August 28, 2009
Social diversity is the well-spring of community life where old and young, rich and poor, and people of all races and beliefs can interact individually and learn to care for each other, and to understand and cooperate. We emphasize a return to local, face-to-face relationships that humans can understand and care about.
Among Greens, our guiding principle is to think globally and act locally. Community needs recognize a diversity of issues, and local control recognizes a variety of approaches to solving problems, ones that tend to be bottom-up not top-down. Green politics does not place its faith in paternalistic big government. Instead, Greens believe face-to-face interactions are essential to productive and meaningful lives for all citizens.
The Green vision includes building communities that nurture families, generate good jobs and housing, and provide public services; creating cities and towns that educate children, encourage recreation, and preserve natural and cultural resources; building local governments that protect people from environmental hazards and crime; and motivating citizens to participate in making decisions.
The Green vision calls for a global community of communities that recognize our immense diversity, respect our personal worth, and share a global perspective. We call for an approach to politics that acknowledges our endangered planet and habitat. Our politics responds to global crises with a new way of seeing our shared international security.
We will conceive a new era of international cooperation and communication that nurtures cultural diversity, recognizes the interconnectedness between communities, and promotes opportunities for cultural exchange and assistance.
1. We call for increased public transportation, convenient playgrounds and parks for all sections of cities and small towns, and funding to encourage diverse neighborhoods.
2. We support a rich milieu of art, culture, and significant (yet modestly funded) programs such as the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities.
Families and Children
3. We call for social policies to focus on protecting families. The young - our citizens of tomorrow - are increasingly at risk. Programs must ensure that children, who are among the most vulnerable members of society, receive basic nutritional, educational, and medical necessities. The Green Party supports and seeks to expand Head Start and Pre- and neo-natal programs. A Children's Agenda should be put in place to focus attention and concerted action on the future that is our children.
4. A universal, federally funded childcare program for pre-school and young schoolchildren should be developed.
5. Family assistance such as the earned income tax credit, available to working poor families in which the parent supports and lives with the children, should be maintained and increased to offset regressive payroll taxes and growing inequalities in American society.
6. A living family wage is vital to the social health of communities.
7. The actuarial protection of social security is essential to the well-being of our seniors, and maintenance of the system's integrity is an essential part of a healthy community. We oppose privatization of social security, call for the program to remain under the aegis of the Federal Government, and seek to expand its effectiveness.
8. We support the leading-edge work of non-profit public interest groups and those individuals breaking out of "careerism" to pursue non-traditional careers in public service.
Alternative Community Service
9. We must create new opportunities for citizens to serve their communities through non-military community service. Alternative community service to the military should be encouraged.
10. We advocate the formation of a Civilian Conservation Corps, with national leadership and state and local affiliates, to spearhead efforts to work on the tasks of environmental education, restoration of damaged habitats, reforestation, and cleaning up polluted waterways. Providing land and resource management skills will challenge young people while encouraging social responsibility.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio's 6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Economic Fairness/Quality Education
Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
The payday lobby seems to think that their opponents are being bankrolled by "special interests," apparently disregarding the fact that they are one big "special interest." In Arizona, the payday lenders have exceeded the $9 million mark in their efforts to overturn a pro-consumer bill in that state.
You can read an Article from the Arizona Star, here: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/254016. The article suggests that the industry's opponents raise and spend next to nothing in comparison.
In Ohio, the payday lobby is outspending their opponents by incredible margins. The disparity in expenditures is easily evident just by looking at the millions of dollars spent on television ads by the payday lobby versus the unusual technique being utilized by the proponents of payday lending reform: YouTube.com! CNN Money and Forbes Magazine picked up an Associated Press story about the efforts to compete with a multi-million dollar lobby: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/08/26/ap5360144.html.
From the article:
Up against a multimillion dollar ad campaign, defenders of Ohio's tough new payday lending law are turning to YouTube.com.
The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio has created an online video that warns viewers not to be deceived by the payday lending industry, which is trying to repeal the law.
You can view the YouTube video, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDoeXujagE4
Despite enumerable examples of evidence that the payday lobby is working diligently to deceive voters, the industry continues to throw up smoke and mirrors trying to change the subject. The facts, however, remain the same. Payday lending is a debt trap and 391% interest is too high!
