Do you feel despair at times?

[Jack Sprat]

I know I do. Teabaggers screaming for small govmint with troops in Iraq, Afghanistan. Some of them wanting to attack Iran. Some wanting to attack Pakistan. All this money spent on wars against Islamic fanatics on the other side of the world. The debt is getting deeper, the infrastructure is crumbling, the jobs are in China, oil is washing up on the gulf coastal states and possibly on its' way to the Atlantic seabaord. I have to remind myself to sing this verse:

When I am worried and I can't sleep
I can't my blessings instead of sheep,
Then I go to sleep,
counting my blessings.

If that doesn't help, I revert back in time and remember what I learned a long time ago in southern California.

If you need a better car, go see Cal
For the best deal by far, go see Cal
If you want to save some dough,
If you want your payments low,
Go SEE CAL....GO SEE CAl...GO SEE CAL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOsLdT4slsk

[sharesunited]

1. Bing Crosby singing Irving Berlin in White Christmas.

[WeDidIt]

2. Every time I see a gazillion DU threads that are the same as FR threads, I feel despair. n/t

[Sebastian Doyle]

3. Cal got booted out of Washington state for being a crook

But who could forget his commercials.

Found one of the local ads. With a cameo from George W. Bush at the end?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcZ19GeK14Y

[Jack Sprat]

8. If you're looking for a better set of wheels

I will stand upon my head to beat all deals,

I will stand upon my head, til my ears are turning red

Go see Cal...go see Cal....go see Cal.

[Lost-in-FL]

4. Don't forget small govmint institutionalized racism in Arizona. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Where are we going..and why are we in this handbasket????

[tabatha]

7. I think I'll remember that saying - it fits.

[tabatha]

6. I could not stand those ads. They were so twee.

[Jack Sprat]

11. any model, any make...go see Cal

Give your pocket book a break, go see Cal

Save some money, save some time, save a nickel, save a dime, lower prices everytime

Go see Cal...go see Cal...go see Cal.

[Kablooie]

23. They weren't twee. They were fowa.

[Swamp Rat]

9. right now

immensely :cry:

[Swede]

10. During WWII millions of people were dying in the war.

It was precede by the Great Depression. We got it pretty good.

[Flaxbee]

12. go see Cal go see Cal go see Cal!

Oh jeez, I think my grandmother got her Impala painted purple by Cal (or one of his buddies).

I remember that song very clearly... growing up in SoCal in the 70s and 80s...

Where did you grow up? I was in San Juan Capistrano and Redlands through high school.

And yes, I do feel despair that we seem to be growing less civilized, more greedy, and seem intent on destroying this beautiful planet and all its creatures at an alarming rate. I can't even bear to watch the news these days because of the images of the oil spill, and knowing that BP's carelessness is directing energy away from other very worthy and urgent causes.

But a ray of hope: we may all be dead in 50-100 years, animals and other life on this planet included, if what scientists think is correct. The other creatures on this planet deserve better, but humans have taken this gorgeous place and torn it apart by fighting over whose god is better and who has more green paper, and by procreating so prolifically as to imperil our own survival. Good riddance to us.

From Scientific Blogging: http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_articles/ribbon_sun_about_enter_milliondegree_cloud_interstellar_gas

Is the Sun going to enter soon a million-degree galactic cloud of interstellar gas?

A group of scientists are suggesting that the Ribbon of enhanced emissions of Energetic Neutral Atoms(ENA) discovered last year by the NASA Small Explorer satellite IBEX could be explained by a geometric effect coming up because of approach of the Sun to the boundary between the Local Cloud of interstellar gas and another cloud of a very hot gas called the Local Bubble.

[Jack Sprat]

14. Sorry I became distracted

I got hooked on 'Dire Straits' in the post below and got stuck of YouTube. I was only stationed in SouCal in the 70s. Lived in Hawthorne for 2 yrs. Yes, sometimes I feel so much despair and am glad I'm growing old. Not sure I want to see much more. It's been a long fall. I remember better times, long ago. I lose myself in songs, some old and some new. Music helps and heals, I think. But, honestly, I don't know. I wish you well.

