Vote for Joe

photo by Joe

Bluffton’s Annual Classic Car Show this June featured, well, all sorts of classic cars — like this Mustang. Part of our platform is to ask Americans to consider going back to a time in America when the pace of life was slower, neighbors knew neighbors (way more than they do now), and the streets, and schools, were once again safe for our kids. I once told Ohio Magazine that I used to “…be concerned about our kids doing okay in school, now I’m more concerned about them being shot to death in school.” For more on the sociological paradigm shift I’m proposing, *see… During this time, I also did an interview with a man who, in his retirement, regularly volunteers at a non-profit local thrift store (…the proceeds going to a Third World outreach), he is the football announcer in the booth at the high school football games, and he keeps the stats at the high school basketball games. It’s his way of helping to support the local kids. He is your quintessential man-about-town… And staying with local volunteers, I also interviewed a man who is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospherics’ Cooperative Weather Observation Program. He records the minimum daily temperature, daily rain totals, snow totals, frost depth, etc. Between him, and his son-in-law, who took over when his father-in-law died, they have done this, without missing a day: FOR 77 YEARS! Besides sending the data to NOA, the information, back in the day, was also published in local newspapers, broadcast on local radio shows, and so on. Another great example of the spirit of volunteering in this country. *See other blog entries that include inserts about volunteers we’ve encountered across the country, and so on.

Border Patrol car, circa 1930’s

Catching up on the summer… In late May, I had a house painting mishap, falling off a ladder from pretty high up. I broke my right wrist pretty badly, had surgery, and they put a plate in. I’ve been a bit hamstrung as a result, especially since I’m right-handed. But I soldiered on with a bit of newspaper reporting. Including writing a story about a local man who has this 1935 classic car, which was also the first car model used for U.S. Border Patrol. (Previously, they had just used horses.) While the car is cool enough, the border patrol thing is mixed for me, and our campaign. Especially now. The immigration policy currently in place, with the border virtually closed, and illegal immigrants being sent back, en masse, is unconscionable, if not plain evil. We did three Southern Border Tours, including meeting with a good number of illegal immigrants, who, for the most part, had come here, often with their families, to escape extreme cartel violence, abject poverty, political persecution… From these interviews, and much more, we crafted a Hispanic Immigration policy, which we think is much more in line with the gospel message, and just sound human decency.

“Moon” terrarium

I recently interviewed a woman at the local plant store who bills herself as a “plant artist.” She’s a retired college professor who took this up in retirement. And she had recently put this piece on display at the plant store, calling it “Moonscape.” Coincidentally, the Artimus moon mission had just recently returned. I have gone on record, often, during the campaigning, saying that as president, we would get no closer to the moon than looking at it through a telescope, or looking at it through, well, this moonscape terrarium glass. LOL (Lots Of Lunar). The money spent on these NASA moon missions, and beyond, would be much better spent funding projects to help the poor, to help the environment, etc., on this planet. Besides, if God, say, wanted us on the moon, he would have provided oxygen, a lot more gravity, and soil to grow plants, etc. Common sense… I also interviewed a local couple who have, a number of times, taken in exchange students from all over the world. Most recently, they were hosting students from Japan. They said they believed the way to bring the people of the world closer together, is to, literally, bring them closer together, proximity wise. Our “U.S. Department of Peace” paradigm is filled with initiatives to bring the world at large, and withing our country as well, closer together. *See…

Wheelhouse building

Catching up on the last two weeks… I did some reporting on a Christian Bicycle Cooperative called the “Wheelhouse.” (*See photo.) A group of volunteers solicit bicycles from all over the area, fix them up, and then donate them to people just getting back on their feet. For instance, people just getting out of prison, or people who are in alcoholism and drug rehab and have temporarily lost their driver’s license, and so on. Since 2017, The Wheelhouse has given away a phenomenal 1,600 bicycles — and counting… During this time, I also did a “Joe the Painter” wood staining of kitchen cabinetry job, to keep my populist image up, and to pay for stuff. Wink… I also attended a talk on the environment by a representative from the Anabaptist Climate Cooperative. He said that currently the environment was on the ropes in a number of different ways, whether vanishing bird and animal species; or clear-cutting forests; or developments encroaching on marshland areas, etc. Our position paper on the environment would line up with his paradigm in a good number of ways. The environment is, indeed, on the ropes, whether we want to admit it or not. *Note: With the weather breaking here, I’ve had a chance to take more regular bicycle rides (I ride in the winter as well, but not as much). Joe the Bicyclist (*see bicycle book at the bottom of the page on the Joe the Bicyclist link). The town I live in, Bluffton, Ohio, has been ranked as the “2nd Most Bicycle Friendly Town in Ohio.”

photo by Joe

Catching up on the last couple weeks… I attended a talk by a local TV meteorologist. While describing a plethora of weather phenomenon, and such, he said that, while he wasn’t sure to what degree, he believes climate change is real and affecting current weather patterns. Our administration would concur. What’s more, our administration would try to inspire a significant conservation mindset in regard to energy use. And our strategy is laid out in our Energy position paper, *see… I also interviewed a retired local highway patrolman. He said that every time that he approached a vehicle he’d stopped, there was always that concern that “…this could be the time.” The ‘time’ his life would be in danger. And while he had several perilous situations, in between high-speed chases, etc., he said that as he approached one car, he could see a gun on the lap of the driver over the man’s shoulder. As the man reached for it, this patrolman drew his gun and punched the driver in the side of the head with the gun handle. He then got the gun away from the man, who, it turns out, was wanted for attempted murder in another state. These officers, whether out on the highways, or in our cities, or in our small towns, put their life at risk every day. And our administration would support law enforcement at virtually every turn. For more on how we would do that, as well as how we would creatively approach crime in our society, *see… During this time, I also did an office painting job, in order to keep up my populace image, lol, and to continue to put food on the table. For a better look at some of my work in this area, *see… And in the evenings, I read a series of National Geographic articles in regard to healthy forest management, and so on. I’m continually trying to learn more for each of our positions. And, as mentioned earlier, I believe global warming is a real issue, and trees are a tremendously critical “carbon sink.” For more about our position on the Environment, *see…