As someone who did not grow up in Woodland, I may not have the proper hometown perspective in the "Dumpgate" issue, but I will offer up my thoughts anyway.
If you are reader of my blog, you will remember my posts on the Red Sox World Series titles and Dustin's MVP award. Although I did not grow up in Woodland, a local guy making the majors and becoming the MVP is a pretty big deal. Not knowing Dustin personally, I could only watch him play and watch the interviews with him to get a sense of the guy. I love the way he plays, scrappy, determined, hair on fire, and excuse my language, but the term red-ass seems to fit the Woodland native.
When I first saw the comments made by Pedroia about Woodland, I thought I had better read the entire interview to see if he was misquoted or if his comments were taken out of context. It does not seem that he was. If you read the entire interview, Pedroia seems to be fueled by a personal sense of anger, a need to succeed and to prove other people wrong. Maybe Dustin is a sweet guy and his friends would say he has a heart of gold, but from the outside, its hard to come away with any other impression.
"It's a dump. You can quote me on that. I don't give a s---- Everyone wants to get out of there. You don't want to stay in Woodland. What do you want to stay in Woodland for? …
"The newspaper there, I don't really get along with. I come from your town. You should embrace me. I play for the Boston Red Sox. You haven't had a lot of major leaguers come out of your city."
It's not just one sentence, it's not just the 'dump' comment, I hate to say it Woodland, but he's just not that into you.
I remember Woodland celebrating his accomplishments and the headlines in the Democrat. The naming of a baseball field in his honor was a pretty nice gesture. I was writing about Dustin's career and thought he was a great player. What about the other side of coin?
Maybe I missed this living in Esparto, but I don't remember the annual Dustin Pedroia charity baseball camp, or bowling night to benefit Woodland little league or the YMCA. I would think that if you loved your hometown, every charity in the city could count on you for signed memorabilia or attendance at charity events.
Having lived in Sacramento, Kings center Vlade Devac was everywhere, donating his time, his memorabilia and even dragging his teammates to community fundraisers. It was easy to tell that Vlade loved his adopted hometown. I realize that not every person may be comfortable in the spotlight, but if your deeds are not speaking for you, your words will.
After the story came out, Pedroia started backpedaling. As a professional athlete, Pedroia's image as a spoiled kid who hates his hometown could cost him lucrative endorsements. I am sure his agent has pointed out to him. It’s a no win situation for everyone. Woodland has its feelings hurt, the Pedroia family must be shocked by the community's reaction, and everyone would just like this whole thing to go away.
The legal trouble facing the Pedroia family could be a major part of Dustin's issues with Woodland. Brett Pedroia will have his day in court, and that is how it should be. No one would consider local news coverage of a family member's arrest and legal problems as a good thing, or think that coverage as particularly fair. Being a public figure dragged into the news by a family member cannot be an easy thing to handle, and maybe this is the lens we need to view Dustin's comments through. Just when he is trying to enjoy a MVP season, the stresses of his family’s struggles are pulling him down.
Dustin does not need Woodland. He has enough money and security to live anywhere he wants and not give a rip about what his hometown thinks. This is his right. Woodland does not need Dustin, but it sure could use his popularity and celebrity for community fundraising and civic pride. I would love to see Dustin come to Woodland and really give back to it. Even if he has to endure a few jeers, he could show everyone where his heart is.
Here is the one thing I would say to everyone. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and realize that we all say things we regret, not very many of us have it printed for the world to read.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Monday, April 06, 2009
Close, and other subjective terms
While I usually embrace new technology and try to stay up with the times, I have learned over the years, not everything that glitters is gold. Take online reservations for example. Having recently lamented the fact that I never get around to doing some of things I really want to, I asked for a few days off to take the family to Yosemite. Even though I am heading up a new project at work, things fell into place and my boss gave me Friday and Monday off.
In the old days, you would call the park to see if they have any vacancies or look for campgrounds around the park and make a few more calls. Eventually, either you find a campsite, or you find you need to pick a different weekend. However, in today's point and click world, you go to the Yosemite website, click on reservations, and input your requirements. Fill in the blanks for trailer length, full hookups or self-contained, number of nights etc., and presto, you have your reservation. Now for the subjective part; "close to the park entrance."
That word close can have many meanings. In this particular case, close meant, it is closer to the park than your house is.
On a map, Eastman Lake even looks "close" to the southern entrance to Yosemite. Sacagawea, the name we have given to our GPS unit, says its only 37 miles from Eastman Lake to the south entrance. When I saw this on the online reservation page, I was thinking, okay its 45 minutes from the park, an hour tops. Woops.
Some two and half hours from our campsite, we pulled into Yosemite Valley. Granted we did make it to the park's southern entrance in one hour and forty-five minutes, it takes quite a while to get from there to the valley floor.
It was worth the drive. We brought our bikes, rented one for our daughter, and we rode the bike trails all afternoon. We rode all over the valley floor, something my thighs will swear to in a court of law. We parked at the village center about 10:30 and the crowds were just starting to arrive in force. By 2:00, it was crowded anywhere you went.
We spent most of that day just looking up and saying, wow. Pictures are great and the movie they show at the visitor's center is nice, but you really have to see it for yourself.
So as the shadows grew longer, I thought we might cut some time by going out the main entrance and finding a new way back to camp. Woops.
Following the Merced River down the valley to Mariposa, we plugged Eastman Lake into Sacagawea, and with her smooth yet annoying voice, she said, “Turn left in point seven miles." That took us to Ben Hur Road. Imagine Ben Hur Road as a corkscrewing ribbon of potholed asphalt that goes on for miles. I did enjoy seeing the cattle grazing on the hills as I drove my Dodge 4X4 down the rough road, smacking my head against the roof the entire way.
Three hours from leaving Yosemite, we pulled back into our campsite. The next day, we stayed at Eastman Lake. While not as visually exciting and majestic as Yosemite, it did have one thing going for it.
It was "close."
In the old days, you would call the park to see if they have any vacancies or look for campgrounds around the park and make a few more calls. Eventually, either you find a campsite, or you find you need to pick a different weekend. However, in today's point and click world, you go to the Yosemite website, click on reservations, and input your requirements. Fill in the blanks for trailer length, full hookups or self-contained, number of nights etc., and presto, you have your reservation. Now for the subjective part; "close to the park entrance."
That word close can have many meanings. In this particular case, close meant, it is closer to the park than your house is.
On a map, Eastman Lake even looks "close" to the southern entrance to Yosemite. Sacagawea, the name we have given to our GPS unit, says its only 37 miles from Eastman Lake to the south entrance. When I saw this on the online reservation page, I was thinking, okay its 45 minutes from the park, an hour tops. Woops.
Some two and half hours from our campsite, we pulled into Yosemite Valley. Granted we did make it to the park's southern entrance in one hour and forty-five minutes, it takes quite a while to get from there to the valley floor.
It was worth the drive. We brought our bikes, rented one for our daughter, and we rode the bike trails all afternoon. We rode all over the valley floor, something my thighs will swear to in a court of law. We parked at the village center about 10:30 and the crowds were just starting to arrive in force. By 2:00, it was crowded anywhere you went.
We spent most of that day just looking up and saying, wow. Pictures are great and the movie they show at the visitor's center is nice, but you really have to see it for yourself.
So as the shadows grew longer, I thought we might cut some time by going out the main entrance and finding a new way back to camp. Woops.
Following the Merced River down the valley to Mariposa, we plugged Eastman Lake into Sacagawea, and with her smooth yet annoying voice, she said, “Turn left in point seven miles." That took us to Ben Hur Road. Imagine Ben Hur Road as a corkscrewing ribbon of potholed asphalt that goes on for miles. I did enjoy seeing the cattle grazing on the hills as I drove my Dodge 4X4 down the rough road, smacking my head against the roof the entire way.
Three hours from leaving Yosemite, we pulled back into our campsite. The next day, we stayed at Eastman Lake. While not as visually exciting and majestic as Yosemite, it did have one thing going for it.
It was "close."
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Signs, signs, everywhere signs...
Maybe you have seen this photo, or a sign somewhere with the same message. I know that some Christians may get their feathers ruffled by it, but don't count me among that group. While I don't agree with its conclusion, my real issue is with its premise. If you believe there is a God, you're riddled with worry and cannot enjoy life? Really? What kind of Christians has the person who made this sign been around?
It sure isn't me, or anyone in my small group Bible study. I conveyed the message of this sign at our Tuesday meeting and we all had a good laugh. In fact I made the point that if could rewrite this sign I would change only one word.
There's probably is God; now stop worrying and enjoy life.
I know there are certain groups of Christians who focus more on the 'Shall nots' rather than the 'Shalls' in the scriptures, and there is a definite place for rebuking a friend who has strayed from the path, but as our pastor says; telling me I'm a sinner isn't good news, in fact, it isn't news at all.
We all fall short of the glory, but the idea that belief in God, especially Christ, is somehow a shackle that keeps me tied in knot of guilt and worry is as wrong as wrong can be. My relationship with Christ Jesus is based on perfect love, overflowing grace and a peace that can only come with the personal relationship I have with my savior. Enjoying life? You darn right I am.
How many folks do we read about who 'have it all', fame, money, success, the adoration of multitudes? I can think of a few who were found dead, alone in a room. They were victims of their own pursuits, trying to find happiness by 'enjoying life'. If you watch an evening of entertainment news, you will find so many broken lives, broken relationships, broken people who, from the outside, seem to "have it all".
I have experienced some very trying times in my life, the death of my father, personal events and more than a few financial challenges. I can honestly say I don't know how I would have made it through some of these darkest days without God. I certainly don't have all the answers, I don't have the secret to never experiencing sorrow and pain in my life, all I know is this; God is with me in all my joys, and my sorrows.
(Mathew 6:34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Live for today, that is a very cool saying in our culture, live each day like it’s you last. Eat, drink and be merry. Spend all your money on yourself and bounce the check to the undertaker. Those are great slogans for sports drinks and tequila advertisements, but what if there is more to this life? What if there is so much more out there that can never be found by pursuing personal enjoyment?
I may not have a Porsche, or take a two week vacation in the Bahamas each winter, but I am pretty darn happy. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have nice car and take my wife on a nice vacation, but that is not the ultimate pursuit in my life. I want to live each day praising God for his love and grace, everything thing else is just a vapor in the wind.
I am a terrible excuse for a Christian, I get wrapped up in all kinds of worldly desires and wants, but I try to do a little better every day. My goal is to take each day one at a time, because one day, it will be my last one.
What happens after that?
And they think I am the one who is worried?
Friday, March 27, 2009
Will I live long enough to use a 60-tube pack of toothpaste?
There are many folks, if given the slightest opening in conversation, who will rail against the evils of super retailers like Costco, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Target etc, for hours on end. They put small businesses out of business, they ruin the older downtown areas of our cities, they sell foreign junk at low prices, basically, if turned loose inside your city limits, they will kill your town.
There is an amount of truth to these arguments; small businesses cannot compete against the buying power of a super retailer. Retail giants like Wal-Mart and Costco have a competitive price advantage before the product hits the shelves simply because they buy in tremendous volume and receive a discount from the manufacture. A discount they can use to their advantage when they set their prices. They do take shoppers away from traditional shopping areas. New developments offer larger parking areas and larger square footage opportunities for these stores and that is what they need, space, and lots of it. It would be almost impossible trying to carve out a place in a downtown setting for a super retailer, and the price per square foot would be prohibitive.
I have lived in Yolo County long enough to remember businesses with great customer service, like Cranston's Hardware on Main Street. I also remember stores with less than stellar service and high prices in the downtown area. I miss having a true hardware store like Cranston's, where the guy behind the counter had actually rebuilt a pneumatic screen door closer, and would sell you the right parts and explain how to fix it. I'm not so impressed with the slacked-jawed look of the kid at the local home center who wouldn't know a pneumatic screen door closer if you hit him in the head with one.
There are family owned businesses in Woodland that still offer good service, and I try to shop there first. I will pay a little more for customer service and product knowledge, but if I get the same slacked-jawed look to my question, why bother? I hate to see the closed storefronts downtown, and I would love to have a vibrant downtown in Woodland, I’m just not sure the best way to go about it.
Setting aside that argument for a moment, I would like to point out a not so obvious evil of big box stores, especially the warehouse stores; overbuying.
Before Costco was Costco, we knew them in the Sacramento area as Price Club. Our family's name for it was the $200 club. It was almost impossible to return from Price Club without spending at least $200. This was back when spending $100 at a grocery store was a rare occurrence. The large quantities of goods you purchased at these stores made you feel as though you were running the kitchen for an NFL training camp or a logging mill.
I like bacon, but do I really need 6 pounds of it? I need ketchup, but where am I going to store a one-gallon container of it? Do I have buy laundry detergent in a 5-gallon bucket? Do I need to buy a hay-bale sized bundle of socks? Will I live long enough to use a 60 tube pack of toothpaste?
Judging by the success of these stores, the answer to these questions is yes. I found a place to put the laundry soap, and after shopping at Costco for a while, we bought an extra freezer for the garage to store the extra five packs of bacon, the 800-packs of chicken nuggets and so on.
A good marketing plan for Costco might be to sell energy efficient freezers right at the entrance of the store. Now you can stock up in the frozen food isle because you have a place to put it. Better yet, Costco could give you the freezer and charge you a monthly service fee, say $5 a month on a three-year contract. The $180 bucks would probably pay for the freezer and just think of the extra revenue in frozen food sales.
I should go into Marketing.
