The Jean Pool

I keep going back to Owen Wilson's line in "Wedding Crashers." With the sincere insincerity that permeates every character he plays, he tells a woman with whom he wishes to engage in coitus that "they say we only use ten percent of our brains....I think we only use ten percent of our HEARTS!"

I now have evidence about the use of ten percent of our brains. A woman appeared on the Marketplace show on NPR tonight (that radio network with no Rush!) and she was some sort of fashion expert. Her deal was that we all need to "support the high-end" fashion merchandisers, lest they go out of business. Hang on, Ralph Lauren! Payday is this Friday; I bet I can afford to pick up a couple of your sweaters to help you get past this economic downturn.

And the woman also commented on how people might be forced to choose between $50 jeans and $250 jeans.

I would like a list of names of all the people who would pay 250 smackers for a pair of blue jeans. Now I mean, really!

And then I heard a story about the reaction to the reactionary voting in California which outlawed same-sex marriage, on the ridiculous notion that not everyone has the same rights. The people who supported the needless amendment raised 45 million dollars. I know one person right this second whose whole life could be vastly improved by having 45 dollars. 450 dollars would be a nice weekend getaway for a happy couple - no matter their persuasion! $4500 could buy a fairly decent used car to help someone get back and forth to a job and/or an education. $45,000 is an adequate yearly salary, probably enough for a small family as long as no one insists on only "high-end" clothing. $450,000 is grant money enough to fund a program to assist people in need, people without food, shelter, hope. $4,500,000 is a good salary for medium-range football star, who will play in a large outdoor stadium for people wearing $250 jeans and drinking $9 cans of beer.

But $45,000,000 is the price it takes to tell millions of members of our American family that their love is not good enough. How about, we take that swag and divvy it up among the haters? Let them sit home, listen to Limbaugh and decide how everyone else ought to live and love. How about how stupid that is?