People Are Horses. Well, Kind Of...

We in the US of A love to think of ourselves as rugged individuals. Given our late entrance on the world stage, we were writing our history as most of the rest of the world's was already ancient.

In our collective conscious are many endearing images of ourselves. From the midnight ride of Paul Revere, riding to tell the colonists that the British were coming, to the Texans who died rather than give up the Alamo to the Mexicans, to the solitary American cowboy.

The image of cowboys is probably most endearing. We think of them as people whose need to be themselves was so intense that they'd sleep out on the ground in the rain, snow and sleet to get the job done. Their earnest mental makeup and intense dedication to getting the job done appealed to our shared Calvinist roots: hard work and clean moral character was our job here on earth.

We hold in reverence that shared concept and, in a sense, view ourselves through that charming prizm.

Reality though, is far different. We Americans are less like the cowboy and a little more like the horse. "How's that?" you're wondering? Think of it this way: The horses we see now are the direct descendents of horses who were the fastest, most skittish, most attentive horses. They are the ones who first saw wolves sneaking up, turned and ran like their lives depended on it. Those who spent an additional second or two eating grass ended up being eaten themselves, their bloodline stopping with them.

Horses are herd animals. They stick together because there is power in numbers. Horses don't like being left alone because as dumb as they are, they know that avoiding predators is far more successful in a herd situation.

We humans are exactly like that. You may recall that when Jennifer Aniston became all the rage, women around the country flocked to hair stylists to get her distinctive cut. Fashionistas and businessmen know that Americans are herd animals and have gotten us to buy parachute pants, leggings, and pet rocks despite every good reason not to.

Which brings me to my theme: forget the image of individualism. Be an individual. Think for yourself. In these times we need creative thinkers. Thomas Jefferson and FDR were extremely creative thinkers who fought against waves of opposition to create bold answers. They rocked the boat, but did so with substance, with creativity, with intelligence.

And so I urge you to come together--in herds, if you prefer--with your creativity, intelligence and indiduality and use it to make a difference. Offer up what the other party isn't. Compromise on the details, but not your principles. The obstacles are many, not the least of which is herd mentality. But damnit, do it anyway! That which is worth having is hard to get.

Finally, I urge you to think outside the box, or as I prefer to say: box outside the think. It's time to get over the style-over-substance herd mentality, and really become rugged individuals.

Fox News Says: Liberal Groups Keep Close Watch Dean

What's in a headline you say? Well, let's just take a look here: at the Fox News web site, a headline says Liberal Groups Keep Close Watch on Dean. That's a pretty loaded headline, doncha think? Because you never really know what wild man Dean might be up to. He just might be revving up a Dean Scream, and Lord knows we can't have that!

So I read the story. It begins by talking about a Seattle group which presented Dean with a backbone statue. That statue references Dean helping the Democratic Party find its backbone which has been missing the last many years. Then there's a guy who says that Dean just needs to be Dean. Another positive comment. Then someone else from the Backbone group says something nice about Dean. Yet another admirer hopes he'll continue using his backbone to stand up to the administration. Finally, yet another person hopes Dean will just be allowed to be Dean.

Allright...so no crime here at all. But judging by the web headline on America's most conservative TV News network, you'd think that the kind of scrutiny Dean was suffering from Liberals was a critical, antsy, queesy kind of scrutiny. But alas, the article reveals a bunch of Dean supporters hoping he'll hold firm to his principles.

I have a funny feeling that not even 10% of Foxnews.com readers opened up the article. I'll bet they just saw the headline and had their negative feelings toward Dean re-enforced. Pure speculation, but there you have it.

So then I head off to cnn.com to see what's new in the world. Well, lookee here: it's the very same Associated Press story. The headline's a little less loaded though: Liberal Groups Watching Dean. I guess I can abide by that. But...I'm going to be keeping a tight watch on journalists. And you know what I'm gonna do? A direct suggestion from my wife: "When you see an article written fairly and journalistically, write them and thank them. When you see that they've been unfair and bad journalists, write them and tell them they did wrong." I think that's a great idea.

