The Stills - in the beginning

...my newest favorite Canadian band....
-dane

Happy Holidays

Well, I haven't blogged much lately, been to busy dealing with life, but I will get back on this more often after the holidays I am sure. For now, let me just rap about a few general things I have been thinking about.

I just received a great Christmas gift, Ron Paul's The Revolution, A Manifesto. Amazingly, although I have been a Ron Paul fan for awhile, I haven't gotten around to reading it, so it was a great gift. I can't wait to find some time to read it.

Speaking of books, another on my to-read list is a ten year old book by Virginia Postrel, The Future and It's Enemies. I heard her speak on CSPAN a few years ago. She calls herself a Dynamist. I am a Dynamist, too.


I have also been diggin' a Canadian Band called the Stills. Check out their song, Being Here.

(This is the ONLY place you will find Ron Paul's Revolution and The Stills IN THE SAME BLOG POST!)

And finally, a Top Ten Video worth knowing...

Well, if I don't get another chance, have a Merry Christmas...

Small Town Life

So, as reported in today’s Brainerd Dispatch (my local newspaper), three law enforcement officials were honored for their actions with regard to a hostage standoff at the Morrison County (Little Falls, MN) courthouse in June 2008.

In a very small nutshell, Gordon Wheeler went into the county commissioners meeting with a loaded weapon and threatened to kill some of the commissioners and county attorney. He had a longstanding feud with the County over his businesses, which included pornography, exotic dancing, and prostitution, located near the Camp Ripley military base. Wheeler contended that the County commissioners, Sheriff’s department, and County attorney had taken away his livelihood, thereby preventing him from paying his creditors, etc. Financially, he was at the end of his rope. He obviously had come to the end of his emotional rope, also.

The June 2008 meeting had been videotaped. It is on-line and I watched it this morning. It showed the entire standoff except for the actual shooting. Wheeler gave long-winded diatribes about how the County had wronged him, his businesses, and his family. You could obviously tell from the video that Wheeler did not intend to come out of the meeting room alive, and Wheeler’s family had said after the fact that this was, in essence, suicide by law enforcement.

Immediately prior to the shooting, the room was cleared and, at that point, no person was in harms way, except Wheeler and the officers. Wheeler squatted down behind a table and pointed the gun at the doorway where the officers were standing. Then the tape ends.

There was a lot of news and rumors shortly after the incident, but little thereafter - until I saw the article in the Brainerd Dispatch today. That article triggered my search for the aftermath, and I was troubled by what I read.

Now, don’t get me wrong. When anyone walks into a room with a loaded weapon and says that they are, in fact, going to kill people, you have a serious issue at hand. After watching the videotape, I certainly don’t find any fault with the fact that the officers had to fire their weapons at Wheeler to bring the incident to a conclusion. It was obvious that they had to fire at him.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s report said that Wheeler was shot 7 times out of 20 shots that were fired at him by the officers. Wheeler’s gun had not been fired. The Minnesota Attorney General’s office (AG) investigated the claim that excessive force had been used against Wheeler, and they found that the officers acted appropriately under the circumstances.

Here is the statement in the AG’s letter that troubles me and this is verbatim from the letter.

“Mr. Wheeler was struck by seven bullets. One bullet penetrated his hat and grazed the left side of his head with a front to back trajectory. Another bullet grazed the right side of his head and also had a front to back trajectory. The other five bullets hit him in the back of his torso. The shooting by law enforcement lasted only three seconds. Twenty rounds were fired in that short time. Law enforcement immediately summoned medical assistance for Mr. Wheeler and paramedics arrived shortly thereafter.”

Twenty bullets fired in a very small conference room? Five bullets in the back? Considering the totality of the history between Wheeler and the County, heroism isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind.

Dane's Music from 2008

I am trying to put together my list of favorite music that I’ve stumbled upon this year. As many of you know, this has been a pretty dramatic year in the craziness that is my life, so this year’s soundtrack will be a memorable one. I am being particularly picky on my song selection because I know in the years ahead, some of these songs will bring back floods of memories, good and bad, happy and sad. I gotta get ‘em right this year.

I haven’t finalized my list yet, in part, because I am still stumbling on new stuff. There are a couple weeks left in the year, after all. In fact, just this morning, I downloaded Jackson Browne’s latest album, Time The Conqueror and immediately fell in love with the song “Just Say Yeah”. It will make the list...

Anyway, if your interested in getting “my 2008 list”, email me your mailing address. Of course, if you don’t have my email address, you are out of luck. Then again, that probably just means that you don’t know me well enough to care about what songs I have found anyway.

I will be snail mailing my list to all that respond to me sometime between Christmas and New Years.

The End of America

"Working the dark side" means you have to become part of the dark side....

End of America-The Movie

The War on Terror is becoming a War on Democracy...

Jessica Sonner

So, most of you know I love music, but rarely am I on the cutting edge of music. I usually hear about a band or a singer long after others do. And, that might be the case in this instance, too.

I watch HDNet quite a bit on my cable channels. It is a great channel with no commercials. Therefore, if I'm watching "Smart Travels With Rudi Maxa", it doesn't fill the full half hour time slot as it was created for about 55 minutes of time - leaving space for commercials. They fill the time with notices of upcoming shows or small videos depicting beautiful scenery and/or people of differing cultures, generally put to music.

One of these videos presents the song, "Still Be Here" by a singer named Jessica Sonner. The words to this song really struck a cord with me and what is going on in my life and the lives of those I love. It isn't necessarily deep or philosophic, but it intrigued me enough to find her music on iTunes. She is worth checking out.

http://www.jessicasonner.com/

http://www.myspace.com/jessicasonner

Like I said, you guys have likely heard of her before. If so, chalk it up to me, again, being a day late and a dollar short!

Here's to Kevin!

Someone recently passed away that I used to know quite well – Kevin Nelson. He died in his home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota on November 25, 2008.

I met Kevin because he used to attend summer Vacation Bible School classes at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Strandquist, Minnesota (the church I attended) when I was young. Kevin attended the St. Edward’s Catholic Church, also in Strandquist, and he loved to attend our VBS classes. Kevin was born in 1964, as I was, and was a heavier set kid. He was always happy and had a great sense of humor. He was extremely artistic. Kevin was blessed with a beautiful voice and was a very talented guitar player. He would sing at our church quite often. His relationship with the Lord was very important to him, and that continued throughout his life.

Tragically, Kevin suffered a spinal cord injury from a diving accident in 1978. I remember it very clearly because I was at summer Bible camp with my cousin, Carolyn. He was swimming and diving into the State ditch outside of Strandquist, as was common at that time. It was just a little too shallow, and he broke his neck and became paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life. I know the guys who were swimming with him that day and they did what they could to get him to safety. That day left a lasting scar on those who were with him and considered him a friend.

I was very shocked to hear the news when I returned from camp.

He lived as independent a life as one can in his condition, and he always lived his life as fully as possible. I remember Leslie Kuhlman driving Kevin’s special van to Meadowbrook Ballroom by Middle River, full of kids, and Kevin dancing the night away in his chair. It was a lot of fun!

I remember the article in the Karlstad newspaper accompanying the photo of Kevin skydiving on the 20th anniversary of his tragic accident. In his short 44 years on this earth, he likely lived a fuller life than many of us. He never let his disability become one.

So, here’s to you, Kevin! Although, as often happens, time and distance separates people, I’ll never forget you and am thankful that I knew you. Your life was an example to all who knew you!

What Happens in India . . .

So, anyone who was breathing this past weekend heard about the terrorist situation in India. What a absolute tragedy! But, if you keep up on the political unrest in this area, it wasn't totally unexpected. The timing might have been unknown, but the act occurring was not a surprise to me.

Americans and Westerners were supposedly the targets, which could be true. However, the terrorists seemed to target anyone who moved. No one or nationality appeared to be sacred.

There are a few countries in this world we refer to as are our ‘allies’ who seem to be less of an ally, and actually fall more under the old saying, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Pakistan, India, and, the big one, Saudi Arabia are some examples.

As I was watching the on-going situation on CNN this weekend, I told my Mom that, in my opinion, Saudi Arabia is behind much of the Islamic terrorism in this world. Yet, they are considered one of our allies, mostly based upon our reliance on their oil. Shortly after I said that to my Mom, CNN interviewed one of their employees who was born in India, and he mentioned that Saudi Arabia should be investigated with regard to this terrorist attack.

