Politics out of the Closet

Conservative Roots

Have I mentioned my conservative roots?  My grandfather, Harry Barth was instrumental in molding my political ideals.  I have tried to examine all issues, and admit in not always voting a straight Republican ticket, but my views have tended toward smaller government and limiting taxes and  spending.  My grandfather was a no-nonsense guy.  He rose to be second in charge in the manufacturing division at Camera Works, a division of Eastman Kodak, in Rochester New York, during World War 2.  He had limited formal education, growing up poor, in rural Pennsylvania, and as a youth, being drafted and serving as a private in the United States Army during the First World War.  His responsibility as the oldest surviving sibling in this very poor, large farm family, and military experience in France groomed his eventual future at Eastman Kodak.  He displayed respected ways of organizational leadership in this manufacturing plant division, which at that time was greatly involved in making war parts for "The Boys". He walked three miles to work from Brighton, New York to downtown Rochester to Kodak, to save gasoline, because the war effort might need the fuel.  Raising his family through the depression years, my grandmother and he lived frugally.  My mother's bedroom was often on the porch, as my grandmother and grandfather took on providing temporary housing, food, and job-finding efforts for relatives and friends in need of work or a place to stay.  It was no surprise that he believed in hard work, and in utilizing people-to-people efforts as much as possible.  Harry Barth had a disdain for using large scale government programs for aid, when people could help others directly as a first resort.  He had a way of getting people back on their feet and back to work and independence when hard times fell on them.  These methods worked for my grandfather, and as a young child, I learned they would also work for me.  It was just the way it was.  We could, nor did not question the political values or backbone of this patriotic, loving, giving hard working man who was the patriarch of our family.   It was the way it was, and as a young child, I could not question this man with such strength and commitment.  However, as we youth in our family grew older, my grandfather's political visions seemed to make even more sense.

Of late, the conservative views have not always fallen onto great popularity.  I have often not showed politics on my sleeve, except to those whom I know have similar views to myself, or in campaign situations, where this expression is expected and encouraged.  This is something I need to work through, as I have the ability to articulately express opinions, and might lead those with opposing views to consider my points of view. 

Friends share my excitement of meeting Sarah Palin

Sharing Sarah

Meeting Sarah has given me more courage of self-expression.  This has happened in several ways.  I was around many who shared my views in the long line awaiting Sarah.  This time gave many of us hours together, where we could mutually share feelings of why we were at the event, and why we loved Sarah Palin.  After my Saturday waiting for Sarah, meeting her, and her family I was somewhat surprised beginning the next day that people came up to me and told me they had seen me on television, in the long line, cheering with the crowd.  I had not seen the broadcasts, and with all of the media around, did not know what had been broadcast.  Dozens of people have come up to me, both at church and work, and told me how much they admire Sarah Palin.  Many have been intrigued to see my book, and share my excitement.  My college roommate has mobility issues from multiple sclerosis, and would have had big issues with standing so long.  Many of my hospital co-workers had to work, and were unable to come to the event.  Even today, one of my friends, a resident physician, had paged me to tell me that she loves Sarah, and was so disappointed she had to work, as she would have been there.  She was disappointed to not have a signed book to give her mother for Christmas.  Another church friend invited me recently to her country farm home after church so she could give me some squash and harvest, and added to please bring my Sarah Palin book so her husband, a Sarah Palin admirer, could see it, and hear my story from my meeting Sarah.  He was just so excited to know someone who had actually met Governor Palin!  So, I have decided through my story, and through meeting Sarah and her family that I can share and promote her ideals and persona.

A change in me?

