Me and MyAmigo

We cruise through the Cheyenne grocery store like angels on the wing. We ride MyAmigo scooters, tidy charged-up EVs that transports you through the valley of soft drinks and into the foothills of baking supplies and to the mountaintop of the candies you crave but say you’re buying for the grandkids who never visit. We greet other grayhairs as we pass, josh about drag racing down the aisle at 3.521 mph. I round a corner and encounter Floyd Lopez in his own MyAmigo and we adjourn to Starbuck’s for coffee and talk about Spanish declensions. I insist it’s MiAmigo and he agrees but argues that my idea will make no sense to the majority of Anglo geezers like me. He says that “MyAmigo” is the perfect Spanglish term. “Pancho used it all the time on The Cisco Kid.”

Caffeinated and informed, we return to our respective routes. We try to avoid returning to the other end of the store for items left off the list somehow. That drops the MyAmigo charge to dangerous levels, causes us to seek out a staffer to transfer us and the groceries to a fully-charged EV if one is available and not in the hands of another retiree who breezes around the store as if there was no tomorrow as there may not be. Most shoppers avoid eye contact. What we need is on top shelves. Elders who walk upright ask if they can help. Young couples too, guys in middle age who just got off work and we remind them of their parents tooling around a store in Case Grande or Fort Myers.

Check-out is odd. Cashiers are nice but young ones especially try not to look at you, as if grayness is catching. They hope you will not pay in bills and small change, or labor over a check, or redeem too many coupons clipped out of the Wednesday print ads. They move you right along as they don’t want any repeats of the old lady who yelled about how the leaking deli chicken got all over the muffins. The baggers ask to help you out but you lack any small bills and the kids won’t usually take tips but you never know. You cheat a bit by scooting outside into the lot even though the cart’s label reads “indoor use only.” Some people stop to help as you load groceries into the trunk. Some days you need it. The snow comes down, bitter winds blow. Once I forgot my gloves and it took too long to unload; spent 15 minutes in front of the car’s heater to defrost the claws of my fingers.

I drive home through the blowing snow. My son unloads my haul at home. It's done.

In Memoriam: Stevon Lucero

Sad news arrived from Denver today. Stevon Lucero, the Chicano artists who I profiled in a Oct. 29  WyoFile story and linked here, passed away Nov. 28. He was 71. 

Lucero was a mentor to generations of Latino artists in Denver and around the West. He grew up in Laramie, attended UW, and then moved his family to Denver to pursue and art career. He helped found the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council in Denver. CHAC was instrumental in transforming Denver's Santa Fe Drive from a downtown shortcut into a certified Colorado Creative District lined with galleries, museums, and studios.

CBS Channel 4 noted Lucero's death with a feature today. In it, Arlette Lucero says this about the husband:

"He would take young artists under his wings and tell them the beautiful things about themselves, to bring them into the fold."

Poet and performer Adrian Molina (a.k.a. Molina Speaks), another Wyoming artist now living in Denver, teamed up with Lucero to build one of the immersive exhibits at the new Meow Wolf arts outpost in downtown Denver. Called the "Indigenous Futures Dreamscapes Lounge," it brought to life dreams and visions Lucero experienced over the years. Lucero painted the dreamscapes, and Molina recorded the soundscapes and videos. It fit right in with Meow Wolf Denver's theme of Convergence Station, "the convergence of four different dimensions." 

Family members have started a GoFundMe page to help defray funeral expenses.

Molina, quoted in the Channel 4 piece, said this: 

“Stevon became one of my best friends. A humble genius, a visionary. He’s an elder who’s deeply respected, and he taught me so much about life and about art over the last few years. His mission was to put God back into art, to bring the spirit and that was his meta-realism.

“It was a joy to paint with the master, and be in his presence every day."

R.I.P. Stevon.

Saturday morning round-up: Of betrayal, downed tree limbs and fractured history

BREAKING: Trump still president. the world mourns (and guffaws)

ON "THE KEEPERS" AND BETRAYAL: I have been trying to write about the Netflix docuseries "The Keepers" for the past week. I've written plenty but can't seem to plumb my true feelings on betrayal and the Catholic Church. In 1969, was a Baltimore nun murdered because she threatened to expose a priest and his police buddies for their sexual abuse of students at a Catholic girls school? I don't know the answer, as I've seen only two episodes of "The Keepers" and may not watch the remaining five. I have watched other true crime shows such as "The People vs. O.J., Simpson" and "Amanda Knox." I read hard-boiled detective novels by the score. "Chinatown" is one of my favorite movies. Want to talk about betrayal? "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown." The Keepers" has affected me in a strange way. The murder took place in the year I graduated from a Catholic high school. I recognize the nuns and priests and female students from their photos in the school annual. I know how we respected and feared the nuns and priests. I know the heavy hand of the hierarchy that raised me and how it still operated when dogged reporters blew the lid off of the Boston clergy abuse scandals (as seen in "Spotlight"). It could have happened at my school. It didn't, as far as I know. But that's only as far as I know. Forget it, Mike, it's not Chinatown -- it's the Catholic Church.

