No News Here...

means more work elsewhere.

Make it a great weekend; Happy April, and all that !

"Where It Began...

I Can't Begin to Know It... "

ADDED:
This past cold weekend, inside with the tv, on PBS there was a Nancy Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime documentary on. Funny, but I hadn't thought of the Contra rebels, nor Oliver North in years. Seems like just yesterday, as those freely televised hearings dragged on...

It's been 30 years today since the Gipper, and James Brady, were shot. That seems like a very short longtime too.

"Tut, Tut, It Looks Like Rain..."

or, Post 2125.

Two Yahoo headlines, at the top of today's news list:

Libyan rebels retreat / Diplomats agree that Gadhafi must go

And here's the lede to that first story:
Libyan rebels retreating after Gadhafi onslaught
By RYAN LUCAS, Associated Press Ryan Lucas, Associated Press – Tue Mar 29, 11:54 am ET

RAS LANOUF, Libya – Libyan government tanks and rockets pounded rebel forces into a panicked full retreat Tuesday after an hourslong, back-and-forth battle that highlighted the superior might of Moammar Gadhafi's forces, even hobbled by international airstrikes.

No such strikes were launched during the fighting in Bin Jawwad, where rebels attempting to march on Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte ended up turning around and fleeing east under overcast skies. Some fleeing rebels shouted, "Sarkozy, where are you?" — a reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the strongest supporters of international airstrikes.

World leaders in London, meanwhile, debated how far they should go to force an end to Gadhafi's 41-year autocratic rule. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the world must speak with a single voice to ensure that the North African country "belongs not to a dictator, but to its people."

Rockets and tank fire sent Libya's rebels in a panicked scramble away from the front lines. The opposition was able to bring up truck-mounted rocket launchers of their own and return fire, but they went into full retreat after government shelling resumed.

Ah, the arrogance of the Big People meeting in their cozy London confines...




ADDED: Now who could have forseen such negative possibilities? (Guess I should be grateful; post Iraq intervention, they called those of us who insisted on injecting a dose of reality into the pretty promises "unpatriotic".)

Not a natural-born pessimist here. Mostly the opposite, in practice. Just got a decent dose of common-sense still in me, how hard it is, in practice, to carry out the pretty promises of others sitting comfortable and willing to promise the moon.

Flag Pin Speech.

or, Be Careful What You Wish For...

Two sentences jumped out to this ear:

Of course, there is no question that Libya – and the world – will be better off with Gaddafi out of power.

I beg to differ: of course there's that question. If you don't understand this, you don't understand the roots of many who object to this latest pre-emptive military action. What if... nevermind protecting people and promising them "freedom from fear", we not only fail to prevent reprisals against innocent people who otherwise would not have been targeted, but ... what if what replaces the Gaddafi regime is indeed worse for a good majority of the Libyan people?

Isn't that a forseeable outcome that should be considered in our calculations as well?

Look here:
We're* only on the sidelines now, observing that even the young appealing "leaders" of the homegrown Egyptian uprising are now being shoved gently to the side, replaced by theocrats from the Muslim Brotherhood as well as the military that served under PM Hosni Mubarek all those years.

If you don't understand that what ends up in power in Libya might indeed be worse -- for the Libyan people, that is -- than crazy man Gaddafi, then you don't understand much really. Nor are American military or intelligence leaders stating that this was a vital American interest. Again, who knows?, let's not underestimate the powers that might rise in this void, because it seems the rebels there are ill-equipped to immediately govern themselves democratically, in an organized fashion. I mean, please, without American and NATO airpower not only creating a no-fly zone, but also bombing their government troops, it's doubtful this ragtag group of rebels woud have succeeded in ... pulling down a statute of the dictator now on the outs internationally, much less succeeding in replacing him with something better.

I bet there are old people in the Libyan population -- suffering from life-threatening illnesses, say -- who would have fared better in a stable, life-as-they-knew-it continuation than they will now fare in the vacuum we have helped create. And sorry, this artificial transfer of power, with claims that America now only shares a portion of the coalition responsibility in what's to come, is just verbiage. We created the instability; we owe them better than what many of us out here wisely, and perhaps naturally (realistically?) see coming: months and years of insecurity, instability, and inhumane treatment that will definitely come in the wake of disruption and destruction that our allied actions have now created on the ground...

Just because our troops, nor our media I suspect, will be there on the ground to follow up, doesn't mean that the Libyan people are not waking up now to food shortages, communications disruptions, and the everyday blows to daily life that dropping all that expensive arsenal naturally creates...

Onto the second sentence that jumped out, just minutes after the first:

I have made it clear that I will never hesitate to use our military swiftly, decisively, and unilaterally when necessary to defend our people, our homeland, our allies, and our core interests. That is why we are going after al Qaeda wherever they seek a foothold. That is why we continue to fight in Afghanistan, even as we have ended our combat mission in Iraq and removed more than 100,000 troops from that country.

(*pretending I'm in the news pool tomorrow*) Mr. President, Mr. President... over here!

(*once called upon*) How do you reconcile that promise, this time to the American people concerning their immediate safety and freedom from consequence, with the intelligence we've seen, or the basic commonsense understanding that ... when you aerial bomb a country to take out their existing government, infrastructure and current cultural networks, it really is a breeding ground for "bad guys", such as al Qaeda troops to infiltrate society and press their own agendas? Do you see any conflict in your al Qaeda promise above, and your arrogant assumption above that "Of course, there is no question that Libya – and the world – will be better off with Gaddafi out of power."

If conditions become ripe -- on the ground -- as a breeding ground for al Qaeda now, (remember Gaza after Arafat was killed, a preferred government ruled temporarily before Hamas was voted in?) might you rethink your assurances of ... Anybody but Gaddafi.




As he stood up there, our newest American president (meet the new boss, same as the old boss?), reading mightily from his teleprompter with his flag pin pinned prominently on the lapel, I couldn't help but thinking: it's the same moral arrogance as GWB, pre-emptively acting with assurances that we are not only doing the right thing but deserve commendations for being so brave, and providing such help. ("I'm from the (American) government; I'm here to help you.")

Wise people on the ground, the Libyan people themselves will wait and see, and take measure on what they've lost, and what precious little I suspect they'll gain. But then, this president never did explain why we had an obligation to prevent this promised slaughter, over another ethnicity in another geopolitical region, say. I'll re-read, but my ear for these things is usually good, and I missed the distinction on that point...

Nor did he address, not that I was suspecting it, those more hardcore critics who strongly believe that there's a contingent of Zionists (representing a pro-pro-pro Israel angle) within both parties of the American government, helping to overwhelmingly shape policy in that region for our allies prime interests too.

Let's just please stop with the -- intending to be -- heartfelt sentiments how this is all about the people in Libya, doing what they need to be done today, and helping or defending them and especially their innocents, rather than waiting and realizing that sometimes the best actions indeed are no intervening foreign actions that artificially disrupt the balance of power.

