Hello and Goodbye

Friday was a grand day. The Wednesday before was my last actual day working, which, after 42 years of doing it, was an eventful and emotional day.  But Friday was grand.  There was a rather large crowd of retirees and employees, some say the largest one so far, and it all went extremely well.  Wonderful things were said, memories were shared, a few tears shed; but the most amazing thing happened.  The Duck showed up.  Yes, THE Duck.  The Oregon Duck mascot, the one you see on TV at all the games, the one that does all those pushups every time Oregon scores.  That one.  Not only did The Duck hug me, he dropped down and gave us 42 pushups, the last one being a one-armed one.  And what was even more fun, after being prompted by many of us in the room, he gave a warm hug to three of the most staunch Oregon State Beavers fans in the company, to the delight and hoots of all.  All that, and very kind words said about me, and three cakes.  Like I said, it was a grand day.

Photo by Jerry Paulsen

I handed out quite a few of newly minted "retired" business cards with the address of Bad Hat on them, so I assume our readership will be going up.  And because of that I'd like to welcome our new readers and hope you have a good time here.  Bad Hat has been a love of mine since 2007.  Uncle Bob Winslow and I started it basically to keep ourselves relatively sane during the Bush administration, and opened it up for all to read when we heard it was helping others cope with that disaster which was called Dubya.  We have a moderately large audience of regular readers now, and although I've let them down for the last few months as my mind wandered elsewhere, I have pledged to expand the scope and frequency of posting here at Bad Hat now that I'm retired with much more time on my hands.  Other people have and will contribute to this venture.  Arthur in Marin County, a bit of a world traveler and astute observer of the political scene is a regular contributor, and any of you may do the same if you have something intelligent to say.  Feel free to comment anytime.  And don't forget to click on all the links.  If it looks like this, click on it.

I received a lot of cards along with the good wishes and they were wonderful, but one message typed on a piece of paper really touched me, and I'd like to share it with you.  It's from our great friend, co-worker, and fellow Bad Hatter Steve and the words touched me deeply.

Thank you for the things you've said, done, implied and shared across the years.
I have always known how difficult it is to be a really good operator, the irony being that the better you are the easier it looks.  You, my friend made it look like child's play.
I am one of the many fans you've accumulated during your tenure.  We all learned by your thoughtful ability to dance on the mind fields and look beyond the madness.
Whenever it all became too much, you shared a laugh with us, but it never came at our expense.
Thank you for setting the example for us to stretch to be better and more human.  You carried yourself as if it made sense to do so, even when it could not be easily explained.
Now you can E.P. Rush at your own chosen pace.  Remember to breathe and enjoy.  You've earned it.

Thanks Steve, and thanks to all of you for all the memories.

p.s. thanks to Jerry and Cheri' for camping here from Oregon City to keep my head clear and knees stable for the weekend, and a special thanks to Pam for organizing The Duck's visit.  I love you guys!



JP

Weekend Update - Jerks We Know and Love Edition

(It occurred to me the other day as I sat here nursing a cup of coffee, watching a complete year of seasons past by outside, rain/sleet/snow/sunshine, all in the space of an hour, that Oregon is a very unique place to live.  It's spring, damn near, and apparently we've survived another winter.   I eagerly await the end of my life as-I-know-it, as this Wednesday is my last day of gainful employment, and I find myself approaching all this with a bit of anxiety.  Except for a brief period in 1969 I've never been without a job to go to every morning.  I think after I get the boy to school on Thursday, I'm going to sit at the window with my coffee and mutter something like "now what?"  Well, I guess we'll find out.  One thing I do intend to do is revamp and enlarge the scope of Bad Hat, as well as increase the frequency of entries.  And if I truly run out of things to do, I've always got the garage.  It's a mess.  But I digress ...)

• Caught "Game Change" on HBO last night and was quite pleased with the movie.  I was pleased they didn't go overboard trying to make Sarah Palin look like a fool.  She was obviously a very driven woman thrust into a situation very few people on Earth could handle, but I was rather astounded at the depth of her lack of knowledge about how the world was run.  Plus: Woody Harrelson should end up with some sort of award for his performance.  Catch this one, or TVO it if at all possible.
• I suppose while we're here we should mention that Big Fat Drug Addict Rush Limbaugh.  I'm sure most of you have heard the latest on his Viagra-induced rant against Sandra Fluke, a young lady testifying in favor of including birth control in women's health care.  Apparently this enraged El Rushbo to the point of him calling her a "slut," and a "prostitute," and calling for her to post tapes of herself having sex on the Internet "so we can all watch."  Well now.  It seems that his Blowhardedness has really put his foot in it this time.  Could this be the end of Rush Limbaugh (at long last, Rush, have you no decency?) as we know it?  One can only hope. And here's the latest concerning Mr. Limbaugh, a gift that just keeps on giving:  CLICK HERE
• Rick Santorum claims that higher education is a threat to faith, which is false.  He also claims that because President Obama wants every child to have the opportunity to get that higher education, Obama's a "snob."  (snif snif)  Check out this once again outstanding column by Paul Krugman entitled "Ignorance Is Strength."
• Mitt Romney once drove to Canada with the family Irish setter on the roof of the car.  It was really ugly.  Here's the whole story.  Caution: It's ugly. 
• Mark Morford:  Let me just ask you outright: Are you a bit of a thug? Do you like to shoot very large animals for no real reason and then hug their massive carcasses to your body in what many feel is a rather disturbing and vaguely bestiality-friendly manner as your BFF snaps a photo of your shameless, mile-wide smirk and posts it for all the world to cringe over?  If this describes you, Marford calls you an "Option One."  He's talking about people like Limbaugh and Breitbart and others.  "How To Be a Complete Jerk About It."    

