Obama Rally and Sebelius

At the Obama rally in Kansas City yesterday, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius spoke. She also came out before the speakers started and took a photo of the crowd with her phone. Of course, Greg snapped a photo of her doing it.

It was interesting that I didn't hear a single negative thing about her. Everyone around me - from Kansas and Missouri - spoke highly of her.
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Barack Obama Rally

Saturday afternoon, Greg and I went to Kansas City to see Barack Obama at his rally at the World War 1 Museum at Liberty Memorial. It was inspiring, to say the least.


There were 75,000 people there yesterday, and it was literally standing room only. I've never seen such a sea of humanity. We were fortunate to have press credentials so we had a good view.

The people you see sitting in this photo were in the handicapped section. Other than that, and the risers behind the stage, and some chairs in back for the press, everyone was standing. I stood the whole time. I was standing a few feet back from the person in the red shirt near the bottom of this photo.



There were platforms set up for the press to get photos. One about 60 feet away and one about 40 feet away. Greg went back and forth between them to get pix, but I stayed at the closer one, that had an edge on view of Obama. I was probably about 30 feet away from him. Greg got some amazing photographs.



I have to confess, that while I've met quite a few celebrity types over the years, I don't think I've ever been star struck. But I was close to it yesterday. The only other time I've come close was being in the same place as Bill Clinton when I went to hear him speak, even though I was not at all close to him. Of course, that caused me to think about why I had that reaction either time. I think I've pinpointed it. They both give me hope. Clinton gave me tremendous hope when he ran for president and I still feel it when I think about him - hope. Obama does the same. He gives me hope that things can be better. Much better.

I am in desperate need of some hope. I think millions of other people are, too. When I listen to Obama's plans that's what I feel - hope. Hope that people can live better lives - average people. Hope that people can have health care. Hope that small businesses can flourish instead of being at the whims of the elite on Wall Street. Hope that people can take care of their families and have some money left over to have some fun. Hope that people can maintain a decent standard of living and not be worried about their jobs, their health care and their futures all the time.



I want more hope and less worry. When I listen to Barack Obama I feel he can deliver it. When I listen to John McCain I just hear more about helping the rich. I've got no problem with people being rich. I do have a problem with people being rich by taking from the middle class and that's exactly what has been going on during the last eight years.



I'll be writing another post about the day, with quotes and all from the speech, as well as more photos, but wanted to share a bit of the experience with you quickly.

It was an incredible experience. I found out about it from Samatha Finke Thursday night at the Obama rally in Hutchinson. I had to work a health fair Saturday and didn't know how I could possibly go. Fortunately, I have a great board and a couple of my board members offered to work part of the day for me so I could come. Thank you, Betsy, for working! I'm bringing you a button!

The Obama rally yesterday in St. Louis had about 100,000 people and then another 75,000 in Kansas City - I realize it's not a unique thing to see him in person, but I'm so glad I got to do it.
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Obama News

Obama is speaking at a rally in Kansas City Saturday afternoon at liberty memorial. Doors open at 4 and he will speak about 6. Tickets are not required but you do need to RSVP at http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/mobokansascity.

If you're one of my midwest readers, don't miss this opportunity to see the man who will be our next president, right here in our own backyard. For those of you in other parts of the country and the world, I promise a full report of the experience!

Some recent rantings about politics you might enjoy... of course there's more by scrolling down... McCain cancels Letterman... Fey does Palin, etc.
http://www.patsyterrell.com/2008/10/mccain-is-bush-three_09.html
http://www.patsyterrell.com/2008/10/panic-from-republican-voters.html

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Hutchinson Happenings

I realize not every town has a giant grasshopper - much less one wearing a hand-knitted hat and scarf. What can I say? Hutchinson is special. And so is our grasshopper in Avenue A Park.

The folks at Yarn decided to have a public knitting event tonight as part of the downtown art walk on Third Thursdays. They were making scarves to donate to those who need them.

Of course, Andrea (on the left) was there since she's one of the instructors at Yarn. Andrea is a knitter extraordinaire. This is the same Andrea who won first place for her knitted piece at the State Fair this year.



Lots was going on downtown - including free carriage rides...



Greg and I ate dinner at Brooks, then ran into Sharon and visited with her a bit before wandering around more. Just a few doors down from Brooks the HCC art instructor had set up a large Day of the Dead display in a translation place. There were lots of sugar skulls decorated and displayed in a traditional manner.











I also finally got to see Tate in person. I didn't get to hold him, unfortunately. I just love little tiny babies.



I left the artwalk before it was over to go to the Obama rally. There was a good turnout for it and it was great to see so many democrats. Our local group has grown so much since I joined a few years ago. Very encouraging.



The highlight tonight for me was Samantha Finke, Obama for America Kansas Director. I really enjoyed meeting her. She's a very interesting woman.

And she had great news, too.

Obama will be in Kansas City at the Liberty Memorial on Saturday. He will speak about 6 p.m. but the doors will open about 4.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/844926.html for details. It's free. This is an incredible opportunity to see Barack Obama.

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I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Voting and an interesting non-partisan way to decide

ABC news has created a little test for voters, to see who you most agree with. This is non-partisan and uses quotes from each candidate. It's an interesting way to approach a decision and removes any outside factors like race or party from the process. It's a way to just choose based on what they've said and if you agree with it or not.

