered whatever was left of our international standing after our deadly escapade in Iraq.

Here's what you really need for Christmas ...

Read the whole article, then be sure to cast your votes ... again, if necessary ... for the Ass Clown of the Year Award. At the moment, the top vote-getters are:

Saudi Arabia, with 34 votes;

The GOP, with 31 votes; and,

Congress, with 30 votes.

Let your voice be heard - balloting closes at 11:59 PM on December 30th.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Missions: Impossible

One of my favorite guilty pleasure TV shows when I was growing up was Mission: Impossible. It was exciting, exotic, and you always knew that the bad guys were really bad and that, in the end, the villain would be standing there with a bewildered look, victim of an ingenious plot that left him wondering if anyone got the number of the bus that just ran him down. This was the original cast (well, the sort of original cast, as the chief of the IMF in the first season was played by Stephen Hill, who was replaced by Peter Graves in subsequent seasons):

I loved the show because of its intricate plots, and because I always knew the good guys would win in the end. Much of the attraction for me was that the IMFs plans relied on clever subterfuge, disguises, and psychology rather than raw physical action.

Fast forward to 2011, where the fourth film in the Mission: Impossible series, Ghost Protocol, has just hit theaters with a cinematic bang. It's getting good reviews, and will no doubt make its director and cast thousands of cubic feet of thousand dollar bills. But to me, it's just not the same.

The TV show relied on intricate plots, timing, clever disguises, and applied psychology. There were very few high-speed car chases, huge explosions, and wild, choreographed fight scenes. The members of the IMF were in and out before the bad guys ever knew they were there, and they usually left a confused and broken villain, rather than blazing piles of wreckage. They were clever, fearless, and completely unbelievable ... but they were my heroes.

The movies, on the other hand, reflect the current emphasis on wild stunts, huge explosions, and high-tech wizardry. When the curtain falls, the bad guy is still out of business, but your ears are ringing and your eyes hurt from the pyrotechnics. And Tom Cruise is no Peter Graves. Or Stephen Hill, for that matter.

It's just not the same thing.

My favorite episode of the original show was the 1967 episode titled "The Train," in which the IMF had to convince the dying president of a country that his chosen successor was actually a despicable snake just waiting for him to die so he could seize power and become a dictator. The team hijacked the train carrying the president to a distant hospital for treatment and staged an accident to set up a situation in which the bad guy, thinking the president was dead, would reveal his true colors. It was completely unbelievable, but cleverly staged with low-tech special effects and psychological manipulation. At the climax, when the fake walls of the hospital room were rolled away to reveal the sick president sadly looking on the protege who he realizes has just betrayed him, you can't help but cheer.

Another great episode was the two-part "Old Man Out," in which the IMF team was assigned to rescue a elderly religious leader from an escape-proof prison. You knew they'd get him out in the end, but there were enough twists and kinks in the plot that you were kept on the edge of your seat. The actual escape was a thrilling slide-for-life high over the heads of a crowd while the IMF team distracted everyone with a dangerous high-wire circus act.

I'll watch Ghost Protocol, just like I've watched the other three Mission: Impossible movies, and I'll enjoy it. But it just won't be the same as watching Peter Graves and his team make the world safe for ... well ... what we used to call democracy.

Have a good day. Enjoy the movie, but check out the original series.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

The Redistricting Game

My friend and co-worker Andy sent me a link the other day to a very interesting game sponsored by the USC Annenberg Center for Communications: The Redistricting Game. It's a game which allows you to design your own Congressional redistricting plan for the mythical state of Jefferson, either in a typically superpartisan fashion which protects single-party power in districts which have nothing whatsoever to do with demographic and social reality, or in a bipartisan fashion which can work along existing political (city, county, parish - for you, Angelique), or similar lines. Andy also provided a link to a similar site sponsored by the Columbia University Law School - DrawCongress.org.

