Please join us on November 4 and invest from 10 minutes to 1 hour visualizing President Elect Barack Obama on inaugural day and being sworn in with Michelle by his side. See the flags flying, hear the crowd cheering! BE in the feeling of joy and celebration of such a triumphant moment.During the primaries, this event had almost 1200 people signed up from more than 18 countries.Now it's time to reconvene and use the power of prayer, mediation, focused intent and emotional visualization to bring this thing home.
Here is the link to see event details.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gsxkmk
Please sign up and tell us where you will be during your visualization time. Our last event had people from all over the US as well as from these countries: Netherlands, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Sweden, Germany, Jamaica, Kuwait, United Kingdom, Japan, South Africa, Nigeria, France, Finland, Costa Rica, St. Lucia/St. Kitts, Zambia, SudanRemember to let yourself see the inauguration in great detail. Imagine the weather, the motorcade, the world-wide attention, the crowds, the beautiful Obama family on the stage, etc. Allow yourself to FEEL the excitement you know will be reverberating through billions of people around the world. THIS IS OUR MOMENT! THIS IS OUR TIME!I suggest we do this in two steps:1. Before you go to bed on November 3rd spend from 10 minutes to 1 hour focused on the inauguration. Push aside any doubts about election day or whether the race will be called any particular time.2. As soon as you awake on November 4th, before you even get out of bed, just allow the images of the inauguration to flow across the screen of your mind, almost like a dream. Maybe you even imagine the inaugural ball and Michele and Barack dancing.Throughout the day, you can return to this image. If you are doing GOTV like me, working the polls, serving as a lawyer to protect voting rights, or simply waiting in lines for AS LONG AS IT TAKES <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/31/94424/603/61/647786">(STFIL)</a> to vote. Be comforted by this image. FEEL the joy of it in your bones.Remember to remain unattached to how things unfold on the evening of November 4th and focus instead on January 20th, 2009 - the first day of the Obama presidency. Please help to promote this event by posting it to your blog, emailing it around, sharing it on the Obama site, with groups you know, etc. Invite all of your friends and family to participate.
Please click the link below and sign up!
Your program today was simply an embarrassment. I sat in my car listening in utter disbelief as you asked listeners and commentators, “Where is the line when it comes to ugly campaigning?” You went on to say that things had turned sour on both sides, listing some examples of the tit for tat, wondering what the candidates should do differently.
I find it deeply disturbing that journalists such as yourself, along with the McCain campaign, find it reasonable to compare ugly comments and jokes about age and sex with violent threats and labels that rile up those still consumed with racial hatred.
There is no doubt that anyone running for public office better have a thick skin. We all know that campaigns get dirty. As seasoned campaign advisor Joe Trippi reminds us in his book The Revolution will not be Televised:
In 1800, John Adams called his rival Thomas Jefferson a pagan, and atheist and a traitor. His campaign said that if Jefferson was elected, “murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest would be openly taught and practiced.”
Of course all candidates must be scrutinized in our effort to discern who will best serve our nation. Of course many personal issues must be brought to light. And of course, some of that will result in ugliness.
But this election year is unique. For the first time in our history we have a candidate who is also a person of color with a real chance of winning the highest office in the land. Why should this require a more watchful eye over the public discourse? Why is this different than two white guys spewing ugliness at each other? History holds the answer.
This nation’s history includes every manner of violence toward people of color. In the not-so-distant past, angry mobs dragging people of color out into public places or into dark woods to be beaten and killed. Remember Jasper, Texas just 10 short years ago? Three white men attacked James Byrd, a black man, and tied him to their truck. They dragged him to his death over several miles. Why? Because he was black. It still makes me sick to think of it.
Lest we forget its horror, this from CNN’s story on the attack:
The battered body of James Byrd Jr., 49, was found Sunday, the day after he was last seen apparently hitching a ride home from a party.
"It was real brutal and real serious," said Jasper County District Attorney Guy James Gray. "The body came apart."
The sad truth is that this kind of hate still exists. Gov. Palin and Sen. McCain must realize they can’t control what people in their rallies might find themselves emboldened to do once their veiled comments, perhaps unwittingly, give these haters legitimacy.
We like to think of ourselves as civilized and people like those three men in Jasper as aberrations. Unfortunately, hatred can boil just below the surface for years and years in people, waiting patiently for the tiniest opening, the tiniest provocation, or perhaps Joe’s empty six-pack, to be unleashed. It is YOUR job as a journalist and commentator to remind the McCain camp of this, to remind America of this.
Trying to compare the calls to kill Barack Obama to the nickname Caribou Barbie, or comments about McCain’s age is beyond ridiculous; it is irresponsible. When was the last time you saw and angry mob run out and attack old people just because they are old? While we women have been and are still abused by men, no one believes that some sexist man is going to beat up Sarah Palin because he thinks she's an "uppity woman."
How is it possible that you don’t know the answer to your own question? How is it that you cannot make that answer known to others? Death threats cross the line, lies cross the line, especially lies that breed hatred and contempt.
The media used to function as the conscience of this nation, but no more. Where is the sense of decency? Where is the backbone? Where is the free media that took down a President for the quaint little crime of wire tapping and breaking and entering?
