Yogi Berra passed away last week. We lost one of the greatest baseball players of all time, a legend in his own time.
One of Yogi’s famous quotes came to mind when I started to write this column about the nonsense I heard watching the Republican debate a couple weeks ago.
“There are some people who, if they don’t already know, you can’t tell them.” said Yogi. I get the feeling we could preach the truth to Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump and they just wouldn’t “get it.”
The truth is something they just don’t already know.
Fiorina’s tearful account of a video portraying “a fetus, its heart beating, its feet kicking, while Planned Parenthood personnel stood over it saying ‘we must keep it alive long enough to harvest its brain.’” was gut wrenching, but it wasn’t true. It’s not a matter of funding, it’s criminal to take the brain from a live fetus. Did Fiorina call the cops?.
In a barrage of attacks, candidates accused Planned Parenthood of selling baby body parts for a profit.
Said Ted Cruz, “Planned Parenthood is selling body parts all over this country.”
That’s a lie. They are compensated to cover only their cost for donations of fetus tissue, including stem cells, to researchers seeking new cures for diseases. Calling this practice “selling body parts” is a major stretch.
Republicans would have you believe the main function of Planned Parenthood is performing abortions. Actually, abortions account for only 3 percent of its services, while 97 percent are for contraception, STD treatment, cancer screening and other women’s health issues. I suspect the real target of Republicans like Cruz, is to end contraception services. It’s just another example of the Republican’s war against women. A war they deny.
The most ridiculous comment came from Trump, who repeated his claim about children born in this country by non-citizens. These “birther babies” as he calls them are born here just so they can be U.S, citizens and be supported by the government. After they are born we have to take care of them for 60-70 years, claims Trump. He’s nuts. They become as productive U.S. citizens as the rest of us, contributing to this country’s well being.
I think Yogi would say, “They are we and we are they.” Trump alleges, since our forefathers didn’t envision what’s happening today, the Constitution shouldn’t apply. I guess the Second Amendment wouldn‘t apply today either, since our forefathers couldn’t imagine assault weapons and the mass murders happening today; right Trump?
The squabble between Fiorina and Trump seemed childish and added nothing to the debate. According to Trump, Fiorina ran Hewlett Packard into the ground and was fired. According to Fiorina, the only thing Trump has had more of than wives, is bankruptcies.
Trump recently said of Fiorina, “Who would vote for someone with a face like that?”
At the debate, he said he was referring to her persona, and called her beautiful. Trump was silly, outrageous, obnoxious and ignorant. Fiorina was belligerent and negative to a fault. Enough about the debate between the worst field of candidates by any party in the history of mankind. The exception is Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who seems qualified and presented himself well, although I disagree with him on many issues.
Let’s get back to Yogi, he’s more fun and even made more sense than Trump and crowd.
Said Yogi, “You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m nor hungry enough to eat six”; “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there i”; “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else”; or “You have to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.”
That sounds like the field at the debate.
But then, “Every Napoleon had his Watergate,” Yogi said.
Some more quotes: “You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you”; “I never said most of the things I said; “I wish I had an answer to that because; and I’m tired of answering the question,”
These are the most often repeated quotes from Yogi.
“The future ain’t what it used to be”; “Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical”; “ Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”; “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore”; “You should always go to other peoples funerals; otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”
And the most famous Yogi quote: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” It’s over for Wis. Gov. Scott Walker. who recently dropped out of the Republican primary race
Glen McAdoo, a Fallon resident can be contacted at glynn@phonewave,net.