Step into my time machine week fifty-six

Good morning, my friends, and welcome to a special end-of-school edition of time machine, in which we will do a school top ten! Also, a song that's been recorded over 500 times, and an album that has gone platinum 29 times!  And, what do Jerry Helper from Dick Van Dyke, Della Street from Perry Mason, and football star Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch have in common?  All that and more, just ahead.

In coming up with the perfect school songs for the purpose, I discovered that there are a lot of good songs touching on the subject out there, even when you take George Michael's whine-fest Teacher and throw it as far away as possible.  Some that did not make the cut were alternative hits Jeremy by Pearl Jam and Popular by Nada Surf; Teacher Teacher by .38 Special and Bob Seger's Understanding from the Teachers soundtrack; controversial subjects Society's Child by Janis Ian and Don't Stand So Close To Me by the Police; and the more college-flavored My Old School by Steely Dan.  (BTW I'd love to do a college list if I could come up with a few non- Steely Dan entrants...)  Any way, let's kick off the school top ten:

10. Smokin' In The Boy's Room- Brownsville Station: A #3 hit for the band, remade not only by Motley Crue, but (translated into Hebrew) by T-Slam, apparently one of the big acts in Israel in the 70s and 80s.
9. To Sir With Love- Lulu: From the Sidney Poitier movie, Lulu was backed on this #1 hit by the Mindbenders, who you know from their songs The Game Of Love and Groovy Kind Of Love.
8.Playground In My Mind- Clint Holmes: The one-time announcer for Joan Rivers' short lived talk show, Clint hit #2 with this song, featuring the producer's son as "Michael".

We have a short list of 6 debuts in the hot 100 this week, and I mention 3 of 'em. Foghat busts onto the charts at 95 with Fool For The City; Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band orchestrate their way in at 88 with A Fifth Of Beethoven; and Candi Staton comes in at 81 with the bittersweet Young Hearts, Run Free.
Steve Miller runs off with our big mover- Take The Money And Run moves from 71 to 50.  The big dropper is the rare song that we haven't mentioned otherwise- Paul Anka with Anytime (I'll Be There).  A sad, sweet ballad that was really more meant for the fifties than 1976, Anytime drops from 61 to 83, after peaking at 50 a few weeks back.

Speaking of peaking, the Heyettes have evidently peaked at 66 with The Fonz Song.  Burn this one to cd and play it at loud volumes for your neighbors, Bob G.

7. Charlie Brown- the Coasters: Coming out when the Peanuts character was 9 years old (real time), this #2 hit apparently had only the vaguest of ties to the good ol' Charlie Brown we all know and love.  The phrase "Daddio" was evidently lifted from the movie High School Confidential, whose theme by Jerry Lee Lewis was another considered-but-missed-the-cut tune.
6. Carrie-Anne- the Hollies: A #9 hit, co-written by Graham Nash.

Our look at the #1 albums of the 70s continues to close in on our main countdown.  We are up to January of 1976, and for three weeks, the 17th through the 31st, the top album was Gratitude by Earth Wind And Fire.  This double album contained Sun Goddess (44), Can't Hide Love (39), and the #5 Sing A Song, as well as- curiously- at least two songs from their last lp, That's The Way Of The World- the top dog Shining Star and a ballad that was a fan favorite, Reasons.
They were followed by Bob Dylan and Desire.  Lasting 5 weeks at the top from February 7th to March 6th, this was his first album with his own hand picked band, the Rolling Thunder Revue and contained the previously featured here on TM song Hurricane.  It also had controversy with the song Joey, an 11-minute, somewhat sympathetic look at murdered Mafioso Joey Gallo.
Then we hit one of the biggest selling albums of all time- Eagles Greatest Hits, 1971-75.  This album sold 29 million in the USA alone (one of them mine) and 44 million worldwide.  It was the first album, on February 24th, to be certified platinum- a distinction it earned 29 times; only Michael Jackson's Thriller has that many platinums.  Every track with one exception was a top 40 hit (the exception, a real scratch my head thing, was the #64 Tequila Sunrise); 5 were top tens, and two were top dogs.  GH was #1 from March 13th to April third, and again on April 17th.  This was one of the first two albums I owned, the other being Boston's debut album (which is another one almost everyone had).