I often sit at work near one of my co-workers as we review patient charts and identify diagnostic factors that are entered into our computer programs.  My friend Mary and myself see eye-to-eye on politics, and we have been in Sarah Palin's corner since she first appeared on the national political scene.  We will often share a story or laugh about current political events.  She, of course, was the recipient of some copies of my book-signing Sarah photos and a Sarah Palin for 2012 campaign button.  Through seeing Sarah, I have been more eager and open in sharing the events of the day with even more friends and co-workers.  I have learned that in expressing my enthusiasm that I might get--"You are Crazy", or a questioning glare, but no one wants to argue about how I felt about the day of meeting Sarah.  After all, that is inside my heart and soul.  No one will take that thrill or those feelings from me.  No one can argue with why I feel how I feel, and with why I admire Sarah.  No one questions me about wanting to help in Sarah's future success, nor are they surprised by my motives.  Sarah has brought out a revived passion to support her cause in whatever way that I can.  I have also brought more people into this fold, one-by-one, since this day of our meeting!

Our nursing jobs can be stressful.  One day last week, I had my beeper going off, I was on the telephone, with another waiting call, and a third hospital phone ringing for me, while I was on the computer trying to complete patient discharge paperwork.  I said the friend and co-worker, Mary--"Boy, if Sarah can sign 2,000 books in Pittsburg in a morning, and another like number in Rochester the same evening, I think I can handle just about anything that this job throws at me--it's just not so bad!"  Sarah has brought to me a new kind of resolve, and reasons to inwardly laugh at myself when I get into these challenging multitask situations.  You go girl!

Joyce Wiedrich
November 30, 2009

photos property of Joyce L. Wiedrich

Saturday November 21, 2009--Waiting for Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin comes to Rochester, New York.   Wow, what a day!

    

                                                                   November 21, 2009

                                                 Sarah Palin with Piper Palin in Rochester

Saturday...just one week ago it all began! The Rochester Sarah Palin visit details were not well known until a couple of days before the visit. I actually got the details by using Google and finding the details in the Elmira Star Gazette newspaper. Thinking of Sarah Palin took me back to first seeing her on the Today Show, summer 2008, and thinking, what a woman! So articulate, energetic, and involved in life and America. A wife, mother, and politician. I needed to get to know more about her, and soon all of America had that opportunity. I hastily went to work to find how I could help; this mission ended in volunteering in a small county in New York State. I found myself knocking on the door of the Republican Headquarters to aid as I could, with the Yates County Republican Committee. As the 20008 election grew closer, I went up to Rochester and got some of their McCain/Palin posters, as they had disappeared off the shelves in Penn Yan, NY. I spent countless hours volunteering at the desk at Republican Headquarters, in this mainly conservative Republican area in this sleepy Finger Lakes town. I could gaze out the window and see the Democratic headquarters from my perch. I was an unknown in Yates County Democratic Headquarters, but sauntered 0ver there, to see that this group was selling Obama memorabilia, bumper stickers, and pins. Ours were free, what we had at least, and along with whatt I could additionally procure from Rochester for our cause. I was invited to the Republican kick-off dinner at Esperanza, and met a lot of the local hopefuls, and local Republican support team. We were on a mission!

                                                       Joyce Wiedrich, October 2008

,                                             Republican Headquarters, Penn Yan, NY

Political Disaster!

What a disappointment in the eventual election results. Since that fateful day, some of those Obama supporters have told me they have lost faith in their hero. "I can not stand him. He is taking from what we hard working middle class people and he is giving it all to those people who don't even want to try to do anything", one of the young patient care technicians at work recently shared with me. As time goes on, I expect more will leave his fold, and realize where their support should be.

                                     

                                     Lines form at the strip mall

                                     towards Borders Books

                                         Sarah Palin's early eager fans                                  

                                         camped out overnight!

                                                                Early Morning lines

Early Morning- November 21, 2009...

