Monday on a Tuesday

Labor Day weekend is almost a pure holiday down here in the South.  There's not much discussion about what it really means.  There is much discussion about how we need to grasp the real meaning of Christmas.  Everyone is made very clear that Memorial Day, Veteran's Day and even Fourth of July, has to do with the military and soldiers.  There seems to be no doubt about the purpose of Valentine's Day and Halloween (besides being a way to sell candy and costumes).  But Labor Day?  Except from a handful of my liberal friends, there seems to be little or no discussion as to the holiday's true purpose.

Not that people aren't out and about.  We went to St. Simon's, with my middle son Doug, scouting some of the locations for his upcoming wedding.  It was the first time in my many visits to the island that I set foot onto the resort The King and Prince.  Very fancy place, and the reception room they will use had a spectacular view of the ocean.  The beach was as crowded as I'd ever seen it.

We went to restaurant at the marina called The Coastal Kitchen, testing it out as a place for the rehearsal dinner.  This time the potential room for the dinner would be a beautiful overlook of the marina.  If they can accommodate a group that will be about half vegetarian, I think it will make an excellent choice.

I have decided to take a more active role in the production of Robin Hood.  What this means to any potential participation in A Christmas Story, I don't know.  But I am enjoying rewriting and working on some scenes, and I see a lot of potential for our Flying Dragon children to have a good ol' time.

We stand on the verge of another political convention, and although this is essentially my team, I'm not much more enthusiastic about it than I was the RepubliCorp one.  I do think it will be a well-managed convention with a clear message.  Infotainment at it's finest!

Today is what they call a furlough day in Pierce County.  It's a fancy way of cutting pay to those working in the school system.  The war against public employees continues, led by the Republican dominated Georgia state legislature and Governor.  When educators try to blame Barack Obama for this, it just makes me want to laugh and laugh and laugh.  And then cry just a wee bit.

Sadly, this week also saw the passing of Chase Brauda, a young man who had been valiantly battling leukemia for more than a year.  His family and friends will miss him a great deal.  The community has shown a great deal of support to Chase and his family, and I know that support and prayer will continue,

Until next time,

T.M. Strait

Bible Verses Important to Me 1

                     Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.  “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?  What do you read there?”  The lawyer answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”  And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

From Luke 10:25-27

An important distillation of the Ten Commandments, it demonstrates to me the simplistic yet comprehensive core practice of the faith.  I would also include the parable of the Samaritan that follows as an important definition expanding the concept of neighbor AND who may be operating within the law.

Ch-ch-changing! Global Warming Saturday Political Soap Box 36

This is a second in a series of posts clarifying issues that are important for our country and how they matter in our choices for the coming election.  As my first in this series clearly demonstrated, I am taking a page view hit in doing this.  I would get far more page views if I titled stuff more like Why the Mittbot Sucks or The Demercrats Want to Take Yore Guns.  Oh, well.

I believe that global warming is not as bad as the mass media is making it out to be.  I believe it is much, much worse.  The scientific evidence lies all about us.  The climate change occurring is no longer theoretical, and increasing at an exponential rate that is astonishing many scientists.  I believe we may have already passed the tipping point to be able to completely stop it, but that we shouldn't give up.


I admit.  This topic needs to be filled with researched facts.  And, believe me, they exist.  But here's the bottom line;  I don't know what good they do.  We all seem to go to our respective corners anyway.

You look out at the vastness of the ocean and you think - this planet is so vast that there is virtually nothing people can do to it to damage it.  Oh, sure, it might not be too good if we threw around thousands of nuclear weapons, but everything else, why, nature and market forces will take care of.  Everything will adjust and be perfectly fine.

Uhh, no it hasn't been and uhhh, no it won't be.  Mankind has had a tremendous effect on the environment, and it will continue to have an accelerating effect in the future.  We are constantly reshaping the planet.

The North American continent looked completely different before the arrival of European settlers.  They changed the way land was used, what kind of flora and fauna thrived in the new world.  Swarming hordes of buffalo were destroyed, whole forests were eliminated, top soils depleted, dust bowls started, pollution and smog.  Please don't tell mankind can't alter his environment.

We can do things that improve things, extend our time at the top of the global food chain.  We reversed acid rain, with the help of government legislation and regulation.  We saved the ozone through the regulation of fluorocarbons.  The Clean Air Act, the EPA, the green revolution in food - all these things and others have helped us gain time.

