What On Earth?-Column #24, May 2004

OK, let me start by saying that this is the month where 3 major holidays are celebrated: Mother's Day, where, of course, we honor our moms, and also Memorial Day, where we honor those we've lost in the line of duty, whether it's anyone in your family or not. And, let's not also forget Cinco De Mayo, or 5th of May in Spanish. This is the day where Mexicans celebrate the country's independence from Spain. I've celebrated by eating salsa and chips, tacos, burritos, fajitas, etc., and whether your choice is beef or chicken, guacamole or cheese, this is truly a day many Spanish-speakers will never forget.

This is also a time for final exams and senior graduations for many schools and colleges around the country. My sister's graduating this year, and I'm attending her graduation ceremony next month. She's already got a job as a private tutor at Stanford, and I recently got a job last month, as a courtesy clerk at Albertson's. Now, let's get on with the column.

Remember last year, when President Bush arrived aboard the USS Lincoln, and declared major combat operations over in Iraq, when a banner reading "Mission Accomplished" was placed aboard the ship? Well, we've something to say about that, as we approach the one-year anniversary of that event. The mission involving taking out Saddam Hussein and his Baath party was accomplished, that's for sure. But the mission for control, and taking out the Saddam loyalists and other insurgents, well, THAT'S FAR FROM ACCOMPLISHED. Why? Because, every single day, our troops are paying the price for fighting these insurgents, and the Bush administration's trying to put the blame on someone else. It's time Bush faced the facts. We know the facts, but does Bush? Apparently not, because he's the one who started this debacle, saying that Saddam was connected to Al-Qaeda and was involved in the 9-11 attacks, and that Saddam possessed WMD's (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Well, we now know that those so-called "facts" are not facts at all. In fact, this is Bush's way of staying in office.

Speaking of politics, it was one year ago this month, that 51 Texas House Democrats fled the Capitol in Austin just to avoid implementation of a Republican-based redistricting plan orchestrated by the US House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, of Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston. The exact words he said were "I'm the majority leader and I need more seats." And, when he was told not to smoke cigars in federal government-owned buildings, he simply scoffed, "I AM the federal government." Really, DeLay? The federal government doesn't just belong to YOU, it belongs to all people. This is proof and justification of why I am a Democrat and not a Republican. The Republicans are doing so much dirty work just so that they can get re-elected and retain their crown as the majority party. Not only in Texas, but around the rest of the country. From unnecessary redistricting, to supporting Bush's ban on Gay Marriage, the Republicans will stop at nothing to add more dirty work to the national and state right-wing bases. (Left wing means you're a Democrat, Right wing means you're a Republican.) That's why I've been supporting the left wing (or Democrats) since 2000. I didn't like opinions of Bush (R), and so I supported Gore (D). And here we are in 2004, and I'm ready to support Kerry (D), no matter what it takes. Bush is so full of lies, from the saying that Saddam was associated with Al-Qaeda to Iraq having WMD's, that I still don't like him. I didn't like him as Texas Governor (1994-2000), and I don't like him as our President. Whether or not he learned enough from his dad, George HW Bush, is unknown. I think the dad should've taught the son more, before the son took office. Remember, me supporting Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 is enough proof for me to explain to you why I am a Democrat and not a Republican, like the rest of my family is. Those 51 Democrats were called the "Killer D's", because they "Killed" a quorum to preven the redistricting plan from going into effect. Now, while both Kerry and Bush oppose same-sex marriages, Bush wants it totally banned, while Kerry just wants civil unions, and he opposes the idea of an amendment banning gay marriage. This is enough to make me MAD and say that Bush and the Republicans MUST GO. And speaking of those Republicans, and the Texas Redistricting, the state's GOP Chairwoman, Susan Weddington, said that "God will protect the work we're doing." Well, Ms, Weddington, I've got a message for you: If God's protecting YOUR party's dirty work, then WHO is protecting those citizens who are tired of your party's right-wing plans to knock us out of a democratic state, and putting us in a communist state instead? Because, speaking of God, I swear to him, that He won't protect you, and even if he did, he'd tell you, in terms of not listening to the ordinary citizens out there, the following quote: "I warned you when you felt secure, but you said 'I will not listen!' This has been your way from your youth, you have not obeyed me." And, considering you haven't LISTENED to the people of Texas to NOT implement this redistricting plan, DeLay and company, you DEFINITELY have not OBEYED them, either. This has been YOUR way from the day you wanted this to occur, and now, nobody is feeling secure.

Anyway, if you're a loyal fan of the hit NBC sitcom "Friends," well, I've got some sad news for you. The cast, including Courtney Cox Arquette and Matthew Perry, have announced that this season, the 10th, will be their last. May the show live on, like "Seinfeld," and another NBC sitcom going off this year, "Frasier." Wow. What has the world come to? Ever since "Sex In The City" went off HBO in February, this year has probably gone downhill ever since it began. Anyway, other finales worth noting are the Buffy spin-off on the WB, "Angel," and ABC's "The Practice," which itself will be spun off this fall.

