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Chapter 23
The sun was rising as I looked at the
clock. Six forty five in the
morning. From the feel of my
clothes I obviously sweated a lot last night.
It was like I was coming out of a fever, flu of some kind.
I went into the bathroom to see my hair had a mind of its own
again. We were scheduled to
hit the road again today to head to our next speaking venue.
Marge scheduled us to stay southern in our states on this
part of our tour to avoid the winter weather.
We choose to head easterly. I
feel physically and mentally wrecked to a degree, but at the same time
rested from the long night of sleep. I
knew that my first cup of coffee and shower would probably bring me around
to feeling my old fresh self. Margie
was still sound asleep, curled up like a baby on her side of the bed.
Not wanting to wake her up I pulled the door shut very lightly;
turning the door knob before pulling it closed to keep the latch from
creating its familiar noisy click.
The coffee smelled especially good
this morning as I slid my foot in my last slipper after an extra hot
shower that soothed my muscles. I
finished getting dressed. Standing
up and reaching for the cabinet door in which the coffee cups were kept I
took one and poured a cup. I
sat down to the couch to turn the TV set on.
I immediately turned it up to hear seeing the now familiar face to
me, Senator Ben Noble. An
interview, I thought to myself. He
was in the middle of an interview as I caught some of the conversation:
“He has some brilliant ideas.
I don’t know that they will work verbatim, but is the kind of
thinking that we need. I guess
anything doesn’t start with perfection but is a good foundation with
some solid thinking.” “Will
the Republican Party choose some of these philosophies Mr. Noble”, the
interviewer asking the Senator? “We
are looking at all issues right now with an open mind.
We do think that technology as well as population growth has made a
big difference in what is important today as well as what we are capable
of, compared to even 20 or 30 years ago.
Technology has taken huge strides, as well as population has grown.
His thinking is in the right direction; to take these thoughts into
consideration. I like him.
I like many of his ideas. There
does need to be a shift of thinking in many ways, at least a rethinking
with today’s issues in mind, and these ideas are indeed refreshing.
Who knows, maybe he will join our Republican Party and we can all
work together for common good and a pioneer spirit that we all need in
this evolving society.” “Would
you invite him to do so? Are
you making an announcement Mr. Noble?
I thought you would be the one to head up the Republican Party in
this next Presidential election.” “No
one has actually registered to run yet but that time is coming soon.
At that time we will all need to make a decision as well as pick
our party leader, as we must register to run for President and identify
the party we will be affiliated with.
We shall all see very soon as we start registering for candidacy.
In the mean time the Republican Party is listening as having an
open mind to what is most important. I
have met Golden Simms in person and he seems to be a very nice person too.
That is also a good thing. I
think he is respectful and can possibly be a team player for the
government’s needs, yet set the foundation for the goals and ideas of
the country and steer us in a new direction.
He will need a party to run with if he is to get any serious votes,
and we all know that. We have
had actors in politics, even wrestlers.
Neither our past assuming clean, nor specific political
qualifications are the sole driving force in a candidate’s political
success anymore. It also
requires someone with charisma, a solid sense of the correct direction for
the country, as well as the ability to gain the confidence of his
colleagues if he is to be serious; including the Congressional and
Judicial branches of our government.”
I didn’t believe my ears!
My eyes! The Senate
Majority Leader was on national television talking about me.
I am now the topic of conversation on every level of the national
political news. As I flipped
the channel I saw a face I was familiar with, but not had any affiliation
with at this point. I
haven’t heard from him at all, nor knew his political position on my
candidacy. He too was in an
interview, Hughes Foster, the Democratic Speaker of the House; the leader
in the Democratic Party. I
knew he would be a candidate for the Presidency.
He has been vocal for the Democratic Party and made it public many
times that the office of the Presidency was indeed in his sites.
“…yes we have heard about Golden
Simms and his ideas. How can
you not hear about it? The
press is obviously on his bandwagon.”
What do you think of his ideas and do you think he will be a threat
to you as the Democratic Presidential hopeful Mr. Foster?”
“No I don’t. We
really do not know much about him yet, as I am sure we will be finding out
as the weeks and months progress. I
do express my condolences to him for the fires he has endured to his home
and business. He is a sad
story indeed. He has made some
bold statements and evidently someone didn’t like that very much, an
unfortunate world we live in today in that regard.
He has has a shotgun approach to his points of views, topics, not
having any one platform that he seems to be sticking with, rather a
scatter gun approach. Many of
his positions offended a lot of people watching at home.
No telling who burned his house with these kinds of statements.
It could be anyone. He
has some fun ideas to listen to on the surface, but to implement them.
We want change from the Republican way of doing business that we
have had for so long. He is
just way off scale and could throw everything off balance.
I think if he had a more conservative approach to change he would
have a lot more success, but being way off scale; he wants to totally
reinvent the government system that we have had for over 200 years, and
that is something that will be difficult to run with, and win an election
to say the least. It is
ideological, but will it work in the political system once he gets
elected? I have heard many of
his statements and political positions and although fun to consider,
implementing them is something else. I think they make for good
entertainment. The press has
definitely picked up on that. The
press is entertainment oriented for ratings.
We all know that. Good
ratings are important to the networks.
Your news programs live and die by them.”
“Don’t you think some of his ideas are good, Mr. Foster?”
“Well of course. I
have been pushing for the line item veto and we have gotten that through
the House. We are just waiting
on the Republican dominated Senate and the bill has been tabled. The
majority of the Democrats wanted that; just as much as anyone the wants to
reduce pork barrel spending. We
are in tune to cleaning up government as much as the American people, but
it takes the massaging of these issues to get them through the House and
Senate, and he wants to reinvent the entire budget, and spending system!
