+with+quote+sized+for+web.jpg)
One of the questions many of us are asking, is what can I do to express my support or my opposition to what is going on in Washington D.C. now. I found a site that lists all upcoming legislation, gives an unbiased summary of the proposed legislation and a simple way to let your Congressman or Senator know your position on the bills. It will also give an up to date poll of what other users are supporting or opposing, by congressional district, state, or nationwide. I was shocked at all the gun control legislation already being proposed. This is only a few of them.
Popvox is an interesting site. I had no idea so much legislation was already being proposed. This gives us all the opportunity to easily educate ourselves and make our opinions known to our elected officials. It also tells us how often our representatives and senators voted for and against our wishes. Clicking on any of these buttons will take you directly to the site's page where you can learn about specific bills and contact your representative.
Showing posts with label congress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label congress. Show all posts
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Why Did Davy Crockett Surrender 140 Years After the Alamo Fell?
It was a Sunday afternoon at my Grandma Lucille's house. I was sitting in the recliner, reading the Wichita Falls newspaper when I found a story about one of my favorite historical figures - Davy Crockett. Like most boys, especially Texans, I was fascinated by Crockett. I remember driving Mrs. Armstrong crazy at the Gruver Public Library finding books about Crockett when I was in second grade. Oddly enough, I don't remember ever seeing the Disney movies starring Fess Parker. They were released before my time. I did see the movie starring John Wayne as Crockett several times. If only he had made it to the armory with the torch!
Most of my knowledge about the siege of the Alamo came from books. I read everything I could find from the time I was able to read through now. I even read Crockett's autobiography when I was in Jr. High. So I knew about Davy Crockett. He lived in a log cabin, first in Kentucky, and later in Tennessee. He became famous as a hunter, explorer, and especially as a storyteller. Even though he wasn't born Texan, he definitely mastered the art of the tall tale. My favorite was his claim that he could stare at a raccoon until it would just give up and come out of a tree. Once he mistook a knothole for a raccoon's eyes. He stared at it for hours before realizing his mistake. In fact, he stared at it for so long that the edges of the knothole were worn smooth.
I knew that he had been elected to Congress by Tennessee voters and was a follower of fellow Tennessean, President Andrew Jackson. Only recently did learn about his falling out with Jackson over Jackson's Indian Removal Act. He left Tennessee for Texas after losing his bid for reelection. He led a group of Tennessee volunteers to the Alamo, where they joined Texas revolutionaries in the defense of the old mission. Of course, I knew that there were no Texan survivors of the siege at the Alamo. And that they died fighting. The story of the battle and the defender's fall came from history texts that referred to newspaper stories from the time of the battle and diaries of Mexican soldiers and the few civilian survivors of the Alamo. All told the same story. The defenders knew that Santa Anna had ordered that all the Texans be killed - "no quarter" would be given. Numerous accounts told of seeing Crockett's body in the plaza surrounded by dead Mexican soldiers.
So, you can imagine how surprised and outraged I was to read the newspaper article saying that Crockett and a few other Texan soldiers surrendered and were executed by Santa Anna's officers. Where did the newspaper get this information that contradicted all the other accounts of the battle? Now, I was only about 12 years old and inclined not to believe the new account anyway. But even a 12 year old was suspicious of a newly discovered diary of a Mexican officer who was not only at the Alamo, but almost every other major event of the Texas revolution. Then I read that the "diary" had never been authenticated. It was written on at least five different types of paper, some dating years after Texas' war for independence, all cut to the same size to fit into the bound diary. Later I read that the officer, Jose Enrique de la Pena, was not mentioned in any other account of the battle of the Alamo or any other battle mentioned in his "diary."
Now 35 years after the translation of the diary and its publication under the title, With Santa Anna in Texas: A Personal Narrative of the Revolution, this is the accepted version of the events at the Alamo. Why would respected historians change the story based on a very questionable document that contradicts accounts written at the time of the battle?
I think there are a couple of possibilities. The first is to further demonize Santa Anna. He was incompetent, both as a military leader and as president of Mexico. His cruelty was demonstrated in his orders to take no prisoners, not only at the Alamo, but at other battles such as Goliad. Taking no prisoners in battle is cruel enough, but to execute survivors of a 13 day siege goes beyond cruel. I'm not sure what purpose would be served by adding more evidence supporting Santa Anna's already wretched reputation.