[gmoney]

16. Sure it wasn't Earl Scheib who painted granny's Impala purple? (Sounds like a Jan & Dean song)

The less popular follow up to "Little Old Lady from Pasadena"

"Granny's Impala wasn't runnin' right,
So Grandpa got his tools and souped it up tight,
Took it down to Earl Scheib, asked for Eggshell White
But it came back painted purple with pink headlights!

Granny's Purple 'pala, gonna pass you by
Granny's Purple 'pala, man it sure can fly
Granny's Purple 'pala, gonna pass you by
You can't keep up man, don't even try..."

[Flaxbee]

29. yes, it was definitely Earl Scheib! I had forgotten the name and

conflated the two in my mind ... I do remember Cal didn't paint cars, but couldn't remember good ole' Earl!

That Impala was cool. After my sweet grandma died, several young men bought her (kept her purple), lowered her to the ground a few more inches, and did whatever you do to cars to make 'em bounce. I'd see the lowrider cruising around town - they took great care of that car.

[RandomThoughts]

13. I don't feel despair,

But I do get some periods of time where I feel temptation to anger at people that could be interfering with material stuff like money earned long ago. I have great peace in spiritual thoughts, but do have temptations of anger at some people. Probably do to deficiencies in material stuff, or thoughts in that area if that is how you look at it.

Not sure why that is, but I don't feel despair.

I forget what movie it was in, but it is described real well, a temptation to anger is like something you can see, all you have to do is reach out and grab it and it would then be real, its right there where you can see it but do not feel it if you do not embrace it. I think that is like the dark side, might be same for despair for some people, but I don't see despair.

It is an odd thing.


Despair is far away for me, but rage with anger is always within an arms length grasp away, although it does not bother, I do think on that sometimes.

I think on this song on the topic of no despair.

Dire Straits - So far away But in a good context
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcnP5CjOy1Y

There is fun in this song :D

Should cheer some people up even, maybe even a fun laugh :)

And with no feelings of despair, not sure if everyone can understand that.

(notice the facepalm, for a chuckle :) )




The anger seems to be more like this song.

The Clash - Rock The Casba
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ

Now the king told the boogie men
You have to let that raga drop
The oil down the desert way
Has been shakin' to the top
The sheik he drove his Cadillac
He went a' cruisnin' down the ville
The muezzin was a' standing
On the radiator grille

Chorus
The shareef don't like it
Rock the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it
Rock the Casbah
Rock the Casbah

By order of the profit
We ban that boogie sound
Degenerate the faithful
With that crazy Casbah sound

But the Bedouin they brought out
The electric camel drum
The local guitar picker
Got his guitar picking thumb
As soon as the shareef
Had cleared the square
They began to wail

Chorus

Now over at the temple
Oh! They really pack 'em in
The in crowd say it's cool
To dig this chanting thing
But as the wind changed direction
The temple band took five
The crowd caught a wiff
Of that crazy Casbah jive

Chorus

The king called up his jet fighters
He said you better earn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the Casbah way

As soon as the shareef was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare

As soon as the shareef was
Outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed

Chorus

He thinks it's not kosher
Fundamentally he can't take it.
You know he really hates it.



Interesting song, and something to think on.

Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAchKt2xjsw

Heaven from Hell,
Blue skys from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade
Your heros for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.


I find this song so interesting, it has so much in it a duality if ever there was, both sides similtaneously, maybe it is part of sadness, maybe joy. Hard to know.

[RandomThoughts]

21. I should add, money or material things are not before ideas of what is right.

many think any money is bad, it is bad when it defines what you think or feel, or when it gets you to do something you think is wrong. Or worse gets you to do something without thinking or feeling if it is wrong.

[gmoney]

15. what do you mean "at times"?

