A peek into my little corner of the world

[theHandpuppet]

Ah yes, just another typical day in a typical small town in America.

Grabbed a hot cup o'Joe and the morning paper. Let's see, what's spinning the globe today?

Ah yes -- splashed above the banner: "Ballet Classes with Christian Values". Hmmm... does that mean that other ballet classes are being conducted by godless heathen instructing our youth in the perversions of the pirouette?

Have a muffin with the java.

Here's the leading article: "Police Serve Warrant, Find Bomb". Ah, well, at least the perp wasn't one of those tree-huggers, gay rights terrorists or femiNazis. Just another red-blooded American male with a cache of "explosive devices, firearms, ammunition, grenades and bomb making materials" not to mention the already-assembled bombs, an assault rifle and a store of gunpowder and fuses. Shoot, if that guy was brown or spoke Farsi those fellas from CNN and FOX would be all over the place, giving the town a little business. Ah well. No big deal -- just another good ol' boy who likes to blow things up.

Is that the dog scratching at the door?

Oh, it's just too early for the editorial page. Some cartoon from the San Antonio Express-News poking fun at Bill and Hillary Clinton and below it, the latest rant about Muslims from Michelle Malkin. Really, perhaps it's time to consider a ratings system for editorial pages, ranging from "thought provoking" to "burn immediately after handling."

So what else is happening in the 'hood?

Oh this is colorful -- a big splash pic on the community page for the sale of "Holy Hot Dogs". No, you really don't want to know what that's all about, trust me.

Ah, well, enough of what's shaking the world today. Time to do some laundry.

And y'all wonder why people are lining up for the Creationist Museum, or why nearly half of Americans can't name the Vice President. Seems elementary to me. But then, I read the papers.

[havocmom]

1. You have a morning paper? ::havocmom's eyes widen & blink in wonder::

Can't be a REALLY small town. ;) We get all the news about the local jocks and who got married, born, buried (not always in that order)and some locals' musings about what the Bible really meant to tell us

And we get it all once a week.

Radio? One station from 100 miles away; country western and Rush types, maybe a little rock and roll from the 60s if the wind is blowing just so from Canada.

Yep, it is easy to see why there is an info gap. And the LAST Congress enacted new rules about filters on public library public access computers. Iffin ya want some financial assistance for the library internet bill (budgets are unbelievably small in many rural towns) you gotta purchase filter software that blocks many real news sites blogs, discussion forums. Some small towns do not have any real tech support to teach library staff how to disengage the filters upon request from adult patrons. Result: the one source of real news for many people in rural communities was effectively shut down by the GOP last year.

Send me a postcard from the city ;) :hi:

[fasttense]

2. I went to the county courthouse in my small town in East Tennessee to help my

daughter with her speeding ticket. Across the ancient dilapidate marble entrance was a huge red and white banner proclaiming "In GOD We Trust".

"Why don't they just hang up a cross?" I say to my daughter.
"Or a picture of bush." my daughter responds loud enough for a couple of SUV driving suburban Mom's to overhear.

They glare at us like we're terrorist from Mars. "Godless liberal," I hear one of them say to our back.

I suspect they would have liked to stone us.

Religion rearing its ugly head in the administration of supposedly secular US law. sigh....

[YOY]

5. You should have confronted the "Godless Liberals" woman

I find a nice "What the f*** did you say?" Scares the fake patriot right out of them. Shows what they really are: scared of every goddamn little thing that can't be shoveled into their brain by someone carrying a cross.

[Progressive_In_NC]

3. interesting that these are popping up

Ah yes -- splashed above the banner: "Ballet Classes with Christian Values". Hmmm... does that mean that other ballet classes are being conducted by godless heathen instructing our youth in the perversions of the pirouette?

======================================================================

We signed our daughter up for dance at an agency that was fairly large in our area. She had a blast at 3 doing tumbling ballet tap.

We get to the recital and a group of 11-12 year olds come out and straddle some chairs and proceed to do a PussyCat dolls routine (or so that's what my wife said it looked like). Then the 13-14 year old group came out and did a SuperFreak/BrickHouse montage complete with fake stripper poles, and hands very near to thier crotches, and the rubbin and the gyratin and all that (wierd to see little girls doing that for sure).

My little girl in her tutu did a sweet little ballet routine and then went backstage for a snack. Not sure what a "Christian Values" class is, but my daughter won't be taking from the school she's signed up in past 7 or 8; I think gymnasitics is in her future sometime after that.

[Arugula Latte]

4. Christianity and religion in general are making this country supider by the day.

Yes, there are many intelligent Christians, but it's so easy for people with few critical thinking skills to swallow this Christofascist propaganda hook, line and sinker. So many people here on DU get up in arms about people "attacking" Christianity -- well, it's the steady flow of stories and anecdotes and personal experiences like these that make so many of us here very negative about what we see as idiocy and willful ignorance and neofascism.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. In my little town

there was a mass mailing of anti-gay literature. My boss brought it in, wanting to know who sent it--he was mad (pretty good for a heterosexual married good old boy, don't you think?). I told him it was likely the local KKK, who sends out trash like this periodically. He said he didn't appreciate being sent garbage like that and was thinking of doing something about it. He ordered me to get rid of it.

Don't know, but I feel there is a bit of hope for the world when a self-described redneck in a red town feels this way.

[Javaman]

7. Heck I would crawl into the washing machines, reading head lines like that

would make me want to take a shower.