Wyoming Democratic Party: Dead, or just near death

I have been a member of the Laramie County Democrats since 2004. I've served as secretary and even spent a few trying weeks rewriting the county party's bylaws. I've been to many boring meetings and a few scintillating ones. I've leafletted neighborhoods and waved signs on icy street corners. I've been the precinct guy at the polls. I've represented Laramie County at two state conventions.


It's a pretty good track record. During that time, I haven't worked for some winning legislative candidates: Lori Millin, Mary Throne, Jim Byrd. I helped Dave Freudenthal win a second term in 2006. We almost claimed Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat for Gary Trauner -- think how much better off we'd be if he had been the one to replace the inept Barbara Cubin. We're now stuck with Cynthia Lummis, one of the 1%.


The 2010 elections were a disaster. And it appears that 2012 won't be much better.


The committed few are getting tired and older, just like the state of Wyoming, which has one of the oldest populations in the USA. The party is tried and needs new blood. Money, too, of course. It also needs to fight back against an ingrained Republican Party that's really feeling its oats now that the Tea Party controls its legislative agenda. The 2011 legislative sessions was no picnic. The upcoming session would be worse if it wasn't a budget session. There will be some crazymaking right-wing bills proposed, but not as many as time will be a factor. But those same crazies that gave you The Legislative Nightmare of 2011 will be back in 2013 (most of them). They are out to push women's reproductive rights back into the Stone Age, criminalize homosexuality, bash teachers, take away your voting rights, water down environmental regulations, eliminate job protections and slash retirement benefits for state workers, and so on. 


It seems like a no-brainer. Go vote, people. But Dems don't show up at the polls in large numbers unless there is something very big at stake. We had the exciting Barack Obama and Gary Trauner running in 2008. That might do it in 2012. But the state party has to step up to the plate to recruit and train candidates. Our leaders have to go toe-to-toe with the Republicans on every issue. 


There is now another factor at play. Our young people are showing up in the streets at Occupy-style rallies, such as the ones held in Cheyenne, Casper, Jackson and (yes) Pinedale this past weekend. These are just some of the in-state rallies sparked by Occupy Wall Street. These rallies are happening all over the globe. There were some old hands at Occupy Cheyenne on Saturday. But they were outnumbered by people in their 20s and 30s. It's been a long time since I've seen that.


The Occupiers are not going away. They are young and they are pissed, at both Republicans and Democrats. They are angry at me. Not personally, maybe, but at what I represent -- the Baby Boomer cohort which has not left this country a better place for our children and grandchildren. They have no jobs and huge student loan payments. Moreover, the weight from the top 1% is crushing them and their dreams. Most people my age are in the 99%, and we share the views of the younger Occupiers. But we are also symbols of the wretched excess of the 1980s and 1990s that mortgaged their future.


Something to think about as you read the following fund-raising letter from Chuck Herz, chair of the WY Democratic Party. To be fair, Chuck has spoken out loudly against some of the worst transgressions of WY Republicans. He knows that there are more voices like his that need to be heard. But the Dems need much more than fund-raising pleas. They need reasons to respond to them.

The newspapers are already declaring our time of death.  Last week the Wyoming Tribune Eagle even published an obituary for Wyoming Democrats.

It might sell newspapers, but we know Wyoming Democrats are far from dead. 

Show them that we're alive by pledging your support today.

The Republicans are spending their time abusing stimulus funds and keeping unemployment benefits from out-of-work Wyomingites.  We're hitting the pavement and recruiting candidates across the state to change business as usual in Wyoming.

Contribute today and show we're fighting back!
In states across the country Republicans are making it tougher, even impossible, for Americans to cast their votes; we saw this in Wyoming on the Wind River Indian Reservation.  Wyoming Democrats are fighting to make sure every vote gets counted and respected.

Pledge today and strengthen the Democratic Party in your community!

I know I'm not dead and I know you're not either. 

Democratically, Chuck

Chuck Herz
Chair, Wyoming Democratic Party

PS: We are stronger when we stand together.  Stand with Democrats across Wyoming by contributing today.

Convergence Wyoming: Historic preservation not just for Earth anymore.

Milford Wayne Donaldson, California’s state historic preservation officer, will be a featured speaker at the Convergence Wyoming 2011 in Cody Oct. 6-8. He will speak about some of the finer points of historic preservation. And its most otherworldly ones. In 2010, Donaldson successfully sought historic preservation status for the Apollo 11 moon landing sites.

