Hello everyone

Boy has it been a while since I even touched my blog. Anyways today was a contemplative day and was writing a new song of sorts, it kind of just happened you know. It has been one year to the day and a tribute out to Paul may you rest in peace and I miss you dearly brother. Life moves on despite the things that happen. We become more grateful for each day in the sunshine. The past has reason but today I look at the wonderful snow outside my window, the awesome sky, shopping with my beautiful lady who just puts so many smiles on my face even when I am in my mood zones she sure knows how to light me up. With that said here is the song. Stay brave, stay happy, enjoy life, regret nothing. Peace

It’s been one long year sine I have sat here with a tear
Missing the days when the cards hit the table and we would play
Missing the feeling of the hammer to the ground
I hope that you are somewhere, where smiles go around

Brother hello today I say and every day since then
The sun is shining through the blues sky above
It just tells me one thing that your pain is gone
I can see you clear now as ever before

It’s been one long year sine I have sat here with a tear
Missing the days when the cards hit the table and we would play
Missing the feeling of the hammer to the ground
I hope that you are somewhere, where smiles go around

She has grown into a daughter that would make you proud
I am sure she walks upon your hallowed ground
Someday she will wonder what you could have been
We will be sure to tell her what you truly are

It’s been one long year sine I have sat here with a tear
Missing the days when the cards hit the table and we would play
Missing the feeling of the hammer to the ground
I hope that you are somewhere, where smiles go around

Here we go on living soaking up sights ans sounds
There’s nothing that we have been given that you don’t already know
Often times we sit and wonder how you are
Your answers come in loud and clear, just keep on livin

It’s been one long year sine I have sat here with a tear
Missing the days when the cards hit the table and we would play
Missing the feeling of the hammer to the ground
I hope that you are somewhere, where smiles go around

It’s been one long year
It’s been one long year
It’s been one long year
Since I have sat here with a tear

Coming Soon

The Society…watch for it…

Settled Dust

come along way in the last month or so. Packing, driving, moving, tossing, swearing, you name it I have done it the past month. I am officially now a MN resident (again). It is total bliss to be back no more driving from mpls to Wisconsin after work. Sadly though I am only a few miles north of where the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. Hence the title of this blog. Not only have I settled in residence the dust is beginning to settle upon the tragedy that hit Minneapolis.

I have a theory about what happened on this bridge. My theory has been inkling since the dawn of time when they were starting to work on that bridge I avoided it at all any any cost it was dangerous to travel across it with all the construction and lane restrictions already. I have always since construction began had an uneasy feeling about that bridge and only crossed it during construction unless absolutely neccessary. My theory on the bridge considering all of the amount of heavy construction crap that was on there and the amount of traffic that was going on mainly one side of the bridge 24 hours a day 7 days a week there was just way too much weight on the thing.

If you realize that the bridge itself is supported by steel cross beams that are jointed by large bolts this was the structure of the bridge. It does not take you long to realize that if you put enough weight on the joints no matter what they are made out of they are going to collapse under pressure sooner or later. I am sure that weight was not the only culprit of the bridge collapse. However, it is a constant reminder of say recent events involving me. When you put enough pressure on something eventually it is going to cave or it is going to start to crack in either positive or negative ways. Behaviors will surface under that pressure and now already they are talking about rebuilding the bridge by the end of 2008. Just a reminder how quickly something can recover. Resilience is what they call this. We find we are resilient to many things that come toward us. We just often lose sight of that resiliency.

Quite amazing this last month or last two months have been. The dust has settled but the ideals remain to build a better bridge. A stronger one. To keep constant watch over what goes forth in our lives. Being aware and being alert to each given day. Doing what we can with what only ourselves know we can do.

With this I leave you to ponder and keep in thought the individuals and families involved in the tragedy.

