Politicking ala Hot Springs

I put out there on the web that I needed people to join me to campaign against assault rifles and large magazines.We have had too many people die needlessly from these types of guns. The toll is at over 1000 since Newtown, Connecticut. 

Barbara Butler was the only one to join me January 17, 2013. We did get a response from a 'guy' that thought we were a couple of nuts who didn't know what we were talking about because I put on my poster >>>CLIPS

He said clips did not fit in assault rifles. I explained 'magazines' didn't fit on my sign but I was sure everyone would know what I was talking about particularly since the people in Congress used the two names interchangeably.

Saturday, January 19, she and I joined Planned Parenthood on the steps of the Capitol in Little Rock for a rally there  St. Senator Joyce Elliot and Dr. Jocelyn Elders (former Surgeon General) were guest speakers. If you ever get a chance to meet Dr. Elders I recommend you do so. She is an honor to our sex and a wonderful humanist.

I will be having more gun rallies if anyone would like to join me. I usually will have them at Reserve and Central in downtown Hot Springs. The time will probably be Wednesday at 12 noon. If I get enough interest the time can be adjusted to meet the needs and desires of those wishing to join me.

Here is my latest submission to the Sentinel Record for those that may not get the paper. This is by no means a proof of publishing. Submitted 1-21-2013:

With the passage of time it has become more apparent than ever that the corporate agenda for America is its Africanization of resources and its population. Corporations are not held liable for environmental damages they incur through their business practices of raping and pillaging to get to our resources. Mountain top removal is the most ambitious and destructive of these practices. 

The processing of tar sands in Canada shows that the practice has moved beyond our borders to Canada where the indigenous people's lands are systematically being stripped and ravaged at no little cost to the environment. Illness and health issues that they had never experienced before have become the norm.  As these caustic oils are removed from the ground, we are being used as the pipeline to move these tar sand oils across our 'bread basket' of the plains states to the refineries on the Gulf Coast. The fact that the shortest pipeline already completed through Michigan had ruptured and contaminated the water supply there is not to be concerned with. It won't happen with the pipeline being built now, because We have rules and laws to prevent that from happening.

We have fracking across the US that has proven to be so destructive that Europe has banned the practice. Water supplies are being contaminated, people and animals are dying. Yet the practice goes on. We are told it's for our use to make us less dependent on foreign oil and yet these petroleum products are being exported to Europe and China. The coal fields of the Dakotas and Montana need a railroad to the west coast to ship OUR coal to China.

The broader issue is not so much that the Keystone pipeline, coal mining and mountain top removal are dangerous and hazardous at best, it's what it means to us, the people of the United States. The wealth being 'taken' is not being shared with the people most impacted by the destruction of these areas. We are now becoming just another inconvenience to the taking of our natural resources from the earth that we are told is public property. Our representatives in Washington take money for their election coffers from these companies and then write legislation that makes it easier and less painful to extract this wealth.

For the truth about the consequences of environmental disasters, check out how much Exxon has paid out for the Valdez incident. Look at BP's compliance with environmental law and how much they have compensated the residents of the Gulf Coast. 

Wages have been flat ever since the mid 1970's. This has been planned and when states like Michigan and Wisconsin enact 'right to work' legislation those wages will go even lower while the corporations make off with the spoils. This is 'Africanization'. The people work and receive a pittance while the rich get richer at our expense. If there is an environmental disaster, OUR government will step in and with OUR tax dollars, clean the mess up.

In Africa, it was called 'colonialization', what will we call it here but the Africanization' of the United States.

Thanksgiving Weekend Update

What to do when the world doesn't give a crap and it scares the crap out of you

My letter to the editor was published last Friday according to a friend. That is good news because I felt really strongly about the mess in the Gaza Strip. You can't hold people hostage and harass them and then expect them to sit down and like and do whatever you ask.

Politics in Hot Springs are starting to get interesting. Barbara Thexton got a discussion group going to see what can be done to take back the legislature. We don't need to lose the governor's office in 2014 either. Dustin McDaniels is going to have the ride of a lifetime if we don't get something happening here soon. Arkansas has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the US. We don't need voter suppression here, we need people to take voting seriously. When I moved here in the mid 50's, we had a poll tax to suppress voters. It was declared unconstitutional and now people just don't vote. No one seems to mind sending our troops over seas to support and democratize the Middle East and Africa but as far as voting here, you've got to be kidding, they just don't have the time or won't take it.

Claudia Reynolds LeBlanc and I picketed Walmart on Black Friday at the Albert Pike store here in Hot Springs. There were very few customers going through the light where we stood. They must have all gone to the store on Central since it may be the bigger store here. I put some sandwich boards on Tigger so he could earn his keep. He's a great little campaigner. If you need him at your function, he works cheap. Several people had told Claudia they would show up to help. Apathy extends beyond the voting booth here.

