POLITICS, CANCER AND SURVIVAL

Charles and Becky Downey

(my wonderful son and daughter-in-law)

As most of my dear readers know, I'm fighting a serious health issue. It's a CNS lymphoma, which is a tumor in the brain. I've been at home this past week waiting for my chemotherapy to start. I have an appointment with the neuro doc on Tuesday. My current treatment is oral steroids to reduce the tumor. Soon I'll start intravenous chemotherapy. I understand that it will probably make me feel sick. The protocol is to be in the hospital with intravenous infusion of methotrexate for a week on, then a week off, for about eight weeks.

Chemotherapy plays a very important role in treatment. High doses of methotrexate are used, often along with one or two more chemotherapy drugs. Chemotherapy is given before radiation to the brain. The total duration of chemotherapy is 3-6 months.

Part of me is thankful for this delay in the chemotherapy protocol in order to give the steroids a chance to reduce the tumor. Another part of me is anxious to get going on the treatment so I can get it over with and get my life back.

Meanwhile, since I probably have a couple of days to a week before the chemo starts, I'm planning to do a few things if I feel strong enough. I currently feel pretty weak. Some of that is probably because the steroids greatly reduces my ability to sleep. I'll have to ask the neuro about that on Tuesday.

Monday afternoon I promised to volunteer on phones at the Entenza campaign. I always have a lot of fun doing that. Plus I'm usually very productive. I'm good at talking to people and getting them to come to events.

Monday evening is a gubernatorial forum sponsored by A Minnesota Without Poverty. Ending Homelessness and Poverty: What do the Candidates have to say about Health, Housing, and Jobs?

Gubernatorial Candidate Forum

Monday, May 24, 2010
6:30-8:30pm
Temple Israel
2324 Emerson Avenue South
Minneapolis  MN

I'm looking forward to seeing many friends there.

On Tuesday afternoon is my appointment with my neurological oncologist in Woodbury, MN. I'll find out what happens to me next from him.

Tuesday evening I plan to attend a roast for my friend Thomas Snell. I graduated from White Bear Lake High School with him in 1968. I ran into him several months ago on Facebook. Now we're great Facebook friends. I've also seen him in person several times since then, mostly at political events and Chamber of Commerce events. Tom has been with MetroNorth Chamber for quite a few years and is now leaving to go on to other things. The Chamber is giving him a roast. I have got to see that.

I'm looking forward to helping out as much as I'm able with SD53 activities this summer. I hope I have the energy to do as much as I'll want to. It's so important for us to get our DFL candidates elected. In SD53 we have Senator Sandy Rummel, who is up for reelection this year, as well as Representative Paul Gardner from SD53A. We're working hard to get Chris Knopf elected over the current Representative in SD53B, Carol McFarlane (R). Chris is working very hard to obtain the seat. He'll be a wonderful Representative. He'll accomplish all kinds of good things for SD53B. McFarlane doesn't do much and her priority seems to be agreeing with everything Tim Pawlenty says. She's a very nice person; indeed, I graduated from high school with her. However, she's not what SD53B needs as far as representation.

I'm also hoping that I'll feel well enough to help out more with the gubernatorial election. I have no idea who will win it, as we  have three outstanding candidates. I like each one of them very much. They are, of course, Mark Dayton, Matt Entenza, and Margaret Anderson Kelliher. Each of them has many excellent qualities.

It would be great if some of you would come to see me in the hospital. I'll be at St. Joseph's in downtown St. Paul. You can also see me at my apartment in White Bear Lake every other week. Just email me to let me know when you can come.
tigerhawksoars@yahoo.com

My home telephone number is 651-777-3464. My answering machine died and I haven't been to the store to get a new one yet.

I hope to see many of you soon.

Colleen Morse
aka April Knight
aka MsTigerHawk

********************************************

TWO DFL CONVENTIONS: CD4 AND RAMSEY COUNTY

Rybak, Thissen and Marty Staffers at CD4 Convention

Team Rybak at CD4 Convention

CD4 Convention, Roseville Area High School

CD4 Convention

I attended the CD4 Convention today at Roseville Area High School. Immediately afterward was the Ramsey County Convention. A high percentage of delegates were a part of both groups, as most of CD4 is in Ramsey County.

As usual, I arrived very early. I got there at 7:30. I mingled with Thissen and Rybak staffers until more people showed up. J. P. Barone was there getting everything in order and giving orders, as a CD chair must do. He's very good at it, though, so that's okay. He always adds humor, too, which I thoroughly enjoy.

