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#Rep. Andy Kim
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It’s gotten buried a bit underneath news about the negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza, the related protests on U.S. college campuses, and the ongoing trial of a former president for allegedly covering up payments to a pornography actress, but high-profile Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar was indicted on Friday by the Department of Justice in Houston. He says he is not guilty of the charges and will stand for reelection as planned this fall.
Cuellar, a relatively conservative Democrat who represents a district that stretches along the U.S.–Mexico border around Laredo and pokes up to San Antonio, is charged with 14 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, and so forth related to allegations that he was paid under the table to influence U.S. policy on behalf of Azerbaijan’s national oil company, SOCAR, and the Mexican bank Banco Azteca. (Neither Banco Azteca nor SOCAR, nor any of their employees, have been charged with a crime.)
A longtime incumbent, Cuellar won his general-election race in 2022 by a wide margin. But his district, the 28th, has a significant population of Hispanic and/or Latino voters and has become more Republican in recent years as those groups have trended rightward. The Cook Political Report rates it as having a Democratic “lean” of 3 points—which, roughly speaking, means a generic Democrat would be expected to beat a generic Republican in the district by only a 3-point margin. That’s close enough to mean that Cuellar’s indictment and potential conviction could threaten Dems’ efforts to retake the House of Representatives, which Republicans currently hold by a tenuous four votes.
The case is similar to that of Democratic New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, another longtime incumbent who was indicted last September for allegedly accepting bribes from three men in New Jersey who were seeking to influence U.S. policy toward Egypt, among other things. Menendez’s trial is set to begin next week, and he says that if he is not convicted he still might run for reelection in November as an independent. While he’d be very unlikely to win such a race, he could potentially siphon enough votes away from the Democrats’ presumptive nominee, current Rep. Andy Kim, to throw the seat to Republicans.
So, both of these members of Congress are in high-stakes races that they are refusing to drop out of despite facing corruption indictments. But there’s another major similarity between the two stories as well: Wives!
Menendez’s wife Nadine was also charged in his case, and the allegations against the couple include claims that the men accused of seeking favors from the senator bought Nadine Menendez a Mercedes convertible and paid her to hold a fake no-show “job” at a halal-certification business. Cuellar’s wife Imelda was also indicted; she’s accused of receiving the alleged bribe payments from SOCAR and Banco Azteca through shell companies she owned that were ostensibly providing the firms with “consulting” services. The government alleges that, actually, Imelda Cuellar did “little to no legitimate work” in return for the hundreds of thousands of dollars she was paid.
A statement issued by Cuellar says his wife is innocent. Nadine Menendez has pleaded not guilty, although in a disclosure that may have caused some awkwardness around the proverbial Englewood Cliffs dinner table, Robert Mendendez’s attorneys told a judge in January that his potential testimony at trial might implicate her. Since then, however, the pair’s cases have been separated from each other in a way that will preclude anything he says from being used against his spouse.
Does the Democratic Party have an (alleged) Bribery Wife Guy problem? Are liberals soft on wife crime? This fall, the voters will have their say.
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gwydionmisha · 5 months
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Rep. Andy Kim – New Jersey Senate Race & Working in “World’s Worst Reality TV Show” | The Daily Show
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qqueenofhades · 1 year
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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/dianne-feinstein-rcna18010
Guess this answers the question about if she should be forced to retire.
Yes, I saw that. She had a long and trailblazing career in public service and it's a shame that she was forced to stay in office this long, instead of retiring to spend more time with her loved ones. Which she couldn't do without jeopardizing Biden's judicial nominees, as there would have had to be a vote to put a new Democrat on the Judiciary Committee and the GOP would have blocked it. (And indeed, still might try to do so -- they can't block whoever Newsom appoints as interim successor from joining the Senate, so the overall majority is fine, but I'm sure they'll try something stupid with who Schumer wants to appoint as a replacement to the JC.) So that's why she stayed until death. May her memory be a blessing.
On that note, however, I do think Bob Menendez should resign. This is an easy call for me because I am not in a cult, and therefore think that when politicians from my party are credibly accused of serious crimes by the Department of Justice, they should bow out and let the Democratic governor of their home state pick a replacement (and Rep. Andy Kim is already planning to primary Menendez, GOOD). Over half of Senate Democrats have also joined the call for Menendez to go. The only ones who are insisting that he should stay and fight the charges are, lolololol, Republicans, because they don't want to set a precedent that a) politicians credibly accused of serious crimes by the DOJ should leave the public scene, and b) that their own party should then do the right thing and call for their removal. Oop.
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mariacallous · 2 months
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Biden/Harris is raking in a lot in grassroots donations, so I'm not worried about them. But these backstabbing Dems better start worrying about their own campaigns because I've watched as the grassroots people who put these fundraisers together remove these Reps and Senators from their lists (if they're going to suck elite donor dick, they can beg for elite donor money for their trouble).
My biggest worry at this point is that people like Adam Schiff and Andy Kim cost us the Senate.
I don’t think they will, but ironically a lot of people are being as begrudging about them as others are about Biden
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tomorrowusa · 6 months
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Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ-03 ) now looks like the overwhelming favorite to be elected the next US senator from New Jersey.
After incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges last September, three-term Rep. Kim announced that he would challenge him in the June 2024 primary. Soon after, New Jersey's first lady Tammy Murphy announced that she would also run for the Menendez seat.
Despite Tammy Murphy's clout and backing from the NJ political machine, Kim has held a solid lead in the polls and was unexpectedly winning endorsements from Democratic organizations in a number of NJ counties.
This month, Menendez anounced he would not compete in the primary. And last weekend Tammy Murphy suspended her campaign. There are still a couple of minor candidates in the primary but Andy Kim is now the clear favorite.
Not only is Andy Kim the likely winner of the primary, his campaign is leading to a reform of an archaic way of listing candidates on New Jersey primary ballots.
So Andy Kim didn’t just win a primary. He might have forced the machine to relinquish its iron grip. And politics just might be viable again in the Garden State. [ ... ] New Jersey has perhaps the most connection in the modern day to the old-line machine politics of the past. Reforms have weakened the power of Tammany Hall and its antecedents virtually everywhere, except in New Jersey. Voters have generally decided that they want to be in control of who represents them, and this simple request has imploded the gilded towers of the presumed deciders in our politics. That’s not to discount the achievement here, though. The combination of a comically corrupt senator and what people clearly saw as a corrupt process to replace him proved too much for the system to bear. But without Kim stepping up, with his profile as an ethical anomaly in the state and a message to run directly against that corruption, to loudly highlight the deficiencies of the system, it probably would have lingered on a while longer. It turns out that running on an actual belief system in politics can defeat the cynicism of a machine.
As for Republicans, the last time a GOP senator was elected from New Jersey, Richard Nixon was busy engaging in the Watergate cover-up.
NJ first lady Tammy Murphy ends Senate campaign, paving way for Andy Kim
In addition to his liberal record on domestic issues, Andy Kim has a strong background in national security and foreign affairs.
Personally, he is virtually the AntiTrump. He is personally modest and ethical. He earned his degrees and was even a Rhodes Scholar. He has respect for the institutions of democracy and for the people who serve them.
The night after the January 6th pro-Trump terrorists rampaged through the US Capitol, Andy Kim helped clean up some of the debris left by MAGA criminals.
Behind the viral photo of Rep. Andy Kim cleaning up at midnight after riots
I haven't been so enthusiastic about a politician since Barack Obama. And it's entirely possible that Andy Kim could be the Barack Obama of 2028; but first we have to defeat Trump this year.
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somuchyoudontknow · 1 year
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Pain Hustlers and WBI
So for the new followers, to understand this post, they might want to check out these ones first.
My friend found out something interesting about Pain Hustlers.
Apparently, Pain Hustlers was represented by CAA Finance and The Veterans at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced to the buyers at the Cannes Film Market.
"Wells Tower wrote the script for The Pain Hustlers, with Lawrence Grey producing via Grey Matter Productions, and Yates via his banner, Wychwood Media. Netflix closed a deal for the worldwide rights to The Pain Hustlers at the Cannes Film Festival in a $50 million-plus deal. CAA Media Finance and The Veterans represented the film at Cannes. Garcia and O’Hara are represented by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Duplass is also repped by CAA."
-https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/andy-garcia-catherine-ohara-jay-duplass-netflix-pain-hustlers-1235207983/
"We understand Netflix is closing up a $50M+ world rights deal for Pain Hustlers, with A Quiet Place star Emily Blunt attached for director David Yates (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore). Pic, introduced to buyers at the Cannes Film Market by The Veterans and CAA Media Finance, is due to begin production in late August."
-https://deadline.com/2022/05/emily-blunt-netflix-pain-hustlers-david-yates-cannes-deal-1235028000/amp/
Vincent Maraval is the co-founder of WBI, now known as Goodfellas. WBI is one of the shareholders in The Veterans.
