In 100 years, humans will be on Mars and the U.S. is divided into West Coast "Rim" states (as in "Pacific Rim"), the Union in the northeast, where the U.N. seems to hold sway, and Jesusland, which is basically what coasters now refer to as "flyover country." You state may be a part of Jesusland. Wyoming is, and so are the Rocky Mountain states, the Midwest and -- of course -- Dixie.
This is the future world in Richard K. Morgan's "Thirteen," which in the book cover is rendered as TH1RTE3N. Pretty clever. A "thirteen" is a variant human, one who has been bred with enhanced fighting skills, an overload of testosterone and a shortage of conscience. Because the male population of what used to be the USA has been feminized, there's a need for thirteens to fight wars and kill the infidel. Problem is, when the infidels are gone, the thirteens come home to kill their countrymen/women. Kind of like a swarm of Timothy McVeighs, but with more muscle. So the authorities round up the thirteens and send them to Mars. Carl Marsalis is an exiled thirteen who comes back to Earth and finds work as a detective who tracks down other recalcitrant thirteens and kills various bad guys. Good work if you can get it.
But then he stumbles upon a super-secret plot to breed a new strain of thirteens. But the plotters realize that they need to find a remote place to corral these newbies. It's got to be some place in Jesusland, where the laws are lax and prisons are the growth industry. Guess which state is chosen for the internment camp? Yes, Wyoming. But then the plotters have to cover their tracks so they send in a unit to Wyoming to kill the new breed. Nobody notices because it's Wyoming, deep in Jesusland.
Marsalis stumbles upon this and then has to go after the plotters. His love interest (yes, thirteens can fall in love) is killed by a Haag gun in the process, a weapon with rounds that cause the immune system to fail once they enter the body. Then Marsalis is really pissed. Lots of people die, and most of them deserve it.
The book was a bit long for my tastes. Could have been a 100 pages shorter. But it was a fascinating read. It's interesting how Wyoming has become shorthand for "a wild and desolate place." Not only can two cowboys find a love nest on Brokeback Mountain, far from prying eyes, but a government cabal can stash a bunch of variant humans there and then kill them without anyone noticing. So, not much has changed from the time, 100 years in our past, when Butch Cassidy and his gang robbed trains and then disappeared into Hole-in-the-Wall. I thought Wyoming's energy boom was going to double our population and make it harder for variants to hide out? Burst my bubble.
Philip K. Dick's novel, "The Man in the High Castle," used Wyoming as the lair of the title character. In the novel, the Axis Powers have won World War II (or have they?) and the Japanese run the West Coast (Rim?) and the Germans rule the East Coast. Flyover Country in the Rocky Mountains is once again the site of malcontents and people with strange powers.
Any other books you know that feature Wyoming in this role? Idaho? Montana? I'd put Colorado into the mix, but the remoteness of some of its parts is rendered obsolete by the existence of the sprawling Denver metro area.
What say, readers?
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
What's the frequency, Kenneth?
One of the great things about my job is that I get to drive long distances to go to a meeting and then drive home again. That doesn't sound like a positive thing, does it? But long drives in (sometimes) adverse weather conditions allows me to do some of my favorite things: listen to audiobooks and various far-flung radio stations; watch the weather; marvel at the landscape; and drive.
On Monday's trip from Cheyenne to Casper and back again, I drove through blowing snow, driving rain, and barrages of hail. In the morning, low clouds hugged the ground when I left Cheyenne. I finally emerged into the sun somewhere around Douglas. On the way south in the afternoon, I drove into towering storm clouds that must have been visible from 100 miles away. I swear I saw a funnel cloud dip from the dark trailing edge of the storm. But I could get nothing about tornadoes on the radio. The ink-dark wedge-shaped cloud must have been my imagination.
Wyoming Public Radio now has its signals all around the state. When I moved to Wyoming in 1991, you were lucky to get a signal once you left town. Now transponders across the state beam WPR into your car even when you're somewhere between Jeffrey City and Rawlins.
So, on Monday's trip, I tuned into Morning Music on WPR and then over to Progressive Radio out of Denver or Boulder or Aurora or one of those places in Colorado's Front Range Metroplex. Jay Marvin is on early in the morning, followed by Ed Schultz. Mr. Schultz recently got more than his allotted 15 minutes of fame when he called Sen. John McCain a warmonger at a North Dakota political rally. Repubs got all crazy when they heard it. How could John "We'll Be in Iraq for 100 Years" McCain be considered a warmonger? How could the man who once opposed torture now be in favor of it? How could the point man of the "Straight Talk Express" now be talking out of his ass when it comes to Iraq? How could the guy who supports Bush's war effort 110 percent be called a warmonger?
On Schultz's Monday morning show, caller after caller supported the talk show host. Don't apologize to anyone, they said. Stand by your guns! Schultz urged those who thought he was wrong to call McCain a warmonger to call him up and say so. A great silence was heard across the land. Not a single wingnut called to lambaste Schultz. Maybe they did later, once I tuned into my audiobook, "FUBAR." Brought to us by the folks at Majority report, "FUBAR" goes into detail about the Rapture Right's plans for our future. As it turns out, the only people with a future are those who have been born again. Liberals -- especially liberal bloggers -- will spend eternity in a lake of fire. Before the Rapture, we will be treated to life as imagined by Pat Robertson and his ilk. A land where birth control and free speech and libraries will be forbidden. In other words, hell on earth. The lake of fire might be the preferred alternative.
After awhile, I just had to tune in some R.E.M. or Wilco or Bruce and just mellow out. Watch the snow come swirling out of the dark clouds. And drive.
On Monday's trip from Cheyenne to Casper and back again, I drove through blowing snow, driving rain, and barrages of hail. In the morning, low clouds hugged the ground when I left Cheyenne. I finally emerged into the sun somewhere around Douglas. On the way south in the afternoon, I drove into towering storm clouds that must have been visible from 100 miles away. I swear I saw a funnel cloud dip from the dark trailing edge of the storm. But I could get nothing about tornadoes on the radio. The ink-dark wedge-shaped cloud must have been my imagination.
Wyoming Public Radio now has its signals all around the state. When I moved to Wyoming in 1991, you were lucky to get a signal once you left town. Now transponders across the state beam WPR into your car even when you're somewhere between Jeffrey City and Rawlins.
So, on Monday's trip, I tuned into Morning Music on WPR and then over to Progressive Radio out of Denver or Boulder or Aurora or one of those places in Colorado's Front Range Metroplex. Jay Marvin is on early in the morning, followed by Ed Schultz. Mr. Schultz recently got more than his allotted 15 minutes of fame when he called Sen. John McCain a warmonger at a North Dakota political rally. Repubs got all crazy when they heard it. How could John "We'll Be in Iraq for 100 Years" McCain be considered a warmonger? How could the man who once opposed torture now be in favor of it? How could the point man of the "Straight Talk Express" now be talking out of his ass when it comes to Iraq? How could the guy who supports Bush's war effort 110 percent be called a warmonger?
On Schultz's Monday morning show, caller after caller supported the talk show host. Don't apologize to anyone, they said. Stand by your guns! Schultz urged those who thought he was wrong to call McCain a warmonger to call him up and say so. A great silence was heard across the land. Not a single wingnut called to lambaste Schultz. Maybe they did later, once I tuned into my audiobook, "FUBAR." Brought to us by the folks at Majority report, "FUBAR" goes into detail about the Rapture Right's plans for our future. As it turns out, the only people with a future are those who have been born again. Liberals -- especially liberal bloggers -- will spend eternity in a lake of fire. Before the Rapture, we will be treated to life as imagined by Pat Robertson and his ilk. A land where birth control and free speech and libraries will be forbidden. In other words, hell on earth. The lake of fire might be the preferred alternative.
After awhile, I just had to tune in some R.E.M. or Wilco or Bruce and just mellow out. Watch the snow come swirling out of the dark clouds. And drive.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wherever you go, there's Floyd Esquibel
I can't go anywhere in Laramie County without running into Rep. Floyd Esquibel. He's a regular at all the usual Democratic Party meetings and receptions and picnics. In his 12 years as the representative from House District 44, he's served on almost every key committee. So, his face is in the news every other day during the annual session talking about health care and school funding and Real I.D. He's on Governor Freudenthal's Mental Health Advisory Board and the board of the Wyoming Health Council. Not surprisingly, he's a staunch health-care advocate, noting with alarm that 20 percent of the state's population is without health insurance.
I see Floyd often at the public library. He's a dedicated reader -- and also serves on the Laramie County Library board. He's downtown during the summer's Frontier Days parades. I run into him at the city's Super Day celebration and Juneteenth and Cinco de Mayo. He's a big arts supporter, and he and his wife attend the symphony and local theatre productions.
Floyd has just announced that he's running for the state Senate seat in District 8. I'd vote for him in the August primary if I was in his district. But I'm not. Still, if there's an issue that I need info on, he's the one to see. An approachable legislator, which is not a rarity in this state, but also an active participant in the community. So, I'm not imagining the fact that Floyd is everywhere I go -- he really is.
I see Floyd often at the public library. He's a dedicated reader -- and also serves on the Laramie County Library board. He's downtown during the summer's Frontier Days parades. I run into him at the city's Super Day celebration and Juneteenth and Cinco de Mayo. He's a big arts supporter, and he and his wife attend the symphony and local theatre productions.
Floyd has just announced that he's running for the state Senate seat in District 8. I'd vote for him in the August primary if I was in his district. But I'm not. Still, if there's an issue that I need info on, he's the one to see. An approachable legislator, which is not a rarity in this state, but also an active participant in the community. So, I'm not imagining the fact that Floyd is everywhere I go -- he really is.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Matchbox Twenty spurns Frontier Days
The big news in Cheyenne this morning is about Matchbox Twenty cancelling its July 18 Cheyenne Frontier Days concert. The reason, apparently, is that the rodeo at the center of CFD (a.k.a. "Daddy of ‘em All") abuses its animals. I say "apparently" because the only source willing to talk on the record is the animal rights group SHARK – Showing Animals Respect and Kindness. SHARK is the group that filmed a PRC staffer shocking animals in the chutes at last year’s CFD. That caused quite a stir around Cheyenne. CFD is such a sacrosanct institution that even a hint of criticism is seen as heresy. It’s usual response is that it brings millions of dollars in tourist revenue to the city for ten days each July. It does. That doesn’t mean it is beyond criticism and that it shouldn’t be accountable for its actions. It that was the case, well, CFD would be no better than the Bush Administration.
The Matchbox Twenty will be big news in Cheyenne today but will fade away tomorrow. My wife and I were planning on buying tickets. We go to at least one CFD concert each summer. We’re usually involved in the "Old-Fashioned Melodrama" at the Historic Atlas Theatre where I sometimes serve as emcee and Chris volunteers as a waitress. My teen daughter has worked backstage. The melodrama raises lots of money for its sponsor, the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players. Without the tourists that CFD brings in, the theatre group (almost 80 years old) would have to look for another source of funds. It’s only official link with the CFD organization is that the melodrama is featured in the official program and gets a float in the parade. Does the melodrama bear any responsibility for what happens at the rodeo? No. Do I, as a Cheyenne resident, bear any responsibility? Not really, but I do have a voice and a blog and can approach the topic in an open forum. Yes, I’m a flaming liberal with some quirky Western traits. So, I'm not automatically an animal rights activist. I show all my domesticated animals kindness and respect. I don't go to the rodeo. Yet, I grill steaks on my gas grill each summer and cook a mean beef chili for fall football games.
So how far does our responsibility go as citizens? Here’s what SHARK President Steve Hindl said in a press release: "As long as CFD is going to include egregious animal abuse, it will have to find entertainers who simply don’t give a damn about compassion."
That’s a pretty tall order. On its home page, CFD makes statements condemning animal abuse. I bet that most of its committee members do give a damn about compassion. But they definitely don't like the bad publicity. Maybe it's time for them to take a closer look at their policies.
The Matchbox Twenty will be big news in Cheyenne today but will fade away tomorrow. My wife and I were planning on buying tickets. We go to at least one CFD concert each summer. We’re usually involved in the "Old-Fashioned Melodrama" at the Historic Atlas Theatre where I sometimes serve as emcee and Chris volunteers as a waitress. My teen daughter has worked backstage. The melodrama raises lots of money for its sponsor, the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players. Without the tourists that CFD brings in, the theatre group (almost 80 years old) would have to look for another source of funds. It’s only official link with the CFD organization is that the melodrama is featured in the official program and gets a float in the parade. Does the melodrama bear any responsibility for what happens at the rodeo? No. Do I, as a Cheyenne resident, bear any responsibility? Not really, but I do have a voice and a blog and can approach the topic in an open forum. Yes, I’m a flaming liberal with some quirky Western traits. So, I'm not automatically an animal rights activist. I show all my domesticated animals kindness and respect. I don't go to the rodeo. Yet, I grill steaks on my gas grill each summer and cook a mean beef chili for fall football games.
So how far does our responsibility go as citizens? Here’s what SHARK President Steve Hindl said in a press release: "As long as CFD is going to include egregious animal abuse, it will have to find entertainers who simply don’t give a damn about compassion."
That’s a pretty tall order. On its home page, CFD makes statements condemning animal abuse. I bet that most of its committee members do give a damn about compassion. But they definitely don't like the bad publicity. Maybe it's time for them to take a closer look at their policies.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Obama supporters needed for Pa. calls
Do you have a spare hour during the next two weekends to call your Democratic brethren and sistren in Pennsylvania to urge them to vote for Barack Obama in that state's ultra-important primary?
Local Obama coordinator Sara Burlingame invites you to a phonebank on two Saturdays, April 19 and 26, noon-7 p.m., at the Allen Methodist Chapel, 917 W. 21st St., Cheyenne. It's located on 21st just west of Snyder Ave.
