Bucking Jenny questions Rep. Lummis and her vote on Senate version of Violence Against Women Act

Bucking Jenny is one of the members of the WY Progressives' blogroll, a loose confederation of Wyoming prog-bloggers (see right sidebar). Author of the blog is Sarah Zacharias and she has penned a fine open letter to Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis. Sarah wonders why Rep. Lummis is not supportive of the Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act. The Liberals Unite site has reprinted the letter and it's getting a lot of online attention. Go read it at Liberals Unite or at Bucking Jenny. While at Bucking Jenny, please make a supportive comment and contribute a couple bucks to the cause. Here's a sample of the letter:

Miss Lummis, I understand that your party pressures you to make absurd votes like this. I understand that our system doesn’t always make it easy to do the right thing. The fact is that you have to stop and ask yourself what motivation you have to vote against the Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act. Are you afraid of stepping away from the party line?

Fine letter, Sarah. It will be interesting to see the reply, if there is one. 

Laramie County Democrats gather tonight to talk turkey

The Laramie County Democrats and Grassroots Coalition hold a joint meeting tonight (Nov. 19) at 7 p.m. in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union hall, 810 Fremont, Cheyenne. When we say "joint" meeting, this has nothing to do with well, you know, this isn't Colorado!

Topics of discussion on tonight's agenda include: Nov. 6 election results; the upcoming legislative session; future plans for local Democrats; and the election of a new treasurer, as LCD treasurer Gary Roadifer of Pine Bluffs is stepping down to make time for some new responsibilities.

We had a great victory party at Suite 1901 on Nov. 6. It wasn't all fun and games. We had some disappointing losses in county commission and legislative races. We did elect Lee Filer to the legislature in HD12 -- the local paper profiled this newcomer in Sunday's edition. Way to go Lee!

The big celebration on election day was for the reelection of President Barack Obama. Romney's margin of victory in Wyoming was the second-biggest in the nation, ranking behind Utah's. That probably brought little comfort to Wyoming Republicans who had pinned their hopes of the Romney/Ryan ticket. In the end, an excellent Obama ground game and a surge of young, multicultural voters clinched the presidency for Democrats. While the Republican-dominated Wyoming Legislature discusses ways to close our southern border to swarms of Colorado potheads, LGBT activists and people of color, we will be busily studying their strategies, looking for ways to turn Wyoming purplish red in future elections.

See you tonight. Bring a progressive friend.

Meanwhile, read this intriguing article by Jack Healy in yesterday's New York Times: In Wyoming, Conservatives Feeling Left Behind.

Visions of handmade local sugarplums dancing in my head

Next Saturday is Small Business Saturday. It's an opportunity for all of us to avoid the Big Box Stores in favor of the Small Box Stores, preferably locally-owned and locally-managed places. Buy your CDs, vinyl and funky clothing at Cheyenne's Ernie November's. Give your favorite beer drinker (hint, hint) a selection of beers from Freedom's Edge Brewery just down 16th Street from Ernie's. If you can wait until the following Saturday -- Dec. 1 -- local culinary artists (chocolate-covered bacon!) ply their wares at the Winter Farmers Market at the Historic Depot. Or browse local art galleries and studios during the next Art Design and Dine on Dec. 13. You'll find a broad selection of handmade/homemade items for the arts lover on your list. Buy books by Wyoming authors at City News or directly from the writers. For ideas, see Wyoming Writers, Inc., or consult the list of writers on the Wyoming Arts Council blog sidebar.

Speaking of the arts.... Tickets to concerts and plays make for splendid holiday presents. If I was Martha Stewart, I would buy tickets to a Cheyenne Little Theatre Players show, put it in an envelope, place that in a box, put that box inside a bigger box, wrap the big box in festive wrapping and then place it under the boughs of a Christmas tree harvested in the Snowy Range and decorated with dazzling homemade ornaments, many of which are edible. Since I'm not Martha Stewart, I shall still buy the theatre tickets at the last minute and stash them in my loved one's Christmas stocking while I sip home-brewed grog late on Christmas Eve as the Led Zeppelin Christmas album plays in the background.

Check out more shopping ideas on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page. You can get free downloadable signage at www.shopsmall.com.

Wyoming Creative MediaPlex wants co-working creatives

This info comes from Alan O'Hashi of Wyoming Community Media: 

Do you have a New Creative Economy business that you'd like to nurture with like minds? Primary job creation will be happening not in garages but in collaborative work environments such as what's being planned for The Historic Hynds Building Capitol Core Project in downtown Cheyenne! Join the movement! Find out more and discuss possibilities at Wyoming Creative MediaPlex 

Precious Wyoming water leaves the state with every trainload of coal

Did you know that Wyoming ships its water out of state with each shipment of coal? Maybe I'd heard that before, but sometimes I have to hear it anew for the facts sink in.