Vincent Maraval & Kim Fox’s Sales Banner Rebrands To The Veterans Ahead Of EFM
Maraval, Fox and Marc Butan launched MadRiver International at AFM 2019 after first creating IMR International in 2016 as an alliance between Butan’s MadRiver Pictures and Maraval’s Wild Bunch International. The two companies remain shareholders in The Veterans.
-https://deadline.com/2022/01/vincent-maraval-kim-fox-imr-rebrands-veterans-efm-1234921697/
A little bit more about The Veterans.
The Veterans, a joint venture between Wild Bunch International and MadRiver Pictures, is a premier foreign sales and distribution company. Led by international sales vets Vincent Maraval and Kimberly Fox, The Veterans holds a resilient reputation and presence in the global marketplace. In just a few years, The Veterans has facilitated successful international distribution on films such as JACKIE, WIND RIVER, THE SISTERS BROTHERS, THE GENTLEMEN, and THE
-https://madriverpictures.com/who-we-are/
Goodfellas is the same company that has boarded sales of Amelia's Children in which Alba stars.
Since Maraval is known for festival movies, PH might be presented at film festivals. There are rumors already it might go to TIFF.
CAA, WBI and Netflix seem to be common denominators in Pain Hustlers and Amelia's Children.
Chris was offered the role in Pain Hustlers which is potentially a festival movie. News about Pain Hustlers came in May 2022. Chris joining the cast was announced in July 2022.
"Chris Evans’ new Netflix film, “The Gray Man,” hasn’t even been released yet, but it appears the actor has already lined up his next offering for the streaming service. "
-https://theplaylist.net/pain-hustlers-chris-evans-emily-blunt-20220706/
"Chris Evans is in final negotiations to join Netflix’s Pain Hustlers opposite Emily Blunt.
Deadline first told you about the project out of Cannes, where the streamer landed global rights to the David Yates-directed, Wells Tower-written feature for $50 million. Netflix had no comment on Evans potentially joining the film."
-https://deadline.com/2022/07/chris-evans-emily-blunt-netflix-pain-hustlers-1235058062/
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progressivepower · 1 year
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New Poll Shows Bob Menendez On The Ropes In Potential Democratic Senate Primary. Rep. Andy Kim has a big lead with New Jersey Democrats, but many voters are still undecided as the incumbent faces bribery charges. http://ow.ly/vLE0104WN8C
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dhaaruni · 1 year
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What are the chances Doug Jones could pull a Claude Pepper in Alabama (go from elected US Senator to elected US House member)? At least Steve Cohen now has some good company in the “White Southern Democrats representing Black-majority House seats” caucus.
I don't think Doug Jones will run for the House but I'd support any Democrat with majority Black support winning those seats!
Shri Thanedar, who's Indian-American, represents a majority Black district in Detroit and afaik he's super popular because he does a lot of constituent services and really connects with his community. Just look at the comments on the article I linked like clearly, the readers of the NYT do NOT agree with the idea that districts with a large percentage of a particular can only have reps of that race. I mean, that would mean Sharice Davids or Andy Kim were "bad fits" for their districts since they’re majority white, which is just ludicrous.
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elizabear · 2 years
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Bryan Fuller, b. 1969
The Yassification of Hannibal Lecter, 2014
Triptych, blood and tears on man
On loan from U.S. Capitol, Rep. Andy Kim Collection
Gift of Mads Mikkelsen, 2014.02.13
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drst · 2 years
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Ukrainian president Zelenskyy pauses in the Capitol rotunda December 21, 2022. Photographed by Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey, who helped clean the Capitol building after the attempted January 6th coup.
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bllsbailey · 26 days
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Bongino Warns Secret Service Has Gotten 'Worse' Since Trump Assassination Attempt, More Is Coming
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Five House Republicans — Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Matt Gaetz and Cory Mills of Florida, and Chip Roy of Texas — hosted a panel discussion about the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at the Heritage Foundation on Monday.
We wrote about how they interviewed Ben Shaffer, a local SWAT counter-sniper who had been working the Butler, PA rally. He said that an “odd” pattern of evidence-handling by the FBI had taken place following the deadly shooting, that they disposed of the body of the shooter and scrubbed the roof so quickly. 
READ MORE: Trump Assassination Attempt: SWAT Counter-Sniper Questions 'Odd' Pattern of Evidence-Handling
But there were also some fiery moments with podcaster Dan Bongino, who used to be a Secret Service agent, as he lambasted the problems of the agency. He didn't hold back on how grave he thought this was, and he made three points. 
First, he noted they had a "technology problem" — that "they rely on yesterday's technology tomorrow." He said the weaponry was old, "everything is old." 
Second, he noted problems with how they were spending money. There is no "more with less," he said. There was only "less with more." He said their budget went up, but "a 20-year-old criminal outsmarted them on a $40 drone technology piece of device... that's disgusting!"
Third, he said they should get rid of the investigative aspect of their job, such as pursuing counterfeiters, and concentrate on the main purpose of their job: protection. 
Then he answered some questions from the members of Congress, and he explained that things were now worse under Director Ronald Rowe than they were under former Director Kim Cheatle, who resigned in disgrace after the assassination attempt. 
Bongino warned that more would be coming, "[If] You think this is the last incident, you're out of your mind. We have seen these incidents over and over." He mentioned the Georgia grenade incident with President Bush that happened in May 2005, where a live grenade was thrown at Bush. He said that now, the people who had screwed up in the Trump case were still the people in charge. He ripped into Rowe, saying he'd been behind "stupid, waste of time" concerns about agents wearing red ties, thinking that somehow showed support for President Donald Trump. 
"This was what they were concerned with while withholding counter-surveillance assets and counter-snipers assets from probably the most threatened man on Earth. If you can explain it, good luck because that's not the agency I worked for," Bongino declared. 
BlackRock's Erik Prince observed that "for whatever their political reason," Trump got one-third of the people who were detailed to Jill Biden, who was in the same area that day. She got 12 post holders at an indoor event with far fewer people attending, and Trump had four post holders, according to Prince. 
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) picked up on the question of whether there was any political component to this, while the other detail was beefed up. Bongino said that when he was there, it was never political. But now he was concerned there might be a "political tinge" for the "first time in history." He raised the concern that they didn't want to accord Trump more to make him look presidential. 
Because it was such a colossal failure, it's bound to raise numerous questions. Bongino and Gaetz were hesitant to even go there. That's why they need to get answers as soon as possible to keep Trump safe and make sure this doesn't happen again. 
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sa7abnews · 1 month
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New Jersey Gov. Murphy to appoint former chief of staff, George Helmy, to vacated Menendez Senate seat: report
New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/16/new-jersey-gov-murphy-to-appoint-former-chief-of-staff-george-helmy-to-vacated-menendez-senate-seat-report/
New Jersey Gov. Murphy to appoint former chief of staff, George Helmy, to vacated Menendez Senate seat: report
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to appoint his former chief of staff, George Helmy, to fill the seat that will be vacated by convicted U.S. Sen Bob Menendez, D-N.J., next week, multiple state media reports say. Helmy served as Murphy’s chief of staff for more than four years and most recently was employed as an executive and head of external affairs for RWJBarnabas Health. Murphy’s appointment means Helmy will serve out the remainder of Menendez’s term, which expires on Jan. 3. The seat was already up for election on Nov. 5. Democrats have nominated U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, who’s in a strong position in the Democratic-leaning state. He faces Republican Curtis Bashaw. While still on trial in July, Menendez filed to run as an independent candidate for re-election. Helmy, who also previously served as state director for Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., will now serve beside him in the upper chamber until the end of the 118th Congress. Murphy could have handed Kim a possible seniority advantage by appointing him to the vacated seat. Kim competed against the governor’s wife, Tammy Murphy, in the Democratic primary. The New Jersey first lady later withdrew her candidacy in late March. DEMOCRATIC SEN. BOB MENENDEZ GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES IN FEDERAL CORRUPTION TRIALHelmy is not the first former senior aide to earn caretaker senator appointments from former bosses. New Jersey Republican Jeffrey Chiesa, Massachusetts Democrat Mo Cowan and West Virginia Democrat Carte P. Goodwin did the same, according to Roll Call. Menendez will resign Aug. 20 following his conviction for taking bribes for corrupt acts including acting as an agent of the Egyptian government. The senator had insisted after the July 16 verdict that he was innocent and in a July 23 letter announcing his upcoming resignation to Murphy, a fellow Democrat, Menendez promised to appeal “all the way,” including to the Supreme Court. The roughly monthlong delay in leaving gives Murphy’s staff time for an orderly transition, Menendez wrote. The date also coincides with a Senate payday, according to the Associated Press. Menendez, 70, was convicted of charges that he sold the power of his office to three New Jersey businessmen who sought a variety of favors. Prosecutors said Menendez used his influence to meddle in three different state and federal criminal investigations to protect his associates. They said he helped one bribe-paying friend get a multimillion-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund and another keep a contract to provide religious certification for meat bound for Egypt.COULD BOB MENENDEZ RUN FOR RE-ELECTION AFTER BEING FOUND GUILTY OF CORRUPTION?He was also convicted of taking actions that benefited Egypt’s government in exchange for bribes, including providing details on personnel at the U.S. embassy in Cairo and ghostwriting a letter to fellow senators regarding lifting a hold on military aid to Egypt. FBI agents found stacks of gold bars and $480,000 in cash hidden in Menendez’s house.After his conviction, Menendez denied all of those allegations, saying “I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent.”But numerous fellow Democrats had urged him to resign, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Murphy had urged the Senate to expel Menendez if he didn’t quit. Only 15 senators have ever been expelled. Sen. William Blount, of Tennessee, was ousted in 1797 for treason. The other 14 were expelled in 1861 and 1862 for supporting Confederates during the Civil War.Menendez faces the possibility of decades in prison. A judge scheduled his sentencing on Oct. 29, a week before the election.The Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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dankusner · 2 months
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COURT’S Menendez is guilty on all counts
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N.J. senator’s case closes out, revealed ‘shocking levels of corruption,’ prosecutor says
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NEW YORK — U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was convicted Tuesday on all counts at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three New Jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.
