Dear Family & Friends in Indiana and North Carolina,
As many of you know, I have never been involved – or even interested – in politics. I am a registered Unaffiliated.
However, I have spent the past few months engaged in the presidential primary process, and I have learned a lot about our country (e.g.: where the heck is Guam?) and the candidates. Even if you are not participating in Tuesday’s Democratic primary on May 6th in your state, you might have family and friends who will vote, and I’d like to encourage you to encourage them to vote for Illinois Senator, Barack Obama.
I will tell you a couple of the reasons that I support him, and I would be happy to chat with you if you want any more information:
1) I do not support universal, government-provided health care. I believe that private competition is good in America. I do agree with Senator Obama’s plan of making healthcare more accessible and affordable for all families.
2) I do believe that his shorter length of time in elected office makes him less susceptible to bribes, lobbying, and false promises. He began as a community organizer – just like me – so I trust his motivation for going into politics. I was certainly not the volunteer president of my neighborhood association for the glory, paycheck, or prestige.
Senator Obama’s website is http://www.barackobama.com/index.php if you’d like to find out more for yourself, or please, feel free to get in touch with me.
I am also writing this in response to a concern someone brought up to me about his lack of military experience. I didn’t have any wisdom on it, so I posted the question on the Barack Obama blog, and the responses are below. Some of them are insightful, so I hope that it answers the concern.
Americans have the chance to vote for a leader who is capable of taking our federal government out of the hands of top executives and putting it back into the hands of all of us regular people. If you trust in our ability to take on that responsibility, please, encourage people to vote for Senator Barack Obama. His politics is not the politics of the past. He does not spend his time digging up all the possible dirt on the opponent. He spends his time talking and listening and problem-solving. Join us in this movement for a loving, unified, and strong United States of America. End the bickering – end the power struggle of “my issue vs. your issue.” Our politics can cause kindness and compassion – but we must vote for the leader who can motivate that change.
If you don’t see how that can happen, please, call me, and please forward this to anyone you wish. Together, we can make it happen!
In peace,
Lori
foxtail0077@yahoo.com 303-748-1132
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By Roy from Wesley Chapel, FL Today at 7:14 pm EDT Sure, tell her that you don't need military experience to lead a country. There have been many presidents who had no military service: Bill Clinton, Ronald Regan and others. What you need to run this country is a good understanding of the U.S. Constitution, which Obama has, you have to have heart and love the country you wish to serve, and you must always put your citizens first, before self-interest. If these things were done then we wouldn't have military contract go to Air Buss, they would have stayed here in America. We wouldn't have so many people struggling now and out of work. And besides he is the only candidate that has our senior citizens' best interest at heart. This country needs to change back to the basics. By Yen Nguyen 36 minutes ago I would also add that DIME is part of military education. DIME is an acronym for Diplomacy, Intelligence, Military and Economic. You can tell that Senator Obama grasps this clearly. Colin Powell also mentioned how military force has to work in conjunction with Diplomacy to ensure National Security. By Nomad in NC Today at 7:57 pm EDT Lincoln had minimal. He was on the outskirts of an uprising with Native Americans. By Ben Vos 42 minutes ago Hi! I think the fact that Obama's grandfather was raised by WW II veteran is important. I don't know that McCain's military experience gives him the readiness to lead. Remember, the Commander in Chief must also make determinations about economic policy. Ultimately, we must ask the question: Are we safer as a result of the invasion of Iraq? The answer is no. McCain supported the invasion of Iraq. Obama's service on the foreign relations committee is also important. Obama knows that we need to have a strong national defense. He also knows that the goal of defense is not to have military might, but to avoid the need for defense. Escalation and sabre-rattling is not a good thing. A few more thoughts: Napoleon had great military experience. Would you want a leader like Napoleon? Agosto Pinochet was a great military leader. But he used his military might to terrorize people. Fidel Castro was a good military leader, but he's used his military might to enforce a regime that is totally anti-democratic. The important question is not whether you know how to drive the car, but where you intend to go. Bush, McCain and Clinton all decided to join in driving the car into the ditch. By Fed Up! Today at 7:38 pm EDT Tell her he had the good sense to know that we were going to go and fight the wrong operative. Tell her that the person who told you this had two sons serve in Iraq. Tell her that Admirals and Generals in the US Military trust him enough to endorse him for President of the US. Good Luck, Go Obama 08' By genXer for Obama Today at 7:40 pm EDT As others have already pointed out about the requirement for being the President of USA, it wouldn't hurt to mention the fact that Obama was raised by his grandparents and that his grandfather served in the WWII in Patton's army while his grandmother used to work in war manufacturing dept. as it was usually for most women in those days. By esther Today at 8:29 pm EDT Hello Please, tell your godmother there really isn't anything other than good sound judgement and critical analysis skills that will determine that gfb moment. Having said that, he serves on these committees: foreign relations veterans affairs homeland security & gov't affairs Also, please note: the Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation & Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act. I feel the need to also mention his temperament. By JuanE. Today at 8:50 pm EDT Explain to your godmother that he will have the Joint Chiefs of Staff to help him in any decisions that are necessary to do the job. Also, a president of a company does not have to have done every job in the company to run it. His job is to hire the right people and be able to manage them. By Brenda in Ashtabula OH Yesterday at 10:45 pm EDT I've had the military experience question come up on a blog. I don't think it's a requirement or even necessary for a President, nor has it been for all of them in the past. However I think one reason some people may ask about military service is because they're trying to assess a person/candidate's degree of patriotism - i.e., no greater sign of patriotism than serving one's country in the military. I tend not to agree that only "best" patriots are found in those with a military background. Certainly military service is a patriotic ACT and should be considered honorable in all cases but there are other things that people can do to demonstrate similar service to this country and therefore patriotism. In my (lengthier) blog response I said that President Kennedy created the Peace Corp to give people another outlet for service. I pointed out that there is a much older profession whose entire purpose for existing is to serve others and help them improve their life situations. I then pointed to Barack's work as a Community Organizer and said it's actually called *Social Work.