One of the speakers at the Wyoming Business Alliance's annual meeting in Cheyenne yesterday was Wanda Burget, director of sustainable development for Peabody Energy, a major coal producer in Wyoming.

Energy producers are notorious water hogs. The fracking process uses notorious amounts of water, polluting it in the process. Energy production is crucial to the state's economy, but we can't drink or eat coal, and our water resources --- lakes, streams, reservoirs -- are at the center of Wyoming's tourist industry.

Casper Star-Tribune business editor Jeremy Fugleberg wrote about the WBA conference in today's edition. Here's an interesting snippet:

Coal from the Powder River Basin is full of water. Burget recognized the Wyoming Research Institute’s work to establish a way to procure the large amount of water shipped out of the state in the coal — about 720 gallons per 1,000 tons of coal, she [Wanda Burget] said.

Let's hope the Wyoming Energy Institute gets busy on finding ways to suck that water out of the coal before it leaves our borders. That's a lot of H2O. According to UW's Coalweb, Wyoming ships 25,882 coal trains out of state each year. Each train has 100-120 hopper cars, each loaded with 100-115 tons of coal. That means that at least 19 trillion gallons of water leave the state annually locked inside lumps of coal. That would slake the thirst of a lot of people and irrigate a lot of crops and absorb the attention of thousands of fishing enthusiasts and boaters. So why isn't Wyoming pouring even more revenue into research on ways to coax the water out of coal?

A trio of Wyoming businesspeople say the future of the state depends on diversifying its economy, developing a statewide water policy, and investing in new technology and infrastructure.

Two of the speakers, members of a panel on Wyoming’s future at the Wyoming Business Alliance’s annual meeting in Cheyenne, said they were troubled by Wyoming’s commodity-dependent economy.

What's to be done? Don't expect much help from our Republican-dominated legislature. The energy industry calls the shots. If the past gives us any clues to activities during the 2013 session, we can anticipate an embarrassing amount of time and energy spent on social issues. Some Republicans seem obsessed with women's reproductive equipment. Others want to stop married LGBT people at the border. Still others openly call state workers "bums" and are intent in taking away our pensions. Others demonize teachers and will again try to strip them of any collective bargaining rights. Who has time to focus on diversifying our economy?

Wyoming Retirement System holds its next town hall meeting Nov. 28 in Casper

The Wyoming Retirement System will hold its next town hall meeting in Casper on Wednesday, November 28, 7-8:30 p.m. It will be held in Nichols Auditorium, McMurry Career Studies Building, Casper College. The meeting is open to anyone who is concerned about the threat by Republicans to mess with the state retirement system in the name of Tea Party politics. At a town hall meeting on Nov. 8 in Cheyenne, WRS Director Thom Williams sounded a cautionary note about any changes to the state's defined-benefits plan. This is from the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

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

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

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

HM urges state employees in Natrona County to attend the meeting. Maybe some of those right-wingers that county residents keep electing to the legislature will show up and learn something.

The town meeting is co-sponsored by the Coalition for a Healthy Retirement and the Equality State Policy Center.  

Strike that debt with Rolling Jubilee

This is a great idea, and yet another offshoot of Occupy Wall Street:

Rolling Jubilee is a Strike Debt project that buys debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, abolishes it. Together we can liberate debtors at random through a campaign of mutual support, good will, and collective refusal. Debt resistance is just the beginning. Join us as we imagine and create a new world based on the common good, not Wall Street profits. Learn more or contribute.

"Arts in the Parks" exhibit opens Nov. 16 at Wyoming State Museum

Arts happening on Friday:

Artwork featured in the 2013 “Arts in Parks” calendar will be on display at the Wyoming State Museum through December 30.  An opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Friday, November 16, at the State Museum in downtown Cheyenne, 5-6 p.m.

As part of Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails 75th Anniversary, sponsored by Cameco and in partnership with the Wyoming Arts Council, which also provided logistics and funding as part of our Arts in the Parks programming, the calendar features 13 artistic pieces depicting different State Parks and Historic Sites. The artistic pieces include oils, photography, mixed media, acrylics and watercolors.

In conjunction with the Wyoming Arts Council and the Wyoming State Museum, the Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails invited artists from throughout the state to render artistic depictions of any of Wyoming’s State Parks and Historic Sites.

Some of the sites included in the artistic pieces are Ames Monument, Buffalo Bill State Park, Edness Kimball Wilkins State Park, Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site, Glendo State Park, Guernsey State Park, Hot Springs State Park, Keyhole State Park, Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site and Sinks Canyon State Park.

