OKAY so today President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle went to Norway to receive the coveted Nobel Peace Prize and you can't seem to hear enough about "9 days before, he agreed to sending 30,000 more troops raising the total to 100,000 troops in Afghanistan". How can he receive such an honor for having not been in office more than 8 months (depending on whether you consider the date he was called for the Prize or when the Prize Committee selected him) is being stated.
The bottomline, after 8 years of being in Afghanistan, we owe it to the citizens to assist in nation building although we have seen how corrupt Karzai can be. After years of dropping bombs on a society who had housed Osama and the Al Qaeda crew, we are trying to help them build their nation under the principles of a democracy that depending on whom you listen to, may not even be what they want. But that is the Obama plan.
The hope I believe with all capitol letters is that the people of Afghanistan will become more aggressive in wanting the help of American troops, builders, educators, and infrastructure contractors. But interestingly the areas we are looking to stabilize happen to be the same area where we know The Taliban is fighting tooth and nail for their right to be leaders in their own country. Do we have the right to go into the country and tell them what is best for them?
Will we be able to keep reigns on Karzai and keep reminding him "democracy" is not a dictatorship where you stash away 1.3 million votes when you believe you are about to loose?
The media has been screaming about the 18 months Obama said will be the deadline for pulling out. There are several comments in Huffington Post magazine, Amy Goodman's commentary on DemocracyNow! and Jesse Jackson on Tavis Smiley Show says that 18 months is a questionable amount of time to complete nation building, but has anyone factored in, that we are talking about a nation of people who have been around longer than our nation is old?
Maybe we shouldn't sell these people short! I'm sure they are tired of the time, money, families lost, bloodshed, and living without as we are of seeing them get back on their feet. And bottomline we want to see our soldiers come home in one piece, with a good sense of whom they are for the service they have given to this country. And not ever have troops feel as many expressed when they went to Vietnam, that their services weren't appreciated . . .
So maybe with the Peace Award President Obama will remember what the essence of the award means and stick to the 18 months withdrawal plan? We again, can only hope.
11/15/09. Michael O’Hanlon of Brookings Institute the civil populations would be worst if we didn’t go in with the current coalition and look at the Afghanistan for the past 30 years. He believes the killings are not as bad as they were 20 years ago.
Our pocket books and soldiers would be better off.
4 years we buggled the operations because we didn’t train the Afghanistan fast enough and provide them with the tools to do it. Protect the civilian populations and be robust in development.
Hayden was oppose in 2002 was like burning down a haystack to find a needle.
Tom Hayden says it is the poorest country in the world economic index. It is listed at the bottom of the $40billion dollar in aid and development aid is $5.6 billion so if you increase the troop level of 30,000 you are spreading them thinner and providing more targets for the Taliban.
He believes that it is wrong to get booged down in another foreign war similar to Vietnam. Something no one wants to see again. Antiwar voices need to be implemented more in the decision making. The mission is difficult and requires a lot of civilian cooperation. We heard about acid being thrown on the female students to prevent them from attending schools. As devasting as this behavior appears, there is obvious a need to education on both sides of the social opinion that doing so will elevate the entire nation.
Robert Greenwald also has ponied up his visualizations with the making of “Rethinking Afghanistan”, a video. Greenwald says that killing of innocent victims is causing American to lose the respect of civilians. He showed footage of individuals’ w/missing fingers, arms, legs, eyes and gaping holes. He said the difficult part is getting the citizens of Afghanistan to understand that the war is about Americans destroying the terrorists’ camps that are out to destroy the United States. This is costing 3 trillion dollars in the first term of Obama’s Administration.
To many American, 9/11 will never be forgotten. Daily, there are small 200-300 people communities that are having American bombs dropped on them. They are not soldiers, members of the Taliban or even know who the Al-Qaeda groups are. Some are simple farmers and artisans. Overwhelming the use of force by the air and ravaging homes is causing Americans to lose the trust of the Afghani people. Thousands of families are without homes, jobs and income not to include clean drinking water, continuous electricity, and gas! In some situations, families are selling their children to other families who may be in the position to feed the children. There are reports of individuals who are being sold into other families and tribes as house workers, prostitutes and laborers.
