A Horrible Day

I am so angry. 

I am so sad.

Yesterday an attractive candidate with no experience in government but a whole lot of money won the Democratic nomination for Congress over one of the finest public servants I have had the privilege of knowing. I wish the winner well in November and will do what I can to help him. But how do we establish a means for policy, experience, wisdom, and vision to be more important and money less important in our elections?

Yesterday a millionaire gun-lobby shill --- a Q-Anon sympathizer, an documented liar, a woman who chased a gun-violence survivor through the streets of Washington shouting at him, a candidate who disdained participating in non-partisan interviews, a racist, a Putin supporter --- defeated a bunch of more reasonable and patriotic right-wing candidates for the Republican nomination for Congress. How do we protect First Amendment rights and also lessen the influence of racism, trolling, foreign interference, and other evils on our elections?

Yesterday, as a council member at my church, I had to listen as some seemed to favor removing our congregation from our church denomination which would, in effect, remove me from the congregation that has been my church home since 1962. Heart-breaking. How do we bridge the divides even in our churches?

What a horrible day.

But all of that seems small compared to the horror of 19 children's and two adults' lives being obliterated by another gun massacre in Texas. In the last 36 hours authorities have had to ask parents for DNA swabs so the bodies of their children, mangled and exploded by high powered weapons, could be identified. How do we --- the vast majority of Americans who want common sense reforms like background checks for gun purchases, required training before first time gun ownership, "red-flagging" of those who are a menace to themselves or others while protecting legitimate gun owners from misuse of those restrictions, limits on huge magazines and semi-automatic weapons, etc.--- get past the gun lobby and pass laws to lessen the bloodshed and death?

Elections matter, my friends.

Let's be frank: If you vote for Marjorie Taylor Greene this fall you are voting to allow the slaughter of more children. Period.

If you vote for ANY NRA-supporter, you are voting to allow more carnage. Period.

Some folks want to talk about abortion as a horror and yet many of those same folks support politicians who want to continue to do NOTHING about gun massacres?

Other countries have crazies and extremists, but other countries do NOT have this degree of gun violence.

The problem cannot be completely solved or quickly reduced greatly, but we can do SOMETHING.

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P.S.: Disagree? Discuss it on your own blog all you want. I will delete any "gun rights" bullshit posted here. I am no longer interested in debating those who pretend the Second Amendment was intended to enable the slaughter of children.

Goodbye to Ryan

During the last two weeks we have served as hosts to Ryan Hill, a talented young veteran of many political campaigns who came in to assist Wendy Davis's effort at election to Congress. We enjoyed having Ryan with us even though the final two weeks of a Congressional campaign does not allow much social life for its workers. We usually saw Ryan very briefly during breakfast in the mornings and sometimes for a few minutes at bedtime -- providing that bed time came around midnight.

Our longest visit with Ryan was today, after yesterday's painful ending of our beloved candidate's 2022 political quest. Ryan rode with us to Acworth's legendary Henry's Louisiana Grill where we met Wendy for a delicious lunch before he left to visit Atlanta friends for a couple of days. He will fly home to South Bend, Indiana on Friday. 

Henry's was a real treat. I had the Louisiana Ooh La La which was chicken, oysters, and crawdads in a delicious sauce over pasta. Sheila had gumbo. We also shared  some hush puppies. All the dishes came with a salad and a sweet/peppery cornbread and small slices of a sourdough bread. It was all delicious.

A passerby agreed to take our picture afterwards in front of Henry's as we said goodbye.

L-R: Ryan Hill, Wendy Davis, Terrell Shaw, Sheila Shaw. 

Vote (for Wendy!) Today

Today, May 24, 2022 is Primary Election Day!

Sheila and I are proud to spend our day today volunteering as poll watchers. If you haven't voted yet, please get out and vote. Never has your vote been more important. And rarely will your vote be more powerful tahn in a midterm election. 

We have been proud to lend our support this year to the campaign to elect Rome's own Wendy Davis to Congress. How wonderful it would be to have a member of Congress from our own hometown! Wendy will be ready on day one to work for ALL northwest Georgians.  NOW, I know they all SAY that, but Wendy has a long service record of working with people of all stripes in our community to GET THINGS DONE!  She has the necessary experience experience from her days working for Max Cleland, through the campaign to bring the Braves to Rome, to her eight years as our Rome City Commissioner. 

We have watched her work with... 

• liberals and conservatives, 
• business folks and union folks, 
• Republicans and Democrats and Libertarians, 
• folks of all faiths, races, and heritages,
• and anyone and everyone willing.

And through that cooperative spirit she has helped to...

• greatly improve the openness and responsiveness of city commission,
• encourage citizen participation in our city affairs,
• bring professional babeball to Rome, 
• preserve our greenspace and build our trail system, 
• bring businesses to Rome, 
• build bridges between black, white and Hispanic communities. 

As our Member of Congress she will...

• open and streamline the services of our Congressional office
• listen to any and all her constituents on any issue
• work to improve Veteran Administration services
• work to make sure Georgians have equal access to healthcare services with those in other states
• work to make sure our elections are open and honest
• work to secure equal rights for everyone
• work to bring Americans together rather than to divide them.

Wendy is not only our friend, she is also the absolute best person available to restore dignity, honor, and fairness to our Congressional office. She will be a true Representative of the 14th District from Powder Springs to Rossville, from Spring Place to Fish Creek, from Plum Nelly to Booger Hollow, from the  Chattanooga suburbs that spill over into Georgia to the Atlanta suburbs of South Cobb County.

Please plan now to vote --- 

• before work at 7 a.m. or 
• after work before 7 p.m. or 
• during lunch or 
• ... you decide. 

When can you get to your precinct today? 

... and I have to ask, please, vote for Wendy Davis.