5. Wonderful World- Sam Cooke: Another example of a classic song that charted low (#12) but outlasted the other songs of its time.  In tribute to Cooke after his passing, Herman's Hermits took their cover to #4.
4. School Days- Chuck Berry:  Ring Ring goes the bell!! A #3 for Berry, and subsequently copied on No Particular Place To Go.

Five songs debut on the top 40 this week.  Up six to 40 are the Bay City Rollers with Rock And Roll Love Letter.  Despite 9 UK top 40s including 2 #1's to this point, this was only their third of 6 top 40's in the USA.  At 39, up 4, is Rufus with a catchy tune that somehow I didn't remember, Dance Wit Me. This is the fifth of their ten top 40s.  At 38 is the ninth of sixteen top 40s for the Doobie Brothers, and the first with new singer Michael McDonald, Takin' It To The Streets, climbing ten spots to get there.  Leaping 15 notches to 36 are the Manhattans with the second of their three hits, and what would become their biggest: Kiss And Say Goodbye.  A friend of mine used to invoke the spoken word line "This has got to be the saddest day of my life" whenever things went wrong at work, to which I would add the "wah wah" harmony.  And finally at 33, up 8, is Gary Wright's follow up to Dream Weaver, Love Is Alive; this was the second of three top 40's he would score.

3. Be True To Your School- the Beach Boys:  How could I leave this off?  I'm talking about the Endless Summer version; I could live without the Honeys' cheerleading and the On Wisconsin riff.

The tour of #1s of other years is in the 5s this week.  In 1995 this week the #1 song was Dionne Ferris' I Know, once again a catchy tune I didn't remember.  Which makes ironic the top dog this week in 1985, Simple Minds' Don't You Forget About Me.  Last year at this time, you might recall that Earth Wind And Fire was at #1 with the aforementioned Shining Star.  In 1965, we once again run into Herman's Hermits with Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter.  And once again, it's in the fifties that the fun starts.  If you check Billboard for this week, you'd likely be somewhere during the reign of Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White by Perez Prado; but not so on Cashbox, where they combined competing versions of the same song into one entry.  And the song I'm referencing here is one of the most recorded of all time, with in excess of 500 different acts taking a stab at it.  This song is Unchained Melody, which was written as the theme for a movie called Unchained.  Based on the book Prisoners Are People by former prison supervisor Kenyon J. Scudder, the story was about a prisoner torn between his desire to just serve his sentence and longing for his family that made him attempt escape.  The movie starred Elroy "Crazy Legs " Hirsch as the conflicted lead; and Jerry Paris (from the Dick Van Dyke show, where he was Rob Petrie's neighbor Jerry Helper) and Barbara Hale (who played Perry Mason's right hand Della Street) also starred.  Now to the song: three major versions were out at the same time.  The best selling was the Les Baxter Orchestra's version which Billboard peaked at #2; Al Hibbler's take was at #3, and Roy Hamilton got to #6.  All of which meant that the song took over for Bill Hayes' Ballad of Davy Crockett and ran 7 weeks at Cashbox's top spot, until knocked off by Rock Around The Clock.

Collection of notes:  Dream On continues in the Grandpa chair; it slips 7 to 56 in its 32nd week.  Our almost but not quite this week goes to Kiss with Shout It Out Loud, peaking at 24 last week and slipping to 25 this time.  And, one song into the top ten, one goes out.  The dropper is Show Me The Way, from 5 to 13. 

The top ten kicks off this week with Barry Manilow slipping into the top ten with the title track from his lp Tryin' To Get The Feeling, up one spot from 11.  Boogie Fever falls under the weight of all those Sylvers, dropping from 2 to 9. Dorothy Moore moves up one to #8 with Misty Blue.  Pratt and MacClain move up one as well with Happy Days at #7. Silver Convention gets up and boogies 4 notches to #6 with- say it- Get Up And Boogie. At 5, up 1 spot, is Henry Gross and Shannon.  Diana Ross makes a strong three notches to 4 with Love Hangover.  The Elvin Bishop Band scoots up to 3, another one spot move, with Fooled Around And Fell In Love.  At #2 this week is Wings with Silly Love Songs.  And at #1 for the second week, and at #2 in our school song countdown, John Sebastian with Welcome Back.

