Saturday, June 30, 2012

740. Facebook exchange on Socialism






I posted this cartoon to my Facebook page earlier today which prompted a question from Mrs. Risner, known to my seven faithful readers as one of my favorite and most influential teachers in high school.   Mrs. Risner and I did not agree politically when I had her in 10th and 12th grades and nothing has changed.  She was the first real Republican I ever knew, other than my father.  She was a Reagan supporter in 1976 when he challenged the appointed incumbent Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination for president.

Below is her question and my response:

Brenda Risner Okay, Jeff, how do you and the cartoonist define socialism? While you're at it, give me the left's definition of facism and of communism. I really do want to know.

Jeff Noble
Mrs. Risner, first, I cannot speak for the cartoonist. Now, let's face it - the sign on the left is correct - "Obamacare is Socialism." Socialism, in some form, has formed the basis for what had been the most successful years of our Republic, often called the Greatest Century, although it was really only about 70 years. From the mid 1930s to about fifteen years ago, through various forms of socialism, America became the light shining on the hill to which Ronald Reagan famously referred. Because of high employment and high taxes - broad participation on the income side, America could afford Medicare and Social Security to seniors; Medicaid, Unemployment, and food stamps to the poor; farm subsidies and electrification to rural communities; and community block development grants and revenue sharing (both programs introduced by Nixon) to urban areas - broad participation on the outgo side. This is the best of Socialism if such a thing exists. Then, starting with California's Proposition 13 in 1978 and followed by Reagan's edict that government was not the solution but the problem, we began to turn our backs on our fellow Americans in favor of rugged individualism and entrepreneurship. We evolved away from "We, the People," certainly a socialist idea, into one of greed and me-ism, of government and control by the rich and the few, a form, ironically (a word I learned in your class), of communism. Corporations in search for profits moved their operations out of the country, taking away jobs and tax revenues. Simultaneously, we began undoing our tax system with lower and lower taxes to where today we are at our lowest overall tax levels since before the Great Depression. The result is we no longer are and no longer can be Reagan's light shining on the hill because we aren't interested in paying for it. We've traded a form of socialism - economic participation by and for the many - in for communism - economic participation by and for the few. If one were to align the political parties along side forms of socialism and communism, my party would (and has) fallen into the former category while your party has, since Reagan, fallen into the latter. Reagan, of course, provides another irony. As the hero of the right, his borrow-and-spend policies have largely been forgotten. Admittedly his borrowing-and-spending led to the downfall of communism in Europe and Asia, but it also has led to a different kind here in the states. He wasn't worried about those borrow-and-spend policies since in his mind the end justified the means, and perhaps it did. But rather than delve into an exercise of "rugged individualism" to correct his deficit worries, he left that to Tip O'Neil and the Democratic congress while he was in office as well as to "Read My Lips"" Bush, who ultimately paid the political price for Reagan's failed economic policies. My side of the aisle can accept its role in the successful use of socialism in this country as it worked from Roosevelt to about 1992. Can your side of the aisle accept the greed and centralization of capital it has fostered, a form of communism, power over the many by the few, in the same manner?
 
*****
 
Your thoughts are appreciated in the Comments section below.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

P5. The fifth in a series of Prayers of the People


(see entry 736 for an explanation)

PRAYERS FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
Sunday, January 9, 2011

We begin this new season calling on the God who gives breath and spirit to the people, humbly responding to Light of the Nations, Grant us the blessing of Peace.

To the God who gives breath and spirit to the people and causes the waters to rush, the thunder to sound, the flames to split, and has created the trees, flowers, and meadows of the wilderness, and the streets, alleys, and buildings of our cities, we pray your blessings upon all of your church, the entire world of your people, the entire being of your creation, praying Light of the Nations, Grant us the blessing of Peace.

We pray in the Anglican Cycle for the Diocese of Leicester in Canterbury, England.  We pray in the Diocese of Kentucky for Saint Peters in Pleasure Ridge Park, and in our Highland Community Ministries, we pray for Calvary Lutheran Church.  To the God who gives them the leaders and members of these outreaches of your love, also give them the human and capital resources to fulfill your will, praying Light of the Nations, Grant us the blessing of Peace.

