It was Day 2 of the Republican National Convention and The Rake was seated proudly in the "minor local media" section. With CityPages at our side, God as our witness and no actual view of the stage, the event was underway. It was quickly apparent that, in solidarity with the folks displaced by Hurricane Gustav, […]
Sept 4, 2008: The Daily Show Rips Off Dude Weather
Protest Music for the New Millenium
(Todd Smith already wrote this article) On stage, Steve Earle led the crowd in a sing-a-long of "Steve’s Hammer (for Pete)" – a song that picks up on that parenthetical Pete (Seeger)’s "If I Had a Hammer," from 1949. "I’m gonna say a line, and you’re gonna repeat it back to me," Earle said. "And […]
Sept 3, 2008: Government Jam!
There's More Than One Bristol
So, one of my fellow bloggers called my keen political insights "garbage" and asked me to go back to writing about cars. I will gladly fulfill your wish. In fact, how about if I write about both? I will even perfume my words to make sure the wind that passes when I write about politics […]
Downtown Militarized Zone
Photos by India Bell Hard to believe that as recently as Sunday, downtown Saint Paul was a bucolic paradise ringed in chain link, the peace kept by strapping young men with plastic handcuffs. Sadly, the photos below didn’t jibe with the reality of yesterday’s protests. While Minnesota’s, and the nation’s, eyes should’ve been turned to […]
Rake Against the Machine
Andy Stern, the president of the Service Employees International Union, has the rugged good looks of a guy who’s been in his fair share of scraps. With his bawdy East Coast accent and bulging nose, he’s definitely not a man to mess with. When he got up on stage at the press conference for the […]
Sept 2, 2008: Rudy At The RNC
Sexy Librarian Makes Me Stupid
A few days ago I had an allergic reaction to Obama’s acceptance speech. I have not changed my mind about Obama, but I have also quickly learned the perils of speaking out of my butt too fast–which is essentially the origin of most political commentary offered without the baptism of time and experience. I should […]