Get to the polls on Wyoming Primary Day

Tomorrow is primary day in Wyoming. We're lucky in this state to be able to register at the polls and even change our party registration. So, if Democrats feel like voting for a Republican, they can switch their allegiance, vote, and then switch back. I do know several Dems who say they are doing just that so they can vote for the Republican in their state House seat.

Some people switch just to make mischief. At least one Dem I know says he will switch his registration so he can vote for Mark Gordon in the U.S. House race. He thinks that Democrat Gary Trauner (running opposed in primary) would have a better chance against Gordon. a Johnson County rancher, than against Cynthia Lummis, whose Repub roots go way back. She's been making hay in TV ads that Gordon is not a real Republican because he's given dough to the Sierra Club, John Kerry's 2004 campaign, and the DNC. He contends that that he's intent on conservation of Wyoming lands which is why he gave money to the Sierra Club 10 years ago. Apparently, conservation is O.K. but environmentalism is not. Conservation sounds like "Conservative." Same root word.

I'm not a proponent of election day mischief-making. If I registered as Repub tomorrow, I wouldn't get to vote in the races for Wyoming's two U.S. Senate seats. One pits Al "Big Al" Hamburg against engineer Chris Rothfuss. This is the seat held by Republican Mike Enzi, a likeable guy, a moderate at heart although he votes with the Bushies 90-plus percent of the time. The other U.S. Senate seat is being contended by Gillette's Nick Carter and Casperite Keith Goodenough. The winner of that primary battle will go up against Sen. John Barrasso of Casper, a physician who can't come up with a sensible health plan for all Americans.

Today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle carried a sample ballot. If you have questions or need more info about polling places, go to http://www.laramiecountyclerk.com/.

See you at the polls.

Meet the DNC delegates: Jason Bloomberg

Cowboy hats and ballcaps outnumber yarmulkes as the headgear of choice in Cheyenne.

Wyoming's Jewish population probably falls somewhere between the numbers for Alaskan natives and New York Yankees fans. However, Judaism has a long history in Cheyenne, according to the Wyoming State Historical Society.

German Jewish merchants came to Cheyenne starting in 1867.... The first Permanent Jewish Synagogue in Wyoming was erected in 1915 by Cheyenne’s Mt. Sinai Congregation. Jewish settlement in Wyoming has been called the furthermost reaches of the Jewish Diaspora since it represented settlement far removed from the limitations that had been placed on Judaism in Germany and Russia. Jewish participation in the life of Cheyenne and Wyoming has made the slogan “The Equality State” more meaningful.

Dr. Jason Bloomberg wears a yarmulke and also speaks out, another factor that increases his visibility among normally taciturn Wyomingites. The first time I encountered the activist physician was at the Democratic Party caucus in March. He was adamant about the country's crying need for a sensible health care plan. His passionate speech in support of Hillary Clinton's health plan over that of Barack Obama's likely clinched Bloomberg a slot as a Clinton delegate to the Wyoming Democratic convention in Jackson. While there, he was elected as a Clinton delegate to the Dem shindig in Denver.

It's tough to pin down this busy citizen for an interview. But he did talk to reporter Lindsey Erin Kroskob for a story in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. No mention is made of Democratic Party politics or the upcoming convention. It's possible he wasn't asked. It's also possible he was asked and replied and the reporter and/or editor chose not to include that in the story. Who knows?

Dr. Bloomberg runs Access Health Clinic, a one-man operation that caters to low-income and uninsured patients.

He told the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

"I look at health care and access to health care to be as much a basic human right as food, housing, heat in winter and cool in the extremes of summer."

National statistics show that from 17-20 percent of the population is uninsured, according to Bloomberg. If you apply that to Cheyenne with its population of around 55,000, that means up to 11,000 of your friends and neighbors and their kids could be uninsured. Statewide, that number is close to 100,000. Shameful statistics.

Bloomberg doesn't accept insurance to cut down on processing costs demanded by insurers. He does accept Medicare and Medicaid. Office visits are inexpensive, and the doctor offers a 5 percent discount to those patients who keep healthy by eating right, quitting smoking, exercising, and kicking drug or alcohol habits. Here's how he summed up his approach:

"What I'm trying to convey is that their health is worth it for me to receive a smaller amount of fees for the services I provide.... If you are serious about taking care of yourself, I'm serious about helping you."