The reasoning behind the first-of-its-kind designation was simple: Scores of California companies worked on the Apollo mission, and much of their handiwork remains of major historical value to the state, regardless of where it is now or what it was for used for then.

“It has a significance that goes way further than whether it came from a quarter million miles away or not,” Mr. Donaldson said. “They are all parts of the event.” 

While Apollo 11 was indeed a landmark mission — during which Neil A. Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon and he and Buzz Aldrin apparently ditched their boots — it wasn’t exactly tidy. Worried about the weight of their landing capsule, the harried lunar explorers left behind tons of trash, including empty food bags, electrical equipment and, yes, several receptacles meant for bodily waste. 

There is also a collection of artifacts of historical note and emotion: Mr. Armstrong’s footprint, for example, and an American flag. Apollo 11 also left behind a mission patch from Apollo 1, in which three astronauts died in a fire, and a message from world leaders. 

And while some of the garbage might seem like, well, garbage, California is just one of several states seeking protection for the items in the face of possible lunar missions by other nations as well as a budding space tourism industry. 

--clip-- 

Mr. Donaldson said he hoped his commission’s vote might help goad the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization into placing the landing site on the World Heritage List, an international compilation of famed landmarks. 

“I think there’s a threat from private companies,” Mr. Donaldson said. “And with today’s technology, they could probably pinpoint this.” 

That said, Mr. Donaldson admitted that there were no “space cops” available to safeguard the state’s newest historical resource. But, like the Apollo astronauts themselves, he seemed optimistic that Friday’s vote might lead to bigger and better things. 

“Hopefully,” he said, “this will take off.”

Register for Convergence Wyoming at http://www.convergencewyoming.com/register-today/. Article source: New York Times

WY Association of Churches presents "Civility Matters!" Oct. 8 in Casper

http://www/uwyo.edu/humanities

I was just at a Civility Matters! forum at Summit E.S. in Casper this past weekend featuring Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye (see my previous post). Here's another one, courtesy of the Casper Star-Tribune:

The Wyoming Association of Churches will host a town-hall style "Civility Matters" forum from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at the First United Methodist Church of Casper, 332 E. Second St.

The forum will focus on three issues: judicial responses for youth offenders in Wyoming, featuring Michael Blonigen and Beth Evans; the definition of marriage and civil unions as they relate to couples' sexual orientation, featuring Rodger McDaniel and Bob Norris; and providing health care for wyoming's poor, featuring Kellie Clausen and Sarah Gorin. Former TV broadcaster and Wyoming state legislator Nimi McConigley will moderate the session.

Each speaker will be allotted 20 minutes, followed by 40 minutes allotted for questions and discussion by the public.

Lunch will be provided at a cost of $10, and advance registration is encouraged. To register in advance, contact Steven Mitchell at stevmitch2002@yahoo.com, write him at 1275 Adams Ave., Rock Springs, Wyoming, 82901, or visit http://www.wyomingassociationofchurches.org.

Read more: http://trib.com/news/local/casper/article_d00c9422-630f-51f8-99c8-7af16e041e4b.html#ixzz1Z1jIzKPs

Cheyenne artist takes many pieces and creates a work of peace

Cheyenne artist Forrest King took these items from Sept. 11 ceremony...

...and constructed this work of art seen in background at International
Day of Peace ceremony in Herschler Building.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead penned a proclamation marking Sept. 21 at the International Day of Peace. At today's lunchtime ceremony at the Herschler Building honoring this day of peace, the Rev. Rodger McDaniel read the proclamation because the Gov was busy with the "lying in state" events for the late U.S. Sen Malcolm Wallop.

Gov. Mead's proclamation mentioned the United Nations many times. The International Day of Peace originated in the U.N. in 1981 and was first celebrated on Sept. 21 in 2002. I couldn't help but wonder how nuts the proclamation would make Gov. Mead's U.N.-hating Tea Party followers. They'll never read it, of course. But if they did, heads would be exploding all over Wyoming.

Sen. Wallop was no fan of the U.N. or of peacenik ways. He was a Cold Warrior, one of Ronald Reagan's staunchest supporters.  I doubt if the International Day of Peace ever deserved a ceremony, much less a mention, at Sen. Wallop's digs in Sheridan County.

My thoughts were not in keeping with the peace and justice ways of today's ceremony. But that's how it goes when you've spent two decades as an outlier in the reddest of red states.

Cheyenne's International Day of Peace featured fine words by Christian, Jewish, Muslim and UU leaders. Music too. And a work of art by local artist Forrest King.

