respublica

All dressed up for Halloween

Four! (Fore)

We don't work for money

After church yesterday I stopped by a Collinsville convenience store to pick up a paper.  Before I even got my money out, the young man working the register started in on the nobleness that is Occupy Wall Street and Occupy every other city.  

Whoa.  The guy was a one subject obsessed machine, congenial, but determined to get his feelings on the OWS protests known.  He was a supporter, probably had spent some time in downtown St. Louis at Occupy St. Louis.

His first words to me were:  "The protesters have a right to peaceful assembly, why are they being attacked?"  

I thought to myself, "Oh gee", get me out of here."

Then he said for what would be a dozen times, "They have the right to peaceful assembly and the right to free speech."  "No one can take that away."  "The protesters in Denver were shot with rubber bullets, how is that enforcing the right to peaceful assembly?"

So I'm standing there with my dollar-fifty and the paper thinking, "What do I say without having to get into a day long argument?"

He says, "Why don't people see what the protesters are doing is a good thing?"

I said, "Well, every protest has its opponents depending on a point of view.  How did you view the Tea Party rallies?"

He obviously didn't hear that question, his head was so full of protest slogans.  He went on to say:

"We don't really work for money, we work for things we need."  

Oh boy.  So I said, "So, you'd rather the store paid you from a list of needs you have each week, like say, one week you need toilet paper, bread and milk, a new shirt.  The next week they pay you with cereal, beer, soda and chips?"

He answered, "The protesters have a right to peaceful assembly and free speech without the fear of getting shot with rubber bullets or pepper spray."

I said, "Well, I hope things work out.  I have to get going, have a good one."

Wow. A new meter

Post Dispatch editorial sub headline:

Utilities get a guaranteed 10 percent.  You get a new meter. 

Somehow this agreement by the state legislature and Commonwealther Edison and Ameren didn't have to go through regulators.  

Enjoy your pretty new meter and your higher rates.

Let's just say Connor likes to climb things.

At his brother's soccer game yesterday Connor continued wiling away his time climbing on things.  Last week it was the backstop, yesterday outdoor play equipment.  

Christian likes playing soccer.

Connor likes to climb

What will next week bring?

Good...or bad...sportsmanship begins young

Saw a definitive example of the root of poor sportsmanship today. At the end of a kindergarten soccer game, when the two teams line up and walk past members of the opposing team slapping hands, the winners kept up a chant of "bad game" "bad game" as they passed each kid on the losing team. No attempt by the coaches or parents to stop this. Sheesh. What will these kids be like when they're in high school?

What's the no call list good for?

We rarely receive phone calls from our landline phone any more.   Most of the time we ignore that phone when it rings because 99 precent of the time it is a political call, Charter, AT&T, or someone taking a survey.  

But this morning it rang and I decided to run downstairs to answer it because it seemed too early to be a begging call.  I figured at 8:30 it was family or a seminary call.  Although family pretty much calls the cell numbers.

But no.  It was American Express.  We don't have an American Express card,  so I didn't answer it.  

I think it's time we got rid of the landline, it's a useless expense and only serves entities trying to sell us something or get us to donate to something.  

Faster Pastor

Early this morning Concordia Seminary held its annual Faster Pastor 5K walk/run.  

I got there too late to see the take off, but here's the winner's shoes.

The first woman who came in not longer after the first man.

There were kids

And Ferdie.

And race officials and cheerers oners.

Lots of kids either walking, running or being pushed.

And always Ferdie.

Ah that boring All Star game

For a game that fewer and fewer people watch, the All Star baseball game loomed large during this year's World Series.  How important was it?  Very.  Because Milwaukee Brewer, Prince Fielder hit a homerun that won the game, the National League gained home field advantage in the WS.  

The way things played out, that advantage was huge.  Thank you Prince Fielder from all of St. Louis.

Morgantown comes to the midwest

The University of West Virginia has decided to join the Big 12.

We always stop in Morgantown, at Sheetz Gas and delicious food :) when we drive to and from Washington DC so have become familiar with West Virginia and its mountains, sharp curving highways, and the school.  But, boy, it isn't easy to get there.

This was West Virginia mountains last spring when we were heading home after Drew was born.  

Hoffman changes mind on running for Congress

Jay Hoffman has decided not to run for the Illinois 13th Congressional House seat and will instead campaign for the Illinois House seated recently vacated by Tom Holbrook D-Belleville.