Palmer Blevins Blog

Was watching an old episode of How I Met Your Mother, where Lilly gets her husband to coach her kindergarten class in basektball; but she gets mad when he is really rough on them and tells him that they don’t keep score, that winning isn’t everything, and that everybody gets a trophy.

With all the school shootings that have taken place since 1996, I can’t help but think that this philosophy is part of the problem. It seems that kids are not taught the skills necessary to survival in school: they are babied, led to believe that they are entitled to everything, that failure is fine, and that everyone likes them because they are special, etc. And then the real world sets in.

They realize that life doesn’t look kindly on failure, that mommy was wrong when she said everyone likes you because you’re special, that in life there is competition, that you will suffer heartache and hurt feelings, and not everyone gets a trophy for merely participating. Not being able to cope, they decide to go to school and shoot up what they see as the source of their problems.

Granted, being too hard on kids is not the answer, neither is baby-ing them. There has to be a middle ground. No, winning isn’t everything but the spirit of competition needs to be instilled so a kid knows that when life knocks you on your ass, you pick yourself up, learn from your mistakes and keep playing. A kid needs to know that he/she is special, with certain skills, talents, etc., but that kid also needs to know that there are other kids who will target him/her; thus little Johnnie or Susie needs to learn how to cope. A kid needs to know that there is support out there, but also needs to know that sometimes your friends/family will ditch you for their own selfish reasons and sometimes you need to walk alone. A kid needs to know that there are good things in this world, but it is not all sunshine and lollipops.

I simply adore John Shimkus, the esteemed representative from the nation’s favorite source of political comedy and nimcompoopery. Everyone by now is aware of his recent comments that only God can destroy the world (so, by default, man can pollute and pollute and pollute) and that carbon dioxide is, in reality, plant food.

It’s basic elementary earth science: humans and animals emit carbon dioxide when they exhale. Plants then take-in that carbon dioxide and then emit oxygen for humans and animals to breath. Makes sense. It was kinda funny watching Glenn Beck explain a couple weeks ago on his Faux show that he was polluting the atmosphere by breathing out (he pollutes alot more outside of exhalling, but that is a whole other topic); and I am suprised that neo-Cons haven’t come out with the obvious tie-in that liberals want to kill humans off by capping CO2 emissions. After all, without carbon dioxide, plants will die and wont give off oxygen…which we need to live. Damn murderous socialist fascist liberals!

Though one can’t debate that plants and trees need CO2…too much of a “good” thing can be harmful; especially when there are not many plants and trees in the hearts of major cities to “inhale” the excess and produce oxygen in return. Perhaps if we just taped the mouths of Rush, Sean, Bill Glenn and John shut for a year (and planted a tree near their posteriors), the levels of CO2 and other toxis would drop dramatically and our companies would not have to worry about capping CO2 emissions.

When I started the process of organizing Verizon Plus!, and throughout the rest of my tenure there, I stopped going to Wal-Mart. I saw it would be highly hypocritical for me to be organizing my co-workers against a company that was anti-union but then shop at an establishment known for its anti-union stance.

It was always entertaining to me, however, to meet some union reps and activists over the past two years. I would listen to them just rip Wal-Mart to shreds about long hours, low pay, no real benefits, not allowing associates to organize or they would be fired, etc.; imagine one’s shock to find that a number of them shopped at the very mecca of their disdain.

It’s a tad hypocritical for union people to enjoy the perks and benefits that come with being union and then shop at places where non-union employees don’t enjoy the same. And what is hilarious, it is union people who are the first to gripe about new Wal-Mart stores (which do create jobs) popping up and pushing out mom & pop stores. Here’s a novel idea: put your money where your mouth is and support the mom & pops instead.

For being the “evil” corporation that unions like to portray Wal-Mart as being, I am actually quite suprised to see all the cars parked in any Springfield, IL Wal-Mart on any given day with Union Yes bumper stickers and people shopping with union t-shirts and hats on.