For many months the McCain camp has done nothing to stop their surrogates and supporters from lying about Sen. Obama - about his faith (he’s a Muslim) about his citizenship (he’s not American), and his education (he was schooled in a radical Wahabbist in Indonesia). And recently, that theme has become a central tenant of the campaign with Gov. Palin lying about the quality and context of Obama’s relationship with Bill Ayers. Will you not hold them accountable for the mood that gets generated as a result?
You heard the McCain supporter who called into your show repeat the lies she has heard, many directly from the McCain campaign, and you did not correct her. Only as an afterthought did you think to tell your listeners that she stated factual inaccuracies.
When Obama supporters pounced on Governor Palin’s daughter and her pregnancy as a way of discrediting the Governor, Barack Obama said forcefully and repeatedly that families are off limits. While I agree and am proud of his sense of decency, clearly derogatory comments about personal behavior are in no way equal to those that incite racial hatred and violence. Furthermore, this particular family matter does have policy implications, as Palin is an advocate of “abstinence only” programs, which obviously don’t work.
You brought up Obama’s supporters picking on John McCain because he is old. Sen. McCain's age is germane to the question of a McCain presidency because he has chosen someone that people across party lines think of as unprepared to serve as President. And as for Palin, she plays up her folksy roots as part of her appeal, saying she’s qualified in part because she’s a hockey mom/pit bull with lipstick. She winks during debates and uses her down-home charm to deflect questions she does not wish to or cannot answer. Is it fair game to question her seriousness as a candidate? Absolutely. To assume this questioning is occurring simply because she’s an attractive woman is an insult to thinking Americans everywhere.
More attempts to make nonsensical comparisons include your comments on Ayers, Rezco and the Keating 5. Sen. Obama may have showed poor judgment in attending a meetings and serving on a Board with a past criminal, or even taking money from a criminal not yet caught, but he himself committed no crime. John McCain was the subject of a Congressional investigation for his own unethical behavior in relationship to Keating. Because of John McCain’s personal actions as part of the Keating 5, the regulatory investigation of Keating was stopped, and a couple of years later the American people were stuck with a $2.6 billion bill and 20,000 people lost their savings – a problem we are seeing exacerbated many unregulated years later. That is substantively different, is it not?
But you and others in your profession seem completely unable to grasp how one is an issue of guilty by association, and the other an issue of guilty by one’s own actions.
How much more journalistic weakness must we endure? How long will you sit idly by and treat the unfolding McCain campaign narrative like it is a sitcom storyline rather than the dangerous provocation of confused and intolerant people who have been encouraged to be sacred of the “others” in our world.
God forbid we should suffer some kind of unspeakable loss.
It is my fervent hope, and daily prayer, that journalists and commentators like you will never have to rue the day you shirked your responsibilities to our nation by downplaying the increasing hate-speak and calls for violence surfacing at McCain/Palin events.
Signed your no-longer-so-loyal listener,
Rima
41-year-old white woman for Obama
Overalnd Park, Kansas
Dear Friends:
Today is a pivotal day. Today we enter the 40 day period leading up to the election. Many of us who are spiritual know that the number 40 is very significant in many religious traditions, particularly in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Moses and the people of Israel found the promised land in the 40th year, Jesus prayed in the desert for 40 days before beginning his ministry. Both the Israelites and Jesus were tested severely during this time. So will we be in these next 40 days.
On another level of Bible understanding called metaphysical (deeper than physical or literal) the number 40 has always represented a time of significant transformation. There is no doubt that America (and the world) is in a period of transformation right now. We need to focus our efforts so that we emerge with a clear direction for good.
Please join in holding a meditation/visualization of a positive outcome for our country during this time. There is a well-organized effort happening to pull together people for a visualization/meditation every day for the next 40 days. A woman named Amy is doing this. She is a yoga teacher - don't know anythng else about her though.
Amy is recording inspiring messages, one for each day, which are instructive and thoughtful (the first one is great!). Amy is not doing this from any particular religious set point, but does offer spiritual wisdom to help keep everyone focused on the positive. I am looking forward to her next message. She is also sending out a call to action email to all who sign up for her event.
You can sign up on the Obama site to do this here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/gs5k4f
You can hear Amy's messages here:
http://amyjanesarah.libsyn.com/
Today is a day to merge your mystic and your activist!
In Light and Love,Rima
I want to come right out and say that this is not MY blog post.
As a former Catholic, and one who has many Catholic family members, I am shaing with you the story of a devout Cathiolic, Tim Hogan, and why he is choosing to vote for Barack. Please share this with others you know who will be moved by his post:
September 7th, 2008 by Tim Hogan
I am a practicing Roman Catholic, and will vote for Barack Obama for President of the United States. Not only will I vote for Senator Obama, I will do so gladly and with a clear conscience. The reasons are many. This lengthy post enumerate many of those reasons, providing ample links in support.
I accept the Roman Catholic teachings on the sanctity of human life and, to the degree the views of Senator Obama and the Democratic Party platform depart from Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life, I disagree with Senator Obama and the Democratic Party on their positions. I will work inside the party to change the positions of Senator Obama and the Democratic Party, and I will pray for change. I see my vote for Senator Obama as informed by my conscience to support a candidate not totally acceptable to Catholics but, who nonetheless poses a far lesser evil to the dignity and sanctity of life than a vote for Senator John McCain.
