mjh's blog

Class Warfare

Opinion > Guest Columnist: Dude, Where’s That Elite?”

href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/01/opinion/01EHRE.html”>Dude, Where’s That Elite? By BARBARA EHRENREICH, NYTimes

My point

is not to defend Moore, who — with a platoon of bodyguards and a legal team starring Mario Cuomo — hardly needs any muscle from me. I

just think it’s time to retire the “liberal elite” label, which, for the past 25 years, has been deployed to denounce anyone to the left

of Colin Powell. Thus, last winter, the ultra-elite right-wing Club for Growth dismissed followers of Howard Dean as a “tax-hiking,

government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading, body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing

freak show.” …

But the left I encounter on my treks across the nation is heavy on hotel housekeepers, community college students,

laid-off steelworkers and underpaid schoolteachers. …

But it would be redundant to speak of a “conservative elite” ….

So

liberals can take comfort from the fact that our most visible spokesman is, despite his considerable girth, an invulnerable target for

the customary assault weapon of the right. I meant to comment on his movie, too, but the lines at my local theater are still

prohibitively long.

New Photos

I have just put some new photos on the Web. I hope you’ll have a look, enjoy

them, and let me know what you think.

These are just a few from hundreds taken over about a 6 week period, during which time Merri and

I had visits from John Stewart and Steve O’Neill. We also traveled to Prescott, Arizona, and camped along the way over a few days (hot

and dry, of course). I got to return to two fantastic National Monuments: Tuzigoot and Montezuma’s Castle (and Well).

We also took a

trip just north of Chama, New Mexico and barely into Colorado, discovering some new places and returning to some familiar. That is a

spectacular, mountainous area; it spit rain and snow on us once, and was cold at night (36°F). We got our wish to camp by streams

every night (and paid for that in mosquito bites).

In June, we seemed to spend more time than usual seeing the sights inside

Albuquerque. We went to the Biopark (Aquarium and Botanical Garden — plus Butterfly Pavilion — adjacent to the Zoo) a couple of times,

including a concert. We went to the rebuilt Isotopes Park — shockingly expensive, though busy and beautiful.

All in all, it was a

great, long vacation, even without our usual longer camping trip. mjh

See some of the pictures:

href="http://www.mjhinton.net/slides/2004-06/">Photos around Albuquerque.

ps: if you are interested, I’ve also written something

about the evolution of the mechanism I use for presenting these

picture.

Edwards is a Brilliant Choice

The selection

of John Edwards as the Democrats Vice President will enrage the Republicans. He’s a Trial Lawyer, something they hate more than lesbian

socialist welfare mothers on dope. Trial Lawyers are THE enemy (because they hold businesses accountable to their customers and employees

– something the govenment doesn’t do anymore).

Edwards is the antithesis of corporate welfare. The Republicans will try to exploit

him as ”anti-business,” just like liberalism is ”anti-American” — a horrible lie.

Worse, Edwards is going to steal the

whole ‘optimism’ argument. No one is more optimistic than Edwards. Stand Edwards next to Cheney and pick the one who exudes confidence

in the future.

And that’s why Cheney will withdraw and McCain will be Bush’s new choice for VP. If Cheney can’t let go of power and

Bush can’t let go of Cheney’s hand, they’re sunk. mjh