Ross Perot on John McCain

The Daily Mail has an article about the wife McCain dumped. Near the conclusion we read what Perot has to say about the Senator from Arizona.

But Ross Perot, who paid her medical bills all those years ago, now believes that both Carol McCain and the American people have been taken in by a man who is unusually slick and cruel – even by the standards of modern politics.

‘McCain is the classic opportunist. He’s always reaching for attention and glory,’ he said.

‘After he came home, Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona. And the rest is history.’

Just thought the American people should know.

h/t to LieparDestin at Daily Kos
--the BB

A short note on the Lower Ninth

Although I was in that area today, I felt like an intruder. When I am taking pics downtown or in the French Quarter or elsewhere, I don't feel like a tourist. I am a witness to the city in which I am currently working. But where the devastation was so great it did not feel right to go about snapping photos, not even as a witness on behalf of the people. And, in fact, I did not get to the worst-hit spots. I saw lots of modest homes, all new but not part of tracts, which is unusual. And shops, mostly new. There were a few old ones, but not many. They had long since been torn down and replaced. I saw grassy fields where I am certain homes once were. I saw a few buildings still bearing the spray-painted marks of the rescue searchers. Advertisement for construction materials and contractors were everywhere. Some larger buildings were still being torn down. It was a beautiful day and a sobering afternoon.

My hat is off to those who rebuild, those who return, those who stay.
--the BB

Some shots of Canal Street and the Vieux Carré

As you can see, the Ritz-Carlton is in what used to be the Kress building (for those of us old enough to remember S. H. Kress & Co. 5-10-25¢ Store).



The above is the facade of the Orpheum Theater.






You may well guess the Belle and Maggie are laying claim to this piece of prime real estate.





And that concludes our tour for today.

À bientôt!
--le BB

Maggie and Belle expect Sunday outings now

And today was quite an outing. I drove over to the region of the Lower Ninth and back again. Then we parked downtown and hoofed it into the French Quarter and across to the Riverwalk. Here are the girls watching a tanker going one way and a paddle wheel boat going the other.

Behind them a little way away was Jackson Square and St Louis Cathedral, where we visited last Sunday with Grandmère. (I honestly think they expect daddy to spoil them like an indulgent grandparent now. Sigh.)
Then they noticed a building that was preserved but turned into a brewery.

Belle: Hmm, aren't you getting a bit thirsty, Maggs?

Maggie: Now that you mention it.

And, though they are of age, I schlepped them off in a different direction. After a very hot walk through the French Market (I melt at 70 degrees in dry climates, so you can imagine, though for your sensibility's sake I hope you don't), and daddy wound up springing for bottled water, lest we all perish of heat stroke.
One more shot of the Mississippi.

And la pucelle d'Orléans, Jeanne. The girls wanted to climb up on the horse. Daddy could not reach that high and was quite afraid of getting arrested in the attempt. No beer and then this. An afternoon of disappointments.

When I was growing up on Madison Avenue in Fresno, California, we had a crepe myrtle in the back yard. It is a rather lovely tree/shrub with ruffly petals. Ours was a medium, slightly purplish pink. Here in New Orleans I have seen quite an array of shades from the pink I grew up with to the more intense pink in this photo to a warmer and darker reddish shade to snow white and a color I had not seen in crepe myrtles before, a lovely orchid-lavender shade, quite delicate.

There are tons more photos from today, mostly French Quarter architecture.

Later, gators.
--the BB

Heart thread for a Sunday evening

SusanKay sent me this:

The next time you mount a prayer posting, would you please thank all those who prayed for Mike D'Armour after his cancer diagnosis nine days ago. He died at home in his wife's arms this morning. He had opted for hospice over chemo or radiation which was fitting since he had founded the hospice movement in Durango. Give thanks to the Lord for a wonderful life.

May Mike rest in peace and rise in glory and may his wife and loved ones find comfort.

I ask your prayers for my sister's niece Jan who is in hospice care. We live in the same town but have not met yet. I hope to next weekend. Please hold her up as she moves toward the light.

