Joe the Bigot

[janisian]

JOE THE BIGOT

By Janis Ian, October 18, 2008


We're on our second yard sign. The first one went up yesterday afternoon, right at the corner of our property, here in our little conservative neighborhood. Lots of McCain signs on our street. We thought that, with a school right across from our house, and all the traffic going by, we'd try to balance things out a little.
It was a nice, big sign.
When we got up this morning, it was gone. Worse yet, last night someone or someones had gone up and down the street next to ours, tearing down Obama signs and writing "nigger-lover" and other obscenities on people's homes and cars. Admittedly, they defaced one McCain sign, but the rest were Obama. My assumption is that these hooligans are so stupid, they actually thought "Hey, let's tear down a McCain sign - they'll think it's just vandalism then!"
This morning we went down to Democratic headquarters and bought 10 small signs, which we distributed over our half acre yard. This afternoon, two volunteers brought us another large sign. The older, Jesse, has spent six thousand dollars of his own money to have his car painted with Obama-Biden signs. The slogan on the side says "Not for myself, but for my three grandchildren." The other volunteer, Clyde, is a veteran determined that our country won’t end up like the country he fought in.
While they were putting up the sign, a stranger pulled over and yelled "Do you really want a black man runnning this country?!" When Jesse and Clyde yelled out "Heck, yeah!" the obscenities started to flow. The stranger got out of his car, taunting us, yelling epithets. He looked at us, four white people working to put a black man in office. Then he looked at my partner, a red-headed white woman, and caustically said "A black man doesn't represent YOUR CULTURE." He called us “un-American,” then finallly drove away.
Un-American. Whose America? Apparently, not mine, if he’d known I was a Jew. Not my partner’s, if he’d known she was from the North. Just his. Joe Bigot’s culture. A culture where it’s okay to vote by color-the-numbers.
I don’t know why he thinks that in this day and age, he has the right to bear that kind of prejudice. I do know that the level of outright fear-mongering and hate-mongering Sarah Palin is inciting in her rallies is frightening. I do know that when John McCain glibly assures a woman that Obama is not a Muslim, it doesn't change the fact that Palin speaks what McCain's handlers tell her to speak.
I know women, lifelong Democrats, who are voting for Sarah Palin simply because she's female. That's un-American. You're supposed to vote for the best-qualified candidate, not the one with a uterus.
I know people who think it's okay to tear down signs like ours. That's un-American, too. This country was founded on freedom of speech.
For every "Joe Six-Pack" and “Joe the Plumber,” McCain and Palin embrace, there's a "Joe Bigot" sitting at home applauding, gathering up the courage to tear down a sign or deface a windshield, and glorying in the fact that Palin is just as ignorant and stupid as he is. Saying “I’m voting for her because she’s just like me” is pathetic. I wouldn’t want ME for president! I want someone a lot smarter, and a lot better qualfied, than I am.
Tearing down a sign won’t change our minds. Calling us “un-American” won’t make us change. It only reminds us that as far as we’ve come, we’ve still got a long, long way to go.

[Elliott]

starts with a single step. The only thing that makes me feel better about this election is to discover that I am wealthy. I never knew. I'm voting early and heading for Puerto Rico for a week. I really need someone to tell me what's going on in our country, and help me make a good decision. I think every vote will count this time around and I want to do the least harm with my vote. Any suggestions are welcome.... I remain clueless in Houston.

[lucille]

It never fails to amaze me that these moronic bigots know how to place big words like 'CULTURE' in a sentence.

[coffeegyrl]

Here we go with "nigger-lover" again.

I had also hoped more would have changed by now.

Last night at the coffeehouse I spoke to a friend who described her discussion with an aunt who was not going to vote for Obama because he is a black man. My friend challenged her aunt by saying "He is half white. His mother is white. He is on our side." Did it make a difference? Let's hope so.

We all need to stand up to the Joe the Bigots we encounter on a daily basis, especially now before election day.

