Those are unanswerable questions because the future remains as elusive as it always has. Suffice to say, I’m no Nostradamus. I have no mysterious powers that will permit me to create wonderfully vague, ambiguous, and elusive words, phrases and sentences that highly intelligent people like Joe the Plumber will interpret and assign certaintities of time and place to catastrophic events in my name.

I’m just an ordinary guy who lives a low-key life without a lot of daily drama. In short, I’m no politician. I’m just Bob, the guy who lives next door in a neighborhood that’s been around awhile and is beginning to show signs of wear and tear but still is called home to a lot of nice people with a kind of benign nosiness and a tendency toward arguing in favor of their pet loony belief.

Because I’m the only normal man among a bunch of wierdos, I’ve learned to recognize their predictibility and hence foretell their future actions and reactions. For example, one of my neighbors is a man named Bob. People can’t seem to tell the difference between us. But Bob  is predictible. He is absolutely certain that the election of that Kenyan guy as president was the first step in the takeover of the United States by the Soviet Union.

Forget for a moment that the Soviet Union ceased to exist a couple of centuries ago. Forget that the President of the United States is a white guy from Kansas. Forget that Shirley Temple was an ambassador to Tanzania or someplace. But remember that Bob will blame every occurrence in the universe on Brock O. Bama. Bob is predictible.

George Romney is also predictible. George is going to say something today, say  something different tomorrow, and revert to his original something day after tomorrow. Nutt Gingrich is predictible. Everytime he has an affair, he will blame it on his love for our country.

Rick Perry is predictible. His hair is always perfectly coiffured and he talks in a silly fake Texas accent. Ron Paul is predictible. He’ll lambast black people and blame his words on ghost writers. Michelle Bachman is predictible. She’s smart and tees off everyone else because Tea Partiers can’s handle smart women, or smart anyone for that matter.

If you haven’t grasped my drift yet, peredictibility is at the heart of political analysis. In the field of human resources, the experts tell us that the best gauge of how a new employee will perform is how that employee performed in the past.

The same general rule applies in the world of politics. If you want to figure out how a candidate will perform as President of the United States, take a detailed look at his or her past performance. Be careful, however. The responsibilities and authorities of the President far outweigh those of any other office in this country public or private.

As Richard Nixon once said, “Don’t listen to what I say. Watch what I do.” That’s a brilliant observation. Nixon may have been a crook, but he knew a lot about human behavior.

And it’s good advice for anyone who really wishes to assess the current crop of Republican candidates for the presidency. Ignore their debate performance. Ignore their slick ads. Ignore the pronouncements of their supporters.

Look at their records. For example, if a candidate has supported a bill or a law, ask first and formost, “Who benefits? Does the law provide tax breaks or other good things to the one-percenters?” If it does, you will have a firm fix on the strong possibility that the candidate’s policies as President will follow a similar tack.

Once you’ve completed your analysis by collecting the facts, preparing a spreadsheet, and gnashing your teeth because you can’t find an iota of difference between any of them, throw away the whole pile, close your eyes, whirl around three times, and then vote for Obama.

Newt’s latest crazy uttering is about the United States Federal court system. In a nutshell, he says as president he would arrest judges whose decisions he disagrees with.

Yes, I think a couple of Supreme Court justices are totally unqualified to sit on the bench. Think Scalia and Thomas.

These are justices who are widely known to believe in the same things Newt does. Maybe Obama could arrest these bozos for the lunatic decision to make people out of corporations.

Oh, wait. That’s not what Newt proposes to do. He wants to arrest only liberal judges. Or in the jargon of right wing screwballs, Activist Judges, meaning judges who vote in favor of civil rights for the poor and disenfranchised.

Newt, in fact, would completely dismantle Brown v. Board of Education, a ruling in 1954 that overturned the separate but equal facilities under which Blacks had to endure the ignominy of virtually unfunded Black public schools. According to Newt, giving Blacks an educational chance is unconstitutional.

And yet in his mind arresting judges is perfectly constitutional.

But Newt doesn’t stop at arresting judges.

Before he arrests them, he will have them face an Inquisition before the U.S. Congress to justify their decisions.