Artists included in the calendar are Glenda L. Heimbuck-Haley, Anthony James and Tim Haley of Cheyenne; Alissa Hartmann and Christine Meytras of Jackson;  Joyce Keown and Mack Brislawn of Laramie; Virginia Butcher of Evansville; Mike Conaway of Evanston; Marie Elena Bramson of Frannie; Pat Schermerhorn of Cody; Nancy Brown of Gillette; and Sally La Bore of Sheridan.

Calendars will be available through the Wyoming State Museum Store and from the Wyoming Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails.

Wyoming State Museum is open Mon.-Fri., 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sat. 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and State and Federal Holidays.

Call in and ask Sen. Enzi about GOP plans to ensure healthy retirements for Wyomingites

Laramie's Nancy Sindelar is a great source for intriguing political happenings around the state. She just alerted me about this:

Thursday, November 15, 7 p.m., Wyoming PBS presents "Wyoming Perspectives: the Future of Medicare and Social Security." This is a discussion with Republican Sen. Mike Enzi; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokesperson Mike Fierberg; University of Wyoming professor and economist Anne Alexander; AARP Vice President/Financial Security Jean Setzfand; and AARP Wyoming Director Tim Summers. This is a live call-in show, or you can watch archived copy afterwards. FMI: http://www.wyomingpbs.org/seniors. Email jamend@cwc.edu. Ask live on-air questions: 1-800-495-9788 or wyomingperspectives@wyomingpbs.org. Twitter @WyoPBS, #WyoPBSseniors. 

My first question to Sen. Enzi: Now that the Republican plans for privatizing Social Security and turning Medicare into a voucher system are as dead as Paul Ryan's budget, how do you plan to spend your time in D.C.? And then there's that little question about avoiding the fiscal cliff. How does the GOP plan to deal with that little issue, eh?

Call for entries: What's sexy about the zombie apocalypse?

This isn't exactly my cup of tea, but thought I'd pass along this call for entries because it comes from a local press. Who knows, I may even try my writing hand at zombie erotica. As they say, write what you don't know -- you might learn something.

This comes from Angelic Knight Press editor Stacey Turner:

That's right, folks! Our new anthology project is all about zombies. Well, zombies and erotica. What's sexy about the zombie apocalypse? You tell us!

What we're looking for is short fiction, 1k-2k words, featuring zombies and erotica in some form or fashion. I'll be taking 50 stories for the anthology. Subs may be submitted starting today. The deadline for submission is December 31. The proposed date of release is February 14, Valentine's Day.

Regardless of the subject matter, stories must be well written and interesting, with definite emphasis on originality. Please read our submission guidelines page and submit accordingly.

Payment will be shared royalties.

Where did this idea come from? KillerCon of course! It actually began as a joke, but so many people thought it interesting that we decided to run with it. I have to give credit for the title to Benjamin Kane Ethridge. There are already several authors from KillerCon sending stories, so join them and us in this project!

What are you waiting for? Get writing!

Republican political purity trumps the need for mental health and substance abuse services

The need is huge for effective mental health and substance abuse programs in Wyoming. The Wyoming Department of Health has been on the forefront of proving those services through its Medicaid-funded waiver programs. They fund treatments for low income residents but also for middle income people who have no health insurance, or insurance that limits coverage for mental health and substance abuse. National insurance parity legislation has helped some, but treatment is expensive, especially if you have to send a child out of state, which our family has had to do three times. And President Obama's Affordable Care Act has helped in the areas of pre-existing conditions and the ability of families to keep their kids insured until age 26. Thanks Obamacare!

Current treatment tactics in wraparound care call for keeping family members close to home. A worthy goal but not always practical in a rural state such as Wyoming. Your regional treatment center may be full so those located in surrounding states may be your only option. Face it, a person in southeast Wyoming has a slew of treatment options along the Colorado Front Range, from Fort Collins down to Pueblo. Same goes for southwest Wyoming. Yes, the state hospital is in Evanston but not everyone qualifies for a stay there, so residents look to Utah's Wasatch Front for alternatives.

And now the Wyoming Department of Health announces cuts to its mental health and substance abuse treatments. These cuts are in keeping with demands by Republican lawmakers to make budget cuts when none are needed. The current budget-cutting mania is prompted less by necessity than by Tea Party-inspired, We Hate Gubment, politics.