Weekend Update - MOTS

• Republicans are getting queasy at the gruesome sight of their party eating itself alive, savaging the brand in ways that will long resonate.  “Republicans being against sex is not good,” the G.O.P. strategist Alex Castellanos told me mournfully. “Sex is popular.”  Maureen Dowd explains the sad sad state of Republican politics in her NYT column.
• There's something about this story that just pisses me off, know what I mean?  A banker left a 1% tip in defiance of 'the 99%' at a Newport Beach restaurant the other week, according to his dining companion and underling who snapped a photo of the receipt.  His companion said this about his boss: "Mention the “99%” in my boss’ presence and feel his wrath. So proudly does he wear his 1% badge of honor that he tips exactly 1% every time he feels the server doesn’t sufficiently bow down to his Holiness. Oh, and he always makes sure to include a “tip” of his own."  Check out the picture that accompanies this article.
• Ever consider what Europeans think of the recent thoughts of Republican presidential candidates, especially Rick (Sweet Jesus Don't Google Me) Santorum?  Read this fascinating article about what they're saying, including :  "He's thrown contraception back into question and would protect America from 'the attacks of Satan,' but is he really conservative enough?" runs the first line of an article in French paper Libération, the hint of puzzled humor coming through loud and clear. Laure Mandeville at Le Figaro calls Santorum's anti-gay marriage stance "a fight conducted with quixotic ardor in an America where something like seven states have legalized gay marriage."
• Be sure to watch HBO on March 10th.  That's the night they'll air the new movie "Game Change," which is all about our favorite Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin.  It promises to be a doozy.  Apparently the Palin people are all discombobulated about this movie even though none of them have seen it yet.  Who knows, it might actually make her look human.  Nah.
•  One more report on the Rickster before we go this week.  In spite of the nearly unanimous scientific consensus on the manmade causes of climate change, Santorum has repeatedly dismissed global warming as a “liberal myth,” “bogus,” and “a hoax.”  And that's not the only silly and/or just plain stupid thing this idiot has said lately.  Here's A Compendium of The Goofiest Things That Rick Santorum Has Said So Far.  Enjoy your week.
    

Weekend Update - News From Planet Republican

(Hurdling rapidly toward retirement mode here. I shall be among the hardcore unemployed on March 15th. Why March 15th? I don't know, there's just something appealing about the Ides of March, don't you agree? Just thought I'd check in and see what's happening with those wacky Republicans. Let's digress together, shall we?)

• First off, let's consider the funniest guy on the podium this week, Little Ricky "Please Don't Google Me" Santorum.  Ricky is perhaps the most insanely pious of all the Bible-thumping preachers running the Republican show this time around.  Recently, after warning of the dangers  of “the NBA” and “rock concerts,” Ricky proceeded to excommunicate 45 million Christians from "the world of Christianity."  Wow, what a guy! 
• A Roman Catholic Bishop, a Lutheran Reverend, a rabbi and two male professors walk into a Republican congressional hearing on birth control.  Start of a bad joke?  Well yeah, you could say that.  Read it here. 
• “Back in my day, they used Bayer Aspirin for contraceptives. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly,” chortle chortle.  Get it?  See, if the gal hold an aspirin between her knees while she's on a date, she can't spread her legs for sex.  Cheap contraceptive, see?  Billionaire mega-funder to Rick Santorum Foster Friess embarrassing old guys all over America.  Chortle chortle.
• Mitt Romney once drove his family from Boston to Canada with their Irish setter, Seamus, in a carrier strapped to the roof of the car. (“Dad, gross!” one of his sons cried, as he saw diarrhea sliding down the back window.)  Mitt insists to this day that the dog enjoyed his ride.  But now we get to the backlash.  Dogs are against Mitt Romney!
• Weird Christian-based Republican lead legislation in Virginia.  Earlier this month, a bill requiring women to receive an ultrasound before they can receive an abortion passed the Virginia senate, and it recently cleared a state house committee with an overwhelming majority. To quote this article "Simply put, it is difficult to distinguish a law requiring women to be vaginally penetrated by a long metal object from state-sponsored rape. Worse, discussions among lawmakers leave little doubt that its supporters understood just what they were trying to write into law — they just didn’t care. As an unnamed lawmaker told a fellow Virginia delegate, a woman already consented to being 'vaginally penetrated when they got pregnant.'" Lord save us from people like this.

Did You Enjoy That Pagan Holiday?

