Carlson on the Roof.

Saab 96
Erik Carlsson aka “Carlsson on the roof”

The expression “Carlsson on the roof” originated from the children’s story Karlsson på taket by Astrid Lindgren, in which a Karlsson character lived on the roof of an apartment building. The name was given to Carlsson as a result of his habit of occasionally rolling a rally car onto its roof. In the Safari Rally, he even rolled the car intentionally, to escape from a mud pool. When journalists later doubted his story, he proved it by rolling the car again. The Ford factory team then tried the same stunt with their Ford Cortina, causing more damage to the car than had occurred during the entire rally.

Erik Carlsson has done a number of unusual things during his rally career. During one rally in the UK, he needed a spare part and happened to find a brand new Saab 96 on a parking lot. He and the mechanic quickly started disassembling the car when the rather upset owner discovered them. The co-driver managed to defuse the situation by explaining that Erik was a factory driver for Saab and the owner would be given a new car. In the end Erik could keep driving and they remained friends and still exchange Christmas cards. At the time, rally regulations often stipulated penalties for damage to the car at the finish. Towards the end of the rally, Erik’s car had acquired dents to both the front fender and one door, so to avoid the penalty points they stopped and switched the door and bumper with the support car. Then it looked a bit suspicious to have a clean door and fender while the rest of the car was covered in mud and dust. As they had no water they used the spare gasoline to wash off the car. Reporters covering the event were impressed that they had had the time to wash the car before arriving at the rally finish. After the finishing festivities, Erik Carlsson looked out the window from his hotel room and saw the support car parked outside: clean, but with a dirty door and fender, still with the starting number visible in the dust.

Icy Roads St. Louis 1949

I don't know where I got these photos from, they are identified as "12-12-49 Icy"

For some reason I think these are taken in St. Louis, MO. I had a time figuring out the sequence.

Photo 1. A car heading up the hill has it's hood up and looks like a left front fender smashed. A Jeep 2wd wagon is sliding avoiding hitting a Ford woody wagon. Over the top of the wagon is a truck. A wrecker and another sedan is on the side of the road heading downhill.



Photo 2: Better shot of black Buick with front end damage. Two other sedans are sliding down the hill. It looks like the jeep barely missed the Mack truck


Photo 3: Nope, the jeep clipped the left rear of teh truck. The two sedans finished their slide, looks like one slid into the sedan that parked on the side of the road--which may have hit a light pole. 1949 Ford coupe, 1948 Chevy pickup, and what looks like Mack city truck in background.


Photo 4: Police are on the scene. and cars are moving up the hill. It looks like a lamp pole got smashed also. That Chevrolet, going around the Jeep, with the Chevy Pickup following, thatlooks like a brand new car.

Loopholes Allowed for Long Vegas Vacation

You gotta love that headline!

From Amanda Becker, Roll Call Staff, comes this interesting story: Loopholes Allowed for Long Vegas Vacation

Here's the money quote:

Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), for example, flew to Las Vegas on Jan. 8 for a four-day trip, leaving the city Jan. 11. The association spent about $2,000 on hotel accommodations at the Wynn Casino, airfare and meals for Long and his wife. A post-travel disclosure form filed with the Ethics Committee shows that Long spent Jan. 8 in Las Vegas at his own expense, leaving two and half additional days to attend the conference and sightsee. Long’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

And this great rollcall photo by Bill Clark: The Consumer Electronics Association spent about $2,000 on hotel accommodations at the Wynn Casino, airfare and meals for Rep. Billy Long and his wife. A disclosure form shows that Long self-expensed one day of the four-day trip to Las Vegas.

Washington Press Club Foundation.... did you vet this guy?

From: Jim Lee
To: wpcf@wpcf.org
Cc: jimlee138@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Wed, February 8, 2012 12:22:10 PM
Subject: About you headline speaker for your event tonight - Billy Long

Regarding the Washington Press Club Foundation's 68th Annual Congressional dinner this evening and one of your headline speakers.

I wonder if anyone vetted Congressman Long. Long is funny, quick with a quip and --he's an auctioneer, remember-- tells a good story. But as a legislator, he is a dismal failure.

I live in Billy Long's congressional district.

He is an embarrassment to all of us down here.

Long won the seat with 30% of the vote in a bitter, divisive, 7 man primary. In Republican dominated MO7, the real race is in the primary. Historically (since Dewey Short) the general election has gone to the primary winner.

Just yesterday Long was featured as the 'least effective' congressional tweeter. http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/2012/02/he-seems-amusing-10-most-engaging.html

Long has refused to hold open town hall meetings, refused to meet with constituents, refused access to members of the press to his press briefing and, perhaps most distressing of all, turned over to the F.B.I. the names of six constituents who wrote articles critical of Long, The FBI sent out an agent who, after conducting his first interview with a constituent-- which was recorded -- concluded that these constituents were well within their rights in holding their congressman accountable and that Long appeared to overstep his boundaries.

