Anyone going to participate in the Race of Grace this year in Raleigh?
Race of Grace
Basically, it is a run/walk to help raise money for those in need. (homeless, hunger, healthcare) It is put on by the Raleigh District of the United Methodist Church but all can participate!
Let me know if anyone is planning to attend. Feel free to also donate if you can:
Considering that the delegates are very close this year and that Obama may win a few more with an average margin of 60% - 40%, the nomination my come down to NC. This is something to get very excited about especially for us North Carolinians who haven't seen such hubbub about a primary.....ever.
There are 8 more primaries/caucuses before NC with a total delegate count of 699. If Obama supporters all across this country can pull a victory in all these states and acheive 60-65% of the delegates during these contests, NC will play a major role in deciding the next democratic nominee.
With Indiana and NC voting on May 5th, there will be 218 delegates for the taking that day. Assuming the 65% wins (yes, a big assumption), the delegate total could be: 1801 - 1508. With a few superdelegates going Barack's way, he could be close to the 2025 needed!!
Please make the time to get active in this campaign! NC will matter!
This is from last year but I wanted to see if this works.
Barack in Durham, NC
There is an excellent opportunity to get really involved in the campaign happening next Saturday, January 12th. I hope that if you have time, you will travel with us to our neighbor to the South. As the NC primary doesn't really count, it will be our best opportunity to help the campaign! http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4vglm
So far 55 have signed up. Let's get a good showing from the great state of NC! The clock is ticking down and it is time to get involved, if you haven't already. Let's help Barack win SC!
Really cool song from Maddy Wyatt:
Here: http://www.maddywyatt.com/
and
Here: http://www.myspace.com/maddyw
Lyrics:
mama, i'm in lovei know he's kinda skinny but i just can't help ithe's preachin' something newhe's callin' every nightand askin' me to fight the fight with himfor freedomit's a dreamy point of viewhe believes in honesty and tax cuts for the poorand i don't think i'm gonna lack a leader anymorebarack obamahis truth will set you freebarack obamamama, he's the man for methe senator from illinoiswas once a little boy in honolulukomako ino komako ohit's the sunlight on the surf that showed him what he's really worthand gave him faith in the audacity of hopehis policy on greehouse gas istotally the besthis daddy came from kenyaand his mom from the midwestbarack obamahis truth will set you freebarack obamamama, he's the man for memr. lincoln let me curl up on that momumental lapcan you hear me, i am callin' out to youyou might think a girl from texas would take pride in recognizin'that the country once again is split in twobut i've been in this red state feelin' blueba-ba-ba-ba-bara-bara-barakoh mama, did you see himat that podium in springfieldhe's got eyes to give a worried woman peaceand we've been stuck inside a lie that brought a nation to it's kneesi think somewhere in those eyes i see a chance_____ _______and you might say we're young and we can't handle what's in storebut isn't it the young we sent to battle to this warbarack obamahis truth will set you freebarack obamamama, he's the man for mebarack obama your truth will set you freebarack obamayou're the man for mereflect your hope on meproject your hope on mekomako ino komako oh
An interesting article in the Economist. It will definitely be a tough fight in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. But if Obama can pull together at least two of the three, he'll at least have the wind at his back for Super Tuesday.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10215047
Unfortunately, I think this article is right on spot. Americans have a huge tendency to forget. We have a sort of ADHD where we can't seem to keep our minds on something more than a few days. I think it is partly because of the MSM but who knows.
Let's not get a repeat of the Dean debacle in 2004. Let's get it right this time.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/27/AR2007112702029.html
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 — The New Hampshire primary, a tradition-steeped event in American presidential politics, will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 8, the New Hampshire secretary of state, William M. Gardner, decreed this afternoon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/us/politics/20cnd-hamp.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
Of course, the MSM is at it again with turning Barack's words on end:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200711160008
Anyone else having trouble calling the same person that has already been called????
I have gotten 3 so far. I think my list is tainted.
