10,000 VOLUNTEERS. 1,298,301 SIGNATURES 6,500 PARADE PARTICIPANTS
To the chants of "We Are Ohio", "This Is What Democracy Looks Like", "1 Million Strong" and "Do You Hear Us Now?", 6,5000 committed Ohioans marched the .70 mile from COSI to the Secretary of State's office to deliver a trailer load of petitions to Repeal Senate Bill 5 and place the referendum on the ballot for the November 8, 2011 election. A resounding cheer erupted at the announcement that we had achieved 1,298,301 signatures which is the result of the work of 10,000 volunteers.
Escorted by the Columbus Police Department, with Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman marching in front of the "We Are Ohio" banner, I was located directly behind the banner-carriers and in front of the bagpipers, followed by the tractor trailer. As I turned around I was impressed by the number of people participating. The camaraderie, spirit and verve were contagious. After the parade we adjourned to Columbus Commons for a barbeque, entertainment and more communion. It was thrilling to meet people face-to-face whom we have only known as Facebook friends and fellow supporters of the cause.
NOW the real battle begins. The Koch Brothers, Dick Armey, Karl Rove, Grover Norquist and other big-money cronies of Kasich will continue to pour money into Ohio to defeat the referendum. We cannot allow that to happen. The enthusiastic participation needed to achieve the goal of collecting 1 million signatures must be doubled to achieve the mission of winning in November.
WE ARE OHIO!
I freely admit that I'm a groupie!
At the Ohio Democratic Dinner I hurried to the rope line because I wanted Joe Biden to autograph the book "Promises To Keep". I have been very successful in the past getting books and photographs signed. As the speech was ending I hurried to the front of the stage but I didn't know which way the Vice-President would exit; unfortunately, I was to the left and he exited to the right. I immediately began waving my book at the aides. A Secret Service member and I locked eyes and I murmured, "It usually works."
The line became very congested as people from the side tried to worm their way into the rope line. I held onto the rope line with one hand and waved my book with the other hand.
A woman behind me said, "I would think some of these people would let this seventeen-year-old in to shake his hand." I turned, without letting go of my place in line, and saw the girl who had been pressing against me, and I said, to her and one I assumed to be her mother, "She's got the rest of her life; us old people need to be the ones to see him!" The woman answered, "Well, I don't think it's fair!" I held up my book and said, "It's $24.95 FAIR!"
I have never seen a woman SPIT! Do men produce more saliva than women?
The "re-arranging" of private parts. I must say that I have never seen my brothers or husband do this, but I have seen it at work and in public.
Things one would never hear from a woman:
"What can I do you for?"
"Working hard--or hardly working?"
In line in stores, when guys see other guys whom they know, one will say, "Are you going to pay for mine too?"
Do guys have problems with small talk?
I have always said that the best thing about being a woman is that we aren't expected to be pallbearers but after seeing the niece of a sister-in-law being a pallbearer, I guess we have total equality.
REASONS MEN ARE HAPPIER THAN WOMEN
MEN CAN PLAY WITH TOYS ALL THEIR LIVES
MEN CAN WEAR SHORTS NO MATTER HOW THEIR LEGS LOOK
MEN HAVE ONE WALLET
MEN CAN DECIDE WHETHER TO GROW A MUSTACHE
MEN CAN "DO" THEIR FINGERNAILS WITH A POCKET KNIFE
MEN HAVE THE WHOLE GARAGE TO THEMSELVES
MEN NEVER HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR LAST NAME
MEN ONLY HAVE TO SHAVE THEIR FACES AND NECKS
MEN CAN KEEP THE SAME HAIRSTYLE FOR YEARS--EVEN DECADES
MEN CAN GO ON VACATION FOR A WEEK AND PACK ONE SUITCASE
MEN CAN OPEN ALL THEIR JARS
MEN DON'T HAVE ZIPPERS IN THE BACK
Gerald was driving back from Chillicothe and I noticed a small wooded section and I wondered aloud, "Do you think that's a copse?" He asked, "What's the difference between a copse and a woods?" I said, "I'll have to look it up--I think a woods is bigger." I said, "Maybe it's a grove or a coppice or a spinney." Gerald said, "Maybe it's thicket." I said, "I think thicket suggests brambles." I began to recite:
"Whose copse this is I think I know,
His house is in the village though,
My little horse must think it's queer
To stop without a farmhouse near."