Please continue to remember Kirstin, who writes movingly of grace upon grace.

May the Holy Spirit fill the upcoming Lambeth Conference with endless surprises of peace, joy, charity, true communication, dialogue, and healing. Granted, none of those are what I, in my pessimistic mode, expect, so that is why they would be surprises. God can do it, I know, so we can also pray that the bishops cooperate with the Spirit.

China continues to experience aftershocks in the quake region, so let us remember those who rebuild their lives, those who mourn, those who died.

Zimbabwe and Pakistan are centers of tension as presidents try to hold on to power and democracy tries to establish itself. Pray for the people of those countries.

Pray for the wisdom and will for the world to address the food crisis for the good of all and not the enrichment of the few and the starvation or malnutrition of the many.

Greece has also sustained an earthquake with two deaths and 125 injuries so far reported.

Tornadoes and rains are hitting the Midwest.

And finally, let us give thanks for the civil union of Mark Andrew and Gene Robinson at St Paul's Church New Hampshire yesterday.

From the Eucharist of Creation:*
Your Spirit tends and nurtures,
shapes, calls forth, and quickens all things,
teasing endless possibilities from the riches of your passionate joy.

The dancing immensities honor you;
the rhythms of birth and death bless you;
the crashing surf and winging bird chant your praises;
the blood coursing in our bodies and the wind rising in our throats
combine to sing your goodness,
as we join the music of the spheres and the exultation of the heavenly hosts,
glorifying your Name in the endless chorus:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

* (c) by me, but I do grant permission when asked.
--the BB

Visitors from three new nations

I have not had time and energy to note our first visitor from Uganda, and I apologize for waiting . This morning I looked and we had first visitors from two more nations: Iraq and Georgia. Welcome to you all!

From Wikipedia:

The Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa, bordered on the east by Kenya, the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, within which it shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda takes its name from the Buganda kingdom, which encompasses a portion of the south of the country including the capital Kampala.

When I met the imam of the Shi'ite mosque in Oakland shortly after 9/11, I learned that he was from Uganda. He appeared Indian. Well, his family was from India, had moved to Uganda, fled under Idi Amin to Canada, and eventually he was called to be the spiritual director in Oakland. My other, very indirect, connection with Uganda was the partnership between St John's in Oakland and the Anglicans in Uganda, one that involved lots of building and sharing until the support given by TEC to the LGBT community led to the Bishop of Uganda severing all ties. Now, I ask you: why is it easier for me to get along with my Muslim sisters and brothers than with my Anglican ones? I would suggest because our interfaith dialogue focused on our human commonalities and our intra-communion squabbles focus on our differences. The differences with our Muslim friends were not denied, just not moved to the center. Is there anything to be learned by this?

If you are young enough not to recognize references to Idi Amin, you may find extensive information here and here.

My first emotional ties with Uganda came through Lesser Feasts and Fasts, where I learned of the feasts of James Hannington and Companions and the Martyrs of Uganda, whose number later came to include Archbishop Janani Luwum.

We hear and read so much about Iraq these days, though little of its significance in the history of civilization. Let us remember that it was the site of great ancient civilizations on whose heritage the entire western world is drawn. Think of the Code of Hammurabi. Wikipedia has this:

The region of Iraq was historically known as Mesopotamia (Greek: "between the rivers"). It was home to the world's first known civilization, the Sumerian culture, followed by the Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian cultures, whose influence extended into neighboring regions as early as 5000 BC. These civilizations produced some of the earliest writing and some of the first sciences, mathematics, laws and philosophies of the world; hence its common epithet, the "Cradle of Civilization".

It is sad to ponder the contrast between that and the current situation.

There is also a very rich history between ancient and modern eras. Just consider what "Baghdad" conjured up before the past decade and a half.

Georgia (Georgian: საქართველო, transliterated as Sakartvelo) is a Eurasian country, chiefly located in the South Caucasus, at the juncture of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. [Wikipedia] When I look at Russian headlines I see references to Georgia by its Russian name, Gruznya (Грузия).