We pray for our own civil authorities.  We pray for our new mayor Greg and for those in his administration.  We pray for the Kentucky General Assembly as it convenes a new session in Frankfort.  We pray for the Congress in Washington, and we pray for our president Barack and all those in our governments.  We pray especially for the safety and safe-return home of the women and men in uniform wherever their service has stationed them.  We pray that all of these leaders work to bring justice to the people they serve, to bring healing to those afflicted, to bring freedom to those unjustly imprisoned, to bring comfort to those in want, to bring light to the darkness of many, praying Light of the Nations, Grant us the blessing of Peace.

We pray for our parish needs great and small, for our rector Tim, our deacon Eva, and all those in our ministries: of music, of food, of comfort, of hospitality.  We pray for those on Advent's prayer list, for [names go here].  To the God who shows no partiality to those who believe, we seek a guiding hand, a comforting word, a compassionate soul, and a healing heart, praying Light of the Nations, Grant us the blessing of Peace.

To the God who proclaimed Jesus his beloved Son, we pray for all the daughters and sons of God, sisters and brothers of Christ, especially those who have slipped the bonds of this temporal home and place, remembering [any deceased of Advent Parish] that they and all are accepted into the grace and mercy of your heavenly kingdom of eternity, praying Light of the Nations, Grant us the blessing of Peace.

Celebrant:  God of the stars of the night and the light of the day, our beacon and guide as we travel from season to season and year to year, hear these prayers of your people, as we come to you in imitation of the Magi, paying homage and seeking direction, asking that let your light shine upon the nations, your glory rise upon us, and that we be granted the blessing of Peace in abundance, now and forever.  Amen.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

P4. The fourth in a series of Prayers, November 21, 2010

(See entry 736 for an explanation)

PRAYERS FOR THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, NOVEMBER 21, 2010

READER:  O God, we seek your guidance in bringing light to these closing times and shortened days, praying O Lord of Righteousness, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for the worlwide church of your followers wherever they are in their life's journey.  We pray for the leaders of your church, of this church, these shepherds of the Lord who shall execute justice and seek righteousness.  In the Anglican Communion, we pray for The Church of Bermuda.  We pray for Saint Alban's Church, Fern Creek, in the Diocese of Kentucky.  We pray for Saint Therese Catholic Church in the Highland Community Ministries.  We seek successes and thanksgiving for all the children of God, praying O Lord of Righteousness, Hear Our Prayer.

Knowing it is you God who makes war to cease, spears to shatter, and bows to break, we pray now for our own Nation and all the nations of the world.  We seek peace, justice, humility, and reconciliation amongst ourselves and our neighbors.  We seek for our newly elected leaders the patience and resolve to deal wisely with the issues facing our country and our world, and that they will know that you are a very present help in times of trouble.  Grant to these leaders a sense of faith in their fellow Americans and a hope for our future generations, as we say O Lord of Righteousness, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for all the people of the world, believers and non-believers, those who govern and those who are governed, and especially those in harm's way serving their countries in uniform in wars and missions throughout the world, asking O Lord of Righteousness, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for our neighborhood, our city, and our state, as we approach Advent and the Christmas season, aware that many cannot share in the happiness of the times, and that we as a church community will open our hearts and minds and billfolds to those less fortunate, to those who seek help from our pantries, for those who seek help from our charitable giving, and for those whose lives we may never touch but who are nonetheless closeby and unseen, calling O Lord of Righteousness, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for those in need of a healing touch, a warming hand, a consoling word, or a considerate heart.  We pray especially for those on Advent's prayer list [names go here], asking they may be granted a share in the light, a renewed spirit, and a strengthened soul, declaring O Lord of Righteousness, Hear Our Prayer.

We also pray for those who have left the present place and time for the holy habitation of the eternal saints.  We pray for the deceased of Advent Parish [names, if any, go here], for our friends and family no longer among us, and for all those who have died, hoping for them the Paradise of Heaven, saying O Lord of Righteousness, Hear Our Prayer.

CELEBRANT:  O Lord, our shepherd, our stronghold, and our strength, we pray you hear these prayers of your people seeking your intercession, desiring your mercy, and trusting in your righteousness, always and forever, AMEN

Saturday, June 9, 2012

739. Jose Marti to be restored

Longtime readers might recall a few early entries on the blog concerning the former Cuban leader Jose Marti and his missing statue in Shively Park.