IBEW, the Teamsters, AFSME, SEIU, AFT, and a couple other unions were well represented this afternoon alone. Save money. Live better. Union members apparently haven’t gotten the memos from their reps about how unfairly their non-union brethren are treated.

My favorite Bible story is in regards to the Fall of Man, the original sin. Eve is in the Garden one day, just minding her business when all of sudden a snake appears and says “Hey, you look hungry. Why don’t you eat some of the fruit on that tree in the center of this garden?” to which Eve replied, “No, I better not. God says that I can eat anything I want, without the fear of gaining weight and exercise, except fruit from that tree.” “Yeah,” says the snake, “but if you eat that fruit, your eyes will open and you will become just like God. And if He created you and your poser husband in His own image, surely He wants you to be as smart as Him, too.”

So, after realizing that it would not be on the McDonald’s Value Menu any time soon, she went ahead and ate some. Being the generous person she was, she offered some to Adam. Adam, being either whipped or not really listening to God when He said “How many times do I have to tell you, don’t eat that friggin fruit,” decides to eat it. Eventually God finds out and asks what happened.

Now for my favorite part. Instead of taking responsibility for his own dirty deed, Adams blames Eve (and of course Eve blames the snake, and the snake is like “come on man, if I told them to jump off a bridge…”). Now for the tie in.

I was originally going to vote for either Joe Biden or John Edwards in the primary; eventually I got wrapped up in that whole “Change We Can Believe In” stuff (still waiting to see how that Change is going to benefit me, but I digress) and voted for now President Obama. But I fell for another line of bull: the John and Elizabeth Edwards love story. Even after the affair became known to us mere mortals, I didn’t think it was necessary for John to become a pariah…and I still admired Elizabeth for taking on the Coultergeist.

But after reading excerpts of her new book, parts of which highlight John’s affair, I am a little sick to my stomach and am reminded of the whole Garden of Eden Story. Any sympathy I had for her in regards to the affair went out the window with this gem, “Those with any fame or notoriety or power attract people for good reasons and bad. Some want to contribute and some want to take something away for themselves. They flatter and entreat, and it is engaging, even addictive. They look at our lives, which from the outside in particular are pictures of joy and plenty, and they want it for themselves.” She talks about how the woman “targeted” John and seduced him with a lame-ass pick up line…”you’re so hot.”

Come on. The horny toad saw an opportunity to get some tail, and after realizing his little “sin” and fearing that his political career be in the crapper, and there would also be no more trips to Wendy’s once a year, he came clean and portrayed himself as the victim of a devilish temptress. And being the good wife, she eventually forgave him but turned around and blamed the woman for seducing her husband and wanting to destroy her family because of some lowly serfs silly envy of the lifestyle of the elite.

Now, for the moral of the story children: when all else fails, you can always blame a snake; whether it be for eating forbidden fruit, for your adultery or if you want to avoid the scandal of divorcing your cheating spouse but not look like a fool tool in the process for not doing so.

I feel I need to clarify something from a previous post in regards to my feelings about Abraham Lincoln: I do not dislike Abraham Lincoln, the man. I do, however, dislike Springfield’s Lincoln fetish as well as the whole Lincoln mythos.

In that post, I was trying to convey that despite trying to escape Abe and anything to remotely do with him…he kept popping up. And now this. A fellow Blevins genealogist recently emailed me something in regards to Lincoln and his connections to the mother of Susannah Duncan:
(From R. A.)- …Apparently her mother or Susannah’s mother was a first cousin to Abraham Lincoln. In the Sorento and Reno area Lincoln traveling through as a lawyer would stop and eat and or sleep at their home. I do not know the name of Susannah’s mother or father except for the last name of Duncan. Susannah personally told my grandmother in Gillespie many times and unfortunately some of thru details have gotten garbled through the years.

Susannah Duncan was the wife of my 2x Great-Grandfather, Henry Benton Blevins (the first male child born in Cahokia Township, Macoupin County, IL). I must admit, it would be highly interesting to me if a connection could be found. But once again, there just is no escaping Abe.

