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By Vick Mickunas
| Saturday, October 11, 2008, 12:57 PM
After the stock market crashed things got bad quickly. Banks failed. Millions were out of work. People starved. The Republican president didn’t have a clue what to do.
Sounding familiar? President Herbert Hoover was deeply unpopular. They called the shantytowns where Americans struggled to survive HOOVERVILLES. By 1932, things had gotten really rough.
Fortunately for America, a visionary man became our president in 1932. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a product of an affluent upbringing. He was also a man who felt the pain of ordinary Americans and he had the gumption to do something about it. They called it the NEW DEAL.
America took a long time to recover - but it did. FDR had the courage to pursue bold initiatives that alleviated America’s economic ills. I’m reading a superb book that provides new insights into this man who came from privilege - a man who never stopped caring about those who had a lot less. TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS - The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Doubleday, Nov. 4) by H.W. Brands is being published at the perfect moment. It comes out right at the same time that we will be electing our next president.
FDR had a legion of critics. They called him a socialist and much worse. My maternal grandfather, a son of rural Iowa, a Marine veteran of WWI, a schoolteacher, and a life long Republican, despised Franklin Roosevelt.
Continue reading "it feels like 1932…FDR where are you??"...
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clearing the cobwebs
By Vick Mickunas
| Friday, October 10, 2008, 10:58 PM
The headlines are: screaming!
Body Blow for McCain as Palin Found to Have Abused Powers (The Guardian UK)
Palin’s Calendar Shows She Was Open to Business (The Houston Chronicle)
Alaska Legislative Probe Finds Palin Misused Power (The Washington Post)
Palin Found Guilty of Power Abuse (The Melbourne Herald Sun)
..thousands of stories about how Sarah Palin has abused her powers as Alaska’s governor.
Continue reading "Impalin’ Palin"...
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booms and busts
By Vick Mickunas
| Friday, October 10, 2008, 02:07 PM
“Take your time, it won’t be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and dawn
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game”
Joni Mitchell - The Circle Game
Buzzards are circling above Wall Street. Try as he might, John McCain cannot find a way to distract most Americans’ attention away from THE ECONOMY, the 700 trillion ton elephant in the room. In fact, that elephant seems to be shackled to John McCain now as surely as it is shackled to every other politician who pushed forward the deregulation of the financial industry that has led to this chaos.
It wasn’t so very long ago that President Bush thought it would be a super idea to put the money that provides Social Security payments into Wall Street. Thank heaven that his brilliant plan was defeated.
Continue reading "the buzzards are circling over Wall Street…"...
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booms and busts
By Vick Mickunas
| Thursday, October 9, 2008, 02:26 PM
The United States Postal Service holds a special place in my heart. In another life, I worked for the Post Office. When the expression “going postal” entered the vernacular I felt that I possessed a deeper understanding of the term than your ordinary citizen who has never labored inside the circular chambers of the USPS.
I love the US Mail. I am especially fond of getting mail. I like postal workers because they bring me the mail. Every day (except for Sunday) getting the mail is one certain highlight of my day. I send a lot of mail and I receive quite a bit of it.
Continue reading "Salmonella Man on Planet Porno"...
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confessions of a galley slave
By Vick Mickunas
| Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 12:16 PM
Last night when John McCain was debating Barack Obama he referred to Obama at one point as “THAT ONE”. For most of the debate McCain was almost reserved - even civil. He never even played the William Ayers terrorism card that has Sarah Palin almost foaming at the mouth these days…
McCain’s reference to “THAT ONE” did strike this observer as somewhat rude. You know - “THAT ONE?” Viewers could read their own implication into what McCain meant by calling Obama “THAT ONE.”
“THAT ONE;” you know Barack HUSSEIN Obama.
“THAT ONE;” the monster who is surging ahead of McCain in the polls.
“THAT ONE;” he’s not like us.
“THAT ONE;” so UNAMERICAN.
Continue reading "John McCain calls Barack Obama “THAT ONE”"...
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politicked
By Vick Mickunas
| Tuesday, October 7, 2008, 07:13 PM
This press release just came in from the Antioch Review:
Antioch Review, Springfield Museum of Art Announce Original Cover Art Exhibit
Yellow Springs, Ohio—The Antioch Review and the Springfield Museum of Art have collaborated to create a dynamic exhibit of original cover art by David Battle, long-time art director for the Review. The exhibit runs from October 4 to November 15. It shows the evolution of the artist’s creative process from rough sketches to finished magazine covers.
According to Robert Fogarty, Antioch Review Editor, the cover art is as much a part of the creative heritage of the Antioch Review as the notable literary works they have published over their 67 year history.
“We wanted to call attention to the magnificent work David had done on behalf of the Antioch Review over the past several decades. This is our way of honoring him and his wonderful contribution,” says Fogarty.
On October 23 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Robert Fogarty and David Battle will team up to provide a Guided Gallery Talk. The event is open to the public and free of charge.
Visitors can see the free exhibit at the Springfield Museum of Art, 107 Cliff Park Road, Springfield, Ohio 45501. Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The museum is open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays and closed on Mondays. Call 937-325-4673 for more information.
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looks good on paper
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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..
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Good point, Page Turner. Unfortunately, everything is much faster these days…Globalization