One of the reasons we have such ridiculous gridlock and hyperpartisan ass clownery in Congress is that both parties have used their power at the state and local levels to "gerrymander" voting districts into bizarre shapes intended to create electorally safe seats and maximize the power of a single party in that district. Here's a classic example of gerrymandering ... Illinois Congressional District 4:

There are those who believe that gerrymandering can be a force for good, as when the government creates federal voting district boundaries that produce a majority of constituents representative of racial minorities. I disagree. I believe that any type of artificial construct designed to maximize the power of any single group - political, racial, or social - is unfair and unjust. In my own opinion, however humble, I think that voting districts should line up with the existing boundaries of organization and governance. Anything else builds in the ability for fraud and the gross distortion of the political system that has led us to our current unfortunate state of gridlock.

Play the game. Then throw the bums out.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Off to the races ...

Nearly 200 people are dead and over 400 missing after a tropical storm battered the Philippines; a fraternity chapter in Vermont has been closed after disclosure that the members participated in a survey asking who they would like to rape; a gunman in southern California killed at least two people before shooting himself, and police are still trying to find if there are other victims ... in a related story, an NRA spokesman said guns had nothing to do with it; essayist Christopher Hitchens died at the age of 62; and the Senate may sometime today vote on ... and, perhaps, even approve ... a compromise spending agreement approved by the House that will (for the moment) avoid a government shutdown ... the compromise was reached only after members of Congress realized that they would miss their Christmas vacations if they didn't actually do something vaguely resembling their jobs.

I couldn't make this stuff up.

There really isn't very much about the Tea Party that's funny, but at least it can serve as a starting point for some good cartoons ...

There are some song lyrics out there that I'll never be able quite to figure out, even after reading some explanations ... but which can also make some good cartoons ...

Two riffs on a scene from the movies ...

And ...

As the year comes to a close, we look back at how we - the brave 99% - fared in the ongoing economic turmoil ...

Many companies are looking for lower-cost alternatives to expensive health-care plans for their employees ...

This one goes out to Heidi ...

And this one goes out to my fellow dancers ...

Remember my post about the joys of furniture from Ikea? My nephew Ed back in Pennsylvania sent me this cartoon, which applies ...

And finally, I think I may have found the root of my financial woes ...

It's going to be a moderately busy weekend. We'll be visiting the local shopping center later this morning with about 737,000,000 of our closest friends to pick up some last-minute things, and then this evening we plan to go to the Christmas party at Dance Studio Lioudmila. Tomorrow we'll visit the local grandchildren, then have dinner with one of our friends who is anxious to try out her culinary skills on us. It's all good.

For those of you following the balloting for the Ass Clown of the Year Award to be presented here on December 31st, here are the current standings:

Congress and The GOP are tied for first place at 30 votes each;

Saudi Arabia is a distant second with 14;

The Democratic Party and The Media are tied for third at 10 votes each;

Lindsey Lohan - 5;

Kim Kardashian - 4; and,

The National Rifle Association - 3.

There's still plenty of time to vote, and a lot of eligible candidates. Let your voice ... and your dog's voice ... and the voices in your head ... be heard.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Christmas Gifts

This is the time of year for making lists. Santa makes his and checks it twice, and the rest of us make our own lists of the gifts we would like to give to our family and friends. One of the traditions in our family is that, shortly after the Fourth of July, Agnes asks me for a list of things I might like to have for Christmas. I think hard, then give her a list. She loses it and asks me to give her a new list. I do so. She loses that one. We repeat this Kabuki dance several more times, until she gives up and just buys whatever she thinks I should have. Then, sometime in mid-February, she cleans out her purse, finds 87 crumpled copies of my list, and throws them all away.

It's an odd tradition, but we're comfortable with it.

But speaking of gifts ...

You may have seen this article on the CNN Money website: The 15 Worst Items to Put on Your Holiday Wish List. You can read the entire article for yourself, but here are a few of the amazing items that are available for you to give to someone you don't like very much ...

