Dog is God

OK, it has been over a year since I have posted to this blog, but last night I had the most interesting dream, so have to decided to write about it here--if anyone is interested.

I often dream about being back in school, struggling to finish some business left undone--this dream was no different. I was in a HS/College situation, taking classes with a group of friends. I noticed that some of us seemed to be doing really well, while others were not succeeding at all.

We were all sitting around discussing this. Suddenly a "breeder," some sort of archangel, appeared before us. She asked if anyone had any idea why some students did well, while others did not.

We stared at her blankly. She asked Finn, a yellow Lab, to walk out. Everyone recognized him as the dog who was always in our classroom giving everyone love and support. She asked for a show of hands: "who loves this dog?"

The raised hands, were, not surprisingly, the students who were doing well.

"You see," she said, "if you are spiritually aware enough to know that you should love this dog, you will do well. He will love you, care for you, and support you."

She left.

I had a yellow Lab named Butter sitting at my side. I knew I loved him as much as I loved the yellow dog Finn.

The angel came back and asked: "do you know that Butter is Finn's son?"

I said I did not.

This information surprised and awed me--and gave me a lot of hope for the future.


Although I have fun describing dreams, I am not sure if they make much sense!

Finn Cardio Health Check

Driving Dangerous

I was first rear-ended when I was 16. I was driving my old VW Bug in the grocery store parking lot when the girl behind me, also 16, ran into me. A 1969 Bug has a very simple metal bumper and the impact shmooshed it pretty good. I couldn't open the back to check the engine oil. My dad hooked a chain onto the bug and onto his Ford Econoline van. He only had to drive the van a few inches to pull the bumper away from trunk.

Fast forward 25 years and I am driving home from my job at Bradley University in a fall dusk. One of those huge lurking pickups is sitting behind me at the stoplight. The dude behind the wheel lets his foot slide off of the brake pedal and the truck lurches forward, striking the back of my VW Golf.

I called the police and, as luck would have it, the truck driver was cited for driving without insurance. Not a good sign.

The next morning I woke up with my neck and shoulders in extreme pain. I went to an orthopedic doctor and he diagnosed me with a herniated disk and other cervical spine issues. Eventually the pain in my neck and left arm got so bad that I sought a surgical remedy at Rush Hospital in Chicago. The recovery process was horrible, and I ended up having to quit my job at Bradley. Stupidly, I was in such pain that I didn't have the presence of mind to claim disability (my years of staring at a computer screen certainly contributed to my problems).

Last Wednesday Andy was rear-ended in our brand new Subaru Outback. It has 5,000 miles on the odometer. My question is whether a body shop is equipped to evaluate the AWD system and the rear-view camera. Not sure.

This accident shook Andy up pretty bad. He was disoriented, confused, and experienced some amnesia of recent events.

Prayer Booth on the Miracle Highway

I grew up on the outskirts of a small farming community in central Illinois. The soil was about the most fecund that you could ever imagine. I would bet it was about the best in the world. Long ago, the glaciers moved into Illinois and brought with them and then deposited rich loam that could grow about anything you wished to plant.

Our yard had this wonderful soil, plus a deep well of mineral water. Dad would tap into this well with an old gas engine to water our yard and garden. We had beautiful flowers, deeply colored green beans, fresh potatoes, full stalks of corn, rhubarb, and many other fruits and vegetables.

But in my youth, I didn't always appreciate the garden. To me it meant work (weeding and harvesting), which didn't seem like fun. I was fascinated, however, by the blacktop that ran past our house. If you look it up on Google Maps today, it is called "Gilmore Road." I never heard that name when I lived there.

When I was a teen I had a Newfoundland mix dog and a spunky pony. We would often head out together down this rural blacktop. Sometimes we would meet neighbors who lived along this road in more dire circumstances than I lived in. I remember meeting a young boy about my age who also had a pony. We raced them down the road. A few months later I learned that this young man was driving a car along a rural road and collided with a farm implement. He was decapitated.

All of these memories seem to collide in my dreams even to this day.

I dream about riding a horse down this road and coming upon something miraculous.

In one dream there is a structure I call a "prayer booth."

It was a place you could enter and feel something magical. The boy with the pony was there. My Dad watering the garden with well water was there. The beautiful beloved dogs were there.

