Vote

Mark and I are very excited because we registered to vote in our new town last week. We are going to vote before we go to work on November 4. We have both been watching the debates and reading up on the presidential candidates.

We have made some conclusions based upon our findings, but that is not what I want to talk about. I just want to stress that it is important to VOTE no matter who it is for. Expressing your opinion is the right of every American, and the right to vote is such a privilege. I also firmly believe that you cannot complain if you do not vote. If your candidate didn't win the election, and you didn't express your opinion when you were able to vote, DON'T EVEN TRY to express your opinion now. I'm not interested.

Although I'm not going to tell you who to vote FOR, I will tell you whoto vote AGAINST.

Larry Faulkner

If my little speech above isn't enough incentive to get to the polls, I hope the article below (from the Tribune Star) does:

School board candidate has criminal record

Larry Faulkner served jail time after incident involving high schoolrunner
By Sue Loughlin
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE -

Vigo County School Board candidate Larry M. Faulkner hasbeen banned from Indiana State University and served jail time inconnection with inappropriate conduct toward college-age and high-schoolage women. On July 28, 2005, Judge Barbara Brugnaux found Faulkner, 26, guilty ofbattery, a class-B misdemeanor, for an incident in which he grabbed ahigh-school runner by the waist and "squeezed her buttock with hishand." The case was a bench trial, or a trial without a jury.The incident occurred May 9, 2005, on the Fruitridge Avenue overpass.

The girl was running track practice and crossing the overpass when shesaw a man walking toward her. She started to run around him to avoid him"when he grabbed her waist with his hands and as she turned to breakfree from his grip, the suspect grabbed and squeezed her buttock withhis hand," according to a court affidavit.

Brugnaux sentenced Faulkner to 180 days in jail to run consecutive withsentences imposed in two other cases. He received credit for 81 days oftime served.Brugnaux also found Faulkner guilty of trespass, a class-A misdemeanor,in a separate case.

In a third case, she found him guilty of battery, aclass-A misdemeanor, and resisting law enforcement, a class-Amisdemeanor. In the last case, Faulkner was convicted of a Nov. 5, 2004, incidentinvolving battery against a city police officer and resisting arrest.Faulkner said Friday he believes he should have received a jury trial inthose cases.In 2003,

Faulkner was banned from Indiana State University after anincident in which he "harassed and battered" a student at ISU, according to a letter written by Bill Mercier, director of public safety.

On April 22, 2003, a student complained that Faulkner approached several female students north of Dreiser Hall. After the students told Faulknerto leave them alone, he proceeded to sit next to one of the students,touching her hair, back, leg and arm, according to Mercier's letter.Faulkner was again told to leave them alone and when they left the areato seek assistance through ISU police, "You shouted at them that theywere 'queers and lesbos,'" Mercier's letter stated."These allegations cause me to determine that you pose a threat to thewelfare and safety of the university community," Mercier wrote. Theletter stated that as a result, Faulkner was banned from all ISU property, including sports and social events as well as day-to-dayoperations of the university.The letter said that if Faulkner violated the ban, he would be subjectto arrest and prosecution for criminal trespass.Last week, Faulkner said he didn't believe the incident "was anything tothe extent of a battery. It was something where I was trying to sharethe Gospel with the student. My actions were misconstrued as a battery,such as touching on the shoulder and to invoke prayer."

Asked if it was appropriate to call the women "lesbians" and othernames, he responded, "No. I feel, though, that there is a strongfeminist movement on ISU's campus that would provoke these girls to wantto turn against a Christian preacher."

On April 29, 2005, ISU police arrested Faulkner for criminal trespass.En route to the jail, Faulkner cussed out one of the police officers,saying, "You're going to get shot in the head," according to an ISUpolice report.Asked about his comment to the officer, Faulkner said he believed he wasremoved by military force rather than diplomacy.The police officer had a gun and handcuffs. "He fascistly removed mefrom the campus, and I believe we should rid our free world of fascistsand communists," Faulkner said. "I stood up for my right to assemble."He also stated, "I do believe the police officer was at least a fascist,if not a communist."

On Friday, Mercier said the ban - which he has the authority to order atISU - is still in effect for Faulkner. Faulkner said he does have some regrets about his past behavior. "I regret the way in which I presented the Gospel by touching otherstudents in a prayerful manner, but yet at the same time it could beconstrued as an inappropriate manner."

Asked whether voters might have some concerns about his past conduct,Faulkner responded he hopes voters "would view my zeal for liberty andmy love for life and liberty and see that I'm a very zealous young manwho has a heart for what I do in presenting the Gospel."

Lesson: VOTE...

If for nothing else, but to vote AGAINST LARRY FAULKNER.

xoxo from Nappy!