http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/group_rss/COCommunityLeaders To support other ProgressNow Group leaders across the state Religious Leaders Urge Action on Climate Change, Clean Energy Jobs As leaders from Colorado’s faith communities, we call for dramatic action to avert the most drastic effects of global climate change as one of the dominant moral imperatives of our time. The earth, our home, is a gift—we did not create it or earn it, and we do not own it, but we do have a sacred responsibility to be good stewards of that gift. The earth's resources are finite, and with our technological prowess we have the ability to upset the ecological balance which supports our life on this earth. We must be attentive to the impacts of our activity on the environment, and not foolishly pretend that we are immune from those impacts. We believe that our planet is in great peril from the threat of climate change. We believe it is real, and that it is to a significant extent human-induced. We accept the vast body of scientific evidence which forecasts severe consequences for the Earth and all its inhabitants—including rising sea levels, increased drought and desertification, more frequent and more severe extreme weather events, ocean acidification, new disease epidemics, massive population relocation and attendant conflicts-- if we fail to act. Our thirst to consume the earth's natural resources, and our reliance on old energy sources which emit greenhouse gases, has led us to a both a spiritual and environmental crisis. In view of this, for us as spiritual leaders to remain silent would be an abdication of our responsibilities. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/nbock6552/CZSJ http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/nbock6552/CZSJ/commentary#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:49:18 EDT http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/nbock6552/CZSJ Nelson Bock http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4b519578d91f18752b_efm6b4e7n.jpg Nelson Bock 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CZSJ/ Talk about double-speak. One sign I saw carried by a Tea Party supporter said, "If you like socialism, you'll love fascism". That ditto-head obviously does not understand what either of those terms means. Fascism (rule by corporations, which requires the supression of democracy and civil rights) is what we had for the last eight years and got us into the mess we have now. Fascism is antithetical to democracy. Socialism is not. There is such a thing as democratic socialism. You may not like socialism, but don't equate it to fascism. The real fascists are those who will tell any like and will not stop at undermining democracy in order to preserve the rule of the corporate elite. That's what these "Tea-party" demonstrations were about. Don't be deceived, like many no doubt well-meaning but ill-informed participants were. Current tax rates are among the lowest in our country's history. How much lower do they want to go? As Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famously said, "Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society". If the sentiments of the Tea-Party demonstrators are any indication of our society's level of civilization, then less taxes is the last thing we need. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/nbock6552/CZxX http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/nbock6552/CZxX/commentary#comments Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:08:36 EDT http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/nbock6552/CZxX Nelson Bock http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4b519578d91f18752b_efm6b4e7n.jpg Nelson Bock 2 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CZxX/ I found this, part of an old public service comic book ad, on a blog called Polite Dissent which, despite the name, isn't usually particularly political. More like the intersection of comic books and media with medicine. The ad (you can see the whole thing by clicking the link) is from 1952. The statement is still true and relevant, and there are still crotchety old men arguing for strict individual independence because they're cheap and want to hang onto every "red cent" they own. Personally, I think when it comes to matters of patriotic duty, you rarely go wrong siding with Superman. Past Posts (Personal, not Political) can be found at The Neon Nurse's Charting This past week it was mostly about car stuff and the dog's operation, although today I shared some thoughts about racism. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQs5 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQs5/commentary#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:02:57 EDT http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQs5 Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 1 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQs5/ As you probably already know, Republican State Senator Dave Schultheis shocked the public last week by accidentally saying something he really meant out loud. He explained he could not vote in favor (a second time) of a bill that would require HIV testing for pregnant women, because it would help them escape from the consequences of their sexual promiscuity. Well, it wouldn't help them so much as their BABIES, but see, dealing with a sick and probably dying child would teach the mother and her family valuable lessons about the right way to act. What Sen. Schultheis has done, aside from earning the scorn and contempt of anyone with even a modicum of decent human feeling, is give us a sterling example of why separation of church and state is such a good idea. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQsC http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQsC/commentary#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:19:06 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQsC Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 1 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQsC/ No, no one I know is getting married. I just ran across an interesting link to a page for some people who want to re-start the Whig party. Interesting stuff! http://modernwhig.org/ This could be an idea whose time has come. I've seen quite a few online laments in the past few days from Republicans who feel that the Radical Right has swiped the party they thought they knew out from under them. I can understand them not feeling ready to switch over to the Dem side. So maybe a new centrist party is the answer. What would be needed to make that work, of course, is a radical change in how elections are run (and good luck with THAT). It could be done, though. Ken Gordon from here in Colorado proposed a change only a few years ago that would work well. It's called run-off balloting. What that means is that voters could add a second choice to their ballot. Let's say in a pretend race we have the A, B, C, D and E parties represented by candidates. We'll call A and B the long-time traditional parties, who used to be the only games in town. But the new C, D and E parties have strong core groups of supporters and a lot of fresh ideas, plus it's something new so they are getting a lot of media coverage. So when the votes are tallied, wow, shock! NO ONE got over 50%, which is the minimum required to win outright. It came out like this A: 30%, B: 29%, C: 9%, D: 12% and E: 20%. The lowest number of votes were for the C candidate, so he's out. Now the second choice votes of that candidate's supporters come into play. They are added to the totals of the votes for the other four candidates. Now the count is A: 31%, B: 30%, D: 12% and E: 27%. Still no 50%, so we go again, now taking off the D candidate and counting the second choice votes. That brings us to A: 34%, B: 32% and E: 34%. Wow, getting exciting now, eh? B is now eliminated. (Let me pause a second to say this is an over-simplified explanation, because some of the D 2nd votes might have been for the C candidate in the second round, and some of the B's 2nd votes might have been for Ds and Cs. So it would take a lot of figuring and rules to work out the details, and probably computers as well, and...yeah. Plus it would come down to individual votes rather than percentages. But let's press on, shall we?) Basically whichever candidate, A or E, gets at least 16% of B's voters 2nd choice votes gets boosted to the magic 50% number and wins the election. Since A and B have historically been rivals, E stands a very good chance of being the winner! Like I said, a highly simplified version of the process. I probably won't see it in my lifetime, but who knows? Fun to think about! http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ9Q http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ9Q/commentary#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:03:08 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ9Q Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQ9Q/ Wow, Betsy Markey, our new CD-4 rep, is really maximizing her Colorado time while Congress is on break. During her visit here to Lamar today, she said she'd been in La Junta the day before, and in Campo this morning. Next up were Eads, Kit Carson, and Fort either-Collins-or-Morgan...and that's all TODAY! Seriously, if you notice a crowd forming in your town, wander over there. It could well be Betsy holding a meeting! There was a good-sized, varied crowd in attendance here today. Our local elected officials were hoping to hear good news about stimulus funds coming our way. Betsy did know of one big chunk of change, $1.3mil for the four Prowers County school districts, mainly for Title 1 and special ed. That sum is in addition to $$ to be named later for school construction and upgrade projects! Other subjects discussed included credit card regulation for both consumers and small businesses, the Farm Bill, our county museum expansion project, water (always!), and whether the CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) will be renewed. People pointed out that in some places around here on Tuesday, when the wind was blowing 40-50mph, there were blackout conditions near acreage that had been recently plowed. If farmers and ranchers can't afford to keep their land unplowed and in grass, we could see a quick return to the bad old days of the Dust Bowl. Betsy was only flummoxed by one question --- mine, and that was only for a moment. Being well-acquainted with the 'only so many hours in a day' problem, and guessing that every meeting Betsy has attended and will attend would just keep the requests piling up, what I wanted to know was how those of us who want to see progress happen could best join in the effort. What could WE do to help HER? "No one has asked me that before," Betsy said. But she's a quick-thinker, and came up with some suggestions. We can provide information on the problems we want to see addressed, by sending it in to her office in DC by email, OR by visiting one of the new regional offices she is setting up around CD-4. Due to Federal rules they can't accept volunteer help from the general public, BUT if high school or college students want to come help at the offices for school credit, that's a possibility. After the meeting some of us went over to check out where Betsy's new Lamar office is going to be. It's a good space, right across the street from the Post Office and the SE Colorado Enterprise Development offices. I'm thinking this visit from Betsy is going to turn out to be the