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Sucking On Chinese Toys and a Humble Suggestion

April 30, 2008 @ 03:04 pm by Chris McConnell

I recently returned from three days at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio. Three days in the desert; music, musing and dancing in a herd of thousands. Body and mind are worn – as I write this, I feel like I’ve been sucking on Chinese toys all weekend. Still, live music for three days and nights straight invites the mind to wander down many a path. Some thoughts...

Thousands from around the state, the country and the world attended the festival. Most youthful, most liberal – but surprisingly few showing their political colors. A few Obama jerseys were spotted, never caught sight of any Hillary shwag - but as always, festival icons Leonard Peltier and Che Guevara were in full effect.  Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters sent a blood spattered dirigible pig floating over the crowd emblazoned with a sword wielding Uncle Sam Death Head, “Don’t Be Led To Slaughter” scrawled alongside. The pig’s underbelly was stamped with a disconcertingly hopeful message: a  ballot check marked next to Obama’s name. Not exactly the sort of endorsement that warms a politician’s heart – but still, a shout out from Roger Waters is a shout out from Roger Waters. Prince said he was so sick of debates – he couldn’t stand it anymore.  Hillary and Obama as the bickering parents in “This is What It Sounds Like When the Doves Cry”…

Gave a jump start to some Mexican kids in their twenties from Calexico – all studying to be lawyers. They shared their beer and we did the Spanglish thing for a while. We drank to Mexico and the U.S., neighbors and friends – they raised their beers, but were hesitant to really believe the friend part.  They wished it was so, but I had to agree that most of our national gestures appear to be those of a perturbed neighbor rather than a friend…

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Posted In: California | 8 Comments
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When Will We Ever Learn?

April 04, 2008 @ 09:04 am by Candace Suerstedt

border fence

Photo: Candace Suerstedt

When I heard this week that the Bush administration will use its authority to bypass more than 30 laws and regulations in order to complete the “Border Fence” by the end of 2008, I could hardly believe the idiotic arrogance, and complete disregard for due process.

Construction on the Great Wall between the United States and Mexico will go into overdrive so we (the taxpaying public) can watch $8 to $10 billion of our dollars get spent building a fence along select areas of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. This has to be one of the worst ideas the federal government has ever perpetrated.

Well, ok, at least one of the 100 worst… let's see, what other tragic moments in American history did our government tell us was “for our own good”, and, we, as a nation, were complicit in their actions.

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Posted In: National, Propositions | 8 Comments
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