Are we talking about the "they spit on me" speech? Powerful speech. Did a lot to create an entire mythology of airport and bus terminal encounters. Total myth, never happened.

I like the Wick movies. One of my takes (as an old-time movie fan) is a comparison with Fred Astaire movies. They don't make much sense, but the choreography is fantastic.

I wonder if Earl “Buddy” Carter (R - GA) has ever seen the flags of, say, France or Russia. Oh, silly me.

Sorry, another cute bit just occurred to me. Many years ago I was gifted with a gorgeous garden stone that read: "Imagine." I write stories and such, so I didn't even think of the Lennon song until later. So, as fate would have it, a 60s garage band star, Sky Saxon, was staying at our house and we were standing near the garden, him smoking a lavender cigarette. He noticed the pretty stone and said, a bit unfocused, "Is that where you buried your cat?" I don't know, I just thought it was hilarious.

There is a hilarious (IMO) fake letter in an old "National Lampoon" from Yoko Ono:

"'Imagine no possessions' Oh, that would be horrible."

Frikkin' experts. Constantly looking at things and finding stuff out...and then putting all that info in places where I let my eyes rest for a moment. Hey, I learned everything I need to know in kindergarten and I never poked my eye out with a stick. So there.

Of course the government can't simply "decide" to execute more people. Courts, appeals, more courts, more appeals. That's where any deciding is being done. I understand you are against the penalty, but do you envision even the possibility of some law being passed that says "o.k., stop arguing, just do it already"? (Well, hell, upon re-reading, yes, I can imagine the possibility -- dictators do it all the time. Yet another reason to cancel the whole mind-set.)

I am firmly against the death penalty as well, but largely because it is beyond our human capabilities to do it properly. Innocents, political misfits, sexual sinners, etc., etc., have all been snuffed at various rather irregular times throughout history. There just isn't any reason to believe that it can be applied in a way that makes any sense. It should be recognized as the failure it has always been and stopped. ("should" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.)

"In practical terms" you have lost the pro-death penalty argument long ago. On the relatively rare occasion that it is actually applied, it may be somewhat emotionally satisfying, but in any practical terms, what a waste of time, money and effort.

Years upon years on death row post sentencing, unknown piles of money and effort spent on appeal after appeal. How is all of that not an attempt to "mend it, don't end it"? When do you finally admit defeat and just let 'em rot in their cells? How is that not satisfactory given that we are simply unable to make the death penalty work in any meaningful way?

Of course some people deserve the death penalty...it's just that we really don't come anywhere close to administering it in any equitable, meaningful, timely fashion. It doesn't work. Get rid of it.

A quick story about "firing weapons into the air." I got a job as an E.R. orderly when I was 17. On my second day of work, I was headed to the restroom when a middle-aged man approached me in the hallway. He was walking, but looked a bit distressed and so, for first time of many over the ensuing years, I said: "Can I help you, sir?" He replied: "I think I've been shot." He opens his shirt and there was a hole in his abdomen, not leaking much, but definitely there. I got a wheelchair and wheeled him into the E.R. His story was that he was actually inside his barn, doing chores, and suddenly got hit by a bullet, perhaps coming through the wall of the barn. To my knowledge he never knew from whence it came and the common judgement was that somebody a long ways away fired into the air. He survived and I was allowed to mask up and watch the lengthy surgery/patch-job on his intestines. Cool. But, drones or not, don't shoot a rifle into the air, o.k?

Just a note in strong support of Albert Finney's 1970 "Scrooge." Plenty of versions stretching back to drawings on cave walls, but this one really hits a high note. Literally. Guy should have got an Oscar. Lots of songs and production values from many of the same folks who won Oscars a couple years before with "Oliver!". And on another note, I'm very proud of my "Wall o' DVDs." Gotta have that hard copy. Latest purchase? Blu-Ray of "Out of the Past". Ahhhhh...

Very eloquently stated, Chip. Thank you. (referring to 10/10, 8:26 am).

A spectacular bio: Rhodes Scholar, Army helicopter pilot, Johnny Cash discovery, and more. Look him up!

I'm going to disagree with some of this. FWIW (not much) I was in Journalism School in 1974 and paying close attention to the whole mess. I doubt very strongly that Nixon ever felt any real shame -- just anger at the unfairness (to him) of it all. I truly don't think Ford's pardon was to confirm the President's (any President's) invulnerability -- the country was in a hell of a turmoil at the time (different than today's turmoil in its particulars, but no less intense), and Ford faced the choice of letting it all go to trial and further tear things apart, or just pardon the SOB and let the hubbub slowly die down. Right choice? I certainly had mixed feelings at the time (Viet Nam vet -- both Nixon and Kissinger should have spent the rest of their lives in prison), but for the sake of the country's health? I dunno. The pardon may have been the right choice.

re: Pinky comment -- National Honor? In 1974? Not much of that to be found.

Sec'y of the Interior (whoever); Director of the CIA (get him/her drunk enough to be talkative); Poet Laureate (politics adjacent).

Elected officials? Their "used car salesman" persona would never succumb to anything as weak as a beer. Politicians gotta politic, and I support that completely (beats fistfights and wars) but sitting across a table, talking to one? Nah. Even I have more class than that.

I'm deeply enamored of a childless cat lady. They're the best!

Think what happens if you switch out some nouns in there: "People who haven't been to war can't..." "People who haven't had kids can't..." "People who haven't taught classrooms full of kids can't..." "People who don't understand programming language can't..." I don't have an understanding of economics...or physics...or border patrolling...or most everything in the world, really, outside of my own narrow experiences. The thought that only experts experienced in a field get to vote on anything that has to do with that field is a bit...hmmm, what is the word I'm looking for?

Coming back after a long absence in Dec 1970, I found that my girlfriend was a fan of the Moody Blues. Bought her all of their albums (thanks for being there, babe). Not really very hard rocky-rolly, but great album titles.

It's always been a mixture for me. Back in the before times (my teens) I would buy singles/45s and an occasional album. (Then there was the Summer of '68, with its rampant album-buying...see above). And then came the cassette recorder (early adopter) and I would buy the album and pick and choose the stuff I liked. I guess, with a few rare exceptions, I always found that albums had lots of not-so-great stuff surrounding the great tracks.

Cool. I started off (a few years earlier) with two 45s: “Like a Rolling Stone” and “She’s Not There.”

How wonderfully off-the-wall! What was the other?

Ultimate Spinach. I actually don’t remember much of that album save “Funny Freak Parade.” I can still warble part of that (and then do vocal wah-wah pedal imitation).

Summer of '68. Full-time employed (had plenty of money). Skipping over to the college book store in the next town to flip through their endless stacks of LPs and buying records based solely on the odd, psychedelic names of the groups: Clear Light, Grateful Dead, 13th Floor Elevators, Red Crayola with the Familiar Ugly; Iron Butterfly, Golden Dawn (or was it Power Plant -- album art made it hard to tell), The Hobbits, Ultimate Spinach, Some of those went on past their first albums, some didn't. Was already into Moby Grape, Love, Doors and Jefferson Airplane. Somehow missed Pink Floyd. Probably more fun for the trippy album art than a lot of the music.

Dang it…this supposed to be a reply to 7/25 5:13 Pinky. Sorry.