Dem Bones

Monday, September 29, 2008

Inside McCain’s brain

Hope burns eternal, and in an effort to be unbiased in this election year, I picked up the October Atlantic and began reading a lengthy page 40 feature titled “The Wars of John McCain.” The cover featured a headshot of the Senator from Arizona. Something in his eyes looked “sincere,” but I grew up during World War II, and always was a sucker for a man in uniform. Any man in uniform, though as I recall, I tended to favor celluloid pilots in flight jackets as I recall.

So on I read. The text (interspersed with lively photos) seemed to be mostly focused on why McCain supports various wars, including the one in ‘Nam. He thinks that one could have been won, if only the troops had more support, both there and here. He also believes our current war (the one in the Middle East) could be won. If only …

Midway through the article, I began to feel for McCain, if only because he seems almost schizophrenic, or at least, greatly confused. At this stage he’s pretty old (my age) to be trying to remember what confused him. Everyday I get more pissed over his choice of Sara Palin as a running mate, though likely it’s because other possible choices recognized the sinking ship and ran for cover, leaving him to fly (almost) solo with the embarrassment from Alaska, where by the way, a huge rally was staged to protest her ideas. I went to Maureen Dowd’s site, a site recommended by fellow blogger Bobrow, and at least had a moment of hilarious respite from the depressing Atlantic article.

For the past year, I’ve been writing a weekly column for my old hometown Iowa newspaper, which has been publishing for 150 years. I fear the 1,000 readers (mostly Republican) aren’t quite adjusted to my column. A few weeks ago, I addressed Cindy McCain’s hideously expensive ensemble, trotted out at the Republican National Convention, and asked why her advisors allowed her to trot forth in rich rags when most readers are down to their last barrel.

Incoming! Along came an email from a Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He wasn’t exactly nasty (the volley was signed “Very Respectfully Yours”), but he took strong issue with what he perceived to be an endorsement for the Dems, nevermind that the column included fashionista references to Jackie-O, Bess Truman, Nancy Reagan and Rosalind Carter. I ended the column by saying “considering the number of service people who return from the disastrous middle east war, minus arms and legs, Cindy’s frock seemed of no consequence.” He still didn’t get it, and asked me, “Have you ever even been to Iraq?” And then, “have you ever been thanked by an Iraqi kid who you gave candy to?”

Very Respectfully Yours,
Dem Bones

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Friday, September 26, 2008

Totally unexpected

Urban Outfitters on floor one of the artsy Kenilworth building has the right idea when it comes to marketing. Check out the street art Mao stencils on the exterior of north face, then walk a few steps west and consider Amy M. Scokza’s cut paper display in the window. A few more steps and you can stroll the modernist alley, perhaps the most beautifully designed space in Milwaukee. Keep heading south and you’ll connect with the Oak Leaf trail below.

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Moose lodge

This has been a strange year. I’ve started writing a weekly column (City Mouse) for my old Iowa hometown newspaper, The Villisca Review. I grew up there in a berg (population now 1,000) nestled between two branches of the Nodaway River, in the valley known as Nodaway. The paper has been publishing for 150 years, believe it or not Ripley. Once upon a time I asked the editor (back in the 40s) if I could write for the Review. When I couldn’t spell Omaha, he told me to come back later. I’m back. The current editor is a woman who publishes it all out of her home. Mostly what she gets to print are 4-H ribbon winners, basketball and football stuff, and happenings in small town U.S.A. They still print who visited who, which I admit, is sweet and endearing.

This week I added a second article to my contributions, a review of a book of superb black and white photographs about Iowa musicians. I found it online and ordered a copy from the Chicago distributor. Anyway, the photographer who produced the beauties is Sandra Dyas, who teaches photography at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. Included with the book is a great CD of tunes by mostly Iowa musicians, including Greg Brown, whose name I’ve seen on the Shank Hall marquee near where I live. Turns out that Ms. Dyas is a longtime friend of Julie Lindemann and Johnnie Shimon, and she’s coming to M’waukee to see their show before it closes at MAM.

The Review has only one other columnist, a former Villiscan who is also a former farm lobbyist, now living in Virginia. He describes himself as a staunch Republican. Most of the town is made up of staunch Republicans. Which is why I may be in deep doo-doo.

