Voting Record

Hello.

Yet again I have done my civic duty and have voted.  This time I thought I would do something a bit different and post how I voted and why I voted the way I did.  Now I am not going to reveal EVERY vote, since most are minor and just frankly are boring as all get out (West Electoral District Judge Position No. 1 anyone?).  So Let's begin.

-President of the United States:  Michael Scott Robinson  (write-in)

For me a no-brainer.  I am personally not a big fan of either candidate.  As people I have no problem with them, I just find them to be same sides of the same coin- both Party men.  And because of the Electoral College my choice is not a big deal in the state I live in.  You see, Washington State has not gone Republican for a President since 1984.  So if I liked the Republican candidate, my vote would be lost.  And if I liked the Democrat running, I would just be part of the normal Blue deluge.  So I decided that if I am going to 'throw away my vote', why not to someone I completely trust?

-United States Senator:  Maria Cantwell

Unlike her fellow Senator Patty Murray, Maria has not really done anything boneheaded during her time in office.  I am sure Maria's competition is a fine politician, in this case I prefer the Devil I know.

-U.S. Representative Congressional District No. 7:  Ron Bemis

I can not stand Jim McDermott.  He is an embarrassment of a politician, but that's not the reason I refuse to vote for him.  The reason I won't will probably not make much sense to those who have never been in the military.

To his credit, Jim DID serve in the military during the 60s-70s.  So he served while the Vietnam war was going on.  The problem is he has been caught NUMEROUS times claiming he served IN the Vietnam War, inferring that he served overseas there.  He got no further than California.  This act is one of the biggest acts of disrespect a veteran can do to another.  It's like me saying I served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm.  I did not.  I was active during that time and I did serve during it, but I never got further than Virginia.  If I said differently, it would be a slap in the face of those who did go over there and fought, bled, and died there.  McDermott is like the one private that was in my Guard unit when I came back to Washington.  Technically I could have added the Desert Shield/Desert Storm ribbon to my Class A uniform, but I wouldn't.  The other private did.  He was shunned by everyone for that act, since he was the only one in our unit who did. 

-Governor:  Rob McKenna

The funny thing?  If Rob lived just about ANYWHERE else than the West Coast, he would be considered a Democrat.  Even his joining the lawsuit against 'Obamacare' was because of the possibly unconstitutionality of the 'fine' that would be levied for those without health insurance.  You notice he now more or less agrees with it when the Supreme Court deemed that the only way the 'fine' could be constitutional was if it was actually a 'tax'?  My impression is of a man who wants what's best for the people of our state, unlike his opponent, who throughout his career has pretty much just seeking power.

Jay Inslee is EVERYTHING I hate about politicians.  He puts the Party over the People, and just wants the power and prestige that comes from higher office.  I wish the Youtube video was still available where, during a debate with his opponent 2 years ago, was asked point blank if he would be running for Governor, since Gregoire has said she would not seek a third term.  Now if you followed the history of Jay Inslee, you knew the answer.  He failed to get the nomination in the past (he lost to Gary Locke) and everything he had done since that defeat was to get the position.  So how did he answer?  He lied.  He told his constituents he was going to give his all as their congressman and that running for Governor was the LAST thing on his mind.  Cut to a year later...

For the rest of the state offices, I basically alternated between the two Parties, putting the Party I thought would be a better fit for the office.  For example, I voted to have Brad Owens back as Lieutenant Governor and James Wilkins as State Auditor- a Democrat and a Republican respectively.

Initiative 1185:  Yes

This is the 2/3 approval for tax increases provision.  I believe that if the state truly needs a tax increase, you should easily be able to gather 2/3 of the votes needed to pass it.  The last time we DIDN'T have this law in place, the State went crazy with tax hikes, and then as insult to injury slapped EVERY one with an 'emergency' clause, making it so they couldn't go to a referendum vote of the People.  (Thank you, Gregoire...)

Initiative 1240:  Yes

The charter schools initiative.  My reason for approving this falls directly at the feet of the WEA.  While I believe most teachers are good and care about the students, the WEA does not.

