I'm up at this hour because I am trying to keep the Tar Heels from losing another game to the so called big 10.

So...I will tell you about our 2011 Christmas tree.

It is really the most beautiful tree ever! No kidding this time. I know that I said we put every ornament we had on the tree two years ago, but I lied. This year EVERY ORNAMENT that is not broken is on this big fat tree!

Our tree is a history of our family's Christmas throughout the years.

 Ornaments made by Emily and Brinkley at Mount Bethel Elementary...

A beautiful ball Pat and I bought on our honeymoon...

Butterfly ornaments that Emily gave us one year. She had noticed that Pat always gave me butterflies. And several additions this year; retro ones much like the ones that have been saved from my childhood tree.

Of course Alonzo our Christmas Elf is always the first to appear every year. No one is quite sure where he stays all year but he is right there as soon as the tree goes up. According to the notes that he leaves each year he lives at the North Pole.

Angels that my Dad had coming from the top of the tree down into the fairy land under the tree still survive. I think it may have been 1955.

Things I am not thankful for...

...don't get me wrong, I am still thankful for all the great things in my life, but really, there are some annoying things about thanksgiving.

The arguments and hard feelings that accompany the annual decision regarding who sits at the "kids table".

The never ending search for the perfect cornbread dressing recipe. You would think I would have found it by now.

The help lines to call about cooking a turkey. Just put the thing in a pan and throw it in the oven for crying out loud.

No wine really goes with all the different butter laden dishes.

The national dog show...I do not understand why the women who run with their dogs wear the homeliest shoes. YOUR FEET ARE ON TV!!

TV reporters at airports reporting the crowds. It's old and we know there are crowds.

The decorations that accompany the holiday are butt ugly! Turkeys are gross and Pilgrims are grim.

Thanksgiving is not Christmas and there should be no Christmas decorations until after the big meal.

BLACK FRIDAY is the worst of all things associated with this day of gorging. Shootings at malls, pepper spray in stores, pushing, and total rudeness mark this ridiculous exercise in free market capitalism.

There! Now on to decorating everything in my world!

"Oops"

It has now become ridiculous. Please get serious Republicans, we are talking about the Presidency.

It's a great day in the land of sane people.

In all parts of this great country people rejected the ideological right last night! I have hope. Mississippi rejected the so called "personhood" amendment, Ohio came alive and stood up for real people, the author of the ridiculous immigration bill in Arizona went down in a recall, AND right here in NC the Wake County Board of Education is back in the hands of Democrats. Let's not forget that here in the "Pitt" Randy Voller was reelected and two Democratic women won seats on the town council!!!! We are alive and kicking and 2012 doesn't look so bad!!!!!!

Excuse Me!!!

No, we will not excuse you Mr. Cain. You are no longer operating in the cocoon of Atlanta talk radio. You apparently want to be the President of the United States and you now must address questions from people who may not agree with you or like you. You cannot just hang up on them...this is not the insular world of the right wing echo chamber. Welcome to the real world. If you have been charged with sexual harassment it IS the public's business and people have the right to question you. The issue is not that someone "told" on you, the issue is that you could have used your position at the NRA to subject women to behavior that is not acceptable.

Aside from this unfortunate situation you apparently do not understand the complicated world in which we live. Sitting in a radio station and spouting crap to people who are as ill informed as you are is not comparable to running for the most powerful office in the world. The gig is up.

Brilliant! Only Maureen Dowd could bring Jane Austen into the Cain fiasco.

"Cain not Able", Dowd's piece in the NYT today is a must read.

I feel like the person who only goes to church on Easter Sunday

If you read my post from 10/23 you know that I had given up on baseball and was ignoring the World Series. But...then the greatest game in modern baseball history happened, I missed it and had only the highlights to watch the day after. That's what I get for giving up and not having faith. Baseball I am soooo sorry. I am here watching the last game of the 2011 World Series but it will serve me right if the Cardinals bomb. It's okay if they do I'm back. Though I do feel like I am back with Bobby Cox and his ridiculous habit of keeping pitchers in until it was too late, but the Cards have just hit a home run and are ahead. Carpenter recovered and is doing well.
I am for the Cards because there is no way I would be for any team from Texas. Texas has given us Rick Perry and George W Bush, and they killed JFK. They are always threatening to secede from the union...go, I say, and do not come back. The Cardinals' fans are loyal and enthusiastic and part of the history of baseball.

