Beauty, Truth and Thoughtful Dialogue

Shared Observation Leads to Deeper Dialogue

One of my favorite stories is E. B. White's The Cricket in Times Square. My favorite part of the story has to be where Chester (the cricket) plays a concert in the manner most crickets simply chirp. The beautiful music makes the great hub of the great city go still as everyone stops to hear the music. Rich and poor, Liberal and Conservative, they all stop. For one brief moment the city is united in the appreciation of a gift. May I humbly suggest that we as a people need more moments like this.

I do not choose my hiking companions for political compatibility and the result has been some lively and thoughtful conversation in a magnificent setting. Away from the often set template of our default locations, we are free to observe... indeed challenged to observe. That is the whole point of an adventure.

One such shared adventure led to a discussion of Byrd's transportation improvements and the taxation enacted to accomplish it. Here in a verdant forum, ideas could be safely shared and pondered. This was not a Board of Supervisors meeting where points must be made and won, rather it was the seminar class that graduate students participate in. The application would come later.

My friend in that adventure succumbed years ago to a very painful death from cancer. He remains one of my favorite hiking buddies as I remember our times together. The last conversation I remember was our discussing the various ways to ascend Elliott's Knob, complete with trail map drawings on napkins. Such is the way friends should share information and ideas.
 







In the days of black and white film, photographers such as A. Aubrey Bodine would rely on line, composition and contrast to capture the subtleties of the season. This exercise is my attempt to emulate their methodology.

Va Political Pineapple ... there's a new blog in town

There's a new blog in town. You might call it pragmatic. You could call it mainstream. You may even call it compassionate conservative. Whatever you call it, there is a need for civil discussion in the political world and that is sadly lacking these days.

When Governor Bob McDonnell's transportation bill passed the Virginia General Assembly earlier this year with a bipartisan vote, the protests from the far-right side of the Republican Party were discouraging as they turned to personal attacks and vitriolic rantings.

As Political Pineapples, what we believe is in our welcome:

Throughout Virginia's history the pineapple has served as a symbol of hospitality and warm welcome.

Over the last several years we have seen a shift in the political environment with a polarization between far-right conservatives and moderate Republicans. In the likeness of Virginia's Governors Bob McDonnell, George Allen, and Jim Gilmore, and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, along with Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, Political Pineapples do not compromise their values and core beliefs. However, they are pragmatic and apply Ronald Reagan's 80 percent rule: "The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally -- not a 20 percent traitor."

Being politically pragmatic, we will strive to move Virginia forward. We invite you to join us as we engage in polite and courteous political discourse while promoting tolerance, open dialogue, and bipartisanship for the good of the Commonwealth.

With regular contributors including Kurt Michael, Bob Kirchman, and Lynn Mitchell, as well as guest posts from pragmatic conservatives such as former Delegate Chris Saxman, the Pineapple will offer a place for citizen journalists to offer civil yet thoughtful conversation about topical issues at hand from a pragmatic and sometimes humorous perspective. Check the in-your-face attitude and personal attacks at the door and come armed with facts for a logical discussion in the vein of Reagan's 80-20 Rule, W's compassionate conservative, George H.W.'s pragmatic look at taxes, and McDonnell, Bolling, Allen, and Gilmore's bipartisan leadership.

Stop by the Pineapple. Look around. We hope you'll make us one of your regular stops.

Cross-posted at LynnRMitchell.com

Today: Dedication of George W. Bush Presidential Center

President George W. Bush was a pragmatic conservative leader....

George W. Bush Presidential Center Dedication - Live Webcast

Watch the webcast on this page live April 25, 2013 at 8 a.m. Central time. The Dedication Ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m. Central time.


On April 25, 2013, President and Mrs. Bush will commemorate the completion of the George W. Bush Presidential Center — home to the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and the George W. Bush Institute.  As part of the Dedication Ceremonies, President and Mrs. Bush will present the Bush Presidential Library and Museum to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, and is the 13th Presidential Library.

President and Mrs. Bush look forward to sharing this historic day with all living Presidents, dignitaries and supporters of the Bush Center. President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama, President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush, President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosaylnn Carter will participate in this special ceremony.

The Dedication will be broadcast live on a number of television outlets, please check your local listings for details.

Connect with Us

Watching the ceremony on television?  Be sure to join the conversation on Twitter.

