The Voice of Douglas County Democrats MARCH - APRIL 2018

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An overflow crowd of enthusiastic Democrats from every corner of Nevada attended the Blue Stars Rising Dinner at the Carson Valley Inn February 17.

More photos from the Blue Stars Rising dinner on pages 2 - 4

Blue Stars Rising Dinner 2018

It was a full house for our Blue Stars Rising Dinner Feb. 17 at the Carson Valley Inn. A theme of unity and a “blue wave” in the upcoming midterm elections was shared by keynote speakers Steve Sisolak and Chris Giunchigliani, Democratic candidates for Governor. That theme was shared by all other speakers: Aaron Ford (running for Attorney General), Andrew Martin (candidate for State Treasurer), Catherine Byrne (State Controller hopeful), Kate Marshall (candidate for Lt. Governor), Nelson Araujo (running for Secretary of State), Patricia Ackerman (candidate for Assembly District 39), and District 2 Congressional candidates Clint Koble, Rick Shepherd and Vance Alm.

Blue Notes

TOP: In true Nevada style, Gubernatorial candidates Chris Giunchigliani and Steve Sisolak cut cards to determine who speaks first.

LOWER LEFT: Chris G.

LOWER RIGHT: Steve Sisolak

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More photos of our Blue Stars Rising Dinner

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Even more photos of our Blue Stars Rising

Aaron Ford (Candidate for Attorney General) Andrew Martin (Candidate for State Treasurer)

Catherine Byrne (Candidate for State Controller) Clint Koble (Candidate for Congress, District 2)

Kate Marshall (Candidate for Lt. Governor) Nelson Araujo (Candidate for Secretary of State)

Patricia Ackerman (Candidate for Assembly District 39)

LEFT: Paul Belt displays an original artwork by the late “Van Bo” that was auctioned for $400.

Rick Shepherd (Candidate for Congress, District 2)

Vance Alm (Candidate for Congress, District 2)

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‘13th’ to screen at Dem HQ March 31

Douglas County Caucus, Convention proves to be both fun and productive

The Douglas County Democratic Caucus and Party Convention held February 24 at Douglas High School was not only a great opportunity to meet fellow Democrats from your neighborhood, but a lot was accomplished. Dozens of planks were submitted for the county’s platform. Some were debated at great length. Some were slam dunks for adoption. Although most were adopted, some were not.

The day also resulted in 51 county Democrats signing up to be members of the Central Committee. And representatives were selected to attend the State Convention June 23 in Reno.A comment repeated often: “I’m proud to be a Democrat in Douglas County.”

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Academy-award nominated “13th,” a documentary on racial injustice in America, will be screened at Douglas Dems headquarters at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 31.

The presentation will be hosted by Nnedi Stephens, president of the Washoe Democrats’ Black Caucus.

“13th” was nominated in 2017 for best documentary feature.Its title stems from the 13th Amendment, which was ratified to officially end slavery in the

United States. The documentary, however, contends slavery was simply altered since then, citing how the prison “industry” has profited by overincarceration of Black Americans since the end of the Civil War. It was directed by Ava DuVernay.

Our new headquarters is located in the Ironwood Shopping Center,  1758 Hwy 395 N Suite K, Minden.

LEFT: DCDCC Chair Kimi Cole’s “selfie” at at the 2018 Caucus and Convention, held at Douglas High School February 24.

Profile

Dr. Peggy McKeeMeet Peggy McKee, a retired traveling physician and a

Democrat’s Democrat.She’s been a Democrat all her adult life, but her interest began

when she was a freshman in college in Ohio. “Most of the protest then was over civil rights,” she recalled. As a freshman, she wasn’t too active. Then along came the Vietnam War, and she got more disenchanted with the state of the world.

Today she is active, currently by helping update voter registration lists.

Peggy earned her medical degree at Stony Brook University in New York. She calls it “the Berkeley of the East.”

