Like It Or Not, Bunky, Freedom Isn't Really Free

Original column by Daniel Ruth, The Tampa Tribune

What He Wrote: "... loosely paraphrase Sigmund Freud,..."
Obscure Reference: Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. Freud is best known for his theories of the unconscious mind and the defense mechanism of repression. He is also renowned for his redefinition of sexual desire as the primary motivational energy of human life.

What He Wrote: "... when you have a state exchequer that's beginning to look more barren than the Zimbabwe treasury ..."
Obscure Reference: 'The Exchequer' was (and in some cases still is) a part of the governments of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland that was responsible for the management and collection of revenues. Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, and formerly Southern Rhodesia, is a landlocked country in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. Formerly prosperous and known as the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a hard currency shortage, which has led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods as well as famine and economic hardship.

What He Wrote: "... there is talk of upping the ante ..."
Obscure Reference: In the card game of Poker, an ante is a forced bet in which each player places an equal amount of money or chips into the jackpot before the deal begins. In games where the acting dealer changes each turn, it is not uncommon for the players to agree that the dealer provides the ante for each player. This simplifies betting, but causes minor inequities if other players come and go or miss their turn to deal. 'Upping the ante' is done by agreement of all players when the starting 'jackpot' is too small.

What He Wrote: "... if the bean counters have their way ..."
Obscure Reference: In American slang, a 'bean counter' is a derogatory term refering to one who specializes in accountancy for accountancies sake; to examine petty ependitures rather than look at the overall big picture.

What He Wrote: "... streets will start to look like something out of 'The Grapes of Wrath.'"
Obscure Reference: The Grapes of Wrath is a classic novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. A celebrated Hollywood film version, starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford, was made in 1940. Set during the Great Depression, the novel focuses on a poor family of sharecroppers, the Joads, driven from their home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agriculture industry. In a nearly hopeless situation, they set out for California's Central Valley along with thousands of other "Okies" in search of land, jobs, and dignity.

What He Wrote: "... turning the State into "Deadwood' ..."
Obscure Reference: Deadwood, named for the dead trees found in its gulch, is a city in and the county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota. The population was 1,380 at the 2000 census. A fire on September 26, 1879, devastated the prosperous boomtown, destroying over 300 buildings and consuming everything belonging to many inhabitants. Without the opportunities of rich untapped veins of ore that characterized the town's early days, many of the newly impoverished left town to try their luck elsewhere, leaving it a ghost town.

What He Wrote: "... the Bush Junta years ..."
Obscure Reference: A junta is government by a committee of military leaders. It is usually the result of a 'coup d’état', the sudden, illegal overthrowing of a government by a part of the state establishment — usually the military — to replace the branch of the stricken government, either with another civil government or with a military government. Often it becomes a military dictatorship, though the terms are not synonymous.

What He Wrote: "... so slap-happy in handing out sales tax exemptions as if they were campaign yard signs ..."
Obscure Reference: 'Slaphappy Sleuths' is a short subject film starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges in November, 1950. 'Campaign yard signs' are small, inexpensive cardboard signs handed out (usually for free) by politicians during elections for use by constituent's front lawns to indicate support for that candidate.

What He Wrote: "... all the aesthetic charm of road apples...."
Obscure Reference: 'Road apple' is American slang for horse manure deposited in the middle of the road. Commonly found where horse-drawn wagons or carts are plentiful, i.e Amish, rural, or western locales.

What He Wrote: "... It's not Dogpatch. "
Obscure Reference: Dogpatch is the fictional setting of most of Al Capp's Li'l Abner comic strip. The inhabitants of Dogpatch were mostly lazy hillbillies, who wanted nothing to do with progress, were extremely patriotic and devastatingly poor.

What He Wrote: "... a sort of Kato Kaelin of citizenship ..."
Obscure Reference: Brian "Kato" Kaelin is the one-time house guest of O.J. Simpson who became peripherally involved in the 1994-95 O.J. Simpson murder case. He was the subject of jokes by TV comedians, who made fun of his spaced-out surf bum persona, lack of employment, and parasitic habits.

Don't They Cover This in Law School?

Original column by Daniel Ruth, The Tampa Tribune

What He Wrote: "...poor, hapless Jason Kuhn was walking down the street one day whistling "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" ..."
Obscure Reference: 'Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah' is a song from the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie 'Song of the South', sung by James Baskett. It is one of many popular songs that use a bluebird ("Mr. bluebird on my shoulder"), epitomized by the "Bluebird of Happiness," as a symbol of cheer.

