Kensington, NH -
Just a quick turn off of the small, rural Rte. 150, in the heart of the little place we call Lamprey Corners down in the Seacoast region sits a house with Nantucket shingles and a living room with big French doors opening into a view of great, hay-strewn fields and hardwood forests that had recently been put into a conservation easement. The house belonged to Jim Webber, Democratic candidate for state representative from the southeastern most district in the state. Webber was hosting the house party as part of a concurrent event to kick off his general election campaign with the help of Joe Biden and whatever media coverage and excitement that might entail.
Webber nervously began his stump speech, which he repeatedly promised would last less than three minutes, once word had arrived that the Senator was near the house, about a half hour after scheduled. I guess he was too close, or else Jim was too loquacious, or both. Halfway through the presentation, Joe Biden had arrived.
In he walked, from the far side of the room from me, decked out in seersucker pants and a navy polo shirt, with tiny brown wing tips on his feet. "Who's this Jim Webber guy, anyway?" Joe demanded to know with a big smile on his face as he walked up to the center of the room and poked the lesser candidate in the chest before disappearing into the kitchen to let Webber finish his speech. A few minutes later, he emerged sipping a can of Canada Dry ginger ale and munching on a bavarian pretzel. He swallowed, smiled, and announced, "to put it bluntly, I'm here to audition."
And audition he did, talking about the importance of the 2008 election and the need for Americans to pick the best man or woman for the job. "There is no room for error," as the Biden rallying call goes. He spoke of the loose nukes and prevalence of fissile material in the world right now, as well as the de-democratization of South America. As the next President of the United States, Delaware's senior Senator promised, he would restore America's place in the world and re-invigorate the middle class.
Biden immediately went on to talk about the necessity of a political solution in Iraq, touting his own plan as the best and only of such. He talked about the need for a weak federal and strong local way of governing Iraq, and cited the Dayton accords as the best evidence for how political solutions are the only way to solve long-term violence: "The Balkans were the most violent region in the world from Vlad the Impaler to Milosevic. But, knock on wood, there has not been one death at the hands of Nato forces since then."
From there he went on to talk about his vote for funding the war, mention his son's role in the Army Reserves and his recent notification of deployment. Funding the war, he argues, is a misnomer. It really is funding the troops, and Biden sees the only legitimate way to end our role in Iraq is to convince enough GOP senators to get out from behind Bush's shadow and make the right decision. Biden estimated that fewer than twelve Republican senators truly believed that Bush was doing the right thing, and that the rest would come around sooner rather than later. In the meantime he stressed the need to fund the transformation of our military transport vehicles from flat-bottomed death traps to v-shaped IED deflectors. He dismissed the idea of impeachment, saying to loud applause that "history will impeach these guys," and for now it was most important to make the right decisions on the ground.
With the stage now set, full of stories about military brain injuries and the potential horrors of a withdrawal of troops and our responsibility to see it out correctly, Biden became gravely serious, hushing his tone and squinting his eyes. There will be NO margin for error. Our next President had better be smarter than the advisers. It was a chilling moment, from a man whose sense of drama had clearly been concocted over years and years on the stump, and decades worth of firsthand knowledge of what sorts of bad things can come from foreign policy. But chills and spills will only get a candidate so far.
I, for one, left without convincing in spite of the earnest and heartfelt plea of the Great Blue Hen Orator. Despite his recent claim to eat Rudy's lunch in a debate, which he mentioned again (and I tried to get an interrupting round of applause going when he said it but was only joined by one other woman who sat distantly in the kitchen), Joe sounded a little Rudy-esque in his fear mongering. Although I appreciated what appeared to be a real belief in the Biden way to responsibly solve the mess in Iraq, I couldn't help but feel a tad unsettled by what seemed to be his charge that if we pick the wrong person we will be fucked. I've heard it before, from the likes of George W. Bush. I didn't like it then, and I don't really like it now.
Besides, how is he so certain that he won't make an error? If there truly is no margin for error, then aren't we all screwed? No one is infallible, and certainly no Presidential candidates, what with their money-whoring and triangulating. I even have reason to believe that Biden isn't the best on foreign policy, as he likes to think is the position that has been bestowed upon him by the people. So does no margin for error mean that a slight mistake will lead to American deaths beginning in January, 2009? How many more errors can Bush make before we are damaged beyond repair? Certainly there has to be a limit, or it is all a moot point.
Getting on to the 67 votes reasoning of Joe Biden, it is quite possible that he is too caught up in the senatorial way of thinking. 34 years is a long time, and perhaps he doesn't sense the urgency of the American people to get out of Iraq. Or even the mindset of folks like Ron Paul that our continued presence in the Middle East is making it more deadly, v-shaped hummers or not. Or, does he have the true vision that only true knowledge of the system can allow? Joe Biden certainly thinks so, and he'll be on the stump in Iowa and New Hampshire for six more months telling people that they had damn well better make the right choice. The best the rest of us can do is hope that he has made a mistake in his reasoning. It might not be too far-fetched of a hope.
Back on the Sawmill, a Smuttynose and a lot of sweat. Its a hot, hot summer day.
BTB
Monday, July 9, 2007
Vive Le Democracy
Once again, I hate to beat a dead source, especially when it is the Bourgeois likes of The Times, but my continued readership this afternoon brought me to this gem from Patrick Healy, whose vacationing dispatch from France brought to light the interest of the Parisians in our own election, notably when it concerns HRC. It is an interesting read on the whole, but best characterized by this outside observation, reminiscent of the truth spoken most recently by Jean Girard:
My friend Julio underscored the questions about Mrs. Clinton this way: would she be a president who told the truth to Americans about Iraq and terrorism and other challenges? Or, he asked, “would she continue to triangulate, as she and other Democrats did on Iraq and the Patriot Act, in order to win power?”
Julio, my friend, you must have spent plenty of time down at the schoolyard. Even if Paul Simon is a Dodd supporter.
So Much, So Fast
Today's Times has an article about the excitement, or "hoop-de-la", as one Iowan puts it, of the 2008 campaign and the wariness that so many feel about it. Outside of Iowa or New Hampshire it must be difficult to understand the true extent of candidate saturation, but imagine living in a state where it takes less than three hours to drive across from stem to stern, and in the middle sits six candidates on a given day with 7 months to go before you cast your vote. And tomorrow, as you drive back, there are four candidates meeting and greeting, reiterating their platform for the fifth time that weekend, smiling and waving and enlisting your volunteer help. Better still, your money. All along I have blamed this phenomenon on the likes of California, New York, Illinois and all the other big state bullies who moved their primaries up from Super Tuesday of old (early March) to Super Tuesday anew (early Feb). But the theme of the Nagourney article hints not at frontloading, but rather at our old friend George Bush, and by old I mean old. Like, we are sick and tired of him and we can't wait to see who comes next. Interesting. But the question remains, is Bush's terrible approval rating, sufficient enough to create a raucous primary campaign calendar, all a Rovian ploy to give the electorate an awful case of Democrat candidate fatigue, and thus ensure a permanent Republican majority? It is enough to blow your mind if you are a normal political observer. Luckily, for 3Q, it is almost enough to blow my load. Almost.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Biden the Titan
Brattleboro, VT -
Not wanting to go back to Portsmouth, 30 minutes in the opposite direction of the Qabin, I opted instead to go West. Due West. So Brattleboro it is, some three hours after the house party, and in time for gallery walk. That said, McNeill's is on point and a couple of old Mohawk warriors are tradin' war stories. This post is to be resumed later.
Not wanting to go back to Portsmouth, 30 minutes in the opposite direction of the Qabin, I opted instead to go West. Due West. So Brattleboro it is, some three hours after the house party, and in time for gallery walk. That said, McNeill's is on point and a couple of old Mohawk warriors are tradin' war stories. This post is to be resumed later.
Here Comes the Rain Again
Portsmouth, NH -
The blue skies suddenly darkened into a thick, hard gray and the humidity of the warm summer day bubbled up in great steamy wafts from the streets and sidewalks as the sidewalk revelers rushed to clear their plates, pick up their newspapers and grab cover. Within minutes the sky opened up with watery vengeance for what must have been some terrible, terrible wrong done to it. Such was the case just before 4PM here in Portsmouth, causing me to wait out the storm from Breaking New Ground. If there is a coffeehouse in all of New Hampshire that I have to wait out a storm in, it may as well be this one. I initially resisted it's move across Congress Street into a bigger space a few years back, but I have grown to appreciate the new digs.
Anyway, it looks like I won't be able to hit the Seacoast double of Biden at 5 and Mike Huckabee's live performance with Capitol Offense at 6 in Dover. The photo in the link, by the way, shows pre-diet Huckabee. Fat Huckabee. Back with more in a few hours.
The blue skies suddenly darkened into a thick, hard gray and the humidity of the warm summer day bubbled up in great steamy wafts from the streets and sidewalks as the sidewalk revelers rushed to clear their plates, pick up their newspapers and grab cover. Within minutes the sky opened up with watery vengeance for what must have been some terrible, terrible wrong done to it. Such was the case just before 4PM here in Portsmouth, causing me to wait out the storm from Breaking New Ground. If there is a coffeehouse in all of New Hampshire that I have to wait out a storm in, it may as well be this one. I initially resisted it's move across Congress Street into a bigger space a few years back, but I have grown to appreciate the new digs.
Anyway, it looks like I won't be able to hit the Seacoast double of Biden at 5 and Mike Huckabee's live performance with Capitol Offense at 6 in Dover. The photo in the link, by the way, shows pre-diet Huckabee. Fat Huckabee. Back with more in a few hours.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Billy Rich: Man with a Plan
Keene, NH -
There is a first time for everything. Today it was the first time a presidential candidate ever set foot inside tiny Marlow, NH. Stemming from an NPR search back in May to find the impossible - a Granite State town that had never had its babies kissed and its apple pie sampled - a viable runt emerged. At the intersection of NH Rtes. 10 and 123 sits Marlow, pop. 747, on the shores of the Ashuelot River with a town historical society, a gas station, a church, a war memorial and not much else. This afternoon there were a few more cars, and even a couple with out of state plates, but not enough to drastically change the face of the town.
The face that everyone who was in town wanted to see was that of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, the first candidate to ever visit Marlow. My first impression was somewhat negative. I stood in the overflow section (leaning against a wall near the window overlooking Forest Street) about 20 feet from the stage and watched as Richardson entered the room with little fanfare - no campaign songs, no long-winded introduction from the local Democratic state senator - just a slight increase in energy as po
ckets of people began standing and chatting as they realized the Governor was in the room. Richardson made his way around the room and shook everyone's hand before heading to a seat in the front row where the head of the town historical society nervously introduced him from a stack of cue cards she had prepared. During the intro he seemed a lot like a slimy glad-handing pol as he snaked through the room with a smile on his face, decked out in his almost standard issue navy suit with dark red tie.
