Memorial Tri-fecta...or How I Avoided Being Struck by Lightning and FINALLY Had A Beer at the Bar in Urne

The week before- Sister and I had been to our home town- (both of us now live in alien lands west of the Mississippi- although both of us still live in cities along the Mississippi) and performed the annual -have-to -get-the-flowers-out-to-the-cemetery-before-Memorial Day- ritual.  For as long as I'd been living in the same town as my parents this ritual was one I had participated in with my Mother. In her prime she would stalk the garden tent at the local Shopko searching for the 'Memorial Planter' and once spied she would then stalk the Sunday paper for the sale flier waiting for the aforementioned planter to go on sale. Usually for around 10 bucks. The planter usually had a couple of marigolds, a couple of geraniums (red and pink) some kind of spike looking greenery reminiscent of palm fronds and some kind of trailing vinca or ivy. 

Once purchased- usually about a week before the deadline- the plants would be transplanted to the official planter vase- a concrete monstrosity that weighed about 10 pounds once planted and made to look like it had a patina of age.  Greenish actually in color with some kind of pseudo Greco-Roman leaf pattern. This would then be allowed to sit so that the plants could adjust to their new pot and usually on the Saturday before Memorial Day- planter, large pitcher for water and Mom would then be driven out to the cemetery to place the pot in the stand , water said pot , and then both of us would stand around admiring the thing and wondering if Grandma and Grandpa would have approved of the way the geraniums looked that year.

This year of course would be different.  Mom had passed on in December so it was up to Sister and I to do the ritual ourselves.  We had the planter and a hotel room with a fridge stocked with two six packs of beer.  What we didn't know until we checked in was that the town was crawling with beer happy Wamo Dart Tournament participants.  Which meant that the likely spot behind the hotel to plant said planter and drink beer while doing it was occupoddo by the aforementioned bar sport athletes. 

Off to Shopko we go and after wandering around find a pre-planted pot in just the right size to place on the stand in lieu of buying separate plants and messing around with potting soil etc.  ON SALE EVEN.....30. bucks. (Mom would have stroked out on the spot.)   We also find a small spike vase with a patriotic fake flower arrangement suitable for the Memorial Park where Dad is buried. - an aside here- believe it or not there is a difference between a Cemetery and a  Memorial Park. Cemeteries allow above ground monuments- aka- your traditional head-stone.  Memorial Parks don't- grave markers are usually bronze or granite and flush to the ground so all you see are the little vases (if any) popping up so as to look pastoral and park-like. And considering that it seems rather pointless to try to find a vase and a plant that is small enough to last as a seasonal living item...Dad's grave is usually marked with just a flag- denoting his Veteran's status or a vase of fake (silk or such not plastic) flowers.  Problem solved! - Sister and I think to ourselves all the while hearing Mom in our heads carrying on about how much this shit costs now.  We agree that this time it's time for a change regarding the choice of plants in the arrangement for Grandma and Grandpa and go for something with no geraniums, spiky palm frond-looking thing or trailing vine.  We instead go for a bit of our confederate background and get one with some nice coleus and trailing mini petunias and some other unknown but flowering items.  Portulaca would have been a great choice actually as Grandpa always planted those around the garage- but- that would have involved transplanting and cost just as much in the end.  Maybe next year. Have lunch and then drive out to respective cemetery and Memorial Park and place flowers. Stand around look at the stuff, decide it's suitable have a chat with the dearly departed and proceed to have numerous restorative cocktails.

Two graves down - one to go and a week to do it.

On Friday after work I head to the local Shopko where I live and begin looking through the rather anemic and picked over selection of identical floral pots suitable for placement in a cemetery.  I find one finally that didn't involve the use of coleus (which Mom didn't care for- but Dad did) in an array of purples- Petunias, some ivy looking stuff and some small white flowering vine stuff.  Again on sale- 30 bucks. Keep in mind though to have this same kind of thing put together by a florist would have cost what was spent on all three arrangements at the very least for just one. (it's how I justified the cost to Mom where ever she is). Earlier in the week was the search for the stand for Mom's little spot of eternity- luckily found a garden shop that had just what I was looking for in stock and 27 bucks later it's mine.

It's raining Saturday morning when the phone rings at 930 am.  It's my Mom's cousin whom I was going to meet later in the day outside of the small town where the Ancestors are buried. The thought was to have some lunch and then go place the flowers on Mom's plot of earth.  Alas the weather channel inferred that it wasn't going to be easy.

The drive down itself was relatively uneventful even with two slowdowns due to accidents.  My boyfriend and I arrived at the appointed meeting place in WI on time only to find that the power was out all over town (population of around 300) so no lunch just pie and lukewarm drinks- milk for him and tea for me and a bit of chatting with Mom's cousin. Surprising thing was that the proprietor of the little cafe had no candles!  She must not have been Norwegian- a Norwegian would have been prepared.  The pie was good though- Carmel -Nut- Apple. Yum.

It begins raining and rumbles of thunder with good bolts of lightning in the sky as we begin our 8 mile trek out of town to the little church yard where Mom's remains will lay for eternity or the second coming which ever comes first.  A soggy walk out to the spot with iron plant stand in one hand, umbrella in the other and Boyfriend bringing up the rear with the flowers. I begin to push stand into ground and get about 4 inches when we hit the dry packed earth and find Mom's cousin coming over with a heavy mallet- which is then applied to stand with great success all the while carefully watching the sky waiting for the direct hit of electricity upon my body.  Stand is finally set- (it's not going anywhere soon) and plants are placed upon it- comments made by all about how nice they look and it's time to dash back to the car.  It's two days before Memorial Day and I have managed with the help of Sister and a cousin to GET-THE-FLOWERS-OUT TO-THE-CEMETERY- BEFORE-MEMORIAL DAY IN A THUNDERSTORM and not get immolated by Mother Nature.   Mission accomplished. Thanks Mom I'll love you always.  You would have loved it.  Hell- you probably were loving it.  You always liked thunderstorms.  Why should putting flowers out be done only in nice weather?

