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Jubalyn ExWilliams

My name is Jubalyn and I live in Pennsylvania. A netizen since 1996, landturn.com is my personal website.

Welcome.

A few thoughts. A few ideas. A little lobbying. Some editorials. And more than 50 reviews.

Based in Harrisburg, PA.

(some) Favorites

OSCE
For the 2022 mid-terms, I corresponded with election observers in Pennsylvania from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Correspondence surrounded a perspective of small-party access to the electoral process, public reception to that representation; and obstacles to campaign efforts by its candidates. (Initial findings by the OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights: www.osce.org/odihr/elections/usa/530674)

General Election
Like 2022, I corresponded with OSCE observers dispatched to Dauphin County, Pa. for the general election between Biden and Trump. (Final 2020 OSCE report: www.osce.org/files/f/documents/7/7/477823.pdf.) Apparently, the international monitors were barred from Pennsylvania polls under state law. Little did I know that state law would be but one obstacle to a representative election.

Jan. 2021
As a recent, 2020 poll watcher, I raised multiple objections with the County Election Board for the renaming of a third-party, write-in candidate and an independent write-in candidate in the official tally. ("Ballot Access in Pennsylvania," "Ballot Access in Pennsylvania, II")

To ensure the recognition of eligible challengers and third-party candidates in local campaigns, I ran for the Harrisburg School Board just weeks before the special election in 2021. Though unsuccessful and $0 in campaign funds, I garnered enough votes to maintain a ballot line not guaranteed to third-party candidates in general, and Green Party candidates in particular.

In State College, a degree of separation exists between myself and Biden via a Democratic operative who knows him. On one occasion, I DM'd the individual in response to his columns I noticed first during the Osaze Osagie investigation (landturn.com/blog/the-osaze-case).

Jan. 2020
I consider my Jan. 2020 commentary on medical debt (landturn.com/blog/americans-also-have-medical-debt) a viral post that provided the political inspiration for Biden's expansion of Executive Order 14009 in 2022.

Medical Debt
In reference to the NBA player Trae Young working with RIP Medical Debt, I noted that medical debt is highest in the United States. (Also see "As American as Student Loan Debt" posted the next month.) The Price We Pay, written by a surgeon at Johns Hopkins, brought this distinction to my attention. And it was Makary's book that I'd review later that month.

Nov. 2020
One of my works was also the basis of a 14-part series by PennLive in 2020. That November, I emailed a health official and two of the leaders from a homeless advocacy group to suggest church pews, then-vacant gymns, etc. to meet the need for more beds. ("Ways to provide more beds for the homeless") (Also see landturn.com/blog/this-winter-is-deadlier-for-the-homeless.)

Homelessness
A response came less than a month later, when PennLive published its series on homelessness with angles similar to the points of my email (e.g. "Scenes from a homeless shelter on a cold night amid the coronavirus"). In addition, leadership for one organization I was part of at the time switched one of its planks to homeless charity from a stated interest in human trafficking a month before.

At the time of this writing, the PennLive articles remain accessible to paid subscribers only.

Sept. 2021
Less significant but still annoying, "Spotted Lanternfly at Harrisburg riverfront" -- about the invasive species -- seemed to reincarnate itself 5 days after I posted it. An article with points presented in the same order as my own appeared in another publication as "Spotted, Smashed: Harrisburg City forester offers tips for dealing with spotted lanternflies".

For example, my blog ends, "But first thing's first: If you see one, 'Kill it! Squash it, smash it... just get rid of it.'" The article in question ends, "The bottom line? Roane says, if you see a spotted lanternfly, smash it."

Harrisburg NAACP
In spring 2021, the Harrisburg NAACP approved my proposal for its first Environmental Committee. (landturn.com/blog/fires-in-harrisburg) As a result, I served as founding chair for that committee of the branch.

Fire Safety/Prevention
An archive of the founding Committee's 20+ updates, including development of a free educational product on fire safety/prevention, is available at landturn.com/naacp.

State of the City, 2022
In her first State of the City address, Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams lauded the fire department more than 3X longer than any other department. I believe the Committee's 17 prior updates, particularly the one just weeks earlier, provided much of her talking points and disproportionate proficiency. ("Environmental Committee: Fire Safety Cartoon, III")

On multiple occasions, one leader recommended I meet with Williams since the time of her 2020 mayoral campaign. Despite no previous mention of her by me in any public forum; meeting; nor an exchange with him, he once queued me to speak by adding, "and [Jubalyn] has something to say about the mayor." The actual subject: Black History Month. (Feb. 2022)

After 19 months, I quit as head of the Environmental Committee, disenchanted with what I saw as the branch's overall focus on philanthropy and event planning. I'll resume development of the free educational product independently.

Green Party
Like summer 2020, I petitioned on foot in 2022 as part of the statewide effort to gain ballot access for Green candidates. The last of four days was with Howie Hawkins, Green Party co-founder and 2020 presidential candidate. Two days later, a small delegation of members and I delivered the requisite 5,000 signatures then approved by the Pennsylvania State Department.

Unlike 2020, state-level Democrats filed no lawsuit, which ousted Hawkins from the battleground ballot in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that year. ("Howie Hawkins campaign: my statement") (Also refer again to "Ballot Access in Pennsylvania.") As a result, the 2022 ballot was extended to Green candidates for Governor, Lieut. Governor, and Attorney General in Pennsylvania.

Ipsos
Since 2015, I've been a respondent with Ipsos for political polls and studies, including the American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau); behavioral research on part of non-smokers of vaping and e-cigarettes (Centre for Substance Use Research); recreational marijuana (UC San Diego); research by one doctoral student on patient perceptions of medical care received (SUNY); and a survey on any personal connection to firearms, gun ownership, and gun violence (NJ Gun Violence Research Center).

Ranked-Choice Voting in Pennsylvania

A computerized image with Jubalyn's name on a piece of paper in a bottle. The planet Jupiter is in the background and a NASA in the corner.

Time Capsule. Signed Nov. 5, 2023. Approx. signature = 680,567. Mission estimate: 2024-2030

Click picture for charter bus leaving Harrisburg for the D.C.

No contact, affiliation wanted or desired

An infographic of the Green Party's 10 Key Values: 1) Grassroots Democracy 2) Ecological Wisdom 3) Global Responsibility and Personal Responsibility 4) Community-Based Economics and Economic Justice 5) Non-Violence 6) Feminism and Gender Equity 7) Respect for Diversity 8) Future Focus and Sustainability 9) Social Justice and Equal Opportunity and 10) Decentralization

What is the Green Party?

SPECIAL NOTE
I hope to live a long and healthy life. Should I lose my life; my freedom; or brain functioning; I ask that my family (or estate) assume my domain and webhosting costs to keep landturn.com and my writings on it available. And that they inscribe landturn.com on any plaque, marker, or the like in my memory.