How about you? Can I count on you to give that a shot, at least every now and then? They've proven that if we're not watching them, if we don't say "Hold on there buddy!" then they'll do anything they want. I think it's time to call them on their mistakes, and I intend to do precisely that!

What Sprouted From his Mouth In Brussels:

They don't make Presidents like they used to. And Lawd knows that Mr. Bush has lowered the standard by which we measure the humans who ascend to the highest office in the land. But his joint press conference in Brussels took the cake.

Well, at least for this week.

Referencing the growing sense that the US may be thinking of an invasion of Iran, he said "This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous." He paused a couple of beats, then said "Having said that, all options are on the table." It was followed by open laughter. Begs the question: were they laughing at him, or with him? And the other question it begs is "could our President represent us any worse than he does on the world stage?"

Why does his quote get so annoyingly under my skin? Allright, let's pull out the hair-splitter here: He said that the idea that were were going to attack Iran was ridiculous. Then by saying that all options--including that one--were on the table, it means that we would definitely consider doing the ridiculous.

I truly don't know how to follow that up. I suppose I can say that the path towards doing the ridiculous is a well-worn path that he knows so well he can drive it with his eyes closed.

My footlocker full of reasons to dislike this guy is full to overflowing. I'm gonna have to rent a storage unit nearby to store all the antics and accidental malapropisms and Bushisms and just plain stupid mistakes he's made.

And I think back of how so many people gave as a reason for their vote for Mr. Bush: "He just seems like the kind of guy you could drink a beer with."

That's all well and good...but when I think of who it is I want as President, I want someone smarter than me! I can drink a beer with a friend! Next time around folks, let's leave the presidenting to someone who's capable of it, could we?

My Most Controversial Post Ever

Okay...now that I've got you in the door, let me tell you what this posting is really about. My new bike! I love it.

Last year I did the really stupid thing of, knowing I needed more aerobic exercise and liking biking (a mini-poem there), I went to the local Wal Mart and bought me this dopey bike that was designed with the same weight distribution and aerodynamics of a Studebaker. And not the Studebaker Hawk (a finemobile if there ever was one). I tried my Studebaker-ish bike three times on the local bike path and was winded after a half mile each time. Simply ridiculous. When I lived in Vermont, where the scenic bike trails abound (thanks by the way in part to Howard Dean), I used to bike 6 and 8 miles in one direction, then turn around and bike back.

The Studebaker bike was a disaster. So for the last year I've been thinking I needed a real bike and did some asking around. Where can I find one that didn't cost an arm, a leg and a left testicle. Someone I work with sent me to a specific bike shop and this last Saturday--a really rainy day--I bought me a Raleigh C-30. Doesn't look like much in the photo, but it's very nice. I think it's safe to say that it's on the low rung of good bikes.

Sunday the weather broke enough to where I headed down to the bike path for my ride. It was FABulous. I did the 2 & 1/2 mile round trip without even getting winded. I only stopped because the mist covered my glasses to the point I couldn't see. I finally have that feeling that my bike doesn't stand between me and getting some good exercise.

Weather reports say we have three days of off-n-on rain starting tomorrow, but I can hardly wait for the weekend. And lest I end this, my most controversial post ever without hitting on politics, I think you should know that I really don't like George Bush.

Gannon: Why It Matters

There are those who say that GOPUSA/Talon News reporter Jeff Gannon's softball questions are simply that: non-challenging questions, and nothing else. So what? And that maybe the press shouldn't have so adversarial a relationship with the President. Allright then; let's look at that.

The President is the single most powerful person in the world. He is surrounded by folks whose main job is to give him what he asks for. In this particular president, his party controls the House of Representatives and the Senate. Turns out, people from his philosophical viewpiont also control the Supreme Court.

Power looks after itself. While the holders of Power may well have a philosophical viewpoint, Power doesn't tend to look at issues as right or wrong, but as "what we want VS what they want." So it's philosophically counterintuitive for power to give ANY of itself up. And when a President's party also holds the House/Senate/Supreme Court, it's the perfect setup for corruption to flourish.

Your first thought may be that GW Bush is an incorruptible man. I think you're quite wrong, but let's not argue about that. Instead, let's push this outside of GW Bush and into those with whom he surrounds himself. Bush is not too interested in details. He always wants the executive summary, not the laboriously-detailed reports. This is not my opinion; this is widely known.