Follow the Bush Center on social media to receive the latest news, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Led Zeppelin: Immigrant Song

"We Come From the Land of the Ice and Snow"


"We come from the land of the ice and snow, From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow. The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands, To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!"

Immigrant Song

In 1970, the government of Iceland invited Led Zeppelin to give a concert in its capital of Reykjavik. Shortly after the band arrived, Iceland’s civil service workers went on strike threatening the concert.

During the wait, Zeppelin’s lead singer, Robert Plant, wrote “Immigrant Song”.

If you are like me (and I sincerely hope the good Lord has spared you that), you don’t know the title of many songs – especially the ones whose words do not appear in the actual lyrics. This is to say nothing of the nausea inducing lyric free music of today.

The “Immigrant Song” begins with Plant famously singing (screeching?) Ahhhhhhhhhh…… Ahhhhhhhhh….

Right. That song. My second favorite song to request from lounge singers and wedding bands. Right after, naturally, Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Love doing that – “Okay…do we have any requests?”

“FREE BIRD!”….”Not funny, sir”….”yes it is.”

So. Zeppelin gets invited to Iceland on a cultural mission to perform a concert and a strike almost kills the deal. Plant writes song. Immigrant Song.

This is not unlike the immigration laws of the United States. Invite people here to work, people protest, and things bog down. The creative ones adapt based on the reasons for their presence.

Many will say, “But we didn’t invite these immigrants!”

Yes. Yes, we did. We allowed millions of people to enter the country for a whole host of reasons and very few people, in the beginning anyway, seemed to mind.

The problems began when some of the uninvited guests (guests nonetheless), started doing bad things. Very bad things.

Remember back in school when someone said, “Hey, let’s go over to so and so’s house. He’s having people over. His parents are out of town.” And what happens? The whole school shows up looking for free booze.

If that kid realizes, before the cops show up, that his behind is going to be in a sling, he will end up kicking everyone out. Right? You remember this?

Of course you do.

Our immigration problem is a bit more problematic because we cannot simply kick people out of the house. In fact, they live here now and many of them are not breaking the laws other than the one to actually be here – but we turned a blind eye to that and evvvvvvveryone knows it.

It’s time to be honest – on both sides of the aisle – about immigration.

Set up a process for an orderly, fair, and humane transition to becoming a US citizen. That means not lowering the bar, it means raising it. If people have been here and have been contributing to the development of our society, culture, and civilization they should be welcomed as such.

For those who have broken the laws, your stay here is no longer welcome and you will be returned to your country of origin. If you have done something so terrible that your home country will not accept you back or if you still owe our civil society some more time, you will be put to work.

Don’t want to work? We can be creative with folks like you. We’ll come up with something, but you won’t like it. And you’re going to miss the show.

The show must go on. The band was booked. The concert hall was scheduled.

The tickets have all been sold.

The people are here.

And they’ve been chanting for a long time, patiently, “We. Want. The Show.”

Let the band play.

The Immigrant Song has always been America’s song.

The last lines of Immigrant Song?

So now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins/ For peace and trust can with the day despite all your losing.

Led ahhhhhhhh…….ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Cross-posted at ChrisSaxman.com

Immigrant Song

In 1970, the government of Iceland invited Led Zeppelin to give a concert in its capital of Reykjavik. Shortly after the band arrived, Iceland’s civil service workers went on strike threatening the concert.
During the wait, Zeppelin’s lead singer, Robert Plant, wrote “Immigrant Song”.

If you are like me (and I sincerely hope the good Lord has spared you that), you don’t know the title of many songs – especially the ones whose words do not appear in the actual lyrics. This is to say nothing of the nausea inducing lyric free music of today.

The “Immigrant Song” begins with Plant famously singing (screeching?) Ahhhhhhhhhh…… Ahhhhhhhhh….

Right. That song. My second favorite song to request from lounge singers and wedding bands. Right after, naturally, Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Love doing that – “Okay…do we have any requests?”

“FREE BIRD!”….”Not funny, sir”….”yes it is.”

So. Zeppelin gets invited to Iceland on a cultural mission to perform a concert and a strike almost kills the deal. Plant writes song. Immigrant Song.

This is not unlike the immigration laws of the United States. Invite people here to work, people protest, and things bog down. The creative ones adapt based on the reasons for their presence.
Many will say, “But we didn’t invite these immigrants!”

