Like many of you, I am outraged that AIG is paying bonuses to employees that helped get them into trouble in the first place. In my mind, bonuses should be paid for work above and beyond expectation. That is why as I sign petitions and send letters to the editor about AIG, I am including this sentiment:
I believe the AIG bonuses should be returned, either by AIG itself, or by the individual recipients. If they do not feel the money should be returned to the federal government, then perhaps they would be willing to reward those soldiers, marines, and airmen who have deployed two or more times to Afghanistan and/or Iraq. Those are the individuals who have truly gone above and beyond their expected performance.
I had my first house party for Obama yesterday. I live on a military base and during the election, my husband and I decided we had best leave the "politicking" off-base. Now it's easier. We're supporting the incoming commander and chief and our message is not tailored to only those who might vote for Obama. Our message is to ALL - come out and help be the change that you want to see.
This first meeting was small in numbers but it wasn't small in ideas. We talked for 2 1/2 hours about education for family members, especially children, and for active duty NCO's. One of our members wants to see a certification program that will be accepted in the civilian world so when our troops separate, their work experience makes sense to the civilian community. We spoke about the erosion of benefits, especially health care for dependents and retirees and housing for junior enlisted. Finally, we spoke about Veteran's issues. We all agreed that our veteran's are getting a bum deal and that America as a whole does not take the time to understand the needs of our veterans. We all agreed that we have an awful lot of work to do.
We're going to volunteer locally over the holiday, hopefully with a project at Fort Sam Houston. Details are in the works. But if you are a military member, a military family member, or a civilian interested in improving the lives of military people, then get involved.
I'll continue to blog about opportunities here in the San Antonio area and also let you know about National Organizations that are building and growing. I've mentioned Blue Star Families in the past - keep your eyes open as BSF works out a new structure to meet the needs of our incoming administration. It's time for military supporters to vigilant, to be active, and to speak out.
This is a great video by Blue Star Families for Obama. It goes to show you that many military families support Barack Obama and will not be voting Republican.
Help these women get more attention by viewing the video. Although their combined voices about Obama are more appropriate to the upcoming election than Cindy McCain's comments, it is a hard pressed battle for everyday Americans to get the notice of the main stream media. It makes it easier with your help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwk4LL5-Mpo
Angie
Please visit ObamaTravel.org and search for these great volunteers:
"DeeDee"
"Yvonne"
"Bernadette"
"Sueellen"
If you an afford to give them a few dollars in gas money, they would really appreciate the help! This website makes it really easy, obamatravel.org/sponsors.aspx.
I've recently learned about two great website that are helping people volunteer in battleground states.
The first is www.travelforchange.org. Travel for Change matches traveling volunteers with sponsors donating frequent flyer miles. I know of two people in San Antonio, TX who have scheduled flights this way. If you are traveling and need assistance or you have Frequent Flyer Miles to donate, check this website out!
The second is www.obamatravel.org. Volunteers post their profiles and sponsors can donate funds to help them with gas money, car rental, and lodging. Money is transfered via PayPal. As we all know, most of those with time, don't have funds and those with funds often don't have time! This website is helping to fix that.
If you live on the NE side of San Antonio, you can join a group of active moms making a difference in their community. They are planning a pro-Family, pro-Obama rally and need YOUR input.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gsxjbh
Have you planned an event lately? Consider holding a house party for the upcoming debate. Or have a planning meeting in your precinct and use the Neighbor to Neighbor tool MyBO.com to help you figure out canvassing and telephone banking. You can do it!
Blue Stars for Obama is leading military families to the campaign of Barack Obama!
They are getting the word out about Senator Obama's pro-military message. As you all know, many people think that the Democratic candidate will automatically cut funding for the military. This group is helping to change that perception, one family member at a time.
If you are a military family member or retired military and would like to help, please join us! Our voices are greater when combined and we would like to see membership grow to 5000 people by September 22. Please help!
www.bsf4o.com
Last night was the first of many 8 Weeks to Change calling parties hosted by MoveOn.org for the Barack/Biden ticket. Here in San Antonio, it was a huge success! We had several new volunteers make first time phone calls. They all sounded so confident on the phone. They really believe in the message of hope and change and it comes out in their voices and their message! We recruited several Minnesota volunteers to attend training later this week.
More of these events will be coming up in the next few weeks. You can help by volunteering to attend or by hosting one of the parties. MoveOn makes the process very easy - they give you detailed instructions on how to get started and break down the meeting step by step. They also provide you with all the call sheets. Training for the new callers is provided by internet connection. Easy!
To find out more, you can join your local MoveOn Council - yes, we have one in San Antonio! Just check out MoveOn.org (look for the "act locally" link). And keep your eye on the local events on My.BarackObama.com.
"It's not rocket science. It's $6 million and 53 employees."
Those are Sarah Palin's words to her hometown newspaper, the Wasilla Frontiersman, about the office of mayor. I agree with her. It's not rocket science.
As a Captain in the Air Force, my husband had exactly that kind of responsibility. He managed 59 employees and a budget of $12 million. And, he did it without a city administrator. He would agree, "It's not rocket science."
Let's make sure that we keep Sarah Palin's executive experience in perspective.
I know you've all received them... emails full of false information. It might be about Barack. It might even be about McCain. I challenge all of you to stop deleting them without a response. It's time to check the facts and hit the Reply All button and let all of those poor people know the truth.
Finding out the facts is easy. FactCheck.org will help you find a well balanced response.
These emails are especially common among the military. Our well meaning family and friends just don't get it. They're not aware of the truth. We've learned that the way to get along with so many different points of view is to to let things lie and hope they go away. We can no longer do that.
The good news is, when you try this route, people stop sending you nasty stuff. And some of the others who were receiving the forwarded mail will actually write and thank you for correcting your friend. Hopefully, that friend or family member will think twice before trying to send something the next time.
Soccer Moms can make a difference. My family has been at a soccer tournament this weekend and before the games start I've been walking with my voter registration clipboard. I've registered voters both days. And people are very thankful because they haven't found the time to go and do it themselves.
Be proactive! Take those voter registration forms with you and start asking people if they're registered... make a difference!
I'm challenging all of you to go by your local voter registration office and become a voter registrar. At the very least, go by and pick up some mail in registration forms. And then start asking everyone if they are registered.
I've made it a personal goal to ask every person I have an interaction with if they are registered to vote and that includes the clerks at the grocery store and the parents at the soccer game. I started today and I registered a young lady that works at a local bookstore. She had just moved and hadn't taken the time to get a form. She admits, she might not have found the time. But she will vote this fall.
You can make a difference! Just be brave and ask! It's not as hard as you think.
Please don't wait until a couple of days before the election to feel the fierce urgency of now. It is time to start campaigning, if you haven't been doing so already. Ask friends to register to vote and make sure they do. Contact your local Obama office and find out what needs to be done. Attend Camp OBAMA! Make a difference in your community! Help me make a difference in mine!
I'm speaking to lots of people who feel the need to do something more to help Obama win this campaign. As individuals, it's very hard to have voice. But in mass numbers, we can speak loudly. I'm contacting Grass Roots organizations around the US and asking them to hold a US for Obama Rally on Saturday, April 12th. It's a little more than a month away, so get the word out. Ask your local Obama office to start planning, volunteer to help.
Let me know if you've got an event planned. I'll spread the word. It will be contagious!