I kind of laughed because the news media rarely says or reports anything negative about Saudi Arabia. There is, for the most part, a deafening silence and a tremendous overall ignorance about this country. Is this on purpose? Maybe so. Funny thing about that, since most Islamic terrorists have close, binding ties with this country. And, the Saudis appear to be very, very good at distancing themselves from it all. They have had a lot of practice.

The U.S. has a history of making pacts with countries of questionable character in order to accomplish short-term goals. Many, many examples can be given. It seems that little regard is given to the long-term consequences of such actions until it is way too late. And, then, in the aftermath of a tragic attack, it is such a surprise that it happened. Yeahhhh, right.

The ‘chatter’ from the terrorists indicates that they are concerned about Obama’s presidency. They are afraid that if Obama actually sits down at a table and talks to the leaders of the terrorist countries, public support of the terrorists will wane and they will become vilified by the citizens. I’m sure that is a scary thought for someone who has dedicated his or her life to terrorism. It is all that they know.

Which leads me to another question that I ask quite often. What does a professional terrorist do when terrorism is no longer relevant, necessary, or wanted? Are they unionized? Is there a retirement plan for them? Hmmmmm.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In these times, when it is very, very easy to find news that can make us forget that we STILL live in the best country in the world, I want to let you know 10 of the many, many things for which I’m thankful this year (and certainly not in order of importance).

1. Chocolate martinis.
2. Still having a job at least through year-end. I know that I can handle whatever is put in front of me.
3. Getting another major holiday with those who realistically may not be here next year (my Mom, Dad, brother-in-law, and Dexter).
4. The ability to see a glass as half full.
5. My weird sisters! (They are all weird!)
6. My weird nieces and nephews! (And, the ones who aren’t weird!)
7. Jep!
8. Grace.
9. Forgiveness.
10. Forever friends.

I could go on and on. My list is pretty obvious. I challenge you all to find thanks in everything and something to love in everyone. Have a wonderful holiday! There is going to be a lot of food at my sister’s house, so if you are in Karlstad and need a great meal and some football (of course, there will be some side-bets), give me a call! There is always space at our table!

The fate of GM -- what do you think?

I found this article and subsequent comments interesting. What do you guys think? Should the government bail out GM, too?

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/14/is-general-motors-worth-saving/

If I Were President -Part I

War mongers strike first, then try to justify later. Hitler attacked Poland in 1939 and Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941 under this premise. Decades later, America’s fear of communism created an environment that allowed LBJ to use the Gulf of Tonkin incident (later proved false) as an excuse to escalate military action in Vietnam. Governments use fear of “inevitable” war as an excuse to justify “preemptive” strikes.

Likewise, Bush and the Neo-cons made up the false threat of WMDs in Iraq as an excuse to create a preemptive strike on Saddam. The Neo-cons used our anger over 9/11 and the fear of inevitable war with terrorism to convince (or at least, confuse) us that it was justifiable. We the people (or should I say “sheeple”) allowed it to happen. We elected spineless politicians into congress. They, Democrat and Republican alike, rewarded us by shunning their responsibility (only they have the power to declare war) and handed over unlimited power to the Presidency, thus moving us closer to becoming a democratic dictatorship.

We should not be in Iraq. We never should have attacked Iraq in the first place. Nowhere in the Constitution does it mandate the United States to be the world’s policeman. Yet, that is what we have allowed the Neo-cons to make us.

For all the lip service, I have no faith the Democrats will be any different. After all, they were the ones who got us into Vietnam. Big government philosophies love military actions because it gives the government more power. In this way Neo-cons and Liberals the same. They both love big government and they both want the government to have more power, albeit for different reasons.

Against common sense, governments always turn to military might to try and spread their influence. Yet, we know on the most basic of levels that the real way to influence others is through engaging them in other ways. The free flow of trade, ideas and interactions create a bond that make it difficult for governments to convince us that we should be killing each other. You have to look no further than China and present-day Vietnam to see that this works.

Many people confuse the Libertarian stance that we should follow our Founding Fathers’ advice to stay out of the entanglements created by foreign alliances and military adventurism as “isolationist”. We are not. We are “noninterventionalists”. Big difference.

Big government’s approach to attack first, ask questions later has made us more isolated, not stronger. Common sense should tell us that we gain more influence by creating friends than by isolating ourselves through arrogant, mindless unilateral military action.

Our military was created to protect us, but, instead our government has used it to build an empire and take away our rights under the guise of “protecting” us. It is arrogant to think our military bases all over the world make us safer. How would you feel if Russia or China had military bases here? And how would that make them safer? It would just make us despise them.

Ironically, because of our choice to base our foreign policy on military strength, we are now weaker, not stronger. Our influence in the world, our military resources, our economy at home and our moral authority have all been significantly diminished. Just as importantly, the blow-back of our military adventurism will be creating unpredictable consequences for years to come.

America should stop reacting to the world based on anger and fear. And our military strength should only be used when we are attacked, not as a tool for ideologues to spread their perverted versions of “freedom”. America’s ability to spread real freedom can’t be achieved through the barrel of a gun, but through the shining example of who we once were. Let us hope that we as Americans can learn to stop isolating ourselves through our military actions and can start engaging the world in more positive ways through the noninterventionalist approach our Founding Fathers envisioned.

If I were President, I would concentrate on making our nation stronger by returning the military to it’s role as protector of American interests and away from it’s current role as empire builder for whichever ideologues that happen to hold power. I would also work to rescind all acts the government has used to take away American individual rights in the name of “protecting” us, such as The Patriot Act. And finally, I would strive to return the power of declaring war back where it belongs, with congress.

Silly ideas, I know, but I can dream can’t I?

Let's take a little break while Dane continues to work on his "if I were president" entry

I wanted to share with you a book I've been reading call Three Cups of Tea. It's an inspirational true story of a man named Greg Mortenson. He grew up with his missionary parents in Tanzania, but attend high school and college in Minnesota and now lives in Bozeman, Mont. He doesn't believe that the war on terror can be won in a battle. He's fighting terrorism by educating children in Pakistan; building schools for boy and girls so they can know more about the world around them. They are not trying to "westernize" them, but to teach them by their own people, their own culture. Children who don't get this education have the option of being "educated" in madrassas -- which are militant "schools" that don't teach academics, but extremism. And of course, provide food and shelter, which is something most of their parents can't provide. It's a book that will inspire you, if nothing else, to tell your friends.... Here's his Wikipedia entry that links to the book and more....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Mortenson

Bleery-Eyed Observations

So, it is all done (except for the Coleman/Frankin fiasco). Obama will be our next president. I’m surprised at how much I really don’t care. I guess I gave that up when I graduated from college and my youth left me. Those of you who have known me for years know how passionate I used to be about politics.

Anyway, I think that the Obama win does bring up some very interesting, albeit early, observations. Here are three of many.

1. Little criticism of how poorly the Republicans competed in this election. I was waiting to hear some pundits acknowledge what a mess the Repub’s are and what a bad job they did. Instead, I hear gums flapping on Fox News about how the Dem’s don’t have a mandate to govern. Huh?! No wonder the Repub’s lost! If the Repub’s don’t pull their collective heads out of their a****, they had better get used to losing. They can’t live in their “la-la land” forever. Bad choices. Bad organization. Bad execution. Terrible. They really need to return to the core values of the party and relate to people how those core values apply to everyone, not just rich, white folks or white folks who aspire to be rich.

2. Will there now be a shift in affirmative action? I’m not for affirmative action. I do think that, historically, it did have its place. Minorities would have not had the same opportunities without it. I, as a female, have likely benefited from it. However, Obama ascending to the presidency, in my opinion, has placed affirmative action into a different light. A major barrier has been removed. Obama would have never been elected without votes from white people. It will be more difficult for minorities to use the race card. I’m not ignorant enough to think that racism will disappear. You wouldn’t believe the racist comments and jokes I’ve heard over the course of this election. However, I think that it will be more difficult to use the ‘poor me - pity party’ excuse as an obstacle to individual success.

