Taking a Cue...

...from you!  Yes, I am taking a cue from "WAITING FOR THE BIG GIANT"that is, I am chronicling my voting experience right here!  Before all of America! (well, maybe just a couple of Americans).  The Lady of "Big Giant" fame and her Man hit the voting booths yesterday and had some very astute observations about voter competence.  Her notes made me very uncomfortable about our efforts to "get out the vote", painfully brought to our attention by the recent activities of ACORN.

Yesterday, Julieann and I voted.  As usual, we did not specifically state who we were voting for. This is our method to avoid concerns over cancelling each other's vote or unduly swaying one another's decision.  We did not visit the polls as they are not open yet in California.  Rather, we used absentee ballots, a great way to get the job done in the comfort of your own, or about to be repossessed, home.

I told Julie I wanted to mess with some chad but she insisted I follow the instructions and use a pen to obliterate the small ovals on the ballot instead.    I had my key decisions made based on the completely unbiased, fairly waged, coherent, eloquent  'camp pain' headquarters statements made by both hearty parties on the details of Sarah Palin's wardrobe.  So I was ready.  

I whipped through the candidates, making my mark with the efficiency of a hot knife through butter.  At the end, I came upon a list of eight or so names, maybe more who were all looking for seats on various things like school boards, city councils, crossing guards and so on.  I didn't know any of them so I was ready to play 'pin the tail on the donkey' with my pen but Julie stopped me by artfully suggesting I pass on voting for those particular positions.

I was pretty proud of my conscientious approach to the various initiatives as well.  We had about fourteen.  My approach;  if it involved spending more money "I said No. No. No."  Except for some bonds for Children's hospitals (I figured only Communists would vote no on that one).  

Another initiative, the amazing Proposition 8, that would, if enacted, ban gay marriages in California.  I simply don't know which way that one is going to go.  Maybe both ways (pun intended). I can't even sort through my own feelings about it, other than to reflect on that tender moment in grade school when Sister Arcadia grabbed me by the ear, drug me into the coat closet and smacked me for being a "baaaaaaaaaad boy".  I was thinking if I voted a certain way, I would turn around and...  there SHE would be.

Anyway, back to the main point here... voter competence.  What the Hell are we thinking, randomly signing up anyone who can walk and talk?  What percent of voters do we think make educated decisions about all the candidates and issues?... 10%?  Someone show me where the percentage is higher and I will be properly astounded (I will also check the validity carefully on Snopes and Truthorfiction).  I say 10 percent (maybe.. and not including me) do a good job of it, 80% make a decision about the President and let the rest of the ballot go to knee-jerk chance. The remaining 10% or more should be in rehab (but they "won't Go. Go. Go."), not in a voting booth.

We get evangelistic about encouraging Americans to exercise their right to vote but when it comes to educating them we are all like..."well, I will take a pass on that one".  Want to know why our legislators are a mass of pork-barrel, "cook me another proverbial waffle", even criminal types? (Example:  Alaska's Stevens, a criminal one day and a viable candidate the next.  Huh???)  Its all because we put them there and let them stay without holding them accountable that's why.  It's my fault and it's your fault so lets cross our fingers together on this election and hope we made all the right mistakes on the ballots.

I'm TomC and I approve this rant.  

You Taught Me To Fly*

Inside every man,

There is a being; there is a hidden soul,

Inside every man,

There is a spirit he cannot control,

 

As if trapped by the constraints of time,

This kindling fire seems unconsciously left behind,

 

A young and restless heart,

A child that wishes to run free,

An eagle ready to fly,

A hope to one day be,

 

Alive.

Alive again and beautiful.

 

A lonely hand reaching out,

A singing flower leaning to the sun,

A brand new view, never been seen,

A race against time, not yet begun

 

It lives only within him,

It breathes on the love he breathes,

It walks only the road he walks,

It sees only the magic he sees,

 

Until, one day, suddenly,

A chance to soar to new heights,

To light new flames,

To live a new life,

 

Out of the depths of your love,

A child is born,

Out of the strength of your dreams,

A new promise sworn,

 

She will be the correction to your mistake,

The jump in your heart,

The fulfillment of your aspirations,

The light in your dark,

 

She is in you,

You created her,

And for you she will fly,

Your baby bird.

*Samantha Campbell,  "You Taught Me To Fly" was a gift on the occasion of her father's birthday, 2005

Wrong Number

Eight-ball:  " Joe's Pool Hall, Eight Ball speaking."

Cue-ball:    "Well, I was looking for Nine Ball."

Eight-ball:  "You must have the wrong number".

Cue Ball:    "You mean I missed it by a silly digit?"

Eight-ball:  "Digit, Widget, Whatever you  missed it."

Cue-ball:    "The correct number then... can you give me a cue?...I mean clue?"

Eight-ball:  "I can but I don't want to. Nine-ball is always after me."

Cue Ball:    "Don't be petty, it's just the sequence, it's nothing personal."

Eight-ball:  "Look Cue Ball,  all I can say is 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot."

Cue-ball:    "You called it.  I am going to put so much English on you, the spin will  make you fly off the rail, off your table, onto the next table and right in the corner pocket... nothin' but net."

Chalk one up.

Chippewa Princess

It was a crisp October morning in the Froid, Montana Northeastern plains area sometime in the early 1940’s. The Chippewa princess was in her mid-teen’s…

She scanned the vast expanse before her with a sense of excitement as she gently stroked the mane of her Pinto, “Nagamo” (Sing). As always, she rode bareback and barefoot. She liked the feel of her toes in Nagamo’s hair as her legs formed a human cinch.

Martha Alice Gladue - Campbell

Horse and rider had just finished racing across the plains from their homestead to a knoll overlooking the little town. They rested, and their warm exhales made wispy clouds that quickly dissipated into the first rays of the early morning sun. It was perfectly quiet other than the sound of their breathing. Up well before dawn, she was seizing the day… a habit that would stay with her through her lifetime.

Her thick, wavy hair was black as coal, with a satin sheen that matched that of her ancestors. She had a natural beauty that combined the best of her half Chippewa, half French ancestry. Her lithe, athletic body served her well for homestead chores and in athletics at her small high school.

At the school, she also excelled in academics, but being female and part Indian she was not expected to develop any of her gifts to full potential. It was a natural act for the locals to call her “half-breed” and not with a tone of respect. She would become sensitized to this to the point that, as she grew into womanhood, she would not declare her Chippewa origins at all. Not to her sons and not to any who knew her. In fact, she would not find peace with it until her sons were well into their 20's. That is when she told them about their heritage.

But that crystal clear morning she could see. She could see her future. She could see her parents and her ten brothers and sisters leaving Froid. It would be hard losing the homestead…and they did in the throes of the Great Depression. It would be hard for her family to assimilate into the culture of Seattle…and it was as they struggled to build families and emerge from the city’s projects.

She also could see that she would find her man in the West and she did. He was handsome and confident, born with a big dose of French and Scottish ancestry. He had a quick sense of humor and a singing voice she loved to harmonize with. He promised her nothing but laughter and that they would have. They would stay together for over 50 years, until death they did part. She would have two "my boys" who would grow to make her proud of their families, their accomplishments and their character.

She patted Nagamo again, set her eyes on their fastest path back to the homestead and dug her heels into his side. The horse galloped effortlessly with its light, graceful load. It’s hooves pounded out an ancient rhythm that had horse and rider moving as one. At that moment Martha Alice Campbell could hear the future as well, could hear a song sung powerfully by someone close to her, someone yet unborn...

“Oh when the sun does down,

Over them rolling hills.

I find peace of mind,

And then I just drift away.

It’s been a long hard road,

I've got tired wheels.

But I will travel on,

Until my dying day.”*

*"Travel On" © Tyler Thomas Campbell, 2008:  Martha Alice Campbell's Grandson - Listen to "Travel On"

What'll They Say?

They'll say...

"He was a 'tweet talkin' guy".

In other words,

He sang like a bird.

Not the "Up" Side

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2008

Do you really see any reason to trust either side of this bizarre equation?  

• Waffle the issues. 
• Spin them to please.  
• Distort the facts.  

It's becoming less and less like a straight up campaign and more and more like trailer park trash talk among incompetents. It's not just the presidential candidates either... it's the Senate and House as well.  Not a reassuring thing to see at a time when we are in real trouble.  I saw a reminder somewhere that we cannot have military strength without economic strength.  I believe that.  That means we are becoming more and more vulnerable to getting our asses kicked.  I believe that too.

Consider these wonderful factors: 

• Greenland ("The canary in the mine") is approaching bankruptcy.   
• Bin Laden is sitting in the mountains of Pakistan laughing his ass off.  
• We owe the Chinese over $500 billion dollars.  
• We have saddled our children and their children's children with a huge deficit.  
• Our finances and are being plundered by lobbyists and CEOs who have no moral compass. 
• Boomers are going to drain Medicare and Social Security dry and we haven't prepared for it.

For God's sake the frickin' sky is falling and these are the best two candidates we can trot out?  Don't get me wrong.  I think these are both good men who have good intentions but I am really worried about their capabilities and more so the intentions of those who are influencing their thinking.  

We need a world class leader and we will have no sign of one for at least four years.

My Cup

My cup runneth over

And spilleth upon de flo

Whereupon it will resideth

Unbeknownst to me

Until Julieann discovereth

And removeth… it

Bless Her little pea-pickin' heart

And when I die

It will be She, not Saint Peter

Who passes judgement

At those pearly gates 

And if She is not there yet

They will make me wait outside

Until She arrives to decide

For they won’t want me there

Spillin’ stuff

If She hasn’t agreed to

Cover for me