My feet are soaked through- it's time for a restorative cocktail- and so finally after twenty years of saying next time we are going to the bar in Urne (pronounced Ernie) I do.  And I find that the bar in Urne is nothing like my imagination had portrayed it.  Some things are just better left to the imagination I suppose.

Grandparents (Maternal)

Mom

OMG- WI Supreme Court HATES the VERY IDEA of Collective Barganing! At least that's what some Facebook friends of mine would like you to believe...

With the Recall Election just less than two weeks away....I stumbled on this rant that I hadn't finished at the time. Unfortunately I am unable to locate the source of the original posts so am also unable to link to the see more bits.... but you get the basic idea of what was going on.  I've also changed/fixed (broken -not working) some links on my comments that were not originally posted but reflect the original intent.

The following posts occurred on my Facebook feed. The names of the posters have been removed to protect their privacy.  Commentary following posts in red is mine but not posted on the original
Facebook thread.


______B______ posted- Scary to think where this is all going....

Stuart Carlson editorial cartoon
By: International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)

______Q______With each right we have (I don't believe collective bargaining to be a right but a priviledge; I'll assume the "right" for the sake of argument) we have a corresponding responsibility. For example, we have the God given rights of life, lib...See More

_______B____ The "Hoffas" are long gone and when its teachers, clerks and RN's I'm not sure they'd ever be on the same level as Teamsters or the like of the true Hoffa Union bosses. We talking about middle class workers looking for a fair wage at a secure place of employment with which they can raise a family.
                   James Hoffa- the root of all that is perceived to be evil with organized labor- by non union workers of course. And of course only the Teamsters were thugs.not any other union organization..right.

_______Q______Aren't we all looking for that? In the words of Ben Franklin, "Those who desire both liberty and security deserve neither." Remember, many clerks, most teachers and some RNs are employed by the people. When the union gets to the point tha...See More

_____M_______laugh my ass off rolling on the floor you folks are insane laughing some more uncontrolled fit of laughter here, Jimmy Hoffa gone. His son is alive and well and doing what? look it up on your wikipedia online bible. You know, the "Free enc...See More

______D___ ‎@_____M_____ *standing ovation*

______B______Hoffa disappeared 35+ years ago. The world is a different place. BIG Business people have NO respect for their workers. They shipped off most jobs to China where the conditions for them are hideous. We need Unions MORE than ever.

_______D______Because you have some perception of one guy all unions are bad? These are real working people and families we are talking about. They are just trying to get buy and have no recourse against the whims of a boss otherwise. Unions can't demand...See More

_______B______Why are the ones teaching our next generational leaders and work force being demonized?

______ D______ This thing seems to be about some kind of revenge for something I don't know that I did.
                         Paranoia?

______T_______  B -as far as 'The Hoffas' being gone- and I infer from the quotes around the name that you mean those members in positions of leadership in labor unions with traits like James Hoffa was alleged to have- ie- criminally corrupt- I give you the following link in rebuttal-
http://nlpc.org/union-corruption-update. Sorry....But the "Hoffas" of the world are still among us.

_______D_______ So because of this all union workers should be smashed. These are your neighbors. When they start class warfare then that is what they will get. There are just as many right wing profiteers skirting the law as so called union bosses. So again why try to crush me? 
                       Oh heavens- everyone is trying to crush and bully me...poor me...I just can't make it without paying someone to watch over me....and of course the beginning allegations of class warfare all perpetrated by conservative Republicans...

_______T_______   H- I am not trying to crush anyone.

________Q______I apologize for having inferred that all unions are corrupt and _____B____ should apologize for saying all big business is corrupt. That simply is not the case. The ones getting caught being corrupt are the ones making the headlines. I be...See More

_______N____Personally I have nothing against unions and I will agree that they were responsible for much of what we have now as far as worker safety rules and child labor laws etc etc. Those rules are in place and remain in place. What I have a probl...See More

_____D______Wow you don't see this demonizing teachers? Didn't you listen to the TV commercials when this budget repair bill came out? I will guarantee you that every teacher in wisconsin feels disrespected and demoralized from this. Also there is no s...See More
               Once again- over dependence on commercial advertising to support your position.

_____Q_________ I'm in Hawai'i. Of course I didn't see the TV commercials!

_____N_______Don, you make almost exactly what I make and I have worked at the same private sector job for 24 years. Your income is public record, mine is not. With all due respect, and I do respect teachers, you work 9 months a year, I work 12. When...See More

______D______Do you have two masters degrees and have to take credits every summer to keep your job.
           And now for the take pity on me argument of- I have more education than you...you should feel sorry for me that I have to go back to school during my time off!

______D______ Thanks for respecting teachers this has really eaten away at the respect.
            Sarcasm?

______N______I have a bs degree (almost a masters) and have continually taken classes to keep up with the latest technology? What is your point? And where is the mutual respect? Are you saying you deserve this because your choosen profession requires you to keep up? You're losing me here Don. EVERYONE needs to pony up and take a hit. You can characterize me as some sort of right wing nazi. I'm not. I work hard for my money and I'm sure you do too. But there is no entitlement. EVERYONE is hurting. We should be working together to find ways to EVERYONE back to work, everyone paying taxes, and everyone feeling good about their profession. I respect yours. Do you respect the fact that I pay 58% of every dime I make to some government agency in the form or taxes, fees, etc?

______D______I am not trying to one up anyone but I am required to pay thousands for classes and license. So when people say I have the summer off I am busy studying and paying for classes in order to keep my job. I have no disrespect toward you or anyone else, i just feel the disrespect from the government and people who don't understand my profession. I don't begrudge anyone what they have so why to people think I have too much?
                   Attempted humility followed more whining about how hard they have to work to keep their chosen profession.