At the Sept. 11 commemoration at the State Capitol, Forrest collected mementos from different faith communities. These items represented the brokenness of 9/11. Forrest was charged with bringing a sense of hope to these materials via his art.

And he did. Forrest is sending more photos. For now, the above images show the items from the Sept. 11 ceremony and the sculpture fashioned by Forrest. I'll do a more complete description of the work in future posts.

I leave you with the words that Rev. McDaniel left us with: "All in Peace. Go in Peace. Create in Peace. Live in Peace."

Shalom

One of Wyoming's major political parties to honor working people at annual dinner

It's too early for a wind-bending quiz  but I have one for you anyway.

Q: Which of America's major political parties is more concerned with creating jobs, extending unemployment benefits and preserving pensions than in continuing tax cuts for millionaires?

The clock is ticking. I'll give you another second.

Stumped?

Here's a clue:

The 2011 Jefferson-Jackson Banquet is set for Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m., at the Outlaw Inn in Rock Springs. 

Click here to learn more and to buy your tickets now. 

The theme of this year's event will be support for working people everywhere, including organized labor, nonunion workers, and those who are looking for jobs - especially in light of Republican attacks on unions and the unemployed in many states across the nation. 

The Outlaw Inn has offered us a discounted rate of $85 per night. You can reserve your room by calling the Outlaw Inn at 307-362-6623 and asking for the Wyoming Democratic Party rate. 

We are in the process of finalizing the details for our guest speaker for the evening, so check back here for that exciting news when we are ready to make an announcement. Also at the banquet, Wyoming Democratic Party Chairman Chuck Herz will announce the winner of our Party Builder of the Year Award. 

We look forward to seeing you at the Wyoming Democratic Party's annual fall rally as we lay the foundations for victory in 2012. 

Now do you know the answer?

Wyoming Country Party hates those darn federal and state gubments

The Wyoming Country Party has been floating around the state since spring. Its mission looks suspiciously like that of the Wyoming Republican Party, or maybe a hybrid of the WY GOP and the WY Libertarians.

Anyway, they want to get the darn state and federal gubments off of our backs. Same 'ol, same 'ol. Their logo is kind of clever (see above). Their message as old as the Know Nothings of the 1850s, the John Birch Society of the 1950s and the Tea Party of today.

Here's a taste:

The Wyoming Country Party is a new political party that will nominate, support and elect candidates to the Wyoming legislature who will reduce the size and scope of government. 

We embrace these fundamental principles that Judge Andrew Napolitano speaks of so eloquently:
  that government is best which governs least
  the people are entitled to a government that stays within the confines of the Constitution
  the Constitution was written to keep the government off the people's backs 

The Wyoming Country Party advocates reducing taxes on Wyoming citizens, reducing state government spending, and reducing Wyoming's dependence on the federal government. The party believes that the federal government has grown too large and powerful, and will work to elect Wyoming citizens to the Wyoming legislature who will reclaim, through legal and peaceful means, state responsibility for education, land management, wildlife management and other government functions that were reserved to the states or to the people by the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution.

Celebrate the end of Don't Ask Don't Tell and hard-fought battles for LGTB equality in The Equality State

From Jeran Artery, Director of Social Change, Wyoming Equality:

Dear Wyoming Equality Members and Allies,

In case you hadn’t heard September 20th marks the official end of the Military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. This is a huge milestone in our fight for LGTB equality across this country. We think that calls for a celebration!

What’s more, over the last year we’ve seen marriage equality arrive in New York State. President Obama’s Administration has decided to stop defending DOMA, and right here in Wyoming we defeated two very ugly anti-LGTB bills. We’ve accomplished many great things over this last year and we want to throw a party to say thank you for helping us fight the good fight.

So, drum roll please… On Tuesday, September 20, from 6-10 p.m. at the Historic Plains Hotel in Cheyenne we will be hosting this celebration. The cost of admission is free. Wyoming Equality will provide some tasty snacks, and a cash bar will be available for you to enjoy a cocktail or two.

We will be having a silent auction on a handful of nifty items to help offset the cost of the event, but mostly we just want you to come and celebrate with us! Save the date and I hope to see all of you Sept. 20.

Despite what the Gov says, Cindy Hill continues her war against public employees

Why does Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill hate her permanent employees?

Probably because she can't fire them every time her little heart desires.

Hill had some juicy quotes in yesterday's Casper Star-Tribune story, "Wyo. Gov. Mead: At-will employment should be consistent."