Taliban is fighting American forces. In some areas, he said he could not even go into because of the bombing and kidnapping of individuals. The options are about ethnicity, political power, educational opportunities, jobs, and income decisions just to survive. Local tribal leaders are making these decisions. To resolve many of the living conditions and issues will require more negotiations not bombs and this is the message he is hoping to convey to the Obama Administration.
Today, in the preview video by Buck McKeon, http://www.youtube.com/user/BuckMcKeon
McKeon, our local Congressional representative, said he would be watching for the following points in President Obama’s speech:
Hopefully Obama will provide the number of troops requested by General McCrystal.
Having spoken to McCrystal, McKeon said that 400,000 internal security force would be required to secure the country and that there was ½ that number in Afghanistan right now. This would put a lot of people to work.
Time is another consideration: How soon will we be able to get the troops there?
McCrystal said we needed additional troops in the area w/in 1 year. We are 3 months behind in momentum, so catch up is required.
Winning is also a consideration.
Will the President say that we will have troops exiting after “winning” or “exiting (whether we win or not) Afghanistan w/in the 18 months”, which direction are we going. What is the exit strategy?
Meantime, we can only hope that Obama’s speech covers these concerns and Buck McKeon will find Obama’s momentum favorable for all Americans including our fighting troops in Afghanistan.
Looking forward to Obama’s speech, we can only pray that consensus from the right and left is coming.
In the preview video by Buck McKeon, he said he would be watching for the following points in President Obama’s speech:
Having spoken to McCrystal, McKeon said that 400,000 security force would be required to secure the country and that there was ½ that number in Afghanistan right now.
Time is another consideration: How soon will we be able to get the troops there? McCrystal said we needed additional troops in the area w/in 1 year. We are 3 months behind in momentum.
Winning is also a consideration. Will the President say that we will exit troops after winning or exiting (whether we win or not) Afghanistan w/in the 18 months.
Meantime, we can only hope that Obama’s speech covers these concerns and Buck McKeon will find Obama’s momentum favorable for all Americans including our fighting troops in Afghanistan. Looking forward to Obama’s speech.
Many people want to go to heaven but many people don't want to put forth the effort to practice the physical responsibilities that will get us here and I'll be the first to say that "the right activities" take commitment, persistence and practice. And this is taking into consideration that you believe that heaven does exist! I find that fighting for Democratic principals isn't any more simple.
Obama has a lot of responsibility since he came into office. Freedom doesn't come free, people who are going to Afghanistan is requiring us to share sacrifices to help them get to their victorious goals.
I am not a hawk, quite the contrary, however we need to get our butts out of Afghanistan and Iraq remembering that we owe the people in these countries those promises we made . . . getting out and leaving the people whole isn't an easy task but requires sustainability.
Tea Party members are projecting all that they can to be a force of negative force towards Obama. They are against any progress coming from him. The Republicans are looking for the unpopular war to continue, they are energized by the unemployment numbers falling, they aren't supporting the healthcare insurance reform because their politicial leaders are receiving huge contributions and donations when they run for office. This doesn't excuse those Democrats to too are fighting the insurance options and watering down the initial national healthcare bill. Whistleblower Wendell Potter, the former CIGNA marketing executive has said, "if there isn't a public option included in the insurance reform, then tha insurance companies have won" the healthcare battle. Many of us heard this and we believe since Potter wrote many of the policies that the insurance companies practice, that he should know truth from fiction.
Just another obstacle that OFA will have to overcome! It is profoundly amazing how so many people sat eight years watching our country go into absolute free fall and said nothing. And now that we finally have an opportunity to apply wisdom, commitment and arriving at the truth, the masses want to trash President Obama and those still seeking change. We have always understood that change is gradual, requires time and persistence through: Voter registration, phone calling, writing letters to our politicians, letters to the editor, petition signing, community education, video presentations, resolutions, rallies, subject events, voting smart and continual strategic action... May God provide Obama the guidance and wisdom to continue making decisions that lead to international alliances and to win the battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. OFA understands that there is no substitute to "victory". . . Obama has a strong hand to play and we hope he can find the money, resources and sustainability to pull our nation through . . .