______N______I don't think you have too much. And I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with you. We disagree on this issue, but I think we'd have a lot in common if we got to know each other. (Music included). I have taken HUGE hits the last 3 years while the economy when down the tubes. I have taken 10% hits the last 3 years. My 401K match has been lowered and my healthcare premiums have gone up. I think you'll find many people in the same boat. But that's OK. I have up years, I have down years. I'm not entitled to anything. I don't feel entitled to anything. I am a sales guy. I get paid when I sell. Right now I'm just looking for a plan that gets the economy moving again. I want to see my kids find GOOD jobs. I want to sell stuff. I want to encourage businesses to come back to Wisconsin. AND I want teachers to make as much money as possible. But only when we can afford it. Right now, we are all feeling it.

______T______I'm sorry if I piss off any union-ized Scot Walker recall supporters here- but as I see it- the ones demonizing those on BOTH sides of this issue are the extremists in positions of leadership in the unions, politics, and the MEDIA. To put it simply- He who yells loudest gets the most attention. My advice is- do your own research, don't take as FACT what gets posted in the media, on the internet, or by lobbyists and activists making telephone calls to your home or sending text messages to your i-phone telling you how evil and oppressive the opposing party to their position is. Spin is spin regardless of whether it is the Conservative's/child-hating Republicans and Tea Party thugs and their minions or the Liberal/Communist left wing tree hugging hippies of the Democratic party. Below is a link to the Wisconsin supreme court decision that allowed the budget bill to go into effect as law. Take the time to read it and you will find that the law as written and opinionated upon doesn't always measure up to the hyperbole of the talking heads beamed into your living room every night. http://www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinions/11/pdf/11-0613.pdf

______N_____Amen ____T____ There doesn't seem to be any room for discussion or even pursuasion. No one talks anymore. There is zero tolerance for anyone that disagrees. Right and Left. No middle ground. Sometimes I think politics have become a...See More

The upshot of this is that once again the opposition (left leaning) when confronted with hard data refuting their claim seems to be unable to express much less defend their position with anything other than emotional hyperbole. And the beat goes on......June 5th- Wisconsin- will tell the tale of the National Election in November and be a marker of which direction the US will go into the future.

The Truth-O-Meter

More Nitpicking From the Mainstream-re:Hey Michele Bachmann, I Got Your Nobel Laureates Right Here | Religion Dispatches

Hey Michele Bachmann, I Got Your Nobel Laureates Right Here | Religion Dispatches

Now is this just because she is well a rather out-spoken female who has a tenuous grasp of history and apparently science as well? Or am I just being jaded?

Now- let the fun begin....While unemployment and job creation numbers reflect a disappointing reality President Obama is now attempting to put a more positive spin on the economic downturn... by speechifying at Chrysler...



And this....



Ah....It's gonna be a long year and a half til Inauguration Day.

New Mission Statement- or I'm tired of Politico's Ignorance As Well As 'Allegedly Respected Members of the Mainstream Media'

Ok- I can't take it anymore. This speech has been making the rounds on Facebook as well as other blogs, emails, and the like. While I am not going to defend the maker of this speech- and reserve my right to evaluate their position if and when they may become a national candidate for the Presidency I must attempt to put a bit of a reality check on both sides in the hope that those who may stumble across this blog of mine will consider doing their own research when the likes of Anderson Cooper go off on a politician who falls on the opposite side of the political spectrum.

What precipitates this stems from the following speech given by Michele Bachmann of MN- widely rumored to be a contender for the Republican nomination of President in the upcoming 2012 election.

The items of her speech that Mr. Cooper finds so objectionable and open to ridicule are about 10 minutes into her speech..




Now as to Anderson Cooper- what follows is a transcript of his show shortly after the Bachmann speech-

-So, here's what she said. You can judge for yourself. Speaking to a group called Iowans for Tax Relief, Congressman Bachmann seemed to whitewash our painful history over slavery. Instead of facing some of the less pretty facts of America's founding, she airbrushed herself some new history.

Here she is talking about what people have faced throughout history when coming to America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: It didn't matter the color of their skin. It didn't matter their language. It didn't matter their economic status. It didn't matter whether they descended from nobility or whether they were of a higher class or a lower class. It made no difference. Once you got here, we were all the same.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Now, as much as we wish that were the case, as good as that sounds, that's simply not true. Whether she was talking about the founding of our nation or the experience of immigrants throughout our history, we were not treated all the same.

Irish immigrants didn't feel the same walking past storefronts with signs reading "No Irish need not apply." Japanese Americans didn't feel the same when they were placed in internment camps during World War II. And, of course, enslaved Africans certainly didn't feel the same when they were brought here against their will.

Michele Bachmann mentioned slavery, but only to say it was something the founding fathers couldn't wait to get rid of.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BACHMANN: We know that was slavery that was still tolerated when the nation began. We know that was an evil and it was a scourge and a blot and a stain upon our history.

But we also know that the very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States. And I think it is high time that we recognize the contribution of our forbearers, who worked tirelessly, men like John Quincy Adams, who would not rest until slavery was extinguished in the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Now, again, Congresswoman Bachmann has her facts wrong. Many of the founders owned slaves. George Washington owned slaves. Thomas Jefferson, who wrote that all men are created equal, owned slaves.

Jefferson was certainly conflicted about it, but others were not. And let's remember, the Constitution itself, as glorious a document as it is, the Constitution itself established a slave as three-fifths of a person. It was a political compromise. As for John Quincy Adams, well, Ms. Bachmann is right.(-my note- this must have just about killed him to utter it-) He was a tireless campaigner against slavery, especially during his 17 years in Congress after leaving the White House. But he was not a founding father, as she sort of implied. He died years before emancipation and the Civil War.

Now, this is certainly not the first time that Congresswoman Bachmann has gotten the facts wrong or invented her own facts. Just recently on 360, she claimed President Obama's trip to Asia would cost $200 million a day. We showed how that report was completely unfounded, tracing it to an unnamed Indian official quoted by a foreign news service.

