One irrepressible man's squint at the metaphorical signposts, songbirds, soapboxes, street musicians, and hot dog stands of life.
Criticism, lyricism, polemics, performance, and making change... all with mustard.
What to make of the Vice Presidential debate [transcript here] last night?
We err if we view Sarah Palin through the lens of our own ambitions and anxieties. Many assumed she would be apprehensive, even terrified by the prospect of facing millions of Americans. The future of the GOP was hers to destroy.
But this is not an average woman. … Continue Reading
In a groove now.
Starting at 9 a.m., one trip every hour from Kent State to the Board of Elections in Ravenna. As many as five students signed up per trip.
The pace is picking up.
After nearly two months of on-campus work by various organizations, almost all students at Kent State University now say that they’re registered to vote.
The temperature is in the low 50s. The sky is light gray. And a hard rain falls intermittently.
This is my third day on campus, standing beside the Vote Today Ohio van outside the Student Center. There are 23,622 students enrolled here, and I think I’ve spoken to almost all of them.
One-third of them approach with cell phones or iPod earbuds blocking them from the outside world. One-half pass by without breaking stride … Continue Reading
Yesterday was our first day on the Kent State campus. We arrived with a 15-passenger van festooned with signage that invited early voting and positioned it right in front of the Student Center. Under cloudy, often rainy skies, hundreds of students passed by.
“How would you like to avoid the long lines on Election Day and vote early today?” I would toss out to each passerby. I must have spoken to 300 students. The most common response was a polite “no thank you” that seemed to come from four sources:
Ohio election law permits voter registration through October 6. But Early Voting begins September 30. This means that for one week, Ohio residents may register and vote early in all of Ohio’s 88 counties. … Continue Reading
Wall Street’s financial mess is complicated. The bail-out is complicated.
But one thing is clear: whatever is to be done must be done in the sunshine with full recourse for chicanery and self-dealing.
Yesterday, I wrote about one prominent conservative’s support for Barack Obama. My conclusion was, “I cannot imagine that many conservatives, ‘true’ or ‘neo,’ will read [about that support] and vote for Obama.”
Maybe I spoke too soon.
In his 9/23 column entitled “McCain Loses His Head,” the uncompromisingly conservative George F. Will wrote:
Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama.
I have long thought that the Republicans in power do not act like true conservatives.
“Conservatives,” posits Wick Allison, owner and editor-in-chief of Dallas’ D Magazine and former publisher of National Review, “are skeptical of abstract theories and utopian schemes, doubtful that government is wiser than its citizens, and always ready to test any political program against actual results.” By this measure, a rational review of the current administration’s programs against actual results would surely demand ripping the conservative stripes off their sleeves. … Continue Reading
Some art, like the 1969 Hopper/Fonda film, Easy Rider, flashes boldly in its moment and ages to insignificance or embarrassment. Some, like the soundtrack of the 1972 reggae film, The Harder They Come, is timeless.
I owned the soundtrack early and played the cassette until it was lost. Almost 35 years later, I bought the CD as a present for my wife. She played the entire CD five times in succession, dancing through the house.
There isn’t a bad song on the album. The second cut, “Draw Your Brakes” by Scotty (Jamaican David Scott), begins with a shout-out in Jamaican Patwa (patois). … Continue Reading
My wife and I are going to Ohio to register voters.
Ohio recently changed its voting laws in a way that creates an extraordinary opportunity to register new voters. For one week only (Sept 30—Oct 6), Ohio residents may register and vote early in all of Ohio’s 88 counties. They need make only one trip to the Early Voting Centers, do the paperwork, vote, and it’s done.
Vote Today Ohio will target voters from campuses and urban areas, so they can bank their votes early and ensure they don’t get shut out by long lines and broken machines on election day.