Happy Thanksgiving . . . Peace out, Minerva and Todd Hoover, Santa Clarita Valley
It may be considered a Bible war going on in the internet but ladies and gentlemen when someone markets teddy bears, t-shirts, with Psalms 109:8 on it in reference to President Barack Obama, it is time to turn up the serious valve and ask is this an American Jihad and where are the religious leaders when you need them to stand up and exhibit contentiousness against such a decree!
And what is the CIA, FBI and Secret Service doing about any of this?
Last night we were happy to attend a lively celebratory gathering of a few local Castaic residents and their children, who were pleased that the election process was over.
No one ever said phone banking, literature dropping, knocking on doors, sign posting, writing letters to the editor, and attending house parties; community forums; teacher meetings; and eating on the run aren't exhausting. But when you have a candidate you believe in and they hugely win, you begin to see the overall wealth in "participating in the process". . . You have in affect, effected the "change that you believe in". Sound familiar?
Just the day before rising at 4:30PM Tuesday, November 3rd for poll working at 6PM to 9PM seemed to be a calling of the truly willing. The sound of shower water awoke me and slowing I shuffled for my bath robe.
A lady arrived at 7pm the first to cast her votes for the local Castaic School Board and local Newhall Water Board candidates. She was overly cheerful. Don't you love morning people! Overall 3% of the total electorate went out to vote in LA County. Makes you think about CNN news portraying poor nations clamouring and excited to be able to go the polls, standing in line through rain, snow, sleet at daybreak heavily clothed and expelling warmth to frosty air, to have the advantage of selecting their leaders. it is important to them. We are either spoiled, reckless, or presumptious that someone will speak to our concerns when we don't go vote.
Why didn't people realize their local elections are where their true political power begins. Last I heard, we still have the ability to take two hours off of our jobs to go vote, it is a federal mandate.
Have people forgotten that little American caveat.
But in spite of these concerns we wish to say:
CONGRATULATIONS TO ATTORNEY SUSAN CHRISTOPHER, the original OBAMA GIRL for our region
and
LAURA PEARSON, AND VICTOR TORRES, whom we met for the first time!
So we soldier on for the next election, the next campaign and the next nail biting returns . . . being proactive in the change that we believe in . . . Peace out, Minerva & Todd Hoover,
We will be presenting the pros and cons of the Death Penalty. Should we have a death penalty, and if so is lethal injection really the best method? Can California afford the exorbitant costs involved with executing someone? A panel of experts will discuss these issues and more.
Our keynote speaker, Gloria Killian, who sat on Death Row three years and was incarcerated 17 years for a crime she didn't commit, will share her experiences.
Radio Personality Mario Solis-Marich will emcee the event. Ferial Masry, Educator and state assembly candidate will present her perspective as a Saudi-born woman. Jonathan Kraut from the SCV InterFaith Council; Carole Lutness, an LA County Psychiatric Social Worker; Bob Handy, Navy officer, retired, Political Democratic Activist, Attorney Joseph Trigilio, Federal Prosecutor; and Sharon Y. Garrett, President of the NAACP SFV Chapter will also be presenting. This event is a collaboration of all three Santa Clarita Valley clubs:
The Democratic Alliance for Action, Michael Kulka, President;
The Democratic Neighbors of the 38th Assembly District, Carole Lutness, President;
The Democratic Club of the Santa Clarita Valley, Bill Bailey, President.
LA QUINTA INNS & SUITES, 25201The Old Road, Stevenson Ranch, CA 91385 4:00PM to 7:00PM. $5/Admission. Videos, Desk top Displays. A 501c3 sponsored event. Refreshments. Free Parking. Email: minwilli@gmail.com (661) 295-9318
Journalist Jeff Greenfield responded to the ongoing battle from the media this week, when reporting, that the FOX NEW’S DEPARTMENT is being accused of being the research and communication’s arm of the Republican Party. He also says that “. . . Fox’s bottom-line has increased 13% since Obama came into office. So perhaps they are crying all the way to the bank”.