Imagine shrewd, top-of-their-game folks who also have almost unimagineable power reporting to a guy who cares little of detail. This is the perfect combination of elements for corruption to thrive. Think Cheney/Halliburton and their swoop into Iraq, followed by overcharges by the tens of millions. Just an accounting error you think? Why do these accounting errors always benefit those who make them? It never goes the other way.

Our government consists of three arms: the executive (President), legislative (House-Senate), and the judicial (Supreme Court). Then there's the press. The press is the unofficial 4th leg of the stool of Democracy. The press is usually allowed unusual access to the halls of power, and this is by design. Without the press, the three other arms of government are only accountable on election day, and even then the judicial has no accounting. If the two other arms are able to effectively fool the electorate, then that accountability amounts to nothing.

The press is uniquely positioned to look after the rights of the people. During Presidential news conferences, and on editorial pages and political television programs, the press can raise questions, can ask for accountability...for the people. It's an important function, and given the dynamics of the President having more power than ever, the press has never been more important than it is now.

And suddenly, there's Jeff Gannon. He doesn't just lob softballs to the president. He specifically positions the administration as right and those who might question them silly. The question that got the most attention was when he asked "How are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?" Had Gannon asked what Bush's plans to work with the Democrats are, or if it's going to be hard to get through to them, or does Bush feel they'll be receptive to their ideas are perfectly legitimate questions. But what he did ask is not journalistic. If he were actually a journalist, he'd know that. But a 2-day how-to does not a journalist make.

But why stop with just that question? Wouldn't it be neat if someone had compiled a clip of all the Jeff Gannon questions one after the other so that you could judge him as a journalist by all of what he said? Guess what? Someone did. And This is it. Thanks to Bruce in Austin for sending it to me. Give it a listen and see if this sounds like a journalist. 'Til next time...

I Would HATE To Be A Republican About Now...

Oh Lord a' mighty. Wouldn't you hate to have to make sense out of this administration's errors over the past couple of months?

A high-ranking American military spokesman declares that in fact, there are 12-15,000 insurgents in Iraq, and that number is not diminishing. How many times have we heard that the insurgents were weakening? Turns out they weren't.

Bush's nominee to head the Homeland Security department wasn't properly vetted by the FBI before they announced his appointment. 'Scuse me? Who are they going to nominate to head the Department of Buffonery? Maybe even I could run that kind of gauntlet... Ellis Henican lays it out pretty nicely in his column. And after all is said and done a Homeland Security chief knocked out because he wasn't properly investigated by the FBI. If I were writing a book and had this plot twist, the editor would say "No one will believe this!!"

Then there's that little matter of Iraqis deciding that Ayad Alawi (the US's hand-picked Iraqi to head the new government) was only worthy of a distant third place finish when the Iraqis were doing the deciding themselves. Though I give credit where it's due: the Iraqi Election Lite was a better attempt at Democracy than I thought it would be. It might even have exceeded the USA's last two presidential races in terms of reflecting the electorate's will. Who can say?

And then there's the matter of the male prostitute fake journalist who's been let into the White House Press Corps. Scott McClellan says he went through all the proper avenues for approval and he was representing a legitimate news outlet. Funny thing is, now C-Span has footage of him asking a question of the president two months before there even was a Talon News Service. Whoops!
That means that 1. Scott McClellan was lying, and that 2. Jeff Gannon got in the White House with someone's help. If you can't spell it, let me give you a hand: s-c-a-n-d-a-l.

So no...I'd never want to be a Republican, but in particular, not now!

If You're Up North, DON'T READ THIS!

Because you're going to be green with envy. Green. The color of leaves. Remember what leaves look like?

But let me start by saying this: I don't like Texas summers. Way too long, way too hot, and the worst thing is that the blistering heat of the day is slow to go away. I've tuned into 10PM newscasts and they report that it's still 90 degrees out. If you're reading this in Phoenix you're thinking "so what??" But here in this part of Texas, it's a wet kind of heat, not a dry one.