3. Will Obama be able to deliver on the promises? Likely not. Neither would McCain if he had been elected. I’ve survived party changes in office before, and, guess what?! Not much ever seems to really change. Most pundits and talking heads tend to over dramatize the actual effects that a change in party in office actually brings. Economically, we seem to have more serious issues to deal with than I can remember, but we have survived. We have been involved in unpopular wars before and have survived. People can still own their hunting rifles. I can still spew forth my goofy opinions and not be jailed for them. The pendulum of our country has always swung from left to right, right to left, back and forth, and we have survived. Promises or no promises, we will survive. Isn’t democracy great! And, no, people, we aren’t going to become a socialist country. Another ‘buzz word’ used to scare people. Scare tactics generally seem to work pretty well, but it didn’t for the Repub’s this time. (See #1)

Liberal Views I Can't Resist -- Sorry if I Offend!

Sorry -- I couldn't resist this one. I think it's interesting because it's backed up by statistics. Whether they are actually true or not, I don't really know, but even with its air of superiority, it reinforces my liberal state of mind. I got it from a comment on a web site called funnyordie.com. Check out the Ron Howard video there with his endorsement of Obama.

"Dear Red States: We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the entire Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cellresearch and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines, 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out, Blue States

PS - You can keep your KKK and shove it straight up your A**!!!"

Politopia

I know many of you have seen this quiz before. I actually posted about it last year, but it really is a good way to see how your political beliefs line up with others.

POLITOPIA

The quiz only takes a couple of minutes. It will then plot where you are on the political map. The star is where I ended up when I took the test last year. I just retook the test and ended up almost exactly in the same place. At least I am consistent about some things...

An Old Article

I frequently get funny looks from people when I tell them I am a registered Libertarian. What's funny, though, is how easy it is for me to explain my beliefs to Republicans and Democrats alike, but they often can't simply define what their beliefs are based on. In fact, they are more likely to explain what their particular party is against.

Being a Libertarian means that I believe in freedom above all else. It is as simple as that.

I have spent a lot of time on David Carlson's Political Blog lately. It is usually one of the first things I check when I turn my computer on in the morning. Now I see he has been occasionally checking in on ours.

In a comment in one of my last posts, David pointed out how becoming libertarian in requires making an intellectual choice. That was something I picked up from an Op/Ed piece in the AZ Republic a few years ago. It was written by a former AZ Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate. It is pretty short and worth the time to check out:

Libertarians Manning The Only Life Raft

Majority of One

I'm paraphrasing this a bit, but when I was in seventh grade, our English teacher Mrs. Lutz taught us the concept of the "Majority of One". If I remember correctly, Emerson was visiting Thoreau, who was in jail for a civil disobedient act of refusing to pay a poll tax that was supporting slavery and a war with Mexico.

Emerson asked something like, "Henry, why are you here?" And Thoreau replied, "Waldo, why are you not here?"

Thoreau felt he was correct in his convictions, even if everyone else felt otherwise, (or probably more accurately, were just apathetic). He was a Majority of One.

I mailed in my early ballot yesterday. I am very comfortable with my Presidential choice. In fact, I think it may the most confident I have ever been about my choice. I wrote in the good doctor, Ron Paul.

I am confident I am right. Ron Paul will never be President, but that doesn't mean I wasted my vote. Most people are mindless sheep, casting their votes for who will better fill their wallets or have government do their bidding for them. But a vote for Ron Paul was a vote for Liberty. Our government has been manipulated far too long by the interest groups of both the Right and Left, ignoring the rights of common Americans or the Constitution that protects them.

My Majority of One does not depend on the support of others, nor on convincing others that I am correct. Instead, it is based on the simple conviction I have that the liberty of all is more important than the "security" the Republicans can give us from the "terrorists" or the "support" Democrats can give us by redistributing the wealth of others.

I had to choose between an old man that promises to keep my taxes in check or a charismatic pop star who wants America to be a better place by making us all feel more "hopeful".

Well they can keep their tax promises and feel-good sermons. From now on, I am only voting for those who actually believe the best way to keep this country great is to stick to the founders' principles of personal liberty, not the promises of politicians who will say anything to fit their constituency's desires.

We as Americans will never be great again until we get past our own self interests and change our view of what role government should have in our lives. But that is an intellectual choice, one I am not sure most people can make. Regardless, I will make my choices confidently, even if it means remaining a Majority of One.

Am I "Joe"?

I wonder if "Joe The Plummer" is any relation to "Joe Six-Pack"?

The use of both of those monikers, even though the former has a basis in a real person, boils my blood a bit. I've spent most of my life living in the world that these two are supposed to personify. And I find the use of these names condescending at best.

This "I feel your pain" bullshit doesn't hold water. It is merely a ploy used by those who really have no understanding of the lower middle class to make us believe they are really in touch.

If they really were in touch (that goes for anyone in Congress) they would not have approved a bail out. They would have just cut me a check.

Random Stuff

You will all be glad to know it is Global Hand-washing Day. It sure is good to know the UN is looking out for us...

I have been listening to some older stuff lately: Goo Goo Dolls, Vertical Horizon, Extreme. I am feeling a bit guilty about it, though. Not because it is old, but because it is the kind of stuff I would have never admitted liking when it was new. I guess getting older has made me less of a music snob, and I can't be too embarrassed about it since I am posting it on the Internet...

I am still really annoyed about the Federal bailout of our banking system. I can't help but feel we are witnessing the end of our free market system. Government is here to rescue us again (by taking our money and giving it to idiots who have already shown how good they are at losing billions).

On a personal note, I have been building a bit more debt than I would like. Where is my government? They should take care of me. They should pay off my debt. Okay, I am being facetious...

Ever get those emails telling you Bill Gates is trying to give you some of his money (or some other outrageous claim)? I like to peruse Snopes.com to check out everything I come across that seems a bit over the top. It is actually kind of fun just to look around on their site. The Obama section is particularly interesting. Check it out. People are idiots and will believe anything...

Did you see the old McCain?

John McCain is back. At least the John McCain I remember seemed to get his shit together this week.

Long before he threw his hat in the ring for president, I always held some admiration for McCain in the sense that he always seemed to be his own man. I felt he had an air of honor about him that was lately nonexistant and, he was once a beath of fresh air in Washington politics. But the antics of scare tactics, lies, and general garbage coming out of his campaign have been a major disappointment to me.

Yesterday he corrected his some of his supporters when they blasted the character of Obama. It just goes to show you where the scare tactics of campaign workers can lead. The one that really struck me was the lady who stood up at a rally in Minnesota and told McCain she was afraid of Obama because he was an Arab.

McCain told his audience that was wrong and, people did not need to fear Obama because he was a good and decent man. That was the old McCain I remember, telling people the facts.

I am still not going to vote for him. The damage has been done. He too easily slid his honorable personna to the side and let his campaign managers and sleazy party workers run his game and campaign. But I was glad to finally see him shake his head and attempt to dispell the garbage that has been spewing out of his own campaign.

I have to wonder what impact that had on the generators of all of the scare garbage inside his campaign.

I Missed SNL This Weekend

But one of my new favorite blogs didn't:

http://www.davidcarlsonpolitics.com/

Tina Fey is brilliant...And she definitely portrays Palin as Marna sees her! (See her "Twit" post from September.)

And I am a bit surprised Gwen Ifill's book (centered on, but not directly about Obama) didn't disqualify her as a moderator. Not saying there is anything wrong with her doing the book, I just felt there are 300,000,000 people in this country who AREN'T writing a book about Obama. Wouldn't it have made more sense to use one of those people with a less obvious potential bias?

I Don't Care

I know it may sound defeatist, but I really don't care who wins the White House in November. The closer it gets, the more I realize the two most likely choices are worthless. A wise man (Bruce Cockburn) once said, "everybody wants justice...they just want it done onto somebody else." I think that sums up the finger pointing the Dems and Repubs spend most of their time wallowing in.

Every four years, I feel like I am reliving a political version of Groundhog Day, listening to similar politicians spouting the same rhetoric and the same talking heads filling us with useless information that has nothing to do with fixing any of our nation's problems.

But, I do have to say, I have made my decision of who I am voting for this year. I am writing in Ron Paul. I regret I didn't support him when it really mattered. I won't make that mistake again. He is the only politician that dares to demand that we take responsibility for ourselves and our own actions. That responsibility is not a burden. It is what allows us the liberty to freely pursue our own happiness.