My friend, Tom, sent this, and I thought it was quite interesting. I took it and agreed with Obama on all but one question. But, I really couldn't tell which candidate had said which quote except on one or two of them. Very, very interesting.

http://abcnews.go.com/politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage?id=5542139

This was up a few days ago, so it doesn't include anything from the most recent debate.

Deadlines for registering to vote are fast approaching in many places. If you need to register, go to http://www.register-vote.com/. Make sure you can participate in the process.
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Some Girls Want Diamonds... I Want... Juice

Some Girls Want Diamonds... I want... JUICE.

From about October 15 until December 1, I run around my house, Christmas lights in hand, muttering, "Juice, I need juice... more juice... I need more juice..." It reaches a climax when, at some point in the freezing cold, I'm trotting down my icy back steps to go throw the circuit breaker that has overloaded from the Christmas tree lights.

This is Dennis from Zenor Electric. He is one of the keepers of the juice.



I do not understand why I cannot have all the juice I want. It's not like I'm asking people to give it to me. I'm willing to pay for it. I just want lots of it. For years it has been an issue to get enough. I'm hoping this addressed that. I hope, finally, I have all the juice I want to run the tree. I like a tree that sparkles.

Exhibit A - last year's tree


Soon after taking up residence here, I had an electrician over to install an outlet with nothing on the whole circuit except that one outlet to run the tree. Last year, I accessed another outlet in the dining room that was on another circuit, as well as another outlet in the same corner to keep the tree running off three different circuits. I vowed I would address that problem before this holiday season.

So, today Dennis came and installed yet another outlet on its own circuit in this corner. I now have three outlets in a row - no doubt something the next owner will puzzle over why in the world that was done.

I love Dennis. He doesn't question my weirdness. He just accepts it. And then he disappears into the basement and the the back yard and then - voila - I have more juice. It's some sort of alchemy, I tell you.

I realize this may seem ridiculous to you, and I have no defense other than to say it makes me really, really happy and I think we should all get all the happiness we can at any given moment if it's not hurting anyone else. The sparkling tree thrills me and hurts no one. So, there you go. We only get so many Christmases in a lifetime and I want to enjoy each one as fully as possible.
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I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Book Titles

I have been puzzling over a book title for the past few months. When author Max McCoy critiqued a few pages he pointed out the title is part of marketing the novel to editors and agents.

That was the end of June. I've been thinking about it ever since. I've thought about using "river," or the name of the town where it's set, "Walnut Ridge," or a dozen other things.

Yesterday on our trip to Quivira I came up with something I like. At least I think I like it. I'm still mulling it over.

It's in the first sentence of the book. Yes, the first sentence. I'm not going to mention it here until I see if I can buy the domain name and such.

Did I mention it's in the first sentence of the book? Less than 20 words in? Did I mention that? Been thinking since the end of June - a good three and a half months. Yep. First sentence.


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Quivira with Friends

Greg, his girlfriend Mia, Mark and I went to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge this afternoon. Mia likes to birdwatch. I just like to be there. Mark hadn't ever been and Greg is almost always open to anything that might generate more photos.

I've been thinking lately that I need to get more photos of Greg. Of course, I forget on a regular basis - like last night when we were with Mark Russell. I didn't even have my camera with me. But, I've gotten a few nice pix of him lately. I love this one. It's quintessential Greg, as are some others I got today.





I'm glad tomorrow is the Columbus Day holiday. It has been a nice weekend, but I've spent a lot of time working.



I have some things I have to do tomorrow, but it's going to be a busy week so I think I'm going to take it easy tomorrow as much as possible.





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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Mark Russell at the Fox

Tonight we went to see political comedian Mark Russell at the Fox Theatre. He was fabulous, as you might expect. Greg, Mark, Teresa and I went.

Greg, Mark and I were in the second row, which was good and bad. We were very close, but when he was sitting down at the piano, it was positioned such that we couldn't really see him well. But, he stood up and moved around the stage a large part of the time.

It was a really nice evening - the kick off to the Fox season. They bring some great events to town. Mary Hemmings, the Executive Director, is a dynamo. I really like her.

And it's always great to be in this amazing place. It's an Art Deco masterpiece. We are so fortunate to have it. We owe a great debt to Martha Slater and Greg Payton who spearheaded saving it a few years ago, and Andrea Springer who was its first Executive Director.



Mark Russell was hilarious. At the end he did a poll and was surprised to find a lot of Obama support in the audience. I think  it was about half and half. He joked, "In Kansas? Did they ship you all in from the east coast?"

I asked him afterwards if he was genuinely surprised by the Obama support and he said he was. He was very personable and signed autographs and took photos with the few people who stayed around.



He also posed for a photo with Ace Jackalope. I'm sure we'll soon be able to read more about that on www.thelope.com.



Thanks to Greg, as usual, for all the photos!
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

A Day of Ups and Downs

I've had a day of ups and downs. I guess lots of people feel that today with the market going up and down all day.

Last night I went for my nearly daily check of Goodwill to see if they had any glassware I needed to bring home. I was talking to Teresa on the phone when I pulled up and noticed my hood was steaming a bit, as if it were hot. So, I walked around and saw - yes, you guessed it - antifreeze pouring out onto the ground. I ended up having the car towed to my mechanic. It didn't really make sense to bring it home since I couldn't do a thing for it here.

