Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Ben Her

I guess we can pry that gun out of Charlton Heston's hands right about now. Hillary Clinton has picked up the mantle for him. The mayor of Philadelphia, a Clinton supporter, has proposed sweeping new laws to get the most lethal automatic weapons off the streets, and at the same time, Hillary is making speeches about learning to shoot out back of Grandpa's barn. Is it too far-fetched to imagine her showing up next in a camouflage pantsuit and orange vest with something dead strapped to the hood of her pick-em-up truck? This woman, who has been a sponsor of gun restrictions in the past, is suddenly praising Pennsylvania's rich gun culture that has been passed down from father to son. Hell, my great-grandfather used to shit in an out-house until they invented indoor plumbing. Killing animals in the wild should have gone the same way, but someone forgot to tell the hunters about that new thing, the grocery store. I suppose snuffing out wildlife was just too damn much fun for the "gun culture" though, so they decided to call it "sport." Only, the mayor of Philadelphia says he's just tired of people getting shot.

Has anyone but me noticed the two movies set in Pennsylvania that Hillary is re-enacting? She began her campaign invoking "Rocky," but it has rapidly turned into "The Deerhunter." Set in rural Pennsylvania and seeminly going on forever, a group of young patriots go to Vietnam and come home bitter. "Fuckin' A." They gather in the local bar to knock back shots of whiskey with beer chasers, but they only succeed in getting drunk and more bitter. Hillary knocked down a Crown Royal yesterday along with a frosted mug. The last presidential candidate to do that was U.S. Grant. They tried to persuade her to have a few more, but her assistant interceded and reminded everyone that when Hillary gets a buzz on, she goes on and on about Bill and his women and hallucinates about being under sniper fire. But she was at the bar and the cameras were on, so she took it like a man. I'll bet the last time Hillary took a shot of straight whiskey was Jan. 17, 1998, right after she read the Drudge Report. If this campaign continues much longer, the movie will morph into "Misery," with Hillary starring as Kathy Bates and Obama as James Caan.

The only thing "bitter" Obama said about people in small towns abandoned by their government was the truth. The mainstream media is hyperventilating over this as if it matters. If it gets a six point or a ten point win for Hillary in the Pennsylvania primary, it will be forgotten by the time the media focuses on Obama's twenty point lead in North Carolina. Still, it amuses me to see the Clintons, who attempted to portray Obama as a House Negro in South Carolina, now try to paint him as an "elitist," out of touch with the average Joe or Jane. The last time Hillary Clinton held a job without government support was as a lawyer for the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock. Then for the next twenty-odd years she was, in turn, First Lady of Arkansas and then of the United States, with no official duties other than those delegated to her by her husband. Being stoic under public humiliation won her a New York senate seat, and her voting record, which would make a liberal gag, is supposed to win her the affection of the working man. But her tax return says the Clintons made $104 million in the last few years. That beats minimum wage. It also beats someone who only recently finished paying off their student loans.

Perhaps attending Harvard makes you an elitist. If so, I know several and am related to a few. Hillary did go to Yale, and took a shot at Harvard man Al Gore during CNN's "Compassion Summit," where Clinton alternated between personas resembling Our Lady of Fatima and Linda Blair. Bill's been unleashed and back on the stump reminding voters that his wife may be 60 and forgetful, but she's a woman of the people. By the time the Pope arrives, she'll be a Catholic. This primary can't get here quickly enough for me. I have Clinton fatigue and I'm ready for Hill and Bill to pack up the magic show, face reality, and stop doing the Republicans' dirty work for them. The dismissal of Mark Penn as her advisor for lobbying for a trade deal she opposes may have stopped him, but what about Bubba, who's accepted nearly a million dollars from the government of Columbia for pushing for the same deal?

