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My Piece
 Matt LeBlanc (06-30-02)

So it's been 2 months since I wrote a column and there is a bit of good reason for it. I decided to take a vacation. And over the next few weeks I hope to give you a few ideas for some summer fun if you don't already have your travel plans mapped out. My first stop was Laredo, Texas. A city covered in the mystique of being a cowboy depot, still dusty with gun slingers and gringos. The actuality of it is quite different. Laredo is the largest in-land port in North America, and the multitude of trucks and trains make it quite evident. The downtown is not an old west depot, rather it takes on more of the shape of a Mexican Flea market. Products are brought over from Mexico, and then uncountable numbers of Mexicans cross the bridge every day to purchase these products which came from Mexico in the first place. Sort of a conundrum don't ya think. English is the second language though most people speak something known as Tex-Mex, a language in which the people communicating with it move freely from English to Spanish and back as if it was one language. And I must say I recommend a trip to Laredo. If you can put up over $100 a night I recommend the luxurious La Posada hotel, but if your budget is a little tighter the Extended Stay America is a must. The rooms are spacious and new, and it will cost you under $60 a night. Laredo is a cultural experience one can acquire no where else. Downtown has some of the greatest bargains in North America, better than across the border, and the city is rich in history. If you are really adventures you can cross into Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, United States of the Republic of Mexico. But as a good friend of mine says, "They're about as corrupt [in Mexico]as they are in Massachusetts. But not as much." So as is recommended for travel into Taxachusetts, if you go into Mexico make sure you go during the day and don't venture over alone. Plus, for Mexican travel, use the pedestrian bridge, it is cheaper and safer. And while you're down there make sure you stop in the Wal-Mart on San Bernardo. You'll thank me.

So another new twist on what could easily be an Al Franken satire on how a gubernatorial campaign should not be run. The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune discovered that the Craig Benson campaign forged letters to the paper and more than likely every other paper his "so called" supporters sent letters to. And this brings me to a point in which I am not sure which disturbers me more: 1. The fact that he is not trustworthy at all and feels the need to deceive the people he's trying to win votes from by lying to us. Or 2. The fact that he doesn't run a meticulous enough campaign to realize the Eagle-Tribune checks all letters to the editor for authenticity. I don't want a man running my state if he is not going to pay attention to my state and afford it the careful, direct, meticulous discretion the finest state in the world deserves. If I was Gordon Humphrey I would keep quite and let Benson ruin his own gubernatorial bid and save my money for the democratic challenger.
The Supreme Court of the United States has been busy lately. Two major decisions moved the Union closer to the elimination of the death penalty. One decision says people with an IQ under 70 can not be executed in the United States and another says people who were sentenced by a judge and not a jury will have to be retried. As I am an opponent of the death penalty you would think I would be heralding these decisions. But the decisions bother me because of where the jurisdiction of them reins. What is best for California regarding the death penalty could very well be different than what is best for Virginia, and it is not the place or the purpose of a high court of the union to make intrastate judgements. The Federal Supreme Court is necessary for making decisions regarding interstate matters and matters against the entire United States. But if the high court of Utah or the people of Utah decide sentencing by a judge should be legal, then it should be legal in Utah. And n
o collective court of our United States should have any right to tell them otherwise.
The Amtrak mess continues. Transportation Secretary Norman Minetta and President Bush want massive reorganization and want Amtrak to shut down unprofitable routes. Amtrak President David Gunn agrees. This is a complete shame. If my calculations are correct, and granted they might not be, only the Boston-Washington Route, the Florida-Virginia Route, and the California Route would remain running. Long-haul rail travel is such an integral part of our Union's history that it should be made a national treasure. The government has a responsibility to continue to fund unprofitable long-haul passenger train service. Every member of the United States should be afforded the opportunity to experience the magic, splendor, and historical wealth of travel by the rails.
Forget this War on Terror, if the United States isn't careful it might soon be fighting the first war with a home front sine the war against the Confederate States of America ended in 1865. Mexico, more than likely due to pressure applied by the United States, has moved their army, yes they do have one, to their northern border to help protect against illegal immigration. In the process three citizens of the United States, including a Border Patrol Officer, have been shot because they didn't stop upon the request of the Mexican Army. So now the government of the Union that just sent an unrequested Colin Powell to India and Pakistan in hopes of calming a border dispute there (as a side note Prime Minister Vajpayee of India said Secretary of State Powell had nothing to do with ending the Kashmir Border Dispute)is debating sending their army to their southern border. With troops of the United States of America and troops of the United States of the Republic of Mexico only separ
ated by that 10 foot Rio Grande Creek, all it would take would be one errant shot to ignite our own border skirmish. Match this with the fact that 80 percent of Mexicans still believe that New Mexico, Arizona, and California should be part of the United States of Mexico and not the United States of America, and many Texans, New Mexicans, and Arizonans believe the Northern Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Sonora should be part of the United States mainly for purposes of Water Rights, and we could be in an all out war. I wonder how long it will take for the Indian Minister of External Affairs, and the Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs to come over and return the favor?
President Bush is trying to turn South Carolina into a toxic waste dump, and Governor Jim Hodges isn't standing for it. A federal judge has ordered the state to allow shipments of plutonium and Governor Hodges has ordered his state police to keep it out. The Federal government needs to understand that it exists because South Carolina and 49 other states graciously join together for the betterment of themselves. No federal judge should have any right to tell a state to become a toxic waste site. What should occur is one of our states should either donate land for the storage of the plutonium or sell it to the other states. And if no state is willing to donate or sell land for the storage of the plutonium then it should be sent to one of our uninhabited holdings in the Pacific Ocean.
So Canadian Music Heroes The Tragically Hip gave us their 9th studio album in the Middle of June and it is nothing short of amazing. "In Violet Light" proves that after three decades of making music The Hip still have that wondrous musical creativity that make them a pleasure to listen too. From the rock based "Are You Ready" to the lighter "Use It Up" to the deep "The Darkest One" and "Throwing Off Glass" to the poetically poppy "All Tore Up" and "A Beautiful Thing" the album has songs that take the shape of the many different styles of music The Hip have produced during their career. And while I highly recommend the album, I recommend even more seeing the band live. They are playing three shows at the Somerville, MA Theatre on July 26, 27, and 28th. The Theatre is a wonderful place to see a concert. No matter where you sit the Band feels about 2 feet away and Downey's Theatrical Impulses are so present you feel moved to move with him. The first two shows are sold out so get your tickets soon for the third show.
Matt LeBlanc is from Manchester, New Hampshire, and he gladly accepts questions and comments at mypiece1@mailcity.com
...Laredo is the largest in-land port in North America...
...the Craig Benson campaign forged letters to the paper...
...the Supreme Court of the United States has been nust lately...
...the government has a responsibility to continue to fund unprofitable long-haul passenger train service...
...three citizens of the United States, including a Border Patrol Officer, have been shot because they didn't stop upon the request of the Mexican Army...
...President Bush is trying to turn South Carolina into a toxic waste dump...
...while I highly recommend the album, I recommend even more seeing the band live...