That sliminess melted away almost instantly when he took the stage. The governor spoke with sincerity, authority, directness and the humor for which he has been both renowned and ridiculed. One of the first things out of his mouth, when he was given a standing ovation by a handful of people in the crowd was, "thank you for standing. I thought you were leaving." Consider me sufficiently warmed up by that point. He then self-deprecatingly compared himself to the second coming of Taft (who jilted Marlow with a failed visit in 1912) by saying "you got the other fat guy, instead." Gold. After a couple of jokes he cut to the chase, opening his speech with what he would do in his first six days as President. In other words, he listed his political priorities in order.
1) Get out of Iraq
2) Create a National Energy Policy
3) Improve education
4) Create a health care plan to cover everyone
5) Improve economic conditions for the middle class
6) Fix the little things that have been damaged by the Bush Presidency
It was very refreshing to see a candidate be so candid about what his priorities are. Having just seen Obama, it was exactly what his speech was missing. Sure we all need hope and change, but can't a lot of people do that? Richardson suggests he can, and he intends to govern as well. And how. He brought the tough talk on energy, calling for an Apollo-like program to bring CAFE standards up to 50 MPG, reduce US oil imports to 10% of our energy use, and dramatic caps on our carbon footprint, to the tune of 90% in the near future. This stuff was no joke. Best of all, he called on Americans to sacrifice in order to do so, but of course under the aegis of a unified national effort. He even joked that Marlow was doing a great job of sacrificing by not providing air conditioning for the town hall meeting. Zing!
His education plan centers around strengthening early education, pushing science and math, expanding access to college and trade schools and using the arts to boost student interest in schools. He repeatedly brought children into his speech, mentioning that their futures are at stake . He also repeatedly called out little toddlers for not paying attention to his speech. Hey-o! There were also details for his other initiatives, but Iraq, energy and education were the big 3. Everything was tied together with what is probably Richardson's guiding principle in this campaign - that our foreign policy needs to be strengthened by way of inclusion. He repeatedly spoke to our need to engage our enemies in order to make peace, and to talk tough to our friends, as illustrated by Richardson bringing up an elderly woman from the audience and bestowing upon her the role of President of Mexico. He urged her to create more jobs for her people so they don't flood our borders, and to actually do it. He then smiled his way through a mock photo-op, which he said was typical of the worthless summits that have been the hallmark of the past ten years.
The crowd in Marlow was very different from the crowd in Laconia, and this time around the biggest applause lines came from respecting the constitution, talking to Mexico about jobs and getting rid of No Child Left Behind. These are the things that small town Marlow cared about. They also cared about guns. The first question came from a man who stood up and immediately bullied his way into the spotlight, claiming his position as the man with the first question. He wanted to know what Bill Richardson thought about the 2nd Amendment. The Governor touted his role as a Western governor who "is a believer in the 2nd Amendment" before qualifying it with the need for background checks for criminals and mentally ill, respectfully citing the Virginia Tech shootings as a case in point. The questioner was pleased. Richardson also showed courage in going out of his way to voice his support for abortion and gay rights in a town where that probably wasn't the best slogan. He did the same to advocate against genocide in Darfur and sexual slavery in the third world. Richardson suggested that we project that values of the 4th of July to the world by what we say and do.
He closed with the case for Bill Richardson, asking us in the audience to support him not because of his celebrity status and money (or lack thereof) but because of the grassroots support he is building, because of his qualifications and plans and because of what he says he will do for the country. I must say, Richardson made a fine case for the America he wanted to create, and more importantly the America he felt he could and would create. Afterward, he spent another 20 minutes shaking everyone's hand, but I snuck off without seeing it all the way through. I hopped in the car, pushed into 1st and headed down 123 to 10 to 9 while the Ashuelot flowed down toward the Connecticut amid the boulders, the great herons, the deer and the turtles that crowded the road in Western New Hampshire. I had some blogging to do, and some thinking, and of course I was excited to get back to my beloved Keene. Railroad, anyone? It is Thursday, after all.
Ahoy,
BTB
There is a first time for everything. Today it was the first time a presidential candidate ever set foot inside tiny Marlow, NH. Stemming from an NPR search back in May to find the impossible - a Granite State town that had never had its babies kissed and its apple pie sampled - a viable runt emerged. At the intersection of NH Rtes. 10 and 123 sits Marlow, pop. 747, on the shores of the Ashuelot River with a town historical society, a gas station, a church, a war memorial and not much else. This afternoon there were a few more cars, and even a couple with out of state plates, but not enough to drastically change the face of the town.
The face that everyone who was in town wanted to see was that of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, the first candidate to ever visit Marlow. My first impression was somewhat negative. I stood in the overflow section (leaning against a wall near the window overlooking Forest Street) about 20 feet from the stage and watched as Richardson entered the room with little fanfare - no campaign songs, no long-winded introduction from the local Democratic state senator - just a slight increase in energy as po
ckets of people began standing and chatting as they realized the Governor was in the room. Richardson made his way around the room and shook everyone's hand before heading to a seat in the front row where the head of the town historical society nervously introduced him from a stack of cue cards she had prepared. During the intro he seemed a lot like a slimy glad-handing pol as he snaked through the room with a smile on his face, decked out in his almost standard issue navy suit with dark red tie.That sliminess melted away almost instantly when he took the stage. The governor spoke with sincerity, authority, directness and the humor for which he has been both renowned and ridiculed. One of the first things out of his mouth, when he was given a standing ovation by a handful of people in the crowd was, "thank you for standing. I thought you were leaving." Consider me sufficiently warmed up by that point. He then self-deprecatingly compared himself to the second coming of Taft (who jilted Marlow with a failed visit in 1912) by saying "you got the other fat guy, instead." Gold. After a couple of jokes he cut to the chase, opening his speech with what he would do in his first six days as President. In other words, he listed his political priorities in order.
1) Get out of Iraq
2) Create a National Energy Policy
3) Improve education
4) Create a health care plan to cover everyone
5) Improve economic conditions for the middle class
6) Fix the little things that have been damaged by the Bush Presidency
It was very refreshing to see a candidate be so candid about what his priorities are. Having just seen Obama, it was exactly what his speech was missing. Sure we all need hope and change, but can't a lot of people do that? Richardson suggests he can, and he intends to govern as well. And how. He brought the tough talk on energy, calling for an Apollo-like program to bring CAFE standards up to 50 MPG, reduce US oil imports to 10% of our energy use, and dramatic caps on our carbon footprint, to the tune of 90% in the near future. This stuff was no joke. Best of all, he called on Americans to sacrifice in order to do so, but of course under the aegis of a unified national effort. He even joked that Marlow was doing a great job of sacrificing by not providing air conditioning for the town hall meeting. Zing!
His education plan centers around strengthening early education, pushing science and math, expanding access to college and trade schools and using the arts to boost student interest in schools. He repeatedly brought children into his speech, mentioning that their futures are at stake . He also repeatedly called out little toddlers for not paying attention to his speech. Hey-o! There were also details for his other initiatives, but Iraq, energy and education were the big 3. Everything was tied together with what is probably Richardson's guiding principle in this campaign - that our foreign policy needs to be strengthened by way of inclusion. He repeatedly spoke to our need to engage our enemies in order to make peace, and to talk tough to our friends, as illustrated by Richardson bringing up an elderly woman from the audience and bestowing upon her the role of President of Mexico. He urged her to create more jobs for her people so they don't flood our borders, and to actually do it. He then smiled his way through a mock photo-op, which he said was typical of the worthless summits that have been the hallmark of the past ten years.
The crowd in Marlow was very different from the crowd in Laconia, and this time around the biggest applause lines came from respecting the constitution, talking to Mexico about jobs and getting rid of No Child Left Behind. These are the things that small town Marlow cared about. They also cared about guns. The first question came from a man who stood up and immediately bullied his way into the spotlight, claiming his position as the man with the first question. He wanted to know what Bill Richardson thought about the 2nd Amendment. The Governor touted his role as a Western governor who "is a believer in the 2nd Amendment" before qualifying it with the need for background checks for criminals and mentally ill, respectfully citing the Virginia Tech shootings as a case in point. The questioner was pleased. Richardson also showed courage in going out of his way to voice his support for abortion and gay rights in a town where that probably wasn't the best slogan. He did the same to advocate against genocide in Darfur and sexual slavery in the third world. Richardson suggested that we project that values of the 4th of July to the world by what we say and do.
He closed with the case for Bill Richardson, asking us in the audience to support him not because of his celebrity status and money (or lack thereof) but because of the grassroots support he is building, because of his qualifications and plans and because of what he says he will do for the country. I must say, Richardson made a fine case for the America he wanted to create, and more importantly the America he felt he could and would create. Afterward, he spent another 20 minutes shaking everyone's hand, but I snuck off without seeing it all the way through. I hopped in the car, pushed into 1st and headed down 123 to 10 to 9 while the Ashuelot flowed down toward the Connecticut amid the boulders, the great herons, the deer and the turtles that crowded the road in Western New Hampshire. I had some blogging to do, and some thinking, and of course I was excited to get back to my beloved Keene. Railroad, anyone? It is Thursday, after all.
Ahoy,
BTB
Penn is Mightier Than Sword
Yet more evidence that HRC is a sleazemeister. Just when America is clamoring for a leader who eschews eavesdropping and dirty tricks, we have in the top polling candidates people who surround themselves with characters arguably just as shady as Scooter Libby.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Obama, Not Much Drama
Laconia, NH -
Greetings from the heart of the Lakes Region, where 3Q is coming to you live from Barack Obama's latest appearance in the Granite State. First let me tell you how good it feels to be back in the land of the Free (or the Dying). Relative to my other early-season campaign events from the last cycle (Edwards, Kerry & Clark) this one was much more of a big deal. Whereas, in early August of 2003, Edwards only drew about 30 people, at least 10 of which were homeless and only in attendance for the free hot dogs in downtown Manch-Vegas, today's speech brought together some 350 listeners by my rough estimation. Granted, Edwards was sitting in 4th or 5th place in the polls at that time to Obama's 2nd, I can't imagine an event for anyone other than Mike Gravel bringing so few people together this time around.
I have always been intrigued by the And1 Mixtape Tour that is a presidential campaign. Some of the highlights of Obama's music were sung by such bland Betties as Jack Johnson, recent-era DMB, Bono in a duet of One with some indeterminable woman, the full U2 for Beautiful Day, and best of all Higher Love by Steve Winwood (certainly the favorite) before entering to Think by Aretha, which was solid enough. Even as I write this, The Outfield's I Don't Want to Lose Your Love Tonight is on the radio here at 3Q's Laconia HQ and it begs the question - why didn't he rock that? It's got the coffee shop moving right now. Bring it on!