There are plenty of other examples, but we focus on this tonight, not just because Congresswoman Bachmann is going to be speaking tomorrow night, but because we believe facts matter, particularly where our history is concerned.

And one of the many things that makes this country great is that we are able to examine our past. We are at our best when we learn from the past, painful though it may be. Rewriting history does no one any good. It doesn't honor our real history. And it certainly doesn't help us learn about ourselves.

We invited Congresswoman Bachmann on the program tonight. She declined. We asked her for a statement that might explain her comments. She never responded.

Instead, we're joined by former Republican Congresswoman Susan Molinari. Currently, she's president of the consulting firm Susan Molinari Strategies. Also, Democratic strategist Paul Begala and historian Professor Eddie Glaude Jr., who chairs the African-American Studies Department at Princeton University.

Professor, what do you make of her comments. Is this a whitewashing of history?

EDDIE GLAUDE JR., CHAIR, AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, in part, I think it is.

But I think, you know, what it -- what it -- what it suggests is that she lacks a little nuance, to put it gently. We do know that there was debate among the founding fathers about slavery. Some opposed slavery outright. Others were indifferent.

But still others were quite committed to slavery, economically and socially. What happened as a result of that debate wasn't resolution, but, as you mentioned at the top of the piece, was compromise, the three-fifths compromise, and also the fugitive slave clause, which allowed slave owners to retrieve their escaped property.

What I think she would have been better equipped to do is not appeal necessarily to the founders, but appeal to a different tradition, a tradition of Americans who sought to correct the contradictions around our democratic principles evident in our practice. And that is the abolitionist movement in the 1830s.

She should have invoked William Lloyd Garrison, Lydia Maria Child, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, those who laid down their lives in interesting sorts of ways to protect democratic principles, to lift up the idea of democratic freedom. But I have a strange suspicion that Michele Bachmann would label many of them, shall we say, un-American or terrorists.

COOPER: Paul, does this matter? I mean, comments like this, does it matter?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I -- look, you know, it's a good news/bad news thing, Anderson.

I suppose the good news is, there are some in her party who will appreciate this. Maybe even she -- maybe she can win the Republican nomination. The bad news is, probably can't win who's smarter than a fifth grader.

She is running at a fringe. You know, her party has a lot of terribly, terribly bright people. We just saw Rudy Giuliani, one of them, interviewed by Piers Morgan.

But there's a fringe in her party that does seem to want to go back to the old days of the Know Nothings, who, by the way, were a 19th century group who were bitterly prejudiced against Catholics, Jews, African-Americans, and almost everybody else they could think of.

I'm not saying that that's what she is. I'm just saying that there's a strain in her party that seems to say, I have -- I have got my mind made up, don't confuse me with the facts.

COOPER: Susan, do facts matter in this case?

SUSAN MOLINARI (R), FORMER U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN: Of course facts matter. Michele Bachmann is one individual of the Republican Party. But there's -- as -- as Paul has said, there's many great, wonderful spokespeople for the Republican Party.

I think what Michele Bachmann was trying to say was to -- to look more positively towards our history and -- and the history of the United States. I don't think she meant anything negative about it.....

My point in all of this- and I will give Anderson Cooper credit here- (more likely his staff for actually finding this tidbit in their research-so they could put it on Anderson's Teleprompter)- .."As for John Quincy Adams, well, Ms. Bachmann is right. He was a tireless campaigner against slavery, especially during his 17 years in Congress after leaving the White House. But he was not a founding father, as she sort of implied. He died years before emancipation and the Civil War."

Ok- John Q Adams was the 6th President of the United States. His Father John Adams was Vice President to George Washington and later 2nd President of the United States as well as a signer of the Declaration of Independence- so Is John Q Adams a founding father? Strictly no- but by only one degree of separation. Was John Q Adams values system more than likely strongly influenced by the experiences of his father? I would think so. So- semantics here on both parts. But- what many are un aware of is this-

John Quincy Adams was a Lawyer of note- and was admitted to the Bar and could argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. One of his most noted cases although generally unknown to most unless they be constitutional scholars is this-

United States, Appellants, vs. Cinque, and others, Africans, captured in the schooner Amistad, by Lieut. Gedney, Delivered on the 24th of February and 1st of March 1841. A case he argued on behalf of 'slaves' years after his presidency and a mere 20 years prior to the start of the Civil War. He died in 1848.

If Michele Bachmann is guilty of anything it is learning history by way of popular Cinema- as the Armistad case was made into a major motion picture- directed by Steven Spielberg no less.

As the politicos and the media continue to rant and rave- I'll be looking for the grain of truth in either side's argument. I'm quite confident this election year will give birth to many more posts - Sarah Palin being a wonderful source of fodder for this kind of thing. :)

PS- John Q Adams's argument to the Court was successful.

Vacation

So I took a weeks vacation. 5 days to ostensibly get some shit done around my house. Once again..not to be. I have been sucked into setting up an electronic method for getting Mom's bills paid. Which in and of itself wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing except for the fact that my mother owns no computer and at this stage of her life...getting her internet savvy enough to deal with this kind of stuff on her own would well- be more work and trouble than me doing it myself. So I really need to get the shredder going as now- not only will I have to deal with my records, I'll be dealing with much of her financial records as well. So out of the 5 days I had to try to get my shit organized- 2 of them were spent driving down and back to deal with her stuff. So my stuff waits again. On the positive side- I did however go to Office Max and get a couple of file storage totes....baby steps- I keep telling myself- baby steps and eventually it will get done. :)

Memphis Cobblestones: Garrow: Historical Overview of the Memphis Landing

Memphis Cobblestones: Garrow: Historical Overview of the Memphis Landing

This is the levee at Memphis in May of 2010 when I was last there for a short visit. The water was considered high at the time. This spring however due to heavy rain throughout the mid-south and snow melt from the north as caused the river level to rise to within record levels approaching the great floods of 1937 and 1929. This is what the levee looks like as recently as May 6, 2011. Copy and paste to your browser to view.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/galleries/2011/may/06/rising-rivers-may-6-onward/38630/

Union Fascism on Full Display in Wisconsin

Union Fascism on Full Display in Wisconsin

Tea Party Rally- Madison WI- With links to Wisconsin Eye- The State Version of CSPAN

Tea Party Rally- Madison WI

Wisconsin Eye- Lots of video and audio of the proceedings of the Wisconsin State Legislature along with interviews of Wisconsin news-makers.

