Karl mentions De Kelley with great fndness and respect toward the end of the piece. Enjoy!
http://thechronicleherald.ca/ArtsLife/1207086.html
Friday, October 15, 2010
Yes, You Can!
For readers of this blog. I was asked a question recently, and I want to answer it publicly:
Yes! You can use info from any blog I write as long as you give credit where credit is due and post a link back to the blogsite.
Thanks!
Yes! You can use info from any blog I write as long as you give credit where credit is due and post a link back to the blogsite.
Thanks!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
To Keep Bedbugs From Establishing In Your Home...
A bit of information that you might like to know about. We have friends here in our community and one of their sons is an entomologist (insect expert), and has been telling them that there is an epidemic of bed bugs now occurring in America . Recently I have heard on the news that several stores in NYC have had to close due to bed bug problems, as well as a complete mall in New Jersey .
He says that since much of our clothing, sheets, towels, etc. now comes from companies outside of America (sad but true), even the most expensive stores sell foreign clothing from China, Indonesia, etc. The bed bugs are coming in on the clothing, as these countries do not consider them a problem. He recommends that if you buy any new clothing, even underwear and socks, sheets, towels, etc. that you bring them into the house and put them in your clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. The heat will kill them and their eggs. DO NOT PURCHASE CLOTHES AND HANG THEM IN THE CLOSET FIRST. It does not matter what the price range is of the clothing, or if the outfit comes from the most expensive store known in the U.S. They still get shipments from these countries and the bugs can come in a box of scarves or anything else for that matter. That is the reason why so many stores, many of them clothing stores have had to shut down in NYC and other places. All you need is to bring one item into the house that has bugs or eggs and you will go to hell and back trying to get rid of them. He travels all over the country as an advisor to many of these stores, as prevention and after they have the problem.
Send this information on to those on your e-mail list so that this good prevention information gets around quickly.
He says that since much of our clothing, sheets, towels, etc. now comes from companies outside of America (sad but true), even the most expensive stores sell foreign clothing from China, Indonesia, etc. The bed bugs are coming in on the clothing, as these countries do not consider them a problem. He recommends that if you buy any new clothing, even underwear and socks, sheets, towels, etc. that you bring them into the house and put them in your clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. The heat will kill them and their eggs. DO NOT PURCHASE CLOTHES AND HANG THEM IN THE CLOSET FIRST. It does not matter what the price range is of the clothing, or if the outfit comes from the most expensive store known in the U.S. They still get shipments from these countries and the bugs can come in a box of scarves or anything else for that matter. That is the reason why so many stores, many of them clothing stores have had to shut down in NYC and other places. All you need is to bring one item into the house that has bugs or eggs and you will go to hell and back trying to get rid of them. He travels all over the country as an advisor to many of these stores, as prevention and after they have the problem.
Send this information on to those on your e-mail list so that this good prevention information gets around quickly.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
I Just Had a Terrible Thought...
If the DEMS don't keep control of Congress and keep moving us up and out of the ditch we're in, literally millions people who are now hanging on by JUST a thread (and I'm among them) and praying for deliverance will have the carpet pulled out from under them with absolutely NOTHING to look forward to. In addition to being strapped financially, they'll be strapped emotionally and perhaps spiritually, wondering how God could allow such a thing.
I think if we don't maintain hope and recovery, the suicide rate will skyrocket. I don't think the GOP is thinking about that at all. In fact, I wasn't even thinking of it until sometime late last night when I was still smiling from the hope and present and future plans we heard at the rally. It suddenly occurred to me, "What if the electorate voted to REVERSE/REPEAL everything this Congress has done (despite lockstep opposition by the GOP) to put us into forward motion again... What if, after all this, we end up back at square one where the big wigs are calling the shots, repealing oversight and regulation...
It would be utterly devastating to a population that has been thisclose to despair for so many years. I think losing this time could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
The rich folks can take care of themselves with a few pinches to their pocketbooks here and there.They aren't on the verge of catastrophic failure -- at least, not any more, since we bailed them out on the backs of the rest of the working people. And instead of expressing gratitude and a little humility, the bonuses are soaring again, they're pouring billions into scaring people into thinking it's the DEMS who orchestrated the nightmare we're just now coming out of.
