The Good Ole Boy is a racist?
Hint: You can take the Good Ole Boy out of the country,
but you can't take the country out of the Good Ole Boy.

The top ten PR spin success stories during the time period of the last four presidential administrations has to include the almost complete acceptance as reality of the fantasy that racism has disappeared and that racist motivations have disappeared from the minds of the ruling elites of America in particular and of several key nations of the world in general. By far the most successful in terms of distance removed from actual truth have been the reconstructions of reality of Republican Bushies. Smokescreens notwithstanding, Good Ole Trent Lott skeedaddled in a hurry, didn't he? Why?

Martin had a dream. The Good Ole Boys have a different dream. Inherent difference in intelligence with blacks at the bottom of the scale? Inate difference in intelligence with blacks at the bottom of the scale? Two ways to state euphemistically that blacks are the most genetically inferior race. Without using the term "genetically inferior race." Are you fooled by these semantic devices? Or are you amused at how efficacious they are for the Good Ole Boys? Equality was the term Martin Luther King used. We are quite sure that the lame ex post facto data fitting of The Bell Curve was not part of Martin's dream. Martin Luther King's dream notwithstanding, the Good Ole Boys are unabashedly enthusiastic about the book and refer to it often both implicitly and explicitly as they relentlessly and systematically derail Martin's dream.

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is a think tank for conservatives, neoconservatives, and conservative libertarians. Areas of interest include: America's "culture war", domestic policy and federal spending, education prevention, neoconservatism, affirmative action prevention, welfare reform. President George W. Bush has appointed over a dozen people from AEI to senior positions in his administration. AEI claims that this is more than any other "research" institution. AEI scholars often testify before Congress. Several AEI scholars have written articles in favor of government censorship of the arts. Scholar Michael Novak has argued that prayer belongs in public schools and that it doesn't violate the establishment clause. AEI scholars have advocated federally-funded school voucher programs. Etc., ad nauseum.

AEI Fellows and Scholars List [partial list]:
Ben J. Wattenberg, host of PBS weekly show "Think Tank"
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney
Newt Gingrich
Robert Bork
David Frum, a presidential speechwriter for President Bush
Christina Hoff Sommers, anti-feminist, author of "Who Stole Feminism? How Women Betrayed Women"
Charles Murray, author of "The Bell Curve", a book that asserted inherent intelligence differences between the races

American Enterprise Institute 1150 Seventeenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
Employees: 50 resident scholars and fellows. Average salary: $2 million.
Established: 1943 President/Executive Director:Christopher DeMuth
www.aei.org/

Don't forget the Rand Think Tank
hereinreality.com/news/rand.html

As Paul Harvey used to say, for "the rest of the story"....
People for the American Way
pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=4456

Bush Family's real values
hereinreality.com/familyvalues.html

Inherent? Genetic? Inate?

Amazon book reviewer:
"Everyone who hasn't read this book thinks it's about race. Actually, it's about intelligence, and only a fraction of the book has anything to do with race."

But the fraction which does have "anything to do with race" goes right to the heart of the matter. Right wing Good Ole Boys steadfastly believe the book establishes that there is a race pyramid which is detemined by genes. Blacks are on the bottom. Reds and Browns are a step up. Little wonder that Good Ole Boys love the book. A crusader for affirmative action repeal and prevention, the former governor of California, Pete Wilson is wildly enthusiastic after having read the book. Pete thinks himself to be sooo clever. Good Ole Pete can't seem to stop quoting from The Bell Curve. His favorite terms regarding racial differences in intelligence are "inherent" and "inate", both of which are euphimsims for genetic racial differences in intelligence. Of course what others want to think the book does not establish is quite important. Euphimisms can be quite handy. As they say in Georgia, "You must be polite to your nigras. Don't go getting them all riled up."

The author, Charles Murray is on the think tank gravy train where the average stipend is a cool couple of $million$ each year for the rest of his life. It's a token of the gratitude from the racists who are sooo clever. As the Japanese would say, "Tou Zen No Koto, Ne?"

Steeper Ladders, Narrower Gates?

Racism? What racism?
Who are most in need of the Headstart program?

Reds, Blacks and Browns in the Senate
should ask the Bushies this question about racism.

