February Week 2, 2008

The door of a bigoted mind opens outwards so that the only result of the pressure of facts upon it is to close it more snugly.

Christy had an appointment for a 'Port Flush' today, we took Autumn because she is sick and we took Cindy because we were both too tired to fight her.

It was a fairly laid back day and we got the shopping done for the week... damn... it's expensive to live these

People crushed by law have no hope but from power. If laws are their enemies, they will be enemies to laws; and those who have much to hope and nothing to lose will always be dangerous.

Apparently he lost control of it he an G'ma went off the road up on Tiger yesterday and had to get pulled out of a snow bank. He hadn't told Christy. I think it embarrassed and frightened him a little.

I picked up Amanda's cell phone and Monica's medicine and took it to the high school, christy gave me Cindy's medication so I had to make another trip, I went to the school again and picked up Amanda who had an appointment at the dentist in Colville, Monica came by and got permission from Christy to ditch the last two class and mooch a ride, I turned in Christian's Drivers Permit, it is suspended till the end of March... long story... I went to UniCell and made a claim on the insurance for Cindy's phone, for some reason it quit working after going through the washer and dryer in her pants pocket.

Calie played Ritzville at Spokane Community College at 17:00, they are the best team in their conference, they had not allowed over 30 points scored against them and they had not scored less than 70 all year, our girls lost by 20 points but that;s better than anyone else has done, they will play again on Thursday, I am going to try to be there for that one but Amanda has another dental appointment that day...logistics. They left Spokane at 20:05, they won't be back here till 22:00.

I had a tiff (whatever that is) with Calie this morning. I had asked her not to let her car idle for over 5 minutes several times and it had been running for a while when I came in and asked her if she was about to leave, she said "Yeah", I said "When" she said "Soon" I said "That's a Christian Word, "What does "Soon" mean?" and she didn't answer, Christy went in and she was crying and she said "He said I was like Christian..." Damn, All I wanted was to know if I should leave the car running or turn it off. I hate that she is so confrontational, I hate that I get upset by petty things... I hate that we both have tempers, I really hate it when she cries and I know I was responsible.

I have no idea what it must be like to be her, she has stresses that I can't even imagine, the least of which is being a teenager one year and six months from graduating High School... sixteen years old in a committed relationship, Basketball Playoffs looming... Calie is special to me, ever since I held her pudgy little body in my hands. She was so tiny and so cute and so vulnerable, she cried great gut wrenching sobs. She was afraid of everything and easily betrayed because she had such high expectations. She was the one who made things happen, parties, shows, plays, costumes, forts, makeup and redecorating. Never satisfied and always determined...

Not a real busy day, sort of laid back actually, just trivial annoyances and petty aggravations... I am ready for Winter to start winding down, unfortunately we are due for a good storm tonight and there is snow forecasted every day into next week... unfortunately I have absolutely no influence with Mother Nature.

"An election cannot give a country a firm sense of direction if it has two or more national parties which merely have different names but are as alike in their principles and aims as two peas in the same pod"

Snow last night and snowing now, I am not going to Colville so we called and rescheduled Amanda's Dental appointment. I plowed and the kids did the roof, we can not see the first floor of the house from the street now.

"...each candidate behaved well in the hope of being judged worthy of election. However, this system was disastrous when the city had become corrupt. For then it was not the most virtuous but the most powerful who stood for election, and the weak, even if virtuous, were too frightened to run for office."

Monica, Amanda and I went down to Spokane Falls Community College to watch Calie play her playoff game, Calie's team won and Trevor's team lost, both will play again tomorrow. This sort of activity really sucks up time, I really enjoy the games but I really hate the drive.

When Calie is on the floor the whole gymnasium takes on a different aura for me, it's like I am a part of her, when she makes a basket or steals the ball or makes a good pass I feel like I am a right out there on the court with her. I watched Trevor and his first two shots were 3 pointers

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."

Calie and Trevor spent the night in Spokane in a suite with Trevor's Parents, Grandparents and Aunt... Calie slept with Aunt Chris.

