Ok, so I cooked like a mad woman, made some really cool things that I've never made before, baked some cookies that were just fabulous in Iowa and really didn't turn out as well here, but that's ok. Then, cleaned so that everything was ready and hosted a coffee for the candidate for Pima County Attorney, Brad Roach.

Brad has a great set of goals for the office with the wisdom to say that he thinks that, should he get elected, he would serve two terms (if he gets re-elected) and then leave the office. His thoughts are that you can become tainted with all the political pressures that are applied to any elected office and he doesn't want that to happen to him. He even has a person selected (or directed) to "boot him in the butt" when he begins to get the big head. Good for him. Not only that but he has a plan to reduce the crime rate in Pima County which has a higher ratio of crime than New York City. Now come on, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that something has to be done to get the problem under control. If you are going to spend all your time in court with petty problems and not arrest and convict those that are repeat offenders you really aren't going to get the crime under control.

Our current County Attorney tries lots of cases (well, she doesn't, she hasn't tried a case in many, many years and hasn't attended a court hearing either to encourage or support her team) to grab the publicity in the local papers. That actually works to bring people to the mind that she's doing something (she is, just not the right things) but other than funding opportunities because of the publicity there really isn't much getting taken care of.

When all the law enforcement agencies in the county support the current County Attorney's opponent you have to know that something just isn't working for her. Brad Roach has the support of every law enforcement agency in the county. Now these are the people that KNOW who the criminals really are and want to get them off the streets, but in order to do that they have to have the backing of the County Attorney to prosecute them rather than blow the cases off and let the "bad guys" back on the streets. How discouraging for the law enforcement officers to have to deal with that type of attitude. Let's see, if I try 6 little cases instead of one bigger one I get in the paper 6 times instead of once. I guess if you are a publicity hound and really don't care about the type of crimes you are prosecuting then it has accomplished the goal. On the other hand, the officers have spent untold hours putting together the case of a known drug dealer or repeat offender, which would take the prosecuting office more time to try but get a real problem off the street instead of taking the "easy" way out, only to have them ignored or plea bargained down instead of taking it all the way. How hard will the officers work to build a case, take it to the County Attorney who then decides that it just isn't worth her time, or the time of the 400 (her number) other attorney's in her office to try?

I've heard both candidates speak. I made my judgment on which one to support by the logic of their plan to make a change. I didn't hear anything from Barbra LeWall that led me to believe that anything would change, it would continue as usual with crime increasing dramatically. From Brad Roach I at least heard a plan, a logical, methodical plan that will decrease the crime rate in Tucson, give the assistant county attorney's the opportunity to try real cases and give the law enforcement officers the support they need to continue doing their job. Wasn't a hard decision to make.

So, that being said I hosted a coffee for Brad Roach last night. It was a delight to have the people come to hear him (and eat…although not nearly enough…had LOTS of food left). Scott and Nancy came from our neighborhood, Peggy came from quite a distance, two fellow Rotarian's and their wives (Steve and Gama) where here as well as Cyn and us. Brad probably changed the voting mind of a couple of those that were here and have voted for the current County Attorney before, but even if he didn't (but I believe he did) they now have heard the other side of the equation.

The house is now back in order and the chicken is thawing for dinner tonight. Micher is here visiting Cyn which means fried chicken dinner. It will be great to see her, even with her broken foot. I've done that and know it's not a comfortable situation, and it takes a long time to heal, but, determined Micher still caught the flight, changed terminals in Dallas and arrived in Tucson for a trip to Mexico!

The conventions are over, the speeches have been given and now it is down to just two months of the media having something to cover before there will be a need for something new.

Although I don't think that McCain was the most articulate speaker I ever heard I certainly agreed with 90% of what he said.  It is time to get Washington DC back to serving the citizens of the country rather than themselves.  It is time to get government out of the healthcare business (just ask those that have to deal with the idiocy of how the government runs the things they are involved in now!).  It is time to lower taxes to stimulate the economy.  Lower business taxes always stimulates the economy, why would anyone want to stay in business when everything they work for goes to support governmental programs that don't work, are too expensive and unnecessary?  Why can't the business owner keep a larger portion of the money they make?  They are the ones that are out there, fighting to get every sale, to make the services good so that people with come back to them and on and on and yet, the harder they work the more the government penalizes them with higher taxes.  Heck of a way to run a country, punish those that make the money to fund your stupid programs.

