Savannah Revisited

You are invited to view Jak & Dar's photo album: Savannah Thanksgiving 10 Savannah Thanksgiving 10 Nov 23, 2010 by Jak & Dar Savannah T'giving View Album Play slideshow Message from Jak & Dar: a few of the pics from Savannah If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=dargossett&target=ALBUM&id=5545123522359655441&authkey=Gv1sRgCNyZm-7kvNyc1AE&invite=CL6G6osD&feat=email

Pilgrims in Savannah

As James Land Jones said, my visits to Savannah are like a Fellini film. 

From the drive down the Thanksgiving trip was everything from upheaval to settling down in old Savannah Victorian camp charm.

Dinner at Ben Head's was delicious. My  Dad, who seldom eats much,  enjoyed a large helping of Molasses pork loin and sweet potatoes. Kathy talked of Michner's Texas, Darryl of Menchen, John of his daughter Maggie, Ben of the history of the Davenport House, and all of us , except silent, contented Dad, of the Catholic Church and Oscar Wilde, Kathy quoting, "Marriage is the triumph of habit over hate."

We  settled  into the Bed and Breakfast Inn and were upgraded to the Jasper House. Dar, John, Lee and Steve Killian,  Joe Mydell and John's friend Connie gathered one afternoon. Ben, Dad and Kathy joined the above for a Saturday get together in the double parlor.  Here is a glimpse of our house.

Sgt. Jasper House

Our most ornate, spacious, and discerning of accommodations. 

It is a three floor row house next to the inn.

 The oversized parlor and dining room of the Jasper House will sweep you back to a bygone time, with turn of the century furnishings, artwork, and decor. The remodeled gourmet kitchen will make you feel pampered. Upstairs are 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. Two bedrooms contain a single queen bed each, and two bedrooms contain two twin beds each. Each room is decorated with a unique style, and the Jasper House can accommodate up to 8 adults. The Jasper House is sold nightly as a choice room with inn amenities or for a weekly vacation rental rate without inn amenities.

2nd floor bedroom with two twin-sized beds  Dining room  Parlor and sitting area

Thanksgiving

Tennessee in Autumn

photo by Darryl

As we embark upon Thanksgiving week, there is much that I am thankful for. Today is my brother's 58th birthday and I am glad we shall spend the rest of the week together. I am thankful for Darryl's going with me to Savannah and for his new job editing that allows him to go virtually anywhere there is internet access. I am thankful for my good friend Joseph Mydell's visit this past week and the week ahead, for our renewed times together, and for his wonderful success as an award winning actor.

The week ahead offers more contact with our world of friends, with Lee and Steve Killian from North Carolina. Ben Head will host John, Dad, Kathy, Darryl and me for Thanksgiving dinner. And Darryl and I will have the spacious  Live Oak Suite at the Bed and Breakfast Inn to enjoy. It is a golden autumn here in Atlanta today, yellow leaves against the gray sky. Several warm days lie ahead here and in Savannah. So, it is a good time to reflect upon blessings: health, friendship, the opportunity to visit Savannah, Asheville, and Chattanooga where Starr is thankfully becoming Tays once more.

Always in my mind, these holidays, is the Epicurean Garden, where gather our kindred spirits. May it ever become more manifest in our lives.

Jack

Good Bye Boneheads

Shooing the Blue Dogs and other mad dogs.

Illustration from an article on the link between blue dog dems and insurance companies.

http://chattahbox.com/us/2009/07/31/health-care-lobbyists-whistle-blue-dog-dems-come-running/

One more thought about the election of 2010. The win of the Republicans took place mostly in the suburbs that swung from Republican to Democrat in 2006 in disgust over Bush. Tuesday's election's big losers were mostly the so called blue dog Democrats who made everything progressives and Obama did difficult. They often shared with Republicans the ties to corporations and special interests. So I would say one major message from the election is a rejection of tepid, milquetoast caving to the hard nosed positions of Republicans. Commentators have laughed at the absurdity of thinking that independents voted Republican because Democrats were not far Left enough. That may seem like a paradox, but the fact is, the youth vote and the minority vote were seriously lacking in this election and it was their high percentages that swept Obama and Democrats to historic power in 2008. Note too that in many state-wide races the Democratic strongholds held, keeping the West Coast progressive-- in California, Oregon,  Washington and even Nevada-- as well as in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, and other Eastern bastions of Liberalism.

In my view, the way to energize those millions of progressive, young, minority voters  is to be tough, to fight for progressive reform with  more fervor than ever. You cannot compromise with evil- so said Rush Limbaugh in the most damning irony of the campaign. So, let's get on with our quest for equality in this country, with the freedom we can believe in: freedom to marry for all, freedom to serve in the armed forces, if we so choose, freedom to earn a good wage when we work, freedom to have health care when we are ill, freedom from pollution and corruption, freedom for the entire planet to be healthy, clean,  and peaceful. Finally, we should stand for the freedom of as many people as possible to find happiness-- the cornerstone of John Locke's and Thomas Jefferson's philosophy.

{ Read:  Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (click)}

Jack

11/6/10

Blue

Blue

Is there a lesson to learn from the swing of the House of Reps from Democratic to Republican last night? Did Obama fail to "connect" to the voters? Did the Tea Party Patriots sway the voters with good, sound anti-government argument? Had Pelosi and the Dems just been too socialist and ambitious?

Of course not. For one thing, there is no tea party. It doesn't exist. There are only corporation financed capitalists who know how to get the voters stirred up over meaningless terms like socialism and big government. There are so many ignorant, uninformed, easily misled, dare I say, stupid people in the "greatest nation on Earth," that candidates who have no interest in helping the middle class, much less the poor, the old, the sick, or the needy of the country, can win political contests on appearance and advertisement alone. Our Supreme Court has made it easier than ever for corporations, including those in other countries, to finance our elections, presenting false and manipulative ads more sophisticated than any on "Madmen."

Fortunately, the statewide electorates managed to keep the Democrats in power in the Senate. There will be no outrageous, right-wing bills from Congress that Obama must veto. But there is likely to be virtually no cooperation either. The House may even go so far as to "investigate" the Obama administration with impeachment on their minds.

Which brings me back to last night's lesson: Democracy does not work. It is not the best form of government. Besides, what we have is not democracy at all, but oligarchy, with millionaire candidates, and billion dollar campaigns.  Even with that setup, where voters choose which oligarchs to elect, an uninformed electorate repeatedly vote for the person least likely to support their interests, or worse, to work for private interests that bring them harm. Given that the sort of Republic for which Plato advocated is virtually impossible, and that malevolent dictatorship may be inevitable, I fall back and urge myself and friends to the fragrance of the Garden of Epicurus- a nice garden without debris blowers and with a fine variety of blooms. Today,  I can't help recalling the splendid rose garden in Portland, Oregon, and the uplifting view of snow covered Mount Hood.

Jack

11/3/10