hannie’s musings 7.0

Oh what a fun weekend it has been. For all of my fellow 26 dems who have either written me personally or commented on my blog, thank you, I love and adore each and every one of you, and I swear I will get personal responses to each and every one of you in between parents, friends and child who is feeling ill. I’m feeling a bit off myself, but that’s just the fun of being post surgical and weight loss surgery challenged, but have no fear. You shall hear from me, and thank you so much for your support.

Okay, let’s get to my primer for the Kitsap Sun. You know it, you love it, and it’s your local paper. Now I know some of you are saying, um, hannie, we’re really not feeling the Sun as of late because they endorsed Jan Angel and yuck yuck, and I have yet to contact circulation to see just what sort of drop in paper subscriptions happened after that. I can however, tell you that I know of people who cancelled their subscription because of said endorsement and donated what they “would have spent” to Kim Abel’s campaign. And to make that story just a little more obnoxious, others stalked the PDC (Public Disclosure Commission) and claimed that these people were the largest contributors to Kim’s campaign without dropping the rest of the story which yes, they full well knew. Sounds like Fox News “fair and balanced” moment to you? Yes, I think it does. I’ll add one more thought to this, and here it goes. You know, if you’re so so interested in how people decide to dedicate their money, know that I’m fairly certain that the same question will come back to you as well. Straight up, I’m a poor girl and didn’t have funds to drop to campaigns. But know that during election time, I was busy standing up and writing and talking to others about the candidates I know and love and endorse, and although Kim didn’t win, I was surely rooting for her. You can add Charlotte Garrido to that list too. Wait, add Steve Bauer to that list too. I’ve learned over the years that even if you don’t have sums of cash to dedicate to your biggest causes, getting up and speaking and talking to others is a pretty effective tool in lieu of that. Wait, we’re supposed to be talking about the Kitsap Sun here. See how easily I get distracted sometimes. It happens.

So yes, I read the Kitsap Sun online. And yes, there are some people that I think are worthy of reading and hey, I’ve even met and corresponded with them as well. So here we go with *MY* piece of the week, which you can find right here. (To Sun staff who just might be peeking, do please note that I used correct link as requested. I’m like that.)

The discussion here is not about “he said, she said” as one reader put it so eloquently, it is referring to what’s considered to be public disclosure and not so public disclosure when it comes to someone with “celebrity status”. And it refers to one of our own which would be Delilah, and yes, we all pretty much know who she is. She was speaking at the Kitsap County Comissioners meeting in reference to not only her property but to some (can’t remember number here) other neighbors property as well, and as you know, those meetings are televised. They’re open to the public as well, and yes, I’ve spent quality time sitting in commissioner chambers myself being miss “opposition”. Did I get up and publicly speak, stating my full given name and address? No…didn’t do that. But believe me, my shining face sitting there and again, speaking with others around me helps. It especially helps when you have old classmates sitting right by you who know who you are and pretty much already have a clue what you’re about as well without saying a word. Luck is on my side in that respect, because well, many can attest to just how headstrong and opinionated I can be even back to grade school. (By the way, that would be South Colby Elementary School, and again, I implore anyone and everyone to please, pretty please upgrade this school so my future presidential candidates can have access and a beautiful space in which to get their education. Make this happen, and yes, this needs to be a TOP priority within SKSD. Thank you lots, and back to my story.)

So yes, Delilah herself is being broadcast on public access television, and as I was watching this all unfold, she was putting call letters to radio stations across the commissioners overhead projector. At first, I found this to be a bit odd, but then I squinted again, she opens her mouth and AHA, it’s Delilah. She didn’t even have to say her name, it was her voice that gave her straight away. You see, in radio, in order to get people listening and interested, your voice is your greatest asset. Delilah has a voice which is pitch perfect, smooth like butter, and you just can’t help but be drawn in and instantly want to hear what she has to say. Truly, it is an incredible gift to have, and not all have this. Think Rush Limbaugh. He’s about grating on my nerves, but why he gets the airtime that he does, well…I digress. I’ll even throw Howard Stern into the same ring. His voice grates to me because he sounds like a perpetual whine. But he’s a “shock jock” type, so he gets his numbers there. Now to be fair here, I’ll throw an ex-boyfriend of mine in here who used to work at the (do they still even exist?) KBRO and had a brief stint at KJR of all places. His voice was and still is similar to Delilah’s, in that it was soothing to the ear and he had many great things to say inbetween playing music that well….it was KBRO during the 80s.

Back to Delilah though, back to her. She was up and pleading her situation to the commissioners and using full diagrams as to location of her property plus property of neighbors. Now, I cannot be absolutely certain or correct on this, so no quoting me here but how *she* became the voice of the people is unclear, except that I would venture a guess and say that not only Delilah is impassionate about keeping things rural where they should be, and I’m 100% behind her on that, but that she also was perhaps the best one to send in and fight for however many neighbors and herself. Some people have problems with speaking in a public forum, and the idea of getting up in a crowd of people and speaking to what they know and believe is right is frightening. Hands down, had I lived in said area, I would have hand picked and pleaded with Delilah to get right up there and start singing if she needed to. Although she is not someone you see on television, she is gifted with an incredible voice, and with her command of the english language and how to properly give perpective, you bet. All cash that I don’t have on her…in an instant.

But in getting up and speaking as such, and detailing area in which she lived, it was opening a Pandora’s box of sorts. Yes, she has notoriety going for her, and yes, some could argue it that there should have been given some sense of “privacy” afforded her as to her family home location because of who she is. However, I want to stress here, she lost it the moment she stepped up to the podium. Gone. Why is this so? It’s because it is a public forum, public location and open to press and public both. The plight of Delilah and her neighbors again, was an important one that needed to be addressed and that it was, but, when you walk into said area you’re basically handing that privacy right away. When this was covered in Kitsap Sun of course you’re aiming for factual and accurate reporting. Again, some are going to jump right up and say, now hannie, you’re talking about the Sun and they’re not always “factual and accurate”. Okay, well even I have been at the hands of that, personally. I have about six copies of it sitting right in the drawer over there, and one even WORSE copy of same story done by Port Orchard Independant which neighbors called me for days on end asking me how it felt to be misrepresented. But original point here is that you want to be factual, accurate and reporting the story as correct as can be, which was done in her case. To turn around and be upset about this, okay, I can see her side of things in that yes, it opens up privacy and security concerns for her and her beautiful children. (NOTE: not just “saying” that about her children, they really are beautiful and absolutely adorable.) But on the other side of the coin, and being one with the journalism world officially a long while ago, once you open yourself up to the public like she did, it becomes public knowledge and if you’re reporting it, you’re again, obligated to get facts straight and report accurately and factually. And yes, as a reporter, doing as such you tend to get the ire of people in doing that. Believe me, I’ve been called the same word Steven Gardner was called and much more because I was doing the same thing, reporting factually and accurately. I think one of my better moments was when we ran an op-ed piece in college that the head of the Office of Women’s programs called “sexist and degrading to women as a whole” and she screamed at me in front of not only my mother but hordes of people registering for that college quarter. Although yes, I could agree with her in that what our staff had written could be construed as such, it was an “op-ed” piece. It wasn’t meant to appease and please everyone. So I stood there, listened to her scream, and then informed her of what I just told you. If she was so “enraged” about said piece, by all means, we have a letters to the editor section and please start writing away. I’ll be more than happy to run it, because hey, copy sometimes is hard to come by. Speaking for me, as a “former” journalist my aim was to write to inspire, inform and get people thinking and perhaps even acting on what I was reporting. You know, I pretty much tend to write with that same idea now. You bet I do, and I can pretty much name a few people within the confines of Kitsap Sun who would agree with me on that philosophy. Sure you may not always like or agree or appreciate what “we” have to say or “what” we’re reporting. Simply put, any time you put words to paper to form a story for the masses, you can never please the entire collective. Sometimes, you can’t even please an editor and back it goes for rewrites and such. For a while, I was the princess of copy-editing markings in angry red across what I had written, and well, it all comes with the territory.