In my own life, I strive always to have compassion for those who disagree with me and seek to make a world where all children are recognized for the contribution they are to their families and the world, even before they are born. I will yet find a world where choice will mean whether one raises their child with the support necessary to allow the entire family to succeed, or a child will be placed for adoption by a family capable of the same love and compassion for that child that the parent or parents who placed the child for adoption showed.
The Republican Party, despite its claims to the contrary, does not promote the sanctity of life and cynically continues to attempt to manipulate voters of faith with false promises for votes, workers and cash while pursuing a radical neoconservative and corporatist agenda wholly inconsistent with a culture of life and Catholic values.
I live in Missouri, the Show Me State, and the GOP has controlled both chambers of the Legislature and has held the Governor’s office for four years. During the past four years, Democratic legislators efforts to pass an outright ban on abortions have been stalled in a GOP run House committee or ruled “not germane” by the current GOP Nominee for Missouri Attorney General, Michael Gibbons.
Regarding Roe v. Wade, John McCain once said: “I’d love to see the point where [Roe v. Wade] is irrelevant, and could be replaced because abortion is no longer necessary. But, certainly in the short term, or even in the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would force X number of women in America to undergo illegal and dangerous operations.” John McCain has also once said that if his own daughter were to have an unwanted pregnancy that he believed the decision on how to handle it would be made in the family. John McCain has not introduced any proposed constitutional amendments to ban abortions.
When the Republicans controlled the US House of Representatives, there was not a single vote on any constitutional amendment supported by the Republican majority to outlaw abortion.
When the Republicans controlled the US Senate, there was not a single vote on any constitutional amendment supported by the Republican majority to outlaw abortion.
While George W. Bush has been a “pro-life Republican” he has not sent over to the House or Senate for their consideration any proposed constitutional amendment to ban abortions.
While the former GOP majorities in the House and Senate were not the ¾ necessary to send an amendment to the states, we did see GOP support for and a vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages (that amendment failed to get ¾ of the votes for passage, to allow it to go to the states just before an election). If the GOP truly supported a culture of life and a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortions and wanted to capitalize on a vote just before an election, why didn’t they attempt to vote to outlaw abortion? I’m sure Karl Rove counted the votes and knew he didn’t even have a GOP majority support for any constitutional amendment to outlaw abortions, much less ¾ of either the US House or Senate.
The Catholic Church opposes the use of embryonic stem cells for research. Senator John McCain twice voted to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, contrary to Church teaching.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says torture is “a grave sin which violates the Fifth Commandment.” Pope John Paul II in his encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, called torture “intrinsically evil.” (See Paragraphs 2269; 2297-8). The prevention of torture had been an issue of great concern to Senator John McCain in the past. But, early in 2008, Senator McCain voted against legislation which extended to the CIA a ban on torture as defined in the Army Field Manual. Senator McCain’s vote against the bill and his support of a veto by President Bush when it narrowly passed will allow the CIA to use stress positions, hypothermia, threats to the detainee and his family, severe sleep deprivation and severe sensory deprivation. Senator McCain had said about sleep deprivation that it’s not a joke and referred to a fellow POW and supporter Orson G. Swindle as having suffered from it. The US House failed to override Bush’s veto because the Republicans voted with the President. Because of the GOP and Mr. McCain’s support for torture, it is now a part of US policy.
Pope John Paul II had said that the US going to war against Iraq was “…a defeat for humanity which could not be morally or legally justified.”
While still a cardinal, Pope Benedict said:
”The Holy Father’s judgment is also convincing from the rational point of view: There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq. To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons that make possible destructions that go beyond the combatant groups, today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit to admit the very existence of a ’just war.’”
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said the invasion of Iraq did not “meet the strict conditions of Catholic teaching for the use of military force.” Roman Catholic teaching is that while a government may have the power to impose the death penalty, it should refrain from doing so on moral grounds and the possibility of salvation for the person who committed the crime. (See Number 56, Paragraph 2).
Senator McCain and the GOP have used the war in Iraq as the chief issue in their campaign because somehow Senator McCain being a former POW makes him an expert on foreign policy.
The Bush administration, in Texas and Washington, D.C., supported execution of the mentally retarded and the execution of children, barbaric practices later outlawed by the US Supreme Court. Senator John McCain supports broadening the death penalty under federal statutes.
The American Catholic Catechism for Adults says: “God will provide the mercy and healing that couples need to sustain their marriages.” Yet Captain John McCain returned to the US from Vietnam to find a wife who had been seriously crippled in a terrible car accident. Carol McCain had taken care of the family’s children while her husband was a POW, and upon her husband’s return she was repaid with infidelity, ending in a divorce and Mr. McCain’s marriage to an Arizona beer heiress with vast wealth and even better political connections to support him in a bid for Congress, and beyond.
Pope John XXIII, in his encyclical, Peace on Earth, listed healthcare as among those basic human rights which flow from the sanctity and dignity of human life. (See Paragraph 11). Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, On Human Work, focused on availability and affordability of health care for workers.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops listed their chief concerns in Health and Health care as:
Respect for Life, whether it preserves and enhances life from conception to natural death, and;
Priority Concern for the Poor, whether it gives special priority to health care needs of the poor, ensuring their health care is quality health care, and;
Universal Access to Comprehensive Benefits, whether the plan is sufficient to maintain and promote good health, and;
Preserving Common Good and Preserving Plurality, whether the plan respects the general good and the differences we may have in how we deliver care based upon our individual values.