Obama accuses Fox News as appearing “to be more like a talk show format and not a news format”.
There is no question that the Rupert Murdoch owned conglomeration’s opinions predominately favor the far Right Republican agenda. So when the White House decides not to give more fuel to Fox’s perceived negativity and refuses to be on their programs, is this an exercise of free speech? On the other hand, is it an exercise in futility? The points of views coming from the White House will be interpreted as the voice of the Obama Administration no matter what the administration representative says when they appear on FOX. Being fair however, MSNBC has been called the most left in their presentation of Obama’s opinions. So to whom do we listen for the “true news story”? Nevertheless, who would that be?
Where do we find a news source that is truly balanced? Personally, I find I have to listen to them all and weigh what seems “logical”, but I was taught in journalism school and at the LA TIMES that politics are highly hinged in “manipulating emotions and the illusion”.
*Come join our JOINT BIPARTISAN SESSION
Please note the correct date for the William S. Hart School Board Forum is Wednesday, October 28, 2009. The Democratic Club of Santa Clarita Valley and the Democratic Alliance for Action and residents of the 37th and 38th Assembly District in the Santa Clarita Valley area will be hosting a joint candidate forum for the Hart School Board Race. We will be meeting at Vincenzo’s Pizza at 24504 ½ Lyons Avenue in Newhall on Lyons Avenue, please arrive early to socialize. Each candidate will be given an opportunity to talk about their campaign and priorities for the Hart School Board.
As of press time: Bob Jensen, Joe Messina, Suzan Solomon, and Linda Valdes confirmed that they will be present.
More importantly, you will have the opportunity to ask some of those burning questions, so you can decide who you want to “vote smart” for on Tuesday, November 3rd Election! We hope to see you there. For questions leave message at (661) 295-9318 or write: minwilli@gmail.com. All Polls open at 7AM and close at 8PM. Absentee ballots can be dropped off at the polls. You can bring your children with you when you vote. Question on where your polling site is call 800-481-8683 or visit: http://www.lavote.net
Saw this in yesterday's Business section of the L.A. Times, CVS and Walgreens promote free flu shots for the unemployed.
CVS will immunize 10,000 individuals that are jobless and Walgreen will give the shot to the uninsured. For a list of the vaccination locations visit www.cvs.com <http://www.cvs.com/> or call (888) FLU-SHOT. Walgreens will also give out vouchers to eligible people. Go to www.walgreens.com <http://www.walgreens.com/> or call (866) 484-TOUR for further information.
Peace out, Minerva
So what is next?
As we all know, the situation in Israel is still being discussed by The Obama Administration and individuals are anxious that the Iran has a nuclear program. We need to know the facts behind the battling in Israel. This is not my event, however, I encourage those seeking answers to meet this great groups of folks and attend:
Global Exchange
Ventura County Supporters
present
A Recent Visit to Gaza
Wednesday, October 28
7:00 P.M- 8:30 P.M.
Thousand Oaks Library
Laila Al-Marayati, MD, will share her experiences of her recent visit to Gaza and will address some of the major political issues that impact the ongoing situation.
Dr. Al-Marayati is the chairperson of Kids in Need of Development, Education and Relief (KinderUSA), a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to helping Palestinian children and their families in Gaza, the West Bank and refugee camps in Lebanon. And on behalf of KinderUSA, she traveled to the Gaza Strip in May of this year where she had the opportunity to witness first hand the degree of destruction caused by the Israeli offensive in December of 2008. She visited with numerous Palestinians who continue to suffer under a regime of collective punishment that targets all members of society including those most vulnerable, children. The effects of the ongoing siege of Gaza combined with the trauma caused by the Israeli attack have imposed serious challenges on Palestinians living in Gaza. Yet their resourcefulness and faith help them survive and endure, hoping against all hope for a better future.
Dr. Al-Marayati has served on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom as an appointee of former President Bill Clinton. She is a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist and is the Medical Director of Women's Health at the Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center. She serves as the spokesperson of the Muslim Women's League based in Los Angeles which seeks to strengthen the role of Muslim women in society by disseminating accurate information about Islam and women to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
A question and answer period will follow the presentation.