On February 27, 2007, I wrote the following: 

In my post written for Saint Valentine's Day, but posted a day later, I included a picture of some Cuban ex-pats at a Mass celebrated at Saint Helen's Church in Shively. The purpose of that celebration was the installation of a statue of Jose Marti, a leading figure in Cuban history from the 19th century. The international airport in Havana is named in his honor. Marti was also a poet and one of his poems was set to music in the 1960s in the popular song Guantanamera. The Mass took place in September, 1963. The statue was erected in the Shively City Park behind City Hall. It was dedicated to those Jefferson Countians who fought in Cuba in the the Battle of Cardenas (the Filibusters) on May 19, 1850. Sometime in 2003 or 2004, the City of Shively tore down the monument and its present whereabouts are not clear.

As I had in the past pointed the statue out to Cuban refugeess who have made their American home here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River at Milepost 606, I've been curious for some time as to the purpose of removing the monument, but have not made any serious inquiries. Why would you tear down a monument dedicated to Jefferson Countians? I need to ask this question of either my friend Jim Jenkins, the former mayor of Shively, or his successor, Sherry Connor, whom I met during last fall's Shively festival when she and her mother visited the campaign booth of John Yarmuth, at the time a candidate for Congress. There is a little known movement led by Antonio de la Cova to restore the monument.
That was followed on March 12, 2007, with this:
A while back I wrote about the Jose Marti statue which had disappeared from Shively Park. I had spoken to State Representative Joni Jenkins about it, since her father had been mayor of Shively when it was removed. She didn't have encouraging news. My friend Marty Meyer, who works for Congressman John Yarmuth, mentioned it at a luncheon he and I shared a few weeks ago with Stuart Perelmuter, Yarmuth's Washington based Press Secretary, at Otto's in the Seelbach. He had read about Jose here on the blog. Today Marty has called with news of Jose's whereabouts. According to Shively Mayor Sherry Connor, the remnants are at the Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort. How or why they are there I do not know, but this will be looked into further.
Now, to be honest, between then and now I've done very little to locate Marti's missing bust.  Nor have I heard anyone else mention it.  So, I was surprised and pleased, very pleased, when reading over the City of Shively Council minutes from April 2, 2012 - more than five years after my blog entry and nearly eight years since the statue's disappeance - to see the following exchange between Shively city officials:   
Mr. Dummitt asked what was Muldoon Memorials?
Mitzi Kasitz, City Clerk said it was approved to have Jose’ Marti brought back.
Mayor Conner said it is the bust that has been in Shively Park for years.
Mr. Dummitt then said I guess since it’s been approved, didn’t he support Fidel Castro?
Mr. Cato, City Attorney said he preceded Fidel Castro.
Mr. Dummitt said I misunderstood and if he did support Fidel Castro, then he was for
communism but that’s not what this is.
Mr. Wathen asked where is it going?
Mayor Conner said it’s going in the park at the triangle where the walking path goes all
the way around.
Apparently someone knew where the  bust was and/or located it in the ensuing five years.  However the return of the bust was achieved, I am very happy to see its restoration in Shively Park.  Good work, Mayor Sherry Conner and the City of Shively.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

P3. The third in a series of prayers - October 3, 2010

PRAYERS FOR THE NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
OCTOBER 3, 2010

READER:  O Father, we know you are always ready to hear us.  We cry to you for help, seeking a right spirit, responding to God of Mercy, Grace, and Abundance, Increase Our Faith.

1)  We pray this morning for all the people of the world, of different races and nationalities, faiths and concerns, for believers and non-believers.  We pray for leaders of governments, for laborers of fields and factories, for planners and thinkers in offices and universities, and for the youngest of children who will one day serve as leaders of their church, college, community, or country, praying God of Mercy, Grace, and Abundance, Increase Our Faith.
 
2)  We pray for the family of Christ’s followers in our time.  In the Anglican Communion, we pray for the Church of Wales.  In the Diocese of Kentucky, we pray for Saint Mary’s Church, Madisonville and their rector, the Reverend Candyce Loescher.  In the Highland Community Ministries, we pray for Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, for those from Saint Andrew’s who have joined us in worship this morning, and for their commitment to the new Academy at Saint Andrew’s, praying God of Mercy, Grace, and Abundance, Increase Our Faith.

