“This is now decided as a nation”

Nattering Naybob: The Red Ranger, I am curious what you think about the Supreme Court’s twin rulings yesterday that basically represents a sea change in the acceptance, both legally and socially, of same-sex marriage. I will allow the following typically pithy and eloquent quote by Rachel Maddow to summarize the importance of both rulings:

“Bottom line here: the federal ban on recognizing same-sex marriages is dead. California’s ban on recognizing same-sex marriages is dead. There are 12 states in the country where this is now legal, and the political winds on this are blowing so hard in one direction that the idea that we will go back is almost unimaginable in any state in the country … This is now decided as a nation. The argument is won.”

I admit that my stance on same-sex marriage has evolved over the last fifteen years. I suppose you could say the same of many thousands, I dare say millions, of other people across the country. I would like to think that my initial oppostion to it was based largely on what I believe is a basic human instinct of not publicly supporting a lifestyle in which you yourself would not engage; in other words, I could not ever conceive of marrying another man, or having sexual relations with another man, which must mean that I am against other people doing either or both.

And besides, like I said to my wife yesterday, why should heterosexual married couples be the only ones miserable? Although my wife has been a long-time supporter of gay rights, and same-sex marriage, I get the feeling that this rationale did not resonate with her. Since I said this yesterday, she has not spoken to me. I am not understanding this, did I say something wrong?

The Red Ranger: Like you, I cannot conceive of marrying another man (unless of course Sean Hannity comes out).  I am generally against the gay lifestyle but if allowing gays to marry tones down their in your face attitude about their lifestyle then that would be a good thing in my mind.  In general I do not believe that this will have a significant impact on my life.  I just worry that we cater too much to the fringe, deviant element in society while ignoring those who lead an honest, hard working, moral life.

Also, extrapolating this ruling out, shouldn’t I be allowed to have as many spouses as I want (one wonderful wife is not enough).  I am sure that in twenty years they will be saying that people are born with the need for multiple spouses and that they do not have a choice in the matter.

This ruling is just another step in the inexorable march toward a society that lacks any moral compass and is just another move closer to the downfall of society which is happening slowly over time with each of these seemingly small events.

Nattering Naybob: Thank you for using one of my favorite words,”inexorable”. However I do not understand your extrapolation about marrying multiple spouses as it pertains to same-sex marriage. What is the connection? At least you don’t say, “Same sex marriage? Good God, what next? Allowing people to marry horses?? [harumph, harumph]”, like most Repubicans say when asked about same-sex marriage. Maybe you had that planned in your rebuttal, who knows.

By the way, I think that another complaint about same-sex marriage–that it “cheapens” the institution of marriage–is patently absurd on its face. Think about it: If gay couples can now get married, and now DO in fact get married, how does that cheapen your own marriage, or my marriage? (Or the perfect marriage of peanut butter and chocolate?) Do you think it would prevent a young heterosexual couple from getting married? “Oh, darling, if it were ten years ago, I’d get an engagement ring and ask for your hand in marriage, but since same-sex marriage is now allowed, gee… I just don’t know. Maybe we should be just friends.”

On my way home from work each day I walk right past the Fox News headquarters on Sixth Avenue. If you want, you can forward to me a mash note to Sean Hannity, and I can drop it off at the reception desk of Fox News. Hmmm… “Red Ranger-Hannity”. Has a nice ring to it.

The Red Ranger: It is not in regard to same sex marriage per se but the expanded definition of what marriage is.  I was taking the revision of the marriage definition to an extreme.

I agree that it does not cheapen the institution of marriage.

Perhaps I can connect with Sean on e-Harmony.

Nattering Naybob: Good for you for not buying into the standard “cheapening marriage” theory. Regarding e-Harmony, whatever floats your boat, Red Ranger.

Edward Snowden

The Red Ranger:  By now I am sure you have heard of the NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden who has spilled the beans about the elaborate government spying operation that has been transpiring over the last few years.  I give him credit for doing what he did although I am unsure what it really means.

I am torn since I want the government to do what it can to protect us but I also fear the inevitable over reach of the government’s tentacles into everyone’s life.  If the government truly just collects the data and then uses it once they get a lead from another source than that is probably OK but if the government is randomly or even systemically listening to every phone call made by a Muslim who immigrated to the US from another country that is probably not too cool.

I disagree with Dick Cheney who labeled him a traitor.  Even though this program may have allowed some insight into allegedly terrorist activities that still doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do.  The government could stop all terrorist activities if they just totally controlled all aspects of everyone’s lives.  However, I am sure that even you would agree that is a less than enjoyable state of living.

If there was going to be one terrorist event every ten years but in the intervening years we were free from unnecessary government snooping that may not be a bad trade off.  Unless of course you were one of the victims of the terrorists activities.