Better off keeping our nose to ourselves, with less American help all around over the decades, and letting time play out, with a wait-and-see maturity. If only we'd listened much, much sooner to such long-term voices, and stopped or never began manipulating foreign governments on America's economic and energy interests ... something tells me we wouldn't see all this crippling dictatorships we were so keen on in the first place.




-------------------------------
*We Americans.

Sunday in March.

I got up early, took the plastic-bagged paper with me, and ended up in Trego at 7am for breakfast.

Did you get a little sun out there yourself, this Sunday in March?

'Twas a beautiful morning, the drive up 53, the sun rising over a frozen, snowswept landscape. The trees give no hint of the upcoming Spring, still dormant, so you have to rely on faith...

Worshipping the gods, we are. Still, this Sunday, in March.

Natural Saturday morning happiness, ...

(cold temps but with the sun shining), tempered by the news that Bob Herbert is leaving us, we Saturday morning NYT readers.

No extended goodbyes, no "I gave and gave and gave to you kids, weekly, needing more space (accomodated), more room to tell you, in detail, what I was thinking. And even then, the well ran dry." (ala, Frank Rich).

You know Bob Herbert doesn't make any sudden, or thoughtless moves. So while it's sad for us, I'm certain he's chosen wisely, in more self-oriented, no doubt productive pursuits.

He left a forwarding address, which was kind, in kind of a -- "Just leaving for greener, more rewarding pastures -- not dying." kind of way...

This is my last column for The New York Times after an exhilarating, nearly 18-year run. I’m off to write a book and expand my efforts on behalf of working people, the poor and others who are struggling in our society. My thanks to all the readers who have been so kind to me over the years. I can be reached going forward at bobherbert88@gmail.com.

That's the way you do it, folks.

Post 2121.

Are we having fun yet?

I'm compelled to report on our northern Wisconsin weather. We measured in at a good 10.5 inches of snow, this past spring storm. (Not exaggerating either, folks!)

The plows originally came through -- it was the heavy, wet stuff -- and plowed our streets open. (They've performed superbly; if you have to get out, you can. Bravo!)

The first times through, they had no choice but to create dividers down the middle of the streets. Huge piles, you had to creep forward for visibility, before proceeding, but the drivers up here are pretty much as experienced as the plow guys, it seems.

Yesterday, you saw the dump trucks and "shooters", I call them. Think salad shooters, sucking up the snow and depositing in the back of the trucks. Off to the lakes, or open fields, or where-ever it is they take the excess snow to get rid of the big piles. And another one pulls up, ready to be loaded.

It's cold again -- sunny yesterday, but no clouds to trap the heat. Thus, we had some melt, making it up to the mid-30s, which made the roads and lots slushy enough to be pushed around by tire treads. This morning then, is like driving on crusty little ice piles, not smoothed down, but with inches varying here and there, and up to half a foot variations of unevenness.

It's one of the few times where my words might fail to properly explain -- a picture might indeed work better, for those readers who haven't experienced what I'm describing. The old grey Corsica is creaking -- no doors iced shut, and I had the good sense to spend the time carefully extracting all the snow from the car when it was still in the meltable stage. You do see some ice mobiles around town though -- windows clear, but roofs and trunks and side doors holding the extra weight.

So that's what's new here...

I did hit the seed store this morning though. Gonna take Krugman's economic advice, and invest wisely; this is no time to be austere. Saw a nice house in Shell Lake advertised for $55,000; who knows? After this rough winter, and with the down economy, surely the bargains are out there now.

And maybe we all should be listening to him right about now. Instead of going for the instinctual thrift, perhaps it's better to spend -- buy low -- not so much to stimulate the economy, but to make our own well-preserved dollars go as far as they can...

It can't hurt to try. What we're doing now obviously isn't working.

-----------------------

* ADDED: Perhaps we need a good political scandal right about now?

Let me explain: if there's one thing I've observed over time, with a Madison legislator who got in trouble some time back, and before that, Gov. George Ryan of Illinois, it's that politicians on their way out sometimes find their sense of courage. = Nothing to lose anymore, so they can be brave and try something new; no need to have that finger in the wind, or be constantly reading the tea leaves, to use another cliche.

Why not ... go for broke? I know, I know, that sounds scary. But when you're in a position of no longer having to please others, you can listen to some unconventional ideas. Take that gamble; nothing to lose politically, as Gov. Ryan found out with his scandal, which I think allowed him to pursue the now permanent death penalty moratorium, in a state whose practical (yet discriminatory) police actions proved it to be long overdue. Would he have pursued that path, were he concerned about his next re-election? No way, in my humble opinion.

The Madison legislator -- his name escapes me at the time**, but I did sit next to him (after he'd served his time) at a CLE class, when he was finagling to get his law license back -- he delivered the most impressive speech, in session on the floor of our Capitol Senate, against discriminating against the state's gays, only after his own personal scandal broke and before being kicked out, sentenced and jailed.

I was in the upper seats of the chamber that day, looking on as an observer for a Legislation class, but the passion in that one speech was powerful. He was Madison-grown, and related to how times had changed already, from when he walked the school hallways and remembered the treatment of others.

Now would he have delivered that mightily, had he not known he was on the way out, and this was perhaps one of the last issues he'd be opining on? As a liberal Democrat, I'm sure he would have voted the same way. But there was something in his words, and the way they were delivered, that made me think he got it: being down and out, being an underdog, having nothing much to lose anymore, and going for broke.

President Obama hasn't let me down much, mostly because I wasn't expecting that much from a junior senator with little track record who seemed content to let others lead and swoop in at the last moment as the most moderate voice in the room to assume control. But if he's looking for any advice these days: stop thinking second term. Worst that happens is you and your family go back to Illinois, living a lucrative post-presidential live fading back into blessed normality, as much as possible.

That's not so bad, right? So why not listen to the Krugman's? Try something else on the economy, and stop worrying about pleasing everyone on the foreign policy front. Sometimes, less is more, and devoting your remaining resources not to transforming the world, but to making America better -- neighborhood by neighborhood, project by project ... well, that was one of my original criticisms of him. That he was so busy looking forward, that he really didn't measure up nor devote himself to the jobs he had: South Side community organizer, for one.

Sticking around, to something others might see as less modest, but giving 100% and being brave in sticking to your (symbolic) guns*, even when others might view you bitterly, it's not a bad life really.

------------

*And please, don't confuse passing on Christmas Eve an ill-thought-out, but well intentioned Mega-Program, like mandatory health insurance in all States, for being brave. That's not what I'm talking about. I mean taking small steps, as then-Gov. Ryan did, to what pretty much everyone can agree in reality is a noble goal (less conviction of innocents). Opening your eyes, not worrying about potentially plummeting popularity, to pursue positive growth.

ie/ We all know the infrastructure needs to be rebuilt, sooner rather than later. Pursing those kinds of programs -- if small enough to be closely and efficiently monitored -- and not moving on until there's results ... well that's just one example I can think of, off the top of my head here. Ask somebody like Krugman -- he's old/wise enough, it seems, not to worry so much about being (temporarily?) disliked for his professional opinions.

In the long run, those are indeed admirable types.