Don't be fooled by the payday lobby! 391% interest is not freedom! If you think 391% interest is too high, VOTE YES ON ISSUE 5!
http://www.voteyesonissue5.org
From The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents by William A. Degregorio:
"A longtime close friend of Oscar Folsom, Cleveland at 27 met his future wife shortly after she was born. He took an avuncular [uncle-like] interest in the child, buying her a baby carriage and otherwise doting on her as she grew up. When her father died in a buggy accident in 1875 without having provided a will [strange, seeing as how he was a lawyer], the court appointed Cleveland administrator of his estate. This brought Cleveland into still more contact with Frances, then 11...."
Woody Allen might approve of this kind of relationship these days, but I doubt anyone else would.
Eighty-eight years ago today women "won" the right to vote. Another dull Women's History factoid until I consider the context. My own grandmother couldn't vote when she studied at Ohio University in 1918.
I think I understand why we as a nation settled the "All Men Are Equal" debate early on, but had a difficult time with women's voting rights. The suffrage movement got mixed up with the female-dominated temperance unions. I can empathize with turn-of-the-century men who were leery of dour women carrying banners.
Today, we have only a few role models, notably Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, as examples of what women can achieve in the political sphere. That doesn't surprise me at all. It's like the Gender Dance Adage: "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except backward and in high heels." It's doubly tough when you're a mature woman whose looks, voice and emotional nuances are constantly scrutinized.
But a lack of female leadership does not at all translate into lack of female power in the voting booth. Quite the contrary. While many of us are content with our support roles in life, that doesn't mean we are not independent thinkers.
Political involvement is a lot like going to church. At just about every church service I've ever attended, the preacher is male and the pews are filled with a 60:40 ratio of women to men. (I'm not complaining, just observing. I prefer to listen to low male voices myself.) The leadership is almost always male in religion and politics, but take away the women, and you've got nothing. No church. No democracy.
I wish my late 102-year-old grandmother could have seen last night's Dem convention.
They came for the meetings rooms....and I said nothing....
Our libraries are under legal attack from outside special interest groups. Let's nip this trend in the bud right now.
I think of my local library as the center of the community, a wellspring of self-help. It's all about sharing knowledge -- what could be better than that?
"Information wants to be free," said computer scientist Stewart Brand. The public library makes it happen.
Personally, I have borrowed hundreds of dollars worth of books, DVDs and CDs in the last year. It is well worth the $178/year in property tax that we pay to the library.
If I want to read Rush Limbaugh's or Ann Coulter's new books I can get them at the library. I sure as hell wouldn't buy these books. Ditto on the Comedy DVDs.
Resident or not, my local library gives lending privileges to everyone. I can't tell you how many non-English speaking people I've witnessed who smile and seem extremely grateful when borrowing library materials. It's heart warming.
If you've never been a young mother, you probably can't imagine what a great public facility the library is.
Anyone who aspires to be a librarian is a morally superior human in my book. Seeking answers for others is their joy. Librarians also put up with a lot of crap from homeless people and bad parents who dump their kids.
Please join me in telling the special interest groups: "Public" means secular. It's not their library any more than it is yours. Stop wasting our tax dollars on legal fights. Libraries are for information-seekers, not worshipers.
With five days to go, it may be premature to say this, but what a great event the Chinese have pulled off. Good hosting job, China.
The Olympics so far have been so carefully managed, I believe that some of the "controversy" stories coming out of Beijing, such as the Jon-Bene-Jing lip-synching girl, were premeditated news events. The Chinese have finally blossomed in the world meedya scene. They get it.
It can't be easy in a huge Communist country of sibling-less group-thinkers. They're real good at drummer displays, but individualism and a free press are awfully hard for them to accept. Now the Chinese have proven that they are up to the task of hosting an Olympics. Congratulations to China and to NBC for putting the show together here.
That said, how about those tiny not-16-year-old Chinese "women" gymnasts? You have to feel for these little overachieving Tools of the State. The New York Post said the silver-winning American gymnastics team looked like the "babysitters" of the gold-winning Chinese team. The Americans weighed an average of 30 lbs. more! Clearly, this is fodder for an investigative journalism team or two. Stay tuned!
