October 19, 2022
Hello Everybody,
Yesterday I wasn't sure if I had much of interest to report. I started making a list of possible topics and now I have a long list. I hope it is not too rambling. Perhaps it will be more colorful than articles on CNN...
I was craving oatmeal for breakfast yesterday and struck out at several meat-centric restaurants so I settled for a vegetarian meal at the chain Waffle House. I'm glad I did. The waitperson, Rochelle, charmed me with her cheerful management style. She expertly kept all the customers happy and her crew in line:
I have become an admirer of black hair. Afros, dreadlocks and many other inventive styles. Here are a few examples:
Over breakfast I began reading Reverend Senator Raphael Warnock's fantastic memoir, 'A Way Out of No Way'. Here are a few quotes:
"The spiritual meets the practical in the lives of hurting people who are facing systemic injustice. This is where ministry moves beyond the pulpit, where the church becomes a site for human transformation and the preacher actually becomes a sermon, embodying through example the gospel ethic of love and justice."I toured Savannah last week. The old many-squared town is beautifully designed and maintained."A vote is sacred. It avows the worth of every human being. It is in essence a prayer for the kind of world we desire for ourselves and our children."
"The culture of injustice is still embedded in the soul of this nation, as deep as the southern roots of the centuries-old, moss-draped oak trees that grow like canopies over the cobblestone streets of my hometown, Savannah."
I was in town for the Warnock-Walker debate which I did not have a ticket to attend.
Here is a New York Times article summarizing the debate:
The GOP are backing (the utterly unqualified) Walker simply because he will be compliant and vote straight party line. He will have no independent thought. He is endorsed by Trump; what could go wrong?Here is my new brilliant idea for debates: The candidates are required to attend the debates occurring every week - for a month before the election. The debates will be streamed on YouTube or Facebook for free and archived. Candidates can ask each other questions. Microphones will be silenced for a candidate who keeps interrupting the others.
The Georgia Senate race is critical for control of the Senate agenda. It will likely not be decided on election day, however, as Georgia requires that a senator get a majority of the vote. A libertarian candidate will cause a runoff election as happened in 2020-21.
Obama is coming to Atlanta on October 28th to give Warnock and Abrams a boost. I will help prepare yard signs to hand out to the expected 6,000 people in attendance.
Stacey Abrams will be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey tomorrow (my 73rd birthday. Kamala Harris' birthday, too). If you'd like to watch, sign up here:
That link requests an optional donation, of course. So so much money. On both sides. Why does money matter so much in our elections? I got a call yesterday from a group that is working to overturn the Citizens United court decision that allows corporations to flood elections with unlimited cash. Of course, the purpose of that call was to ask for a donation. 😜Sending money to a campaign is one way to help at a distance. The money is used for all kinds of things - not just expensive TV ads that are so repetitive that they are eventually ignored.
I continue the canvassing of neighborhoods. And putting up Abrams signs at busy intersections. Lots of walking and driving and talking. Does it really have an impact? I don't know. I do this because I don't know what else to do. As my neighbor, Jack, said:
Your not knowing what to do has more direction than those who profess to know what to do.
Churches (mostly Baptist) are a real presence here. Aside from debatable theology I understand the church provides a supportive social network and encourages positive kindness. A "spiritual address", as Warnock termed it. No doubt there is a negative influence as well... Here are a few pictures from my peripatetic wandering:
Jon