Obama got started by acknowledging his massive fund raising haul and the great crowds he has been addressing at his urban stops around the country, attributing them not to his own charisma (which he poked fun at) but because of the American people "burning with desire for change." Of course, Barack positioned himself as the candidate who would lead that change. He moved from that to and address of his standard Dem platform, of which creating a national energy policy, getting out of Iraq, bringing people together, not taking PAC fundraising cash, and achieving universal health care garnered the loudest applause by far. He took questions, and in standard candidate fashion failed to answer them directly and instead sought to expand on his positions with a series of knowledgeable talking points. He scored the most when he chatted with an elderly woman about her youth and good looks, and spoke with a 5th grader like a concerned father, encouraging her to do her homework and turn off the TV. The latter received the loudest applause from your resident blogger.
Ultimately, it was a workday crowd of people who took time out of their day to see a candidate they were either supporting or highly interested in supporting. There were no hecklers, no major softballs, and it is too early in the summer for it to have the air of an important rally.
My biggest complaint was with Barack's handshake - a little too flabby for a hardy New Englander like myself. I might send him an e-mail about that. And now, give me leave for the White Mountains, those beefy gems of the Northeast. Three cheers for the Pemi, and until Marlow and Richardson on Thursday, keep your gameface on.
BTB
Greetings from the heart of the Lakes Region, where 3Q is coming to you live from Barack Obama's latest appearance in the Granite State. First let me tell you how good it feels to be back in the land of the Free (or the Dying). Relative to my other early-season campaign events from the last cycle (Edwards, Kerry & Clark) this one was much more of a big deal. Whereas, in early August of 2003, Edwards only drew about 30 people, at least 10 of which were homeless and only in attendance for the free hot dogs in downtown Manch-Vegas, today's speech brought together some 350 listeners by my rough estimation. Granted, Edwards was sitting in 4th or 5th place in the polls at that time to Obama's 2nd, I can't imagine an event for anyone other than Mike Gravel bringing so few people together this time around.
I have always been intrigued by the And1 Mixtape Tour that is a presidential campaign. Some of the highlights of Obama's music were sung by such bland Betties as Jack Johnson, recent-era DMB, Bono in a duet of One with some indeterminable woman, the full U2 for Beautiful Day, and best of all Higher Love by Steve Winwood (certainly the favorite) before entering to Think by Aretha, which was solid enough. Even as I write this, The Outfield's I Don't Want to Lose Your Love Tonight is on the radio here at 3Q's Laconia HQ and it begs the question - why didn't he rock that? It's got the coffee shop moving right now. Bring it on!
Obama got started by acknowledging his massive fund raising haul and the great crowds he has been addressing at his urban stops around the country, attributing them not to his own charisma (which he poked fun at) but because of the American people "burning with desire for change." Of course, Barack positioned himself as the candidate who would lead that change. He moved from that to and address of his standard Dem platform, of which creating a national energy policy, getting out of Iraq, bringing people together, not taking PAC fundraising cash, and achieving universal health care garnered the loudest applause by far. He took questions, and in standard candidate fashion failed to answer them directly and instead sought to expand on his positions with a series of knowledgeable talking points. He scored the most when he chatted with an elderly woman about her youth and good looks, and spoke with a 5th grader like a concerned father, encouraging her to do her homework and turn off the TV. The latter received the loudest applause from your resident blogger.
Ultimately, it was a workday crowd of people who took time out of their day to see a candidate they were either supporting or highly interested in supporting. There were no hecklers, no major softballs, and it is too early in the summer for it to have the air of an important rally.
My biggest complaint was with Barack's handshake - a little too flabby for a hardy New Englander like myself. I might send him an e-mail about that. And now, give me leave for the White Mountains, those beefy gems of the Northeast. Three cheers for the Pemi, and until Marlow and Richardson on Thursday, keep your gameface on.
BTB
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Kerfuckthat
It saddened me today to see that Frank Rich use the word "kerfuffle" in his weekly article. It is a word usually uttered by the likes of Maureen Dowd, dopey poli-sci profs, and the geeks over at the Post. I just wanted to point out that you will never hear me utter that word here at 3Q, unless to call people out for their poor choice in vocabulary. If I have one journalistic pet peeve, that strange Gaelic babble qualifies in spades. That's all.
BTB
BTB
Friday, June 22, 2007
Friday Clearinghouse
Welcome to the Friday Clearinghouse, a new feature here at 3Q where I'll be tossing down some of my favorite links from the week. It may not happen every Friday, and it may not happen every week, but for now we're going with it. In fact, while most of this post was written on a Friday, here it is Wednesday night.
Bill Richardson has launched a terrific website, No Troops Left Behind, poking a thumb in the eye of both parties. Even though he, in my opinion, botched the ideal launch of the slogan by using the word "zero" for emphasis the line is a killer. Though hardly the basis of a campaign, this is the kind of chicanery that wins the hearts and minds. Kudos to Bill.
Spoofed on the Borowitz Report, and certain to be widely panned by jilted Democrats, Ralph Nader gave an interview recently wherein he ponders another White House run. (Full interview here, at 1:44 into the transcript.) Most of the interview pertains to corporate welfare and it's disharmony with the spirit of America, but the interview invariably turns to '08, where Ralph gives his take on most candidates. It is interesting to hear how he sees them, mostly in terms of how bought they appear to be. His take on HRC is the most vicious, and rightly so: "She is a political coward," Nader said. "She goes around pandering to powerful interest groups on the one hand and flattering general audiences on the other. She doesn't even have the minimal political fortitude of her husband." Put that in your poll and smoke it! There is an article about Nader in the brain somewhere if any more noise is made, and in the meantime I would recommend catching a recent documentary if you get the chance, An Unreasonable Man.
It turns out that the electorate has a crush on more than just Obama. Here is Nashville's love song to F. Thompson. As it turns out, the Fix has uncovered a hate song, as well, coming from the far right. Love or hate, the "choice" is yours.
I'm not sure if Giuliani is considering changing his authoritarian stances on anything, but I am sure his SC state chairman might suggest some drug war efficacy in light of his recent cocaine indictment. That won't play well in the South.
I hate to beat a dead horse, but I am strongly considering devoting at least one paragraph a week to point out what a schmuck Sam Brownback is. In this campaign youtube video he not only bumbles nearly every sentence that comes out of his mush mouth, but he also closes his entry by saying that he is travelling "acrosst America". Oh man, we gotta get this guy out of the race.
So much to say, so many beers to drink, so little time.
Opa Opa at the Spoke-a,
BTB
Bill Richardson has launched a terrific website, No Troops Left Behind, poking a thumb in the eye of both parties. Even though he, in my opinion, botched the ideal launch of the slogan by using the word "zero" for emphasis the line is a killer. Though hardly the basis of a campaign, this is the kind of chicanery that wins the hearts and minds. Kudos to Bill.
Spoofed on the Borowitz Report, and certain to be widely panned by jilted Democrats, Ralph Nader gave an interview recently wherein he ponders another White House run. (Full interview here, at 1:44 into the transcript.) Most of the interview pertains to corporate welfare and it's disharmony with the spirit of America, but the interview invariably turns to '08, where Ralph gives his take on most candidates. It is interesting to hear how he sees them, mostly in terms of how bought they appear to be. His take on HRC is the most vicious, and rightly so: "She is a political coward," Nader said. "She goes around pandering to powerful interest groups on the one hand and flattering general audiences on the other. She doesn't even have the minimal political fortitude of her husband." Put that in your poll and smoke it! There is an article about Nader in the brain somewhere if any more noise is made, and in the meantime I would recommend catching a recent documentary if you get the chance, An Unreasonable Man.
It turns out that the electorate has a crush on more than just Obama. Here is Nashville's love song to F. Thompson. As it turns out, the Fix has uncovered a hate song, as well, coming from the far right. Love or hate, the "choice" is yours.
I'm not sure if Giuliani is considering changing his authoritarian stances on anything, but I am sure his SC state chairman might suggest some drug war efficacy in light of his recent cocaine indictment. That won't play well in the South.
I hate to beat a dead horse, but I am strongly considering devoting at least one paragraph a week to point out what a schmuck Sam Brownback is. In this campaign youtube video he not only bumbles nearly every sentence that comes out of his mush mouth, but he also closes his entry by saying that he is travelling "acrosst America". Oh man, we gotta get this guy out of the race.
So much to say, so many beers to drink, so little time.
Opa Opa at the Spoke-a,
BTB
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Big Ol' Piece of Gravel
Yet another reason Mike Gravel won't win the Democratic nomination in 2008, he has positioned himself as a French filmmaker in this campaign video.
Absurdity? Existentialism? Metaphor? Check, check and double check.
Absurdity? Existentialism? Metaphor? Check, check and double check.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Bordello of Boredom
Hillary Rodham Clinton released a video, too. This one a spoof of the Soprano's ending. Although I have never seen a single episode of Tony & Co., the finale got so much media attention that I knew exactly what to expect. The video was a preface to the release of the official campaign song. The spot is amusing, but ultimately a letdown when you realize that the song is...You and I by Celine Dion. Wow. Never ceases to disappoint. I am with Bill, it should have been Smashmouth.
Malbec and Pizza,
BTB
Malbec and Pizza,
BTB
Super Hum-Mitt
My favorite part about Mitt Romney is the admiration I have for him as America's Mormon Political Superman. In time for Father's Day, the Romney campaign released a video on it's website, a home video no less, showing the 2006 Romney Christmas holiday from their beautiful, Western, woodsy Utah vacation home with pine walls and stainless steel appliances. Apparently it was over this vacation that Mitt made the final decision to run for President of the United States to cap off his charmed life. This video shows his outrageously all-American family - men with chiseled chins playing basketball, sledding and watching football alongside attractive wives and toddlers running around playing games and drinking juice. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady even make notable cameos in the background of a number of shots on the television. Coincidence? I don't think so. More importantly, only once does anyone appear to be actually watching the game, a grandson. What's up with that? Back to the point, we see Mitt as vigorous (sledding and being rammed into by his son), patriarchal (saying a thankful prayer before dinner), studious (shooting a piercing gaze into a book while his wife gushes about how intelligent he is) and successful. What better in a President? Sound judgment perhaps, but in terms of political pageantry I think we have as fine an actor as we will see in our lifetimes. I recommend the video (only 13 minutes) even for the haters out there. At the very least you will see that he has a son named Tagg. Whoops, I guess I ruined that for you.
See you out on the trail,
BTB
See you out on the trail,
BTB
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Live from Goffstown
Rather, the television is live from Goffstown, NH but here in Quabbin Qountry we are just plain alive. Wolf Blitzer looks like he is in a screening room compared to the candidates behind, but I'll believe CNN. I hate to do the same ol'-same ol, but alas here we go with some live blogging.
"I am the Senator from New York. I have seen firsthand the terrible damage" - Clinton echoes Giuliani. Not surprised.