EVERY year one of our school districts goes on strike, officially because it's 'for the children'.  Yet even if they are given everything they ask for except the money, unless the pay hike is include, they say no.  For the children indeed.  Also, on a slight tangent, they are the ONLY industry that can strike and not suffer for it.  They still get their full pay, since the government won't shorten the school year.

This initiative will add something desperately needed:  competition.  If the WEA realizes they are no longer the game in town, they might actually start working harder for the kids to prove they are worth the cash we always seem to throw at them.

Initiative 502:  yes.

Ah, the pot initiative.  A no-brainer to me.  Legalize it, tax it, and reap the benefits.  Legalizing it helps eliminate one of the biggest drains on the economies of ALL levels of Government:  The War on Drugs.  You legalize it, it becomes cheaper to purchase and the drug trafficking will greatly diminish.  Do I realize this is mostly symbolic?  Yes, I know Federal law will still trump State laws.  But it is like the next vote I made:  if enough states follow suit eventually the nation will come around.

Referendum 74:  yes.

Gay marriage.  A hot topic at the moment.  While I would prefer that the Government would choose my idea of how to solve this problem (I.E. get the Government to stop issuing Marriage licenses and instead issue everyone Civil Union licenses.  If a person wants marriage, they can go to the religious institution of their choice to do so, but that is not recognized by the Government.  People currently married are grandfathered in.  This idea also removes the potentially sticky subject of the First Amendment conflict of the separation of Church and State (Although I know that is not what the First Amendment ACTUALLY says, it fits.).) this will work.  While I understand the concerns of the people of religious backgrounds, I think it is time to let this happen. 

So there you go.  If you want to let me know what you feel about my choices, let me know.  But I will give you 2 warnings:

1.  Keep it civil.  This IS my site and my thoughts.  I like being challenged, but not insulted.  And if you ARE going to challenge me then-

2:  Party talking points are NOT tolerated.  NO 'War on Women', NO 'Adam and Eve NOT Adam and Steve', NO 'Tax the Rich', NO 'Death Panels' etc.  Think for yourself, people.  You are better than what the Parties think of you...

Not moving on- regaining

Tomorrow I will do something I have not done in 11 years.

I will work on September 11th.

For the last 11 years, I have found a way to have the day off.  From sick days to vacation to manipulating my work schedule to ensure I will not be working.  It was to remind me of what we had taken from us and to stay angry about it.

Every day at 5:40 AM on that day I would get up regardless of what I had worked the night before.  I would put the video I had recorded that day at first and moved to the film United 93 when the tape became warped in and watch it.  I would sit there reliving it, fuming, crying, wishing the outcome would be different. When it was done I would try to have as good of day as possible, to show that I am not defeated.  It was a noble thought.

But I can do better.

It is time to reclaim the day, that I am better than those that seek to destroy our nation out of fear and hatred.  It may seem bizarre to some that to do this I will be working.  But I see that the way to truly win is to show them they failed.  That even working is a joy to do in this country.  That they may have my contempt and pity, but they won't win by making me alter myself for them.  It is a small thing, I will admit.  But to me it is a small thing that speaks loudly.  I will do this.

I will regain what was lost.

Clo(w)ning around...

Hello.

As the few of you who might read this blog might know, one of the most beloved childhood icons of mine recently passed away.  Chris Wedes was better known a J.P. Patches- a local children’s show star.  I was originally going to write about the significance he and his show had upon my childhood, that is was one of the two shows I made sure to never miss.  (The other? Starblazers.)  But it just didn’t feel right.  So I am going to show my tribute to J.P. a different way.

When I have some spare time and no immediate projects to do, I have been taking to improve my storytelling skills.  Throughout the days I would witness events that stuck in my head.  I would then make a title based on said event.  Then I would take one of the titles and write out a story based on it and only gave myself 10-20 minutes.  The basic stories were children’s tales based on the style of Sid Fleischman, whose tall tales- inspired stories of Josh McBroom and his amazing farm were a great read to me when I was younger.  (Why children’s tales?  I wouldn’t mind really writing a couple…)  They were surreal tales told in a world that might or might not be in the imagination of the main character- a man known only as ‘The Red Cap’ who worked at a train station in the port town of Seatown.  They for the most part were just exercises, kept simple so I could focus on telling the tale.  