So, how does the revised history change the view of Crockett? Even while still alive, he was bigger than life. He was the epitome of the American ideal of self-reliance and integrity. He was elected to Congress because his story (both the real story and the tall tales) was already known by almost everyone in America. As a congressman, he showed his true character. His first speech mentioned in records of Congress concern an appeal for aid to farmers in Georgia that suffered through a long drought. His response, "We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money." He then donated his own money to help the farmers. What would happen today if members of Congress followed Crockett's lead?
As I mentioned before, one of Crockett's biggest supporters was President Andrew Jackson, a fellow Tennessean. As president, Jackson advocated some very questionable policies, especially those affecting American Indians. One of the most controversial was the Indian Removal Act that would move the so-called civilized tribes from their land in Florida and Georgia to reservations further west. Jackson expected Crockett's support, but Crockett refused to support his president in an action that he believed was wrong. "I was also a supporter of this administration after it came into power, and until the Chief Magistrate changed the principles which he professed before his election. When he quitted those principles, I quit him. I am yet a Jackson man in principles, but not in name... I shall insist upon it that I am still a Jackson man, but General Jackson is not; he has become a Van Buren man." His refusal to go against his principles cost him Jackson's support in his reelection campaign in Tennessee and he lost his bid. His most famous quote came after his defeat, directed to Jackson and Jackson's followers in Congress, "You all may go to hell. I am going to Texas."
According to several accounts, Crockett and his Tennessee volunteers had numerous opportunities to escape during the siege of the Alamo. He and a couple of the volunteers actually did leave one night and led a group of volunteers back into the compound. So Crockett and the others had the chance to save their own lives, but committed their lives to their cause and actually followed through on their commitment. I really liked Billy Bob Thornton's interpretation of Crockett. He portrayed Crockett as being trapped by his reputation. He says to Bowie, "I would like to drop over that wall and just disappear. But those boys are watching me. What would they do if I left?" He led by example and felt responsible for his volunteers. The last entry in his diary says it all. "Pop, pop, pop! Bom, bom, bom! throughout the day. No time for memorandums now. Go ahead! Liberty and Independence forever." 5 March 1836.
I think it's obvious from his quotes and his actions why current politicians and leaders would try to diminish Crockett's image. In fact one of the sites I looked at in my research was from Texas A&M university. They said that Crockett was one of the country's first celebrities. "Sort of an 1800's Paris Hilton." Would any of our current leaders compare favorably to Crockett? As I said in yesterday's post, only by knowing what others have done, will we know what we are capable of doing.
Most of my knowledge about the siege of the Alamo came from books. I read everything I could find from the time I was able to read through now. I even read Crockett's autobiography when I was in Jr. High. So I knew about Davy Crockett. He lived in a log cabin, first in Kentucky, and later in Tennessee. He became famous as a hunter, explorer, and especially as a storyteller. Even though he wasn't born Texan, he definitely mastered the art of the tall tale. My favorite was his claim that he could stare at a raccoon until it would just give up and come out of a tree. Once he mistook a knothole for a raccoon's eyes. He stared at it for hours before realizing his mistake. In fact, he stared at it for so long that the edges of the knothole were worn smooth.
I knew that he had been elected to Congress by Tennessee voters and was a follower of fellow Tennessean, President Andrew Jackson. Only recently did learn about his falling out with Jackson over Jackson's Indian Removal Act. He left Tennessee for Texas after losing his bid for reelection. He led a group of Tennessee volunteers to the Alamo, where they joined Texas revolutionaries in the defense of the old mission. Of course, I knew that there were no Texan survivors of the siege at the Alamo. And that they died fighting. The story of the battle and the defender's fall came from history texts that referred to newspaper stories from the time of the battle and diaries of Mexican soldiers and the few civilian survivors of the Alamo. All told the same story. The defenders knew that Santa Anna had ordered that all the Texans be killed - "no quarter" would be given. Numerous accounts told of seeing Crockett's body in the plaza surrounded by dead Mexican soldiers.
