Tag Archives: Populists
Wednesday, 2/2/11, Public Square
In the hit 1993 comedy Groundhog Day, weatherman Bill Murray’s worst nightmare is to keep waking up in the snowy Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney — home of an overweight, prognosticating rodent named Phil. Murray’s disdain notwithstanding, Phil’s Feb. 2 forecasts have been drawing revelers to Punxsutawney for 125 years.
Today will be no exception, despite a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service.
But not to worry: “Groundhog Day is a lot like a rock concert, but the people are better behaved and there’s a groundhog involved,” Tom Chapin, the paper’s editor told National Geographic News last Groundhog Day eve. “There’s music and entertainment, spoofs of game shows, and people shooting t-shirts and Beanie Babies” into the crowd.
If Phil emerges from his temporary burrow — a simulated tree stump at the rural site of Gobbler’s Knob — and sees his shadow, tradition has it that winter weather will continue for six more weeks. But if Phil doesn’t see his shadow — highly likely, given the grim forecast — then spring temperatures are supposedly just around the corner.
Filed under The Public Square
Thursday, 1/27/11, Public Square
Those who listened to the State of the Union speeches (and those who didn’t) probably know that both sides promised that going forward would be different. That’s correct! The GOP remembers President Obama’s first two years in office, but he’s not going to do that anymore. Everyone remembers bushco and the six full years the GOP controlled the presidency and both chambers of Congress, but they’re not going to do that anymore. We all know discretionary spending freezes and / or cuts won’t be enough. From there we are in the same boat — different ideas for what will fix the problems and how we tackle the challenges.
The biggest difference I see are those who say they’re Republican leaders. The GOP I’m familiar with doesn’t put Palin, Bachmann, Beck, et al, in the role of spokespersons. What are the differences you see?
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Sunday, 1/2/11, Public Square
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ~ Plato
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Saturday, 1/1/11, Public Square
1/1/11 — a day that won’t repeat itself for another century. The web is buzzing with potential meanings. What do you think?
May each of us exhibit the same tolerance and concern for others we expect for ourselves.
Filed under The Public Square
Thursday, 12/16/10, Public Square
“The owners of this country know the truth: It’s called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
~ George Carlin
Filed under The Public Square
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 