To register, go to http://my.barackobama.com/ and click on Find an Event on right sidebar. Enter your zip code, and up comes info about the phone bank. Click on that, register, and you’re in.
See you there....
Local Obama coordinator Sara Burlingame invites you to a phonebank on two Saturdays, April 19 and 26, noon-7 p.m., at the Allen Methodist Chapel, 917 W. 21st St., Cheyenne. It's located on 21st just west of Snyder Ave.
To register, go to http://my.barackobama.com/ and click on Find an Event on right sidebar. Enter your zip code, and up comes info about the phone bank. Click on that, register, and you’re in.
See you there....
Time to get involved in the voting process
Absentee voting began March 27 in Laramie County for the 1 percent Specific Purpose Optional Tax. The turnout should be pretty good as it’s all about the money. We’ll be voting for items large ($55 million Cheyenne recreation center) and small ($60,000 to replace the sprinkler system at the Pine Bluffs cemetery).
This is only the first vote of three this year. Here’s the full schedule from the Laramie County Clerk’s office:
May 6: Specific Purpose Tax Election
May 15-30: Filing period for City, County, and State Offices
July 10: Start Absentee Voting for Primary Election August 6-25 Filing Period for School Board, Community College Trustee, and Special Districts.
August 19: Primary Election
August 22: County Canvassing Board Meets
September 25: Start Absentee Voting for General Election November 4 General Election
November 7: County Canvassing Board meets
If you interested in working at the polls on May 6, August 19 and/or November 4, the county clerk needs election judges. I was a judge for the 2006 elections and it wasn’t exactly a blast but I did have fun and learned a lot. We have four precincts voting at the community house in Lions Park. Judges (a balance of Democrats and Republicans) are trained to give tips on using the electronic touch-screen machines and paper ballots. We keep their eyes out for anything peculiar. We sign of on our precinct’s results and accompany the sealed documents to the county clerk’s office. Judges get trained and paid.
It seems to me that this year's state legislature passed a bill allowing election judges to work four-hour shifts instead of a full -hour day. I'll have to look that up. My jobs allows a day off to work at the polls. On each election day, we get time off to vote. This is not true for everyone. It might be easier for young people and other working people to get four hours off to work at the polls instead of an entire day. You might be tempted to let the retired folks do the work. They already do! They welcome judges and poll watchers and others under 65, even Baby Boomers like me. The last I heard, citizens in the age range 18-65 are allowed to vote and be involved in the election process.
If you're interested, call County Clerk Debbye Lathrop at 307-633-4268.
This is only the first vote of three this year. Here’s the full schedule from the Laramie County Clerk’s office:
May 6: Specific Purpose Tax Election
May 15-30: Filing period for City, County, and State Offices
July 10: Start Absentee Voting for Primary Election August 6-25 Filing Period for School Board, Community College Trustee, and Special Districts.
August 19: Primary Election
August 22: County Canvassing Board Meets
September 25: Start Absentee Voting for General Election November 4 General Election
November 7: County Canvassing Board meets
If you interested in working at the polls on May 6, August 19 and/or November 4, the county clerk needs election judges. I was a judge for the 2006 elections and it wasn’t exactly a blast but I did have fun and learned a lot. We have four precincts voting at the community house in Lions Park. Judges (a balance of Democrats and Republicans) are trained to give tips on using the electronic touch-screen machines and paper ballots. We keep their eyes out for anything peculiar. We sign of on our precinct’s results and accompany the sealed documents to the county clerk’s office. Judges get trained and paid.
It seems to me that this year's state legislature passed a bill allowing election judges to work four-hour shifts instead of a full -hour day. I'll have to look that up. My jobs allows a day off to work at the polls. On each election day, we get time off to vote. This is not true for everyone. It might be easier for young people and other working people to get four hours off to work at the polls instead of an entire day. You might be tempted to let the retired folks do the work. They already do! They welcome judges and poll watchers and others under 65, even Baby Boomers like me. The last I heard, citizens in the age range 18-65 are allowed to vote and be involved in the election process.
If you're interested, call County Clerk Debbye Lathrop at 307-633-4268.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Obama addresses clean coal at Mont. event
This morning's AP story about the Barack Obama rally Saturday in Missoula opened this way:
Sen. Obama said basically the same thing during his speech in Laramie March 7. Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal was in the audience, and it probably pleased him that Obama was speaking about issues important to the West. He has since endorsed Obama for president. We're still trying to figure out cost-effective technology to remove greenhouse gases from coal-burning plants. Let's face it -- we have plenty of coal to burn and just need a crash program to clean or sequester or otherwise render emissions harmless (or a lot less so).
Sen. Obama also talked about other issues important to us dwellers of the Rocky Mountain states. Personal freedoms, for one, and Native American issues, for another. He also talked about his plans to end the Iraq War once he takes office. He can't do that soon enough.
The question remains: can Obama win in MT-UT-ID-WY? He has a much better chance than Hillary, but I fear that the Republicans may take Independents with them into the McBush -- I mean McCain -- camp come November.
Democrat Barack Obama said Saturday he supports environmentally-sound ways to use coal and promised to appoint a high-level adviser on Indian issues if elected president.
Obama acknowledged his support of clean-energy technology might worry voters in a region that produces lots of coal.
"I know Montana's a coal state. My home state, Illinois, is a coal state, but we've got to make sure that we are investing in technologies that capture carbon because we can't sustain the planet the way that we're doing it right now," Obama said, speaking to 8,000 people at a college arena. "Look at this incredible landscape around you. We've got to pass that on."
Sen. Obama said basically the same thing during his speech in Laramie March 7. Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal was in the audience, and it probably pleased him that Obama was speaking about issues important to the West. He has since endorsed Obama for president. We're still trying to figure out cost-effective technology to remove greenhouse gases from coal-burning plants. Let's face it -- we have plenty of coal to burn and just need a crash program to clean or sequester or otherwise render emissions harmless (or a lot less so).
Sen. Obama also talked about other issues important to us dwellers of the Rocky Mountain states. Personal freedoms, for one, and Native American issues, for another. He also talked about his plans to end the Iraq War once he takes office. He can't do that soon enough.
The question remains: can Obama win in MT-UT-ID-WY? He has a much better chance than Hillary, but I fear that the Republicans may take Independents with them into the McBush -- I mean McCain -- camp come November.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Cheyenne mayor to run for third term
Cheyenne Mayor Jack Spiker announced Friday that he's going to run for re-election. If successful, this will be his third term as mayor of Wyoming's capital city. He unseated incumbent Leo Pando in 2000 and breezed to a win in 2004.Will I vote for him? Probably. It's had to argue with his long list of accomplishments. Tops on my list is the new public library (shown in photo), which was okayed five years ago in a special election for the sixth-penny sales tax. The first time the library was on the ballot, it was rejected by county voters (but not by me). The mayor and library director Lucie Osborn went back to the drawing board and came up with a better plan. Many of us were out in force before the election leafleting neighborhoods and talking to voters. My wife, 10-year-old daughter and I spent several Saturdays this way. I walked one neighborhood with the leader of a local home-schoolers coalition. She's a fundamentalist Christian, homeschooling her kids for religious reasons, but can't get that job done without the library. We talked education instead of religion.
The library opened last September during Cheyenne's book festival. It's a beautiful place and it's always busy. A real community center, and recently selected as one of "The USA's Top Ten Libraries" by USA Today.
If that was Spiker's only accomplishment, that would almost be enough for me. But he has a long list, one he outlined yesterday in his "State of the City" address to the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce. According to the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, his theme was "Cheyenne: Community of Choice." Not sure what that means, but it's backed up by an impressive list of items he's checked off on his to-do list.
The city purchased the Belvoir Ranch and its water rights and the Taco John's Events Center (first order of business -- change the name). It built a training center for the city's fire and rescue teams, and now all fire engines carry a paramedic on board. Downtown was renovated with the Cheyenne Depot Plaza and an attractive parking garage. The city coaxed Wal-Mart to build a huge distribution center west of town. Lots of jobs gained in that deal. In 2009, the National Center for Atmospheric Research will start building a supercomputer facility in the North Range Business Park. That will bring some high-level research staff to the city, and quite a bit of national visibility. It probably won't transform Cheyenne into Silicon Valley, but it does signal a shift from service/retail industry jobs to higher-paying R&D jobs.
Houses, schools, and restaurants are being built. Little America, located at the confluence of I-25 and I-80, ain't so little any more. A few weeks ago, I toured its new convention facility and it's spacious and nice and expensive. Spiker and city planners want to transform the corridor between Little America and downtown into "an attractive entrance to Cheyenne." Right now, that entryway is a concrete slab straddled by the railroad on the south side and truck stops and car dealerships on the north. The city wants to dress it up. A new median with trees and Xeriscaping would be a huge improvement. Not much you can do with the railroad, as it's big business in Wyoming. When I drive by, I admire the creative graffiti applied to the train cars by young artists from coast to coast.
There are some bones I have to pick with Mayor Spiker. Why so intent on building the new recreation center? This 17,000-foot, $55 million facility is on the May sixth-penny ballot. I wish the city had worked more closely with the YMCA and privately-owned workout facilities to determined the needs. In his speech yesterday, the mayor bragged about "partnerships." Hizzoner and staff did not seek partnerships in this arena. There are public-private partnerships all over the country between parks & rec departments and YMCAs. I'm a pro-growth guy, but I may vote no on this amenity. As in the first library plan, it needs further refining. (I admit to a bias on this subject because my wife Chris works at the Cheyenne Family YMCA.)
I always am noticing the rough state of the roads in Cheyenne. To be fair, we are just entering the official orange-cone season. I won't mind the detours and delays if the road's getting fixed. I travel around the state a lot during orange-cone season, and delays are inevitable. I'm used to it.
And this past winter, the streets were not cleared promptly. In the Rocky Mountain West, where snowstorms are inevitably followed by sun, we joke that most snow removal is done by the solar method. Many cities depend on it. That's true for Denver and Fort Collins, both cities in Colorado where I've lived through multiple winters. But over-reliance on the solar method of snow removal can be hazardous to your political future. Just ask former Denver Mayor Bill McNichols, a hard-charging progressive mayor who was undone by a blizzard.
All that said, I'm pretty sure I'll vote again for Mayor Spiker. Filing period for candidates is May 15-30. Let's see who his competition turns out to be. Then I'll make up my mind.
Friday, April 04, 2008
The Fix is on to hummingbirdminds
On March 21, Chris Cizzilla of the Washington Post's political blog The Fix, asked readers to nominate their favorite political blogs from each state. The first round of suggestions included such top-notch blogs from the West as Square State from Colorado, 4&20 blackbirds from Montana, and Heath Haussamen from New Mexico. Nothing from Wyoming. Not even a tumbling tumbleweed.
Ten days later, Cizzilla was getting desperate. No nominees yet from Utah, Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas and Wyoming. But on April 1 -- Eureka! -- hummingbirdminds was added to The Fix list.
We're humble. I should say that I'm humble, since this is a one-man show. I'm a writer and a political junkie. I logged on to Blogger in 2001 but didn't make my first post until 2005. I've been at it ever since. I like blogging because it allows me to be writer, editor and publisher of my own work. I've never made a nickel from my blog, but I've ranted a lot -- and made my passions and biases known to the electronic universe. I've never been shy about that. But it does take a bit of recklessness to be a prog-blogger from one of the most conservative states. Maybe I should say one of the most libertarian states in the U.S. Conservatism in the Bush era has been equated more with fundamentalist right-wing dogma that it has with pragmatism. Wyoming has its reactionaries, to be sure, but the majority of people I know in this state are of the live-and-let-live variety. And that's the way I like it.
Here's a toast to those blogs that have shown me the way. Montana's Left in the West and 4&20 Blackbirds. Daily Kos and Crooks & Liars on the national scene. A tip of the hat to Wyoming's new political-oriented blog, wyofile, where my old pals Sam Western of Sheridan and Geoff O'Gara of Lander are plying their opinions.
By the way -- I've applied to be the state blogger for Wyoming at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August. If selected, I'll be embedded with the Wyoming delegation. I'm sure that the WYO delegates from my county will give me grief in my possible new role as esteemed embed. But lest they forget -- I'll be watching their behavior on the streets of Denver. You know how wild those conventioneers can be.
Ten days later, Cizzilla was getting desperate. No nominees yet from Utah, Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas and Wyoming. But on April 1 -- Eureka! -- hummingbirdminds was added to The Fix list.
We're humble. I should say that I'm humble, since this is a one-man show. I'm a writer and a political junkie. I logged on to Blogger in 2001 but didn't make my first post until 2005. I've been at it ever since. I like blogging because it allows me to be writer, editor and publisher of my own work. I've never made a nickel from my blog, but I've ranted a lot -- and made my passions and biases known to the electronic universe. I've never been shy about that. But it does take a bit of recklessness to be a prog-blogger from one of the most conservative states. Maybe I should say one of the most libertarian states in the U.S. Conservatism in the Bush era has been equated more with fundamentalist right-wing dogma that it has with pragmatism. Wyoming has its reactionaries, to be sure, but the majority of people I know in this state are of the live-and-let-live variety. And that's the way I like it.
Here's a toast to those blogs that have shown me the way. Montana's Left in the West and 4&20 Blackbirds. Daily Kos and Crooks & Liars on the national scene. A tip of the hat to Wyoming's new political-oriented blog, wyofile, where my old pals Sam Western of Sheridan and Geoff O'Gara of Lander are plying their opinions.
By the way -- I've applied to be the state blogger for Wyoming at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August. If selected, I'll be embedded with the Wyoming delegation. I'm sure that the WYO delegates from my county will give me grief in my possible new role as esteemed embed. But lest they forget -- I'll be watching their behavior on the streets of Denver. You know how wild those conventioneers can be.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Carter officially announces candidacy today
Gillette's Nick Carter was in town last week to talk to the Laramie County Democrats about his impending candidacy for U.S. Senate. See my March 26 post.
