Leslie's Latest News

I had hoped that my day of canvassing in N.H. would be exhilarating, but instead I ended up feeling a bit down, due to all the fear and suspicion that I encountered. It might have been due to the area we were assigned - we had a suburban townhouse condo complex that was mostly populated by retired elderly. 

But starting from the beginning....
We gathered at 8:30 in the morning at the home of Susan F, a local town councillor. I had said I would be willing to drive if necessary, but it turned out that there were enough drivers, so I went in a car of 4 with David, Charlie, and Mary. I'd seen Charlie at meetings of the local environmental group, and I think I'd seen Mary somewhere before, but didn't know them really well before the start of the trip. One of my goals in doing this was to start to get to know more of my neighbors, so that was a nice part of the day.
We took the Google directions that Susan had printed out for us and headed up to Salem. David had a "Yes We Can" mix tape that his son had downloaded from the internet which he played in the car radio on the way up. It was a lovely sunny warm day, so the scenery was great. 
We arrived at headquarters, which was a VFW post on the outskirts of Salem. We signed in and got our packets. We had a clipboard with a map, a list of people to contact with their addresses, and a whole bunch of checkboxes. We were supposed to determine who they were planning to vote for, whether they planned to vote or already had voted, whether they needed a ride or might volunteer to help. There were also ways to indicate "Not Home", "Refused" or "Moved". And also a bag of literature.
They wanted us to go in pairs, so Mary and I took one list and Charlie and David took another. Luckily they were adjoining territories, so we could drive together the 8 or 9 miles. Then David dropped us off at the start of our route and we planned to communicate via cell phone for pickup.
Most of our addresses were in the condo community I mentioned earlier. It was a very pleasant rural site, with a nice walking trail and a pond around the outskirts, and a golf course across the street. We had about 50 addresses, and most of them were "Not Home". In fact, I suspect many of them were actually home but just chose not to answer the door. We had 10 "Refusals", most of which were probably McCain voters. We had a lot of Undecideds, some of which were clearly McCain voters and some of which seemed sincerely undecided. But most of them didn't want to talk, although were willing to take literature. I think we had 6 or 7 people who admitted to being for McCain and all of 6 who said they were for Obama. 
There was one woman we spent some time talking to, and I think she was the source of my sad feelings about the day. She said she was a Democrat, but she wasn't going to vote for Obama because she was afraid of him. She was afraid he was a socialist and would raise taxes and redistribute wealth, she was afraid that he was friends with terrorists, she thought his wife didn't love America, it was just one thing after another from the McCain negative campaign playbook. It felt sad, because she seemed to be generally conflicted. I asked her how she felt about Sarah Palin and that seemed to almost get through to her - she admitted that was a big mistake. I also talked a bit about McCain's lack of support for funding for veterans (since she had a sign on her door indicating support for veteran's affairs). But she responded that was just one issue, and she was genuinely afraid of what Obama would do if he were elected. She couldn't understand why other people didn't see this. 
I wonder afterward if this is the manifestation of racism. Not any sort of overt "I won't vote for him because he's black" racism, but rather the fact that people are just more willing to believe the smears and, as a result, fear that a President Obama would to do crazy things because he's not "one of us". This, I think, is what Clinton was talking about when he said "he can't win". This is spite of Obama being one of the most non-threatening, non-angry black men you could possibly imagine. This in spite of the fact that he has gathered around him a brain trust, mostly white, and has received endorsements from many top Republicans for his calm and measured leadership style.
It's not easy to be a melting pot country. We've accepted black people as athletes and entertainers and at some level in politics. But there is still so much fear of having a black person at the highest level. I think we need an Obama win to set an example and to show these otherwise reasonable people that they don't have to be afraid of people who don't look like them.
Well, getting back to the canvassing... It wasn't all bad. We did find a few Obama supporters, including one guy who thought Obama had the potential to be a "really great" president. That was encouraging. But, interestingly enough, he had only lived in N.H. for a year - he was originally from Massachusetts. He asked how we were doing and we admitted not so well in that particular area. We told him to talk to his friends, and that every vote counted.
 As I mentioned, most of our houses were in the condominium complex, but the last handful were scattered on a couple of roads some distance away. David and Charlie's houses were also in a fairly tight cluster. So we had arranged to call them when we were done with the condos, and they would pick us up and drive us down to the other site. While waiting, we sat on the side of the road and had some granola bars and water, as we'd been door-knocking for several hours by that point.
Then David and Charlie came by and we shared the last few houses. They had had better luck in their neighborhood, so I think that our particular area was just a tough one. And the last house we visited was a woman with two nice young girls who was very enthused about Obama. So at least we ended on a positive note. 
We drove back to headquarters, added up our results onto a tally sheet, and turned everything in. It was after 2 by then, so we went off to look for a restaurant and ended up finding a very nice seafood place across from the old Rockingham Park racetrack on Route 28. I indulged in a lobster roll, and it was excellent- packed full of lobster and not drenched in mayonnaise. So we had a nice chance to eat and talk and unwind. David, who is an election commissioner tried to recruit me to work on election day, since they were short 3 people. I had considered it in the past, but it involves working from 6am to 9pm and I am just unsure as to whether I can really hold up for that long. Besides, I want to be home watching election results, since some states start coming in at 7. So I told him probably not, but he could call me on Monday if he was still desperate and I would consider it.
Then we drove back to Watertown, he dropped me off an Susan's and I headed on home. I didn't do much the rest of the day and went to bed early. So now with the time change I am awake too darn early in the morning. I am feeling tense, and will probably continue feeling tense until Tuesday night. Everyone in my car, though, thought that Obama would win, so I am trying to be cautiously optimistic. 