If you'll allow me a boxing analogy, I'm reminded of the great Cuban welterweight of the early 60s, Benny "Kid" Paret, who died in the ring at the hands of Emile Griffith. In fact, it was the first death shown on live TV until Lee Harvey Oswald came along. In the twelfth round, Griffith pummelled Paret unconscious, but his body was held up by the ropes and before the referee finally stepped in, Griffith had hit him thirteen more times. Paret's lifeless body slumped into a comatose crouch and he died of his injuries a few hours later. The referee said that Paret was known for absorbing punches, but in his previous bout, he had fought the great Gene Fullmer and was knocked down three times while taking a brutal beating. Some boxing analysts say that Paret would not have been murdered in the ring had not he first been softened up by Gene Fullmer and then rushed into the championship fight. In my analogy, Hillary is Gene Fullmer, Obama is Benny "Kid" Paret, and John McCain, playing the part of Emile Griffith, is waiting in the wings. Griffith was a haunted man and never the same after the Paret fight. In this case, though, we can prevent a foreseeable tragedy. Unlike referee Ruby Goldstein, who stepped in too late to save Benny Paret, we have the power to say, "Enough!" and stop this foolish fight before it becomes fatal. It's time for Hillary to hang up the gloves.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hunting as a sport is barbaric and should be beneath human dignity. The one exception is for those who are so poor that they have to hunt to eat. As far as gun control goes, the government wants to disarm the citizens so that the final take over will be bloodless. The public should remain armed in order to kill as many of the soulless bastards as possible before the final take over...live free or die. I know that sounds harsh to spineless, liberal, masochistic wienies who are only fit for a life of slavish obedience to totalitarian government. But, those who still have some honor would rather die than to knuckle under to what the government has in store for us. The coming U.S.S.A. (United Socialist States of America) must be resisted at all cost. To prevent this resistance is the real reason for gun control. The Feds don't care about gun use in crime. They just don't want things to get too sloppy when it is time for the final coup de grace. And, yes, it is time for Hillary to step aside. Actually, suicide would be preferable. As far as Obame is concerned, get ready for another Republican president. Only the goofy Democratic party could have put forth such losers for nominees. The presidency should have been a shoo-in for them, but none of the dingbats are electable.

Anonymous said...

Gee:
the longer this nasty fight is lasting
the harder it will be for us to support Clinton if she steals the nomination ...

Anonymous said...

You already know that Hillary and the Clinton machine will do their raunchy best to steal the election.If they succeed in stealing the election, the Obama supporters should lynch her using a Confederate flag as a noose and then pee on her corpse. Then, they can proceed with being kinder, gentler, and more idealistic. Ad hoc violence can occasionally be a noble thing. What could be nobler than eliminating the Clinton scourge from the face of the earth?

Anonymous said...

Please heed this clarion call: The scourge of political correctness is infringing upon our freedoms and is making cowards of us all. In the spirit of the freedom fighters throughout history, we must make a stand. The only fitting response to it is to tear off its hideous head and piss down its throat. No more hand-wringing or cow-towing to this assault on free people. Do you have the balls to join the movement?

Anonymous said...

I'm a 3rd generation hunter and I am not ashamed to say so. Whatever I shoot ends up in the freezer or on the table. I'm not waiting for some damn insurrection. I just want to be left alone.

Anonymous said...

If you are the type who wants to be left alone, then you are one of the free people. Unfortunately, the government will not leave you alone. In fact, the government is going to increasingly infringe upon your freedom. Government and individual freedom are antithetical to one another. The day is coming when people will be branded like cattle. In the end, the choice will be insurrection or submission to a slavish life on the government farm. If you can't see this for yourself, read Orwell's '1984'. He saw what was coming before the rest of us did. At least you have a choice.

Anonymous said...

The name of the game in this world is hard ball whether you like it or not. Our forefathers knew this and played the game well. They carved out a pretty good life for themselves and their posterity. And, no it wasn't pretty but reality is what it is. The current generation of Americans have forgotten the nature of the game and are going to pay a high price to those who have not forgotten. The barbarians are at the gate and they will not play nice. Blood will flow as high as the horse's bridal.The Muslims see us for the fools and patsies that we are. It will not be pleasant for those who play softball in a hardball world. Eternal vigilance (and the capacity to do the hard things that need to be done) is the price of freedom. Unfortunately, we are sound asleep and it is already to late to be awakened.

Anonymous said...