I like the survival-skills type of Olympic events like the Steeplechase (not just for horses anymore) which involves running over high hurdles and through water. It's hard to imagine a life-or-death situation where Synchronized Diving would come into play.
I've learned a lot sitting on my couch. I learned that Team Handball is sort of a hybrid basketball-soccer game. (My theory is that this event was invented by an international committee as a means of bypassing American team-sports powerhouses. They should call it "No Yankee Ball.")
I've become very impressed with not only the athletic abilities, but also the personal humility of both Michael Phelps and LeBron James. James is one great Ohio athlete -- he doesn't make promises, he just delivers.
Having grown up in a family of girls pre-Title IX (that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it), I have very limited experience with team sports. How uplifting to see so many beautiful women athletes in Beijing! I mean, these chicks are hot. It really shakes your stereotypes of girl jocks.
Personally, I have come to appreciate the Olympics for the body displays -- not much "T," but plenty of "A" of both genders.
Ah, butts -- humanity's great equalizer.
Context seems to be the key to our beliefs and morals these days. Fans of Absolute Truth have to just give way to Relativism. For example....
We think urine testing is just fine for students and warehouse employee applicants, but we're outraged if the pee collection is for personal use. (Btw, I have one word for Allan Patton, the urophiliac: Ebay.)
Likewise, we think polygamy is disgusting when practiced by Mormon cults. But if we're talking oily Arab sheiks, polygamy is not only acceptable, it would be considered politically incorrect to criticize their culture.
We all love the idea of "protecting our families." But when that idea extends to stockpiling guns to the point of making your neighbors feel threatened -- not so good. Ironic, perhaps, but not good.
And isn't it great that our Republican state legislators want to "save the unborn"? Well, actually, NO. When legislators with no medical background craft anti-choice bills which actually threaten fetus and mothers' health that's no good at all.
That's an absolute truth from my undead perspective.
Boo-hoo! The Hamm twins will not be competing in the Beijing Olympics.
But there's still plenty of hope that Ohioans will be bringing home the gold, according to an article by The Plain Dealer's Tim Warsinskey published in The Dispatch today.
We've still got LeBron James in the competition -- Woo-hoo! What a great opportunity for a little old white lady like me to say, "Yea! He's one of ours!"
I'm not much of a sports fan, but I do enjoy the unusual events like Women's Heptathlon and the opening parade of athletes where they wear native costumes.
Besides, the Olympics offer a welcomed respite from Buckeye football reports. Do fans really give a flying %#&* about minor changes in Michigan's Away jerseys? The Dispatch and Columbus broadcasters routinely report such minutia.
Starting today, Buckeye fans and media should set their Gold Pants asses on the couch and try something different.
Like drones, spouse and I attended the fair yesterday. We didn't expect any surprises and we weren't disappointed.
The fair is all about rural life, and that means animals. That's cool. The ODNR park has a good collection of birds, fish, butterflies and native mammals, as well as an automaton Smokey the Bear. Maybe because it rained, the owls, bobcat, river otter and fox were unusually alert in their small cages. (Except for an occasional gray fox, I've never seen any of these animals in the wild, have you? I guess we just have to take ODNR's word for it that these are Ohio natives.)
From the gigantic cardinal and butter cow sculptures to the impressive and so-still Budweiser Clydesdales, animals rule the fair. There's even a decent petting zoo. (I believe it's from Missouri.) I wonder about this international collection of docile beings. Isn't the giant tortoise bugged by the constant dromedary bleating?
Speaking of drones, one thing I miss about the Ag building of yesteryear is the Wall of Bees display. It was interesting and kind of empowering as a kid to see those worker bees doing their thing under glass. (The bee wall was abandoned, I suspect, when we fell victim to Big Ag Commercialization Syndrome.)
Then there's the animals you eat (I do, anyway). The fair is my opportunity to look my food sources in the eye. We sat in the arena bleachers for awhile and watched 10-year-olds handling 250 lb. sheep with ease. It's like a countrified Westminster Dog Show.
