Holiday Wishes

Well, I enjoyed the break from work, if not necessarily posting...though my otherwise constantly aching shoulder and elbow are feeling a bit better.

After a couple of days west of the Mississippi in New (S)Iberia, I'm back in Stick Rouge, none worse for the wear. It was a nice Christmas, although to be honest, I can't say I got what I REALLY wanted...


Here are a couple of reasons why that was at the top of my list. But hey, I'm willing to celebrate Christmas/Festivus/Hannukah/Kwanzaa whenever it might happen.

And, if you'll pardon the tangent (pun intended), last night, like most everyone else I guess, I saw the numerous reports about the death of Gerald Ford. To discuss his administration or that time would make for a literal boatload of posts (especially considering Cheney and Rumsfeld's prominent roles)...so I'll just make mention of something I noticed in passing: last night crop of pundits, over and over again, went out of their way to emphasize the media's portrayal of Ford as a klutz, and how unfair that was. Hell, I heard more references to Chevy Chase last night than I otherwise have this century...

OK, fine--so, contrary to media mythmaking, Ford WASN'T a klutz (and yeah, I'd previously known he was an All-American football player for University of Michigan, etc.). Good. But an after the fact we-was-culpa does zero good at this point, and the larger lesson is likely lost: I doubt seriously the media will apologize to George McGovern, a genuine war hero, for their portrayal of him as a communist dupe. Nor am I guessing Howard Dean will ever live down his being dubbed a radical hothead.

So, may the 38th President rest in eternal peace...I bear him no ill will. That said, it'd be nice if some of the retrospective was a bit more introspective on the part of our professional mythmakers...
Update: Um, I hope no one reads too much into the words "I bear him no ill will." Maybe I should've phrased that differently, something about not speaking too ill of the recently departed.