You can bet your house
You can bet your own Momma
That the next president
Will be Barach Obama
He is a man of vission
An ambassador of hope
He can absorb the best punches with his rope-a-dope
He can dance He can jab
He is quite a talker
And he has more personality
Than Herschel Walker
Don't worry about his preacher
No need to mope
When he heals our divisions
He'll be our next Pope
He's as pretty as a baby
Pretty as meeeee!
Nothing can beat him
...but a bowling alley
The Former Belly Bumping Champion of the World! Father Farken

Anonymous said...

Your Barach poem is a bunch of empty rhetoric. Lifeless phrases with no sunstance.

.....and yet you follow.
Go figure

Anonymous said...

Sunstance? I thought the poem had a lot of sunstance.

Anonymous said...

Check out the following website and video:
www.eyeblast.tv/Public/video.aspx?rsrciD=2036.

Pay particular attention to the comments regarding Black Liberation Theology. America, kiss your ass goodbye if Obama is elected, because he has been seeped in these teachings for over 20 years. Ask yourself why the teachings of this so-called religion haven't been scrutinized by the media and the American public. Ask yourself if any white candidate could run for any office if he/she embraced the white equivalent (a cult 'religion' that has been seeped in the teachings of the KKK or Nazi teachings would be the closest). Isn't it odd that this outrage has been so hush-hush? Only the most biased, bigoted, prejudiced liberal could think otherwise.

Anonymous said...

Where is Father Farken? Last blog you talk about Jeremiah Wright and his mentor James Cone...it kind of scared the holy Sh*t out of some of us and now, out of the blue, you write this trite Muhammad Ali type puff poem about Obama is going to win the election. Are you going nutz on us or what? Son of Sunstance

Anonymous said...

Where is Father Farken? Last blog you talk about Jeremiah Wright and his mentor James Cone...it kind of scared the holy Sh*t out of some of us and now, out of the blue, you write this trite Muhammad Ali type puff poem about Obama is going to win the election. Are you going nutz on us or what? Son of Sunstance

Anonymous said...

Hey, I'm just a "watcher" too. It doesn't seem like it's about issues or substance anymore. We are politically stuck. Who can inspire us? Who can encourage us? who can charm our socks off? Who will offer a olive branch to our neighbors overseas? who will offer the olive branch within our fractured country? That is all I was saying. People are looking for a breath of fresh air. I'm not telling you who to vote for. I am not good at mixing church with state. For me, its like mixing Guenness with horse piss. It may not do too much for the horse piss, but it sure messes up the Guenness...but there are some nights I'll drink anything...thinking it must all come from the same horse...sorry! I am as libertarian as anyone but G*d says we are stewards & not rapers of His creation and that we are to care for the poor, the hungry...the oppressed! We were quick to go to war when the Pope and everybody else was telling us not to...and we we blew it with Katrina...while our poor washed away. You tell me!!!!!!!!!! PEACE to all! FatherFarken

Anonymous said...

BREAK THE CROWNS BUT LEAVE THE HEADS UNHARMED! SIREEN

Anonymous said...

Though I like Obama I have my concerns. He has chosen to rope-a-dope when it comes to his pastor & William Ayers instead of really addressing them. Living in New Jersey...perhaps I am still goofy after 9/11. I have called the Feds on a mideastern man checking out multimedia materials on NYC subways & NYC bridges & material on How To Fly An AirPlane (6 months after the attack) from a Morristown New Jersey Library. On the other hand I understand why African Americans identify with Exodus. The Hebrews were a people who found themselves suffering deeply from the ugliness of the empire they lived in. They were making bricks for pharoah's banks while they had no money for themselves. They were building storehouses of food for pharaoh's family while their own families suffered in poverty. They were catering banquets they could never afford to eat at, cleaning palaces they would never be able to sleep in, dying in wars to protect luxuries they would never afford. Uh...they were slaves. African Americans understand this. God seems to have a knack for hearing the cry of oppressed people. Over & over the Hebrew Scripture say that the people "cried out to God" & that "God heard their cry." And so God led them on an Exodus. On a journey out of the land of empires & slaves and into a Promised Land of abundance. A land of Milk & honey. Oh well...pardon my rant! Shalom to all! FatherFarken

Anonymous said...

