Rip and Read

Fw: MWMB 32: So Far Away...

2012-01-31T07:03:00.001-05:00

And away we go...FAR AWAY. This week, the boys see if they can fight in a bipartisan manner while separated by two continents and the world's largest ocean...that's almost as far as the distance between the Republican and Democratic sides of the Aisle. Jim tells us how the good people in the Republic of Georgia are reacting to the GOP Primaries...Canada throws it's hat into the American Presidential Race...and Jim and Alex fight over Obama...again. Please listen, we need the clicks. 10 more new listeners and we get a star on NowDefunctSearchEngine.com

Mwmb 32: So Far Away. by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

MWMB 31: The British Are Coming (The Italians Are Sinking...)

2012-01-22T11:50:00.001-05:00

MWMB welcomes Ru and Jon, two British Subjects, who school Alex and Jim on why America drives them crazy. Jim and Alex enjoy ALL the fun of a down home South Carolina Primary (and MITT ROMNEY SPEAKS FRENCH). And Alex risks going to hell eternal without possibility of parole (or pasta) by ridiculing the idea that an Italian should have EVER been made a ship captain. Cabbage Patch Geoff sings a little love/hate song to Mitt Romney.

Mangia! Mangia! Buon divertimento!

LINKS:
Mitt's Worth:

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0712/gallery.candidates.moneymag/6.html

http://www.buzzfeed.com/elongreen/whats-mitt-romney-really-worth-4yyh

Je m'appelle Mitt Romney

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/14/3370576/tv-ad-wars-tell-new-story-in-gop...

BRITISH BIAS

Kentucky Chuch:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/01/kentucky-church-bans-interracial-...

Skipper:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/20/what-the-costa-concordias-captain-can...

Mwmb 31: The British Are Coming by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

MWMB 30: Peeing On the Taliban!

2012-01-13T13:12:00.001-05:00

Peeing on the Taliban. Math gets Racist. Obama's Bush Doctrine. Cabbage Patch Geoff's "Ode to Mitt Romney & the Pink Slip". Jim held captive in Canada. Plus: Driving Miss Daisy to the Ho-House and a spoon swallowing dog. It's week 30 of MWMB. Like us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/MWMB/172919632788125) , listen to us on your iphone, elect us President. We'll do the rest.

LINKS:
Peeing On the Taliban:
http://www.usatoday.com/video/index.htm?bctid=1385251955001&csp=ipmpv#/Ma...+probe+video+allegedly+showing+urination+on+dead+Taliban/1385251955001

Racist Math:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/georgia-school-investigates-sla...

MItt Romney Firing People:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssea...

Mwmb 30: Peeing On The Taliban by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

See the full gallery on Posterous

Fw: MWMB 29: New Year..Same Old S#*t!

2012-01-06T09:24:00.001-05:00

Join us dear listener...MWMB discusses what a bummer 2011 was, the EVIL of Canada, a recap (or is that: kneecap?) of Iowa...and Jim, perhaps surprisingly, ends up being a LOT more worried about the police powers in the new defense bill than Alex was...will Obama lock us up in Gitmo? Could be. Geoff (who was actually READY for the Christmas show that we didn't do) gives us "Pipeline for Christmas" and Jim and Alex have three candidates for this weeks salute Also, we answer the question: what can you do with stolen batteries, make-up, and power bars? Answer: What CAN'T you do? Give us 20 minutes of your time and we'll give you....this show! PLUS Alex Geofferies and Jim the Hammer let slip their real identities...you'll be amazed at who they are. (Such a deal.)

Mwmb 29: New Year. Same Old Sh - T! by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

MWMB29_NewYear-SameOldSh-t.psd Download this file

MWMB 28: Another Day in the Saltmines

2011-12-12T23:58:00.001-05:00

Join us, dear listener...we've got really bad tasteless humor, Rick Perry's weird anti-gay ad, Blogo goes to Jail, the TSA goes to town on an old lady, Cabbage Patch Geoff sings, and Alex reveals just how very, very tired he is of business as usual here in the good old USofA...can Jim pull him out of it? Listen and find out.

Mwmb 28: Saltmines by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

MWMB 27: Black Friday

2011-12-02T10:01:00.001-05:00

Death on Black Friday. Robot prison guards. Newt Gingrich at the top of the polls. Plus Ronald Reagan smokes pot and Dick Nixon is Tanned Rested and Ready for 2012. Political Talk, Lame Humor...it's just like an evening with friends. Pop open a beer and join us for the 27th Episode of Middle Aged White Men Bitching.

Links:

Clinton Praises Newt

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/27/bill-clinton-says-gingrich-surge-a-result-of-thoughtful-positions/

Robot Prison Guards

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15893772

Mwmb 27: Black Friday by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

MWMB 26: Work without Reward

2011-11-17T21:40:00.001-05:00

This week...Work Without Reward. Feel like everybody is getting bailed out but you? So does MWMB. This week, Jim and Alex discuss an article which claims that Americans on both the Right and the Left are looking for a government that ties work and rewards together. Plus, fun from Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Barack Obama and Cabbage Patch Geoff favors us with a verse as well....OH YES, find out why the state of Vermont Sued ITSELF! It's all here on MWMB...join us, won't you?

Mwmb 26 Work Without Reward by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

MWMB 25: Pizzza, Sex & Tax Free Booze

2011-11-09T15:02:00.001-05:00

Please listen! We're your friends! MWMB is back this week. Jim and Alex discuss the Herman Cain scandal, debate if Rick Perry is drunk or just weird, and bring you a great story about a forklift robbery! Geoff sings! Comet barks. And we have a special salute to the Marines! Join us! What have you got to lose?

Mwmb 25: Pizza, Sex & Tax Free Booze by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

MWMB 24: The Comet & Geoff Show

2011-10-25T14:34:00.001-04:00

Alex was at the Al Franken Cry-Babies Anonymous Vegan Bar-B-Que and Air Force Bake Sale this week, and Jim was at an undisclosed location with the Montana Militia somewhere near Mount Limbaugh. Honestly, we'd just planed on picking up the show next week. Imagine our surprise when we returned and found this tape from Cabbage Patch Geoff and Comet the Conservative Talking Wonder Dog....seems like the end of Kadafi was worth a song....right on!

MWMB24_Comet-Geoff.psd Download this file

Mwmb 24 Comet & Geoff by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

A New Bumper Sticker for you...

2011-10-25T09:12:00.006-04:00

This morning, as I was driving my wife to work, I fell in behind a car covered with bumper stickers...anti-choice, tea party, Jesus, and a bumper sticker that said "I [heart] my wife"...

Wow, I [heart] mine too...but putting it on a bumper sticker seems, well, kind of icky. Of course, I recognized it as being from Promise Keepers...

Anyway, I realized that, what this person REALLY needed was ONE bumper sticker that covered it all. So, Rip and Read has fashioned the one you see above...

MWMB 23: Wiener Nation

2011-10-20T11:24:00.001-04:00

We’re back! Right Wing Jim and Liberal Alex return as Middle Aged White Men Bit---er, Complaining (It’s a Family Show). Comet the Talking Conservative Wonder Dog visits “Occupy Wall Street”. Jim and Alex discuss the merits of Canadian Beer. President Obama hits the road again and Cabbage Patch Geoff regales us with song. Plus, this week’s MWMB Salute leads Jim to speculate: Has the US become a nation of wieners? Join us, won’t you?

Mwmb 23: Wiener Nation by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

MWMB 22: ...or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

2011-10-12T17:28:00.001-04:00

PRESS PLAY! It's MWMB's 22nd episode. This week we learn what Comet's favorite edible endangered species is (Comet is a Conservative Talking Wonder Dog). Jim and Alex look at the, ahem, "stiff" competition for the open Senate seat in Mass, where one of the candidates posed nude for Cosmo. We wonder if Herman Cain put his foot in his Pizza Hole with his "If you're out of work, Blame Yourself" comment. Geoff sings on behalf of the 99% and Jim reveals the horrible secret behind Alex's bow tie...OH, and the Salute this week is a doozy- do you know who to root for? Because we don't. Turn up your speakers and join us for MWMB, won't you?

Links to this week's stories:

Brown-Warren
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/scott-brown-elizabeth-warren-spar-over-nud...

Herman Cain
http://www.thegrio.com/politics/cain-on-poor-and-jobless-blame-yourself.php

Salute
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2789183/posts

Mwmb22: Or Are You Happy To See Me? by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

A PC says GOODBYE to Steve Jobs

2011-10-07T07:09:00.002-04:00

As I watched the candle light vigils and saw the grief I was reminded of...well, Princess Diana actually.

Here is my tribute to Steve Jobs.

MWMB 21: It's Liberal Season

2011-10-06T01:22:00.001-04:00

Please Listen, we don't exist unless you listen. Jim and Alex are back with another batch of home-brewed political commentary. Grab yer guns, 'cause Jim has declaired it open season on Liberals. Comet runs off with a girl beagle...are they running for president or just out hunting Commies? Jim and Alex touch on Obama's Jobs Bill, Steve Job's passing, Christie says "No Means No!" and, as promised, a discussion of Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan. Cabbage Patch Geoff cheers on the Wall Street Protesters, and we do a VERY SPECIAL SALUTE to a VERY SPECIAL YOUNG MAN...yes, that's right, Kagan the Zucchini Shootin' 9 year old has done it again! Don't miss MWMB, your source for homemade rhetoric.

Mwmb 21: It's Liberal Season! by Mwmb Listen on Posterous

MWMB: Hello Kitty Pistol and Putin on the Ritz

2011-08-17T09:04:00.008-04:00

Not much blogging lately, but pod-casting continues unabated. On M.W.M.B. Jim the Hammer and Alex Geofferies (Played by yours truly) have had two weeks of fun hashing it out over Rick Perry's 30,000 person Prayer Rally - a "non-political" event in which he blamed "Government" for the recession.

We ALSO tackle Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev and their political rivalry. ONE of them will run for President next year. Putin WAS president for two terms, couldn't run again right away, and so he put his little buddy Medvedev in office to keep the chair warm while he, Putin, did a stint as Prime Minister. But it seems that young Padawan Dmitry LIKES the job and might want to stay.

What's been fantastic about all of this of course is that BOTH CANDIDATES have been hiring rival teams of STRIPPERS to hit the street on their behalf. No, we didn't make it up, it's here

The girls of "Putin's Army" are trying to press him to run by taking off their clothes. Meanwhile, Medvedev's girls are supposedly on an anti drinking campaign. For each liter of beer the boys pour in the tank, another article of clothing comes off. Ah, politics.

Oh, yeah, and there's the HIT SONG in Russia "I want a Man Like Putin"

And that was just LAST WEEK....

In THIS WEEK'S EPISODE:

We head to the Iowa Straw poll to find out that Michelle Bachmann has won hands down with a whopping 28% of votes cast.

Meanwhile, the the guy who sounds like a BAD GEORGE W. BUSH imitation, Rich Perry of Texas, left his "non-political" prayer rally to head straight to New Hampshire and get started with his Presidential bid....

AND in Arizonia, a nice young man shot himself with a pink pistol.... but you have to listen to the show to find out where.

How can you NOT have fun?

Writing on the Wall: S&Ps Credit Rating Downgrade

2011-08-06T10:42:00.009-04:00

Can you hear that? That odd noise that sounds like a fiery finger scratching on the palace wall? That's the sound of the US Credit Rating being downgraded. Earlier this week, in an event that passed unnoticed by those of us who do not belong (at least professionally) to the chattering class...the Chinese credit rating company Dagong said it is sending our credit rating down to an A rating based on our ridiculous looking account books.

At the end of the week came an event that garnished more attention: Standard & Poor downgraded the US Debt from AAA to AA+. The other two large firms, Moody's and Fitch, say they will hold the AAA rating for now...but have put us on notice that they will be watching.

Last week, the Republicans rammed a debt deal down the throat of Democrats...despite the fact that they still hold the White House AND the US Senate (by a whisker).

Is this the end of America? No...but it definitely feels like we're sitting down to dinner with Belshazzar: The writing is on the wall.

Of course, after the S&P downgrade, both political parties started to get their talking points out: Michelle Bachmann said Treasury Secretary Timothy Gietner should resign and House Speaker John Boehner (pronounced "Boner"...we still speak English here at Rip and Read, not German) said Democrats can't run anything. (This despite the fact that Republicans have been in charge for MOST of the past 30 years, during which this crisis grew.)

Meanwhile, the Obama administration...ever inspiring...began to whine about the fact that S & P should not have so petty, adding that it was really mean, and pointed out a 2 trillion dollar accounting mistake in Standard and Poor's numbers...according to Bloomberg, an unidentified spokesman from S&P responded that the mistake speaks for itself...which I can only presume means that, when a debt is SO LARGE that two trillion dollars can be overlooked....then your country doesn't really have a leg to stand on at the complaint department window.

(Vladimir Putin , by the way, weighed in...calling the US a Global Parisite...such a sweet guy.)

In the end, of course, this has been the natural result of the long term Republican Strategy of "Starving the Beast"-- George W. Bush rammed through a tax cut AND fought two wars...when the Republicans seized Congress, they did away with PAYGO- a measure put in place during the Clinton years which required Congress to find new funding to pay for ANY new programs OR Tax increases.

Back February of 2009, I wrote that the Democratic party had lost the battle for the latter half of the 20th Century...the GOP is halving everything it's own way, despite Barack Obama's victory in 2008, despite the recent lesson of the cost of the Bush years...

We who are just to the left of center are going to need to come up with a new strategy... otherwise, the handwriting is on the wall.

In the meantime, we got a debt Ceiling bill last week that does NOTHING to solve the problem... Emmanuel Cleaver (D-MO) called it a "Satan Sandwich"...

Here's my take...

A new Episode of MWMB

2011-07-01T06:43:00.002-04:00

This week's program is not for the faint of heart. First, Jim and Alex start fighting so fast over the Minnesota Government Shutdown that we don't even get to the opening credits until 5 minutes into the show. And then, we digress into a long rambling conversation about Canada Day...and Alex reveals a surprisingly bitter aspect to his personality while Jim takes the high road. Along the way, we discuss the fact that Goldman Sachs is off-shoring to Singapore after having said "yes please" to a $10 Billion Dollar US Taxpayer Bailout and we wonder how to solve the problem of turtles on the runway at JFK. Geoff gives us an old fashioned prison song and a good time is had by all. Tune in! Also, MWMB is going on summer hiatus....we'll be back on July 22 or there abouts....watch your Facebook pages.

MWMB: Chillin' with the Newspaper

2011-06-24T11:17:00.004-04:00

MWMB is BACK for another week of fun, fun, fun. Find Us HERE! No intense political debates this week. Instead, Alex and the Hammer go on a stroll through the front pages of America's newspapers and discover the secret to getting babes to like you and learning how to have more fun in prison. Plus, we uncover more unpleasant facts about the French (what a surprise) and Alex unveils a new mind control device and learns that he can't say the polite word for "fart". DON'T MISS IT-- head on over and, please, LEAVE a comment!

MWMB: God Goes to School

2011-06-17T01:39:00.005-04:00

MWMB returns, now that I'm back from Vacation. This week we talk about why Minotaurs make the best pets for Republicans, touch on Michelle Bachmann, take a few pokes at Weiner and then settle in for a discussion of Separation of Church and State.... the Rutland Herald,of Vermont reported last week that the class valedictorian reported he was not allowed to deliver half of his speech because he was not able to publicly thank God for his academic success. He said that the Law and not the school was to blame. So I guess that casts me in the roll of Godless liberal...

The National Debt: Peter Welch in the Hill

2011-05-07T07:46:00.006-04:00

An article about Peter Welch from Vermont appears in "The Hill"... and it helps to underscore a important fact: The national debt is ticking time bomb. The Tea Party republicans are correct in having identified this, and actually trying to work to fix it. This is a massive change for a party who, while they have paid lip service to cutting the debt, is actually largely responsible for it. (Under Reagan, the debt went from $997 billion to $2.85 trillion-- an important gift to America which we should remember whenever we are tempted to eulogize the man.)

But, of course, the Tea Party is wrong in it's approach. In it's efforts to "Free the Rich" (from taxation, from Regulation) it would actually produce stagnation...the very wealthy have no desire to be subject to market forces which might displace them...and historically, they have taken great pains to prevent the free market from working. When market forces finally do win out, we end with disasters like the Great Depression...from which recovery is all but impossible.

It's time to elect Democrats who understand that belt tightening is important if we are to survive to grow another day, AND who understand how to wage the political battles necessary to prevent the Tea Party from inadvertently cutting our throats.

From the article, it sounds as if Congressman Welch is doing a pretty good job.

Did the French Start Every American War Ever?

2011-05-06T12:42:00.004-04:00

Jim and I took a break from discussing semi-contemporary issues.... and discuss Jim's theory that the French are to blame for every war America ever had to fight....don't miss this week's show.

MWMB: The French Conspiracy by MWMB Podcast And More

And, if you've got the time, don't miss last weeks show in which Alex does his best to prove that every American Republican is a right wing birther nut.

MWMB: Born In the USA? by MWMB Podcast And More

OIL! Oil oil oil

2011-04-27T07:44:00.008-04:00

Oil is once again dominating our thoughts. John Boner...ooops, sorry, BAYner (but it's spelled Boehner) is grinning all over the news saying that if Oil prices don't go down, Barack Obama won't win reelection.

I got an email from the local tea party, it reads:

$6.00 Gas Coming?

Gas has already hit $5.00 in a few places in the US. A year ago, it was $2.87. Obama says the increase is caused by "mideast instability" and speculators. We think it's inflation & inadequate US domestic production.

The government takes every opportunity to choke off our domestic oil supply.

And you thought it was supposed to be government for the people.

Wow! The Government is CHOKING off our oil supply... they must REALLY hate us.

If only we could let those POOR OIL COMPANIES free... they would help us.

But wait...last year, EXXON MOBILE MADE $30 BILLION DOLLARS...PROFIT. PROFIT! That's what they made AFTER they paid their operating expenses. That's money they KEEP. Oh, and the government, that bad old Government that is Choking off our oil, actually handed out 4 BILLION DOLLARS in Federal TAX BREAKS!

And get this, according to CNN...Exxon's profits for THIS year are expected to DOUBLE...to $60 Billion.

Now, presumably, the only reason the Tea Party is willing to put the livelihood of it's fellow Americans at risk by drilling off their beaches (and spills affect tourism, fishing, real estate, you name it.)or mortgage our children's environmental heritage (imagine: in place of the Alaska wilderness, we get an oil soaked wasteland)...is because they are betting that, if we found more oil, the natural economic laws of supply and demand would kick in and lower the prices....

But wake up people...the normal laws of supply and demand are NOT operating here. A fair profit is one thing, but THESE profits are obscene. The game is rigged. There is no reason to risk environmental devastation to further subsidize a rigged game.

Tea Party Types are fighting mad, but as usual, they are not looking in the right places.

Mouse Boobies! Did the Stimulus Work?

2011-04-21T07:45:00.006-04:00

Did the Stimulus work? Who knows? What I do know is that I had a lot of fun recording last week's MWMB podcast. My Ex-Brother-In-Law Jim and I do a weekly podcast in which we masticate some of the issues of the day. Last week, we discussed the Stimulus plan ...and Jim pointed out that we spend 99 thousand dollars to study mouse boobies. If you like mindless talk radio...you'll be crazy about MWMB. If you DON'T like mindless talk radio, you might still like MWMB.

MWMB Episode03 by MWMB Podcast And More

President of the Planet of the Apes? Marilyn Davenport even turns some GOP Stomachs

2011-04-19T21:58:00.011-04:00

I've been doing a little bit of research for this weeks MWMB podcast. I came across a story that was definitely "Blog Worthy"....

An elected member of the Orange County, CA Republican party has come under fire for circulating an email which shows a picture of Barack Obama’s face stuck on to the body of a baby chimpanzee. The caption read… “now you know why….no birth certificate”.

I'm not posting it on Rip and Read because I won't have it here. However, because some things need to be seen to be believed, I'll let you look it up yourself if you are so inclined. Click this link for a Google Image Search

After the email was exposed, to be fair, other Republicans in OC called on Marilyn Davenport to resign, something she has not yet done.

According to ABC, Ms. Davenport, who was elected as part of the Tea Party Movement, said QUOTE: “We all know a double standard applies regarding this president. I received plenty of emails about George Bush that I didn't particularly like, yet there was no 'cry' in the media about them."

Now, that’s true, but there IS a HUGE difference… George W. Bush is the son of a rich white president and the grandson of a rich white senator…in short, he is the scion of one of America’s wealthy families. In America, we don’t have a long tradition of using brutal cartoons to keep our underprivileged rich people down and out. We haven’t depicted them as apes or shown them running around Palm Beach as witch doctors with bones in their noses… However, as a nation, we have done ALL these things to African Americans within LIVING MEMORY. It almost defies belief that ANYONE could be ignorant of this basic truth about the brutal underside American culture. If you ARE that ignorant, then you are almost criminally stupid...and I, for one, do not believe it. I think that anyone who uses this kind of symbolism, and then backs away when caught claiming: "no racist intent" is, to put it bluntly, a liar.