I watched every minute and realized how much I enjoy the deliberate pace of the game; the concentration needed to know what is going on. The things I grew weary with about the game are still there, but I just need to do what my pal Harriett does and ignore them and focus on the experience.

Can't wait for Spring training..tsk, tsk.

Can these people not hear themselves?

George W Bush issued 291 executive orders while he was President. Any complaints by Republicans in the Congress? Don't think so. The Constitution must apply to only some people.

Herman Cain is quite delusional...the people who are taking him seriously are deluded.

The Republicans will nominate Newt Gingrich and Paul Ryan. You heard it here. After listening to these absolute fools (Perry, Cain, Bachmann, Paul, Santorum, Palin, Romney, et al) for a couple of  months Newt will sound like the savior.

Be aware of these very dangerous situations and threats to our system!

One of our major cities, Boston, has suffered greatly in the past five years. Manufacturing jobs have recently moved to New York and New Hampshire. Unemployment has risen sharply, warehouses are empty, and every tenth person is homeless. This is obviously a major problem and an explosive situation is developing. Resentment for the elite, whose fortunes have risen dramatically while others have declined, has led to blame being placed on government officials. It appears that an effigy of an official has been hung in a tree as a threat, and a building owned by this official has been demolished by a group that calls itself the Loyal Nine. In addition, his home has been destroyed, furniture smashed, even the paneling has been removed and stolen. The official has been forced to resign his position.

Private property has been destroyed. This is an unacceptable situation. It has also been reported that a large global company that these demonstrators have grievances with has also been threatened. Cargo was brought into Boston and remains unloaded due to a strike by dockworkers. Several very wealthy supporters of the resistance have been attempting to get the company to remove the ships to no avail. Five thousand demonstrators have gathered to protest and have moved to destroy the cargo of this privately owned property!!! What right do these people have to destroy private property!? 

Sounds outrageous doesn't it? It is difficult to disguise the Stamp Act resistance and the Boston Tea Party. Imagine Bank of America headquarters being bombed and executives threatened...imagine demonstrators dumping barrels of oil into the water in Boston Harbor. Imagine Warren Buffet as John Hancock.

The real issue in these pivotal events leading to the American Revolution was not the tax, Stamp Tax, Tea Tax, any tax for that matter; the real issue was being taxed without being represented in the legislative body that imposed the tax..."No taxation without representation". The real issue that led to The Boston Tea Party was the monopoly granted to the East India Company, that the British Parliament was trying to keep from bankruptcy, to sell tea in North America not the tax. The tax had been dramatically decreased and British tea was much cheaper than any other tea. Colonials suspected that the Parliament was trying to trick them into abandoning the cry of no taxation without representation.

Drugs maybe?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NomX7j8qYrE

WHAT?

Please Mister Postman...

...look and see, if there's a letter in your bag for me. (think Marvelettes not Beatles OR the Carpenters!)

Article I, section 8, clause 7 of the United States Constitution calls for the establishment of Post Offices. It was the original intent of the Founders for the national government to ensure that all Americans would have access to mail delivery no matter where they live. The Postal System was not created by FDR or LBJ or a socialist cabal. Ben Franklin was the one who felt that without the means of communicating we could not develop into a viable democracy. So why all of a sudden have those on the right put the postal service on the chopping block along with every other thing in government meant to help the Americans who do not reside on the Upper East Side. PROFIT for UPS and FedEx perhaps. It might surprise people that FedEx and the Postal Service have a relationship. The USPS will deliver FedEx stuff to places where FedEx will not go (because it costs too much) and the USPS will bring to FedEx stuff from places only serviced by the USPS. Bet you didn't know that. A workable relationship between the government and the private sector that works for both AND serves the public.

There used to be a Post Office Department with a Post Master General who was a member of the President's Cabinet. During Nixon's term the Postal Service was created and became an independent agency under the auspices of the government. A Republican controlled Congress passed legislation requiring the USPS to prefund all retiree benefits. Think about what this means...UPS does not have to do this, nor does anyone else. This is the major reason the Postal Services is operating in the red.

