December 2008 - Secular Humanity

New Year's Day - the start of the new, the consignment of the past to history. A time to reflect, and a time to look ahead. Here are some random thoughts and observations for perusal by anyone interested.

The election. I was thrilled America was able to look past the politics of fear and hate to vote for change and a restoration of our country after the damage of the past eight years. I was saddened that many voters felt that same-sex couples don't deserve equal rights.

Sarah Palin. What a big mistake McCain made there. Pretty much sealed his fate with that one. Sure, she energized the base, scared the hell out of everyone else. But what a comedy treat!

Economic meltdown. I can't believe how many people were surprised. Bush and co. have us living off the biggest credit card in history and the bill finally comes due (the base reason for the housing crisis and the credit crunch) Hopefully world socialism will be achieved! Just kidding, righties. But some real social change would be great. Universal health care, etc.

Britney Spears. OK, Britney, the year didn't start off so good for you. Losing custody of the boys, forced hospitalization, but hey - you did make quite the comeback as the year came to a close. Hopefully, you will focus on the kids as well as your career.

The Summer Olympics. Loved 'em. Sure, China has it's problems and they need to be not only acknowledged but dealt with. But the games were great, and hopefully the exposure will bring some change to China.

The "War on Christmas" well, another Christmas has come and gone, and it's still here. Bill O'Rielly will have to go back to ranting about Reverend Wright or Bill Ayers.

Battlestar Galactica. OK, so the final season doesn't begin until January 19th, but I have been anticipating it all year.

Dodging the bullet. I won't completely relax about neo-conservative motives and/or desires to remain in power until after Bush and co. are back in Texas, but it looks good. Do we even dare imagine if the Palin/McCain ticket had won?

Life goes on. My father didn't make it to the end of year, but my little guy is getting bigger - it's the same everywhere, I suppose.

Consumerism. Maybe, just maybe, we learned a lesson this holiday season. We don't need everything. Time will tell if we experienced just a dip in the madness or if we saw a real paradigm shift.

Keith Olbermann. Still love him, even though he got a little over the top a couple of times.

World socialism will soon be achieved. OK, messin' with the righties again...

Work. Seems like just when we are getting political leadership that will help further the causes of working people, the economy goes south and just might let employers keep the upper hand.

Is it just me, or does Laura Bush look like Jack Nicholson's interpretation of The Joker when she smiles?

Just some random thoughts......Happy New Year!!!

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Posted By: Jeff Musall - Category: No Category

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Sarah Palin New Year resolutions

December 28th 2008 18:50

Sarah Palin - from tiny Wasilla to national candidate to international joke - Sarah was an interesting addition to 2008. And with sights potentially set on a run in 2012, our little Sarah isn't going anywhere. Here are some ideas she might want to consider in the interim. So here we go, the top ten New Year's Resolutions for Sarah Palin.

10. Aw, schucks - go ahead and look up the answer to Katie Couric's question about John McCain's record and since you told Katie you would "get back to ya" why not let her know what ya found out.

9. Next Thanksgiving, pardon that darned turkey before it goes into the now nefarious turkey funnel! It's just bad press to be "talking turkey" whilst birds are being "prepared for market" right behind you.

8. Give "Joe the Plumber" the flush. "Joe" grew into everything for everybody in the Palin tent. But Sarah, if you are going to appeal to the everyman, you should consider expanding your base. Maybe "Henry the hairdresser" and "Fannie the feminist" and "Jose the lettuce picker" could join the Palin 2012 movement. Then again, maybe not.

7. Just for the gosh-darned heck of it, go clothes shopping for the family. Sure, you may still want to parade around in high-end designer clothes provided by the RNC, but it's a bit much for the whole family to be wearing "temporary gifts."

6. You betcha, it might be a good idea to stop calling areas (like major cities, blue states, places that don't fawn all over you) as not being part of the "Real America." Tends to alienate a big chunk of the electorate.

5. You know, maybe, just because you have some free time, go ahead and actually read some newspapers. And remember them. If not what you actually read, at least the names of the newspapers. And by golly, watch those reporters from that pesky National Enquirer! Those affair rumors need to be kept "in the closet."

4. Stop hanging out with such overt religious fanatics. Sure, Barack Obama had his preacher problems too. But lettin' yourself get filmed in some kinda heebie-jeebie witch doctor ceremony doesn't play well outside of the base. And let's face it, you already have the base, girl!

3. Of course - keep using that sorta-sexy MILF/librarian look.....no candidate has fed so many fantasies of righties since good ol' Ronnie Reagan. Work it, Sarah!

