Pin the Tail

~Mother’s Day Proclamation by Julia Ward Howe, 1870

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts,
Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
“We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”
From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says: “Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And at the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Painting by Mary Cassatt

I have mostly kept my musical activities separate from pin-the-tail. Occasionally I’ve mused about music here— and talked a little bit about special events, shows, I’ve been involved with or taken in.

Last night I did depart from the Council Work Session a bit abruptly at around 8pm or so—very sad news had suddenly come to my attention about a dear friend passing away. With good reason I felt I could take a personal time out.

I have a family here in the Midwest. You can learn about my family by visiting Musical Family Tree.

A fellow member of this family of musicians and music lovers, co-engineered my solo recordings— and played on the entirety of my first album. He graced my second album for several of my favorite tracks and co-engineered it as well. It was he who took the time to ask me to consider recording my own music— when until then, that type of work, and creative process, had not overtly figured into my musical life except for when I stepped in as a supporting musician for others.

LonPaul Ellrich, co-engineering Music for Swimming, Queensize Studio, Indianapolis
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For those of you concerned about my official duties—one major responsibility I have is a workshop/charrette with the Monroe County Plan Commission on Saturday, from 9am-1pm. We are continuing our work on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Update. The location is the Ellettsville Public Library; it is a publicly noticed meeting. I plan to attend.

I will also attend the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Committee meeting tomorrow at 1:30pm, City Hall.

14% is the number that sums up the end of the story of my challenging a long-time, dearly appreciated public servant, County Commissioner Iris Kiesling!

It’s a bit closer than a margin of 18% seen in a past contested Primary—that resulted when Stoops challenged Pierce for State Representative in 2004’s Primary Election—and some people observed back then that even that percentage was a surprise indicating a decent run. Still, 14% is clearly a solid win for my opponent and colleague Iris Kiesling.

No doubt about it, Primary Elections keep democracy robust– and they galvanize voters and candidates to sharpen their focus on platforms, stump speeches, issues, etc. I’m glad to have been a part of the process for a sophomore campaign experience– which doubled as a freshman effort for, or crack at, a different office!

The evening at the Democratic Headquarters was lively. While it was sweltering hot indoors, milling around in the parking lot with various clusters of fun people in the cool night air was pleasant and the time passed quickly. By 10 o’ clock or so I felt that the results were definitive and very much wanted to make a concession speech. In my daily state of getting more unwieldy I was wanting to put my feet up—but not before having a chance to express my feelings and a message to my “family” of fellow Democrats.

Leaving without doing so would have gone against my sensibilities and Party Chairperson Lee Jones graciously got everyone’s attention and I had a chance to thank Iris. It meant a lot to me to have some time to stress a message of Sen. Simpson’s (one that I heard last Friday morning–and briefly blogged about here on pin-the-tail) about Democrats needing to stay united for the General Election, to get behind all our candidates who move forward, and create change from the top to the bottom of the ballot. I hope people felt reassured that I support Kiesling for Commissioner—something I have been prepared for all along because I’ve been optimistically realistic about the odds of pulling through the Primary.

In closing I had a chance to emphasize that the platform I articulated is one I am proud to have conveyed to the voters: transparency, communication, and the significance of land use issues and our need to raise awareness about them—all remain important. Finally, I expressed that it’s an honor to serve alongside Commissioner Kiesling and all the Council colleagues I’ve served with—and continue to serve alongside.

The Council has done a lot of “heavy lifting” of which I’m very proud of on behalf of Democrats.

When you wear the party label, ultimately it’s the “party that brings you to the dance,” and I’m really, really excited about embracing a new chapter to my role as a party member. Part of this will be finishing out my year as an elected official for eight more months. I’m thinking that I can strive even more assertively for things that sometimes have been on the back burner for the sake of approaching their realization with more gentle persuasion…maybe it’s time to ratchet up some of the action on those projects, ideas, etc.

After this year is through I am excited about the transition to being a party member who can participate as a supporter in the ways that others have lifted me up for a good long while; I can turn around and extend a hand with more time, and in a new way!

In conjunction with that thought, I plan to get back to the original guiding spirit of pin-the-tail— which, in the beginning, was sometimes a little more effervescently infused with teasers to grab readers’ attention. With the General Election season in the Fall, I think that won’t be hard to have a lot of fun with.

I’ve got some more wrap-up about the candidates who came through the Primary but I can save that for “soon enough” and I’d just like to point out that I’m totally thrilled that Mark Stoops has likely come through as the candidate for the other open Commissioner’s seat on the Board of County Commissioners! Now that is the BEGINNING of a great story!

Today there will be a County Council Work Session at 4:30 (bumped from our regular first Tuesday of the month to today) and the work to do is fairly demanding today. Back in the saddle…

oh, now, where did I put my tail?