Dr. Bloomberg stresses personal responsibility when it comes to health. That sounds like a Wyoming trait to me. I'll bet you can find Republicans who agree with that approach.

But he also knows that health care is a "basic human right" and that insurance companies are a big part of the problem. But Republicans keep insisting that we should put our trust in the same insurance conglomerates that made this mess. Wyoming has a Republican U.S. Senator, John Barrasso, that also is a physician. He's a supporter of Wyo. Sen. Enzi's ten-point health care plan, which touts private health savings plans and other crapola. And, in a recent Wyoming Public Radio forum featuring three of the Republican U.S. House candidates, they all used the term "single-payer health plan" with the same tone Wyomingites reserve for venomous snakes and PETA activists. It's more of the same for these Republicans....

That attitude is reflected on a bumper sticker I saw on a pick-up with Colorado plates driving down a Cheyenne street: "No Thanks, Keep the Change." The "o" is "No" was the distinctive red, white and blue Obama logo.

Meet Wyoming's Dem line-up for Denver

With the Democratic National Convention in Denver only eight days away, I thought it would be a public service to provide a list of those people representing Wyoming Democrats on the national stage. Although it seems like a pretty long list, I assure you that these are not the only Dems in the state. There are a few others staying behind, keeping the homeplace safe for western-style liberalism.

Here's the list, courtesy of the Wyoming Democratic Party web site:

The first 12 people listed here are the 12 PLEDGED delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Those positions were awarded to the candidates based on the presidential preference votes at our March 8 county caucuses and our May 24 state convention. Of those 12, Obama won seven and Clinton won five.
DISTRICT-LEVEL DELEGATES (7 total): Rey Fuentes (Obama), William Neal (Obama), Sara Burlingame (Obama), Jacquelyn Bridgeman (Obama), Kathy Karpan (Clinton), Jason Bloomberg (Clinton), Ann Robinson (Clinton).
AT-LARGE DELEGATES (3 total): Lorraine Saulino-Klein (Obama), Layha Spoonhunter (Obama), Shirley Davis (Clinton).
PLEDGED PARTY LEADER/ELECTED OFFICIAL DELEGATES (2 total): State Sen. Mike Massie (Obama), State Rep. and State Party Secretary Mary Hales (Clinton).

These next six people are the "superdelegates," including Rep. Patrick Goggles, who was elected at the May 24 state convention. The other five were predetermined based on the offices they hold.
UNPLEDGED PARTY LEADER/ELECTED OFFICIAL DELEGATE (1 total): State Rep. Patrick Goggles (Rep. Goggles has announced that he is supporting Obama.)
OTHER “SUPERDELEGATES” (5 total): John Millin, state party chair (announced that he’s supporting Obama), Nancy Drummond, state party vice chair (announced that she’s supporting Obama), Pete Jorgensen, national committeeman (announced that he’s supporting Obama), Cynthia Nunley, national committeewoman (announced that she's supporting Clinton), Dave Freudenthal, Wyoming governor
(announced that he’s supporting Obama).

Those are the 18 voting delegates Wyoming is sending to the Democratic National Convention.

In addition, Wyoming is also sending the following alternates and committee members. These people are NOT delegates (although alternates will replace delegates who cannot attend the convention). However, they will attend the convention. They were awarded to the candidates based on the results of presidential preference votes.
DISTRICT-LEVEL ALTERNATES (3 total): Mike Bell (Obama), Jean Jorgensen (Obama), Dave Lerner (Clinton).
AT-LARGE ALTERNATE (1 total): Marcia Kunstel (Obama)
RULES COMMITTEE (1 position, awarded to Obama): State Party Treasurer Chuck Herz.
PLATFORM COMMITTEE (1 position, awarded to Obama): State Rep. Lori Millin.
CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE (1 position, awarded to Clinton): Story Clark Resor

Casper Star-Tribune endorses Nick Carter

This comes from Eric Hevenor, campaign manager for the Nick Carter for Senate campaign: We received an important endorsement today: The Casper Star Tribune officially threw their support behind Nick Carter. Read the Tribune's glowing endorsement of Nick here.

In its editorial endorsement, the Casper Star Tribune noted of Nick that "he has a wealth of knowledge about the issues" and that Nick is "the strongest candidate to take on Barrasso in November."

