We have able umpires and others not so much. Some of our critical politicians are just the same. They screw it up....not on their call, but on their eye acuity. If only our politicians meant truly well in their calls, a finer world this would be.
Dear Garrison, In response to Clay's urging you to use your platform to take a stand against the Orange Jesus, I say that your very existence is protest enough again the buffoonery, the crudeness, the racism, sexism and all other forms of ugliness this man and movement represent. I attended a show you gave in Seattle some time in the early 80's. I was a graduate student (an older one) at UW, in the Poly Sci department, a radical 40 year old interested in revolution and propaganda. Already a huge fan of yours, I was thrilled that one of your monologues was about complaining about the government , job, army, etc. and protest was one of the most American things a person could do. It was a time of dissent again, and those of us who did not agree with the latest government policy were being called Un American. There are many voices against the authoritarianism and just bad behavior of the Maga movement, but you, Garrison, make me smile, sometimes laugh, and help me to remember that there is a reason, every day, to smile and go on. Thank you.
I attended a progressive left convention in Wisconsin recently and was put off by their romantic radicalism in this time of wild disinformation. People raising a fist and pledging an end to warfare and injustice are showing a dreadful ignorance of human history. What's needed today is plain honesty and a loyalty to realism. What they didn't want to hear was my account of the social progress that's been made in my lifetime. I came away feeling that the progressive left would welcome the advance of authoritarianism to make them feel even more righteous. This is a dangerous time.
I am so very grateful for you just being you. The timeless mix of humor,poetry and sincere observations and commentary on our world are wonderful gifts. I just finished reading your book about the Lake Wobegon Virus. I laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face.
My husband of 53 years died in January. The reading of the“virus” was the first time since then that I felt a complete sense of feeling light hearted. Thank you!
You're welcome. The past seven years have been surprisingly productive for me, two novels, a memoir, a collection of verse, my book CHEERFULNESS, and now I'm on another novel and busy doing PHC 50th anniversary shows. I'm having more fun than a person my age should have.
Kudos to N.C. for writing so eloquently about her transgender son and how he's been shamelessly targeted by much of the so-called GOP. If more of us made personal integrity a mandatory requirement for our political candidates, our country would be an even better place. Unfortunately, targeting minorities is part of the Republican Party's core strategy for winning votes. Not ancillary strategy, CORE strategy. It is a strategy of lying and vilifying. You repeat the lies and insist the lies are truths. To wit, the leader of the party has created a social media site called Truth Social, where anything posted is called a "truth" (™) or a "re-truth" (®) because how can anything be a lie if you say it's a truth? Similarly, anyone who disagrees with you is a radical, a liar, unpatriotic, a communist, not a real American. Biden finally pressures Netanyahu to do more to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, and many "Republicans" announce Democrats are pro-Hamas. The criminals who desecrated the U.S. Capitol on January 6th are "hostages" to be pardoned. Democrats are fighting to legalize "post-birth abortion." The vicious attacks are endless, and responses like the one I'm writing here are deemed the same thing from the other side. It's not at all the same thing. The transgender community is an easy target, because even in an enlightened community such as Garrison Keillor and Friends, not enough people take the time to examine how this strategy for racking up votes is destroying lives, literally. It's time we stopped making jokes about it, stopped laughing at the jokes and stopped refusing to do something as simple as honoring people's pronouns or providing our own if asked.
I agree that disinformation is a plague and the demise of serious journalism is a factorI don't think comedy is the enemy, I think plain ignorance is. I have friends who deny the validity of the 2020 election. I say, "Do you really truly believe the election was rigged?" They say, "We don't know." This strikes me as a never-before-seen phenomenon. The distrust of basic American institutions, elections, public service, objective journalism.
Joe Biden says to question people's judgment, not motives. You're exemplary in that way, but I can't help but question the motives of the "we don't know" crowd. I think most do know, but they give their political party the same loyalty they give their local sports team. Your joke was about the ability to choose one's gender, but of course what has actually changed is the feasibility of disclosing one's gender. I absolutely question the motives of people (politicians and assorted haters) who harass those who have had the courage to do so. They should be the butt of some zingers!
