tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67051241189639663232024-03-05T15:05:43.261-08:00Live Verse by Ellen GriffithEllen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-50865603458204204192016-02-13T16:01:00.004-08:002016-03-15T13:36:58.449-07:00FREEDUMB AMERICA<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwvUAJzd2-NiWdEwcewdslugiZ8TGsmpRL3DGUqiwTNmFZeJ7BLMNKJGm61lXiVm9AmgnAbk_vjCz9ZnSEaWLVcJFBeZcaRflD9lEoTIKT0i-jsGSuCtgyue4el2DPvgikiG13vmwCiRv/s1600/dunce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwvUAJzd2-NiWdEwcewdslugiZ8TGsmpRL3DGUqiwTNmFZeJ7BLMNKJGm61lXiVm9AmgnAbk_vjCz9ZnSEaWLVcJFBeZcaRflD9lEoTIKT0i-jsGSuCtgyue4el2DPvgikiG13vmwCiRv/s200/dunce.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></o:p></span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">My ignorance is as good as
your knowledge,<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I don’t give a damn what you
say,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I can believe ANY crazy-ass
thing,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">‘Cause the facts don’t get in
my way<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">My dumb-ass vote counts as
much as your smart one,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">When wrong, I’m never in
doubt,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Aggressive stupidity beats
thoughtful analysis,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">And the fact-checkers always
strike out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">This steaming pile of
know-nothingness,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Attracts the brain-washed and
drip-dried,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">If democracy needs an
informed electorate,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It looks like democracy has
died.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">2016</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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</span></span></span></span></span><br /></div>
Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-75174432598038216682015-07-13T10:29:00.001-07:002015-07-30T15:01:36.308-07:00YOUR MONEY COUNTS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9psCKs5HRNj-cyrHOAFqARoRuPQhV5P4pqHzY4N0oRHqJ5ToShHmfSfVYdKnqv4XKoF75KVZVv0o38DBtC_CFTF5J3xHn_Q9vA37lmUYMth5NTh9Vwbarl2YL1Zs9g1yRaRIxqGUYKbD/s1600/moneyvote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9psCKs5HRNj-cyrHOAFqARoRuPQhV5P4pqHzY4N0oRHqJ5ToShHmfSfVYdKnqv4XKoF75KVZVv0o38DBtC_CFTF5J3xHn_Q9vA37lmUYMth5NTh9Vwbarl2YL1Zs9g1yRaRIxqGUYKbD/s200/moneyvote.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Just one good, old American vote<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">They promised, was all I would need,<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But that was back in the good old days<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Before good old American Greed.<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong>
</strong><br />
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<strong><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;">And now I’m allowed to spend millions<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">To buy who will represent me,<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And you, my friend, may spend millions too,<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">They say it’s equality!<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong>
</strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Democracy’s now just an auction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Supreme Court’s too dumb to see,<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When the Kochs spend a billion on their guy,<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I need a billion to disagree.<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
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</strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>©2015<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-62089112125207545492015-03-10T14:11:00.000-07:002015-07-31T13:46:10.751-07:00SWEATSHOP DEMOCRACY<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYAqB-6nHNJeyErWoLVQZ3aCzEd761mziQjfCKE4rkHBRHAfjJf44WGDKOilB7WmayjOLkYwC9yQhCgTE1rcA3fZkyu97Pwt1g7wPz0yn2KnBvsM9cLA4oOnqaamzgAljkM3P1nAbvcXB/s1600/WorkersRights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYAqB-6nHNJeyErWoLVQZ3aCzEd761mziQjfCKE4rkHBRHAfjJf44WGDKOilB7WmayjOLkYwC9yQhCgTE1rcA3fZkyu97Pwt1g7wPz0yn2KnBvsM9cLA4oOnqaamzgAljkM3P1nAbvcXB/s1600/WorkersRights.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Democracy feels like a giant rock<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>That I push up a steep, steep hill.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>I DO work hard and play by the rules,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>But I’m pushing…pushing, still.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>This rock gets harder and harder to push,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>It’ll flatten me, now, if I stop,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>And a happy group of well-off folks,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Is laughing at me from the top.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>A lifetime of pushing this rock up this hill,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>With never a bit of slack,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>And now I find out, those folks at the top…<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Those bastards have been pushing back!<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">©2015<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></div>
Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-65181331240358170012015-02-27T13:58:00.000-08:002015-07-31T13:48:40.150-07:00WORKING CLASS<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWJKsQgbPXD1a08PAZ_TrywZokSph0jb-zyUuGBvM7MPcvCJU7bP2eMZ6YxQBuJ2KYMQ2lmtBwb6uRYxHiEaVTjZiWvZQKu-fe8FgvnbJFbHcP2C5ew4WSOmowUsX_AgsdlLvRCCh6TR_/s1600/workersrights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWJKsQgbPXD1a08PAZ_TrywZokSph0jb-zyUuGBvM7MPcvCJU7bP2eMZ6YxQBuJ2KYMQ2lmtBwb6uRYxHiEaVTjZiWvZQKu-fe8FgvnbJFbHcP2C5ew4WSOmowUsX_AgsdlLvRCCh6TR_/s200/workersrights.jpg" width="131" /></a><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Too proud to beg,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Too nervous to steal,<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Too stubborn to starve,<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Too angry to kneel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>“Workers arise!” seems too quaint a phrase,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">For fighting this ruthless war,<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">When the corporate cats are so fat-ass rich,<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">And the wage-slaves so church-mouse poor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>© 2012<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-42961037708642861862015-02-25T14:52:00.000-08:002015-07-31T13:51:17.521-07:00MAKERS vs TAKERS<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Longer hours and shorter pay,</strong></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DUIBwGuoG8vhIz28njR4dG4Cgj5FWhfDPccAYOaIrBAeBsrjpsDDIbRWEMcZjzL_-F4EAiIBRRGx3KN8LQfAGxcrL9vDYpuCjFFKKu03tYU9TCnIIZ-6Al4aIzlmj-VC0Cb_RgcSWSPk/s1600/2-money-crumpled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DUIBwGuoG8vhIz28njR4dG4Cgj5FWhfDPccAYOaIrBAeBsrjpsDDIbRWEMcZjzL_-F4EAiIBRRGx3KN8LQfAGxcrL9vDYpuCjFFKKu03tYU9TCnIIZ-6Al4aIzlmj-VC0Cb_RgcSWSPk/s200/2-money-crumpled.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
And we take it, take it, take it,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
Shorter fuse and a longer day,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
And we take it, take it, take it,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
Shorten the leash and they yank, yank, yank,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
Stretch us on the rack, and they crank, crank, crank</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
And the wealth flows up to the precious few,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Who take it, take it, take it to the bank.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>© 2013</strong></span></div>
Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-48325178097859160382015-01-17T15:45:00.000-08:002015-01-18T13:53:22.695-08:00HOLY HARDBALL<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDx-2hxQ56U6_XCR-L6IHSTfOO0cc2l9yLEJfaVsXgjwr_eJCdsTtoR2JCcI0WNbGaEKQnRhh5ZHDXK9w-IHj1nytfxa2WrVLGRGJjNfYH2fZZNwr24ZQkHBxM_s-_wtPhtKnONGA_D8ee/s1600/image042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDx-2hxQ56U6_XCR-L6IHSTfOO0cc2l9yLEJfaVsXgjwr_eJCdsTtoR2JCcI0WNbGaEKQnRhh5ZHDXK9w-IHj1nytfxa2WrVLGRGJjNfYH2fZZNwr24ZQkHBxM_s-_wtPhtKnONGA_D8ee/s1600/image042.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Religion's not nice these days,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Showing its medieval ways.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>A mean, nasty fungus</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Is spreading among us</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>To prey instead of to pray,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>And the Golden Rule's so yesterday.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong>©<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2015</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-87196355289947406782014-11-09T15:38:00.000-08:002014-11-09T13:42:01.284-08:00THIS AIN'T JIMMY STEWART'S CONGRESS<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK3QnRc4TWx0QfIy71s9VadTygPfwoNF5hPZg0PqJlFEUtQGGBQ3LP1Smg9kCw5bA3cD2lfGJVIjhfY86_iPVk1K9IOPCLrU3rMSnstQbSZMfp8wtyKfLmPaGDWsEHq1WftU2jglP6YZr/s1600/mister+smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK3QnRc4TWx0QfIy71s9VadTygPfwoNF5hPZg0PqJlFEUtQGGBQ3LP1Smg9kCw5bA3cD2lfGJVIjhfY86_iPVk1K9IOPCLrU3rMSnstQbSZMfp8wtyKfLmPaGDWsEHq1WftU2jglP6YZr/s200/mister+smith.jpg" height="200" width="151" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Mr. Smith goes to Washington. What does he find?</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Gridlock! On a grandiose scale.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Voters sent him to get stuff done,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Like Frank Capra's old fairy tale.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">But Senator</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Smith will be hog-tied,</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>By obstructionist trolls and jerks,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Whose bitter distain for We the People,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Compells them to gum up the works.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>So the senator takes up arms,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>In a partisan brawl of accusers,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>While Americans watch with a cynical eye,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Knowing that we'll be the losers.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-83606869148555445392014-09-30T13:43:00.000-07:002014-09-30T16:19:30.802-07:00WHO'S ILLEGAL?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvQscuhrcNPe6BI-dURFdgmIjXJ63u_0Ga3ehLnWSg6eMJH3VhZ9fUKr-GF8T-9c3Qejsp1hkEfwKuqvoqasqnE8X8ELcTmMCcKjjlaV8WF7hEX7UX3Kgv1gGlHTJIO_c7t_TPdlw7PW3/s1600/illegal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvQscuhrcNPe6BI-dURFdgmIjXJ63u_0Ga3ehLnWSg6eMJH3VhZ9fUKr-GF8T-9c3Qejsp1hkEfwKuqvoqasqnE8X8ELcTmMCcKjjlaV8WF7hEX7UX3Kgv1gGlHTJIO_c7t_TPdlw7PW3/s200/illegal.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>When the first peace pipe was passed,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>A mellow medicine man,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Crafted the first legislation,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>A bad immigration plan.</strong></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">And so the fuss of THEM and US,</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">The cranky-ass need to condemn,</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Except for descendants of Sitting Bull,</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">All of US used to be THEM.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>©2013</strong></span></span></div>
Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-90701782184882868662014-09-22T16:00:00.000-07:002014-09-30T16:22:28.302-07:00GREED RUNNETH OVER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6K0mwnDRcj84YSiyYv4g5pAgYdVtLqkty77JVKSL-ORhjdOoy2bWxPhOljDCTzF-Ux0OTay6DG3Ymt85ltXYfAXS3JFGsqRfFHCT9weuQg-042s_M9jkDJXZwbNg8ko_YH0vtHxhYz1eE/s1600/greed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6K0mwnDRcj84YSiyYv4g5pAgYdVtLqkty77JVKSL-ORhjdOoy2bWxPhOljDCTzF-Ux0OTay6DG3Ymt85ltXYfAXS3JFGsqRfFHCT9weuQg-042s_M9jkDJXZwbNg8ko_YH0vtHxhYz1eE/s1600/greed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6K0mwnDRcj84YSiyYv4g5pAgYdVtLqkty77JVKSL-ORhjdOoy2bWxPhOljDCTzF-Ux0OTay6DG3Ymt85ltXYfAXS3JFGsqRfFHCT9weuQg-042s_M9jkDJXZwbNg8ko_YH0vtHxhYz1eE/s1600/greed.jpg" /></a><strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">He looks down on mankind's mortal mess,</span></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>And He’s more than a little dismayed,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Sternly He speaks:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to talk,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Humanity’s fabric is frayed.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>I taketh offense at you fortunate few,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Who’ve grabbed so much of the gold,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>While needy masses of dispossessed,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Sleep outside in the cold.</strong></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>I wonder what part of the golden rule,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>You corporate crooks don’t get,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Your sinful, greedy ill-gotten gains,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Exceedeth the national debt!</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Remember the camel…the eye of the needle?</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Salvation’s not meant to be free,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>In My Book, greed is the deadliest sin,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>So don’t come praying to me.</strong></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>I mourn humanity’s loss of compassion,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>And greed is its primal tool,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Whoever would meet thy Maker (that’s Me!),</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Live thee by My Golden Rule!</strong></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>©2011 </strong></span></span></div>
Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-38000130069228187152014-09-10T21:45:00.000-07:002015-10-11T11:49:11.467-07:00THE BIG GAME...THE AFFLUENT vs. THE BROKE<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rq31wGHjyDN70IA96BQM453OaRSkdBl8xqka4J9KvHvOBhDZXleUDChHGRy_tY8NczEHDS1ex2Sh0WiT0bmBV35dQKzuVqU_M9SaAFb4JvdqgjKMcMNEPj-3VQ02bfotoja1Zqdg-fFr/s1600/umpire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rq31wGHjyDN70IA96BQM453OaRSkdBl8xqka4J9KvHvOBhDZXleUDChHGRy_tY8NczEHDS1ex2Sh0WiT0bmBV35dQKzuVqU_M9SaAFb4JvdqgjKMcMNEPj-3VQ02bfotoja1Zqdg-fFr/s1600/umpire.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The A Team was born on third base,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>When they score it's ruled a home run,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>The B Team knows that the game is rigged,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>And it no longer seems like fun.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>The A Team gets to hire all the umps,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>And still claim there's justice for all,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>But they DON'T get to claim they're Babe Ruth,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>When they never have hit a curve ball.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>2014</strong></span>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-87154406785904092562014-08-20T22:44:00.000-07:002014-09-30T16:27:05.689-07:00MELTING POT<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>I gazed upon the stars and stripes,</strong></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPatmC-QcStoxAC6Om8DsNDSRBL6CzF2dNiTMFrcFxjSdY2jVToZqzyEK9RZEKq3icAfZXCcQp14MVjceu-gHt9z6qBpL2UVQxb0ivE6IDV966VmV5fUXJ8dmztQz9chrqo3prIoC5HjCm/s1600/Liberty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPatmC-QcStoxAC6Om8DsNDSRBL6CzF2dNiTMFrcFxjSdY2jVToZqzyEK9RZEKq3icAfZXCcQp14MVjceu-gHt9z6qBpL2UVQxb0ivE6IDV966VmV5fUXJ8dmztQz9chrqo3prIoC5HjCm/s1600/Liberty.jpg" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>And pondered chemistry,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Our melting pot is at a boil,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>An integration spree.</strong></span></span></div>
