I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was.

I'm that same David Crockett, fresh from the backwoods, half-horse, half-alligator, a little touched with the snapping turtle; can wade the Mississippi, leap the Ohio, ride a streak of lightning, slip without a scratch down a honey locust, can whip my weight in wildcats....

When Doc McConnell's Old Time Medicine Show hits the hollows of Eastern Tennessee's Smoky Mountains, Doc himself usually regales the small-town crowd with his Tale of the Walking Catfish, a finny renegade who traveled by land until he accidentally fell into a creek and drowned.

Folklorist Alan Lomax says that exaggerated fishing and hunting tales reflect the "delight of hungry pioneers at the game-rich woods" they found in America.

The chant of the medicine show man peddling his roots, herbs, barks and brews, the magic tricks charming the children, the trained flea act, the old time music, and colorful costume, brings enjoyment to all who have an opportunity to see and hear.

But what about the current Medicine Shows beginning to tour the United States (the medicine offered in two popular flavors, Blue and Red): Presidential Campaign 2008? Are they bringing enjoyment to all who have an opportunity to see and hear? Barack Obama recently kicked off his show, attempting to put before the public his economic plan. I actually liked some of what I read" "We did not arrive at the doorstep of our current economic crisis by some accident of history. This was not an inevitable part of the business cycle that was beyond our power to avoid. It was the logical conclusion of a tired and misguided philosophy that has dominated Washington for far too long. George Bush called it the Ownership Society, but it’s little more than a worn dogma that says we should give more to those at the top and hope that their good fortune trickles down to the hardworking many."

The New York Times was critical of his overall presentation: "But what they are remains a hard-to-summarize mix of moderate Democratic standbys, populist silliness and the occasional truly visionary proposal. They haven't coalesced into anything you could really call a rallying cry. You can see the internal tensions within the Obama campaign in this laundry list. His economic advisers are moderate, mostly free-market-oriented wonks. His campaign strategists would presumably love it if he breathed a bit more populist fire. And the candidate himself balances a lifelong devotion to progressive causes with what seems to be a pretty keen sense of the tradeoffs inherent in economics."

Obama would benefit from reading J.K. Rowling’s recent Commencement Address at Harvard. She spoke about her personal failures and how failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. She stopped pretending to herself that she was anything other than what she was, and began to direct all her energy into finishing the only work that mattered to her.

For Rowling, rock bottom became the solid foundation on which she rebuilt her life. She also happened to write the first of her Harry Potter books. This was simple, honest, clear and practical advice given to some of our best young minds. We need the same from those claiming they are ready to lead our nation. We have heard too many tall tales and been sold too many cures for baldness and have grown tired of the flea circus.

You may also enjoy reading: Sometimes I have believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

Or you can try: We are indeed what we eat, and what we eat remakes the world.

The creature, called Swamp Thing, was originally conceived as Alec Holland mutating into a vegetable-like creature, a "muck-encrusted mockery of a man". However, under writer Alan Moore, Swamp Thing was reinvented as an elemental entity created upon the death of Alec Holland, with Holland's memory and personality intact. He is described as "a plant that thought it was Alec Holland, a plant that was trying its level best to be Alec Holland."

Alan Moore's Swamp Thing had a profound effect on mainstream comic books, being the first horror comic to approach the genre from a literary point of view since the EC horror comics of the 1950's, and broadened the scope of the series to include ecological and spiritual concerns while retaining its horror-fantasy roots.

Waldo County, situated in mid-coast Maine along scenic Penobscot Bay, has genuine New England character evidenced by working port towns and quaint rural villages. Visitors are awed by the area's unspoiled beauty. From striking coastal views to sweeping mountain vistas, dramatic natural settings abound. In addition great care has been taken to preserve and refurbish numerous historic landmarks, homes and buildings. Consequently, the Maine of yesteryear is still found here.

Stumble It!

website: Time-less-image

web blog: Comics Legends and Lore

web store: Time-Less-Image Ebay Store

Technorati Tags: folklore

Blogs are ranked in various ways, and one of the more significant ones (besides linking or subscribing) happens via Technorati. In brief, Technorati tracks millions of blogs and lets users search them, tag them, and rank them. If you own a blog, or if you read them, I recommend signing up with Technorati (it's free and takes a couple minutes). And if you enjoy this blog, I encourage you, please, to "favorite" it.