---------------------
** Chuck Chvala, good man. Ultimately.
What more can you ask? Learning from mistakes, and finding it within oneself to rise again when it looks like you're down ... you ask me, that's where a lot of personal growth takes place: I'm the forgiving type, if it's earned.

Destroying and Destabilizing...

heck, those are the easy parts. Anybody can easily tear down a neighbor, or have it arranged, especially a threatening neighbor, after all.*

(So much for America's most educated, and cooly cerebral president in recent times. Boy got played by Clinton & Co., me thinks.)

It's the building up after the destabilization. The proving that those who weren't even capable of taking out a leader themselves, now have it within them to rebuild -- leave the innocent people with something better in their day-to-day lives than what destruction and destabilizaton have wrought.

That's exactly why it was stupid to go in, guns a-blazin', to get that initial charge, not really caring how the people on the ground will fare once you've gone and pulled out, leaving the cleanup and the getting-back-to-normal in your wake.

Somebody benefitted by helping destabilize the Qaddafi. I'm just cynical enough to think: these actions weren't done with the everyday Libyan people in mind, and those doing the advocating won't give a second thought to how people there will fare for themselves now that the life they knew is gone, and there's nothing positive or beneficial to replace it. From what I've seen on the news, the "rebels" are sorely lacking at fighting, nevermind governing and making sure the innocents can meet their daily needs.

And at such a cost to U.S. taxpayers! Solely to destroy and destabilize...

----------------

* Sometimes, maintaining a balance of power keeps all parties in check. Helps assure that those who pay a high price for their actions aren't pushing the costs off to be born by innocent others. We learned zilch in Iraq, from the aftermath there, it seems.

ADDED:

U.N. Secretary General Expresses New Alarm Over Libya Strife
By DAN BILEFSKY


UNITED NATIONS — Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern Thursday about a possible humanitarian crisis in Libya despite Security Council steps to isolate and punish Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces, which have been ignoring warnings to stop a military campaign to crush a rebel movement seeking to end his long rule.

Mr. Ban said a new wave of up to 250,000 refugees and migrants could be displaced by the fighting in Libya, and said he was worried “about the protection of civilians, abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law and the access of civilian populations to basic commodities and services in areas currently under siege.”

Hey now, none of that realism stuff, Mr. Secretary General. Kinda takes away from the "We Done Good!" huggy-huggy backpatting narrative that the libs are so keen to express right now...

"You love us. You really, really love U.S.!"* (and nevermind what you're thinking of our short-sighted destructive military action in the days, weeks, and months to come. We won't be around to cover that, short-attention spans and all.) But keep the hugs and short-term love coming, for now!

or,

"Still a man hears what he wants to hear. And disregards the rest ... Lie la lie..."

* Nicholas D. Kristof sez today:

This is also one of the few times in history when outside forces have intervened militarily to save the lives of citizens from their government.
...
Granted, intervention will be inconsistent. We’re more likely to intervene where there are also oil or security interests at stake. But just as it’s worthwhile to feed some starving children even if we can’t reach them all, it’s worth preventing some massacres or genocides even if we can’t intervene every time.

I opposed the 2003 Iraq invasion because my reporting convinced me that most Iraqis hated Saddam Hussein but didn’t want American forces intruding on their soil. This time my reporting persuades me that most Libyans welcome outside intervention.
...

“Men, women and children, they are ecstatic about the role of the coalition but worried that it may not continue,” he said.

ADDED FRIDAY:

“We should never begin an operation without knowing how we stand down,” said Joseph W. Ralston, a retired general who served as NATO commander and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We did a no-fly zone over Iraq for 12 years and it did nothing to get rid of Saddam. So why do we think it will get rid of Qaddafi?”

My comment, elsewhere:

Would Quaddafi really have killed so many civilians, had his back not been to the wall from the airstrikes, originally said to cripple and create a no-fly zone only? Would he have killed less innocents, had he been able to put down the revolution, and voluntary revolutionaries, more quickly? Can we admit that the most noble actions of the US and NATO -- well intentioned -- might indeed be causing more civilian (wm+children+elderly) to be killed, than would have had we not intervened? Dead=dead

.

Why I can't respect...

law professor Ann Althouse as the sole "First Amendment: Law and Religion" teacher at the University of Wisconsin Madison.* It becomes obvious that she's unable to maintain viewpoint neutrality, as evidenced in this post:

"Voodoo priest linked to Flatbush blaze is one of many scammers, predators, say neighbors."

What a ridiculous headline from the Daily News! The man's link to the fire is that he was the source of a candle.

A voodoo priest whose ritual candles sparked a deadly fire in Brooklyn last month is just one of a cadre of supposed mystics who prey on women for money and sex.

The women - most of them African or Haitian - sought good fortune, fertility, love, employment and sometimes revenge....

"It is very discreet," said Father Jean-Miguel Auguste, who heads the St. Jerome Catholic Church about a block from the E. 29th St. fire. "No one really talks about it."

Auguste, who came to the parish in 2004, said he's counseled hundreds of women who were taken advantage of by the smooth-talking con artists.

So you have rival religions, and a representative of one portrays the other as preying on people. Why not portray the Catholic priests as "smooth-talking con artists"?

"In this community we have people who are desperate," said Auguste, 51, a Haitian immigrant. "When you are desperate, you will believe anything."

Ahem. Listen to yourself, man.
--------------

Later, responding to commenters who object, she adds:

If adult women choose to have sex with the men they choose as their spiritual advisors, that is a matter of individual choice and no kind of outrage for some other man to complain about.

Now if you have sex with minors, that's another matter. The Catholic Church has had a special problem there.

But adults having sex? That is a a question of personal freedom, and the priest sticking his nose into it implies a patronizing, infantilizing view of the women.

--------------

My comments, after reading her post today (which I'm sure will be soon deleted. If you challenge her p.o.v., you become a harrassing troll and all...)

Right Professor.

Because everybody Educated knows, those Catholic aid groups are just out to scam immigrants, and get in their childrens' pants...

Let's say, there really IS a voodoo con artist preying on these women. Is it acceptable to point this out, someone close enough to the population to observe such practices? (or just leave them alone to individually learn on their own, the hard way?)

If so, who exactly is that going to be do you think? The Educated ones, mostly who can't be bothered to interact at any great length with such subgroups? The sociologists, professionally studying the newcomers, at a distance? Or maybe the paid, secular government social workers, with such great track records?

You maybe mean well, but historically and even today, the Church has probably helped immigrants more in reality -- educations, medical care, charity groups -- than the Educated ilk who stand on the sidelines with cynical scorn...

And the minority of pervert priests does not change those facts. Stick with what you know? Or is there something you know personally about Fr. Auguste that makes you want to smear his reputation like that?

If so ... please do talk about it, and don't be so subtle.

Re. "If adult women choose to have sex with the men they choose as their spiritual advisors, that is a matter of individual choice and no kind of outrage for some other man to complain about."

Sounds like later, they all believed they'd been duped. Vulnerable newcomers and all...

The Priest seemed to be in a position to observe a pattern. And you know what they say about those observable patterns ... often, even in retrospect, they're telling.