There is an amount of truth to these arguments; small businesses cannot compete against the buying power of a super retailer. Retail giants like Wal-Mart and Costco have a competitive price advantage before the product hits the shelves simply because they buy in tremendous volume and receive a discount from the manufacture. A discount they can use to their advantage when they set their prices. They do take shoppers away from traditional shopping areas. New developments offer larger parking areas and larger square footage opportunities for these stores and that is what they need, space, and lots of it. It would be almost impossible trying to carve out a place in a downtown setting for a super retailer, and the price per square foot would be prohibitive.
I have lived in Yolo County long enough to remember businesses with great customer service, like Cranston's Hardware on Main Street. I also remember stores with less than stellar service and high prices in the downtown area. I miss having a true hardware store like Cranston's, where the guy behind the counter had actually rebuilt a pneumatic screen door closer, and would sell you the right parts and explain how to fix it. I'm not so impressed with the slacked-jawed look of the kid at the local home center who wouldn't know a pneumatic screen door closer if you hit him in the head with one.
There are family owned businesses in Woodland that still offer good service, and I try to shop there first. I will pay a little more for customer service and product knowledge, but if I get the same slacked-jawed look to my question, why bother? I hate to see the closed storefronts downtown, and I would love to have a vibrant downtown in Woodland, I’m just not sure the best way to go about it.
Setting aside that argument for a moment, I would like to point out a not so obvious evil of big box stores, especially the warehouse stores; overbuying.
Before Costco was Costco, we knew them in the Sacramento area as Price Club. Our family's name for it was the $200 club. It was almost impossible to return from Price Club without spending at least $200. This was back when spending $100 at a grocery store was a rare occurrence. The large quantities of goods you purchased at these stores made you feel as though you were running the kitchen for an NFL training camp or a logging mill.
I like bacon, but do I really need 6 pounds of it? I need ketchup, but where am I going to store a one-gallon container of it? Do I have buy laundry detergent in a 5-gallon bucket? Do I need to buy a hay-bale sized bundle of socks? Will I live long enough to use a 60 tube pack of toothpaste?
Judging by the success of these stores, the answer to these questions is yes. I found a place to put the laundry soap, and after shopping at Costco for a while, we bought an extra freezer for the garage to store the extra five packs of bacon, the 800-packs of chicken nuggets and so on.
A good marketing plan for Costco might be to sell energy efficient freezers right at the entrance of the store. Now you can stock up in the frozen food isle because you have a place to put it. Better yet, Costco could give you the freezer and charge you a monthly service fee, say $5 a month on a three-year contract. The $180 bucks would probably pay for the freezer and just think of the extra revenue in frozen food sales.
I should go into Marketing.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sometimes its rough being a dad.
A friend sent this to me. Sums up my parenting experience very well.
Then she says, (as only a mother would know... :) "Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?"
Cup of Tea.
One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me. I was maybe 2 1/2 years old and had just recovered from an accident. Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a get-well gift and it was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!'
My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up.
One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me. I was maybe 2 1/2 years old and had just recovered from an accident. Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a get-well gift and it was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!'
My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up.
Then she says, (as only a mother would know... :) "Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?"
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Cloud watching, and other important things.
I love springtime, but I also love the fall. Between those two, spring looses in a photo finish, mainly because of hunting season. However, spring has a unique hold on me.
The grass in the hills is a lush green, the tree buds are opening to the world and the fresh young chutes of wild flowers reach ever upward. Even the sunshine seems more inviting in the spring than any other time of year. A flannel shirt or light jacket in the morning gives way to shirt sleeves in the afternoon. The storms that bring in the rain, scrub the sky to bright blue.
As a kid, I used to spend hours laying back on the damp grass and watching the white, billowing clouds as they split apart and rejoin to form their unlimited shapes. Any time a kid can be outside and take in the wonders of nature, it is time well spent.
Springtime is also a time of renewal and new life. The wobbly legs of newborn calves, foals and lambs try to gain a steady hold on the soft ground. The frequent hunting trips of the red-tailed hawk in my back yard tell me a new hawk may soon be testing its wings. New gosling, ducklings and chicks are everywhere out at the ranch, just as it should be.
The sounds of kids playing and the unmistakable ping of an aluminum bat connecting with a baseball is another sign spring has arrived. Little League signups are posted in town along with the ones for soccer teams. Springtime is for kids, and for the kid in all of us.
The first beautiful weekend starts me planning all kinds of outings. Outings I never find the time to do. When it's sunny and 70 degrees outside, it feels as though spring will last forever. Soon all those picnics out at the ranch and field trips with the kids that I meant to take seem a little less appealing as the temperature climbs into the 90s and closer to the century mark. I still have my wish list, and this year, I may just find a way to check a few of them off.
I have yet to see Yosemite. Go figure. I have seen Yellowstone twice and its three states away. One of the most beautiful and scenic places our planet has to offer is 4 hours away, and I have not taken the time to see it with my own eyes. I would also like to have an overnight picnic in the hills somewhere this spring. Nothing too fancy, just the family and a few friends, a good meal and watching the campfire burn down to a bed of glowing coals while we talk and enjoy the cool night air.
Granted it's not a very sophisticated list. I'm not asking for a train ride through the wine country or an outdoor symphony in Golden Gate Park, these are just simple outings that I hope would be something our family will enjoy together. It seems these days we are all pulled in different directions. My son and I will do one thing while my wife and daughter do something else. I really want to spend time together doing something we all will enjoy. Our children are growing up so fast, I feel like I have missed so many chances already. This year will be different.
I will keep you posted.
The grass in the hills is a lush green, the tree buds are opening to the world and the fresh young chutes of wild flowers reach ever upward. Even the sunshine seems more inviting in the spring than any other time of year. A flannel shirt or light jacket in the morning gives way to shirt sleeves in the afternoon. The storms that bring in the rain, scrub the sky to bright blue.
As a kid, I used to spend hours laying back on the damp grass and watching the white, billowing clouds as they split apart and rejoin to form their unlimited shapes. Any time a kid can be outside and take in the wonders of nature, it is time well spent.
Springtime is also a time of renewal and new life. The wobbly legs of newborn calves, foals and lambs try to gain a steady hold on the soft ground. The frequent hunting trips of the red-tailed hawk in my back yard tell me a new hawk may soon be testing its wings. New gosling, ducklings and chicks are everywhere out at the ranch, just as it should be.
The sounds of kids playing and the unmistakable ping of an aluminum bat connecting with a baseball is another sign spring has arrived. Little League signups are posted in town along with the ones for soccer teams. Springtime is for kids, and for the kid in all of us.
The first beautiful weekend starts me planning all kinds of outings. Outings I never find the time to do. When it's sunny and 70 degrees outside, it feels as though spring will last forever. Soon all those picnics out at the ranch and field trips with the kids that I meant to take seem a little less appealing as the temperature climbs into the 90s and closer to the century mark. I still have my wish list, and this year, I may just find a way to check a few of them off.
I have yet to see Yosemite. Go figure. I have seen Yellowstone twice and its three states away. One of the most beautiful and scenic places our planet has to offer is 4 hours away, and I have not taken the time to see it with my own eyes. I would also like to have an overnight picnic in the hills somewhere this spring. Nothing too fancy, just the family and a few friends, a good meal and watching the campfire burn down to a bed of glowing coals while we talk and enjoy the cool night air.
Granted it's not a very sophisticated list. I'm not asking for a train ride through the wine country or an outdoor symphony in Golden Gate Park, these are just simple outings that I hope would be something our family will enjoy together. It seems these days we are all pulled in different directions. My son and I will do one thing while my wife and daughter do something else. I really want to spend time together doing something we all will enjoy. Our children are growing up so fast, I feel like I have missed so many chances already. This year will be different.
I will keep you posted.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Lighten up Francis
I guess I will get the hate mail flowing with this, but here it goes anyway.
Lighten up on Barack Obama, at least for the Special Olympics bowling comment.
I know that for those who have a special needs child or relative, the President's comment could make you feel very angry, mildly upset or even evoke a chuckle. The people who have demanded the President apologize are not satisfied, they want his hide nailed to the barn door for this.
While some of the outrage has come from the President's critics, much has come from the left. The Politically Correct police are out in full force, just waiting to be offended by something, or in some cases, by anything.
Was the comment insensitive towards disabled or special needs citizens? Sure it was, if you want to be. Was is mean spirited? Absolutely not. I will guarantee the Obama administration will sign more business crippling legislation for the ADA lobby than any other President has, but that doesn't matter right now. The professionally outraged lobby will beat the administration over the head with this comment ever chance they can.
If only he would offend middle-aged, fat, white, evangelical males.....
Maybe I could get a bail out?
Lighten up on Barack Obama, at least for the Special Olympics bowling comment.
I know that for those who have a special needs child or relative, the President's comment could make you feel very angry, mildly upset or even evoke a chuckle. The people who have demanded the President apologize are not satisfied, they want his hide nailed to the barn door for this.
While some of the outrage has come from the President's critics, much has come from the left. The Politically Correct police are out in full force, just waiting to be offended by something, or in some cases, by anything.
Was the comment insensitive towards disabled or special needs citizens? Sure it was, if you want to be. Was is mean spirited? Absolutely not. I will guarantee the Obama administration will sign more business crippling legislation for the ADA lobby than any other President has, but that doesn't matter right now. The professionally outraged lobby will beat the administration over the head with this comment ever chance they can.
If only he would offend middle-aged, fat, white, evangelical males.....
Maybe I could get a bail out?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Behind the mock outrage, the truth comes to the surface.
For all of you outraged at the AIG executive bonuses, please turn your anger towards the Democrat who wrote those bonuses into the stimulus bill. Here is a hint, its the same guy who took 103,000 in political contributions from AIG in the last election.
Now aint' that a coincidence? His phone number in DC is (202) 224-2823, give him a call and explain why maybe he should be taxed at 90% for the AIG "bonus" he took.
Boy, I can almost feel the Hope and Change.
In a dramatic reversal Wednesday, Sen. Chris Dodd confessed to adding language to a spending cap in the stimulus bill last month that specifically excluded executive bonuses included in contracts signed before the bill's passage. Dodd, D-Conn., told FOX News that Treasury officials forced him to make the change. "As many know, the administration was, among others, not happy with the language. They wanted some modifications to it," he said. "They came to us, our staff, and asked for changes, and the changes at the time did not seem that obnoxious or onerous."
Now aint' that a coincidence? His phone number in DC is (202) 224-2823, give him a call and explain why maybe he should be taxed at 90% for the AIG "bonus" he took.
Boy, I can almost feel the Hope and Change.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Obama in spending 2 trillion dollars of our children's money and all I got was this t-shirt.
Those of us here in California have seen this movie, and it doesn't have a happy ending. When Governor Schwarzenegger came into office, the state government was 30 or so billion in the hole. Instead of cutting spending, we were told by the folks under the dome we would make a "one time fix." The state would borrow this huge sum of money by selling California bonds, and they promised to reign in the spending. Yea, right.
The Legislature didn't slow the growth of government spending, in fact, they actually increased spending every year since. The foundation was laid; spend more than you have, borrow from tomorrow what you can't pay for today, and congratulate yourself on your sound financial judgment.
This "one time" fix resembles the checks you receive in the mail from your credit card company. If you are behind on your bills and can't pay your credit card balances, all you do is sign this check and presto, you can pay off the credit cards. After all, the initial interest rate is 0% for the first 3 months.
This brings us to the first rule about holes. When you are in one, stop digging.
Instead of reviewing your spending, finding ways to spend smarter and better, you find a way to keep doing what you are doing, and then spend a little more. As we are learning this year, we can't keep borrowing indefinitely. California's bond rating has plummeted. Even if we can find people willing to buy our bonds, the state's credit rating is so poor, we will have to pay out much higher rates to sell these bonds. Like the example above, state government borrowed money to pay off the credit card bills, and then ran the credit card balances back up to the limit.
If California were a family, we would be getting that knock on the door from the sheriff being served with eviction papers.
On the national scene, we are seeing these same "fixes" by President Obama and the democratically controlled Congress, only on a much, much larger scale. The difference is, Washington owns a printing press.
Nations like China, who own around 25% of our nation's debt, are getting nervous. The safe bet American bonds once were, are becoming less appealing to foreign investors. The sheer amount of money being borrowed and printed right now, has given rise to the threat of rapid inflation in the near future. That may be part of the administration's plan, if money is worth less, the old debt can be paid back sooner. The only problem with that strategy is it puts the screws to people on a fixed income.
The huge number of baby boomers retiring, and those already counting on Social Security checks to pay the bills, will be hit hard. The price for everything they buy, from food to electricity, will sharply increase while their income will stay the flat.
So, what is the answer? I wish I knew for a certainty. However, spending trillions of dollars, and then coming back to ask for a trillion more, is not the answer.
In the next few weeks, we will see Congress ask for another staggering sum of money to buy up toxic assets from the mortgage-backed securities mess that started this financial meltdown. I am not a fan of government intervention in the free market, but this is one I actually agree with. The sub-prime mortgage mess is the chief culprit in our current economic woes. To start the credit markets lending money again, and for private capitol to flood back into the market, these toxic assets must be taken off the books. My concern is the same politicians who created the crisis, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and others, will be heading the effort to fix it.
The banking bill will not be the last of it, get ready for "Son of Stimulus 2." Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are writing up another stimulus bill before the panic fades. If a trillion dollars in pork barrel spending and earmarks is good for the economy, another trillion must be better, right? These spending sprees in the name of stimulus could actually slow and even stop, our economic recovery. I suggest doing a little reading on FDR's new deal. Read about how government intervention into the economy stretched the depression out for years longer than it should have. You probably didn't learn this in school, but the facts are indisputable.