[Amy in Vermont]

............sigh..........

Those of us that live in places like Vermont ( the whitest state in the union, but also probably the most color blind), forget just how much bigotry still exists in this country.

I am dismayed when I hear stories like this, but unfortunately, not all that surprised. I pray that we do elect Obama, and in doing so, there will be a tide of real change, not just in our government, but in our culture as well.

..and I hope he puts a nice Asian-American Jewish lesbian or a Latino gay man into a position of power somewhere in his cabinet! Perhaps Bishop Gene Robinson can swear him in?

[dragonlady]

Ijust don't know what to say...I'll just keep showing up to volunteer at Obama's headquarters every weekend...I can't believe this is still the attitude in 2008...I really hope he wins in November...

-di

[Rkitko]

Right on, Janis.

[coffeegyrl]

hey, Joe the Bigot:

"Nothing's sadder than the man who
thinks he's free when he is chained
to the prison of his hatred
and a dream gone up in flames"

[mixtymotions]

Watts, Los Angels 1958. I am 5 years old and running through the sprinkler on a hot August afternoon. My swimsuit is pink and my blonde hair is pulled up in two short ponytails. Also running through the sprinkler are my 2 older black step-brothers and 2 older black step-sisters. Suddenly I am grabbed by the arm by a passerby - a boy maybe all of 13, white, buzz cut, white tee-shirt, "dungarees" rolled at the cuffs. He puts his face directly at my eye level and screams "What are you doing playing with all those niggers?" "Niggers?" I'd never heard that word! What was a "nigger?" The tone, the inflection, the intent all sounded so very frightening that I wet myself on the spot and began to cry. My step-brothers chased him off and I went in to ask Mama and Papa Ted what a "nigger" was. I learned a lot that day, about blind hatred and bigotry and how children can never think those sorts of things up all by themselves. I've been called a "nigger lover" many times and I just laugh because ... I understood the alternative when I was very young.

[Dee]

Disgusting Janis. Sorry that happened to you and Pat and the guys. Sometimes I forget people who are mental midgets like that one still exist. Fortunately I rarely encounter them anymore. It must have been quite a shock for you.


I learned a lot that day, about blind hatred and bigotry and how children can never think those sorts of things up all by themselves.

Truer words were never written Mixty. People are not born knowing that level of hate. It's taught and passed on by misguided fools.

[DaveM]

It is scary how the McCain campaign has managed to use their "country first" slogan to hint that they represent America, while apparently everyone else represents something else. I applauded John McCain when he cut off that crazy woman who insisted that Barack Obama was an Arab, etc. But meanwhile, "independent" political groups continue to perpetuate the same lunatic fringe material. They certainly aren't promoting "the issues" or even anything remotely resembling reality. And those groups are not acting without at least tacit support from the more mainstream Republican organizations.

How many of you want to vote for a candidate who will represent Joe Bigot? Not me.

Locally, the population rants Republican but votes Democrat--a peculiar sort of cultural schizophrenia which really isn't out of place in a local "culture" that never says what it means. Most of the campaign signs one sees in the area are for Obama--I suppose a certain number of them get vandalized or stolen but just recently someone either stole (or knocked over--I'm not clear which) a few McCain-Palin signs. At least half a dozen people wrote to the newspaper to complain, several making vaguely threatening comments about what they'd do if anyone stole their replacement signs and all stating that they were going to put floodlights, alarms, booby traps, or what have you on their signs. I happened to be driving through town after dark this evening and the McCain people have indeed installed enough extra outdoor lighting to rival parts of Las Vegas.

I regard campaign signs as legitimate political expression, and the vast majority are on private property, which in my eyes renders them sacrosanct (well....unless I want a souvenir after the election). But I'm seriously tempted to tempt fate a bit and infuriate the McCain people. Tempted only....what I will do is wish they could gain a sense of perspective and take a good look at the ideas they may not know they are supporting. At least....I hope they do not know. Even though ignorance is not and cannot be an excuse.

