Subscribe Today!

Who's Leading in the Women's Halfpipe?

Monday, February 11, 2002

                      Click here for an Easy Print Version


From Helena, Montana
Lewis & Clark County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner
• Tell me that you watched the opening ceremonies and didn't shed at least one tear. Tell me that when the flag, recovered from the World Trade Center, was brought out, at least one hair didn't stand up on the back of your neck.

• Tell me, that when the stadium erupted in cheers at the sight of President Bush you didn't whisper: "Yesss" to yourself.

• Tell me, as you watched the young athletes march into the stadium - many who have spent years or even decades training for this fortnight - a smile of pride, on behalf of all of their parents from every country, didn't creep across your lips.

• And tell me (even though you had guessed it about halfway through) that when women's hockey player Cammi Granato and skier Picabo Street handed the Olympic torch off to men's hockey player Mike Eruzione and the rest of the 1980 hockey team - dressed in their USA jerseys - that you didn't think that was a fine decision. Just fine.

• All right. Sting and Yo-Yo Ma, maybe, was a good opportunity to go make some popcorn, but even that wasn't enough to make you intone the famous biblical misquotation: Sting, where is thy death?

• Other than the usual suspects - the snotty European press, mostly - everyone seemed to have been pleasantly surprised that this event produced in America by Americans was, in fact, a wonderful show without being too showy.

• And even if, like most males, I don't know the difference between a lutz and a salchow, and had no idea that there even WAS a sport named skeleton; I, like most males, will be glued to the NBC networks for as much of the Winter Games as I can watch.

• On that lutz-salchow thing? I read the explanations for all the jumps - toe loop, axel, whatever - and I STILL couldn't figure it out. Try your luck. There's a link to a figure skating site on the Secret Decoder Ring today.

• Speaking of gold, the G-7 (US, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan) finance ministers, meeting in Canada say that the recession is ending. According to the Financial Times' Economics Editor, Ed Crooks, the - wait. Wait a minute. Can you have an economics editor for a world-class financial newspaper named: Crooks? I guess you can.

• Mr. Crooks wrote, in Saturday's edition:

  "The recovery in the world economy has already begun, and the US and Europe can expect to see growth strengthening as the year wears on, according to the finance ministers and central bankers who met in Ottawa at the weekend."

• That sound you just heard was the last twig of hope snapping for Congressional Democrats who were desperate to have the economy bumping along at the bottom for next Fall's mid-term elections.

• One Speech Down, Three to Go Department: The visit to Helena, Montana was excellent. The Lewis & Clark County GOP put on a wonderful dinner, raised a bunch of money, and left with a good deal of energy.

• There is a sled dog race which takes place in Montana called the "Race to the Sky." It starts in Helena and ends up 500 miles away. It doesn't really start here. It has its ceremonial start here then they truck everyone about thirty miles away where there is actual snow and the race starts for keeps.

• The dogs didn't seem to think this whole affair was as swell as the fans.

• North, as the song goes, to Alaska, over-nighting in Anchorage (low temp +17) then on to Juneau (low temp +37) for the Lincoln Day speech on Tuesday night.

  ---

  If you are working at a lobbying firm, a government affairs office, a coalition, or a PAC you should take a look at this page to see how advertising in Mullings might serve your organization very well:

  --END --
  Copyright © 2002 Richard A. Galen