And that leaves us with the number one on our end of the school year countdown- and tell me, could it have been anything else?

                                               1. School's Out-Alice Cooper

Inspired when Alice was asked what the best three minutes of his life were.  He thought of two three-minute periods- the opening of presents on Christmas morning, and the anticipation of the final bell of the school year.  If we could capture that feeling, he mused, that would make a great song.  And so it did.

That's it for another week, kids.  Have a good weekend and be unchained!

Obama screws someone... but who?

In the spirit of last night's conversation about getting it all out, I read the text of the President's speech on Mideast policy that has right-thinking Americans howling in disbelief and our enemies once again chuckling over our incredible naivete and arrogance in our worldview.  To me, I realize what a huge step backwards that returning to the 1967 borders would be for Israel.  Hell, anyone with a little golden book world map and an ability to read a distance scale oughtta be able to figure THAT out.  If you read the rest of the surrounding story, it becomes obvious that this "policy statement" was the result of Obama's pitiable lack of any geopolitical or strategical sense.  Not surprising since Chicagoans typical idea of world geography includes a vast Terra Incognita south of the Chicago River (at least those who admit to being Cub fans).

What I don't get, though, is how, in all the uproar over Obama's casual shafting of Israel, seemingly everyone missed THIS:

"...Second, we do not want a democratic Egypt to be saddled by the debts of its past. So we will relieve a democratic Egypt of up to $1 billion in debt, and work with our Egyptian partners to invest these resources to foster growth and entrepreneurship. We will help Egypt regain access to markets by guaranteeing $1 billion in borrowing that is needed to finance infrastructure and job creation..."



Are you all asleep out here??? Everyone's so busy roaring about a suggestion to Israel that we all know what their answer is, that NOBODY is talking about the BAILOUT Obama wants to give Egypt- an Egypt, BTW, which is odds on to remember more clearly our 30 years of supporting Hosni Mubarik that our 2 months of non-support.  I wouldn't be a bit surprised that this was the ONLY reason he mentioned the 1967 borders- to distract everyone from  the kissing of $2 billion of taxpayer money goodbye to buy favor with a constituency that I guarantee will never vote for him.  And for a change, it worked.

He even predicted it would work , sort of, in the speech:

"...In the face of these challenges, too many leaders in the region tried to direct their people's grievances elsewhere. The West was blamed as the source of all ills, a half century after the end of colonialism. Antagonism toward Israel became the only acceptable outlet for political expression. Divisions of tribe, ethnicity and religious sect were manipulated as a means of holding on to power, or taking it away from somebody else. But the events of the past six months show us that strategies of repression and diversion won't work anymore..."


Except for me, nyah nyah nyah!!!  I appreciate that Pat Miller is giving out the phone #s of our reps so we could call them and show our support of Israel.  I agree completely with him- if Obama says "We believe Israel should go back to their 1967 borders"- that WE does not include this ME.  But hey,guys, while you have Stutzman, Pence, et al on the line, howsabout telling them that BAILOUTS DIDN'T WORK HERE- LET'S NOT DO ONE THERE!

The Pat Miller problem

First, before I harangue, I'd like to thank all of you who wished me a happy 49th.  I wasn't trying to fish for birthday wishes (nod, nod, wink, wink), so it was nice to get them anyway. 

Anyway, as the title suggests, I have a slight problem with WOWO's Pat Miller.  Before any blood pressure readings go up, let me just say that if I wasn't a regular listener in the 4:30 to 5:20 slot, I wouldn't have a problem, so obviously I agree with him more often than not.  That said, we don't quite always agree- as you can see on my profile I am a "Nixon conservative", which places Pat, a tea party supporter and self-proclaimed strict constitutionalist, just to the right of myself.  Still, his show is quite informative and stimulating, and generally on the mark.

However, about once a week or so, he'll come out with a topic that just inflames me to no end, and makes me wonder where Sirhan Sirhan is when we REALLY need him- only to look up the story and find a piece or two missing that cools my ardor substantially, and turns a harangue such as this into a "well, now what do I blog about" night.  Today is a case in point.  The story/topic: the NLRB decision on Boeing.

