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July 2008 posts

Thursday, July 31, 2008

HATE ME (I am a Unitarian Universalist)

It has taken me four days to be able to write about the shootings at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville.

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Mer asks "Why Mom?"...

Mer asks "Was he mad at them for being Unitarian's?"...

Mer asks "Was it because there were Gay people there?"...

Mer asks "Was it because we love everyone?"...

Yes, we love everyone...

Since we fear no hell, the acts we do come from a belief in the goodness of humanity. Come from doing the right thing because it is the right thing.

Until you cross that line in the sand.

The majority of my church family believe in the constitution, because we know the values of the individuals who wrote the document.

I am a tree hugger, who will protect my family at any cost.
I was raised to shoot-to-kill and sleep like a baby.
I will "love" you until you threaten the safety of my family.

WE the PEOPLE means ALL the PEOPLE.

I see beauty everywhere I look...why can't you?

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

HD 87 Andrew Winningham 358 - 51%

Jason Nelson 349 - 49%

Thanks for your support - it was a long, crazy day. I stood out in front of your polling place for hours waving and holding a sign. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out how we hoped, but Andrew knows that he did really well - especially since Jason had $52,000 and we had about $5,000. I think Jason thought it was going to be an easy win - but we made him work for it! Now Jason will go up against Dana Orwig - and that's going to be really difficult for him. A lot of people love her. Take care...Jennifer Winningham

Jennifer and Andrew,
Not only did you do really well, you did amazingly well.
Just remember...one can only spend $52,000 to ask "Who IS Andrew Winningham?" once.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Andrew Winninginham...Puuurfect on July 29th!

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Time For a Change of Character

At the request of my conscience and the obnoxious muddy tactics of his running mate...
I have requested my lawn be peppered with as many "Win With Winningham" signs as can be spared. ( in the eleventh hour no less )

I fear if anything is to be done, it will require a change. Not a change of party, for we all truly know who holds the deck, but a change in attitude, a change in the level of willingness.

More like "Winningham is Willing"...for all intents and purposes, he is, and has been.
Stating what he believes in, not what a POS hisrunning mate is.

My personal reaserch has lead me to THIS conclusion:
If each one of us took the time to walk our Neighborhoods, knock on doors, shake our neighbors hands, GIVE them a hand...can you imagine how fast crime stats would drop?
Can you imagine that yard needing mowing you always complain about belonging to a Senior Citizen with diabetic neuropathy?

Andrew Winningham has taken the time to personally get to know hundreds of our neighbors. To talk about their needs, his hopes, and our solutions.

I make every attempt at owning my wrongs, and while some issues may still be in dispute regarding Mr. Winningham's personal life...they truly have nothing to do with who would be a better State Representative for HD 87 in this election.

I STRONGLY urge you to vote tomorrow.
I will be, for Andrew Winningham.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Andrew Winningham vs. (the guy who says nasty things about the afore mentioned individual)

So Mer and I are coming home the other day, and just as we pull up to our house some kid (holding his pants up, no belt, no shirt, sweating, etc..) is run/walking out of our yard from our porch.

Being Clint Eastwood on Estrogen I followed him in my sorta SUV, blocking him in at the Fire Station and saying...(in my best Clint Eastwood voice) "What the hell are you doing?"

He couldn't have been more than 20, but I still think I'm 18 so I was kind of circling him as he walked, he claimed he was using my yard to cut through the neighborhood, and apologized profusely, calling me "ma'am" with his mouth and other things in his head.

The house behind us was vacant, up for sale.
We'd had way too many burglaries in the neighborhood lately.
WHY are you not wearing a belt dude? (I'm not talking style here, the guys pants were falling down K?)
Oh...I just gotta call it in...

Within minutes there was a chopper overhead hovering the house, a policewoman at our front door (the same officer who nearly blew away the gangsters who we had cornered on the side of our house on 44th almost a year ago)

She was in a hurry, we could hear car alarms going off in the distance...then she said "Lock up" and RAN to her cruiser.

I look down, and there was a flyer stuck in my mail slot.
A flier from Winningham's running mate on thick-ass-mill-virgin-CARDBOARD.
OMG!

So this guy, old what's-his-name, runs a liturgy of "Reasons NOT to vote for Winnningham"...and he may have just won the election for him...if the people I know in this area go vote.

Who do these people pay to do their market analysis? Run their ad campaigns?
"Win with Winningham" that...was genius. However, he did clean up his website to further explain the issues at hand. Good move.

So far in the neighborhood I've only seen several party signs in yards...it's just not eco-friendly anymore guys! (next time, spend the money on magnetic bumper stickers)

I will say this: Old Whats-his-name, Winningham's running mate, hasn't placed any vital information on my door other than to attack Andrew Winningham. Everything I've seen from Winningham's opponent has been slander, lies, and innuendo...something akin to... politics.

Nothing has been said about what old whats-his-name will be doing for our district, and we really don't care about where you and your kids go to church dude (OK I don't care)
I just want to know who's going to make a difference? Who's going to do something about the crime? Help us block this entrance into our Addition to stop the speeding traffic so children can play?

I don't care if Andrew Winningham is 25 years old, I don't care WHERE his money comes from, I don't care about anything old whats-his-name said on his virgin CARDBOARD flyer...because he said it in the first place.

I like the fact Winningham didn't come out of the shoot a blue blood Republican.

I like the fact the kid is taking a HUGE risk having never run before.

I like the fact he and Jennifer DON'T have any children yet, it frees them up to move, go, act, think, do, be, etc. All those things you either cannot do, or must slow down to do with small children.

Whats-his-name showed his ass by attacking Winningham similar to the way I did here. (as most of you know I have no problem showing my ass)
Not once have I seen old whats-his-name, not once has he come to my door except to bad mouth his opponent via a vignette of twisted truisms on paper.

I hope that wet-behind-the-ears kid gets elected. I remember the day he was born, how excited Billy was to have a little brother. Every milestone you had, he talked about. "Andy's walking", "Andy's water skiing", etc.

He and his wife have made several attempts at contacting me to "explain" things I said in my previous post. There was never a need to clarify, but I will say I did hold the reigns out of respect for your mom and Billy (who BTW never considered you "Half" anything)

I aspire to be a decent Journalist, why write things that are not true?
However people wish to portray the truth is their business.
I stand by what I write, and if I'm wrong I own it.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Shadowing The Guard

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Monday, July 21, 2008

The Flats

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Sunday, July 20, 2008

Andrew Winninghams Rebuttal

Sorry this didn't get to you sooner, I mistyped your email address when I tried sending this to you the first time.

I just read your recent blog post about me - thanks for your interest in my candidacy, but there are a few misunderstandings that I would like to clear up.
I know of no trust fund that names me as a beneficiary, and I have never received a payment from a trust fund.  My grandfather only died about a year ago, and his estate passed to my grandmother (as far as I know).  My grandmother gave part of the money from my grandfather's life insurance policy to my wife and I, the bulk of which we invested.
I was raised by a single, working mother with limited access to child support - I had a great childhood and went to good schools.
I have been out discussing issues with voters at the doorstep since May.  Yesterday alone, I knocked on over 200 doors.  I wear slacks and a button-down shirt because I take this campaign and the office seriously, and I would like my appearance to reflect that.  If you had a flyer on your door, then you are on my list, and I have knocked on your door twice.
It is unfortunate that you do not appreciate my campaign strategy, but in my experience at the door, people do care that my opponent is a lobbyist, and they do care that his campaign has raised tens of thousands of dollars for our state rep seat.  If it isn't important to you, my website and the other literature I've left on your door explain a bit more about my issue positions.
Which big brother are you talking about?

~Andrew Winningham
(You can certainly call me Andy, also - I started going by Andrew two years ago, so only people I've met since then really call me Andrew, anyways.)

Dear Andy:

You absolutely MUST be prepared for these types of "Interests in your Candidacy" in the political arena.
Your life will become an open book, people will say things that are and are not true...

Are you mature enough NOT to respond when someone blogs about you?
Or better yet, do you care enough to change things? Truly, were so sick of seeing politicians who look like mannequins.

I lived a sheltered life just like you until I was 34 years old. Nary a speeding ticket. Private school education. A privileged childhood I had.
The truth is, it's a long ways from Deer Creek to the hood. From Nichols Hills, to the bowels of the inner city.
I've fought, scraped, and struggled to get my child out of City Housing...without ANY child support. Have you ever seen city housing? I am now a home owner in your district...

Are you not the full grandson of William Morris? (Morris Chevrolet) Deceased now over 20 years, and legalities aside, had a right to what was yours as did your brothers. I doubt your mom had to live in the projects to support you, but we all can't be so lucky.

Who came up with this campaign strategy anyway? Not once on your not-on-recycled-paper-handouts that are littering the neighborhood, did you address one single issue that MATTERS today.

What makes you any different than any other politician (some of which I consider close friends)

What about funding for mental health care? For long term drug and alcohol treatment?
There's no beds available unless you have private pay insurance. People are dying, and all you can come up with is "Don't vote for him, vote for me...because I'm not raising a bunch of money!" Genius.

You know by now I'm not a liberal, but I'll be damned if I support my party when the people in power continue to ignore the thousands of families waiting for housing in the city alone.
You'll push issues aside just like everyone else does once they get elected, because the problems are too big and there's really cool things like having major league teams come live here to address first.

I'll vote for you on one condition. I'll vote for you if you take excellent care of Billy.
Whatever he needs YOU make sure he gets.
YOU be the one to make sure he doesn't end up a statistic. YOU be the one to claim him.

With that said, just be aware there will always be someone out there who knows something about you you don't want them to know.
Be honest about it. Be who you are, not who you think people want you to be, hit the real issues, don't go on statistics (they're highly over rated)
There are very poor people living in your district, elderly people who still can't afford ice storm damage repair, living on a fixed income, too proud to tell a young man and his wife running for office...they live on tuna fish so they can eat with their cat.

Praxis Development's CEO Kory Warr raised the rent on Mayfair Market to intentionally sell out to CVS. The Market used to deliver groceries to our elderly, home-bound neighbors. How do they get their groceries NOW? (He also sold this house w/ a fraudulent disclosure, but because it's in this district does not qualify for rehab assistance)

You are dealing with generations of individuals, you are dealing with renters, multi cultural families, women who have had abortions, who gives a rats ass how many doors you knocked on. Did you attend the Neighborhood Housing Meeting? Churches in your district? Stand outside Jim's Barber Shop, Walgreens, etc. and shake hands?

Try something new...because right now if you asked my 78 yr old neighbor across the street who he was to vote for...he wouldn't know the difference between you and whats-his-name.

Rent a giant balloon bounce, put it up at the elementary school, or Mayfair parking lot (contact Praxis Development of course for permission) and draw ATTENTION to yourself Andy.
Put on a T-shirt and shorts and get out there and talk with "The people"...stop taking the election so seriously, and start taking the issues and the people seriously.

You have to pay nearly $4.00 a gallon for gas just like the rest of us...

NEVER be afraid to do a new trick, it just might land you a career.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Mid Summers Night Faerie Ball '08

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Once a year, for one evening only, this Mid Summers Nights Eve on Paseo with a full moon shining down...parents sparkle their children and watch them twirl in the magical moonlight, to New Age sounds and twinkling lights.

This year the venue changed from Tom's old church lawn, to...a vacant parking lot in order to accommodate the growing crowds through the years.
The babies, children and animals were just as glorious as ever. Performance from "Once Upon a Stardance Swan" just as amazing thanks to Director and Advocate, Lori Keller.

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You see, the wee ones from years past don't quit attending, they just grow up to be more grand a faerie, elf, imp, or magical creature of a warm summers night, than before.

Some of you have been with me long enough to remember when I first started this site. Back in the days of "Lords" and wounded children, wounding children. I don't forget, but I forgive. Mer is something else in his own right.
The wounds of hateful adults go deep in his soul, have carved away his innocence before my very eyes. I trust and make mistakes that cost my child. I do stupid things out of my own pain and loss.

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On nights like last night I see Mer's innocence lost more than ever. He has given up and gone to the "Other" side. It hurts too much to be vulnerable in life, hurts too much to trust, to love, to hope, to dream. (either that or he just likes black)

Mer wants to be a baby again, and simultaneously a teenager, which represents freedom in his mind. His walls have become thick as English stone, while I grasp for solutions to make us a "Family" somehow.

My ideas are lost in the reality of this worlds anger and hatred.
Should I have hit Mer too teach him "right from wrong?"
Should I ground him for being a boy?
Should I quit trying completely?

I am told by women who have no children "I spoil my child"
I am told by women who have children "I a don't do enough"
What do I know about raising a boy who had a sister one day then did not?
He wants to play with the little girls, wants to dress up and pretend it's all OK.
It's not "All OK", and to feed a child a line of bullshit like that, is exceptionally unkind and unfair...they know the truth.

All I care about is if Mer is happy, which he is...and is not.

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So as I watched those beautiful angels dance with abandon in the moonlight, I said a prayer in my heart they all went home to love and respect, that no one hurt them or stole their innocence, that all things magical and mysterious were good in their lives for as long as the world allowed...
and that someone always protected them.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Mid Summers Night Faerie Ball Year 6 for Mer.

Once again, for the the sixth year in a row...we are heading to the Mid Summer Nights Faerie Ball.

Once again, Mer will dance in the moonlight, dreaming dreams to sacred to share with anyone.
Once again, so many years after we left the hood, Mer barely remembers the way things were, and has no idea how things are to be. (neither do I, but they just keep getting better)

We are happy tonight.

Let him play, be free, dance and move with complete abandon...unlike my childhood.
I want so much for his to be pure, innocent and needing of me less as he grows.

I'll continue to attend The Faerie Ball as able, until funding runs out, or I can't get my wheelchair in all the right places.

Magic, is so rare here.
A thing to be cherished in our heart of hearts.

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