Monica went to the games with me today, Amanda went to Deborah's trailer, so she didn't go. We got there just after the boys varsity started against Wilpinit, we had beaten them twice this year in the final minute, this time that took our team apart and won but a good margin. The Girls Varsity got off to a good start with Maria putting on a show but by the second quarter the other team had Maria's number and shut her down, Natika and Heather tried to take up the pressure off but they beat us by 11 points.

The roof Mike and Brandon built over the trailer down by the cemetery collapsed under the weight of the snow... 4' of snow at 13 pounds per square foot equals 46.8 tons of snow, no wonder it collapsed...

Christy & Cindy went to the Democratic Caucus in Ione, we are Obama supporters and I was really feeling bad that I would be unable to attend. Obama is leading with a projection that he will take 70% of the delegates.

Christy was unhappy with the the fella leading the event, too much unnecessary and irrelevant Bush Bashing, plus he started the Caucus 20 minutes early and announced that HE would be nominated as one of the delegates... a little arrogant and and pompous for Christy's taste. But we did our part. One of my neighbors was a Hillary supporter and tried to disparage Obama by saying that Obama had said that his first act as president would be to bomb Pakistan, no one corrected him... What he said that he would not hesitate to attack confirmed terrorists in Pakistan with or without Musharif's permission.

Daddy fall down go boom... I was going down stairs in wool socks and both feet went out from under me, nothing damaged but my pride but it got me to thinking just how fragile our existence is. Even if everything is going well and you are in perfect health all it takes is on misplaced step and everything is just over. Daddy fall down, go boom... bye bye Daddy.

By Brasch Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler.

“Patriot!” he was calling out. “Step aside for an American patriot!” “You posing as a homeless veteran to get spare change?” I asked after almost being body-checked by the cart.

“I’m doing exactly what the government told me to do,” he replied. “The government told you to load up a shopping cart and run pedestrians off the sidewalk?” “No, Ink-Breath, I just spent my $600 rebate check. I’m stimulating the economy just like George Bush and everyone running for re-election this year wanted.” With almost no opposition, Congress had agreed to the President’s massive rebate program. Violating almost every principle of conservative politics, except the one for self- preservation of their jobs, the Republicans willingly tossed around money in a naive belief it would slow down the recession. The plan was to mint almost $120 billion for the people, mostly to make them think they should be grateful to Big Government for its concern for the “Little Guy,” even ones making up to $250,000 a year. That $600 individual rebate was also a lame disguise to make the people overlook the $50 billion that was being distributed in the form of tax rebates for American business, a Republican pet project. Only at the last minute—and only because the Democrats demanded it and agreed not to fight the Republicans who refused to allow heating assistance for the impoverished and extra money for the unemployed—did the final proposal include $300 for each of the 250,000 disabled veterans, and $600 for each of 20 million senior citizens who didn’t qualify.

The $168 billion “stimulus package,” had it not been spent on buying votes, could have given every uninsured American health care for at least a year. It could have significantly improved medical and psychiatric facilities for veterans. It could have helped rebuild New Orleans and other cities decaying from neglect. It could even have been the base for massive public works program to improve the nation’s infrastructure while giving jobs to the unemployed, a program similar to what Franklin Delano Roosevelt created to bring America out of its depression. Nevertheless, no matter what the $168 billion was used for, it was less than one-third what has been spent on the invasion and occupation of Iraq. “Marshbaum,” I asked, “how does having all this drek help the economy?” “Just like the President demands,” he explained, “the people will be so grateful for the money they will buy things they don’t need in order to help business make more money and stop a recession.” “Isn’t it likely,” I asked, “that the people will use the money to pay their mortgages or for overdue health care bills?” “Only if they’re traitors who don’t want to see the end of the recession,” he said. “Me, I’m the patriot. I’m doing what I’m told.” I picked up some of the items in Marshbaum’s cart. The clothes were made in Pakistan and Thailand. The books were printed in Hong Kong. The toaster had a label, “Hecho in Mexico.” The half-dozen toys, each probably carrying unspecified amounts of lead, came from China. “Even your American flag,” I pointed out, “was probably made in China.” “Of course it was,” said Marshbaum proudly. “Who could afford it if it were American-made?” “This doesn’t help Americans!” I said. Marshbaum was quick with his response.

