McGovern as Food for Peace director in 1961, with President John F. Kennedy.
“I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie,” he said in an interview for this obituary in 2005 in his home in Mitchell. “My dad was a Methodist minister. I went off to war. I have been married to the same woman forever. I’m what a normal, healthy, ideal American should be like.”
Along with fellow Senators Gaylord Nelson and Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern was at the heart of an era in US politics dominated by Midwestern progressives. I grew up in that era, and that region. I have a yellowed copy of a 2003 Los Angeles Times op-ed posted on a bulletin board in my office, and have drawn on it for inspiration during my two election campaigns, and throughout the past five-plus years of holding elected office.
“Give me a presidential candidate who speaks the truth as he sees it and I’ll show you a candidate whose campaign, win or lose, will be good for the nation.”
This year’s presidential election campaign – and politics in general in this country right now – is sadly lacking of the common decency and honest human compassion of George McGovern. America has lost a great, wise voice with his passing.
“We are at a crossroads,” he wrote, “over how the federal government in Washington and state legislatures and city councils across the land allocate their financial resources. Which fork we take will say a lot about Americans and our values.”
A wonderful NY Times obituary (from which the first and last quotes above come) can be read here.
A big tip of the hat to my friend Kathleen Sutcliffe (@justlikeatree on Twitter) for her Earthjustice unEarthed Blog post (click here) on the trailer for Promised Land, a feature film directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matt Damon that depicts the effects of the fracking boom on a small town. Here’s the trailer:
Promised Land is the new contemporary drama directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk). Matt Damon plays Steve Butler, an ace corporate salesman who is sent along with his partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), to close a key rural town in his company’s expansion plans. With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their company’s offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (John Krasinski), as well as the interest of a local woman (Rosemarie DeWitt). Promised Land explores America at the crossroads where big business and the strength of small-town community converge.
Must. See. Movie.
Mark your calendar now; in theaters December 28th, 2012
Yikes! It’s already Labor Day weekend. Where did August go?
A crazy August schedule with a client job has kept my “free time” for blogging to a minimum, and thus it’s been more than a month since my last garden update post. So there’s some serious catching up to do.
The first “replant” after the hail storm took to the summer garden quite well. The radishes – being a cooler weather crop – didn’t do as well as the spring planting, but did produce enough for me and extra to give to friends & neighbors, plus the greens of the plants that did not produce roots were tasty additions to salads.
The beets didn’t fair so well, as another massive rainstorm just after planting seeds seemed to have washed a majority of them away. And the summer squash plant has grown very well, with multiple blossoms now producing the goose-necked yellow vegetables.
And peppers? WOW! After being stripped of nearly all their leaves & flowers/peppers by the storm, they’ve made a fantastic comeback and I’ll be pickling, drying and freezing them by the dozen the way things are looking today.
The tomatoes are another story – their stems bruised and shattered by the hail, most of the regular size plants have produced the last of their fruits and shriveled up, but the cherry and yellow plum are growing new shoots and producing new flowers and fruits.
Garden Harvest on August 18, 2012 – one month after devastating hail storm flattened most of Roseville Community Garden. Romaine lettuce, radishes, fennel, tomatoes Thai peppers and sweet red peppers make for some good eats.
The photo above is just a small sampling of a two or three times weekly “harvest” from the garden plot. I’ve become really spoiled by all the fresh vegetables – not sure how I’m going to function as the season draws to a close. After the jump, I’ve included some additional images from the garden since my last post in July. I’ll try to get some additional photos and thoughts together in the next week, and not be so long between posts during September.
“It’s a great honor and privilege for us to be here representing not only the United States but men of peace of all nations, men with interests and a curiosity and men with a vision for the future.” – Neil Armstrong, speaking from the lunar surface to President Richard Nixon on July 20, 1969.
A tired, elated and proud Neil Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012). The first man to walk on the moon, after his moonwalk on July 20, 1969. Credit: Buzz Aldrin / NASA
A little part of my childhood died today. It seems to be happening often lately, a sign of age and fading youth, I guess.
