There's only one way to succeed in anything
and that is to give everything.
Vince Lombardi
Prior Post Published Today
Over the past month, I've started to publish self-contained/independent/one-off posts separately from my miscellany format. (At some time I may go back through older posts, assign tags, and repackage suitable commentaries, which others may have missed given the varied nature of my miscellanies.) There has been a lot of speculation about a possible running mate for Mitt Romney. Ideally I would love Romney to pick a pro-liberty conservative, but what's more important is making sure that we evict the current Occupy the White House residents, determined to take action against the upper 1%, regardless of the adverse effects on the economy.
Drudge Report had a section of links earlier today about possible VP choices for Romney in the aftermath of his impressive hat trick of primaries yesterday. Rasmussen has Romney up 3 over Obama, Survey USA has Romney up 2 to 1 over Santorum in California, and Romney continues to hold a 15-point lead over Santorum in the Gallup daily tracking poll (I do expect a slight improvement over the next few days.)
Sarah Palin reportedly has suggested the nomination of freshman Congressman Allen West (R-FL), whom many readers may remember from a powerful speech he gave before his election. Congressman West has particularly been known since his election for high-profile clashes with fellow south Floridian Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the DNC chair, and the Congressional Black Caucus. (This blog is not a friend to Wasserman-Schultz, but I have to say Congressman West's email tirade in response to Wasserman-Schultz' indirect snide remarks from the floor was unusually direct and personal.) First, I think that Congressman West, at this point in his political career, lacks the administrative and policy experience and expertise to serve as President; over the past 3-plus years, we have seen the problems that can occur with an inexperienced President. Second, I suspect that Sarah Palin is thinking of a VP campaign role of red meat politics, and there is no doubt about West's populist appeal with the base and powerful speaking skills. I think, though, West's response to Wasserman-Schultz raises issues of temperament, a problem with the moderate and independent voters needed to win key battleground states. Romney doesn't need his VP selection to rally the base; we cannot afford another 4 years of the $5T Man. We cannot afford for the VP selection choice to be a political issue this year like it was in 2008. If what we needed was a powerful orator, we would recruit our Presidents from Toastmasters.
I suggested Romney's consideration of retiring US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX); you can find that post here.
Free Speech vs Military Discipline:
USMC Sgt. Gary Stein's Obama Critique
This blog has been critical of President Obama; however, I am not employed directly or indirectly by the federal government. I do not approve of public sector employee involvement in the political process from a matter of professional ethics and vested interest in political outcomes. If and when you become a federal employee, there are clear boundaries. You do not lose your constitutional rights when you become a public servant, but you need to avoid anything in fact or appearance which would suggest military involvement in the political process. The US Constitution makes it clear that the military is accountable to duly elected civilian leadership. I strongly opposed the election of President Obama, but I recognize the legitimacy of his election and his status as Commander in Chief.
I believe that military personnel are well-briefed on relevant boundaries of personal behavior. I think it's always prudent to remain respectful of the Commander in Chief, on or off duty and provide a proper disclaimer against representing the position of the US military in political matters if or when a military member discloses his occupation.
USMC meteorologist Sgt. Gary Stein is unhappy with military handling of circumstances involving the volatile issue of the controversial inadvertent Koran burning in Afghanistan. On a Facebook page which includes in its title "Armed Forces", Stein has written critical comments about the POTUS, including a suggestion that he wouldn't follow orders from President Obama. He later clarified his meaning to say "unlawful" orders from POTUS. (I'm not exactly sure what an unlawful order to a meteorologist is--giving Obama a weather forecast for a political fundraiser in MacArthur Park?) Note that the website does have an explicit disclaimer over any affiliation with the US military.
The military is looking to discipline Sgt. Stein. I am supporting Sgt. Stein on freedom of speech grounds, even though I disagree with what Stein said and how he said it. I don't think playing word games about lawful or unlawful orders fools anyone. I think many people gripe behind a bad boss' back in the privacy of their own homes, and I view Stein's comments not unlike burning the American flag: primarily symbolic than substantive in nature. I would view comments within context; for instance, if Stein had indicated an intent to disobey specific (legal) orders from his superior officer, that would be a violation of the military code.