The ancient kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia were here and it was one of the earliest nations to become Christian. Georgia struggles with independence movements in Abkhazia and Ossetia and is in tension with Russia related to this. More from Wikipedia:

Georgia is a representative democracy, organized as a secular, unitary, semi-presidential republic. It is currently a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the World Trade Organization and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. The country seeks a membership of NATO and, in the longer term, accession to the European Union.

OK, time for some music.

Treat your woman right!

That should have your hips moving.

Ekitagururo - Victoria Burke


Iraq's greatest musician and artist, Ilham Al-Madfai singing the old song "Khutar", directed by Fadi Hagopian. Video was shot and produced in Amman-Jordan.


An interesting mix of cultures here in a wedding theme bit of song and dance - I believe we have the "treat your woman right" theme at an earlier stage here, sauce for the goose and all that. Rather cute video.


iraqi music majed almohandes - wallah wahshny
[If only his hands would sit still. The dramatic romantic scenes are nice. Et un beau visage, n'est-ce pas, Comtesse?]


I have one or two CDs at home of Georgian music and I really like it. A very rich tradition of lush harmonies.

This video is, in spots, a bit too military for my taste but here is some Georgian patriotism nicely sung, the national hymn:


Very elegant and restrained dancing - not the exuberance of Riverdance for sure.


Here is a great dance sampler by the ensemble Rustavi (embedding not allowed). Here is another bit of music and dance, demonstrating the rich a cappella harmonies and seriously fancy footwork. [I think I am now in the market for a Georgian boyfriend.]

Something a little calmer: Qeti Melua - Tcitcinatela


Americans-"ქართული ანსამბლი" sing Georgian music [for your Sunday evening worship]:


We conclude with a blast from the past: Vintage collection-Georgian vocal quartet


Enjoy!
--the BB

Compromiso / Mentira: ¿Qué diferencia?

Promise / Lie: What's the difference?
Dengre, that pit bull of investigating intricate corruption scandals, reminds us (in great detail) that former House aide John Albaugh is cooperating in the ongoing investigations related to Jack Abramoff and his clients and politicians.

Senator John McCain has a role in this. Dengre writes:

During a November 17, 2004 Hearing on the scandal, John McCain made a promise:

"I pledge, as a member of the Committee on Indian Affairs, that we will not stop until the complete truth is told."

It was a promise—like all John McCain promises—that McCain quickly broke.

[Emphasis in the original]

Coments near the end of dengre's post:

And yet, McCain now points to his investigation cover-up of Abramoff as proof of his qualifications to be President. A serious look into McCain’s work on the Abramoff Scandal would disqualify him.
...

The lobbying system Abramoff worked in was created by a lobbyist named Charlie Black. And Black is now running McCain’s campaign.

McCain limited the Abramoff scandal to a very, very narrow scope. He collected 750,000 pages of documents and selectively used them to justify a narrow investigation.

It seems that some 742,000 pages are still being suppressed by McCain.

So much for not stopping until the complete truth is told.

Do we need another president who says one thing and does another? Aren't you tired of Orwellian "war is peace" rhetoric?

After learning that "clean air" is a euphemism for relaxed standards and "no child left behind" means no child will be spared a regime of narrow unthinking conformity, one comes to realize that when a Republican rides around in the "Straight Talk Express" the chances are you will not get straight talk at all.

--the BB

If the Republicans bring up Rezko this campaign...

... let's have a full and free discussion of this bit of news!

Gretchen Peters reports this juicy tidbit at ABC News:

The US military has awarded an $80 million contract to a prominent Saudi financier who has been indicted by the US Justice Department. The contract to supply jet fuel to American bases in Afghanistan was awarded to the Attock Refinery Ltd, a Pakistani-based refinery owned by Gaith Pharaon. Pharaon is wanted in connection with his alleged role at the failed Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), and the CenTrust savings and loan scandal, which cost US tax payers $1.7 billion.

