RTR's 2008 Holiday Brag Letter

Dear Friends,

This is my first-ever holiday brag letter, which is an art form that I’ve never attempted. Over the years, certain friends have lightened up my holiday season with one, two, or three-page letters tucked in with the Christmas cards. The best ones – written on lonely winter nights with a couple of glasses of wine – scream TMI! Unfortunately for you, I’m only sipping a Diet Pepsi Max.

I characterize 2008 as time spent going back to the future. My 84-year-old father – Mr. Perfect, Sr. (photo below) – is now living comfortably in an independent living complex after finally leaving my boyhood home on the eastside of Saginaw (MI). Our family cleaned and closed the house, having moved everything out – including all the good memories of growing up in the dead end enclave that was Bagley Street. I couldn’t help looking back and visualizing those street baseball games, the dusty basketball games in driveway (the garage overhang was inbounds) and tackle football in the grass. Through all the chestnut fights in the fall and snowball fights in the winter, none of us – from the Rico, Simerson, Stellard, or Cook families – ever got a single eye poked out. The most serious danger back then was Mrs. Beach’s willow switch if she caught you in her cherry tree or rhubarb patch.

Coincidentally, my 30th high school class reunion – the Arthur Hill High School Class of 1978 (photo above) – was held over the summer, bringing back more good memories. The organizers (Mary and Mary, et al.) asked me to be a speaker at the reunion, which gave me the opportunity to ask my classmates, straight-up, “Who put the nasty in Sag-Nasty?” Also, I dispelled rumors that Ruth and I were showing off at the reunion by wearing fur coats – no, it was simply excess cat hair. In the end, it was great to see my classmates again. Email addresses were exchanged and Facebook and MySpace pages were created for the class. Classmates not familiar with tech stuff were instructed to get help from their kids or grandkids.

Speaking of Facebook, season greetings go out to my 323 FB friends! The Argonaut and Boy Thunder question some of these friendships. Yet, in one instance, they weren’t among the 18 FB friends gathered for dinner at the New Aladdin’s restaurant in October (photo above). The dinner company was an interesting mixture of activists from the Peace Education Center, Chicanos y Latinos Unidos, MEXA, and special guests from the touring Wheels of Justice. Friends all. All real.

One friend, Efren Paredes, remains locked up in a Michigan prison. At age 16, he was unjustly convicted of a crime he did not commit. That was 19 years ago. I testified on Efren’s behalf before the Michigan Parole Board, which will make a recommendation to the Governor regarding the commutation of the sentences. Like hundreds of supporters around the world, I personally will not rest until Efren is released. If justice is served, Efren will join us next year in person at New Aladdin’s.

For the second summer in a row, the boat sat in a pole barn in Fowlerville while Ruth and I worked together on various peace actions and activities. Ruth, in some cases, was like a favorite cat toy that I dragged around to different events. She is good sport, a great organizer, and a wonderful partner in all the craziness – please, thanks, you’re welcome Ruth! Be forewarned, I’m determined to get that boat out on the water next year.

Peace was elusive once again this year. Yet, the peace movement played a key role in convincing over 70% of the country the occupation in Iraq must end; it also was on the leading edge of the sentiment that swept Barack Obama into the White House. In concentrating on peace issues during the year, I did not get directly involved in any political campaigns. Yes, I was happy when Obama won the presidency and celebrated with the energized progressive community. Today I can tell you that come January 20, 2009, I will have the audacity of hope for peace and I can assure you that war escalation in Afghanistan or elsewhere next year will be answered by the American peace movement, regardless of who is in the White House. I hope it doesn’t come to that; I’d rather spend the time on my boat.

I must give a shout out to all my peacenik friends: the progressives, RadLibs, anarchists, democrats, social reformers, environmentalists, bloggers, community organizers, nonconformists, and other general hell raisers. I don’t have to name you, I’m sure the FBI, NSA, DOD, and CIA all have our names. Our names they may possess, but – as these agencies already know – fearlessly we will not concede our civil liberties, rights, or demands for peace. What part of freedom don’t they understand?

Special thanks go out to the peace and justice organizers at the Peace Education Center, GLNAWI, Michigan Peace Team, Fairness for Efren, Chicanos y Latinos Unidos, MEXA de MSU, NorthStar Center, IWW-GR, PAX Christi Michigan and Mid-Michigan Democracy for America. You are all an inspiration and personal heroes to me.

