By Stanley P. Gershbein
I think we are paying a bit more attention than necessary attempting to make nice to some people who are really not worthy of stroking. Retired police officer, Arno Herwerth, ordered and received personal license plates that read, “GET OSAMA”. Two weeks after they were delivered Mr. Herwerth received a letter from David J. Swarts, the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, requesting that he return them. Commissioner Swartz claimed that these plates violated a ban on plates that are “derogatory to a particular ethnic or other group.” Hey there, Mr. Commissioner. Who in this world are we offending? The only people I can think of are members of al Qaida. Wake up, Swarts. Al Qaida is the enemy. We can kill them but we must not offend them. I think it’s time for a new Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles. ******** Statistics show that more than 40% of all Americans who move to Florida eventually move elsewhere. The major bulk ultimately wind up back in their home states. I have offered readers of my commentaries many reasons for this. There are the high real estate taxes, hurricanes, unaffordable insurance rates and my favorite, the lack of intelligence, to name a few. I’m a firm believer that Northeasterners, while driving down to the Sunshine State, check their brains at the Georgia border. At a party last night I heard Shelly, a lovely, intelligent Jersey City transplant, offer the following: “Florida is the Siberia of the intellectual world.” Go girl. You’ve taken a large part of the many pages that I have offered my readers and condensed it into eight words. Shelly is one of those rather attractive, intelligent, mature females that can hold her own in any conversation. Her husband, on the other hand, is a crabby, grumpy old man who can put a halt to any verbal exchange with one dim dumb statement. In this case he stopped the room with “POLITICIANS! THEY’RE ALL CROOKS!” Everybody knows that there are some elected officials who have been exposed as being on the take. Sure. SOME! But the overwhelming majority is honest. I’m a personal friend of current and former legislators. I don’t necessary agree with their leanings and laws but I will swear for their honesty. One exudes his lack of intelligence by shouting me down barking “POLITICIANS! THEY’RE ALL CROOKS!” End of conversation. There are others who know how to shut everyone else up with a rather weak brainless statement of their own. I spent four uninspiring days with Jim aboard the Majesty Of The Seas. The cruise was great. Jim was not. He’s one of those know-it-alls who will interrupt someone while he is making a point to butt in with his own. That, by itself, is bad enough but then he closes the dialogue with his favorite pompous declaration. An arrogant, condescending line that I heard three times during those four days, “There is nothing you can teach me about……..” End of conversation. The statement I dislike the most is the one that comes from someone who totally disagrees with something I’m saying, doing, buying, or bought. Instead of making her point she throws out “You’re crazy!” No madam. I’m not crazy. I have an opinion. You have yours. We could still walk away good friends but not when you close an exchange with “You’re crazy!” About ten years ago an old, dear friend was invited to my new home. She was rather fond of a very costly piece of new furniture. I was not trying to impress her but when she asked how much we paid for that item, I told her. She looked at me and bellowed, “You’re crazy!” Not only did it end the conversation, she hasn’t been invited back since. ******** We’re starting to see the ever-popular political bumper stickers on the highways of this great nation. The best one I’ve seen so far is “SUPPORT TERRORISM. VOTE HILLARY 08!” You might wanna’ think twice before putting a sticker showing support for any candidate on your car. There’s always a nut job that would love to get even by bashing a window. ******** Last week Vote.com asked, “Should illegal aliens be given tax rebates?” Of the nearly nine thousand people who responded, 89% shouted “NO!” That’s how Americans feel but if, God Forbid, one says it out loud he is labeled a racist, a bigot, a Xenophobe and a lot more. This week’s question from Vote.com asks, “Should Hillary Clinton release her income tax returns?” So far a whopping 94% are bellowing “Yes! We have the right to know who she’s working for.” I agree. Why not? What’s she hiding? ******** I wish my friends from Boston would stop whining. Eighteen wins and one loss is nothing to be ashamed of, even if that one loss was to the Giants in the Super Bowl. Beantown sports fans still have a lot to be proud of. The Red Sox won the World Series and the Celtics are running away with first place in the Atlantic Conference. I don’t have any sympathy for the money hungry memorabilia company that minted ten thousand 24-karat cold coins engraved with the words, “NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 19-0 SUPERBOWL XLII CHAMPIONS” I am STANGERSHBEIN@BELLSOUTH.NET asking, is there anybody out there looking for a bargain in gold? ******** Your letters and Emails are the property of this newspaper and may be published. For verification purposes all correspondence must contain your real name, address and telephone number.
