• Connections

    Elderly Mom Still Advocating For Downs Syndrome Son, And Other Disabled

    August 21, 2012 - By 

    There’s no better advocate for disabled kids and adults than fully engaged, lovingly encouraging parents. And when they’re no longer there for them, it’s up to the state — and some states are better advocates than others. From the moment Marjorie Sullivan Lee learned her newborn son, Kevin, had Down syndrome she became his advocate. Dismissing her pediatrician’s suggestion that Kevin be placed in an institution, Lee and her husband, John, decided Kevin would grow up at home with his five older siblings and be part of the community. That wasn’t necessarily the norm in 1960. Lee battled school officials…

  • Hot Off The Presses - Politics, Schmolitics

    Romney Came To Elk Grove Village To Accuse Obama (And Say Nice Things About Sikhs And Non-Radical Muslims Walsh Later Defamed)

    August 21, 2012 - By 

    My church, St Nicholas Episcopal, is located in Elk Grove Village. We run a food pantry 3 Wednesdays a month. I think a lot of our guests would be very surprised to find themselves part of a “culture of dependency.” I think Romney’s appearance in the village, aside from its convenience to O’Hare, is less to do with doing a gun-and-run fundraising appearance and more to do with supporting Reprehensible Joe Walsh (R-Anthrax)’s campaign to retain his seat against the very formidable Tammy Duckworth (D-Gave Her Legs For Her Country). They had a face-off for the Trib editorial board— apparently…

  • Uncategorical Weirdness

    Remember The Mustard Seed

    August 21, 2012 - By 

    A friend of mine passed away last week, I got the word via email while we were still on the train journey from Montana to Illinois. Father Paul T. Brouilette was a fine priest, a great preacher, and a terrific musician. He played guitar, and a mean banjo – he had a Pete Seeger model, complete with "this machine kills fascists" motto. He was also an avid runner before being diagnosed with liver disease almost 2 years ago. It’s been a long, slow fight, and we had some hope when he was approved for a transplant. But then the match…

  • Twitter

    Weekly Tweets 2012-08-19

    August 19, 2012 - By 

    Glacier National Park is incredibly beautiful. Congress needs to fund NPS better. # Whitefish is a fun town and a good base for exploring the area. Also, GREAT BEER. #fb # We saw a bear by the road yesterday. A BEAR, people. Munchin berries and ignoring us. #fb # We've also seen 2 Gee-whiz cars on park roads. Like Pringlemobiles for bears: self driving snack cans. #fb # Glacier National Park won't have any glaciers by 2020 at current melt rates. #climatechange http://t.co/YXdO2Vwb # Mosque shooter: does this mug shot make me look crazy? http://t.co/ZmMz4bu3 http://t.co/GkFdCCkF # Future travel: book…

  • Uncategorical Weirdness

    Sunflowers Somewhere in North Dakota

    August 17, 2012 - By 

    Actually slept last night and a bit this morning. It’s a pretty rough ride, though the people are nice. And heck, the steward just brought us mimosas. Doesnt help the people who’ll miss their connections in Chicago, but it’s pleasant to drink and watch the morning roll by. I saw where @RuthieGledhill (UK religion journalist) was complaining about a "foul, noisy" train between Chester and Euston and pronounced herself glad that Virgin Trains had lost the rights to run an entire area of the UK’s British Rail system. Wonder what she’d make of Amtrak and BNSF? It sure seems that…

  • Uncategorical Weirdness

    Good Night, Good Bye Mountains

    August 16, 2012 - By 

    Somewhere west of Harlem, MT — Stopped again on a siding, probably waiting for another freight train with higher priority to go by. These are probably the Bear Paw Mountains, or maybe the Little Rockies, according to my Roadside Geology Montana book. Soon the sleeping car attendants will start making the rooms up for what passes for sleep on the train. We’re currently delayed at least 6 hours. No telling how much of the time I’ll be wakeful or snoreful. Or whether I’ll have cell service (David’s been able to get some stuff done, though). Good night! Via: Flickr Title:…

  • Mini-Posts

    Heh. Kismet or Karma?

    August 16, 2012 - By 

    Floyd Corkins, the 28-year-old Virginia man who allegedly shot a security guard in the Family Research Council headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday because of the group’s opposition to gay marriage, could be prosecuted under a hate crimes statute. The FRC would rather he wasn’t. While the FRC has specifically opposed expanding hate crimes protections to individuals targeted for violent attacks because of their sexual orientation or gender identity because they believe it “sends the false message that deviant sexual behaviors are somehow equivalent to other categories of protection such as race or sex,” the group also opposes any hate…