Speaking of Crazy Birthers, according to a new poll by Public Policy Polling says that 51 percent of GOP Primary voters don't believe that the President was born in the country...despite the fact that his birth certificate is a now a mater of public record. Among those who believe Obama to be an Arab plant... the choice is clear, they want Huckabee to be their next President. Almost makes Mitt Romney look good, doesn't it?

A new Podcast....

2011-04-08T01:32:00.003-04:00

I think that facebook may have just about killed Rip and Read...and that makes me sad, because I really enjoy writing this blog. Still, by the time I think about writing about it HERE, I've already yacked so much on facebook that I've run out of time to turn around and post to the blog.

But, I am having fun with my former brother-in-law, Jim with a new podcast. Jim and I have always had a lot of fun talking (and laughing about) politics, and for the longest time, we've promised ourselves that someday, we'd try our hand at producing a podcast.

Somewhat to my surprise, that day finally came last week. In our first episode, we covered the imposition of "financial martial law" in Michigan...
MWMB Episode01 by MWMB Podcast And More
This week, we talk about President Obama's reform of the Student Loan program. Jim sees it as yet another government take over, and I think that, since we the taxpayers have taking all the risk of guaranteeing student loans, it's high time we made the profit, too.

I hope you get a chance to check us out...and leave a comment!
http://soundcloud.com/mwmb-podcast-and-more

Can YOU Balance the Federal Budget?

2010-11-19T09:20:00.004-05:00

Here is a really NEAT little game from the New York Times....it let's YOU balance the Federal budget...what would you cut? what would you keep? Do the things you THINK cost a lot actually make a huge difference? Will you have to cut something you care about?

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html

Click on the link to "Play". When you're done...drop back by Rip and Read and leave a comment (you may post anonymously if you wish) letting us know what you cut and kept! Extra Credit if you want to explain "Why".

If you're reading on Facebook, please go to the original blog page to leave your comments...

Abram the psychopath?

2010-11-17T06:43:00.008-05:00

Okay, I'm not sure why, but I happened to notice a post on Facebook where one friend wished some other friends a happy "Eid Al Adha"... not being something I see everyday...I just had to ask myself...what IS Eid Al Adha?

Well, it turns out, according to Wikipedia, that Eid Al Adha marks the anniversary of the day that Abraham showed his faith in God by showing himself willing to sacrifice his (at the time) only son...Ishmael. Yes, you read that right, Ishmael.

Anyone who remembers Sunday school will remember that Abraham and Sarah were very old and had no children, God said they WOULD have children, but, being very old they didn't have a lot of faith, and so Sarah "told" Abraham to go and sleep with Hagar, the servant. He did, and she beget Ishmael... and God was Angry and told Abraham to cast her out...so he took her to the desert and...for Christians (I'm not sure about Jews) that's pretty much the end of the story. Hagar and Ishmael are driven off into the desert and we never hear another word about them until Ismael's angry, angry grand-kids come out of the desert one day about two thousand years later, take over Spain, kick the Christians out of Jerusalem and eventually work their way up to 9/11.

But if wikipedia has it right, then according to Islamic tradition...Abraham later went back to the place where he left Ishmael and Hagar and built them a well. When he got there, he had a dream...he was to sacrifice Ishmael to God...

...WHOA!

Hold the phone, say us Sunday School graduates....that's EXACTLY what he did to his LEGITIMATE son, ISSAC... In both stories, Abraham is about to plunge in the knife when God intervenes and sticks a sheep in a thorn bush...allowing Abraham to kill THAT instead...

Which all leaves me wondering about the three major religions of the West.

See, I have to admit, I had no real trouble swallowing the Issac story as a kid...it all turned out ok in the end: God got a display of loyalty, the kid didn't die, the sheep was good with mustard and everything worked out for the best...(except for the sheep, but who cares?)

...but now, I read that THIS WASN'T the FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED...Turns out this nasty old sleep-with-the-maid-leave-the-kid-in-the-desert man was fond of running around sticking knives in ALL of his kids... Father's Day must have been quite the trip!

Humm...as you look at the modern family of Middle Eastern Monotheistic Religions...Judaism, Christianity and Islam...is is any wonder we have such a bitter family dynamic and can't get along? I think not. Father Abraham was apparently some kind of a nut!

The Election Summed Up in One Sentence....albeit a long one

2010-11-11T19:59:00.006-05:00

You've got to hand it to Wall Street...FIRST they get the Liberals to bail them out (which we did to save jobs) and NOW the get the RADICAL RIGHT WING to vote them a TAX CUT so they don't have to pay for their bailout! Sleazy, but Brilliant.

THANKS, TEA PARTY!

Also, a friend of mine posted a link to this article on Facbook... Personally, I think this writer lets the President off the hook...not for his lack of accomplishment, but for his lousy communication skills...still there is one paragraph here not to be missed...

If you are a lower to middle-class Republican, Tea Partier or flip-flopping indie voter, you are now in the most delightfully ironic position of all -- you think you just voted yourself more voice, when in fact you voted for far less. You think yourself a lion; you're actually the meat. You actually just voted yourself an even lower position on the food chain. Congratulations.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/11/10/notes111010.DTL&ao=2#ixzz151cAzK4v

And dat's da truth....phhhhhttttttth!

OMG! Has the White House Got it Wrong AGAIN???

2010-11-03T11:07:00.007-04:00

ALEX's BLOG:

NOTE TO WHITE HOUSE: BIPARTISANSHIP DIDN'T WORK: you held out your hand and the GOP spit on it...and then they complained that you tried to touch them with a spitty hand!

Okay, just last night, as I watched John Boenher slur his way through a victory speech, I looked for some silver linings...and I found one: now that the GOP holds the purse-strings in the House, they will actually have to DO something, rather than carp, complain, and pretend that this is not their mess in the first place.

I am very confident that, by 2012, the seeds planted in 2009 will begin to pay off for Democrats, while Republican efforts will bring absolutely no relief to a nervous American people. Making 2012 a pretty good year for Democrats...and allowing them to finish the work they started. We need to get this country BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK...we need to re-build our neglected infrastructure, incubate the industries and energy sources of the future and set ourselves up to compete with China and India...so that we do not wind up as a second rate power within the next three decades.

The only thing that really needs to be in place to make this happen is a White House Communications Team who understands that we are fighting for the future of our country...and that we are in a fight against a party who is completely wrong, and so completely bullheaded that they will never realize it, they will never compromise, they will never surrender. We must, therefore, do the same. Draw the Sword and toss the scabbard. The White House needs to cast itself as the underdog, show the country how arrogant and ignorant these republicans are and...FIGHT! (Have I said that before?)

But this morning...I have to admit, I'm a lot less optimistic than I was last night.

The first thing I read was this headline:
"White House aide: President Obama will heed election message"

The text doesn't get any better:

A top aide to President Barack Obama said not to look for a change in his “fundamental principles, but certainly there were messages that have to be heeded, and we will.”
“If you believe in democracy, we were swept in by a big wave, so you have to pay attention to these results and what people are saying,” the aide said. “They want us to work together, to focus on the economy – for jobs and growth — and we’re going to do that.”
The tone was more humble than is customary for this White House, and the aide promised a period of introspection.
The aide also mentioned deficits as an area that the parties can do a better job of working together.

JEESOM H FREEKING CROW!!! A better job of working together? What freaking planet is the "aide" living on?

And where have they freaking been for the last 20 years? When Republicans get their asses handed to them, they don't go talking about "working together"....HELL'S NO!

Republicans get Whooped, and immediately they go put their big boots on and start stomping around like they OWN the place! They start talking trash, throwing rocks, and pretending like they actually won...and nine times out of ten, it works. My god, by February of 2009, a mere month after Mr. Obama took office, you'd think the freaking GOP had actually WON the election of 2008!

But our Team Of Leaders in the White House is "Humbled" and talking about "working together"...

Look, kids: That's what you said when you WON in 2008. And I have to admit, that whole Bi-partisan reaching across the aisle thing...it was a nice try, it showed class...really, it did. But it didn't work. Again, in case you missed it: IT DIDN'T WORK: you held out your hand and the GOP spit on it...and then they complained that you tried to touch them with a spit covered hand!

If it didn't work then, what the hell makes you think it's gonna work NOW?

Look, Democrats...the policies are GOOD. They are working and will continue to work. But you are going to have to FIGHT.

Because that is what the other side is doing:

Boehner and many Republicans floated some conciliatory messages toward Democrats on Tuesday night, but many factions of the party, including those closely aligned with the tea party, remained defiant. Two leading tea party leaders -- Sarah Palin and South Carolina GOP Sen. Jim DeMint -- insisted that the election results were more an argument against compromise than a case for working with Democrats. "The GOP has to understand, that machine has to understand, we are not sending Republicans … to D.C. to sing Kumbaya with Obama," Palin told conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham. "We're sending them to stop Obama!"

That's a clear a declaration of war as you could possibly want... so stop showing up dressed for tennis, Mr. Obama, and come dressed for all out combat...

It Could have been better, It could have been worse

2010-11-03T01:03:00.005-04:00

Alex's Blog-

It's about midnight, and I just returned home from the DFL Victory rally downtown. All in all, mixed emotions...on the local level, Kim Norton and Tina Leibling are returning to the Minnesota House...but we lost two great public servants, State Rep Andy Welti and State Senator Ann Lynch.

My main hopes for the night, however, seem to have been fulfilled...no Emmer, no Demmer (my wife has remarked often how much that sounds like Dumb and Dumber...). Our Congressman, Tim Walz will be returning to the US House...despite the fact that big GOP groups (or, more accurately, small groups of big donors) dumped a ton of money in to the district to try and unseat him. The word's not in yet, but it also looks like Mark Dayton, DFL, will be our new governor.

And, on the national level...we've kept the Senate.

Of course, we lost the house...and sitting through John Boner.....whoops...Boehner's speech was painful...the media now says he was trying not to cry...but I'm wondering if he was trying to just get his lips around one too many scotch and soda's.

In the end, the fact that the Republicans have now taken control of the US House may be the silver lining...in two years, assuming that the White House finds a communications team that can find it's ass with at least one hand....the American people will have seen that these guys and gals don't have a clue...there will be no jobs...a lot of hair brained schemes to cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans...and the stimulus programs will be cut...I think that, by then, the American people will realize that they have been had. We'll see...but that's my guess...and I'm willing to put money on it: Tonight's results will see the Democrats back in the White House in 2012.

POSTSCRIPT: And it just gets better...they say that there is a movement to draft Michelle Bachmann into the leadership....LET HER AT IT, I SAY! She'll do for the GOP what Christine O'Donnell did for masturbation.

Taking the Train! Ridership up in Midwest

2010-10-20T10:07:00.003-04:00

I just got an email from the Southeast Minnesota Rail Alliance. Amtrak is showing record ridership on Mideast rail routes this year. As we look toward rebuilding our rail infrastructure, not only here in Minnesota, but around the nation, this is encouraging news.

Here's the press release:

Midwesterners love their trains!

Amtrak recently released its annual ridership and revenue numbers and the report revealed that people across the Midwest are riding the train in record numbers.

Here are a few highlights from the report:

The Empire Builder – beginning in Chicago and traveling through Minnesota on its way to the Pacific Northwest – is Amtrak’s most popular overnight passenger train. More than half a million people rode the route last year.
Ridership totals on the shorter-run corridor services is up 55% across the Midwest during the past five years.
The Hiawatha service between Chicago and Milwaukee has seen a 49% increase in ridership during the past five years and recently topped three-quarters of a million riders during the past year.

As Illinois Rep. Elaine Nekritz, chair of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission, put it, “These numbers confirm what state and federal officials are increasingly realizing – expanding and improving passenger rail service makes sense for the Midwest.”

These numbers are an affirming sign for local and statewide advocates of expanded passenger rail infrastructure in Minnesota. It is important that we have a variety of transportation options, including rail, as our state looks to enhance our economic viability and quality of life in the 21st century. Passenger rail – including a high-speed route from Rochester to the Twin Cities – will ensure the accessibility and capacity we need to meet those goals.

Upcoming Election
Election Day, November 2, is less than three weeks away. If you haven’t already done so, the Alliance encourages you to ask where your state and federal candidates stand on rail. The upcoming legislative and congressional sessions will be very important for the future of rail. Most important, don’t forget to vote.

Taking the Democratic Party Survey: Why I am a Democrat and Why I'm Currently Discouraged.

2010-10-10T08:48:00.008-04:00

I have been getting TONS of email from national Democrats, asking me for money, asking if I've seen the President's latest You-Tube video, asking me for money....

Today, I received a survey asking me to share my opinion on the current state of the Democratic Party...since there was a place for long answers, I filled them out...and then decided to post them here, because A) this was the one place that some random web surfer might read them (I know they won't get read at party headquarters) and, B) because heaven knows it's time for a blog post.

So here are my responses.

How would you describe the current political climate? (Optional):

As a Democrat, I feel demoralized. In his first days in office, President Obama appointed two tax cheats (a Democrat who cheats on his taxes is just as bad as a Republican "Family Values" man who cheats on his wife.) Timothy Geithner felt like part of the same Wall Street Gang of thugs who got us into this mess in the first place. Then, the President was a month overdue before responding in a major way to the Gulf Oil Spill. He has done a lousy job selling his program, and when Democrats point out the missteps taken by the White House and ask them to please try and do better, they are told to "Stop Whining" by Vice-President Biden. So, the current climate: Grim and Uninspiring.

What do you believe the Democratic Party stands for? (Optional):

I think that's in flux right now...but here's what I think the Democratic Party SHOULD stand for:

A strong America.
A debt-free America.
An America that MAKES things again.

The Democrats know that, with the proper oversight, Government need not be an enemy. Instead, as long as our government remains free and open, it can be a powerful tool. Allowing groups of ordinary people to band together to create something larger then themselves (examples: The Space Program, Victory in World War 2, the Interstate Highway System, the Transcontinental Railroad, etc.). Government, again, kept under proper restraint, and driven by groups of activists, is also the only tool that has achieved the civil rights of the American People (The end of Slavery, the Enfranchisement of Women, the end of segregation.)

In times of great need, Government has successfully served as the great engine which restarts the economy...getting us moving again following the Great Depression, providing the needed economic mobilization to triumph over fascism. While these are the large examples, this pattern has been repeated in smaller crises throughout the century.

The Democratic party knows that, in order to create the conditions of prosperity and stability, taxes are necessary. Democrats know that the upper class may occasionally meet with success solely by their own efforts, but are more often aided by the efforts of their workforce, the public education system, the public police system, the public transportation infrastructure, the national defense, and, often, by doing direct business with the government.

Because of this, Democrats know that these people deserve to pay more in taxes, to support the society that supports them so well.

Democrats know that money taken from the top, and reinvested in the bottom creates a rising tide that raises ALL boats, not just those of the few...and brings financial growth and benefit to a greater portion of society. (Their prosperity, in turn, allows them to be customers of the rich...helping them well from this too.)

Democrats value and respect the entrepreneur. They understand that his vision and energy are a key part of the driving force of our economy. At the same time, they know that he is not the God-Like Figure imagined by Ayn Rand and her supply-side disciples. True Entrepreneurs thrive in an environment laced with infrastructure: Transportation, Police, Education, Energy, workforce. Because this successful businessman achieves success in aworld which has been tamed for him through the efforts of his fellow citizens acting together as a government, it is also understood that that self-same business person must pay to support that infrastruture. Not being a god-like figure, the entrepreneur is not to be placated by deferments, and releases from his obligation to provide support for the infrastructure without which his success would not be possible. Unlike Ayn Rand and her modern followers, Democrats do not heap sacrifices from the public treasury in the form of tax breaks at his feet.

Democrats know and respect the worker's role in economic success. Democrats also know that, by keeping the working class prosperous, a larger customer base is established, and the seeds of further economic growth are put in place, seeds which the business owner will harvest.

Democrats understand that, human nature being what it is, those who have money will seek to keep as much of it as they can. They will share no more with their workforce than absolutely necessary. They will voluntarily contribute to the infrastructure that supports them almost nothing. They will favor short-term profit over long term growth. Democrats understand that, while free market capitalism is the best way to run a successfull society, that it has an Achillies Heal. Left to its own devices, the free market will tend to stagnate, concentrating success and wealth in the hands of a few. Left in it's natural state, the only way to bring change is through periodic catastrophic failure. To avoid both the stagnation and concentration of wealth, which leads to tyranny of the few over the many, and at the same time to avoid economic catastrophe and devastation which leads to periods of anarchy, terror and hardship, Government is needed to bring stabilty....while it does tend to remove the highest of the high points (enjoyed only by very few), it also reduces the lowest of lows...and that helps the population as a whole.

Democrats should know that they need to be fiscally responsible...keeping the national account square, paying as they go, breaking this rule only in economic emergencies (such as the present crisis), and returning to normalcy as soon as possible.

The Democrats know that people often need a helping hand to lift themselves up. That children need a good education to rise in the world. At the same time, Democrats have come to understand that welfare should be a hand, not a handout, and that while there are no limits to our desire to help, there are limits to the amount of help we will give to those who will not help themselves.

Democrats know that this country must become as self-sufficient as possible, and especially in the area of energy.

Knowing that there is no one magic bullet that will replace foreign oil as a source of power, Democrats are ready to apply the power of Government to fund R & D that is not yet attractive to the private sector in search of the short term sure profit.

Democrats understand that these efforts will pay off in a big way, giving America a commanding lead in the renewable energy field, providing us, once again, with a a product to sell to the world, reversing our negative balance of trade.

Democrats should never be ashamed to be America. Democrats should never shrink from defending her. At the same time, Democrats know that "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" and that a foreign policy that, while always serving to advance American interests, does so with fairness and a a decent respect to the opinions of mankind.

Why are you a Democrat? (Optional):

I am a Democrat because I believe in a strong America. I believe that this nation should offer both political and economic freedom to all. I believe that the Democratic Party's record on the economy for the last 80 years speaks for itself. Economics, practiced with a Keynesian bent, has created a wide-spread prosperity in all segments of this society. Supply-Side economics has concentrated wealth in top 1% of our society, during the years (from Reagan on) that supply-side economics have been in the drivers seat, we've seen this nation become a debtor to the world. We have seen our manufacturing jobs move overseas. We've seen government have to ride to the rescue of the Savings and Loan Industry and now the Financial Sector...all because we've removed the regulations in place that keep one company from growing so big that it crowds out the others, growing so big that it becomes "too big to fail".

I am a Democrat because I believe that,in the long run, the Democratic party has a better history of taking care of the nation as a whole (rather than of it's leading citizens). I believe the Democratic party, for all it's faults, and they are many, is a better steward of the economy and of our political freedom.

There are times when, as a Democrat, I become discouraged. There are times I become discouraged because the left wing of our party has seized control, forgetting that, while we believe in an active government with a strong role to play, we are NOT a socialist party. While we believe in a fair and level playing field, we are not a "leveling" party...we do not seek to enforce equality of outcome.

At the present time, I am discouraged for other reasons.

President Obama is a pragmatic centrist. He understands the need to use government to stabilize the economy and has done a fair job ending the free fall. The American Recovery and Reinvestment act has represented a strong investment, not only in jobs, but also in building for the future. Back in the day, people called the CCC "make work" - but today, as we enjoy our parks, roads, etc. we realize what a debit we owe to the men who worked in the program and the government who, not only saved them from starvation, but bequeathed a legacy to us. I strongly believe that some 20, 30 years hence, we will look back at the ARRA and realize that we made some good moves.

Obama's appointment of Geithner and the moves to bail out Wall Street are probably necessary, even though they leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Less excusable are Obama's constant early efforts to meet the Republicans more than half way. Screw Them....the new Radical Republican party of Bush, Gingrich, Limbaugh, Fox, Beck and Boehner have never shown the slightest consideration for us. Those of that ilk have never shown the slightest indication to wish to reason together, or compromise...they are radical fundamentalists. Their motto is "join us or die"....our motto in regard to the radicals should be: Cathago delenda est. To any others who wish to talk, then yes, we'll hold out the hand of friendship...but those kinds of Republicans are damn few and far between theses days (and the few that remain are being driven from their party by the Christine O'Donnells and Sarah Palins of the nation.)

Because of the President's need to play nice, there are those who have argued that the stimulus package was too SMALL- big enough to make Americans nervous about the debt, not big enough to create movement in the economy fast enough.

On the Gulf Oil Spill, the President was, quite frankly, on the wrong side...even before it happened. As a nation, to remain strong, we MUST break the addiction to fossil fuels. And yet the President was advocating offshore drilling off the most populated areas of our coastline.

A mere month later, the BP spill proved the folly of that approach in a major way. President Obama did reverse his drilling policy, but he remained silent on the spill for over a month, while the Gulf coast suffered.

From the stand point of policy, President Obama (far from being too far to the left, as his Tea Party critics paint him) has been, if anything, too much on the side of the establishment and big business. For the most part, I can live with this...especially since he heads a party who can tend to drift too far to the left if not properly skippered.

But in terms of shear political performance, the ability to sell your policies and vision to the people, President Obama has just not done a good job of staying out in front. His minions have even been bitter, when we, the foot solders of the party have criticized their approaches, they tell us to "quit whining"about their political ineptittude...and yet they still send me emails...up to three a day...asking me to give money to the DNC.

Well, sorry guys...but no. No little (but big to me) check for you this year. I will work with my local party to reelect my Congressman, Tim Walz. I'll work with my local Democratic party to make sure that we return our local legislators to the State's House and Senate....but as for you in Washington...no...no cash for you...not until you get your act together.