This economy will turn around. Americans didn't forget how to work, we didn't forget how to innovate, build, and chase after our dreams. We have just forgotten that we can't spend our way to prosperity. Hard work, building up your savings, delaying gratification, the things that built this country, still work.
The only thing that can stand in the way of American people is the American government.
We must learn our lessons from this crisis and start demanding our government live within its means, while we lead by example.
The Legislature didn't slow the growth of government spending, in fact, they actually increased spending every year since. The foundation was laid; spend more than you have, borrow from tomorrow what you can't pay for today, and congratulate yourself on your sound financial judgment.
This "one time" fix resembles the checks you receive in the mail from your credit card company. If you are behind on your bills and can't pay your credit card balances, all you do is sign this check and presto, you can pay off the credit cards. After all, the initial interest rate is 0% for the first 3 months.
This brings us to the first rule about holes. When you are in one, stop digging.
Instead of reviewing your spending, finding ways to spend smarter and better, you find a way to keep doing what you are doing, and then spend a little more. As we are learning this year, we can't keep borrowing indefinitely. California's bond rating has plummeted. Even if we can find people willing to buy our bonds, the state's credit rating is so poor, we will have to pay out much higher rates to sell these bonds. Like the example above, state government borrowed money to pay off the credit card bills, and then ran the credit card balances back up to the limit.
If California were a family, we would be getting that knock on the door from the sheriff being served with eviction papers.
On the national scene, we are seeing these same "fixes" by President Obama and the democratically controlled Congress, only on a much, much larger scale. The difference is, Washington owns a printing press.
Nations like China, who own around 25% of our nation's debt, are getting nervous. The safe bet American bonds once were, are becoming less appealing to foreign investors. The sheer amount of money being borrowed and printed right now, has given rise to the threat of rapid inflation in the near future. That may be part of the administration's plan, if money is worth less, the old debt can be paid back sooner. The only problem with that strategy is it puts the screws to people on a fixed income.
The huge number of baby boomers retiring, and those already counting on Social Security checks to pay the bills, will be hit hard. The price for everything they buy, from food to electricity, will sharply increase while their income will stay the flat.
So, what is the answer? I wish I knew for a certainty. However, spending trillions of dollars, and then coming back to ask for a trillion more, is not the answer.
In the next few weeks, we will see Congress ask for another staggering sum of money to buy up toxic assets from the mortgage-backed securities mess that started this financial meltdown. I am not a fan of government intervention in the free market, but this is one I actually agree with. The sub-prime mortgage mess is the chief culprit in our current economic woes. To start the credit markets lending money again, and for private capitol to flood back into the market, these toxic assets must be taken off the books. My concern is the same politicians who created the crisis, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and others, will be heading the effort to fix it.
The banking bill will not be the last of it, get ready for "Son of Stimulus 2." Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are writing up another stimulus bill before the panic fades. If a trillion dollars in pork barrel spending and earmarks is good for the economy, another trillion must be better, right? These spending sprees in the name of stimulus could actually slow and even stop, our economic recovery. I suggest doing a little reading on FDR's new deal. Read about how government intervention into the economy stretched the depression out for years longer than it should have. You probably didn't learn this in school, but the facts are indisputable.
This economy will turn around. Americans didn't forget how to work, we didn't forget how to innovate, build, and chase after our dreams. We have just forgotten that we can't spend our way to prosperity. Hard work, building up your savings, delaying gratification, the things that built this country, still work.
The only thing that can stand in the way of American people is the American government.
We must learn our lessons from this crisis and start demanding our government live within its means, while we lead by example.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Light blogging
I haven't been blogging as much lately for several reasons. First, I have given into the darkside and joined Facebook. I'm having a great time finding people I went to school with, as well as friends. I was never impressed with Myspace, way too much junk, music blaring at you, flashing pics, and there was so much crap on the sites that it took three minutes to load the page. Facebook is simple, user friendly and a great way to connect with folks you may not have seen in years.
The second reason is my schedule has been crazy and I needed a break. Too many meeting, too many tasks, emails, lists, things to do.
As great as modern marvels of technologies like Facebook are, there is still no replacement for face to face interaction between human beings.
Case in point, I went a poker game last night. After watching the level of my poker-change-mug drop the last few games, I filled it back up last night. That last straight-flush helped out in a big way, sorry Barney.
This time I am going to hide my poker mug away from the thieving fingers of my son. He has been using it as an mini-ATM for lunch money. I had to dig to the bottom to find any quarters!
The second reason is my schedule has been crazy and I needed a break. Too many meeting, too many tasks, emails, lists, things to do.
As great as modern marvels of technologies like Facebook are, there is still no replacement for face to face interaction between human beings.
Case in point, I went a poker game last night. After watching the level of my poker-change-mug drop the last few games, I filled it back up last night. That last straight-flush helped out in a big way, sorry Barney.
This time I am going to hide my poker mug away from the thieving fingers of my son. He has been using it as an mini-ATM for lunch money. I had to dig to the bottom to find any quarters!
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Butter! No, its Chiffon.
For anyone born before 1970, you may know the television commercial with Mother Nature sitting in a rocking chair, surrounded by woodland creatures, eating what she thinks is a buttered muffin. When she discovers she has been fooled by margarine, she exclaims, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature." There is a loud crackle of thunder and you immediately realize the folly in trying to trick her.
All of which brings us to the Capay Valley Almond Festival. Since 1915, the festival has taken place on the last Sunday in February. The festival coincides with the almond tree blossoms. Rain or shine, the "Almond Festival" as it is know by the locals, is a tradition. As it is with most traditions, change comes with more than a little resistance.
This year was typical almond festival weather; the last Sunday in February was filled with rain, and lots of it. The locals, who were not buying into the new festival date, crowded into the Capay Junction to keep the tradition alive. I know because I was one of them. While I applaud their stiffed neck response to moving the date, I am inclined to believe this is a win-win proposition. Follow along with me.
You can hold a party on the traditional Sunday, and if the weather is nice, you can laugh at the folks who moved the festival date. If it pours that day and its nice two weeks later, you have enjoyed both days. It is a win-win situation, at least for a decade or so. With each passing year, the last Sunday in February will lose a little of its luster. Ultimately, it will fall the way of Washington's Birthday.
Do not get me started on President's day; I have a few choice words on taking Washington and Lincoln's birthday and reducing them to a generic holiday. If there were ever two Americans to celebrate, I can't think any better. But I digress.
The main problem, as I see it, is the almond trees will have finished blooming by March 15. The whole idea of the Almond Festival is to see the valley in its full glory. This past weekend was a wonderful time to experience the Valley. The white almond blossoms, the lush green grass on the hillside, the soft fragrance of spring in the air, the "NO PRISON IN MADISON" signs along Highway 16, it was just perfect.
If you have a few hours of free time this Sunday, take a trip up the Capay Valley. The Almond Festival is a great time, food everywhere, kid’s games, car chows, Harleys and the beauty of the Valley.
If you come in early, Esparto's FFA chapter will have a Pancake breakfast at the High School gym, then head up for live music at the Capay Junction, more food and a craft fair at the Guinda Western Grange Hall and a trip to the festival is not complete unless you have at least one of the Famous Rumsey Ribs.
If you are new to the area and have never driven up the Capay Valley, this is a great time to see it, even if some of the blossoms have already fallen to the ground.
Well, you know what she says, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.”
All of which brings us to the Capay Valley Almond Festival. Since 1915, the festival has taken place on the last Sunday in February. The festival coincides with the almond tree blossoms. Rain or shine, the "Almond Festival" as it is know by the locals, is a tradition. As it is with most traditions, change comes with more than a little resistance.
This year was typical almond festival weather; the last Sunday in February was filled with rain, and lots of it. The locals, who were not buying into the new festival date, crowded into the Capay Junction to keep the tradition alive. I know because I was one of them. While I applaud their stiffed neck response to moving the date, I am inclined to believe this is a win-win proposition. Follow along with me.
You can hold a party on the traditional Sunday, and if the weather is nice, you can laugh at the folks who moved the festival date. If it pours that day and its nice two weeks later, you have enjoyed both days. It is a win-win situation, at least for a decade or so. With each passing year, the last Sunday in February will lose a little of its luster. Ultimately, it will fall the way of Washington's Birthday.
Do not get me started on President's day; I have a few choice words on taking Washington and Lincoln's birthday and reducing them to a generic holiday. If there were ever two Americans to celebrate, I can't think any better. But I digress.
The main problem, as I see it, is the almond trees will have finished blooming by March 15. The whole idea of the Almond Festival is to see the valley in its full glory. This past weekend was a wonderful time to experience the Valley. The white almond blossoms, the lush green grass on the hillside, the soft fragrance of spring in the air, the "NO PRISON IN MADISON" signs along Highway 16, it was just perfect.
If you have a few hours of free time this Sunday, take a trip up the Capay Valley. The Almond Festival is a great time, food everywhere, kid’s games, car chows, Harleys and the beauty of the Valley.
If you come in early, Esparto's FFA chapter will have a Pancake breakfast at the High School gym, then head up for live music at the Capay Junction, more food and a craft fair at the Guinda Western Grange Hall and a trip to the festival is not complete unless you have at least one of the Famous Rumsey Ribs.
If you are new to the area and have never driven up the Capay Valley, this is a great time to see it, even if some of the blossoms have already fallen to the ground.
Well, you know what she says, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.”
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
And now for something completely different
Having been up to my eyeballs in politics for the past few weeks, I am taking a night off to write about, well I am not sure. Think of this as free-form jazz or string of consciousness writing, or just plain rambling.
I have cut out most of the sugar and carbs from my diet for 6 months; I have lost 40 pounds, but I might have to do bodily harm to someone if I don't have pancakes soon.
I am getting better at guitar because of my bass playing, learning the fretboard takes time you know. I am finding country songs much easier to play than rock and metal. My daughter caught me playing Taylor Swift the other day because it's an easy song. I don't even like Taylor Swift, she looks like she needs some cheesecake.
The rain has been great but I could use a break to spray the weeds in my ditches and around the barn. This weekend may give me the chance.
Do you ever wonder why there is such dispairty in the meaning of the word 'clean' between parents and children? As in, "is your room clean?"
The 'new and improved' Capay Valley Almond Blossom Festival is coming to our area on March 15th. The almond festival has been the last Sunday in February since anyone can remember, but it seems people smarter than I am feel the need to move the date, even though the blossoms are falling to the ground as I write this. Progress? I'm not so sure.
I want a motorcycle. There, I said it, and I feel much better now. Chuckle if you will, but back in the day, I used to ride everywhere on my Katana 750. I am way too old for a 'crotch rocket' now, but cruising around on a Harley would be cool. I may just sell my 76' CJ-7 Jeep and see if I can find a screaming deal.
Toaster ovens suck.
I am making headway on the pile of books by my bedside. With my Bible Study reading and all the different meetings I have been attending, I haven't had much time to finish 'An Army at Dawn." It's the story of the African campaign in WWII. It's a great book, I have to finish it. Then it's on to 'Wild at Heart' a men's ministry book. I still have 'Andrew Jackson- American Lion' to read, but my friend Dan has it right now.
It is time to go shooting. I have spent a few rainy days reloading pistol ammunition this winter and it's about time to make some noise and smell the gunpowder burning. I may ask my neighbor if I can take a 5 gallon bucket of his oranges laying on the ground under the trees and head up to my friend's ranch. Rolling oranges down hill and shooting them with a 44 magnum is great fun. If this seems odd to you, don't worry, its a guy thing. If you are a guy and this doesn't sound appealing, you should worry. Email me and we will schedule an intervention, guys should like to doing guy things. Blowing the crap out of oranges with large caliber pistols is in the top three percentile of 'guy things.'
Speaking of bedsides, that is where I am heading.
Goodnight, and God bless Yolo County.
I have cut out most of the sugar and carbs from my diet for 6 months; I have lost 40 pounds, but I might have to do bodily harm to someone if I don't have pancakes soon.
I am getting better at guitar because of my bass playing, learning the fretboard takes time you know. I am finding country songs much easier to play than rock and metal. My daughter caught me playing Taylor Swift the other day because it's an easy song. I don't even like Taylor Swift, she looks like she needs some cheesecake.
The rain has been great but I could use a break to spray the weeds in my ditches and around the barn. This weekend may give me the chance.
Do you ever wonder why there is such dispairty in the meaning of the word 'clean' between parents and children? As in, "is your room clean?"
The 'new and improved' Capay Valley Almond Blossom Festival is coming to our area on March 15th. The almond festival has been the last Sunday in February since anyone can remember, but it seems people smarter than I am feel the need to move the date, even though the blossoms are falling to the ground as I write this. Progress? I'm not so sure.
I want a motorcycle. There, I said it, and I feel much better now. Chuckle if you will, but back in the day, I used to ride everywhere on my Katana 750. I am way too old for a 'crotch rocket' now, but cruising around on a Harley would be cool. I may just sell my 76' CJ-7 Jeep and see if I can find a screaming deal.
Toaster ovens suck.
I am making headway on the pile of books by my bedside. With my Bible Study reading and all the different meetings I have been attending, I haven't had much time to finish 'An Army at Dawn." It's the story of the African campaign in WWII. It's a great book, I have to finish it. Then it's on to 'Wild at Heart' a men's ministry book. I still have 'Andrew Jackson- American Lion' to read, but my friend Dan has it right now.
