Who is this new guy

Ok, never in a million years did I think I would be blogger, let alone a political one. Don't get me wrong, I've been involved in campaigns since the age of Twelve or Thirteen when a guy running for Norfolk, Virginia City Counsel took the time to stop and talk to a group of us, and in doing so get a door to door lit team for the afternoon. No, it's just the idea of thinking that anybody out there would care what I have to think. However, after a big of encouragement, from a number of friends, here I am.

So, who am I. God, I hate to type the following, but I am a middle age, slightly balding, slightly overweight upper middle class guy from the Industrial Midwest. Ah, but from the swing state of Ohio. You know us, the one's who screwed up the 2004 election, not to be confused with the ones who screwed up the 2000 election. No, we just gave the current occupant of the White House 4 more years. And I take no blame, I spent 14 hours on election day and probably 140 hours leading up to it, trying to make sure everyone's vote should get counted, who knew we could a miss a few hundred thousand, but when your state's chief election law officer (thankfully no more) is the state chair for that guy's campaign (and you would think they would learn from 2000, but no) well, a few votes can get "lost".

I am a Christian. Don't run for the exits yet. I am the type who scares the fundamentalists. I read the Bible as saying we are all God's beloved children. That, gasp, heaven is full of muslims, jews, agnostics, pagans, gays & lebsians and, say it ain't so even Democrats. I believe that you can not use just selected quotes from a holy book to justify what you want, but have to read the whole book. As such, I support workers, the poor, the elderly, the disabled, the environment, etc. And, I am helping found a church that believes that too (see my other blog).

I am a military brat. My father was career U.S. Navy, served a tour in Vietnam, got all the medals the U.S.N. has to offer save the Navy Cross and the Congressional Medal of Honor, including two purple hearts (oh, wait we are not supposed to be impressed by that any more or so the voices from 2004 told me). That means, that gasp, for a liberal, a support the military and the use of military action, when needed. However, by "supporting the troops", I don't mean the put a magnent on your car and thump your chest. I mean only use them when absolutely needed, take care of them when they come home, look at for their families, etc type. As I said to our friend (WARNING: Here's a name drop) Jim Wallis (author of "God's Politics", don't be too impressed for the few who got this, Jim's wife Joy (the real Vicar of Dibley) and mine have been friends for years, "There is unfortunately a level of evil on this Earth that can not be loved into stopping, it can only be stopped by our best and bravest crawling on their bellies, in horrible places, and helping put weapons onto target". So, drum me out of the liberal club if you will.

I am a do gooder lawyer. What does that mean? Well, in the words of John Wesley, and as the "preacher's wife" of a lifetime Methodist minister I am duty bound to drop in a Wesley reference from time to time, I "do all the good that I can". I represent working men and women who get hurt on the job and have to fight government bureaucracy and corporate greed to ensure that they get the treatment they need and get back to work. All at a barely for profit status.

My job description is "finder of desperate, last minute solutions, to impossible problems, created by other #%@*#%* people", thank you Tommy Lee Jones in Under Siege. So, if you dare, read on. Or fall asleep from boredom, but I hope it's read on.