Now we are faced with the worst threat of all, the horrendous climate change most often referred to as global warming.  I don't believe the threat of global warming is as bad as the mass media is telling you.  I believe that it is much, much worse. I further believe that we are rapidly approaching the turning point of us being able to do anything about it.  Soon, if not already, the problems will accelerate of their own accord and there won't be anything we can do about it.

This is by far the most grave threat the world faces, and much of the American Public, along with the majority of politicians (including some Democrats) have their heads in the sand.  I don't know if we any longer have the will power to reverse this thing, like we have in times past.  We are so divided and unwilling to listen, I fear that we will, this time,  just let the window close.

And then where will we be?

The sun'll come out tomorrow, but you'll have to spend your bottom dollar on SPF 30,000.

No More Waiting at the Gate

There was nothing more left to say.
The trail was going to end today.
Everything was brought to a close.
Nothing else but a parting pose.

But the journey to the new gate was over.
Behind lay a rustic field of clover.
Ahead a blank white slate.
A path to a new and risky fate.

Goodbye my friend who led me here,
Goodbye to all that I once did fear.
Hello to the promise of the new.
Hello to the wayward pew.

Time to cross.
Time to toss.
Time to bid adieu.
Time to make anew.

With a wave, I am gone.
With a step, it is dawn.
With a glance, the colors change.
With a dance, I see an open range.

Someone comes to greet me.
Someone whom I long to see.
Someone from so very long ago.
Someone whose dress does flow.

I take wing to you.
I no longer fear you.
I am no more afraid.
I find a new day made.

Ripping Good Yarns: Top 'o' the Comic Rack!

Here are some of the cartoon books I've been reading:


The Flash Chronicles

Great chronological presentation of the Barry Allen Flash Stories.  This current volume covers June 1960 to February 1961.  It includes all the great covers, like Flash No. 113 where the Trickster is walking on air.  I've finished the story King of the Beatniks and the next one I read i The Day Flash Weighed 1000 Pounds.  Great fun!

Rachel Rising

The new comic from the incredible Terry Moore (Strangers In Paradise), it is a zombie/undead story of a completely different stripe.  As usual with Terry Moore great characters and story pacing, and written in a very female friendly way,

Earth 2

Superheroes from an alternate Earth, using the Justice Society of America (first comic super-hero team from the 40s) as a model. Features Alan Scott as a gay billionaire who discovers the Green lantern power, and a teenage Jay Garrick becoming The Flash. Written by James Robinson, art by Nicola Scott.

All-Star Western

Features two great western stories every issue!  One is the incredible Jonah Hex, scarred bounty hunter working with Dr. Arkham in the 1870s.  The other features any of the other fine DC western heroes, including Nighthawk and Cinnamon, Dr, Thirteen and Bat Lash.  Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti.

Fairest

Spinoff of the remarkable comic Fables, it centers on some of the female characters, including the White Witch and Briar Rose.  Written by Bill Willingham and illustrated by Phil Jimenez.

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer

I enjoy this comic, which is an extension of an imaginary season 9.  The humor and rhythm of the characters often come through, but I don't much care for the art.  Written by Andrew Chambliss and art by George Jeanty.  Creator Joss Whedon occasionally writes and is involved in the production of the comic.

Fantastic Four 

Great comic dating back to the early sixties.  Marvel has had a lot of trouble consistently numbering and putting out comic titles consistently, but this is one of their best centered on the first family of super-heroes - Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing.

Fables

Fairy story characters hiding in exile on Earth, this has been one of the best comics for the last decade!  Think Once Upon A time, but juiced up to the Nth degree and aimed at adults.  A favorite of both Alison and myself.  Written by Bill Willingham and art by Marc Buckingham.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Another classic going back to the 60s, it has done a fairly good job of sustaining it's number, and I look forward to the arrival soon of issue #700!  A number of creators are involved, and depending on who is handling it the quality varies greatly.  But they usually have a great supporting cast, one of the major reason this comic and the group of comics that follow next are consistently among my favorites.

Supergirl, Superman, Action Comics

I am first and foremost a Superman fan.  Truth, justice and the American Way, fighting the Neverending Battle!  Best supporting cast in comics - love Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen and Perry White and many, many more.  And no, I'm not happy about DC renumbering everything back to number 1 again - I still think my indicia idea is the perfect solution.  And no, I'm not looking forward to the Superman/Wonder Woman in love story-line.  It's Lois Lane or nobody in my opinion! (Aside to Smallville fans - damn, was Erica Durance a great Lois Lane!)