There’s really more to Newt than we know, though. He also wants to eliminate child labor laws so that schools can fire their janitors and kids can do the work, all in the name of kids learning how to be responsible adults and support their fired parents.

But that isn’t all. Newt is a well-known fornicator of women other than his wife. When asked to explain his peccadillos, he offered an excuse from patriotism, which I will paraphrase.

“I love my country so much, and I worked so hard on behalf of my country that I got caught up in the moment.”

I don’t think I can add anything to my strong belief that Newt Gingrich should aptly be named Nutty Gingrich and those who support him are ripe for incarceration in the nearest loony bin.

But I will admit that his excuse for screwing his intern while impeaching Clinton for having a little pseudo sex in the Oval Office is a novel one.

Quick thinking insanity. I like the sound of it.

——-Today, I am  very proud  to call myself an American.  I am very proud to point out and remind my fellow Americans about a promise made by our President… Barack Obama.   Before he was elected, then Senator, and presidential candidate, Barack Obama made a promise  about ending this ill conceived  war in Iraq…honorably.  He also made a pledge to bring our  brave soldiers home.  He kept his promise.  The war in Iraq is NOW  finally over and our soldiers will be home for the holidays. For all of these troops  and their families… peace of mind  will be at hand.  Their loved ones will be united and there will be peace in their hearts. We celebrate our soldiers. We commend them for a job well done!  We also  mourn , with a heavy heart, those who will not be returning home…

——-In the world community, I believe respect for America is on the rise. I am sure many Iraqis  thought we  would stay in Iraq forever because  of their oil and that  America would have our soldiers there indefinitely. Unfortunately there  are those in America today who are still very vocal on keeping our mililtary troops in Iraq.  Like a nightmare phantom from the past, Dick Cheny spoke his diabolical views on the airwaves recently.

————-The American people support bringing our troops home. President Obama is bringing them home.   President Obama has proven to the World Community that America can be trusted once again and that we are not  so fast on the trigger with this present administration.   President Obama understands and respects the diversity in the world community. With President Obama as leader of the Free World  …. diplomacy and well thought out plans and a strong desire to work together with other nations has brought us closer to something all thinking and moral people desire…PEACE ON EARTH . And Peace in the Middle East is not an easy task…I do believe this tactic of diplomacy and working with other countries and not always alone is a better way.

————–President Obama is intelligent and rather than be quick on the trigger… he works to affect a common ground on all fronts… He is calm, cool, collected and very focused. Under his watch, we captured  Bin Laden, under his leadership and willingness to work with other nations and the United Nations he was able to provided the leadership that went on to overthrow another dictator.. Gadafhy.  I believe once again this has shown the world community  that we are NOT the country that takes over nations and occupies them with military troops ad infinitum .  I think our President also has proven to the American people that he would be much more thoughtful and utililze every diplomatic channel before committing our sons and daughters in harms way in direct contrast to the previous administration.

————–ON the home front …Peace on Earth has a different aspect.  There is cetainly no peace on earth  for a family with no job… whose unemployment benefits are running out.  There is no peace on earth for a child who is hungry and homeless because his family has  been evicted….  since they can no longer pay the rent or buy food..  There is no peace on earth for an elderly person who can’t afford the copays on medicine and has to make a choice on food or medicine , or a mother who has NO health care and is dealing with catastrophic illness.

————–Social justice means being fair.  Peace on Earth  is not just the lyric in a song, or a Bible  passage, or a line in a Christmas card. It is a moral view… a  philosophy, a way of thinking, a way of acting that seeks to make life better not just for yourself… but for ALL people.  This is an election year and I do see a clear choice.

————All this gridlock and filabustering … simply because the Republicans DO NOT WANT THE WEALTHY TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE… while cutting programs that actually benefit people in dire straits and with overwhelming needs disgusts me.  They have had trickle down economics for more than 8 years….where are the jobs?  Overseas. Income inequity has never been greater. The middle class is disappearing.  Another trend I see is such vitriol against this President and that there is a willingness to watch Americans suffer just to blame President Obama. He inherited a mess. The mid term election results… have put a  major road block  in everything he has tried to do.