Prosecutors said Menendez, 70, abused the power of his office to protect allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates, including his wife, through acts that included meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials and helping that country access millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.
Menendez looked toward the jury at times and appeared to mark a document in front of him as the verdict was read.
Afterward, he sat resting his chin against his closed hands, elbows on the table.
He and his lawyers vowed to appeal as they left the courthouse.
“I have never violated my public oath. I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent,” Menendez said.
Menendez did not testify at the nine-week trial, but insisted publicly he was only doing his job as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He said the gold bars found in his New Jersey home by the FBI belonged to his wife, Nadine Menendez.
She too was charged, but her trial was postponed so she could recover from breast cancer surgery.
She has pleaded not guilty.
The verdict comes four months before Election Day and potentially dooms Menendez’s chances of winning reelection as an independent.
It prompted a chorus of Democrats to call on Menendez to resign, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, New Jersey’s junior senator, Corey Booker, and the party’s nominee to replace Menendez, Rep. Andy Kim.
“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate and our country, and resign,” Schumer’s statement said.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged the Senate to expel Menendez if he refuses to resign, but it wasn’t clear if Schumer would be willing to hold those votes.
Expulsion requires a two-thirds majority.
A senator has not been removed from office in over a century.
Menendez faces the possibility of a long prison term when he is sentenced Oct. 29.
He was found guilty of 16 counts, the most serious of which carry a potential prison sentence of 20 years.
This was the second corruption trial for Menendez.
An earlier prosecution on unrelated charges in 2017 ended with a deadlocked jury.
“This case has always been about shocking levels of corruption, hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. “This wasn’t politics as usual, this was politics for profit. And now that a jury has convicted Bob Menendez, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end.”
Two co-defendants also were convicted.
The New Jersey businessmen, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were accused of paying bribes.
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A third, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty prior to trial and testified against the others.
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jodilin65 · 29 years
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SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 1995 Yesterday Tom was gonna fire up the spa, but something’s wrong with the filter or whatever. He got it up to 80º, but it felt like it was in the 50s! Well, at least the weather’s getting hot. We were out there early yesterday morning and I never heard a peep out of next door.
We went to screw yesterday and although it was fun, I couldn’t cum. Guess that makes two of us now, but I didn’t deliberately hold back. Now that the fact that he’ll never cum has fully hit me and sunk in, I can be pleasantly selfish during sex. He claims that for him to get off, he has to go really slow. I like it fast. I used to be like - well, let’s go slow so we can see if he cums, but now I’m like - he won’t cum, so why not have him go fast? I’m the one that cums.
We got a treadmill last Friday. I had to rearrange our rather small living room to get it to fit in. I walked for 10 minutes earlier, as well as used my thigh master. Soon I’ve got to do my sit-ups and push-ups. I don’t know why I bother when I’ve always had the same lousy shape (proportioning) and always will. It just makes me feel better I guess and I am still smaller and more fit than the average person. It’s funny, though, cuz Tom not only sees my body differently than I do, he sees my level of fitness differently too. Out of 100% fitness, he sees me as 70%. I see myself as 40-50%.
I finished and taped that cactus puzzle and I began the sailboat one.
Tom got me a big book of over 200 word-seek puzzles for $9. Nine bucks! Can you believe it? Well, I love them anyhow and have already done several. Hope my subscription gets here soon enough, though. And my CD. I can’t wait for that CD!
Got a letter from Kim yesterday and one from Bob the day before. I sent letters out to them, my parents and Lisa, Becky, and Sarah. It’s been a while since I wrote them their own letters and I used flag pictures to decorate their envelopes.
FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 1995 I got my folk’s catalog of the flags they sell. It’s pretty neat. I cut out most of them, kept my favorites, and intend to decorate the backs of envelopes with the rest. Unfortunately, I can’t decorate envelopes for Bob. The prison won’t go for that.
Their work number was listed in two different areas which were crossed out. Just when I thought they trusted me. Now, why in the world would I want to call their work number? Wait till I tell her I could still see through to the number! Even so, you know, that was kind of insulting to see.
Also, in the package was a water-resistant clock/radio. That’ll be nice for our romantic weekend get-together at the pool. Oh, I only hope and pray those kids stay quiet, cuz that’d really spoil the mood.
There were two puzzles. One of a desert mountain with cactuses. Another of boats at a marina. This was great and they never would’ve known if I hadn’t mentioned Marge getting me into puzzles. They also remembered how I said I like around 500 pieces and not 1000, cuz then it becomes more of a drag than fun. Guess they do pay attention to what I say.
Lastly, in the package were 3 pairs of shorts, a vest, and a jacket. They all fit perfectly and are stuff I’d wear. The jacket was a bit big but beautiful, so I don’t care. My favorite was the denim shorts with gold studs, triangles, and clear gemstones at the top of the rims of the pockets.
Marge called right after Tom went to bed to see how my ear appointment went. That was nice.
Later…
I have only one edit tape left to cut. That oughta go fast, cuz there are reps on there for sure. I called them ‘edibytes’ when I was telling Tom about it. Last night Andy and I had about a 20-minute conversation with Karson which I taped. I edited all of that and yes, she sure makes great edits. I edited a message a friend of Marla left Andy. Also, the weather report in Springfield a few months back where we were laughing at the 0º they had. Marla got a kick out of it, but said, “I don’t know if Maryanne would appreciate her conversations being taped.” Andy let her know we didn’t; she left that message on his VM, then Marla said, “OK. Just checking.”
Last night Andy wanted to call and talk to Nervous, believe it or not, but the number was disconnected. There was a Kevin T in W. Springfield, but it wasn’t him. I can’t see him having anyone to call who’s long-distance, so if he’s still with Crystal, my guess is she rang up a bill. Unless they broke up and he rang up a bill calling 900#s.
I was wondering why Kim didn’t have a typewriter or a computer since she could afford it, but what would be the point? She’d never be home enough to use it, so it’d be a complete waste of money.
Later…
I’m trying to stay up as late as I can so I can sleep later. That way I’m up more during the days this weekend. I’m too tired to do anything, though, so I’m kind of bored.
I don’t know why I’ve had no appetite for sex lately. It’s the lowest it’s been since I’ve known Tom and he certainly didn’t do anything. Well, the desire’s always lower after my period, so I’m sure it’ll pick up. The desire to have a kid is way down too, but I’m glad. I hope and pray that this is how it stays and doesn’t fluctuate on me. I can’t afford to be running around dwelling on that with my being sterile and with a guy who doesn’t cum. Regardless of what he says, I knew many months ago he’d never cum. I just wasn’t ready to admit or accept this. Not back then, anyway.
I think I’ll go grab a bite to eat now, then go do whatever else I can think of.
TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 1995 First of all, we went out last Saturday and mostly browsed around. We did get a couple of things, though. A fan on a stand that’s in the living room, and I got two CDs. Not counting Living in the USA and the 70s one I ordered, I now have a total of 108 CDs. At Best Buy I got Hasten Down the Wind which has several songs I sing. Also, her latest one in English is called Feels Like Home. It’s a lot like her older stuff and even Tom likes it. I haven’t learned it all yet, but I will.
Before we went shopping and looked around, we went to Red Lobster. That was great.
Kim called this afternoon. She’s still madly in love with Doug and says it’s mutual. She hasn’t told Doug yet that I’m the one behind the letters and is gonna wait till I send 1 or 2 more. I mail them to her along with the letters I send her with an addressed envelope to his PO Box in Vernon, CT, then she mails it to him.
She still says that she wouldn’t be one bit shocked if I told her I was pregnant and says she sees it happening. I told her that sometimes I see it, but mostly I don’t.
She told me Minnie was a nice, down-to-earth, cool person that Bob would hardly look at or acknowledge. True to his letter, he “couldn’t keep his eyes or hands off of her.” She still believes in his innocence but sees no way any more than he does that he’ll get out alive. She thinks he’ll die in there of some heart-related issue. Well, it’s been a long time since I ever felt he’d make it out of there alive.