But, early in the day, Steve called to tell me it was just a loose hose - nothing major. He tightened them all up and checked over a couple of other things at no charge. When I took the car in for an oil change a month or so ago, I had intended to take the guys some baked goods, but just ran out of time. So, today seemed like an occasion for celebration. I whipped up a lemon cake to take down to them when I picked up the car.

This is Patsy's Tip for Making Nice with People. Baked Goods. Baked Goods involving butter, cream or sugar - all three when possible. I love to bake and sometimes just need to find someone to eat the stuff. Fortunately, I have a few people in my world who are always willing to take things off my hands.

I have a somewhat unnatural love of bundt cakes. I'm not sure why, but I love them, particularly when they turn out perfectly, without even a dimple, like this one did. Of course, when they don't turn out so well I glaze them so it's less noticeable.

This afternoon the MHA was hosting a depression screening as part of National Depression Screening Day so I was pretty occupied. Afterwards, Greg and I met at Carl's Bar for a sandwich. I hadn't been to the new Carl's location. It will be nice to sit in there and look out onto Main Street when there are Christmas decorations up.

I'm not really a bar person, however. There's just not much about the environment that appeals to me. It never did - not when I was in college, not when I was in my 20s, not in my 30s, and not now. Just not much there I find fun. It's hard to talk to people. I don't like beer. TVs everywhere. Ultimately, the very things other people love just don't attract me. But Carl's is a nice mix of people and the sandwiches are good. I'm sure I'll be back.

After a quick sandwich I went over to the Art Center for the Gail Gallagher concert. She put on a really fun show - a musical journey from the 20s through the 40s.



Sharon and Jocelyn were there, and it was fun to talk with them. Mark did his usual superb job of pulling things together. David is doing a great job with the Art Center, too.

I'll have more to say about the concert but for tonight it's time for me to go to bed. It has been a long day. Mark is here for the weekend. He has already gone to bed. I hadn't even moved things in the sunporch to make room for him until after the concert tonight. I think Mia is coming tomorrow since she had Monday off. We have five cultural events going on in town tomorrow so we're deciding what to do. I know Mark, Greg and I are going to the Fox to see Mark Russell tomorrow night. I'm planning to see Gail before she leaves town. Other than that, we're not sure yet. We'll see how the day progresses.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Panic from Republican Voters

I hope the secret service is providing extra protection for Obama and his family. Republican rallies are becoming filled with hate speech toward Obama - not from the candidate or the official campaign, but from those attending. To McCain's credit, his campaign has shown some decorum in these matters, just as Obama's has with regard to issues such as Palin's daughter's pregnancy.

The last group that Republicans whipped into a frenzy for their political gain were the anti-abortionists. The fringes of that group took matters into their own hands and started maiming and killing doctors they didn't happen to agree with. Who knows what the fringes of this group will do? And of course there are more of them. And they're the same people who want guns in everyone's hands. Great combo.

Politics is a dirty business - for all parties. But when democrats get disheartened - as we have been for years now - we take a different approach. I can honestly say I have never heard a democrat do/say anything regarding Bush or any other republican that I thought could escalate into physical violence. I'm not saying it has never happened, but I think it's very rare. And democrats don't indulge in this sort of mob mentality described in the article below.

Why is it that the right wing has to get so hateful when they don't get their way? It's like a spoiled brat stomping his/her foot and throwing themselves down kicking and screaming in the middle of the store aisle. I wouldn't even mind so much if we could stick to actual facts, but instead it's the sort of the garbage that gets passed around online with no facts to back it up. Real facts, not just things someone has repeated enough that people THINK they're facts, real facts. Instead they're content to spread lies (knowingly or unknowingly), plead for someone to "get him," and wallow in their fear that's based on nothing but the fact that someone has told them to fear it.

It's like this foolishness over Obama's middle name. People fear it just because they fear it. They have no real  reason to fear it other than someone told them to and because their brains are hardwired to respond to fear they're eager to fear something.

My life experience is such that I've met a number of people who had the same name and not a one of them has treated me with anything but the utmost respect and kindness. Why would I hate everyone who shares that name because one bad guy had that name? Or even a dozen bad guys had that name? Or a hundred bad guys?

I daresay we could make an argument that serial killer John Wayne Gacy was a bad guy, and there are thousands - maybe tens of thousands - of other people named "John" that have done bad things. Should we eschew every single person named "John" because some people with that name did something bad?

If we're going to apply this logic to our world at large it's going to be very difficult to choose a name for a baby. We'll have to rule out Jeffrey, Ted and David just to encompass some of the famous serial killers. No more Jacks because of  Jack the Ripper and however many other Jacks have ever done bad things. No more Elizabeths after those 600 young girls Elizabeth Bathory tortured and murdered. We would have to fear anyone named Michael, because Michael John Devlin is a convicted child molester. There's that "John" again - obviously, anyone named John is incredibly dangerous. All people named Ken are likely to be corrupt and take away our life savings because Ken Lay was convicted in the Enron scandal. And you know who else? Jeffrey Skilling. See... there's that Jeffrey name again.  I could go on and on. But surely I have illustrated the idiocy of this.

