The One Poll Dubya Won't Want To Read

It's self-apparent that web polls aren't scientific. Their margin for error is significant as anyone can "vote" as often as they like (via several methods). Still, they do offer an inkling of public opinion on any given issue.

MSNBC is conducting a poll entitled, "Live Vote: Do Bush’s actions justify impeachment?" As of 9:00 a.m. PST, 85% of over 128,000 voters say YES with only a meager 13% saying NO! Scientific or not, that's pretty damn amazing.

No Snow Here

Over at OrBlogs, there seems to be a lot of discussion about the snow that fell in the Portland Metro area and beyond. I can easily remember the havoc snow, frozen fog and freezing rain can cause in the Willamette Valley.

I'm happy to report that it has not and is not snowing in Grays Harbor County. In fact, it's a balmy 50 degrees with light rain. I'm sure that one day the tables will be turned -- snowing here but not down there. But not today!

Build It On Your Own Dime

According to an article in the Seattle Times, a track developer wants to build a NASCAR speedway in Kitsap County (about 70 miles northeast of Aberdeen).

"ISC plans to ask state legislators to pledge $166 million in bonds to pay for almost half of the proposed $345 million track. The money to repay the bonds would come from new sales taxes on items ISC says race fans would buy. In addition, ISC wants to use a ticket tax to pay for about 4 percent of the track costs."

The article goes on to underscore that many state officials are wary of the projected economic impact of the speedway and are less than confident that the projected tax revenue would retire the bond.

From my standpoint, speaking as a former sports nut, I really don't care how large or small the projected economic impact is on the surrounding area. I don't care how many fans the developer thinks they can attract to a potential two major races per year. None of this should matter.

If ISC thinks this is a viable location AND they are able meet the various state and local building requirements, then they should build the facility WITH THEIR OWN MONEY. They will own the speedway and they are the ones who will earn the profits (or losses). Why should the taxpaying public subsidize their for-profit scheme?

The ONLY way I would support the expenditure of ANY public dollars is if the Green Bay Packers model was followed. This NFL football team is owned by the people of the City of Green Bay. Since the people own the team, it makes since to use their money -- taxpayer dollars -- to help support it.

Setting a Bad Example

The media and blogosphere are alive with reports and commentary about Dubya's admission that he secretly authorized domestic spying on American citizens WITHOUT seeking approval through the judicial system, as required by law. While this certainly raises a great deal of legal and ethical issues, my chief concern is the type of message being carried to today's youth.

More often than not, adult behavior has a greater impact on developing minds than what adults say to children. The parent who screams at his/her children for abusing drugs, while concurrently self-medicating themselves through drugs and/or alcohol, generally has a great problem having their message heard (due to the obvious double-standard).

In this same vein, today's youth are learning about America's system of democracy from a president who is openly skirting and/or defying U.S. law. I fear the central message being imparted is that as long as you are in charge or on top, you can do what you damn well want. If the law isn't on your side, break it. If you run afoul of general ethics, screw 'em.

Of course, we can't lay the complete blame on our current [P]resident. He didn't invent this system. Corporate America has been playing this same tune for generations.

Mr. Bush needs to be held accountable as do countless multinational corporations. If not, we are setting the stage for a ruthless and lawless future as today's children grow into tomorrow's ethically-challenged leaders.

Peace in Olympia

Numbers can be deceiving. Though my old home (Salem, OR) is twice the size of the metro Olympia area, we had a lot of problems turning out sizeable numbers to protest the war in Iraq. Today, my wife & I joined a Peace Vigil sponsored by the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation.

I don't know how many hearty souls braved the cold weather, but we filled about 2 city blocks with people standing up for peace. We even had the opportunity to meet some area Greens, including one from Grays Harbor County! (See photo taken by Bob Ziegler.)

Now we know that we won't have to organize Grays Harbor County by ourselves!

Starting From Scratch

I've been in my new home in Aberdeen for a week now. Besides all the time needed to unpack boxes and get our family situated, I've spent a good deal of time looking for area progressive groups to plug in to. Thus far, I haven't found much.

The ACLU of Washington site indicates that there's a chapter in this county, but neither of the two emails I've sent have netted a response. The Washington Green Party contact for Aberdeen has a disconnected phone number and a bouncing email address (though I have made contact with the state office in Seattle). I have found no indications that there are any environmental, peace, and/or social justice organizations here.

