Cafe Bucky

Anne Rice writes in tomorrow’s edtion of the New York Times about New Orleans (Do You Know What It Means to Lose New Orleans?):

But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us “Sin City,” and turned your backs.

Well, we are a lot more than all that. And though we may seem the most exotic, the most atmospheric and, at times, the most downtrodden part of this land, we are still part of it. We are Americans. We are you.

It’s been a bittersweet day for London, with the morning after glow of winning the 2012 Olympics, and then this … How cowardly to bomb innocent commuters! My heart goes out to the people in London and the UK.

My own personal experience with Londoners tells me that this will not deter their daily routines. These are the descendents of those who flipped the bird at Hitler’s air raids of 1940. They will prove to be all the more united, in a strange mixture of grief and pride from the big events of the last two days. Woe be to those who would underestimate the “we’re all in this together” spirit of the Brits.

Are you buying from companies that use their profits to finance the GOP?

It doesn’t always have to be that way, ya know…

Check out the company lists at Buy Blue

Hmm, Starbucks, Jet Blue, and Netflix.. yeah, I could say that I’ve given those guys quite a bit of business :-)

… and fuck off, Wal Mart. I do my best to stay out of there.

What if the qualifications for President could be changed, but only in one way for the time being? (and by some sprinkling of political fairy dust, you had some input into the choice…)

And it was a choice between:

* letting foreign born leaders be eligible (such as Arnold Schwarzenegger)
* or letting someone run for a third term (such as Clinton)

Which would you choose?

I thought about what I might write about the election. It’s easier for me to say that I agree with many opinions I’ve seen in the New York Times, on Salon, and elsewhere. Michael Moore had a good piece entitled “17 Reasons Not to Slit Your Wrists”. John Perry Barlow wrote Magnanimous Defeat.

And I could point at 20 others. I’m not alone in my realization that we’re living in Two Americas, all intermingled on the Interstates on our respective trips to Starbucks or Walmart. This chart sums it up nicely (thanks Andrea PS!): http://chrisevans3d.com/files/iq.htm

I’m not surprised to hear that the Canadian Immigration web site is receiving a sixfold increase in traffic. A lot of people are shocked and fed up, and in a mind to move on. I could see moving to Vancouver, and perhaps Montreal could be fun for a while…

But hey, I’m back in California for a while; perhaps two months. Land of Life Guard Station #25 in Santa Monica, The Golden Gate Bridge, and more practically, a new contract in the San Francisco’s Mission District. I’ll get my fill of Mexican Food, which is something I miss when I’m in New York. It’s also nice to have a little space and to be able to drive. I’m looking forward to heading up to Lake Tahoe and skiing this winter!

California is the Golden State, with a little tarnish here and there as compared to its best days (which I think were the 1960’s). We have had a fair number of Republican Governors. Just look at the history in my lifetime:

1959-1967: Pat Brown (Democrat)
1967-1975: Ronald Reagan (Republican)
1975-1983: Jerry Brown (Democrat)
1983-1991: George Deukmejian (Republican)
1991-1999: Pete Wilson (Republican)
1999-2003: Gray Davis (Democrat)
2003-present: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Republican)

I was also surprised from my research of how we’ve voted for Presidents. Check out the .gov archives. California helped elect Clinton, but it also voted for Nixon, Reagan, and King Bush I. Don’t look at me, I didn’t vote for them!

Ok, that’s enough political stuff for now. It’s a Sunday Morning in California, and that means the Sunday Morning Ride. Since I don’t have a crotch rocket (that would be a motorcycle.. as in Road Racer.. as in speed, man…), I’ll climb into a four wheeled substitute, an E36 M3. Time to appreciate the hills and valleys!

E-Day. The most important election I’ve seen in my 43 years.

I went to a place like this:

To vote like this:

Because I’m actually thinking about the right thing to do for the next generation, and they look like this:

(I wish Sophia could vote. She has so much more sense than some that are many times her age)

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2004-11-01

and if you want something more suitable for tea in the parlor:

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?041101ta_talk_editors

I usually don’t care for rap, but I’m sure going to point at Eminem’s video: Mosh

Time to send the Cowboy home to Texas.

(and an update - very good analysis at: DailyKOs.com )