Yes, there is some blame to share... but the lion's share has been the doing of the elites and their demand for increasing profits at all costs. How rich do the richest 2% of Americans have to be before they think about the rest of us as something other than "human resources" and consumers?
How long will be before the powers that be no longer call all the shots?
They don't, you know. WE do. It is our votes that control THEM, and only our votes. I think it's time to vote for what will benefit the greatest number of Americans. Democrats work on behalf of ALL Americans, not just a small segment. It's time the GOP and uber-rich did, too.
My hat is off to Bill Gates Sr, Bill Gates Jr, Warren Buffett, and the others who realize that with every blessing comes a responsibility to our fellow human beings on this planet. It may be old-fashioned in this new "What's in it for me?" world, but it's good to be good.
It's time for voters to get a little more selfish and vote from a perspective of "What's in it for me?" The GOP and their rich lobbyists have been doing it for years. It's time to level the playing field and tell the present Party of No and the Party of Tea "HELL NO!" -- in a nice way, of course: WITH OUR VOTES!!!
I think if we don't maintain hope and recovery, the suicide rate will skyrocket. I don't think the GOP is thinking about that at all. In fact, I wasn't even thinking of it until sometime late last night when I was still smiling from the hope and present and future plans we heard at the rally. It suddenly occurred to me, "What if the electorate voted to REVERSE/REPEAL everything this Congress has done (despite lockstep opposition by the GOP) to put us into forward motion again... What if, after all this, we end up back at square one where the big wigs are calling the shots, repealing oversight and regulation...
It would be utterly devastating to a population that has been thisclose to despair for so many years. I think losing this time could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
The rich folks can take care of themselves with a few pinches to their pocketbooks here and there.They aren't on the verge of catastrophic failure -- at least, not any more, since we bailed them out on the backs of the rest of the working people. And instead of expressing gratitude and a little humility, the bonuses are soaring again, they're pouring billions into scaring people into thinking it's the DEMS who orchestrated the nightmare we're just now coming out of.
Yes, there is some blame to share... but the lion's share has been the doing of the elites and their demand for increasing profits at all costs. How rich do the richest 2% of Americans have to be before they think about the rest of us as something other than "human resources" and consumers?
How long will be before the powers that be no longer call all the shots?
They don't, you know. WE do. It is our votes that control THEM, and only our votes. I think it's time to vote for what will benefit the greatest number of Americans. Democrats work on behalf of ALL Americans, not just a small segment. It's time the GOP and uber-rich did, too.
My hat is off to Bill Gates Sr, Bill Gates Jr, Warren Buffett, and the others who realize that with every blessing comes a responsibility to our fellow human beings on this planet. It may be old-fashioned in this new "What's in it for me?" world, but it's good to be good.
It's time for voters to get a little more selfish and vote from a perspective of "What's in it for me?" The GOP and their rich lobbyists have been doing it for years. It's time to level the playing field and tell the present Party of No and the Party of Tea "HELL NO!" -- in a nice way, of course: WITH OUR VOTES!!!
Thanks to Gwen Davis for These Two New Photos!
Gwen Davis is the other lady in this photo...
T'was her camera that captured the fun!
More photos of the day by Gwen are available here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=52910569&op=1&view=all&subj=674337914&id=10733829#!/album.php?aid=2675500&id=10733829
More photos of the day by Gwen are available here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=52910569&op=1&view=all&subj=674337914&id=10733829#!/album.php?aid=2675500&id=10733829
Friday, October 8, 2010
I Met VP Biden Today!!!!
Photo by Dr. Molly.. thank you, Dr. Molly!
OMG! OMG! OMG!
I met Vice President Joe Biden today very briefly, but very wonderfully. A doctor in the crowd took a photo of VP Biden shaking my hand and talking to me (photo taken from over my left shoulder); she's supposed to email it to me. When she does, I'll include it here.
VP Biden took my hand and held it for 10-15 seconds while he spoke with another person (was I counting? No... was I noticing? YES!), then he looked at me and when I said, "God bless you; thank you for all you do for us," he responded, "Thank you, but you know we can't do any of it without you."
OK, I'm a goner. He's a real guy with a Gleem smile and a great heart.