Times move along

You are probably curious about the business meeting on Saturday the 30th. Well I had 8 resolutions that I was bringing to the business meeting. I thank the individual who helped change the writing and the word ordering and worked with me on these bylaws. It was most appreciated. The first of my resolutions which dealt with the out of state people becoming members of MADC and removing the component that allowed board to decide who is a primary and secondary member passed. The next two were defeated. The remainder were referred to the committiee of the bylaws. The one that I was really hoping people would see the light on was the one that decreases the 2 year mandate to a 30 day mandate in order to become an officer. The reason I was hoping for this passage is that during elections there were a couple of young individuals who have been members in the past but due to moving, and then moving back or stopped membership for personal/professional reasons had a break in their membership and were unable to run for the seats on the board. During the election there were many seats open and no one was accepting nomination, but a couple of members who wanted to run were unable to due to the two year mandate of membership prior to becoming board members. Ah well it was interesting and disappointing in that during the elections a problem arose with finding people to run for the board.
Congratulations to all who did choose to run and congratulations to all who won a seat. I supported many of the nominations and I will be watching to see where the new board takes MADC here on out. The important thing is that the bylaws created discussion for or against. I even took time to thank those who were against some of the resolutions for speaking up on their view points, this only helps create more thought and discussion on the direction of the bylaws and the direction of MADC. It is much like a resurgent passion that ignited during the process.
I was a little disappointed in some people simply not wanting to address each bylaw issue head on and just quickly wanting to throw all the resolutions to the committiee that governs the bylaws. This really takes away from an individual’s ability to voice their opinion and vote for or against a certain resolution. Some ways a resistance, someways simply just not wanting to deal with it. At first when an individual proposed sending all the bylaw committiee I had first thought and the facilitator thought that the individual wanted to send just the one resolution to the committiee. I at first was like sure I don’t mind one being sent to the committiee because it was generating some hot topic discussion. But then it came to light and it was realized that the individual motioned to send all remaining resolutions to the bylaw committiee. I was then against it as were several membership individuals who were present as we know this is giving up their and any one’s right to voice opinion on each one and cast their vote for or against the bylaw changes.
Thank you to all present for voicing your passion and voicing your word. This is what needs to happen. It helps facilitate discussion and it helps people think about how the organization can change from here on out. One resolution that I was glad was brought up by another individual related to the printing of the bylaws in the program book! This needs to be done as it was very very very apparent that no one seem to know what the bylaws entailed and most of the membership seems unaware of what is in the current bylaws. I thank that individual for bringing that to the floor and despite foreseen cost it would be beneficial for members (not to mention more eye catching) to have it in the program book ready for the business meetings. Many organizations do have the bylaws readily available and easily accessible at the conferences.
This is very much a crunch explanation of the business meeting on Saturday. I will leave it at that. For now this is the last post on MADC. Watch for blog of events and happenings as we move forward. Remember become a member and keep your tabs on what is going on within the association. Be my member buddy it is only $10.00 after all. Keep in mind this whole process was never to tear down MADC but to bring to light inequities that were found and going on so get your membership and keep bringing about changes.
Not to fret my revolutionists the blog will not be shut down just because the cause is done and passed us by. I enjoy this blog and if you have Deaf events that are going on or meetings or regional gatherings of Deaf clubs or Deaf issues that you would like posted, I will have soon an email of which you can send information and I will review and weigh in on it.

Catch ya later readers see you down the road as the weary man travels, weather worn, but upbeat nevertheless

ONE THING

Reminder, Reminder the young horseback rider shouted as he rode through the great state of Minnesota.

Business meeting and voting on June 30th starts at 8:30 am and runs until 10:30 am. Voting for officers and proposed changes to the by-laws. If you do not yet have membership you can sign up on line at:

www.minndeaf.org

However, this may not fully guarantee membership for voting purposes, however, you will have a proof of payment this should be enough to guarantee that dues have been paid. Or go to the conference site that morning of the business meeting pay the 10 dollars and fill out membership and then you will need to pay 15 for the business session in which the voting takes place. Registration opens at 8:00 am Saturday morning or you can go today to the site and register for those meetings.

SEE you there!

Off to work I go.

Reminder !

Like mom always says “don’t forget to brush your teeth” “wash behind your ears.” Ah! Mothers are wonderful people! I am here to remind you of three important dates coming up this week.

What: MADC Board Meeting
When: June 28
Time: 7:00-9:00 PM
Where: Radisson Hotel Minneapolis on Washington Avenue Near the University of Minnesota. Meet us there about 6:45 we will roll in together.

Friday June 29
MADC Business Meeting
9:00am-12:00pm
Radisson Hotel
(I do not know if this is open to public or not the schedule does not say so I would assume it is open to all)
I will not be able to make this meeting as work is my first priority.

Definitely must go to:

June 30
8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
MADC Business Meeting and Elections

See you all there! Goodnight and Goodluck the stars are bright and it definitely is slumber time.

Some proposals for bylaw changes

Hello all,

Here are some proposed changes that I came up with after reviewing the bylaws that MADC currently has. Keep in mind I am writing proposal changes/ideas that I would like to submit to the individual responsible for bylaws. I am not a lawyer and have no background of legal writing styles so bear with me Feedback is appreciated from all. And again I strongly suggest you to look at the bylaws yourself at www.minndeaf.org and see if you note any needed changes and submit those. I will be sending mine in advance of the business meetings most likely around this Wednesday evening so the individual has a week to review and hopefully ready them for the business meeting as proposal for changes in the bylaw to the membership. So feedback until Wednesday and then it is off to the bylaw individual.