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<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong> </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>If every flavor in the pot,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Achieves assimilation,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The stew becomes a mellow brew,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Of savory integration.</strong></span></span></div>
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<strong>
</strong><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>But just one cook can spoil the broth,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>With bitter polyglot,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>One pinch of vitriolic spice.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Ignites the whole damn pot.</strong></span></span></div>
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<strong><br />
</strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>©2011</strong></span></span></div>
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Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-57310007832031266942013-02-19T10:00:00.000-08:002015-06-28T14:10:04.513-07:00SINKING THE SHIP OF STATE<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Republicans claimed to
be fiscal saints,</strong></span></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1uZXhewVwslZ3EbOO44xPrxGVdBSLpd7hduXMpivjfFYrpcRtoFp-NC_01BJQWfUKBh_M26yKGOrqy9WQQKyczlxAUK4qfdOV_-XaJ1JZwsh04qex7Y_fkKCRH5MpntfrXX2KZaiJ2pM/s1600/shipofstate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_5yuubm="2" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1uZXhewVwslZ3EbOO44xPrxGVdBSLpd7hduXMpivjfFYrpcRtoFp-NC_01BJQWfUKBh_M26yKGOrqy9WQQKyczlxAUK4qfdOV_-XaJ1JZwsh04qex7Y_fkKCRH5MpntfrXX2KZaiJ2pM/s200/shipofstate.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>After eight years of
Bush’s red-inking!</strong></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>In '08 they hand off
the ship of state,</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Just as the old tub
is sinking.</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Captain Obama called
hands on deck,</strong></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>'Cause the Dow did a big belly-flop,</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Republicans stood
in their fiscal puddle,</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>And never would go get
a mop.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>We're now in the Straits of Obstruction,</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Where compromise seems to have drowned,</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Will they scuttle our whole damn</strong></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong> Ship of State,</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>To make sure the
Captain goes down?</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>© 2013</strong></span></span><br />
<br />Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-11249709317310193202012-09-23T11:48:00.002-07:002017-09-25T11:54:44.442-07:00SEPTEMBER BLUES FOR THE DODGERS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnoKOjax1EE0byW1BlnCPUKNrOzpO_-sGHUgahIC_y0cRrcjrrqIWZ5ohBPYCbbDs_H6mxd15hwDTmRBe32wSb3n8W4q4cxSb8KP4nUjfl6t1ubALwOdXv4Q9f5sdImkD8rHystq3eNbh/s1600/dodgers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnoKOjax1EE0byW1BlnCPUKNrOzpO_-sGHUgahIC_y0cRrcjrrqIWZ5ohBPYCbbDs_H6mxd15hwDTmRBe32wSb3n8W4q4cxSb8KP4nUjfl6t1ubALwOdXv4Q9f5sdImkD8rHystq3eNbh/s200/dodgers.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>My heroes are strong and brave and swift,</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
And they all wear Dodger Blue,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
Their pedigree is rich in champs,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
And clowns and losers too.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>They stand astride our civic pride,</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
Protecting hallowed ground,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
From Padres wearing camouflage,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
Or Giants prowling ‘round.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>So take me out to the ballgame,</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
Where true hearts beat as one,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
To the dazzling dance of a double play,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
Or a stolen base undone.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>I’ll root, root, root for the Dodgers,</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
In the storied old tradition,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
And never mind they’re hitting like bums,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
With runners in scoring position.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Oh, baseball’s a tricky and fickle sport,</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
And I always try to remember,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
That June’s fly ball that clears the wall,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
Is just a long out in September.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
When shadows grow long and standings look grim,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
There’s moments of doubt and fear,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
But hope springs eternal, and Baseball’s forever,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
So fans say…wait till next year.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
I have to believe in the Dodgers,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
I know they can still go and get ‘em,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
But just about every September,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
They break my heart if I let ‘em.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>
© 2010<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></strong></span>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-40960831520839663202012-06-29T13:54:00.000-07:002013-02-25T10:56:41.122-08:00THOSE CRANKY CONSERVATIVES<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3V5OgfmrJzvo6oWtKdSCUuutJZb7vCVMLqHcxbtECq-TZJV4wJjNsTLwvjVpb1_eaClruhyphenhyphenNhYV6Ahjq0rv2Gat2JlgrWbs_yFwIAGpM_GpCRYqy6lx20hmFXuCnukX0t3gdcn9sXzCt/s1600/Republicans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3V5OgfmrJzvo6oWtKdSCUuutJZb7vCVMLqHcxbtECq-TZJV4wJjNsTLwvjVpb1_eaClruhyphenhyphenNhYV6Ahjq0rv2Gat2JlgrWbs_yFwIAGpM_GpCRYqy6lx20hmFXuCnukX0t3gdcn9sXzCt/s200/Republicans.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Remember, they didn’t trust women to vote,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They fought it for 50 grim years.</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They cried and wailed about child-labor laws,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Dollar signs mixed with their tears.</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They so hated Social Security,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They cast a unanimous nay,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>It offends their values when old folks are paid,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>To be useless and just in the way.</strong></span></span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Their sinister scheme to starve the government,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Hurts we the people. That’s us!</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>While we foot the bill for congressional pay,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They’re plotting to blow up our bus!</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Stingy and mean as junk-yard dogs,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>This surly crowd pledges to fight,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>For your FREEDOM! To struggle, starve and die,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>As long as it’s done out of sight.</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>©2012</strong></span></span></div>
Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-86568870363330627532012-05-10T16:13:00.000-07:002012-05-10T16:15:09.346-07:00HOLY SANCTIMONY!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsE36C0ptiFfwubxGWQRnEzrwwsw6chK24ZmhMRIH54kZE9YgWb4bfOAi-j5JJLr2T0fdd1FJ8WruNpuJRIzwSBZ-jypNFcJYNJH82Epo0oCzUaYCI4x2cMCViqvagznk3Wfj7Kf9KsUjg/s1600/christian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsE36C0ptiFfwubxGWQRnEzrwwsw6chK24ZmhMRIH54kZE9YgWb4bfOAi-j5JJLr2T0fdd1FJ8WruNpuJRIzwSBZ-jypNFcJYNJH82Epo0oCzUaYCI4x2cMCViqvagznk3Wfj7Kf9KsUjg/s200/christian.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The
see-evil Christian speaks loudly of sin,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">With
a wedge issue up his sleeve.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
golden-rule Christian speaks softly of tolerance.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Permissive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’d have us believe.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>But
beating up gays and preaching damnation,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Seems
mean clear through to the bone.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">How
peaceful t’would be if they’d wait for the Rapture,</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">And
just leave us sinners alone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></span>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-4585310463243720612012-04-30T16:22:00.000-07:002013-02-24T15:00:13.159-08:00TRUTH DECAY IN THE GOP<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZShzSbivdxsQPdCyEjedl8sGBYuuCMW1IyEgIiMmaoF0sKZPp9DygqBH-amqOboCxXhfpi_NwQJlL-O0LZWZCLdYLAwXVOlfCGT3DluU6P5Vh7ftVr6QTY3z9DsRqlcgkwkLfsLjHc6I/s1600/republicandinosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZShzSbivdxsQPdCyEjedl8sGBYuuCMW1IyEgIiMmaoF0sKZPp9DygqBH-amqOboCxXhfpi_NwQJlL-O0LZWZCLdYLAwXVOlfCGT3DluU6P5Vh7ftVr6QTY3z9DsRqlcgkwkLfsLjHc6I/s200/republicandinosaur.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Republicans
dislike the truth,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">They
bring their own facts to the fight,<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">They
know when you’re peddling snake oil,<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">You
keep the damn snake out of sight,<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They
cry global warming’s a hoax,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Suspicious
of gravity too,<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
rumored they still think the world is flat,<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
sure they have facts if they do.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They think evolution's
a liberal trick,</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">They say contraception's not right,<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Their
facts show the tax-cut fairy.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Can
wipe out the debt overnight.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Their ongoing war on women,</strong></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Is too big to hide with a lie,</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">So what do they do when everything shows?</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Deny, deny, deny.</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They’re
still busy proving our president,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Was
some kind of fraud all along,<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">They
cherish the thought they’re the only ones right,<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">While
the rest of the world is wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>©2012</strong></span></span></div>
Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-64246428063686208912012-04-11T11:37:00.001-07:002012-04-11T11:54:11.996-07:00A WEDGIE FOR ROE vs. WADE<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmLhUOZsNY2qK4Xa_ifv8IM1LHz-zSY7vy5Twie0iyZCRsnHBWkTMuYQr-_w9ETpsWWLI8eNi4c9fThLvlpzsQtkzdn6pCXxU7op2RrlRjs7zb8_ylzrZYkv0coqaGFmANVmWS8T7Ems6/s1600/abortion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmLhUOZsNY2qK4Xa_ifv8IM1LHz-zSY7vy5Twie0iyZCRsnHBWkTMuYQr-_w9ETpsWWLI8eNi4c9fThLvlpzsQtkzdn6pCXxU7op2RrlRjs7zb8_ylzrZYkv0coqaGFmANVmWS8T7Ems6/s200/abortion.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Abortion opponents can have it both ways,</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They fight contraception as well.</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Instead of one happy solution for all,</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Two angry wedge issues to sell.</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>©2007</strong></span></span></div>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-43683861467972113542012-04-06T13:03:00.001-07:002013-02-16T16:47:10.312-08:00SUPREME CONTORT<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-emy4p7aXUebkS5UGuMdAyuBfu5f4Sb-5lLQdsT08pHZxkhsXrR92PepQ33k-fM-NHbL7R4mDhqKJnIb20auZdFaejm_9hGi48FUeqtKOSSiY7OknTulUYmJlVmJBcQ4tsq-xDN7MkZs/s1600/5-court.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-emy4p7aXUebkS5UGuMdAyuBfu5f4Sb-5lLQdsT08pHZxkhsXrR92PepQ33k-fM-NHbL7R4mDhqKJnIb20auZdFaejm_9hGi48FUeqtKOSSiY7OknTulUYmJlVmJBcQ4tsq-xDN7MkZs/s200/5-court.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The guys in the black robes are pissing me off,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>They get it wrong year after year,</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>If you think that money's free speech, try this:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Say "Bartender, where's my free beer?"</strong></span>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-2826497230837433542011-05-07T09:10:00.000-07:002011-05-07T10:33:15.433-07:00MOTHER'S DAY<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa3xB1soUch4BRSBJSN0_86f82DjMdsGIL3Nz5Qv3SBNmdnaLBEJ07Kio3nm5yiJVTShHQXR7ya7TWxqxdj2CbGy8A_CE2PRcFygn_VV-l-NF_oyaTySuVleEKn3db5N4TnYq8a_Jjy9A/s1600/baby+Don+%2526+Sue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa3xB1soUch4BRSBJSN0_86f82DjMdsGIL3Nz5Qv3SBNmdnaLBEJ07Kio3nm5yiJVTShHQXR7ya7TWxqxdj2CbGy8A_CE2PRcFygn_VV-l-NF_oyaTySuVleEKn3db5N4TnYq8a_Jjy9A/s320/baby+Don+%2526+Sue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>They call it Mother's Day...but all mothers remember when every day was Kids Day.</em></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It was Kidville Central.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three mothers in side-by-side apartment buildings with eight kids all under six.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our husbands, blue collar workers, escaped every morning in the family car, leaving us knee-deep in small fry with no way out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since it was the 60’s, we liked to imagine how great our lives could be if we weren’t wading in rug-rats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw ourselves with flowers in our hair, joyfully following the Grateful Dead…until a crash and a kid’s shriek brought us back to earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back to house arrest at the zoo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The obvious occupational hazard here was Cabin Fever, and we all had it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But with careful planning between naptimes and feeding times (much like the zoo) it was possible to escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pop the baby in the stroller, let the toddlers tag along, and…ahh, fresh air!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ahh, scenery!