The Dems are partially right about civil liberty (except when it doesn't fit their agenda) and the Repubs are partially right about economic liberty (except they seem to more frequently vote the other way). Civil liberty, economic liberty. Why can't we have both?

Most of this country's problems derive from a lack of anyone taking any responsibility for themselves. Take the current financial crisis. Taxpayers are bailing out a bunch of greedy institutions that will fail if not propped up by government. They SHOULD fail. That is how capitalism works. Economically unsound institutions SHOULD be allowed to perish so that better ones can take their place. Instead, the government is going to use your money to prop up crappy, greedy, unfit institutions that do not deserve to exist another day. If they were allowed to fail, would the economy suffer? Yes. But by not letting them fail, we are setting ourselves up for an even bigger crisis down the road. And no matter who takes over, Dems or Repubs, I will be the first one to be shouting "I told you so!" when it happens...

"Something New" (Or, "More to Read on the Internet")

I’m putting out my much-abbreviated weekly blog a little early (no martini, either), as I won’t be able to really get to it this weekend. My whole week (well, I should say, the last couple of weeks) seem to have been filled with all things dealing with the bailout bill.

Oh, excuse me – my mistake. The rescue bill. (Same shit – different name.)

Anyway, I’m pretty much against it no matter how much they try to spit polish it. Plain and simple. Don’t understand why a bill needs to pass within one week, why more research cannot be completed into the situation prior to passing a bill, and where the hell the amount of $700 billion came from! (Someone's hind-end must hurt from pulling that amount out of it!) Until someone can guarantee me that I (a taxpayer) won’t take it in the shorts even more than I currently am in the stock market, I won’t ever support it.

Anyway, for you political-types out there, I have a blog site that might be of interest to you. My niece’s boyfriend, David Carlson (more commonly known as DC), authors it. He is about as nice a kid as you will ever find. He goes to college at St. Thomas, and is a very smart guy. I’m thinking that most of the contributors are about his age – early 20’s – college age (except for me – of course). I appreciate reading his point of view on issues. Take a peek sometime.

http://www.davidcarlsonpolitics.com/

I watched the Veep debate last night really not knowing what to expect.

I seriously didn’t believe all of the pundits who were fantasizing about Backwoods Barbie “freezing like a moose in the headlights”, or getting backed into some corner where she would be a total flop. She did quite well, and seemed quite polished in the sense that she answered most of the questions just like any other politician might - by not answering and moving quickly to another subject while she had command of the floor.

As for Sen. Joe, no surprises there either. Except that he may have been a bit more brief in his remarks than I was expecting. He has a reputation of droning an at length.

Although I did find parts of the debate interesting, as a whole it seemed boring. And as a tool to help me make a decision about who may get the pleasure of my ballot, it did nothing at all.

All in all, it seemed a waste of time, money and my attention. Especially since I will be casting a ballot for president, not the vice president.

So, I watched the voting on the bailout bill last night on C-Span, and was lucky enough to catch a re-play of a speech given earlier in the day by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I – Vermont). Here is the link to the text of the speech.

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=303980

It is lengthy, but work the read. After seeing Amy Klobuchar yuk it up on the Senate floor after the vote (I used to work with Amy at a large lawfirm in Minneapolis, and – Oh, I can tell you some stories! Not one of my favorite people!), I’m thankful that SOMEONE is looking out for people who don’t want this bill to pass.

McCain's great if you can afford him

For a long time I was a little torn as to where to place my vote in the Presidential election.

I consider myself a life-long Liberal (with clandestine conservative tendencies at times). My personal political philosophies tend to lie a little more in line with Liberals than with Conservatives.

But being a vet and a Vietnam vet like McCain, I do have a lot of respect for him, what he went through as a POW, and how it shaped his politics.

One big area where I keep have difficulty is, how can McCain, a guy with 11 houses and 16 cars, understand what it is like to make less than what most of this country calls middle class income? He stumbled when he tried to describe middle class, calling it people who make less than 2 million dollars a year. If that is the case, I belong in the abject poor classification.

Something that falls in line with the rich vs poor is health care. McCain’s solution is to make more and varied policies available for people to purchase. That’s great IF you can afford to purchase them. The crux of the problem is the great number of people who cannot AFFORD the insurance. Creating more policies won’t cure that problem.

Maybe this is important because I have reached an age where I see docs on a more regular basis than when I was younger.

I’ve heard all the arguments about the “terrible” Canadian system, or the problems with British health programs. But who says we can’t do better? Why do we have to model it after something that already exists and doesn’t work?

The simple answer is, we don’t.

Got little off the track here.

I do agree with Dane’s concept of voting principle over expediency, but I have to balk at Barr. He’s just a little too much off the deep end, and there seems to little substance there and a lot of rhetorical posturing.

So it looks like one of two choices: either Obama, or the old standby (you want to talk about principle over expediency)...Mickey Mouse.

It wouldn’t be the first time Mickey got a write-in from me.

Larry King Live

So, last night (Thursday), Jeff and I didn’t get home until after 11:00 p.m. (cst). We had golfed 27 holes at Superior National Golf Course in Lutsen, MN, and that is about a 5+ hours from our home. Needless to say, it had been a long day.

I have enough issues with trying to sleep, so it would be unlikely that I could just plop into bed upon returning home. That being said, I poured a big glass of high quality “moo juice”, nestled into my recliner, and turned on the television. I wanted to catch up on the current economic news, but I rarely watch news programs, and really am not into watching CNN or Fox News (although I have to admit there is a strange, indescribable “hotness” to Anderson Cooper). I decided to watch Larry King.

He had four “talking heads” speaking about the economy – 2 liberal and 2 conservative. Somewhat worthless as far as depth and substance - mostly just trying to out-yell each other. One thing I found myself asking is, “How in the hell did Michelle Bachman ever get elected to the House of Reps?”

Where was I? Oh, yeah – Larry King.

After the four “talking heads” were done, King had comedian Chris Rock as a guest. I’m pretty indifferent about Rock. I’ve seen little of his comedy acts, movies, or television work, but I do know that he seems pretty funny. Now, I’m really not into Hollywood stars as political experts, and Rock quickly dismissed himself as a political expert. He is an admitted Obama supporter.

King and Rock were discussing who, of the two major candidates, would be better with regard to the current economic travesty, and Rock, of course, said Obama. King asked why. Rock said that Obama has one home. If he loses that home, he is going to be homeless. McCain has 12 homes if he loses ½ of his homes he still has six.

I thought that was pretty funny. Somewhat pointless, but funny.

Nice to find a chuckle in the midst of a lot of hand-wringing.

Happy Friday

I stole this off another blog. This totally captures the intellect that is Ming...

What About Bob?

Budsy Jean, like most of us, is undecided on the current candidates.

My brother Bubba recently wrote in his weekly column that we are too busy picking one side or the other. We demon-ize the other side like they are evil. Truth is, neither Democrats or Republicans, Liberals or Conservatives are evil. They are just wrong. Being misguided doesn't make you evil.

Check out Bob Barr, Libertarian.

There are more than two choices, but is voting for a third candidate a wasted vote or a vote on principle? The only way to get different results is to think differently...and to vote differently, principle over expediency.

The Wall Street Gang

So, it's not Friday yet (sad), but I felt it necessary to blog about this.

Occasionally, I'll listen to a radio talk show hosted by Michael Savage ("The Savage Nation"). By his own admission, he says he is more conservative than Rush, so that shows you where he is located philosophically. At times, this man is a raving lunatic, and I get a lot of entertainment value by listening to him. On some issues, I find myself agreeing with him - most of the time I don't.

Last night, I was making dinner and listening to "The Savage Nation" radio broadcast, and he was speaking of the current financial disaster. He started his monologue with the comparison of the guys on Wall Street to street gangs, like the Bloods and Crypts. He called them the "Wall Street Gang", and found them to be far more dangerous. Street gangs may rape and pillage you, but you can generally see them coming at you. You know who they are by the way they dress and the way that they act. He said that the "Wall Street Gang" is dressed really nice, drive really nice cars, and take your money without you even knowing it until it is too late.

