Finally, Balance

I don't know how much important legislation will take place in the next 2 years in what Tom Delay has called a "lame duck majority". At first I thought he was refering to the outgoing Republican lawmakers, which scared me, as I considered what they may try to accomplish in the coming months. Instead he was refering to the incoming Dems, whom he says will not be able to push any agenda as long as Bush is President. I suspect that there will be alot of stonewalling, which is progress. There will be balance and oversight, which is something many (apparently most) of us have been aching for. I love nonviolet changes of power.
Some thoughts:
Melman, the head of the RNC, is now refering to me as a progressive, not a liberal. That's nice, but he still was calling me to move to the right in order to achieve concensus.
Dean, his DNC counterpart, says he still believes America is a conservative country and I think he's right. Our Democratic leaders would be wise to follow Dean's lead and keep it toned down. We've been given an opportunity to lead and we should use it responsibly.
Murtha fired a shot across the bow. Someone needs to reign him in. We must be careful not to mire the country in more of the same partisan bickering.
Tennessee missed an opportunity to be represented by a true gentleman and statesman. He gave the most gracious concession speech I have ever heard. We will see him again.

More later. I have a test to study for. Much love.

Pulling My Head Out of The Sand

I have returned from my summer away, during which I had little access to news. It wasn't such bad thing, but now I must spend a little time catching up on world events. I should be active again very soon.

In the meantime, let me speak a bit to what's been on my mind. Perception is reality. Egocasting. In our little blog world, we are perceived pretty much as we desire to be, but what about in our real lives. How do people perceive me? Based on the frequency with which I am shocked by what is said to me, quite differently than I think I am.

Would I be able to handle the answer to this question? What if we all stopped telling the itty bitty white lies to spare each others feelings? Are we actually doing anyone any favors by allowing them to live a life of self-delusion? Are we so fragile as to be broken by some facts? Or maybe how we are perceived isn't a complete accident. Maybe it is a defense mechanism and we are purposeful (if not subconsciously) in allowing ourselves to be misperceived.

Step up!

Hey, kids, you're grandparents are tired. It's time for you to do your part. Yeah, you may not know it... It may be impossible for you to imagine, but your nana & bampy were worldchangers. Go ahead, ask them what they were doing when THEIR friends were being fed to the war machine. Made fun of a hippie recently?

Or maybe you're grandfather participated in the craziness. Odds are against it, but if he did, is he asking you to get overseas and do your part? Do you even know what I'm talking about? It's more than just something you read about in a history book.

What is your part in this story?

Now the Work Begins

I took my macroeconomics final today. It went well. Now that finals are over, the real work begins. I start my summer internship on Monday. I found out yesterday that I am being sent out of state to a rural landfill project. It happens to be very near to a State Park that I camped in for a week the summer before I went back to school. I spent the morning getting my camper ready, but the campground isn't open yet, so I'll spend the first week in a hotel. BTW, the ladies at the town office were most helpful, as I arrived woefully unprepared. They even offered to feed me.

I'm excited about how much I'm going to learn this summer, but I'm a bit terrified too. I'm not a spring chicken and it's been 2 years since I've done any real physical labor, and I will be busting my ass. I don't mind, I just hope my boss understands if it takes me a couple of weeks to get back to fighting shape.

So, I'll try to post when I get a chance to get home. In the meantime friends, stay strong. Much love.

Just Like in the Movies

Today was the funeral, and the weather was made for it. Overcast, gray and misting rain. Take out the preacher and hymns (although cousin S. gave a beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace") and you couldn't ask for a better funeral. I heard some great stories about Al today. I think you could have gone to this funeral today having never met Al, and come away feeling you'd missed out on something special. You'd be right.

Al had gone golfing last Friday with his younger son. He told us the score was within 3 strokes, but he wouldn't say which way.

Apparently, between heart attacks on Saturday, he had his nurses in stitches with the testicle story. If I could script my exit, it would look alot like Al's.

