Linda Ballou is a free-lance writer based in Los Angeles. She writes adventure travel, and is a nature photographer whose works have been published in many national publications. Her numerous articles and essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and literary journals. Her short story “Look Both Ways on Small Islands” was included in the I Should Have Stayed Home anthology published by RDR Books. She invites us all to view many of her articles and photos at her website: www.LindaBallouAuthor.com where if you look closely you may discover the Secret to Youth. Her newest book is a historical novel Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’I is inspired by the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great. Its wonderfully flowing style easily recreates the almost magical qualities of Hawaiian culture. (It’s the next best thing to being there.) Linda joins us today as part of her blog tour for Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’i. To follow Linda as she tours across the blog-o-sphere check her schedule at http://www.lindaballouauthor.com/bookevents.html So tell us a little about yourself. Your bio mentions your appreciation for nature originally took you to Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Tell us some more about this? When I graduated from the California State University of Northridge with a B.A. in English Literature, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I decided to take a year off to contemplate my career path and to determine if I was, in fact, a writer. The lure of the islands was intense. The sensuality and soothing calm of the sea and balmy breezes were what the doctor ordered. In my year on Kauai I was introduced to yoga, tai chi and eastern meditations all performed in the open air on the beach. Soothed by the purl of the waves and a soft wind, I received a spiritual awakening on the Island of Kauai that has made me a more centered human being and enabled me to cope with the stresses of modern life. The state of being in balance and harmony with nature is called Pono by the Hawaiians. It is a condition I strive to achieve and maintain in my daily life While I was there I did a little freelancing for the local paper, conducting interviews of a few locals of note. The paper did a special that year on the arrival of Captain James Cook to Kauai in 1778. History tells us that the Hawaiians stabbed the famous explorer in the back. But, in my reading and talks with locals I learned that there were two sides to the story. Yes, Cook was killed by the Hawaiians, but not until he had eaten all their foodstuffs stored for the Makahiki festival, trampled upon their religious customs and tried to take an elder chief as hostage. This was the seed planted to so very long ago that germinated into the story told today by Wai-nani. This must’ve been a massive undertaking to compile information for Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’i about everything from dolphin behavior to Hawaiian culture and mythology. How long did that take you? Do you have any favorite links to share with your readers who might want to learn more? Wai-nani is the culmination of a thirty year long-distance love affair with the Islands. I enjoyed the research that took me ever deeper into the complexities of the Hawaiian culture. The Cook incident brought me to Kamehameha the Great and his wife Ka’ahumanu. It was prophesied that a chief would be born under a bright star that would bring the island under one rule. Haley’s comet blazed through the sky the night Kamehameha was born. His story seemed as fantastic to me as that of Jesus resting in his manger beneath the brightest star in the heavens to guide the wise men bearing gifts to him. Ka’ahumanu, his favorite wife out of twenty seven, was brave, athletic and strong-willed. Her keen intelligence made her question the harsh penalties of the Polynesian kapu-system in place for 2000-years. She was responsible for the burning of the wooden images of the gods and putting an end to separate eating and much more harsh practices. I identified with this independent woman who bucked the system. There is evidence of dolphins befriending and rescuing humans since ancient Greece. Even though her relationship with a dolphin family takes the story into the realm of the fantastic all the dolphin behavior in the story is taken from actual accounts with humans interacting with dolphin. When I was living on Kauai, I interviewed a woman named Bobo who was a long distance swimmer. She told me dolphin often swam with her and that they loved to play. It is not unrealistic to think that a woman, like Ka’ahumanu who often swam eighteen miles in a day would have a friendship with a sea creature. Each book I read about the people of old Hawaii brought me deeper in the mystery and romance of the time. Eventually, I went to the Big Island to walk in the footsteps of the ancients. On this trip I visited all of the sites described in my book. The most memorable being the two nights and days I spent in the sacred Waipio Valley where the bones of the ali`i chiefs are hidden in caves. As far as links go I would say that the Bishop Museum. www.bishopmuseum.org. on Oahu has the best collection of artifacts from Hawaiian antiquity. There is a great deal of information on their site. The University of Hawaii Press www.uhpress.hawaii.edu has a comprehensive catalogue of books on all things Hawaiian. I loved the way you interspersed Hawaiian words throughout the story. It added a true ‘feel’ of culture. How did you determine which words to use and which not to use? This was a natural process. In my reading of the oldest books on the subject I learned many of the Hawaiian words. I admit that I can’t pronounce all of them properly even though I know what they mean. When it seemed they were the best to describe something I used them. I tried not to over do this for the modern reader. There is a glossary at the back of the book to make it easier for those unfamiliar with basic Hawaiian words. What first inspired you to become a writer? When I was thirteen, my parents uprooted me and took me from sunny Southern Cal to a small town in Alaska. Looking back I can say I am grateful as this gave me a unique point of view and a genuine appreciation of nature. The move helped me become a more centered human being. However, it did set me apart. I was not quite an Alaskan, and no longer a Californian. I turned to books for companionship. Writers became my best friends. People who read obsessively have a tendency to become writers. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Jack London said “The world is filled with boneheads and boobs. Don’t get hung up on listening to them. Just write from your heart. Don’t worry about them not understanding your work. They never understood his. You need to be writing about something that matters to you. It must be a subject you really care about, or you won’t be able to stay with the story until it is finished. Writing is a craft, one that entails a great deal of work and attention to pains taking detail. I could not have brought Wai-nani to the professional level it stands at now if I did not have an editor to help me and a publisher who cares. The main thing is don’t give up on yourself. No one else can write your stories. How would you describe your writing? It is the best of me. Would you like to post a teaser (few paragraphs from your book) here to give the readers a taste of what to expect? Excerpt from Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawaii-Page 122 Once beside Makaha my thoughts of death ended. I followed him to the cold blue bowels of a roaring wave. I could feel the pull of Milu as he tried to take me to his kingdom. I fought with all my might to paddle up the curving breast of the beast that dwells in the ocean. The churning rage over my head was about to drop on me when I slipped just under its snarling lip. I turned to make the drop and felt myself falling into eternity. I hit hard, nearly toppling over in the heaving swell. I shuffled back and forth on my board to regain my balance. Before I knew what was happening, I was encircled by an ice-blue tube shot through with light. I was inside the belly of the whale. Many moments passed in which I was lost toall but the immense power shooting me through the whorl of blue. It fired me out and down the face of the great wave. I turned my board up and rode the crest to shore. When I emerged from the water my aura flew off of me in a halo of sparkling light. Pinpricks of light shot off my fingertips and the soles of my feet as I walked on the hard packed sand. The mystery of moana—the grand and vibrant sea—could never be grasped and made to stay still, I reminded myself. All one could do is let it go and live in harmony with it. I was content to live that day and did not re-enter the surf with Makaha, who continued wave-sliding for many hours like a dolphin born in water. When the gods tired of the storm, the skies cleared to sapphire blue and three-colored rainbows burst over the valley. I took Makaha by the hand and led him up the canyon to Hi'ilawe and Hakalaoa, the twin waterfalls. These two streams plunging from the sky into a secret pool were once forbidden lovers. Rather than be separated, the lovers jumped off the pali together into the pool at the bottom of the falls to meet their deaths together. The joined water flows from the stream to the sea and supports the taro fields, feeding the fishes and nurturing the land. “Like these streams our lives are forever bound,” I told him. “My brave Wai-nani, you are my never-fading flower,” he said, rubbing my nose tenderly with his own. “Your hard path is to be softened by the pure water of my love,” I said. We held hands and turned to watch the silken tracks of the dying lovers. Your man website has already been listed above but do you have any other websites/MySpace/newsletter/blogs? I am a member of the North American Travel Journalist Association http://www.natja.org/member/lindaballou I have a page on MySpace, Author’s Den, Author’s Coaliton and various networking sites. But, I prefer people go to my page www.LindaBallouAuthor.com where they will find my articles, photos and a page dedicated to Wai-nani. On my site they can purchase a signed copy of Wai-nani and receive free shipping anywhere in the world. Are you working on any other projects now? I can’t wait to get back to Lost Angel Walkabout, my collection of travel essays. I have about 18 stories that I plan to compliment with interviews of inspirational people I have met along the way. I interviewed Tim Cahill, my travel writing hero, in his home in Livingston Montana. His writing is filled with good humor, adventure and information that he delivers in a conversational style that I admire. I am proud to say his interview will be in my book. Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i – Her Epic Journey is an historical novel couched in magical realism set in pre-contact Hawai’i. Wai-nani’s character is inspired by the personage of Ka’ahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great, who was responsible for ending the 2,000-year-old Polynesian “kapu system.” The turbulent romance of these Hawaiian icons is set against the backdrop of Hawai’i’s most dynamic period between 1740 and 1820. Captain James Cook arrived in 1778. Cook’s visit triggered change that facilitated forces already set in play by Kamehameha (Makaha), the warrior prophesied at birth to bring the splintered Island people under one rule. Precocious Ka’ahumanu, always the center of controversy, is revered by some as the loving “Mother of the people” and by others as the “flaw that brought down chiefdom.”
Linda Ballou is a free-lance writer based in Los Angeles. She writes adventure travel, and is a nature photographer whose works have been published in many national publications. Her numerous articles and essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and literary journals.