first of many! http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ9R http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ9R/commentary#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:48:36 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ9R Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQ9R/ Before he left for the bus to school this morning, MrMike woke me to remind me that Obama was going to be in Denver today. He was almost as excited about it as if he was going to be there himself. When I (eventually) got up and turned on my computer, I checked Twitter, as I always do. One of the first things I noticed was @DenverChannel (7, The Denver Channel) tweeting that @speakercarroll (Colorado's Speaker of the House, Terrance Carroll) was livetweeting from the museum. So I jumped on to add him to my Following list. DenverChannel also mentioned they had a live feed going at their site. For some reason, a live feed fascinates me like bubblewrap fascinates our cat Sandy. Not just because it comes in more reliably than regular TV on a day when the wind is blowing 40-50 mph. Yes, like today. But there is something about sitting here in my personal home spot with LIVE unfiltered camera feed RIGHT HERE on my personal screen that makes my inner geek squee uncontrollably. I almost feel like I could go outside and find a flying car parked in my driveway! Not that I would flive it on a windy day like today. So I sat here gawking and marveling at the shots of Air Force One (?) on the ground at Buckley, and the motorcade rolling off across the flat prairie like a modern wagon train. When they cut over to them getting onto Colorado Blvd near the I-70 exchange, I trilled to The Clone how amazing it was that the Prez and his crew were driving on the SAME STREETS I myself have driven on many, many times. I recognized the scenery, see? OK, I'll try to calm down. Of course there were a lot of speeches once it started. The text of those are posted all over already, so you can easily find them if you want to. I'll just hit some highlights. MrMike will be very happy when I tell him one of the things VP Biden emphasized most was various kinds of rail improvements he hopes we will see come from the stimulus bill. When it was finally Obama's turn to speak, he thanked all the Colorado pols. I thought it was funny when he said, "Mark Udall -- he's not here, but give him a big round of applause anyway." Obama has good comedy instincts. He said it was nice to be back in Denver and deadpanned, "I was here last summer. We had a good time." The crowd didn't seem to be sure whether that was a joke or not. Obama had paused a little, as if waiting, but when there was no strong response he just smoothly moved on and got into his speech. It probably won't get the play it deserves, for something that I think is pretty ground-breaking in terms of how We the People can interact with government, but Obama said we can expect to be able to hold our elected officials accountable at all levels by seeing exactly where all this money will be going, through the new link at Recovery.gov . I for one am bookmarking it. We'll see. Again using the miracle of COMPUTERS!YAY! I watched the actual signing up close and personal. Obama wrote with one, picked up another from a tray, and grinned at the cameras, saying something about using ten pens. And he did. I'm kind of curious how that works. Does he just write a few letters with each one, or what? Must Google. Afterwards we got to see him and Joe work the crowd a bit. I recognized Betsy Markey, our CD4 Congresswoman, and Gov. Bill Ritter, and maybe Jared Polis if that was him standing beside Betsy. There were several others I glimpsed that I think might know, but my doubt proves I am really not THAT much of a player in the big political picture. OK, I have to get back to work trying to stimulate our personal economy now. These books won't wrap and mail themselves. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ9M http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ9M/commentary#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:26:46 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ9M Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQ9M/ Just about the only thing in the news, seems like, is the caterwauling in Congress about what should or shouldn't be in the stimulus package they might or might not pass. Quite a lot of the fuss seems to be coming from the R side of the aisle. Short version: They hate everything about Obama's version like poison, and anyone else who doesn't hate it just as much is failing to be bi-partisan. As I have said before, I'm not an economist by any stretch of the imagination. But with my average grasp of simple logic, I can see that if, say, $16 mil is made available to SE Colorado to continue work on Highway 287, then there are going to be new jobs available for doing that work. There will be payments made to companies that sell concrete mix, and highway signs, and machinery. Those companies can pay their workers. Those folks, and the highway workers, and everyone else putting a hand to the task, can buy groceries for their families, and tires for their vehicles, and hard hats. And beer. The money will go spreading around and around that way, helping everybody. What does a tax cut do besides make people who are already in good shape smile even bigger? Beats me. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQlj http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQlj/commentary#comments Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:54:38 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQlj Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQlj/ Due to popular demand (WeatherDem, that means YOU!), I thought I would give a more detailed report on what I learned at the Rocky Mountain RootsCamp 2009 breakout session given by a representative of the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority . Whose name I foolishly did not write down. My bad. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQTr http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQTr/commentary#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:37:59 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQTr Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 2 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQTr/ I don't know why going away for a one day meeting wipes me out so much. I mean, it's mostly sitting, and I didn't even undersleep hardly at all. Yet here I am dragging through the day like a slugged slug. It's lucky I did decide to go through my 'paper brain' and make lists of what I should be doing this week, or I would have TOTALLY forgotten that I am supposed to go to an interview tonight! I volunteered to be on the board of the Lamar Housing Authority when I read an article in the local paper lamenting that it couldn't even do business right now because someone moved away, leaving only two members of a five person board. Can't make quorum from that no matter what you do. So since I have SO MUCH Copious Spare Time, I filled out an application. Happily it seems like a fair number of others have too, so whether I get on or not, it will be okay. The event I went up to Denver for was called Rocky Mountain RootsCamp, which is exactly what it sounds like, a daycamp for grass roots progressives. Unlike the day camp I remember attending as a Brownie, I did not come home with cash totaling twice my weekly allowance because some of the older Girl Scouts actually sleeping over paid me to collect them a bunch of caterpillars. Ahem. But I did come home with lots of interesting info and ideas. Got to learn about a new youth outreach video project , hear the report from the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority, which is doing a study on feasibility and costs for developing passenger rail in Colorado, and a bunch more. People can also spontaneously suggest sessions, and I was asked to help with one on how to use Twitter, which was gratifying but alarming. No one's phone caught fire or anything, though, so that was okay. All in all, it was fun and informative, plus I got to catch up with a bunch of friends I don't get to see very often. I have a few pics, which I will try to process and post soon. In national news, I was impressed all over the place today by getting an email from MyBarackObama.com. I am guessing they sent it out to everyone on the whole DNC mailing list, and theirs too. They want people to set up house parties this weekend to inform folks about what the Economic Stimulus Plan will be doing in their region. I did a little looking around, and found some Colorado groups were setting up theirs to be a part of their mandated county party Re-organizational meeting. That seemed like a heck of a good idea to me, so I set Prowers County up that way too. It's just, WOW, you know? An administration that not only knows HOW to use modern communication venues, but is trying its best to use them to get the American Public active and involved in making things better! Pinch me, I gotta be dreamin' here! Past Posts (Personal, not Political): This week on The Neon Nurse's Charting there...isn't much. Mainly those 25 Random Things everyone is probably sick of by now. But stop by if you want to. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQTX http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQTX/commentary#comments Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:35:47 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQTX Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQTX/ One of the (few) things I've gotten done this morning so far today is to set up our county re-org meeting, something the state Dem party rules says must happen between Feb 1-15. This is where they elect officers and such. So if you have a hankering to get involved in your county party and encourage more leftward motion, it would be a good idea to go here and see when the meeting is scheduled that is relevant to your interests. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQTB http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQTB/commentary#comments Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:07:41 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQTB Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 1 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQTB/ I saw this great chart in a diary from Meteor Blades at Daily Kos : Colorado tops the nation (at 39%) for number of women legislators (state level)! Yes, we can do better. But for now, yay us! Full story here . http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQkl http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQkl/commentary#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:23:36 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQkl Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQkl/ I happened upon THIS very interesting story today. The call has gone forth to those friends of mine likely to have access to a comix shop, and I hope to acquire one for my very own. Yes, I am just that geeky. Good luck finding one of YOUR own! http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQfM http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQfM/commentary#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:20:56 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQfM Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 1 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQfM/ Comments by Nelson Bock, of Colorado Interfaith Power and Light, on the need to support green jobs in a renewable energy economy. I am pleased to represent Colorado Interfaith Power and Light, and the IPL movement which now has affiliates in 28 states, and whose mission is to mobilize the religious community to respond to the threat of climate change. I am here to support green jobs in a new energy economy, because it is our conviction that green jobs is not just an economic issue, and not just an environmental issue, but that it is also a profoundly spiritual issue. The earth, our home, is a sacred gift, the care of which we have been entrusted, and on which we live in a web of interdependent relationships. Living with reverence for that gift and those relationships is at the core of spirituality, and also the key to our survival and health as a human family. This is an issue that connects the health of our planet, the health of our people, and the health of our economy, because those things are all intrinsically connected in the larger scheme of things The earth, our home, is in peril because of our excessive dependence on the fossil fuel economy we have built over the last two hundred years. Climate change, accelerated and exacerbated by greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere as a result of human activity, threatens to severely disrupt the ecological balance which has supported human life, and the life of millions of other species with whom we share the earth. At the same time, human health is threatened by the emission of many other pollutants which foul not just the air, but the water and the land on which we likewise depend. And the health of our communities is threatened by economic dislocation and by the environmental destruction of public lands caused by ever more rapacious activities necessitated by the drive to seek and extract the last drops of fossil fuels wherever they may be found. These activities do not just damage landscape and wildlife habitat; they damage our spirits, as they increasingly estrange us from the earth, which we treat not as a living system of which we are a part, but as an inert depository of raw materials and a convenient repository for our waste. Further, these activities estrange us from one another, as exploitation of the earth's resources is based on exploitation of people and communities whose environment is despoiled and whose labor is treated as just another commodity, and who are then left to deal with the economic and environmental fallout when the resources are depleted. What we are learning is that a healthy society--one in which people and communities are healthy and happy and secure-- is dependent on a healthy relationship to our environment. Yes, people need jobs, and that is why we are here today. But a job is not just a job. Work is an expression of the human spirit. The work we do also shapes our spirit, making us more or less healthy as we embody our relationship to the earth through our work. So what kind of jobs are going to give us healthy people, a healthy economy, and healthy communities? The kinds of jobs which preserve a healthy planet. Jobs which discover, create, and utilize renewable sources of energy, jobs which help us to conserve the earth's finite and precious resources. Jobs which are based on sustainable sources of energy and other natural resources. Jobs which create and promote alternative forms of transportation. Jobs which allow communities to be more self-sustaining and less dependent on global supply lines and the exploitation of the labor and resources of people from other parts of the world. Jobs which allow people to express and take pride in the dignity of their labor through a reverent and respectful use of the earth's resources, and which provide families with a living wage. So we want to urge the people of Colorado and the United States to support candidates, initiatives, and policies which move us away from our unhealthy reliance on fossil fuels and towards green jobs in a green economy, for the health of our people, our communities, and our planet. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/nbock6552/CQDS http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/nbock6552/CQDS/commentary#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:24:51 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/nbock6552/CQDS Nelson Bock http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4b519578d91f18752b_efm6b4e7n.jpg Nelson Bock 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQDS/ My current words: I'm still alive. You've all been to those events where you introduce yourself by standing up and saying three words that illustrate why you're there, who you are, and so on, right? I used to point to my hair and say, "Turning Colorado blue!" (And whaddaya know, it worked!) I managed to survive my county wide Voter Reg project, and to be brutally honest I was planning to pretty much coast from October 6 through the election, because I really didn't think there would be much left to do. (I know, clearly I was deranged.) But everyone had caught fire, and new projects kept being proposed, new events kept being set up, and so for the last month my Three Words were a snarly "God, what NOW?!?!" But here we all are. We not only survived, we did a whole lot of winning! Here in Prowers, our voter turnout was 72.61%, and 58 percent of that was Early or Mail-In voting, so NO ONE got disenfranchised this year because the lines were so long they couldn't get in. The county still went roughly 2 to 1 in favor of the GOP, but we can work on that over the next two years. :) I think it may take just a little while to adjust to semi-normal life, but I'll do my best. For now, here is a really great song that helped get me through. It's called "I Approve This Message", although a good alternate title would be "We, The People". Hey, any song that mentions St. Molly of Austin and has lyrics like these: "I am the precinct walker I am the polling place volunteer I am the statistician and 4 out of 5 of me approve this message...." is a good song. (Can't seem to get it to embed, so here's the link) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwCCwg0xcIU http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ8s http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ8s/commentary#comments Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:04:19 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CQ8s Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 2 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQ8s/ Les MisObamas! This video was the capper on a really good day. I bought a new t-shirt: I got a lot of organizing done for our local New Voter Reg/Switch to Vote By Mail project, and in the mail I got two BIG packets of voter application forms from the SoS office! I am prepared to be Unstoppable come Monday. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CZjB http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CZjB/commentary#comments Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:52:53 EDT http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CZjB Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 1 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CZjB/ Wow, I really need to order some of those special days with the extra hours...I keep falling behind as new deadlines erupt! Here's a bit of cool news I ran across today. A rancher from the endangered Pinon Canyon region, Cathy Mullins, has donated an acre of land on her historic ranch to help raise funds to keep fighting the threatened expansion of the Army's Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site. If you don't recall the details on this horrible plan, no worries. Just click through HERE and browse through the tabs that explain what's at stake. Then go buy your square inch of land, a bargain at only $10! Hey, maybe you will get one near mine! http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CZGm http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CZGm/commentary#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:28:40 EDT http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/CZGm Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 101 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CZGm/ I'm still working on pics I took in Denver. There is one mental image in particular that has stayed with me from the speech at Mile High Thursday night, but unfortunately it's not a moment I also captured with my camera. You'll probably remember the one I mean, though, because it seems to have caught a lot of people's attention. I've seen it described as 'patio doors', and the clone said it made her think of the stained glass windows at a church. I'm talking about the part where Michelle and the girls join Obama on stage. They were standing outside a frame of panes, which was lit from the inside with a warm, golden glow. I have no way of knowing if that look was part of the design plan or not, but I bet it was, because it worked so superbly well. We all know subconsciously what it would be like, to be inside the place that light is shining from. It would be cozy and warm. It would make us feel secure, happy and welcome. It gives us the feeling that we don't have to worry any more. Everything will be all right now. Daddy's home. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/Cq75 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/Cq75/commentary#comments Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:00:57 EDT http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/Cq75 Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq75/ Hop on over to http://CodeNeonBlue.net to see! It's a blast being here in The Big Tent! http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/Cq7C http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/Cq7C/commentary#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:08:34 EDT http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/Cq7C Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq7C/ I thought I would write a little clarifying post about what exactly I am doing up here in Denver during the DNC. I'm not an actual Delegate -- I don't even play one on TV. I'm not one of the Official Credentialed State Bloggers, either. (For Colorado, that would be Square State , a site really worth your time if you are into Colorado-flavored political stuff.) Where I AM credentialed is as a blogging member of The Big Tent . This is a HUGE two-story tent set up in the parking lot of the Alliance Center in Denver. Hundreds of bloggers from all over are going to use this as a base of operations, from the giant and world famous Daily Kos (also a Big Tent sponsor) to the tiny and unknown (like me). This is also the place I am volunteering. Happily, we have that all straightened out now.... Part of the reason the ProgressNow people decided to make The Big Tent is that they didn't want to see this going on in the streets of Denver: From what I saw on Wednesday, I think they've got that action covered and then some. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/Cq49 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/Cq49/commentary#comments Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:11:08 EDT http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/neonnurse/Cq49 Susan the Neon Nurse http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/4d9f8366c95149b114_4l1gmvoe1.jpg Susan the Neon Nurse 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq49/