I know that with us, the more money we made the more we paid our staff, gave them greater benefits and bonuses.  Then taxes took over and they no longer could get the things we wanted to provide, too many taxes and not enough money left over to treat staff properly (or ourselves either!)

Like I said, he wasn't the most eloquent speaker, but his message was from the heart, strong to his beliefs and I believe in the right direction for the country.  I sincerely hope he wins; it scares the crap out of me to think of the alternative.

 

It is interesting to me that Senator Obama has chosen Senator Biden for his running mate only because the two are so different in so many ways and yet, it is a good match for the strength that Senator Biden can bring to the ticket.  Senator Biden is a seasoned, well respected, super nice guy with connections to many of the areas that Senator Obama probably isn't the strongest in.

I like Joe Biden; he is a gentleman with a great sense of humor, a bright mind and dignified appearance that will certainly be well received by the press.  Now, he has a tendency to say things that the press likes to pick on, and I suppose some of them deserve it, but, isn't it nice to know that someone in office is going to call it the way he sees it instead of the political careful speak that has gone on for so bloody long?

Anyway, I have met and had my picture taken with Senator Biden.  He was a friend of a dear friend that has now passed away, Tom Dawson.  If Tom Dawson thought he was an ok guy then I can be pretty sure that my read on the Senator was correct.  Nice guy.

Congrats Senator Biden.

 

My question is, when 2042 arrives and the whites are the minority in the US, will they be given the same minority advantages that have been put in place for the other minority population?  Will it be required that businesses and government have English for those that don't speak Spanish?  Now, I understand all the advantages of offering minorities an equal footing, I just wonder if whites will get the same.  Will there be advantages to being a white?  Will schools be required to have the diversity that was implemented in the 60's for minorities? 

Looking at the demographics of the US Congress is an interesting wake up call for those that think the Congress is comprised of stuffy old white men, take a look, it's really interesting and a good measurement of the demographics of our melting pot country.  We live in a country that has accepted it's residents from all over the world, it's the way it's supposed to be here.  What has made this country work is that very interesting mix of ideas, cultures, beliefs and determination.

Not too many years ago the Irish were considered the lowest form of life, forbidden to own property in certain areas of a community (Des Moines is one of them..the South Side even had it in it's home ownership documents that a house could not be sold to a person of color or an Irishman.)  So, what made the difference?  Time.  The US will emerge from the changes now taking place a strong and viable country just as it did when the majority of the people were of European decent. 

The leadership needs to be aware that there are challenges in this country, not just internationally.  The new president must keep his eye on the home court as well as the international court.  It needs strong, dedicated leadership.  It needs stability, it needs vision, it needs consistancy, it needs honor and trustworthyness.  It will require someone that BELIEVES in the US, it what it stands for and what it can accomplish.  The future of our country will be interesting, decisions will need to be made, adjustments in attitude will need to be made and honor and honesty needs to be a priority.  Do you think that can happen?  An honest, honorable, proud to be an American leadership?  Let's hope so.

One of the things that is interesting about moving to a new neighborhood is getting to know your neighbors.  Tonight we were visiting with one that was telling us about his former company, which he sold when Clinton (the guy Clinton) came into office.  His company was health care related and the things that the Ms. President wannabe had planned for the country with socialized medicine convinced him that if the right buyer came along it was time to get out of his business.  It did and he did.  His thoughts and comments about the Clintons' were less than supportive.

 

He is a really nice man and his wife is a dream.  We are so fortunate to have moved into an area where everyone we have met has been pleasant.  Most are either military or retired military or work for a defense contractor so their thoughts are interesting.  It would seem that the military is behind McCain since there has not been a positive comment about Obama.  The political signs will be going up in the near future so it will be interesting to see if everyone in the neighborhood that chooses to have a sign in their yard is a McCain fan or if some of them will go the other way.

