If you think the Republicans have finally grown a pair and will challenge you-know-whom on his slush fund and IRS scam, let us at Owl Chatter be the first to wish you a safe trip back to Earth. They may snip around the edges a bit, but will essentially give him what he wants and he’ll give them sh*t for even that much “revolt.” The perfidy is bone deep.
And you can take that to the bank, because when it comes to political analysis, my record is, well, can it be less than zero? OK, so zero.
We lost probably the funniest man ever to walk the halls of Congress. And one of the best. At a Town Hall meeting during one of Obama’s runs for the White House, a woman asked Barney Frank some insane, hate-soaked question about Obama being a Muslim. Frank replied: “Madam, talking to you would be like talking to a table,” and moved on to the next questioner.
Barney died on Tuesday at his home in Ogunquit, Maine. He was 86. He served his district in suburban Boston for 32 years starting in 1981, and was the first House member to come out as a gay man. “Prejudice is based on ignorance,” he said. “And the best way to counterbalance it is with a living example, with reality.” He insisted that his male partner be invited to all events to which the spouses of other representatives were invited. In 2012, at age 72, he married Jim Ready and became the first sitting member of Congress to wed someone of the same sex.
Republican Dick Armey referred to Barney in a radio interview as Barney Fag. (I know: hysterically witty, right?) When a hooha erupted, Armey fake-apologized claiming it was an innocent mispronunciation. Here’s how Barney assessed the “apology.” “I turned to my own expert,” he said. “My mother, who reports that in 59 years of marriage, no one ever introduced her as Elsie Fag.”
When the time came for him to retire, he looked at the bright side: “I don’t even have to pretend to try to be nice to people I don’t like.”
We are going to claim him as ours on two accounts: He was a Jewish boy and from Jersey: Bayonne. He is survived by his husband Jim, a brother, and two sisters. If you still harbor a glimmer of hope for our poor beaten-up country, it is surely at least in part because it is capable of producing men like Barney Frank.
Rest in peace, Barney.
Kameron Austin Collins is one of my favorite constructors. His puzzle yesterday really made me put my nose to the MARLSTONE to solve. Wait, what? It’s a “Clay-and-calcium-carbonate mix used in cement making.” Of course.
Other neat clues included:
“They might be settled atop stools” for BAR BETS. I tried barflys after seeing that rear ends didn’t fit.
“Walk on water?” for GANGPLANK.
“A boxer’s might knock you out.” DOGBREATH. Ha!
“Ancient collection of Hindu hymns.” RIG VEDA. Ouch!
“Magpie lookalike with black-and-white plumage.” MUDLARK.
KAC is gay, but must have an eye for the pretty girls too, because he included PAULINA (“Swedish American model Porizkova”), who, Rex told us, was married to the late Ric Ocasek of The Cars. They met filming the video for the song “Drive,” which features her. They married in ’89, had two sons, and split in 2017. But, get this — In 2019, while caring for Ocasek following surgery, Porizkova found him dead in his home. Don’t you hate when that happens? They were still working out the divorce and he had written her and the boys out of his will. Ouch! A court battle resulted in her getting her share of his estate as prescribed under state (NY) law. Whatever. Here are, first, Paulina in her younger days, and then the video.
“Jazz drummer DeRosa” was CLEM, but for us non-Jazz folks, Rex recalled a different drumming CLEM — Clem Burke of Blondie. We seem to be back in that era musically today and this tune shows off his skills:
It’s a thing in baseball now for players to have walk-up songs, i.e., songs that get played over the sound system as they step up to the plate. For Jacob Young of the Gnats, it’s “Forever Young.” But it’s not Dylan’s. Too bad. Here’s Bob’s.
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the light surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Happy Birthday Bob Dylan: 85 years old today. Kinehora.
Speaking of the Gnats: they giveth and they taketh away. We watched them blow a heart-wrenching nail biter in eleven innings in Atlanta Friday night. The Braves turned a one-run lead over to their vaunted bullpen, but right after the announcers told us that Suarez had given up only one run in 23 appearances, i.e., “Abandon all hope, ye who enter the eighth inning,” CJ Abrams turned on an inside pitch and launched it into the seats. All tied up! In the tenth, Abrams again came through knocking in two with a one-out triple. But I got a bad feeling when he was stranded on third. Sure enough, the Braves tied it in the bottom of the tenth and won it in the eleventh. D’oh!
But after that heartache Friday night, Jake Irvin pitched five no-hit innings on Saturday and the pen held on for a one-hit 2-0 shutout on Saturday. All is forgiven!! I don’t usually enjoy roller coasters, but this one is fun. CJ is from Georgia, and his parents and sister were in the stands. Sweet. This older photo from his San Diego days includes his girlfriend too, with the long curls. (We featured CJ himself in an earlier post. We’re not going to repeat it: who does he think he is — Taylor? Armas?)
Today’s puzzle included the SAVE THE CHILDREN foundation in one of its clues, and NHL star Connor MCDAVID. Answers also included MOLEMAN (“Supervillain in “Fantastic Four” comics”), NOIRE, and SPAY.
So I posted the following for the gang:
My buddy who’s half Scottish and half Jewish wears a Star of MCDAVID around his neck.
MOLEMAN: What we call my dermatologist.
Rule #1 at the ashram: NOIRE
‘Sfree? No, ‘SPAY
Many years ago, I was speaking with a friend at some event and noticed he was wearing a beautiful tie. It had colorful little children floating around on a dark-blue background. I complimented him on it, and he said it was his SAVE THE CHILDREN tie: For a $300 donation, he received it as a thank-you gift. “Well, that’s very generous of you and it’s a beautiful tie,” I told him.
Just a few days later, we took a family trip down to DC. As we strolled along the streets near the Smithsonian, I noticed a souvenir table piled high with ties. One caught my eye: it was similar to my friend’s tie, only the figures of the children were larger. A sign on the table said: Ties: $5 each. I pointed to the tie and said, “So, this tie costs $5?” He said, Yes, and I bought it. I call it my “Save the Money” tie.
Speaking of DC (what, is today “segue day” or something?), this Memorial Day note is from historian Heather Cox Richardson and pretty much sums it all up:
“President Donald J. Trump’s proposed triumphal arch would sit at a rotary on the Virginia side of the Arlington Memorial Bridge between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“The proposed arch obscures the Lincoln Memorial, built to honor the president who steered the country safely through the Civil War, but perfectly frames Arlington House, the mansion built by enslaved Americans and once owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The arch does not frame the nation’s honored dead, but frames instead the home of the man who led the armies of the Confederacy that killed them.”
Which reminds me: we celebrated Bachrach Day this week: May 18th. It was 55 years ago on May 18th that I flunked my draft physical, under the guidance of good Samaritan David Bachrach. The 18th is one day after Caity’s birthday, and one day before my sister Bonnie’s, aleha hashalom. Caity just turned 40; Bonnie would have been 85. Caity still looks like a high school girl to me. Bonnie, too, to the very end: forever young.
See you tomorrow!
The Wellington Files 