So back to today and why you northerners--who shouldn't be reading this, but you did anyway, didn't you?--will be envious. After an ugly rainy day yesterday, this morning dawned blue. And as the sun came up, it came up warm. Temperatures climbed up to the mid-70's. There were robins all over the front yard, and after a dreary mostly rainy week, it was a splendidly beautiful early spring Texas day.

I put on a shorts and t-shirt, then went outside, turned the compost pile, transplanted a rose bush further away from the house, and just walked around looking at my trees. I'm big into trees. And I'm really big into big trees. The biggest trees in these parts are at the Cibolo Nature Center.

The Cibolo (SI bo lo) is 100 acres large, and quite a gem in my town's crown. There are 4 very different walks there, and my favorite is along the creek. The largest living creatures in this part of Texas straddle the creek, and they stand 100 feet tall. The Bald Cypress trees are that right now--bald--but in about a month they'll start coming out with the greatest-colored green needles. They're almost electric with color.

Right now with grasses all dead and the branches all bare, browns and greys predominate the color scheme along the Cibolo...except one place: the bright, emerald green of the mosses. And there are mosses on the cypress knees, mosses on the tamped-hard mud flats just off the creek, mosses on the north side trunks. The sun shone bright on the mosses and I don't think I'd ever noticed how green they were.

I was gazing in wonder up to the tallest of the cypress branches and I noticed an airliner, probably 30,000 feet up. It was heading almost due south to due north. Since the only cities of any real size south of here are in Mexico and points beyond, I got to thinking of all the people returning from vacation, or coming on a vacation to the states. I wondered at who the people were in that plane, where they were headed, what their stories were. And how they had not one clue that I was standing below a massive cypress tree wondering about their adventures.

It was a fine moment, on a fine day. A day that you northerners will have to wait a lot longer for. But that's okay. You're probably getting a snowstorm that I'd really enjoy playing in if I didn't have to suffer through another great day tomorrow. Weather man says it'll be 73 degrees and sunny!

I Challenged Journalists; Journalists Quaked

I go every day to a web site called TV Spy where people who do what I do for a living--I work in Television News--go to stay up on new developments in the field. There's also an extensive subject-divided chat area for television folks. My favorite is the Sandbox because it's all politics, all the time.

Two weeks ago Thursday I posted something like "I'm always hearing how the Democrats won't win because they run for president far-left wing types who Americans just won't vote for... and candidates who are just out of touch with Middle America. So tell me: what program, what platform issue have Gore, Dean or Kerry pushed which would define them as being far left wing?"

It's been two+ weeks and the responses I've had have been amazing, simply amazing. Here's one:
--"Gore wanted to appease the terrorists." When asked precisely what Gore wanted to do to appease them, he couldn't come up with anything.
--"Gore is left of center on the environment." When asked what exactly are you referring to, he could give NO examples.
--"Dean supports gay marriage." When told that Dean actually was forced into creating a method to secure the rights of Gay couples by the Vermont Supreme Court, and then only supported Civil Unions (and has never supported gay marriage), he had nothing to say.
--"Kerry supports late term abortion." When I found on the Kerry web site that he'd voted against late term abortion except when it threatened the mother's life, he could think of nothing to say.

I'll spare you any more, but understand here: I'm not talking about a bunch of carpenters, or furniture salesmen, or even biologists. I'm talking about journalists here. Of all people who should be aware of candidates' positions, journalists should rate right up there at the top. So it's been TWO weeks and not one journalist has posted a credible program, platform or law passed by Dean/Kerry/Gore that proves they're far left.

There were half a dozen or more who posted stupid stupid stuff--"They're out of touch with middle America," "They just too angry," "They're on the wrong side of freedom..." But those are all just empty platitudes, campaign phrases or straight lifts from GW Bush speeches. They could of course offer no specific attribution, just baseless thoughts.

What I'm saying is that the Karl Rove smear machine worked gangbusters on the very people who should view this kind of thing with the most sophisticated eyes. What I've discovered here is Journalists who believe to their core things that they can't, given two weeks to do so, justify in the least.

Amazing...simply amazing!