AFTER THE DELUGE: Note to the City of Cheyenne -- I still have tree limbs out front waiting to be picked up and shredded. The limbs came down in the big May 18-19 snowstorm, which dumped three feet of heavy, wet snow. Three big limbs detached from my elm. With a handsaw, I cut them into shorter lengths and dragged them to my front yard. Now I hear that the city may not get to them for several more weeks. The brush piles will make nice birthing centers for local rabbits. My cat already seeks shelter there and birds land and perch. I may soon turn it into a public work of art. If that happens, you won't be able to touch it due to my artistic license, which never expires.

BOOKS AND HISTORY: If you think our politics are dysfunctional, you should read history. Reading is FUN-damental. Tell that to our president. I am reading "The Proud Tower" by Barbara Tuchman. The subtitle, "A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914," speaks volumes. The world was a mess before The Great War and possessed all of the elements that led us into the carnage of 1914-1918. Even though the book is packed with names and details and is a bit daunting at times, tension trembles on each page because we know what is coming. The world sets up its own disaster. It is traumatized by the results. We know the antiwar poetry of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. But what propelled these British gentlemen to march off to battle, go home for shell-shock treatment, and then return, even when they suspected what the end would be? We are combative mammals that, apparently, never learn. If you think that we do, watch "War Machine" on Netflix. This recounts the reasons that we still are in Afghanistan, the "graveyard of empires."

DANCIN' ON THE PLAZA: Last night, Chris and I hung out at Depot Plaza with other music lovers to hear sounds from Soul-X and JJ and Wilito's Final Touch. Great music -- and free. Fun to dance to. We especially liked the Santana set by Final Touch. I moved around while Chris actually danced because she can. It was dark, so I felt secure that the crowd was not watching me but intent on the fine musicians on the lighted stage. This is summer, stuff we eagerly await all fall and winter and spring. Thanks to the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle for sponsoring Soul-X. Thanks for the organizers of the Cheyenne Hispanic Festival for bringing in Final Touch and other bands that will play at the plaza today. And thanks to the beer vendors, who staffed taps for the usual suspects and ones for Modelo, Stone IPA and New Belgium Watermelon/Lime ale.  Variety -- that's the ticket. I still have some beer tickets. See you next Friday.

"No Human is Illegal" the theme of Cheyenne May Day march

Front page of this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

The WTE second-page jump header quoted Rev. Rodger McDaniel over a photo of me. This struggle is biblical in many ways. Love thy neighbor as oneself. Stuff like that. 

Artwork and protest signs complement each other at the May Day March in the Depot. The multimedia piece in the foreground is CylieAnn Erickson's "Executive Order 13769."

I was one of a hundred-plus souls who came out on a rainy Monday for the May Day March to Keep Families Together in Cheyenne.

Organized by Juntos, the march protested Trump & Company's cruel attempts to demonize people from Mexico or anywhere south of the border. Put it together with Trump's attempted Muslim ban and you have a set of racist policies that deserve protesting.

Juntos enlisted the arts as part of its rally. One of the organizers, Gonz Serrano, read his poetry to the crowd as it sought shelter post-march in the Cheyenne Depot. A high school mariachi band played. Laramie artist Adrienne Vetter worked with Juntos organizers to stage an art show. The arts both personalize and magnify the cause.

Before the poetry and music came the march. The goal was to carry a letter, signed by organizers, to Gov. Matt Mead. His HQ resides at the other end of  Capitol Ave., the route  followed by most marches in Cheyenne. Rally at the Depot Plaza and walk eight blocks to the capitol, usually with a police escort. The capitol complex will be under construction for three years. So we visited the governor at his temp HQ at the old Schraeder Funeral Home quarters on the corner of 24th and Carey.

A delegation, led by Juntos Director Antonio Serrano, left the march and walked inside to deliver the letter to the Gov. They returned a few minutes later with the news that the Gov was in meetings all day and couldn't meet with them. The crowd was not pleased. Since the goal was peaceful protest and not civil disobedience, we turned around and walked back to the Depot.

A sound system had been set up on the Depot stage. But rain and a bit of hail forced us inside. I pondered the largest artwork in the exhibit. CylieAnn Erickson's multi-media piece, "Executive Order 13769," featured a human-sized Statue of Liberty behind a chain-link fence. The artist had included cutouts of newspaper headlines on the subject. It included a snake-like lamp jutting from the panel far enough that I almost bonked my head on it. It appeared that the lamp worked and was meant to illuminate the assemblage.

