Snort Notes – January 2011

THE UNION, PHILADELPHIA’S PROFESSIONAL SOCCER TEAM, FINDS A SPONSOR IN A MEXICAN BAKING COMPANY

The sponsorship deal was announced earlier this week, and immediately raised some eyebrows. Although the baking company’s name is pronounced Beembo, it is spelled Bimbo. This realization has caused much speculation and snickering among residents of the Delaware Valley. People have wondered how many people – mainly female people — will dare wear a team shirt with the word “bimbo” emblazoned on it.

This could make the Philadelphia Union the laughing stock of North American soccer. Now might be a good time to unload any unsold Chevy Novas on Mexico, which was a marketing disaster for the American automobile industry. No one in that Spanish speaking country wanted a car that was called “no go” in their language. Yet we’re suppose to accept a term denoting a dumb, loose woman on the uniforms of our macho soccer players?

SINGER/SONGWRITER GERRY RAFFERTY DIES

A Scotsman who first rose to musical fame as half of Stealers Wheel in the early 1970’s, Rafferty had his biggest success with the 1978 solo album City to City, and its monster single Baker Street. It’s one of my all time favorite albums (a very close tie with my other favorite Modern Sounds in Country and Western, Part 2 by Ray Charles). There isn’t a single song I strongly dislike on it.

In particular the song Island has lyrics that resonate with a realization I came upon years ago about my life. I’m not an island that can stand alone, as much as I would like to believe that I’m stronger than that. Rafferty’s performance helped me understand that it is okay to admit that solitude isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.

Then there was the hopelessness of his biggest Stealers Wheel hit, Stuck in the Middle with You. Everyone is encouraged to take a stand on every issue in the world, but there are many of us who don’t want to adopt either extreme. We are content to stay at center, hoping to pull the clowns on the left and the jokers on the right closer together to find common ground. Instead they continue to swirl around within their own self-centered, narrow-minded realms of madness. The result is discouraging for those of us stuck in the middle.

Speaking of jokers on the right...

RUSH LIMBAUGH STATES THE TUCSON SHOOTER HAS THE SUPPORT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

WTF?????

Okay, I believe this is the same Rush Limbaugh who denounced the initial criticisms of talk radio earlier in the week. At that time, he lashed out against those who — he claimed - were seeking to profit politically from the tragedy. Now he seems to be doing the same thing against which he ranted.

I have bad news for Mr. Limbaugh: I have not received any phone calls from the Democratic Party or appeals in the mail from any committee connected with the Democratic Party asking for money to support the Tucson shooter. (I refuse to name him in my blog, as I want to cheat him out of his fifteen minutes of fame.) The assertion that I, as a registered Democrat, would support a lenient sentence for this domestic terrorist is grossly offensive and absurd.

I consider myself a slightly left of center Democrat, but I reject the notion that I am a stereotypical bleeding heart liberal. I guess, being a Democrat, I am obligated (in Limbaugh’s view) to blame society, rather than the shooter himself for his actions. WRONG! I sincerely hope that the shooter is punished appropriately for his actions, but at the same time we must ask ourselves if there isn’t something each one of us in American society can do to prevent another re-occurrence of the Tucson massacre. This is a point of introspection, and not a point to fix blame.

Oh, that’s right. Introspection is boring! Blame elevates ratings! What the hell was I thinking?

(Thank you for reading. Rest in Peace, Mr. Rafferty.)