The Saudi businessman was also named in a 2002 French parliamentary report as having links to informal money transfer networks called hawala, known to be used by traders and terrorists, including Al Qaeda.

Interestingly, Pharaon was also an investor in President George W. Bush's first business venture, Arbusto Energy.

[Emphases mine]

You can see a great mock "wanted" poster and read the full article here and comments by smintheus (to whom I tip my hat for this story) at DKos.

Smintheus writes (and I'm using the links from that paragraph):

And yet Pharaon was a Harvard classmate of Bush's and a key investor in Arbusto/Harken Energy. He has a notoriously unsavory record. During the Carter administration he was involved in the disgrace of Bert Lance, and then a dozen years later in another banking scandal, the collapse of the shady BCCI due to massive fraud that cost the bank's clients billions of dollars. In the US, he was the second largest shareholder in CenTrust when it went belly up. The Federal Reserve then barred Pharaon from doing business in the US, and the FBI indicted him. Pharaon has been a fugitive ever since.

Thank God the truth about corruption in our government sometimes leak out! It is possible that the Bush administration has set the historic record for corruption in the United States, hardly the claim to infamy most folks would want. Bush keeps saying history will judge his actions. In his shoes, I'd be scared shitless to ponder that.
--the BB

How Karl Rove Played Politics While People Drowned

That is part of the title of a post at Crooks and Liars by Logan Murphy. You can click on over to read about Karl Rove's role in the aftermath of Katrina.

Since this blog is so much about New Orleans, these days, it seemed proper to provide a link.

An excerpted paragraph:

“I could not believe that the president of the United States, staged by Karl Rove himself, had come down to the city of New Orleans and basically put up a stage prop. It was like you had gone to a studio in California and filmed a movie. They put the props up and the minute we were gone they took them down. All the dump trucks were gone. All the Coast Guard people were gone. It was an empty spot with one little crane. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen in my life. At that moment I knew what was going on and I’ve been a changed woman ever since. It truly changed my life.”

--the BB

Take your daughters to work day

Well, it's Saturday and we were all in the mood for a romp. I did not get around to the touring with camera I had hoped because, when I finally shut down the computer, I had put in 7.5 hours at the office, and that with a late start.

But the girls were not about to stay at home if there was a chance I might go gallivanting about town.

So here are Belle (left) and Maggie (right), checking out the scenery from my cubicle - and pretty nice scenery it is. Regular viewers will have seen this view here before but the ladies were scoping it all out - and keeping me company. It was a skeleton crew, about ten of us when I came in.


I could not deprive them of a glance out the opposite side of the building, so here they are looking toward the riverfront and watching a tug pulling a barge along the Mississippi.


We took a slightly different path back toward the car park and caught sight of this moderne decor and cool poster below it.

What fun!

And how about these insets in the sidewalk? I really don't know, but I am guessing they mark where very early families lived in NOLA. Any locals care to enlighten me? [I think Mimi may have said something about these but, having very little in the way of short-term auditory memory, I cannot recall for sure.]


This one reads "Pelican Homestead." I forgot to enhance the contrast before posting. It has a partner inset for those approaching in the opposite direction, not that many feet further down the sidewalk.

I could try looking it up on the web, but then I would not get stories from folks who have lived or visited here, and stories are more fun.

I took other photos today, all architectural details, but I am pausing now.

Oh, btw, the girls think I am rather a silly bear. They think this all the time, as do all my children, but especially now. Belle, being a river horse, and Maggie being a dolphin, don't see what the anxiety I have about being below water level is all about. But then, Maggie has never been in a hurricane and if Belle was it has been many years since.

More on water levels in NOLA during Katrina later.

--the BB

People lived here

And some may have died here as well. Yes, there were lots of pieces of clothing amid the rubble. I imagine clothes that hung in abandoned closets, but I don't really know.

On the days when I have taken Earhart from River Ridge to the CBD, I have driven past a long stretch where ruined houses are being razed to make room for rebuilding. It has progressed, not looking now the way it did the first few times I drove that route.