I always presumed that, but being near him for about five minutes as I awaited my turn confirmed it for me... in the way that standing and watching DeForest Kelley for several minutes did it for me in 1968. I'm pretty intuitive from afar, but close up I can be almost psychic. Joe Biden and Patty Murray are the full meal deal; they don't just talk the talk; they walk the walk.
The details:
I drove to Tacoma to the Get Out the Vote Rally for Patty Murray and the DEMS on the UW Tacoma campus. Every notable Washington State DEM was there except Norm Dicks: the mayor of Tacoma, Senator Maria Cantwell, Governor Chris Gregoire, Adam Smith, Senator Patty Murray and VP Biden.
There was a huge turnout. I met up with friends in line and we got very close to the front of the audience; some of my group ended up in the "stands," the rest of us were within 20 feet of the podium... later I stood right next to the barrier, following all of the speeches, which is when "the moments" happened.
The speeches were great... Patty's speech was terrific... VP Biden's speech hit the event out of the ballpark and across Puget Sound, over the Olympic Peninsula and far out into the Pacific Ocean.
These people really care about the working middle class. I'm quite "up" on things; even so, some of what they said was just gut-wrenching. I wish I had it all on tape. It's in my heart lock, stock and barrel, but it would be nice to have the words playing in the background while I make phone calls to turn out the DEM vote.
The news media takes snippets of a rally -- sound bites -- and spends five seconds on those. Standing through an entire rally event and seeing the faces and watching others react whose lives have been impacted by the various problems makes us all one community, united in purpose and resolve.
Biden was riveting. I've heard lots of his speeches in bits and pieces but rarely one from beginning to end. This one was exceptional.
He and Patty "get it." They're both from working class families that fell on hard times and they realize the legitimate role of government in helping people survive through tough times. He spelled out what the Obama-Biden administration inherited (a helluva dangerous mess; my paraphrase, not his words) and what they've done to make sure the nation could survive the failed policies of the previous administration.
But then he drilled down, breaking the crises into bite-size chunks (foreclosures, upside down mortgages, failing banks, and all the rest) and put a human face on each of them. At every point, various event participants would call out, "That's right, Joe !! It happened to me!" "Me, too!" Suddenly we were all "family." And we're all hurting in one way or another.
Mostly we're scared about what will happen IF the GOP wins this year. They've promised, right out loud in front of cameras, that they'll keep doing what they've been doing... (OMG!!!!) and we're going through what that created right now! And even worse, with Tea Party aspects being added, it'll be even WORSE than before. Talk about the abuse of Big Government; they want to end abortion even in the case of rape and incest; repeal the Health Care Bill; give tax breaks to the wealthiest at the expense of the rest of us; and do literally dozens more anti-middle class dastardly deeds while having us foot the bill. It's craven. It's bizarre. It's twisted, wicked and awful.
But you know what? The rally wasn't primarily about the GOP; it was about US--about what we (you and I) can and must do between now and November 2nd to keep America from being railroaded toward another Great Depression and extreme social repression.
We need to pick up the phone and get out the vote.. talk to our neighbors, friends and families and get out the vote... Facebook and Twitter to get out the vote...work every moment we can to get out the vote.
Our future will be decided on November 2nd. The choice is clear to me: Fear and hate or faith and love. Faith and love is on our side. I saw that today in the eyes of the people who came. There were thousands of them... most will be joining us to get out the vote.
It's gonna be a wild ride. Buckle up. Let's see if America is ready to cave to fear or rally to further hope and progress. I'm praying without ceasing...
Links to more photos from today from the Tacoma News Tribune...
http://tacoma.planetdiscover.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=Biden&submit.x=31&submit.y=8
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Counting the Days to November 2nd...
Much like the Second Coming of Christ, as much as I want Election Day to get here and be gone, I know the voting population is beginning to flock into the Democratic fold, so I'm just holding my breath that they all get back here before the powers that be (that's us, if we'd only "get" that!) pull the trigger and "Make It So!"
I want as many faithful Americans of all stripes on the DEM side as we can get by November 2nd; the alternative is just too, too scary...
The talking points from the other side seem to be resonating with people with the least amount of education,people who won't bother to research the truth and recognize that lies are being told and scare tactics are being spread to keep them from voting in their own best interests! MOST of us don't make $250K a year; gazillions are being poured into the races by the uber-wealthy to convince people TO VOTE AGAINST THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS! It's utterly appalling...
