Dear Neighbors:
Like many of you we spent part of Tuesday night watching the presidential debate. How did we get here as a nation? Both candidates brazenly calling the other a "liar".
And to come the night before September 11th was quite a contrast. One of the most somber days in modern American history. Many of us will never forget where we were or what we were doing on that day when the attacks began.
Dawn and I were living in Utah and working as part of a group to stage the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. While there were some calls to cancel those Olympic Games, one of the things that I vividly remember was all of the faxes and e-mails literally pouring in to our offices from all over the world telling us about their love and support of America.
The pin pictured to the right was something we created to help raise money for the victims of 9/11. And that message "We Stand United" was so true. It was a time of great unity. I want us to get back there again.
The 2002 Olympic Winter Games did happen. We staged a Torch Relay across the country. That relay came through Bozeman and the last torchbearer (runner) was Godfrey Saunders, who at the time was the principal at Bozeman High. As an Olympic athlete Dawn ran the torch near Cooper Park.
Thousands of people carried the Olympic Torch across the country. This picture was taken in Washington DC as President Bush tried to comfort a widow who lost her husband on 9/11. We saw large crowds cheering on the runners and the ideals of the Olympic Games.
The Opening Ceremony of any Olympic Games is a spectacle. A great celebration of athletes from across the globe coming together to compete in peace. We saw that last month in Paris.
For the Opening Ceremony in Salt Lake City Mitt Romney who was the CEO worked tirelessly to get the flag from the World Trade Center that was flying the day of the attack to be a part of the Ceremony. He pulled it off literally two days before the Games were to start.
Our team thought the entire stadium would erupt with applause at the moment the flag entered the stadium; you can see US team athletes holding the flag and men and women from the NYC police and fire departments standing at attention. Instead it was one of the quietest and most heartbreaking moments I've ever witnessed. With more than 60,000 people in attendance you could literally hear the sound of the wind which quietly caused the flag to flutter.
Let us never forget moments like September 11th. Not only for the memory of those who lost their lives in the crashes and the rescue efforts, but also for how we felt as Americans and for the unity that makes this country strong.
If elected as your representative for HD 63 I will work with dignity and honor to help make our community stronger.
Respectfully,
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