[David from London]

Please, America, do the right thing. The thought of the ever more slippery John McCain in the White House, especially after Bush, is frightening. And Palin? The thought that she could at some stage become President, or even acting President, is horrendous.

[RandyVa]

I put this on the general thread as well. The Wall Street Journal never ceases to amaze me.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122419511761942501.html

RandyVa

[Marcia Drummergal]

This was also my response on John's post on the forum:

Reminds me of last election when someone tore down our "Kerry/Edwards" sign. I had to go down to their headquarters and order another sign. They were out of them because so many had been torn down. We put the sign back up and didn't have any more problems. But at that time, I didn't hear of ANY "Bush/Cheney" signs being torn down. You are right to be concerned Janis. I think it is the Republicans (not all but too many) who are the "Un-American" ones. Scary!

Marcia :mad: :rolleyes:

PS Right now Republicans are on the tv complaining LOUDLY about ACORN and the "Democrats" that are trying to "Steal" the election. Sound familiar?

[aabram]

It's not just America that this election stands for. The entire world is rooting for Obama (or should be) . If McCain and Palin get in, then that run of stupidity hasn't ended and won't end until Joe Bigot admits defeat. Thank you Janis for this mini-bulletin. We are all sorry to hear about the mindless vandalism to your property. People just don't know when to stop hating, do they.

Annabel

[DaveM]

I find the Republican response to the ACORN matter deeply troubling. To be sure, if someone filed phony voter registration cards, that is a crime and should be prosecuted. However, the Republican ploy fails to note the difference between voter regstration and actually voting (and a fair number of their followers do not seem to notice). Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are not going to show up to vote. So much for any accusations of stealing the election.

Most likely some people hired by ACORN to collect voter registrations didn't really feel like working much, so they filled out cards with any name they could think of just to collect a paycheck. Dumb, yes. A national scandal, no.

Just recently, one of our local mental giants, who had a job delivering the weekly shopper, had a "bright idea". Their delivery people get paid by the size of their routes, so he signed up for two routes, filled his truck with bundles of papers, and drove off to the local landfill to "deliver" them. He got away with this for months until a manager at the company which prints the shopper caught him arriving at the landfill one day.

When will Sean Hannity devote an hour to that?

[Wildflower Fever]

I think it just proves that although things seem to have changed since the 60's, maybe the sentiments have just gone underground and more on the subconscious level. Sadly, it seems to have taken the prospect of a black man being favored this late in the game to be president for them to reveal themselves again. Of course, a good part of the bigots are those who were also alive during the darkest days of our civil rights movement. They have simply laid dormant until now due to the positive changes in culture and attitude that occurred. What's the positive here? Well, time catches up with all of us, and they'll be dead soon enough.

[Denise]

I just read this....then called my 19-yr old daughter in the room. She is voting for the first time, VERY excited about it, and voting for Obama. We have watched the debates together, read newspapers and searched online about their views, etc. and I am right there with her.
She truly thought that this treatment was something of the past. What an eye-opener and what a shame....

[pickett]

I'm just wondering what role a yard sign plays these days?
Do you vote for someone based on the neighborhood signs to feel like you are in the right place? Do you treat your neighbors differently knowing who they are supporting?

I have (and never will) vote based on signs or advertisements, but I suppose I may be in the minority. Otherwise why waste such incredible amounts on these things? And I have to admit I am amazed that you actually have to pay for these items. Makes any concert tee look like a bargain.;)

[JoanM]

I'm just wondering what role a yard sign plays these days?
Do you vote for someone based on the neighborhood signs to feel like you are in the right place? Do you treat your neighbors differently knowing who they are supporting?