I like the Post Office. My Dad worked for the Post Office when I was a little kid. Today I went to the post office in Chapel Hill to get stamps from the machine and it was not working correctly. A really nice postal employee came out to help everybody and stayed (even though his workday was over) until everything was fixed.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

As a child I had a love affair with baseball. Perhaps just about everyone my age loved the game as much as I did. It was our national pastime. In elementary school we always got to listen to the World Series games on the radio. The games were played during the day because most (if not all) stadiums did not have lights. Everyone had their team...mine was the LA Dodgers because my brother's Little League team was the Dodgers. My Grandfather (Papa) played some kind of baseball but I have never been sure what kind. Somewhere in the recesses of my memory it was a NY Yankee farm team in Richmond, have no idea if that is true. I do remember going to baseball games at the old Parker Field in Richmond as a small child. We played baseball, I collected baseball cards, everyone had their favorite heroes. I read a biography of Lou Gehrig in the 4th grade and loved it.

In the summer of 1959 we lived in Napa, California and the highlight of our short stay there was going in to San Francisco to watch the Giants play the Milwaukee Braves!! A real major league baseball game!! The Giants were in a race with the Dodgers to go to the World Series so it was a big game. I remember that Lew Burdette pitched for the Braves and Hank Aaron played. The Braves had won the World Series in 1957 so they were a big deal. But the stars were on the Giants... Willie Mays! Orlando Cepada! Felipe Alou! Willie McCovey! (I think it was his first year) I do not remember who won, but I was in heaven. My Mom kept asking where Casey Stengle was and we kept telling her New York. She was very disappointed.

The game was played in Seals stadium, Candlestick Park was being built and they were trying to hurry and complete it because they were sure the Giants were going to play in the World Series...didn't happen, the World Series that is. My team the Dodgers played.

We then moved on to Japan. We were really into baseball! I guess it was because we were so far away and it was like being in the States. We would have to wake up and listen to the World Series at 3 in the morning...everyone did. The Woman who worked for us, Shizeko, and her husband took us to an exhibition game in Tokyo at Korakuen Stadium. The San Francisco Giants against maybe the Tokyo Giants. During the 1960 Election/World Series it seemed that everyone was either for Kennedy and the Yankees or Nixon and the Pirates.

When I grew up and moved to Atlanta there the Braves were Hank Aaron and all. We would get the cheap seats out in center field in the old Fulton County/Atlanta Stadium to watch Hank up close. I have a card somewhere that says I was there when Hank hit his 712th home run, or some number, I need to dig that thing out.

But baseball heaven came in 1991 when the Atlanta Braves went from worst to first and went on to play in the World Series! Pat went to the stadium at some bizarre hour with cash to buy 4 tickets. I was going to go to the World Series!! Baseball was reborn in my heart, The Braves did not win, but it did not matter...Atlanta had been treated to a wild and fantastic ride. Then there was 1992! We went to the great game when Atlanta beat the Pirates to win the pennant with Sid Bream sliding into home. The place went wild and the "chant" went on forever as everyone left the stadium; it was great! The decade of the Braves was well under way. By 1995 World Series victory was at hand and the names of Tommy Glavin, Greg Maddox, Steve Avery (who lived very close to us), Fred McGriff, Chipper Jones, David Justice, John Smoltz, Javy Lopez, and others were household names and everyone suffered from sleep deprivation and elbow dislocation from doing the chop. Ted Turner and Jane Fonda were always at the games and provided something to watch when the game was boring.

I really do not know what happened to me and baseball. The ridiculous salaries, the strike, Tom Glavin becoming a butt head...I don't know. I divorced the game, it was not the game I used to be so enamored with. We are in the middle of the present World Series and I did not even know who was playing. If it had not been for Brinkley's friend Reagan putting stuff on facebook about the Rangers I would not have known they were playing in the venerable Series. I miss it, but there is college basketball and the Heels are ranked , you guessed it, number 1!

There are no words left for Congressional Republicans...

...and some Democrats. Somewhere in the hallowed halls of the United States Capital there has to be an individual who has the guts to come forward in a dramatic way and challenge the Republican leadership. The really troubling thing here is that the fox fans never question what these so called leaders say. The hatred for Obama is unnatural; every single thing that he does cannot be absolutely wrong...there has to be at least ONE thing that might be right. The latest illicit tour de force is the denial that the President had anything to do with the ultimate undoing of Khaddafy (Qadaffi). These small minded trolls are actually touting the line that the British are the ones who should get all the credit. They cannot bring themselves to give this President credit for anything! Talk about patriotism.

AND, the jobs bill.

