Vote for Joe

Our Florida Panhandle Tour   continued:   In Crestview, Florida, we met with Rosa Garrett from South Korea.   She married an American service man and came to the states some 25 years ago.   Of the contrasts between countries, she said what she found most striking was the difference (overall) between how elderly were treated in her country and how they are treated here.   For instance, in her country (until just recently) there was no such thing as: nursing homes.   “Families take care of their own there,” she said.   Also, how elderly are addressed in South Korea is much more respectful as well, Rosa continued…   There has, indeed, been a significant decline in respect for the elderly among the last few generations in America.   What’s more, I once told a newspaper in Champaign, Illinois, that the elderly in America are being pushed farther and farther to the margins in their retirment travels, assisted living facilities, nursing homes…   A wave of euthanasia for elderly seems to loom on the horizon as well — if more isn’t done to intervene…   We also recently stopped in DeFuniak, Springs, Florida where we stopped at Lake DeFuniak.   It is one of only two know perfectly round spring-fed lakes in the world (the other is in Switzerland).   The lake is one mile in circumference and over 60 feet deep.   There are a lot of theories about the shape, including a meteor strike.   Adjacent to the lake is the Walton-DeFuniak Library, purported to be one of the oldest libraries in the country…   While in DeFuniak Springs, we also met with Beth and Patrick   Stanley.   Patrick, 31, has Down Syndrome and still lives with his mom, Beth.   Patrick is an accomplished artist who has shown in a number of Florida gallaries and has designed a series of greeting cards.   Beth is very active in the National Down Syndrome Congress and is a strong advocate for “Life.”   She said so often when a couple finds out the baby in the womb has Down Syndrome, they’ll abort — and tremendously miss out on the “gift” God has in store for them.   She said despite Patrick’s various physical problems (asthma, orthopedic issues, and so on…) he has been an “absolute joy.”   Beth lobbies, hard, for more inclusion of Down Syndrome children in mainstream schools.   As these children are a gift to their parents, they too can be a tremendous gift to their classmates, said Beth, if only the classmates would slow down to include these children —  on every level…    So some of these Down Syndrome children are  currently being aborted.   It’s not hard to envision a time in this country, like with the elderly, that children with what we deem as “disabilities” will be tragically euthanized too…     Last night our family attended a Wednesday night prayer service at the Independent Baptist Church in Crestview, Florida.   The pastor said he saw the recent, highly-scary tornado activity in this country as part of “God’s judgement” for a nation going morally astray.   Given that we’ve now crossed the 50 million abortion mark in America, euthanasia looms like a tsunami here, sex and  violence pervade the media (and our cities), etc., etc., etc., … the pastor’s corollary may well be apt.   Note:   While  in Defuniak Springs, we attended Mass at St. Margaret’s.   In the back was a display that included a jar of water with clean water and a jar with quite murky water.   The display, sponsored by the Council of Catholic Women,  was to bring attention to the fact that one-sixth of the the world’s people don’t have access to clean drinking water.   Several years ago, during a campaign stop in Wisconsin, we met with an environmental science professor from the University of Wisconsin.   He said there was so much more the U.S. could do to bring more safe drinking water to the Third World.   And our administration would work over time trying to do just that.   Note 2:   I talked with Barbara Warburton, who lives in Destin, Florida.    She has been featured recently in a number of Florida newspapers per: her stance on the television show Family Guy.   She said shows like this are leading to the “destruction of morality.”   Through the Parents Television Council, Warburton and thousands of others filed a formal indecency complaint with the Federal Communications Commission to protest the program.   Oh, one other thing:   Mrs. Warburton’s son Patrick — is the voice for one of the animated  characters in the show.   Talk about sticking to your principles.   Note 3:   While in Florida, I talked to two high school classes in the country of Nicaraugua, via the magic of Skype.   It was a bi-lingual class.   Note 4:   A man approached me in a parking lot in McDonald’s.   He pointed to the:   Find us on Facebook signage we have on one side of the camper.   He then smiled and exclaimed:   “Facebook, You Tube… stick   it to the big man!”   He then gave me  a thumbs up and walked on.   Note 5:   While at the Sunset King Lake RV Resort in Defuniak Springs, I got in a conversation with a couple from Indiana who grew tremendously excited about our campaign because I was, indeed, an “average Joe.”   The husband is an airplane mechanic and said it was about time there was a common man in D.C.   He was getting fed up with a lot of the big money and partisanship.   I said to consider us and as a campaign promise, when I got to D.C., I’d change (there’s that “change” word) the Statue of Liberty to: a Hoosier.   As soon as anyone figures out exactly what a Hoosier is.   They laughed.