Yes. Yes, we did. We allowed millions of people to enter the country for a whole host of reasons and very few people, in the beginning anyway, seemed to mind.

The problems began when some of the uninvited guests (guests nonetheless), started doing bad things. Very bad things.

Remember back in school when someone said, “Hey, let’s go over to so and so’s house. He’s having people over. His parents are out of town.” And what happens? The whole school shows up looking for free booze.

If that kid realizes, before the cops show up, that his behind is going to be in a sling, he will end up kicking everyone out. Right? You remember this?

Of course you do.

Our immigration problem is a bit more problematic because we cannot simply kick people out of the house. In fact, they live here now and many of them are not breaking the laws other than the one to actually be here – but we turned a blind eye to that and evvvvvvveryone knows it.

It’s time to be honest – on both sides of the aisle – about immigration.

Set up a process for an orderly, fair, and humane transition to becoming a US citizen. That means not lowering the bar, it means raising it. If people have been here and have been contributing to the development of our society, culture, and civilization they should be welcomed as such.

For those who have broken the laws, your stay here is no longer welcome and you will be returned to your country of origin. If you have done something so terrible that your home country will not accept you back or if you still owe our civil society some more time, you will be put to work.

Don’t want to work? We can be creative with folks like you. We’ll come up with something, but you won’t like it. And you’re going to miss the show.

The show must go on. The band was booked. The concert hall was scheduled.

The tickets have all been sold.

The people are here.

And they’ve been chanting for a long time, patiently, “We. Want. The Show.”

Let the band play.

The Immigrant Song has always been America’s song.

The last lines of Immigrant Song?

So now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins/
For peace and trust can with the day despite all your losing.

ahhhhhhhh…….ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Chris Saxman: 'Making friends across the aisle'

 Dr. Kurt Michael (left), former Del. Chris Saxman (center), McDonnell Chief of Staff Martin Kent (right) at reception in 2010 hosted by Gov. and Mrs. Bob McDonnell at the Governor's Mansion.

Former Delegate Chris Saxman (R-20th House) was my delegate for close to a decade, making the annual trek to Richmond and the General Assembly session to stand up for issues and work with his colleagues for the good of all Virginians. I had volunteered on his campaign in 2001 when he won the newly-created House seat for Staunton, part of Augusta, part of  Rockingham, and Highland Counties and, through the years, we worked together and remained friends.

I was the Republican activist volunteer. Chris was the elected official who represented not only the Republicans who worked to get him into office but also the Democrats, Independents, Greens, and everyone else who lived within his District. His door was open to everyone.

During the years, Chris' demeanor, candor, and friendliness were contagious and he was extremely popular as he took part in local parades and town halls and fund raisers. Along the way, I learned from this gentleman whose example taught me to cut back on the partisan rhetoric and look at the political world from a different viewpoint. One lesson impressed upon me was that those who carry something other than the Republican "R" behind their names were not automatically the enemy.

I remember a barbecue at the Saxman home one summer day years ago. When I arrived and wandered around back to the patio where Chris was grilling, I was surprised to see Steve Sisson already there. Steve, who at that time was writing as the "Blue Dog" -- Blue Dog Democrat -- became someone who could be a friend even as we disagreed on policy and we remain friends to this day. His down-home writing style and tag line, "Amen, and pass the cornbread," were read by all sides of the political spectrum.

Recently Chris posted a column at his website that emphasizes his governing style that proved very successful in politics and, now, in business. "Making friends across the aisle" is vintage Chris Saxman as he writes:

One of the things in politics that always made me just shake my head (while hearing in my head the Robot from the TV show Lost In Space – “This. Does. Not. Compute”) was when people within my political party would ask me what was I doing hanging out with Democrats.

What many people didn't know was that Chris' dad was Republican and his mom was Democrat, and so he noted:

In my family, if you didn’t agree to sit and eat with people from the other party, you went hungry during the holidays.

Witty, humorous, charismatic, personable, knowledgeable ... Chris' column shares words of wisdom and experience that hit home in today's extremely partisan political atmosphere. My gratitude to him for his part in my political journey, growth, and -- yes -- friendship. Thanks, Chris.

Chris Saxman represented the 20th District in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002-09. A businessman, active member of the community, and a contributor to the Bearing Drift blog, he lives in Staunton, Virginia, with his wife Michele and four children. Catch more of his columns at his website, ChrisSaxman.com.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
Cross-posted at LynnRMitchell.com