Hit By A Really BIG Bus...

...that's what I'm feeling lately. Not sure I can talk about it yet. But I will. 

And I have a "migraine hangover" so please bear with me... It was a 2-Maxalt headache, but it seems like I've got a bit of a fog going on.

Just A Few Things...

Just a few things have happened lately. The Cubs won the World Series. Yes, they did!

And we elected a bullying moron for president. Yes. We did. 

I watched the Cubs, though I admit I went to bed in disgust when they and their bats didn't show up for that one game. But I did it. I'm glad I was able to do that because being a life-long Cub fan, it's certainly something I've never done. So I guess I can cross that one off my bucket list. 

I would like to go to a game at Wrigley just once. I hear that it's the atmosphere more than anything else. You certainly won't have the amenities one has at home, like multiple camera angles, your favorite chair and a quick trip to the bathroom! But it would be nice to see it. I suppose I could find some knitting to bring along with me. 

I love the chalk wall. This is on one wall of Wrigley Field (probably two walls, by now) and grew organically. The management let it be, and people have been adding "In memory of..." messages since the Cubs won. Management is going to preserve it in photos though they've already said they're going to eventually power-wash it all as they continue to renovate the ball field. By all rights, my grandmother and my great-grandma should be on that wall. But they're in my heart, so that's all that matters. I will be making some small "W" flags and will, come spring, plant them at their graves. 

The cemeteries clean the gravesites to prepare them for winter, so if I do anything now, it's likely to be removed. 

We can wait. 

We've waited this long...

Knitting...

So, I was an election judge this year, and I knew it was going to be busy. Despite what the national results were, our polling place was constantly moving. We had over 560 voters (we're tiny - this was a big turnout), and I think our longest break was perhaps 20 minutes. 


I knew the baby sweater wasn't going to cut it. I was at the only fiddly-bit on the whole thing: adding the curve to the neck. Instead, I grabbed the Shape-It scarf since the wings are straight knitting. 

I sat next to Nick, a newbie judge who was THE. SLOWEST. TYPIST. EVER. We have tablets to check people in, though we still vote on paper. Nick was the absolute slowest person on the planet, and it was all I could do to not snatch the tablet from beneath his fingers. 

He was trying, bless his little heart...

And in a lull, he says to me, "Are you crocheting?" Hey - I give him props for KNOWING enough to ask. So I explained that I was knitting, and I let him pet the baby alpaca yarn. His mother "did one or the other, I don't know" and he has a "blanket" that was done for him. 

Very nice guy. And he appreciated the alpaca (or he was a great faker about it!). But I really didn't get more than 2 rows done, maybe 3. I'm going to try to put a few more rows on in the next day or so. I want to get it done so that I can block it out and wear it when the weather finally turns. It'll look lovely with my leather coat.

The baby sweater is growing. I'm on the sleeve, got about maybe 10 rows to go before I bind off there, and finish the body. Then - done. Just the buttons. 

I realized, to my chagrin, that the buttonholes are askew. Blast! It was the World Series. I'm going to have to take the sweater to a priest for a blessing as it is, since during a few of the games, I wasn't saying anything nice... I'll just tell mommy that the whole thing is asymmetrical and this is a design component. 

That works. 

I think I can pull a matching hat out of the yarn I have left. And maybe a pair of booties, but I'll have to put some brown tops on them or something. Haven't gotten that far yet. Or maybe I do the hat with a brown ribbing edge? Or stripes? It could be cute. And the buttons are brown, that's why I'm veering in that direction.

Christmas Baking 2016...

The Great Potica Bake Part I has happened. Ten. Count 'em. TEN long loaves, 2 small ones. Kid #2 came down to help, because of Hubby's chipped wrist bone - he didn't have enough flex in his wrist to help roll. 

I tried something different this time. I did the prep in stages. I did the filling and stuck that in the fridge on Friday. Then, on Friday night I did the dough.