Entertainment Potpourri
- Whitney Houston Autopsy Results. I haven't revisited the Whitney Houston story since the Grammies although there have been interim reports. Reading today that she accidentally drowned face down in a foot of bathtub water was rather confusing, because (1) surely they knew Whitney was found face down in the water earlier and (2) I thought that they had ruled out drowning because there wasn't enough water in her lungs. The report says that there was scant evidence of Xanax or beer in Whitney's blood although there were empty bottles or containers in the suite, but there was cocaine in her system. Clearly people do not drown in a foot of water unless somehow they're incapacitated. But given this unnatural cocktail of stuff in her body--allergy medicine, muscle relaxant, marijuana, cocaine, etc.: it's not just Whitney, but think of the passing of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and others. Whether in politics or entertainment, it shows the importance of having people around you whom aren't 'yes' men but will tell you things you don't want to hear. As a consultant, I've had to do that (tell IT managers things they didn't want to hear, and believe me, it's dangerous: even when you're right, you still can get terminated), but you cannot aid and abet self-destructive behavior. Some conservatives want to attack Houston for failing to measure up to the ideal of a good role model for young women. I don't have unrealistic expectations of human nature. Whitney Houston knew she had a problem and made attempts to deal with it, but addictions and substance abuse are difficult issues to resolve. I feel sad for her family; she had all this fame and wealth, but she'll never see her daughter get married or kiss her first grandchild, things most people take for granted. I feel sad for her mom; it must feel so bad to outlive one's own baby. There's no need to further burden hearts already broken.
- American Idol: Some Reflections. I have written past commentaries on the show and have made some suggestions. I hardly think that American Idol producers are interested in the feedback of some obscure political blogger. I have to say I'm somewhat disillusioned hearing some of these finalists miss singing with their bands; it's like a wrestling fan discovering for the first time that pro wrestling outcomes are scripted. I used to imagine that these were all undiscovered, virgin voices, venturing out for the first time outside of one's home shower: not unlike Britain's unlikely recording sensation, middle-aged Susan Boyle. Instead you find out, e.g., Ms. Sparks, a former winner, used to perform with a famous Christian music artist, others have cut CD's in the past, etc. You have kids whom have hired vocal coaches and do these complex little gimmick runs.
PLEASE! I prefer singing like actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) says in Notting Hill: "I'm also just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her": first and foremost, do the songwriter proud. Wrap your voice around the meaning of the lyrics. It's difficult to explain, but take Agnetha's classic "If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind": there's a bridge verse after the first chorus: "But what use of flowers in the morning, When the garden they should grow in is not mine, And what use is sunshine if I'm crying, And my falling tears are mingled with the wine". (A lighter variation on the Stones' "Paint It Black".) I'm a natural tenor, but when I sing that verse, I will break into my baritone. Part of the chorus is: "in the winter snow my songs would keep you from the cold": I want the listener to feel the warmth of the fireplace through the singing of the verse. When I sing a song, I don't want them thinking, "Who's singing that song?"; I want them thinking, "I've heard that song before but never really got it until now..."
I still don't like the judges--although Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler have been more critical than I originally expected. There's still too much cheerleading from the 3 judges, too many trite sayings, exaggerated praise, etc.: if I've been practicing the performance of one or 2 songs over the past week getting critiques from industry veterans, I better nail it. Another change is that there has been over the last couple of years or so more freedom for singers to stay within their preferred genre (e.g., country/western). To be honest, I dislike this change; I want them challenged to sing in other styles. I think it favors genres; last year, the two finalists were both country--and I don't think they were the best singers in the competition. (I think it's much harder to hit the pop charts than the country charts; Kelly Clarkson is still the best Idol of all time.) I still don't get why American Idol lets the performers pick the songs: when I tested my college students, I didn't say, "Okay, tell me what questions you want to see on the test..." I also think that contestants can favor familiar or less challenging songs. For example, Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park" is challenging for any decent tenor while many of his other songs don't test the upper register. (Props to Elise Testone for tackling Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love"--which may have been the singular most amazing performance I've seen on Idol next to Bo Bice's a cappella performance of "In a Dream". There's no doubt about Carrie Underwood's superior popularity and professional success, but I still believe that Bo Bice was the better singer.)
I do like the experimentation with multi-partner performances, one of the ideas I also suggested earlier. But, again, I want to see some variation of impromptu song assignments (e.g., the contestants are each handed a listing of 5 songs, one of which will be selected the day of the performance), a more weighted scoring scheme (e.g., a diving or gymnastic-like complexity index plus some combination of judges' and public voting), minimum selections in alternate genres, guest judges, and earlier rounds of judge song selections and original material. You could provide some other gimmicks as well, e.g., a contestant can be allowed one wildcard song selection during the competition. The show needs to control viewer voting practices as well; even though I'm entitled to vote multiple times, I don't. I think fanatical fans can manipulate voting results.
Who do I like this season? I think the current selection of candidates left is one of the strongest groups I've seen to date. Jessica Sanchez is a 16-year-old prodigy whom immediately stood out to me, but her performances have varied in quality. Phillip Phillips is a multi-talented, natural entertainer, and Elise Testone, as mentioned above is gifted. (Warning to singers: being named a favorite of mine is like being an athlete chosen to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.)Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Doobie Brothers, "China Grove". I heart all things San Antonio, the greatest city in the world....Tex-Mex cuisine, the River Walk, my undergraduate days when the Spurs arrived as part of the ABA. (Dr. J, George Gervin, tri-color basketballs, the innovative 3-point shot (at the time),...)
