This diary began as a comment, but "Metz" interwove with my own personal activism in a way that deserved a small diary entry. I was born and raised an Ohio girl, after all.
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What I believe to be my very first public political action was marching in my hometown's Fourth of July parade with other local Democrats (which in some small way meant something, just being that visible presence, considering the Republican machine that my county was overrun by at the time.)
We wore baseball hats, and carried baseball paraphernalia, pennants and gloves, balls and bats and wore stickers proudly slapped on stating "Go Metz!" (Somewhat ironic in retrospect, considering his threatening to repeal the exemption from antitrust laws Major League Baseball enjoyed.)
I was 7 years old at the time, but even I knew how important he was to Ohioans.
In many ways he deeply personified the times I grew up in- fiercely environmental, a voice for abortion access, always a fighter. Ohioans in particular remember his work for the "Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act" which forced factories to give warning before closing down a plant. Maybe today it's hard to really comprehend what that meant in context, but to Ohioans, (and well, pretty much the manufacturing workforce as a whole) it was an important piece of legislation.
He was also Ohio's first Jewish Senator.
As the ugliness was really hitting in the late 70's and into the 80's into the Reagan years and beyond, Howard stood strongly, and that was important to me, as a last gasp child of the 60's and early 70's- to see someone standing and fighting for the world I wanted to live in, fighting for clean-ups at superfund sites, for abortion access in such a critical time period for access.
It wasn't all rose colored glasses, mind you, I'm not saying I was with him on every single thing, but compared to the sorry ass "representation" we find in Democrats up on capital hill these days? Yeah, Howard was a fighter, and that was why I sat county fair booths and stuffed envelopes, and to whatever extent do some of what I do today.
I am a product of a time period, and of having people like Howard as 'early influences' on my life. More than just a flush at some handshake event's passing excitement, I researched what 'my' Senator was doing up in Washington, even while being too young to cast my first ballot, and I liked what I saw. I understood that if there was an 'our side' and a their side', Howard, while having FAR greater resources and connections than the average 'us' at his disposal took on the role of public servant, and stood against those who felt it was alright to walk away from the polluted legacy of superfund sites across my state, he stood against those who wanted to game the system to their advantage at our expense (not merely monetary; but our lives, our health, our state, our homes, our jobs, our future etc.)
Now, these many many years later, several states away, I look at my current so called 'representative', a Democrat who is far too often a 'yes' vote to this administrations ongoing crimes and I think to myself now more than ever, we need a next generation of genuine fighters.
One of Senator Metzenbaum's many nicknames was "Senator No" (yeah, Jesse *@#%*$'n Helms was the R- "Senator No", but Howard was ours.) He was a man who understood the critical importance of standing for what was right. And standing uncompromisingly against what was wrong.
We sure could use a few Dems who understand the importance of saying "no" these days.
Bye Howard, you're already missed.