So, you can imagine how surprised and outraged I was to read the newspaper article saying that Crockett and a few other Texan soldiers surrendered and were executed by Santa Anna's officers. Where did the newspaper get this information that contradicted all the other accounts of the battle? Now, I was only about 12 years old and inclined not to believe the new account anyway. But even a 12 year old was suspicious of a newly discovered diary of a Mexican officer who was not only at the Alamo, but almost every other major event of the Texas revolution. Then I read that the "diary" had never been authenticated. It was written on at least five different types of paper, some dating years after Texas' war for independence, all cut to the same size to fit into the bound diary. Later I read that the officer, Jose Enrique de la Pena, was not mentioned in any other account of the battle of the Alamo or any other battle mentioned in his "diary."
Now 35 years after the translation of the diary and its publication under the title, With Santa Anna in Texas: A Personal Narrative of the Revolution, this is the accepted version of the events at the Alamo. Why would respected historians change the story based on a very questionable document that contradicts accounts written at the time of the battle?
I think there are a couple of possibilities. The first is to further demonize Santa Anna. He was incompetent, both as a military leader and as president of Mexico. His cruelty was demonstrated in his orders to take no prisoners, not only at the Alamo, but at other battles such as Goliad. Taking no prisoners in battle is cruel enough, but to execute survivors of a 13 day siege goes beyond cruel. I'm not sure what purpose would be served by adding more evidence supporting Santa Anna's already wretched reputation.
So, how does the revised history change the view of Crockett? Even while still alive, he was bigger than life. He was the epitome of the American ideal of self-reliance and integrity. He was elected to Congress because his story (both the real story and the tall tales) was already known by almost everyone in America. As a congressman, he showed his true character. His first speech mentioned in records of Congress concern an appeal for aid to farmers in Georgia that suffered through a long drought. His response, "We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money." He then donated his own money to help the farmers. What would happen today if members of Congress followed Crockett's lead?
As I mentioned before, one of Crockett's biggest supporters was President Andrew Jackson, a fellow Tennessean. As president, Jackson advocated some very questionable policies, especially those affecting American Indians. One of the most controversial was the Indian Removal Act that would move the so-called civilized tribes from their land in Florida and Georgia to reservations further west. Jackson expected Crockett's support, but Crockett refused to support his president in an action that he believed was wrong. "I was also a supporter of this administration after it came into power, and until the Chief Magistrate changed the principles which he professed before his election. When he quitted those principles, I quit him. I am yet a Jackson man in principles, but not in name... I shall insist upon it that I am still a Jackson man, but General Jackson is not; he has become a Van Buren man." His refusal to go against his principles cost him Jackson's support in his reelection campaign in Tennessee and he lost his bid. His most famous quote came after his defeat, directed to Jackson and Jackson's followers in Congress, "You all may go to hell. I am going to Texas."
According to several accounts, Crockett and his Tennessee volunteers had numerous opportunities to escape during the siege of the Alamo. He and a couple of the volunteers actually did leave one night and led a group of volunteers back into the compound. So Crockett and the others had the chance to save their own lives, but committed their lives to their cause and actually followed through on their commitment. I really liked Billy Bob Thornton's interpretation of Crockett. He portrayed Crockett as being trapped by his reputation. He says to Bowie, "I would like to drop over that wall and just disappear. But those boys are watching me. What would they do if I left?" He led by example and felt responsible for his volunteers. The last entry in his diary says it all. "Pop, pop, pop! Bom, bom, bom! throughout the day. No time for memorandums now. Go ahead! Liberty and Independence forever." 5 March 1836.
I think it's obvious from his quotes and his actions why current politicians and leaders would try to diminish Crockett's image. In fact one of the sites I looked at in my research was from Texas A&M university. They said that Crockett was one of the country's first celebrities. "Sort of an 1800's Paris Hilton." Would any of our current leaders compare favorably to Crockett? As I said in yesterday's post, only by knowing what others have done, will we know what we are capable of doing.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Catch!!!!
