Yes, kiddies, it is that time again . . . time for another adventure from yesteryear. Yes, we all know you are all ready for another adventure of Rusty Rucker, and today's exciting episode is chock full of spine-tingling tales. So gather around, hush your mouths, make sure the parents are in the other room and let's get this show on the road:
Old Rusty lives way back in the boonies with a couple of hound dogs and one lazy ole mule. With nothing to do all day except whittle and listen to the radio, he gets some off-the-wall ideas about our political structure and its impact on our daily lives. Maybe you will get a chuckle out of some of the stuff he comes up with, and who knows, you might even agree with some of it.See all of the currently published Rusty Rucker works by clicking on this link.March, 2000 Updated regularly -- Totally new first of every month.
Sorry I am a bit late this time. Had a much needed medical procedure that took me out of action for a few days.[*]
In the month of February we lost two great men. Charles Schultz who entertained children all over the world for many years with Peanuts and Snoopy. And Tom Landry who personified what a gentleman is supposed to be. One of the greatest coaches of all time, he was a Christian, a leader, and a friend to all who knew him.
It’s no accident that the Dallas Cowboys became known as America’s team. They have always been good on the field, but under Landry they were good off the field, too. I remember when “Hollywood” Henderson was fired for using cocaine during a game, Lance Rentzel lost his job for flashing, and Clint Longley learned that Tom wouldn’t allow fighting between quarterbacks.
Henderson was a great linebacker, Lance a talented wide receiver and Longley, a promising young quarterback.Tom was always straight faced because he took his job seriously. He wore a hat, coat, and tie to every game. Contributed generously to charity and encouraged his players to walk on the side of right and honor. A gentleman with class who earned the respect he deserved.Food for thought and nice to hear.
TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES
This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.
America: The Good Neighbor.This is one of the best editorials that I have ever read regarding the United States. It is nice that one man realizes it. I only wish that the rest of the world would give it some thought. We are blamed for everything that goes wrong, and never even get a thank you for what we do.Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:
"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.
When the franc was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.
When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans.
I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly them?
Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once, but several times - and safely home again.
You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at . Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.
I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.
Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those."
Stand proud, America!
I hope that each reader will send this to as many people as possible and emphasize that they should send it to as many of their friends until this letter is sent to every person on the web. I am just a single American that has read this, I SURE HOPE THAT A LOT MORE READ IT SOON.
Wit and Wisdom
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal the neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
No one is listening until you make a mistake.
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.
If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
Tell the truth and you don't have to remember anything.
If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
Never mess up an apology with an excuse.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield.
Timing has an awful lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither works.
Never miss a good chance to shut up.
Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your mouth is moving.
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
If you try hard enough and long enough, nothing is impossible.
Thanks for the ride. Y'all come back now ... Ya hear!!!
"There was never a nation great until it came to the knowledge that it had nowhere in the world to go for help."
--Charles Dudley Warner
Rusty Rucker posts are from previously published monthly columns of my late father that had been lost until I discovered Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
*What was that? Angioplasty, I think.
Posted by Tiger at August 5, 2003 11:19 PM