Clearly, when the state's most important and widely distributed publication throws their support behind Nick's campaign, it's because Nick is a viable candidate to fight for solutions for the people of Wyoming. On the issues, the Tribune reports that "Carter is also correct when he criticizes the government's failure to build a high-speed rail system, which would be much more energy efficient than auto and air traffic. He says it's the kind of issue that should be debated in the Senate today, so the planning can start as soon as possible.

"Carter has also taken an interesting approach on health care, promoting federal
catastrophic insurance coverage for everyone. Such a system would likely help the economy by reducing the number of bankruptcies people file due to high medical bills."

Clearly, the editorial board of the Tribune realizes that there are many problems facing Wyoming and that Nick Carter is the man to deliver real solutions. The verdict is in: The state's largest newspaper threw their support behind Nick Carter because they realized that Nick Carter is the right candidate to create solutions for Wyoming.

UPDATE: Saturday's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle in Cheyenne added its endorement for Nick Carter over Casper's Keith Goodenough in Tuesday's primary. The paper also featured a side-by-side Q&A with Carter and Goodenough.

RAM performs free concert in Denver

Rage Against the Machine at a concert in The Netherlands earlier this year

According to The Denver Post:

Rage Against the Machine has agreed to perform as part of the "Tent State Music Festival to End the War" on Wednesday, Aug. 27 at the Denver Coliseum during the Democratic National Convention. They will be joined by Denver's Flobots, along with The Coup, State Radio and Wayne Kramer.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m., show begins at 11 a.m.

Tickets are free and available by lottery. Sign up for the lottery, with a valid photo ID (person must be present) at Tent State University at Cuernavaca Park between 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. from Sunday, Aug. 24, through Tuesday, Aug. 26 (look for the Tent State Music Festival booth near the Iraq Veterans Against the War Tower).

Winners will be notified by email Tuesday evening, Aug. 26. Winners can claim their tickets at the Denver Coliseum beginning 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27.

The event is sponsored by the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and Tent State University.

The Denver Coliseum is located at I-70 (Brighton Blvd. exit #275B) just east of the junction of I-25 with I-70.

"UnConventional" Marilyn Miller exhibits work during Democratic Convention

Rabble-rousing Cheyenne artist Marilyn Miller tells me that she will have two of her works at a Denver exhibition called "UnConventional: Artists Make Action" at The Other Side Arts, 1644 Platte St. The exhibit runs though the Democratic National Convention, which is Aug. 24-28. The gallery is located near the Pepsi Center, where most of the official convention action will be happening.

Marilyn showed me a cellphone photo of one of her pieces. It showed a painting of cemetery crosses on a dark field with red pooling at the bottom of the painting. Next to it hang photocopied lists of American war dead next to even larger lists of Iraqi civilian dead.

Her son, writer David Cronk, says that "I can't even tell you how many galleries she's been thrown out of around here." Yes, Marilyn's ticked off and she lets it all hang out in her work.

Here's a description of the Denver "UnConventional" exhibit:

The Other Side Arts hosts an open community exhibition in reaction to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. TOSA's gallery is located in the growing river front neighborhood, a stone's throw from the convention. Our goal is to spark dialogue between diverse communities around our political climate and how it affects the future of our country.

This exhibit is just one of the many arts-oriented events taking place during the Dem Convention in Denver. Five Wyoming artists, along with peers from the Rocky Mountain region, have photos of their work hanging at DIA. If you're flying in to the convention, stop and take a look before you go all political.

FMI: TOSA at 720-276-2335.

Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Sept. 13 in Casper

The Wyoming Democratic Party's 2008 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13, 7-9 p.m., at the Casper Hilton Garden Inn, 1150 N. Poplar St. Among the featured speakers this year will be candidates for congressional offices, Gov. Dave Freudenthal, and more.

Tickets are $75 per person for the dinner. Guests are also invited to attend a VIP cocktail party prior to the dinner, and tickets for that event are $100 a piece.

For more details, or to buy your tickets, click here. You can also make reservations by calling state party headquarters at 800-729-3367.

Book festival arrives on heels of primaries

Although many Wyomingites are focusing on political issues this time of year, such as whether or not U.S. House candidate Mark Gordon is a "real Republican" (a question posed in Cynthia Lummis's TV ads), others are looking ahead to the second annual Equality State Book Festival Sept. 18-20 in Casper. Some of us are doing both at the same time! A group of very energetic planners in Casper brought Wyoming its first statewide book festival in October 2006.