Here’s a funny photo from the H-T—my friend Victoria sent it to me via email—I’ll claim that it is “fair use” to publish it here—because it proves to you all that my self-proclaimed nickname of “Pumpkinhead” is indeed true. I can’t remember what Iris and I were saying at the moment but it is, like I said, a funny picture!

photo from Herald-Times

“Sophia” in Chinese, calligraphy by local artist James Yang; expressing the meaning of the name Sophia…In Chinese, part of the character means “The Sun,” and refers to sunlight as a metaphor for wisdom.

“Fair Representation”created by illustrator Christopher Serra for Sophia’s campaign literature (in 2004)~ for a mailing featuring a quote by Abraham Maslow: “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail.”

You can read about artists whose work has been featured on my campaign materials by visiting Sophia for Commissioner— and clicking on “About my artists!”

Tomorrow the results from the polls will trickle in through the evening…I’ll be at the Democratic Party Headquarters on 3rd Street!

Thank you to all the pin-the-tail readers who have been so kind, caring, and fun about the campaign—- the levity, and serious discussion, you’ve brought to the shaping of my platform has been greatly appreciated. It’s been a wonderful thing to have the contact with you all through this medium!

Today, in our community, an interesting day of workshops took place:

“A New Jail? Exploring Alternatives to Incarceration in Monroe County”

This day of popular education will explore alternatives to the current proposal of building new adult and youth jails in Bloomington. Through interactive workshops featuring community members, non-profits, experienced activists, and YOU, we will examine: What is the history of incarceration in Monroe County? What are some existing community alternatives to incarceration in Bloomington and other parts of the country? What have successful campaigns to challenge other jail constructions looked like? Several workshops will offer education, training, and networking opportunities for local folks questioning the need for new jails. The day’s events will culminate with special guest speaker Kai Barrow from Critical Resistance. This is an open event! People from all backgrounds and political beliefs are encouraged to attend.

I was able to attend a portion of the 2 pm Panel and discussion workshop. The room was packed with all kinds of people…a large contingency of young people included.

For the panel discussion, participants heard from representatives of Shalom Center, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, Middleway, Amethyst House, Community Justice & Mediation, and two organizer activists: one spoke very briefly about alternatives to jail programs elsewhere that are success stories, and the next mentioned the “Smaller is Better” approach for juvenile justice that is successful in Missouri.

The “Smaller is Better” model is a concept I’ve tried numerous times to bring to the various tables of discussions about juvenile justice over the past 3 1/2 years I’ve been involved in juvenile justice issues. It seems I’ve found some citizen advocates who might be compelled about the model.

Discussion after the panelists presented was very productive—much of it seemed tied to an urgent sense that a pending building of local juvenile and adult jails will take place rapidly without any public engagement or opportunity to weigh in on the topic.

While I did have a chance to say that I don’t believe that it is possible for an enormous public building project (such as the “justice campus”) to take place unnoticed— or without public input—the intensity of the concerns expressed today nonetheless is a serious sign that diverse citizens are awakened and want to be engaged. I also tried to emphasize my particular interest, per constituent pressure, in juvenile services: by touching on prevention, early intervention, funding realities, and acknowledged the mention of the Missouri model (because of my knowledge of it—and because it is a course that could work in tandem with addressing the expulsion/suspension issues in Monroe County that our school systems need to acknowledge more realistically.)

Citizens need a “seat at the table” with County Government for pro-active, dynamic dialog. Without the citizens’ voices, there will be no clear vision for local, community-centered therapeutic justice, or any recognition of the need for prevention and early intervention—to shape how we want justice to be served locally.

The citizens have to tell the elected officials who make these final decisions what choices are authentic to what they believe is right.

Elected officials have to reach out and ensure the processes are transparent.

Here are two sets of statements I created for today’s workshop (left on an information table) participants in case they were interested in some of my points: justice-charrette-sophia.doc
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Sunday I’m heading to Indianapolis for the Jefferson Jackson Dinner to hear Howard Dean, Sen. Obama (HOORAY!!) and Sen. Clinton.

Incidentally, today I participated in an appearance at the Obama HQ to stand alongside a group of local officials who endorse Obama’s candidacy: City Councilman Andy Ruff, City Councilman Dave Rollo, City Councilman Steve Volan, City Clerk Regina Moore, County Councilman Michael Woods, County Councilman Vic Kelson, County Commissioner Patrick Stoffers, Precinct Chairman Chaim Julian, and yours truly! Regina & Patrick gave remarks to spark the event and send fired-up volunteers gathered– onward to a day of canvassing neighborhoods for Obama.
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Letters of Support about my campaign for a seat on the Board of Commissioners (that have been published in the local H-T “Letters to the Editor”) are featured on my Sophia for Commissioner website now!

