The Germaine Truth: 2005-05-29

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    The Germaine Truth — Sunday, May 29, 2005

    Index:


    Susie Applegate is Back in Town

    May join the staff of The Truth

    by Howard Applegate

    Okay, it’s not official yet, but if her old dad has anything to say about it, Susie will be joining the staff of The Germaine Truth as our Ace Reporter. She arrived back home at the end of last April and has decided to stay awhile. She needs to find work, and I realize The Truth won’t pay much — some month’s we actually run in the red, but, well, dammit, the old man needs some help. And it really isn’t even a part-time job most months.


    Arratola’s closed on the Fourth

    Where will we get the ice?

    by Howard Applegate

    Word has just come to us, here at The Germaine Truth, that Arratola’s General Store will not be open on the Fourth of July. This leaves us all wondering just where the ice will come from for the kick-off of Daniel Boone Days. The idea has been circulating that someone with a pickup ought to go down to Burns and get a truck full of ice blocks. For those of you who haven’t been there in a few years, Burns has become quite a stop-over spot for white water rafters on their way down to the Owyhee, and the thinking is that where there’s young city folk, there’s got to be ice. We think that might work, but we here at The Germaine Truth suggest giving the folks down at Burns plenty of notice, so they can stock up. Last July 4th the temperature soared to 101 degrees and the Wilbur County Pioneer Queen, Molly Ferman had a heat stroke which laid her up for the entire duration of Daniel Boone Days. The community needs the ice. Let’s figure out how to get it!’


    Mayday March Tense, but Peaceful

    by Howard Applegate

    Nearly forty protestors showed up at the Germaine Town Square on May 1st to celebrate International Labor Day, and march to the Malsanto Agricultural Research Station in south Wilbur County for a protest rally. 

    The event in downtown Germaine included speeches by City Council member Willie Walkingstick, and labor leaders from the Willamette Valley. Most of the crowd seemed to be hispanic, and many were workers from McCoy Industries greenhouse division.

    According to Harlan McCoy, owner of McCoy Industries, he gave the workers the day off. “They were going to take it anyway,” said McCoy, “I couldn’t see any reason to stand in their way.”

    Willie Walkingstick, a leader of many past rallies prior to his election to City Council, spoke about labor history in Wilbur County, bringing up the spectre of Ansel Johanssen, a member of the I.W.W. lynched by a mob in 1913. 

    “Ansel Johanssen,” said Walkingstick, “was an immigrant worker from another era. He was an honest, hard working man. His descendants are respected members of this community. These workers here…you…you have even more right to be in this land. You are the indigenous people of this continent. You are my cousins. I say, welcome cousins.”

    The march, nearly seven miles, went without incident. Protestors carried signs which said, “No GMOs,” “Malsanto Poisons the Food Chain,” and “Malsanto Exploits Workers,” among other messages.

    A small contingent took the rising gasoline prices as an opportunity to raise the issue of oil dependence. “Oil Economy = Death Economy” said their banner. 

    Rachel Valazques, a spokesperson for the group, claims that “the world is on the verge of triple collapse. Energy, ecology, and the economy, they are all about to burst,” she said. “The only way out of this is to convert to alternative energy and to stop this consumer orgy” by controlling corporations who profit by it. 

    “Don’t cry about gas prices,” she continued, referring to the latest U.S. oil shock, “Quit driving your gas guzzlers, and do something to change things.”

    Not everyone interviewed on the street, though, looked kindly at the rally and its multiple messages. 

    “These protestors are a disgrace,” said Geena Rawlins, “…they’ve swallowed all of the liberal lies about doom and destruction. Global warming, peak oil. Crap. As for the Mexicans, go back where you belong. Mexico. Not here in the U.S.A. And if Walkingstick loves “˜em so much, he should be the first to go.”

    Others, like Jasper Bradford, were more circumspect. “I don’t agree with everything that’s being said here,” he opined, “but it sure makes you think. We are a nation of immigrants, and these folks are important to our life blood. We need to listen to what they have to say.


    Madam Zorro   The Stars Over Germaine for June

    Horoscope by Madam Zorro

    In general, the stars over Germaine are perturberant.

    Aries (March 21-April 20)

    You’ve been living with your significant other for eight years. You’ve been thinking about getting married, but you still can’t agree on a color scheme and the number of bridesmaids. It doesn’t look like you’ll be tying the knot this June, either. But on the bright side, your ten children are healthy, everybody had their shots before you went to Ecuador and drank the water. It looks like you will be coming into some money around the 6th, but your car will breakdown on the 23rd and you’ll have to spend most of the money on a new transmission.