This one is bigger and better than ever. featured writers include Alexandra Fuller, Jack Gantos, Laurie Kutchins, Gary Ferguson, C.J. Box, John Gierach, Laura Pritchett, and many more (35 in all).

Four, two-day writing workshops offering Casper College continuing education units will be offered Thursday and Friday, Sept. 18 and 19. They’ll be taught by faculty from the University of Wyoming’s Masters of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing: prizewinning poet H.L. Hix, fiction writer Alyson Hagy, nonfiction author Beth Loffreda, and Wyoming Poet Laureate, essayist, folklorist and accordion player David Romtvedt.

Anyone else with a book in print is welcome, too, to reserve a spot for a 15 minute reading and signing at the book fair on Saturday, Sept. 20. Works from anthologies will be accepted for readings as well. Contact kcoe@caspercollege.edu for information. These slots are limited, however, and will fill on a first-come, first-served basis. To register for the workshops, banquet and to reserve a table at the Fair on Saturday, click on the “register” tab on the bookfest web site.

Gary Trauner in Cheyenne for fundraiser

Please attend a reception benefiting Gary Trauner, Democratic candidate for Wyoming's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

At the home of Mike and Amy Bell, 727 Oak Valley Lane, Cheyenne, on Friday, August 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Contributions will be warmy accepted for Gary's run to put the state's House seat into Democratic Party hands for the first time in many moons (I'll look up the stats).

Please R.S.V.P. Grant Mitchell at (307) 413-8203 or grant@traunerforcongress.com

Paint it black at Sturgis 2008

Three pals and their skeletal friend out on the town in Sturgis

I dressed inappropriately for Sturgis.

I wore non-black, which definitely puts you in the minority among all comers, both men and women. Black leathers, black bandannas, black T-shirts, black motorcycles. Actually the motorcycles were much more colorful -- and more artful -- than their riders. Flashy colors and wild designs. The guy camped next to us in the Hog Heaven Campground traded in his Yamaha 650 (he brought a Yamaha to Sturgis?) for a Big Dog Mutt pro-street model. It was blazing orange with lots of polished aluminum (Big Dog's motto: "Only your jacket should be black"). Cost: $25,000. But it was a beauty. The real challenge came when he had to get the bike on his RV's rear-end bike mount built for a smaller Yamaha. The day before, he had taken his RV to a welder who had reinforced the carrier. Blake and Dan helped him and his diminutive wife roll the bike up the ramp and tie it down.

But back to the clothes. I wore my green Cheyenne Frontier Days Hawaiian shirt with palm trees interspersed with trucks and horse trailers (that's me at left above). It's an all-purpose shirt, one you can wear to luaus, rodeos and motorcycle rallies. One woman stopped and commented on the shirt, saying she had never seen anything quite like it. She wasn't wearing black but a white blouse and blue jeans. She and a friend from Rapid City were in town for a day of shopping and ogling.

The real problem with black is that it absorbs the blazing S.D. sun. The sun seemed hotter there than it does in Cheyenne, but maybe that was my imagination. Black doesn't make sense when you spend the day walking around downtown Sturgis staring at motorcycles and women wearing leather chaps over string bikinis. There was also one guy walking around in shorts and a bikini top with this written on his back: "I lost the bet." He was cooler than most of us.

Because black clothes absorb the sun and heat up your body, many bike week denizens slip into the many bars which line the streets. We had to do that several times in desperate acts of self-preservation. When it did rain later in the afternoon, I stood outside while people ran for shelter in the bars. As most Westerners know, these summer showers are quick and gusty and pack little rain. And, if you do get wet, the sun will reappear shortly to dry you out. I maybe got a dozen drops on me, just enough to lower the body heat a degree or two.

So I had no choice but to join the multitudes streaming into One-Eyed Jack's bar.

Sen. Obama believes in the arts

There is one major difference between the arts policies of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain -- Obama has one, McCain does not.

This is not surprising. Sen. Obama talks about the importance of arts education during his major speeches. He even has an arts policy committee of people in the arts both well-known and obscure. They've been circulating a five-page plan on the subject.

Before I proceed, I do have to say that the arts is not solely the domain of Democratic Party candidates. Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi serves on the Senate Arts Caucus and has served on the board of arts organizations in Gillette, his hometown. He has worked on this issue with Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy, who had been out of the loop lately with his cancer treatments. If a CONSERVATIVE businessman from Wyoming coal country can work on arts legislation with a diehard LIBERAL city boy from Massachusetts, maybe there is some hope for Arizona Repub John McCain to get on the arts bandwagon.