Sunshine Cleans. Out in the Open. Good mottos for all faiths.

--------------
* It comes across in the classroom, man.
Her Educated contempt. Believe me...

Goaltender Jonathan Quick...

lives up to his name !

(I think his pad got a piece of it.)

Winter's Back...

with a Bite!
No school. (Shovel the drive instead, kid.)

Nowcast:
Winter Storm Warning in effect until 7 PM CDT this evening...

Rest of Today:
Snow. New snow accumulation of 2 to 3 inches. Storm total snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches. Highs 25 to 30. Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph.

Tonight:
Colder. Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows around 5 above. North winds 5 to 15 mph.

So much for the fluffy stuff. This is March snowfall -- hanging heavy on branches, and heavy to lift, even if you're just shoveling the back of your car, to get it out of the lot for the plow.

Call me a sicko, but if you can walk around the neighborhood and don't have to drive... Well after the typical ugliness of the recent melt, it's a sight to behold! Sunglasses needed for the blinding white, even with an obscured midday sun.

Stll, we remember the workers. How some indeed risk their lives physically, for the public good. Kinda puts bellowing teachers' unions to shame, if you ask me. Calling for "protections" inside with the children, 3/4 of the year.

Flood preparations took a tragic turn Tuesday when a Minnesota Department of Transportation backhoe operator, clearing debris out of a culvert, lost control of his machine, plunged into the roiling Minnesota River between St. Peter and Mankato, and was presumed dead.

The worker was identified Tuesday night as Michael J. Struck, 39, a nine-year department employee and a member of the volunteer fire department in Cleveland, Minn., a Le Sueur County community of about 700 people -- and home to at least three generations of Struck family members.

"He was a nice fellow," Mayor Richard Walter said Tuesday night. "A good kid."
...
Divers weren't able to enter the water because the current was too strong. "With the high current and the rising waters it's going to be difficult for the search effort," said Nicollet County Sheriff Dave Lange.

Struck would be Minnesota's first flood-related death since June 11, 2008.

ADDED: Good news. Or as good as can be expected, under the circumstances:

ST. PETER, Minn. - The body of a Minnesota Department of Transportation worker was found Wednesday afternoon on the Minnesota River side of Highway 169. A 3 p.m. news conference has been scheduled at the firehouse in Cleveland, Minn.

Michael J. Struck was missing and presumed drowned Tuesday after the backhoe he was operating flipped over into Seven Mile Creek off Highway 169 between Mankato and St. Peter.
...
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the accident happened around 11:50 a.m. Tuesday as Struck was clearing brush and branches to help the creek flow. Seven Mile Creek flows into the Minnesota River, which was at 22.2 feet on Tuesday morning, just above the 22-foot flood stage.

Struck apparently escaped from the backhoe when it flipped, but somehow slipped into the creek and was swept away by the current.

A roughly three-hour recovery effort was called off Tuesday afternoon, with the current too strong for divers. Nicollet County water patrol boats continued the search above water.

“Mike, like all our employees, was dedicated and willing to risk his life to keep our roads safe and passable, even under the worst conditions,” said Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel. “Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, friends and co-workers.”

Local news...

out of the Minneapolis station has been summing up the costs of our latest military adventure: $30 million for the downed F-15; over $100 million for the more than 100 fired Tomahawk missles.

Think of other ways we might have spent that money, here at home?

Blogspot Mary...

Open for Business.

You got to stand up straight,
Carry your own weight,
Cuz these tears are going nowhere... baby!
~ U2.

We here at Subsumed, have finally joined the friends of PayPal. And while I won't outright solicit donations, you will see that colorful little icon below my proceeding posts. Why? Times are tight. I figure, if richer folk than I have no qualms about asking for your hard-earned money... well, let me tell you: I've never taken more money in salary than I've given back in hard work, and pretty much, I spend my pennies wisely. So be assured, anything donated will primarily go to rent space/shelter to blog in; gas to get around; and eating expenses, or starter plants for the gardens coming up...

If you are on a limited budget yourself, please IGNORE the buttons. (Sad how sometimes the better solicitors are able to take money from the least who have it -- don't let that be me, Lord.) No, the people this post is for, is those who perhaps have ... money to burn. If you think you'd spend it on otherwise lesser things, consider donating here. Why be tempted, eh? (the, "Satan, get behind me!" approach to making better use of your dollars and cents.)

If you're wondering why, on every post? Well, let's just say, I'm not an HTML goddess, and my eyes were getting screwy trying to figure out how to get the button in the sidebar, without having to upgrade from my classic blogspot template. Ah, the computer troubles this morn: Mal had used my primary email for his PayPal account selling Vuarnet sunglasses on ebay, back before he had a computer himself, and it was tricky enough figuring that one out, and setting up my own account. (I created a new email address just to circumvent that one.) So in another workaround, I'll just be pasting in the DONATE button after every post from hereon out. Again, ignore and please continue reading, with no offense, if you enjoy my stuff and are watching your own pennies carefully.

There'll be no chachka's added; no reminders nor solicitations; no pulling the posts into a "book". (You know, I never understood myself why authors of reput would lower themselves to putting their names on commercialized books, as well as their primary works.) But Blogspot Mary is in business -- betcha though, she's not as effective at pollinating nor pulling in as that Typhoid Mary, say.

Happy Tuesday, and please keep reading if you are so inclined. (on and off access throughout the next few weeks, for reasons explained in this post.)

"Sullivan exaggerates...

but gets at the essential truth, which is that the imperial presidency has been institutionalized, as Adrian Vermeule and I argue in The Executive Unbound. On Congress’ tomb should be inscribed this epitaph, courtesy of a democratic congressman: “They consulted the Arab League. They consulted the United Nations. They did not consult the United States Congress.”

Posner (Eric) on Andrew, over at Volokh.

Post 2112. *

* or ...
A View From a Clear Lake Swing.

-----------------

"And She Was Swingin' " -- John Anderson.




** Except for the ones of me in the background, pretty much most of the pictures on this blog were taken by me (Mary). Excepting Mal's Jamaica set.

ADDED: And if you liked that set, check out Nina's posts from Ghana.

Do Unto Others ?

A commentary in China’s state-run People’s Daily said the Western actions violate international law and courted unforeseen disaster.

“It should be seen that every time military means are used to address crises, that is a blow to the United Nations Charter and the rules of international relations,” the article read in part.

ADDED:

On Sunday a vital Arab participant in the agreement expressed unhappiness with the way the strikes were unfolding. The former chairman of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, told Egyptian state media that he was calling for an emergency league meeting to discuss the situation in the Arab world, and particularly Libya.

“What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians,” he said.

STILL MORE:

In London, the Defense Ministry said on Monday that British Tornado aircraft that had flown 1,500 miles from a base in eastern England overnight aborted their mission at the last minute after “further information came to light that identified a number of civilians within the intended target area. As a result, the decision was taken not to launch weapons. This decision underlines the U.K.’s commitment to the protection of civilians.”

The Power of Shame. (continued)

I do believe that it's going to take an attitude adjustment, a major change in how we measure and what we value in this country, to get it back on track again. No more applause for those who game the system, and "win" by fudging the rules, and taking care of their own, at the expense of other players on the same team.

