Mr. Grayson,

Part #1: Introduction

I will begin this by telling you why my opinion is not one that should matter to you.

Shortly after Congress voted in some manner on going to war in Iraq or to do some warlike activity in 2001 I was in New York City attending an English teacher convention. It was on my own dime since I had forgotten to file whatever paperwork the bureaucracy of academia requires so no taxpayer money supported my expressing an opinion.  I was in New York City staying at the Algonquin Hotel as if Dorothy Parker might appear on a couch or in the Oak Room after a few.   She did not.

However two days into that stay in New York City the bellhop of all people told me (he was a UCF alum – go figure) about the anti-war rally which was to begin the next day at “begin-here” stop three blocks from where I was staying.  I did not have the right shoes.  It was winter and I had three pairs of high-heeled boots not fit for hiking/walking.  They were fit for conference presentations, cocktail parties, and dinners.

I just thought, “Why would that be there and me here if I was not to participate?”

I put on my lowest heels, walked three blocks to the starting point, and held a sign that said “Thou Shalt Not Kill Children: 50% of Iraq citizen s are 15-years-old and younger.”  There was a point there.  Now ten or more years later those children who lived (probably most of them) remember the children identified as “collateral damage” who did not.  If they did not hate us then they hate us now.  The United States in some way killed their friends.

 I was alone and chose to walk in the march along with the old black men of the Lincoln Brigade who really just passed by me in the ten minutes I had to determine what to do. They were in their 80s at best.  Walking hurt them despite what type of shoes they wore.   They had fought in the Spanish Civil War and let me join them. You likely know who they are.  Anyone who does not can find out more here.

http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/abe-brigade.html

The war was wrong. I said I thought that for 2/3 of the march in my not fit for walking boots until we came to the second spot in NYC at which one could stop or join the march.  It was near the W hotel.  I sat in a window of that hotel for a full three hours watching 300,000 people march from comfy window seat.  Hours and hours of people saying, “No.”  That number was never reported or believed.  Yes I may have been the world’s worst anti-war protestor ever.

I saw the numbers from that march from being in it and from lounging because I had money to sit in that lobby and the time to watch it.  I did not suffer and can’t claim to.  I can tell you what I saw.

Reason #2:

Last year the national Occupy movement which was rather loose but existed asked Orlando citizens to march in support of Occupy ideals.

My boyfriend and I heard about that. We wanted to go but really the march was early in the morning and we had been out late the night before and we had a nice breakfast planned.  We got around to getting downtown for the rally about 11 a.m.  We were sitting at a stoplight entering downtown Orlando from I-4 trying to figure out where the marchers might be.  We asked the friendly policemen at the stoplight and they said, “Look down the street there.  They are coming to you.”  Yes. They were. 

We parked the car and waited behind Church Street for the marchers to get to us.  We walked a mile and ended up in front of the Better Business Bureau.  More about that later.  You were there and you made a very good speech.

Now on page 2 I come to my point,”Mr. Grayson I thought you were better than me.”  It would not be hard to do that given my first examples.

You no longer seem to be who I thought you were. My boyfriend asks why I am surprised and reminds me that politicians are brands.  I believe in you liked I once believed in Obama.  I want him to be wrong.

What You Did That Made Me Sick at My Stomach

My boyfriend lives in Kissimmee.  You are running for Congress in his district.  A volunteer came around last month and we both asked for car stickers.  He asked for a yard sign but did not get one.  What I have to say may endanger him getting one now.

I gave up TV a year ago.  I can’t stand the 24 hour news cycle.  I can’t stand the lack of anything worth watching on any channel.  Instead I work or read.  My child does art, reads, plays video games, or listens to music.  When people come over they see me, my boyfriend and child reading, listening to NPR, or cooking/eating.  We have to be the most boring people on earth.  Sometimes we watch TV series on our Kindle but that is it.  I like Columbo. I am not kidding.

The boyfriend still has TV at his house.  This is why I saw the advertisement you have endorsed using Karl Rove tactics about your opponent John Quinones.  You say he raised taxes.   I believe you.  However the advertisement resembles a cheesey trailer for a low rent action movie setting up the villain.  You do not promote yourself in that ad.  You demonize your opponent so others will vote against him thinking he some progressive liberal tax person.  You do not ask others to vote FOR you but against him.  You paint yourself exactly as those who want real government policies that help others paint those who run against them.

That ad made me want to throw up.

I believed in you.  Read more about it in part #3.

I can’t find the advertisement on your website.  Perhaps you have disowned it.  The local Fox News network loved it.  This is what they had to say.  You gave them this to work with to attack you.

Why did you do this?

#3 I Have Seen You Twice in Person

The first time my teenage daughter and I were returning to Orlando on the last flight home from D.C. on a Friday night.  You were on it going home to your family.  We had no idea until we got on the shuttle back to the terminal and you were holding a strap in the ceiling.  You were very tall and wore a purple tie.  A man in very nice shoes was accosting you about some bill.  We said nothing.

I whispered to my daughter, “That is one of our congressmen.”  She looked at you with admiration that can only come from learning about government in Civics class in high school.  She had never seen someone like you before.  She noted the purple tie.

The second time was at the end of that Occupy march.  You waited patiently as several speakers spoke including: an elderly Hispanic man who could only get work as an IT consultant unless he agreed to work overseas for war profiteers, an anti-abortion demonstrator, a young man in college at a really expensive school who wondered if his college education was worth the cost and time.

The phrase you used over and over was It is Not Your Fault.

You stood there and spoke reminding these people that they work hard. They believe in different views on social issues. They all have mortgages likely going south. They have jobs they fear losing or jobs they lost.

And you reassured them that It is Not Your Fault.

#4 This was your proudest moment.

You had the guts or other body parts to walk in front of Congress during the healthcare debate and to explain the Republican Healthcare plan of Don’t Get Sick.”

In case you don’t remember here you are.

You took war profiteers to court to stop fraud that was stealing taxpayer money and worse contributing to the death of troops.

I thought you were real.

I still want you to be better than me. Like I said that is not hard to do.

You can ask me to do better and you have the right to.

I will when you answer this question.

After seeing the Rove imitating anti-Quinones advertisement then you answer me,”Where are you and when are you coming back?”

I will be there and this time I will wear the proper shoes and wake up early.

A favorite of the Koch Brothers who would destroy all that many have worked for is now running for Vice-President.

We need the you who promotes ideas and the good qualities of yourself.

Don’t twist what Quinones did in a carnival trick to voters.

I might be wrong.

You can do better than that.