Saturday, September 26, 2009
No reset button. No safe havens. No navel-gazing. It's about "creating communities"
We’re so involved with the here and now that "we’ve hardly ever had a chance to step back and look around."
That’s Patrick Overton of the Front Porch Institute speaking at the second Wyoming Arts Summit in Cheyenne on Thursday. The view from his Oregon front porch is this: we’ve all been so busy consuming that we haven’t paid attention to what’s happening in our country and in our communities and in ourselves.
"Our greatest crisis isn’t ‘dumbing down’ but ‘numbing down,’ " Patrick said. During the past several decades, we’re let a lot of life just pass us by.
He’s not the only one who notices. Massive rumblings are afoot in the land, from left and right and center, although I'm not sure there is a center any more.
Patrick mentioned Kurt Anderson’s recent book, "Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America," which basically says that Americans can weather the storm and prosper just as we did in the last great "paradigm shift" of the Reagan era.
"I don’t want to go back 20 or 30 years," said Patrick. "I want to go someplace else."
Forget the nightmare of returning to the Reagan era – although all of us would be much younger. What led us out of that era were these things: "Greed is good" and trickle-down economics and union-busting and open markets and "send jobs overseas" and solid gold umbrella stands and bad mortgages and, worst of all, the "Me Decade." We all fell prey to me-me-me. I’m in this club too. I may have been a bit more involved in my community, but I still wanted mine and worked hard to get it. As Patrick put it: we had "increased expectations" and "decreased accountability." We felt we were entitled to certain things and we were going to get them, by gum, and we were going to get them even if it led us into the world as in "Wall-E." The robots do all the work and we all sit around fat, dumb and happy. Scratch "happy." Make that "numb."
The numbness seems to be wearing off. Americans are angry. Michael Moore is angry. Glenn Beck is angry. The 9/12 protesters are angry. The G-20 protesters are angry. The family that lost the house to foreclosure is angry. The guy who lost his job is angry. The young veteran just back from Iraq is angry. Grandma is angry. I’m angry.
We all seem to feel that things are slipping away. But, instead of yelling at the TV or a Congressman, we need to look around and see what is happening locally. Not navel-gazing. This is a valuable thing and writers engage in it often. But now we're going to have to look up and out.
Thus we return to the Arts Summit. Art is a personal thing to those who create it and those who appreciate it. But it takes a village to plan it and promote it and fund it. But what if it also takes a village to create it?
Patrick usually doesn’t mention the word "art" when he’s working with a small community. It conjures up too many competing emotions, fear the primary one. Often this ordained minister, poet and scholar is too busy serving as mediator among the town's various competing factions. First the peace talks. Later we can talk about the arts.
He challenged all of us in the arts world to "stop talking about art and start talking about creating community." He even has some new terminology for those of us who work in the arts. The terms "creative community" and "creative class" has been bandied around by deep thinkers such as Richard Florida. Patrick thinks that we are all better served if we start talking about "creating communities." "Creating" here is used as an adjective and not a verb. We arts administrators tend to think that we are creating creative communities. Truth is, each town and village must be creating their own community themselves. We can provide some tools, but then it’s in the citizens of the town to do the heavy lifting. No disinterested bystanders allowed. And no silly turf battles.
Talk about hard work. The shouters can’t just shout, and we can’t just make fun of the shouters. We actually need to talk to each other and work together. That sends a ripple of fear down my spine, that I would have to be part of the conversation instead of doing my shouting from the safety of this blog. But if I want to be a citizen of my town, I need to be involved. That’s Civics 101.
By working together, we all create. We stop talking about art and create our own masterpieces of civic responsibility. It will be messy in the way that real democracy is messy. We will rise out of our numbness, take a look around and see that there are many things to be accomplished.
Patrick sums up by talking about "the poetry of place." It’s the title of the book he's working on (writers always work the conversation back to books). "I try to focus on the ‘poetry of place,’ the relationship that people have with each other and how that impacts the geography. This is messy stuff because we don’t get along very well."
Tough economic times are forcing us to work together, Patrick says. "The world doesn’t understand that it’s important to be creative. We have constructive and destructive energy. If people don’t do the former, they will do the latter. And I don’t even want to go there."
During the summer we witnessed an inkling of that sort of country. We truly don’t want to go any further than harsh words and taunts and sign-waving and ridicule.
FMI: http://www.patrickoverton.com/frontporch.html
That’s Patrick Overton of the Front Porch Institute speaking at the second Wyoming Arts Summit in Cheyenne on Thursday. The view from his Oregon front porch is this: we’ve all been so busy consuming that we haven’t paid attention to what’s happening in our country and in our communities and in ourselves.
"Our greatest crisis isn’t ‘dumbing down’ but ‘numbing down,’ " Patrick said. During the past several decades, we’re let a lot of life just pass us by.
He’s not the only one who notices. Massive rumblings are afoot in the land, from left and right and center, although I'm not sure there is a center any more.
Patrick mentioned Kurt Anderson’s recent book, "Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America," which basically says that Americans can weather the storm and prosper just as we did in the last great "paradigm shift" of the Reagan era.
"I don’t want to go back 20 or 30 years," said Patrick. "I want to go someplace else."
Forget the nightmare of returning to the Reagan era – although all of us would be much younger. What led us out of that era were these things: "Greed is good" and trickle-down economics and union-busting and open markets and "send jobs overseas" and solid gold umbrella stands and bad mortgages and, worst of all, the "Me Decade." We all fell prey to me-me-me. I’m in this club too. I may have been a bit more involved in my community, but I still wanted mine and worked hard to get it. As Patrick put it: we had "increased expectations" and "decreased accountability." We felt we were entitled to certain things and we were going to get them, by gum, and we were going to get them even if it led us into the world as in "Wall-E." The robots do all the work and we all sit around fat, dumb and happy. Scratch "happy." Make that "numb."
The numbness seems to be wearing off. Americans are angry. Michael Moore is angry. Glenn Beck is angry. The 9/12 protesters are angry. The G-20 protesters are angry. The family that lost the house to foreclosure is angry. The guy who lost his job is angry. The young veteran just back from Iraq is angry. Grandma is angry. I’m angry.
We all seem to feel that things are slipping away. But, instead of yelling at the TV or a Congressman, we need to look around and see what is happening locally. Not navel-gazing. This is a valuable thing and writers engage in it often. But now we're going to have to look up and out.
Thus we return to the Arts Summit. Art is a personal thing to those who create it and those who appreciate it. But it takes a village to plan it and promote it and fund it. But what if it also takes a village to create it?
Patrick usually doesn’t mention the word "art" when he’s working with a small community. It conjures up too many competing emotions, fear the primary one. Often this ordained minister, poet and scholar is too busy serving as mediator among the town's various competing factions. First the peace talks. Later we can talk about the arts.
He challenged all of us in the arts world to "stop talking about art and start talking about creating community." He even has some new terminology for those of us who work in the arts. The terms "creative community" and "creative class" has been bandied around by deep thinkers such as Richard Florida. Patrick thinks that we are all better served if we start talking about "creating communities." "Creating" here is used as an adjective and not a verb. We arts administrators tend to think that we are creating creative communities. Truth is, each town and village must be creating their own community themselves. We can provide some tools, but then it’s in the citizens of the town to do the heavy lifting. No disinterested bystanders allowed. And no silly turf battles.
Talk about hard work. The shouters can’t just shout, and we can’t just make fun of the shouters. We actually need to talk to each other and work together. That sends a ripple of fear down my spine, that I would have to be part of the conversation instead of doing my shouting from the safety of this blog. But if I want to be a citizen of my town, I need to be involved. That’s Civics 101.
By working together, we all create. We stop talking about art and create our own masterpieces of civic responsibility. It will be messy in the way that real democracy is messy. We will rise out of our numbness, take a look around and see that there are many things to be accomplished.
Patrick sums up by talking about "the poetry of place." It’s the title of the book he's working on (writers always work the conversation back to books). "I try to focus on the ‘poetry of place,’ the relationship that people have with each other and how that impacts the geography. This is messy stuff because we don’t get along very well."
Tough economic times are forcing us to work together, Patrick says. "The world doesn’t understand that it’s important to be creative. We have constructive and destructive energy. If people don’t do the former, they will do the latter. And I don’t even want to go there."
During the summer we witnessed an inkling of that sort of country. We truly don’t want to go any further than harsh words and taunts and sign-waving and ridicule.
FMI: http://www.patrickoverton.com/frontporch.html
Dems meet, Alexandra Fuller to speak
The Wyoming Democratic Party is holding its annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Riverton Holiday Inn, Riverton. Speakers include Wyoming author Alexandra Fuller and Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak. It's a little late to register, but if you show up tomorrow with $75, the Dems will probably let you in. Call 1-800-729-3367 or visit web site at http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/.
WyoDems Czar Bill Luckett says that two new video ads will be previewed. And there will be a State Central Committee meeting at the hotel beginning at 1 p.m. on Sept. 26.
The evening festivities begin at 5:45 p.m. with a VIP Cocktail reception with guest speakers Fuller and Waak. Tickets to theVIP Cocktail are $100 a person. The dinner banquet follows at 7 p.m., and tickets are $75.
WyoDems Czar Bill Luckett says that two new video ads will be previewed. And there will be a State Central Committee meeting at the hotel beginning at 1 p.m. on Sept. 26.
The evening festivities begin at 5:45 p.m. with a VIP Cocktail reception with guest speakers Fuller and Waak. Tickets to theVIP Cocktail are $100 a person. The dinner banquet follows at 7 p.m., and tickets are $75.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Greedy banks that got taxpayer bailouts try to stop student loan overhaul
From Monday's New York Times:
President Obama sharply criticized the nation’s largest banks for trying to stop legislation that would overhaul federal student loan programs.
Mr. Obama, speaking at a community college, said that American banks had received bailout money from the federal government, and yet were still fighting against a proposal that would eliminate an unwarranted subsidy which the banks receive for providing student loans.
“Ending this unwarranted subsidy for big banks is a no-brainer for folks everywhere,” Mr. Obama said, before lashing out against his favorite target of late. “Everywhere except Washington, that is. In fact, we’re already seeing the special interests rallying to save this giveaway.”
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Support your Wyoming artists and galleries
On the local arts scene:
You're invited to "Wyoming Views" opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 24, 8-9:30 p.m., at Clay Paper Scissors, 1506 Thomes Ave., Suite B, in downtown Cheyenne. The show features Laramie artists Joe Arnold, Wendy Bredehoft, Linda Lillegraven and Susan Moldenhauer.
To see more details and RSVP, follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163942570714
You're invited to "Wyoming Views" opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 24, 8-9:30 p.m., at Clay Paper Scissors, 1506 Thomes Ave., Suite B, in downtown Cheyenne. The show features Laramie artists Joe Arnold, Wendy Bredehoft, Linda Lillegraven and Susan Moldenhauer.
To see more details and RSVP, follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163942570714
No Fox News zombies spotted in halls of local high school
Letter to the editor printed in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle under the headline "No brainwashed kids seen in hallways of Central High:"
Dear Editor:
Thanks for the thoughtful "From the Editor's Desk" editorial in the 9/12 WTE about the local reaction to the speech to students from Pres. Barack Obama.
I attended an open house at Central High School on the evening after Pres. Obama's "controversial" speech. At the open house, I expected to see phalanxes of bug-eyed students wandering the halls chanting: "Repeat after me -- I'm a socialist community organizer who wants to kill Grandma."
But I only saw a few, those whose minds have already melted down from watching too many hours of Fox News.
My daughter said she didn't have a chance to see the speech because her algebra classroom doesn't have a TV.
I can understand why. Leninist/Maoist/Hitlerist Obama messages might leak out of the tube and creep into the minds of the students who should be concentrating on equations.
She said that a couple of the kids had made snide remarks about Obama but there didn't seem to be any major protest or massive walkout or let's-all-yell-at-the-TV-screen event.
The school district had made viewing voluntary, saying that teachers could show it during class time, show it later or not show it at all. Students could opt out, spending their time in some worthwhile pursuit, such as sneaking a smoke out in the parking lot.
I did notice that two of the eight teachers I visited had inspirational quotes from Pres. Obama written on their white boards. That's something, I guess, although probably enough to get some Glenn-Beck-watching local parents wildly indignant. But they get wildly indignant about every little thing.
Too bad they didn't pay attention in civics class back in the day.
Sincerely, Michael Shay
This appeared in a slightly different form as part of an earlier hummingbirdminds post.
Dear Editor:
Thanks for the thoughtful "From the Editor's Desk" editorial in the 9/12 WTE about the local reaction to the speech to students from Pres. Barack Obama.
I attended an open house at Central High School on the evening after Pres. Obama's "controversial" speech. At the open house, I expected to see phalanxes of bug-eyed students wandering the halls chanting: "Repeat after me -- I'm a socialist community organizer who wants to kill Grandma."
But I only saw a few, those whose minds have already melted down from watching too many hours of Fox News.
My daughter said she didn't have a chance to see the speech because her algebra classroom doesn't have a TV.