He also said that the "Wall Street Gang" succeeded where Osama Bin Laden failed. On September 11th, 2001, OBL used airplanes to attempt to derail the economy. The "Wall Street Gang" didn't even need to use overt violence to thwart our economy, but had much greater success. And, like OBL, the "Wall Street Gang" will likely get away unscathed.

Hmmmm. Who is the real terrorist?

Sarah Palin is a twit!

I'm not quite as nice as Bert. I tend to throw punches purely on emotion and defensiveness. At first blush I thought that Palin was a strategic choice for McLame -- maybe claim some females votes, make him look a little younger, etc. However, listening to her interview with Charlie Gibson and reading today that she's putting her name above McCain's when speaking of their ticket, I can only describe her as a twit. There's a one in a three chance of McCain dying while in office. That means there's a 33% chance that she could take the Oval Office, take away a woman's right to choose, send my children to war (God's war, that is) and kill more defenseless animals from helicopters. Not to mention, decimate Alaska with her pipelines. Oh, and by the way, have you heard her mention education? She and McLame don't give a hoot about education funding or repealing or reforming No Child Left Behind.

Today I see reports that her honeymoon period is over. Her approval rating has dropped four points (not that any of these are statistically valid) and her disapproval rating rose eight points. She and her geriatric running mate are in Blaine, Minn. today trying to win over Minnesota. They'll also visit a few more split states trying to do the same. Wake up people -- don't fall for her $2,500 designer jackets and $700 glasses and self-righteous abstinence message (like that worked!).

Misc. Ramblings

So, I’m having my martini tonight because today is my Friday, and I’m going to try to get back in the habit of blogging every Friday again. I get to golf The Classic at Madden’s tomorrow, and it looks like the weather will be perfect. Hooray! And, the martini tastes really good, too. Yum!

I don’t really know what to write about. I don’t feel very intellectual today. Maybe that is a good thing.

I know that one thing that has been bothering me is the stock market, although we have no control over it. I was watching the NASDAQ today between the hours of 12:00 and 1:00 central time, and I’ve never seen such wild fluctuations in my life. (Actually, I typed ‘fuctuations’, which is really what I’m feeling right now as far as my investments go, but I corrected it to be nice, ‘cuz that is how I am.) I think that I’m going to have to stop looking. It is making my hair fall out. Oh, well. My dad and Dane are pretty handsome bald – maybe I will be, too.

I’m not very happy with McCain’s choice of VP. From the choices available, Palin was not the strongest or the most qualified. Now she is getting crammed down our throats. (Please, no “Well, Obama isn’t qualified either.” arguments – I’m speaking solely about the Republican party at this juncture.) Even die-hard righties who are friends of mine admit that this is likely mostly a ploy for votes. Is that the farce that politics has become? There are times I wish that I could live in a little cabin by Wannaska. Anyone care to join me?

I’m struggling to find someone to vote for. I might have to write myself in. Oh, wait, I really don’t want the job. So then what?

Today is a picture perfect day in Nisswa. The sky is clear blue, the leaves on the trees are just on the cusp of turning to their fall colors, and it is in the upper 70’s. What the hell am I doing by my computer? I’d better get a laptop.

Well, my first martini is almost gone (I always make enough for two). I think that I’ll pour the rest in my glass, sit on my deck, and wait for Jeff to come home. I love listening to the owls. We’ll have frozen pizza in the pizza oven for dinner tonight. Could life be any better?

Changes

So, I received an e-mail not very long ago titled, ‘Changes’, and it was very appropriate, not only for what was going on in their life, but for what has been going on in my life, too.

Physically, this past year has been kind of a downer for me. I really don’t mind getting older, but I’m at odds with what is happening to me physically. I’ve always been in pretty good shape, and I’ve never had to work terribly hard to keep it that way. I’ve been very, very spoiled. Not so much anymore. Payback is a bitch, as they say. And, I’m having a more difficult time with it than I would have ever guessed. I think that once I can get myself out of my funk, I’ll get myself back on track.

There are few times when a divorce is a cause for celebration, but Jeff’s brother is finally divorcing his wife, who is a clinical sociopath. (An interesting psychological illness – there are more of them than you may realize – do a Google search if interested.) Their sick and sad drama has been going on for about 25 years, and thankfully its conclusion will soon be finalized.

My sister’s husband has lung cancer. It is a cancer that is more typically found in the elderly, and few elderly people can tolerate the strong chemo treatments. My brother-in-law is in his early 50’s and is tolerating the treatments very well. The bad thing is that the cancer is in both lungs (not a good sign). Good points are that the cancer has not spread beyond the lungs and the treatment is showing signs of working. He did smoke and it likely contributed to the cancer. However, his family has a hereditary lung disease that is the primary culprit. It has been a very, very difficult last couple of months.

My Dad’s heart is finally, slowly giving out, and my sister told me last week that the doctor said his time is pretty limited. I’m not devastated. Actually, while I’ll be as sad as anyone when he dies, I’ll be happy to know that he is free and young again. I can think of no one – young or old – who could and has withstood what he has. I know I couldn’t have. His eyes have seen much in his 89 years on this earth. He has taught me invaluable lessons about living and dying, and I will miss him terribly when he is gone. But, I know he is okay with it, and, in many ways, is embracing it. To want to keep him here reflects my selfishness. He is an amazing man, and I’m so proud and thankful that he is, and always will be, my Daddy.

There are other things that I could get into, but that is enough. I’m thankful for so many things. I’ve basically lived an unchallenged life. I’m happy that, for the most part, I’m pretty well prepared to handle the adversities that come my way. As stated by a wise soul, I “have a strong foundation when the winds of changes shift.” I do. I have a great faith, a great husband, a great family, and great friends, many who have traveled these paths ahead of me.

It helps make the inevitable changes a little softer and easier to handle.

more music

As I posted earlier this year, I have been diggin’ emusic.

Here is a narrowed down list of some of my favorites that I have picked up off the site over the last couple of months:

Camper Van Beethoven: Popular Songs of Great Strength and Beauty
Cracker: Countrysides
Echo and the Bunnymen: B-Sides and Live (2001-2005)
Lloyd Cole: Anti Depressant
My Morning Jacket: Z
New Fast Automatic Daffodils: Pigeonhole
The Whigs: Give Em All A Big Fat Lip
Ultra Vivid Scene: Joy_1967-1990

-dn

A Great Blog

I know I have been delinquent on blogging lately. I have a lot happening, but I will get back at it. I miss writing. It's therapeutic. Besides, I do have some thoughts about all the fun politics going on...

In the meantime, check out one of my favorite blogs: 5eskimos.

The author is Ginny Fagerstrom, the wife of one of my college roommates. She is very insightful, funny, and a great writer. Her themes revolve around family and daily life in Alaska. And even if you don't know her (which, I guess, would actually include me), her insights are pretty universal and entertaining.

Her latest post talks about the Alaska Governor. Also check out her "Heard at My House" sidebar. Great stuff.

What has Facebook done to the National Party Times?

Ever since we all got snuggled up with Facebook, it seems like the blog has gone by the wayside. I check back quite regularly and since Dane has been remiss about blogging, I decided I could take matters into my own hands as a designated contributor. Don't get me wrong, I love Facebook, but I really miss the opinions of others and comments about each post. I know you can link to this from Facebook, but can we actually see the posts, too? That would let me combine both loves into one.

It's fun to send each other beer and SuperPokes, but I'm missing the paragraphs of of prose. Maybe my update will bring you all back to that National Party Times. Afterall, which one of us would miss a party??

P.S. You really should download the Pull Tabs application on Facebook -- it IS addicting! But, not as much fun as seeing what y'all are up to!

Teach A Man To Fish

When I log on to the net, I have a pretty set routine. There are a half dozen or so sites I routinely check out. One of them is Kiva.org.


Kiva specializes in micro-lending, a new trend in helping others in third-world countries. For twenty-five bucks, you can become a venture capitalist, lending money to people starting businesses all over the world. Among other things, I have helped finance a bar in Ghana, Africa, a taro farm in Samoa in the South Pacific, and a coffee shop in Bulgaria. The cool thing is that when they pay me back (interest free), I can pull my money out or reinvest in another business.

My portfolio now contains 19 businesses and I usually add another about once a month. Fun stuff. Check it out when you get a chance.