Geez, we can go on and on about journalistic effort and so on, but here’s the bottom line. No matter who you are, if you throw yourself into the public arena and do it by name, you’re setting yourself up for giving up any iota of “privacy” you thought you had. Famous or not, that’s what you’re doing, and you should be expecting the possibility of backlash in doing so. Just as you have your job and your responsibilies, so do journalists. (And when I say journalists, I’m again exempting Fox News from this because well, yuk. But that’s my opinion, and I’m entitled to it.) Speaking of opinion, there’s one more little footnote to Steven’s blog entry that I’ll go ahead and opinionate about.

He makes mention of Elisabeth Mitchell, who you’ll know as Juliet on “Lost”. And mm, I cannot wait for the new season, I so cannot. I think it intrigues me more than anything else, because it’s just strange to me in an almost “Twin Peaks” sort of way. Yea yea yea, moving right along, you see where he mentions the “something that might be interesting” to A&E editor at the Sun and she consented down to that “interesting” part where she opted to not speak, and they dropped the interview idea. Now, I’m going to drop *my* first question to Miss Mitchell no wait, I’ll drop my first two-three. One, just how cool was it to do the scenes in Gia with Angelina Jolie and two, with that in mind, what are your feelings and thoughts on Proposition 8? You hear that? Hear it? It’s the collective “spitting out” of (insert favorite caffeinated substance of Kitsap Sun staff, because most journalists have wacky sleep schedules and are avid caffeine junkies) all over the office. Hm, I guess I’m now out of the running for “blogger of the year” with Kitsap Sun or even being picked up by them. Shoot, and I was really trying to win that coveted position, I really was.

Last but not least, you are *so* jealous that I can get my picture plastered all over Kitsap Sun, aren’t you? Here’s how that works. What it’s called is a “gravatar” and most blogs work with them including my own. Depending on what you choose, what us as bloggers have set for ratings for said gravatar is what will show up and what won’t. Oh you want one don’t you? Go here to get one of your very own, and have a great time with that. I have one more little Kitsap Sun “secret” but you know, if you read around, you’ll see others have discovered this as well, and I’m not going to advocate it because you know, if you’re going to get out there and type up your response to something, you should put your name right up there for people to see as well. Absolutely, and that’s why I have my blog settings done the way they are. *wink wink wink* to the geek collective of Kitsap County, and a high five as well.

And today, today my friends, I’m going to hand over the blog writing duties to the child you see above, *my* child. Before we do this though, I would like to take a moment to thank the First United Methodist Church in Tacoma for assisting in hosting this rally, and let’s see, Pastor Melvin and Steve as well. They are incredible individuals whom my child and I have both had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with, and, if you can imagine this, my child who has been strong “anti-religion” for quite some time enjoyed the service prior to the rally and informed me that she felt at home and wanted to attend this church if possible. What an incredible impact this place had on her, and thank you again to everyone who made this rally possible. You can find the rest of my pictures I snapped here and now, handing it over to my baby who usually does not enjoy writing in the least, or even discussing what she believes in. But she brought the point home loud and proud yesterday, and this is a repost from her own blog. Bring it now! (Oh and if you’re with 26th dems looking for my pleas to you, next post after this one. Thanks for your support.)

me and mama went to church
it wasnt for church it was for the Gay Rights event
we enjoyed going.we got pictures and met interesting people
we had a sign and we held it up for the people driving to see
i have my pictures up in the album called “Gay Rights :)”
check them out

People that are homosexual are really cool if you get to know them
they should have a right to marry the same gender and live happily without people saying “oh you cant do that” so screw you if you dont like people that are homosexual or think it’s wrong

And that, everyone, is MY child and her thoughts. You bet I am proud of her for standing right on up beside me yesterday. Equal rights for ALL our friends!

Yesterday, a rather disturbing letter arrived to me from Dwight Pelz, whom you’ll know as the head guy of the Washington State Democrats. It disturbed me on many accounts, but Dwight does not know my full story, or why I had to run for my position the way I did. However, after crying my eyes out, getting fully pissed off, personally calling the one person PERSONALLY responsible for me running as a “write-in” candidate and getting NO response whatsoever as to WHY this was done me, any IOTA of any apology from her, and discussing the matter with friends and family who have supported me since day one, I’ve decided that I’m going to become the most obnoxious democrat alive in the state of Washington.

That’s right, I’m going to fight back for what I rightfully did in the first place. I’m going to fight back for my voice which was wrongfully ripped from me, and this is going to be my project for most of today. Now some of you will say, “Gee hannie, why fight? These people tried to stop you before, they’re stopping you again, and you should just give it up.” But as one state senator told me long ago, even though you have your naysayers and your people who just don’t believe in what you’re doing and what you’re saying, you remember you’re fighting for your family, your children, and to protect your world around you. Truer words could never be spoken. It’s time for those who deny being involved to come clean and be accountable for their actions. It’s time to stand up, and it’s time to fight right back and get my voice back. And that time is now.

Edit: for update on this story.

Yes, you can say there’s “no use in crying over spilt milk”. But there sure is a strong case for going in and talking to people and getting the story and explanation and facts to go with. For the record, I don’t like *being* the news. I prefer to write the news and opinion, and I prefer to share it with all of you because that’s how I am. I was raised on journalism and being a democrat, and that’s how I wish to stay. But no, this morning, I *am* the news.