That was the message from Senator Vi Simpson this morning at the Democratic Women’s Caucus breakfast–Democrats must stay united after the Primary Election! Betsy Myers also spoke about being Obama’s COO, and delivered a message about staying optimistic and united throughout the Democratic processes!

I went to an intimate gathering at Farm Restaurant where Betsy Myers spoke to “Women for Obama.” Ms. Myers, a seasoned campaign worker, former appointee of President Clinton, is now the Chief Operations Officer and Senior Advisor for Obama for America.

She talked about many aspects of her work, what led her to work for Obama, and the experience thus far.

Betsy Myers left a position as an executive director of the Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership at Harvard last year to work for Sen. Obama. About that decision I found this quote and passage from a brief article (describing Myers’ new position as “Change Operator”) concerning her passion for politics AND studying leadership:

”The passion I have about leadership is one of the reasons I was able to leave the job and community I loved to go work for such a great leader,” Myers said of her decision at a CPL-sponsored event on February 7. It was Obama’s personal appeal to her in describing his desire for a campaign that was “grassroots, low-drama, buttoned-up, and run like a business,” that convinced Myers that, even if it didn’t succeed, it promised to set a new standard in electoral politics.Which is exactly what Myers set about doing when she started work in January 2007. Her first three hires, which included the directors of finance, human resources and travel, were all previously stay-at-home moms ready to re-enter the workforce and whose backgrounds included business and operations-but not campaigns. ~The Citizen

Betsy Myers talking about the tools of the campaign for Obama for America at Farm!

Again, a prevalent message that was imparted throughout this wonderful discussion today was to come together after the nominee is decided. That said, I was happy to be in the room at Farm filled with a group of diverse Women for Obama!

In the evening at 6pm:

Vinai Thummalapally & Hassan Chandoo,
Friends of Senator Barack Obama!

Mr. Thummalapally is a long-time friend of Sen. Obama since 1971, serves on the Obama Finance Committee, and is visiting Bloomington to help with the local grassroots campaign effort! He is visiting from his home state of Colorado!

Mr. Chandoo is visiting from New York. He was Sen. Obama’s roommate at Occidental College for two years. Alongside Mr. Thummalapally, he will help to canvas door-to-door and share in the grassroots effort to Elect Obama here in Bloomington, Monroe County!

They are long time supporters and close friends of Sen. Obama who want to chat with you about news of the campaign, their story of friendships, and to let you know why they believe in the candidacy of Obama!

Write to me at sophia@littlebear.com for more info on this informal, intimate occasion!

Tomorrow: I will be a grant panelist for the BAAC, reviewing grant applications with a team…

I’ll also be checking out the “A New Jail: Exploring Alternatives to Incarceration in Monroe County” workshops & films at Boxcar Books (310A South Washington St.) –and– The Cinemat (123 S. Walnut) tomorrow. It begins at 11am and goes until 8pm.

Happy May Day! Happy International Worker’s Day! Happy Morris dancing…!
Hey–and look, you can find Mr. Fluck Mill appearing on the Daily Kos!!

I can’t attempt summarizing yesterday’s big event…it was a thrill to have a great seat and share the experience surrounded by excited people, including my Mom— whose visit was so fortuitously timed such as to take it all in. She voted for Obama in the Virginia Primary Election, so, needless to say, I think it was just a great, great opportunity to hear Sen. Obama at Assembly Hall yesterday evening.

The H-T has published several letters from people expressing their support for my candidacy today which I’m deeply touched by. I hope my constituents are pleased with what these letters of support, in addition to other previously published letters of equally kind support, have had to say about the qualities they like in me as a public servant. These “letters to the editor” of the H-T have been very encouraging, and I’m honored by what the writers have said on behalf of my candidacy towards continuing to serve the people of Monroe County as a member of the Board of Commissioners!

I’ve got lots of return letters to write today; people have been writing me a lot of email too!
—I’ll be back soon! Council work continues and, while we anticipate early next week being punctuated by the hullaballoo surrounding the Primary Election, Council duties do still call and we’ll be starting next month’s official council work on Wednesday.

If you haven’t already, please visit the Sophia for Commissioner website…as I mentioned yesterday, there are audio file to listen to—the WGCL interview may be of interest to many of you. And I hope you’ll check out the I-69 opposition press conference audio file there too!

Sophia for Commissioner

“I want to campaign the same way I govern, which is to respond directly and forcefully with the truth,” ~ Barack Obama, 11/08/07

A campaign is very much a serious facet of serving—a campaign is not a “holding pattern” that is a prelude to “landing.” It’s about preparing for a good take-off. That’s the style of campaigning that I look for.

