I haven't been regular about posting Brendan Smith's columns, have I? Yet again I missed the usual every other Thursday timing of the latest trials and tribulations of a Flatlander in New Hampshire. But better late than never, right? In this case, the delay is timely. With the melting of the last of the snow and the heavy rains that have pelted New Hampshire over the past few days, we have quickly entered mud season. Mud season also happens to be the topic of Brendan's latest.
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Mud Season Angst
As the sun sits higher in the late March sky and the cold memories of winter melt slowly along with the remaining snowfall, a young man’s thoughts will turn to the ideas of a new awakening in his soul and the promise of rebirth and hope for the future.
Unfortunately, I’m not a young man anymore and my thoughts usually turn to “You know, I really don’t care that much if the Mets make it to the World Series this year...I can never stay awake late enough to watch those mid-week games anyway,” and of course “Great, another mud season.”
There might not be much of a mud season this year here in Central New Hampshire, but you can count on there being one all the same, no matter how long it is. Still, every spring I find myself wondering how I ever came to be living in a place where there is a season that is named after mud.
I moved here from Long Island, New York 19 years ago. For those who have never read this column before I can only quickly recap that my move had to do with a few instances of fate which involved Regis Philbin, a weird bus driver and just a bad week in New York (if you need to know more you can email me and I’ll fill you in).
I’ve done a lot of adjusting and even found the space in my soul to help other new “Flatlanders” along the way in surviving their first long winters here with a group know as F.A.T.S.O. (Flatlanders Adjusting To Solitary Oblivion). But recently I was awakened again by the call of the Flatlander, screeching to me across a crowded parking lot as he saw me strolling to my car after yet another fascinating Sunday afternoon at Wal-Mart. “What about Mud Season?” He yelled like the call of a sick loon. “No one ever told me about that....what do I do?” I at first tried to ignore him. Must it always fall on my shoulders? Why is it me that they turn to? I clunked my car into reverse and eased out of my parking spot. I heard the quick step of his feet hurrying towards me. As I straightened out my car and put it in drive he was at my window, a look of utter despair drawn across his face. He touched the window. I looked into his eyes. “Why, why?” he mouthed.
I drove off and left him standing by the shopping basket corral.
When I got home I couldn’t help but think of that man and the look of despair on his face. But what was I to do? Hadn’t I done enough, expelled most of my energy over the years? Not just in teaching myself how to adjust to being a Stranger in a Strange Land but in teaching others. Not only through F.A.T.S.O but through the years I gallivanted about as Flatman, anonymously helping Flatlanders everywhere. And I never asked for anything in return. Just some peace of mind......And now they wanted more.
What kind of important information could I possibly supply to help newly transplanted Flatlanders adjust to Mud Season? I had never even thought about it before. I couldn't even come up with a clever acronym to name such a support group. I combed through old columns I had written to see what kind of clever tidbits I could spew forth.
I had once written about driving on dirt roads at night during mud season, but it was all I could find. I told of how it was a good idea to wedge your tires into tracks already made and now slightly frozen so that even if you didn't know where you were going, you'd always end up where someone else had been. (But, of course, I had also implied that I imagined bears, fresh from hibernation, jerry-rigging some kind of strange device to make the impression of tire tracks in the mud and luring newly transplanted fools to dinner.) This couldn't be the best advice I could give. There must be more.
I agonized all day over it. My responsibilities that I had brought upon my own shoulders. I was the voice of reason for the Flatlander and there was really nothing I could do about it. I had to act. I had to respond. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t let it go. Couldn’t just walk away from it, let someone else deal with this one.
I called up my friend Vinnie, from the Bronx, who now lived here about as long as me. He was always there when I needed him.
“Vinnie, I need your help.” I cried.
“The Sopranos are starting in five minutes,” he sighed.
He was right. Some things were just more important. I hung up and turned on HBO.
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Brendan Smith is a columnist at The Weirs Times and can be reached by email at brensmith@metrocast.net
Stephen Den Beste wrote what I consider a definitive piece on why many people in foreign lands, particularly Europe, don't really understand us or our motivations. This has led to consternation amongst our putative allies, wondering why Americans aren't more like them and why we haven't sought the advice of our betters. They don't understand that they aren't our betters. They aren't even in the same league.
Then Andrew of Redux expanded upon Den Beste's commentary. At first I thought I'd just link to the post, but I considered that it was too good to just link. Instead, I'm reposting the entire thing.
UPDATE: Andrew has posted a follow-up to his first commentary.
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Steven Den Beste has a long, witty, and insightful post -- Mercurial America -- which like all good Den Beste postings, successfully educates, suggests, and kicks @ss, all the while side-stepping the pedagogical voice that his topics might otherwise invite.
He discusses a rather interesting article from the International Herald-Tribune that talks about how, well, I'll let them speak for themselves,
Congress's leading Democratic voices on foreign policy, with a trace of the disdain that so rankles Europeans, suggested that their critical view of the European Union's weaknesses was intact, and that in puckering up for a November embrace Europe might have to settle for a formalistic kiss.