Here’s where my story begins. For a long while, there has been NO ONE serving for PCO in my precinct(Yukon 241-democrat seat-and PCO means precinct committee officer). I had been tossing it back and forth whether or not I should throw my hat in the ring, I mean, I was in pretty poor health, pending surgery that would either save me or kill me, and I didn’t want to be elected and then have to give up the seat or not be able to fulfill my role as such. Either way, those were things that really concerned me about running for said seat. I wanted to be a voice for the people I represent, and be able to speak to the issues for this specific area that concern us, and get the word out there that hey, these ARE valid concerns and need to be talked to. I wanted to let my voting district know and understand that we need to be voting, we need to be one strong united voice in opposition to those who would take away our rural part of life, and that we need to vote for those who will truly represent us and believe in our same ideals. These were, and still are, highly important to me. You think I sit around blabbing about “getting out and registering to vote” or letting you know that Puget Sound needs a massive cleanup effort, or that the answer to traffic through our area is to dessimate Harper as we know it and allow the Jan Angel raceway to be constructed because I have nothing better to do with my life? Not a chance. I write, I tell you these things because we need to protect and safeguard our area for us, for our children, for future residents, for our grandchildren and for a cleaner and healthier Kitsap County. We need to clean this place up, and clean it up fast before we lose the legacy we’re giving to those who follow us. Hand them a pile of crap, or hand them a pocketful of gold? I’d take the latter in a heartbeat, thank you very much.

Let’s go back to that letter from yesterday from Dwight Pelz, one more time. Although I was elected PCO by my own county standards, however, I did not meet the “threshold” of 10% as mandated in a RCW done up by Sam Reed. To give you real numbers here, for my precinct, I received 4 votes. To meet that 10%, I would have had to get 15 votes. Again, thank you very much to the four of you who voted for me, but because of a combination of Sam Reed ruling and US Supreme Court ruling, technically I didn’t win. Don’t think that this applies to Democrats only. It applies to Republicans as well, and, during one conversation I had this morning, person in question said to me, “Johanna, the Republican party is just as irate and upset about this as we are, and it’s perhaps the only thing we have in common right now.” Wow, to think that Washington democrats and republicans would have *anything* in common is a bit mind-boggling, but it is what it is.

Like I’ve stated to any and all of you who know my full story on this, I was at the 26th district caucus held in February. I heard an empassioned speech by Mark Brown asking people to apply for and run for PCO, that we needed more committed individuals filling these spots and having a voice. Oh yes, he convinced me indeed, so I chased down his wife, Renee Proctor-Brown, who is current treasurer of the 26th LD, and I asked her for an application. I filled out the application, signed it, and returned it to her, pretty much assuring that she would do her part and turn my application over to the Kitsap County Auditor and my name would be on the upcoming primary ballot. However it got “lost” somehow and never was received by the auditor. My name was *not* on the ballot, and oh, what to do here, what to do?

A dear friend of mine told me to not give up and not despair on this, that I could go to the Auditor’s office and file as a write in candidate, which is exactly what I did. I received a letter from the Kitsap County auditor’s office stating that I had indeed won election, and I thought that everything was fine and safe and no worries. However, this was not the case, as again, got that letter from Dwight Pelz stating that no, I wasn’t a PCO and I needed to be appointed as such.

Better yet, Dwight says, “Oh yes, gee, go to December meeting and hang out but um, you don’t have a voice.” (No, letter did not use those exact words, but basically, that’s what he was implying.) Wait a second. I have a rather unique situation here, and I had filed my paperwork well in time to be on that ballot thank you very much, and I wasn’t, and now you’re telling me that no, I don’t have a seat, I don’t have a voice and I don’t have a vote? But you want me to just sit there and listen and be nonchalant person about this? Oh I think not.

However do we rectify this situation? Well, we started out bright and early at the auditor’s office, asking to see the count in my precinct. (That’s where I got that 4 out of 15 needed figure, and thanks again to all my friends at the auditor’s office who researched this for me. They’re great people, and I’m putting them all on my holiday baking list.) So yes, ol Dwight was correct in not hitting the threshold of ten percent. Drat! I learned much more about electoral process, and some helpful hints in my next big political run for office. MMM, yes. Knowledgeable, I am.

Next stop, well gee, you know, frfg (former really fat girl) needs to eat some breakfast before just dropping in to see more people to plead her case. So I decided to stop by Delilah’s Cozy Kitchin, downtown Port Orchard, to find out how tasty the food was and to figure out what that bubble tea was all about. Food was super tasty. No, no Delilah herself sighting, but that’s okay because I can just email her personally and tell her what a spectacular good time I had. The staff there were absolutely friendly, the food was superb, the tasty treats in the display case, albeit calling my name were denied because they screamed “high sugar content” and yes, I would eat there again any day. I’d also like to mention that Delilah has a great menu for lunch as well, and some really good specials that change daily, so yes, hannie stamp of approval and absolutely show up and partake. By the way, for all you techno-geeks like me, know that Delilah offers free wi-fi, so bring along your laptop as well.

Back to story. Okay, so I don’t have votes, I still have one letter that says I am PCO, and another that says I am not. Who can we really blame here? First, we can call it oversight and misplacement of said original application by Mrs Brown. But I digress, because you know, I was a “write-in” candidate. I handed her my application the day of the 26th LD caucus. So who knows what could have happened to it from there, but it obviously did not get to where it was supposed to end up, which would be the Kitsap County Auditor’s office.

But wait, Dwight was blabbing away about RCW this and RCW that in his letter. Yes, he was. (RCW for those of you who are like “HUH?” is revised code of Washington, basically meaning, Washington state law) And you just gotta *love* that we’re talking about Dwight on a first name basis at this point, because right after this, he’s going to get *my* response to his letter. Maybe we’ll be best friends, maybe not, but you know, not letting this one slide.

Background on all this junk is as follows, according to Dwight and his letter to moi. Wait, he was nice enough to apologize for confusion in all this crud and that he failed to inform Democrats in a timely fashion before the Primary that the state party is not in agreement with rules written and adopted this summer by, you guessed it, Secretary of State Sam Reed. The US Supreme Court declined to rule that awesome cool new “top two primary” unconstitutional, so apparently Sam Reed decided to implement new rules for elections (and this happens often, I hear) and changed requirements for electing PCO’s. So past rule was that 10% percent math jobbie I was just talking about a few paragraphs ago, which was in accordance with RCW 29A.80.051 (so you don’t have to look this one up…here you go)

Precinct committee officer — Election — Term.

The statutory requirements for filing as a candidate at the primaries apply to candidates for precinct committee officer. The office must be voted upon at the primaries, and the names of all candidates must appear under the proper party and office designations on the ballot for the primary for each even-numbered year, and the one receiving the highest number of votes will be declared elected. However, to be declared elected, a candidate must receive at least ten percent of the number of votes cast for the candidate of the candidate’s party receiving the greatest number of votes in the precinct. The term of office of precinct committee officer is two years, commencing the first day of December following the primary.