It makes me so angry that in some people have to wait 8-10 hours in line to vote. Yes, it's wonderful that people are willing to do this. But it should not be necessary! This is totally insane. I don't understand why more people aren't outraged about this.

The only good news about this is that the more places that have early voting, the less insanity there will be at the polls on Tuesday. But we need to do better.
It's time for me to head off to meet up with the group that's heading up to NH today. I'm sure I'll have some stories to tell tonight. (And maybe a few iPhone photos along the way.)

Yesterday was just an outstanding day. I went for a walk along the river and overdosed on sunlight. It left me feeling upbeat and full of energy. Other activities included going to a meeting at Springwell, and an evening meeting of the Friends of the Watertown Riverfront. And I met with a new insurance agent to update my home and auto insurance. And I worked on some probate issues and did some chores around the house. It's cloudy today and they're predicting possible snow tonight, but I'm still on the high from yesterday. 

I've signed up to go to NH on Saturday with a group from Watertown. I've been feeling bad that I haven't done much on the campaign so far, so I'm looking forward to making up for it. We'll be canvassing mostly Obama supporters in a get-out-the-vote effort, so it shouldn't be too stressful. 

More stories are leaking out from McCain aides about Sarah Palin's total lack of understanding of the issues of the day. Of course, a lot of it comes directly from her own mouth, as when she ridiculed fruit fly research in her policy speech on special needs education. 

"Slut" may be a bit strong, but it's not that much of a stretch for someone who relies on a charismatic stage presence and a smug overconfidence in place of anything more substantive. James Hannaham in Salon points out that she'd fit right in as a reality TV star. 
I fervently hope this woman never gets anywhere near the Oval Office. And John McCain should be ashamed of himself for picking her. 

I've been thinking a lot about family lately. Probably because of Obama's visit yesterday to his dying grandmother and the neighborhood where he grew up in Hawaii. His grandmother is just about my father's age - she will be turning 86 tomorrow; my Dad would have been 86 on Nov. 13. 

For the last few days I've been working on my autumn garden, which is also a bittersweet activity. The sun is low in the sky, the trees are putting out their last fiery show, and the vegetable plants in the garden are dried and blackened by the frost. I've spent two days turning the compost in my three bins, freeing one up for the remains of this years tomato squash plants, and later the fallen leaves. I love to turn compost, actually. It's so cool to see how the weeds and dead leaves turn into rich, brown, crumbly compost - just waiting to nurture the  roots of the new plants I'll be setting out next spring. 
When I was done, I took one last ceremonial swing on the hammock before putting it away for the winter, admiring the deep green grass and the bright yellow marigolds still bravely blooming on their withered stems. I thought about my grandparents who never got to see my little plot of land, so much like their own little yard in Stratford, where my grandfather raised his own vegetable garden at the back end  of the yard behind my grandmother's flower beds. 
My brother follows in the farming tradition, but living in the Midwest, he does me one better. His last note included a photo of his proud new possession: a Ford 801 tractor that he bought at a farm auction. He's quite confident he can get it running again .... 