“Bought them at Wal-Mart. Big Box hires Americans to sell the products. I buy the products. Two stimuli for the price of one!” I reminded Marshbaum that last year 1.6 million Americans were laid off, most of them probably because not only was the economy diving lower than a nuclear sub, but that American companies had formed alliances with slave-wage companies in other countries to provide products that skilled union workers once made in America. Marshbaum didn’t even blink.

“Cheaper products are better for Americans,” he again emphasized, and then launched a discourse about how if the products were more expensive, Americans couldn’t afford them and the economy would suffer from a lack of what voodoo and government economists call “vitality.” “If the companies hired American labor,” I reminded him, “the workers would have more money to buy more things, even if they were more expensive. The economy would recover.” “A fifteen buck shirt is three times better than a forty-five buck shirt,” he said.

“Even if the bosses buy cheap cloth and 10-year-olds are paid pennies an hour to make shirts that the stitching falls out in two months?” “So you buy two more shirts. No big deal. Stimulates the cash registers. More times the drawers open, the better it is for business. Now, do you have any more dumb comments or questions?” “Just one. Why are you wheeling everything home? Is your car in the shop?” “That’s two questions, but since reporters are math-challenged, I’ll answer both of them with one question.” His one question made far more sense than anything else he said this cool, windy afternoon. “With gas prices over three bucks a gallon, who can afford to drive?” [Walter Brasch, an award-winning journalist, is professor of mass communications at Bloomsburg University. His latest book is Sinking the Ship of State: The Presidency of George W. Bush, available at amazon.com and other bookstores. You may contact Brasch through his website, www.walterbrasch.com] Authors Website: www.walterbrasch.com Authors Bio: Walter Brasch is an award-winning journalist and university professor. His current books are America's Unpatriotic Acts: The Federal Government's Violation of Constitutional and Civil Rights, and 'Unacceptable': The Federal response to Hurricane Katrina, both available at amazon.com, borders.com and most major on-line bookstores.

February 8, 2008

The day before the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton teared up on camera.
The day before Super Tuesday, Hillary Clinton teared up on camera and had coughing fit on-air.
After Super Tuesday, Clinton announced that she had loaned her own campaign $5 Million, and her campaign implied that senior staff were going unpaid. The latter was particularly surprising as Clinton is one of the all-time greatest political fund raisers in American history.

Aides denied any suggestion that Clinton was in any way exaggerating her difficulties or even seeking to play to her supporter's sense of victim hood. Nonetheless, a draft memo fished from the garbage cans behind her campaign HQ is suggestive:

February 9 - LA, NE, WA Caucuses: Cry on camera, walk with limp

February 12 - VA, DC, MD Primaries: Cry, limp, wear sunglasses, then remove to reveal black eye. Deny Bill hit you.

February 19 - HI Caucus, WI Primary: Announce cutting back tour schedule to accommodate second job as Waffle House waitress.

March 4 - OH, RI, TX, VT Primaries: Wear arm in sling. Facial bruising. Deny Obama hit you.

March 8 - WY Caucus: Sling, neck brace, eye patch. Prosthetic hand? Claw? Too harsh? Peg leg? Too Pirate-y?? Youth vote?

March 11 - MS Primary: Act sleepy; explain that budget cuts have left you malnourished because you insist "staffers eat first."

April 22 - PA Primary: Offer to sell Kidney, "lightly bruised."

May 20 - KY, OR Primaries: Wheelchair! Polio! FDR!

June 3 - MT, SD Primaries: TBD: Just a crown of thorns or a real cross?? Will depend on polling.

Further research tasks: What did Bette Davis have in "Dark Victory"? What did the girl die of in "Love Story"? Can we save the crucifixion for the general?