225. Wednesday Rambling

Yesterday the Leader of the Free World dropped in along the Right Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606 and gave a pep-rally to some business-types over in New Albany, Indiana. Suffice it to say, amongst the hand-planted guests, he encountered no problems, no questions or comments unbecoming or unanswerable. Outside the Grand Theater the situation was different. It included one couple from Elizabeth, a few miles southwest of New Albany on IN 11, whose son has very recently been shipped out to Iraq. They came with only one question for the president, "Why?" It is a question he can not or will not answer. He did throw some mud on the 110th Congress saying "The majority was elected on a pledge of fiscal responsibility, but so far it's acting like a teenager with a new credit card." Kettle meet pot. Never has an administration led America into such deep debt by borrowing than his, exceeding even the free -borrowing and -spending Ronald Reagan of a generation ago. America has so abused its credit card privileges that some foreign owners of our debt are beginning to write it off an unpayable. That is shameful and for the president to lecture anyone on budgetary restraint is beyond belief.

*****

On a lighter note, and closer to home, lights - hence the lighter note - are being strung amok in the civic park opposite the Jefferson County Court House in preparation for this year's Light up Louisville festivities, held the Friday evening after Thanksgiving. You will recall last year's oversized Christmas Tree tumbling into the roadway and electric lines, and having to be airlifted by a United States Military helicopter. No such federal involvement this year - they must be busy overseas fighting a war we shouldn't be in with an ending date no one knows of. But, I digress.

This year's tree is an artificial one, one which has stood in previous years in other places in the festival area while a real-live one stood in the fountain circle in Jefferson Square. Facade-ness in Metro government has apparently reached even our Yule celebration.

*****

Finally, the weather. It has been at or close to 70 degrees for the last three days, with occassional showers. Today it is expected the temperature will rise to 67 degrees. Pretty good for mid-November. This is akin to the Indian Summer some people have written of in the past. It will come to an end tonight as temperatures fall back into the 50s.

224. Whither Merger?

Today is the Federal Monday Holiday marking Veterans Day, or Armistice Day, which was yesterday, marking the end of the great war, what we now call World War One. The armistice was drawn at 11:11 AM on 11/11/1918, and signed in Compeiegne, France.

Observance of the holiday varies, although it has greatly increased since the events of September 11, 2001; it is also granted wider participation when our country is at war, as we have been for most of the current president's terms of office.

Here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606, that variance of observation continues. Schools are open. Courts are closed. City offices are open. County offices are closed. Wait, you say, what about Merger? Why are the Metro offices open but the County Attorney and County Clerk closed? I don't know the answer, although the answer is probably similar to one which would answer the question why do homeowners in the old City pay two tax bills while those in the County outside the old City continue only paying one, despite benefitting from both collections? How much of the old City's tax dollars, collected solely inside the so-called Urban Services District, is spent in the County where no one pays for it? Who knows?

Whither Merger?

223. Return to Normalcy

Now that the election is over, I hope to get back to using weekends as free time, time to enjoy the late fall colors, or what is left of them, by making a few road trips here and there.

I started that process yesterday making an impromptu trip to the State Democratic Headquarters where Governor-elect Beshear and his team made their announcements as to who would head the transition, the one outgoing Governor Fletcher promsised cooperation on, as well as to make a few early Cabinet appointments.

From there I cruised around Frankfort, taking the "old road" back to Simpsonville, before cutting over on Veechdale Road to make the I-64 trip back into Louisville. It was my first real trip out of Jefferson County in several weeks.

Tomorrow I may run up US 150 West to French Lick and the new casino. Maybe. Maybe not. Other than a formal dinner Saturday night and John Yarmuth's 60th birthday party on Sunday, the weekend appears to be clear.

Don't expect mich blogging between now and Tuesday. Happy (Early) Veterans Day. On that day, keep in mind all the veterans who have served in the past, as well as those who will be veterans whenever the President and the Congress decide to end the current war.

No future date is soon enough.

222. My Predictions Bad; Democratic Victories Good; Bleeding Kentucky Blue

We won.

Gosh, where to start?

I went to Frankfort last night - saw the victors - saw lots and lots and lots and lots of friends, old and new. Saw lots of old Young Democrats friends. We are all older, but we are all Democrats, and it was a damn good night to be a Democrat. I commented to one of my younger friends, Shawn Reilly, that this is the way it used to be all the time and I hope he would get to attend more and more of these victory celebrations.

And I thought of my grandmother more than once. She died in 1976. Prior to that, she was at every victory party after having been one of the most loyal of foot soldiers to the Kentucky Democratic Party. She would have had a ball last night in Frankfort, her home town.

I remarked to one friend that this was the first time in a long time I had seen some of the people there; he responded "they've been DINOs for a few years." The DINOs came home - and brought with them a more than a few disgrunted Republicans.

Last week I offered county-by-county predictions. I missed by a bunch. I'm glad I did. I did not fully comprehend the mood of so many Republicans. I'm glad I was wrong.

First, I had said that 61 counties always vote either Democrat or Republican. In that group, I predicted the governor would carry 48 counties. The governor only carried 28 counties anywhere in the state.

I said he would win Adair, Allen, Butler, Calloway, Casey, Clinton, Crittenden, Cumberlannd, Monroe, Russell, Breckinridge, Edmonson, Grayson, Green, Hardin, Shelby, Spencer, Taylor, Warren, Washington, Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Grant, Kenton, Lewis, Pendleton, Oldham, Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, McCreary, Martin, Owsley, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Wayne, Whitley, Estill, Garrard, Jessamine, Lincoln, and Mercer.