Al's oldest son, Rick, told us the story of a visiting vacation. Al needed a new battery for his car. Rick, knowing of his father's thriftiness, expected him to choose the cheapest of some 8 models that fit his car. Instead, he noticed Al eyeing a very expensive model. "This one's got an 8 year warranty." Rick thought that surely, at Al's age he wouldn't buy that expensive battery. Well, he did. Rick checked under the hood, and wouldn't you know that warranty expired this month.

Al kept a bottle of Single Malt Scotch. I forget what he was saving it for, but it was 57 years old. I noticed that it was missing when I was over there today. I have a pretty good idea where it is. Cheers, Al!

Finals, a Root Canal and a Funeral

You just can't make a week like this up.

Finals week always sucks. I don't need to say much about that. Root canals... they make it tough to study. Let's talk about the funeral. It's really on my mind.

First, Al (name altered) had the audacity to die at a time that caused his funeral to conflict with my macroeconomics final. When I emailed my professor about the problem, he graciously offered to allow me to take the final at another time, but it would mean that the format would be changed from 100% multiple choice to 50% multiple choice 50% essay. Perhaps I should have left it at that, but it somehow struck me as wrong that I should be given a more difficult test at a time where it would be more difficult for me to study for it. I said as much and was told that the test was no more difficult, just a different format. To that, I responded that a M.C. test is inherently easier because the answer is in front of you. My professor curtly dismissed the matter, and I told him I was appalled by his lack of empathy. That pissed him off, but he agreed to give me a MC test. I can hardly wait to see this test. I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut.

So, about Al. He was 91, and he was my buddy. Al married my wife's Nana 10 years ago. In fact, I proposed to my wife on their wedding day. He lived healthily until the day that he died. He just plain tuckered out. I believe he was on a ladder the day before he died, cleaning out his gutters. He was a gentleman. He was a storyteller. He told a story in a way that we Yankees appreciate. He would tell the most fantastic story with as much fanfare as most of us would read a grocery list. He did it in away that makes you stop him and ask, "What did you just say?" He knew Ty Cobb. Didn't have much to say to say about Ty, because Al was a gentleman, like I said.

My favorite story came during one of our hunting trips. BTW, I hated hunting with Al, because everything Al did, he did better than anyone else. By which I mean, he was always the last one out of the woods and always well after sunset. I always imagined having to explain to Nana that I lost her 85 year old husband in the woods. Anyway, during one of our trips, we were heading to one of his old spots, and he's telling me in great detail about every deer he ever shot in this piece of woods when he says, "Right over there is where my first wife shot me in 196*." Then on to another deer story.
"What did you just say?"
"I said it was a six pointer, dressed out at 172".
"No, before that."
"Oh, my first wife shot me. Lost my left testicle. I'm pretty sure it was an accident. She seemed pretty broke up about it, and she did help me get out of the woods."

How can you not love this guy.

I used to golf with him too. He could drive a ball about 75 yards, but he consistently kicked my ass. He had a way of talking me into trouble that I hadn't even noticed. "Watch that pond on the far right. "

"What pond?" Whack." Oh!" He almost always had to give me a couple of balls to finish the round. He got quite a kick out of how easy it was to get me off my game.

He was a widower and Nana was a widow and they were about the happiest couple I knew. Nana is pretty broke up about it.

Colbert

I've had some time to ponder Stephen Colbert's WHCD speech and I am now prepared to make few comments. I was going to call it a roast, but a roast is typically delivered by someone who actually either loves or at least respects the subject.

I think this may be the definitive moment that we have all been waiting for. The moment that we will look back on 30 years from now as the point where the vacuum seal was broken. Until this moment, we liberals had been unable to figure out a way to speak truth to evil and be heard. As cool and righteous as Neil Young and Pink are, this administration will not ever listen to them, which would be OK if the people would listen. They may not have before, but people will start now, because Stephen Colbert has finally made it cool to be in opposition to this administration.

I absolutely believe something has been set in motion here. Of course, my judgment is not to be trusted, as I am still amazed when I meet anyone who isn't a liberal. Actually, I never have met someone who isn't liberal. Everyone I've ever met believes that they should be allowed to conduct their lives according to their values without outside interference. But, I digress.