—————I believe this whole group who are debating now are  totally out of touch with the troubles and trials of average American people.   President Obama inherited a fiscal mess.  He truly UNDERSTANDS the need for health care for every American .  He believes every American should be  contributing their fair share to solve these fiscal woes.  Statistics have proven the rich have gotten richer, the middle class is diasppearing and trickle down does NOT work.  Where are the jobs?  They are overseas.  Why are some republicans  so adament about protecting these tax breaks for the very wealthy?  Vested interest, totaly lack of empathy…or simply the desire to see, as one Republican  senator has stated… that  the goal of all Republicans should be to defeat President Obama.     Is that their main objective?  Looks like it to me.

————–Well, Peace on Earth means many things… I think President Obama has a good understanding of what these words mean…on the home front and in the world.   Peace on Earth and Good Will to ALL,!  Yes, ALL people no matter what religion, gender, culture or deomographic group.

———–Peace on earth, Good Will To All … can it be?????

I think is can.

That’s me. When I type the word “dentist,” I gag.

I’m an Anticipatory Gagger. Five days before a dental appointment, I gag. Even if I don’t have an appointment, I’ll gag at a toothpaste ad.

I once gagged two years before a routine cleaning. Worse, I gagged continually from start to finish while filling out an insurance form.

Okay. You get it. I’ m a Gagger. An Antitipatory Gagger. I’ve always been one.

Lately, though, it’s been worse.

My phobia has begun to extend beyond the simple act of gagging in the dentist’s  office.

Sights and smells of certain things now cause a little bile to rise in my throat.

For example, I was reclining on the bed clicking my TV clicker as I usually do when all of a sudden I not only gagged, I not only reguritated a little bile, but I let loose a stream of green pea soup ala Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

The cause of my sudden distress…

I distinctly heard a deep voice intone, “And now ladies and gentlemen, we bring you the umpteenth debate between the Seven Dwarfs vying to become the Republican presidential candidate against Barack Obama.”

I grunted, “Huh?” and leaned forward.

Yep, there they were.

The 21st Century reincarnation of

Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.

You match the fairy tale names with their real–life counterparts. I can’t. To suggest, even humorously, that Snow White’s admirers are even remotely connected to the bozos and bozo-esses on stage is an insult to dwarfs everywhere.

Why? Something was slightly askew about this current group. They seemed more like  a bunch of Hollywood dummies dressed in odd clothes, as if having been placed on a a Star Trek set.

And whereas the original Seven Dwarfs were lovable and cuddly, the current crop appeared vaguely false in every respect, evil reincarnations like the pods in  the Body Snatchers.

Moreover, when the clan on stage opened their collective mouths, they always uttered the same words, “It’s all Obama’s fault.”

Obama himself, during an interview on CBS the following day, summarized events perfectly.

“It doesn’t matter who becomes the Republican candidate, the message will be the same. No help for the poor and middle class.”

But by the time Obama uttered these words, I had already made a decision.

No longer would I gag in the dentist’s office. I would save it for the sight and sound of a Republican candidate.

As the state of his presidency now stands in the public’s mind, he may well turn out to be a bad one term president. Consider—-

In Wednesday’s Rasmussen Presidential Tracking Poll, the latest one, only 22% of the country’s voters Strongly approve of Obama’s performance in office while 40% Strongly Disapprove.

This a bad omen for Obama, but a couple of caveats. Today is today. The presidential election will be in November 2012. Much can change between now and then, and it undoubtedly will change.

Mooreover, polls are known to be notoriously unreliable, and when they are off the mark, they tend to be way off. Consider 1948 when every major poll in America had Tom Dewey ahead of Harry Truman. One newspaper even went to print with the huge headline, Dewey Wins! Well, if you don’t know by now, you may never, Truman won by a healthy margin.

True, the accuracy of polls has increased dramatically since 1948, but today, that accuracy is still plagued with glitches that throw the number off just far enough to instill a false sense of security in an apparent winner and a sense of panic in the camp of an apparent loser. But in this case, the margin isn’t minor; it’s a major concern.