Here is my letter to the editor for those that wish to read it:


The attacks on the Gaza Strip by Israel requires a close examination of the cause and effect of this 'military action'. At first blush it looks like Israel is completely in the right in defending its country against the Hamas.

This is the simplistic view that the politicians would like you to believe and not examine any further. We are pro-Israel without a doubt. Anything they say or do we are in complete agreement with. The question is; should we be?

The Gaza Strip was given to the Palestinians as a surrogate country until an agreement could be reached satisfying both sides of the argument establishing statehood for Palestine. Israel sent in settlers and essentially confiscated the lands designated Palestinian. Israel then set up road blocks, check points, boycotts and other extreme measures restricting movement into and out of Gaza vital supplies such as food and medical supplies. Given these conditions, the Hamas resisted and is now almost completely annihilated by the technology sold to them by the USA.. Today the missiles Israel is firing into the Gaza Strip are nothing more than target practice.

Now let's take a look at a world view and not just the myopic one being peddled by the pro-Israeli faction.

What will happen if Israel can justify in the way it is currently headed, an attack on Iran? We keep hearing they are Israel's biggest threat. Secondly, Egypt is sitting by not doing much more than obfuscating to appease the US.  Israel's biggest fear is Arab retaliation to its aggressive behavior against Iran.

Now to the serious business of a war between Israel and Iran. This is Obama's second term and what if it were possible to lay at the feet of his administration the ultimate war in the Middle East? I do not see a peaceful solution when China, Russia, and the Arab Emirates chooses sides in this unwinnable war. His administration will be known to be more inept even than George W. Bush's.

We are asked daily to honor our military and yet the military establishment squanders the personnel aka soldiers like so much toilet paper. Do you really believe we have the concerned population that will continue to fight for a global war that they didn't start and have no way of winning? Only 1% of the population is in the military. That means 99% of us sit on the sidelines wondering what Kate Moss' latest tatoo looks like and where it may be located.

It is time we got our heads out of the sand and demanded from our leaders a solution to the Middle East crisis and I don't mean more bombs and missiles.

Judy Ladd
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It's been awhile since I was here. It seems I was so involved in getting my friends elected I forgot about this page.

Well, Arkansas did its stupid thing again,and voted for the 'rich' guy. I was a poll watcher and I was not surprised to see the majority of voters were old white men and women. Considering many were retirees from up North you'd think they would have voted more progressively. NOT!

Romney took the electoral college votes and for the first time in 138 years, we have the Republicans in control of our state legislature. This next session will be a thing to behold as we turn the clock back and start teaching biblical 'evolution' or is it called Divine intervention?

Our state rates 3rd from the bottom in education and after having had former governor Huckabee push ignorance in our schools we are sure to drop even lower on that scale when this legislature comes to order.

Sex education will be demonized and the teen pregnancy numbers will climb and more children will be raising children without benefit of a good paying job or an education. Of course, we have ARKids to support them but I wonder where the taxes will come from to keep those services afloat when all those white retirees don't want their little IRAs taxed anymore. All their capital gains can't be taxed either.

David Reagan got elected to JP District 1. Congratulations, Dave. He said going door to door is what won the election and the help from all his sign holding friends at the polls put him over the top. Maybe the other candidates could take a hint from his success.

Many people worked the phone lines from the Democratic Headquarters here. They did more out of state calling than here local as I understand. Maybe they shouldn't have given up on Arkansas so quickly. We might have saved some of the state from the complete takeover by the Republicans. The Tea Party didn't do as well as they thought they would but then we're still living here in the 19th century so who knows.

 I joined the Arts Advisory Council here in Hot Springs. I believe that the only way to change the future is change our kids' attitude towards their city or community. Making them a member of their society or community will instill pride of ownership. Art is an easy step in that direction. We have many public buildings that are just terrible looking and if the kids were given a paintbrush and the freedom to express themselves they may take pride in where they live.

Well, live long and prosper. We can still kick ass by calling the village idiots in Washington on a regular basis to make sure they understand that we may be down but we ain't out. Don't forget Little Rock. Those guys need to hear LOUDLY from us too.

Where oh where has the time gone?

Politics in Hot Springs are about as exciting as watching paint dry.
I wonder when someone is going to run for office that really cares about Hot Springs and not just what will bring in the most money. You know we do have a national park within our city limits.
We need to start getting with the program and start making our water and sewer system as green as possible. Some places have already put in operation a system that recycles all the water through a natural filtering system that utilizes nature rather than big holding tanks and intense energy usage. They are raising talapia in the waste water using ponds like nature uses. We could certainly learn a lot from those towns that don't have as much water as we do. We just need to stop wasting it.