I really encourage everyone to look at www.factcheck.org, which is non-partisan and fact checks BOTH candidates. Very enlightening.

I just hope, hope, hope the Secret Service is providing more protection for Obama and his family.

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from Yahoo News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081010/pl_politico/14445

Panic attacks: Voters unload at GOP rallies

Jonathan Martin
Fri Oct 10, 5:44 AM ET

The unmistakable momentum behind Barack Obama's campaign, combined with worry that John McCain is not doing enough to stop it, is ratcheting up fears and frustrations among conservatives.

And nowhere is this emotion on plainer display than at Republican rallies, where voters this week have shouted out insults at the mention of Obama, pleaded with McCain to get more aggressive with the Democrat and generally demonstrated the sort of visceral anger and unease that reflects a party on the precipice of panic.

The calendar is closing and the polls, at least right now, are not.

With McCain passing up the opportunity to level any tough personal shots in his first two debates and the very real prospect of an Obama presidency setting in, the sort of hard-core partisan activists who turn out for campaign events are venting in unusually personal terms.

"Terrorist!” one man screamed Monday at a New Mexico rally after McCain voiced the campaign’s new rhetorical staple aimed at raising doubts about the Illinois senator: “Who is the real Barack Obama?”

"He's a damn liar!” yelled a woman Wednesday in Pennsylvania. "Get him. He's bad for our country."

At both stops, there were cries of, “Nobama,” picking up on a phrase that has appeared on yard signs, T-shirts and bumper stickers.

And Thursday, at a campaign town hall in Wisconsin, one Republican brought the crowd to its feet when he used his turn at the microphone to offer a soliloquy so impassioned it made the network news and earned extended play on Rush Limbaugh’s program.

“I’m mad; I’m really mad!” the voter bellowed. “And what’s going to surprise ya, is it’s not the economy — it’s the socialists taking over our country.”

After the crowd settled down he was back at it. “When you have an Obama, Pelosi and the rest of the hooligans up there gonna run this country, we gotta have our head examined!”

Such contempt for Democrats is, of course, nothing new from conservative activists. But in 2000 and 2004, the Republican rank and file was more apt to ridicule Gore as a stiff fabulist or Kerry as an effete weather vane of a politician.

“Flip-flop, flip-flop,” went the cry at Republican rallies four years ago, often with footwear to match the chant.

Now, though, the emotion on display is unadulterated anger rather than mocking.

Activists outside rallies openly talk about Obama as a terrorist, citing his name and purported ties to Islam in the fashion of the viral e-mails that have rocketed around the Internet for over a year now.

Some of this activity is finding its way into the events, too.

On Thursday, as one man in the audience asked a question about Obama’s associations, the crowd erupted in name-calling.

"Obama Osama!" one woman called out.

And twice this week, local officials have warmed up the crowd by railing against “Barack Hussein Obama.”

Both times, McCain’s campaign has issued statements disavowing the use of the Democrat’s full name.
A McCain aide said they tell individuals speaking before every event not to do so. “Sometimes people just do what they want,” explained the aide.

The raw emotions worry some in the party who believe the broader swath of swing voters are far more focused on their dwindling retirement accounts than on Obama’s background and associations and will be turned off by footage of the McCain events.

John Weaver, McCain’s former top strategist, said top Republicans have a responsibility to temper this behavior.

“People need to understand, for moral reasons and the protection of our civil society, the differences with Sen. Obama are ideological, based on clear differences on policy and a lack of experience compared to Sen. McCain,” Weaver said. “And from a purely practical political vantage point, please find me a swing voter, an undecided independent, or a torn female voter that finds an angry mob mentality attractive.” 

“Sen. Obama is a classic liberal with an outdated economic agenda. We should take that agenda on in a robust manner. As a party we should not and must not stand by as the small amount of haters in our society question whether he is as American as the rest of us. Shame on them and shame on us if we allow this to take hold.”

But, if it were up to them, such hard-edged tactics are clearly what many in the party base would like to use against Obama.

That McCain has so far seemed reluctant to do so has frustrated Republicans.

“It's time that you two are representing us, and we are mad,” reiterated the boisterous Republican at McCain’s town hall in Wisconsin Thursday. “So go get 'em!”

"I am begging you, sir, I am begging you — take it to him," pleaded James T. Harris, a local talk radio host at the same event, earning an extended standing ovation.

“Yosemite Sam is having the law laid down to him today in Waukesha, Wis.,” quipped Limbaugh on his show Thursday, referring to the GOP nominee. “This guy, this audience member, is exactly right,” the conservative talk show host said of the first individual.

“You are running for president. You have a right to defend this country. You have a responsibility to defend this country and not just fulfill some dream you had eight years ago running for president against Bush. It's time to start naming names and explain what's actually going on, because, Sen. McCain, the people of this country are dead scared about what we face if you lose.”

John J. Pitney Jr., a political science professor at California’s Claremont McKenna College and former Republican operative, suggested core Republicans were acting out their longstanding frustrations with their self-proclaimed maverick nominee.

“McCain has always frustrated the Republican base,” Pitney said. “In this campaign, he has alternated between partisan attacks and calls for bipartisan cooperation. It’s nice that he thinks he can round up congressional votes the way a border collie rounds up sheep. But you can’t be a border collie and a pit bull at the same time. The crowds want a pit bull.”