Soon more people arrived. I was glad to see my new Pinto staff friends, a few blogger friends and Matt Bostrom and his supporters. I had a couple of hours to mingle before the convention began. It was great to see Tom Rukavina and Orrie Salper, as it always is. They are always so cheerful. The same with R. T. Rybak. Always positive, motivated and incredibly energized. No deep dark depression from that quarter.

Speaking of which, guess who the cat dragged in? That's right. You guessed it. It was none other than Mark Dayton himself. Yes, folks, he actually had the nerve to drop by the CD4 Convention. I heard many people asking each other what he was doing there, since he refuses to participate in the endorsement process. No one seemed to know his reason for coming except that he wanted to steal votes from legitimate candidates. Most of the delegates are mad at him about it. Far be it from me to blame them.

Speaking of Dayton, all he had to do was walk right up to me and say, "Hi! How are you?" Maybe offer a nice hug, and all would have been forgiven. Mark Dayton is apparently deficient in the diplomacy department. Instead of offering up the olive branch, he took one look at me and cut and ran again.

As you may recall, Mark Dayton gave himself an F for his senate years because he felt he was ineffective. I thought he was being too hard on himself at the time. I now defer to his better judgement.

Mark Dayton in the same shirt he was wearing today.

For a rich guy, he doesn't seem to have a very extensive

wardrobe. I think he wants people to think that he's just

a regular guy. It's a political trick!!! What on earth is he
thinking? Something profoundly and fundamentally
wrong, no doubt!!!

After Dayton left in a hurry, I wandered around for awhile. Soon it was time for the convention to convene. We started out with the flag ceremony and the Pledge of Allegiance. Next, J. P. Barone gave a short welcome speech. The entire day was well worth it just to listen to J. P.

Franni Franken was the first speaker on the agenda. She said, "Oh! What a difference an election makes!" She also told us that Al was elected by only 312 votes. His message to us is unity, unity, unity. Franni's message is that the DFL needs to elect the endorsed candidate and only the endoresed candidate. (In other words, don't vote for Mark Dayton.)

Next, someone read a statement from Senator Amy Klobuchar, who recognized Congresswoman Betty McCollum for all her hard work and achievements. Klobuchar also stated that corporations are not people; people are people. She also gave a kudos to health care.

J. P. Barone was up again. He stated that we are now all party insiders because we walked in the door on caucus night.

After that we had reports from the Rules Committee and the Affirmative Action Committee. The Credentials Committee Chair, Fred Perez, gave that report.

At this point some of the alternates were upgraded to delegates. I was one of them. This was my very first experience as a delegate.

Diana Longrie then spoke. She's the former mayor of Maplewood. In 2009 she was defeated in that city's race for mayor. She decided to try to defeat Betty McCollum this year. Betty, of course, just got the DFL endorsement by a very wide margin today at the CD4 Convention. Go Betty!

Longrie was rather a boring speaker. She's an attorney in General Practice and Real Estate as well as in Family Law. She's apparently a legal jack of all trades. She told the delegates that she advocates for citizens and wants to put Americans back to work. (Don't we all!) She's a proponent of renewable energy and biofuels. (She's also a user of crutch words.)

Finally it was Betty McCollum's turn to speak. I could listen to her all day. What a great speaker! Wonderful personality, too! Two others spoke up for her first; then it was her turn. She will give us a transportation system that works for us. She wants to help President Obama move our country forward. Betty has a high energy level and lots of enthusiasm. I get energized listening to her.

Next, four questions were asked of Betty and Diana. Here they are:

1.  Will you abide by the endorsement?
     Betty McCollum: Yes
     Diana Longrie: No

2.  What will you do to ensure a win in November?
     Diana: Promote peace; get out of Afghanistan
     Betty:  Help reelect DFL legislators; help elect a DFL governor

3.  How would you balance the viewpoint of your constituents with doing what's right?
     Betty: Vote for families
     Diana: Responsibility is to constituents. Bring troops home from Afghanistan.

4.  Surprise Question for Diana: Get rid of Federal income tax
     Diana: Listen to what the questioner is actually asking; where are they coming from?
     Surprise Question for Betty: A group came into the office to dispute logging.
     Betty: Agrees with the group. She believes that logging criteria needs to change.

The vote was then taken. There were 274 delegates voting, including upgraded alternates. Betty McCollum won by a landslide. She got about 98% of the votes. That's because Betty rocks!!!