Who knows, an enemy Congress actually helped spur Bill Clinton on to great things (Welfare Reform, a Balanced Budget)...maybe having a bunch of nuts in the House will help put some hair on Obama's chest. He has great potential, but so far, he hasn't lived up to it.

Are You in the Top One Percent?

2010-08-01T17:36:00.004-04:00

I want to tell you about neat little web page I found today.

Then I want you to take a little test...get some idea about where you fit in on the American scale of wealth and power.

Democratic Politicians (and those further to the left), often site the uneven distribution of wealth and power in this country. You'll often hear phrases that say the Top 1% of the country holds 30, 40, 50 ...take your pick...percent of the wealth.

But one thing that seems quite clear is that, yes, larger and larger amounts of money have flowed into to a smaller and smaller number of hands since the "Reagan Revolution" of the 1980s. (Here is a report published by the Federal Reserve.)

It seems somewhat incredible that Americans would allow this to happen. After all, most of them have seen the good jobs head overseas, most have seen their wages (as defined by how much their dollar will actually buy) sink down through the years....

And yet, time and again, they end up voting FOR the people who argue in favor of this trickle down system, the party which promises them that they'll be better off holding the short end of the stick. If the polls are to be believed, they will AGAIN vote for the GOP and support it's efforts to redo the slight amounts of damage that the Obama administration has managed to undo.

Why?

Could it be that it is because, somehow, the GOP has convinced a significant portion of the people that THEY are in the top one percent? And that the Democrats have done a pretty poor job of communicating just exactly why THAT AIN'T SO?

So, with that in mind, check out this web site. The authors note that in 2000, Democrats warned that the Bush Tax cuts would bring benefits to only the top 1%. They write that, after the election...

a poll about this issue was conducted, and twenty percent of the people who were surveyed claimed that they were part of that richest one percent! These people clearly didn't realize how unequally wealth is distributed in this country. They were probably doing pretty well in life, at least compared with those around them that they could see, and so felt they were near the top. However, at the same time, they weren't doing well enough that they could feel totally secure, so they not only assumed (wrongly) that Gore was talking about them, but felt threatened by that talk

.

So, go on, visit and enter a few round numbers. Take the test. Are YOU in the Top one percent? When the Republicans talk about taking "OUR" money away....are they REALLY thinking of you?

Really?

Take the Test!

Republicans and Tea Partiers beware, however, you may find that you're NOT QUITE the player you think you are!

Go on...Take the Test!

http://progressiveschoolhouse.org/wealth/richest.htm

Extending Unemployment: Obama Hits the Right Note.

2010-07-19T21:23:00.007-04:00

It's no secret that we here at Rip and Read (and when I say "we", I mean me and the mouse and my pocket.) have been less than enamored with President Obama of late. Where we've looked for the soaring rhetoric and infectious confidence of a Franklin Roosevelt, we have found instead a less than inspiring style of leadership which reminds us of something between Richard Nixon at his most bland and a package of damp saltine crackers.

Still... there is, in the end, no doubt where our loyalty lies and we WANT to find reasons to champion the President.

Today, on You-Tube, he gave us one. In his speech on the need to extend unemployment benefits, President Obama hit the nail on the head when he said:

"After years of championing policies that turned a record surplus into a massive deficit, the same people [Republicans] who didn't have ANY problems spending hundreds of billions of dollars on tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans are now saying we shouldn't offer relief to middle class Americans...who really need help"

Unlike former Vice-President Dick Cheney, I DO believe that deficits matter. I think that it is of great importance that the United States Government remain strong and solvent.

As a concerned citizen, I am sick at the thought of how much money we have spent bailing out large corporations and banks, and, while I think that the infrastructure projects undertaken through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are long overdue, I am by no means sanguine about spending the money now, when the cupboards are bare.

However, we really have no choice. Not only is continuing to extend a hand during profoundly uncertain times the moral thing to do, it is also the economically sane thing to do.

Time and time again, in this country, we have watched as the Republicans have returned us to "Supply Side Economics". We have watched as first the Reagan Era and now the Bush Era came crashing down in a giant recession, mired by scandals and the need for massive government action to clean up the mistakes (and crimes) of the unregulated Rich. We have watched as the "Trickle Down" theory has failed to work, and the gap between rich and poor has grown...leaving the ranks of the middle class both thinned and precariously placed.

So, yes, I'm worried about deficits. But the time to REALLY scream, rant and rave about them was six years ago, when George W. Bush and his tame congress where giving away money right and left. When they were not minding the store at the SEC or the Bureau of Mineral Management...laying the groundwork for disasters and deficits to come.

And all this comes years, decades, after the verdict was in supply-side economics. Trickle Down economics and an unregulated marketplace lead us into the Great Depression. Republican Herbert Hoover, clinging to his policies, was powerless to offer any relief. Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal began to put people back to work. World War Two, and the MASSIVE Government Spending that came with it, finished the job. The jury of history is so solidly in with the verdict that it seems unbelievable to me that we are evening debating it again.

We can argue how about how much we should spend, how much we should tax and when, but to waste time debating the merits of the case when Americans are out of work is ...well, it's just plain crazy.

I think that is what keeps me so near boiling point when it comes to politics these days. That those who drove this country off an economic cliff have the temerity to think that they should be allowed back at the wheel.

President Obama is right to call them out. He is right to remind both his opponents and supporters just WHOSE MESS THIS REALLY IS.

I, for one, am hoping for more of the same.

Education Spending Wasted...Cut 'em Loose.

2010-06-29T08:05:00.005-04:00

Maybe the Mad Hatters over at the Tea Party have a point after all. The United States Census Bureau just released some data on school spending. Here are the results:

The percentage of public school funding from the federal government was highest in
Louisiana (16.8 percent),
Mississippi (16.0 percent)
and South Dakota (15.2 percent)

and lowest in:
New Jersey (3.9 percent),
Connecticut (4.2 percent)
and Massachusetts (5.1 percent).

What this means, of course, is that we in the Blue States are PAYING the taxes but we're spending them on the kids in the Red States. Obviously, it's pretty plain to see that our tax money isn't doing any good- we keep spending, but Louisiana and Mississippi remain too dumb to know what side of the bread their butter is on.

Obama's Oval Office Address: The Return of Nixonian Rhetoric

2010-06-16T07:35:00.005-04:00

Watching President Obama's BP speech last night, all I could think was: "It's Richard Nixon. He has returned."

It pains me to say this, not only because I'm a passionate Democrat (that's no secret) but because I voted for Barak Obama. Not just as the lesser of two evils, but because I was impressed. Mr. Obama seemed to bring something back to politics that we haven't seen for decades. He seemed to bring an intelligence and eloquence that could inspire people to step up to the plate and make the tough choices America needs to make to get back on track.

And those choices will be tough. As soon as we've recovered from this recession, we need to curb spending and raise taxes to bring our debt under control. We need to begin ween ourselves off of oil. We need to give birth to entire new industries, probably "green" in nature, which will put our people back to work at jobs in which real products are made and sold to a world which cannot compete with our industry and ingenuity.

Duringt the campaign of '08, the right wing carped that Obama was "All talk" and "Just Words". But the supporters of candidate Obama knew that the BEST American ideas are just words. The Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, The Gettysburg Address, the inaugural speeches of FDR and JFK, in which one leader told us we had nothing to fear but fear itself and the other exhorted us to ask not what our country could do for us, but what we could do for our country, these are all "just words"... words that inspire our people to reach deep within themselves to find the needed energy to complete the job.

My disappointment this morning is not with the President's lack of words, but in their dead and droning quality.

Last night's Oval Office speech needed to be a stirring call to action. Instead, we were treated to a laundry list of lifeless facts and figures:

From the very beginning of this crisis, the federal government has been in charge of the largest environmental cleanup effort in our nation's history -- an effort led by Admiral Thad Allen, who has almost 40 years of experience responding to disasters. We now have nearly 30,000 personnel who are working across 4 states to contain and clean up the oil. 1000s of ships and other vessels are responding in the Gulf. And I've authorized the deployment of over 17,000 National Guard members along the coast.

As I listened to Mr. Obama drone through his address, all I could think of was the enumeration in Richard Nixon's famous Checker's speech:

First of all, we've got a house in Washington, which cost 41,000 dollars and on which we owe 20,000 dollars. We have a house in Whittier, California which cost 13,000 dollars and on which we owe 3000 dollars. My folks are living there at the present time. I have just 4000 dollars in life insurance, plus my GI policy which I've never been able to convert, and which will run out in two years. I have no life insurance whatever on Pat. I have no life insurance on our two youngsters, Tricia and Julie. I own a 1950 Oldsmobile car. We have our furniture. We have no stocks and bonds of any type. We have no interest of any kind, direct or indirect, in any business. Now, that's what we have.

I've noticed this alarming Nixonian tendency in the President before- one of his catch phrases seems to be: "Let me be clear"...how different is that from Dick Nixon's famous..."Now, Let me be perfectly clear".

But more dangerous than the hackneyed rhetorical style is a tendency toward the disingenuous.

In his speech last night, Mr. Obama referred to his action in March, authorizing drilling off the American East Coast. He said:

A few months ago, I approved a proposal to consider new, limited offshore drilling under the assurance that it would be absolutely safe –- that the proper technology would be in place and the necessary precautions would be taken.

That obviously was not the case in the Deepwater Horizon rig, and I want to know why.

As if there was some big mystery. On what possible grounds could the president believe that drilling, just off of our billion dollar fishing and tourist beaches, would be "absolutely safe"? If he'd said "worth the risk", I might have bought it. But "Absolutely Safe?"...even a lowly blogger with 10 or 11 readers could have guessed that it was not "absolutely safe"...and this one did, back in March.

Mr. President...cut the crap. You've still got me (and I'm just one of millions), but if anyone else out there is feeling as I do, the depth of your support is drying up. It goes without saying that I prefer you to a Republican Party which spews intolerance, voodoo economics, and just plain yokelism, but I don't want to go to the polls this fall out of a sense of resigned duty...I'd prefer to be inspired to do great things. It's hard to do that when your speeches are of a Nixonian level of dullness, and your actions are even less inspiring.

Sorry, but it needs to be said.

We know you can do much better, and it's time to start.

HItting the Nail on the Head: How Liberals Have helped Right wingers

2010-06-10T12:05:00.003-04:00

I have to admit, I'm not always a huge fan of Micheal Moore...from what I've seen, he tend to use cheap film making tricks to illicit emotion. Cold hard facts, a la PBS' Frontline, bring you to the same conclusions, but give you more of a leg to stand on.

Maybe it's because last night, I had to listen to a cousin, whom I'm very fond of, imply that ALL six hundred and fifty thousand of the people who've been put to work by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act this year are all welfare cheats and/or drug addicts....

In the face of such blind suspicion and anger, it's worth remembering what liberals have actually done, and this piece, posted on the website of lefty propagandist Micheal Moore actually does a pretty good job of that..

Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican

by John Gray

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.

Read the Rest...

Silly Facebook Arguments: The Oil Spill....

2010-06-09T09:25:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, I saw a great idea on Facebook, and posted it as my status.

Alex: just joined the "Stop the Spill by Using Sarah Palin to plug the pipe"....awesome idea!

I got a fair number of positive responses, but a good friend of mine, who also happens to be a die hard Republican wrote back:

GOPFriend: Oh sure... Your boy has sat back with his arms crossed for a month and yet you feel the need to throw Palin in the drink? Hmmm....

Here's my answer to my friend. I don't make any claims for scholarship or style...but in substance, it seems about right on the nose:

Alex: Sorry, buddy, I know you GOP types want your Katrina moment...and I'll even admit that I give Obama a pretty low grade on his response to this. But that does NOT change the fact that BP was allowed to put a dangerous rig in place with out adequate safety plans, etc.
On who's watch did THAT happen?
Why George W. Bush...of course.
Now, who campaigned on DRILL Baby DRILL?
Why...Sarah Palin, of course.

To be completely fair, Obama said he would allow more off-shore drilling about a month before this happened...if you saw my FB posts at the time, you'll remember that I expressed displeasure with "my boy" and urged other Democrats to write to the White House.

(This by the way was on March 31- by early May, the BP created disaster had struck. It was only a matter of time...it's ironic that it came so quickly.)

But, while Mr. Obama's reversal was disappointing, when it comes to comparisons between the two parties...there isn't one.

Between the failed banking system and Republican inspired lack of regulations....the irresponsible tax cuts which have helped plunge this country further into debt (Bill Clinton had the deficit headed in the RIGHT direction...and that's not politics, that's HISTORY- you can look it up.)...and now, with what we see was an 8 year free ride for the Oil Industry to do any damn thing it wanted and take any stupid risk it cared to...

...your "boys and girls" have proven that they can't even be trusted to go to the corner store to pick up a loaf of bread...let alone run the country.

So, there is blame enough for all...the American People (and I'm included) for using a car when feet or a bike will do and the Democrats (including President Obama) who play it politically safe and give into the calls of the addicts when they cry "Drill Baby Drill"...

...but I still think we may be allowed to reserve a special circle of blame for those members of the Republican party who cheerfully, actively lead us into the mess. Don't forget, and don't let anyone else forget, that from 1994 to 2008 the GOP controlled at least TWO of the THREE branches of Government- and from 2004 to 2006 they controlled all three branches. The patterns of today were set in those years.

To be honest, I thought my friend Jennifer had the best plan...postulating that ex-Governor Palin was too skinny stop up the pipe, Jennifer suggested that we add Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck and Sean Hannity...sounds like a plan to me.

Freedom Isn't Free: Civilian Side

2010-06-02T16:04:00.005-04:00

Note, this is an email I sent earlier today. I copy and paste it here, spelling mistakes and grammar glitches intact due to lack of time to fix them.

I got the following email today, and I have to admit, this kind of thing waggles me enough that I can't help but respond:

Here's the email:

Congressional Reform Act of 2010
We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people will become American hero's..

1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.

A. Two Six year Senate terms
B. Six Two year House terms
C. One Six year Senate term and three Two Year House terms

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

And my answer:

I just can't agree with you. Think about it for a minute. Right now, the Gulf of Mexico is going under, as oil burbles to the surface, killing the envirnment, killing tourism, killing jobs, killing the fishing industry..and...need I go on?

Now, how was that allowed to happen? Answer: Short and Sweet...NOT because of TOO MUCH GOV'T ...but too little, and what there was was BAD. Bad Gov't in that the Republican Congress of the early 2000s and the Republican administration took BP's word that they had a safe rig and adequate safty plans in place...

The economic crisis? Same thing..not too much gov't, but not enough. Where were the lawmakers? Where were the regulators...answer? Off cheerleading for big business.

The article you forwarded talks about term limits. We already HAVE term limits...they are called "Elections"...if you don't like your current Senator or Congressman, campaign against him. Knock on doors, write emails, join citizen's groups, contribute small amounts to his/her campaign. Anyone who tells you that it won't work is wrong...

But as for me, I happen to really appreciate much of the work of my current Congressman, Tim Walz, here in Minnesota. I think our Senators Amy Klobucher and Al Franken are doing a great job.

And back home in Vermont? Well, Patrick Leahy is head of the judiciary committee...and Bernie Sanders, god bless his loudmouthed soul, is raising holy hell right now, demanding that BP and not the Taxpayer be forced to pay the tab for this clean up.

Leahy has been in the Senate since the 70s and I hope he NEVER retires. Because when BP, or AIG send polished, slick, smart and crafty executives who have experience stretching back 20 to 30 years to a Senate hearing to testify about how what they are doing will be so great for the American people, I want them to be questioned and held accountable by a smart, sassy, experienced Senator who is ALSO wise in the ways of the world and who knows what questions to ask...I do NOT want my safety and quality of life left in the hands of some greenhorn who just arrived in Washington last week with 50 other greenhorns who don't know (pardon my french) shit from shinola.

Talk about the guinea pig guarding the hen house.

As for the pay issue...again...the United States is the biggest organization in the world. If you expect intelligent, qualified people to do the job, then you've got to pay them what they are worth. As it is, the monetary compensation of gov't work are such they are already paid MUCH less than their counterparts in the private sector...

This note talks about the founding fathers wanting "citizen" legislators. Okay, there may be some truth to that actually, but keep in mind that with VERY few exceptions most of the founders were VERY wealthy men. They did not envision that anyone BUT the very wealthy would ever participate in government...so they could afford to be "citizen legislators....but as for the idea of Term Limits? Forget it. The founders KNEW they were the most qualified boys on the block to run the show, and do any less but continue to serve throughout their adult lives would have been repugnant to them.

George Washington was first elected to the Virgina House of Burgesses in 1758...he ended his political career in 1797 That's a political career just short of 40 YEARS...

John Adams, who perhaps did more, politically, to get the Declaration of Independence drafted and through the Continental Congress and who went on to be the second president, began his career as an elected official in 1770 and left the White House in 1801-- that's a political career of 31 years. He would have gladly served longer but he lost the presidency to...

...Thomas Jefferson, who began HIS political career 1769 left the White House in 1809--another 40 year political career.

Ben Franklin- first elected to city council in 1748, elected to colonial Pennsylvania Legislature in 1751, and served in various diplomatic and political roles until his death in 1790.

Let's talk about some other great Americans. Abe Lincoln is often thought of as the Log Cabin President, and most people seem to imagine that he came from nowhere...not so...Lincoln ran for office the first time in 1832, served in the state legislature, was elected to the US Congress for a term, and ran, unsuccessfuly for the US Senate...all the while remaining a very powerful political figure in his home state of Illinois...his career ended in 1865 upon his death. His political career, which was cut short, lasted 33 years.

Teddy Roosevelt? Started in 1881 with his election to the NY state assembly....left the White House in 1909...ran AGAIN for the Presidency on a third party ticket in 1912. 31 years.

None of these great American leaders would have developed the experience they needed to be great American leaders if they had been subjected to Term Limits.

Term limits is a cry taken up by two kinds of people...the far right, who just can't understand why most Americans, despite their mild conservativism, won't agree to cut their own throats and throw away all the progress that we've made...so they blame "congress" because they can't get their guys elected.

The other kind of person who espouses term limits is, in my opinion: Just Plain Lazy. They often say that "Freedom isn't Free" and usually, they are talking about the military. But it's just as true on the civilian side...as I've noted before, the US is the largest organization on the face of the earth, and as citizens- WE are actually the ones charged with running it. Sure, we have representatives, because 300 million people can't all talk at once- but it's OUR job to pay attention. It should be our job to spend at least one hour a week staying informed, going to public meetings, writing informed letters to our representatives, and volunteering for the campaigns of those who wish to represent us.

Instead, however, lazy people who don't want to watch carefully those people they've hired to represent them, want to have some kind of automatic system.in place to do the job for them....and, the biggest irony is, that system won't even work.

Memorial Day Thoughts

2010-05-31T22:07:00.005-04:00

I never served my country in the armed forces. So not only am I in debt to those who have for my freedom, but I also hold them in awe.

It bothers me when they are used to score political points. Perhaps I am playing politics by responding, but I'd rather think that I am trying to keep their memory sacred by not allowing others to drag them down into the mud of partisan bickering.

I managed to get myself on the mailing list of the local Tea Party. Today, I received this message from them:

Remind those of our sacrifice and don't confuse arrogance with leadership.

The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne France .. A total of 2,289
The American Cemetery at Ardennes,Belgium A total of 5,329
The American Cemetery at Brittany,France A total of 4,410
Brookwood, England at American Cemetery. A total of 468
Cambridge, England ..3,812
Epinal, France American Cemetery.. A total of 5,525
Flanders Field, Belgium .. A total of 368
Florence, Italy.. A total of 4,402
Henri Chapelle, Belgium, .. A total of 7,992
Lorraine, France .. A total of 10,489
Luxembourg, Luxembourg .. A total of 5,076
Meuse-Argonne .. A total of 14,246
Netherlands, Netherlands .. A total of 8,301
Normandy, France .. A total of 9,387
Oise-Aisne, France .. A total of 6,012
Rhone , France .. A total of 861
Sicily, Italy .. A total of 7,861
Somme, France .. A total of 1,844
St. Mihiel, France .. A total of 4,153
Suresnes, France .. A total of 1,541

The count is 104,366 dead brave Americans.

And we have to watch an American elected leader who apologizes to Europe and the Middle East that our country is "arrogant".

HOW MANY FRENCH, DUTCH, ITALIANS, BELGIANS AND BRITS ARE BURIED ON OUR SOIL, DEFENDING US AGAINST OUR ENEMIES?

To honor those who fell in Europe helping to fend off, first German Imperialism enforced through a policy of "frightfullness" and then, later to face Nazism and defeat is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

But the radical right go further, as they always seem to do. They use this solemn American Day to try and an paint the president as unpatriotic, AND they accuse the French, Dutch and British of being cowards, of not having fought for "us".

Perhaps it is worth considering, as these radicals try to appropriate Memorial Day to their own ends, that it was right-wing groups in the 1930s, namely the German-American Bund and the America First Movement, who ensured that, while Great Britain began her fight against Hitler in 1939, America did not enter the war against evil until December 1941- over two years later.

So, Tea Partiers, while you are correct to honor Americans who fell on foreign fields, you are wrong, very wrong ...and arrogant...to insult our allies.

