Friday, September 29, 2006

Friday, September 29 is...

Michaelmas
Manit Day (Marshall Island)
Kalratri (Nepal)

According to Wikipedia:

Michaelmas (pronounced /'mɪkəlməs/) or the Feast of Ss. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael is a day in the Christian calendar, taking place on 29 September. Because it falls near the equinox, it is associated with the beginning of Autumn and the shortening of days. St. Michael, one of the principal angelic warriors, was seen as a protector against the dark of night.


Personally, I think negative ads are a greater threat than the dark of night, but thus far no saints have come forward to take care of that.

Speaking of negative ads, another kindred spirit has come forth to let us know he's leaving the ballot blank on Boswell/Lamberti: New Iowan.

School bus safety is an issue I'm surprised we don't hear about more often. School buses typically hold twice as many students as the average classroom, with a wide variety of ages, and their only supervision is an underpaid, often retired person whose first focus needs to be on the road to ensure the safety of their passengers. It amazes me that incidents like this one don't happen everyday.

Twelve areas are competing to be declared one of Iowa's "Great Places," and given the economic development handout stimulus package that comes with the designation. At the same time, one of Iowa's existing great places just got shit on by irresponsible agriculture. Maybe if we devoted more money to environmental protection and less to winner-take-all giveaways, all of our waterways could be "Great Places."

So apparently if you're on TV bragging about how you escaped your credit card debt, people will see you on TV and want their money back. Who knew?

Ryan Pettit of Des Moines
shows xenophobia is still alive and well:

I am all for teaching diversity in schools and getting kids to understand and accept cultures. But why is Hubbell Elementary School celebrating Mexican Independence Day ("Hubbell Puts Gusto Into Latino Festival," Sept. 21 Register)?

What is the educational benefit of this in America?

I am curious what these kids know about the independence of the United States. Do they know who the founding fathers are, who we fought against for independence and why?

I don't think the independence of Mexico ever had much effect on Iowa.


Y'know, Ryan, you're right. I'm sure our kids are NEVER taught about American history in their public schools. Their history books definitely aren't written by people with an American bias, and their teachers probably know nothing about America. Maybe we should build a fence to keep foreign holidays from coming across the border. Or maybe we should build a fence around your house.

KL

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

On too many occasions to count, in response to my inquiry "Why don't you vote," I hear "because they're all crooks," "there's no difference between any of the candidates," or something to that effect. These sorts of arguments have helped make the United States last in voter turnout among liberal democracies. It's sad.

This is why I can't agree with your or other people's decision not to vote for either Lamberti or Boswell. For all of Boswell's faults, voting for giving Bush the right to torture being high on the list, he is not Lamberti. There IS a difference, and its every voter's responsibility to discover that difference and choose which side they identify with. If, after choosing your candidate, you don't like the way they are doing their job, then organize with like-minded individuals and tell them about it. This is much more likely to get that candidate's attention than not voting for him, and it doesn't have the disadvantage of helping make sure the worse candidate gets elected.

I am going to continue to fight for and am going to vote for Dave Loebsack, even though there is basically no chance of him getting elected. 3rd district votes matter, and anger at Boswell isn't a reason not to cast yours.

Anonymous said...

What if you have organized a group, met with the representative repeatedly, and still didn't receive the results you want? I'm not in the 3rd CD, but I've been involved with a group that lobbied Boswell on Iraq with no luck. At what point do you say "Enough"?