Her short story “Look Both Ways on Small Islands” was included in the I Should Have Stayed Home anthology published by RDR Books.
She invites us all to view many of her articles and photos at her website: www.LindaBallouAuthor.com where if you look closely you may discover the Secret to Youth.
Her newest book is a historical novel Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’I is inspired by the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great. Its wonderfully flowing style easily recreates the almost magical qualities of Hawaiian culture. (It’s the next best thing to being there.)
Linda joins us today as part of her blog tour for Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’i. To follow Linda as she tours across the blog-o-sphere check her schedule at http://www.lindaballouauthor.com/bookevents.html
So tell us a little about yourself. Your bio mentions your appreciation for nature originally took you to Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Tell us some more about this?
When I graduated from the California State University of Northridge with a B.A. in English Literature, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I decided to take a year off to contemplate my career path and to determine if I was, in fact, a writer. The lure of the islands was intense. The sensuality and soothing calm of the sea and balmy breezes were what the doctor ordered.
In my year on Kauai I was introduced to yoga, tai chi and eastern meditations all performed in the open air on the beach. Soothed by the purl of the waves and a soft wind, I received a spiritual awakening on the Island of Kauai that has made me a more centered human being and enabled me to cope with the stresses of modern life. The state of being in balance and harmony with nature is called Pono by the Hawaiians. It is a condition I strive to achieve and maintain in my daily life
While I was there I did a little freelancing for the local paper, conducting interviews of a few locals of note. The paper did a special that year on the arrival of Captain James Cook to Kauai in 1778. History tells us that the Hawaiians stabbed the famous explorer in the back. But, in my reading and talks with locals I learned that there were two sides to the story. Yes, Cook was killed by the Hawaiians, but not until he had eaten all their foodstuffs stored for the Makahiki festival, trampled upon their religious customs and tried to take an elder chief as hostage. This was the seed planted to so very long ago that germinated into the story told today by Wai-nani.
This must’ve been a massive undertaking to compile information for Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’i about everything from dolphin behavior to Hawaiian culture and mythology. How long did that take you? Do you have any favorite links to share with your readers who might want to learn more?
Wai-nani is the culmination of a thirty year long-distance love affair with the Islands. I enjoyed the research that took me ever deeper into the complexities of the Hawaiian culture. The Cook incident brought me to Kamehameha the Great and his wife Ka’ahumanu. It was prophesied that a chief would be born under a bright star that would bring the island under one rule. Haley’s comet blazed through the sky the night Kamehameha was born. His story seemed as fantastic to me as that of Jesus resting in his manger beneath the brightest star in the heavens to guide the wise men bearing gifts to him.
Ka’ahumanu, his favorite wife out of twenty seven, was brave, athletic and strong-willed. Her keen intelligence made her question the harsh penalties of the Polynesian kapu-system in place for 2000-years. She was responsible for the burning of the wooden images of the gods and putting an end to separate eating and much more harsh practices. I identified with this independent woman who bucked the system.
There is evidence of dolphins befriending and rescuing humans since ancient Greece. Even though her relationship with a dolphin family takes the story into the realm of the fantastic all the dolphin behavior in the story is taken from actual accounts with humans interacting with dolphin. When I was living on Kauai, I interviewed a woman named Bobo who was a long distance swimmer. She told me dolphin often swam with her and that they loved to play. It is not unrealistic to think that a woman, like Ka’ahumanu who often swam eighteen miles in a day would have a friendship with a sea creature.
Each book I read about the people of old Hawaii brought me deeper in the mystery and romance of the time. Eventually, I went to the Big Island to walk in the footsteps of the ancients. On this trip I visited all of the sites described in my book. The most memorable being the two nights and days I spent in the sacred Waipio Valley where the bones of the ali`i chiefs are hidden in caves.
As far as links go I would say that the Bishop Museum. www.bishopmuseum.org. on Oahu has the best collection of artifacts from Hawaiian antiquity. There is a great deal of information on their site. The University of Hawaii Press www.uhpress.hawaii.edu has a comprehensive catalogue of books on all things Hawaiian.
I loved the way you interspersed Hawaiian words throughout the story. It added a true ‘feel’ of culture. How did you determine which words to use and which not to use?
This was a natural process. In my reading of the oldest books on the subject I learned many of the Hawaiian words. I admit that I can’t pronounce all of them properly even though I know what they mean. When it seemed they were the best to describe something I used them. I tried not to over do this for the modern reader. There is a glossary at the back of the book to make it easier for those unfamiliar with basic Hawaiian words.
What first inspired you to become a writer?