Medicine was not her first career choice…but it was the best. She also studied and worked in the field of city planning at Cornell.

The Democratic doctor had been thinking about retiring for several years but realized it was time after an accident in which she’d cut her hand with a scalpel. She hung up her stethoscope two years ago and hasn’t looked back.

Although her medical career was largely on the road, she has now settled in her home at Zephyr Cove, Lake Tahoe.

“After Trump was elected I spent the next two months crying every time I watched the news,” she said. “By the following February I met some people who had similar attitudes. We got involved.”

“I don’t hear anyone extolling his virtues,” she said of the Chief Executive.

It is “absolutely essential” that we stop worrying about “fine distinctions among Democrats, or even between Democrats and Independents,” she said. “What’s really important is that we don’t elect any more Republicans, because they are always going to side with Trump, and he’s a disaster.

PEGGY MCKEE

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On the current Administration’s tax cuts, McKee has a dire warning: “They are going to lead to more and more disasters,” she predicted. “His tax cuts really will make income inequality even worse than it is already and eventually will lead to either a severe recession or possibly even a civil war, neither of which I want to see.”

On Trump’s proposed tariffs, she said he is now leaving the door open so he can make deals. “It’s a bargaining chip. He’s using it to be a bully.”

She draws on her medical background to oppose today’s lax gun controls, especially on automatic weapons. “They are made to kill people. That’s all they are for,” she said of the high-powered rapid-fire guns. “There’s just so much rhetoric about the Second Amendment that makes no sense.” She praised the young people’s efforts to raise the age to buy weapons and to ban assault weapons, noting, “When the kids were attacked (in Florida) by an assault rifle, they saw what it did…it destroyed human flesh.” She added that it makes “no sense for people to be on the no-fly list and not allowed to get on a plane, but they are allowed to have a gun.”

On another topic, she noted, “We are a nation of immigrants” and said it is wrong for Trump to label all Mexicans as rapists and criminals. “If you really want to solve undocumented workers coming in from Mexico,” she said, “you don’t do it by building a wall. You do it by requiring employers to verify who they are hiring.” She added many undocumented workers are desperately needed and urged Congress to find a way to get those people hired legally.

Closer to home, Peggy urged people to stay informed and to get Democrats elected at all levels.

From the Chair ...

My life took a major turn just over nine years ago—it took on a different perspective when I realized so many things that I had counted on, and even taken for granted the first 50 plus years of life, were no longer readily available as they had been.

However, rather than feeling intimidated when viewed, and sometimes treated, as “being different,” it struck a passionate chord in my being. I pondered, how do others who are deemed “different” contend with the challenges life throws their way? In too many cases, there are no readily available answers and life can appear overwhelming, if not downright hopeless. Giving up was not in my DNA, though, so I decided to get involved politically, to see if I could possibly “make a difference.” At this stage in my life, rather than being scared to try new things, I was more scared not to.

There are things in this world that are just messed up—I figured let’s unmess as many as we can!

One of the first major shifts in perspective involved reevaluating convenience.

A friend in high school argued that we never do anything we don’t want to do. When I argued that I went to school, even when I didn’t feel like it, he countered with the question, “Why?” My response was that I didn’t want to fail. He said I’d made his point—since I did not want to fail, I DID want to go to school, since it was more desirable than failing! Regardless of the merit of the argument, or lack thereof, I’ve never forgotten that and now look at many situations more relatively than absolutely.

The thought of volunteering my time

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Making a differencewith people I’d never met before sounded daunting at first—definitely not convenient. But, with a bit more thought, I figured if I didn’t change something about my life, how could I possibly expect to change anything else or anybody else’s mind? I got involved with every group I possibly could and discovered I was learning a lot and making many new friends. It wasn’t scary, but fun!