There is also the belief that taking out Obama is the only way to win.

“They know that when McCain has taken off the Senate mantle and put the stick to Obama (celebrity ad, as a case in point), we get movement in the polls,” said Rick Wilson, a GOP consultant not working on the presidential race. “They want McCain to call out Obama — on the Fannie/Freddie mess, on Wright, on Ayers, on guns, on [the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now] — because they know that if McCain says it, it penetrates the MSM filter. ... Only McCain and Palin can really drive that message.”

The two have begun to get more aggressive on many of these topics, with both discussing Ayers in multiple venues Thursday. The RNC is also going up for the first time with an ad featuring the former domestic terrorist.

It was enough to stir hope that McCain may stay on the offensive, even in Limbaugh, who has often criticized the Arizona senator for working with Democrats more than attacking them. The radio host praised his sometimes-nemesis for singling out Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) as partly responsible for the credit crisis.

“McCain/Palin fired back today in Waukesha, and 15 years of frustration is coming out joyously in the voices of GOP supporters at these rallies,” Limbaugh wrote in an e-mail, arguing that Republicans were fed up with having been portrayed as the bogeyman for myriad issues since the Clinton years.

But to the exasperation of many in the party, Obama’s pastor, the most damning of all his associations, remains off-limits, at the express desire of McCain. Palin ignored Wright and focused on Ayers when she was asked about the two in an interview Thursday with conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham. And McCain focused on Ayers only when he was asked an open-ended question at the town hall about Obama's “associations.”

“It is a shame McCain took Wright off the table,” lamented one prominent Republican operative not working on the race. “He is a legitimate issue, and we may look back and realize he was the issue that could have changed the race.”

For now, though, party members don't seem to be looking back with regret as much as fearing what lies ahead.

“McCain is behind in the polls, and the Republicans have no chance of regaining control of Congress,” Pitney noted. “Republicans are facing the prospect of unified Democratic control of the government for the first time since the first two Clinton years. And even then, Clinton’s agenda had moderate elements (e.g., [the North American Free Trade Agreement] and deficit reduction). With Obama, [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid and [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi in power, Republicans worry about a hard push for a hard-left agenda.”

Amie Parnes contributed to this story.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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Meeting Planning and Doodles

Recently I was in a day-long training. It was interesting, but anyone who knows me knows meetings are not my favorite thing. It's very difficult for me to sit still for that long and to focus on any one thing. Over the years I've developed what I consider to be socially acceptable things to do while I'm sitting in a meeting. One of those is to doodle.

Used to be that people would look askance at you if you did anything other than stare blankly ahead. But, in the last few years, someone must have written a book about how to conduct meetings because nearly every one I go to these days is done the same way. The tables are covered with paper so you can draw on them. There are also colored markers, candy, name tags, pipe cleaners, and little baby containers of play doh.

I have nothing against any of these things - in fact I quite enjoy them. And I'm thankful whoever decided this was the way to conduct meetings has made it acceptable to be doing something other than just sitting there. What I don't understand is why it's always exactly the same, as if there's just a check list to go through. I suspect it's that everyone is going to the same meetings where they train people to do meetings. Just once I'd like someone to break the mold and do something creative. After all, all of these things are supposed to encourage creativity. Ironic, isn't it?

It's cool to have a big piece of paper on which to draw, but I always take my own paper with me whenever I go to a meeting, as well as a variety of pens and markers. Actually, I have these things with me almost every day at every moment. I need the visual stimulation. I was quite proud of my muted color palette on this one - very unlike me. The fact that there's no neon pink hi-lighter involved is close to a miracle.

I have some favorite motifs I return to again and again. One of them is stars. I love stars. Not sure why, but I do. Given more time I would have filled in the spaces here with more stars of varying sizes. But it was getting hard for me to restrain myself from color so I moved on to playing with the pipe cleaners.



It's rare that someone doesn't comment on the writing or drawing or whatever I'm doing during the meeting. It's not always appreciated, to say the least. I usually just say something to the effect of, "I'm quiet and I'm not being disruptive. Lets just all be thankful for that."

I'm thankful it's accepted these days. I just can't get through a whole day in a room, sitting in one spot, without something else going on. It doesn't matter how fascinating the speaker is, I'm going to need something else going on. At the same time, I really love soaking up the info you get in such meetings. Always something interesting to learn.

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McCain is Bush Three

I don't generally watch the debates. It makes me nervous. And, frankly, the whole situation can make me squirm a bit. I'm not a person who likes conflict and so I stay away from it. Debates are, by definition, about conflict.

I wait until it's over and flip on the news so I can watch the debate about the debate. Then I watch the debate on a rerun.

As a result, the first reference I heard/saw to "that one" last night was on twitter. Then I saw another one. Then another one. Then someone posted a link to this graphic.



This graphic is from the Daily Kos. It was up only a short while after Senator McCain's reference to Senator Obama as "that one." While it's one of those comments that seems offhand, the attitude in which it was uttered says a lot about the personality of John McCain, I think.

In case you didn't catch it...



As my seventh grade English teacher, Miss Fenwick, would have said, "I don't care for your tone."