Of that group, Beshear carried Calloway, Crittenden, Breckinridge, Edmonson, Hardin, Shelby, Spencer, Warren (big), Washington, BRACKEN, CAMPBELL, GRANT, KENTON - (YES KENTON), PENDLETON, Johnson, Lawrence, Leslie, Martin, Owsley (by only 5 votes - maybe they are finally getting the message that Republicans don't give a damn about poor people), and Mercer. Beshear lost Wayne by four votes. I've bolded counties in the 2nd Congressional and italicised counties in the 4th. There are strong implications for a good Democratic candidate in these, especially the 2nd. The 5th CD shows promise for Greg Stumbo. I'm thinking Mitch McConnell's defeat next year would be helped by good candidates in each of these three CDs, coupled with Yarmuth and Chandler in the 3rd and 6th. Maybe I need to back off a day or too and let the euphoria settle.

Of the group of Democratic counties in which I predicted Beshear would be the winner, he won every one of them, including reliably Elliott County which gave him an 8-1 margin.

Then there are those counties where I attempted a judgment call. Here are the results.

Caldwell, wrong; Carlisle, correct; Christian, correct; Fulton, correct; Graves I called undecided, it went for Beshear 3-2; Henderson, correct; Hickman, correct; Hopkins I called undecided, it went for Beshear 7-4; Livingston, correct; Logan, correct; Lyon, correct; McCracken, correct; McLean, correct; Marshall, correct; Metcalfe, correct; Ohio, correct; Simpson I called undecided, it went 4-3 for Beshear; Todd, correct; Trigg, wrong; Union, correct; Webster, correct; Barren, wrong and thank you Steve Nunn for your help - we need you back in the legislature; Bullitt, correct; Daviess, correct (big); Hancock, wrong - went 2-1 for Beshear; Hart, wrong; Larue, wrong; Marion, correct; Meade, correct; Nelson, correct; Carroll, correct; Carter, correct; Fleming, correct; Gallatin I called undecided, Beshear carried it 2-1; Greenup, correct; Harrison, wrong; Henry, correct; Mason, wrong; Nicholas, correct; Owen, correct; Robertson, wrong - the vote in Kentucky's smallest and least populated county was 347 to 274 in Beshear's favor; Trimble, correct; Bell, correct; Breathitt, correct; Magoffin, correct; Menifee, correct - you know Menifee County is spelled wrong - should be Menefee; Morgan I called undecided - went 2-1 for Beshear; Rowan, correct; Wolfe, correct, although I said by a hair, and it was a 3-1 margin; Anderson, wrong, thankfully; Bourbon, correct; Boyle I called undecided - Beshear won 3770 to 3276; Clark, correct; Fayette, correct; Madison, correct; Montgomery, correct; Powell, correct; Scott, correct; and Woodford I also called undecided - Beshear won 4779 to 3233.

Again, based on some of my incorrect counties, the 2nd Congressional District is looking ripe for a takeover. Of the 113 counties I made a prediction in, I got 83 of them correct. That's 73.45%. I'll take that.

Yesterday, Kentucky let some Red Blood and Bled Blue.

221. Election Day

Last year, the voters of Louisville's Third Congressional District along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606 began the process of returning America to the people of America by replacing our ten year incumbent Republican Congresswoman with John Yarmuth, a Democrat who has proven to be a bright and shining star in the 110th Congress where few if any of his colleagues deserve such esteem, including at times the Speaker and the Majority Leader, as well as in the past few days senators Shumer and Feinstein.

Today, on a broader scale, Kentuckians will have a chance to expand that return to the entire Commonwealth by retiring the incumbent Republican governor and lieutenant governor and replacing them with a well tested leader as governor and an experienced legislator as lieutenant governor. Today's election in Kentucky will serve as an augur for 2008 and who will be the next Commander-In-Chief of our Republic, a race which officially begins tonight.

As the Israelis took over the land from Dan to Beersheba, as promised by the LORD, we have struggled with our current leaders and their policies, and we must bring an end to them. Kentucky began last November leading America back to the land of Milk and Honey. Today we continue that process and next November we will complete the journey.

Alleluia, alleluia. Thanks Be To God.

220. 7th Street North of Main - Closed Effective November 5

The housing situation and market in downtown Louisville has undergone and is undergoing significant change, getting a jump start during the administration of the last Mayor of the old City of Louisville, the Hon. Dave Armstrong. And nearly all of it has been a very positive change. I am among those who have moved to the downtown area during that time.

Most of the housing has been in buildings whose previous uses have long since passed. So the change has been welcome. Along the Waterfront, a complete renaissance has taken place over the last twenty years, with new parks, new homes, and new businesses, although we still have no place to go buy a new dress shirt, nor is a Kroger anywhere within a reasonable walk.

What hasn't changed much is the historic nature of the buildings and the lands being used to re-form what downtown Louisville actually looks like. And that is good.

That changes this morning with the closing of Seventh Street north of Main. The reason for the closure is the building of what will be Louisville's signature building on the Ohio, our signature feature at our location in the Republic. The new Museum Plaza will be 61 stories tall when completed. It will be located at N. 7th Street and W. Washington Street, which was legally closed last week. It will be juxtaposed upon I-64, much like the Muhammad Ali Museum and the future downtown arena are. And it will replace in its path Fort Nelson Park, which marks the founding of Louisville by George Rogers Clark in 1778, and the later building of Fort Nelson by Richard Chenoweth, the second of the Forts-On-Shore built to replace the original Corn Island fort, along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606.

The samll park, with its obelisk is the traditional site for the very genesis of our city here on the river. Somewhere in the park is a time-capsule, planted in the 1970s to be opened in the 2070s. Among the names written on the large concrete hole is mine. Mayor Harvey Sloane presided over the planting of the capsule and those of us in attendance signed our names on the wall into which the capusle was planted.

