Politics, Faith, Sex, Opinion - SMC 10/23/2011

Sunday Morning Coffee a collection of stories that we might talk about at the local coffee shop.  Always some politics, and a little sex sprinkled with religion.  Odd grouping huh?  A warning...it will make you crazy(er).  If you want to leave a comment here, feel free.  Or let's connect on Twitter @MichaelLibbie or here is my personal Facebook Page.  Grab a cup...let's visit!

Faith & Freedom

I'm amused at the title used for the Iowa GOP event last night.  You know, the one that the future Republican nominee Mitt Romney wisely skipped.  Not being a Christian I have some difficulty understanding how you can have "faith" but yet be..."free".  I suspect it means that as long as you have the "faith" and you keep your decisions based around some tiny personal understanding of that faith you are almost free to do...stuff?   I dunno.  But I do know infusing religion into politics isn't in our best interests.  Ask the folks in, oh gosh...pick a Muslim nation.  Scary.

Speaking of Scary...

"I made a major mistake and opted to use Mediacom for my 91 year old Mom."  How's that for an marketing line?  The sad thing...it's true. Knowing that she loves watching QVC we made sure here television was hooked up before she got to Iowa.  Because I didn't know better we also chose Mediacom for her phone and Internet.  That was thirty days ago.  Since then it's been bad...  The phone would drop calls, be garbled or simply not work for days at a time.  We've had three techs out trying to fix the problem.  To be fair Mediacom did say their phone system would go out if there was a "power outage".  But that is rare and Mom has a cell phone.  Last night I got a frantic call from her.  She had fallen but couldn't contact us because...the phone was out.  I was there in less than two minutes.  She's fine.  However the fear in her eyes when she said, "I couldn't use the phone..."really got me.  So, heads up. If you must rely on phone or Internet communication and it's for a loved one pass on Mediacom.  Let them stick to QVC.  A side thank you to my friend Patrick Palmer, a really smart computer guy out of Hampton, who warned me...I should have listened.

Liquor & Surprises

Long ago I worked at a station in Paducah, KY.  One night several of us went out to get some beer.  We didn't have to go into a store because they had drive up liquor stores.  I was...shocked.  Here's a kid from Detroit shocked by the fact you could buy booze while behind the wheel of a vehicle.   Last week I was at a Kum & Go near I-80/35 that, while there was no drive up window, there was plenty of beer, wine and liquor.  Along with this nifty display.  You can't see it well, but the video is about "how to drink and enjoy wine".  In a convenience store, next to the Interstate.  My, Iowa has evolved and gotten classy at the same time.

Back To An Even Rhythm

Once each year Jews leave the ordered rhythm of the secular world and enter into the "High Holidays".  It's rhythm but syncopated. September 28 & 29 - Rosh Hashanah.  October 8th Yom Kippur. (all three "no work" days).  Then October 13 - 21 is Sukkot with the first two days being celebrated (no work) and the final days, Shemni Atzereth and Sinchat Torah (also...no work). Sprinkled in between would be several sabbaths.  It's been...a whirlwind and often difficult to explain to my non-Jewish friends that, "I'm off". I swear they must think I'm independently wealthy; as all Jews...are...right?

This Is...Impressive

In front of the western most Urbandale Fire Station is this...memorial.  I'd seen it from the road but never took the time to go visit.  Last week I did.  It's a touching reminder of the fidelity between fire fighters and the work they do to bring some sense of "safe" into our world.  Thank you!   Big thumbs up to the folks who provided funding, materials and the work.  If you're in the area...make a stop. One more thing...check out their Photo Page.

Gov. Rick Perry & Guns

I got a huge kick out of this article from the Washington Post.  It's almost as if whomever wrote it had never, in his or her life...actually been on a pheasant hunt or seen a gun.  (Note:  There are many in DC...just so you know.)  So Governor Perry can hunt.  Does President Obama...hunt?  I dunno.  I did and then I found out something amazing.  Many places in the United State have...ready...grocery stores!  And the meat is already cleaned, cut up and you don't have to worry about dentist bills in case you bite into a piece of shot.  I know...who knew!

Israel & Gilad Shalit

The reaction to Israel freeing over 1,000 convicted murderers in exchage for Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier captured captured by Gaza terrorists in 2006, has been...interesting.  Many of my friends "can't understand" the move and some have suggested it is all politics.  No...it's a different way of looking at things.  Israel is a tiny country where nearly everybody knows...everybody or at least has an opinion of others.  This mattered.  An interesting side story:  It is common for observant Jewish women to say selected Tehillim (Psalms) each day.  On the day that Gilad was released (Sukkot) that Psalm had the words, "Israel", "Sukkot" and..."Gilad" within the reading. 

Foreign Policy Success - But Who Cares

It's bittersweet. The foreign policy success, just this year, of the Obama administration are staggering.  Drawing down two wars, removing the world of two tyrants and now the latest news that all US service men and women would leave Iraq by the end of the year.  Stunning...but nobody cares.  It's the economy and proof that "creating jobs" is something government has a problem...doing.  My Republican friends tell me that all we have to do to create jobs is to let corporations go free. (Which has pretty much been the standard for the past twenty years.)  That work?  Meanwhile the president has outlined a jobs bill made up of GOP ideas...that, once upon a time they liked.  Now, because it is this president...they are awful ideas.  It's all...all politics and power my friends.  Sad that this is what we've become.

Let's Get Back To...SEX!

Here's something that would have my friends who attended the Faith & Freedom GOP event clutch their bibles more...closely.  Grinnell College, about 50 miles east of Des Moines has gone "Gender Neutral" in their dorms.  That means your sex or what you think is your sex...doesn't matter.  Bathrooms, locker rooms, bedrooms...  Here's the story from our friends at the Des Moines Register.  You'll like this line: “Ideally, we would live in a gender-neutral world where your sex wouldn’t define you."

And Speaking of Sex...

Our friends at Dr. Pepper have drawn some flack for this ad for Dr. Pepper 10:

 

"It's anti-women!", "It's smart marketing!", "It devalues women!"  To be honest, when I first saw it I did that "double take".  "Really?  That's odd."  But the second time I saw the humor and satire.  How many commercials have you seen or heard that play the guy as a dummy?   Lighten up...drink up...  Or...go genderless?

Thank You!

That's It!  I've been off for so long (see above) that I must capture the day and get some major tasks accomplished.  Including dinner at Mom's.  Have a wonderful day and thanks for reading.

 

  

Comments

[Les Chalfin]

Everyone has a Media Com story. They came out several times to "Tighten a loose connection" outside my apartment. Phone went out, and cable had static lines. And when they reimbursed me for outage, they reimbursed for 6 hours of a 720 hour month!!!
I switched to Dish for TV and Qwest for internet and Vonage. All worked perfect.

[Les Chalfin]

Sex in the college dorm. I did not have a steady that lasted all through college. Many i thought would, and they were the shortest! I guess i would like to see statistics of how many boyfriend-girlfriend share a room, and then, how many room-mate changes there are during the year. It would be very unpleasant to be in a room with someone you once loved, and now don't like. Michael, you may not understand that part from experience, but i have been divorced a few times!!

[Michael Libbie]

Les: Yep...our friends from Qwest (Century Link) are coming out this week to get Mom hooked up. We just failed at understanding how really bad Mediacom is when it comes to providing telephone and Internet service. Sometimes we just need to stay focused on what we can provide well... Man. Do I understand your comment about being in the same room. And, at those ages it can really be crazy. Interesting experiment though. Thanks for reading and for the comments! - Michael