I can understand why. Leninist/Maoist/Hitlerist Obama messages might leak out of the tube and creep into the minds of the students who should be concentrating on equations.
She said that a couple of the kids had made snide remarks about Obama but there didn't seem to be any major protest or massive walkout or let's-all-yell-at-the-TV-screen event.
The school district had made viewing voluntary, saying that teachers could show it during class time, show it later or not show it at all. Students could opt out, spending their time in some worthwhile pursuit, such as sneaking a smoke out in the parking lot.
I did notice that two of the eight teachers I visited had inspirational quotes from Pres. Obama written on their white boards. That's something, I guess, although probably enough to get some Glenn-Beck-watching local parents wildly indignant. But they get wildly indignant about every little thing.
Too bad they didn't pay attention in civics class back in the day.
Sincerely, Michael Shay
This appeared in a slightly different form as part of an earlier hummingbirdminds post.
WyoDems' "Reality Check" on Sen. Enzi and health reform
Brianna Jones, communications director of the Wyoming Democratic Party, sent out this "reality check" today on Sen. Mike Enzi's comments regarding health care reform. She also sent out one on Sen. ("just call me Doc") John Barrasso on health care. There are a few differences, but both have a similar P.O.V. We'll show Enzi's comments first, as he has been involved in the Senate's lack-of-action from the beginning:
RHETORIC: Enzi Said That "Broad Bipartisan Support" Was Needed For Health Care And That He Would "Continue To Offer Constructive Ideas In Hopes That We Might Have The Opportunity To Develop A Bipartisan Solutions."
Sen. Enzi: "I have said for many months that the should have broad bipartisan support in order to gain the trust of the american people. Health care reform will affect the lives of every single american and have a dramatic impact on our economy in the future of our nation. It is too important to be passed by a narrow partisan majorities. Unfortunately, the efforts that -- the efforts were unable to produce a bill because of arbitrarily deadlines. This was imposed by the Senate leadership and the White House. Apparently in some circles there is a belief that passing a bill quickly is more important than getting it right. I regret that we ran out of time and were not able to resolve several key issues that i believe must be addressed in any comprehensive reform package. I will continue to offer constructive ideas in hopes that we might have the opportunity to develop a bipartisan solutions to address the health care challenges that are faced by our nation." [Senate Finance Committee Health Care Reform Mark-up, 9/22/09]
REALITY: ENZI IS NOT INTERESTED IN BIPARTISAN HEALTH CARE REFORM -- ONLY IN KILLING REFORM
Enzi: “That (Health Care Bill) Is Going To Take Awhile And I’m Pretty Sure It’s Going To Fail.” “Congress won’t start serious work on cap and trade until after the health care bill is taken care of. ‘That (the health care bill) is going to take awhile and I’m pretty sure it’s going to fail,’ Enzi said. Enzi, a former Gillette mayor and state legislator who lives in Gillette, has been touring the state during the congressional recess to talk about issues.” [Gillette News Record, 9/2/09]
Enzi Said Took Credit For Blocking And Delaying Health Care Bill. “This time, Enzi responded. ‘If I hadn't been involved in this process as long as I have and to the depth as I have, you would already have national health care,’ he said. ‘Someone has to be at the table asking questions,’ Enzi said, showing a flash of passion. He later quoted a favorite saying: ‘If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.’ ‘It's not where I get them to compromise, it's what I get them to leave out,’ Enzi said.” [AP, 8/25/09]
Enzi Said Democratic Health Care Proposals Would “Raid Medicare” And Intrude “In The Relationship Between A Doctor And A Patient.” “In the GOP's weekly radio and Internet address, Sen. Mike Enzi (Wyo.) said the Democrats' health-care proposals ‘will actually make our nation's finances sicker without saving you money,’ and would also ‘raid Medicare’ and intrude ‘in the relationship between a doctor and a patient’ His remarks are the latest volley in a partisan debate that has grown increasingly heated during the August recess, as some lawmakers have reported hearing fervent opposition to President Obama's reform plans in their states and districts. ‘Across the country, people are concerned about the reform bills Democrats have proposed,’ Enzi said. ‘I heard a lot of frustration and anger as I traveled across my home state this
last few weeks.’” [Washington Post, 8/30/09]
Enzi Boasted About Voting Against The Health Care Plan That Passed The Senate HELP Committee. "Enzi, Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and member of the Senate Finance Committee, repeated his opposition to a government-run health care plan today while addressing the Casper Rotary Club. Over the weekend, Health and Human Services Secretary Katherine Sebelius hinted that the Administration may be willing to look beyond a government-run option. 'As I've said from the beginning, a government-run option is not an option. I voted against the Democrat plan in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month and would do so again,' Enzi said. 'A government-run plan would increase health care costs, lessen service and add to our huge debt. The American people are doing a great job of getting this message across to the Administration and Congress.'" [Sen. Enzi release, 8/17/09]
Sen. Enzi Predicted “Nasty, Nasty Town Meeting” For Democrats Over Health Care. “In an interview, Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, said he was committed to forging a bipartisan consensus on legislation that overhauls the U.S. health-care system. ‘We're past due for doing it, and the American people want it,’ said Mr. Enzi, one of three Republicans negotiating with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.). The Baucus-led talks are the only bipartisan health-bill effort on Capitol Hill. But Sen. Enzi said voters so far didn't seem impressed by what the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill has come up with, and predicted members of the House and Senate are in for ‘some nasty, nasty town meetings’ over the August congressional recess. ‘I don't think they like what they see so far,’ the senator said of voters.” [Wall Street Journal, 8/6/09]
Enzi, Along With Sen. Grassley, Brief The GOP Leaders Daily And Leader McConnell Said "They're Not Free Agents. They're Reporting To Us." "Grassley and Enzi brief a majority of the Republican Conference almost every Wednesday afternoon -- and have for months - and they brief GOP leaders almost daily. While Enzi, Grassley and Snowe say they aren't being urged to resist a deal, neither are they being given carte blanche. GOP aides say they have been reminded they are not negotiating on behalf of the Conference and could find themselves on an "island" if they agree to legislation without first getting it approved. 'They're not free agents. They're reporting to us,' McConnell told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday. " 'I don't think they're going to sign onto a deal that a vast majority of my Conference can't agree to. And we don't, so far, like much of anything we see in this big-government, high-tax, mandate approach that the Democratic majority and the president would like to pass.'" [Roll Call, 8/3/09]
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Lummis No. 15 on the richy-rich list! And she doesn't want you to get a student loan!
Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne was ranked number 15 on Roll Call's list of 50 richest members of Congress. As you may remember, she was elected to Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat in November. Not sure how often she votes the Republican party line, but I estimate it to be 110 percent of the time. But it could be more.
Last week, she voted against a House bill that ends subsidies to banks and student loan companies that have a long history of ripping off students and their parents -- and racking up incredible profits in the process. Pres. Obama said: "This bill will end the billions upon billions of dollars in unwarranted subsidies that we hand out to banks and financial institutions, and will use that money to guarantee access to low-cost loans."
I've always been tickled by student loan companies denying loans to strapped 19-year-olds because their middle-class parents make too much money working three part-time jobs. The House bill's projected $87 billion in savings would be used to expand aid to students and colleges, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Read full richy-rich list at http://www.rollcall.com/features/Guide-to-Congress_2009/guide/38181-1.html
From Roll Call:
Last week, she voted against a House bill that ends subsidies to banks and student loan companies that have a long history of ripping off students and their parents -- and racking up incredible profits in the process. Pres. Obama said: "This bill will end the billions upon billions of dollars in unwarranted subsidies that we hand out to banks and financial institutions, and will use that money to guarantee access to low-cost loans."
I've always been tickled by student loan companies denying loans to strapped 19-year-olds because their middle-class parents make too much money working three part-time jobs. The House bill's projected $87 billion in savings would be used to expand aid to students and colleges, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Read full richy-rich list at http://www.rollcall.com/features/Guide-to-Congress_2009/guide/38181-1.html
From Roll Call:
Lummis’ prosperity is tied to three Cheyenne, Wyo.-based cattle ranches -- Lummis Livestock Co., Arp & Hammond Hardware Co. and Old Horse Pasture Inc. — each valued at $5 million to $25 million.
The first-term lawmaker also lists the Laramie River Ranch in Wheatland, Wyo., valued at $500,000 to $1 million. Her husband, Al Wiederspahn, lists the Equipoise Corp. in Cheyenne with a value of $1 million to $5 million.
Lummis lists two mortgages for her Wyoming properties with a combined minimum value of at least $1.1 million.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Localit grows in Cheyenne and Casper and other Wyoming locales
During the past year, I've been talking a lot about my transformation into a locavore (a.k.a. localvore). I'm growing some of my own food and trying to eat foodstuffs grown and raised close to home. It's a daunting task. Cheyenne isn't Salinas or Iowa City or Vidalia. For that, I can only be thankful. But, people in these cities and other temperate climes have a lot better chance of locavoring than I do at 6,200 windswept feet in America's high dry prairie.
But I keep on keeping on. I have a new batch of strawberries, probably due to the cooling weather. Lettuce, too, its last seasonal gasp. I'm still watching the tomatoes ripen. My Superman-like laser vision has speeded up the process, but not by much. A freeze is forecast on Tuesday, followed by a slight warming trend which some call Indian Summer except the Indians. I may just cover up during the freeze emergency, and then see how many more days the tomatoes have.
As I dwell on fruits and veggies, I was thinking about arts on the local scene, especially writers and poets and books. Let's call it "localit," as in "local literature." Homegrown words by homegrown writers, or at least transplanted writers (like me) who took root in the rocky soil of Wyoming.
The second annual Wyoming Book Festival was held today in Cheyenne's Lion's Park. It may be a coincidence, but the park is also home to the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and a very impressive community garden. As I write this, two boxes of carrots grown in that garden by a friend await my attention. They're tasty -- I had a batch last week which I threw in with some Yukon Gold potatoes and some tasty local beets for a root veggie extravaganza.
Writers featured today at the conference were mainly from Wyoming: Zak Pullen, Casper; Craig Johnson, Ucross; Gene Gagliano, Buffalo; Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale; Peg Sundberg, Wheatland; and Tina Ann Forkner and Cindy Keen Reynders from Cheyenne. The only Coloradan presenting on the main stage was mystery writer Margaret Coel whose novels are set in Wyoming's Wind River Reservation but she lives in Boulder, Colo. Thing is, Margaret lives closer to Wyoming that most of the Wyoming presenters. Those borders are funny things.
Meanwhile, inside the Community House, other writers staffed tables featuring their books. The Cheyenne Barnes & Noble offered the books for sale. Outside, basking in the sunny September day by the amphitheatre, was Nancy Curtis of Glendo and her High Plains Press books.
You could fairly call this event an example of localit. Yes, I know B&N is not an indie. But its staff supports us local writers.
After hanging out at the bookfest for awhile, I was off to a meeting of the board for Wyoming Writers, Inc. It's a 35-year-old statewide organizations of some 200 writers, most from Wyoming but a growing number from surrounding states. It's an all-volunteer org that puts on an annual writing competition, annual conference, newsletter, listserv and web site. It birthed WyoPoets, which also holds it own annual writing workshop and has a fine web site. Almost all WyoPoets members are members of WWInc.
The board is planning its 2010 conference in Cody. WWInc has money in the bank and the conference is self-supporting. Last year's event in Casper featured former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser as keynote speaker. Other presenters came from Cheyenne and Jackson and Cincinnati and NYC. We take pains to assemble a great mix of presenters, realizing we sometimes have to reach far and wide to get the expertise we seek. We're seeking some great writers and editors and agents for the Cody event. And, at the same time, keeping the cost reasonable.
WWInc is an organization that it made up of both professional and hobbyist writers. An odd mix -- but it works. We do our best to support the pastime of writing as well as its professional pursuit. Next weekend, two WWInc staffers will be at the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association gathering to support books by members.
In two weeks, the Laramie County Community College Foundation is putting on its Literary Connection. Here's a short description:
Some might object to the fact that the community college spends money on arts-oriented events. But what better venue than a "community" college, which tries (not always successfully) to be the center of activities. As U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said this week at a statewide forum at Casper College: "The community college system here is among the best in the country," Duncan said. "We recognize this has been an underrecognized asset, an underrecognized resource."
What better way to say "localit" than your local community college?
Speaking of Casper College... The Casper College Literary Conference is Oct. 8-10. It features a series of workshops and presentation by fantastic writers, culminating in a chili feed and reading by the Wyoming Arts Council's creative writing fellowship winners at noon on Oct. 10. Three Wyoming poets will join fellowship Greg Pape, Montana Poet Laureate, for a reading in the Izaak Walton Clubhouse on the banks of the North Platte River in central Wyoming.
Write locally, read poetry locally, fish locally.
This local emphasis on the arts doesn't stop with writers. This summer, when I was in Jackson, local galleries were closing due to the economic downturn. Others were wondering if it wasn't time to act and think more locally, and depend less on tourist dollars and donations by politicos and CEOs and Wall Street arbitragers who have built second or third or fourth houses in Jackson Hole. Their fortunes are falling fast. Too much dependence on this fleeting wealth has skewed expectations.
