Once Upon A Time In Washington D.C.
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Editor’s Note: The following article, originally titled Musings From the Edge: A Special Edition was written by Bill Formby on January 28, 2010, when we had a different president and not the bumbling fool we have today.
When I was in the eighth grade I was a skinny punk kid who often let his ten pound mouth overload his one pound ass. On one memorable occasion a somewhat larger kid named Charles who tended to bully other kids was doing his daily rounds of pushing smaller folks aside, taking their lunch money, or their lunch from them. He walked by a friend of mine and snatched his cap and started walking away with it. I said to David, “Hey, you gonna let him do that to you?” David looked at me like I was a fool and said, “I can get a new cap but I can’t get a new head.” Before I realized it I had jumped up grabbed the cap back and told Charles, “Get your own cap fat ass!” Fortunately there was a teacher standing about ten feet from us or I might have died right there. Instead Charles leaned down into my face and said, “Meet me at the tree after school.”
Now the tree was nothing special, just a lonesome tree sitting just off the school ground where kids settled their differences after school. Usually no one got beat too bad; bloody nose, lose a tooth, something like that. Somehow, I didn’t think I would get off that light.
When school let out that day I was really torn between running home as fast as my scared skinny legs could get me there, and going to the tree and doing battle with a big bully who would probably beat me to a pulp. If I ran home I might as well stay there because I would have to listen to clucking sounds for the rest of my life. If I fought Charles there was chance he wouldn’t kill me, maybe stomp my face beyond recognition, but on the other hand if I could get a lucky shot in I might even save face. So off to the tree I went and there we stood, my face looking straight at his sternum. One of his legs probably weighed more than I did but the gauntlet had been thrown down and there was no turning back. The only thing I remembered was something my grandfather had told me: hurt him so bad that he will never challenge you again. If nothing else I would beat hell out his knuckles with my head.
Tonight I listened to President Obama verbally snatch the cap back from the Republicans. He called them out on their obstructionist behavior in blocking any meaningful legislation from moving through the congress. He threw down the gauntlet to them and told them that they should do what they were elected to do, work on the peoples behalf. He even challenged members of his own party to work to “solve problems.” But now, the State the Union speech is over, or as was in my case, school is out. It is now time to decide – do I recede into the background as I have been doing, or do I go to the tree.
The coming days will tell the story of whether this man will become the great President we all believe he can be, but he must now step out of the background and fight. He can no longer throw these things willy nilly to the congress and say please, now it is do it or else, and there has to be an or else.
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What do you think now Bill?
Lazer,
I’d been in a similar situation back in the day, when I fought with complete terror and absolutely not a trace of bravery;a lucky punch fooling onlookers.
So Laser I gotta know-what happened at the tree?
Oso, it wasn’t a pretty sight. I ended up with a broke nose and a busted lip among other scrapes and bruises. However, we both learned something from this affair. I learned that it takes a lot more to hurt a big guy than I thought and he learned that a skinny scared kid is dangerous. I swung at his nose and hit him in the throat at which point he went to the ground. I jumped on him and started choking him. Two bigger guys eventually pulled me off because they said he was turning blue. That is where I earned a reputation for being mean as hell. Truth is I was scared to death that if I let go of him he would get up and finish beating the crap out me. Apparently, I damaged his throat because to this day he still sounds like a frog when he talks.
I don’t disagree with your comment Marnie. I do, however, disagree with those on the left who criticize and curse the president, their president, for everything he does. By the way welcome to MMA Uptown. I hope you come back and see us.
– Lazeredge: Ah! very fitting. Truly an excellent story!!! And beautifully told.
– Madmike: //I have elected to ignore those who will call [Obama] out on everything that he does or doesn’t do…//
Your choice, of course – and I respect it. But politics is not a spectator sport, my friend. The Right will be the Right (or is it the far right, now?). And the Left’s got to be the Left. How else is Obama to govern from the ever elusive mythical center if there is no one speaking up on his Left?
Thou knoweth how the saying goeth, “give Obama what belongs to Obama…” Matthew 22: 15-22, was it?
😉
Generally if you give a bully a bloody nose, whether he whips the tar out of you or not, he will think twice about choosing you for a future victim. There is no doubt the Republicans, from day one, have attacked Obama in a very aggressive and sometimes, sinister way. He has not helped himself with his choice of words on occasions, but Congressional Democrats haven’t helped him either, they should be his best friend. He had to remind them about the large majorities they have in both houses. He covered a lot of bases last night, he touched on many different topics, he walked out to the tree ready to face, not just the bully, but the bullies. The Republicans will keep prodding him at every turn, certain Democrats will sit there with their arms folded and the lobbyists will keep pouring money into campaign funds designed to defeat him and lets not forget the media, the ones that will benefit financially from the 100s of millions of dollars that will be spent this year on the mid-terms. He needs to dish out a few bloody noses.
Lazer, awesome story. I LOVE it when the little kid ponys up to the bully 🙂
I have read this story again and again…How well you write my friend…
Great post. I do believe he will be that president. I have elected to ignore those who will call him out on everything that he does or doesn’t do. He cannot possibly make everyone happy. For me…Pretty much…