North Carolina; I Would Totally Vote There

Andy Millard battling it out with an increasingly weird Patrick McHenry

by Tracy B Ann

In a perfect world there would be no
urinals and it wouldn't matter who used
what bathroom.

I would have to go to the bathroom before I left my house to vote though, just in case. I don’t wait in line for bathrooms, I use whatever is available and I don't read “stick figure” too well.

If I were to vote I’d have a lot of good choices. May 12th is the deadline to register for voting in the June 7th Congressional Primary. One thing I like about John McNeal, candidate for the 2nd congressional district in NC, is that he provides all this voter information on his website. I like a candidate who focus’s on voter registration.

John McNeil is a veteran of the Marine Corps. Stationed at Camp Lejeune as a Scout with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, he remained with 2nd LAR throughout his enlistment, eventually achieving the rank of Sergeant. He participated in the Panama Invasion, Desert Shield, and Desert Storm.

John McNeil (NC-02)

He attended North Carolina public universities to achieve a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and attended law school at Wake Forest University. He currently owns and operate a law firm and mediation service in Raleigh, North Carolina. He’s got some impressive endorsements here and you can read his stance on issues here. I find it refreshing to have a candidate with opinions on the military, veterans, world affairs and student loans who knows exactly what he’s talking about. His donation link is here.

David Hurst is running in North Carolina’s 3rd district. He has a strong focus on protecting local jobs, especially those of the local fisherman. They seem to be regulated in a way that favors big fishing vessels over local fisherman and wealthy developers over local fishing rights.

He has some unconventional ideas about money, the minimum wage, and taxes. His campaign is self funded. He doesn’t seem to go negative against anyone and thinks it’s time for lawmakers to stop bickering and do their jobs.

David Hurst (NC-03)

David Hurst won my heart with this quote from the Daily Advance:

"'We spend too much on toys and not enough on military servicemen and women,' he said. Hurst said many local service members are on welfare because their salaries are too low. That’s unacceptable, he said. 'Why does the guy who sells the bullet make more than the guy who fires the bullet, or is ready to take one (for his country)?' Hurst said."

In the 8th district it’s Thomas Mills. The first thing that impressed me about him was that when he saw no one was running against the current Republican Congressman he stepped in at literally the last minute.

Thomas Mills (NC-08)

He calls himself a "reluctant candidate." I call him a good example of what should be happening in every district in the US. So in one way, who cares what he thinks about issues? He’s a Democrat on the ballot, something a lot of people don’t get to see on their ballots.

Better than just that though, he seems like a good candidate. He has his own blog, Politics North Carolina (and I like it, it’s good!)

Mills emphasizes rural working class issues; infrastructure, schools, jobs he has a Marshall plan to “connect small towns and counties to economic centers with pavement and rail as well as with fiber and cell towers.”

He has a lot of experience working political campaigns and sounds like exactly the representative his district needs. Donate here.

Christian Cano (NC-09)

Christian Cano is running in North Carolina's 9th district and I want to openly admit that I jumped to misjudge him. Partly because of the hat he wears and partly because of my dyslexia, I read his website as "A Christian for Congress" not realizing his first name was Christian. And I think he is a Christian, but makes it very clear that there needs to be a strong separation between church and state.

His message is of neighbors, neighbors, neighbors. Bringing them together and making sure they’re treated right. He is a fierce defender of equal rights for all, outspoken against any kind of discrimination at all. I mean any kind; age, race, gender. He has no interest in what bathroom people use. On abortion he says that while he is personally Pro-Life:

“...my stand on issues will never be based on my personal and religious beliefs. I firmly believe in the Constitution and its amendments...”

He seems wicked smart and funny too. You can get a real feel for him from his Facebook page and he’s got dog and cat video’s there. How can you not love that? Donate here. There more I learn about him, the more I like him and his hat.

Andy Millard is running in the 10th district. A former teacher, he now has a financial planning business. He says you can’t run government like a business because it has a different mission. He says:

"Congress used to prioritize on the well-being of our citizens and our nation. But we lost our way a while back and we must find it again."