The Best Journalism Money Can't Buy

Unfortunately, I'm not here to write about the best journalism. I'm here to write about a shameless shill. In case you've not heard about the too-weird-to-make-it-up case of Jeff Gannon, it's time you did.

Jeff Gannon works for an outfit called the Talon news agency. Talon claims that "Talon News is a news company which covers political, national, and world news. Talon News focuses on those stories often overlooked by other media outlets."

Sounds pretty interesting, eh? We can always use more intrepid journalists finding the stories the others let get away. But lest you think that maybe they actually are an in-depth unbiased news source, here's a few of their story titles:
"Kerry's Alleged Intern Identified"
"Kerry Could Become First Gay President"
"Swift Boat Vets focus on "Kerry's bitter legacy that haunts many Vietnam veterans"
"Put Abu Ghraib "in proper perspective"

Now that's some journalism, doncha think? And surely you don't think the story ends there, do you? Jeff Gannon--not his real name--is on the White House Press Corps. How does one get on the White House Press Corps? I have no idea (and without more time than I have, or a research staff, I'm probably not going to know by the end of this article). But logic tells me this: you don't get on the White House Press Corps without having an outstanding and traceable journalistic background.

Whoops #1: Jeff Gannon doesn't have one. Mmm...how does a guy representing a rather bizarre right-wing "news" agency get on a White House Press Corps? It wouldn't have anything to do with having...connections, would it? An inside lead perhaps? I suspect it would. Investigative journalists: this is your cue...
Whoops #2: Jeff Gannon managed three gay porn sites for men. Big Oops! Why would I think they're gay sites? The titles kinda give it away: HotMilitaryStud.com, MilitaryEscorts.com and MilitaryEscortsM4M.com.
Whoops #3: There's even a "come hither" picture of Gannon himself. In what strange world does it make sense to a gay man to be a shill for the only president who's ever tried to get a Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage? This is a highly conflicted individual...

For a good general overview, former conservative David Brock's media matters is pretty outstanding. But then, it's pretty outstanding all the time. I recommend it always.

So the last question I have is this: why is this not a huge, major breaking scandal that the 24-hour news networks are milking for all its worth? Surely there's a Bush administration connection...otherwise, how would a hack get on the White House Press Corps? And if this hack's job is to write great stuff about Bush while getting access under the guise of being a press corps pro, that's a big smelly scandal. Throw in the gay web sites, and suddenly, Monica Lewinsky seems such small change. Yet I've heard hardly a peep from the liberal press.

Liberal press...hell-llo...where are you?

Democracy's Last Stand

You may think you live in a Democracy, but technically, you live in a Republic. In a Democracy, each person has a vote and governmental decisions are made per your vote. In a Republic, each person uses that vote to elect representatives to go off and do the governmenting for us. Since you elect city council, county commission, state and national representatives and senators, and (I'm hoping) your president, you live in a Republic.

Don't worry; that doesn't make you a Republican, though you have the right to be wrong if you'd like (smirk).

But there IS a place where Democracy still thrives. It's the tiny state of Vermont. Why does Democracy thrive there and not elsewhere? Because ever since about 1760 on the first Tuesday in March, nearly every one of Vermont's 180 towns and cities has what they call Town Meeting. Town Meeting is the definition of economy of language because the town...(how shall I put this?) meets.

And when they do, they determine how to spend the town's taxes. There's a yearly budget and people stand up and say they need more snow plowing out on their road. They say their school doesn't buy enough library books. They say that the town's gazebo needs a new paint job. They fashion their town in the way they want it to be.

They say a lot of other things, too. Some towns considered resolutions condemning the war in Iraq. Other towns considered seceding from Vermont over taxation issues. For a state known for its quiet reserve, some town meetings get surpisingly contentious. And why not? Is Democracy supposed to be some pristeen, scrubbed-clean history-book item? No, it's raw and gritty and it sometimes may even need a bath.

The state of Vermont understands its unique situation with Town Meeting and promotes it to young and old alike. And why not? As we find out--and always too late--"we don't know what we got 'til it's gone..." It's a point of pride in Vermont that with all the changes that have come about, there's something that's gone essentially unchanged for centuries.

