Okay, after lecturing others about posting political stuff on the board how can I post this without seeming like a hypocrite....

I live in Hobbs, New Mexico, a town of about 25,000 in very rural southeastern New Mexico. The next largest towns are two hours away (Midland/Odessa, Texas and Lubbock, Texas) and this is the LAST place you would expect a presidential candidate to stop. But, sure enough President Bush is scheduled to be in Hobbs this coming Monday morning for a political rally. This is remotely chip related because he will be speaking at the Lea County Event Center, which is just across the road from the under-construction Zia Race Track and Black Gold Casino, set to open November 15th. The event center is only 2 miles from our house, so we'll be able to walk if the traffic is too congested.

You wouldn't believe the excitement this visit has brought to our little town. There has been a block-long line in front of the Republican headquarters since the news broke on Tuesday. Lots of businesses are shutting down Monday morning so their employees can attend. A woman who works with my wife is active in the Republican party and has gotten VIP tickets to the event for us so maybe we'll actually get close enough to see the Prez. My wife and I will be going out to the event center tomorrow morning to help paint signs.

No sitting president has ever visited Hobbs, so this is a big deal for us. We're remote, and way off the beaten path. I still remember vividly (don't laugh now) in the summer of 1976 when I was working in the mailroom at the local bank as a 17 year old and stood in line at the post office behind Jimmy Carter's son, who was mailing a package home to his dad from the campaign trail. Now, I'll finally have a brush with political fame that can top that story.