Tonight, I'm going to go see Joe Miller, and I even bought another book just so my friend would go with me. We're going to argue over which school/library to donate it to, but saying "argue" is an exaggeration.
Today is the day for exaggeration. And anticipation. Maybe hope.
My friend was a bit hesitant to come out tonight to something that starts at 7 p.m. — right when the polls in Missouri and Kansas close — because she admits to being a return-watcher junkie. We figured out that she can listen to the radio on her way home to Lawrence, Kansas, then be back in front of the television (which she literally uses probably once a month, maybe just four times a year, when there's an election) for the tickers.
They say the balance of Congress is in the balance.
I don't see Montana going Democrat, but who knows. Here at "home," I'm stuck with being a swinging state, divided nearly in half between a former prosecutor/auditor Claire McCaskill and an incumbent Republican who sends me lots of press releases about highway money and veterans' money and even about designating our Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as "national."
According to my government, Republicans have held the majority in the House of Representatives since 1994. Ah, 12 years.
The Republicans also controlled the Senate from 1994 until 2000 (when everyone was "mad" at Bill Clinton and wanted to make the last six years of his eight-year administration difficult). He blames the lack of Osama bin Laden-getting on them, you know ….
Of course, in 2000, GOP Bush came to power (and Republicans kept their House majority). At the time, both parties held 50 Senate seats, but, of course, that means that the VP's in-case-of-tie votes would sway the GOP way, "yielding the Republicans unified control of the federal government."
It seems more recent than "pre-9-11," but it was June 2001 when Republican Senator James Jeffords quit his party and gave the Democrats a teeny majority in the Senate, which they blew somehow in 2002.
In 2004, Republicans got four more Senate seats, and they had a net gain of three in the House (partially due to a Democrat's death on New Year's Day 2005).
As it stands, I hate that things are so bi-partisan at all, that you can "predict" votes based solely on whether someone is a Democrat or Republican, whether they are "for" or "against" the president and his/her party.
But, like my friend, I do get all goofy-patriotic on election days, which in places like Africa and Mexico lead to violence and deaths.
The artwork featured here is a piece currently on display at the Belger Art Center, titled simply "Bullet Flag" and made of 23,000 9mm and .22 caliber spent cartridges. It's by someone simply "Moses," who still owns this piece (48"x72"), and about whom I can find no information.
4 comments:
this is pretty moving and your shot is great as usual - I'm not ignoring your emails by the way but I only came out of my funk pour de bon day before yesterday so I'll answer this weekend, promise! are the stars made of nailheads or are they bullets too? Our Bama elections were pretty much as expected - what can I say? we're in the republican belt... the one democrat I wasn't sorry to see lose was the old Sec. of State. And another Dem. I was extra happy to see win was Susan Parker, a personal friend, who is now on the public service commission.
they look like nails, but i'm pretty sure (from card on wall) and from my nose-to-art inspection, that all are bullets and bullet-parts.
This is super old, but I thought I'd chime in: this is a piece by St. Louis artist Moses Nornberg, whose page is at mosesstudio.com. It's made entirely of painted 9mm bullets.
it's still relevant! thank you so much for the information.
i hate pics without captions : )
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