How did I end up taking up for a Catholic from South Carolina? WTF?

In unrelated news, I live in the state with the lowest per capita murder rate in the country, and we don't have the death penalty. That's right, suck on it!

P.S. - Hi to LGND's mom!

The Forest for the trees

This is a letter to my friends. You know who you are. The ripped off. The disenfrachised. You fight the good fight every day. You're tired, you're scared. I read what you write. I'm glad for it. You do important work. You say things that need to be said and people are listening. You are making a difference.

I just want to say, make sure you keep an eye on a few important things. There still are more good people in the world than bad. The bad ones just get more press. Enjoy the things that make life worth living. A walk thru the woods on a chilly morning. The cupholder on your riding lawnmower. The feeling you get when someone flirts with you. Or how about the feelng you get when your babies hug you when you tuck them in for the night.

November will see big changes. Rest assured. People are ready for a regime change. So, try not to let it get you down. Eat a really decadant dessert and go watch Red Green. And remember, I'm pulling for ya. We're all in this together. Patience. Our time is near. Much love.

I'm Still Alive

It's been a week since my last post, so I wanted to let the couple of friends that I have out there know that I am still kicking. Of course, those friends of mine have been very busy, and I have been paying close attention to their exploits, so they know I am still around.

School is taking alot of my time, but mostly I find that there are so many kindred spirits out there who are so much more talented than I am, that I am inclined to leave the political debate to them. Just plugging in to their genius recharges my batteries.

Spring is here in force, now. We had a very mild winter, but spring still is a welcome relief. Fishing season opened yesterday. Must get out there this year. Most importantly, the Red Sox open their regular season in Texas tomorrow. I have high hopes for this season, but there are alot of newcomers. You never know how a player will react to the atmosphere in Boston. They have certainly improved on paper defensively and ,though I expect their offensive numbers to be down significantly this season, their pitching should keep them in it. Toronto looks to compete in the division this season. The AL East will be tough again. I don't believe that the wildcard will come from the east. The World Champion White Sox still look like the team to beat.

Should be able to do some golfing soon. I really suck at it and I only get out a couple of times a year, but I enjoy it.

I am hoping to intern this summer in a rural area and spend the summer camping. Our family loves camping. The more backwoods, the better. I love to come home from work to dinner cooked over the open fire. Summers work out great with my wife being a teacher and me having to travel.

So, did you see the number of protestors that came out for the immigration legislation? How do we generate that kind of an antiwar protest? I think most of us are afraid that an organized protest would become some kind of hippie-fest that wouldn't be taken seriously. There has to be some way to bring pressure to bear on the warmongers. I haven't been able to figure out a way to be heard. Well, I'll just keep paying attention and bitching.


How long do you think we can fight a war with no clear exit strategy without implementing the draft? Do you think that eventually people will stop volunteering, or are the Bush corporate welfare strategies designed to produce a larger pool of people with few other alternatives? Pretty clever, in a "sometimes I wish there were a hell" kind of way. How does someone who deserves so little, have so much?

This is what happens when I neglect to post for a long period of time. I ramble nonsense. Trying to cover too much ground, too quickly. I know that my friends will forgive me, and will be happy just to know I have not landed in Guantonamo Bay. To all others, I offer my sincere apologies. Until next time, much love.

Late Night Rambling

How has the mighty United States of America become a nation that defines itself by a single catastrophic event? We can't be a country with a victim mentality, can we? Motivated to action by fear. How can fear be of any use in making rational decisions that affect the entire planet? We are better than this, aren't we? We once were.

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself -- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. - FDR

As much as the actual decisions we're making in the world, I worry about HOW we make decisions. Not George, mind you. I'm not sure I have the mental acuity to ever figure that out. But what about us? Remember when you first learned about the holocaust? I remember wondering how the regular folks could have let that happen. The answer, of course, is that there was a culture of terror. What will history say about us, I wonder?

I am not suggesting that the President is a Nazi. I am saying he is fearmongering. In his pettiness, he is making us a smaller people. He is a divider, not a uniter.