"I opposed this war from the start. I think you're about 4 and a half years too late." - Obama in response to Edwards' barbs. Meanwhile, Hillary is trying to stay as neutral as possible, likely because she knows she doesn't have any capital. She strives to tell people that the real differences are not between the Democratic candidates, but rather between the Dems and the GOP.
Oooohhhh, Wolf just zinged Hillary by asking her whether she regrets her vote having not read the intelligence report. How can you answer that? You can't. Hence, she failed to say "yes" or "no". He comes back and gives the same question to Edwards. Damn, how you gonna not read that? That said, Edwards admits his mistake. He got the first applause of the night of anyone for giving props to Obama for being right from the beginning, followed by a brief speech on the need of honesty after Bush.
I don't know if I mentioned it last time, but Obama really needs to improve upon his stage presence. Granted, he does have the least experience of any candidate, but he really shows it. He pauses too much in his speech, carries on words, stuff like that.
Hillary once again stops short of answering Wolf's question. She ends with a quotation from Barry Goldwater.
"Who's most likely to end the war in Iraq? Who's most likely to lead the way in health care?" - Edwards telling how the main role of President is not to be a legislator, but to be a leader.
As the night went on, I became distracted by other things around the house and my bloggings became less and less common. I hope to recap my efforts later on, but now its push-ups and dessert.
Ahoy,
BTB
"I am the Senator from New York. I have seen firsthand the terrible damage" - Clinton echoes Giuliani. Not surprised.
"I opposed this war from the start. I think you're about 4 and a half years too late." - Obama in response to Edwards' barbs. Meanwhile, Hillary is trying to stay as neutral as possible, likely because she knows she doesn't have any capital. She strives to tell people that the real differences are not between the Democratic candidates, but rather between the Dems and the GOP.
Oooohhhh, Wolf just zinged Hillary by asking her whether she regrets her vote having not read the intelligence report. How can you answer that? You can't. Hence, she failed to say "yes" or "no". He comes back and gives the same question to Edwards. Damn, how you gonna not read that? That said, Edwards admits his mistake. He got the first applause of the night of anyone for giving props to Obama for being right from the beginning, followed by a brief speech on the need of honesty after Bush.
I don't know if I mentioned it last time, but Obama really needs to improve upon his stage presence. Granted, he does have the least experience of any candidate, but he really shows it. He pauses too much in his speech, carries on words, stuff like that.
Hillary once again stops short of answering Wolf's question. She ends with a quotation from Barry Goldwater.
"Who's most likely to end the war in Iraq? Who's most likely to lead the way in health care?" - Edwards telling how the main role of President is not to be a legislator, but to be a leader.
As the night went on, I became distracted by other things around the house and my bloggings became less and less common. I hope to recap my efforts later on, but now its push-ups and dessert.
Ahoy,
BTB
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Everybody's Rockin'
There has been some rough chatter on Iraq lately, what with the new authorization bill coming up. As John Kerry puts it, "I’m voting no on this bill. I’m tired of the false choices of Republicans and all the recycled spin of old battles and the political calculations that do nothing for our troops who bear the real costs of this war. Bottom line: we support the troops by getting the policy right, and this bill doesn’t do that." Giuliani, who doesn't vote, put it to another non-voter, saying that John Edwards (like many other Dems) is in denial. But certainly the most prescient attack came at the hands of Ron Paul, who held a press conference to educate Mr. Mayor himself on 9/11 policy. Paul suggested that Giuli read the following books:
“Blowback” by Chalmers Johnston, “Dying to Win” by Robert A. Pape, “Imperial Hubris” by Michael Sheuer (former head of the C.I.A.’s Osama bin Laden Unit), and of course The 9/11 Commission Report.
Best of all is that he called out Rudy for claiming not to have heard of Paul's assessments. As I mentioned earlier this week, that's a bunch of hooey. Witness the following youtube video from the Domenation series for some more background.
"I don't think he's qualified to be president," Paul said of Giuliani. "If he was to read the book and report back to me and say, 'I've changed my mind,' I would reconsider."
“Blowback” by Chalmers Johnston, “Dying to Win” by Robert A. Pape, “Imperial Hubris” by Michael Sheuer (former head of the C.I.A.’s Osama bin Laden Unit), and of course The 9/11 Commission Report.
Best of all is that he called out Rudy for claiming not to have heard of Paul's assessments. As I mentioned earlier this week, that's a bunch of hooey. Witness the following youtube video from the Domenation series for some more background.
"I don't think he's qualified to be president," Paul said of Giuliani. "If he was to read the book and report back to me and say, 'I've changed my mind,' I would reconsider."
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Back on the Trail
Welcome back to Quabbin Qountry. Before we begin, I would like to thank the Toshiba Corporation. They sent me an AC adapter, still under warranty, to replace my broken one in under 24 hours. Literally, I placed the call Wednesday at 3pm and had a box on my porch, even way the hell out at the qabin, when I arrived home from track practice on Thursday. My joy was immeasurable. I missed the internet, and I missed the blog. Without further ado, back to the show.
Paul Krugman made a good point in yesterday's Times that maybe Bush isn't so bad relative to the rest of his party-goers. The scene from last week's debate where almost all of the gang of ten would-be nominees were falling all over themselves to be the one to say that they would inflict the most torture on terrorist bad guys was chilling, indeed. It wasn't just what the candidates had to say that was disturbing, it was the audience's reaction. It was the kind of feeding frenzy where the more blood the speaker could invoke, the hungrier the audience grew as they loudly growled with lusty approval over lines like the following
Giuliani: "And I would -- well, I'd say every method they could think of"
Romney: "Some people have said, we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is, we ought to double Guantanamo."
Hunter: "One sentence: Get the information. Have it back within an hour, and let's act on it."
At least Duncan had the respect to close his statement by saying "and I will take full responsibility" for the backlash of any torturous activity. Does that mean he would do a retaliatory self-waterboarding? Probably not, but if we take him at his word he would at least admit to it and say that he believed in it, and let history judge him as such.
There was one bright spot to the whole torture exchange, when Brit Hume gave John McCain the last word, having been the only one to go against the hard party line. He responded with this: "Yes, and the interesting thing about that aspect is that during the debate, when we had the detainee treatment act, there was a sharp division between those who had served in the military and those who hadn't." Virtually every senior officer, retired or active- duty, starting with Colin Powell, General Vessey and everyone else, agreed with my position that we should not torture people. . .So yes, literally every retired military person and active duty military person who has actually been in battle and served for extended times in the military supported my position, and I'm glad of it." I am glad, too.
Here are a few thoughts on some of the candidates. The Fix gave it's grades, but here we go from the 3Q perspective.
Tommy Thompson: Let's start with the former Wisconsin governor by treating like a cube of sharp, yellow cheddar - Stick a fork in him. This man was frightening to watch, purely from a physical standpoint. He has no discernible neck. It didn't help that he sounded vague and desperate every time he opened his mouth.
Sam Brownback: The highlight of his day for me was watching him pretend to be compassionate when asked about a rape victim being forced to carry the child of the ruthless criminal who violated her. He gives a half grimace and a reassuring nod as he begins by saying, "hat would be a very difficult situation, and it is a very difficult situation," before proceeding to completely ignore the situation and saying "will that (abortion) make the woman in a better situation if that's what takes place? And I don't think so." Of course not. Of course this woman's life will be better if she gives birth to God's rape child. I'm sorry, Sam, but your so-called "pro-life, whole-life" motto is thoroughly de-bunked every time you say "I will do it. I'll move aggressively forward on it" in reference to "deliberately and methodically" attacking other countries. Aren't confused, poor Africans God's children just as much as the rapist's bastard child? What a crock.
Mike Huckabee: Huckabee scored the most points of any of the middle-tier candidates, if only because he appears articulate and can handle the conservative banner better than any of the front-runners. There have been numerous articles saying the same thing and wondering why he hasn't taken off, and why he has raised so little money. So it seems likely that he will be the candidate that could have been, but at least he got off the most memorable zinger of the night when he said, "We've had Congress that's spent money like Edwards at a beauty shop." Hey-o! Even better, he mentioned it in reference to incurring a "fair tax" that would potentially get a lot of the IRS BS out of the way. He also seemed very even-keeled when he stood up for his tax increases to build roads and protect schools. Let's hope for the Red-State-blooded Americans out there that he will pick up some momentum. Plus, he lost a hundred pounds and ran a marathon. Props to that.
Tom Tancredo, Jim Gilmore: Meh. Not really worth a recap.
Ron Paul: Paul certainly did himself a disservice to goal of achieving the Republican nomination down at USC, but at least he went down guns blazin'. Even though he is a Libertarian, he didn't flout the notion that tax cuts alone will save our economy. He continually referred to fiscal discipline being a two-way street of reducing spending before we reduce our income. Certainly not cutting taxes while starting a war. He called out 9/11 a few times, initially saying, "we were spending $40 billion on security prior to 9/11, and they had all the information they needed there to deal with the threat." Damn. He proceeded to get himself into some trouble when he took the path of honesty and humility, admitting that American foreign policy necessarily impacts the views of hostile forces in the Middle East, a bad idea in the face of 9/11 bulldog/opportunist Rudy Giuliani, who then called him out by saying "I don't think I've heard that before." Really, Rudy? You've never heard that explanation before? What a sham. Don't bring that false exasperation to Quabbin Qountry any time soon. It belongs in one place and one place only - the Vlad Squad bench. Keep it real. I digress.
At any rate, Mr. Paul stood up to Rudy, but the damage was done. The crusty old Southerners in the audience were eating up Giuli's rabid terrorist-bating, and Ronnie was done. But not for me, as his best line was yet to come. After the debate's torture debacle (Paul was not questioned) he went out of his way to say, "but you know, I think it's interesting talking about torture here in that it's become enhanced interrogation technique. It sounds like Newspeak." Word. Second only to my horror at the crowd's reaction was my incredulous wonder at why the candidates were pussyfooting around the word torture in their defenses of it, calling it enhanced techniques and never readily admit to the direct question about waterboarding. Paul knew, though, and he dropped it like it was hot.
After that I couldn't really go on, and I ended up flipping more and more frequently to AMC where they were showing The Karate Kid. In other words, I got tired of watching the real Cobra Kai, and opted instead for the fictionalized version, where at the end even Johnny shows some mercy. Much the same today, I lack the strength to summarize the Big 3 other than to say that they were seemingly the strongest candidates. McCain kicked Romney's ass in the tete-a-tete and was honorable on torture, but was far from a sure winner. Giuli creeped me out with the red meat routine, and Romney is articulate but too easily damaged with the flip-flop attack. But hey, only EIGHT MORE MONTHS 'til New Hampshire!!! Time is a-wastin'!
. . .
