Recent News Nuggets

Art Fettig – I have a big oak book case in my office and two twenty eight inch long shelves hold copies of all of the books and booklets that I’ve written in my lifetime to date. 

Art Fettig – Here is a headline on a story I found on my computer this morning.  “New tick species spreads in the U.S. – Here’s what you should worry about” Man that really ticks me off!

Art Fettig – I was cleaning out a desk drawer the other day and found a very little book titled Pocket Rhyming Dictionary.  Over 30,000 words, Eee Gads!

Art Fettig – Back in 1992 I was speaking at a Realtors Conference at a Casino in Las Vegas and I went into our conference room.

Art Fettig – I was strolling down memory lane the other day, which is where I do most of my pondering, and asked myself, “Art, since you just barely snuck out of high school with a diploma by the skin of your teeth and quite likely the help of many novenas made by your mom and sister, with no formal higher education, why did so many major corporations pay you nice fees to come in and make presentations?

Art Fettig – Yes, is has been seventy years since I began work with the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. In July of 1983, after 35 years of service to the Grand Trunk, I retired from my position of Corporate Communications Officer.

For decades, Battle Creek writer Art Fettig has called himself “Mr. Lucky.”  He’s been dubbed “the confidence man” whose positive thinking and motivational speeches have taken him across the country and even abroad.

Did you ever ask yourself “What have I done to deserve to live in this country, America?” (You readers in Canada and China and Australia might ask yourselves the same of your own countries.)

Art Fettig – I have just begun reading a book by former President Jimmy Carter titled “A Full Life. Reflections at Ninety.”

Tomorrow morning I will be wearing shorts to the V.A Hospital.  I’ve never worn summer shorts in my life.

I can remember the day I heard my first professional speaker giving a talk for our railroad group in Battle Creek, Michigan. His name was Herb True Ph.D. and that same day he put me on his team as a humor writer.

Art Fettig – Early in my career as a professional speaker I talked with a fellow speaker about my career and he said that I’d need some way to set myself apart from other speakers.

Art Fettig – I’ve been writing since graduating from the eighth grade. I wrote a serious poem for a pretty girl and she laughed.

Yes, “Ya Done Good!” That is the name of a song I wrote some twenty plus years ago. I wrote it as the sound track for a Audio Visual presentation and the visual part of it was a series of pictures of workers who were doing their jobs in a safe and proper manner.

Art Fettig – Bread and water would be easy to do without.  My AOL Connection is something else. It has been five days and nights now since I could just click on my little orange AOL  dot and get on with the business of communicating.

Art Fettig – Today is the Anniversary of something. It took me a while to figure it out but 67 years ago today, April 10th, I had the worst breakfast any human being has ever endured.

Art Fettig – I have a book titled “1st Cavalry Division, Korea, June 1950 to January 1952.” When the 1st Cav was pulled out of Korea at the end of 1951 they moved the entire Division to Camp Crawford at Sapparo, Japan, on the Island of Hokkaido.

Leonard Hamilton led Florida State University through an interesting battle with Michigan University all the way up to the final eleven seconds, was it? I guess then he started thinking about the $800,000 in bonus money he had accumulated. – Art Fettig

Art Fettig – With all that’s going on here in America I thought it might be a good time for us all to just go fishin’. I wrote this song when visiting Wyoming speaking for the U.S. Air Force and it was a joyous trip.

Art Fettig – “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” Satchel Paige a legend in baseball as a relief pitcher said that and it gets a man a thinking. Satchel’s career went on and on and on and on.

Art Fettig – I just phoned my sister and some say that she has a bad memory.  I don’t see her that way.

Art Fettig – Years ago, a friend of mine, a locomotive fireman-engineer was killed, in Chicago, when he was hit in the head by a bottle thrown  as he was moving his train out enroute Battle Creek.

Art Fettig – In 1971 I was named to the Michigan Governor’s Commision on Railroad Crossing Safety and since I’d been working at Grand Trunk Western Railroad since 1948 as a Claim Agent I already had a load of experience on the subject.