And some of the voting age population is ignoring all of it, not in the least interested in who wins and who loses at this critical time in American history.
Well, I guess those foks -- the uninterested and the uninformed -- will get the government they deserve by default. I just pray there are more of us than there are of them... because we deserve better than what may occur if voters stay home this year thinking they're relatively happy with the status quo. The scary part is, if they do that,the status quo (moving measurably out of the ditch, getting America's image elevated in the world, getting jobs back) will no longer be the status quo!
I implore every thinking American to take this midterm election seriously. We're at a pivot point that can derail all that has been accomplished to date...
Those who want to see that happen... well, I don't have any words for you that don't seem judgmental and negative, so I'll keep them to myself.
I want as many faithful Americans of all stripes on the DEM side as we can get by November 2nd; the alternative is just too, too scary...
The talking points from the other side seem to be resonating with people with the least amount of education,people who won't bother to research the truth and recognize that lies are being told and scare tactics are being spread to keep them from voting in their own best interests! MOST of us don't make $250K a year; gazillions are being poured into the races by the uber-wealthy to convince people TO VOTE AGAINST THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS! It's utterly appalling...
And some of the voting age population is ignoring all of it, not in the least interested in who wins and who loses at this critical time in American history.
Well, I guess those foks -- the uninterested and the uninformed -- will get the government they deserve by default. I just pray there are more of us than there are of them... because we deserve better than what may occur if voters stay home this year thinking they're relatively happy with the status quo. The scary part is, if they do that,the status quo (moving measurably out of the ditch, getting America's image elevated in the world, getting jobs back) will no longer be the status quo!
I implore every thinking American to take this midterm election seriously. We're at a pivot point that can derail all that has been accomplished to date...
Those who want to see that happen... well, I don't have any words for you that don't seem judgmental and negative, so I'll keep them to myself.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Gotta Love It!
From a fellow phone bank volunteer:
This evening I got a lovely 80 year old woman on the phone who was a Republican ..and we talked for a bit as I told her about the Democratic candidates I was calling about and she said she would be voting for all of them..and added Andrew Cuomo and Barack Obama (next time)..so I said, "If you are a registered Republican, why are you voting the entire Democratic ticket..and she said "I may be a Republican but I do have a brain!"
Gotta love her and love this work!
This evening I got a lovely 80 year old woman on the phone who was a Republican ..and we talked for a bit as I told her about the Democratic candidates I was calling about and she said she would be voting for all of them..and added Andrew Cuomo and Barack Obama (next time)..so I said, "If you are a registered Republican, why are you voting the entire Democratic ticket..and she said "I may be a Republican but I do have a brain!"
Gotta love her and love this work!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
I'm Agitated
I'll be glad when the election is over. I am so agitated by the misinformation, lies and mean-spiritedness that is happening that I may have to turn off the TV and stop looking at Internet punditry until November 4th.
When I make calls to encourage DEMS to turn out to vote in November, I get all positive and hopeful again. They're fired up and ready to vote, which is great (and the exact OPPOSITE of what the news is saying) so I expect a good turnout and DEM victories in the areas where they're most needed.
I just want it to be over so I can get back to normalcy emotionally. Of course, if the GOP prognostications prevail, nothing will be normal or better... we'll end up back in the ditch in short order in all likelihood... and that will tick me off because it will mean that the people who voted for Obama in 2008 sat on their hands instead of voting again this year for his agenda and for the people in Congress who support it.
VP Biden, former President Clinton and Michelle Obama will be here in WA in October to rally the DEM voters to turn out (especially the first time voters from the 2008 election), so I expect WA will return Patty Murray, Adam Smith, Norm Dicks and other DEMS to their respective seats. I think this state will be fine as a result. I just worry about the rest of the country because we're all in this together...