The Dutch, the French, and the British DIED where they stood to defend AMERICAN freedom to oppose the fight against fascism. While right-wingers in America had the freedom to criticize FDR for his sympathy for the struggle of England, France, Denmark, Holland and Belgium in their fight against the dark powers, our European cousins lost their homes, cities, families and lives...sacrificing ALL to buy us time to decide to do the right thing. Just as you do today, these other American right-wingers of days gone by complained about "European Arrogance".

Just as you owe the American Solider a debt today, you owe an equal debt to those from other lands who fell in their own countries to keep you safe.

So, you've said you're piece, I've answered with mine. I suggest now that EVERYBODY shut up and pay some respect to those to whom we owe everything.

War Memorial In St. Paul Minnesota

War Memorial In London, UK

Rep. James Oberstart at DFL DInner

2010-05-24T15:31:00.003-04:00

I got to do a guest shot today as "reporter" at the Rochester Democrat...thanks Paul!

The entry is here:
http://www.therochesterdemocrat.com/index.php/test/print/rep_oberstar_offers_straight_talk_to_olmsted_dflers/

Right Wing Slap!

2010-05-21T09:21:00.003-04:00

Recently, I've been playing a game with some young (and liberal) friends on Facebook, which I've come to call "Right Wing Slap!". This game started after my friend slapped a picture of Ronald Reagan on my FB page- not the visage upon which I wish to look while enjoying my morning coffee.

The game works like this.

SLAP a picture of a right wing figure (if playing internationally, the figure should be from THEIR country. For example, someone from the UK would slap me with Reagan, I might counter by slapping them with Margret Thatcher.)

When you've been Slapped, you must first post an antidote (example: I get slapped with Joe McCarthy, I post a picture of Edward R. Murrow as an antidote. I am THEN free to SLAP my friend with, say, David Cameron.)

When playing against people from your OWN country, of course, you are free to use figures from you political spectrum.

This game can also be played against a Right Winger...if playing against someone from the GOP- I might slap a picture of Bill Clinton on their page, they may choose George W. Bush as their antidote.

One of the benefits of this is that it provides an excuse to take a trip down memory lane... in searching for great conservative moments in recent British History, I found this awesome you tube video of Maggie Thatcher running the table against Labor's benches.

I wouldn't have voted for Maggie, but it is not to be denied that she had style!

Net Neutrality My open letter to my Senators and Congressmen

2009-10-23T22:20:00.002-04:00

Here is the text of an email I just sent to my Congressman, and my two US Senators....please, take a moment, and do the same...this is one of those small, slightly boring and VERY IMPORTANT issues that can fly in under the radar unless people show they are paying attention.

Dear Congressman Walz.

I was proud to knock on doors for you in 2008 and will be proud to do so again next time.

Today, Senator John McCain issued a press release announcing his "Internet Freedom Act of 2009". It's purpose is to prevent government efforts to uphold net neutrality. With out net neutrality, there is no guarantee that Americans will be able to download content they want, or use the internet to easily do business with whom they want. Without net neutrality rules, internet service providers can use their position as gate keepers to block access to certain websites and services.

It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see where this might lead. A large business could use their power to enter into an arrangement with an internet service provider to block, or slow, access to the commerce sites of small rivals. Access to opinion sites, such as blogs, or podcasts, could also be inhibited.

We need to make sure that access to the net stays neutral, both for the sake of free speech AND a free market.

I urge you take, or support, action in the house to counter moves by Senator McCain and his allies to block our freedom in the name of Freedom.

Thanks!

Alex Ball

What is Net Neutrality All About?
Watch this:

The Attack on Net Neutrality Don't let GOP and Big Business Take YOUR freedom in the Name of Freedom

2009-10-23T21:44:00.005-04:00

Got Internet? Want to download what you want, when you want it? Right now, you can.

But, if John McCain and others get their way, this might not be true anymore.

Republican strategy is to paint Net neutrality as government 'control' of Internet

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) introduced a bill in the Senate on Thursday that would effectively allow Internet service providers to slow down or block Internet content or applications of their choosing.

Now, the Republicans are painting this as a "Freedom" issue...and it is, it's freedom for internet providers to get between you and the content you want.

Here's a video from You Tube...it's long, dull, and completely without passion- which makes it all the more effective.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT NET NEUTRALITY- PLEASE TAKE JUST A FEW MINUTES TO INFORM YOURSELF...then take a few minutes more and write to your law makers in Washington- and tell them that you vote, and that you oppose efforts to block net neutrality.

Beck Goes To Britain Too Late for an Intervention with the GOP?

2009-10-13T09:20:00.004-04:00

Glenn Beck has been exported to the United Kingdom, thanks to Rupert Murdock's dominance of global media. What will the British think of him? An article by Alex Massie on the Daily Beast is well worth the read.

You need to read the article for yourself- PARTICULARLY if you are concerned for the Health of the Republican party.

The key point that jumps out is that the GOP is taking a wildly different path from the conservative parties in Europe. So much so that many Tories were actually pulling for Obama in the last election. The great quote:

It’s as if your favorite cousin had a nervous breakdown, found religion, and became an evangelist for an apocalyptic cult prophesying the imminent end of the world as we know and love it.

(By the way, if it surprises you that such a rabid, albeit centrist, Democrat such as myself could express concern for the health of the Republican Party, it shouldn't. I believe that a strong, rational opposition is VITAL to the functioning of our Democracy. But while you can work with people with whom you disagree...you can't work with nuts.)

When Friends Hurt You: Obama's Peace Prize

2009-10-09T08:35:00.005-04:00

Okay...I like Obama. I like him just as much as the next guy...in fact, if the next guy is the moron in the pickup truck with the "Obama Sucks" Bumpersticker-- then I like him a heck of a lot MORE than the next guy.

I knocked on doors for him in 2008 and am highly likely to do so again in 2009....and I think that, given the state in which he found our country, the economy, and the world, he's doing one hell of a good job moving it back on track.

....but the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE????

Look, the guy has been in office for less than a year. We haven't figured out how to extract ourselves from the Iraqi quagmire, and we are just beginning to tackle the War in Afghanistan, a war which has festered due to 7 years of neglect by the previous administration. Last time I checked, the Isreallies and the Palestinians were still at each others throats...and...c'mon.

NPR quotes presidential historian Robert Dalleck pointing out that this is REALLY an award about George W. Bush....the committee's way of saying "F- you" to our former Yahoo-In-Chief, George W. Bush

But Time Magazine points out that this award could actually hurt the President, and I agree. The major right wing criticism, (aside from the wingnut "Granny Killers" and the "Birthers") is that Obama is All Hat and No Cattle...the Anointed One, The ObamaMessiah.

Intelligent people in the country, and around the world, have become STARVED for meaningful political rhetoric...and the inanity of the Bush Years took a dry spell and turned it into a drought.

We were all ready to hear some complete sentences...soaring rhetoric was an unexpected and blissfully welcome bonus to tired ears...

But Obama is now In Office....he's working...and now is the time to focus on the President's actions as well as his words.

Middle America loves to hate a poser-- and IF the right-wing can make the image stick then the President will be in a lot of trouble, and will begin to find himself so hampered and mired that forward motion will become impossible. That would be bad news for the President, our Party, and the nation.

The sad fact is that, by trying to enlarge Obama's platform by giving him an award he does not yet deserve, the Nobel Prize Committee may have, like their founder, provided his enemies with dynomite.

Joe Wilson and the Right Wing Nuts....

2009-10-07T09:50:00.003-04:00

I did this a few weeks back, in direct response to Joe Wilson's outburts, for my facebook page.

After reading "The Next Wingnut Attack" on the Daily Beast this morning, I thought I'd post it here. It's over top, it's unfair to a lot of legimimate conservatives who, like me, worry about the growing federal debt and other problems that beset our nation.

However, my frustrations with the irrational Right were/are such that I just had to throw an irrational tantrum of my own...consider it as such...

Disney Backs High Speed Rail

2009-10-02T14:00:00.006-04:00

As a native of Central Florida who has watched the beautiful locales of his childhood despoiled in the name of "progress", I don't often have good words for Walt Disney World. However, I have to say that, in a recent move, they've done something of which I approve.

According to Today's Orlando Sentinel, Disney has offered both political backing AND 50 acres free of charge on which to build a station for a proposed High Speed Rail Line between Orlando and Tampa.

Close on the heels of California, Florida is an epicenter of the "Car Culture"-- once a symbol of American vitality, but which now hangs like a millstone around our necks. Bringing High Speed rail to the Sunshine state seems like a huge step in the right direction toward solving the problem.

Good Luck!

Here in Minnesota, we too, are hoping for high speed rail...with a little luck, a lot of money, patience and hard work...once upon a time, trains ran from Chicago to Saint Paul in about 4 and a half hours....today, it takes 8. In Vermont, trains in 1938 would run from Brattleboro to NYC in five hours or less...these days, it takes over six hours. Great Article at Slate gives these and other facts.

Making the Most of His Time Carter's post-presidential legacy

2009-10-01T06:36:00.006-04:00

The AP is reporting that the Carter Presidential Museum is set to reopen on the former president's 85 birthday. The museum, says the article, devotes "more space than any other presidential library to a commander-in-chief's time spent after the White House."

It's fitting. The story of most American Presidents seem to end when they leave office. Two of the three greatest American Presidents, Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, never left office at all. And while Harry S. Truman certainly stands as one of the outstanding Presidents of American History, he leaves the stage of history in 1952-- it almost comes as a shock to learn that he lived until 1972.

Other former Presidents seem to fade into obscurity after their time in office. Two who did not, Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, spent the remainder of their lives burnishing (or in the case of Nixon, rehabilitating) their reputations.

Jimmy Carter, on the other hand, has devoted his life after the White House to the service of others- building houses with Habitat for Humanity, and, of course, searching and working for peace.

The Carter presidency may have proved conclusively that a good man does not make the best President (most of our best leaders have had a touch of the scoundrel about them)-- but his EX-presidency is an outstanding tribute to the value of a life well lived.

Another Dose of Tim Pawlenty

2009-09-29T07:13:00.005-04:00

Since moving to Minnesota almost a year ago now, I've been getting to know Tim Pawlenty. Last spring, he used a legal trick, the unallotment, to completely rewrite by executive fiat, the budget of the Minnesota legislature. The power of the purse is one of the oldest, and strongest, tools that has evolved from the Anglo-American system of representative democracy- having the legislature be in control of the money has proven to be the surest guarantee against tyranny by one man. Any chief executive who treats it cavalierly, or tries to do an end run around it, is a chief executive who needs to be watched carefully.

And this man is running for President.

According to an editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

...although Pawlenty can find 49 other states, he's having trouble feeling his way around his home state. For good reason: Minnesota's [budget] problems could trip up his ambitions. As Pawlenty travels the Republican rubber chicken circuit, Minnesota is heading into uncharted waters.

And its governor is AWOL.

The Star Tribune went on the say that:

Pawlenty's refusal to participate in a legislative summit designed to stave off looming fiscal disaster was nothing less than nonfeasance...For a guy who acted as if the sky was falling when the president asked to speak to schoolchildren, Pawlenty sure seems laid back about his own obligations. He has dived so deep into the right-wing tide pool that by Thursday, he had joined Sarah Palin and a few other GOP confederates in threatening to invoke the 10th Amendment -- in effect having Minnesota secede from the union on health care reform with little regard for the effect on Minnesota's 450,000 uninsured citizens

.

And if all this talk of budget bores you...here's a little piece of propaganda whipped up by the national Democratic party...

...of course you should take some of it with a grain of salt, just because it's MY party's propaganda doesn't mean it's not propaganda...still, research some of the allegations made by this video(especially some of the right wing loons Pawlenty has been stumping for lately) and a rather, well, icky picture begins to emerge.

Get To Know Tim Pawlenty GOP Governor of Minnesota

2009-09-23T20:40:00.003-04:00

Tim Pawlenty is talked about in national circles as a potential challenger to Barack Obama in 2012...he's announced he will NOT run for another term as Minnesota's Governor, he's opened a PAC...and he's got a reputation as a "moderate" Republican which may help him among voters at large....

However, like every other GOP candidate...he does have to cater to "the base" ...so supposedly, that's why this "moderate" was to be seen at the recent Value's Voter Summit...

At this event, one prominent Republican suggested that ALL porn, even straight porn, turns people gay AND that we should make sure that we tell this to our 11 year old boys, so that they will stop reading Playboy!

Here's an except from the Rachel Maddow Show...of course it's partisan. Of course it's one sided...but as you're getting to know Tim Pawlenty...it's time to start to get to know the company he keeps. The Pawlenty part of the story is near the end.

A Democrat Begins to Doubt , or: WTF is up with Health Care?

2009-09-08T18:26:00.007-04:00

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that, not only have I not found time to keep up with this Blog, I sure as hell haven't managed to keep up with the ins and outs of the Health Care Debate.

My position...well, position is too strong a word for someone who hasn't done his research...my HOPE for Health Care was simple...I wanted a way to make sure that people who WORKED (or who had a legitimate reason not to work) would be able to afford access to basic health care.

That's it. Pretty simple, I thought.

I wasn't distracted by the Tea Baggers, or the wackos who disrupted town meetings, etc. I knew that the news media covered them because crazy people make good copy..much better than facts and figures.

I also didn't allow myself to get too distracted by the left wing of my party...ONLY the PUBLIC OPTION...EVERYBODY HAS A RIGHT TO HEALTH CARE...(which seems a bit silly to me, that's like saying that everyone has the right to never get sick, or to never stub their toe, etc.) Everybody who plays by the rules deserves a level playing field, but as for me, that's all I want.

I figured that somehow, the wheat would get separated from the chaff and we would come up with some plan that was ...perfect? No...but a first step.

But today, I read THIS HEADLINE:

Fines proposed for going without health insurance

Okay, what the hell is going on here?

According to an article by the AP, DEMOCRAT Max Baucus, is proposing a plan that would FINE folks for not buying into a system.

Now, I well remember the days when I was not lucky enough to earn enough money to live without a roommate-- even though I was an adult, and when, even so, most of my money went to pay for RENT and FOOD...with just a tiny little bit left over to pay for a bit of entertainment to relieve the monotony of working to live so I could go to work again...

I remember this because it was only a few years back.

I was poor, but according to the federal government, I was not FEDERALLY POOR-- what that would have meant, if I understand correctly, is that I, barely able to afford Gas to go to work, RENT (with a relative stranger as a roommate- something no adult who works a fair number of hours should have to do), and FOOD...according to the Government, I would have to be making less than 11 Grand a Year for that...and I can tell you that, in the northeast US-- 11 Grand will barely buy you a box of cereal.

Now, this plan is suggesting that, if I don't buy in, I'll owe the FEDS ANOTHER $900 Bucks??? AFTER I pay my income taxes???

And this is a program from DEMOCRATS???

OK-- I admit it, I'm fuming, I'm making noise, and I'm not informed on this issue...but, if I'm even CLOSE to reading this correctly, this plan is freaking STUPID!

Comments?

Michelle Bachman-Too Stupid for Words-Tries to tie Swin Flu to Jimmy Carter

2009-04-29T08:24:00.005-04:00

Since moving to Minnesota, I've found that I really like it here...however, like every beautiful silver lining, it does come with at least one cloud. In Minnesota's case, that cloud is Michelle Bachmann. Bachmann is rabid, vicious, mean...AND Stupid...in fact, she may very well be the prototype for Sarah "I can see Russia from My House" Palin.

Now, she is blaming SWINE FLU on Democrats.

She says it's interesting that the last time Swine Flu broke in 1976 out was also under a "Democrat" President. Not only is this patently stupid, but it is also WRONG- Gerald Ford, Republican was President in 1976-- holy carp-- can't this woman even take five seconds to look at wikipedia or something before she opens her gaping mouth?

When we first met Michelle she was Pawing all over George Bush at his State of the Union speech.

She next burst into national consciousness when she implied (in the 2008 campaign) that anyone who didn't vote Republican probably hated America...

And now this.

Why the hell is she in office? I mean, really? Aren't there ANY smart Republicans?

US News and World Report: Obama Ends Reagan Error- whoops-- Era?

2009-04-29T08:09:00.006-04:00

Interesting Article in US News and World Report about the differences between Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. While Reagan shifted the financial direction of the country back to pre-Depression Era trickle-down economics- Obama is taking a page from FDR's book: using the government to pump massive amounts of cash into the system...

Take a look:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20090428/ts_usnews/whyobamaisleavingthereaganerabehindwhenitcomestoeconomicpolicy

The 6th Annual OLMSTED COUNTY DFL DINNER: Hope you can make it.

2009-04-27T11:07:00.006-04:00

Something I worked on this weekend-

Original Post and video at: rip-and-read.blogspot.com

'Nuff Said: Americans High on Obama, Fox News Too Tough on the President

2009-04-23T10:43:00.003-04:00

from: http://rip-and-read.blogspot.com/
I don't have much time to blog today, but there isn't too much to say, either: two headlines from today's news sum it up.
1) AP Poll: Americans high on Obama, direction of US
2) Nearly 3 in 10 say Fox News too tough on Obama

And, as always, John Stewart explains it all for us:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

Balzheimers Disease

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

Political Humor

The Future of Centrism

2009-04-22T09:23:00.005-04:00

http://rip-and-read.blogspot.com/

I read a great article this morning in CQ Politics. Now that Democrats seem to hold all the cards in the Federal Level, it will be very important to keep in step with the American people...

The DLC was established in the 1980s in response to the overwhelming success of the Reagan Revolution, particularly in the South. It recognized an essential truth about the Democratic Party...that it had moved away from it's blue collar and middle class roots and appealed only to those on the far left of the American political spectrum. Since the Republican party, at it's heart, still represented the Corporate Halls of power while relying on the right-wing fringe as foot soldiers, this left the majority of Americans without a political voice.

And so, since the American blue collar worker and the middle class are largely conservative, they chose the right leaning GOP over the seemingly leftist Democrats. The DLC was formed to change this. The political landscape began to change with the election of Bill Clinton (once Chairman of the DLC) in the 1990s, and the Democratic party lurched back towards the center. Not, however, without a great deal of internal animosity, and there are large portions of the Democratic party base where the DLC is anathema. (Visit Green Mountain Daily, or the Daily Kos for a taste of this.)

"The political mission of the DLC has been largely accomplished,"
said Reed, who's had the group's No. 2 post since 2001.
"Twenty-five years ago, the forgotten middle class had serious
doubts about Democrats, and now Democrats are winning the middle
class, suburban voters, moderates by handsome margins. Our next
challenge is to deliver on that promise and earn those votes for
years to come."

On a broader level, though, the group will face the same tension affecting the entire party: the sense among liberals that “their ship has come in,” as Kind puts it — and that, as a result, the need for moderation and compromise in Democratic politics has passed. But Democrats only have that majority because they’re holding on to seats that could easily return to Republican hands. In the House, for example, 49 districts that elected Democrats were carried by Republican John McCain at the top of the presidential ticket in 2008[emphasis added].

On a separate note, it's been a while since I've made the time to visit green mountain daily...going back today and casting an eye over the posts, I realized how much I missed it!

Hillary The Movie: Free Speech

2009-03-24T09:08:00.004-04:00

Today, I listened to a story on NPR that had me at the edge of my seat. The link to the story is here: Hillary: The Movie Opens At the Supreme Court.

On the one hand, I hate the idea that political speech can be limited in any way (even when it's a movie made by Right-Wingnuts.) If Hillary The Movie looses, then I could see that the right wing could use similar arguments to stop people I agree with.

On the other hand, I can't stand the idea that corporations can fund political speech without being limited and without being forced to reveal who they are.

While I, as a private citizen, may be able to make a tiny You-Tube movie about, say, George Bush...I would have a hard time even securing the rights to the pictures I needed to make my point. Not to mention the ability to travel around the country to get interviews, film on location, etc.

All these things make for powerful story telling-

A large corporation, however, would have no problem doing these things and many more- and paying for a platform and advertising for their movie as well...their speech would be SO much louder than mine that there would be no hope of a fair exchange of ideas....

This is a story worth following.

Hemorrhaging Money: The Latest Spending Bill

2009-03-11T08:38:00.004-04:00

Just listening to NPR's report on the latest spending bill...chock full of earmarks...which the President will sign.

I wish he wouldn't. For both reasons of style and substance, I wish he would send this bill back to the hill and say: "Try again. Fast. We can't wait."

I've written before about the massive American Debt and why it frightens me. We need to begin rebuilding- slowly, carefully, and strongly...so that the Republicans can not pull the American Government to the ground again for a long, long time.

Back in the late 1990s, Bill Clinton went toe to toe with a Republican Congress over spending and won. He also balanced the budget and began to make progress toward reducing our national dept to manageable levels.

In those moments, a subtle shift began in the minds of the American people: Perhaps the Democrats were NOT the party of "Tax and Spend" - perhaps it was the Radical Republicans who were doing the most harm by trying to "drown the American Government in a bathtub."

This shift was only partial, it will take more work to fix it firmly in American minds. As the poorly built edifice of the Bush Era comes crashing down around our ears, the American people again saw the Democratic Party as responsible enough to reverse the nation's downhill course...

