I am writing from Michelle Bachmann's "Real America," and if this is "REAL America" count me out!

Normally I live in suberbia, but we have a 2nd home in the mountains, and that is where I am at the moment. We spent 25 years living here and raising our family.

I have no cable (because we turn it off unless we are going to be here for quite awhile,) and no internet access unless I drive around what there is of downtown and find a few-and-far-between hot spot, which I finally found. Even having found one, this area is set up for analog, not high-speed, and it is taking me forever to even change a page. I hit load, then I can go to the bathroom, do my business, pluck my eyebrows and by the time I get pack the page is loaded. I can see why people give up and quit trying.

I can't believe I used to live like this. If I am unable to check my e-mail or log onto TPM, I might as well dispense with my coffee, in which case I will have a terrible headache and be a very grouchy girl. I am like a smoker trying to give up the habit,  in search of that butt on the side of the road that was burned down to the nubbins, but may one or two hits left in it.

Yesterday I trekked down the road about 1/2 a mile from my house, trying to find a break in the ridgeline to get just enough of a signal to get into my iphone and check my e-mail. It was frustrating, but I was able to do it, and got just enough of a fix to regain my sanity for a bit. My daughter drove by and I got busted! She whipped out the camera and took a picture of me standing on the corner in my pajamas, 38 degrees outside, iphone in hand! We'll be laughing about that for years!

Anyway, now I have come to the conclusion that this is all a right wing plot to keep a large portion of America ignorant. If there is no access to the outside world, they can keep us stupid. We don't know what they are up to, they can run amuck with no one to keep an eye on them. I firmly believe that this is how they got me to stay a Republican for so long.

When President Obama says he wants to make it so that broadband is available to EVERYONE, I can see why the right is panicking. How will they keep us in line if we know what they are up to?

So, the bottom line is, there are good people in rural America. When rural America is gone, we will have lost something special. But this is NOT (all caps, extra large font) the only place where REAL Americans live. Real Americans are those people who care enough about their country to keep informed about what its leaders are doing, and unfortunately, as it stands now, it takes extra effort to do that if you live in a small, rural town.

My hat is off to all of you who endure the slow connection speeds to  keep up on world events.

P.S. Dick Update: I finally heard from him! His computer crashed and he just discovered he can get an hour of free internet access at his local library once a day. He is going to try and post today!!! Yay!