It is time to go shooting. I have spent a few rainy days reloading pistol ammunition this winter and it's about time to make some noise and smell the gunpowder burning. I may ask my neighbor if I can take a 5 gallon bucket of his oranges laying on the ground under the trees and head up to my friend's ranch. Rolling oranges down hill and shooting them with a 44 magnum is great fun. If this seems odd to you, don't worry, its a guy thing. If you are a guy and this doesn't sound appealing, you should worry. Email me and we will schedule an intervention, guys should like to doing guy things. Blowing the crap out of oranges with large caliber pistols is in the top three percentile of 'guy things.'
Speaking of bedsides, that is where I am heading.
Goodnight, and God bless Yolo County.
Substitute post
I have written, edited, rewritten and edited several posts in the last two or three days without publishing any of them. Don't look for a my piece on the paper this week, I didn't send one in.
I know what I want to say, I just can't decide weather to say it. You know, like your mother told you, "if you can't say anything nice..."
It's not that I don't want to offend anyone, I offend people on a regular basis, I just don't think the people who need to understand what I am saying are up to it at this point. They need a little more time to soak in what is happening right now.
I always save my drafts so I can come back to them, and in time I may.
I know what I want to say, I just can't decide weather to say it. You know, like your mother told you, "if you can't say anything nice..."
It's not that I don't want to offend anyone, I offend people on a regular basis, I just don't think the people who need to understand what I am saying are up to it at this point. They need a little more time to soak in what is happening right now.
I always save my drafts so I can come back to them, and in time I may.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Well, and then there is this
My cat was hyper, so I put it inside a bong......
I am not sure what this says about our society, whatever it is, it isn't positive.
I am not sure what this says about our society, whatever it is, it isn't positive.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
A break from the rain, until tomorrow.
I love the fact we may actually come close to what would be 'normal' rainfall this year. However, to have enough for irrigation water this year, we need almost flood conditions. I would love to have irrigation water for my pastures, but I sure don't want to be sandbagging people's houses to get it.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Not much news out of North Korea lately....
Could this be the reason?
Online dating at its finest. "I am five year spelling champion of North Korea, you know that?"
Online dating at its finest. "I am five year spelling champion of North Korea, you know that?"
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Final thoughts - CAGOP convention 2009
I would like to thank the California Republican Party for the opportunity to cover this year's convention. I met many great people, made a few new friends and generally had a ball reporting from behind the scenes. My tongue-in-cheek posts notwithstanding, I was able to catch a glimpse of what a full time journalist's life can be like. The professionalism and the writing talent they bring to their job are impressive. Watching journalists like Carla Marinucci, John Wildermuth describe the mood and bring out the texture of an event, like the convention, was a treat for an absolute rookie.
One of my favorite journalists, Dan Walters from the Sacramento Bee, asked Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman how she would close the state's $42 billion funding gap without raising taxes, something she had boasted about earlier. Ms. Whitman spoke about cutting the state's payroll, without disrupting state services. When Walters pointed out that half of the state's money goes to education, and the majority of these people are not state employees, Whitman quickly asked for a new question. Walters question was both fair and responsible.
The Whitman campaign may not like the question, but it needed to be asked, and answered. For those of us on the right, we can become upset when the media does not ask these same, tough questions of democratic politicians with the same regularity and tenacity. As Republicans, we have to be able to answer them; our voters demand accountability. Complaining that the press is playing favorites will not bring many people over to our side. Better ideas, better answers, and standing by our principles will.
Trying to set aside your personal politics, especially when covering a purely political event, can be difficult. You are who you are, and that is something one cannot unplug or disconnect while covering a story. You view the subject through the prism of your own personal experiences.
If I was covering the California Democratic convention, I would bring my experiences with me, and try as I may, being completely neutral would be almost impossible. I do believe, however, I would do a great job covering a Democratic event because of my political DNA. I would be less likely to gloss over real mistakes and groupthink than can be all too common at political conventions.
Maybe the CDP will issue a press credential to me for this April's convention.
Don't laugh, it could happen.
My thanks to Mark Pruner, Yolo GOP Chair, and the CRP for rolling the dice and giving me enough rope to hang myself.
One of my favorite journalists, Dan Walters from the Sacramento Bee, asked Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman how she would close the state's $42 billion funding gap without raising taxes, something she had boasted about earlier. Ms. Whitman spoke about cutting the state's payroll, without disrupting state services. When Walters pointed out that half of the state's money goes to education, and the majority of these people are not state employees, Whitman quickly asked for a new question. Walters question was both fair and responsible.
The Whitman campaign may not like the question, but it needed to be asked, and answered. For those of us on the right, we can become upset when the media does not ask these same, tough questions of democratic politicians with the same regularity and tenacity. As Republicans, we have to be able to answer them; our voters demand accountability. Complaining that the press is playing favorites will not bring many people over to our side. Better ideas, better answers, and standing by our principles will.
Trying to set aside your personal politics, especially when covering a purely political event, can be difficult. You are who you are, and that is something one cannot unplug or disconnect while covering a story. You view the subject through the prism of your own personal experiences.
If I was covering the California Democratic convention, I would bring my experiences with me, and try as I may, being completely neutral would be almost impossible. I do believe, however, I would do a great job covering a Democratic event because of my political DNA. I would be less likely to gloss over real mistakes and groupthink than can be all too common at political conventions.
Maybe the CDP will issue a press credential to me for this April's convention.
Don't laugh, it could happen.
My thanks to Mark Pruner, Yolo GOP Chair, and the CRP for rolling the dice and giving me enough rope to hang myself.
Yolo Cowboy; undercover journalist
My assignment; infiltrate the network of subversives and dissidents better known as 'the press'. Who are these people? What do they want? What motivates them? Why are they dressed like homeless people going to a job interview?
I set out to answer these questions at the California Republican Party Convention. My tools: a Netbook, a digital camera, a digital voice recorder, a spiral notepad, and my keen intellect. I am not sure how keen my intellect is, but it is the only one I have.
I checked in with the Press Office on the second floor of the Hyatt Hotel. The hotel is an ideal location for a political convention, across the street from the State Capitol. As I picked up my press credential, I wondered if the powers that be realized the folly in giving an all-access pass to a cowboy.
Being a news junkie, I recognized many reporters by name. The print journalist from the Bay Area, and other smaller, regional papers all had the same rumpled look to them. I know newspapers are cutting staff and expenses as they try to remain solvent, but do the reporters have to sleep in their cars? The Sacramento journalists have the home court advantage of sleeping and showering on a regular basis, and it shows. My first instinct was to go down to the Union Gospel Mission to find someone who would swap clothes with me, being a fat guy, I wasn't sure if I would be able to find someone my size. Therefore, I loosened my tie, changed my sports coat for a fleece vest, and tried not to stand out from the crowd.
As I listened to the chatter of the reports, they were all telling tales of buyouts, layoffs and reductions in circulation. It seems the glory days of newsrooms full of beat reporters is going the way of bell-bottom jeans. Each remaining reporter receives more territory and more responsibilities at the same or reduced pay. I could almost feel sorry for them, if I was not confident in the knowledge that they are all closet communist sympathizers. I swear I could still see the sun-faded spots on their elbow-patched sports coats where the Obama 08' buttons were. Nice try, but you are not fooling me hippie.
As I attended the various press conferences, I soon found myself surrounded by people who were asking the candidates tough questions. When the politicians did not answer a question in a direct manner, the reporters would ask follow up questions, trying to trick the candidates into answering the first question. This confirmed my suspicions. The reporters had their own agenda; they would not be satisfied just reporting the talking points of the candidates. What nerve.
As the press conferences ended, the reporters would talk amongst themselves, grading the candidate's performance. The journalist could not hide their devious nature as they talked about how the candidate evaded this question, or stretched the truth on that answer. I thought to myself, who do these people think they are? Who elected them? How would they like being up in front of the lights answering question that did not fit into their agenda? Huh, how would you like that Mister fancy pants reporter?
I pulled myself together and spent a few hours walking through the convention, talking to fellow Republicans about the GOP legislators who were lured to the Dark Side. Six voted for the Democrat's budget deal. I started to calculate the amount of chickens we would need to pluck and the quantity of tar to boil if we could ever find Able Maldonado and his pals.
The list of speakers at the convention was impressive. Former Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, former secretary of education Bill Bennett, former CEO of eBay, Meg Whitman and former ambassador to the UN, John Bolton. Not be confused with Michael Bolton, John is the one with mustache, not the mullet.
Chicken dinners were the main fare served to the folks plunking down the cash for a chance to hear these Republican icons. They do not serve food to the press there, something I will have to bring up to Jim Smith, editor of the Daily Democrat, who is always chowing on the grub when he covers our local Republican events. I had to pack a few Atkins diet bars in my bag to keep up with the frantic pace of statewide politics.
I was blogging every few hours and posting Twitter comments, tweets, throughout the day. Mobile technology is something the GOP is trying to get its hands around right now. The past election cycle proved that a populist candidate, interconnected with young, high tech followers can produce a great amount of buzz. In today's four-hour news cycle, being able to provide timely, updated content and news is essential. Connecting with new, media savvy voters will be even more critical in 2010.
As Saturday evening wound to a close, I was busy posting almost live video of the conference and trying to maintain my cover as a real journalist. The MSM is a small world and I would catch the reporters trying to read my press credential. Who is this person, they wondered, and why can't he type without looking at the keyboard? I had to flee before they caught on and took me out back for some type of journalistic water boarding.
As I closed my Netbook computer for the last time, I was checking my stats to see who was reading my blog. I was shocked to discover that one my posts, written in about three minute’s time, was picked up by the New York Times. I had been discovered. Time to flee back to Yolo County and fight the establishment press another day.
I set out to answer these questions at the California Republican Party Convention. My tools: a Netbook, a digital camera, a digital voice recorder, a spiral notepad, and my keen intellect. I am not sure how keen my intellect is, but it is the only one I have.
I checked in with the Press Office on the second floor of the Hyatt Hotel. The hotel is an ideal location for a political convention, across the street from the State Capitol. As I picked up my press credential, I wondered if the powers that be realized the folly in giving an all-access pass to a cowboy.
Being a news junkie, I recognized many reporters by name. The print journalist from the Bay Area, and other smaller, regional papers all had the same rumpled look to them. I know newspapers are cutting staff and expenses as they try to remain solvent, but do the reporters have to sleep in their cars? The Sacramento journalists have the home court advantage of sleeping and showering on a regular basis, and it shows. My first instinct was to go down to the Union Gospel Mission to find someone who would swap clothes with me, being a fat guy, I wasn't sure if I would be able to find someone my size. Therefore, I loosened my tie, changed my sports coat for a fleece vest, and tried not to stand out from the crowd.
As I listened to the chatter of the reports, they were all telling tales of buyouts, layoffs and reductions in circulation. It seems the glory days of newsrooms full of beat reporters is going the way of bell-bottom jeans. Each remaining reporter receives more territory and more responsibilities at the same or reduced pay. I could almost feel sorry for them, if I was not confident in the knowledge that they are all closet communist sympathizers. I swear I could still see the sun-faded spots on their elbow-patched sports coats where the Obama 08' buttons were. Nice try, but you are not fooling me hippie.
As I attended the various press conferences, I soon found myself surrounded by people who were asking the candidates tough questions. When the politicians did not answer a question in a direct manner, the reporters would ask follow up questions, trying to trick the candidates into answering the first question. This confirmed my suspicions. The reporters had their own agenda; they would not be satisfied just reporting the talking points of the candidates. What nerve.
As the press conferences ended, the reporters would talk amongst themselves, grading the candidate's performance. The journalist could not hide their devious nature as they talked about how the candidate evaded this question, or stretched the truth on that answer. I thought to myself, who do these people think they are? Who elected them? How would they like being up in front of the lights answering question that did not fit into their agenda? Huh, how would you like that Mister fancy pants reporter?
I pulled myself together and spent a few hours walking through the convention, talking to fellow Republicans about the GOP legislators who were lured to the Dark Side. Six voted for the Democrat's budget deal. I started to calculate the amount of chickens we would need to pluck and the quantity of tar to boil if we could ever find Able Maldonado and his pals.
The list of speakers at the convention was impressive. Former Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, former secretary of education Bill Bennett, former CEO of eBay, Meg Whitman and former ambassador to the UN, John Bolton. Not be confused with Michael Bolton, John is the one with mustache, not the mullet.
Chicken dinners were the main fare served to the folks plunking down the cash for a chance to hear these Republican icons. They do not serve food to the press there, something I will have to bring up to Jim Smith, editor of the Daily Democrat, who is always chowing on the grub when he covers our local Republican events. I had to pack a few Atkins diet bars in my bag to keep up with the frantic pace of statewide politics.
I was blogging every few hours and posting Twitter comments, tweets, throughout the day. Mobile technology is something the GOP is trying to get its hands around right now. The past election cycle proved that a populist candidate, interconnected with young, high tech followers can produce a great amount of buzz. In today's four-hour news cycle, being able to provide timely, updated content and news is essential. Connecting with new, media savvy voters will be even more critical in 2010.
As Saturday evening wound to a close, I was busy posting almost live video of the conference and trying to maintain my cover as a real journalist. The MSM is a small world and I would catch the reporters trying to read my press credential. Who is this person, they wondered, and why can't he type without looking at the keyboard? I had to flee before they caught on and took me out back for some type of journalistic water boarding.