His Facebook page is here and you can contribute to his campaign her. I’ll let him speak for himself:



Rick Bryson is running in North Carolina’s CD 11. His focus is on infrastructure and local issues because, well, "all politics is local." He is a proponent of universal health care, a huge defender of public education, and an advocate for veterans:

"Sadly, the veterans’ experience in returning to civilian life has not been without speed bumps. They have been ignored, lied to, passed over too many times by the Veterans Administration. Just ask one . . . almost any one of them. They know."

Rick Bryson (NC-11)

He wants an “economic revival” for Western North Carolina including roads to get people there. Bryson serves on his towns Board of Aldermen. That town is Bryson city where his dad was once Mayor and the town is named after one of his ancestors.

He likes blunt talk and one of my favorite quotes of his is “shoe leather trumps money”. That sounds like something Dr. Ferguson Reid from 90for90 would say and that’s what all these candidates have in common, they are supporters of 90for90, a voter registration movement started to honor Dr. Reid, the first black man elected to the VA Assembly since Reconstruction. I don’t have a litmus test for candidates but if I did this would be it-- they have to strongly support voter registration, and honor those who fought so hard to get voting rights for all.

You can donate to Rick Bryson here.

Another supporter of 90for90 is Linda Coleman, who is running for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. She has a lot of political experience from being a Wake County Commissioner for 4 years, to being elected for 3 terms to the North Carolina General Assembly to being the Director of the Office of State Personnel.

She ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2012 and lost by only .02%, Reminding me of what Dr. Reid says, “Every election is a dress rehearsal for the next.” I liked that she didn’t immediately concede.

She is passionate about education from pre K to college, rebuilding the economy and the environment. She wants safe energy options and better mass transit. You can donate here.

Even the kids want in. The Wake Forest University College Dems (NC) are members of 90for90 as well. Sebastian Ivory heads this group and this group has good ideas and a great logo; though I have to say they missed out on a wonderful opportunity for fun with their school license plate. Still, they support voter registration and that’s good enough for me.

The Chair of the North Carolina State Party, Patsy Keever is an old friend of DWT and a 90for90 supporter which shows me that North Carolina really cares about voter registration and the more people register to vote the more Democrats win. Works every time!

----

NOTE: None of these candidates above have been vetted or endorsed by DownWithTyranny or Blue America yet, although we are in the middle of discussions with Andy Millard, whose opponent is the villainous Patrick McHenry. Andy has been making a very good impression on us-- and you probably already know a good deal about the odious McHenry.

New York State of Mind

-by Tracy B Ann

Some people have no sense of place, nowhere that they feel strong ties to, nowhere they can call home. I have a couple. Michigan is where I was born and grew up and it will always be home to me. I live in Tennessee and it’s all right. There are a lot of things that I like about it here. It’s a lot warmer than Michigan, there are nice hills, and, um, it’s warmer than Michigan.

I think I’ve been to most states in the country, except Texas. Sorry, but Texas just freaks me out. I was on a tour bus close to getting there once when I had to stop, get off and fly home. This was before Austin was cool, but really, the place scares the shit out of me. No disrespect intended.

One very special place where I felt at home immediately is New York. Five minutes after I got there the first time, I felt like I had lived there all my life. I might live there too, except it’s very expensive to do so, and, um, it's just as cold as Michigan.

Unlike here in Tennessee though, New Yorkers have choices of Democrats to vote for in their elections. What a luxury. We don’t have that here in Tennessee. Though we do have warm weather, I am often reminded of what my dad used to say about cold, frigid weather, he said "it stimulates brain activity." A quick trip to a mall here will lead anyone to conclude there must be some truth to that.

Democrats to choose from in New York, yep, I like that. In New York’s 24th Congressional District there are a few Dem’s to choose from. There is Colleen Deacon; she spent 6 years working for the Mayor and the city of Syracuse, then moved on to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office for the next 6 years, working as the Regional Director for Central New York.

After Colleen graduated from college she waited tables for less than minimum wage, with no insurance and of course no benefits. She became pregnant, worked up until 2 days before she gave birth and, as a single mom, used Medicaid and the WIC program to survive. As a congresswoman she would certainly know about the programs she was voting on.

