Knowledge Is Power--Especially When We Share It!

Many years ago I heard the truism that knowledge is power. Yet, I have come to realize as others have that knowledge that is shared is even more powerful. By sharing knowledge both individuals grow in their knowledge and expertise.

Dr. Stephen Covey recommends that when we have learned something new that we share it with someone else within 24-48 hours. This sharing will not only reinforce what we have learned we will benefit from what others share in return. In other words, the more knowledge wealth we share, the more knowledge wealth we gain.

My good friend and colleague, Michelle Bachman, and I have come across one way we can do this on a regular basis. We have decided that both of us will read the book Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts and share our ideas, impressions, insights, etc. via email. This is not only a way to increase our knowledge but it is also a way to keep in touch with friends who enrich our lives and expand our horizons.

Who Is Qualified?

I had an experience yesterday that has caused me to contemplate what it means to be qualified for a position. I feel that at times we put too much stock in credentials and formal education, particularly in the education field (there could be others as well but my main experience has been with education).

It is my opinion that too often people jump through the hoops to get credentialed, and they manage to become credentialed without becoming educated and/or effective. If all it took was credentials for educators to become effective, we wouldn't be facing the education crisis we are now facing.

None of this is to say that I don't value education per se. In fact I value it so much it is disheartening to see how schooling can destroy education. It is also disheartening when so much emphasis is put on credentials that a self-educated person who is passionate and committed might be discounted or overlooked who could possibly be even more effective in a position.

It's Not Over Until The Fat Lady Sings

When thinking about our nation it is critical to remember that this nation is a work in progress. Throughout the relatively short history of the United States God has raised up some of His most noble men and women to move forward the divine mission of this nation--line upon line. It spite of being chosen by God they, like the rest of us, were imperfect people who stumbled along making mistakes and taking wrong turns. They, as Joseph Ellis says, "... were improvising without a script in a historical drama without a known conclusion." (p. 22) In other words, our history was their present so they didn't have the luxury of hindsight.

In spite of their weaknesses and imperfections there is no doubt that God used them anyway to do His work in His way. Therefore, it is a sad when there are those who choose to vilify these great men and women because they often held the wrong assumptions and prejudices of the persons of their time and place in history.

Frederick Douglass was one person who understood this as revealed through the speech Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln that he gave April 14, 1876 at the unveiling of the Freedmen's Monument in Memory of Abraham Lincoln 11 years after Lincoln's assassination. Although Douglass acknowledged in this speech that Lincoln was a white man in his interests, associations, habits of thought, and prejudices that were common to his countrymen towards the colored race, he also acknowledged that Abraham Lincoln was at the head of the great movement that would forever abolish slavery in the United States. Douglass also recognized that the fact that they were able to assemble in peace in front of this monument was "... a compliment and credit to American civilization, and a prophecy of still greater national enlightenment and progress in the future." (p. 1)

As the saying goes in relationship to an opera that it isn't over until the fat lady sings, our nation's divine mission isn't yet complete. As our noble, yet imperfect, predecessors fulfilled their part in moving forward the divine mission of this nation so must each of us now do our part in spite of our weaknesses and imperfections.


References

Ellis, J. J. (2007). American Creation. New York: Random House, Inc.

Douglass, F. (1876). Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved May 6, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?documentprint=39

It Only Takes A Minute Or Two

A couple of weeks ago I called my dear friend, Kate Asbill, seeking her advice on a dilemma that was causing me much anguish. This busy woman gave me her full attention for about an hour listening as if she had nothing else to do but listen to me. Because she was listening to my heart she was able to offer wise words of counsel that helped me to see how my behavior might be contributing to the unpleasant situation. After all, that is what I wanted--advise on how to better the situation not have someone share a "pity and ain't it awful party" with me.

Kate's kindness did not end once the telephone conversation ended. She followed up with a handwritten encouraging note written in a friendship card with the reminder, "When life gives you rain, God gives you rainbows." Then yesterday I received an email from her asking how things were going with my dilemma and reminding me to hang in there. She also included some humor that made me laugh sharing that it has been proven that if we look at the color yellow for 18 seconds our spirits will be lifted, and she knew that it was true because she had read it in the Enquirer.

The dilemma I was facing has not disappeared but Kate's kindnesses that didn't take her more than a minute or two to show her friendship and support give me that added strength to keep on trudging with a positive outlook.

P.S. By the way I did follow Kate's advise and looked at the color yellow for 18 seconds +...and it did lift my spirits! Maybe the Enquirer does contain some truth once in awhile.

Be Wary of the Experts

Yesterday on the Journal Bill Moyers interviewed Victor Navasky and Christopher Cerf, founders of the Institute of Expertology and co-authors of the books The Experts Speak and Mission Accomplished! Or How We Won the War in Iraq the latter being an in-depth study and analysis of five years of expert commentary on the Iraq War.

The interview centered around the point that the experts agreed on various points surrounding the Iraq War that all turned out to be wrong-- such things as that the war would only take a few months or maybe only weeks, not much sacrifice would be required, the financial cost would be minimal, civilian casualties would be few, and there would be little damage to Iraq's infrastructure.

Although the interview was about experts in relationship to the Iraq War, I felt there were some lessons to be learned that could be applied to education experts. For example, in asnwer to Bill Moyers questions as to who decides who is an expert and what makes an expert, the two authors answered:

• If you are in the government, you are by definition an expert--specifically heads of departments who are supposed to know what they are talking about. They added that you if you disagree with someone in the government you are believed to be unpatriotic and any expertise you may have becomes suspect.
• Experts also include scholars, pundits, and columnists--people who have positions of status and power.
• People are believed to be experts who proclaim their expertise. Some do it directly. Others use jargon, announce the number of their published articles, use their titles, or by their uniforms.

The authors made some other points about expertise that could also apply to education experts:

• Expertise seems to be passed from one generation of powerful people to another.
• They borrow each other's language and reinforce each other's message.
• They are arrogant in their erroneousness.
• They have contempt for those who don't agree with them or who they don't consider worthy.
• Claim that a situation is not their fault and blame someone or something else,
• If they are proven to be wrong, they just continue to say what they said previously but in different ways.
• They find ways --even outlandish at times--to dismiss findings that don't support preconceived beliefs.
• People who are in charge of promoting others promote people who come from the same power environment and reaffirm the core beliefs they had in the first place.

Needless to say not all experts fit this description, but we would be wise to be wary of those who do.

Talents Unlimited

Yesterday afternoon I attended a reception sponsored by the Mexican Consulate at Salt Lake City's historic City County Building. The purpose of the reception was to kickoff the 12th annual "Este Es Mi México" (This is my Mexico) art contest conducted by the Mexican Department of Foreign Affairs.

The walls of the first floor of the building are now decorated with the framed artwork of some of the almost 6000 Mexican children between 7 and 11 years old now living all over the world who participated in the 2007 contest. In their drawings the children expressed what Mexico means to them--its history, culture, landscapes, people, and holidays. I have visited a variety of art galleries and art shows in my life, but none touched my heart like this one. There is no doubt that some of these children have artistic talent, but it wasn't that that moved me. There is something about children's uninhibited artwork which captures the heart.

It wasn't only the children's artwork that made this reception such a delightful experience. The recently formed Mariachi band from Northwest Middle School provided the entertainment. Not only was the talent of these young people impressive, but this band had special meaning for me.

Last year I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Javier Saenz who had a dream to start a Mariachi Band in a school with a high Hispanic population. It touched my heart so much to see that his dream had become a reality. Many young people will reap the benefits from his perseverance to realize that dream.

Both the artwork and the Mariachi Band are strong reminders that when our desires are to bless the lives of children, rather than to promote some personal vain ambition, nothing is impossible.

Confronting Social Injustices

In the book The Tale of Two Cities, the author Charles Dickens begins by criticizing the aristocrats' treatment of the poor people of France--the shameless corruption, abuse, and inhumanity of the French nobles towards the peasantry. Even "church leaders entertained themselves with some 'humane' actions as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with princers, and his body burned alive--because he had not kneeled down, in the rain, to honor a procession of monks some fifty or sixty yards away." Dickens ends by noting that the same social atrocities occur even when the power shifts from the aristocrats to the lower classes--the masses, oppressed for centuries, rise up at last and destroy their masters becoming themselves just as evil and corrupt.

There is always a danger that this scenario could happen when social injustices are confronted, especially if a person or a people focuses on his or their victimization. Therefore, when confronting social injustices it would be wise to do so in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness rather than in a spirit of revenge and retaliation. It is only through the former that everyone can start to heal and move forward--and thus, break the unproductive cycle.

Nobility In the Worst of Times

"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolishness. It was the season of Light; it was the season of Darkness. It was the spring of hope; it was the winter of despair. Some people had everything to look forward to, while others had nothing to look forward to--much like today." Charles Dickens--Tale of Two Cities

I had the opportunity yesterday to watch the Tale of Two Cities, a movie based on one of my most favorite books. There are so many characters with whom I fall in love, but none more so than Sydney Carton. Even though Carton is an alcoholic and a cynic it is he who ends up paying the ultimate sacrifice--willingly laying down his life so another might live.

Carton is a reminder that living in the worst of times can bring out the noble in people, even in those who seem to be the most unlikely.

A Man [or Woman] for All Seasons

Yesterday I had the opportunity to watch one of my favorite movies, A Man for All Seasons, about Sir Thomas More. It was a reminder that standing by our principles and being true to our convictions often does not bring the rewards of man and sometimes even brings forth man's contempt along with dire consequences.

In 1535 King Henry V had Sir Thomas More beheaded for refusal to swear an oath that violated his beliefs--to state that he believed what he didn't believe. More held onto his convictions with steadfastness and courage and dignity during his imprisonment, trial, and execution. His final words on the scaffold were: "The King's good servant, but God's First."

It is as true today as it was for Sir Thomas More 473 years ago for each of us to have a deep understanding of true principles, base the way we live our lives upon those principles and convictions, and then be willing to face come what may in terms of consequences with courage and dignity...so that each of us can be known as Sir Thomas More was as a man [or woman] for all seasons.

It Was Out of Context

Over the last few days I have had the opportunity to listen to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, 2008 Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's pastor, do an interview with Bill Moyer's and give two different speeches, one for the NAACP and one for the Press Club. Plus, I downloaded the interview with Bill Moyer and read the transcript. Although I didn't agree 100% with everything that Rev. Wright said, I found that I couldn't write down fast enough all the words of wisdom coming from his heart--thoughts and insights I wanted to remember.

Therefore, it was extremely disconcerting to me to later hear his speech critiqued by newscasters who obviously could only give their audience soundbites from the speech. As I listened it was a reminder that making a judgment after only hearing snippets of a situation that takes what was said out of context can give the wrong impression and cause one to come to a wrong, if not dangerous, conclusion. I would have had a whole different perspective if all I knew about Rev. Wright's words was what I had learned from the newscast.

Is It I?

Whenever we have a problem in any relationship whether it is with a spouse, a friend, a colleague, a neighbor, or whoever, it would be wise to follow the example of Christ's 12 Apostles at the Last Supper. When Christ told them that one of them would betray Him, they didn't start pointing fingers as to who they thought the person would be. Instead each looked sorrowfully within himself and asked, "Is it I?" (Matthew 26:22)

When we respond to our problematic situations with a similar introspection it will be an opportunity to smooth away some rough edges on our character and avoid criticism which can only be divisive. People, and especially those who may be causing us some frustration, are not in our individual world by coincidence. They are in our world for our growth. If we complain and act like a martyr rather than take 95% of the responsibility for the problem, we'll miss an opportunity tailored just for us to refine our character.

I Was the Common Denominator

I was continuing to have a similar problem in a variety of different situations. The fact that I was the common denominator caused me to do a self-examination. Obviously there was a lesson to be learned that wasn't being learned.


I felt like Jonah who tried running away from the Lord's calling for him to go to Nineveh--something he didn't want to do--but he found that he couldn't hide or run away from the Lord's plans for him.

It's a reminder to me that it isn't the situation that needs to change. It is I who needs to change and/or accept the direction the Lord wants for my life. So rather than trying to find someone or something to blame for my discomfort I need to be asking, "What lesson am I suppose to be learning?"

You May Be Right!

As the immediate past president of an organization and still on the Executive Board I was having some frustrations with the current leadership's disregard for my recommendations but yet still wanting my help when it got in a bind. Rather than stew in my frustration I felt it was best to be assertive and express the frustration in as an honest and open way as I could.

My first mistake was probably relying on email to do this but relied on it as it was the only way the Executive Board was communicating. My second mistake was hoping that the current president would respond in a way different from her past track record. Although her response did follow a similar vein, her response did give me some food for thought upon which I have pondered.

In her response to me she said that she wouldn't "engage in this conversation with me. You are assuming things and making your own reality." After pondering on this and counseling with some friends in leadership positions such as my good friend, Kate Asbill, I came to the conclusion that she was probably right. Yet, I also realized that there is more to the story.

Assuming things and making up our own reality is what all of us do. Each of us has had diverse experiences that cause us to operate from a different "awareness wheel" as my friend Connie Frisch would often remind me.

Therefore, when someone has the courage to come to us honestly expressing how he or she is seeing things, rather than cut off the conversation because we don't see it that way, we have a prime opportunity to open up an engaging and healthy dialogue and conversation. It starts by saying, "I'm so sorry you are seeing things that way. Help me to understand what is making you see things that way." This type of response has the potential to not only strengthen the relationship but also to help both learn how to be better communicators and leaders.

I don't write this today to be critical of this leader as each of us is at a different point on the leadership continuum. I write it because of the lesson I learned on how I need to respond better and more productively when others courageously approach me with their assumptions and own reality.

Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

Last week the Utah Jazz won two of two playoff games against the Houston Rockets in Houston. All of a sudden Utah newscasters were predicting that it would be a sweep. That truly surprised me if they had been watching the games. Although the Jazz won both games, both games were extremely close. Also, both teams looked pretty equal. Therefore, either team could possibly win on any given night.
The Jazz team members actually realized this--At least, much better than the media did. So it was the media that had egg on its face when the Jazz lost to the Rockets last night in the first game in Utah.
The lesson to be learned from this is that we can never assume that we have arrived when we still have a long road to travel to arrive at a desired destination.

Men and Women Such As These

The following is a message we received from Amazon a couple of days ago:

Academy Award nominees Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney star in John Adams, a seven-part epic miniseries event that explores the uncertainty and intensity surrounding the birth of the American republic through the eyes of one of its greatest founding fathers. This new miniseries chronicles the life of a man whose fiercely independent spirit, reverence for the rule of law and commitment to personal liberty greatly influenced the values on which the United States was founded. It also explores the relationship between Adams and his wife, Abigail, to whom he was married for 54 years.

Last night my husband and I watched the first two episodes of this miniseries. As I witnessed and felt the struggles of our incredible Founding Fathers to make wise decisions that would have such profound repercussions I was reminded of what David McCullough said in a speech at BYU on 27 September 2005: "...nobody ever lived in the past. Jefferson, Adams, George Washington--they didn't walk around saying, 'Isn't this fascinating living in the past? Aren't we picturesque in our funny clothes?' They were living in the present, just as we do. The great difference is that it was their present, not ours. And just as we don't know how things are going to turn out, they didn't either."

McCullough ended his speech by saying, "And I hope when you read about the American Revolution and the reality of those people that you will never think of them again as just figures in a costume pageant or as gods. They were not perfect; they were imperfect--that's what's so miraculous. They rose to the occasion as very few generations ever have."

Not only did watching these first episodes increase my appreciation for our Founding Fathers and in particular John Adams but my admiration for Abigail Adams and other Founding Mothers increased as well. McCullough understood this when he stated, "Abigail in one of her many letters to her husband, John, who was off in Philadelphia working to put the Declaration of Independence through Congress wrote, 'Posterity who are to reap the blessings, will scarcely be able to conceive the hardships and sufferings of their ancestors.' "

The following book has been written about these insightful women:

Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts profiles the women whose bravery, convictions, and patriotism impacted the formation of the United States, focusing on the contributions of the wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters of the country's founding fathers.

As I pondered on what our Founding Fathers AND Founding Mothers sacrificed so that we might enjoy the freedoms we now enjoy I was brought to my knees in prayer to express gratitude to our Heavenly Father for raising up such men and women as these.



Note: More information about the John Adams miniseries can be found at the website www.hbo.com/films/johnadams/ Also, a copy of David McCullough's speech can be found at BYU's website.

The Blessings of Chaos

"We live in a rainbow of chaos."

Paul Cezanne

I was in a panic! After spending literally hundreds of hours trying to refine a paper for my BYU doctorate policy class, I felt both my mind and my paper were in chaos. I was at my wits end on how to pull it all together in a way that would make a difference. After all, I wasn't just writing this paper for a grade. This paper was about my passion--How to improve the academic achievement and success of Hispanic learners.

While in the midst of this chaos and thinking all was lost I remembered some lessons I had learned in the past about the fact that chaos can actually be a good thing so I went on a google search to learn some good things about chaos, and I found some "gems."

First: The origin of chaos and what it means

In Greek religion and mythology chaos means vacant, unfathomable space. From it arose all things, earthly and divine. There are various legends and myths explaining it. In one, Gaea sprang from Chaos and was the mother of all things. Then Lord Bryon reminds us, "Out of chaos God made a world."

Second: Great things can come from chaos:

• Creativity/ Creation/ Invention

"No chaos, no creation. Evidence: The kitchen at mealtime." Mason Cooley

"Invention, it be humbly admitted, does not consist of creating out of void, but out of chaos." Mary Shelley

"Art is the triumph over chaos." John Cleaver

"I have a great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift." Septima Poinsette Clark

"Confusion is the welcome mat at the door of creativity." Michael Gelb

"Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not yet invented." Henry Miller

"The things we fear most in organizations--fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances--are the primary sources of creativity." Margaret J. Wheatley

• Genius

"All genius is a conquering of chaos and mystery." Otto Weininger

• Discoveries

"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries." A. A. Milne

• Order

"A flock of birds may dart this way or that. The directions seem randomly chosen, but in the end, all of the birds land on the branches of the same tree. They are not scattered all over the landscape thudding into the ground at random trajectories and velocities. Out of the chaos comes order." Tom Barrett

So what should one do with chaos?

1. Overcome fear of chaos.
2. Understand that "every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." Pablo Picasso
3. "It is important to do what you don't know how to do. It is important to see your skills as keeping you from learning what is deepest and most mysterious. If you know how to focus, unfocus. If your tendency is to make sense out of chaos, start chaos." Carlos Castaneda
4. "The key to achieving competitive advantage isn't reacting to chaos; it's producing that chaos. And the key to being a chaos producer is being an innovative leader." Ed McCracken
5. Mine for the great ideas within the chaos

"You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star."

Friedrich Nietzsche

Listening to and Learning from Rhett Laubach

Once again Kevin Eikenberry has enriched my life! This last Thursday his company hosted a 60 minute guest conversation call with Rhett Laubach. The conversation call was entitled Listening Like A Leader.

In this call and on his "blog" Laubach suggested that the development of the following habits would help us become better listeners:

1. Provide value: We can do this by responding to the other person by saying things such as, "I agree 100%" or "Yes" or "Here's how we could maybe build on that." It also means suggesting a book or a person that might be helpful.
2. Change things for the better: While listening be aware of gaps that your expertise can help fill.
3. Serving others: Stop what you are doing and give the other person your full attention.
4. Make the most of every interaction: Start your conversations with others as if you were already in the middle of a conversation with them by asking questions and responding to the answers with more questions so they are comfortable sharing their life stories.
5. Knowing they don't know everything: Give someone else the opportunity to share his/her expertise.
6. Being available to others: Put yourself in situations, seek out situations, encourage situations and fully commit to situations where you give of your time to someone who needs or wants a listening ear.

Thanks to Rhett for helping us know where to go once we have learned the eye contact listening principle.

Note: Contact info for Rhett

Work: 405.216.5050 Mobile: 405.517.7385 Fax: 810.454.7556 rhett@yournextspeaker.com http://authenticityrules.blogspot.com/ http://pliblog.yournextspeaker.com/

I'm Not a Blank Slate...and Neither Are Our Students

I now have an inkling of what our Hispanic students must feel when they are treated as if they are "blank slates."

Even though I have lived 60 years, taught for 25+ years, interacted with Hispanic people, and have done in depth studying and researching by reading thousands of books and articles as well as attending state and national conferences and seeking advice from nationally known experts in the field the last 8 1/2 years, one of my doctoral professors said to me during one of our meetings that they were going to now help me connect my passion with knowledge.

Then in response to an email I sent this same professor, he responded by saying, "You discovered just what I thought would. Several major factors which contribute to increased achievement among Hispanic students. Good work. These four factors could serve as the organizing framework for your review of literature. Now, what do you do with them. Some suggestions. Which factors are most effective? Is it possible from the literature on them to determine which ones are more effective than others. Which ones are more important than others? Is there a synergy created when one or more factors are used together? And, it may just be that we need all four present because without all four then our efforts will not result in much. So now the real fun begins as you begin to create your own policy recommendation. It may just be that there are more than four factors and that you know what one or more of these factors might be. You are on the just the right track. I look forward to seeing a draft of your work"

What this professor didn't realize is that I already knew about all these other factors and even knew who the majority of the researchers were who were connected to each of the factors.

I truly admire this professor and appreciate his support so I wasn't offended by his comments, but his comments did cause me to ponder on what it means to be treated as if one is a blank slate and when everything you are bringing to the table is treated as if it has no validity.

We must realize that our Hispanic learners aren't coming to us as blank slates or empty vessels that need to be filled. If we can't tap into the richness of what they are bringing to the table, we will do a much better job of serving them and helping to close the achievement gap (s).

Those Who Came Before Us

A week ago last Sunday there was an article in our Salt Lake Tribune by Kimberly Mangun entitled Clinton and Obama were not the first. She notes in the article that Hillary Clinton is not the first woman to run for president nor is Barack Obama the first African American to do so.

Their have been others before them who challenged racial and gender norms and helped pave the way for them. Over twenty years ago Reverend Jesse Jackson ran for president on the Democratic ticket.

Before Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress, ran for president in 1972. Chisholm realized that even though she probably wouldn't win in the conventional sense, her candidacy would change the face and future of America.

One century before Chisholm in 1872 Victoria Woodhull who chose Frederick Douglass has her running mate was nominated for president by the Equal Rights Party. An interesting side note is that this was during the time of Reconstruction and only two years after the 15th Amendment was passed, so Douglass could vote but Woodhull couldn't.

All this is to remind us that although there is a good chance we might have the first woman or the first African American as the next president of the United States, there are other courageous individuals who came before them who helped to make this a reality.

For each of us there have been courageous pioneers who came before us to whom we owe a great depth of gratitude for paving the way for us to accomplish our dreams. May we do so for others.

Sacredness of an Oath (cont.)

There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon, I Nephi 4:35, 37, which says that as soon as Zoram "made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time forth. Our fears did cease concerning him." Although those of us in the western world may be astonished at this confidence in Zoram's words, it becomes less astonishing when we realize that an oath is the one thing that is most sacred and inviolable among the desert people.

Hugh B. Nibley in his book An Approach to the Book of Mormon says, "Hardly will an Arab break his oath, even if his life is in jeopardy, " for, "there is nothing stronger and nothing more sacred than the oath among the nomads." (p. 110)

George Lamsa in his book Old Testament Light tells us that when easterners take an oath they lift their hands toward heaven and invoke the name of God as a faithful witness. He adds that when treaties and agreements were made in the name of God they were generally respected and kept by future generations. (p. 44)

Even in the western world a man's word used to mean more than it does today. Yet, still today someone who does what he or she says he/she will do is known as a person of integrity --a man (or woman) of his word. That characterization of someone still carries a lot of weight.

I have a quote in my book My Years As a Hispanic Youth Advocate...and The Lessons I Learned that I believe was originally written as a joke and yet, it has a very important message. It says that it may feel like the judge who said in his acceptance speech, "I wish to thank the 424 people who promised to vote for me. I wish to thank the 316 people who said they did vote for me. I wish to thank the 47 people who came out last Thursday to vote, and I wish to thank the 26 folks who actually did vote for me." (p. 302)