Blue Sweeps the United States and my Neighborhood

My previous post asked you to go vote. And apparently, many Americans had already received the message, because where I live in the middle of the United State of America, there was record breaking turnout for the country's midterm election.

The hotly contested congressional seat I wrote of in Missouri was won by a good margin by a Democrat named Fred Wellman. He will represent me and my neighbors in Washington, D.C come January. The woman he beat, Anne Wagner, could possibly become a lobbyist in our nation's capitol or return to the GOP as a party fundraiser. I voted for Mr. Wellman because Ms. Wagner never held a town hall meeting the 14 years she was in Washington and frequently declined interviews from local news media. About six years ago I emailed her a concern on a controversial issue. She never replied to my concern, but I did receive spam from her campaign for several years as a result of it. The only time I heard from Ms. Wagner was when she wanted my vote. 

The state legislature race I wrote of was also won by a Democrat. I live in Missouri's 96th house district which was held by a man named Brad Christ. Christ apparently alienated so many of us that he was thrown out by those of us living here. Christ's downfall was, in part, due to his being in lock step with republican leadership. Christ voted to put a number of amendments on our ballots in August and this week. All of those proposed amendments by the republican-controlled house and state senate went down to miserable defeats. Christ also voted for redistricting Missouri mid-decade. Had that made it onto the ballot, it would have gerrymandered the Show Me State, to split the Kansas City area in half and add another Republican to the state's delegation. But, Missouri's Supreme Court said no. The whole effort at redistricting was at the request of President Donald Trump. As a backlash to Trump, Christ and his buddies, Missouri will have one more democrat in the soon-to-be Democratic-led congress.

The only constitutional amendment to pass (there are still votes outstanding on one minor issue as I write this) was put on the ballot by initiative petition. That amendment will strengthen Missouri's initiative petition process. If the legislature attempts to reverse the will of the people, it will need to have 80% of voters approve that action in a general election.

I would continue on with national election results in the U.S. but there are better reports by trusted news sources.

Go Vote!

Tomorrow is election Day in the United States of America. Where I live, there is a hotly contested race to see who will represent my district in the US Congress. The incumbent is a Republican who is losing in the latest polls after doing practically nothing for 14 years. The Democratic candidate has apparently taken the lead by holding the incumbent responsible for being in lock step with Donald Trump and MAGA. There is also a hotly contest race for the Missouri house seat where the incumbent is running to hang on to a seat he's had for six years in the state legislature.

If you live in the US too, make sure you vote if you haven't already done so. There is a lot at stake in choosing the course the US will follow in the next several years. You can read more about the issues facing the American public at reliable news sources.

Congratulations Milwaukee Brewers!

Image courtesy of Major League Baseball

The Milwaukee Brewers are the new champions of Major League Baseball. They defeated the Tampa Bay Rays four games to one in Game 5 played at Tropicana Field in Saint Petersburg, Florida. The score of game five was Milwaukee 4 - Tampa Bay 1.

This is the first time the Milwaukee Brewer have won the fall classic. Their only other World Series appearance against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 resulted in a 4 games to 3 loss.

The Brewers, managed by Pat Murphy, dominated the Rays, led by Kevin Cash, in the five game series just as they had their opponents in the earlier playoff series and the major leagues all season long. The Brewers were the winningest team in MLB with a record of 103 - 59. They won their divisional playoff series against the San Diego Padres 3 games to one, then swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship series 4-0 before winning four out of five from the Rays.

The World Series MVP is William Contreras who hit .381 in the World Series.

Vacation in Germany

Earlier this week I posted about my just completed vacation to Europe. I left the US on September 19th at 11:20 a.m. CDT and arrived in Munich on the 20th at 6:50 CEDT.

The day I arrived I visited a site I felt obligated to visit and see first hand the evil that existed and how a group of humans could be so inhumane to another ethnic group. The site I visited was the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. Was it depressing? Yes, very much so. Over 40,000 inmates died there. Did I learn anything I didn't know previously? Yes! Despite the horrible murders and torture that occured there, the human will to survive resulted in some prisoners eventually living to be liberated by the Allies.

It's hard to read but it says "Arbeit Macht Frei". The same phrase "Work makes you free" posted at Auschwitz Camp in Poland.
It was inscribed on the wrought iron gate where prisoners would enter the compound.

This is the International Monument created by a Yugoslavian artist and Dauchau survivor Nandor Glid. It's difficult to look at when you learn it symbolizes human bodies entangled in barbed wire.

He's Baaack

I'm back from eight days in Europe and it was a blast. I went to check Oktoberfest off of my bucket list, but was able to visit the Bavarian Alps and the Dachau concentration camp memorial while I was there.

After spending three days in Germany I boarded a high speed train in Munich and headed west to France. It took two trains and almost eight hours to reach my destination of Bayeux. From Bayeux it was only a short drive to the beaches of Normandie and the American Cemetery overlooking the English Channel. That day I was able to accomplish another bucket list item.

From Bayeux I travelled to Paris and spent four nights and three days. I saw the sites and enjoyed several wonderful meals. I also met some really nice French people in both locations.

Yesterday morning I boarded a flight from Paris' Charles DeGaulle Airport, changed planes in Charlotte and arrived home a total of 13 hours later. I will post some of my vacation images and stories in the coming days.