For your reading pleasure while the voting is happening. Let's hope the current Supreme Court decision on voter ID doesn't disenfranchise many voters today. It is probably the truth, however, that the refusal of Mortimor Jeffries' ballot was because of the person he had voted for (Lincoln) and not because of his perceived racial ancestry.

This is a real story; it's been a part of my family history forever. While some of the details I grew up with are fictional, the basic story is the same. And is part of the state's legal history.

Hurrah! I can't wait!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/28/aaron-brown-to-return-to_n_98913.html

"LOS ANGELES — Aaron Brown, the former CNN anchor who found cable TV an awkward fit, is joining PBS' "Wide Angle" series and ending his on-air absence of more than two years.

"If I was going to do broadcast journalism again, be a public person again ... then it had to be something different from what I'd done," Brown told The Associated Press. "You can count on one hand how many gigs there are like this."

Update - 1 May 2008 -- A nice interview with Aaron Brown by TVNewser

Just read this interesting, but predictable article about how people are cutting back.

I haven't really noticed the higher prices myself, but I am just normally frugal with my money to begin with...my biggest vice is the cans of Coke Zero that I consume daily. (Cut me, I bleed Coke).

I was amazed to see that gas was over $3.50 in our area. Last time I filled up my Prius it was $3.23.

What are you doing to cut back and/or stretch your dollars?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/business/27spend.html?hp

A really nice write-up!

"Retired four-star general Wesley Clark will be the keynote speaker for the South Dakota Democratic Party’s McGovern Day event this year.

Clark, who led allied forces during the 1999 Kosovo War, also ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004. He was critical of the Iraq invasion, and he is a possible vice presidential nominee in this year’s contest.

This year’s McGovern Day event is being billed as a salute to South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson. It will be held on Saturday at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

Since he hasn't managed to be in Baghdad yet without making some patently stupid comment, it is just a matter of time. What do you think it will be? Does he go shopping again? Maybe Al Queda has been defeated? Maybe Iraqi oil money is paying for everything?

Go to town! Let's see who knows John McCain best and comes closest to the foolish statement that comes out of this trip.

(Any stupid said by Lindsay Graham doesn't count...but I do wonder how many cheap carpets he buys on this trip.)

As a commercial bank, Bear Stearns was not eligible for the assistance it got from the Federal Government yesterday. Even though the rescue was manipulated so the money came directly from JP Morgan Chase, it was our tax dollars.

I'm torn (always on the fence!) - on one hand, I agree that letting one of these banks fail is probably going to cause a real panic. On the other hand, I don't want my tax dollars funding the risky behavior that is making people millionaires - they need to take their losses. Except for, in the end, it might be my 401K that ends up going with it.

Allentown is located in the Lehigh Valley; north of Philadelphia and south of Scranton. This will be an area where the Clinton/Obama fight might be very interesting. Lots of blue collar jobs lost there in past years. Lots of small colleges.

The Allentown Morning Call is generally a conservative newspaper. In my opinion, though, they are always fair in their reporting. Here is another (and by far the most articulate) breakdown of Pennsylvania demographics.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-adsa.6304875mar09,0,1611800.story

"PENNSYLVANIA CAMPAIGN STRATEGY

PENNSYLVANIA ROOTS

I wonder how many of these "We are Pennsylvania" articles can be written? But no matter, here is another:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20080308_Chris_Satullo__A_newcomers_guide_to_the_real_Pennsylvania.html

Honest to God, that faux pas by John Kerry was retold here for months. From conservative commentator Michael Smerconish, here are the things both candidates need to do and to avoid doing in Pennsylvania.
" Pronunciation matters. When in Philadelphia, make certain that Olney is "ahl-uh-nee," Passyunk "pa-shunk" and the Schuylkill "skoo-kul."

In central Pennsylvania, Juniata County is not akin to a Hispanic first name, but rather "joo-nee-atta." In Pittsburgh, it's spelled Monongahela, and pronounced the same way."

http://tinyurl.com/2gl4nl

Link goes to Philadelphia Daily News

This is who we are in Pennsylvania.

" For demographic and other reasons, pollsters and analysts say Clinton enters the Pennsylvania battle as the favorite. Among her advantages: support from Rendell and large parts of his political network, and deep ties to Democratic leaders from her years as first lady. In addition, Clinton's late father was a native of Scranton, and she vacationed often at Lake Winola as a child.