On the estate front, I had a little kerfluffle with some a house ownership issue yesterday. But it looks like it will be saved by 1) a nicely responsive town assessor in Stratford who is helping me sort it out, and 2) my father's tendency to save every piece of paper that crossed his hands that might have any significance whatsoever.
I was working on my own house insurance issues, and happened to check my town's online assessment of my house. So that made me wonder if my Dad's house was also listed online. It was, and much to my surprise, I found that its ownership was recently changed to my mother's name. Since my mother died in 1996, this was not good - it needs to be in the name of the estate.
My first thought was that my father had never registered my mother's death with the land records office in Stratford (which is one of the probate steps you have to do). So perhaps the house was in both their names still, and when he died, he was taken off, leaving my mother as the sole owner.
A half hour of furious searching through my Dad's files led me to a file labeled "Helen's Probate", and right in the front of that file was the appropriate document, complete with the receipt that showed that he had in fact properly filed it with the land records court. It had the seal and all. I should not have doubted him. 
So it appears the mistake was at their end, and I'm hoping that with the help of the town assessor, who was very quick to respond to my e-mail inquiry, this can be quickly straightened out. I'm only glad I found this early, since it could have been an impediment to selling (if we ever get that far). 
So Dad, thanks for being organized! You set me a standard to aspire to.

The school groups that come to our Big Bugs tours often send thank-you notes afterward, and they are all posted on the wall of the staff meeting room. Someone named Margaret did this picture of our Daddy-Long-Legs. 
I had my third kids' tour on Thursday - an afterschool group from Cabot School in Newton. It was a gorgeous day, although a bit chilly, and we had some fun. One of the older girls, who was wearing an Obama t-shirt, was really smart and knew just about everything I knew about the bugs and more. When we were almost back to the start, she said she was sorry the walk was ending and asked me to write down the name of our web site so she could come back sometime with her mother. 

It's been such a lovely October. I actually managed to drag Alex outdoors yesterday - we walked around Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle and then drove around a bit, stopping at a farm stand to pick up some apples on our way home. We picked Great Brook Farm because it's a nice combination of open fields, woodlands, and wetlands. And there is the added attraction that they sell ice cream at the exhibition farm in the middle of the park. So that was a nice way to end the expedition. Alex brought his fancy camera and took a lot of pictures, so I didn't bother taking pictures myself. Hopefully I'll get copies of his pictures soon. 

This morning I did my last adult tour at Garden in the Woods. I had only two people on the tour, but they were very interested and we had a pleasant time. I've got another tour with kids coming up on Friday.
After all this lovely outdoor stuff, I paid penance by spending an hour at my accountants this afternoon, working out some details of how to proceed with my Dad's estate. I came home with a long "to-do" list and a bit of a headache. But I don't have to do it all at once, so I plan to continue getting outdoors as much as possible in the next few weeks.

I went out on impulse to see W. tonight. Fascinating film. Not quite as far out as some of the other Oliver Stone movies, and a surprisingly sympathetic picture of the forces that molded George W. Bush and the advisors that manipulated and enabled him into war with Iraq. 

It's not as funny as you might think from the previews. As is sometimes done, the previews had all the funny lines, so when you watch the movie, you see them coming from a mile away. But the remainder of the movie is pretty serious. 

The story includes a lot of things that influenced him, like his relationship with his father, his frat-boy drinking, and so forth. But I think what Stone intended to be the key thing was Bush's "born again" religious conversion. It had the effect of helping him give up drinking and get his act somewhat together, but it also gave him a dangerous certainty and lack of self doubt that may have been the foundation for his most reckless acts. 
If you stay to watch the end of the credits, you get a couple of hints that religion was Stone's main theme. First the credits roll with Bob Dylan singing "With God on Our Side" (a song about how we have always justified our wars in the name of God). And then at the very end, a cross appears and then morphs into the letter W. A white cross on a black field with a bright red period like a drop of blood.
I have to say a word about the cast. They do a fantastic job of getting the feel of each of the characters surrounding Bush. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, Tenet, Wolfowitz, and the creepy little Rove... they're all perfectly drawn. You feel like you're seeing the actual guys. Josh Brolin is fantastic as Bush. 
This movie almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost. Until I recollected the cost we've all paid. 

Alex and I survived the Madonna show more or less intact. What an overload of sensory stimulation! I am so grateful that I brought earplugs. Even with them, the sound was way too loud and distorted. Alex refused my offer of a pair, and regretted it later. When it was over, we just wanted to retreat out of the crowds to some place quiet - very, very quiet.

There were some plusses. Madonna brought a lot of energy to the performance. It is amazing how she can keep dancing like a fiend with only short breaks for 2 straight hours. The visuals were quite impressive - a very high-tech presentation with moving screens and all the bells and whistles of a modern stadium show. There were a few quiet moments in the middle, which I enjoyed quite a bit. 
On the whole I'm glad I went, but if the sound had been less over-amped (and if the air conditioning had been running) I would have enjoyed it more. 
Lucky me - I get to go out to the Garden to teach 2nd-graders about bugs. Not exactly what I'm in the mood for right now. 
Update: The 2nd graders were fine. They were quieter and more well-behaved than the first group I led. Plus there were a few minutes before they showed up that I spent picking the brains of some of the more experienced guides for tips and tricks, so I did a better job of keeping them from running ahead on the path. And it was a gorgeous day - all bright and sparkly and sunny. So it was a fun morning.

I feel compelled to comment on a couple of items in last night's debate.

McCain made a big deal of "Joe the Plumber" who asked Obama a question the other day. Joe claimed to be thinking of buying a plumbing business and was worried about Obama's tax increase on earnings over $250,000. McCain said that Obama's tax increase would greatly increase Joe's taxes and prevent him from hiring people.
Well, I got a chance to watch the video of the question and answer. Joe mentioned that the business was worth $250,000 - $280,000. Well, first of all, it's not clear if that's the net income to him (which would be taxable) or the gross income of the business. But let's assume it's net. Obama spent a long time, explaining his tax plan. The upshot is that the additional tax would be 3% of the amount over $250,000. That comes to 3% of $30,000 or $900 max. Hardly a "great increase"  that would prevent him from employing people.
But it gets more intriguing when you follow up on Joe a little bit. First there's the interview where he said, "I asked the question but I still got a tap dance... Almost as good as Sammy Davis, Jr."  I don't know about you, but that statement sure tells me a lot about where Mr. Wurzelbacher is coming from.  
Further rumors in blogs this morning indicate that Joe is not even registered to vote. Even more intriguing are hints that he may be related to Robert Wurzelbacher, who is one of the figures in the Keating Five scandal. Is it possible that this whole thing was a setup? 
Clearly there will be more coming out about "Joe the Plumber". I watch with interest.
As for the second item, there was McCain making "air quotes" around the words "health of the mother" in regard to abortion laws. My heart skipped a beat when he did that, and I'm sure many other women felt the same way. What a heartless thing to say. I think it's time for another donation to Planned Parenthood in John McCain's name, to follow up the donation I made a few weeks ago in Sarah Palin's name. 
Update on Joe: Well, it turns out that he is registered to vote - as a Republican. The reason he wasn't found initially was that his name is misspelled on the voter rolls (Worzelbacher rather than Wurzelbacher). Now the interesting thing about this is that the Republicans are supporting a big effort in Ohio to purge from the voter rolls any newly registered voters whose names and other information does not exactly match information in other databases, such as the motor vehicles and social security databases. Under those rules, Joe would lose his right to vote because his name is slightly misspelled. Apparently 200,000 voter registrations are at risk in Ohio if this stupid procedure is followed.
In other news, it's not clear why he's so concerned about a potential tax increase because he doesn't always bother to pay his taxes anyway. He has an open unpaid income tax tax lien case against him in Lucas County, Ohio.