3)  We pray for the unmet needs of the people in our community – those whose lives are sometimes lived entirely in our streets, vacant buildings, highway underpasses, and other places unseen by most.  For those who seek shelter and food from strangers and others, and for those who come through the doors of our churches in need, we seek your vision in addressing their concerns, knowing we may never fully understand their plight but that they like us are sisters and brothers, a part of your family, praying God of Mercy, Grace, and Abundance, Increase Our Faith.

4)  We pray for the sick and needy of Saint Andrew’s and Advent, asking your help and healing touch for these women and men here entrusted to you, for [names go here], seeking to restore their souls, spirits, and health, praying God of Mercy, Grace, and Abundance, Increase Our Faith.
  
5)  We pray for those friends and family, and others known only to you, who’ve passed from this life and world into the eternity we know has been prepared for all of us, for the deceased of Saint Andrew’s and Advent, especially [names go here, if any].  We may add now our own prayers, in silence or aloud.  [Time goes here].  Praying God of Mercy, Grace, and Abundance, Increase Our Faith.

CELEBRANT:  O God, we put our trust in you, committing to your ways, seeking your righteousness to be made as clear as the light, knowing that grace, mercy, peace, and abundance comes from you our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.
 

738. Futura, by Theatre [502] - and some discussion therewith

Theatre [502] is in the middle of their production of Jordan Harrison's play Futura at Actors Theatre in downtown Louisville.  It is directed by Theatre [502]'s Co-Artistic Director Amy Attaway.  Migael and I took in the performance last night in the Victor Jory Theater in the Actor's complex.  The setting is identified as taking place in a university lecture hall in the "near future."  As the play is performed in one Act, with scene changes executed by a darkening of the theater, the presumption, though odd, is that the entire play takes place somewhere on that same college campus.  The adjective "dystopian" has been used in all of the media hype for the play.  Dystopian is, I suppose, the opposite of utopian.  If you learned language as I did based on Latin, Greek, and other word-roots, you will recognise the "dys" which is bad, as opposed to "u" which is good.  The other root is "topia," from "topis" for place.  We get the word topography from the latter. So, if utopia is a good place, dystopia isn't.

Let's start at the end of the play, an uncomfortably small library in a secret room, with a teacher and a student beginning the process of learning to write all over.  "Put your name up in the right-hand corner of the paper" the teacher tells the student.  That's how we all learned, first to print, and later at the end of second grade, to cursively write on those ubiquitous writing tablets from kindergarten through fourth grade.  A chilling, indeed dystopian, place to end a play.  It is a great lament of the day that young students no longer learn to cursively write.  In fact, they typically learn to type, or, euphemistically - and there's that "u" for good spelled slightly differently - kids do not learn to type at all; they learn to use the keyboard.

Today's keyboard has all kinds of characters on it besides the 26 letters and 10 numbers of the Latin-based alphabet we use in the United States.  A few strokes away are symbols for Spanish, Portuguese, and other languages as well as signs for "libra" or "pound," a unit of money and weight in British-speaking places, or other signs not normally used in our Americised English.  And with the help of our computers, word-processors, iPads, and telephones, we can change the size and font of what we read and what we "write."  And all of this is safely stored away in some computer world, the "Cloud" perhaps, understood by some, but for most of us just "accepted" as being the way things are.

This play deals with the notion that all written forms and the means to create them have been put away - hidden away under the control of some "1984"-type business or entity or, perhaps, a college.  We never really know.

The play starts with that same teacher, a widowed college professor, giving a somewhat tortured lecture about type fonts.  Yes, type fonts.  Probably not the most exciting lecture for most, although I was totally involved.  As a reader and writer and student of words, languages, thoughts, and ideas, I found the subject totally engrossing.  To my surprise, Migael did too.  Anyone who has taken the time to read about the invention of the printing press, or the politics and intrigue which gave us the King James Version of the Bible, or any other histories of the beginning of the printed word, will find this part of the play familiar. 

The play takes a violent unexpected turn with the professor's kidnapping and the rest of the story revolves around her eventual escape, if one could call it that.  Three people are integral to the kidnapping - a bully, a character who first appears to be a street-thug, and - without giving too much away - another professor.  And at first it is difficult to know exactly what separates the protagonists from the antagonists, if one judges those roles by who comes out doing what is best for humanity.

