DPer suffers loss in her family -- Condolence Page.

I'm just putting this here in case some of you don't make it to the second page of comments..this is FOW's story about her Dad. Please read and enjoy. Or enjoy and have your eyes well up like mine did. :O)

In Honor of a Patriot

On December 18th, 2008 fanofwalt says:

How very kind of you all. I cannot over-express my deep appreciation for my DP family. Thank you for all your kind words, thoughts and prayers. And thank you, IamVoting4RonPaul, for your thoughtfulness in posting this thread. I am humbled and deeply touched.

If you'd indulge me, I'd like to share a little bit about this man. An article was written about my dad in the paper a few years back; I've edited this a bit and will refer to him as Papa FOW.

He never joined organizations or movements. He himself was a one-man movement.

My dad attended every city council meeting of his town for over 17 years, and never missed the opportunity to speak up.

Here's to you, Dad...

---

Anyone who has been to a [town] City Council meeting has seen the wizened man in the red shirt and black suspenders, leaning on a well-used walker and waiting his turn at the podium.

If Papa FOW is allowed to speak on an issue - whether it's an ordinance prohibiting solicitation on [a particular] Street or a builder's request for zoning change - he likely will. He'll often use every second of the three minutes allotted to him. Sometimes, he submits a note to the council with additional comments.

Papa FOW doesn't do it for publicity or to massage his ego. It's his civic duty.

"I'm just a concerned American citizen," he says. "If you don't exercise your rights, you lose them."

Papa FOW, 74, bristles at the suggestion he is a gadfly.

He supports the democratic process, he says, but is concerned that elected officials often make decisions without fully understanding the issues.

"The election process is not guaranteed to imbue someone with expertise in all matters."

He begins prepping five days before a council meeting. When he gets the agenda in the mail, he goes through it item by item, paying particular attention to issues that allow public comment. He has been attending council meetings for more than 15 years, so he's not often caught off guard. But if he has a question about an item, he calls City Hall for clarification.

He admits he is more passionate about some issues than others.

For example, he's concerned that downtown revitalization is coming at the expense of low-income residents. He lives downtown and sees the inconvenience of construction, street closures and disrupted public transportation.

"The key word in community development is not development," he says.

The theme of developing a sense of community often creeps into his discussion of other matters. But he researches all issues diligently and does not let his fervor, or lack of it, influence his presentation.

Listeners who have heard his gravelly voice rise to fever pitch in the midst of an animated presentation in council chambers might dispute this.

Papa FOW came to [this town] from [another city] in 1954, after serving in the Navy Air Corps during the Korean War. His first job was at [a well-known] Hotel and he worked mostly as a piano player and singer at different venues. He's retired.

He is not just a sideline political participant.

He has run for mayor twice. There's a rumor around City Hall that [an elected official] paid Papa FOW's filing fee during his 2003 campaign, but Papa FOW denies it. He promises to run again next year. {Note: my dad did pay his own filing fee, and did run again the next time...he came in second place.}

Until then, he shows up at the council chambers every other Wednesday, confident he is as prepared as anyone (and more than most) to speak on the issues at hand. Papa FOW recognizes that the frequency of his trips to the microphone cause council members to tune him out sometimes.

"I want them to listen to me, but I'm not doing it for them," he says. The important thing for Papa FOW is that public discussion takes place on every issue and becomes part of the official record.

[The mayor] welcomes Papa FOW's input.

"It makes me feel warm and fuzzy," the mayor says. "Any participation by citizens is welcome."

Papa FOW says he might make fewer trips to the podium if others were willing to come forward and speak.

He's one of only a few regular speakers at council meetings. Most people attend only when a specific issue affects them personally.

Another frequent speaker, [woman's name], says that she would love it if more people showed up.

(...)

[Councilman] says input from citizens adds a much-needed perspective.

[Woman] said she recently expressed concerns that a senior housing project under construction may not be properly equipped for seniors. [Councilman] encouraged her to check out the project and get back to him with her suggestions.

"I think (Papa FOW and [woman]) have a lot of good ideas, and I don't mind at all when they speak," [Councilman] said. "Everybody deserves that right."

It's a right that neither Papa FOW nor [woman] plan to give up anytime soon.