Long also admitted to sponsoring bills because he was asked by lobbying groups to 'drop a bill' http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-much-does-it-cost-to-drop-bill.html The Joplin Globe published this editorial regarding Long's actions: http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/2011/04/fed-up-with-billy-long-sos-joplin-globe.html

The very first day the House of Representatives was in session, when the constitution was being read, Long was not in the chambers, he was in his office meeting with the "Fair Tax" lobbyist. http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/2011/01/long-co-sponsor-hr-25-good-job-bill.html

In addition to making Keith Olberman's "Worst Person in the World" --- twice!-- Long's antics while in Washington are discomforting. During the primary, Long tried to pass off his playing in high stakes poker games --some with $25,000 entry fees) as just a way to relax. http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/2010/10/longs-story-doesnt-jibe-with-casinos.html

Sarah Steelman's video interview (a series of 6) that was posted by Long's campaign to youtube and just as quickly deleted, remains a cult classic. http://youtu.be/mhV77sRyX14

Billy is a combination class clown / bully. Recently at a meeting concerning the closing or rural post offices in MO7, Long said,

"You catch a lot more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. So, when you tell stories about me through some of your representatives that I want to privatize the Postal Service, which is an out and out lie, that doesn't help you any with me or my office. So...."

Unfortunately for Long, during the campaign, he did state he was in favor of privatizing the Postal Service, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the TVA. http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/2012/01/you-can-catch-more-flies-with-honey.html

Running as a "tea party" candidate, Long told NPR shortly after he was elected, that he "was tea party before tea party was cool." Long has distanced himself from the tea party in Washington (most likely on the advice of Roy Blunt, his predecessor) but still promotes his involvement when he returns to the district.

Long,who ran as a "Fed UP" candidate has quickly embraced the DC culture. A DC friend who works in government recently met Long for the first time in DC during the course of her job... she told me that "Billy was quite full of himself and really tripping on being a congressman." Not a positive endorsement.

Fed up? You bet we are. http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/2011/12/still-fed-up.html

Someone should have vetted Long more before he spoke to your group.

Feel free to contact me if you want anymore information.

"He seems amusing" -- The 10 Most Engaging Congressional Tweeters

A couple of years ago Billy Long learned how to use his iPhone and started tweeting.

This bus stop from February 22, 2010 set the tone for Billy's tweets. About Last Night follows a series of tweets from Long while he was attending a wine tasting party at Big Cedar Lodge down in Ridgedale. You can draw your own conclusions. Hey, it was a wine tasting weekend.


This piqued enough interest to follow Long's twitter feed. Others in MO7 started following Long and his twitter statements.

Characterized by flippant attempts at humor and poor judgement, Long's tweets have mocked tornado drills, the death of Amy Winehouse (just pick anyone of these), the Navy SEALS attack on the Osama Bin Laden compound -(Long did a series of tweets on the raid and its aftermath that he later deleted).

But we didn't follow him for long, Long blocked our access to his twitter feed.

We weren't the only ones who attempted to follow Long. One DC blog said of Long, "He seems Amusing".
Read this:

The 10 Most Engaging Congressional Tweeters
By Rachel Greenway Feb 08 2012, 09:23 AM

Members of Congress are using Twitter more and more as a way to communicate with their constituents, champion causes or simply keep to in touch with each other and the world. But, like anything, even Tweeting is a skill that can be improved upon, and some members of Congress seem to have mastered the “social” in social media, while others are talking to virtual space.

Drawing from data over the past month, exclusive analytics from OhMyGov! uncovers the healthiest and unhealthiest Twitter feeds in Congress, and reveals the importance of the message—not just the medium.

The key to a healthy Twitter presence is not necessarily in the followers, and it’s definitely not in output. Just because Twitter makes it possible to provide minute-by-minute updates on a user’s current state of mind doesn’t make it a wise political decision to use it as such, e.g. Weinergate. The secret is in quality over quantity, and one measure of quality tweets is the amount of retweets an individual tweeter averages, revealing the popularity of the message.

The following chart reveals the strongest Twitter users in Congress by measuring the ratio of Retweets to Tweets for individual users.

*(H stand for U.S. House, S stands for U.S. Senate)

Of course, while the House of Representatives maintains some of the strongest Twitter feeds in Congress, it also bears some of the worst. The following chart shows a few of the least effective Twitter feeds in Congress, as measured by those with the lowest average retweets per tweet.

