Wednesday, July 06, 2005

The Sweet Smell of Formaldehyde Ernest Lehman, one of the all-time great Hollywood screenwriters, died today at 89.  He wrote two of my favorite movie lines: From "The Sweet Smell of Success," Burt Lancaster to Tony Curtis: You're like a poison cookie, Sidney, I wouldn't want to take a bite out of you. From "North by Northwest," Cary Grant to Eva Marie Saint: You use sex like some people use a fly swatter. 5:38:34 PM

Crappy Birthday to you, Mr. Resident Today is the 59th birthday of the Resident of the United States, currently scheduled to reside in the White House for the next 3 1/2 years, thanks to the intervention of the Supreme Court and the ineptitude of the Democratic party. We hope the nation will survive his Residency. Last Sunday's issue of the Portland Oregonian summed up life under the regime of the current Resident: Other than telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest, educate our children and, now, die, I think the Republicans have done a fine job of getting government out of our personal lives. Or as Aaron Sorkin had one of his characters on "The West Wing" say to a group of Republican legislators (I'm writing this from memory, but it's a memorable line): You know, you guys want to make the government just small enough so it'll fit in our bedrooms. The Resident celebrated his birthday in Copenhagen today.  Too bad he didn't choke on his cake.  But then, he'd only be replaced by the Vice-Resident, a man who can sneer in his sleep and has already had far too many birthdays, thanks to the kind of health care most of the rest of us will never be able to afford. 11:26:10 AM