What? Bush is compassionate?
Judge Urges Settlement of Head Start Suit
Well, kinda sorta. Cash strapped states are cutting programs as fast as they can wield the red pens.
Can you say wolf in sheep's clothing? Can you say the scorpion stingeth again? The rightist agenda is the all important fundamental to the Bushies. Bush's education prevention strategy renders the chapters in the Bell Curve self-fulfilling prophesies. How convenient. The Bushies try to separate each of their targets under the pretense that each is an isolated concern. They use an ad hoc set of barbs. Figuratively, creative semantics can be as effective as DU shells. Bushies argue "states rights" if they can't con the majority nationwide. They argue federal rights when a majority has swallowed the hook and needs a little help downing the line and sinker, before the hook is to be set. Same old strategy. Break it, stomp on it, pretend to fix it. In the following news article quote, simply replace "take over" with "stamp out," and replace "worry" with "know."
"President Bush wants to give the states the option to take over Head Start programs, now directed by HHS, and blend them with existing state-financed preschool programs. The association and other opponents worry that states will use the federal dollars to cut state preschool funding and that standards will be lowered."
story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030701/ap_on_re_us/head_start_2

And the relentless pattern continues:
"House OKs Bill Revamping Head Start (AP) - The House narrowly approved a retooling of the Head Start preschool program early Friday, voting to shift control to some states and to allow religious centers to hire people based on their faith. The 217-216 vote just before 1 a.m. EDT capped a debate in which Democrats accused Republicans of dismantling a program that has provided nutritional, social, emotional and literacy help to more than 20 million needy children since 1965."
Story....
Revamping? Retooling? Interesting creative semantics. Get ready for another WE TOLD YOU SO.

The scorpion stingeth again.

I thought one of you was supposed to cover up that report!

Racism? What racism?
30% of Black men endure incarceration.

Blacks and Browns in the Senate
should ask the Bushies this question about racism.

Bobby Brown Nabbed While Dining With Wife
August 24, 2003.
Story...

HIGH RATES OF INCARCERATION HIT BLACK AMERICA HARD
Jun 16, 2003, By Cynthia Tucker

"the United States stands alone as the planet's prison camp. This country has the world's highest rate of incarceration and more than 2 million people behind bars. Perhaps the fiscal crisis that threatens to swamp state budgets has one fortuitous feature: It may force state legislatures to rescind the harsh laws that have filled prison beds and blown prison budgets. Already, several states have begun early-release programs as deficits force cutbacks in prison spending."

"Will that lead to an increase in violent crime, a reversal of the public safety gains made over the past decade? That depends on which felons are being released. Murderers, rapists and armed robbers should be kept behind bars -- perhaps for life. Locking away violent felons protects law-abiding citizens from physical assault. But the criminal justice policies of the past 20 years or so have incarcerated not only vicious predators but also countless nonviolent offenders, including drug offenders"

NB: Drug offenders represent over 60% of incarcerations nationwide.

"blacks routinely receive a harsher justice than whites. A white drug offender convicted for the first time would be more likely to get probation than a black defendant guilty of the same offense, research shows. As a result, one-third of black men between 20 and 34 are behind bars, according to Allen Beck, chief prison demographer for the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. And that stunning statistic minimizes the overall blow: Nearly 30 percent of black men will be incarcerated during their lives, Beck said."

"The current fiscal emergency is claiming its share of victims. It has closed hospitals, cut teachers and ended the school year early in some states. But if the recession also forces states to reconsider their high rates of incarceration, it will grant a bit of relief and restore sanity to the criminal justice system."

Cynthia Tucker is editorial page editor for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She can be reached by e-mail: cynthia@ajc.com.

NB: The majority of felons demographically represent those most likely to have voted for Democrats. But felons can't vote. The Good Ole Boys have more than one way to skin a cat. In addition to media propaganda, creative jerrymandering, Supreme Court stacking, etc., you can add this little bit of trickery.
See also, What Uncle Sam Really Wants, by Noam Chomsky, 1993, The War on (certain) Drugs
zmag.org/chomsky/sam/sam-3-2.html

Can you chant this mantra?