The Sunshine Boy, unfazed by Huckabee's zinger, wrote a pre-emptive op-ed in the Huffington Post today, calling on Americans to take seriously their task on Memorial Day to remember the great sacrifices of American soldiers not by slapping a "Support Our Troops" magnet on their car, but by making a real effort to get the troops sent home from the current debacle in Iraq. I applaud him for the gesture. It is my belief that too often these days, in a world of instant leisure and long work days for so many, we have forgotten the purpose of national holidays. We see them as a free day to go to the beach or to be able to drink three nights in a row instead of actually pondering the meaning of the event. I think it is important for politicians to sincerely advocate their true celebration, and better yet to lead by example. Full disclosure: I will probably use it as an opportunity to drink three days in a row, but will accept any and all thoughts of good will to do the right thing. We're in this together, after all.
Sipping a Smuttynose from the banks of the Sawmill River,
BTB
Paul Krugman made a good point in yesterday's Times that maybe Bush isn't so bad relative to the rest of his party-goers. The scene from last week's debate where almost all of the gang of ten would-be nominees were falling all over themselves to be the one to say that they would inflict the most torture on terrorist bad guys was chilling, indeed. It wasn't just what the candidates had to say that was disturbing, it was the audience's reaction. It was the kind of feeding frenzy where the more blood the speaker could invoke, the hungrier the audience grew as they loudly growled with lusty approval over lines like the following
Giuliani: "And I would -- well, I'd say every method they could think of"
Romney: "Some people have said, we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is, we ought to double Guantanamo."
Hunter: "One sentence: Get the information. Have it back within an hour, and let's act on it."
At least Duncan had the respect to close his statement by saying "and I will take full responsibility" for the backlash of any torturous activity. Does that mean he would do a retaliatory self-waterboarding? Probably not, but if we take him at his word he would at least admit to it and say that he believed in it, and let history judge him as such.
There was one bright spot to the whole torture exchange, when Brit Hume gave John McCain the last word, having been the only one to go against the hard party line. He responded with this: "Yes, and the interesting thing about that aspect is that during the debate, when we had the detainee treatment act, there was a sharp division between those who had served in the military and those who hadn't." Virtually every senior officer, retired or active- duty, starting with Colin Powell, General Vessey and everyone else, agreed with my position that we should not torture people. . .So yes, literally every retired military person and active duty military person who has actually been in battle and served for extended times in the military supported my position, and I'm glad of it." I am glad, too.
Here are a few thoughts on some of the candidates. The Fix gave it's grades, but here we go from the 3Q perspective.
Tommy Thompson: Let's start with the former Wisconsin governor by treating like a cube of sharp, yellow cheddar - Stick a fork in him. This man was frightening to watch, purely from a physical standpoint. He has no discernible neck. It didn't help that he sounded vague and desperate every time he opened his mouth.
Sam Brownback: The highlight of his day for me was watching him pretend to be compassionate when asked about a rape victim being forced to carry the child of the ruthless criminal who violated her. He gives a half grimace and a reassuring nod as he begins by saying, "hat would be a very difficult situation, and it is a very difficult situation," before proceeding to completely ignore the situation and saying "will that (abortion) make the woman in a better situation if that's what takes place? And I don't think so." Of course not. Of course this woman's life will be better if she gives birth to God's rape child. I'm sorry, Sam, but your so-called "pro-life, whole-life" motto is thoroughly de-bunked every time you say "I will do it. I'll move aggressively forward on it" in reference to "deliberately and methodically" attacking other countries. Aren't confused, poor Africans God's children just as much as the rapist's bastard child? What a crock.
Mike Huckabee: Huckabee scored the most points of any of the middle-tier candidates, if only because he appears articulate and can handle the conservative banner better than any of the front-runners. There have been numerous articles saying the same thing and wondering why he hasn't taken off, and why he has raised so little money. So it seems likely that he will be the candidate that could have been, but at least he got off the most memorable zinger of the night when he said, "We've had Congress that's spent money like Edwards at a beauty shop." Hey-o! Even better, he mentioned it in reference to incurring a "fair tax" that would potentially get a lot of the IRS BS out of the way. He also seemed very even-keeled when he stood up for his tax increases to build roads and protect schools. Let's hope for the Red-State-blooded Americans out there that he will pick up some momentum. Plus, he lost a hundred pounds and ran a marathon. Props to that.
Tom Tancredo, Jim Gilmore: Meh. Not really worth a recap.
Ron Paul: Paul certainly did himself a disservice to goal of achieving the Republican nomination down at USC, but at least he went down guns blazin'. Even though he is a Libertarian, he didn't flout the notion that tax cuts alone will save our economy. He continually referred to fiscal discipline being a two-way street of reducing spending before we reduce our income. Certainly not cutting taxes while starting a war. He called out 9/11 a few times, initially saying, "we were spending $40 billion on security prior to 9/11, and they had all the information they needed there to deal with the threat." Damn. He proceeded to get himself into some trouble when he took the path of honesty and humility, admitting that American foreign policy necessarily impacts the views of hostile forces in the Middle East, a bad idea in the face of 9/11 bulldog/opportunist Rudy Giuliani, who then called him out by saying "I don't think I've heard that before." Really, Rudy? You've never heard that explanation before? What a sham. Don't bring that false exasperation to Quabbin Qountry any time soon. It belongs in one place and one place only - the Vlad Squad bench. Keep it real. I digress.
At any rate, Mr. Paul stood up to Rudy, but the damage was done. The crusty old Southerners in the audience were eating up Giuli's rabid terrorist-bating, and Ronnie was done. But not for me, as his best line was yet to come. After the debate's torture debacle (Paul was not questioned) he went out of his way to say, "but you know, I think it's interesting talking about torture here in that it's become enhanced interrogation technique. It sounds like Newspeak." Word. Second only to my horror at the crowd's reaction was my incredulous wonder at why the candidates were pussyfooting around the word torture in their defenses of it, calling it enhanced techniques and never readily admit to the direct question about waterboarding. Paul knew, though, and he dropped it like it was hot.
After that I couldn't really go on, and I ended up flipping more and more frequently to AMC where they were showing The Karate Kid. In other words, I got tired of watching the real Cobra Kai, and opted instead for the fictionalized version, where at the end even Johnny shows some mercy. Much the same today, I lack the strength to summarize the Big 3 other than to say that they were seemingly the strongest candidates. McCain kicked Romney's ass in the tete-a-tete and was honorable on torture, but was far from a sure winner. Giuli creeped me out with the red meat routine, and Romney is articulate but too easily damaged with the flip-flop attack. But hey, only EIGHT MORE MONTHS 'til New Hampshire!!! Time is a-wastin'!
. . .
The Sunshine Boy, unfazed by Huckabee's zinger, wrote a pre-emptive op-ed in the Huffington Post today, calling on Americans to take seriously their task on Memorial Day to remember the great sacrifices of American soldiers not by slapping a "Support Our Troops" magnet on their car, but by making a real effort to get the troops sent home from the current debacle in Iraq. I applaud him for the gesture. It is my belief that too often these days, in a world of instant leisure and long work days for so many, we have forgotten the purpose of national holidays. We see them as a free day to go to the beach or to be able to drink three nights in a row instead of actually pondering the meaning of the event. I think it is important for politicians to sincerely advocate their true celebration, and better yet to lead by example. Full disclosure: I will probably use it as an opportunity to drink three days in a row, but will accept any and all thoughts of good will to do the right thing. We're in this together, after all.
Sipping a Smuttynose from the banks of the Sawmill River,
BTB
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Hiatus
Loyal Readers,
A brief note on the status of Quabbin Qountry: my computer's power cord is on the blink at the moment, and has been for a couple of days. I have a few posts nearly finished, and once I get everything fixed I will be back in business. Check back in a few days, and stay Qountry!
Ahoy,
BTB
A brief note on the status of Quabbin Qountry: my computer's power cord is on the blink at the moment, and has been for a couple of days. I have a few posts nearly finished, and once I get everything fixed I will be back in business. Check back in a few days, and stay Qountry!
Ahoy,
BTB
Saturday, April 28, 2007
McNeill's for Realz.
Brattleboro, VT -
I am sitting halfway down a long, German beer hall-styled table on a moderately warm spring night in the upper Connecticut River Valley pondering how my life was completely altered not but ten minutes ago. What could cause such a stir? Quite simply, it is the unlikely bedfellow of wireless internet and McNeill's Brewery. Coming home from Middlebury this evening I stopped in at my old watering hole, thinking I would turn on the laptop and try to churn out some words that I could later cut and paste into my blogspot interface, and was shocked to find a real-deal wireless connection. The potential of drastically altering 1) the face of McNeill's, 2) my social life and 3) the utter fabric of Western New England is real, very very real. Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, how the cask beer goes down easier than water after a ten mile run. Let me tell you how sweet it is, like the perfect match of coffee and a chocolate chip cookie on a brisk fall eve.
Although now that I have opened everything up I realize that I don't have much to say. The Clyburn fish fry and California Dem caucus mean little to me, as does the GOP bickering circuit. On the McCain trail, there have apparently been lots of railings against Harry Reid and his comments on a lost war. As McCain puts it, " if you declare this war lost, then who won? Who won? Al-Qaeda? Are we ready to acknowledge that Al Qaeda has won the war in Iraq? I don’t think so." You are missing the point! Of course Qaeda didn't win the war. Qaeda was never involved in Iraq! Hello, McFly! It is all one big moot point. So shame on both of those guys. Reid for being a bitch and trying to embarrass the administration with the "loss" thing and McCain for trying to exploit it without any real basis. I hate to beat a dead horse (unless it is a McNeill's Dead Horse IPA on cask) but I won't be undersold on this issue! As my boy Zak says, "No more lies!"
On the bright side the spring peepers are out, the rivers are flowing fast and furious and the running career is back in full swing. Plus I'm just really excited about McNeill's. Regrettably, I live an hour away.
Duck's Breath,
BTB
I am sitting halfway down a long, German beer hall-styled table on a moderately warm spring night in the upper Connecticut River Valley pondering how my life was completely altered not but ten minutes ago. What could cause such a stir? Quite simply, it is the unlikely bedfellow of wireless internet and McNeill's Brewery. Coming home from Middlebury this evening I stopped in at my old watering hole, thinking I would turn on the laptop and try to churn out some words that I could later cut and paste into my blogspot interface, and was shocked to find a real-deal wireless connection. The potential of drastically altering 1) the face of McNeill's, 2) my social life and 3) the utter fabric of Western New England is real, very very real. Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, how the cask beer goes down easier than water after a ten mile run. Let me tell you how sweet it is, like the perfect match of coffee and a chocolate chip cookie on a brisk fall eve.
