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.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
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?
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