Our Date With Judy

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Celebrating the Judy Garland Centennial Once a year, from around age three until even today, I have a date with Judy Garland. Millions of us did. That's because for years there was an annual showing of "The Wizard of Oz" on network television. For those too young, there used to be only … Continue reading →

Buzzing for Jesus

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So, this afternoon some kindly, well dressed Christian lady with her equally well dressed two young daughters just randomly buzzed my buzzer hoping to talk to me about Jesus. I was expecting a UPS delivery, not deliverance. She was already on thin ice when she greeted me with "I'm so sorry, I … Continue reading →

Quiet Please, There’s A Lady on Stage

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There's a line from the musical "Gypsy" when Mama Rose accuses her daughter Gypsy of trying too hard to sound like an intellectual, telling her "You read book reviews like they were books." Like Gypsy, I used to read concert reviews like they were concerts. Though I loved music, I didn't have … Continue reading →

Private Flagger

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"Private Lane, on 14 Feb. 00, you made an unsolicited statement that you were gay. This admission and your sexual orientation could be prejudicial to the good order and discipline of the unit, and you are subject to separation under Chapter 15." -Andrew S. McClelland. Company Commander, Fort Bliss … Continue reading →

BITCH: The Maria Pappas Story

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APPLYING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT WAS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. THE OFFICE WAS CLEAN AND MODERN WITH NONE OF THE RAGGED, DEPRESSION-ERA DRESSED PEOPLE I IMAGINED. THERE WASN'T EVEN A LINE. THE INFORMATION DESK WAS MANNED - OR IS THAT PERSONNED - BY TWO WORKERS, MALE AND FEMALE, WHO BOTH SEEMED HAPPY TO HAVE … Continue reading →

Praising Pelosi

There's a media drum beat against Nancy Pelosi, one of the most effective parliamentarians to ever hold the Speaker's gavel. Don't fall for it. The reasoning goes that because the GOP use her as the boogeyman in campaign attack ads, Dems should dump her. The truth is the Republicans would vilify … Continue reading →

Voter ID Laws: The Latest Poll Tax

No, you do not need an ID to buy groceries - for the moment anyway. But some states require you to produce a specific ID card for you to exercise your constitutional right to vote. One of my former hobbies was registering people to vote. I'd do it at street festivals or events and I'd even bring … Continue reading →