You can read Obama's plan at http://www.artsactionfund.org/pdf/artsvote/ObamaStatement3b.pdf. It also features a letter from one of the members of the advisory committee, novelist Michael Chabon, author of the "Yiddish Policemen's Union," which I recently devoured.

Have no bike, but will travel (to Sturgis)

Blogger adrift in a sea of motorcycles

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a big fat target for Liberals like me. Main reason? John McCain addressed the biking multitudes last week. He urged them to vote for him lest the Democrats get in and take away their motorcycles and guns, raise gas taxes, and make them all wear helmets, even when they're not riding.

McCain didn't say that. But you can be sure he inferred it.

But I steered clear of politics when I was in Sturgis, S.D., over the weekend. My brother Dan from Daytona and our mutual friend Blake were in town for the rally after spending two weeks exploring the Rocky Mountain West. They "trailered" their Harleys behind an RV, opening them up to criticism from the purists who ride their bikes from Daytona and Detroit and Seattle. I saw variations of this theme on a T-shirt: NICE TRAILER, PUSSY." But I saw a lot of RVs and a lot of trailers. One biker friend of mine from Florida sent his Harley out with friends and he flew to Rapid City. I didn't see any T-shirts that read NICE AIRPLANE, PUSSY."

Dan and Blake had parked the RV and ridden their bikes through Glacier National Park -- and other Montana scenery -- Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in Wyoming, the Big Horns and, finally, the Black Hills of South Dakota. For the Black Hills leg, they hooked up with a friend of a friend who lives in Custer and he became their guide for rides in the Hills. When driving a car in the Hills this time of year, you're outnumbered substantially by bikers. It's kind of like being a Democrat in Wyoming -- always outnumbered.

I had a fine time over the weekend. It was great to see Dan and Blake. My brother's less than two years younger. My mother used to joke that she didn't know Dan could speak until I shipped off to kindergarten. I was his mouthpiece in those early years. But he's spoken for himself since then. Now a retired air traffic controller, he has a business, Daytona Gear, selling leather tank bags to bikers. Kind of a natural fit for a biker from Daytona, considering there are now two big rallies there each year, one in February/March with the annual bikes races and the other called "Biketoberfest."

Dan knew Blake first, but we also became friends when I rented a house next to his in the little burg of Holly Hill north of Daytona. He runs a successful construction company and decided to take a few weeks off because business is not exactly booming in these harsh times.

What does a civilian like me do during Sturgis? The same things that bikers do. Wander the Sturgis streets, looking at all the fancy bikes. Shop, too, at one of the hundreds of stores and vendors. These are some serious shoppers, snatching up T-shirts, bandannas, helmets, and various bike accessories, such as kickstands in the shape of a skeletal arm flipping a bird. Skulls are a favorite design, as are skeletons, wolves, buffalo and eagles. As I looked around for souvenir T-shirts, I was disappointed to find that most of them were cheaply made overseas. The only "Made in the U.S.A." labels I found were on Harley T-shirts. Those weren't selling as fast as the "5 for $25" shirts out on the street. But I wondered how bikers, a subculture that prides itself in its blue-collar and military-veteran roots, could be happy with buying "Made in Vietnam" T-shirts. Also, these bikes aren't cheap. Why would you ride a $25,000 official Harley motorcycle (at least $10,000 more than any car I've bought) and not want to buy a $25 Harley U.S.A. T-shirt?

We all need a bargain, what with rising gas prices and inflation and unemployment and housing foreclosures. A lot of the jobs of working men and women have been shipped overseas by our corporate overlords. Many of those were union jobs at places that make motorcycles and cars and steel beams and beer and even T-shirts. Many of those jobs were shipped overseas by buddies of Bush and Cheney and McCain. Still, McCain has the effrontery to drop into Sturgis and tell the gathered bikers to be very very afraid of the Democrats (especially the "swarthy elitist" Sen. Obama) because they will refuse to extend tax cuts for the fat cats who moved your jobs to our stalwart ally Pakistan which shelters the Muslim extremists who have killed and maimed your sons and daughters serving in Afghanistan.

(More about my weekend in Sturgis in upcoming posts)

Who's got the tickets for Obama's big bash?