Act locally, think locally, write locally.
Paint locally, sculpt locally, quilt locally.
New bumper sticker slogans for Wyoming.
But I keep on keeping on. I have a new batch of strawberries, probably due to the cooling weather. Lettuce, too, its last seasonal gasp. I'm still watching the tomatoes ripen. My Superman-like laser vision has speeded up the process, but not by much. A freeze is forecast on Tuesday, followed by a slight warming trend which some call Indian Summer except the Indians. I may just cover up during the freeze emergency, and then see how many more days the tomatoes have.
As I dwell on fruits and veggies, I was thinking about arts on the local scene, especially writers and poets and books. Let's call it "localit," as in "local literature." Homegrown words by homegrown writers, or at least transplanted writers (like me) who took root in the rocky soil of Wyoming.
The second annual Wyoming Book Festival was held today in Cheyenne's Lion's Park. It may be a coincidence, but the park is also home to the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and a very impressive community garden. As I write this, two boxes of carrots grown in that garden by a friend await my attention. They're tasty -- I had a batch last week which I threw in with some Yukon Gold potatoes and some tasty local beets for a root veggie extravaganza.
Writers featured today at the conference were mainly from Wyoming: Zak Pullen, Casper; Craig Johnson, Ucross; Gene Gagliano, Buffalo; Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale; Peg Sundberg, Wheatland; and Tina Ann Forkner and Cindy Keen Reynders from Cheyenne. The only Coloradan presenting on the main stage was mystery writer Margaret Coel whose novels are set in Wyoming's Wind River Reservation but she lives in Boulder, Colo. Thing is, Margaret lives closer to Wyoming that most of the Wyoming presenters. Those borders are funny things.
Meanwhile, inside the Community House, other writers staffed tables featuring their books. The Cheyenne Barnes & Noble offered the books for sale. Outside, basking in the sunny September day by the amphitheatre, was Nancy Curtis of Glendo and her High Plains Press books.
You could fairly call this event an example of localit. Yes, I know B&N is not an indie. But its staff supports us local writers.
After hanging out at the bookfest for awhile, I was off to a meeting of the board for Wyoming Writers, Inc. It's a 35-year-old statewide organizations of some 200 writers, most from Wyoming but a growing number from surrounding states. It's an all-volunteer org that puts on an annual writing competition, annual conference, newsletter, listserv and web site. It birthed WyoPoets, which also holds it own annual writing workshop and has a fine web site. Almost all WyoPoets members are members of WWInc.
The board is planning its 2010 conference in Cody. WWInc has money in the bank and the conference is self-supporting. Last year's event in Casper featured former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser as keynote speaker. Other presenters came from Cheyenne and Jackson and Cincinnati and NYC. We take pains to assemble a great mix of presenters, realizing we sometimes have to reach far and wide to get the expertise we seek. We're seeking some great writers and editors and agents for the Cody event. And, at the same time, keeping the cost reasonable.
WWInc is an organization that it made up of both professional and hobbyist writers. An odd mix -- but it works. We do our best to support the pastime of writing as well as its professional pursuit. Next weekend, two WWInc staffers will be at the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association gathering to support books by members.
In two weeks, the Laramie County Community College Foundation is putting on its Literary Connection. Here's a short description:
The LCCC Foundation is excited to announce that the Literary Connection will be returning Oct. 2-3, 2009. We are pleased to introduce our three guest authors for this year: Pam Houston, author of the best-seller Cowboys Are My Weakness; Colorado native and Sky Bridge author Laura Pritchett; and essayist and fiction writer Bill Roorbach from Masachusetts. This year, we are introducing our morning workshop session on Friday with our three guest authors. They will each talk about the skills of writing, the process of literary development and more. On Saturday, we will reintroduce our authors as they present a guest lecture, again taking time to answer your questions and sign copies of their books. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Please visit our guest authors' websites for more info: ww.pamhouston.net/bio.html; www.laurapritchett.com/about.html; www.billroorbach.com/bio.htm
Some might object to the fact that the community college spends money on arts-oriented events. But what better venue than a "community" college, which tries (not always successfully) to be the center of activities. As U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said this week at a statewide forum at Casper College: "The community college system here is among the best in the country," Duncan said. "We recognize this has been an underrecognized asset, an underrecognized resource."
What better way to say "localit" than your local community college?
Speaking of Casper College... The Casper College Literary Conference is Oct. 8-10. It features a series of workshops and presentation by fantastic writers, culminating in a chili feed and reading by the Wyoming Arts Council's creative writing fellowship winners at noon on Oct. 10. Three Wyoming poets will join fellowship Greg Pape, Montana Poet Laureate, for a reading in the Izaak Walton Clubhouse on the banks of the North Platte River in central Wyoming.
Write locally, read poetry locally, fish locally.
This local emphasis on the arts doesn't stop with writers. This summer, when I was in Jackson, local galleries were closing due to the economic downturn. Others were wondering if it wasn't time to act and think more locally, and depend less on tourist dollars and donations by politicos and CEOs and Wall Street arbitragers who have built second or third or fourth houses in Jackson Hole. Their fortunes are falling fast. Too much dependence on this fleeting wealth has skewed expectations.
Act locally, think locally, write locally.
Paint locally, sculpt locally, quilt locally.
New bumper sticker slogans for Wyoming.
Friday, September 18, 2009
A very short story set in the Old West to wrap up ADHD Awareness Week
"The pursuit of the big sky and the attitude of 'Don't fence me in' may be one of the reasons why Idaho leads the nation in per capita prescriptions of Ritalin for school-age children."
--From "Answers to Distraction" by Edwin M. Hallowell, M.D./John J. Ratey, M.D.
How the West Was Won
Idaho lies just over those mountains. Soon it will become a territory, and someday a state where potatoes will share the soil with concrete burrows of nuclear missiles. Ritalin will serve as handmaiden to its many children.
Our wagons stir the land, cause dust devils to rise. Black serpent cyclones rip the ridgelines. Native nomads, bison, tumbleweeds cross the purple prairie. Movement is religion. We are not destined for one place, but many; many mansions, as The Book says, many wagons filled with children, the amputated pasts of émigré nations.
My father farmed the same rock-chunked patch of County Roscommon land as his father before him, as his father before him, and all the fathers to back before the bastard Cromwell. Miserable sons of the sod. My father cursed the sick soil, dug the withered potatoes until only stone mingled with stone. The Great Hunger set us free and filled the coffin ships. Now our wagons prowl the prairies past forts and pox-plagued Indians, past Independence Rock, that granite lump like the devil's own hunched back, past grasslands that have no more sense than to act as carpets to the long horizon, to Idaho, and on to Oregon and the sea.
Our plan all along was Oregon, my brothers and I, but we grew distracted with the shades of Mormon children who whirl above our campfires. They can't get warm enough, can't move fast enough to escape last October's blizzard; it swallowed the Willie's Handcart party, froze 100 Latter Day Saints in mid-stride. Mormon youth are always on the move! One day, you will see them on bicycles from Beijing to Boise and Ritalin will be popular in Salt Lake City, Vernal, Provo. The Great Cities of Utah will vie with The Great Cities of Idaho and all the big-sky states for the coveted title of Ritalin Capital of the Nation.
At night, as the campfire dances in the constant wind, I stand within the circle of wagons and watch the stars wheel overhead. The comets are out there, weaving mists through the constellations; a shooting star streaks the firmament. In the hyperactive future, the lights of airplanes will always be visible, no matter how deep you push into the territory. Movement will still be religion, but my great-great-grandchildren in Pocatello will swallow a pill to give them pause and to muffle the nerve-twitching urge to move, that itch to be somewhere, anywhere but here.
Michael Shay, April 21, 2005
Originally published 2005 in High Plains Register
--From "Answers to Distraction" by Edwin M. Hallowell, M.D./John J. Ratey, M.D.
How the West Was Won
Idaho lies just over those mountains. Soon it will become a territory, and someday a state where potatoes will share the soil with concrete burrows of nuclear missiles. Ritalin will serve as handmaiden to its many children.
Our wagons stir the land, cause dust devils to rise. Black serpent cyclones rip the ridgelines. Native nomads, bison, tumbleweeds cross the purple prairie. Movement is religion. We are not destined for one place, but many; many mansions, as The Book says, many wagons filled with children, the amputated pasts of émigré nations.
My father farmed the same rock-chunked patch of County Roscommon land as his father before him, as his father before him, and all the fathers to back before the bastard Cromwell. Miserable sons of the sod. My father cursed the sick soil, dug the withered potatoes until only stone mingled with stone. The Great Hunger set us free and filled the coffin ships. Now our wagons prowl the prairies past forts and pox-plagued Indians, past Independence Rock, that granite lump like the devil's own hunched back, past grasslands that have no more sense than to act as carpets to the long horizon, to Idaho, and on to Oregon and the sea.
Our plan all along was Oregon, my brothers and I, but we grew distracted with the shades of Mormon children who whirl above our campfires. They can't get warm enough, can't move fast enough to escape last October's blizzard; it swallowed the Willie's Handcart party, froze 100 Latter Day Saints in mid-stride. Mormon youth are always on the move! One day, you will see them on bicycles from Beijing to Boise and Ritalin will be popular in Salt Lake City, Vernal, Provo. The Great Cities of Utah will vie with The Great Cities of Idaho and all the big-sky states for the coveted title of Ritalin Capital of the Nation.
At night, as the campfire dances in the constant wind, I stand within the circle of wagons and watch the stars wheel overhead. The comets are out there, weaving mists through the constellations; a shooting star streaks the firmament. In the hyperactive future, the lights of airplanes will always be visible, no matter how deep you push into the territory. Movement will still be religion, but my great-great-grandchildren in Pocatello will swallow a pill to give them pause and to muffle the nerve-twitching urge to move, that itch to be somewhere, anywhere but here.
Michael Shay, April 21, 2005
Originally published 2005 in High Plains Register
U.S. health insurance premiums go up and up and up some more
Reuters’s reporter Susan Heavey reports this:
U.S. workers getting health insurance for their families through employers have seen their premiums more than double in the last decade and the trend toward higher health costs is expected to continue, according to two reports released on Tuesday.
The Kaiser Family Foundation said the average premium for a company-provided family health insurance plan rose from $5,791 in 1999 to $13,375, a 131 percent jump.
Separately, the Business Roundtable, an organization that represents large U.S. corporations, said per-employee costs will jump to $28,530 in 2019 from $10,743 currently if nothing is done.
Read the entire article at http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE58E45420090915
My only comment: Yes, I know – personally.
U.S. workers getting health insurance for their families through employers have seen their premiums more than double in the last decade and the trend toward higher health costs is expected to continue, according to two reports released on Tuesday.
The Kaiser Family Foundation said the average premium for a company-provided family health insurance plan rose from $5,791 in 1999 to $13,375, a 131 percent jump.
Separately, the Business Roundtable, an organization that represents large U.S. corporations, said per-employee costs will jump to $28,530 in 2019 from $10,743 currently if nothing is done.
Read the entire article at http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE58E45420090915
My only comment: Yes, I know – personally.
Hummingbird Mind: My son Kevin, the climber
To commemorate ADD/ADHD Awareness Week (Sept. 14-18), I offer this essay, "We Are Distracted," which in a slightly different form appeared in the 1996 book In Short: A Collection of Brief Creative Nonfiction, W.W. Norton, edited by Judith Kitchen and Mary Paumier Jones.)
I. WE ARE DISTRACTED
We are distracted by the agility of my eight-year-old son Kevin as he clambers up the slick granite rock formation near Rocky Mountain National Park. He is fifty feet above us; we are a bit frightened by the risks he takes, the way he clings like a human fly to the sides of the rock. We all look up and watch one of Kevin's handholds become a fingerhold and just when it's about to become a no-hold, he pushes off the rock with his feet, leaps a three-foot gap between spires, and wraps his arms tightly around the precious purchase he has made with this part of the Rockies.
We are like three slugs on a slab -- Kevin's classmate Freeman, his father Randy, and I. We lean against the cool rock surface of this six-million-year-old mountain and watch Kevin. We look up and Kevin never looks down. It would break his concentration, interrupt his communion with the rock, I think. To concentrate is everything for Kevin. He can't do it for extended periods of time unless he is under the influence of Ritalin, a drug that helps him control his hyperactivity-inspired impulsiveness. Right now as he climbs toward the sharp blue Colorado sky, the Ritalin, a central nervous system stimulant, is working on my son's brain stem arousal system causing to not be aroused. Medical researchers are not sure why a stimulant has the opposite effect on hyperactive kids. Says the 1994 Physician's Desk Reference: There is no "specific evidence which clearly establishes the mechanism whereby Ritalin produces its mental and behavioral effects on children, nor conclusive evidence regarding how these effects relate to the condition of the central nervous system."