Some of the issues she’s wants to focus on are jobs and manufacturing. The district has lost a lot of jobs and there is a threat of the nuclear plant closing. 60% of school funding comes from the nuclear plant. Infrastructure is also big on her agenda. Colleen believes improving infrastructure creates jobs in both the short term and long term by bringing in new business. A modern, well maintained infrastructure is a good selling point for any area.

This district has over 300 bridges that are damaged and need repair. (I’ve always been baffled by why Republicans don’t want to invest in infrastructure. They drive over bridges too don’t they?)

Colleen has experience working with diverse groups of people and believes in getting “more people at the table”, in “bringing all stakeholders together”. She helped connect community colleges with apprenticeship programs this way. Having worked in government she feels she would be effective the moment she walks into the office, she knows the ins and outs of the system and "how to get things done that don't involve floor votes." Colleen has the endorsement of many establishment Democrats.

As a woman, Colleen Deacon is part of the Off the Sidelines Initiative. While women make up over 50% of the population in the US, they make up only 19% of the US Congress. Hmm…

Eric Kingson is another Dem to choose from in the 24th Congressional district. Eric is a Professor of Social Work at Syracuse University, teaching courses in community organization and public policy & advocacy, among other courses.

He is driven by core values that developed from his work in the civil rights movement in his college days, spending summers in the South registering voters. He is a founding co-director of Social Security Works, and co-chairs the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, a coalition of over 300 national and state organizations. His work is credited with stopping SS cuts and keeping the retirement age from being raised.

Working with these organizations and others has given him lots of experience in public policy. He could make an impact in Congress just by continuing the work he’s already doing. He’s made and continues to make a positive impact.

He is an unambiguous progressive who wants to invest heavily in infrastructure and has a financial plan to do it. A financial transaction tax. Mr. Kingson believes that "giving away the highest tax cuts to those with the highest income has undermined our infrastructure and our society," that "money has been used to capture seats in the Senate and House."

Eric is focused on protecting social security for all, providing college students relief from predatory loans and getting them involved, in fact he sends time in high schools to show students their role in Democracy. He has vowed not to ever take corporate money as he believes campaign finance is undermining democracy, that the golden age of the American dream has been lost due to income inequality.

Eric Kingson is highly respected as an expert and academic of 30 years and as an activist working with Congress. The author of many books and the recipient of awards including the 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. Unsung Hero Award.

In New York’s 3rd Congressional district, where Steve Israel is retiring, Jonathan Clarke is running. He became an attorney to help people and realized that as a progressive politician he could help even more people. There are several other candidates in this primary but one thing that separates Jonathan is that when he goes to the Grand Jury he sits outside in the hall because he's there representing a client.

He heads the pro bono division of the law firm Clarke & Fellows where he is a managing partner. He represents clients whose homes are being foreclosed on and is an animal advocate, providing free legal work for local animal rights groups.

His major focus is on campaign finance reform, not, as he says "that there aren't more pressing issues; like over reaching drug laws, income inequality and our whole prison system." It's just that Jonathan believes that campaign reform needs to be addressed first in order to fix the other problems.

I love that part. It fits in so well with my "first things first" philosophy, which is why I believe that the way to elect more and better Democrats is to register more voters. That is the thing all 3 of these candidates have in common, they all support 90for90, a voter registration advocacy movement.

As does the New York State Democratic Party Chairwoman Sheila Comar. Her passion is registering voters and she is dismayed by the lack of early voting, weekend voting or a national holiday for voting. She is saddened that we "don't value Election Day."

90for90 is working hard to raise the value of Election Day and honor those who fought so hard to gain the right to vote for all. There are many ways to join this voter registration movement, one is by going to their Facebook page and "liking" them. Show support for voter registration and the NY Democratic who prioritize voting for all.

[Kingson and Clarke have both endorsed Bernie and are on Blue America's Bernie Congress page. You can contribute to their campaigns here.]

Only One Party Supports Voting, Jobs And Helping ALL People

-by Tracy B Ann

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I chose the treatment I felt had the least side effects. I declined Chemo, Radiation and a nasty drug called Tamoxofin. It may indeed help with breast cancer but it’s been proven to cause other types of cancer. Umm..., no thanks.