In fact, the only two groups that might be considered a tad progressive are the Grays Harbor Habitat for Humanity and the Grays Harbor Audubon Society.

So, I guess my wife & I are going to have to create some of these local organizations from scratch. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just means committing to a lot more work. It's almost always easier to join a going concern than it is to create and organize one.

Every community needs a radical left presence. We're here, so we will be THAT presence in Grays Harbor County.

Responsibility (But Not the Blame)

One of the entertainers who appeared on the last Ed Sullivan Show was impressionist David Frye. Frye earned his claim to fame as the most popular impersonator of one Richard Milhaus Nixon. One of his routines from "I Am the President" eerily addresses [P]resident Bush's recent admission that he takes responsibility for the war in Iraq.

In discussing the Watergate fiasco (PRIOR to Nixon's resignation from the presidency), Frye/Nixon explained that he was indeed responsible for the imbroglio BUT it was not his fault. You see, Frye/Nixon reasoned that people who accept responsibility keep their jobs; people who are to blame lose theirs.

And so it is with Dubya. The way he looks at it is that it's his overall responsibility because he's the Commander-in-Chief, but it's not HIS fault. No, the fault is placed with those who provided him with bad intelligence.

Of course, the one bug in the ointment is that the intelligence, for the most part, was dead on target. He simply ignored what he didn't like and blew out of proportion what he did like.

In the end, like the real Nixon, Bush is both responsible AND at fault.

Breathtaking...Authentic...Rain?

I’m looking at this brochure which was included in my Welcome Packet [from my new credit union] which introduces newcomers to Grays Harbor County. On the back cover, there is an advertisement for “Washington’s New Authentic Beach Town”, Seabrook.

It seems that some young entrepreneur from Oregon hatched a plan to build a swanky new beach community out of the wilderness of the central Washington coast. While I’m certain this gentleman and his partners will earn oodles and oodles of bucks from their investment, there are a few aspects of this new venture that rub me the wrong way.

For starters, what is actually meant by the word, authentic? They are constructing a community where no community existed. They are building houses and roads where mighty trees once stood. The authentic area is a rugged forest, not a planned and laid out resort community. In addition, a truly authentic town in this locale would be an indian village of the Quinault.

From my perspective, it would have been far more truthful to state that they are “creating a beach town” modeled after other such communities.

The next aspect that rubbed me wrong is their description of the various houses for sale in this future community. While they certainly aren’t shy about extolling the opportunities to purchase near palaces, they also state that small cottages are available. Sort of gives one the impression that homes are available for individuals and families of varying financial standing.

Well, don’t fall for such illusions. Initially, the price range for homes in authentic Seabrook went from $400,000 - $650,000! In their most recent newsletter, the bottom figure has now increased to over $500,000!!

Obviously, this will not be an authentic community after all. Authentic communities have rich people, poor people and those folks in between. I don’t know about you, but I know of few people of limited to modest means who can afford a $500,000 home.

But what really gets me about the advertising glitz for Seabrook is the scant mention of normal weather conditions on the central Washington coast. The photos on the website show blue skies (maybe a few lazy puffs of clouds) and tranquil waters. Such pictures are the exception, not the authentic norm.

The site informs potential buyers that the weather in Seabrook is very similar to that of the central Oregon coast. This statement is only true if you view the word “similar” in extremely broad terms.

The area platted out for Seabrook (near Pacific Beach) gets a lot of rain. I don’t mean a lot as in 40 or 50 or 60 inches per year. According to The Weather Channel, this swath of the Washington coast averages over 112” of rain per annum. Folks, that’s a heck of a lot of water (about 0.30” per day).

Compare this figure to that of Newport, Oregon (the largest town on the central Oregon Coast). While Seabrook will average about 112” of precipitation per year, Newport averages 69.57” per year. That’s a difference of approximately 43” per year or, put another way, Seabrook receives an average of 62% more rainfall than Newport. (Maybe they mean the rain in the two locales has a similar wetness.)

Take a look at this breakdown for comparison. The first figure represents the average for Seabrook and the second figure represents the average for Newport.