The next speaker was Mark Ritchie. He said that we made everyone remember why we're #1! He talked about his opponent and reiterated that he would be honoring his opponent's military service and his public service record. He would debate him on the issues. Ritchie emphasized that we need to stand up in praise of public servants. We need to make our voices heard.

Let's look at a few more pictures before we listen to what the gubernatorial candidates had to say.

Victoria Reinhardt, Ramsey County Board of Commissioners Chair

Senator Sandy Rummel, SD53

Representative Paul Gardner, SD53A

Okay, let's listen to the gubernatorial candidates who were in attendance this morning. It's always a pleasure to listen to them speak. 

R. T. Rybak - He doesn't want to wait even one more minute for a DFL Governor. It's also time to invest in schools and close the achievement gap. And it's time to invest in transportation. He wants to balance the budget and make Minnesota work. He'll win by creating a grassroots campaign from the bottom up. Rybak is a candidate who has an abundance of energy and a way with people. He's a very caring person. He's also enthusiastic and motivated. He's a natural people person and has a youthful exuberance. Almost everyone likes R. T. Rybak. He'd be a very popular governor.

John Marty - "Look deep in your heart and see why you first got involved in politics. Reread the DFL platform. You wrote it and we'll all make it happen. We will pass the Minnesota Health Plan. We will take the governor's office back." John is good on ethics and morals. He doesn't take PAC money or lobby money. He's the author of the best health care bill this state has ever seen. A vote for John Marty is a vote for everything that's good and everything that's right.

Peter Idusogie - He gave a tribute to John Marty. Peter is running so we can preserve all the good things that Minnesota has done. He is for righteousness and justice. He's also an excellent public speaker.

There were a couple of other candidates in attendance who I understand gave a speech. Unfortunately, I missed them because I was in line to upgrade my alternate status to delegate status. These candidates were:

Paul Thissen - I didn't get to hear him speak today, but I've heard him many other times. He's always excellent. He's got fresh new ideas for Minnesota. He's highly intelligent yet has a great deal of common sense. He cares about others, as I can personally vouch for because of all the times he asked me how I am. (He knows I'm fighting a devastating and potentially fatal chronic disease.) What a difference between all the candidates who inquire after my health and the few who don't seem to care at all. Paul is one of the candidates who always takes the time to ask. Also, it's clear that Paul can win. He has moved up very fast. We're very proud of him.

Tom Rukavina - I saw Rukavina earlier but unfortunately for me, I also missed his speech. Tom always adds humor to his speeches which livens up the day and makes everything appear brighter. He's of the old Farmer Labor Party, which later merged with the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party. He's blue collar. He's been a representative from the Iron Range for 24 years. He's got a large following of people who would love to see him as the next governor of Minnesota.

Ole Savior - He's the perennial candidate. He always runs in elections, although of course he never comes close to winning. Why does he run all the time? I forget. I heard it's to promote his art. Today he was seen outside the school. I was told that he didn't come in.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - I saw her inside the school earlier in the day but I did not hear her speak. I believe she left before she spoke. Don't quote me on that though. 

A couple of candidates did not attend today. They include Susan Gaertner, who is no longer seeking the endorsement but will run in the Primary, and Matt Entenza, who has courted the endorsement, is not likely to win it, but will run in the Primary anyway. Of those three candidates who will run in the Primary regardless of the endorsement, Matt Entenza is the most viable. He can definitely win!!! 

Correction: Susan Gaertner did drop in at the CD4 Convention. I somehow missed her.

The CD4 Convention wound up with some business. We had a short break before the Ramsey County Convention convened. I'll blog that tomorrow. I'm going to bed now. My eyes are growing very very sleepy...

Meanwhile, here's some more pictures.

J. P. Barone

Matt Bostrom

Orrie Salper (in vest)

********************************************************************

Senate District 53, Wards 1 - 5 + North Oaks

Gotta love those Canadian Mounties. The Pink Panther, Too.

Last night I attended a get together of the chairs and associate chairs of SD53, Wards one through five, plus North Oaks. The SD53 officers decided that the areas in the district should get together within their areas to get to know each other and to plan campaign strategies and activities. This was a great group of people. I'm glad to be a part of it.

Our District 53 candidates, Sandy Rummel and Chris Knopf, were in attendance, as well as their campaign managers. I met new people as well as those I already knew, such as Mark Schwartz, Dick Ottman and Mike Spellman. Mike is the new SD53 chair and is the one who led the meeting. He's an excellent speaker and makes great use of gestures, vocal variety and pauses. It was a joy to listen to him.

