Winning Words 9/14/12
“Don’t take life too seriously.  It ain’t nohow permanent.”  (Walt Kelley)  My all-time favorite comic strip was, “Pogo.”  Pogo was a possum who lived with his friends in the Okefenokee Swamp.  In the 50s, people were wearing I-Go-Pogo buttons, wanting him to be President.  Walt Kelly mixed humor with politics.  He was against Extreme Right, Extreme Left and Extreme Middle.  There’s no fun in politics anymore.    ;-)  Jack

FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA:  My favorite Pogo quote: "We have met the enemy and he is us." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogo_(comic_strip) Refers, of course, to a dispatch from Commander Oliver Hazard Perry on September 10, 1813, just over 199 years ago. The War of 1812 is being celebrated in Canada as one of the early events helping form a Canadian identity.////FROM JACK:  A week ago I went down to the Detroit River and walked the deck of the tall ship, Niagara, which was a replica of the ship that fought in the War of 1812.  I saw its cannons, too.  Looking across the river into Canada, I had a hard time imagining a war being fought in this neighborhood.  Some people in the world today don't have to imagine.

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  It's been years since I've read a copy of "Mad Magazine" but there was a cartoon guy in there running for President too. Either Pogo or that guy, I'll vote for either of them.////FROM JACK:  That was Alfred E. Neuman.  It's not easy being the President of our country...such impossible expectations!   Even a cartoon character would be criticized, if elected.

 FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE:  Jack, always enjoy your notes! :-))////FROM JACK:  That might change, if I were elected President.

 FROM ILLINOIS LIZ:  Too much @ stake, too much corruption 2 be fun...////FROM JACK:  There's also much opportunity to do much good.  Playing baseball can be a lot of fun when the team works together.

 FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER:  My favorite line from the  "strip" was; "We have met the enemy and they is us." I still use it occasionally.////FROM JACK:  I could relate to Deacon Mushrat.

 FROM WATERFORD JAN:  Do you see the Mallard Fillmore strip in The Oakland Press?  Sometimes it's funny, but more often its caustic, and always clever.////FROM JACK:  Doonesbury is more to my liking.  Plugger, Crankshaft and Pickles hit closer to home these days than Zits.

 FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  No fun in politics now because it's become more about power and retaining power and not about the constitution or working in the interest of "We the People."  Bush and Obama have both, in the past, indicated what a hindrance and annoyance the Constitution is. The 535 elected worry far more about retaining power than what is good for constituents.////FROM JACK:  Abe Lincoln said, "You can satisfy some of the people some of the time, but you can't satisfy all of the people all of the time."  In our district, we are fortunate to have a congressman we really tries to work across the aisle for the benefit of his constituents.

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  There isn't any fun in politics but then again, I don't think there ever was.  Now it's so much worse though because people arent willing to listen to each other and what is right for the nation, they just go with their party.  That's not smart!  We need more "lightness and forgiveness and good thinking" instead of political talk.////FROM JACK:  I think that the political scene has gotten worse, because of the way some TV networks slant the news.  Ooops!  In the past, when there was no TV, radio did the same.  Ooops!  When there was no radio, newspapers did it.  As I said in Winning Words a few days ago, "Deal with it!"

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Pogo, as in "We have met the enemy, and he is us?"... Back in those days, the parties (and the country) weren't so polarized.  The fun sure has left the political arena!!  I didn't remember the extreme right, the extreme left, and extreme middle.  Thanks for the chuckle today!////FROM JACK:  In politics, he particularly went after Senator Joe McCarthy.with a character called, Simple J. Malarky.

FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS:  Amen!  It is very serious and frustrating these days.  I received a new Urban Word of The Day today…”grass ceiling”  when your poor golf game prevents you from playing with the real players/movers and shakers.  Smile!////FROM JACK:  I read that Condoleezza Rice started playing golf in 2005.  I don't think that she broke the "grass ceiling" at the Augusta National Golf Club because she was such a great golfer.

 FROM CJL IN OHIO:  Won't we all be glad when the 600 million dollars (plus) spent on advertizing is finished.  Think of the help that would give to needy people in this country- to say nothing about our foreign contributions....////FROM JACK:  Just who is it that is motivated by those political ads?  The voters?