I did consent to two surgeries though, I mean, I had a malignant tumour in my body, of course I wanted it out. During surgery blue dye was injected into me to trace the cancer. Had it spread anywhere? Particularly lymph nodes?

Turns out it had, so 2 lymph nodes were removed and sent to pathology. They came back 95% and 98% cancerous which led to my having another surgery so more lymph nodes could be removed to be tested. Of these, only one had a tiny % of cancer. That was good.

The Lymphatic System seems to me to be a pretty fragile system and one that defies the laws of gravity. It flows from the bottom up and is sensitive to any blockage in it’s path. Missing nodes create a huge problem and sometimes major blockage. When that occurs, as it did in my case, the arm that had the nodes removed begins to swell, and swell, and swell. This is a condition called Lymphedema.

There aren’t a whole lot of ways to treat it so it’s best just to prevent it. As I studied everything I could about it, I was advised to call the American Cancer Society for suggestions. Seriously, I should have just discussed the matter with my cats.

Some of the suggestions were fine; never sleep on that side again, always wear gloves when gardening, avoid any cuts or scrapes, always wear a compression sleeve, avoid heavy lifting or repetitive movements. Okay, maybe I could do some of that. Then I described my jobs. The things I do for a living. Neither of which I can wear a compression sleeve while doing, both which require heavy lifting and repetitive movements.

The American Cancer Society’s advice? Oh, I’d just need to get a different job. Well, all righty then. Sounds easy enough. Except, I’ve spent over 20 years building a great clientele, and I don’t really know how to do much else that pays a decent wage. Yet, my job is becoming increasingly difficult for me to perform well.

Which makes me think of voting in an odd parallel sort of way. It can be very hard to vote and that’s on purpose. Take an absentee ballot for example. In the old days you just asked for one to be mailed to you and it was. Today in some states, you have to prove you won’t be home to vote and have your ballot sent to an address far, far, from your polling station. Otherwise you’d better show up in person.

In North Carolina if you want to vote by absentee ballot you have to have it notarized or signed by 2 registered voters. WTF? But ok, say you want to vote in person but are disabled. How easy is that going to be? Depends on where you live.

In Tennessee we vote on computers that are one height fits all. So if you are in a wheelchair and can’t see that high, tough. If you don't have the use of your hands but can read a ballot and then tell someone who you want to vote for, too bad, no one can go in the booth with you to help. If you are nonverbal but have other ways to communicate? Sorry, there’s no ballot for you.

Who do you think cares? I know one group that does not give a fuck and that would be the Republican Party. It’s possible that they are delighted that large groups of people are prevented from voting, from registering to vote and from finding well paid jobs. I don’t know that for a fact but I do know that only the Democratic Party, the progressive side of it, is doing anything about making voter registration easier, accommodating disabled voters, or creating a living wage for folks without them having to work their asses (or in my case, arms) off.

That’s the party I’m voting for. I find my Democratic candidates by going to the website 90for90, started to honor Dr. Fergie Reid, an old black dude who was advocating for fair voting and equal rights for all back in the Jim Crow days. He’s still doing it too. I pick my candidates from the 90for90 Face Book page or website because these are the folks that support Voting for ALL. I’m convinced that’s the only thing that’s going to make the world a better place, make my life a little easier, and maybe even help me find a job that accommodates my disability and pays the mortgage.

It’s not just political candidates I find on 90for90 either. There are unions, organizations and business that I want to support because they support voting. This guy, Jeffrey Joseph is a 90for90 supporter, which would be enough right there for me to support him. I also totally relate to his view of the big job search. Life just shouldn’t be this hard and I think with progressive Democrats in charge of government at every level, life will get easier for ALL.

Living Black History-- It's All About The Doors

Mabel  Fairbanks, who held open the door

-by Tracy B Ann

Living Black History, meaning, in the here and now. I want to write about some African Americans I very much admire who are alive today. I’ll start with skating because I’m from MI and in Michigan everyone skated when I was growing up. At least everyone who was white.