This weekend, not in a column but in his blog, Paul Krugman stepped up to the plate, and slugged a recent pitch by Alan Greenspan.* Judge men by their todays -- what have you done for the country lately?, and don't be afraid to challenge others because of some lofty "reputations".

Particularly where the overall record is so poor, in total:

March 20, 2011, 5:02 pm
Rantings of an Ex-Maestro

Some people have asked me for reactions to this piece by Alan Greenspan on how Obama’s activism is preventing economic recovery. I could go through the weak reasoning, the shoddy econometrics that ignores a large literature on business investment and ignores simultaneity problems, etc., etc..

But never mind; just consider the tone.

Greenspan writes in characteristic form: other people may have their models, but he’s the wise oracle who knows the deep mysteries of human behavior, who can discern patterns based on his ineffable knowledge of economic psychology and history.

Sorry, but he doesn’t get to do that any more. 2011 is not 2006. Greenspan is an ex-Maestro; his reputation is pushing up the daisies, it’s gone to meet its maker, it’s joined the choir invisible.

He’s no longer the Man Who Knows; he’s the man who presided over an economy careening to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression — and who saw no evil, heard no evil, refused to do anything about subprime, insisted that derivatives made the financial system more stable, denied not only that there was a national housing bubble but that such a bubble was even possible.

If he wants to redeem himself through hard and serious reflection about how he got it so wrong, fine — and I’d be interested in listening. If he thinks he can still lecture us from his pedestal of wisdom, he’s wasting our time.

It's the only way out, I can see, making real changes and scorning those who've contributed to the country's downfall.

Maureen Dowd did the same with ex-Sen. Chris Dowd in her Sunday column, though it seems some readers missed the subtlety. She brought him to the party, so to speak, and let him reveal himself -- make of him what you will. Not an outright attack, but not everyone has the same strong points. The more we can see these others in action, how they think, how they reveal themselves through their own stories and words ... well, the thinking reader can judge for himself. That's Dowd's strength as a writer -- did it with the Bushes and Republicans too -- getting people to reveal themselves in their own words and ways, people who don't recognize how bogus they are.

Sometimes, I think constructive criticism works best if we all can police our own. Not to pigeon-hole, but because up close, we all can observe and know best our own foibles... the criticism hits home harder. Think Bill Cosby.

I'm glad Krugman wrote his blogpost slamming Alan Greenspan, just as Dowd did last week too with Paul Wolfowitz. Too much respect, based on tradition or "civility" or the urge to stay in the loop where such niceties are commonplace for access, serve no one overall. We've become kind of an overfed, artificial country like that, in many way. Bogus in reality. And we've no one to blame but ourselves.

Now, if only we could heap a little scorn on all those well-dressed, rich folk who profited in the financial industries for their "work" -- not be envious of their major moolah, but consider how it was earned (or not)... Yes, it's going to take a major shift in values in this country, somebody to Bust a Move so to speak.

...
Up and on the streets you're strollin',
Real high rollin',
Everything you have is yours and not stolen...

----------------

* ADDED: Krugman updates the blog subject today:

March 21, 2011, 9:42 am
Greenspan Deconstructed
I wrote my quick reaction to Greenspan after a hard day of column-writing. If you want a bit more economic analysis, read Brad DeLong. As Brad says, to accept Greenspan’s thesis you have to believe, simultaneously, that businesses are terrified of future confiscatory government action, and that investors are so bullish on business prospects that they’ve bid stock prices of hugely since Obama took office. Oh, and business surveys show that poor sales, not any imagined threat from government, are the reason for low investment.

Greenspan is just making stuff up — out of his deep wisdom, which he still believes in despite his failures — to support a political agenda.

And, in another blog topic (Elizabeth Warren is Not Jesus), Krugs shows his age (tired, worn-out), and his own weaknesses in fighting mode.

Ah, ye of little faith...

My general view of politics and policy is that there are no saints and no geniuses; place too much faith in anyone, and you’re bound to be let down. But there are villains, and they need to be fought.

Don't try to do or know-it-all, man. Know your role. and, Trust in the young blood, still coming up. Leave the real fight for another day and time, for those better prepared in time-tested strategies and means? You don't have to be the best, or most expert, on all topics. Just respect others, and see what you get in return.

Sun on your Face .

" It's Spring! "

and artist attribution.

I finally met the artist, when I saw this older gentleman -- who works with his wife doing some of the final detail woodwork, and cleaning away the woodchips as he goes -- late last Spring as he carved the bears into the dead trees in front of the old Barron City Hall, where I was working temporarily for the U.S. Census. Nothing fancy about him at all. When he finally put down his chainsaw, that for a smaller man, he wielded magnificently, I approached and told him how much I admired his work, his "art" peppering the region -- here at Clear Lake park and campgrounds, especially.

He seemed flattered enough, but obviously unused to the compliments, as I was quite sincere. (Contrast to the attitudes of various other artists, that you see all summer at craft sales, asking hundreds for their work, etc.) I overheard a clerk inside asking him what he charged for his work, (she called it work; I called it art), when he went in telling her he was ready to knock off for the day and would be back tomorrow to finish. She had some old stumps, or trees ready to come down, on her property it seems. Depends on the type of tree, what there is to work with, came the answer. Then he quoted a per foot price in the low hundreds, if memory serves correctly -- which often it doesn't, nor do I remember which wood he said worked best. (Oak?) Did the calculations though, and was amazed at how low a price you could get your very long-lasting art sculpture (if you treat it properly) because this man had a talent, was local, and was pricing himself only for his and her own needs, it seems, for their days' labor. (He finishes them in two or three, weather permitting, the wife told me.) So accessible, so beautiful, and looking so different from all angles and distances, in all kinds of weather.

Scroll my blog, and you'll see I've photographed the Clear Lake bears and eagles before. So amazed to meet the man behind it all that day. Wished I'd had my camera to document the process, but then again, I've got it in my head. He's gotten better with time -- more lifelike the bears especially. And of course, he takes what the city wants -- in Barron, three bears -- but looks over what he has to work with and decides ultimately what will work best where. Just a regular looking, middle-aged (60s?) man and his wife, using their tools and getting out of other lumbering to leave something lasting...

I didn't even get his name recorded, but that's his mark if you're ever visiting these parts of Wisconsin. (Gaylord Nelson and Burleigh Grimes hail from Clear Lake, though I see Emerald claims the latter. Ah well, kind of like we could quibble whether Michael Faraday is English or Irish, eh?) Either way, I like him; Gaylord and Burleigh too.

------------------

MEN to BOYZ ?

3 Ladies v. Gates, Donilon, Brennan.

Right, let's take the humanitarian (Power), woman with regrets (Rice), and inherently political woman (Clinton) over the advice of more experienced men: defense, national security, and counter-terrorism.

