Garrison Keillor's 'Homegrown Democrat'

With all of the various things in life that seem to eat up my attention span, sometimes a few things that I intended to read or pay attention to fall through the cracks.  This book is one of them.

If you are searching for the answer to the modern question "Why do I care, anyway?", this book has your answers and a little reminder about just who we are and where we come from.

Here's an excerpt:

This is the difference between Democrats and Republicans in 2004, when it comes right down to it. Republicans are all about Old Glory and school prayer  and the sanctity of marriage and the Fatherhood of God  but when it comes to actually needing help from them,  you shouldn’t get your hopes up. They might send an  ambulance or they might just send a Get Well card. In  yellow-dog St. Paul, you will be rescued by the St. Paul  fire department and there is no better emergency service  anywhere in the civilized world. You may be flat on the  floor feeling as if an elephant stepped on your chest, or  your child may have swallowed a fistful of God knows  what medication, or your grandma may have slipped on  the ice and banged her noggin and she insists she’s okay  but in Swedish—whatever your dilemma, the St. Paul  rescue squad will deal with it in swift and professional  fashion. Because we Democrats feel that the people of  St. Paul are entitled to the best when it comes to what’s  crucial. You can be a Christian, atheist, Buddhist, nudist,  and the rescue squad will be there for you within four  minutes.  Republicans have perfectly nice manners, normal hair,  pleasant smiles, good deodorants, but when it comes  down to cases, you do not want them to be monitoring  your oxygen flow: they will set it to the minimum required to sustain basic brain function, and then they will  recite a little prayer for you. They are a party that is all  about perceptions, the Christian party that conceals enormous glittering malice and is led by brilliant bandits who  are dividing and conquering the sweet land I grew up in.  I don’t accept this. We Democrats are deciduous. We fade, lose heart, become torpid, languish, then the sap rises again, and we  are passionate. This is a year for passion. 

You can download a copy of the first four chapters here - and purchase the book from your local bookstore.