I checked with my friend and chef Carolyn - and she said, "yeah do up to the first rise and stick it in the fridge - it'll rise a bit and should be fine."

Well. It doubled in size and popped the lid off the sealed bowl. Hmmmmmm. 

I was off to a church function on Saturday, and The Kid was going to come down around noon. We serve lunch at the local homeless shelter as part of our outreach. Sadly, I was kind of verging on a migraine, which didn't help (and yeah, it "bloomed" after the last bake, thankfully). 

I asked Hubby to take the dough out of the fridge, and I think we had a bit of a problem estimating how long it would take to warm up. Just as, I think, we underestimated how long it would take to cool off - the rising happened because the dough was warm and it took a while to chill, so the yeast did its thing...

The Kid took charge of the filling and did the "drudge work" of greasing pans and flouring the cloth. I wanted him to help roll, but seeing as he's a large guy (tall - just about 6'2") and has hands that are "basketball hands" -- that didn't work out well. 

I ended up doing the rolling, and as the dough came to warm up, the rolling was - even though I hesitate to say it - perfect. Seriously, no trouble after the first one, which was still too cold. 

See, here's the issue: Potica dough is notorious for being more finicky than you can imagine. It's bothered by temperature. It's crabby about humidity. It's cranky about the amount of flour on the cloth... And it's picky about the rolling pin. 

I ended up with my marble rolling pin. (Hey mom, since I've been doing these for 6 years now, can I have Dad's ball-bearing solid oak rolling pin, please???) It worked well, and the cloth, being fairly new, actually behaved better than last year. 

There's also mythology about the cloth too. We had a damask tablecloth. It was, in my estimation, about 40 years old. I finally retired it the year before last, when it got too hole-y to patch anymore and the darns were so large that they were tearing the dough. 

The dough has to be thin, and the cloth was already worn. The darns didn't help. So we bought a new one a few years ago, and it's taken some punishment to break it in. It's good now, I think. 

I rolled, he prepped the rolled dough (and no, I can't give you details. The mythology also involves secrecy about the exact components of the recipe. My granny would haunt me.), and we got it all put together. 

We thought at first that we'd have to re-do the last batch of dough because of the extraordinary rise it got overnight, but it seemed like everything went well. 

We may do another single batch over Christmas break so that we have extra for Easter. It freezes well. And I've got 4 of them sold for Christmas already. Thankfully, I got 4 "pretty" ones out of this day's work. Kid #2 got one of the half-loaves for his help.

Frankly, I missed Kid #1 - he's our "premier roller" and he's working out of state. He may not even come home for Christmas. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. But I don't have a choice in that one, that's for sure... All I can do is send him a care package and hope he's doing ok. 

So here's The 2016 Cookie List. It's mostly final. I may put together a biscotti, just to lighten up all the heavy flavors. 

Kid #2 has his list and he usually brings them to our family celebrations. 

This is the list that ends up on my holiday platters for gifts. So there also may be some pumpkin bread or some date-somethings. 

I like to have variety, and while I appreciate the tradition of the same cookies, I always try a few different ones every year to shake things up a bit. I noticed that I didn't add any "bread" or "bar cookies" so those might make it on there. 

The "walnut tarts" -- those are a new invention of mine. I have more potica filling left. I didn't make it as "wet" as Hubby thinks I should, but I think it's too wet and doesn't cook well when the filling is too heavy. And my dad never put a lot of filling in. And the dough was especially thin this year, as I mentioned, so I went with a little lighter hand. 

Hubby has been bugging me. Nay - he has been positively NAGGING me to try his grandma's Never Fail Pie Crust. I've been avoiding it, because I don't do pie crusts. But Kid #2 tried it (he also stinks at pie crusts) and told me (ha!) "The Curse is lifted...it works, so go for it." 

So what I thought, since I only have about a half-batch of filling left, and there's no way I can make only a "half-batch" of dough, is that I might try a tart. Tiny tarts. Like pecan tassies, if you know what those are. If not, I've provided a link. My granny used to make these, too. 