* It's an under-recognized and severely underpaid profession, with average earnings being less than teachers, so Barack's $10,000/year salary at the time even fits with the profession! As does his personal frustration at feeling like he couldn't accomplish all he wanted to in helping individual people and his community. More than a few Social Workers have left the field to pursue law degrees and even political offices - because that's where those frustrated Social Workers see a better ability to help others and create... REAL CHANGE (we can believe in!) I'm a Social Worker, so maybe that's why I see the heart and soul of a true Social Worker in Barack Obama. His career choices through his life have consistently reflected a desire to serve and improve the lives of people. I consider that very patriotic. I sent a comment to the campaign asking them to put up a notice (like the one for Women's History month) that March is National Social Worker's Month - a nice way to semi-connect Barack's work to Social Work. For those asking about military service to get at his decision-making, leadership, etc. - refer back to Barack's Iraq War judgement. But also to his judgement and leadership that's led to the very successful, record-breaking, #1 campaign he's running. By VoteWithYourRebate 24 minutes ago Mile-high, Besides the endorsement of the high officials today, there was also a huge military endorsement in December of 2007, involving 60 or so from the Pentagon and Armed forces, etc. If you can find those articles, it will help her to read them. Also, his voting record on such topics is impressive. My letter | Report to Admin Reply By JK57 10 minutes ago Dear Sir or Madam, I am a 50 year old woman who, until 2004, had never voted for a Democrat. I was as Republican as they come! For reasons that I won't expound upon now, I gradually began to reexamine my political beliefs and I cast my first Democratic vote for John Kerry. I have to admit, in all honesty, that it wasn't so much a vote for John Kerry (although I respect him) as a vote against George Bush. The highlight of that election year for me, though, was the electrifying speech at the Democratic Convention of a junior Senator from Illinois. I was so moved by his declaration that we are not a country made of red states and blue states, but we are one people. We are the UNITED States of America. Since 2004, I have followed Senator Obama's career. I have heard him interviewed many times, and each time I was impressed by his integrity, his intelligence, his eloquence and his ability to disagree without being disrespectful. I remember thinking how he differed from most politicians who seem to take pleasure in castigating members of the other party. For me, that was a welcome change because, you see, I had become sick and tired of politics and politicians. I was disgusted by the bitter partisanship and divisiveness of the last umpteen years. I was grieved by the senseless war we were in and the decline in America's standing in the world. I wondered what, if anything, would ever change. Then Senator Obama announced he was running for President. For the first time in a very, very long time, I felt the tiniest glimmer of....hope. Could it be that maybe, just maybe, things could change? Could it be possible that maybe, just maybe, we could again be the America that I love so much? Well, fortunately, I live in Iowa. I was able to see all the candidates up close and personal. I listened to them answer questions, I shook their hands, I watched their interactions with the people. I was very impressed by all of them, but Senator Obama stood head and shoulders above the rest. I made the decision, for the FIRST time in my entire life, to get involved in a political campaign. I was never so proud to be an Iowan as I was on the night when Senator Obama won the Iowa Re: Undecided are frustrating.... | Report to Admin Reply By CDutch 12 minutes ago Made 100 calls in Wisconsin. Some were for our guy. Others were for her. And the bulk were undecided. Again, the undecided were struggling to figure out "What will change do for me?" I responded: "I'm sorry, but let me rephrase your question: what will YOU do for change? I support Barack, as do millions of others, because we are sick of the division, incompetence, and gridlock of this Washington crew. They have failed you, and me, and everyone else. Nothing is getting done in Washington, because Dems and Repubs keep fighting each other. Aren't you tired of that? Why do you accept this? I don't and Barack doesn't and he has proven to be able to get things done because Republicans actually like and respect him. Barack's got a friggin book filled with answers to many of our problems. Your election is next week, go do the research, listen to his speeches, go to the website, go to an event, but make an informed choice. Unless we rally around him, it will just be more disappointment, gridlock, and division. I am ready for change. Are you? If so, vote Barack. Have a good evening."
My response to "Prostesters Disrupt Obama Rally" on CNN:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/07/protestors-disrupt-obama-rally/#comment-231426
The sad thing is, abortion will never end. It's a grand idea, but abortion's been around for hundreds of years (even St. Augustine wanted his lover to have an abortion, but she refused, and he later abandoned her and his son).
We can certainly do things that will lessen the number of abortions, though; for example:1) abstinence and birth control education,2) better support and conseling for women who find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy,3) parenting teenagers with a style that is neither too autocratic nor too permissive, and4) higher employment rates for women in the "at-risk for unplanned pregnancy" categoryare all strategies that can lower the number of unplanned pregnancies.
Making abortion illegal won't stop abortion, just like making murder illegal hasn't stopped homicides from taking place in America. It just allows us to punish the perpetrator if s/he is caught and is proven to have committed the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Making women and doctors into criminals is not some easy solution to ending abortion. We all need to work a lot harder to solve this issue, because it's much, much deeper than some anti-abortion law would fix.
