Well…have a couple of things to talk about today! Yay…it’s been a long week and I need to take today off except for grocery shopping and then send out a bunch of resumes…the topics of the day will include Michael Bloomberg and the ruling from judge Vaughn Walker on Prop 8 out in Cali….no outrage but again a glimmer of hope for us reasonables…it is really heartening that some people are pushing back at the haters and acting like adults…more later…
All posts by James DeVol
Wings are getting closer…
Well…the hockey season is getting closer and there is some good news to report finally…Mike Modano is going to sign with the Wings…I know he’s 40 but so is Nick Lidstrom and we all know how he can still play the game. Now they just need to get Helm signed and we can feel pretty good about the upcoming season. Even though we didn’t do well in the playoffs last year, I have hopes that the injuries will stay away and we can get back to our potential. Was sorry to see Maltby leave since he has been with the Wings since I’ve been a fanatic…and not being able to say Lebda anymore will take some of the fun out of watching…Go Wings!
August 4th
Well…no aurora last night and I’m a little disappointed…it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a good display…oh, well….it’s going to be three days in a row with today’s run out to Ada and I’m feeling it…may have to take it a little easy and I know I’m taking tomorrow off…just getting too old to keep up this pace…there were some interesting things that happened in yesterday’s election that I’ll comment on later…I’m just glad that Pete Hoekstra didn’t win the repub nomination….but Ving Bonero for the dems? weird….
August 3rd part two…
Well…it was a fun day but no fishes to eat so that is kind of a letdown…but okay…got to see some of the places I haunted as a kid and the old idea is true…it seemed so much smaller than I remembered….lost at pool but it was a short competition so I don’t feel too bad…I usually start slow and then win a lot..no politics in the post today since I am waiting for the results of the primaries from today…sorry that I haven’t been writing enough lately but I felt the need to get out of this place and live some life on the outside..Hope you keep coming back to read a little of this stuff…but you know I’m not too consistent but I am human and I have my failings…hmmm….
August 3rd
Well…a long night with G so, as always, I feel a little crappy today but better since I got up…going fishing with Tom this morning…well at noon since I have to get prepped with bait and a few other supplies..like whiskey and some more hooks because I lost quite a few in the snags on the Grand last time out. Hope to bring a few fish home this time and have them for dinner. Not much else today but I will be back with another post later, maybe on politics but I’m not sure yet…could just be fish stories…who knows?
A party called the Reasonables….
Well…on the eve of the primaries here in Michigan, I thought it might be an idea to start to put down on paper (or on the computer) what I propose should be the manifesto or platform of the the new political party called the Reasonables that I want to start. To begin, anyone can be part of the party; from the right, left, or center…I don’t care…but anyone who joins will be required to follow a few guiding principles whose purpose will be to change the toxic political landscape.
First….there will be no shouting allowed. None of the ranting that passes for political dialog these days.
Second….there will be no attack advertising by any of our candidates…it will be limited to policy statements that show what you are for…and solutions to the problems facing us.
Third…there will be no lying or distortions in our discussions or political interactions….truth will be our motto…
Fourth…you will be required to know what you are talking about…all opinions are not equal and ignorance will not be tolerated…
Fifth…..any candidate of ours will be required to put the country first…not business or his or her re-election…
Sixth….there will no mention of religion, or god, or Jesus by any of our candidates…religion will be a private matter and the separation of church and state will be supported…
Seventh….any candidate will use public financing of the election…there will be no billionaires buying seats in congress…
Eighth….our party will support and champion individual rights over those of the government and business….
That’s about it for now…as time goes on, I’ll be adding what I think is important to this platform and I welcome any comments on what you guys think should be done since we are building this thing from scratch…more later…
August 2nd
Well…started the birthday celebration for the twins yesterday and I am a little worn out today…I think it’s going to continue early this aft so I better get some coffee and a workout in as soon as possible….that will probably be the only thing going on today but who knows? For the first time in a long time my back is killing me today and the pain is down my legs making it really hard to just sit and write this so I’m going to end here…more later….
Maybe a little light in the darkness?
Well…have been thinking about how we can get out of the mess that the hyper-charged politics of the day have put us in and a couple of articles I read today might be the start of this climb. Normally, I like to read conservative columnists to try to understand where they are coming from, since I truly believe that good ideas are good ideas no matter if they come from the right or left…and I don’t want to be one of those people that just automatically dismiss anyone’s ideas. In David Brooks column today (I should add that Brooks is a well known conservative commentator) he walked across the aisle and with an unbiased eye, looked at Obama’s agenda and could admit that some of what has been done was necessary and will be effective in addressing many of the problems that face us today. But what was also refreshing was his making objective, well thought out suggestions on how to do better and improve the legislative agenda. So, to David Brooks I say thank you…can you transplant your brain into the rest of the right?
The second column I read today was by Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post and it was not about politics at all; but about what it is like living in the neighborhood she lived in in DC. Again, Parker is a staunch conservative columnist who I rarely ever agree with but today she made a point that I think needed to be made…that is that the American values of friendship, community, and love are not just embodied in the folks that Palin and her Ilk call the “real Americans”; from small towns and rural areas…but can be found all across America; no matter where you live. One of the things I found so striking about the article was her oh so kind words about the neighbors who were the rocks of the neighborhood; who were such a stabilizing influence…but who also happen to be gay men who have lived in a committed relationship for 25 years. I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of these men is a columnist that I read in USA Today…Craig Wilson. I don’t know Kathleen Parker at all, but for a committed conservative to finally speak out against the bigotry that is an integral part of the Repubs, and in such an elegant way, gives me some hope that the principled people that I know still reside in the conservative movement are getting their voice back and will be heard more often. But, then I read some of the comments to this heartfelt piece of writing and it made me sick…the haters were out in force and my tiny little spark of hope that I have been nurturing was buffeted almost to it’s end. But not all the way…I refuse to let the haters stomp on the flowers that have grown up through the cracks in the hate of the world….so, thank you Kathleen for you wonderful column.
August 1st
Yeah, I know…I didn’t come back yesterday but I was still recovering from Thurs night and really had no energy…plus my head felt like mush and I wasn’t thinking too clearly. So, it was probably a good idea that I didn’t write more and just bore you to death…well, I probably do that every day but please let me keep my illusions. Not much to do today, (where have you heard that before?) Still taking care of C’s house and I did get a text from K yesterday so there may be a Sunday Funday today…that will be fun, haven’t seen her in a couple of weeks. Hmmm….the F1 race is starting so I’ll end here…more later…
July 31st
Well…I feel much better today and I will try…that is, try to get a couple of these out today…not a lot to do today but get the bike ride in and then over to take care of C’s house..had a really fun lunch with T yesterday and got a bag full of new books to read,,yay…so that will be on the agenda for today…got a copy of the hot new series “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” from her and I will update you what I think of it…not much else for now…but I will have more later…