II. HYPER/ACTIVE
When Kevin is in the classroom and a bird flies to a branch on a tree across the street, he will stop everything and look at the bird. A whispered comment at the opposite end of the classroom might as well be a sonic boom. If he is surrounded by too much energy in his orbit, he absorbs the energy. It sometimes causes him to twist and whirl and slam into his playmates; not so much now as when he was toddler and his way of playing was FULL BODY CONTACT. Slam, bam - and there was suddenly a kid crying, one nonplused Kevin and usually a very pissed-off parent, who soon would be in my face, asking me why I didn't control my son on the playground because he was really going to hurt someone someday.
III. NAMES, ALPHABETS, NAMES
Physicians have been prescribing Ritalin (a.k.a. methylphenidate) for more than 30 years for a condition that has been known as Minimal Brain Damage (MBD), Minimal Brain Dysfunction in Children (MBDC), Attention deficit Disorder (ADD), and ADD with Hyperactivity (ADHD). If some progressive therapists and groups such as CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder) have their way, the official designation may one day be changed to Attention Deficit Syndrome with hyperactivity (ADHS). This alphabet soup can be confusing. Once, on his first day at a new school, my son announced in front of the class that he had ADHD. The next day, several very nervous parents called the school, concerned about the new student who had AIDS. Being a "hyper" kid turns you into one type or pariah; AIDS carriers get special mistreatment. It was weeks before the confusion was straightened out. But the impression had been made. Kevin was different; different is bad.
IV. SOME THEORIES
Some critics, such as noted psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, regard ADD/ADHD as chimeras, non-conditions, a conspiracy by the entrenched psychiatric establishment to dose our children with drugs. "Just Say No To Ritalin!" could be their battle cry.Thom Hartmann published the 1993 book Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perspective." He once summed up his book this way: "If you lived 10,000 years ago, before the agricultural revolution, and were part of a hunting society, then the ability to have an 'open, highly distractible' state of mind would be an asset. Walking through the woods/jungle, if you didn't notice that flash of light out of the corner of your eye, you may miss either the bunny which is lunch, or get eaten by a tiger."
Hartmann surmises that the ADD hunters were survivors and their DNA went into the gene pool. "Modern people with ADD are those with leftover 'hunter' genes."
There are a few problems with the theory. Since impulsiveness is one of the hallmarks of ADD and ADHD, isn't it likely that the hunter with hyperactivity might charge headlong into a herd of charging mastodons without considering the consequences? Maybe he would neglect to tread carefully in saber-tooth tiger country?
V. CONTRAINDICATIONS
The pharmacist always gives me a yellow sheet with Kevin's Ritalin prescription. Under "Side Effects" it reads: "Decreased appetite; stomach ache; difficulty falling asleep; headache." Under "Cautions:" DO NOT DRIVE, OPERATE MACHINERY, OR DO ANYTHING ELSE that might be dangerous until you know how you react to this medicine." It says nothing about rock climbing, although you might infer that it comes under "dangerous," or at least, risky.
VI. TO FALL...
Kevin never has fallen. When he was two, he climbed the highest trees in the park near our Denver home. Fifty-foot-tall pines and spruces. The first time he did this, her looked down at me and said, "You worried, Daddy?"
"Yes," I said, which seemed to please him.
So what if he falls? Randy, Freeman, and I watch him climb and this occurs to them because Randy says, "Does this worry you?"
"Yes," I say, "it worries me." And it thrills me too. I've seen him all alone on the playground because the mothers won't let their kids near him. I've seen him mark time in his room, usually because he's been restricted in some way because he's had trouble at home or on the school bus or on the playground.
VII. TO FLY...
Do rock climbers dream about falling or of flying? Do hyperactive kids dream of solitude on a granite mountain? Or do they dream of this: dancing and laughing, surrounded by friends, the mountains a distant mirage?
From the author: This was written 16 years ago, when my son Kevin was eight. At 24, he's a college student in Arizona, doing his own thing.
I. WE ARE DISTRACTED
We are distracted by the agility of my eight-year-old son Kevin as he clambers up the slick granite rock formation near Rocky Mountain National Park. He is fifty feet above us; we are a bit frightened by the risks he takes, the way he clings like a human fly to the sides of the rock. We all look up and watch one of Kevin's handholds become a fingerhold and just when it's about to become a no-hold, he pushes off the rock with his feet, leaps a three-foot gap between spires, and wraps his arms tightly around the precious purchase he has made with this part of the Rockies.
We are like three slugs on a slab -- Kevin's classmate Freeman, his father Randy, and I. We lean against the cool rock surface of this six-million-year-old mountain and watch Kevin. We look up and Kevin never looks down. It would break his concentration, interrupt his communion with the rock, I think. To concentrate is everything for Kevin. He can't do it for extended periods of time unless he is under the influence of Ritalin, a drug that helps him control his hyperactivity-inspired impulsiveness. Right now as he climbs toward the sharp blue Colorado sky, the Ritalin, a central nervous system stimulant, is working on my son's brain stem arousal system causing to not be aroused. Medical researchers are not sure why a stimulant has the opposite effect on hyperactive kids. Says the 1994 Physician's Desk Reference: There is no "specific evidence which clearly establishes the mechanism whereby Ritalin produces its mental and behavioral effects on children, nor conclusive evidence regarding how these effects relate to the condition of the central nervous system."
II. HYPER/ACTIVE
When Kevin is in the classroom and a bird flies to a branch on a tree across the street, he will stop everything and look at the bird. A whispered comment at the opposite end of the classroom might as well be a sonic boom. If he is surrounded by too much energy in his orbit, he absorbs the energy. It sometimes causes him to twist and whirl and slam into his playmates; not so much now as when he was toddler and his way of playing was FULL BODY CONTACT. Slam, bam - and there was suddenly a kid crying, one nonplused Kevin and usually a very pissed-off parent, who soon would be in my face, asking me why I didn't control my son on the playground because he was really going to hurt someone someday.
III. NAMES, ALPHABETS, NAMES
Physicians have been prescribing Ritalin (a.k.a. methylphenidate) for more than 30 years for a condition that has been known as Minimal Brain Damage (MBD), Minimal Brain Dysfunction in Children (MBDC), Attention deficit Disorder (ADD), and ADD with Hyperactivity (ADHD). If some progressive therapists and groups such as CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder) have their way, the official designation may one day be changed to Attention Deficit Syndrome with hyperactivity (ADHS). This alphabet soup can be confusing. Once, on his first day at a new school, my son announced in front of the class that he had ADHD. The next day, several very nervous parents called the school, concerned about the new student who had AIDS. Being a "hyper" kid turns you into one type or pariah; AIDS carriers get special mistreatment. It was weeks before the confusion was straightened out. But the impression had been made. Kevin was different; different is bad.
IV. SOME THEORIES
Some critics, such as noted psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, regard ADD/ADHD as chimeras, non-conditions, a conspiracy by the entrenched psychiatric establishment to dose our children with drugs. "Just Say No To Ritalin!" could be their battle cry.Thom Hartmann published the 1993 book Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perspective." He once summed up his book this way: "If you lived 10,000 years ago, before the agricultural revolution, and were part of a hunting society, then the ability to have an 'open, highly distractible' state of mind would be an asset. Walking through the woods/jungle, if you didn't notice that flash of light out of the corner of your eye, you may miss either the bunny which is lunch, or get eaten by a tiger."
Hartmann surmises that the ADD hunters were survivors and their DNA went into the gene pool. "Modern people with ADD are those with leftover 'hunter' genes."
There are a few problems with the theory. Since impulsiveness is one of the hallmarks of ADD and ADHD, isn't it likely that the hunter with hyperactivity might charge headlong into a herd of charging mastodons without considering the consequences? Maybe he would neglect to tread carefully in saber-tooth tiger country?
V. CONTRAINDICATIONS
The pharmacist always gives me a yellow sheet with Kevin's Ritalin prescription. Under "Side Effects" it reads: "Decreased appetite; stomach ache; difficulty falling asleep; headache." Under "Cautions:" DO NOT DRIVE, OPERATE MACHINERY, OR DO ANYTHING ELSE that might be dangerous until you know how you react to this medicine." It says nothing about rock climbing, although you might infer that it comes under "dangerous," or at least, risky.
VI. TO FALL...
Kevin never has fallen. When he was two, he climbed the highest trees in the park near our Denver home. Fifty-foot-tall pines and spruces. The first time he did this, her looked down at me and said, "You worried, Daddy?"
"Yes," I said, which seemed to please him.
So what if he falls? Randy, Freeman, and I watch him climb and this occurs to them because Randy says, "Does this worry you?"
"Yes," I say, "it worries me." And it thrills me too. I've seen him all alone on the playground because the mothers won't let their kids near him. I've seen him mark time in his room, usually because he's been restricted in some way because he's had trouble at home or on the school bus or on the playground.
VII. TO FLY...
Do rock climbers dream about falling or of flying? Do hyperactive kids dream of solitude on a granite mountain? Or do they dream of this: dancing and laughing, surrounded by friends, the mountains a distant mirage?
From the author: This was written 16 years ago, when my son Kevin was eight. At 24, he's a college student in Arizona, doing his own thing.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
"The Crucible" on UW stage Sept. 29-Oct. 4
My daughter is reading Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" in her American literature class. The class is studying the Puritans and some of the earlier U.S. writers (before it was the U.S.).
In a fine bit of serendipity, the University of Wyoming theatre program in Laramie is opening its season with "The Crucible." It plays at the Fine Arts Main Stage Sept. 29-Oct. 4 with Tuesday-Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.
The story is about the hysteria surrounded the Salem witch hunts of the 17th century. But this was also Miller's response to the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1950s -- another bout of mass hysteria. Miller won the 1953 Tony Award for best play.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Fine Arts Box Office in the Fine Arts Lobby or online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts, or by calling 307-766-6666. Ticket prices: $14 for general public, $11 for seniors, and $7 for students.
I'd like to be able to say this play is a hard-hitting commentary on our own hysteric times. But better to say it's a ripping good yarn.
P.S. Did you notice the six sixes (666666) in the UW Fine Arts phone number? Is this a coincidence, or does it mean that arts programs at UW are promoting "the mark and/or sign of the beast," a.k.a. Satan? I call for an investigation into these practices. Call your senators! Carry signs and yell out unintelligible things at meetings of the UW Trustees! Better yet, let's have a trial.
In a fine bit of serendipity, the University of Wyoming theatre program in Laramie is opening its season with "The Crucible." It plays at the Fine Arts Main Stage Sept. 29-Oct. 4 with Tuesday-Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.
The story is about the hysteria surrounded the Salem witch hunts of the 17th century. But this was also Miller's response to the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1950s -- another bout of mass hysteria. Miller won the 1953 Tony Award for best play.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Fine Arts Box Office in the Fine Arts Lobby or online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts, or by calling 307-766-6666. Ticket prices: $14 for general public, $11 for seniors, and $7 for students.
I'd like to be able to say this play is a hard-hitting commentary on our own hysteric times. But better to say it's a ripping good yarn.
P.S. Did you notice the six sixes (666666) in the UW Fine Arts phone number? Is this a coincidence, or does it mean that arts programs at UW are promoting "the mark and/or sign of the beast," a.k.a. Satan? I call for an investigation into these practices. Call your senators! Carry signs and yell out unintelligible things at meetings of the UW Trustees! Better yet, let's have a trial.
We don't need no stinkin' czars
Wyoming's lone U.S. Representative, Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne, joined other Republican deep thinkers such as Michelle Bachmann (R-Penn.), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), and Pete Sessions (R-Texas) as co-sponsors for H.R. 3226: The Czar Accountability and Reform Act or "CZAR."
I suppose this is an acceptable acronym. The legislators had to stoop to borrowing the first and second letters of "Czar." In reality, it should be TCAARA, but that's just an abbreviation and not an annoying acronym to wave in the faces of Democrats.
This bill proposes:
Sponsor is another deep thinker from the South, Rep. Jack Kingston [R-GA1]
I was surprised that Joe Wilson's name wasn't on the list of co-sponsors -- all Republicans, by the way. But you already knew that.
I suppose this is an acceptable acronym. The legislators had to stoop to borrowing the first and second letters of "Czar." In reality, it should be TCAARA, but that's just an abbreviation and not an annoying acronym to wave in the faces of Democrats.
This bill proposes:
To provide that appropriated funds may not be used to pay for any salaries or expenses of any task force, council, or similar office which is established by or at the direction of the President and headed by an individual who has been inappropriately appointed to such position (on other than an interim basis), without the advice and consent of the Senate.
Sponsor is another deep thinker from the South, Rep. Jack Kingston [R-GA1]
I was surprised that Joe Wilson's name wasn't on the list of co-sponsors -- all Republicans, by the way. But you already knew that.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sen. Enzi: Please explain why getting beat up by your spouse is a "pre-existing condition"
This Huffington Post article was also on AlterNet:
That’s disturbing. Wyoming isn’t the worst state for cases of domestic violence. You have to go to Alabama and Oklahoma and South Carolina (Joe Wilson’s and Gov. Sanford's and Jim DeMint’s state) for that. In fact, those eight states in which insurance companies are able to hang a label of "pre-existing condition" on domestic violence victims includes Oklahoma and South Carolina, as well as Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota and my own state of Wyoming.