FatherFarken, your analogy breaks down on one small point. America has a little more freedom than the Egyptians extended to the Hebrews, at least since the mid-60's. Having been in education for 36 years I can testify that many, many minorities have not taken advantage of their freedom and their opportunities to advance. This has chagrined me from the beginning of my teaching career, and has been a big factor in moving me from being a flaming liberal to a more balanced perspective. It is one thing to deprive a person of food, it is another thing when someone refuses to eat what has been put on his plate, and then complains about being hungry. With the opportunities that abound in this country, any able bodied person of average intelligence can make a life for himself. Most of the others are guilty of making poor choices or, figuratively speaking, squandering their inheritance. God does respond to the anguish of the oppressed, but how do you think he responds to those who have not been faithful to develop their God-given talents? Only a deranged liberal would say by giving him lots and lots of government assistance, thereby further enabling him on the road to perdition.

Anonymous said...

Dear Fairly Balanced! My hat goes off to you. Any one who has taught school for 36 years and is alive to testify gets my fullest respect. You are influencing lives more than you will ever know. Never give up! Never get bitter...unless you can resort to clinging to guns and religion. Are you from Pennsylvania? That was a very good point that you made about our country. Our great constitution had liberty and justice written all over it. We forgot to read our own fine print. All means all. As Kinky Friedman gave a shout out to Jeremiah Wright the day after hearing the famous GD America speech (while puffing his cigar}, "America has corrected her ways. Laws have been changed... that all can be victors...not victims." Its teachers like you that inspire, educate and help students discover their gifts and skills. Do you think any of our presidential candidates can reach our country's youth ...including minorities?
The Peace Of The Lord!
FIGHTING FATHER FARKEN

Anonymous said...

It is not likely that any presidential candidate is going to inspire the individual to be an overcomer. One of the pervasive unintended consequences of liberalism is that it subtly devalues the potential of the human spirit. It tends to foster a sense of victimhood and dependency. It fosters an 'it takes a village' perspective for the individual, rather than an 'I have the wherewithal to succeed' perspective. We need to foster a psycho-spiritual atmosphere within the individual of personal responsibility and a can-do attitude. Liberalism does not do this and a cynic may be inclined to believe that this is not accidental. Dependent spirits look for the government mammary to supply them with everything. This invitiates the human spirit and plays into human weakness. But then it creates a huge voting block of those who look for the easy way out. And this provides happy hunting grounds for the Democrats. No presidential candidate is going to make a dependent person desire to rise up in his spirit and become a responsible, productive person who is able to care for himself and others.

Anonymous said...

Brother Balanced...many blessings! When I was asked at the NJ Primaries if I were Republican or Democrat I told them I didn't know. "Are you an Independent?" "Oh, yes mam I am sad to say and its an addiction in which I am powerless...I am a Recovering Independent but I get on what's left of my knees every day & every night and surrender my life to G*d...body, mind, soul and spirit...all that's virtuous & all that sucks. I've meditated and have seen the fireworks & light-shows but sweet total dependency upon G*d seems to be what gets me on the daily journey of life...but I've got to battle this addiction constantly." They were ready to get the nets after me...but they let me vote any way. But isn't that what prayer is....surrender...dependency upon God. The Jewish mystics (as well as Otis Williams & the Charms)tell us that independence turns our hearts into stone and that prayer as surrender to G*d makes our hearts flesh & pliable to G*d's compassionate will. For ages the saints believed that God revealed His love through Christ to the world. In return they offered their lives in union with Christ to our Heavenly Father. For what its worth I am a Recovering Independent choosing to be a Dependent upon G*d. Hey, I might not be a Padre Peo but I am not nearly the asshole...though there are many who would differ. My beloved F&B! Don't tell me you can't inspire. You may not be able to do heavy lifting anymore but you can still do some spiritual lifting. Treat children like adults and adults like children but for G*d's sake, whether you have to go around them or over them, let's get something done, even if we have to invade the ozone layer... let's get Sputnik some affordable health care. Though The President holds a largely ceremonial position, he or she must be able to inspire people, especially young people, to become more involved in the welfare of our country and the world. By the way don't let those guns fool you...Charlton Heston was no Independent...He was an arfing Republican who walked hand & hand with MLK for civil rights in Selma Alabama. Well I've just proved again a happy childhood is a poor preparation for life. SHALOM! FatherFarken

Anonymous said...