The GOP has caused massive cuts in the Medicare Program in the form of future budget restrictions for care to be delivered to the poor, elderly, disabled, unborn and the young. The States responded with their own cuts in Medicaid which in Missouri alone have resulted in nearly 400,000 losing access to or having reduced health care benefits. When Democratic legislators in Missouri’s House attempted to restrain Medicaid cuts if they resulted in more abortions, the GOP voted the proposal down (including the votes of all GOP members currently serving from the area of the Archdiocese of St. Louis).
Recently, the Democratic Congress attempted to re-authorize and expand health care access for children under the SCHIP program, which President Bush vetoed and the GOP and Senator McCain supported the veto, an override attempt in the US House failed on a basically party line vote.
The Missouri Catholic Conference was ignored by the Missouri GOP and the USCCB were ignored by the GOP and Senator McCain. The USCCB supported the recent increase in the federal minimum wage because, while still not a “living wage,” it was more so than the previous minimum wage under federal law. The Bishops supported the increase in the federal minimum wage because it also would positively affect 8.2 million of low wage workers with the increase overwhelmingly benefiting women, minorities and the poor.
Between 1996 and 2008, Republican John McCain voted no fewer than 8 times against a federal minimum wage increase. Some reports say McCain voted as many as 19 times against increasing the minimum wage, before he voted for it.
It was only after Senator McCain and the GOP lost a filibuster vote to keep the full US Senate from voting on a federal minimum wage increase that John McCain finally cast his vote to help women, minorities and the poor.
The USCCB and other Interfaith Leaders have called for comprehensive immigration reform, and supported the concept of Senator McCain’s own bill, the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Control Act, among others. The Church leaders embraced comprehensive immigration reform as originally proposed by Senator McCain because it’s “impact upon the basic human dignity and human life that we believe immigration is, first and foremost, a moral issue.” And that “[c]hanging the status quo is an issue of moral gravity.” Senator Obama co-sponsored Senator McCain’s original immigration reform legislation.
Senator McCain now says he would not even vote for his own bill, nor would he sign it into law should it be passed if Mr. McCain were elected President of the United States. Or would he?
The USCCB has said in, Economic Justice for All, that “economic decisions have human consequences and moral content; they help or hurt people, strengthen or weaken family life, advance or diminish the quality of justice in our land.” The Bishops also said; “Followers of Christ must avoid a tragic separation between faith and everyday life.”
On the economy, Senator John McCain told the Boston Globe that; “The issue of economics is something that I’ve really never understood as well as I should.” On the economy, Senator McCain has also said:
“Even if the economy is the, quote, No.1 issue, the real issue will remain America’s security. And if they decide to say ‘Look, I do not need this guy because he’s not as good on home mortgages’ or whatever it is, I understand about that, I will accept that verdict. I am running because the transcendental challenge of the 21st century, which is radical Islamic extremism.”
Apparently Mr. McCain believes you can deal with your own admitted ignorance of an issue by defining it out of existence. Karl Rove must be really proud of that tactic. Senator McCain has said; “I don’t believe we are headed into a recession. I believe the fundamentals of this economy are strong and I believe they will remain strong.”
GOP nominee McCain supports mortgage relief only for those which “deserve” relief while supporting bailouts for all lenders and securities holders. Mr. McCain’s campaign co-chair and economic advisor, former Texas Senator Phil Gramm, recently called Americans a “nation of whiners.” Mr. Gramm then resigned from Mr. McCain’s campaign to resume his lucrative consulting business.
GOP nominee McCain supports new and additional tax breaks for corporations which will cost additional billions, add to the GOP made record national debt and prevent other essential social and educational spending for the foreseeable future because of massive debts and debt payments. Rather than direct billions money to repair a crippled American transportation or educational infrastructure, McCain gives even more “benefits to the most fortunate among us.”
All the while, John McCain’s TV ads pound away at Mr. Obama about taxes, and the ads are filled with distortions, some say lies, about Mr. Obama’s tax plans.
GOP nominee McCain supports taxing employer-paid premiums for healthcare as part of his and the GOP’s plan to eliminate employer provided health benefits and replace them with costly high deductible health savings account plans which will do nothing for the 47 million uninsured Americans.
And where will the money taken from the middle class go after it is taxed from our paychecks? Mr. McCain just took over $1,330,000.00 from Big Oil to fund his campaign.
In 2001, Senator John McCain said of President Bush’s tax legislation; “I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle class Americans who need tax relief.” Senator McCain voted against the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax legislation.
In 2008 as the presumptive GOP nominee Senator McCain has lost his “good conscience” and concern for the “middle class Americans who need tax relief” and supports making the Bush plan permanent, adding hundreds of billions to the already out of control GOP budget deficits.
In an April, 2008 address to the United Nations Pope Benedict XVI discussed many issues, including the environment;
[Q]uestions of protection of the environment…of resources and of the climate require all international leaders to act jointly and to show a readiness to work in good faith, respecting the law, and promoting solidarity with the weakest regions of the planet.
