Sheer GUTS and a prayer-- was Texas Rally Agenda

[Jedoyon@aol.com]

I will echo-o-o-o-o what Carol shared, Joe.  Activism is sometime a lonely, 
not to mention scary, job, but somebody has to start it.  And I think you 
actually have a lot of doers there in NY.  Y'all just gotta set a date and 
get together.  I know of a couple or three successful events that have take 
place in different parts of your state in the last month or two.  These are 
just as good as a rally on the capitol steps if they help get the word out 
and get people thinking.  

I just bought a ticket to and a room in Spokane for a couple weeks from now.  
I'm feeling like I just leaped off a tall building and the ground is getting 
closer by the minute.  I'll be the parent messenger, "Yes, the resistance is 
alive and well, would you like to hear about it?" to about 2,000 gung ho 
professional educator types at the OSPI indoctrination session-- I mean 
conference, where 10 years of wonderful standards-based reform and WASLing 
will be touted like so much sliced whole wheat bread.  2,500 button parts 
arrive today.  I also have about 13 contacts in Spokane on my Mothers Against 
WASL list, who I'm working with to get together while I'm there.  This state 
may not be as big as all Tex-as, but we do have our left and right of the 
mountains and they don't always see eye to eye or twain shall meet or 
whatever.  It's costing me $200 I don't really have to do this, but maybe 
I'll sell some buttons or start soliciting campaign funds while I'm there.  

We do what we can and then we kick ourselves for not doing more.  Set a date 
and tell people to come and BYOS (bring your own signs).   You may get 3; you 
may get 23, you may get 103, but you'll be a group.  It only takes 2 to make 
a corner rally.  I think I learned that one from Carol.  It only takes 1 to 
wear a button.  I think that was Mickey's lesson.

Wise words that my favorite English teacher from high school* just wrote to 
me this morning, when I told him the niche I have settled into is a little 
scary at times: 

"Scary, nahhhhh!  Follow your heart!"

Juanita

*I looked him up so I could send him a copy of my book-- and find out what 
he's been up to for the last 25 years or so.