Background:
No final decision had yet been made whether I will file to run for Douglas County Commisioner in 2014. What prompted my decision to contemplate the idea, was that several people have encouraged me to run, and have offered to pay for my filing fee and Voters Pamphlet statement. It takes about $500 to file with the Douglas County Clerk, obtain photographs, and issue a statement in the Voters Pamphlet.
Physically and mentally, I am prepared for such a challenge. My chemotherapy will end in February, and I won't be able to resume full-time teaching until Fall, 2014. Running for Douglas County Commissioner during the May, 2014 primary would be at a perfect time in my life.
However, there are financial issues to consider. I will be paying off my medical debts for quite some time, so I wouldn't be able to put any of my own money into running a campaign. I would be entirely dependent on donations...which means I probably wouldn't be able to pay for the thousands of campaign yard signs that some of the more well-greased political candidates can afford. But for me, running for political office has never been about how much money one has to spend. It's been about informing the public of the issues, and hopefully convincing the public that you're (i.e., ME) the right person for the job.
I'm printing this STATEMENT OF INTENT right now, so that if I do decide to run within the next few months, there won't be any misconceptions about why I'm running at this particular time.
STATEMENT OF INTENT
Monte Muirhead for Douglas County Commissioner
P.O. Box 401
Oakland, Oregon 97462
I was sitting in a campaign booth at the North Douglas County Fair in Drain one summer, when a longtime political observer of the Douglas County Republican party told me that every election is different. How true that is.
I have previously run for office in partisan races and non-partisan races with an incumbent. But this election in 2014 will be the FIRST time that I've run in a non-partisan race in an open election, where no incumbent is seeking re-election.
In the past, it's been difficult for someone to be elected Douglas County Commissioenr without seeking political campaign contributions from PACS and special interest groups. The 2002 election was especially noteworthy. Statewide PACS from outside Douglas County were pumping money into the Douglas County Commissioner's race. It was a foregone conclusion that the Republican candidate who raised the most money (or close to it) would win the May primary, and breeze to victory in a November landslide general election.
I didn't believe that a candidate for a simple county office should have to spend more than one hundred thousand dollars to win the election. Many Douglas County voters apparently agreed with me. Even though I spent a "paltry" $4,000 during the May primary election, I came in third in a four-way race where all three of my opponents had each spent tens of thousands of dollars more than I did.
This past decade, Douglas County voters decided to change the way in how their county commisioners become elected. The Douglas County Commissioner's race is now non-partisan, which means the two candidates who receive the most votes during the May primary, regardless of which party they're affiliated with, advance to the November general election. AND, more importantly, ALL of the candidates' names now appear on ALL of the May ballots, not just the ballots of their respective political party.
I've always felt that I've had strong support from different parties, but most people never had the chance to vote for me, because my name never appeared on more than half of the ballots. That is why I'm deciding to run again. The current commissioner, Joe Laurance, has decided to step down from office, so this will be my first election, where my name will appear on all of the ballots, AND it will be an open playing field without any advantage for an incumbent.
Will this translate into an election victory for me? That remains to be seen. As my friend at Drain correctly pointed out, "each election is different." That's why it is invigorating for me to run for office in 2014. Abraham Lincoln ran for office and failed several times before he was elected to Congress. I will post my campaign platform on my blog, when/if a decision is made to run for Douglas County Commissioner in 2014.
Cavemen
Grants Pass Cavemen at Oregon Caves, 2006.
Friday, November 22, 2013
The Twelve Days Of Christmas
Background: While I was anchoring the 11p.m. news on KPIC-TV one evening in the 1990s, I made the following faux pas. But learning from one's mistakes can open up new possibilities, as did this one. Afterwards, I did several news stories at KPIC-TV, KOBI-TV, and KMTR-TV, based on what I learned from Bob Robins.
Years ago, I made the mistake of saying December 25th marks the end of the Christmas holiday season. Former Oakland school district music teacher Robert Robins quickly pointed out to me my error.
For millions of Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and other Protestant denominations around the world, December 25th marks the BEGINNING of the Christmas season. While some folks may mistakenly believe the "Twelve days of Christmas" amounts to nothing more than song featuring a partridge in a pear tree...the origin of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" is actually a religious reference to December 25th through January sixth, the day of the epiphany.
It's easy for the average "un"churched person to become confused or misled. All around us we see evidence that people can't wait to dispense with the Christmas season. Many Christmas trees are hastily dismantled on the 25th, and quickly taken to the garbage dump the next day. But at the Robins' household in Roseburg...as well as numerous other homes that still recognize the true origins of Christmas...the Christmas trees are not decorated until December 24th and 25th.
Catholics and some Protestants map out the days of the year in accordance with Jesus Christ's lifespan on earth. December 25th obviously commemorates Christ's birth. Several months later, Easter commemorates when Christ was killed some 30 years later and arose from the dead.