That is fine to wish for. We
all wish for that. Wouldn’t
it be nice if there were no more problems?
That seems to be his approach, but it will not win elections when
it comes down to the wire. It
would be difficult to get them through the House and Senate if he, by some
wild and far out chance, got there. It
to me it sounds like wishful thinking.
Again I hope he will be ok after his fire and again express my
condolences to his very sad situation.
When the dust settles, I hope he can put his life back together
again. That would indeed be
devastating to anyone. I have
heard he does not have a home yet, and we hope he can spend some time to
focus on that, as we all need to have a home.
Our family values and priorities should be to our wives and family
first. I hope his priorities
are in the right place at this point.
I look at his political efforts as more of an escapade.
We will have all the right answers when it comes time to run a
government, and I will do that to my best ability, assuming the remaining
Republicans will not stand in my way of my progress after I get in office.
With these elections we hope to sweep the House and Senate for the
majority so we can move forward with our more conservative changes.
We hope the American people as well as the press can see that, and
help us get some real things done now.
I know my state of
Georgia
is behind me, and believe the rest of the American people are too.
That is what should be reported on and in the news today; the
success of the Democratic Movement. Now
there is a story for you, the press. It
is just not as exciting I guess, as a hurricane of ideas.
We know hurricanes. We
live on the coast. They blow
through with a whirlwind that destroys infrastructure, and he doesn’t
seem much different. We are
used to hurricanes; here in the south, and we don’t like the damage they
do.” That was Mr. Hughes
Foster, Democratic Speaker of the House from
Georgia
. Now for a station break…
Flipping the channel I see the same
two faces, the same two interviews over and over.
I do not see myself on TV yet, covering yesterday’s speech at the
college. My mind started
racing again, this time with the things I had just heard.
How did he know about my statements on the line item veto issue?
It is not on the news yet, expecting to hear about them by this
evening. There was sure plenty
of press there. Maybe he had
someone there at my speech listening and reporting to him about what I
said. He too has the wielding
power of a Speaker of the House, probably every bit the same support
system that the Senate Majority Leader had.
And that statement of learning about me over the coming weeks and
months had a new meaning. I
remember what Senator Ben Noble said about my enemies and their wanting to
dig for dirt. He obviously is
now my political enemy, after hearing his position.
I figured he would be against me knowing he was the Democratic
hopeful and already had that position, but now I see his position; and
angle he is taking. It sure
seemed pretty aggressive to me. What
about those comments about the fires.
Why would he continue to bring up the fires?
He brought that up several times, as if to shift focus to it.
What did he mean, the way of the world?
That baffles me as I would not want to be a leader of a country and
claim that! I would think that
would be something that he would encourage law enforcement to resolve,
rather than write it off as something that was, in a sense, a normal way
of doing things. I have seen
in past elections how a party through the sole desire to win and get in
office, a strong smear campaign, leaving no prisoners.
I see now I will be no different than any other successful
candidate or party. With the
national leader position I was going to be running for, I would get the
whole enchilada. I could see
that now, and this was just the beginning.
I was compared to a Hurricane, something I wanted to address
through reducing the ecological impacts that we are imposing if not
inducing on our precious globe; our home.
How could he be so bold! It
was insulting! I can’t judge
his motives as he clearly believes in his alienable right to have his
points of view, as well as be active in our political system that is
admirable in its own sense, but I sure can judge his actions, as that is
something I was starting to hold him accountable for in my own mind.
How could he say those things?
He doesn’t even know me, and that I speak from the heart; the
truths.
Why is it that I am the only one that is thinking backwards from
problems and issues to identify solutions and direction.
The tunnel vision those politicians see, trying to hold on to old
ways of doing things, old paths of money.
The money trail is changing constantly.
Why can’t people see that? Any
small town that has a big box store in their area can see that the shift
of money and the struggle to stay in business is a daily thing.
The power of money sometimes baffles me, the power that they wield,
and the support they get at the government level.
The internet has totally changed the way we do business, even the
recycling of goods through online auctions.
Ten years ago that too was not a major source for goods, and now
has reduced the needs for new with the monies that are spent on the used
goods commonly offered by these online auction sites.
The money shift is a daily thing, and now we have the opportunity
to see it through with the change for the right things, a change for the
better, both economically as well as environmentally.
Too much money flows through our government system with political
action for profit and market share, something that is not much different
than the historic and glorified days of the mafia, to control the markets
through threats, as well as control. This
might not be as violent, but does indeed involve a corruption of sorts.
Margie is getting up as I hear her
stirring. She opens the door
to say, “You got up early honey. Are
you alright?” “Sure
Margie, did you sleep well?” I
knew better than to throw heavy conversation and situations at her when
she first gets up. Everyone
deserves those first few minutes of waking up, and starting out their day
in a pleasant manner. I was
not going to violate that. I
knew as the day progressed that she too will see what is on the news and
hear what is going on. It too
would jerk her around emotionally.
I knew it would, just as I had woken up to it and was feeling that
way already. “Here is your
cup of coffee Margie.” I
made it just like she likes it with cream and sugar and handed it to her,
again my day started with a roller coaster of emotions.
I am not sure how long I can handle this!
Why it is that everyone has an innate desire to become famous?
Do they have any idea how tough on you it can really be?
I always wondered about successful actors that had made it in life
and their acting careers to become really big in their profession and the
news, to quit midstream and never see them again.
Some of them seem to just disappear.
Now I know. I am not
used to this. Famous; you can
have it.
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