What He Wrote: "...living out the galley slave scene in 'Ben-Hur,'"
Obscure Reference: 'Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ' is an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace. It has been adapted into a Broadway play, silent films, talkies, and a musical. The third version of the film, directed by William Wyler, premiered at Loews Theater in New York City in 1959 starring Charlton Heston as the main character Judah Ben-Hur. In the story, Judah is unjustly condemned to the slave galleys. Pirates attack the Roman galley and his galley is sunk, but Ben-Hur saves the life of Arrius, its commander.

What He Wrote: "...Founding Fatheresque epiphany to involve himself in the electoral process..."
Obscure Reference: An epiphany (feeling), is the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something. Founding Fathers of the United States are the political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence, or otherwise participated in the American Revolution.

What He Wrote: "... This wasn't Shemp Howard whom Ober was letting off the hook ..."
Obscure Reference: Shemp Howard (1895 – 1955) was part of the Three Stooges comedy team. He was the older brother of Moe Howard and "third stooge" in the early years of the act. He would rejoin the trio in May 1946, after youngest brother "Curly" suffered a stroke. Shemp is often compared to Curly, but his comedic stylings were unique, and some fans even prefer his gruff, wisecracking comic style over Curly's brand of silliness. "Letting Off The Hook" is an American colloquialism which refers to vaudeville performances. Particularly bad acts which were heckled by the audience were pulled offstage by a large, comical hook.

This Law Stuff Can Be So Annoying

Original column by Daniel Ruth, The Tampa Tribune

What He Wrote: "... Tampa's ambitious hotsy-tots ..."
Obscure Reference: 'Hotsy-Totsy' refers to being just right, or perfect. The term was coined by cartoon artist Billy de Beck, famed for his comic strips "Barney Google" and "Snuffy Smith". Another of his coinage that has found a place in the English language dictionaries is heebie-jeebies meaning jitters or creeps .

What He Wrote: "... let's describe the Daddy Warbucks' state of mind ..."
Obscure Reference: Lieutenant General Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks is a fictional character from the comic strip Little Orphan Annie. His age in the series is around 52. The derivation of Warbucks' name is from his making millions through munition sales in World War I.

What He Wrote: "... what a whiz-bang idea it would be ..."
Obscure Reference: 'Whiz-Bang' was GI slang for a destructive WWI-era artillery shell. Fawcett Publications started its vast empire by publishing a bawdy cartoon and joke magazine called "Captain Billy's Whiz-Bang".

Shut Up! Shut Up! Shut Up!

Original column by Daniel Ruth, The Tampa Tribune

What He Wrote: "...oozing radio boil Bubba the Love Grunge..."
Obscure Reference: A passing swipe at 'Bubba the Love Sponge Clem', syndicated radio personality on the Cox Radio Network stations.

What He Wrote: "... would have even Lady Justice doing the Hokey Pokey."
Obscure Reference: The Hokey Pokey is a participation dance with a distinctive accompanying tune and lyric structure. It is well known in English-speaking countries. Lady Justice (Justitia, the Roman Goddess of Justice) is an allegorical personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system. Since the Renaissance, Justitia is frequently depicted as a bare-breasted woman carrying a sword and scales, and sometimes wearing a blindfold.

What He Wrote: "... brought about by Mark Lunsford and his mouthpiece Rick Block ..."
Obscure Reference: A mouthpiece is the part of a wind instrument that the musician blows into. In American slang, a "mouthpice" is often used to refer to one's spokesperson, or more frequently, their attorney.

What He Wrote: "... Jabba the Smut had been using his daily gathering of beagles ..."
Obscure Reference: Another swipe at DJ Clem, this time comparing him to 'Jabba The Hutt', a fictitional blob-like character in George Lucas' Star Wars films.

What He Wrote: "... when it comes to class, Bubba the Love Thug makes Sasquatch look like Cary Grant."
Obscure Reference: Cary Grant, was an English-born actor known for mostly American films. With his distinctive Mid-Atlantic accent, he was noted as perhaps the foremost exemplar of the debonair leading man, handsome, virile, charismatic and charming. Sasquatch, also known as Bigfoot, is a figure in North American folklore alleged to inhabit remote forests, mainly in the Pacific northwest region of the U.S. and Canada. He is sometimes described as a large, clumsy, hairy bipedal ape-like creature.

What He Wrote: "... a low-rent bumpkin ..."
Obscure Reference: In America, bumpkin is a derogatory term to refer to the stereotype of poor, un-sophisticated country people; in the rural South, synonymous with 'yokel', or 'hick'.