I have (and never will) vote based on signs or advertisements, but I suppose I may be in the minority. Otherwise why waste such incredible amounts on these things? And I have to admit I am amazed that you actually have to pay for these items. Makes any concert tee look like a bargain.;)

I think yard signs, just like bumper stickers, t-shirts, posters, and buttons are a way of showing your support for a candidate or an issue. Purchasing them is a way to financially support that same candidate or cause. They raise awareness and give an outward sign of support. I know living in a red state I am thrilled when I see another Obama bumper sticker, as a matter of fact wearing my Barack the Vote t-shirt has spawned some great conversations around the island.

Do people make decisions based on seeing yard signs, bumper stickers, posters, or buttons? I don't know. But, obviously someone thought they must have some power or they wouldn't have been taken down. Sometimes just seeing a yard sign will remind folks that there are two sides, even if they don't see the other point of view. For those who agree with the candidate or issue it can cause a feeling of community. My husband (who still lives in IL) told me in his informal data collection while driving around our very Republican county he was amazed to see more Obama signs than McCain signs.

But what ever the reason people decide to display their support and what ever the role is, it is a right we all have, no matter what the side or issue and that is a right we can't afford to lose.

jm

[Judy]

The first thing I thought of when I read this post was this little guy. My 5 year old great nephew who snuggled up to me ealier this year and said "Auntie Jude, a man called me a nigger." I dunno...maybe this blended Obama man will be able to say more to him than I ever could have that day.

[Bat]

He's an adorable little boy, Jude, and you can tell him so from the Olbat!
How boring it would be if we were all the same...can you imagine all vanilla icecream, no Chocolate!! ye gods, how deadly. Maybe your nephew can grow up to be president, too, someday!...not that I'd wish that on him, but the sky's the limit, and by that time, that odious person who called him that name will be dead, hopefully not to pass his bigotry on in any viable form!

[hoops]

these stories just bring to mind over and over again the beginning of Janis' book...what took place...more than 40 years ago and our children are still suffering the same terror now. i do think a little less than then tho. this, at least, is progress
the signs, bumperstickers, tee shirts, ect... you can think of them as tv ads on superbowl sunday. they are advertising pure and simple. businesses, and i know you know the presidency is a business, pay hundrends of millions for advertising research and one thing is still at the top if the list...visibility. it takes approximately 10 ten views before a person actually acknowledges consciously seeing an ad. if they see one ad more than another, it take a place of priority in the brain. for someone who goes purely by instinct, they will vote for whom they see most. that is why discussion is so important, because when you force someone to think about something, instinct loses some of it's power. the more knownledge, the less instinct. the best is a combination of both...wisdom.
i've spent far to many hours wasting my life in seminars hahahahah!
peace
hoops

[Beth]

The reality behind this incident breaks my heart. I fear for my children, for all of us, really. I am quite distracted these days, preoccupied with all that is churning in our country, and I wish I had time's distance to tell where we are. I feel deeply sad at our divisions that I know run as deep and treacherous as a snow-covered glacial crevice. I don't usually hold much fear. So it saddens me to feel afraid of what may come if Obama gets elected, and what may come if Obama does not get elected. I watched JFK last evening. How little we have grown, really. I don't think my children have heard the slur, nigger, yet. I hurt for them already. We have not yet dealt with the legacy of slavery in our country. Suggested reading: The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois.

Sorry for such scattered thinking...

[hoops]

Beth,
thank you for your thoughts, i think you have hit on something most of us are feeling but don;t know how to say. my only consolation is that this world of ours has been around for millions of years, it has survived life for all of those years. we may not be the best, but are we really the worst? it is true change is needed and scary and we may not make the right change, but change is needed. it's like the words "something's lost and something's gained in living every day" ...now i'm rambling, sorry. their is always hope.
peace
hoops

[DaveM]

The roots of this go back quite some time, of course, but there was a time when I truly had hope that this sort of "thinking" was on its way out in this country. Then along came Ronald Reagan, with his campaign aimed at the lowest common denominator, his pandering to the likes of Jerry Falwell, and his constant hints that anyone who did not fall in lockstep with him was "anti-American" or worse yet, a "Soviet Sympathizer" (remember them?).

