Lightning Rod

Glib contrast between Communism and Christianity as seen through The Poet's Eye.

I would like to tell you that The Poet's Eye hasn't been commenting on the ongoing and interminable presidential debates because I am 'above the fray.' But that wouldn't be true. I have suspended comment on this subject because it's such a crashing bore.

The very existence of something called Air Guitar insults me as a musician. This week in Finland there is a contest to determine the world champion Air Guitar player.

Have you ever marveled at America's fascination with bad guys? Our popular history is not filled with Ghandis and Mother Theresas, it is populated by Billy The Kid and Jesse James and Pretty Boy Floyd.

The Virginia Tech tragedy has special resonance for me. I thought I was having a flashback.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll nearly two-thirds of Americans see nothing wrong with the NSA domestic telephone surveillance program. These suckers prove that there is one born every minute

Not since LSD and pelvic gyrating rock-n-roll or underaged raves soaked in beer and ecstasy have parents been so alarmed about a social phenomenon as they are about MySpace.com

Let's consider the Roman Empire. When Rome conquered a nation or a tribe, part of the booty was slaves. They marched them back to Rome in legions. Captured slaves were to Rome much like illegal immigrants are to America.

If Hunter Thompson accomplished nothing else in his life, he did one monumental thing. He exposed the myth of objective journalism. He proved that the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle also applies to reportage. Simply by observing an event, we change it.

If I were Joe Wilson and had a wife that looked like Valerie Plame, I would want to keep her under the covers too. What a fox. She's the perfect Bond girl, lithe, blonde and savvy and, above all, secret.

The secret to survival in today's world is being able to tell the difference between science and science-fiction. It's not as easy as it once was to tell reality from the special effects.

I was in a pet shop the other day when I thought about Madonna and Angelina Jolie. Then I thought about Oprah and Mia Farrow.

Yes, I'm a sexist. I think that women are superior to men in almost every way. They are generally more receptive, perceptive, strong, resilient, smart and practical.

I suppose that we have all dreamed of the perfect lover, one who is compliant to our every need and desire. One who is there for you when you want them and one that you can turn off and put in the closet when you don't. A robot, a sex machine.

You Should twist the dial, and often. Compare, compare, compare. In this way, we average joes might get an approximation of the truth.

Ah, I remember the day when DNA tests were reserved for rapists and murderers. But now deoxyribonucleic acid has moved to the 'A' List. DNA has become fashionable.

Which brings us to the welded subjects of Faith and Fact and to James Cameron.

Humans have been making music since the first club hit on a hollow log. It is a primal instinct. Music mimics the rhythms of nature.

Barak "The Bomb" Obama is probably the most exciting politician since John Kennedy. Just like JFK, The Bomb has it all--charm, charisma, ethnic cachet, good looks, vulnerability and he's swashbucklingly articulate (don't start me talkin', I'm not going to say 'clean')

What we need is more entertainment in politics. Yes, I know, we already have jugglers and clowns. Our politicians are starting to get the knack of this. They know that entertainment trumps policy every time.

My night with Anna Nicole

I remember when Ron Howard was the adorable little Tom Sawyer-esqe character named Opie on the Andy Griffith Show. Those were the days when we had astronauts like the squeaky-clean John Glenn and the Heroic Neil Armstrong. They could do no wrong.

I'm starting to think that Global Warming is sort of like the Democratic version of The War on Terra. It's the Fear Factor aspect of political rhetoric.

The Poet's Eye has a tear in it this morning. It's partly a tear of sadness because Molly Ivins is gone and partly it's a tear of joy that we had her while we did.

As many of you know, my pet cause as a poet is the issue of Body Sovereignty. This subject touches many more subjects--reproductive rights, abortion, drugs and substances, urine and DNA testing, stem cell research,

"Now understand me well, it is provided in the essence of things, that from any fruition of success no matter what, shall come forth something to make a greater struggle necessary."--Walt Whitman

In most mammals, the female is sexually receptive only when she is in estrus. In whales, bears and foxes, this is once a year. In dogs, twice a year. In most cattle it's every 21 days or so, hamsters--every four days.

The recent New York Times survey showing that more than half of American women (51%) are now living in a state of singleness without benefit of wedlock, verifies a theory that I have long held--that women are infinitely superior to men in every way.

Presidencies are a bit like romances. After the blush is off the rose, that is to say after about the first four years, things start to get dicey.

I'm an optimistic person. I look for the best in people. But why don't I feel a sense of optimism about the new year--2007?