SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 24, 2021
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/29/21
In this edition:
*Happy Independence Day!
*ICCSD News
*Calling People What They Want to be Called
*Yard Signs and Campaign Staff
*Berman Nails It!
*Aches and Pains
*Did You Know?
*Happy Independence Day!
Last year I wrote: “Our 244th year is our most difficult in a long time. Still, happy birthday, America! We will get better!”
Now it is time to celebrate our 245th year, and things are, in fact, MUCH better! There remains plenty of hard work ahead, but we can do it! Happy birthday, America!
*ICCSD News
I was incredibly happy to see that ICCSD Board Members Ruthina Malone and JP Claussen have both decided to run for reelection to the ICCSD Board!
As we all know, this has been an incredibly tough couple of years, especially in public education. Now more than ever we need our very best people running the ICCSD. I firmly believe we have that in Ruthina and JP. Both have my full support!
*Calling People What They Want to be Called
I have a very strong commitment to calling people what they want to be called. If the person is named Joseph but wants to go by Joey, fine by me. If they want to go by Joe? No problem. I believe they have a right to be called what they wish. It is a simple matter of respect.
This has never been a topic of conversation until recent years, as issues related to gender have risen to a prominent place in public discourse. Transgender issues, gender roles, gender definitions, gender fluidity, and so much more is now on the radar. This has led to a large group of people who lack the appropriate vocabulary. Some say things wrong to be cruel; others say things wrong out of ignorance. And many folks, like me, are still making mistakes as we try to do the right thing.
I want to get it right, but I still have some struggles. In trying to get at the root of my struggles, I have come up with two reasons why I think this is difficult for me:
First, I use “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir” more than most Northerners. I always have. And until recently, it usually got me props. People generally viewed it as me making an effort at being respectful – which is exactly what I had been trying to do. Unfortunately, I know of two instances where I said, “Yes ma’am” or “Yes, sir” to someone who does not use those pronouns.
Secondly, I spent time as a kid and as a young adult learning proper English. I was pretty adept at code-switching. I could talk shit with the old boys at Sutliff, which is the way I was raised. I could also hold my own with my English professor. It was a useful skill.
In that proper English realm, it was strictly verboten to say, “Hand me their coat,” or “Their eyes are so blue.” Their would have referred to multiple people. And using it in those two instances would have amounted to improper English. So using “their” to describe a single person still sounds wrong to me. Heck, my computer underlined me using it here!
Please understand – I am not making excuses. Just explaining why this has been a bigger challenge than I had expected. I know I need to do better. And I am trying. I have been very lucky to receive so much grace from so many people as I try to get it right.
*Yard Signs and Campaign Staff
We are not in campaign season now, so perhaps this is a good opportunity to tackle a topic that seems to come up every election season – yard signs.
There is an old adage in campaign work: “Signs don’t vote.” I certainly understand why this gets pushed so hard by campaign staff. There are many things staff can be doing that result in more votes in the bank.
That said, I believe campaigns are wrong when it comes to signs. I have several reasons for feeling this way:
1. Campaigns have gotten huge. Rather than wasting all the money on TV ads that people generally hate, signs may not be a bad investment.
2. Because campaigns have gotten so big, the average voter does not feel as though there is much she can do. The simple act of putting up a sign can make a person’s mood change from helpless to hopeful.
3. Signs demonstrate true commitment. I can vote privately. I can donate money, and it is unlikely my neighbors will know. But putting up a sign is truly taking a stand. It is a bold (and perhaps defiant) act. You want that attitude on your team!
4. Doorknockers can garner important info from yard sign locations.
5. Really good campaign staffers do whatever is necessary. I have seen staffers babysit, attend church, drive people to doctor appointments, and much more. Good staffers are willing to do whatever it takes; don’t hamstring their efforts by taking this tool out of their toolbelts.
6. People do not feel campaigns listen to them. If you will not listen to people when it comes to signs, why should we believe you will listen to us about anything else?
Again, I understand why the “conventional wisdom” is that signs don’t vote. I just happen to believe campaign managers are wrong on this topic. Campaigns of all sizes should purchase signs with enthusiasm!
*Berman Nails It!
I am a fan of writer Ari Berman, a native Iowan who writes extensively on voting rights. Berman is always good, but he really nailed this point:
Some Democrats in the US Senate are afraid to kill the filibuster, and because there is no 60-vote majority, they are willing to take the right to vote away from many thousands of Americans.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Statehouses gleefully take the right to vote from thousands of Americans, and do so with a simple majority. In a few cases, they strip voter rights with a one vote margin.
While Republicans attack voting rights, Democrats fight with one hand tied behind their backs.
*Aches and Pains
I have to say, the past few months have been a bit of a challenge. In January, I twisted my knee shoveling snow. It just refused to get better, which led to a round of physical therapy in March. Just when I thought I was healed up, something happened that set me back once again.
Now the doctor says I have arthritis in my knee. It sucks. There is a certain amount of pain that is just there all the time. Pain killers work fairly well, but I don’t want to take very much very often.
So yeah, it is frustrating. It has not kept me from walking the dog a couple miles every day, but having regular pain is NOT fun! I know many regular readers can say, “Welcome to the club!” All I can say is, “I feel you!”
*DID YOU KNOW? Founding Father John Adams correctly predicted at the time that July 4thwould be celebrated every year henceforth as Independence Day. But did you know that he also called for people to shoot off fireworks? He wrote that the holiday would be celebrated “with illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward, forevermore.” And even though Americans immediately began celebrating July 4, it did not become an official holiday until 1870.
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 3:17 PM
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