The Wyoming Democratic Party was overlooked when it came to tickets for Sen. Obama's big speech at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium Aug. 28. And why is that? Is it due to the two-to-one Republican registration in the state? Our measly three electoral votes? Our meager population? Did the DNC lose its map of the Rocky Mountain region? We are adjacent to Colorado, the convention state. In fact, many people consider Denver a suburb of Cheyenne. Coloradans got tons of tickets, but not us.

So, Wyomingites are going to have to work for them. Tickets (a.k.a. "community credentials") are available by calling the Denver Convention Wyoming Contact Number. According to the WyoDems web site, "that is the only way to be considered for tickets. Spread the Word!"

O.K., I'm spreading the word.

You need to e-mail commcredentials@demconvention.com or call (720) 362-2500 and leave the following information:
· Name
· Telephone number (including area code)
· E-mail address
· State where you reside

More info at http://www.demconvention.com/invesco/

Who's the next Dick-Cheney-in-waiting?

Word comes this morning that Dick Cheney, Wyoming's not-so-favorite son, may skip the Republican National Convention Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul, Minn. Perhaps he'll be hiding out in his Jackson redoubt.

But there is a new Dick Cheney lurking amongst us. John McCain (McBush) will require his own Dick Cheney. What will he be like? Will he have a forked tongue and long tail? And how will he attempt to subvert the Constitution and destroy the world?

Keep track of all the shenanigans at thenextcheney.com.

Dem delegate profile: Sara the breadmaker

As she is every Tuesday afternoon in Cheyenne, Sara Burlingame-Thomas was at her very busy vendor's stall at the farmer's market.

She makes her own bread every day, using natural ingredients -- 100-percent whole wheat flour, local organic honey -- even on her 33rd birthday, which was today.

Sara is one of Wyoming's 18 Democratic delegates to the national convention Aug. 25-28 in Denver. This is her first trip to a national political convention and she's charged up -- and still raising money for the trip. On Saturday, Aug. 9, 5-7:30 p.m., Sara is holding a "Help Send Sara to the National Convention" party at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Cheyenne.

She's be selling her family's trademark grilled cheese sandwiches and her own carrot cake. She's enlisted her husband and high-school-aged son as volunteers, as well as a gaggle of friends. There will also be a raffle -- and plenty of Obama signs and buttons. Wyoming First Lady Nancy Freudenthal will be dropping by. Nancy isn't a delegate -- but her husband the Gov is.

It's tough to be objective about Sara, so I won't be. We've taught writing workshops to the kids at Attention Homes, which is the alternative to the local alternative school. We've judged poetry slams together, even competed in slams against one another. I helped her get a literary magazine off the ground. And I've eaten lots and lots of her breads, baguettes, and rolls. I am carbed up for the rigors of the convention.

Sara campaigned hard for a delegate slot. She was not above using her nine-month-old, Atticus, as a prop to help her get delegate votes at the state convention in May. She also made huge buttons featuring her and Atticus that she handed out with a vigor usually reserved for bread and poetry. Sara's favorite photo shows a younger, bald-headed Atticus in the arms of Sen. Barack Obama at a speech last March in Laramie. Sara knocked on hundreds of doors for Obama prior to the Wyoming caucuses in march. Her house was also the staging ground for lots of pre-caucus (or pre-primary) Obama calls to other states.

While she's lived in Cheyenne for 10 years, she was born in rural California and and also lived in Idaho and Nevada. She spent some of her childhood in Gillette, Wyoming's coal-mining mecca.

What does she want out of the convention? "I want to get all fired up," she says, "so we can come back from Denver and get the community fired up to elect Obama."

You'll see and hear more from Sara at the convention through the magic of live blogging on hummingbirdminds. Tune in here beginning Aug. 25. In the meantime, I'll be profiling as many of the other delegates as I can round up.

Democrats gather for picnic in the park

Attended yesterday's picnic hosted by the Laramie County Democratic Grassroots Coalition. I was a bit late, two hours to be exact, as I had another event in Fort Collins earlier in the afternoon. My contribution to the dessert table was watermelon, all cut up in a big red bowl (symbolic in a red state?). As I arrived, Dem State Chairman John Millin was leaving, as was Mike Bell, head honcho of the LarCoDems. I missed some of the candidates and a lot of the food, but stayed to eat cake and chat with some of the Democratic candidates from around the county.