Summerfest

I spent the 4th of July weekend in Milwaukee with friends, enjoying Summerfest, a huge 10 concert event with hundreds of bands. We only went for Friday and Saturday, but it was more than enough time to fill up on plenty of music, beer and absolutely perfect weather.

I didn't actually see anyone too exciting, but I was constantly entertained by the crowds. For example, I saw Phil Lesh (ex-Grateful Dead) and, believe me, the Dead Heads are still around.

But at festivals like this, it is usually the smaller no-name bands that are the most fun. There was a mock U2 band called U2 Zoo that was incredibly entertaining. The crowd for that was huge, making it seem all the more convincing.

I also saw Cheap Trick, but must say I liked them better back when I saw them in Fargo in 1980. They looked tired, kind of like I was when I got home Sunday...

Plowing Forward

A couple of years ago, I decided to give up cigars. The hardest part about quitting is that when there is idle time, you tend to revert back to old habits. To combat this, I started walking. I would get home from work, put on some comfortable clothes, and head out the door. Sometimes I would walk for half an hour. Sometimes the urge was so strong, I would walk for hours. I plowed forward.

After a month or so of this, I got real sick of my neighborhood, so I decided to mix things up. I started hiking in the mountain preserves around Phoenix. Hiking wasn’t a conscious decision so much as it was a desire to get a change of scenery. My half hour walks turned into two to four hour hikes. I was hooked.

Over time, I discovered that one of my best friends was also a regular hiker, so we started doing regular hikes together. Nicole has been hiking pretty much forever, so she knew all the cool places around town. And she is an athlete. At times, I found myself almost jogging to keep up with her. Not only did I give up cigars, but I was getting into shape without even realizing it.

Then I did something really stupid about a year ago. I resumed my cigar habit. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And I am sure that if I had been walking by myself, I would have used cigars as an excuse to stop hiking. But I guess part of the reason we have friends is that they inspire us, so I plowed forward and kept hiking anyway.

Last week, while on a Thursday morning hike, Nicole sprained her ankle. It looked like someone inserted a golf ball in place of where her ankle was supposed to be.

On Saturday, it was Nicole’s turn to lead our company’s hiking group on it’s monthly hike. Now most people would have backed out. A sprained ankle is not something most people can just walk off. Then again, that wouldn’t be like Nicole. She not only led the hike, but was a bit upset about having problems keeping up with Tyler (I think I overheard Tyler’s wife Debbie say that he runs two and half miles in twelve minutes--not bad). Nicole stayed at the front the whole way. I guess some people make a regular habit of finding excuses and others just deal with adversity and plow forward. The latter tend to inspire.

I will plow forward, too. It may take me awhile, but I think I will get this cigar thing figured out.

Last Weekend Pic From Ron

Life-Changing Events

I worked as a 911 dispatcher in a past life and made a lasting friendship with a guy who is not at all like me.
Jim Hewitt is a horse rancher and a deputy sheriff. He lives in the most secluded corner of Minnesota’s Kittson County where he and his wife Kelly have, and are still in the process of raising 13 kids.
All of his kids are home-schooled and as a former school board member that prompted a number of discussion between Jim and I on the virtues and pitfalls of both public education and home school.
But all of that is a another story.
What prompted me to write about Jim is best called my admiration and respect for him. Also the changes that he will face when he returns. He has very unique (at least unique in my world) beliefs and stands strongly on those beliefs. Yet he does not try to force feed them to anyone around him.
But what really peaked my admiration is that Jim, who is now in his late forties, volunteered to serve a year in Iraq, and is now considering extending that tour for another six months. Granted, he being well paid, but I really don’t believe that to be his motivation.
Jim was never in the military, yet has a very strong patriotic sense about him. He is also a former U.S. Border Patrol Agent, and it the former job that offered him the opportunity to take this job.
He works as a Border patrol advisor to his Iraqi counterparts.
I spent nearly 27 months total in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Maybe that is where my connection to this comes from.
I remember telling Jim the week before he left for Iraq that when he returns home, nothing will ever again be the same as it was. I really don’t think he understood what I was was telling him at the time, but I would venture he will have a very good understanding when he returns.
I was never a real beg fan of the Vietnam War, just as Jim does not like the idea of a war in Iraq. But for some there are moments where personal preferences are set aside in favor of a sense of some larger.
For me that something larger was Vietnam, for Jim it is Iraq. Others feel the same way about their opposition to serving. That’s fine with me, I have no real bones to pick as long as those feelings are legitimate.
But back to the subject - What I am trying, in my inept way, to get across is, there are events that we choose in our lives that have such a profound effect on us, that they alter our very being, There are similar life-altering events where choices are not given to us.
The two most life-altering experiences of my life came from each of those categories.
The first was Vietnam. It was the historical event of my time and I chose to stay as involved with it for as long as was possible.
The second of those was not by choice but was dealt to me without my consent. About a year ago I nearly lost my wife Deb to a fluke illness. Sitting by her hospital bed one morning I watched her sink back into the bed and saw the life drain from her eyes. (It is a scene I had become familiar with during the war.) Luckily a doctor was just a few feet away and they got her into surgery, saving her life.
The first of these two events shaped my early years, caused a lot of problems, taught me to deal with problems, taught me the value of life, defined my politics and my general outlook on life.
The second changed all of my priorities. Many stressful issues suddenly got moved way down the list when compared to family.
Jim may not know it at the moment, but his life is taking a drastic turn. What he does today will affect him and define him for the remainder of his years. It will be a few years before he realizes this.
A little off the subject - Jim’s daughter, Ashlee, is currently a contender on the NBC program, Nashville Star on Monday nights. She’s really doing a bang-up job.

Micro-Blogging

Something has been tweeting in my ear. It's called Twitter. I heard about it on the radio earlier this week. I talked about it at work with some folks this week and now I just linked in to a video about it on YouTube. Each post is only 140 characters and once your friends are in, you can find out what everyone is doing. This would be a great way for all of us to keep in touch and a way to find out what kind of beer you're drinking at the moment or what book you're reading.

Anyone want to give it a try? You sign up for Twitter and I'll get a Facebook page!

Chuck Klosterman Can't Sing

Everyone knows that if you love music but can't sing, you become a rock critic. I would guess that is probably true of Chuck Klosterman as well. But what makes Klosterman more interesting than most is the time he devotes to the culture surrounding music. (He also likes to write about himself, which is okay, I guess, because we are all a bit narcissistic when it comes to music. After all, we like music because we relate to it, see something of ourselves in it, not because it sounds good.)


Klosterman was raised in Wyndmere, North Dakota, and his first book Fargo Rock City describes what it is like loving heavy metal while growing up in rural North Dakota. He is a bit younger than me, though, so I don't quite relate to his love of hair bands like Ratt, Warrant, Poison, and Motley Crue. (He also spent his college days in a co-ed dorm at The University of North Dakota, which was probably the same one I inhabited a half decade earlier.)

Another of his books was also very insightful. Killing Yourself to Live explains how rock stars get more famous after they die. It is based on a cross-country road trip Klosterman took to investigate his story. And because he spends a good portion of his time lamenting about which of his girlfriends he is going to end up with, it is even more narcissistic than the previously mentioned book. Good read, none-the-less.

I am currently reading Klosterman IV, which is a collection of articles he has written for various pubs over the years. Although most of them are celebrity interviews (Britney Spears, Val Kilmer, Bono, etc.), it is holding my interest. I was getting tired last night, though, so I put it down, not wanting to miss anything in the fog of doziness.

In fact, I am resting up for the next chapter, something he wrote early in his career about the Fargo-Moorhead music scene. (He actually mentions a punk bar called Ralph's that my friend Brad used to take me to whenever I trekked down from Grand Forks.) The footnotes, basically his own humbling critic of the article, is absolutely hilarious, and in and of itself, worth reading the book.

But my favorite things about Klosterman is that he is no rock snob. I hate people who knock other people for their lack of musical taste. Taste is a word made up by elitists who use it to put others down, their only way to claim any self worth. Klosterman is more like the friend you had in junior high that was always bringing over whatever new album he had scammed his parents into buying for him. You would both marvel at how awesome it was.

Oakwood Homes

This week, we are traveling to the wonderful city of Grand Forks, ND, home of my college alma mater and really good grinders. We will be descending upon Lin and Carolyn's, and along with about fifteen of my best friends on this planet, we'll turn their house into a three day commune of drunken fellowship.