Racially Compassionate Tax Cuts? Who Benefits, Who Pays.
The Coming Financial Reality, by Standard Schaefer
"Also increased has been the cost of obtaining a public education. CUNY--the City University of New York, which operates a number of campuses--is raising tuition reportedly beyond the ability of many of its traditional students to afford. The irony here is that just last week the U.S. Supreme Court approved the legality of the University of Michigan's affirmative action program for black and Hispanic students. Just as this corrective policy was legalized, states were forced to increase public college tuition so sharply as to put higher education out of reach of its intended constituency."
"The cutbacks in hiring are expected to hit minority workers the hardest, for the large cities traditionally have had a large proportion of minority labor in their public administration. For many years state and municipal hiring absorbed a large part of the growing labor force. This employment now has been closed off as departments are being downsized."
counterpunch.org/schaefer07122003.html

"The first targets in any FEMA emergency would be Hispanics and Blacks, the FEMA orders call for them to be rounded up and detained. Tax protesters, demonstrators against government military intervention outside U.S. borders, and people who maintain weapons in their homes are also targets. Operation Trojan Horse is a program designed to learn the identity of potential opponents to martial law. "

"Seriously though, do American oil 'strategists' understand that total oil consumption of All Africa is only about 3 Million barrels/day ? For 900+ Million persons that is pretty moderate - suggesting that domestic consumption increase should be the main priority for Africans. Maybe some formula like 1 barrel kept and used for home consumption for every 1 barrel exported (whether to USA or anywhere else) Put another way, only by keeping Africans in abject poverty can the oil be sucked out to be wasted in America. Poverty breeds civil wars, incidentally, especially when there are pockets of instant wealth that appear. Bravo for Peace & Prosperity. Andrew McKillop"
groups.yahoo.com/group/energyresources/message/38456

Yes Andrew, American oil strategists understand very well the point you have made. They need to have the option of either sucking it out or cutting off the flow at an appropriate time. Hegemony maintenance strategies to fit all contingencies, plain and simple.

whitehouse photo
Bush and Nigerian president

America keen to exploit boom in Africa's black gold
Michael Dynes Johannesburg, 07/07/03, The Times UK
"Although billed as an attempt to extend the hand of friendship to a neglected continent, President Bush's five nation African safari is widely being seen as an effort to ensure US access to Africa's burgeoning pot of black gold."
"The US has identified increasing African oil imports as an issue of national security and has used diplomacy to court African producers regardless of their record on transparency, democracy, or human rights,"
Times UK registration, subscription required
groups.yahoo.com/group/energyresources/message/38450

The real status of Africa's oil. Very limited reserves. The effect of exporting Africa's oil will be to ensure poverty throughout the continent:
Dark Continent, Black Gold
by Andrew McKillop, September, 2002
groups.yahoo.com/group/energyresources/message/40426

Where do Iraqis rate in the global genetically determined intelligence hierarchy?
"check out US 'concern' for good governance in I-raq. The US dumped about 500 tons of Depleted Uranium on the country (300 tons Gulf War-1, 200 tons Gulf War-2)"
Andrew McKillop
groups.yahoo.com/group/energyresources/message/38456
So what, right?

"Madeleine Albright, then the US secretary of state, was asked on national television what she felt about the fact that 500,000 Iraqi children had died as a result of US economic sanctions. She replied that it was 'a very hard choice', but that, all things considered, 'we think the price is worth it'."
Racist Schmacist. Don't Christians believe that children who have not had a chance to hear about Jesus get a free ticket to heaven? What could be a better justification?

Bush and Africa: Racism, Exploitation and Neglect, by Martha Honey
counterpunch.org/honey07042003.html

Bush's Surreal AIDS Appointment, Millions Die, But Big Biz Still Rules
By Jim Lobe, July 4, 2003
"The appointment of a former top executive of a major U.S. pharmaceutical company and major Republican contributor as President George W. Bush's global AIDS co-ordinator has stunned and outraged AIDS experts and activists. Bush's choice of former Eli Lilly & Co. boss Randall Tobias was announced at the White House on July 1, just a few days before Bush's first trip as president to Africa."
counterpunch.org/lobe07042003.html

