They Call the Wind Mariah

Could somebody give Mariah Carey same prozac? And while your at it, tell her the difference between gymnastics and art.
On the other hand, her latest album has sold millions. Just give me the prozac.

Looney Tunes

I have a feeling that other liberals like myself are caught in a dilemma; they want to be tolerant of other people’s beliefs such as the belief in the truth and sanctity of Allah and the Koran. At the same time they are dismayed by the recent violent reactions to the Danish cartoons depicting Allah and Mohammed in the light of ridicule. And on the other hand, they are totally supportive of the right of a free press.
I am also caught in this dilemma. But here’s where I’ve come to: The Muslim culture peaked several centuries ago when they led the world in philosophy, mathematics, art, etc. In short, they were the center of civilization in the world. But ever since they were trashed by the barbarians at the gates, their culture has gradually, but steadily, declined.
Fast forward to the twenty-first century. Much of the world is advancing in terms of wealth, medicine and technology. It is an uneven advance with fits and starts and plenty of mistakes to go around but an advance nevertheless.
I think what is going on here is a deep-seated frustration on the part of Muslims with the perception of being left behind by the rest of the world; that there is a growing sense of inferiority on their part. And since nobody wants to admit to being the bottom of the food chain, their only recourse is to claim to themselves to be spiritually superior. It is imperative to their self-esteem to see the modern (western) world as shallow, morally bankrupt heathens and they as the sole keepers of the faith.
I certainly won’t argue with much conviction that they are wrong about the morals or purity of purpose of our capitalist system. But one thing I do know about the modern Muslim world. . . THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS! I’m sorry. There are people dying out there over cartoons. There are people beating themselves with chains and burning embassies of governments that had nothing to do with any of this. There are people spazzing out, launching into convulsions and generally loosing their minds over a perceived insult.
People, it is time to get a grip, show a little self-control and fucking grow up. It’s time to move out of your ridiculous medieval mindset and move into the nineteenth or twentieth century at least, and join us in an effort to deal with our common human problems. If you have issues with our modern morality then teach us how to improve it. Bring your spirituality to the modern world and I suspect we’ll all be better off for it. But it is now time to quit whining about your sorry state and begin to act like actual grown-up human beings instead of like mad dog fools.

Shrimp Sauce Anyone?

The wife of a long time friend told me this story and swears that it is true. Her name is Laura and she lives in a resort area. For a while she worked as a waitress at a high end restaurant; what I call a steak and lobster joint. She had lots of stories and I suspect you could write a book that contained just stories from waitresses and waiters.
Laura is attractive, slim and very athletic; she plays lots of volleyball and is an expert sailboarder.
One night as she was working a busy Friday night, an older man had what appeared to be a stroke and collapsed on the floor next to his table. As someone called for emergency services, 105 pound Laura grabbed the 250 pound man under the armpits and began to pull him out of the dining room and into the lobby about 20 feet away so that he could be administered to more easily.
As she was struggling past the last table, a middle aged woman seated at the table leaned over and said to Laura, “Could you get me some more shrimp sauce please?”.