What's a Town Meeting look like? I think calling it glamorous might be a stretch. But its direct and neighborly honesty is something you won't find in spit-n-polished city council meetings out in the rest of the world.

I think we could all use a little more Democracy in our world, though I don't think this form of government would necessarily transfer well to places outside of Vermont. But I'm glad to think it exists there, aren't you?

In the mean time, you can still participate in your Republic. But DO try to remember this one adage: Friends Don't Let Friends Become Republicans!

You May Be More Powerful Than You Think

Autumn isn't so fabulous a season hereabouts. On a good year, the red oaks live up to their name, as do the flame-leaf sumac, the bald cypress occasionally go out in glory, as do the golden cedar elm every few years.

But the dominant trees here are evergreen Live Oak and Cedar (technically Cedars are Junipers, but we Texans tend to latch onto something and not easily let go, despite all contrary evidence available. I'll avoid speaking of the Texas Shrub which is currently wreaking havoc on the environment, other than to just call it a Bush).

At any rate, Texas isn't exactly the best place to view the autumn leaves. But there is one tree here that's a pretty big exception to that. It's called the Big Tooth Maple. The Big Tooth is the western cousin to all those great northern and eastern maples that cause places like Vermont to have such great fall colors.

The Big Tooth is native to canyons and riversides all the way up into British Columbia. The southern terminus of its territory is about 60 miles west of here at a place called Lost Maples State Park. That pocket of Big Tooths is the most colorful place in Texas come late October. But there are also little pockets of Big Tooths all around my town of Boerne. In fact, the two tallest stood about 35' high, just off Interstate-10 at a fast-developing corner of the access road.

A sign appeared there one day saying that Boerne was going to get a Mercedes Benz dealership. The developer's name and phone number were big and bold on the sign, and every day I passed it I thought I should call that guy and tell him he has 2 of the areas biggest big tooths. "You want to save them, don't you?"

But the months went by and I always found a reason not to call. I thought if I did call, my concerns would be marginalized and this big-deal developer would shine me on, then do whatever he wanted to. Then I noticed a whole bunch of the trees had pink ribbons around them....including one of my great big big tooths. Yikes! So finally I called the guy. He had no idea that those were maples, and in fact had an environmental study which labeled them as hackberry trees. I don't want to be seen as a tree snob, but the bizarre-barked opportunistic hackberries are not the best Texas has to offer.

I was pretty amazed that whoever did the environmental study didn't know the difference between the two, but he didn't. The developer said he would check out the trees the next day. When I called back he reported that the distinctive maple-styled leaf convinced him--he had big tooth maples on his property, and he was going to keep them. "I'm gonna lose a couple of parking spaces, but I'd hate to take those trees down."

So the lesson here is this: it might just be that despite everything you do, the worst comes to pass. But it might not. And know this: if you do nothing, that's what you'll get: nothing. So, do something! Two simple phone calls saved this town's 2 biggest big tooth maples. Who knows what you can do in your town if you just try!

Pat Yourself on the Back, Texas Liberal

I really admire you. You're just so...persistent. Resilient. And just plain ol' bent. You'd have to be to be a Texas Liberal.

It's tough being one hereabouts. And the best way to imagine how tough it can be is to conjure in your mind a great, big, lush, green, spreading maple tree. Then imagine it in West Texas (can you say wilt?). Texas is tough on the soft green leaves. And it's every bit as tough on liberals who are soft.

So if you're a liberal and you're in Texas, you ain't soft. "Hell, I don't even know what soft means!" you might be inclined to say. And I'd believe you. Because there jest ain't many of you in these parts.

Important note: when there aren't many of certain things--let's say they're a little rare--that means the price goes up. So if you'd like, you can choose to think of yourself as overwhelmed and outnumbered. And you'd be right. Or you can think of yourself as rare and valuable. And you'd be even more right!

And your value isn't confined to supply and demand reasoning. You're valuable because if left alone Republicans will screw things up from here to Christmas, then start all over again. You on the same page with me here? I thought so! We're Texas' most valuable resource. Forget the black gold...we're the ones who keep those dumb son-of-a-bushes from doing any more damage than they already are.

So pat yourselves on the back. You deserve my admiration. And for that matter, your own.