A Pre-Need Cremation Plan. Buy it now ... it's the year's hot item. If this doesn't appeal to you, consider as an alternative the Everybody Coffin Kit.

The Automated Ukelele Band Machine. It's hard to come up with something worse than rap "music," but someone has done it.

A 10-pound Bag of Assorted "4th Quality" Bones. When an ordinary jigsaw puzzle just won't do as a gift for your favorite serial killer.

A Jug of Wolf Urine. When you really want to give the gift of piss on earth.

And,

A Rare Catholic Monstrance. It's silver under gold plating, was crafted sometime between 1895 and 1921, and is a steal at $25,000. Buy two. And why on earth is something designed to hold something that is holy called a monstrance? The word derives from the Latin monstrare, meaning "to show" ... the same root that gives us the word demonstrate. You're welcome.

If you were looking for an appropriate gift to give to your useless Congressional reprehensive, and the old standbys of coal

and sawdust

are just too ordinary, you might give these a try. And if all else fails, there's the tradition of regifting ...

Don't thank me ... it's all part of my ceaseless efforts to help you avoid some of the stress of the holidays.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

P.S. - don't forget to keep casting your votes (and those of your pets and deceased relatives) for the Ass Clown of the Year. Balloting is heavy so far, with Congress holding a comfortable lead, the GOP in second place, the Democratic Party and Saudi Arabia tied for third, and Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan as early write-ins. Vote early, vote often. The award will be presented on December 31st.

B.

The Christmas Doll, and a Reminder to Vote

I have a long list of things about which to write, but I just couldn't pass up this one ... not least because it requires very little work on my part, and I'm tired this morning.

My friend Bob sent me this story. According to the introduction, it was the grand prize winner in a contest sponsored by the Louisville Sentinel in 1999 for the best family Christmas dinner story. Actually, according to Snopes.com, it was written by comedian Jeff ("You Might Be a Redneck If...") Foxworthy, and there is no such newspaper as the Louisville Sentinel. No matter ... it's a wonderful story. Enjoy ...

"As a joke, my brother Jay used to hang a pair of panty hose over his fireplace before Christmas. He said all he wanted was for Santa to fill them.

"What they say about Santa checking the list twice must be true because every Christmas morning, although Jay's kids' stockings overflowed, his poor pantyhose hung sadly empty.

"One year I decided to make his dream come true. I put on sunglasses and went in search of an inflatable love doll. They don't sell those things at Wal-Mart. I had to go to an adult bookstore downtown.

"If you've never been in an X-rated store, don't go, you'll only confuse yourself. I was there an hour saying things like, 'What does this do?' 'You're kidding me!' 'Who would buy that?' Finally, I made it to the inflatable doll section.

"I wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll that could also substitute as a passenger in my truck so I could use the car pool lane during rush hour.

"Finding what I wanted was difficult. 'Love Dolls' come in many different models. The top of the line, according to the side of the box, could do things I'd only seen in a book on animal husbandry. I settled for 'Lovable Louise.' She was at the bottom of the price scale.

"To call Louise a 'doll' took a huge leap of imagination.

"On Christmas Eve and with the help of an old bicycle pump, Louise came to life.

"My sister-in-law was in on the plan and let me in during the wee morning hours. Long after Santa had come and gone, I filled the dangling pantyhose with Louise's pliant legs and bottom. I also ate some cookies and drank what remained of a glass of milk on a nearby tray. I went home, and giggled for a couple of hours.

"The next morning my brother called to say that Santa had been to his house and left a present that had made him VERY happy, but had left the dog confused. She would bark, start to walk away, then come back and bark some more.

"We all agreed that Louise should remain in her pantyhose so the rest of the family could admire her when they came over for the traditional Christmas dinner.

"My grandmother noticed Louise the moment she walked in the door. 'What the hell is that?' she asked.

"My brother quickly explained, 'It's a doll.'

