How great your art . . .

I figure it must have been a day like this one when God finally sat down and rested, looked around and said, "Not bad . . ."

I got up in the dark this morning. The stars were brilliant pinpoints in a navy velvet canopy as I pointed the Prius toward Tuscaloosa. It has travelled that route so often I don't have to steer, especially on the empty roads of Sunday morning, so it offered me a chance to see the glory of a perfect late October morning in North Alabama.

There is something about the lay of the land and water along Highway 75 a few miles north of the Jefferson/Blount County line, right beyond Mitchell/Alex Smith farm, starting at the double bridges, that occasionally creates fog. Big, rolling, cotton pillows that absorb whatever comes through. The sun had appeared above Pine Mountain, but the gentle morning rays were no match for the ground hugging clouds. The Prius slowed to a crawl as I prayed that no one was stopped in front of me or speeding closer behind me. But it seemed we were alone in the grey quietness.

Then there was an explosion of light as the fog released us, and the mountains were on fire as the sun ignited the trees, flaming in red, orange, yellow and fading green, straining upward toward the cloudless, pure, striking blue, sky.

"Hallelujah"

"Who said that?" I thought, but then realized the utterance came from me in kind of a froggy tone, being the first effort I had made at speaking since waking.

I get all het up about things, about politics and politicians, about justice and injustice, about religion and religiosity, about games and losing the top to the shampoo and incorrect change at the convenience store and the TSA confiscating my snowglobe statue of liberty at the airport and having to go to Walmart, again.

But there was no heat this morning, in the air outside or in my troubled soul. All those things that I make so important seemed so small, so insignificant, dwarfed by the morning masterpiece of the One who created and is creating.

As did I.

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Smiling faces, sometimes . . .

Saturday. Sofa. Coffee.

I enjoyed the World Series. My criteria for support in each game was which team had to win to make the series continue through the maximum seven games, because I had no dog in the hunt (a colloquialism that means I have no investment in the outcome of a contest, or in this case, I was not a supporter, or detractor, of the Cardinals or the Rangers). I just enjoyed watching the games, so my main concern was that the series continue for my entertainment.

Which brings me to the horse race for the Republican Presidential nomination. I love this stuff. I hope it continues for awhile. Looks like it will. Santorum is moving up on the outside on the far right even as we speak. Gingrich is bullying his way into position. Perry is tentatively holding his own. Bachman trails the pack but still denies it and will never be out of shouting distance. Not because she is close to the pack. She is just loud. Ron Paul is running his own race, refusing to be told what course to run. And Mitt Romney is boxed in against the rail to his left by every other rider to his right.

But for today Herman Cain is in the lead. And he is in Alabama. So let's talk about him. Seems like a really nice guy. His educational achievements are impressive. His life, family and religious experience resonate well with America.

He has a world class smile.

I don't know how these things happen, but when being referenced in articles, blogs and broadcast news, his name is generally followed by the appellation "former CEO of Godfather's Pizza." Until I looked it up I thought Cain probably still had flour dust on his apron from walking straight out of the pizza kitchen to run for president. Actually he resigned from the position in 1996, some fifteen years ago, after overseeing the fall of Godfather's from a #3 position nationally to #5, and a fall in annual sales of $10 million dollars over the ten years he ran the joint, first as an employee of Pillsbury, then as a part owner. It seems that the modifier after his name would be something more recent and perhaps represent a more successful experience, but for some reason that hasn't happened.

On the other hand, Herman Cain, the Washington lobbyist who attempted to prevent smoking bans for restaurants just doesn't seem so folksy.

And Herman Cain, the Washington lobbyist who attempted to prevent strengthening DUI laws by the lowering of blood alcohol content standards, just doesn't seem so "Washington outsider."

That's what Herman Cain did, and did right well, after he resigned from Godfather's Pizza. He was a Washington lobbyist. He made a lot of good and rich friends. He is gifted at making rich friends, like the Koch brothers, of Americans for Prosperity (AFP) fame.