This may come as a surprise in Europe, where wide segments of opinion, official and public, confidential or boisterous, want Bush beaten. Many influential Europeans seem to believe that Senator John Kerry in a Democratic White House would restore both respectful equanimity to the American side of the trans-Atlantic relationship and, perhaps more naïvely, aim to redefine U.S. interests in a way that did not seem so self-interestedly American.
Which, Mr. Den Beste argues, is simply not the case. To think so is to misunderstand the U.S. government, because,
[T]hey discount the degree to which our system maintains continuity of policy. Even if Kerry wins this year, there's still essentially no chance of the Democrats regaining control of the House, and that would mean that the Democrats would have to compromise on foreign policy even if they thought the way the Europeans somehow hope they do.
This insight is so telling, because Europe (and, indeed, the rest of the world), don't understand "how" America works. And what is so deliciously ironic is that whenever American foreign policy results in friction with other nations, foreign nationals always insist that "if only you Americans only understood... (reality, or the situation, or how things really are, etc.)", then you would come around to the proper position.
Throw Another Log on the Fire!»
I saw this a few days ago after linking in from On The Third Hand. To say that it's chilling is an understatement.
“This” is a photo travelogue of a trip to and through Chernobyl, Ukraine by Ukrainian blogger Elena.
At first you think that it isn't all that interesting. But as the photos and commentary continue, you feel the hairs on the back of your neck rise. The evacuation of the city was anything but orderly with people leaving behind all of their belongings, knowing they could never come back for them. Photos, furniture, family treasures, a child's stuffed toy, abandoned cars, trucks, and buildings all give you a feeling for what happened when Chernobyl Unit 4 exploded and spewed it's radioactivity into the air. There are photos of row after row of contaminated trucks, armored personnel carriers, and helicopters lined up in neat rows, abandoned, never to be used again.
The empty city streets are eerie. What makes the city seem even lonelier is the silent amusement park, the ferris wheel, bumper cars, and other rides long stilled and the screams of delighted children no longer to be heard.
It is a ghost town writ large.
Bill Whittle has posted Chapter Two of his ongoing essay.
Well? What are you waiting for? Click on the link already!
"The sun did not come up this morning, large cracks have appeared in the ground, and flaming rocks are falling from the sky...."
"....Film at 11."
*Just in case, please check the date above.
Debate about NH Senate Bill 454 has been hot and heavy. The bill, which would eliminate the requirement for a permit to carry a concealed firearm in New Hampshire, has created controversy. While many civil rights advocates, gun owners, and supporters of the Second Amendment see the bill freeing Granite Staters to more easily defend themselves, their families, and their property, law enforcement officials are steadfastly against the measure. (No surprise there!)
The bill passed in the NH Senate by a vote of 13-10. Yesterday over 100 people filled two rooms in the Legislative Office Building in the state capitol for a hearing by the NH House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Should the bill become law, New Hampshire would become the third state that doesn't require a permit to carry, the other two being Vermont and Alaska.
I pulled in to the driveway this morning after returning home from work to find my wife, Tina standing there next to the Official Weekend Pundit Minivan with the hood open and a doleful look on her face. Parked the car, got out and noticed the growing puddle of red spreading from underneath.
Transmission fluid. Never a good sign. At least it wasn’t blood.
We wound up trading it in for a brandy-new Town and Country (a stripped one- no power anything, just A/C and a CD player). Couldn’t make myself spend two grand on a transmission for a car that is just old enough to start nickel-and-dimeing us to death.
Suddenly I remember just how much having two car payments really, really sucks.
In a late afternoon press conference, President Bush announced that Condoleeza Rice will testify in public before the 9/11 Commission. While this announcement was not unexpected by many of us in the blogosphere, the major media outlets are playing this up as if the White House was forced into allowing Ms. Rice to testify, caving in to 'public' pressure (read that “pressure from the loudmouth Democrats and their media mouthpieces”).
One thing that President Bush did make clear that the commission knows that these were special circumstances and would not be used to set a precedent that would weaken the separation of powers. The Commission's statement said:
"We agree with the observation by the president's counsel that Dr. Rice's appearance before the Commission is in response to the special circumstances presented by the events of September 11 and the Commission's unique mandate and should not be viewed as a precedent for future requests for public testimony by White House officials."
Of course there are some Democrats that see this as a victory, weakening the White House and strengthening their position in light of the upcoming elections in November. Even the House Minority Leader is getting in on the act, trying to sound as if the White House was trying to cover up something sinister.
"The Bush administration has finally come to its senses on what should have been a simple issue by reversing its previous refusal to allow the national security adviser to testify in public under oath," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. "The Bush administration needs to understand that the independent 9/11 commission seeks truth, not blame."
She makes it sound, in an offhanded way, as if the White House is covering up something, doesn't she? It sounds as if she wants them to place blame. But my take on it is that the White House was seeking assurances that executive privilege would not be placed in jeopardy by acquiescing to the Commission's request. Once those assurances were made, refusal for Rice's public testimony was withdrawn.