 When I heard Sarah was coming to Rochester, New York on her book tour (her only stop in New York State), I immediately decided that I needed to try to go. Fortunately, I was not scheduled to work in my job as a nurse practitioner at our large local medical center that day. I arose, had a hasty breakfast, and got to Marketplace mall before 8AM, thinking there would be a couple hundred people there in line, at the most. Wrong! there was a 1/4 mile line from Borders Bookstore in Henrietta, way past Wegmans grocery store, in the strip mall. I could not even see Borders from my starting point at the end of the line. People had camped out all night. There were coolers, tents, folding chairs and blankets dotting the sidewalk in front of the stores. The first in line had come at 4:30 pm. the night before. I knew Sarah was popular, but this was over-the-top.  Store vendors were out with carts of food to sell; the mounted police were traversing the lines of hundreds of people, and cars were weaving in and out of lanes, looking for spots to park their vehicles.  The mall was as filled; it looked like a massive Black-Friday shopping excursion, in terms of cars and volumes of people, except for their being lined up outside like dominos on a late autumn day.



The Decision

 I wondered how my healing ankle was going to hold up with that line stuff, after having fractured it in late-August on the first day of my summer vacation. I started back to my car, and then started counting the people in line, I would be about 950 by my count. I thought about just going home at this point, but quickly retracted this thought, realizing this would maybe be my once-in-a-lifetime experience to face-to-face meet Sarah Palin. There was no choice. I had had my cast off for a month, and my fracture was healed. I could deal with the pain and swelling. I would stand in the line.

After 500 bracelets were given out, the mounties came by and told everyone in the remaining, somewhat shrinking line that there were no more bracelets to be given out. People were visibly disappointed, but most of these remaining sans armbands, who had been hoping to see Sarah, then just left for their cars, after they had heard this disconcerting news. The few straggers left at that point weaved their way through hundreds of parked cars, to the bookstore, to see if alternatives existed. The store personnel gave us out some pre-printed labels with Sarah's signature on them, which we could paste in our books, and said there were no guarantees that we would get to see her. If you got a label, it was your ticket to leave. That did not seem like a solution, for my eagerness to see Sarah Palin was not only to get my book signed, but also to personally meet her. A very helpful bookstore employee did say that in the past, Sarah had taken people from the reserve line, if time existed, which might be a possibility here on this day. It was a no-brainer, I was staying!

                                          Joyce's laptop came in handy waiting in line

  Ron Devito with Sharon from Athens, Pennsylvania,

Sharon cane to the event as a Sarah Palin look-alike

Ron Devito being interviewed by the media

The Long, but not-so-long Wait

 I think that waiting in line was a blessing in disguise. I moved my car to a closer position in front of the store. I got out my laptop, put it on top of a garbage container, and started to pass the time. It was 47 degrees out, but I had a sweatshirt, gloves, hat, suede jacket, and scarf. I was dressed for the day; hey this time of year it could have been raining or snowing in Rochester, New York, in fact this was the first November to that date in 57 years that we had not had measurable snow. I had initially planned to go home after getting a bracelet, change my clothes, put some makeup on, and then head down to Penn Yan, New York, about 60 miles from the Palin site, to watch a friends' daughter in a local play down there, and after that come back to Rochester for the Going Rogue booksigning. If I had done that, I would not have been hanging around the bookstore all day, and I would have missed the opportunity to meet so many Sarah Palin connections and solid support systems and fans. In other words, I would have gotten a bracelet, left the area, and returned into a short line to be led into the bookstore and out another line, and that would have been that. Borders treated us reserve folks well during the long wait. We could use the restroom there, and I had lunch in the cafe. We formed our little line group, and took turns getting warm inside. Fortunately, I had my cell phone, camera and laptop.  Having grown up in Rochester, New York, I was the product of an Eastman Kodak family--grandfather, parents, uncle and brother, so never leave home without a camera, ander  usually not without a computer or at least a cell phone with email capability.  I was able at one point to take my laptop into the cafe area of the bookstore, have some lunch, and put my leg up for a while.  This provided me with a lucky break, in having the opportunity to meet Ron Devito, from Staten Island, New York.  Now, here was someone really pro Sarah Palin. He flew in for the day to join the group he had already been working with in the past. What an inspiration for the cause. He had made some really cute Sarah Palin buttons, which I will later procure for myself, friends, and some Christmas stocking stuffers.

