Art Linkletter, RIP: 1912 - 5/26/10
 |
| Courtesy, AP, 2006 |
Kids Say the Darndest Things: Video and Examples
Art Linkletter's famous collection, based on his interview segment on House Party, was one of my favorite books in our home library.
K:My father's a schoolteacher.
L:That's a fine profession. Does he like it?
K:He only has one thing to complain about.
L:What's that?
K:The kids.
L:What did your mommy tell you not to say?
K:My mother told me not to tell any of the family secrets, like the time she dyed her hair blonde and it came out purple.
Bonus Video: Art Linkletter & daughter Diane:
"We Love You, Call Collect"
Diane committed suicide which Art attributed to drug abuse, soon after this award-winning recording which was released posthumously. The poignant recording focuses on letters between a father and his runaway teen daughter.
The Obama May 27 Press Conference:
Some Comments on Opening Remarks
- The BP bashing is unnecessary and pushing on a string. BP has not disputed its obligation for cleanup and economic damages to coastal businesses. I personally regard all this bellicose rhetoric as an attempt to deflect attention from the suboptimal response from the federal government.
- Obama's insistence that the federal government is in charge means that it has to take ultimate responsibility for what many people perceive as a slow, uncertain response to recognizing the nature, scope, and resolution of the disaster. For example, BP could always argue that federal approvals tied its hands, and it has every incentive to mitigate its losses. At one point, Obama recognizes that BP has technology and know-how specifically addressing the ruptured pipeline. Generally speaking, the federal government's primary responsibility has been to mitigate the economic and ecological effects of the oil spill on the coastline and any adjoining waterways. It should stick to its own distinctive mandates and the limits of its own knowledge and experience.
- Obama sends out mixed messages. At one point, he insists he is taking full responsibility, but he does Bush bashing in arguing (over a year in his presidency) that there effectively was no regulation, and he bashes BP. He disingenuously suggests that ecological impacts weren't done because the Congress did not allow one to be done, given an unrealistically short 30 day period to respond. He also argues there were internal control problems with relevant agencies. But then he then notes the unprecedented nature and intrinsic difficulty of plugging a hole a mile under the gulf surface. It seems clear whatever the structural problems in the federal agency, it's not salient to the discussion of a contingency plan in the event of catastrophic failure of redundant mechanical failover technology. There are several relevant points to be made with Obama's assertions. For example, consider the 30 day period. Even assuming it's true an ecological impact study takes over 30 days, presumably there could be a contingent approval pending completion of the impact study. Then again: we need to understand why it takes over 30 days. Is the delay principally a manpower issue? Why didn't the competent progressive government realize ecological impact studies weren't taking place and adjust approval schedules? Why didn't the progressive government realize the internal controls problems in advance?
Dana Summers doesn't show the surviving pilot, Barack Obama. He ran out of taxpayer money trying to pilot the economy through turbulence of a partisan, radical progressive agenda focused on ineffective super-spending and racing past a $13T national debt, tax-and-trade, scapegoat-the-banks "reform", and smoke-and-mirrors health care deformation. Obama, of course, is accusing BP of ignoring federal standards and having a cozy relationship with federal inspectors in the production of jet fuel and blaming Bush for not maintaining the plane properly. In the meanwhile, Obama is searching the crash site, trying to find his missing voice, a positive job approval rating, a winning political issue, and his leadership. He has been in touch with Robert Gibbs, telling him that there has been no quid pro quo in asking Admiral Sestak to come and rescue him.
Quote of the Day
The first virtue of all really great men is that they are sincere. They eradicate hypocrisy from their hearts.
Anotole France
Musical Interlude: AFI Music Top 100 (continued)
#45. "That's Entertainment"
#46. "Don't Rain on my Parade"
#47. "Zip a Dee Doo Dah"
#48. "Que Sera, Sera"
