Still heading back to Ohio… We took the kids to the Corning Glass Museum in Corning, New York, today. Phenomenal experience. It’s a ‘glass cornacopia,’ if you will. Glass artistry. Glass demonstrations. High-tech glass technology (phiber-optics, photo-tonics…). According to literature here, Corning Glass is one of the “oldest businesses in the world,” starting in 1851. And it has been one of the more innovative. The company, for instance, developed the original Polymore Telescope mirror.
7/31/04
Still heading back to Ohio, we stopped in Oneonta, New York where we met Jo and John Terwilligier. They are involved with the “Come Share a Meal at Our Table” program. Wonderful people and a great program. Jo and John explained throughout town here, for the past 12 years, volunteers and local businesses (in the form of food donations, etc.) provide a daily meal “for everyone.” The reason: “So no one in town has to be hungry.” Afterward, Joseph and I went to the Oneonta Public Library where we read a book about Jackie Robinson, who was the first Black Major League Baseball player and the first Black player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame — which is just north of here in Cooperstown, NY.
7/30/04
Heading back, we are traveling on a rather mountainous Rte. 9 in southern Vermont and have had the bullhorn out several times as we passed through small towns along here. In Wilmington, Vermont, we saw a cemetery with the quite apt, and simple, name: “Resting Place.” But unfortunately, there is no ‘rest’ for an independent candidate and his staff (read: family) in a set of rather slow campaign vehicles, so we rolled on…
7/30/04
We are heading back toward Ohio to campaign for the next 30 days, calling it the “Average Joe Buckeye Blitz.” (Again, we are doing this without paid campaign consultants.) Ohio, according to all kinds of reports, is going to be the bellweather state this Election. During 2002 we campaigned for eight solid months in Ohio, going to all 88 counties (see “Ohio Tour” on website Tour Map). We gained some supporters and we were in a good deal of media all over the state. We are going there to build on that. And, what’s to say we won’t be the ‘Nader Florida factor’ in Ohio — or just win outright for that matter. I mean, being from Ohio, I am a “native son,” of sorts.
7/29/04
We came to Old Orchard Beach, Maine today for our last stop of our current Coast-to-Coast Tour spanning some 8,000 miles. We had come here to learn about a $4 million pilot project to harness clean, renewable energy from ocean waves. While here in this vaction spot, we also did a whistle-stop event on a corner that sees the foot traffic of people from all over the country (helps us cut down on the need for all the million dollar national TV ads). Toward the end of the event, we met Fred Ptucha from Santa Rosa, California. He provided Naval Intelligence for “Swift Boats” (including the one presidential candidate John Kerry was on) during the Vietnam War. Ptucha is now a member of Veterans for Peace and is recently back from a trip to Vietnam — where he and other veterans were helping build homes for families who became homeless after the war. I told local reporter Liz Gold that our adminstration would promote a U.S. Department of Peace that would include just such an initiative, and more. Note: This week marked the successful coast-to-coast bicycle trip of John Paquet from nearby Wells, Maine. The Coast Star newspaper here said Paquet left San Francisco June 6 and “dipped the front tire of his bicycle in the Atlantic Tuesday…” In that tradition, but not being able to get the “average Joe” Mobile over the beach to the water (it doesn’t have four wheel drive); we instead dipped our feet in the Atlantic. And while we were there, and because we have kids who wouldn’t have had it otherwise, we also swam in the Atlantic to mark the end of the tour.
7/28/04
The Journal Tribune here ran a front page article about the campaign. It noted I believe Americans need to consume less and put the savings toward helping quell poverty more in the inner cities and the Third World. We then journied east to Kennebunkport, Maine, where, among other things, we saw the Bush family muti-million dollar complex of “summer homes” on the coast here. I can’t say this is really keeping with the spirit of our belief about: “consuming less.” While this might typify the zenith of living out the “American Dream,” perhaps we might want to consider redefining the “American Dream” as it might be better typified — in God’s eyes.
7/28/04
We did a street corner, whistle stop event at Sanford, Maine’s “Central Park” today. We then met with Bob Egan, a menber of the York County Right For Life group here. He said when he protests abortion publically, he carries a sign with a quote from Mother Theresa: “Saying there are too many children is like saying there are too many flowers.”
7/28/04
We did some stumping at the “Third Alarm Diner” this morning in Sanford, Maine. The diner theme is: “firefighting,” with both owners being local firefighters. Bob April, who has been with the Sanford Fire Department 17 years, told me they’ve rennovated the diner over the past 4 years. The walls are filled with dynamic pictures of local fires, fire trucks, fire fighters in action… and there is a phenomenally striking firefighting mural on the outside. Among other memorabilia inside is a 1911 model of a “Christie” Pumper. My son Joseph, 6, who is absolutely addicted to firefighting stuff, was in heaven. Later this morning, I told reporter Brian Smith of the Sanford News here that our platform calls for people supporting these types of small downtown businesses much more than they support the big national franchises like McDonald’s, Wal Mart, Lowe’s… Smith asked if that would upset these “bigger companies?” I said yes.
7/27/04
I was interviewed today by Tammy Wells of the Journal Tribune. She asked how my reception had been here in Sanford, Maine so far. I said: “not good.” I prefaced the story by saying John Kerry probably appeared on the front page of every newspaper across the country for his “first pitch” the night before at the Red Sox game. Not to be outdone, I approached the operations manager of the Sanford Mainers (Summer Inter-Collegiat College League) to throw out the “first pitch” at their game last night here. She, as judiciously as possible, said she was sorry but they had one of the stadium volunteers lined up to throw the “first pitch” because it was, after all, Volunteer Night. Undaunted, I continued: “How about the ‘second pitch?'” She smiled, but said no again. However, I did take in a few innings. And what’s more, I got to experience something Kerry missed out on altogether: “Bruce d’Moose.” The Mainer’s mascot is, that’s right, a moose — big furry head with with antlers, the whole thing! During the 7th inning stretch, ‘Bruce’ even got a top the Mainer’s ‘Moose Mobile’ and circled the stadium waving and tilting his antlers. A sight you won’t want to miss if you are up in this part of Maine any time before the season is over. And life on the back roads rolls on…
7/26/04
We traveled east today to Sanford, Maine (pop. 18,000) where I met with Alan Lawrence, 20. Some four years ago, just a week after he got his driver’s license, his car hit a soft shoulder, spun and hit a tree at 40 mph. The accident caused massive brain injury, he was in a coma for six months and half of his body was paralyzed. With intensive rehabilitation, he is able to walk, ride a three wheel bicycle and is now in college trying to get a degree in Digital Media. He still has limited mobility and as we talked I noticed his speech was a bit halting, and so on. Prior to the accident, Alan had been a competitive inland skater. He said the accident has not only caused physical trauma to him, but financial hardship for his family. Just a few days prior, I had told a reporter from the Berlin (NH) Daily Sun (as I’ve told reporters across the country) that our platform promotes “Walkable Communities.” Several years ago, we interviewed Dan Burden in High Springs, Florida. Burden, who Time Magazine recently called one of the top environmentalists in the country, travels America showing towns how to become much more walking and bicycle friendly with lower speed limits, diagonal paths to town, wider berm lanes for walkers and bicyclists… With the traffic speeds considerably lower, with more alternative vehicles (electric, solar powered…), with more people walking and bicycling… wouldn’t the amount of deblitating accidents be diminished in kind? Not to mention pollution. –We will be in Sanford the next couple days to conduct a whistle-stop event at the town square Wednesday.