His candidacy is impending no more. Here's why:
Carter is running against Sen. John Barrasso of Casper who was appointed by the Governor to fill out the remaining term of Sen. Craig Thomas, who died in office.
His candidacy is impending no more. Here's why:
Nick Carter will hold a press conference to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Thursday, April 3, 11 a.m., at Wyoming Democratic Party headquarters, 254 N. Center St., Suite 205, in Casper.
Media outside Casper can call in to the press conference. FMI: Linda Stoval, 307-262-0085 or Bill Luckett, 307-473-1457.
Carter is running against Sen. John Barrasso of Casper who was appointed by the Governor to fill out the remaining term of Sen. Craig Thomas, who died in office.
Gov. Freudenthal endorses Sen. Obama
It's not exactly breaking news, but Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president. Freudenthal is a Democrat, one of a long line of Dem govs in this Republican-dominated state, our only statewide elected official with a "D" by his name. The blue-and-white bumper stickers for his 2006 reelection campaign read "Gov Dave." Chalk that up to his long last name which would gobble up valuable truck bumper space. It's also folksier, an even more valuable commodity in Wyoming.
Gov Dave said that he talked with both Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton during their March swings through the state. He was impressed with Obama's grasp of energy and environmental issues. He has witheld his endorsement as a superdelegate for what he said was a lack of attention to Western issues by the candidates.
There's a bigger issue at stake, as the Governor said at yesterday's news conference:
He's the third of five Wyoming superdelegates to declare for Obama.
Gov Dave said that he talked with both Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton during their March swings through the state. He was impressed with Obama's grasp of energy and environmental issues. He has witheld his endorsement as a superdelegate for what he said was a lack of attention to Western issues by the candidates.
There's a bigger issue at stake, as the Governor said at yesterday's news conference:
"The overriding consideration is my belief that Senator Obama constitutes the one candidate in the race who possesses the skills the take this country away from the sort of vicious partisanship and anger that characterizes everything that goes on in Washington, D.C., and has led to essentially a paralysis in this country."
He's the third of five Wyoming superdelegates to declare for Obama.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Booboisie!
My 25-year-old niece Meghan lives in Manhattan and travels the world for Google. She's not a kid but I think of her that way because I've known her since she was a baby. I'm her godfather, too, a title that's meaningful to Catholics, even those (like me) who've strayed far from the confessional and the cathecism.
Meghan received an e-mail from her aunt, her father's sister. It's that scurrilous e-mail that blasts Sen. Obama for the photo where (horrors!) he allegedly doesn't put his hand on his heart and recite the pledge of allegiance. As most bloggers know, the photo was taken at a ceremony where the national anthem was playing. You do not have to place your hand on your heart during those occasions. Still, the Republican Slime Machine is spreading this photo accompanied by the lie that Sen. Obama doesn't believe in the pledge and, besides he's a Muslim, don't you know. The e-mail keeps spreading, which makes you fear for the future of the Republic. H.L. Mencken used to refer to these type of people as the "booboisie." Bill Maher calls them morons.
Anyway, Meghan got steamed by the e-mail and fired back a reply that set the facts straight. Her mother -- my sister in north Florida -- e-mailed me a copy. She's proud of her firey daughter, even though her politics are a bit less liberal. My sister's an Obama supporter, but she's also voted Republican on occasion, something I've never done. We'd all be better served if we fired off responses as Meghan did. There would be fewer scurrilous e-mails. And the booboisie might learn a thing or two.
Lest I get all highfalutin', it's helpful to note that we liberals (even prog-bloggers) have fallen for outrageous claims about those we despise. We can be ridiculous grand-standers too. I believe it was George Carlin who said that the world is a circus and that the great thing about being an American is that we have front-row seats. Mencken might agree. Here's one of his quotes from 1926:
Meghan received an e-mail from her aunt, her father's sister. It's that scurrilous e-mail that blasts Sen. Obama for the photo where (horrors!) he allegedly doesn't put his hand on his heart and recite the pledge of allegiance. As most bloggers know, the photo was taken at a ceremony where the national anthem was playing. You do not have to place your hand on your heart during those occasions. Still, the Republican Slime Machine is spreading this photo accompanied by the lie that Sen. Obama doesn't believe in the pledge and, besides he's a Muslim, don't you know. The e-mail keeps spreading, which makes you fear for the future of the Republic. H.L. Mencken used to refer to these type of people as the "booboisie." Bill Maher calls them morons.
Anyway, Meghan got steamed by the e-mail and fired back a reply that set the facts straight. Her mother -- my sister in north Florida -- e-mailed me a copy. She's proud of her firey daughter, even though her politics are a bit less liberal. My sister's an Obama supporter, but she's also voted Republican on occasion, something I've never done. We'd all be better served if we fired off responses as Meghan did. There would be fewer scurrilous e-mails. And the booboisie might learn a thing or two.
Lest I get all highfalutin', it's helpful to note that we liberals (even prog-bloggers) have fallen for outrageous claims about those we despise. We can be ridiculous grand-standers too. I believe it was George Carlin who said that the world is a circus and that the great thing about being an American is that we have front-row seats. Mencken might agree. Here's one of his quotes from 1926:
I enjoy democracy immensely. It is incomparably idiotic, and hence incomparably amusing. Does it exalt dunderheads, cowards, trimmers, frauds, cads? Then the pain of seeing them go up is balanced and obliterated by the joy of seeing them come down. Is it inordinately wasteful, extravagant, dishonest? Then so is every other form of government: all alike are enemies to laborious and virtuous men. Is rascality at the very heart of it? Well, we have borne that rascality since 1776, and continue to survive. In the long run, it may turn out that rascality is necessary to human government, and even to civilization itself - that civilization, at bottom, is nothing but a colossal swindle. I do not know: I report only that when the suckers are running well the spectacle is infinitely exhilarating.
A Clinton-Barrasso ticket? Say it ain't so!
I almost fell for it. The photo on the page three spread in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle showed Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso on stage with Sen. Hillary Clinton. The duo had decided to be running mates for the 2008 presidential election. I gasped when I saw it. WTF? I hadn't yet had my coffee and my brain cells hadn't acknowledged that it was April Fools Day and the WTE editors were pulling my leg.
My wife did fall for it. Again, caffeine deficit was to blame. "Did you see this picture!" she yelled from the kitchen. I was at work at PC and yelled back: "Amazing, eh?" Five minutes later the date hit home and she groaned aloud. APRIL FOOL!
Tomorrow, when the foolishness is over, we can wonder what kind of impact a Clinton-Barrasso ticket would have. Two pragmatic senators from different parts of the country working to make the U.S. a better place? What about Obama-Enzi? Ditto on the "pragmatic senators" thing.
But it can't happen. Not this time. The Democrats are in the driver's seat and need to sweep the Republicans out of their seats of power in D.C. A thorough house cleaning is in order. Fumigation necessary, especially in the White House.
When the Dems hold the White House and Congress in ought-nine, that will be the time to talk pragmatism.
My wife did fall for it. Again, caffeine deficit was to blame. "Did you see this picture!" she yelled from the kitchen. I was at work at PC and yelled back: "Amazing, eh?" Five minutes later the date hit home and she groaned aloud. APRIL FOOL!
Tomorrow, when the foolishness is over, we can wonder what kind of impact a Clinton-Barrasso ticket would have. Two pragmatic senators from different parts of the country working to make the U.S. a better place? What about Obama-Enzi? Ditto on the "pragmatic senators" thing.
But it can't happen. Not this time. The Democrats are in the driver's seat and need to sweep the Republicans out of their seats of power in D.C. A thorough house cleaning is in order. Fumigation necessary, especially in the White House.
When the Dems hold the White House and Congress in ought-nine, that will be the time to talk pragmatism.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Money + passion = election victories
An e-mail this week from John Millin, chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party, contained some good news about fund-raising:
At last Tuesday's meeting of the Laramie County Democrats, treasurer Bobby Marcum announced a bank balance of more than $6,000. A couple thou came from the LarCoDems' open house in February; another couple thou came from passing the hat at the March 8 Laramie County caucuses. It's the most we've had in the bank since I joined this organization four years ago. We still are short of the goal of $10,000 we set for this election cycle.
Also on Tuesday, the Laramie County Grassroots Coalition announced a bank balance of almost $1,500. This came mostly from the coalition's membership table at the caucus. My wife Chris and I both renewed our annual membership, which contributed to the total.
So what are we going to do with all this dough? The state party has a convention to fund and campaigns to support. All three of Wyoming's congressional seats are up for grabs in 2008. Gary Trauner's running for the U.S. House and Nick Carter and Chris Rothfuss are running for the U.S. Senate against, respectively, Dr. John Barrasso and Mike Enzi. The Democratic National Committee is shoveling money into the state, but the Wyoming Democrats have to do its share. When Wyoming gets the attention of the Democratic Party, you know that Dr. John Dean's 50-state strategy exists and is working. Will we be able to negate the WyoRepubs' traditional 2-1 advantage to do so? Keep your fingers crossed.
And -- by God -- work your asses off. Wyoming Democrats are energized by the Obama and Clinton camps and the success of the March 8 caucuses. Volunteers and money are rolling in. But after that comes the boring, hard work. Not much glamour in walking neighborhoods and dialing call-after-call and speaking to answering machines and disinterested citizenry. It's amazing, really, how much effort it takes be an informed citizen of a democracy. Not only do you have to work hard to get your candidates elected, you have to keep up with the issues. How many of you out there have read your candidate's platforms? Let's see a show of hands. C'mon now, don't be shy. There's a few of you, mostly wonky bloggers. You have to pay attention. Watching CNN News for an hour each day does not qualify as paying attention. If you're watching Fox News (so-called) for an hour each day, your brain cells are atrophying at an alarming rate.
You also have to pay attention to the voting process. On the day of the March 8 caucuses, 45 people were rebuffed at the registration table and ended up challenging it. When all these were checked by the county clerk, only three had legitimate complaints. The rest, according to LarCoDems chair Mike Bell, were either registered Republicans or Democrats, or they hadn't voted recently and were purged from the rolls. It's difficult to believe that someone wouldn't know whether they were registered as a Republican or Democrat. Wyoming had liberal registration laws, allowing people to show up at the polls on election day and change their registration. This usually is applicable only during primaries. But it's possible that some Dems changed their registration in 2006 to vote against Repub Barbara Cubin and forgot to change back. I think I'd remember if I was registered as an "R." I would be having bad dreams nightly. I would feel an irrational need to disparage the poor and privatize Social Security. My finger would automatically click on the TV remove to Fox Noise.
I other words, I'd know if I was a D or R or I or just not interested.
To stay involved, you have to make sure you're registered appropriately and know the rules. Dems are challenged to get involved on the precinct level as committeemen/women. Any voter can be a poll watcher on election day or work as a judge (judges get paid!). You can run for office. If you're interested in any of these things, you might want to check out the "Voice Your Vote" Day on Monday, April 21, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the day's sessions are open to all and will address a variety of issues about local and national elections.
As my old pal Iowa Bob used to say in John Irving's Hotel New Hampshire: "Get obsessed and stay obsessed." He was talking specifically about wrestling, but it can apply to politics and nearly anything else.
I am pleased to report that our post-caucus online fundraising campaign has netted more than $3,000, far exceeding our goal of $2,500. With the matching funds from one of our very generous donors, that means you have effectively raised upwards of $6,000 for the Wyoming Democratic Party in just two weeks!
At last Tuesday's meeting of the Laramie County Democrats, treasurer Bobby Marcum announced a bank balance of more than $6,000. A couple thou came from the LarCoDems' open house in February; another couple thou came from passing the hat at the March 8 Laramie County caucuses. It's the most we've had in the bank since I joined this organization four years ago. We still are short of the goal of $10,000 we set for this election cycle.
Also on Tuesday, the Laramie County Grassroots Coalition announced a bank balance of almost $1,500. This came mostly from the coalition's membership table at the caucus. My wife Chris and I both renewed our annual membership, which contributed to the total.
So what are we going to do with all this dough? The state party has a convention to fund and campaigns to support. All three of Wyoming's congressional seats are up for grabs in 2008. Gary Trauner's running for the U.S. House and Nick Carter and Chris Rothfuss are running for the U.S. Senate against, respectively, Dr. John Barrasso and Mike Enzi. The Democratic National Committee is shoveling money into the state, but the Wyoming Democrats have to do its share. When Wyoming gets the attention of the Democratic Party, you know that Dr. John Dean's 50-state strategy exists and is working. Will we be able to negate the WyoRepubs' traditional 2-1 advantage to do so? Keep your fingers crossed.
And -- by God -- work your asses off. Wyoming Democrats are energized by the Obama and Clinton camps and the success of the March 8 caucuses. Volunteers and money are rolling in. But after that comes the boring, hard work. Not much glamour in walking neighborhoods and dialing call-after-call and speaking to answering machines and disinterested citizenry. It's amazing, really, how much effort it takes be an informed citizen of a democracy. Not only do you have to work hard to get your candidates elected, you have to keep up with the issues. How many of you out there have read your candidate's platforms? Let's see a show of hands. C'mon now, don't be shy. There's a few of you, mostly wonky bloggers. You have to pay attention. Watching CNN News for an hour each day does not qualify as paying attention. If you're watching Fox News (so-called) for an hour each day, your brain cells are atrophying at an alarming rate.
You also have to pay attention to the voting process. On the day of the March 8 caucuses, 45 people were rebuffed at the registration table and ended up challenging it. When all these were checked by the county clerk, only three had legitimate complaints. The rest, according to LarCoDems chair Mike Bell, were either registered Republicans or Democrats, or they hadn't voted recently and were purged from the rolls. It's difficult to believe that someone wouldn't know whether they were registered as a Republican or Democrat. Wyoming had liberal registration laws, allowing people to show up at the polls on election day and change their registration. This usually is applicable only during primaries. But it's possible that some Dems changed their registration in 2006 to vote against Repub Barbara Cubin and forgot to change back. I think I'd remember if I was registered as an "R." I would be having bad dreams nightly. I would feel an irrational need to disparage the poor and privatize Social Security. My finger would automatically click on the TV remove to Fox Noise.