The original plan for Louisville was a series of streets running away from the river to the south, streets now numbered 1st to 9th, along with others running parallel to the river, streets now named Washington, Main, Market, and Jefferson. The city's south side ran along the alley south of Jefferson, then known as Green Street and now known as Liberty Street. That was the extent of downtown. Imagine the current location of the Court House looking southward into a vast area of trees and fields and standing water in Grayson's Pond, along where the Romano L. Mazzoli Federal Building now stands on Dr. Martin Luther King Place.

It is worth marking that today, with the closing of Seventh Street North of Main, a part of Louisville's history, its very origins, are being lost to progress, the never-ceasing March of Time along Louisville's historic place on one of America's great inland highways, the Ohio River.

Sunday's politicking

Briefly, we knocked on doors in the traditionally Democratic areas of Shively and Saint Denis, leaving large banner along the way with BESHEAR on one side and VOTE on the other. Tomorrow we weill repeat the pattern, leading up ot Tuedays' election. That's all for now - I'm exhausted.

218. Busy Day Today -and there's more to come tomorrow, Monday, and Election Day

It has been a busy day politically speaking here along The Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606. The morning started with coffee and a discussion about 7:45 am at Councilman Tom Owen's house. I was one of three people who helped manage his unsuccessful race for Mayor of [the old City of] Louisville back in 1998. Tom let me know he was planning to seek re-election to his Council office next year and I told him I would help him, not that he will need much help. From there it was out to Chapel Hill United Church of Christ for State Representative Joni Jenkins' twice-annual pancake breakfast, cooked by the Louisville Firefighters Local 345 and served up with milk, orange juice, and lots of danish. Just the thing for a mid-autumn diet. Before we left, Happy Birthday was sung to our congresssman John Yarmuth, who turns 61 tomorrow.

From there some precinct work was presented in the area around Algonquin Parkway and Seventh Street Road, as well as over around Central Avenue and Taylor Boulevard. Then back downtown to Democratic Headquarters for a rally with the candidates, some undercooked brats and overcooked hotdogs. The rally began with the singing of My Old Kentucky Home by our Jefferson County PVA Tony Lindauer and the Star Spangled Banner by Young Democrats President Lisa Tanner, both of whom did an excellent job despite the fact that a Norfolk Southern train was passing by on the elevated tracks, just to the rear of Headquarters. Later in the day, a stop was made at the corner of Farnsley Road and Dixie Highway where State Representative Dennis Horlander had a spread of barbecue chicken, some very well seasoned green beans, with enough ham seasoning to make a good sandwich, and lots more. Among those there was former Alderman and State Representative Jerry Bronger, a old friend from many years ago. Although I didn't go, there was another gastronomical event on the calendar tonight, the annual Okolona Democratic Club Chili Supper, held at the Teamsters Hall on Beulah Church Road. Instead I went home and slept off the three meals I had already had making the political rounds from earlier in the day.

After a nap, my friend Jessie took me out for a birthday dinner she had promised me back in September, when I crossed over from 46 to 47. It's been a pretty good day. Tomorrow and Monday will be spent canvassing for the Democratic ticket, and Tuesday will be spent driving voters to the polls and some college students who will be doing some last minute door-knocking, trying to up the turnout for Election Day.

If you haven't looked at them, a few entries ago I made a county-by-county prediction in the governor's race. We'll see how close I get.

Vote Early, Vote Often.

217. Sounds good to me

Yesterday, the president offered the following comment on the Congress refusing to confirm an Attorney General, specifically nominee Michael Mukasey, a United States District Judge from New York, over his failure to declare "waterboarding" as torture saying, "That would guarantee that America would have no attorney general during this time of war."

Given the president's previous Attorneys General, that might not be a bad idea.

216. Pray for the Dead - and the Living

Today is All Saints Day and tomorrow is All Souls Day in Liturgical Christendom. Pray for the Dead and the Dead will pray for you. It is also my father's 68th birthday. Happy Birthday Dad.

Light posting until after the election which is next Tuesday.

215. Predictions

Since Hallowe'en is a time of fun and games, I thought I'd play my own, a political one - that of predicting the governor's race. Ah, easy you say, Steve Beshear is going to win. That is a given - all the polls show him at least 15 points ahead, and yesterday and today two different polls showed him 20+ points ahead. That is an incredible margin.

So, to make it interesting, my predictions are broken down by county. We have 120 of them, the third most of any state in the Republic, Georgia exceeding us and Texas exceeding Georgia. I started this by responding to a post by Tim Havrilek, my blogging friend at the other end of the Democratic Party spectrum from me, as well as being at the southern end of the state. Here is the link to his blog's entry on the First Congressional District, a largely DINO district along the southern border of Kentucky. http://undergroundrooster.blogspot.com/2007/10/first-district-what-i-see-hear.html.

But, down in Tim's area, we (the Democrats) should do better than usual there given our standard-bearer is a native of the district, our Treausuer candidate Todd Hollenbach runs to the right of the Party on some issues, and Jack Conway went target shooting down in Ballard County back in August meaning his hunting license may be older than either Beshear's or the governor's. Steve Beshear and Jack Conway are campaigning in the First District as I am typing this.

So, without further ado, here goes the gaming, no pun intended. Well, wait. This isn't as hard as it seems which you'll see shortly. A lot of the counties are a given for one side or the other. After you throw those out, it gets a little tricky.

They are listed by county then by grade, or I mean name - a "B" for Beshear, an "F" for Fletcher. First the easy ones.