That positive image of us as Democrats will NOT stay fixed in the minds of the American people if we are seen to be using this opportunity to shunt funding off to isolated groups and pet projects at a time when the entire American public stands in economic peril.

This morning, I heard another story on NPR...(It's not posted yet, so you'll have to find it yourself...I may not have all the details right, either)...one of the items in this bill is $1.5 MILLION Dollars to hire 8 people to change road signs on an Arizona interstate from metric back into the Imperial system...

$1.5 MILLION DOLLARS! To employ only 8 people.

Sorry, my fellow Democrats- but this kind of foolishness is doing the GOP's work for them.

Breakfast in London

2009-03-06T06:39:00.003-05:00

Going down to breakfast this morning, I realized how much I’d missed the British Press. Pouring a cup of coffee and tucking in to a Full English Breakfast (Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Baked Beans, Mushrooms and – I skipped it- a fried tomato ) I also burrowed into the Daily Telegraph.

In just a few minutes, I got a snap shot of the British Economy and view of the world:

In hard times, skinny ties are back in.

The Queen is rolling out the Red Carpet for an “informal visit” with President Obama this month. (The President is flying into Standsted, rather than Heathrow- it seems our LAST President brought the whole airport to a stop when he flew into London in June…gumming up the works with “extravagant” demands.)

Gordon Brown returns to the UK after his visit to the United States. No one here is impressed, despite his calls for a “Global New Deal” from President Obama.

The Bank of England is getting out it’s paper and magic markers to draw some new money (which, in reality, may turn out to be even more worthless than I’ve made it sound.)

23 Percent of Britons are saving nothing…the fall in interest rates have made it almost useless to put money in the bank…as there is very little to get in return.

Russia just passed a law making it a criminal offence to criticize Joseph Stalin’s conduct of World War 2.

British commuter trains are slower now than they were before the war. (“The” war here is WW2.)

Men are suffering more stress than women in these hard times.

The Princess Royal visited the British outpost of Gibraltar – this made the Spanish angry (the lost the “rock” by treaty in 1713.), but the people of Gibraltar defended their right to a visit from their Sovereign and her family…Rip and Read says: Hear! Hear!

Burning the History Books- The Right Wing and FDR

2009-03-01T21:50:00.005-05:00

In the past couple of days, I've been browsing my bookshelves, revisiting the New Deal.

It seemed important right now to go back and take a look at what happened, particularly since the Right wing in this country has been vigorously spreading the lies that FDR's New Deal, perhaps the most successful reform in history, was, in fact, a failure.

The purpose of this misinformation campaign is to trip up President Obama in his attempts to restore prosperity to the American people...and return this country to the right track.

The Right-Wingnuts have worked long and hard (Since Reagan's victory in 1980) to strip this country of the prosperity and protection put in place by FDR.

As I continue to read about this, I find that Chris Miller, who's blog, Smart Remarks, I discovered a couple of days ago has written a nice piece on this debate...I recommend it.

It can be found here: http://blog.smartmemes.com/2009/02/a-dose-of-history/

The Wingnut Gospel: Obama will Kill Small Business

2009-02-27T10:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Media Matters, published a great article entitled "Washington Post and New York Times let Boehner revive small business tax falsehood." I encourage you to read it.

Sometimes, however, even greater insight can be found in the comments than in the article which prompted them...here are some of my favorites...

From Nerzog:

I guess the Replutocrats think that if they keep repeating this lie, the Media will stop bothering to correct them..... oh, wait, it's already happened.

The Democrats need to take it upon themselves to publicly debunk this myth as often as it takes. As media savvy as they are, Obama's team doesn't seem to realize yet that the Replutocrats own the media, and they'll have to find alternative means to get the truth past all the bullsh*t.

I particularly like the term: RePLUTOcrats....and think I shall adopt it.

And here is another insightful comment, this one from Snoopy:

My experience these last few years is that tax cuts puts more operating capital into the owner's pocket who in turn uses that capital to outsource manufacturing to china and india, thus putting even more capital into his pocket. Who needs quality when you've got 3 billion potential customers who think transister radios are awesome technology!

A great discussion on corporate vs. personal taxes took place between neon desert and nerzog . Here's the take-home:

I was under the impression that incorporation legally segregated the individual from the business, thereby protecting personal property from liabilities incurred by the business.

That being the case, anyone making >$250k/yr from their small business who hasn't incorporated should be assessed a stoopidity surtax anyway.

You said it, buddy.

And last but not least, some great advice from Col. Harlan Sanders (no, probably not THAT one):

These are the questions I keep asking the conservatives on this issue. I'm just going to copy from a recent thread;

Do you own a business? If so, have you ever let an employee go, or decided not to hire a new employee because your taxes were raised?

Do you work for somebody else who has done these things?

Do you know anybody personally who has?

Friend of a friend?

anecdotal?

Fictitious right wing email claiming to?

An example , with the essential numbers in revenues/expenses that is feasible?

Cheney2012, to his credit, at least tried to fake a generic anecdotal answer;

"I have known several business owners over the years who have SHUT DOWN completely because of increases in taxes."

What I never get is a credible example. I've owned a small business, I've worked for small and large companies, and have never seen an employer eliminate or add a job because of taxes. It's part of the Wingnut Gospel, and is used as a given, a starting point for their arguments, something that happens all of the time, but something that I've never seen a real world example of.

I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just asking that anybody who wants to use this as a common occurence cite some reality-based example. Maybe some numbers, some specifics on the company, where were the revenues and expenses when this company decided it was better to pass up those profits than to pay taxes on them.

I've seen taxes used as an excuse by people who couldn't run a business, maybe that's the bottom line.

Great Discussion.

It isn't "YOU"-- It's "THEM" : John Boehner Defends the Wealthy

2009-02-27T08:19:00.008-05:00

Just remember this:

When a Republican says "You"- He (Or she) really means: "Them".

Yesterday, I heard House Minority Leader John Boehner declare, that "The era of big government is back and Democrats are asking you to pay for it".

YOU! YOU WILL PAY! YOU!

As I contemplate an uncertain world and the possibility of layoffs, these words would tend to strike fear into my heart...I AM GOING TO PAY? ME? I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY!

But then I remember- Obama's "Tax Hike" is aimed at those people who make A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR or MORE...I don't make anything CLOSE to a QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS a year...think of it, every 4 years, you earn a million dollars...nope, that's not "me"...

That is Not Me...and, what's more, that is not anybody I know... and I even know some people who are pretty comfortable with what they make...Doctors, Small Business Owners, etc.

So, when John Boehner points his finger straight at the camera (I heard him on the radio, so I'm imagining that part) and declaims in that big deep, stiff voice: YOU ARE GOING TO PAY!

You have to stop and ask yourself: YOU WHO?

And the answer comes back: The Wealthy.

Okay- well, that might still be bad. Don't the wealthy create jobs for the rest of us? Through their entrepreneurial energy, or at least through their mindless conspicuous consumption, don't they serve as the economic engine that takes us where we want to go?

Isn't it worth our while to appease them with Tax Cuts so that they continue to shower us with their largess?

My answer, is, of course: No.

Why not?

Simple: We are not getting our money's worth out of the rich.

It's a good theory, and very seductive (especially if you're rich...it's also quite flattering)...but it just hasn't proven to be the case.

There has been advancement, too be sure, and, until the current crises ripped the mask off, it was possible to say that a rising tide raised all boats.

But some boats rose much faster and further than others.

For most of the latter half of the 20th century, and the first 8 years of the 21st...the American people, and particularly the American Wealthy, have enjoyed some of the lowest tax rates in the world.

As a people, we have excused the wealthy from a large portion of their financial duty as citizens and, instead, have passed that debt on to ourselves in our old age, or to our children. We did this in the hopes that the wealthy will commit that money to stimulating the economy, providing jobs and raising the standard of living for us, their fellow citizens.

I would submit that this plan has not worked.

The Gap between the rich and the poor is growing, and the United States has "the highest inequality and poverty in the OECD after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000."

And, as Republicans have fought to save the "Estate Tax"- they have worked to ensure that this gap is passed on to the next generation. The odds are, now, that if you are born into the lower middle class, you will stay there...and if you were born wealthy, you will die that way.

What does that mean?

It means that a poor person would have to possess almost superhuman amounts of entrepreneurial energy (and experience rare good fortune) to raise themselves to a higher level. I'm not talking about common sense and hard work.. I'm talking about Genius, and we all know that the good Lord don't hand that out on anything like a regular basis.

It means that those who are born to wealth and power will have not earned it through hard work, or intellectual ability.

It means that the United States will, increasingly, be run by people who were born in to their positions without earning either experience or wisdom.

I would offer my opinion that this does not bode well for our democracy, OR our economic system. As evidence, I would offer the current banking crisis...this can certainly disabuse us of the notion that the wealthy are smarter about money than the rest of us.

By going along with this Republican plan, we, as a people, have paid a great price...and we are passing an even greater price of debt along to our children.

A few days ago, I wrote about how the Republicans used the cry of "TAXES BAD" to tempt us into this mess...

And now, to borrow a phrase from the man who set us on the path, Ronald Reagan, we can point to Mr. Boehner and say: "There you go again....."

We can't afford it this time.

So, if you are slightly panicked when you hear John Boehner say "YOU" just remember-- he isn't really talking about you. He's talking about "Them" and we've let them have enough. The experiment didn't work, and it's time to put this country, and ALL of us, back on the right track.

Nation Undead: The Do It Yourself Zombie Film

2009-02-26T14:15:00.008-05:00

(Note: Rip and Read would like to suggest that you play the accompanying You-Tube video while reading this post.)

My relationship with the Zombie Film is changing. I have to admit, I've never been a big fan...until recently. First, there was Shaun of the Dead, which is just a really funny, clever film. Then, the Johnathan Coulton song: RE: YOUR BRAINS- which I hope you are listening too right now as you read this...and last year, I watched the Vincent Price film Last Man on Earth for the first time.

I watched Last Man because I was bored, and it was free on-line, and I was very surprised when I found that images and voices from this film kept coming back to me, haunting me (if you'll pardon the pun). This was not because the plot, which has become pretty damn standard these days- deadly disease creates flesh eating (or blood drinking) monsters- people trapped inside fighting for their lives, etc. Nor was it due to the special effects- which are 1950s low budget awful.

Rather, it had to do with the way the story was told, and, in particular, the melancholy performance of the great Vincent Price in the title role. Price made his lonely, besieged character live, and, through his acting, drew me deep inside of the story.

Now, I've found another new wrinkle on this old story...Nation Undead. The difference this time, however, is that the story is being told by many different artists around the country. And anyone is free to submit a short film to the project. Depending on what part of the country you live in, you are invited to tell a specific chapter of the tale...all submissions are posted on the Nation Undead website, and, at the end of the project, the best submissions will be wrapped together in to the final nine part film...

It's a neat concept...but what's even more fun is watching how different filmmakers handle the story assignments. In each of the two short films I watched ("Sticks" and "Warren, Ohio") I was wrapped up, not in the horror of zombies...but more in the horror of watching people face a reality that is unfaceable... in one episode, a couple of twenty-something drifters deal with reality of a world in which everything stable has become unstuck...in the other, a man desperately tries to get medicine to cure his wife...these are Zombie stories, and yet, they could just as easily be stories about kids dealing with a world of economic upheaval or health care which is beyond reach. The situation is highly fictional, but the characters are very real, and thus fascinating.

I first heard about this project earlier this week from a friend of a friend who was involved. When I wrote back to him about how much I enjoyed viewing these films, and explained that is was the reality of the characters that had me glued to the screen.

He wrote back: "[that's] I am most interested in with the genre...the psychology of the event. The true horror is in survival."

Social Media as film-making....it's really, really neat concept, and I hope you'll Run, not Walk, to Nation Undead - pop some popcorn and enjoy watching a great movie unfold before your very eyes!

If readers are interested in learning more, I suggest a visit to New Hampshire Public Radio, which did a story on this. The link is here.

The Recession: A Battle Lost (revised)

2009-02-25T10:36:00.002-05:00

It is high time for the Democratic party to face a very unpleasant fact: We have lost the battle for the second half of the twentieth Century. It is high time for the American people to realize the cost of that defeat.

In the wake of the Great Crash of 1929, Americans swept Franklin Delano Roosevelt into the Oval Office. FDR proceeded to remake American society. He and the Democratic party constructed a new type of society, in which Americans were offered social security in their old age, the right to collectively bargain with their employers, and the right to participate in a market place regulated and made safer by the Government’s presence as traffic cop.

In effect, FDR smoothed the wrinkles of the free market…eliminating the lowest of lows, but also restricting access to the highest of highs.

The right wing never forgave him for it. For, although most Americans were now comfortable, there were, the right felt, restraints on them which prohibited them from reaching for unlimited wealth and power.

Grover Norquist, the Republican strategist who, with Newt Gingrich, drafted the Contract with America, famously said: "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” Republicans of his sort set the goal of cutting the federal government in half by 2025.

How was this reduction in size to be accomplished?

Given the fact that the American People had come to expect help with higher education, health care, workers compensation for injury, social security and a host of other helpful programs, Republicans were faced with a problem. How were they going to convince the majority of Americans to vote for policies which were not in their best interest?

Their answer, their Ace in the Hole, was Tax Cuts. Anyone who has ever been dismayed at reading his pay stub and noting the difference between his gross and net income likes the sound of those words “Tax Cuts”…that was easy to get people to rally behind.

And, since the hated programs and regulators were funded by taxes, Republicans knew that in the end, their goal of a weakened, rickety federal government was also within sight.

Today, as we contemplate the ruin of American society…as we see the American dream sliding out of reach for most Americans, we are forced to conclude that this strategy of “Starve-the-Beast” has worked.

We, as Democrats, have lost this battle. The radicals on the Right have succeeded in diminishing the power of the Government to serve as an instrument to help us build a more just society, and to more fully "provide for the General Welfare".

We have not yet lost the war, however. We may still work to rebuild Government so that it may continue to serve the ordinary people of this nation. The task, however, will not be a pleasant one. And, for Democrats, it will be exceedingly difficult as we find ourselves having to postpone addressing the genuine needs of certain of our fellow citizens as we tend to the business of rebuilding that engine by which we can help them in the long run.

But this is what we must do. Our inability to act quickly, and to provide help immediately, is the price we will have to pay for loosing this battle.

If, however, we continue to fight this action, we will loose the war itself...and that means we will never be able to redress grievances again. We must fall back, dig new lines, and fight to stop the Right wing march of debt, only after we have stopped them, can we then begin to regain lost ground and continue the task of building the shining city on the hill.

It will take many years to replace the safety nets for ordinary Americans which were strung between 1933 and 1981. Before we even begin, we will need to spend our money to get our government out of debt. There are hard times for the American people ahead, and we will need to grit our teeth and get to work if we are to dig ourselves out of the hole the Republicans talked us into.

The President's Speech: The Value of Communication

2009-02-25T09:48:00.003-05:00

From the very first moments of President Barack Hussein Obama's speech last night (which I watched this morning on the NYTimes website) I felt fortunate that we have this man as our president at this time.

One of the Republican talking points during the recent campaign was that eloquence is not action...but it has always been my belief that eloquence is the primary quality a leader must have...especially in troubling times. Without the ability to express ideas, not only clearly, but in a way which invites an emotional and energic positive response, a leader of a free people can do nothing.

The President, started his speech last night by saying that:

... while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken, though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.

The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don't lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and our universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more.

This is precisely the note of hope that the nation must keep top of mind, as we enter a period of reduced luxuries and harder work...and we must remember that, though our collective labors, we WILL return to prosperity.

The President also invited us to look back into our recent past, and realize that we are now reaping the bitter fruits of the crop we sowed - starting as long as twenty years ago. As a people, we chose not to break our addiction to forgiegn oil and cheep goods, and we turned to leaders who promised us easy answers:

The fact is our economy did not fall into decline overnight. Nor did all of our problems begin when the housing market collapsed or the stock market sank. We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy. Yet we import more oil today than ever before. The cost of health care eats up more and more of our savings each year, yet we keep delaying reform. Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy that too many of our schools do not prepare them for. And though all these challenges went unsolved, we still managed to spend more money and pile up more debt, both as individuals and through our government, than ever before.

In other words, we have lived through an era where too often short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election. A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. (Applause.) Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn't afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day.

Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here.

Now is the time to act boldly and wisely -- to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jumpstart job creation, re-start lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. That is what my economic agenda is designed to do, and that is what I'd like to talk to you about tonight.

Both the reminder that, as a Democracy and a people, we put ourselves in this place, and by inviting us to remember that, through our focus and hard work, we will raise ourselves out of it, President Obama is following in the great tradition of our best orators (who, not coincidentally, have been our best leaders) Kennedy, Churchill, and Franklin Roosevelt.

I, for one, was grateful to hear the speech.

The Recession: Rochester Town Hall Meeting

2009-02-24T11:10:00.001-05:00

On Thursday, February 19th, I attended a town-meeting of legislators and citizens to address Minnesota’s current budget crisis.

The meeting was packed. I had expected maybe 100 to 150 people. The total crowd size was more like 275 to 375. Olmsted County citizens overflowed the seats and stood in the wings and along the back row.

Bill Marx, Chief Fiscal Analyst for the Minnesota House, kicked off the meeting by presenting an overview of how the current budget crises occurred and ran through details of Governor Tim Pawlenty’s drastic budget cuts.

Then, as State Legislators (including the Speaker of the Minnesota House, Rochester Representatives Kim Norton and Tina Liebling, and State Senators Ann Lynch and Dave Senjem) listened, people from Rochester came to the Microphone to offer testimony about how the budget cuts would effect them.

A group of Attorneys who worked as public defenders complained that the judicial system was going to be cut. Aid workers to the disabled and parents of the disabled complained that their sources of support would be cut. Teachers complained that their colleagues were losing their jobs and that class sizes were grown as budgets were cut. Doctors complained that heath care was being cut. A college president complained that his budget was being cut. A small business owner complained that he has had to cut employees and might have to cut more if his taxes were increased to prevent more cuts.

In one of the bigger crowd pleasers, two bright, well dressed young members of a high school speech team complained that the budget for their TEAM was in danger of being cut…(“won’t somebody PLEASE think of the children”)

As I listened to this litany of complaints and cuts, my heart began to harden. “Don’t these people realize”, I muttered to myself, “that we are OUT OF FREAKIN’ MONEY?”

Of course I, as a citizen (not to mention as a Democrat, born and bred) don’t want to cut teachers, hurt small businesses, cut aid to the disabled or deprive some kids of their treasured speech class field trips…

One of the common problems with most of this “testimony”, in my opinion was a lack of ability on the part of the speakers to explain in cold heart numbers (and not just warm, humanistic fuzzy sentiment) how their work SAVED this Government of the People, by the People and for the People MONEY.

I felt a deep lack of understanding on the part of those testifying of the fact that Life Cannot Continue as Before. Changes will be made. They are not pleasant. That is the fact- there is, alas, no way around it.

Next to me stood a man I judged to be in his late sixties. Based soley on his dress and demeanor, I made a snap judgement that he was probably the type of Republican with whom I felt I had nothing in common.

He turned to me and said, “It all sounds like a lot of begging to me”.

I was somewhat dismayed to find that I agreed with him. Was I, the staunch Democrat, turning Republican?

But I realized, in the end, that no. I was just being realistic. As Democrats, we are now going to have to engage in some deep slicing- it will hurt, and it will run contrary to what we, in our hearts want for our fellow citizens and ourselves.

But, we must realize that the welfare of the nation as a whole is, at this time, of even greater importance than any one singe interest group, no matter how worthy.

Yes, as Democrats, we will, in all likelihood, have to begin doing things we would rather not do. No one, even those who are now suffering, will be spared additional suffering until we reach the other side of this crisis.

However, as one speaker pointed out, our job (especially as Democrats) is to ensure that “these cuts [shouldn’t and don’t] fall disproportionately on the backs of the poor.” Again, however, the key word is “disproportionately”- there will, I’m afraid, have to be cuts for all if we are to survive.

The rain, as the gospel of Matthew reminds us, falls upon the just and the unjust. And there will be pain in the future for all of us…the faster we suck up and deal with this fact, the sooner we will dig our way out, and once again have the resources to renew our mission to raise the standard of living and offer hope to all.

There is one other thing worth noting. In all of the testimony that I heard, only one speaker mentioned the importance of Volunteering. If we cannot, as a government, afford to provide professional caregivers to the disabled, can we not Give of our Time to help them ourselves? Can we not collect some change to help the speech class? Can some who are currently out of work not give of their time to function as teacher aides in oversized classrooms?

As a society, we are dealing with the pain of loss right now. However, we can not afford the luxury of denial, we must move forward if we are to heal.

The Recession: A Fable

2009-02-24T10:32:00.002-05:00

Imagine: A father returns home from his job. A driven man, he’s created a comfortable life for his family. His family is also driven, and has done many great things with the resources he has provided for them. His wife travels to Central America every year, at the families expense, to build housing for the poor. His son, still in high school, is working with an excellent and expensive private tutor to help ensure his chances of attending an Ivy League School. His daughter is progressing very nicely with the violin lessons she receives every week.

But today, that will all change. Today, the father has been laid-off from his job. The steady income of money upon which this edifice was built is gone. At first, nothing much changes for the family. Trips to Central America , lessons and training are all placed on the credit card, which, thankfully, still works. There is no serious decline in the family’s standard of living, either. A large screen TV is purchased for Christmas, the coffee every morning is still gourmet.

