Musings of the Great Gonzo

I have always been a fan of the classic movie Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory . There is something vaguely disturbing about the maniacal way Gene Wilder conducts the tour of the magical chocolate factory. This is a movie that shows moral degeneration, full of veiled threat, and darkly perverse in a candy-coated kind of way. This week photos surfaced of Presidential Candidate John Kerry. In them he sports a new tan that, well, has a distinctly orange hue. It kind of reminds me of this evil little people in the Willy Wonka movie. You know the ones that make the chocolate, work in the research labs, and see to the naughty children that go astray of dear Mr. Wonka's rules. Do you get the feeling that the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts is trying too hard to be liked by the ladies? Maybe he is feeling a bit over-shadowed by his running mate John Edwards' sway with the female voters. If that's the case it isn't working. Consider this quote from Ly...

Here's an off-the-wall musing I turned in for a project in a class I am taking online. I told you some of my stuff would be like this! Twenty-five years ago I attended college at the University of Missouri – Columbia. My intent was to obtain a degree in Journalism. I had spent several years on the newspaper and yearbook staffs of my High School and had won several student awards for both sports and feature articles I had written. On the strength of these awards and articles, I was offered a student correspondent position on the campus newspaper The Maneater. In late 1980 and early 1981, I wrote many articles for The Maneater. I wrote articles ranging from coverage of Missouri Tiger football games to the proper way to wash a beer glass. All of these stories were written on an old Royal manual typewriter. My father had given me the old typewriter as a gift the year I was accepted as a writer for the High School newspaper. As a firefighter for a small town outside of S...

Let's get something straight right at the get-go. I was only 7 years old at the height of the Vietnam War. I did not serve, nor did I dodge the draft. Documents will never surface alleging that I improperly avoided service. Nor will witnesses come forward to tell stories of my cowardice in the face of the enemy. When I was 7 years old I was happily scampering after my dog in the back yard, not trudging through tangled underbrush in a tropical downpour, gun slung over my shoulder. I don't remember the War, Hell I doubt that I even knew there was one at that age. Now, thirty-five year later a great deal of noise is being made about two soldiers' performances during that war. The funny thing is, only one side of the political landscape seems to be making the noise. And that side seems to think that thirty-five years later, America will care about a War they would rather forget. Why build a campaign around this black spot on American history? Why puff out your chest and p...

I've had just about enough of the "prisoner abuse" story. And it seems that Jennifer Harper of The Washington Post feels the same way. In an article posted to the Internet today she makes an interesting point; the media has over-blown the issue, and continues to cover it dispute the fact that other, more important facts have come to light. "The world already knows salient details of the prisoner humiliation and nudity, the causes of the abuse are under official investigation, and the courts-martial have begun. Yet, the caterwaul in the press against the American military and the war in Iraq continue," writes Ms. Harper. Amen, Ms. Harper! I am so sick of the media pounding the current administration over the war in Iraq. Perhaps they would prefer the Saddam still be in power, that he still held his country in a reign of terror, that Iraqi women were treated like slaves, that entire towns be wiped out at his whim, that prisoners are treated in much more...

American athletes have been warned not to wave the U.S. flag during their medal celebrations at this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, for fear of provoking crowd hostility and harming the country's already-battered public image. We wouldn't want to upset anybody now would we? Read the entire article here:

The camera cuts to a tight shot of the proud, young athlete, tears of pride and joy streaming down his face. In the background the majestic sound of his National Anthem plays as his national flag slowly rises behind him. His smile beams from the television set, he is a proud symbol of excellence in his sport, the very best of the best that his country has offered to the world. As the last notes of the anthem play, he grabs hold of the gold medal around his neck, holds it high in the air and mouths, "For you mom." He stands on the podium another few seconds, basking in the adulation of the crowd. Glory and honor comes to him in waves. He steps down from the highest step of the podium and walks towards the crowd. He wants to show his national pride, he wants to thank the great nation he calls home for allowing him to excel in his sport, he wants to display patriotism. But he is forbidden. Under instructions from the United States Olympic committee, American athle...

Still more about American Idol . This time about the voting controversy; In the latest controversy, Jasmine Trias from Hawaii advanced while frontrunner LaToya London was knocked out. When fans howled over another voting glitch—this time alleging that more callers were allowed from Hawaii, six hours behind New York, Fox released a statement: "The producers and network have gone to great lengths to ensure the integrity of the voting process on American Idol. America votes, an independent company calculates the tally, and the show reports those results." To read the entire article click: Broadcasting & Cable: The Business of Television

Well done America! You have now sealed the fate of American Idol forever. No longer will anyone question the futility of this once promising format. After that outburst of anger towards the devastating result of seeing LaToya London prematurely kicked off the show, I took time to calm down and examine what I had written – In truth, I saw it coming. Tuesday night, I believe LaToya sealed her fate. Not because of her lack of talent. Not because of a poor performance. Not because she is unworthy of the title of American Idol. She received fewer votes because she is a consummate professional. She did not at anytime display crocodile tears to win votes (Jasmine’s tears were probably genuine; after all she is just a kid, but!) LaToya did not prance up and down in gleeful joy at positive comments from the judges, like Diana does. Nor did she respond to negative comments with attitude or as some have said, showed spunk! LaToya London just did her job, exceptionally well, and behaved in...

Paula rested her head on Randy's shoulder and sobbed openly. Tears of shock rolled down her cheeks taking mascara along for the ride and leaving black trails back to her saddened eyes. She clutched at his arm as he shook his head in disbelief. He covered one of her hands with his in a consoling gesture, but she would not be consoled. High drama? Melodramatic fodder from a second rate South American soap opera? Reaction at a John Kerry rally? No, no, and maybe. Actually what I have described are the reactions of past pop diva Paula Abdul and record industry hipster Randy Jackson during the closing moments of last night's American Idol elimination show. The two celebrity judges were reacting to the news that La Toya London, the hands-down favorite to win this season's pop star search, had been voted off the show by the American public. This after weeks of glowing reviews from the three celebrity judges comprising Abdul, Jackson, and the often acidic-tongued S...

Well, here we are together for the first time. Its like a first date but, less awkward. There will be no fumbled attempts at a good night kiss, no insincere promises of "I'll call you tomorrow." No scrambling off to the bathroom to make a rescue call to a friend on the cell phone. Nope, none of that. Just you, me, a computer, the NSA, and 4,356, 947 virus scanners and spam filters. Oh, and my opinions which you can either accept or reject -- its up to you. Today being our first together, I'd like to begin our relationship on a rant. Please, feel free to chime in with your opinion by adding a comment. But, keep in mind, we all have opinions -- some are right, some are wrong, most are woefully uninformed. So, on to the rant... Last night my lovely wife and I had an appointment with a lawyer to talk about putting together a will. Now, I am not a huge fan of lawyers, I agree that they are necessary to navigate the labyrinth known as the legal system but, mo...

Ever step out of your house early in the morning, sniff the cool, moist air of the new day and just know that everyone, everywhere is out to get you? Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night, sweating, breathing hard, your heart pounding in your chest from a particularly vivid dream involving alien abduction, leisure suits, and fruit cocktail? Have you ever gone to the grocery store gotten a cart with a jittery wheel, fantasized about the produce, wondered if the surveillance cameras saw you stuff the rump roast down your shorts, and tried to purchase beer with food stamps? Me either. I was just wondering. Welcome to my blog. I plan to use this little slice of the Internet to post some of my random thoughts. I'll post reviews of restaurants, movies, and anything else I feel like reviewing. I'll post travelogues with info about trips I have taken, places I have seen, and people I have met. I'll post rants about politics, the economy, public figures, and p...