Two days ago the AP carried a story saying the UN inter-governmental panel of scientists not only continue with their assertion that global warming is real, but it’s apparently accelerating rapidly. However, the panel does note there is still time (but not much) to curb it. With this in mind, I attended the Northwest Ohio Urban Forestry Seminar at Bluffton University yesterday. You see, trees absorb carbon dioxide. So if we start planting a bunch of trees all over (in tandem with sacrificing, going to much more green energy, etc.), we’ll have a leg up on this global warming thing. Nebraska City, Nebraska (home of “Arbor Day”), did. On a campaign stop there several years ago, we learned this town of 7,000 people was planting 10,000 trees. While we were in Rawlins, Wyoming, for another campaign stop, a U.S. Forestry person there told me that while we get so up in arms about the rapidly depleting Brazilian rain forests — we clear cut almost all (96%) of America! And it’s time we start looking in our own backyard, and, well, planting some more trees in it… After the seminar, I took our kids to basketball practice at the Harrod, Ohio (pop. 467), Multi-Purpose Center. And as luck would have it, the Harrod Village Council was meeting last night just up the hall from the gym. I stopped in. While most of the nation was riveted on the mounting tension between Israel and Iran yesterday, the Harrod Village Council people discussed the best way to get some “duck weed” off a local farm pond. And then there was the issue of a tractor tire in a ditch by the fertilizer plant. The village administrator said: “If the water plugs up in a big storm, there could be real trouble out there.” (And you think this nuclear threat in Iran is a nuisance…) Note: Levity aside… My wife Liz was just showing me yesterday that iconic Norman Rockwell painting of a man in a worn leather coat and flannel shirt standing to address what seems like a small village council meeting in America somewhere. The picture has “grassroots democracy” written all over it. And these guys at the Village Council meeting in Harrod last night, dressed in jeans, work boots, flannel shirts…, were living this small town democracy thing out with all the gravity it should be lived out with — as were those in the audience. For instance, three women from the Harrod Historical Society were there to lobby that the town park lights not be turned off as a cost cutting measure. Those lights shine down on, not only grass and park benches, but a 1905 Shay Steam Engine (which was designed here) and a Veterans Display that features a full-size Army green tank, a full-size Army green helicopter, and the words on a plaque nearby that say, in essence, that people gave their lives so that the democratic process that was being played out in this small village council room up the street last night — could go on. Note 2: As the highly-charged, geopolitical international chess game goes on around a “nuclear Iran,” like with the rain forest dynamic, it’s time the U.S. look squarely in it’s own backyard — or at least in it’s ‘backyard’ out West. That is, I once posed to a reporter from ABC News in Toledo, Ohio: “What if we let the weapons inspectors into Montana? What would they find?” Hint: Some 2,000 nuclear missiles aimed all over the world, including at Iran.
position papers, Italy, Nicaragua, ‘NRA Speak’
Catching up on the week… I’ve been cloistered in “campaign headquarters” working on position papers for our stances on foreign policy, and on gun rights. That’s what happens when you don’t have much of a staff, you actually end up writing these things yourself… A good-size story appeared about our campaign this week in a big Italian newspaper called Riformista. That’s right, while the other candidates have stories splashed all over American newspapers, we’ve opted to go the Italian route. (Call it a hunch.) I also recently gave a talk to a Nicaraguan high school, via the virtual magic of Skype. My wife, and ‘almost First Lady’ Liz, who is always the optimist, said: “Maybe the people in Italy and Nicaragua have friends in America they can talk to.” Note: In our position paper on guns, I note that more than 100,000 people in American are either killed or injured by guns every year now. The U.S, in effect, is turning into a veritable war zone. With the ‘front lines’ being our major cities. And to address this situation merely with ‘NRA Speak’ sound bytes and hubris, as opposed to squarely looking at the tremendously complex dimensions to gun violence in America, well, “…misses the mark (sorry).”
