I will be putting up my flag today, as I usually do on major holidays (if it’s not raining). I’m weird this way. Memorial Day is not Veterans Day, nor is it Armed Forces Day. Those are something different. This is a remembrance of those who paid the ultimate price. Those who know me, though, should know that I pray that God blesses America…and Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola…to Zimbabwe. I don’t believe in American exceptionalism, even though I love this country and appreciate the advantages of living here. The old saw, “When Fascism comes to America, it will be draped in the flag and carrying a cross,” may be apocryphal in its origins, but it is also a statement of real fear. But this is something that predates this century. As a kid, the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” stirred me, and now it makes me cringe. Religious militarism is even more distasteful than the two components separated, it seems to me. 

We remember those who have died protecting our freedoms, but also remember that war is never the first option. We must remember that powers we cannot conceive endorse violence as solutions to world problems, while peace is the ideal. Reconciliation, love, understanding, championing the oppressed, compassion: those things should be our goals as Americans. We deceive ourselves when we become convinced that all our wars are in the name of justice.

“The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.” ~ William Sloane Coffin

Kellogg's Raisin Bran: Hecho en Mexico

Look, you don't have to explain the global economy to me.  I understand the new international division of labor. I've read The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. I'm also pretty well versed in David Harvey.

It seems to me that with unemployment being what it is, and with other cereal manufacturers fully capable of producing cereal in the U.S., it would make sense that an American brand such as Kellogg's with its identity tied to the Midwest and Battle Creek, Michigan, they'd be able to make their cereal here as well. While I realize that Kellogg's has had facilities in Mexico since the 1950s, I suspect that was originally primarily for the domestic Mexican market.

I'm not exactly a jingoist, and I believe patriotism is frequently misguided nationalism. I understand this is a very complex issue. I'm grateful for the relatively high-paying jobs their Mexican factory workers are now enjoying. However, I also believe that the future of our country relies upon there being good-paying jobs in a wide variety of sectors here.  Food manufacturing is part of that mix.

What is particularly odd to me is the conspicuous American flag that appears on the box. That has nothing to do with its source, of course.  It indicates that Kellogg's supports the United States Olympic Committee.  I'm guessing they have similar flags on boxes in other countries, although that doesn't obviously seem to be the case.

I'll be paying closer attention to the cereal labels in the future, and for now, Kellogg's Raisin Bran is off my list.

(Photo courtesy Peter Pearson at Flickr)

No, It's Really Not OK to Vote 'No'

There's obviously a small campaign in Denton to vote against the upcoming bond election.  I haven't seen too many signs around town to encourage voting no, but a couple of weeks ago while driving down Sherman, I did see some guy standing in a black "ninja" body suit waving a sign saying to vote no.  It had a lot of verbiage that was much too small to read at 35MPH, much less the 40-50 most folks drive along that stretch of road.

I've seen plenty of signs to promote voting for the bonds. Obviously there's some funding behind that.  I'm sure that the fact that Denton ISD is one of the largest employers in the city makes sense. I'm sure there's other interests as well.  One of the biggest of these is the fact that people still care about public education....I hope.

In slipping into the new Denton County election offices this week to vote early, I noticed a nice little sign atop an angle steel fence post pounded into the ground. It said "It's OK to vote 'NO.'"  Again, with lots of tiny words and graphs.

Turns out, it seems we have a little money trickling into the community from Accountability First, a PAC associated with UT Regent Wallace Hall.  Seems they want to spend outside money in Denton and other districts throughout Texas defeating bond initiatives.  Channel 8 recently reported on their efforts in Lovejoy.

It's not OK to vote NO.

It's only OK to vote NO if you don't care about the future of public education. It's only OK to vote NO if you want to see educational infrastructure in one of the fastest growing counties in the country lag behind. It's only OK if you think because you don't have kids in public schools, the future of your community doesn't depend on the education of the entire community. It's only OK if you don't give a rat's patoot about the legacy of Mirabeau B. Freakin' Lamar!

Denton is growing fast. Just try driving down the "new" 288, and you'll see. We cannot finance new facilities and improvements out of our yearly budget. That's just not how things are done, particularly when growth is like it is here. We cannot claim that these aren't necessary, either. Schools are already overcrowded, and are expected to get worse. Declining schools is a symptom of a community that does not care and is not thriving. I don't believe Denton suffers from either of these.

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