What Happens When Some Individuals Are the Benificiaries of Advanced Education in WI- Or Why I Think Liberals Are a Bunch of Hypocrites.

This was being held up by a protester in Madison WI- note the smile on her face...Now- I wonder...is she a Democrat? Is she one of those 'teachers' that professes tolerance and understanding for minorities?  Because I hope to God she isn't a History Teacher.  She is obviously oblivious to what that picture with it's symolic cross represents to several millions of faithful Jews whose families suffered under the regime of Nazi Fascism.

Wanted in the State of WI!

 The following Senators of the Wisconsin State legislature are AWOL....Please contact Scott Walker- Governor Wisconsin if you know the whereabouts of any of these individuals...They are known to be liberal and a flight risk...approach with skepticism and a firm grip on reality.


Wisconsin Governor to Missing Democrats: Do Your Job

Dave Hansen

Fred Risser

Jim Holperin

John Erpenbach

Julie Lassa

Kathleen Vinehout

Lena Taylor

Mark Miller

 Robert Jauch

Robert Wirch

Spencer Coggs

Tim Carpenter

Chris Larsen

Tim Cullen

Unrest in WI- Teachers and Students Skip School to Protest Budget Cuts

Click on the title to go directly to the article from the Associated Press via La Crosse Tribune.

The Sorry State of Education in the US - A Strictly Anecdotal View

A friend of mine sent me an e-mail referencing a blog that is now listed in my Blogs I Am Following list. The article in question was titled 'I'm Tired' and dates from February 19, 2009., from the Old Jarhead blog listed on the sidebar of this page. I mention this because I seem to be unable to properly construct a link to take you directly to it. Sorry- just not that great with HTML editing.

While reading the article I found it to have the following positive aspects; it exhibited good spelling, punctuation, grammar and was a carefully thought out piece of writing from a personal viewpoint. There- did my bit as a literary critic or maybe I should have been an English teacher observation.

My thoughts as to whether I agree or not with the above mentioned article is not the subject of this post but rather, my assessment of the current state of education in this country based on careful reading of the comments to the above article which numbered over 700 in response, both for and against. The author of the aforementioned blog was writing from a decidedly non-liberal political viewpoint. So now in an effort to avoid howls of protest etc. from those who may stumble across this blog of mine, I shall define liberal for the purposes of this post.

–adjective

1.
or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

2.

( often initial capital letter ) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.

3.

of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism.

4.

favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured governmental protection of civil liberties.

5.

favoring or permitting freedom of action, esp. with respect to matters of personal belief or expression: a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.

6.

of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.

7.

free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.

8.

open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.

9.

characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts: a liberal donor.

10.

given freely or abundantly; generous: a liberal donation.

11.

not strict or rigorous; free; a liberal interpretation of a rule.

12.

of, pertaining to, or based on the liberal arts.

13.

of, pertaining to, or befitting a freeman.

–noun

14.

a person of liberal principles or views, esp. in, or religion.

15.

( often initial capital letter ) a member of a liberal party in politics, esp. of the Liberal party in Great Britain.

I now define conservative for purposes of this post.

–adjective

1.

disposed to existing conditions, etc., or to restore traditional values and to limit change.

2.

cautiously moderate or a conservative estimate.

3.

traditional in style or manner; avoiding showiness: conservative suit.

4.

( often initial capital letter ) of or pertaining to Conservative party.

5.

( initial capital letter ) of, pertaining to, or of Conservative Jews or Conservative Judaism.

6.

having the power or tendency to conserve; preservative.

7.

Mathematics . (of a function) having curl equal to zero; irrotational;llar.

–noun

8.

a person who is conservative in principles, actions, habits, etc.

9.

a supporter of conservative political party policies.

10.

( initial capital letter ) a member of a conservative political party, esp. the Conservative party in Great Britain Great Britain.

11.

a preservative.

I restrict my intended meaning of the words liberal and conservative in this post to the definitions that relate themselves to the political usage and not the mathematical or preservative- as well as reserving the right to reference other entries should the occasion present itself. (Hope you Lawyers out there find this to be acceptable.)

I found that the comments were generally supportive of the writer's viewpoint, while there were a significant number of comments that weren't. Ok- kudos to the author for posting comments that were in opposition to his view-with the exception of posting those that were perhaps too vulgar to warrant publication. I have no way of knowing what standard of vulgarity he uses to determine the publishing or not of a particular comment. I'm cool with not posting blatantly vulgar comments as there is enough profanity (and yes I realize that I'm guilty of it as well on this blog- I'm working on that- but I am who I am) out there and in most cases there are better ways to express yourself without resorting to that level (again...I know...so sue me for hypocrisy).

