A Long Journey for One Vote

One Woman One Vote, was the documentary shown in the DAC late last month kicking off a reminder of what the American woman had to go through to be able to vote. 100 years ago in our nations history, women did not have the right to vote. The old adage of being “seen and not heard” was not just an adage, it was an unfortunate way of life for the American woman. The film takes us back to a time when things were anything but simple for the American woman; they were down right horrendous and there was nothing they could do about it.

            In the mid 1800’s, a woman by the name of Katie Staten rose up making her opinions known in articles nations wide. She was an activist for the cause of woman’s rights. Inspired by Staten, Susan B. Anthony (pictured on the one dollar coin) became an advocate for woman’s equality with men as well as full rights under the constitution. Lucy Stone, keeping her own name when married, voiced out against women's role in society. She stated “Woman who depart societies roles will suffer, but I did it.”

            From the beginning of the film, you could feel the reverence everyone in the room had for the woman who were portrayed before us on the silver screen. Each one had given part if not all of their lives and effort so that woman could have a voice in our society. When asked later if woman’s suffrage groups for today were needed, one attendee voiced: “Absolutely, but the topics discussed would be totally different, woman still need a voice in our community.” 

            Women’s rights were moving west in the mid 1800’s. Picking up steam with the expansion of America, western states were more open and tolerant to hearing about women's rights. Elis Meridith wrote a weekly column for one of Colorado’s leading publications. She advocated that money and literature were imperative to the success of woman’s rights. Likewise, Colorado was the first state in the Union to ratify woman’s suffrage laws; passing by a slim margin. It was clear by now that this fight would not be easy to win.

            When asked if women see the same prejudices outlined in the movie, in today’s society, Mark Lehnert stated they are different, women still go through injustice but we have laws that prevent unjust treatment of anyone.

            The film ended with a sense of  victory and hope, because not two decades after the turn of the century, women in this country gained the right to vote. The women of that era did not give up, they kept going just like the mothers, grandmothers, friends, sisters, and activists of today. They are strong in the defense of their rights courageous and ideological. Today, most voters are woman, making up more than 54% of the vote. Just remember, there was a long road for woman to be able to make their choice known.

You Can Bet on John Gamble

Young American, John Gamble’s life is as lucky or unlucky as a roll of the dice. John, age 28, also known by his last name Gamble (both parents worked as casino dealers); can be found working at Aces Up Poker Club in Dallas, Oregon most weekends. Born in Alaska, he moved to Helmetsheim, Germany at the tender age of 6. The first thing Gamble did when arriving in Germany was to punch a full bird Army Colonel right, square in the “man parts”. This one event could set the demeanor for this young man in a scary new world.

            Gamble is one of the few select individuals who earn their life by the seat of other Poker players. When nights are fast and players are abundant, Gamble and his co-workers take in as much as they can, earning a living off of player tips only. What makes Gamble so unique is the way he grew up, his experiences, choices, and where he is going. He’s not your typical suburban grown white boy spoiled from day one. Instead he is a survivor who learned to grow up on the rough streets by becoming self educated, focused, and street smart. 

            When I asked Gamble: “What’s the most significant event you can remember as a young boy?” he didn’t hesitate one second to tell me. “The Berlin Wall.” A young boy of 7, he told me that he didn’t quite understand what it meant, but that he was there to see it in person. Not soon after that experience young Gamble had another first in his life. “I had my first beer when I was 7, Seussbeer is what it was”, Seussbeer, also known as sweet-beer, is typically a beer made out of fruit fit for the youth of Germany. With events such as these, it is now wonder he remembers growing up at a fast pace.

            Gamble’s father, a sniper in an undisclosed Special Operations Unit, enrolled his son in Self-defense classes from a young age. (Sen Chon Bai Sifu Yit Bai) also know as (Student or all, master of one) is the discipline of Kung-fu young Gamble started with. He tells me he has studied several other martial arts disciplines, and is currently learning how to blend them together so that when he fights his movements are more seamless and fluid. He states that these disciplines have helped him remain focused and collected even under great times of pressure in his life.

            Not everything is so easy to this young man. Behind the scenes I suspected that there might be a darker side to him, and I was right. One time when Gamble was growing up, a neighborhood boy named Florian moved in to kiss his kid sister. Feeling enraged, Gamble took preventative measures and continued to fight the boy until he gave up. Although Gamble has not engaged in many fights, He is what some might consider overly protective of his family. But what girl wouldn’t want a protective brother; especially in our society today? When his sister was married, he felt like he could be enraged again. However this time he turned the cheek on the fight, and leaned on Jim Beam for a shoulder of understanding.

            The most striking characteristic about this young man is the fact that he does not quit. He is tenacious about everything he does. When asked what his most endearing quality is, John Hawkins – fellow coworker and friend – did not hesitate to say one word: “Loyalty”. Gamble is above all loyal, not just to his job, but his family, friends, hobbies, and everything else he gets himself into. He considers himself a “Jack of all trades”, not good at just one thing but well to do with most anything.

I was struck by his story, moved by the passion in his voice when he described events that went on in his life. I didn’t know how interesting he would be when I first interviewed him, however, Gamble turned out to be that silent guy in the corner with the most interesting story in the room.

Google fires volley.... Yahoo sinks in my book!

Thank you Google (R) for showing your support of our troops for Veterans day by displaying a USA flag on you main page. You didn't have to do it, but you did. I went to Yahoo's main page, and failed to see any supporting art, decoration, or really anything for Veterans Day? However, Yahoo does support Easter, MLK day, St. Patrick's day, Halloween or all saints day, and many others..... Kinda puts things into perspective when you really think about it, now doesn't it. :-) Sean