Is this a joke?

I know many Republicans whom I respect and who are intelligent people. They must be embarrassed. Never have I witnessed such a ridiculous group of political candidates being taken seriously. After the so called Republican "debate" last night I am shocked. Who could possibly think that any of these people could be the President of the United States? 999? Apples and Oranges? Wake up! Yard work? Obama's aunt and uncle? Petty bickering! There are serious problems facing our society and they need to be addressed in a serious way.

A Great Weekend in Oxford with Emily

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/travel/faulkner-and-football-in-oxford-miss.html

Pat, Kristy, and I ventured to Mississippi to visit Emily and go to the Georgia Ole Miss football game. It was the ultimate tailgate experience. Kristy and I interviewed many people who had set up outstanding tents, and they all invited us in for food and drinks!

Great visit with Em and her MTC friends.

I am not sure how the NYT missed us there.

Father's Day (an earlier post that refused publication)

Because we miss our babies desperately we journeyed half way across the country and back to spend the weekend with Em & Brink. It was to be a bit of a vaycay, but did not turn out that way. Our plan was to go to Asheville on Thursday, spend the day exploring, find an interesting hotel and leisurely explore the roads to Oxford Mississippi. Nope, didn't happen...we left Chapel Hill at 7:00 PM instead of AM and got to Asheville in the dark. Not much exploring. The two girls at the desk of the interesting hotel we selected suggested that we go to Southern, a place that had a late night menu. Okay, we thought that sounded good so off we went. Asheville at night is not a place that sees many people our age out on the street. We were not smoking pot and we did not have tattoos. Southern was interesting, but I can tell you that the girls that sent us were more than likely laughing. Little did they know that we fit in where ever we go, at least in our minds.

While in the lobby the next morning having coffee I met Amy Laura Hall, a divinity professor at Duke. I am not going into the details of our conversation (her life story) but she wants to start a church in a brewery in Durham...sounded interesting to me.

Off we went to Oxford a new way...I thought we were taking I40 through Knoxville and then follow the Natchez Trace, but NOOOOO. Pat suggested that we go another way through Nantahala and all the winding roads where you can go about 35 MPH. So sometime around 1 or 2 we were in CHATTANOOGA! that was not my plan. Look at a map, that's a long way from Oxford. Attempting to avoid Tupelo we got lost and drove through about a dozen little towns that no one in their right mind would ever go to. (sorry about ending the sentence with a preposition). A sign pointing the way to the Coon Dog Cemetery tells you alot about just where we were.  We did arrive and it was great to see Em and hear all the news. Shopping, meeting all the MTC people, having dinner, and getting to know Paul filled the day. Sunday we had breakfast at Big Bad Breakfast with Em to celebrate Fathers Day and then headed to Atlanta to have dinner with Brink. Pat was in heaven. Both girls in one day.

"pittiful" of late

Life in the "Pitt" has all but disappeared of late, but real life has not. Google in all its wisdom did something to blogger that I was not aware of and each time I wrote an earth shacking post it would not publish. I assumed the geeks at Best Buy, while performing an exorcism to rid my computer of  a virus, had altered my posting capabilities. They must have figured that enough had been said about deer, Sarah Palin, and the Tar Heels. I just sighed and moved on to Gawker. Finally I decided that my brain would explode if I did not figure out why this no post situation existed, after all, there was so much to be said. Alas! The "Pitt" is back.

My life's work...

...is under attack. Somewhere back in the bowels of high school I decided that I wanted to be a teacher. I am not sure why. I have distinct memories of the many classrooms I frequented from September 1962 to June 1965 and the day to day presence of adults who were charged with the very difficult duty of "teaching". Some were interesting, some were "cool", some should not have been there, several were cruel, and a few were inspiring. All of them taught me something, but the ones that I still remember were the ones who had passion...passion for their subject, and they were always engaged; they were part of the class, not directing the class. I wanted to avoid the ways of the worst and perfect the ways of the best. For 33 years the classroom was my world away from home. There was laughter, frustration, anger, enlightenment, and every other human emotion. It was hard every day. Futures were at stake.

