John 3:16

Today's Tids Issue 2,506
Opening Stuff:

Bain Capital, and Romney's involvement, is being assaulted by the weak of mind, generally not capable of understanding, or wanting to understand, the function of business and capital in the US economy. Private capital is how an economy exists without Government intervention. Separation of Biz and state and the creativity and innovation it fosters, is why the US catapulted forward in the 19th and 20th Centuries...creating millions of jobs; the envy of the rest of the world. The negativity towards this very basic component of American greatness, and the propagation of misunderstanding to a mostly uninformed public of by all people fellow Republicans including the so-called "wise one", Newt, is unfathomable to me. I can see how the disingenuous White House would leap upon the tough side of making businesses work, but fellow Republicans? It is a travesty at many levels.

Oh yeah, and the Prez and henchmen will continue the assault on Romney's business practices, but now they can accuse and disparage using Newts words. Disgusting.

Everybody would probably admit that the end of the Denver-Pitt game was thrilling beyond the usual excitement. Maybe, even among atheists. But, what impressed me was the aftermath and the media exposure. The usual suspects were more in awe, more respectful of the moment and the man than they normally are when overt religious enthusiasm is part of their story. They seem to see a good guy who works hard, who believes. And frankly, I felt many of them also felt something positive in their hearts.

The headline read: "47 from 23 Countries Sworn in as US Citizens." The system works and always has. And, everything is legal and genuine. And people who hate illegal immigration love it.

The Question:

Who were the core members of the Steeley Dan band? Name three of the best known songs.

The Headlines:

--NH Primary Deadlocked After Dixwell Notch; Moderates Huntsman and Romney have 2 votes each. Newt and Ron Paul tied for second at one vote each.
--Wall Street Looks To Up day After Positive Earnings From Alcoa.
--National Debt Now Larger Than Total Of All Goods And Services Produced In US.
--Hyundai Elantra Wins "Car Of Year" Award At Big Auto Show.
--Syria Prez Cites ABC News As Leading Foreign Meddler; Says Walters Interveiw With Him Was Deliberately Edited To Distort.
--Admin Chief-of-Staff Daley Fired.
--Alabama Completely Dominates LSU Winning NCAA BCS Championship; People Wonder What Playoff Would Have Produced.
--New Jersey GOP Senate leader collapses, Dies On Senate Floor.
--Missing 21 Yo. Son Of GB Packer's Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin Found Dead In Icy River.

Oh, BTW, the White House invested billions in GM, and is now touting a turn-around that happened mainly because of plant closings, firing employees and reducing wage scales. In case you are interested.

The NH race is all about how strong the rest of the slate can finish behind Romney. When you combine a big NH win with what was for Romney a very strong showing in the Conservative Iowa caucuses and the endorsement from Niki, it appears that the Mittster will come out of South Carolina nicely too.

Hey, Twinkies is going out of business! Thanks Michelle "No fun Eating" Obama. Another good business goes by the wayside along with its jobs because of nanny state fanatics. How many more?

If life was always fair, than maybe we could understand it better. But, alas it is encumbered by misinformation, misconceptions and misgivings, and that is why the logical and pragmatic have so much trouble dealing with it.

The cast of Jersey Shore should never be allowed to go outside beyond their own brainless public. It's embarrassing for the country. Some Islamist would take tapes and show it to their Muslim masses --"This is America; This is why we will rise!"

Biblical Pigskin Department:
I'm a Little worried about this Saturday's contest between my beloved Pats and the miracle man and his formidable Denver team. January 14? Hmmm John 1:14 -- "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth". I wonder.

New Amendment Department:
I was reading about the Supreme Court decision to take up the Stephen Tyler suit urging more casual raunchy swearing on TV. The first amendment protects lots of evil or things in questionable taste like pornography, gambling and other negative ingredients potentially destructive to a healthy, civilized society, as long as it has socially redeeming consequences. Well, I think the next Amendment should be "Freedom of Eating." Or should that read "Freedom From Persecuting happy larger people: From? Of? It's tricky little word choice.

Almost Near: Chapter 57 continues. --"Hi Audrey Johnson. I'm sitting here with Samantha Wilcox who you also may know as Samantha Jergens."
"I have never met her but know a lot about her."
"That's not important. You don't have to talk. Just listen." Audrey sat up. Now tense, aware. "Samantha just finished talking to an assistant to a lawyer named Dante who just awoke form a coma after a hit and run accident. Where are you?" Sparrow interrupted his town train of thought.
Audrey began to worry more. Come out with it she thought. "I'm in a middle of nowhere restaurant north of Little Rock with Tucker Louttite, a friend of Samantha."
Audrey heard silence on the line, then muffled voices in the background. "Is he with you now?"
"No, for some reason my suspicious mind told me to take this call in the ladies room."
"Ok, that's Good." We have just learned that the lawyer says it was Tucker who ran him down and left the scene." Audrey paled. She turned again to the door. She found it hard to breathe.

The Answer:

--Bard College graduates Dan Fagan and Walter Becker (Dubbed "Manson/Starkweather of Pop") were a couple of songwriters living in Brooklyn who first gained a little fame with a Barbra Streisand song "I mean to Shine". The duo started as traveling musicians with Jay and the Americans. Their songs it was determined were much too complex for most musicians so a producer named Katz urged them to start their own band to play their own music. Some early hits were Do It Again, Dirty Work and Reelin' In The Years. The most memorable early hit was Rikki Don't Lose That Number. Some others were bad Sneakers, Black Friday, Doctor Wu, Peg, Deacon Blues, Josie and Chain Lightening. The duo was more about writing lots of ingenious music for albums. They didn't particularly like traveling and in fact Fagan had a serious case of Stage fright.

The world is an incongruity.