Current Events and Whatnot

All this nonsense about Barry Bonds and his steroid use!  I have to wonder, first of all, why Congress investigated baseball to begin with.  Surely they had more pressing matters. But there continues to be hand-wringing and lamentation of the women over whether Bonds lied to Congress about his steroid use.  Who cares?

Obviously, the United States is in a bit of a shambles right now.  And the CEOs and other powers that be of Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Countrywide Mortgage, et al., received barely more than a stern glance.  I don’t believe any of them has even been indicted, let alone arrested. Bush and Obama even had people like Larry Summers advising them on economic policy—the fox guarding the hen house, surely.  Where is Congress and the outrage over fair play now?  The financial industry was indeed called on the carpet and questioned by Congress, and the players in the crisis were accused of lying, but then what happened?  Uhh, nothing.  Heavens to Betsy!  Barry Bonds (an overgrown boy who played a game for a living) lied and is now on trial, with the possibility of going to prison.

While I can appreciate how much more fun it is to talk about baseball than it is to talk about mortgage derivatives, the lack of accountability is stunning.  Whether or not he used drugs just doesn’t seem to deserve the energy of our elected officials. Millions of people's  lives have been ruined (by the arrogant, unconscionable, and downright criminal acts of the financial industry)--don't they deserve Congress' energy?  Watch the Oscar-winning documentary Inside Job.  It made me literally gasp and clap my hand over my mouth.  So many of the people who played enormous roles in the crisis are still in place, apparently just biding their time.  Unless something changes, we will go down this road again.

On a lighter note, besides watching a Terribly Important And Topical Movie, I also watched middle-aged woman porn.  Nancy Meyers, the director of both “Something’s Gotta Give” and “It’s Complicated,” certainly understands the concept of MAWP (middle-aged...you get it).  Women with no financial worries!  Who live in beautiful houses! Who are pursued by very desirable men who accept them on their terms!  Excellent clothes!  Fun and lucrative careers!  Trips to Paris!  It’s not exactly the copier repairman’s pants falling off when the hot receptionist’s top falls off, but it is MAWP nonetheless.  And frankly, it’s delightful!