Cheyenne Chamber Singers in concert Nov. 11 at First United Methodist Church

Remember that every act of creativity stymies the Know Nothings amongst us. On Sunday, November 11, 3 p.m., Cheyenne Chamber Singers presents a concert, "Images from the Past," at downtown's First United Methodist Church. Tickets are $15 Adults/$10 seniors & students. FMI: 307-433-1141, www.cheyennechambersingers.com

This just in: Florida puts Obama over the top

I can breathe easier now. From the Association Press:

President Barack Obama was declared the winner of Florida's 29 electoral votes Saturday, ending a four-day count with a razor-thin margin that narrowly avoided an automatic recount that would have brought back memories of 2000.

No matter the outcome, Obama had already clinched re-election and now has 332 electoral votes to Romney's 206.

The Florida Secretary of State's Office said that with almost 100 percent of the vote counted, Obama led Republican challenger Mitt Romney 50 percent to 49.1 percent, a difference of about 74,000 votes. That was over the half-percent margin where a computer recount would have been automatically ordered unless Romney had waived it.

--clip--

"Florida has spoken loudly in support of moving our nation forward," Ashley Walker, the Obama campaign's director for Florida, said in a news release.

Help support our very own "siren of treachery and demagoguery"

Our prog-blogging pal, Meg-Lanker-Simons in Laramie, is raising funds over at Cognitive Dissonance. Meg is not only everywhere on the blogosphere, she also hosts her cool CD radio show each Friday night (D-bag of the week!). She covers Wyoming politics and was our blogger on the scene at the Republican National Convention. She's a wonder! Go read about what she does at http://cognitivedissonance.tumblr.com/post/35324965950/dear-readers-of-cognitive-dissonance. And then kick in a few bucks for enlightened political coverage in WYO.

Here's abit about Meg from her Tumblr profile:

I was once described by a religious conservative as a "siren of treachery and demagoguery." I'll take it. 

So will we. Invisible operators are standing by! Contribute now. I did.

Thom Williams: State retirement system overhaul is unnecessary and potentially dangerous

The Equality State Policy Center and the Coalition for a Healthy Retirement held a town hall meeting Thursday in Cheyenne about impending threats to the state retirement system. Those threats come mainly from extremist Republicans in the legislature, many of whom happen to be inspired and funded by ALEC-written model laws. ALEC is the American Legislative Exchange Council funded by the billionaire Koch Brothers, the same guys who have worked overtime to screw public employees in other states, especially those with a strong union presence (Wisconsin anyone?).

This morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle had a lengthy article about the town hall meeting. Here are some snippets:

The head of the Wyoming Retirement System says a major overhaul of the state's public pension program is unnecessary and potentially dangerous.

Thom Williams, executive director of the WRS, told a group of state workers and retirees Thursday that the Legislature should resist any efforts to move to a 401(k)-style defined-contribution plan. 

"The problem is (defined-contribution plans) are not a reliable means for providing retirement security," he said. "These defined-contribution plans oftentimes result in people running out of money."

The Wyoming Retirement System is currently run through a defined-benefits plan. This provides eligible retirees with pre-determined benefits.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am one of those state employees who have contributed to his defined-benefits plan since 1991. I am 100 percent behind the current system, especially considering what's happened to the economy since 2008. Wyoming has done an incredible job of managing the plan, and it is healthy and solvent. There is absolutely no logical reason to change the system. When that's the case, you have to look at other factors. And that's where you find right-wing ideology and the Koch Brothers and ALEC. There are those in the legislature who do ALEC's bidding. We have named names on these pages many times and will continue to do so when it gets closer to the legislative session. It's amazing to me that the same legislators who cry foul when the federal government or outside corporate interests attempt to interfere in state policy have no problem when fat cat billionaires do the same thing. Instead, they're eager to sign on.

Stay tuned for more on this. 

Get more info on ALEC at http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed

Selma Civil Rights March recalled by photo-essay by Wyoming's Wayne Thomas

EDITOR'S NOTE: This was a grad school project by Wayne Thomas that actually never appeared in Doubletake Magazine, which had folded by 2012. Too bad, as it was a great print mag. 

Wayne Thomas of Powell, Wyo., ranges far and wide for his photographs. His photo-essay examining the 47th anniversary of the Selma, Ala., Civil Rights March is featured in the spring 2012 issue of Doubletake Magazine Online. Wayne returned to Dallas County, Ala., to document the area in photos and story in this very moving piece. Read it (and view it) at http://www.waynethomasphotography.com/selma. 

Our family moved from Colorado to the South in 1964. What had only been a distant struggle seen on TV, now became something we experienced every day. In case you don't remember what happened in Alabama back in 1965, maybe these historic photos will jog your memory:

James Karales (American, 1930–2002). Selma-to-Montgomery March for Voting Rights in 1965. Photographic print. Located in the James Karales Collection, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.

John Lewis (on the ground), head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, is beat up by Alabama State Troopers on Bloody Sunday in Selma, Ala. From the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (center) joins others in the march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., on March 21, 1965.

Aggressive Democratic ground game -- and demographics --made Colorado a "tipping point" for Obama and legislative races

The Denver Post reports that Colorado may have been the tipping point for President Obama on election night. Read all about it here.

One thing is clear -- Colorado voters get lots of credit for getting out the vote for Obama and for its state legislators, as Democrats recaptured the House. The ground game in contested counties such as Larimer (Fort Collins), and some of the suburban Denver counties, was superb. They did get some help from little ol' us in Wyoming, as all of the efforts of Obama for Wyoming were directed southward into The Reefer State. While it's irritating to be relegated to GOTV efforts aimed at Greenies, there was no way in hell that Obama was going to lay claim to Wyoming's hotly-contested three electoral votes.

So what makes Colorado so purplish-blue and Wyoming so fire-engine red? It's population, both the quantity, age and ethnicities thereof. Colorado's population is ten times Wyoming's, and it has big city Denver as well as hipster Boulder, art-and-craft-beer-friendly Fort Collins, working-class Pueblo, chi-chi Aspen and, well, Colorado Springs. Cities draw more people and they tend to be younger and more ethnic. Colorado has always been youth-friendly, going back to the sixties, when people my age gravitated to its outdoor ethos and groovy vibes. My roots are in Denver, where I spent part of my youth and a big chunk of my adult life. Denver has seen its up and downs but it's always been able to climb out of the doldrums and prosper. It's always had its share of hucksters and rip-off artists (Soapy Smith, William Byers and Neil Bush come to mind), but also more than its fair share of visionaries, including its current governor, John Hickenlooper.