As I closed my Netbook computer for the last time, I was checking my stats to see who was reading my blog. I was shocked to discover that one my posts, written in about three minute’s time, was picked up by the New York Times. I had been discovered. Time to flee back to Yolo County and fight the establishment press another day.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Pretty cool, I was picked up by the New York Times website
I don't know if this is good news or I should run for cover.
Video of Mitt Romney at Meg Whitman's meet-n-greet
Oh to have a President Romney right now.......
Just minutes ago at the convention
Just minutes ago at the convention
Crash course in politics
I had one, continual complaint about candidate Obama; all prose, no details. Now I am beginning to see the wisdom in that strategy.
Meg Whitman, who delivered her California GOP coming out speech twenty minutes earlier, ran into the buzz saw of a very professional journalist. Dan Walters from the Sacramento Bee asked Ms. Whitman how she would have closed the $42 billion budget gap without raising taxes. Her answer was a generic, cut 10%of the staff at the state level. While this idea does have merit, the savings to the budget would fall far short of the 42 billion required. When Walters pointed this out, Meg quickly pointed to new reporter for a new question. Immediately the announcement of "last question" was given by someone from her staff, and away she went.
I like Meg Whitman, but having heard both Steve Poizner and Ms. Whitman handle reporters, Poizner clearly wins this early round. This isn't a Howard Dean scream, or anything close to a major campaign blunder, however, Whitman needs to avoid the mistakes of the McCain/Palin campaign. The handling of a new, inexperienced candidate is tricky; you can sequester your candidate and keep her away from the press until she comes up to speed, or get her out into smaller media markets to learn on the job.
I don't know the correct answer to this dilemma, but it's early, and there is plenty of time to improve her media skills. She will need to have a black-belt in political knowledge to win the election.
Speaking of Sarah Palin, I tried to get an interview with her, but her schedule was too rigid.
I did get this photo, I hope my wife isn't jealous.....
Meg Whitman, who delivered her California GOP coming out speech twenty minutes earlier, ran into the buzz saw of a very professional journalist. Dan Walters from the Sacramento Bee asked Ms. Whitman how she would have closed the $42 billion budget gap without raising taxes. Her answer was a generic, cut 10%of the staff at the state level. While this idea does have merit, the savings to the budget would fall far short of the 42 billion required. When Walters pointed this out, Meg quickly pointed to new reporter for a new question. Immediately the announcement of "last question" was given by someone from her staff, and away she went.
I like Meg Whitman, but having heard both Steve Poizner and Ms. Whitman handle reporters, Poizner clearly wins this early round. This isn't a Howard Dean scream, or anything close to a major campaign blunder, however, Whitman needs to avoid the mistakes of the McCain/Palin campaign. The handling of a new, inexperienced candidate is tricky; you can sequester your candidate and keep her away from the press until she comes up to speed, or get her out into smaller media markets to learn on the job.
I don't know the correct answer to this dilemma, but it's early, and there is plenty of time to improve her media skills. She will need to have a black-belt in political knowledge to win the election.
Speaking of Sarah Palin, I tried to get an interview with her, but her schedule was too rigid.
I did get this photo, I hope my wife isn't jealous.....Looking like a two horse race for GOP Gov.
At the convention there seems to be two rival camps, Meg Whitman and insurance commissioner Steve Poizner. Old school California GOP machine versus a fresh face with high name recognition but no political record to prove or disprove her leadership abilities.
As former CEO of eBay, Whitman touts her financial background as a person who has steered a billion dollar company through the rough and tumble world of the high-tech private sector. Poizner is running on his conservative credentials. He has the party machinery behind him, but Whitman can tap into the deep pockets of her friends and supporters in the business world. This should be interesting.
I will try to ask a question or two to each of them, but I am the smallest of small potatoes in the press core. Almost a tater-tot if you will.
I ran into Meg Whitman this morning, she was off to a meeting but she did take a second to pose with me. Some of my friends at home would probably think I am sitting at The Junction making all this up if I didn't have proof.
As former CEO of eBay, Whitman touts her financial background as a person who has steered a billion dollar company through the rough and tumble world of the high-tech private sector. Poizner is running on his conservative credentials. He has the party machinery behind him, but Whitman can tap into the deep pockets of her friends and supporters in the business world. This should be interesting.
I will try to ask a question or two to each of them, but I am the smallest of small potatoes in the press core. Almost a tater-tot if you will.
I ran into Meg Whitman this morning, she was off to a meeting but she did take a second to pose with me. Some of my friends at home would probably think I am sitting at The Junction making all this up if I didn't have proof.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Behind the scenes at CRP Convention
Friday night dinner; I love the fact that so many young people are here. Many volunteers are in attendance, some from the Davis College Republicans, others from across the state, but all are here to help make the convention run smoothly. When I say run, I mean run. As with any large function, the seemly endless details that go into the setup and culminate with the doors opening, are sometimes elevated to crisis status. When someones' credentials cannot b e found, when the master guest list is lost, or when someone needs to be found, it is usually a college Republican who does the running. They are young, running is in their job description.
Tonight's speakers are South Carolina Governor, Mark Sanford, Congressman Darrell Isssa, radio host Larry Elder, and former Gubernatorial nominee, Bill Simon.
Of all the speakers at the dinner, two spoke to me in a meaningful way. Larry Elder and Mark Sanford. Elder spoke about the history of the party and reminded the room of the first principles at the core of the Republican party. This dovetailed into that challenge set down by Governor Sanford. Are we prepared to loose while standing on our principles? Are we ready to stand firm, educate the electorate and be willing to loose? If we are not willing to loose while standing on our principles, then we will start bending, loosening our standards, trading core ideas for votes. This is a crucial question that needs to be asked and answered.
I can't wait for today's speakers.
Stay tuned.
Tonight's speakers are South Carolina Governor, Mark Sanford, Congressman Darrell Isssa, radio host Larry Elder, and former Gubernatorial nominee, Bill Simon.
Of all the speakers at the dinner, two spoke to me in a meaningful way. Larry Elder and Mark Sanford. Elder spoke about the history of the party and reminded the room of the first principles at the core of the Republican party. This dovetailed into that challenge set down by Governor Sanford. Are we prepared to loose while standing on our principles? Are we ready to stand firm, educate the electorate and be willing to loose? If we are not willing to loose while standing on our principles, then we will start bending, loosening our standards, trading core ideas for votes. This is a crucial question that needs to be asked and answered.
I can't wait for today's speakers.
Stay tuned.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Golden State politicos start looking at 2010
There will be a run on horse grooming supplies at the capital in the coming months as Democrats and Republicans start brushing and combing the white horses they will be be riding in 2010. Each gubernatorial hopeful will come charging onto the scene, touting themselves as the only person who really knows how to save California from its current financial mess.
With millions in their campaign war chests, policy advisers, media handlers, spokespeople, and every type of campaign staffer, right down to the 16 year old sons and daughters of big dollar donors, these candidates will be coming to a town hall meeting near you. If you are anywhere near a medium sized city, you will have a chance to shake hands, snap a photo or at least sit down to an overcooked chicken dinner with your favorite candidate, for a contribution of $100 to $5,000, depending on the zip code.
So who are the morning-line favorites some 21 months out? Not that it does much good, looking at the 2008 early Presidential front runners, you would have predicted a Hillary Clinton/Rudy Giuliani election. However, here in the Golden State, there are a few standouts that look to lead the field.
On the GOP side, 2010 might be the year of woman. Meg Whitman, a new face on the national political scene, was co-chair for the McCain/Palin ticket and brings a serious and impressive business resume to the race as the former CEO of eBay. She will be contending with Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner and former Congressman, Tom Campbell. Another interesting figure just off the main stage is former HP CEO, Carly Fiorina. A Governor Whitman - Lt. Governor Fiorina ticket could be the ultimate cross over ticket. In my humble opinion, Republicans will have to reach outside the current stable of politicians if they are to have any chance in 2010.
On the Democratic side, there are a few front runners, and whole herd of folks who want to be Governor more than life itself. California's Attorney General, Jerry Brown has a reported 3 million in cash for his 2010 run and he is a solid campaigner. Gavin Newsom, the playboy mayor of San Francisco was once thought to be in the mix as a top tier Democratic challenger, but his messy personal life seems to have put this brass ring out of reach, at least for this go around. There is always Lt. Governor John Garamendi, this guy will run for anything, anywhere and probably win. He is slick, slippery and he oozes politics from every poor on his magnificently coiffed head.
A guy who seems to be making a name for himself as the personal antagonist to the current Governor is State Controller, John Chiang. With Chiang hauling Governor Schwarzenegger to court every week to keep the state issuing checks it can't cash, Chiang will be the darling of the powerful public employee unions. That is a pretty good group to have behind you. Buckets, and I mean buckets, of cash from union dues that can instantly propel a person to front runner status. This could get very interesting.
So who will be the eventual nominees for Governor in 2010? We are a few hundred chicken dinners away from finding the answer.
With millions in their campaign war chests, policy advisers, media handlers, spokespeople, and every type of campaign staffer, right down to the 16 year old sons and daughters of big dollar donors, these candidates will be coming to a town hall meeting near you. If you are anywhere near a medium sized city, you will have a chance to shake hands, snap a photo or at least sit down to an overcooked chicken dinner with your favorite candidate, for a contribution of $100 to $5,000, depending on the zip code.
So who are the morning-line favorites some 21 months out? Not that it does much good, looking at the 2008 early Presidential front runners, you would have predicted a Hillary Clinton/Rudy Giuliani election. However, here in the Golden State, there are a few standouts that look to lead the field.
On the GOP side, 2010 might be the year of woman. Meg Whitman, a new face on the national political scene, was co-chair for the McCain/Palin ticket and brings a serious and impressive business resume to the race as the former CEO of eBay. She will be contending with Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner and former Congressman, Tom Campbell. Another interesting figure just off the main stage is former HP CEO, Carly Fiorina. A Governor Whitman - Lt. Governor Fiorina ticket could be the ultimate cross over ticket. In my humble opinion, Republicans will have to reach outside the current stable of politicians if they are to have any chance in 2010.
On the Democratic side, there are a few front runners, and whole herd of folks who want to be Governor more than life itself. California's Attorney General, Jerry Brown has a reported 3 million in cash for his 2010 run and he is a solid campaigner. Gavin Newsom, the playboy mayor of San Francisco was once thought to be in the mix as a top tier Democratic challenger, but his messy personal life seems to have put this brass ring out of reach, at least for this go around. There is always Lt. Governor John Garamendi, this guy will run for anything, anywhere and probably win. He is slick, slippery and he oozes politics from every poor on his magnificently coiffed head.
A guy who seems to be making a name for himself as the personal antagonist to the current Governor is State Controller, John Chiang. With Chiang hauling Governor Schwarzenegger to court every week to keep the state issuing checks it can't cash, Chiang will be the darling of the powerful public employee unions. That is a pretty good group to have behind you. Buckets, and I mean buckets, of cash from union dues that can instantly propel a person to front runner status. This could get very interesting.
So who will be the eventual nominees for Governor in 2010? We are a few hundred chicken dinners away from finding the answer.
The McNuggetini - Matt?
I will pay folding money to see Matt Rexroad drink one of these. Matt, you can give the cash to your favorite local charity. How much money do I need to raise?
The McNuggetini - A McDonald’s chocolate milkshake with vanilla vodka, rimmed with BBQ sauce and garnished with a chicken McNugget.
The McNuggetini - A McDonald’s chocolate milkshake with vanilla vodka, rimmed with BBQ sauce and garnished with a chicken McNugget.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Valentines' Day, help for romantically challenged...
Okay, so you screwed up Valentine's day. Again.
A cheesy card from the 99 cent rack, flowers from the guy on the side of the road and a small heart shaped box of chocolates, the orange creams. Same as last year, disappointing.
What is a guy to do?
Here is a tip from your friendly neighborhood cowboy. The internet is your friend.
Make your own valentine next year, at atom smasher.
A cheesy card from the 99 cent rack, flowers from the guy on the side of the road and a small heart shaped box of chocolates, the orange creams. Same as last year, disappointing.
What is a guy to do?
Here is a tip from your friendly neighborhood cowboy. The internet is your friend.
Make your own valentine next year, at atom smasher.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Can we have a do-over election?
Remember the promises of fiscal restraint, pay as you go and putting an end to pork barrel spending from candidate Obama?
So how did the Porkulus package pass?
Let's have a do-over, please.
Look I know the Democrats won, an I will deal with it. Could we just swap out our new President for one that would satisfy both sides of the Democratic party?
The best of both worlds, an African American and a Clinton.
George Clinton.
So how did the Porkulus package pass?
Let's have a do-over, please.
Look I know the Democrats won, an I will deal with it. Could we just swap out our new President for one that would satisfy both sides of the Democratic party?
The best of both worlds, an African American and a Clinton.
George Clinton. And instead of a cabinet full of tax cheats, how about the Parliament Funkadelic?
They could hardy do worse.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Judd Gregg says no thanks to Obama
I wonder if this had anything to do with Rahm Emanuel taking control the 2010 Census?
Good for you Judd.
Good for you Judd.
ZERO
That is the number of Congress critters who have actually read the Stimulus Bill they will vote on tomorrow.
The Democrats finally made the bill's language available around 11 p.m. Thursday, approximately 10 hours before members meet Friday to consider the bill and 38 hours short of the time promised to give Americans a chance to review the bill.
Hope and change...............
As I often say, hope is not a plan.
