Friday, September 18, 2009

9/12

We had an amazing day this past Saturday. We took the boys to Washington DC to be part of the Taxpayers' March and I'm really glad we did. I haven't seen a lot of people talking about it (particularly not the mainstream media), so I'm going to tell you what it was like.

First of all, any numbers you've heard are probably really low. I'll tell you why: when we got there, hundreds and hundreds of people were leaving. So many people were walking in the opposite direction that I thought we were going the wrong way. Apparently, they had participated in the march and then left before the speakers started. We got there at 1 p.m. and managed to get to the far side of the reflecting pool and no farther. We couldn't see the screen at all, and could barely hear the speakers. Behind us, the entire grassy area all the way to 3rd street was filled with people. See, this is all the closer we could get. Right in the center of the picture, you can barely see a statue. That's the statue that is way back in the distance in pictures taken from the stage! We stayed for about 45 minutes, until the younger boys got antsy. Then we went into the museums. When we finished, the rally had ended. Even though there was trash in every trash can, as well as piled around it, the ground was clear of debris across the mall and all around the meeting area. Nothing. I suspect people probably picked up stuff that was there when they got there, too.
I read an awful lot of signs that day. Did I see any racist ones? NOT ONE. Are people angry? You betcha. Violent? Not at all. This is what America is all about. And I'm proud to have shown it to my kids.

Monday, September 07, 2009

Great lit website

In preparing for my literature class tomorrow, I came across this truly excellent website on literary criticism. If you have an interest in the subject, or if your kids are trying to learn about it, it's definitely worth a look.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Last chance!

If you haven't got a copy of my book, Spanish Summer, for the amazingly low discount price of $8.50, let me know. I've only got two copies left. After that, I'm temporarily pulling it so I can correct a few typos. So this is a special, limited first edition. I'll even sign it for you!