I pray that the scales will fall from Fox viewers' eyes and that they'll decide to really look into what they're being fed by going to snopes.com or factcheck.org and separating the truth from the lies before they go to the polls this year. Fox viewers are not being well-served; they're being indoctrinated. They need to watch more than Fox to get a more-substantial view of reality. I watch all of the cable stations including C-Span. It's hard for me to watch Fox for very long because they're so obviously skewed to the GOP and to the far right... which is NOT where most Americans are... and when they start bashing Obama and DEMS it infuriates me because they twist facts, repeat gossip and lies, fund radical so-called "Christian fundamentalist" candidates, and foment completely unnecessary fear.
It's just awful. I fear for this country and its citizens; I really do. The rest of the world admires and likes Obama (except for our enemies). We're so blinded by punditry from the left and the right that we can't see what's real. The right is frightened because of Fox's lies about Obama; the left is frustrated because Obama hasn't done "enough" to address their pet issues.
News Bulletin to Both Sides: The guy isn't Superman. He never claimed to be; his most earnest supporters (including me) saddled him with that moniker and gave him that hill to climb. But he is making progress against enormous odds, lock-step opposition, and bald-faced lies that are being spread about him. In spite of it all, he's holding his head up, offering hope and a way forward.
He deserves our respect, our support, and our prayers. He ISN'T the enemy. He's who we put in place to carry the burden -- and he's carrying it well despite its enormous weight.
Congress needs visionaries to support him -- not naysayers who hobble him. I pray day and night that we'll give him the support he needs to hit this out of the ballpark for us. He sure is trying!
When I make calls to encourage DEMS to turn out to vote in November, I get all positive and hopeful again. They're fired up and ready to vote, which is great (and the exact OPPOSITE of what the news is saying) so I expect a good turnout and DEM victories in the areas where they're most needed.
I just want it to be over so I can get back to normalcy emotionally. Of course, if the GOP prognostications prevail, nothing will be normal or better... we'll end up back in the ditch in short order in all likelihood... and that will tick me off because it will mean that the people who voted for Obama in 2008 sat on their hands instead of voting again this year for his agenda and for the people in Congress who support it.
VP Biden, former President Clinton and Michelle Obama will be here in WA in October to rally the DEM voters to turn out (especially the first time voters from the 2008 election), so I expect WA will return Patty Murray, Adam Smith, Norm Dicks and other DEMS to their respective seats. I think this state will be fine as a result. I just worry about the rest of the country because we're all in this together...
I pray that the scales will fall from Fox viewers' eyes and that they'll decide to really look into what they're being fed by going to snopes.com or factcheck.org and separating the truth from the lies before they go to the polls this year. Fox viewers are not being well-served; they're being indoctrinated. They need to watch more than Fox to get a more-substantial view of reality. I watch all of the cable stations including C-Span. It's hard for me to watch Fox for very long because they're so obviously skewed to the GOP and to the far right... which is NOT where most Americans are... and when they start bashing Obama and DEMS it infuriates me because they twist facts, repeat gossip and lies, fund radical so-called "Christian fundamentalist" candidates, and foment completely unnecessary fear.
It's just awful. I fear for this country and its citizens; I really do. The rest of the world admires and likes Obama (except for our enemies). We're so blinded by punditry from the left and the right that we can't see what's real. The right is frightened because of Fox's lies about Obama; the left is frustrated because Obama hasn't done "enough" to address their pet issues.
News Bulletin to Both Sides: The guy isn't Superman. He never claimed to be; his most earnest supporters (including me) saddled him with that moniker and gave him that hill to climb. But he is making progress against enormous odds, lock-step opposition, and bald-faced lies that are being spread about him. In spite of it all, he's holding his head up, offering hope and a way forward.
He deserves our respect, our support, and our prayers. He ISN'T the enemy. He's who we put in place to carry the burden -- and he's carrying it well despite its enormous weight.
Congress needs visionaries to support him -- not naysayers who hobble him. I pray day and night that we'll give him the support he needs to hit this out of the ballpark for us. He sure is trying!
FABULOUS! GET FIRED UP, AMERICA!!!
http://www.barackobama.com/live/#volunteer
IT'S TIME TO MAKE IT HAPPEN -- AGAIN!!!
call.barackobama.com
IT'S TIME TO MAKE IT HAPPEN -- AGAIN!!!
call.barackobama.com
Monday, September 27, 2010
RELIEF FOR SMALL BUSINESSES!!! STARTING TODAY!
Starting today, millions of small business owners will be eligible for up to eight new tax cuts, and within weeks, thousands of businesses will finally have access to the credit they desperately need.
The bill also includes key provisions the President has fought for since the beginning of this year:
-- Small businesses receive a tax write-off on the first $500,000 of new equipment investments;
-- More than a million eligible small businesses will be able to make key long-term investments that are subject to zero capital gains taxes;
-- Entrepreneurs who take a chance on a new idea can deduct the first $10,000 of start-up costs; and
-- The self-employed can deduct 100 percent of the cost of health insurance for themselves and their families from self-employment taxes.
The bill also includes key provisions the President has fought for since the beginning of this year:
-- Small businesses receive a tax write-off on the first $500,000 of new equipment investments;
-- More than a million eligible small businesses will be able to make key long-term investments that are subject to zero capital gains taxes;
-- Entrepreneurs who take a chance on a new idea can deduct the first $10,000 of start-up costs; and
-- The self-employed can deduct 100 percent of the cost of health insurance for themselves and their families from self-employment taxes.
Friday, September 24, 2010
VP Biden is Coming to Tacoma Ocober 8th! WOO HOO!
I'm excited! VP Joe Biden will be in Tacoma on Friday October 8th with Senator Patty Murray for a Get Out the Vote Rally at UW Tacoma. I plan to go and help out. I would LOVE to meet him.
I tried to get to Cheney Stadium the last time he was here and couldn't get within a mile of the place, so I had to come home and watch it on C-SPAN.
I want to meet the VP of the US! Don't know that I will, but just being in the same room wirth him will be good enough... I gotta be sure my camera is working that day. Right now it isn't. I need a new battery, methinks!
How Ugly Will the Midterm Elections Be/ Only as Ugly as we Make Them!
Those who voted for Obama have not "abandoned" him or the DEMS that support him who are up for re-election this year on November 2nd. We understand about the lock-step opposition and how he has, in spite of it, managed to run more than 100 "wins" up the flag for the American people. We didn't vote him in with such fervor and joy only to cast him to the wolves during the next six years. We're not summer soldiers and Sunshine patriots. We're in this for the long haul.
I think the GOP and Tea Party are in for a rude awakening when, once again, DEMS, Independents and Republicans who voted for Obama vote AGAIN for his stalwarts in Congress during mid-terms. The leader of the free world is bringing us out of a very deep ditch that he had no part in digging.
The alternative -- not supporting his supporters in Congress -- is unthinkable. It's getting ugly on the other side. Ugly and scary.
It's time for us to step up to the plate during these midterms and vote again for what's right. It was right in 2008 and it's still right in 2010. Don't lose hope now. Hope and effort are what drive the train!!!
I think the GOP and Tea Party are in for a rude awakening when, once again, DEMS, Independents and Republicans who voted for Obama vote AGAIN for his stalwarts in Congress during mid-terms. The leader of the free world is bringing us out of a very deep ditch that he had no part in digging.
The alternative -- not supporting his supporters in Congress -- is unthinkable. It's getting ugly on the other side. Ugly and scary.
It's time for us to step up to the plate during these midterms and vote again for what's right. It was right in 2008 and it's still right in 2010. Don't lose hope now. Hope and effort are what drive the train!!!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
What Health Care Reform is Doing for Families Across America
Let's put names and faces on this issue...
http://co102w.col102.mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
Wanna go back in the ditch and have all this taken away? Vote Republican/Tea Party. It'll happen. This is not a scare tactic. The GOP came out just today saying they'll repeal health care reform... not amend it... not improve it.... but REPEAL it.
Unless you're rich -- and even if you are rich -- by going backward to "the GOP days" you can go bankrupt if you get sick. Millions have.
The choice is clear this November.
http://co102w.col102.mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
Wanna go back in the ditch and have all this taken away? Vote Republican/Tea Party. It'll happen. This is not a scare tactic. The GOP came out just today saying they'll repeal health care reform... not amend it... not improve it.... but REPEAL it.
Unless you're rich -- and even if you are rich -- by going backward to "the GOP days" you can go bankrupt if you get sick. Millions have.
The choice is clear this November.
Monday, September 20, 2010
I Met Senator Patty Murray Today!
Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA and Kris Smith Sept 20, 2010
Photo by Nikki Bizzarri Regional Field Director People for Patty Murray
WOO HOO! I drove to downtown Tacoma this morning to phone bank for Senator Patty Murray and other DEMS. Usually I make calls from my home phone but I got a tip from an Organizing For America regional manager that Senator Murray would be stopping by Tacoma to thank her supporters/helpers, so I got dressed up and went down. (I also emailed about ten other stalwarts and gave them the same heads up I had received; three of them showed up, too... any who didn't have to be at work this morning...)
Rep. Norm Dicks was there, too, so I got to thank them both for their service to the nation and to Washington State.
My first words to Senator Murray were, "Thank you for all you do. It has to be a real pain these days in Washington D.C." She smiled and said, "But it's important." I said, "Yes, I know it is. I just don't know how you can take it sometimes these past few years." I was referring to the lock-step opposition of formerly sane and approachable GOP members. I'm sure she knew exactly what I was referring to.
I quickly told her I'd like to give her a small gift if it was anything she would truly like, and told her that DeForest Kelley was my mentor in real life and that I wrote a book about him that I would like to give to her.
At the mention of De's name -- I didn't even have to identify him as a TREK star -- her eyes lit up a little, I assumed with fondness (I wonder if she ever met him or if she was a fan) and she said, "Oh, yes, I would like a copy!" So I told her I would inscribe it to her (I had brought a copy along in case she said yes), which I did as she met and thanked other volunteers. Inside the book I thanked her for her service to the state and country and then signed it "Live Long and Prosper (Jer. 29:11 New Vulcan Translation.) I think she'll get a kick out of that when she gets around to opening the book...
The picture that Nikki Bizzarri took turned out GREAT. She says it's mine to do with as I wish, so here it is! I'll also put it on my Facebook page...
Let's get out the vote and get Senator Patty Murray back to Washington D.C. She has an impressive record and is willing to put up with the bad to achieve the good -- which makes her a saint in my book.
I planted a Patty Murray sign out front when I got home...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Remembering September 11, 2001
1
In some ways it seems like only yesterday; in others, it seems a lifetime ago.
On September 10th, 2001 I was looking forward to the imminent release of DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories. I had just completed the foreword (the last part of the book, oddly enough) and sent the complete manuscript to the publisher for finalization and printing.
Terry Lee Rioux was staying with me while she traveled across L.A. interviewing people for her then-in-process bio of De, FROM SAWDUST TO STARDUST. The view out the window was bright, warm and beautiful.
We awoke September 11th to a ringing telephone. One of Terry's contacts (her agent, I believe) was calling to ask if she had the TV set on. No, Terry said. "Turn it on" she was told.
We did.
And from that moment on, my world stopped. I saw two airliners crashing repeatedly into the North and South towers, saw one of the towers going down and, not long after, live, the other. It seemed a scene out of a disaster movie, but it was real. People were dead and dying, some of them jumping out of the Trade Center upper floors to escape the heat of the burning buildings. I saw one praying as he fell. This was real. I was flabbergasted, completely undone, aghast... mouth open, tears streaming down my face.
I watched, hour after hour. Warner Bros. shut down for days and then re-opened with new, Israel-like security meaures in place. The next time I went in to work there, getting inside the gates took a lot longer because studio guards were placing mirrors beneath each vehicle to be sure none carried explosives and looking into trunks and interiors, too.
I organized a candlelight vigil at the condo where I lived. That evening, many veterans and immigrants, including a Muslim woman with her head covered, came to share in solidarity for the gaping wound we were all experiencing. Another Arab world immigrant was in tears. She told me, "We came to America to find peace and rest from all this. It has followed us here."
Suddenly I realized how lucky we were that this kind of thing hadn't happened in our daily lives before. Too many other countries deal with the aftermath of terrorism every single day.
I am grateful that we have not had another attack like this one -- that those responsible for masterminding 9/11have been backed into caves and are hobbled by the vast outpouring of international military and intelligence support that America has received. Something we're doing is working... at least for now.
I know we won't be out of the woods until non-prejudicial (e.g. beyond nationalism and tribalism) education and tolerance becomes universal, until people realize we share a planet with a diverse population which is largely in much greater need than we are.
