Towse: views from the hill

This poem always seemed to me the saddest thing.

With thoughts of family members and others who fought in wars here and over there, within and without. I wish it weren’t ever necessary. Love you.

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

the Dems don’t seem to have a plan other than saying they aren’t Repubs.

Actually, the Dems do have plans. The “they don’t have a plan” was part and parcel of the Republican campaign package.

San Francisco values are on the table: minimum wage, health care, environment, ethics, immigration, [added] stem cell research, federal judgeships and other appointments, … clean water and loads of it, bluebirds singing in the sycamore trees, …

Pombo got skunked on environmental issues and ethics.

Remains to be seen what the Dems will have accomplished, not accomplished, messed up in two years.

For this election, being the !Repubs was all they needed.

The Repubs had convinced their base that the Dems had no plans (“but what are they going to do differently?” “where are their plans?” “what plans?” was the drumbeat) but turns out, alas for the Repubs, that alternative plans weren’t a necessity when the Repubs were bolloxing things up so thoroughly.

A friend … well, maybe an acquaintance — we don’t hang out like we did at one time — shares an agent with Dan Simmons. From a link on my buddy’s site I got a heads up of this short note last April.

The short note is Simmons’ Message From Dan which, in April, was a Dan Simmons SF story, a very compelling SF story.

He followed up on the April work in his May/June Message from Dan.

The discussion is very rich.

Dan Simmons’ Web site is very rich.

Check out Bill Quick’s Web site when you really, really need to know what “the three words” mentioned at the end of Simmons’ April Message are. One of Quick’s commenters has what I believe is the answer.

Check out the rest of Simmons’ site as well.

Before people who voted blue get too worked up about the amazing results of Tuesday’s election and start talking about mandates and the turning of the tide, I’d like to paraphrase something Jerry McNerney’s campaign manager, A.J. Carillo, told him.

Jerry McNerney, to those who don’t know of him, had an upset victory over seven-term GOP Representative Richard Pombo, chair of the House Resources Committee.

“I told Jerry all along that this election wasn’t about you,” said his campaign manager, A.J. Carrillo. “It’s about Richard Pombo. I told him that 2008 is about you.”

This election wasn’t so much about the Democrats and what a fine plan for the country they have. This election was about Bush and the Republicans. 2008 will be about the Democrats.

La la la.

Why have none of the “separation of Church and State” folks complained about the songs that ring from the bell tower at the Ferry Building at noon and five p.m. every day?

No, the Port Authority bells aren’t ringing Onward Christian Soldiers, but they are playing the likes of Faith of Our Fathers.

What’s up with that? Are bell tone tapes available for bell tower use only available with religious and quasi-religious songs?

Why is there no uproar, no outrage from the “separation of Church and State” folks?

His nibs tells me that perhaps those who would complain never spent enough time in church to recognize the tunes.

O FAITH of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeons, fire, and sword:
Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word!
O Faith of our fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee till death.

I’m not complaining, mind you. I just find it curious.

Still, ditch the Faith of Our Fathers. I’d prefer some silly little love songs by McCartney or Lennon’s Imagine, but those songs are still under copyright and the Port Authority would probably have to pay royalties.

My baby dragon/Leo sister, who is just a few days younger than I am, won an overwhelming vote of “keep doing what you’re doing” from the voters back in that verdant, bucolic ville where I used to hang my hat.

Congrats, Cynthia.

You go, girl.

I would’ve voted for you if I could’ve … legally.

There have been impassioned pleas today as there are every election day, urging people to vote, just vote. GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!

(Well, those of you who are registered to vote, of course. … and remember, you are only supposed to vote ONCE!)

Those pleas grate on my nerves.

Get out and vote if you’ve taken the time to understand the issues, if you’ve taken the time to delve into the backgrounds and position statements of the candidates, if you’ve taken the time to gen up on both sides of the question, if you’ve taken the time to understand the ramifications of your choices.

Secondary election pet peeve: Why is it such news that every single dad blum seat in the House of Representatives is being voted on today?

… people, that’s the way it works! Happens every two years! Without fail!

A big thank you to the poll workers, the poll watchers, the Registrar, the folks who pull the ballot (and the ballot literature) together and print, the postal carriers who deliver the goods, the folks who count the results and those voters who despite whatever reasons why they don’t need to vote care enough to get to the polls (or send in their absentee ballots) after thoughtfully considering their choices.

• JeffK writes of freedom on Election Day.

• Miss Snark thinks voting is the coolest thing in the world and is grateful to those who made it possible.

… and now we wait …

Caution: YOU AND ME by Lifehouse is used as background music. If you’re surfing the Web while you’re in a boring meeting, don’t click on the link. (The music can be clicked off once you pull up the site.)

Mimi Lenox, the force behind Blogblast For Peace day in the blogosphere, has written a wonderful take on peace and the world and her grandfather’s handmade marbles.

Read: Mimi Writes…….: Dona Nobis Pacem

[via Filip Stoyanov, who posted the link to Mimi’s blog in misc.writing]

Naked man arrested for concealed weapon