The fair is where I realize how ignorant I am about farm life. For example, the Ohio Cattlemen's Assn. offers this advise to breeders in The Ring magazine: "Use Expected Progeny Differences (EDP's) when making sire selections. I have heard of many heifer owners that are unwilling to use a calving-ease sire on a first-calf heifer because they believe they are 'wasting' their first calf because it will probably not be thick enough to merchandise or show...." What the....?
You hear ag people (as opposed to actual farmers and ranchers) talk about "checkoff" programs a lot. I've finally figured out what this means, thanks to a large amount of literature offered by the Ohio Beef Council. For every head of cattle sold, $1 goes to a national beef PR campaign. One of the results is BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com. (Warning: vegetarians may find the "Beefscapes" in the aforementioned link objectionable and possibly nauseating. Me, I like the seascape made of kabobs. Is that sand garlic?)
I also picked up a lot of government literature at the fair. The new and very fine State of Perfect Balance logo and slogan was much in evidence. Here's a random selection of Ohio bureaucratic factoid finds:
-- From the Department of Health's Pocket Size Plan: "Experts believe a worldwide outbreak, or pandemic, of influenza will happen someday (sic). The exact timing is not known, but it is certain our everyday live will change drastically during a pandemic. These changes may include temporary closing of schools or cancellation of events, disruption of normal service such as utilities and some shortages...."
-- From the Division of Wildlife Hunting & Trapping Regulations: "It is unlawful to take or attempt to take a wild turkey while it is in a tree."
-- From Department of Commerce Division of Labor & Worker Safety poster: "Prohibited Occupations for Minors 14-17 Years of Age: Power-driven bakery machines...Coal mines...Motor vehicle occupations (?)....
-- Division of Liquor Control brochure How to Object to the Issuance or Renewal of a Liquor Permit: "A general objection based on location of an institution, moral beliefs, institutional policy, adequate number of permit premises currently in the neighborhood, inadvisability, or economic and social consequences of drinking do not constitute reasonable bases to reject a permit."
Fascinating stuff found only at the fair!
Oh yeah, we also really liked the old pictures of Great Western Shopping Center's Walk of Wonders, provided by the Ohio Historical Society, I believe. By the time I saw "the Wonders," they looked like a lame mini-golf course.
The fair was exactly like we expected it to be. This year, I didn't even frighten any Amish boys with my short hair. Unless you're a native-born Ohioan, you may not fully appreciate the fair and our need to embrace the dull.
The Community Financial Services Association's campaign to overturn House Bill 545 went live with a new website yesterday. Their website, Ohioans4financialfreedom, displays how out of touch they are with real Ohioans.
First, they say: "Protect 6,000 good-paying jobs that could be lost."
This is not accurate. House Bill 545 says absolutely nothing about closing any businesses or preventing the dispersion of payday loans. House Bill 545 simply caps interest rates and fees at 28% APR, protecting Ohio's consumers from predatory 391% APR interest. Payday lending stores have already started applying for licenses to continue operating under the new law from the Ohio Department of Commerce. If any stores close, it's because they choose to, not because they have to.
Second, they say: "Protect your financial freedom and private financial choices."
Payday lenders target low-income neighborhoods where it is easier for them to encourage people to walk through the door. Neon signs with "Get cash in minutes!" and "Easy cash quick," etc. Once a borrower is trapped in a cycle of payday loans, it becomes necessary for the consumer to keep taking out loans. This is not a choice! Usurious payday loans at 391% are bad for Ohioans and bad for the Ohio economy. Usury is not freedom!
Third, they say: "Protect your right to privacy about your personal finances."
This is a nice catch phrase that appeals to just about everyone! House Bill 545 includes a provision calling for the creation of a database that will let lenders know how many loans a person has taken out at a given time. This allows lenders to lend according to borrowers ability to repay - something neither predatory mortgage lenders nor payday lenders seem to care about.
And finally, once again, the industry uses their lame argument for why their referendum should be on the ballot: "Ohioans have a right to repeal bad laws."
