The Difference One Vermonter Can Make

James Merrill Jeffords, a former U.S. congressman and senator from Vermont, passed away today on August 18, 2014, at age 80. He broke with the Republican Party in 2001 to become an Independent, which created an unprecedented power shift in the U.S. Senate and gave Democrats control of the chamber for 18 months.

With his single-handed tipping of the balance of power on Capitol Hill, Jeffords drew the wrath of Republicans as then-senate majority leader Trent Lott of Mississippi angrily called his action "a coup of one."

However, he became a hometown hero in Vermont, with his decision to leave the GOP spawning a "Thanks, Jim" bumper sticker. A Vermont brewery named an ale for him called "Jeezum Jim" which was a reference to his modest nature and Vermonty accent, citing "a celebration of conviction, courage, and the difference one man can make."

Postcard US-2215732 from Vermont shows the Old Mill, a landmark at the Central Campus of University of Vermont in Burlington. Public education was among the programs that the senator championed. He also supported an increase of the minimum wage and President Clinton's failed comprehensive health plan overhaul.

National Day of the American Cowboy

Yesterday was the National Day of the American Cowboy, declared by a resolution passed by the U.S. Senate. Senator Craig Lyle Thomas (February 17, 1933 – June 4, 2007) first started the tradition by naming the fourth Saturday in July “National Day of the American Cowboy” in 2005, coinciding with Cheyenne Frontier Days, an outdoor rodeo and western celebration held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The 2014 resolution, the tenth in a row, was introduced by U.S. Senators Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), and co-sponsored by Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota), John Hoeven, (R-North Dakota), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jon Tester (D-Montana), and John Walsh (D-Montana). The day this year falls on July 26, 2014, acknowledging the contributions from cowboys throughout history and their continued impact to the U.S. today.

The Senate passed the S.Res.488 unanimously on July 17, 2014. It's a rare feat for the 113th Congress.

Postcard US-2680033 to Massachusetts shows a Wyoming tourism poster with a tag line "Rodeo! stamped on every plate and into every heart, in Wyoming."

Greeting from Searchlight, Nevada

During the Nevada 150th Year Sesquicentennial celebration, people around the world are getting to know many other places in Nevada in addition to the well-known Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City. Searchlight is one of such small unincorporated towns in Nevada. Located 90 kilometers or 57 miles from Las Vegas at the topographic saddle between two mountain ranges in Clark County, it had a population of 539 as a census-designated place (CDP) in 2010.

Senator Reid Spoke at the Commemorative Nevada Statehood Stamp
First-Day-of-Issue Event on May 29, 2014

Searchlight is the hometown of the U.S. Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid. Edith Head (October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) also lived there. She was a Hollywood costume designer who won eight Oscars, still a record in its category and more than any other woman.

The postcard was purchased from Zazzle.com. You can personalized the postcard with any place name in Nevada.