I other words, I'd know if I was a D or R or I or just not interested.
To stay involved, you have to make sure you're registered appropriately and know the rules. Dems are challenged to get involved on the precinct level as committeemen/women. Any voter can be a poll watcher on election day or work as a judge (judges get paid!). You can run for office. If you're interested in any of these things, you might want to check out the "Voice Your Vote" Day on Monday, April 21, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the day's sessions are open to all and will address a variety of issues about local and national elections.
As my old pal Iowa Bob used to say in John Irving's Hotel New Hampshire: "Get obsessed and stay obsessed." He was talking specifically about wrestling, but it can apply to politics and nearly anything else.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Ghost of Tom Joad appears in Wyoming
John Steinbeck's 1939 novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," has been transformed into a famous John Ford film with Henry Fonda, a Minneapolis stage version with Gary Sinise as Tom Joad, and an opera with music by the Utah Symphony and Opera. Woody Guthrie wrote his song "Tom Joad" after seeing the 1940 movie, which he called "the best cussed picture I ever seen." In 1995, Bruce Springsteen released an album, "The Ghost of Tom Joad." It’s tough to beat the novel, one of the best cussed novels I ever read. Labeled "communist propaganda" by the Associated Farmers of California, it follows the travails of the Joad family as they move from Dust Bowl Oklahoma to central California. Eastern Wyoming and Colorado were in the Dust Bowl, but the Okies and the Jayhawks had it the worst.
Here we are, almost 70 years after the novel was published, in the throes of the 75th anniversary of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, and creative people are still finding ways to translate Steinbeck’s compelling tale in new and interesting ways. That may be due to the times we live in, where another Great Depression could be looming over the next horizon. Or it may just be that good writing stays alive.
Some creative people in Wyoming have come up with two new presentations of the novel. A "Grapes of Wrath Readers Theatre" will be held on Friday, April 11, 7:30 p.m., at the Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne. It’s a presentation by the Cheyenne Little Theatre, which traces its roots back to the New Deal era. This is one of a series of "readers theatre" events held by the CLTP this season, a mix of original material and the classics. Here’s a description of the production:
John Steinbeck’s moving, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, adapted by Frank Galati as a Readers Theatre. This passionate story of the plight of the poor, who have displaced by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression centers on the Joad family as they travel to California from Oklahoma in hopes of finding a better life. It forms a context for programs adopted under the New Deal to address economic and social issues of the time. Historic photos of Wyoming during the Great Depression and the New Deal illustrate impacts of this era on our state. A discussion follows the reading. Directed by Keith Thomson. Funded in part with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Wyoming Arts Council, Dept. of State Parks and Cultural Resources.
Casper College dance instructor Jodi Youmans-Jones read Steinbeck’s book "over and over, allowing its most poignant parts to filter into dance movements," according to an article in today’s Casper Star-Tribune. "Then she made a soundtrack of classical, gospel, R&B and old-time country music ranging from Woody Guthrie to Jewel to Yo Yo Ma to Beethoven to the Blue Man Group."
The result is a "dance concert" based on the book. Performances will be held in the Casper College Scifers Dance performance Theatre tonight (too late), March 28 and 29, and April 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Youmans-Jones began thinking of adapting the classic last April when she discovered the Wyoming Arts Council was focusing on the Great Depression in honor of the 75th anniversary of New Deal programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps for a National Endowment for the Arts "American Masterpiece" series.
"The face of poverty and the homeless isn't one. They're faceless. We relegate them to being all thieves, all dirty, all druggies, all alcoholics," Youmans-Jones said. "Sounds pretty familiar to me."
I work at the Wyoming Arts Council, but this isn’t one of my programs. Any non-profit or educational organization around Wyoming was eligible to apply for an American Masterpieces/New Deal grant. You still can, by calling the WAC in Cheyenne at 307-777-7742. Tell them that Tom Joad sent you.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Nick Carter visits Laramie Co. Democrats
Nick Carter's a Gillette attorney who wants to replace Sen. John Barrasso in the U.S. Senate. He paid a visit to last night's meeting of the Laramie County Democrats to drum up support for what will be a long and probably expensive campaign.
Carter uses the word "tough" a lot. That's not unusual for a Wyomingite. "Tough" is supposed to be built into us, either by birth or by choice. We've all seen a lot of fake toughness from politicians who go to Washington and talk tough, but then do something weak-kneed, such as voting against funding for children's health insurance programs (SCHIP). Barrasso, a physician, has done just that, as has Sen. Enzi, a family friend of Carter's from Gillette. Enzi also voted an increase in the minimum wage. He supports Bush's plan to privatize Social Security, the most successful safety net in U.S. history. The list goes on and on.
Barrasso has pledged fealty to Bush and Cheney, voting the party line 95 percent of the time, according to Carter. The Democratic challenger says that he will be tough enough to be nonpartisan, even if the 2008 elections yield a Democratic president and a Dem senator from Wyoming. The latter would be miraculous as well.
Carter equates toughness with action. Ranchers that venture out during blizzards to feed their cattle. Roughnecks who work on the rigs in all kinds of conditions. The single mother who sacrifices buying work shoes because she needs the money to take her child to the doctor.
"In Washington, we have problems now that need somebody tough," he said.
O.K., I don't mind all the talk about tough. But what are his policies, say, on the Iraq War?
"A tough senator from Wyoming will force the next administration to define victory without the cliches," he said, adding that the military needs to define its mission and offer a plan on how best to exit Iraq.
A tough senator will require "a strict accounting as to where $2 billion a week is going in Iraq." He noted that Wyoming's share of that war spending is about $40 million a week. "That could finance clean coal technology and health care for all," said Carter.
In the end, he said, the so-called surge "is just a band-aid -- it's going to wear out. It's up to the Iraqis to figure this out."
I have no idea if Carter is a church-going guy, but most politicians seem keen to mention religion at least once in every talk, much more often if you're a Republican. Nick Carter wrapped things up by talking about a different type of toughness, one that considers the plight of fellow humans. He says that he tries to follow Jesus's principle on that -- "that which you do for the least of my brethren you do for me."
That "least" group has gained one heck of a lot of new members ever since Bush went to D.C. People without health care and jobs and homes. If "tough" is the answer, bring it on.
Carter uses the word "tough" a lot. That's not unusual for a Wyomingite. "Tough" is supposed to be built into us, either by birth or by choice. We've all seen a lot of fake toughness from politicians who go to Washington and talk tough, but then do something weak-kneed, such as voting against funding for children's health insurance programs (SCHIP). Barrasso, a physician, has done just that, as has Sen. Enzi, a family friend of Carter's from Gillette. Enzi also voted an increase in the minimum wage. He supports Bush's plan to privatize Social Security, the most successful safety net in U.S. history. The list goes on and on.
Barrasso has pledged fealty to Bush and Cheney, voting the party line 95 percent of the time, according to Carter. The Democratic challenger says that he will be tough enough to be nonpartisan, even if the 2008 elections yield a Democratic president and a Dem senator from Wyoming. The latter would be miraculous as well.
Carter equates toughness with action. Ranchers that venture out during blizzards to feed their cattle. Roughnecks who work on the rigs in all kinds of conditions. The single mother who sacrifices buying work shoes because she needs the money to take her child to the doctor.
"In Washington, we have problems now that need somebody tough," he said.
O.K., I don't mind all the talk about tough. But what are his policies, say, on the Iraq War?
"A tough senator from Wyoming will force the next administration to define victory without the cliches," he said, adding that the military needs to define its mission and offer a plan on how best to exit Iraq.
A tough senator will require "a strict accounting as to where $2 billion a week is going in Iraq." He noted that Wyoming's share of that war spending is about $40 million a week. "That could finance clean coal technology and health care for all," said Carter.
In the end, he said, the so-called surge "is just a band-aid -- it's going to wear out. It's up to the Iraqis to figure this out."
I have no idea if Carter is a church-going guy, but most politicians seem keen to mention religion at least once in every talk, much more often if you're a Republican. Nick Carter wrapped things up by talking about a different type of toughness, one that considers the plight of fellow humans. He says that he tries to follow Jesus's principle on that -- "that which you do for the least of my brethren you do for me."
That "least" group has gained one heck of a lot of new members ever since Bush went to D.C. People without health care and jobs and homes. If "tough" is the answer, bring it on.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Even in 2008 Wyoming, the past isn't past
Scott Horton writes a fantastic essay in the March 24 Harper's magazine about racism in William Faulkner's novels -- and what it has to do with Barack Obama's 2008 presidential run.
Sen. Obama quoted a line from Faulkner in last week's historic speech about racism in the U.S. The line he quoted was this: "The past isn’t dead and buried. In fact, it isn’t even past." While the meaning remains the same, Faulkner's actual words are these: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
According to Horton:
I first read Go Down, Moses as an 18-year-old freshman at the University of South Carolina. The honors English class was taught by a noted Faulkner scholar. While brilliant, he wasn't the most patient of teachers and not particularly tolerant of lackwits such as me who shouldn't have been in the class but were. This really became a problem when we read The Sound and the Fury, a novel I appreciated only later in graduate school.
In South Carolina in 1969, the past was not dead and was not past. The stars and bars still flew from the state capitol building which had been shelled by the Union forces of William Tecumseh Sherman during his march through the South. The state still celebrated the birthdays of Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. The year before, in 1968, several campus buildings had been trashed during riots following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The all-white USC basketball team would only admit its first black player when I was a sophomore. That was hometown player Alex English, whom I saw play for the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s and is also a pretty good poet.
The university's Horseshoe was the oldest section of campus, dating back to 1801, and the site of a Confederate field hospital during the Civil War. In 1971, I lived on the third floor in one of the dorms along the Horseshoe. Each room had three bedrooms and a large study with four desks and a sink. The bathrooms and showers were on the main floor, as was the only phone. In antebellum times, these large dorm rooms used to house one white "gentleman," a couple of slaves, and maybe a hound dog or two. I didn't know of a single black student who lived in those Horseshoe dorms. Wonder why.
My southern friends, on hearing that I originated in Colorado and came to USC by way of Florida, called me a Yankee. Cal, from Anderson, S.C., told me this old bromide: "I was 18 before I knew that Damn Yankee was two words." I can hear his accent still. My friends from north of the Mason-Dixon Line figured me for a southerner without an accent. They called their Southern classmates "Grits" and their less genteel cousins either "hicks" or the time-honored "Rednecks."
We had some fights, I can tell you. And what nobody seemed to understand is that Central Florida in the 1960s was as South as Anderson, S.C., and maybe even more Southern than places such as Charleston. Daytona Beach had four high schools: Seabreeze for the surfers, Mainland for the gearheads, Campbell for African-Americans, and Father Lopez for us Catholics. We were the only one that was integrated, mainly due to our athletic director, who was ahead of his time recruiting talented black football and basketball players. He knew he had to recruit in a school with barely 400 students -- 200 of them male -- in grades 9-12.
I was a starter for two years on the basketball team. Two of my teammates were black -- Marvin Benford and Willie Prince. We played in the St. John's River Conference. Our opponents in Bunnell and Hastings (the Spudsters) and Baldwin and Callahan were all-white. In Baldwin one evening , a fight broke out in the stands during the varsity game. Some Baldwinites had taken exception to J.V. player and black person Lenny Lucas sitting in their stands. They called him the N-word -- several times. His white teammates -- including my brother -- started waling on the hometown boys and a big brawl ensued. When the cops arrived, they saw the one black face in the melee and dragged Lenny off to jail. A couple of the Lopez fathers, including a circuit court judge, left to have a word with the authorities while we resumed beating the hometown team. Another time, in Callahan, we were refused service at a greasyspoon. "They can't come in here," said the high-minded white owner, pointing at Marvin and Willie. Our coach came up with a plan. We ordered items to go for all of us. When the food and drink was ready, we waved farewell and peeled off into the night, leaving the Rednecks holding the bag(s). Not much of a revenge, but it made us feel a little better.
When our family moved to Daytona in 1964, blacks took their lives in their hands if they were on the beachside after dark. Before the Civil Rights Act, blacks had to have a work permit to be in the tourist part of town after dark. Uppity blacks were beat up or they were arrested and then beat up. White teens sometimes enaged in "N----- knocking," a time-honored practice in which testosterone-laden white boys roamed the countryside knocking N------ on the heads. Sometimes, the knocking gave way to another quaint local custom: lynching.
This is a long intro to my point that the past isn't past, even in Wyoming in 2008. Racism is alive and well, steeped in ignorance, as usual. At Easter dinner at our friends' house, we met some of our friends' relatives from Green River. Green River is about five hours from Cheyenne, an aging railroad town along I-80 with a heavy Mormon influence. It's experiencing some of the oil and gas boom that has turned its eastern neighbor, Rock Springs, into a boom town. It has a progressive mayor who wants to turn it into an artists' mecca.
The visitors were a forty-something couple and their teen daughter. Typical teen, cellphone stuck to her head most of the evening. Surly attitude. She could be from anywhere. Her mother said she was a good student and active in Job's Daughters, a teen girl offshoot of the Masonic Lodge.
Halfway through the evening, her parents encouraged her to tell one of her political jokes. "What do you call it when Barack Obama goes door-to-door?" We didn't know. "N----- knocking." I was stunned. Neither my wife nor I laughed, although there were some titters around the room. We were probably the only Democrats, not unusual at a Wyoming gathering. "Not funny," I said. And my wife: "I grew up in the South." The girl's father said something about political correctness, which is the way that ignoramuses dismiss their racism. Our host launched into a joke about McCain's age. He's from Georgia and knows how to defuse an uncomfortable social situation.