So, when candidates list their “qualifications,” or cite their established record as incumbents seeking re-election, listen carefully to if they’re just prattling on about maintaining the status quo, or worse, staying in a caretaker mode— as we see here to a great extent in local County Governments across Indiana—perpetuating a syndrome where local governments are stuck in a dysfunctional pattern of only “reacting” to crisis—instead of pro-actively averting or preventing crisis. (Making come true the ol’ annoying adage, “If you always do what you’ve always done you always get what you’ve always got…” and who thinks that makes sense? That’s also the definition of insanity!)

Ask of any candidate, “What have you done for me lately?”

Then ponder the promises being made by the candidate—particularly asking local candidates about juvenile justice issues, re-entry issues, and their depth of knowledge about environmental issues…ask them what they know about the current realities of creating a budget that soundly reflects progressive values…and, finally, ask them about their sense of optimism and faith in the possibilities of effective government being realized…

I had a great time visiting AM1370 WGCL to speak with Darryl Neher yesterday for the Afternoon Edition: you can hear audio of the interview by visiting my campaign website, scroll down the homepage, and click on the link: Sophia for Commissioner

Nice callers with stimulating questions called in—I hope you’ll give it a listen!

You’ll also find audio of WFHB’s Daily Local News coverage of the Stoops/Travis Press conference at Sophia for Commissioner covering the latest news of our opposition to the new-terrain NAFTA highway I-69 route.

WFHB Community Radio for South Central Indiana can be tuned into at these frequencies:
91.3 FM | 98.1 Bloomington | 100.7 Nashville | 106.3 Ellettsville

Their Daily Local News program can be heard Monday through Friday at 5:30pm.

Okay, folks, tonight OBAMA!! How exciting!!

It’s a beautiful letter…for me, this Spring, roundness, and the shape of a circle, will likely remain a symbol of the experiences I’ll remember marking the season. Physically, I am becoming rounder every day, as I’m nearing the third trimester of this special time in my life!

But I digress—- a long-awaited appearance by Sen. Obama will take place tomorrow, Wednesday evening, at Assembly Hall on the campus of Indiana University!

My Mom happens to be here visiting from Virginia (where she voted for Obama in the Primary there) and I’m so excited that we’ll share the evening together, to hear Sen. Obama, as Mother & daughter alongside my husband!

I enjoy asking Mr. Fluck Mill, “Who called it?” And that he answers, “You did!” This, in light of my immediate interest in Sen. Obama back in 2004.

And I’m thrilled that everyone seems swayed too! Hooray!

There are several other Obama events coming up that have been anticipated for some time—I’ll keep you posted on those as they become official—they include a visit to Bloomington by Obama’s close long-time friends and a press conference of a coalition of supporters among elected officials and colleagues…

Today, I am pleased that there is early voting on campus.

There is also a Monroe County Government event that warms my heart: a groundbreaking for the Karst Farm Park Access to Recreation playground feature this early afternoon after a luncheon celebration for outreach about the park feature. A few years ago I had a hand in “connecting the dots” for the realization of the dream to begin. You can read about that here on the Community Foundation’s website: “A Profound Partnership”

So, the Letter ‘O’ also joins my theme for today in light of that “profound partnership” thanks to the local agency Options, where I am involved with issues that families and people with disabilities face each day, as I serve on the board for Options:

* In the greater Monroe County area there are over 23,000 people with a disability.
* In Monroe County alone there are over 800 veterans with disabilities.
* Nationally, one in ten children has a disability that prevents him or her from playing on traditional play structures

Finally, again for Obama, I have a footnote to this entry: some of our local musical troubadours— are performing a concert at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Sunday evening: You can also see info about the concert at Carrie Newcomer’s website and listen to her songs when visiting her pretty site! Bloomington favorite Krista Detor will join the concert alongside Malcolm Dalglish, and writer-thinker Scott Russell Sanders.

Early this evening at 5pm I’ll speak about my candidacy for Commissioner, with Darryl Neher, on WGCL AM 1370 Afternoon Edition.

Long-time friends came over this weekend to help label a campaign mailing that will go out this morning! Seven sets of helping hands worked speedily to label and sort my signature cards featuring Margie Van Auken’s artwork:

Visit Sophia for Commissioner for updated info about the campaign, my record, etc.

Here’s coverage, by H-T writer Sarah Morin, following up on the press conference that Mark Stoops and I held on Saturday: travis-stoops-argue-against-i-69-today_-heraldtimesonlinecom.pdf

Another close friend of mine held a “friendraiser” for Monroe County Circuit Court Seat VI Judge Candidate Valeri Haughton across town while my mailing “party” took place…helping hands all around town made for a heartwarming day and evening.