Polls aren’t the only factor in Obama’s worries, however. If he is smart, and he certainly is, he will remember an old adage of politics that I am making up as I type. The players are more important than the polls.

A candidate for the presidency will know the players and how they stand and leave the polls to the numbers cruyncher on his or her staff. The public often ignores the polls but is closely attuned to the important players, especially respected players, the ones who are sometimes referred to as opinion leaders. These are men and women who are respected and whose opinions are highly valued.

Bill Clinton, conntrary to his shady reputaton as a lady’s man and his impeachment for lying under oath, is today a respected elder statesman among Democrats and even some Republicans. He is clearly an opinion leader whose words and actions are meaningful beyond the plain words he often uses.

That’s why an interview he recently granted to a right-leaning media organization, subsequently reported in the Wall Street Journal, is highly significant. In fact his words bode ill for Obama. Consider—-

In the Wall Street Journal Article, Clinton praised Newt Gingrich as articulate with a desire to compromise in solving legitimate problems through the application of conservative principles.

For example, Clinton praised Gingrich for his solution to the problem of illegal immigrants to this country, a soluton that called for a red card for an illegal immigrant rather than the traditonal green card for legal immigrants. Red would signify an illegal alien who has been in the United States for a long time, has worked and paid taxes, and has family members born in this country, but whose “red” card status permits continued U.S. residence without the promise of citizenship.

Clinton characterized Gingrich’s proposed solution as a “thoughtful response.” This may turn out to be the case, but the problem for Obama and perhaps the country isn’t whether Newt is “thoughtful” but that Clinton first of all granted an interview to a conservative media orgazination and second, he praised Newt Gingrich.

Considering Clinton’s status and his respect among many segments of the American voting population, his opinion may turn out to be prophetic. His words will not effect the opinions of core Democratic supporters. Rather, he could conceivanly turn many Independents in the General Election toward the Republican presidential candidate whether that candidate is Newt or someone else.

To many observers, Democratic leaders and the party’s rank and file have been remarkably silent about praising Obama. As I have written many times in the past, Democrats show a startling ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The party is on the verge of repeating its losing history and Clinton’s words may well mean the biggest defeat of all.

The election of a Republican candidate and a Republican Congress would be a catastrophe for this country. Imagine a congress whose every act is approved by a same- party president. If both were Republicans, we could fully expect a return to 1790 as some Republicans have advocated.

Imagine, a Los Angeles freeway covered in horse manure.

Since I used to be one, naturally I was interested because I’ve run across the same kind of article many times in the past.

Federal workers have been easy targets for politicians, mostly Republicans, as well as for the American public.

Republican attacks are generally strategic. But below their whining and sniveling about those slothful, overpaid bureaucrats, their attacks have less to do with conservative ideology than with just plain ole meanness. Republicans hate everybody, even their own kind.

The American public’s disdain for federal employees can be traced directly to an overload of misinformation in the media and from equally misinformed fellow private sector workers around the water cooler.

If those superefficient private workers who are perfect in every way would drink less water and make fewer trips to the water closet, maybe contaminated ground water would clear up as well as the air around water coolers.

Let me see if I can clear the air. Here’s the basic complaint about federal workers in a tea bag.

They are rich beyond compare. Every couple of weeks, they receive paychecks that exceed the annual pay check of Donald Trump’s private nann.y

Their medical benefits permit them access to the best medical care in Death Valley, plus two annual visits to top flight medical specialists in Vegas, along with unlimited trips to the Rivera on “rejuvenation leave.”

Moreover, they work when and where they choose. A few opt for regular working visits to private topless clubs for the specific purpose of inspecting the merchandise, which includes a hand on test to assure customers receive what they pay for.

And you know what? It’s their own damned fault. They have forced “the government” at the point of a gun to pay them these exorbitant salaries and grant them unlimited perks. “The government” is helpless in the face of overwhelming labor union strength and power.

I’ve met a few federal workers who wished it were all true, that their workplace was in a topless club.

Alas and a-lack-a-day. Here’s the way it really works.