Here they are:

Section 2.03 Membership Application and Approval: I propose removing the resident status for membership in the organization. This broadens the membership base so if people who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf blind who do not reside in the state but have more interaction professionally or personally within the state of Minnesota can be members of the association. Elimination of this requirement allows for a more broad base membership.

I propose removing discretion of the board to decide who is a primary member or who is a secondary member. This clause while understandable discriminates against those who are interested in becoming members and pretty much segregates the membership I propose to change this to any one who is interested in becoming a member can apply and pay a fee to join the membership of MADC this again opens the doors to more a more interested membership base and eliminates a discriminatory type clause in the bylaws.

I propose removing section 2.05 Change of Residence to allow non residents to join the association who may have vested interest in the state of Minnesota Deaf community and happenings or legislation. This would be more in line with proposed change in Section 2.03

Section 2.06 Meetings of Members Subsection (b) I propose changing the Special Meeting requirement from 90 days to 30 days from a written request of a special meeting. This is to prevent prolonging a requested response by the membership and ignoring the request for a prolonged period of time as some matters may need immediate addressing by the membership.

Article 3 in regards to officers. Section 3.01. Officers; Qualifications, I propose changing the two years as resident to 30 days of residency and good membership standing. This is to prevent a long duration period that prevents energetic individuals from running as a board member this also removes stipulations that keep the board on hand longer than necessary at times and allows the board to stay fresh when terms are up. Or in case of a special voting session due to removal, resignation, or other cause allows those during off election times to be able to be considered for office. This is more reasonable and keeps the organization fresh. Then those who are interested in office are not put off by the 2 year clause and allow the membership and board to view the process like an employment probation period. However, I would recommend keeping board officials residing in the state of Minnesota to be on the board so even if some membership is from out state as proposed change in Section 2.03. Those who live out of state but are members would not be able to run for office unless they moved to Minnesota and were members/residents in good standing for at least 30 days.

I propose a new addition to the bylaws stating that any individual interested running for office is to declare (a number of) months prior to the biennial conference so that members know who is running and ballots can be sent to all members who are unable to attend the conference. Then all members are able to have a say and vote in the board elections. Currently a cost is put upon the conference voting component which prohibits some people who may not be able to afford conference dues to still retain their membership voting rights. Then when votes are tallied position winners can be announced to the membership post tally count.

I also propose a change that would prohibit those on the executive board from having their business ventures be paid for labor done in consideration of the board’s interest. However, any business venture time or labor that is owned by a board member may be donated to the association as a donated cause but no officer shall profit for their business if doing any type of editing of newsletters, web design, printing, or other business that may be done in retrospect of the association or the board directly furnished by an officers business that they own. This prevents favoritism in choosing vendors to assist in such needed labor matters. And instead opens bids for these types of services. As far as travel expenses for board representation or other expenses that relate to representing the board that is a reasonable expense to be reimbursed these are fine.

I propose changing Section 5.01 regarding committees to only allowing the executive board to appoint a chair person, and then that chair person is allowed to pick their own committee representatives in accordance to the committee needs. I strongly suggest that appointment of the chair has rights as de facto member of the board but without executive voting powers and can only be removed by the membership upon appointment by the board. This allows the board to make an appointment of a chair person but prevents them from removing the person without bringing that to the membership or a special session and stating case for proposing removal. This would give the chair their opportunity to voice their defense and prevent the board from acting hastily against any one person. Also a change in the communication component to note that the chair reports to a board liaison and the liaison is responsible for informing the board of the committee happenings would help clear up the communication lines between committees and the board. This prevents mishaps in the process and lessens confusion. I also propose that a member at large always be appointed a liaison to the board as the main channel (meaning president, vice president, secretary and treasurer) of the executive committee have enough to handle.

I propose changing Section 5.02 regarding Finance Committee in terms of auditing the association budget to incorporate a change in the bylaw so that a neutral professional auditor will be paid for services rendered to audit the association finances. This individual can have no connection to the association at all in any shape or form. This prevents favoritism by the executive board and keeps the auditing process honest.

I suggest inserting a code of conduct in the bylaws. This is to hold the executive board and committees accountable for their actions and representation of MADC. Article Six Rules of Order is nice but people need to know what these rules are and where to find them.