The moment passed, and we decided to play a game of Cranium. I wondered if I should have said more about the girl's joke. I didn't, which seemed cowardly. But she's a kid, after all, and her parents encouraged her to be a racist.
I've been thinking about it ever since. I knocked on doors for Sen. Obama in the weeks leading up to the March 8 Democratic Party caucuses. I saw him speak in Laramie. I was moved by his televised speech on racism. He's going to be our next president. This Southern-raised Wyomingite is going to work hard to elect President Obama. Each time I knock on a door, I'm going to think of that so-called joke and smile.
The past is never dead. It's not even past. Not in Florida and South Carolina in the 1960s, not in Wyoming in the 21st century.
Sen. Obama quoted a line from Faulkner in last week's historic speech about racism in the U.S. The line he quoted was this: "The past isn’t dead and buried. In fact, it isn’t even past." While the meaning remains the same, Faulkner's actual words are these: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
According to Horton:
They come from Requiem for a Nun. But the meaning and use that Obama takes is from an earlier Faulkner novel, Go Down, Moses, a brave and profound work about race relations in America. Being bound to, but struggling to overcome the past is a key message of that work.When it was first published, Go Down, Moses was subtitled as "a collection of stories." But Faulkner considered it a novel. It focuses on Mississippi's McCaslins, a mixed-race family whose white members have no interest in acknowledging their black past.
I first read Go Down, Moses as an 18-year-old freshman at the University of South Carolina. The honors English class was taught by a noted Faulkner scholar. While brilliant, he wasn't the most patient of teachers and not particularly tolerant of lackwits such as me who shouldn't have been in the class but were. This really became a problem when we read The Sound and the Fury, a novel I appreciated only later in graduate school.
In South Carolina in 1969, the past was not dead and was not past. The stars and bars still flew from the state capitol building which had been shelled by the Union forces of William Tecumseh Sherman during his march through the South. The state still celebrated the birthdays of Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. The year before, in 1968, several campus buildings had been trashed during riots following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The all-white USC basketball team would only admit its first black player when I was a sophomore. That was hometown player Alex English, whom I saw play for the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s and is also a pretty good poet.
The university's Horseshoe was the oldest section of campus, dating back to 1801, and the site of a Confederate field hospital during the Civil War. In 1971, I lived on the third floor in one of the dorms along the Horseshoe. Each room had three bedrooms and a large study with four desks and a sink. The bathrooms and showers were on the main floor, as was the only phone. In antebellum times, these large dorm rooms used to house one white "gentleman," a couple of slaves, and maybe a hound dog or two. I didn't know of a single black student who lived in those Horseshoe dorms. Wonder why.
My southern friends, on hearing that I originated in Colorado and came to USC by way of Florida, called me a Yankee. Cal, from Anderson, S.C., told me this old bromide: "I was 18 before I knew that Damn Yankee was two words." I can hear his accent still. My friends from north of the Mason-Dixon Line figured me for a southerner without an accent. They called their Southern classmates "Grits" and their less genteel cousins either "hicks" or the time-honored "Rednecks."
We had some fights, I can tell you. And what nobody seemed to understand is that Central Florida in the 1960s was as South as Anderson, S.C., and maybe even more Southern than places such as Charleston. Daytona Beach had four high schools: Seabreeze for the surfers, Mainland for the gearheads, Campbell for African-Americans, and Father Lopez for us Catholics. We were the only one that was integrated, mainly due to our athletic director, who was ahead of his time recruiting talented black football and basketball players. He knew he had to recruit in a school with barely 400 students -- 200 of them male -- in grades 9-12.
I was a starter for two years on the basketball team. Two of my teammates were black -- Marvin Benford and Willie Prince. We played in the St. John's River Conference. Our opponents in Bunnell and Hastings (the Spudsters) and Baldwin and Callahan were all-white. In Baldwin one evening , a fight broke out in the stands during the varsity game. Some Baldwinites had taken exception to J.V. player and black person Lenny Lucas sitting in their stands. They called him the N-word -- several times. His white teammates -- including my brother -- started waling on the hometown boys and a big brawl ensued. When the cops arrived, they saw the one black face in the melee and dragged Lenny off to jail. A couple of the Lopez fathers, including a circuit court judge, left to have a word with the authorities while we resumed beating the hometown team. Another time, in Callahan, we were refused service at a greasyspoon. "They can't come in here," said the high-minded white owner, pointing at Marvin and Willie. Our coach came up with a plan. We ordered items to go for all of us. When the food and drink was ready, we waved farewell and peeled off into the night, leaving the Rednecks holding the bag(s). Not much of a revenge, but it made us feel a little better.
When our family moved to Daytona in 1964, blacks took their lives in their hands if they were on the beachside after dark. Before the Civil Rights Act, blacks had to have a work permit to be in the tourist part of town after dark. Uppity blacks were beat up or they were arrested and then beat up. White teens sometimes enaged in "N----- knocking," a time-honored practice in which testosterone-laden white boys roamed the countryside knocking N------ on the heads. Sometimes, the knocking gave way to another quaint local custom: lynching.
This is a long intro to my point that the past isn't past, even in Wyoming in 2008. Racism is alive and well, steeped in ignorance, as usual. At Easter dinner at our friends' house, we met some of our friends' relatives from Green River. Green River is about five hours from Cheyenne, an aging railroad town along I-80 with a heavy Mormon influence. It's experiencing some of the oil and gas boom that has turned its eastern neighbor, Rock Springs, into a boom town. It has a progressive mayor who wants to turn it into an artists' mecca.
The visitors were a forty-something couple and their teen daughter. Typical teen, cellphone stuck to her head most of the evening. Surly attitude. She could be from anywhere. Her mother said she was a good student and active in Job's Daughters, a teen girl offshoot of the Masonic Lodge.
Halfway through the evening, her parents encouraged her to tell one of her political jokes. "What do you call it when Barack Obama goes door-to-door?" We didn't know. "N----- knocking." I was stunned. Neither my wife nor I laughed, although there were some titters around the room. We were probably the only Democrats, not unusual at a Wyoming gathering. "Not funny," I said. And my wife: "I grew up in the South." The girl's father said something about political correctness, which is the way that ignoramuses dismiss their racism. Our host launched into a joke about McCain's age. He's from Georgia and knows how to defuse an uncomfortable social situation.
The moment passed, and we decided to play a game of Cranium. I wondered if I should have said more about the girl's joke. I didn't, which seemed cowardly. But she's a kid, after all, and her parents encouraged her to be a racist.
I've been thinking about it ever since. I knocked on doors for Sen. Obama in the weeks leading up to the March 8 Democratic Party caucuses. I saw him speak in Laramie. I was moved by his televised speech on racism. He's going to be our next president. This Southern-raised Wyomingite is going to work hard to elect President Obama. Each time I knock on a door, I'm going to think of that so-called joke and smile.
The past is never dead. It's not even past. Not in Florida and South Carolina in the 1960s, not in Wyoming in the 21st century.
Monday, March 24, 2008
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:
FMI: Kate Welsh, Shepard Symposium chairperson, 307-766-2013 or kmuir@uwyo.edu.
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.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
LarCoDems meet March 25 in Cheyenne
Democrat Nick Carter of Gillette, who recently announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Dr. John Barrasso of Casper, is the featured speaker for the Laramie County Democrats' (LarCoDems) meeting on Tuesday, March 25, 7 p.m., at the Historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne.
Before Mr. Carter can speak, we'll have to take care of some semi-boring business matters. We'll probably hear the final numbers from the March 8 Dem primary and details about the 2008 election schedule, including news about the state party convention during Memorial Day weekend at the Snow King in Jackson.
All are welcome March 25, including the curious and the undecided. No entry fee, no party membership required.
Before Mr. Carter can speak, we'll have to take care of some semi-boring business matters. We'll probably hear the final numbers from the March 8 Dem primary and details about the 2008 election schedule, including news about the state party convention during Memorial Day weekend at the Snow King in Jackson.
All are welcome March 25, including the curious and the undecided. No entry fee, no party membership required.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Laramie engineer to run against Sen. Enzi
Just received this e-mail announcement:
It's great to see a Democratic Party challenger to Sen. Mike Enzi. As far as I know, Enzi has not yet officially announced. Last week, he toured the state touting his health care plan. An admirable effort, I must admit, but one that still depends on free-market forces which have failed to insure many Americans -- and woefully underinsured the middle class. He invariably sides with the Bush Administration on foreign policy issues, including the endless and pointless war in Iraq.
On the plus side, Enzi is a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus and has a long record of supporting the arts. He was a board member of Cam-Plex in Gillette, and was a featured speaker at the Wyoming Arts Summit last October in Casper. His top-notch D.C. staff members are very responsive to constituents and are quick to return calls.
It will be an uphill fight for Dr. Rothfuss. Looking forward to hearing him speak.
NOTE: As far as I can tell, the web site for Rothfuss is not yet up and running. Anyone else had any luck accessing it?
Dr. Christopher Rothfuss, a chemical engineer from Laramie, has announced that he is seeking the Democratic candidacy for election to the United States Senate seat currently held by Mike Enzi. Dr. Rothfuss is now an instructor at the University of Wyoming, after serving for three years at the U.S. Department of State. A transcript of his announcement follows, as well as a brief biographical sketch. More information on the Rothfuss campaign will be made available at http://www.rothfussforsenate.com/.
It's great to see a Democratic Party challenger to Sen. Mike Enzi. As far as I know, Enzi has not yet officially announced. Last week, he toured the state touting his health care plan. An admirable effort, I must admit, but one that still depends on free-market forces which have failed to insure many Americans -- and woefully underinsured the middle class. He invariably sides with the Bush Administration on foreign policy issues, including the endless and pointless war in Iraq.
On the plus side, Enzi is a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus and has a long record of supporting the arts. He was a board member of Cam-Plex in Gillette, and was a featured speaker at the Wyoming Arts Summit last October in Casper. His top-notch D.C. staff members are very responsive to constituents and are quick to return calls.
It will be an uphill fight for Dr. Rothfuss. Looking forward to hearing him speak.
NOTE: As far as I can tell, the web site for Rothfuss is not yet up and running. Anyone else had any luck accessing it?
New Mexico's Richardson endorses Obama
I remember back to those golden days of yore in early 2008 when I listed a whole batch of Democratic candidate links on my sidebar. Populist John Edwards was there, as was anti-war stalwart Dennis Kucinich. So was Bill Richardson, who remains governor of New Mexico. I liked all of these candidates for different reasons. Richardson I liked because he was chief executive of a Western state and had more international experience than any other Dem candidate, thanks to his role in Bill Clinton's cabinet. He was Hispanic, a plus in a year when the Hispanic vote will likely go to a Democrat because of the Republican Party's insistence on demonizing illegal immigrants from South of the Border.
It was great to hear Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama. It had something to do with Obama's dazzling race-oriented speech on Tuesday. Also, Sen. Obama is going to win the nomination and Bill Richardson is a smart politician who recognizes that he may make a great running mate. The African-American senator from Illinois teamed up with the Hispanic governor of a border state. Could be a winning combination.
It was a surprise announcement (at least to me) because of Richardson's ties with the Clintons. It's done, and it will be a boost to Obama in the West. He won four primaries/caucuses in the Rocky Mountain states: Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. Clinton claimed New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. Montana is up later, but should go to Obama. It might not be such a great sign that Richardson's state went to Clinton. Maybe if he had made his endorsement sooner?
It was great to hear Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama. It had something to do with Obama's dazzling race-oriented speech on Tuesday. Also, Sen. Obama is going to win the nomination and Bill Richardson is a smart politician who recognizes that he may make a great running mate. The African-American senator from Illinois teamed up with the Hispanic governor of a border state. Could be a winning combination.
It was a surprise announcement (at least to me) because of Richardson's ties with the Clintons. It's done, and it will be a boost to Obama in the West. He won four primaries/caucuses in the Rocky Mountain states: Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. Clinton claimed New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. Montana is up later, but should go to Obama. It might not be such a great sign that Richardson's state went to Clinton. Maybe if he had made his endorsement sooner?
Friday, March 21, 2008
Spirituality trumps dogma on Good Friday
For kids in Catholic School, the best thing about Good Friday (circa 1961) was that there was no school. While public school kids rotted at their desks, we were free to play ball or (if snowing) sled or wage Holy Week snowball wars. But that was after we attended church to pray the stations of the cross and feel really bad about Christ’s crucifixion. In the dark and dreary church, the citizenry was swathed in somber clothes and the air reeked of incense. It wasn’t too unusual when an old lady broke down in tears at the sight of Christ on the cross. To a wise-ass ten-year-old, this was a very long day. Only when the stations were completed could we go home and cut loose.
The sorrows of Good Friday gave way to the joys of Easter. Sure, we had to go to church again, but it was to celebrate Christ rising from the dead and an Easter Egg hunt followed, as well as chocolate bunnies and then Easter dinner with the relatives. It didn’t matter if it was cold and snowy because you knew that spring was coming, and after that summer. Easter marked the change of seasons and the return of (mostly) sunny days.
I no longer do the stations of the cross, as I’m only nominally Catholic. I attend a United Methodist Church with my wife Chris and daughter Annie. My parents and Chris’s parents are spinning in their consecrated graves. Chris’s father was the grand knight of the Knights of Columbus chapter in Ormond Beach, Florida. His K of C Hall was the site of our wedding reception in May 1982 after we were married at St. Brendan’s Catholic Church (yes, named after Ireland’s St. Brendan the Navigator). We were both raised Catholics with all the attendant sacraments. I won the K of C "Mr. Catholic" savings bond when I graduated from high school in 1969.
I guess I’m what’s called an "historical" Catholic. I feel deserted by the Church because it’s become so conservative in an alliance with American Fundamentalists. The last time I went to mass during the lead-up to the 2004 elections, a church deacon’s homily warned us not to vote for any Catholic candidates (John Kerry) that didn’t follow church teachings on abortion (against) and homosexuality (really against). Real Catholics voted for pro-life candidates, even if those people (George Bush) were currently killing babies with bombs in Iraq.