Remember when you were a kid and your friend would throw a ball at you and then yell, "catch!!?" His goal was usually to hit you in the face. Hilarious, huh? One of our football drills was similar. The receiver would stand inside a circle of 6 other players. The coach would yell out a clock point, 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10. The player at that point would throw the ball at the receiver as he spun to catch the ball. The coach would yell out the points out faster and faster, until you had footballs flying from all directions.
Right now, average Americans are the receiver in the middle. And the Obama administration is surrounding us at all points of the clock, down to the seconds. First they fire a fast, hard one at us. A 2000+ page health care takeover. We turned, but not quick enough and took that fastball to the face. Good news is that Americans threw it back hard enough to get their attention for a couple of minutes anyway.
Now they are firing away from every direction. Here comes cap and trade. Look out, here comes immigration reform. Pow, there is another western state land grab Zoom, there went FCC regulation of the internet Voting on a change in language for statehood ballots for Puerto Rico Didn't see that one coming There went representation in the House for D.C. Lobbed in legalizing carrying firearms in national parks, while zipping in voting rights for convicted felons Ouch At least it is called the Democracy Restoration Act, how bad could that be Student loans as part of health care How'd that one get by It will be a revenue stream to reduce the cost of health care, oh, ok How's it going to produce revenue when it doubles the amount of grants given (those don't have to paid back)And if you work for the government you don't have to pay back your loan at all Boy, we fumbled that one Federal regulation of all U.S. waters, right over our head Goldman Sachs executives being excoriated by the Senate. Caught that one. Good. Let those evil thieving bankers have it. Almost destroyed our economy with their shady home loans. Wait a minute, Congress required them to make those risky loans. They protected their investors by hedging their bets, didn't they? If I had money invested in Goldman, I'd be adding them to my Christmas card list! Dropped that one too. Stop, we need a break! Put down that banking regulation reform! Look out, here comes Supreme Court nominee!!
Right now, average Americans are the receiver in the middle. And the Obama administration is surrounding us at all points of the clock, down to the seconds. First they fire a fast, hard one at us. A 2000+ page health care takeover. We turned, but not quick enough and took that fastball to the face. Good news is that Americans threw it back hard enough to get their attention for a couple of minutes anyway.
Now they are firing away from every direction. Here comes cap and trade. Look out, here comes immigration reform. Pow, there is another western state land grab Zoom, there went FCC regulation of the internet Voting on a change in language for statehood ballots for Puerto Rico Didn't see that one coming There went representation in the House for D.C. Lobbed in legalizing carrying firearms in national parks, while zipping in voting rights for convicted felons Ouch At least it is called the Democracy Restoration Act, how bad could that be Student loans as part of health care How'd that one get by It will be a revenue stream to reduce the cost of health care, oh, ok How's it going to produce revenue when it doubles the amount of grants given (those don't have to paid back)And if you work for the government you don't have to pay back your loan at all Boy, we fumbled that one Federal regulation of all U.S. waters, right over our head Goldman Sachs executives being excoriated by the Senate. Caught that one. Good. Let those evil thieving bankers have it. Almost destroyed our economy with their shady home loans. Wait a minute, Congress required them to make those risky loans. They protected their investors by hedging their bets, didn't they? If I had money invested in Goldman, I'd be adding them to my Christmas card list! Dropped that one too. Stop, we need a break! Put down that banking regulation reform! Look out, here comes Supreme Court nominee!!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Budget Cutting for Idiots, i.e. Congress
Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government. Public servants at such a distance and from under the eye of their constituents . . . will invite the public agents to corruption, plunder, and waste. . . . What an augmentation of the field for jobbing, speculating, plundering, office-building, and office-hunting would be produced by an assumption of all the state powers into the hands of the federal government!
---Thomas Jefferson
Did you know that representative Shaddegg from Arizona has introduced the Enumerated Powers Act each year that he has been in the House of Representatives. The Act would require congress to define exactly which of the 18 enumerated powers the Constitution gives the federal government justifies any law passed. If nothing else, the act would force congressmen to study the Constitution. Even after being introduced 15 times, each year since 1995, the Act has yet to make it out of committee. I'll pause while you get up off the floor. I know you are shocked.
