My friends, I can see Russia from my house

October 8th, 2008 at 05:12pm Linda Grist Cunningham

Well, I watched the debate last night, watched the commentary, took a look at those cute CNN meter readersĀ  and headed for bed. Snuggled down and tried to sleep. No such luck, so I decided, what the heck, check my Facebook account (amazing what friends are up past midnight with nothing better to do) and post some notes on the blog.

It must have been the cuppa English tea I had during the debate — not to mention the nicotine patch. I ditched the cigarettes again on Oct. 1. We shall see how it goes. As I tell friends, I am simply “not smoking at the moment…”

OK, so back to the debate. I’ve tried; honestly, I have tried to think that McCain and Palin might make a good team. After the VP debate last week and tonight’s showing, I give up. She insults me and he bores me.

If Sarah Palin worked for me, we’d be having lessons in how NOT to conduct oneself in a professional setting. Winking is not an appropriate behavior. I keep waiting for her to smack her gum. McCain lost me tonight when he called upon Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan as his heroes. Looking backward is not where we need to be. Give me hope anytime — and, if I can’t have the Billary Clintons again, Obama it will be.

’nuff on politics. How ’bout those Cubs? Well, not the Cubs. How ’bout that stock market? My 401k still has some cash in it — not much, but some — which these days, I guess, is about as positive as it’s going to get.

We’ve been pulling pages from the Rockford Register Star from back in 1929. It’s a fascinating exercise to see “live” coverage of the stock market crash and what the world was like that October and the years just following. History books don’t tell the story as well as reading this town’s newspaper from the days in which it was actually happening.

One thing for sure: You learn real fast that nothing much has changed, that people respond, well, as people, and that “life goes on.” The papers are filled with weddings, obituaries, church news, city council and school board, and all the things that are the glue that is life. Indeed, it’s reassuring and a reminder that we have faced tough times before and that we will, once again, muddle through.

Though after reading the story about the almost half million dollars AIG spent on an executive retreat the same week they took the $85 billion loan from the feds, I’m pretty much ready to suggest the jail for those who attended — after they pay back the half million. What were they thinking? Obviously, greed has no bounds, and certainly no scruples.

Well, I’m yawning so maybe that means I can get to sleep. Think I’ll read a bit first just to make doubly sure. Here I am in the middle of the night writing — sounds just like my mother. And, that’s pretty good.

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