Congress and Congress alone is the power that establishes wages, salaries, and benefits for federal employees. The workers have no power to alter this system other than to write their congressman. Federal labor unions have no power or authority to negotiate salaries with the possible exception of the postal union.

However, one element can and often does affect whether Congress grants a rise in salaries or not. Plain ole common sense tactical politics.

There are more than a million federal employees. They vote. And their families vote if they are of age. Politicians are many things but they are not dumb. They cater to this large group of potential voters by buying their votes with salary increases and annual raises based on increases in the cost of living. In another world this would be called bribery. But in Washington DC, it’s perfectly legal.

Federal employees are not dumb either. They gladly accept the raises and perks given to them by a greedy Congress. Republicans often bleat about the system in public while tacitly approving of it when the voting chips are down.

Well, there you have it in a tea bag. So the next time you complain about those lazy, slothful, overpaid bureaucrats, ask yourself a question, punk.

Would you refuse to accept a salary that puts you in a league with the big money boys?

Well, would you, punk?

Go ahead, punk. Make my day.

Refuse.

If the Republican Party nominates one of the current candidates for President, Obama will win in a walk-a-way. Romney is the only candidate that might pose a threat, but a closer look at his history will reveal a man who has switched positions on the issues so often and so many times that Obama’s reelection strategists will make mincemeat out of him.

Perry, one time front runner, has proven himself to be a hollow shell, a man with a record as the governor of Texas who has presided not over a trumpeted period of economic growth but over a sham characterized by declining social norms and a virtual collapse of the Texas educational systems at the secondary level.

None of the others seems worth mentioning, including Michelle Bachmann and Herman Cain. Bachmann has consistently demonstrated her balloon-headedness, and Cain has recently been accused of sexual harassment by three women. He may turn out to be the political world’s response to Tiger Woods. The chances of him recovering from these indiscretions span the range of odds from nil to nada.

Still, Obama must be prepared. There is always a possibility that the Republican Party will wise up and choose a respected candidate with moderate leanings. As improbable as this may seem at the moment, stranger things have happened.

Moreover, only a fool goes into an election unprepared. Obama is not a fool, but he does tend to be too nice and conciliatory to enemies who have sworn to destroy his presidency.

Given these conditions, what can Obama do to win reelection in 2012? Here are seven things that are essential to a winning strategy.

1. He needs to incite passion once again for change. He must fire up the Democratic base and independents.  These blocs of voters want and need an aggressive and hard hitting leader. These are the voters who will win or lose the election for Obama.
2. He must directly confront the Republicans’ in all venues about their silly and retrograde ideas and point out strongly and forcefully the proven failure of lunatic policies such as the trickle-down theory of economics.  Among other things, he needs to be more aggressive in championing his policies through congress. For too long, he has permitted a small squad of suicidal crazies to drive his agenda. He must say with stern finality, “Enough is enough.”
3. He has a fiduciary responsibility as the President to surround himself with competent, willing, and able advisors and staff members with the passion to defend the President and his programs at every opportunity. To achieve this, he must replace his relatively benign staff members with those willing to aggressively seek out and destroy Republican policies by pointing out the contradictions between Republican ideals and the real-world effects of their decisions. For example, the Republicans have touted family values as the centerfold of their version of conservative ideology. At the same time, they fight to discontinue unemployment benefits, student loans and decent health care. Worse yet, their rich clients close manufacturing facilities in the U.S. at the cost of millions of American jobs lost to foreign countries and virtual slave-wage laborers. In truth, Republicans talk a good game but they DO NOT provide for the general welfare of families in times of fiscal austerity.
4. He must be merciless in attacking the very strategies Republicans have used in the past with virtually no rebuttal. An essential part of an aggressive tactic is to adopt the Roovian strategy of directly hitting the opponents on their strongest areas. To illustrate, Obama should repeatedly point out the un-American practice of moving America’s manufacturing capacity overseas at the selfish cost of putting Americans out of work and wrecking the American dream. Shout it out. This is un-American and it has weakened America’s national security. For too many years the Republicans have had a free pass when they’ve waved the flag. It’s time, too, to talk about the practice of sending ordinary, hard-working American men and women to die in foreign lands while their top echelon of leaders received exemption after exemption. Dick Cheney is a prime example. As the architect of the U.S. war against Iraq, he received five educational deferments from the Vietnam draft. And then had the gall to say on television that he had other things to do. One wonders what he learned after so many years of “education.”
5. Obama and his supporters must consistently challenge the Republicans to join him in visiting homeless shelters, shelters for abused women, soup kitchens, and homeless camps beneath bridges and under viaducts. Present statistics on the abominable social standing of America in the world are an embarrassment to this country and an affront to human dignity. Arguing that the millions of poor and hungry in this country choose to live hungry and cold insults the intelligence of every thinking person.
6. He must begin now to educate Americans about the Republican-caused stubborn and unrelenting gridlock in Congress, undertaken for no purpose other than to oppose anything Obama. Republican actions fall in the same false and deceptive argumentative category consisting of ignoramuses who are firmly convinced an atomic bomb wouldn’t explode if it were invented by a black scientist.
7. He MUST engage average Americans in public dialogue. He and his spokespersons need to bring forward real people with real stories. Americans are sick and tired of gobbledygook from professional politicians. America is filled with average people who can articulate their real-world problems about such things as an inability to obtain student loans, a lack of health care, a reduction in benefits, and a complete lack of employment opportunities. If these real people point out that Republicans live in ivory towers and never observe or experience the real world, they will be believable. Rather than silver spoons, real people are born with plastic utensils in their mouths.

