Thursday, April 21, 2011

Violets, geese & Republicans


My part of this hill is now an island of shaginess in a sea of neaty clipped. While all the neighbors have been busy mowing,  I've been watching violets grow. They were late this year and deserve some space.

The configuration is interesting. White violets flourish on the slope immediately east of the house, shaded by two maples; blue violets are exclusively deployed across the back-40, in full sun much of the time.

Sometimes I call the white violets "confederate" (they aren't; confederate violets are blueish-gray) and the blue violets "union" and imagine a peacable frontline, blue vs. white.


Geese have reclaimed the clipped picnic area sloping down to the marsh south of town, parking themselves there to watch the world go buy or think deep goose thoughts when not feeding or nesting. I feel a little guilty disturbing them, but understand why they waddle and honk away to water as I make my way toward the bridge that leads to the trail. I wouldn't trust me either were I a goose.

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Public Policy Polling came out with a new report on Tuesday that may help to clarify things a little for those of us who try to look upon the GOP political freak show as a form of entertainment.

Not surprisingly, that greasy old sinner Mike Huckabee still holds 27 percent support among usual Republican caucusgoers with Mitt Romney lagging at 16 percent. Huckabee still has the pulpit edge among the Christianist cabal while Romney suffers from Mormon factor, I suppose.

At least Iowa Republicans don't seem overly impressed with has-been hypocrites Donald Trump (14 percent) and Newt Gingrich (12 percent). Sarah Palin, maintaining a low profile of late, also came in at 12 percent.

Another interesting aspect of the poll was its suggestion that roughly half of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers believe Barack Obama was born somewhere other than the United States, a fairly clear indication of just how deeply racism (not to mention downright rocks-are-smarter stupidity) is embedded in the Grand Old Party.

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