My parents were Denver natives. My mother grew up in the Irish-American enclave near Washington Park and my father grew up in City Park, about midway between the Denver Museum of Natural History and Stapleton Field (then an airport, eventually "international"). Their parents, my grandparents, all came to Colorado in their twenties. My mom's father was an Irish immigrant looking for a nicer climate than Chicago, where he'd landed after fleeing Ireland. My mom's mother trekked from Ohio to Colorado on vacation, liked it, returned home, packed her bags, and moved West. My dad' s father was gassed in France and came to Denver's Fitzsimmons Army Hospital to recuperate. Florence Green of Baltimore returned from The Great War to find her hometown boring, so re-upped in the Army Nursing Corps and was sent to Denver to care for all the ailing doughboys.
 
Seems that Denver's always been a draw for young people, for the scenery, the climate, jobs. World War II drew GIs to Colorado in record numbers to train for the Army Air Corps at Lowry Field or for the 10th Mountain Division ski corps at Cooper Hill near Leadville. After the war, they returned to Colorado, prospered and bred lots of Boomer children. Like me.

Back to the election. Colorado has been gathering innovators and yuppies and Deadheads and techies for generations. Denver, especially, has reached a critical mass, turning it from a cowtown into a world-class city. And turning the state into a blue-and-red checkerboard, with all those blue islands of progressivism.

Meanwhile, Wyoming limps toward the political margins. Its population is aging and is mainly rural. The economy is not diversified enough to capture those talented young people graduating from its high schools, community colleges and one public university. It finds it difficult to lure its graduates back from colleges in other states. In some ways, state politics is no more crazier than Colorado's, Montana's or Idaho's. Problem is, right-wing loonies have an easier time getting elected because the Democratic Party is not competitive. And even when we get great Dems to run for the legislature, they often are overwhelmed by the 2-to-1 registered voter margin of the Republicans.

Who went for Romney on Tuesday? Older white voters. What does Wyoming have plenty of? Aging white voters. Who went for Obama on Tuesday? Young voters. Also Hispanic, African-American and Asian-American voters. What does Wyoming have little of? Young, multicultural voters. So great local candidates get defeated and we keep electing more extremists to the Wyoming State Legislature.

There is obviously more to it than that. But it's the start of an explanation. More to come (fair warning!).

Suite 1901 returns to Cheyenne's Art Design & Dine this evening

Suite 1901 in Cheyenne did a terrific job hosting the Democratic Party's election night bash on Tuesday. In case you didn't know, Suite 1901 is under new management and the food and drinks are fabulous. This evening, the downtown bar/restaurant will be participating in the Art Design & Dine art walk for the second time. Welcome back to AD&D! Featured artists in the downstairs exhibition space include Seth Ledger, Heather Johns, Kristine Frankler, and Charles Johns. Suite 1901 is also one of the featured restaurants on the art tour. It's offering 10% off your order and the coupon is good till the end of December. The restaurant is located on the corner of Central and 19th Street. Note to craft beer fans: the bar has New Belgium's Prickly Passion on tap. Locate all of the other AD&D locations by going here.

Note to the GOP: Don't mess with our right to vote!

Andrew Cohen writes in The Atlantic about the main reason that the Republicans lost. And no, it wasn't Super Storm Sandy and Chris Christie's praise for President Obama. It was the GOP's attempt to take the vote away from you and me. Read the column here.

Marilyn Miller brings her socially engaged art to the Cheyenne Family YMCA

In November, Marilyn Miller brings her outspoken Liberal self and her artwork to the Cheyenne Family YMCA. Opening reception for her exhibit is on Friday, Nov. 9, 5-6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Come in, meet Marilyn, view the art and eat some snacks. 

Congrats to Lee Filer, winner in HD12 race for the Wyoming State Legislature

Democrat Lee Filer was elected tonight in House District 12. When the news broke at Suite 1901 in downtown Cheyenne, Lee hooted and hollered and cried. Never saw such joy. He worked hard for this seat in the Wyoming State Legislature. Wishing him good luck as he takes the reins in the House and has to deal with a whole herd of whackadoodles from right-wing Wyoming. But we Wyo Dems know that we're on the correct side of history and will eventually turn this red state blue. Short-term, we'll shoot for purple. 

Hanging out with the Dems on election night

My wife Chris and I at Suite 1901 in Cheyenne for the Laramie County Democrats' celebration. Not all the Wyoming news was good but the national news was fantastic.

Vote for these good people for the LCSD No. 1 Board of Trustees

The Wyoming Public Employees Association (WPEA), the union that represents Wyoming's public servants, has endorsed a slate of candidates in Laramie County. In my previous post, I forgot the mention the endorsements for the Laramie County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees. They are:

Nate Breen
Mark Klaasen
Tim Lockwood

There is another great candidate in the running. That is Lynn A. Storey-Huylar. Not sure why she didn't get the endorsement. It's possible she didn't come into the WPEA for an interview. Anyway, all of these people are worthy of the post. They decide school district policy and make sure that we have the best teachers and administrators. They believe in public education. Pick the best three.

There are a few knuckle-draggers among the other candidates. Avoid them.

In his second term, President Obama should say "I Like My Inner Ike!"

I recall the 1950s political slogan "I Like Ike!"

So does my thoughtful friend and writer Larry Letich.

He has penned an essay entitled "In Obama's Second Term -- Should He Have One -- Obama Must Embrace His Inner Eisenhower." He's posted it as a note on his Facebook page. If you like reasonable discourse (or even if you don't), I encourage you to read it. Go to http://www.facebook.com/notes/larry-letich/in-obamas-second-term-should-he-have-one-obama-must-embrace-his-inner-eisenhower/10151223979882305

New York Times editorial: Republican voter intimidation is a big fail

While voter intimidation may be attempted in Wyoming, it won't have nearly the impact that it will have in swing states such as Colorado and Florida.

Here's a brilliant staff editorial in today's New York Times:

This year, voting is more than just the core responsibility of citizenship; it is an act of defiance against malicious political forces determined to reduce access to democracy. Millions of ballots on Tuesday — along with those already turned in — will be cast despite the best efforts of Republican officials around the country to prevent them from playing a role in the 2012 election.

Even now, many Republicans are assembling teams to intimidate voters at polling places, to demand photo ID where none is required, and to cast doubt on voting machines or counting systems whose results do not go their way. The good news is that the assault on voting will not affect the election nearly as much as some had hoped. Courts have either rejected or postponed many of the worst laws. Predictions that up to five million people might be disenfranchised turned out to be unfounded.

Read the rest at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/opinion/sunday/voting-rights-upholding-democracy.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Laramie artist asks readers to step out of their political comfort zone for new takes on creativity

GRACE, Felicia Follum, 24"x36", $150 

Laramie artist Felicia Follum made this poster to celebrate "grace," and also to help us think about what it means. She also asks her readers to design graphics based on the upcoming election:

All right, to kick off my Art+ Creativity Prompts I figured I would start with some election inspiration.  So many people seem to be fueled by the politics surrounding us though we never really step out and look at the 2012 election (or any other for that matter) from the other side or analyze the benefits of the opposition. Regardless of results, we need to learn to honor and support our country/president even if we disagree. Since this post is a little late in the game I am offering a couple alternative options. 