And there you have it!  A quick rundown of my current favorite comics!  Yes, these are real comics that I'm really reading!  Ripper comic fans - unite!  What have you been reading lately?

Until next time, Rippers!

T.M. Strait

Local Elections Are Not Over!

When I voted in the primary last month, I faced a fairly empty ballot.  Unlike my Republican friends, there was only one contested race, and many where there was no candidate at all.  Such is the nature of one party rule.

Many may feel that the election is basically over.  Go to the polls in November and vote that Romney fellow over that awful Obama.  Romney may not be perfect, but at least he'll help the congressional Republicans achieve their agenda of lowering the taxes yet again on the wealthy, increasing taxation on the slovenly bottom rung, cutting services to that some bottom rung, reversing and halting health care reform, gutting public education, turning Medicare into a voucher program, privatizing Social Security, ending the whole concept of women's reproductive rights, increasing the Defense Budget without regard to waste or ineffectiveness, and starting more active military conflict with Iran and whomever else comes into their radar. No need to worry about the other races.  Those were all chosen in the primaries.  They either have no political opponent, or if they do, they are so under-funded and unpublicized that they don't matter.

But times, they may be a-changin'.

I was at a meeting yesterday of The Ware County Democrats last night.  It was a small but determined group, with attendees from both Pierce and Ware County.  The candidate for State Senate, Gene Mitchell, was there, and he spoke with great eloquence and competence.  There were many ideas and efforts underway to make it known that there was intelligent and thoughtful competition still in many local races.  Not everything is over.  We don't quite live in the Soviet Union yet.

What I have noticed is that for every Democratic-leaning voter ready to come out of the shadows, there are dozen more who have not come out yet.  The volume of Republican noise around them is so loud that they fear what will happen if they make their feelings known.  This is particularly true in Pierce County, where the vote for Republicans approaches 90%.  Yet they exist.  And they are slowly growing in numbers.

There are also those who have voted Republican in the past who are beginning to doubt their own orthodoxy.  They see the effect of Republican policies, and are shaking their heads thinking, "That may be what I said, but that's not what I meant!"  They didn't mean for you to gut the public schools, reducing funding of local schools while diverting money to private groups.  They didn't know that it meant creating a second class health insurance system for public education employees who don't happen to be teachers.  They didn't realize that lower rates at the top meant more taxation at the bottom.  They didn't mean that the Hope scholarship should be eliminated for their own child.  They didn't know that the assault on reproductive rights would force rape victims to come to term, that vaginal probes would be on the table, that their own access to basic birth control would be questioned.  They're seeing all this and more and beginning to have second thoughts.


The Republicans in Georgia are on the verge of having super majorities in the Senate, the House, and they control the governorship.  I believe in checks and balances. I would be suspicious and worried if the Democrats had that kind of control.  The fact that the Republicans are likely to have it terrifies me.

But people are waking up.  November may yet hold some surprises.  If they would just wake up a little faster.....

The Sun Sets On A Fabulous Annie

One of the many cast variations of this fine show.  This one featured Jason Chancey  as Oliver Warbucks and Chris Jeffords playing FDR.  The Annie in this cast was the young and talented Sammi Jo Kuhbander.

Playing the dog Sandy at virtually all performances was Chris Kuhbander, who for his age, has been building an incredible acting portfolio, including starring as Pinocchio.

I can't say enough good things about the extraordinary Emily Beck.  Incredibly expressive in whatever role she plays, she knocked it out of the park with her performance as Lilly St. Regis.

Another great cast!  Amara Grace Jeffords as Annie, Chris Jeffords  (our Executive  Director and inspiration), and Kimberly Elizabeth Beck as Grace.

Another great combination features again Kimberly Elizabeth Beck as Grace, but also Johnny Meachum as Daddy Warbucks and Lilly Varnes as Annie.  Both Johnny and Lilly were very expressive in their parts, and made for some great performances.

Kudos to everyone involved in making this such a great show.  I know how difficult it must have been with so many casts and variations.  It must have been maddening getting the right people together for all the rehearsals.  It must have at times to seem like an insane idea to cast so many in the same parts.  But everything threaded together extraordinarily well,  And the most important thing was that so many children got to shine!

Flying Dragon and Annie, I salute you!