Sunday, May 9, 2010

Betty White and Arizona

Betty White

Betty White first popped up on television in 1952, when I was in high school and TV was three channels in Los Angeles. I don't remember the programs, but she might have been on A HIT OR A MISS?

TV was simpler in those days, just a couple of people sitting in wooden chairs and spinning new Bing Crosby records, after which a panel would discuss the new song and vote on whether it would be, yes, a hit or a miss.

Betty White was local and young and lively and an instant hit with my whole family. We were surprised but pleased when, as an older woman, she became a regular on the Mary Tyler Moore's national show and so on. Last night she appeared, age 88.5, on Saturday Night Live. In other words, her career stretches from the start of commercial TV to the present. Now she's old and lively. She's amazing.

ARIZONA

Arizona needs a new start. It might begin by giving up racism--Arizona was the last state to adopt Martin Luther King Day, which they did only after a nationwide boycott. Next Arizona could fine and jail anyone who employs an undocumented worker. That would bring an end to the Arizona economy, and the place could begin life again as an attractive but empty desert.

--Gary Goss

1 comment:

Benito said...

I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. All of us ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated, but this is not the case.

I know the proponents of this law say that the majority approves of this law, but the majority is not always right. Would women or non-whites have the vote if we listen to the majority of the day, would the non-whites have equal rights (and equal access to churches, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, schools, colleges and yes water fountains) if we listen to the majority of the day? We all know the answer, a resounding, NO!

Today we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics and do what is right, not what is just popular with the majority. Some men comprehend discrimination by never have experiencing it in their lives, but the majority will only understand after it happens to them.