What's Good for the Red Sox Is Good For Kerry?

Quite a night for the 18,000 plus supporters (including me) at the Kerry rally last night at Civic Plaza in downtown Albuquerque. I don't think I've ever seen as many people in one place in the Duke City except at a sporting event or concert.

Steve Terrell, who writes for the Santa Fe New Mexican, has an excellent article on his website about last night's rally. Our own Frank from Amsterdam, of Frank and Page, has a rally diary with photos on Daily Kos that's worth a look. And there's a bunch of excellent photos from last night at .

A highlight of the rally was a Navajo (Dine) corn pollen blessing bestowed on Kerry and the crowd by 83-year-old Chester Nez, one of the four surviving members of the 29 Navajo Code Talkers who served so ably in WWII. You could hear a pin drop when Mr. Nez opened his small deerskin pouch and offered pinches of the sacred pollen to the Four Directions while offering blessings to those present. Many Navajos and members of the 19 New Mexico Pueblos were present at the rally, and Kerry has received the endorsement of each of the tribal councils.

Mr. Nez's blessings have apparently been very effective in helping the Boston Red Sox in their record-breaking surge to the World Series. On April 10th, Mr. Nez threw out the ceremonial first pitch and offered a blessing for the Red Sox. They won the next 7 of 9 games. And when the team was down 3-0 in their league championship series with the Yankees, Mr. Nez stepped outside his home in Albuquerque, faced east and bestowed another blessing. You know what happened next.

The Red Sox are now 3-0 in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Our own Mary Ellen, born in Salem MA and a diehard Sox fan, was equipped with a headphone radio last night at the rally so she could keep up with the game. She helped update Kerry on the score at one point and her Red Sox cap and sweatshirt were a good match for the Red Sox jacket and cap worn by Mr. Nez himself while onstage. Red Sox Nation!

As for Kerry, he gave another excellent stump speech and had the crowd cheering and almost giddy at times at what may well be his final visit to New Mexico before the election. There are rumors, however, that Teresa Heinz Kerry and Wesley Clark will travel here before the election, and Bill Clinton is slated for a visit to Santa Fe and Albuquerque this Saturday and Sunday. Stay tuned.

(Photo of Kerry and Chester Nez courtesy of Frank's Daily Kos diary. Click image for larger version.)