January: 16.37” vs. 10.25” (about 60% greater)
April: 8.29” vs. 4.87” (about 70% greater)
July: 1.94” vs. 1.04” (about 85% greater)
October: 9.32” vs. 5.12” (about 82” greater)

For potential buyers who presently live within a few hours of Seabrook, the rainfall totals won’t come as a shock at all. They are well aware of what they’re getting into. What I worry about is those folks who hail from areas outside of the Great Northwest, like Southern California. Many such people wouldn’t be able to fathom 112” of anything per year!

Can you imagine plunking down $700,000 for a spatial home only to find out your next door neighbor is some guy named Noah and he’s building an ark in his back yard? Wouldn’t that tick you off somewhat?

How 'Bout Them Jugs!

Any time an individual or family moves from one locale to another, there's a tendency to judge the new digs as opposed to the old domicile. Upon arriving in Aberdeen, one of the first things my wife & I looked at was the area's recycling program. How would it measure up to the program in good 'ol Salem, Oregon?

Salem's program, run in conjunction with Marion County, is a fairly good one. Co-mingled recycling is picked up curbside and the number of items eligible is laudable. You can put batteries, paint, plastic containers, newsprint, mixed paper, greyboard, cardboard, aluminum, tin cans, motor oil and several other items out at the curb for bi-weekly pick-up. If you have items that don't fall onto the curbside list, you are still afforded the opportunity to dispose of most anything else at 3 transfer stations positioned around town.

While Aberdeen does have a curbside recycling program, it pales in comparison to Salem's or even Olympia's (a mere 50 miles to the east). While the Salem program provides a huge recycling receptacle for each customer's use, Aberdeen provides 3 little bins. The blue bin is for glass. The light grey bin is for tin cans and aluminum foil. The beige bin is for newspapers.

Aberdeen also allows each customer to place at the curb two paper sacks filled with mixed paper and corrugated cardboard. Milk jugs can be recycled too, but each family must tote them to the transer station themselves.

That's it (except for some provisions for hazardous waste)! What strikes me as rather odd is that while milk jugs are eligible to be recycled, no other types of plastic bottle are. Thus, yogurt cups, drink bottles, shampoo containers go into the trash with lots of greyboard. And all this gets transported to the landfill.

I guess I should be thankful that Aberdeen recycles at all!

Two Welfare Systems

Public assistance is supposedly for those most in need. There are income eligibility requirements. If an individual's or family's income increases to a certain point, they become ineligible...unless we're talking about CORPORATE welfare. Under the latter system, there don't seem to be any income eligibility requirements at all!

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists,

"In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, the Bush administration and Congress are struggling to pay for the needed but costly rebuilding efforts along America's Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil recently announced a record breaking $9.9 billion in quarterly profits. Despite that success, Congress recently gave the oil and gas industry, including ExxonMobil, $10.7 billion in tax breaks."

In light of all the changes to the way this nation administer's public welfare assistance, this payout seems grossly unfair. Would anyone like to justify it?

Ghost [Down]Town

As my wife & I are trying to familiarize ourselves with the Grays Harbor area (Aberdeen-Hoquiam-Cosmopolis), we’ve tried hard to stay away from the Big Box stores (e.g., Walmart) and the major chains. Instead of dropping by those kinds of stores one can find in almost any community, we’ve worked diligently at visiting locally-owned and run businesses.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that Aberdeen has a health food store. Unfortunately, The Market Place doesn’t have the kind of selection we had hoped for. They don’t sell organic produce, they don’t have a deli or juice bar and their selection of soy milk is very limited.

One of the owners explained the reasoning for these shortcomings. For starters, Grays Harbor County (which relies heavily on the timber industry) is a very conservative place. Alternative health consciousness has not reached a critical mass here. This means that certain services like a juice bar are not yet economically viable.

While the lack of consciousness certainly plays an important role, the more important reason is the unfair competitive advantage that Big Boxes and chain stores play. All the major grocery stores in the area have an organics section, albeit VERY small ones – I’ve already checked each one out (except for Walmart which I REFUSE to step foot in)!

Because of their sheer economic size, the chains can often dictate to suppliers a very low wholesale purchase price, the kind of price that a small locally-owned company can’t come close to. Consequently, if a big chain store and a local mom-and-pop outfit sell the same item, you can be sure that the retail price will be far less at the chain store.