This is the experiment for the day. It may flop tremendously, but it might be ok. We shall see. 

Garden Bounty...

The garden has given up everything but the carrots, and those are coming out soon. 

This is the last of the kale, and Hubby got a 2-quart bag full of Brussels Sprouts, which isn't bad for our first year. 

It's getting cooler, so I'm not in the mood for smoothies. I did The Google and found that I could just bag it and freeze it (after washing, of course!). I bought a can of soup for the office and it's Kale, Quinoa and Red Lentil. That shouldn't be too hard to duplicate. Or even a creamy kale soup? Or adding it to a veggie soup. Once it's frozen, I can chunk off a hunk and dice it up, toss it in a stew or soup, and there ya go. 

Or I can let it stay in the fridge and use it next year for smoothies. Either way. Didn't want to waste it, so this is a great alternative. 

If anyone has any decent recipes, I'm all ears. I know I can't do my usual sauteed kale. Like most greens, freezing changes the texture. Maybe I can fiddle with Mario Batali's Kale Pesto recipe. Boy, I wonder if that would be too strong? Kale makes itself known, and sometimes that's not always good. 

I'm also wondering how the Brussels Sprouts will be, and I'm toying with a potatoes-and-sprouts recipe for Thanksgiving. We still have Rosemary in the garden, and I've frozen some basil and parsley. 

As has been our practice, we're doing most of Thanksgiving again, though my mom is hosting. I don't mind, and in past years, we've been parceling out the side dishes to the grandkids - they have to learn somehow, so it's a good thing to do. And for the most part - they're mostly boys; they'll eat anything. 

The Election...

OK, I think I'm ready to talk. 

I was devastated by the results of the election on a couple of levels. First, in full disclosure, I am not a fan of Hillary. I was a Bernie voter and I would vote for him again in a heartbeat. And I think he'd have beaten the bullying moron (or BM as I shall hereinafter refer...).

Do I believe we need a woman as president? Absolutely. Just not her. 

Is she qualified? Absolutely. But we don't do political dynasties here in the US. It was bad enough with Pappy Bush and Shrub. And then Jebbie tried again - and failed miserably. 

Hillary, despite her qualifications, has more baggage than O'Hare International Airport during the Thanksgiving weekend. It was never going to happen. I'm sorry to burst bubbles, but it wasn't going to happen. 

As usual, Democrats sat on their laurels and underestimated "the base." That nebulous group of individuals who vote and always, always stun the professional data-geeks spoke, loudly.

That being said, many people spoke by silence. The voter turnout was at a historic low for a presidential year - especially given the contentious nature of this election cycle. 

Stuff is whirling around about the Electoral College being overturned, and maybe we need to have that discussion - when tempers and emotions have cooled. We really do need to at least talk about it. It wouldn't have mattered which way the election had gone, because the discussion about the institution itself needs to be had. We have drilled into our kids' heads that "your vote matters," but really, in a presidential election, it doesn't seem to. Hillary has won the popular vote. But she lost the EC vote, at least for now. 

The Federalist papers say that the Electors have a duty to make sure the president is fit and to determine if there are any things or issues which would disqualify the candidate. The BM clearly is not qualified. The terrified visage portrayed during the ceremonial White House visit is clear. 

While I cringe at the thought of Kim Jong Il and Vladmir Putin at a state dinner, I feel for my younger sisters-in-life - the women of child-bearing age who will clearly have all choice taken from them if that guy gets hold of the Presidential Pen.  

So my choice is to sit and wring my hands; do "Facebook activism;"** or actually, you know, DO SOMETHING. 

I'm choosing to do something. I'm not sure what, but I'm taking Bernie's advice as seen in this clip here. I posted this and a friend of mine, who for some reason HATES Bernie, said she "couldn't bear his sneering face." 

I don't think Bernie sneers. But I appreciate her bruised feelings. I don't like her tone, but I can only control my own reaction to others. 