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With luck, you could make it to the market and back with a box of Hamburger Helper. But </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If Cabin Fever was avoidable, Kiddie Fever was not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kiddie Fever, Judy said, was when you tied your OWN shoe laces in double bows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all caught it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Claire’s symptom: she had the youngest in her lap and when she set him down on his feet and gave him a little push… he fell flat on his face! The kid on her lap was not the toddler, as she had (mindlessly) thought, it was the 9-months-old, who was not yet walking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that probably didn’t help. I remember hurrying into the bathroom with a pair of tiny sox to throw into the laundry hamper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Distracted by the three-kid bedtime ritual, I lifted the wrong lid…and tossed them in the toilet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What made it worse – two tots at my elbow saw the goof before I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s never good when they’re smarter than you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which reminds me that when Don first started talking, Susie – 13 months older – could translate some of his jabber when no adults could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bizarre result of that was waking her in the middle of the night on one occasion to translate what was wrong with Don.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, it’s never good when they’re smarter than you because, as mothers know, much of mothercraft is an ongoing scam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember putting a tight hug on a screaming five-year-old Susie in the middle of a big early-morning earthquake and by the time the shaking and rumbling had stopped, I’d convinced her that it was the same kind of bumpy fun as the rides at Pacific Ocean Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By then the littler ones woke up and wanted to know what in the world was going on, and Big Sister told them it was an earthquake and it was a “fun ride.” The sweet little s</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">cret to all this kiddie chaos which we didn’t usually admit was that, in spite of the measles and chipped teeth and thrown toys, with a little creative problem-solving, Kidville could be fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they're still little, kids are cute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they’re old enough to talk, but too young to win an argument, kids are cute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Susie was about five, she called me to the window to point out that the strange people next door were putting clothes under the hood of their car “where that dirty engine is.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a Renault, probably the first rear-engine car in our neighborhood, and the storage space was in front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Susie was relieved to know that. Then there was the time when Don had been listening to grown-up conversations about Douglas Aircraft (where his grandfather worked) merging with McDonnell (Aircraft).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was seven or eight (and usually hungry) so he wanted to know if we could get free hamburgers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favorite Cute Kid Quote was when two-year-old Wayne saw his first ground fog -- so thick that the buildings across the street were invisible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He ran back inside and said, “Mommy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The air’s all fuzzy out there!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ahh, yes…Kidville!</span></strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77w_W9QHek10-W4H92gfhLUmORltvKhARqycJRVAW0pK2BBfyNr-sJS7u2J9lv4B0M2PvM-ozTPvIyVgfIdT1RKzrjUYZiEO3aDeNSRwL27hi_UFZUToyG7MA-xVpRQ6lN0Fi3i69KL6M/s1600/Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77w_W9QHek10-W4H92gfhLUmORltvKhARqycJRVAW0pK2BBfyNr-sJS7u2J9lv4B0M2PvM-ozTPvIyVgfIdT1RKzrjUYZiEO3aDeNSRwL27hi_UFZUToyG7MA-xVpRQ6lN0Fi3i69KL6M/s1600/Christmas.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">©2009 </span></span></div>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-58366774064243060562011-04-14T12:55:00.000-07:002017-09-25T11:53:01.895-07:00EUBIE BLAKE'S 100 YEARS OF BLACK HISTORY<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaTsDOFDQEJVPprat-IQ5w05E3h62Iu4Jq7l5ztjW6q4MrOA70A9h3fhXSbqNxCTd5TvaUyM0kWXFzEY1yv8LJancYwtrBoKEY-yhT_ZRrHb30XzHVX6lFg706Y5j2mEvMiSBJmvzoJ3C/s1600/eblake2004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaTsDOFDQEJVPprat-IQ5w05E3h62Iu4Jq7l5ztjW6q4MrOA70A9h3fhXSbqNxCTd5TvaUyM0kWXFzEY1yv8LJancYwtrBoKEY-yhT_ZRrHb30XzHVX6lFg706Y5j2mEvMiSBJmvzoJ3C/s1600/eblake2004.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial";">All-but-forgotten today, Eubie Blake was a black music
pioneer who participated in 100 years of African American history. Yes, he
lived to be 100, and I met him in 1978 to do an article that would appear on
his 95<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The son of
former slaves, he was playing piano in a Baltimore brothel at age 15, and at 95
he was giving Johnny Carson fits on the Tonight Show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in between, he changed the course of
American music as a ragtime pioneer, composer for the musical stage, and by his
strong influence on stride piano, the style that bridged the gap between
ragtime and a wealth of later jazz piano – a contribution for which he seldom
gets credit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Eubie
(no one ever called him anything else) was a spry 94-year-old who liked my car,
an aging high-rider because of its easy access, and I became his designated
ride whenever he was in L.A.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I drove, he
talked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he had plenty to brag about, whether it
was beating Jelly Roll Morton at pool, opening the first all-black musical on
Broadway, or testifying before Congress on behalf of copyright holders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told me his father always said “Never mess
in white folks business,” yet in 1922, with pressure from his music publisher,
he was admitted to ASCAP – one of its first black members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“See, I was <i>somebody</i> then,” he
smiled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was already known for many
original rags when he teamed up with lyricist Noble Sissle to write five
Broadway shows from which came many all-time standards including “I’m Just Wild
About Harry” and “Memories of You.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">He
told me more than once about his proudest moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Sissle and Blake’s “Shuffle Along”
opened on Broadway in 1921, not only was it the first black-written Broadway
show, it was also the first produced, directed and performed entirely by
blacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there was a problem, and it
involved a song called “Love Will Find a Way.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 1921, unburlesqued, romantic love between black people had yet to be
tried on a white audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were
dire predictions of everything from boos to bloodshed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way Eubie told it, on opening night, his
partner Sissle was standing at the backstage exit with one foot inside the
theatre, and the other pointing north toward Harlem, “And me,” Eubie said, “I
was stuck out there in front, leading the orchestra where my bald head would
catch all the tomatoes and rotten eggs.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fortunately, the song was well received, and another racial barrier came
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Shuffle Along” ran 504
performances and helped to launch the Harlem Renaissance of the 20’s.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">And
he never let me forget that all his accomplishments should be measured from his
starting point -- a Baltimore ghetto and a fifth grade education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said that long after he quit playing