Of course, this means that the average consumer (the working poor and, often, the middle class too) will feel it a family financial necessity to shop where the price is the lowest. This is one of the chief mechanisms that [inter]national corporate chains drive locally-owned firms out of business.

Companies like Bitar’s – La Vogue Department Store in downtown Hoquiam. This family-run operation has been a fixture in Hoquiam for 95 years. Sadly, the owner told me, he has little confidence it will be around 95 years or even 30 years from now. In fact, he lamented the plight of most of the local businesses that have remained in the town’s once-vibrant downtown core.

From his perspective, the problem is easy to identify – strip malls, shopping centers and Big Box stores. They funnel citizens away from the center of town to the edges. As residents spend less and less time in the city center, they correspondingly spend less and less time supporting local businesses.

This owner asked the same questions scores of local business people in small towns ask across this nation: How do we revitalize our downtown core?

It’s not impossible to do, but, it will continue to be a difficult project as long as area residents lay out the red carpet for the Walmart’s of the world. Every time a new Big Box takes up residence in one town or another, we can be certain that a number of small, family-run local businesses will shutter their doors forever. And, too often, this is the very catalyst for destroying a small town’s central business district.

There is a slight glimmer of hope. Across the nation people are starting to wake up. They’re beginning to realize what is being lost through the Big Box revolution and some are starting to fight back. Walmart is finding that many communities are no longer welcoming them with open arms.

That, in and of itself, is reason to be hopeful.

Literal Rambling Leads to Writer's Block

For the 1st 6 months, I generally posted one or more entries per day on this blog. After that point, entries have become far more sporadic. Initially, this was the result of my impending Americorp*VISTA assignment. When that blew up in my face, I thought I'd return to my writings.

But a funny thing happened on the way -- My wife & I decided that since we were preparing to move [to Forks, WA], we would go ahead and move anyway with the only difference being our final destination. So, we up and decided to throw caution to the wind and we just completed a move to Aberdeen, WA.

Mind you, we don't know a soul in Aberdeen. We don't have any family here. We don't have new jobs lined up. No, we simply sold our house in Salem and found a nice house to rent in Aberdeen while we look for a house in the area to buy. In essence, we decided to do a little rambling.

Moving, particularly when one is older (more unneeded accumulation), is a time-consuming process. It leaves one little time nor energy to write. It's causes a sort of physical writer's block.

Hopefully, now that we're settling in, I can finally get back to daily writing.

Either/Or -- Go Fish

Most people have heard the saying, "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime." For me, this kind of message typifies the either/or society.

There are those that would argue that the art of fishing is fine, but the man is hungry and should be fed now. Worry about the present situation and let someone else endeavor to offer instruction on the methods of proper fishing.

Then there are those who would decry such a strategy. Look to the future, they say. Stave off future problems by teaching the man a skill for survival.

For me, both solutions are good ones. Instead of juxtaposing them against each other (either/or), they lend themselves well to a two-step strategy. Since the man is hungry right now, give him the damn fish (and maybe a bottle of wine to go with it). If he's open to the idea, share the meal with him.

Once he's fed, THEN teach him how to fish.

Studies have shown that school children who come to class hungry are less apt to learn. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why. Hunger has a way of impeding the learning process.

The underlying lesson here is that the short-term and long-term are equally important. Neglect one and we short change the other. From a Taoist perspective, this could well be termed trying to achieve balance.

A River Runs Through It

For most westerners, the word tao and the philosophy of taoism seem so foreign. Yet, despite this belief, taoistic thought is all around us. For example, the Star Wars' series was based on taoist teaching (i.e., the force). Another example comes from one of my favorite short stories which was turned into an excellent movie by director Robert Redford -- A River Runs Through It.

The final lines of the movie sound as if they were taken from a taoist text:

Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.

I bet if you look around, you can find numerous examples. They are everywhere.

Value & Red-Nosed Reindeer

I've grown to HATE this time of year -- endless consumerism and too many radio stations playing incessant Christmas music. My wife, on the other hand, loves Christmas music and we struggle to control the station choice whenever we go out in the family vehicle.