The morons came out of the woodwork in droves, and the Republican Party, long the party of big business and small government, became the party of the inbred yahoo, of the malcontent nursing a pathological hatred, of the sort of people who used to hand out badly mimeographed leaflets at bus stops. Now they have their own TV network (Fox), dominate the airwaves, and get the front seats at Republican rallies. "Intellectual" is well on the way to becoming a curse, "liberal" is one, though if asked, no one who uses it seems to be able to define it. Having a college degree renders one somehow suspect, while being a semi-skilled worker has been elevated to the rank of celebrity. The noblest "conservative" status one can hold at present, curiously enough, is that of an unmarried, pregnant teenager--assuming you have the right parents. If you don't, you're just one of "those people".

I do not, realistically, expect this mentality to ever go away. But I'd certainly like to see it stuffed back in the bottle. And I'd like to see it stop electing politicians. We deserve better. Much better.

[Wildflower Fever]

The roots of this go back quite some time, of course, but there was a time when I truly had hope that this sort of "thinking" was on its way out in this country. Then along came Ronald Reagan, with his campaign aimed at the lowest common denominator, his pandering to the likes of Jerry Falwell, and his constant hints that anyone who did not fall in lockstep with him was "anti-American" or worse yet, a "Soviet Sympathizer" (remember them?).

The morons came out of the woodwork in droves, and the Republican Party, long the party of big business and small government, became the party of the inbred yahoo, of the malcontent nursing a pathological hatred, of the sort of people who used to hand out badly mimeographed leaflets at bus stops. Now they have their own TV network (Fox), dominate the airwaves, and get the front seats at Republican rallies. "Intellectual" is well on the way to becoming a curse, "liberal" is one, though if asked, no one who uses it seems to be able to define it. Having a college degree renders one somehow suspect, while being a semi-skilled worker has been elevated to the rank of celebrity. The noblest "conservative" status one can hold at present, curiously enough, is that of an unmarried, pregnant teenager--assuming you have the right parents. If you don't, you're just one of "those people".

I do not, realistically, expect this mentality to ever go away. But I'd certainly like to see it stuffed back in the bottle. And I'd like to see it stop electing politicians. We deserve better. Much better.

I really see this as a result of the great rurality that still exists in this country. For a rather large land mass, we really don't have that many people. It is easier to maintain belief systems when people are able to foster them in closely knit, somewhat sheltered communities. I can't believe how many times i've heard someone in a small town casually utter "nigger" when many times they've had little or no contact with african americans. As if hatred and ignorance weren't bad enough, hatred and ignorance without life experience to back it up is even nuttier to me. I'm not trying to knock small town life, really I'm not, but I think we'd all be better off living closer to one another so we can really understand each other. Then, the only base the republicans would have is greedy suburbanites, and that won't get you 50% of the vote. You are correct in noting that the repubs have successfully lured the vote of many of these people because they played into their ideas that "city folk" are out to get them and their way of life.

[Bat]

The fact remains, somebody's gotta feed us.
There are a lot of people who simply don't want to live in cities. I live in the 'greedy suburbs', but that's where it ends...I keep up with stuff, am not a Republican, and don't like to think of myself as a bigot, but know a few around. Southern Ohio is not exactly the epitome of culture and learning, though Ohio does have more universities and colleges than it has counties (86).
I really revel in the fact that there aren't a billion people jamming this country, cheek to jowl, as in many places in Asia (Japan for one...and even they have room to grow food). The wide open spaces and Big Sky country are delightful to my freedom-loving soul.
But, I have to admit, the more I get around, travel, meet others, the more respect and liking I have for people of all walks and types. I grew up in the suburbs, knew lots of Jews and Catholics, but no blacks since the first grade in Michigan...and I liked her a lot; she was fun!...until college, and they were fun, too! And smart. And nice. Just like other people, except they could really dance! I never could understand how people could be bigots just because of their being different from someone else, even when I was a little kid...I think I taught my mother to think differently and examine her motives when I was very small and wanted a 'colored baby doll'. I didn't like dolls very much, but I wanted one that was as far away from Shirley Temple (I had 2 of those, hated them both)
as I could get. I did play with my little black doll more than any other, and the indian doll grandpa brought me from Out West once.
But I digress.
I guess all this drivel adds up to one thing: I simply don't understand bigotry.
And one other thing: I hate the whole idea.