Emily Waymire was one of the new people I met. She is very dedicated to the DFL party. It was a pleasure to meet her.

Here are the topics from the agenda at last night's meeting:

1) An opportunity for us to meet our precinct chair and associate chair colleagues.

2) Solicit feedback on improving caucus participation and campaign grassroots execution.
3) Introduce any participating candidates, elected officials or SD officers.
4) Review of Precinct Officer Duties handout.
5) Distribution of precinct maps, list of caucus attendees and delegates, door knock route sheets.
6) Lawn sign distribution and recollection procedures.
7) Our community outreach and image.
8) Ideas on building our campaign volunteer base or improving party activities.
9) SD 53 Calendar of meetings, parades, and other party events.
10) Describe Role of Precinct Group Chair. Elect Group Chair.
11) Discuss most effective ways to stay in contact and be most effective as a team.
12) Discuss sharing contact email and phone information.
13) Social time.

J. P. Barone is the CD4 chair as well as a chair for one of the SD53 wards. He was not in attendance last night. However, I did run into him in the skyway in St. Paul a couple of days ago and had the opportunity to speak with him for several minutes. I commended him on his great oratory skills. What a nice man, too! CD4 is in good hands with him at the helm.

Next Tuesday evening SD53 will be meeting at Lino Lakes City Hall. I look forward to it.

Caucus: SD53, Ward 5

Me:  Back Row on Left

Not only did I attend my precinct caucus in White Bear Lake last night, but I was the convener as well. I haven't been very involved in politics at all since the late 1960's. I've been raising four kids, pretty much singlehandedly, for forty years. Now they're all grown and out of my home. My empty nest syndrome made me look for something to occupy my time. Sure, I keep very busy with a full time job, fighting HCV and being active in Toastmasters. I also belong to DAR, Mayflower Society and Red Hat Society. This year I'm the Eastern Division Governor in District 6 Toastmasters and hold a club officer position in Golden Rule Toastmasters Club. I also just joined Lifetime Fitness. Still, I figured that I have time to do just a wee bit more. Thus it was that I started involving myself in this year's election.

I really had no idea what I was doing as a convener. It's a good thing I was given all the paperwork by the SD53 chair as well as a short training session. My nine years of Toastmasters experience also helped, especially since it turned out that I was also the precinct caucus chair as well as the convener. I tried to get someone else to do it but they all said no, although some had experience at it. Every one of the 15 people who showed up for my precinct voted aye for me to be the chair. They said it loud and forcefully. There were no nays. Thus it fell upon me to be the chair and conduct the meeting.

We voted in 8 delegates, including myself. Yes, folks, I volunteered again. People tell me that I need to learn to say no. I'm spreading myself rather thin. I need to take time for rest and relaxation.

There were three resolutions that passed. Two were on environmental issues and the other was regarding the Supreme Court decision on making corporations into individuals.

Next I asked for volunteers to chair and co-chair the precinct for the next two years. No one said a word. So guess what? I'm now the precinct chair. Finally a gentleman agreed to be a co-chair. No one agreed to be on any of the committees. So guess what? Yup, I'm now a committee member as well. What have I done?

On the other hand, it's great meeting new people and getting to know some better. My old school chum Tom Snell was there. I didn't realize he lived in my district.

It was nice seeing Chris Knopf again. He's running for Representative in Senate District 53B. Hopefully he'll be able to beat Carol McFarlane. I graduated from White Bear High School with her. She's very nice, as everyone says, but she's Republican and always votes with Pawlenty. She's got to go. Chris Knopf is a fantastic guy and will do a great job.

David Schultz sent a cohort to speak for him. I thought she was too pushy and didn't have much of a personality.

As I was on my way out the door, who do you think I ran into? None other than Matt Entenza! I said, "Hi, Matt," and he came right up and shook my hand and asked me what I was doing there. I like him more all the time. He's friendly and has a nice voice. Maybe I should blog for him once in awhile. I really don't know very much about his goals as governor, even though I've been to most of the forums and debates.

Sandy Rummel was there and came right over to give me a big hug. No wonder I come to these events. Lots of people I meet there make me feel good. When you're fighting a chronic illness that is slowly destroying a major organ, it's good to feel good.

There were quite a few uncommitted votes on the ballot. I strongly suspect that most of those votes will be going to Mark Dayton in the primary.