Today is blasphemy Wednesday.
Before getting to the disaster that was Taco Tuesday, it is inspiring to think about perfection.
Like many, I constantly strive and fail to reach perfection. As a kid, even though I hated school, I was always afraid that the one day I missed, good things would happen. I never got the perfect attendance award. Several years I missed one day. My parents knew I was not one to play hooky, and they insisted on keeping me home when I was ill. I just couldn’t get through without missing that one day.
I have been with my current firm for over three years. For three years I did not miss a day of work. I took my vacations, but did not call in sick. I remember James Caan in “The Program” asking one of his football players, “Are you injured or are you hurt?” When the player wanted to know the difference, the coach replied, “If you’re injured, you can’t play. If you’re hurt, you can play.”
I have been hurt, but not injured. So I went to work. I would get bored out of my mind at home, given how much I hate daytime television. So I go to the office and tough it out. Yet a few weeks ago I was down for the count. It was a Thursday, and I knew that if I could hit the showers by 8:30am, like I always do, being in at 9am was easy. At 8:22am I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom, unable to stand up. The shower was right there. 11 minutes later, at 8:33am, I gave it one final push. I could not get up. At 8:35am I called the boss. He was surprised, but I told him, “I’m injured.”
By the early afternoon I felt well enough to come into work. I could work a half day, and make up the hours, and keep my streak intact. Yet logic took over, and I decided to stay home. The next day I started a new streak.
Three hours seems impressive, but 17 years without missing work is more impressive. This is why the flags are flying half staff today at Green Bay, Wisconsin. Quarterback legend Brett Favre announced his retirement after 17 NFL seasons. The iron man of professional football did not miss a single game. From the third week of the 1992 season to the crushing overtime loss in this year’s NFC Title Game, Brett Favre had 100% perfect attendance. He was the Cal Ripken of football.
Many are questioning why he would retire when his team was so close to the Superbowl last year. Some are speculating that the inability to land Randy Moss played a role. Yet his reasons are his own.
Steve at www.norunnyeggs.com is most likely in mourning today. Pray for him.
Perfect attendance is impressive, but the one thing to keep in mind is that showing up is not enough. Had I gone to work the day I was sick I would have slept at my desk, contributing not an ounce of productivity. I would have been cheating myself. Perfection should not have an asterisk next to it.
Brett Favre battled a painkiller addiction early in his career, but he never cheated the game of football. He went all out, all the time. He won a Superbowl, and was one drive away from possible back to back titles. His fourth quarter comebacks are numerous. He has shattered the record books, leaving as the all time passing leader in several categories. His record of accomplishments is as lengthy as his 17 years, and he is a lock to be a first ballot Hall of Famer.
I think about this because it seems that in politics, unlike sports, merit does not seem to matter. People make claims, and those claims are just accepted. People do not have to prove themselves. They do not have to take responsibility for their own actions. Congress works Tuesday through Thursday, and praises itself for hard work. Resume padding is the norm.
This is how Hillary Clinton, a woman with no notable accomplishments, can brag about her 35 years of experience. She is now 60 years old. That means that when she graduated law school at age 25, her experience began. Does anybody think that those years contributed anything to her readiness today?
She cites several examples of her experience. One is how she fought for universal health care. So what? She lost. She failed. This does not make her a bad person, but we do not reward people in life for trying. We reward people for results. Hillary Clinton attempted to do something, and she failed. This is not an accomplishment.
She also discusses her role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland. She had nothing to do with the Irish peace process. It was George Mitchell, a seasoned Senatorial veteran with years of experience involving negotiations, who got the job done.
Hillary speaks of her standing up to the Chinese with regards to the rights of women. Again, so what? This did not lead to a policy change of any kind. She made aspeech. She has continually attacked Barack Obama for being more about speeches than solutions, but all she did was make a speech. It was ignored. To put it blountly, she is not a good speaker. She does not inspire.
Her visiting 80 countries with Chelsea means absolutely nothing. I have visited foreign nations and managed not to get into any fistfights. This does not mean I am a diplomat. I am a tourist. Hillary Clinton was a famous tourist. She was a celebrity who was married to somebody that was a President.
One of the reasons she was sent to all of these places was to get her out of the United States, especially during election years. The more people hear her, the less they like her.
Hillary Clinton is simply a bland person who married a gifted person. She confuses his gifts with hers. She claims experience that she does not possess. She takes credit for accomplishes that have nothing to do with her. She takes blame for nothing. Worse still, she is here to stay. She will not voluntarily go away…ever.
I have often said that it is better to have people ask “why are you leaving,” than “when are you leaving?” Very few people get to walk away on their own terms. They hang around until they are shells of their former selves. Former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway won back to back Superbowls, and then retired. He wanted to play, but admitted that his body, “just couldn’t do it any more.” Other athletes like boxer Evander Holyfield retire several times.
I still think that Brett Favre will change his mind and come back. After everything he has done, he is entitled to do so.
Hillary Clinton will leave when she is dragged kicking and screaming from the building. Worse still, despite much of the American electorate wanting her to leave, she will not put the good of anybody else above what is best for her. People need her because she says so.
Yes, she won Ohio. She also won Texas, at least the primary aspect of it. Yes, these are legitimate victories, but should that erase the fact that she lost 11 contest in a row? Barack Obama was racking up wins, while she was offering excuses. She is ready to tear the democratic party apart to get the nomination. This is not what team players do. Ask any backup quarterback how to behave, and they tell you that they practice hard, and patiently wait their turn, and accept the decision of the coaches. They put the team above themselves.
Hillary Clinton is a fire breathing dragon, Lady MacBeth minus the warmth. Like most dragons, breathing fire to destroy the Earth is another day at the office for her.
The Iron Man has taught us what life is about, and how to live. The Fire Lady has taught us how not to live. He walked away, possibly before his time, on his own terms. She will stay until the very last vestige of power has been ripped from her body and soul.
Short of repealing the 19th amendment, I have no answers.
https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2008/01/repeal-the-19th-amendment/
Charlotte Allen explains in the Washington Post that perhaps women are just not very bright.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022903397.html
I am too disgusted to add anything else regarding Texmex Tuesday. For the Milli Vanillionth time, Hillary and Bill Clinton have morphed into Bill Murray from “What about Bob.” “Gone? They’re never gone!”
Before we roll out the barrel and get to the Pennsylvania Polka, the Wyoming caucus and Mississippi primary will hopefully finally help remove this cancerous lesion from the Presidential race.
Yet this woman, married to Lazarus, will not be counted out. I remain frightful. She can still win.
Yet no matter what, the republic will survive. So will I.
Besides, Las Vegas was fun, the Chicago hotel tower suite is gorgeous, and so is the “Chicago Cannonball.”
I am not allowed to elaborate at this time. Well I am, but I might get throttled.
Off to listen to rock group “The Cult” sing “Fire Woman.”
“Fire…smoke she is a rising…smoke on the horizon baby…Fire Woman.”
Perhaps the only thing that should be retired is today’s column.
There. Done.
eric
Surely you should be happy that Hillary is there to break apart the Democratic party? This, if nothing else, is a good thing. Why are you upset over it?
I still maintain that Hillary is better than Obama, though very marginally. It doesn’t mean I would vote for her. But Obama is an empty suit who has barely shown up even to cast votes, and those votes he did cast, are horrifying.
Just my two cents! I say, let’s see Hillary take it to the end! This will only help McCain. :)
Tulips is right Eric.
Isnt this what we want ?
Sure, the spiteful end of me doesnt want Hillary to win anything.
But this just brings her closer to the @ss kicking she will get from McCain.
I think part of eric’s problem with Hillary staying in the race and tearing the Democratic party apart is that her staying in the race won’t tear the Democratic party apart at all. The other part of eric’s problem is that McCain’s a loser either way.
As I said before, here’s a candidate on the ropes, losing 11 straight primaries, who was still able to raise $35 million in one month and then beat the so-called presumptive nominee in 3 out of 4 states last night, including the two biggest prizes.
A lot is being written today that Hillary doesn’t have a mathematical chance of winning. Drudge has a headline that she needs to win 97% of the rest of the delegates to win the nomination. So what? Obama has to win 77% of the rest of the delegates and it’s highly unlikely either one of them will be able to attain those figures. What’s even more unlikely is that whichever one doesn’t get the nomination will throw their support to McCain instead of the other Democrat.
Funny things always happen but it’s going to be a long year for John McCain, who is looking really, really old right now.
Hilary needs 97% of all the remaining delegates to get the nomination … it isn’t going to happen. Otherwise the projections and math show that B.Hussein goes into the convention with more delegates and the popular vote. Then it will realy hit the fan. In the immortal words of Flounder from Animal House. “Oh boy, is this gonna be great!” ;-}
You know, it wasn’t all that long ago when the candidates were almost always decided at the convention, and not even on the first or second ballot. The parties survived then and the Democrats will this time, too, even if neither Obama nor Clinton come into the convention with the nomination in hand, which is increasingly becoming possible.
Of course, the last time there was serious doubt as to who would be the nominee happened at the 1976 Republican convention when the unsuccessful challenger broke Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment ,”Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican,” and Gerald Ford, the incumbent and the nominee, later lost to Jimmy Carter.
Hitlery!(tm) has plenty of experience. You dont think Bill actually wore the pants for those 8 years they were in the White House, do you? Heck, he was trying to drop his pants as often as possible!
She is preferable to Obama because he’s so far to the left that Lenin looks conservative. He would immediately surrender to any opposition around the world. She would at least use the military that she detests, if necessary.
Anyway…I’m thinking of starting my own political party. I’ve even got a bunch of the bloggers and commenters over at Townhall already supporting me for a run in 2012 (I can’t run this year because federal law prohibits active duty military folks from running for federal elected office, but reservists are free to do so…I retire in 2010). I know I’d need to hit both the Powerball and the Mega-Millions to finance a run, but a Crawfish can dream, can’t he? I’ve posted my Party Platform in 3 parts over at my Swamp. Come on by and let me know if I’m lucid or out to lunch. http://constitutionalcrawfish.blogtownhall.com
Eric, you used to visit on occaision.
Eric is right (and I don’t say that lightly, or often) but not in the way you think. My problem with Hilary is that she is anochronistic. She looks back at her, or her husband’s accomplishments with a certain amount of nostalgia. Much like older generations remember their childhood. However, the past was not the pot of roses that Hilary remembers. Furthermore, to quote an old adage, you cannot go back home again. We cannot undo 9/11. We cannot undo the housing market. We cannot go back the the Clinton era, which she has wished for in so many speeches. We can only go forward. I don’t want a president that “remembers when.” I need someone who looks to the future and is ready to move forward with the cards he or she is dealt. Hilary is looking backwards while Barak looks ahead. It is that simple.
Eric, I think it’s going to be fun watching those two go after each other! :)
Can you think of something to call Hillary besides “The Dragon Lady”? That’s the my name! ;)
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 03/06/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
Explain to me what this has to do with music, which is how it was described?
But sometimes we really need some healing and relaxing music too.
best, maria
Hi, how are you? We have Berlusconi, now!! Yes, I’m BlogMasterPg your Italian Blogger-friend. As You know, in my Country there is an american girl in prison. I think that girl is innocent, but italians laws are very hard versus suspected and she is still 4-5 months in prison without a process. I think the process will not be before a year. In my ‘Town blog ‘ ( http://perugiablog.blogspot.com/ ) I write about that thing, the ‘strange’ Italian justice,, the reasons why she is still in prisons without proves, only opinions of media, yes now mass-media are as in Your Country: a Newspaper can decides of a person’s life. I think that thing is terrible and it could do something to change. What? I don’t know, but we writes and We MUST write about these tragedies. Best regards from BlogMasterPg, PERUGIA, Italy