TV, McCain and pizza

Here are some things I've learned from television lately. Tough to admit, but my guilty pleasures are immeasurable.

Okay, I'm not too familiar with the Mixed Martial Arts craze, but why aren't these guys fighting on pavement without gloves, knee pads and mouth pieces. Don't they teach you these martial arts so you can fight...anyplace you get jumped? I realize this stuff is replacing boxing, but that's only because boxing isn't violent enough. Man, our culture is really making great strides, no?

Ben Affleck offered an interesting view of MaCain's "defense" of Obama when he was accused of being an Arab. While being a panel member on the Bill Maher show he pointed out that saying "Obama is not an Arab, he's really a good guy", doesn't have any meaning at all. I mean you could say, "Biff isn't Irish, he's just an asshole." One really has nothing to do with the other. A lot of my republican friends were quick to point out this "gracious" gesture by Palin's running mate.

It's really easy to tell when my wife is displeased...William becomes my name.

I've been reading a great book by Simon Braatz, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in NYC. For the Thrill of it All is the latest in a small list of accounts of the Leopld & Loeb murder of 1924, and early "crime of the century". I have times when I just can't get enough of well written true crime stories. One of the more interesting aspects of the tale is that the perps never denied the crime. All parties are from wealthy, high-society Chicago and the families hire Clarence Darrow to save their children from the gallows. Period pieces have always entertained me (The Bridge Over the River Kwai is my favorite movie), and this one is particularly loaded with specifics of the time. It's really a good read, chilling with psychosis.

Finally, Robert Wuhl, while beseeching everyone to stop worshipping the founding fathers (hey, they were good guys, had good intentions, but if we were following the original template; slavery, women as second class citizens, etc, where would we be?) had a really good point. The FIRST sentence of the Constitution has a serious grammatical error. You can't have a "more perfect" anything. It's either perfect or it isn't.

My next point isn't a direct TV observation for me, but the tube has sort of helped. We have heard a lot of talk about John McCain's time in a Vietnamese prison during that conflict. There are a couple of troubling ideas that emanate from that situation for me. I admit fully to avoiding participation conflict, but I do respect McCain for his strength to survive his horrid experience. But, I'm leery of those who think that his incarceration qualifies him for the job of President. In a real sort of way, couldn't that experience have handicapped his ability to run the country? My brother is quick to remind me that he was never treated for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. I have no idea if that's true, but I haven't heard anything to convince it's not true. Of course he also tells me "W" never completed a twelve step program. My self, a Wild Turkey to cold turkey guy, I don't know if AA is a foolproof remedy for alcoholism.

Looks like Karen is going with the Big Papi (#34) tee-shirt tonight for the Red Sox/Devil Rays game. Me, I'm going for Pizza...at one of the greatest pizza joints of all time, Frank Pepe's Napoletana (1934) in New Haven. It's located almost in the heart (at the least the thoracic region) of Pizza Alley, which stretches from the Village in NYC to the North End in Boston. It doesn't stray too far from I-95 along that route. Anything west of the Hudson is Wonder Bread and pasta sauce. Please don't talk to me about Chicago deep dish or California designer crap...it just ain't apizza. My usual whole clam white will be replaced by a mushroom, garlic & onion delight tonight. Check out their website sometime.

Okay, have a good night, May the Devil be wth the Rays...will know about Beckett early, bunt and run, later , biff