Libya was not vital to American national security interests, the men argued, and Mr. Brennan worried that the Libyan rebels remained largely unknown to American officials, and could have ties to Al Qaeda.
...
“Hillary and Susan Rice were key parts of this story because Hillary got the Arab buy-in and Susan worked the U.N. to get a 10-to-5 vote, which is no easy thing,” said Brian Katulis, a national security expert with the Center for American Progress, a liberal group with close ties to the administration. [Power pic.]

Experience is the best teacher, and those well intentioned alone rarely prove themselves a victor in reality. They should gain some humbling real-life experience first: namely, Life is a bitch; it's harder to do a job than just talk it up; and some things, you just never know until the heat of battle. The cleanup crew is through paying for dumb decisions our country just can't afford.

Who is doing Obama's thinking?
And which group do you suppose he is more like?

ADDED: It's like having the best grades in the world; turning in your homework daily and impressing the teacher; then failing the impartial final Test.

On Thursday, the South Africans, Nigerians, Portuguese and Bosnians — all of them question marks — said they would support the tougher resolution.

Even after getting the Security Council endorsement, Mr. Obama made clear that the military action would be an international effort.

“The change in the region will not and cannot be imposed by the United States or any foreign power,” the president told reporters at the White House on Friday. “Ultimately, it will be driven by the people of the Arab world.”

Get Out. Stay Out.
Stand Up for the Lives.

Don't we have enough "fixing" to do internally, here at home? Who will personally pay for this? : not the Clintons, Bushes, nor Obamas, history shows ...

My Father, who Art in America.

Last night, dammit, it happened again. If you knew my father, which you don't -- I'm still working on it here at 42, private man and all -- you'd know within a minute of talking to him, that he's a gentle man.

One of my best memories with him, is walking in the woods (many, many times), the time right near our home, we came upon the does and offspring. A herd, maybe 5 or 6, who stood silent for a few seconds, before running off up the ridge. We froze, me and he, knowing what to do in the presence of feral animals -- stand, hold your ground, remain silent, just observe. We'd seen deer before many times, of course. It was when we turned, trudged on down the path a bit, and came upon the buck that was truly memorable.

Usually, the buck lives alone. (Read Felix Salten's Bambi, if you haven't yet; you're in for a treat...) Visits the does to breed in rut, naturally, but for the most part, keeps to himself, deep, deep in the woods. Places where paths just don't go anymore, or you'd have to be out a good hour or two in overgrown, mosquito-and-bug ridden territory, determined to get there. But where? Nowhere really, just deep in, which is why even the most hardy hikers don't bother press on.

I don't remember the season we saw him together, maybe spring, maybe mid-summer. But we both knew, without saying, it was rare to see one in those parts of the woods, out on the edges of the forest preserve, not deep in. We froze. Must have stood there 3 minutes, just looking deep in his eyes. He had full antlers, so maybe it was early summer even. He was old, as Illinois has no hunting in their forest preserve, and of course, Thornton environs are known for their limestone -- if you travel interstates, you may have passed over our quarry...

It was the most magnificent thing, standing there thinking. I believe he saw how respectful we were with the rest of the pack, not talking nor charging at the does. My dad is a gentle man, always good with animals -- I was given a dog, half lab/half collie, smart thing, for 7th grade Confirmation from my cousin/sponsor, but she mostly took to my father. No sudden moves, a kind man -- animals are drawn to that type of personality. He taught her to shake paws, trained her not to run off-leash, but then instinctively, I think she knew she had nothing to run from with him. In the woods, when she was alive, she would smile while running ahead, looking back every 50 yards or 75 yards or so, shorter distances when there were curves in the path, to make sure she was good. In the woods, she always was. Run. Have fun. Sniff and wag and circle madly when she smelled mice in the hollow trunk of a tree. (He'd take his ever-present walking stick, poke around in there where there was an open hole, and drive out the smaller critters, watching her excitement as she pounced on the fleeing grey under the leaves and seeking other shelter. Rarely did she catch and shake one; it was in the thrill of the pursuit.)

But that day, the dog had already died. And it was just me and him, standing making eye contact with the buck. He -- the animal -- moved eventually, his head not his body, yet he didn't take off right away. What was he thinking -- either of them -- I don't really know. But something passed between all of us there. To me, I think the buck was giving a chance to look him over, up close, before eventually running off himself. I do think he had seen us earlier, and knew we were good natured based on how conducted ourselves, and deliberately revealed himself to us, or at least didn't hide this one time...


I'm sharing the good memory now, because I remember the lowest I've seen my father too. He hated, hated G.W. Bush's arrogance and immaturity -- everything that man represented as America.* Could not understand how we could KILL, KILL, KILL all those innocents in our "shock and awe" campaigns, and pursue Iraq and Afghanistan without a plan. We were some of the few intelligent enough to see how that would all turn out, and while not protesters who would ever waste time parading in the streets, we were right about how silly it is to try and kill your way to peace.

Last night, when I called, I had my conversation fodder prepared: the change in weather, finally, here up north; the moon, which naturally he had seen on the news, but was something to talk about. We didn't touch on the Libya folly, but I knew he knew. Never said it before, but ended our conversation thanking him, "for making me American."

You see, when you make the sacrifices he has, and you're an old man looking back, naturally you take measure. And if you're honest, you look to see if you chose well, or if there are regrets. During the second Bush regime, he was physically sickened I think, by what was lost, financially and in terms of life. And now here it is, happening all over again. Eight years on, more mindless war, over there.

It was the 56th anniversary of his leaving home -- March 18, 1955. He was a fresh 23; I may have erred in the numbers in earlier retellings. He gave up so much, and yet gained so much here. But when you see what America is becoming, has become, I know it's crossed his mind ... was it worth it? Not in terms of dollars, of course, we've never been a family that measured that way alone. But in terms of whether there's any soul left here. Are we a decent country anymore, one to be proud of, one that chooses the right path, even at such great costs...

America in those days was a beacon. Of Strength, of Goodness, of Morality. We didn't act in our own interests alone, and our wise men at least aimed for Wisdom. Or perhaps, our sins were just greater hidden...

Either way, I wish the hope and change promised were more genuine. You might think, owing to his background and popular stereotype, he'd hold prejudices of his own. You'd be wrong. Never have I met a man who was so fair in his judgments of others: he had an observant and quiet temperament which served him well, and usually proved correct in his assessments. There was disappointment in that brogue last night, and I could tell he'd been re-assessing.

Sometimes I think that those children born never knowing their fathers have it easier somehow. No need to measure up, no need to break away and stand alone, no need to challenge the past, and still prove worthy in those other eyes. I've been blessed to have a faithful father: loyal, kind, and good. But they say those types hurt more easily, and it's true, as I've seen. Still, I wouldn't trade him in or change a thing, as they've unfolded naturally.

"Thanks for making me American, Dad" that's how we ended the conversation. He just gave a quiet grunt, but I know he'll spend plenty of time thinking about it. A rare trait these days, it seems.

------------------

*One of the few books I've seen my father read, all the way through, was Bushworld, that someone gave him, our neighbor or one of my sisters, as a Christmas gift, knowing his proclivities against Might over Right. He'd have to put it down every so many pages, and sit there quietly thinking, digesting in disgust, it seemed.