“bawdy houses,” he still thought the first word in that description was
“body.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He related that with a chuckle,
but there was a lot of sensitivity (and this was his phrase) “to not be
ignorant around white folks.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spelling
and grammar had been a life-long learning project for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At age 66, he graduated from NYU with a
degree in musical composition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At dinner
(if you didn’t head him off) he’d explain – at length and with great enthusiasm
– the Schillinger System of composition, even writing bits of music on the
tablecloth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, trust me, it’s too deep
for mere mortals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He went on to receive
honorary doctorates from five universities, the Presidential Medal of Freedom
from Ronald Reagan, a Grammy nomination for his 1969 album, <i>The 86 Years of
Eubie Blake</i>, a U.S. postage stamp with his picture on it, and lots
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that from a Baltimore ghetto
and a fifth grade education! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Even
at 94 Eubie had it all together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a
charmer he was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little man with a big
personality and a joyous legacy to share. Of course, his natural habitat was
the piano keyboard, and much of what Eubie played delighted him, so he cheered
himself on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Loudly, sometimes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Audiences loved him, whether it was millions
watching on TV, or fifty in a small club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On nights that he didn’t have a gig, he wanted to go where the piano
action was, and he was welcomed everywhere as piano royalty and shown right to
the keyboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One night an over-served
matron, who hadn’t caught Eubie’s introduction came by afterward to shake his
hand and say he was “really good.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
asked if he’d ever played professionally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our hero smiled charmingly and said, “A little, Darlin’.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody that cool should ever be
forgotten!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, YouTube has some
Eubie Blake videos, so you can see for yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>©</strong>2012</span></span></span><br />
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Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-32719648131680464692011-04-13T14:48:00.000-07:002011-04-14T15:11:45.286-07:00COME BACK CASEY JONES<div style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="rg_hi" data-height="203" data-width="248" height="203" id="rg_hi" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTd1FgygPeD0OgLd-a81dHbwTZu3Ni5Tk4dO0HerzdvQGkXSUAA" style="height: 203px; width: 248px;" width="248" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>My dad loved trains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he loved to drive. When he bought our 1935 Ford, my brother and I were little kids in the back seat, and on Sundays we’d drive for miles up the Pacific Coast Highway just for the scenery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No freeways then, just a wonderful two-lane highway and hardly any cars on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we got lucky we’d see a lot of trains, and the Southern Pacific still had many steam locomotives on the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some spots, the highway ran right next to the rail line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Passenger trains were no fun because they were pulled by the new, streamlined diesel locomotives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The magic moment came when we’d spot smoke up ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We’ll catch him,” my dad would promise as the car surged ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still remember the thrill of pulling alongside one of those huge, fire-breathing monsters -- so close that I was engulfed by the awesome force of that fierce, black beast with the stacks belching smoke and the drive rods flying back and forth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“That’s a six-eight wheeler,” my dad would shout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drive wheels were bigger than our car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And all this raw power close enough so that I could see the engineer plainly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dad said if I waved, he’d wave back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he did!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this time my mother was urging him to slow down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No dice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He’s got a grade crossing up ahead,” my dad would yell, “You’ll get to hear the whistle.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I not only heard it, I saw the whistle blow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two looong wails, and a couple of short toots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a treat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dad also wanted to be the first car at the crossing when the gates came down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So there<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we’d be, just yards away when the engine thundered by, and the boxcars came clanking and rumbling behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing he liked better than a long, long freight so he could read all the boxcars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This was before Amtrak and globalization brought us boring, anonymous containers.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“See that B&O,” he’d shout above the roar, ”That’s Baltimore and Ohio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Came right by my house when I was a boy in Cleveland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New York Central.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the way from the East coast.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grew up with boxcar geography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At home, our L.A. neighborhood was on the right side of the tracks – but just barely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two blocks down, there was a light-rail line that serviced the warehouses along Sepulveda Blvd., the main drag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The workhorse down there was a klunky yellow diesel-electric switch engine – a terrible comedown from the charging iron horse of the high-speed rail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what’s worse, it had an obnoxious, clanging bell that we could hear clear down at our house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it hauled all the same boxcars and we could see them for just a short walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More boxcar geography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Look,” my dad pointed, “Louisville and Nashville, I’ve been there.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sounded proud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Denver and Rio Grande, Illinois Central, Canadian Pacific, Midland Valley Railroad, Erie Line, New York, New Haven and Hartford.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before I was old enough to leave home, I got some travel stickers and stuck them on my guitar case so it looked as though I’d been to far-flung places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I actually went to far-flung places, it wasn’t by train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I wrote a love song to those old steam locomotives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<strong></strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XFbwvSo3UU&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XFbwvSo3UU&feature=related</a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>COME BACK CASEY JONES by the Demonstrators (My hand-picked studio band) featuring John Schlocker on banjo, the marvelous Roy Zimmerman on vocals, and Marty Rifkin with some extraordinarily nifty dobro.