Ada, a bald guy, NFL footballs, coffee addiction, “tipping point” (not), trade…
The campaign rolls on… While the more high-profile candidates jockey for position on the national stage, we went to: Ada, Ohio (pop. 6,052), this week. I stumped at the Sawmill Restaurant, a small locally owned eatery in the center of town. It sits just adjacent to the Ada Post Office. And I walked out of the restaurant just in time to see a middle-age, kind of paunchy bald guy emerge from the post office with a t-shirt that read: “With a body like this, who needs hair!” (Is it just me, or is this t-shirt prose thing getting more and more off-the-wall?) Incidentally, while in Ada we learned a small Wilson Sporting Goods factory here: makes all the footballs for the NFL. How’s that for trivia? Then it was on to Lima, Ohio… In Lima,my daughter Sarah and I went to The Meeting Place (on Market) for lunch. And I put up a campaign flier in the front window there. That’s right, our answer to the multi-million dollar campaign TV ads:? Well placed fliers. (And we continue to do all of this without paid political consultants.) The Meeting Place has a rather large variety of coffee drinks and a list of 10 Things That Might Mean You’re Coffee Addicted. One of them: “You think sleep is only for the weak.” Note: At a gas station in Ada, I put up a campaign card that reads, in part: Average Joe for President. The cashier glanced up at it and asked: “You’re running for president of what?” Apparently we haven’t reached a “tipping point,” yet. Note 2: Free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama were approved this week by the House. This will open the door to way more trans-continental shipping and all the attendant global warming gases that come with that. It will also open the door to more sweat shop conditions in these other countries — so they can compete. So this might, in the short term, create more jobs in the U.S. because of ramped up exports, but at what long-term costs globally? I.e., common sense says we’ve got to stop being so myopic.
Peace Keepers, Shay Locomotive, beef jerky, Joe the plumber, ‘rotation formation’
Catching up on the last week… I talked with Bluffton College Education Professor Paul Weaver. Every year he goes down to the country of Colombia as part of a Christian Peace Keeper Team. Amidst the violence there, he and other team members serve as human shields for children walking to school, for rural villagers threatened with drug cartel attacks, and so on. Christian Peace Keepers believe in non-violence and are willing to put their ‘money where their mouth is,’ so to speak. That is, as soldiers are willing to die for war, these Peace Keepers say they are willing to “die for peace.” …Our “back road” campaigning in Ohio continues. We stopped in Harrod, Ohio (pop. 493). This is the home of the Shay Steam Locomotive, circa 1905. One is on display on the town green here, and is referred to as the “work horse of her day.” (It was manufactured at the nearby Lima Locomotive Works.) While in Harrod, the owner of the Harrod “Snack Shack” put up a “Joe the Painter” for President campaign flier on their bulletin board by the door. I signed it and added: “GREAT FOOD!” Okay, so I just had the beef jerky, but it was pretty good… Speaking of “Joe the Painter,” I just read that “Joe the Plumber” has officially announced that he is running for Congress in Ohio’s 9th District. And the “Average Joe Revolution” rolls on, like the Shay Steam Locomotive used to… Note: I filled in as coach for our son Jonathan’s Midget football team in a practice this week. I lined up the offense and defense in a “rotation formation.” That is, after each play the players ‘rotated’ so each boy got a chance to play each position. That meant, at one point, that the kid who regularly plays anonymously in the trenches at center, got a chance to run the ball. You should have seen the smile on his face as he lined up in the backfield. And he gained about 10 yards to boot on a pretty good run… After watching the Republican debate on the economy last night, I couldn’t help but think the “rotation formation” I used with the boys, would be a good idea for the economy. That is, for instance, maybe some of the “suits” on Wall Street (and well dressed politicians for that matter), could ‘rotate’ into some low-paying, mind-numbing assembly line work for a significant amount of time — not a photo-op amount of time. What’s the bet these people would soon (real soon) be looking to develop a new kind of economy based on much more human dignity for everyone, like our position paper on a “new economy” proposes.