I'm tired of having no domestic policy and having a foreign policy based entirely on 9/11. There just is no way to wage war on terror. Terrorism is a crime. It is a police matter. You arrest terrorists. You don't destroy a whole country (even if the terrorists had actually had any affiliation with said country.)

What I have in Common with Bush

As you all know, I am all about building bridges. In that spirit, I have decided I must search for some common ground with the President. Here goes:

1) I was born and raised in New England. When it serves my interests, I must fake a Texas drawl.

2) I, too, have a hard time putting food on my family.

3) I don't spend alot of time thinking about Usama Bin Laden.

4) I really have no concept of how the other half lives.

5) I don't believe that my history of drug use is any of your business.

6) I have a silly laugh for a grown man.

7) I am not prepared to run a whole country.

8) I had no idea that Usama Bin Laden intended to attack us.

9) I once swore an oath to protect and defend the US Constitution without having read it.

10) I wasn't smart enough to get into Yale either.

What about Fred?

What do we do about this guy? If you'll look back at my People We Love Who Hate (I'm sure referring to your own post must be bad form), I talk about "real haters" who can't be reached. I was referring specifically to Mr. Phelps.

Many of you believe that he is a monster. I think that he is a broken human being. Probably broken beyond repair. A person consumed by hatred is to be both feared and pitied. Feared for the pain he causes everyone with whom he comes in contact and pitied like you would pity a rabid dog. I suspect someone is going to suggest that rabid dogs get put down, and I want to make it clear that I find violence an unacceptable solution. The fact that we can't put him out of his obvious misery should make you pity him all the more.

Some states have managed to pass laws to prevent Mr. Phelps from picketing funerals and others are in the process of passing similar laws. Much like flag burning amendments, they are emotional and unconstitutional laws. Mr. Phelps will get an audience with the Supreme Court, and he will win. I understand and respect the motivation of the people trying to protect victims' families, but further erosion of the Bill of Rights is the consequence of the best intentions. Many of the soldiers whose funerals the Phelps family picket believed that they were fighting for those rights.

There are alot of Fred Phelps' out there. Alot.... ALOT! Somehow we gave this guy a stage. He ached his whole life for an audience and now he has one. It's not about hating fags as much as it is about imposing his will. He's trying to make America his bitch. But we are not children. His flock can only come from twisting the minds of babes. Anyone who has any basis in reality and morality is not subject to his tactics. Ever notice that it's always the impotent that have to proclaim their virility. His only real effect on us is his ability to offend our sensibilties. Let's not give him any more power than that, lest we encourage the closeted nuts to follow his lead.

This guy is the fringe (even O'Rielly would probably disapprove), and we should treat him as such. I love that bikers are acting as human shields at these funerals. I hope that makes it easier for the families to ignore the Phelps, because that is exactly how you treat a bully.

Finally, please bear in mind, that if we stop KKK rallies or Phelps' pickets, then we have no basis for protection for protest of any kind.

Break is Over

School is back in session tomorrow, which means I'll have a lot less time to devote to this. I'll still post, but I'll do so ill-informed, which might get me a senior level staff position at the White House. Anyway, I've never been a news site, and it's only going to get worse, so if you were hoping to learn anything useful here, let me save you some time and trouble. As a matter of fact, if YOU know something that I should know, either post a comment or email me. As an engineering student, I am relying on you to be my Humanities lifeline. All calculus and no politics makes Jack a frickin' geek. Hook me up.

True Friends

I've got a question for you. It goes to the heart of why I love the internet. Who is a truer friend? Is it my next door neighbor, who is a retired cop that voted for Bush twice and goes to church every Sunday? His daughter babysits my kids. He watches my house when I'm away and let's me borrow his lawnmower when mines busted. He's a great neighbor (we'll forget for the moment that he's a Yankees fan, which used to be the ultimate sin). We remain good neighbors by avoiding our politics. As it has always been, so shall it always be.