Although now that I have opened everything up I realize that I don't have much to say. The Clyburn fish fry and California Dem caucus mean little to me, as does the GOP bickering circuit. On the McCain trail, there have apparently been lots of railings against Harry Reid and his comments on a lost war. As McCain puts it, " if you declare this war lost, then who won? Who won? Al-Qaeda? Are we ready to acknowledge that Al Qaeda has won the war in Iraq? I don’t think so." You are missing the point! Of course Qaeda didn't win the war. Qaeda was never involved in Iraq! Hello, McFly! It is all one big moot point. So shame on both of those guys. Reid for being a bitch and trying to embarrass the administration with the "loss" thing and McCain for trying to exploit it without any real basis. I hate to beat a dead horse (unless it is a McNeill's Dead Horse IPA on cask) but I won't be undersold on this issue! As my boy Zak says, "No more lies!"
On the bright side the spring peepers are out, the rivers are flowing fast and furious and the running career is back in full swing. Plus I'm just really excited about McNeill's. Regrettably, I live an hour away.
Duck's Breath,
BTB
Friday, April 27, 2007
DE(bat)ES Nuts!!
All eight of our Democratic presidential hopefuls squared off last night in the first of who knows how many debates down at South Carolina State. Today the press corps came out with a number of "winners" and "losers", so I figured that we should do the same here at 3QHQ. Everyone from The Fix to Slate to Joe Scarboro had their say on the winners and losers. Not that we give a shit. Here is our take.
Obama received mix messages. Many found him reluctant and milquetoast, trying too hard to maintain his status quo as the up-and-comer and drastically afraid to say something stupid when his already-strong momentum is crucial in catching Hillary Rodham in the first two weeks of February 2008. Yet there were plenty of others, like Chris Matthews, who found him sophisticated and deep. Then there was John Edwards who found him "high falutin'" or some such. HRC seemed to get positive reviews across the board, and that comes as no surprise. If you are looking for a careful, intelligent, centrist candidate she is your person. As a result, she will do well in every debate. This one was no different. Edwards was also mixed. He is hard to dislike with his old southern charm and $400 good looks. He also took it to the rest of the big 3 more than any of his compatriots (Barack and HRC, that is), but that awkward pause in the moral leader question certainly didn't help him. While we are on it, I reallllly felt that Obama looked around before raising his hand on the "global war on terror" question. Bush league. That was certainly my biggest critique.
Of the second tier, Billy Rich was the clear loser. He couldn't keep his words under control and he was gesticulating like a Valley Girl. Plus he appeared to be sweating profusely. Dodd was uneventful. Biden did well, but that is no surprise. Biden is a tight dude. Everyone loved his "Yes" answer, and his silver-haired patrician looks, and he certainly has good things to say. He is a longshot to win the nomination, but I presume he will come out of this fray with goodwill from a large faction of Americans. Meanwhile, someone in the blogosphere finally picked up on our friend at BHC's mantra that Kucinich deserves respect on account of his wife. She certainly towered over him on the stage last night. But seriously, Kucinich was arguably the biggest winner of the night from our vantage. He really brought the Quabbin Qabin down with his story about living in the same $22.5K Cleveland house that he bought in the early 90s. Take that, Edwards and Clinton! Imagine if Kerry was in the house. He spoke forcefully about the war, and his pocket Constitution gimmick was endearing, if a little contrived. Lastly, Gravel is a kook and need not be included in any more debates. In other words, bring out the hook!
Speaking abruptly from the Haymarket before it closes, we look forward to more debate. Stay legit.
Obama received mix messages. Many found him reluctant and milquetoast, trying too hard to maintain his status quo as the up-and-comer and drastically afraid to say something stupid when his already-strong momentum is crucial in catching Hillary Rodham in the first two weeks of February 2008. Yet there were plenty of others, like Chris Matthews, who found him sophisticated and deep. Then there was John Edwards who found him "high falutin'" or some such. HRC seemed to get positive reviews across the board, and that comes as no surprise. If you are looking for a careful, intelligent, centrist candidate she is your person. As a result, she will do well in every debate. This one was no different. Edwards was also mixed. He is hard to dislike with his old southern charm and $400 good looks. He also took it to the rest of the big 3 more than any of his compatriots (Barack and HRC, that is), but that awkward pause in the moral leader question certainly didn't help him. While we are on it, I reallllly felt that Obama looked around before raising his hand on the "global war on terror" question. Bush league. That was certainly my biggest critique.
Of the second tier, Billy Rich was the clear loser. He couldn't keep his words under control and he was gesticulating like a Valley Girl. Plus he appeared to be sweating profusely. Dodd was uneventful. Biden did well, but that is no surprise. Biden is a tight dude. Everyone loved his "Yes" answer, and his silver-haired patrician looks, and he certainly has good things to say. He is a longshot to win the nomination, but I presume he will come out of this fray with goodwill from a large faction of Americans. Meanwhile, someone in the blogosphere finally picked up on our friend at BHC's mantra that Kucinich deserves respect on account of his wife. She certainly towered over him on the stage last night. But seriously, Kucinich was arguably the biggest winner of the night from our vantage. He really brought the Quabbin Qabin down with his story about living in the same $22.5K Cleveland house that he bought in the early 90s. Take that, Edwards and Clinton! Imagine if Kerry was in the house. He spoke forcefully about the war, and his pocket Constitution gimmick was endearing, if a little contrived. Lastly, Gravel is a kook and need not be included in any more debates. In other words, bring out the hook!
Speaking abruptly from the Haymarket before it closes, we look forward to more debate. Stay legit.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Pursuing Happiness - In English
Please recall the imbroglio over Newt Gingrich's English-first comments of a few weeks ago. In making a plea for English to be the only language spoken in classrooms and on ballots, he called it the "language of living in a ghetto" and was lambasted for his words from sources across all spectra. Recently he wrote a clarification, here posted in the Manch U-L where he talks of his own difficulties learning Espanol and the importance of multilingualism in culture and commerce, if not in government. It is worth a read, if only for what appears to be sincerity. Either that or its fool me twice, shame on me.
Plus, Bill Maher is on point in the Huff Post. Conservation may be a personal virtue, according to Dickey C., but it is a pretty important virtue. "So thanks guy in line at Starbucks, you just killed us."
Plus, Bill Maher is on point in the Huff Post. Conservation may be a personal virtue, according to Dickey C., but it is a pretty important virtue. "So thanks guy in line at Starbucks, you just killed us."
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The Substance and the Shadow
There has been a lot of talk about Fred Thompson looking Presidential. Yesterday he spoke on the Hill with little substance, and today I watched a month-old clip of a FOX News interview (part 1, part 2). I, too, found little substance. I am not condemning him by any stretch, given that he is merely a citizen right now and not a candidate, but nor am I impressed. He doesn't even look presidential. As Dana Milbank writes, "Actually, Thompson looked old and sallow as he faced the cameras for a few seconds before hopping into a waiting GMC Envoy." It's true! Thompson is jowlier than Alfred Hitchcock. Combine him with McCain and GOP suddenly stands for Geriatric Old Party. The article I linked in the previous post talks of Thompson as a Cuban-smoking, pickup-driving everyman, but based on the interviews I have seen he is far from receiving my vote as the GOP beer candidate. I would be afraid he would keel over or lecture me on being more pious. Plus, he's a shitty actor.
We will close on a lighter note. Everybody sing along with John McCain, "Bomb bomb bomb..."
HI-larious, right??
We will close on a lighter note. Everybody sing along with John McCain, "Bomb bomb bomb..."
HI-larious, right??
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Never Surrender!
Earlier today I was on The Weekly Standard's website reading this article about Fred Thompson, and I scrolled over an ad, paid for by McCain 2008, with the blue-sheened stars of our great Flag framing the words "SURRENDER IS NOT AN OPTION" and with a plea to sign this petition to "tell Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid that withdrawal will endanger America." Take that, Madame Speaker! What I have never understood about the withdrawal of troops from Iraq is how it equates to surrender. To me, surrender only exists in a well-defined battle with two distinct sides. Are we surrendering to the state of Iraq? We are the state of Iraq! Are we surrendering to "the terrorists"? If that is the case it implies that we will let them have their way with us, whoever they are. Even the most Colbert-hating traitorous liberal wouldn't agree with that statement. The idea of leaving as surrendering also implies that we will otherwise stay until they surrender, whoever they are. Given that scenario 2 is impossible, I argue that scenario 1 is also illogical and false. Instead, we surrender our dignity by staying over there. We surrender the happiness and livelihood of the families of our fallen soldiers. We have surrendered $417 billion dollars. Isn't it about time we replaced our white flag with those beautifully evocative stars and stripes?
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Gaffes
With the quarterly earnings posted, the campaign is back in the swing of things. Everybody got their day in the sun (or, if they earned less than $10M, their day under a rock) and now is the time to rock that hott suntan. Ah, who am I kidding? It was a week full of gaffes.
Leading the charge was Johnny Mac, who last weekend gave a press conference from a Baghdad market talking progress on the war effort. Wearing full body armor, flanked by dozens of soldiers and heavy artillery, McCain said "never have I been able to drive from the airport, never have I been able to go out into the city as I was today." He quickly reverted to damage control, telling 60 Minutes (among others) "Of course I'm going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do in the future." Given the harsh response to his Baghdad visit, McCain needed to play politics to placate his numerous critics especially after the shellacking he took in fundraising the week before. He is a wounded man trying to stay on life support long enough to heal up for the summer. But, if you actually look at his comments, which the sound byte media does not allow us, McCain really didn't misspeak in Baghdad. What he said was that there "are reasons for cautious -- very cautious optimism" in Iraq, and based upon his reasons, that is a valid argument. His only true gaffe was insensitivity. It is incredibly disrespectful to the people in Iraq everyday without an armored posse to flash the cameras, smile, and talk about progress when people are dying by the handful every single day without
body armor and tanks to back them up. He should have apologized about that, and not about misspeaking. He didn't misspeak, and therein lies the twofold problem. Number 1, why is he backing down from a statement that he could easily stand behind? And number 2, does he really feel the need to seek out optimism? Straight talk? More like fate talk. Like, I think he is fated to a slippery slope away from the wide respect he used to hold.
A few days later, Mitt Romney gaffed about much more benign guns. The kind of guns that kill critters, and not neighborhoods full of civilians. My watchdog homeys up in Keene badgered Mitt into saying "I've been a hunter pretty much all my life." Pretty much. Kind of like I pretty much get every girl I go after. By pretty much, they meant once when he was a teenager he shot a rabbit with a BB gun, and then last year he shot at some quails while at a posh resort with the Republican Governors Convention. Ultimately, the campaign decided to stop lying and just came out and said "Governor Romney never said he was Teddy Roosevelt. He’s more like Jed Clampett." By the way, I was up in Keene yesterday, however briefly. Just wanted to give a shout out to the Elm City. I anxiously await next time I get to kick it at Margarita's with all the Owls.
In other news, Newt came out on Fox to call for Gonzo to get, well, gone-zo. "This is the most mishandled, artificial, self-created mess that I can remember...the buck has to stop somewhere and I am assuming it is the Attorney General and his immediate team and I think it is amazing that there's any doubt about the fact that they have totally mishandled this." Damn.