Nattering Naybob: I too have mixed feelings about the whole thing, in part because the details are a little murky. The question of privacy vs. keeping people safe, will probably never be settled. If we lean towards the sanctity of privacy, and we God forbid are victims of a major terrorist plot, people will probably start saying the hell with privacy, we need to protect our citizens. If we put national security in the forefront and maybe “push the envelope” on privacy and surveillance protocols, then the privacy advocates and “Government stay out of my private life” advocates, are up in arms… until we have a terrorist attack.

What kind of agency or body could be trusted to monitor the checking of personal data and ensure a balance? No matter who or what is appointed to do this, people from both sides of the argument will claim that their interest (either privacy or security) is being short-changed.

I see where Sean Hannity has totally reversed the doctrine he espoused during the Bush administration — National security at all costs– and is now sounding like a card-carrying member of the ACLU by saying that Obama is violating the Constitution (of course Obama is violating the Constitution, that’s all he has done every single day of his Presidency, right Sean?) Well, I guess it’s a matter of Hannity being against the Fourth Amendment before he was for it.

The Red Ranger: I did not read the article you attached since I saw mediamatters in the URL so I knew it was a bogus story. If what you say about Hannity is true then shame on him.

June 6th, 1944

Nattering Naybob: I was all gung-ho this past week (justifiably I think) about the 40th anniversary of Secretariat’s 1973 Belmont Stakes victory. But I would be terribly remiss if I did not also acknowledge something even more important than Secretariat that also happened earlier in June, 69 years ago to be exact: The invasion of Normandy by the Allied Forces, otherwise known as D-Day, June 4, 1944.

Far be it from me, Red Ranger, to wax poetic about the importance of this event. That has been done, with far greater eloquence than I ever could muster, by scores of learned and studied historians. I will only say that any freedom we now have as a Nation is due directly to this event and to the sacrifices of all the men and women who served in World War II and all the other armed conflicts in which our country has engaged, even ones that may not have been as “popular” or well-executed.

For all our citizenry’s chest-thumping and flag waving about “supporting our troops”, we still do far less than we should in all aspects of helping members of the military and their loved ones. The mere fact that a backlog of up to two years exists in the VA to even review veterans’ disability claims, is a story so unfathomable and irresponsible that it should be reported on every single day by the news media. Some outlets have brought this issue to the fore (Rachel Maddow, for one), but not enough and not vigorously enough. I am totally prepared to lay his share of the blame for this, on our Commander-in-Chief, of whom I am a loyal supporter.

Unfortunately, the vocabulary of our perception of the military has been reduced to such things as teary-eyed, well-orchestrated surprise “re-unions” of soldiers with their little children, broadcast on TV and even now Diamond Vision screens at baseball games. While these scenes choke me up as much as anybody, they are part of a mis-guided trend towards sanitizing warfare and its consequences. Recent studies that take a harder look at these stunts have suggested that being re-united with their father or mother in such a public way can have long-lasting negative effects on the children involved, as this article by Tara Swords summarizes in the Washington Post.

Off my soapbox now and back to D-Day. There is a terrific website called the Doing History Project that I have come across that has loads of information about D-Day, its planning and importance. On this site is included a draft of a poignant letter that Dwight D. Eisenhower, Allied Commander of the D-Day operation, had drafted and was prepared to deliver in the unfortunate event that the mission had failed:

“Our landings have failed and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”

It is no wonder that Dwight Eisenhower has been held in increasingly higher esteem in recent years.

Of course Steven Spielberg’s brilliant “Saving Private Ryan” is a recent example of paying homage to the real-life experiences of D-Day. Many veterans of the actual invasion have said that “Private Ryan” replicates the experience of that horrible day, and the days after, better than any film ever has. To think that this film was beaten out by “Shakespeare in Love” for the Best Film award at the 1999 Academy Awards, is not only the greatest injustice in the history of award ceremonies, but perhaps in the history of the world at large.

The Red Ranger: First off let me say that I actually thought “Shakespeare in Love” was a very good movie and I am no fan of Gwyneth Paltrow.  Is it better than Saving Private Ryan, I don’t know.  Outside of the opening sequence SPR seemed to drag on a little too long for me.   Perhaps there was some backlash against the whole Spielberg/Hanks thing.

As far as veterans go they should get the best care possible without a doubt.  However, the cynic in me is starting to believe that there is an epidemic of PTSD claims.  Obviously, what some of these veterans go through is beyond anything you or I will see in our lifetime.  However, these people know this going in and should be ready for it.  In reality it is not always the brightest that go into the military (however, they are probably the bravest).  My hypothesis is that when some of these veterans get out of the military and are unable to obtain a job in the civilian community they fall back upon PTSD as a way to justify their inability to prosper in the civilian world.  Clearly, this does not apply to everyone but I am sure there is some percentage who attribute their issues to PTSD and there is always some doctor willing to concur.