Hopefully you are recovered now. Another Texas representative has introduced a resolution that on September 17, Constitution Day; when every school receiving federal funds is required to spend at least part of the day studying the Constitution, Congress do the same. To repeat, on September 17, all schools receiving federal funds are required to spend at least part of the day studying the Constitution. Representative Conaway is suggesting that Congress also study the document, you know the one they swore to uphold and defend, on that one day as well. His committee chairman said that was "the stupidest idea I've ever heard." And do you know of any school that observes Constitution Day? Or even knows of its existence? It's been around since Robert Byrd (Democrat) introduced it in 2004 and it was passed as part of the Omnibus Spending Bill.
Article I Section 8 of the Constitution lists the 18 enumerated powers. The 10th Amendment states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
There's the easiest way to cut the federal budget. Each line of the budget should have a reference to which of the Enumerated Powers justifies the spending. No Enumerated Power, no funds. Pretty simple.
---Thomas Jefferson
Did you know that representative Shaddegg from Arizona has introduced the Enumerated Powers Act each year that he has been in the House of Representatives. The Act would require congress to define exactly which of the 18 enumerated powers the Constitution gives the federal government justifies any law passed. If nothing else, the act would force congressmen to study the Constitution. Even after being introduced 15 times, each year since 1995, the Act has yet to make it out of committee. I'll pause while you get up off the floor. I know you are shocked.
Hopefully you are recovered now. Another Texas representative has introduced a resolution that on September 17, Constitution Day; when every school receiving federal funds is required to spend at least part of the day studying the Constitution, Congress do the same. To repeat, on September 17, all schools receiving federal funds are required to spend at least part of the day studying the Constitution. Representative Conaway is suggesting that Congress also study the document, you know the one they swore to uphold and defend, on that one day as well. His committee chairman said that was "the stupidest idea I've ever heard." And do you know of any school that observes Constitution Day? Or even knows of its existence? It's been around since Robert Byrd (Democrat) introduced it in 2004 and it was passed as part of the Omnibus Spending Bill.
Article I Section 8 of the Constitution lists the 18 enumerated powers. The 10th Amendment states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
There's the easiest way to cut the federal budget. Each line of the budget should have a reference to which of the Enumerated Powers justifies the spending. No Enumerated Power, no funds. Pretty simple.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Potato e????
Anyone old enough to remember Dan Quayle remembers his spelling mistake. A student spells p-o-t-a-t-o. Quayle says "don't you need an e? P-o-t-a-t-o-e?" The media ran with that tape. It ran over and over and over and over. What an idiot! Can't even spell as well as a 4th grader! And the republicans picked him to be vice-president. Hope President Bush is healthy!
Our current vice-president, Joe Biden asked a congressman at a rally to stand and be recognized. Problem was the congressman, supposedly a "longtime friend," was in a wheelchair. Last week, he told a story about another "close friend's" mother, "God rest her soul." What? She's still alive. Well, God bless her! Then at a big healthcare conference, with C-Span cameras rolling, Biden tells a fellow senator that he has the easiest job in the world. Don't have to do anything. "Kind of like being the grandparent instead of the parent." And of course at the press conference announcing the passage of the healthcare takeover. Biden again forgets about the open microphone, and says to President Obama, "this is a big f____ing deal!"
Remember the stories about Sarah Palin saying that she could see Russia from her front porch in Alaska? How stupid! Only problem, she never said it. Tina Fey said it in a comedy skit where she portrayed Governor Palin. Or the NBC morning hostess making fun of Sarah Palin for saying that George Washington was her favorite founding father. The hostess chose to move Abraham Lincoln back almost 100 years and make him her favorite "founder."
Now we have Rep Steven Cohen from Tennessee saying that the Tea Party is only missing their hoods and robes, and are "followers of George Wallace." Coincidentally Wallace, like Cohen, was a democrat. How about congressman Phil Hare a democrat from Illinois? He is on video saying that he "doesn't care about the Constitution." He then quotes the Constitution. Oops, that's the Declaration of Independence. Then he claims to have read the healthcare law three times. A total of 8,100 pages! And he can't answer a specific question about the law. Still waiting to see that one on the news.
