Afternoon Vignette From Hippy Town

Ben writes from the Pacific Northwest in his blog, henerdspage. The following descriptive excerpt is worth reproducing.

There's nothing quite like a cafe in hippy town. On the way in I noticed two "Kucinich for President" bumper stickers. The pierced (bridge of the nose!) fellow making my coffee saluted me with one of those freaky "be well" wishes. There's a dude across the room loudly explaining his recent self-renaming to a rapt fellow weirdo. The new moniker? Yoj. Yes, it's "joy" spelled backwards. Behind me, a proud product of the local public high school is reading the newspaper aloud to what I pray is his mother. So far, she's had to help him with the words "surreptitious," "fiance," and "characterize." Meanwhile, I sit here sporting packers, trucking around a biography of Chesty Puller and bearing the aroma of cheap cigars.

On my table sits a copy of this month's "Oregon Peace Worker." Amid ads for astrologers and organic grocers are articles with such titles as "White House Action Treasonous," "87 Billion Appropriated Irresponsibly," "With Liberators Like U.S. Who Needs Invaders?" and "U.S. Soldiers Bulldoze Farmer's Crops." In one arrogant election piece by Kucinich volunteer Janell Jures, we are invited to "seek out the story told collectively by all of the Democratic candidates, to search for the higher truth that emerges from their perspectives, experiences and hearts." The problem is that "higher truth" is not found in the hearts of politicians of any political stripe. The term "higher truth" itself alludes to the existence of an absolute outside of human reality. Lefties would first define (as only they can) this "truth" and then implement it politically for all of us to enjoy. . . .

Ah, utopia. Life in leftyland, where everybody lives in collectives, communes with nature, and volunteers at the local food co-op.

Ben works in forestry but I doubt he'll be nominated for any tree-hugging awards. Those elephant hide boots are an immediate disqualifier for any leftie accolades. Not to mention the .357 Ruger Blackhawk.