NARRATOR: Like mostly happens to Good News, little got reported. But when the Bad News hit, it made international headlines. What was hardly reported is that for 15 years a small part of Saint Paul, near Como Lake, had become extraordinarily neighborly.
SCENE ONE: It all began to spark when Joy and her husband, the doctor, moved into the big white house on the corner by the lake. A beautiful house, large by neighborhood standards, it sits at the bottom of a hill that slopes towards the lake. Tallish white pillars seem to mirror the larger white pillars of the Pavilion across the lake from their house. Como Lake is wide at its foot and head, but has a snug waist line, with the Pavilion and the big white house pulling in the waist from opposite sides, a splendorous view for those walking around the lake. Before Joy and “The Doc” (as we called him) moved-in, the house was owned forever by the Henderson’s. Old Man Henderson hung onto it as long as he could, faithfully keeping the house whitewashed and the large yard mowed.
Soon, Joy and the Doc’s three delightful daughters joined the world. Next door lived the Darymples, also newly-weds, with their two boys. The block had a nice mix of kids, young parents, middle-aged parents, and veteran grandparents. Everybody showed-up at the annual block party: lawyers, doctors, professors, hard-working blue collar types, retired folk, church-goers and not-so-much church-goers, even a couple gay couples with their kids, no one in visible poverty, and more than the usual assortment of politicians. Idyllic for 1982.
Joy was a dark-haired beauty, slim and athletic, who eschewed make-up. Although she certainly had her political points-of-view, she was mostly thought of as a good mom, a friendly helpful neighbor, a master chef who always threw a great Christmas party, and an avid gardener. Not everyone on the block knew she started each morning reading the New York Times to the blind on the radio, but just about everyone could see she was in love with Fred and liked to be kissy-face. Apple Pie in all appearances.
I’ve written elsewhere about the Summer of 1979 and hanging with the St. Paul Riff Raff co-rec softball team. One of our favorite things was dancing to reggae music at the Longhorn Bar. Pressure Drop often played and was one of our favorite bands because we knew the band members, including the trumpeter, Fred (Doc) Peterson.
It was at the Longhorn that Fred, also a medical student, met Sara Olson, soon his wife. When Fred and Sara went off to Zimbabwe for Fred’s internship, they asked me to handle their legal affairs here in town, so I knew them quite well.
Years went by, and by 1997 I was a state legislator and Fred and Sara were living in Saint Paul raising three daughters. It was a huge shock, of course, when Sara was arrested for being part of the SLA, the Symbionese Liberation Army, 25 years earlier, and involved in the Sacramento bank robbery that left one person dead, an innocent bystander.
Kathleen Soliah in People’s Park after the 1974 L.A. shoot-out
There was national media coverage when I testified at Sara’s bail hearing in Los Angeles that I believed she was not a dangerous person or a flight risk. More than several political cronies publicly advised me to back away as fast as I could, disavow my friendship, even condemn Sara – no matter the presumption of innocence. But for me it was not a political calculation.
A few weeks after testifying I was marching in the Rondo Days Parade as a candidate for reelection, and person after person came up to me and said, “We’re with you Andy, putting friendship before politics.” – A huge affirmation of my belief in people and our common humanity. For me, friendship indeed should be thicker than politics and can be maintained without sacrificing justice.
The following play, written by me, sans dialogue, consisting of Four Acts, is almost entirely fictitious, all made up by me wrestling with the sometimes thin line between being a peace activist and a revolutionary. The only semblance of truth attributable to any individual living or dead should strictly be limited to me, myself and I.
For one, JackandSally ended up marrying in a well-attended ceremony/re-union on the Santa Monica pier. Everybody drove to Dirty Nick’s for the reception. First however, there was a quick divorce in Minnesota. She told us all, “God, he just doesn’t get it. His first words after I announced I was getting a divorce: ‘Geez, I didn’t know fishing meant that much to you’.”
For another, SteveandJodie ended up back together. Jodie was actually overjoyed to see him, and Steve claimed profusely he was a totally changed man, putting family first for the first time in his life.