** For TNC. Thanks for the spur.

*** More of the ignorant, immoral mentality on display. "It’s good that he was killed. It’s bad that he wasn’t killed a lot sooner." Killing, it's all their little brains can think of as solutions, it seems. God help us all. May it come back 10 times over to you and yours, one day when you're not so powerful as you think you are now. "Do Unto Others..." and all that.

"Two for Flinching, Vern."

And now, for something totally non-political ... a 25th reunion of the Stand By Me cast, minus the late River Phoenix.

My thoughts? Sign Corey Feldman to play young Charlie Sheen in any upcoming films. Spot on!

Andrew Asks...

Does anyone believe for a second that Obama was elected first over Clinton and then over McCain in order to perpetuate exactly the policies McCain and Clinton support. Has Hillary ever opposed any war in the last twenty years?

Hey, it just occured to me:
Maybe Obama really is smarter than we think. Or as smart as some, like D. Brooks, have him cracked up to be. Got us all focused today on Libyan intervention, then BOOM. We intervene in the slaughter in Yemen instead.

Sleight of hand. Tricks up his sleeves maybe, and y'all thought the man was a follower, not a leader.

Go O.!
------------------

MORE ANDREW:

But it seems clear enough: exactly the same alliance that gave us Iraq is giving us Libya: the neocons who want to see the US military deployed across the globe in the defense of freedom and the liberal interventionists who believe that the US should intervene whenever atrocities are occurring. What these two groups have in common is an unrelenting focus on the reason for intervention along with indifference to the vast array of unintended consequences their moralism could lead us into. I do not doubt their good intentions and motives. No human being can easily watch a massacre and stand by. Yet we did so with Iran; and we are doing so in Yemen and Bahrain as we speak, and have done so for decades because we rightly make judgments based on more than feeling.

He's good when he's Sullivan the Serious like this, not just Silly Sully playing for hits.

Perhaps that's what distinguishes him from that Madison law professor. He can, when he has it in him, and she is really at her best with the lightweight stuff, spinning drama from straw. Sometimes laughable, and revealing, when she goes for serious political analysis, actually. Different educations and backgrounds, I suppose.

Qualified: IMHO, of course.

Free Haiti ... Again!

Amid Uncertainty, Aristide Returns to Cheers in Haiti

By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the former priest who rose to become the nation’s first democratically elected president before being forced into exile twice, returned home to an uncertain political climate on Friday, only days before a presidential runoff intended to settle months of discord in this rattled nation.

A big cheer rose up from the Haitian journalists and supporters lined up behind a rope 200 yards from his plane as Mr. Aristide — who left Haiti in 2004 under strong American pressure as rebels closed in on the capital — landed at about 9:05 a.m. local time and stepped back onto Haitian soil.

Tough this playing Policeman to the World, but I'm sure we know what we're doing in Libya this time around...

Speaking Words of Wisdom... (retro version)

Mr. Moynihan added:
“You perhaps did not note on the society page of yesterday’s Times that Mrs. Leonard Bernstein gave a cocktail party on Wednesday to raise money for the Panthers.”

All this, in Mr. Moynihan’s view, obscured a larger reality. “There is a silent black majority as well as a white one. . . . It is politically moderate (on issues other than racial equality) and shares most of the concerns of its white counterpart. This group has been generally ignored by the government, and the media. The more recognition we can give to it, the better off we shall all be.”

.

Comment of the Day.

"Hypocrites. Why is it that the slaughter in Ivory Coast is allowed to continue for far longer than Libya's recent repression of its rebels, and our US President says and does nothing? Women and children are being slaughtered and their bodies stacked by the sides of the roads. Like Rwanda and Clinton before him, Obama seems to have turned a blind eye to sub-Saharan Africa. Shameful."


Somewhere out there today, a Goldberg is smiling laughing ...

Re-writing History. Badly.

"It is delusion, bordering on abomination, to try to equate what Martin Luther King was doing in Memphis to public workers getting Cadillac benefits for which they contribute very little, or nothing, at taxpayers' expense," says Peter Kirsanow, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights who has also served on the National Labor Relations Board.

"The sanitation workers in Memphis were receiving wages that were so significantly below that which are enjoyed by middle-class teachers in Madison that to try to draw that comparison is offensive. Truly offensive."

Ah! Now I understand what State Sen. Jauch was doing, telling us stories of his upbringing in Wheaton, IL, where his black friend couldn't take care of business at the same barbershop.

(and here, in the integrated area where I grew up, it was more the different hairstyles, rather than outright discrimination, that determined where you went. Progress. Might help the WEAC teachers' cause today, though, if they actually had some black faces tearing up the streets, chanting for mo' money! alongside them, no?)

ADDED: And no, Jesse Jackson, professional protester, doesn't count.

Saddle Up, boys !

and saddle up well...

Onto Iran! and Venezuela! Libya, Iraq, Afhghanistan, and Pakistan and Yemen!

CHARGE!

Follow that Clinton woman in the lead, with the French Army right behind her -- we're out to clean up the world!

Yippee-ay, Yippie-i, Yippie-o !

----------------

And have a good Friday, the rest of you taxpayer-workers.

Without your hard efforts paying the bills for these campaigns, where would we be ? (only 28 days 'til taxtime, and I hear there's even a weekend extension this year...)

Rice Lake's Sister City, Miharu...

sits just 37 miles away from the damaged nuclear reactors in Fukushima Prefecture.

Pray for Peace and People, Everywhere. The ones coping with natural disasters, and the innocent ones who will soon wind up dead, due to the unnatural proclivities of macho rich men, and women, here in the States.

The natural disasters are so much easier to understand, instead of the deaths to come, financed by American hands. (see post below, plus poetry at the end. What, Christ, what are they thinking? How cheap is human life to some, like the Clintons and their type?)

So it's on to Libya now ... ?

I knew Obama couldn't hold strong to any principles, and the lobbyists would get him, afterall.

He wouldn't be where he is now, if he were a stronger man, right? Couldn't even buy that addition to his Chicago home without "help", afterall... Poor Michelle.

And why must they always get in on this war-mongering in the springtime, especially on St. Patrick's Day? Really, Policeman (to the World) envy?

Even Sullivan seems like he gets it. (Hope he doesn't forget it either...)

This strikes me as the worst decision by Obama since he ramped up forces in Afghanistan. If he thinks it makes him look stronger, he's nuts. He looks weak and led around by Cameron and Sarkozy and Clinton. If he's doing it purely for humanitarian reasons (and since there are no vital interests involved, he must be, right), why have we not stopped the slaughter in the Congo? Why have we not intervened in Zimbabwe? Why are we not instituting no-fly zones in Burma?

None of this makes any sense. And the cost? $300 million a week - or $15 billion a year. Where is that coming from? Or have we really re-elected another Bush? More war paid for by more borrowing - with no leadership on the longterm fiscal crisis.

We should have elected Mitt Romney back in 2008. He seems more practical, balanced, principled and less apt to be bought and all.

Blessed, NOT, are the war-mongers.
For one day, they will get what they deliver.

