I'm doing this again, because... well, why not?
Item 1 - I love Elizabeth Warren. Using the word love here. Glad to have her running for office. We need about ten more of her to run every year.
Item 2 - When's the last time Alex Rodriguez created a job? We need to push back more forcefully against the "Job Creator" BS.
Item 3 - How awesome is THIS:
Item 4 - Park 51 is finally open. I am embarrassed that this was even a controversy.
Item 5 - Elizabeth Warren redux - I know we don't want to have the "Ted Kennedy's Seat" conversation, but it's nice to see a worthy successor to Ted Kennedy fighting not only for the people of Massachusetts, but the rest of us as well. Check out JekyllnHyde's outstanding tribute to the late Sen. Kennedy.
Item 6 - The Flint Journal posted an interesting series on a modern-day "Tent City" here in my hometown of Flint. Raising marginal tax rates three points... or ten points... or TWENTY points... on the insanely wealthy in this country is not class warfare. What happened to these people is class warfare. Never forget that.
Item 7 - I think Brad Penny pitched himself off the playoff roster yesterday. I like the idea of a four-man rotation with Verlander, Scherzer, Fister, and Porcello. Although, I could see relegating Porcello to mop-up duty. The bottom line, though: Scherzer needs to start at home, put Fister on the mound on the road. Scherzer has been electric at home. And use Porcello if we've got to induce some grounders. (Perhaps at Fenway?)
Item 8 - This Troy Davis situation continues to break my heart. Welcome to Rick Perry's America.
Item 9 - This really makes me sad.
Item 10 - Yesterday I mentioned that "Han Shot First". George Lucas explained the change from original to re-issue was to sanitize the scene, to paint Han Solo as more of a good guy. Of course, purists are appalled by this. I just find it funny. But here are a couple other whitewashes that are just as interesting.
From ParentingSquad:
Likewise, in the original E.T. the cops crouch behind their squad cars armed to the teeth to shoot at something they don’t understand. In the reissue the guns become walkie talkies. One of the children is originally dressed as a terrorist. Can't do that these days.
Also...
In November 2007 Sesame Street “Old School” was released on DVD with reissues from the first season of Sesame Street (which originally first aired in 1969). The reissue stated that the intended audience was adults and “may not meet the needs of today’s preschooler.” Today's preschooler is not to know about where milk comes from or what protesting wars is all about. Warner Brothers released Looney Tunes boxsets putting all "offensive" cartoons on one disc so that they didn’t accidentally co-mingle with the non-offensive cartoon violence of the rest of them. The problem? Warner Brothers cartoons were a little heavy on the racial stereotypes.
More than a little, I'd say. And I applaud WB's more recently-found racial sensitivity, but I would ask the people of color who may stumble across this diary - what is the more noble act here? To separate the WB cartoons that are heavy on the racial stereotypes, or to preserve them as part of the whole out of simple historical context?
I have no idea what the right answer is on this one.
And with that, I'm done musing for the day. Have to earn a paycheck!