Well, it bears repeating that House Bill 545 is one of the best consumer protection laws in the country and will help hundreds of thousands of Ohioans escape the debt trap. Ohioans do have a right to overturn bad laws, but this referendum effort is not being mounted by Ohioans, but by industry lobbyists and attorneys flown in on their corporate jets. Where are the citizens working on this referendum? Where are the consumers calling for 391% interest? They are nowhere to be found. Instead, the industry lobby CFSA is the sole donor to the effort to repeal House Bill 545. This is right in line with what they are doing in other states like Arizona where they've spent $8.7 million to overturn a consumer law and in Virginia where they succeeded in buying higher interest rates for a low, low price of $20 million.
The Ohio government should be PROTECTING consumers from predatory business practices that rely on borrowers getting trapped in a cycle of debt! Payday lending is bad for Ohio!
1. Drive-In Theaters
2. Monarch butterflies
3. The deep croak of a bullfrog on a summer night
4. Lightening bugs (still around, but not nearly as many)
5. "Miss Citizen Fair" contest
6. Large spice racks & the smell of Allspice
7. Banana Flips
8. George Carlin
9. Free TV
10. Occasionally cracking open an egg to find a double yolk -- twins!
Mostly, it's my memory that's missing (not altogether undesirable -- happiness requires some memory loss, I believe). At any rate, I can only think of ten things.
Some things I don't miss from my youth include: acne, the 5th Grade Fashion Police, bleeding madras, sexist dress codes (Why did it take so long for educators to realize that you can't use most playground equipment if you're wearing a dress?), pit toilets at rest stops, garter belts, and the frequency of skunk roadkill.
I'd be interested in hearing what 40-, 30- and 20-somethings feel nostalgic about. Does a pre-internet & cell phone world seem primitive to them? Me, I'm still trying to negotiate what we quaintly called the "Information Superhighway."
Gov. Ted Strickland says he loves horses, having grown up with them at home on Duck Run in southern Ohio.
That was evident yesterday, when Strickland stopped three times on a tour of the fairgrounds to meet four horses -- and their owners -- after officially opening the 155th Ohio State Fair. It runs through Aug. 10.
"We always had work horses," Strickland said. "I love horses. They're beautiful animals."
Zoey, a 10-year-old paint competing with 17-year-old Courtney Hesse of Springfield in Western showmanship, seemed to like the governor just fine as well, raising her head appreciatively as Strickland scratched it.
It's tradition for the governor to open the fair, and Strickland took his turn visiting exhibits, greeting fairgoers and even serving up ice cream in the Dairy Products Building near the famous butter cow and a new 2,500-pound butter sculpture of Ohio's presidents.
Strickland is varying another tradition by not spending a night in a livestock barn with a farm family. Instead, he plans to stay overnight Thursday in a tent with an Ohio family to promote state parks.***
Unlike Gov. Taft, Strickland actually has spent time sleeping on dirt floors, so spending the night in a cow barn is no BFD. The Strickland family was so poor, they probably couldn't afford to attend the big city Ohio State Fair:
Strickland said he didn't attend the state fair growing up but looked forward to the Scioto County Fair, which took place around his Aug. 4 birthday. He also recalled attending a county fair each day for six straight weeks in the 1970s while campaigning for Congress in a 14-county district.***
Spouse and I will be attending the fair this year, as we do every year. We suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Fairgoer Disorder. It's exactly the same every year! (Although the butter display this year sounds a lot better than the Trans-Fat Tribute to The Crew of years past.)
Sunday at the fair is "Jewish Tablescaping Demo" at 2 pm in the DiSalle Center and "Masters of the Chainsaw" is an ongoing attraction. Perhaps we should go Monday, Aug. 4: NBC Family Value (not Values) Day and Gov. Ted's birthday. Eeehaw.
"Aggressive Driving Imagery Used" I-495 West....How'd ya like to live in Beltville?....Taxation Without Representation DC license plates -- lots of them....
Beautiful Washington National Cathedral....Flying buttresses, awesome stained glass....Love the gargoyles -- even Darth Vadar can find a church home here...."Today, the Cathedral is a church for national purposes, an Episcopal cathedral welcoming to people of all faiths and none." That's me!.... We've spent the entire morning in Washington and haven't spent any money yet. Cool....
Toney Georgetown shops and restaurants....Sweltering humidity....Lovely Victorian architecture....Cupola City....Except for political signs wrapped around classic lampposts, Georgetown is elegant and understated....
The Embassy of Barbados is located across the street from our nice, small hotel....International feel to this city, as one would expect.... We eat at a yummy Ethiopian restaurant where we Ohioans are compelled to ask for forks....Almost all the service people of Washington appear to be Hispanic....
Cabs, buses and subway are readily available....Steep escalator ride down to the Red Line evokes creeped-out childhood memory....Subway is a good way to get around, but seems unusually dark to me....
Many homeless people and their possession bundles in small urban parks -- more visible than homeless in NYC or Chicago....Tons of security people and dogs in Washington, but they don't seem to harass the park-bench sleepers and dumpster divers -- unless they decide to camp-out in front of the White House....There, one beared old guy with his dog and "Ban Nukes" sign....Cop in his face....Mr. Ban Nukes is pleased that I snapped his picture and we exchange peace hand gestures....He is the one and only individual we encounter in Washington who appears to be peaceably assembling and petitioning the government for redress of grievances....And the cop is hassling him....
WWII Memorial: grand and watery, but designed by committee....The reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial: covered in duck poop....Big Abe in his chair: his eyes seem to follow you....Vietnam Vets Memorial: smaller and more emotional than we expected....
We visit the excellent and moving Newseum and the National Museum of Crime & Punishment ....the latter is where they film portions of America's Most Wanted....The museum's association with the AMW TV show gives it credibility, but at the same time makes it seem a bit hokey....I can't explain this....
Pennsylvania Ave. is shut down; minutes later a black SUV drag race with motorcycle escorts comes roaring through....A dignitary, oooh!....Turns out Dubya greeted the PM of Pakistan on the South Lawn, where we just were....Oh, the thrill of inclusion....
420-mile drive home is uneventful....Frequency of cell phone towers along the highway reminds me of lesser Washington Monuments....
Here is what Northern Ohio Live wrote about the book in their July Issue:
Advance Praise of "Please God Save Us" from the July 2008 of Northern Ohio Live Taken from Northern Ohio Live July 2008 Page 20
"Political Prose and Pics"
Bored with your summer reading list already? Derek Hess and Kent Smith can fix that. Their first book, Please God Save Us debuts July 4. The arguments begin shortly thereafter.
Hess, a Cleveland-based internationally known artist, contributes over 50 full color pieces of art in this magazine-sized soft-cover book. Smith, a Euclid School Board Member and former Free Times writer, provides written justification for Hess' angry images. (You may also remember Smith as the infamous doorman at Brillo Pad and Touch.)
Hess' well-known style remains; his works are oversized, angry, spiritual, funny and emotive. But the subject mater is not abstract; it is subjective and fresh from the evening news. The villain of the book is the menacing red elephant which seems to be killing soldiers and polar bears while polluting the sky.
Hess and Smith take on all the controversial topics including the Christian Right, the Iraq war, global warming, the oil industry, stem cell research, evolution, the media, rock and roll, and censorship. It's a safe bet that this is one way, George W. Bush does not want you to spend your economic stimulus check.
For information about the book please check out www.strhesspress.com
It's been almost a year since I started blogging my little heart out on ProgressOhio. I'm still no good with the visuals, but if I do say so myself, my writing has improved immensely with near-daily practice. Occasionally, I can produce a whoop-ass 300 word essay.
In commemoration of my almost-year of blogging and actively commenting, I have some observations:
1. Make lists. People like lists. 5 Edgy Ohio Women, 10 Superficial Reasons to Go Obama, 16+ Reasons R's Should Shut Up about Abortion
2. For ProgressOhio, you want to keep it timely and Ohio-oriented. Nostalgic topics are OK, as long as they're political and/or funny. The Pie-Man Platform
3. Politics is a very broad topic. I like to write about cultural politics -- just about anything involving human interaction. If nothing else, it's Arts and Culture.
4. Don't let the fact that you're not a good writer keep you from writing. Express yourself. (Do not post after two or more glasses of wine, however.)
