Filling the Bill

Here's a weird idea: If Hillary is appointed Secretary of State, wouldn't it be interesting if Governor Patterson appointed Bill Clinton to her senate seat?

An American Writer

Studs Terkel, American writer, died today at the age of 96. Out of all American writers, his is the voice I wish I had had. In 1982, Terkel went to Girard, PA to defend his book Working, against censorship, when some parents decided they didn't want their children reading his book because of the language used in it and because some didn't want their children to get the wrong idea about working for a living (Girard is a decidedly blue collar town). It seems most people don't like their jobs. Really? The author was invited by students who liked his book, and he came. He offended some of the audience with his language, but he stood strong. Eventually, the school board voted not to censor. If you don't know, his books often consist of interviews with real people: the language and thoughts are theirs. One of the complaints was that in one chapter, which was an interview with a policeman about his job, "he used that four letter word" 44 times (fuck). I guess that protestor never worked as a police officer.

Of course, one of my main interests in the story was the fact that I went to high school in Girard, PA for three years, though not Girard High School.

I have many of his books on my shelves right now. I think it's time to pull one down, maybe Working, especially with how I'm feeling about my job lately.