The bully, whose use of variant forms of the "f" word is simply gratuitous - most modern plays have adopted this gratuity for some unexplained reason (there was some discussion of this by three of the patrons on the Main Street sidewalk after the play) - is quickly offed in another unexpected scene, lending credence to the street-thug's character.  And, as with all "bad" plots, there is the weak spot, in this case the same street-thug who, as it turns out, not only has a soft spot for the type-font lecturing professor - he was one of her former students we learn - but also for the written word itself, the anathema of the play, as he attempts to smuggle a book of poems for his own use.

The middle of the play is occupied by a great deal of dialogue between the two professors - and quite a bit of it went unheard by me, in part because because I do not hear well and in part because the acoustics for the play weren't the best.  On several occasions my date relayed some lines to me recognising that I did not hear them.  But the one I did hear during the professorial dialogue was paramount in understanding the play - a war between the format or platform for retaining information - whether electronically or in hard copy form.  I will return to this thought at the end of this essay because it remained on my mind through the course of the play and indeed well into the night.  But, I digress.

Let me speak here about the acting itself.  I hesitate to say I wasn't as impressed as I was expected to be but maybe that was appropriate given the subject matter.  The players seemed disconnected and distant.  One of the "hallmarks" of modern communication is the distance and disconnectedness [a new word, perhaps] of we the speakers.  We speak via chat boxes, email, text messaging, tweeting, and updating our Facebook statuses as if that is communication, as opposed to what they really are, simple electronic comments for which we may or may not receive a response, comments typically unadorned by accent, emphasis, or even bolding or italics; nor do we experience any body language or kinetics in these brief typwritten exchanges, the psychokinesiology involved in person-to-person communications.  So it is possible the acting was intentionally disconnected and distant.  I certainly felt that vibe.

Of the four actors, I have previously seen the work of three.  The rather stoic and emotionless type-font lecturing professor was well-portrayed by Laurene Scalf, a veteran of local theater.  Another veteran actor with many years to his credits was Tad Chitwood who is the other professor and boss, Edward Wexler, to the bully and street-thug characters.  I was back-and-forth on whether he was a good-guy or a bad-guy, but more on that later.  The unknown to me was the bully, acted by Betsy Huggins, a Marylander-turned-Louisvillian.  She has recently acted and performed at a variety of Louisville venues including Actors and the Walden Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival.  The final character, the street-thug - and in the final scene a student once again - was portrayed by Drew Cash, who I've seen here and there in various performances.  I'm intrigued that the playbook mentions he'll be performing later this year for a two month national tour of King Arthur and Hamlet.  As the seven regular readers of the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606 are aware, things Arthurian and things Shakespearean are leit-motifs of my favored reading lists.  I hope to learn more about Drew's upcoming plans.

But, back to the play.  Another gunshot, this time from the stoic professor as aggressor and the boss-professor as victim effectively take the latter character out of the action of the play.  The street-thug turns in favor to his former professor and they make their escape arriving at the "zero-drive" destination, an unknown and underground bunker, a small dark room of books and writing accoutrements, things our escaping professor, and perhaps her reprised student, believe are keys for the future.  Eerily uncomfortable and dystopian indeed.

Let me return to the middle of the play and the discussion between the two professors, some lines of which went unheard.  I wrote above, Laurene, the type-font lecturer, makes the argument, in so many words, that books and libraries, the traditional repositories of the written word and the information relayed by those words, are necessary for the future, for future generations to know and understand all that has been written before them.  Professor Wexler argues, in turn, that much of what is recorded in books and then retained on library bookshelves is, for the most part, inaccessible to the great masses, and that the panacea for such is making all that is available in the electronic avenues which serve as the new and updated repositories of information.  And the argument is hinted that such a reliquary as a library has limited use, its "books gathering dust," whereas modern electronic media is more widely acquired and used by far greater numbers of people. 

"But the one I did hear during the professorial dialogue was paramount in understanding the play - a war between the format or platform for retaining information - whether electronically or in hard copy form." 
It was at this point I decided that Professor Wexler was not an antagonist but a protagonist, ultimately the only one in the play.  He is right - the wider accessibility of electronic media is better than all the libraries of the world sitting in quiet and staid possession of all the books on their shelves.  This is not easy for me to write or admit to - it is, in fact, quite a revelation, perhaps an epiphany for me.

