Rural Thoughts

I watched several news shows today. The topics were pretty much the same across the shows that I watched. (1) Health Care reform; (2) Iran; (3) Michael Jackson, and (4) Mark Sanford.

I read a really great article in yesterday's New York Times business section about what is going on with health care reform in congress. The by line was for Jackie Calmes. I don't think I had heard that name before. But, in combination with all the other news coverage of what is going on, it stiched a lot of things together for me.

Brookport, Illinois is my "hometown" I guess, as much as I have one. It's been my mailing address for about 30 years, although I don't live in town. But, because of the geography and the Ohio River, the Brookport rural mail routes are very large and not that many people. That's where I live. But I consider myself a Brookportian.

Brookport is directly across the river from Paducah, Kentucky, at the foot of the Brookport Bridge, an amazing structure carrying U.S. Highway 45 across the Ohio that opened in 1929. http://bridgehunter.com/il/massac/brookport/

This is a photo a few days ago of a gorgeous patch of phlox that appears every year in Brookport, Illinois. They have the most beautiful "hot" pink flowers. Could phlox be the savior of Brookport? See the following blog entry, because I'm going to elaborate.

James Hansen, among other big name people, was arrested today in West Virginia protesting mountaintop removal coal mining. Hansen is a NASA scientist that I actually saw back in the early 1980s in a presentation with Al Gore, Barry Commoner, and Jessica Matthews at the Louisville Arts Center doing a panel discussion on global warming. I still have the handouts from the presentation, and those have the exact date. It was very early in all of this.

A lot of the initial talk was on Iran and whether or not the U.S. should be taking a more visible role in supporting the anti-Ahmadinajad protesters. Most of the talking heads think Obama is doing the right thing by staying out of it.

If Pat Buchanan and Monica Crowley think that Obama is falling like water over Niagara Falls, they are delusional and show themselves for the party hacks that they are.

What these so called pundits are saying simply ignores the realities of the situation. Obama's biggest critics are coming from the furthest left and right wings of both major parties. They may grow ever so slightly as things don't respond perfectly, but the center is pretty solid, I think. It isn't going to erode nearly as fast as the bare soil on the edge.

I have to say that finally I am happier with (at least some of) the Paducah city council. It seems they finally, after repeated disaster, are questioning city manager Jim Zumwalt. It's about time. The city council blew it when they allowed Zumwalt to fire Herschel Dungey and others.

Due to the new digital TV divide and obligations that I had this morning, I only was able to watch Wall Street Week, Chris Matthews, and Meet the Press.

I thought there one segment of one interview on Wall Street was worth mentioning. I believe it was with one of her rich dude friends (of which there seems to be many) named Laurence, who was head of some kind of large money group called, if I remember, Black Rock. They had just merged with some kind of large money group named Barclay something, and he and the head of the Barclay thingy were on.

I didn't really like it. For one thing, "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." That's probably an appropriate saying to use considering that Palin got herself in the news with her "feud" with Letterman. If she was smart she'd go on the show. Sure Letterman would eat her alive, but as they say, all publicity is good. It would get a lot of viewers.

I watched with great interest the McLaughlin Group last night. If you recall, I questioned the show last week because Obama had mentioned Pat Buchanan by name in his interview with Brian Williams on the NBC special on the inside of the Obama White House. Granted, it wasn't a positive mention, but it wasn't that negative either. But the fact that Buchanan was the one name that Obama mentioned made it newsworthy in my opinion, and McLaughlin usually doesn't shy from something newsworthy.

This is a photo of health care activist Kay Tillow. She is featured in Berry Craig's previous post.

Louisville union activist Kay Tillow says a near empty collection jar she saw in a restaurant symbolizes the unfairness of America's private health care system.

"It had a sign that said, 'Eric and Misty need help. Eric has come down with lymphoma and can no longer work and afford health care. Can you help?'

"There were just a few dollars in the jar. No family should be allowed to go under because they can't afford health care."

I can't believe that McLaughlin didn't bring up that his long time right wing commentator Pat Buchanan was the one name of a DC talking news head that popped out of Obama's mouth on the NBC "inside the White House" specials this last week when Brian Williams asked him if, when he was zapping around the TV late at night, he stumbles on some talking heads talking about him, whether he stops and listens.