The only thing we have to fear is fear itself
nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror
which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.
Martin Luther
NB: Earlier today I completed and published a previously unfinished June 29 post interrupted by interim Baltimore power outages. That post is available here.
Andy Griffith: RIP
From iconic television star and director Ron Howard (side note: I loved Splash: Daryl Hannah is awesome):
Early in the second season of "The Andy Griffith Show," I ventured a suggestion for a line change to make it sound more "like the way a kid would say it." I was just 7 years old. But my idea was accepted and I remember standing frozen, thrilled at what this moment represented to me. Andy asked me, "What you grinnin' at, youngin'?" I said it was the first idea of mine they'd ever said yes to. Without a pause, Andy responded for all to hear: "It was the first idea that was any damn good. Now let's do the scene."What a wonderful talent and gift: to cultivate, not crush, the spirit of a young boy or girl; to let them know that their contributions matter and they make a difference; to show them a measure of respect; to stop, watch, listen, and acknowledge what they do or say. It's something that I tried to do as an uncle to 21 nephews and nieces when they were little. It's something I learned about fairly early in life. My middle brother, almost 3 years younger, felt left out of the activities of my younger sister and me; we said that he was "too little". My maternal grandfather felt sorry for him and would offer to play a game of checkers or some other activity with him. Years later my second nephew was in a similar situation; I looked at the picture that he was coloring and expressed some enthusiasm about his efforts. Now I've never even taken a college art course, so my expertise in judging coloring is, at best, limited. He responded by gifting me with a dozen masterpieces over the next 2 hours. I would wax enthusiasm over the video game successes of other nephews, while, to be honest, I find most board, computer or video games boring. I would practice my listening skills and patience with kids and try to take them seriously as little people; I'm convinced that it makes a difference. I've never been blessed with children of my own, but I would urge fathers to invest some precious time with their kids. I can still remember my dad taking me out, just the two of us, for a doughnut and glass of milk; I can still remembering "catching" my first fish (my dad and his buddies did all the hard work but let me believe that it was all my doing).
"Andy Griffith" and "Mayberry RFD" are part of Americana; the series did a good job at conveying the charms of small town America, the genuine friendliness of its people, state fairs and Friday night high school football. (I'm going beyond the show a bit, but I'm thinking of my Texas high school days, remembering chicken-fried steak and gravy, old-fashioned mashed potatoes, homemade biscuits, pecan pie and tea--or country ham, biscuits, grits, and eggs for breakfast while driving through Tennessee). [I know; I've had to struggle with my weight as an adult, and I haven't eaten these foods in ages, so I have to fantasize about them. Don't get me started on Southern belles with their soft drawl...]
I have to say that just like Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand have turned me off as a fan by using their celebrity to back pedestrian Democratic politics, Andy Griffith similarly turned me off with his political activism (including his endorsement of the catastrophic ObamaCare legislation, a cardinal sin against the free market in health care). His political views are not consistent with most small town Americans I've known: Barack Obama never could understand those baffling Midwest folks clinging to their guns and Bibles, voting against their own interests, i.e., his Robin Hood policies which would benefit them. Obama, of course, is clueless about old-fashioned virtues and values we were raised with in small town America--like hard work, thrift, self-reliance, initiative, charity, etc. For Andy Griffith misusing his iconic image to sell political views totally incompatible with small town values is something I'm having to struggle with in writing this tribute.
But what made for Andy Griffith's appeal was not his divisive politics, but his considerable talent in producing wholesome family entertainment that connected with middle America. My thoughts and prayers to surviving family members and friends.
Sign of the Times
Suppression of political speech is achieved by unconstitutional thinly disguised majoritarian censorship; sham rationalizations do not fool anyone. Although this blog has spotlighted abuses of the federal government (after all, we are speaking of government choking the private sector frittering away nearly a quarter of GDP), I have been sharply critical of local politicians whom seem to feel that they aren't doing their job if they don't add additional floors of meddling with economic and civil liberties of their fellow citizens and businesses. Isn't it time we elect local politicians dedicated to a good spring cleaning of onerous zoning and other counterproductive, unnecessary, or obsolete laws? How about politicians encouraging young children to develop iconic businesses, like lemonade stands, instead of trying to impose Draconian costs as if they were running full-time businesses? Isn't it time we start looking at chipping away at the 101 reasons by petty local legislators, administrators, and bureaucrats (channeling their inner tyrant) frustrating emergence of the American entrepreneurial spirit?
Political Humor
The Democratic Convention is $27 million in debt. They had to cancel the kick-off event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. A speedway is the perfect place for the Democratic Convention. You go around in circles, turn left every few seconds, and you end up right where you started. - Jay Leno
[The Democrats were looking for someone to come in and turn things around. One of the people on the committee had heard about this guy whom had taken a different 4-year public event $379M short of revenue benchmarks and led it to a $100M profit. But Mitt Romney told the committee that he is busy.]
A lot of times people in the witness protection program get plastic surgery. That’s why the Mafia spent so much time looking for Sammy "The Cat Lady" Ravanno. - Craig Ferguson
[Well, that explains what happened to Nancy Pelosi before she insisted that she wasn't present at intelligence briefings on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques.
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| Courtesy of FreakingNews.com |
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, "Mary Jane's Last Dance"