This morning, since it was Saturday and I had no fellow car-poolers and was not really in the mood to rush to work... I stopped to take some pics, as I have wanted to do for some time.

This was once a neighborhood full of people. I wonder now what their stories were and are. Where are they now? What have they gone through? What are their hopes? Have some fallen into despair?

Just a little bit closer to downtown are three-story apartment buildings of brick, some with metal balconies. They still stand and folks still live there. They are a sign of life. I hope this will be a place of new life.

Yesterday, while chatting on the phone after work, I tired of pacing about and sat down on a backless office chair near the parking garage, just opposite the building I showed photos of yesterday evening. This morning as I drove in to work, it had migrated to the intersection. There is something whimsical about it all. So this very quickly taken photo while at a red light is my shout out to the chair that gave me a resting place.

To my imagination it is rather cute, and a bit forlorn, and evocative of the Pixar Studios lamp. I am picturing it hopping down the street on its own.
--the BB

$4/gallon coming soon to a filling station near you

As I was listening to Marketplace on NPR yesterday (I must have left work early), the comment was made that nothing was happening to supply that would prompt a ten-dollar jump in crude oil price; it all seemed to be driven by "perception."

Chris in Paris writes a bit about this news (whence I snaffled the price shown above).

I still plan to drive around a bit in NOLA this weekend.

Off to work (for a while)!
--the BB

Smintheus nails it

"Treat a cut immediately and nobody benefits. Wait for gangrene to take hold and lots of people can cash in. That appears to be the Republican governing philosophy."

From a post at Daily Kos

-the BB

4092

From Iraq Coalition Casualties Count:
Latest Coalition Fatalities

06/06/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 3)
Sgt. Shane P. Duffy, 22, of Taunton, Mass...died June 4 in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Sharqat, Iraq, when their unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire and hand grenades. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion...

06/06/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 3)
Spc. Jonathan D. A. Emard, 20, of Mesquite, Texas...died June 4 in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Sharqat, Iraq, when their unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire and hand grenades. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion...

06/06/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 3)
Sgt. Cody R. Legg, 23, of Escondido, Ca...died June 4 in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Sharqat, Iraq, when their unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire and hand grenades. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion...

06/05/08
DoD Identifies Army Casaulty
Pfc. Joshua E. Waltenbaugh, 19, of Ford City, Pa., died June 3 in Taji, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related injury. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.

06/05/08
Georgian Soldier Killed in Iraq
A Georgian soldier was killed on a combat mission in Iraq on June 4, the Georgian Ministry of Defense said on Thursday. Squad commander Irakli Kordzaia, 28, was killed when a checkpoint in the province of Diyala came under repeat fire...

06/05/08
MNF: MND-C Soldier attacked by small arms fire
A Coalition force Soldier was killed by small arms fire June 4 during a patrol south of Baghdad. The Soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.

06/05/08
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Quincy J. Green, 26, of El Paso, Texas, died June 2 in Tikrit, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 601st Aviation Support Battalion, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Each a unique, beloved, irreplaceable child of God. May they rest in peace and may their families and loved ones find comfort in their sorrow.

May all those who perish in war from every side rest in the heart of Godde. May we learn to do a better job of getting along with each other and meeting our challenges than warfare.

For the countless, and uncounted, Iraqi dead amid the struggles for power and struggles to survive where fear, mistrust, and animosity divide the human family.

For those involved in "the forgotten war" in Afghanistan.

For those in war, civil strife, and terror anywhere on this planet.

For the preservation of the planet Mars from our madness.
--the BB

A little rebellion is good for the soul

So I took of early from work. That is, at 5:30 after a 9.5 hour day. Talk about living wild!

Well, it is Friday. I then got on the phone with my best friend and we talked for about 40 minutes. Not wanting to yak in the parking garage or while driving, I stayed on the streets, pacing back and forth, venturing up on to Canal Strett, trying to carry on a conversation with the generic noises of traffic, commercial air conditioning units, a really loud bus, a heated argument on the street, running young girls and older skater boys, tourists, downtown workers, and the scrabbling gurgle of water underground.

