About Me

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Recent retiree--35 year's experience teaching reading, English, adult basic education and volunteer leadership skills. Started this blog to exchange ideas and commentary with friends and others having an interest in joining the discussions. Greatest life accomplishments include: 1.organized my 3rd grade class to check out library books for me to get around librarian's weekly limit--Amazon.com, the Mullins Elementary 3rd Grade Class of 1956 is still waiting for "thank you" notes; 2. volunteered in the Peace Corps, island of St. Kitts, West Indies; 3.taught adults to read, earn their GEDs., and speak English as a second language; 4. bought a border collie puppy for $6, got evicted rather than give him up, and began a life-long love affair with all things "Dog"; 5. joined a physical fitness boot camp in my mid-50s--don't mess with someone who's been doing regulation pushups in wet grass at 5:30 a.m.; 6. walked across Northern England with best friend Sally--over 80 miles from the Irish to North Seas; and 7. travelled to many foreign countries for pleasure and work.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Campaign Kerfuffle D-1

Now Readers, don't call me out on taking liberties with the English language in what's going to be an on-going post throughout the election season. I know that a "kerfuffle" is a flap, to-do, ruckus, foofaraw, or disturbance. However, for campaign monitoring purposes, I'm using "kerfuffle" to describe an incident or comment made by, or on behalf of, a candidate that's wrong, amazingly stupid and/or humorous. As in "What the kerfuffle was he/she thinking?" or "Why didn't someone stop him/her before he/she stepped in it?"

I intend to be non-partisan in handing out Kerfuffle Awards. Unfortunately, both Democrats and Republicans are regularly in the running for these prizes. So, the first award(that's D-1) goes to Barack Obama on the campaign trail in Iowa.

Scenario: Obama is meeting with a group of Iowa farmers (after an intense session on state fair bumper cars to toughen up for last week-end's ABC Iowa debate). The farmers, as they will, start complaining about the lousy prices they are receiving for the products they raise. So, in a heroic effort to demonstrate that he feels their pain, Obama responds: "I understand your concerns. Has anyone gone into Whole Foods Store lately and seen what they're charging for arugula?"

Come on Barack! Arugula prices??? Me thinks Iowa farmers don't give a rip about the price of exotic salad greens and you should have known that as well. Better if you'd said, "At least I know you're faring better with dairy prices because Michelle really gets hacked at me in the mornings when I forget to put the butter back in the fridge and it melts!"

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I would like to nominate Tony Snow for the R1 kerfuffle, even though he is not a candidate for public office. How many of us would happily do our work for the meager salary of $168,000? I am so sorry that he and his wife can no longer afford to live on his current salary. Could he have been any more insensitive to the average working American?