Adair - F; Allen - F; Ballard - B; Butler - F; Calloway - F; Casey - F; Clinton - F; Crittenden - F; Cumberland - F; Monroe - F; Muhlenberg - B; Russell - F; Breckinridge - F; Edmonson - F; Grayson - F; Green - F; Hardin - F; Shelby - F; Spencer - F; Taylor - F; Warren - F; Washington - F; Jefferson - B; Bath - B; Boone - F; Boyd - B; Bracken - R; Campbell - F; Elliott - B; Grant - F; Kenton - F; Lewis - F; Pendleton - F; Oldham - F; Clay - F; Floyd - B; Harlan - B; Jackson - F; Johnson - F; Knott - B; Knox - F; Laurel - F; Lawrence - F; Lee - F; Leslie - F; Letcher - B; McCreary - F; Martin - F; Owsley - F; Perry - B; Pike - B; Pulaski - F; Rockcastle - F; Wayne - F; Whitley- F; Estill - F; Franklin - B; Garrard - F; Jessamine - F; Lincoln - F; Mercer - F.

That's the first 61, or one more than half. The rest are pure speculation, like much else in politics. Run it up the flagpole and see who salutes.

Caldwell - F; Carlisle - B; Christian - B; Fulton - B; Graves - undecided; Henderson - B; Hickman - B; Hopkins - undecided, leans F; Livingston - B; Logan - from way out on a limb I am giving it to Beshear; Lyon - B; McCracken - more limb work - B; McLean - B; Marshall - B; Metcalfe - B, barely; Ohio - B, that's different; Simpson - undecided; Todd - B, just barely; Trigg - F; Union - B; Webster - B; Barren - F; Bullitt - B, for a change; Daviess - B; Hancock - F; Hart - F; Larue- F; Marion - B; Meade - B, just barely; Nelson - B; Carroll - B; Carter - B; Fleming - B; Gallatin - undecided; Greenup - B; Harrison - F; Henry - B; Mason - F, but, again why?; Nicholas - B; Owen - B, barely; Robertson - F; Trimble - B; Bell - B; Breathitt - B, hmmm; Magoffin - B; Menifee - B; Morgan - undecided; Rowan - B; Wolfe - B, by a hair; Anderson - F, but why?; Bourbon - B; Boyle - undecided; Clark - B; Fayette - B; Madison - B; Montgomery - B; Powell - B; Scott - B; Woodford - undecided.

Is there a pattern? Yes. Beshear is originally from the west and Mongiardo is from the east, and Louisville is their connecting point, a Democratic stronghold. Beshear's native western counties usually go Republican but he can mollify that to a point. Mongiardo carries the east, with the few traditional Democratic counties, as well as a few traditionally Republican counties in the Old 5th. And again, Louisville puts them over. It doesn't hurt that Beshear's present home is in the 6th, which is also Fletcher's.

We'll see what happens next Tuesday.

Happy Hallowe'en, again.

214. Hallowe'en

I prefer to say the word with an extended third syllable, as in hal - o - weeeeeeen, much like the word Tumbleweed is spoken from time to time in commercials for that Louisville eatery, tum-ble-weeeeed.

I could write for pages on Halloween which is one of my favorite holidays. It was something we celebrated in large fashion growing up. And while the day is rooted in ritual from the pre-Christians in celebration of the Last Harvest and Samhain, to the Roman Catholic and other Christian celebrations of All Saints Day, which is tomorrow, it is mostly a time of having fun, even being a little naughty, moreso for teens and adults than the little trick-or-treaters progressing from one house to the next, then maybe repeating the pattern again.

But for now, I'm just glad it is here. It leads to Thanksgiving and Christmas in this country and the ever-turning of days into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, another of which will arrive in sixty-one days.

Happy Hallowe'en.

Someday Linus will get his Great Pumpkin.

213. When the frost is on the punkin'

The weather forecasters promised overnight lows in the 30s and some frost in the outlying areas along The Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606. They delivered. It is 38 degrees here, 35 in Shelbyville, and 33 in Salem, Indiana a few miles north of Louisville. I mention Indiana because this is one of the times of the year that the Hoosier state provides a horn of plenty for the rest of us. Corn, soybeans, gourds, and specifically for this time of year, pumpkins.

Living in Louisville one easily becomes familiar with the large commercial pumpkin patches growing up in Starlight, Borden, Scottsville, and Navilleton, just a few miles north of here. Stumlers, Hubers, and their in-laws and ex-laws all have huge operations on top of the hills just north of Floyds Knobs, between US 150 on the west and IN 60 on the east. But a simple drive anywhere not too many miles away from here, out IN 62 or I-64 to Corydon (part of the route written about some time ago), IN 64 to New Salisbury and Milltown, or US 150 to Palmyra, or IN 60 to Borden and Salem, yields acres and acres of pumpkin patches grown on small farms by individuals and families, who oftentimes will offer them for sale for two or three dollars, regardless of size and shape, with their "store" being an old flatbed wagon sitting at the foot of the driveway along the roadside. You'll even find some of these stands attended only by a bucket with homemade lettering saying "Punkin' Money."

I said at the beginning of September that my favorite three months were the one we are in and the ones on either side of it. Part of the reason is the smell of leaves (or maybe burning leaves, a smell we no longer can legally enjoy in these parts), and the briskness of the mornings such as today's.

When I was 8, I received as a Christmas present from my bachelor-farmer-lawyer-politician uncle, the second oldest of my maternal grandmother's brothers, the book The Complete Poetical Works of James Whitcomb Riley. I've mentioned this before. Throughout the large volume, my uncle Bob had marked poems he thought would be worthy of memorization. One of those, which I did memorize, is the best summary of the season I have ever read or known. I have printed in below.

*****

WHEN THE FROST IS ON THE PUNKIN

by: James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then's the times a feller is a-feelin' at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here--
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock--
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves, as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries--kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below--the clover over-head!--
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock!

Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps
Is poured around the celler-floor in red and yeller heaps;
And your cider-makin' 's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With their mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and saussage, too! ...
I don't know how to tell it--but ef sich a thing could be
As the Angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me--
I'd want to 'commodate 'em--all the whole-indurin' flock--
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock!

