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Wow. For those of you who live in BIG liberal cities, what I am about to write will likely elicit nothing more than a shrug from you. But I live in a sleepy burb of Dallas, so it's a bigger deal.
The grocery store down the street has apparently booked a bunch of musicians to play in front of the store just on random nights, for no reason other than to have fun. They aren't selling hot dogs to profit the store or anything, nope. Just having some fun and listening to some music. What's even weirder are the acts they booked: Elvis and Tom Jones impersonators. When we went to the store tonight, Little Moonbeam and I found ourselves hanging out in the parking lot with a ton of other people shaking our booties and singing "A hunka hunka burnin' love!" I went in and asked the manager about it and that's how I found out so much. He hopes to line up more acts, too. The band takes tips. Found out the store manager is a Dem.
Next thing: a little independent coffee shop has opened up down the street. NOT a Starbucks, totally on its own. I went in the other day (been open a couple of weeks) and there were high school students picking guitars and writing, people kicking back and reading, other people playing chess and backgammon and little, rather racuous groups of adults sitting around laughing and talking VERY loudly.
Also: there's a diner downtown that has experienced a revival and has suddenly attracted a large crowd of Hispanics, union workers, and long-time residents, along with high school kids from the north end of town. What an interesting mix of people. It's basically a greasy spoon, but people have started giving impromptu political speeches while standing on chairs, and it's turned into quite the attraction. Like our weird version of Speaker's Corner (is that what it's called? In London?) and a few unions have decided to have meetings there. Our downtown was DEAD and it seems to be coming back to life because of this and a few other establishments.
Then: I was told today, anecdotally by teachers and parents that they are amazed at the number of ELEMENTARY school kids who didn't care to take and wear a red ribbon in support of "Hugs Not Drugs" week. EH? What gives? Apparently despite the best efforts of the right, our children still seem to somehow manage to have critical thinking skills. So many of them questioned why they should wear one that at one school the principal just said "Fine don't take one" and they said "ok!" What is this world coming to when elementary kids are thinking for themselves? My own daughter didn't take one. When I asked her why she said, "It seemed kind of dumb. Is a red ribbon supposed to keep me from doing drugs later?" Now I am not making a comment on the Red Ribbon program itself, but I thought their behavior very unusual.
Lastly, my city just voted to allow the sale of wine and beer. THAT alone is amazing. Soon, I will be able to go three blocks and get wine or beer. Ain't that the shit?
One of my Dem neighbors came out this afternoon and was talking to me at our common mailbox, then another one came out. Both of them were calling bush a murderer (these guys were pretty soft Dems just a year ago) and we happened to notice one of our republican neighbors looking out his front window. One of the Dems I was with yelled "HEY! ALL US DEMOCRATS ARE OUT HERE PLOTTING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD! BE AFRAID!" He didn't mean it as aggressively as it sounds, it was all taken well. But still. I can't say I didn't enjoy it.
I am convinced this is the result of the right pushing too hard. They are experiencing backlash, and it will keep coming.
To victory on Tuesday, DUers!
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