Phone bank, you say? My first thoughts ranged through a self-debate on whether I’d rather make phone calls or spend a couple hours in the dentist’s chair. As I was getting ready to dial my dentist’s number…just kidding—I knew the only way to break out of an old, convenient rut, was to use the phone to dial Democrats, not my dentist.

And canvassing? I’d certainly had time to make up plenty of scary stories in my mind—that presented ever-so-tempting excuses to avoid what sounded like a daytime nightmare—complete with special effects in the form of people who would surely not want to support my ideas or candidates.

A few said, “no, thanks” and closed their doors; more either told me they would certainly support the candidates I was promoting, asked me for more information, or downright appreciated having someone willing to talk to them in person!

I personally believe in overcoming excuses with action, and avoid wasting energy merely complaining, rather than investing that energy working toward resolution.

What will YOU be doing between now and the elections in November? Let’s do something, together!

KIMI COLE

PAT STANLEY

Leaning a bit to the left

It’s been a great ride !

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Since this marks my final Blue Notes edition as editor, I thought it would be fun to review some of the past issues.

We started Blue Notes in August of 2013. Wow, time sure flies by! Douglas Dems chair Kimi Cole penned a column and hasn’t missed an issue in all these years. One of my favorites was the one she titled “Let’s Talk About Toothpaste for a Minute” (January 2015).

Kimi was also the first Democrat to be “profiled.” Over the years Blue Notes has profiled past chairs,

prominent community leaders such as JoEtta Brown (then a member of the county planning commission), Nevada State Young Democrats president Hawah Ahmad (May 2015), and even Santa Claus and our donkey mascot. I had to get an interpreter for the donkey’s many “hee-haws.”

We’ve run several hundred photos to accompany articles, including many of our summer barbecues.

Camera in hand, my shaky old legs trekked the route of all Carson Valley Days and Nevada Day parades since I joined the Douglas Dems. We then ran photos. I got brave for my first Nevada Day Parade and

By Pat Stanley

wore a T-shirt proclaiming “It’s OK to be a Democrat in Douglas County.” Some people remarked that I was quite brave. Later I found out why when I got a “red reception.”

January 2013’s edition celebrated the election of Barack Obama to his second term as Commander-in-Chief.

It was fun to report on our monthly programs, including one that featured all three 2014 candidates for Douglas County Sheriff.

Other visitors to our DCDCC meetings covered in Blue Notes included Kim Wallin, the Nevada State Controller at the time, and many other prominent Democrats.

If the Douglas Dems did it, you read about it in Blue Notes.

This marks my 51st edition of Blue Notes. Who’da thunk it! Due to a personal issue, it’s time to step aside and let somebody else have as much fun as I have. Thank you, Douglas Democrats!

OfficersDCDCC Chair: KimiMCole@gmail.comFirst Vice Chair: Joan NeufferSecond Vice Chair: Susan MinorSecretary: Melanie Meehan-CrossleyTreasurer: Jan WallsMember-at-large: John NovakMember-at-large: Open

Chairs of Standing CommitteesAdministration: Katherine WinansPrograms/Policy: Kimi ColeMembership: Katherine WinansCandidate Recruitment: OpenPublicity/Public Relations: OpenFundraising/Finance: Paul Belt

March 22—Thursday, 7:00 p.m.Central CommitteeWelcome new CC membersPrecinct-level outreach primer- Rachel OkrentNew Dem HQ 1758 Hwy 395 N (Suite K)(South end of Ironwood Center)

March 24—Saturday, 11:30 a.m.“March for Our Lives”- Reno

March 31—Saturday 11:00 a.m. “13th” Documentary. Dem HQ

April 7—Saturday, 6:00 p.m.Churchill Democrats Sawyer-Bryan Dinner(Fallon)

June 23-24Nevada State Democratic Party Convention (Reno)

July 28- Douglas Democrats’ BBQ, 1:00 p.mMormon Station State Park, Genoa

November 6—TuesdayElection Day: Go Dems!

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Your DCDCC Officers …

Timely Ticklers