Likewise Pope Benedict said before the United Nations that;
[I]nternational action to preserve the environment and to protect various forms of life on earth must not only guarantee a rational use of technology and science but must also rediscover the authentic image of creation. This never requires a choice to be made between science and ethics: rather it is a question of adopting a scientific method that is truly respectful of ethical imperatives.
The Pope has recently urged bishops, scientists and politicians to “respect creation” while “focusing on the needs of sustainable development.” (See also here.)
GOP nominee Senator John McCain previously voted to prevent oil exploration and drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR). Now Mr. McCain says we have to drill offshore and in the Outer Continental Shelf in order to bring down the cost of gas. Since these areas have limited proven resources, and will not come on line for many years, such action is outweighed by the potential impact upon the environment or may not be necessary if the US immediately adopts conservation policies which result in less gas or oil use, reduce demand and therefore reduce prices at the pumps and food store registers.
In June, 2008, US drivers drove billions fewer miles than June 2007, and the August 2008 price of gas in Missouri where I live has fallen from over $4.00 a gallon to $3.22 per gallon.
Senators John McCain and Lieberman introduced a bill to “cap and trade” carbon emissions but, the bill is far less comprehensive than one co-sponsored by Senators Obama and Clinton, and Mr. McCain refuses to support any bill restricting carbon emissions unless it includes billions in subsidies and tax breaks for the nuclear power industry.
Senator John McCain supports efforts to stop global climate change but, refuses to take any action until China and India likewise adopt some emissions limits. This is the Bush administration position.
In 2000, Senator John McCain harshly criticized candidate George W. Bush as pandering to “agents of intolerance” for Bush’s efforts to secure votes and support from the extreme religious right.
In 2008, Mr. McCain has sought out, obtained and (despite strong criticism from leading Catholics) still publicly rejoices in receiving the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee. Pastor Hagee has declared that; “As a nation, America is under the curse of God, even now.”
Despite the fact that over the past 30 years, Pastor Hagee has called the Roman Catholic Church “an apostate church,” “the great whore,” the “Whore of Babylon,” a “false cult system,” the “anti christ” and blames Catholics for the Holocaust, Mr. McCain keeps telling the public he’s glad to have Pastor Hagee’s endorsement, and refuses to repudiate Pastor Hagee for his anti-Catholic bigotry.
McCain also sought and received the support of Ron Parsley, another far right religious who is a virulent anti-Muslim, and who remains McCain’s “spiritual adviser.”
Mr. McCain knows Pastor Hagee is an anti-Catholic bigot. Mr. McCain goes and asks for and gets the anti-Catholic bigot’s endorsement. Mr. McCain is proud of getting and widely publicizes getting the anti-Catholic bigot’s endorsement. Now, Mr. McCain wants Catholics to vote for him for President in 2008. Of all the reasons I oppose John McCain, his willingness to accede to intolerance and bigotry for the money and the votes of far right evangelicals is near the top of the list. There is no integrity in the John McCain of 2008.
I will not vote for John McCain for President. Mr. McCain’s strict lockstep adherence to the Karl Rove School of extremist politics and adherence to the GOP line which fails to support a culture of life and Catholic values should keep any Catholic voter from voting for John McCain for President.
I strongly urge my fellow Catholics to vote for Barack Obama for President of the United States.
As I watched the four-part interview Bill O’Reilly did with Barack Obama, I, like many people, was amazed to see Bill behaving himself. But what really blew me away were his commentaries after the fact. It almost seemed as though Bill was an Obama convert! At the very least, it was clear that he no longer saw Obama as some distant political figure that he could demonize and attempt to destroy with abandon.
Today, during my daily practice of visualizing Barack being sworn in as the next POTUS it suddenly hit me what was really happening in that exchange with O’Reilly. I believe it is at the root of why Obama has spoken to and galvanized so many of us in these past months. It’s how he was able to disrupt the Clinton political machine and, it’s how he will win in November.
If you watch all of the commentary by O’Reilly, at one point you’ll see he praises Obama for how well prepared he was for the interview. Bill was really impressed that Barack knew things about him personally, about his story. Barack had taken the time (while campaigning for POTUS) to learn about him. This was not lost on Bill. You can see that Obama is cordial with O’Reilly, but look again. I think it goes deeper.
I believe that Obama has the capacity to see the potential good in all people and all situations. I think it’s at the heart of his success. He is not naïve enough to believe that every person will choose good or that every situation will turn out for good, but he is clearly capable of seeing and encouraging that potential. And by seeing it and speaking to it, we become aware of it too. We want to live up to that potential. I have witnessed similar experiences as a classroom teacher. By believing in a student until they can believe in themselves, children’s lives can be transformed.
Back to the interview:
I can see it in my mind’s eye. O’Reilly is a bit nervous or curious wondering what it will be like to finally meet Barack Obama who has been shafted so often by him or others on his network. In walks Obama who flashes him that amazing smile, looks him right in the eye, grabs his should and firmly shakes his hand. I can see the exchange surprising Bill, who rather than being treated like a pariah, is treated with dignity and respect. Barack connects with the man inside the persona. He sees the goodness, the fairness within him, which may not be expressing very well at the moment, and he connects to that.