But eventually, holes begin to appear in the fabric of this family's life. The phone calls begin to come. The mortgage on the house is over-due….the father has not found a new job to replace the lost income. He calls a family meeting: We must cut back on our expenses, he says, or go under.

And the cries come. “But my charity work is important,” cries the mother, “I’ve actually saved people’s lives.” “I need my tutor so that I can get in to the best schools”, cries the son. “My music is important, I have to right to fulfill my full potential as an artist”, cries the daughter.

All of this is true…but, in the last analysis, there is no more money. It is all gone. There is nothing to be done. All of these great things that we were and are doing can no longer be done,” says the father. “Not only that, but we’ll probably see some changes here at home as well- we’ll probably have to move to a smaller house, and we’ll loose most of our electronic toys- TV’s, computers, pool table- they will soon be repossessed if we don’t find the money to pay for them.”

But the family stares at the father in incomprehension…they have never lived any other way, and it is beyond them to imagine a different way of life. They continue to use eloquent arguments to justify why their activities and their comforts are absolutely necessary and beneficial…

And outside, in the cold, the wolves gather.

Okay- that’s a bit melodramatic, but I think it is an apt description of the place in which the American people find themselves at the moment. If we are to survive, and eventually rebuild, it is now time to buckle down to work AND to face some hard choices.

As a people, however, I don’t think we’ve accepted that reality and I’m not sure how we can drive the point home to ourselves.

Michele Bachmann: Evil Incarnate, Just Plain Stupid, or All of the Above.

2009-02-18T08:23:00.003-05:00

No need to write much today...spend a few moments listening to the odd, bizarre, and just plain slimy inner monologue of Minnesota's Own Michele Bachmann.

Visit The Huffington Post to learn the shocking Truth:

WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF RICH PEOPLE!

PS- The really amazing thing is listening to the Republicans bitch about things that the Democrats are supposedly doing--- and looking back at the last 8 years (and then some) every crime these NUTS accuse the Donkey of contemplating, they have already have been able to do.

Staying Faithful to America

2009-01-24T08:45:00.005-05:00

This morning, I opened my email to find a message from a right wing correspondent. The message simply contained a link to an article entitled: Guantánamo detainee resurfaces in terrorist group.

I guess the implication is supposed to be: "See? Barack HUSSEIN Obama has only been in office for a few days and LOOK! He's turning all of his brother terrorists loose..." or something like that.

I have to say, however, that the article prompted me to think a little bit about what it means to be an American. Here's part of my email back:

I don't deny that most of these folks are VERY BAD MEN...

What bothers me about Gitmo is that a Free Country, like the United States, can lock up people who are NEITHER Prisoners of War- and thus protected by the Geneva Conventions, or CRIMINALS- thus protected by the U.S. Constitution.

Why is "protection" important? Do I really care about a bunch of grease-ball desert dwelling killers?

The answer is no, I don't give a damn.....If I just left it up to my personal feelings I would love to see them all fry in hell.

I could allow myself to say all the foulest things I sometimes feel about them...

But there are two good reasons why I try NOT to give into the hatred I often feel.

THE SELFISH REASON:

The first is, I admit, selfish: I know that if certain people on the far left came to power, they'd toss the likes of you, my conservative friend, in jail so fast it would make your head spin...

...I also know that that, if certain people on the FAR RIGHT came to power, I would wind up in an internment camp before I could say "My Country 'tis Of Thee".

The Men who wrote the Constitution knew this, as well; on almost every page of the Federalist Papers, they warn that human nature can be a wicked thing- and that our only hope of escaping the evil side of human nature is to bind it up in rules and regulations- to keep us from acting like the animals we are.

Because I would not want to be subject to the whims of others, with a right to due process of law, so too, I would extend that right to others...

Notice, I didn't say I would let them off the hook- what I said was I would FOLLOW THE RULES - before throwing them into prison...because I know that, in the long run, those RULES are there to protect ME not THEM.

THE OTHER REASON:

As I said before, if it were just up to me and my emotions, I'd love to see these people fry in hell. I am not a nice, or civilized guy at heart...If I didn't TRY really hard, I personally could find hatred in my heart for these people. If I gave into the emotions I felt on 9-11, I could easily vote to "Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out."

But while that is sometimes who I am, it's really not who I WANT to be.

And that is also my wish for my country... OTHER Nations can lock prisoners up without trial, because it's the easiest, and often the SAFEST way to do business....

but America needs to stand for something MORE than just safety and simplicity- don't you agree?

Ever since the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, we have aspired to be the "Shining City on the Hill"- first articulated by John Winthrop and alluded to by Americans as different as John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

If we wish to stay faithful to that dream, then we must hold ourselves to a HIGHER standard than the rest of the world. For other countries, their thinking can be limited to "self-interest"...but for the United States...we can only START at self interest....if we are to fulfill the dream to become a shining city on a hill, a place where Justice always Triumphs, where Hard Work is always rewarded, and where we are free to worship as we wish, study as we wish, think as we wish...then we must be better than average....

We've got to Catch the Bad Guys...AND we have to catch 'em fair and square.

I'm not sure that Gitmo has lived up to that standard. In some ways, I think this was one of George W. Bush's big mistakes...to treat these people, not as criminals, but as something like prisoners of war.

Because they are prisoners of war, and because the world EXPECTS more of us...because we ARE America...we have to live up to the Geneva Convention, etc.

IF we had treated these guys as common criminals, I think we could have brought them into our justice system, given them a fair trial and then, when the crime warranted, sent them to the gas chamber.

To me, that's part of the tragedy of Dick Cheney and co. The man got so frightened after 9/11 that he forgot that our country, and our freedom are greater and stronger than any scraggly band of thugs from the desert....

...in his panic, he chose to throw away the rules...which he should have HELD all the more tightly- for that is our best protection as Americans.

I know it's a case of "coulda, shoulda, woulda" but I have to wonder if, had we followed our own rules, and sent this creep to trail, would we be reading about his death by lethal injection today, rather than the fact that he is free to kill again.

Looking forward to your response....

Fairwell Peter Freyne

2009-01-07T10:47:00.002-05:00

There are some mornings, it just doesn't pay to look at the news. A visit to Vermont Business Magazine's website brought the sad news that Peter Freyne has passed away.

Others will write about Freyne's place as a Vermont journalist, but I will also remember Peter as a friend. I got a chance to act opposite him in Green Candle Theatre's production of "The Probable Pirandello's Wife" and was grateful for the chance to get to know the man behind the the reporter- at least a little bit. Since I played his alterego, I was lucky enough to wear the guy's trade-mark Irish Tweed coat in the production.

Burlington being the size it is, I often saw Peter on his bike, in the park, and, occassionally, working his beat. I always felt privilaged to be able to say "Hello Peter!" and get a "Hey, Alex!" in responce.

Fairwell, Mr. Freyne...you will be missed.

Obama's Moderately Fantastic New Year

2008-12-28T08:47:00.003-05:00

The Obama presidency is shaping up even better than hoped for at Rip and Read. Hillary Clinton at State, and many other DLC Democrats in the Cabinet, maybe the Daily Kos crowd will finally go off and form their own party. This is going to be an administration which will be inclined to remember BOTH parts of Theodore Roosevelt's dictum: It will remember that speaking softly is as important as caring the big stick...still, the stick will be used when necessary and that is comforting.
In addition, while we will see a recognition that it is the working and middle class which maintains America's success- and witness genuine attempts to help them, we will not see a government blind to the needs of business and commerce. And, it is my profound hope that we will see, before we attempt to continue with the much needed progressive work of the Democratic party, a serious attempt to restore the financial health of the nation...for if that fails, then no progressive measure we can take has a hope of success.

There is a good article at Politico on this subject

Fountain, Minnesota- Yes...I'm Going to Go There.

2008-11-20T23:52:00.003-05:00

A nail biting recount in the Minnesota Senate election, a slur on President-Elect Obama by Al Qaida's Number Two, and the pending nomination of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State (which is where Rip and Read always thought she should be)...and yet the most exciting story here is STILL Fountain, Minnesota.

As loyal readers (all four of you) will recall...Today Show Travel Host Peter Greenberg insulted the tiny town of Fountain by including it in his book "Don't Go There."

Rip-and-Read made some hay by imagining an "It's A Wonderful Life" style debate between Greenberg as mean old Mister Potter and George Baily sticking up for the small town. We also posited that, if Mr. Greenberg didn't mend his Elitist Big City Media Ways, that champion of "Real" America, Sarah Palin, would come and get him in 2012.

This didn't go over well with one reader. And, upon reflection, Rip-and-Read can't really blame them...after all, Fillmore County voted against Bush in 2004 as well as for Obama in 2008...so there was no need to bring the Dragon Lady into it other than the fact that I was, quite honestly, stuck for a closing.

But there was a bright ray of Sunshine in all of this. Yesterday, I got a really nice comment from Debra Richardson of the Fillmore County History Center. Debra was quoted in the original article which first caught my attention, and I reprint her comment here on the front page:

Alex,

This is Fountain's "Fillmore County History Center" Assistant Director, Debra, checking in with a comment. Viewing statistics for our website, I noted the incoming link from your blog.

Firstly, welcome to Minnesota. Secondly, I'd like to extend a welcome to Fillmore County and the village of Fountain, in particular.

We'd love for you to visit our museum. Over the past year, we’ve had 1500 people sign our guest book. Many are from the tri state area- but we’ve had visitors from all over the country- even from...Wasilla Alaska! And no, it was not Gov. Palin, though she would be most welcome. As would be any politician, travel writer, or radio advertising producer. Mr. Greenberg's brouhaha is not colored red or blue. History, sinkhole topography, and tourism are strictly non-partisan...and beyond borders. We’ve welcomed visitors from London, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Germany, and Liberia West Africa. It is frequently commented that our facility ranks up amongst the best museums in the country. Recently, an elder hostel group stopped in on a tour. One of the gentlemen took me aside to say that he’s been to all the renowned American museums and yet it was his opinion that the scope and condition of artifacts in our little museum in a tiny town on the Midwestern prairie shine amongst the best.

As to Mr. Greenberg, he obviously doesn't know a sinkhole from a hole in the ground. We'd love the opportunity to change his view, and viewpoint. Sinkholes are just one of those things you must experience firsthand to be able to comment intelligently upon.
As a natural formation, their very presence provides scientific data and research opportunities. As a unique part of southeast Minnesota's landscape, they're rich in history and lore.

Your “It's a Wonderful Life” clip voice over was clever. We have sinkholes; we also have a sense of humor. No offense taken. However, we do take offense to mistruths broadcast to the nation about our town and published by an author out to sell books, utilizing belittlement and controversy as a means to do so.

That said, we're expecting this sudden national exposure might be to our benefit. As a nonprofit, our limited operating budget doesn't allow the luxury of out-of-area advertising. We couldn't put ourselves on the map; therefore, in that respect we appreciate the backhanded shout-out from Mr. Greenberg.

On behalf of Fountain, Minnesota, I invite you to come visit us, Alex. There's a welcome mat, your choice of sinkholes, and small town hospitality awaiting your arrival.

Despite my cheap humor, Fountain had already managed to make my list of "Must Visit" places...I actually DO want to see the sink holes...and I also want to know more about the political history of this corner of Minnesota's First District.

But, now, after Debra's gracious comments- it's moved up near the top of the list...AND I'm bringing friends AND I hope that everybody who reads Mr. Greenberg's book decides to do the same.

So, once I come back with pictures- there will be (at least) one MORE report about Fountain and the history center.

Cheers!

A Fountain of Controversy- Fountain, Minnesota- that is

2008-11-19T09:13:00.010-05:00

A few days ago, Rip-and-Read posted about Fountain Minnesota and it's run-in with Today Show Travel Commentator Peter Greenberg.

Fountain, a tiny town of 343 people in South Eastern Minnesota, bills itself as "The Sink Hole Capitol of the World". Greenberg has included it in his book Don't Go There and joked on the Today Show about spelling mistakes in the town's brochure and quipped that children might fall into a sink hole while bike riding.

After a reading of the story, the first thing that popped into my head was an image of George Baily (of It's A Wonderful Life) delivering a Capra-esque diatribe on behalf of Fountain to Peter Greenburg, whom I mentally cast in the role of mean old Mr. Potter.

It amused me, and so I ran with it. In the end, my sympathies are with Fountain, after all, this is a tiny little town that has one claim to fame, is by all reports a pretty nice little locale, and there is no reason for a big city commentator to go trashing the place.

It also put me in mind of the Red State/Blue State theory of America, in which "The Heartland" of small towns is in conflict with the Big Cities and Sophisticates of the Coasts. So, adopting (with what I hoped was obvious sarcasm) the tone of a Right-Wingnut commentator, I pictured small towns across America rallying behind a resurgent Sarah Palin for revenge.

I have to admit that I found the whole story kind of funny and didn't feel that there were any serious issues at stake. After all, in one corner, you have a town which bills itself as the Sink Hole Capitol of the World, and, in the other corner, you have Peter Greenberg shamelessly plugging his book; which, as Greg Sellnow in the Rochester Post Bulletin points out relies on 40 year old Cleveland jokes for humor- so how good can this tome be?

Not to mention that fact, that, after a nail bitter of an election, I needed something light to write about, and this seemed like appropriately light fare- a travel writer vs. a sink hole...

This story seemed harmless.

WRONG...

This story is still making waves here in South Eastern Minnesota, and the Post Bulletin ran another opinion piece about Fountain/Greenburg Feud today.. In his piece, Greg Sellnow, takes great pains to describe Fountain as:

... a pretty, quaint community. The Root River Trail bike path runs through town. Its main street includes one of the area's last surviving small-town groceries, "Willie's Meat and Groceries."

Greenberg is taken to task for giving the place an "undeserved poke in the ribs".

Here at Rip-and-Read, one anonymous commentator has left no doubt that they were not amused by our take, and they share their opinion that we at Rip-and-Read were guilty of "bigotry" and a "cheap shot"...

The comments attached to Sellnow's Post-Bulletin piece are in the same vein:

"Shame on you Mr. Greenberg...
I thought how uninformed he must be and how stupid he must think everyone must be."

The story, at least around here, has struck a nerve. People have been leaping to the defense not just of Fountain, but also Cleveland, Galveston and, yes, Tracy B and Friend Russell: The CORN PALACE...all places skewered by Peter Greenberg in his book.

...so my question is: what nerve has been struck. And what does it mean, if anything, in a Blue State/Red State Dynamic..? Are we looking at the symptom of something serious here after all?

Comments are always welcome.

Greenberg's book is called "Don't Go There." The original article in the Post-Bulletin was by Laura Gossman and is here.

Reagan's Farewell

2008-11-16T10:16:00.006-05:00

Everyday that goes by brings us closer to the end of eight LONG years of the George W. Bush Presidency. Rip-and-Read couldn't be happier as we look forward to Mr. Bush's farewell address.

Today, I happened to stumble across another Presidential farewell on You-Tube. Ronald Reagan is definitely NOT one of Rip-and-Read's favorite Presidents. In my opinion, Mr. Reagan is the DIRECT political ancestor of George W. Bush, and their family tree stretches back to include the lassiez-faire capitalism which contributed to the great depression.

Following both the Reagan and G.W.Bush administrations, the nation has been left more deeply in debt, and struggling under a financial crisis and a massive burden on back of the middle class taxpayer to bailout those at the top of the economic heap. {For Reagan, it was the $105 billion dollar cost to fix the Savings & Loan Industry- while, for the source of America's current economic woes, visit any paper of your choice.)

Also, both men encouraged a spirit of jingoism in this country- often playing to the darker devils of our spirits than to the better angels of our nature.

Still, no one can deny that Reagan had style and a real mastery of communication. The fact that the spirit of his deeds did not always match the spirit of his words does not obscure the fact that the words were often pretty good.

And so, I found myself listening to Reagan's farewell speech. My vision of what capitalism is, and how it should be managed by the American people is different that his - but with his most basic, bedrock vision of what America should be, I couldn't agree more...and in his exhortation to teach our children not only what is wrong with America, but, more importantly, what is RIGHT in America- I wholeheartedly concur.

Because, in the end, if you don't firmly believe that your nation is, at it's best, a shining city on a hill, then you have no reason to keep fighting to make her all she should be.

Here's Mr. Reagan's address:

The Today Show vs. Fountain, Minnesota: Land of 10,000 Sink Holes and 343 people

2008-11-15T11:15:00.008-05:00

Fountain, Minnesota, which is about 30 miles south of Rip-and-Read's new home, bills itself as "The Sink Hole Capital of America". With only 343 residents, the sink holes are just about all they have. Sadly Rip-and-Read has just learned of a dastardly move by the venal Eastern Elite Establishment to take even this title away from poor Fountain...leaving them with nothing but holes.

According to the Rochester Post Bulletin, Today Show Travel Host Peter Greenburg totally dumped on the little town and it's 343 residents by including their attraction in his book, "Don't Go There", and then waxing funny about it on the morning news.

Mostly notably, Greenburg seized on the fact that the word "Capital" was misspelled in the town's tourist brochure. Of course, there are very few things guaranteed to tick Rip-and-Read off faster than a spelling purist. There is a misconception that Good Spelling equals High Intelligence, when, in fact, it is no more than a signal of Petty Pedantry. If bad spelling was good enough for our Founding Fathers, then it is Good Enough for us...and should be more than Adequate for an elitist like this Greenburg fellow.

According to the article, no one is sure if Greenburg actually managed to visit the "Sink Hole Capital of the World." The Post Bulletin's Laura Gossman interviewed Debra Richardson of the Fillmore County History Center:

Richardson said she'd like to invite Greenburg to stop and visit the town.

"We could take him out to a sinkhole and let him know they aren't a danger to children in the area," Richardson said. "Many kids are fascinated by sinkholes and are eager to learn more about the formations."

Rip-and-Read is sure that this is true...who wouldn't want to spend a day, perhaps even a week, looking at, thinking about, and maybe falling into, a sink hole: nature's playground? Any Red Blooded American Tourist would be Proud to include this stop on their itinerary; Afterward, they would display photos prominently in the digital picture frame bought from Walmart to commemorate the experiance.

After thinking about Peter Greenburg's snide comments (which I admit I've neither heard nor read) I couldn't help but see this as a big city swipe at small town life. I wondered just what that great defender of Small Town American Values, George Bailey of It's A Wonderful Life would have said. I imagine something like this:

In the end, this just tells us that the results of the recent election have gone to the heads of the Big City Elite Media...and they think they can return to their old ways of disparaging the citizens of tiny little God-Fearing, Sink Hole Havin' burgs like Fountain.

Well, I would like to remind Greenburg and his cohorts that Sarah Palin, that great champion of the Real American, will be back- with a plumber AND a six-pack, and that this time: IT'S PERSONAL...

In Which Slingbacks and Syrup Gets Noticed, Russell Dreher Keeps Moving, and Rip-and-Read uses the Royal We a Lot

2008-11-12T15:14:00.006-05:00

It was never part of our plan at Rip and Read to be interviewed for a documentary film...and it was certainly never part of our wildest dreams that we would get our first IMDB Movie credit for playing ourselves in a documentary about Vermont Drag Queens...but sometimes, that is the way fame finds us- unprepared and in the tub.

Actually, the really sad part is that We've not even had a chance to see the movie yet.

We have, however, watched friend Russell Dreher sweat bullets over it's creation and marketing these past few years, we've dropped a nugget or two of useless publicity advice when asked, and we've been amazed at the Herculean efforts of friend Russell to get his film shot, produced, and now marketed. It's been great.

Slingbacks and Syrup tells the story of Vermont's own Drag Troupe "The House of LeMay" and illustrates the impact these unlikely heroes (or, is that heroines?) have had on their community. As a member of said community who would do just as well as any other, it was our privilege to be interviewed for the film.

Just this fall, Slingbacks and Syrup had a very successful premier at the Burlington Film Festival, where it was one of the best attended entries.

Now, Seven Days, Vermont's arts and news weekly newspaper, has run a feature on one of the stars, Bob Bolyard...but Russell gets a great plug in the article as well:

The “LeMay half” of Bolyard’s alliance with Hayes, McLaughlin and the others recently got a new shot of publicity. Slingbacks and Syrup, a documentary on the history of the LeMay phenomenon, premiered at October’s Vermont International Film Festival. For director Russell Dreher, who commuted from New York to film LeMay events and conduct interviews, it was a hefty labor of love. Dreher financed the film himself, and during the editing process, he lost his job and was diagnosed with cancer.

Dreher eventually emerged with a clean bill of health and a finished film, which is currently for sale on the LeMays’ website. He says other festivals have shown interest, including one in Canada that he prefers not to name yet.

Way to go, Russell (and hats off to Bob, Mike and the House of LeMay too). We at Rip and Read are proud of you.

Oh, yeah, I can hear you asking now- where can I buy a copy of this? Well, right here: of course! https://www.createspace.com/254167

Franken vs Coleman: Down to 204

2008-11-10T20:54:00.002-05:00

The gap continues to shrink in the nation's hottest Senate Race, and, Norm Coleman continues to drop in my estimation. Over the weekend, the Coleman campaign filed a "sneak attack" motion on a Saturday-- giving the Press and The Democrats almost no time to respond. Again, I came prepared to disagree but respect Norm Coleman-- it's not taking long, however, to get the full measure of the man.

