It was another cold, dark, and howling night in Little Twig, Montana. No longer below zero, the wind had picked up again and slapped Daphne in the butt as she literally blew into the saloon. At the end of the bar in his usual spot stood Cowboy Clay with his Chardonnay. Carl nursed a whiskey a seat down from where Clay stood and Soot was to the right of Clay also sipping a whiskey. One bar stool next to Carl was open and Daphne slid in and threw off her long down coat. Claudia had already poured her a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and set it down in front of her. Daphne pulled out her cell phone and placed it on the bar.
Daphne: I waiting for one more call and then I’m done for the day.
Soot: I’m getting rid of my cell phone. We never needed them before. Why should we now?
Clay: Well what happens when you get stuck in a ditch?
Soot: Well, maybe I wouldn’t have gone anywhere where I’d get stuck with no way of telling anybody where I am. Maybe these phones just cause people to be reckless. What did ya think about that?
Carl: You could be right, Soot.
Clay: I don’t know. I think people are going to be stupid whether they’ve got a phone or not.
With that the first round of the Philosophy Club finished and it was on to the next round. Continue reading
Magical Places and Radical Dreams
Paul Street recently noted in a piece called “Hope Killer for Re-Hire” http://www.zcommunications.org/hope-killer-for-re-hire-brand-obama-and-the-management-of-popular-expectations-by-paul-street
that Barack Obama in his 2004 Keynote Speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention called the United States “a magical place”. Hmmm? I thought. Like “Oz”, the Easter Bunny’s garden of eggs, Santa Claus’ workshop, and George Clooney’s bedroom, America as magical is a big fat myth. (Well, I’ll give you that George’s place could be dreamy). Continue reading →
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Posted in Montana Life, Social Commentary, The Accidental Activist
Tagged economics, Montana, poverty, rural America, social values