Who are these people who have decided to "go after" teachers? Why have they put the profession at risk? Yes, there are those who should never darken the door of a school...but they CAN be gotten rid of. And, it's the public schools they are after not the private schools. Do they actually think all teachers in private schools are wonderful? Are they trying to rid our democracy of the great equalizer? Are they opening the way for private companies to make huge profits by bestowing grades? Well...maybe.

a reprieve from the bad news

With the South being destroyed by tornadoes, the President of the United States feeling the need to show his "long form" (whatever that is) birth certificate to the world, wars, the continuing economic disaster, and every other bad thing going on; I got up at 4 this morning to watch THE wedding. The outfits, the pageantry, the Abby, and especially the HATS kept my attention until the two kisses. The only bad thing was the constant reminiscing about Diana. She's dead! Kate was beautiful and set the bar very high for good taste. The Queen on the other hand looked as though she had gone to Walmart for her outfit. I mean really...that stupid purse, and yellow...really?! There is no need to mention those two daughters of Andrew and Fergie. Who let them go out with those hats. Think about the person who had to sit behind the one that resembled a television antennae. The music was beautiful and the Archbishop of Canterbury was quite good. So there...

Donald Trump is an alien and I am sure his "birth" was faked

I am at present unable to locate my birth certificate! The last time I recall seeing it was when I had my passport renewed a couple of years ago. I have (had) only one copy and I have looked everywhere. The doctor who delivered me has to be dead otherwise he would be well known as one of the oldest people alive. I am sure he (I am assuming it was a man) would not remember delivering me if he were still puttering around in the present. This is a grave situation because I cannot prove that I was actually born in the United States of America. My passport was not accepted at the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles when I tried to get a NC driver's license....only a real Social Security card would work; funny, because Social Security Cards are not to be used for identification (it says so right on the card). Anyway, I cannot find that either. I suppose in NC my Passport would not prove my citizenship...I am in real trouble. Oh, and I wonder how many people remember me from 1st grade in Okinawa and would come forth to say they knew me when.

Somehow I missed the national debate that took place over the CONSTITUTIONALITY of our military activity in Iraq after 9/11. Oh yeah, there wasn't one.

The bitter sweet of life...

Spring has sprung, the Tar Heels are in the Sweet Sixteen, and real estate is rockin' here in the Triangle.

We have been so busy of late and my usual "Pitt" activities have been set aside...like writing things on this blog. My garden is a mess and I am going to resort to hiring someone to get it "deleafed". How things lived through the frigid winter I do not know, but they are trying desperately to pop out of the ground. Frogs as big as small dogs inhabit the ponds which freaks me out a bit. (we do live near a nuclear power plant you know) I will not speak of the deer; just picture plants with nubs.

I have seen Archie Cross since the last Pitt report and he is fine. His chair was broken and it took forever to get it fixed. I had been really worried about him. He is such a positive presence in this world.

Of late my mind has not been able to escape constant thoughts of Emily's friend Jason and sweet Kate. Gentle spirits touched by death and illness. It is terribly difficult to grasp the reality of a child's death or their encounter with life altering illness. Godspeed Jason, and everyone will Kate well.

Up"Pitt" from the date

There is a thaw taking place here in the "Pitt" and that could mean Spring just might be possible. Let's see...what has been going on...

Well, there is just a hint that people are coming out of their economic cocoon and actually participating in the buying and selling of homes here in the Triangle. We are quite busy working with great people and having fun.


The Tar Heels have started playing real basketball with the departure of Larry Drew the spoiled, and there is excitement once again in Chapel Hill. Though they lost to Duke last Wednesday, they played very well and led for most of the game. Bruz, Diana, Pat, and I went to our newest favorite bar, Kildare's, to cheer and watch the game. Not only were we screaming the loudest, but we were the oldest. Sorry Em, maybe no one you know was there.


The newly elected Republican Chatham County Commissioners have cancelled the Pittsboro to Chapel Hill bus. Whatever it takes to keep "socialism" from creeping into the "Pitt". I feel sure there will be talk of building a wall at the Haw River before it's all over.

Brink has moved yet again. We escaped THE Storm and traffic fiasco in DC by about an hour driving south as fast as we could. SHE drove the truck this time and Millie and I drove the car. Where? Atlanta. Darling Condo on Peachtree. No horror stories this time.

Katrina and I are still jogging. I am sure the neighborhood has positioned people to watch for us, phones in hand to dial 911 in case we pass out on the streets of Chatham Forest. Haven't seen my friend Archie Cross in sometime, sure hope he is okay.

