Friggin' AWESOME opinion piece from the Chicago Tribune!

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Note to Republicans: The party's over
by Garrison Keillor

People who live in mud huts should not throw mud, especially if it comes from their own roofs. As Scripture says, don't point to the speck in your neighbor's eye when you have a piece of kindling in your own.

I see by the papers that the Republicans want to make an issue of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the congressional races this fall: Would you want a San Francisco woman to be speaker of the House? Will the lectern be repainted in lavender stripes with a disco ball overhead? Will she be borne into the chamber by male dancers with glistening torsos and wearing pink tutus? After all, in the unique worldview of old elephants, San Francisco is a code word for g-a-y, and after assembling a record of government lies, incompetence and disaster, the party in power hopes that the fear of g-a-y-s will pull it through in November.

...

People who want to take a swing at San Francisco should think twice. Yes, the Irish coffee at Fisherman's Wharf is overpriced, and the bus tour of Haight-Ashbury is disappointing (Where are the hippies?), but the Bay Area is the cradle of the computer and software industry, which continues to create jobs for our children. The iPod was not developed by Baptists in Waco, Texas. There may be a reason for this. Creative people thrive in a climate of openness and tolerance, since some great ideas start out sounding ridiculous. Creativity is a key to economic progress. Authoritarianism is stifling. I don't believe that Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard were gay, but what's important is: In San Francisco, it doesn't matter so much.

...

It is painful to look at your father and realize the old man should not be allowed to manage his own money anymore. This is the discovery the country has made about the party in power. They are inept. The checkbook needs to be taken away. They will rant, they will screech, they will wave their canes at you and call you all sorts of names, but you have to do what you have to do.

More...

[unpossibles]

1. nice. I love it. n/t

[rox63]

2. Garrison Keillor rocks!!!

:yourock: K&R!

[AX10]

3. kick

[One_of_8]

4. Keillor is a national treasure

And I agree, it's time to take the keys away from the old men in power right now.

[Placebo]

12. It sure is.

They're asleep at the damn wheel.

[Ilsa]

5. I love this!

"...but the Bay Area is the cradle of the computer and software industry, which continues to create jobs for our children. The iPod was not developed by Baptists in Waco, Texas. There may be a reason for this. Creative people thrive in a climate of openness and tolerance, since some great ideas start out sounding ridiculous. Creativity is a key to economic progress. Authoritarianism is stifling.

A good liberal friend teaches at a school in ultra-conservative East Texas (which he refers to as white-flight high) where he says that of all of the seniors he has talked to, none are going into science or mathematics or technical fields. It's like they all want to be Baptist ministers or their wives or music directors or something where they don't have to learn about science, because that might complicate their world view. Heck, they might even start arguing with their parents about that darn stuff like the earth being round (mostly).

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8. The world is flat, dammit!

You can't believe anything those scientists say, you know reality has a well-known liberal bias.

[Nikki Stone 1]

6. Doesn't he have a movie coming out?

I love the guy myself

[a kennedy]

7. Yup, this Friday, "A Prairie Home Companion"

:)

[Nikki Stone 1]

13. Ordinarily don't do Hollywood flics, but I might go to this one.

:)

[SeattleGirl]

9. Excellent piece!

Recommended.

[robinlynne]

10. nice.

[redqueen]

11. Excellent... thanks for posting this.

:applause:

[hvn_nbr_2]

14. That piece is one zinger after another:

The iPod was not developed by Baptists in Waco, Texas. There may be a reason for this. Creative people thrive in a climate of openness and tolerance

...the Current Occupant goes on impersonating a president.

a supine Congress granting absolute power to a president who seems to get smaller and dimmer

It is painful to look at your father and realize the old man should not be allowed to manage his own money anymore. This is the discovery the country has made about the party in power

[Placebo]

15. My favorite:

"A supine Congress granting absolute power to a president who seems to get smaller and dimmer."

So.

F'n

True.

[Obamarama]

16. This piece lightened up my stressful day. THANKS! :-) n/t

[Cha]

17. Stupendous!

"The iPod was not developed by Baptists in Waco, Texas. There may be a reason for this. Creative people thrive in a climate of openness and tolerance, since some great ideas start out sounding ridiculous. Creativity is a key to economic progress. Authoritarianism is stifling. I don't believe that Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard were gay, but what's important is: In San Francisco, it doesn't matter so much."

Followed bush into the Swamp and the aligators are running the swamp!

Thanks, Garrison! :patriot: :patriot:

Spelling~

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21. Creativity is aided by a climate of tolerance.

It's not a hard concept to wrap one's mind around. :)

[swimmernsecretsea]

18. I've always liked Garrison Keillor and "A Prairie Home Companion."

Now I LOVE THEM. Thanks for a posting that made my drop my jaw in surprise, then smile broadly.

[SlipperySlope]

19. K&R with one reservation..

I wish he wouldn't equate San Francisco with the Bay Area. That's like giving Minneapolis credit for anything that happens in the midwest.

[IndyOp]

20. The whole country equates San Francisco with the Bay Area --

I went to grad school in Berkeley, which everyone has heard of, but no one (in the midwest, anyway) knows the location thereof. Neither do they know the locations of Oakland, Stanford University, or Silicon Valley -- but they do know west of San Francisco and south of San Francisco. So, I think Keillor is equating SF with the Bay Area because the Bay Area is to a majority of people San Francisco.

I grew up in Fenton, Missouri -- um, St. Louis, that is.

;-)

[REP]

22. Apple Computer Is In Cupertino, Not SF, but We're Still the 'Burbs

The traffic and parking isn't as horrible, and Cupertino is closer to San Jose than SF, but even I tell people I live 40 minutes from SF - not 8 minutes from San Jose!

[RDU Socialist]

23. this is the conversation in dc right now among republicans

especially since the gay bashing amendment didn't pass

Dennis Hastert: "This is worse than that time I was sleeping and you put your dick in my mouth and took a picture Billy."
Bill Frist: "I know Denny, I know."

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24. You're such a pig fucker, Bill Frist!

:D