POTPOURRI

Every so often a pile of items stack up which haven't got the heft to warrant a long

commentary, but should be noted in passing...

YEAR OF THE WOMAN...When Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein were elected to

the Senate, it was called the Year of the Woman. This year, in California, women will run for

both the Senate and for governor. A woman will run for the Senate in Nevada, another will

defend her seat in Arkansas, and still another will run for governor of South Carolina. Given

that states continue to pass laws attempting to control a woman's body and mandate her

reproductive life, given that women continue to earn less than men in similar occupations,

given that corporate America and particularly Wall Street are still male-dominated bastions;

you would think women candidates would fall more on the progressive side of the political

spectrum. Yet there is not a single progressive woman among the group cited above. Perhaps

it is an example of true equality when women can be as rapacious, regressive, and repressive

as men.

PACKIN' THEM IN...It is expected that the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M,

Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado Universities will join the Pac Ten.

The Pac Ten would become a super-conference, divided into two eight-team divisions and

have a conference title game and everyone makes a lot of money. For some reason, I don't

like this idea at all. Perhaps it's because Texas and Oklahoma are two states we should have

allowed to secede. Perhaps it's because I am a CAL fan and this will make it more difficult to

get to the Rose Bowl. Perhaps it's because USC is about to get hit with sanctions for essentially

fielding a professional football team each Saturday. (How many of you think Pete Carroll knew

what was coming and that's why he jumped to the NFL?) Perhaps it's because it reminds me

again about the vast amounts of money the schools and coaches make off the backs of players,

most of whom are used up, discarded, and leave without a degree. How about this...you play

college football, your playing career is over for any reason, and you have the right to stay in

school or come back, tuition free, until you get your degree no matter how many extra years

it takes.

PROPOSITION 14...So let me get this straight...fed up California voters have decided to

have open primaries where the top two vote-getters go on to the general election even if they

are in the same party and anyone can vote for anybody? I'm told that this is an example of

how frustrated voters are with political gridlock. In a state where Meg Whitman spent over

$80 million and Steve Poizner at least $25 million, where Carly Fiorina is considered a

formidable opponent to Barbara Boxer because Fiorina can spend millions of her own dollars,

in a state where to run statewide you must raise at least $20 million just to be competitive,

at a time when the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations can contribute as much as they

want to any candidate they wish; someone thinks this is a progressive political advance? This

is a recipe for the corporate and regressive takeover of the California political process. Well,

at least the voters got to vent.

OILS WELL THAT ENDS WELL...The government now estimates the oil gusher in the

Gulf is spewing at least 20,000 barrels a day and as much as 40,000 barrels. The Wall Street

Journal is reporting BP could declare bankruptcy or be purchased by Exxon or Shell; thus

avoiding having to pay billions of dollars in clean-up and liability costs. But for a college

student who is drowning in debt due to student loans and chained to his or her obligations,

bankruptcy is not an option. What a country!!

OH THE HUMANITIES OF IT ALL..the number of college students pursuing degrees in

Liberal Arts or the Humanities has dropped by over 50% in the last twenty years. The trend

has accelerated due to the latest economic meltdown. It would appear corporate America has

no place for someone who can read, write, think critically, and is familiar with history and

the mistakes made by American society. Another season of Survivor anyone?

TEA AND SYMPATHY...media reports have elevated Sarah Palin to queenmaker

extraordinaire. She endorsed Carly Fiorina to run against Tom Campbell and Fiorina won.

Fiorina is in favor of the Arizona law giving police the power to stop and search anyone they

wish, is endorsed by Pete Wilson, is anti-choice, was fired from Hewlett Packard because she

illegally spied on fellow board members, and was dropped from John McCain's campaign

because she constantly opened mouth and inserted foot. Oh yes, least I forget, she was recently

caught by an open mike dissing Barbara Boxer's hair style as "...so yesterday". Sarah Palin,

who favors abolishing Social Security and the Departments of Energy and Education, endorsed

the Republican winner in Nevada to run against Senator Harry Reid. Go Sarah!! What do you

think? I welcome your comments and rebuttals. Please send them to lionoftheleft@gmail.com