Shirley Ellis Got Game

Happy Really Lincoln's Birthday to you and yours!
Yeah, I know, the card store doesn't have anything and the holiday itself has been merged and melded to make a Perpetual Monday holiday with George but still....hang on to Lincoln, because we'll need him before the day is through.

Meantime, caa-ching! That'll be four dollars, please. What do you mean 'what do you mean?' Four greenbacks, Sparky, for use of my name-that gaggle of letters right there alongside of my picture to the right of all of this? Yes sir, buddy. Nobody rides for free, nobody.

As Dylan suggested, money doesn't talk, it swears. And one of my favorite public figure pinatas, the former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, is hoping to leverage Dylan's insight all the way to the bank. I'm using her name as much as I can now for free before she gets it trademarked. I'm being unkind (wouldn't want to break character) with that 'former governor' crack.' Actually I'm being unkind to Alaska.

Ms Palin was its governor for less than two and half years of a four year term of office that included about six months campaigning to be Vice President so I do question her stamina and dedication, but that's just Me* (*patent pending). She devoted some percentage of her time while Governor to looking at Russia (I'm unsure if she did so from her house, or, perhaps, from a friend's). For the record, I concede that I cannot see Russia from my house and that I have no friends, Russian or otherwise.

There was a riddle back when we were kids, 'what's yours, and yours alone, but everyone uses it more than you do?' And the answer was 'your name.' So, in fairness, and in light of the huge bounce that Tina Fey's career got from exploiting it, why shouldn't the former Governor and her still-current daughter, Bristol* (*no relation), benefit from any actual monetary gain from their own names.

As for what should be covered by trademark, I'm thinking not just posters and tee-shirts, leg-warmers or birth control* (*Bristol only), coffee mugs and bumper-stickers but everything, to include even thinking about either of them (or thinking very little of them)--all of that should be protected intellectual property. It's only fair-if they have to put up with all the aggro, they should be allowed to keep the gravy, or should I say gravy, gravy go gravy; bonana banna bo bravy, fee fi fo fravy, gravy? Try that trick with Nick, slick.
-bo bill kenny