Friday, March 26, 2010

Gone to Texas (again)



Watching Rachel Maddow with my folks, and Lawrence what's his name who is filling in for Keith these days, I absolutely maintain that nastiness is nastiness no matter who is spreading it around. Teabaggers may be the ones tossing bricks through windows, cutting propane lines, threatening Steve Driehaus' family and leaving very ugly messages for Bart Stupak - but those progressive fundamentalists on Facebook were equally as ugly. I expect they all think they are simply telling the truth as they see it. I don't know how saying "I hope you die you worthless piece of shit motherfucker," is telling the truth, but I bow to their superior understanding in these matters. Why should progressive fundamentalists be any more responsible for their language than John Boehner or Eric Cantor? Or Rush Limbaugh, for that matter.

If a fellow on Facebook thinks he deserves to talk like Rush Limbaugh and that makes him a man, all I have to say is, "Quien es mas macho?" Besides, my issue with the former facebook friend wasn't exactly the commentary he added to the links he shared. He dismissed a woman in the resulting thread who objected to the way he and his followers smugly insisted the bill was not worth passing.

There was an extremely heated debate at the Constitutional Congress back when this country was founded. As I recall, we had to strike a deal with slave owners to get them to sign off on the document at all. I reckon we're still compromising with their philosophical descendants.

Looking at the whole health care spectacle, I'm reminded of a football game. When Obama took office, it was kind of like our side got the ball about a foot out from the other team's end zone. It took 18 months and who knows how much maneuvering for us to get a first down - the Health Care bill.

I'm not concerned about the other team right now. I'm still pondering our own team. Looks to me like there are a number of progressives who are kind of like a player who thinks we should have gone for all 99 yards for a touch down on the first play. When Obama didn't go for 99 yards on the first play, they called him a Pussy and a Corporate Tool and refused to play if he wasn't going to go for all 99 yards in a single throw.

You can't be in Texas without thinking about football - even during the off season.

A lot of people fought hard for this first down, and we've still got 90 yards to go. I still doubt I'm cut out for political discourse. More likely I'm the kind of person who serves brownies and herb tea at half time. I don't have to decide right this minute, though. I have to decide whether to have chicken enchiladas verde for lunch or fajitas. Or maybe barbecue.

Then I'm heading up Hwy 290 to Austin to spend a sunny weekend with my tribe.

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Girl. We get you. Paul had a comment war on another blog with a fellow named Gadget. If the name isn't enough, he just oozed redneck in his profile picture. Gadget said he wished we could go back 200 years. Doesn't take a genius to read between the lines. Clearly his slave owner ancestors had left a lasting impression on Gadget. Have a great weekend in Austin!

March 26, 2010 at 2:15 PM  
Blogger VV said...

Ahhh, Bluebonnets, football and fajitas, thanks for the flashback, now just throw some Nanci Griffith into the mix and I'll be reminiscing about Austin City Limits for awhile. Barbeque at the County Line is good, too many good places for fajitias to name them all here. My sister and her kids are still in the Elgin/Austin surrounds and my brother and his brood are around Hutto/Austin. I haven't been back in years.

March 26, 2010 at 4:20 PM  
Blogger MRMacrum said...

Yeah, it does seem Texans and even Ex-pat Texans cannot resist Football analogies. That and Armadillo jokes with some sharp barbs throw out at Okies present and past. To be fair though, your analogy was a very good one.

I will admit to not being pleased with the current bill. But it is at least a start. Finally the Democrats found some backbone and have begun pushing back. Maybe there is hope for them after all.

I am reserving any final judgement on Obama, who I voted for, until he reaches his two year mark. I was beginning to lose my enthusiam for him, but maybe now he can focus on some of the other pressing things disturbing our domestic and foreign bliss.

March 27, 2010 at 8:48 AM  
Anonymous dissed said...

My vote's on Obama AND fajitas for lunch. All the best people are humanitarians.

March 27, 2010 at 11:34 AM  
Blogger Gail said...

Hey girl

enjoy your time in Texas, and as far as the rest about which you so amazingly wrote? I vote for YOU!!

Love Gail
peace.....

March 28, 2010 at 10:56 AM  
Anonymous JD said...

Well, here's another football-related thought. I have attended games at which the majority opinion in the stands held that our team was truly sucking with all sorts of bad play-calling and play execution to blame. Next thing you know, the team gets a big first down, then makes another, then another. They score and suddenly it's a whole different mood. I think that is what might happen now that we've got the first big first down of the Obama presidency. Success breeds confidence and support. Basically, the way I see it, we're in a tussle every bit as big as the biggest Texas-OU battles ever played in the Cotton Bowl. We can expect hard-hitting and nasty name-calling. We can count on fierce resistance and a frenzied crowd foaming at the mouth. The key thing is to remember who we're playing and not start shrieking at people wearing our own colors. Or taking a condescending attitude toward those who dare to express a slightly different opinion. It's that condescension you get from the wingers all the time.
It's always a tough call between Mexican and BBQ. Good luck with that, though I suspect you've had both. As for me, after that last football analogy, I'm in the mood for a Fletcher's Corny Dog.

March 28, 2010 at 11:35 PM  
Blogger PENolan said...

Life is good here in Austin, Texas. I've been howling at the moon around campfires in the country, finding the rings of Saturn and hanging out in the ER with a best friend and her kid.

I wish all y'all could be here for BBQ and Beer. It's a great way to spend a day.

Today I'm off to UT to see about a PhD then back to Houston. I'm hoping to find a big bluebonnet patch on the road so I can bring an armfull home on the plane.

March 29, 2010 at 10:25 AM  
Blogger VV said...

Glad you're enjoying Texas. It sounds like a nice break, um, other than the ER. Hope that all turned out well. Have a safe trip back to NY.

April 4, 2010 at 8:12 AM  

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