I would nominate Carolyn Heilbrun, who taught me that my role models had always been male, and thus awakened the strong feminine within me.  Eleanor Roosevelt for her tireless championing of the rights of all.  Billie Jean King for standing up for women in athletics, thus forever changing the possibilites all women now have.  And Hillary Clinton, who has perservered regardless of the challenges, always on display, yet firm in her beliefs and bringing thoughtfulness and compassion to her work.  Del Martin, Sharon Wegschider-Cruise, Claudia Black, Sonia Sotomayor, …… the list could go on forever.

I’m not sure how we go about evoking that in people for this election. The republicans are so effective in their tactics that I think many people get disheartened and just withdraw from the process. I was amazed at the lies that are so acceptable in this group of people. In talking with people throughout this spring and summer about voting and making a difference, I was told over and over, “they all lie”. I wonder how we can go about establishing integrity in the majority of the people in our country…. and develop trust again. I think the Democrats just have to be consistent and as clear as possible and firm about their convictions. I sure admire the determination of those who are willing to step forward and fight this fight for all of us. Thanks for your good words.

I think you really spoke to the truth of the differences between the people we heard last week and those we heard tonight. I had hoped Sarah Palin would step into her higher self in this speech and use the magnetism she has to move people forward in a positive way, Instead, she chose to mobilize their hate and hurtful energies again and again. I felt sadder and sadder as the speech went on and would have turned it off if it hadn’t been such an important cultural event. It is clear to me that we have serious thoughtful people running in the Democratic party who have done their best to present what they are about and be respectful and caring for the people of this country. I am appreciative of the effort Senator Obama did in the primary (even though I support HIllary), and hope he uses the same thoughtfulness in garnering enough electoral votes to win the election.

I lived in Alaska when Sarah was elected Governor. She was of interest to me because she was a woman and I wanted to believe in her. I found that her focus on ethics was good, but that, in the debates, she ducked many of the hard questions by saying she “didn’t answer hypotheticals”… thus avoiding having a public stand in the face of many of the difficult issues Alaska has. When Sarah was elected, I asked people why they had voted for her. Many times, men answered saying “because she’s hot”! And they meant it. In Alaska, the winters are long and dark and one mode of entertainment is the televising of hearings when the legislature convenes. Thus I was able to watch the process of addressing ethical concerns in the state and witnessed that it was truly a bipartisan effort, with the leaders coming from each party, carefully not having affiliations which would taint their work. It was a successful effort and important to her, and it was a team effort. It is clear that she is in favor of the development of resources in Alaska and wants that to be a transparent process (which it hadn’t been in the past). She is a “true Alaskan”, reveling in the use of the resources that are there… from fishing and hunting, to mining and going after the oil and gas that are there. She has that peculiar combination of toughness and softness that are present in so many Alaskans who have to deal with survival all the time. I think that she is authentic and dedicated to her beliefs. Those beliefs are conservative and are definitely male identified. Witness how much time she spent introducing the men in her family while briefly touching on the presence of her daughters. It would be better if she were more seasoned before being thrown into the limelight with McCain. I think she has a chance to develop a deep sense of compassion and to broaden her understanding of things when she carries the weight that comes with making difficult decisions that effect the lives of some many people. I think this nomination is premature. But, as Rush Limbaugh said today, “we have a babe running on our ticket!” I think we will have a definite choice between two distinct ways of being governed…. and need to stay focused on that fact. Jenny G.

A real lady ALWAYS kept her legs together, didn’t call attention to herself or her family in a negative way, and acted in a manner that invited social approval. I had the model of a mother who was a “real lady” when she was sober, but a “fishwife” when she was drinking. The contrast was so startling. Only later in life did I come to understand the curse of alcoholism.

Oregon is a state where we have mail in ballots. This means we will always have a paper trail for our voting. It is a simple and effective way to validate what is happening and to circumvent the manipulation done by not having enough voting stations at the voting sites.