(Almost makes you want to root for Russia and the Chinese. They know competition, and one day, if we keep up like this, they'll kick our elitist asses. You know, the decision-makers.)
--------------------
ADDED:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

and, A Poem for Your Wars. Sandberg, Grass.

PILE the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—

I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:

What place is this?
Where are we now?

I am the grass.
Let me work.

and Whitman.

AFTER A SEA-FIGHT.

Stretched and still lay the midnight,
Two great hulls motionless on the breast of the dark-
ness,
Our vessel riddled and slowly sinking…preparations
to pass to the one we had conquered,
The captain on the quarter-deck coldly giving his or-
ders through a countenance white as a sheet,
Near by the corpse of the child that served in the cabin,
The dead face of an old salt with long white hair and
carefully curled whiskers,
The flames spite of all that could be done flickering
aloft and below,
The husky voices of the two or three officers yet fit for
duty,
Formless stacks of bodies and bodies by themselves
…dabs of flesh upon the mass and spars,
The cut of cordage and dangle of rigging…the slight
shock of the soothe of waves,
Black and impassive guns, and litter of powder par-
cels, and the strong scent,
Delicate sniffs of the seabreeze…smells of sedgy
grass and fields by the shore…death messages
given in charge to survivors,
The hiss of the surgeon's knife and the gnawing teeth
of his saw,
The wheeze, the cluck, the swash of falling blood…
the short wild scream, the long dull tapering groan,
These so.…these irretrievable!

George Michael?

That He can't come back, because he has no children ... to come back for.

I hope Mr. Obama has the common decency to stay off the golf courses from here on out, and not watch one damn minute of televised basketball games. Start reading this instead, boy?

( Ain't it romantic, from a grown-schoolboy turned officebutt point-a-view?? The TRIPLE wartime prez-e-dint. What a accomplishmint! )

NYT thinks we've got an extra $15/month.

Sorry, I cut home internet months ago, no cable, Tracphone cell only, and the electricity prices are beyond belief* these last few months -- even with just the space heater sparingly heating the living room, until I open a bedroom door later at night, when I don't fall asleep in the living room recliner...

Great for the East Coasters, with their different priced economy, I suppose. Not so great for the struggling masses, cutting back, back, back. Why the heck did they choose to announce this today, when we're still transitioning into the bluer Spring skies, do you think?

Still, they're tossing us 20 bones a month in "free" articles. So Herbert and Dowd, twice a week, all month long when they're on = 16 alone, presuming you only take one read. And the Big Bloggers may link, treating us to other freebie stories of their personal liking.

That leaves four others, by my calculations, to choose from all month...

--------------
ADDED: I'm still waiting to see Art, Jr. on the "undercover boss" show, where he spends some time with the night folks -- contractors -- who deliver his product, or in the printing press rooms, where lesser-paid people work physically to get out his product daily, amidst their own family and budget concerns.

Either they want to brand themselves further as for Elite Readers only, or they just don't know/care how much $15 a month is to some in-comes out here. Somebody in the comments dismissed this as "two meals at McDonalds", but are you kidding me? Who pays $7.50 per meal there?

Two Americas -- one for the working wealthy (who probably will comp their subscriptions as business write-offs anyway) and one for the rest. Luckily, we've got other alternatives, for all but the names noting their individual perspectives on the news.

(Did I ever tell you about the Christmas when my folks decided -- based on how I consumed the Trib and Sun Times people left behind on the evening trains, that my Dad brought home each evening -- to get me my own Sun Times subscription? It was 1984, the year Royko then transferred to the Trib, after Murdoch bought the Sun Times.* Timing, damn! )

* The Trib advertising campaign had Royko saying snarkily about the switch: "The only thing I'm changing is my socks." (paraphrasing, from memory)

---------------

* Electric Rates See Increase
As we reported to you in an earlier letter,
electric rates are increasing due to a hike in
wholesale power rates. Xcel Energy has been
granted a wholesale power supply increase of
nearly 20% by the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) which went into effect July
1st, 2010 and those costs are passed along to
the customer through the power cost
adjustment clause (PCAC). You saw this
increase on your August billing statement and
will continue to see a similar trend in the
coming months. The municipal wholesale group
which includes Rice Lake Utilities along with
nine other municipal electric utilities in
Wisconsin and Michigan are opposed to this
increase and have made several appeals to get
the increase reduced. However, FERC has
approved this increase which is a formula rate
and is considered desirable because it reflects
the true cost of service versus a negotiated
rate. Rice Lake Utilities and the rest of the
wholesale group is continuing to work with Xcel
on the issue and will be researching alternative
power supplies which may include market based
rates. Currently Rice Lake Utilities has some of
the lowest electric rates in the state of
Wisconsin and even after this significant
increase our rates continue to be among the
lowest in the state. Each month the Wisconsin
Public Service Commission (PSC) posts rate
comparisons and for the month of August we
were the 5th lowest and for September we
have the 12th lowest rates among utilities
reporting to the PSC. I know that is not much
comfort to you, however we are working on the
issue and it is our intentions to keep our rates
as low as possible while still maintaining the
level of service you expect. I would be more
than happy to discuss the topic with you
personally and do intend to follow up on any
letters or notes we receive. Thank you, Scott
Reimer General Manager.

St. Patrick and the Norwegians.

Maybe it's a regional thing, but here's a joke I like -- feel free to share -- that always seems to go over well here in mixed company:
-----------------

The Real Reason for St. Patrick's Day

The reason the Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day is because this is when St. Patrick drove the Norwegians out of Ireland.

It seems that some centuries ago, many Norwegians came to Ireland to escape the bitterness of the Norwegian winter. Ireland was having a famine at the time, and food was scarce. The Norwegians were eating almost all the fish caught in the area, leaving the Irish with nothing to eat but potatoes. St. Patrick, taking matters into his own hands, as most Irishmen do, decided the Norwegians had to go.

Secretly, he organized the Irish IRATRION (Irish Republican Army to Rid Ireland of Norwegians). Irish members of IRATRION passed a law in Ireland that prohibited merchants from selling ice boxes or ice to the Norwegians, in hopes that their fish would spoil. This would force the Norwegians to flee to a colder climate where their fish would keep.

Well, the fish spoiled, all right, but the Norwegians, as every one knows today, thrive on spoiled fish. So, faced with failure, the desperate Irishmen sneaked into the Norwegian fish storage caves in the dead of night and sprinkled the rotten fish with lye, hoping to poison the Norwegian invaders.

But, as everyone knows, the Norwegians thought this only added to the flavor of the fish, and they liked it so much they decided to call it "lutefisk", which is Norwegian for "luscious fish".

Matters became even worse for the Irishmen when the Norwegians started taking over the Irish potato crop and making something called "lefse". Poor St. Patrick was at his wit's end, and finally on March 17th, he blew his top and told all the Norwegians to "GO TO HELL".

So they all got in their boats and emigrated to Minnesota, Wisconsin or the Dakotas ---- the only other paradise on earth where smelly fish, old potatoes and plenty of cold weather can be found in abundance.

The End.

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Enjoy your day.