Pat's take, abridged:  Boeing, upon failing to reach an agreement with their often antagonistic union, began building a plant in right-to-work South Carolina to build the new 787 dreamliner.  The NLRB waits until the plant is built, employees are hired, and work is scheduled to begin in 5 weeks, to tell Boeing that they are engaging in unfair labor practices by building a new plant in a right to work state, and forbids them to open.  This, in Pat's opinion- and he's alone by no means- is yet another example of a) a government willing to break laws on the books to get their way, and thus out of control; and b) Obama's anti-business outlook.

Where Pat's right: Boeing did negotiate with the just-as-described union, and failed to reach agreement.  As is their right, Boeing began and completed building the plant in SC to build dreamliners.  And the NLRB, in another shining example of government agencies' piss-poor timing, did file unfair labor practice charges against them.

What Pat left out- at least in the almost hour I followed-: Boeing had sought terms that would head off any possible union related disruptions of the production schedule, including longer term contracts to avoid frequent strikes and the threat of them.  Upon failing to reach agreement with the union, Boeing began construction of the SC facility that was to build THREE of the TEN planes they wanted to build per month, whilst the other seven were to be built in union-site Everett, Washington.  This way, even if they did have to strike, they would maintain some production, and theoretically be able to weather a strike that might lose them the contracts and put them out of business.  (See, Boeing realizes that a union sees its purpose as less caring for workers and more building a constituency.  Boeing going completely out of business would be preferable to union sheeple than giving one job to a non-union person.)  The NLRB found that this could be construed as a payback to the union for their intransigence, and thus within their purview.  They magnanimously told Boeing, they had no problem with ANY OTHER production in SC- but the three dreamliners had to go to Everett.

Now, Pat's main point is valid.  Boeing, having satisfied any existing letter of the law in dealing with the union, had every right to build in a right to work state.  The stakes on this thing were too big to count on the union not trying to louse it up to gain leverage.  The NLRB really has no business in this matter, other than as an extension of Obama's Socialist-leaning agenda.  Where I have the problem with Pat is what he left out- the split production of the dreamliner, and the ruling not kicking Boeing completely out of SC.  Are the omissions crippling to the point? Not really.  But my problem is the same as I often have with Foxnews' reporting of controversial issues (as Joshua has called me on- thanks!) and certain Christians who make assertions with (to put it charitably) less than perfect knowledge of the Bible (like Waynesboro you-know-who and Dove WO).  If the other side wants to fudge data and etc. to make a point, let them.  Why make us look like them by leaving out things that could be construed as critical? 

Pat, you make your radio livelihood by making a stand, and 99% of the time I'll be right behind you.  But if we are to fight misinformation, we have to be held to a higher standard.

I've mentioned my problems with church in passing before.  Let me spell one of them out as it is germane to the topic.  Our pastor did a series on the founding fathers wrapping around the Fourth of July last year.  In the last chapter of the series, he took from one of the many Christian websites hyping the founding fathers' Christianity a supposed quote from Thomas Jefferson saying, "I am a Christian."  A little research beyond the site he took this from would have revealed the full quote:

"To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed, but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense in which he wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others, ascribing to himself every human excellence, and believing he never claimed any other."

Or to put it in simple English," I believe in Jesus' philosophy, and that any of His claims to divinity were the work of later peoples' additions to the gospel."  This no more makes him a Christian than evolution makes him a fish.  And those who put the chopped up version on the internet where those who let others do their research (like, apparently, our pastor) do a HUGE disservice to the cause they claim to espouse.

There is FAR too much of this kind of thing happening in our internet, mass media world.  We who want the truth to be known have to hold ourselves to a higher standard, have to make sure we get the facts- and relay them completely and in a way that does not open us up for charges of fudging.  That is my Pat Miller problem.

