MEET CHUCK P. in ERIE ! - Democratic Underground

And here is what I was inspired to write (not a usual thing) about it. It is long but it is from the heart:

The Road Ahead

Living about 100 miles North of Pittsburgh and 60 miles South of Erie, I had a choice of where to meet Democratic Candidate for United States Senate in Pennsylvania, Chuck Pennacchio. I could go to the ‘Burgh, my hometown, on Friday or Erie on Saturday.
I chose Erie because it was closer.
On Saturday morning, I awoke to my awful mistake - Friday’s weather was perfect for traveling, but now I looked out onto a blizzard.
I watched the weather reports of dangerous road conditions, checked with Penn DOT, popped in here at DU to see if anyone else from Erie was going, and watched outside the windows waiting for the storm to break.
It didn’t.
My husband and I went back and forth about whether or not I should go. I looked down at my 2 little babes, knowing that my carefree risk-taking days were behind me. Then I remembered reading about Diane Santoriello, also a mother, whose son Neil was killed in Iraq last August.
So I employed our unconventional, but usual way of dealing with winter travel in the snow-belt, and we flipped a coin:
Heads = I wouldn’t go (because it would be the more sensible thing to do,)
Tails = I would brave the storm (because it was high time that I got off my tail to do something about our hi-jacked government.)
Tails it was.
The roads were about as bad as I’ve seen in my 5+ years since moving here, but I had certainly driven through worse storms, in Canada!
I took it slow, and thought about turning back home more than a dozen times. During one of those moments, Terri Schiavo was mentioned, yet again, on the radio. Reaffirmed that the Flying Monkey Rights’ hypocrisy knows no bounds and that there is no branch of government that is safe from their fascist clutches, I pressed on, keeping my head forward and my eyes on the road ahead.
All of the road signs were caked with icy snow and there was no visibility beyond 15 feet. Over an hour and a half later, I amazingly coasted into to the Penn State University Behrend Campus and lucked out when the first building that I happened to come upon was the McGarvey Commons/Reed Student Union; where I needed to be.

Chuck P. is the Real Deal, a true man of the people. There is no more simple way of putting it. But more than the man, it’s the message, the meaning: This is OUR Campaign. We need him and he needs us.
He spoke of not needing political advisors or strategist because he alone has the knowledge and experience to stick it to Santorum. I was reminded of the Mark Twain quote: “If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything,” adding: or have to pay people to remember for you.
I learned that Dr. Pennacchio has worked on political campaigns since he was 13 years old. I especially enjoyed when Chuck said that most Democrats and Republicans feed from the same trough and how he isn’t beholden to anyone because he doesn’t. I also learned about the K-street coalition.
When a young, I assume, Republican, wielding a copy of the constitution, questioned Americans’ “right” to social programs, I wish that Chuck would have mention the billions of our dollars spent on Corporate Welfare. It the end, I was touched by Chuck’s frugality when I overheard him speak of “a place to crash” as opposed to a hotel room.

Yes, there were less people there than I had hoped, but I enjoyed meeting 2 in particular. (As we left the building, we saw that the roads were much worse and they offered to lead me back onto the interstate and thanks to the e-mail that they sent me the following Sunday morning, with information about a local Democracy for America group, I will be attending my first monthly meeting tonight.)

I left the event, thoroughly inspired and hopeful, fully aware that as a Pennsylvanian, I have an awesome opportunity to apply lessons learned from 2004 and fight the good fight this time. That is the only way to get our country back. So giddy with hope and inspiration, I forgot that my gas tank was on ‘E’.
Luckily, I could make out from the signs that there was an exit with a gas station 2 miles ahead. It was one of those exits; a one stoplight town with the gas station far from the interstate, but I made it.
Inside, I chatted with the employees; one spoke of how she too had no health insurance and therefore could not afford to get the store’s required doctor’s note if she missed a days’ work, the other talked about how she couldn’t afford to go back to college this coming fall, and one gentleman spoke to me at length about his disability and financial troubles. A road worker pulled in to gas up his salt truck and we all joked about me following him home. He said quite seriously, that unfortunately, he was done for the night, as it approached midnight and the State couldn’t afford to have him work into a Sunday.
They all advised (practically begged) me to get a hotel room for the night as a State Trooper had just been in the store, directing travelers off the road and towards local motels, reporting that there had been 54 accidents on rt.79, so far that evening.
I explained why that was not an option for me; you see, I needed those 2 babes at home as much as they needed me, as they are breastfed, and anyone with experience with that will know how painfully engorged I was by this point, (and for anyone who hasn’t, I apologize for the bizarre image that just popped into your head.)

I left the gas station, thinking of those folks working at the store and saying to myself; “Pennacchio for ALL Pennsylvanians!” and “Yeah! Chuck P. for You and Me!” and “Chuck Gets It!”
I pressed on, now listening to the Kyle Jason Show, on Air America Radio. It was my first time catching his show and I was enjoying the Bob Marley he was playing and how nicely it contrasted with the raging storm outside my windshield. Kyle had Chuck D. on as a guest and I really miss hearing him on the now cancelled, Unfiltered.
The storm eased up as I traveled South and I decided to pass the time by calling in to the show, but my cell phone cut out before I could do my Chuck P. / Chuck D. shout out. Good thing though, because I probably would have missed my exit.
I eventually made it home, (and I hope that the deer who I almost hit crossing my final leg of the trip did too.)

So why did I do this? Well, my 2 brothers our serving in the military, right now. My husband is a disabled firefighter and we rely a great deal on Social Security, and since he was injured I have become one of the country’s 45 million citizens without health care. There are many, many reasons, but the biggest one is that I know of only some of what the Bush Crime Family is up to and that’s enough to know that they must be stopped.
So, here’s what I’m thinking:
The road that lies ahead may not be familiar and it is certainly not the easiest one to take, but it is the only road worth taking. And with all that is at stake, it is the only way to get to where we need to be. Along the way, some of us might get lost, and sometimes we might get lucky, but we will meet wonderful like-minded folks willing to help guide us home. There may be times when we run out of gas, but that’s why we need to reach out to each other. And we will all take some risks together, but the biggest risk of all, is not going.

well...	ttagaris	Apr-03-05 02:07 PM	#1
YES I DID !!!	PA Mamma	Apr-04-05 06:15 PM	#2
Wow! Great Story! Thanks for the Inspiration!	VeniceBeat	Apr-11-05 06:36 AM	#3
Thank You.	PA Mamma	Apr-11-05 02:57 PM	#4
Li'l Ricky is a Mendacious Dope	VeniceBeat	Apr-11-05 06:43 PM	#5
Then I shouldn't tell you...	PA Mamma	Apr-12-05 05:07 PM	#6