You could pray there and feel very special and happy. But then you had to exit the prayer booth. And walk home.

Blog test--Arlo showing in Topeka

OK, updating the blog so you can all "subscribe." This is one of my favorite photos of Arlo. Paul Catterson's assistant, Michelle, showed him beautifully in Topeka last August. She seemed to give him so much love. He is a lean youth, but showing potential.

Trump

Does anyone remember this headline from the Republican primaries?

Donald Trump: 'I could shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.' He was right. His supporters believe in their anointed billionaire god.

He told us he was going to do all of these things: take away DACA and threaten the lives of many wonderful people, the "dreamers" who are now working hard in college and in jobs. He told us he was going to create a registry for Muslims. He told us that we were going to have "law and order," which is code for I pick the laws that get enforced and I pick the order. 

His picks of Steve Bannon, Gen. Flynn, Sen. Sessions, and Rep. Pompeo, confirm that he plans to do what he has promised. These are all white men whose views on race issues, immigration, and the Muslim religion make them way outside of the American mainstream, even outside of the Republican party, on these issues.

The problem is: he can do any of this and his supporters will still support him. They will cheer him. He just might whip out some heat and shoot someone. He might grab a reporter "by the pussy." Everything else he has done and said has been so ridiculous, and the outrage has not happened. If he now murders or molests someone, will anyone care?

When he has conflicts of interest with his businesses in foreign countries, will anyone care? When he encourages Putin to continue cyber-attacks in our country, will anyone care? When he designates himself the supreme ruler will anyone care?

Awesome Summer Soup: Tomato Basil

This morning I was thinking about tomatoes and lunch. We have a huge Roma tomato plant that has given us more fruit than we can eat in salads and sandwiches. We have tomatoes on the vine, on the kitchen counter, and ripening on the deck.

I opened Bernard Clayton Jr.'s The Complete Book of Soups and Stews (a present from my sister Sara) and turned to "tomato" in the index. When I saw Iced Tomato and Basil soup I knew I had a starting point. Of course my current diet eschews the oil and mozzarella crostinos recommended in the recipes, but I adapted quite nicely. The result was delicious. When Andy came home for lunch and we ladled up the soup, we felt like we were dining in a multi-starred NY restaurant.

Ingredients: 5 pounds of tomatoes, which equals about 20 Roma tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
1 cup shredded fresh basil (or one Tbs dried)
One box vegetable broth (or chicken if you are so inclined).
Salt, pepper, to taste; dash of sugar
Optional toppings: 1/2 cup soy milk; cream; pesto 


Clayton's recipe called for 5 pounds of fresh garden tomatoes. I rounded up about 20 small Romas.

He suggested dipping them in boiling water and, after a minute and a half, dunking them in cold water. This allows the skins to slip off easily. He also advised slicing them down the middle and removing the seed cores, which I did. I also trimmed off any tough stem ends.

I then followed his directions to dice the tomatoes into small pieces and cook them in a pan for 5 minutes. He uses oil; I used a nonstick pan with a little water.

Meanwhile, I sauteed his suggested 5 cloves of minced fresh garlic in a non-stick skillet. Since I didn't add oil, I deglazed with a few tablespoons of vegetable broth.

After the tomatoes had cooked down for 5 minutes, I added the garlic and 1 cup of shredded basil and simmered for 5 more minutes.

Then I added a box of vegetable low-sodium vegetable broth (Clayton uses chicken) and let these all meld together for several more minutes.

I sprinkled in salt, black pepper, and a dash of sugar.

I departed from Clayton's recipe by dumping this all in my food processor and churning it to remove any tomato pulp and chunks of garlic and basil.

When I returned it to the pan, I added about 1/2 cup of soy milk. If you are into cream, that would do nicely too.

I had plucked extra basil from the garden and, before churning the soup, had made a pesto using fresh basil, one garlic clove, nutritional yeast, and about one cup of walnuts.

A spoonful of this pesto added to the soup was just … hmm … je ne sais quoi

Oh, yes, Clayton recommends eating this chilled ("iced") but admits it is delicious hot also. That's how we enjoyed it, due to timing issues. By the end of lunch hour the pan was empty so we'll have to try the chilled version another time.