There are many more strategies and tactics that a political campaign may use effectively. But in Obama’s case, an extraordinary degree of effort, relentless pressure on the opponent and a sincere effort to educate the American public about Republican obstructionism are essential for him to win.

Finally, a note of explanation. We did not use the number seven to suggest some sort of manipulation on our part to reach the subconscious mind of American voters. True, seven is widely believed to be a lucky number. But things just fell into place as we were working through a plethora of information (there’s my favorite word again). Fate was with us.

I don’t like these visits because I don’t like doctor’s offices, medical centers, and hospitals. They make me nervous and nervous makes me nervous.

I prefer sipping my blood pressure medication at a place down the street called Acme Irish Pub and Schnitzel Grill.  

But I go to the doctor anyway because she has a way of describing what will happen to me if I don’t. Suffice to say, I do not wish to spend an eternity listening to political speeches or choirs singing hosannas. I therefore make the necessary sacrifices.

Some people, I’ve learned, look upon a visit to the doctor as a social event in which information is exchanged about the number and dosage of medications, the size of a tablet or capsule, and how large a pill must be before it makes them gag.

Others commiserate about side effects and how many additional medications they need to alleviate the side effects from the first pill. One guy was taking meds for heartburn but needed an extra pill to combat the side effects of the first one. And then another one for the side effects of the second one until he was swallowing seven pills every morning. I had a hunch his heartburn would disappear if he simply dropped grilled kimchee sandwiches and five pitchers of beer from his nightly menu at Acme’s.

I once got into an argument with my doctor for flat refusing to take a prescribed med. She finally became so agitated that she shouted, “Why won’t you take it?”

To which I replied calmly, “Because a major side effect of it is death.” And I was right. I had a complete list of the med’s side effects right there in black and white. “Number 3. Death may occur without warning if this medication is taken more than three months.”

To which she began to puff up and redden until I thought she was going to explode. After a moment, she calmed down and began to instruct me in statistics and in the methodology used in the testing of medications before they were released for use by the public. She wound up her lecture by saying something like, “If a side effect is number three it means the chances of it happening to any specific patient are so low as to be virtually nonexistent.”

To which I thought but did not say out loud, “Yeah, well, regardless of the odds, I have no intention of being that specific patient.”

I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not trivializing my doctor. She was my doctor for more than ten years before I left Hawaii. And I would become her patient again if I ever return there. We often had these exchanges because she was a great doctor and believed in patient-doctor dialogue.

Nor am I trivializing any illness or patient. There is no humor in illness and anyone who has been ill or who has lost a loved one from a terminal illness knows how serious all aspects of medicine are.  That’s why it’s important for patients to know their medications and the side effects of them.