And yes, they are VERY loosely based on my job.

Quite honestly, they are not the best tales.  If I went back and ‘fixed them up’ they would be far better, but that was never the intent of them.  They were not really for anyone but myself (and maybe a lucky person or two if I felt in the mood).  I have done about a dozen, and may do more.  But this one time I think I will share one.  All I have done to it is made appropriate paragraph breaks, punctuation and grammar fixes.  Otherwise it is exactly as I wrote it.

It deals with a situation the titular character cannot solve on his own so he asks the help of a special friend of his.  I like to think that J.P. would have liked this.  So without further ado, I present to you:

Tales of The Red Cap- Invasion of the Clown Clones!!!

So did I ever tell you of the time I had to stop an infestation of clown clones?

It was a bright sunny Wednesday-which was strange since it was supposed to be Saturday.  I was returning from a lunch of delicious fish pancakes (with maple syrup, of course) and was ready to tackle the day's challenges and be my best to assist all who needed me.  Why did I leave the station?  Amazing but true, even I sometimes leave the workplace.

Especially for fish pancakes.

Anyways, as I stepped into the lobby, I began to feel something was a bit off- a bit...funny.  The station was busy as always. Passengers going to and coming from the trains.  My fellow employees keeping everything running smooth.  But something just was not right.

I looked around; trying to see what has set off my redcap sense.  I looked at everyone's outfits.  Neatly pressed suits, fashionable dresses, comfortable shorts and shirts, big squeaky shoes and colorful frilly collars everywhere.  So far nothing seemed out of place.  I looked at the people in the station.  They all looked pale- pretty much sheet white.  (But that's how everyone looks in Seatown.)  Healthy red lips that covered the entirety of there lower faces, bright carefully coiffed hair done in a rainbow of colors, and rosy noses that looked almost like red rubber balls...

...

Waittaminute...

It was then, in the midst of a slowly dawning realization (I blame the pancakes) that I noticed that people were not talking to each other, but honking horns at each other.  It then hit me-

A cream pie thrown from someone.

"It's clowns!" I exclaimed.  I looked at my fellow employees. They were all now clowns.  I know they like to have fun-

don't we all- but this was beyond anything they had done before.

As I had this revelation I also noticed the squeaking sounds diminishing.  And all the clowns stopped their activities and were looking at me.  I stopped wiping the cream pie off of my shirt, (One must always try to be professional), and gazed back at them.  From the back of the clown crowd-

(Clowd?)

A high pitched voice rang out “GET HIM!"  Dozens, if not hundreds of squeaky shoes sound as they stepped towards me.

Realizing that I must find help to solve this problem, I exited out to the platform, looking for my constant friend and kart, Li'l B.  We could get to a safe distance to think this out. I looked in his usual resting place and found him.

40 clowns were packed in him, filling every nook and cranny.  He could not help me.  He looked stuffed.  I quickly passed by this monument to clown physics and entered the train parked on the tracks next to me.

I closed the door and looked around.  No clowns- but something else odd.  Bundles wrapped tightly in bright colored streamers were strewn about.  They wiggled slowly on occasion.  Dedication to my duty overrode any uneasiness I may have had and I examined the bundles.  One was wrapped in the spot usually reserved for Conductor Bob when he was on the train.  I looked and lo and behold, Conductor Bob's cap was on the table in front of the bundle.  Since I know Conductor Bob would rather lose a limb rather than lose his cap, I instantly knew what the wrapped bundle was-

If you didn't also think Conductor Bob, then you aren't paying attention.

I touched the bundle, trying to get a reaction.

It fell of the seat onto the floor.

Oops.

It wiggled and I tried to tear off the wrappings.  No luck. It wasn't ordinary paper.  Meanwhile outside the train I could hear the squeaking shoes.  It wouldn't be long before they found me.

I had to act.

So after I did Marc Anthony's friends Romans countrymen speech, I decided I needed help.

And I knew just who to call.

Grabbing the phone Conductor Bob normally uses to let us know what the train needs, I dialed.  (I hope they don't get mad at this. Technically it IS work related.)  It rang and rang, and yes, I started to worry a bit.  He might be on vacation, I thought as he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"You're there!" I said happily.