She's requesting a bit of grace from all of us. Read the "alternative options" at Creativity Prompt: Political Promo. And then turn loose your creativity.

Rodger McDaniel outs Richard Wall's McCarthyism

In today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, and on his blog, Rev. Rodger McDaniel explores a case of home-grown McCarthyism.

Richard Wall, a well-known local Republican extremist, "outed" Democratic Party candidates in his Tuesday WTE column. This was his lame attempt to purge Wyoming, once and for all, of that annoying two-party system that is a hallmark of our democracy. True, we could use more than two serious political parties. But in Mr. Wall's universe, a one-size-fits-all, one-thought-process-for-all, is in tune with his reactionary political philosophy.

In keeping with transparency, Rodger also names those Democrats who are running in all local races, whether those are bipartisan or non-partisan race. He is as proud of them as I am. It's not easy being a Democrat in Wyoming. Only the bravest and most thoughtful follow that course.

Read Rodger's blog post at http://blowinginthewyomingwind.blogspot.com/2012/11/are-you-now-or-have-you-ever-beena.html

I also encourage you to buy and read today's WTE. Interesting and well-researched cover story on "Agenda 21," the United Nations' plan that allegedly will allegedly force us to live in "prescribed habitation zones" where we all will dwell in identical, government-built hobbit homes. We will be forced to abandon our cars and ride bicycles to work, unless Cheyenne builds a U.N-mandated monorail -- we'll commute on that instead. Sing it folks: Monorail!

I was surprised to find that WTE had posted the story on its low-tech web site. But it did. Reading the comments is half the fun (I've heard of "whackadoodles" but "whackaloons?"). Go to http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2012/11/04/news/01top_11-04-12.txt

Wyoming Tribune Eagle: Early voting eclipses 2008 numbers

Lots of people voting early in Wyoming, including a fair number of our Laramie County neighbors. Read more here: Early voting eclipses 2008 tally.

You can still vote early in downtown Cheyenne on Monday. And on Tuesday, vote at your precincts. 

For all of my writer friends -- and me too: Everybody gets a trophy!

From the New York Times Sunday Book Review

Vote for balance and equality in The Equality State's Legislature

Linda Stowers from the Laramie County Democrats sends this info: Daily through November 5 we will be making calls to precincts to get out the vote on November 6. We need all of your help. The script is very easy and more of a courtesy call. We will be calling by precincts. The calls can be made from your home or the office and can be done within this time frame. Please help the Democrats in Laramie County get elected. E-mail me at lpstowers at bresnan dot net if you can help and I will arrange to get you a list and script. Your help will make a difference this year.

Multimedia Environmental Concert in Laramie asks "What Can I Do -- to help this planet?"

Vote for Pres. Obama, for one thing.

Here's the event:

"What Can I Do?" Multimedia Environmental Concert
8 p.m., Saturday, November 3
Coal Creek Coffee Company
110 E. Grand Ave, Laramie

This is a 60-75-minute educational keynote presentation featuring the photography of renowned John Fielder, Karl Snyder and Laurie Dameron, video, information and live music. Special guest speaker Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist, City Council member in Laramie and Executive Director for Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. 

FMI: www.facebook.com/WhatCanIDoSpaceshipEarth and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml4gzZthi5o

Think about this before you shop at the new Menards store being built in Cheyenne

This story originally ran on AlterNet and was reposted on Salon Nov. 1:

This January, as the Iowa Caucuses were underway, Menards began encouraging employees to take an at-home online “civics” course that characterizes the economic policies of President Barack Obama as a threat to the success of businesses such as Menards, and by extension, to the employees’ own well-being.

The course, titled “Civics 101: The National Self Governing Will In-Home Training,” incorporates much of the material comprising the Prosperity 101 program that AlterNet, working in partnership with the Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute, exposed last year — a program concocted by Koch-linked political operatives Mark Block and Linda Hansen, late of the now-defunct Herman Cain presidential campaign. In March, Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the FBI is investigating possible financial improprieties involving two non-profit organizations founded by Block that are linked to Prosperity 101, which is a for-profit venture.

Full story at Retailer pressures workers to take anti-Obama “civics course”

Slate asks: What if UW President Tom Buchanan had given a speech defending "Carbon Sink?"

From an Oct. 31 article by Michelle Nijhuis on Slate Online about the "Carbon Sink" brouhaha at the University of Wyoming (the controversy that wouldn't die):

The University of Wyoming, like most public universities, has a mission statement that calls for academic freedom and free expression. University donors are supposed to further that mission, not try to restrict it, and university leaders are supposed to defend it.

What if President Buchanan had given a speech...? He could have acknowledged the reaction to Carbon Sink (taking care to first learn its name), and acknowledged the economic and political power of the coal industry in Wyoming. He could have acknowledged the science -- some conducted at his own university -- that demonstrates the connections between coal power and climate change, and climate change and forest decline. And he could have said that while coal is useful and important, it’s equally important to not only acknowledge its costs but also work to reduce them. He could have pointed to existing university programs aimed at doing just that, and called on the legislature -- and the industry -- to fund more.

It wouldn’t have ended the controversy. But it might have opened the conversation.

Nijhuis also explored another controversy over public art, this one at the University of Indiana at Bloomington. A student group demanded the removal of a Thomas Hart Benton mural that shows KKK members in robes. The KKK almost took over the state of Indiana. Benton was just trying to show his state's history, major warts and all. This controversy ended when the UI President made a speech, refusing to remove the mural, calling on UI students and faculty to use it as a teaching moment. Which they did.

Imagine that?

Whistle Stop Film Festival stops at Mt. Sinai Synagogue in Cheyenne

From Wyoming Community Media's Whistle Stop Film Festival:

Mt. Sinai Synagogue in Cheyenne will present a double feature of two short documentary films on Saturday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m.  The films are:

Shanghai Ghetto (95 minutes): A gentle, loving accounting of 20,000 mostly German Jews who were able to escape the Nazi's before World War II started and go to Shanghai, China, where the Japanese were in control of that city.

Visas and Virtues (30 minutes): 1997 Oscar-winning short by Chris Tashima. Haunted by the sight of hundreds of Jewish refugees outside the consulate gates, a Japanese diplomat and his wife, at the beginning of World War II, must decide how much they are willing to risk. Inspired by a true story, this Academy Award® winning portrait gracefully captured in period black and white by noted cinematographer Hiro Narita poignantly pays tribute to the rescuer of 6,000 Jews from the Holocaust.