The Democrats finally made the bill's language available around 11 p.m. Thursday, approximately 10 hours before members meet Friday to consider the bill and 38 hours short of the time promised to give Americans a chance to review the bill.
Hope and change...............
As I often say, hope is not a plan.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Capay Junction, my favorite den of iniquity
I'll get this out of the way at the beginning, lest anyone chide me for my hypocrisy. As a Christian, although I consider myself a very poor excuse for one, I don't spend much time at the bar. At least not very often. Occasionally, I will head down to The Junction on a Friday after work for 'happy hour' to see the gang and catch up on the happening in the valley. I usually buy a few diet 7-ups out of the refrigerated case, throw a few dollars in the jukebox and talk with my friends.
The Junction, as the locals call it, could best be described as 'quaint'. Peanut shells on the floor, an oil painting of a rather voluptuous brunette behind the bar, and if you look close, you may see a picture of me and my friends from a hunting trip a few years back. Along with these items you will find moose antlers, old saddles, bits, spurs, and just about every other piece of valley decor hanging from the rafters, and of course a 'colorful' group of patrons.
Some are regulars, and some are more regular, if you catch my meaning. When you have your name on a coffee mug behind the bar, you qualify as a regular. I remember the first time I went passed The Junction at 6:00 AM and saw half a dozen pickups out front, I thought, don't these people ever stop drinking? Nope, this was the morning crew coming in for a cup of coffee before work. Like I said, it's a fixture in the valley.
I used to spend a lot more time there, but since I have pretty much stopped drinking a few years ago, I only stop by when someone calls and tells me to get my butt down there. I usually end up giving someone a ride home. I do feel a little sheepish when I talk about The Junction at my small group Bible study. I always tell them, if Jesus came to the Capay Valley, he would head straight for The Junction. As far as salvation goes, it's a target rich environment.
If you consider The Junction a den of iniquity, it's a den of iniquity with a heart of gold. Many thousands of dollars have been raised at that bar for Multiple Sclerosis along with many local causes. This weekend they are having a Biscuits and Gravy benefit for 'Save Rural Yolo County' a local group fighting to keep the State and County from building a prison in the tiny town of Madison.
You can check out The Junction on their new website.
The Junction, as the locals call it, could best be described as 'quaint'. Peanut shells on the floor, an oil painting of a rather voluptuous brunette behind the bar, and if you look close, you may see a picture of me and my friends from a hunting trip a few years back. Along with these items you will find moose antlers, old saddles, bits, spurs, and just about every other piece of valley decor hanging from the rafters, and of course a 'colorful' group of patrons.
Some are regulars, and some are more regular, if you catch my meaning. When you have your name on a coffee mug behind the bar, you qualify as a regular. I remember the first time I went passed The Junction at 6:00 AM and saw half a dozen pickups out front, I thought, don't these people ever stop drinking? Nope, this was the morning crew coming in for a cup of coffee before work. Like I said, it's a fixture in the valley.
I used to spend a lot more time there, but since I have pretty much stopped drinking a few years ago, I only stop by when someone calls and tells me to get my butt down there. I usually end up giving someone a ride home. I do feel a little sheepish when I talk about The Junction at my small group Bible study. I always tell them, if Jesus came to the Capay Valley, he would head straight for The Junction. As far as salvation goes, it's a target rich environment.
If you consider The Junction a den of iniquity, it's a den of iniquity with a heart of gold. Many thousands of dollars have been raised at that bar for Multiple Sclerosis along with many local causes. This weekend they are having a Biscuits and Gravy benefit for 'Save Rural Yolo County' a local group fighting to keep the State and County from building a prison in the tiny town of Madison.
You can check out The Junction on their new website.
Monday, February 09, 2009
10 score years ago
February 12th, 1809 in Hogdenville, Kentucky, on the south fork of Nolin Creek, Abraham Lincoln was born in a small log cabin. Some of you may know him as the guy on the five dollar bill or remember a few lines from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Some may know him as the man who freed the slaves, or that he was the first President to be assassinated. There is so much more to learn about this remarkable man.
If there is a more fascinating figure in American history, I am not aware of one. Lincoln's life has been documented, dissected and examined to such an extent, one could scarce think of a subject not covered. Yet every year a few more books are written about our sixteenth President, trying to reveal a little more about the man behind the monuments. At last count, more than 14,500 books have been written to do just that. If you walk through Borders Books today, you will find dozens on display.
I have a few Lincoln books on my bookshelves, and I must admit, I recently bought another. I have just finished Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It is a wonderful book, based on the men in Lincoln's cabinet. To a man, they all privately thought they could do a much better job as Commander in chief. Such is the nature of politics.
Lincoln's writings and speeches are voluminous, however there are a few that stand out as truly remarkable works to this day. The power and prose of the Gettysburg address are legendary, and the speech's 268 words are worth reading and rereading. However, for me his second inaugural address is my favorite. The setting is the East Portico of the Capitol, four years into the blood and suffering of the civil war. The Union is in command of much of the South and would soon defeat the Confederacy, the crowds gathered are looking forward to the end of the war, but they are anxious about the nation's future. Lincoln's words are moving, sorrowful and yet they challenge the audience to finish the work and heal the nation. Here are the last few lines.
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
Standing in the crowd that day was an actor and southern sympathizer named John Wilkes Booth. In a little over a month, President Lincoln would be assassinated.
If there is a more fascinating figure in American history, I am not aware of one. Lincoln's life has been documented, dissected and examined to such an extent, one could scarce think of a subject not covered. Yet every year a few more books are written about our sixteenth President, trying to reveal a little more about the man behind the monuments. At last count, more than 14,500 books have been written to do just that. If you walk through Borders Books today, you will find dozens on display.
I have a few Lincoln books on my bookshelves, and I must admit, I recently bought another. I have just finished Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It is a wonderful book, based on the men in Lincoln's cabinet. To a man, they all privately thought they could do a much better job as Commander in chief. Such is the nature of politics.
Lincoln's writings and speeches are voluminous, however there are a few that stand out as truly remarkable works to this day. The power and prose of the Gettysburg address are legendary, and the speech's 268 words are worth reading and rereading. However, for me his second inaugural address is my favorite. The setting is the East Portico of the Capitol, four years into the blood and suffering of the civil war. The Union is in command of much of the South and would soon defeat the Confederacy, the crowds gathered are looking forward to the end of the war, but they are anxious about the nation's future. Lincoln's words are moving, sorrowful and yet they challenge the audience to finish the work and heal the nation. Here are the last few lines.
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
Standing in the crowd that day was an actor and southern sympathizer named John Wilkes Booth. In a little over a month, President Lincoln would be assassinated.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Men, doing man things
One of the coolest things I found when I first joined Bayside Church in Gratine Bay a few years ago was the Adventure Sports ministry. Dirt bikes, camping, fishing, hiking, all the things I like to do. They have such a large and diverse crowd at Bayside, it's easy to find a ministry that speaks to you.
Out here in the hinterlands, we are trying to do something similar, on a much smaller scale. This weekend a couple of guys from Bayside Woodland and I are having a clay target shooting / fun day out here in Esparto this Saturday.
Shotguns and church? It may seem a bit strange, but then again our unofficial motto at Bayside is, Church for people who don't like church.
Out here in the hinterlands, we are trying to do something similar, on a much smaller scale. This weekend a couple of guys from Bayside Woodland and I are having a clay target shooting / fun day out here in Esparto this Saturday.
Shotguns and church? It may seem a bit strange, but then again our unofficial motto at Bayside is, Church for people who don't like church.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Pork and Beans
President Obama wants a new stimulus package, the House passed its version and the Senate will take up a stimulus bill this week. Everyone in Washington seems to have come down with stimulus fever, and the only prescription is more spending. A lot more spending.
For what its worth, I would like to offer my economic stimulus plan. Here it is;
Make the Democrats pay their taxes. Pretty simple, right?
Secretary-designate Tom Daschle, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and now Chief performance officer designate Nancy Killefer have all mysteriously 'overlooked' paying taxes on their income. According to Vice President Joe Biden, they must not be very patriotic. If this continues, the President will name others to key positions in his cabinet, they will find more back taxes owed, they will be forced to withdraw, and the cycle will repeat. This could be a boon to the Treasury. Now if we could get just get someone to convince Representative Charlie Rangel to come clean on his taxes, we could start talking about real money.
On a slightly more serious note, spending a trillion dollars, that's trillion with a T, on big government programs isn't what the economy needs. The main problem is still the housing sector. Until the market finds its bottom and the huge amount of 'toxic loans' are somehow digested or bought up, no amount of government spending will right the economy.
The Democrat's stimulus bill was first sold as an "Infrastructure and roads bill' that would help rebuild America's highways, bridges and alike. I am all for rebuilding our infrastructure, but isn't that where our federal highway and gasoline taxes are supposed to go right now?
So, how much of this trillion dollar stimulus package is going for roads and bridges? About 3.3% No wonder the Senate is trying to add another 25 Billion in road and infrastructure spending to their version of the bill. Nice try, but if you really want to rebuild the roads and bridges, rework this pork-laden bill and cut some of those billions from your pet projects and political paybacks move it into infrastructure. There are many folks who work in commercial construction, engineering firms, building materials and aggregates who would love to see a real infrastructure bill passed.
Calling this bill a 'economic stimulus package' is similar to a can of Pork and Beans. That one tiny piece of bacon fat makes up the 'Pork' and the rest is beans. This bill works the other way around, a whole lot of Pork and not much else.
Start over, if you are going to sell it as an infrastructure bill, spend the money on roads, bridges, ports, canals and other high priority projects. The bill should come to around 40 billion, let’s start there.
For what its worth, I would like to offer my economic stimulus plan. Here it is;
Make the Democrats pay their taxes. Pretty simple, right?
Secretary-designate Tom Daschle, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and now Chief performance officer designate Nancy Killefer have all mysteriously 'overlooked' paying taxes on their income. According to Vice President Joe Biden, they must not be very patriotic. If this continues, the President will name others to key positions in his cabinet, they will find more back taxes owed, they will be forced to withdraw, and the cycle will repeat. This could be a boon to the Treasury. Now if we could get just get someone to convince Representative Charlie Rangel to come clean on his taxes, we could start talking about real money.
On a slightly more serious note, spending a trillion dollars, that's trillion with a T, on big government programs isn't what the economy needs. The main problem is still the housing sector. Until the market finds its bottom and the huge amount of 'toxic loans' are somehow digested or bought up, no amount of government spending will right the economy.
The Democrat's stimulus bill was first sold as an "Infrastructure and roads bill' that would help rebuild America's highways, bridges and alike. I am all for rebuilding our infrastructure, but isn't that where our federal highway and gasoline taxes are supposed to go right now?
So, how much of this trillion dollar stimulus package is going for roads and bridges? About 3.3% No wonder the Senate is trying to add another 25 Billion in road and infrastructure spending to their version of the bill. Nice try, but if you really want to rebuild the roads and bridges, rework this pork-laden bill and cut some of those billions from your pet projects and political paybacks move it into infrastructure. There are many folks who work in commercial construction, engineering firms, building materials and aggregates who would love to see a real infrastructure bill passed.
Calling this bill a 'economic stimulus package' is similar to a can of Pork and Beans. That one tiny piece of bacon fat makes up the 'Pork' and the rest is beans. This bill works the other way around, a whole lot of Pork and not much else.
Start over, if you are going to sell it as an infrastructure bill, spend the money on roads, bridges, ports, canals and other high priority projects. The bill should come to around 40 billion, let’s start there.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Lead, follow or get the Hell out of my way.
I really like Michael Steele as the pick for the RNC Chairman. He knows why the GOP was smacked down in the last two elections; they spent tax dollars like Democrats.
He is a natural leader and brings with him a new emphasis on two things; Message and Candidates.
The best ground game, the best Get Out The Vote machine, the best media strategy are no substitute for a heart felt, conservative message of lower taxes and a smaller, smarter government.
No more mavericks, no more RINOs, go out and find smart, committed candidates who believe that the best America is still ahead. We need to work hard, play by the rules, and stand with our families and neighbors to build it.
Best of luck Mr. Steele, go get em.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Third year of drought?
These days we seem to be caught up cycles, economic cycles, election cycles, and most important to those who make their living in agriculture, weather cycles.
I remember the drought years of mid 1970s, as well as the painful years of 1988 -1991. These weather patterns come along about every ten years or so, long enough that people forget how bad it can be. Each new generation of farmers and ranchers who comes of age in the good years have to learn the painful lessons that come with a multi-year drought. Your costs dramatically increase as your revenue declines.
The effects of the current three year drought are cumulative. Most of the ranchers in our area do not run animals on the same ground on a year round basis. In the winter months, starting around November, the livestock are turned out onto grasslands, mainly the hills in western Yolo County. If we have a dry fall and winter, the new grass does not start growing early and the ranchers must feed hay or find other supplemental feed. With the price of hay doubling in the last two years, this option is becoming so expensive, the thin profit margins livestock producers have disappear. The question soon becomes how can I minimize my losses for the year, how do I pay my bills?
When late spring arrives, if the rainfall has been below normal, the feed on the hills does not last as long as normal and this compounds the problem. With the rangelands drying up earlier, the need to ship the livestock to their summer pastures may come a full month sooner than planned. For those growers who ship their livestock to higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada range or southern Oregon, the summer pastures may still be covered in snow and the rancher will once again have to purchase extra hay and supplement until he can move his livestock.