I have already contacted my senator and representative, and asked them to demand that the BM release the taxes. We have a right to see if there are any disqualifiers there (see the comment on the EC above). I'm going to donate to causes which will have an impact. I'm going to write letters. I'm going to call people (which is REALLY out of my comfort zone) and I'm going to talk to local officials, too. Nationally, we must do something about the stranglehold now on our government - and locally, we could always use the help, too. It starts locally, and grows into a global movement. 

**Facebook activism refers to those folks who "click" or "share" something and then feel all proud of themselves for "being involved."

Don't kid yourself. You're a speck on the cosmos. You're better off getting off your rear end and actually contributing something: even a little bit helps. Make a phone call. Write a letter. Join a cause. Contribute money if you can. But don't sit in your chair clicking away and thinking you're changing the world. Because you're not. 

So that's my take. I will do my homework and pick a cause or causes to concentrate on. And I will get involved. This is our wake-up call. 

Random Picture... 

So the deck is coming along. We have a "deck" part, we have railings (not up yet) and posts. The steps are all stained and coming along. Even with a chipped bone in his wrist, Hubby is plugging along. 


Today, we take down the hummingbird feeders and get them stored away for winter. He may even mow one or two more times this season. He's determined to get the deck done before the cold sets in. I will, of course, post a picture of the finished product. 

We chatted about whether we're going to put the grill out there. "Or do you want to sit out here," he says. 

We've had a lovely patio he put together about 10 years ago. Upon which we've rarely sat. Even with nice chairs. We have a porch. Upon which we've rarely sat... We're not really "outside-sitters." But maybe we should be. 

It's all part of being a part of your neighborhood and a part of society. We've lost the "porch sitter" aspect of our neighborhood, and I think that's to our detriment. I am horribly shy (go ahead, laugh, but it's true). I don't like to be in situations where I'm faced with people I don't know. 

But it's time to step out of that comfort zone. Not like I'm going to change the world, right? 

But then again, by changing my own attitude, am I not making a step toward changing the world? Margaret Mead said it best: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has."

As Wisconsin Goes???

I've been following the Wisconsin story these past few days, and I am just amazed. Scott Walker seems intent upon stripping unions of any power. The Democrats, known as "The Wisconsin 14," have fled the state to prevent a final vote on this, and Walker is sending out state troopers to see if he can fish at least one of 'em back.

I think that he's not getting it. He's telling a faux-Koch -- the radio prankster who managed to get him to admit that he pretty much will not negotiate and that he's going to bust the unions - that his plan all along has been to cripple the unions. He actually said he "thought about" bringing in outside agitators. He also said that he'd talked with other lawmakers about this. Sorry, but this is union busting, a textbook plan to bust a union. He's not willing to negotiate. It's his way or the highway. They elected him (and I'm not sure why) as GOVERNOR, and not God. From the faux-Koch interview, it clearly seems like Walker has a plan - nay, a plot. It's much more subversive than a "plan" because he's wanting to rip out the bedrock of Wisconsin and the entire Rust Belt. I hope to heaven that someone acts on that phone call.

And he also said, which I find incomprehensible given the recent coverage, that "[all the protestors] were from out of state and the people of Wisconsin were getting tired of all the disruption." Really? He thinks they're all on his side? The teachers protesting; the state employees protesting; the average WI citizens protesting? They don't look like they like his idea much at all.

The talking heads on Fox are calling for violence. But if you've seen the coverage so far, the demonstrations are bringing out the best in people; they've been peaceful. Loud, yes. But that's the point, seeing as the governor can't quite hear what they're saying since he's decided that the decision is his alone. The talking heads, if they have you in their snare, turned a Gallup poll on its head. The recent poll said that 63% of Americans were behind the Wisconsin union members. But blatantly in Fox News' reports, they say, "A full 63% of Americans do not support the unions in Wisconsin." Really? I know how to read a pie chart. And it didn't look like that to me. I've got lots of education and I can tell when there's a majority opinion about something. And Gallup isn't exactly new at this. But there you have it. Spin this enough and up is down. The sky is sideways. Inside is outside.