When I was thirteen, my parents uprooted me and took me from sunny Southern Cal to a small town in Alaska. Looking back I can say I am grateful as this gave me a unique point of view and a genuine appreciation of nature. The move helped me become a more centered human being. However, it did set me apart. I was not quite an Alaskan, and no longer a Californian. I turned to books for companionship. Writers became my best friends. People who read obsessively have a tendency to become writers.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Jack London said “The world is filled with boneheads and boobs. Don’t get hung up on listening to them. Just write from your heart. Don’t worry about them not understanding your work. They never understood his.
You need to be writing about something that matters to you. It must be a subject you really care about, or you won’t be able to stay with the story until it is finished. Writing is a craft, one that entails a great deal of work and attention to pains taking detail. I could not have brought Wai-nani to the professional level it stands at now if I did not have an editor to help me and a publisher who cares. The main thing is don’t give up on yourself. No one else can write your stories.
How would you describe your writing?
It is the best of me.
Would you like to post a teaser (few paragraphs from your book) here to give the readers a taste of what to expect?
Excerpt from Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawaii-Page 122
Once beside Makaha my thoughts of death ended. I followed him to the cold blue bowels of a roaring wave. I could feel the pull of Milu as he tried to take me to his kingdom. I fought with all my might to paddle up the curving breast of the beast that dwells in the ocean. The churning rage over my head was about to drop on me when I slipped just under its snarling lip. I turned to make the drop and felt myself falling into eternity. I hit hard, nearly toppling over in the heaving swell. I shuffled back and forth on my board to regain my balance. Before I knew what was happening, I was encircled by an ice-blue tube shot through with light. I was inside the belly of the whale. Many moments passed in which I was lost toall but the immense power shooting me through the whorl of blue. It fired me out and down the face of the great wave.
I turned my board up and rode the crest to shore. When I emerged from the water my aura flew off of me in a halo of sparkling light. Pinpricks of light shot off my fingertips and the soles of my feet as I walked on the hard packed sand. The mystery of moana—the grand and vibrant sea—could never be grasped and made to stay still, I reminded myself. All one could do is let it go and live in harmony with it. I was content to live that day and did not re-enter the surf with Makaha, who continued wave-sliding for many hours like a dolphin born in water.
When the gods tired of the storm, the skies cleared to sapphire blue and three-colored rainbows burst over the valley. I took Makaha by the hand and led him up the canyon to Hi'ilawe and Hakalaoa, the twin waterfalls. These two streams plunging from the sky into a secret pool were once forbidden lovers. Rather than be separated, the lovers jumped off the pali together into the pool at the bottom of the falls to meet their deaths together. The joined water flows from the stream to the sea and supports the taro fields, feeding the fishes and nurturing the land.
“Like these streams our lives are forever bound,” I told him.
“My brave Wai-nani, you are my never-fading flower,” he said, rubbing my nose tenderly with his own.
“Your hard path is to be softened by the pure water of my love,” I said. We held hands and turned to watch the silken tracks of the dying lovers.
Your man website has already been listed above but do you have any other websites/MySpace/newsletter/blogs?
I am a member of the North American Travel Journalist Association http://www.natja.org/member/lindaballou
I have a page on MySpace, Author’s Den, Author’s Coaliton and various networking sites. But, I prefer people go to my page www.LindaBallouAuthor.com where they will find my articles, photos and a page dedicated to Wai-nani. On my site they can purchase a signed copy of Wai-nani and receive free shipping anywhere in the world.
Are you working on any other projects now?
I can’t wait to get back to Lost Angel Walkabout, my collection of travel essays. I have about 18 stories that I plan to compliment with interviews of inspirational people I have met along the way. I interviewed Tim Cahill, my travel writing hero, in his home in Livingston Montana. His writing is filled with good humor, adventure and information that he delivers in a conversational style that I admire. I am proud to say his interview will be in my book.
Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i – Her Epic Journey
Wai-nani embodies all that was good in ancient Polynesian society. Athletic, assertive, and brave she stands beside her warrior-king husband sharing in his joys and sorrows for forty years.
This time, I attend as a delegate to carry the previous votes to the next step. I didn't get chosen as a delegate to the State Convention so this is as far as it goes.
Saturday, March 29
10:30 Doors open for convention registration at Lubbock High School. The actual convention is scheduled to start at 1:00 pm and a multitude of emails, phone calls, and post cards have been sent to everyone to suggest arriving at 10:30.
My husband and I both attended the convention, I as a delegate, and Jeff as an alternate.
10:45. We drove up to the parking lot. Already lines up to three people deep wound outside the front of the building. Parking wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t matter since the walk to the end of the line spanned the entire building. A nice young man directed people to the entrance closest to the end of the line. It snaked slowly, but surely, through the hallways. People were patient and pleasant. A fireman passed out red, white and blue leis or Marti Gras beads to Obama supporters—really dressed the place up and looked more festive.