Writers attempt to comprehend the deeper meanings behind an event, and not always successfully. Marches like this were held all over on this May Day. L.A. had a huge crowd with reps from more than 100 organizations and unions, including the Screen Actors Guild, which may go on strike soon. Why should I care about a Hollywood screenwriter making a lot more money than I ever did as a writer? Because they are fellow humans trying to make a living in an economic system that does not care if you live or die. You must fight for it. Just as these immigrants are doing. ICE agents bust into their homes and haul away family members. Schoolkids taunt Hispanic peers. Cruelty abounds. Trump and his minions lead the charge.

The headline on the news clip above speaks of the universal nature of this issue.

Biblical? Shakespearean? Historic? You could describe our current situation with any of those. Or find your own term. We need witnesses. In print. In art. In music.

Call for artists: Juntos Wyoming May 1 exhibit

Here's a call for entries for a May 1 exhibit in Cheyenne that's part of the May Day March to Keep Families Together sponsored by Juntos Wyoming:

ATTENTION! Calling all Artists from all walks of life...painters, writers, poets, photographers, graphic designers, sculptors and dancers to join us May 1. We are want to have an artist exhibit showcasing the struggles immigrants endure, sacrifices and successes through artwork and literature. 

Any artist interested in participating and showcasing their work please contact: adriennevetter@gmail.com with info by April 19. Please include:
-artist name
-name of artwork
-medium of artwork
-is art for sale.

Artists need to arrive with their work and setup between 9-11 a.m. So it can be displayed for the duration of the day. Thank you.

En Espanol:

Nos gustaría invitarles a todos a nuestra marcha anual! Este año, es especialmente importante que se presente y se mantenga firme en contra de aquellos que harían daño a nuestras comunidades de inmigrantes. 

Únase a nosotros mientras luchamos para mantener a las familias juntas, en Wyoming.
¡Póngase en contacto con nosotros para ver cómo puede ser voluntario para ayudar!  

Juntos (Together).

P.S. If you have some lightweight display walls you can lend Juntos for this exhibit, please comment below or message me on Facebook.

U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera speaks about poetry and migration April 21 in Jackson

This news just came in from the Wyoming Arts Council Literary News e-mail blast: 

Presenting U.S. Poet Laureate: Juan Felipe Herrera 

Friday, April 21, 7–9 p.m.  

Center for the Arts, 265 S Cache St, Jackson, WY 83001  

The first Mexican-American U.S. Poet Laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera, presents “Because We Come from Everything: Poetry and Migration.” In 2015, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington appointed Herrera the 21st U.S. Poet Laureate. Herrera grew up in California as the son to migrant farmers, which shapes much of his work. A Washington Post article tells the story that “As a child, Herrera learned to love poetry by singing about the Mexican Revolution with his mother, a migrant farmworker in California. Inspired by her spirit, he has spent his life crossing borders, erasing boundaries and expanding the American chorus.”  

Tickets available APRIL 3. 

FMI: http://jhcenterforthearts.org/. Box office: 307-733-4900.

Hell's bells, it's Wild West Week

Photo from the Wyoming State Archives shows downtown Cheyenne's Mayflower Cafe during Frontier Days sometime around the late-1940s. 

"Hell's bells, it's Wild West Week."

That's what Slim tells Sal Paradise in "On the Road" when he realizes he's landed in Cheyenne Frontier Days. It's 1947 and CFD reputedly was a bit wilder. It might have even been Cheyenne Day, that mid-week extravaganza when everyone gets out of work at noon. Bars are open, the streets are closed, and the beer is flowing freely. Those post-war CFD participants at "Wild West Week" were feeling their oats. The war was over, they were alive and felt so damn good that they weren't freezing in the Hurtgen Forest or rotting in the Bouganville jungle that they rose their horses into the Mayflower Cafe. That actually happened, or that's how local lore tells it. Tanked-up cowboys riding horses into bars. Jack Kerouac was here and on his way to Denver's LoDo before it had a fancier title than Skid Row. Seattle may have coined that term -- Skid Row after Skid Road -- but Denver perfected it. Larimer Street better known then for bums and seedy bars than hipsters and swank bistros.

Chris and I left work at noon on Cheyenne Day and made our way to a closed-off Capitol Avenue. The beer flowed freely yet I saw nary a cowboy on horseback except the mechanical one on the Wrangler sign on Lincolnway. There was music and beer over on Depot Plaza. A spacious stage was set up on the big alley on Capitol between 16th and 17th streets. Technical problems forced the bands out of the alley and out onto the street onto a tiny stage the size of my car. But the bands played on, as they do in tough circumstances. The Burroughs from Greeley is a nine-piece funk and soul band with a cool horn section. They shoe-horned themselves on the stage and played a fine set of original music. In the midst of that, they slowed things down with some John Lennon. I'd never seen this band before. Where have you guys been keeping yourselves? NoCo venues, to judge from their web site.