Kinda interesting article from NY times.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/11/11/opinion/20071111_BRAIN_2.html
They used functional magnetic resonance imaging to watch the brains of a group of swing voters as they responded to the leading presidential candidates.
Not really scientific. They just show photos of the candidates and some of the videos. However, it is interesting to see how the 'brain reacts' to the candidates. Of course, these are the swing voters and not the die-hards and wing nuts. I would think they people that have already chosen a candidate or working on the campaigns would have a very different reaction.
This story is from the UMC Featured News:
http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=1723955&ct=4625215
By Linda Green Nov. 9, 2007 | LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS)
Declaring war "incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ," the bishops of The United Methodist Church called on leaders of all nations to begin an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
The bishops also urged against deploying additional troops to Iraq and against establishing permanent military bases in the Middle Eastern country.
"This resolution is long overdue," said retired Bishop Clifton Ives before the Council of Bishops voted its approval on Nov. 9.
The action came during the council's semi-annual meeting at a United Methodist retreat center in western North Carolina. The council represents 11.5 million United Methodists in the United States, Africa, Europe and the Philippines. About 125 active and retired bishops from across the globe attended the Nov. 4-9 gathering.
In addition to calling for the immediate safe and full withdrawal of troops, the bishops called on the United States and other Coalition Force nations to initiate and support a plan for the reconstruction of Iraq, giving strong priority to the humanitarian and social needs of the Iraqi people. They urged increased support for veterans of the Iraq war and all wars.
The bishops said their position is based on Jesus Christ’s call for "his followers to be peacemakers."
"Every day that the war continues, more soldiers and innocent civilians are killed with no end in sight to the violence, bloodshed and carnage." –Council of Bishops resolution
The resolution is the council's latest action questioning the Iraq war. In November 2005, the bishops urged U.S. President George W. Bush, who is United Methodist, to create a timeline to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
Before the latest vote, the council wrestled with turning the resolution from having a U.S.-centric focus into one with global emphasis to care for all people impacted by the war.
The bishops cited the deaths of more than 3,843 U.S. soldiers, 171 members of the United Kingdom military, 132 members of other Coalition military, the wounding of 28,385 U.S soldiers and the deaths of at least 76,241 Iraqi civilians. They noted the war has displaced 2 million people and made refugees of 1 million others.
"Every day that the war continues, more soldiers and innocent civilians are killed with no end in sight to the violence, bloodshed and carnage," the resolution says.
The bishops called on United Methodists throughout the world to pray for peace; hold regular prayer vigils for congregations and communities; and care for all impacted by the war, including honoring the dead, healing the wounded and calling for an end to the war.
The council discussed the resolution over the course of two days before approving a final version on Nov. 9.
Retired Bishop Jack Meadors, of Edisto Beach, S.C., noted that 2007 has been the deadliest year for the U.S. military since the Iraq war began in 2003. He predicted the 4,000th American combat death will occur between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"The Iraq war is not just a political issue or a military issue. It is a moral issue." –Bishop Jack Meadors
"The Iraq war is not just a political issue or a military issue. It is a moral issue," Meadors said. "War is sin. It is evil. War is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus."
Calling the resolution "a faith-based statement," Meadors said Christians must be "peacemakers that we might be known as children of God."
Bishop James Swanson of the Holston (Tenn.-Va.-Ga.) Conference said President Bush's intentions for entering the war may have been noble but that the results have been deadly.
"We as bishops are concerned about the loss of lives and any resulting effect once the war ends and the troops are removed," Swanson said. He added that, once the troops leave, "the church needs to be about helping the Iraqi people rebuild their lives."
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Stephen Drachler, media consultant for the Council of Bishops, contributed to this report.
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Right now America is in the middle of an immoral war. We need a leader who will bring us out of this immoral war and not lead us into any other immoral dumb wars. That leader, I believe, is Barack Obama.
Warren
I just read this on MSNBC.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/08/456214.aspx
He is definitely a skilled at telling things as they are. He didn't fall into the trap of going after Bill but just told it as it is:
“All I know is that part of the record she’s running on is on health care, so its hard to gauge if one of her claims is to have experience in this issue and then to suggest somehow that she didn’t have anything to do with the way it didn’t work.”