For growers who keep their livestock on irrigated pasture here in Yolo County, this year will be very challenging. The Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District will curtail the amount water used for irrigation as the last two dry years have depleted most of the surface storage water held in the Indian Valley Reservoir.
While we enjoy the warm sunshine and green grass in hills right now, every time the forecast shows seven little pictures of the sun, we know the odds are stacking up against us. 2009 will be another dry year. Unless we receive another March miracle, hard decisions will have to made.
The worst part of these cycles is they seems to run together. Every drought hits right when the economy is in recession. Any way you look at the situation, the effects of the drought will hit the agriculture and livestock industry hard.
I remember the drought years of mid 1970s, as well as the painful years of 1988 -1991. These weather patterns come along about every ten years or so, long enough that people forget how bad it can be. Each new generation of farmers and ranchers who comes of age in the good years have to learn the painful lessons that come with a multi-year drought. Your costs dramatically increase as your revenue declines.
The effects of the current three year drought are cumulative. Most of the ranchers in our area do not run animals on the same ground on a year round basis. In the winter months, starting around November, the livestock are turned out onto grasslands, mainly the hills in western Yolo County. If we have a dry fall and winter, the new grass does not start growing early and the ranchers must feed hay or find other supplemental feed. With the price of hay doubling in the last two years, this option is becoming so expensive, the thin profit margins livestock producers have disappear. The question soon becomes how can I minimize my losses for the year, how do I pay my bills?
When late spring arrives, if the rainfall has been below normal, the feed on the hills does not last as long as normal and this compounds the problem. With the rangelands drying up earlier, the need to ship the livestock to their summer pastures may come a full month sooner than planned. For those growers who ship their livestock to higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada range or southern Oregon, the summer pastures may still be covered in snow and the rancher will once again have to purchase extra hay and supplement until he can move his livestock.
For growers who keep their livestock on irrigated pasture here in Yolo County, this year will be very challenging. The Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District will curtail the amount water used for irrigation as the last two dry years have depleted most of the surface storage water held in the Indian Valley Reservoir.
While we enjoy the warm sunshine and green grass in hills right now, every time the forecast shows seven little pictures of the sun, we know the odds are stacking up against us. 2009 will be another dry year. Unless we receive another March miracle, hard decisions will have to made.
The worst part of these cycles is they seems to run together. Every drought hits right when the economy is in recession. Any way you look at the situation, the effects of the drought will hit the agriculture and livestock industry hard.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Dirty Jobs in Washington DC
Hello, Mike Rowe here taking a look at yet another dirty job. So where am I going ? Am I going to animal rendering plant or a dairy farm? Nope, I am heading to quite possibly the dirtiest place I have ever been.
I am here in the nation's capital, Washington DC, and more specifically, in the office of Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid. Senator Reid, nice to see you and thanks for letting us take a look behind the scenes at your office to see what really happens inside the beltway. I am also pleased to have Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi here with us. Thanks to you both.
Thank you Mike, glad to have you here in the capital.I love your show Mike, but I don't really see why you came to DC. While we work pretty hard, we don't usually break a sweat, right Nancy?
That's right, we are always working hard for the American people Mark, but it isn't what you would call a dirty job.That's Mike, Mrs. Speaker. Well, I may not know a lot about the finer points of politics but one thing I am very familiar with is manure. I was looking over the 'Stimulus Package' you two are working on, along with President Obama and I must say, it is loaded with manure.
Mike, we have to do something to get this economy back on track. Every dollar of this stimulus package has been specifically targeted to create jobs and jump start the economy.Wheew! I'm glad you folks at home can't smell the load of manure Senator Reid just flung at me. I have smelled some pretty rank things on this show, but how do you two get used to the smell of this stimulus package?What smell?
C'mon guys, I am getting pretty good at recognizing certain smells, and this stimulus package has the distinct stench of pig. It must be the hundreds of billions in pork barrel spending you guys loaded into this thing. No wonder you want to get it passes before people have a chance to look at it, let alone smell it. Look at this crap right here. What is this? It says its $13 million in improvements in Las Vegas, much of it for a pedestrian bridge at the Tropicana hotel-casino. Whew, that stinks Mrs. Speaker.That's unfair Mike. The President, Senator Reid and I are acting in the best interest of America, we want to do what's right for everyone. And it's in Senator Reid's home state, so it must be a good project.Ughh, there is that smell again, I think my eyes are tearing up. What about this handful of manure right here? This one is $4.8 million for a polar bear exhibit in Rhode Island.Those are critical infrastructure projects that will put Americans back to work. And both Senators from Rhode Island are Democrats, so that helps.
Ughh, I can't take any more of this. Thanks Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi for this chance to look at the mess here in Washington. Folks, I have only been digging around here for an hour and I have been covered head to toe in this crap. I am taking a long shower, and now a word from our sponsors.
Up to your eyeballs in crap? You need the new CrapWow!Saturday, January 24, 2009
How to suck up to your wife, part 1
When my wife was in Kentucky last week buying horses, I wanted to do something for her while she was gone. I was sick most of that week but I did manage to make her a coat rack. It took some old lumber, an oxy-acetylene torch, a router and a few cast iron pieces I picked up at the gun show a few weeks ago. The cast iron stars are hiding the mounting screw holes, and I routed both of our brands into it. Looks pretty cool I think.
Obama and the Media's Paradigm Shift
From Manhattan to LA, there seems to be a new vision brought about by our new President. One where old definitions must be rethought in this new post-Bush world, at least inside the newsrooms and editorial offices of the main stream media.
When George W. Bush was sitting in the oval office, the military version of events on the ground would be thought of as fiction first, unless proven beyond a shadow of doubt. Reporters would hammer away at military spokesmen and then contact their 'unnamed military sources' to get the 'real story' of events on the ground, especially when that story fit the liberal template of; US=bad, everyone else=good.
Terrorist insurgents became 'innocent civilians' when the MSM wrote their stories, air strikes on arms caches in remote towns became air strikes on peaceful farming villages, and so on. If the aftermath of an air strike showed ten dead bodies, all clutching AK 47s and RPGs and one child was tragically injured or killed, guess what photo went out over the AP wires? It would not be the ten dead terrorists, I can assure you.
US=bad, everyone else=good, that is the perspective of most of the American media and the liberal left. If the Unites States armed forces are doing anything to anyone, anywhere in the world, it must be bad thing.
So what happens now when those troops are under the command of President Barack Obama? Will the dead terrorists magically stay terrorists when the story hits the pages of the New York Times? What about dead civilians? Will they become 'unfortunate pawns' killed because the terrorists deliberately hide amongst the civilian population in this new post-Bush world, or will they be held up as examples of a recklessness Obama administration?
What about Code Pink, Mooveon and the Kos kids, they will surely slam the new President when the Obama administration performs these air strikes, right?
So when President Obama orders missiles fired from Predator drone at a remote Pakistani village killing 22 people and the liberal left doesn't doesn't immediately condemn it, did it really even happen?
US=not so bad, everyone else=not so good?
Oh how the times are changing. This will be very interesting to watch.
When George W. Bush was sitting in the oval office, the military version of events on the ground would be thought of as fiction first, unless proven beyond a shadow of doubt. Reporters would hammer away at military spokesmen and then contact their 'unnamed military sources' to get the 'real story' of events on the ground, especially when that story fit the liberal template of; US=bad, everyone else=good.
Terrorist insurgents became 'innocent civilians' when the MSM wrote their stories, air strikes on arms caches in remote towns became air strikes on peaceful farming villages, and so on. If the aftermath of an air strike showed ten dead bodies, all clutching AK 47s and RPGs and one child was tragically injured or killed, guess what photo went out over the AP wires? It would not be the ten dead terrorists, I can assure you.
US=bad, everyone else=good, that is the perspective of most of the American media and the liberal left. If the Unites States armed forces are doing anything to anyone, anywhere in the world, it must be bad thing.
So what happens now when those troops are under the command of President Barack Obama? Will the dead terrorists magically stay terrorists when the story hits the pages of the New York Times? What about dead civilians? Will they become 'unfortunate pawns' killed because the terrorists deliberately hide amongst the civilian population in this new post-Bush world, or will they be held up as examples of a recklessness Obama administration?
What about Code Pink, Mooveon and the Kos kids, they will surely slam the new President when the Obama administration performs these air strikes, right?
So when President Obama orders missiles fired from Predator drone at a remote Pakistani village killing 22 people and the liberal left doesn't doesn't immediately condemn it, did it really even happen?
US=not so bad, everyone else=not so good?
Oh how the times are changing. This will be very interesting to watch.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale 2009
Every year I threaten to stop going to the Bull Sale because it's turned too commercial. But I always go. What can I say, I can't stay away.
I have been going to the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale for over 25 years. I have slept in the horse stalls when I was too 'unstable' to make it back to the truck, I have challenged everyone in Palomino Room to a fight and my three friends and I personally closed down the Red Bluff Taxi service because of the destruction to their cabs. This is not something I am proud of mind you, it's just an example of the Mardi Gras in cowboy boots that is Bull Sale weekend. At least it used to be.
Last year my wife and I drove up on Friday night, met up our friends, walked through the vendor displays and then had dinner. We woke up early, watched the bulls sell and drove home. It was quite a civilized experience.
These days I go to talk to industry people, other local cattlemen and watch some of the horse clinics. About ten years ago I took one friend up there, we tore up the town that weekend. Now about half of western Yolo County is sitting at the bar at the Palomino Room on Friday night.
It is a great time, if you're young and looking to 'let er buck', or if you just enjoy cowboy culture and western art.
I have been going to the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale for over 25 years. I have slept in the horse stalls when I was too 'unstable' to make it back to the truck, I have challenged everyone in Palomino Room to a fight and my three friends and I personally closed down the Red Bluff Taxi service because of the destruction to their cabs. This is not something I am proud of mind you, it's just an example of the Mardi Gras in cowboy boots that is Bull Sale weekend. At least it used to be.
Last year my wife and I drove up on Friday night, met up our friends, walked through the vendor displays and then had dinner. We woke up early, watched the bulls sell and drove home. It was quite a civilized experience.
These days I go to talk to industry people, other local cattlemen and watch some of the horse clinics. About ten years ago I took one friend up there, we tore up the town that weekend. Now about half of western Yolo County is sitting at the bar at the Palomino Room on Friday night.
It is a great time, if you're young and looking to 'let er buck', or if you just enjoy cowboy culture and western art.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Okay, back to work now.
With the inauguration of Barack Obama now in the books, America can stop counting down the weeks, days and hours. It has come and gone, and we now have a new President. Along with sky high expectations of what he will do for America.
If you were one of the millions who stopped everything and gathered around a television set or computer screen to watch the swearing in of our 44th President, or if you went through Tuesday as if it were just another Tuesday, I would like to suggest a course of action; let's get back to work.
Those who have the Yes we can!, Impeach Bush, No War For Oil, bumper stickers on your Subaru, this day is a dream come true. More over, it's the end of your own personal nightmare that has been the past eight years. Bush and his neo con, war mongering dragon have been slain. The grass must look greener today, the sky bluer, and the soy milk must taste sweeter today than it did yesterday. Congratulations, you are the proud owner of the next four years.
Those of you who voted for President Obama because he seemed like a smart guy with good ideas and he connected with you on a more personal level, hang on, this may be a bumpy ride. These next for years will probably be filled with days where you think you made a smart decision, and others where you ask yourself, what was I thinking?
By this fall, you will have a pretty good idea of who you voted for.
Those of us who did not for President Obama are hoping for the best, but won't be surprised if it goes just the way we think it will, badly. We have been impressed with some of the President's cabinet picks and his realization that the world, the war and the economy are more difficult to deal with when you are on the inside making decisions rather than on the outside, offering criticism.
The one thing that scares me as much as it brings joy to the hard core left; there is no one to say this is crazy, we can't do this. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are waiting in the wings with a Santa's wish list of government spending that will run the yearly deficits into the trillion dollar range. Not billions, trillions. But don't worry, when the Democrats print trillions and spend it on projects in their districts, it's not called pork barrel spending anymore, it's now called "Government Stimulus"!
That makes it all better, right?
If you were one of the millions who stopped everything and gathered around a television set or computer screen to watch the swearing in of our 44th President, or if you went through Tuesday as if it were just another Tuesday, I would like to suggest a course of action; let's get back to work.
Those who have the Yes we can!, Impeach Bush, No War For Oil, bumper stickers on your Subaru, this day is a dream come true. More over, it's the end of your own personal nightmare that has been the past eight years. Bush and his neo con, war mongering dragon have been slain. The grass must look greener today, the sky bluer, and the soy milk must taste sweeter today than it did yesterday. Congratulations, you are the proud owner of the next four years.
Those of you who voted for President Obama because he seemed like a smart guy with good ideas and he connected with you on a more personal level, hang on, this may be a bumpy ride. These next for years will probably be filled with days where you think you made a smart decision, and others where you ask yourself, what was I thinking?
By this fall, you will have a pretty good idea of who you voted for.
Those of us who did not for President Obama are hoping for the best, but won't be surprised if it goes just the way we think it will, badly. We have been impressed with some of the President's cabinet picks and his realization that the world, the war and the economy are more difficult to deal with when you are on the inside making decisions rather than on the outside, offering criticism.
The one thing that scares me as much as it brings joy to the hard core left; there is no one to say this is crazy, we can't do this. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are waiting in the wings with a Santa's wish list of government spending that will run the yearly deficits into the trillion dollar range. Not billions, trillions. But don't worry, when the Democrats print trillions and spend it on projects in their districts, it's not called pork barrel spending anymore, it's now called "Government Stimulus"!
