William Harasym

William Harasym — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:08:07 -0500

I Love dogs and cats, the great outdoors, and being politically involved, advocating for those who can't, especially some of the elderly and disabled in my apartment complex, before I was evicted by Laurel Lunstrum of Casper, WY. who is the landlord of the apartments I was evicted from, for talking to the press, and protecting our planet!!! I miss my dog, a beautiful Chocolate Lab, named Bear, whom I had to leave in Florida when I went into the hospital in July of 2003. I left him with a neighbor, who had promised to watch him while I was in the hospital, and then who has disappeared off the face of the earth. That was so mean! Bear will be 16 years old this year, July 6th, 2011. I Served in the USAF as a Military Working Dog Handler.
Currently living Sheridan, WY. since Sept. 2008, after living in Buffalo, WY for 3 1/2 years and prior to that spending a year and a half at the Veterans Home of WY. My advocacy there was not as successful as I would have liked, but I did my best. What they do to our aging, and disabled veterans is wholly inappropriate, and disgusting! God is watching over them though, so I have left them in good hands. I had lived in Sheridan, WY. since 1992, then I sold my house in 2002 and moved to Florida to be near my parents. I came back to WY. on July 25, 2003 to enter the VA Hospital in Sheridan, WY. for physical, and mental health issues. While there, I was diagnosed with some neurological problems (An inoperable low-grade glioma in my left cerebellum, left pons, left peduncle, and medulla.)which causes me to be fully disabled regarding work type activity. The tumor is slow-growing, which is a plus, because if they remove it, there would be a major change in my quality of life, so for the mean time, I will stick with the status quo. I was born in Brooklyn NY, and I grew up on Long Island, NY. in Selden. Also attended college there, except for a brief stint at Wake Forest University. Most of my Family still lives back there or in Florida.

Rocky Mountain Realities On Feb. 5

David Sirota — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:58:47 -0500

When I took a leave of absence from my job in Washington in 2000 to work in the Montana Senate race, I didn't have much clue what I was in for. Growing up on the East Coast, I thought of the Intermountain West as a huge, far-off, mysterious place of square states and cattle herds — and like many people on the coasts, I didn't know much else.

In the years since that first campaign, I have been working in and reporting on the West, telling people what I say in my new nationally syndicated newspaper column today: That this region is the most politically misunderstood place in America.

Many people scoffed at my writing, saying the West was a backwater — one that would remain a Republican stronghold forever. That is, until the last few years when many Democratic strategists in Washington realized that the West has become a political swing region — one that could decide the direction of national politics for the next generation.

Sadly, when you read the typical national reporter's occasional article about the West or watch national politicians drop in for a visit, you sense either condescension, stereotyping — or both. The West is still portrayed as a weird hinterland whose politics supposedly adhere to Washington, D.C.'s inaccurate notions of lockstep "red state" behavior.

But as I say in the column, the West defies the professional pundits' portrayals. On issues from national security to energy to the role of government, the Rocky Mountain region's nuances are far more complex than "red state" stereotypes — just like most places in America. And as this region prepares to vote on February 5 and then take center stage in the general election, the candidates who ignore the fictions and appreciates these nuances are the candidates who will likely win here.

As the only nationally syndicated newspaper columnist living in and reporting regularly on this region, I felt it was particularly important to write this piece before Tuesday's voting because the West is only going to become more prominent in American politics as this election year progresses. That prominence, I believe, will either allow inaccurate stereotypes to flourish, or let the more complex realities shine through. I hope it is the latter.

Go read the whole column here. If you'd like to see my column regularly in your local paper, use this directory to find the contact info for your local editorial page editors. Get get in touch with them and point them to my Creators Syndicate site.

One additional note: You may have noticed that I am trying to use my column to promote solid progressive voices whenever I can. Today's, as you can see, includes the use of material from a diarist at OpenLeft.com - a terrific progressive site. I want to continue doing that kind of thing — the Right promotes its voices very effectively like this. And I want to do the same with my column.

Wyoming

William Harasym

Rocky Mountain Realities On Feb. 5