Voter deadline looms; Reid's says get out
Obama campaign volunteer Adrienne Ghaly (left) registered voters outside the Lucky 7 on Market Street this morning. Fortunately, Michelle McSherrey was already registered. "I'm voting on November 4," she says.PHOTO BY COURTENEY STUART
Today at 5pm is the deadline for voter registration in Virginia, and the Obama campaign has volunteers positioned at convenience and grocery stores throughout town.
The effort has paid off, says volunteer Adrienne Ghaly, who in the last two days has assisted 17 voters– some new who were unregistered; some who simply needed to update their addresses. This morning, she was camped in front of the Lucky 7 convenience store on Market Street, but, she says, not all stores have been welcoming.
Management at Reid Super Save Market on Preston Avenue has asked several volunteers to leave the property, says Ghaly, who says the Reid's manager kicked her off the property yesterday.
Reid Super Save Market is the closest grocery store to several primarily African American neighborhoods, including 10th and Page and Starr Hill.
"I am shocked," Ghaly says, "that he would take the community's money and not allow people to enfranchise that community to vote."
But Reid's manager Charlie Wood says that's not the case– he doesn't mind voter registration as long as its nonpartisan.
"They're wearing a campaign button," he says of the Obama volunteers. Wood says he welcomes voter registration efforts and cites a recent day when the city set up a voter registration table. "They sat out here all day," he says.
Ghaly admits she was wearing a small Obama sticker, but insists she wasn't trying to sway voters. Campaign law prohibits canvassing during voter registration, but Ghaly says wearing a campaign logo doesn't count as canvassing. In addition, she says, she offered to remove the Obama sticker once she realized that's what Wood disputed. That didn't satisfy Wood.
"Hey, it's too late now," says Wood, who worried that McCain voters would be put off by Reid's. He adds that Ghaly argued with him after he told her to leave. "You don't go on someone's property and argue with them," he says.
Wood says his position on politics in the store has been the same for the 30 years he's worked at Reid's.
"I have Republicans and Democrats who shop here," he says. "I don't even allow them to put political signs in the windows. I want to stay neutral."
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15 comments
The concerns of the management of the Super Reid Market seem reasonable. And have you seen their selection of assorted pork products? Fantastic!
"I am shocked,” Ghaly says, ââ?¬Å?that he would take the community’s money and not allow people to enfranchise that community to vote.”
That surrounding community has enjoyed the franchise for forty years. I wonder if this condescending lady bothered to canvas her own neighborhood. Charlie Wood is still great.
Yea, sounds like the Reid's manager is being reasonable.
This is for Ghaly,
What needs to be done is for you to copy this, and send it to The Daily Progress. Then Let the readers decide wheather he is nonpartisan. I used to live in that neighborhood,on Dale Ave. And when I was a child we could get things on credit, And people did'nt steal the way they do now.So wheather you vote for McCain,or Obama,the best years are already gone.
Mark being back, and touring with Johnny,
...reminds me only love is real...how else
to find it, to find the hope of it, without
the beauty of desolation without it, and yet
something still pulls us forward...and I am
so grateful Sparklehorse is with me still
in life.Love.
I don't know how I stumbled upon Sparklehorse a number of years ago. But when I first heard "It's a Wonderful Life", I was immediately hooked.
What a delight, then, to have a new release. And even if Mark L. is only 'paying the rent', "Dreamt for Light Years . . . " is brilliant, especially the title track. That's as haunting an instrumental as you'll ever find.
I've enjoyed Sparklehorse for the last 8 years, I've found the music to be so curious, dark and different than anything else available. Perhaps it takes a sad mind to understand a sad mind.. and I mean that in the most glorious way. This music is haunting and sad and rocking and uplifting in a way that the mainstream mind can't possibly understand. It is insight the doom and sadness that so many of us consider life. Yet, every morning we get up and get on with it because.. it is a wonderful life, because someday we will treat you good, because yellow birds live and because some sweet day we will all understand what it is to have music touch our souls.
Just saw spaRKLHorse last night, friend turned me on - never heard of them before, and am enchanted. Brilliant. At this site after googling them - I too flirt with mental illness, who doesn't, maybe its a prerequisite to loving sparklehorse. I didn't feel it was dark music, caught a distant/introverted vibe ... it spoke to me at a non verbal level. I also love radiohead, their music evokes a feeling, but a different feeling. sparklehorse music spoke right at me. weird and compelling.
My son, Ryan, and I stumbled onto Vivadixie in 1996...we finally broke down and bought the CD because of the album packaging (shallow, I know).
There was also a quoted review of the album on display from The Village Voice. When the journalist mentioned the words: "haunting" and "cryptic" that was the clincher.
Since then, our family have been awaiting each Sparklehorse CD with the voraciousness of a snake lying in wake for a new born rodent. We have fun listening to Mark's music and sounds - his engineering and production are Captain Fantastic.
And then there's the lyrics...oh, what a treasure box. Keat's would be proud.
We love you and appreciate you Mark Linkous.
Sincerely,
Chuck Engley
Bridgewater, MA
even though I dont know Mark personally. its really kewl to know you have distant relatives(maybe 10th-20th cousins)haha. that have had a success in the music industry. mark I wish you all future success. my Dad was an singer/songwriter, he sang with Bill Haley's Comets up untill 2 yrs before he died in 1998. He wrote music with Marty Robbins and several other artist. To bad he sold his copy writes maybe I wouldnt be working a second shift job on a sunday today.
thanks
David Linkous.
work on! baby's got rockets. listening to 20 year old music reminds me of the south...and the future. montgomery is down there someplace, right? make me a poster of an old rodeo and how not to hold on to nor believe in this living. we're buddhists here in seattle. and buzzin' in the kitch.
hey there my dear freind...
im truly taken with the wide variety of sounds that i find with sparklehorse...
if i hadnt found this band when i did, i think i would have been in a different place, for better or worse. and well i will continue to listen to your sounds and to your tunes on myspace... and i think ill send you some of my lyrics i wrote with my brother... it would be interesting to hear somthing we wrote on a pro's album...
continue to create and we will listen...
Garrett Colbert, and the band
Rochester ,NY
Mark just played at the John Cale tribute to Nico in London, he sang two of her songs that night and was the star of the show...calling himself Boo Radley when a heckler asked who he was!
RIP brother!!! I hope your in a better place now!!! God Bless Your Soul!!!
Haha, what a loser