Could you imagine Trent's feelings about the kid who was beat up? Can you say subhuman?
Everybody saw the video. Good Ole Trent Lott would have voted for aquittal, had he been on that jury. You know darn well why. He has The Bell Curve to justify his belief that the kid was genetically inferior.
Hung Jury in Calif. Police Brutality Case
"A judge declared a hung jury Tuesday in the police brutality case against a white former officer who punched and slammed a handcuffed black teen onto a squad car during a videotaped arrest.Calif. Police Brutality Trial The jury deliberated more than three days without reaching a verdict in the case of former Inglewood officer Jeremy Morse, whose violent arrest of Donovan Jackson at a gas station last July raised racial tensions and brought back painful memories of the Rodney King beating. The jury, which included only one black member, was deadlocked 7-5 in favor of conviction against Morse on a charge of assault under color of authority. His partner, Bijan Darvish, 26, was found innocent of falsifying a police report."
AP Story....

VeeJay has often wondered what made George Will such an irritating Twit. Why Good Ole Boy conservatism and racism fit each other hand-in-glove. And why conservatism, which is simply asshole-ism by another name, in contemporary America, where it should not even raise its ugly head, has become such a popular state of mind.

George Will, Catholic Nuns, and the Ramifications of Authoritarian-Conservatives
by Kimberly Baker August 20, 2003
"Numerous empirical studies link conservatism and fundamentalism to an authoritarian personality style, and in turn, to many other unfavorable characteristics."
"When a recent analysis by scholars John T. Jost, et al. was published in Psychological Bulletin, a publication of the American Psychological Association on the findings of several decades of studies, conservative political columnist George Will attempted in mid-August, rather unsuccessfully, to counter the well-substantiated findings in a sarcastic rebuttal. Sorry George, despite your understandably desirous effort, the facts remain: conservatives do score higher in authoritarianism and ultimately, prejudice, punitiveness, rigidity, dogmatism, ethnocentrism, sexual repression, and tendencies of both submissiveness to authority figures and aggressiveness toward the subjugated. So the study of these correlations is justifiable if the rest of us desire to understand you and your cohorts and, more importantly, to alleviate the very real problems that result."
"Fundamentalists and conservatives, typically authoritarian, were, and perhaps continue to be, dominated by a spouse, parent, government, church or priest. In turn, the dominated commands authority over others. This fact is established by sociological and psychological theory and goes something like this: an authoritarian government or church unreasonably dominates its constituents or congregation; out of anger, resentment, and need for empowerment, the males (white, in our case) categorize and exclude certain groups, such as women and other races, who the white males unleash their anger upon and reign power over; the subjugated women and other races must in turn release their frustrations and empower themselves by punitively subjugating those even lower in status-often children; and the cycle continues."
"The central issue is authoritarianism-an unbending, unrealistic, punitive form of control that requires blind obedience by others. The problem for authoritarians that remains, however, is that there will always be some, and hopefully most, who will rebel. Here enters religion... To reign such power, a forceful tool is required to keep subjects from uprising lest the control-seekers themselves risk losing their source of empowerment. What better tool than an omnipotent, omniscient, punitive, sexist, racist, sexually oppressive, judgmental, and manipulative God that requires complete obedience..."
zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=43&ItemID=4070

We were at a smoking-drinking party one time talking around in a circle and someone says tell everybody your katakuri absurdity. The next person says what's katakuri. The next person says he doesn't know but it's really absurd that people don't remember how racist mules are, especially Trent Lott. Nobody laughs. The next person says who is Trent Lott. Everybody laughs. The next person says Kami Gakari Bush is absurd. Everybody nods in agreement. The next person says absurd is a Yankees manager talking about sending Matsui to the minors after the season has just started when he's fielding like a golden glover, he bats in 42 and has half a dozen homers. Lots of serious faces. The next person says absurd is when her husband watches the Mariners right up until the very last minute, misses his train, winds up late for work, and his boss adjusts his attitude with a baseball bat. The next person says its her fault, can't she train him right? Everybody laughs. Did you ever notice the silly stuff people laugh at when they're a little high?

Could you imagine Trent's feelings about Ice Cube? Can you say subhuman?