If only our current leaders took responsibility like Eisenhower did instead of highlighting their lack of knowledge or recusing themselves.  Just goes to show how far we have fallen in terms of leaders and their values.

Nattering Naybob: The whole question of PTSD is a tricky one. It is true that there are more PTSD claims than in the Vietnam War, say, because it was only designated as an official condition in 1980. Whether or not it’s being abused, I don’t know how that can be measured although I have no doubt that there are some people who claim to have it just so they can get sympathy, related benefits, etc. The same can be said for just about any disease or condition. Many people think that autism is over-diagnosed. I remember during the 80’s and 90’s, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was all the rage, and it was no doubt diagnosed many times as the cause for a lot of people’s inability to stop watching TV and get off the couch.

Here is the link to the official “PTSD” page on the website of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is rather lengthy and a bit technical at times, but I think it only fair to include the link in case anyone reading this blog wants to learn more about it especially as it pertains to veterans.

I am not a Gwyneth Paltrow fan either but I thought she was good in the Iron Man movies. I think people say that a lot about her: “I am not a fan of hers, but she was good in such and such a movie”. It’s probably her off-screen persona that people dislike, including me. There is just something about her that makes people want to smush a whip cream pie into her face.

The Red Ranger:  I do remember Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  I think I caught that after your 500th rant about how great Obama was.

I also agree about autism.  It seems like every kid who may be a little slower learning than the others has autism or at least a mild form of it.  I think it is a way for parents not having to face up to the fact that their kid might just not be as smart as others. Compared to you and me everyone has some form of autism.

I have not seen the Iron Man movies (yes, you have found the one person who hasn’t seen them).  A whip cream pie to the face would be nice to see.

Nattering Naybob: I find it necessary to emphasize that  I and presumably you, Red Ranger, acknowledge many genuine cases of autism exist, and that it is a serious condition. That being said, I see your point about the futility of anyone holding themselves up against our record of intelligence, insight, and yes, humility.

Have we made poverty too comfortable?

The Red Ranger: Here is an interesting article and one I agree with. Teach a man to fish.

Nattering Naybob: If there is a dwindling supply of fish in the ocean it makes less and less difference whether a man knows how to fish or not.

Get the hell off my damn boardwalk

Nattering Naybob: You may know, The Red Ranger, that the Cape May / Wildwoods region is just about the favorite destination of myself and my lovely wife, for single-day excursions. I have been vacationing and visiting there since 1976, when I went with my parents and aunt & uncle for our annual summer vacation. I was enthralled by the wide, pristine beaches of Wildwood Crest and the quiet Victorian mood of Cape May, and still am some 37 years later. One of the advantages of taking the time to travel the longer distance to the southern-most tip of New Jersey, was that one was able to escape much of the honky-tonk of say Seaside Heights and some of the other central Jersey shorelines.

However in recent years even my beloved Wildwood is not immune from the scourge of today’s teenagers and early-Twenty something’s, dressing, acting, and speaking, increasingly disrespectfully. So much so that just a week before my visit this past Saturday, Wildwood’s mayor proposed a ban (as outlined in this article from the New York Daily News) on the so called saggy-pants trend that many teenagers of all ethnicities and income levels, insist on displaying. This fashion statement was intended to mimic the method of pants-wearing practiced by inmates, whom due to their not being permitted to wear belts, have a habit of letting their pants sag. For that reason alone, I find the whole fad utterly distasteful and sickening, as do many people under the ages of 13 and over the age of 23. 

Part of our Wildwood tradition is walking the famous 2-mile boardwalk that starts in upper Wildwood Crest and ends immediately before North Wildwood. This landmark is famous for, among other things, the well-known “Watch the tram car please” recorded warning  that emanates from speakers of the passenger trolley that rides up and down the boardwalk.

My wife and I capped a lovely day Saturday by taking a walk on the boardwalk and I am here to tell you that so far, the campaign to ban saggy pants has been an utter and complete failure. Not only that but the ever-increasing unpleasant habits practiced by our youth of cursing, smoking, spitting, yelling, et al (as well as wearing their pants down around the level of their rectum), seemed to be totally out of control. My wife summed it up perfectly when she said, “This place is turning into a dive”. Sad to say that the day has come where we may have to find another Wildwood-based activity to while away the early evening hours on future visits and vacations, that does not involve strolling the Dante’s Inferno of hedonism that the Wildwood boardwalk has become.

The Red Ranger: I am sorry to hear that your favorite haunt has become a dive.  Maybe it always was and you were just part of the hedonistic behavior that went on there.  Now as you have aged and  hopefully matured this type of behavior no longer appeals to you.  To your broader point I am not sure that the behavior of the youth today is anymore out of the norm than has been displayed in the past.  It just manifests itself in different ways.