“Hey buddy…”, a ’66 Coronet, Norman Rockwell, Canada, Kobe/Joe
Catching up on the week… Our son Jonathan and I attended a festival in tiny Continental, Ohio, over the weekend. It was dual purpose. There was a fundraising booth there for his Midget Football team — and I did some campaign stumping as well. On the football end, the head coach manned the booth, while Jonathan and I (and other fathers and sons) fanned out into the crowd to sell 50/50 raffle tickets. My opening line was: “Hey buddy, you look like you played football back in the day…” This worked, a lot. There was also an old-fashion car “Cruise-in,” and Jonathan and I walked about looking at the cars for a time. One of the cars was a 1966 Dodge Coronet with a slant 6 engine. I told Jonathan I used to have the exact same car when I was a teenager. Then I paused and felt: awfully old. We ducked into the Clubhouse Restaurant in downtown Continental where I put a campaign flier on the bulletin board, then Jonathan and I walked about the restaurant looking at art while waiting for our pizza. All the art was Norman Rockwell sports scenes from the 50s. The old cars, the old artwork… tell me somehow this is not just about nostalgia, but about some people desperately wanting to recapture life in a simpler time. I told The Review newspaper in Alliance, Ohio, that our platform includes helping move America back to a time when the pace of life was slower, neighbors knew neighbors, small town downtowns were vibrant… I was interviewed on-line by a reporter from a college newspaper in Canada this week. Notice the strategy: During Obama’s candidacy, he went to other countries throughout Europe. I, on the other hand — in an attempt to curb global warming — went to Canada, virtually. (Our Lear jet was in the shop anyway.) The reporter asked how our administration would undertake U.S.-Canadian relations. For one, I noted that the U.S. and Canada are the world’s largest trading partners. Under our administration, this would shift. I said our administration would robustly push a “Buy American” campaign, including levying high taxes on imports. Hopefully, I continued, Canada would similarily undertake a “Buy Canadian” campaign. Local production for local consumption creates much more community interdependence and cuts down tremendously on shipping — which generates all kinds of global warming gases. At some point, some candidate, somewhere… is going to have to run on some hard truths. And, well, I guess that would be me. Note: I played basketball with a group of older guys over at Bluffton University Thursday. I made a couple jumpers, had some good assists… I just read where Kobe Bryant is going to a European League team. I’ve thought about that too, but you know, the campaign and everything…
NPR interview, “The Gas Station,” Debbie, Jonathan’s first sack…
This week I was interviewed for an article to be posted on NPR’s national website. The story is about independent presidential candidates who continue to run, election cycle after election cycle. Reporter Linton Weeks said to me that some would categorize such candidates as perennial losers. “How do you respond to that?” He then asked. I said in our “campaign wake” over the past 12 years (and 125,000 miles), there are more people in the country now helping: save the environment, curb crime, welcome the immigrant, stand up for the unborn, aid the poor… In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, I gave a talk to a church youth group about the abject poverty we’d witnessed on Native American Reservations across the country in our travels. The youth were so moved, that shortly after the talk they planned a two-week “work mission” into the poorest Native American Reservation in New Mexico. “Loser?” I responded to the NPR reporter. “By whose measure?” …This week (besides updating our website), we’ve been doing some grassroots stumping in northwest Ohio. In Columbus Grove (pop. 2,118), I talked with one of the owners of The Gas Station. You read that right: “The Gas Station.” While it’s not clear how many actual seconds it took to come up with that, I do have to admit that in all our travels — I’ve never seen another gas station with that particular name. I mean it’s so obvious, who would think of it? The kids and I then went to Kohl’s Grocery Store up the street to put up a “Joe flier.” A cashier named Debbie noticed our campaign vehicle, which I had strategically parked right in front of the front windows of the store. (And we continue to do this all without paid consultants.) Debbie took a flier and asked about our platform. What’s more, she earnestly said she would go home that night to do research on our website. She added that she takes politics seriously. I said so do we. Note: Our son Jonathan, 8, is playing his first year of Midget Football. The first practice, they lined him up at outside linbacker. And on the first play, he raced in and sacked a quarterback that was twice his size. He stood up smiling, turned to me and exclaimed: “I really like this Dad!” Ya gotta think Clay Mathews III, the middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, probably said something similar to his Dad after his first hit.
football, Kieferville and a ‘Pure’ sign
I took our sons Joseph and Jonathan to a football practice in North Creek, Ohio, last night. Joseph played split end and had a couple nice catches. Jonathan, the youngest one, was like a little Brian Uhrlacher (Bear’s middle linebacker) on defense. Overall, the practice was like something out of a Norman Rockwell rural gridiron scene. These young kids on an open grassy field all lost in the moment. It was absolutely heartwarming… On the way back, I did some campaigning. I stopped in Kieferville (pop. 100 and an abandoned gas station in the shadows of a faded, white oval “Pure” sign.) I put a campaign card in the window of the station, not to necessarily carry the Election, but rather as more of silent tribute to a time in America where things were slower, and more wholesome. (Read: ‘Pure’) Like the football scene we’d just left.
