Why the hell would * visit a small HS in Grand Rapids to deliver a national address?

[MichiganVote]

East Grand Rapids HS on this Friday. Go figure.

[PassingFair]

1. DeVos, Amway, Blackwater......

The west side has profited from this monster.

Much more so than the rest of the state.

[vanboggie]

7. Not all of us

Consider yourself lucky you don't have to live near them!

[PassingFair]

8. To all the good guys on the west side!

:patriot:

:hi:

[vanboggie]

9. West side story

Thanks! To give you an idea of what we have to put up with, my daughter and I were cruising home the other day in our truck. I have some good bumper stickers on the tailgate, my fave being "Abort your civil rights, vote Republican". This shiny red Hummer comes up behind us, long enough to read the liberal writings I hope, and then gunned it to get in front of us. This Hummer had a flag flying; the windows had a DeVos for Governor on one side and a D4G sticker on the other; on the tailgate (is that what you call it on a Hummer?) were both a yellow and a red, white and blue magnetic ribbon; and on the bumper the perfuctory Chimp 'n Cheney 04 sticker. That vehicle embodied everything my daughter and I despise, and we figured it had to be either a DeVos or visiting brother-in-law Eric, though he would more likely have been in a black helicopter instead.

I look over and my daughter has her arm stretched out the window. "Are you giving them the finger?" I asked. She replied, "No, I'm doing what I always do with this type - I'm giving them the peace sign." I thought that was a great idea, so I floored the truck, got right behind the Hummer and put my arm out the window, too. I would rather have given them the one finger salute, but I followed her lead and gave them the peace sign like she did. We must have been a sight since it was cold that day. The Hummer slowed down, possibly to irritate us or perhaps because they nearly ran into a line of cars stopped for a garbage truck on a hilly 2-lane road.

It's not easy being a Democrat here in Amwayville, but we do our best to make our views known. I took our dog to the vet yesterday, and a woman in the parking lot told me I was brave for driving around with those stickers on my vehicle in this area. I'm not brave...just madder than h*ll. There are more of the good people than you think over here. Some just don't dare show it yet. :hi:

[PassingFair]

10. You should take a drive around Ann Arbor or Ferndale...

It's like you've died and gone to heaven! NO WAR signs
and IMPEACH placards everywhere!

I'm in the decidedly A-political St. Clair Shores area,
people here DON'T want to get involved one way or another.
Luckily, when I canvass, I have been able to take advantage
of their knee-jerk "throw the bums out" political philosophy!
(the governorship excepting....)

My aunt and cousins live in GR, and they act SCARED when
they hear me talk, like someone is going to come around
and arrest me. As if they're not sure I should be saying
"those things" out loud....

[vanboggie]

11. Sadly, I know what you mean

When you say your aunt and cousins in GR act scared when they hear you talk I know exactly what you are talking about. I get that look a lot. I've been called crazy by my bush bot sister-in-law because I spend "too much time" involved in politics. I say "those things" out loud a lot, too. She says I need to get a life. Sorry, but I can't go quietly along choosing to believe in the Chimperor and do nothing. Incidentally, I think she is batsh*t crazy. My niece uses the "you liberals" line against me a lot, and it infuriates her when I take it as a compliment.

It would be great to live in an area with more intelligent people, even apolitical. I'm jealous! That would be a nice change from being in the midst of bush bots who adore the Chimperor. In the meantime, I'll be over on the west coast fighting the faux-Christian soldiers letting the liberals in hiding know it's ok to come out. :crazy:

[PassingFair]

13. I think you will be OK, as long as they're not wearing these:

Be Safe!

[vanboggie]

14. LOL!

Oh my God (no pun intended). If I spot any of these, I'm gone!

[gasperc]

18. those are a joke, right?

[bfealk]

2. It's the most conservative part of the state...

Therefore it's a safe audience, even though there will be protestors ready to greet Bu*h.

[MichiganVote]

5. Not like it used to be. Its the most conservative area of GR however.

[noonwitch]

3. Gerald Ford was from East Grand Rapids

In ancient times, when I went to high school, my school (East Kentwood) played in the same conference as EGR. Kentwood's population grew and EGR's didn't, so Kentwood was put in a conference with more class A schools in it.

EGR is a wealthy community, but I'll bet his reason for going there has something to do with GR Ford.

[MichiganVote]

4. I doubt it. its probably the only community that'll have him. Seriously, campaign $$$.

[jmfleetwood]

6. Reasons for visiting EGRHS:

Peter Secchia and wealth in general. As one who grew up in East Grand Rapids and attended EGRHS I cannot understate the influence this small town has in GOP politics both local and national. Perform a search of the 49506 zip code on any political contribution website and the reasons for Bush's visit start to become clear. Throw in Ambassador Secchia's connections to Gerald Ford, GHWB, Dick Cheney, and Dumya himself, and it is easy to see that EGR is practically the Midwest's GOP Mecca. It is probably one of the few places Bush feels he can "safely" go. Indeed, Cheney has visited East any number of times in the last 8 years, usually as the houseguest of Secchia at his Reeds Lake home.

As you will see on Friday, however, there are chinks in the armor in EGR. I expect you will see fairly vocal protest from East students and from the public in general. But remember, the speech he gives will be to a hand-picked audience of cool aid drinkers, not the student body. So the impression given by the MSM will be one of enthusiastic welcome.

I got a hell of an education at East that enabled me to easily compete at an elite college. My experience was augmented by a strong, if small liberal tradition that also exists in this strange, Peyton Place of a town. Pull up a chair, it will be a good show on Friday.

[MichiganVote]

12. Welcome to DU, jm

[vanboggie]

15. And another welcome to DU

:hi:

[noonwitch]

17. "Peyton Place" is a good description

As I said, I grew up in Kentwood and have lived in the Detroit area for 20 years. One summer when I was a college student, I was home for the summer and Kentwood always had a 4th of July parade down Kalamazoo AVE (I lived near 52nd and Kalamazoo). My sister and some of our mutual friends walked to the end of our street to watch. The big scandal was that the Mayor of Kentwood (Gerald DeRuiter) had an affair with the City Treasurer (I forgot her name). Both parties were married and had families-we were calling Kentwood Peyton Place. This was around 1985 or so.

My dad knew Secchia from his business at the Amway Grand, back when old man DeVos was alive and wouldn't own a liquor license. Secchia also addressed a Close Up high school conference I attended at Ottawa Hills HS my senior year. Instead, Secchia owned all the restaurants in the hotel and the associated liqour licenses. I don't think the current generation of DeVoses have the same issues.

What year did you graduate from EGR? I knew several people there in the early to mid 80s. I also was in orchestra (my violin teacher lived in EGR) and involved in Young Life. I also lived very briefly in Eastown, in 1986-87, before I moved to Detroit. I still go to Yesterdog every time I am in GR. Detroit coney dogs are just not the same.

[vanboggie]

16. About the evil spirits

Anyone know how to reach those Mayan exorcists so we can get the wake of Chimp's evil presence out of GR?