Old ... so ... old ...

30 years ago tonight I went to my first Grateful Dead show.

At least I'm still alive, eh Jerry?

I Have Had Dreams

I was only 9 years old when Dr. King was taken from us, but I remember him pretty well.

The quality of his oratory certainly holds up over the years, but I worry that history can't capture the way it really felt.

So, I have to write about it.

The 1960's were exciting. Frightening.

"There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I've got to beware..."
-Stephen Stills-

It's hard to describe, surely hard for a young person to imagine, exactly what the civil rights leaders were up against. Of all his skills as an inspirational leader, what Martin Luther King had was courage. Boundless infinite courage. You just don't see that every day. I'm grateful to have seen it in my lifetime.

I see a little of it when Obama gets in the groove. He and I are about the same age, I'll wager we feel the same awe about this day - and the frustration that the promise of the "revolution" in the 60's fell so far short. I've often wished we could fire up the hippies one last time and kick this thing in a positive direction.

Gosh Darn you Hillary Rodham Clinton

Silly Democrats! Karl Rove will crush her and Republican Guy Smiley will move into the White House.

I guess there might be a chance, if her running mate was a charismatic young Senator from Chicago.

Let's see what will happen. Come on South Carolina!

Caucus me sideways

I'm fascinated by this whole "caucus" process, I haven't thought much about it until this election cycle - I'm not sure why! Seems more interesting than an election. In Oregon, we used to "go to the polls" to fill out our ballots - at least you would see a few neighbors there and feel like you were participating. NOW we mail in or drop off our ballots that we completed at home. Some of us hand them off trustingly to strange volunteers.

Greetings from Oregon

Hey there you east coast and midwest primary voters! I don't know if you've heard of Oregon, we're out here along the Pacific Ocean and we don't count for spit in the nomination of Presidential candidates. It's all about tradition, right, and we do our primary in MAY dammit. (Which rhymes with "Willamette.") So we can send money to candidates and we can rant on blogs!

Democrats hear this:

Hillary = 4 more years of Republican president.

I'm sorry it's true, but Clinton carries a lot of baggage. The Limbaughs and O'Reillys on local and national "talk radio" that operates the minds of the Dark Side followers have spent so long demonizing her - her election symbolizes the End O' Times for Them, and They will do anything to prevent it. Karl Rove can crush her with his mind like Darth Vader.

Get up, stand up. Nominate Barack Obama and change the whole world in a positive direction.

Thanks from the cold and soggy NW corner.