5. If you're a WASP like me, avoid terms such as fo' shizzle and chutzpah.
6. Humor is tricky. Best to leave it to the professionals.
7. Brevity and sexual innuendo improve readership.
8. Just because no one comments on your post doesn't mean people aren't reading it. Some topics don't invite comment.
9. It's good to stick with topics you know (except your kids -- they are boring to everyone else). But don't be afraid to branch out. Our Environment, for example, is a subject we can all have an opinion about.
10. Think of blogging as performance art -- expression for art's sake.
I think I became a better writer after I gave up on the idea of getting paid as a writer. My blog posts are unedited, poorly researched and often sloppily written in first-person, but nevertheless, I'm feeling warm and fuzzy about the whole blogging thing.
Twenty-five days until the Beijing Summer Olympics. Can't honestly say I'm psyched up, but the Olympics are a unique international event. There's always a controversy or inspirational story (the 41-year-old mom competitive swimmer, for example) to talk about.
This year, the host itself seems to be the main topic of conversation. China's air and water pollution and free-speech suppression overshadow the athletic competition. But we get the impression that the Chinese want to impress the rest of the world so very, very badly. So, what the heck. Let them host this global frat party for once. We can trash their place and they'll hardly notice.
I'm sure there are other Ohioans competing in the Olympics this year, but I only know of two: gymnasts Paul and Morgan Hamm. These twin young men are really natives of Wisconsin, but they chose to make Columbus their training home. Both graduated from Ohio State last year.
Men's gymnastics has got to be extremely competitive on the international level. I wish the Hamm brothers best of luck. I feel a personal connection with them, however remote, having spotted them recently at Lennox Town Center. As someone who appreciates a compact athletic body (as opposed to a hulking football-player type), may I say, two is better than one!
To paraphrase Paris Hilton, these boys are hot.
War. What is it good for? Political speech, apparently.
As November approaches, expect the pundits to throw out more and more war-themed volleys. Ohio is a battleground state, after all.
I've always been puzzled by anti-choice "battle against abortion" rhetoric. Who's the enemy? Slutty girls?
According to Slate, politicos get so caught up in the idea of actual war rooms, anyone who's anyone has to have one:
Some people are particularly attached to the notion of war room as physical place. "I get hired by so many corporate clients who want a room with clocks and maps and everything," says Chris Lehane, a former spokesman for Al Gore who now heads a public-relations firm. "When you try to explain to them it’s just a concept and not a physical embodiment, they don’t want to hear it."
Meanwhile, the War on Terror will remain unwinnable. The enemy is too difficult to define, much less defeat.
The Dispatch ran a political article today with the head Officer Needed in Oval Office? about whether military experience should be a prerequisite for the presidency. (Short answer: No. And I think my WWII war hero dad would agree.)
All this rocket's red glare, guns ablazing, military talk has me yearning for the days of tired old political sports metaphors. Let's hit one out of the park, Democrats!
Now that the bratwurst is still fresh in my colon, I want to tell you about my little July 4th prank.
I live in a community known for its uppity attitude, overly remodeled homes, lack of diversity and petty disputes (zoning, trash collection). Other than those things, I like living here a lot.
Here in Uppityville, the 4th of July parade is a mighty big deal. I appreciate the parade heritage, having ridden my crepe-paper decorated bike very slowly in the parade back in the '60s. Now that I live close to the parade route, I wouldn't miss the Spirit of 76, the Tin Lizzy Patrol (where can I get a fez?), the old-timers harmonica band and the neighborhood floats. (Special thumbs up to the Grove City marching band for their repeat good performances.)
In fact, I am unabashedly patriotic to the point of being geeky. I throw kisses to veterans and display not only American flags in my yard, but also an Ohio flag. And a fine flag it is.
So, I like the parade as much as anyone, perhaps more so. With that said, I have become disturbed by a trend I've noticed. More and more areas of the parade route were being penned off with stakes and rope in an effort to reserve private viewing areas. By July 2, about half of the curbside areas were a tangle of twine, yellow caution tape and lawn chairs. By July 3 evening, three-quarters of the good spots were "taken."