So according to this great letter, Sam Reed decided to waive this rule, and ignore this here RCW, and his rules apparently state that you could just write in anybody and they could be PCO. Right down to, get this one, writing in names of strong Republicans to fill a Democrat seat. (And yes, this happened, indeed it did, even here in Kitsap County. He wasn’t nuts on this one, it really happened.) Both Charter and Rules of Washington state democrats say either that 10%, or be appointed by the authority of the county party. But somehow Sam Reed wants to get into the mix and be rewriting charter and rules of not only Washington state Democrats, but Republicans too. (You see where even though we’re different, we’re the same here? As I got my letter from the democrat party rest assured that there were many Washington state republicans who received same sort of letter, from whomever their state chair is, and hey, this is by all means a DEMOCRAT blog, so I’m not looking that one up. You figure out who it is.)

What’s all this come down to? It comes down to me, asking, begging, pleading, offering to holiday bake for anyone who is an elected PCO in the 26th district LD to please nominate me during December’s meeting. Now in case you’re like, “hannie, you’ve just jumped off your rocker and you’re absolutely nuts!” no, no I am not. I would like to offer you, for some fine reading, my original platform to enjoy. Know that I am not doing this as a publicity stunt, not in the least. As a child and now adult of the same area in which I grew up in, I know that there’s much at stake in my precinct. I wish to get out, get involved, and get my community and neighbors involved. Yes, I have some strong opposition here, but even some of my strongest opposition loves me dearly, and has known me since I was a child roaming the beaches, sailing through Yukon Harbor and rowing and fishing and swimming. How many people can make that same claim? Not many, not many at all. So I’m again, all of you who are ELECTED PCO people of the 26th LD, to please nominate me, and please nominate me right in the middle of December’s meeting.

And then, pretty please, if you could, nominate me some more during the monthly Kitsap Democrat Party meeting as well. Oh sure, we have our disagreements here and there on who we’d like to endorse for our party, but we ALL endorsed democrats, did we not? Yes, we did. And I’m asking for your support, your endorsement, and your nomination to give me back my voice and my vote, not just for me, but for childhood friends, neighbors, and all those here in Yukon 241 (my precinct) who need to know that there *is* a democrat voice out there fighting for them. Many of the people who reside here are longtime residents. They’ve gone through some rough times, and I’d like to add that they’ve done this at the hands of Jan Angel. And ever since I hit the ground back in Washington state three years ago, I’ve fought for them even without the PCO part. But now, I ask you, I implore you, to allow me the privilege of standing up and representing all of these people. Yes, I’ll pretty much officially step off the soapbox now, but thank you for your time, and please consider nominating me for PCO, Yukon 241, 26th LD.

(and for those of you who are “super smarticle” as my child would say, you BET I tagged the beans out of this post. I tagged it as such because I just got done telling you at the top I was going to be the most obnoxious democrat alive. Oh, speaking of child, tomorrow we’re going to be standing loud and proud for our Stonewall brothers and sisters in Tacoma. You want to be involved with this too? Go here for more information. And remember, equal rights for ALL. Not just the select few, ALL.)

I mentioned in previous post that we’d be bringing up another subject near and dear to my heart, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint a single one of you out there. Nope, not a chance.

I know this does not apply to Washington state, but someday, it can and it will. Making a proposition to “ban” gay marriage is just so very wrong. It’s not about religion or anything like that, it’s about denying members of the human race basic rights we should “all” be afforded, no matter what our orientation should be. Some of my best friends in the world are gay. Do we sit around and talk about what they do behind closed doors 24-7? No, we don’t, and why should it matter or be a matter of issue. We all have our own ways to live our own lives, and that’s what great about living in the United States. So denying basic rights to a certain group is just the wrong thing to be doing. Don’t like it? Don’t believe in it? Great, that’s *your* right, but to shove it down others’ throats as “morally and ethically wrong” and using the bible as your only argument is crap. Pure crap. Because those who throw the Bible down and say “gay is wrong” are in more cases, more often than not, the same group who violate portions of the Bible daily, even hourly, and don’t bat an eyelash about that.

Let’s get back on track though, let’s do it. So proposition 8 didn’t go over so well in California, and I’ve read arguments that people didn’t quite get it when they were voting, meaning, the wording was a bit confused as to what you were voting for or against. Yes, I’ve heard that before, and I saw it happen in Mississippi as a matter of fact. There was a similar measure on the ballot, worded in about the strangest way imagineable, and Haley Barbour took it upon himself to make a detailed flyer on how you should vote against the measure (he sure did, and even had his signature on it as well, I think I used mine to start a fire to roast marshmallows, but yes, he did do this) to ensure that even the gay group in Mississippi have no rights imagineable.

Now let’s flash forward to right about now. I’ll have to tell you, I’ve never been a fan of online petitions. I’ve never been a fan of “in-person” petitions either, and perhaps even less thanks to Tim Eyman and his minions who attacked us in the parking lot of Wal-Mart in Port Orchard trying to get us to sign one of his silly initiatives. Followed us and harassed us all the way to the front door, they did, but once you realize that no one is that crazed and insane unless they *are* associated with Tim and his stupid initiatives, you just have to stop and say, “Not only no, but HELL NO. And while you’re at it, stop harassing me and leave my mother and me alone” (To date, still no apology from Tim Eyman or his group, and I’m thinking that this is exactly how he gets signatures for his initiatives, harass the good people of Washington state to the point where they’re like, “Um, if I sign this will you leave me alone?” My best bit of advice here, stay the course, hold the line, and let this man or his henchmen intimidate you not. A signature in favor of something he’s written is like asking to take Washington state back to the dark ages. Don’t give in, in fact, never give in.) Okay, point is, not big on signatures for any initiative, paper or electronic. However, something interesting happened that changed my mind about this attitude. It sure did.