Or is it the person on the other coast, whom I've never met? The one who spills his/her gut in a blog every day. The one that makes me say, "Right on, Sister! Go yell it on the Mountain!" The one I will never meet and have a cold beer with, but with whom I toke on the bong of truth everyday. I'm not going to call her when my car breaks down, but I'll read her when my spirit breaks down.

They say a broken clock is right twice a day. My dad had a couple of gems in my youth. He bought a wood-splitter (how many weekends did I spend splitting wood...) and he asked my uncle(who would eventually lose two fingers to the aforementioned tool) what he thought of it. My uncle said that machines break down, to which my dad replied "So do men. Get me another beer, son."

Agenda Free

When the battle becomes more than you can bear, and fighting the good fight seems an overwhelming burden, may I suggest that you do what I did today. I had the best time. I went to my son's second-grade class and I read them Dr. Suess.

Before I began, I took questions. The teacher asked me what I do and I explained to her that I was a sophomore at the University, which is just like second grade in college. She then asked if I paid to go to the University, to which, of course, I replied that I did. To my amazement, the next question was directed to the class. Is Mr. ****** paying for a good or a service? My son's second grade class has already learned this concept as well as the laws of supply and demand and about producers and consumers. They can't even write in cursive yet, and their already learning economics. Times sure have changed. (Only the slightest twinge that the teacher has a W sticker in the back window of her Lincoln Town Car)

I don't get to spend a lot of time with groups of children, and I was amazed at their sweetness and directness. They were very polite. When they want your attention, they touch you, without concern of the connotations. When they ask you a question, they want a dialogue. They want to know why and they listen. Then they want you to listen to them. And they trust you. What a refreshing change. What a responsibility.

I have often heard how naive we are as liberals. Well, I, for one, don't consider that an insult. The fact that, at 37, I can still look at the world with childlike wonder, is one of my few really good qualities. I want to trust the next person I vote for. And I want that person to nurture that trust. I want him/her to be willing and anxious to have a dialogue. I will listen. I want them to listen to me. They should be a steward for the common good. That would be a refreshing change, no?

Gore/Fiengold 2008

My dream ticket.

Vice President Gore refers to himself as a recovering politician. Maybe he truly has left the arena and is just acting as an elder statesman. A sane voice in the wilderness. I suspect and hope otherwise.

I , and many of my fellow democrats, keep looking for that inspirational candidate. One who possesses the political savvy to position himself to win and who shares our values. And, put plainly, I trust this guy to protect American interests. That means restoring our global image and paying attention to domestic issues.

On both fronts, we have a winner. Let's not forget that most of us were Gore fans before we had ever heard of Clinton. He has proven himself as a leader on issues ranging from the environment to national security. He has the experience and the compassion to lead. And, he has developed and implemented a genius strategy to put himself in position to win.

His resume is impressive. He won the popular vote once, and that was before people were pissed. Fiengold brings the disenfranchised progressives and helps in Florida, although I think Gore wins Florida anyway. I think the level of disgust that exists in this country right now will result in record turnouts.

I'm no strategist. There are many fine sites out there that are detail oriented. I read them and so should you. Be informed. And once you are, you can go with your gut (it will be an informed gut). My gut tells me that something exciting is about to happen.

Bridge Building Award

This may be the most interesting and far-reaching political alliance in decades.

Democrats court moderate evangelicals

Wow. Now, I know that this doesn't fix much. We still don't have an honest 2 party system. And all of the Orwellian crap that is being reported still needs to be fixed. Yeah, I'm still as pissed off as you are, but can we take a moment to appreciate this?

My 7th grade English teacher was a hard-core drunk. It was even money as to whether he'd be in on a Monday morning. I could tell you some stories...So one day (probably not a Monday), we get a lecture about God, Country and Family (I went to a public school and wouldn't you know it , no one thought to tape it). I remember finding the lecture odd at the time, but I grew up trailer trash with a pretty mean drunk of my own at home, and I wasn't about to add this to my list of problems. We came away from the lecture with a clear understanding of our responsibilities as human beings. We were to serve God first, America second, and family if there was anything left to give. I abandoned God just around that time, for scores of reasons having little to do with my 3 pack-a-day English teacher.

