Local politics

In the May issue of the Atlantic, James Fallows has an article about how, while national politics is toxic, local jurisdictions are solving problems, behaving in a civil manner, and generally acting like governments are supposed to act in a democracy.

Using my own unrepresentative sample, I think he may be right.  We have been through some small towns that are well-kept and, on the surface at least, look like their citizens care about their surroundings and one another.  Waseon, Ohio; Walnut, Iowa; Laramie, Wyoming; Lymon, Wyoming–all look like places I where I could live in peace.

Drivers are polite, clerks are helpful, residents give directions.  In spite of the mean-spirited MAGA people you always see at Trump rallies, most people that I've seen on this country trip are just nice.

Tornado in Laramie

We pulled into the Motel 6 parking lot to register, and there, across I-80, was a perfect funnel cloud heading for us.  We took some pictures, then jumped in the car and went east for about 15 miles into the  mountains.  After reports that the tornado had dissipated, we went back.  We learned later that the tornado was nine miles away from downtown Laramie.  I would have guessed about two miles.

Laramie, by the way, is one of the more liberal areas of Wyoming.  The University of Wyoming is located there, which explains it.

If you are in Kearny, Nebraska, be sure to visit the MONA.  That's the Museum of
Nebraska Art, and it is a very good one.

Mexican restaurant in Adair, Iowa

Last year we stopped in Adair, Iowa, a tiny town in the middle of windmill country just off I-80.  We ate at a fantastic Mexican restaurant; I think I even posted a glowing review.

This year the building was empty.  Since the restaurant was jam packed last year, filled with locals, why would it have closed down?  I suspect the owners were deported.  I don't know who to ask, but that is the kind of country we live in now.

Dead deer

Dateline: Waseon, Ohio

The town is about 35 miles from the Indiana border.  It is one of those lovely All-American midwest towns with wide streets, big houses, American flags, and a downtown full of vacant storefronts.  The courthouse, as usual, was impressive, and the post office has a nice WPA mural.

Nobody commented on my T-shirt, which has pictures of Obama, the Dali Lama, and Trump, and says underneath them "Obama, Lama, Ding Dong."  I was disappointed.

To make the trip go faster I counted dead deer along I-80 in Pennsylvania.  I got 19.

Road Trip

We leave tomorrow, bright and early, (probably around 9:30) for our annual drive to California.  It’s I-80 all the way out, returning by way of Arizona, New Mexico, the Panhandle, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.  Those red states kind of run together.  

I will take my Airbook along and try to post, but don’t be terribly upset if I go dark for about 18 days.  Some of the cheap motels won’t have WiFi, or they will have it and I won’t be able to connect, or I’ll be able to connect but can’t figure out how to post, or we will have driven all day, and I’ll just want to sleep.  

Our goal tomorrow:  Waseon, Ohio.

Standing with the Koch Brothers

There's a title you won't see on many of my posts.

I read that the Koch Brothers are planning to run ads against Lou Barletta, the racist former mayor of Hazleton who is running for the U.S. Senate against Bob Casey.  Evidently they are angry because Barletta voted for the tax cut, which the Koch Brothers think will bust the federal budget and create long-term deficits.

I really don't care what their reasons are for opposing Barletta.  That man is a canker sore on the body politic, and I would like to see him lose big and slither off into obscurity.

Gun exports

In mid-May the Trump administration proposed a new rule for the export of firearms.  It would transfer the jurisdiction of consumer gun exports from the State Department to the Commerce Department, where the application process for gun exports is simpler.

The American firearms industry is delighted.  It will also be easier for foreign criminals and terrorists to buy AR-15s, but the Trump administration is, of course, doesn't care about those details.

The information from this post is from an article by Tiffany Hsu and John Ismay, "Gun Exports Could Rise If New Rule Is Approved, " New York Times, (24 May 2018), p. B-4.  I doubt if it was covered on MSNBC or CNN, where the news seems to be "All Mueller, All the Time."