A couple of months ago, an email dropped into my inbox about Dino Rossi accepting funds for his campaign that he shouldn’t have. And this needed to be investigated, and investigated quickly before election time rolled around, and hey, we have this great petition and could you please sign it. You know at first I was a bit hesitant about it. Do petitions really work? Do the right people in the right place even care about them, or check them for verification, you know, I don’t want to be wasting time on something that just won’t make a hoot of difference one way or the other. But I took the time to investigate this little Dino and money issue, and yes, I needed to lend my support to this cause, however I could. Read about the shenanigans here. We should all be held accountable for funds to our campaigns and before we start the “rah rah” for Lary Coppola and his careful scrutinization of the PDC, I’d just like to say that I was there perusing it before he was, and his reads like the Kitsap Republican Party all got together and donated lots of cash to his campaign. Yea, you’ll see an occasional democrat in there, but main contributors? Important peeps in the Kitsap Republican party, which again drives home my point of, hm, wonder what side of the fence Lary sits on? Even with reading his blog, even with driving by his business before election time, we all know the answer to that one, and that’s why you see him often blabbing about how awful he thinks Fred Chang and Josh Brown are. Oh, speaking of Josh, we have more news from him, and we’ll have to post that up here quick like. But back to original point, one more time. We have so much fun stuff to talk about, it’s easy to get sidetracked here, but yes, I signed a petition that was delivered to Rob McKenna’s office. And, get this! Rob McKenna agreed that this all needed to be investigated. And sure enough, Dino was brought in to make a deposition. Now yes, Dino was a bit upset as it was cutting into his campaign time, and he just *knew* that this was some sort of sleazy tactic brought on by the Gregoire campaign, but no, no sir, I beg to differ. It was brought on a bunch of people in your state who wanted answers and wanted accountability and signed petitions. Beautiful, isn’t it?

So those of you in California, do NOT give up hope. And if you’re incensed about the vote for Proposition 8 and want to do something about it, please visit here and if you meet qualifications for being a registered Californian voter, sign away. Please, pretty please, because again, in the end, when it comes down to it, we’re all human, and it should not matter as to our sexuality when we’re taking our marriage vows with that person we want to honor and cherish and be with for the rest of our lives…same sex, different sex, it DOES NOT MATTER. What should matter here is that when two people enter the sacred bonds of marriage, they’re doing it with a clear conscience and that it’s something where the two people involved (no matter what gender here) are dedicated to one another for sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, through the good times and the bad, and till death do us (them) part. And if you’re going to teach about marriage in school, that’s what should be really addressed, not *who’s* getting married, but *why* you get married and the importance in that, and if anything, it should be that anyone here in the great US of A should have that same right no matter what their gender preference or sexuality is. By the way, I feel that this should be law in all 50 states, and include Guam and Puerto Rico in there too, and it shouldn’t have to be passed under some proposition or initiative. It should just be the way it is. If you don’t like it, don’t agree with it, well great, that’s your right, but I guarentee you’d feel a bit mift if someone just came popping up out of nowhere and said “Hey, you’re heterosexual and I’ve got this book here that says it’s wrong for YOU to get married, so you can’t do it.” (I’d go find a book and write that down in there and take a picture, but one of my oldest friends is a librarian and although she’d agree I’m making a good point, she might be a bit mift about me defacing books. So not cool, you know.) Again, thanks lots for your time, and if you know anyone in California who wants to help make a difference, pass along the link for petition signature to everyone you know in California and get it done now. Make this happen, and allow *all* of us to have the same rights we should have had all along.

(Due to pain issues and such, I took a few days off. Also, admittedly, I was thinking about this entry, and about how I would word it to really bring it home that yes, this is an important win, and how it’s important to moi. Without further adieu, let’s bring it, and bring it good.)

So Barack Obama won the presidency, and gun sales have gone up in our country (which frankly, frightens me. Although I am a fan of the right to bear your own arms, guns don’t kill people, people do, and I hope that those of you who are stocking up on guns also take a good gun safety course, and learn how to properly clean and care for them. Guns are not just as simple as say “ooh, buy it, put a few rounds through it, and isn’t that cool?” No, there’s a bunch of care and maintenance that goes behind having a firearm, and you should learn it and do it. Guns that are not maintained and cared for properly are more of a danger to YOU than anyone else.) and hey, Barack has even already had his first conference in which, question of the day was, “What kind of dog are you going to bring to the White House?”. That’s great, leave it to the press to make that some sort of great focal issue. No, we need to hear about what’s going on behind the scenes, what Barack is going to do for us, and somehow we’re talking about dogs for the kids? Granted, yes, dogs are important too, and please, if you can, adopt a dog or cat from Kitsap Humane Society and have a beautiful pet of your own to love and cherish, but wait, we’re talking about the state of our country and how Barack is going to take the reins and make us bigger, better and stronger than ever before. Because, all of you out there, that’s exactly what he’s going to do. There is, however, one other area I’d like to discuss in conjunction with making us a bigger, better and stronger country, but we’ll get there, we will.

So the child and I watched election night, and she of course, was rolling her eyes and sighing as usual. Again, we go back to, how can we get our youth more involved and understanding of what’s at stake with the right to vote, and why your vote is so important. My son, no problem. He registered to vote at my insistance, and did so, and even sat down and listened to the “Mommy primer” on all the candidates, although I will admit, he tuned me out on the Larry Seaquist part. He said he had to pass on Larry because he was still offended by Larry’s NASCAR remarks. Now that truly impressed me because I honestly had thought that “faux pas” by Larry had moved along, but in my son’s mind and memory, it hadn’t. That made me proud because he remembed something a legislator had said or done, so apparently he’s been watching the news and listening to what our politicians have been saying for some time, and so no, he really doesn’t need the “Mommy rant” on why its important to vote. Good on you, little child of mine, and never forget, “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” (This thought applies to both children, and if you’d like to read the full book go here. If there’s ever something you should read every night to your child if possible, it’s this book.)

Back to child two. She’s watching the election returns with me, and we watch together as Obama takes the presidency. We watch McCain give his speech, and the hordes of people “booing”. We watch Obama get up and do his speech, and what does the child say? She actually tells me that she’s scared, because you know, remember what happened to Martin Luther King when he tried to get up and stand up? I stop her right there. Sure, we all know how Martin Luther King met his demise, but it’s how many years later and you KNOW who he is and what he was fighting for, and the infamous speech “I have a dream”? What you’re watching right there, dear child, is Mr King’s dream just come a bit more realized. You’re watching history being made, and you’re watching a proud victory on so many levels, it’s unimagineable. But again she wants to revisit the past, and civil rights for all, and how those who got up to speak and fight were all stopped, and there’s mean nasty people out there who still want to stop all that even to this day.

Back on that argument wagon we go. I ask her how she would know about mean nasty people who would want to stop important work of civil rights for all, and how would she know about racism in this country and how hateful and degrading it is? “Momma,” she says, “You’ve shown it to us, we’ve seen these places in our travels around the US, and you’ve told us that it’s not a good way to live, yet it still exists and some of my relatives even believe in that crap, and you’ve always told us that there is no division when it comes to the human race, none whatsover. But there is, and it hasn’t gone away.”

I’m here to tell you she’s absolutely right. My child has seen some things that would make you shiver and quake in your boots, because they’re absolutely wrong, and we’ve discussed just how wrong it is, but it happens, to this day. I’m talking about full blown racism and segregation, and yes, we’ve seen it up close and first hand, and it sickened both children and I. We’ve all spoken out against it, and yes, we were all given the dirty looks and shoved the other way by members of our (used to be) family. But the three of us, if given the chance, would do it all over again, because we know it’s wrong, and we never will agree with it.