More local media from KAALtv.com on the race.

Tough, Tough Times Ahead, It Seems

2008-11-08T08:13:00.003-05:00

The New York Time's headline today says it all: "Jobless Rate Highest in 14 Years". America has lost 1.2 million jobs this year, and 6.5 percent of people are looking for work.

Likely to prolong this period of pain is the fact that the banks who survived the free for all of lending, are now cutting way, way back on the credit they are giving. On a larger scale, this is part of what happened during the 1930s, and one of the reasons why it took us so long (over a decade) to recover completely from the effects of the Crash.

Still, it is worth noting, in an age when the media has become more alarmist than the nut on the street with the "The World Will End Tomorrow" sign that the unemployment rate during the Depression was almost 25% - despite media claims, this is NOT the greatest crisis since the depression, and that is worth remembering.

For Minnesota It is Not Over: We head into a Recount.

2008-11-06T12:57:00.000-05:00

Here in Minnesota, voter turn out was the highest in the nation. Almost 3 million voters went to the polls yesterday. Norm Coleman, the incumbent Republican currently looks like he has held on to his seat by a mere 475 votes. The race automatically heads into a recount.

The Rochester Post Bulletin reports that the recount will cost the tax-payers of Minnesota some $90,000. Coleman,who recently became a target in a civil suit which alleges that some of his supporters pressured fellow business people to funnel cash to the Senator's wife's company, with the express purpose of enriching the GOP incumbent, claims that if it were him, he would "step back" from a recount and let the results stand.

......really? I mean, seriously, Norm...REALLY?

Norm, are you really telling me that you would take all the people who supported you, who gave money (legally) and who knocked on doors for you and throw them right under the bus by "stepping back" in the face of what looks like less that 500 votes...out of 3 million?

I don't know you but is that really the kind of guy you are? If I were a Republican, and you spat in the face of MY hard work and financial contribution that way, I would never forgive you.

If you "stepped back" - it would not be noble. It would be an act of cowardice and a betrayal of those thousands - no, hundreds of thousands- of people who believed in you and went to the polls to make their voice heard on your behalf.

Yes- $90,000 dollars is a lot of money, it is more than many Minnesotans make in a year (most definitely including yours truly), but the idea that $90,000 is "wasted" on a recount is absolute bunk.

When it comes to ensuring that the voice of the people is truly heard, $90,000 is a minuscule amount...a bargain really.

You should be ashamed of yourself for suggesting otherwise. I hate to throw the "U" word around, as Michele Bachmann does, but it's almost....UNAmerican of you.

Update: "The Senator is has Reported Every Gift He's Ever Received"

I'm still playing catch up with Minnesota Politics. After hearing Franken speak, it was easy to decide that I was FOR him-- but now that I'm getting to know Norm Coleman and his outfit a little better I...well, wow- can we say: AGAINST?

In my efforts to keep learning, I'm seeking out more Minnesota Blogs. Here's what I found over at MNBlue in a diary by "The Big E"...

In a related scandal to the one above, Norm Coleman has been accused of taking gifts of expensive clothing from wealthy supporters.

So, his campaign manager was asked by the Minnesota Press Corps: Did He? Or Didn't He.

Watch this You-Tube video from the press conference as Coleman's campaign manager Cullen Sheehan does the best stonewalling act since the Nixon Whitehouse.

Holy Cow? Are these people for real? This is such a simple question, guys. If you're honest: Answer.

In Which We Reach the End & A New Beginning: Election Day, 2008.

2008-11-05T10:37:00.011-05:00

Election Day 2008 is history, and WOW! What History it is! An awe-inspiring milestone for our country. Throughout this election, I haven't given too much thought about the role of race except when it became a campaign issue. Personally, I would have voted for Barack Obama if he had been purple with bright yellow spots....he was the right person at the right time.

But as I sit here this morning, still trying to take it all in- I am amazed to think that the day has come when part of Martin Luther King's Dream has come true. Yesterday, the nation as a whole overwhelmingly judged a man based on the content of his character, rather than the color of his skin.

ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH

It was back to DFL Volunteer Headquarters yesterday for one last day of door knocking. Minnesota has same-day registration so there is a potential set of would be voters who may not have made up their minds even yet to vote. The Olmsted County Democratic-Farmer-Labor party was out in force yesterday to persuade them.

In the mid-afternoon, I found myself in Stewartville...about nine miles outside of Rochester. This little town is evocative of hundreds of small towns across the nation...in some ways, it seemed there was no more appropriate place to be yesterday than right in the heartland of the country.

My partner for the day, Diane and I kept working on into the evening. The polls didn't close until 8pm- so if there was a chance we could get one more person out to vote for Obama, Franken, and Walz- it was worth knocking.

And there were a few great moments. In Stewartville, I met a woman coming toward me talking on her cell phone: "Sir?" She said to me, "who are you campaigning for?"

"I'm out for Obama, Al Franken, and Tim Walz- DFL!" I said.

She spoke back into her phone: "Yeah, that's what he said. Walz and Franken. Yeah...I thought I was seeing double. No. No. He's out here right now."

She put the phone to her palm and spoke to me again: "My girl-friend is a Republican. They quit yesterday." She seemed hurt. Almost as if I were cheating or something. I have to admit, I hadn't had a chance to speak with any undecided voters, but it felt good just to be out- keeping the pressure on.

"Well, it ain't over till it's over. So, we're still out today. Good Luck!"

I also met a woman who had voted already. She took great pleasure in telling me about her brother-in-law. A life long Republican, he finally soured on George W. Bush and told his sister-in-law that he had become a "Gopher" (spelled: GOPer)- meaning, a FORMER Republican. I met quite a few voters who had changed party's (at least this once) because of George W. Bush.

In the end, every single person I talked to HAD voted...and Minnesota seems to have kept it's title as the state with the highest voter turnout in the nation. Reports are that 3 million of 3.7 million eligible voters went to the polls yesterday.

When we returned to volunteer headquarters...the place had been cleaned up top to bottom-- it was amazing to think that, a few hours ago, this room had been full of food, coffee, fellowship, energy and a drive to work for this country. Now, the remaining staff and volunteers were sitting in a tired circle...allowing their batteries to recharge a bit before heading over to the Marriott and what we all hoped would be a victory party.

Endgame

And in the end...well...you know how it ended. What an amazing day for the United States of America and for our friends and allies around the world. I met so many people in England who had great regard and affection for America, but who had wondered for the last eight years what had happened to their old friends and who passionately pinned their hopes on this race. One young British lady said she literally wept for joy this morning.

This may not be a popular sentiment among all Democrats, but John McCain's speech last night was, as one person wrote on a friend's facebook page: a class act. He reached out and found what was best in America and her people. His speech reminds us that this man has been an amazing public servant and who has given so much to his country. One of the benefits of our Democratic Victory will be a chance re-express our admiration for this great American.

The hard work will begin today. We, as American's have just completed a tough and often bitter contest. I am reminded of Winston Churchill's guidelines for waging war and peace. He said: "In war, resolution; in defeat, defiance; in victory, magnanimity; in peace, good will."

In the past, when an election has ended we have not always found ways to achieve both Magnanimity and Good Will- for the sake of our country, I profoundly hope we can do it now.

Here in Minnesota, we've had some mixed results. Al Franken was trailing Norm Coleman by a mere 800 Votes as of this morning out of 3,000,000 votes cast, that is a razor thin margin. And there will be a recount.

In the sixth district, Michele Bachmann, who first drew fire by pawing George W. Bush during his State of the Union Address in 2007, and who again insulted all of America by declaring that people who didn't agree with her radical right views were somehow UnAmerican, managed to hang on to her seat despite heroic efforts on the part of the DFL to do the nation a great service and send her into political exile.

But here in Minnesota's first district, Tim Walz won handily and will return to Congress. I spoke with fellow blogger Jennifer who remembers that, when she first volunteered for the Olmsted County DFL, their offices were in an empty garage...and a grant from the state headquarters of $75 for a phone line was a huge deal. Tonight, as we gathered in the big beautiful ballroom of the Marriott, I could only take my hat off in respect to these people who have fought so hard and who have made a huge difference to their community.

As for President-Elect Obama- words all but fail me. Comments from friends have been pouring in and popping like celebratory fireworks...I'm tired, amazed, relieved, and happy. And I am so proud of the United States today.

May God Bless the United State and All Her People

WOW!

2008-11-05T01:25:00.003-05:00

WOW! It's still slowly sinking in....wow.

Wow. I can't believe it. Wow!

I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud of us all. Hat's off to John McCain. His speech tonight was a class act, all the way.

Yes, we can.

God Bless America!

Obama Has Nailed It (We Sincerely Hope): Further Adventures on the Campaign Trail

2008-11-03T21:31:00.017-05:00

Well, it was back to Olmsted County Democratic Farmer Labor party headquarters for another day of Get Out the Vote.

Part One: A Tough Race

It's an exciting race.

Al Franken is neck and neck with Republican Norm Coleman. This has been an incredibly negative race in Minnesota. In the past, Al Franken has been both a comedian and an unabashed partisan writer and talk show host...there are those here who seem to be having a hard time seeing past that.

And yet, Minnesota is facing a looming unemployment crisis. A quick search of the Rochester Post Bulletin's website reveals more than one story on this topic. Not only are laid-off workers facing a tough job market here in the state, but the problem is hitting many different types of jobs and tiers of employment. This is a time for action and change. Barack Obama does not need to face more opposition in the U.S. Senate as he tries to bring that change.

Now, Norm Coleman has been dragged into a dirty Texas Lawsuit in which one Republican businessman in the Lone Star State accuses a Norm Coleman Supporter of pressuring him to make payments to companies with ties to Coleman and his family.

The truth will not be known for a while, but rather than confirm or deny the substance of the allegations, Coleman immediately blamed FRANKEN for the mess he was in....although the Franken campaign denies even knowing about the suit until it hit the papers, and Coleman couldn't come up with any evidence to prove that Franken or his campaign was involved.

I'm fairly new here in Minnesota, but frankly, that's about all I needed to know about Norm Coleman...this sounds like it's right from the Karl Rove "Bait and Switch" playbook....when your hands are dirty, wipe them on someone else.

The big question now is: While Minnesota have time to see through Norm Coleman?

Part Two: DFL HEADQUARTERS Just like Family

So, full of righteous indignation about the perfidy of Republicans when cornered, I made my way back to DFL headquarters to knock on more doors for Obama, Franken, and Tim Waltz.

Let me tell you, these folks here in Minnesota know how to do things right! When I entered, I was checked in by Jennifer- who has the best Obama campaign regalia anywhere. She's even painted her fingernails for change! It's awesome!

I learned that Jennifer is a fellow blogger. Her's is entitled: "Everyone is Entitled to My Opinion." Let's hope that tomorrow the rest of the country agrees with her on that!

Next, Tim Walz- former National Guardsman, High School Teacher, Football Coach and now Congressman from the 1st District- arrived with his wife, Gwen, (not pictured) and gave another great speech from the hip. Gwen is a terrific speaker in her own right, and took the opportunity to inspire the crowd with a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr: "The Moral Arc of the Universe is long but it bends toward Justice." Good words to inspire us as we hit the streets.

After, as Walz passed through the crowd, I got the chance to tell him how impressed I'd become with his campaign in such a short time. When I mentioned I'd recently moved from Vermont, he immediately responded with: "Peter Welch! Great, great guy. Good congressman." Felt good to hear.

My experience going door to door was much the same as it was the first day...although I am getting more comfortable doing it. Many people are concerned by the direction the country has been heading in, and are looking for a chance to vote for something better.

And again, the fall weather is warm and beautiful...color still clinging to the trees and the geese flocking overhead.

And finally, back to campaign headquarters, where Mary, Carolyn and the rest of the kitchen volunteers have spent the day whipping up chili, grilled cheese sandwiches as thick as your thumb, and a host of other goodies to reward a worker for a good day's work.... I'm doing a lot of walking, but at this rate, I don't think I'm going to loose any weight.

As I arrived home, tired, but ready for one last push tomorrow my wife greeted me at the door, took one look at the campaign stickers all over my shirt and said: "Hello Honey! You look like the Back Bumper of a Car!"

Well, she has a point.

Good luck to us all Tuesday.

Hey! I Know That Guy! Burlington Free Press Profiles Neil Jensen

2008-11-03T10:40:00.007-05:00

The Burlington Free Press ran a profile of Neil Jensen on November 1st. Neil was one of the first Vermonters to organize for Barack Obama. I have been privileged to work with Neil Jensen on Philip Baruth's Jim Douglas Trilogy for Audio Dream Theater. In fact, it was Neil, along with Philip who encouraged this blogger to first look seriously at Barack Obama... I didn't take me long to like what I saw.

In addition to being a first class voice for change in Vermont, the Free Press article neglected to mention that Neil also does first class Voices. His imitation of Obama is damn good. His Henry Kissinger is spot on. And he does Al Gore's voice better than Al Gore does.

Read Sam Hemingway's article, Monkton Man Called It Early, over at the Free Press: Here.

**********
And speaking of Vermont Daily Briefing and Philip Baruth....thanks for the hat tip, Philip! VDB posted some additional pics from the Al Franken for Senate Rally I attended the other morning...AND Philip rightly points out that, when it comes to photographic ability....I have a good eye for radio!

Thanks----- My Friends....

**********

Gotta go now...out to knock on more doors for Franken and Obama today.

VOTE TOMORROW!

Dinner Near Norm, Pancakes With Al: Pass the Syrup Please!

2008-11-02T11:48:00.006-05:00

Well, I've been sitting on the English sidelines for the last year- watching American politics from afar, but Minnesota sure has been doing her best to make up for it these last few days.

About two weeks ago, Bobbi and I went out to dinner with my sister-in-law and my "brother-in-law" (he isn't yet, but this is a subtle campaign) to the St. Paul Hotel for a very good, and very expensive, dinner.

Well, we look over at the next table, and who should be enjoying a post-senate debate meal, but Norm Coleman- the GOP incumbent - fresh from fighting for his political life against Al Franken. If you click on the photo below, Norm is just visible in the background.

A few days later, as I've already described, I get to have breakfast at a campaign rally with Al Franken....

I have to admit, the steak is good at the St. Paul Hotel, but in this case, I MUCH preferred the pancakes.

Violating Sarah Palin's Rights: "So Dumb It Hurts"

2008-11-01T13:36:00.005-04:00

Not much time to blog today, out to knock on doors again. But I just had to throw up a link to this: Sarah Palin is claiming that, by criticizing her campaign rhetoric, the media is violating her first amendment rights.

Read Glenn Greenwald on Salon to get the full story...he also takes a slap at liberal columnist Maureen Dowd who equally deserves it.

The stand out quote is as follows:

The First Amendment is actually not that complicated. It can be read from start to finish in about 10 seconds. It bars the Government from abridging free speech rights. It doesn't have anything to do with whether you're free to say things without being criticized, or whether you can comment on blogs without being edited, or whether people can bar you from their private planes because they don't like what you've said.

People have the right to say whatever they want. But when they tell lies, or stick their Uggs in their Mugs...other people have the right to point it out. If they tell lies, they suffer the consiquences. Sarah must have been out at a pageant rehearsal during that social studies class. Read the piece...please!

Minnesota Nice: Rip and Read's Introduction to Minnesota Politics .

2008-10-31T08:24:00.029-04:00

Following trails laid down by other pioneers, my wife and I arrived in Minnesota in early September. For the last year, we've been in London, England, while my wife completed training for her new job...it was a great experience with only one draw back: I've largely had to sit out the most exciting election of my life...watching, like our British friends, helplessly from the sidelines.

Back in the U.S. we've had to attend to the myriad of details associated with moving, house-hunting, and, for me, setting up a new branch of my business. So, I've had a few excuses NOT to rush right out and volunteer.

But I suppose, the truth was, I was a bit shy, too. I mean, all but a fraction of my adult life has been spent in the State of Vermont...I know who's who, or at least, I know who to ask about who's who.

But I just fell onto Minnesota's doorstep like the morning paper, and while I wanted to volunteer- I had a pretty sharp learning curve to face about the people, the positions, and the political history of this state.

Yesterday morning, however, I finally dived in head first. Al Franken (yes, that Al Franken)is the candidate for U.S. Senate here this year. He, and Tim Walz, who is now, and will be again, I hope, my Congressman from Minnesota's 1st District, were touring the county as part of their last minute efforts to get out the Vote.

So, yesterday, it was up early for a pancake breakfast with fellow Democrats and my first chance to meet and hear some of the people I was considering voting for.

And that was it, that was all I planned to do: Listen to some speeches and eat a couple of free pancakes.

***********

But after all those years of listening to Garrison Keillor on Vermont Public Radio, I should have remembered that nobody in Minnesota gets stuff for free-- the good folks from Lake Wobegon's sister towns are happy to help- but you've got to be willing to show you can WORK!

Work, as it turned out, was pretty much the keynote of all the speeches and the day.

I arrived at the breakfast and was greeted with a warm smile and a sign-up sheet. Fair enough, I thought, I'll sign up to stuff a few envelopes, maybe make a few phone calls...no door knocking, however, I'm just a little to shy to go pounding on the doors of strangers and asking them to vote. I'll start in two days, that'll give me time to get used to the idea.

I was welcomed to a table by Jonathan and Dave. These two were great and very willing to answer my questions about Minnesota politics and help me start filling in the gaps of my local knowledge.

The first thing they were careful to remind me of was that, in Minnesota, I was not a member of the Democratic Party, but of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Back in the 1940s, the two progressive political parties, Democrat and Farmer-Labor, merged to better take on Republicans. "And some of the old timers can still get pretty touchy if you leave off the 'Farmer-Labor' part", warned Jonathan. Good advice.

Because Franken is a national figure, I already felt comfortable offering him my vote ...but what about Tim Walz? I've not heard of him, yet...who is he?

So Jonathan told me his story. Walz spent 24 years in the National Guard and was a High School Social Studies teacher and Football coach in Mankato when he decided to run for Congress. The district has historically trended Republican, and was represented by the GOP for 12 years.

After watching Tim Walz speak, it was easy to see how he'd defeated a twelve year Republican Incumbant. A big guy, with a passing resemblance to General Norman Schwarzkopf, he knows how to hold a room...and his message was about work and it's value. After talking about valuing and helping Americans who work, and who are in trouble following the Bush years, Walz reminded us that it was time for Democrats to work now as well.

And, he reminded us of the rewards of work: "When you wake up on November 5th, you are going to realize that, over the next 5 days, the work that you do has transformed the world. That's an absolutely incredible feeling."

Next, it was Al Franken's turn. Franken arrived in the room to great applause and immediately went to work manning the griddle to cook pancakes for volunteers still in line. When he got up to speak, he also focused on the subject of work.

"Washington has not been working for Minnesota's working families. There are 400,040 Minnesotans who do not have health insurance. We have had 20,000 homes in this state foreclosed upon in the last year. And every Minnesota Homeowner has seen their home equity dissipate or disappear. There are 170,000 Minnesotans who are looking for jobs that they can't find. The highest unemployment rate in over 20 years. And now, with this financial meltdown in Wall Street, our savings, our jobs, our kids's future is at risk.

"But...Paul Wellstone said: The Future belongs to those who are Passionate and Work Hard. And I am so passionate about going to Washington and to work for the working families of this state and the middle class families of this state... Now, if we are to take back Paul's seat...if we are going to give Barak Obama the 60 Democratic Senators who share his values that he needs to bring the change to Washington that WE need...then we are going to have to work for the next 5 days...because this is the year we take our country back!"

It was a great speech and a rousing morning. I was firmly ready to volunteer...starting Saturday.

There was only one problem...I'd filled out my volunteer form, but forgot to make a note for myself of the dates and times for which I'd signed up. "No problem" said the staff. "They've got 'em across the way at DFL headquarters...you can look it up there."

And THAT is how they got me to pay for my pancakes!

The next thing I know, I'm sitting in a car with Anne, a nurse here in town, who was also fairly new to political volunteering. ( "But this was the year to do it!" she said.) We'd been loaded up to the gills with an armload of campaign literature and a list of about 140 registered voters and a push out the door!

And you know what...it wasn't that bad at all! It was a gorgeous day here in Southern Minnesota, and although there were a few folks who just flat out wouldn't talk, many more were at least open to a visit (although they can't wait for this election to be over), and a others were downright enthusiastic about the opportunity to vote for real change.

I got a chance to get to know about 14 square blocks of Rochester Minnesota neighborhoods in one afternoon. I got to talk to a 90 year old retired mechanic and WW2 vet who couldn't wait for Tuesday and his chance to vote for Barack Obama. I also met a young guy who, despite my having awoken him (he worked the night shift), was also ready to vote down the DFL ticket because we needed a change. And I got a chance to hear what my new neighbors were thinking.

I also got enjoy the fall weather and to get to know Anne, who, in addition to being a nurse, is working hard to get her musical act off the ground as well. They call themselves Brother Music, Sister Rhythm- and I'm looking forward to a chance to hear them play soon.