In my house are many, many books.  I've estimated there are about 3000 books somewhere and perhaps another 1000 in the boxes of my garage.  I am a hoarder of books.  Most are political, historical, or theological in nature, as are the entries of this blog.  But there are also most of the texts I purchased in high school or college.  There are dozens of Bibles and interpretations of Bibles.  There are so many Penguin and Folder editions of Shakespeare's works such that I could probably provide every actor in a performance of As You Like It with their own copy of the play.  At the auction of my great-grandfather's possessions in 1979, I purchased all of his library materials.  When my high school was closed in 1981 and a number of books marked to be discarded, I salvaged them from the dump and allotted them an eternal home in my library.  There is presently the one overdue library book, an autobiography of Gore Vidal, part of the public treasury of the Louisville Free Public Library.  There are probably  six or eight books belonging to other others.  I know for a fact I presently have books belonging to Tony McAdam, Bobby Simpson, Ken Herndon, and one belonging to the late Ed Prichard.  And there are a number of books taken from the shelves of libraries due to changes in accepted language, books which may use words no longer deemed acceptaable by many.  While the word "fuck" is regularly acceptable, the words "colored" and "negro" are, for the most part, not.  This is an entirely different discussion so let's let that go for the moment.  Ironically, there is one book missing from my library, borrowed in 2005, and the culprit of its absence was Migael Dickerson, my date for the night.  If anyone comes across an errant copy of "Getting Life in Perspective" please reclaim it for me.  It was written in 1991 by Toby Johnson and is a very intersting read - almost utopian.  But, again, I digress.

Of all these books in my personal library, few if any have ever been perused by anyone other than me - the notable exception being the missing Getting Life in Perspective.  Professor Wexler's character points out the error of this misfortune.  Books aren't meant to be hoarded, or if so, such a hoard should be made available to anyone and everyone by the most efficient means possible.  His answer for that is an electronic-media warehouse of some sort.  Of course, that isn't possible with my collection of mostly non-fiction hardbound writngs.  I must endeavor to make my library more accessible, something that has never occurred to me before.  And, while a morbid thought, I think I need to specify in my Will some more specific disposition of this most valued part of my estate.  That, too, has never crossed my mind.

Thus, even if the acting wasn't up to my expectations and the acoustics less than desirable, the play's message was heard loud and clear.  For that I am grateful.

The play's run continues this weekend.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

737 - the answers to 734's trivia

I've rarely posted a trivia game that didn't draw answers from at least two regular readers here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606.  But the game offered at the end of post #734 had only one contestant, so, despite not fully answering all of the questions, and skipping the bonus in its entirety, the winner of the quiz is Michael Garton, known in some circles as Eli.

Here is the quiz, followed by his answers, followed by my answers -

1.  I mentioned "Fourth Street" above.  Where was that?  What was the name of the building where "Fourth Street" was housed? Michael offered the answer of Democratic HQ, then amended his answer with the Brennan Building, formerly the Vienna Restaurant, which is a correct answer.  Brennan was the name of a family of donors to the local Democratic Party in the early to mid 20th century.  Read up on the Vienna Restaurant, one of Louisville's finest dining establishments at one time.  The building was leveled to make way for the Cowger Garage at 4th and Market.  Also leveled in that project was The Decanter Lounge, around the corner from HQ, and a longtime local watering hole for local pols. 

2.  The 45th District, once in Jefferson County, is now in Fayette County.  Who was the last Jefferson County Democrat to serve as 45th District State Representative? Michael correctly answered Dottie Priddy, whose life and death are memorialized in an entry on the day of her death, June 30, 2008.  See http://ohioriver606.blogspot.com/2008/06/352-rest-in-peace-dottie-priddy.html

3.  I mentioned Fibber McGee's Tavern in Okolona.  For whom was it named and why does the answer have anything to do with the answer to Question #3? Michael's answer was incorrect.  Bill "Fibber" McGee was a tavern owner and politician in Okolona in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.  His last race for State Representative was against Dottie Priddy, which he lost.  He successfully ran for the State Senate, representing the 19th District, in the early 1980s.  See http://ohioriver606.blogspot.com/2007/03/58-precinct-conventions-ld-elections.html

4.  I mentioned Governor Brown and Lieutenant Governor Stovall, who were opponents in the 1979 race.  Who was Governor Brown's lieutenant governor running mate in 1979 and, as a bonus, what do the two of them - Brown and his running mate - have in common as far as subsequent races in Kentucky for lieutenant governor? Michael correctly identified Martha Layne Collins as Brown's running mate.  But he skipped the bonus question about Brown, Collins, and subsequent races for lieutenant governor.  The bonus answer is each of their sons unsuccessfully sought the office of lieutenant governor, Steve Collins in 1991 and John Y. Brown III in 2003.