The sky was Carolina Blue and Franklin Street was rockin'

Maybe the Heels will find their way back into the Top 25! Carolina over NC State.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

I don't think he meant dressing up like a Revolutionary War soldier or screaming nasty words at your political adversaries.

The Speaker of the House was missing at the State Dinner.

John Boehner had a "scheduling" conflict and could not be at the White House last night for a State Dinner honoring the President of China, Hu Jintao. Boehner is third in line to be President of the United States, and holds a position that has often wielded power equal to the President. (Sam Rayburn, Joe Cannon, Tom "Czar" Reed) What message is being sent? What petty point is being made by this action. Does Boehner think he is gaining political points by not being seen along side a Kenyan President not born in the USA? Does he think snubbing the President of the largest economy in the world is what a Speaker should do? John, you look very small in the light of morning.

Everyone seems to be in a funk...

Magnetic North has shifted, there is a full moon, and many find that their Zodiac sign has changed. Well, what should we expect? Imagine what a sweet little Aries would do when he woke up and discovered he was a bull headed Taurus.

Sarah has declared that she will NOT shut up...and no one can make her.

Where is ACC Basketball?

Well, that's a really good question. Unlike last year I am being very cautious about the Tar Heels. I really think Roy has lost it. Tonight Clemson comes to the Dean Dome and Larry Drew (father of Larry Drew) will not be in the stands coaching and screaming so perhaps the outcome will be better than the Tech debacle. Pat, though he has adopted the Heels, cannot help himself when his Dawgs do better than the boys in blue.

I don't feel old, but I sure do remember some old things...

...My Nanny taking me shopping in downtown Richmond in the early 1950's on the bus. We would go to Thalheimer's to pick up their famous Seven Layer Chocolate Cake, then to Miller & Rhodes for the "white sale" (sheets, towels, and things). Our last stop would be lunch at the Tea Room in M & R; I would always order a turkey sandwich and a cherry drink. Our purchases were delivered to my Grandmother's house so we were unburdened as we walked out onto Broad Street to catch the bus back to Glenburnie. On one of these occasions I remember being rather annoyed as the bus pulled to a stop in front of us and asked my Grandmother why all the good seats (the ones in the back) were always gone by the time we got on. She did not respond.

...Getting to stay up late with my Mom to hear Bing Crosby on the Radio.

..."I Like IKE" campaign buttons in my parents' bedroom.

...Not having a television.

...The two girls who lived next door not being allowed to come out and play because their mother feared they would get polio.

...Making doll beds out of cigar boxes in Vacation Bible School at Monument Heights Baptist Church...every summer.

...Traveling across the country and there were no motels.

...Having measles and chicken pox.

...Going across the Pacific on a World War II battleship to Okinawa with a stop in Tokyo. My mind's eye sees only muddy streets; too close to the end of WWII.

...My first transistor radio.

...Being given a "Dance Card" upon entering my Ninth Grade Homecoming Dance.

...Wearing white gloves to church and of course parties.

...My 6th grade teacher having a "conniption fit" when someone used the word "queer".

...the day Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens died in a plane crash.

...Being obsessed with the Mickey Mouse Club and wanting to be Annette Funicello.

...Having 100 45's and being so proud...and not to forget the poster of Ricky Nelson on my bedroom wall.

...Thinking the "Iron Curtain" was a very high, gray, concrete wall that "god knows what" went on on the other side.

...Never owning a Barbie doll.

...Going to elementary school in barracks built during WWII with coal burning heaters. We got to take turns going out to get the coal.

...Getting to listen to the World Series EVERY year, in school, on the radio.

...Learning about Lapland in the 4th grade.

...Kooties.

Oh, they were survey marks!? Really?!

How stupid we all were to think that the cross hair symbols that were placed on Congressional districts "targeted" by Sarah Palin to defeat Democratic incumbents were cross hairs. They were survey marks. Of course they were.

Thought it was over after Oklahoma City...

...but of course it wasn't.