The strongest Tweeter in Congress is Allen West (R-FL) of the House of Representatives, who averages 112 retweets per every tweet he sends. That means that 112 different people find what he says interesting enough to share on their own walls every time he posts something new. West sent only 31 tweets last month, but collected a robust 3,501 retweets from his 43,000 Twitter followers who soak up his 140 characters ravenously.

On the flip side is Billy Long (R-MO), also from the House of Representatives, who averages 0.19 retweets per every tweet he sends. Last month, Long sent out 643 tweets (bus driver's note: 643? Does he ever take his nose out of his iPhone?), but those only managed to earned him 126 total retweets.

So what is the difference? Are West’s followers just more dedicated?

Yes and no. Twitter can’t prove whether anyone’s constituents are more loyal, but it can show who is using the social media platform more effectively for political purposes. This understanding of Twitter may result in stronger campaigns because the politician’s message is disseminated more clearly and consistently.

A big factor in attracting engagement, as measured by retweets here, is the size of one's following. West sports over 43,000 followers compared to Long's 2,185. In this case, size does matter, as more followers makes it more likely someone will retweet the message to their following, creating the viral flow of information.

One detractor from attracting retweets, however, is tweeting too much, whether they are original posts or a plethora of Retweets from favored politicians or celebrities. Too many posts in a day crowd up the feed, numb followers to yet another Tweet (if it’s 12 in the past hour), and fog up the overall message.

West saves keeps his Twitter feed well manicured, limiting messaging to promote political causes or his own writing for followers to share. Only one or two posts a day means that when he does tweet, followers pay attention to check out the new information he shares. It seems that on Twitter as often it is in life; less is more.

Rep. Long tweets upwards of 40 times a day, filling his feed with few original posts and a slew of retweets from journalists, politicians, and the odd celebrity. Sure they’re all entertaining on their own, but when jam-packed together they cloud the message Long is sending, which instead comes across as: look at what all these other people are saying about stuff!

Congressional leaders can check the health of their Twitter feed by understanding the importance of the tweet:retweet ratio. Their messages should be clear for their constituents, and worthy of passing on the message. A fun tweet every now and then reminds social media users that a politician can have a sense of humor as well, but a steady diet of it can water down the candidate's overall image.

But we knew that already.

Overheard in Aldi's.....

A frequent bus rider related this encounter to me:

Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday)around 4:00 PM she was shopping with her two-year-old niece in the Aldi's market on Battlefield and Jefferson
As she was in the checkout line, with her niece sitting in the child's seat in the shopping cart, an older man, also in line (a veteran as she soon learned as the conversation progressed), started talking to the aunt and her niece.

The conversation turned to the cost of groceries, the economy and finally healthcare.

The man volunteered that he received his health care at the VA Clinic in Mount Vernon, Missouri.
Then, and I swear by all that I value that this is an exact quote- as related to me by the aunt--whom I trust implicitly--, the man said, "They're closing the VA in Mount Vernon and moving it to Springfield because Billy Long said they can serve more colored veterans here."


White alone - 4,468 (98.7%)
Two or more races - 25 (0.6%)
Hispanic - 29 (0.6%)
Black alone - 6 (0.1%)

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Mount-Vernon-Missouri.html#ixzz1lC5uAfS6
White alone - 140,107 (89.1%)
Black alone - 5,471 (3.5%)
Hispanic - 4,711 (3.0%)
Two or more races - 3,814 (2.4%)
Asian alone - 2,414 (1.5%)
American alone - 388 (0.2%)
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone - 102 (0.06%)
Other race alone - 73 (0.05%)

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Springfield-Missouri.html#ixzz1lC4kVmqc

Thanks, Bro!

ALEC's voter photo id law, A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do -- Shane

The Missouri House will debate Shane Schoeller's Photo ID proposal (HB1104) soon. Here's what Missourians need to know about
photo id enabling legislation

PART OF A NATIONAL EFFORT BY REGRESSIVE POLITICIANS TO SKEW ELECTIONS. Politicians pushing these laws never acknowledge their real purpose, which is to turn away from the polls people who are more likely to vote Democratic, particularly the young, the poor, the elderly and minorities. 

NO CASES OF VOTER IMPERSONATION FRAUD HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED IN MISSOURI. Every national study conducted has found that allegations of such fraud are not supported by empirical evidence. Voter fraud is a serious crime, punishable by 5 years in jail & a $10,000 fine. Moreover, this bill addresses only in-­person voter impersonation, not more common registration or absentee problems

OVER 230,000 CURRENT ELIGIBLE MISSOURI VOTERS LACK A MISSOURI DRIVER’S LICENSE. African Americans, seniors, people with disabilities, the working poor and students are twice as likely to lack such ID.

THE MISSOURI SUPREME COURT SAID THAT PHOTO ID IS “A HEAVY AND SUBSTANTIAL BURDEN ON MISSOURIAN’S FREE EXERCISE OF THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE.”

