Third time's the charm

Back to Big John in Tampa. As you know, I've volunteered for the last two Kerry Tampa appearances, and been 'pipped at the post' for both -- I was in the basement running copies at the Sun Dome event, and outside checkin local press at the TBPAC event. Now is my big chance -- I've volunteered for the 10/31 Curtis Hixon Park rally. Maybe this time I'll get to actually hear him speak. For the record, I've heard him in Tampa in June '03 and March '04 and in St. Pete in June, so there won't be any surprises.

Well, What the Bleep DO we Know?

Last night, a friend inveigled me to attend "What The Bleep Do We Know," which is playing at the local art houses. It's a movie about quantum physics and endocrinology, illustrated by following Marlee Matlin around. Unfortunately, to paraphrase Mark Twain about Richard Wagner; 'his music is supposed to be better than it sounds.' This movie is supposed to be better than it is.

The two parts, quantum physics and endocrinology, are dragged together to illustrate observational bias -- the Schrodinger's Cat phenom for QP and the hypothalamus for the endocrine system. I would have been more comfortable with the phenomena separated, but that's just me. The little matter of scale didn't seem to matter to the movie makers.

Kudos for Mary Bright

You know how there's always someone who's doing just a little bit more than the rest, and getting more done with fewer resources? Well, let's recognize Mary Bright, who's been canvassing every night, putting out yard signs and generally putting her life on hold to get John Kerry elected. Mary's a cyclist (like Big John), a clinical social worker for at risk children, and a generally good person.

Carl Cameron of Faux News is Thin Skinned

While checking press credentials at the Kerry event in Tampa yesterday, along came Carl Cameron of Fox Nooze. He's the twit that put together the dummy release with Kerry (ostensibly) saying 'I'm a metrosexual' and 'doesn't my manicure look nice' and other snarky comments about our candidate. I made a comment about hoping he'd get the speech correct this time, and George the Wonder Volunteer (a 20ish college student) added something about 'fair and balanced, alright" at which point Carl came back to the table to get in our faces about how 'Deborah somebody of the Kerry campaign said his was the best coverage' or words to that effect. Whereupon GTWV shot back about his conflict of interest, wife working for Bush USW. Carl was in a pissy mood after that. We are the best informed and that's gotta hurt the Rethugs.

Once Again -- Not Seeing Kerry

Welp, yesterday, as on October 1, John Kerry arrived in Tampa and I missed the speech. I was working the Local Press check in, and got to the Performing Arts Center entrance just as the magnetometer (or "mag" for us insiders) was closed down. I could have got in with my Volunteer cred, but gave it to a Yale classmate of John Kerry. Must have been my turn for good karma, 'cause when I got home, I found 1) a check from a client, 2) my order of Kerry yard signs from kerrygear.com, and 3) my shipment of Lance Armstrong bracelets. Then I went over and voted. My local early voting site (see earlier post for critique of Hillsborough County voting) has seen more people per precinct in the first day of early voting than the total for the primary.

Two Weeks and Two Days

After four years of tragic misrule, it's just two weeks and two days until Election Day. I shall have voted (Florida has early voting, so I'll vote before going to the Kerry speech at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center). I'm disappointed that so many Americans can see what they see, knwo what they know, and still vote for the Dauphin. For a thumbnail sketch of why GWB is wrong for America, go to today's New York Times (registration required). That his opponent, John Kerry, is such as worthy candidate is icing on the cake.

I and my friends are all out doing what we can to see him off. We're canvassing Democrats who didn't vote in 2000, preparing to watch the polls on November 2, making calls and attending rallies. The level of resolution and clarity of purpose is beyond anything I was in the 1992 Clinton campaign, or any other, for that matter. Most frightening is that we all realize that winning the popular vote and the electoral vote is no guarantee of success. The party of Karl Rove views the voting process as legitimate only if it delivers the right answer. Otherwise, it is flawed and must be corrected, with violence if necessary. For so many reasons, please go pester your neighbor to vote for John Kerry.

American Civil War Part Deux

Looking at the political landscape, I'm starting to see unhealthy parallels between now and the 1850's and 1860's. Lots of political unrest, guerrilla warfare in Missouri and Kansas, a polarized press (the only media of the time) and religious groups. The cause was slavery but the overt discussion was "state's rights." The political framework of the Confederate states was essentially a one party state, and dissidents received punishments from tarring and feathering to expulsion or lynching. The modern Taliban Republicans are seemingly intent on reviving that political model. There's a good discussion in Orcinus, found at www.dniewert.blogspot.com

That's Pat and JoAnn, but Who's the Big Guy?

Last week when John Kerry spoke at the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida, he came to the WUSF-TV studio to use the satellite uplink facility. While he was there, he met with Pat Holley, the WUSF-TV manager and JoAnn Urofsky, the General Manager of WUSF-FM radio and WUSF-TV.

Pat and JoAnn with the Next President 

More about the Heavy Lifting

Just found a new blog via James Wolcott
http://bigleftoutside.com/
continuing the theme about how our work will (it is hoped) begin on November 3, 2004 with the election of John Kerry. We will then have to bring the corporate state/media back under control of the American people and get some real democracy. I believe the most important element will be the media -- but I haven't a clue as to how we can meet these objectives:
Get media to cover the real story -- what's happening to real people in their lives
Get media to cover the story behind the story -- follow the money
Get media to reveal their own bias -- delink for example Juan Williams and Mara Liasson from Fox if they're to stay at NPR.

Your thoughts?

Time for Really Hard Work

Well foax, it's time for the heavy lifting. Kerry and Edwards have won their debates (Edwards in an excellent slow realization that every word Cheney said was a lie), the Administration's own people (Bremer, Duelfer, Rumsfeld) are admitting that the basis of the Iraq War was one great lie and that the conduct of the "wrong war at the wrong time" was totally inept. In an equitable universe, the people that got us in this mess would be impeached, but that's not going to happen. We have to get them voted out of office. Please go to Moveon.org to find out what to do.

Demophoria

Another day in the Big Guava and another day of Demophoria! That's the joy associated with winning, thanks to Big John, Michael Moore and Gloria Steinem. I went to the Moore event at USF and was as usual impressed with his humor, then canvassed the Forest Hills area, then off to a Move On event. There's a lot of energy out there this year. Now if we can get a handle on the electronic voting, as well as the tried and true voter intimidation with police cars, etc. I hope the FOP endorsements for Kerry and Castor will at least keep some of the police honest. More later with pix.

Kerry Comes to Town -- I'm Stuck in the Basement

Well -- after his stunning victory in the September 30 debate in Miami, Big John came to Tampa for a rally at the University of South Florida Sun Dome. I'd love to say how cool he was, but I was in the Sun Dome basement collecting faxes from the Kerry Campaign HQ, copying and sending them up to the press room. Take that, 101st Fighting Keyboarders!! Monday I'll have a cool picture of John Kerry with JoAnn Urofsky, the General Manager of WUSF FM and TV.