OUT THERE POLITICS, PART 2 OF 2

I pulled up behind this big SUV at a stoplight and happened to have my camera on the seat beside me. There's more to it than you can see in this low-res version. The red sticker in the bottom center of the window has an outline of Santa and two reindeer with the words Sleighin' Libs. The upper left has a cartoon of an elephant, a symbol of the Republican Party with an assault rifle in its trunk and the words Raised Right. Upper right is a cartoon of Trump in red, white and blue with both middle fingers raised. Lower right has a sticker that says Republicans - Working Like Crazy To Support The Lazy (!). The sticker in the lower left is mostly illegible but has the words We The People, the opening phrase of the U.S. Constitution, in its iconic script.

 

It frightened me. I was not about to cut this person off on the road.

        

OUT THERE POLITICS, PART 1 OF 2

 

Well, good luck. The concept hasn't worked very well in countries who've gone for it whole hog. Even the Chinese Communist Party backed way off. Although, IMHO, there are some things better run by society as a whole than by predatory capitalism (like healthcare, although mixed private-public systems can work well.) But come back tomorrow for the opposite end of the spectrum. It's much scarier.

Seen at Tower Grove Pride. 

I SURE HOPE SO

Sadly, not everyone is. Seen at Tower Grove Pride.                     

THREE LETTERS

A sculpture in the plaza opposite the baseball stadium, next to the big cards shown yesterday. These letters, in red with white piping and in this typeface, have been part of the Cardinals logo for as long as records exist. STL has been adopted as the city and region's abbreviation for ages. It's the airport code. There are multitudes of websites that use this or that-STL to create a unique URL.  Nobody here misses the point.                

 

THE END OF THE SEASON AND TWO GREAT CAREERS

We are three days from the end of the Major League Baseball season. Our beloved St. Louis Cardinals have won their division (there are six) and will proceed into the complex system of playoffs.

Two of the team's all-time greats are retiring at the end of the season. Albert Pujols has been one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game. He played here for 11 seasons, went to California for the big bucks where his production tailed off with age. He came back here for one final season and, at age 42, is tearing up the field. He will finish the season fourth on the all time home run list, based on records going back to the late 19th Century. Yadier Molina, Yadi to the fans, has played here for 18 years at one of the most physically demanding positions in sports. By general acclaim, he is one of the greatest defensive players ever to pur on the catcher's armor. Both are headed to the baseball Hall of Fame after the minimum waiting period.

The team set up these boards in a plaza across from the stadium for the fans to leave personal notes and memories. I got there just as the line was forming on Friday. They will be presented to the players today.