We’ll go with our time spent in Mississippi, because that’s where we saw it the most. Oh yes, there’s other places as well, but our strongest argument, or rather, Manda’s strongest argument, comes from there. Her cousins sat and told the three of us that there’s a regular bus and then the “black” bus that comes around to pick them up for school. And if you misbehave or act up, you go to the “black” bus and you have to ride with “them”. No one else in the house is dropping their jaws in disbelief except for the three of us. What sort of lesson is this teaching our youth? Are you seriously trying to say that, because of your color, you’re deemed good or bad? Apparently so in this part of Mississippi. Not only that, it’s perfectly acceptable in the households in this area to use racial slurs no matter how old you are, but if you say the general “bad word collection of expletives” you get smacked for it. What the heck is that? But the best one, the best one of all was when the KKK was given booth space at the state fair. Oh no no no, the KKK surely can’t live in this day and age. I again, repeat to you, hi, yes they do. Organizations like this exist, and they thought that they were going to propagate their hatrid and filth among the citizens of Mississippi at the fair.

Now remember, I just got done saying “they thought”. Because maybe a month before that fair happened, there was a huge protest. Manda and I were there for that, because it completely shut down traffic on 10 going into Jackson. We were on that stretch of road, and we were cheering as loud and as hard as we could, because we were all for that protest. I turned to Manda, and I told her, hey, we know it’s wrong, and you bet there’s a ton more people who believe just as we do, because our car is moving nowhere. Sure enough, either in the same day, or the day afterward, that booth for the KKK was denied. Yes, a small piece of victory for those who believe in that “dream” in the state of Mississippi. Small piece, but there’s tons to go yet. Because we know children who are still being taught that the African American race is “less than” and that they shouldn’t be allowed a voice and they’re being associated as “bad” and not only that, you’ll find that even the governor won’t budge an inch to change that (governor of Mississippi) unless you throw one hell of a protest like shutting down major freeways. And this is what Manda speaks of and what she knows, and so, I told her that when she goes back to school and they discuss politics and she’s rolling her eyes in disgust one more time, that *that* is the perfect time to get up and sing like a canary as to how racism hurts and is still being taught and preached today, and that’s why an Obama win is so so meaningful to us. And that yes, “we HAVE a dream too” and we just saw it happen not too long ago with his victory. So the child looks at me, and she says, “You know Mom, you’re absolutely right, I hadn’t thought about that, and yes, it is something that should be brought up and talked about.” “Oh, you betcha!” as one presidential contender would say. So we’re going to take a look at this victory, and we’re going to smile and shine because we know that we, as Americans, have taken a huge step in the right direction. Add to that, “it’s about time!” while you’re at it.

Look at this little clock here, ticking away. It’s speaking loud and clear to you, telling you to get that ballot done and in, asap. Now, I’ve had a really interesting day so far. After having my way with Lary Coppola and his blog (you know, he’s number one this week on my blog searches. Jan’s been replaced. Oh how we must change that, because well, if Lary can go ahead and tell partial stories, so can I. Oh yes we can.) let’s see, I had a rather interesting discussion with the child about voting and elections.

Now child echoes same sentiment that I’ve ran into with a few people in Kitsap-topia. They’ve become disenfranchised with the whole process, and believe that their voice doesn’t count and voting doesn’t matter anyways. *gasp* Because we’re anti pointing fingers of blame today, let’s take a moment and see why people would feel this way these days. I would tend to say that budgets are looking bad, there’s a whole lot of empty promises and ideas given that just don’t seem plausible, more families are struggling just to make ends meet, and businesses are either closing up for good, or moving on to cheaper pastures. I’d say right now that we, as a country, are pretty much suffering. I’m not going to say “thanks to (insert your political party here)” because I don’t feel that’s entirely correct. I’m going to say that it’s thanks to decisions made that are just well in the end, hurting us as a whole.

Now remember, I just said decisions. Decisions happen when you take the time to fill out that ballot, and you get it in. You’re deciding the fate of your country, your community, your area. What’s important to you? And how can you make a difference today, right here, right now? That’s right, vote and make that happen. Sure you can argue me down and say “But hannie, I am just one voice, and no one really cares, and I am sooo sick of politics and hearing the argument over and over again.” But I will come right back with um, remember last election, that little race between Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi? That one was decided by what, a couple hundred votes or so? I’ve seen some races really come close to the wire, and some that were decided by large margins. Either way though, it can’t and won’t happen without you. Time’s ticking away, rather quickly I might add, and so it’s a last minute appeal to all of you to get that ballot done, in the mail, or straight over to the auditor’s office. Now even if my local friendly barista can carry herself straight in to the auditor’s office today in fact to ensure her ballot got in, you can do it too. Go go go!

Let’s put Jan Angel right back on top of my blog stats, shall we? Recently, there was a nice little ad that came out stating that she took 88 days off in 2007. Lary never addressed that ad today, but you know what, I will. How much email got answered or constituent concerns were answered or no, wait, even entertained during the infamous 88 days? I’m thinking close to none. However, I appeal to all of you out there, and I’m raising the bar. Can we get an attendance record for this year? Hmmm.

No, I don’t make it a habit of following people around. But interesting that I should just happen upon this lovely advertisement, and just who should I see when I enter said establishment? Oh yes, let’s go with this, come about 10 am or so on a weekday morning.

Why, none other than Jan Angel herself. Now, we could talk fashion choices here but no, we’ll let that slide. But interesting that yes, she’s having a fine dining moment instead of serving the people. Now to be fair, some who I have shown the pictures to say “Well now hannie, commissioners need to eat too.” Sure they do, and I’ll even go so far as to say it’s rather sad that food services at the courthouse will be no longer as of November 14th. But don’t you worry, you can still get that awesome latte in the new hotness courthouse. Coffee, yes. Dining, well, you might have to call out to Pizza Hut for that, or, I’d go further and say, right down in downtown Port Orchard there is a great Chinese restaurant (and I can’t think of the name right offhand) that if I could swing it, I would eat there daily for at least a year or two. Highly recommended, for sure, and they deliver too. Speaking of restaurants for just a moment, know that my glorious review of Port Orchard dining is forthcoming eventually, because I’ve been to a couple places that are absolutely worth mentioning.

Now back to Jan here. Picture one, you know, I love the parking so that we can get that name right out there for everyone to see. That’s okay, I make sure to get all my democrat signs right out there and noticeable to everyone in the county too. We’re even. Picture two, however, hm. Do we call that a half day off or a full day or early lunch break? We should ponder that one. We should.