[Wildflower Fever]

The fact remains, somebody's gotta feed us.
There are a lot of people who simply don't want to live in cities. I live in the 'greedy suburbs', but that's where it ends...I keep up with stuff, am not a Republican, and don't like to think of myself as a bigot, but know a few around. Southern Ohio is not exactly the epitome of culture and learning, though Ohio does have more universities and colleges than it has counties (86).
I really revel in the fact that there aren't a billion people jamming this country, cheek to jowl, as in many places in Asia (Japan for one...and even they have room to grow food). The wide open spaces and Big Sky country are delightful to my freedom-loving soul.
But, I have to admit, the more I get around, travel, meet others, the more respect and liking I have for people of all walks and types. I grew up in the suburbs, knew lots of Jews and Catholics, but no blacks since the first grade in Michigan...and I liked her a lot; she was fun!...until college, and they were fun, too! And smart. And nice. Just like other people, except they could really dance! I never could understand how people could be bigots just because of their being different from someone else, even when I was a little kid...I think I taught my mother to think differently and examine her motives when I was very small and wanted a 'colored baby doll'. I didn't like dolls very much, but I wanted one that was as far away from Shirley Temple (I had 2 of those, hated them both)
as I could get. I did play with my little black doll more than any other, and the indian doll grandpa brought me from Out West once.
But I digress.
I guess all this drivel adds up to one thing: I simply don't understand bigotry.
And one other thing: I hate the whole idea.

I actually agree with you, because I'm originally from a small town, although it was basically part of a metro area. As I said above, I'm not trying just to slight small towns, I'm just stating that if you look at England for example, there are rural areas that aren't quite as isolated from urban centers as in the U.S. This truly makes us rather unique in that there are still areas that are quite remote. As for the suburbs, I didn't paint all suburbanites as greedy, it's just that a lot of folks in metro areas who form bedroom communities happen to be anti-tax republicans. They also typically vote more republican than city centers. Studies have shown that among educated voters in metropolitan areas, that more dems live in the city, and more repubs choose the suburbs. My main message? I think that if we can sway rural voters our way, no matter how, we will have a long lasting and strengthened base for the democratic party.

[Bryan]

This is stunning. I can only hope that the number of people who are that ignorant is a very small percentage of the public. It makes me concerned for Obama's safety -- among other things.

[Judy]

Yesterday afternoon I took my eight year old nephew (big brother to the five year old I previously mentioned) to buy a Halloween costume. As we drove along he was reading yard signs "Vote Democrat. Vote Obama...What does Democrat mean?" Well briefly I told him there were two prominent political parties in the U.S. who had different ideas as to how it was the best way to run the country and that Obama was a democrat. "Oh,"said he, then read another sign that said "McCain"... Now, McCain is a member of the Republican party I explained.
"Then I'm a Democrat," was his response.
"How do you figure that?"
"Because I'm mixed like Obama, so that makes me a Democrat too."

Of course the conversation took yet another turn in explaining but he decided he was still a Democrat because if I was a Democrat and I'm his family then he wants to be same as me.

[Bat]

Well said, WFever...I really know exactly what you mean by Greedy Suburbs... we have one right next to where I live, full of upscale estates and lovely homes, and there are people who live there who regularly host dinners for the President and the Republican contender, etc. Fortunately, in the same area, there are some who do the same for Clinton and Obama.
Since I don't make it a practice to attend $2000/ per plate dinners, I can only look on in awe, but glad that there are some rich people with brains nearby...they offset the ones who haven't, I sincerely hope!