“I have SOME permanent employees who are very personally committed and find ALL at-will employees are personally committed to their work,” Hill said.

I have capitalized "some" and "all." I am a permanent state employee. If I saw my agency director saying that only SOME of her employees were "personally committed," I would ponder several things:

1. Thank God that there are laws that protect me from Tea Party extremists such as Cindy Hill.

2. Why do Republicans hate the people who actually do the work?

3. This person is in charge of our public schools?

4. What is my union’s (Wyoming Public Employees Association) position in this tug-of-war between its members and Hill?

Cindy Hill is part of the Republican bid to privatize everything. As we've seen in Wisconsin and Ohio and Florida, Republicans governors and their lackeys are trying to undo every gain made by employees since The Great Depression.

One has to wonder how Wyoming will find and keep “personally committed” employees when right-wing extremists such as Hill are calling the shots.

Once upon a time in the West, a WY Republican senator proposed a monorail for Yellowstone NP

Sao Paolo, Brazil, monorail -- this could have served
the Jackson to Old Faithful Inn route, if Sen
Malcolm had had his way.

Last week, I posted about the traffic congestion at I-25 and College Drive in Cheyenne. I suggested that there may be a solution in sight, as U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that Cheyenne will receive a $400,000 grant to “reduce crashes” at the interchange.

In that post, I kidded around about monorails. I couldn’t resist. Fans of “The Simpsons” know the monorail song from the fifth series episode in which a Harold Hill-style huckster talks the gullible citizens of Springfield into an ill-fated monorail project.

They’re a joke. Except in Mumbai and Tokyo and Las Vegas and Moscow and Dusseldorf and Singapore where monorails move hundreds of thousands of people a day – and hardly any of the passengers break out in the monorail song. I’ve ridden the tourist monorails in Orlando and Seattle, and people-mover versions at DFW Airport and downtown Detroit.

I was shocked to discover that a Republican U.S. Senator once proposed a monorail for Yellowstone National Park. It was 1991 and people were in an uproar over traffic congestion and pollution at our major parks. Sen. Malcolm Wallop of Sheridan was no environmentalist. But he did think the National Park Service should investigate a YNP Monorail.

I find lots of archival references to Wallop’s proposal. WY PBS did a Main Street Wyoming interview with Wallop on the subject. The Monorail Society’s newsletter lists and summer 1991 story about Wallop’s proposal. But I didn’t have the time or research skills to ferret out the details.

I did find a June 2, 1991, article in the Baltimore Sun by Associate Editor Ernest B. Furgurson. He announced that he was about to set out on an exploration of the West’s national parks:

During the next few weeks, I plan to set foot on some of the most valuable land in America. It is valuable because it is undeveloped, and if there is a heaven it will stay that way. 

--snip-- 

Environmentalists are not the only park lovers who see traffic as probably the most serious single problem. Sen. Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming, with whom they are often at odds, suggested this week that the National Park Service consider "futuristic" mass transport, such as monorails, to ease road crowding. 

His idea was immediately derided as a way to convert national parks into theme parks like Disneyland. But if even Mr. Wallop is willing to impose a slight inconvenience on the all-American motorist who wants to drive every foot of the way, there may be hope for change. 

Building monorail systems in Yellowstone, Yosemite and Denali (Mt. McKinley) parks seems at first glance too much of a project, sure to destroy terrain and mar views. But shuttle buses already are required at Denali, and available at other parks such as Yellowstone. At Yosemite, the park service is limiting the number of cars in the valley to 5,000 at a time.

This seems so long ago and far away. If a 2011 Republican senator proposed a monorail or light rail line to anywhere, he or she would be targeted by Luddite Tea Party conspiracy types who see all mass transportation as an international plot against suburban sprawl. These people have already made a stir in Casper where a few loud yet ill-informed citizens saw a zoning change as part of the nefarious UN Agenda 21 plot. Florida recently turned down millions for a high-speed rail line on its west coast. The Feds took the money and sent it to other rail projects in the northeast and California. In ten years, those blue state voters will be zipping along to the polls while commuters in Tampa and Orlando will spend election day in gridlocked traffic. They won’t be singing the monorail song. They will be singing the blues.

There’s no real reason for a Yellowstone monorail. It would be terribly expensive. Those big concrete tracks and stanchions would be a blight on the landscape. Yellowstone really only has horrible traffic two months of the year -- July and August. Many summer tourists are accommodated by shuttle and tour buses. Modern autos spew much less pollution. Besides, there’s just no way around the fact that we westerners love our cars. I do.