The movies will be shown in the Social Hall at the Synagogue. For more information, go to
http://mtsinaicheyenne.org/special_events.asp, or contact Jaimee Sodosky, 303-503-1844

Wyoming Public Employees Association releases its list of Nov. 6 endorsements

Spent yesterday evening at union HQ making phone calls for Kathleen Petersen, Democrat running for the seat in House District 8. I left a lot of messages (other people screen their call too) but did talk to a number of people who had already voted for Kathleen or were going to on Nov. 6. Many had talked to the candidate as she made her rounds in Precinct 2-5, which is just a stone's throw from my precinct. We vote at the same place -- the Cheyenne Berean Church on Powderhouse. Anyone who has talked to Kathleen is impressed. We wish her the best on Nov. 6.

My union is the Wyoming Public Employees Union. The WPEA sent out thousands of postcards listing its endorsements for Laramie County legislative races. They are:

SD4: Tony Ross (R)
SD6: Wayne Johnson (R)
SD8: Floyd Esquibel (D)
HD7: Joe Fender (D)
HD8: Kathleen Petersen (D)
HD11: Mary A. Throne (D)
HD12: Lee Filer (D)
HD41: Ken A. Esquibel (D)
HD42: Gary Datus (D)
HD43: Dan Zwonitzer (R)
HD44: James W. Byrd (D)

The WPEA doesn't endorse a candidate unless he/she comes in for an extensive interview by union members. I did a few of those and was impressed by the scope of the process. Many questions concerned preservation of the state's defined benefits pension plan, which TEA Party Republicans want to dismantle. Suffice to say, none of the R's on this list are pension-busters. Some of their opponents are: Sue Wilson (R-TEA Party), HD7; Lynn Hutchings (R-TEA Party), HD42; David Kniseley (R-TEA Party), HD 12. Not sure about Jerry Zellars who is running against incumbent Mary Throne in HD11. I will look up his web site and read the platform.

I received a postcard today from Kathleen's Republican opponent in HD8, Bob Nicholas. Bob's talking points include increasing funding for Cheyenne and Laramie County, and increased funding for LCCC. Lower down on the list, he says that he wants to "limit government spending and interference." Those are code words for "shrink government so small that it can be drowned in a bathtub." I believe those are right-winger Grover Norquist's words.

You actually have to fund a government so it can be effective in any number of tasks, such as emergency response (remember last summer's raging wildfires), building schools, paving roads, plowing highways, policing the bad guys, licensing food outlets, monitoring the weather, guiding airplanes so they don't crash, etc. You also have to pay those people a living wage with benefits. That's something that this legislature has refused to do.

Vote for the WPEA slate. And support your local union.

Feel like writing 50,000 words in November? The library wants to help...

Press release from the Laramie County Public Library:

Get ready with your laptops, pens and paper (or even quills and parchment!) for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! Participants begin writing on November 1 and must finish their novel on or before November 30. The Laramie County Library will host several events for adults and teens.

The kick-off will be Thursday, November 1, from 6:00-7:30 pm in the Willow Room. We’ll have plenty of food and drink available as you buckle down and get writing for this annual challenge. Bring everything you need to make this a successful hour and a half and get started on your 50,000 words!

Next, on Saturday, November 10, 10:00am-4:00 pm in the Cottonwood Room, participate in a one-day workshop designed to help you navigate the next steps toward publication of your novel. Paths to Publication will have you joining seven Wyoming authors for a day of workshops filled with insights into the journey from “the end” to publication. These workshops are designed for teen and adult novelists at all levels.

Have some crazy fun on Thursday, November 15 from 6:00-7:30 pm in the Willow Room, where you’ll be designing your own book cover. Now’s your chance in this hands-on workshop to create your own cover for a blank book that could be used as a journal, sketchbook, recipe anthology, or even the first draft of your novel! We provide all the supplies needed – just bring your imagination.  Sign up required for this – call 307.634.3561, or visit the library.

The final event for NaNoWriMo will be the wrap-up party on Sunday, December 2, 3:00-4:00pm in the Willow Room. Prizes will be given to everyone who finishes their 50,000 words on time!

Laramie County Library is located at 2200 Pioneer Avenue, Cheyenne. For more information call the library at 307.634.3561.

Quills and parchment? Count me in...

Mitt Romney: When s*** happens, you are on your own

Columnist Eugene Robinson explores Mitt Romney's stance on disaster response. Let's privatize it! Tell that to the folks in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, etc. Read the entire column at http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-romney-would-pass-the-buck-on-disasters/2012/10/29/c1dbbdca-21f2-11e2-ac85-e669876c6a24_story.html

Outlaw Saloon bans same-sex couples at Wednesday night promotions

Welcome to the Equality State! Cognitive Dissonance out of Laramie carried this photo of a sign posted at the Outlaw Saloon in Cheyenne. Read the inside story at http://cognitivedissonance.tumblr.com/post/34689072166/hey-folks-do-you-live-in-or-near-cheyenne-wyo

Reflections by writers and artists featured at "Listening to Nature" on Nov. 9

Walking neighborhoods for Wyoming Democrats can be educational and even exciting

I've been spending my October Saturdays walking neighborhoods for Democratic Party candidates. I canvassed for Mary Throne in HD11. Canvassing means you actually ring the doorbell of likely voters and talk to them if they answer. Sometimes those people are friendly and sometimes not. More and more homes, it seems, have "no soliciting" signs on front doors. Canvassing is technically not soliciting, but we usually treat it as if it was. Some houses carry more serious signs. "Beware of dog" is one that gets my attention. Candidates tell us to rattle the front gate. If a dog appears, go to the next house. If not, proceed. That usually works, but I've been surprised by dogs a few times. They were friendly, thank goodness. A husband and wife team traveling the spread-out House District 7 yesterday pulled into a driveway and were greeted by two pit bulls. They moved on to the next house. Even dog people think twice about dropping off a leaflet to a pit bull-patrolled residence.

Other signs? "Protected by Smith & Wesson" with a large drawing of a handgun aimed at my face usually commands a few paranoid thoughts. Ditto for "No Trespassing." Not too many of those, except in the very rural areas of the county.

Most Saturday's I've been conducting "lit drops." This calls for the lit dropper to place a door hanger on a doorknob or, if it's windy as it usually is, inside the screen door or under the doormat. It was windy yesterday in HD7, where firefighter and friend of the working man Joe Fender is contesting a Republican for an open seat. I found a number of handy jack-o-lanterns and flower planters on those houses that had neither a mat or a screen door. The houses on the shady side of the streets also carried another hazard -- ice. I was wearing boots but slipped a few times. Nothing serious. Made me appreciate those people who actually shovel or snowblow their sidewalks and driveways.

Another thought occurred to me. Many people never use their front doors. They drive into the garage and enter that way. In some developments, such as The Pointe, houses have no mailboxes. The mail is delivered to mailboxes clustered for each neighborhood. So the only people using some sidewalks are political candidates, the UPS man, neighbors and friends. Yesterday, I didn't see a whole lot of activity in The Pointe. Saw two people walking their dogs, two joggers, a couple of kids, and cars driving down the street. It was a cold day so people were inside -- I can understand that. Still, it might be a bit more neighborly to clear your sidewalks of snow and ice.