It’s fascinating to watch O’Reilly shift over the course of the interview. It’s as though he too remembers and sees the decency that lies within him as a potential waiting to be expressed. By the last segment he is editing himself, he is noticing when he steps outside the bounds of fairness and he corrects himself. In doing so he becomes a better journalist, a better Bill. He becomes an intelligent and passionate person capable of conversing with and listening to a person with equally passionate opposing views – and does so with respect and dignity. Something I often struggle to do.
It is profound to observe this in action.
I was drawn to Barack Obama last February when he was speaking to us of our greatness as a country, as Americans, of our yes we can! heritage. He captured me and millions around the world. He sees in us what we may have forgotten about ourselves – not just as Americans, but as a human family. This is what attracts us to Barack Obama: the possibility of each of us more fully expressing the greatness that lies within us.And this is what can create such pushback in so many people. I believe that people react strongly against Barack because they cannot believe in their own goodness, in their own ability to rise above their hatred or their fear. And the Republican’s are doing everything they can to portray fear, hatred, anger, and violent confrontation as badges of honor and patriotism in stead of the plague they are. Like a disease that cripples the national psyche, they spread their cancerous message. Some can’t imagine who they would be without their hatred so they reject Barack and dismiss him as full of empty rhetoric or an elitist who doesn’t understand them.
Still, it seems that so many more people are sick to death of the messages of fear and hate propagated over the last 8 years. Honestly, I believe we should be grateful that Palin and McCain are making the distinctions so clear. They are so blatant about it that many, many people are finally seeing through it and “waking up,” they are remembering their goodness and leaving the Republican camp, perhaps for good.
I hope that Barack Obama will once again return to his earlier campaign themes, which included reminding us of who we are and what America can be if only we are willing to say yes to our greatness – not in some egotistical way, but in the most humble and responsible way.
I for one still need to be remind on occasion.
We have been here before. Remember after the Texas primary when we thought we should have done better and didn’t? Yes, people worried and whined, but others went to work. And we just kept on working until we won. This is no different. So I humbly suggest rather than writing blog posts that take the republican bait of distraction packaged in the form of Sarah Palin, we must keep focused.
Here’s what you can do:
I hope you will join me in TAKING ACTION! This is our campaign. WE must win it!
Taking back the White House is a do-it-yourself job!
A decidedly Christian argument against the Christian Science Monitor article:
Barack Obama – Muslim apostate?
For Al Qaeda, the answer – and the implication – is clear.
from the May 19, 2008 edition
Found here: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0519/p09s02-coop.html
Dear Sir or Madam:
This letter is in response to the article entitled: Barack Obama – Muslim apostate? For Al Qaeda, the answer – and the implication – is clear. By Shireen K. Burki from the May 19, 2008 edition.
As a Christian, I am shocked to find that The Christian Science Monitor finds the willful propagating of unfounded fear in your fellow citizens, your fellow Christians, to be conscionable behavior. Christ’s example is one of love, one of faith, one of forgiveness. Yet over and over so-called Christians everywhere use hate and fear to push an agenda that is anything but Christian.
Furthermore, this story is skewed in its understanding of what provides motivation for anyone around the world to want to attack America. For us to be the enemy of Islam, we must act as an enemy. And we have done exactly that. Rather than acting as true Christians, we have done as they bid us do. We sought revenge. We attacked – proving their point. And everyday we stay in Iraq, a nation that had NOTHING to do with 9/11, we continue to be the occupying infidels they paint us to be. We have tilled the soil and made fertile the recruiting grounds. And after five years, we are putting a whole new generation at risk to be brainwashed into their cause. Some may say we had no other choice, but I ask you did Christ have a choice against the Romans? Could He not have used His power to vanquish them – as Satan bid him do? He passed His test, while we failed ours.
Be clear, it is George Bush and all who served with him that made Bin Laden laugh as played us like a fiddle. Bush has been Bin Ladin’s dream foe. Bin Laden set the trap and Bush took the bait. I can only imagine what dismay he may have felt had we not reacted to 9/11 as he wanted and expected us to. I ponder often the possible outcome had we declared that an act of injustice not war, punishable by law not war, and asked a world-wide judicial presence that included Arab states and Muslim leaders to investigate and render a judgment.
Where there is injustice in the world, there will always be violence. Jesus called us to right the injustices of the world, not by war, but through faith, and love, and charity. I wonder if we had sought to admit our mistakes and right our wrongs; to spend billions to feed and help moderate Muslim families rather waste trillions trying to kill fanatics who simply don’t care if they die while fighting invaders (if faced with invaders, we’d feel the same way); I wonder if their recruits may have opted to go back to their families and live a better a life rather than continue blowing themselves up.
Many of us are now coming to realize that George Bush has hood-winked Christians everywhere pretending to care about the right to life. He has done nothing to protect life. He sends our young people to die. He has shown he cares more about corporate interests that the aim of Christians – to hold to the sanctity of life and to be guided by the life of Jesus in how we are called to live the gift of life. He welcomes death as a useful means to an end and calls it patriotic.
No, it is not the abandoned child of a Muslim assuming the presidency that threatens our security. It is our own inability as Americans and as Christians to wake up to what is going on. It is our failure as individuals and as a people to live as we have been instructed to live and to have faith that following Jesus teachings really does work. No it’s not easy. If it was, why would we have needed Jesus in the first place?