Hell's bells -- Alysia Kraft leads The Patti Fiasco during Cheyenne's "Rock the Block" concert.

The Cheyenne DDA/Main Street org arranged this event which it dubbed "Rock the Block." DDA contracted with four very good bands to play downtown which, in turn, was designed to lure residents and tourists downtown. To judge from the crowds, it was successful. The audience for The Burroughs was modest, but things picked up for The Patti Fiasco which has its roots in southwest Wyoming. Lead singer/guitarist Alysia Kraft is from Encampment in Carbon County and the band formed in Laramie before moving to Fort Collins. Alysia spends a lot of her time in Austin these days, which is the way of things. Her mom staffed the merch table at the concert. She also was the first to get up and dance to some of TPF's better-known songs, such as "Wyoming is for Lovers" and "Small Town Lights."

Chris and I decamped for a local backyard party that also featured a live band. We saw some old friends, quaffed a few beers and then returned downtown in time to catch the last four songs by the Josh Abbott Band. By that time, the technical problems had been fixed and a packed crowd was rocking out to the tunes of the headliner. Not sure if it was country or red-dirt music or what, but the band was tight. The mostly-young crowd was enjoying it, some even singing along. I point out the age of the crowd because I notice that these days. It matters who is coming out to see your shows. At 64, I may have been the oldest person there. I recognized few of my peers in the crowd. I wondered who they were. Locals or tourists or both? If locals, how come I never see these people at other music events? They aren't attending Fridays on the Plaza concerts or Cheyenne Guitar Society offerings or the symphony. There is something about a summer outdoor event that features good music and alcohol. Arts presenters can learn something from this, if they haven't already.

Chris and I finished our Cheyenne Day by wandering over to the Depot Plaza. A soul band from Denver performed contemporary pop tunes and some oldies from the soul catalog and the disco era. This crowd was a surprise, as it was heavily Latino/a and black. That's unusual in our 93-percent-white state. Cheyenne, which has a better ethnic mix than most in WYO, draws mainly older and white audiences for Depot Plaza concerts, even when the band is hip and ethnic. Maybe there were reunions going on, as often happens during CFD. Cheyenne has an active NAACP chapter and several historically black churches. Warren AFB brought many urbanites to Cheyenne who liked it and stayed. Alas, we usually don't see each other at public events. Maybe Cheyenne Day is the draw, or CFD.

Today is Saturday, the second-to-last day of CFD. Chris and I volunteer tonight at the Old-Fashioned Melodrama in the Historic Atlas Theatre. Volunteering -- another CFD tradition. Another Shay family tradition.

See you tonight at the Atlas!

Sunday morning round-up

Half-awake on a January morning, I hear a lawnmower and think of summer. Then I'm fully awake and realize that my neighbor is clearing the ten inches of overnight snow with his snowblower.  The warmth of summer stays with me until I throw off the covers and begin the process of going to work on a winter morning. Certain sounds can recreate a July day. The whine of a lawnmower. The rumble as my neighbor Mike starts up his Harley. The hum of traffic from I-25 when a west wind blows. The shrieks of children playing. The drone of a small plane as it takes off from our neighbor, the airport. Dogs bark, doves coo. Late at night, I can hear that lonesome train whistle blow. The windows are wide open (no air conditioning) and the world comes in.

Javier Gamboa, Wyoming Democratic Party communications manager, wrote a thoughtful Fourth of July essay about his undocumented status and why immigration reform is crucial. It's one thing to stand on a Murrieta, California, road and yell epithets at Salvadoran children. It's yet another to actually know and work with someone who travelled the same hard road. Javier was 11 when he came to Wyoming from Mexico. He learned the language, graduated from high school and UW and now criss-crosses the state on behalf of Dem candidates. Read Javier's essay here. And then e-mail Rep. Cynthia Lummis and demand that she and her fellow Know Nothings get their butts in gear on immigration.   

So glad that I had a chance to see 1776 the movie on TCM Friday afternoon. I sat down with a turkey sandwich and switched on the tube, wondering if there wasn't some quirky, melodramatic 1940s film to pass the time between bites. Instead I got 1776, which I'd never seen, not on the stage nor on the screen. The film was released in 1972, when I was 21. Those hot and argumentative days of 1776 in Philly seemed a long way from those hot and argumentative days of summer 1972. Forty-some years later, the heat and the arguments only seem to be getting worse. But that's American history. Heat and light, substance and folly -- it's all there, if you only know where to look. Don't bother with school textbooks. All the life has been squeezed out of the stories you read about in fourth grade. Right-wing zeolots want to turn our founding fathers into cardboard saints. We lefties treat them as dysfunctional parents. In 1776, we see Franklin and Adams and Jefferson as humans. That was refreshing in its day and still is. Here's a Popwatch columnist writing about ten reasons to watch 1776 in 2014.

