Hotter Than Hell In July

Growing up in rural Michigan in the 60’s, when life was easier and amenities were simple, parks and recreation areas were more of a pleasure than they are today. The summer could be hot and sweltering and, believe me the humidity and the barometric pressure weighed a lot heavier on people than Florida during hurricane season.

Mosquitoes swarmed in the multitudes, attracted by human sweat with the sweet reward of blood beneath a soft layer of flesh; they had their own straws. It wasn’t much of a triumph when you might catch one of those critters before they took flight and squish their bodies to lighten the load and end their lives. And yet, you still itch and scratch for hours, if not for a couple days.

Once school let out in early June, the Great Lakes State had plenty of smaller bodies of cool, fresh water to ease what otherwise might be a less than eventful day. The first big holiday where everyone had the day off was July 4th – this goes back to the days when stores would open as the late-morning church services were coming to an “Amen”.

It wasn’t a short ride from home, but you had to go through Hell to get to Silver Lake. The State Park was vast and well kept with some of the first trails I walked along with my childhood friend, Chucky. It was a favorite spot for the general area of central Lower Peninsula. It was s feast of chicken and burgers and homemade goodies such as baked beans, potato and macaroni salads. Of course, there were also chips, pop and a variety of desserts.

To accommodate the necessary picnic tables and grills for a group of a couple dozen of friends, there would have to be one or two early-birds in your party willing to wake well before sunrise to park their vehicles for a couple hours before the parking lot was open. As they waited, they would walk to lay claim to a chosen area that might offer some shade as the day progressively heated.

With five kids and the chores of a farm to attend to, our family arrived shortly after sunrise with Dad at the wheel, inching slowly to a parking spot of his own.

The rest of the day was mixed with eating, swimming (“You have to wait an hour before you can go back in the water!”), sunbathing and, for the adults, imbibing when it was still allowed. By the end of the day, sunburn was a memory that would last for nearly a week as the discomfort and redness eventually faded and the skin peeled. Suntan lotion hadn’t yet been given SPF values.

Just after dusk the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of these United States of America filled the sky with fireworks. As a kid, you swore that no other display was as grand as the one you were witnessing.

Hell, Michigan, was the gateway to that first holiday of the summer. Really, there was no finer day of the year. Sure, Christmas Day had its place high among other holidays but that day in early July laid the groundwork of memories for the summer vacation from school.

Of course, Silver Lake itself was just as hot as Hell in the summertime but there other locations around the world that better mirrors the fire and brimstone of the truly damned. Take for instance the daily newspaper and the page that gives global weather/temperature data. Check it out - the hottest place on Earth is in the hell hole where our troops are - Baghdad.

Hillary and Obama

Election Day is just a few months away. Much has been said about Democratic contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and even more has been said about the tensions and contentions within the Party because of Hillary’s insistence that she continue her campaign.

In the name of Democracy, Hillary has no intention of giving up and some fear that, unless she concedes to Obama, the ensuing fray will divide the Party. There is concern that, regardless of who is chosen as the nominee at the Democratic National Convention in August, too much damage will have been done and that he/she will be faced with an insurmountable task of winning on the of the General Election on November 4th.

Contrary to that belief, there are reasons to take another viewpoint.

Democrats ardently believe that McCain can be easily defeated and, when push comes to shove, it will be wounds of the nomination process that will bind the Party together. When the process is completed on August 28, one or the other will give full support to the winner. The goals of each candidate are similar to the other. The disagreement centers on whom can best implement those objectives.

The idea of a Dream Team puts the senior Senator at the top of the ticket; she can’t envision it otherwise. The probability of Obama stepping down from his own pedestal is in doubt. In the end,

Hillary’s attitude could label her a Bitch.

Obama’s umbrage might tag him as a Bastard.

There’s a lot to happen between now and June 3rd, when Montana and South Dakota bring an end to the primary elections. The ongoing problem of giving credence to seating Florida and Michigan representative delegates is a variable that may not be resolved any time soon. Blame it on the two states or put it on the back of the DNC or, better yet, place the burden on Howard Dean. Without an acceptable solution, their inability to come to a compromise, American voters will question either of their abilities to lead the Government with bipartisan support.

In the end, respectful consideration of their voters deserves a definitive resolution. Finger pointing serves no purpose and crossing their fingers gives so hope. There will be no satisfaction whatever the outcome, whether it is by mail-in votes or super-delegates. It all comes back to concession.

Rather than center their rhetoric on each other, Hillary and Obama would be wise to limit further debate on each other and make McCain and the Republican Party the main focus of attention.

McCain is more of a politician than he was a soldier.

The McCain campaign ended 2007 with deficit spending. It appears he will carry on the Bush economic policy as an irresponsible spendthrift.

McCain favors reducing corporate tax breaks yet maintaining tax breaks for the 1% of wealthy investors. How do lower class and middleclass citizens feel toward that?

McCain is insistent on maintaining troop levels in Iraq, willing to commit the United States to A Hundred Years War.

McCain touts the effectiveness of the United States’ military surge. And yet, our surge has resulted in another surge: an increase in the number of deaths of Iraqi citizens.

The current figure (as of this writing) of American soldiers killed in action is at 3,986. Sometime soon – much too soon – the number will exceed 4,000 lives. Some believe there are many more that have not been included in the tally. If one or the other of the two Democratic contenders fails to bring this to attention in their campaigns, they will have missed a golden opportunity to further sway voters from giving support to their Republican counterpart.

Between now and the Democratic National Convention from August 25-28, voters may choose to tune out politics altogether, turning their attention to the Olympics and taking pride in America’s athletic elite. The Opening Ceremony is August 3rd, the Closing Ceremony on August 24th. You can expect three weeks of glorious competition followed by three days of in-fighting. If Hillary or Obama can’t put on a happy face and a congratulatory handshake when the party’s over, it will no doubt have a negative impact on the anticipated success of every other Democrat seeking office.

Perhaps Hillary can expand on Bill’s theme twelve years ago:

It’s the economy, stupid.
It’s the war, stupid.
It’s health care, stupid.
It’s a recession, stupid.
And
It’s the Republicans, stupid.

Perhaps Obama could break out in song:

A Change is Gonna Come.
I’m the One That You Want.
Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag.
Good Vibrations.
And
Come Together.

Better yet, it would so cool if they were to gaze in each other’s eyes, singing My Guy / My Girl!!!