PHOTO ID LAWS ARE A MODERN-­‐DAY POLL TAX. THE BARRIERS TO ACQUIRING IDS WOULD EFFECTIVELY PREVENT MANY ELIGIBLE VOTERS FROM VOTING. It can be costly, diffifcult – and even impossible – to get the underlying documents (such as certified birth certificate) required to get a state ID. (i.e., Joplin tornado victims, Holocaust survivors, those born at home, those whose birth state can’t locate their records – may not be able to get birth certificates)

Yesterday, NPR did a feature on Why new photo ID laws mean some won't vote. "People are caught in a Catch-22: You need a birth certificate to get this ID, but to get a birth certificate you have to have an ID," says Elisabeth MacNamara, who heads the League of Women Voters.

The Voter ID Act ALEC model legislation – adopted July 17, 2009

Status: Versions introduced in at least 33 states. As of 11/10/11, 14 states have photo ID requirements in place.

Purpose: The 2008 electorate that launched Barack Obama to the White House was more than just the highest election turnout in more than 60 years. It represented the emergence of a new Democratic coalition, one comprised primarily of
racial and ethnic minorities, low-income Americans, liberals, young voters and women. At the time, forecasts of demographic change and shifting views on social issues led to speculation that Republicans were on the verge of becoming a permanent minority party. Shortly after President Obama's election, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) began to prioritize efforts
to chip away at the influence of this coalition. featuring a cover story entitled “Preventing Election Fraud” in its widelyread newsletter. ALEC and its allies invoked the specter of voter fraud to justify a series of measures designed to erect
barriers to voting among Democratic-leaning demographic groups. The Voter ID Act, adopted by ALEC's Public Safety and Elections Task Force in summer 2009, is the most prominent of those measures.

Summary: The Voter ID Act requires voters to present a photo ID in order to cast a ballot. Specifically, it:
• Defines “proof of identity” as a federal or state-issued photo ID that has an expiration date but is not yet expired;
• Requires that prospective voters present proof of identity at the polls;
• Allows those without a valid ID to fill out provisional ballots and lays out guidelines for the consideration of such
provisional ballots;
◦ Provisional ballots are counted if the voter provides ID to the county by the Monday following the election;
◦ Otherwise, county election commissioners evaluate each provisional ballot “based on the merits”;
• Establishes that ID cards shall be provided free of charge to eligible voters without a valid driver's license;
• Exempts nursing home and assisted-living facility residents from the requirements.
If enacted in all 50 states, this model legislation would have the effect of making the voting process more cumbersome for
the up to 5 million American citizens, particularly minorities and college students, who currently lack proof of citizenship
or residency.
Supporters: American Legislative Exchange Council, most Republicans, etc.
• Supporters claim this measure is necessary to counteract rampant voter fraud, primarily carried out by the
Democratic machine. However, details such as the exclusion of expired licenses and the persistent lack of
evidence of widespread voter fraud suggest that their support is more driven by partisan concerns.
Opponents: Civic engagement organizations, minority rights organizations, most Democrats, etc.
• Opponents view this measure as an assault on the democratic process, a thinly veiled attempt to depress turnout
among the Democratic base by restricting voter access among groups that lean heavily Democratic. They believe
it may also violate the various constitutional protections for equal voting frights.

Model legislation text: http://alecexposed.org/w/images/d/d9/7G16-VOTER_ID_ACT_Exposed.pdf

The Nation article on ALEC election-related legislation: http://www.thenation.com/article/161969/rigging-elections

NCSL interactive map and description of state voter ID laws and pending bills:
http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16602

Representative Shane Schoeller, who is running as a self-described conservative candidate for MO Secretary of State, has introduced ALEC's voter photo id law in Missouri.

As to why is Shane pushing this bill which would dis-enfranchise Missouri voters? All we got to do is look to the Shane's namesake-- remember?

I do: "A man has to be what he is, Joey. You can't break the mold. I tried it and it didn't work for me."

Remembering a Friend, Mark Cunningham, 1947 - 2009

Mark and I first met in the summer of 1964 at the Trappist monastary in Ava, MO. I can't remember the circumstances that led us to that place, but I do remember eating our meals, served by the ancient Brother Barnabus, in the guest dining room. Listening to George Kessler, a theology professor at Rockhurst College, voicing his opinion about dang near everything. (George used an ivory cigarette holder to smoke his non filter Camels.)

Every morning after breakfast, Mark and I would walk down the gravel road to Bryant Creek and walk across the swinging bridge to the concrete plant where we would stack blocks. We worked monk's hours. This was the beginning of a life-long friendship.

Time passed, Mark joined the Air Force and was deployed to Thailand. He liked Thailand. When he got discharged, he moved to Detroit and worked for Ryder Truck Rental. He got married, divorced, retired and moved back to Springfield, in roughly that order.