My favorite skater of all time is not white though, she’s black. Surya Bonaly. She was my hero for years and the judges hated her. Why didn't the judges like her? They gave a lot of reasons; her outfits, the tights she didn't wear, her lack of grace. It always seemed to me though, that her outfits were fine, her background as a gymnast didn't make her less graceful, rather it made her able to perform the jumps that were becoming increasingly, absurdly, more difficult (SNL did a great skit about this during those years.) The fact that she didn't wear tights? Yeah, I don't think so. I don't think it was the lack of tights on her legs that bothered them so much as it was the lack of the color white on the skin of those legs.

Despite that, Surya Bonaly was the 1991 World Jr. Champion, a three-time World silver medalist, a five-time European champion, and a nine-time French national champion. The first woman to ever attempt the quadruple toe loop. She nailed it ...in practice, but never in competition, which didn’t stop her from attempting it again and again and again, not just in practice but in competition. You can watch her never give up here.

Surya Bonaly is also the only skater, let me repeat that, the only skater, black, white, male or female, to land a back flip on one foot. Ever. A move that disqualified her from the 1998 Olympics. Which is total nonsense. The rule about certain jumps is that they have to be landed on one foot. I hate to sound jaded but this jump wasn’t allowed because Surya Bonaly was and still is, the only person in the world able to do it and Surya Bonaly was and still is, black. I'd be willing to bet that if a white person could land this jump on one foot it would be allowed.

Watch her performance here in the 1998 Olympics:



I love the way that once she knows she’s lost for sure, that attitude that so many of the press called “defiant”, that attitude that I share and admire so much, kicks in and she does a back flip right in front of the judges and nails the landing, on one foot. She ends her performance with her back to the judges and an elegant flip of her hand saying, oh so gracefully...well, you be the judge of the message she is conveying with that elegant black hand.

Surya Bonaly did go on become a professional skater and the last time I heard she was still landing back flips on one foot at age 41.

ESPN did a special on her Rebel on Ice.

That’s not where it began though. It began with Mabel Fairbanks, a female African American Figure Skater. When she started in 1938 she could only skate outside in Harlem, indoor rinks were white only. When she could skate inside she couldn’t practice when the general public was skating because of, well, black legs.

She couldn’t compete or be in any shows so she started her own. She eventually became a coach. Mabel Fairbanks was inducted in the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1997. She was the first African American to receive that honor. Read about her, I beg you, I cry when I do.

So it started with Mabel Fairbanks who held the door open for Debi Thomas. Debi Thomas was the first African American to win the US National Figure Skating Championships and she did it twice. She is the only African American to ever win a medal in the Olympics in figure skating. (The 1988 Winter Olympic Games Calgary, Canada.) Oh, and while she was doing this? She was also attending Stanford studying to become an orthopedic surgeon. Which she did.

Together these bold women opened the door for Richard Ewell, Tai Babilonia and my favorite skater in the world, Surya Bonaly. It's all about the doors.

I have always thought that my purpose in life was to hold a door open for someone. Not in a self negating type of way, I thought what I was doing was important; kind of, sort of, maybe. I didn't realize how important until I met Dr. Fergie Reid Jr. Through him I learned about his dad, Dr. William Ferguson Reid Sr., wow, what trail blazer he was. As a doctor he opened the racial doors of many facilities; military and civilian.

It could be said that as a politician, Dr. Reid Sr., the first African American elected to the VA legislature, opened the door to elect the first black Governor in the US; Doug Wilder, which in turn opened the door to elect the first black President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Dr. Reid Sr. is still doing it with his voter registration initiative 90for90, holding doors open for more people to vote. It's all about the doors and maybe holding a door open is not a kind of, sort of, maybe important thing. I think what I've learned is that holding a door open is a pretty big damn thing!

WHAT IS 90 FOR 90? WHAT IS 90for90.org? WHAT THE HELL IS IT ???

-by Dr. F. Reid, Jr.

