the smedley log - suburban scrawl

Thanks…

to all the folks who supported me in this past Sunday’s JDRF walk. I walked in Tyler State Park, starting at 10 on Sunday morning, and was finished about 45 minutes later. There was quite a crowd of participants there for the event, and while I apparently didn’t hit my goal, I did better than I expected to when I set out on my little mission.

One price I may have paid for my swift pace up and down many of the park’s scenic hills is a persistent pain in my right foot. I thought it was just sore at first, but I’m starting to wonder why it isn’t feeling any better yet. Hopefully it’s nothing serious, but I should know more when I talk to the doctor tomorrow morning.

A little help?

I’d like to start this all-too-rare blog post by saying to all my friends and co-workers who have been gloating presumptuously over the “demise” of Donovan McNabb: HA!

And then I’d like to ask for your help in a cause that both Donovan and I hold dear, which is defeating diabetes. On October 28, I’ll be taking part in a local walk to raise money for juvenile diabetes awareness and research.

If you happen to know me in real life and want to pass a donation along directly to me please feel free – I promise I won’t keep more than half for myself ;). Otherwise, you can go to my personal fund-raising page by clicking here and donating online. My fund-raising goal will be $500.00 this year. It’s a little on the ambitious side, but I know a lot of generous folks, so I’m aiming high.

Once again, if you’d like to help, get a hold of me in real life or click here. And if you’d like to enroll for one of this fall’s fund-raising walks (or rides), click on over to the JDRF website.

Thanks!

Happy Monday (letters to the editor edition)

I wrote a letter to the editor this morning. I haven’t done that in a while, but I just couldn’t help myself. It was about politics, which I’ve been avoiding lately (at least in terms of my writing habit). I just shot off an email to the local paper regarding a “guest opinion” in this morning’s edition.

The reason I felt a need to respond was that if the editors of a newspaper are going to just hand out free space to any nut with half a clue, why shouldn’t I get in on the action too?

Not that there’s any real suspense involved, but I might divulge more details if they print my response. Or even if they don’t.

I’m not Catholic, but my Godchildren are

And so my sister and her half-dozen offspring ventured out my way to visit the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, home to the shrine for St. Katharine Drexel.

Since they were in town, I went along, never wanting to miss the opportunity to spend time with the nieces and nephews (five of whom are also my Godchildren). We first stopped for lunch at Poppy’s, where the eight of us downed the better part of two pies. Then we ventured over to Bensalem where the Sisters, along with the Drexel shrine, reside.

The shrine was interesting, and I wish I’d taken a camera (for some reason I thought cameras wouldn’t be welcome – apparently I was wrong). Among the artifacts related to the life of Katharine Drexel was a collection of worn down pencils in a glass case. They were part of a display demonstrating St. Katharine’s commitment to her vow of poverty.

Poverty strikes me as an impressive vow to keep. Considering Drexel’s background, maybe even more so. Heir to a vast inheritance, she could have chosen a much more lavish life. Instead she chose to try to serve the under-served, contributing large sums of her family’s fortune in the process – effectively putting her money where her mouth was.

I’ve just been thinking about how rare that is, how counterculture it is, given everything society conditions us to value. I’m not Catholic, but I’m always impressed by people whose commitment to serving others is stronger than the desire to serve themselves.

984

For those unfamiliar (or simply not obsessed with my annual election tradition), I like to start election day recap posts with my voter number. My number from yesterday was 984. I guess it was good turnout. And, at least on the national level, the results weren’t so bad either.

I don’t vote straight ticket as a rule, but this year I came kind of close. Not because I uniformly agree with the Democratic philosophy; I don’t. But because I adamantly disagree with the philosophy of single-party rule we’ve had for most of the past half-dozen years. It just seems to bolster the mindless political dogma that drives the two-party system in the first place.

Our government’s been missing its recommended allowance of checks and balances for a while anyway. It’s gotten sickly and pathetic in that time (- well, more than it usually is). A sickness grown even more virulent in the hands of those who bemoan lack of congressional review over judicial review.

I recall a TV soundbite debate in which a Republican spin doctor, apparently disappointed with control of only two branches of government, railed on about “activist judges” and ways they might be reigned in by Congress. Yeah, how do we get rid of that pesky judicial body that doesn’t let the rest of the government run rampant based the political leanings of half the country (and often less than that)?

That at least one house of our bicameral legislature is no longer as likely to rubber stamp the executive agenda has me breathing a sigh of relief. I’m glad I don’t have to contemplate that again, for at least two more years.