Former democratic presidential candidate, congressman, and Democratic National Party chairman, Howard Dean stated in an interview, that "of course, the president's agenda is a socialist agenda." And his advisor/supporter Al Sharpton, says that America "voted overwhelmingly for socialism when they voted for Obama."
But will anyone ever top congressman Johnson from Georgia, yeah, he's a democrat too. 8,000 marines and their families might cause Guam to tip over and capsize! That's just too easy. A friend suggested that we import thousands of elephants to the Texas panhandle. That much weight would tip the state up and make it easy to just scoop up all that oil. No environmental concerns there!
I think maybe the president himself topped the list when he claimed that one of the biggest benefits of the campaign was the opportunity to visit "57 states so far." And he wasn't going to be able to get to Alaska or Hawaii. Just "one left to go."
And he's the "smartest man in the room???" Only when he's in a room full of democrats.
Our current vice-president, Joe Biden asked a congressman at a rally to stand and be recognized. Problem was the congressman, supposedly a "longtime friend," was in a wheelchair. Last week, he told a story about another "close friend's" mother, "God rest her soul." What? She's still alive. Well, God bless her! Then at a big healthcare conference, with C-Span cameras rolling, Biden tells a fellow senator that he has the easiest job in the world. Don't have to do anything. "Kind of like being the grandparent instead of the parent." And of course at the press conference announcing the passage of the healthcare takeover. Biden again forgets about the open microphone, and says to President Obama, "this is a big f____ing deal!"
Remember the stories about Sarah Palin saying that she could see Russia from her front porch in Alaska? How stupid! Only problem, she never said it. Tina Fey said it in a comedy skit where she portrayed Governor Palin. Or the NBC morning hostess making fun of Sarah Palin for saying that George Washington was her favorite founding father. The hostess chose to move Abraham Lincoln back almost 100 years and make him her favorite "founder."
Now we have Rep Steven Cohen from Tennessee saying that the Tea Party is only missing their hoods and robes, and are "followers of George Wallace." Coincidentally Wallace, like Cohen, was a democrat. How about congressman Phil Hare a democrat from Illinois? He is on video saying that he "doesn't care about the Constitution." He then quotes the Constitution. Oops, that's the Declaration of Independence. Then he claims to have read the healthcare law three times. A total of 8,100 pages! And he can't answer a specific question about the law. Still waiting to see that one on the news.
Former democratic presidential candidate, congressman, and Democratic National Party chairman, Howard Dean stated in an interview, that "of course, the president's agenda is a socialist agenda." And his advisor/supporter Al Sharpton, says that America "voted overwhelmingly for socialism when they voted for Obama."
But will anyone ever top congressman Johnson from Georgia, yeah, he's a democrat too. 8,000 marines and their families might cause Guam to tip over and capsize! That's just too easy. A friend suggested that we import thousands of elephants to the Texas panhandle. That much weight would tip the state up and make it easy to just scoop up all that oil. No environmental concerns there!
I think maybe the president himself topped the list when he claimed that one of the biggest benefits of the campaign was the opportunity to visit "57 states so far." And he wasn't going to be able to get to Alaska or Hawaii. Just "one left to go."
And he's the "smartest man in the room???" Only when he's in a room full of democrats.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sing Along!
Cathy did some babysitting today. My friend, Mike, left his little girl with us for the morning. Taylor is not a year old yet, but she already has a favorite television show. Her favorite is Yo Gabba Gabba. When the music came on, her face lit up and she started leaning to the side to see the tv. Mike said she has favorite episodes already. This was not one of them. The robot and fuzzy monsters started singing a song about not playing in the street. Like Mike said, if adult humans told a kid not to play in traffic, they would just ignore the advice. But a big fuzzy monster sings a song about the street being "for trucks, cars, buses, and other dangerous things" and it's gospel to a kid. Cathy suggested that all lessons in school should be set to music.
That made me start thinking about what my generation learned from music, especially music on television. How about Coke teaching "the world to sing in perfect harmony?" Or McDonald's telling us that we "deserve a break today." Tab letting us know that it's "a beautiful drink for beautiful people." My favorite, "aye, aye, aye, I am the Frito Bandito!" "You're in good hands with Allstate." And "like a good neighbor, State Farm is there." And finally, "when you say Budweiser, you've said it all."