When the news hit that an unhinged person (supposedly from the Middle East) had left a large yellow truck in front of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City to explode, kill people, and destroy a symbol of the Federal Government, I was sure that the fringe right would fade back into the shadows of our society and those that had given them a voice in the media would divorce and destroy them. When two unhinged teenagers wrecked havoc in Columbine High School I was sure there would be changes...states would finally tightened up on gun laws, the NRA would loose credibility and the whole idea of guns would change. When another unhinged individual with a handgun entered a classroom at Virginia Tech and killed people I was sure that the 2nd Amendment fanatics would finally back down and people would demand gun control this time. I was sure there would be an attempt to do something to shore up the mental health system in our country. We wallowed in the sorrow of each incident, got over it, and moved on left with horrible images seared in our minds. The right wing fringe gained strength and not only found a voice but moved to the forefront. Gun advocates were able to make sure there was no discussion about gun control, and the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the 2nd Amendment meant that individuals could own handguns. Mental health? There was change here....mental health facilities shut down, state budgets cut, no systems developed to identify troubled people and get something done. Then, Saturday morning another unhinged individual holding a Glock semi automatic with an extended clip and three others in his pocket (total of 90 rounds), walked out of a Safeway and shot 20 people, killing six. A United States Congresswoman who had been targeted by SarahPAC to be defeated in November was shot in the head and lies in a hospital fighting for her life.

This time I am trying desperately to believe that the minions who blindly follow the right wing screamers will come to their senses and turn away, that we will have a real discussion about guns, and mental health will become an issue to be dealt with other than to pad the pockets of companies that produce antidepressants.

GUNS... I started to say that I do not understand how guns became so ubiquitous in our society, but I do understand. What I do not understand is why people have allowed this to happen. Those that are so intent on making laws that comply only with the original intent of the Founders ignore original intent when it comes to the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. Who actually believes that James Madison wanted every individual to have a right to wield a weapon that could fire 31 rounds and easily be reloaded. The Amendment was added because the British army had confiscated weapons that had been stored by colonials to arm the local militia. These guns were not in individual homes, but placed in community locations such as barns or warehouses. They were for communal protection. It is a myth that every colonial had a gun. People who lived in the back county most likely had one rifle to shoot food or protect themselves against Indians, but every person who lived in Boston DID NOT OWN A GUN and did not think they had some right to do so. Those who were opposed to the ratification of the Constitution demanded that protection against over reaching power of the newly created central government be curbed; thus the Bill of Rights was added. Many feared that this new government would simply replace the British Monarchy. The 2nd Amendment does not refer to individuals, it references militia. The Supreme Court has recently reversed previous decisions and ruled that the Amendment does in fact refer to individuals. This is not the original intent of the Founders! (Rep Mike Rogers, Republican from Michigan is appearing on MSNBC as I write this. He is contending that "the shooting is not a gun problem, it is a mental health problem, this is not a political problem it is a mental health problem". And, of course referred to the recent Court decision). Politicians and the Media cower to the NRA and its power. This must change. Some brave, powerful person has got to come forward.

Then there is the POLITICAL CLIMATE...this little blog has spewed volumes about the right wing sound machine and it seems so redundant to say it all again. However, (you knew that was coming), there are several points to repeat. ALL media, not just Fox, has legitimized the fringe element of the Republican Party. It is all about ratings. Fringe elements have become empowered and when "lock and load" rhetoric becomes "we want Minnesota armed and dangerous", or cross hairs are placed over Congressional districts where SarahPAC wants to defeat Democratic candidates, we have to take pause and rethink what has been going on. Abandoning the Fairness Doctrine allowed just about anything to be broadcast. The airways are public, not owned by anyone, but that has been lost.

The MENTAL HEALTH piece of this horrible tragedy is as important. I fear that many will make this the only issue and the status quo will rule; then we will do nothing about mental health and sometime in the future we will be ringing our hands and mourning the deaths of who knows how many innocent people.

President Obama has an opportunity to make real history when he speaks in Tucson.

Road Trip!

Because it was my sweet Brink's birthday I made a little trip to DC to take her to dinner. We ate at a very interesting restaurant, 1905. It is located upstairs at 1905 Q Street. Excellent food and French music.

Friday morning Brinkley went to work and Millie and I headed out on our jaunt. Our route is to go down Cathedral Ave. to Wisconsin and head to Georgetown. We turn off onto 37th Street, take a left on R and cross back over Wisconsin. If you have read the Camel Club books this is the area where all the action takes place and the location of the graveyard that Oliver Stone lives in. Take a left on Q and head across Rock Creek Park over the bridge with the buffalo onto Sheridan Circle. Then we head back up Massachusetts; Embassy Row. Millie was a little wild but by the time we headed up the hill she became much more calm...then as we passed the Japanese Embassy, where there were 8 VIP cars and many people apparently waiting for someone, Millie decides to deposit the byproduct of her last meal. I did not want to look at all the well dressed and very important looking men (no women at the Japanese Embassy). I proceeded to pick it up with a plastic bag and we moved on. I later found out they were waiting for the Foreign Minister of Japan who was about to be transported to the White House. Way to go Mil!