The program is free and open to the public.
GLOBAL EXCHANGE Ventura County Supporters www.globalexchangeventuracountysupporters.org
For further Information, Contact: 805-498-9401 or GlobalExchangeVCS@yahoo.com
The Global Exchange Ventura County Supporters is a group of people - a community of conscience -dedicated to providing local monthly public forums, supporting and working with other local organizations committed to social and economic justice, human rights and ecological sustainability Global Exchange, headquartered in San Francisco, is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political and social justice. Since our founding in 1988, we have increased the US public's global awareness while building partnerships worldwide. Visit: www.globalexchange.org
You had the creepy crawlies when you walked out of the Buck McKeon Saturday 9AM Community Townhall Meeting on Healthcare Reform. Some women left crying and skeptical about the future. You don't see this in any video! You had to hear their comments. I even heard women from Wells Fargo who were hissing mad! "These are selfish nuts and liars", she said. I told her welcome to the club. She asked me if there is "anything that she can do", please call her. I've BCC'd her to this message and will call her later today.
My final analysis: In creating a future of change, I agree it requires talking to neighbors, friends, family and congressional leaders. The future for our American grandchildren will require healthcare reform. If number crunchers have already determined that in another 15 years our healthcare premium costs will be equal to our take home pay, how are we going to live? Not all families have the ability to have two or more breadwinners in one family.
We are in a day and age of automation, why should insurance companies utilize 30% of their costs for administrative needs?
Why should insurance executives make 10 times the average income of the American citizens’ that they are fleecing for corporate jets, penthouses, exorbitant bonus plans, elaborate **** luxury resort motivational seminars, and vacation trysts.
Meantime, your healthcare needs are being minimalized or denied because it will diminish the lifestyles of the stockholders, the insurance executives and their bottomlines.
If the insurance companies were truly honest they would accelerate incentives for illness prevention, better eating habits, exercise programs, promote positive lifestyle choices and encourage physical and mental rest to increase healthy clientele.
Questions we need to ask ourselves is why would someone who has government tax paid Roll Royce insurance belittle you into believing it isn’t important for you to have affordable, adequate, and accessible medical coverage and a decent delivery system. To do otherwise is downright “stupid-headed”. To know this information is not enough! It isn’t political ladies and gentlemen, it is a human need. Don’t just read this. Do something that is an investment in your healthcare future. Fight for healthcare reform.
If you are interested in more information on what to have at a helathcare forum please email us: minwilli@gmail.com; or visit our website: www.scvyoungdems.org. It isn't too late to have your voice hear. I know many are tiring to the subject, but I believe this is what the opposing side wants, to wear us down and they they'll have their way with us, business as usual.
PART THREE: Each person in line was given the McKeon survey. You could respond Yes, Lean Yes, Lean NO, No, and Not sure on the following questions . . . Whether or not the constituents support the Obama plan and the Congressional Democrats? How we rated the quality of healthcare in this country? Do you believe the federal government has a responsibility to ensure healthcare coverage for all Americans? Do you support government run public insurance option to compete with private insurance? Do you support tax incentives for individuals and families to purchase health insurance independently of their employers? Do you support reining in medical liability abuse by cutting down on frivolous lawsuits? Do you support a federal mandate on individuals to require the purchase of health insurance? Do you support a federal mandate on individuals to require the purchase of health insurance? Do you believe that Members of Congress that support the President's healthcare reform plan should be required to sign up for it? Not sure where he was going here, don't congressional members have policies already? and Do you support citizenship verification to ensure illegal immigrants are not eligible under the Democrat healthcare plan? I thought immigrants aren't eligible for "public option". This was news to me. I’ll have to send out a SOS to the healthcare experts and find out what is the story behind this.I understand from a phone call the following Monday afternoon, they really do want to know how people feel and a woman directed me to the online site. Funny the online site only has two questions. How did she know I didn't turn my long form in? As I said, I had worked with a crew the night before to get signs made. Before I got there many sign carriers were told that they had to leave their signs outside. Hence, I became the keeper of the Democratic signs.