Let’s end this entry on a happy note, shall we? Where’s your favorite place to eat in Port Orchard? And have you hurried up and voted yet? Let’s take a moment to not only celebrate the fact that we can and should be voting, and that we have that right and honor, but let’s take a moment to celebrate Port Orchard and talk about our favorite places to get our grub on. We’re going Port Orchard only, because I certainly would not want Lary to get the idea that I’m not about promoting our local businesses, because I am. Port Orchard only, favorite place to eat, bring it. And get your ballot in, and please take one more good look at my photos and know that some of us are not diligently answering emails and taking your calls and always there. Start writing, everyone. Let’s put Port Orchard back on the map again.

(reprinted from Fuse Washington, and why should Tim *care* about all of us on the other side of the state from him? That’s right, it’s not coming from *his* pocketbook, it’s coming from ours. Timmy, go eat some apples, sit down, and *think* for a change before you start writing up silly initiatives. Oh, and you still HAVE NOT answered to the charge of undue harassment against my mother and I. Know when you and your minions are wrong? Right about now. And now, I pass it to Fuse Washington, who is perhaps one of the *best* organizations our state could have, fighting for us, the REAL citizens of Washington state.)

There may be 1,001 reasons to vote NO on I-985 on November 4. But we know your time is precious, so here’s the Executive Summary:

Vote NO on I-985 if you don’t want to gum up carpool lanes and think it’s a mistake to divert money from education and health care into unspecified freeway projects.

I-985 would make traffic worse by opening carpool lanes to all motorists during key travel times that include some rush hours — bringing buses and vanpools to a standstill, and putting more cars back on the highways.

And we all know how much we enjoy driving any major freeway at a standstill, any given time of the day. Timmy doesn’t need to worry about this, remember, he’s on the other side of the state. He thinks he’s doing you and I a huge favor, and if this is the kind of favor he’s handing out, then I don’t even want an invite to the party. Neither should you.

I-985 would slow rush-hour travel on SR-520 to 10 mph, according to the State Department of Transportation. A 6-mile morning commute from home to office would take 1 full hour of your day, and you still have to get home.

I-985 would bleed $600 million from schools and health care. I-985 diverts $600 million from the general fund to transportation over the next 6 years - increasing a projected $2.4 billion shortfall and diverting money from schools and health care to a transportation slush fund whose projects aren’t specified.

Oh, and to tack onto just what this is taking from, let’s add on Kitsap County coffers. Granted, you may be a commuter to Seattle for that job, but how about a nice leisurely drive through Port Orchard, Bremerton (anywhere in Kitsap County insert here) and you’re feeling every bump, every pothole, and who is it you’re wanting to curse out for this? That’s right, a vote “yes” here would be sending your sincere gratitude to Tim Eyman himself because he’s decided that our money and our tax dollars should be handed over to King County on a silver platter with no looking back and not even a friendly “thank you”. Sound yummy to you? I think not. Keep our money home where it belongs, helping our county and our citizens.

When did ALL these folks agree on something? The League of Women Voters, the Association of Washington Businesses, the Washington PTA, The Sierra Club, and dozens of other businesses, civic groups and leaders all agree that I-985 is a bad idea. So do The Seattle Times, Spokane Spokesman Review, Everett Herald, Tacoma News Tribune, Seattle P-I, and the Columbian.

And the Kitsap Sun as well, and you know how much we can agree to disagree with them on certain issues.

I-985 is a Tim Eyman initiative. . . need we say more? Actually, yes. As with so any other Eyman proposals, it’s misleading, costly, terrible for our health and school systems, and environmentally backwards.
And we all know how smart Tim is. Again, I drive home that he’s on the “other” side of the state, and the only time he makes appearances around here is long enough to wear stupid Darth Vader suits in Olympia, or try and plead his cause in Port Orchard. (Too bad I couldn’t show up for that, wearing a Princess Leia outfit and announcing to all that “the dark side will never prevail”)

If you vote in King County, Inititative 985 will be near the top of your ballot. Vote NO on I-985.
And if you’re in Kitsap County, vote no as well. Our city and county dollars, whatever ones we might have left anymore, need to stay right here to help us. I don’t know about you, but how do you feel about handing over blank checks of *our* dollars to another county, when we surely need every dime we can get? Not a nice feeling, no, not at all. Vote no, and keep our cash where it belongs, with US.
Edit: Again, the Kitsap Sun drives it home with this piece here. Granted, some people suggest that maybe some of our city staff including the mayor should take a little pay cut. But, again, main sticking point is that OUR money could potentially be funneled elsewhere. No way, no how, no thank you Tim.

For more information about these ballot measures and every other race on your ballot, please visit our Progressive Voters Guide.

voters guide here Get that ballot done and in, ASAP

This morning, I woke up in excruciating pain. I have no clue what it is, or why it is, but don’t worry, I have an appointment with both my surgeon and my regular doctor today, and hopefully we’ll come up with some answers. In the meanwhile, since I voted, and I hope that you have as well…I realized that after election, are we really going to have much to talk about? It’s all been this heavy push to hear about candidates that are super great, and those we’d rather not ever cast a vote for, and yes, even some that I’d personally cross a party line for because you know, even with our “party” differences much of what we say and what we see are the same vision. Get in trouble with “my” party for even saying such a thing? Oh I’m sure I will hear the “whispered comments” of how much of a traitor I am, or the attempts at a public lynching for saying such things. And for those of you who fall under *that* category, have I got a little something for you to read. I’m sure you won’t agree, I’m sure you’ll find that I’m nuts, but here’s my belief.

Everyone has a story to share and ideas that come close to their heart, and it doesn’t matter what party you represent. I have many friends that we’ve come to the conclusion that we’ll “agree to disagree” and we have great conversations on how we can, collectively, get our country back on track, even our state moving in the right direction. So today, we’ll talk relationship advice. And why not?

No, I’m not dating anyone, but this sounds like an interesting primer in which to start. Because, should you start that “more than platonic” relationship, you should at least be able to come to some sort of compromise when it comes to your beliefs. Even I can honestly say that if you agreed with me 100% of the time, I’d find you boring as hell. And if all you wanted to do was to argue with me all the time and not listen to what I have to say, I’d walk too because you know, I’ve lived that life before and all it really accomplishes is dragging down your self-esteem to the bottom of the barrel. No one either needs or deserves to be there…especially when the heart is involved.

So take a good gander at the article I just dropped, and think about how it could or would apply to you. We can all talk to relationships, good or bad. But when we speak to political affiliation, and how it affects the relationships that we have, now we’ve hit a whole different area. Many of my friends, believe it or not, are republican (GOP) however you’d like to call it. But we agree to disagree, some of us even make party jokes, and we’re still the best of friends, even as I write this. Now let’s hear *your* spin on this.

(Thanks to all of you who read me for putting Jan Angel to the top of my list of things you read about on my blog. I fervently hope, while you’re reading away, you see how she can give away or sell longtime Kitsap residents who didn’t need or deserve her type of “justice” in the name of “helping pedestrians” which to her really means, more unneeded development and more traffic. Do we need that representing us in Olympia? I think not. So thank you for reading, please keep reading and passing it along, and just say *NO* to her. Please be sure to say *NO* to Marlyn Jensen while you’re at it. She has no comprehension as to what saving Puget Sound is all about, and in fact would have no problem handing over special breaks to businesses who could potentially pollute more of our body of water. Puget Sound is polluted enough, and I can even show you pictures of the dead things that wash up on this stretch of beach to prove it. Again, I urge you to think about what’s really at stake here, and vote to save what we have left, before it’s ALL gone. Thanks again, and remember to vote.)

my letter jacket

Perhaps two days ago, I had this total moment of childhood flashback and it really rubbed me the wrong way. My daughter came home from school and told me the story of a person she thought was her friend turning out to not be her friend, because she had apparently gone around the school telling everyone and anyone that she was “fat”. Oh how that stung, and oh how I could identify, because I too had attended Sedgwick Junior High and got that label for all three years I attended said school. You’re looking at my SK letter jacket because in fact, I earned it while I was still attending Sedgwick. I was one of maybe three who had that honor in my class. You bet I wanted to wear it all around school and flaunt that hey, I accomplished something way before the rest of you and everyone’s so busy calling *me* fat? My parents told me that in no uncertain terms was I getting the actual jacket until my sophomore year, because it was only fair to the rest of my class.

But I was still labeled as “fat” although I spent quite a few years on swim team. I had all sorts of other labels as well, anything from “bucky beaver” (I had quite an overbite before braces) to stupid and ugly. Here’s where I learned my greatest lesson, and I learned it right at Sedgwick Junior High. I somehow came to the conclusion that more people would like me and I would be more acceptable if I had blonde hair, because all the popular people had blonde hair. I colored my hair blonde, went to school the next day, and was still laughed at, mocked at and people were saying I was still fat, stupid, ugly. The hair color seriously didn’t matter. And that’s where I decided that I was going to be me on my terms, and either you accepted me that way and we were friends, or I simply wasn’t going to waste time on you. Those who accepted me and that I’m still friends with today, sure they had to see and deal with a lot of strange stuff from me (My junior year, I sure enough whipped my hair and shaved it down to a mohawk. I was tired of looking fairly normal and wanted something different.) but they loved me regardless. They all looked past exterior appearances and realized that I was indeed something unique. I treasure each and every one of those friends to this day.

Back to the child though. What to tell your child when people are deliberately bullying her and making her feel inferior? And what could I take from my own experiences growing up and share with her that would perhaps impact her and let her know that hey, yes, words do hurt and some people can be filled with hate and anger, but it’s about whether or not you allow that person to make you feel that “less than” feeling. Taking it a little further, I continued on to say that some parents just don’t always have the time to teach or advocate tolerance or even acceptance of others no matter what their look or belief or lifestyle may be, or said “bully” has their own self esteem issues and feels the need to lash out by striking against others.

However, in meeting with my daughter’s counselor, I gained even further perspective and honestly, I wish someone would have taken the time to tell me these words growing up. I think it would have made a greater impact on me and I would have saved myself a lot of private tears and poor self esteem growing up. I had told him that my daughter wasn’t comfortable coming forward with the name of the person who was bullying her, that she just wanted to go to school and do her work and just let it “slide”. The counselor tells me that when my daughter makes such a choice, she’s actually advocating and encouraging not only the bully to continue that undesirable behavior, but that others see it take place and assume it’s acceptable and participate as well. And it’s not okay, and it’s not right, and it needs to be addressed for that reason straight away.

I have to say, I was impressed. I knew that presenting the solution to my daughter in that manner would make a greater impact on her, and she’d understand that she was not only saying “No, I don’t have to take this, and I won’t” but that she was blazing a path for others to follow. Again, I wish that someone had shared that with me during my junior and senior high years.

I don’t wanna be your little picture perfect pretty girl
Who’s got nothing to say
I’m not gonna wait around
Let you run my whole life down
So you can watch me fade away

I know I don’t want to be that girl, and I certainly wouldn’t want my daughter to be as such either. I would want to be, just like I said before, me on my terms and how I feel I should be. And as my foster mom used to say all the time, “You’re not out there to win a popularity contest. You’re out there to live life to its fullest.” Absolutely, and I’d say that to not only my own daughter, but to each and every one of her friends as well. Just be you, and the rest follows along.

(Coast to coast, you’re invited to comment and add your own spin or childhood memory and what you did….because this is an important issue that carries on even into adulthood sometimes.) peace + love + unity + respect

How many of us showed up this morning or even this afternoon expecting to hear from me and instead got treated to a page with blank text? Raise your hand, go ahead! And how many of us thought it was some great “mutiny on the bounty” moment to either silence me or somehow “hide” what I had to say? Admit, you were thinking that. But no, I have a better story than that, and it’s sort of funny to be quite honest with you.

Usually my blog works just perfectly, without a hitch, nothing goes wrong, and we’re all good. However, this is where we get super-techie for a moment to fully explain what goes on behind the scenes. There was a optional new build that people were being asked to install. (new software, so to speak) So I gave it a whirl, and um….my blog puked and puked hard. Little did I know that in the meanwhile, back at the ranch, someone had dropped an url to a particular entry I had made, and oops, ain’t nobody going to see it until I correct my little problem.

I start by switching designs, but no, I really liked my original fall design. With the new build, and fighting pain all day, I went through about maybe five or six designs and recoding them to get them to play nice. They didn’t want to play at all. I wanted to cry at one point, because it was becoming a major source of frustration to me. When techie things become that way to me, I walk for a couple hours, and think about what I need to do to fix it and make it right. That’s exactly what I did. You drop the code and just let it sit “as is” for a bit, and do something entirely different, and the answer comes to you. Exactly how it works for me, each and every time. So for all of you who were expecting to see some great story or cute picture of me, and saw absolutely nothing, I apologize. I had some serious technical difficulties going on today. Never mind though, I fixed them all and we’re back in business. *hanniecheers from South Kitsap to North Kitsap and everywhere in between Kitsap*

And because we just could not let an entry *not* contain something politically fun, I present to you a blog entry from one of my dear friends in A-la-BAMUH who’s super good with the photoshop. And, I’ll add, great sense of humor and oh boy, absolutely wonderful individual. View it right here! And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming, and thank you for your patience while I fixed things.