  Last night I attended my 5 year high school reunion. It was a tolerably pleasant evening. I didn't really have any burning desire to see the people that I remembered from high school - for the most part I have kept in touch with the people I considered good friends. I did have one pleasant surprise of a friend there. I hadn't spoken with her since graduation.
I think we may have emailed for a bit a year or so after graduation, but we lost touch. It was great catching up with her. After a few hours though, I had about as much as I could take and took off. 5 years really didn't change anyone that much - old attitudes die hard. This last week the esteemed mayor of Saint Paul, Mr. Randy Kelly, endorsed George W. Bush for re-election. Now, this news wouldn't be so shocking, except that Kelly is a long-time DFL (Democrat to those non Minnesotans) party member. He is from the East Side of Saint Paul, where a Republican hasn't been elected from that district in god knows how many years. This endorsement comes as a bit of a shock. Maybe its something in the water, as our last mayor also switched from DFL to Republican. Although Kelly has stated that he has no intentions of switching parties, there are rumors that the governor may give him an appointment to a state post, or that he might run for US Senate. The reason that Kelly gave behind his decision to back Bush is that he saw a bumper sticker that said "I Hate Bush". He decided the liberals were pushing the politics of hate and his mind was made up from there. I am thinking that if the mayor of Saint Paul bases his decisions upon bumper sticker politics, the DFL party might be better off without him.
Also in the political arena, this new terror threat bothers me. Not that I am afraid of a terror threat, but that it seems to be politically motivated. Normally candidates can expect a boost in the polls following their nominating conventions, but with the announcement of a new "terror" threat, the Dept. of Homeland Security all but nullified the effects of the convention. The Kerry camp has denied that it thinks the announcement was politically motivated, but honestly, can we really trust what we are being told? From the 8/8/04 edition of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press "Now, on the subject of the convention, most observers agreed last week brought a newly energized Democratic party, one focused on a common goal.
With the party now in the spotlight, many people are wondering... " (Stewart is handed a piece of paper) "Oh. Terror warning. Guess I'll have to stop talking about the Democrats. " — Jon Stewart On a lighter note, a urlLink recent news item states that the Dutch are now working to ban toe-licking. Obviously seeking to protect the Danes pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, a simple solution is to ban toe-licking. As I know you can all agree with me, when my toes get licked, I really do have a hard time feeling safe. While the article states that the "would be Casanova" could not be charged with any crime for licking unsuspecting ladies toes, I have to wonder, just how many different body parts can a stranger lick before commiting a crime. 