90 for 90 is a website and a grassroots movement. It's a voter education and advocacy project, started in Virginia, in anticipation of Virginia's 2015 elections for state legislative offices. It honors and acknowledges the work of a man who, at 30 years of age, in 1955, began helping and educating voters, as well as potential voters, in Richmond, Virginia. Uh huh... Yeah... Right... So what?

The 30 year old gentleman was Black; he and his partners helped Black folks in Richmond, (as well as Roanoke, Lynchburg, Norfolk, and Newport News), navigate the poll taxes and literacy tests of the day; obstacles and devices common to the time/region, which were employed to result in the lowest possible Black voter participation. (Watch the video above of Harvard students taking the 1964 Louisiana literacy test.)

Richmond, Va. was, is, and will always be, the "Capitol of the Confederacy." What's that you say?... Helping Black people vote?... 10 years before the 1965 Voting Rights Act?... In the very segregated-- JIM CROW-- "Capitol of the Confederacy"??... That sounds kind of... possibly... dangerous?

Well, yes; it was both; kind of, and very possibly dangerous.

Still, the 30 year old Black gentleman and his principle cohorts, (his wife; Mr. Johnny Brooks, and Dr. William Thornton-- A.K.A-- "The Crusade For Voters") did it anyway. For 10 - 12 years they worked diligently, registering voters throughout Virginia, with great success; and at the age of 42, this young Black man was elected to the Virginia General Assembly, becoming the first Black person elected to serve in the Virginia General Assembly since the post Civil War "Reconstruction" Era.

Well, let's see; if he was 30 years old in 1955, and 42 years old in 1967, that would make him... 90 years old?? Going on 91???

HE'S 90 YEARS OLD YA'LL!!!! Dr. Fergie Reid, Sr., a trailblazing, iconic, indefatigable, OLD DUDE; is still working the drill, advocating for greater voter participation in the face of "New Age" obstacles to voting; he is still doing "The Work."

To celebrate his 90th birthday, some of his friends in Richmond, "threw him" a voter education and registration project - and a birthday party. They set a goal for Virginia activists to register 90 new voters per precinct by Nov. 2016, approximating 250,000 newly registered voters in Virginia for the 2016 Presidential cycle. To date, ~ 180,000 new voters have been registered. 90for90.org is well on the way to exceeding its Virginia target. Not bad; not bad at all.

But wait a minute... If Virginia can do it... EVERY STATE CAN DO IT!! OH, SNAP!!!!

90for90.org is a movement of candidates, activists, organizations, unions, etc.; who believe that, "VOTING IS GOOD", and that, "PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE BLOCKED FROM VOTING." They also believe that Dr. Reid's political achievements, and his body of "voting advocacy" work, should be honored, recognized, shared, and appreciated; and that their support for this project expresses their recognition and appreciation.

Each of the project's supporters agrees to engage voters, and potential voters, all year long - every year; not just during the several weeks prior to the voter registration deadline; because, when more people vote, the famous phrase, "...of, by, and for the people," has greater weight, right? Yes it does!! It's very weighty!!

"So what can I do? I can't register 90 people to vote. No way, I'm not even a really political person. What do you want me to do? 90 voters? That's 'pie in the sky.'"

Exactly! Don't register 90 people! Instead, start inside your own circle; nucleus; home; house; cohort group. "Start With One."

If 90 of you, who are now reading this sentence, register just one new voter-- possibly the high school/college student who occasionally visits your home, with whom you share your food, and your last name-- Well Dang!! There's 90 new voters right there! You get it. Start where you are. Talk to the folk who are right next to you. If you are a high school junior/senior-- college student... YOU HAVE THE POWER!!!



You and your friends and homies are THE ANSWER. Register to Vote Get your group talking about VOTING! If your age group comes out to vote, things will get better, sooner. Educate yourself; vote your conscience; you have choices:

• Donnie "Trump Card" Drumpf?
• "Rafael" Cruz?
• "Bootsie" Rubio?
• Possibly you "Yearn to Bern," or you may be, "Ready for Hillary?"

It's your decision; you make it. Cast your vote. You and your people are, "THE PEOPLE." All of us, together, are "THE PEOPLE."

"...Government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." Wow! So wise! So true! But only when "THE PEOPLE" cast their vote.