About 12:45 we reached the tables at the line’s front and got registered. Just as in the District vote, we listed our names, candidate choice, precinct, voter registration number, ethnicity, email address, phone number, age range, and whether or not we were disabled, gay, transsexual. We were required to show at least a driver’s license and the attendees at each table cross checked each name with an existing list. Then we were given a delegate or alternate card to wear around out necks and sent into the auditorium.
People at the door directed us to where our precincts were to be seated. (Each seat had a precinct number to it—one for each delegate.) As our group gathered, I was told that there had been a last minute change. Hmmm. It seems that our district 114 had been combined with district 4 so all of our delegate numbers shifted drastically. Nobody can tell us why and we realize that the regrouping will drastically change our candidate’s delegate count. Our district had 3 Obama delegates and 2 Clinton delegates. District 4 was allotted 10 delegates total. 9 of them were for Hillary and 1 for Obama. When we arrived, we were guaranteed to have one Obama delegate and alternate. but now we would be lucky to provide an Obama alternate from our combined group and our alternate would be backing up a Clinton delegate. (Huh??)
The 114 delegates opted to try to find the Rules committee and make sure this was legal. Cell phones turned out to be quite handy in this scenario because once you got the right name and number; it was possible to reach these people/committees sooner or later. So we did what we could and then got to know the folk in precinct 4. It turned out that though they had been allotted 10 delegates, only 4 of their Clinton delegates actually showed up and their Obama delegate was a no-show too. Also, they had not been able to get enough people to volunteer to even fill their 10 delegate positions so they had only 9 and no alternates at all. (I was told there was some confusion about having to travel out of town to this convention and their people would not participate.)
This unexpected turn of events is why we were able to elect an Obama alternate for the June State Democratic Convention to be held in Austin. But prior to that, the question of whether other precincts’ Clinton alternates could be used to fill their delegate positions. Again, the phone calls and searching for the right official ensued, but we quickly determined that Alternates could not be shared among other precincts.
1:15 VERY loud music accompanied colorfully dressed children of the Ballet Folklorico (My ears still ring at the thought.) and eventually a little girl from the Cactus Cuties sang the national anthem. A very energetic, alleluia-type prayer was presented, and the pledge of allegiance got us started.
1:45 There is a call for delegates. Each precinct is allowed to call for alternates to fill empty seats of missing delegates, but only from their own precinct.
2:10 Each precinct Chair (spokesman) is handed a packet containing instructions and materials needed when they vote for delegate(s) and alternate(s) to send to the Democratic State Convention in June. Our precinct’s chair person was nowhere to be found because she was also a member of the Resolutions Committee which met through most of the day to deal with Democratic propositions that have been turned into the convention for consideration. So we did not receive a packet and could not locate her and Precinct 4 would not acknowledge that we were supposed to be grouped up with them for any precinct votes. (Sigh)
2:15 Meeting is called to order. An overall chairwoman is nominated and elected to run the meeting. Legalities are stated that include informing us that the presidential poll was performed at the door. There are speeches and introductions….
2:35 The instructions for delegate/alternate elections are explained: one person, one vote for delegate. Whoever receives the most votes is the delegate; the next up is the alternate. For a tie the delegation chair decides. Then white cards are filled out with the winners’ info and anyone who wants to apply to be a delegate at large need to fill out colored cards that will be handed into the credentials committee to be considered. At large delegates and alternates fill in positions that are needed to properly represent the overall percentages/demographic.
2:50 The regrouping of the precincts is explained. It seems that the Democratic Party utilizes the number of votes for Chris Bell to determine that it will take 180 voters to be represented by one delegate at the State Convention. Some precincts did not have enough to merit a delegate so parings were reordered by demand of the Democratic Party if we wanted to be allowed to participate. (Extra people will be represented by At Large delegates
The precincts that had enough voters without having to be combined were:
1, 3, 7, 12, 15, 20, 30, 36, 41, 46, 47, 52, 66, 11.
Precinct groupings (as best as I could catch most of them) included: (5+35+92), (8+120), (10+54), (13+112), (14+129), (16+40), (17+126), (18+38), (19+104), (21+57), (22+50), (23+58), (24+33), (25+45), (26+117), (29+34), (31+121), (39+44), (43+65+72), (49+63+123), (51+119), (53+75), (59+113), (60+123), (62+102), (67+110), (76+128(?)), (78+118), (109+124), (125+134), (4+114).
3:07 Credential meeting report is presented.
The floor is opened for challenges.
