Tea and Vitriol

  Ahh, the good old days of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union! Claiming to be "democratic," the Soviets featured regular "free" elections. Voters were handed ballots that sported the names of various candidates for various offices. All were card-carrying Communists approved of by the party. No other parties were represented. Voters were allowed to "choose" between the same sort of candidates, which fulfilled the theory if not the spirit of Democracy. Sort of like the Democratic Party's stranglehold on politics in the City of Rochester. Most of my European friends and acquaintances are fascinated by this concept of one-party rule in a so-called democracy, since they have a variety of parties representing different points of view that actively participate in the political process, which makes for some very lively election campaigns. It becomes even more amusing to explain what goes on in Rochester's Democratic Primary, which takes place tomorro

And a distance of over 3,000 miles doesn't improve the way it looks, either! I have been spending a lot more time in Europe these days, specifically in Germany. I know that there are certain people in Rochester who are delighted to have me gone, while they don't seem to understand that I find it more refreshing and peaceful to be away from our dying hometown. But then, those people don't seem to understand my extremely low opinion of them. I am long past the point where their opinion means anything to me. Thanks to the internet and instantaneous news reporting, it is easy to keep abreast of what goes on in the world, even about Rochester, New York. Apparently, our city "leaders" are either unaware of that fact or simply don't care how Rochester is perceived across the world. It isn't flattering. When people ask where I am from, I tell them. It is not my job to lie for our city government. That's what City Hall's Communications Department gets paid