She also promised to write him more on the condition that he destroys every one of her letters. She doesn’t want anyone to ever see them.
I’m 99% sure no one would call, let alone come here concerning any of my letters (should he die or whatever), but I’ve got a request of my own for him. Not to destroy my 100-and-something letters, but to destroy all my envelopes that have address labels on them. Also, any letters with any addresses, names, or numbers. Then, from there on out, I’ll ask that he rip off and destroy my address labels or destroy the whole envelope. I still want to use address labels, so anything that needs to be returned to me can be.
Great news today at the doctor’s office. I was so nervous beforehand like most people and fearing the worst. Like him saying, “Jodi, I hate to tell you this, but the skin graft is all messed up. I have to operate again.”
However, as Tom said, and as I knew deep down in my heart, he said it looked great. Tom kept insisting I’d have to wear a bathing cap this summer and I told him I was determined to get around that. How the hell would I get all this hair up into it anyway? So, when I went to ask the doctor about it, Tom looked at me as if to say, sorry, but you aren’t gonna get your way with this one. Sure enough, though, and thank God, the doctor said due to the fact that everyone’s different I’ll have to experiment and see what my ear can or cannot tolerate. Growing up at beaches every year and swimming most of my life in so many places, I know I’ve never had Swimmer’s Ear or any kind of ear infection that I can remember, so that’s a good sign. One advantage the bad ear has is that it’s drilled straight in, whereas the good ear’s not, cuz that’s how normal ear canals are. Anyway, he says my ear canal is almost the size of a regular one and to just tip my head over when I get out of the water. I do that anyway with the good ear. If there are any problems, there are drops I can get to help avoid infections and problems like that. He said you can get it other ways, too. From showers, rainstorms, etc. Well, I grew up doing an awful lot of swimming for 3 months at the beach and where it rains a lot, and have never had a problem, so that helps to know.
Little by little I’m getting color. Arizona’s definitely back, thank God! Did I mention how our weather was like Massachusetts for about a week? It was cold, damp, rainy, and it really sucked. It was 88º today and tomorrow it’ll be 93º. The pool temperature was 74º today and this weekend we’re gonna heat it up. I hope the temperature stays where it is. Better yet, goes up.
Later…
I don’t know if the owner of that dog came to pick it up or not, but all’s been quiet enough from over there, so that’s cool. I hear an occasional scream, but nothing I can’t deal with. They’re still playing out front, but they’ve been quieter at it. I’m still not sure if I’ll leave her a note to come over to chat or have coffee. She’s probably too busy and who’d watch the kids? She’d have to haul the herd over here and no way! This place isn’t baby-proof and never will be unless we have one and I’m still almost sure we won’t.
Now here’s some very strange, funny, weird, yet great news. I wish to hell I taped the conversation I had with my mom earlier cuz it was great. I forgot to ask how long Dad’s gonna be gone to New England and also if they cracked my secret code in fingerspelling. I typed the alphabet and interpreted that up top of the message which said - I love and miss you both.
Also, in 3-4 days a package will arrive from them. I started next week’s letter to them and jokingly said, “So, ma, when’s the package gonna be here?” as I usually do.
Anyway, if Andy, who’s seen the bad side of her, heard us talking, he wouldn’t believe it was the same Dureen O he used to know. Dad was there too, and they had company. It sounded like they could’ve been playing cards.
Later…
Continuing with what I was last saying - I told her about my ear and said (which is shockingly true) he didn’t even have to vacuum me today! Then she said, “Have him do your carpets, then.”
Then I told her our vacuum was broken and she asked why. I told her my hair jammed it up and she said, “You’re not supposed to vacuum your hair with it, you idiot.”
So then she goes, “Tell me. Is Tom really that caring or are you just putting on a show and bullshitting me?” Then after I reminded her that I tell her like it is and know how to dump a jerk and wasn’t bullshitting her, she said, “Well, he’ll get the stamp of approval only when I meet him.”
Of course she was teasing me, but I told her in their letter that it’d take a hell of a ton of bricks to fall on Tom’s head to turn him into a psycho, and how if that were possible I’d call them just like I did at the NHA and say, “Look. I’m in a really bad situation here and I need help to get an apartment till I can dance the money back to you and get on my feet. No pun intended.” Then to make her feel better, cuz nobody’s perfect I said, “I’ll tell you something negative about him. He’s a slob, an occasional procrastinator, and doesn’t always pick up after himself.”
She also told me I was really growing up and she just may like me after all. Well, I certainly didn’t expect either of us to like each other, even though we always loved each other. And it’s good to know we can get along, even though we’ll never be alike or agree on everything. She asked if there was a place to sleep when she got here and she said she was getting the bedroom and I had to sleep on the couch and wait on her. I told her I’d dress like a whore just to piss her off while I waited on her. She said, “Oh, yeah. Same old little whore.”
We were cracking up and she said when she gets here we can discuss my gift to her. She said with all those computers I said we had she was sure we could put something together. I really wish we could and we hope to someday. It may take a while, though.
We were teasing each other when I said I wouldn’t trade this life I’ve got today for the old one. She said she’d never take me back and I was like, “Good! I’d never go back with you. You’re a bossy nag.”
SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 1995 Last night’s live chat with Alex was fun. Confusing, but fun. I could send him instant messages, but I wasn’t getting any from him. After a while of not being able to find him, I sent him an instant message to go to the Starfleet Academy room. From there, we created our own room called Trouble. We chatted about odds and ends. He asked how Tom was and he told me how in love he is with this hearing woman named Mary.
I insisted to Tom today that I blew my schedule right out the door, but he insisted, “I expected this. This is good. You’re doing fine and are making great progress.”
Then I asked him, “What if we had a kid? I mean, I was so tired and there’d have been no way I could’ve kept up with it.”
He said, “You won’t get to be in that situation when the time comes.”
OK, whatever. I’m still not quite sure what he means. I may be able to fall back asleep and take naps more often now that I’m not going through all the shit I was in the past, but how the hell I’ll ever maintain a schedule beats me. I had set the alarm for 8 AM yesterday and after 4 days of 5-6 hours of sleep, I was dead exhausted, so I kept hitting the snooze till 10:30. My allergies were giving me hell and I felt really miserable, so at 1 PM I fell back asleep till 5 PM. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. He may sleep in here tomorrow night instead.
Not a sound all day or night from that dog next door. Only 8 van door slams at 10:30 PM or so.
Minnie shocked the shit out of me by giving me a call. She said Bob gained weight, cried when he saw them, and that was it. She told me how lousy motherhood’s been on her, the kid went off, and that was it. Tomorrow I’ll have a letter going out for Minnie.
Kim left a message, too. She and Doug are going to her grandmother’s in Maine for the weekend, but she’ll call back Sunday night.
Tom and I talked to my parents earlier. All’s well with them.
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1995 Yesterday, a federal building with several different federal offices in it was bombed and 200-300 people were killed. A lot of kids too, as there was a daycare office in this building for employees there. The bomb caused damage as much as 5 blocks away. Tammy thinks it’s Middle Eastern terrorists. Tom thinks it’s US citizens pissed off at the government, but authorities have no suspects or motives.
This is really scary. Especially since it happened in Oklahoma City and not some bigger, more well-known place like New York City, Boston, L.A., Chicago or Miami. Tom said the nearest federal building to us is miles away, but it sure reinforces the fact that we’re just not safe anywhere.
We still want a child, but it made me wonder once again if the joys and rewards of having a child are worth all the risks. No one can protect them 24 hours a day. Even Tammy said how it pisses her off that kids in school have to be taught how to defend themselves against guns when they should be learning their ABCs and 2+2=4. I can almost bet you, though, that the kids who were killed had great parents. Those who survived probably had assholes for parents.
In an hour and a half, I’ll be chatting with Alex live on AOL. We’re gonna chat for 10-15 minutes, he said, so he doesn’t charge up too much. This will be part of my 5 hours a month, but I’ll have to ask Tom when the billing cycle begins and ends.
Every time a good deal is offered by a phone company, Tom grabs it, so we’re going from Touch One to AT&T. Our monthly bills are $25 - $30 bucks and now we can make twice as many calls for that amount for 6 months. Plus, they’re giving us one free weekend and a $20 check.
Got a letter from Bob today saying Kim and Minnie did get to see him, so he’s happy about that.
Tom’s gonna sleep in here tomorrow night. I don’t think I mentioned how it went last week. The shocking part of it was that when he got into bed a few hours after I did, I never woke up! However, I did after another hour, then went back to bed a couple of hours later. He said it was a great start and great that I didn’t wake up when he got into bed and that I could get back to sleep, even though it took a while. Yeah, it sure helps to not be fuming over constant noisy neighbors who you know are doing it deliberately or who just don’t give a damn.