Mark wrote everything down. The last time we had lunch together, at a small Mexican restaurant on South Campbell across from O'Reilly's, he wrote down the details of our conversation in a small spiral notebook. I made fun of him for doing so. He told me he wanted to chronicle the events so he could re-live them. He shoulda been a blogger.

Mark was a kind and gentle person who died of a heart attack on Tuesday. He was 61.

His funeral mass is tomorrow at 1 PM at St. Joseph's Catholic Church on North Campbell in Springfield.

He will be missed.

As published in the SN-L, Mark's obituary:

Mark Stephen Cunningham, 61, of Springfield, was born February 6, 1947, in Independence, Mo., and passed away January 27, 2009, in Springfield. Mark graduated from St. Agnes High School in 1965, and attended SMSU and the University of Washington at Puget Sound. He was an Air Force veteran who served with distinction in the Philippines and Thailand. He retired from Ryder Truck Leasing, where he was a district manager for Detroit and Dearborn, Mich., after 25 years of service. He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and was a CASA volunteer. He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother and one sister. He is survived by two brothers, Philip and wife, Gail Cunningham, and John Cunningham; and eight nephews and one niece. Mark was a kind, generous man who always found the good in everyone. He will be deeply missed. Funeral mass will be held in St. Joseph's Catholic Church at 1 p.m. Saturday, January 31, 2009. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Joseph's Church building fund.

from the bus garage, January 30, 2009

Italian boat

Billy Long tweets again!

From Billy Long, aka auctnr1 tweet this this morning:

"Leaks out of Republican Conference aren't coming from Members or Staff it's the Reporters we tell things to that can't keep a secret"

12 hours ago

An open letter to Longrooffan

Dear Longrooffan,

Regarding your recent comment on The Hemmings' blog post "A Walk In the Woods":

longrooffan says:
January 10, 2012 at 7:11 pm
It was a balmy spring evening in upstate New York back in ’52 or ’53. All of my cousins and I were enjoying a rare visit with our spinster Aunt Pearl. When we were kids, Aunt Pearl would have all of us cousins over to stay overnight just once a year and what a treat it was.

Well that year, we all brought along our bicycles and they were safely ensconced in the one car garage with a dirt floor she had out back. As a result, her prized possession, her immaculate 1950 Dodge Wayfarer was to spend the night camped out in her driveway.


As we young whippersnappers were exhausted from all the excitement of staying at Aunt Pearl’s, we all slept soundly only to be awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of Aunt Pearl screaming at the top of her lungs from her upstairs bedroom window. “You hoodlums get away from my car right this minute,” we heard our always sweet Aunt Pearl yell. We rose from the floor and scampered over to the living room window only to see four teenage boys climbing into Aunt Pearl’s Wayfarer and tear out of the driveway and up Oak Street out of sight.

Aunt Pearl was aghast and the local constable immediately summoned. “Don’t worry, Miss, we’ll catch them right away,” he said in a firm and comforting voice. “They are probably those hoodlum boys from over by the river.”

Alas, my sweet Aunt Pearl’s Dodge Wayfarer was never to be seen again and she replaced her favorite car with a 1952 Studebaker Land Cruiser. Until the day she passed, she always spoke fondly of her old Dodge, often commenting it was the best car she had ever owned. And we cousins were never allowed to bring our bicycles to Aunt Pearl’s home again.

I left the following comment beneath yours.

I am not particularly fond of the fact that you have chosen to brazenly broadcast family secrets regarding our dear departed Aunt Pearl in a venue such as this, but I can not let your half-accurate recollections stand uncontested.

Unbeknownst to you and the Jeepjunkie, but well known to BBB, the Horsefarmer, and myself, Aunt Pearl and her dear friend Dixie were known to imbibe of liquid elixirs and were often observed, with painted faces, in roundhouses and other venues of notorious repute, most recently, The Cat and Fiddle.


Pearl and Dixie, some say, however scandalously, liked the golden elixirs so much that each of them had a brand named after them, vast quantities of each which each of them kept in the back-porch refrigerator.





On the particular night in question, after we all had finished our bike rides and you and the jeep junkie were sound asleep in your bed, and Aunt Pearl and Dixie were on the back porch dancing to ‘poppa top again’, BBB, myself and the horsefarmer attempted to 'hotwire' the Wayfarer and go on a midnight ride.


BBB bypassed the key, Horsefarmer and I pushed the Dodge out the driveway and BBB popped the clutch and the Dodge sprang to life with a Mopar clang which Aunt Pearl and Dixie and apparently, judging from your transcription of memories above, you heard too.