One of things that I had always wanted to do was to bring my boys to Seaside Heights.  However, Superstorm Sandy took away the opportunity for them to see the Seaside that I remember.  My oldest was there at about nine months of age but clearly doesn’t remember it.

I wonder if you took a poll of these baggy pants wearers if they would lean to the Democratic party or the Republican party.  My guess would be overwhelmingly Democratic.  So these very people who you despise and are ruining your favorite destination are the very people who so blindly will vote Democrat.  I think this proves that the Democratic party will ultimately be the downfall of the United States as it decays into a cesspool of saggy pants, foul-mouthed slackers using their EBT cards to purchase sausage & pepper sandwiches on the boardwalk in Wildwood.

Nattering Naybob: The Saggy Pants Brigade are neither Democratic nor Republicans. They are just plain punks.

“Like a tremendous machine”

Nattering Naybob: At last I believe I have come up with a topic that we both can agree on, and I dare you to inject any snide reference to Obama, Democrats, Liberalism, etc.

This Saturday marks the nominal 40th anniversary of Secretariat’s historical 31-length victory in the 1973 Belmont Stakes, which also completed his Triple Crown victory that included the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. It is widely considered the greatest individual performance by a racehorse in the history of the sport, and many (not all) observers think that Secretariat is also the greatest racehorse who ever lived. Some even believe the 1973 Belmont Stakes performance to be the greatest athletic feat of the 20th century, but that opens up the old debate about whether an animal can rightly be considered an athlete.

After his win in the Derby and Preakness, many skeptics thought that Secretariat would not be able to compete as well in the longer mile-and-a-half distance of the Belmont. But not only did Secretariat win this race, he annihilated the competition. It was such an overwhelming victory that newspapers reported the next day that longtime, grizzled horse track veterans who were at the race, unabashedly wept as Secretariat crossed the finish line. Ron Turcotte, Secretariat’s jockey for all three Triple Crown races, barely had to use the whip during any of the three races, such was Secretariat’s dominance.

Here is a YouTube of the actual CBS broadcast of the race. This is mandatory viewing for anyone who loves sports. The actual race starts at the 4:10 mark of the video, but the whole clip bears watching as it includes the pre-race build-up, loading of the horses into the gate, etc. And at about the 5:40 mark, track announcer Chic Anderson gave us one of the most famous calls in horse racing history as the race began to develop into a romp: “Secretariat is widening now… he is moving like a tremendous machine!” I love it.

Note also how as Secretariat finishes the race, the camera has to manually pull backwards quite far, to get the also-rans in frame. Usually the camera captures all the runners-up with the same camera shot/position. This pretty graphically demonstrates how far ahead he was that day.

Incidentally, the horse that Secretariat ran neck and neck with for the first half mile or so, Sham, faded to last place in this race, but had finished second to Secretariat in the Derby and Preakness. In any other year, it might have been poor Sham that was racing for the Triple Crown.

The Red Ranger: Yes, this was a great performance.  It is hard to believe that it has been some 35 years since the last Triple Crown winner (Affirmed, in 1978).  Over that time I believe that they have actually made it easier to win the Triple Crown by extending the time between the Preakness and Belmont from two weeks to three but still the Triple Crown remains elusive.  Horse racing in general seems to be fading from the public interest.  There are just too many other distractions for people now.  Obviously, there are many more casinos than there was years ago and the internet sucks people’s time from being able to wager on the ponies.

There is one TV station, TVG, which allows you to bet online.  I used to have this station when I subscribed to Comcast but I do not have it now that I have switched to Verizon.  The way it works is that you open an account with them and then are able to bet on the races and watch them on TV.  I know that they showed races from the Meadowlands.  Here is a link to Secretariat’s harness racing counterpart.  We were probably at this race.

I honestly enjoy Harness racing more than thoroughbred racing although I do not follow either much anymore. Maybe when I am retired I will be some place near a track and can spend time watching the ponies again.

Nattering Naybob: Ah yes, the old days of hanging out at the Meadowlands Racetrack when it was still the place to be, and getting all excited at splitting.. what was it?… a $78, 6-8 Exacta featuring the immortal Kistime and Counsellor N. I wonder if there is some kind of searchable database that has the results of all the races at the Meadowlands, I bet the exact date of that glorious night could be found. Probably the greatest night of my teenage years, which probably sheds a lot of light on my teenage years.

The Red Ranger: There probably is some database somewhere with this information but I will leave that to you to find.

Nattering Naybob: Your two boys will need something to do this summer, maybe that could be their project. They could run some algorithms and get back to me with the results before Labor Day.