Chicago Police Apologize to Ice Cube
July 23, 2003
"The Chicago Police Department has apologized for issuing a community alert that described a man suspected in a series of sexual assaults as resembling hip-hop artist and actor Ice Cube after a local television station aired one of the rapper's videos during its evening newscast. "
"We acknowledged the information should not have been on the alert," Police spokesman David Bayless said Tuesday. "We took immediate corrective action. We apologized to Ice Cube for what was an honest mistake and came with no ill intent."

CYA, and that's all. Of course, a knee jerk response can be pooh-poohed away by saying that there was no directly intentional malevolence. But everyone really knows why the apology was necessary. Everyone knows why it was given. Everybody knows why Ice Cube was disappointed by the surfacing of this evidence that racism is alive and well. Subliminated. Kept under the surface just out of sight.

But guess what jelly bean? Try rereading Carl Jung, The Undiscovered Self. Jung will set you straight on this point. It's a short essay, only 120 some odd pages. But it hits the nail squarely on the head.

According to someone relating in general terms what the book's message was about:
"The exploration of the unconscious, in particular, leads to self-knowledge and with it recognition of the duality of human nature its potential for evil as well as for good. Jung believes that it is this self-knowledge that enables the individual to resist the collective power of mass society and the state and to cope with their possible threats."
Yeah, yeah, right. The title gives the meaning Carl Jung wished to convey succinctly and clearly. How we really think is masked by the social construction of reality. Jung should darn well know. Smiling faces can get ugly. Ask a Jewish survivor. Such an individual may even recommend Jung's book as well. Erudite? Obtuse? Dr. Jung was speaking from experience.

Elizabeth Shapiro, communications director for Channel 2, acknowledged that the station used the video. "Chicago police had issued a community alert saying a suspect in a string of crimes in Wicker Park resembled rap artist Ice Cube," she said. "So our information was taken directly from the Chicago Police Department community alert."

Whose information was used? The Poh-leess information of course. Blacks and others know that, "Smiling faces they lie, they don't tell the truth," as the song goes. Poll after poll after poll shows that those feeling the pinch of racism know what they deal with day in and day out. While the genetically superior, smiling white faces answer consistently that they don't see it. According to the smiling faces, racism has disappeared. So if a tree falls in the forest and the event is ignored, was there a sound?

Lynching Rumors Prompt Investigation, July 27, 2003,by Jill Barton, AP,
"Not long after the family of Feraris 'Ray' Golden found his dead body dangling from a tree outside his grandmother's home, ugly suspicions began to surface. Police concluded Golden committed suicide, hanging himself with a work shirt as a noose. But relatives say that's impossible; they claim the 32-year-old, who was black, was found with his hands tied behind his back. Rumors began swirling that Ray Golden was lynched. Friends say Golden was dating a white policeman's daughter in this rural farming community of about 15,000, divided almost equally between black and white residents. 'I think a lot of people are still stuck on the old days,' Federick said. 'A lot of people try and hide it, but it's still here.'"
Story....

Angry White Men
You may recall Bill Clinton waxing philosophical about the Angry White Men. What were they angry about? Demographics have changed so that white males make up a minority of the male population in America. In addition, affirmative actions had been working to redress socioeconomic inequities. Affirmative actions have been effectively halted while the inertia of higher birthrates for non-whites continues to dilute white numerical superiority. Is this enough? Is this likely to make those Angry White Men happy? Or is it more likely that true racial sentiments will be hidden until a better "solution" can be found? Millions of whites are praying their heads off for Armageddon. What a perfect opportunity for a global racial cleansing "solution."

California Prop 54? Not about Race? What's it about then? Expediency? Huh? Go figure.
California candidates seize Proposition 54 issue, September 8, 2003, by Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY
"Candidates in the California recall election are suddenly using a contentious ballot initiative that could change the way the country thinks about race to boost their campaigns."
Story ...
September 8, 2003, by Ryan McKeel
"Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante is diverting nearly $4 million in controversial donations to fight Proposition 54. Prop 54, appearing on the Oct. 7 ballot, would ban the collection of racial data in most circumstances. Opponents say the measure will hurt the state's ability to identify cases of discrimination."
Story ...
Here we go again in La-La-Land, the place where Racism couldn't possibly still exist. Fair skinned and racially superior Pete Wilson and his pals are busy little rodents when it comes to the issue of Race. They are relentless. Usually they lose. But that doesn't stop them from trying again and again and again and again and again. You probably have never wondered, if you are white, why racial propositions are constantly popping up on California ballots, have you? Prop 54 is just the latest reminder you may ignore. For the rest get your fill here:
Prop 54 website search
Prop 54 News search

I got my dream.
Racial Profiling? Is that Natural Law?