All four Dems running for the House District 44 seat vacated by Floyd Esquibel were there. I talked to Jim Byrd and his family, including his mother Liz Byrd, a lifelong Democratic activist in the county and former state legislator. The other three Democrats in the H.D. 44 race are Nate Breen, Richard Leslie, and Tammy Rasnake, better known as "Tammy R." on her campaign signs.

Floyd Esquibel was there, too. He's running unopposed in the primary and general election for Senate District 8. While you see a number of unopposed Republicans on the Wyoming sample ballot, you see very few unopposed Dems (Mary Hales from Casper joins Floyd in this category). Floyd's brother Ken was on hand. He's running for re-election in H.D. 41 and is unopposed in the primary.

I had a chance to chat with Tony Reyes of H.D. 9 about various zoning ordinances and redevelopment plans. Zoning is one of my favorite new concerns, as it will have a huge impact on how the city develops (and doesn't). It also could be a big help in forming livable communities, places where you can walk to the store instead of driving. This is the "new urbanist" concept you hear so much about. The odd thing is, all the things we've heard about zoning may be outdated. Energy shortages and global warming are causing us to rethink the residential zoning practices that created suburban sprawl. And yes, we have that in WYO.

Tony is unopposed in the Dem primary, but he will have an interesting Republican opponent in the general election. My work colleague Marirose Morris and incumbent Dave Zwonitzer are battling it out in the Repub primary. I keep teasing Marirose that she sounds more like a D than an R. I would love to see her beat Zwonitzer who has a reputation of not being accessible to his constituency, which included both Dems and Repubs. Marirose sits on the civil rights commission and is an expert on community outreach and accessibility issues. Doesn't she sound like a great legislator? Dems in H.D. 9 might consider switching their party affiliation on primary day to vote for Marirose. We can do that in Wyoming. Don't forget to switch back for the general.

Katherine Van Dell was one of the organizers of the picnic. She recently stepped down as head of the Grassroots Coalition so she could run in H.D. 12. She had a lot of supporters at the picnic, judging by the Van Dell T-shirts in the crowd. She's unopposed in the primary, and then goes up against right-winger Amy Edmonds. We are throwing all of our support behind Katherine.

Phyllis Sherard also had a gaggle of beshirted supporters, some of whom looked like family. She's running in S.D. 6.

I helped with the clean-up and then headed home. By the way, most of the watermelon was eaten. It was the only fruit item on the dessert table. You'd think that Democrats would be more interested in fruit and nuts and veggies. Maybe not in Wyoming...

A Monday afterthought: Didn't see any of the mayoral candidates at the picnic. Only a few of the six are Democrats, but hey -- I brought the watermelon!

"Manifest Hope" through your creativity

Creating a work of art is an act of hope. The artist has something to say, maybe has a vision for the future or is recalling a past event. He/she may be painting the view from the kitchen window.

Sen. Barack Obama's candidacy is also an act of hope. That's where MoveOn got the idea for the "Manifest Hope" art contest. Anyone can enter -- but the deadline's Aug. 18, so you have to get cracking.

Here are the details:

Barack Obama's historic candidacy has sparked an unprecedented artistic outpouring. Now, in partnership with Shepard Fairey and his Obey Giant collective, we're offering a new way for artists—anyone with a pen and paper qualifies—to share their talents and help elect Barack Obama at the same time.

It's called "Manifest Hope," and it's a new Obama art contest for 2D and 3D art, from painting to photography to sculpture. The winners will be shown at the Manifest Hope Gallery online and in Denver during the Democratic convention alongside works from dozens of established and influential artists.

Anyone can enter. You don't have to be Picasso, you just need to be inspired by Barack Obama and willing to donate your creativity and time to the cause.

But you need to get started soon. The final submissions deadline is August 18 at 11:59 a.m. ET. That's not much time to conceive and create a piece of art, so get started today.

All submissions will be judged by a distinguished panel of judges—artists from Obey Giant, contemporary art curators, and multi-talented musicians. Finalists will be asked to auction off their pieces, and donate the proceeds to progressive organizations.