What He Wrote: "... a more foreign concept to grasp than if Ronda Storms tried to comprehend an issue of Vogue."
Obscure Reference: Vogue publishes a magazine based entirely on Fashion, Life and Design. Vogue is so named because it is said to be as a noun, suggesting transient impermanent fashionability i.e. 'in vogue'. Ronda R. Storms is a Republican Florida State Senator, representing the 10th District. She is recognized by her quick tongue and often scathing sarcastic remarks, many of which she does not retract.

What He Wrote: "... like Madonna accusing Mother Teresa of being a tart."
Obscure Reference: A tart is a promiscuous woman or a woman who dresses in a sexually provocative way, or a prostitute. Mother Teresa was an Albanian Roman Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India in 1950. For over forty years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying. Following her death kin 1997 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and given the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Madonna is an Italian contraction of the phrase 'ma donna' (my lady), referring to the Blessed mother of Jesus Christ. Ironically, it is also the stage name used by American singer and actress Louise Ciccone Ritchie who is known for use of sexual, social and religious themes in her work and has been dubbed the "Material Girl".

What He Wrote: "... radio's answer to ricin ..."
Obscure Reference: Ricin is a protein poison that is extracted from the castor bean. The lethal dosage is about 500 micrograms (about the size of a grain of salt) in humans if inhaled or injected, very small indeed. The poison has been known for use in assasinations and terrorist attacks.

What He Wrote: "... he was more clueless than Sgt. Schultz ..."
Obscure Reference: Feldwebel (Sergeant) Schultz was a character in both the feature film 'Stalag 17' and the TV series 'Hogan's Heros.' Schultz is the bumbling, highly unmilitary sergeant of the guard. He is a basically good-hearted man who, when confronted by the shenanigans of the prisoners, will simply look away, repeating simply “I see nothing, nothing!” in order to avoid becoming involved in any way.

What He Wrote: "... Stubba the Yutz may be slower than a sack of snipes ..."
Obscure Reference: Another stab at Clem, 'yutz' being Yiddish slang used by English-speaking Jews to mean a foolish or incompetent person. Snipe is any of nearly 20 very similar wading bird species. They are characterised by a very long slender bill and cryptic plumage. In the days of market hunting, the most skilled hunters of all would often bring many snipe to market earning the nickname "sniper" as a badge of respect for the difficulty in shooting this amazing little bird.

What He Wrote: "... spent more time around lawyers than John Gotti."
Obscure Reference: John Gotti, also nicknamed by the media as "The Dapper Don" and "The Teflon Don", was the boss of the Gambino crime family, one of the 'Five Families' of New York City. In 1992, Gotti was convicted of racketeering, 13 murders, obstruction of justice, hijacking, conspiracy to commit murder, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion and loansharking.

What He Wrote: "... rolled over like a Pomeranian that had just soiled the carpet."
Obscure Reference: A Pomeranian is one who hails from Pomerania, or the region located on the south coast of the Baltic Sea, divided between Germany in the west and Poland in the east. It may also refer to a small 'toy' breed of dog of the Spitz family, named for the same region. Dogs frequently roll over to show submissiveness to their master, exposing their vulnerable underbellies.

What He Wrote: "... promised to only blow air kisses ..."
Obscure Reference: The air kiss is a social gesture whose meaning is basically the same as that of many forms of kissing. The air kiss is a pretence of kissing: the lips are pursed as if kissing, but without actually touching the other person's body. Air kisses are often associated with glamor models and celebrities: a tongue-in-cheek explanation is that unlike regular kisses, air kisses don't disturb their makeup.

What He Wrote: "... this walking "Deliverance" theme ..."
Obscure Reference: Deliverance is a 1972 Warner Bros. motion picture drama, based on a 1970 novel of the same name. The film is noted for the memorable music scene near the beginning that sets the tone for what lies ahead: a trip into unknown and potentially dangerous territory. In the scene, set at a rural gas station, one of the main characters plays the instrumental "Dueling Banjos" on his guitar accompanied by a mentally-challenged hillbilly in-bred albino youth playing banjo.

What He Wrote: "... would be akin to Gen. Sherman assuming the role of spokesman for the residents of Atlanta."
Obscure Reference: William Tecumseh Sherman was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, for which he received criticism for the harshness of the "scorched earth" policies that he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States, starting with the razing of Atlanta and continuing in his "march to the sea."

What He Wrote: "... having Jeff Foxworthy's entire act self-appointing himself as their spokesman..."
Obscure Reference: Jeffrey M. Foxworthy is an American comedian, actor and game show host who is known for his work as a stand-up comedian. He is known for his "You Just Might Be a Redneck" jokes, and currently is the game show host of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

What He Wrote: "... that was Lady Justice doing the Macarena."
Obscure Reference: The Macarena is a song by Sevilla natives Los del Río and the seductive dance invented for it.