Nice Work If You Can Get It

Bible Thumpers And Free Advertising

Wow. What an amusing, completely crazed, bible thumping fatso! She doesn't like the fact that people are not all alike. As long as she doesn't throw her bible at anyone, her rant is entertaining. She should really audition for a role in a theatrical production.

Whatever happened to responsibility for the safety of one's own progeny when visiting a department store? And, if completely dissatisfied with an aspect of shopping in a department store, why give publicity to the business by acting like a clown?

Oklahoma

Marysville Area Community Theater will present Oklahoma at Marysville High School, in Marysville, Kansas. The show opens Thusday, July 23, at 7:00 PM and runs through Sunday, with a matinee at 2:00 PM. Lots of great singing....come see it!

Writing That Transcends Time And Space

And now for something delightfully silly, a Victorian version of almost Kardashian insanity:

Gwendolen: Yes, I am quite aware of that fact. And I often wish that in public, at any rate, you had been more demonstrative. For me you have always had an irresistible fascination. Even before I met you I was far from indifferent to you. (Jack looks at her in amazement) We live, as I hope you know, Mr. Worthing, in an age of ideals. The fact is constantly mentioned in the more expensive monthly magazines, and has reached the provincial pulpits, I am told; and my ideal has always been to love someone of the name of Earnest. There is something in that name that inspires the absolute confidence. The moment Algernon first mentioned to me that he had a friend called Earnest, I knew I was destined to love you.

Jack: You really love me, Gwendolen?

Gwendolen: Passionately!

......From the Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde!

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Abbie Hoffman Moment

National Government Shutdown Day

There is a group of Kansas citizens who have been protesting sporadically outside of Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins's Pittsburg Kansas office since the Government Shutdown began on October 1. They have decided to make the most of the situation, and use it as an opportunity to remind Jenkins that even though the rivers tend to flow Republican in Kansas, (no pun intended, there actually IS a Republican River in Kansas) there are still many voters affiliated with the Democrat Party and the Republican Party who are not happy with Jenkins's tendency to bow to the Tea Party, and sell out to the Koch Brothers whenever the pressure is on. So they have put together signs and banners with various messages; "Tea Time Is Over" has been a popular one, and peacefully protested this past week.

This is a great idea, and it is heartwarming to see that Kansans care enough about the misdeeds of those in authority to speak up about it. It could be taken to a higher level, though. Instead of being afraid when the media puppetry suggests doom and gloom, and makes the recommendation of being afraid, we could make a celebration out of it. Now that operations that have been shut down are slowly but surely getting re-opened, one by one, as the need and public outcry dictates, we can all see that a lot of this "shutdown" business is really an outlet for congressional and senatorial drama. It's a shame our representatives apparently never excelled in drama or forensics when they were in high school, and are acting out now, using the rest of us as a "forced audience" of sorts, but it seems this is the sad result of failing to learn cooperation and communication skills and failing to grow up. Boehner, we are all looking at you, here. When we want  drama queens, we will look to the Kardashians, not to Congress.

Suppose, every year, the government shut down on October 1 in order to remember and celebrate October 1, 2013? It could be a day that we close everything except "essential" services and gather outside of city halls and government buildings everywhere in the nation. We could barbecue, sell hotdogs, and create a carnival atmosphere, encouraging the drama espoused by Congress right now. Anyone with a gripe about a flaw within local or national politics would have the opportunity to picket, and draw attention to his chosen cause. We could also stage Revolutionary War reenactments. Schools, of course, would be closed on National Government Shutdown Day. Instead of furloughing government employees, we could give anyone who wanted to work on that day an option of taking the day off, or participating in a drive to register potential voters. Not only would National Government Shutdown Day be a celebration and an outlet for repressed angst, it could be educational and constructive.

The only guideline that should be strictly enforced is possibly that there should be no violence, just constructive fun, as the Fourth of July is celebrated. No one can be hanged in effigy, and no destruction of property can be tolerated. Instead, we can write petitions requesting that officials go back to school, switch to more suitable careers, or resign. In more serious cases, National Government Shutdown Day can be a day when we write petitions and complaints to initiate recalls and investigations of those officials and elected servants whose performance is truly unacceptable. Violence, however; is never a constructive direction for change.

As an added bonus, the weather is usually very nice in the beginning of October, and conducive to nonviolent gatherings. Mild weather is great for picnics. When school re-opens the following day, classroom discussions could take place nationwide for the purpose of teaching children how their government works, and about what happens when it does not work.

 

Why Can't Cinderella Go To The Ball?

The young lady who played Cinderella in M-ACT's production of Into The Woods in Marysville, Kansas, this past summer, has been the unfortunate victim of a disgusting game of petty politics played by her former school principal, Dean Dalinghaus, the superintendent of a neighboring school system, Randy Freeman, and the county prosecutor, Laura McNish, who also represents the school board which employs Randy Freeman. Cinderella's former school offers no drama or forensics, but lots and lots of competitive contact sports. Randy Freeman has a school in his district with a wonderful drama department. Kansas has open enrollment, which means that any student can enroll in any district, theoretically, as long as the student can find his or her own transportation when transferring out of the student's own district. So Cinderella tried to transfer from the dull and lackluster Frankfort, with it's guns, drugs, and beer on school property, to Marysville. She is a wonderful student, and that is the only catch when requesting a transfer; the student must be in good standing.

Dean Dalinghaus and Laura McNish told Randy Freeman that Cinderella could not attend Marysville High. The drama department is only for very special Marshall County children with politically "just right" parents, not for Cinderella. Since Laura McNish not only prosecutes, but represents the school board, she has the power to scare board members into petty discrimination games...and it's a known fact in Marshall County that Laura McNish does not like Cinderella's mom, for personal reasons. Or Cinderella's dad. So while football players from other high schools, from within and from without Marshall County, transfer to Marysville High quite frequently, Cinderella has been told she cannot go to the ball. Marysville's drama department was too nice for someone whose parents typically vote Democrat and refuse to ignore our nations Constitution. Dean Dalinghaus also wanted to trap Cinderella in Frankfort, in order to keep those dollars rolling in for having as many students enrolled as possible, while providing as little classroom instruction as possible. As long as Laura McNish gets to sit on a courthouse computer all day, surfing social media websites and shopping online, she really does not care about the children in Frankfort, also in Marshall County, who are stuck with a substandard education. After all, if they play a good game of football, they can actually take advantage of open enrollment, which is supposed to be open to all Kansas students.

Laura McNish would make Marshall County Kansas a better place for everyone if she would just resign. Parents should not have to play politics with an elected official in order to get their children enrolled in school. Teachers and school administrators should not have to worry about playing stooge for the school's lawyer instead of teaching children. The glass slipper, in this case, drama and forensics, is a perfect fit for a very deserving Cinderella. She should be allowed to take advantage of a curriculum that can help her further her education, rather than forced to sit in a dingy building with substandard teachers and bullies who  bring guns to school during hunting season. After all, football players can go to the "ball". Why can't Cinderella go to the ball?

Cinderella's parents went ahead and enrolled all of their children elsewhere, completely bypassing the public schools in Kansas. This appears to be a bigger trend than they thought it would be; yet they are not surprised. They have also made a personal commitment to wait, if they ever use USD 380 again in the future, until after the date upon which the district will get it's coveted dollars per enrolled student to enroll their children in school. That way, Dean Dalinghaus would have a chance to prove that the money is not important.