Based on some of the nasty comments as people passed there was definitely heckling, anger, and snarling ahead. Comments ranged from they don't want to be mandated to purchase or even consider government healthcare to “they better not play with my Medicare and VA Benefits”. But this isn’t socialized medicine they claim. I only gave a ½ hearted smile at them, shaking my head.
After one of the sheriff’s assured me that no one would bother with the signs, I eventually went inside. I knew we were filming so what ever I missed I’d see on video eventually. However, I was glad that I did go inside, I heard firsthand expressions on concerns about “frivolous lawsuits should be eliminated”, however, as one woman said, “if ever you had a relative who is harmed by a well-known or powerful physician, you will need aggressive attorneys to mitigate on your behalf. How are you going to be able to afford the healthcare to remedy a family member that has been medically harmed or killed? How do you compensate family members with horrendous and poor medical diagnosis”.
Another argued “if an illegal alien walked into the gym with swine flu, which could infest all of us, you’d want him to be hospitalized too”. This was received with huge boos, hissing and verbal heckling. I only wish they had read the response I received from Wendell Potter, former CIGNA VP of communications, who assured me and has told Congress in two testimonials that insurance companies know how to provide public option while keeping it competitive. Illegal aliens are already factored into our current healthcare costs. We just don't realize it and the republicans have been told this, to say otherwise is a lie. Unfortunately, he wasn't there to refute many of the claims that McKeon was professing although I had sent the video to McKeon the day before. . . I reviewed the Organization Chart of the House Democrats' Health Plan with an IBEW member who came to hear McKeon's answers. "This is nice and confusing, I wonder if he is going to review this madness", we both shared a laugh at the 8 1/2 X11 sheet with numerous arrows and charting. "No wonder it takes them forever to do anything", he continued. "I've seen that chart in color", I replied, "doesn't make it any less confusing, but I know as a graphic artist, someone took a lot of time making the graphing, choosing the type and arranging the layout". We took turns questioning what HIPDB stood for; it had an X through it. Overall, the response to questions by the audience was pretty partisan.
September 26th Part Two. As I realized that the unspoken message was “we don’t care about the physically challenged, elderly, mothers with infants, and those that might need assistance in negotiating a steep set of stairs with the nimbleness of an athlete weren’t factored in.
There was two ASL signers, each taking turns for the entire room but they weren't on camera or on a projection screen to if you weren’t able to get to the front of the room you could still see what was going on. They fluctuated from sitting down to standing up. The first middle section was reserved for handicapped, however, I didn’t see any hearing impaired in those seats based on body language and eventually I saw an event planner encourage people to move up in those seats. So I wasn't sure whom they were signing to.
SherryAn was there with her Organizing Healthcare Obama flyers and passing them out to people in line. Carole Lutness was taking names and phone numbers for those interested in the current local elections’ GOTV. Local elections are scheduled for November throughout the state.
The next Freedom of Speech was dwarted by huge white signs that said No Sign Posters allowed”. I guess McKeon had been tipped off that Democrats were coming to protest this meeting however, we had been forewarned the night before that it was quite likely we couldn’t take the posters inside, even if we didn’t have them on stakes. Depending on whom you approached at the event, the range of reasons were: 1.) Fire regulations; 2.) Diminishes the range of view; 3.) Electioneering; 4.) Buck doesn't want to see them; 5.) the other side didn't bring any, it isn’t fair, or 6.) those say public option and single payer, that’s not what Buck wants to see.
The number of signs accumulated as the line increased. Eventually to keep from having to walk back to the parking lot and losing our places in line, the signs began to accumulate in the bushes surrounding the entryway to the gym.
I decided to help spread them out around the bushes as you enter the gym instead of them being stacked up. Some people in lines found the signs funny to pretty interesting. Some got out of line to take pictures and read them more closely. The night before we had asked the sign makers to use large print so they could be seen from the street. There had been discussing to stand on the side of the road as people drove up, but I found too many democrats were interested in hearing and being inside, this never materialized. The bright green florescent poster that deemed the most attention was “Buck received over $340K in healthcare company donations”, information attained from “Open Secrets” and “Newmeat”, sights that I would recommend future event planners check out for factual resources.