My friend asked for my ratatouille recipe. Here goes

On Jul 23, 2014, at 5:03 PM, Cheryl Richards wrote:

I got a couple of eggplants from my Amish connection today. You and your Mom had a good recipe for them, ratatouille? can you email this to me?

My friend, Cheri, doesn't love fresh garlic, but I assure her and any others with the same feelings that sauteed garlic adds depth. Once it is cooked it loses its intensity. 

1 large onion
3 cloves fresh garlic (when it's cooked you won't really taste it so much), but use powder if you prefer.
1 eggplant (or 2 if small) sliced thin
several zucchini and yellow squash - sliced thin - and cut in half if they are larger
Optional: thinly sliced or shredded carrots
Depending on the quantity of vegetables, 1-2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
Lotsa Italian seasoning - fresh basil if you have it
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese (if you dare) for serving - sprinkle on top. I use nutritional yeast.

Use a large pot.

Saute onion and garlic in a little oil -- or not if the pot is nonstick. Let it brown a little.
Add sliced veggies. Let them brown a little also.
Add diced tomatoes -- if it doesn't seem moist enough add some tomato sauce or veggie broth - as the veggies simmer they will release more water so keep that in mind
Let the tomatoes and veggies simmer for at least 45 minutes til everything is tender
Add seasoning - let simmer a few more minutes.

Serve over couscous (preferred) or rice or pasta.

Just made some the other day (sans eggplant) and this is basically what I did.

ratatouille is one of those dishes that is better the next day

Good luck.

Tips for Preparing Eggplant

When cutting an eggplant, use a stainless steel knife as carbon steel will react with its phytonutrients and cause it to turn black. Wash the eggplant first and then cut off the ends.

Most eggplants can be eaten either with or without their skin. However, the larger ones and those that are white in color generally have tough skins that may not be palatable. To remove skin, you can peel it before cutting or if you are baking it, you can scoop out the flesh once it is cooked.

To tenderize the flesh's texture and reduce some of its naturally occurring bitter taste, you can sweat the eggplant by salting it. After cutting the eggplant into the desired size and shape, sprinkle it with salt and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes. This process will pull out some of its water content and make it less permeable to absorbing any oil used in cooking.

Rinsing the eggplant after "sweating" will remove most of the salt.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=22&tname=foodspice

Small milestones

My dad was a good carpenter, extraordinary Mr. Fixit, roofer, mechanic etc.

I am now wondering how I grew up with him and never insisted that he teach me these skills. Maybe some of them can't be taught. He could figure out how to fix Mrs. Smith's sewing machine and how to get Mr. Jones's lawnmower started. He had the touch.

We did wallpaper our living room together when I was in high school and I remember that time very fondly. Since then I have done papering with some success (and some failure!). But I have always been passionate about color so painting has been important to me. (Dad was, of course, also a good painter.)

In my last house I practiced painting with a good brush that allows you to move along edges without the annoyance of blue or green tape. You just need to get a good stubby beveled brush, such as ones made by Wooster or Purdy. These brushes fit nicely into your hand and you can then feather the paint, in a floating motion, up against the ceiling, trim, and door edges.

I have worked on this skill. In our new house in Topeka, I have just completed painting the walls of Bedroom # 1. I can't believe I was able to finish all of the wall surface with no tape and successfully cover all of the old paint. Next, I need to tackle the trim. By the way, I am using Valspar's historical house colors, Lyndhurst beige for the walls and Lyndhurst mahogany for the windows and trim.

Kudos to Lowes for marketing historical colors in their wonderful Valspar paint, which combines paint and primer.

Still need to work on spackling techniques and how to cover previous bad repairs.

Researching… skim coating. Dad would have had a good solution, I am sure. I will figure it out, somehow.

Letter to Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R) Kansas

October 3, 2013

 
Representative Lynn Jenkins
1027 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515

 

Dear Representative Jenkins:

We moved to Kansas late last year. Apparently you “represent” us. So far, we don’t believe you have done one thing that has represented what we believe is in the best interest of Kansas or of the United States.
 
Your support of the government shutdown is the latest insult. We implore you to urge Speaker Boehner to bring a clean funding bill to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. This will immediately end the shutdown, which is harming the livelihoods of almost two million federal workers, leaving preschool children at home rather than in vital Head Start programs, and, most importantly, jeopardizing the security of our nation and its citizens. Many other programs have been shut down, and we know you are well aware of the harm this is doing to your constituents.
 
Seventy-two percent of Americans and 49 percent of Republicans believe the shutdown is wrong for this country, according to a new CBS News poll. Clearly, reasonable Americans want Republicans to end the shutdown now.

We support the Affordable Care Act. Understanding that you have always opposed Obamacare, we ask you to please accept the fact that Republicans have lost on this issue. The ACA was voted into law through regular order, signed by the president, deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court, and affirmed by the American citizens, who overwhelmingly reelected President Obama. Enthusiasm for Obamacare, since people have been able to sign up for it, has been very high. We are thrilled at its successes.
 
Rather than believing that Obamacare is a government takeover of healthcare and puts big government between doctors and patients, a large number of citizens, including us, believe that Obamacare will give wider access to healthcare and ultimately lower medical costs by bringing young, healthy people into the system.
 
The ACA is the law of the land. You and conservative Republicans cannot alter that fact. You cannot will it to be defunded. You need the votes to do that and you do not have them.
 
We have heard you claim to be a “No-Labels Problem Solver.” However, all we have seen is that you have been front and center among representatives who cause problems, rather than solve them. The problems include the sequester and the government shutdown. You also appear to be among those who believe that the United States doesn’t have to pay its bills, at least if a minority of representatives’ demands are not met. All of this amounts to more than just a problem; it amounts to anarchy. If you are a problem solver, you have the responsibility to fund the government and pay the debts of the United States. To further at least one of these goals, we encourage you to help convince Speaker Boehner to bring a clean funding bill to a vote.
 
Thank you for your time,

Laura and Andrew McGowan

October 3, 2013

Representative Lynn Jenkins
1027 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515

 

Dear Representative Jenkins:
 
We moved to Kansas late last year. Apparently you “represent” us. So far, we don’t believe you have done one thing that has represented what we believe is in the best interest of Kansas or of the United States.

Your support of the government shutdown is the latest insult. We implore you to urge Speaker Boehner to bring a clean funding bill to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. This will immediately end the shutdown, which is harming the livelihoods of almost two million federal workers, leaving preschool children at home rather than in vital Head Start programs, and, most importantly, jeopardizing the security of our nation and its citizens. Many other programs have been shut down, and we know you are well aware of the harm this is doing to your constituents.

 

Seventy-two percent of Americans and 49 percent of Republicans believe the shutdown is wrong for this country, according to a new CBS News poll. Clearly, reasonable Americans want Republicans to end the shutdown now.
 
We support the Affordable Care Act. Understanding that you have always opposed Obamacare, we ask you to please accept the fact that Republicans have lost on this issue. The ACA was voted into law through regular order, signed by the President, deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court, and affirmed by the American citizens, who overwhelmingly reelected President Obama. Enthusiasm for Obamacare, since people have been able to sign up for it, has been very high. We are thrilled at its successes.

 

Rather than believing that Obamacare is a government takeover of healthcare and puts big government between doctors and patients, a large number of citizens, including us, believe that Obamacare will give wider access to healthcare and ultimately lower medical costs by bringing young, healthy people into the system.

 

The ACA is the law of the land. You and conservative Republicans cannot alter that fact. You cannot will it to be defunded. You need the votes to do that and you do not have them.

 

We have heard you claim to be a “No-Labels Problem Solver.” However, all we have seen is that you have been front and center among representatives who are causing problems, not solving them. The problems include the sequester and the government shutdown. You also appear to be among those who believe that the United States doesn’t have to pay its bills, at least if a minority of representatives’ demands are not met. All of this amounts to more than just a problem; it amounts to anarchy. If you are a problem solver, you have the responsibility to fund the government and pay the debts of the United States. To further at least one of these goals, we encourage you to help convince Speaker Boehner to bring a clean funding bill to a vote.

Thank you for your time,

 Laura and Andrew McGowan

Rah Rah Rah College Hill

This Old House Magazine online has designated my little neighborhood in Topeka, Kansas, adjacent to Washburn University, one of the "Best Old House Neighborhoods 2013" for the midwest region. 

Quite an honor for this humble place in a humble city in a state that is often misunderstood.

The magazine's write-up mentions that the standard joke about Topeka is "how boring is it"?

Well that's just silly. How boring is any midwestern city? Topeka ranks right in the middle, I'd say. We have live theater, a good university with a wonderful art museum and amazing classical music festival, a state capitol with all sorts of interesting protests and events, a large farmers market, rainbow-colored Equality House across the street from Fred Phelps' anti-gay compound, and, in the heart of the city, an Expo Center that hosts dog shows, horse shows, garden shows, and a fabulous annual library book sale. We have our random violence and our random wonderfulness. We have amazing architecture, Topeka High School or the State Capitol, for example.

In all, it turns out to be a pretty interesting place. If you live here you should definitely subscribe to the print version of the Topeka Capital Journal. It isn't comprehensive but it does open up views into the city. And the carriers throw the paper near the sidewalk, so you (or your dog) get some exercise retrieving it each morning. The paper highlights what a "small town" Topeka really is. Four days ago a family with special needs lost their house in a fire. For the past three days the paper has highlighted things that they need to help get their life back together. The community seems to be pitching in.

As for the the College Hill neighborhood, the article mentions that professors, law students, and young families taking advantage of the affordable housing prices, populate the neighborhood. True. But many other people live here. 

I live next door to a retired widower who lives alone with his cute little dog. On the other side is a grandmother who balances taking care of her grandchildren with her job as remedial education teacher. Across the street is a family with lots of active children. Next door to them a retired couple. Across the street from them is a woman who is caring for an extended family.

Down the street, a law student who has stayed and is now a lawyer. Across the street from him, a family who attended the university and had children in the meantime. They are moving out and the house (a rental) will soon be up for sale. Next door to them a similar house, an American Four Square, was recently purchased by a young family. 

People in this neighborhood love dogs. I estimate that one dog lives in College Hill for about every two people.

At Boswell Park, across the street from my house, dogs rule. They love its big open field. "Frisbee Dog" comes every afternoon and amazes the children on the adjacent swings with his acrobatic catches. 

Throughout the day, many dogs, small and large, get to run in the big field, which unfortunately is not completely fenced in. The well-mannered dog owners generally heed the signs to "pick up after your dog" and never interfere with baseball or soccer practice or a karate dojo. 

I estimate that for every five or six well-maintained College Hill properties, a blighted house exists. I define a blighted house as one with seriously overgrown weeds or trees (such as trees of heaven or mulberry seedlings sprouting up in the yard and next to the foundation), inoperable, unlicensed vehicles sinking into the ground on the property, or trash and other inappropriate items, such as an old sink or deteriorated upholstered furniture in the yard or on the porch.

Kansas is not quite the boring place that postcards and cliches might lead you to believe.

If you like to observe migrating birds and butterflies Kansas lies right in a major avenue.  Also, many wonderful birds make Kansas their year-round home.

The University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Washburn University all make their home here, and their influence reverberates far beyond the state's boundaries.

Just as Kansas is more interesting than most people realize, the architecture of College Hill is also more diverse than the This Old House write-up mentions. Yes, we have our share of lovely bungalows and airplane bungalows, but stately American Four Squares are numerous, as are Georgians, cottages, and other structures of quite unique character. For more information about the architecture of College Hill, visit the College Hill Topeka Historical Site.

taco salad

One of my favorite lunches is a healthy taco salad that goes together quickly.

Ingredients:

• White corn tortilla chips (I make my own)
• No-fat refried beans, seasoned to taste (I like chili powder, cumin, and taco seasoning)
• 1 100-calorie package guacamole
• 2 cups of greens (lettuce, kale, or spinach)
• 1 small ripe tomato

I have a tray designed to make potato chips in the microwave. (It allows you to enjoy oil free chips that are just as crispy as the grocery store ones.) I use this to crisp up white corn tortillas. I have a tiny microwave so each one takes about 2  minutes.

While the chips are crisping up, I mix up some spicy refried beans. After reading all the labels in the Mexican food aisle, I can usually find refried beans with no added oil. I love the texture of the La Preferida black beans.

I scoop out enough for my salad -- about 1/2 cup -- and stir in chili powder, cumin and packaged taco seasoning. This gets microwaved for about 30 seconds. While cooking more chips, I chop up a couple handfuls of greens -- Romaine, kale, and spinach -- with a nice juicy tomato.

Guacamole comes in handy individual serving packs -- so I can always have some of this delicious stuff fresh and ready for my salad.

To construct the salad, I put the greens and tomato on a plate and surround them with crispy tortilla chips. I add the beans and guacamole and enjoy a delicious lunch.

my sayings

I'm an optimist. I always keep a bottle of champagne in the fridge.

Just because the phone rings doesn't mean you have to answer it.

"Just remember there'll be days like this." — from Van Morrison's song "Days Like This."

Porch curtains in windy Kansas

Well every week I try to do several things around the house to make it more to my liking. Our upstairs sunroom is yellow and had some heavy cotton green-striped curtains in it. Not a look I am partial to. But, I realized the green in the curtains would look nice against the house green, so I followed an idea I had found online and hung the curtains around the front porch. I realize the picture I saw, however, was probably not from a house in always-windy Kansas, so we'll see how these hold up. We even added a flag for Memorial Day!

Let's create a national "Write-a-Letter Day."

I recently posted a petition on whitehouse.gov encouraging the administration to establish a national "Write-a-Letter Day."

I hope you'll consider signing it and passing this on.

I am shocked that so many young people no longer know how to create and mail a handwritten correspondence. I believe the Post Office is a great institution that should be preserved. "Write-a-Letter Day" is meant to promote personal connections through handwritten correspondence and help the P.O. by increasing the number of first-class mailings.

You can view and sign the petition here: http://wh.gov/JPAD

Here's some more information about this petition: Create "Write a Letter Day." Teach youngsters to write and address a letter. Promote stamps and save the Post Office. The Post Office, one of our national treasures, is losing money due to declining first-class letter mailings. Many young people today have never written a letter by hand and do not know how to properly address an envelope. Our Post Office designs and prints many beautiful and meaningful stamps each year. Postal employees often offer amazing customer service. For these reasons, we should declare a national "Write-a-Letter Day." It should be sometime during the school year so teachers could incorporate it into their curriculum when appropriate. The tradition of handwritten cards and letters is quickly fading. This day would support the P.O. and this great tradition. It would encourage people to buy stamps and visit their local P.O. And it would promote connections with friends or relatives.

Concealed Carry in Kansas and US Gun Laws - Disturbing

I'm a recent Kansas transplant and admit to a bit of culture shock.

Yesterday I went to one of Topeka's prominent greenhouses. The place was overflowing with beautiful perennials, annuals, and veggies. Too many to choose from really. Out front you can get a bale of straw or a whimsical garden ornament made out of old tools and scrap metals. I browsed the plants for a long time and found some beautiful specimens. I then found the lush racks of seeds and picked out several packets. I was enjoying my experience but when I stepped up to the counter to pay I was confronted. Behind the counter they displayed several large metal yard ornaments. One was about 5 feet in length, with pistols jauntily adorning each end. The letters connecting these emblems spelled a chilling message: "We don't call 911."

I had reason today to visit the Shawnee County Sheriff's website. I noticed a pdf download of a no-gun sign. (It's an image of pistol with the familiar circular red strike-through placed over it.) Instinctively, I printed it out. I thought, I'll make one for my car, post it on my front door, and maybe even get a t-shirt made. Then, I thought, "Wait, this is Kansas. That might not be a good idea."

Kelly Ayotte, seemingly mild-mannered Republican senator from New Hampshire, recently held a town hall. A daughter of one of the teachers massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School confronted her about her recent vote against the bill that would create universal background checks for gun purchases. Ayotte had a stumbling response. The daughter defiantly walked out and deliberately turned her back on the senator.

Ayotte should have just said: "I need NRA support to win reelection. I would be primaried by Tea Party candidates if I voted against this bill. I had no choice. Surely you understand."

No, Senator Ayotte and all you other weak-kneed senators. We do not understand. Strengthen your spines. Stand up straight for what is right.

Not only do we need universal background checks, and you know it, we also need to confiscate all military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. These instruments of massacre have no place in civil society and are not needed for self defense. Police officers don't even carry them.

Elected officials need to grow up and stand up for what is right. If the NRA abandons you the American people will be there to prop you up.
Video of the Ayotte town hall: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/kelly-ayotte-gun-vote-90784.html