                                        Joyce Wiedrich met up wtth Barb Pingree

                                                  former teacher with student

                                          They had not seen eachother in 20 years!

Reconnecting with Old Friends

Also in line, my friend Barb, who I had not seen in 20 years! I taught nursing at Monroe Community College during that time period, and she was in my first clinical group. I had just bought a house, and the group came for dinner...brought me a lounge chair, and a signed pillow with all their names. It was great to reconnect with Barb. I know we will now keep in touch. I am reminded.....THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS COINCIDENCE. Things always happen for a reason.

Line buddies

Another of our line groupies was Lee, who I later found out is the father of one of the nurses that I work with at University of Rochester Medical Center. He is trying to set up a plate dinner for Sarah Palin, and is from Buffalo. There was another professor next to me in line, and darn it, I forgot his name. He was very articulate and committed to the cause. Also met Mary Ann, who ends up is the sister of one of my high school classmates from East Rochester. She went to Auburn to see Sarah (from a distance), and is a true fan. I had to work, and for some reason could not get out of it, or I would have gone to Founders' Day down there, as well.

The time really flew. I met Amy, from Horseheads. She was the first in line, and was being interviewed by the media. There were media trucks all over, local stations, Entertainment Tonight, the whole smash!

                                  

           Amy, from Horseheads, New York ; first in line

              Amy arrivied 25 1/2 hrs. prior to the event

             
Sharon, a Sarah Palin look-alike was there from Athens, Pa. That is a town not too far south of the NYS boarder, out of Elmira, where my mother was born. Some of the older people in the store came up to her ant thought she was Sarah Palin. Sarah's face is a bit fuller than hers, but she was a good image of Sarah. She was also interviewed for TV.

                                 Sharon arrived early from Athens, Pennsylvania

                                          There was no shortage of media present here

                                                              Borders Storefront Display

The time went on; Borders closed the cafe area at 3:30. There table and display area had been tastefully set up. Everything looked well-organized to me. We all returned to our places in line.

The Arrival

Sarah arrived twenty minutes earlier than booked, going in a back door. The line started moving in before 6:00 pm. Many of the first in line had stayed through the day. The parking lots were filling again.

Spirit Song

The spirit was rising. Our group sang some songs. At 7:00 pm., we said the Pledge of Allegiance, some sang the national anthem. We started chanting, "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah". it was a festive mood. Sarah's children Trig and Piper came out for a breath of fresh air. Imagine Alaska is cooler this time of year than Rochester. We really got our hopes up when Sarah's father, Charles Heath came out and got on the microphone to speak with the reserve line folks. I was right in front of him, near the front of our line. Charles told us that he appreciated our patience, and that Sarah would see all of us in the line. We were elated!!!!

Sarah Palin's father, Charles Heath

 He came out to encourage the waiting crowd

Time went quickly. The blue, pink, gold and white balloons which were the color of the wristbands given out marched ever closer to the store. The folks entered Borders, and came out cheering with gleaming faces as they exited with their signed books. I will never forget seeing that. Our line group became more excited as more of the people from the promised line revolved into and out of the store. You had to be there to feel this thrill!

                                    
                           Balloons separated groups of people in line



I am going to see Sarah!

Then, our line progressed forward. We could only take pictures of Sarah at a distance. When we got in the store, we had to put our purses and personal items on a table. Another table was set up for gifts for Sarah. Mary Ann had gone home and made Sarah a poster of the pictures she had from Auburn. She had put a lot of work into this. Many of us got cards for Sarah, and wrote notes. I bought a card at the bookstore, and wrote a short note. Had I been prepared, I would have given her a card that I had made....next time! They took our books, put them in a stack, and we followed the then short line to Sarah's table. I will never forget. Piper was sitting next to her in a bright yellow top, looking very intently at people and her mom. Sarah looked into your eyes--directly--when you got to the table. She asked you your name, and what you did, and where you were from. You then had a moment to speak with her. I told her to carry on, that we needed her, and that I so appreciated her views on smaller government involvement, woman's issues, and the way she carried herself forward in spite of criticism. It was such an experience. I was on a high! I snapped a few pictures, and then we were ushered out of the area.

            An excited follower with a just-signed book                         

                                          Sarah Palin and daughter Piper

-                                         are in the background at signing table

                                              Through the line with my signed book

Post Sarah- meeting her wonderful parents

The next event was what I will call meeting Aunt Katie, Charles and Sally Heath. Charles was smiling and chatting in the bookstore, dressed in a bright purple shirt. Sally had on a red top, and both were so approachable. I introduced myself, and told them how honored I felt to have been part of the event. I asked them if they had come to the other book signings. It seems that Rochester was the first book signing they had come to, meeting Sarah at the Rochester airport, with the planes landing 20 minutes apart. He said he had left Anchorage the day before just to meet them here. What a bonus. I felt I had met Sally, Charles and Katie before. They could have been my neighbors. They were so down-to-earth. They were proud of Sarah, but not changed by her, in terms of their own stature. We talked about Alaska, health care, and the book signing tour. I am planning a cruise to Alaska in the spring.

                             A local college student talks with Charles Heath

                                           A mate in our line, Lee, with Charles Heath

Sally Heath, Joyce Wiedrich and Charles Heath

I had just had my book signed and was elated!

I hung around the bookstore for a while. I did not want the evening to end. I had been so energized. I think I finally left about 9:45. I got to say goodbye to Adrianne, and Ron DeVito from Staten Island, and the Borders crew that had been supportive and helpful. The night went on without a hitch, except for one whack-a-doo who had decided to toss an egg at a display of Sarah's books. There is one in every crowd, I guess.

                               Sarah and party leave Rochester
                               Unfortunatly the day with Sarah had to end!

Was I really there?  Did this really happen?

I got home and could not go to bed until nearly 1:00 am. I was writing on Facebook, and just reliving my experience. It seemed in many ways totally unreal.  I did not want the experience and day to end.  The whole event was so thrilling!  The epinephrine was flying high! My right leg was swollen, and a bit sore, but I did not really even feel it, nor did it matter. I could not even g0 t0 sleep after that, not because of my healing leg, but because I was SO excited. I was thinking of my grandfather--"Poppie" Barth. He was the last WW1 vet in Eastern Monroe County to die, in his late 90's. He was laid to rest with full military honors. I was still in the military then--wishing I had worn my uniform, hearing the gun salute and Taps. It was so touching. He would have loved to meet Sarah, she is so pro-military and pro-American.  He would have loved her spirit.. And thinking of my Mom, who would have been there at Borders with me for every minute of the event.. My mother once cross-stitched her brother a picture--"Republican Born, Republican Bred--When I die, I will be Republican Dead" with a little toy elephant and the letters surrounding it! I had grown up hearing how the rivers had run red with blood in France when my grandfather was in WW1. We grew up hearing my grandfather's war memories, and his political beliefs, especially his disdain of Communism, and anyone in Anerica with a hint of those beliefs.  There was no shortage of political discussions within my family, especially when we were with my grandparents.  My respect for my grandfather's persona  entrusted me to make sure I paid attention and became involved with the political issues of the day, studied history and , utilized my American right to vote for strong and honest  leaders that would help protect his American ideals. My grandfather's stories are for another time and place, but they did provide a strong foundation for my current political belief system.  I saw many of these ideals in Ronald Reagan, and also in Sarah Palin, which is a large reason of why I also envelop her ideals and support her today.

Go Forward!

So, thank you Sarah, and old and new friends. The day is one I will never forget, and I hope to build on those memories with my support of the cause. Sarah, whatever your aspirations, I hope your dreams come true! It was quite a day and week! Inspirational!   With certainty, we are going to succeed!


Joyce L. Wiedrich
November 2009

Enclosed photos courtesy and property of Joyce Wiedrich

Thanksgiving Weekend

Hello all!

I started out the Thanksgiving Weekend in Rochester, having dinner with good friends, Andrew and Rebecca Wolf, and daughters Arianna and Ostara. Andrew had brined the turkey, and we had all the fixings. Andrew's mom, Linda, flew in from Florida, and other friends came for dessert. We had a great time! Rebecca read a poem from the Quakers, written for our regional area, which was certainly pertinant to the day and our lives. Andrew and Rebecca and girls come to my lake home in the Finger Lakes often, and we always stir up a good time, often with visits to the Windmill and nearby wineries. Dr. Franks is a favorite, and Thanksgiving dinner was accompanied by a bottle of my favorite.

I was able to avoid the malls and Black Friday shopping, since I try to get things ahead, and also make a lot of my gifts; got up early to visit cousins Lynne and Kenny in Loganton, Pa, sort of southwest of Williamsport. I had to pull over for a bit, the early morning fog was thick. Saw my first snowflakes. We have not had any yet, but it is coming!

Lynne and I went to Shunk, south of Dushore, Pennsylvania. I have visited the area so often. My maternal grandfather Harry Barth was from Cherry Mills, just outside of Dushore; my maternal grandmother was from Texas Run, Pa., which is somewhat near Morris, Pennsylvania, in the very rural area of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. I met Lynne and Kenny about 12 years ago when my Mom and I were working on our genealogy. Lynne's grandmother had run the Cedar Run Inn, general store and post office there, and she and my grandmother were first cousins. Lynne and I are like sisters- the emails and cell phone are constant contacts!

We got to Shunk, where Lynne picked out a new Australian Shepard puppy. She named him Cooper. He is so sweet! I did not realize that 11-week puppies are a bundle of fluff. I am not sure what the cats think, but Willow, their 12 year old Aussie, is quite taken with her new brother. We were going to make our Christmas cards today, rubber stamp style. However, the puppy has taken the top spot of the day, so hopefully we will get going soon.

One week ago today I was waiting in line for Sarah Palin. It was an awesome experience. Even though I did not get a wristband for a spot in line, since they were suppose to give out 1000, snd only gave out 500, I think I was actually one of the lucky ones. Staying in the reserve line gave me time to make new waiting for Sarah Palin line friends, and reconnect with Barb, one of the students I taught nursing to at MCC many years ago. If I had not been there for the 12 hours, I would not have met Ron from Staten Island, and his group. That has made all the difference! I was reluctant to do the line thing at first, but after the bands were handed out and the rest of the remaining 1/4 mile line virtually disappeared, it seemed the thing to do to try to wait to see if she would take other waiting fans in for the book signing and a visit. My healing ankle from my fracture in late August stood up to the test, and I would do the whole day over in a heartbeat! Meeting Sarah Palin and her parents Charles and Sally Heath was an awesome experience. I got to speak with her parents for several minutes, and her Aunt Katie. They are all genuine, real people. Charles had come out to our reserve line to encourage us and thank us for our wait. Sarah looked us all in the eye, asked our names and what we did, and everyone got a friendly handshake, as well as having their book signed. What an experience.

I am so thankful this Thanksgiving weekend for my faith, family and friends. It has been hard to no longer have my parents and brother here for the holidays, but I have such good friends, a career I enjoy, my cousins, Aunt and Uncle, and a faith that has shown me new directions in my life. Life is good. And, I know those I love that have passed from this earthly place are in the arms of the Lord.

Starting a blog

Hello there! Have never started a blog before. Guess I just fell into this! What a nice day! I am up in the Pa. mountains at the minute, near Williamsport, visiting cousin Lynne and Kenny. Lynne just picked out a Australian Shepard puppy, which they named "Cooper". He seems to know his name. Pretty good on the training, except he loves to play in the waterdish!

Brought the computer with me. We will be rubber stamping and making our Christmas cards today. Always fun, but with playing with puppy and cats, who knows how much we will get done.