But all states with isolated rural populations have a high incidence of domestic violence. Wyoming is no exception.
The National Census of Domestic Violence Services conducts an annual state-by-state survey. The 24-hour survey on Sept. 27, 2007, of 18 of 24 domestic violence programs in Wyoming, yielded these stats: 349 victims were served in one day; 93 needed shelter or transitional housing; 256 requested counseling, advocacy or children’s support groups. 94 percent of providers could offer counseling, but only 22 percent could offer childcare or transitional housing. There were 61 unmet requests. Meanwhile, there were 107 domestic hotline calls answered.
What about medical care? No stats were given. But a National Violence Against Women Survey in July 2000 found this: "More than one third of all rapes and physical assaults committed against women by intimates results in injury in which women receive some medical care."
If each of those requests for help came from a different person, that would add up to 127,385. That would add up to almost 25 percent of the entire population. But let’s face it: many domestic violence victims are repeat victims – and the abusers repeat offenders. If you just took one-third of that figure, you get 42,462. They are mainly women and children. If one-third of them require some sort of medical care, that 14,000-some that probably won’t qualify for medical insurance under "pre-existing condition." Some of them will be dead, of course, such as the young woman gunned down by her Army sniper husband two summers ago in Cheyenne. He then drove to the mountains and killed himself. Their children were left behind.
How can we tolerate a "system" that allows insurance companies to deny coverage to women who made bad choices? Many of them leave their battering spouses, along with the kids, and find employment in lower-paying jobs that don’t provide health insurance. If they are lucky enough to find jobs with insurance, they may get nothing due to the pre-existing condition of accidentally walking into their husband’s huge fist.
Sen. Enzi has some explaining to do.
Read entire AlterNet article at http://tinyurl.com/or5d9y
It turns out that in eight states, plus the District of Columbia, getting beaten up by your spouse is a pre-existing condition.
Under the cold logic of the insurance industry, it makes perfect sense: If you are in a marriage with someone who has beaten you in the past, you're more likely to get beaten again than the average person and are therefore more expensive to insure.
In human terms, it's a second punishment for a victim of domestic violence.
In 2006, Democrats tried to end the practice. An amendment introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), now a member of leadership, split the Health Education Labor & Pensions Committee 10-10. The tie meant that the measure failed.
All ten no votes were Republicans, including Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), a member of the "Gang of Six" on the Finance Committee who are hashing out a bipartisan bill. A spokesman for Enzi didn't immediately return a call from Huffington Post.
At the time, Enzi defended his vote by saying that such regulations could increase the price of insurance and make it out of reach for more people. "If you have no insurance, it doesn't matter what services are mandated by the state," he said, according to a CQ Today item from March 15th, 2006.
That’s disturbing. Wyoming isn’t the worst state for cases of domestic violence. You have to go to Alabama and Oklahoma and South Carolina (Joe Wilson’s and Gov. Sanford's and Jim DeMint’s state) for that. In fact, those eight states in which insurance companies are able to hang a label of "pre-existing condition" on domestic violence victims includes Oklahoma and South Carolina, as well as Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota and my own state of Wyoming.
But all states with isolated rural populations have a high incidence of domestic violence. Wyoming is no exception.
The National Census of Domestic Violence Services conducts an annual state-by-state survey. The 24-hour survey on Sept. 27, 2007, of 18 of 24 domestic violence programs in Wyoming, yielded these stats: 349 victims were served in one day; 93 needed shelter or transitional housing; 256 requested counseling, advocacy or children’s support groups. 94 percent of providers could offer counseling, but only 22 percent could offer childcare or transitional housing. There were 61 unmet requests. Meanwhile, there were 107 domestic hotline calls answered.
What about medical care? No stats were given. But a National Violence Against Women Survey in July 2000 found this: "More than one third of all rapes and physical assaults committed against women by intimates results in injury in which women receive some medical care."
If each of those requests for help came from a different person, that would add up to 127,385. That would add up to almost 25 percent of the entire population. But let’s face it: many domestic violence victims are repeat victims – and the abusers repeat offenders. If you just took one-third of that figure, you get 42,462. They are mainly women and children. If one-third of them require some sort of medical care, that 14,000-some that probably won’t qualify for medical insurance under "pre-existing condition." Some of them will be dead, of course, such as the young woman gunned down by her Army sniper husband two summers ago in Cheyenne. He then drove to the mountains and killed himself. Their children were left behind.
How can we tolerate a "system" that allows insurance companies to deny coverage to women who made bad choices? Many of them leave their battering spouses, along with the kids, and find employment in lower-paying jobs that don’t provide health insurance. If they are lucky enough to find jobs with insurance, they may get nothing due to the pre-existing condition of accidentally walking into their husband’s huge fist.
Sen. Enzi has some explaining to do.
Read entire AlterNet article at http://tinyurl.com/or5d9y
Monday, September 14, 2009
In Boise but not in Cheyenne: first-hand reports of 9/12 teabaggery
Nathaniel Hoffman waded into a horde of 9/12 teabaggers in a Boise park and found that "Tea Party inspired by racial fears." Read his Boise Weekly story (and see more photos) at http://tinyurl.com/qq7fxdAlso, read untamedshrew's 9/12 blog about the Boise rally on 43rd state blues. Here's an excerpt:
I saw three different men armed with pistols. I wanted to get a photo to post here, but I only had my phone camera and didn’t feel comfortable getting close to these dangerous morons. One reportedly threatened another of my fellow demonstrators, telling her, “Just give me a reason.” Scary. SCARY. What on earth were those legislators who voted for the open carry law thinking? Allowing hostile people to carry pistols into a heated situation like that? It boggles my mind.
Boise is no better or worse than any Wyoming city -- just bigger. I went looking for the "9/12 Project Rally" in Cheyenne on Saturday but couldn't find it. I had seen a blurb in the Casper Star-Trib about the Casper rally no naturally assumed there would be one in the Capital City. I left the Fox News coverage of the D.C. rally and went downtown -- but no rally. I explored the Ribfest and Farmer's Market at Depot Square Plaza. Over at the corn truck, one big guy looked askance at my "SEIU for Obama" T-shirt -- but no gun threats. I was disappointed because local teabaggers had staged protests on April 15 with scads of cool signs. They held another patritoic rally on July 4. There was another recent one which I documented on my blog.
But none on 9/12. Perhaps the Cheyenne teabaggers traveled to Boise? Please tell them to come home. We miss them.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Part II: Why I love my insurance company
This is the insurance company that (supposedly) insures Wyoming state employees. Don't know about you, but I am so happy that my premiums and your premiums and the Wyoming State Legislature's premium match have all gone to fund the very comfortable retirement of the CIGNA CEO. Nataline (see vid) wasn't alive to share in our happiness. Who's next for the CIGNA death panels?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Dems hold pie & ice cream social Sept. 19
Pie is on the Democrats' agenda Sept. 19The Laramie County Democratic Party and the Laramie County Democratic Grassroots Coalition are co-sponsoring a Pie and Ice Cream Social on Saturday, Sept. 19, 1-4 p.m. at 708 Lawson in Pine Bluffs. Wyoming State Senator Mike Massie from Laramie is the featured speaker.
Organizers request that attendees bring a fruit pie, but no cream pies or pecan pies.
Also bring your recipes, household hints and photos for the book that LCDGC members are assembling. Deadline for submissions is Oct.1 and the book will be released in March 2010. Proceeds from book sales will be used to help Democratic Party candidates in the 2010 elections. FMI: Karyn Knutson at karynknutson@hotmail.com.
Million Thousand Moron March on D.C. included sons & daughters of the CSA
The South shall rise again! People who paid attention in history class know that the original Freedom Riders were advocates for Civil Rights in the South during the 1960s. This person's granddaddy no doubt beat up real Freedom Riders in Selma and Montgomery and Jackson.On the front burner -- Dem/Repub chili
Making a batch of Dem/Repub chili this afternoon. Great weather for it -- 52 degrees and cloudy. Football weather.
My chili "starter" was a batch of spaghetti sauce whipped up by my Republican friend Stephen from Lebanon, Tenn. He and his family stayed with us during Cheyenne Frontier Days. Stephen and his wife Kate are Republicans and probably what you'd call fundamentalist Christians. Stephen preaches at cowboy churches and also is a rodeo judge. Almost looks as good in a cowboy hat as I do. Except I don't like horses or rodeos. I play a cowboy on stage every summer at the old-fashioned melodrama. When the final curtain drops, I put away my cowboy duds until next summer.
Ain't that just like a liberal? Merely an actor on the stage of life? Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Stephen, on the other hand, rides horses and even has some on his rural Tennessee property. He has real horseshit on his boots. He's also a trained chef who can whip up French delicacies one day, a batch of spaghetti sauce the next.
Speaking of spaghetti sauce... Stephen made some sauce for all of us this summer. A few pounds of burger, some canned tomatoes (and a few fresh ones) and spices. He whipped it all together -- along with a salad and garlic bread -- without breaking a sweat. It was fantastic sauce and so much left over that we froze a batch for later. And later is today.
To the defrosted sauce, I added some roasted Hatch chilies from New Mexico, bought this morning at the Cheyenne Farmers' Market. Most people know Hatch for its chilies and the Hatch Cut-Off, a route that links I-25 and I-10 and saves a half hour off the trip from Albuquerque to Tucson. I believe that this part of Hispanic N.M. went heavily Democratic in the 2008 elections.
I added some of my own tomatoes, also heavily Democratic like me. Plus some chili powder and cumin, both McCormick brands packed in Maryland, one of the bluest of the blue states despite being south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I also added some Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning blend, packed in Illinois, another blue state (especially around Chicago). Now, the spices come from all over. Harvested by hand by Indonesians and Brazilians making a few bucks a day (if that). I suppose this could be seen as a brand of economic imperialism that goes back to Marco Polo. Are there free-trade spice co-ops? Something I need to look up.
I whipped it all together, simmered for an hour, and filled a big bowl with the results. On the side, I had tortilla chips, sour cream and grated cheese. I ate, and watched portions of the Oklahoma State vs. Houston and UCLA vs. Tennessee football games. Those blue-state devils from Southern California trying to impose their ways upon the godly Vols of the Tennessee hills, Vols as in Volunteers, eager to fight in all U.S. wars going back to the Revolution. You'd think the Vols would have the advantage, but they lost to the Los Angelenos.
Hey, Stephen -- the chili was delicious. I'll freeze some and we can sup together next time you drop into my blue house in the reddest of red states. You're always welcome, pard.
My chili "starter" was a batch of spaghetti sauce whipped up by my Republican friend Stephen from Lebanon, Tenn. He and his family stayed with us during Cheyenne Frontier Days. Stephen and his wife Kate are Republicans and probably what you'd call fundamentalist Christians. Stephen preaches at cowboy churches and also is a rodeo judge. Almost looks as good in a cowboy hat as I do. Except I don't like horses or rodeos. I play a cowboy on stage every summer at the old-fashioned melodrama. When the final curtain drops, I put away my cowboy duds until next summer.
Ain't that just like a liberal? Merely an actor on the stage of life? Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Stephen, on the other hand, rides horses and even has some on his rural Tennessee property. He has real horseshit on his boots. He's also a trained chef who can whip up French delicacies one day, a batch of spaghetti sauce the next.
Speaking of spaghetti sauce... Stephen made some sauce for all of us this summer. A few pounds of burger, some canned tomatoes (and a few fresh ones) and spices. He whipped it all together -- along with a salad and garlic bread -- without breaking a sweat. It was fantastic sauce and so much left over that we froze a batch for later. And later is today.
To the defrosted sauce, I added some roasted Hatch chilies from New Mexico, bought this morning at the Cheyenne Farmers' Market. Most people know Hatch for its chilies and the Hatch Cut-Off, a route that links I-25 and I-10 and saves a half hour off the trip from Albuquerque to Tucson. I believe that this part of Hispanic N.M. went heavily Democratic in the 2008 elections.
I added some of my own tomatoes, also heavily Democratic like me. Plus some chili powder and cumin, both McCormick brands packed in Maryland, one of the bluest of the blue states despite being south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I also added some Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning blend, packed in Illinois, another blue state (especially around Chicago). Now, the spices come from all over. Harvested by hand by Indonesians and Brazilians making a few bucks a day (if that). I suppose this could be seen as a brand of economic imperialism that goes back to Marco Polo. Are there free-trade spice co-ops? Something I need to look up.
I whipped it all together, simmered for an hour, and filled a big bowl with the results. On the side, I had tortilla chips, sour cream and grated cheese. I ate, and watched portions of the Oklahoma State vs. Houston and UCLA vs. Tennessee football games. Those blue-state devils from Southern California trying to impose their ways upon the godly Vols of the Tennessee hills, Vols as in Volunteers, eager to fight in all U.S. wars going back to the Revolution. You'd think the Vols would have the advantage, but they lost to the Los Angelenos.
