Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn is to my mind among the finest pieces of music and evocative songs ever created. It's playing on the stereo as I begin typing. A mellow start to a day that began way too abrupt and early. You can't startle awake at 4 am on Valentines Day, crank the stereo and start banging pans in the kitchen. Thus I grabbed the dogs and went for a good long walk in the light mist and predawn street lights. Peaceful! Less peaceful has been the world in which we live. You can make up a litany, as good as I can, of world events that by themselves would be the talk of the proverbial water cooler. Lately a scan of my various electronic water cooler stories have been something of a tsunami. I think it's a time to step back. As a person who has long expected a zombie apocalypse I have to say I think we are in the storm now, at least the financial and political pieces of that expectation. I don't think the nature of this time in the storm makes it possibl...
I had never met Michael Cloud in person. I was waiting for him, beside the Harry Browne for President table at the Colorado Libertarian convention. While I waited I neatly fanned out the brochures and other material Michael had sent. A short ugly little man started to rifle the items on the table. As the only volunteer near enough to protect these items I stepped forward and challenged him with a "HI!" Just to let him know he was being watched. It was of course Michael. Michael is a world class salesman, a beautiful human, and a fine looking man. Yeah, like many of us he packed himself a knapsack full of rocks to carry on this march through life. Of course, who but a masochist would create for themselves the job of teaching Libertarians to "let the nice people take the brochures - we're trying to give away"! I credit Michael, Joe Johnson and a few other wise souls with teaching me to sometimes, just sometimes, shut up and take yes for an answer. L...