That was it for me.
So, since I can’t be a "real" Catholic, I go somewhere else that welcomes people like me.
My Christianity is complicated. I struggle with it all the time. I’m un-Christian at times, especially when confronted with the hatred and intolerance of so-called Christians. I’m not better than they are – I’m intolerant of them and their shenanigans. I should forgive them for their imperfections. I should also forgive myself.
I was casting about for some words of wisdom to illuminate my predicament. I found them, as I often do, on the Sojourners web site. Sojourners has a daily posting called "Verse & Voice" that featured a Biblical verse and spiritual quote from someone. Today, it was noted Christian theologian Henri Nouwen in a lecture, "The Vision of Jesus," at the Scarritt-Bennett Center. Here’s the quote:
The sorrows of Good Friday gave way to the joys of Easter. Sure, we had to go to church again, but it was to celebrate Christ rising from the dead and an Easter Egg hunt followed, as well as chocolate bunnies and then Easter dinner with the relatives. It didn’t matter if it was cold and snowy because you knew that spring was coming, and after that summer. Easter marked the change of seasons and the return of (mostly) sunny days.
I no longer do the stations of the cross, as I’m only nominally Catholic. I attend a United Methodist Church with my wife Chris and daughter Annie. My parents and Chris’s parents are spinning in their consecrated graves. Chris’s father was the grand knight of the Knights of Columbus chapter in Ormond Beach, Florida. His K of C Hall was the site of our wedding reception in May 1982 after we were married at St. Brendan’s Catholic Church (yes, named after Ireland’s St. Brendan the Navigator). We were both raised Catholics with all the attendant sacraments. I won the K of C "Mr. Catholic" savings bond when I graduated from high school in 1969.
I guess I’m what’s called an "historical" Catholic. I feel deserted by the Church because it’s become so conservative in an alliance with American Fundamentalists. The last time I went to mass during the lead-up to the 2004 elections, a church deacon’s homily warned us not to vote for any Catholic candidates (John Kerry) that didn’t follow church teachings on abortion (against) and homosexuality (really against). Real Catholics voted for pro-life candidates, even if those people (George Bush) were currently killing babies with bombs in Iraq.
That was it for me.
So, since I can’t be a "real" Catholic, I go somewhere else that welcomes people like me.
My Christianity is complicated. I struggle with it all the time. I’m un-Christian at times, especially when confronted with the hatred and intolerance of so-called Christians. I’m not better than they are – I’m intolerant of them and their shenanigans. I should forgive them for their imperfections. I should also forgive myself.
I was casting about for some words of wisdom to illuminate my predicament. I found them, as I often do, on the Sojourners web site. Sojourners has a daily posting called "Verse & Voice" that featured a Biblical verse and spiritual quote from someone. Today, it was noted Christian theologian Henri Nouwen in a lecture, "The Vision of Jesus," at the Scarritt-Bennett Center. Here’s the quote:
The vision that Jesus gives us is this: That I am unconditionally loved, that I belong to God, and that I am a person who can really trust that. When I meet another person who also is rooted in the heart of God, then the spirit of God in me can recognize the spirit of God in the other person, and then we can start building a new space, a new home, a house, a community. Whether we speak about friendship, community, family, marriage, in the spiritual world we are talking about spirit recognizing Spirit, solitude embracing Solitude, heart speaking to Heart. And where this happens, there is an immense space.Try that on for size this Good Friday.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
McCain 2003: "We will be welcomed as liberators"
Posting on Daily Kos today -- the fifth anniversay of the slam-dunk invasion of Iraq -- Bill in Portland Maine offers up these 2002-2003 quotes from Senator John McCain:
For more, go to:
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/9541.html
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/22/mccain-hypocrisy/
Sen. McCain should know better than to be a cheerleader for a war promulgated by chickenhawks. A Vietnam veteran, a former POW during our nation's longest and most ill-advised war (until now), McCain should have seen through the Bush/Cheney smokescreen. Makes you wonder about his judgement on foreign policy.
"I believe that the success will be fairly easy." (9/24/02)
"We’re not going to have a bloodletting of trading American bodies for Iraqi bodies." (9/29/02)
"We will win this conflict. We will win it easily." (1/22/03)
"[T]here’s no doubt in my mind, once these people are gone, that we will be welcomed as liberators." (3/24/03)
For more, go to:
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/9541.html
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/22/mccain-hypocrisy/
Sen. McCain should know better than to be a cheerleader for a war promulgated by chickenhawks. A Vietnam veteran, a former POW during our nation's longest and most ill-advised war (until now), McCain should have seen through the Bush/Cheney smokescreen. Makes you wonder about his judgement on foreign policy.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Read text of Sen. Obama's speech
Read the full text of Sen. Obama's speech today in Philadelphia by going to http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGBbKG
On watching Sen. Obama's Tuesday speech
I'm home for spring break this week, not because it is Easter Week or because I'm a teacher with a gap in the schedule. I took the week off so I can spend it with my son who's visiting from Tucson. My wife is off, too.
So I have time to watch Barack Obama's speech this morning on MSNBC. The theme could be boiled down to "Race in America," but it was more than that. Sen. Obama revisited both America's history and the history of its racism. On the latter issue, he invoked a quote by William Faulkner: "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." I believe that Faulkner was speaking specifically about the South. I'll look it up later to make sure. But that would make sense, because he was from Mississippi and all his writing was consumed with the South's tortured soul. But all that stuff isn't past. Not in the white community. Not in the black community. Not in any community.
But what Sen. Obama asks us to do is not to dwell on the past but find ways to change the present. He said that the mistake made by Rev. Wright, his former pastor, was to think that "we are bound to a tragic past." Added Obama: "But we can change." America has been able to do that during most times of crisis and will continue to do so.
And that's what we need to focus on. We're in trouble here, people, and if we keep fighting about the past, we'll keep repeating it.
Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Some Irish-Americans celebrate by wearing green and drinking until they puke. They curse the Brits and sing sappy old songs. They think that this has something to do with being Irish, Meanwhile, in Ireland, the Irish have moved on, becoming an economic powerhouse. The Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland are making nice, although they're not quite best pals. Bobby Sands is not forgotten but hunger strikes have given way to peace talks. New Irish writers and poets are building on the legacies of Yeats and Joyce and Synge and Swift. The members of U2 aren't exactly youngsters anymore and they still include "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in their repertoire, but their Christian message of healing and hope has more to do with Barack Obama that with the blarney-laden crap you hear from most Irish-Americans on March 17. And in Ireland it may also be true that the past isn't dead and buried and it's not even past. Despite that, the Irish are moving ahead. I'm not sure we Irish-Americans can say the same.
I'm an Irish-American who lives in red-state Wyoming and grew up in the segregated South during the Vietnam War. The past isn't past but I'm one Baby Boomer who's looking ahead. I continue to support Barack Obama for president.
HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE (3/21): On St. Patrick's Day, NPR broadcast a segment about how the U.S. Civil Rights struggle influenced Catholic activists during the troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s. Here's an excerpt:
For the rest, go to: http://www.npr.org/blogs/newsandviews/2008/03/n_ireland_and_the_us_shared_ci.html
So I have time to watch Barack Obama's speech this morning on MSNBC. The theme could be boiled down to "Race in America," but it was more than that. Sen. Obama revisited both America's history and the history of its racism. On the latter issue, he invoked a quote by William Faulkner: "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." I believe that Faulkner was speaking specifically about the South. I'll look it up later to make sure. But that would make sense, because he was from Mississippi and all his writing was consumed with the South's tortured soul. But all that stuff isn't past. Not in the white community. Not in the black community. Not in any community.
But what Sen. Obama asks us to do is not to dwell on the past but find ways to change the present. He said that the mistake made by Rev. Wright, his former pastor, was to think that "we are bound to a tragic past." Added Obama: "But we can change." America has been able to do that during most times of crisis and will continue to do so.
And that's what we need to focus on. We're in trouble here, people, and if we keep fighting about the past, we'll keep repeating it.
Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Some Irish-Americans celebrate by wearing green and drinking until they puke. They curse the Brits and sing sappy old songs. They think that this has something to do with being Irish, Meanwhile, in Ireland, the Irish have moved on, becoming an economic powerhouse. The Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland are making nice, although they're not quite best pals. Bobby Sands is not forgotten but hunger strikes have given way to peace talks. New Irish writers and poets are building on the legacies of Yeats and Joyce and Synge and Swift. The members of U2 aren't exactly youngsters anymore and they still include "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in their repertoire, but their Christian message of healing and hope has more to do with Barack Obama that with the blarney-laden crap you hear from most Irish-Americans on March 17. And in Ireland it may also be true that the past isn't dead and buried and it's not even past. Despite that, the Irish are moving ahead. I'm not sure we Irish-Americans can say the same.
I'm an Irish-American who lives in red-state Wyoming and grew up in the segregated South during the Vietnam War. The past isn't past but I'm one Baby Boomer who's looking ahead. I continue to support Barack Obama for president.
HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE (3/21): On St. Patrick's Day, NPR broadcast a segment about how the U.S. Civil Rights struggle influenced Catholic activists during the troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s. Here's an excerpt:
We also spoke with Brian Dooley, author of Black and Green: The Fight for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland and Black America. Here's some of what he said: "As early as 1963, civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland had compared themselves to blacks in Alabama and Little Rock, and identified themselves as the 'Negroes' of Northern Ireland. They sang 'We Shall Overcome' at their marches and in early 1969 deliberately modeled a protest march on the lines of the Selma-Montgomery march. Oddly, perhaps, the Northern Ireland protesters identified more with black American protests than the myriad of protests in Europe that year -- in Paris, Prague, Berlin, Rome and London. They saw their struggle as closer to that of African Americans in the U.S."
For the rest, go to: http://www.npr.org/blogs/newsandviews/2008/03/n_ireland_and_the_us_shared_ci.html
Monday, March 17, 2008
"On the Streets of Baghdad:" Deadeye Dick and the Arizona Kid
When in doubt about foreign policy, send in the western gunslingers.
"Deadeye" Dick Cheney and John "Arizona Kid" McCain are in Iraq today in a showdown with the Al-Qaida Gang.
But they won’t be moseying into the Green Zone without backup. The Arizona Kid brought along sidekicks Joe "Red Belly" Lieberman and Lindsey "Carolina Slim" Graham. Al-Qaida doesn’t stand a chance.
As the Arizona Kid told the AP:
"We recognize that al-Qaida is on the run, but they are not defeated," McCain said after meeting Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "Al-Qaida continues to pose a great threat to the security and very existence of Iraq as a democracy. So we know there's still a lot more of work to be done."
To show how dangerous life is on the Streets of Baghdad, explosions went off near the Green Zone shortly after Deadeye Dick arrived. The U.S. Army called out the Air Cav which choppered to the rescue but couldn’t find anything to shoot at. That’s the thing about this crazy war. No "High Noon" style showdowns. No guys in black hats daring you to "Draw!" Just ghosts and shadows.
Both Deadeye Dick and the Arizona Kid vowed a long-term military presence in Iraq. The Arizona Kid has previously vowed to stay in Iraq 100 years, which will take us to 2103. By then, McCain will be a very old gunslinger indeed.
The Arizona Kid is running for the U.S.A.’s "Top Gun" and, at home, is facing down Barack "Chicago" Obama and Hillary "Boot Hill" Clinton. The two Dems have been sharpening their skills with showdowns in states such as Mississippi and Wyoming. Six other Dems have been gunned down in the process. Their next big battle will be on the streets of Philadelphia. The Arizona Kid recently eliminated his final Repub challengers when he outgunned Mike "Bible Thumper" Huckabee and Mitt "Avenging Angel" Romney during street fights in Ohio and Texas.
Meanwhile, the Al-Qaida Gang continues its cowardly ways by blowing people up, including mounted U.S. troopers. Thus far, almost 4,000 have been killed and more than 20,000 wounded.
Up to a million Iraqis have died. "That’s some good shootin’," said Deadeye Dick, who should know.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Enzi trying to wrangle health care costs
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, one of Wyoming’s two Republicans in the Senate, will be touring the state this week to talk about his "Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America." It’s subtitle is "Building on Market-based Solutions and Strengthening Current Insurance Programs."
To start, Sen. Enzi gets points for tackling this country’s abysmal health care system. Well, not really a system, more like a haphazard array of insurance company plans that leave 46 million Americans uninsured and many of the rest of us woefully uninsured but paying huge premiums.
According to a press release, Sen. Enzi is hitting the road during spring break to "draw attention to the nation’s health care crisis and the steps Congress can take to wrangle health care costs in America."
I like the term "wrangle." It’s a Wyoming word, one that refers to cowboys herding and caring for horses and other livestock. "Wrangler" is often used in place of "cowboy." We all know who wears Wrangler jeans -- and why.
Enzi wants Congress to wrangle those health care costs, to lasso them in and put them into a fenced corral so they can’t run willy-nilly over the countryside.
O.K., pard, you get points for that. But Enzi’s also a Republican businessman and is seeking market-based solutions. We’ve had market-based solutions. They’ve solved nothing and led to a huge mess.
Two other U.S. senators were in Wyoming recently talking about their health care plans. Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton both have realistic plans which address the fact that government must be a partner in health care. They also address the unsavory fact that the health care industry is a monster, consisting of insurance companies and hospitals and doctors and drug companies. They make billions annually and employ herds of lobbyists. If anything needs wrangling, it’s those lobbyists. Wouldn’t you like to put your brand on a drug company lobbyist’s flank? Yee-hah!
Our future needs some futuristic thinking. For the most part, Sen. Enzi’s plan is more of the same. There are a few good ideas embedded in the list. Cross-state pooling of health plans, and insurance portability when you change jobs – those deserve a listen. But he would also privatize Medicaid and SCHIP. I know for a fact that both of those programs are crucial for many in Wyoming.