"I should hope so, otherwise someone else is eating my lunch" he said back to me.

I knew I picked the right- well, clown for the job.  You see, my friend is a literal clown- but not just ANY clown.  He is rather well known, and was even the mayor of our garbage dump for some time.  

The clown de la clown, so to speak.

But he retired, so out of respect I will keep his identity secret.

(That and the fact I couldn't afford paying the royalties.)  "I need your help on a clown-related issue!" I told him.

 "What's the problem?" He asked.  

 I showed him the story up to this point.

(It was easier that telling him.)

"Any ideas?" I asked.

“Yes. Next time I should add bacon to my tuna fish sandwich."

"That is a great idea." I replied.  He thought for about a minute.

"It sounds like you have an infection of clown clones. It's a rather rare condition these days, but it still breaks out from time to time."

"Any idea how to end it and save all these people they cloned?"

"Oh that's easy" said my clown friend, "You just have to ignore their antics and be completely serious around them"

"That's it?"

"Yes. Since they are not real clowns, like me, they won't be able to handle that. They should puff away in clouds of confetti- which will revive the people they cloned."

"That's great. Any other advice?"

"Yes. A little pepper in tuna fish makes it very tasty."

"That IS good to know."

"Good luck," said my friend, "I'll keep track on you on my ICU2TV."

"HEY! You did that on purpose!"

"Sorry about that," he said. "Force of habit. I'll take a meal out with you in lieu of any fees, OK?  But not the fish pancakes- they are a bit dry to my taste."

*sigh* "OK."

I hung up and started to think.  What could I do that would be serious enough to stop them?  My serious dedication to my duty wasn't enough- I had to think even more serious.  As I was thinking, I looked around the car. Then it caught my eye.

It was a calendar. I looked at it and had a revelation:

It actually WAS Wednesday.  

(I should keep better track of the days.)

 

I then looked at the month and an idea formed...

The clown clones wandered around the lobby.  Occasionally one would slip on a banana peel- others hit by a pie or seltzer water.  Steeling my resolve I entered, dragging in a table laden with books, papers, and a calculator.

I pulled my load-

And the table, of course-

To the center of the lobby.  I quickly unfolded the chair on the table and sat down.  (Do I ALWAYS have to spell everything out?)  I pulled out a sheet of papers, a pencil, and a paper booklet.  How to prepare taxes the cover read.

As the clowns started to squeak up on me, I began to read:

"When doing your taxes, make sure to include the following forms for triplicate filing..."

The clowns screamed.  They writhed in pain as I organized the forms by size in alphabetic order.  The first one burst into a cloud of confetti when I started punching figures on the calculator.

Encouraged, I started to work harder.

It was a good thing I hadn't done my taxes yet. While I have the utmost dedication to my duty, I admit my failings at keeping due diligence in all things.  Good thing it worked in my favor this time.  My pencil flew across the forms, adding, subtracting... square rooting.  Brightly colored puffs of confetti erupted everywhere. It was like a snowstorm of color.  "Why so serious?' A voice painfully muttered.

I stooped for a second and looked up. It was the clown clone of Conductor Bob, looking very worse for wear from my actions.  "Begone, you bad copy!" I triumphantly yelled as I started itemizing deductions.  (That retort worked on more levels than the bureaucracy I was filing paperwork for.)

He quickly burst in a colorful pop.

The bursts and pops grew less frequent as I neared the end of my labor.  Finally, as I signed my name declaring that under penalty of jail I told the truth, (Which I always do), I looked up and saw all the clown clones gone.

Employees and passengers dazedly wandered through the piles of bright squares of paper, shaking off the effects of the infestation. I had succeeded. The people were safe.

Investigators after the fact found that it all started due to a counterfeit whoopee cushion. It was quickly isolated and locked away.  I didn't see that, as I was attending to my duties-

Well, after all I DID have to clean up the mess left in the lobby...

The end.

Goodbye J.P., from one of the last of the Patches Pals…

Thoughts on Suicide

It’s a hell of a thing to have THIS as a topic for my return to writing…

So last Tuesday I was listening to the radio while getting material gathered for an experiment I was attempting involving paper mache.  It was playing as background noise when a story caught my ear.  It involved a suicide at the local university that happened a couple months ago.  The parents were releasing their son’s five page suicide letter explaining why he did it.  And that reason was that he was tired of living…

…with the horror of an overactive blushing reaction.

