Tuesday, June 24, 2014

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)






Saturday, June 21, 2014

Thursday, June 19, 2014

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








Wednesday, June 18, 2014

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/








Wednesday, June 11, 2014

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.


Monday, June 2, 2014

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