I don't know if any other Republican signs had been taken back to the cars before my arrival at 8:15AM but I did spread out four within the pile and put their largest one near the door, equal opportunity for all, although we had outnumbered their signs 6:1. Then I took some of the professional OFA signs and spread them between the handmade signs. Two people asked if they could have them, one lady offered to wrap hers across her leg and take it inside. She gave me the Sarah Palin wink and I handed it to her anyway. Not sure whose signs they were, I went back to the car and took several out of my own stash that I hadn’t thought to bring originally. At least my conscious would be clear.
http://www.youtube.com/crazycatherder
http://www.youtube.com/BuckMcKeon#play/uploads/1/PAg_Gx_0VZs
Well Saturday's September 26th event turned out to the largest LA COUNTY Townhall meeting to date since the Congressman Adam Schiff’s event in San Gabriel Valley. McKeon and his staff were busy pleasing themselves over the 800 RSVP’s. I watched them giving one another high fives.
Someone had left a visible unlabeled box under the stairwell and the sheriff department responded cautiously to its contents. After one bold sheriff realized that it wasn't ticking, he opened it. And all disgustingly shook their heads to find La Rouche magazines with Obama w/a Hitler mustache on the cover . . . They reclosed the box and shoved it back but out of view, I agreed with their disgust, but this is a country of Free Speech, exhibit #1. There were close to 1,500 people there. Of course, the repubs say that it was 2,000. The initial anxious and alert crowd snaked around the building well before 8:15AM. One event planner was giving the others high fives in relaying “we have up to 2,000 RSVP's”. They had done their job. NOT. For it to be a healthcare meeting, the elevator didn't work for the physically impaired. Although, later in the morning, I heard the janitor exclaim to the sheriffs “it was working on Tuesday, I checked it myself”. Funny, there was little signage to let the public know that the elevator was even there.
I heard the janitor explain to the sheriff officers that the spring wasn't leveling as it should, hence it wasn’t usable. One officer offered that it was a safety violation and should be fixed quickly. I watched the janitor huffing up the stairs. I thought to myself, he’s in relatively good shape, not lean, but if he is huffing up the stairs and stopping at the first landing, what did he expect from moms with a child in a stroller? Some wheelchair bound and motor cart attendees looked dejected when they saw the final set of stairs. There was no signage telling them to keep going up the 20 degree hill to the side entrance of the gym. Some turned around expressing angry others called up asking for assistance.
I saw one young woman run down the stairs and offer to walk the man around the building. The person concerned, but not sure responded, “if you will take me all the way”. The guest obliged him.
She asked me if I knew where the side door would be, I told her it was my first time there also, “I don’t know”. I thought if democrats were in charge, we would have known to facilitate the handicapped and physically challenged. It is a requirement to holding a democratic event.
Eventually a guy in a white Boys and Girl’s Club polo called on a phone and a man came up with a golf cart. The cart man wheeled around to help the gentleman on the canes. I watched Good Samaritans grabbed the front of baby strollers to assist several mothers and a father. I saw audience members descend the stairs to aid physically exhausted elderly men and women, who were measuring their steps to ascend the stairs. One lady I ran down to help pulled her arm away. “I can help myself thank you, ” she was feisty but physically unstable. I retreated. Another man who had seen her too, came down behind me and she allowed him to help her up the last landing. “Thank you sweetie”, I heard her smile and say to him, as she turned around and sneared at me. He and I bodily shrugged at the same time and simultaneously shook our heads . Another form of Free Speech, I thought.
If the planners were concerned about healthcare wouldn’t they have had a plan for this situation I thought. But maybe that was the ultimate message “everybody for themselves”, because they have pulled themselves up by their boot straps why worry about anyone else? No one ever considers that someone made those boots. We can’t get there by ourselves, it takes all of us to make a village and I was taught this years before Hillary Clinton ever wrote the book! (to be continued)