</strong></span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">©2011</span></strong></div>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-82062145272411893462011-03-31T09:27:00.000-07:002015-04-06T11:14:33.128-07:00PLAY BALL!<img src="http://mlb.mlb.com/la/images/ballpark/stadium_480x200.jpg" height="248" id="il_fi" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="504" /><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Wow, it never gets better than this,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>With a mustard smile on my face,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>A hot dog, a beer, on opening day,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>When every team’s still in first place.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Now is the time for extravagant dreams,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>'Cause nobody wants to remember,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>All the bad hops and bobbled balls,</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>That broke our hearts last September.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>©2011</strong></span></span>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-64125139798293876422011-03-28T12:04:00.000-07:002011-04-26T14:38:56.813-07:00A FRIEND OF WES PARKER'S<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxvT3KxfSn-fLNgpMxsYP1wxKQ2qEbNAG-y0MV3Goxym773FkQ7AtF5kptFGox6RwR70S4oPDPOOxJ39MjsQUWLccLfhj31GtcCMOxDb7zge3O94bFeuD8HJKq7SHMQ64leC9VayDvsE6/s1600/Wes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxvT3KxfSn-fLNgpMxsYP1wxKQ2qEbNAG-y0MV3Goxym773FkQ7AtF5kptFGox6RwR70S4oPDPOOxJ39MjsQUWLccLfhj31GtcCMOxDb7zge3O94bFeuD8HJKq7SHMQ64leC9VayDvsE6/s320/Wes.jpg" width="244" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7F4PjE9m0PRGsyzn4BMu52zo1QsXmj269aKNLltCPGN2TmyLb7hyphenhyphenErmbtuR08wBaDrFR_wypC2hnC3V9PQWbFLUqE2VmzCmPPL3bSQAE35mwe_9ZTwSTfsgUU1Ipzqa-MslBkK_oIkKT1/s1600/Wes+Parker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 1px;"><strong></strong></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Every baseball family has a story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our case, instead of catching a foul ball behind first base, we caught a first baseman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And like any out-of-work writer, I got it all down on paper way back then, and now it reads like a bit of Dodger history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It started when my son the Little Leaguer asked me for a stamp and the address of Dodger Stadium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had a fourth-grade pen pal assignment, and since all his heroes were Dodgers, I could see where this was going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cautioned, as mothers do, against high expectations since the 1965 Dodgers were in a tight pennant race and I assumed they’d be pretty much wrapped up in their work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough, he struck out first with Sandy Koufax, then Don Drysdale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he said the heck with pitchers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Dodgers, after all, had a Gold Glove first baseman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he wrote:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dear Wes Parker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Little League team is in second place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I play first base and sometimes pitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can I get to be a bat boy on the Dodgers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sincerely,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don.</i></strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Two weeks later a letter arrived, addressed in southpaw handwriting with a Dodger logo in the corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dear Don</i>, it said in the writing that leaned toward left field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thanks for your letter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice going in Little League.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could find out about the bat boy job by writing the Dodger front office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sincerely, Wes Parker.</i></strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Of course, he thought that was the biggest thing ever!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he sure was peeved when I made him turn off the radio and go to bed during the third inning -- whining about how he had a friend on the team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he even had a goofy dream about the Dodgers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said they were standing along the third base line, looking heroic in white home team uniforms while they recited in unison what sounded suspiciously like the Little League pledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And those villainous Giants jeered from the visitor’s dugout the whole time.</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>So he worried the Dodgers through the final days of the pennant race, and right into the 1965 World Series!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think my son the Little Leaguer was nervous for his friend the big leaguer who was playing in his first World Series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little League had taught the kid that baseball provides unlimited opportunities for a guy to screw up while a whole lot of people watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you look it up, you’ll see that his Dodgers won the series in seven games over Minnesota and his pen pal, Wes Parker, batted .304 and performed flawlessly at first base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, the following season, the big leaguer fielded every letter the Little Leaguer mailed his way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evidently using his time on the road for letter writing, he replied once from Pittsburgh and once from Atlanta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overwhelmed by this response, my son recklessly decided to take this pen-pal thing to the next level.</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>And that’s why, a couple of weeks later, we were waiting in the smoggy, late-afternoon sunshine in parking lot number six in back of Dodger Stadium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We waited a long time at the bottom of a ramp watching some big glass doors at the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few people had come out, but no Dodgers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed there were very few cars left in the lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of them, we hoped, belonged to Wes Parker who had promised to meet us here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said don’t worry, he’ll be here, but it <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">sure had been a</span> long time since the game was over, and the kid was fretting and mumbling that he wouldn’t know what to say to a real, live big leaguer, anyway.</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border: currentColor;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>But there he was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember so well how the tall, blond figure in the yellow sweater took on a golden luster as he stepped out into the sunlight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He started down the ramp and as soon as he saw us, he called out, “Hi.