He evidently blushed nonstop, which ultimately became unbearable for him to live with.  He had put in his letter for his parents to spread the word about this, to shed light on this horrible affliction.

I was less than sympathetic.

I have two thoughts on suicide, one of which I will get to later.  But the one relevant to this part was that I am floored by the reasons some people decide to end their life.  This kid ended it over BLUSHING?!  He couldn’t handle life with this going on?  I know people with FAR worse afflictions who live productive lives.  For example, I live with a condition that makes my skin look like I lost an attack from several cheese graters.  Yet I carry on.  I know people without eyesight who have a love for life that is rather infectious.  There are people who have no use of their limbs that still live more fulfilling lives than most of us.  Hell, the world speed record for the 100 meters is held by a man with no lower legs.  And yet this person cannot handle constant blushing. 

In these circumstances I bring up Kurt Cobain as the perfect example of truly pathetic excuses for ending it.  He had parent issues and stomach issues.  Did he really think he was the only one?  He had more opportunities to try and fix what he thought was wrong with himself, but instead he chose the easy way out.  To this day I have no respect for the man and what he did.  I had originally planned to have this just a rant about this, but then once again synchronicity- a topic I have talked about before- came into effect.

Two days after the newscast, while these thoughts were coalescing in my head, I get a call at night while at work from my Aunt Sue.  My cousin Matt had recently broken up with his significant other.  More accurately, she left him for another man.  He had been inconsolable, despite the best efforts of Sue and the other aunts I have (whom I call The Sisters).  He seemed to go deeper and deeper into rage and despair over this, and The Sister’s efforts seemed to fall on deaf ears.

The call I got from Aunt Sue was that he had been found dead.  He had hung himself.  

 

He left behind three children.

As you can guess everyone was in turmoil.  Sue sounded emotionally empty as she told me, and it sounded like it would be a long time before she would be back to normal. The Sisters have been emotional wrecks, particularly his mother, my Aunt Sheila.  And I offered any consolation I could offer if needed.  Now for the last several days I have been wondering; why did these two events happen in the order they did in my life?  Was the first event to prepare me for what was to come?  Was the second event to make me reevaluate my thoughts on suicide?  I don’t know.  Maybe I will figure it out.  All I know right now is how I feel about my cousin, the suicide, and my family.  I have sadness in my heart- but it is not for him.  No, I am feeling a completely different emotion towards him.

I am angry.  VERY angry.  Pretty much pissed off.  This brings me to my second view on suicide.

To me suicide has always been the ultimate selfish act.  While most people who feel pain and suffering want to try and stop it and live normal lives, there are those who decide that they don’t WANT to work through it and instead feel that it is their duty to make EVERYONE feel the sorrow and pain they do.  And this is the result.

My cousin, despite the fact he could have called, seen, written, done ANYTHING to get support from family or friends or coworkers decided instead to say ‘Fuck all you all- I don’t care about any of you- it’s ALL about ME!’  It’s bad enough he did this to his mother, his brother, his aunts, his grandparents, his cousins.  At least we are all (relatively) adult.  But the fact that he did this to his three children is what really gets me angry.  He has pretty much guaranteed their childhoods are destroyed.  This is unforgivable.  And while the family will mourn his death, I will mourn the living death he has put upon us all.  Him?  Nothing but my anger will suffice.  And right now this rage is so raw that even any scorn from my family over my views on this will not bother me.  Yet another reason I am the grey sheep of the family…

So I am sorry to all my family.  I am sorry I cannot pretend he cared about us, that he just lost his way.  All I can see right now is a mother completely inconsolable.  All I can see is the disarray and chaos of a family coping with this. 

All I can see is three young kids who wonder why their Daddy left them.

I wish I was a better man and forgive this, but I cannot- not right now…

A quick postscript:  When I am talking about suicide, I am not lumping self-sacrifice where one dies to save others or euthanasia in with this.  These are not the same, and are possibly topics for a later time…