In these days of the winter, I find that my mind produces some random thoughts. They don’t go together. Rather they are individual thoughts that strike me from time to time. As the title of this essay suggests, there are some bad thoughts, and quite separately, there are good thoughts.
One of the least praiseworthy thoughts that I have is connected to the Presidential debates of the Republican primaries. I have no interest in the Republican Party except for its comic value. It was a great crime for Herman Cain to drop out of the primaries because he provided the most intense laughter of all the candidates. He was of course followed very closely by Michele Bachmann. What in the world the former Senator Santorum from Pennsylvania is doing in this race – losing – is beyond me.
But these random thoughts have to do primarily with the great state of Texas. It seemed to me when the debates were in full flower that the leading contenders were gathered in the middle of the pack with the lesser candidates being spread to the sides. When Rick Perry had the lead in the polls, he of course occupied one of the center spots. Now I am not a great student of the great state of Texas. Texans can come and go as long as they leave me undisturbed. The remarks about Texas braggadocio are legion and require no input on this occasion. But I must say that if I were a student of Texas and of Republican politics, it is quite likely that I would get a Ph.D. in Republican history. Now, for example, when Rick Perry is asked a question, he will invariably start his answer by saying, “In Texas, we do thus and such.”
For example, when he was asked some time ago whether Darwin’s theory of evolution is taught in Texas schools, he replied that both evolution and creationism are taught. I suspect that Perry may have thought that this was a trick question. But he handled it with his usual aplomb. When asked about the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution in Texas schools, Mr. Perry had a ready answer. He said you could believe in evolution or, better still, you could believe in creationism. They provide a choice in Texas schools. The fact must be that in the Texas school system, they really don’t care for students learning the theory of evolution. They want their students to become evangelical shouters in the name of creationism.
So this is my bad thought as referred to in the title. Rick Perry has been outdone by the antics of Herman Cain and now he hopes that “he will attract sympathetic viewers on the rebound.” I am sorry to say to the honorable Rick Perry that I do not see that he will ever attract a sympathetic viewing on the first or second or third or fourth or fifth round. Mr. Perry is a colossal dunce.
But now let us go to some bright random thoughts that occur to this restless mind. Recently my wife and I had lunch in a local restaurant here in Millburn, New Jersey. Although Miss Chicka uses her maiden name, I can assure you that we are legally wed.
Sitting at a table near us were four people who were discussing events in a foreign tongue. Eventually I figured out that the tongue was Portuguese. When it came time to leave, I spoke the word “obrigado” within the hearing of the people at the next table. This caused the other patrons to switch to English and say, “That guy understands Portuguese.” Well, the fact of the matter is that I do not understand Portuguese but there is one word that I am fond of lately. That word is “obrigado” and it means thanks. In all of my travels, I have yet to encounter a more delicious word than “obrigado.” There was a time when I had learned to count in Portuguese but those counts are now long gone. As a matter of interest, I might tell you that the words in Portuguese for one, two, and three are very close to those in Italian or Spanish. But beyond that I will not tempt fate at this moment.
So we have the beautiful word of obrigado which represents the good in this title and we have Rick Perry, the great governor of the great state of Texas, as the bad example. If I ever get my Ph.D. in Texas history from Perry’s saying “In Texas, we do thus and such,” I will accept that degree by simply murmuring “Obrigado” to the professor who hands me that piece of paper.
So this restless mind has produced a bad thought about Rick Perry and a very grateful good thought about the Portuguese word “obrigado.” On this Monday morning of leaden skies, I believe that I will quit while I am ahead of the game.
E. E. CARR
December 5, 2011
Essay 614
~~
Kevin’s commentary:
Man, I wish Chinese had words that were as pretty as “Obrigado” but unfortunately they do not. Chinese is much prettier written than spoken, however. Calligraphy as art is a really cool concept actually, but that’s neither here nor there.
On the other side of this essay, I’m proud to announce that I am no longer residing in the great state of Texas, where Mr. Perry has been my governor for a rather long time. 12 friggen years, in fact. Now I’m in a place that elects much more respectable figures to public office, such as Austrian movie stars.
The U.S. political scene would be hilarious were it not so important.