But probably the best moment of the day came after I'd finished my volunteer duties. After 5 hours on my feet, I realized that those two pancakes had LOOOOOONG since worn off. So, before walking the last 15 blocks to my apartment, I stopped at McDonald's. Behind the counter, a young girl looked shyly at my pin. "Are you voting for Obama?" She asked. "I sure am," I replied, "are you a voter?" "Yes I am," she answered, "this will be my first time. Do you know where I can get a pin like that?"

I thought for a moment. My pin was a gift from my good friends Steve and Kate, who had gone out of their way to get it for me after I'd lost my Obama lapel pin in London. But only for a moment.

"I sure do." I said, taking the button from my jacket. Her eyes lit up. Perhaps it doesn't matter much, but she was African American...and I couldn't help wondering if, as much as this election meant to me, if it mean even more to her. She smiled. "Oooh. Thank you!" she said. "Just make sure you remember to vote on Tuesday!" "Oh, I'm voting." She said.

I hope Steve and Kate don't mind, but I think that was where that pin was meant to be.

They have a term here in Minnesota- people are: "Minnesota Nice". And although they may occasionally employ it with a touch of self-deprecating humor (there is, after all, the concept of too much of a good thing!) they never use it with irony. Minnesota Nice. After a day on the streets, talking with total strangers about a subject many find stressful, I couldn't agree more...it's true. They are nice here.

Be careful, I may be knocking on your door next!

Sarah Palin and her Boosters The Geeks and the Beauty Queen

2008-10-28T11:25:00.004-04:00

So where the hell did Sarah Palin come from, anyway? Like most casual observers of politics, I'd never heard of her until this summer...or if I had, I quickly forgot all about it.

Today's Washington Post has a great piece by Richard Cohen entitled: Palin's Love Boats. In the column, Cohen spins the tail of a gaggle of conservative journalists who trekked up to Alaska in 2006 and were stunned to find a beauty queen fairy princess.

Upon their return, they began a drumbeat designed to bring Palin to center stage in the lower 48.

Cohen writes:

After an apparently bravura saying of grace, she wowed her guests with some excellent halibut cheeks and the Category 4 force of her personality. Some of them sank into a kind of delirium known to high schoolers and praised her as "my heartthrob" (Kristol), "a mix between Annie Oakley and Joan of Arc" (Gerson) and, so far not evident, "smart" (Barnes).

It's a great story. And, as we keep our fingers crossed for an Obama Presidency, it's tempting to laugh at the Saga of Sarah.

But my fear is that Palin is not going away. When I first saw and heard her, I was afraid. She did come across as a hockey mom, someone from the "common ranks" who would break the "elitist" mold. I looked at Sarah Palin and saw a political actress I could easily cast as my local bank branch manager, real estate agent, or local sales rep. Someone perfectly likable, hardworking, knowledgeable in their field, and yet at the same time, perfectly willing to believe that aliens walked among us, or that Harry Potter books led to Devil worship.

While I'm not hungering for this type of leader, I suspected that many Americans were.

Palin would have been very hard to stop, I think. Because to criticize her would be to criticize ordinary Americans...

And, in the end, I think that we were only saved because we were VERY fortunate to have a rare combination of looks and talent in comedian Tina Fey. Fey almost single handedly was able to defuse Palin and help us see her as ridiculous because the actress looked SO much like her target that it almost seemed as if Palin herself were making the jokes.

If elected, President Barak Obama will have a rough first term...there is little doubt about that. The problems heaped on his shoulders will be all but overwhelming. If he is unable to convince a divided America that he is making progress, I have no doubt that we will see Palin back again.

And that still scares me.

Obama ahead in Cookie Poll

2008-10-25T10:52:00.006-04:00

These days, everyone, it seems is taking polls: API, CBS, BBC, NBC, CSPAN, Reuters, NPR…the list is all but endless. All about the same, both in results and methodology.

But in downtown Rochester, Minnesota, there is a new kind of polling taking place, one I thought “Rip and Read”ers would enjoy: the cookie poll.

In it’s own quest for results, Daube’s Down Under, a lunch spot located in the subterranean shopping subway under the Mayo clinic, has instituted the cookie poll.

Each day, a tray of cookies is placed out for lunch customers looking for desert…one side of the tray offers blue frosted “Obama” cookies, the other, “McCain” cookies with red frosting.

According to staff members, they’ve been keeping track of sales. Obama is out-polling McCain by 150 to 80 as of today.

As a responsible voter, I felt it my duty to try both of the baked goods. On the surface, both cookies were much the same size and weight, there was a lot to like about each, but I must confess that, somehow, in the end, I found the Obama cookie much easier to swallow.

Perhaps it was the spice they used to make the red frosting on McCain’s cookie. What did the lady behind the counter say it was? Cumin? No…wait—PALIN! That’s what it was…the McCain Cookie had too much Palin.

Time to Get Off My Ass I Think

2008-10-22T23:06:00.004-04:00

Well, according to the maps, it's looking pretty good here in Minnesota. But there is an even more relable poll that these: one of the deli's here in town is selling Obama Cookies and McCain Cookies. The Obama cookies are outselling McCain- Hands Down.

At any rate, if recent history has taught us anything, and it hasn't, nothing, NOTHING should be taken for granted.

So, my friends, if you ask me, and I haven't signed up to volunteer by the end of the week...please feel free to make my life miserable.

By the way, the above map is from: http://www.electoral-vote.com/ a neat site friend Russell sent my way.

Sarah Palin: Livin' Large at Taxpayer Expense.

2008-10-21T20:37:00.003-04:00

When Sarah Palin burst on to the national scene last summer, we all heard about what a pit bull she was when it came to saving the taxpayers money. She stopped the "bridge to nowhere" and, in a dramatic move, put the state's plane up for sale on E-Bay.

Problem is, she still needs to travel, and she's got a large family. Fortunately, Alaska's taxpayers were able to foot the bill, it seems.

Bobbi just sat down to her email and saw this article from the AP:

Alaska funded Palin kids' travel

Even at this late date, I have a lot of respect for Senator McCain....but I can't really say the same for his running mate....

We've heard a lot from the GOP about science center slide projectors and projects to study bear DNA foisted on the public by Liberal Democrats..

...but it seems that the apostles of "thrift" in the GOP may have dirty hands on this one. I know that some Democrats have been guilty of abusing the system, but there is an old saying: Those Who live in Glass Houses should not throw stones.

In other words, it's bad enough to do wrong, but to do wrong while loudly pointing the finger at OTHER people and trying to punish THEM for doing wrong is even more despicable.

Governor Palin has been throwing a lot of rocks lately- and it looks like one of them might have come back to brake her house.

The AP has just released an article which suggests that Sarah Palin may well have taken her children on junkets and had the taxpayers of Alaska pay for it.

Here's a quote:

"In October 2007, Palin brought daughter Bristol along on a trip to New York for a women's leadership conference. Plane tickets from Anchorage to La Guardia Airport for $1,385.11 were billed to the state, records show, and mother and daughter shared a room for four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House hotel, which overlooks Central Park."

And later we learn that the Governor had her family sent to an event just so they could watch their dad finish a snowmobile race:

"The organizer of an American Heart Association luncheon on Feb. 15 in Fairbanks said Palin asked to bring daughter Piper to the event, and the organizer said she was surprised when Palin showed up with daughter Willow and Bristol as well.

The three Palin daughters shared a room separate from their mother at the Princess Lodge in Fairbanks for two nights, at a cost to the state of $129 per night.

The luncheon took place before Palin's husband, Todd, finished fourth in the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race, also in Fairbanks. The family greeted him at the finish line."

Well...the family that plays together stays together...and the citizens who elect her will PAY together, too.

Sarah knows where the money is: She looks at the taxpayer and says: Drill, Baby. Drill.

Good Clean Fun.

2008-10-17T14:23:00.004-04:00

It's no secret that American politics have been getting really poisonous in recent decades.

Recently, however, both John McCain and Barack Obama got in great digs at themselves and at the "show business" part of politics.

Watch both guys... (and Hillary)... if we can keep laughing WITH each other there's not a lot we can't do.

Here's Barack:

Here's McCain:

Have Fun!

Final Debate: A Step Up in Political Discourse

2008-10-16T10:47:00.006-04:00

I've just spent the morning listening to the last Presidential Debate, and I think that, while we may not have had the debate we deserved, we got much closer to a complete and honest discussion between opposing viewpoints than we have been in need of for so long.

It is clear that Obama and McCain do not like each other...but, while not perfect, they showed a willingness last night to debate ISSUES and not personalities.

For McCain, in particular, I was glad. While I agree with almost none of the Senator's economic policies, nor with his stance on the War in Iraq, I've admired him as person over the years. He has typified, in many ways, what is best in the American tradition of service. During the frightening days when the Bush Administration advocated torture, he stood for the conscience of America.

So it has been a great disappointment to see the Senator descend to the Rush Limbaugh school of "smear and run." Last night, with a few exceptions, I found him willing to debate on issues...and it was refreshing...Senator McCain regained some stature- which he owes himself and his place in history.

I've noticed a new willingness to talk issues among my email correspondents, and now I saw a tentative step in that direction in last night's debate. This is a trend which I hope continues. Because, no matter who wins, Republican or Democrat, America deserves a Leader of Honor in the White House...I feel more hopeful about that prospect after watching that debate.

The Crisis and The Narrative: Who is to Blame for the Financial Collapse?

2008-10-13T10:35:00.009-04:00

Recently, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, I sat outside a tobacconist's in Saint Paul, smoking a really great cigar with my brother-in-law. (Okay, he's not my brother-in-law yet, but we all like him, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.)

We began discussing the state of the world, as one will do over a cigar, and, of course, the current financial crisis quickly became the focus of conversation. As I listened, I realized that my friend was making an argument that sounded familiar.

The current financial crisis, the argument goes, stems from pressure by the Government to extend loans to the disadvantaged through Freddie Mac and Franny Mae- even though these poor people were bad credit risks.

The argument was politely made and plausible. But it sounded familiar, and so I asked my friend to email the the article he was referencing. He sent me a well written piece from a columnist for the Boston Globe.

The more I read, the more I realized that I WAS listening to a line of thought I'd heard before- not so nicely expressed...from some of my right-wingnut email buddies. By the time the right-wing email machine gets done with it, however, it sounds a lot less pretty.

The way THEY put it, the argument goes like this: (My Friends,)Those Damn Democrats FORCED the financial industry to abandon their usual caution, prudence and good sense by TWISTING THEIR ARMS and making them loan money to MINORITIES who didn't have a pot to piss in and couldn't pay back a loan if their lives depended on it. (My Friends)- this started under BILL CLINTON (gasp!) And, (My Friends), although the Bush White House protested that it was time to reign this in, those DAMN DEMOCRATS kept ARM twisting and forcing the money into the hands of these bad risks. And the leader, of course, of all of this was...(gasp) BARNEY FRANK! (My Friends, did you know that Frank is....GAY?!...and that he's from (gasp) MASSACHUSETTS?)

Fortunately, if we just elect John McCain and his "Mavericky" side-kick Sarah Palin (just a couple of Mavericky ole Mavricks Mavrickin' along, doncha know?)- they will get this Government Interference off our backs so we can go back to some semblance of honesty and integrity.

Okay, without even marshaling further evidence- this argument just DOESN'T wash with me. Here's why:

Congress (bad Ole Congress) was controlled by man-eating Republicans from 1995 until 2007. During most of his Presidency, George W. Bush (a Republican) worked alongside a Congress of Republicans with a Federal Reserve Board chaired by Allan Greenspan- a life-long Republican who was first appointed by Ronald Reagan...a, you guessed it, Republican. I'm sorry, but you twist it as hard as you want...you just can't blame the Liberal Democrats and our coddled Minorities for this one...WE WERE NOT THERE- we'd been voted out of office and were sitting on the sidelines- we are cleared by circumstantial evidence.

The other thing that causes me to doubt this line of argument is that we've seen this before. Following 8 years of Reagan, the American people watched in horror as the Savings and Loan industry collapsed...taking the stock market and some $160 billion tax dollars in bailouts with it. It took the economy about five years to recover. The Savings and Loan Collapse happened under a Chief Executive (Ronald Reagan) who believed that "government was the problem"- and that to regulate the market was to strangle the market...left without police, the system collapsed into a free-for-all of greed that wreaked financial harm on many innocent Americans. The difference between then and now, is that this time the price tag is going to be several BILLIONS of Dollars higher.

And so, while Democrats are cleared by circumstantial evidence (we were either outnumbered or we weren't in power at all during the time in question)- we can call the Republicans to account based on past history...the current crisis fits their previously known M.O.

So, in replying to my Right-Wingnut friends, I found a great article written by a columnist in Business Week. It's titled, pretty plainly: Frannie Mae and Freddie Mac were Victims, Not Culprits. And I recommend it to my "brother in law" and anyone else who has questions about the Republican Spin.

Here's a quote:

Start with the most basic fact of all: virtually none of the $1.5 trillion of cratering subprime mortgages were backed by Fannie or Freddie. That’s right — most subprime mortgages did not meet Fannie or Freddie’s strict lending standards. All those no money down, no interest for a year, low teaser rate loans? All the loans made without checking a borrower’s income or employment history? All made in the private sector, without any support from Fannie and Freddie.

The author goes on to summerize the findings of a study (released back in March, before the hoopla started)by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He writes:

The study identifies five causes of the subprime meltdown:
-Convoluted loan products that consumers didn’t understand.
-Credit ratings that didn’t do a good job highlighting the risks contained in subprime-backed securities.
-Lack of incentives for institutional investors to do their own research (they just relied on the credit ratings).
-Predatory lending and borrowing (which I think means fraud perpetrated by borrowers).
-Significant errors in the models used by credit rating agencies to assess subprime-backed securities.

You’ll note in the Fed’s five causes that there’s some culpability for lenders, borrowers, investors and credit raters. There’s no blame for Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae which had little or nothing to do with the entire situation.

In the end, my feeling is this: Whenever you hear a Republican start complaining about Barney Frank, Bill Clinon, or Massachusetts- you'd better pull out your boots and put 'em on...because whatever line they start spewing next isn't going to be the truth, is going to be deep, and won't smell very pretty at all.

A few notes on Email Exchange

2008-10-13T09:43:00.004-04:00

As some readers know, I am part of an ad hoc email discussion group that coalesced about 5 years ago. With the exception of the man who cc'd me on the first few exchanges, I know none of my correspondents in real life.

The email group consists of a majority on the far right wing, and a minority of those of us who are either left, or center-left.

Our exchanges at first were rude to the point of verbal violence. Things were spat at strangers over email that I would be hard pressed to say to my worst enemy face to face.

In time, we began to moderate ourselves (not much, just enough so that people would not withdraw from the conversation). I've noticed in recent days that an increasing tone of civility has crept into our exchanges...not much, but enough to make me wonder what is going on...it almost seems as if we are straining to get beyond the "he is a pig"/"she's a pig with lipstick" and start trying to discuss real issues...

dare I hope?

At anyrate, in on of our exchanges, one on the right hoped I realized just how "Liberal" my party was...I decided to respond here:

M-----,

You make the mistake of thinking that I carry some great shame for being a "Liberal". The United States has had some great "Liberal" leaders...among whom we might count Jefferson, Jackson, (One might even consider adding Lincoln to this list, as well as Teddy Roosevelt- although they are on "your team" - and you're damn lucky to have 'em), Wilson, and of course the greatest President of the 20th Century (Sorry Ronnie, but it ain't you) FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT, Harry Truman, and John F. Kennedy.

(To be fair, the United States has had great conservative heroes as well, including Washington, Adams, Hamilton, Dwight David Eisenhower- and while he cannot be added to honor roll, I must nod my head to Richard Nixon- not a hero, but a genius in his twisted way who left us much of value. I cannot bring myself to add Reagan to the list, given that fact that it was in the wake of his leadership that we found ourselves awash in debt- but I suppose he deserves a nod as well.)

While I agree (as do almost all Democrats) that the Free Market is the best way to run a society, I believe that that market is there to serve the people and not that the people are there to serve the market. Therefore, I have no hesitation or qualms at the thought that society (through our representatives in Government) will bring that market to heel, tame it, and discipline it when necessary.

I'm thoroughly willing to argue the merits of this...especially as I believe that this is a never ending balancing act...what worked for us yesterday may not work today...we must constantly keep thinking and correcting. Thus, "Liberals" of the 60s spend money to raise living standards...while Liberals of the 90s (like Bill Clinton) worked with Republicans (not nicely, to be sure) to reign in spending to end the deficit and begin the huge task of addressing the national debt to China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and others.

But I would argue that "Liberal" philosophy has done great good to this country. Jefferson's writings on the nature of Freedom have far outshone his personal conduct, Wilson, FDR and Truman guided this country through the greatest of wars against the fiercest of enemies...and while the Liberals of the 60s may have overplayed their hand, who can argue that Civil Rights for all Americans was an idea who's time had come?

No, we haven't done everything right, for sure...but I'm not a bit ashamed to be called a Liberal...and while you might teach me something that makes me change the way I approach a problem, I seriously doubt you could ever say anything to make me feel ashamed.....

Cheers!

Rednecks for Obama

2008-10-09T10:43:00.003-04:00

First came the news that North Carolina, once a solid "McCain" state, is in play. This will force the Republicans to send Sarah Baracuda South, taking time away from the battle in other states.

But today, I saw an even neater website: Rednecks for Obama. Their Tag Line is:
"We Hunt, Fish, Drink Beer and Support Barack Obama"---Right on!

While Worth Watching, Obama Film missed a chance to Teach and Resorts to Gotcha Tactics.

2008-10-07T10:14:00.010-04:00

"Those who do not learn from History are doomed to repeat it."

All week we've been subjected to sound bites of Tina Fey (oops, I mean, Sarah Palin) yammering about how "The Noow Yoork Tiiimes sayz dat Barak Obama Palled around with Terrorists a heck of a lot don't ya know" And the "Liberal Media" continues to play the sound bite despite the fact that the NYTimes article concludes that the connection between the two is not close...and that the terrorist in question has since become an activist for education AND that Barack Obama was all of 8 years old when Bill Ayers was active.

So, I can understand WHY the Obama Campaign felt obliged to make and release it's short documentary: "Keating Economics". Still, after watching it, I found myself wishing that the campaign could have aimed a little higher.

Don't get me wrong. As the financial industry collapses around our ears, and We the People are tapped to pay the bill, the ghosts of the SAVINGS AND LOAN crisis are hovering right above our shoulders. So it's great to have a reminder.

(Wikipedia has a nice refresher course in the S&L Crisis, just in case you forgot the 160 BILLION Dollars you paid back in the late 1980s. It basically boils down to a bunch of Greedy Financial Types, doing fraudulent back flips under a "Free Market" President who sent all the Federal Regulators Home for the Long Weekend. This was back in the 1980s- and here we are again- hence my resort above the overused Santayna quote.)

But "Keating Economics" does a little more than "remind" us. The movie, which feels a lot like a cross between a Frontline piece and something from Fox News, opens with John McCain being hauled before the Senate Ethics committee. In flashbacks, we learn that McCain had close personal ties to Charles Keating, one of the most infamous of the S&L bandits. We learn that McCain and several other Senators used undue influence behind closed doors to offer improper advantage to Keating.

We watch as Keating is trapped and cornered....and the documentary leads you to the emotional conclusion that we will be watching John McCain doing the Perp Walk, too.

But McCain never did the perp walk. The truth is that he was found largely innocent of wrong doing...and he went on to continue a fairly distinguished career in the U.S. Senate.

At this point the movie swerves away from it's "criminal" narrative and makes some really valid points about what happens when Government agrees to protect investors without regulating their activities...in the end, THIS is the most valid part of the film, the part the makes it worth sitting through.

I wish that the Obama campaign had used the same tricks of the trade (tight editing, good story structure, etc.) to make an easy to understand movie about why a Free Market works best with a bit of government oversight to protect the Taxpayers and the Public, rather than indulging the in the temptation to race Sarah Palin and her ilk to the bottom.

My fear is that the American people, realizing that the case against McCain is overstated for dramatic effect, will ignore the parts of the S&L story which are truly important. Our present crisis proves that we've ignored these historical lessons once to our cost (Savings and Loan, 1980s: $160b...government bailout, 2008: $700 -so far!)- let's start electing some public officers who won't continue to compound the mistake.

As it is, this campaign could feature a real debate (Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Milton Friedman vs. FDR and John Maynard Keynes)- instead it's turning into a bickering match:

"You sat too close to Bill Ayers at the board meeting!"
"Oh, yeah? Well, YOU sat too close to Charles Keating!"

Of course, that having been said- it IS true that THEY started it.

Great Video from You Tube!

2008-10-07T04:00:00.000-04:00

Gotta love the Aussie's!

The Swimsuit competition: Shattering the Glass Ceiling

2008-10-05T11:21:00.001-04:00

Offered without further comment.

Not In Kansas Any More.

2008-10-01T14:42:00.004-04:00

So, imagine my surprise when I go out this afternoon to take the recycling to the dumpster in the alley behind our new apartment building. Across the street I notice a few police cars. Nothing special. I decide to buy a paper. I see the headlines "Police Suspect Homicide". I look at the picture in the paper.

The alley in which the murdered body was found looks oddly familiar. I look again. I look at the map. Yup, sure enough. They found a murdered body last night...right across the street from my apartment. Well now...

So I snap a picture of the police cars from across the street.

Welcome to Rochester everybody!