Hey, Stephen -- the chili was delicious. I'll freeze some and we can sup together next time you drop into my blue house in the reddest of red states. You're always welcome, pard.
Another pic from D.C. Million Moron March
This sign was distributed today in D.C. by Catholic anti-abortion group all.org. Guess it has no respect for the devout Catholicism of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. And no couth, either.
Million Moron March today in D.C.
I went to Glenn Beck's Million Moron March and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt
(from a post on http://watergatesummer.blogspot.com)
Friday, September 11, 2009
9-11 Remembrance in Cheyenne
Fifty or so people gathered at the State Capitol this morning to remember the events of 9-11-01.
I still think it should be the "Cheney International Bunker"
Last November following the elections, word came that UW was naming its international studies center after Dick Cheney. Well, that's exactly what happened. Today was the dedication. Both pro-Cheney and anti-Cheney people were out on Prexy's Pasture, basking in righteousness and the last hot day of the summer.
Looking back at my 11/08 post, it's not bad. read it for tourself at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2008/11/uw-should-build-cheney-village-on.html.
You can also read about today's UW events on the Casper Star-Trib and at Channel 5/KGWN in Cheyenne. While you're at the Channel 5 site, vote in the poll about whether the center should have been named for Dick Cheney.
Looking back at my 11/08 post, it's not bad. read it for tourself at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2008/11/uw-should-build-cheney-village-on.html.
You can also read about today's UW events on the Casper Star-Trib and at Channel 5/KGWN in Cheyenne. While you're at the Channel 5 site, vote in the poll about whether the center should have been named for Dick Cheney.
Writer Alexandra Fuller a speaker at WyoDems Jefferson-Jackson Dinner
WyoDems' head honcho Bill Luckett sends this news:
I may go to this one. I've heard Alexandra Fuller speak twice and she's compelling. Great writer too.
Tickets are still available for the 2009 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Riverton Holiday Inn. With acclaimed author Alexandra Fuller and Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak planning to speak, you won't want to miss our annual traditional party rally!
To register today, call us at 800-729-3367 or register online by clicking here. To view event details, please visit our state party Web site at http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/. It's the featured item on our homepage.
*NEW ON THE AGENDA: Be among the first to preview two video ads we have produced, which we will debut at the dinner, and hear an update on our message and marketing efforts!
As a reminder, we will also have a State Central Committee meeting at the hotel beginning at 1 p.m. on Sept. 26. The evening festivities begin at 5:45 p.m. with a VIP Cocktail reception with our honored guest speakers: author Alexandra Fuller, a
workers' rights advocate, and Colorado Democratic Chair Pat Waak. Tickets to the
VIP Cocktail are $100 a person. The dinner banquet follows at 7 p.m., and tickets are $75.
We have eight-seat tables to the dinner available: $1,500 for Gold Level seating, $1,000 for Silver Level, and $600 for Bronze Level. People who buy a Gold Level table will be admitted to the VIP Cocktail free of charge.
Finally, we have a special room rate at the Holiday Inn of $89 if you ask for the Wyoming Democratic Party's room rate, but that rate expires on Sept. 18, so make your reservation now to get the discount.
Don't delay! Buy your ticket today! Call us at 800-729-3367 or register online.
I may go to this one. I've heard Alexandra Fuller speak twice and she's compelling. Great writer too.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Mad As Hell Doctors stop in Cheyenne
Laramie's Nancy Sindelar featured this in her excellent e-letter:
On Sunday Sept 13, Mad As Hell Doctors will be speaking to promote universal health care. These three docs on their way to Washington, D.C., will present the documentary "Health, Money, and Fear" (2009) that covers the insanity of the current system. The event begins at 12:30 p.m., and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3005 Thomes Ave., Cheyenne. Free.
FMI: www.madashelldoctors.com, www.ourailinghealthcare.com, www.uucheyenne.org, 307-638-4554.
On Sunday Sept 13, Mad As Hell Doctors will be speaking to promote universal health care. These three docs on their way to Washington, D.C., will present the documentary "Health, Money, and Fear" (2009) that covers the insanity of the current system. The event begins at 12:30 p.m., and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3005 Thomes Ave., Cheyenne. Free.
FMI: www.madashelldoctors.com, www.ourailinghealthcare.com, www.uucheyenne.org, 307-638-4554.
Cheney Rendition Center?
On Daily Kos: The University of Wyoming Rendition Center at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/9/779282/-The-U-of-Wyomings-Cheney-Rendition-Center
From the Casper Star-Trib: http://trib.com/articles/2009/09/09/news/wyoming/739b35431d2de19e8725762b007ef75f.txt
Protest in Laramie tomorrow against the Cheney Center for the Advancement of War Profiteers/War Criminals.
From the Casper Star-Trib: http://trib.com/articles/2009/09/09/news/wyoming/739b35431d2de19e8725762b007ef75f.txt
Protest in Laramie tomorrow against the Cheney Center for the Advancement of War Profiteers/War Criminals.
All's calm at school after Obama Speech Day
This evening I attended the open house at my daughter Annie's high school, Cheyenne Central. The wily administrators schedule the event as a replica school day. Seven minutes sitting at my kid's desk in World History. Listening to the teacher describe the school year in detail. I take notes, of course, the inveterate scribe. The bells rings and me and my bum knees have five minutes to weave through hordes of neighbors to get to the other side of the building for P.E. Nice gym, or should I say "athletic center." One big b-ball/v-ball center court with practice courts lengthwise at each end. Big bleachers for the fans. Wooden floors that give a little when you run so you don't end up with shin splints after every game.
My high school gym had one court, wood over concrete which made the floor as hard as, well, concrete. There was a stage along one side and cramped bleachers on the other. The end walls were about three feet from the out-of-bounds line, which was one reason we never got through a season without a player smashing into the wall and breaking a crucial bone. Still, our court was better than the one across the county. It was an aging World War II Quonset Hut with support poles that were on the court. The poles were covered with mats, just in case. And it was a technical foul to use a pole for a pick. But many of us tried anyway.
It's not just the facility when it comes to schools. My daughter has several small classes staffed with two teachers. In physical science, there's two teachers and ten kids. Pretty darn good, I say. Sure, I pay my taxes and all that blah blah blah. But you can't pay enough for the dedication I've seen from the teachers and counselors and administrators at Central High School.
Now about that Obama speech today. At the open house, I expected to see phalanxes of bug-eyed students wandering the halls chanting: "Repeat after me -- I'm a socialist community organizer who wants to kill Grandma." But I only saw a few, those whose minds have already melted down from watching too much FOX News.
Annie said she didn't have a chance to see the speech because her algebra classroom doesn't have a TV. I can understand why. Leninist/Stalinist/Hitlerist Obama messages might leak out of the tube and creep into the minds of the students who should be concentrating on equations. Annie said that a couple of the kids had made snide remarks about Obama but there didn't seem to be any major protest or massive walkout or let's-all-yell-at-the-TV-screen event. The school district had made viewing voluntary, saying that teachers could show it during class time or show it later. Students could opt out, spending their time in some worthwhile pursuit, such as study hall or sneaking a smoke out in the parking lot.
I did notice that two of the eight teachers I visited had quotes from Pres. Obama written on their white boards. That's something, I guess, although probably enough to get some Glenn-Beck-watching Know Nothings wildly indignant. But they get wildly indignant about every little thing. Too bad they didn't pay attention in civics class back in the day.
My high school gym had one court, wood over concrete which made the floor as hard as, well, concrete. There was a stage along one side and cramped bleachers on the other. The end walls were about three feet from the out-of-bounds line, which was one reason we never got through a season without a player smashing into the wall and breaking a crucial bone. Still, our court was better than the one across the county. It was an aging World War II Quonset Hut with support poles that were on the court. The poles were covered with mats, just in case. And it was a technical foul to use a pole for a pick. But many of us tried anyway.
It's not just the facility when it comes to schools. My daughter has several small classes staffed with two teachers. In physical science, there's two teachers and ten kids. Pretty darn good, I say. Sure, I pay my taxes and all that blah blah blah. But you can't pay enough for the dedication I've seen from the teachers and counselors and administrators at Central High School.
Now about that Obama speech today. At the open house, I expected to see phalanxes of bug-eyed students wandering the halls chanting: "Repeat after me -- I'm a socialist community organizer who wants to kill Grandma." But I only saw a few, those whose minds have already melted down from watching too much FOX News.
Annie said she didn't have a chance to see the speech because her algebra classroom doesn't have a TV. I can understand why. Leninist/Stalinist/Hitlerist Obama messages might leak out of the tube and creep into the minds of the students who should be concentrating on equations. Annie said that a couple of the kids had made snide remarks about Obama but there didn't seem to be any major protest or massive walkout or let's-all-yell-at-the-TV-screen event. The school district had made viewing voluntary, saying that teachers could show it during class time or show it later. Students could opt out, spending their time in some worthwhile pursuit, such as study hall or sneaking a smoke out in the parking lot.
I did notice that two of the eight teachers I visited had quotes from Pres. Obama written on their white boards. That's something, I guess, although probably enough to get some Glenn-Beck-watching Know Nothings wildly indignant. But they get wildly indignant about every little thing. Too bad they didn't pay attention in civics class back in the day.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Vedauwoo Sunday afternoon
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Protest against Cheney at UW Sept. 10
Nancy Sindelar of Veterans For Peace in Laramie sends this:
Big protest planned in Laramie against the dedication of the "Cheney International Center" on the University of Wyoming campus. If you know anyone who lives close enough to travel, please let them know. You're welcome to repost to UW and other local websites, and lists,too. I find it ironic to name a building after the guy who was so
clueless about how countries get along with each other!
The lowdown:
Rising up from his undisclosed location, the former veep will crawl out of his hole and be in Laramie Sept. 10 to dedicate the "Cheney International Center" on the UW campus. He will also be feted with a luncheon at the Laramie Country Club. The naming rights to the center were purchased with a gift of $3.8 million.
Remember that patriotic T-shirt that's been sitting in the drawer for the last 8 years? The one with the yellow ribbon, the flag, the "United We Stand?" It's time to give it a wash wear it this Thursday as we stand up as true patriots, standing for what's right.
Real Americans don't torture!! Bring empty milk jugs and 2-liter pop bottles, caps and labels removed, to demonstrate against water boarding (we will pantomime slowly pouring water). Meet in the free shuttle parking lot at 22nd and Willet Streets in Laramie at 9 a.m. for a rally and march to the ceremony, or in front of the old School of Nursing before 10 a.m.
We actually plan on being polite during the ceremony, which is much scarier than making predictable noise. We will also carry signs and banners denouncing torture and warmaking. Other small acts may crop up.
I'm contemplating doing an "Eyes Wide Open" type display on Prexy's Pasture, if anyone has spare army boots they no longer want, it would help. I also have some extra flaggy tee-shirts for those in need.
Nancy S., VFP Chapter 65, Wyoming
Victory Garden: Growing days wane in WYO
Growing days grow short in southeastern Wyoming...
Watching moonlight bathe my tomatoes, I wondered what moon this was. Harvest moon? Hunter's moon? Moon River?
Wider than a mile...
The night grows longer, and soon that initial pre-autumn cold front will will slide over Wyoming. It will be a starry starry night when the frost comes. I'll cover the plants the first time, because that first frost is usually followed by Indian Summer. Still, the tomatoes are on borrowed time.
My lone Gardener's Delight cherry tomato bush has produced a bonanza of eyeball-sized fruits, red as TV tomatoes (but ten times tastier). I may give some away, as I'm the only the only cherry tomato fan at the house. Chris prefers the Early Girls, but those have been a disappointment. Not-So-Early-Girls, at least in Wyoming. The best full-sized tomatoes come from the stray seedling I plated amongst the spinach and strawberries. I liked the seedling because it looked less like a tomato plant and more like a fern. Didn't even bother to get its name, just dropped it into the ground. Still have about 20 greenies on the stems.
I will be ripening tomatoes well into fall.
Fried green tomatoes? I'm not a fan. Liked the book and movie, though. If you remember, the initial versions of the fried green tomatoes cooked at the Whistle Stop Cafe were inedible.
I've had middling success with green beans and zucchini. Right -- anyone can grow zucchini. It might be the poor soil, but I didn't get many zucchini or squash. It may be due to my poor gardening skills. Both soil and skills can be improved on before next season.
What did I learn from my Victory Garden? I enjoyed the tilling and the watering and the fertilizing and the tending more than I enjoy the eating. Strange, eh? I've been popping those cherry tomatoes like candy. Flavorful and warm and juicy. Nothing like it. But haven't gotten into many creative recipes, and I definitely am tired of salads. Maybe I just need to jump right into fall cooking, which is heavy on the sauces and light on the greens.
Not sure what to declare victory over. Big picture -- the country is as crazy as ever. As my garden (and Michelle Obama's) grew, so did the shrill nature of conservative critics of Pres. Obama and his policies, especially health care reform. The August Congressional recess hit just as ripening was kicking into high gear. Seems as if other things were ripening too, and the smell was awful. I kept expecting those town hall crazies to throw tomatoes at the politicians. That would a pleasant change of pace from the ignorance that erupted from the mouths of the shouting loonies.