I spent a lot of time pacing up and down University on the block between Common and Canal. I posted a photo of this particular building at the end of this post. Here are some details. Most of the eagles are painted white. I much prefer the contrast of bronze (or better yet, gilt) as in the photo above to the sameness of white everywhere. In any case, the decorative detail on this building is incredibly rich and you just don't get that sort of thing anymore.

I love good post-modern architecture with its bold lines and beautiful materials, long straight lines and (mostly Romanesque) arches and arcs, frequently unusual angles and unexpected details. But I also love neo-classical and Victorian and the rich carved detail in buildings such as this. What marvelous acanthus scrollwork!

Hre is the detail on the columns and pediment of a bay window. (You may click to enlarge any of my photos).

I was tempted to crop this and focus on the shield (with its very French fleurs-de-lis) but thought better of it. The building is being repaired and renovated, so let's have the context. I am glad that buildings like this are being fixed and not razed. So much of the United States would trash a beauty like this one. Hooray for NOLA!

Across the street, and adjacent to the car park where the rental car awaited me, is the empty Orpheum Theater. I love theater, so this was a sad sight.

I have been promising myself for weeks that I would pull over and take a picture of St Joseph's Catholic Church and tonight I finally did it.

Radical topic shift alert (lest you suffer mental whiplash)---

The night before last I finally broke down and cooked in the evening. Cooking is really preparing lunches in advance since by the time food is cooked it is way too late. And when I come home I don't really feel like cooking. But cook I did.

I made a stew with some pork, half a dozen sundried tomatoes (in oil), half an onion, a beautiful large red bell pepper, a large clove of garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, black pepper, chicken broth, red wine, an entire package of organic baby spinach, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I also cooked up a bunch of brown rice with celery and sunflower seeds. I put rice in three plastic containers, covered it with the stew, and voilà! Lunch for three days.

I had the second helping today, reheating it in the nucrowave at work. Quite delicious, with good tang and a bit of fire and so many vegetables that my diet often lacks.

Tonight, in the Friday spirit, I stopped at the Shimmy Shack for a quick bite to eat and some more conversation with the adorable young Russian lady, Ksusha, who waits tables there.

I plan to work no more than six hours tomorrow and Sunday not at all. So here's to the weekend!

After a glass of cabernet across the street I am now having a rum and Coke (Diet Coke, and yes, not Diet Pepsi this time - I buy what is available from time to time).

I finished reading Steven Saylor's Roma last weekend. Enjoyable but a bit too ambitious and not quite the feast to savor that his Gordianus the Finder series is. Right now I am in the middle of Boris Akunin's The Death of Achilles, an Erast Fandorin mystery.

Beyond that I eat, I sleep, I work, I read news and blogs online, lather, rinse, repeat.
--the BB

Just one new photo

And I took it yesterday.

There is elegance in the renaissance of New Orleans. It's not all rubble and rebuilding. Each day I pass MiLa restaurant and glance through the gap in the curtains, thinking to myself "How lovely!" as I look at the elegantly set tables. So I paused and took a photo yesterday morning (just before they began erecting scaffolding in front of it all).


Here's the blurb from their website:

MiLa Restaurant is now
open at the Renaissance
Pere Marquette Hotel

MiLa is the culmination of both the marriage of
chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing
and their respective home state cuisines –
Mississippi and Louisiana.

With a heavy emphasis on provisions sourced
from regional farmers, MiLa fuses traditional
Southern classics with fresh and surprising
ingredients. Dine in an elegant yet relaxed
dining room in downtown New Orleans.

I'm assuming they won't mind the publicity. I want to go inside.
--the BB

About those military tribunals

The Rude Pundit has some good points to make.


--the BB

Sing it out, Langston!

I found this 70-year old poem at Daily Kos this morning

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!

from Let America be America Again (1938)
Langston Hughes [1902 - 67].