Doctors are knowledgeable and we ought to respect their knowledge. But at the same time, we need to understand that there are aspects of the totality of the practice of medicine that they may not know about or may not wish to know.

The process of testing a new medication and seeking its approval from the Federal Drug Administration is rife with possibilities for sloppy testing, questionable relationships between drug manufacturers and the FDA and the practice of distributing samples of medications to doctors.

Drug manufacturers bombard the public with advertisements which usually include a “suggestion” that patients ask their doctor about the new med. Doctors then feel pressured from all sides to prescribe it.

Does this sound like the practice of medicine? To me it sounds like high-powered salesmanship, an electronic version of the old pitchman who promised the cure of every illness known to man if the audience would just try Doctor Higgins’ miraculous elixir. One dollar a bottle, folks, for this magic potion.

Often the most ill among us and our loved ones are the most susceptible to the modern hucksters. Fear drives them to try every new medication on the market, to endure endless tests and surgical procedures, to suffer needlessly because the medical-industrial complex isn’t selective about pushing their product.

When we do our own research on our loved one’s illness, we soon realize that medical professionals are often as much in the dark as we are. In a macabre way, it’s funny. The only ones not laughing are the sick and dying.

The big boys are chuckling all the way to their banks in Switzerland. Now, that is disgusting and sickening. It’s a hard pill to swallow.

I feel like gagging

Imagine my surprise when I came across the voice of Frank Sinatra crooning something, That Old Black Magic or Jeepers Creepers. I don’t remember at the moment. As a general rule, Frank is not one of my preferred balladeers. About the only song of his that I like enough to tolerate more than once is Once Upon a Time.

But this morning he seemed to strike a chord with me—in a quirky sort of roundabout way. Let me explain. Last night I tuned in to Larry King’s show for the specific purpose of watching Willie Nelson. During one of the breaks, Willie’s version of Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain filled some air time. I immediately thought of another cut on the same album, Remember Me When the Candlelight is Gleaming. That was one of my mother’s favorite songs and she hummed it incessant.

Then at the program’s end, Larry and Willie launched into a croaking duet of Stardust. This made for quite a mix. When Willie reaches for a high note, your ears can burn, especially if his voice is amped up a little. Larry, on the other hand, can out basso any bull frog I’ve ever heard. The result was actually quite pleasant.

So, here we have a guy, Larry, a New Yorker who as far as I know, isn’t a singer, paired with one of the original Texas Outlaws, Willie, crooning one of the most romantic songs ever. And they did justice to it in an oddly masculine, beer drinking, campfire hugging male bonding event that only men can appreciate.

At any rate, within this tangled skein of blood and tissue we call brain, I began to wonder about romantic songs in the various musical genres. There are all kinds and sorts of music—Classical, Traditional, Popular, Blues, Country, Western, Heavy metal, Hip hop, Jazz, Reggae, Rock, and probably some I’ve never heard of. Can we find a romantic song in each of these? Which genre or genres is regarded as the most romantic?

I have my own ideas, but those ideas will spring from my cultural background and fail to include thoughts about genres I am vaguely familiar with. Probably the most obvious example from my perspective is Rap. I have little if any knowledge about this genre. On the other side, the proponents of Rap will undoubtedly identify one or perhaps many rap tunes as romantic and omit tunes from the generation of Frank Sinatra.

What are your ideas and thoughts on this subject? What is your favorite romantic genre? Yes, Valentine’s Day is long past but romance is alive and well year round.

p.s. I’ve always thought that Elvis is a better male singer of romantic ballads than anyone I’ve listened to. But for sheer fire, you need to listen to Kiss of Fire by Georgia Gibbs.

Note: This a rewrite of a post from one of my many blogs. Today is the date on which my wife and I were married, and I thought about some of our favorite songs.

I spoke to God the other day and he told me that these people are partially but not entirely right.

He said, “I’ma tell you a secret. Bobby Boy. I’m God and I don’t diddle around with things of no consequence like Barry who, by the way, is a good guy but totally irrelevant in my scheme for mankind.”

