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/qq7fxd

Also, 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.

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?

Dems hold pie & ice cream social Sept. 19

Pie is on the Democrats' agenda Sept. 19

The 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.

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)

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.

Writer Alexandra Fuller a speaker at WyoDems Jefferson-Jackson Dinner

WyoDems' head honcho Bill Luckett sends this news:

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.

Wyo. Rep. Lummis defends blood-sucking health insurance companies

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.

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.

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.

Pres. Obama delivers Labor Day speech that includes "public option" -- it's about time

Michael and me: Angry White Men

Vedauwoo Sunday afternoon

Annie, Chris and Karen ham it up for my (cell phone) camera while hiking at Vedauwoo Recreation Area between Cheyenne and Laramie. Monsoon rains did not dampen the day.

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...

We don't want no presidential edumacational speech in our schools!

Cartoon by Marc Murphy...