Yesterday -- having compromised with Christmas music on the way and anything BUT said music on the way back -- I was forced to listen to another rendition of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. As is all too typical with me, I soon found myself analyzing the underlying theme of this cherished ditty.

While, on the surface, this story is supposedly about everyone finding their true place in the scheme of things, on further analysis, I think the central message is more negative than positive.

As I'm sure we all recall, Rudolph was shunned by the general Christmas town populace because he was different. However, his distinguishing feature -- his glowing red nose -- proved to be advantageous when Santa and his minions realized a terrible fog had settle over the North Pole. Suddenly, his uniqueness became chic and he was celebrated.

What rubs me the wrong way is the fact that the young reindeer was ONLY accepted into the "in crowd" WHEN it was discovered that his shiny red nose would benefit the plans of others. Had the thick fog NOT descended upon the North Pole, Rudolph would still be considered a "leper".

Beings should be valued. Period. Value should not be conferred ONLY when it benefits us. If not, then value is merely a self-serving construction and holds no intrinsic worth.

Somebody should write a song about that.

Postscript: An even better analysis of Red-Nosed Reindeer and artificial economic constructs can be found at This is Class Warfare. Check it out!

Desperate Times at the Five-Sided Building

Our government seems to be having a harder and harder time fighting a little war that they keep trying to tell us is a popular one. Not only are the Shrub’s poll figures falling month after month, but our armed forces aren’t coming anywhere close to their recruitment targets. If the “war” is so darned popular, why aren’t people volunteering in droves?

Convincing folks to sign up is getting so difficult that the military brass now are resorting to all sorts of gimmicks to pump up troop numbers. As Gene C. Gerard reported Wednesday at the Alternative Press Review, “Any Soldier Will Do”:

The Army has taken various approaches to its lackluster recruitment efforts. It increased it advertising budget by $130 million for 2006. Over the course of fiscal year 2005, the Army handed out $207 million in bonuses to recruits and those who re-enlisted. This was a sizable increase over 2004, when $125 million was distributed as bonuses. The Army gave a bonus of a least $1,000 to 53 percent of new recruits between October 2004 and June 2005; the average bonus was $5,589.

That’s a lot of greenbacks! But, according to Gerard, it gets worse.

Last Month, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey announced that due to the recruitment shortages the Army will now double the number of recruits it accepts who score the lowest on the intelligence test administered to all potential recruits. Secretary Harvey also announced that the Army was decreasing its requirement that the recruiting class each year be comprised of at least 67 percent of applicants who scored in the top half of the intelligence test. The portion has now been lowered to 60 percent.

While increasing monetary inducements and lowering test score requirements might seem bad, that’s still not the worst of it.

What has not been known until now is that recruitment shortages have resulted in the Pentagon calling up reservists who are ill or medically unfit. According to the GAO report, this includes reservists who have suffered from heart attacks, those with severe asthma (weather conditions in the desert exacerbates this condition), hernias, severe hypertension, and a woman who was four months into chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. It also includes reservists suffering from sleep apnea who need medical equipment to help them breath, yet large portions of Iraq and Afghanistan lack the electricity necessary to run the equipment.

Reserve forces that are diabetic and require insulin pumps have been called to active duty. A soldier was called up only two weeks after receiving a kidney transplant. Other reservists have required kidney dialysis. The GAO report also found that reserve soldiers have been called to active duty that suffer from psychiatric problems, including bipolar disorder. By one estimate as much as ten percent of the reservists who have been medically evacuated out of the Middle East was attributable to pre-existing medical conditions that could not be treated properly.

Ah yes, we live in desperate times!

VISTA Not All Bad

While my Americorp*VISTA experience wasn't particularly long nor pleasant, I don't want anyone to think I'm not a strong supporter of the overall program. Such an assumption would be incorrect. The very concept of people sacrificing themselves for the good of others is something to be lauded.

Here's a brief sampling of some of the projects in Oregon & Washington:

A Ready*Corps Project--People for People 2-1-1 WA
Perform community based outreach in 12 county area of Washington State, educating communities to the benefit of the 2-1-1 system for disaster preparedness and response.

African American Health Coalition Inc. OR
Resource and Development program, which includes activities such as, grant writing, fundraising, resource development and special events planning and coordination.

Casa de Belen Homeless Shelter OR
Join the 16 member UCAN VISTA Team and develop resources to fight poverty in Douglas County.