I said, "Nah, woods sounds much better than copse; my apology to Robert Frost!"
My great-nephew John posted "Your Daily Painted Finger" on his Facebook page.
It reminded me of when I was a kid there was a childrens' TV show called "Aunt Fran's" and at the end of the show Aunt Fran painted a "Happy Good-bye Face" on each child's palm. There was an eye underneath the forefinger; another eye under the pinkie; a nose in the middle and a smile across from the thumb. As the children waved goodye, the eye would WINK!
Several years ago, I fell asleep on the sofa and my arm was dangling. When I awoke I was startled to see that someone had painted a "Happy Good-Bye Face" on my hand!
Fran Norris started the program "Aunt Fran And Her Playmates" in 1950 and it aired daily on WBNS-TV in Columbus, OH until 1957. Her show was a forerunner to "Ding Dong School", "Romper Room", "Luci's Toy Shop" and "Sesame Street". Fran Norris is considered to be a pioneer in programming for children.
In the "OBSTREPEROUS" article I mentioned that I like small words. I once used "smarmy" in class and the instructor said he'd never heard the word--but he said it in a self-confident manner--to let me know that he doubted it being a word. I said, "It's a perfectly good Anglo-Saxon word." He responded, haughtily, "And what might it mean?" I answered, "Unctuous." One of my classmates groaned. The instructor said, "Then you should have used unctuous because obviously more people know unctuous than smarmy!" The groaning classmate said, "I don't know either one!"
In 2004, a woman who had had work published in the local newspaper and also had a vanity-press book published was volunteering at our political headquarters. She heard my use of the word "vet" to describe investigating candidates. She said, "I've never heard that word used like that." I told her that the word had been used in that context for many years. She continued, "And I'm a wordsmith." I will give her credit: the following day she came in and said she had looked up the word and said that since she was politically active she couldn't believe she hadn't heard the word used previously. I asked, "How about WONK?"
She and I did not have any other contact until 2010 when I was a guest at a SPRING FLING party; I remembered her and when we spoke, I assumed she remembered me. She was the moderator for some games to be played. One game was called SPRING FLING and one had to submit words pertaining to Spring which started with the letters of S-P-R-I-N-G F-L-I-N-G. The catch: one only received points if nobody else had the word. For the letter "S" I chose the word "scabiosa" and nobody else had that word so I received a point; for "P" I chose the word "plumeria" and nobody else had that word, so another point for me. For the letter "R", I had "ranunculus" and suddenly the moderator said, "I know you NOW--you're that Sue Raypole!" The ladies who had invited me began laughing along with me! There I thought I was unforgettable!
Some one-syllable words I love:
condign
gauche
arcane
sans
bollix
glean
simper
impugn
airling
eschew
limpid
pithy
tacit
Escorted by the Columbus Police Department, with Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman marching in front of the "We Are Ohio" banner, I was located directly behind the banner-carriers and in front of the bagpipers, followed by the tractor trailer. As I turned around I was impressed by the number of people participating. The camaraderie, spirit and verve were contagious. After the parade we adjourned to Columbus Commons for a barbeque, entertainment and more communion. It was thrilling to meet people face-to-face whom we have only known as Facebook friends and fellow supporters of the cause. 
NOW the real battle begins. The Koch Brothers, Dick Armey, Karl Rove, Grover Norquist and other big-money cronies of Kasich will continue to pour money into Ohio to defeat the referendum. We cannot allow that to happen. The enthusiastic participation needed to achieve the goal of collecting 1 million signatures must be doubled to achieve the mission of winning in November.