From a Wyoming Public Radio story by Willow Belden:

The Wyoming Department of Health plans to cut millions of dollars of funding for Medicaid and for mental health and substance abuse services. That’s to meet a budget reduction required by the state Legislature. Lawmakers directed the Health Department to reduce spending by 4 percent for fiscal year 2014 and to prepare for additional 8 percent cuts in the following two years. Health Department Director Tom Forslund says the cuts will be painful. “The Department of Health provides critical services and funds critical services, and so we can’t cut our budget without impacting those services,” Forslund said.  He says the cuts will mean healthcare providers won’t be reimbursed as much for treating Medicaid patients, which make it harder for low-income people to get medical care. “There will be some healthcare providers who elect not to serve as many Medicaid patients,” he said. “And that’s what’s happened to a lot of states around the country – that the more they cut payments to healthcare providers, the less healthcare providers are willing to see Medicaid patients.” Forslund says for every dollar that the state cuts in Medicaid funding, Wyoming loses a dollar of federal funding as well.

Stephen Vincent Benet's "John Brown's Body" comes to the Wyoming stage

Nobody, with the possible exception of English majors and classics' scholars, reads epic poetry anymore. The Iliad. The Odyssey. Leaves of Grass. Letter to an Imaginary Friend. John Brown's Body.

Stephen Vincent Benet won the 1929 Pulitzer Prize for "John Brown's Body," a 15,000-line epic about America's Civil War. Benet wrote it in Paris in 1926-1928, his trip financed by a Guggenheim fellowship. I've never encountered Benet in my reading about the "Lost Generation" in Paris, those post-World War I expats from all over who gravitated to Paris for a healthy dose of creativity and mass quantities of boozing (absinthe anyone?).

John Brown usually lies a-moulderin' on the page in Benet's now-neglected book. But a Wyoming family with theatrical roots are performing "John Brown's Body" in a staged reading this week. The reading will be performed by Pete and Lynne Simpson and there three children: Maggie, Milward and Pete. The elder Pete is a retired history professor at the University of Wyoming. Wife Lynne is an accomplished actress and director. Maggie is a singer/songwriter, Milward is a musician and theatre guy (and fellow state employee) and Pete  Jr. performs with the Blue Man Group.

Wyoming was far removed from Civil War action. From 1861-65, it was part of Nebraska Territory with very few Anglo settlements outside of military forts. Although there were some Civil War battles in the Rocky Mountains -- New Mexico comes to mind -- none were fought in Wyoming. Slavery was permitted in the territories. But whether the nascent states would be "free states" or slave states" was being argued about regularly in Congress. That struggle came to a head with abolitionist John Brown's raid on the U.S. Army Depot at Harper's Ferry. He was executed for his crime on Dec. 2, 1859. Southern forces fired on Fort Sumter 16 months later, launching the Civil War. The next four years were a horror show for the country. In his epic poem, Benet tried to describe the experience from various points of view. Maybe Ken Burns was thinking of Benet when he filmed his famous Civil War series for PBS. He let the people speak in their own words.

Some of Benet's lines feature John Brown's final words:

Now if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my
life for the furtherance of the ends of justice and mingle
my blood further with the blood of my children
and with the blood of millions in this slave country
whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and
unjust enactments, I say, let it be done.

Let it be done. And it was.

You can see "John Brown's Body, a staged reading," featuring the Simpson family with music by the Cheyenne Chamber Singers, at the Cheyenne Civic Center, Thursday, Nov. 15. Tickets $20 for adults and $10 for students. They are $5 more at the door. Visit www.cheyenneciviccenter.org or call 637-6363.

Read more about Benet and his poem at http://www.historynet.com/john-browns-body-stephen-vincent-benet-and-civil-war-memory.htm

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

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

This just in: Florida puts Obama over the top

I can breathe easier now. From the Association Press:

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

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

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

--clip--

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

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

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

Here's abit about Meg from her Tumblr profile:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned for more on this. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanging out with the Dems on election night

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

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

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

Nate Breen
Mark Klaasen
Tim Lockwood

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

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

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

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

So does my thoughtful friend and writer Larry Letich.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GRACE, Felicia Follum, 24"x36", $150 

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

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

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

Rodger McDaniel outs Richard Wall's McCarthyism

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wyoming Tribune Eagle: Early voting eclipses 2008 numbers

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

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

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

From the New York Times Sunday Book Review

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

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

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

Vote for Pres. Obama, for one thing.

Here's the event:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Imagine that?

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

From Wyoming Community Media's Whistle Stop Film Festival:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Press release from the Laramie County Public Library:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quills and parchment? Count me in...

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

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

Outlaw Saloon bans same-sex couples at Wednesday night promotions

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

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

Walking neighborhoods for Wyoming Democrats can be educational and even exciting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BTW: Go Gators! Beat the Dawgs!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

are planning a caravan to Casper on Saturday. 

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

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

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

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

Sue Wilson.

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

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

show our support for Joe. 

Read all about Joe here.