To each his own

The President of the United States gave his annual State of the Union speech last night. To be truthful, I only half listened to it. I feel like I have heard the same rhetoric before, several times before, and know it will be followed by more rhetoric from the opposing team. Heavy on promises of reform that get sidetracked by long-winded senators that have long forgotten why they were elected.

I have heard there were ways to have more fun listening to the speech. An on-line sportsbook offered good odds for those eager to bet on how many standing ovations President Bush got, as well as how many times he said Iraq, Evil, or Patriot Act. Drinking games gave TV viewers a chance to participate more actively in the speech by dictating how many drinks you took for each word, round of applause, or standing ovation. Actual cheering got you an extra drink.

I really started this entry to tell you about my parakeet, Buford. He's long since gone, but I never hear a political speech without thinking of him. Buford was a Bill Clinton fan. I don't know why; he certainly didn't learn it from me. I was amazed the first time I saw and heard him watching a Clinton speech. He listened intently then cheered and booed as he saw fit. At first I thought he was reacting to the audience applause, but he was always his own bird and paid no attention to the noise from the crowd. He would occasionally glare at me if I dared venture an opinion of my own.

I think Buford was a Southern Democrat, but I didn't know much about his family. I found him walking down a sidewalk in Lafayette one day. He was walking, I was in a car. Later I learned that Buford (and his roommate, Bubba) liked car rides as long as they sat in the front seat and I played the radio. They would try to talk me into playing country music for them, but you have to draw the line somewhere, so ... not in the car. I did let them watch Hee Haw when we were home. Next to Clinton's speeches, that was Buford's favorite TV show. Silly little green bird.