*****

Enjoy the season.

212. Rally in Okolona

The Kentucky Democratic Party brought its team and message close to The Left Bank of the Ohio river near Milepost 606 last night in the form of a huge rally [the Courier said "several hundred"], sponsored by the Metro Democratic Club, and held at the United Auto Workers union hall on Fern Valley Road, on the northside of Okolona in precinct Q124, the only one of State Representative Larry Clark's precincts which crosses over to the west side of Preston Highway. Representative Clark was among the many elected officials present last night, others including the Dean of the Legislature Representative Tom Burch, my representative Tom Riner and his wife former Representative Claudia Riner, Senator Perry Clark (the only Jefferson County senator present), former Republican Senator Lindy Casebier, former Representative Al Bennett and many others. The event was emceed [a non-word long in use] by Jefferson County Attorney Irv Maze, Jefferson County Democratic Party Chair Tim Longmeyer, Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Jonathan Miller, and Kentucky Democratic Party Vice Chair Jennifer Moore, one of Louisville and Kentucky's rising stars, both in her professional work as an attorney and is her political role which continues to grow each day. Not only is the immediate present looking good for Kentucky Democrats, but also for the first time in a long time, we seem to be developing a bench for the years down the road.

After an invocation to God and the playing of the National Anthem, the leadoff speaker was Treasurer candidate Todd Hollenbach, who as I looked around the room of many people I've known for many years, is one of the people I known since I was a young teenager, maybe even longer. Todd is two months older than me. We had a discussion at the end of the night on issues of concern to me as they regard his race and each of us are aware that it will be his home county where his father served many years as both County Judge and Commonwealth's Attorney which will prove most helpful in his victory next week. Next up was Auditor Crit Luallen, a Frankfort native and the only person who is seeking re-election. She spoke of her outstanding work in that office, work which is following decades of exemplary work in various parts of state government on behalf of the citizens of Kentucky. Crit is widely believed to be a candidate for the United States Senate next year, and her staff was working the crowd perhaps doing double duty, some for 2007 and more for 2008. She was followed by Bruce Hendrickson as I recall, who was there with his son, and still has a good chance of being Kentucky's next Secretary of State. Then came Louisville's favorite son on the ballot Jack Conway, candidate for Attorney General, arguably the second most important position in the Commonwealth, and for proof of that Jack suggested we "just ask Ernie." I've known Jack since the early 1990s and am proud to have been a part of his previous races and look forward to his presence (for a second round) on the first floor of the New Capitol Building in Frankfort. Later on, at a small gathering for Jack downtown on E. Main Street, I did express to him my opposition to the Death Penatly, offering instead the option of Life Without Parole. Jack's speeches have tended toward the right a little more than I am comfortable with knowing he will be the Commonwealth's Chief Law Enforcement Officer in a little over two months. He listened attentively to an argument made on this subject by my friend Jessie Phelps, attempting to disarm her argument with a winning smile, as he does with many folks and it usually works. It didn't work on her or me, but we are each strongly behind Conway. He is one of the rising stars building the bench for the future of Kentucky and the Kentucky Democratic Party.

Kentucky's candidate for Lieutenant Governor is Daniel Mongiardo, who was Dan Mongiardo in all his previous races, but the candidate for governor always refers to him by his proper name, so we shall as well. His speech began the frenzy which led to a speech given by His Honor the Mayor of Louisville-Jefferson County Metro, who was sped into the rally from downtown where he had just overseen the beginnings of the Museum Plaza project at 7th and Main, helping with others to shovel out the first dirt, which I assumed came from the Fort Nelson Park, a park dedicated to and commemorating the first landing at the Falls of the Ohio, a park which is to be destroyed in the Museum Plaza project. But, I digress. The mayor gave a rousing speech about Kentucky's new direction for the next few years and closed by introducing the person we all came to see, Steve Beshear, our candidate for governor, and if the polls are any indication, he will easily be elected as our next governor.

Now Beshear is an attorney from Lexington, but when he opens his mouth and you hear his voice, you know he isn't native to the Limestone and Bluegrass of central Kentucky. Steve is from Dawson Springs, in Kentucky's First Congressional District, a place where Democrats tend to elect Republicans with keen regularity. You'd have to go back to the 1990s and Thomas Jefferson "Tom" Barlow's 1992 win for congress or Paul Patton's victories for governor to find the last time the region elected a Democrat to a state or federal office. With Steve being a native to the area, and all the candidates reaching out in a variety of ways to the more conservative First District, some reaching a little more diligently than my comfort level, we should do better there than in years past. And those of us who count the votes three and four times over for any analytical value after the polls are closed, will be closely watching Hopkins, Christian, Todd, and the other counties along Kentucky's southern border to see how well they served the Party in the way of votes.

As the rally came to an end, a closing Benediction offering thanks and blessings for the Party and its candidates was offered by a Prayer asking all the Democrats in room to close the evening in Jesus' name, and a hearty "Amen" followed, although more thana few of us were more comfortable with the opening Invocation to an omniscient and overseeing God than the closing Benediction to Jesus Christ which would have and did exclude the several Jews and non-Christians (including the State Party Chair) in the room. But then inclusion is more important for me than it was to some others present, including, apparently, the Atlanta, Georgia reverend offering the prayer.

Onward Christian Soldiers, Marching As To War, With The Cross of Jesus, Going On Before.

Election Day is November 6th.

211. It's Raining, It's Pouring

It has been raining here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606 for three days and the rain is expected to continue, if only in spurts now and then, for another two days. For the record, we've received nearly eight inches here in the downtown area. While there are no crops growing in my area (other than some clandestine herb here and there, perhaps), farmers across Kentucky and Indiana are welcoming the rain as a form of Liquid Gold delivered directly from Providence.