2. Oh, that Tina Fey! Sure, publicity is great, but does she have to be sooo spot on? That Tina has you nailed, Sarah - a double edged sword for sure. On the one hand, it helps, on the other it makes you seem like an idiot - especially when she is just using your own words. Maybe resolve to stop giving her so much material. No, I take that back. Keep it up, Sarah!

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Posted By: Jeff Musall - Category: No Category

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My father, Carl Musall

December 25th 2008 18:24

"Pops" as I have called him for years, ended the long struggle that his life had become the Friday morning after Thanksgiving. Although we knew it could come at anytime, it was still a shock. This is my tribute, my recollections, and observations.

My dad was born in 1934, on July 2nd, in Gagetown, Michigan. He had a mostly typical working class kind of hard-scrabble upbringing, and left home by joining the Army. He spent time training at Fort Campbell, KY, Dugway, UT, and deployed to Korea during the Korean War. His reputation as a bit of a hell raiser got him in trouble a couple of times, but he ended his service honorably.

Dad on Thanksgiving

After the Army he met a young woman working at a drugstore soda counter. Dolores Lowella Drake, the preacher's daughter, ended up getting married to the Michigan ruffian. A little while later they found their way to Southern California. A daughter wasn't much later, followed by myself and eventually three other daughters.

Ours wasn't a cushy upbringing, that's for sure. My father had health concerns a good part of his adult life. And although he had a very strong work ethic, it often times wasn't enough. Still, we alot of good times. We moved alot, which proved both challenging and rewarding. It sparked a wanderlust I still have, and gave me an appreciation early on for differences in people and place.

We lived in and near some large urban areas, and in some of the most remote parts of America. From a little town in Nevada with 13 kids in the combined 7th and 8th grade classes to one of the largest high schools in Indiana. One common factor - dad spent quite some time in V.A. hospitals, mostly during his last 25 years. But he would get out, and he would be fine for months again.

Dad was always a jokester. Sometimes us kids didn't appreciate it as much as strangers - we heard it all before. I remember an incident at a family camp gathering when Pops swallowed a frog on a dare. My cousin had found it and was doing what little boys do, showing it to everyone. Someone issued a challenge to Dad, and down the hatch it went.

Dad loved to eat out, and would do it every day if he could. He loved to give the help a hard time too. I remember once a waitress at a diner in Pittsburgh who didn't take to his jokes and got after him. It was next to where he was working and he had been in a few times before and her service was pretty bad. Still, it didn't help to antagonize her. After their big event, my father spent about an hour (as I remember) sawing a penny in half. He then left it it a glass for a tip the next time in. But those who could handle him loved him.

With my father's health pretty much perpetually bad the last few years, we had expected more than once that he wouldn't make it. He kept going. When Mom died in 2005 (almost 15 years after doctors gave her six months to live) we weren't sure if Pops could last without her. He always depended on her so much.

Dad even was thrust into some drama then. He was in the V.A. hospital in Denver, just having undergone a leg amputation when he got the word about his wife. One of my sisters got him from the hospital and was driving him home to spend a few hours with family and go over details. They made a routine stop for gas when a high-speed chase landed on top of them. A couple from California on the run screeched into the gas station, hitting her car. A shootout with police ensued, killing the woman and wounding the man."Get out of the car!" Police shouted to Dad. My sister yelled back at them "he can't he doesn't have his leg!"

Since I got married in 2004 my wife Oksana had become very close to Dad, and was hit hard by his passing. In his last months he lived near us in a rehab center, and we (along with our son and Oksana's sister) spent alot of time with him. We brought him to our house for Thanksgiving dinner, and he died the next morning. We got at least some semblance of goodbye.

I spent some time in the hospital with him when I went to claim his body and take care of arrangements. I don't see any evidence anywhere to convince me humans are unique enough to be granted an afterlife, but I did spend a few moments contemplating the next best thing, the memories we leave. I promised Pops that his memory would be of a man who wasn't dealt the best deck of cards, but played 'em anyway.

I promised him I wouldn't let the despicable allegations once made by a desperate woman sully his memory as it did our relationship for a few years. I promised to tell the next generation about him, and to smile. I then smiled, and said "fare thee well, Dad."

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Posted By: Jeff Musall - Category: No Category

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FOX's Secret Millionaire - not impressed

December 7th 2008 23:20

I watched parts of the first two episodes of the new FOX show Secret Millionaire and was not very impressed. Some over-funded yahoos go into an impoverished area and try to pick and choose whom among the little people they deem worthy of their scraps. They are portrayed as making the seemingly huge sacrifice of living among those who aren't members of the country club to garner an "atta boy" on national television.

The first show featured a bottom-feeder who is getting even more rich because of all the foreclosures, who gets "exhausted" by one day's work. In a fair world, he would be made to clean houses, not take them from people. The presence of cameras are explained as a documentary about homelessness

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