That's why Christmas trees, holiday ornaments, the nativity creche, and other religious symbols remain visible in some households through January sixth. The "Twelve Days of Christmas" celebrates a period of time between Christ's birth, and the time spent by shepherds and wisemen traveling a long distance to see the baby.
I found the Robins' living room Christmas display especially interesting. They would move the nativity symbols each day during the twelve days of Christmas, to recognize the passage of time. For example, the wisemen and shepherds who were not present at Christ's birth, would be placed on the opposite side of the living room on December 25th. As the twelve days of Christmas progressed, the Robins would move the figures closer to the nativity manger, until everyone was present at the manger on January sixth.
Different people have different religious beliefs, which is why I'm not bothered (too much) to see people in a rush to throw away their Christmas trees and take down their lights on December 25th. But I do have to ask myself what motivates some people to "steal" a religous observance like the twelve days of Christmas, and turn it into something completely different for personal gain.
I'm referring to businesses that exploit the holiday season with sales gimmicks like the "Twelve Days of Christmas" promotion, and conduct it BEFORE December 25th. This year, the Roseburg Town Center held such a sale December 1st-12th.
I fully understand the need to lure customers into the stores. A majority of businesses make HALF their yearly sales during the Christmas season alone. But if I were a business owner, I don't think I would be desperate enough to alienate God-fearing customers by mocking one of their religious observances.
I would encourage downtown Roseburg merchants to display a manger scene in their stores, IF they're going to conduct a "Twelve Days of Christmas" celebration. I realize that would alienate the local Jewish community and atheists who don't celebrate Christmas. But if a business is going to observe a religious ritual like the twelve days of Christmas during the holidays, it would be nice if they would do it in a respectful manner.
Otherwise, why not have a "Twenty-five days of Christmas" sale from December first through December 25th? You wouldn't be breaking any religious taboos with such a sale...and you might actually sell more merchandise by having a sale that lasts twice as long!
Years ago, I made the mistake of saying December 25th marks the end of the Christmas holiday season. Former Oakland school district music teacher Robert Robins quickly pointed out to me my error.
For millions of Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and other Protestant denominations around the world, December 25th marks the BEGINNING of the Christmas season. While some folks may mistakenly believe the "Twelve days of Christmas" amounts to nothing more than song featuring a partridge in a pear tree...the origin of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" is actually a religious reference to December 25th through January sixth, the day of the epiphany.
It's easy for the average "un"churched person to become confused or misled. All around us we see evidence that people can't wait to dispense with the Christmas season. Many Christmas trees are hastily dismantled on the 25th, and quickly taken to the garbage dump the next day. But at the Robins' household in Roseburg...as well as numerous other homes that still recognize the true origins of Christmas...the Christmas trees are not decorated until December 24th and 25th.
Catholics and some Protestants map out the days of the year in accordance with Jesus Christ's lifespan on earth. December 25th obviously commemorates Christ's birth. Several months later, Easter commemorates when Christ was killed some 30 years later and arose from the dead.
That's why Christmas trees, holiday ornaments, the nativity creche, and other religious symbols remain visible in some households through January sixth. The "Twelve Days of Christmas" celebrates a period of time between Christ's birth, and the time spent by shepherds and wisemen traveling a long distance to see the baby.
I found the Robins' living room Christmas display especially interesting. They would move the nativity symbols each day during the twelve days of Christmas, to recognize the passage of time. For example, the wisemen and shepherds who were not present at Christ's birth, would be placed on the opposite side of the living room on December 25th. As the twelve days of Christmas progressed, the Robins would move the figures closer to the nativity manger, until everyone was present at the manger on January sixth.
Different people have different religious beliefs, which is why I'm not bothered (too much) to see people in a rush to throw away their Christmas trees and take down their lights on December 25th. But I do have to ask myself what motivates some people to "steal" a religous observance like the twelve days of Christmas, and turn it into something completely different for personal gain.
I'm referring to businesses that exploit the holiday season with sales gimmicks like the "Twelve Days of Christmas" promotion, and conduct it BEFORE December 25th. This year, the Roseburg Town Center held such a sale December 1st-12th.
I fully understand the need to lure customers into the stores. A majority of businesses make HALF their yearly sales during the Christmas season alone. But if I were a business owner, I don't think I would be desperate enough to alienate God-fearing customers by mocking one of their religious observances.
I would encourage downtown Roseburg merchants to display a manger scene in their stores, IF they're going to conduct a "Twelve Days of Christmas" celebration. I realize that would alienate the local Jewish community and atheists who don't celebrate Christmas. But if a business is going to observe a religious ritual like the twelve days of Christmas during the holidays, it would be nice if they would do it in a respectful manner.
Otherwise, why not have a "Twenty-five days of Christmas" sale from December first through December 25th? You wouldn't be breaking any religious taboos with such a sale...and you might actually sell more merchandise by having a sale that lasts twice as long!
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