Uncivilized (uneducated) people do uncivilized things. Desperate people do desperate things. Hateful people do hateful things.
But there are more of us than there are of them. If that weren't the case, the cause would have been lost generations ago.
It's our job to help, love and encourage the ignorant, desperate and hateful and let them know that their methods of communicating displeasure are counter-productive and will only create more pain for them. And we have to truly listen and respond appropriately to their needs as well as to their methods.. the way we do with our still-under-construction youngest children (as yet uncivilized).
I don't know all the answers. I just know that we need to be willing to listen twice as much as we talk. If we'll just do that much, we're bound to learn a lot about how to proceed.
Right now, it seems few are listening. Most are shaking fists. On both sides.
As Dr Phil would say: "How's that workin'?"
It's time to grow up. We still don't have a civilization. What we have is a poorly-contained brawl.
We can do better.
In some ways it seems like only yesterday; in others, it seems a lifetime ago.
On September 10th, 2001 I was looking forward to the imminent release of DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories. I had just completed the foreword (the last part of the book, oddly enough) and sent the complete manuscript to the publisher for finalization and printing.
Terry Lee Rioux was staying with me while she traveled across L.A. interviewing people for her then-in-process bio of De, FROM SAWDUST TO STARDUST. The view out the window was bright, warm and beautiful.
We awoke September 11th to a ringing telephone. One of Terry's contacts (her agent, I believe) was calling to ask if she had the TV set on. No, Terry said. "Turn it on" she was told.
We did.
And from that moment on, my world stopped. I saw two airliners crashing repeatedly into the North and South towers, saw one of the towers going down and, not long after, live, the other. It seemed a scene out of a disaster movie, but it was real. People were dead and dying, some of them jumping out of the Trade Center upper floors to escape the heat of the burning buildings. I saw one praying as he fell. This was real. I was flabbergasted, completely undone, aghast... mouth open, tears streaming down my face.
I watched, hour after hour. Warner Bros. shut down for days and then re-opened with new, Israel-like security meaures in place. The next time I went in to work there, getting inside the gates took a lot longer because studio guards were placing mirrors beneath each vehicle to be sure none carried explosives and looking into trunks and interiors, too.
I organized a candlelight vigil at the condo where I lived. That evening, many veterans and immigrants, including a Muslim woman with her head covered, came to share in solidarity for the gaping wound we were all experiencing. Another Arab world immigrant was in tears. She told me, "We came to America to find peace and rest from all this. It has followed us here."
Suddenly I realized how lucky we were that this kind of thing hadn't happened in our daily lives before. Too many other countries deal with the aftermath of terrorism every single day.
I am grateful that we have not had another attack like this one -- that those responsible for masterminding 9/11have been backed into caves and are hobbled by the vast outpouring of international military and intelligence support that America has received. Something we're doing is working... at least for now.
I know we won't be out of the woods until non-prejudicial (e.g. beyond nationalism and tribalism) education and tolerance becomes universal, until people realize we share a planet with a diverse population which is largely in much greater need than we are.
Uncivilized (uneducated) people do uncivilized things. Desperate people do desperate things. Hateful people do hateful things.
But there are more of us than there are of them. If that weren't the case, the cause would have been lost generations ago.
It's our job to help, love and encourage the ignorant, desperate and hateful and let them know that their methods of communicating displeasure are counter-productive and will only create more pain for them. And we have to truly listen and respond appropriately to their needs as well as to their methods.. the way we do with our still-under-construction youngest children (as yet uncivilized).
I don't know all the answers. I just know that we need to be willing to listen twice as much as we talk. If we'll just do that much, we're bound to learn a lot about how to proceed.
Right now, it seems few are listening. Most are shaking fists. On both sides.
As Dr Phil would say: "How's that workin'?"
It's time to grow up. We still don't have a civilization. What we have is a poorly-contained brawl.
We can do better.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Goat Walk W/Out Leashes
Today I took Laverne and Shirley on a walk in the neighborhood without leashes attached. They didn't get more than 30 feet away from me at any time, even when they were cavorting. How cool is that?
They're herd animals and I'm their "Mom" -- at least for now. We'll see how long that lasts!
They're herd animals and I'm their "Mom" -- at least for now. We'll see how long that lasts!
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