Andi Davis vs the Judge

Attorney Andi Davis was required to appear in front of Judge Marcia Hearnsberger today at 10am to show cause. I went as a friend of the 'accused' and to see what actually occurs between the 'defendant' and the 'law'.
The animosity wreaked from the judge towards Andi. Every statement was ignored and the judge demanded that Andi agree that taking an emergency decree to another judge was intentionally designed to get Judge Hearnsberger from denying the decree (my opinion). Judge Cook signed the emergency order when Andi's clerk had determined that Judge Hearnsberger was not available to do so.
I would hate to be a defendant in Judge Hearnsberger's court if the judge had such a dislike for my representative. It's politics is local again. Andi's a good Democrat and from her affiliations and places that she associates, I conclude that Judge Hearnsberger is a devout Republican.
I believe the point of the whole procedure was to make Andi look incompetent and the judge all powerful. It was like watching a stern parent tell the child 'you were wrong'. The child is left with no recourse but to agree in order to get the parent off his/her back. Definitely below the standard that I would expect from the judiciary.

Politics is Local

Yesterday, Saturday, April 9, 2011, Rep. John Vines (D-Dist. 25) came to the Webb Center to address his constituency about the current legislature in Little Rock. Judging by the turnout, not many people were interested. Claudia Reynolds- Lablanc set the meeting up and told me she had also invited District 24's representative Cozart to attend but he politely declined saying after the treatment he received after his debate with Jerry Rephan for the position he now holds he just didn't want to be subjected to that again. It turns out, I guess, he got his feelings hurt when we weren't impressed with his lack of knowledge about the position he was seeking . John described the ongoing struggle the legislature is having with the issue of redistricting. It has to be done after every census so guess what, we get to be the lucky recipients of this year's results. He said some want to divide Garland County into 2 or more parts, putting some of it in District 4, some in District 2 or even 3 with Little Rock and Conway. The result would be our influence would be significantly reduced and we would be effectively removed from the decision making political process. He said he thought some Republicans had a good solution and then some Democrats had a good solution but dividing Garland County was not one of them. He would stand firm on keeping the county undivided.

Ginna Watson brought up the issue of keeping local taxes in the school district in which they were raised, not sent off across the state to other districts. I told them both, her and John, it was bullshit. Schools from poorer counties or districts would get the short end of the deal while the 'rich' schools got the best of what is available. I was offended by anyone, particularly a Democrat, that would bring up such an idea in the first place. It reeks of selfish, greedy, self-serving right wing Tea Party ideology.

I just wish more people were concerned about what is happening locally so that this kind of mindset would be brought to light and people could see what is keeping them down and our state from being the best that it can be by educating everyone equitably and fairly. This does not mean diluting the system so that everybody gets a mediocre education, it means that parents and the citizens of every community have a stake in all children's education. The only way to make it work is to share the burden and demand that the schools spend the money wisely and not just on sports equipment. Parents have to be involved as much as possible. They must be reassured that their child counts no matter how poor or rich. If we have a lottery to give scholarships to every child, we owe them the best foundation to utilize that money wisely and effectively.

District 24 Representative Contest

Today (Saturday February 12, 2011) the NAACP held an open forum to let everyone interested in District 24 Representative election scheduled for March 8, 2011 to meet the candidates, Jerry Rephan, Democrat and Bruce Cozart, Republican, and ask them the questions that are of the most pressing concern to the voting public. Judging by the turnout, not many are interested. I guess that will explain the Republican candidate Bruce Cozart being in the race.

Jerry Rephan, the Democratic candidate, was the most informed concerning what the issues are and how he plans to attack them when he gets elected to office in Little Rock. He explained very clearly his close family ties to the community, what he feels and knows are the driving issues behind failure in our schools, and the need to get children involved in their education at the grade school level and making them participants in their communities rather than future inmates of the penal system.

Each candidate was given 6 minutes to state their case why we should vote for them. Afterwards, the audience had 4 minutes to ask questions of each. Very few questioned Cozart, me being the first to raise their hand. I asked him if he was in support of the ERA amendment. He said he did not know anything about it but would research the issue. When I got my jaw off the floor, I could not hide my chagrin and disgust with a man purporting to run for an office while knowing nothing about an amendment that has been around since 1968 trying to get ratified. Someone that ill-informed is not someone I want representing me in anything, not even as dog catcher. He would probably have to research what the job involved and what a dog was. But I digress.

Jerry was so well-informed and forceful in his stance for improving our little part of Arkansas, I felt it was no contest. I hope anyone that reads this blog gets out there and does whatever it takes to get Jerry Rephan elected. We need educated, informed and interested people that truly care for us representing us at the local levels of government.