VeeJay says, "Pickering's likely next position will be the United States Supreme Court. Judge Thomas was fast-tracked the same way. After a only year in the federal appeals court position, he was installed on the Supreme Court."

Bush Installs Pickering On Appeals Court
January 16, 2004, by Jesse J. Holland
"In an election-year slap at filibustering Democrats, President Bush sidestepped Congress on Friday and installed Mississippi judge Charles Pickering to the federal appeals court after a two-year battle filled with racial, religious and regional argument."
"Bush elevated Pickering by recess appointment, simply putting him in office while Congress was out of session."
"Democrats have accused Pickering of supporting segregation as a young man, and promoting anti-abortion and anti-voting rights views as a state lawmaker. "
"'The president's recess appointment of this anti-civil rights judge the day after laying a wreath on the grave of Martin Luther King is an insult to Dr. King, an insult to every African-American, and an insult to all Americans who share Dr. King's great goals,' said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. 'It serves only to emphasize again this administration's shameful opposition to civil rights.'"
Story ...

Racism is generally considered in terms of anti-black, anti-brown bias. Wouldn't you think that placing Asians second from the top in the intelligence hierarchy would indicate a lack of racial bias against that group? Masa, a feisty member of the trio of Puffer Fish, offered some comments. The quotations are Masa's words verbatim. He called the intelligence hierarchy defined in The Bell Curve, "an obvious and absurd attempt to fit data to belief while placating Asians."
Max Weber? Who's that? Masa included Max Weber in the discussion and reiterated that, "The successes of the Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese all refute Weber's basic contentions of Protestant superiority." He had read the essay by Carl Jung and stated further that, "Asians see a clear bias against Asians. Americans are fond of saying that Japanese have an 'inferiority complex'. Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesians, and other Asians, know, as they have always known, that they are considered as diminutive in stature and physique as well as inferior in physiognomy. The attitude of white Americans towards Asians doesn't get any better than patronizing condescension at best." He suggested everyone should reread The Undiscovered Self, because Masa said, "The root of patronizing condescension which is an arrogant superiority complex on the part of white Christian Americans, indicates a huge yet silent negative potential. If there were ever to be a world cleansing, patronizing condescension wouldn't offer much comfort to black, brown or yellow. In fact that attitude could be expected to be transformed into a far more sinister and dangerous attitude. Many speculate that a post fossil fuel world could accomodate only one-third to one-half of the present human population. Many Christians welcome and even actively pray for an Armageddon scenario. The race, religion and culture of the most powerful would be the determining factors in the question of who would be eliminated and who would survive."

After twisting one up, the other two thirds of the puffer fish trio started making some disgusting quips about Masa's last comments:
Zev says, "That's typical. Masa fails to mention it but, better than half of whites, both Protestant and Catholic are in desperate need of nose jobs. That's especially true for the French."
"Yeah, and for female Hollywood movie stars. Could Meryl Streep pop balloons with her nose or what?
"Asians don't need butt lifts or liposuctions."
"Is that genetic?"
Maybe. Maybe not. But the NeoCon racist bible, The Bell Curve, is not about funny looks but intelligence.

Racism in all its annoying forms represents old fashioned thinking processes. Racism is an irritation of which humanity should have rid itself long ago. But it is still here. Why? Probably because it can still be useful for some groups. Pretending it doesn't exist can also be useful for those groups. How absurd is racism? If only we had the time. Maybe we can get a Round2It.

Suggested Reading.

Yertle's story leads off with his attempt to build a bigger kingdom on the backs of his loyal subjects, literally. King of everything he can see, Yertle orders his turtles to stack up under him to build a towering throne. "He made each turtle stand on another one's back and he piled them all up in a nine-turtle stack." But a plain little turtle named Mack--stuck at the bottom--decides he's had enough. "I know up on top you are seeing great sights, but down on the bottom we, too, should have rights!"
Amazon.com
In real life, of course, there isn't such a happy ending.