We got one prank call today for the first time in ages. The person never spoke and hung up after a few seconds, but someone was definitely there. The caller made a slight breathing sound that made me think of Nervous, but why would he bother after all this time? We don’t live alone and close by with no lives and I believe his obsession’s long over. If it was him, then maybe he got bored, broke up with Crystal, and just decided to see if I was still here for curiosity’s sake. I doubt it was Fran cuz he would’ve said something. Or had someone else talk. I still can’t believe what a good boy he’s been, but I would believe it if every handful of months he tries calling as if nothing ever happened and as if we’ve been great friends all along. I wonder if he calls Nervous. He’s local and I know there have been guys as well as females he’s called for years.
The guy next door is on his way out again. After the mail came, I went out to see if any packages were left outside. Both dogs were tied to their trees and there was Lenore. She told me that the dog was not even theirs and that the owner’s picking it up in a few days. Yes!! Thank you, God! She said the reason they were out front was cuz they exterminated the back area.
Anyway, she really is a sweet person and if things continue to go cool I might leave her a note saying: I’ll understand if you’re busy, but feel free to ring the doorbell if you want to chat or have coffee, as I’m home a lot, too. We’ll see in a few weeks to a month.
Well, I’m gonna go do word search puzzles till it’s time to go online with Alex.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 1995 What a depressing, scary, and sickening day this has been. I’ll start with the petty stuff that’s quite minor first, compared to the biggie that’s going on elsewhere.
For about an hour next door today, I was really damn close to going over there and saying, “Look. I appreciate your keeping the kids down, but I refuse to be compensated with that new dog of yours!”
I can be controlled and have to make sacrifices within normal and acceptable reasons by family and friends, but not someone else’s dog. I’m not gonna sit by and be forced to wait till it adjusts and becomes like their other dog. I want so bad to live in a house where if a neighbor gets a dog we won’t know about it. Just cuz it may be better than their other one which went off round the clock and just cuz it may be better than hearing the kids doesn’t mean I’ll deal with its daily half-hour to 1½-hour of adjustment bullshit. All the more so when I’m in my room trying to read, write, or whatever.
I finished copying this year’s horoscopes. I also typed quite a bit of 83.
Tom will be home in a little over a half-hour, so I’ll write about the federal building that was bombed in Oklahoma City and why it both pisses me off and scares me, sometime later on.
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1995 Thankfully I hardly ever heard their new puppy today. On Tom’s way into the garage, he said he saw it and they also still have that other one. He also said the kids were out, but shockingly I never heard a peep out of them. Fine with me. I only heard that dog twice this morning for a couple of seconds. Out back it was really faint, but it was much louder as I was heading into the bathroom. This tells me they must be keeping it in their carport, cuz if their living room window was open and it was there, I’d hear all those kids, too.
Tom’s job’s looking more promising. Meaning, he just may be able to stay there. That’d be great.
I sent Alex a message a couple of days ago about us chatting live today at 3 PM my time. However, there was a message left from him today saying he’d be in Lesbianville. (Northampton) So I zapped a reply back suggesting 10 PM my time on Thursday night, so we’ll see what he says about it.
No mail for me today, and Tom “predicts” I won’t get that CD. I had an unfortunate feeling about that too, cuz I really want it bad. If I didn’t care about it that much - no problem.
Speaking of CDs, boy did I make a shocking discovery today! Back when I lived out on Bell Rd., I got 3 CDs from this same company. One of them was pretty sucky, so I tossed it aside and have ignored it ever since. Well, I hadn’t begun listening to oldies stations till the winter of ‘93 or so. This song by the Chi-Lites that I’d never heard of before called Have You Seen Her is a song I came to like. I requested it 6 months before we were married, dedicating it to my fiancée who Tom was at the time. I never caught the very beginning of it on tape, though, cuz they talked over it. So, a few months ago I retaped it, catching a little more of the beginning. Then, today I picked up that CD and there it was! Hell, I’ve had this song for nearly two years, maybe a little more, and I never fucking knew it!
Can’t think of anything else at the moment and I got up at 6:30 AM, so I won’t be up more than a couple more hours or so.
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1995 I have lots to write about, so I’ll get on with it now. Last Saturday Tom trimmed that ¼” off my hair which is really on its way to getting a lot healthier.
Sunday was when we were out for 4½ hours or so. First, we cruised around Camelback Mountain. I filmed as he drove.
Then we went to a 50s cafe where a very friendly butch waited on us.
Lastly, it was off to the racetrack where we stood for two races. First, we betted on an important race in Kentucky which they showed throughout the place on TV screens. Then they paraded the horses around a small circular area for the people to see. Then they returned with their jockeys riding them. Cuz racehorses are high-strung, they’re led by calmer non-racing horses I’d call “the tranquilizers” to keep them calm. They galloped to the other side of the track to warm up. A few minutes later they’d race. They race a different group of 6-12 horses every 15 minutes.
Tom taught me a few things. A quarter horse is trained to accelerate really fast to chase down any runaway horses. These races consisted of fillies and mares. A filly’s a female horse under 5. A mare is a female horse over 5.
We betted $2 on a few tickets but had no real luck. We also got soda and popcorn there and I got a huge gumball.
I forgot to mention the biorhythm charts we got printed out from a machine for 50¢ at that cafe. It gives you your levels between low, good, and high in luck, romance, creativity, health, sex, ambition, endurance, finance, friendship, and leisure plans. Tom’s was higher than mine overall.
Later…
The kids next door are still barely noticeable. The only thing I hear is their van coming and going, but I don’t know if they still have that red van. I haven’t seen it lately. I saw some other weird-looking truck over there. I also wonder if they got another dog. Every now and then I hear some weird howling. Sometimes it’s really low, others really high. Amazingly, I don’t think anyone was there this weekend, but it was Easter, so that’s probably why.
I wonder if my parent’s flag catalog will come today. I wish the CD would get here earlier, but I doubt it. It probably won’t be here for another 2-3 weeks. I totally lost track of when my first puzzle book is due to arrive, but I’ve still got about 80 or so here to do. Yesterday I did about 50.
Yup, this journal’s surely gonna last an extremely long time.
I did some singing earlier as well as copied in more horoscopes. I’m up to mid-October now. It’s been a while since I’ve edited or worked on my story but I wanted to get the horoscopes out of the way first.
Later…
Tom will be home in about an hour. In a half-hour from now, I’ll start dinner. I’m gonna make us pork chops and tater tots.
Tomorrow’s my curse and it’s nice to know I only feel it physically and not mentally. The only thing I feel is a little sluggish due to this damn weather. It’s been a lot like New England. It’s really damn chilly and once again I’ve got my portable heater on. This shit started yesterday and it’s gonna stay like this till the weekend. Last night we had major wind and rain.
I worked on something else I’ve been putting on hold also and typed up more of 83.
Anyway, today’s a good day in the way that I’m glad we’ve got no kid now.
Tom’s home. I’ll finish later.
Later…
Anyway, as I was saying, this disgusting weather which has me feeling rather energyless makes me glad Tom’s “feeling” will be wrong. He feels I’ll get pregnant between May - July. This is almost getting funny. As July’s on its way out, he’ll tell me it’ll be between August - October.
He came home with groceries, then left to get louvers which are supposed to go up on the roof to prevent the air in here from going out the vents and through the cooler on the roof. Two places didn’t have them and one was closed, so he came home and threw some wood in. He also fired up the wall heater in the back room.
There goes that whining dog again and it is next door and it isn’t the dog they’ve always had. I’ve been hearing this on and off all day. What? Is this what I’m gonna get instead of the kids? Well, it may be better, but no way! I believe I’ve heard this for 3 days now and if it keeps up, they’re getting another letter.
Later…
I just asked Tom if he thought they got a new dog and he said yes, but don’t worry cuz it’ll stop barking sooner than the other one did when they moved in. He said the other one may have died and older dogs tend to bark more and for longer when moved to a new environment. This one sounds like a scared puppy and it barks, or whines I should say, for only a few minutes an hour. That other one was 24/7 when they first got here. Well, I do understand and feel it’ll stop soon. If not, I’ll take care of it. How the hell can they afford this, though, with so many people to feed? As I said before, this is probably why they’re all crammed into a tiny house. Where have they got this dog? It’s definitely not out back, so it’s got to be in their living room and they always have their windows open. With all that body heat, they probably don’t need any heat on now. It’s amazing that I can’t hear the kids scream cuz they’re even louder than the dog. Fine with me, though.
Later…
Tom’s going to bed now and I am going to repolish my pitiful-looking nails. I’ll be back to write later on.
SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 1995 Yesterday we went to Turf Paradise. It's definitely not something I'd ever really be into in a big way, but it was still fairly interesting. He showed me around the place first. There was a little gift shop, places to eat, and stuff like that. We went to the top of the bleachers and the view was pretty nice. Actually, I'm not really in the mood to write at this time, so I'll write all about Turf Paradise and the filming we did some other time.
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1995 I talked with my dad yesterday. He’s sending me a catalog of all their flags. He’s going up north on May 1st. I teased him about part of their motto and said, “You said if you don’t have it, you can get it, so where’s my flag of Gloria?”