HOOOOOWEVER, let it be known that I agree with Pat's premise.  I think ALL states should be right to work, and the union should support that.  After all, they like to tell us that they are there for the workers- and anything that gives workers more options and freedom has got to be a good thing.  I think the NLRB's ruling was ill-considered and failed to take into account the health of the company, the rights of the non-union workers in SC, the rights of South Carolina as a state, and the fact that NOT ONE union worker in Washington was harmed by the action.  Where were they when business after business moved their factories to Mexico and China- and what will they say if Boeing moves their production overseas to avoid this kind of idiocy.  But that's the liberal mantra- protect the minority at the expense of the majority.  Thomas Jefferson may not have been a Christian.  But if he was alive today, I doubt he'd be a Democrat either.

Life at 49

Yes, I turned forty-nine today.I decided to see what other people were- or are, in one case- doing at this decrepit old age.

Herschell Walker announced earlier this year that, after 14 years out of football, he was going to try and get a tryout with the Atlanta Falcons.  Good luck with that.

Liz Taylor asked for and received a cameo on her favorite soap, General Hospital.  She was cast as the evil Helena Conssadine, and was in 3 episodes.

Gordie Howe was in the midst of a 24-goal campaign for the Houston Aeros of the WHA.  He and his sons would jump to the New England Whalers during the off season.

Mother Theresa was 4 years into building the Children's Home of the Immaculate Heart, and struggling with a recurring crisis of faith.

Douglas MacArthur was Chief of Staff of the US Army, the highest ranking active post in the Army, and halfway between ordering Patton to disperse the Bonus Army and retiring to be a civilian advisor in the Phillipines.

Abraham Lincoln was debating Stephen Douglas in their congressional campaign, and giving his "House Divided" speech.

Davy Crockett was settling his late father-in-law's estate and tying up loose ends in preparation for a move to Texas that fall.

Napoleon Bonaparte was in his third year of exile in St. Helena, with rumours of his escape circulating and his benefactor on the island, William Balcombe, being forced to leave the island by his jailer.

George Washinton was slowly, inexorably working his way toward Yorktown and an autumn meeting with Lord Cornwallis.

Gallileo, for the first time, was accused of possible heresy by Cosimo Boscaglia for postulating that the earth was not the center of the universe.

Mohammed was undergoing his "year of sorrows", losing a wife, an uncle and benefactor, and his protected status in the city of Mecca.

Paul was in Ephesus during his third missionary journey.

And John F. Kennedy had been dead for three years.

What will I do?  I don't know.  I won't be trying out for any football or hockey teams, that's for sure.  Nor will I be retiring or making an amazing comeback from the same.  I won't be on a soap- there are hardly any left- and with the price of gas, I imagine my journeys will be short ones.

But, you know what?  I'm not in exile, I'm not being persecuted, and I'm not dead.  And that counts for something.  Will I have sorrows?  Will I have crises of faith?  Probably- like I said, I'm not dead.  And I have as much chance of finding myself at "Yorktown" as I do "the Alamo".  Unless, like that nutjob in Boston (I think) says, we have a civilization-ending earthquake Saturday at 6 pm, I think I'll be okay.  Tune in and find out, won't you?

Jonah's plant

(Note: the "Sunday sermon" is not intended to be a regular feature, but just as God so moves.  As it happens, He moves today.)

A lovely young lady whose blog I follow (and follows mine- sign up now!) has as part of her blog description this line:
Lesson to be learned: Find a whale and stay in its stomach for few days, and you will find your happiness.


So I asked myself the other morning: What did Jonah find in the Whale's belly? Other than weeds wrapping around his head, that is (Chapt. 2 v 5).
And I looked around the incident. He certainly wasn't happy before hand, and wasn't for long afterwards.  What was the problem?
First of all, he was given a task he DID NOT want to do.  He would have been much happier if Nineveh was wiped off the face of the earth.  To him, they were a big, murderous bully seeking his life and the lives of his people, and had already consumed the lives of so many- possibly more that any nation before them.  So at first he ran, but found you can't run away from God.  So he submitted to God, and as a result found himself, confessing his sin, being pitched overboard, and swallowed up by a big fish.
Normally that would be the end of the story,; but what the sailors probably thought was the end of Jonah was actually his salvation, for as Jonah said in his prayer, "All your billows and your waves PASSED OVER ME" (2 v 3). 
Afterwards, he went, though not much more willingly, about the task given him.  And it worked; God ended up sparing Nineveh when they heard Jonah and repented.  Which pissed Jonah off- so God decided He would teach Jonah a lesson.  First He provided Jonah shelter in the form of this plant that grew up and shaded him in the hot desert sun- and Jonah was very grateful (4 v 6). Then, He took this temporary shelter away- and Jonah became even more angry, telling God Himself, "Yes it is right for me to be angry, even unto death!" (4 v 9).