Last Saturday, I did a lit drop for Lee Filer in HD12. His opponent is David Knisely, who attended last week's TEA Party rally in Lions Park. It's another open seat and one that Democrats need to win. We have some great candidates in Laramie County, the state's most populous with 16 percent of its people. It's growing, too. This makes it a real challenge for candidates. Wyoming is a state that likes personal contact with those running for public office. The county has more than 41,000 housing units, according to 2010 census figures (and 2011 updates). That's a lot of walking and riding and talking and hand shaking. Both Filer and Fender have a great shot at winning open seats. It's also good that they are running against TEA Party extremists.

There's another hazard that doesn't get much attention. People are on high alert for strangers in their neighborhoods. We've recently had some high-profile child abductions in Wyoming and Colorado. One girl in Westminster, Colo., was abducted and killed. So it wasn't too surprising when someone called the cops on me last Saturday. I was walking the Harmony Meadows neighborhood in Lee Filer's district. Nice, new affordable houses. Most were occupied, although I did see foreclose signs on two abandoned houses.

I was just about finished with my rounds when a Cheyenne police cruiser drove by slowly. I waved; the car stopped. I walked up to the car's window, expecting it to open. Instead, the police officer got out of the car. He asked me what I was doing. I held up my colorful door hangers and told him. He seemed suspicious. Another police car was coming down the street. The cop explained that someone had called 911 and reported a suspicious man in a blue T-shirt was rattling doorknobs. I was wearing a blue Lee Filer T-shirt. I had hung a number of flyers on doorknobs. I may have rattled some in the process. The policeman asked me about my car. I pointed to the corner and said that's my red Ford Fusion right over there. He looked at the car and back at me. He said O.K., and then walked over to talk to his colleague in the other car. As innocent as I was, I also was a bit shaken. It's no fun getting rousted by the cops. If I was a paranoid type, I might think that some Republican called out of spite. I may have looked suspicious to someone. Maybe an oldster heard the doorknob rattle and then saw my tall shadow pass their window. Two kids had yelled hi to me out of a window and I yelled hi back. Maybe their parents thought something untoward was happening with this guy in their yard. Who knows? I pay attention when I see strangers walking through my neighborhood. Some suspicion is a good thing.

We're rapidly running out of weekends in this election cycle. Thanks goodness, one might say. Hasn't this gone on forever?

Maybe not forever, but it's been a long time. Let's hope we get some Dems into the mix in the Wyoming House and Senate. This one-party state needs some diversity. In this case, we're not only talking cultural and gender diversity but a diversity of opinion and process. Results, too.

This Liberal Arts grad in Wyoming urges Florida creatives to come to a place where they are valued

Florida's Gov. Rick Scott and his hand-picked education commission want to charge creatives more college tuition than science and math majors. Students in creative fields at the big Florida universities, such as UF (my alma mater) and FSU (the enemy campus in Tallahassee), will pay more than students pursuing high-demand fields, such as ag and engineering and medicine. Read all about in the Huffington Post.

I have only one response: Go West, young creatives. In the Big Square States, we value your contributions. Thus far, Colorado and Wyoming and New Mexico and Utah are not talking about charging higher tuition for budding painters than they are for budding lawyers. Sure, tuition is rising, but the Colorado governor (himself a creative sort and an arts supporter) and legislature have said nothing about charging a higher rate for a poet than for a pediatrician. This is a good thing, as I would like to see more writers and musicians attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins than fewer. Sure, I want the pre-med people too, and the computer tech and agronomy majors. We need creativity in all economic sectors. But to charge more? Absurd.

I earned my master of fine arts degree in creative writing from CSU in 1992. I parlayed that into a career in arts administration. Along the way, I've published my own work and continue to do so.

I'm also talking about the University of Wyoming in Laramie. For the first time, according to the UW President's special assistant Mike Massie. campus enrollment has crept above 14,000. 14,000? That's the number of business majors at UF. And, a few years ago, UW embarked on an amazing building boom. Know what the coolest new buildings are on campus? Visual arts and the expanded library. Anthropology, too, and business. The performing arts building will soon get a multimillion dollar overhaul. And so will one of the oldest buildings on campus, the one that houses the English Department and humanities. The English Department! That includes the fine creative writing program, too, a place that boasts fine writers such as Alyson Hagy and Brad Watson and Jeff Lockwood, who's a bug scientist (entomologist,, for those non-English majors) and a fine writer. There's also a slate of visiting writers that will knock your socks off: Salman Rushdie, Francine Prose, John D'Agata, Rebecca Solnit, Don DeLillo, etc. 

Come West, young creatives. We won't stigmatize you or your passions. It will still remain difficult to find jobs, English majors. No guarantees! You still will have student loans to repay and you still must eat (unofficial Wyoming state motto: "You can't eat the scenery"). But a blue ribbon state commission will not tell you that your dreams are worth less than others.

A word about campus censorship. And this is especially important for visual artists. You may have heard about the removal of Chris Drury's environmental sculpture, "Carbon Sink." It truly was a cowardly act, removing a sculpture just because it offended the state's coal industry. We are a conservative state with some heinous attitudes. We have our own birthers and fundies and "Don't Tread on Me" loonies. But what the heck -- you now live in Florida with the likes of Rick Scott and Marco Rubio. The Florida Panhandle is about as redneck as it gets. And you don't have to read Carl Hiaasen's Miami Herald columns or his funky novels to understand the lamebrain nature of the Florida legislature. If you're going to be embroiled in an arts controversy, you may as well come West where the air is clean and you can escape to nearby mountains for solitude and inspiration.

The Front Range is also known (by some) as the Silicon Valley of Craft Breweries. While I shy away from encouraging indulgence in spiritous substances, I also know that  where there are microbrews, there are artrepreneurs and mountain bike shops and nifty bistros and high-tech start-ups. Scientists have yet to prove the axiom: "Which comes first, the microbew or the creative economy." I do know that they go together. When it comes to overindulgence, it's a fact that the craft beer community polices its own. So, if you want to get drunk and cut the fool, you can go back to Florida, get your Parrothead on and drink Jimmy Buffett's crappy beer. Sorry, Jimmy, I love your music but dislike your books and beer. Can't do everything well, even if you do have a mighty platform to operate from.

In my next post, I'm going to share helpful links that can illustrate to you creatives what "Out West" has to offer.

BTW: Go Gators! Beat the Dawgs!

We dread the call in the night, the knock at the door

I often recommend the blog postings of Rodger McDaniel. I just can't help myself. The topics are, well, topical and meaty. The writing is crisp. And the Rev. McDaniel is a feisty Liberal, something we desperately need in Wyoming.