What the gaffes really come down to is this: its a damn shame that these politicians can't just Ghost Ride their campaigns when they become too hard to handle.
Ghost Ride
Go Crazy
Who's That Drivin?
Quabbin Qountry.
Leading the charge was Johnny Mac, who last weekend gave a press conference from a Baghdad market talking progress on the war effort. Wearing full body armor, flanked by dozens of soldiers and heavy artillery, McCain said "never have I been able to drive from the airport, never have I been able to go out into the city as I was today." He quickly reverted to damage control, telling 60 Minutes (among others) "Of course I'm going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do in the future." Given the harsh response to his Baghdad visit, McCain needed to play politics to placate his numerous critics especially after the shellacking he took in fundraising the week before. He is a wounded man trying to stay on life support long enough to heal up for the summer. But, if you actually look at his comments, which the sound byte media does not allow us, McCain really didn't misspeak in Baghdad. What he said was that there "are reasons for cautious -- very cautious optimism" in Iraq, and based upon his reasons, that is a valid argument. His only true gaffe was insensitivity. It is incredibly disrespectful to the people in Iraq everyday without an armored posse to flash the cameras, smile, and talk about progress when people are dying by the handful every single day without
body armor and tanks to back them up. He should have apologized about that, and not about misspeaking. He didn't misspeak, and therein lies the twofold problem. Number 1, why is he backing down from a statement that he could easily stand behind? And number 2, does he really feel the need to seek out optimism? Straight talk? More like fate talk. Like, I think he is fated to a slippery slope away from the wide respect he used to hold.A few days later, Mitt Romney gaffed about much more benign guns. The kind of guns that kill critters, and not neighborhoods full of civilians. My watchdog homeys up in Keene badgered Mitt into saying "I've been a hunter pretty much all my life." Pretty much. Kind of like I pretty much get every girl I go after. By pretty much, they meant once when he was a teenager he shot a rabbit with a BB gun, and then last year he shot at some quails while at a posh resort with the Republican Governors Convention. Ultimately, the campaign decided to stop lying and just came out and said "Governor Romney never said he was Teddy Roosevelt. He’s more like Jed Clampett." By the way, I was up in Keene yesterday, however briefly. Just wanted to give a shout out to the Elm City. I anxiously await next time I get to kick it at Margarita's with all the Owls.
In other news, Newt came out on Fox to call for Gonzo to get, well, gone-zo. "This is the most mishandled, artificial, self-created mess that I can remember...the buck has to stop somewhere and I am assuming it is the Attorney General and his immediate team and I think it is amazing that there's any doubt about the fact that they have totally mishandled this." Damn.
What the gaffes really come down to is this: its a damn shame that these politicians can't just Ghost Ride their campaigns when they become too hard to handle.
Ghost Ride
Go Crazy
Who's That Drivin?
Quabbin Qountry.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Hugo-Not
I have always admired the bold statements of Hugo Chavez from afar, but I will admire no longer. Once the speaker of such in-your-face shit talk as "the great loser today was George W. Bush. The man went away wounded. You could see defeat on his face," and '"The devil came here yesterday, and it smells of sulfur still today", Hugo Chavez now only makes his past stances seem even more egomaniacal and hollow. Apparently, the tyrant has temporarily turned the Bolivarian Republic into a prohibition state for the holy week to cut down on drunk driving accidents. Nor is it the first time he has done such a thing. What a freedom-hating sham! It shames me now that I once, however briefly, named my fantasy basketball team the Hugo Chavez Oilers. If only Bush had a boozy bully-pulpit from which to mock him with something along the lines of, "Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!" Alas, only 657 more days. Hopefully this will satiate my critics who say I am too focused on America. It is too late to get into more pithy subjects, instead I will retire to my chamber to dream about Ghost Ridin' the Whip or some such nonsense.
Ahoy,
BTB
Ahoy,
BTB
Sunday, April 1, 2007
48 Million Reasons to Be Afraid
Today's Fix posted HRC's modest first quarter earnings at $26,000,000. Yeah, that's in millions, and yeah, that is only since January 20, 2007. The official HRC website reminds us that "in March of 2003, the highest total reported by a Democratic campaign in its first-quarter fundraising report was $7.4 million and the top four candidates combined raised just over $23 million." In other words, we can and will whore like never before! On the same day, Clinton finance chairman Terry "the snake" McAulliffe sets the artificial standards of competition high saying, "I would expect Senator Obama is going to have a comparable amount of money to what we have." Let's hope not.
...
breaking news
...
Even as we speak here at 3Q, rumours have it that Obamamania may have contributed a nearly-identical $21-22M. All this is very disheartening, especially in light of the news that so many states are frontloading primaries on their own terms. Has year-and-a-half-in-advance pocketbook voting replaced the polls in primaries? Poor John Edwards ($14M), and poorer Chris Dodd ($4M)! I guess it shows something that tens of thousands of people are willing to part ways with his money so soon, I just don't know if it is more to do with candidate support or Thomas Tusser. Let's face it, I'd rather spend my money on supporting my local barkeep, or at least buying up conservation land. I am very fearful of this cycle of doom where campaign cash gets tossed around like $100 bills at a Pacman Jones stripper party. Let's make it rain with handshakes and not phone banks.
Instead I will have to stay refreshed with Chuck Klosterman's Final Four bloggings, where the topic of the day is a rant about the McLaughlin Group. More on refreshiness later.
Signing off with a Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout,
BTB
...
breaking news
...
Even as we speak here at 3Q, rumours have it that Obamamania may have contributed a nearly-identical $21-22M. All this is very disheartening, especially in light of the news that so many states are frontloading primaries on their own terms. Has year-and-a-half-in-advance pocketbook voting replaced the polls in primaries? Poor John Edwards ($14M), and poorer Chris Dodd ($4M)! I guess it shows something that tens of thousands of people are willing to part ways with his money so soon, I just don't know if it is more to do with candidate support or Thomas Tusser. Let's face it, I'd rather spend my money on supporting my local barkeep, or at least buying up conservation land. I am very fearful of this cycle of doom where campaign cash gets tossed around like $100 bills at a Pacman Jones stripper party. Let's make it rain with handshakes and not phone banks.
Instead I will have to stay refreshed with Chuck Klosterman's Final Four bloggings, where the topic of the day is a rant about the McLaughlin Group. More on refreshiness later.
Signing off with a Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout,
BTB
Sunday, March 25, 2007
New Hampshire, New Polls, Same Attitude
In a poll conducted Friday by the American Research Group, former Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) jumped into the fray with 10% of the likely New Hampshire Republican primary vote, pulling support away from most every candidate in the field and making it a potential 5-man contest with McCain (23%), Giuliani (19%), Romney (17%) and Gingrich (11%). Thompson, of course, is the Freddy-come-lately of the GOP nominees, having said a couple weeks ago that he was considering a run. The motive for this being that there were no credible conservatives in the upper echelon of the Republican ranks, with Brownback and Huckabee gaining little more than 2% outside of their home states. Thompson, then, would be the standard-bearer of the right. Today's Caucus touched briefly on the issue, which we will discuss more later, but not until we watch The Hunt for Red October.
In other news, it looks like Hillary Rodham is erasing some of Vilsack's campaign debt in a possible QPQ. No surprise from QQQ. And I really hate to beat a dead source, but I gotta give props to Lamar Smith (R-TX) for at least sticking it the Clintons, regardless of Bubba's legitimacy. Smith asked Bill to speak to a congressional subcommittee on Presidential pardons about the Rich pardon, among others. Clinton declined, of course.
On a more earnest note, Rudy reminds us that we must stay vigilant against terrorists. Hey Rudy, better watch those "S"s, especially in the Red States! But who am I to talk? Rudy can point to his new perch atop the fix's Prez line and drop a fatty cry of "scoreboard!" while I sit at home and drink bourbon while the rain falls heavy outside my cabin windows.
Some more fun from the Hill, our boy Jim Webb suffered a minor foible when one of his aides was arrested for carrying a loaded pistol into the capitol building. It seems the guy was a former Marine, and just not ready to roll through the city without a piece. Point being, don't fuck with Webb.
Sorry for the delays. But things could be on the up-and-up, it's $3 drafts at M&D all week, and the forecast is for rain. Rain, and wind.
Bluebird,
BTB
In other news, it looks like Hillary Rodham is erasing some of Vilsack's campaign debt in a possible QPQ. No surprise from QQQ. And I really hate to beat a dead source, but I gotta give props to Lamar Smith (R-TX) for at least sticking it the Clintons, regardless of Bubba's legitimacy. Smith asked Bill to speak to a congressional subcommittee on Presidential pardons about the Rich pardon, among others. Clinton declined, of course.
On a more earnest note, Rudy reminds us that we must stay vigilant against terrorists. Hey Rudy, better watch those "S"s, especially in the Red States! But who am I to talk? Rudy can point to his new perch atop the fix's Prez line and drop a fatty cry of "scoreboard!" while I sit at home and drink bourbon while the rain falls heavy outside my cabin windows.
Some more fun from the Hill, our boy Jim Webb suffered a minor foible when one of his aides was arrested for carrying a loaded pistol into the capitol building. It seems the guy was a former Marine, and just not ready to roll through the city without a piece. Point being, don't fuck with Webb.
Sorry for the delays. But things could be on the up-and-up, it's $3 drafts at M&D all week, and the forecast is for rain. Rain, and wind.
Bluebird,
BTB
Sunday, March 18, 2007
I'm Your Venus, I'm Your Fire, Your Desire
Gazing out my study window moments ago I noticed a dark orange light aglow off in the distance. Its position was indeterminate, in part because of the darkness caused by the glare of inside lights, so for all I knew it could just as well have been a low-lying star as a flashlight up in the hills; a traveler on a snowy night looking for some final peace before the work week. But then my teapot whistled, and when I returned from the kitchen it was gone. I turned off all the lights, save the dim glow of my computer screen, and I was able to see it once again.
A little research revealed that my light is the planet Venus, which at first disappointed me because I prefer to keep strange lights just that - strange. I took an astronomy class in college, and the main thing I learned from it was that I would rather not know about the position and make-up of the solar system. I just want to look up in awe. Every now and then pretend to know a constellation or two, but mostly just lie on my back in the late spring and imagine who else saw these same stars before me. Shays? Twain? Emerson? Metacomet?
And now I, with my transparent eye, sit looking upon them. Or it, rather, since it is just the one star. Not even a star, a planet. Like I said, at first I was disappointed to learn what it was. To actively learn, no less, by shutting off all the lights and doing a google news search. My curiosity prevailed over my desire to remain ignorant, to remain blissful. Had I never looked anything up I could have imagined, and truly believed, that it was a lonely soul out in the woods seeking high ground at 11pm on a Sunday, some two days after a late-season Nor'Easter left Quabbin Qountry nestled yet again under a thick blanket of snow. That would have made me happy, knowing that someone out there was doing what I always want to do - just say fuck it and go for a walk no matter when, no matter why. But I have excuses aplenty, and I just want to know that there is someone out there who doesn't.