Precinct 59 had a problem regarding their last delegate from their district convention. It seemed that they had 27 votes for Obama and 27 votes for Clinton so they went 5 delegates for each candidate but decided to do a legal coin flip for the odd delegate. The Obama camp won and was agreed upon but the paper work that was turned in did not properly document the process so the committee had to make a decision to determine the last delegate. They were presented with witnesses and decided to let the Obama delegate choice stand.
An elevated Alternate (an alternate who was called upon to take a delegate position) states that he wasn’t told to go back to the sign in table and register his presidential preference. He is told that he will have to do that. He worries that this could be used by another to skew a vote through deception. The Committee states that the delegates within each precinct caucus should be aware of their own positions so the matter is settled.
The chair states that of the 728 delegate votes, Obama has 318 and Clinton has 410.
The percentages to determine the delegate distribution will be 56.32% for Clinton and 43.68% for Obama.
It costs $128.00 per hour to use the High School. (A collection taken up later will provide over $1,000.00 from those who attended.)
3:30 Permanent Chair is elected. Permanent Secretary is elected.
Meeting rules and committees explained. Resolution process allows debate of proposed resolutions being proffered. Debate time is limited from 5-15 minutes per side. Delegates are provided with a pro microphone and a con microphone where they may come up to the front and present their case for 1 minute each.
4:25 the resolution committee members consists of 5 Clinton supporters and 5 Obama supporters. They have examined and decided on resolutions to be sent on to the State Democratic Convention to be considered for Party promotion. They have organized them into categories and read them from a list.
The proposed resolutions include: health insurance for children….some solar and energy legislation…privatization of health…disability changes…a bid to oppose caucuses…opposition to super precincts…support for super precincts…a proposal to include Florida/Michigan votes as they were or can be…abolition of death penalty…support nondiscrimination of illegal alien who have been established here....repeal the Right To Work Act in Texas…provide state employee pay raise….state employment health and pension change…taxation on land…eliminate No Child Left Behind…promote education excellence in classroom…Social Security should not vary for public employees…reduce national debt…oppose immunity for contractors…prohibit torture…and many more items I couldn’t scrawl fast enough to catch as they raced through the list.
A motion is made to approve sending all these resolutions as a packet to the State Convention. There is dissension among the delegates. Many of them do not want to include all of the committee’s resolutions in the packet. Discussion includes fear of illegal alien proposal and the fact that Obama’s name was not on the ballot when Michigan held their primary. The committee agreed to change the wording of the Florida/Michigan resolution so that it did not state “as is” but only to allow their right to be allowed to vote.
The chair calls for a vote, but does not clearly state what is being voted on. (681 votes are cast: 474 ayes and 207 nays) Many people claim to have been confused as to wording of the vote so another is held. (This time: 449 voted, 268 ayes and 183 voted nay but by this time, people are wearing down and leaving and the chair cannot seem to speak clearly. She is saying things like “the chair stands,” instead of stating things simply. It was the reason for the repetitious voting and eventually wore the crowd down.
5:00 the Nomination Committee (consisting of 5 Clinton supporters and 5 Obama supporters) returns with the final word on the delegate count. There are 64 delegates. It is determined that 65% of the vote be given to Clinton and 35% to Obama (part of which included all 10 of the At Large delegates to Obama). So Clinton got 41 delegates and 23 delegates for Obama.
many delegates protest this. Clinton people complain about Obama getting all 10 At Large votes. Obama people question the huge percentages.
Committee explains procedure and states that relevant rule pole results are used for delegates at large and that they confirmed their decision with the state party.
Someone asked who they spoke with but no one could remember so it was motioned that the at large vote be sent to the Democratic headquarters for resolution. This motion was refused as all rules had been followed.
Delegate substitution requests were opened. A few were made.
6:45 Alternate’s list is read
7:05 Resolutions submitted during the convention are presented.
--create a task force to executive committee to help resolve voting problems especial for university students—approved.
--Affirm both primary and caucus and improve caucus—approved.
--Farm bill counter cyclic safety net to support farm income during periods of low commodity prices indexed to cost of production—approved.
--Fair trade agreement with foreign countries should not be ratified til human rights are addressed—approved.
--Establish national election budget to reimburse to state the cost of primary election (amended to say ‘for primary and caucus voting)—approved.
--Permanent disaster relief in congress—mandatory funding—approved.
There was a move to pass all the rest of the resolutions as a packet.
It was requested that the last 10 at least be listed first.
They are:
--Teacher retirement system needs to be made transparent.
--opposition to voter ID bill.
--Resolution to promote positive human rights to protect undocumented immigrants.
--Abolish federal Real ID act of 2005.
--Add national voting machines to Democratic Party (standardizing).
--Bank and Credit card changes to reduce interest charges, remove unreasonable charges and penalties. Modify bankruptcy laws to relax restrictions and limits for individuals and business.
--Against tolling of existing roadways in Texas.