Rev McD served his state as director of the Health Department's Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division during the Freudenthal administration. So, when those topics arise, he has the expertise to address them. That's what he did this morning. He wrote about the late Sen.  George McGovern's greatest loss -- the death of his adult daughter, Teresa. After an eight-year stretch of sobriety, she started drinking again. One cold night, she got drunk, wandered out of her house and froze to death in the snow.

When the men with dour faces came to George McGovern's door in 1994, he knew their mission. This haunted him and his wife Eleanor the rest of their lives. They had decided to put some distance between themselves and their daughter. You could call it "tough love." It is the approach that one learns in AA and Alanon. That's little comfort for parents who lose a child.

We know. All of us who have struggled with this issue. We know how hard it is to say, "No more." We all dread the phone call in the middle of the night. Or the stone-faced messengers at the door. Tough love does not take away the sting of losing that boy or girl that we pushed on the playground swing and carried on our shoulders.

Read Rodger's column here: http://blowinginthewyomingwind.blogspot.com/2012/10/1972-was-not-george-mcgoverns-greatest.html

Dem Rep. Mary Throne holds GOTV lit drop Oct. 28 in Cheyenne

Democrat Mary Throne needs volunteers for a final GOTV lit drop of House District 11 Sunday, October 28 at 3 p.m. 

If you would like to help her campaign and volunteer to canvas, please meet at Mary's house 720 E. 19th Street, Cheyenne, at 3 pm.  

It is very important that we hold Mary's seat this year and she really needs the help and support of all her friends and fellow Dems. 

For more information or to support the campaign, please contact Mary's campaign manager, Kate Wright at 307/220-7447.  

Conspiracists gather in Casper Oct. 27 to hear author of "Behind the Green Mask: U.N. Agenda 21"

As I reported on these pages earlier, Tea Party Slim and his pals are in a
lather about Agenda 21, the United Nations' alleged plot to take over our neighborhoods and force us to live in solar-powered Hobbit homes. The following announcement comes from K2 News in Casper. Why is it always Casper? Must have something to do with the loony legacies of hometown Repub faves Dick and Lynne Cheney:

Cheri Steinmetz, former board member for the High Plains Initiative in
Goshen County says during her time on that board she observed
practices that left her uncomfortable and turned her into a strong
advocate for local control of land use decisions.
 
This weekend, the Parkway Plaza in Casper is the venue for an event
featuring the author of the book “Behind the Green Mask; U.N Agenda
21.″ Author Rosa Koire will talk about how smart growth and
sustainability have become blackened terms for those concerned with
property rights.
 
“Wyoming does need to hear what Rosa Koire has to say, because without
being aware of these things, they’re slipping in underneath the radar
and we don’t recognize them, because the words sound so benign and
innocuous.”
 
The event happens at 6:30 pm, Saturday, October 27th at the Parkway
Plaza. It’s free, but Steinmetz says reservations are recommended.
 
The Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, is located at 123 West
E Street in Casper (From I-25 take EXIT 188A)
 
Reserve your seats by contacting: Michelle Starkey: chellat919@aol.com
or Judy Jones: (307) 251-5527 or email fueltransport@mail.wyobeam.com

Better reserve a spot now. Tea Party Slim and his fellow travelers in Cheyenne

are planning a caravan to Casper on Saturday. 

Democratic House candidate Joe Fender holds literature drop on Oct. 27

Joe Fender, candidate for Wyoming House District 7, is having a Lit Drop

this Saturday, October 27. Firefighter Joe needs our help for this important

event. He's running against extremist Republican (yes, yet another one) 

Sue Wilson.

Come to 92 E. Ole Maverick Rd., Cheyenne, at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday

to help. He will be serving brats, beer and hamburgers at 2:30 p.m. Let's 

show our support for Joe. 

Read all about Joe here. 

Wyoming Broadband Summit: New generation of Microsoft data centers to be tested in Cheyenne

Microsoft's Gregg McKnight was in Cheyenne today talking about a pilot project for a new kind of data center. He was a speaker at the first Wyoming Broadband Summit at Little America.

Asked McKnight: “Who would have expected Cheyenne to be the place where the next generation of data centers would arise?”

Not me. Maybe not you, or your neighbors. And possibly not McKnight, not until he visited Cheyenne a few months ago.

He was greeted warmly by officials from the University of Wyoming, Cheyenne LEADS, Board of Public Utilities and other members of the community.

“This was a dream” he said, adding that, over the course of several days, he discovered that Cheyenne “was the ideal location to do business.”

Microsoft wants to build a $7.6 million data center that will run off of methane produced by the city’s Dry Creek Water Reclamation Facility. To that end, the city of Cheyenne will apply for $1.5 million from the Wyoming Business Council's Council’s Business Ready Community Grant and Loan Program. Three weeks ago, the Cheyenne City Council’s Finance Committee gave its approval to move the request forward. If approved, the grant would cover up to $1.5 million of the project’s total cost, with Microsoft providing the balance.

According to officials at the computing giant, the project would consist of the data plant, which would be connected to a fuel cell. Both would be in close proximity to the water reclamation facility, which is located on Campstool Road just south of Interstate 80.

The fuel cell would collect excess methane gas from the water reclamation facility’s biodigester and would then convert the gas into about 300 kilowatts of electricity. The data center itself would require only 200 kilowatts to run. Not sure where the remaining 100 Kw would do. Presumably it could be used for other energy needs in Cheyenne.

The plant will test Microsoft's new “siliconization” process, which utilizes silicon to move beyond the era of the microprocessor. McKnight gave a quick explanation which went way over my head. He showed a slide that illustrated this formula: “Si Systems + Fuel Cells + Modularity=Reimagine the Data Center.” Sounds cool to me. Faster technology is needed for the 200-plus cloud services Microsoft now provides. “There will be a twelve-fold increase in the amount of info that flows through the optic fiber backbone in the next five years,” McKnight said. He called the Cheyenne experiment the next step in “the evolving data center.”

The fuel cell data plant is separate from a $112 million cloud data center Microsoft has proposed to build to the west of Cheyenne, near the recently-opened National Center for Atmospheric Research supercomputing facility.

McKnight is quite happy with Cheyenne. And why wouldn't he be? The state of Wyoming has pledged $10.7 million in grants and incentives for the cloud data center project. Microsoft is making an initial $78-million investment and plans to go up to $112 million, according to Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, who also spoke at Tuesday's summit. He's a big believer in data centers. And I'm beginning to believe that he's on the right track. All of this will change Cheyenne for the better. New technology. New ideas. New people moving in. New energy mixes with old energy. Not sure what the formula is for that, but it could be a heady mix.

