Talked to Mara on the phone today, on her way to work. She wondered what the hell was going on, because there were cops standing on all the bridges on I-85, and they had the 321 exit closed. Then she remembered that President Bush was visiting some mills and Gaston College in Gastonia for some photo ops. I wonder what effect shutting down a fucking interstate highway will have on some of the people in the area. Nothing, probably. They'll think it's great.

Bush is in North Carolina to try to drum up support Central American Free Trade Agreement. I think someone forgot to tell him that the North American Free Trada Agreement damned near shut down North Carolina. The reason I've been stuck out here in a truck all these years is that there simply have been no jobs in North Carolina. Too many textile plants have shut down, and too many people have been out of work.

I dunno. People seem to have a tendancy these days to vote against their own interests. I'm sure Bush and his cronies on Fox News and in Conservative radio land will manage to convince most Americans, including those in North Carolina, that white is black, up is down, and mother is father.