Please, no more lip service! Christian Science Monitor, do you have the fortitude of faith to turn a critical eye inward? Shine the light of truth on yourselves and ask which master you are serving. If you find you really intend to serve our Lord, than you best look harder at the type of stories you run. It is time to tell the truth about how miserably we are failing to live up to the teachings of Jesus Christ – and chief among them is this war based on lies and fear. The kind Ms. Burki seeks to perpetuate.
Image what Jesus would write if He was authoring a letter to you about this article. I dare say He wouldn’t be anymore proud of the “keepers” of the faith in our day than He was of those in His day.
Most Sincerely, Rima Bonario
Join many of us who have made our voices heard. Here's the link to where you can send an email to Gov. Howard Dean regarding the state of this race. http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/chairman
Here's my letter:
Dear Gov. Dean:
I have always supported you and your efforts to bring something new to the democratic party. I write you today to call on you to stop the damage Sen. Clinton is doing to the Democratic party.
Haven't the Clintons brought enough shame and embarrassment to this party? Recent events make me wonder if, along with the Republicans, they prefer to keep the status quo to real change. You of all people should know how high the global stakes are and how much is at risk if we keep on doing things as we have always done.
Clearly it must scare the pants off of every elected official indebted to big money to see someone rise this way who owes his success to no special interest. Barack Obama is an outsider that will not have to rely on being able to swap favors with others on behalf of his corporate backers. It seems the establishment does not want him to win no matter what the people say.
But, Gov. Dean, I believe in you as a man of integrity. I do not believe you to be bought off by special interests or beholden to the establishment. As the Chairman of the DNC you have a moral obligation to look out for the best interests of the party. Barack Obama is the best thing that has happened to American politics in a long time. The Democrats are lucky to have what is essentially a third-party candidate in their midst. He can revolutionize and revitalize this party bringing it into the 21st century and guaranteeing its future. You are in a position to make sure this amazing opportunity does not get squandered.
Everyone knows that mathematically it is impossible for Sen. Clinton to win the nomination without impossible results in all the remaining primaries.
I urge you to PLEASE ACT NOW to bring the primaries to an end.
Most Sincerely,Rima ----
Here's the link to where you can send an email to Gov. Howard Dean and express your feelings regarding the state of this race. http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/chairman
Hi all: I have heard from many of you that you had a powerful experience on March 4 when we prayed, meditated and visualized together. Many have posted the story of their experience on my blog: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamaspirit/gGgBGh It was indeed a powerful experience with people of Spirit joining in from all traditions and faiths. Some had never visualized in this way before, some were old hands...all of us were moved! Many have asked me to organize another prayer circle. We must carry on. We have work to do. Things are happening. Many of us feel it happening even though it hasn't yet come to pass just yet. I invite you to join us again in a time of shared prayer/meditation/visualization for 15 minutes. SATURDAY, MARCH 8 (Visualization #2) and TUESADY, MARCH 11 (Visualization #2). This time I invite you to see each important moment leading up to the inaugural: winning each primary race ahead, accepting the party's nomination, winning the general election and then the swearing in. Let it flow like a documentary movie!
Join us at one of these times or at both!
9:00 a.m. EST 8:00 a.m. CST 7:00 a.m. MT 6:00 a.m. PST 4:00 a.m. HI 2:00 p.m. GMT and again at: 1:00 p.m. EST 12 NOON CST 11:00 a.m. MT 10:00 a.m. PST 8:00 a.m. HI 6:00 p.m. GMT Sign up for #2 here.
Sign up for #3 here.
SHARE STORIES OF FAITH THAT INSPIRE YOU!
Now I would like to invite you to offer sacred and everyday stories of hope and faith even in the face of what seems like unanswered prayer:
Here are a couple that inspire me…
In the Judeo-Christian Tradition:
In the bible story of Joshua, he and the Israelites were instructed to marched around the city of Jericho once each day for six days. On the seventh day they were to walk around the city seven times. Then the priests blew their trumpets and the walls of Jericho collapsed.
In the Buddhist Tradition:
Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) was born to a wealthy lord and sheltered within a royal lifestyle. As a young man he finally he saw the great suffering of his people and was so shaken by it he renounced his wealth and family and became an aesthetic searching for enlightenment (some might say an experience of the Divine). But even with all his years of extreme practice he didn't find it. He had to keep looking until he found "The Middle Way."
One last story:
A doctor I know saw a patient with a huge tumor on his forehead. When he asked the man about it he said he that 25 years before his doctors had given him 3 months to live. His son was going to graduate high school in 12 months and he was determined to see it. He did live to see it and now 25 years later, he was going to see his grandson graduate from HS. When asked how he did it, the man replied that NO MATTER WHAT HIS EYES SHOWED HIM, or what his body was doing, he simply refused to believe that he was ill and dying. So he was healthy and living well - even with the huge tumor on his head!
Please share your stories of FAITH (from all traditions and everyday life) on this blog. Help us all stay inspired and FAITH-FILLED!
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11.1
WE BELIEVE!!!
Infinite Blessings,Rima
Hello beloved Obama community!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
I am so humbled and honred by all of you and your willingness to step out in faith for Barack Obama. We had almost 1200 people signed up and many more not in the Obamasphere....my head and heart are still buzzing from feeling the love of all of you and the power of your prayers and visions for our next POTUS (President of the United States)!
This was an entirely non-local event! We were all gathered in spirit...people from all over the world! POWERFUL!!