What is this? American Idol Gives Back? That Exchange reminded me of the words of Henry Miller (1891-1980).
Keep your libraries, keep your penal institutions, keep your insane asylums...give me beer. You think man needs rule, he needs beer. The world does not need your morals it needs beer. It does not need your lectures or your charity. The souls of men have been fed with indigestibles but the soul could make use of beer.

Anonymous said...

Yeah! And Martin Luther said, "It is better to think of Church in the ale-house than think of the Ale-House in Church!"(hic...)
FR. FARKEN

Anonymous said...

I have forgotten the point. What are we talking about? Sociology, politics, economics, drinking beer?At times, I am reminded that there is no truth outside the gates of Eden, and that most discussion about matters of so-called consequence are just so many tales told by idiots, full of sound and fury, but signifying nothing, or at least very little. Of course, I am one of the idiots. I guess it's still fun to blabber about the points that we imagine ourselves to be so right about. Meanwhile, the Truth looks on mildly amused, waiting to kick our butts with Reality.

Anonymous said...

You're telling me! You should have seen the look on the faces in my congregation this morning when I had to admit to them that I have come to admit that I am a Recovering Independent. Talk about a crash course in reality. Watcher! I am glad to know that you have a sense of humor. It may not take a village but if your looking for a village idiot...I'm your man...a fool for Christ's sake! The peace of the Lord!
FatherFarken

Anonymous said...

We are all dependent upon God whether we know it or not. His power keeps our hearts beating and sustains all things. That being said, there is a healthy quality of independence that is desirable, in the sense of being non-parasitic. We have a moral obligation to help those who cannot help themselves, but I believe that we also have a moral obligation NOT to help those who can help themselves but choose not to. We are an incredibly enabling society. We foster and then subsidize many if not most of our social problems. The Democrats have refined this into an art. 75% of their supporters are dysfunctional in one way or another. How kind is it to enable people to become dependent upon ever increasing amounts of government? I think that it is more compassionate to help people to become self-reliant. Then they will be in a position to help those who cannot help themselves. If everyone is on the take, who will be doing the giving?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 4/26 at 8:57, I know what you mean. Now that I am old, when I hear most people talk with passion about their particular, petty point of view that they are so sure constitutes a preferred frame of reference, I get the feeling that what is being said has about as much significance as a dog barking. In fact, when I hear dogs barking I think about what I just said. In the end, it is just so much inconsequential blather. Everyone has a point of view. What makes any given individual think that his is so superior, especially as it compares to Truth. How do your petty rants that you are so sure are correct stand up to Truth? The dogs die, their barking ceases and Truth marches on oblivious to their blathering. The Fool on the Hill had a more realistic perspective. But, what do I know, RAVE ON doggies!!!

Anonymous said...

Mr. Natural! I have a confession to make. I am anonymous 4/26 @ 8:26. Sometimes Father Farken, the late Dr. Paul Brown & I use to meet at the P & H Cafe in Memphis after seminary. We would theologize, drink beer & have a big old time. One night we were deep in our cups & got all caught up in our "inconsequential blather" I'm sure that you could hear the dogs barking as you say. A P&H regular/now Hollywood actor Chris Ellis over heard all our theologizing & pulls out from his wallet a tattered sheet of paper, the Henry Miller quote about our need for beer. We fell out of our chairs laughing. So when good old Father Farken got to chatting I thought what would Frayser boy & first official Ronald McDonald Chris Ellis do. About the fool on the hill...read Winston Groom's Forrest Gump. It speaks well of the use of idiot in literature...plus Gump becomes a wrestler. Father Farken's favorite part is when he wrestles THE TURD!
It starts off with a quote from Dryden---There is a pleasure sure in being mad which none but madmen know. Yours truly,
SheckyKeirkegaardMcGirk

Anonymous said...

The reference to the fool on the hill was meant to say, 'Don't be so cock-sure that your point of view is correct'. There are two sides to every story...then there is the Truth. To embrace that statement should help to keep one in balance and to question his own assumptions as well as those of others. We lack wisdom because we lack humility.

Anonymous said...

A VERY GOOD POINT! SKM