"'Who would play with something like that?' Granny snapped.

"I kept my mouth shut.

"'Where are her clothes?' Granny continued.

"'Boy, that turkey sure smells nice, Gran,' Jay said, to steer her into the dining room.

"But Granny was relentless. 'Why doesn't she have any teeth?'

"Again, I could have answered, but why would I? It was Christmas and no one wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance saying, 'Hang on Granny, hang on!'

"My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me and said, 'Hey, who's the naked gal by the fireplace?' I told him she was Jay's friend.

"A few minutes later I noticed Grandpa by the mantel, talking to Louise. Not just talking, but actually flirting. It was then that we realized this might be Grandpa's last Christmas at home.

"The dinner went well. We made the usual small talk about who had died, who was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly Louise made a noise like my father in the bathroom in the morning. Then she lurched from the mantel, flew around the room twice, and fell in a heap in front of the sofa. The cat screamed. I passed cranberry sauce through my nose, and Grandpa ran across the room, fell to his knees, and began administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"My brother fell back over his chair and wet his pants.

"Granny threw down her napkin, stomped out of the room, and sat in the car.

"It was indeed a Christmas to treasure and remember.

"Later in my brother's garage, we conducted a thorough examination to decide the cause of Louise's collapse. We discovered that Louise had suffered from a hot ember to the back of her right thigh.

"Fortunately, thanks to a wonder drug called duct tape, we restored her to perfect health..

"I can't wait until next Christmas."

You'll excuse me, of course, for not including an illustration (as I'd considered doing). You're welcome.

Tomorrow, we'll get back to other important topics, including the balloting for the Ass Clown of the Year Award. So far, the results are:

Saudi Arabia: 3

The Republican Party: 3

The Democratic Party: 2

Congress (both houses): 12

The National Rifle Association: 3

The Media: 1

Be sure to cast your votes for the dishonorees of your choice by 11:59PM on December 30th. The award will be presented here on December 31st (I know it's a Saturday, but don't worry ... Cartoon Saturday will appear as usual). Remember the ground rules for the contest:

1. Vote early.

2. Because we're using Chicago and DC voting rules, you can vote as often as you want, for any or all candidates. Your pets, deceased relatives, and imaginary friends can vote, too.

3. You are not limited to the starting list of candidates in the contest announcement - write-ins are welcome.

4. You may vote for anyone in any country.

Have a good day. Enjoy your dinner, and be sure to vote - early, often, and for the ass clowns of your choice. Your vote in the 2012 election may not count for much unless you're a major corporation or campaign donor, but at least here, your voice will be heard.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Cast Your Votes Now!

The end of the year is traditionally a time for summing up, for looking back over the past 12 months and taking stock of where we've been as we look ahead to where we're headed in the coming year. This year, it's hard: the past year has been abysmal on many points, and the year ahead promises to be a swamp of political and social yuck.

And so, Dear Readers, as a way of summing up and looking ahead, today we open the voting for Bilbo's first annual Ass Clown of the Year Award.

There is no shortage of promising candidates for this high dishonor. I offer the following candidates for your consideration, although you are free to vote for the Ass Clown of your choice:

Candidate 1. The Government and Religious Establishment of Saudi Arabia. Where else in the 21st century could you find a group of leaders so misogynistic and mentally and morally ossified that they would execute one woman for sorcery and sentence another to ten lashes for driving a car?

Candidate 2. The Republican Party (individually and collectively), for its "my way or the highway" approach to governance, striving every day to attain new heights of hypocrisy and betrayal of conservative ideals in search of political power while protecting big business and the wealthy at the expense of the middle and lower economic classes.

Candidate 3. The Democratic Party (individually and collectively), for its failure to recognize that it's cherished social programs are no longer sustainable, and failing to provide a compelling and affordable alternative to the rigid hyperconservatism and xenophobia of the GOP.

