Okay, it’s not exactly the Electoral College versus the popular vote, but still . . .

I’m not taking issue with the Northwest Arkansas Times endorsing Dan Coody in his bid to reclaim the role of mayor in Fayetteville, yet it seems that there may be a lot more enthusiasm for the current mayor these days, at least if you judge by the number of yard signs one sees as one travels through Fayetteville. Since no one holds a gun to people’s heads before they decide to put campaign signs in their yards – meaning they usually ask for the damn things- it’s interesting that, on the face of it, “the people’s choice” (okay, the yard sign choice) didn’t impress the NWA Times overly much.

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True, yard signage isn’t much of an exact science, but it might indicate something not to be ignored, at any rate.

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Then there are the tiny little endorsements

A certain Fayetteville alderman has also endorsed Dan Coody, to the surprise of almost no one who is aware of his political history. I’m not sure that it’s a good idea to spend political capital you may not have too much of this way, especially if you end up working with the mayor you didn’t endorse.

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I guess that’s why it amused me so much, riding the UA bus downtown this week, to see one of Lioneld Jordan’s very large campaign signs on one street corner.

Sitting in the ground next to it, almost so close that they could touch, was the tiny, forlorn looking sign of the alderman who had endorsed his opponent. The whole scene was so surrealistic that I had to look again.

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Well, politics makes strange yard fellows . . .

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Memo to candidates who would mangle the English language

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If anyone, ever, on your campaign comes up to you and suggests that words like “reinventage” will capture the public’s imagination, perhaps you should sever ties with that person, at least in terms of having any influence over your campaign.

Oh, have ‘em over for pizza and beer, maybe watch a few movies and play a few board games on occasion – though I’d keep the Scrabble board hidden away.

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On the matter of Abel Tomlinson

Reading the newspaper this morning, it literally broke my heart to think of Abel Tomlinson going to prison, after his pleading guilty to two counts of selling marijuana.

20 years with 12 suspended, meaning eight to spend in prison – which may mean only several to actually serve, with good behavior.

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But still – prison?

It wasn’t the first time Abel had gotten in trouble with the law over drugs, so we can debate till the cows come home his common sense – but prison?

We have been reminded time and again of his adventure in the tree in front of the Washington County Courthouse, but maybe we should all take note of the fact that Abel Tomlinson has always been a citizen activist worthy of our respect, from his involvement with the Occupy movement to helping to educate folks about the dangers of corporate control of our lives to the hosting of an OMNI public affairs program on Fayetteville Public Access Television, and even running for Congress as a member of the Green Party.

He didn’t have to do any of these things; he could have been like most others and just whined about what was going on in the world.

His service to the community outweighs whatever mistakes he may have made, but that won’t stop those who have few accomplishments to their own names from making cheap jokes about his gong to prison.

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Quote of the Day

“It is essential that there should be organization of labor. This is an era of organization. Capital organizes and therefore labor must organize.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

rsdrake@cox.net

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