You never know, though. WY Sen. John Barrasso just might surprise everyone by suggesting national park monorails or light rail systems or even blimps. He’ll do anything to get an interview on Fox News.

Gregory Hinton receives fellowship for his program "Out West at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center"

You remember Gregory Hinton.

I wrote about Greg and his staged reading in Laramie of “Beyond Brokeback” on these pages in April.

Greg Hinton is returning to Cody, Wyoming, this fall. It’s where he grew up. He sent this news release:

I am very proud to announce that the Cody Institute of Western American Studies at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody has selected me for a Resident Fellowship for my abstract "Out West at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center." “Telling stories, sharing culture, and staking claim to the mother lode of Western American history for all diverse cultures is the mission of Out West. 

In particular, scholarship before the twentieth century in the area of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender western studies is incomplete and therefore underserved. A survey of the hidden histories of these communities through the examination of the vast assets of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center will lay an important foundation for future scholars in this unique, fascinating, and expanding area of Western American Studies." 

This award was highly competitive and I am honored and frankly humbled to be included. I hope to take my residency in November/December of 2011 and report my findings with an article and/or documentary and a public presentation in the fall of 2012. I am particularly grateful to the Autry National Center for their early generosity and vision. Thanks to you all for your interest and encouragement in the Mission of Out West. 

Poll: More trust Obama over Republicans in Congress on debt, deficit issues

Listen up, Wyoming Sen./Dr. John Barrasso and Sen. Mike Enzi -- the clock is ticking on your Radical Right agenda: Poll: More trust Obama over Republicans in Congress on debt, deficit issues - The Hill's On The Money

Vertical Harvest @ The Roof in Jackson

Very cool project to build a vertical greenhouse  on the south side of the downtown parking garage in Jackson. The big launch is Thursday, July 28, on the top floor of the garage. Lots of local food and music and beer from the good folks at the Thai Me Up Brewery. Try the Brother Ted Dubbel or the Dopplebock. FMI: http://verticalharvest.wordpress.com/.  

Defy the Hate Open Shoot, Frontier Days version, takes place July 27 at Atlas Theatre

Defy the Hate Open Shoot will be held on Wednesday, July 27, 1-5 p.m., at the Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne. Celebrate Cheyenne Day in a slightly different way by making a statement. First get shot, then go party. While at the Atlas, you can buy tickets for the Old-Fashioned Summer Melodrama.

Here’s info from Matthew Angelo:

It is that time of year for Cheyenne Frontier Days. So in honor of that, we need you to Cowboy Up and make a stand against bullying and hate, but with a western twist. That's right, break out the Wranglers, white t-shirt, and yes the cowboy hat (not a requirement). Let’s show the tourists who come to Cheyenne, that Wyoming won't sit back and let their kids be bullied or hated in any way. 

Cheyenne's people are not exactly retiring types

Typical Cheyenne volunteers

In my previous post, I was a bit unfair to both AARP The Magazine and Cheyenne The City. Cheyenne is a great town with many amenities. Yes, it has low taxes, which makes many retirees happy. But it also has the 115-year history of Cheyenne Frontier Days, not only a Western tradition but one that depends almost entirely on volunteers.

Not every century-old event can say this.

I am a volunteer at the Old-Fashioned Melodrama, now in its 55th season. It's the summer offering of the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players, now in its 85th year. Easterners used to counting events and buildings and neighborhoods in centuries might scoff at the idea of anything in two figures being a tradition.

But just think about how tough it is to get an organization up and running -- and then to keep it running. I've been a member of organizations that have disappeared after a decade. I've participated in events that start with a bang but end with a whimper a few years later.

So, a 55-year-old volunteer-run event is a thing of beauty.

Yesterday evening, my wife Chris and I were part of a melodrama volunteer corps at the Historic Atlas Theatre. I was house manager and Chris ran the box office. Jim the retiree and Lexie the high school girl ran the concessions. An Air Force retiree and an attorney and a computer guy staffed the bar. Carol ran the 50/50 raffle table. She took a tumble recently and is using a walker. There is nothing on heaven or earth that will interfere with Carol's volunteer time at the melodrama. That includes cancer, which she's been battling bravely for years.

The sheriff is a high school teacher who also coaches the speech-and-debate team. His deputy is a Cheyenne native, brilliant actor and waiter at a local bistro. Jim the emcee works for the state and Jenny the card girl work full time and also is in the melodrama cast. Cast members are teachers and students and entrepreneurs and government employees. All volunteers.