Huck, Sunshine and Peaches were planning to get together at the next Rainbow Family Gathering in the Appalachians in the summer of 2023.
Eloise and Max just stayed best friends – and he promised another road trip soon when she ran for Congress.
For the movie, Patty asked Skip how he came to fall in love with Susie, as there had been no indication on the Land Yacht that something might be stirring. “Well,” Skip said, “It’s a long story – make sure you get Susie’s version too. I liked her spirit from the moment we met her at the Chat & Chew our second day on the road. And then when she got on the bus, I started noticing how good looking she was, and athletic too. When she cracked that joke about feeling like Cinderella when we left her daughter’s farm, I checked ‘fun and a great sense of humor.’ She was checking all the boxes, but she was too into being pursued by Huck and Steve to give it any more thought.
“Then I got all wrapped in my own world – going through that dark period when I felt, every day, like I had to unload the burden of the Dodger Stadium bombing to someone, somehow – and she rescued me from that. It was gradual at first, but we talked a lot on the phone, and she was so positive about everything, so hopeful, always, ‘I know you’ll get it right, Skip’ – and I said to myself, ‘I really like this lady!’ Then, it totally took me by surprise that she was there at FBI headquarters, and when I saw her across the room, I could just tell she felt the same way about me, and my heart went ‘boom.’
Patty did ask Susie too. “What did Skip tell you,” Susie asked.
“I’ll tell you in a minute. First you tell me.”
“How could I not . . . ” Susie dove in, “. . . not fall in love with him. He’s such a leader andhegavemeachancetobealeader. No one had ever thought of me as a leader before. God, I thought he was the best-lookin’ guy on the whole planet the first day I saw him, but not somebody who would pay attention to me. Then, wow, we were so compatible every time we talked on the phone. It was maybe twenty times over that two-month period after you guys left L.A. I even got him to laugh a few times, and I thought maybe, just maybe, he liked me. Then I saw his face that day of the bombing, and I saw that he was looking at me, withafondness, and, well, the rest is history. We just both keep smiling every time we see each other.”
Another good one – turned out Skip was right about Jane, she made it out alive and several months later got in touch with Gordy, who joined her in Mexico. Gordy later told Ken, who told Lisa, who told Max, who told Skip that Jane’s plan was to have her bomb go off before the planned time (to possibly scare Rafferty off from detonating his), ditching the car in the waste land around the water treatment plant (with no one nearby), leaving some human remains in it (which she had dug up the previous night from a Brooklyn cemetery) and just walk away, detonating the bomb once she was out of range.
Upon hearing that news, Skip didn’t even feel bad that he had piled on to Gordy’s theory misleading FBI Agent Stover into believing Jane was certainly dead, when in fact he knew in all likelihood it was just classic Jane: bombs going off without injury and her disappearing without a trace. “Well, what do you think?” Skip asked Steve, “. . . was Stover just keeping to our deal – not going after one of the good guys?”
Rocky? He’s still waiting for an answer from the lady who beat him in a bridge game with a double grand slam, but Rocky had lots of thoughts about Jane: “What a gal – sure knows how to have fun! Pretends to be a terrorist. Writing pretend ransom notes. Yah, Gordy’s a lucky guy – I’ve always thought redheads were the best at knowing ‘What is Fun?’ ”
There were lots of opinions about Jane. Ken’s was probably most accurate: “She was born in 1954. A preacher’s daughter. A family that marched with Martin Luther King. I knew her SLA crowd. Most were idealists – truly believing they were out to make a better world. Then they got caught up with that Cinque character, an escaped felon hiding in a Berkeley commune. Took his name from the leader of a slave ship rebellion. A real charismatic fellow, even mesmerizing. Not sure what she saw in Rafferty – probably remnants of her old idealism, but really another Cinque-type-character. Once she caught on to that – the sex trafficking and all – she more than ditched him – she turned him in. Sure glad she ended up with Gordy. Gordy’s been top-notch in my book for a long time.”
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Oh, the thing that didn’t turn out so good? Good news and bad news. Bad news first – that movie producer in L.A. that Patty hired on with? Turned out to be another Harvey Weinstein. Good news: Steve had negotiated a contract for Patty that included treble damages for sexual harassment. “Patty, andHerBoys,” the new title of the movie.
