John Dufresne

. . . is running for Governor of Tennessee. It's hard to pick just one star from Basil's galaxy of wisdom, but let's start with these:

• "See why dental is not in most plans a tooth aches hurt more than a back aches and no teeths depresses people"
• "I would introduce a bill to make all the state vacant land that are open field and along the high way a farm and this farm will plant corn products and other plant life that can be use for alterative fuel"
• "Free the slaves at traffic stops from false arrest and jury fixing"
• "Education ,let us put phonics back in school if you can not read you can not do History, Math, English. And that where we are now. Let make it mandatory in high school to read the minutes to the U.S. Congress , the Congressional Globe the real history of the U.S."

You can read all of Basil's thoughts and get a look at his spiffy uniform at his website here. And here's a YouTube video of Basil. (I hope.) "Hi, I'm Basil Marceaux.com." I wish I lived in Tennessee!

(Thanks to Jason in Gardner, the Chair City)

I was wondering if Sarah Palin had already endorsed or "fudiated" Basil, so I checked her Facebook page, and read this: "Todd, Willow, and I are headed out to Kodiak and Afognak to meet with logging families on the forested islands. As we work and sightsee on America’s largest island we’ll get to view more majestic bears . . ." Sarah must have been out sick the day the geography class studied American Islands. Hawaii, the Big Island, is larger than Kodiak. Could it be she doesn't consider Obama's birthplace as part of the U.S.? 

Howard, activist, historian, professor, voice of the Left, Howard Zinn has died. The Guardian takes note. And so does Daniel Ellsberg. 

"Second, I'm going to report to the FBI any white person I overhear saying, in seriousness or in jest, anything of a threatening nature about President Obama." (Thanks to Jason in Barre, MA)

The Minnesota Supreme Court has declared Al Franken the winner in the state's disputed Senatorial election.

Dania Beach, oldest city in Broward County, was once the "Tomato Capital of the World." Salt-water incursion put an end to that dream.The tomato industry has moved west to Immokalee. Nearly all the tomatoes available in national supermarkets in winter come from here in South Forida.Those tomatoes are generally thick, dry, and tasteless. In fact, I haven't had a decent tomato in twenty years. But that's not the real problem. Gourmet magazine's March issue features a story on slavery in the tomato fields of Immokalee. It's well worth reading about the inhuman working conditions endured by migrant workers. "Workers who pick the food we eat can't afford to feed themselves." And then find out how you can be assured that you buy slave-free fruit by checking the Coalition of Immokalee Workers Campaign for Fair Food here.