A final Fourth of July weekend note.... my garden, decimated by hail two weeks ago, is showing signs of recovery. My Homeslice tomato plant was sliced up by marbles of ice. One lone stem with one lone leaf  remained, but now another is growing out below. My Early Girl tomato is blooming and has at least one tiny green tomato showing. The season has been delayed but with a little TLC and a lot less hail, I will have veggies yet.

Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Dolores Huerta is keynote speaker at Dem convention

I am a delegate to the Wyoming Democratic Party state convention in Rock Springs.

I had to fight hard for the convention spot. Really, all I had to do was show up for the county convention and sign my name to a statement that said something like "I swear to (insert here the name of spiritual entity or higher power or, if atheist, "none of the above") _____________ that I will show up in Rock Springs May 16-17 for the Democratic Party convention, will participate in the proceedings and will not nap in my seat. Amen."

That was it.

A much different experience than that very exciting presidential election year in 2008. Dems in Laramie County duked it out for a spot at the state convention. We even had to make convincing speeches from the floor and get voted on. I was elected as an Obama delegate, my wife Chris as a Clinton alternate. This turned her even more surly than she'd been all through the early primary season as it became clear that the unknown male senator from Chicago was getting the upper hand on Hilary, the party favorite. It was a long election season in the Shay household. Wyoming did send some Clinton delegates to the national convention in Denver, although Chris wasn't one of them. I attended as an embedded blogger, stirring up trouble wherever I could.

Wyoming Dems may not have many elected officials to show for our efforts. But we do have cameraderie. We will be among friends in Rock Springs and a fine time will be had by all. And the keynote speaker is fantastic. From the Wyoming Dems Facebook page:

There are four elementary schools in California, one in Fort Worth, Texas, and a high school in Pueblo, Colorado named after Dolores Huerta.

She was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in March of 2013. She has received numerous awards: among them The Eleanor Roosevelt Humans Rights Award from President Clinton in l998, Ms. Magazine’s One of the Three Most Important Women of l997, Ladies Home Journal’s 100 Most Important Woman of the 20th Century, The Puffin Foundation’s Award for Creative Citizenship: Labor Leader Award 1984, The Kern County Woman of The Year Award from the California State Legislature, The Ohtli Award from the Mexican Government, The Smithsonian Institution – James Smithson Award, and nine honorary doctorates from universities throughout the U.S.

In 2012 President Obama bestowed Dolores with her most prestigious award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S. Upon receiving this award, Dolores said, “The freedom of association means that people can come together in organization to fight for solutions to the problems they confront in their communities. The great social justice changes in our country have happened when people came together, organized, and took direct action. It is this right that sustains and nurtures our democracy today. The civil rights movement, the labor movement, the women’s movement, and the equality movement for our LGBT brothers and sisters are all manifestations of these rights. I thank President Obama for raising the importance of organizing to the highest level of merit and honor.”

FOR MORE INFO: http://tinyurl.com/pf9dsao
READ HER FULL BIOGRAPHY: http://tinyurl.com/n9nue5k

Demographic shifts spell doom for GOP, but not in Wyoming

Why are these aging white guys laughing?

This comes from Reader Supported News:

Pew Research Center Director Andrew Kohut had this to say following the release of a survey last Wednesday that showed support for the GOP tanking among college-educated, young and non-white voters:

"The Republicans really are the party of white people, and especially older white people," Kohut told reporters as the poll was released. "They've done nothing in this campaign to make themselves be more favorably viewed" among other parts of the electorate.

Republican strategists such as Karl Rove keep arguing that the Republican Party needs to find ways to reach out to other demographic groups, particularly Latinos.

The example of what could happen if the party does not do so is California, where the GOP became alienated from Latinos just as their voting percentage began to rise rapidly. Over the last five election cycles, California has moved from being a swing state to being one of the most solidly Democratic states in the country.

Republicans don't face that sort of dire situation nationwide, in part because the nation's demographics differ from California's. Whites without a college degree form a much larger percentage of the voting population nationwide, and that group has become a bastion for the Republicans. But as the country becomes less white and more college-educated, the picture is changing. And the numbers in the Pew survey provide some bad omens for the GOP. 

Latinos, for example, view the Republican Party unfavorably by a 2-1 margin (30% favorable, 60% unfavorable). By contrast, Latinos view the Democrats favorably, 56%-31%. The picture among Americans under 30 is almost as negative, with 34% viewing the GOP favorably, while 53% have an unfavorable view. Their view of Democrats is almost the exact opposite, 54% have a positive view, and 35% negative. 

Among those with a college degree or more, only 31% said they had a favorable view of the Republicans, while 66% were unfavorable. That group, which was a key to Barack Obama's victory in 2008, views Democrats favorably by 55%-42%. 

No chance any time soon that Wyoming will waver from its Republican voting patterns. The state is 91 percent white and is aging rapidly. Until serious cohort replacement takes place, it's the Democrats who are doomed in The Equality State.