Of course McCain is angry
Much has been made of John McCain's "angry" personality. Well, you know what, the man was a prisoner of war for years. He has a right to be angry. I'm not surprised he's angry. It would be bizarre if he weren't angry. However, I'm not sure that's a good qualification for being president. Do we want an angry president? I don't think so.

Also, frankly, I'm sick of hearing about his time as a POW. I respect it, but it was more than a few years ago. Can we please move on? Can we talk about something else? Can we address the wars we're in now? Or the fact that our economy is in the tank?

I don't think the fact that he was in the military gives him any special qualifications to be president. In fact, I contend it could well be a detriment.

Hasn't he done anything in the last 26 years in the Senate that's noteworthy? He keeps going back to his military service prior to that. What about the last two and a half decades?

Are you better off?
The old Ronald Reagan question is a valid one in any election, I think - are you better off now than you were four years ago? In this case, eight years ago?

No.

That's the answer for most Americans - at least those of us who don't happen to be heavily invested in oil and gas.

McCain is just Bush Three
So, what does that mean? Well, what it means is if you're not better off, you should vote for something different. McCain would just be Bush Three. Good heavens, we've had Bush one, and Bush two, haven't we learned enough to not have Bush three.

McCain has voted with George Bush 90% of the time. What could that be but Bush Three?

I have had more than enough of Bush. We have gone from a country with a budget surplus to a huge deficit. We're at war - a war that seems to have no end. We have an economy in the worst shape since the depression.

Can we Afford this?
In all of this financial news, people keep telling us we should ask ourselves, "Can we afford this?" A friend suggested to me the other day that as a nation we should ask that question, too. Can we afford this war? Obviously not. We're going into debt more every day to fight it. Can we afford this bailout? No. We're borrowing to do it. Can we afford another Republican administration? NO.

Why is the economy in such a mess? The one reason that no one is talking about is that the Bush administration failed to do what would have grown our economy. Every 8-10 years you need an infusion of new jobs to keep the economy growing. In the Clinton years it was the technology sector. The last few years the obvious growth was in alternative energy. But the Bush administration chose not to encourage that - perhaps because so many of them are heavily invested in oil and gas.

And how does this relate to McCain? Because McCain is Bush in a different suit. McCain has been a senior member of the senate and could have pushed for alternative energy. He did not. Suddenly now he's decided it's something he wants. That's such BS it smells, even through the computer screen.

How Republicans See the Economy
When McCain talks about change of any sort I just laugh. What else can you do? He's been in DC for 26 freaking years. He's had plenty of time to change anything he didn't like. What he has changed is regulation. He wanted to get rid of all kinds of regulation to make things friendlier for business. He is part of what created the situation where executives at big companies are running them into the ground but then getting multi-million dollar "golden parachutes" for their reward as their employees are left destitute and you and I are left holding the bill.

That's what republicans want - benefits for the rich.

Someone recently told me her husband was a Republican because he believed that those who worked hard deserved to be rewarded with financial gain.

Are you actually suggesting that the people working at McDonalds or Target or Applebees aren't working hard? Are you saying that the CNAs taking care of your loved ones in nursing homes and getting paid minimum wage are not working hard? Are you saying school teachers aren't working hard? That those guys climbing poles during ice storms aren't working hard? Do you think the people cleaning your kid's school aren't working hard? Do you think folks in chicken processing plants aren't working hard? Are you suggesting family farmers are slacking?

I don't know what his definition of working hard is, but I'll put the work day of the average nurse's aide up against his any day. I'll daresay it's far more physically, mentally and emotionally challenging. Yeah, sure, I'm mentally tired at the end of a day sometimes, but I always remind myself that by and large I'm sitting behind a desk in climate controlled comfort, pushing paper and talking on the phone. It's not the hardest work I've ever done in my life. Not by a long shot.

I'm not dealing with people's bodily fluids, lifting people into wheelchairs and on my feet multiple hours a day - not to mention worrying about if I'm doing all I can to keep people comfortable. Lets keep things in perspective. Are you really suggesting those folks aren't working hard?

If that's the only basis on which we determine financial reward then a whole bunch of professional athletes are going to need bailouts and a large crew of lower/middle-income folks are shopping for new homes. Nice, new homes. Fortunately, they're cheap right now thanks to the sucky economy.

Those people are all the middle class people. Some of them are aspiring to be middle class. John McCain can't even bring himself to say the phrase "middle class" in a whole debate. Why? Because he has no concept of what that is. He has lost that perspective. He has said having $500,000 makes one rich. A half million dollars? That's rich, so I guess below that is middle class - the class he can't even acknowledge. In his world, everyone has a half million dollars or more. In my world that's not the case.

Negative Campaigning
Multiple people were talking last night about Obama's demeanor during the debates. Obama said in an interview that he was surprised McCain "wasn't willing to say it to my face," referencing the negative ads. The Obama campaign has said they will not initiate any negative ads, but they're not going to roll over when they're attacked - they're going to answer it. Thank goodness. I've been waiting for a democrat that would do that. Hallelujah.

I am sick of democrats just being "nice" and getting "swift-boated." McCain is scared, with good reason, and he's getting nastier every day - living up to his Senate nickname of McNasty. At the moment, 100% of McCain's TV ads are negative. Obama is running about 30% negative - answering those.

Do you want another New Orleans?
Well, I could go on and on and on, but I'm going to stop there for tonight. I've got much more to say.