There's triumph in the gardening itself. This may be linked with the spirit of my farmer ancestors. But I still go to the grocery store too often and spend a lot of time at the farmer's market inhaling the fantastic aroma of roasting chilis. That is the smell that lures people from miles around to the downtown farmer's market. Not that many buyers but hundreds of smellers.
There will be a few more "Victory Garden" updates through fall. But today seemed to me like the beginning of the end, garden-wise. A certain melancholy has set in, one that can't be assuaged by biting into another cherry tom. I may need several...
Watching moonlight bathe my tomatoes, I wondered what moon this was. Harvest moon? Hunter's moon? Moon River?
Wider than a mile...
The night grows longer, and soon that initial pre-autumn cold front will will slide over Wyoming. It will be a starry starry night when the frost comes. I'll cover the plants the first time, because that first frost is usually followed by Indian Summer. Still, the tomatoes are on borrowed time.
My lone Gardener's Delight cherry tomato bush has produced a bonanza of eyeball-sized fruits, red as TV tomatoes (but ten times tastier). I may give some away, as I'm the only the only cherry tomato fan at the house. Chris prefers the Early Girls, but those have been a disappointment. Not-So-Early-Girls, at least in Wyoming. The best full-sized tomatoes come from the stray seedling I plated amongst the spinach and strawberries. I liked the seedling because it looked less like a tomato plant and more like a fern. Didn't even bother to get its name, just dropped it into the ground. Still have about 20 greenies on the stems.
I will be ripening tomatoes well into fall.
Fried green tomatoes? I'm not a fan. Liked the book and movie, though. If you remember, the initial versions of the fried green tomatoes cooked at the Whistle Stop Cafe were inedible.
I've had middling success with green beans and zucchini. Right -- anyone can grow zucchini. It might be the poor soil, but I didn't get many zucchini or squash. It may be due to my poor gardening skills. Both soil and skills can be improved on before next season.
What did I learn from my Victory Garden? I enjoyed the tilling and the watering and the fertilizing and the tending more than I enjoy the eating. Strange, eh? I've been popping those cherry tomatoes like candy. Flavorful and warm and juicy. Nothing like it. But haven't gotten into many creative recipes, and I definitely am tired of salads. Maybe I just need to jump right into fall cooking, which is heavy on the sauces and light on the greens.
Not sure what to declare victory over. Big picture -- the country is as crazy as ever. As my garden (and Michelle Obama's) grew, so did the shrill nature of conservative critics of Pres. Obama and his policies, especially health care reform. The August Congressional recess hit just as ripening was kicking into high gear. Seems as if other things were ripening too, and the smell was awful. I kept expecting those town hall crazies to throw tomatoes at the politicians. That would a pleasant change of pace from the ignorance that erupted from the mouths of the shouting loonies.
There's triumph in the gardening itself. This may be linked with the spirit of my farmer ancestors. But I still go to the grocery store too often and spend a lot of time at the farmer's market inhaling the fantastic aroma of roasting chilis. That is the smell that lures people from miles around to the downtown farmer's market. Not that many buyers but hundreds of smellers.
There will be a few more "Victory Garden" updates through fall. But today seemed to me like the beginning of the end, garden-wise. A certain melancholy has set in, one that can't be assuaged by biting into another cherry tom. I may need several...
Thursday, September 03, 2009
White House's Gibbs slams Sen. Enzi
Not too many weeks ago, you could Google "Sen. Mike Enzi" and come up with a handful of hits. But holy moly, you Google the good senator from Wyoming now, and you walk right into an avalanche. And we all know why.
I just found this one (via AP):
I just found this one (via AP):
The White House went after Wyoming GOP Sen. Mike Enzi for his comments in the GOP’s weekly radio address in which he criticized the Democrats’ health care plans, saying they would increase the deficit, “raid” Medicare, and limit or deny care to people based on age or disabilities, among other charges.
“Certainly, I think the radio address over the weekend by Sen. Enzi, repeating many of the generic Republican talking points that Republicans are using that have bragged about being opposed to health care, are tremendously unfortunate, but in some ways illuminating,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters this afternoon. “It appears that, at least in Sen. Enzi’s case, he doesn’t believe there’s a pathway to get bipartisan support.”
Gibbs added: “Sen. Enzi’s clearly turned over his cards on bipartisanship and decided that it’s time to walk away from the table.”As one of the “Gang of Six,” Enzi has been part of a small group of Senate negotiators on a health care overhaul—a role that President Barack Obama had praised him for in the past.
The normally low-key and noncontroversial Enzi, the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, stepped into the national spotlight last week when he commented on health care legislation at a town hall meeting.
“It’s not where I get them to compromise, it’s what I get them to leave out,” Enzi said. In a heated exchange with a constituent who called on the senator to walk away from the negotiating table, Enzi responded: “If I hadn’t been involved in this process as long as I have and to the depth as I have, you would already have national health care.”
How Wyoming progressives can take action on health care reform
Brianna Jones, the excellent communications director of the Wyoming Democratic Party, sends this list health care reform action items:
Taking Action for Health Insurance Reform
Be informed -- Know what is happening locally, state-wide, and nationally by glancing at the paper to see what elected officials, media, and activists are saying. Get the facts straight so you have the most up-to-date information. Along with your local media, some great sources are:
Wyoming Public Radio
Casper Star Tribune
WyoFile News Reader
Spread the word -- This may seem like a very small thing, but speaking to your neighbors, chatting in the local coffee shop, and generally voicing your opinion can be extremely powerful. Keep in mind that you must have your facts straight and keep your cool. This isn't about confrontation, it is about moving forward for positive change.
Connect Online -- It is fast and simple to update people through a number of online tools. Post a note on facebook, write a tweet on twitter, or tell your thoughts in a blog. It is simple to get an account with any of these websites and to bring more attention to the issues you find important. This is also a great way of letting people know about events in their area. You can find the Wyoming Democratic Party's version through the following links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Hold an Event -- One of the most effective ways to gain attention regarding an issue is to hold an event. This could be a:
Roundtable discussion
Table at the farmer's market
Rally or march
House meeting
These events do not have to consume your life, but will help to bring greater attention to the issue. If you are willing to hold an event, please contact me and I will help you with the logistics, information, handouts, and general enthusiasm.
Attend an Event -- Know what is happening in your area and pay attention to events that have to do with health insurance reform. Having a presence, whether they are in favor or against, is important. Be sure to spread the word and then attend events that are happening near you. Some important ones to keep on your radar are town-hall meetings, rallies, conventions, and public forums.
Write a Letter to the Editor -- Letters to the editor can be a great forum for voicing your opinion. I have template letters available that speak specifically about health insurance reform and I can help you with research information or wording if you are unsure. The best letters will be backed up by facts, be concise, direct, and call for a specific action. Letters should not exaggerate, insult, or be riddled with jargon. Be sure to sign your letter with your name, hometown, and contact information. Your letters can be sent to regional papers and also your local papers. If you need help with contact information to your local papers let me know. Editorial emails for the two largest papers are as follows:
Casper Star Tribune: letters@casperstartribune.net
Wyoming Tribune Eagle: opinion@wyomingnews.com
Speak to a Member of Congress -- You can call, write, or go personally to let the Senator or Representative and their staff know how you feel. I do not recommend sending an email in this instance. Contact information for each of the following representatives can be reached by following the links below:
Senator Mike Enzi
Senator John Barrasso
Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis
FMI: Bri Jones, brianna@wyomingdemocrats.com, (307) 752-5288
Taking Action for Health Insurance Reform
Be informed -- Know what is happening locally, state-wide, and nationally by glancing at the paper to see what elected officials, media, and activists are saying. Get the facts straight so you have the most up-to-date information. Along with your local media, some great sources are:
Wyoming Public Radio
Casper Star Tribune
WyoFile News Reader
Spread the word -- This may seem like a very small thing, but speaking to your neighbors, chatting in the local coffee shop, and generally voicing your opinion can be extremely powerful. Keep in mind that you must have your facts straight and keep your cool. This isn't about confrontation, it is about moving forward for positive change.
Connect Online -- It is fast and simple to update people through a number of online tools. Post a note on facebook, write a tweet on twitter, or tell your thoughts in a blog. It is simple to get an account with any of these websites and to bring more attention to the issues you find important. This is also a great way of letting people know about events in their area. You can find the Wyoming Democratic Party's version through the following links:
Website
Hold an Event -- One of the most effective ways to gain attention regarding an issue is to hold an event. This could be a:
Roundtable discussion
Table at the farmer's market
Rally or march
House meeting
These events do not have to consume your life, but will help to bring greater attention to the issue. If you are willing to hold an event, please contact me and I will help you with the logistics, information, handouts, and general enthusiasm.
Attend an Event -- Know what is happening in your area and pay attention to events that have to do with health insurance reform. Having a presence, whether they are in favor or against, is important. Be sure to spread the word and then attend events that are happening near you. Some important ones to keep on your radar are town-hall meetings, rallies, conventions, and public forums.
Write a Letter to the Editor -- Letters to the editor can be a great forum for voicing your opinion. I have template letters available that speak specifically about health insurance reform and I can help you with research information or wording if you are unsure. The best letters will be backed up by facts, be concise, direct, and call for a specific action. Letters should not exaggerate, insult, or be riddled with jargon. Be sure to sign your letter with your name, hometown, and contact information. Your letters can be sent to regional papers and also your local papers. If you need help with contact information to your local papers let me know. Editorial emails for the two largest papers are as follows:
Casper Star Tribune: letters@casperstartribune.net
Wyoming Tribune Eagle: opinion@wyomingnews.com
Speak to a Member of Congress -- You can call, write, or go personally to let the Senator or Representative and their staff know how you feel. I do not recommend sending an email in this instance. Contact information for each of the following representatives can be reached by following the links below:
Senator Mike Enzi
Senator John Barrasso
Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis
FMI: Bri Jones, brianna@wyomingdemocrats.com, (307) 752-5288
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Forget insurance -- Sen. Enzi lobbies for more of the same "nosurance"
Curious, but I guess not surprising, that Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi decided to abandon the middle road on health care and side with the screeming meemies of the Right.
As part of Saturday's Republican Party address, Enzi said that he's talked to people all over the state and all of them are against health care reform. That's 530,000-some people, if you include infants and handful of Democrats I hang around with. Every single Wyomingite is as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore -- whatever "it" is.
I'm reminded of Al Capp's comic strip of the sixties and seventies. Capp was a diehard conservative who drew L'il Abner and other strips. He lampooned longhair campus antiwar demonstrators by labeling them with the acronym S.W.I.N.E. or Students Wildly Indignant About Nearly Everything. Because I was a student at the time who hung out with longhair antiwar activists, I got wildly indignant about that. Looking back though, it was funny. We were wildly indignant about Vietnam and Nixon and drug laws and cops and the rising price of pot and standing in line all night for ACC basketball tickets.
Here's a new set of words for Capp's S.W.I.N.E.: Simpletons Wildly Indignant About Nearly Everything. It's a gross generalization caling all the birthers and town hall meeting screamers simpletons. But when you look at the non-questions they shout, there's no other conclusion.
One thing about Enzi, though, he held an open town hall meeting, even though it was in his heavily Republican home town of Gillette. Most of his Repub cohorts are holding invitation-only "town hall meetings." That includes John McCain and Mitch McConnell, an old white guy from Arizona and an old right-winger from Kentucky. Not quite brave enough to endure the slings and arrows of the crazies from their own party.
I attended a memorial ceremony this evening at UW for poet and professor Craig Arnold. Craig was a fine writer, teacher, gourmet cook and human being. After he disappeared in April while conducting research for his next book on a remote Japanese volcano, Craig's family sought help with Wyoming's Congressional delegation, including the state's senior senator, Mike Enzi. He lit a fire under the U.S. military, which sent choppers to the scene. Congressional staffers talked to the U.S. and Japanese governments, urging them to act quickly. All the effort was for naught, as Craig's body was never found and he's now presumed dead.
Senators Enzi and Barrasso and Rep. Lummis didn't make it to tonight's memorial. They did send staffers, thought, and Sen. Enzi sent a heartfelt letter of condolence, read aloud by English Dept. Chair Peter Parolin. The letter was all about the importance of poetry and education and family. In the letter, he invoked his wife's name and those of his two daughters who are teachers. He urged compassion, and sent condolences to Craig's family and friends and colleagues gathered in the room at the UW Art Museum.
I thought: this is a beautiful letter from a caring individual. O.K., it was probably written by a staffer but one who did some research to get names and facts and events straight. It was written in Enzi's name, so one has to assume that he has strong feelings for his fellow Wyomingites, including this 41-year-old poet whom he barely knew -- if at all.
The letter had empathy. There, I've said the forbidden "e" word.
So, it's difficult to reconcile the Enzi of the letter and the Enzi who is blocking health insurance reform for his fellow Wyomingites. He has his own ten-point plan but it's just more of the same, ignoring the plight of some 80,000 residents without health care and the many thousands who are underinsured. "Nosurance," is how some wags refer to health care in the U.S.A. No "insurance" about health care plans that cost more than a thousand dollars a month but still have gaping holes that sick people fall through. Nosurance. And Enzi wants more of the same.