New debate meme: Romney/Ryan cavalry charge

From Mother Jones via Cognitive Dissonance

1980s calling to get their foreign policy back

One of the better zingers of last night's debate by President Obama (picked up from Crooks & Liars blog):

Governor Romney, I’m glad that you recognize that Al Qaida is a threat, because a few months ago when you were asked what’s the biggest geopolitical threat facing America, you said Russia, not Al Qaida; you said Russia, in the 1980s, they’re now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because, you know, the Cold War’s been over for 20 years.

But Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s.

You say that you’re not interested in duplicating what happened in Iraq. But just a few weeks ago, you said you think we should have more troops in Iraq right now. And the -- the challenge we have -- I know you haven’t been in a position to actually execute foreign policy -- but every time you’ve offered an opinion, you’ve been wrong.

Check out this cool new site, which also has a playable game of "Asteroids." Talk about your 1980s flashback. 

HD 12 candidate Kathleen Petersen holds meet-and-greet Oct. 29

Kathleen Petersen, Democratic Party candidate for House District 8, will be holding a candidate meet-and-greet on Monday, Oct. 29, 7-8:30 p.m., in the Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park in Cheyenne. Come out and meet Kathleen, ask questions, have a few snacks.

She's the candidate in my state house district. Her campaign has been gathering steam as she walks neighborhoods and makes presentations to groups, as people see that she's the best person to replace Republican Bob Nicholas. We need more Democratic voices in the Wyoming Legislature. We also need a better gender make-up, with the Legislature predominately men of a certain age. She spoke last night at the chili dinner and convinced me.  

Check out her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.petersen.94

Let us now praise famous songs, and those creative types who begat them

Chris and I attended the "American Tapestry" concert this afternoon at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Cheyenne. Our daughter was singing, as she's in the Laramie County Community College Collegiate and Cantorei choirs. She does both well. You're probably not surprised to hear a proud father say that.

Several of the selections were taken from the page -- poetry, to be specific. First came three selections from A.E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad. My accountant father gave me a copy of that book when I was still in high school. He thought it might be an encouragement to my budding poetic soul. It wasn't (I was more attuned to Jim Morrison back then), but it was still a nice gesture. Housman is still not my favorite, but his verse sounds great when set to music and sung by collegiate voices.

Robert Burns made an appearance as the Men's Ensemble sang "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose." The men, all dressed in black suits, held a rose as they gathered around the piano and intoned Burns. Very nice.

The recessional song was "The Promise of the Living" from the opera The Tender Land. Music was composed by Aaron Copland with libretto by Horace Everett, a pseudonym for dancer and choreographer Erik Johns. Copland was inspired to write the opera after viewing the book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, with text by James Agee and photos by Walker Evans. The book arose from a 1936 magazine assignment Agee and Evans accepted in 1936. The goal was to document the lives of white sharecroppers in the South. The magazine article didn't pan out, but the book did, and is now one of those volumes studied for its trail-blazing blend of straight reportage, creative nonfiction, poetry and photos.  Another one of those interesting works of art to emerge from the Great Depression.

Fine concert today, and I'm looking forward to the next one. Thanks to talented  singers, and the wonderful teachers who trained them.

interested party blog: On not voting for Sen. McGovern in '72

South Dakota blogger Larry Kurtz had a story today about what it was like to be a young upstart in 1972. We share a similar age and history and interest in Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72." Read more:

interested party: On not voting for Sen. McGovern in '72: In about 1970 or so, my very furious retired Air Force Republican father wrote the Sioux Falls Argus Leader after it ran a photo during ...

R.I.P. Sen. George McGovern, Democrat from South Dakota

Sen. George McGovern died this morning in his hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D. He grew up in the Great Depression Dust Bowl, won the DFC for his actions over Europe's skies during WWII, and was the Democratic Party presidential nominee in 1972.

He was the first presidential candidate I voted for, back when I was 21 and living in Boston.

McGovern's dedication to liberal politics was an inspiration to me then and remains so now.

This comes from an obit this morning on NPR:

President Bill Clinton lauded McGovern's achievements at the 2006 dedication of the McGovern Library in Mitchell, S.D.

"In the storied history of American politics, I believe no other presidential candidate ever had such an enduring impact in defeat," Clinton said at the time.

And this, from Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary:

Yarrow says McGovern inspired an entire generation of Americans.

"There are few and far between that measure up to the dignity, honesty and fantastic commitment of George McGovern that kept this country strong and conscious for all these years," Yarrow said.

Public servant, war hero, anti-war hero, author and fine human being. R.I.P., Sen. McGovern.

Richard Bausch: Each story has "its own demands, and you write to discover what those demands are"

Good, uncomplicated advice for fiction writers (from a Dinty W. Moore Facebook post):

"Each story is different, with its own demands, and you write to discover what those demands are, making the mistakes as you go. Usually, you make a lot of mistakes, because no one is ever in total charge of his own consciousness. So you move through it, accepting that it will be confusing, and even intractable for a time -- you go on each day, trying to be concrete, and to couch things in particulars rather than concepts and abstractions, since the abstractions are mostly inert even though people can kill over them." ~ Richard Bausch

Barack Obama: "If you come down with a case of Romnesia..."

Wyofile: ALEC model bill on healthcare found its way onto Wyoming's November ballot

Read this comprehensive Wyofile article by Greg Nickerson about the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Nickerson provides examples of ALEC model legislation that has made its way to the Wyoming Statehouse. He also provides an updated list of ALEC members. Hummingbirdminds has published several lists of ALEC members over the years but the Wyofile aricle has the latest ones. Go read it and weep. To whet your appetite and outrage, here are the first two paragraphs:

When the Trayvon Martin shooting made headlines this year, it brought public attention to a little-known group called the American Legislative Exchange Council, also known as ALEC. The conservative group created model legislation that promoted the “stand your ground” law, or Castle Doctrine, invoked by police who didn’t arrest Martin’s killer. ALEC also supported voter ID laws, which some say are an effort to block elderly and minority voters from participating in upcoming elections.

Ideas from ALEC’s model bills have also made their way into Wyoming statehouse, notably in a constitutional amendment on healthcare that will be up for vote this November.

Help forward-thinking Democratic candidates blunt the power of the legislature's Blunt Skulls

I'll be walking neighborhoods for Democratic Party House candidate Lee Filer this morning. He's not in my district but he will be a thoughtful, young rep for those who live in HD 12.

Our legislature, you see, has hardening of the arteries and hardening of the heart. The Know Nothings who run the Republican Party who run the legislature want to make sure that Wyoming stays inconsequential. They spend an embarrassing amount of time ranting about Obamacare and pushing regressive social legislation. Remember the 2011 session? That was embarrassing. I should know as I blogged about it extensively. Remember what happened in 2012? The Republicans didn't want health care for its citizens but they did want an aircraft carrier to protect its sovereignty. Really?

