Amazing us with bursts of flight
from a ridge on the farm, just up over the hill
Up flies a pheasant right under me feet
Oh! I say. He is gone faster than a dream upon awakening
And leaving behind a memory and my bumbling mind to appreciate him
Thank you! I cry to the unimaginable mystery. Thank you for the pheasant!
Going down the dirt road to the barn, to tend the hogs and water the draft horses
Wendell I think of you, bard of the America that was and shall be
The poet laureate of that once and future America which rises
Phoenix-like from the ashes of this petroleum orgy which is almost over....
You are the closest we have to Arthur, to Merlin, To Frodo and Gandalf.
Your words will help save us from our own "successes"
And teach us not to piss in our own wells.


If you've  never read works by Mr. W. Berry Of Kentucky you'r e in for a treat...

Today's NE State paper has a great commentary on the recent serious state of the current administration's power grabbing. Sobering stuff. Just a question for those inclined to be curious about such things: how long do you suppose you have to clean up toxic waste in Purgatory with a toothbrish, or incarnate as a mangy antwater, or polish jackboots in Hell, etc. etc.  for some of the stuff the current leadership in Washington seem oh-so-comfortable with?  Holy Moly.

Nebraska StatePaper.Com NewsUpdate
                             March 14, 2007
"America is witnessing an example of why laws must sometimes be changed
to protect the power balance that is supposed to be reflected in the
three branches of government. Remember when FDR sought a third
presidential term? There was no law against it. No one thought the
two-term precedent set by George Washington would ever be ignored. Now
comes the Bush administration, firing U.S. attorneys who refused to
bend to Republican political will. This comes atop the discovery that
Congress earlier approved - mostly without knowing it - a change in law
allowing a president to appoint new U.S. attorneys - without
confirmation hearings before the Senate! If that ain't a political move
toward authoritarian government, there ain't no such thing. Imagine a
president being able to appoint these federal prosecutors with no
congressional oversight. No president should have such complete
authority. Until now, no one thought any president would grasp for it.
Was it illegal? Nope. Should the law be changed so that it can't happen
again - yes. Another good idea: The House and Senate should stop
enacting major laws, such as the Patriot Act, without reading them. Or
having them read by competent staff that can explain it to them. If you
think GWB is being picked on, ask yourself this: How would you have felt
if Bill Clinton tried to snatch and wield such power? This is worse than
bad. It's dangerous. "

Today on NPR - Nebraska Shifts Senate's Mood About Iraq


Say what you will about the hicks in flyover country, we still have a touch of William Jennings Bryan in the prairie wind out here...