That Fellow Built My House!

Sheila and I were a politicking team yeaterday. We got our list of Democratic voters. Sheila drove and I hopped out at each house or apartment to ring the doorbell and talk to, or leave a note for, each voter. Our goal was to remind folks to vote on Tuesday the 24th and to ask them to please vote for our friend, Wendy Davis, to represent Northwest Georgia in Congress. 

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Time out to say: Wendy has a long heritage in our city and region. She has been an outstanding City Commissioner. She is smart, honest, articulate, determined, open, cooperative, patriotic -- all the things that the current 14th District US Representative is NOT. So please don't leave the voting to the fired up fringe... we need the sensible middle to GO TO THE POLLS! Thank you!

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Now, back to this post.

In one apartment building on Broad, a stone's throw from the spot where our founders first met to tlak about building a city here, I saw this large oil painting I've never seen before. These are our city's founders. The balding fellow in the middle is Daniel Mitchell.  He's the fellow who put the name "Rome" in the hat that day, AND also laid out the city street plan -- see his map on the wall behind them?! AND he, late in his life in 1869, built MY house here on the banks of the Oostanaula.

Does anyone know the history of the painting? It is well done and looks fairly recent.

A New Housemate

Yesterday Oostanaula House became home for a temporary resident, Ryan Hill. Ryan is working for Wendy Davis's campaign to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene as US Representative for the 14th District of Georgia. We are very pleased to support Wendy's campaign, and to give Ryan a place to live as he works down the street at Wendy's Rome office.

Here is Ryan posing with Sheila and the nice bouquet of flowers he brought us.

Gleaning Facebook: Festival of Stories Week

 From Ted Parkhurst's Facebook:

"Give people a fact or an idea and you enlighten their minds; tell them a story and you touch their souls”

~ Hasidic Proverb

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Thanks to the Rome City Commission for proclaiming a Festival Of Stories Week for March 11-17, 2019 in support of our Big Fibbers Storytelling Festival.

Go to www.bigfibbers.com to order your tickets today! It's very easy and secure.

With Rome City Commissioner Wendy Davis

Gleaning Facebook: Three Women For Commission

Monica Sheppard 

Sue Hamler Lee

Wendy Davis

Someone asked me who Monica Sheppard is "running against". I somehow lost that message so I'll just answer on my wall for everyone.

Monica will be one of several candidates for three positions on the City Commission representing Ward Two. Rome has an unusual system. (I do not like our system, but that's a discussion for another time.) The candidates must reside in Ward Two but ALL voters in the city limits can vote for up to three of the candidates. Only Monica and incumbent Sue Hamler Lee (Sue Lee) have announced so far. I expect our incumbent Wendy Davis will announce soon. The current third commissioner in Ward Two is Jamie Doss. I do not know whether he plans to run for another term.

When all votes are counted the three candidates with the highest number of votes will be elected. Therefore candidates do not "run against" anyone so much as they seek votes for themselves, and second- and third-place votes from the supporters of the other candidates.

Speaking only for myself, I don't think you'd go wrong voting for three women. If they all three win, we'll have a majority (5-4) female commission for the next two-years. Bet that would be a first for Rome.

Comments

Wendy Davis Well explained, Terrell. And I DO intend to seek re-election. Hoping to earn the support of enough voters to end up in the top three!

Monica Sheppard Yes, thanks for explaining it, I've gotten this question often! I have the greatest respect for all three current seat holders, but hope to have a chance to contribute a new perspective. Thank you!

Michelle Sims I agree Monica, I would love to vote for you but because I live in the county I can't.

Hilda Atkins Moore YES!!!

Dekie Hicks Thanks for explaining the system, Terrell Shaw. I've been confused by it for some time, actually. How do you find out what Ward you reside in? I looked on my voter registration, but didn't see anything there. I live in Summerville Park.

Terrell Shaw The wards are divided by the rivers. 

Ward 1 = between the rivers (Downtown & North Rome)

Ward 3= West Rome (from the rivers west including Summerville Park)

Ward 2 = South Rome & Old East Rome (South of the Etowah & Coosa rivers)

Dekie Hicks Thanks! That is weird about requiring the candidates all live in Ward 2! I wonder what the rationale behind that is?

Terrell Shaw Avoidance of controversy, protection of incumbents.

Ann Pullen Wards 1 and 3 are not up for re-election this time; they will be up for re-election in a couple of years.

Terrell Shaw Yeah, I don't like it because no one represents a specific area. They just have to live in it. I think each ward should elect their own reps.

Dekie Hicks Hmmmm. Wonder what was happening in Ward 2 long about the time these procedures were implemented? Has the city always had this form of government? It's Civics Lessons, y'all!

Terrell Shaw Once had nine wards I think, and individual races in each.

Terrell Shaw Nothing special about Ward 2, this is just the year for those three seats to be elected. The four year terms are staggered. Wards 1 & 3 were elected in 2015 and will be contested again in 2019.

Jean Filson Linos That would be great!

John Paul Schulz So I get to vote for three lovely ladies? Cool.

Debbie Moore I wish I could vote for you Monica!! Doug and I wish you the best of luck from Connecticut!

Monica Sheppard Thanks, Debbie!!!

Missy Bentz Me too!

James Schroeder I've been thinking about running the last two times. How do you find out what ward you live in? Is there any info available? I tried reaching out to the city commission but never heard back either time

Wendy Davis What do you mean that you tried reaching out to the city commission? You have my cell and email. Happy to help you sort out your ward residence.

James Schroeder Wendy Davis I know, I tried to set up multiple meetings but you were busy and I didn't know who else to contact. Not mad, I just don't know who to turn to.

Wendy Davis James, my apologies for not being available. Will try to call when driving back to town.