Thats all for now folks. Goodnight and Good luck

(quietly enters the room)

Hello fellow readers,

You all probably thought I disappeared off into the storm that has taken place today. The rain today reminded me of how no matter what amount or severity of the storm that rolls through, there is always something waiting to grow at the end of it. It is a cycle of life that turns over and over again. Storms move in and the growth of a new day is a result of the murky skies and heavy winds and rain. Sound Familiar, of course that is what we are in some ways we are a storm moving our front through the system to create a new age of new changes, storms make themselves known and they are not popular with the majority of people, except for a select few like me who like to go outside in a storm and watch it first hand move through the atmosphere. It is a beautiful thing, not to mention awe inspiring moments I draw from watching it. We are that select few we are here doing what we need to do to enact a change in the system and make sure things are known and changes do take place. We are a select few, and some of us, probably namely myself are not popular with some in regards to the approach toward change. That is okay, the important thing is how you carry yourself within the community you still maintain your friendliness regardless since scowling and acting like an enemy will not get you any where. Keep in mind it will be quite quiet on the blog for some time except some random post such as this. Also a reminder that June 28th is approaching the time and place again is posted on: www.minndeaf.org

I will have some bylaw proposals that I came up with posted. Keep in mind I am not a lawyer, they will not be written in law jargon although if I had the time to look up various jargon that is used in bylaws I would do that however, time permitting I do not. Instead they are proposed changes I believe make sense for me in the way I see the bylaws currently, how they could reflect a wider base, and my explanations of those percieved notions. I encourage others to review the bylaws and submit your own ideas as well. When they are posted likely later on tonight give some feedback on them good or bad! I always learn either way! I would like to send them to the individual responsible for the bylaws at MADC by Wednesday of this week, for that individual to review and comment as well. I would assume that person(s) would be able to if any ones suggestions are accepted could change them into appropriate jargon for the bylaws itself. That is one of my few remaining steps in this process, the other remaining steps are attending only the business meetings and VOTE! remember get your membership! make your VOTE count! And my other step is to maintain this blog beyond this boycott and incorporate all kinds of deaf happenings in Minnesota and the Nation. If people down the road have things they want posted or promoted by ALL people and it is appropriate I will be more than happy to post it out to the readership! I will have an email set up that things and attachments can be sent to and this will be done after June 30th.

As for now hope your days are going glorious and you have a renewed sense within yourself see you down the road. See already the Sunshine has begun to peek

Readership and My Revolutionist

You may have noticed I have edited some comments in regards to the rules of engagement, There was a comment that targeted an action at a meeting that was enacted by MCDHH. I want to make sure we all are on the same page. This is not a blog regarding MCDHH. MCDHH which is known as the Minnesota Commission of Deaf and Hard of Hearing has tirelessly worked extremely and I do mean extremely hard at furthering all legislative issues regarding deaf and hard of hearing and deaf-blind individuals. I have worked with the commission closely in the past and there is nothing short of exemplary  in what they do tirelessly. If any thing in terms of procedure, carrying out meetings, treating people with dignity, and being open MADC could take a huge page out of their book in conduct and how to carry out public board meetings, responding to their membership, thinking outside the box, and I could go on and on.

I am focused and the readership and those engaged in boycott of conference are focused on MADC. Keep the focus on MADC this is where change needs to take place, this is where inequities need to be corrected and prevented from taking place again. Stay your path! your faithfulness and your insight in carrying out this boycott and standing up for change of MADC I humbly appreciate the drive to change the system of which many of us are members or are considering membership.

For now I leave you diligently working on some bylaw proposal changes and I hope to have them up by the weekend for all to review and feedback on before submitting to the bylaw contact and eventually having them proposed in the business meetings.

as Walter Cronkite would probably say on a news cast “At 11:02 pm on this date June 12, 2007 the writer has slumbered off to bed.”

Be Yourself by Audioslave

Maybe you don’t know who or what Audioslave is. Audioslave consist of three of the former members of the revolutionist band Rage Against the Machine and the front man Chris Cornell from Soundgarden. The result is a band called Audioslave. Here are the lyrics to the song “Be Yourself” by Audioslave. This may exemplify what you need to be in this day and age. A feeling running through me at this time. That I would like to share with you. To remember regardless always be yourself not a hidden mask, a shell of your true heart you have voice, you have ability. Be it!

Someone falls to pieces
Sleepin all alone
Someone kills the pain
Spinning in the silence
To finally drift away
Someone gets excited
In a chapel yard
Catches a bouquet
Another lays a dozen
White roses on a grave

To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do

Someone finds salvation in everyone
And another only pain
Someone tries to hide himself
Down inside himself he prays
Someone swears his true love
Untill the end of time
Another runs away
Separate or united?
Healthy or insane?

To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do

And even when you’ve paid enough, been pulled apart or been held up
With every single memory of the good or bad faces of luck
don’t lose any sleep tonight
I’m sure everything will end up alright

You may win or lose

But to be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do