That’s when I first learned that God is from the South. Nobody says I’ma except some cracker from Georgia. Don’t get me wrong, though. God is smart, smarter than any voice I ever heard.

“No, siree. I’ve got big plans. I mean big ones, boy. This is how it’s gonna work, see. I’ma punish the whole damn flock.”

That’s when I knew God was a regular guy, talking to me and saying regular things like damn.

“I’ma start little, with a earthquake see, get everyone thinking. Get ‘em scared. That’s how I work. Then I hit ‘em with something a little bigger, a hurricane, I’m thinking.”

“Wow. That’s smart, God.”

“Yeah, I’m a thinker. Always figuring how to scare people out of their pants. Keep ‘em guessing. Like those boys at Guantanamo.”

“What next, God.”

Well, I haven’t quite figured that one out, boy. I’ve tried just about everything under the sun. Even destroyed a few cities. Even floods. Worked for awhile but then, they fell right back to their old habits.”

“Could I ask a question, God?”

Sure, boy. And you don’t have to call me God. Just call me Sid. Everyone else does.”

“Well, Sid, I wonder if the problem has anything to do with sex.”

“Sex? What’s that?”

“It’s like when you said go forth and multiply.”

“Oh yeah. I vaguely remember that.”

“Well, I’m just thinking, Sid. You made multiplying so pleasurable that people practically do it in the streets. They even do it in schools and in the restrooms. People are multiplying everywhere.”

“I did not know that.”

“Nobody gives a damn about an earthquake or a hurricane. I mean, they don’t even slow down.”

“I think I’m getting your point. Go on.”

“Well, this might be the time to make multiplying not quite so pleasant.”

“I get it. I can threaten those politicians with a sex holiday or something like that.”

That’s it, Babe, er, Sid.”

“How would you like to sit at my right hand, Bobby Baby?”

“Love it. Let’s talk later. Right now, there’s a few things to think about.”

“What’s that? I thought I knew everything. I am God, you know.”

“Well, you’ve been busy, Sid. Natural for a girl in your position.”

“Is that a double entendre?”

“Not at all. You’re God, Sid. You can be anything you want, boy, girl, horse, computer, you name it.”

“Okay, go on.”

“Well, here’s my plan. Remember when you dispatched all the male children?”

“Vaguely.”

“Well, this time, you render the women in D.C. repulsive.”

“So?”

“It’ll drive the Democrats nuts.”

“What about the Republicans.”

“Their women are repulsive anyway. Save your energy.”

“So what’s your point, Bobby.”

“Well, Sid, the real problem in D.C. isn’t Obama, it’s the Republicans. They’ve got the Democrats running so scared I think we have a new species evolving, the spineless Democrat.”

“Hey, don’t use spineless in my presence. I’m the Intelligent Designer. I decide who and what evolves.”

“True, Sid, but the manufacturing process went awry someplace.”

“I see your point. What do I do?”

“Well, here’s how I see it. Feel free to chip in anytime. We’ll pull a reverse switcherroo on ‘em. Instead of leaving Repub women repulsive, we’ll make ‘em enticing.”

“You’re a good guy. I’m beginning to like this. Fire away.”

“Well, remember the lamb’s blood on the door of believers?”

“It’s coming back to me.”

“Well, this time, believers use the blood of a virgin and write R on their door. When you pass over, you touch all women within and, voila, they become irresistible reproducing machines.”

“Oh, Lord, I love it.”

“Here’s the kicker, Sid. The Republicans will become so tired from multiplying, they’ll call in sick every day and the Democrats can finally pass their own agenda. No more gridlock. Prayers will taper off and you can go fishing again.”

“God, you’re a genius.”

“Well, I try.”

“No, I meant me. I’m a genius. I’m assigning you to my staff immediately. Angel in Charge of Devious and Evil Ideas.”

“There is one hitch, Sid.”

“What’s that Angel?”

“The Republicans will probably spend so much time multiplying they won’t have time to worship you.”

“That’s okay, Bob. It’s time those uptight assholes relaxed, anyway.”

See, I told you God is a regular guy.