     

    Taurus (April 20-May 20)

    If you had 10 bucks for every time someone said, “I knew you were a Taurus, you’re so strong,” you could repair all the potholes in a medium-sized American city. You’re not strong, are you? Inside that tough exterior, below that thick bull neck, somewhere in your flannel covered chest, beat’s the heart of a lonely, desperate man trying to escape the dreary, miserable existence he’s got himself into because you’ve never summoned enough courage to propel yourself out of the hell you’ve been basking in all your life. Hey, listen, you have no idea how many people feel just like you do.

     

    Gemini (May 21-June 20)

    Every mirror is a mystery, an alchemy of liquid and metal, a place where ghosts hover and the face you thought you had disappears from one day to the next. The Greeks made up these two boys, brothers, and made them warriors and killed them in battle so that they could name stars after them. Beware of stargazers and warrior makers, especially around the 10th of the month. Oh, and there is a cracked board on your back porch that you’ll want to take care of before the 12th or you may find yourself getting that tetanus shot a lot sooner than you planned.

     

    Cancer (June 21-July 22)

    Sunny days are in your future this month. Things couldn’t get much better for you and in fact they probably won’t. You’ve pretty much peaked. Lucky you got as high as you did before the fall. I’m not saying you’re going to fall far, but let’s just say that you’ll be tightening your belt and trading in the Mercedes SUV before the end of summer.

     

    Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

    The 5th of the month will bring some disturbing news, but things will get better by the 13th. Sorry, I just don’t have anything else to tell you. The stars are pretty quiet for Leo, right now.

     

    Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

    You are going to meet the love of your life in June if you go to the library on the 9th. If not, it will be a good five or ten years before you meet up with someone you are remotely compatible with. You will decide to get rid of all the extra stuff you’ve been hanging onto since you moved out of that big old house in Nyssa and came to Germaine. It’s time. It’ll feel good, trust me, oh and I’m willing to pay as much as $8 for that turntable. I mean, what are you going to use it for now that your ex has all the records?

    Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

    You’ve been considering it ever since you went to Portland and saw the Cirque, so what are you waiting for? The stars are lined up like ants on a sugar trail. You will be a fabulous dresser and you speak French. I recommend leaving on the 16th. Ciaio et bon chance.

     

    Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

     You are mellowing like a fine wine. The edges are coming off and you are making friends at last. You will meet a new friend at the grange dance on the 11th. Not lover. Friend. This friend will be with you for a long time and will play a really important part in your life, enhancing your career and your personal growth. 

     

    Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

    The arrow doesn’t fall far from the bow as they say. You are as like your third cousin twice removed as a peach pit is to a tulip. If you can make sense of that you are more psychic than I am. Don’t blame me, I just write what I see in the stars and they are perturberant this month, just like it says at the top of the page. 

     

    Capricorn (Dec.22-Jan. 19)

    You’re children are lucky to be born in this place. Remember that the next time one of them whines about not being able to go to a real mall–and they will whine about it the minute school lets out on 6th. Just look at them and smile. Give them a big hug and say, no one is tormenting you, blowing up your house, or denying your humanity. Then give them that list of chores you’ve been working on all spring.

     

    Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

    Water is thin, but heavy. It holds up huge ships. That’s you, transparent as a ghost, carrying all the ships of tomorrow on your slender shoulders. Relief is on the way. The shift is about to change. The whistle is going to blow. Lay down your burden. The cavalry is cresting the hill. You can ride off into the sunset. It’s a minute past noon and the bad guys are too late. Be careful if you eat out on the 26th. 

     

    Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

    There is a reason the fish is last. Fish is best served fresh even when it is consuming itself. You’ve been quite successful reducing your carbon footprint. We all thank you. You will have a surprise visit this month from Uncle Wes whom you haven’t seen for 32 years. He’ll bring you a present he has been carrying around for almost that long. You may not find it very useful.

     

     If Your Birthday Is in July:

    You are a sun worshipper extraordinaire. You skin is suffering and looks more like the skin of a crocodile than the largest organ of the human body. There is this ooky, slick stuff called sun block. Most grocery stores carry it. I’d buy some and use it if I were you. Just saying.

    Disclaimer: This horoscope is presented for entertainment purposes only. The Germaine Truth does not endorse any particular system of divination.