5.  I mentioned that Governor Brown's Republican opponent was Louie B. Nunn.  Who was the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor that year?   As a note, while this person lost that race, they presently serve in one of the most powerful positions of anyone in Kentucky. Michael's answer of Kentucky Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers, Republican of the 5th District, is correct.  After losing the race in 1979, the next year Rogers won the congressional seat, and has held it ever since, running unopposed in six of his elections.  He is the longest serving Kentucky Republican elected to a federal office and is currently chair of the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful positions in the federal government.

5.  This year's convention will be held at the State Fairgrounds, a name eschewed by state government officials.  What is the official name, according to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, for this Louisville venue?  Michael's answer is correct - the Kentucky Exposition Center.  It is a PR move to get away from the provincial sounding "Fairgrounds."  I spent the day today at the "Fairgrounds" and typically refer to the venue as the "Fairgrounds" because it is where we hold the Kentucky State Fair, which this year will be held August 16 through August 26.

P2. The second in a series of Prayers - September 5, 2010

PRAYERS FOR THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
SEPTEMBER 5, 2010

Reader:  We call upon Heaven in thanksgiving for what we have and with humility for what we seek, praying God of Grace, Hear Us.

We call upon Heaven seeking peace, desiring good and great things for all the people of the world and for the world itself, and asking for God’s blessing upon his church, and especial guidance for our new Bishop Terry White, praying God of Grace, Hear Us.

We call upon Heaven to address the needs of The Episcopal Church of the Sudan within our Anglican Communion, and the Department of Justice and Jubilee Ministries within the Diocese of Kentucky, and for Bardstown Road Presbyterian Church within the Highland Community Ministries, knowing the labor of these women and men of God are just and good, praying God of Grace, Hear Us.

We call upon Heaven giving thanks for our nation and its leaders.  We pray for President Obama and for all in positions of power, that you will grant to them wise counsel and adherence to your will, praying God of Grace, Hear Us.

We call upon Heaven to celebrate our national holiday, Labor Day, a day of rest for all who labor and work to fulfill the Kingdom of God here in our temporal home.  We also pray for that same day of rest for our world, the Earth.  We seek the understanding of the limits of resources our Earth can deliver, and acknowledge that we must give back, caring for this place as we would care for ourselves, praying God of Grace, Hear Us.  

We call upon Heaven for deliverance from all affliction, strife, and need.  We seek to feed the hungry, house the homeless, and provide for the needy, wherever and whoever they may be.  We pray for those travelling this holiday weekend that their journeys be safe and happy.  We pray for those in prisons and hospitals, and especially for our Armed Services throughout the world.  We pray for our Parish, our Rector Tim, our Deacon Eva, our Vestry, and all who labor for the needs of Advent Church.  We ask also for your healing hand upon [Advent names go here], praying God of Grace, Hear Us.

We call upon Heaven to accept into your Kingdom all those who have died, all Children of God, especially [Advent names go here], that in this final home we may all joyfully celebrate our fellowship as your Daughters and Sons forever, praying God of Grace, Hear Us.

Celebrant:  God of mercy and grace, hear these prayers of your people, judging them with reason and thoughtfulness, and grant to us our needs to better serve you and one another.  Amen.

The Archives at Milepost 606

Personal

Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Never married, liberal Democrat, born in 1960, opinionated but generally pleasant, member of the Episcopal Church. Graduate of Prestonia Elementary, Durrett High, and Spalding University; the first two now-closed Jefferson County Public Schools, the latter a very small liberal arts college in downtown Louisville affiliated with the Roman Catholic Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. My vocation and avocation is politics. My favorite pastime is driving the backroads of Kentucky and southern Indiana, visiting small towns, political hangouts, courthouses, churches, and cemeteries. You are welcome to ride with me sometime.