 

We were discussing the media with the neighbor tonight.  The news that is presented by our countries media on the same stories presented in other countries show the different political influence applied.  The same story will come out with totally different interpretations depending on which country is delivering the news so the general consensus is that it is best to get the news from as many sources in as many countries as you can and then filter through the political leadings and make up your own mind about what is factual and what is not.  Gosh, if we only had time to do that we could probably learn a great deal more about the true status of the world but who has the time to do it everyday?

I received this from a friend today and just HAD to share it…

Listening to the news you would think that every person in the United States gets the New Yorker in their mail box or they buy it at the news stand.  Now, we know that's not the case and therefore the majority of the population would never have seen the cover or been drawn into the silly controversy about the cover of the newest issue.

Why do I say silly?  Well, let's think about it.  Since Ben Franklin there has been a place for satirical drawings and humorous cartoon covers.  It makes people talk, discuss issues, raises the ire of some and the understanding of others.  In the case of the cover of the issue of the New Yorker the news media grabbed on it and went on and on about how awful it is.  Well, let’s look at this differently.

If you are an Obama fan (and I am not) then this is a perfect opportunity to encourage people to read the article in the magazine which points out that the internet stories about how he is a Muslim, how he went to a Muslim school and on and on is just crap.  It points out that he is not and did not.  It goes on to tell the positive side of Obama.  The Editor of the New Yorker is a strong supporter of Obama and believes he is the answer to the needed changes in the United States government so you can bet that anything negative toward Obama was not in the story.

Yet, with just the cover being shown on many, many stations the perception of those that don’t dig deeper will be that they were right, Obama is all of those scary things they have heard or read about.  I’m not slamming the news media, they do what brings viewers, and it’s just too bad that it is believed that the majority of the people in the United States are going to believe that the cover tells the story.

The common citizen in this country will make their minds up on who they want to vote for in the presidential election on things of more substance than the cover of a magazine. If they don’t, they probably aren’t informed enough to make a wise choice anyway.  I’m not saying they shouldn’t vote (although I may personally think that) but I do hope that if they vote they talk to someone that actually pays attention first!

This election has been not only long but it has also been a smear session that was worse when it was in the primary time than it seems to be now, but good grief, do we really need over a year of campaigning?  Do we truly know anymore about the candidates now then we did the other candidates in prior elections where the campaign season wasn’t nearly as long or as expensive? I don’t think so.  I really don’t need to know minute details of the lives of the wives, children or actually the candidates themselves.  I want to know what they stand for, what they plan to try to accomplish (which won’t be a great deal if the Congress doesn’t agree….the President can’t do much by himself) and what their moral character is comprised of. 

I support John McCain, not because I believe he is the best man for the job, I just, personally, believe he is better than the opponent.  At least we know that, when it comes to push and shove, he doesn’t get pushed around.  The Viet Nam war shows us that.  His stands against things he doesn’t agree with shows us that, his years in Washington DC without the media being able to dig out filth, affairs, scandal or any number of other things that would feed the frenzy shows us that. 

It will be wonderful to have the election over, regardless of what others may think, this has been just too darn long of listening to the same BS that we hear every campaign season, we’ve just been subjected to it longer this time around!

As for financing, it would be impossible for a good, honorable man or woman of moderate funds to run for President (or almost any governmental position) with the cost going through the roof.  It is a crying shame that only the super rich or those with connections to deep pockets can run.  There are good people that avoid the hassle and the cost of running for ANY office because of the cost.  What a shame.

She's something, isn't she?  Down and out and then boom, she comes through with enough to keep in the game.  It's interesting to watch the maneuvering, listen to the he said, she said; the spins on comments and interviews and the human characteristics that surface at the times when they truly wish they could be hidden; the hardness, the frustrations, the sniping and the gloating.  It reaffirms the fact that, in my opinion, anyone that wants to be the president of the USA is really seeking something that I certainly don't have or lust after!  I wouldn't want to have to be "on stage" all the time with nothing left sacred.  I'm surprised that we don't get told how often each of the candidates go to the rest room (like who cares, but then who cares about a lot of the stuff the media shoves at us about the candidates?)

The biggest lesson to be learned (if you are so inclined to learn anything from this nightmare of politics) is that those that quit lose, those that keep fighting often will prevail, at least to some degree.  Like I said, she's something.    I think McCain was talking about that in some of his speaking engagements last week, about continuing on, after all, a few months ago he was nearly declared totally out of the running and Romney was a "shoe in"….where is Romney now?  Who knows (and as far as I am concerned, don't really care) but that's not the point, the point is, don't give up (at least that's what I take from it).