Use your brains, people! Unions brought you regulations that have made your lives easier: the 5-day work week; vacations; basic workplace standards that keep workers safe. And you know what else they did? Unions brought you worker standards. Yes, worker standards are those things that tell you that when you hire a plumber, he or she has knowledge of the trade; he or she has been trained as an apprentice; he or she has put time into learning the trade. And he or she won't screw up your plumbing! What's that worth to you? It's worth plenty to me, since one son is in the trades, and I'd kind of like to see him in a safe environment when he's working. And I'd like him to make a living wage and be able to not work in a sweatshop.

In full disclosure, my dad and grandpa were in the union. My father-in-law was a union man as well. My youngest son is thisclose to being a teacher (will graduate in May) and I have friends who are teachers who are also in a union. My mother was  part of the union when she worked, and her very tiny pension comes from that membership.

So I think that Walker isn't getting the message. He's not seeing the Democrat walk-out for what it is. They're making the point that the government, which is supposedly for the people, is not listening - at least in Wisconsin AND in Indiana now - to what the people want. And someone ought to remind Walker that he's not supposed to use the State Troopers to fish back the Democrats. The State Troopers can't be used in "labor disputes" nor in "political issues." This is so clearly a political issue - it's all Kabuki theatre in Wisconsin, and he is, in my opinion, violating the trust of the citizens of Wisconsin. He's sending Troopers out to get the Dems, but there are people who need the resources of the Troopers - to solve crimes and help them. Don't you think? Let them do their jobs, and keep them out of your farcical political games.

The thing is this: teachers do not make $100,000+ a year. When you see this figure, you just see lots of zeros. What you don't see is that the basic salary of a teacher is about $50,ooo and the benefits are tacked on. Just like my salary: I make about $44,000 a year, but since I work at a university, I do get a tuition benefit. On paper, if you just look at the bottom line, I make about $68,000. But if you take out that tuition benefit, my actual salary is much less.

At that, that $50,000 is not a lot of money when you think of what a teacher does. As my kids were growing up, we often found that teachers supplemented their salaries by coaching teams, and they often had to provide basic classroom supplies out of their own pockets. My son has 2 interviews scheduled. His base salary will be in the range of $30,000 per year. That's less than the 2009 median income, according to the US Census. Check out the data at the following site: http://www.census.gov/ and see for yourself. The 2009 median income for a male wage-earner is $47,127.

The more education he gets, the better that salary will be. I paid for his BA. He's on his own for his MA and beyond. And let me tell you, the cost per credit hour for a Master's degree can be $700+ and each class is 3 credit hours. So let's just estimate: you're looking at $2,100 per class. There are 39 hours required for a basic Master's program. So, $2,100 x 39 = $81,900. For a degree. He's not going to get that for free. He's got to pay for that.

And while paying for that, he's got to work. Teaching kids.

I'm listening to a radio program, and one of the Wisconsin Democrats is speaking. He's saying that the protestors are mothers and fathers, teachers, social workers, working people. Those Democrats who've walked out - they're paying for their expenses out of their own pockets. And Walker says that he's going to hold their paychecks.

If Walker succeeds in busting the union here, it'll flow outward through the entire Rust Belt. It's not always about balancing the budget. He's not willing to discuss any of this with the Democrats. No negotiations. If he balances the budget, it doesn't mean that he must bust the union. It's just that busting the unions is a Republican agenda item. Unions traditionally support Democrats.

So how best to turn the 2012 elections? Cut off the best source of funding to the Democrats: the union folks.

The thing is, I think (and I'm praying) that this will fly back into Walker's face like bacon grease out of a hot pan. Unions built this country. Yes, there are corrupt unions. Like there aren't corrupt businesses funding the Republicans?? Please. The unions haven't asked for bail-outs, and as a matter of fact, the teachers in WI had already given back pay concessions and other concessions in the form of some of their benefits.

