Rubber and Glue
Posted at 5:28 AM on May 29, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(17 Comments)
It has been a short week, but we've had more than enough time to identify a Supreme Court nominee and to get the usual name calling started - an agonizing confirmation process that will drag through the summer.
Speaking of that, I meant to post the list of summer songs you gave me on Tuesday, but I got distracted while reading the news and inexplicably started down the twisted path of trying to encapsulate the developing political game around Judge Sotomayor's nomination in three nice, compact limericks.
Why? I think it has something to do with the time honored playground comeback to a hurled insult - "I'm rubber, you're glue. It bounces off me and sticks to you!" There's something about silly sing-song poetry that hopes to nullify nastiness.
Anyway, I ran out of time and only managed to come up with two and four-fifths limericks.
A jurist named Sotomayor
Re-ignited the cultural war
Those incendiary quotes
Could scare off a few votes
That's what context is taken out for.
When talk radio says you're a "bigot".
Next a faucet will call you a spigot.
When the pundits find fault
They just raid their own vault
Like when Donald Trump claims that you "wig it".
To become a court justice Supremish
Any nominee must not be squeamish
Every person so named
Will be quickly defamed
And ... ?
Give me a last line, or a brand new limerick, or your favorite story about playground taunting.
Comments (17)
...labeled as being mischievious
How about this:
But those name callers are the ones who are really extremish
From what I hear Sotomayer is more than able to stand up to the name callers who are way out of line. It seems Obama has made a very good choice and there are many Hispanic people who are very happy and will not be happy with the name calling.
...but needs all the same to be beamish.
But it is way too early in the morning for coming up with rhymes! Happy Friday, everyone!
be treated rather mean, ish
Viva Judge Sotomayor!
Heartlanders,
I'm going to the Fitz on Saturday for the piano bar event. Should I look for any of you?
Good morning RH,
I don't have time to come up with a rhyming line but here's something that goes with today's topic:
Yesterday was chatting online with daughter in Namibia and I asked her what her favorite summer song was. She said Fireworks by Animal Collective and that I should check it out, so I did on youtube. It was pretty catchy and I could see why she liked it. Also read the comments previous visitors had posted. Someone had said something negative about the song, and another responded by saying,"You are closed-minded and unclever." It made me appreciate the exquisite good manners of RH blog participants. No one here ever says anything mean - inappropriate maybe :) - but never unkind. Imagine, someone who doesn’t even know you, having the gall to call you unclever!
...Stay unruffled and you'll make the team-ish.
I'll add a second to the Viva Judge Sotomayor! And happy weekend all.
I second your comments, Donna.
Radio Heartland listeners and Trial Balloon readers certainly have kind hearts and good manners.
Asking people to come up with an ending line for a limerick is, at best, unfair for this hour of the day and for an online forum an extremely risky choice, given the nature of limericks. Thanks for being so reliably nice!
...and quite fulfill their Come True Dream-ish.
There's an old song my mom used to sing,
"Reuben Reuben I've been thinking what a great world it would be, if the men were all transported far across the Northern Sea"
and then, of course the man would come back with "Rachel Rachel...
Must be called Reuben and Rachel!
Greetings Heartlanders! You are so right, Donna. Anytime I read online comments in forums, newspapers, newsletters, etc., I'm always amazed by how quickly and easily people insult and belittle each other for having different opinions, or for being uninformed, misinformed or inarticulate.
I don't think they would speak that way in person. That's one reason I don't join in or comment on any of the informational stuff I look at. It's also why I truly appreciate our RH bloggers! Once in a while, my teenage son will look at what I'm blogging here, and he comments on how respectful we are and that we type everything out. Have a great day, all!
... and then there's the Everly Brothers' Bird Dog, speaking of namecalling.
I'm going to be trying to think of these all morning...
Dale -- I just realized you said favorite STORY about playground taunting... Ah well, here's another SONG, as I can't recall any taunting stories.
Peter Paul and Mary had one called "Red Light Green Light" on an early album (probably that one you don't have) . Not taunting, I guess, but a playground song anyway.
Barbara,
How about the one that goes something like "Oh, you hot dog you......with your brains in the bottom of your shoe." It was full of name-calling. It's an old TMS favorite, possibly by the Red Clay Ramblers?
late again--it's been hard to adjust post-vacation!
Elinor, what a brilliant ending for the limericks--even rhyming internally the two middle lines, scans well, etc....i'm impressed.
happy weekend, all--should be lovely here in the cities--so maybe i can get caught up on yard work and gardening....
Thanks for Einstien the Genius! I just caught it on the re-broadcast. My largest cat is named Albert and he thinks the song is about him, since he hears his name through the speakers.
Thanks for the "Guthrie Palooza"! We're looking forward to seeing Arlo at the Fitz July 16th!
Thanks, Dale, for playing the songs for Erin this morning! I alerted her that they may be coming, so I hope she was able to "tune in". Unfortunately, I overslept this morning and turned on RH at 7:33, so I just missed hearing it. DARN! We love Squid Jiggin' Ground, by the way. Schooner Fare also has a song called Powder Monkey on one of their disks that's worth a listen (counting as BOTH a Schooner Fare song AND a monkey song!) :-)
You may not be aware that one of the original members of the band, Tom Rowe, died a few years ago of throat cancer. His talented son stepped in to play occasionaly after that, but I don't know what their current status is. Do you?
Also, thanks for tickets to Richie Havens (I was one of the luckey winners!) The concert was wonderful with the exception of the rudely noisy party slightly behind us who must've thought we came to hear them instead of Mr. Havens.
Thanks again!
Thanks, all, for the stellar final lines and your comments about the music.
Audrey, as far as I can tell, Schooner Fare continues to perform as a duo with the brothers Chuck and Steve Romanoff. They apparently decided they couldn't replace Tom Rowe. Their schedule shows them performing in Maine, mostly, though they have a December gig at Wolf Trap.
Please let us know if Erin was able to tune in!
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