Campaign Update!

I certainly meet quite a few characters when I go door to door! One gentleman thought that God was testing him through my appearance on his door step. He asked where I came from. I told him "Chestnut Street". I tried to reassure him that I was only visiting his house because it was in my district and that my visit was no more special than my visit to any other house in the district. To the best of my knowledge, no divine entity or entities are acting through me. If they are, they certainly are being very subtle about it.

I also bought some ad space in Frost Illustrated. I gave them one of my door hangers to use as a sample:

My photo in the sample ad that they produced from it didn't look so good. The layout guy said that this was because it was a copy of a copy of a picture, and that he would get better results if he had the original. But I did not feel like driving home to get the original. So I stepped outside, took a self portrait with my camera phone, and emailed it to Frost. This is my latest pic:

Campaign Update!

I attended the candidate's forum at the Union Hall on Saturday. I was second in line to speak because I got there early. I now wish I waited a bit longer so I could think of more to say. Even though there were probably more candidates than voters at the forum, I think that its still productive in that we all get to hear each others ideas. Some people seemed to like my idea of doing what Brazil does and make ethanol from sugar instead of corn.
After the forum, Ken Fries was surprised to see the spinner hubcaps on my car.

The car needed new hubcaps when I first bought it, so I got these because I thought they looked cool. By the way, this baby gets 38 mpg, in case any of you were curious on what my plan to bring down gas prices is. This is part of it: reduce unnecessary consumption. It's fine to drive a minivan, station wagon, or SUV if you need to. If you don't need that big of a vehicle, you deserve to pay through the nose. It's simple supply and demand.

I handed out about 100 door hangers this weekend. I try to go out everyday since I don't want to fall out of my routine. Several were handed out to some children who walked up to me and asked for some. I explained to them that they were all too young to vote, but I indulged their requests for door hangers anyway. To these kids, campaign materials are an interesting curiosity, like a feather found on the ground. I explained to them what a state representative does and how a bill gets passed into law. They told me which houses were vacant so I could skip those. Hopefully the door hangers will find their way into view of someone of voting age.

My college paper on 9/11

I have finally posted the paper on 9/11 that I wrote for my "Terrorism and Tyranny" course that I took at IPFW in the Spring '05 semester. I meant to have it posted by the anniversary date.

Here's the link: www.robertenders.com/911


Its long and boring. But if you're a political junkie who for some reason has time on your hands this time of year, feel free to take a look. I think I got a "B" on the paper, I don't know what I did with the copy that I gave to Professor Lutz. I have voluntarily removed part of it, because it contains stuff I don't want you kids trying at home.

Candidates's Forum

I read in yesterday's Journal Gazette that there will be a political forum from 1pm to 3pm at the International Laborer's Union Local 213 building on Saturday, September 23. The Local 213 bulding is at 5700 South Anthony Blvd. Every local candidate that shows up will be given a chance to speak. So I will be there.

New development in April Marie Tinsley case

I know that some readers of this blog are former Fort Wayne residents. In case any of you have not been following the news out here, the police have announced that in 2004, several notes were left by a person claiming to be April Tinsley's killer. For more details, click here. Since this case dates back to 1988, I figure that someone who has info may have since moved away.

I had thought that the creep who did this had probably died or went to prison on an unrelated charge. When I first heard about this case back in 1988 after it happened, I was scared out of my mind since I was the same age and going to the same elementry school as April. I hope that this case gets wrapped up soon.

Campaign Update

I've been getting positive feedback when I go out cavassing. I've bumped into people I knew from high school. Sometimes they'll ask me about the issues, and I'll give a variation of my stump speech. I don't have it written down, and its never the same twice.
Many people tell me that they don't vote. I expected to run into a lot of those, since the 80th has the lowest turnout of any state rep district in Allen County. I ask them why and sometimes I am able to change their minds. After talking to me for a while they realize that I am different. I'm not in this for the money or the prestige. I'm in it to do what I believe is right.
But my message didn't seem to jive with one voter. After I told him I was against special tax credits for some companies, he seemed to cling on the keyword "company". He said that he was not voting for me because companies were what made America great. I agreed with him that companies were part of what made America great, but he seemed to want to end the conversation there. The guy probably thinks I'm a pinko, because he wasn't paying attention. Oh well, can't get them all to vote for me.
A few people have agreed to let me stick one of my signs out front. Hopefully this will go a ways towards people viewing me as a legitimate candidate with a shot at winning.

How Monday's hearing on the smoking ordinance went

By Nelson Peters' own count, there were 38 speaking against the new ordinance and 33 speaking in favor of it. Most of those speaking in favor were health professionals, most speaking against were bar and restaurant owners. I pretty much gave the speech I said I was going to give on my blog and managed to mention that I was running for state rep. Everyone who was against the ordinance got louder applause that those who were for. When Nelson Peters went up to use the bathroom, someone joked out loud that he had to "go burn one". One lady brought an American flag with her and made a patriotic appeal that tied in with the date, September 11th.

Folks, I want to make it clear that I believe that both life and liberty, both health and freedom are equally important. Without one, the other means little. There is no such thing as striking a balance between the two. As long as you are free, you have the power to make healthy choices. If you grant the government the power to make healthy choices for you, you also give them the power to make unhealthy and even fatal choices for you as well. The government did not ask anyone if it was okay before they dumped zinc cadmium on Fort Wayne during the Cold War. Back then, men were considered possible draftees, and women were considered possible wombs for creating future generations of draftees. When the government assumes responsibility for your health and safety, you become little more than chattel....

Five Years Ago Today

Two thirds of the human body is composed of water. We constantly intake and expell water. Yesterday, some of what I am made of was sitting in the plumbing of my house. Tommorrow, it will be part of the Maumee River, indistinguishable from the rest.

When the two planes hit the twin towers five years ago, hundreds of innocent people and 10 terrorists were vaporized instantly. The next day it rained. Part of me wonders which of the raindrops came from the hijackers and which came from office workers who thought that the day was just another Tuesday.

All of our differences combined are tiny compared with what we all have in common. That people would hate each other so much as to throw away their own lives in order to hurt their enemies makes less and less sense the more I think about it.

40th Anniversary of Star Trek

Today is the 40th anniversary of the first airing of a Star Trek episode. It was "The Man Trap" that became TV viewers' introduction to the series, despite that "The Corbomite Maneuver" and "Where No Man Has Gone Before" were filmed earlier and took place at earlier star dates.

Anyway to celebrate this event, I have written new lyrics to "Where My Heart Will Take Me":

It has been a long, long time
Since Spock first put on the ears
It's been a long road,
It's been now forty years
When I first heard him say "To boldy go"
I knew I love the show
And I know every episode and every line
From "Voyager" to "Deep Space Nine"

I only had time to write the first verse. Maybe I'll have more in time for the 50th anniversary.

Hearing on new anti-smoking ordinance on Sept. 11

I plan on attending the hearing on the proposed anti-smoking ordinance which will be held in the City-County Building. The proposed ordinance would prohibit smoking in all public places except for private residences, hotel rooms that are designated as smoking rooms, private clubs, and tobacco shops.

I do not smoke but I am of course opposed to this ordinance because it violates the personal liberties of individuals and the property rights of business owners. But since nobody on the City and County Councils seems to give a flip about personal liberties or property rights, I intend to point out the following:

1. The new ordinance will cause locally owned restaurants and bars to lose business since it will drive away customers who smoke. The only establishments that smokers will continue to business with are places that have drive-thru or delivery service. In other words, the only places that will not be harmed by this are fast food joints and pizza parlors.

2. The new law would cause more "brain drain". Many young adults, including college students and recent graduates, smoke. Some have a regular habit, others smoke only in social settings. They all go to bars and restaurants in order to socialize and meet people. If this ordinance passes, these young people will have to choose one of the following:
A. Give up smoking.
B. Give up their social life.
C. Leave Allen County.
Which do you think they will choose?

My Website is up!

Click on the link and tell me what you think!