Laugh freely with Laughing Liberally, before the 2016 General Election (new location)

They’re back…after a brief hiatus. Laughing Liberally Tucson Comedy Showcase is back, in time for the General Election of 2016, to lampoon U.S. Presidential candidates Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, the first woman nominee for President.  Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are also running. These stand up comic guys/gals … Read more

James L. Powers, Sr.

Fathers’ Day Reflections: My Dad– Working Man & Gun Owner (video)

James L. Powers, Sr.
Daddy was a cowboy at heart.

Today is Fathers’ Day. It’s been almost 20 years since my Dad, James L. Powers, Sr., passed away… far too young.

Many of you have heard my speeches about my Dad’s unwavering support for the United Steelworkers. He was a long-time member and an officer in his local in Lorain County. That is… until the last strike when Thew Shovel closed the plant in Ohio and moved to the south for cheaper, non-union labor. As a vice president, grievance man and a contract negotiator, Dad was a strong fighter for working men and women, and he argued politics and unions with everyone, particularly his father (my grandpa).

Dad, the Working Man

Dad was one of those boisterous, in-your-face union guys that you see in the movies. He was a third-generation electrician, a Navy vet, an NRA member, an avid outdoorsman, a hunter, a John Wayne aficionado, a great dancer, a quirky style icon, a ham radio nut, and a Republican, until Nixon broke his heart and he changed his registration to Democrat after Watergate. He drank to much, fought in bars, won and lost rings and watches playing craps, and carried a switchblade and sometimes brass knuckles. (Truth be told: he may have won those two prizes shooting dice. Jimmy and I were always fascinated to see his winnings in the morning.)

Thew Shovel was in South Lorain, a grungy, hard-scrabble place with economic immigrants from all over the US and the world.

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Almost 20,000 ballots still to be counted in Pima County for PPE

“As of Wednesday morning, these are the estimated number of remaining early, provisional and conditional ballots collected at the polls. These numbers do not reflect the early ballots that were already in the process of being verified at the Recorder’s Office before the polls closed. Early Ballots: 11,230 Provisional Ballots: 8,340 Conditional Ballots: 90 These … Read more