Thanks Be To God, Alleluia, Alleluia.

210. Giving credit where credit is due: Richie Farmer

As a voting member of the Kentucky Democratic Party State Central Executive Committee, I am committed to electing Democrats at all levels of government, believing, as I generally do, that in nearly every instance, the Democratic candidate more readily represents my views than will any Republican. Admittedly, some of my views tend well to the left of some of those Democrats, so for a Republican, I tend to be out in left field, over the fence, and deep into pastures not tred by many others.

Having said all that, I want to give credit where credit is due. As regular readers know, I have a passionate stance against The Wall being built between Mexico and the United States. My views on immigration admittedly fall to the extreme left. Very few if any politicians share my views in toto and none that I have voted for in recent memory would get a A+ 100% rating from me on this issue. Some agree here and others there. Notably President Bush and I share some views on a guest worker program. In the final year of the NBC series West Wing, presidential candidate Arnie Vinnick, the Republican, introduced a measure on guest workers which I would have supported, a measure which was intended to intimidate his latino opponent, Matt Santos. To date, none of the current crop of real-live Ds or Rs running for president have presented anything near faux-candidate Vinnick's proposal, except maybe Mike Gravel.

But, I digress.

I am on the mailing list of the Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, or KFTC, which is self-described as a "statewide citizens social justice organization working for a new balance of power and a just society." The latest mailing was a Voter Guide for next month's statewide elections, which include a race for Agriculture Commissioner, an office currently held by Richie Farmer, a Republican originally from Clay County and a former star of that county's high school basketball team, and later one of the Unforgettables on UK's basketball teams from 1988 to 1992, with his collegiate basketball career ending with the greatest college basketball game ever played, Kentucky losing to Duke 104 to 103, a game which also ended the legendary career of WHAS announcer Cawood Ledford.

But, I digressed again, and in a big way, but that was a passionate digression, as my five faithful readers will remember I have written about The Game, Richie Farmer, and Cawood before.

Anyway, KFTC's Voter Guide included a question to the candidates for Agriculture Commissioner on immigration which read, "What is your position on the current discussion around immigration policy as it relates to Kentucky's farm community?"

Commissioner Farmer, a Republican, offered the following response: "I believe that Federal immigration laws should be enforced. I also believe, however, that there must be some recognition of the need for producers to have a steady and legal source of farm labor. There has been a lot of shouting back and forth about these matters, but I believe that if we would all just listen more to each other, we can find a way to address both issues."

And that however in his response is telling and the words following that however make this an acceptable answer in my book. So, this entry is to give credit where credit is due.

209. TARCing about

The truck is still out of commission, so travelling to and from work, and other places, has been on foot or by bus - TARC as we say here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606 - TARC being an acronym for the government-subsidized public transportation system serving Louisville and Jefferson County, as well as portions of Bullitt and Oldham counties in Kentucky and Floyd and Clark counties in Indiana.

Neither walking nor riding is a problem given I live about fourteen blocks from where I work, six blocks from my father, and maybe a little over 700 feet from a little market called Webb's, one of those old-fashioned corner markets with wooden plank floors, where they have a little of everything, plus a steam-table for the lunch crowd, most of whom are industrial workers in the area. While the selection isn't broad, it is decent if a little pricey, and the home-cooked meals from the steam table are great. Given they cook quite a bit of meat each day, they maintain a pretty good selection of different cuts, all fresh given, as I said, they are cooking and serving most of it as part of a meal.

My college friend Tim Darst would tell me I could be riding the bus all the time everywhere I need to go, and he may be right up to a point. But getting to my mother's requires a long walk along a narrow two-lane well-travelled county road with no sidewalks. Thursday evening, I have a Democratic Party rally to attend as well as two fundraisers afterwards. Hopefully, I'll be driving to those as opposed to relying on friends. In the long term, I have decided on two things when the times comes to purchase a newer vehicle. First, it will not be a stick. I am getting too old to switch gears. Two, it will not be a truck - this is my fourth. I am getting too old to move everyone else's stuff.

In the meantime, if you happen to see me standing along the side of Jefferson, Muhammad Ali, Chestnut, Preston, or Broadway, I'm just waiting for the next long white sixty-six passenger limousine to come my way. And presently doing all that standing in the rain, which started yesterday and may not end until tomorrow.

208. In a rut.

Bad timing. My truck is "off the road" again - the second time in four weeks. It is a Grey 2002 Ford Ranger XLT (whatever that means), that truthfully has given me very few problems. It has been in 61 of Kentucky's 120 counties this year and has about 107,000 miles on the odometer. In the bed are several 4x4 beams, some fence posts for erecting 8x4 yard signs, and two old window frames I got from a neighbor, not really knowing what to do with them, but she was "sure" I could make something out of them. It also has about four Jack Conway signs left in the back which have yet to find homes. And it is easily identifiable by the array of liberal and left-leaning stickers adjoined to it including one that says "I'm a Card Carrying Member of the ACLU." The most recent political sticker added is one which reads "Ken Herndon - Democrat for Metro Council." In a little over two weeks, the "Conway for Attorney General" stickers will be replaced with ones reading "Yarmuth for Congress." There is also an "HRC" sticker and another one which reads "Teach Peace" which was the first sticker I put on it after purchasing it from Bluegrass Lincoln-Mercury several years ago when it had only 1600 miles on it. In an official ad, my license plate is one of those crowing about Kentucky's Independent Colleges, mine a speical plate for Spalding University, my alma mater. Finally, in the upper right hand corner is an ad for my favorite secret bunker and coffeehouse which reads "Imbibe Atomic Saucer, 1000 E. Oak St., Louisville, Ky." For the moment, all of them are doing no good since the truck is not going anywhere.