I've been in a pretty constant state of despair since Bush stole the 2000 election...

[Jack Sprat]

17. When democracy was shelved forever more.

Truely. The day the SCOTUS scuttled the recount that would have awarded the electoral vote to Gore as well. The popular vote of the people was already registered on election day. But, a woman named Katherine Harris of Florida's election commission halted the recount and the SCOTUS upheld it. A pox upon us from that day forth.

[Xicano]

18. I remember those commercials.. LOL

Its Cal Worthington and his dog Spot. Thank you Jack Sprat for the memory

[Jack Sprat]

19. You are quite welcome.

After all these years, I thought of that crazy commercial and song. Sure enough, it was on YouTube. Looks like lots of us remember. They were comical.

[snagglepuss]

20. It helps if you avoid news on TV. It's much easier on the nerves to read news than see it.

95% of so call news from corporate news enitities is pure propaganda and all that bs just adds salt to the wounds. No one needs that pain.


Three years I got rid of cable and for over a year I've only had audio on my TV which is more than fine since I can hear the DS and Colbert and if nessary hear Canadian news . Hard to believe I was at one point a total tv news junkie but the pure bs became too over whelming and unbearable, I could no longer stomach it and I cannot tell you how great it feels not seeing it anymore.

[Kablooie]

22. We are balancing out the "feel good" years of Reagan with "feel bad" years now.

I was in Japan at the time so I didn't experience it but all the magazines were crowing about new American pride and how everyone felt so good about themselves.

Yeah.
Because Reagan told them that they could grab everything for themselves and not have to pay for it.

Of course someone else would have to pay for it years later, that part he kept secret, and that someone turned out to be, obviously, us.

[RandomThoughts]

24. I spent my years during those times working hard, without much.

So again that gives me a great argument for the great times ahead.

:woohoo:

[lamp_shade]

25. Me? Despair? Never!! I'm the eternal optimist. There's too much about life that I love.

I shake my head at all the doom-and-gloomers here at DU. I feel sorry for them.

[tavalon]

26. Must make sure my husband sees this post

He loved that commercial.

[marions ghost]

27. If more Americans could feel the same despair

maybe things would change...

But Americans put up and put up and let the fat cats abuse us, take away our rights, destroy our economy, destroy our environment, callously waste the human potential of this country. Easier for most people not to pay attention. Who has time for it? Who has stamina for it?

There is NO reason to feel particularly GOOD about the state of this country. Depression is rational.

To keep sane I stick with my affinity group, the rationally depressed. Doing what little I can to try to hold the line against the exploiters. Waiting, waiting. For the rest of the country to wake up.

Oh sure, you see people doing good in their communities, trying to hold things together, trying to keep to the positive. Americans are good at sandbagging, repairing, setting out booms, rallying people for practical things. Americans always think they can fix it. But they miss the big picture. They shy away from rooting out the real problems.

[gleaner]

28. I sure do ....

things in general are just so overwhelming it is hard to take it all in. I feel numb and dazed and wonder what we are all going to do.

I never thought of old Cal though. He was great wasn't he? Him and his dog Spot. Maybe I'll try that one for a while. Ativan helps too but Spot is probably better for me. Thanks for expressing the thoughts. You really helped.

[jmondine]

30. Both me and my 1st wife...

... grew up thinking they were singing, "Pussy cow, pussy cow, pussy cow"

[Sebastian Doyle]

32. That's what my mom always thought they were singing!

First time she heard the commercial on the TV, she probably accused me of watching that "Devil music on MTV" or something. :evilgrin:

[gulliver]

31. When I see a Cal Worthington commercial...

...it makes me hungry for a Marathon bar.

[lonestarnot]

33. The Moms and I about peed all over one of his cars from laughing one day while wearing

his (Cal's) brochabrella hats. The Moms tried to fix her seat and the freaking thing flung a rocket launch on her all the way to back laid back position in about 3/4 of a second.