Saturday morning cartoons had Schoolhouse Rocks public service ads. They taught grammar with Conjunction Junction. One taught that breakfast is the most important meal and that "a peanut butter and jelly sandwich any time of day, is a treat." The one that needs to be brought out of retirement is How a Bill Becomes a Law.
Our congressmen missed out on the first part of the video where "the whole process starts with ... the folks back home decided they wanted a law passed." The idea doesn't start with the president, unions, or radicals from Columbia University. It starts with "folks back home."
I'm sure the song was edited to fit into its allotted time. Because it never mentions giving billions of dollars in deals to the senators from Nebraska, Louisiana (sorry, it wasn't put in for only Louisiana. Any state that suffered a major natural disaster in 2005 would be eligible. At least as long as their state capitol rhymed with patton luge), and Connecticut. Then let's turn on the water for a couple of drought-stricken California districts to get their votes. Still not enough to pass. Okay, tell the representatives that don't believe we should pay to kill babies that we'll take that part out later. Really, we promise. I think all that was in the original version of the song. It just had to be edited out.
The best part though? The animated version of the bill was a one page document rolled like a scroll. That, of course, is just for television though. The bill that created medicare was 28 pages, the one that created the interstate highway system was two pages, and the Constitution was four pages, six if you count the letter of transmittal and the Bill of Rights. That many pages wouldn't look good on television. It might look fishy, like they were trying to sneak something in. Like maybe a takeover of something important, oh, say the student loan program for grins. So how suspicious would a 2,700 page pile on the steps of the capitol look? What could you possibly sneak into a 2,700 page mess? Pretty much anything you wanted. Just to be fair, post it on the internet three days before the vote, so congressmen, the media, and the public have a chance to read it and respond.
Sing along, I'm just a bill, I'm only a bill...
That made me start thinking about what my generation learned from music, especially music on television. How about Coke teaching "the world to sing in perfect harmony?" Or McDonald's telling us that we "deserve a break today." Tab letting us know that it's "a beautiful drink for beautiful people." My favorite, "aye, aye, aye, I am the Frito Bandito!" "You're in good hands with Allstate." And "like a good neighbor, State Farm is there." And finally, "when you say Budweiser, you've said it all."
Saturday morning cartoons had Schoolhouse Rocks public service ads. They taught grammar with Conjunction Junction. One taught that breakfast is the most important meal and that "a peanut butter and jelly sandwich any time of day, is a treat." The one that needs to be brought out of retirement is How a Bill Becomes a Law.
Our congressmen missed out on the first part of the video where "the whole process starts with ... the folks back home decided they wanted a law passed." The idea doesn't start with the president, unions, or radicals from Columbia University. It starts with "folks back home."
I'm sure the song was edited to fit into its allotted time. Because it never mentions giving billions of dollars in deals to the senators from Nebraska, Louisiana (sorry, it wasn't put in for only Louisiana. Any state that suffered a major natural disaster in 2005 would be eligible. At least as long as their state capitol rhymed with patton luge), and Connecticut. Then let's turn on the water for a couple of drought-stricken California districts to get their votes. Still not enough to pass. Okay, tell the representatives that don't believe we should pay to kill babies that we'll take that part out later. Really, we promise. I think all that was in the original version of the song. It just had to be edited out.
The best part though? The animated version of the bill was a one page document rolled like a scroll. That, of course, is just for television though. The bill that created medicare was 28 pages, the one that created the interstate highway system was two pages, and the Constitution was four pages, six if you count the letter of transmittal and the Bill of Rights. That many pages wouldn't look good on television. It might look fishy, like they were trying to sneak something in. Like maybe a takeover of something important, oh, say the student loan program for grins. So how suspicious would a 2,700 page pile on the steps of the capitol look? What could you possibly sneak into a 2,700 page mess? Pretty much anything you wanted. Just to be fair, post it on the internet three days before the vote, so congressmen, the media, and the public have a chance to read it and respond.
Sing along, I'm just a bill, I'm only a bill...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
