I will put this on my list, though.

Will you have some BlueNC nametags? I'll put one on next to my Traction and OCDP nametags.

Anglico,
Can we bring you a loaf of banana bread as an anniversary gift? My son loves to bake!

I'm looking forward to meeting Jim Neal, Anglico, and everyone else who shows up!

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
-Edmund Burke

I am not one to hecle, etc.; I would have been interested in what he has to say. Unfortunately, this event is not the only thing planned on my calendar for this Sunday.

I probably would not have contributed the $50, though, but would have given enough to cover my cost.

Maybe next time.

I'm looking forward to meeting Jim and all of you. My husband wants to come but he's working tonight. Not sure if he'll wake up in time.

But I have a date with Oprah.
Maybe next time?

Left on 49

It was a delight to meet Anglico and numerous other of the BlueNC bloggers; it was a privilege to be in his home, meet his beautiful daughter, enjoy the lovely setting (and what a nice place you have there!), and it was a wonderful opportunity to meet Jim Neal and hear him speak.

He was quite impressive, especially for someone so new at this. I appreciated his comments, especially his stance on illegal immigration.

Again, many thank to James and his co-hosts for the invitation and the event.

Brunette

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
-Edmund Burke

I was able to speak to Jim a few times today, and I gotta tell you something folks—he's the real deal. I know that's a hackneyed phrase that's been used to describe some seriously unreal politicians from time to time, but on this occasion it fits.

I use that phrase in reference to the sometimes abused claim of having "Progressive Ideas" or values that we hear from some of our elected officials, while they turn around and feed our unitary Executive monster and his war and ignore the millions who are screaming for help.

How do I know he's for real and not just pandering? Let's just say I have "special powers" and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to reveal the true nature of these powers, because it could upset the cosmic balance...look, it's highly technical, involving matter and anti-matter (and possibly microwaves), but the thing is, it works. Alright, alright. I made that up. But I can tell if someone is lying. When Republicans lie, they must grasp something and squeeze it. Most often it's a podium, but sometimes it's a bible. When Democrats lie, they bounce from foot to foot, like they have to pee. They sometimes also look up, as if a bird just flew by. Write these things down.

On a serious note: Progressive ideas have been and are formed from humanistic principles, fighting their way up from under the morass of selfish tendencies and institutionalized racism, sexism and classism. Many of these ideas have been around for a long time, but they're finally beginning to coalesce into a "movement", if you will. This movement is adapting its own structure and guidelines, and the talking points that decribe it. Meaning, it's now much easier to "appear" progressive, simply by waving a flag or a word around.

When you listen to (and question) Jim Neal, you can tell he really believes in these things. One can easily imagine that, even in the absence of a Progressive movement to shape the discussion, Jim would already be going down that road on his own. That's the importance of a candidate like Jim Neal—he doesn't need to be guided or steered along the path to progress, he can find the way himself. And he can take us along with him.