Candidate 4. The United States Congress (Both Houses), for its relentless focus on partisan posturing, shameless finger-pointing, and consistent avoidance of responsibility. At a time when principled leadership, compassion, and a willingness in good faith to seek the very best ideas to solve the nation's problems are desperately needed, our Congress does ... nothing.

And,

Candidate 5. The National Rifle Association, for its absolute insistence on totally unrestricted ownership and carrying of deadly weapons everywhere at all times, and for its head-in-the-sand denial of the carnage caused by the availability of high-powered, large-magazine semiautomatic firearms. The Second Amendment gives us the right to keep and bear arms. It doesn't give us the right to be stupid.

I will present the Ass Clown of the Year Award for 2011 in this space on December 31st. Vote early for the dishonoree of your choice. You can cast your vote as a comment to any post between now and December 30th, or you can e-mail it to me at der_blogmeister(at)yahoo(dot)com. In the spirit of modern American politics, you may vote as often as you like, and for more than one candidate. You may vote for anyone in any country. Write-ins are encouraged. It won't change anything, but it will make you feel better.

Have a good day. Vote early, vote often - somewhere out there, the year's top Ass Clown is waiting anxiously for your support.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Everyone But the Bastard Who Designed These Lights ...

First things first ...

From the Department of With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies comes this story: Saudi Arabia Executes Woman Accused of "Sorcery." Yes, Dear Readers, Saudi Arabia, that shining example of peace, goodwill, and generous humanity that worships a God always described as "merciful and compassionate," not satisfied with sentencing a woman to ten lashes for the hideous crime of driving a car, has executed another woman for witchcraft.

Ah, the joys of living in a theocracy. 'Tis the season to be jolly, peace on earth and goodwill toward men, blah, blah, blah.

There's a reason the Founders decided on a separation of church and state.

But let's talk about more pleasant things as we approach Christmas ... let's talk about decorating the house.

One of the inexpressible joys of the season is decorating the house with happy, twinkling, multicolored lights. Of course, you have to do a few things before the house twinkles happily:

1. Find box with lights, which is in a remote corner of the attic underneath several other heavy boxes.

2. Remove lights from box. Discover strings of lights are compressed into an intricately-tangled ball.

3. Spend four days separating said intricately-tangled ball into individual strings of lights.

4. Discover that at least 15 lights on each string do not light.

5. Go to store, buy replacement bulbs.

6. Spend another four days replacing all bulbs which do not light.

7. Risk life and limb on a teetering ladder to hang strings of lights from inaccessible corners of house roof.

8. Plug in lights; discover that 50% of strands that worked perfectly in the house petulantly refuse to light now that they are in place.

9. Decide the house looks okay, anyhow.

10. Enjoy that spiked egg nog.

I long ago lost one of my favorite holiday cartoons: it was an overhead view of a neighborhood in which every house but one was ablaze with holiday lights and animated displays. We look down from above and behind this house, in front of which a group of people confronts a single, frowning fellow whose house has but one decoration ... a row of lights across the peak of the roof spelling out, "Ah, #%$! it." The caption of the cartoon is, "We're from the decoration committee..."

Our neighborhood is festooned with so many lights and displays that it can be seen from Neptune. Our house has minimal outside decorations, because I really don't want to risk my life on an extension ladder and I refuse to put up those tacky animated, lighted deer or an inflatable snow globe that blows plastic snow over a schlocky-looking plastic Santa. And you can't have plain old lights any more ... they have to change colors, blink in time to Christmas music, and morph to spell out seasonal messages like "Santa Stop Here," "Reindeer Landing Strip on Top of House," and "Witches Will Be Executed" (oops ... that last one was for Christmas in Saudi Arabia).

Ah, Christmas decorations! Just one more reason to love the holiday season!

Have a good day. Enjoy those lights. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Oh, Come, All Ye Seasonally Overwrought ...