Since my vacation to the South this weekend, I’ve been puzzled by something. During the entire trip, we saw only two Confederate flags flying in the air, three bikers who happened to have the Confederate flag stitched on their jackets, and countless cars with Obama bumper-stickers…even in the most remote places. Not once did we see a car/truck with a “Kiss My Rebel Ass” or “Proud to be a Rebel” or “the South Will Rise Again” bumper-sticker.

We were treated with the outmost politeness and respect. It was truly shocking when we went to a bar in the middle of nowhere in South Carolina, one of the bikers with a Confederate flag emblem, bought us dinner…talked politics, the economy and gave us names of people to talk to in regards to getting a job or place to rent in North Carolina if we so desired.

Contrast those experiences with the following.

On our ride home we went through Indiana and went through Champaign to Casa Blevins. We stopped at a gas station near Springfield and the attendant followed Samantha around like she was up to no good; despite her being professionally dressed, not speaking with an accent, and her having the required white-male escort (me) at her side.

Since being home we have seen 1 Confederate flag flying outside a house off of North Grand, 25 trucks with a Confederate flag decal and/or the catchy slogans mentioned above, and dealing with closet racists at some gas stations, banks, restaurants, etc., we’ve encountered almost daily here in Springfield and who don’t have the balls to say what they think/feel.

Is Illinois/Springfield more racist then the areas we visited and traveled through in the South? And if so, should Lincoln really be the posterboy of this town?

I am about to write/say something so shocking, so evil, so un-Springfieldian and I sincerely hope that you, my dear reader, will not think any less of me than you may already think.

I DISLIKE THE MYTHOS of ABRAHAM LINCOLN!

Since my childhood, despite years of educational indoctrination that built Lincoln into a larger than life demagogue worthy of worship to the point of extreme fetish, I’ve never been a fan of Honest Abe.

When I became a history buff, I often found myself quickly silenced when I went against accepted conventions in regards to Abe, and I usually try to avoid any public criticism or disdain for the man.

But honesty is truly the best policy. So it is out there: I am not a fan of Abraham Lincoln. So, when I planned my vacation I carefully tried to avoid any place with the slightest association with Lincoln; yet, there is no escape.

Of course, traveling through three former Confederate states is not going to provide a real escape from Abe since the landscape is dotted with many Civil War battlefields. I avoided going through Kentucky today just for the simple fact it was Lincoln’s place of birth; but lo and behold there is a Lincoln Museum here in Tennessee. In a strange twist of fate, I had to pay for my hotel room, $50, with fives. There just is no escaping Abe.

I’ll be in South Carolina by mid-afternoon. Hopefully Myrtle Beach will grant me at least some reprieve from the ghost of Lincoln that is following me.

If there were to ever be a Springfield Blogger Hall of Fame, there is no way Dave, Marie, 30 What, Shoo, Gish, Will or Just 2 Guys would not make it. After reading The Way of the Andy, after reading comments left by him, I would have to say this site is “Hall” worthy.

Insightful, funny, fresh and in your face.

BTW, Andy, correct me if I am wrong…Wells Fargo ‘03, you sat a couple cubicles behind me?

I’ve been reflecting on an interview I had for an organizer position with SEIU Healthcare IL/IN last Monday. When I found out today that my “qualifications were outstanding” but “the union had decided to go with somebody else” I really was not happy.

Apparently passion and knowledge of the labor movement, my youth and ambition, and more importantly my ability to organize a Verizon store before management caught wind and fired my happy ass, was not what they were looking for.

Not only did I organize the Verizon Plus! store in Bloomington, I came damn near organizing a Verizon Wireless store in Springfield. Oh, yeah, that’s right, I only have a year of organizing experience. Then again, I’ve known organizers who have years of experience but are lucky if they can organize their desk let alone an organization.

Even though I am a bit miffed in regards to not being hired, I realize it’s their loss. After all, I only organized Verizon.