…on taxes, jobs and global warming
We have moved into Northwest Ohio where I was interviewed by Mike Maag, who has an internet radio show out of Columbus Grove, Ohio. He asked me about our tax policy. I said we wanted to do away with most tax loopholes (there are currently 173 of them), and go to a “simplified progressive tax” with an easy one-page form. This would eliminate most CPA fees and hours and hours spent deciphering complex tax formulas, and the like. What’s more, the form would include a place where each taxpayer could designate where one-fourth of their tax money goes (military, environmental programs, urban social programs, foreign aid…). This would make it a much more participatory democracy… Note: I watched President Obama’s speech on the American Jobs Act last night. What struck me as odd, among a number of things, was the proposal for a huge push to repair and expand American roadways. He, for instance, said the roads are “clogged” and we need more roads. Yet on the other hand, his administration is concerned about global warming. (I’m concerned about it as well.) So do we want to encourage more driving? Or do we want people coming up with more creative alternatives to driving? And the roads being “clogged” would tend to promote the latter. Common sense.
Montra, Sticky Pig, Jobs, Desert Storm, and you are unique, sort of
We continue campaigning in western Ohio… We stopped in Montra (pop. 100) where I didn’t chant mine. (Sorry.) However, I did stop in at the Sticky Pig Bar and Restaurant and put up a campaign card on the bulleting board. What are the chances Perry, Romney, Bachman, Ron Paul for that matter… are going to stop in at the Sticky Pig, huh? Can you see our strategy? If you don’t carry Montra, you’re not going to carry the country. Anyway… I was also interviewed by the Wapakoneta Daily News yesterday. The reporter asked me my take on how to deal with the job dillemma in America. I said: job sharing. At one point in the campaigning, I’d met a retired school teacher from Monterey, California. That school system offered the teachers the option to job share. That is, they could work to the middle of the week, with the other teacher coming in after that. Or they could work full time until the middle of the year. With strategic cuts in lifestyle, this would be doable for a lot of people in a lot of different jobs. And could tremendously impact unemployment in America. Incidentally, the reporter was in the Army and participated in Desert Storm. He said the reports (by Iraqi citizens) about how evil Hussein was were absolutlely phenomenal and cemented his resolve about being there. Note: The Wapakoneta News carries a “quote of the day.” Today’s: “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” –Margaret Mead
The Spot, a talk, and: common sense on climate change
We traveled to Sidney, Ohio, where I stumped at The Spot Restaurant on the downtown square. There’s a rather nice plaque outside the eatery with a picture of former President George W. Bush. It says he made an impromptu campaign stop here on Aug. 24, 2004. He ordered a hamburger and a piece of pie. Subsequently, they named a hamburger after him. (In Staunton, Virginia, at the Lunch Box Restaurant, they named a sandwich after me during Campaign 2004 as well, so there! They called it the: “average Joe Brat(wurst) Sandwich.” After stumping at The Spot, my daughter Sarah and I gave a talk in a sixth grade class at Holy Angels School here. Sarah talked to the youth about her experiences living near inner city Cleveland. (We had moved there intentionally about five years earlier to work among the poor.) After the talk, I was interviewed by reporter Jennifer Bumgarner from the Sidney Daily News. I said our platform revolves around “common sense.” For instance, I said common sense says that we don’t jeapordize our kids’ futures by allowing climate change to go on. I mean if it’s real and we sacrifice, great. If it’s not real and we sacrifice, so what? Either way, we end up with a ‘greener’ America. Note: Ms. Bumgarner also asked me about jobs. I said one way to increase jobs is to impose strict trade barriers on imports, which would force us to make more stuff here. More common sense.