Perhaps a more appropriate appositive following his name would read, especially after the now famous defiant smoking ad of last week,

"Herman Cain, lobbyist for tobacco and alcohol interests and friend of the uber rich . . ."

I suppose that didn't play as well in focus groups.

Another interesting, and now revealing, part of Cain's resume', is his work with Burger King in the '80's. He was a successful manager. He really was. Frustrated with a lack of authority to make any real changes in his 400 restaurants, like pricing and menu, he looked for something, an innovation, to increase sales.

He basically taught his employees to smile. And sales went up. The prices were exactly the same. The same artery clogging, empty calorie filled, nutrition deficient but addictably tasty menu was being offered.

But it was offered with a smile.

And the people bought it.

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Debates are empty . . .

It's what makes America great.

America watches as they take their positions on the center stage, in the bright lights, scrutinized by cameras from every angle, putting all that they are on the line, ready to answer the questions that remain. Well prepared. They know their stuff. They've been getting ready for months as other competitors have fallen by the wayside, to join and watch with the crowd, destined to wait and hope for another chance in another year.

The looks on their faces are serious as the gravity of the moment rides weightily upon their shoulders. Under sometimes furrowed brows their eyes are steely when taking stock of their adversaries, searching for weakness, constantly sizing them up, challenging their every move. Their faces glisten slightly from perspiration. This is a chance to win it all.

The audience is almost as impressive. They know their stuff. They wince at the mistakes. They hope, pray, applaud and cheer for their favorite. They are not as kind to those they oppose. They know their stuff and they let their opinions be heard.

The Republican Presidential Candidate Debates?

Are you kidding?

I was talking about the World Series. The Cardinals and the Rangers. They take this stuff seriously.

It is time for the Republicans to get a clue.

And take the world serious.

It's no game.

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Smoke one for America . . .

Finally, a Republican candidate did something that really got my attention in a positive way. And it was the conservative Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum, with whom I disagree on almost everything political.

When caught clandestinely watching the screen of his smartphone during a series of political speeches by other candidates at a rally last Saturday, he came clean. He was checking the score of the Penn State football game. A breath of fresh air.

Speaking of fresh air, who is advising Herman Cain? Check out his TV ad, if you have not seen it. Watch the whole thing. If the Republican race were not already so bizarre, you might have noticed Cain's hopes going up in smoke at the end of that video oddity. In the wake of gaffes left by former front runners Bachman and Perry and Trump and whoever else I mercifully forgot or mercifully never made it to the top of the polls, this little bit of strangeness will hardly be noticed.

But the ad intrigues me. I have two theories of how it came to be.

First, perhaps Democrats have infiltrated the campaigns of Republican candidates and are giving them horrible advice. Some have had plenty of experience doing that for Democrats. Remember the John Kerry wind surfing ad? Or Dukakis in the tank? (both the military kind and the resulting poll results). That would explain a lot about the fortunes and actions of the Republican front runners so far this season.

But I think Republicans are too savvy, or paranoid, to let something like that happen.

I think Herman Cain knew exactly what he was doing having Mark Block end the ad taking a big drag on a Marlboro and blowing the smoke right back at the camera.

Herman Cain knows that the votes he needs to become the Republican nominee will be from people who are tired of the government telling them what to do . . .like telling them where and when they can light one up.

It is a subtle message for personal freedom, blown right back in the face of big, over-reaching government. and inhaled joyfully by a group of fed up, nervous voters.

I can see the next one, if Herman would allow me to offer an idea. The scene is Ellis Island, that sacred entry way into America. Lady Liberty herself bends down, not to an immigrant, of course, but to some workers on a smoke break, and offers her torch while saying . . .

"send me your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free . . .that delicious nicotine enriched carbon monoxide without government intervention. . . "

In a totally unrelated story, Herman Cain was a lobbyist from '96-'99, fighting against smoking bans in restaurants and gaining great favor with the tobacco industry.

All that smoke isn't coming from burning pizza.

And that's no exhaust vent he's trying to blow it up.

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