207. Getting their second wind - - -

The National Weather Service is now reversing itself and confirming three tornadoes in the Louisville area yesterday, one in town just east of downtown (where I live) along Lower Brownsboro Road (US 42) around 7:00 pm, and two others, one on either side of North Preston Highway (KY 61) north of Shepherdsville and south of Hillview, in Bullitt County. All were ranked at approximately 85 miles per hour, which is at the bottom of their ranking schedule.

As a note, the ones in Bullitt County followed just a little south of the same path taken by a tornado on Primary Election Day, May 28, 1996. That one was much stronger, starting on top of Brooks Hill and sweeping down into the low-lying areas along Blue Lick Creek and I-65 to the east. Many of the polls in that part of the county went without electricity for some time and closed without a number of people being allowed to vote. The law at the time read that those in line at 6:00 pm, the prescribed closing time of the polls, could remain in line but that all voting would cease at 7:00 pm.

Because of the delays that day (some of which were caused by too few machines in particular polls and were totally unrelated to the climactic events), the voting-times law was amended in the 1998 Kentucky General Assembly. The 1998 Kentucky Acts of the General Assembly, Chapter 4, Section 1, rewrote the statutes to allow that anyone in line at 6:00 pm would be allowed to vote before the polls were to be closed, and the polls would remain open until that last person in line at 6:00 pm voted, irrespective of the time. The new law went into effect on February 17, 1998.

206. More Weather

Yesterday was a rather adventurous day, weatherwise, here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606. And the weather was more April-like than October. For the first time in over three years (if my memory serves me), the Tornado Sirens were activated around 6:50 pm, meant to indicate that a funnel cloud or tornado had been sighted somewhere in the county. The last time I recall this was during the summer of 2004, when strong winds blew through the University of Louisville area. In that storm, I stayed under the Fourth Street Viaduct, just south of campus and watched whatever it was cross over the railroad tracks and make its way east toward Germantown and Crescent Hill. Last night's storm moved in from Harrison County, Indiana, then jumped directly into downtown, crossing directly over my home just east of downtown, although we never lost power. There was a great deal of damage to a building two blocks due south of me, as well as some blown transformers, and trees being toppled all through the area. This storm then headed toward Crescent Hill, and from there it followed I-71 to Oldham and Henry counties. Despite all the damage, including a tree falling on a passing motorist along Lexington Road in which the driver, a 28 year old student from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was not injured, today the Weather Service is saying no tornado touched down in Jefferson County, although they are confirming that the line which moved through here did produce tornadoes elsewhere. (I'm assuming that is how you spell the plural of tornado, and if Dan Quayle were around I'd feel better about my spelling prowess). A second line moved through about an hour and a half later, and a third line, stronger than the second, but not nearly as strong as the first, arrived about 11:10 pm.

Like all mornings-after the previous night's storms, the skyline today is a beautiful shade of blue, and the temperature more appropriately in the 60s and 70s, as opposed to yesterday afternoon's mid 80s.

As the storm moved through, I went next-door to a neighbor's house to watch all the excitement on TV. Everytime the weathercaster would use his computer and electronically track where the storm was headed, I recognized all those little villages and post offices that very few people know about - places like Skylight, Liro, and Sulphur northeast of Louisville, and Derby, New Amsterdam, and Sulphur (again) in the counties west of Louisville in southern Indiana. As each new "projection" was made, I was telling her where it was, or some cases, where it once was, as some of those names they use are there in name only - burgs which have passed their way into history usually leaving only an intersection, or maybe a church, to carry on the name.

They all show up on the latest Doppler projections.

205. Rain

Early this morning, right about 3:00 am, the rain started. As I have all three of the windows in my bedroom up to enjoy the cool overnight air, I slowly but certainly became aware of the pitter-patter of rain drops against the gutters and the overhang which jut ever-so-slightly out from my home, creating not-quite a front porch.

Eventually I raised up enough to look out the north-facing window toward the traffic-lighted intersection about a half block away, adjusting my barely-awakened eyesight to the prism-like scenes of the raindrops against the red, yellow, and green lights of the traffic signal. As if in awe, I kept this lookout for a minute or two, much as I do each year, usually about this time, when the first snowflakes of what will become Winter fall in our city, a sight which has always put a smile on my face.

It has been a while since we had a good rain.

*****

Today is the birthday of a Cuban emigre, my friend Irving, an anglicised form of his given name, Irvis. He has been in the States since late 1994 and has rented property from me since 1999, property which he has markedly improved in the nine years of his tenancy, improvements for which I am grateful. It is also the birthday of my friend John Miller, a 1992 graduate of Atherton High School whose present whereabouts are unknown. Cheers to both of them.

Article One - Ask your Congressman

I often ramble on and on about the United States Constitution and specifically about the First Amendment of the Constitution. This entry isn't about Amendment One. Rather it is about Article One. And it isn't my work. Below is a copy of an email received from my favorite Congressional PR guy, Stuart Perelmuter, in the office of Congressman John Yarmuth, Democrat of Kentucky's Third District.

As our country - meaning "We the People" who make us up - has allowed the Executive and the Judicial branches to overstep bounds not conceived by the Founding Fathers, nor written into policy as part of our Constitution - and have by their overstepping in fact violated Article One of the Constitution, Congressman Yarmuth and the other Majority Makers, those elected in 2006 and by doing so relegating Dennis Hastert to the back bench and promoting Nancy Pelosi to the Speaker's Chair, will be announcing a new initiative aimed at educating the public about Article One and reaffirming the role of the United States Congress in the governance of our great Republic.