Your explanation to Clay Blasdel might make sense in a rational world, such as that imagined by the Founding Fathers. However, this nation is in peril precisely because far too many citizens are insufficiently literate and rational. As for Democracy, your glib disavowal of personal involvement in our political culture doesn't stand up. It is the duty of every citizen in a democracy to be involved in the civic business of that democracy, or tyranny may prevail.
There are several comments I'd like to make to this amazing collection of comments and concerns. For one, I wouldn't worry about MLB, as I only started thinking about the New York Yankees when I ran out of options for topical conversations while in Vietnam, as it appeared that they did not conventionally embrace basketball or soccer. I suppose its a general preoccupation, but their merchandise runs a little expensive, and viewership is clearly declining - more support overseas might have been useful.
I thought Biff had a great point raised about specific phobias, this one seems to stem from social anxiety. Sometimes it's plain xenophobia, our fears reflect theirs, I try my best to maintain a distance because stranger danger still persists. Ordinary stranger danger, nothing irrational or xenophobic, although the line can be hard to draw. Kenneth has found some joy in Africana music in this time, Swahili pop. At least, that's the Kenneth I know. It's a nice kind of ode to his transition from a large firm to a smaller, self-starting one, although, it has not always materialised as real racing. Drinking and editing, these were the things I learned from Kenneth.
Mr Christian Man should visit St Mary's in Dublin. I repented for my sins there once and reinstated my call towards Christ, not to be defiled by the ways of earlier trysts, and other magnanimous offers conditional to an unending serfdom. I almost went for their Palm Sunday service - that would have been the proper way to go out, but I missed it, and I regret it, still, Palm Sunday in Dublin would have had been amazing. Still, I digress. Great questions, prayerful community needed.
Thank you.
We have able umpires and others not so much. Some of our critical politicians are just the same. They screw it up....not on their call, but on their eye acuity. If only our politicians meant truly well in their calls, a finer world this would be.
Dear Garrison, In response to Clay's urging you to use your platform to take a stand against the Orange Jesus, I say that your very existence is protest enough again the buffoonery, the crudeness, the racism, sexism and all other forms of ugliness this man and movement represent. I attended a show you gave in Seattle some time in the early 80's. I was a graduate student (an older one) at UW, in the Poly Sci department, a radical 40 year old interested in revolution and propaganda. Already a huge fan of yours, I was thrilled that one of your monologues was about complaining about the government , job, army, etc. and protest was one of the most American things a person could do. It was a time of dissent again, and those of us who did not agree with the latest government policy were being called Un American. There are many voices against the authoritarianism and just bad behavior of the Maga movement, but you, Garrison, make me smile, sometimes laugh, and help me to remember that there is a reason, every day, to smile and go on. Thank you.
I attended a progressive left convention in Wisconsin recently and was put off by their romantic radicalism in this time of wild disinformation. People raising a fist and pledging an end to warfare and injustice are showing a dreadful ignorance of human history. What's needed today is plain honesty and a loyalty to realism. What they didn't want to hear was my account of the social progress that's been made in my lifetime. I came away feeling that the progressive left would welcome the advance of authoritarianism to make them feel even more righteous. This is a dangerous time.
Dear Garrison,
I am so very grateful for you just being you. The timeless mix of humor,poetry and sincere observations and commentary on our world are wonderful gifts. I just finished reading your book about the Lake Wobegon Virus. I laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face.
My husband of 53 years died in January. The reading of the“virus” was the first time since then that I felt a complete sense of feeling light hearted. Thank you!
You're welcome. The past seven years have been surprisingly productive for me, two novels, a memoir, a collection of verse, my book CHEERFULNESS, and now I'm on another novel and busy doing PHC 50th anniversary shows. I'm having more fun than a person my age should have.