The teaching is going well.  Both at the college level and the office level.  It's fun to watch light bulbs go off when someone clicks on what the lesson is for the day.

Our neighbor at work came over today to share his humor with us, I sent the jokes to a couple of people but I'll put them here too just so those that normally would not get them from me, but obviously read my blog from the comments I get on occasion, can have a clean chuckle for the day.

What is the quietest game?  Bowling……you can hear a pin drop.

Why does a golfer take an extra pair of pants to the course?   For that hole in one.

Yes, dumb, but actually pretty funny!

A good friend from home is coming into town tonight for a meeting tomorrow so we are going out for dinner.  It will be so good to see her, she's soared in her new job as the director of the Fellowship Cup.  She is doing a fabulous job of making it one of the most respected organizations of it's type in the area.  Her new building project is moving along very nicely, it's an attractive addition to the existing building and certainly will give her more room to help those that need it.  It will be so good to be with someone positive, bright and funny.  She rocks!

My "number one" sales guy is back in today, then gone again for the rest of the week and back for a couple days next week and then off on another training session.  It was so neat to come in this morning and have him be here already!  Got the key out to open the office and the new guy opened the door.  The minute it opened I knew that #1 was back.  Sounds like he and the new guy are working late today which is fine with me!  I didn't leave last night until after 8….not working the whole time, but still here.

The former manager of where we live has taken the job as the GM at where we used to stay.  How funny!  He had asked me about it quite some time ago and I told him what a beautiful property it was, guess he decided it was too.  Now, my friend that is at the "old" property had wanted the GM position so I was kind of worried that he may choose to leave, but I talked to him today and he's fine with what was decided.  He determined that he didn't want the grief of being a GM, he's happy as Front Desk Manager.  Wise move on his part and yet, he has gotten a super guy as his new boss.  He'll be pleased I'm sure although the staff at our place is sad to have lost the GM.  Welcome to our old world LOL

We will now watch what happens in Indiana with the candidates and see if it gets dirtier or if it goes a little more positive.  I can't imagin it going positive, but we'll see.

 

 

 

There was just a report on Fox News regarding the pastor of the church that Obama has attended for 20 years, the guy retired recently.  The pastor was shown talking about how evil the United States goverment is.  That although 9/11 was awful the government was responsbile for so many more murders than the 3000 killed at the Twin Towers and on and on. 

Then they showed an interview that apparently took place with Senator McCain last night where the reporter tried to get the Senator to state that Obama probably agrees with the pastor.  McCain wouldn't do it, he said he knows Senator Obama and that he knows that Obama doesn't agree with the pasor's views and although candidates can't pick the people that support them they don't necessarily agree with all those views of the people that do support them.  It was a class answer to a nasty question.

That and Lewinsky were on the news, what a waste of time!!

Now all we see are a few comments and ads for Obama and Clinton on the TV, which is rather refreshing compared to the billions of them we saw before it became a two person race in the Democrat party.  As for the Republicans, McCain has it sewed up so there are a few of his but not many.  After a year of seeing nothing but political ads where they told bigger and bigger lies it's rather nice to only listen to a few LOL

Last night on Saturday Night Live they had Hillary, a skit first that made her look like a total dork and then she came on live and tried to show her humor.  In my opinion in failed miserably but I suppose she was pleased that she was even on.  Air time is air time after all.

They didn't make Obama look good either, so I guess it was perceived to be equally treated.  Hmm, the writers strike is over so they put this out.  Interesting.

I had stated that I really hoped that if McCain got the nomination that he would take Huckabee for his running mate but my brother told me that wouldn't happen.  He said McCain doesn't need him and so he'll pick someone else, of his own choosing.  I suppose that's true, I wonder what type of person he will choose, another older person?  We'll see.

The county convention is next week.  I'm a delegate so I'll be going to that.  It has been years since I've gone so it will be interesting.  Hopefully it is more organized than the caucus was in MP.. That was rather sad.  Obviously that gal that was in charge of it was not familiar with how things should be done or who to have helping so she did the best she could, I'm sure.