On Billy:
“We’re trying to focus on the kind of president I would be and the kind of nominee I would be for the Democratic Party,” Obama said. “Last time I checked, President Clinton wasn’t on the ballot.”
But he might as well be. I can't quite figure out if Bill speaking for for Hillary will be good or bad for her. On the one hand, he was a popular president. On the other hand, Hillary has to show she can hold her own and not just run on Bill's coat tails.
So, we all know Barack is against the Iraq war and was from the beginning. He is against 'dumb' wars which this definitely falls into that category.
The United Methodist Church also has the same views insofar as war. The following is from the United Methodist Church Book of Discipline -2004:
"We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy, to be employed only as a last resort in the prevention of such evils as genocide, brutal suppression of human rights, and unprovoked international aggression. We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them; that human values must outweigh military claims as governments determine their priorities; that the militarization of society must be challenged and stopped; that the manufacture, sale, and deployment of armaments must be reduced and controlled; and that the production, possession, or use of nuclear weapons be condemned. Consequently, we endorse general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control."
From listening to Barack's speeches and answers during debates, he has said time and time again that he will talk to our advasaries in order to since a peaceful means to resolve our conflicts rather than going to war. His mindset seems to be directly in line with the UMC, other Christian communities and also with my own. He is the best candidate to keep us out of another dumb war.
Cool Article in The Atlantic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/obama/
This may be one of the big reasons I like Barack so much:
“I didn’t have an epiphany,” he explained to me. “What I really did was to take a set of values and ideals that were first instilled in me from my mother, who was, as I have called her in my book, the last of the secular humanists—you know, belief in kindness and empathy and discipline, responsibility—those kinds of values. And I found in the Church a vessel or a repository for those values and a way to connect those values to a larger community and a belief in God and a belief in redemption and mercy and justice … I guess the point is, it continues to be both a spiritual, but also intellectual, journey for me, this issue of faith.”
His spiritual journey makes sense to me. It is similar to mine. I haven't had an epiphany. Not that I wouldn't mind one. It just hasn't happened. I didn't fall down in church one day and feel like something happened to me. I just don't think that was meant for me. I don't have a 'date' that I was 'saved', unless you count around 33 A.D.....
I know polls aren't the final say and really do not mean much, but it is good to see that Barack is taking back some of the percentage points:
"Monday's CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll reveals Senator Clinton's lead over Senator Obama has shrunk from 30 points last month to 19 points. "
Source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22714934-663,00.html
Hopefully, we can keep this momentum up and be in a dead heat by January. If you really listen to the candidates and look into their backgrounds, Barack will be the easy choice.
Just a quick note to let everyone know that they can get the 'script' for phone banking before you call. Once you get the list of names to call, you will notice at the bottom a link to the script. I have found this helpful as the website does not always operate in real time and you don't want to just sit there going uh, uh.... while waiting for the site to catch up. Maybe it works better for others, but I have found it to be helpful.
Keep up the good work!
I've wondered why they are doing this as well. During the debates, I have noticed the raise your hand if... (complicated subject here).
Anyway, here is a quote from Bill Clinton on the subject:
"I had the feeling that at the end of that last debate we were about to get into cutesy land again. Ya'll raise your hand if you're for illegal immigrants getting a driver's license. So, we then let the Republicans go ahead saying all the Democrats are against the rule of law. I think it's fine to discuss immigration. We should. I believe immigration needs to be discussed. And it's fine for Hillary and all the other Democrats to discuss Governor Spitzer's plan. But not in 30 seconds, yes, no, raise your hand. This is a complicated issue. This is a complicated issue."
It's not bad enought that we generalize candidates down to sound bites but to less than that. Raise your hand if you are for illegal immigrants receiving medical treatment.... Raise your hand if you would let them get a driver's license.....
When will things change so we can actually discuss the issues?