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But my son the Little Leaguer was too busy grinning to reply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then they were shaking hands, and he needn’t have worried about what to say, because before he knew it, the Little Leaguer was telling the big leaguer about his one-hitter and about how he had started a triple play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then there were people around them with autograph books, and the big leaguer smiled and signed while he and the Little Leaguer kept talking baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when the people were gone, Wes Parker – the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">real live </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Wes Parker – told my son </span>how he had hit only one home run in Little League, and my son told how he had hit the fence once, but had never hit one over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They discussed pick-off plays, switch-hitting, practicing on your front lawn, and paying for broken windows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed that, as they talked, they were moving slowly in the direction of a small, red sports car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Little Leaguer told the big leaguer about his funny dream and about having to go to bed during the third inning, and I remember how Parker laughed about that and clapped him on the shoulder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then they were alongside the red sports car and I remember thinking: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’ll bet the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>kid is having fleeting thoughts of inviting him to dinner, or asking to meet him at the park for catch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything to keep from losing him</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just shook hands and smiled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the last thing Wes Parker said before he drove off was,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Did you ever find out about the bat boy job?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And my son said, “No,” and they both grinned because it didn’t matter.</strong></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border: currentColor;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>And when we drove out of the empty parking lot, the man who opened the gate for us asked if we got lost inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My son the Little Leaguer, trying his best to be cool, said, “No, I‘m a friend of Wes Parker’s.”</strong></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOw0Qw1w0ltwg8S9Ncdd8_JBWC3NIbQBvQTV6hFstR0eAHMlTTKc41c40-BkeBklpzEarTiba6zOXHxL5inCPrZ3k8S9MpgiwQYY5bo4znn7cbpd-3OZhLZzEqDBOVnJwtCghB8j8lZdn/s1600/Wes+Parker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOw0Qw1w0ltwg8S9Ncdd8_JBWC3NIbQBvQTV6hFstR0eAHMlTTKc41c40-BkeBklpzEarTiba6zOXHxL5inCPrZ3k8S9MpgiwQYY5bo4znn7cbpd-3OZhLZzEqDBOVnJwtCghB8j8lZdn/s320/Wes+Parker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border: currentColor;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>©2011</strong></span></div></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></strong></div>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-32926892908675345682011-03-21T16:14:00.000-07:002011-03-21T16:25:17.884-07:00COUNTDOWN TO OPENING DAY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bGR2K99O2Tcd9gHDanyQk9ligC-XnmblwRVX1xxxwsoIo56laRxyzsxiRxr__tNOfl06S7uvz2Srz3QUnY6KnZyELb-csd8Uix6y-c78b7xkUvEmfBc9ItuXc_NTzmuVPxznRCzPEpdg/s1600/baseball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bGR2K99O2Tcd9gHDanyQk9ligC-XnmblwRVX1xxxwsoIo56laRxyzsxiRxr__tNOfl06S7uvz2Srz3QUnY6KnZyELb-csd8Uix6y-c78b7xkUvEmfBc9ItuXc_NTzmuVPxznRCzPEpdg/s1600/baseball.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>It’s only ten days to OPENING DAY!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some whimsical philosopher once said that baseball is the belly button of our society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder…is that because there’s lots of time between bits of action to gaze at the waiting infielders and ponder life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or because it is the funniest part of the American sports anatomy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basketball and football are not funny…baseball is funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim Muray pointed out that at the ball park a screwball could be either a pitch or a person, stealing is legal, and you can spit anywhere you like except in the umpire’s eye or on the baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rick Monday said of Phil Niekro’s knuckleball that it actually giggles at you as it goes by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bob Uecker, who was a catcher, remember, said that the best way to catch a knuckleball was to wait until the ball stops rolling and then pick it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Curt Simmons (who ought to know) said that trying to sneak a pitch past Hank Aaron was like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or…as I’ve heard Vin Scully say…a pork chop past a wolf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there are two categories of funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s funny (ha ha)…and funny (peculiar).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As every fan knows, baseball, more than any other game, unfolds slowly enough that you can see disaster looming from quite a distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And on another note, Philip Wrigley said baseball is too much of a sport to be called a business and too much of a business to be called a sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have faith that no matter how fat our American society gets, the belly button will never completely disappear.</strong></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6705124118963966323.post-57906705469121621272011-03-08T13:26:00.000-08:002011-03-10T09:51:22.895-08:00INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: ME AND BESSIE SMITH<div style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img class="rg_hi" data-height="181" data-width="208" height="181" id="rg_hi" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQD58fkNLcoJG80gMoY6_-DzE9maVoddvGxx27HNOU3SYYkCSiNpw" style="height: 181px; width: 208px;" width="208" /></div><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>There seems to be a rule that </em></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>well-behaved </em></strong></span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>women never make history. </em></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Bessie </em></strong></span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Smith taught me that.</em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>ME AND BESSIE SMITH</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>In a maximum conformity suburb,</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>I was serving sixteen to life.</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>This cruel sentence was loosely defined</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>By two forks and a butter knife.</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Famished by life at that genteel table,</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>I was starved for a real-life bite.</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>When I heard Bessie sing “Gimme a Pigfoot,”</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>How could I eat turkey on white?</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>So I’ll slip into the dark,</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>I’ll ask the devil to dance,</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>I’ll take a dive into decadence,</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>And try to atone for my past.</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>I’ll laugh all the way to the river,</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>I’ll welcome its wayward force,</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>I’ll chase down my rowdy roots,</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>And find my natural source.</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>©2005</strong></span><br />
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<a href="http://ilike.myspacecdn.com/play#Bessie+Smith:Nobody+Knows+You+When+You%27re+Down+And+Out:127346:s28336542.8097658.6035394.0.1.17%2Cstd_79713dc2710a7715b5cd681fcb8867fc">Bessie Smith singing "Nobody Knows You When You're Down abd Out"</a></div>Ellen Griffithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12220660951150156453noreply@blogger.com