Thoughts On The 40th Anniversary Of “Chinatown”

This was the first film I reviewed for the
Student paper at UCLA.
I saw it in Westwood, took the bus home
But stopped along the way

On Sunset at The Eastern Star Home:
I didn’t want to have missed a
Chance to see what in the movie was
A rest home in Mar Vista.

(It’s now become The Archer School for Girls.
Competition to get in is obscene:
It’s the kind of place Evelyn Mulwray would’ve
Attended if she were now a teen.)

That evening, I talked to my parents as
The three of us had dinner.
We all realized the line between films &
Real life had gotten thinner.

Decades later, I drove out with my own family
To yet another “Chinatown” location ---
Big Tujunga Wash in the San Fernando Valley
Where J.J. Gittes did some investigation.

The dry bed where he looked for clues was
Still a swash of mud and silt
But on the mountains above it, a rather large
Development had been built.

The past (if you look hard enough) is still there
But the present’s fate I’ve found
Is always wanting --- not unlike Noah Cross ---
To try & throw its weight around.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_(1974_film)

Ex-Head Of American Apparel Hires Lawyer To Fight Being Fired On Sexual Harassment Charges

Dov Charney claims his dismissal
Is nothing but a sham:
His penis is so upset it hasn’t been
Posting on Instagram.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/06/21/news/companies/american-apparel-ousted-ceo-dov-charney/?hpt=hp_t4

Bush Era Brain Trust Now Being Reminded They Started The Catastrophe In Iraq

Back then they were all too happy
To beat that fierce war tom-tom.
Now these aging cheerleaders act
Like they never held a pompom.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/06/18/maybe-listening-to-dick-cheney-on-iraq-isnt-a-good-idea/

George Will Column Suggests Victims Of Rape On College Campuses Receive “Privileged Status”

George, I think that Down syndrome kids are weird.
Yeah, I know, that may sound outrageous
But why should my child have to be around them?
Maybe their condition is … contagious.

Maybe they’re just faking having special issues
To get government money gratis
And, hold on, perhaps what’s worse than that is
They seek some “privileged status.”

*

Full disclosure, George, I’m just pulling your leg:
I’m not being the least bit realistic.
I’m aware your son has Down syndrome --- did
I mention that my son is autistic?

So many things you say are hateful and foolish
From your perch with right wing sages ---
Down syndrome & autism aren’t communicable
But, sadly, your ignorance is contagious.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/st-louis-dispatch-drops-george-will-rape-column

Glenn Beck (Yes, Glenn Beck) Admits, “Liberals, You Were Right. We Never Should Have Gone Into Iraq.”

For the moment, let’s just not talk about
The Benghazi suspect’s capture ---
Doesn’t Beck’s comment kind of sound
Like a sign of the imminent rapture?

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/glenn-beck-liberals-you-were-right-we-should-never-have-gone-into-iraq/

Drawing The Line (Literally) At The Trial Of The Century

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20140616/columnist-remembers-drawing-cartoons-at-the-oj-simpson-trial

What We Can Learn From The Majority Leader's Demise

Eric Cantor’s internal polling had him up by 30 percent.
These statistics can --- in truth --- vary
A lot. Trusting them makes as much sense as believing
In Santa, Bigfoot or the Tooth Fairy.

Resignation Of Veterans Affairs Secretary Gives Republicans A Twofer

They’ll now go even more on the warpath
About another Obama faux pas. We
Can expect soon to hear a new battle cry
That I’d bet will be called Shingazi.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_SHINSEKI_ANALYSIS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT