Category: Politics

It started the way a loaf of bread rises.You put the ingredients together, you proof the yeast, you knead the dough and then you let it rest and rise. And rise it did.

This is how you do a March and a Rally.

• Pick the date or join in another event Statewide, National..Worldwide.
•  Convene the team. We did ours by phone message FB message and email. We held one peace keepers meeting and two general March organization meeting.
  • If you are not a non-profit organization you will need one. It helps to have a 501 (c) 3  that understands how to be pro-active. We had PLAN (Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada) as our fiduciary and activist mentors.
• Our March was a 1st Amendment event. If you are Marching for your 1st Amendment Rights that is what you have to tell your city. “We are holding a PEACEFULL 1st Amendment Event”.. In Reno you do not need a permit to gather for 1st Amendment issues, but because we knew we would be Marching down public streets that would need to be barricaded we got a permit from the City. The permit covered the March and our right to use the City Plaza for a Rally. Be sure you state what time you will be holding your event start to finish.  We did not need to pay for our permit from the City*. However depending on how your City views your venue there may be costs involved.
  • Most municipalities have forms that let you know the information they need. Most are available on line or can be emailed to you.
• We also needed a permit from the GSA (General Service Administration)  because we were gathering at the Federal Court House. Contact your local GSA and they will send you by email or post or you can pick the forms up. Again there was no charge.

Organizing Resistance on the internet I am sure is much easier then it was in 1776. We primarily used Facebook to get the word out, but also had information that could be emailed to those who do not use Facebook, Twitter or other social media and urged our friends to call their friends who are still shy of computers.

We got some pre-March media coverage and we figured at most we would get 3,500 to 4,500 people. That would be amazing. We are a small town in a small population State. Getting that amount of people who just said they would come on Facebook would have been beyond expectations.

The weather leading up to the March was terrible; snow, icy rain and there was some fear that many would not show up if the weather was really bad.  What seemed almost miraculous was on the day of the March we had a window between storms, it was very cold but clear.

I went down to City Plaza where the rally would be held to meet with the people who were setting up the stage. The City had set up barricades along our parade route that went from the Federal Building down to the Plaza. All was in order.

By the time I walked back to the Federal Court House a large crowd had already gathered. The peacekeepers and chanters were doing their job of organizing and keeping people engaged. Despite the bitter cold the mood was up-lifting. I had forgotten to bring gloves. A pair of pink glove mittens was given to me by a lovely lady. I will be forever grateful to her.

We had a sign making party before the March. People not only made signs for themselves but made extras to bring to the march for those who did not have one.  The signage was impressive.

As more and more people arrived the front of the march had to move forward. It got so dense that the front was barely a block and a half away from the marches finish before it even started.

At one point my phone rang. A women who owns the Wedding Chapel across from the County Court House was concerned the March would interfere with a wedding she was holding.  She wanted to know how long the street would be blocked and if the barricade could be moved.

There was one of Reno’s finest on his motorcycle in front of me. I asked the officer if he could help. He said he would check with the officer near the Wedding Chapel and let her know.  Before he took off he said ‘I’ve never seen anything like this in Reno, ever’. I said “It’s quite a turn out. maybe 5,000”. “Oh no”. he replied. “We have estimated at least 10,000 and more keep coming”.  I never heard back from the lady at the Wedding Chapel, so I imagine the dilemma of getting the limo for the wedding through was solved.

Our indigenous nations led us with drums and chanting.  We shouted loud and clear. “Show me what Democracy looks like” and roared back “This is what Democracy looks like” and “Love Not Hate, makes America Great” among Women’s March Chants and joyously marched the short distance to the City Center where Voices Forward sang us in.

The crowd was all around the Place. People were looking down from the City Parking garage. It was awesome! Young families with babies in strollers, front packs and snuggles. Children sitting on their fathers shoulders. Young women and men. The Calvary had arrived. It just wasn’t the gray beards involved in this March.

The program at City Plaza was inspiring. You can read about all the details of how we put the march together here.  Thanks to the Progressive Leadership Alliance Nevada whose team did the training for the chanters and peace keepers and who acted as the march’s fiduciary, everything went off with out a hitch. I can not tell you how much I love the planning crew.  All did yeoman work, especial Bridget, Tanya, Jackie, and Bob Fulkerson, to just name a few.

The Reno March received great press coverage. here are just a few of the articles written about it.

Activists plan Reno march Saturday in support of Women’s March on Washington – January 19, 2017 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/…

WOMEN’S MARCH MUST BE BEGINNING OF ERA, NOT END – January 24, 2017 http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/201…

A march is just an event. A protest only last so long. Some said well this is much ado about nothing. Forks on the hard core right even proclaimed “Everyone of those libertards will crawl back under their rocks in less then a week”. That didn’t happen. Out of this March has come a energized progressive movement that is becoming a force in our community and across our state.  People are getting connected to what they can do in our community thanks to Jackie’s What Can I Do events.

New organization that include Indivisible, ACT, Organize for Action, For Nevada Future, Mass Unite, have spring up not in competition with but in concert to expand the base laid down by Working Families, ACTIONN, PLAN, PDA and the Democratic Party.

These are some of the highlights of what has happened so far.

Planned Parenthood Counter Protest – Reno, NV February 11, 2017 http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2017/02/11/opposing-protests-planned-parenthood-end-peacefully/97793570/

‘This bill is about equality. Period’: Nevada OKs the ERA -March 22, 2017

http://www.rgj.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/22/bill-equality-period-nevada-oks-era/99503484/

Noisy Crowd Greets Heller, Amodei at town hall – April 17, 2017

http://www.rgj.com/story/news/politics/2017/04/17/live-coverage-dean-hellers-town-hall-reno/305303001/

Please print out this information. email it to your friends who may not have Facebook but plan on attending. Please be sure to click on the links provided.
Just a reminder as we come down the home stretch: ALL member of our Reno-Tahoe-Truckee community and beyond are welcome and encouraged to come to the Reno Women’s March and to participate in it. Please take a moment to read about what this event is all about, in our About section on the Events Facebook Page. We are all-inclusive: women, girls, men, boys, families, sexual orientations, color, creed, faith and ages. EVERYONE. We welcome and encourage all to walk with us in peace on a very historic day.

On Saturday, January 21, 2017 you will be part of a global event that includes people across the United States and the World, and in more than 300 cities. Nothing quite like this has ever happened. You are taking part in this important moment in history right here in Reno, NV.

If you have never been at an event like this before there are a few things you need to know for the well being and security of you and any family members, young and old, who may be joining you. We trust that you will pay attention to any advisement’s meant only to ensure this, regarding weather, safety, potential counter protests, or other situations that may arise.

Please be respectful. We as a community are only thinking of all of you when we make these suggestions, and sharing our experience with you. Our intent is only to inform – and always to unite.

We will have a wonderful rally program with music provided by Voices Forward and speakers that represent the multifaceted culture of Reno’s vibrate community. You will have the opportunity to meet with nonprofit organizations and learn about next steps. How to get involved. This March is only the beginning. We look forward to seeing each and every one of you next Saturday.

You can even learn more about our global mission here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/womens-march-launches-global-mission-for-equality_us_5878a635e4b094e1aa9dc530:

STAY SAFE
We want all of our Marchers to know a few simple rules for comfort and safety.
What to wear: Dress warm. It looks like we will have some snow the morning of the March. Wear comfortable shoes. A hat is a good idea.

• Please do not wear a backpack.
• Do not carry a big purse or bring any bags.
• If you are carrying a sign or banner. A small purse or fanny pack that can be worn on the inside of your coat for your cell phone, ID cash etc. or a jacket or coat that has inside pockets for your cell phone, ID, cash etc is the best way to go.
• Even if you are not carrying a sign or banner you want your hands free, so a small purse or fanny pack worn under your coat or jacket is the way to go.
  Be courteous to your fellow Marchers.
• Do not block access to businesses along the route.
• Do NOT LITTER.
• Service Dogs of course : Unless you have a trained service dog please leave your best furry friend at home. Thanks for understanding.
• We are not allowed to set up Port-a-Potties along the March route – There are public restrooms in the Hotel Casinos along the way and businesses if respectfully asked may also accommodate you.
• Please do not bring a selfie stick
• If you think the walk may be difficult please join us at the rally at the Plaza. You do not have to March to be a part of this event.
• If you are bringing a infant or small children, some helpful tips https://medium.com/move-towards-joy/activist-mamas-guide-to-taking-kids-to-a-march-ff5a56340a86#.3mvfvkmmd
• https://www.parentmap.com/…/how-kids-political-marches-crowd

There will be Trained Volunteers to lead everyone in Chants and to keep everyone safe. They will set the pace for the March. Follow their instructions to the letter.

• The Volunteer Peace Keepers will be wearing Yellow Vests.
• Other Volunteers  to help you and answers questions will have Pink Bandanas tied around their arm. 

There will be trained Volunteers to guide you at the Plaza.

There will also be volunteers from many organizations to get your information for future actions and activities. They will have clip boards and be from PLAN, Planned Parenthood, For Nevada’s Future. Please sign up.
Watch out for anyone who tries to get you to make inflammatory statements or engage you in an argument. Stick to the March. Do not engage with them.

Timeline for the March

1.The March will start at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 21, 2017 in front of the Federal Court House at 400 S, Virginia Street. We urge everyone to get there by 9:00 a.m. So we can start on time.
The Street will be blocked off at California Ave and Virginia. We will, because of the number of people expected, line up in the street and not on the side walks. Parade manages will be there to direct you.
2. The March will end at City Plaza approximately 1/3 mile from where it starts. There will be a rally with speakers and music performed by Voices Forward. There will be a number of non-profit organizations present so you can get information about what action steps they will be taking in the weeks and months and years ahead. There will also be Volunteers with Clip Boards who can sign you up for action steps you can take. The March is only a beginning for bigger and better organization.
3. Parking. Here is a guide to where to Park Downtown. http://newtoreno.com/parking-downtown-reno-nevada.htm

• Pay attention to signs in private lots.
• Do not park in a lot that is reserved for a business.
• Not all private lots are open to the public on Saturday.
• Metered Parking is still in effect on Saturday.

You have two choices. Park closes to the Plaza where we will end up and walk down to the Court House. Or Park closes to the Court house.

If you think parking will be a hassle.

• Consider taking the bus. Buses to downtown leave from Meadowwood Mall as well as other places. Check out Bus routes here.
• Consider taking a Cab or Uber

About the Rally

The March ends at City Plaza (between the Truckee River and 1st Street and between Virginia Street and Center Street) where we will rally. A covered stage with a sound system will be setup opposite the Believe Statue.

Tribal Drummers and Dancers weather permitting will lead off the March

Former Nevada State Senator Sheila Leslie will emcee the program that feature business and community leaders from all sections of Reno’s vibrant culture, including

• Blessing offered by Janice Gardipe, Reno-Sparks Indian Colony
• Emcee: Sheila Leslie
• Speakers (3 minutes each):
  • Felicia Perez, Reno Solidarity Network 
  • Helen Fillmore, Washoe Tribe 
  • Taslima Shams, College student
  • Nathaniel Phillipps & Monique Normand, PLAN Leaders
  • Verita Black Protho, local businessperson
  • Kimi Cole
  • Stacey Shinn, Gender Justice Coalition
  • Voices Forward (organized by Gloria Stanley, Miguel Stanley & Stan Prentice) 

This is the timeline for the March:

• 8:45: People gather at Federal building. Peacekeepers take positions. Drummers to front of the march. 9:15
• First chants (Monique/Nathaniel) 9:20
• March Begins 9:50 Voices Forward performing as marchers enter plaza (SPEAKERS JOIN STAGE AND STAND IN ORDER OF SPEAKING)
• 9:55 Emcee (Sheila) begins program at Reno Plaza after song is complete
• 10:00 Blessing offered by Janice Gardipe, Reno-Sparks Indian Colony
• 10:04 Felicia Perez 10:09
• Helen Filmore, Washoe Tribe
• 10:13 Taslima Shams, Muslim Student
• 10:21 Nathaniel/Monique Chants
• 10:25 Kimi Cole
• 10:29 Verita Black Protho
• 10:34 Stacey Shinn
• 10:38 Sheila Leslie closes w/action lap announcement
• 10:40 Voices Forward plays to 11 am.

We must vacate the Plaza at 11:00 A.M. 

This promises to be a truly inspirational event.  Thank you all for being part of this historic event. This is just the beginning. 

We wish you a peaceful March.

Women’s march Chants

On January 21st 2017 all across the United States and indeed in other places on this planet, people will be marching in unity with the Women’s March on Washington.

On November 8, 2016 the United States of America elected as their President and Commander and Chief an individual that embodies the worst of humanity, a misoginist, xenophobic, vulgar, narcissistic, con artist, lier who is perhaps the lest qualified person to attain the office. He may be the impedes for this March but it is about much more than one person.

The Women’s March on Washington is about the integrity of American ideals. The fiber and the bone of this nation has been shaken awake to the fact that if, individually and collectively, we don’t get off our asses, we are ALL, not just women, going to be further marginalized by hateful speech, despicable actions and more dangerous legislation aimed at reducing our civil rights and personal liberties. 

Over the past 6 years we have been witness to unprecedented obstructionism by our Congress and attacks by our elected officials both in Washington and in our State Houses. They have passed abominable laws against women, transgenders and access to the right to vote. We have seen all out efforts against Unions and working men and women and have watch our nation become paralyzed by grid lock.

Since the election hate crimes have accelerated against Blacks, Hispanic/Latinos, DREAMERs, the Disabled, Muslims, Jews, Native Americans, Asians, LGBTQ and other minorities. Incidences of bullying at schools across the country have also increased.

This is also a wake up call  to the fact that a foreign power has seriously compromised our electoral system.  Evidence that Russia hacked into the DNC and Hillary Clinton chairman John Podesta emails, with the purpose of getting him elected President. We are left to wonder if in our lifetime we will ever learn just how insidious this breech was and how much damage was done. 

You need to know this:

• Fact: He is Not Going to Make America Great Again. Under his rule it is very likely to get less great. 
• Fact: He has his Own Best Interests at Heart and they have Nothing to Do With Yours. So much for “Buy American Hire American.”
• Fact: The Powers that Be who support him have their own agenda and YOU are not included.
• Fact: The Republicans blocked a call to investigate Russian interference before the election.  Their late support for an investigation is cold comfort. They seriously damaged our election process by putting party before the nation’s well being.
• Fact: The FBI’s may also have contributed to a biased election.
• Fact: He owes Russian Banks millions of dollars. 

Remember when he said he was going to drain the Washington swamp? One only has to look at who he is selecting for his advisors and Cabinet to see that he’s not draining the swamp. He has chosen to surround himself with a bevy of deplorables with little knowledge about the positions they will be responsible for or who are actually opposed to the agencies they will represent.  They are in the main the dregs from the cesspool of cronyism.

What is on the line:

• Our bodies
• Our rights
• Our choices
• Our privacy
• Our economic security
• Our clean environment
• Our public lands
• Our health and well being
• Our national security
• Our standing among the nations of the world
• Our free and honest elections
• Our life, our liberty, our pursuit of happiness.

America’s future is in jeopardy. For all of these reasons millions of people in the USA and around the world will be marching on January 21, 2017.

This March serves as a point to rally, organize, mobilize and give notice to those who seek to co-opt the basic principles of of this nation, that we will not be silent.

Women’s Rights are Human Rights. Stand With Standing Rock. (because it’s not really over), Black Lives Matter. Climate Change is not a Myth. Aleppo is a Tragedy. Science Matters. Facts Matter, LGBTQ Rights Matter, A Free Press Matters. Net Neutrality Matters, We All Matter and we will not be marginalized. 

The millions of American’s who work hard for their daily bread, who are of good heart, who are not racist or homophobic, or any phobic who voted for him because they truly believe he will improve their lives are, in the coming months and years, most likely to be disillusioned and become the angriest of all. It is they who bought the lies and the promises that will not be fulfilled. The jobs he promised are not coming back. Not the manufacturing jobs not the coal and steel jobs.   In fact his policies could put many jobs in jeopardy.

There is little hope that the Republican controlled Congress will act to do anything to block his agenda.  It will likely be business as usual, serving their own special interests at this nation’s expense.

It is therefore imperative that we make ourselves known to them. In the months and years ahead it is they we target. The viability of America depends on us. 

Here in my hometown of Reno, Nevada we will be marching.  If you are in the neighborhood, come join us.

If you can’t March you can get involved. Here is the Indivisible Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda. 

We Make America Great and We Are Stronger Together.

Clinton won. The Electoral College is outdated. The system is rigged.

The first statement is both true and false. Mrs. Clinton won the popular vote but not the Electoral College. The second statement may or may not be true. It’s a subject open for discussion. The third statement hopefully is false.

For the vast majority of America’s who cast their votes for Clinton the Electoral College is what rigged the system this election. Only in a Presidential election can the person who gets the most votes still lose. Is it time to rethink the Electoral College? Given the number of times the popular vote has been overruled we must seriously ask ourselves if the 12 Amendment is still serving us well?

Ronald Reagan said “Trust, but verify.” For those who feel there is a possibility that some devious actions occurred in certain areas of certain states, the only way to put the matter to rest is to audit the votes and do a recount. The Clinton Campaign did not initially feel a recount was warranted.

There have been numerous times when recounts have been called for in both local and national elections. In many states there is an automatic trigger. They are meant to ensure that the election is fair.

What the Clinton Campaign was reluctant to do  Jill Stein, the Presidential candidate of the Green Party, was not. She called for recounts in three states and as of this date raised  over $6 million dollars towards the current stated goal of  7 million dollars for the effort in a little more then 72 hours. The only question is why did Stein, a Third Party Candidate, whose name did not appear on all 50 states ballots and who only received 1.1% of the votes in Michigan, 0.8% in Pennsylvania and 1.1% in Wisconsin call for the audit?  It was a ballsy move. One that puts her and the Green’s front and center.

If election tampering and fraud is discovered the United States will be confronted with a Constitutional Crisis of Epic Proportions. Stein will be lauded for exposing the failures of the system. The Green Party would stand to gain hundreds of thousands of new members and the opportunity to be a major player in future elections.

Four times in this nations history a candidate has been elected President without receiving the popular vote. In the case of John Quincy Adams vs Andrew Jackson, Jackson won both the popular vote and received more Electoral College votes but failed to get the 131 votes needed to be declared president. This was the only election decided in the House of Representatives.

Rutherford B. Hayes won the election of 1876 against Samuel J. Tilden by just 1 vote. Tilden received 250,000 more popular votes than Hayes. Many believe it was a compromise to get the Union Army out of the South after the civil war, thus effectively putting an end to Reconstruction..

Benjamin Harrison beat Grover Cleveland in the election of 1888, despite the fact that Cleveland received over 90,000 more votes.

The last time this happened, George W. Bush vs Al Gore  in 2000, Gore received 540,000 more votes. The nation held it’s collective breath as Florida and the hanging chads left the nation hanging in suspense. Enter the Supreme Court with its 5-4 decision that effectively ended the recount and declared Bush the winner. That was the only time the Supreme Court ever got involved in deciding an election.

By auditing votes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania we will see just how secure our election process is. If tampering in those states is discovered we are faced with serious security problems that undermine the fragile fabric that holds us together. We are also faced with the dilemma of how do we correct a fraudulent election.  It may not be as simple as just declaring the real winner over the person that was declared the winner before the fraud came to light.

As things stand now:

• We do know the amount of money raised for the recount vote is more than all the money the Greens raised for their entire 2016 campaign.
• We do know that in four Wisconsin precincts the votes were padded in favor of Trump and that an election fraud complaint has been filed.
• We do know the Clinton Campaign has now joined in the recount effort.

What to expect:

• The recounts will not change the results of the election.
• January 20, 2016 Trump will become the 45th  President.
• The United States will be more polarized than ever.
• Expect to see more dissension.

A few words of caution:

• Don’t ask them to get over it.

God Bless the United fractured States of America.  Keep Your Powder Dry.

The unthinkable happened.  One by one the reliable blue states turned red. The pundits and the prophets were wrong. The data crunchers missed the mark.  How could the  2016 Presidential Election turn out the way it did?  

Millions of words have been written and millions more will continue to be written, masticated and regurgitate on the subject ad infinitum.

This is my take and these are my thoughts on how  Donald J. Trump became President of the United States and Hillary Rodham Clinton did not. The how and why it happened is not really so hard to understand.

The Power of Fear

First and foremost, we all must look in the mirror and admit that many of us harbor prejudices and some of the ugly qualities that drove Mr. Trump to victory. We must admit that we allowed him to play on those prejudices and let Emotions and Feelings  overtake Reason and Logic. It is the marketing ploy that gets us to vote against our own best interests or buy a product that we really do not need or want but convinces us we must have.

    1.  America is in Decline

Every election has campaign slogans. Let’s look at the refrains for 2016 and how they played out on the American psyche. The Trump message “Make America Great Again” plays off every one of the fears we have. It is wrapped up in subliminal rhetoric that hammers home something is seriously wrong; America isn’t great. We are losers. It implies we lost our standing in the world. As individuals we are diminished and we are left behind.

By inferring we are weak, impotent, not beautiful, not strong, not smart and certainly not a winner, our sense of fear is heightened.  Now that we know we are in terrible trouble and our world is falling apart comes the follow up hype. We hear from Donald Trump that he will make our lives better. Don’t worry he alone will see to it that each of us can all be powerful, rich, successful, even beautiful. Believe me. Much like a multi-level marketing scheme that promises us riches if only we buy into it. Mr. Trump will “Make America Great Again” our enemies will be vanquished. We will have nothing to fear.

   2. For many, Donald Trump embodies success

Trump is rich. He exudes a level of confidence and power that many want to emulate. He is a consummate salesman and his product is Donald Trump. Donald Trump alone can make it happen. His promise, “believe me folks” I will “make America Great” is something his supporters fervently believe . Many are the American’s that have been left behind or cut out of the economy. The are the Americans whose jobs gave way to automation or went to other countries. They fear, they feel powerless, they are in pain, they are angry. They feel they were left out of the recovery. 

Even though he is a seriously flawed candidate with out a single credential that qualifies  him to be President, his supporters will forgive every sin and ignore every shortcoming. They don’t care if he’s rude and crude or that he makes racist comments and disparages women and minorities. They believe his lies or dismiss them because he is promising that he can fix their lives. He feeds their hate and he feeds their hope. They believe his business experience will serve all of us well. Emotions and Feelings  trump Reason and Logic   

   3. Hillary Clinton’s persona drowns out her message

Mrs Clinton wanted us to be “Stronger Together”. That requires that we are all participants in building something greater then ourselves. In other words it infers we all work towards the goal of making our lives better.  It infers a team effort. It requires putting in something of ourselves for the greater heart and the greater good. It is a call to action that depends on cooperation, partnerships, shared vision, even compromise, as well as individual commitment to lift everyone up. Because of that effort “Stronger Together” we create a mightier nation.

Hillary Clinton is a flawed human being that has been tarred and feathered and investigated for the past 30 years. For those of us who supported her none of her many flaws mattered and working together is what we do to create a better future.  She has always been a champion of the things that matter to us.  We know she is competent. That she understands how our government works from the inside out and the outside in. We know she has the intellect, skills and the backbone to be a great leader and a great President. 

But for those of us who did not buy into the message or do not like the messenger nothing she can say or has done matters. Many believe that she has committed serious crimes and is protected by a corrupt system. Many do not care that she is supremely qualified to manage the Ship of State or has worked to improve the quality of life for all Americans.  To those who dislike her, her accomplishments are meaningless. 

Even though we have come back from the worst recession since the great depression, employment is up, salaries are up, the market is up, many of us just feel down.

Mrs. Clinton isn’t making a lot of us feel stronger together.  

  4. The Problems with “Stronger Together”

“Stronger Together” didn’t make us feel better about ourselves, our jobs, our love life or our chances for a better future. It basically told us if we wanted change in the words of Gundi we had to “be the change you wish to see in the world”. For most of us life is about daily bread and we don’t have time for this “all together now Kumbaya” crap.

Even though we know at a intellectual level Hillary Clinton is more qualified, we do not believe she will change anything and we want change.  We want to feel great. We want a champion who will make it happen. We do not want the status quo.

   5. Cronyism and Bernie Sanders

The DNC and party cronyism is also partly to blame for Mrs. Clinton loss. There is a good possibility if  Senator Bernie Sanders had gotten the nomination he would have beaten Donald Trump. Sanders message went straight to the heart of the working men and women in the ever shrinking middle class as well as to young men and women who are also afraid of what the future holds in store for them. Sander’s message “A Future To Believe In”, his rumpled shirt sleeve, wild hair, in your face, anti establishment persona made so many Feel the Bern.  When he failed to get the Democratic Party’s nomination many of his supporters, including energized first time voters were so disillusioned and angry after the caucus and conventions they never came back to support Mrs. Clinton. “A Future to Believe In” had disappeared, Consequently many voted for Trump.  They could buy into “Make America Great Again”. They didn’t buy “Stronger Together”. Because it’s always… what about me and it’s the economy stupid.

   6. Some Silver Lining

At approximately 8:45 p.m. CST, I knew that Mrs. Clinton had lost the election . I have been around the block a time or two when it comes to reading the electoral college tea leaves. With Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio all red, Wisconsin and Michigan tilting in that direction there was not a path to victory. 

Yes,  I was devastated. As Adlia Stevenson said when he lost the election to General Dwight Eisenhower “I’m too old to cry,, but it hurts to much to laugh”  It’s worth your while to listen to his words. 

I had hoped in my life I would see a women elected President. I have been a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton for over 40 years. But at least the Cubs won the series for the first time in 108 years and Nevada went for Mrs. Clinton and elected the first Latina woman to the Senate, Catherine Cortez Masto.   The Nevada legislature went blue again and all the questions I supported won. 

It is small consolation that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote because even though more of us voted for her that does not count.  

To Sum Up: 

• The Clinton Campaign didn’t have the message.
• Many of Bernie’s people and the working class never felt Mrs. Clinton was their champion.
• Donald Trump held up a bright shinny object and tapped into America’s augina.
• Admit it. Many of us are racist, homophobic, xenophobic, misogynists and we vote our prejudices.
• We are all special interest groups and vote our special interests.
• America has become a Reality TV show fueled by 24/7 media, sex lies, video tapes and the FBI.
• It’s the economy stupid. It’s always about jobs.
• We allow our Emotions and Feelings to over rule our Reason and Logic.
• We have a lot of work to do.

Now Donald Trump has the com. We will see how well he handles it.  We will see how he delivers on his promises. We will see what America will look like when he is done putting his special brand on this nation.

We must come together. I am not sure Trump can bind up our wounds.  I do worry about our children and grandchildren. I worry about what kind of America you will have in 10, 20, 30 years from now. Will that sun carved on the back of a chair used by George Washington that Benjamin Franklin spoke of still be rising or will it have set. I worry about America. Yes I do. 

I am willing to give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt and also enough rope to hang himself. 

(I want to thank my son Kevin Hawkins for his help putting my thoughts together.  This piece is longer then I planned. Maybe not better.. I so appreciate his advise, because he understands so much more then I do about the medium. I’ll attempt to be a better writer. Kevin I know you understand my sorrow and my pain. )

I do not know who Colin Kaepernick is outside of the facts that he comes from my community, he’s a football hero, plays for the SF 49rs and is a man of mixed racial heritage that was adopted as a child by a white family and has ever since supposedly lived a life of privilege.

Recently he did something totally unacceptable. No he didn’t rape any one. He didn’t steal any thing. He didn’t take a life. His sin was that when our National Anthem was playing he did not stand. He sat it OUT. His sin.. He SAT DOWN.

OMG.. This guy makes millions. He’s our hero he owes us. He needs to be our shinning example of what it means to be not just a football hero but an American ideal. YOU DO NOT SIT DOWN WHEN OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM is played.

So it has always been. Our heroes need to be be GODS because.. They can not be anything like us. We need them as examples to be what we imagine we are like and when they are not like what we want in our image we get to KILL them or at lest disown them and Bitch, Moan and Complain about how badly they let us down. It is very hard for us to except that one of our heroes held up the mirror and made us look into it.

Perhaps we should start at the history of slavery in the United States., or by looking at our national anthem and ask ourselves if it really represents the America we are today and the America we want to be?  Perhaps you need to consider the third verse. The anthem was written in a time when slavery was how life was in these United States. Black lives did not matter. Black lives and indentured servants were chattel.. property..not to be counted.

Admittedly we do not sing this when we sing our national anthem but there is nonetheless  something very chilling and certainly no longer in step with who and what we are today.. Or is there?

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I have a confession to make. I have sat DOWN.  I have folded my arms and crossed my legs and bowed my head silently disapproving what I felt was wrong with my country. And I have also marched. I have loudly protested and have done everything I could to try to make this nation live up to the land of the free and the home of the brave.  At least as far as I thought it should be.

BFD. Have you used that right lately? I would like to think that some of what I worked for moved us forward.  The Civil Rights Act 1964, anti-Vietnam, hell anti war.. The Voting Rights Act 1965, plus a lot of policy tax law and stuff with the FDA and the EPA and fracking and Roe vs Wade. And I’m still working on healthcare and burning my bra.

Tell me when your hero didn’t get up for the national anthem, what have you been working for to make America the nation we want it to be for one and and all?  Tell me out side of somebodies idea of patriotism that you have been feed, have you been doing really to make us one nation (indivisible under God) with Liberty and Justice for all.

I do not say the pledge with “under God”. I did’t learn it that way.. and frankly I can’t say it that way easily. I guess you could burn me at the stake because you are all shocked over that. . Just by way of history. This is the Pledge. 

Much is at stake in our nation. Perhaps we will never know all the things that caused a football hero, the idol of many to make such a profound statement as to risk the ire of his adoring fans and creating a fire storm that demands us to examine once again what it means to be a patriot. It demands we also take a look at our national anthem and put it in the content of the times it was written.  Maybe we need a new one?

Beyond the action of the man, what is important is that we are having a conversation that goes well beyond his action. Black on Black.. White on White.. Green on Green. What difference does it make. It’s all bull plucky. We all bleed red. We are all one tribe. We are all family. 

It is time when we become grown up enough to SIT DOWN to stand up
for what we really are about. Go look in the mirror. Ask why you are upset about this.  Is this what is really important?  You are on a crank about some guy that earns an obscene amount of money for tossing a ball in a stupid game and who is your hero and he let you down..WHY? Or.. what is important is the fact that we really have serious problems?  Now tell me please because I am just asking .. beyond this guy who so disappointed you.. let us sit down and talk.

As I said when I started this. I have no idea who Colin Kaepernick is. But I do know this.. he will probably carry a heavier cross then you will ever know. It’s the one we lay on all our hero’s when we feel they have let us down before we nail them to it.

We all have a vision of America.  It is a blind men and the elephant. story where every one has their 2 cents to put in. America is so much more then anyone. It is a living breathing slogging to the light praying to save the earth, the air and the water  rising above all odds  and needs to be so much more then what any poor mortal ever envisioned.  To be continued.

I do not live in Carson City so you might wonder why I should care about anyone running for office there.  I have and do spend a fair amount of my time in Carson.  I have had more meetings there then I care to think about, I have friends who live there and because it’s an important part of the State I live in I want to be proud of what the world sees when they come to visit our State Capitol.

Not much appears to happen in Carson City when the Legislature is not in session.  They only meet every other year for about 120 days . To say I was unimpressed with Carson City when I first moved to Nevada in 1976 would be something of an understatement.

For a good many years nothing much seemed to change but gradually Carson City began to slowly morph into another mall sprawl community with a few new government buildings.  The city was expanding South along 395 and East along Technology Way.  A new Western Nevada Community College  hugged the Western Hills, new high end housing was being built, Carson Tahoe Hospital expanded into new digs and despite boarded up business along the main drag leading to the Capitol it didn’t look quite so scruffy despite being really hard hit by the recession. Then suddenly one summer the grounds of the Capitol looked better cared for and there were flower baskets hanging along the Main street. The place was looking a lot more presentable. One I no longer hesitated to take out of town visitors to for some sightseeing and Nevada history. Which gets me to why I am putting forth my opinion on the Ward 1 race for Carson City Supervisor.

Much of Carson City’s improved imagine can be credited to Karen Aboud, the  current Ward 1 Supervisor. Karen has been involved with efforts to upgrade her home town’s imagine long before she ran for office.  A major contributing factor is the Greenhouse Project a non-profit Karen founded and spearheaded.  The baskets of flowers that brighten the streets are grown there along with vegetables that are distributed to food banks and herbs and flowers that are sold to help sustain the project.

Now I know politics is a blood sport. It can be mean and dirty and what has got me riled up about Karen’s opponent is that she seeks to disparage the reputation and charitable work Karen has always been involved in along with her long standing community efforts.  Through innuendo, sly and snide comments she seeks to have her audience believe that Karen is doing all of this just for personal benefit and gain. She tosses this trash out without  a shred of evidence to back up her statements.  These are the typical tactics of a candidate that has absolutely nothing of substance to offer. Most incomprehensible is her vendetta against the Green House Project. This exemplary non-profit along with making the city more attractive is a teaching experience for children and helps provide a substantial amount of fresh food to those in need. It is held up by many in the farm to table and slow food ever expanding community as a model to be emulated and duplicated.

If the Greenhouse Project was all that Karen did, that would be plenty. But this woman is a dynamo, involved with those she serves and her community on so many levels. What concerns me is in this years election Karen has an opponent who if I understand correctly would undo all the good work that has been accomplished by this project as well as others that Karen supports.

Karen’s opponent’s education and work experience is extremely narrow, having earned only a high school degree and having only worked for a single State Agency NDOT. Perhaps that is part of her problem and the reason for her limited vision. We are not sure exactly what she did do over the years with NDOT, what departments she worked in or what budgets if any and on what projects she was in involved.  All of this is loosely laid out in her campaign with out any real specifics.

The major highway project between Reno and Carson has cut the commute time into town but like all such projects it also has a tendency to whisk people traveling from Reno past the heart of the community where ordinary folks who do not work for government bureaucracies strive to make a living.  Getting people off of the freeway and into the heart of a little city is challenging and requires multiple approaches to sustain a city core.  Karen’s opponent’s campaign is primarily based on “I’m a fiscal conservative and I’m for the middle class and want prosperity for all.” as if those words would equate into creating jobs and maintaining a vibrate prosperous community.  Such thinking unfortunately does not lead to either attracting new business, job creation, sustaining existing businesses, improving the quality of life, helping the middle class or remotely creating prosperity for all.  What is of perhaps greatest concern is she does not appear to even comprehend what skills and qualifications the office entails.

Karen’s opponent is dead set against Carson City’s plan to improve bike lanes and walk ability because it requires tax dollars. Pedestrian friendly streets and bike lanes are being planned and expanded in every city with vision. Why do you suppose that’s a growing trend? Guess where the money for improvement project and infrastructure come from? Perhaps it comes as a shock and surprise to this person that part of city governments responsibility is to repair and improve infrastructure. Projects like this create jobs and that’s just one benefit. Where people can walk or bike to places where they can shop and grab a bite to eat that benefits businesses and that also creates jobs. Plus bike lanes cut down on traffic congestion.  It’s a fact that more and more people are using bikes for transportation. Bike lanes are part of good city planning. The added benefit is improved air quality and equates to a healthier environment. Many of Carson City’s businesses want these improvements.  Anyone running for this office should know major project decisions are not made in a vacuum.  Citizen input is part and parcel of the decision making process and as I recall a great deal of discussion and meetings revolved around the project.

Karen’s opponent says she wants to attract High-end Manufacturing and Tech Companies that pay high end wages.  Name me one community that doesn’t want these kinds of jobs? You have to look at the types of communities such companies locate in. You have to be honest and ask what does my city offer? They to not want to move to a location where their employees will have to live in a shabby, rundown, tired and grubby looking community. That kind of environment is not good for employee retention and that is a major issue for big companies with a highly skilled workforce. Businesses look for cities that have nice amenities and forward thinking community planning. Plus the nicer the environment the lower the crime rate.  It’s more then just about tax breaks.

Recently Carson City took a major step to improve their animal services. The Nevada Human Society will as of today October 1, take over the Shelters management. Karen’s opponent would have voted against this contract had she been in power because she says NHS. doesn’t have the experience to handle animal control. Once again her ignorance is showing, in this case about what NHS does and what they will be doing for the Carson Shelter.  NHS oversees and coordinates all the animal services for Reno, Washoe County and Sparks, a slightly bigger operation then the one they will over see in Carson City.  Their services have saved the taxpayers of Washoe substantial dollars. NHS also does not work in a vacuum. Other agencies and citizens are also involved in oversight.  NHS is an example of  best practices for a no-kill shelter. Carson City residents will benefit from this partnership and certainly the lives of many animals will benefit as well thanks to Karen and all those who supported it.

One only has to review Karen’s vita to know what she stands for and what her priorities are and to see just how much she puts into helping others as well as what she has accomplished.  I would encourage you to compare Karen’s credentials with those of her opponent. The fact that Karen  is a savvy business woman in her own right and also works with her husband Charlie in their restaurant Cafe Adele’s equates to an extremely broad understanding of what it takes to get things done to really make a positive difference for the people she serves.

Karen Aboud works for everyone in Carson, not just Ward 1. Much of what she has done has also made a difference for all of us in Northern Nevada. I do not see where her opponent even holds a candle to her and haven’t seen a thing that person can point to as an example of what they  accomplished to make their community a better or more vibrant place to live.  I can’t vote for Karen. So I’m asking all of you who can to please do so this November 4th. Nevada needs more people in public service like her.

Thanks for listening.

Images:

Creative Commons photo ‘D.C. Ballot Box on U St.’ by Cameron Nordholm on Flikr