I joined Brink for lunch in the Senate cafeteria and we sat at a table next to Senator Kent Conrad from North Dakota. I love Senate Navy Bean Soup and had some...along with Senate fried chicken. I got to tour Senator Landrieu's office and meet many of the people Brink works with. Headed back to NC....miss my babies.

THE Constitution

Today the 112th Congress convenes and the House Republicans will read aloud The Constitution. This should be very interesting since I doubt many of the readers have actually read the document and considered the accompanying history. Along with the reading of Madison's masterpiece , the Supreme Court's interpretation of the words must be considered. The court is granted the power in Article III to interpret the Constitution, thus their rulings become "the law of the land". Many of the tea party types, if they actually pay attention, will be very surprised at many of the things that they hear and don't hear. Will they understand the complicated historical and judicial context that must be considered along with the words?


When the Preamble is read what will they think when they hear "We the people in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, provide for the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION for the United States of America."? Provide for the general welfare?

Article I, section 8 is interesting. This is where the powers of Congress are listed (the enumerated or delegated powers). Some may be surprised that the very first power granted is "to lay and collect taxes". Clause 8 gives Congress the power "to promote the progress of science and useful arts"...interesting. Clause 11 may surprise many who are not aware that ONLY Congress can declare war. Gee that hasn't technically happened since December 8, 1941. THEN Article I, section 8, clause 18 will be read..."and Congress shall have the power to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof." REALLY? Well, isn't that interesting. The Supreme Court ruled in McCulloch v Maryland that this clause meant that there were implied powers granted to Congress and they COULD pass laws that were not specifically stated but implied by clauses 1 through 17. Thus settling the argument over whether the Congress had the power to create a national bank. This ruling by the Court with the Tenth Amendment in place!

Nowhere in Article I does the word filibuster appear, and nowhere in the document is reference made to members of Congress having the power to block all bills that come before either House. The House and Senate can make their own rules and enforce them, and the filibuster is JUST a rule...not a constitutional mandated activity.


Article II, section 2 begins with the words "the President shall be the commander in chief..." The President, not the military commanders, head up the armed forces of the United States. General Douglas MacArthur and his many admirers were not aware of this, but President Truman set him straight and George Washington smiled from above.


Article IV, section 1 states, "Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state." Could this mean that a gay couple married in Massachusetts is still married in South Carolina, or Texas, or Kentucky? Then section 2 states "The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states." Oh drat, how could gays who are married in one state not be married in all states?

Article VI contains that pesky little supremacy clause which states "This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land...

This document that so many wrap themselves in and refer to regarding any trivial political whim is a very complicated thing. Those who toiled through the hot, steamy Philadelphia summer of 1787 wished to create a nation that was markedly different from the monarchies of Europe and more clearly defined than the flimsy structure provided by the Articles of Confederation. They were for the most part nationalists trying to bring the states under the national government while protecting the individual, internal interests of each. Will those who stand in the Well of the House chamber read the original Document? Those who are so intent on the original intent of the founders might be surprised (or not) at the protection of slavery with the three-fifths clause, the prohibition to ending the importation of slaves before 1808, and the granting of power to the Congress to pass a fugitive slave law. The Senate was originally elected by the state legislatures. The original intent of the Founders was not to give people too much power...the people were feared (just in case you wonder why the Electoral College exists). Do we really want to go back to this mindset? Some actually do. The creation of the Constitution must be considered within the time period it was written and it must be followed through the pains of the ante-bellum period, the ravages of the Civil War, the societal upheavals of industrialization, the emergence of "modern" America, two world wars, and a devastating economic collapse in order to fully understand the meaning of Madison's masterpiece. The words must be fused with the changes of time. A single individual cannot dictate what the Constitution means...that constitutes an opinion. The Supreme Court determines what the august document means. Constitutional case law is a convoluted, complicated aspect of Constitutional history that must be understood in order to "know" the meaning of THE CONSTITUTION.

Oh, then there are the Amendments...I have to go jog, later.