That's what it takes the make this big event work. We represent only a few of the many hundreds who run the parades and night shows and rodeos and pancake breakfasts. We get a lot of fun and satisfaction from our activities. Hey -- CFD is one cool party. But civic pride is also at work. Speaking of work, our police and sanitation workers and firefighters and EMTs all work over time during this ten-day period. And some, in their very spare spare time, volunteer for other things. Officer Colby White is on stage every other summer as a melodrama emcee. There are many others.

Takes more than no income tax and low taxes and conservative politics to make a city appealing to young people and retirees alike.

It takes people who care.

President Obama declares a "major disaster" in Wyoming due to flooding

File under "That Darn Federal Gubment:"

President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Wyoming because of spring and summer flooding.

The action means the federal government will help the state pay for costs incurred from damaged roads, highways and other infrastructure.

Seven people have died in Wyoming this spring and summer in waters running high from heavy rain and melting record snowpack.

The state's response included deploying Wyoming National Guard members and low-risk prison inmates to several areas around the state to help fight flooding.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has estimated damage to public infrastructure at $4.2 million. The number is expected to go higher. Agriculture losses are being assessed separately.

Rivers and streams continue to run high throughout most of the state.

Read more: http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_9dd67751-8c60-5aaf-9028-c4454b042d93.html#ixzz1Su4f2KDg

Let 'em buck -- but don't dress 'em in pink!

Local Radical Right scold Richard Wall writes an op-ed in this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.

What is Richard incensed about now, you might ask?

I already knew, since his anti-Susan G. Komen letter to the CFD has been circulating for a week. It was first illuminated among the local blogosphere by the always-alert Jeran Artery at Out in Wyoming.

Mr. Wall's op-ed skills are quite good. He takes his time working himself into a lather over the real message. Condom posters in Frontier Park restrooms! Public drunkenness! Scantily clad photos of Miss Frontier and her Lady in Waiting! Dogs and cats, living together!

Forget the last one. I just had a "Ghostbusters" flashback.

Wall's main target is the relationship between Cheyenne Frontier Days, "The Daddy of 'Em All," and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. CFD works with Komen to promote the fight against breast cancer. To that end, Thursday's CFD activities carry to motto "Tough Enough to Wear Pink."

There were lots of cowboys and cowgirls wearing pink for cancer research the last time I attended the CFD rodeo. They looked pretty tough to me riding buckin' broncs and racing steeds around barrels at breakneck speeds.

Wall objects to Komen's alleged ties with Planned Parenthood and stem cell research. He contends that "25 percent of the money raised by its local affiliate go to Komen's national offices, which permits or takes part in these abuses." He is not clear what those abuses are, but he does say that it involves those "who respect all human life... must steer a wide berth around the Komen organization."

"Respect human life?" Code words for the anti-abortion movement. When they say "all human life," they mean "fetuses."  Once that fetus is actually born, they wash their hands of its fate unless its 80 years later and that sick and aging person is on life support (like Terry Schiavo) and should never be taken off to end the suffering.

These same people support the death penalty and pointless wars that kills innocent civilians including pregnant mothers and their fetuses. They also want to do away with the government's social safety net that prevents starvation in mothers and children. Every sperm is sacred!

They don't like gays either, dressed in pink or not.

How I do go on.

Please read Mr. Wall's screed and let CFD know that they shouldn't cave in to to the Radical Right, especially when our 115-year-old tradition carries such a proud legacy of supporting local causes.

O.K., CFD isn't perfect, especially if you're a vegan or a PETA member or Sheryl Crow or you just don't like mainstream country music. But if we're going to apply a purity test to CFD or any of our organizations, none will come up smelling like a rose. We Lefties are goofy on this too. We have shows such as "Portlandia" and numerous blogs to remind us how strangely human we all are.

Wall is human so give him a break, eh? I would, but he's attempting to insert his narrow-minded agenda into a place where it doesn't belong. Let him talk and write op-eds. But let's not let him bully our CFD.

Republicans want to get back to the imaginary past as fast as possible

WY Rep. Cynthia Lummis? Thanks to my pal Meg at Cognitive Dissonance for sharing this image

Public art celebrates creativity and innovation and heritage and open minds

"Triangle" by Kirsten Kokkin in Loveland, Colo.

Public art can become a very personal thing.

I work in the arts, so know how one little statue can blow up into a huge controversy.

Today's Denver Post explored that city's public art program, and similar programs in Loveland, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction. The Denver percent for art program has been in place since 1977, which gives the city 34 years of perspective on art in the public eye. The most recent controversy raged around the bucking mustang sculpture with the crazy eyes that greets motorists at DIA. As many of you know, this is the sculpture that killed its creator. I'm not being facetious. The sculpture-in-progress fell on New Mexico artist Luis Jiminez and killed him. Now many Coloradans consider it cursed. Its nicknames include "Blucifer" and "Satan's Steed." The mustang is now legend.

To Denver's credit, its program mandates that an artwork stays up for five years once it's installed. The work passes through a review process before it's made and installed. It's not cheap to install a 32-foot horse along a public roadway. You don't want to take it down and put it back up every few months.

And then there's naked people. Loveland, epicenter of public sculpture, installed a bronze called "Triangle" by Kirsten Kokkin at a major intersection. It features three naked humans forming a triangle, thus the piece's name. My far would have been hat every teen boy in town would be climbing the sculpture searching for the naughty bits. But who needs sculpture when teen boys can prowl live sex sites via their home computer?

The "Triangle" artist has obviously studied the human form with the same attention to detail that motivated Michelangelo. I'm often amazed that people continue to care about putting sculptures in the parks and along their roads. But they do. And as in Michelangelo's time, public patrons provide the impetus and funding to do so. There may be some tussles along the way, but once a public work of art catches hold, it becomes a landmark. Witness downtown Denver's Big Blue Bear sculpture by Lawrence Argent. Witness the Lane Frost sculpture at Cheyenne's CFD Old West Museum. Witness the Chief Washakie sculpture in front of the Washakie Dining Hall at UW in Laramie. Witness Robert Russin's Abraham Lincoln head at welcome center on I-80 celebrating The Lincoln Highway. Witness the UW Art Museum and its "Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational" with its many innovative works. Some of those sculptures were not meant to last, as in Patrick Dougherty's sculpture made of locally harvested saplings. Witness the entire city of Loveland, Colo., once a sleepy enclave between Denver and Fort Collins, home to commuters and retirees, to a lively city filled with sculptures and international sculpture shows (coming up in August).

Patrick Dougherty, "Short Cut," 2008

Many Wyoming cities have gone gaga over sculpture. Every corner in Sheridan's historic downtown features a work of art. Gillette has an Avenue of Sculpture. Cheyenne is planning the same thing along Capitol Avenue between the State Capitol and the Historic Train Depot. The newly renovated Capitol Plaza features statues of suffragist Esther Hobart Morris and Shoshone leader Chief Washakie. Across the street on the grounds of the Wyoming Arts Council, a sculpture of iconic Western artist William Gollings paints the scene (his painting of the Capitol is on the wall inside the building). At the other end of the street, a new sculpture of a pioneer woman carrying a valise and disembarking from a train celebrates Wyoming's "Equality State" moniker. In Wyoming, "Equality State" is always a work in progress.

That's also true for public art. Always a work in progress. New work goes up to admire and gawk at and maybe even complain about.

From May through October, tourist buses arrive daily in downtown Cheyenne. Groups of Japanese and Russians and Chinese tourists swarm over the Capitol grounds. They take each other's pictures by the Bison and by Esther and by the cowboy on the bucking bronco. They might go into the Capitol (if it's open) but time is short and they need some memories of their travels. Artwork on the Capitol grounds provides that.

Some of our legislators and public servants feel that art is a frill, that it provides no real benefit to Wyomingites and to the tourists that stoke the state's number two industry.

Buffalo soldier statue near Warren AFB in Cheyenne (USAF photo)

These people are short-sighted and possibly blinded by Tea Party rhetoric. The Governor of Kansas was so blinded by it that he eliminated the state arts council. Others, such as the Governor of Maine, banish works of art that they don't agree with. This negates one of the main goals of public art, which is to get the viewer to think about the site's culture and heritage. A mural of union workers can do that (although people in Maine have been spared that experience). A statue of a mountain lion can do that, as will the new sculpture at the Wyoming Vistitors' Center on I-90 near Hulett. The statue and commemorative plaques celebrating the buffalo soldier near Warren AFB's main gate opens up a new chapter in frontier and African-American history. Some of these soldiers came out West post-slavery to find more opportunities and less prejudice. It also brings up the fact that the U.S. military was officially desegregated by Pres. Truman in 1948, way before schools and businesses and transportation and your local Woolworth's counter.

It's tough to keep an open mind in these most close-minded of times. But our future depends on it.