Art Fettig – We drove over to the Smithfield’s Bar BQ & Chicken outside Mebane, NC and as we were at the counter ordering  I asked the cashier, “What is that white stuff they give you with fish?” and she said, “Tartar Sauce?”

Art Fettig – I’ve been using CD’s with the songs I have written in the past in live presentations with Senior groups recently. . Most of these songs were taped by a musical genius named Greg Brayton.

Art Fettig and Terry Pochert – During one of our many trips, Connert Media followed Art Fettig, humorist and motivational speaker, to many wonderful spots on this globe. Newfoundland inspired Art Fettig to write this wonderful poem about the people and culture we found while visiting.

Art Fettig – The old Sears Roebuck Catalog used in so many outhouses in the 1930’s often had three different models of products listed in price as Good, Better and Best.

Plaintiffs Attending the Wedding of Suzanne Cummins and Holly Mitchell

“I personally think eventually this will be very positive for the state of Arizona,” Pochert said. “If we win this case, I think our real work begins, and that’s that process of healing. I think it’s going to take a couple of years or even longer for people to realize the impact of the decision. I think people will realize nothing has really changed. We’ve created another layer in society that’s a little more stable.”

Art Fettig – I ran into a lady at Walmart’s I hadn’t seen for a while and she said to me, “What do you think, Art, do you think we will survive 2018?”

Art Fettig – As I typed out “January 1st, 2018” I had a sort of historic feeling. I began my job with the Grand Trunk Western Railroad early in 1948 and worked for them until 1983.

Art Fettig – As I typed out “January 1st, 2018” I had a sort of historic feeling. I began my job with the Grand Trunk Western Railroad early in 1948 and worked for them until 1983.

Art Fettig – “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”  I keep thinking about how I prayed for peace when I was on the front lines in Korea.

Art Fettig – “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”  I keep thinking about how I prayed for peace when I was on the front lines in Korea.

Art Fettig – As I look out my office window here in Hillsborough, North Carolina I see a Winter Weather Land. It is beautiful.

Art Fettig – Did you ever look back on your life and ask yourself, “What if I had done things differently?” I just looked at what I had written and started snickering to myself.

Art Fettig – I guess you could say that Father Skiffington, S.J. was my first Mentor. He was my English teacher in my junior year at the University of Detroit High School. 

Art Fettig – One of my fondest memories as a speaker was the time I was called in by General Foods Management Club to substitute for Ewell Gibbons, a natural food TV celebrity. I lived right there In Battle Creek, Michigan where the meeting was to be held.

A 1950 black  Ford Tudor, loaded with extras. A radio, heater and white wall tires. I bought it on my 21st  birthday, July 5, 1950 and paid cash for it, $1,200.

“America’s worst poet” – that’s how Hillsborough’s Art Fettig once heard himself reviewed on a radio show with Earl Nightingale.

Art Fettig – When I was in my Junior year as a student at the University of Detroit High school, I was the Staff Poet for our student newspaper called The Cub.

Art Fettig – We live about where Interstate 40 joins Interstate 85 and they move along together for a bit.

Did you ever dip into the meaning of the word “Synergism” synergism (noun) the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.  Ever so often when I encounter that word I have a flood of good memories gushing into my mind.

Art Fettig – Hymn sing. Yes, at our little church on a recent Sunday Morning we celebrated a good old fashioned Hymn Sing. No sermon. No preachin’.

Art Fettig – We’d experienced a memorable cruise of the Caribbean and we were spending a few days in San Juan.

Greg Brayton – Talk about synergism!-the act of taking two elements and creating something else-, it was like my teaming up with Greg in a joint effort and doing magic math.

Art Fettig – You can say a lot about occupations and their worth but some days I’d trade you five lawyers, three doctors, forty seven psychiatrists and at least one nuclear scientist for just one strong, seasoned plumber.

Art Fettig – Sitting here in our peaceful home located in Hillsborough, North Carolina half way between the Blue Ridge mountains and the Atlantic Ocean watching weather reports recently as I have gone through varying degrees of interest

Art Fettig – Once again there seems to be a whole lot of anger and hatred traveling around this nation of ours.

Art Fettig’s Monday Morning Memo  August …

Once again there seems to be a whole lot of anger and …

On February 17, 1998 I was a guest speaker at the Florence Crane Women’s Facility, A Maximum Security Prison. This story that follows is about that day.

Art Fettig – I saw it listed in a senior’s programs booklet. “Share Your Songs”. I drove over to Chapel Hill to their Senior Center and met two young (by my standards but old by most’s,) gentlemen with guitars.

Art Fettig – In 1973 I had my first book published.  I went to church one morning and they had a guest speaker who was endeavoring to sell us subscriptions to Liguorian Magazine.

Although not currently available on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s website, there are nine cameras that now monitor traffic along the critical route into the City of Maricopa.

Art Fettig – I made a presentation yesterday afternoon and this morning I am still examining how I put that talk together.

This program allows citizens and business owners to register the locations of their video surveillance systems with the Maricopa Police Department. When a crime occurs, we will be able to identify the locations of video surveillance systems and enlist the assistance of citizens to help us collect video evidence.

Art Fettig – I was just sitting here thinking of the bosses I have had in my life. I guess you might say that every person I ever worked for was, in a way, a boss.

Art Fettig – Did you ever do anything really stupid?  Things that cost you dearly?  Maybe you lost a friend or a lover or a job or a career because of your stupidity.

Anchor, reporter. References: Facebook…

Jean and I will have been married over 90 years as you read this. (Not all of those years to each other.) I was married 39 years previously and she was 35 years. May 19th we will have been married 16 years together. We met online.

Jean and I will have been married over 90 years as you read this. (Not all of those years to each other.) I was married 39 years previously and she was 35 years.

Art Fettig – I was looking through some of my older poems just recently and came upon the following. Somehow it sounded like something we might think about today.

Art Fettig – On a scale from one to ten how would you rate your lifetime achievements so far?

Art Fettig – Recently I looked at the date on my computer and it read April 9th. Memories came gushing into my mind.

Art Fettig – My daughter, Nancy was on the phone today from California and I was at my computer and the small drawer on my computer table was open.

Art Fettig – Squirrels climbed up under the hood of my Ford Escape and chewed up a mess of wires again. AAA sent out one of those long, long hydraulic flatbed rigs to move it to a repair shop. It looked like overkill to me.

Art Fettig – I went to prison last night here in Hillsborough. It took about fourteen months to get me through that gate but it was worth it.

Art Fettig – I’ve been on a binge for over a month now and it just beginning to show some positive results. I’ve been working on a booklet tentatively titled “Stuff I Wrote”.

Art Fettig – Watching the squirrels recently was such a treat for wife Jean that I asked her to share with you what was going on. Here is her wonderful, in depth report.

Adam Polaski from Freedom for all Americans writes, “Carl Mangold is something of an expert in helping people better understand themselves, their feelings, and the world around them.

Vince Wade – Martin Scorsese’s new gangster film epic, “The Irishman” would seem to be a slam-dunk winner. It has an all-star cast, featuring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. It showcases state-of-the-art special effects which have “de-aged” De Niro and Pacino. And Scorsese is widely regarded as one of the best directors in Hollywood. But the film has one big problem. The film story line is not true.

Alia Beard Rau writes for the Arizona Republic and AZCentral.com, “U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick has ordered Arizona to pay $200,000 in legal fees in one of the two cases that challenged the state’s ban on same-sex couples marrying.

U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick has ordered Arizona to pay $200,000 in legal fees in one of the two cases that challenged the state’s ban on same-sex couples marrying. And the costs for Arizona to defend its law defining marriage as between only a man and a woman could get much, much higher. The order came in the Connolly vs. Roche case, which attorney Shawn Aiken filed in January 2014 on behalf of several individuals and couples, including Joe Connolly and his husband Terry Pochert.

Bruce St. James and Pamela Hughes from KTAR …

News-Herald – Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Diandra Markgraff and Michelle McManimon from the Arizona Daily Sun wrote, “There was excitement in the Flagstaff air after the U.S. Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry in all 50 states.

June 26, 2015, ended up being a great day for the kids as well. Kids celebrate with their Dads and Moms, knowing their relationships are firm and solid. There is nothing better than to see families rejoicing in this SCOTUS decision.

Today the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States decided marriage equality cases before them from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Today is a victory for same sex couples. Same sex couple relationships are equal to and deserve the same treatment as opposite-sex couples.

Cummings and Mitchel Wedding Suzanne Cummins (left) …

After the courts ruled that Marriage Equality is legal in Arizona as of October 17, 2014, Mason and Chris who were also among the lead plaintiffs in that lawsuit now fight to make sure they have complete and equal rights as adoptive parents to their three children.

In January of 2014, Joseph Connolly (above right) and Terry Pochert (above left) were the first couple in Arizona to file a lawsuit to remove the state’s ban on same-gender marriage. In October of that same year, U.S. District Judge John W. Sedwick did just that, declaring Arizona’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, immediately ordering the state not to enforce it.

Our lawyer, Shawn Aiken, received the Human Rights Campaign Arizona’s Corporate Equality Award on behalf of his firm, Aiken Schenk Attorneys at Law. Shawn and his team fought tirelessly for Marriage Equality here in Arizona.

Fair warning: these blogs won’t be a “quick read.” In a world accustomed to 140-character tweets and 160-character text messages many, perhaps most, of these blogs will exceed a thousand words, sometimes a lot more. Thanks to the exponential growth of mass media, 24/7 news coverage and the endless short-burst chatter on the Internet we’ve become a society with the attention span of a gnat on amphetamines. If that describes you, this blog isn’t for you.

Moving Arizona Forward was the theme of the 2015 HRC Gala held in Phoenix, Arizona. Thousands attend to celebrate achievements of those of supported many of the LGBT issues through the past year including Shawn Aiken, the lawyer of filed the first lawsuit to bring marriage equality to Arizona.

With Attorney Heather Macre, David Chane, Clark Rowley, Chris Devine, Mason Hite and their children.

Document 93 References: 2:14-cv-00024 #93 (PDF …

Joe Connolly and Terry Pochert are a Valley couple whose legal 2008 California marriage formed the cornerstone for one of the two cases that brought marriage equality to Arizona on Oct. 17. Their marriage is now considered valid in the eyes of Arizona’s laws, and the lawsuit for which they were the lead plaintiffs (Connolly vs. Jeanes) was based on secular arguments.

Defendants Michael K. Jeanes, Maricopa County Superior …

It’s time to vote for equal rights

Notice of Withdrawal of Co-counsel

References: New Times, October 23, 2017, Ashley Cusick …

Terry Pochert and Joseph Connolly are Among Those Who Changed History – At 10:36 a.m. on Friday, October 17, Michael Jeanes tweeted his followers: “Welcome All to the Clerk’s Office. Your marriage license awaits, and we are ready to serve you!”

Lawyers who helped win marriage equality in the State of Arizona with Terry Pochert and Joseph Connolly.

Joe Connolly and Terry Pochert, the men who sued the state last December to recognize their 2008 California marriage, released a joint statement Friday morning.

Sara Ruf writing in the Casa Grande Dispatch on October 18, 2014, “…In the end, it all came down to Judge John Sedwick, a visiting judge from the U.S. District Court in Alaska. Sedwick ruled Friday morning that the recent Ninth Circuit Court decision to strike down gay marriage bans in Nevada and Idaho also applied to Arizona.

An amazing thing happened back in October, 2014.  Marriage Equality became a fact here in Arizona making families really happy.

Couple robin (from left) and Renee Reece listen to Joe Connolly and Terry Pochert speak to a crowd of gay-marriage supporters in Phoenix on October 17, 2014, after gay marriage was legalized in Arizona.

A portion of the letter says, “Pursuant to an injunction issued by the United States District Court for the District of Arizona in Connolly v. Brewer, 2: l 4-cv-00024-JWS, I am writing to inform you that Arizona courts can no longer treat marriage exclusively as “a union of one man and one woman” under Article 30 of the Arizona Constitution .

A federal judge in Phoenix has struck down Arizona’s gay marriage ban, calling it unconstitutional, paving the way for same-sex marriages in the state.