The Horsefarmer and I jumped into the car at BBB's urgings. The fourth "hoodlum boy" you mention was Aunt Pearl's beagle dog, Boomerang (so-named because Aunt Pearl kept giving him away and he kept coming back. Gentlemanfarmer had a dog like that, he called him "Prodigal") jumping out of the back window because he thought Aunt Pearl had hired us to give him away again.

I was so afraid of the wrath of Aunt Pearl for even thinking we could take her prized Wayfarer on an unauthorized drive, that I convinced BBB and the Horsefarmer to ditch the car in the weeds down by the river.

Our plan was to dismantle the car and bring it back piece by piece and re-assemble it in Aunt Pearl's garage, a task that talked better than it worked and took longer than we anticipated.

By the time we got the fenders off, BBB said the heck with this, I'm going back to Aunt Pearl’s and face her wrath. The Horsefarmer concurred and quickly followed . Well, let me tell you there wasn't no way I was going to stay down by the river by myself either, so I left too.

When we got back to Aunt Pearl’s place, she and Dixie were six sheets to the wind on the back porch. BBB, the Horsefarmer and I all went to bed.

Before we could next get back to the car, Aunt Pearl had bought the Studebaker Land Cruiser-- (is this the car she had with sliding rear roof that she and Dixie would sit in the back while parked down by the river and watch the submarine races?)

And when we were able to slip away and head down to the river we never could find where we stashed the Dodge. Everything looked different in the daylight. All we got for our trouble was chigger bites, sunburns and wet shoes.



Do you remember how you had the Gentlefarmer convinced that you weren't speeding when you took the farm truck lickity split down the gravel road, four wheel drifting, to the mail box and sideswipped the bridge railing?
Well it was the same with BBB, the Horsefarmer and me. It was easy to convince Aunt Pearl that 'those hoodlum boys from over by the river" had taken her car then to let her know that BBB was the instigator.

Several years later, BBB swore he saw the Dodge, minus the front fenders, being driven downtown by a blind man. The Horsefarmer thinks he saw it parked in back of Swenson's Bakery full of cream pies and sporting a bumpersticker that said, "Hit me easy, I'm full of pie".


I think both those guys were smoking wacky tobacky or drinking too much Pearl and Dixie because I know what happened to the Dodge and, until I am certain that the statue of limitations is over, I ain't saying nothing.

This all happened back in 1952, 1953, I'm an old man now and I hadn't thought about this in over 60 years. I just wanted to set the record straight.

Sincerely, Your older brother,

Busplunge

Strapped to Roof of the Station Wagon Revisited

June, 2007 --

This story is from the Boston Globe:

The white Chevy station wagon with the wood paneling was overstuffed with suitcases, supplies, and sons when Mitt Romney climbed behind the wheel to begin the annual 12-hour family trek from Boston to Ontario.

As with most ventures in his life, he had left little to chance, mapping out the route and planning each stop. The destination for this journey in the summer of 1983 was his parents' cottage on the Canadian shores of Lake Huron. Romney would be returning to the place of his most cherished childhood memories.
Before beginning the drive, Mitt Romney put Seamus, the family's hulking Irish setter, in a dog carrier and attached it to the station wagon's roof rack. He'd built a windshield for the carrier, to make the ride more comfortable for the dog.

Then Romney put his boys on notice: He would be making predetermined stops for gas, and that was it

The ride was largely what you'd expect with five brothers, ages 13 and under, packed into a wagon they called the ''white whale.''

As the oldest son, Tagg Romney commandeered the way-back of the wagon, keeping his eyes fixed out the rear window, where he glimpsed the first sign of trouble. ''Dad!'' he yelled. ''Gross!'' A brown liquid was dripping down the back window, payback from an Irish setter who'd been riding on the roof in the wind for hours.

As the rest of the boys joined in the howls of disgust, Romney coolly pulled off the highway and into a service station. There, he borrowed a hose, washed down Seamus and the car, then hopped back onto the highway. It was a tiny preview of a trait he would grow famous for in business: emotion-free crisis management.

Now, I am not a dog lover or hater. My wife has two dogs. I feed and water them daily, take them to the vet, buy their food and flea medicine and take them to the groomers.

When I do transport them, it is in the front seat of my pickup. I would NEVER strap a dog to the roof of a station wagon.

This is a tiny preview of a trait Romney is famous for, emotion-free crisis management?

I think it is a tiny preview of a trait of a man who is more concerned about his comfort and well-being than that of others. A preview of a trait of a man who is cold and calculating to the expense of others.

Strapping a dog to the top of a car? Telling his sons that no stopping except at pre-determined stops? I bet those trips were fun!

The author of this piece updates it with this concern... Why this reflects poorly on Romney as a guy, ..... you or I might have taken the dog after it shate all over the roof of the car, we would have washed it off and let it ride the rest of the trip inside the station wagon......