Cranky Old White People Magazine says: Come to Wyoming!

The National Conference of State Legislatures has compiled a Legislator Demographic Map for each state. I looked up the Wyoming map and found it very interesting. Not horribly depressing but pretty darn close. I also found some inaccuracies.

As far as ethnicity, the NCSL site lists our legislature as 97 percent Caucasian and 2 percent Latino. O.K., I know the 2 percent of Latinos: brothers Floyd and Ken Esquibel of Cheyenne.It's kind of funny that I know the only ethnic legislators in the state. Often I am at the same meeting with them, as they are both Democrats (no surprise).

Therein lies the problem. What happened to our lone African-American Legislator, Jim Byrd of Cheyenne? Since there are 90 legislators, Jim's African-Americanness makes up one-ninetieth of this august body. That makes the legislature at least 1 percent black. Now here's another problem: Patrick Goggles is Native American and a a rep from Fremont County. That makes the legislature at least 1 percent Native American.

Both Jim and Patrick are Democrats, of course. So let's add this up. Latino: 2 percent. African-American-American: 1 percent. Native American: 1 percent. That makes 4 percent ethnic and 96 percent Caucasian. Hey NCSL -- time to hire some real researchers!

Four of 14 Democratic legislators represent minorities in this very white state. That's 29 percent. Not bad in a state that is 91 percent white (U.S. Census stats show that 86 percent of the population is white non-Hispanic). In case you're keeping score, the Republican Party representation in the legislature is all white. 100 percent.

But that's just the beginning of the problem.

The NCSL lists Wyoming's gender make-up as 94 percent and 16 percent female. That's 110 percent, as in "My team gave 110 percent today." Even my own math-challenged self can see that this doesn't add up. I am beginning to lose faith in the NCSL.

Here are the real numbers: There are now 13 non-men in the legislature. There were 14 but one (Lisa Shepperson) just resigned. So you could say that the legislature is (was) 16 percent non-men and 84 percent men. Three of the 13 remaining are Democrats. That makes 21 percent of the legislature's Democratic Party representation as female. That's still better than the 13 percent female percentage in the Republican camp.

You can now see why Wyoming legislative sessions have become so bat shit crazy.

That's just the beginning. If the NCSL numbers can be trusted (do you have any doubt at this point?), fully 34 percent of our legislators are 65 and older. There has been some speculation that at least some of these senior Republican members are living part of the year (winter?) in Arizona retirement communities. If this is true throughout the West, you can begin to see why Arizona is so bat shit crazy.

The Wyoming Legislature does have some younger members. Fifty-one percent of its members are 50-64 years old. This is roughly the age of the Baby Boomer generational cohort, the ones who have brought such balance and civility to politics. Within it you find such moderating influences as Rick Perry ("Secede!"), Michelle Bachmann, Rand Paul, David Duke, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, etc. Democrats don't have the same track record on extremists, unless you want to go back to the sixties. Even Al Sharpton has mellowed out. Safe to say that there are wackos in this age group all over the political spectrum but mostly on the Right.

However, there is one statement that can be made about this age group: it is not on the cutting edge of anything. Once you hit 60, you are looking toward retirement. Most of your prejudices and priorities are set in stone. Often you are stone-like in your approach to politics. And not like a rolling stone.

So, 85 percent of our legislators are 50 or over. Most of them are white. Most of them are men. Most of them are very conservative.

A pattern is emerging. Stats in our neighboring states aren't much better. National totals are a bit better but not by much.

No wonder we're in trouble.

Our legislative bodies do not reflect the population.

How can we change it? I would say go out and vote. But many of our state legislators come from very conservative districts and usually there is nobody running on the Dem side. So if I tell people in Big Horn County to get out there and vote, the lone Repub on the ballot will just get more votes.

More bad news: a legislative committee is finishing up redistricting as we speak. Repubs have a veto-proof majority in the legislature now. They outnumber Dems 76-14. Are they after a bigger majority?

You could say that Democrats could do a better job in recruiting and funding candidates. Go ahead, say it. I have, many times. But I ain't running. I've worked for many fine Democratic candidates who were superior in every way to their Republican opposition. They were all trounced. The exception is Dave Freudenthal who was often accused of being a DINO (Democrat in Name Only). But at least he was that. Imagine the conversation that this Thermopolis boy had with himself: I yearn for a career in politics. I want to stay in my home state. Democrats are as popular as prairie dogs but not nearly as plentiful. I'll run for Gov as a Democrat. Brilliant! Gov Dave and one of his predecessors, Mike Sullivan, were exceptions to the rule.

In the 2010 election, almost all of the good Democratic candidates fell to the Tea Party onslaught.