If you thought watching the people of New Orleans die in the streets, begging for food and water, while our government sat idly by was one of our finer moments as a nation, then vote McCain.

Do you remember what McCain was doing that day? I do. He was celebrating his birthday with President Bush.

Yes, while the people of New Orleans were fighting for their lives, some losing that battle, Bush and McCain were holding a birthday cake up for the cameras to celebrate McCain's 69th birthday.

That's what you get with a vote for McCain - more of the same. Another president who thinks this is an appropriate way to act. Another president who sees no reason to be concerned about the average citizen - the middle class, or heaven forbid, the lower socio-economic class.

That's what republicans have given us. And what they'll give us more of.

If you want something different, vote Obama.

You may say I'm being overly simplistic, but it really is that simple. One is a government of compassion. One is a government that thinks the fact that citizens are dying in the streets is no reason to delay a birthday party photo-op.

I've had more than enough of this.

I'm voting for compassion. For change. For the future. For Obama.

________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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Harvest Decoration

This is the home of one of my blog readers, Nancy. I bumped into her while I was visiting family, and later my sister in law pointed out Nancy's lawn decorations. Barlow, Kentucky was having a fall decorating contest. On my way out of town the other morning I stopped by to get a quick photo of Nancy's because they were so pretty.



She really went all out. It was really cool looking. I didn't really capture it in these photos - it wasn't the best time of day to get a photo there. Nancy doesn't know I dropped by, so I guess she'll get a surprise when she logs on today.

I don't do a lot of fall decoration because I'm already in Christmas mode at this point. I haven't started putting anything out, but I'm thinking about it. And when I was in Kentucky I brought back some of my day-after-Christmas bargains I didn't have room to bring back earlier. Mary Ann and Jackie had kept them safely in their garage for me.

Most of these are outdoor decorations. I've never done much outdoor stuff. When Greg and I lived together he did the outside and I did the inside. However, he doesn't seem to think it's his job to crawl around on my roof anymore attaching Santas and lights and reindeer.

The things I brought back are mostly things that go in the yard so I can put those out myself. We'll see if that actually gets done. I hope so. I want it to. I love to see them in other people's yards. I'll have to see how much maintenance that requires.

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Maverick has another meaning

True Mavericks say McCain is not a maverick and are offended Republicans are using the term. Check out the New York Times article. Politics aside, it's an interesting history lesson.

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From the New York Times - October 4, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/weekinreview/05schwartz.html is the direct url but I copied it over in case they take it down.

Who You Callin’ a Maverick?

By JOHN SCHWARTZ

Published: October 4, 2008

There’s that word again: maverick. In Thursday’s vice-presidential debate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the Republican candidate, used it to describe herself and her running mate, Senator John McCain, no fewer than six times, at one point calling him “the consummate maverick.”

But to those who know the history of the word, applying it to Mr. McCain is a bit of a stretch — and to one Texas family in particular it is even a bit offensive.

“I’m just enraged that McCain calls himself a maverick,” said Terrellita Maverick, 82, a San Antonio native who proudly carries the name of a family that has been known for its progressive politics since the 1600s, when an early ancestor in Boston got into trouble with the law over his agitation for the rights of indentured servants.
In the 1800s, Samuel Augustus Maverick went to Texas and became known for not branding his cattle. He was more interested in keeping track of the land he owned than the livestock on it, Ms. Maverick said; unbranded cattle, then, were called “Maverick’s.” The name came to mean anyone who didn’t bear another’s brand.

Sam Maverick’s grandson, Fontaine Maury Maverick, was a two-term congressman and a mayor of San Antonio who lost his mayoral re-election bid when conservatives labeled him a Communist. He served in the Roosevelt administration on the Smaller War Plants Corporation and is best known for another coinage. He came up with the term “gobbledygook” in frustration at the convoluted language of bureaucrats.

This Maverick’s son, Maury Jr., was a firebrand civil libertarian and lawyer who defended draft resisters, atheists and others scorned by society. He served in the Texas Legislature during the McCarthy era and wrote fiery columns for The San Antonio Express-News. His final column, published on Feb. 2, 2003, just after he died at 82, was an attack on the coming war in Iraq.

Terrellita Maverick, sister of Maury Jr., is a member emeritus of the board of the San Antonio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.

Considering the family’s long history of association with liberalism and progressive ideals, it should come as no surprise that Ms. Maverick insists that John McCain, who has voted so often with his party, “is in no way a maverick, in uppercase or lowercase.”

“It’s just incredible — the nerve! — to suggest that he’s not part of that Republican herd. Every time we hear it, all my children and I and all my family shrink a little and say, ‘Oh, my God, he said it again.’ ”

“He’s a Republican,” she said. “He’s branded.”
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Tina Fey Does Sarah Palin - Again

It's amazing how accurately Tina Fey is portraying Sarah Palin. What's really funny is that apparently Sarah Palin has been Tina Fey for Halloween before. Is that life imitating art imitating life or is it art imitating life imitating art or is it something else all together?

Here are some you tube clips of the last three shows. Regardless of one's political affiliations, you have to give Tina Fey credit for a spot-on impression. Frankly, I'm pretty impressed with Queen Latifah's impression of Gwen Ifill too.

Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin on SNL - the VP debate

Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin on SNL - Couric Interview

Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin on SNL - Debut (one snippet)

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Big Brother Jackie at Home in Kentucky

I'm visiting in Kentucky. This afternoon Jackie was out getting his boat ready for hunting season so I went out to see what he was up to. We walked around and looked at the garden out behind the barn too.



Jackie cut open a turnip with his pocket knife and ate it, pronouncing them ready. Unfortunately, they're one of the few vegetables I don't like so I refrained from tasting them.



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"The leaves fall, the wind blows,
and the farm country slowly changes
from the summer cottons into its winter wools."
-   Henry Beston, Northern Farm

This time of year I have the urge to become a bit of a hermit. I want to shut out the world and hole up in my house for some time alone with my hot tea and my measured thoughts.

I want to read Wendell Berry and not emerge for days into the very nature he writes about. I need some time to blend the seasons.

At the same time, the days are too enticing. Beautiful weather encourages me to be outdoors and it seems a pity to not be interacting with people while the weather allows.

I'm left feeling that it's inevitable that something gets cheated.

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Campaign Ads

I have been on the road and it has been fascinating to actually see and hear campaign ads. Living in a die-hard republican state, we never see campaign ads - republicans assume there's no need to advertise there because they've got it sewn up and democrats assume there's no need because the liklihood they could win is miniscule. So, we only see campaign ads on youtube and the news.

It's a different story when you're seeing ads from Missouri and Illinois. They're out in full force. Although, I don't think I've heard a McCain ad yet but I have heard some Obama ones. Surely McCain is advertising too, and I've just missed it.

This whole election based on advertising is somewhat like rocketing to space on the lowest bid. I'm not sure it's such a good idea. But, I guess for the moment it's what we've got.
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Welcome October

"Listen!  the wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!"
                                   -  Humbert Wolfe
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Man Decorates Basement with Sharpie

I used to live in Lexington, Kentucky. It is the home of Bondurant Drugs, which you have probably seen in various ads - it's a building shaped like a mortar and pestle. I used to live about four blocks from it on Village Drive. I drove by it every day and never fully appreciated the oddity of it because it was part of my "norm."

Now, this story appears in the Lexington Herald Leader about a man who decorated his entire basement with Sharpie pens. There is a 360 view of it and it's quite interesting.

I'm starting to develop a fuller appreciation of my former home community.

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Soledad O'Brien at the Dillon Lecture Series

Soledad O'Brien spoke at this morning's Dillon Lecture Series. We all know her from her work on CNN, and it was great to see her in person.



Greg took photos from one place and me from another.

She spoke about diversity issues in a different way, weaving in stories from various places and people. She told a story about a relief worker in Africa puzzling over how to educate girls. At about eight years old, the girls became very valuable to their mothers at home, so they stopped sending them to school. The solution was to feed the girls at school, as well as give them food to take home. That shifted the paradigm and made it more valuable for them to go to school.


They also realized that when they educated boys they tended to leave the area. But when they educated girls they stayed behind and worked in the community. That, of course, meant their efforts reached further.

She talked quite a bit about her work in covering Katrina. As she put it, "Katrina blew in and illuminated a host of problems that had been unknown for years."

She spoke about talking to the sheriff of St. Bernard Parish and asking him how much damage there was. His reply was, "roughly 100%." They had two buildings that were not damaged in that community of about 70,000 people. When asked about the racial issues, he said it wasn't racial, that it was socioeconomic. As he pointed out, 97% of his parish was white.

She said the moment she knew it was really, really bad was when they went to the convention center and saw a man sitting in a chair, dead from a gunshot. Three days later they were back to do another story and he was still there. She knew it was bad that no one had bothered to remove that man's body.

That sheriff told her stories of how some of the men he thought were the bravest crumbled in the crisis, whereas others who seemed to meek rose to the challenge. He told about two drug dealers they had with them the day the storm hit. These men couldn't swim, and had a long history of trouble with the law, but rescued numerous people. The sheriff hired them.

She spoke a bit about her family. Her mother is Cuban, her father Australian. They married in 1958 when interracial marriages were illegal in Maryland. So, they drove to DC to get married.

Soledad is the fifth of sixth children, and she said her mother always insisted to all of them to not ever let anyone else define who they were - racially or otherwise. She told them to, "Do what you want to do. If there are obstacles, go around them." 


She said at the luncheon that her parents had the attitude that education is something no one can ever take away from you. Soledad and her five siblings all graduated from Harvard.

She said her mother was very no nonsense and when Soledad was asked to be part of an article about what's the best advice her mother ever gave her Soledad hesitated. The editors were talking to her about it and finally Soledad told them the best advice her mother ever gave her was, "Most people are idiots." She said the editor said, "we'll get back to you" and hung up. She said her mother's attitude was always, "Dream, and do what you want to do."

At the end of the luncheon today someone asked about memorable interviews and she said they were, "interviews were people said something." She then summed up what I think everyone who has ever had the urge to be a journalist feels. "It's when you get someone to speak the truth. Their truth. What their truth is."


She was gracious enough to pose for a photo with Julie. Local hosts were taking Soledad on a tour of the Cosmosphere and the Kansas Underground Salt Museum later today. I'm glad she had an opportunity to enjoy the town a bit. She said she loves to travel.
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