Construction Mgmt./Habitat for Humanity-Spokane WA
Increase capacity through project management systems while enhancing overall efficiency of operations to provide more opportunities to help low income families obtain simple, affordable housing.

Friends of the Children - Programming Coordinator OR
Join our cutting-edge, early-intervention/prevention program serving at-risk youth to help break the cycle of poverty.

Health Access & Education WA
Coordinate community health resources to improve access for low-income people. Promote programs/resources for healthcare providers, social services and clients.

N.E. Community Center Association WA
Promote entrepreneurship as a viable option for low income families. Work with new or existing business venture(s) in low income neighborhoods providing technical assistance and linkage to resources.

Opportunity Council/Animals as Natural Therapy WA
This volunteer will assist a program where at-risk youth and adults use animals to learn about themselves and each others. The farm is located in suburban Bellingham, Washington.

Rural Resources - Healthcare Occupations Workgroup WA
New VISTA project with a focus on developing educational and employment opportunities in health care.

Volunteers of America Western Washington WA
Native American AmeriCorps*VISTA for Tulalip Tribes Child Protective Services, Family Support.

If any of these examples look interesting to you or you'd like to browse even more opportunities, please check out the Americorp*VISTA site.

[Conditional] Freedom of Speech

I used to manage a progressive gift shop, The Peace Store. We sold various forms of merchandise that featured progressive and left wing messages (e.g., bumper stickers, buttons, T-shirts, mouse pads, etc.) One of the ways I advertised the store -- being a small nonprofit, we did NOT have an advertising budget -- was by plastering my truck with bumper stickers. At one point, I had nearly 40 on my rig.

Most of these stickers were overtly political and in-your-face. Since I was preparing to serve as an Americorp*VISTA volunteer (see the previous two entries -- this is the 3rd installment), I removed all but 5 of them. The ones which remained were the least political and two of them were quotes from famous figures.

Here are the 5 messages that remain on my truck:

1. No one is free when others are oppressed -- MLK quote
2. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind -- Gandhi quote
3. Peace Begins when the Hungry are Fed
4. Hell: It's not the heat, it's the humidity
5. Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he'll be one mile away and barefoot

Compare these rather docile messages with some of the stickers I removed.

• Boost the Stock Market -- Fire Somebody
• Politicians & Diapers Need to be Changed -- Often for the Same Reason
• I Love my Country, but Fear my Government
• The Death Penalty -- WWJD
• Under Republicans, Man Exploits Man -- Under Democrats it's just the Opposite
• EVERYONE does better when EVERYONE does better
• Subvert the Dominant Paradigm

Yet, despite the fact my right of expression is protected under the U.S. Constitution, this safeguard doesn't seem to protect a person who has been INVITED to serve in VISTA. Mind you, not yet serving IN VISTA, but merely invited to serve.

When Bobbie saw my stickers plus the peace flag flown on my antenna he must have decided then and there that a person who supports peace, nonviolence and justice is not moral enough to serve the poor.

This has led me to wonder: If I had different stickers on my truck, would the stickers have been an issue at all? Do you think Bob would have had his "change of heart" if I had stickers which supported pro-life, the troops in Iraq and I was flying an American flag on my antenna? My guess is probably not.

So, even though, by law, a person volunteering through VISTA cannot be discriminated against due to their political beliefs, that's precisely what happened in my case. I got bounced because I was too far to the Left of Bob-o!

[If you're interested in obtaining some great left-wing stickers, buttons or T-Shirts, please visit Northern Sun.]

Dress Code

As I outlined in my last entry, I was unceremoniously bounced from the Americorp*VISTA program. What vile thing did I do to incur the wrath of my potential supporting organization and the regional office in Seattle? (If some children are afoot, PLEASE cover their eyes now!)

Overalls.

Yes, you read that correctly. O-v-e-r-a-l-l-s. I had the audacity to wear my overalls to an interview with a local reporter. Mind you, I was not yet an “official” representative of the VISTA program. I paid all the expenses to travel to Forks, Washington (though, as a peace offering, they’re now planning to reimburse me). The interview wasn’t a mandated requisite of my position; it was initiated at my behest and I was participating in the interview on MY own time.

