Occasionally, to the chagrin of my wife and others who think a man lives on a diet of yard-work and household chores alone, I go on 'walk-about.' (I say this to put you on notice that I'm back in action here on the boards. ...Go ahead, admit it. You've missed me.) This year's trip took me east to NY state for the leaves, down the east coast, across the southern coast to Texas, and home to Wisconsin.
In the south and west you find that Rush, the ACLJ, and Fox reign (or is it 'rain'?) supreme. The dial up to 92 FM is abuzz twangy voices blathering religion and Obama hate-speak, drowning out most NPR stations. And even in Houston the talking heads who consider themselves lefties are so far right that the extreme right seems centrist. ...Welcome to America, 2009.
In several places I visited libraries to use their computers for searching military base's lodging, etc. Only in Sherman Texas did I get assaulted by the rightists, demanding no less than five signatures on three pieces of paper and the application for an "internet card" to use their computer. I had to sign that I wouldn't do anything subversive or obscene, and I gave away more than name, rank, and serial number. Talk about paranoid.
It's good to get home to Wisconsin, where people are only mildly paranoid. Yeah, it's good to be able to close my door to all the self-righteous, jingoistic crap, put on the old Chicks CD, and remember a kinder day when we had fun together and weren't so suspicious and angry all the time.
Originally posted by billbright: Occasionally, to the chagrin of my wife and others who think a man lives on a diet of yard-work and household chores alone, I go on 'walk-about.' (I say this to put you on notice that I'm back in action here on the boards. ...Go ahead, admit it. You've missed me.) This year's trip took me east to NY state for the leaves, down the east coast, across the southern coast to Texas, and home to Wisconsin.
In the south and west you find that Rush, the ACLJ, and Fox reign (or is it 'rain'?) supreme. The dial up to 92 FM is abuzz twangy voices blathering religion and Obama hate-speak, drowning out most NPR stations. And even in Houston the talking heads who consider themselves lefties are so far right that the extreme right seems centrist. ...Welcome to America, 2009.
In several places I visited libraries to use their computers for searching military base's lodging, etc. Only in Sherman Texas did I get assaulted by the rightists, demanding no less than five signatures on three pieces of paper and the application for an "internet card" to use their computer. I had to sign that I wouldn't do anything subversive or obscene, and I gave away more than name, rank, and serial number. Talk about paranoid.
It's good to get home to Wisconsin, where people are only mildly paranoid. Yeah, it's good to be able to close my door to all the self-righteous, jingoistic crap, put on the old Chicks CD, and remember a kinder day when we had fun together and weren't so suspicious and angry all the time.
I hope the scenery was worth the assault on your sensibilities.
Based on your assessment from your trip down South, we're glad you discovered that we haven't lost our senses, and that it still rains a lot like it always has. Hope you can do something about your paranoia in libraries. Its not like anyone really cares where you are from unless you are acting like an a$$ or something else. 9/11 did change many things across the entire country, and not just down South.
Traveling through Texas I've noticed - if anyone is angry ANY of the time, they'll gladly let you know. They have been quite hospitable every time I've been through.
Instead of listening to the chumpy chicks, sing the following to yourself. It might help with your anger and your suspicious nature:
