Jan 4 2017

Yonder

I recently read an article which documented the little known relationship of J.R.R. Tolkien and the love of life, his wife Edith. Tolkien, along with the other “Inklings” were noted for one liners and titles intended to shock, pique the reader’s interest, and demand thought. Tolkien’s letter to his son on the eve of the young man’s wedding was no exception with the first sentence being, “Men are not monogamous.” The elder Tolkien’s subsequent explanation of that statement is the inspiration for this poem, but if his introductory statement has you thinking, “What the…?”, please read the article.

Yonder

If its pleasure you seek
Sole in the company you keep
Insatiable will be your desiring

Soon you tire of the now
Convinced the here is the how
All delights for you are denying

Yonder lights are much brighter
Their garden yields sweeter
If he could find “Yonder”
Always dreams there are fonder

He chaffs at the yielding
To the needs of his building
He sees the work now as his fettering

He curses his gifts
He builds instead rifts
And looks away far for his bettering

Yonder lights are much brighter
Their garden yields sweeter
If we could find “Yonder”
Where dreams are much fonder

To win we find losing
To love we face choosing
It is not for the weak and the reveling

For in our natural state
We tug, champ, and debate
As to love’s here and now are just meddling

Yonder lights are much brighter
Their garden yields sweeter
If I could find “Yonder”
Whose dreams are much fonder

For I am the causing
For a future that’s rousing
I miss what is real and is happening

For here there is pleasure
But I make the measure
By embracing the work that is beckoning

I am building a family
To neglect that is tragedy
This my choice and my reckoning

My choice is to love
Yes, its taught from Above
To love here and now is not settling

Yonder lights are not brighter
My garden here is much sweeter
The learning if we ponder
To love here and now and not “Yonder”

                                               – Andy Torbett

 

Dec 29 2016

Geographical Prejudice Part Two

 

It is called “The Great Compromise”. A fragile new Nation was on the brink of disaster. The states could not agree. The contention was so sharp between them that the Constitutional Convention was “on the verge of dissolution, scarce held together by the strength of a hair,” so recounted by Luther Martin, one of the delegates to the convention.

The schism developed over the proposed plan for government first presented by Virginia’s Governor Edmund Randolph, drafted by James Madison also of Virginia, which would select representation based on population. This would be called “The Virginia Plan.”

Quick to see this would greatly encumber the small states’ access to government and be weighted heavily in the favor of larger more populated states, New Jersey’s William Paterson countered with a “one state, one vote” concept. This plan, “The New Jersey Plan”, would protect the interests of small states, ensuring equal standing and representation at the table of governance. There was no small dissension between the factions and the convention was on the verge of implosion.

The salvation of the fledgling nation, teetering on demise, came in the form of an agreement which would create a bicameral Congress. The House of Representatives would be elected by popular vote and weighted by population, The Virginia Plan. The Senate would follow the concept of one state, one vote, The New Jersey Plan.

With the confidence that small states’ rights were protected, the Constitution of the United States was ratified. The idea that one geographical area could dominate the governance of a free people simply because of its population, the travesty of that idea of geographical prejudice was corrected and those fears allayed. Still, for all their fore site and amazing sense of fairness for all, the Founders neglected to see the need to remodel the states’ structure of governance to mirror the national template.

Perhaps despite all of their towering foreknowledge, the Founders could not envision a time when urban areas would be so large that the counties which held that cities boundaries could dominate the political landscape of a state in much the same way that Virginia could dominate the political influence in the days of the Thirteen Colonies. But that day exists and we see it here in our state of Maine. Yes, the division of the two Maines exists and the tension continues to grow.

The southern part of the state prefers “The Virginia Plan”, which is how our state and all 50 states are governed. Dominated by Cumberland County which encompasses Portland and all the surrounding suburbia, the South holds the majority of legislators in both chambers; in fact, Cumberland County alone holds a dominant majority of legislators in comparison to Maine’s other fifteen counties because of the majority of the population that resides in that geographical location. This flies in the face of everything our Nation was founded upon and specifically “The Great Compromise”.

Because of this inequity, the smaller rural counties of Maine are afforded no system of check and balance in the current form of governance that exists in our state. In recent political cycles, rural Maine has eked out some political victories by driving record breaking voter turnout, over 80% in some locals, and then waited in hopes of lower turnout in southern Maine to gain slim victory. The political climates of each of the Maines are polar opposites, yet southern Maine, due to “The Virginia Plan”, is able to often legislate the governance of northern Maine, despite their protestations.

In an effort to remedy this wrong in much the same way our Founders did, both Senator Paul Davis and Representative Heather Sirocki have proposed at different times separate legislation which would have amended the state Constitution to in essence apply “The New Jersey Plan” and give every county two Senators mirroring the United States Constitution. Predictably, southern interests defeated those bills. Simply put, big government has a vested interest in keeping equitable representation out of governance.

Often when the subject of this legislation is discussed with politicians they will respond that is too difficult or too complicated, which is code for too lazy or too cowardly. Many legislators have forgotten the basic tenet of a Republic that is for the people by the people in that all people regardless of where they live should have equal standing with our government. I would strongly encourage Senator Davis and Representative Sirocki to reintroduce their legislation. This was the spirit our Founders understood in “The Great Compromise” and must be the goal of our legislators if they truly believe in fair, equitable, and unprejudiced representation of the people.

Dec 15 2016

Geographical Prejudice Part One

 

The recent debate (I’m being kind. Tantrums is the more accurate term.) concerning the electoral college has brought into sharp clarity the desire or belief by some that only certain areas, and those that reside there, should decide the political fortunes of the rest of the Nation. It would seem if you follow this line of thinking (Again, I’m being kind), that a mere residency in certain enlightened geographical locations endows said resident with more political fortitude than those from less desirable locals, and therefore, those residents who reside in the “cool place” their votes should have more import,clout than those who reside in the “not-so-cool place”. Embracing this form of reasoning (I’m not even being kind here, I’m just throwing out nice terms in vain attempt to gloss over reality.) results in a form of governance called Pure Democracy, historically defined as Mob Rule.

To say that this columnist takes a dim view of geographical prejudice could probably be characterized as the understatement of the century…in some corners of humanity….somewhere… Still, our friends (I’m not going to help you through these “kind terms” anymore.) need to be reminded that despite all the work of politicians, media elites, educators, and actors, who live in those “cool places”, despite their efforts to convince us that we are a democracy, this election proved this time proven point. Self-absorbed, elitist, and “way cool” people are so blinded by their own arrogance that they rarely know anything of what their talking about.

Yes, elitist have been shocked to find out that despite their barrage of indoctrination attempts, the United States is still not a democracy and is still a Constitutional Republic. Our Founders chose a Constitutional Republic rather a Pure Democracy to protect us from “cool people” who live in “cool places” and think their opinion by virtue of their place of domicile should have more value than those in other geographical locations. They had seen throughout history that within a Pure Democracy instigators had merely to target high population areas where people tend to herd rather than think (IE. “How is Joe Cool voting? OK. That’s the way I’m voting.”), work up the mob to overthrow whatever perceived or real injustice, only for the people to find they had been used for a hidden agenda, and the cycle would start again. Civilizations under Pure Democracy are kept in a constant state of revolution until a dictator takes power that can rule the mob through brute strength. Remember, all dictators are voted in, yes, like Castro, Hitler, and others all shouting “Democracy”.

The Founders chose a Constitutional Republic to prevent this. By instituting the Electoral College and selecting two Senators from each State, no matter the population, the framers insured that the more rural States, whose residents tended to be less effected by populace swell, had an equal voice in the governing and electoral process. Furthermore, the Senator’s were elected by State’s legislature, leaning towards a Republic style of government, and the Representatives were elected by popular vote, a use of Pure Democracy.

Our Founding Fathers installed a Constitutional Republic with pieces of democracy to insure the fairest way that all areas of our Nation could have a equal voice. Which begs the question, why haven’t the States figured that little piece of common sense out? In the next installment, we’ll look at how Maine’s political system is entrenched with geographical prejudice and the steps we as citizens can take to make our voices heard and change this travesty which has oppressed this State for too long.

Dec 6 2016

Q3 Postmortem

 

My children are looking forward with great anticipation for the next installment of the Star Wars franchise. The idea of the rag-tag warriors battling against insurmountable odds and somehow winning has captivated viewers the world over and my family is no exception. In reality, Maine participated in its very own “star wars saga” this past election cycle, complete with dark lord, rag-tag army, and the obligatory insurmountable odds.

For those who have questioned where yours truly of TMCV was during this election cycle, suffice to say my usual role of heard but not seen was relegated further to not heard and not seen. My voice was behind the phone calls and my person behind the door knocking as I was the NRA’s field coordinator for the ground effort to defeat Bloomberg’s Question Three. Now emerging from my bunker, I thought I would deliver a postmortem on the battle with some reflections on our victory.

As I mentioned in an interview with Guns.com, this victory belongs to the people of Maine. Despite a barrage of false information and relentless attempts (almost 6 million worth) to browbeat and shame the voters of Maine into giving up their natural born right to self-defense, Maine people held secure to their mooring of common sense and withstood the storm. It is real testament to the resiliency of Maine’s independent spirit to stand in the face of the dark lord himself, Bloomberg, his media machine, and local minions who were willing to betray their own state to gain favor with a politician from New York City, still, with all the odds stacked against them, the people of Maine stood resolute.

David Trahan was the face of the resistance, the tip of the spear in the fight to push back Bloomberg’s invasion into Maine. The countless hours spent, funds raised locally, and the many dogged challenges to the false narratives spun by the media were done by this man and his great staff at Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. The battle would not have been won without David’s team at SAM.

The spear really was by the end of the battle a trident, with my small contribution at the end, but the second invaluable point of Maine’s defense was Gun Owner’s of Maine. Todd Tolhurst and the GOME “rag-tag” army spread out all over the state to get the message out and combat the Bloomberg machine. Again, without this army of pickup trucks, gun owners, and hunters fanning out into the hi ways and byways of Maine spreading the message person by person this battle would not have been won.

As for me, my job was below the radar. I was coordinating phone banks and canvassing events. While we were late to the battle, I am glad the NRA funded this battle front and we were able to make inroads into the enemy assault.

As for reflections, we know that Bloomberg is coming back. His fixation with limiting the natural born rights of his fellow citizens consumes him. So how to we prepare to meet him.

First at a grassroots level, we need to expose the dishonest polling data that Everytown for Gun Safety uses to mislead the public. This activist organization has been caught repeatedly skewing or flat out lying with their polling data. I have some articles in the works on that.

The police chiefs who endorsed Q3 and failed to let the public know they were on the board of the activist group that sponsored the referendum should at the very least have their lack of ethics and conflict of interests exposed. Perhaps, this sort of thing can be investigated? I’m sure there are those who better understand the nuances of these things, but be assured that Bloomberg’s storm troopers will be used again, if not discredited.

Fund-raising! If we know he’s coming back, we better start stockpiling now. If you thought 6 mil was a tsunami, wait until he doubles it.

Finally, continue to build on the network we’ve established. Look at town results. If there are towns we should have done better that we were weak, let’s shore those up! Yes, let’s strengthen our defenses so that when Bloomberg comes, we’ll have a Welcome Party waiting for him.