Demographics spell doom for Wyoming. Our children have departed in droves. They leave to attend college and find jobs in Austin and Chicago and L.A. But it's not only jobs. They also seek the amenities of big cities and better educations for their children. They also seek cultural diversity which speaks to a more cosmopolitan environment.

Wyoming has many fine things to offer. The arts scene is booming, especially in Cheyenne, Casper and Jackson. If you love the outdoors, there is no finer place than Wyoming. Our unemployment rates is one of the lowest in the U.S., although most of those jobs are in the oil and gas fields and service industries. Cranky Old White People Magazine always lists Wyoming as one of the best places to retire if you're a cranky old white person. Taxes are low. You can carry guns in public. Tea Party rallies galore. And you have lots of people just like you in the state legislature.

Young people, even if you're white and cranky, don't really want to be around a bunch of cranky old white people.

When it's time to retire, my wife and I will seek warmer climes. We may go to Florida or Arizona, but not  just so we can live in a gated community with a lot of conservative knuckleheads. We will go for adventure. We will go for the arts. We will go so we can be around our kids (one in Arizona, one in Florida) and other family members in the southeast and southwest.

Take a look at this legislator demographic map. Despite the errors, it does offer a snapshot on what the populace has elected to allegedly represent our interests. Is this what you want our august elected body to look like for your kids and grandkids?

Stories about ethnic traditions in Wyoming at Laramie County Public Library July 14

Not only did I get a cool tie-dye “One World, Many Stories” T-shirt for joining the library’s summer reading program. I will also receive a cool mug when I’ve read at leats 30 minutes a day for 25 days (done!). Also a bevy of good summer programs at the library. Here’s one:

"One World, Wyoming Stories"

When: Thursday, July 14, 7-8:30 p.m.

Where: Laramie County Library Cheyenne (map)

Description: Annie Hatch, Wyoming Arts Council Folk & Traditional Arts Specialist, and Andrea Graham, Folklorist with the University of Wyoming American Studies Program, will share stories about a variety of ethnic traditions in Wyoming. They’ll also encourage participants to share their own stories. This is held in conjunction with the “One World, Wyoming Stories,” exhibit in the library through August 16. (Adults, Sunflower Room, 3rd floor)

Arizona still in the news for all the wrong reasons

The Daily Show - Aliens vs. Senator
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Arizona's SB1070 anti-immigrant bill was one of the major topics at last week's Netroots Nation conference in Minneapolis.

Arizona was back in the news earlier this week when Rapidly Aging Crank Sen. John McCain alleged that the state's raging wildland fires were caused by "illegal aliens." He may have been referring to undocumented workers from Gdansk or Singapore or even Tralfamadore, but we doubt it. In Arizona, "illegal aliens" or "illegal immigrants" or just "illegals" always refers to Hispanics. McCain is now denying he said such an incendiary thing.

Arizona is in the news this morning. An online activist group has hacked Arizona law enforcement files. Here's part of a press release issued by lulzsecurity.com

We are releasing hundreds of private intelligence bulletins, training manuals, personal email correspondence, names, phone numbers, addresses and passwords belonging to Arizona law enforcement. We are targeting AZDPS specifically because we are against SB1070 and the racial profiling anti-immigrant police state that is Arizona. 

The documents classified as "law enforcement sensitive", "not for public distribution", and "for official use only" are primarily related to border patrol and counter-terrorism operations and describe the use of informants to infiltrate various gangs, cartels, motorcycle clubs, Nazi groups, and protest movements. 

 Every week we plan on releasing more classified documents and embarassing personal details of military and law enforcement in an effort not just to reveal their racist and corrupt nature but to purposefully sabotage their efforts to terrorize communities fighting an unjust "war on drugs".  

Hackers of the world are uniting and taking direct action against our common oppressors - the government, corporations, police, and militaries of the world. See you again real soon! ;D

This is a new -- and possibly dangerous -- escalation in the war against some of the nutcase legislation that has been issuing from state legislatures. Anti-immigrant legislation has been very popular after SB1070. Right-wingers tried to ram through a bill in the most recent Wyoming Legislature. It failed.

I don't have the skills to be a hacker. I thought that wingnut trolls might want to know that. However, we all need to come up with new and subversive ways to reverse the Radical Right tide. It's a big Internet and it awaits our creativity.

History of Latinos and Latinas in Wyoming celebrated in new mural

This is very timely, considering what's happening in Arizona:

On Saturday, May 1, Paredes Hablando - Walls That Speak, will be unveiled by La Radio Montenesa Voz de la Gente KOCA in Laramie. The mural by Stevon Lucero commemorates Latinas and Latinos in Wyoming.

There will be an 11 a.m. luncheon followed at 1:30 p.m. by the unveiling of the mural, with an Artist's Talk by Stevon Lucero, “The Unyielding Process of Chicano Art.” All events at the Alice Hardy Stevens Center, 603 E. Ivinson Ave., Laramie. At 5 p.m., there will be a screening of a film by Yolanda Cruz, 2501 Migrantes, about a population of a town in Mexico that has been forced to leave to find work.