[Wildflower Fever]

glad that there are some rich people with brains nearby...they offset the ones who haven't, I sincerely hope!

Oh, there are PLENTY of rich people with brains. It's just that many of them got rich because of a combination of brains and greed/lack of scruples.
It's like what I always tease my older, richer, republican brother with. I say: "so, you're a republican, which kind are you?" He says: "what do you mean which kind?" I say: "There are only two kinds, assholes and idiots." :D
I know it's not right to judge and categorize people, but I feel this breakdown (although crass), is pretty accurate. There are those who vote on ignorance and against their own welfare (the idiots), and those who know better but just don't care (the assholes) unless it helps their bottom line. Then of course, there is a common ground republican who espouses a little of both, and I don't have a category for them yet. :rolleyes: By the way, my brother is an ******* (I mean that lovingly) because it's all about taxes with him, not the social issues- on which he's somewhat liberal.

[paularoid]

http://www.alexrossart.com/news/2008/obama_full.jpg

[DaveM]

There are small people everywhere--and a horrid bunch of them in my largely rural area. But I would guess that overall you can find them pretty much anywhere--and politicians have a frightening gift for finding them.

One of the major problems in small towns is that they are geographically "cloistered", so to speak--in my area, for example, there are five small towns surrounded by wilderness for at leat a sixty mile radius--and the only city that falls within that radius is Duluth, not exactly the culture center of the world. The Minneapolis/St. Paul area is 180 miles away and local people believe with certainty that the "612ers" (referring to one of the area codes down there), the "citiots", or the people from "St. Paul" (which refers to any of the at least 17 communities in the metro region) are all out to get them, take away their jobs, or somehow take advantage of them.
The irony is that without all the government money from "St. Paul" that descends on this area, not to mention the money from tourism, the majority of which comes from the southern third of the state, most of this area would long since have become a cluster of ghost towns.

Stealing Obama signs seems to be a major pastime locally--I may have mentioned that a few McCain signs disappeared and the owners literally got up in arms about them. Amusing, though a fair number of people have put up McCain signs, and letters to newspapers tend to run about 5-1 anti-Democrats, when all is said and done all of the Democratic candidates from this area will collect at least 75% of the vote. The Congressman for this region, who is a Democrat, is running unopposed. Am really looking forward to hearing how the local newspaper, whose editor is somewhat to the right of Rush Limbaugh (and of the same windbag buffoon mentality), will issue that endorsement....he's already said that the paper will be endorsing candidates in every race and there's only one candidate running in that one. Apart from my write-in campaign, that is.

[Bat]

One bright light: Rachel Maddow said on her show tonight that 98% of the people in Michigan have registered to vote!! If true, and I don't know where she got the information, that is a really remarkable statistic.

[Wildflower Fever]

the only city that falls within that radius is Duluth, not exactly the culture center of the world.

True, but I have to admit I have a soft spot for Duluth (or as Dylan woud say, "Due-Looth"). It's one of those nice weekend getaways that makes me feel that Minnesota is at least unique and not just another midwestern fly-over in the center of North America. You're talking about the headwaters of America's greatest river (the Mississippi) not too far from you in north central MN, and arguably the most scenic stretch of the greatest of Great Lakes, Superior. Whenever I travel and people ask me about where I'm from and what it's like, they are somewhat astonished (speaks well for our national education system) that they would see something like the picture below, in of all places...Minnesota!:eek:

http://www.d.umn.edu/base/home_pics/2005/wintership2001.jpg

I like this shot, but I think that steam is there almost year round, brrrrrr...

http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles2427.jpg

[hoops]

as it works out in our world the way it is, we all need each other to thrive. the city needs the farmland and the farmland need the city...and why, cause they both are selling all they have to the people in between. it would be lovely if we could all live as though we knew how important we are to each other, but...well...you know.
peace...please
hoops