Social Justice, Tolerance, and Diversity

Well, here we are some 2 days after the primary. I am still reeling; I can only imagine how Dave and those who worked so diligently on his campaign feel.

I am firm in this belief, however: the issues which were important to Dave remain important to me and those of us who supported Dave. Perhaps they are important to Sam and his supporters, too; I don't know; I certainly hope so.

Three linked issues which remain in the forefront of my mind are social justice, tolerance, and diversity. I have written often here, and sometimes frequently on my musings blog, about calls to action. The other day, my brother told me that the neo-Nazis and the Klan were gathering in Valley Forge later this month. I'm all in favor of free speech, but I don't need to agree to what other people say, nor do I need to stand idly by. Sometimes action is strongly called for.

Now, you might be suggesting that Valley Forge, all the way up in southeastern Pennsylvania, is so far from southern Florida, and, sure, it is geographically far. But I have news for you: just like what happens in Miami Beach and Key West impacts the rest of the country, what happens in Valley Forge is going to impact Miami and points south.

I've started a new blog where I'll be posting about social justice, tolerance, diversity, and the need for action. Please mark Rally for Social Justice in your favorites and join us often.

I eat my words

Well, I was wrong. Dave did not take the primary yesterday. I went to bed assured that Dave had taken the primary & woke up today spending the entire day talking with clients. Traveling from one place to another, I called Dave to congratulate him; I got his voice mail and left a message.

This evening, I checked my email and found the following:

Peter, At this point you must have seen the results and know that we lost the primary yesterday. We won in Miami Dade but lost in Monroe County. We are all perplexed and are looking into the results, but unless there was a software error, the election will stand as it is.

I just want to thank you so much for you amazing dedication to Dave and for such an amazing blog. It truly has been wonderful to read. Of course we will keep you posted on things. It is a bit surreal here.

Thank you again. You have been a great inspiration.

Damn. And a whole slew of other four letter words.

So, I surf the news sites and find this. The article says

Sam Sheldon, a political neophyte who staged his congressional campaign from a bedroom in his parents' Pinecrest home and who preferred to spread his campaign message via the Internet, defeated Coast Guard veteran David Patlak on Tuesday for the Democratic nomination in U.S. House District 18.

And then it goes on to say

Sheldon called his campaign and primary victory ''encouraging'' signs for young candidates who can now use the Internet to effectively campaign for office.

So, I'm thinking, just who is this young Sam Sheldon? He's got a nice website, but at first blush it looks like he spends all his words comparing himself to great Americans by institutional association.

And then, I ask myself, what's this blog and Dave's site if not using the Internet?

The results show that Sam won over Dave by 303 votes. That's right: 303 votes, or about 1.2% of the votes cast. At this point, all I can say is that Florida once again shows that every vote counts.

For those of you who surf here on a regular basis, I have a few more posts. Before coming back, however, I need to compose myself.

Peace.