Denver will be buzzing during the convention, but this gallery is going to be one of the coolest places to visit there. Plus, the gallery's going to have an amazing party with live performances by Death Cab For Cutie, Moby, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Submit your artwork at http://pol.moveon.org/mh/enter/index.html

Dear Son: Enjoy Wyoming's wind energy

Dear Beloved College Son in Tucson, Ariz.:

I am sending you 2,000 megawatts of wind-generated electricity to power your air conditioner, PC and X-box. You can thank me later, around 2014, to be exact. That's when the huge wind farm in Carbon County will be ready. This is also the target date to build a $3 billion 3,000- megawatt high-voltage transmission line. This line, according to an article in this morning's paper, will be 900 miles long and link up with sites in Arizona, Nevada, and California. Once again, Wyoming will be the energy exporter and the growing cities of the Southwest will be the beneficiaries of our largess, not to mention we get to look at the thousands of scenic wind generators atop our mountains and transmission towers marching across our prairies.

Currently, we burn coal in power plants and send the electricity to you to keep the lights burning in Scottsdale and Lake Havasu City. We dig the coal out of the Wyoming soil so it's only natural that we pollute our air to send you power. We also send you natural gas, although we need pipelines for that, lots of pipelines. We're pumping the gas out of the ground like there's no tomorrow -- or like there are changes a-brewing in Washington, D.C. Dick Cheney's been kind enough to open up all of our public lands to energy exploration. Can't wait to thank him when he moves back to Wyoming in January.

We send you water, too, I can't forget that. Our Wyoming and Colorado mountains reach to the sky to gather the winters snows so that the golf courses of Tucson and Phoenix can remain green year-round. We don't mind sending you the waters of the Green and the Yampa and the Colorado when we have it. Lots of water this year due to terrific winter storms. As you know, we've been struggling with a drought for the previous decade or so. If the snows keep up, your city fathers might want to invest in a few dozen additional golf courses. There will be so much water that you can take a shower twice a week! Imagine that. Your girlfriend will appreciate this.

Now, this is the United States of America. We help each other out in lots of ways. So what if Wyoming is the energy exporter of the West and the rapidly growing cities of the Southwest are the importers? Not every state is lucky enough to be located atop millions of tons of low-sulphur coal and directly in the path of the westerlies. But I do wonder what Arizona will send us in return. John McCain is not enough! Besides, we won't be hearing much from him after Nov. 4. We have appreciated the books of your fine writers, such as Barbara Kingsolver (loved "High Tide in Tucson") and poet Alberto Rios. I gladly will trade Arizona a few megawatts of wind energy for a good book.

Arizona has provided refuge for thousands of Wyoming retirees. We're grateful. My former Cheyenne neighborhood emptied out each November as the snowbirds headed south. Once all those huge RVs hit the road, we could once again see the night sky. So many stars!

Yes, you gave us Arizona Iced Tea and the Arizona Diamondbacks, which have become a nuisance to us Colorado Rockies fans. I like cactus, but there's just so many cacti we can put in our window garden.

Somehow, I think you get the better end of this deal. But, we'll keep doing our job up here in Wyoming as long as you keep studying. I know you like Tucson, but we would love to have you complete your education and return to Wyoming to teach. Let Arizona be the exporter this one time.

Have a great school year.

Love, Dad

WyoDems blog again!

Bill Luckett has resumed posting on the Wyoming Democratic Party blog at http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/ht/d/Blogger/pid/273375. We missed you, Bill! He's been doing other things since March, such as running the state party, traveling Wyoming's vast distances, hiring people, etc. The blog also has a feed from Wyoming newspapers, Wyoming Public Radio and news-oriented web sites such as wyofile.

In other news, the WyoDems have hired a communications director. Her name is Lauri Elbing and she just moved to the state from Michigan. To begin communicating, e-mail her at lauri at wyomingdemocrats.com.

Post a haiku for the next president

Ruby's Crush on Obama blog has challenged prog-bloggers to write ten positive posts on Barack Obama in the next ten weeks. I've already posted a good number of pro-Obama essays, especially during the Wyoming winter caucuses. I've also taken a few jabs at McCain, which he deserved.

But Aug. 1 begins a new month, a new attitude and a new concept -- Obama haiku:

Barack Obama
wise face on new dollar bills
looks presidential

Obviously a reference to Sen. Obama's comments about those faces on dollar bills not looking like him. A comment that drove McCain crazy.

O.K., here's another:

The rough road of hope
cuts through the Wyoming wilds;
purple becomes us

Hey, Wyoming is solidly red, but tending toward purple. McCain has a 13-point lead over Obama, which is not so much.

One more time:

Boomers blast Barack
"no experience" they say
and half McCain's age

Haiku of hope.

Write one and send it in.