Monthly Archives: May 2016

The blind squirrel finds the nut

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Mary Lou Bruner, 69, Candidate for State Board of Education, District 9. A Tea Party group dropped its support of Mary Lou Bruner on Tuesday, May 24.It’s not always easy living in Texas. The state has a lot of great things going for it, but like other states there are times when one has to shake their head in bewilderment.

Take for example the recent run-off election for a seat on the Texas State Board of Education. Mary Lou Bruner was a candidate who received 48 percent of the vote in a three-way primary, just two percentage points of winning, and since Texas is a red state, becoming the presumptive candidate to join the board.

The 69-year-old candidate, who looks like someone from the SNL Church Lady sketch, ran on a platform of keeping gay “subliminal messages” out of text books. Now you would think most conservative Republican voters would support that position, but then a funny thing happened; somebody started looking at her Facebook page and found these pearls of wisdom:

  • The United Nations launched a plot to depopulate the planet.
  • President Obama is a former gay prostitute.
  • Democrats secretly assassinated JFK because he was conservative.
  • House Speaker Paul Ryan’s beard made him look like “a terrorist.”
  • Dinosaurs and people lived at the same time.
  • The climate crisis was Karl Marx’s idea.

In a released statement, Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller said, “Texas escaped an education train wreck tonight. If Bruner had ultimately won election to the board, she would have instantly become the most embarrassingly uninformed and divisive member on a board that already too often puts politics ahead of making sure our kids get a sound education.”

In the end, the voters decided that Keven Ellis, Lufkin school board president might be better suited for the position proving that even a blind squirrel can find the nuts, even if they look like a church lady. Blind-Squirrel-Finds-a-Nut-small

Blurred lines

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bench-2They have gone too far.

I admit, I’m a fan of Modern Family. I think it’s cleverly written and I find myself actually laughing out loud, but all that has changed after this past episode.

Part of the storyline involved Phil Dunphy, a loveable goofball, using his knowledge of real estate to foil an evil character’s attempts at taking advantage of a family member. I found myself cheering him on as he landed blow after blow on the unsuspecting person.

Turns out she was not the only unsuspecting person. That scene was part of a new advertising strategy by the National Association of Realtors. Yes, they actual paid for a scene that made real estate agents look valuable.

I totally get that today’s TV’s viewing habits are radically different than even five years ago and advertisers are having a hard time reaching consumers. Recording programs and zooming past the ads are becoming more and more the normal rather than the exception, but has it really come to this? I can understand paying a show to have an actor drink a coke (product placement), but to actually help write a script?

It looks like the sales department has moved smack dab into the writer’s office.

Do you believe in miracles?

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pC1vq2QlThere is an implausible sports story taking place involving the sport of soccer. Now before you go off on your “soccer is boring” rant, you need pay attention, because you just missed out on what could be considered he greatest sports story of all time.

Across the pond is a soccer organization called the Premier League which is host to England’s greatest clubs. Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are but a few of the elite squads looking to be crowned champions. These clubs spend big bucks on top name players and fans demand nothing the title every year.

And then there is Leicester City. Nobody gave them a chance. The Brits, who love to bet on anything and everything, had them as 5,000 to 1 long-shots to win it all. It is even more unbelievable when you consider that a year ago, Leicester City barely escaped relegation and entered bankruptcy protection seven years ago.

According to published reports, Leicester City had a payroll of £48.2 million ranking them 17 out of 20 clubs. Chelsea (last year’s champions) spent £215.6 million. That alone should help this into perspective for you.

So Leicester City winning it all is huge. How huge? The infamous Miracle on Ice game had the U.S. men’s hockey team as 1,000 to 1 underdogs. The N.Y. Mets winning the 1969 World Series, 100 to 1. Broadway Joe guaranteeing the N.Y. Jets would beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III was considered outrageous, but the odds makers only had them as 10 to 1 underdogs.

Maybe you don’t love or even like soccer, but who doesn’t love Cinderella.