August 19, 2006
My wife, Donna, and I attended the public hearing last night at the Gem Theater on the Black Archives hosted by the Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon. We were heartened to hear so many community leaders pledge their support to revitalize the Archives and disappointed our current representative was unable to attend.
A retired archivist speaking on the subject of the difficulties of preservation and the expertise needed to save memorabilia, documents, photographs, artifacts, etc. sparked a discussion between us on the ride home.
The primary concern for us is that all the materials are preserved while discussion moves forward on a community-based solution for a permanent home for the collection. We suggest the Smithsonian be contacted to use their financial muscle to obtain a grant to bring the materials to their preservation center for their preservationists to stop any further deterioration of the collection and to house the material safely until an adequate permanent home can be created in Kansas City.
Such a permanent home will need to address community concerns about access for both researchers and area youth groups from schools and clubs. It will have to have a plan for events to illustrate the importance of maintaining and supporting the Black Archives with donations and volunteer hours. Whatever board is created will need the respect of both the urban community and the business community to ensure long term success for the very important role the Black Archives should be playing in promoting understanding and awareness ofAfrican-American history in Kansas City and beyond.
There is now an exciting opportunity to provide a solid foundation for the Black Archives. In my campaign, I will raise awareness in the district of the effort and, if I am elected to be your representative, will work with the Smithsonian and other non-profits to enlist their help in bringing this dream to fruition.
August 12, 2006
Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? is the title of an excellent documentary that follows the campaign of Jeff Smith, a young candidate who ran a primary against Russ Carnahan for Dick Gephardt’s open seat in the shadows of St.Louis. Check out the excellent reviews of this movie and find a theater to view it in near you. At Turk for Congress “We Believe” we have the strategy to send our own Mr Smith, Jacob Turk to Washington DC thank-you-very-much.
August 9, 2006
The Turk campaign primary victory of course came with no opposition, but that was a blessing in disguise as we watched contentious primaries take some eyes (and much money) off the November prize. Jacob received a lot of attention from so many leaders during the Primary festivities, as the opportunity to elect ”regular folks” so sorely needed in Congress sunk in. Our message begins to resonate with support from suprising areas of District 5. Seems like Rep. Cleaver “taint good enough” for the expectations constituents had for him as a Congressman. For those who listened to Rush’s show last week, you get the joke!
Now for something not funny at all: Cleaver was ranked 435 out of 438 Representatives (including three non-voting members of Congress who all ranked above Cleaver) by congress.org’s power rankings. Maybe he took the passage from the bible that the “last shall be first” a little too literally. Because District 5 deserves so much better than one of the weakest Representatives in the entire country, but that is sadly who we have.
In fact, they deserve a leader like Jacob Turk. Read more about Jacob’s story here
August 7, 2006
Healthcare- “A new face for Malina.” I was watching a documentary about a Haitian girl who was brought to Miami, Florida for a new face. That’s not a missprint- a new face. Her original face was severely disfigured by fibrous dysplasia. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world and the most amazing part of the episode was her family’s gratefulness to God and the United States of America.
We do alot of complaining about our healthcare system, but the fact is American medicine is the best in the world. Our healthcare delivery system is what is facing a crisis. But just to put things in perspective, as her daughter was being rolled into the operating room, they paused for a moment prayer and then as she was rolled away, the women present began singing “God Bless America”. It was a huge reminder of what we have to be thankful for in this nation.
We do have much work to do on healthcare and for a look at Jacob’s solutions check out the Healthcare Issues section of this website.
August 5, 2006
So that’s my official title: “campaign guy”. And I love it. More than any campaign, Jacob’s campaign is about people and believing in them. It’s not about titles or lengthy meetings. It’s about a simple concept: elect regular folks to Congress and you can change Washington.
I’ve spent the better part of the last ten years living and working in Washington, DC. It’s a city filled with career politicians sent from all over the country to represent… well sometimes it’s hard to tell who they represent. And that’s the point.
August 4, 2006
Thanks for dropping in. Our blog will be a way for you to let Jacob Turk know what is on your mind and for him to respond in kind.
We will be using this blog to dessiminate information about our issues and campaign to overcome the advantage our opponent has from special interest money to use traditional media to deliver his message.
We are a grassroots campaign fueled by volunteer campaign workers and that includes our web team. We appreciate your patience as we iron out the website in the coming weeks, adding content including interviews.
We would also appreciate you joining the ‘We Believe…’ campaign to change politics in Washington, DC by electing folks to Congress instead of career politicians. To change Congress, we have to change the type of people we send to DC. We are starting in the 5th District of Missouri with our campaign to replace the incumbent with Jacob Turk. We invite you to read his biography on this website. He has lived his life outside the political arena and shares the frustration felt across America and in this district with the incumbents in Washington.
