Remembering the Genocide in Rwanda

http://www.ictr.org/default.htm

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/evil/interviews/

http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/rwanda/

Outsider Art of the Mentally Ill

From CBS Sunday Morning:



OUTSIDER ART
CBS News correspondent Serena Altschul learns about the colorful characters behind Outsider Art, a creative movement whose artists are untrained and often mentally unstable but who nonetheless remain unceasingly imaginative.

For more information:

Ricco Maresca Gallery, NYC 212-627-4819 www.riccomaresca.com

Outsider Art Fair: Sanford Smith & Associates 212-777-5218
www.sanfordsmith.com

American Folk Art Museum, NYC: 212-977-7170
www.folkartmuseum.org

R/GA www.rga.com

Tony Kiritsis is dead

Read the story here.

No one who has worked in the mental health field does not know of this man and his effect on the mentally ill.

There is no doubt about it. He was crazy and mean. Too bad his actions hurt so many people and will continue to do so long after he is dead.

Of a personal note, I remember when this happened. I was very sick and was home for a few days with a very high temp. I would drift in and out of fever induced delirium as I watched TV. The only thing on was this mess about Kiritsis.

I worked with many people over the years who provided direct care for Tony. All agree he was a paranoid pistol. They also agree he was a mean and rude man.

Strange how such a character can forever change the course of Indiana Law.

A Message for Sheriff Anderson

In regards to the MCSD losing a lawsuit today in federal court. The lawsuit was brought about by Former Sheriff Jack Cottey trying to make an underling lie and cheat. The employee refused and was suspended from duty. The solution is clear....Cottey caused the mess. The MCSD should now sue the former Sheriff for illegal activity and recoop its loss.

The story is here.

Ongoing discussion of this issue here.

Here are some other behaviors that the former sheriff should also be held accountable for:

Sheriff Jack Cottey
Photo
Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4 Link 5 Link 6 Link 7
Link 8

Cardwell Family News

Jeff's Work for Children
Link 1 Link 2

The Lincoln Roundtable of Indianapolis

The Lincoln Roundtable [TLR] is not a historical discussion group. It is a political education and action group in Indianapolis, based on the values and ideals of Abraham Lincoln.

I helped develop the philosophy of the group. I helped pick the name. I designed the logo. I developed the mission statement. I took the group photo of the charter members signing the proclamation papers to officially start the organization.

The Lincoln Roundtable is now the largest grassroot political group in the Greater Indianapolis area.



MISSION: Promoting Education of the Political Process & Encouraging Character Development in Life, Business, & Politics



BTW, my brother Jeff is the President of the group.

The big view

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

Help for the Mentally Ill In Indianapolis

An Action Plan for Helping those with Mental Illness


Sad, but true....

This is a plan for family members helping those with mental illness in Marion County, Indiana, or the Greater Indianapolis area.

My basic belief is that whenever possible, those with mental illness should take the responsibility for their own care. However, mental illness often robs individuals of their judgment and it becomes necessary for family and the community to intercede for the safety of the individual and the community.

I would like to start off with two names of the most knowledgeable and caring persons I know on matters of mental health. These persons are: Mike Trent, of Midtown Mental Health Center [ph 317- 630-7791] and Judy Spray, of the PAIR Mental Health Diversion Program [317- 327-6869]. I would certainly start with these two for ideas and guidance on helping a love one into treatment.

If he is dangerous to himself or others, the family can seek an Emergency Detention to a mental health center. After a period of 72hrs, the hospital has to determine if he is dangerous as a result of mental illness. If so, the hospital can have him court ordered for long term inpatient or outpatient treatment. This procedure must be initiated in cooperation with a mental health center as the petition for an emergency detention must have a doctor's statement, as well as a factual witness, and the agreement of the mental health center that they will hospitalize the person for a period of observation. There may be a fee charged by the mental health center for this service. Some mental health centers serving Indianapolis are:

Midtown MHC

Gallahue MHC/Community Hospital

BehaviorCorp.

Adult and Child MHC

Assorted Mental Health Providers

If the mentally ill person presents an immediate danger, one can always call 911 and explain that there is a mentally ill person in need who may harm themselves or others. The mentally ill person can be picked up by the responsible law enforcement officer and taken to the nearest appropriate treatment facility under provisions of the Immediate Detention Law. Another strategy is to avoid calling 911, if time and circumstances permit, and call the shift commander of the appropriate law enforcement district. This may permit the commander the time to exercise more judgment and discretion on what officers to send out and at what time. Working with caring law enforcement officers may lessen the trauma to the mentally ill person and facilitate the person gaining appropriate access to the right services. A mission of the Indianapolis law enforcement agencies are to encourage the notion of "community policing" and the problem of the mentally ill falls under this plan. To find the appropriate officer in your area, go to IPD here or the MCSD here.
If he is gravely disabled, the family can go to Probate Court and seek Guardianship over him. The court or his guardian can then sign him in for treatment. You will need to start with an attorney first.

If he has any pending criminal charges [probation, parole, court case], the court, parole officer, or probation officer can order him into treatment. IF he is in custody, email or call [317-231-8263], the jail and request that he be evaluated for treatment while in custody. It would also be advisable to notify the PAIR Mental Health Diversion Program, at 317-327-6869, and request an evaluation.

If he is a nuisance, the family, or any responsible party, can go to court and ask for a protective order. The court can order him to quit being a nuisance to the petitioner and order him into treatment. To get a protective order one has to go through the Marion Co. Prosecutor's Office and be a resident of the county. This person also has to be the offended party. There may be a charge for filing the petition.A person may qualify for free assistance in getting a protective order.

If the family has the means, they can hire an attorney for help. Steven Eichholtz is an excellent attorney who use to be the mental health court judge. He can be reached at:

Steve Eichholtz
Locke Reynolds, LLP
201 N. Illinois Street
Indianapolis,
Indiana 46204
(317) 237-3800 Bus.
seichholtz@locke.com


Mike Grubbs and John Christ are two other attorneys who have experience in mental health matters.

Two well known local legal minds also have extensive knowledge about mental health issues. They are Ken Falk and Fran Quigley, both of the ICLU.

Finally, if all of the above doesn't work out, get an advocate. All of the mental health centers and courts are political entities who depend on funding and the good will of the public. You would be surprised how much a phone call from an advocate will help with your cause. Just look up the phone numbers, web addresses, or location; then write or call, but follow up and expect a response. Here are some possible advocates in no particular order:

Protection and Advocacy Agency of Indiana
or specifically with mental health treatment issues, go here.

Marion Co. Mental Health Association

Adult Protective Services

NAMI- National Alliance of the Mentally Ill

TAC- Treatment Advocacy Center

State Representatives

Federal Representatives

Judge Evan Goodman, Marion County Superior Court
[Mental Health Expert and Advocate]
Court 15
City-County Bldg. Room W-343
3rd Floor, West Wing
(317) 327-3229

Judge Barb Collins, Marion County Superior Court
[Mental Health Expert and Advocate]
Court 8
City-County Bldg Room E-643
6th Floor, East Wing
(317) 327-3202

Mayor

Governor

Misc. Helpful Indiana Resources

Read about The PAIR Mental Health Diversion Program here.

Read about mental health laws across the country here.

I worked a lot on this web page today. Later I did a google search in RE: to PAIR and there is an article appearing in the paper. Must be synchronicity!!

Coast to Coast AM Radio Guest 

RIP Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson, 

Abe's 2nd Best Speech

Abe Lincoln 

The Second Best Lincoln Speech

Fellow-Countrymen:

AT this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.
On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, urgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.

One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Philip Glass

http://www.philipglass.com/ 

The WEAV Art Project and Garden

The WEAV Plaza at Wishard Hospital


The WEAV Plaque



The old wing of Wishard Hospital


Today I was reminded of another project I as I waited for a doctor's appointment. I was involved with The Wishard Employees Against Violence memorial garden [WEAV] in 1996.



Wishard Hospital is an old institution. It became a premiere hospital during the Civil War. Later it would become the largest public institution serving the poor in Indianapolis. It was/is in the heart of the city and a mecca for crimes of violence. It has become one of the highest ranked trauma centers in the US, mainly from experience with so much violence. I worked there for over twenty years.

There use to be a janitor at Wishard Hospital named "Dubbie" White. He was a pleasant gentlemen in his mid-thirties who always had a big smile. As he was leaving work one day, he was car-jacked and murdered. The police theory was it was because a street gang wanted the expensive wheel rims on his car.

The WEAV Committee actually started out to build a memorial to him. It eventually evolved into a tribute to the thousands of the victims of violence treated at Wishard Hospital. As I was the vice-president of the Domestic Violence Network and facilitator of an anger management program, I was called to serve.

I am came up with the name, the logo, and the slogan on a long drive back from a weekend getaway with my wife in 1997.

The slogan was this, "We are more than a patch, we are part of the weave of our community."

The logo was nothing fancy. It was a Celtic weave cross adapted from a clip art.

The Victims of Violence Memorial evolved into a garden, wall, and walkway. It is located about 20 yards outside of the main entrance to Wishard Hospital and is decorated with a bronze plaque, flowers, and landscaping. When the flowers are in bloom, I will try to make a visit and take a series of photos.

Sandy's Art

Sandy Art 

This is a photo I took for a nightclub which had contracted for me to do some publicity and artwork. This is a photo of a patron dancing which I turned into a logo using digital manipulation, lead smudging, pencil, and ink.

Ask the Oracle of Bob

I played around with some web pages and added the following to my web page at www.bobcardwell.com


Ask the Oracle of Bob

MLK

Here is a photo of a sketch by Tim Adwell. I cropped it and edited it in Photoshop and used it on the cover of an edition of The Weekly Factor a few years ago. I got more compliments and requests for this cover than any other.




MLK by Tim Adwell 

JFK by Tim Adwell 

People Helping People 

Colts' season ends in a thud

New England 20, Colts 3


Indpls Star report
January 16, 2005


The New England Patriots did something no other team had been able to do this season -- completely shut down Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts' offense.

As a result, the defending Super Bowl champions are moving on after a convincing 20-3 NFL playoff victory over the Colts today in Foxboro, Mass.

Go Colts!

<

Flooding in Indy Today 

Indiana's Mental Health Commitment Law

Indiana's Outpatient Commitment Law

Prior to helping to form the PAIR Mental Health Diversion Program, I helped to develop, lobbied, and helped implement an updated version of the commitment law to cover outpatient commitments. This was about ten years ago, 1994 or so, and was accomplished with the help of Mike Grubbs, Attorney at Law.

I was the keeper of the records on about 600 persons that Midtown MHC had on outpatient commitment. I was also part of the Forensic Team which tried to encourage patients' compliance with treatment as an outpatient. Until the early 90's my team was able to enforce compliance with a judge's order and a compliance hearing. If the patient did not comply with the order he was found in contempt. The Indiana Supreme Court overturned this procedure with the TT decision.

Under the new ruling, a treating facility could only enforce compliance of the commitment by bringing the patient back into the hospital as an inpatient. This presented several problems. One was that the treating facilities did not have law enforcement officers which could go out into the community and the other was that these individuals were frequently "sub-acute" and did not require inpatient treatment. When the centers would call on law enforcement to pick these individuals up and transport them to the hospital, they often refused.

This was clearly a problem to the community as these patients were at times dangerous and it was a problem to the patients. Often a patient would face severe criminal charges for acting out symptoms of their mental illness.

One case I know of is a good example. I will call the patient, Dee. Dee had been non-compliant with his treatment. He had decompensated to the point of suffering and being suicidal. Instead of going to the hospital which held his commitment, he went to a private psychiatric hospital as he had Medicaid. He was examined and it was determined that he was in need of emergency psychiatric care. While a room was being prepared for him, he was told to wait in the waiting room. While waiting the "voices" continued to bother him. He started wandering the halls and went into the employee lounge. He picked up a walkman style radio and put the headphones on. Psychiatric patients often do this to drown out the "voices". Well, the employee who owned the walkman called the police and Dee was promptly arrested.

Dee had a 20 year history of being in and out of mental institutions. He also had a history of many criminal arrests stemming from him acting out the symptoms of his illness. Dee went to jail, was tried in court and found guilty. In addition to being found guilty of theft, he was charged with being a habitual criminal and was given an additional 30 year sentence without possibility of parole. For all practical purposes, he will spend the rest of his life in prison for being mentally ill.

Many of us in the mental health field and the criminal-justice system were well aware of the problems with the mentally ill in the justice system. One area to change was the law and the other was being more pro-active in treatment delivery. I helped with the law and met with many representatives of the legislature. It was passed.

This change in the outpatient law led to the present law and the development of the sub-acute units' part in caring for the mentally ill in the community. Read the present law here.
The other discussions about being more pro-active in our care of the mentally ill in the justice system led to the development of the PAIR Diversion Program and the implementation of the new mental health diversion law. Read it here.

Check this writing out and more at www.bobcardwell.com

Indy's Best Known Civil War Monument

Read about it here.

The Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument sits in the middle of Indianapolis. Ms. Indiana is the name of the statue at its peak and she faces south. The monument is reputed to have one of the best Civil War museums in the world in the basement.

I have not been there for years, but I am looking forward to seeing the new museum.

One of my fondest memories of the Circle [ the circle drive around the monument] is visitng there as a child. There use to be a Penney's department store on the Circle. It had a discount basement we and we would go there to get school clothes at a bargain. The Circle was always dressed up for the holidays. The monument is decorated with lights and is known as the "world's largest Christmas tree." All season long, there would be festivities and singing on the steps of the monument. I can remember it being a honor to have your high school choir invited to sing there.

As a child, I loved to walk around the outside front of the Circle. This is where the fronts of the department stores were. They would be decorated up with Christmas scenes and moving mechanical animations.

My first real date was to the Circle. I had just turned 16 yo and it was a birthday present. I went to the Circle Theatre and saw a movie with my date, Karen, who was the daughter of our church's associate pastor. I consider it a "date" even though our parents had to deliver us and pick us up as I had yet to get my driver's license.

There is also another tradition of celebration at the Circle. After a couple is married, the motoring entourage drives to the Circle with the auto horns blaring. It makes quite a noise as it echoes in the concrete canyon made by the Circle. I have made this trip in celebration twice in the lead car.

With your next trip to the Circle, pause a moment and think about the history and memories contained there in the heart of our city.

Re-dedication of the graves for the Confederates

See the article below to get a background on the Confederate Prison in Indianapolis during the Civil War. It was called Camp Morton after the famous wartime governor Oliver Morton. In addition to having this camp named after him, some claim Morton saved the Union by forcing the State of Indiana into the war and forcing financial backing for the Grand Army of the Union.

The burial grounds of the confederates has been desecrated several times. Moved here, moved there, stacked up, buried, and re-buried. There were 1616 soldiers buried there. Presently, the bones are in a "mound" in Crown Hill Cemetery. There is a magnificent stone monument which use to be their grave marker. It is about five miles away at Garfield Park. It is a real oddity that the dead lie so far from their tombstone.

At least there are some markers now at the grave mound at Crown Hill. It was dedicated on a beautiful day in 1993. My son Zach and I were there to see the ceremony. There was a parade, a placement of flags, and a speech by Congressman Andy Jacobs. It was a nice ceremony. Congressman Jacobs even highlighted one of the confederate dead by name. A soldier named Clinton who is an ancestor of the then President Bill Clinton. Too bad they didn't move the tombstone with the remains.

The Confederate Dead of Indy

From this website:


The City Cemetery and Greenlawn, where the Confederate dead of Camp Morton were buried, ceased to be used as a public cemetery in the 1860’s when the new city cemetery, Crown Hill, was opened. Some of the Confederate bodies were later exhumed and returned to relatives in the south, but most remained buried at Greenlawn. Over time, the old City Cemetery and Greenlawn became neglected and overgrown with weeds. Additionally, commercial growth was encroaching on the cemetery. In 1870, the Vandalia Railroad moved two rows of graves in Greenlawn to another section of the cemetery to make way for an engine house and additional tracks. In 1906, Colonel William Elliot was detailed by the War Department to locate the burial place of the Confederate dead. He determined that a plot about forty-five feet wide by two hundred feet long was the place where the 1870 reinterments had been made. This place was enclosed by an iron fence, and in 1912, the Federal Government erected a monument there. Industrial development continued to encroach on this small cemetery plot, so in 1928, permission was granted by the Federal Government for the Southern Club of Indianapolis in cooperation with the Board of Parks Commissioners to move the monument to Garfield Park. The names and regiments of the dead soldiers are listed on bronze tablets around the base of the large monument. The shaft bears the following inscription:

PAX

ERECTED
BY THE
UNITED STATES
TO MARK
THE BURIAL PLACE
OF 1616 CONFEDERATE
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
WHO DIED HERE
WHILE PRISONERS
OF WAR
AND WHOSE GRAVES
CANNOT NOW BE
IDENTIFIED.”

Confederate Monument in Garfield Park - Indianapolis, IN
Near the Southern Avenue Entrance

In 1931, the War Department exhumed the remains of the Confederate prisoners buried in Greenlawn, and moved them to the northwest corner of Lot 32 at Crown Hill Cemetery. This area is also referred to as the “Confederate Mound.” In 1993, after a four-year project first initiated by two Indianapolis police officers, additional markers were installed at this site listing the names and regiments of the dead.






Confederate Burial Plot, Northwest Corner of Lot 32
Crown Hill Cemetery - Indianapolis, IN

Does Darth Vader Represent Christ?

Interesting question, huh? I was just browsing the web. I recently was reminded of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC., and its elaborate gothic style. It supposely took almost 100 years to complete, and was just completed in the past decade or so. I find it interesting that the builders decided to add a whimsical touch of Americana.

Read about it here.

Take a look at the tour guide here. Perhaps you can check it out during your next trip to Washington, D.C.

I am sure the masons conspiracy explorers love this. I also found that the Darth sculture is found by going by and behind the bust of Abe Lincoln. It is an interesting placement.

Sons of Indy: John Dillinger and Carl Fisher

John Dillinger 

The above picture of the infamous John Dillinger is from a sketch which appeared in Nuvo Magazine. It is one of my favorite pictures. Read another interesting link on Dillinger here.


L. Spencer Riggs, Author, Historian, My Cousin.


L. Spencer Riggs is my cousin. He is famous in racing circles as an author and journalist. Even though I live in Indianapolis, I do not know much about racing. However, Lynn [as the family calls him] is also a historian. Since this is also an interest of mine, our paths cross.

I published an article of Lynn's in my tabloid a few years ago on Carl Fisher. Fisher is one of the most colorful people to ever come out of Indy and it is amazing how little the public knows of him. This article had been used previous to my publishing as the basis of the PBS biography on Fisher.

In addition to founding the Indianapolis Speedway, Fisher made the first national highway [The Lincoln Highway] and developed Miami Beach, Florida.

Lynn also wrote an excellent article on Dillinger. I am still looking for it. Dillinger was from Indiana. Lynn knew his barber and mechanic who he interviewed for the story. As I was trying to find Lynn's article, I found that the same people who made the Fisher documentary for PBS, also made one on Dillinger. It is possible Lynn collaborated on the Dillinger documentary also, but I will have to
research it more.

Another tidbit of history is that both Dillinger and Fisher are buried at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. They both died the same year, 1934. Fisher has an elaborate and magnificent edifice while Dillinger's is very simple. Fisher's place seems forgotten even though he gave so much to Indy. Dillinger's grave is visited by thousands from all over [see photo here] the world and the ground keepers have to be vigilant to keep parts of the tombstone from being chipped away as souvenirs.



*Update 1/18/05 I was just browsing the web when I found one site which has Carl Fisher as its bio of the day. I have pasted it below:
http://img.infoplease.com/images/cgfisher1.gif





Entrepreneur, developer of racetracks, roadways, and resorts
Born: Jan. 12, 1874
Birthplace: Greensburg, Indiana

Carl Fisher grew up in Indianapolis. He quit school at age 12 to work in a grocery store. Within a few years, he had opened bicycle shop, and later launched a car dealership. In 1904, he began the Prest-O-Light company, which sold headlights to most of the car manufacturers in the United States. By 1913, he sold Prest-O-Light for $9 million dollars. During his years at Prest-O-Light, Fisher conceived of the idea of building an automobile testing ground and race track. On Aug. 19, 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway held its first race. But accidents and the deaths of six people caused this first race to be cancelled—the crushed stone and tar track was deemed too dangerous for racing. Fisher then paved the track with 3.2 million bricks. The first 500-mile race, called the International Sweepstakes, took place on May 30, 1911. The Indianapolis 500, as it was later called, became an annual event and the most famous of American automobile races. Fisher’s next two enterprises also involved road building. He was responsible for building the Lincoln Highway in 1913, the first transcontinental highway in the United States, which stretched from New York to San Francisco. He was also responsible for the development of the Dixie Highway, completed in 1916, which stretched from Chicago to Miami.
His next venture was the development of Miami Beach, which was then just a mangrove swamp. From 1920 to 1925, he oversaw the transformation of Miami Beach into a vacation resort. He also began work on transforming Montauk, at the tip of Long Island, New York, into a resort—“the Miami Beach of the North.” But in 1926, disaster struck when a hurricane hit Miami Beach. Much of the resort was destroyed, tourism dropped off, and Fisher’s finances suffered. By 1932, he was completely bankrupt. This tireless and resourceful businessman died seven years later.
Died: July 15, 1939

Brother Jeff and PHP Radio Show

Jeff Cardwell and his PHP Radio Show 

I took and edited this photo for use as the logo. Read about the PHP Radio Show here.

Here is is a page listing previous guests on the PHP Show. The site also gives links to the guests' web pages.

I think Jeff got interested in doing a radio show after his friend Congressman Mike Pence had a successful radio show before he went to Congress. Mike is a friend of the family and Jeff was one of his ranking campaign advisors. We always enjoyed Mike's radio show, his public speeches, and his writings. We in Indiana are fortunate to have three nationally known statesmen [and just not politicians]. The three are Sen. Richard Lugar, Sen. Evan Bayh, and Congressman Pence.

My brother is also the head of The Lincoln Roundtable. The group makes an educational pilgrimage to Washington DC, once per year and Congressman Pence is always a gracious host.

We are planning a trip this year near the first of May. This coincides with the National Day of Prayer Event in DC. Of interest, this is one of two major holidays that President Lincoln designated which we still celebrate today. Congressman Pence is a great advocate of Christian family values and usually participates in the NDP event in some capacity.

Mardi Gras "Queenie"

"Queenie" at Mardi Gras in New Orleans 2001 

In 2001, I went to New Orleans, for Mardi Gras, on assignment for Niche Magazine. My friend, Jim Frank, retired attorney and world traveler, drove up from Key West, and met me there.

The photo above was taken in a small bar on Bourbon St. I got several stories for articles and took several hundred photos. I will probably get around to rambling about some of the stories here eventually.

My Great Grandparents Dave and Ethel Gaskey in the 60's.