Now here, let's do a little application.  My son was unhappy Friday when informed he'd be working a full Saturday shift instead of the scheduled half-day; furthermore, he had two hours OT looming before him on Monday.  Now, I'm not bashing him here; longtime followers heard all my moaning over the far more excessive OT we got saddled with last season, so I knew how he felt.  Believe me, if one works for Arden, OT should be a good thing because its the only way you make good money.  But you get focusing on the thing you think belongs to you, your weekend, which you laughingly call your "life", and get pissed when it is taken away.  Or some other good thing, as your own situation requires- the car you wanted, the job you applied for, the trinket on ebay you got outbid on.  And you get mad, and sometimes it's at God for allowing the OT or the high gas prices or the increase in your rent or the late bill notice.  You think, where is the fairness, where is the protection as a Christian I thought I was supposed to expect?

WHO TOLD YOU THAT?

Our protection is supernatural, our human lives mortal.  We think in the here and now, never stopping to think how believers might have it there (as in China where you have to be registered and monitored and still might not be allowed to worship together) and then (like the Middle Ages when millions of believers were seeking help from the plagues or greedy landlords and the "church" was too busy making money selling indulgences to those rich enough to "buy their way into heaven").

So, to was Jonah, who never looked past his own desires- first, his (well deserved) grudge against the Assyrians, and then, and more dear to him, his sheltering plant.  And in his anger and frustration, he saw himself as righteous against God - which, as you recall, was Job's failing as well.

But Jonah missed the big picture, so God explained it in the last two verses (4 vv 10-11).  You are upset, He said, over this plant, which is a perishable mortal thing, which you didn't even work for.  It did its function- it sprouted one day, withered the next.  WHAT YOU DESIRE IS NOT THE WAY THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE.  On the other hand, you have no sympathy for Nineveh, far more important than a plant.  One hundred and twenty THOUSAND people, who are too ignorant to discern between their right hand and their left, spiritually, and ALL the things they worked for (if you can't get off the "property" thing) who would have been destroyed and sent to eternal damnation had I not relented.

Lesson here being, stop focusing on yourself- God has a bigger picture he wants you to look at.

And what DID Jonah find in the belly of the whale? That when he had NOTHING, and was totally abandoned to the deep, God still heard him.

And there is your happiness, whether you're in the belly of the fish or sitting under the withered leaf.

Thor

Went to see Thor today.  Here are a few points I take away from it.
1. Deserves an Oscar for casting, especially on Fandral, Heimdall, and Loki.

2. JMS' new takes on Loki and Jane Foster were fantastic, original, and surprising.  Especially Loki, because you never quite grok his motivations or if he's on the side of the angels- particularly if you know him from the comic books.

3. Costuming also deserves an award.  Especially Thor, Heimdall, and Loki.

4. Most times when the movie departs from the story you know it detracts from it for me.  Not this time.  Not knowing the backstory doesn't hurt; knowing it, it becomes even more exciting for the differences.

5. FX where wild without being distracting.  Altogether, a well done job.

Hard to say anything else without ruining it for those who haven't seen it;  well worth the price of admission.

BTW, I looked at the movie experts reviews, and what I said on Time Machine this week still holds.  What a pack of jerks.  You should climb out of your faux-ivory towers and experience the world for a while, because your judgements from on high S-U-C-K!!! Especially Roger Ebert and Linda Cook.  I question whether they actually watched the movie or just spun a wheel with "Good review" and "bad review" on alternate pie slices.

Delayed reaction who's dumber

Okay, so I had these two contestants lined up and rarin' to go Thursday night, and you KNOW what happened.  So lets take a look at story #1, simply titled promgate.