Unfortunately, trying to promote the sponsoring organization, I invited my now erstwhile future supervisor, Bob, to join me. Though he said NOTHING negative during the interview or in our short meeting afterwards, it seems that my overalls sent him into a tizzy.

[Note: I wear overalls a lot. In fact, I wear overalls almost everyday. I like overalls because I have an almost nonexistent butt. Belts have never seemed to work for me – no matter how tight I pull them, my pants slide down past my flat bottom. I do have several nice pairs of suspenders, but I had already packed for shipment to Forks most all of my nice pants.]

In fact, when “Bob” and I parted, he suggested that I go introduce myself to several people in the community, if I had enough time left over from house hunting. Now, is this the kind of suggestion someone would make if they felt one’s manner of dress was inappropriate? Acting as my future supervisor, I would certainly think that Bob might say something like, “Do me a favor and make sure you change clothes before going out into the general community.”

But he said nary a word about my wardrobe choice. In fact, as stated above, he didn’t have anything negative to say to me at all. He complimented me on a fine interview with the local paper and then we talked briefly about house hunting and some ideas about my future VISTA project. We shook hands and he said something about contacting me the next week to discuss more project ideas.

My wife & I finally found a possible home and then returned to Salem the next day. Once home, I checked my email. And that’s when the hammer dropped. Bob sent me a vague note stating that I had been de-selected as his agency’s VISTA volunteer. He didn’t provide anything specific.

What irritated me to no end was the fact that he sent me this email less than 24 hours after our little meeting. He sent the message via email to my home 300 miles away DESPITE the fact that he knew which motel my wife & I were staying at. He sent the message via email while my wife & I were looking for a house to buy in Forks – an unneeded activity if we had no reason to move to Forks. It wasn’t until Monday afternoon (the email was sent on Friday morning and not read by me until Saturday night) that I finally reached Bob to learn that overalls played a part in this sudden about face.

Well, it wasn’t JUST overalls. It seems Bob also didn’t like the bumper stickers on my truck. I’ll discuss THAT aspect in the next entry.

Unbound & Ungagged

It’s interesting how things can change in the blink of an eye. One minute you seem to be treading down a particular path, then all of a sudden, the path diverges toward a completely different horizon with a new set of challenges and expectations. Some people refer to this phenomena as karma, while others opine that a person is being led by the hand of God.

I don’t really care how anyone desires to frame the situation. Karma. God. Chance. Fate. Choose the term you like. All I know is that my world was turned upside down in the course of a scant 24 hours.

I had previously announced on this blog that I was choosing to refrain from offering political commentary for the next year or so. I had made this decision because I applied to and had been accepted to serve the poor of our nation through the Americorp*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America)…the domestic Peace Corps.

By federal law, VISTA volunteers agree not to express publicly opinions on partisan politics. Since I was preparing to go to my Pre-Service Training during the third week of November, I thought it would be best if I started practicing biting my tongue. Thus, I greatly cutback on the tenor and amount of entries here at The Rambling Taoist.

All that is water under the bridge now. I was bounced OUT of VISTA before I even began. While the Corporation for National & Community Services goes to great lengths to express the idea that a person invited to serve is NOT considered a representative of the program UNTIL they complete the requisite training, it turns out this is not altogether true.

While an invitee is not afforded any protection in terms of the procedures and policies of the program, for other purposes a person IS considered a representative of VISTA from the moment they accept an invitation. I found this out the hard way.

The reason I was de-selected for my upcoming VISTA assignment is that my potential supervisor didn’t like my wardrobe AND he didn’t like one or more of the 5 bumper stickers on my truck and the peace flag I fly on my truck antenna. Even though, at that juncture, I was still a private citizen supposedly covered under the 1st Amendment, it seems that exercising my constitutional rights was a big no-no.

Consequently, all the time and effort my wife and I have spent preparing to move 300 miles away to the tiny hamlet of Forks, Washington is all for naught. The decision to de-select me happened without my knowledge (I only found out about the “situation” after the decision had been rendered) and, because I was not yet a representative of VISTA, I found I had no right of appeal.

Over the next few days or so, I’ll share with you the particulars. While I’m understandably upset at the manner in which this ordeal played out, I am happy that my tongue is again unfettered.

The Rambling Taoist is back in business!