Info: Connie, 742-2842 cocaj58@aol.com

A white middle-aged Mid-America voter hitches a ride on the 2010 Obama Express

This comes from the Fox News web site:

President Obama left white, middle-age male voters in his rear-view mirror Monday in launching his first midterm election pitch, calling on "young people, African Americans, Latinos and women" to deliver for Democrats in November.

In a video to supporters, Obama urged those who helped get him elected in 2008 not to abandon Democrats in an election year that is shaping up to take a chunk out of the Democratic majority in Congress.

Every so often I go slumming at Fox News. I especially like this item because I am a white middle-aged voter in Red State Wyoming who should be watching Pres. Obama's 2010 cavalcade disappear into the distance.

But this is more generalization from Fox. Sure, CNN and MSNBC engage in it too, but you always know that Fox stands foursquare against Obama and Progressives. They like to lump white folks together, as if Tom Teabagger and Paul Prog-Blogger were all in the same club.

I worked hard for Obama in 2008. I knocked on doors and made phone calls and blogged my heart out. Am I disappointed in some things that have happened (and not happened) in the past 16 months? Damn straight I am. I wanted a public option in that health care bill. Still do. I want climate change legislation and economic reform. And there is hope that we'll get all that as long as Obama is in the White House and Dems hold some sort of majority in the House and Senate.

I can't imagine John McCain or Mitt Romney or Mike Hucakabee or (God forbid) Sarah Palin in charge. It would be more of the same stuff we saw under George W. Bush from 2001-2009. The Repubs are tired old white guys, mostly Southerners and Westerners, who are scrambling to control a nation that has outgrown them. They are the middle-aged and elderly white folks angrily shaking their fists as Young & Energetic & Ethnically Diverse America drives off into the future.

I will cast my lot with "young people, African-Americans, Latinos and women" for the forseeable future.

I can't imagine it any other way.

Can Latino voters tip balance in Wyoming?

The Washington Post reported today that both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are "aggressively courting Latino voters."

"Make no mistake about it: The Latino community holds this election in its hands," Obama said Sunday at a conference of the National Council of La Raza, one of the nation's largest Latino civil rights groups. "Some of the closest contests this November are going to be in states like Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico -- states with large Latino populations."

"If you have any doubt about whether you can make a difference, just remember how, back in 2004, 40,000 registered Latino voters in New Mexico didn't turn out on Election Day," Obama said Sunday in San Diego. He noted that Democratic candidate John F. Kerry "lost that state by fewer than 6,000 votes -- 6,000 votes."

Despite becoming the nation's largest minority group over the past decade, Hispanics lag behind other groups in voting. According to the Census Bureau, 58 percent of eligible Hispanics were registered to vote in 2004, compared with 75 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 69 percent of blacks.

So, that's a problem. Hispanics may register but, unless highly motivated, won't come out to vote.

While New Mexico and Colorado have large numbers of Hispanic voters, Wyoming's Hispanic population is only 6.4 percent, or about 32,000 people. Say half of those are adults, and only half of them register, that's still 8,000 potential votes for Obama. If two-thirds vote for a Democrat in 2008, that's around 6,000 votes. That's a lot of votes in the least-populated state in the U.S.

Shepard Symposium on Social Justice

The 12th annual Shepard Symposium on Social Justice, "Life at the Margins: Gender, Race and Class in the Global Era," will be held this week at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Once known as "The Symposium for the Eradication of Social Inequality," the event honors the memory of Matthew Shepard, a gay UW student who was murdered in 1998. The symposium steering committee honored Matt’s memory by agreeing to change the name.

Keynote speaker for this year’s symposium is Barbara Martinez Jitner, a scriptwriter and movie director who will give a free public talk Thursday, March 27, at 7 p.m., in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. She’s an executive producer of "American Family," the first Latino family drama on broadcast TV when it debuted on PBS in 2002. As president of El Norte Productions, Jitner is now developing several feature films, including "Bordertown," "Zapata" and "Tattooed Soldier." "Bordertown" (starring Jennifer Lopez) is based on Jitner’s research of the Mexican town of Juarez, where more than 400 women have been murdered.

Among other highlights of the event are:

• Wednesday, March 26, 7-10 p.m., in the Wyoming Union Ballroom -- A hip-hop event featuring Adrian Molina, Flobots and student performances. Visit www.flobots.com.
• Friday, March 28, 5:30 p.m., the annual Cesar Chavez Dinner in the Wyoming Union ballroom.
• Saturday, March 29, noon and 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 30, 10 a.m., the "Keeper of the Fire" Spring Powwow in the UW Fieldhouse.

FMI: Kate Welsh, Shepard Symposium chairperson, 307-766-2013 or kmuir@uwyo.edu.