Initially, I began writing my column as a way to connect memories of the small town with my life in Milwaukee, but eventually that well begins to run dry. Now that the election is nearing, I decided to step forward with some thoughts about one Mr. Obama. I should add here that prior to moving to Kansas City (when I was 15, around the time of the Civil Rights movement), I actually thought everyone in the world was fair of skin and blue of eye. Just like me and most of Villisca’s residents.

Fortunately, my editor is all for freedom of expression. This can’t be easy, as anything she prints is open to attack the moment she steps out and faces her readers in the town square. But she’s given me the go ahead. The other columnist, the staunch Republican, takes issue with my stance and lately has started sending me a volley of emails calling my writing “crap, left-wing, hippie” etc. Yesterday I blocked any future emails from him.

He was particularly pissed over a piece I wrote about Cindy McCain’s $300,000 ensemble, and demanded that I verify where I got the “factoid,” never mind that it was all over the internet. Since I have blocked his emails, he has now sent his cousin, a Private in the United States Air Force, to shoot me down via email. Private X isn’t nearly as nasty, at least not at this stage.

In light of the recent disaster financial meltdown, and the resulting and very creepy bail-out plans, Miss McSame’s ensemble is of no account, nor is lipstick on a pig, moose hunting news, Troopergate, blah, blah. I don’t care if Palin can see Russia from her back door. Palin is more SNL than SNL is. When are we getting out of the middle-east and who is going to solve our financial mess?

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Monday, September 22, 2008

Humping for Obama

Saturday, September 13: I’ve just returned from the afternoon opening of Obama’s campaign headquarters at 534 West National Avenue in Walker's Point. It was a homecoming of sorts as I used to live in a funky building adjacent to La Perla at 5th & National and later, worked at Art Muscle Magazine at 10th & National, west of the headquarters. Those were they days my friend, when artists partied hard in Frank Ford’s infamous StudioGalactica, and if not there, equally hard at Carrie Scoczek’s apartment/studio on south 5th. Walker's Point Center for the Arts was in the space now occupied by La Perla, but it’s still around, currently in a historic building due west, and here and there upstart galleries struggle to hang on.

The best part of the opening was being in Nick Topping’s former digs, and if Topping was among the living, he’d likely be thrilled at the turnout. He was a socialist/activist, and his store was plastered with socialist posters. It was a hangout for all kinds of people. If history has it right, it was Topping who brought the Beatles to Milwaukee.

The young volunteers circulating in the crowded space had never heard of Topping, but I got at least one of them to write down his name and see if she could round up information about him and put it on the walls, along with sign-up sheets for the many items needed to keep the place running. “Everything we have so far has been donated,” a sweating volunteer said. A lady sat at a table selling Obama stuff, and I went home with a big round “Fist Bump” button dangling from my purse. It was hot and stuffy inside the space and folks were congregating on the sidewalk fronting the building. Mountains of food arrived in huge containers steaming forth smells of beans and rice, along with platters of chips and salsa, and bottled water. A band kicked in later as an assortment of local politicians filtering forth.

Kent Mueller, former proprietor of KMArt, dropped in for a plate of food and some conversation about the way back in Walker's Point. He lives in the neighborhood in a historic home, and is certainly part of the local scene. I remarked that a sheet taped to the wall indicated the headquarters is seeking artists to paint portraits of Obama, so if any of you readers so desire, they can be dropped off at 534 W. National. The walls could use something more than sign-up sheets, and certainly artists could do worse than portray the next president of the United States.

There was quite a bit of buzz in the crowd about how tight the race is going to be in Wisconsin, and I overheard snippets about Palin, snippets about Bill supporting Obama, and snippets about “McSame.” From one of the sign-up sheets, it looked like there is a need for volunteers to carry the message forward.

EDIT: Sunday, September 21: I’m back for Barack

Quite a few volunteers showed up at noon to canvass the neighborhood, including a couple with their young child in tow. The 23-year-old Field Organizer of the campaign in the 8th & 9th Assembly District, Vanessa Solis, rolled in at noon to get folks started on their way. If you’d like to volunteer in any capacity, she can be reached on her cell: 899-3567


Full-time volunteer Christian Eichlenlaub & Field Organizer Vanessa Solis

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