Tin Soldiers and Nixon Coming - Voter Fraud in Ohio
I have no idea what the average age of the readers of this column is, or how many will recognize this title, taken from the lyrics of Neil Young's great protest song, Ohio.
He wrote it in condemnation of the fatal shootings of four students at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. The disjointed and fractured guitar riff, the devastating salvo of lyrics that form the title of this column, and the hauntingly repeated background vocals of "four dead in Ohio", are imprinted upon the musical DNA of an entire generation.
The University of Wisconsin Marching Band
I was on the UW campus Saturday afternoon and at the Badger game Saturday evening. It was a beautiful autumn day, and I was again reminded of the myriad reasons that for me, make the pageantry of college football superior to any other sport.
Energy - The Environment - And Congress
Our energy policy in America today is dysfunctional. And the reason it is dysfunctional is that Congressional (and Presidential) leaders are unwilling to portray realities to the American people such that we can forge a cohesive way forward. They clammer and clang about being "energy independent" and "bringing relief to the pump", as if their empty rhetoric could make it so. I believe both candidates, but in particular John McCain, missed an enormous opportunity by not making this a key component of the campaign.
Reality Number One: While we absoluely need to explore alternative energy sources (especially nuclear), there is no reason to believe that ANY alternative to fossil fuels is going to have a measurable impact for at least fifteen years. So while we pursue alternatives, we also need to pursue every drop of oil and every cubic foot of natural gas we can.
How We Got Here - The Theory of Relativity
I am going to take a break from blogging for a bit - don't know how long. Given what is going on in the world my heart is just not in it right now. And just as I am not overly interested in writing, I am certain you are not too concerned with hearing from me at this time.
How the heck did we get here? That question can only be answered with a book or a few sentences. I'd like to write a book some day, but for now, two paragraphs will have to do:
Two of Me
It's time for a feel good story - wrapped inside of a warning.
In the final analysis the only thing that really matters on this earth is the people in our lives, be they well known and loved, or be they strangers we might encounter only once. I met such a stranger Friday morning morning by the name of Riley.
