Soft You Now ...

Script Frenzy has ended. They wanted 100 pages in 30 days, they got 104 pages in 28 days. They gave Julie and I a logo saying that we are winners (as opposed to the one that simply concedes that we would be capable of covering a good sized wall with words ..

I have mostly sort of completed casting for the production of RICHARD III that I'm scheduled to direct in the fall. It was a surprise, then, when I stumbled across auditions mentioned on Facebook. Oops - auditions are for another company. I forgot that THREE productions of the play are scheduled to open within weeks of each other. (Who came up with that idea?)

I just finished seeing RENT, and writing reviews for A THOUSAND CLOWNS and I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER. My fingers hurt.

I am unaware of any politicians doing anything profoundly outrageous so far today, resulting in no heavy breathing on my part (and no cause for consternation and/or bemused interest from friends who live in civilized countries.).

Julie is off swatting at the windmill down the street, and the gauntlet Q threw at my feet I will pick up - tomorrow.

For the moment, then, the sun is shining and the weather is balmy warm. I'm going to take my drink, sit in the lawn chair I should have taken in last fall, and just smell the dandelions.


j

This Is Where I Stand

Remember this thing?

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

In case you are unaware, this is the opening paragraph from the United States Declaration of Independence, signed by 56 men on July 4, 1776.

I’ve always enjoyed the pure audacity of this document. Here were a number of wealthy and influential men laying everything they held dear – including their lives – on the line for their convictions.

Two hundred and thirty-four years later it’s easy to view these people as two dimensional, frozen in portraits, a faded parchment one of the few artifacts reminding us that they lived at all.

Oddly enough, it was an Englishman commenting on my last post who unintentionally reminded me that grumbling from the safe obscurity of the sidelines doesn’t cut it. (Good show, Malmesbury.)

So. In order to give some kind of perspective to my critiques of the people who lead this country, here’s where I stand on those who either are in power, or think they are.

I support the President of the United States. I voted for him. (And was surprised when he won.) He’s not perfect – largely inexperienced. I know that. But I liked many of his ideas. And he’s smart. Sarah Palin once commented that if Barack Obama was elected, we’d have a college professor in office. To me, that was a selling point. I WANT someone as President who is smarter than I am. God knows I want someone in there who is smarter than Sarah Palin! I’ve been told that the effect of any President isn’t felt until 8 years after that person takes office. I’m willing to wait at least a little while before offering a judgment.

I have nothing against John McCain, but I felt nothing strongly for him, either. He had – has – a sarcastic streak I don’t appreciate. That turned me off, and thus so did he. As of late, he’s joined the “hell no” bandwagon. That’s fine. When I think of him, I will be reminded of the slogan. Good job, John.

I’m amazed at the popularity of Sarah Palin. The woman is hard pressed to put together two coherent sentences in a row. Yes, I read her book. Everything I see her do is motivated primarily to promote Sarah Palin. At some point I’d like to see her sink into the obscurity she so richly deserves.

On the day the Health Reform bill was made into law, the Republican minority leader, John Boehner, announced that he would make every effort to see that law repealed at the earliest possible opportunity. He has no better plan in mind. If he succeeds, I sincerely hope the 56 million people he will deprive of health insurance will take the opportunity to thank him personally.

And to those congressmen and senators who yell out during speeches and preach hate at every opportunity, I have zero tolerance. Zero. I don’t care how impassioned they are, this is unacceptable, immature, self-serving and rude. And in case you think I’m being too hard on them, consider this; forget for a moment that they are congressmen and senators. Would you want someone like that in the car behind you on the way home?

j

Congress and the Senate

To: The Congress and Senate of these United States
From: One really irritated rabbit

Re: I WANT MY VOTE BACK!

When I was in school, I was taught that it was rude to interrupt when someone else was speaking. When I was in business, if someone disrupted a meeting (which, by the way, never happened) that person would be asked to leave. Why, as a congressman or Senator, do you think it’s appropriate to scream out an inane comment when another public figure is speaking? Do you honestly think I appreciate this display of immaturity representing me? Do you think an insincere apology will mollify me? Sir or madam, it will not. I want you gone – out of here. I want your head shaved and painted orange. I want you stripped naked, and paraded out of town in the middle of winter while clinging by your fingernails to the top of a forty-foot tar covered telephone pole. And it’s not for you that I want this. You are history. Rather, I want the imbecile who replaces you to go into the job fully educated.

I don’t want one party to vote a hundred percent for a bill where the other party votes a hundred percent against it. And if a bill is voted into law, I don’t want to hear – that very day, that you are going to work to have it repealed at the first opportunity. Excuse me for asking, but … if you are so dissatisfied with this bill that you brag that you had nothing to do with it’s creation … my question is, why didn’t you? What am I paying you for? What are you doing up there? I think I’ve had enough. Clean out your desks and go. No hurry. Take all morning if you must.

What started my tirade? Today I heard a man casually comment that he’d like to see someone “take a gun an’ shoot the President an’ all them damn democrats.” True story.

Shocked (and more than a little naive), I asked the man why he wanted all these people murdered.

“Because of the - - health reform law,” he grumbled.

I thought about that. “Isn’t killing people over a health bill something of an oxymoron,” I asked.

The man bristled, sure that I was belittling him. He left, the anger more obvious than it was before he forced conversation upon me.

I wondered if he was encouraged by all the pompous rhetoric you have been spouting over the past weeks and months? I wonder if he will find justification in some form of violent action by following your leadership.?

And if someone is killed, I wonder if you can be tried as an accomplice or instigator? Boy, I hope so.

And so, whatever your motivations are, I want you to be aware of the following:

(1) YOU NO LONGER REPRESENT ME! I release you from your claimed obligations. You are, in fact, a source of great personal embarrassment.


(2) You have lost my vote. Not only have you lost my vote in the upcoming elections, but I’m going to see if I can take back my vote from the last several times you ran for office.

(3) It takes a lot – it really does, but you do NOT have the approval of a rabbit!


j