That makes it all better, right?
Monday, January 19, 2009
Interesting talks
Last night my son and I were watching a History Channel show on Martin Luther King Jr. It seemed to me, as I watched the black and white footage of the first attempt at the Selma march, that I was watching an America from 100 years ago. An America I didn't know. I was trying to give my son a frame of reference, explaining a world and a way of thinking that he has never known.
One of the things my son wondered about was why it took more than 100 years, from the end of the Civil War until the Civil Rights movement, for southern blacks to truly gain equal rights? That was, and still is, a good question. A question I am not sure I or anyone can answer.
I told my son that the worst blow made to the newly freed slaves was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Without the leadership and vision of Lincoln, the nation tore it self apart again as factions fought over the reconstruction of the South. President Andrew Johnson, a southern Democrat, was no match for angry northern Republicans incensed at the assassination of Lincoln by a southerner, and he fared no better with southern Democrats who saw him as a traitor to the confederate cause. With the divisions in the federal government and impeachment of Johnson, the southern states slowly and deliberately enacted laws to deny blacks the freedoms won by those who fought and died in the Civil War.
Lincoln would have had a tremendous task, insuring the newly won rights of the former slaves, and no doubt there would have been more bloodshed, setbacks and even compromises, but the foothold of government sanctioned racism would have not been allowed to become a 100 year yolk around the neck of our nation. I told my son that had Lincoln lived, a 1960's style Civil Rights movement in the south may have happened before the turn of the 20th century. But what do I know?
The next two days offer two examples of how much this nation has changed since March 7th, 1965, and that Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama. If you asked one of the marchers or one of the march protesters if they thought somewhere out there, a four year old son of black Kenyan father and white Kansas mother would grow up to be President of the Unites States, I don't think either side would have thought it possible.
The great thing about this nation is its ability to change, grow and evolve. As Bill Bennett points out in his book, America - The Last Best Hope, one of the best milestones in race relation we experienced was not when Frank Robinson was hired as the first black manger in the major leagues, it was when he was fired. It proved more than anything else that we were ready to judge people on their performance, not on the color of their skin.
As President Obama is sworn in amid the fanfare and celebration, I can tell my son that America has come a long way in my lifetime and I hope it goes even further in his. While I will still vigorously disagree with policies and legislation I believe to be harmful to our nation, I will continue, as I did at church on Sunday, to pray for our new President. I would like to see Barack Obama remembered, not as the first African-American President, but as capable, successful President. I want him to succeed because I want America to succeed.
One of the things my son wondered about was why it took more than 100 years, from the end of the Civil War until the Civil Rights movement, for southern blacks to truly gain equal rights? That was, and still is, a good question. A question I am not sure I or anyone can answer.
I told my son that the worst blow made to the newly freed slaves was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Without the leadership and vision of Lincoln, the nation tore it self apart again as factions fought over the reconstruction of the South. President Andrew Johnson, a southern Democrat, was no match for angry northern Republicans incensed at the assassination of Lincoln by a southerner, and he fared no better with southern Democrats who saw him as a traitor to the confederate cause. With the divisions in the federal government and impeachment of Johnson, the southern states slowly and deliberately enacted laws to deny blacks the freedoms won by those who fought and died in the Civil War.
Lincoln would have had a tremendous task, insuring the newly won rights of the former slaves, and no doubt there would have been more bloodshed, setbacks and even compromises, but the foothold of government sanctioned racism would have not been allowed to become a 100 year yolk around the neck of our nation. I told my son that had Lincoln lived, a 1960's style Civil Rights movement in the south may have happened before the turn of the 20th century. But what do I know?
The next two days offer two examples of how much this nation has changed since March 7th, 1965, and that Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama. If you asked one of the marchers or one of the march protesters if they thought somewhere out there, a four year old son of black Kenyan father and white Kansas mother would grow up to be President of the Unites States, I don't think either side would have thought it possible.
The great thing about this nation is its ability to change, grow and evolve. As Bill Bennett points out in his book, America - The Last Best Hope, one of the best milestones in race relation we experienced was not when Frank Robinson was hired as the first black manger in the major leagues, it was when he was fired. It proved more than anything else that we were ready to judge people on their performance, not on the color of their skin.
As President Obama is sworn in amid the fanfare and celebration, I can tell my son that America has come a long way in my lifetime and I hope it goes even further in his. While I will still vigorously disagree with policies and legislation I believe to be harmful to our nation, I will continue, as I did at church on Sunday, to pray for our new President. I would like to see Barack Obama remembered, not as the first African-American President, but as capable, successful President. I want him to succeed because I want America to succeed.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
What kind of music do you listen to?
My son and I are experiencing a female-free house this week. My wife and daughter are back in Kentucky looking at horses so there are a few more dirty dishes in the sink than usual. The decibel level when we have been playing our guitars has also seen quite an increase in the past two days. It's been kinda fun, come to think of it. While I consider myself almost domesticated, it doesn't take long for me to revert back to a more feral existence.
Tonight I stumbled across a new music site called Purevolume.com. I started to browse through the list of music genres and stared at the list of musical types, many I had never heard of. They have 49 separate genres. Could you tell me exactly what kind of music 'Trance' is? It sounds like a couple of thirteen year old kids on a 34 hour hour, Red Bull and Snickers induced high playing with their older brother's synthesizer. It's great if you like listening to the Super Mario Brothers soundtrack mixed with Disco and fusion jazz.
I asked my son to sit down and we cruised through the band names and song lists for Metal, Death Metal, Metal Core, Hardcore, and for those who think Hardcore is so last week, there is Post Hardcore. Not to mention Ska, Grunge and Screamo.
I don't like most of it. My son does. He doesn't care if the singer can't, well, sing. As long as the double bass drum is thundering and the guitars are tuned to Drop C, he likes it.
I am not sure we will survive the rest of the week. One thing is for certain, we will be spending Friday night and Saturday cleaning like Marines in boot camp. The house can't look my high school apartment when the girls get home. I may start on Thursday.
I may be dumb as a rock, but I'm not stupid.
Tonight I stumbled across a new music site called Purevolume.com. I started to browse through the list of music genres and stared at the list of musical types, many I had never heard of. They have 49 separate genres. Could you tell me exactly what kind of music 'Trance' is? It sounds like a couple of thirteen year old kids on a 34 hour hour, Red Bull and Snickers induced high playing with their older brother's synthesizer. It's great if you like listening to the Super Mario Brothers soundtrack mixed with Disco and fusion jazz.
I asked my son to sit down and we cruised through the band names and song lists for Metal, Death Metal, Metal Core, Hardcore, and for those who think Hardcore is so last week, there is Post Hardcore. Not to mention Ska, Grunge and Screamo.
I don't like most of it. My son does. He doesn't care if the singer can't, well, sing. As long as the double bass drum is thundering and the guitars are tuned to Drop C, he likes it.
I am not sure we will survive the rest of the week. One thing is for certain, we will be spending Friday night and Saturday cleaning like Marines in boot camp. The house can't look my high school apartment when the girls get home. I may start on Thursday.
I may be dumb as a rock, but I'm not stupid.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Gran Torino - go see it
I could just leave my review at those three words, go see it, but I'll give you a little more. This is easily Clint Eastwood's best movies since 1992's Unforgiven. I wasn't as swept away with Million Dollar Baby as some were, and maybe I am just showing my age, but I know a few people like Walt Kowalski, Eastwood's character in Gran Torino. Cranky old guys from the back end of the Greatest Generation who like things just as they were, in 1955.
I won't give too much of the story away, but I do enjoy the interaction between 'Walt' and 27 year old Father Janovich. Having been in the young Father's shoes, trying to speak about the matters of this world with someone who has seen much more of life's dark underside, war and combat, than I will ever see, I felt for the young Priest. I also know the kind heart hidden behind the gruff and bristled exterior of men like Walt Kowalski. It is not easy to see, but I have sat around camp fires and on a bar stools next to them and began to understand how they see the world. If you listen close, past the rough language, you will catch a glimpse of that kindness and warmth.
You may have a Walt Kowalski in your life, the old guy next door, the grandfather that you don't like, or that guy who drives his 1972 Ford pickup down the road at 50 miles per hour and makes you late for work. You might want to look past that gruff exterior and see what you can find. They won't be around much longer, their experiences and the changes they have seen in their lives is simply amazing. Buy them lunch, they are usually a thrifty bunch and will appreciate this. Ask them what they were doing at your age, ask them what it was like back then. It could change the way think about their generation. It has changed my view.
I won't give too much of the story away, but I do enjoy the interaction between 'Walt' and 27 year old Father Janovich. Having been in the young Father's shoes, trying to speak about the matters of this world with someone who has seen much more of life's dark underside, war and combat, than I will ever see, I felt for the young Priest. I also know the kind heart hidden behind the gruff and bristled exterior of men like Walt Kowalski. It is not easy to see, but I have sat around camp fires and on a bar stools next to them and began to understand how they see the world. If you listen close, past the rough language, you will catch a glimpse of that kindness and warmth.
You may have a Walt Kowalski in your life, the old guy next door, the grandfather that you don't like, or that guy who drives his 1972 Ford pickup down the road at 50 miles per hour and makes you late for work. You might want to look past that gruff exterior and see what you can find. They won't be around much longer, their experiences and the changes they have seen in their lives is simply amazing. Buy them lunch, they are usually a thrifty bunch and will appreciate this. Ask them what they were doing at your age, ask them what it was like back then. It could change the way think about their generation. It has changed my view.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
The best of a bad situation.
Over the years, I have tried to keep an open mind with regard to the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians and the development of a casino square in the middle of a once quiet agricultural valley. I respect the sovereignty of designated tribal land, and if their casino had a limited impact on the quality of life for the residents of the Capay Valley, I wouldn't say a word if they built the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower on their land. However, there comes a time when all the Tribe's talk and press releases about their 'commitment to the community' has to be considered disingenuous at best, and spiteful at worst.
Their 'commitment' seems to stop at the front entrance to the casino and at the bottom line of the accounting ledger. I understand the value of a good business model; when the tribe opened the first Nevada-style gaming casino, they had a gold mine. With the first major expansion of the casino, along with a hotel-resort, the tribe now has a diamond mine. The money the tribe spends to 'mitigate' the impact of the 414,110 square feet of development is a mere drop in the bucket to its bottom line.
Tripling the size of the current casino, when its impact to the local community has been far from 'mitigated', is a slap in the face. Now the tribe wants to use non-tribal land in its expansion plans. The development of the Elden property, which the tribe purchased, is Non-Trust land. This property is under the same County zoning regulations and land use restrictions as any other parcel in the Capay Valley.
I doubt the Yolo County would let me build a waste water facility and 500 space parking lot on my property in Esparto. In fact, they would probably ask what I had been smoking.
The tribe has an interesting argument for using the Elden property in their expansion plans. The 500 space parking lot, the use of the Elden property to store excavated materials and build a waste water facility will cut down on traffic. Really? I have a better idea, why don't they use some of their 'Trust' land for these uses? Oh, that would take away valuable gaming and revenue making square footage from their plans. We can't have that, the tribe needs to squeeze every last drop of revenue from every square foot of their diamond mine.
The casino expansion is going to happen, that is simple fact. Even as the Rumsey Tribe is partnering with a Bay Area development group and another tribe in the Richmond area to build a billion dollar casino resort in the north bay, they want to short change their neighbors. Being a capitalist at heart, I am all for making as much money as possible, but not at the expense of the community and values the tribe says it holds in high regard.
The County has a opportunity to make the best of a bad situation. With the agreement between the County and the tribe heading for arbitration, residents can only hope the County prevails and the arbitrator doesn't fall for the empty talk of commitment and community values.
Their 'commitment' seems to stop at the front entrance to the casino and at the bottom line of the accounting ledger. I understand the value of a good business model; when the tribe opened the first Nevada-style gaming casino, they had a gold mine. With the first major expansion of the casino, along with a hotel-resort, the tribe now has a diamond mine. The money the tribe spends to 'mitigate' the impact of the 414,110 square feet of development is a mere drop in the bucket to its bottom line.
Tripling the size of the current casino, when its impact to the local community has been far from 'mitigated', is a slap in the face. Now the tribe wants to use non-tribal land in its expansion plans. The development of the Elden property, which the tribe purchased, is Non-Trust land. This property is under the same County zoning regulations and land use restrictions as any other parcel in the Capay Valley.
I doubt the Yolo County would let me build a waste water facility and 500 space parking lot on my property in Esparto. In fact, they would probably ask what I had been smoking.
The tribe has an interesting argument for using the Elden property in their expansion plans. The 500 space parking lot, the use of the Elden property to store excavated materials and build a waste water facility will cut down on traffic. Really? I have a better idea, why don't they use some of their 'Trust' land for these uses? Oh, that would take away valuable gaming and revenue making square footage from their plans. We can't have that, the tribe needs to squeeze every last drop of revenue from every square foot of their diamond mine.
The casino expansion is going to happen, that is simple fact. Even as the Rumsey Tribe is partnering with a Bay Area development group and another tribe in the Richmond area to build a billion dollar casino resort in the north bay, they want to short change their neighbors. Being a capitalist at heart, I am all for making as much money as possible, but not at the expense of the community and values the tribe says it holds in high regard.
The County has a opportunity to make the best of a bad situation. With the agreement between the County and the tribe heading for arbitration, residents can only hope the County prevails and the arbitrator doesn't fall for the empty talk of commitment and community values.
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