No wonder our young people leave the state in droves, eager to find a place that will respect their need to contribute to the future. My fellow blogger Rodger McDaniel put it so well in today's post (and WTE op-ed):

That’s why Wyoming’s greatest export is neither coal nor gas but our youth. The millions we invest in educating children becomes an investment in the future of other states. Communities pretend to bemoan the loss of these young people...  Clinging to the past and its symbols assures that anyone with an urge to think about the opportunities of the future will find themselves elsewhere, contributing to some other community somewhere else. 

Sad, isn't it, that the calcified thinking of one generation can lead to a dubious future for an entire state -- or an entire country.

It doesn't have to be this way. There are a number of fine Democrats running for the legislature, mainly in Laramie County. You can walk for Lee Filer this morning or for Mary Throne. You can help get Marguerite Herman on the county commission. You can vote for recent grad Misty Heil for the LCCC board. You can vote for Kathleen Petersen and Joe Fender and the Esquibel brothers and Jim Byrd and Gary Datus. Imagine a Dem-majority county delegation. It still would be a challenge to blunt the power of the Blunt Skulls from Natrona County and the north country. But it's a start.

Obama speech launches flood of Romnesia memes

Here's one, for example

Democrats' campaign events: Canvassing for Lee Filer and Mary Throne and chili dinner for all

Here are the Democratic Party campaign events planned for this weekend in Laramie County:
 

SATURDAY: 10/20 9:30 am Canvassing for Lee Filer HD-12. Meeting at Lee's Home 265 Bent Avenue. BREAKFAST WILL  BE SERVED. For more information contact campaign manager Calob Taylor at 307/640-3360

SATURDAY: 10/20 10 am Canvassing for Mary Throne HD-11. Meeting at Mary's home, 720 E. 19th Street. For more information or to support the campaign campaign manager, Kate Wright at 307/220-7447. 

SUNDAY: 10/21 4-7 pm. Annual Chili Dinner for Dems. Old Community House in Lion's Park. Bring side dish/dessert if able. For more information contact Linda Stowers at 307/220-1219. 

SUNDAY: 10/21 6 pm. Lee Filer Supporter House Party. 10/21 6 pm. 1602 Ragtime Drive.

State Archaeologist Dr. Mark Miller previews new book in Oct. 25 lecture in Cheyenne

This sounds great -- and I can't wait for the book by this fine Wyoming writer:

Dr. Mark Miller, Wyoming’s State Archaeologist, will celebrate National Archaeology Day with a lecture at the Wyoming State Museum, October 25 at 7 p.m.

From the earliest carved and painted images on stone cliffs to locations dating to the 20^th Century, Wyoming is dotted with hundreds of sites that bear witness to military activities. In his talk, Dr. Miller draws from his recently completed book, “Military Sites in Wyoming 1700-1920.”

The slide show and lecture summarizes a study of more than 300 sites that have been incorporated into this historic context, beginning with early evidence of military activity in Native American rock art.

FMI: http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2012/10/dr-mark-miller-speaks-about-military.html

When it comes to voting, the county clerk explains it all for you w/update

Everything you need to know about voting in Laramie County is available on the county clerk's web site at http://www.laramiecountyclerk.com/elections.aspx.

One thing I couldn't find is the cut-off date for early registration. While it is true that Wyoming allows you to register to vote on election day, there is a cut-off date prior to the Nov. 6 election so the clerk's office can compile the voter rolls used at the polling places. These are thick binders full of women -- and men too.

You can vote downtown on weekdays during business hours in the atrium located between the courthouse and the county admin building.

Couldn't be easier, could it? Then how come so many voters sit out elections? If you do, don't expect any of us voters to listen when you start complaining about the gubment.

UPDATE: Cut-off date for early registration in Wyoming is Monday, Oct. 22.

Iraq vet and writer David Abrams returns to Jackson with his novel "Fobbit"

I'm always a bit dubious when a new novel is compared to Catch-22 or M*A*S*H or is labeled "definitive." However, I am always ready for a new reading adventure, especially if the book features a darkly humorous take on war, any war, and the author is from Wyoming.

So here's some info on Jackson Hole H.S. grad David Abrams and his new novel, "Fobbit," and the author's upcoming appearance in his old stomping grounds:

The Jackson Hole Writers Conference & Teton County Library Present: David Abrams, 7-8:30 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 2. David Abrams, who graduated from Jackson Hole High School in 1981, spent 20 years in the Army and then came back to the states to write what is being acclaimed as the definitive novel of the Iraq War. His novel about the Iraq War, "Fobbit," was published by Grove/Atlantic in 2012. Location: Center for the Arts, Dancers Workshop, 240 S. Glenwood Street, Jackson, WY 83001. Free. Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135, odoherty@tclib.org. 

From the author’s web site:

In the satirical tradition of Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield – where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like an office job. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy. Of all the fobbits stationed at Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph, Staff Sergeant Chance Gooding is the fobbitiest. His M-16 is collecting dust, he reads Dickens and Cervantes instead of watching NASCAR with the grunts, and the only piece of Army intelligence he really shows an interest in is the mess hall menu. Gooding works in the base’s public affairs office, furiously tapping out press releases that put a positive slant on the latest roadside bombing or strategic blunder before CNN can break the real story. Another soldier who would spend every day at the FOB if he could is Captain Abe Shrinkle, but unfortunately for him he’s a front-line officer, in charge of a platoon of troops. Abe trembles at any encounter with the enemy and hoards hundreds of care packages, brimming over with baby wipes, foot powder, and erotic letters from bored housewives. When Shrinkle makes a series of ill-judged tactical decisions, he ends up in front of his commanding officers, and Gooding has his work cut out trying to make everything smell like roses--and that’s just the start of the bad news.

Divine Intervention the real source of Binders Full of Women

Meme seen on Binders Full of Women Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/bindersfullofwomen/?ref=ts&fref=tscaption

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meme: Romney still uses binders?

Meme from Kaili Joy Gray at Daily Kos

From tonight's debate:

CROWLEY: Governor Romney, pay equity for women?

ROMNEY: Thank you. And important topic, and one which I learned a great deal about, particularly as I was serving as governor of my state, because I had the chance to pull together a cabinet and all the applicants seemed to be men.

And I — and I went to my staff, and I said, "How come all the people for these jobs are — are all men." They said, "Well, these are the people that have the qualifications." And I said, "Well, gosh, can't we — can't we find some — some women that are also qualified?"

ROMNEY: And — and so we — we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet.

I went to a number of women's groups and said, "Can you help us find folks," and they brought us whole binders full of women.

Mitt has "binders full of women" -- and they're priced to sell!

Funniest line of this debate night -- Mitt Romney's "binders full of women" comment. Read more at Meg's Place: http://cognitivedissonance.tumblr.com/post/33752141771/i-still-cant-get-over-the-binders-full-of-women

This just in -- health care is a commie plot

Clueless in Montana (from the Button Valley Bugle)