“Neil Armstrong was also a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job,” his family said in a statement tonight. “He served his nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot and astronaut.”
They forgot to include that he also served as an inspiration to a generation growing up in a tumultuous decade in America. We seem to be suffering a shortage of men and women of peace today – men and women with interests and a curiosity and a vision for the future. We need more reluctant American heroes like Neil Armstrong.
An environmental education experience for children (and adults!), to be presented by the Musconetcong Watershed Association on Saturday, August 4, 2012.
Musconetcong River at Byram Riverside Park. Photo by Beth Styler Barry
Come out and get your feet wet!
Date: Saturday, August 4, 2012 Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Place: Byram Township’s Riverside Park, River Road at Waterloo Road, Byram, NJ.
(Click here for a Google Map)
The Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA) will be introducing local children (and their parents!) to the beauty and wonders of the Musconetcong River. This program allows children to come down to the river’s edge with an MWA representative and splash around in the water, turn over rocks and see what they can find using nets and magnifying glasses. There is a lot to discover and a lot to learn!
Children need to wear water shoes, old sneakers or sandals with a strap on back. No bare feet and no flip-flops please! Parents must be present but do not need to get their feet wet – there will be plenty of volunteers on hand. Children will not be swimming, just getting their feet wet.
MWA members free. Non-members will be charged a $3 donation per child ($8 limit per family).
Bring your kids, bring your grandkids. Tell your friends.
MWA’s primary mission is education and awareness. They believe that a community that is fully aware of the importance and vulnerability of it’s natural resources is a community that will actively support efforts to ensure environmental quality. The MWA carries out its mission through grassroots activities, including educational programs in local schools, municipal government outreach, workshops and seminars for the public, stream cleanups and outdoor educational programs.
Volunteers from the Byram Township Environmental Commission will be at the event as part of its mission to impart upon residents a greater knowledge of the natural resources of the Township. The ordinance establishing the Commission defines its responsibilities as “all things necessary to promote the conservation and development of the Township’s resources, to provide the impetus and take leadership in natural resources planning and to inform the public about local conservation programs and the need for conserving the natural resources of the Township.”
Woke up to a seasonably warm, muggy, mid-summer Saturday morning.
Grabbed a cup of coffee, “opened office” under the patio umbrella and finished up some client work left over from the week. I had every intention of doing this and a few household chores before heading down to the garden to weed and finish trimming off the storm-damaged growth from the remaining vegetables. Maybe even harvest some basil for a fresh batch of pesto. But before I knew it, the sky was darkening, a fierce wind blew in and thunder began to rumble. Then the skies opened up and the deluge began, accompanied by a brilliant display of lightning and raucous chorus of thunder. And a we’ve gone from downpour to slow gentle rain and back again several times as storms continue to push through North Jersey.
The garden is going to have to wait today. Not that I’m complaining. The air temperature cooled down, we definitely need the rain (although so much so fast does cause issues) and it isn’t like I’ve got nothing else to do. I decided it would be a good time to catch up on posting some of the things I’ve done with the goods from the garden – I’ve had a few great meals from some of the things that I grew, and despite the loss from the storm, the garden is still producing. Here’s a quick look at what I’ve enjoyed so far this growing season.
Romaine lettuce, radish and tomato salad with fresh mozzarella, with olive oil & balsamic vinegar drizzle, and a tall cold glass of sweet ice tea.
More delicious garden delight meals to see, after the jump…
Another quick “Storm Survivor” pictorial post. This one is of my garden zinnias, which held up quite well to the wind and hail storm of July 18, with only a battered leaf here and there.
According to Wikipedia, zinnia are popular flowering plants with varied habits, allowing for uses in several parts of a garden, and their tendency to attract butterflies and hummingbirds is seen as desirable. I’d never grown them or thought much about them until this year., when my Mother brought a packet of seeds when she visited this spring. She planted them in a corner of the garden, and they’ve taken off. Check out these photos I took after a summer rain on July 23:
