Curious horses on Interstate 90 past Gold Creek, MT, where I stopped because the dog was stir crazy.
This next batch came from the stretch between Butte, MT and West Glacier, MT—gorgeous country even if much of it was on fire. Fortunately, but the time I drove through, most of the fires had calmed.
Okay, here are those voices:
Kevin and Mike were inside a combination bookstore/coffee bar in Butte, where I went to avail myself of a WiFi connection. They were drinking fancy coffees and philosophizing something fierce.
Kevin, 47, lives in Butte and is a contractor. He said: I think there needs to be more equal treatment between everybody in this world. There’s too great a disparity between people who have everything, and those who have nothing. There needs to be more common ground between the two. It seems that especially lately, the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. I think global warming, I think are part of that too. The rich just don’t give a darn so they keep giving out false information about that. But I think everybody realizes its actually happening. That would be my choice, to come up with more of a common ground between the rich and the poor.
Mike, 64, lives in Butte, and is a retired engineer. He said: . I think something like what Kevin said. What is justice? It means treating everybody fair. Everybody gets a fair shake. But in this country money is what counts. I watched an old interview with Leona Helmsley, and she actually said thought she should get another trial because, “I paid six million in taxes. That should entitle me to something.” So Justice. Treat everybody treated equally.
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I met these three firefighters when they’d come down for the fire line, south of Missoula. They’d been fighting what is known as the Black Cat fire. The blaze had been huge and dangerous earlier in the week, but now it was moving toward control.
Fen, 37, is from Emporia, KS. He said: The energy problem. Our dependence on fossil fuel.
Lee, 35, Rapid City South Dakota. He said: I agree with Fen. I’d also like to see us do away with our dependence on fossil fuel. We need to spread it out amongst our other resources.
Dennis, 37, is from Colorado. He said: Welfare reform. In my opinion I’d cut welfare reform because there a lot of jobs for people who want to work.
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I met Marcia and Rosario when they pulled into the parking lot in front of a gift shop in West Glacier, MT. They were riding a beautiful, candy apple red Harley, and had just returned from the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, the place they’d originally met 34 years ago. (They’ve been married 34 years.) They are both from Pittsburgh, PA.
Rosario, 54, said: If I had the chance to help this country with one solution, it would be….for everyone to coexist, to put aside religions and colors, and just get along. I think that would be a peaceful start to a calmer world.
Marcia, 53, said: I’d bring back all the one-on-one customer service, and bring back the old cork board where you actually talk to people. I used to do that, and I miss it. Nobody has customer service anymore. The politicians wouldn’t get into that, I realize. But in terms of the politicians…..They should take better care of the environment. Global warming.
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Light posting over the weekend. Back on Monday, but likely not TOO early.
Hesperia woman killed in confrontation over gang graffiti
L.A. Times Story
A Hesperia resident is the second Southland victim in two weeks to be killed in a confrontation over tagging.
A 65-year-old Hesperia woman was shot and killed Thursday evening after she and family members confronted taggers spray-painting graffiti on their apartment wall and trash cans.
Authorities arrested the alleged triggerman, Ricardo Real, 19, of Hesperia, Friday afternoon on suspicion of murder and were searching for at least three other suspects, said San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Jodi Miller.
The shooting comes two weeks after a 57-year-old Pico Rivera woman was gunned down after she tried to stop taggers from spray-painting graffiti in her neighborhood, a slaying that outraged surrounding communities. An argument turned into a fight, Miller said.
“All we wanted to know is why they were doing it,” said Vasa Ptnesapele, Tausili’s grandson, who said he was among the family members who approached the taggers. Tausili, who suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest, died about an hour later at Desert Valley hspital in Victorville, Miller said. “She was always there,” Ptnesapele said. “She was everything a person could ask for. She took care of us.
Ptnesapele said the taggers had recently moved into the area from Los Angeles and lived on the other side of the apartment complex.
