What a week....

Crazy week we've just had.

• Scott McClellan, the former press point man for the Bush Administration writes an unflattering view of the Bush White House and the administration send out it's people with their talking points to counter his harsh criticism. Funny thing is most of us arrived at the same conclusions as Scott well ahead of him and it's comical to see the president's defenders try to play this down, like we've never heard any of it before. Then we have the newest White House press secretary Dana Perino who says it was his own fault if McClellan felt he was an outsider. "You can be as in or out of the loop as you choose to be," she said. Ms. Perino should keep that in mind if she some days finds herself in front of a grand jury.
• Senator John McCain who scolded Barack Obama over Iraq and suggested he could teach Obama a thing or two if he'd travel with him to Iraq said yesterday, "I can tell you that [the troop increase] is succeeding. I can look you in the eye and tell you it's succeeding. We have drawn down to pre-surge levels." The only problem is the troop level in Iraq is at about 155,000, well above the 130,000 that would mark a return to levels preceding the "surge."
• Then come Father Michael Pfleger, who evidently feels his calling is to mock Sen. Hillary Clinton in racially charged language from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago (home church of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright who earlier stirred controversy for the Obama campaign.

Anyone else wondering what the weekend might have in store?

Will, a quiet one news wise would be nice. I do intend to do some household chores this weekend and some writing. Yes, I did say writing.

Poetry Buzz

• Kudos to Jayne Pupek for her poem Speculation which is appearing in Juked. I'm impatiently awaiting another book of poetry by Jayne. Hint, hint!
• See why Eileen Tabios is Happy as a Cop with a donut. click here
• A Rejection Sticker? click here

Barry on the Cover

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Time to get real

Reportedly speaking in a condescendent tone, Sen. John McCain challenged Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday to travel to Iraq with him to better understand the war. I challenge Senator McCain to visit the real world and come out of President Bush's delusion.

Puzzled? Laughing hysterically

When White House officials claim to be puzzled by Scott McClellan's assertions about the Bush administration in his new memoir, I find the whole thing laughable. First of all, it is nice to see the former press secretary to the president acknowledge what most Americans figured out long ago. That top officials in the Bush administration including the president and vice president themselves have been bold faced liers to the American public.

When the current White House spokeswoman Dana Perino calls McClellan's description of his time at the White House "sad," it is, but the reason it's sad is the Bush administration not only lied to the American people but conducted much of the nations business, including foreign policy based upon those lies.

These aren't little white lies. These are lies that have cost 4,589 American servicemen and women their lives thus far. Lies that have cost American taxpayers so far in excess of $523 billion and counting. Money that in many instances has been paid out to fat-cat contractor that have over billed American taxpayers. In other cases there are funds paid for services and supplies that cannot be accounted for.

That the President and Vice President will retire with pensions and leave this mess for the next President and the American people is beyond sad. My belief is based on their conduct in office, both should be serving time behind bars.

The Birth of Poets

A young Belarusian poet named Valzhyna Mort (Martynava) was featured in the recent issue of P&W. From that article came this great line... "Someone said we're born a poet from this wound inflicted on us by other poets' poetry."



In terms of my own experience, I feel a real kinship with this statement. There are a number of poets whose work has touched me in such fashion, but I suspect if I were to recall one single poem, from on poet that had this kind of impact upon me, strangely enough it would be The Blue Dress by Sharon Olds. Remarkably strange I suppose for a guy since it is written in the persona of a young girl and the main prop being a blue dress. Yet the poem speaks to relationships and lack of relationships and the very first time I read it there was a real visceral connection to this poem. This was not the first such instance, there are works particularly by Plath, and Sexton which impacted me, but perhaps the strongest I can attribute to a single poem was the Olds poem.



I wonder how many others writing poetry can point to a specific poem that profoundly inflicted a wound so great that did or could have been the birth of their own inclination to writing poetry?

Future of K.C. Lit Fest

The Second Annual Kansas City Literary Festival is past now and I noted that John Mark Eberhart, Book Editor for the Kansas City Star has a few observations about what the future might hold in store for this young event. His assessment, which appeared in the Sunday arts and entertainment edition of the Star, was a good honest look at the event.

Eberhart noted that the event did a good job of recognizing local authors and giving poets a strong presence at the event. But Eberhart sees a problem with the lack of big name draws. It isn't that they have not been booked, but in the two years hear - circumstances have lead to last minute cancellations of the top billed authors both years. Such things are bound to happen. That is why he urges the powers that be to book top name authors across several genres. It both broadens the pool of public interest and lessens the chance that the event looses it's top draw, as there would be more than one.

These suggestions are wise ones. If there was much of an increase in foot traffic at the event the second year, I could not tell it. I don't believe it was any less attended, but I didn't see measurable growth.

The planners do deserve a lot of credit. But there were shortcomings. The official web site was black till quite close to the event. Something I found inexcusable for an event that was anticipated even as last years packed up.

I can't say enough about the support they have given the poetry community. The poetry stage was well organized and featured a good cross section of local talent.

The organizers would do well to take Eberhart's Sunday article and use it to shape a blueprint for next years event. It would do a lot to assuring this thrives in Kansas City for years to come.