--call for a vote on the Trans Texas corridor.
--Resolution condemning all forms of torture.
--Resolve to support college, rescind 6 draw clause.
Motion to vote as a package excluding immigration resolution-- failed.
Motion to pass packet of last 10 motions-- passed
7:47 Gavel was passed to new County Chair. Meeting adjourned.
Things I learned from this experience:
It is most important to choose someone who understands how to communicate clearly and simply both as your precinct chair and as your convention chair. If these people cannot handle stress and think on their feet, efficiency will/did crumble.
I think it was a major mistake/oversight that the convention leaders did not come prepared to deal with people with varying degrees of understanding and language skills. All votes and explanations should have been kept clear and concisely short to prevent confusion and minimize frustration. This alone could have cut as much as 3 hours from this meeting.
Organization also could have saved quite a bit of time. Everybody that I spoke to did not know that all the proposed resolutions we would be asked to approve or vote on were posted on the front walls and along a table by the entrance. Hence the ensuing confusion and wasted time.
This convention did not allow food or drinks other than water, and it did not allow any form of break or relief. Fortunately for me, around 4:00pm another group in full violation of the ‘no food and drink other than water’ mandate snuck in a stack of Pizzas and offered everyone nearby a piece. Good thing since I’m diabetic and was starting to feel a little shaky by then.
My precinct was seated up near the front, but my husband as an Obama alternate, was asked to remain in the back or go upstairs. Since he is disabled, he stayed in the back rows.
On one occasion he was accosted by a woman who decided he needed to change his support to the Clinton camp. A nearby police man had to cuff her and remove her from the building.
From what he said most of these problems were brought on by a single group of Clinton alternates who were trying to stir things up. He tells me there were at least 3 incidents where people came to blows because of their harassments. They were not supposed to be involved in the voting. He says they did whoop and holler their yeas and mostly nays during the verbal resolutions votes and nothing was done about it.
I would suggest in the future that the convention at least place a few officials to run herd on this situation so that they could be warned or removed if need be. There was a contingency of police officers present but they had no idea what was legal or not for the convention. An official could have determined and deterred this behavior.
In conclusion, I’d like to state that, though I was an Obama delegate, the Clinton supporters I met and dealt with were a very considerate lot. So I suspect this is just the nature of large gatherings. I think it was very inspiring to see how so many different types of people cared enough to spend almost 10 hours on a Saturday in a school auditorium to participate in the electoral process.
Though the quick and easy push of a button does not inconvenience me as much, these caucuses really do provide a chance for everyone to participate, to voice their opinions and champion their causes and maybe even make a difference. It was a good experience. I’m glad I went.
--originally posted at Marquel White's Political Pulse website.http://www.freewebs.com/politicalpulse/
With all the political whoo ha going on lately, I decided to attend my first Democratic Primary this year because I finally felt the need to do so and I wanted to see how it worked for myself. This is what I saw:
The Texas Two-Step is actually the name of a dance, and boy howdy did the democrats do some steppin.’
First we had to go to the polls and vote, and for ten days before our Texas Tuesday (March 4,2008), we could cast that vote almost everywhere. A couple of days after early voting started I chose a nearby United Supermarket and stepped up to the plate. There were no crowds and the people who manned the tables seemed very friendly and competent. But since I’d never participated in a democratic primary before, I asked them, “So what’s next?”
“You’re done,” they told me.
“No second vote or return visits or anything?”
“Nope, that’s it.”
And I walked away with my red white and blue “I voted” sticker feeling that I had done my best for my candidate.
The day before Texas Tuesday I was all ready to sit back and watch the fireworks on TV when I got a call from one of the candidates’ offices reminding me of the upcoming vote.
“Worry not,” I told them, “I have already cast my vote for our fearless leader.”
“That’s great,” the cheerful volunteer told me, “but don’t forget to make it to the caucus by 7:00 pm to vote again.”
“Huh???”
“Yes, in Texas you get to vote twice. If you need to find out more about it call this number....”
“Do you know how this is done or how long it will take?”
“I know you have to sign in for the candidate of your choice, but I don’t know much about it. If you’ll call that number….”
I called the number—several times. The lines were busy, so I assumed that I wasn’t the only one wondering why the news ( who had so very vividly told me how caucuses were held on the east coast) gave not the least clue about what was going on here. I do remember some woman who was being interviewed about the upcoming election managing to throw in “be sure to vote twice. In Texas we get to vote two times.” before she was cut off. Hmmmm. The city also released a phone number that would open Tuesday and answer any questions or deal with voting problems.
I kept dialing and around 10:00 pm I finally reached someone. They kindly confirmed the second vote, calling it a district caucus. They were nice and patient but not very forthcoming with details other than the name and address of my polling place and, of course, a warning that I should be there by 7:15 pm. Okaaay.