He said he’d go by the old neighborhood and see who lives there. I told him he could give them a certain finger.
He thought the fingerspelling font was cool.
Later…
It sure isn’t too easy writing in this book in bed. I’ll get used to it, though.
I finally got around to making a GYN appointment. I’ll have to go for that on May 24th.
I laid out back for a while as I read my book. I scrubbed the kitchen floor and typed letters to Kim, Bob, and my parents. I called Tammy who was about to leave for the weekend to go see Bill at his hotel. I let her know I have 6 songs on their way to her.
Let’s see…what else did I do? I sang and copied more horoscopes. I haven’t attempted to put music to any of my lyrics yet, but maybe I will soon.
When I go to type up this journal, I wonder how easy, or even possible it’ll be to put it on the music stand.
Later…
I just ran out back for a cigarette. The lounge chairs we have out there are not only uncomfortable, but they’re falling apart. We need to get new ones that are comfier.
I just kicked on the radio hoping to catch a goodie. I’m not wasting my time bothering to call in a request cuz they never play it. They say something like, “Yeah, I think we have that song. I think I can get that on for you.” Yeah, right.
There are these two songs by the Sylvers I’d like to have, but I haven’t heard them yet. A while back they played Best of My Love by the Emotions. It was like their one hit. I used to love that song so much. My cousin Lisa and I would play that 45 a lot at each other’s house.
HA! HA! HA! Some girl just called and requested Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt. The DJ said, “Sure,” but he’s playing Hurt So Bad, instead. Yup, they really know what they’re doing at this station.
It has been so wonderfully peaceful with the kids next door. I hope it stays this way!
The reason why I made a GYN appointment is cuz no matter what he says and no matter what my song says about the word “never,” I know I’ll never have a kid. So, putting off the appointment until I get pregnant is just a fantasy. If I did that, I’d never see a GYN again in my life. It’s still important for me to get regular check-ups, as much as I hate to, and Tom and I know all is fine.
Awesome! They just played YMCA which I taped.
Tomorrow Tom and I are gonna go to the racetrack. We’re also gonna explore the chat line on AOL, and it’s time for him to take and trim ¼” of my hair. I’m not sure what else we’re gonna do.
He’s not sure if he’s gonna end up staying at Bank of America. He says there are too many people and too little work.
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1995 Today I’m gonna make the GYN appointment I’m late for. It’s only once a year, so I may as well get it over with.
Right now I’m feeling typical PMS dullness and blues.
There are a few things I want to bring up and say to Tom. However, I’m afraid he’ll feel pressured and I don’t want him to get the wrong idea. Meaning that I don’t want him to think I’m being selfish, trying to change him or have him please only me. If he had a request of me, I’d try to do whatever I could for him and I don’t ever want him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.
It’s not that our relationship is boring in and out of bed and I like the gentleman in him, but why not add even more flair? I want so badly to tell him to be more romantic. This means both of us. I wish he’d be a little more adventurous at times. Not be afraid to grab my butt in public when no one’s looking, not be afraid to grab a quickie in the car in a more secluded parking lot, not be afraid to talk dirty to me more often, etc. I know he knows when to draw the line. One time when we were in the car, I slid my hand on his leg. He said he was a big boy and could wait till he got home. I don’t want him to always be a “big boy.”
I also wish, with no misunderstandings on my part for thinking it’s the real thing, that he’d pretend and say he came occasionally in bed. Cuz even though he’s said and I know it’s not my fault, I know he could have always cum and will always have that choice, I’d still feel more like a real woman who’s doing her job right. It still has me feeling a bit abnormal and different with a low sense of confidence when it comes to how I make him feel sexually.
Sometimes I wonder if I should even hold myself back from cumming to see how it makes him feel. Maybe he’d be able to understand how I feel better. It just seems too hard to do. After being built up and made so horny, I’ve got to be relieved or else I’m so frustrated. I just don’t know how he does it!
Anyway, as I said before, I’m afraid to bring this up to him. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable or suggest he get into stuff he doesn’t want to do.
We both admit we do contradict ourselves a lot in the things we say. I also think we should work on improving this and keeping our word if the situation permits it.
Later…
Oh, I feel so much better! I told Tom everything I just wrote about in my last entry and as I should’ve known better, it was no problem. He totally agreed and understood all I said and told me we should never hesitate to make suggestions.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1995 Not much to say today on one of the most unfavorable dates in my life 12 years ago.
No “strange noises” yesterday, thankfully.
To make copying in this year’s horoscopes easier, I called Prodigy and spoke them into my box. One by one I’m copying them in. For the most part, I think they’re way off. Some things they mentioned, I sure hope don’t come true. Some would be nice if they came true. They must’ve gotten bored when they got around to December as they had lines in them from earlier months.
I still don’t always get the difference between the words “effect” and “affect.”
Believe it or not, the scale said I was 97 pounds. I feel it and feel like I look smaller, but according to my measurements, I’m still the same. Still, I say it’s nice to be like this 6 days before my period. In a few more days or so, the water, tenderness, and constipation will hit.
It’s hard for me, especially at this time of the month, to remain realistic. How do I convince myself that no matter how much Tom says he wants a kid he’s never gonna cum and we’re never gonna have a kid? How do I accept this? What will make it easier for me? I’ve got to find a way to accept and deal with it, otherwise my life’s gonna be much harder than it needs to be or should be.
I’ll be damned if I’ll try praying again. Not after what happened, even though I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for it. Besides, the bulk of me still doesn’t believe in it.
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 1995 Boy, have I got a major project for this journal!
Before I get into it, though, I’ll write about an experience I had early yesterday morning that really freaked me out. It was freaky, weird, and even scary. At about 8 AM, I decided to chat with God once again. I laid down in bed, turned the fan on, turned the lights off and shut the bedroom door. I first began to say, “I want to believe in Your existence and a lot of the time I do. However, how do I know You’re not just a myth? A made-up character cuz most people want to believe in a higher power that’s good. However, I need a sign that You can at least hear me, if not understand me and help me with my requests. Something not too freaky, but would let me know You’re there and you hear me.”
The next thing I know I hear a sound that’s quite hard to describe. I believe it came from near the bedroom door. That’s the first place I looked towards anyway. It scared the shit out of me and I froze in sheer terror. I ran and checked the house out, but all was fine and locked up tight. It wasn’t windy out, so I don’t think anything could’ve blown against the house. It sounded like a knock/tapping that had a creakiness to it. The closest place and type of sound that I can describe it as is a knock on my bedroom door.
Tom suggested a test by knocking on the front door. Nope. Way too soft. I was so spooked out that I slept on the couch.
Anyway, perhaps I’ll never really know for sure what that sound was and if it was a coincidence with a logical explanation or a true sign from God. Tom said that if it was God - why be afraid of Him? I’m not, but that sudden, unexpected, unknown sound sure scared me. Maybe if it was really Him, He figured that freaking me out and scaring me was the only way to give me that sign I asked for. Well, I sure as hell won’t ask for a sign again! It was too creepy!
Tom disagreed with one other theory I had. I asked if he could be mad at me for wanting more than the wonderful things I’ve already got and Tom said no.
I got two letters today. A finger-spelling one from Alex. I read it OK, but it was too small. I got one from Kim today too, on really nice stationery with multicolored lines. She loved her fingerspelling letter and said to send more anytime.
Now for my project. I copied horoscopes off of Prodigy to copy in here, but shit! It took nearly two hours to do April and May. I thought it’d be neat to have a “book of horoscopes.” I don’t know how far I’ll go with this, meaning, how long. Maybe be a few months, maybe the whole year of 1995. The whole rest of the year would be nice. If I do decide to do that much and end up needing a few more pages from another journal for it, I’ll use #91.
A jackpot for Andy too, cuz I had to copy these down somewhere first. I copied them onto a notepad. One of my old Barbie ones my parents sent me when I first came here. Andy will love it cuz he loves passing notes out. In stores, restaurants, people’s cars, etc.
I’m 98 pounds! Wow! Just when I was feeling like a fat blimp. I have been exercising, though. Wait till I get closer to my period on the 18th. Then I’ll be feeling it as I bulk out with water.
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 1995 Where the hell is that weirdo next door going at this hour? And does he ever sleep?
Anyway, I just got done reading some of the book I’m reading. Gonna do some editing now.
First of all, though, Tom liked my songs and gave me the feedback I asked for. He rated The Strangers are Waiting an 8½, Visions a 5, and Dreams Are Not Enough a 7. However, he says we can rewrite Dreams Are Not Enough to be a 9. He showed me his ideas about it and I liked it much better.
SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 1995 Well, I’ve known Tom for two years as of today. God, that’s amazing!
Anyway, what my parents sent wasn’t a card or a letter. It was a newspaper article with a picture of my dad in it holding one of the flags they sell. Apparently, a law was passed, then tossed out, about businesses putting up flags that’d make the place look like a circus. It never was intended, though, to stop people from decorating their homes. This would’ve also meant bad business for them and as I said in a letter I typed them, people should have the right to decorate as they wish and not be controlled.