Hail the return of a legislature with the potential to actually check executive power. Now we can enjoy an occasional dose of good old-fashioned gridlock. Wait, did I just rejoice over the return of gridlock? Absolutely. I look at it this way: when you’re heading toward a cliff, anything that slows you down just might be your salvation.

Patrick Murphy

Matt recalls his disgust with some tactics employed by (um, do I have to call him my Congressman?) Mike Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick has seen fit to plug in one of the most disturbing tactics of the past few years: the slimy use of innuendo against a U.S. soldier’s service record. I just wish it would stop. Mr. Bush’s failure to do the right thing (when people slinging mud on his behalf took similar measures against John Kerry) is a large part of the reason I lost respect for the President (the man, not the office).

Now Mike Fitzpatrick, a congressman whose office has been about as responsive as a ‘69 VW bus on a highway entrance ramp, has put his name on that same list of people I consider unelectable. I was already leaning toward supporting Patrick Murphy in this year’s contest, but now my position is pretty much solidified. I’ve had enough of chicken hawks who feel emboldened to slander war veterans for political gain. And maybe one upside to this decision will be the addition of one more Congressperson who actually has a real-world understanding of how the military works. Golly, wouldn’t that be neat?

In short, if my Congressman won’t act like a responsible adult, I’m obliged to elect someone I believe will. That’s why I’m supporting Patrick Murphy for Congress.

UPDATE (11/1/06): In a stunning twist (at least to me, a lifelong Bucks Countian), the hometown paper, The Bucks County Courier Times endorsed Patrick Murphy the other day. For people in Bucks County, this is the only news endorsement that should matter, because it comes from the only editorial staff with any substantive concern or foundation in Bucks County’s general interest.

Which is more than I can say for a couple groups based outside of Bucks County that have backed Mike Fitzpatrick in this race:

1. The Sierra Club, no doubt recognizing open space and environmental initiatives adopted in Bucks while Fitzpatrick was one of three county commissioners; he clearly hasn’t been part of any positive environmental impact as a freshmen congressman.
2. The Philadephia Inquirer, who gave Fitzpatrick their editorial endorsement, apparenlty because they were more disappointed that Murphy’s responses on certain issues were almost as upsetting as Fitzpatrick’s actual record was. Part of me suspects they were just trying their hand at being “fair and balanced.” Go figure.

And anyone who’s ever dealt with Fitzy’s office on questions requiring more than a form letter with an automated feel knows how frustrating his responses tend to be. That he’s so in-step with the Bush Administration on issues affecting constitutional tenets and home economics almost seems ancillary to the simple fact that his office has clearly been more interested in politicking than serving the constituency.

Thank God I have blogs like Jane’s to read that really help me catch the things I’d otherwise miss about Bucks County political happenings. Oh, and there’s also Fact-esque and the next direction for Bucks-based political blogging.

Lower Makefield Garden of Reflection

Or as eRobin calls it, “A Garden of Reflection that Actually Inspires Reflection.” I’ve been meaning to get over there and take a few pictures myself, but I haven’t made the five minute trip just yet. If you’ve yet to see it, eRobin’s impressions may inspire you to do so.

City of bloggerly love: Fact-esque

Fact-esque is the latest Featured Blog over at Philly Future. I mention this as a point of hyperlocal pride, in that Fact-esque is powered by a fellow Bucks Countian who goes by the online moniker eRobin. It’s always good to see someone from my actual neck of the woods get a little positive attention.

A progressive activist in every sense, eRobin can be counted on for highlights of local and national stories of interest, as well as great tips, like how to register to vote in PA via cell phone (which I recommend everyone in PA do, whether by cell phone or other means, prior to the October 10 deadline).

If you’re unfamiliar, but it sounds like a site that might interest you, click here to check out Fact-esque.

That’s my “Distinguished Gentleman”

It was with great interest that I read this Fact-esque account of a conference call involving Congressional hopeful Patrick Murphy and Senator John Kerry. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Murphy’s November oponent, Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, was also represented on the call, albeit by his chief of staff, Mike Conallen.

An interesting exchange takes place, not just between Conallen, Murphy and Kerry, but also between Conallen and the actual invited questioners after Kerry and Murphy finished their part of the call.

Strange stuff, and it only reinforces my take on Fitzpatrick’s operation: substantively unresponsive, seemingly clueless and generally out-of-sync.