This morning my husband is pretending to make microphone noises like a rapper. “How do I sound?” He says. He has been packing for his annual deer hunt, and yesterday was making sounds he said were like a doe, and since I hadn’t had my coffee yet I was a little confused. “Like a male deer? What are they called again?” “A buck.” How could I forget that. Did you know that’s why we call a dollar a buck? Because in Daniel Boone’s day a deer hide was worth a dollar? This is one of those things that a history major doesn’t forget. Like all politics is local. Which I know is very free-association, but that is how it is when it is raining snow and dark and you’d rather be in bed between warm flannel sheets. Speaking of free-association, I loved last night’s event at the Chillkat Center, a cool, edgy mix of music and spoken word, featuring two smart, hip guys from Bellingham and Vancouver. He reminded us, somewhat smugly I thought, that he was Canadian so he didn’t care about our election. But when his partner said he had already voted absentee for Obama there was applause. A room full of blues in a red state. I know I sure hope the Obama family is still in the Whitehouse on Wednesday morning. I’m also voting for democrat Albert Kookesh for our state senator, and for incumbent republican Bill Thomas, the last commercial fisherman in the legislature, for our state representative. I do like democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins very much, there is so much to admire about the 23-year-old Sitka native that I pray he is governor someday. I agree with him on lots of issues, from education funding to saying no to an oil company tax break. For me, the election comes down to supporting one of our own who has managed to direct state funds to a lot of things I care about, from Haines Assisted Living and the new gym floor, to the watershed council and beautifying Main Street. Bill lives here, and I’ll vote for him.