Do some good this summer at Habitat house build and UPLIFT's mega-gigantic parking lot sale

Habitat volunteers

Some good local causes to support this summer:

Turned on Channel 5's morning show today to see Misty Heil and Kyle Aiton promoting the Habitat for Humanity house build. This new duplex is going up at 3823 Messenger Court. Habitat encourages volunteers to wear work-appropriate clothing and closed-toed shoes. Food and beverages will be provided for volunteers on Saturdays. Beverages are provided on Sundays.

Come out and pound some nails or tote some wallboard or sweep up the joint. The Laramie County Democrats will be swarming the site on July 17.  Get more info at http://www.cheyennehabitat.org or contact Elizabeth Williams at 307-637-8067.

On Saturday, Aug. 6, 8 a.m.-noon., UPLIFT of Wyoming is holding its Cheyenne Yard Sale in the parking lot of the Oregon Trail Bank on the corner of College Drive and Lincolnway. Lots of goods for sale. Prizes, and a car wash too. This is UPLIFT"s big fund-raiser for 2011. I've been a board member of this very active non-profit organization since 1998. UPLIFT's mission: "Encouraging success and stability for children and youth with or at risk of emotional, behavioral, learning, developmental, or physical disorders at home, school and in the community." A tall order, considering the huge needs in this very rural state of 97,000 square miles. UPLIFT has offices statewide and, in the past six months, its small staff has assisted 576 youth in 21 counties. Those are kids that would fall through the cracks if it wasn't for UPLIFT services funded by state and federal government agencies and donations from good people like you. A true public-private partnership. Come to this yard/parking lot sale or donate online at http://www.upliftwy.org.

Remember that state and federal funds are drying up in this very strange political climate. The State of Wyoming is raking in the dough ($50 million surplus at last count) but administrators are under the gun to cut spending so that the Tea Party won't get mad and field its own slate of selfish, mean-spirited ultra-right-wingers in 2012. Not sure how the state legislature could get any more extreme, but it's possible.

Strange times, indeed.

Hurry up with those flying cars -- Wyoming roads going to hell!

I thought I was seeing things when I read in last Friday's Casper Star-Tribune that Wyoming's roads are going to hell.

The road to hell may be paved with good intentions, but good intentions won't pave the roads through Wyoming.

Money will pave the state's roads, or else they will go to hell for decades without a substantial increase in funding...

Nice lede by reporter Tom Morton. His interview with Lowell Fleenor, district engineer for the central Wyoming division of WYDOT, yielded some great quotes:

"At current funding levels, there is no way the system will not deteriorate."

And...

"Due to funding constraints, WYDOT is moving from a transportation improvement program to a pavement preservation program."

This is bad news for all of us who depend on our roads to get from one place to another. Until jet packs and flying cars assume their rightful place in Wyoming garages, we will remain dependent on driving our four-wheeled personal mobility devices on paved roads.

There are several causes. Decline in federal revenue. Lack of Congressional action on a national highway bill. Low state fuel taxes, with Wyoming's 14 cents a gallon the lowest in the Rocky Mountain region. No action by the state legislature on raising fuel taxes or turning I-80 into a toll road or on retrofitting our cars with anti-grav devices.

Just kidding on that last one. Although that may happen before the legislature ever approves an increase in the fuel tax. Can't even say the "T" word in Wyoming.

So our roads go to hell.

Interestingly enough, Gov. Matt Mead has been talking up the importance of infrastructure. He’s proposed predictable, long-term revenue streams to fund municipalities and highways. His proposals have been rejected by the state legislature. The Governor’s motto is “Wyoming First.” At the Wyoming Association of Municipalities conference in Sheridan, he reiterated that and added that now is the time to invest in the state.

“I go the National Governors’ Association convention and Wyoming is in a much better place than almost every other state. We’re in competition with other states and they can’t do this now. Now is the time for Wyoming to do this. Our municipalities need this. Maintenance and building of infrastructure does not get cheaper with time.”

“If you want healthy economic development, you must have infrastructure.”

For more on this subject, read the CST's editorial in the July 6 edition: "Lack of Wyoming highway funding an emergency."

UPDATE: House GOP plans to cut $15 billion from transportation budget. See story at http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fiery-words-over-gop-proposal-to-cut-transportation-funds/2011/07/07/gIQAm6fo2H_story.html. Guess we'll have to make do with travel on horseback over rutted trails. Back to the good ol' days!

ANOTHER UPDATE: Not too interested in this $250,000 flying car: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/07/the-flying-car-is-now-cleared-for-highway-use.html