My father-in-law declared to his family members a few years ago the they (he and the wife) would no longer be celebrating Christmas. No tree, no decorations, no lights, no presents, no traditional family gathering, no turkey dinner. Nothing. It was over, as far as he was concerned. The timing of this announcement added an even stranger feel to it all, as it was immediately following the funeral of a very sweet lady they referred to as "Grandma Great," his wife's mother. The old man never has been known for his tact, so it really wasn't all that odd.

Seems he had gotten himself and his wife involved with one of their local churches in the little rural Oregon town where they live, a Church of God Adventist Church. Shades of Garner Ted Armstrong. The pastor of this church is an avid deer hunter, just like the old man, and owns many guns and thousands of boxes of ammo, and probably believes, like the old man, that Barack Obama plans to come fer them guns right after his reelection. And right off the bat the pastor of this little church convinced the old man that the true Sabbath was Saturday, not Sunday. So the old man, who by the way rules his house with an iron fist, declared that nothing must be done on the day of rest, now Saturday. This includes driving a car, except to drive to church, amongst other things, which is a good thing when you think about it, because the rest of us are safe from him dropping in. We should have seen what was next coming.

So okay, I got off the track for a minute. The old man declares there will no more Christmas at his house. And his reasoning? Because Christmas is a "pagan holiday." He mentions something about pagans burning children in a fire, and gets a strange wide-eyed look in his eyes. So, the rest of the family is aghast, but the old man cares not one whit, because of course, he is righteous, and the rest of us are pagan worshippers from 'way back. He and his long suffering wife will have no more of that paganistic gathering of the family around the tree for exchanging gifts (might be a clue there), and they will instead be eating that night nothing more than righteous macaroni and cheese and potato salad. Hallaluya.

The old man knows me, sorta, so he E-mails me something off the internet written by someone named Werner Keller, as a way of convincing me he's right, and he questions me as to whether I "lie to my children." I want to be flippant and reply that children are supposed to be lied to, but I can see he's serious. He's not talking about Santa here, he's talking about Christmas being Jesus' birthday. I assure him I've never told my children that Christmas is Jesus' birthday, but that doesn't take me off the pagan list he's preparing.

The conversation between him and me is over, I think. I E-mailed him a note in response to the silly nonsense he sent me, and while I was respectful and polite (you believe me, don't you?), I did wish him a very Merry Christmas. I'm going to hell, no doubt.

Happy Holidays, JP

A Circular Firing Squad

I have been predicting that the endless GOP Primary would end badly. It appears
that Mitt Romney and Rick Perry hate one other far, far worse than they hate
Obama, and they may want to destroy or dominate the other much more than they
want to be President. Oh, game on, Dudes!

Their behavior during the next FIFTEEN debates should tell the tale. Can
they handle conflict and interact in an effective manner with those who have
annoying personalities? or are they prone to losing it in public? I think they
are both second-raters and that neither will have the wits and character to
figure out a way to work through these personality clashes and just focus on the
task of getting elected. If I am right, this is an election that academics will
be discussing for years to come, as a "how not to" example. I just hope the
moderators keep putting them next to one another so they can reach out and
touch, and if we are lucky, pat, punch, push and shove.

You may say, wait, weren't there only thirteen more GOP Primary
debates? Yes, you are right, until Fox News added two more! God bless Fox
News! The more we see of these Republicrat candidates, the less they inspire.
I read a long article about Michelle Bachmann's long fake acrylic fingernails,
cut in the square-tipped "French" style. Ooooo boy, snarky, snarky, snarky.
The article said that journalists have been biting their tongues, not wanting
to talk about how creepy they look, along with her long artificial lashes and…
so on.

Arthur

Elizabeth Warren

This is the one candidate I feel not the slightest qualms about sending a bit of money to in this election cycle. Her opponent Scott Brown is a moron who needs to be run out the Senate on a rail. Elizabeth Warren fought long and hard to set up a Consumer Protection Agency, to fight deceptive business practices, often hidden in three to seven page small-type pages of wheres and whyfors that no normal human being could be expected to actually read.

Many years ago REI, otherwise a decent enough company, sent an order to my brother for mountain climbing gear. On the back it said in pale red print that acceptance of this purchase order, to sell goods to REI, meant that in the event of any legal claim for the use of such goods, that the seller (my brother) would assume all legal responsibility and that REI was exempted. My brother talked to an attorney who laughed and wrote him a receipt form that read "payment for these goods is accepted only on the basis that the purchaser understands that the seller lacks the legal skill to review the disclaimers on their purchase order, so he cannot be held liable for them". And REI went ahead with the purchase, since they apparently don't read that crap either.

But Elizabeth Warren, one very smart cookie indeed, asks why the Heck people should have to wade through bullshit like that? The agency that she fostered will be taxed with calling spades a spade and stopping abuse of consumers. The far-right in the Senate hated the idea of her heading that agency, so someone else was given the job. But to have Elizabeth Warren's voice in the Senate would be a game changer.

Oh, and her ass-wipe opponent? The Wall Street Journal called him "Wall Street's Favorite Senator".

To me that seems like a fairly stark choice, between the living and the Living Dead. Even $20 can make you feel like you have paid your dues and you have a voice that should be listened to. $100? The effect is even greater.

Arthur