But by dawn July 4th, all ropes were down. Snip, snip. Tee-hee.
From a safety standpoint, some little kid was likely to be literally clotheslined by these human pen constructions. But that's not why I did it. I overturned sawhorses, pulled up stakes and cut dozens of ropes because I wanted people to feel embarrassed by their piggish, territorial behavior.
I didn't disturb anyone's lawn chair in the hopes that these were reserved for grandma. I didn't mess with anyone's construction on private property (only the easement area) or the marked "Class of 53" viewing area. I pulled some lawn chairs out of the street that had blown over.
Many people witnessed my snipping session, including a cop (if he was paying attention), city workers, dog walkers and bicyclists. A teenage boy yelled out of his window "Why did you cut that?" I was kind of embarrassed to be caught by a kid, so I just put my hands up in a "guilty as charged" gesture and kept walking. A woman about my age asked "Is there a purpose in what you're doing?" I replied, "It's public property." I have to give both of these people credit -- they didn't confront me, they just asked reasonable questions. Funny how full-grown men shy away from menopausal women carrying scissors.
It remains to be seen if my protest against "me first" behavior at the parade had any impact. I heard a girl whining about her ruined jump rope, but that's about it. I saw a municipal court judge that I know at the parade and told her about my exploits. She couldn't think of any laws I had violated. So if I didn't make my point this year, I'll be back.
As an added touch, I posted a small sign near a schoolyard along the parade route with the lyrics of This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie. This patriotic song holds up even though it's more than 50 years old.
The fourth verse is my favorite....
As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!
The last verse is chilling...and a reminder that protest is patriotic!
In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.
Readers, this is not about the Iraq War nor is it about the Afghanistan War, I'm talking about the War on Terror as defined by those who promote and benefit from it, and that is not only TERRORIST.
In our military families eyes every War Profiteer (including politicians of both parties, the Defense Industry, and vultures (not Eagles-Vultures) picking over the (green bones) of War Profits.
If your community is passionate about creating monuments to Soldiers who have yet to return from their war by all means contact your local Tombstone dealer, funeral director, or cemetery, and get started BEFORE the war in over. GET ON THE BAND WAGON.
You many even find one or two combat troops (above the rank of SGT) willing to go along with the program when they are not THINKING about the exploitation and message they are sending, that will come later when their war is really over, and really warrants any monument.
Folks, it is a given that Funeral Corporations, Tombstone dealers, and yes even cemeteries are going to get on the war profit band wagon, they are among the only winners in WAR. They've been profiting off of war way before embalming wagons followed Union and Confederate forces on battle fields across civil war Americana. They have already profited off over what near 4500 young American troops. Do we really have to allow them to profit more than needed or necessary. Screw this, I'm getting cremated and someone, even if it is only some lawyer, hopefully will ensure my dust and bones gets placed in the Crematoria areas of Arlington National Cemetery.
Why am I the only one who seems to be frustrated by this and sees something morally wrong in having parades or building monuments to troops STILL fighting their war? Because my fellow Americans that is what the Nazi propaganda machine did at the Nuremberg Rallies and Demonstrations to show the Third Reich's military prowess, even as Germany was losing the war on both fronts.
No, I'm not comparing our troops or our war effort to Nazi Germany, but I am comparing our political propaganda efforts beyond a doubt BECAUSE WHAT PEOPLE, POLITICIANS, AND YES TOMBSTONE DEALERS are doing is WRONG!
Praise the Lord, by all means build a Veterans Memorial to our Iraq and Afghanistan troops in every city, county, state, and National Park across America - WHEN OUR TROOPS COME HOME.
Why the urgent rust to DO IT NOW??? That is why this Veteran and Army Dad refuses to see any monument to my Soldier established before he/she comes HOME TO STAY.
Bobby Hanafin
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired (69-94)
THINK HARD ABOUT THIS - WHY DID THIS GESTURE INCLUDING PHOTOS OF THE MONUMENT MAKE IT'S WAY INTO NO LOCAL MEDIA OUTLET, TV, OR NEWS PRINT??? It most likely will be after the fact, or after someone who disagrees with me reads something like this. Read More »
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