Mitt didn't do that.

Billy Long endorses Mitt Romney

Deidre Shegreen, writing for the Springfield News-Leader is reporting Long to Endorse Romney.

Mitt Romney and Matt Blunt and an unidentified person of interest relate to Matt's Dad Roy their conversation with Billy Long how they secured Long's endorsement of Mitt (Hint, $2,000 and a promised hug from the dairy queen)

Rep. Billy Long will announce his support for Mitt Romney’s presidential bid today.

Long will join former Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., on a media conference call this afternoon “to discuss their support of Mitt Romney as well as President Obama’s failed record,” according to a media advisory.

Talent has long been a key supporter of and adviser to Romney. the ex-Massachusetts governor and White House hopeful. But Long has stayed out of the GOP presidential fray until now. As recently as last month, Long said he wanted to let the race “play out” rather than making an endorsement.

But now that the Iowa and New Hampshire contests are over, with Romney winning both, Long has apparently decided to weigh in.

:In other news, Billy Long and Vickie Hartzler each got a $2,000.00 campaign contribution from Mitt Romney's PAC. So much for being "Still Fed Up"!

Even AFTER Romney gave him $2,000, Ozark Billy was reluctant to commit. In November, 2011, Long told reporters “I’m A.B.O.,” Long, always ready with a one-liner said. “Anybody but Obama."

Slick Billy is a disaster as a congressman, he misses votes, his cowboy hat and cowboy boots don't play well with the Georgetown crowd. He is not the big fish in a small pond, but a tiny fish in a big pond. He is not happy but, hey, the money's good and it's got good benefits and good health insurance. He thinks he probably throw his hand in the ring for another two years. He thinks the folks back home just love his stories and jokes. It's an easy job the way he does it, it's an easy job.

Heck, here's Billy's own words: "This job is not hard, It's not hard work. But it's long hours, and they keep you hopping all day."

And, from the same News-Leader article are these gems:

"I'm fed up (because) nobody wants to do anything up here except get re-elected. That's all they care about."

"I'm 56 years old. I'm not a young guy coming in with aspirations to be speaker in 25 years."

Long has not strayed too often from the House Republican leadership on major bills, voting with the GOP 93 percent of the time, according to a Washington Post tally of votes.

Long says he wasn't a politician when he got here and he hopes he won't be one when he leaves.

You CAN catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, but DON'T lie to us Billy Long! Don't threaten us either!

Frequent bus riders will remember yesterday's post of Billy Long and the postal service meeting last night: Do you think Billy thought we wouldn't remember this or maybe HE didn't remember this?

It gets better.

Attendees at the meeting told the bus driver that Billy Long denied ever saying he wanted to privatize the postal service, saying that those who said that were lying.

Long said, "You catch a lot more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. So, when you tell stories about me through some of your representatives that I want to privatize the Postal Service, which is an out and out lie, that doesn't help you any with me or my office. So...."

Someone videotaped the meeting and here is a video of Long's statement:





On June 17, 2010, under the statement "I understand that my answers to this questionnaire will be considered public record and that CCAGWPAC* will be distributing them to its members and supporters, and the media", Billy Long signed the pledge.

"I will support legislation aimed at protecting taxpayers by privatizing government-sponsored corporations and enterprises such as the United States Postal Service, the housing government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Entities like the USPS, Fannie and Freddie are proven economic failures that operate at losses constantly. Service and profitability would be enhanced by privatization." (Italics mine, this italicized highlights are Billy's handwritten comments to question 8.



Don't lie to us, Billy Long, don't lie to us.

"You catch a lot more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. So, when you tell stories about me through some of your representatives that I want to privatize the Postal Service, which is an out and out lie, that doesn't help you any with me or my office. So...."

And that last bit, the part where you say "that doesn't help you any with me or my office. So...." --- what is that supposed to mean? Does that mean if you don't like what we say about you you won't help us?

Or maybe you'll just try to ignore us? Or don't answer questions? Or maybe even keeps an 'enemies list'?

Gee, I've been there before. "Is you is or is you ain't my constituency?"

Here is a complete screen capture of Long's complete responses to the CAGW survey: Your attention is directed to Long's answer to question 8.











Occupy 417 videotaped the meeting, including Long's comment:"You catch a lot more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. So, when you tell stories about me through some of your representatives that I want to privatize the Postal Service, which is an out and out lie, that doesn't help you any with me or my office. So....".

Long makes his 'threat' at about 1:14:00 Occupy417 USPS Center Closure Meeting

*The Council for Concerned Citizens Against Government Waste Political Action Committee
1320 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 1075
Washington, DC 20004

Do you think Billy thought we wouldn't remember this or maybe HE didn't remember this?