What was fascinating to me as I read the comments, were from readers who disagreed vehemently with the author. My reading of comments that were in disagreement, for the most part, and there were a paltry few exceptions, exhibited the following basic format. 1) A personalized attack- (commonly known as flaming for those internet savvy readers out there) which usually take the form of 'name calling'-ie- moron, idiot, a*** hole, and the like followed by an admonition to the author to obtain some form of psychiatric counseling and then lastly a closing salutation that professes love and tolerance on the part of the writer of the comment for the author of the offending post. 2) A lack of ability on the part of some commentators to use a spell check tool (read dictionary, either an actual bound book remember those? or the electronic version that seems to be incorporated into just about any word processing platform). 3) An outright ignorance of -and/or inability to form- a complete sentence. And no- I don't believe that spell check or grammar check tools that are provided with most word processing programs are infallible. I am aware that many times comment blocks on blogs are devoid of even a spell checker, depending on the set-up of the page, which leads us back to that thing called a book. And finally, 4) Many of the writers in opposition to the author exhibited - shall we say, as kindly as possible, if not politically correct- an obvious deficit of skill regarding reading comprehension.

Now I bet you think that I'm going to make the postulation that this occurs only when liberals respond to conservative comments. No. I find, from a strictly anecdotal viewpoint,the same type of response leveled in reverse.

On both sides of the Liberal/Conservative divide there seems to be an abundance of opinion out there on the Web (which is my primary focus for this rant-as newspapers, magazines, and broadcast television operate under more stringent rules, regulations etc. that the web generally doesn't have to contend with- prime example being this very blog) which ranges anywhere from thoughtful, concise, carefully researched and referenced posts to validate or dispute a view to outright trash that is the antithesis of the aforementioned attempts at due diligence and erudite examinations of any particular issue.

Which leads me to the following postulation known officially as - MJBlues American Education Needs Remediation theory. The welfare state as we know it has produced a country with a significant number of marginally literate and over-educated individuals who have not learned the basic rules of civilized behavior. To wit: if you can't say something nice- don't say anything at all. I'm not slamming legal or illegal immigrants! Please calm down and keep going if you find your blood boiling at this point in my diatribe.

And since every theory needs a corollary, I give you- MJBlues corollary to American Education Needs Remediation To wit: Who Needs to pay attention in English Class- isn't that what spell checker is for?- and what's civilized behavior?

In conclusion, I offer the following thought. If you really must tell some one to F**** Off and go to H-E- Double Hockey Sticks- in response to a blog post or email or even a letter to the editor of your local print publication- try please to do it in a way that has them looking forward to the experience and the trip! It makes for much more enjoyable reading for me. So, if you disagree, (disagreement after all, got this country started, and nowhere in the Declaration of Independence do I see the words- Hey Georgie-you fat lazy entitled jerk! You are a blithering homophobic, right-wing zealot who needs a trip to a psych ward because of your intolerance to us poor over taxed colonists, you Hater! I could go on but I won't) please, also try at least, to lend some evidence and fact to support your position (proper grammar, including decent punctuation etc. goes a long way as well) and show the world that you aren't a victim of our rapidly declining educational system.

With that said- feel free to use the red pencil and point out my errors regarding style, punctuation, run-on sentences, capitalization, paragraph structure etc! Bon appetite!

Drunk Dialing or He's Totally Committed

I received the following call at 10:48 PM-

"Hi honey. It's me. I'm sitting in my car in the parking lot across from N and wanted to call you to tell you that after the gig at B- I stopped in to N- for a cocktail and the bar tender tonight is a young early 20 something who was wearing this very short plaid skirt. Very short, and when she bent over it was real hard to tell if she was wearing a thong or not...so I got out of there quick.  See? Just wanted to re-assure you that I'm being a good boy."

"Good- now what you should have done is jumped over the bar and had your way with her." I replied. "That would have been the Bass Player thing to do."

"Yeah, but I didn't!  I'm committed to you!  I'm trying to be a good boy and I was a good boy."

"Thank you. You are funny."

The conversation digressed from there and doesn't need repeating.  How can you tell that a Swede has been drinking?  The fact that they will call you up and tell you that they just saw a naked butt and ran from the room to call you and tell you this. Sober- a Swede wouldn't even mention a bare ass if one was mooning them in broad daylight.  It's a deadly combination, Swedish ancestry and musicianship combined with alcohol.  Makes my life entertaining but for how long?  It's gonna be a very interesting engagement.

Abcessed Teeth, Pain Killers, PMS and a Full-Moon....or How I Ended Up Getting Engaged.

The tooth pain had been ticklish for several weeks and I figured it was time to do something about it before it turned into a total nightmare.  Little did I realize that over a long weekend the nightmare would become a classic example of manifest destiny.

Thursday, November 11, 9am

One of the joys of working where I work is Federal Holidays. On such holidays my presence is generally not required at work.  So as it turned out on Nov. 11, (Veteran's Day, aka Armistice Day depending on how advanced in age a person is..) I had the day off from work.  I had called a local dentist (based on a recommendation from my insurance carrier) and had made an appointment for early the next week- however they said that if there was a cancellation they would call me and get me in sooner if possible.  Sure enough- on Thursday morning the phone rang, it was the dentist's office and was told that they could see me right away.  Ok- I'm off to the dentist for what I was assuming would be a -scrape tartar off the offending tooth, a rx for some antibiotics and that would be that until such time as an appointment could be made for a long overdue cleaning.  The Dr. takes an x-ray, tells me that such and such tooth is in bad shape and should be extracted.  Ok- pull the SOB I tell her.  She shoots me up with two...only 2 shots of Novocaine (this should have been my first clue...I've been through numerous extractions in my 45 years due to periodontal disease, wisdom teeth, and orthodontics as a kid) and applies the nitrous oxide gas at my insistence. (Like I said, I've been through this before...I know what works, and two shots of novocaine isn't it.)  Within a minute, she's got the forceps out and is tugging on the offending tooth.  The agony of this has me grabbing at the arms of the chair and making very loud vocalizations.  Finally after at least six (I lost count) applications of the forceps the tooth comes out with a sickening crack.  My jaw is feeling- well- indescribable.  She hands over the tooth wrapped in gauze. (Yes I keep my teeth. Call me weird.) Packs the socket with some gauze and hands me instructions on how to deal with the wound and sends me on my way.  No rx for antibiotics considering she said it was infected and no rx for pain, other than advice regarding the use of tylenol, which I might add has never worked for me for even so much as a simple headache.