I took my quest to my trusty computer. A Google search for ‘Texas Democratic Caucus’ found lots of general info, but no specifics so I finally fell back on my tried and true political aficionados: The League of women voters website: http://www.txdemocrats.org/page/-/Convention08/howto08.pdf .
( I now wish that I had taken the time to read the voters guide that my husband brought back from the United when he had voted, but I thought I was done with it and had other things on my mind.) Their voters’ guides always provide both the unbiased basics and they site their sources. They had a whole page telling about how the Texas precinct conventions work (yeah that’s what our ‘caucuses’ are really called).
In a nutshell, the main vote pledges 2/3 of the Texas democratic delegates for nomination by the party. The other 1/3 is awarded by precinct conventions. Precincts are each allotted delegates according to their size, area, and who knows what else, but after the polls have ended, it’s members (consisting of anyone from that area who has voted) gather at their designated voting site and the fun begins.
The start time was posted at 7:15 pm, but in reality, nothing could begin until the polls closed and the paperwork was checked. So we sat and waited until near 8pm. Our school cafeteria hosted voting for 4 precincts. Four nice pink signs with precinct numbers were placed in four corners of the room. As people entered the room, they eventually figured this out and gravitated toward their own. Then we all waited to be told what to do.
A nice young man offered us stickers for one of the candidates. We accepted, and so it became apparent what side we were on. As I looked around, I realized we had pretty much all been labeled this way. Nice touch.
As it turned out, our precinct was allotted 5 delegates. A quick impromptu election of a presiding officer was held. In fact, anyone could have asked for the job and gotten it if the official rep was not there (saw that in the LOWV site too). We were instructed to sign our names, addresses, phone numbers, emails(optional), as well as gender, ethnicity, if we were disabled, if we were gay or lesbian, and whether or not we were interested in being a delegate or alternate to carry the precinct’s votes to the city convention.
I knew from the LOWV site that each precinct had the right to hold their meeting however they wanted as long as they ran it by the Robert’s Rules of Order and Texas
Democratic Party Rules. Our precinct placed a couple of sign up sheets on a couple of tables and let people sign them of their own accord. Nobody asked to see any ID or cards in our group. I didn’t see any lists or anything to prove that I had previously voted, either. Everybody filled out their information on the honor system, I guess.
When the voting started, we were told that after we filled out our lines of the carbon copied form we could leave, and most people did.
Our group was painfully disorganized and whenever I asked questions I had to pursue the answers or they walked away. It was explained to me at one point that there had to be six votes met for a delegate to be acquired by a candidate, but that turned out to be the tie breaking process if an uneven number of votes were left over (all odd numbers would be rounded up to the number six, if it is not reached the delegate goes to the other candidate.)
In the end, we had 48 people show up. Obama got 26 votes, Clinton got 21, and there was 1 undecided vote. That means Obama got 3 delegates and Clinton got 2 from our precinct. But before this was announced, those of us who were still present had to vote on who would be our group chairman, our secretary, our spokesman.
Then a great deal of trouble was spent determining what percentage of each candidate’s voters were men and how many were women, as well as the ethnicity of the men and women’s votes. It seemed like a big waste of time to me, since the actual vote was all that should have mattered, but this had to be done to make the precinct delegates more representative of the voters they would carry to the city convention on the 29th.
I went ahead and volunteered to be a local delegate for my candidate and my husband offered to be an alternate. On the 29th we will have to go to the city’s big to-do and cast the votes that have been pledged from our district. I guess this is another one of those checks and balances to involve all striata of the population in the political process and to keep votes safe since there are no delete buttons involved.
I might also mention that right after we had closed the poll, chosen our officers for the meeting and were preparing to tally the votes a lady walked in and wanted to vote. By the rules, the vote had already ended but she could have stayed and joined us for what we were currently doing. She was upset that the notices did not specify what time the polls would close and opted not to stay. Another gentleman followed her but his precinct had not closed their vote yet so he was in.
As for results, of the other three precincts one was allotted 2 delegates, and since two people from that district voted for the same candidate, Obama got both of them.
Another of the precincts had no one show up so their single delegate was taken by no one. If a single person had shown, their candidate would have won that delegate. I asked if that would make it an undecided and was told that nobody knew.
The last precinct had 43 people show up. Obama got 22 votes to Clinton’s 21 so they each got 2 delegates.
Overall, though it was frustrating to see the lack of organization, it was also interesting to see how the democratic party proportionally allows the interests of each precinct to be represented by 1/3 of their state delegates. Not such a bad concept after all, huh?
Live and learn.
Get a
Free Blog Site at Freewebs.com!