But Walker won't budge. It's his way: bust it up. No other way.

This should scare the rest of us in the Rust Belt. And it should make us mad. We can't contribute to the expenses of the Wisconsin 14. But we can participate in local solidarity events. We can donate to the campaign funds of the Wisconsin 14. We can write letters and make our own voices heard. I'm not in a union. But my father's union benefits provided medical, vision and dental care for 4 kids. My father's union benefits provided us decent wages for him, because at the time I was growing up, my mother worked as a school secretary for $1.75 per hour. Yeah, a buck-seventy-five. And no benefits. The union membership in her case didn't come till later, when she went to work for a community college and some administrative positions were covered under the teachers' union.

But you know what we really need? Someone in DC to come out and call this what it is. Obama or Biden must speak up, quickly. I absolutely realize that the right wing nut jobs on Fox or other stations will have a field day with that. But good grief: the man is President (or Vice President as the case may be) and Biden especially - he has campaigned on the fact that he was a "Regular Joe." So, Joe. Come on out to the Midwest. You've been a New England resident; our winter's not over, but it's not something that should freak you out.

I'm issuing an invitation: come out and support the people who got you elected. Before it's too late. I'm tellin' ya: 2012 is right around the corner. Come out now, while you're needed.

Is This What We Have Come To?

This weekend, I was "sick a-bed" with some nasty bronchitis. I hadn't had the computer on, and I was wrapped up in blankets and elkhounds trying to get better before I had to go to work. My Hubby was kind enough to go on an "old movie" binge with me, because I know so many of them that if I napped, I didn't miss anything.

It was with horror that I came into the room to see that a US Congresswoman was shot. In the head. At nearly point-blank range. And a nine-year-old little girl who was born on 9/11 and who was thrilled to see her Congresswoman was killed. By someone who'd posted YouTube ramblings saying that the government was "using mind control with grammar" - a teaching of some whack-job in Wisconsin. Really? Grammar? Nine-tenths of Americans don't even use grammar correctly. Much less would it be likely that they would be able to be brainwashed via that method. Grammar-guy did say in today's Chicago Tribune that while he does indeed believe the government is brainwashing via grammar, he doesn't see the connection between his teachings and this guy's shootings. It does make you blink a couple of times.

The sheriff who arrived at the scene denounced the shooting, saying that it was his opinion that the "increasing vitriolic rhetoric" of daily politics and radio shows was partly to blame.

And you know what? He's right. I am absolutely incensed at John Kyl, a Republican, who said basically that the sheriff didn't know what he was talking about. Really, Mr. Kyl? And how much time do you spend on the streets in Arizona? How much do you really know about what goes on in a day-to-day, Fox Misinformation News society in a state so consevative that some politicians during the recent elections virtually goaded their supporters to perpetrate violence on their opponents? You should be ashamed of yourself.

So should Sarah Palin. Who only now took down the gunsight map. Please don't think that most of us are stupid enough to say that those cross-hairs were "surveyor symbols." Dumb it down to its easiest explanation and they're cross-hairs. Who has in my opinion incited people to treat political assemblies as reasons to come armed and dangerous by sending messages such as "Don't retreat, RELOAD."

So should the conservative blogosphere who are now saying there's no way that "A" connects to "B" in this incident. Really? This wasn't Congresswoman Gifford's first rodeo. Right after she voted for healthcare reform, her office was vandalized. No connection, you scoff. Again, it amazes me how some right-wing bloviators fail to understand action=consequence. It's a pretty basic equation and you don't have to be a math genius to understand.

Let me give it you in a form easy enough for a kindergartener to understand. You take the "action" of tossing an apple up in the air. The "consequence" is that it falls. Either you catch it (a good consequence) or it falls onto the floor and splits open or bruises (a bad consequence). 