Last night at the John Lennon Tribute at First Avenue, Band Leader Curtiss A asked the audience, “Do we want to keep the “cock sucker” from a second term.” Curt claimed he read on social media that Trump sucked cocks (lol.) There should have been a thunderous YES! but the audience response was way too tepid for me. It’s like there’s a bomb ticking to smash democracy to smithereens, but all we do is keep singing “Imagine all the People Living Life in Peace . . . .”
Faithful readers of the Rumpkins novel- thank you so much – there’s only 2 days left. Wednesday starts the “Sara Olson Story.” Hope you’ve enjoyed everything so far, and hope you keep on reading. And, for those of you willing to listen to a bit of my politics, after hearing Curtiss A sound the alarm about what Trump is proposing to do if re-elected – his authoritarian braying – and judging by how few in the First Avenue audience seemed to want to send Trump a deafening NO! vote, I decided to interrupt your fictional reading with a real life News Flash: Trumpcouldwin! And we all need to sound the alarm!
The poll numbers you’re reading about shouldn’t be there. Biden has the economy moving in the right direction and returned some stability to our country and the presidency. It should be clear as a bell – that it’s that (Joe) – or returning to a clown presidency, only worse this time – a dictatorship as well. But it isn’t. Why?
Is it because Biden and the Democrats are being too tepid, not able to message a thundering enthusiasm against what a Trump presidency would mean, or worse, not generating any enthusiasm at all? Is it time for the Democrats to listen to what the polls are saying and turn to a younger generation for excitement and leadership? (It is my fervent hope that former President Obama is meeting privately with his former VP and counseling Joe to get out while on top and let the next generation take over.)
Readers, please help sound the alarm what Curtiss A and I are talking about. There’s a ticking time bomb out there. And even if the Democrats don’t hear it and renominate Biden, ugh! . . . BUT DON’T GIVE UP! There is a plausible road for Biden beating Trump.
Really, polls are more for venting against government and politics in general – not so much about an individual candidate as about a dissatisfaction with governing institutions and political parties in general. We need to listen to that. We need to keep in mind that Independents are the nation’s largest voting block – let’s make sure they see Trump for what he really is.
Even more, the best way to win the independent vote is to keep the Independent Voters’ hopes alive that their day is coming. Democrats have a chance to keep the Independent Voter leaning Democrat by getting 100% behind Ranked Choice Voting in all elections (aka Majority Rules Voting). This will keep the Independent Voters’ hopes alive their day is coming. Imagine all the people (in this case, the electorate) voting in 5 or 6 Independents to the US Senate – and the leverage that Caucus would have!
You know, really, what this country needs is “Tri-Partisanship” more than bipartisanship – an idea put forward by a guy named Dave Anderson in the Wednesday, November 8, Minneapolis Star Tribune, page A9: “Make it tripartisanship, not in the sense of a third party but rather a substantial block of independents in power with whom Democrats and Republicans must negotiate.”
And if we’re messaging Republican-leaning Independent Voters, keep in mind there’s this thing known as “negative partisanship” – partisan loyalty that exists not so much for a love of their candidate, but a loathing of the other party. Try to let non-leaning Democrats know there’s more to Democrats than just being too liberal. We are, in fact, inviting Independents to be in the room – by pushing majority rules voting.
It is my unshakeable belief that a winning majority of this country can get with the concept of “one for all and all for one” – that government can do good things for people. We may even win the battle between those of us who wish to make America a multi-racial, one person, one equal vote, democracy and those who cling to the concept that this should mostly be a white nation – disregarding the great wealth disparities.
Okay, here’s my prognostication: A New Generation Democrat or Independent trounces Trump on election day 2024, but even if it’s Joe, effective government, albeit dull, should beat circus politics on election day – but what if it’s Nikki Haley?! I’ll end with a US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis quote, “We may have a democracy or we may have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both.”
Please comment below. Did you enjoy TheRumpkins? Are you willing to help sound the alarm?
