Aging Hippies, Part III: May, 2008

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May 25

Here Comes Summer

Thanks to eight years of Republican stewardship of America my monthly heating bill on the "budget plan" is now higher than the mortgage payment (including mortgage insurance and taxes) on the first house I bought in 1979. Gas is over $4/gal. and heating oil is about the same.

There are way too many petty distractions and obligations right now to go into details about what's happening in this corner of the woods. Suffice it to say that the coming of warm weather and sunshine just today has lightened my spirits considerably.

Hope to make a real entry soon. Until then, smoke 'em if you got 'em.

May 18

Armed Forces Day

A Festival came to our conservative Republican town on Saturday complete with music, booths with information about VA benefits for the troops, and a number of anti-war groups who make the case that the best way to support our military and our strategic national interests is to end the war in the mideast.

The first famous person to use the peace symbol was pacifist Bertrand Russell. His group, The Committee for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) used it during a protest march in 1958 for nuclear disarmament in Aldermaston, England. Activist Gerald Holtom, who designed the symbol based it on the international semaphore alphabet. This system uses flag signals in place of letters like a code. The peace sign is actually the flag signals for N and D superimposed upon each other and it stands for Nuclear Disarmament.

It has since become the international symbol for peace.

The first peace symbol badges were made by Eric Austin of Kensington, England CND in1958 using white clay with the symbol painted black. They were distributed with a note explaining that in the event of a nuclear war, these fired pottery badges would be among the few human artifacts to survive the nuclear inferno.

May 04

May Weekend

Obama and Clinton, the two Democratic Party candidates for US President who claim to represent the interests of the "average American" have both jumped into a rabbit hole. Our curiosity has caused us to follow them:

"In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again."

Both of them are multi-millionaires who are spending $100,000/day each for political ads in Indiana and North Carolina campaigns this week. Both have government jobs (which they're getting paid for even if they don't show up to cast their votes,) both have full medical insurance and a guaranteed pension. Neither one conserves gas or personally cares about the price of fuel oil hitting $4 bucks/gal. Neither one has an exit strategy for Iraq, a comprehensive vision about America's role as the world's policeman, or a clue about how to improve the economic situation for millions of US citizens.

Obama is trying to represent himself as a liberal, black, political outsider (but not TOO black or WAY liberal.) Instead of engaging in a meaningful dialogue about racial issues, poverty, and other social problems he's trying to present himself as a "fresh, feel-good" candidate. Hillary is walking the tightrope between being perceived as a strong leader/loud talker but not a raving menopausal bitch. Neither candidate represents me or the middle class majority or minorities or women because they don't represent what it is to be a Democrat. "Drink Me." "Sell the sizzle, 'cause we're out of steak." "Vote for me because I suck less."

Meanwhile, McCain is playing the role of the Queen of Hearts while grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He knows he should continue to sit quietly in his tree while Obama and Clinton duke it out. One of his opponents will cut off the head of the other this summer without any effort on his part. Then he and ONE Democrat will play croquet - on his terms, his field, his mallets, his ball, his rules. If McCain continues to follow the advice of his political advisors and keeps his mouth shut he will win the election. He's a war hero, experienced, tough on crime, supportive of the troops, and will remind us constantly of 9/11. Never mind that he's a pure-bred Republican willing to keep our military in the mideast for a hundred years. Never mind that he has no intention to fix the country's healthcare issue, thinks that Roe v. Wade should be overturned, and is the candidate of the Republican party which unilaterally got us involved in Iraq for all the wrong reasons.