NFL Quarterback Backs Teen Barred From Prom, but School Stands Firm on Decision


By Joshua Rhett Miller






Published May 12, 2011




FoxNews.com


Print Email Share Comments (1601) Text Size EXCLUSIVE: The pride of Connecticut's Shelton High School -- NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky -- knows exactly what James Tate is going through after being barred from his prom for posting a message outside his school asking another student to the dance.


Orlovsky, who graduated from the school in 2001 and now plays for the Houston Texans, also missed his last dance as a senior at Shelton High School after he was suspended for faking an illness during class to go play basketball. Looking back on the outcome now, Orlovsky wishes he had gone to his prom -- and hopes school administrators will now reconsider their decision regarding Tate.


"Yeah, I think it's ridiculously harsh," Orlovsky told FoxNews.com regarding Tate's banishment. "I get school rules and lines and boundaries, but what's the alternative here? Reprimand the kid if you want, but to make an example out of him like this is taking a lot of the fun out of being a senior in high school. It's kind of comical."

Shelton High School Headmaster Beth Smith said in a statement Thursday afternoon that Tate cannot attend the prom and the school will not reverse its decision.

"There has been a practice at Shelton High School for many years that any student receiving an in-school or out of school suspension after April 1 for any reason would not be allowed to attend the prom," the statement read. "This regulation is reinforced over the course of the spring by daily PA system reminders, posted signage in common areas of the building and classrooms, as well as informational letters and automated phone messages to parents."




Shelton High School senior James Tate and two friends posted 12-inch cardboard letters outside the school’s main entrance last Thursday so students would see the message in the morning. The students were later barred from attending the prom. (FNC)


"This unfortunate situation is a result of one of those consequences."

Orlovsky, 27, said he hopes Smith realizes that next month's prom is an experience Tate will not be able to get back.


"He's not going to be able to experience it again," he said. "Do I wish I had gone? Yeah, probably, but I was being made an example of."


As the controversy surrounding Tate grows, two state representatives are drafting legislation that would allow the senior to put on his dancing shoes.


Tate, 18, was given a one-day suspension and is barred from the school's prom on June 4 for asking student Sonali Rodrigues to the dance by taping a message to the front of the school last Thursday.


The 12-inch cardboard letters read: ""Sonali Rodrigues, Will you go to prom with me? HMU -Tate." HMU means hit me up, or call me.


The punishment has prompted state Reps. Jason Perillo, R-Shelton, and Sean Williams, R-Waterbury, to introduce an amendment that would force schools to provide an alternate means of punishment rather than banning students from school-related activities.






Rodrigues, who is not banned from the prom, said she has not decided if she will attend the dance without Tate.


Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti said he's unsure that Tate's "punishment fits the crime" and told FoxNews.com on Wednesday that school officials should reconsider the decision.


"Based on what I know, I'm not sure that the punishment fits the crime," Lauretti said. "This may very well be a situation that needs a second look. Part of the problem in today's world is that we make policies or recommendations without common sense or flexibility built in and we lose sight of the big picture. This may be one of those situations."


Lauretti said Tate and his family have deep "roots" in the community, with his father serving on a city commission and his mother on the city's historical society.


"They're very involved," he said. "I would hope that higher priorities are given to higher offenses. I'm not sure what the crime is here; we're talking about something that happened at night."


And an update from the local NBC affiliate:

The Mayor told NBC Connecticut Friday night that the superintendent has the authority to overturn the headmaster's decision.



The superintendent has been meeting with both the board of education and with Shelton headmaster Beth Smith.


Smith continues to stand firm on her decision to keep James Tate from attending his senior prom.


Some students were sent home from Shelton High School after a short-lived sit-in to support James Tate on Friday morning.


At least four students were sent home, the Connecticut Post reports, and the headmaster accused them of civil disobedience, they said.


About 100 students tried to stage a sit-in in the high school lobby at 10:30 a.m. but administrators forced them away, students said through Twitter and text messages. They tried to move the sit-in to the gym, but they were stopped, told to go back to class and teachers were told to take attendance again.


Students are also saying that passes are not being given out and they are not being allowed out of class.


There are reports of students chanting “Team Tate” out the windows to media gathered outside and one student who got in trouble with Tate was sent home from school for the day because he would not leave the sit-in.