Frequent bus riders remember well the bus chronicles of Billy Long in his quest to be a "Member of Congress" ---
note the date he signed that piece of paper.

Frequent bus riders may also remember Springfield News Leader reporter Cory DeVera (where is she?) giving us Billy's reponse to his written answers on the 'jillions of surveys' he receives:

"That's just another out-of-state survey," said Republican candidate for 7th District Billy Long. "We get a jillion of them. There are a bunch of others I don't fill out. I've got my positions listed on my website."

There was a meeting held Wednesday night on the closing of the mail processing center in Springfield.

The Joplin Globe's Wally Kennedy wrote about it: Workers challenge Postal Service.

Here's the money quote:

Long said it appeared to him that “this is pretty well a done deal. Is there anything we can do?”

Echoing what some others said, Long expressed the hope that the Postal Service would take into consideration the fact that Southwest Missouri is the fastest growing area of the state. He said the loss of the mail processing center to Kansas City, the loss of dozens of good-paying jobs, and the fact that mail would take several days to be delivered instead of arriving overnight would not help the region further its growth.

The Springfield News-Leader also has a story on the meeting: Proposal to close Springfield mail processing facility met with boos. The article, written by SN-L staff, limits its account of Long's presence to this sentence: "Even Rep. Billy Long suggested the meeting should have been held at a larger site."

The Joplin Globe story contains more salient information than the Springfield News Leader story but both missed the duplicity in Long's appearance at the meeting.

In 2010 when Long was campaigning for his seat, he filled out a survey for the Citizens Against Government Waste. Not only did he sign the survey, he also added handwritten comments.

On June 19, 2010, in his signed written responses to the Citizens Against Government Waste CAGW survey, Billy Long signed his name to the survey and agreed with this statement:

"I will support legislation aimed at protecting taxpayers by privatizing government-sponsored corporations and enterprises such as the United States Postal Service, the housing government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the Tennessee Valley Authority."

Long elaborated on the statement by adding the following handwritten comment:

Entities like the USPS, Fannie and Freddie are proven economic failures that operate at losses constantly. Service and profitability would be enhanced by privatization.

Here is a facebook account of Billy Long's appearance at the meeting:

Jim Lee: Did Long have a position on this issue? I seem to recall during his campaign he was in favor of privatizing the P.O.

Midge Potts: He actually talked points which made it sound like he was against closure, but then he said an adminstrative issue, and "it is out of Congress's hands." Lol, I called him on it, specifically saying, "YOU can do something about this Congressman... Why don't you go back to DC, and submit a bill to Congress to repeal the 2006 law requiring USPS for 75 years :-D He was literally squirming in his seat!

Jim Lee: He don't like it when constituents question him, especially with questions that require more than a sound bit answer! Hot Diggity Dog!

Kathy Egli: Jim, he claimed that was all lies. Claimed he never said that. After about 4 people before him spoke and explained how repealing future retirement funds bill congress passed 6 years ago would fix the problem, he came up to the podium and passionately asked of postal management what he could do to stop this. (after he explained he had no more control over the problem than Joe citizen)

Midge Potts: ‎75 years of fullyfunded pension that has sucked 5.5 billion $$$ out of USPS coffers during the past half decade.

Jim Lee: Somewhere I got him on tape saying he wants to privatize the post office. But I got so much on him on tape. He told me he ain't afraid of nobody,,,,,except for constituents and "bloggers who are worrisome" to him.

Midge Potts: Yeah, his main talking point tonight was that he "never said" he wanted to privatize the post office ;-) Which I immediately called him on. So yeah, if you have him recorded saying the US post office should be privatized, now would be the time to dig it up, that would prove he flip-flopped his position!

Kathy Egli: ‎@Jim, Pretty certain Midge will be the next one Billy asks the FBI to investigate as she told Billy in no uncertain terms this evening to go back to Washington, write legislation and take care of the PO problem and if he didn't follow through with that she was going to run against him and beat him in the next election. It was awesome!

Midge Potts Oh :-P I did say that, I guess... It was a heat of the moment thing, lol.

Jim Lee ‎"I will support legislation aimed at protecting taxpayers by privatizing government-sponsored corporations and enterprises such as the United States Postal Service, the housing government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Entities like the USPS, Fannie and Freddie are proven economic failures that operate at losses constantly. Service and profitability would be enhanced by privatization." Billy Long

Jim Lee Billy Long, 6/17/2010 -- it was one of those jillion surveys that Billy got and signed.

Jim Lee screen capture this before it disappears. I'm not technically savvy enough to do it.










I guess when Billy Long says he gets "jillions" of surveys it is easy to forget which ones he answered and how he answered them.

After all, Billy did tell us on his website that he "is not the type of Republican who will say one thing to constituents and another to liberal lobbyists and legislators..."