Nobody with a shred of logical thought can fail to understand that hate speech brings on hate crimes. Yes, American democracy has always been heated. Look at the 1800s when one pro-slavery member of Congress literally beat an anti-slavery Congressman on the floor of the Congress because they disagreed. Look at the 1930s, when Fr. Coughlin had millions of radio listeners and he blasted his own version of anti-government rhetoric to listeners all over the US. And look at the 1960s. Two Kennedys assasinated. George Wallace paralyzed. Martin Luther King assasinated. By people who disagreed with their messages.

Do we want to go back to that? It would be easy to do so. Far easier now because of the 24/7 news and information cycles we now have. You're a mouse-click away from finding a group that caters to your particular brand of ire. And you're also a mouse-click away from some really phenomenal information and resources. And again, you're a mouse-click away from arming yourself with weapons that weren't available to the general public a generation ago.

I'm not anti-gun - as I've had to state many times. I'm anti-stupid. I'm anti-hating-people-so-shooting-them-is-logical. I'm afraid for the fearful because I see a hunkering down and instead of daily instances of helping one another, we've come nearly to a survivalist mode where "it's either you or me, and if my gun's handy, it'll be YOU." And I'm afraid for those of us who are not fearful, because we often become collateral damage. The things people do that are shining examples of humanity are newsworthy only because the hate and discontent are now part of our daily lives.

The trick is to know when to back off, look yourself in the mirror and say, "If I acted on this, who would it hurt?" Right now, we all need to back off. We all need to check our rhetoric and find out how to come to a decent middle ground before more gunshots ring out and before someone is killed.

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment the other night put this into perspective. Look at it here and think about what he's saying: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677//vp/40983401#40983401

Yesterday, my kids and I were talking. My oldest boy said to me, "You know, I feel sorry for your generation." I asked why, seeing as his generation inherited 2 wars, recession and a job market in the toilet.

He said, "Because you lived during a time when you saw the best that this country was able to become. And now it's all crap. My generation? We know it sucks. But we've never known anything else. We're cynical because we see the nastiness and we don't feel like we'll get a chance to make it better. But you guys knew the 'better' part and now you're looking at the crappy part. It must make you sad."

Yes, son. It does.

An Open Letter to President Obama - from Michael Moore and Me!