I return home to Boyfriend who was up for a short visit and plop down on the couch next to him (bless his heart he cradles me in his arms) whereupon I begin to cry due to the stabbing pain radiating into the new wound in my mouth.  I compose myself in a few minutes and begin a desperate search through my supply of meds and find my LAST hydrocodone pill from some extraction or PMS cramp episode.  Thank You Jesus! I consume said pill and follow it with two tylenol PM.  Not that the tylenol is going to do anything it's the diphenhydramine that is gonna knock me out along with the aforementioned narcotic.  After about an hour I realize that once these meds wear off, I am going to be in a world of hurt and call dentist back and explain that tylenol just isn't gonna make the grade.  She won't do hydrocodone but will do tylenol 3- ok I'm desperate and at least the codeine will kill something or at least make me not give too much of a shit about how much pain I'm feeling.

So Boyfriend and I (he drove as I was in no shape to pay attention to a stop sign, much less anything else.) drive back to dentist office and pick up rx for tylenol 3, head to pharmacy at local grocery store, get some groceries since he decided to make soup, pick up and pay for meds, pay for groceries, and head home.  I consume 2 tylenol 3, and pass out on couch.  I spend the rest of the evening drugged up on tylenol 3 which did not kill pain but made it possible for me to not give a shit and finally crawl to bed for a restless slumber.


Friday,  November 12, 10:30 am

The next day (a day I had requested off so as to make a 4 day weekend- yep gotta love those Federal bennies) I am feeling somewhat more human, but still am feeling the sharp stab of disturbed nerve endings. Boyfriend and I have to drive to the old stomping grounds 4 hours south for family business and he has a couple of gigs- since I'm drugged up- he drives, and I pass out in the car.

6pm

I have a miserable dinner (due to wound in mouth and the noise level which effectively killed any effort of conversation) at a new restaurant with my mother, (remember her? Yep she's getting more and more like her own mother in attitude every passing day) and retire to hotel after a couple of cocktails.

Sat. November 13, 10am

Saturday morning I wake up and realize that something isn't right in my mouth.  I feel swelling around a tooth adjacent  to the site of the extraction, and I know that this isn't going to be good.  I spend the entire day, chewing and sucking on ice chips and eating tylenol 3.  By the end of Saturday, I know that Sunday is going to include a trip to urgent care, in search of relief.

Sunday November 14, 10am

Boyfriend loads me into car behind very large acoustic bass violin, (yep, he doesn't play small instruments, thank God he didn't also have the tuba with him) and deposits me at closest urgent care clinic. He leaves to return music instruments to his parent's house with assurances that he will return to urgent care to get me.  I am finally seen by a Dr. who's accented English tells me she's from a part of Europe formerly known as the Iron Curtain, (Croatia) and she agrees that yes Houston- you have a problem.  She confers with on-call oral surgeon and in short order is writing rx for a large quantity of hydrocodone and some high power antibiotics- and a referral to oral surgery the next day. I'm in tears with happiness and relief that finally someone knows what the fuck they are doing.

Find Boyfriend in waiting area and head for pharmacy to get rx filled.  End up at Boyfriend's parent's house where it is announced by him that this is an emergency and I'll be staying with him until visit with oral surgeon the next day. (since we are not married, bunking at his house is not generally smiled upon.) His parents take pity on me and I insist that the couch in the basement will be more than adequate for my current condition, and begin to consume new medications as directed. I also discover that my period has started.

5pm

I am roused from my drugged slumber by my Boyfriend who tells me he is going to go to S---- to sit in with J---but just for a bit and won't be out late since we have to get my butt to oral surgery first thing in the morning.  Ok- I pass out again.

Monday, November 15, 1:30am

I awaken to obviously inebriated Boyfriend who has just returned home from S----.  Long story about how he saw D---- and D----was plastered and D----, SHE needed a ride home and D----wanted to have one more cocktail so Boyfriend said no problem.  I'm drugged out of my mind so very little of this really registers with me (but don't worry it will) and he assures me that he will be awake at 8am to get me to the clinic.  I pass out again.

8am

I wake up- realize what time it is and try to wake up snoring Boyfriend.  No luck. Call work and inform them that I won't be in today like I planned due to oral surgery.  Find his car keys, announce to his unconscious form that I am stealing his car.  I emerge from the basement to find his parents in the kitchen looking at me with much concern and I tell them that I am stealing their son's car and that when he does emerge from the basement to let him know that after I get done at the clinic I am going to hunt D--- down and kill her.  They give me a pitying look that says- it must be the drugs.

9:30 am

To my surprise I am quickly admitted into the oral surgery clinic where x-rays are shot and I notice that I can barely open my mouth enough to get the film in there to accomplish the task. The Dr. looks things over and believes that there is a bone fragment from the extraction on the previous Thursday still in there! Plus the adjacent tooth that is surrounded by swollen tissue is also in bad shape and will more than likely have to come out at some point- however- for now they are going to numb me up and try to get it drained and cleaned out.  OK- I'm good with that, just make it stop hurting- and what's with this swelling that makes it so I can barely open my mouth so you can get a good look at things?  I'm set up in a room, shot up with 4 - count em- 4 shots of Novocaine, Nitrous Oxide (again at my insistence- I still know what works) and within about 5 minutes I can't feel a fucking thing.  Tears of relief course down my cheeks- much to the concern of the assistants who I try to assure that this is a good thing.  The Dr. begins his draining of the affected area and then announces that maybe this tooth should come out now as the odds of this never happening again with this tooth are slim and zero- I say- go ahead- pull the fucker.  He shoots me up with yet another shot of Novocaine and begins to pull- I don't feel shit.  In fact what I can feel is the certain knowledge that when this is over I'm gonna be a much happier person- because I am now totally exhausted from dealing with the pain.  The tooth comes out with a resounding crack and I feel more digging (minus the agony of the first extraction) hear some grinding, and the announcement to me that he can see my sinus membrane and thankfully it looks to be intact, and he removed several chunks of root-tips from this extraction as well as the previous one.  More tears of joy at the prospect that soon my troubles will be over.  Finally stitches, gauze wads and instructions regarding pain medication, antibiotics and no smoking.  More tears of happiness, hugs to the assistants who told me I made their day...they love pus... and a drugged stagger out the door and back to the Boyfriend's house.