He was just one of a long list of nut jobs that talked god at me. I've never had a reasonable conversation about god. And I'm dead nuts against anybody talking god at my kids. Growing up in our blood-thirsty world is enough of a mind-fuck. And let me tell you, it aint us godless heathens banging the drums of war.

So, here is this chasm. Seemingly impossible to bridge. Then along comes this young fella who seems reasonable. He seems to be more interested in doing the will of his loving god than he is in serving the will of the church elders.

You can read the article for yourself. It's really something. Took me a solid day to wrap my brain around and I'm still not sure that I trust myself to believe this is possible. But I think an olive branch has been extended, and I want to tell you why I am inclined to take it.

Sure, it has occurred to me that this may be an end run around the separation of church and state. But I WANT my kids (in an equal time sort of way) to learn about religion. They need to understand, at least in some perfunctory way, the motivations of the 80-90% of the people in the world who identify themselves as religious. And (GASP!) I trust the public school system to do this in a more even-handed way than the church (of course we need to stipulate some very clear ground rules).

So, I, for one, am interested in hearing more details about this. We have been viewed as the party of America-hating, anti-family, atheist cowards for too long. Of course, it would take volumes to point out how ludicrous this is, and even then, who'd listen. Here, I see an opportunity to show that even the very small percentage of Democrats who are atheists, are reasonable people who do not hate Christians. Most of us grew up in the church, and most of our families are still true believers. And guess what, we love them.

If this guy turns out to be the real deal, I am going to start some kind of Bridge Building Award, and he will be the first recipient. Until then, much love.

Link Resumes

I want to introduce a few friends of mine:

Fight to Survive

It is impossible for those of us who haven't actually been to war to understand the challenges that our soldiers face. I am amazed by their ability to hang on to their humanity. This is the hardest site to read and therefore the most necessary.

Scott Bidstrup's Letters from Exile

Have you ever mentioned something offhandedly, and the person you're talking to says, "Don't even get me started! I could go on and on." Well, Scott's not kidding. Sure, you can go to half a dozen websites to get the news he has on his blogsite, but you'd be missing out on some of the best commentary out there. Make the effort to navigate to his essays. Trust me when I tell you, this guy is smarter than you are.

The (liberal) Girl Next Door

Bold. There's just no other word. She not only reminds us why we should be proud to be liberals, she provides actual ideas to make our country a better place.

Joe Bageant

If you think all of us liberals are full of shit, Joe will tell you why you are right. I always feel like getting drunk and eating foods I've never heard of before when I'm done.

Unknown News

Helen and Harry give 'em hell. They get the best hate mail , and they always respond respectfully. Be sure to check out the Mystery Links. Fair warning, though, if you are at work turn the volume down.

Rory Shock

Things that make you go "Holy Shit!"

My Apologies

My apologies and thanks to those of you who posted comments. My comment moderation settings were frigged up. I hope that I have corrected that. Technologically challenged. Much love.

Help Me Develop This

Clinton had Perot and Bush had Nader. See where I am going with this?

Let's stop letting Fox and MSNBC tell us who the presumptive nominee is? Even those of us with great respect for Sen. Clinton recognize that there is no way she is going to get elected. She has zero crossover appeal. Whether warranted or not, she is perceived as an ultra-liberal. Hey, did you know that she was President of the College Republicans at Wellesley College. She was a Goldwater republican. But let's not let facts muddy up our perceptions.

Without suggesting who the nominee should be (think southern democrat who once won the popular vote BEFORE people were all pissed off), I think the DNC should pony up and finance a moderate-conservative third party candidate. There are a couple of people I'd like to see that I know won't do it (Sec. Powell or Sec. Cohen). But what about one of the many Republican Governors that are expected to be out of work this November? Or, better yet, a retired military man. The republican equivalent of Gen. Clark. I believe such a person would do more to split a Republican ticket than a Democratic one.

Do you think I'm on to something? Or maybe you have a better idea? Hey, I'm all ears (eyes?). Much love.