Rhubarb Ruminations: Episode 1

I am admittedly a little bit old-“school”. Though I have fully embraced technology, I do still appreciate the simplicity and peace of reading the morning newspaper and having a cup of freshly-brewed java along with it. I might be one of the 10 or so people left on the planet that are still reading the paper the old-fashioned way.

When you read the news, and ponder what you’re actually reading, you’re oftentimes left wondering. Did someone really say that? Really? Seriously? Surely you jest. Truth can, at times, be stranger than fiction.

Some of these “newsworthy" items (and I use that phrase loosely) make you want to laugh. Or throw up. Or something in between the two. They may not deserve a full blog post to themselves, but do deserve the light of day.

Today, I am starting a new feature called “Rhubarb Ruminations”. You’ve seen the occasional “Playlist Pondering” as I have reflected on music. Similar concept, different topic. A rhubarb is a “quarrel, fight or heated discussion”, and I think that there are some things that merit a little bit of discussion in our world. Rhubarb is also a plant that is also known for it’s medicinal qualities – as a laxative, among other things. Rumination is simply the act of pondering, or perhaps even more appropriate, the “act or process of chewing cud”. This, of course, is stimulated by the presence of roughage, something that rhubarb would certainly provide. Suffice it to say that “Rhubarb Ruminations” will provide some hot and tasty news briefs, regurgitated Rhubarb-style, to keep you thinking, discussing, and maybe even laughing.

So today I bring to you a few classic items from the last 24 hours. And they just happen to revolve around, imagine this, the Party Of No.

Item 1: Imagine this, for a moment. You have worked hard to brand yourself. You use your brand name in the title of your autobiography. You even run for President of the United States of America with the same branding. And suddenly, you decide that enough is enough? Say farewell to “the maverick” title used by Sen. John McCain. He now denies that he ever was one. In his own words, "I never considered myself a maverick … I consider myself a person who serves the people of Arizona to the best of his abilities". Wow – I’d swear Senator McCain himself told us this not so long ago … cue up the music to “Memories” …

So now that that particular Maverick has left us, we’re now left with …

Item 2: “The New Maverick” or perhaps “I Am Not Running In 2012 But I Sure Do A Lot Of Stump Speeches Maverick” or "The Tea-Partyin’, Alaska-Lovin’, Nuke-u-lar Regulation Maverick”. Yes, the “Maverick Who Has Used Up Her 15 Minutes Of Fame 100 Times Over” – Sarah Palin. In a shot over the bow that I am sure will scare intellectuals everywhere, she’s already started to take on President Obama. While doing so, she’s given Democrats everywhere something to put a smile on their faces - about 2 years in advance. And she’s starting with a discussion on nuke-u-lar weapons. Do you ever start to wonder a) when all of this posturing is going to end, and b) when she’d going to spend some time learning the issues instead of rabble-rousing the Tea Party crowd? But wait, in the same breath as Sarah Palin, I bring you one of her bestest of friends …

Item 3: Governor Rick Perry. In the same article, Perry noted that in the upcoming elections, GOP candidates should tell voters "Elect me and I'm going to Washington, D.C, and will try to make it as inconsequential on your life as I can make it". Frankly, I don’t want my elected representatives to be “inconsequential” – I want them to get in there and do what is right for the constituents. If that means raising a ruckus, then by George, raise it! We’ve had far too much “inconsequentialism” out of our elected officials. Sorry, Governor Perry, but we have had perhaps a little too much of this “inconsequentialism” in Texas already.

Tune in next time for more Rhubarb Ruminations – when truth is, yes, stranger than fiction. Indeed.

Photo credit: xadrian