Our  Florida Panhandle Tour continues…   While in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, I watched President Obama’s speech on current Middle East policy today.   My beliefs square with his in standing in opposition to regimes that rule by “coercion, not consent.”   And this would, indeed, encompass half of the Middle East.   President Obama also said that successful transition to democracy hinges on “economic growth” as the reigns of commerce pass from a few to many.   And he proposes to relieve $1 billion in Egyptian debt and to establish “Enterprise Funds” to help some of the Middle Eastern countries.   Both well considered moves as well, I believe…   In tandem with debt relief to, say, Egypt; our administration would also propose debt relief for many Third World countries struggling to simply stay afloat.   The late Pope John Paul II called for this a number of years ago.   And I see it as tremendously sound, spiritually…   On a campaign stop in Cortez, Colorado, several years ago, we met with a woman who had gone on a missions trip to Uganda where she stayed with a large family living in a small hut.   The mother and father had AIDS, as did half the children.   They all slept on burlap bags  on a dirt floor, she lamented.   Forgiving Uganda’s debt would help free up government resources (a  significant part currently being spent  for the interest on the debt) to help families like this.   Note:   Recent bumper sticker sighting in Niceville, Florida:   “I’m diagonally parked —  in a parallel universe.”

More catching up from the last few weeks…   In Carrabelle, Florida, we did a video segment from a small memorial to John “Buck” O’Neil.   Born here on Nov. 13, 1911, O’Neil was a stand out in the old Negro League and went on to be the first Black coach in Major League Baseball with the Chicago Cubs.   Later in life, he founded a Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.   O’Neil’s most famous quote:   “Give without remembering and take without forgetting.”   Good words to live by…     In Tallahassee, Florida, I interviewed Bill Torez who is a representative for the North Florida Hispanic Association.   They put on regular soccer games, dances and a host of other events to keep up rapport between Hispanics here and to support keeping the culture alive, for generations to come…   In Tallahassee, we also toured the Woman’s Clinic.   Heather Martel, a graduate of Franciscan University, said the clinic has a state of the art sonogram machine.   What’s more, she said figures indicate that more than 80% of women who see the sonogram picture of the baby in the womb, won’t get an abortion.   “The ultra-sound presents women with the truth,” she said.   Ms. Martel also said the Clinic provides post abortion counseling and “secondary virginity” education…   We also met with a family in Tallahassee who were losing their house to foreclosure.   (One in 10 homes are now in foreclosure in Florida since the ‘housing bubble’ burst.)   The husband said there is now a new phenomenon in housing circles.   It is a thing called “strategic abandonment.”   That is, after doing the math, some homeowners decide to simply “walk away” from their house without a court fight, etc.   He said NPR had just done a big piece on this.   Note:   We headed west on Rte. 10 after Tallahassee, ending up in the small town of Crestview, Florida.   Just south of here, we learned, is another small town called “Niceville.”   It’s so ‘nice,’ in fact, the high school football players say “pardon me,” after a tackle.   (In my ongoing efforts at transperency: I made that last sentence up.)

We traveled to Apalachicola, Florida, where we visited a striking replica of one of the Vietnam Memorial sculptures in D.C. It was a depiction of three soldiers in the field and definitely conveys some of the intensity of war… This week we also talked to Gladys Quattlebaum in Lanark Village, Florida.   Her husband fought in Vietnam.   He died later of complications from exposure to “agent orange.”   (He also had PTSD.)   For 12 years, Mrs. Quattlebaum regularly wrote to sitting U.S. presidents protesting what she saw as a lot of the folly of war.   She never got a response.   This day in Lanark Village, I felt like I was making up for the no responses a bit, as I listened.   Note:   Up the road on Rte. 98 along the coast, we visited a beach that was the D-Day Training Site during World War II.   In 1943, members of the 4th Army Division trained in the surf and dunes here in preparation for the famous “Invasion of Normandy” that would take thousands of American soldiers’ lives on June 6, 1944.

While in Carrabelle, Florida (pop. 2,778), we got to know Randy Harrison and Joan Matey.   They’re married.   Joan is a local artist who specializes in various art mediums (paints, pencil drawing, miniature sculptures…)   Randy, 62,  is a personal trainer two days a week about an hour north of here at a YMCA in Tallahassee.   And he also volunteers with the Sheriff’s Department in Franklin County.   (Randy is  in such good shape, he still looks like he could still play linebacker somewhere.) Besides their “day jobs,” so to speak, both are extremely active in their community — going the extra-mile with most everything they do.   (The essence of some of our platform is to mobilize more people to become involved with local community, like it was in the “old days.”)   Joan, for instance, is helping organize a new Community Garden in  close by Lanark Village.   What’s more, she  puts on  the “Fishy Fashion Show” at the annual River Front Festival here.   This  features models wearing her “clothing art,” if you will.   Yellow raincoats adorned with colorful fishing lures, sea shells, and the like.   Burlap coats with  painted “fish tails,” sponge bow ties, crab  trap hats…   All things Joan has scavenged from the local beaches.   She’s big on recycling.   And she’s big on saving the environment in general.   The underlying theme for the Fishy Fashion Show is one of environmental consciousness, with characters like: The Estuary Fairy. Joan is also the curator for the Crooked River Lighthouse and Museum here.   She led us on a tour through a tremendously creative lighthouse museum she, in essence, designed from scratch…   Randy, on the other hand, often works behind the scenes helping Joan with staging at the festival.   He  also started a  Neighborhood Bicycle Patrol and has been part of the Community Volunteer Security Patrol.   (Part of our crime prevention platform calls for a lot more citizen involvement.)    Note:   It’s people like Joan and Randy who are the backbone of their communities, and  extrapolated out:  the backbone of the country.   Problem is, as we’ve traveled we’ve noticed a significant amount of this community proactivity is, well,  on the decline.