This reunion of friends--half of which I have known my entire conscious life--has gained some steam over the last couple of years as we have come to realize the incredible zen of our group. Old friends see past all pretenses, insecurities, and less-than-perfect pasts. They are not impressed with wallet sizes, business portfolios, or financial net-worths. What you may or may not own is all baggage, left at the door.

There are much more important priorities among old friends (I will address the subject of "priorities" in another post), like: Can Randy out arm wrestle Darin? Will Lin's Bloody Marys still hold the best mixed drink award? Or will Ron's Beaver Dams or Berta's new found Duck Farts take the title away? And deep questions will be pondered, like: What is the true meaning of success? And, where the hell are the Popsicles?

Some notable people aren't going to be able to make it this time: Scooter, Brad, Wendy, Robert Zimmerman. But they will make up for it next time.


And, no doubt, there will be a next time. The plans will start out very realistic, like: WeFest, Randy's house, or Minneapolis. Then, as the drinks start to take effect, they will become semi-realistic: Spring Training in Arizona, a resort in the Bahamas, a cruise. Then, when we get to the "it sure seemed like a good idea last night" phase, the future get-together plans will turn into total madness, like: Let's just permanently move into Lin and Carolyn's. Or, let's plan ahead and book our retirement, rooms at Oakwood Homes (Karlstad's Senior independent living facility).

San Diego Getaway

San Diego may be one of my favorite places on this planet. In my younger single days, it was an escape. After work on a Friday, I would throw a duffel bag in my car and trek the 350 miles, music blaring all the way. No plans, no itinerary, no worries. I would just find a place to stay, soak up the perfect eighty degree sea air, walk for miles on the beaches, hang out in the bars, and eat as much seafood as I could handle. It would be a spontaneous weekend that a kid from northern Minnesota could not even have imagined a few years earlier.


Last weekend, after a twelve year absence, Jan and I made the trek again, albeit a bit more organized and planned than in the past. We hung out in the Gaslamp Quarter downtown, staying in the Omni Hotel next to the new Petco Park stadium and took in a ballgame. After that, we just walked around the revitalized downtown, where the weekend nightlife is awesome. People everywhere, some dressed up and clubbing it, others just casually hanging around in the vast number of bars and restaurants, all within walking distance. I love cities with places like that. Somebody designed this place right.

On Sunday, before heading home, we stopped by Mission Beach for breakfast at The Firehouse, one of my faves. Mission Beach is where I had hung out over a decade before. Not much had changed, but it didn't seem quite as incredible as I remembered. Jan reminded me that I have seen a bit more of the world since my last travels here and maybe I am just not as easily impressed anymore. Probably true, but I still love it. I will be back.

As we headed home, I couldn't help but start planning another possible location for getting together with friends. It would be fun to stay one night downtown taking in the nightlife, then the next night or two at Mission Beach, hanging out, grilling seafood and steaks, and pounding a few drinks at one of the bars just off the boardwalk. A cottage can hold 4 to 6 people, so a group of 6 to 12 would be pretty easy to accommodate. Just another possibility to think about down the road...

94.9 San Diego

By the time you are 44, all most people listen to is the stuff they grew up with. I just ain't that nostalgic. Hardly a week goes by without me buying some new music.

Music consumes a large part of my life. For my birthday, I dragged Jan to San Diego for the weekend. We took in a Padres game on Saturday and spent all of Sunday at an alternative music festival sponsored by a local radio station.

There were several bands on the play list I wanted to see, including the Hold Steady, which I had already seen twice this year, and Flogging Molly, an Irish punk band out of LA. They didn't disappoint.

But the band I was really there to see was a newer Athens's based three piece band called the Whigs. As the band started their short forty-five minute set, I could feel myself being sucked toward the front of the stage. The Whigs are a straight-forward, percussion driven, power chord loving indie bar band. Check out Right Hand On My Heart.

Not too long ago, I was trying to explain my old album collection to a friend. I can randomly pick out an album that I may have bought twenty years ago and tell you where I was, what I was doing, and probably even what beer I was drinking when I bought it. The Whigs' Mission Control, is that kind of CD. In the future, it will remind me of now. In some ways, your music collection is your autobiography, a collection of who you are and how you see yourself. After all, music is not about how it sounds, it is about how it makes you feel.

Polygamy

So, it appears that the saga at the Yearning for Zion ranch is concluding (somewhat) with the return of most of the children to their families. Now, personally, I don’t really care what a person chooses to do or how a person chooses to live their life as long as no one is forced into doing something or living that way. While I understand where the practice of polygamy originates, I, personally, believe that, as a Christian, it is an antiquated practice that will no longer help you get into heaven.

Long before any of this hubbub started, I was intrigued by the beliefs behind the practice of polygamy and did quite a bit of research on the practice. I know that there are people who sincerely and earnestly believe in the practice, but don’t believe that anyone should be forced into a plural marriage situation. Might be odd, but if everyone is going into the arrangement with their eyes open and aren’t being forced into it, I really don’t have a problem with it. I realize that polygamy is an illegal practice, but there are other people who live illegal or what could be considered immoral lifestyles, and, as long as they don’t hurt anyone, I really don’t care.

There are also people, such as some in the FDLS, who will force their beliefs upon the women and men in the sect, even to the point of marrying 12 year old girls and forcing young men out of the sect to make sure that there are enough girls/women for the older men. In my opinion, that goes beyond religious beliefs, and more toward sexual gratification. Just my opinion.

I also believe that some of the children in this sect likely need some protective intervention. Women and girls are basically seen as “baby machines”, and I’m sure that in this environment, some men are sexual predators. It would be a prefect place for a sexual predator to blend in. Kind of makes me sick.

However, when the Texas government stepped in and took all of the children out of this very cloistered environment based on anonymous telephone allegations of one person, who couldn’t actually even be identified as being in the Yearning for Zion ranch, I was troubled. I was glad to know that the kids who need protection were going to get it, but troubled that the kids who didn’t need protection were taken from the only place that they have ever known and placed into an environment that they have been told they cannot trust. How traumatic is that to a child? The ability of a governmental authority being able to separate members of a family with no real evidence will never sit well with me.

Part of the blame falls squarely on the FDLS. Their protective environment allowed them to practice their unconventional religious beliefs basically undisturbed, but it also left much room for rumor and insinuation by the outside world, which is what lead the Texas child protective services to take all of the children. I do understand why Texas felt they needed to do what they did and don’t fault them for it.

But, I’ll always be just a little uncomfortable about it.

Obama and Hillary

I have stated in the past that I have lost some respect for McCain over the years. I feel he bent over and kissed the Republican establishment's behind over the last few years, all in the name of politic expediency.

If Obama selects Hillary as his running mate, he would also gain nothing. Anyone who would vote for her would never vote for McCain anyway. His focal point on gaining people's trust and belief in hope would be shot, since she also is also nothing but an establishment candidate.

As a Libertarian, I tend to lean toward the Republicans (although I have never voted for a Republican Presidential candidate). I am leaning toward Obama, but if Clinton gets the VP nomination, Obama is off my radar. I will either bite my lip and vote for McCain, hoping he tends back toward his maverick past, or I will again find my third party candidate and vote on principle, sacrificing realist expectations of selecting a winner and sticking with my principles. Being honest to what you believe is more important than being with a winner.

This is not necessarily bad for Obama. In my entire voting career, I have never voted for the winning Presidential candidate.

It is the End of the World

In The Road, Cormac McCarthy (author of No Country for Old Men) uses the landscape of the earth’s total destruction as his canvas to paint a picture of the end of mankind. The canvas is large and overwhelming, full of Armageddon, death, despair and unimaginable evil. The world has been hit by some unrevealed catastrophe and a dying father and his small child wonder from place to place eluding starvation and desperate scavengers trying to eat them. The small boy’s faith becomes the only speck of golden paint on this entire black canvas.

It is an interesting, albeit depressing story, but it reveals amazingly different things to different readers. Some will finish the book and stockpile canned goods and ammo. Others will see the small glimmer of hope and come away with a renewed faith in humanity’s ability to rejuvenate itself.