Nosurance? No empathy!
The Wyoming Democratic Party held a press conference today about Enzi's health care reform blockade. Here's the press release:
As part of Saturday's Republican Party address, Enzi said that he's talked to people all over the state and all of them are against health care reform. That's 530,000-some people, if you include infants and handful of Democrats I hang around with. Every single Wyomingite is as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore -- whatever "it" is.
I'm reminded of Al Capp's comic strip of the sixties and seventies. Capp was a diehard conservative who drew L'il Abner and other strips. He lampooned longhair campus antiwar demonstrators by labeling them with the acronym S.W.I.N.E. or Students Wildly Indignant About Nearly Everything. Because I was a student at the time who hung out with longhair antiwar activists, I got wildly indignant about that. Looking back though, it was funny. We were wildly indignant about Vietnam and Nixon and drug laws and cops and the rising price of pot and standing in line all night for ACC basketball tickets.
Here's a new set of words for Capp's S.W.I.N.E.: Simpletons Wildly Indignant About Nearly Everything. It's a gross generalization caling all the birthers and town hall meeting screamers simpletons. But when you look at the non-questions they shout, there's no other conclusion.
One thing about Enzi, though, he held an open town hall meeting, even though it was in his heavily Republican home town of Gillette. Most of his Repub cohorts are holding invitation-only "town hall meetings." That includes John McCain and Mitch McConnell, an old white guy from Arizona and an old right-winger from Kentucky. Not quite brave enough to endure the slings and arrows of the crazies from their own party.
I attended a memorial ceremony this evening at UW for poet and professor Craig Arnold. Craig was a fine writer, teacher, gourmet cook and human being. After he disappeared in April while conducting research for his next book on a remote Japanese volcano, Craig's family sought help with Wyoming's Congressional delegation, including the state's senior senator, Mike Enzi. He lit a fire under the U.S. military, which sent choppers to the scene. Congressional staffers talked to the U.S. and Japanese governments, urging them to act quickly. All the effort was for naught, as Craig's body was never found and he's now presumed dead.
Senators Enzi and Barrasso and Rep. Lummis didn't make it to tonight's memorial. They did send staffers, thought, and Sen. Enzi sent a heartfelt letter of condolence, read aloud by English Dept. Chair Peter Parolin. The letter was all about the importance of poetry and education and family. In the letter, he invoked his wife's name and those of his two daughters who are teachers. He urged compassion, and sent condolences to Craig's family and friends and colleagues gathered in the room at the UW Art Museum.
I thought: this is a beautiful letter from a caring individual. O.K., it was probably written by a staffer but one who did some research to get names and facts and events straight. It was written in Enzi's name, so one has to assume that he has strong feelings for his fellow Wyomingites, including this 41-year-old poet whom he barely knew -- if at all.
The letter had empathy. There, I've said the forbidden "e" word.
So, it's difficult to reconcile the Enzi of the letter and the Enzi who is blocking health insurance reform for his fellow Wyomingites. He has his own ten-point plan but it's just more of the same, ignoring the plight of some 80,000 residents without health care and the many thousands who are underinsured. "Nosurance," is how some wags refer to health care in the U.S.A. No "insurance" about health care plans that cost more than a thousand dollars a month but still have gaping holes that sick people fall through. Nosurance. And Enzi wants more of the same.
Nosurance? No empathy!
The Wyoming Democratic Party held a press conference today about Enzi's health care reform blockade. Here's the press release:
Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Leslie Petersen and former Wyoming Healthcare Commissioner, Barb Rea held a conference call with reporters today to express disappointment in Senator Mike Enzi for abandoning bipartisanship on health insurance reform.
This weekend in the Republican Party’s weekly radio address, Senator Enzi made many misleading statements about the health insurance reform proposals currently being debated in Congress and inaccurately said the proposals “will actually make our nation's finances sicker without saving you money.” Senator Enzi has also said recently that he was not negotiating with Democrats in the Senate to reach a compromise on a health insurance reform but was instead working to gut the bill.
Wyoming residents were proud that their state’s Republican Senator was taking a lead role in negotiating with Democrats on health insurance reform and are disappointed that Senator Enzi has chosen to toe the Republican Party line instead of working for the reform the American people want and need.
Leslie Petersen, Wyoming Democratic Party Chair: “We’re here today to express disappointment in our Senator, Mike Enzi, for abandoning bipartisanship on health insurance reform.... So it was incredibly disappointing when he came out this weekend and he not only said he was going to work to gut the bill but he misled the people of Wyoming on what was in the bill…It isn’t what the American people want, it’s certainly not what people in Wyoming want. We do need reform…We feel like he’s caved in to the Republican leadership…”
Barb Rea, Former Wyoming Healthcare Commissioner: “The one thing that we have all agreed on finally is that the status quo is not sustainable, so to continue to negotiate is really important… it’s really important for the American people and people in Wyoming to understand that reform will build on out current system and will help bring security and stability to those of us that already have insurance and give access to quality affordable care for those that don’t.”
Sen. Enzi Took Credit For Blocking And Delaying Health Care Bill, Rather Than Work On A Compromise. “This time, Enzi responded. ‘If I hadn't been involved in this process as long as I have and to the depth as I have, you would already have national health care,’ he said. ‘Someone has to be at the table asking questions,’ Enzi said, showing a flash of passion. He later quoted a favorite saying: ‘If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.’ ‘It's not where I get them to compromise, it's what I get them to leave out,’ Enzi said.” [AP, 8/25/09]
Sen. Enzi Came Out Against Comprehensive Health Care Reform, Although He Admits Reform Is Needed. “Congress should approach health care reform in steps, instead of trying to put together a comprehensive package said U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo. Health care is so massive that reforms can’t be made with one major bill, which is what the Obama administration and congressional Democrats are pushing, Enzi told members of the Casper Rotary Club on Monday at the Parkway Plaza Hotel. ... ‘We do need to have health care reform,’ Enzi said. ‘We do need to get it right. We need take the time to do it. I think the only way it will happen is we need to break it down into smaller parts than we have now and think it through one at a time.’” [Casper Star-Tribune, 8/17/09]
Sen. Enzi Boasted About Voting Against The Health Care Plan That Passed The Senate HELP Committee. "Enzi, Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and member of the Senate Finance Committee, repeated his opposition to a government-run health care plan today while addressing the Casper Rotary Club. Over the weekend, Health and Human Services Secretary Katherine Sebelius hinted that the Administration may be willing to look beyond a government-run option. 'As I've said from the beginning, a government-run option is not an option. I voted against the Democrat plan in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month and would do so again,' Enzi said. 'A government-run plan would increase health care costs, lessen service and add to our huge debt. The American people are doing a great job of getting this message across to the Administration and Congress.'" [Sen. Enzi release, 8/17/09]
Sen. Enzi Predicted “Nasty, Nasty Town Meeting” For Democrats Over Health Care. “In an interview, Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, said he was committed to forging a bipartisan consensus on legislation that overhauls the U.S. health-care system. ‘We're past due for doing it, and the American people want it,’ said Mr. Enzi, one of three Republicans negotiating with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.). The Baucus-led talks are the only bipartisan health-bill effort on Capitol Hill. But Sen. Enzi said voters so far didn't seem impressed by what the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill has come up with, and predicted members of the House and Senate are in for ‘some nasty, nasty town meetings’ over the August congressional recess. ‘I don't think they like what they see so far,’ the senator said of voters.” [Wall Street Journal, 8/6/09]
Sen. Enzi, Along With Sen. Grassley, Brief The GOP Leaders Daily And Leader McConnell Said "They're Not Free Agents. They're Reporting To Us." "Grassley and Enzi brief a majority of the Republican Conference almost every Wednesday afternoon - and have for months - and they brief GOP leaders almost daily. While Enzi, Grassley and Snowe say they aren't being urged to resist a deal, neither are they being given carte blanche. GOP aides say they have been reminded they are not negotiating on behalf of the Conference and could find themselves on an "island" if they agree to legislation without first getting it approved. 'They're not free agents. They're reporting to us,' McConnell told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday. "' don't think they're going to sign onto a deal that a vast majority of my Conference can't agree to. And we don't, so far, like much of anything we see in this big-government, high-tax, mandate approach that the Democratic majority and the president would like to pass.'" [Roll Call, 8/3/09]
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Two upcoming arts & justice events in Denver
These listings come from the "Open Letter," the weekly newsletter of Denver's Capitol Heights Presbyterian/10:30 Catholic Community and edited by Monte Clark. The 10:30 CC was my family's church when we lived in Denver. My son was baptized there. An incredible group of people (many of them community organizers) pray on both sides of the pew. The newsletter features two great arts-oriented events coming up in September:
“CATHOLIC LITERARY IMAGINATION: WHAT WOULD JESUS VIEW?” LECTURER AND AUTHOR – HOPKINS POETRY CONFERENCE on Thursday, September 17, 7 p.m. at St. John Francis Regis Chapel. Featuring Dr. Ron Hansen. Dr. Hansen was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and educated at Creighton University, the University of Iowa’s Writers Workshop, and at Stanford University, where he held a Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellowship. He has received fellowships from the Michigan Society of Fellows, the National Endowment for the Arts, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, and the Lyndhurst Foundation, and was presented with an Award in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Professor Hansen has taught fiction and screenwriting at such institutions as Stanford, Michigan, Cornell, Iowa, Arizona, and is now the Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., Professor in the Arts and Humanities at Santa Clara University in California. His novels include "Mariette In Ecstasy" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by that Coward Robert Ford."
PLEASE COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE ROMERO THEATER TROUPE as we work to return Labor Day to the people. We will perform Voices From the Worker's Struggle, a series of scenes from American Labor History, past and present, including several traditional labor folk songs. Our show begins on Labor Day, September 7, at 6 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Amphitheater, 11th and Osage, next to the swimming pool. Seating is limited, so it's first-come, first-served. This will be the final public presentation in Denver of what has been a two-year journey of bringing the history of the Workers' Struggle to the community through Organic Theater. This is a free show. The People's Labor Day begins at Lincoln Park at 2 p.m. with free food open to the community. The afternoon's events include poetry, music, and children's games. All are welcome. The United Food and Commercial Workers and Jobs With Justice are co-sponsoring this exciting event. For more information, check out the website at http://www.romerotroupe.org/
“CATHOLIC LITERARY IMAGINATION: WHAT WOULD JESUS VIEW?” LECTURER AND AUTHOR – HOPKINS POETRY CONFERENCE on Thursday, September 17, 7 p.m. at St. John Francis Regis Chapel. Featuring Dr. Ron Hansen. Dr. Hansen was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and educated at Creighton University, the University of Iowa’s Writers Workshop, and at Stanford University, where he held a Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellowship. He has received fellowships from the Michigan Society of Fellows, the National Endowment for the Arts, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, and the Lyndhurst Foundation, and was presented with an Award in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Professor Hansen has taught fiction and screenwriting at such institutions as Stanford, Michigan, Cornell, Iowa, Arizona, and is now the Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., Professor in the Arts and Humanities at Santa Clara University in California. His novels include "Mariette In Ecstasy" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by that Coward Robert Ford."
PLEASE COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE ROMERO THEATER TROUPE as we work to return Labor Day to the people. We will perform Voices From the Worker's Struggle, a series of scenes from American Labor History, past and present, including several traditional labor folk songs. Our show begins on Labor Day, September 7, at 6 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Amphitheater, 11th and Osage, next to the swimming pool. Seating is limited, so it's first-come, first-served. This will be the final public presentation in Denver of what has been a two-year journey of bringing the history of the Workers' Struggle to the community through Organic Theater. This is a free show. The People's Labor Day begins at Lincoln Park at 2 p.m. with free food open to the community. The afternoon's events include poetry, music, and children's games. All are welcome. The United Food and Commercial Workers and Jobs With Justice are co-sponsoring this exciting event. For more information, check out the website at http://www.romerotroupe.org/
House Committee reports on benefits of health care reform for Wyoming
Way back on July 24, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce released a district-by-district assessment of "Benefits of America's Affordable Health Choices Act" in Wyoming's lone district. Rep. Cynthia Lummis take notice. Under the House reform bill, more than 81,000 uninsured Wyomingites would get some -- and some 400 families would be able to avoid bankruptcy due to crushing hospital bills. Speaking of hospitals, they wouldn't have to put out some $23 million in non-reimbursed services if this reform passed. This is ironic, considering all the sob stories Lummis heard from the Wyoming Medical Center in Casper about low Medicare reimbursement rates (as recounted in the Casper Star-Tribune). They told Lummis they were against Pres. Obama's health care plan because they were afraid reimbursements would be even lower. I suppose they were just telling Rep. Lummis what she wanted to hear.
Get the rest of the story by going to http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090724/WY.Lummis.pdf
Get the rest of the story by going to http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090724/WY.Lummis.pdf
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