Monday, November 30th, 2009 Dear President Obama, Do you really want to be the new “war president”? If you go to West Point tomorrow night (Tuesday, 8pm) and announce that you are increasing, rather than withdrawing, the troops in Afghanistan, you are the new war president. Pure and simple. And with that you will do the worst possible thing you could do — destroy the hopes and dreams so many millions have placed in you. With just one speech tomorrow night you will turn a multitude of young people who were the backbone of your campaign into disillusioned cynics. You will teach them what they’ve always heard is true — that all politicians are alike. I simply can’t believe you’re about to do what they say you are going to do. Please say it isn’t so. It is not your job to do what the generals tell you to do. We are a civilian-run government. WE tell the Joint Chiefs what to do, not the other way around. That’s the way General Washington insisted it must be. That’s what President Truman told General MacArthur when MacArthur wanted to invade China. “You’re fired!,” said Truman, and that was that. And you should have fired Gen. McChrystal when he went to the press to preempt you, telling the press what YOU had to do. Let me be blunt: We love our kids in the armed services, but we ****in’ hate these generals, from Westmoreland in Vietnam to, yes, even Colin Powell for lying to the UN with his made-up drawings of WMD (he has since sought redemption). So now you feel backed into a corner. 30 years ago this past Thursday (Thanksgiving) the Soviet generals had a cool idea — “Let’s invade Afghanistan!” Well, that turned out to be the final nail in the USSR coffin. There’s a reason they don’t call Afghanistan the “Garden State” (though they probably should, seeing how the corrupt President Karzai, whom we back, has his brother in the heroin trade raising poppies). Afghanistan’s nickname is the “Graveyard of Empires.” If you don’t believe it, give the British a call. I’d have you call Genghis Khan but I lost his number. I do have Gorbachev’s number though. It’s + 41 22 789 1662. I’m sure he could give you an earful about the historic blunder you’re about to commit. With our economic collapse still in full swing and our precious young men and women being sacrificed on the altar of arrogance and greed, the breakdown of this great civilization we call America will head, full throttle, into oblivion if you become the “war president.” Empires never think the end is near, until the end is here. Empires think that more evil will force the heathens to toe the line — and yet it never works. The heathens usually tear them to shreds. Choose carefully, President Obama. You of all people know that it doesn’t have to be this way. You still have a few hours to listen to your heart, and your own clear thinking. You know that nothing good can come from sending more troops halfway around the world to a place neither you nor they understand, to achieve an objective that neither you nor they understand, in a country that does not want us there. You can feel it in your bones. I know you know that there are LESS than a hundred al-Qaeda left in Afghanistan! A hundred thousand troops trying to crush a hundred guys living in caves? Are you serious? Have you drunk Bush’s Kool-Aid? I refuse to believe it. Your potential decision to expand the war (while saying that you’re doing it so you can “end the war”) will do more to set your legacy in stone than any of the great things you’ve said and done in your first year. One more throwing a bone from you to the Republicans and the coalition of the hopeful and the hopeless may be gone — and this nation will be back in the hands of the haters quicker than you can shout “tea bag!” Choose carefully, Mr. President. Your corporate backers are going to abandon you as soon as it is clear you are a one-term president and that the nation will be safely back in the hands of the usual idiots who do their bidding. That could be Wednesday morning. We the people still love you. We the people still have a sliver of hope. But we the people can’t take it anymore. We can’t take your caving in, over and over, when we elected you by a big, wide margin of millions to get in there and get the job done. What part of “landslide victory” don’t you understand? Don’t be deceived into thinking that sending a few more troops into Afghanistan will make a difference, or earn you the respect of the haters. They will not stop until this country is torn asunder and every last dollar is extracted from the poor and soon-to-be poor. You could send a million troops over there and the crazy Right still wouldn’t be happy. You would still be the victim of their incessant venom on hate radio and television because no matter what you do, you can’t change the one thing about yourself that sends them over the edge. The haters were not the ones who elected you, and they can’t be won over by abandoning the rest of us. President Obama, it’s time to come home. Ask your neighbors in Chicago and the parents of the young men and women doing the fighting and dying if they want more billions and more troops sent to Afghanistan. Do you think they will say, “No, we don’t need health care, we don’t need jobs, we don’t need homes. You go on ahead, Mr. President, and send our wealth and our sons and daughters overseas, ’cause we don’t need them, either.” What would Martin Luther King, Jr. do? What would your grandmother do? Not send more poor people to kill other poor people who pose no threat to them, that’s what they’d do. Not spend billions and trillions to wage war while American children are sleeping on the streets and standing in bread lines. All of us that voted and prayed for you and cried the night of your victory have endured an Orwellian hell of eight years of crimes committed in our name: torture, rendition, suspension of the bill of rights, invading nations who had not attacked us, blowing up neighborhoods that Saddam “might” be in (but never was), slaughtering wedding parties in Afghanistan. We watched as hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians were slaughtered and tens of thousands of our brave young men and women were killed, maimed, or endured mental anguish — the full terror of which we scarcely know. When we elected you we didn’t expect miracles. We didn’t even expect much change. But we expected some. We thought you would stop the madness. Stop the killing. Stop the insane idea that men with guns can reorganize a nation that doesn’t even function as a nation and never, ever has. Stop, stop, stop! For the sake of the lives of young Americans and Afghan civilians, stop. For the sake of your presidency, hope, and the future of our nation, stop. For God’s sake, stop. Tonight we still have hope. Tomorrow, we shall see. The ball is in your court. You DON’T have to do this. You can be a profile in courage. You can be your mother’s son. We’re counting on you. Yours, Michael Moore MMFlint@aol.com MichaelMoore.com and River in IL P.S. There’s still time to have your voice heard. Call the White House at 202-456-1111 or email the President.