“Through the investigation, they were able to determine Real as the likely triggerman and arrest him.” Four suspected gang members were charged with murder in that case
Kevin: It seems that especially lately, the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. I think global warming…. Don’t make me puke. What happened under Clinton? (Where are the poor getting poorer?)
Mike: “What is justice? It means treating everybody fair.” Justice is getting what you deserve. Nice sideburns. (What kind of engineer?)
Fen and Lee: The energy problem. Our dependence on fossil fuel. Good one. It’s too bad that the left-wing, anti-capitalists have kept us from building more hydroelectric dams and nuclear power plant and still oppose them. Now, they want to overregulate coal mines. In the meantime, we’re getting more at the mercy of Arabs because the same “environmentalists” (hah!)won’t let us drill in Alaska or offshore Florida.
Dennis: Welfare reform. Thank goodness the Republicans forced Bill Clinton to sign that bill, after he first vetoed it but for which he now takes credit. Able people who accept government aid could do something productive to partially earn it–other than pulling the Democratic lever.
Marcia and Rosario – I like Harley folks and people from Pittsburgh. I have relatives from Pittsburgh and the sports fans there get rowdy. After helping a client with his taxes, he took me to his Harley club, where I had a cookout and partied with the gang. It was like Pee-Wee Herman. I escaped with no tatoos.
Rosario: “just get along” Nice, but unrealistic. John Lennon sang about that in “Imagine,” but I didn’t see him giving up his possessions.
Marcia: “Nobody has customer service anymore.” I talked from “Bob” in Texas the other day about a printer problem. Funny, everyone in customer service these days has an Indian accent and speaks terrible English. I wonder if Bob really lived in Texas.
Beavis: “Heh-Heh-Heh. She wrote Butte.”
You want to cut captial tax gains, get rid of unions and signed contracts to undermind tenure employees and hire an unqualified newcomer half the going pay, support laws to cut quality health care for employees unless its a cheesy HMO, the party that supports undocumented immigrants, temp agency, contracted out workers, or you just decide to move your work force over sea……all because your greedy and want to live like royality – which is something you can never be.
“Pro-Life” but against supporting social programs like welfare. Your a hyprocrite. You treat your political party women like second class citizens. If your party was so Christian, you would have thought of starting a war with a country more religious than our own.
Should I keep going?
citizens. If your party was so Christian, you would have thought TWICE of starting a war with a country more religious than our
So, tell me how great that “more religious” country treats women.
Celeste asked the horses if they would answer a question, but they said “neigh.”
About the same treatment as your political party practices, but in here in American, you party members pay a higher price for the prostitute sex…..
About the same treatment your political party practices, but here in American, your party members pay a higher price for the prostitute sex…..
poplock, I really don’t want to get far afield of Celeste’s topic. However, even if what you said was true, I have a higher disdain for Bill Clinton for his raping and assulting women and his wife’s threatening the victims if they talked.
LINK: Nurse backs up Clinton rape charge
LINK: The Women Who Are “Invisible†to Hillary Clinton
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Now, why don’t you quit responding to me and respond to the post, instead–if you have any intelligent insight and comments?
Why don’t you tell the fireman who wants welfare reform that he’s “greedy and wants to live like royalty?” Yeah, those firemen are so selfish.
Dadgum it, my last comment is awaiting moderation. Let me repeat just the last part of it for now. It was addressed to poplock.
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Now, why don’t you quit responding to me and respond to the post, instead–if you have any intelligent insight and comments?
Why don’t you tell the fireman who wants welfare reform that he’s “greedy and wants to live like royalty?†Yeah, those firemen are so selfish.
I’ve been a longtime lurker but your recent series Voices from the Road inspired me to come out and thank you – it’s grand. I look forward to more. Happy trails.
Somehow it always comes back to Bill Clinton’s penis. We can’t see a week pass by without another Republic operative get busted while trolling, usually for gay sex. But Woody is sooo concerned about a guy whose been out of office for seven years.
Pathetic.
rlc, you guys started this by attacking Republicans. Of course, it’s never a surprise or condemned by you whenever the Democrats are guilty of moral turpitude, which is frequently. That’s even more pathetic.
The guy who is hanging out with his pants unzipped is actively campaigning for his wife to continue the socialist transformation of America and so that he can carry on in the White House again, and he never shuts up about Republicans after seven years. Do you want that?
I am a confused on what the subject of the discussion is? I read about, horses, the price of prostitutes and Bill Clinton’s penis, I am not touching those subjects with a ten foot pole.
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Celeste;
I just wanted to commend you, Christine Pelisek and Jeffery Anderson on doing a great job at the L.A. Weekly. All three of you cover the local news with stories which shows you actually investigate and then report. I have read so many stories which were informative, intriguing and entertaining. Some of the stories I remember most, were about Cudahy (the city the law forgot), Hector “the Weasel†Marroquin, Avenues gang murders of blacks and the Suzie Pena story just to name a few. This is the type of investigative reporting that the Los Angels Times does not do anymore. Celeste Fremon, Christine Pelisek and Jeffery Anderson you guys are awesome.
The one num-nuts you have at the L.A. Weekly is Dan Hernandez, even for this liberal Mexican he sounds like a Mechista. He should be writing for the Reconquista Review or Aztlan Ass-wipes. His obvious bias makes me want to vomit green guacamole sauce all over his face just like Linda Blair in the Exorcist Movie.
I would also suggest you put your name next to the name Witness L.A. name in the blogs section at the L.A. Weekly, I just recently discovered your blog and I am sure many others don’t know you have this blog because we don’t see you name.
F. Castillo
Bill Clinton gets his for free….now that’s what you call a real Liberal.
I’ve personally seen BIll Clinton in action, and I can tell you that he does not pressure anyone for a little side action. If a women personally chooses to get with the ex-President, you cant cry foul play.
Dont you know that the majority of welfare recipients are white?
I don’t think that the fireman raised the issue of race and welfare. If he had, he could have discussed the relative rates of welfare by race along with the length of time they are on it.
With you libs, everything has to do with Iraq or race.
Why don’t you discuss what the “typical Americans” said in response to the one question from Celeste?
Also, I said how that I would answer it. (Want to know what I want from the government? Cut my taxes and leave me alone.) How would you answer it?
Why do you keep thinking we are all Liberals? Liberals are not the only group of people or individuals that dislikes your party or your values….
You sound like a typical selfish cry baby…me….me…me.
Woody-dont lie.
How old are you??
poplock, I suspect that you’re not exactly who you present yourself to be. Your spin and retorts are so similar to a psycho found on another blog, that you guys have to be the same or you could be brothers.
And, what a laugh! If anyone is concerned about me, me, me–it’s the nanny-state, take care of me from cradle to grave, tax the rich, lazy liberals.
who is the other psycho and what is the other blog…i would like to meet him. In LA there is only one ME.
Woody, the cry baby part struck me as similar, too. Are you thinking about a certain blog with the initials M S? But that person can’t know about gangs, is just a wanne-be. Poplock’s info seems to ring true with Celeste.
maggie, maybe there’s three of them. A problem that I have is that poplock’s knowledge and level of expression are better than and don’t match his grammatical and spelling errors, which makes me think that there is something phony here.
Guys, please dial back the personal attack. Thanks.
Celeste, that wasn’t a personal attack. It’s an observation that someone might be (I said “might be”) other than what he presents, which I think is pertinent in our discussions. If someone comes to my neck of the woods and tells me that he’s a southerner but says “youse guys” instead of “y’all,” then I have to wonder why he’s trying to put me on.
Look guys, aside from being really really busy doing things that you guys only watch on TV, I dont have time to be giving up stories, information, or opinions like handing out cotton candy or tootsie rolls.
Here is a hint….of my past.
The moniker “poplock” is short for the dance style of the 1980s, commonly referred to as “poplocking.”
I was also one of the first graffiti artist in LA.
[…] installments, written as I was driving from LA to northwestern Montana and back again, here, here, here, here and here) Again, the single question I asked was: If you could ask the America’s […]