An innocent child submerged in total evil is not an uncommon theme in fiction or nonfiction (Spielberg loves to use children characters in his movies in this way, and the books The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski, The Diary of Ann Frank, and Night by Elie Wiesel also come to mind). It is interesting how we see the innocence of children as the key to overcoming mankind’s darkest evil side, bringing us back to humanity’s ideal.

If you can’t handle the idea of people being capable of eating babies, then this story is definitely not for you. On the other hand, if you are interested in discovering whether you are the ammo stockpiling fanatic type or a person of undying hope, it may be worth checking out.

Serfs on a Surfboard

So, I’ve begun to hear rumblings of anarchy from the serfs and other peasants, in general. And, the reason for the rumblings hit them where it counts. Gas prices in our area inch ever closer to $4.00 per gallon. The real estate tax assessed values are surpassing the market values of the properties in the area, but the real estate taxes aren’t going down. Cutbacks everywhere. Grocery prices have gone up considerably. There is uncertainty in the local job markets. Higher prices, in general, affect the seasonal tourist trade in the Brainerd Lakes Area. There are many businesses and families that rely upon the summer tourists for their yearly livelihood.

Fishing opener weekend was slow. There appear to be more people in the area for Memorial Day weekend, but not as busy as some years. Our local grocery store is usually so busy the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, the lines are three to four people deep virtually all afternoon and early evening. Not so yesterday when I stopped in for some milk.

Jeff and I have been really lucky as far as surfs go. We have gotten raises and bonuses to offset some of the higher prices, and, in general, are pretty smart with what we have. However, most serfs that I overhear haven’t gotten raises, and they haven’t for a few years in a row. Their incomes are not keeping up with the price escalations and the home equity deflations.

One of our friends (also a surf) said that he heard that, in the not so distant future, gasoline will top $12 per gallon. (There are many reasons why I disagree with what he heard, but that is best left to another blog.) If that happens, the feudal system may once again become a reality. An agrarian lifestyle may become a necessity. The U.S. dollar would be so weakened that one could use it for toilet paper, because toilet paper would likely be more valuable.

We attended the college graduation for a friend’s son on Thursday evening. The commencement speaker said that the coming wave of economic challenge could be handled by the graduates in one of two ways. They could either do nothing and be overcome by the wave, or they could grab a surfboard. Maybe not the best analogy in the world, but it was effective considering the speaker’s time constraints.

Serfs on a surfboard. (The picture in my mind makes me giggle.)

Meanwhile, today I’m going to wash my car and wax my car, and waterproof my tent in preparation for the Up Nort’ Shingding in a few weeks. We will likely give Scott Wikstrom a call. He is up at his mom and dad’s lake home (they aren't surfs). I’m going to put the economy far from my mind, at least for this weekend! Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Facebook

My friends Lin and Carolyn got me to sign up for the social networking site Facebook, pretty cool!

Roaming through the potential friends section, I am finding people I know, people I work with, people I went to school with, people from my home town, and a ton of other people I am probably supposed to know. It is kind of fun and definitely worth checking out...

Right now, Lin is my only "friend." I am such a loser!

I also just read that Facebook is about to add some new features, including access to YouTube and Pandora (which I talked about in a previous post).

My Newest Addiction

If most of your music likes are centered around big name, top label stuff, you might not find much use for this site. For me, it fills a gap that general cd shops and mainstream download sites like iTunes don't carry:

http://www.emusic.com/

My last downloads included stuff from Cracker, Lifter Puller, The Pixies, and The Silos. I did the 30 download a month plan for $9.99. It is a use it or lose it deal, so you want to stay up on it. There are other plans, too: 50 for $14.99, and 75 for $19.99. Pretty tough to beat. Just don't expect to find any Bob Dylan, Dire Straits or Electric Light Orchestra.

1, 2, 3 Strikes Your Out at the Old Ball Game

So, I watched a television show on HBO called, “When It Was A Game”. It was, basically, a collection of 8mm and 16mm film of baseball taken by players and fans from 1934 and 1957, back when it was a game. Maybe some of you have seen it. If not, it is a really good watch if you are of that ilk.

I’m a pretty avid sports fan and enjoy a good baseball game as much as the next guy. My 89-year-old dad is one of the biggest Minnesota Twins fans in the house. We never missed a game on the radio, even when we went fishing at The Bog. We would take along an old transistor. Those are some of the best memories I have of time my dad spent with me. I remember clearly a collection of old black and white signed glossies he used to have of the original Twins team. I was enamored with them. I have no idea whatever happened to them. My mom probably threw them out. It would be nice to see them again.

Anyway, this documentary got me thinking about the many differences between today’s professional sports personalities and those of the by-gone era. What struck me the most was in the day, a player or coach’s personal life was, for the most part, separated from his professional life. There was no TMZ to stalk them and “a guy was a guy”. A little womanizing or hard drinking was almost expected of them, and it was left alone, generally because of a professional courtesy between the sports stars and the media. I’m not saying that living that sort of lifestyle was right; I’m just saying.

The sports stars were looked at as heroes; virtually untouchable; people that a kid could aspire to become. And, that was okay, because a kid would aspire to emulate what was good about the sports star at the time. We didn't hear much about the bad. Even though they were ahead of my day, I still get a starry-eyed exuberance when I think of Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, or Lou Gehrig, and what they represented to the game.

I found myself smiling a lot as I watched the documentary, but, at times, I felt a great amount of sadness. Today, we hear of every personal inadequacy and falter of our sports personalities. I don’t really think that today’s players live a worse personal life than their predecessors. I just think that an entire business has been created for people who want to hear about the gossip of a sports star’s missteps. We love to build up and tear down. Why is that? Are there really any sports idols anymore? Will people 80 years from now watch the “old films” of this era and feel the same exuberance that I felt watching the show?

I kind of miss the mystique.

Moments

I haven't written for awhile. I have alot of things I have been thinking about writing, just don't seem to get around to it. I actually wrote this post last Saturday, but decided it was too self-centered and sentimental to post. Then I got an email from my friend Bert saying that she was filling out a Mother's Day card and was thinking about our friend Joan and me. We both have lost our mothers:

The great thing about blogging is that you don’t have to consider your audience when writing. You can occasionally write about universally interesting subjects like politics, racism, books and the like. On the other hand, blogging also has a very personal, almost diary-like characteristic to it.

So today, I feel a bit more introspective and self indulgent. Please bare with me.

Several months ago, I spent ten days in Montana with my mother during her final days. I received a phone call from my friend Joan. As time has gone by, we haven’t stayed in real close contact, but she has always had this thing about being there when I needed her, so I wasn’t at all surprised to hear her voice on the other end.

Joan told me about the time she spent with her mother during her final days. She explained how her family had spent that time waiting, crying, laughing, playing games, etc. She explained the importance of these “moments”. We spend the majority of our lives dealing with things that are pretty much trivial, while all but ignoring these small moments together that really matter.

I got it, but I didn’t really understand at the time just how profound of an impact that conversation would have on me.

It wasn’t the first time Joan had presented this lesson to me, though. When I was all of twenty years old, I broke up with a girl. Now ending a relationship is never easy, and although I was just a kid, this one was particularly tough.

At the time, Joan had just started dating a guy and was very interested in him. When she heard about my situation, she came over, called her new boyfriend and told him she needed to break their date that night. She made me Swedish meatballs. I remember the recipe called for a certain amount of black pepper, but she misread the teaspoon measurement and used a tablespoon instead. They were very spicy meatballs. It is funny how you can remember moments like that, but in the end, they are the moments that really matter.

I used to spend a lot of time on things like following the stock market, being concerned about my net worth, or trying to figure out what nice car I would be driving next. They are all still things I keep an eye on, but since that conversation with Joan several months ago, I am so much more aware of moments. The careers we have, the things we own, and the people we spend way too much time trying to impress are all just filler, things to keep us occupied while we wait for more of these real moments to present themselves.

My mother once told me that the thing that really makes me different is the incredible group of friends that I have been fortunate to have. They are a special group. In many ways, they define who I am. Thanks Joan. I am so incredibly grateful you are one of them. (...and you, too, Berta.)

..and I promise not to be too sappy again for awhile. Maybe I will do my next post on the cover story of the Enquirer I saw while in the check out line at the grocery store. According to them, apparently Hillary is having a secret lesbian affair...