I'll shut up now ! Relaxin Rog - L.A.
Kudos to N.C. for writing so eloquently about her transgender son and how he's been shamelessly targeted by much of the so-called GOP. If more of us made personal integrity a mandatory requirement for our political candidates, our country would be an even better place. Unfortunately, targeting minorities is part of the Republican Party's core strategy for winning votes. Not ancillary strategy, CORE strategy. It is a strategy of lying and vilifying. You repeat the lies and insist the lies are truths. To wit, the leader of the party has created a social media site called Truth Social, where anything posted is called a "truth" (™) or a "re-truth" (®) because how can anything be a lie if you say it's a truth? Similarly, anyone who disagrees with you is a radical, a liar, unpatriotic, a communist, not a real American. Biden finally pressures Netanyahu to do more to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, and many "Republicans" announce Democrats are pro-Hamas. The criminals who desecrated the U.S. Capitol on January 6th are "hostages" to be pardoned. Democrats are fighting to legalize "post-birth abortion." The vicious attacks are endless, and responses like the one I'm writing here are deemed the same thing from the other side. It's not at all the same thing. The transgender community is an easy target, because even in an enlightened community such as Garrison Keillor and Friends, not enough people take the time to examine how this strategy for racking up votes is destroying lives, literally. It's time we stopped making jokes about it, stopped laughing at the jokes and stopped refusing to do something as simple as honoring people's pronouns or providing our own if asked.
I agree that disinformation is a plague and the demise of serious journalism is a factorI don't think comedy is the enemy, I think plain ignorance is. I have friends who deny the validity of the 2020 election. I say, "Do you really truly believe the election was rigged?" They say, "We don't know." This strikes me as a never-before-seen phenomenon. The distrust of basic American institutions, elections, public service, objective journalism.
Joe Biden says to question people's judgment, not motives. You're exemplary in that way, but I can't help but question the motives of the "we don't know" crowd. I think most do know, but they give their political party the same loyalty they give their local sports team. Your joke was about the ability to choose one's gender, but of course what has actually changed is the feasibility of disclosing one's gender. I absolutely question the motives of people (politicians and assorted haters) who harass those who have had the courage to do so. They should be the butt of some zingers!
Your explanation to Clay Blasdel might make sense in a rational world, such as that imagined by the Founding Fathers. However, this nation is in peril precisely because far too many citizens are insufficiently literate and rational. As for Democracy, your glib disavowal of personal involvement in our political culture doesn't stand up. It is the duty of every citizen in a democracy to be involved in the civic business of that democracy, or tyranny may prevail.
There are several comments I'd like to make to this amazing collection of comments and concerns. For one, I wouldn't worry about MLB, as I only started thinking about the New York Yankees when I ran out of options for topical conversations while in Vietnam, as it appeared that they did not conventionally embrace basketball or soccer. I suppose its a general preoccupation, but their merchandise runs a little expensive, and viewership is clearly declining - more support overseas might have been useful.
I thought Biff had a great point raised about specific phobias, this one seems to stem from social anxiety. Sometimes it's plain xenophobia, our fears reflect theirs, I try my best to maintain a distance because stranger danger still persists. Ordinary stranger danger, nothing irrational or xenophobic, although the line can be hard to draw. Kenneth has found some joy in Africana music in this time, Swahili pop. At least, that's the Kenneth I know. It's a nice kind of ode to his transition from a large firm to a smaller, self-starting one, although, it has not always materialised as real racing. Drinking and editing, these were the things I learned from Kenneth.
Mr Christian Man should visit St Mary's in Dublin. I repented for my sins there once and reinstated my call towards Christ, not to be defiled by the ways of earlier trysts, and other magnanimous offers conditional to an unending serfdom. I almost went for their Palm Sunday service - that would have been the proper way to go out, but I missed it, and I regret it, still, Palm Sunday in Dublin would have had been amazing. Still, I digress. Great questions, prayerful community needed.
*earlier packs, I meant to write!