Public testimony of a White House official isn't unprecedented, but it is unusual. The last thing America needs is intrusive oversight of the Executive Branch by independent committees or Congressional investigative bodies every time somebody somewhere in Congress or elsewhere in the federal government has an axe to grind about some issue or cause du jour.
Personally, I think the Dems are going to end up looking foolish about this non-issue...something that Dubya was planning all along.
Cut On The Bias's Susanna Cornett was featured in today's Day By Day comic strip by Chris Muir.
I’m not sure if I should call this a poll, a survey, a contest or what, but here we go:
Please offer predictions on the following:
Number of Deaths due to protests at the Democratic convention in Boston this July.
Number of Deaths due to protests at the Republican Convention in New York this August.
Before you ask, yes, Zero is a legitimate prediction.
My own take is 10 in Boston and up to 50 in NYC. Leave yours in the comments.
UPDATE: According to Fox News (yeah, I know), over 1000 groups have filed for permits to protest at the GOP convention in NYC. Maybe 50 is a low guess...
No posts by yours truly last night, not because of lack of desire but rather due to being unable to see the computer monitor very well. It appears that my end-of-winter/beginning-of-spring allergies are acting up right on schedule, causing a little bit of nasal distress but a whole lot of itching and watering of my eyes. It makes things difficult because my vision is somewhat blurry. Even driving is damn near impossible, though I managed to get out this morning for my usual breakfast at the Paugus Diner. But that was an adventure I have no desire to repeat.
I have managed to pick up some drops for my eyes that seem to help for short periods (which is how I've managed to write this at all.)
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The spring-like weather finally arrived. It's been gorgeous the past few days (in the 50's and 60's) and I can see how the weather is really taking a toll on the ice covering the lake. This gives me hope that it will all be gone by mid to late April.
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The WP Parents stopped by to pick up the WP Dad's digital camera. They headed up north for the day, sightseeing. They're still learning the various towns and back roads (with some helpful tips from me). I wish I could have gone with them, but my previously mentioned eye problems and a 2PM conference call kept me from joining them this time.
Hopefully Dad will take some nice pictures that I'll be able to post here.
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It appears that the Bush re-election ad campaign is working. While a few of the ads are negative (though pretty tame compared to some of Kerry's ads), for the most part they're positive. Of course I have no doubt that as the conventions and later the election gets closer they'll be going at each other hammer and thong.
This is gonna be a long campaign season.
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During President Bush's visit to New Hampshire and Boston last week, he talked about job retraining and not so much about retention of traditional manufacturing jobs. In my opinion he's headed in the right direction, trying to make sure our working men and women will be part of the more sophisticated high tech industries.
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Bernadette Malone comments that “Bush honesty is refreshing after Clarke.”
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Sugaring season is in full swing and the sugar houses are in operation all over New England, making gallons and gallons of sweet maple syrup.
The one thing I've always liked about sugaring season is that almost every sugar house welcomes visitors, showing them how we make maple syrup. If you ever get the opportunity, stop by and take a look....and don't forget to buy some syrup while you're there.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where winter coats are being prepared for storage, ice and snow piles are rapidly disappearing, and the sweet sound of motorcycles can be heard after a long winter's sleep....
Geoffrey of Dog Snot Diaries spent yesterday in Boston, covering the Bush rally/protests while President Bush was in town. Geoff's description of the anti-Bush protesters as moonbats seems understated, in my opinion. The anti-Bush crowd was vocal, yelling obscenities, tearing up signs of Bush supporters, and showing themselves to be completely out of touch with reality.
Check out Geoffrey's coverage of the rally/protests (pictures included).
UPDATE: Tyler of Pardon My English posts his own eyewitness account of the rally and the clash between the Pro- and Anti-Bush crowd.
I looked over a number articles in newspapers and a myriad of blogs, looking for something that would spark my interest. But all that happened was a niggling little itch at the back of my mind, relentless in its attempt to gain my attention.
It finally succeeded.
What was it that was all-fired important that I'm forced to write something about it?
Money.
That's right, money.
I'm not talking about accumulating wealth or the power that such wealth can bring, but actual money, moolah, cash, bucks, greenbacks, filthy lucre. Specifically I'm talking about dollars, as in one dollar bills.
My question is this: Why do we still have dollar bills in circulation?
Answer: Because the boneheads at the US Treasury and serving in Congress don't seem to understand basic economics.
A couple of years ago the Sacagawea dollar coin was introduced with much fanfare. It was going to save billions of dollars by the simple fact that coins far outlast bills and won't require replacement nearly as often (coins last about 35 years, dollar bills about 18 months). Coins cost twice as much to make as bills but last 23 ⅓ times longer, a big savings to you, me, and every other taxpayer in America.
Other than the initial rush on the coins when they first came out, they've been languishing by the billions in vaults all over the country. Why?
Because the Treasury is still printing and circulating dollar bills.
It is the only US denomination that circulates in two entirely different forms. There should be only one and it should be the coin for the reasons I stated above.
As I've written before, other countries have done away with their equivalent of the one dollar bill and have suffered no ill effects. It's about time that the US does likewise and stop wasting the taxpayers' money by wasting perfectly good money.