We are now officially into the Christmas season, which began unofficially in most major retail establishments just after the Fourth of July. Trees twinkle with lights, the streets are draped with garlands of artificial pine, commercials extol the holiday virtues of everything from high-tech toys to ladies' depilatories, and Christmas music blares from every direction.

I don't think I would have liked Ebeneezer Scrooge, but there are days I think I understand him.

Let's talk for a moment about the music of Christmas.

I admit it ... I'm an emotional sucker for Christmas music. I can get teary listening to a good version of The Little Drummer Boy, and I get flashbacks to an earlier and simpler time when I hear the old standbys like White Christmas, Jingle Bells, and Adeste Fideles. But there are also the holiday clinkers, like Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, which can drive me to wear four sets of noise-canceling headsets at once. We have a wide range of Christmas songs from the religious (Silent Night) to the secular (O, Christmas Tree). Even rap "musicians" can get into the act (Silent &*^#! Night, %@!#). There's something for everybody.

Apropos of Christmas songs, I read a very interesting article a few weeks ago: Christmas Carols: Why We Keep Singing Them, by Nathan Heller. You have to love an article that contains this wonderful passage:

"At face value, the Christmas carol may be the least captivating style of occasional song. While other popular tunes arise from passion or desire, heroism or defeat, the Yuletide songbook is a catalog of modest thrills and postindustrial neuroses. A quick survey turns up portraits of manic stress release (Jingle Bells), overwrought hallucination (Do You Hear What I Hear?), complex Freudian trauma (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus), desperate midlife lechery (Baby, It’s Cold Outside), forced enthusiasm (It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year), and thinly veiled xenophobia (Dominick the Donkey … the Italian Christmas Donkey)."

Betcha never thought about Christmas songs in that way, did you?

Consider that we don't have a huge canon of music for other holidays. When was the last time you went from house to house in the evening, stopping by each residence to sing an Arbor Day song? Why don't we have books of Martin Luther King Day carols?

I think we enjoy Christmas carols for a lot of reasons. Because they remind us of our safer, happier, less-complicated youth. Because they provide some cheer in an otherwise cold, bleak time of the year. Because they help us celebrate surviving another year of Congressional hypocrisy and ineptitude.

Whatever the reason we sing them, however tired we get of them by the time the season is over, we love our Christmas songs. So join me in a rousing chorus of Good King Wenceslaus, raise that cup of egg nog high, and let's toast the season when we act like the people we should be the rest of the year.

Have a good day. Enjoy the music.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Justifiable Verbicide

Are there expressions you're sick unto death of hearing all the time? Phrases that have lost all meaning because of overuse and are now nothing more than verbal ballast that holds down the impact of more important thoughts?

You're not alone. This article I found the other day lists and discusses some of the most egregious examples of useless business jargon assailing your ears today. Here's their "top" ten list:

Outside the box. The only thing this expression is good for is generating cartoons, such as ...

And,

Low-hanging fruit. We lazy people like low-hanging fruit. Picking it saves time and energy.

Synergy. Sinning, but with plenty of oomph behind it?

Loop me in. Reminds me of the famous Sam Goodwyn comment, "Include me out!".

Best of breed. Does anyone (except Republican and Democratic campaign committees, of course) ever try to select the worst of breed?

Incentivize. Whatever happened to the good old, make it worth your while?

Mission-critical. I guess plain old essential just doesn't have the necessary gravitas any more.

Bring to the table. No thanks. Just leave your dumbass idea over there, please.

Value-add. Actually, I could get to like the concept of value-add(ed), particularly in an election season. Unfortunately, nobody in any political party has anything of value to add.

Elevator pitch. Which, oddly enough, is not something you use to waterproof your elevator.

There are others that didn't make the list for some reason which are just as bad. I don't know how they could possibly have missed "At the end of the day," for instance.

There's an old New England saying that admonishes us to "Never break the silence unless you can improve on it." Wouldn't it be nice if more people took that advice?

As I am going to do now.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo