Sunday, January 27, 2008

Ridiculous hoops for a badge I already had?






















I really don't know why I did this - I saw a Google Ad asking if I was a Republican or what party I would support. Okay, I figured NOT a Republican - probably what I already know I am - a Green. So I took this 20 question quiz - only to be confronted with those dreaded pages of ads asking if I would click "Yes" on them! I hate those. I wish they would all die. Is that anti-artificial life of me?

Yeah, I've seen "Ghost in the Shell" several times - I don't care if artificial life does come into 'being' online if it is in the form of these hideous spamalicious websites!

I also hate spam. All of them. Even my non-veggy Somali friends can appreciate my stance on this critical issue, though they may not agree on all my thoughts.

So, now the question is - do I show this badge of honor to everyone? Or do I hide it in shame of answering those pathetic questions? By hiding it, I also prevent others from doing the same to support "the cause." Oh what to do in this digitally-stressful 21st Century!

Ahh, got it. Post it to my blog. My own personal diary that is all mine. And no one reads that right? :P

But I went searching for more legitimate - non-advertising hawking sites. I found two I like:

http://www.3pc.net/matchmaker/quiz.html

and gurl.com has a good one. Though I think some questions are a bit cheesy and miss the point.












gURL.comI took the "Count Me In" quiz on gURL.com
My party is...

Green

What They Stand For: The defining position of the Greens is their dedication to environmental issues--hence the name "Green." They also believe in grassroots democracy, supporting local activism, smaller and independently owned business, abortion rights...Read more...

What's your political party?


Thursday, January 17, 2008

Mystic Lake Excellence Award

I received this award only four months before being fired for my Green Party activism. The guidelines for the award are:
  • Consistent and exceptional performance. A one-time incident does not meet the criteria for this award
  • Only a manager or supervisor within team member's department may recognize a nominee for this award
  • Only active, non-exempt team members are eligible
Obviously, I had shown commitment to outstanding service, and few questioned this. I was never fired by the Slots Department. A tribal member active in the DFL or Republican party may have decided that Green Party member do not deserve employment. Michelle Christensen, my departmental manager, did not want to have to abide by their unlawful action in late April 2008. This ordeal makes me wonder if Green is the new Red. I have never cared about Communism, yet I am treated like I am a Communist. Capitalism may not cause our society to collapse, our addiction to oil and hydrocarbons will. Mark my words in permanent marker across your screens. :P

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Mason City Iowa Visit


This may come as a surprise to many, but I actually DID work on a campaign this year. I went to Mason City, Iowa in support of Barack Obama's bid for the presidency.

Now, being that I also volunteer for an opposing political party, this might seem very odd. But I have followed his career for years - especially after he won his bid for senate in Illinois. He is a spiritual progressive who is unafraid to speak of his faith in the political sphere. He also believes in the liberal rights of others - even if he disagrees with them, unlike those on the right.

His vision of hope and bipartisan coalitions are what America needs in the coming years - especially as the economy collapses under the weight of Peak Oil, the National Debt, and military overspending. The sooner we address these concerns the better.

Obama wants to expand ( but not increase the tax rate) of those who pay the FICA/Medicare tax to those making above $90,000. Currently if you make more than this amount, you have maxed out on your payment to this socially progressive system. By including all income, the tax burden on the middle class will diminish long-term.

His health-care plan is not perfect, but it does not force everyone to have an account. America needs a unique health plan that complements our society, as the one in Europe does for them.

Okay, enough about his issues - because there are some I disagree with. The primary reason is that I do not want to see Hillary Clinton in the White House - though her candidacy might help the Green Party more than any other candidate long-term.

So, I was recruited by Matthia Little-Smith to go down to Iowa. After replying with an affirmative, I was then was told that Obama would actually be there for a rally! Amazing luck that we would go down and be in the last town in Iowa he would have a rally in before their caucus.

While I could divulge the minutiae of the trip, I will make some shorter comments:

-The team I was with had never seen porches before! They were also "scared" of this cute Iowan town. Oh what to do! Coming from south Minneapolis, this was not something very new. And I am glad these suburbanites and Uptown yuppies were able to see where the rest of America lives.

-Brian Jessness, another Iraq War veteran, doorknocked with me. He was reluctant to go to a home on our list because it had a Hillary sign! This did not deter me, but galvanized our mission to seek our her voter disposition. When she answered the door, we met the friendliest person of our entire evening! Goes to show lawn signs don't indicate absolute support.

-Made several phone calls to other Iowans telling them about the rally. It was interesting hearing supporters of Kucinich and Richardson and even Edwards. But few had anything bad to say about Obama, just they supported someone else. But primarily, we reached voice mails. ( don't we almost always?)

-Our Minnesota team was the largest of any that the Mason City Obama campaign had ever seen. We enabled their team to get the word out about the rally and prepare for it.

-We were told not to take away from Iowans time with Obama. Of the entire Minnesota entourage, I was the only to fulfill this. I sat 6 rows back and was able to hear one of his powerful speeches live and in person. I consider myself very lucky to have been there, days before he would win the Iowa caucuses that few believed he could win.

You don't need to shake someone's hand when he's being rushed at from all sides. He needed more space! I don't know how any politician does it! While many got autographed signs, books, and posters - I would have a memory. And know I had the integrity to not stand in the way of Iowans wanting to get a closer glimpse. After all, we were there for the Iowans - right?

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Sledding!!


I took Josiah out sledding at the East Phillips Park today ( we do as often as we can ! Some other kids were out and so we raced them - and Siah and I won the majority of the time. Occasionally we would flip over, or hit a huge bump. Going off on the other side of the hill towards the sidewalk, one hits a hill and rarely makes it over.


He had a blast, laughing and chuckling the way he always does up until the end. Being out about an hour, Siah wanted to go in - saying he was too cold. I didn't even want to go inside quite yet, but he insisted we leave.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Blog info 2007

Of all that happens in my life, less than 10% of all the big things I do each year probably end up in this blog. But I do try to keep up, but you know life is quite busy.

Josiah and I have been quite busy this year with him going to school now, the Clouds in Water Zen Center every other weekend, and all the neighborhood events and garden work days. In the Winter, we try to get out when we can and sled or play in the snow.

It has been a tremendously busy year for me, and I hope 2008 brings things to more of a calm. But if the events that have wrapped up 2007 are any indication - things will be rough for a while.

The latest news:
*Josiah is still in school but is having a rough time behaving on the bus and may get kicked off.
*Brandy hasn't had a stable home for more than a month at a time, is starting a new job at Hard Times Cafe and is returning to college to finish her BA.
*Susan Rose Hamblin died, leaving my Mother a widow and without a job or any money. She may need a place to live and I wish I could help her out.
*Timothy, my brother, has just moved in with me because he was evicted from his place in Shakopee. He has taken Josiah's room, and is looking for a job so he can get his own place.
*Phanice is stuck in Kenya, after missing her meeting at the embassy. She was at her sister's funeral when the letter arrived stating her date with them. In addition, the nation of Kenya is in a state of anarchy due to a possible rigged election and pathetic tribalism. I haven't been able to get a hold of her for over a week, and will not be able to until the situation there stabilizes.
*Anne Stang and Matt Kremers have really helped me a lot over the last several years. I hope I haven't made them mad, because they don't return phone calls any more and didn't answer there door when I tried stopping over a couple times. But I had to cancel a babysitting date with them because of circumstances out my control, and they probably blame me for it. I really don't have anyone else reliable to help me out with Josiah apart from Leah and Brandy. Though my Mom did help the week Brandy disappeared.

The better news:

*I am glad to have many good friends. I especially am glad that Leah Seelhoff has been there for me so many times! Thank you Leah! Can't imagine 2007 or 08 without you!
*Josiah is learning how to read and write numbers/words, though he likes to guess, is lazy about it, and has a short attention span
*Brandy has rarely missed being there to help watch Josiah while I am at work. Thank you Brandy for being much 100% consistent since summer!
*Re-elected to the 5th Congressional District Green Party Steering Committee until July 2008. Hope I can do my part to keep thing stable and grow the local party!

site info:
554 visitors from 25 October until 31 December 2007.

No current financial gain, though I did install Google-ads in November.