BO-loney!!!!!!! We gotta keep callin' it what it is. - by Gary Wiram

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Sunday February 17, 2008 · 9:25 AM PST

2008/02/17 · 09:25

One aspect of the current Presidential Campaign Season has continued to cause Figgins and I to regularly tilt our heads and look at each other with facial expressions that obviously say, "What the heck does that mean?!" This aspect is the passion-evoking, yet vacant, rhetoric of Barack Obama.

grwiram

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Wednesday February 06, 2008 · 10:37 PM PST

2008/02/06 · 22:37

Since Figgins knows that I consider myself to be a "Real Conservative", he seemed pretty stunned when he heard me say that I think what many "Real Conservatives" are currently doing will result in "Real Liberals" occupying the White House for at least the next 16 years. I can understand his reaction. It took something pretty stunning to get me to that point.Figgins

grwiram

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Tuesday January 29, 2008 · 8:02 AM PST

2008/01/29 · 08:02

Yesterday, Figgins and I heard Senator Ted Kennedy endorse Senator Barack Obama, as his choice for the Democrat Party's 2008 Presidential Nominee. Kennedy did an expert job with what I recognized as an old-style-politics approach to whip the audience into a frenzy. To me, this approach magnified the irony of the current "Change Candidate" exulting in the endorsement of a man who has been in the U.S. Senate since 1962. But, whip them into a frenzy he did. The challenge for Figgins and I, as we listened, was trying to find substance in Kennedy's passion-evoking rhetoric. For us, this reached its peak when Kennedy described Obama by saying, "... he also has an uncommon capacity to appeal to the better angels of our nature." At that, we just cocked our heads and looked at each other. Though neither of us said a word, you could tell we were both thinking, "What the heck does that mean?!"
http://afewdayswithfiggins.blogspot....

grwiram

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Wednesday January 16, 2008 · 4:54 PM PST

2008/01/16 · 16:54

Figgins, the youngest in our home, has been confused about some recent incidents in the current Presidential campaign where some candidates have been accused of trying to "play the race card". Thankfully, Figgins was born and raised in a time when race is much less divisive than it was when I was growing up. So, I've been drawing on my experience from that former era to help him understand.

grwiram

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Saturday January 05, 2008 · 6:01 PM PST

2008/01/05 · 18:01

Iowa Caucuses?! Wyoming Caucuses?! New Hampshire Primary?! Now there are some events Figgie and I have had trouble getting our minds around! I don't think we could really understand it without doing something like moving to Iowa and participating in the caucuses directly. Since I moved away from the Midwest 30 years ago and have no desire to return, that's not likely to happen.

Although we don't fully understand these events, we sense something a bit quaint about them and perhaps, somewhat fitting, in approach, for those localities. Otherwise, they seem rather archaic and good examples for our nation's need to revamp our approach to Presidential Elections, if we truly want to have a representative government.

grwiram

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Monday December 31, 2007 · 7:43 PM PST

2007/12/31 · 19:43

Figgins (who collaborates on my blog) has had increasing opportunities,in recent days, to witness the cynical view that most seem to have of American politicians. This can be summed up by saying that it seems to be, generally, accepted that the description "Honest Politician" is an oxymoron.

grwiram

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Saturday December 29, 2007 · 8:11 AM PST

2007/12/29 · 08:11

Of course, the biggest story of this week has been the tragedy of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. For those as young as Figgins, I'm sure its particularly stunning, not having encountered this sort of thing before. I'm among those who still remember details of what they were doing when they heard of JFK's assassination. So, I've encountered this sort of thing before but that doesn't mean I can fully explain it to others, especially those who are dealing with it for the first time.

grwiram

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Sunday December 23, 2007 · 6:51 AM PST

2007/12/23 · 06:51

By now, it should come as no surprise to you that Figgins and I tend to focus on the more upbeat aspects of life. And, you've probably noticed that's particularly true around Christmas. It seems that's become more challenging in recent years, with folks battling over Christmas being celebrated in the workplace or in the public square or questioning the political correctness of wishing someone what's in your heart ... "Merry Christmas!" However, I think there's a better approach than some take, who claim there is "A War on Against Christmas".

grwiram

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Thursday December 20, 2007 · 3:57 PM PST

2007/12/20 · 15:57

Over the past couple of weeks, Figgins (who collaborates on my blog) and I have noticed our level of interest ramping up about the 2008 Presidential Campaign. This resulted from the recent media focus on a certain "Celebrity Endorsement" This isn't a topic that generally carries much weight with me. However, Oprah Winfrey was at the center of this and though neither Figgie nor I are fans, we recognize her unique celebrity status. The factor that stirred my interest most was that she wasn't just lending her name, as an endorsement for a candidate, she actually showed up at a few campaign events to say why. So, we tuned in.

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