A BIG woo-woo goes to my crazy neighbors, the Kravitz Patch Sisters and newcomer, Junior Kravitz. Also, I offer a toast to the Orange Cyclones of 2007 – 2008 SHL Ice Hockey Champions – let’s do it again! Greetings go to my reliable spy, The Angie, and to Lois and Luna who moved up and out of blue collar Haslett – RB & I miss you! I have one good Michigan snowball reserved for the Georgia-D, Leslie. And, finally, a long-distance hug goes to my far-flung siblings, who had the rare opportunity to gather in Saginaw earlier this year – and the same to all the nieces and nephews who rarely contact their LLLU.

The next year will be a challenge – in more ways than one – but with family, friends, and community like ours, we can stick together and pull everything in a better, more positive direction.

Peace,

Rico Thomas Rico

The Orange Cyclones: 2007- 2008 SHL Champions

Today's Special: Smoke-free Dining?

My wife, Ruth, and I got a last minute invite to go to dinner Saturday night, which was a welcome respite from hustle and bustle of the last two weeks and 10 months. It was great to sit and talk with our friend Lois, as our work schedules and parent care-giving responsibilities keep us all hopping with hardly a moment to commiserate about life’s happenings.

Choosing a place to dine is like an NFL quarterback’s check down list of receivers’ pass patterns. Good food? Audible conversations possible? Smokey? We took our chances on Buddie's Bar & Grill at the corner of Grand River and Marsh in Okemos. The restaurant was close and we had not been there in a long while.

The evening was a pleasant one with the company and the conversation. The extra bonus was Buddie's excellent vegetarian nachos. The nachos platter was piled high with lettuce, tomatoes and all other fixings. Of course, once I added my extra order of jalapenos, I had a real good thing going.

As with any restaurant critic – amateur or otherwise – my experience at Buddie's was not perfect. You still have the matter of…smoke.

While we sat on the non-smoking side of Buddie's, we were still situated near the back entrance to the sports bar area. As much as the Buddie's owner may want to wish it away or pretend it doesn’t exist, the smoke from the smoking area – which happens to be a full-sized sports bar complete with billiards and large screen TV – encroached upon us and our dining environment. It was noticeable then and now, this Sunday morn, as I am laundering the now-smoke-filled clothes worn to Buddie's. And my lungs are still feeling the ill affects sitting in the second-hand smoke area. (Working at that venue must be like smoking two packs a day each night.)

From my recent newspaper headline-glancing, I understand the Ingham County Commissioners will be contemplating a smoking ban on all bars and restaurants in the county. This action – if they do what’s right – is long over due. Cleaning up the air quality for the workers and business patrons should be a priority.

The incorrigible smokers – indeed a dying breed – need to read and re-read the U.S. and Michigan Constitutions before they claim their rights will be violated by a smoking ban. Smoking – and act of blowing it in the faces of business employees and patrons – is not a constitutionally protected “right.” Sorry. Neither does it prohibit your pursuit of life, liberty, happiness, or mobile air tank.



Finally, the business owners and their trade group lobbyists should stop claiming their business volume will drop or, as some claim, their business costs will go up. This simply has been proven untrue in other states that have instituted smoking bans.

Some restaurant owners are short-sighted in their entrenched view on smoking. The smart ones – many of whom have switched to 100% smoke free – already understand the clean air environment will attract a large, untapped source of customers. Right now, discriminating groups of families and health-conscious individuals simply steer clear of smoke-filled venues and hang on to their disposable income, which is considerable. And I’m sure the non-smokers as a group are sitting on a lot more disposable income than the smoking crowd.

The City Pulse weekly ran a story about the smoking issue earlier this year. Coincidentally, the same issue announced the appearance of legendary blues guitarist Duke Tumatoe at the Green Door on Michigan Avenue.

Duke has been around a long time and is a recurring presence here in town. He remains one of the must-see bluesmen touring today (with the Power Trio). Today, he is widely known as a radio personality on the Bob & Tom radio program. Historically, however, he will go down in blues history as having produced and performed one of the greatest blues albums of all time, Red Pepper Hot. If you are old enough, you may have seen him perform it live in East Lansing at the Lizards Underground with the All Star Frogs.

Well, I passed on the opportunity to see Duke because the Green Door is way too smoky. It was the same result when Hank Williams III performed earlier this year at the now-defunct Temple Club. Same thing with local appearances by my personal favorite, Frog and the Beeftones. It’s just no fun if, the next day, you cough up a lung.

So my opportunity to relive the Lizards Underground days with Duke (sans the smoke) will have to wait. In the meantime, I will be hanging on to my disposable income, calling my county commissioner to support the smoking ban, and will lend my copy of the Red Pepper Hot CD to my friend Lois. She can enjoy Duke’s music in her smoke-free home. Music to the ears; no damage to the lungs.