Happy Birthday Brandon Anthony.
Oh and Happy Independence Day, too!
Although I didn’t particularly enjoy the entire piece, I do love the sentiment presented in this Op-Ed today in the Times. (Behind the Facade, Bob Herbert) An excerpt describing the mindset of the 80’s and continuing to today:
“All kinds of restraints were coming off. It was almost as if the adults had gone into hiding. The deregulation that we were told would be great for the economy was being applied to the culture as a whole. Women could be treated as sex objects again as misogyny, hardly limited to hip-hop, went mainstream. (Have you looked at network television lately, or listened to the radio?) Astonishing numbers of men abandoned their children with impunity. Most of the nation seemed fine with the idea of going to war without a draft and without raising taxes.
In many ways we descended as a society into a fantasyland, trying to leave the limits and consequences and obligations of the real world behind. Politicians stopped talking about the poor. We built up staggering amounts of debt and called it an economic boom. We shipped jobs overseas by the millions without ever thinking seriously about how to replace them. We let New Orleans drown.
Jackson was the perfect star for the era, the embodiment of fantasy gone wild. He tried to carve himself up into another person, but, of course, there was the same Michael Jackson underneath — talented but psychologically disabled to the point where he was a danger to himself and others.
Reality is unforgiving. There is no escape.”
I just want to fix this place. Speaking of fixing, though, S. Palin resigns? Is it too much to hope that this means the end of her crazy stint in politics. Somehow I don’t think so. I swear I will move away, post J.D., to a country far, far away and not come back IF (and WHEN?) she runs for president. I pinky promise.
Great song:
Damn WOWY at the bar last night. My green eyes escaped to a place far from the crowded table where I sat. I can’t help but wonder how long it will last.
