Hey speedsters, where’s the fire?

Written by Kevin Hower Tuesday, 05 May 2009 13:54

I’ll be the first to admit it. I’m not a patient individual. In fact, I love the saying I found somewhere on the Web: “Patience is a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue.”

It’s something I exercise because I have no other choice that doesn’t result in something bad happening, not particularly because it’s something I enjoy.

Because patience is so hard for me, I try to exercise it only when it’s absolutely necessary. Like when I’m on the road. I don’t like driving. Not one bit. I do it because we haven’t figured out that whole teleportation thing, and if we ever do it’s highly unlikely to happen in my lifetime.

I like being one place or another, or riding with someone else. If I don’t have to...

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Shall we hide or enjoy the fluttering?

Written by Jerry Engler Tuesday, 31 March 2009 14:22

Economic news and political actions of the past 60 days have me wondering if I should find a box to climb into so I can hide, or just sit and watch it all to enjoy the fluttering.

Why, they’ve even coined a new word, “Obamunism,” and promised a National Tea Party Day for April 15, when everybody is supposed to mail a tea bag to the White House to protest for no more taxes.

They’ve called for protest demonstrations in cities across the country all because our president and Congress have proven their love for AIG.

I might go to a protest if they have one in Pilsen.

With all the mumbo-jumbo talk-speak going on in Washington, local guys still can come up with clear ideas. I thought Dale Franz had one.

But then, Dale has to...

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Sheddings books reflect new outlook

Written by Kevin Hower Tuesday, 03 March 2009 13:44

I recently spent about a week cleaning my house and rearranging things in my closets and on my shelves to be more convenient to reach. It was a time to not merely clean house, but to rid myself of a few reminders of how I used to see the world.

I decided to donate some old books that I no longer wanted. I couldn’t bring myself to just throw them away, because I dearly love books. I boxed them up and took them with me when I left for work.

Since shortly after I dropped the box off, I’ve felt a small twinge of guilt about putting some of its contents back out in the public, almost as if I’d left containers of highly corrosive acid within reach of young kids. Not quite that bad of course, but close.

What were these books that I...

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Money means control in wind issue

Written by Jerry Engler Tuesday, 03 February 2009 13:59

You’re going to wonder if the kid’s become a scrambled egg, but I hope you’ll keep on reading after you discover what I’m thinking about.

You see, I’m writing it for you. And, don’t take umbrage with me for calling myself a kid. I once was truly one, and still can hardly wait to see what I do when I grow up.

I’m sitting on a box thinking about wind turbines, pig farms, colonization, Alexander Hamil­ton, Thomas Jefferson—and I’m not even Don Quixote.

I got started on all this today by reading that the Kansas House, according to Marion County Planning Director Bobbi Strait, is considering a bill that would effectively strip counties and cities of their basic right to regulate land use within their jurisdictions.

She...

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