*****

Here is the Press Release --

*****

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 15, 2007

MEDIA CONTACT

Stuart Perelmuter 202.225.5401

Rep. John Yarmuth(KY-3)



House Freshmen to Announce Article 1 Initiative

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States,

which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

–U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 1

(Washington, DC) Tomorrow, members of the Freshmen class of the 110th Congress will hold a press conference to announce their Article 1 initiative, a campaign to reaffirm Congressional authority as outlined in the Constitution.



WHO: Members of the Freshman Class, including:

Rep. Tim Walz (MN-1)

Rep. John Yarmuth (KY-3)

Rep. Paul Hodes (NH-2)

Rep. Tim Mahoney (FL-16)

Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1)

Others.

WHAT: Article 1 Press Conference

WHEN: Tuesday, October 15th, 9:00 AM

WHERE: Cannon Terrace

Washington, DC


United States House of Representatives
319 Cannon House Office Building • Washington, DC 20515

202.225-5401 phone • 202.225.5776 fax

203. The last two weeks of October

I went to my mother's over the weekend. Her neighborhood was having a yard sale - several different houses offering items they don't need to people who think they do. I visited around - I think they mostly sell to each other, as her subdivision is a single U-shaped street (albeit with three names for the three different sides of the U) with access to no street other than the one at each end of the U, which is South Park Road.

While at my mom's I closed the pool. It had already started accumulating leaves and for the first time since she has had it, I do not believe anyone went swimming in it this year. Of course, today it is supposed to be back in the 80s, so there may have been one more potential day to do so, but no. Swimming season is over.

And darkness prevails on the way in to work. That'll last for a few more days, then we'll set the clocks back [remember Spring forward, Fall back] and another hour will magically appear one morning, but it too will slip back into darkness as we'll pass through the season of Fall and toward the season of Winter.

But first, we have a little election to hold. The Democratic contenders (with the exception of one named Williams who is running for Agriculture Commissioner) all seem to be in position to take office, either in December for Steve Besehar and Dan Mongiardo, or in January for all the others. The only race which is something of an upset will be that of Bruce Hendrickson, in line to beat the Republican's shining star, incumbent Secretary of State C. M. "Trey" Grayson, III.

I spent a few hours over the weekend delivering the last of the Beshear signs I had been assigned to precincts in the 41st Legislative District where I live, as well as the ten I had left for Jack Conway, which went up in my usual list of houses, people who I call twice a year, and with little exception, always say yes when I ask "Can I put so-and-so's sign in your yard?" One of those folks I visited over the weekend told me he had been canvassed by the well-orchestrated Democratic Co-ordinated Campaign and his response when they asked who he was for was "whatever Democrats Jeff tells me to be for." He got a Conway and a Beshear sign.

Events this week include a Debate Party tonight in the Red Room at Flanagan's on Baxter Avenue, a rally for Conway on Wednesday in front of the Marriott at 2nd and Jefferson, and more yard sign delivering wherever they send me.

Someday I may tire of these last few weeks before an election. A string of losing years headed me in that direction, but, like the leaves this time of year, the political leaves are turning in my favor. Winning the Third Congressional District in 2006 was a huge victory, setting us up for this win in two weeks in Frankfort. The big prizes come next year as a Democratic candidate will be nominated to bring to an end the lunacy and unconstitutionality of the Bush/Cheney junta currently occupying the Executive Branch of government in Washington, DC. There is also the matter of the Senior Senator currently representing the Commonwealth.

Redemption draweth nigh.

202. Recognition

I suppose I should make mention of the fact that the University of Kentucky football team last night defeated the Number One team in the country, the Louisiana State University Tigers, said team also being a member of the South Eastern Conference. The score was 43 to 37. Said recognition is necessary given that I may never have the opportunity to write those words again my life.

UK is now ranked 7th in the standings.

Go Cats.

201. One more thought on Hawkins

Erwin Roberts has announced his candidacy as a Republican seeking the office presently held by incumbent Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth, who I helped elect in 2006 and will do so again in 2008, and I fully expect John to win. But this entry isn't about John.

I've met Mr. Roberts once, at the Saint James Art Fair, and found him to be an amiable and attractive candidate. But neither of those qualities should serve as a reason to elect someone to Congress.

But, he has others.

Mr. Roberts has a wonderful family, a wife and four children [I think it is four] and, for some, this is an important reason to elect a person.

Mr. Roberts is a highly educated man, using his education as a prominent attorney, and that too would be helpful for him to be his Party's nominee.

Mr. Roberts is highly thought of by some in his Party, so much so that the incumbent Republican governor has not once but twice appointed him to a Cabinet position.

What does all this have to so with Councilman Hawkins' introduction of an anti- illegal-immigrant bill in the Metro Council?

Many of the people who would most strongly support ultimately denying police, fire, EMS, healthcare, and other services to illegal immigrants (measures which admittedly are not presently a part of Hawkins' proposal), those who have been most vocally supportive of Hawkins' current proposal, a forerunner which could possibly lead to those above-mentioned denials, have one big problem with the current front runner for the Republican nomination to Congress.

Mr. Roberts is black.

Mr. Hawkins may have the noblest of intentions in introducing this measure. But his supporters may have other motives. And the far-right wing of the right wingers who have the strongest opposition to anything for any illegals might be looking for someone other than a black man to be the nominee under the Republican banner. And Mr. Hawkins might be testing their will in introducing his current proposal. He has indicated in the past he may interested in seeking the nomination next year.

And if this proposition of shame sounds like something from the talk-radio madness usually heard on WHAS-840 weekday afternoons from 12 noon to 3 pm, it is.

I know Mr. Hawkins. I do not believe him to be a bad person or one who harbors ill will toward anyone. But I've read the Courier-Journal comments page below the article about his proposal, and rest assured, supporters of this matter are not shy in any way about their racism.