I jokingly asked Dad how much he was paid for his modeling contract. Also, I’d use the search mode to make sure I didn’t leave the letter ‘l’ out of the word flags.
I had a discussion earlier with Tom on how I feel he’s indirectly blaming me for reasons why he doesn’t cum. I said, first it was my attitude, then certain things I’d wear that don’t create tan lines as he likes, then my talk of getting pregnant. Next, how do I know it won’t be cuz I have red nail polish on or whatever? He reassured me it was not my fault and that I can’t control his dick, but that I should control, worry, and take care of myself and give him the benefit of the doubt. Meaning, wear what I want and don’t worry about him. Another example he gave me was when he said he doesn’t believe in premonitions and vibes but doesn’t try to change my opinion of it. In other words, it’s OK for me to believe he could’ve always cum at any time, but don’t throw it up in his face and challenge it. The man has a point. How do I really know for sure what’s on his mind about what he says about not cumming? I should do unto him as I expect him to do unto me. He takes me for face value, gives me the benefit of the doubt, lets me think and feel as I please, and doesn’t tell me what to wear and do. This excludes if he says - Jodi can you please get me a soda? Or - can I help you decide what to wear occasionally?
There are times when I like and ask him to pick out outfits for me. I know he appreciates all the little things I do for him, and that to him they’re big things that all add up. Still, I sometimes feel slow, stupid, and inadequate cuz I love him so much that all the more I want to be able to make him happy. I know it’s harder for me to wait for certain things, whether or not they’ll happen. He said I accepted waiting for a dishwasher easier, for example, but to me, that’s cuz it’s a material thing and those are easier to wait for.
Later…
I am in a lazy mood as I begin this journal.
Getting back to our earlier conversation about acceptance. He was saying I was getting worse at not accepting some things I can’t have right now, as I did with the dishwasher. The dishwasher is a material thing, but I would just totally love to be able to do that with the singing and the kid as easily as it is to say so. I want to be able to say to myself that if I can ever have a kid, I can’t have one now, and if I can, it’ll possibly be months from now or maybe even a few years. People don’t normally get pregnant just like that.
I should’ve known him better and I should’ve known that when he said I’d be pregnant soon, maybe he really did think that and that he wasn’t knowingly, intentionally, and deliberately trying to lead me on or play with my head.
I cooked up some spag and potatoes earlier, so I think I’ll go chow down now. I also typed a letter to my folks as well as one for Kim and one for her to mail to Doug. Soon, after eating, I may do some editing, work on my story, do puzzles, or whatever. I also have my library book to read. Maybe I’ll call the radio station and see if I can request a few songs.
Later…
I got the bandages off, so why am I still getting headaches? They’re not serious and painful, but they’re annoying. It can’t be my hair. My hair’s not that long anymore.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 1995 Yes! Guess what I’m getting in the mail in 3-4 weeks? Well, it’s a club that’s even better than Columbia House and BMG for music. It operates a little differently, less pushy. I saw a commercial for a CD called Sounds of the 70s. They had several songs I love on it. I called for it under a fake name and every month or every other month they automatically send you a CD making it very convenient for you to send it back if you don’t want it.
I’m in the mood to write till Andy calls me around 2:00, but I just can’t think of anything to write about to fill up these last 12 pages.
Oh, yeah - I figured out the intro to that Abba song for Andy. I left it on his machine. He left me a message all psyched up about it saying I’ve got it and he can’t believe how I figured it out so fast. Especially when I hate the song to begin with. He had just come in from work and said he was gonna watch his soaps while I was checking out that movie. He’ll probably call in 15 minutes to a half-hour.
Later…
I talked with Andy for a little over an hour. He called that 800# and ordered that same 70s CD under a bogus name.
God, this journal just is never gonna end! It feels like it’s a 300-page one. That big one I got has 160 pages in it, but it’ll be like 320. Double. When I was writing the two middle pages in it, I mentioned seeing ones with spiral binders on them to make it easier to write closer to the center of the book. I may get one someday, now that they don’t only have them in soft covers. I had an idea for if I get one, but am not sure if it’s a good one or worth it. That would be to detach its pages which can easily be done. Then, set the margins on the computer to fit the print on its pages. Type and print its pages, then buy some of those reinforcers to reattach them with.
Later…
I’m starting to tire down but I hope to see Tom before I conk out. If not, he’s off this weekend.
Lately, the thought of having a kid is like - ugh! I love it and wish it were like this all the time. I know, however, I’ll probably have my moments when I want one here and there throughout my life. I don’t think either Tom or myself will ever get serious about trying to get me pregnant no matter what we say. I think we both know that we’re so busy, we have plans, aren’t rich, and want each other with no one in the way. This is regardless of my probable sterility and his never cumming.
I had told him, and even he said any time’s good for him to move into my room. He’s been stalling and I’m so glad about it. I mean, I share the rest of the house with him and everything else. I want my own space and room. I don’t want his snoring and movements constantly waking me up any more than I want a screaming kid to. I want so much to say to him, “Look. I want my own room. Even lovers who get along 99% of the time need their own space and we’re not having a kid.”
However, I’m afraid this would hurt his feelings. Maybe not, though, cuz why isn’t he in here? It was gonna be after the December surgery, then after the last one. If he really wanted to, he’d be in here and he could’ve made the time. I’m not gonna bring it up and I sure hope he doesn’t.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1995 Deadly Game is about to come on with Norah in it, so I’m writing and doing puzzles while it’s on.
Earlier yesterday morning I talked to my parents and let them know about my ear.
Before Tom went to his first day of work at Bank of America (not Bank One), he surprised me with a letter in fingerspelling. He had said he’d do one for me when I did one for him and I really didn’t think he would. I put it in my binder with all my other letters.
Tom said he really enjoyed his first day of work. He said the work was easy and we really hope all continues to go well and that he ends up staying there.
Tomorrow after work we’re probably gonna go out and get that large journal I mentioned before.
I renewed my library book today.
We have sex more often which is good. We screwed earlier where he gets hard and I get off. I have a feeling more and more and am pretty sure he’ll never cum. Not by this June. Not by next June. It’s his choice, though.
I wonder if he’s read any more of my story? I doubt it with how busy he’s been. I never feared him reading any of the journals I typed up for two reasons. One, he’s too busy. Two, I don’t think someone’s past is of interest to most people. We’re mainly your typical kind of people who live for today as well as the future.
Later…
I got a reply from Alex at AOL. He mentioned us chatting live on their chat line. Last night Tom mentioned setting that up for me, too. Maybe this weekend, but Tom will have to help me through it the first time around, cuz I have no idea what to even do.
Earlier Tom and I went out to get that big 8x11½ journal. At least I think that’s what it said its size was. The cover’s really pretty and I can’t believe it was only $12. I wrote the two middle pages with no paragraphs. It looked cool seeing so much writing all crammed together in one area where you could see the whole thing. I also got a regular journal, too.
Tomorrow night we may be going to his parent’s house. Ma’s sister Neva (Geneva) is in for a month or so from Michigan. She wanted to escape the shitty weather and ice storms they were having there. Also, she wants to meet me and I haven’t seen my in-laws since that Christmas get-together. No. The last time was when Steven, Carol, and her son were there from California. This was sometime last January, I believe.
Andy had wanted me to figure out the intro to an Abba song and I just did. I’ll teach it to him in person.
That movie called Appointment with Death is taping right now. When it started I saw Norah. Her clothes were plain rather than pitiful like I thought they might be since this movie’s set in the 1930s. It’s an Agatha Christy mystery. Her face looks alright but her hair’s too short. She definitely looked the best in The Guardian and second-best in Hold the Dream.
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 1995 Yesterday was my dad’s 64th birthday. I tried calling on and off all day but got no answer. At 11:00 last night, I left a message on his machine. They’re now 3 hours ahead of us once again.
Kim called again today to tell me about Doug’s reaction to the letter I sent him. It looks as if I may have forgotten to mention that. I sent a wacky letter to his PO box in Vernon, CT. Kim says he thinks it’s a guy writing a woman who had his PO box before him. He just recently got this PO Box. I’m gonna write a letter to her to send to him and then she’ll spill the beans on him, as she put it, and let him in on the joke.
I also heard from Kim the same thing that Andy heard from his friend Mary. Just when they thought they’d have an easy winter (and they did) and thought spring was coming, they had a huge snowstorm and are absolutely freezing! HAHA.
A while back I had begun to put contact paper down on some of the kitchen shelves, ran out, and never finished it. So Tom picked up a few rolls and I did the remaining shelves and drawers.
Tom got a temporary job that he hopes becomes permanent if he likes it. I hope he likes it cuz they start off at $9 an hour and have good benefits. It’s Monday-Friday, 7 AM-4 PM at Bank One. It’s doing office work which is kind of new to him, using computers and word processing.
We spent around $200 today. We got a new lamp and other stuff we needed. A lamp for the back room, I meant to say, and $100 went for getting him 4 new shirts, 2 ties, socks, and undershirts.
Tomorrow we have to renew my library book.
I have so much to do. There are still journals to be typed up and my story to work on, editing to be done, letters to be typed, as well as other shit. Andy wants me to try to figure out the intro to an Abba song on the keyboard and teach it to him. I’ve also had some lyrics for new songs going through my head here and there, so soon I’ll see what I can get down on paper.
I can’t believe how long this journal’s been running. It’s the longest one since 42 back in the fall of ‘93, but I’m out of here for now.
TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 1995 I can’t sleep yet, so I figured I’d write before I got too backed up. My ear is itching now and driving me nuts. Right in the hole, so that oughta be a good enough sign that it’s healing well. Tomorrow’s the big day! Can’t wait to get these bandages off.
Two days ago Tom got that fingerspelling font from AOL. It is so cool. I wish I got it long ago. I sent letters with it to Alex, Kim, Tammy and my parents. For Tammy and my parent’s letters, I wrote out the words for them, naturally.
We replaced the kitchen faucet which is great. No more leaking or having a hard time turning it off.
Our living room ceiling fan died, so he had one at his parents’ house with a light that he brought over.
His ma gave me a plastic placemat with all kinds of drawings of cactuses on it and their names. I tacked it up over the sink.
Later…
No more bandages!! What a relief to get those off. Then to come home and shower and wash my hair. Dr. Nielsen said my new outer graft looked great as well as the inner ear and graft on my arm. How does it look to me? I am really amazed and impressed. It really doesn’t look much different than before. It just looks shorter. I really was afraid it’d be quite gross and discolored. It’s not reddish and black like before. The hearing still isn’t like the good ear, but it is better than before and the hole is wide open. He could touch and wiggle it all over which normally would’ve been excruciating. It was great to listen to my stereo with the big headphones. I’m gonna be able to lay very comfortably on that ear. Nothing he did today hurt at all. He even said he was pleased with how calm I was.
I called and told Tammy all about it and tomorrow I’ll be calling my parents.
Got a letter from Bob today and I’ll let him and everyone else know that everything’s great. I mean, really. Good riddance to the frame, which as Dr. Nielsen said, was my problem all along. I will be forever grateful to both Dr. Nielsen and Dr. Joganic. It’s amazing how I had that discomfort and pain for 6 years and how this man put an end to it in 15 minutes. Then as a bonus, Dr. Nielsen gave me hearing.
He said I could remove the bandage on my graft today and I did. This summer I may also not necessarily have to swim with a bathing cap.
Tom’s gone to a job fair and I’m very tired now. Whenever I fall asleep it’ll be for a long time. I need it and haven’t gotten much sleep with all this on my mind.
Yes, I still want a kid, but after this, I’m glad it’ll be a long time (if ever) before I have to deal with that. There’s no comparison between all this ear stuff I’ve been through and having a kid. Having a kid is a million times more painful with a million more problems. One after another for life. Anyway, getting pregnant is hardly anything I need to worry about. In the meantime, I shall surely enjoy my freedom and how much better I feel.
I go back to Dr. Nielsen on April 24 and May 15. I don’t need to ever see Dr. Joganic.
SUNDAY, APRIL 2, 1995 Well, two more days and counting very, very slowly. Can’t wait to get these bandages off!
Tom got a new faucet to replace our old one in the kitchen. The one we have now leaks and is hard to turn on and off.
The weather’s been nice and they’ve been such sweethearts next door. When I was sitting out there, I told myself, you know on such a beautiful day like today, they’d be screaming on and off if you didn’t write that letter. Thank God it worked, as I really had my doubts. I wish I wrote it a long time ago.
I talked with both Tammy and Larry today. Larry was very tired when I called, so we didn’t talk for long. All he really said was that the visit with Tammy was boring, he heard half the tape, liked it, and will call soon.
Tom also got 3 more tape dispensers, parts for the cigarette machine, a new fluorescent bulb, and something you plug the refrigerator into that’s supposed to save money.
I’m sure there’ll always be a part of me that will want a kid, but there are some things that turn me off about it the more I think of it. And this isn’t just the things I always said that scared me about it like the lack of sleep, etc. This may sound funny, but at the same time I believe Tom wants a kid, I believe more and more that he may be doing more than trying to drive patience into me. I believe he may be leading me on, but time will tell. I have so many different theories, that I’m not sure which one, if any, could be right. Maybe he really doesn’t want a kid but doesn’t want to let me down or say so. Maybe he does and doesn’t want one. I feel that way a lot. I definitely don’t believe he can’t cum or that he came last winter. He’s even admitted this, even if in an indirect way. Not with the way he’s “always so close.” There’s always an excuse, too. He’s tired, he’s sick, his back hurts, his hip, etc. He’s 37, not 87. If he’s truly playing a game with me, what’s he gonna do when he can no longer play it? Other than Kim, I know he has and would tell lies pertaining to sex. If this is how he feels, then I don’t want to have a kid with him. I don’t want to play any games, or for either of us to keep kidding ourselves. I kidded myself about a woman, about singing, and I sure as hell ain’t gonna kid myself with no baby. If he doesn’t cum by June, then he’s gonna say the same things he’s said about it since day one. He’s “going to.” Anytime now. He’ll be cumming in no time. Same thing with the kid. It’s gone from having one in November to conceiving in March, then April, and now it’s within the year. Well, I’m not gonna play this game every year, he can fuck having a kid for all I care and either speak up about what’s really on his mind or quit fooling the both of us!
Later…
When we were laying in bed one time he said it’d be best for me to cum first when we’re screwing. Then, I had said that if he came first he could always go down on me to get me off. He said he wouldn’t do that with his cum down there. Well, if he really came last winter like he said he did, then why should he worry when he doesn’t discharge anything? He’s slipping and his own game is catching up to him. If he wants to hold back and spare me the mess, the smell of bleach, more power to him. I’ll be damned if I’ll blame myself for his choice. This doesn’t turn me off from being his wife. I love the man to death and I always want to be with him, but it certainly turns me off of the idea of a kid. I think we have enough going on now in our lives and should keep things as they are for the most part. If he doesn’t tell me, only time will tell me what’s going through his head. I can thoroughly believe anything he tells me, but not anything pertaining to sex or a kid.
SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 1995 Tom sure is confusing when it comes to having a kid. The bottom line is yes, he really does want one, but he’s dropping more hints that he can cum, but won’t till he feels the time is just perfect for getting pregnant. Probably after my appointments with Nielsen die down and maybe after the dentist and GYN. He said I’d be pregnant soon. Then it became sometime within the year.
Earlier I said to him, “You’re always right. You know when the kid’s gonna come.”
He said “Mhm,” with confidence.
He said that if nothing changes in our sex life (meaning if he doesn’t cum), to ask him about it on June 1st. I don’t know what he meant by that, but I kind of felt he may try for June. He said June didn’t mean anything. He said I could get pregnant in March or April. I still say that if he doesn’t cum by June, he never will. I will tell you this for sure. Maybe he’s trying to make me more patient. Maybe he wants it to be a surprise (and it surely would be no matter what and when), but I’m not gonna play these games. The bulk of me still wants one, but if I’m not pregnant this year, I’m just gonna go get a hysterectomy. I’ll be damned if I’ll play games for too many more months! I know he won’t cum in April or May, but if he doesn’t let himself in June, forget it.
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southjerseyweb · 4 months
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Republican voters in New Jersey reject Trump candidate for Senate - NJ 101.5
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim won his party's nomination for a U.S. Senate seat Tuesday in New Jersey, setting up a general election contest against …
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tomorrowusa · 9 months
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Three years ago a mob of terrorists incited by sore loser Donald Trump rampaged through the US Capitol. They were attempting to disrupt the counting of electoral votes in a free and fair election that Trump clearly lost.
These un-American Trumpsters engaged in what Matthew Graves, US Attorney for the District of Columbia, called, "likely the largest single day mass assault of law enforcement officers in our nation's history".
We need to thank the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police for their service that day. Things would have been far worse without their bravery and determination. Some people on our side of the spectrum overlook the fact that democracy depends on men and women putting themselves at great risk to preserve our way of life. We see that daily in Ukraine; Putin's invasion got stalled because Ukrainians put freedom ahead of their personal safety — not because Russia got a lot of down arrows on social media.
In addition to law enforcement, one person who stood out at the Capitol on 06 January 2021 was Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ-03). Rep. Kim did not wait for others to clean up the debris and wreckage left by the Trump terrorists, he joined in so he could get the building cleaned up as quickly as possible so Congress could get back to the business of certifying the lawful victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
In the wake of the indictment of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, Andy Kim announced that he would challenge the incumbent in the 2024 NJ primary. Andy is the direct opposite of Trump. He supports democratic institutions and is not afraid to get his hands dirty in defense of those institutions.
It's not necessary to live in New Jersey to support Andy Kim's Senate campaign. If he wins, it's not just a victory for him but for 21st century American values.
Andy Kim for New Jersey - Restoring Integrity to the US Senate
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