After all the bragging and holier-than-thou blips I’ve dispensed about my family not subscribing to broadcast television, we now have a DSS satellite sitting in the yard. Ostensibly, this is because the kids and I need it for school. A glimpse of reality is that last night we were all excited that we would, for the first time, be able to watch America’s Got Talent together at home.

Apparently, the show has moved or disbursed in favor of the Olympic Games, however. At least, we couldn’t find it. Why didn’t we check the internet for a schedule? Well…we’ve moved a bit farther up the road and can’t get a signal from the school. It is back to an AOL dial-up connection (as soon as Bell South can find us and figure out how to get our telephone working.) All told–even with a 56K modem instead of a highspeed hookup–I’d rather live up a gravel road on the bank of Troublesome Creek than on a paved street in any city. I think.

Is there a RoadTurn coming for America? A guy named Barack Obama says so and is taking a tack that many citizens are finding appealing. For instance, he says that he wants to let a very special group of people be the first to know who he chooses for his running mate. Is it NBC News? Fox? Public Television? No, it is the common folk, the public.

Here is part of the email from his campaign staff:

People keep asking me if we’re really going to announce Barack’s VP directly to our supporters.

The answer is yes.

Let me be very clear. You are the ones who built this campaign, and Barack wants you to be the first to know who will join him in leading our movement for change.

So, if you haven’t signed up to receive an email or a text message, sign up now. Or you can text VP to 62262 from your mobile phone.

Now, I’m not a party affiliate; I’m a registered Independent. There is much of Obama’s style that gives me hope–and there is much that scares me severely. My guess, though, is that any way you cut it America and the world are amidst changing times. My prayer is that it is all for the good. I saw a sign today that made sense to me: We may not all have arrived here on the same ship–but we are all on the same boat.”

God bless you and God bless America!