This is the old Republican song-and-dance of privatization, where the free market can solve anything, including health care, Social Security, etc. President Bush tried to pull a fast one on Social Security and it didn’t go anywhere because Americans are wise to the ploy. He also monkeyed around with a plan crucial to older people and older people vote.
You can read Sen. Enzi’s full plan at his web site.
Here’s his travel schedule for the week:
MONDAY, MARCH 17
Cheyenne: 8-9 a.m. at the Cheyenne Depot (121 W. 15th St.)
Rawlins: 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the Rawlins Depot (400 W. Front St.)
Rock Springs: 4-5 p.m. at Western Wyo. Community College, Room #1302 (2500 College Dr.)
Pinedale: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Sublette County Library (155 S. Tyler)
TUESDAY, MARCH 18
Lander : 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at The Inn at Lander in the Pinnacle Room (260 Grand View Dr.)
Worland: 4 to 5 p.m. at the Worland Community Center (1200 Culbertson Ave.)
Lovell: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lovell Community Center (1925 Highway 310)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19
Casper: 1 to 2 p.m. at the Community Health Ctr. of Central Wyo. auditorium (1522 E. A St.)
Lusk: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Niobrara County High School auditorium (702 W. 5th St.)
THURSDAY, MARCH 20
Gillette: 9 to 10 a.m. at City Hall in the Community Meeting Room (201 E. 5th St.)
To start, Sen. Enzi gets points for tackling this country’s abysmal health care system. Well, not really a system, more like a haphazard array of insurance company plans that leave 46 million Americans uninsured and many of the rest of us woefully uninsured but paying huge premiums.
According to a press release, Sen. Enzi is hitting the road during spring break to "draw attention to the nation’s health care crisis and the steps Congress can take to wrangle health care costs in America."
I like the term "wrangle." It’s a Wyoming word, one that refers to cowboys herding and caring for horses and other livestock. "Wrangler" is often used in place of "cowboy." We all know who wears Wrangler jeans -- and why.
Enzi wants Congress to wrangle those health care costs, to lasso them in and put them into a fenced corral so they can’t run willy-nilly over the countryside.
O.K., pard, you get points for that. But Enzi’s also a Republican businessman and is seeking market-based solutions. We’ve had market-based solutions. They’ve solved nothing and led to a huge mess.
Two other U.S. senators were in Wyoming recently talking about their health care plans. Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton both have realistic plans which address the fact that government must be a partner in health care. They also address the unsavory fact that the health care industry is a monster, consisting of insurance companies and hospitals and doctors and drug companies. They make billions annually and employ herds of lobbyists. If anything needs wrangling, it’s those lobbyists. Wouldn’t you like to put your brand on a drug company lobbyist’s flank? Yee-hah!
Our future needs some futuristic thinking. For the most part, Sen. Enzi’s plan is more of the same. There are a few good ideas embedded in the list. Cross-state pooling of health plans, and insurance portability when you change jobs – those deserve a listen. But he would also privatize Medicaid and SCHIP. I know for a fact that both of those programs are crucial for many in Wyoming.
This is the old Republican song-and-dance of privatization, where the free market can solve anything, including health care, Social Security, etc. President Bush tried to pull a fast one on Social Security and it didn’t go anywhere because Americans are wise to the ploy. He also monkeyed around with a plan crucial to older people and older people vote.
You can read Sen. Enzi’s full plan at his web site.
Here’s his travel schedule for the week:
MONDAY, MARCH 17
Cheyenne: 8-9 a.m. at the Cheyenne Depot (121 W. 15th St.)
Rawlins: 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the Rawlins Depot (400 W. Front St.)
Rock Springs: 4-5 p.m. at Western Wyo. Community College, Room #1302 (2500 College Dr.)
Pinedale: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Sublette County Library (155 S. Tyler)
TUESDAY, MARCH 18
Lander : 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at The Inn at Lander in the Pinnacle Room (260 Grand View Dr.)
Worland: 4 to 5 p.m. at the Worland Community Center (1200 Culbertson Ave.)
Lovell: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lovell Community Center (1925 Highway 310)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19
Casper: 1 to 2 p.m. at the Community Health Ctr. of Central Wyo. auditorium (1522 E. A St.)
Lusk: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Niobrara County High School auditorium (702 W. 5th St.)
THURSDAY, MARCH 20
Gillette: 9 to 10 a.m. at City Hall in the Community Meeting Room (201 E. 5th St.)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Jackson Hole Radio interview with Obama
Barack Obama was interviewed on Jackson Hole Radio on the morning of the March 8 Wyoming caucuses. In it, he talks about national issues such as health care and college affordability, but also western-oriented issues such as land use, coal sequestration, and clean energy transition. He speaks of a "Manhattan Project" for energy, an emphasis on R&D for alternative sources that would include wind and solar, as well as coal. In an interview with the Casper Star-Tribune, he likened the all-out effort for clean energy to NASA's "Apollo Project."
Whatever you call it, Obama is proposing an actual energy policy, something that has been totally lacking during the Bush & Cheney years. I take that back. Their energy policy has been simple: "Foreign oil -- and more of it." Or, as Upton Sinclair put it in the title of his 1927 book: "OIL!" It's just a bit ironic that the 2007 film based, in part, on the novel is entitled "There Will Be Blood." Not only in Texas and California oil-boom country, but in Basra and Baghdad too. The sequel: "There Will Be Blood -- for Iraqi Oil!"
To listen to the Sen. Obama interview, go to http://jacksonholeradio.com/Newscasts/Obama.mp3
Thanks to jhwygirl for the podcast link
Whatever you call it, Obama is proposing an actual energy policy, something that has been totally lacking during the Bush & Cheney years. I take that back. Their energy policy has been simple: "Foreign oil -- and more of it." Or, as Upton Sinclair put it in the title of his 1927 book: "OIL!" It's just a bit ironic that the 2007 film based, in part, on the novel is entitled "There Will Be Blood." Not only in Texas and California oil-boom country, but in Basra and Baghdad too. The sequel: "There Will Be Blood -- for Iraqi Oil!"
To listen to the Sen. Obama interview, go to http://jacksonholeradio.com/Newscasts/Obama.mp3
Thanks to jhwygirl for the podcast link
Friday, March 14, 2008
My grandfather -- Irish without the blarney
My grandfather, Martin Hett, was 12 when he left home in County Roscommon, Ireland, and traveled to northern England to work in the coal mines. Anything was better than his home life, even 12-hour days spent underground. One positive thing -- a Brit family took him in and treated him well. At 17, he had enough money to sail to the U.S. and then on to Chicago where he lived with his older brother and worked on the city's rail system. After having a lung and several ribs removed due to a massive infection (this was before antibiotics), the doctors told him to move to the dry climes of Arizona or Colorado. He arrived at Denver's Union Station on a bright summer day. The air tasted sweet, and he could see the Rocky Mountains. It was 1920, he was 20, and life looked pretty good.
Seventy years later, my one-lunged Irish grandfather died in Denver.
He was a good man with an angry streak that his grandkids saw only occasionally. It infuriated him when his fellow Irish in South Denver cursed the Brits. He'd respond that the Brits treated him better than the Irish ever did. It's not that he didn't like his Irishness. He was Irish Catholic through and through, and a longtime member of the Hibernian Club, which is where he met my grandmother. But the Brits had given him a job and taken him in and fed him when he was a lad. In County Roscommon, he lived in a tiny drafty house with many siblings, a drunken father, and a crazed stepmother. The priests at school were harsh. When a boy disobeyed, the priests ordered him down to the local stream to fetch a switch for a beating. Young Martin fetched more than a few switches.
My grandfather never returned to Ireland. He could have, many times, but didn't see the need. He preferred America to Ireland. He toasted the country of his birth on St. Patrick's Day and whenever necessary, but he'd also raise a glass to Denver and the Colorado mountains and the U.K. and his many grandchildren and the president (especially JFK) and the pope and to life itself.
On Monday on St. Patrick's Day, I'll raise a glass to the memory of my grandfather. He was Irish without all the blarney. I miss him.
Seventy years later, my one-lunged Irish grandfather died in Denver.
He was a good man with an angry streak that his grandkids saw only occasionally. It infuriated him when his fellow Irish in South Denver cursed the Brits. He'd respond that the Brits treated him better than the Irish ever did. It's not that he didn't like his Irishness. He was Irish Catholic through and through, and a longtime member of the Hibernian Club, which is where he met my grandmother. But the Brits had given him a job and taken him in and fed him when he was a lad. In County Roscommon, he lived in a tiny drafty house with many siblings, a drunken father, and a crazed stepmother. The priests at school were harsh. When a boy disobeyed, the priests ordered him down to the local stream to fetch a switch for a beating. Young Martin fetched more than a few switches.
My grandfather never returned to Ireland. He could have, many times, but didn't see the need. He preferred America to Ireland. He toasted the country of his birth on St. Patrick's Day and whenever necessary, but he'd also raise a glass to Denver and the Colorado mountains and the U.K. and his many grandchildren and the president (especially JFK) and the pope and to life itself.
On Monday on St. Patrick's Day, I'll raise a glass to the memory of my grandfather. He was Irish without all the blarney. I miss him.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Cowardly saloon owners prefer Hillary
The 8,753 votes cast at Democratic Party caucuses Saturday in Wyoming swamped the 675 votes tallied in 2004.
The turnout was stupendous, as bloggers and reporters and even Fox News have all pointed out. Sure, some were turned away because they came late or because they weren't current on their party registration. Others grew tired of waiting in line. But, 1,532 Laramie County residents had the wherewithal to stand in line and listen to speeches and cast votes even if they were late for work or didn't feel so hot. That's approximately 1,500 more than voted in the county party's 2004 caucus.
Still, Wyoming can't get any respect. Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank was speaking on Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" today. The issue was whether the Michigan and Florida caucus/primary votes should count as is (Clinton's view) or there should be a revote (Obama's take on things). Milbank scoffed at the influence of caucuses, noting that Wyoming's record turnout "was a school board election" and not a real election. Harumph, harumph.
Monday night on "The Daily Show," John Stewart had a great time picking on Wyoming. He noted that there were 59,000 registered Dems in the state. "I have more Democrats in my building," he quipped. If he's in New York, I'm sure he does. Later, Samantha Bee broke down the caucus numbers for us. It seems that grizzled prospectors went for Obama while mustache guys liked Clinton. John Stewart asked about gay cowboys, and Samantha Bee said that hadn't been in issue for about a year (remember the hubbub over "Brokeback Mountain?") and that thoase numbers were no longer tabulated.
Let's trot out all the stereotypical western characters, old and new. Gabby Hayes is an Obama supporter; Dale Evans likes Hillary. Shane was a Ron Paul man but now is undecided. The Virginian ("smile when you say that!") likes McCain's steadfast nature and steely gaze.
And as you might guess, the rough-and-tumble oil men of the high prairie are all Bush & Cheney people.
If you were a western stereotype, whom would you support for president?
CORRECTION: I misremembered Samantha Bee's March 10 breakdown of Wyoming Democratic caucus voters. Supporting Obama were the rugged outdoorsmen, gizzled old coots, and ornery drifters. Mustache guys also preferred Obama. Hillary won over the hearty prospectors and cowardly saloon owners. Hummingbirdminds regrets the error.
The turnout was stupendous, as bloggers and reporters and even Fox News have all pointed out. Sure, some were turned away because they came late or because they weren't current on their party registration. Others grew tired of waiting in line. But, 1,532 Laramie County residents had the wherewithal to stand in line and listen to speeches and cast votes even if they were late for work or didn't feel so hot. That's approximately 1,500 more than voted in the county party's 2004 caucus.
Still, Wyoming can't get any respect. Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank was speaking on Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" today. The issue was whether the Michigan and Florida caucus/primary votes should count as is (Clinton's view) or there should be a revote (Obama's take on things). Milbank scoffed at the influence of caucuses, noting that Wyoming's record turnout "was a school board election" and not a real election. Harumph, harumph.
Monday night on "The Daily Show," John Stewart had a great time picking on Wyoming. He noted that there were 59,000 registered Dems in the state. "I have more Democrats in my building," he quipped. If he's in New York, I'm sure he does. Later, Samantha Bee broke down the caucus numbers for us. It seems that grizzled prospectors went for Obama while mustache guys liked Clinton. John Stewart asked about gay cowboys, and Samantha Bee said that hadn't been in issue for about a year (remember the hubbub over "Brokeback Mountain?") and that thoase numbers were no longer tabulated.
Let's trot out all the stereotypical western characters, old and new. Gabby Hayes is an Obama supporter; Dale Evans likes Hillary. Shane was a Ron Paul man but now is undecided. The Virginian ("smile when you say that!") likes McCain's steadfast nature and steely gaze.
And as you might guess, the rough-and-tumble oil men of the high prairie are all Bush & Cheney people.
If you were a western stereotype, whom would you support for president?
CORRECTION: I misremembered Samantha Bee's March 10 breakdown of Wyoming Democratic caucus voters. Supporting Obama were the rugged outdoorsmen, gizzled old coots, and ornery drifters. Mustache guys also preferred Obama. Hillary won over the hearty prospectors and cowardly saloon owners. Hummingbirdminds regrets the error.
Rare Dem toad not an endangered species
I was looking for the right words to describe my experiences during Wyoming's recent Democratic Party caucuses, and Julianne Couch found them for me. It's great to live in a state with so many fine writers.
Julianne's a writer in Laramie. Her column about the caucuses appeared in this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. The Obama-Clinton surge meant a lot to Wyoming "Non-Republicans," whom Julianne likened to "a rare species to toad -- a curiousity that is easily squashed by the heel of a heavy boot when it gets in the way of progress."