11am

I am greeted by the Boyfriend's parents who are shocked at my physical condition.  (It really wasn't that bad- but the wad of gauze on one side of my face must have made it look like I had the mumps.)  I am also informed that yes- Boyfriend did emerge from the basement after I left and quickly retreated back to the basement.  I find him in the basement asleep in the recliner. I poke him and make a gesture that resembles a pencil being broken in half- he smiles at me like I'm kidding- I'm not- but all I want to do is eat drugs and pass out.  I take a pain pill and pass out on the couch.

At various points during the next 6 hours I wake up and see the Boyfriend still asleep in the recliner.  At 6 pm I get up, gather my things and inform him that it's time I caught a train back north.  He complies and soon I have train ticket and the next hour is spent with him not saying a word to me and me not saying a word to him.  Train arrives, a hug is given and goodbye's are said, along with his assurance that he will call me the next day to see how I am faring.  I have decided at this point that I want nothing to do with him ever again and visions of film noir ingenues leaving for Siberia fill my head.  I arrive 5 hours later to my apartment where I shower and hit my bed.

Tuesday, November 16, 7:30 am

I awaken and feel 200 percent better than I have in days, but still exhausted.  I go to work, tell the bosses of my harrowing past 5 days.  By 11 am though, I know I'm not in any shape to make it the rest of the day and I am told to go home and get some rest.  I do.  The phone shows no calls from anyone.

11:30 am

I send nasty text message to D---letting her know exactly what I think of her drunk ass.

4pm

I receive a call from a mutual friend who wants to know what is up with D----and why I am upset with her.  I send back text reply that states that I have no desire to talk to D-- about anything but have no hard feelings toward the mutual friend.  More messages back and forth including allegations of former boyfriends infidelity- and agreements are made to meet up with mutual friend the next time I'm in town.  The phone is quiet for the rest of the night.

Wednesday, November 17

Make it though an entire day at work and am feeling more like my old self.  Have decided to not answer any calls from former Boyfriend (my feelings) and get on with my life as I am tired of waiting for him to get his ass up here like he promised he would do back in July.  Over the course of the evening 3 messages are left on the phone by the (in my mind) former Boyfriend.


Thursday, November 18

2 more messages are left on the phone by former Boyfriend.


Friday, November 19, 5:30 pm

I call the former Boyfriend and let him have it with both barrels.  He doesn't want to argue over the phone.  I tell him that I'm not arguing, but if he wants to hang out in his parent's basement, and party with the local slut he's more than welcome but that he should get with W- and take some lessons on how to blow sunshine up peoples' arse because he really sucks at it.  He denies being with the slut- but I inform him of the text messages I received detailing the events of the previous Sunday night and that allegations were made that he'd been banging on the slut's window late at night to party with her.  He again denies the allegations and informs me that he will get to the bottom of it and that he loves me and wants to be with me.  I'm still pissed off and tell him that I don't trust him and that it's up to him to figure out how to resolve this mess because I'm sick and tired of being screwed over. End of conversation.

Several days later he calls and tells me that he will be coming up for Thanksgiving.  I tell him I won't be here.  He calls later to tell me that he won't be coming up for Thanksgiving because he has a gig.  I tell him fine. I'm coming down, I'll be at N- to sing with H- and he can do what he pleases.

Wednesday, November 24,  10pm

I have arrived safely to town, checked into my hotel and have parked myself on a bar-stool at N- and am waiting to hear H- play the blues, and possibly sing a tune.  At 10:30 former Boyfriend arrives with acoustic bass and parks himself next to me.  An uneventful conversation takes place and more details are filled in.  I am informed that he has informed D---to stay away from him and me and once again tells me he loves me and wants to be with me.  I realize that between the abscessed teeth, large quantities of pain killers, PMS and an impending full moon on the 21st of November, it's no wonder I snapped and he got the full load of hormonal, celestial wrath from a woman who's nickname is Mean J____ (I'm sure you can figure it out.) As the night progresses, Boyfriend finally sits in with H for a few tunes and has a wonderful time. ( I can tell just by the look in his eyes when he plays.) He is happy, I am drunk and we both return to the hotel where we pass out. All is forgiven.  At some point in the evening thereafter a romantic interlude takes place and he asks me three times if I would marry him.  Three times I say yes. (Figuring that this will all be forgotten later in the morning as we attempt to sober up and make it to Thanksgiving dinner at his Sister's house.)


12 noon Thanksgiving day

As we drive to his Sister's house for dinner I ask him if he was really serious about the getting married part and he answers with just one word, "Yup." Sober Swedes aren't much for conversation.

"When are you going to drop the bomb on everyone then?" I ask.

"After dinner I suppose."

"You gonna call E-?" I ask. (E- is his daughter, 20 years old and back in Idaho with her Mom since she decided that college in WI wasn't her thing.)

"Yup."

Ok- I guess that settles it.  I'm engaged.  Yes- he told the family after dinner, called his daughter and told her, (she proceeded to make it clear that she wasn't happy about it). The rest of his family seemed thrilled.  I called my Mom and told her, and she wasn't very excited about it either.  Oh well- I'm 45-and it is going to be my life to screw up and Lord knows I've done a bang up job of screwing up so at least I can say I am consistent when Judgment Day arrives. And like the song between Tevya and Golde- Do I love him? Yes, I suppose I do. :)