Someone needs to teach this little Hitler that civil disobedience is not a bad word in the USA- it is a symptom of BAD GOVERNMENT.  And Beth, baby, that means YOU.  In a world where we bitch about our schools stifing imagination and turning out disinterested little robots or psychopaths, you are everything that's wrong with the system.

And don't forget to check out the "Fire Beth Smith " page on facebook.  To his credit, James just wishes the whole thing would go away.  All this because he wanted to do something special for a girl.  Geez, Beth, you are just like all the other crappy school administrators out there- YOU FORGOT WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE YOUNG.  James, take Sonali somewhere else that night.  Take a bunch of friends with you.  You'll have a better time.

And now, contestant #2:  The latest Nigerian scam letter I got:


CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA

INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER.
LEICESTER CURRENCY
EXCHEQUER/DRAFT DEPARTMENT
TELEGRAM: FBNFOREX


Email:drjohntony6666@gmail.com






I am Dr. John Tony, Director allocation department from the Central Bank of Nigeria.My office monitors and controls the affairs of all banks and Financial
institutions in Nigeria concerned with foreign claim payments. I am the final signatory to any transfer or remittance of huge funds moving within banks both
on the local and international levels in line with foreign claim settlements. I have before me list of funds, which could not be transferred to some nominated
accounts
as these accounts have been identified either as ghost accounts,unclaimed deposits or over-invoiced sum. 0n this note, I wish to have a
deal with you as regards to an unpaid fund. I haave a file before me and the date's are correct and UN-tampered. As it is my duty to recommend the transfer of
these surplus funds to the Federal Government Treasury and Reserve Accounts as unclaimed deposits, I have the opportunity to write you based on the
instructions I received two days ago from the Foreign Debts reconciliation dept to submit the List of payment reports / expenditures and audited reports of
revenues. Among several others, I have decided to remit your claim sum following my idea that we can have a deal/agreement and I am going to do this legally.
My conditions:1. The sum of USD$25.7M only will be transfer into your account after the processing of all relevant legal documents with your name as the
bonfire
beneficiary,the transfer will be made by Draft or telegraphic Transfer (T/T), conformable in 3 working days.2. This deal must be kept secret forever,
and all correspondence will be strictly by email / telephone, for security purposes.3. There should be no third parties as most problem associated with your
fund release are caused by your agents or representative.


4. Note that after the successful completion of this transaction,you and I will have a fair share of the fund in the ratio of 50:50.If you AGREE with my
conditions, l advise you on what to do immediately and the transfer will commence without delay as I will proceed to fix your name on the Payment schedule
instantly to meet the three days mandate.






1. Your Full Name:..........................


2. Current Address:........................


3. Direct Phone:..............................


Cell Number:..............................


4


Occupations:................................


5. Age:..........................................


6. Company:...................................






I hope you don't reject this offer and have this funds transferred.
Waiting for your reply on this{drjohntony6666@gmail.com}


Yours faithfully,
Dr. John Tony
Director Allocation Department
Cell Phone+2348059725231
{Central Bank of
Nigeria}

So he wants to split the money that I am owed 50/50, and this he can not only do quickly, but legally.  Man, this dude is amazing.  Let's make it legal, but also underhanded, to bring out the dishonest idiots.

 Y'know, I should have probably kept a list of all the people who have "final say" over these unclaimed billions of dollars just lying around in Nigerian banks.  Apparently Nigeria is where large sums of money go to die, not unlike the elephant graveyards of yore.  Unlike many of the other such scams, Dr. Tony apparently exists only in someone's imagination, as googling him only nets you more copies of this e-mail.  To all of those out there that think, hey, what a sweet deal, consider- you KNOW you don't have any money in Nigeria.  You do not have an european union lottery ticket, you do not have a relative named George whose plane crashed five years ago who left money in some bank for relation he never heard of, and Ms. Susan Swishybutt is not at the front desk of the First National Bank of Lagos trying to claim your money.  If you still want to send your name, number, etc., to this Dr. Tony, hopefully he'll put all that info on wescam.com's front page so that you can share this money you don't have with all your dead relatives and bank managers.

Okay, there's the candidates, have fun making yer pick.