"The greatest delight which the fields and woods minister, is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me, and I to them. The waving of the boughs in the storm, is new to me and old. It takes me by surprise, and yet is not unknown. Its effect is like that of a higher thought or a better emotion coming over me, when I deemed I was thinking justly or doing right." - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature
I remembered that quotation tonight, when I was wondering about the stars and the invisible eye. It made me think of the good old days running through Point Defiance on college breaks when I would high-five the ferns on the circle trail, and give a little elbow nudge to the salal bushes. Back when we knew each other. As for Venus, it hit me just when I started bummin' about the traveler that the planet was named after the Roman goddess of love of beauty. And if that's an omen for 3Q, then I'll take it even if it means having to give up on a few midnight walks through the woods.
Tea and oranges,
BTB
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Cah-lee-four-nee-ya
You know what? Screw you, California. I never liked you, anyway.
Back in Quabbin Qountry, its March Madness. What a weak tournament so far, the only good game has been VCU (which I picked) and if Gonzaga loses then I will have 2 of my 3 missed games be Sweet 16 teams. This happens to me every year. I do pretty well in the 1st round, but every 1st round loser of mine is a Sweet 16-er. Bah humbug.
More to talk about this weekend, with firefighters, gays, buses and all the rest.
Winterhook,
BTB
Monday, March 12, 2007
Darkness
It smelled like Bozeman when I rounded the mailbox at the end of my driveway and headed South on Gulf Road. The straggling spirits of the ancient New England orchard fields were once again pretending to have some spray in them, although their once-fruited buds now produce a scent more reminiscent of meadows and sweet country air. I could almost hear the black-billed magpies in the distance, could almost see the chocolate milky stream swollen alongside the trail. Instead I saw nothing, only the darkness overhead as I estimated each step up toward Knight's Corner, happy that I was once again running without gloves.
Republicans are also in the dark, according to the latest NYT/CBS poll of GOPers, prospects are bleak within the party, with only a 6% difference in party faithful who believe one of their men will take the White House next year over a Democrat. Furthermore, the favorability ratings of the Big 3 were stuck at 50, 32 and 14% respectively for Rudy, Mac, and Mitt. The again, with a stud like Dubya preceding you, failure is imminent by comparison. And so enter Fred Thompson.
. . .
I was in the middle of posting this latest, and relatively meaningless, entry on Monday night before I was interrupted. Now here we are on Wednesday, and any semblance of a theme has been flushed away like sediment caught up in the roaring Scarboro Brook that flows thick with snowmelt out of my backyard. Honestly, as the premature political season wanes and the Quabbin snow waxes, it is easy for my thoughts to veer away from Barack in favor of my nightly barracks; easy to opt for McCheese over McCain; the Jukebox over Giuliani. Now I know how the general electorate feels, especially if they are drunk.
I guess there comes a time in every man's life when politics takes the back seat. And when I say every man's life its more like in every man's Month....or week. But there is always elementary school. There I know they don't care about politics so I can't even pretend. There I know they hate me so I can't even pretend. There I know I am getting paid, so it is that much harder to dream.
See you in the gutter,
BTB
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Idiocracy
Spurred on by an op-ed article in today's Times, I came home and On-Demanded the film Idiocracy. The article mentioned Idiocracy in reference to Ann Coulter's lastest piece of worthwhile rhetorical brilliance because of it's...brilliance, as well as the context of the word. Then again, she doesn't "think there's anything offensive about any variation of faggy, faggotry, faggot, fag." So It really wasn't an issue. "Well, the thing is -- one is, yes, it can be used that way, I gather that's the way Isaiah Washington used it, That, I think, is an incorrect of the word -- use of the word." Heaven forbid anyone mistake her intentions! She seems so clear about them! Really, she should have nutted up, gone all British on us and called him a "poof." Alas, to paraphrase the old Bill Clinton line that Ms. Coulter loves so much, it depends on what the meaning of the word "faggot" is.
I digress. In Idiocracy, writer/director Mike Judge tells the story of America in 2505 where a half-millennium of lust, catch-phrases, corporatization and mass-reproduction by the illiterati has led to a world of absolute buffoons on the brink of destruction. Luke Wilson is cryogenically frozen and accidentally awoken in 2505 only to be disgusted and astounded by what he sees. Coincidentally, his ability to use such words as "disgusted" and "astounded" has him ridiculed by the locals for talking "all faggy." The point being, Judge's picture is a spot-on representation of a dystopian America. It is the kind of place driven by sex, money, explosions, bar code tattoos and corporate sponsorship. The kind of place with "adult" Starbucks, "adult" tax returns, masturbation networks and Costco Law School; where the President is a former WWE star and justice is served with Monster Trucks and brought to you by Carl's Jr. But don't feel left out, boys, it ain't all its cracked up to be.
In such a world, you might find a POTUS who says stuff like "I'm the decider" and "Well, you know, I think a lot of people are in this fight. I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence on T...TV every night." A world where suburban housewives take lessons in pole dancing, and where the things people drink are called Xtremo and ESPN the Flavor. Here, kids get called a "fag" for knowin' shit about dividing fractions, and kids who are perceived to be fags get beaten into concussive states, or worse. It is too bad Ms. Coulter wasn't around to explain that the defendant didn't mean anything by it. He was only beating the shit out of a guy for being a faggy swimmer, not for liking guys sexually or anything like that. No biggie! Sean Hannity would understand. Not to be Slander-ous, of course, because I'm sure neither would condone the act.
Hey, wait, all that last paragraph is happening now! Holy Shit! To be sure, I play a vital role in society's downfall. Lord knows I have seen the Juggernaut video three or four dozen times, and anyone who was subjected to more than 20 minutes at the Da Brat Stable House last summer knows what sort of incessant Marc M. catch phrase buffoonery, with all of it's vulgarity and generally unconscionable vocabulary, went on ad nauseum between my housemates and me. Irony knows some bounds, after all. But of course, I don't mean to call today's cultural state ruinous or anything. On the contrary, come on out to Quabbin Qountry any time if you want to see just how flavorful things can be. But I try my hardest not to forget the simplicity, the labels, the laziness and the selfishness that I see every day, and that is just in my elementary classroom. I won't get started on Washington. Maybe all we need is a little straight talk, or maybe that's the problem. I just hope we aren't seven years too late.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go upstairs and masturbate.
Ahoy with an India'n,
BTB
Thursday, March 1, 2007
"This incident...smacked me in the eyes one peaceful Sunday morning a few weeks ago"
I'm back on the sauce. The strong sauce, that is. Ever since that one magical week in December, 2004 that I spent holed up in Mocha Joe's basement cafe in Brattleboro, VT reading the magnificent journal of Nixon's re-election, Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72, I have not been the same person. Prior to that week I had seen life through a different set of eyes. It was a set of eyes that was far more naive, foolish and willing to settle. A set of eyes that had not read the words vile, swine, freak, or maniac nearly enough. Upon closing the back cover of the book, I ruminated for a few hours and then immediately got on the horn to spread the gospel. Within days I was in my car driving south to Guilford, CT where I left my bargain copy of the text with a crew of intellectually and soulfully untouchable gentlemen hoping it would spread like gonorrhea at Mardi Gras, and hoping I would never see it again. I can't promise results on the first, but I will vouch for the fact that I never saw that short, fat, red tome ever again. I held it in my memories, but I never held it close to my breast to keep me warm on some of those hairy Allston nights later on; nor to keep me sane on those riotous stable nights in the summer of 2006. Perhaps that whole freaky period (December, 2004 -Present) was too far removed from a real election to make it worthwhile. Perhaps I was afraid. Then again, maybe I just never got around to replacing it.
That all changed this past Monday. Wandering around Northampton after an offseason high school track practice looking for a copy of the New York Times to bring into a coffee shop so that I might climb upon it's pretensions to gain the proper footing to flirt with an older, liberal local female sipping a pot of organic green tea at 5 in the afternoon I came upon a bookstore with seven copies of '72 stocked among it's verbal weaponry. It was a true omen, seeing as I hadn't been able to causally locate a copy in some years, in spite of noticing title upon title of Gonzo Papers, Las Vegas and Hey Rube but never the Golden Goose. I picked one up and haven't looked back.
"It was just before midnight when I left Cambridge and headed north in U.S. 93 toward Manchester--driving one of those big green rented Auto/stick Cougars that gets rubber for about twenty-nine seconds in Drive, and spits hot black divots all over the road in First or Second ... a terrible screeching and fishtailing through the outskirts of Boston heading north to New Hampshire, back on the Campaign Trail ...running late, as usual: left hand on the wheel and the other on the radio dial, seeking music, and a glass of iced Wild Turkey spilling into my crotch on every turn (43)."
That is where it begins, both for Hunter and myself: a commitment to the '72 Campaign Trail and a deep-rooted love of Austin Nichols, bred on cold nights after closing up Harriman's Pub in West Dover, Vermont and warm nights dreaming of the gulf stream in Cotuit, Massachusetts with Manchester, Nashua, Keene, Berlin and all the rest on the docket.
The Lord knows that I am a small fraction of Hunter S. Thompson, but the Lord also knows a thing or two about inspiration. With that said, it is likely only a matter of time before we see some sort of bootleg publication of Thugs and Cowardice: On the Campaign Trail '08. Then again, given that the New Hampshire primary was in March of 1972, perhaps a more fitting title would be On the Campaign Trail '07-'08. Frontloading, shame be thy name.
In the meantime I have briefly traded digs, tonight choosing The Spoke over the M & D, in part because of prior engagements and in part because this is the kind of place where you can see fat, drunken townies mingling some 10 feet away from a table full of pre-gaming sorority sisters on their way, ultimately, to The Pub. Over yonder sits a woman on a barstool with a Weezer tattoo on her neck. The whole fuckin' pie, by the way, with wings and everything. She is obnoxiously loud, and probably prefers Beverly Hills to Why Bother?. To Hell with that. In the words of Rivers, "I know I should get next to you/You got a look that makes me think you're cool/But it's just sexual attraction/Not something real so I'd rather keep wackin'/Why bother? it's gonna hurt me/It's gonna kill when you desert me/This happened to me twice before/It won't happen to me anymore." Then again, who am I to judge?
Lastly, let me give a shout out to the Indian Hill Cemetery (aka the Sem-ET-ery, copyright James S., 2004). I randomly thought about this place tonight because of the facebook and it's infernally lovable newsfeed. I have seen so many sunsets at that place, it's not even funny. Yet how is it that I hadn't thought about the place in 3 years?? O hallowed Indian Hill. Hail, hail, Mattabeseck.
Meanwhile, it's Ballard Bitter all the way. Ya Sure? Ya Betcha!
BTB
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