It was one year ago, this month, that Annika Sorenstam took the golf world by storm, by deciding to go up against the guys of the PGA in the Colonial Golf Tournament. But this year, she's staying with her LPGA roots. She's one of many popular names in women's golf, but isn't the only one. Others have followed in her path, but nobody can top her.

Speaking of sports, the playoffs in the Stanley Cup (NHL) and the NBA Finals are here, but the Mavericks and Stars won't be playing in them, as both teams were ousted in the FIRST round of their respective playoff series. I certainly didn't see that coming. But hey, who could forget that earlier this year, the Cowboys were knocked out of the first round of the NFL Playoffs, like the '98 and '99 seasons.

And remember when Rafael Palmeiro hit 500 home runs last year as a Texas Ranger? Well, he's back to his old stomping grounds as a Baltimore Oriole. Well, good move, because we need some rookies! And as for A-Rod? Well, he's a New York Yankee. And Ivan Rodriguez? Well, after helping the Florida Marlins win the World Series, he's now a Detroit Tiger, and Juan Gonzalez is a Kansas City Royal.

Anyway, 4 years ago, last month, Fort Worth was hit by devastating tornadoes, but none could be worse than what came in Lancaster in 1994. The tornadoes there were more devastating than those of the Fort Worth area. Obviously, with hurricane season around the corner, we've got to be careful in situations like these. If you're in any place that involves glass, say like near a window or windowpane, get away from it immediately, and go into the nearest bathroom or closet, get down in a crouched position, with your hands over your head. Bring a flashlight with you, if need be, so you can see where you are, in case the power goes out. I know some people might use candles, but that may actually do more harm than good, as it may start a fire you never even see coming.

On a more lighter note, we all watched in February, as ABC brought back the Primetime version of Millionaire, in a new AMPED-UP form called SUPER MILLIONAIRE, where players can win as much as $10 million! Check the February WOE? Column for more details.

Remember when I said that I'd memorized the lyrics to the A-Teens' sophomore album Teen Spirit, which came out in 2001? Well, a few of those songs, including some from the 1999 debut album The ABBA Generation, the 2002 album Pop 'Til You Drop, and the 2003 album New Arrival (which contains a few songs from Pop 'Til You Drop), will be included in a new Greatest Hits album coming out this month. Like most bands, this is the way to go. Once you've done at least 3 albums of work, you should do a Greatest Hits album, to make more cash, and that's exactly what the Swedish quartet's doing.

And, if you've looked at the front page lately, you will see I've moved the Belinda Carlisle and Go-Go's links from the 3rd Floor to the Basement. I thought that I'd have a lot more of those links than Miscellaneous links, so I moved those links out, and put them in their very own section on the site.

And speaking of those Go-Go's, it was 4 years ago THIS month, in 2000, that they made their 3rd Greatest Hits compilation album, based on their VH-1 Behind The Music Special, and like the 1990 Greatest Hits and the 1994 album Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's (which unlike the 1990 and 2000 albums, contained some new material written after the women reunited at that time), these albums contained their biggest hits from their first 3 albums (1981's Beauty and the Beat, 1982's Vacation, and 1984's Talk Show), before the big break-up in May 1985, 19 years ago THIS month. They reunited in 1990, and again in 1994, then in 1999, and again in 2000, with the members, as you may have expected, doing solo work before, during, and after those reunions. But that big comeback in 2000 was what led to the following event: 3 years ago this month, in 2001, they released their first album of new material since the Talk Show album. The band's drummer, Gina Schock, said it best, about the new album, that, If they didn't write any new material, they were going lose their minds. And not only were they going to lose their minds, more importantly, they were also going to lose their FANS, and I'm of those fans. And in addition, they were also going to lose their POPULARITY. When you're coming back from a big break-up, it's always a good idea to do some new material, just for variety. In Schock's words, "We couldn't keep playing the same songs. Two years of it - that's enough. That prompted us to want to start recording a new record. But it was our fans who really made us realize that we still had an audience, and we should put out some new material." The new album's title, God Bless the Go-Go's, came from an idea by guitarist Jane Wiedlin, who presented prayer cards to the band. "We thought it was just a great idea, so we went with it," Schock said. The girls each chose their own virtue (Jane is "purity," Kathy is "honesty," Gina is "mercy," Belinda is "chasity," and Charlotte is "modesty") for the album cover. As on their previous albums, the band wrote and arranged their own music, sometimes collaborating with outside writers. Charlotte Caffey's the band's lead guitarist and pianist, Kathy Valentine's the band's bassist, and obviously, as many of us should know by now, Belinda Carlisle, who we know best for "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" during her solo years, is the band's lead singer. I also want to mention, that 2 months and 20 years ago, their 3rd album before the 1985 initial break-up, Talk Show, was released.

Obviously, this means, I've got 4 links now, including the Belinda Carlisle/Go-Go's Basement. Like all the other sections on this site, expect me to add and remove links as time goes along.

To close this up, I want to wish every senior in the Class of 2004 good luck, and every war veteran a happy Memorial Day. We won't forget what happened in the wars of the past, and we certainly won't forget the wars of the present. Until next time, this is John Lee saying "Go HOME!"