She was happy that the caucuses "took the Wyoming Democrats off the endangered species list, at least temporarily."
As a Dem toad, I'm finding it difficult to recover from my caucus rush. It's not something you really want to recover from, is it? John Millin, head of the Wyoming Democrats, has sent out an e-mail that urges us to keep up the momentum and donate $25 to the state party. Each donation will be matched by a private donor. To pitch in, go to
https://orchidforchange.com/wy/index.php?display=MakeDonation
We passed the hat (actually it was a see-through Lucite cube) regularly Saturday at the Cheyenne caucus. Not sure how much was gathered, but there were a lot of fives and tens floating around among the dollar bills. There are a lot of expenses during a big election year like this one, so I'm sure that Laramie County Democrats' treasurer Bobby Marcum was happy.
Julianne points out another benefit of the high-profile political race:
Julianne's a writer in Laramie. Her column about the caucuses appeared in this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. The Obama-Clinton surge meant a lot to Wyoming "Non-Republicans," whom Julianne likened to "a rare species to toad -- a curiousity that is easily squashed by the heel of a heavy boot when it gets in the way of progress."
She was happy that the caucuses "took the Wyoming Democrats off the endangered species list, at least temporarily."
As a Dem toad, I'm finding it difficult to recover from my caucus rush. It's not something you really want to recover from, is it? John Millin, head of the Wyoming Democrats, has sent out an e-mail that urges us to keep up the momentum and donate $25 to the state party. Each donation will be matched by a private donor. To pitch in, go to
https://orchidforchange.com/wy/index.php?display=MakeDonation
We passed the hat (actually it was a see-through Lucite cube) regularly Saturday at the Cheyenne caucus. Not sure how much was gathered, but there were a lot of fives and tens floating around among the dollar bills. There are a lot of expenses during a big election year like this one, so I'm sure that Laramie County Democrats' treasurer Bobby Marcum was happy.
Julianne points out another benefit of the high-profile political race:
"I heard Democrats and Republicans talking together about politics, chatting about 'Bill' and 'Hillary' and 'Barack' as if they were neighbors or folks from work. Just about every conversation eneded with, 'Well, it can't possibly get any worse, no matter what happens.' "I heard -- and participated in -- some of those conversations. And we usually did agree that things couldn't get any worse. Will my Republican and Independent and Libertarian neighbors have the same feelings come November? Stay tuned....
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
5 years on, Iraq policy doesn't have a prayer
President Bush is storming the country this week making excuses for his five-year-old Iraq War. Today, he talked to the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, where I’m sure he got a rousing chorus of "Amen -- now pass the ammunition."
And now comes something completely different, Christianity-wise.
The following is on the Sojourners’ web site, and includes a call to sign a petition:
And now comes something completely different, Christianity-wise.
The following is on the Sojourners’ web site, and includes a call to sign a petition:
Sign on now at http://go.sojo.net/campaign/iraqstatementThis season of Lent, we are truly living "in darkness and in the shadow of death" (Luke 1:78-79) as we mark, on March 19, the fifth anniversary of the war with Iraq. It is a war that is being waged by our country, financed by our taxes, and fought by our sisters and brothers. As U.S. Christians, we issue a call to the American church to lament and repent of the sin of this war.
We lament the suffering and violence in Iraq....
We lament the effects of this war on our country....
We repent of our failure to fully live the teaching of Jesus to be peacemakers....
We believe repentance means more than just being sorry....
We dedicate ourselves to the biblical vision of a world in which nations do not attempt to resolve international problems by waging war on other nations....
Sunday, March 09, 2008
How many delegates does Wyoming have?
Bill Luckett, communications director of the Wyoming Democratic Party, sent out an e-mail this weekend as a reminder of how the state's Dem delegates are partitioned. Here are the numbers:
Eighteen delegates, breaks down to six unpledged delegates, and 12 pledged delegates.
UNPLEDGED DELEGATES
Five "superdelegates." These people are entitled to go to the convention, and they do not have to pledge support for any candidate. Wyoming's superdelegates are Gov. Dave Freudenthal, state party Chairman John Millin, state party Vice Chair Nancy Drummond, National Committeeman Pete Jorgensen, and National Committeewoman Cynthia Nunley.
One "unpledged party leader/elected official." This person is entitled to go to the convention, and he/she does not have to pledge support for any candidate. The state party chairman will nominate one or more people for this delegate position, and the person will be elected by the delegates to the Democratic State Convention on May 23-24.
PLEDGED DELEGATESSeven "district-level delegates" (and three alternates). They will be awarded to the presidential candidates based on the percentage of the vote each receives statewide in the March 8 county caucuses/conventions, with the allocation to each candidate to reflect the vote as closely as possible. This is based on the raw vote totals, or the popular vote, NOT the number of delegates to the state convention.
Three "at-large delegates." (and one alternate). They will be awarded to the presidential candidates based on the vote by the delegates at the Democratic State Convention on May 23-24. The delegates to the state convention, and which candidates they are pledged to support, will be determined within each county based on the percentage of the vote each candidate receives at the March 8 county caucuses/conventions.
Two "pledged party leader/elected officials." They will be awarded to the presidential candidates based on the vote by the delegates at the Democratic State Convention on May 23-24. The delegates to the state convention, and which candidates they are pledged to support, will be determined within each county based on the percentage of the vote each candidate receives at the March 8 county caucuses/conventions.
Dems been down so long, it looks like up
Mcjoan, writing in Daily Kos on the eve of the Wyoming caucuses, did a pretty thorough job of dissecting the situation. She wrapped up with this:
Maintaining enthusiasm – that’s the challenge for Wyoming Democrats. That goes for Obama and Clinton supporters. I was impressed at the intense campaign waged by the Obama team here in Cheyenne. Those people were organized and they brought fire to the cause. Every Dem household in the state received a phone call. All doors were knocked on. I’ve talked to lots of people received multiple phone calls. When we brought this up to field director Pat Lane, he had an interesting response, one I’d never thought about. He said that supporters won’t be dissuaded by multiple phone calls. They may get testy, but they can be counted on to vote. A second or third call might sway an undecided voter, or it may remind Dems to get out to the polls. Independents and Libertarians may get angry, but it also may get them to the polls. Republicans may see multiple calls as harassment. But what the heck – why not irritate a Republican? Any Wyoming Democrat who hasn't been cussed out on the phone (or in person) by a Republican can't really call himself/herself a Dem.
But Wyomingites never received the amount of calls that Iowans did in the months leading up to its primary. Households received calls from all the candidates multiple times. And they turned out in record numbers this year.
The message is clear. It takes a well-organized and well-funded campaign to win an election. Democrats in Wyoming have been down so long it looks like up to us. Many had just given up. It took a lot of effort to get them out of their lethargy – but they did come out. Almost 8,700 votes were cast statewide. In the 2004 county conventions, less that 700 votes were cast. The 2008 numbers are 12 times those of 2004. Some of those reflect people who switched parties, a Republican or Independent registering as a Dem and who will probably switch back before November. But most of those voters were either new registrants or newly-motivated Dems or people so fed up with the Republican Party that they switched and won’t go back. I know several of those in Cheyenne.
The challenge for Wyoming Democrats, just as it is for Idaho Dems, will be to capture the enthusiasm of new and reinvigorated Wyoming voters in actually being relevant in a presidential campaign, and to harness it to carry through November and beyond. An invigorated and involved Democratic base could make this the election that sends Blue Majority candidate Gary Trauner to Congress.
Maintaining enthusiasm – that’s the challenge for Wyoming Democrats. That goes for Obama and Clinton supporters. I was impressed at the intense campaign waged by the Obama team here in Cheyenne. Those people were organized and they brought fire to the cause. Every Dem household in the state received a phone call. All doors were knocked on. I’ve talked to lots of people received multiple phone calls. When we brought this up to field director Pat Lane, he had an interesting response, one I’d never thought about. He said that supporters won’t be dissuaded by multiple phone calls. They may get testy, but they can be counted on to vote. A second or third call might sway an undecided voter, or it may remind Dems to get out to the polls. Independents and Libertarians may get angry, but it also may get them to the polls. Republicans may see multiple calls as harassment. But what the heck – why not irritate a Republican? Any Wyoming Democrat who hasn't been cussed out on the phone (or in person) by a Republican can't really call himself/herself a Dem.
But Wyomingites never received the amount of calls that Iowans did in the months leading up to its primary. Households received calls from all the candidates multiple times. And they turned out in record numbers this year.
The message is clear. It takes a well-organized and well-funded campaign to win an election. Democrats in Wyoming have been down so long it looks like up to us. Many had just given up. It took a lot of effort to get them out of their lethargy – but they did come out. Almost 8,700 votes were cast statewide. In the 2004 county conventions, less that 700 votes were cast. The 2008 numbers are 12 times those of 2004. Some of those reflect people who switched parties, a Republican or Independent registering as a Dem and who will probably switch back before November. But most of those voters were either new registrants or newly-motivated Dems or people so fed up with the Republican Party that they switched and won’t go back. I know several of those in Cheyenne.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Historic day for Wyoming Democrats
"Democracy," as someone once said, "is messy."
Sure, but it's fun too.
Today in Cheyenne, we had 1,532 Democrats vote in a presidential preference poll. I manned one of the ballot boxes, aided by a stalwart Hillary Clinton volunteer from North Dakota. Our job: make sure that each person votes only once. Caucus-goers, some of whom stood in line two hours to get inside, were a bit restless, anxious to vote and get to work or get home to relieve the babysitter. Two school teachers stood next to the crude voting machine (me), ready to cast their votes and get to an in-service that started at 8:45. They finally got to vote at 10. One young woman had to pick up her baysitter, drop her off at her house, and then go to work, all by 10. She didn't make it to work on time. But she stayed, and cast a vote.
Final tally: 941 votes for Barack Obama, 588 for Hillary Clinton. Three votes were for Edwards or another Dem on the ballot who had dropped out of the race along the way.
Statewide, said CNN, Obama came out ahead in the caucus votes 59-40 percent. He clinched seven delegates while Hillary got five.
The race for the Democratic Party's presidential nominee continues. Wyoming's vote solved nothing, really, but it taught us some things. First, there are more Democrats in Wyoming than we think. Flood them with phone calls, mailers, and TV ads, add a dash of national media coverage, and they'll turn out at the caucuses. Second, Democrats have to do a better job keeping those people involved and motivated.
Today, anyway, there was more than enough motivation to go around. Oilfield workers and government employees and stay-at-home moms were angry about the state of the nation, and the fact that George W. Bush has nearly ruined this country. One of those stay-at-home moms, a young woman named Sarah, spoke in public for the first time today, she said, in an effort to become a Clinton delegate at the state convention on Memorial Day weekend in Jackson. She fell a few votes short in the delegate count, but got the nod as an alternate. She joins my wife, Chris, as a Clinton alternate. I was selected as an Obama delegate. In Jackson, when I'm not delegating, I'll be blogging.
Both CNN and Fox did broadcasts from the Cheyenne caucus (see photo above). When the emcee noted that Fox News was on-site, the crowd roundly booed. The Fox cameraman bowed, no doubt used to such warm receptions from crowds of Democrats
On to Mississippi and beyond....
Sure, but it's fun too.
Today in Cheyenne, we had 1,532 Democrats vote in a presidential preference poll. I manned one of the ballot boxes, aided by a stalwart Hillary Clinton volunteer from North Dakota. Our job: make sure that each person votes only once. Caucus-goers, some of whom stood in line two hours to get inside, were a bit restless, anxious to vote and get to work or get home to relieve the babysitter. Two school teachers stood next to the crude voting machine (me), ready to cast their votes and get to an in-service that started at 8:45. They finally got to vote at 10. One young woman had to pick up her baysitter, drop her off at her house, and then go to work, all by 10. She didn't make it to work on time. But she stayed, and cast a vote.
Final tally: 941 votes for Barack Obama, 588 for Hillary Clinton. Three votes were for Edwards or another Dem on the ballot who had dropped out of the race along the way.
Statewide, said CNN, Obama came out ahead in the caucus votes 59-40 percent. He clinched seven delegates while Hillary got five.
The race for the Democratic Party's presidential nominee continues. Wyoming's vote solved nothing, really, but it taught us some things. First, there are more Democrats in Wyoming than we think. Flood them with phone calls, mailers, and TV ads, add a dash of national media coverage, and they'll turn out at the caucuses. Second, Democrats have to do a better job keeping those people involved and motivated.
Today, anyway, there was more than enough motivation to go around. Oilfield workers and government employees and stay-at-home moms were angry about the state of the nation, and the fact that George W. Bush has nearly ruined this country. One of those stay-at-home moms, a young woman named Sarah, spoke in public for the first time today, she said, in an effort to become a Clinton delegate at the state convention on Memorial Day weekend in Jackson. She fell a few votes short in the delegate count, but got the nod as an alternate. She joins my wife, Chris, as a Clinton alternate. I was selected as an Obama delegate. In Jackson, when I'm not delegating, I'll be blogging.
Both CNN and Fox did broadcasts from the Cheyenne caucus (see photo above). When the emcee noted that Fox News was on-site, the crowd roundly booed. The Fox cameraman bowed, no doubt used to such warm receptions from crowds of Democrats
On to Mississippi and beyond....
Lines around the block for county caucus
The votes are being counted during lunch, but even before we know the numbers, it's obvious that thousands of people turned out for today Democratic Party caucuses in Cheyenne. I arrived at 7:30 a.m., and by the time the doors opened at 8, the lines snaked around the corner of the downtown parking garage.We woefully underestimated the number of Democrats who would show up for the caucus. We guessed 500 to 1,000 would come. We rented a bigger building that seats 1,500. We planned for multiple registration tables. We had lots of volunteers. But still the Dems filed in the doors of the Civic Center, so many that we had to hold the balloting in two shifts.
That didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the attendees (see above).
I have to get back to the action before the delegate selection process begins. More later...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)