I actually sat across form my husband who came home from work to be in prayer with me holding the vision for 15 minutes - I saw us all holding hands around the capital, watching with joyous hearts as the vision became reality. I just kept thinking how proud I am of America of people and of Barack, his family and their willingness to serve. I saw so many amazing things unfolding for him (and us) and this presidency. I saw him safe and protected by our love surrounding him always.
What did you see? Several of us have shared our stories in the main blog, but I wanted a way to collect your stories in one place, so please comment here. Tell us what it was like for you today as you invested this sacred time today in service to the campaign, our country, our world and the entire human family.
Let's keep this vision alive all the way through tonight, November and through January 08!
Infinite Blessings and LOVE,Rima
In one of the main blogs today someone asked about Barack's support of the research funding in the industrial-military complex. He posted a link to an article that touted the importance of funding this giant machine. It started me thinking…
It's undeniable that most of our technical innovations have come from the forces that wanted to find ways to crush their opponents faster and herder than ever. For example, many advances in air travel came from WW II. And many Americans now benefit from these advances.
HOWEVER: Who says we need a war and the drive for violence to inspire us to be creative? What's happening now is that a new evolutionary switch has been flipped. It's called a GLOBAL FAMILY CRISIS or the technical term is an "evolutionary driver."
Over the course of human history the crises facing us have always spurred us to change and improve our situation. We formed clans and tribes to help us brave the elements, avoid attack from wild animals and hostile tribes, avoid starvation, etc. Then, as we came together in towns and cities, we could share our bounty but we needed law and order, enforceable rules to keep people from taking advantage. To help with that, we formed regional alliances, feudal states, and monarchies. When those went corrupt we decided to try representative government. There has been and continues to be tremendous fighting among nations as people believed that their survival is tied to being the biggest and most powerful – hence the lucrative war machine.
But the folly of this obsession has pushed us to a time when we are no longer discussing the survival of one nation or its people. We are now beginning to understand the crisis facing us today is about the survival of our species as a WHOLE.
WE HAVE TO CHANGE COURSE – we have to change what motivates us!
While Earth will recover from even the worst of what can we do to her (although it may take 100,000 years) whether humans can survive this mess is debatable.
We have to move our resources away from the focus of national survival to the focus of human survival. The global family unit is dysfunctional and is in big trouble. For far too long WE have been the rage-a-holic member who holds the purse strings and the keys to the car demanding everyone do what we say or they get nowhere and nothing. No wonder the rest of the family is hacked off!As many Friends of Bill W. can attest to, when one person in a dysfunctional family system heals/changes the whole system is affected and must also change. And while we’re at it, why not shoot for a THRIVING Global Family and a thriving future for all life on Earth rather than simply surviving?
These are the reasons we support Barack Obama and his new view of the world and why the JMs and HRCs are baffled and bewildered by us. We are speaking a new language, we are pushing the new frontier. We are pioneering souls, boldly going where no ONE has gone before! Sorry couldn’t resist – Star Trek was way ahead of its time!
YES, WE CAN!
Peace,Rima
PS - please join us on March 4 and invest from 10 minutes to 1 hour visualizing President Elect Barack Obama on inaugural day and being sworn in with Michelle by his side. See the flags flying, hear the crowd cheering! BE in the feeling of joy and celebration of such a triumphant moment.
Our goal is 1,000 participants. Over 700 have signed up so far! You can do this in your home/office/car or anywhere. Everyone is welcome!
Sign up for this event here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rqhq
Pray, meditate, visualize it and it will BE!
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
The following was posted in one of the main blogs today:
Here was my response...
This is going to be a hard one folks. We raced in there and broke down the systems they had. Yes there was tyranny there and yes there was a lot happening that was awful. But now the country is devastated. The infrastructure is falling apart. Yet we keep hammering on them to be constitutional and get their act together. There are hundreds of steps in between where they are and where they could be.
After WW II the economies and infrastructures of Europe and Japan were in shambles. The US led an effort to help them rebuild with the Marshall Plan. While not perfect, it helped Europe and Japan get the essentials they needed to become the global players they are today. It saved those nations and the people that lived there from abject poverty had they been left to fend for themselves. I believe that Barack will have to get global support for a similar plan for Iraq. Vast amounts of aid will need to go into repairing that country so that these educated and proud people have a chance to make something of their freedoms.
Getting out won’t be easy – neither will be shifting them from a country held together by fear and intimidation to one where people are free to own property, educate themselves, work for a living, vote for leaders and feel safe on their streets.
Moving from the Rule of Fear to The Rule of Law is a critical step for Iraqis. They will need our support. I am very willing to spend money helping in this way as opposed to funding bombs and tanks. Someone once said it is far cheaper to feed your enemies than to fight them - and far easier as well.
Hernando De Soto is an economist that is very Barack-like in his approach (get the people involved). He’s been working with developing countries for years and has written an excellent book called the Mystery of Capitalism, why it works in the west and fails in the 3rd world. Here’s a link to a 7 min. video on his work.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/vid_hernandodesoto.html
It’s worth educating yourself on this stuff because the answers won’t be easy and we’ll need to understand and support President Obama’s decisions to address these complex situations.
Well, we are beginning to see what lies ahead for this campaign. As the LIGHT begins to shine more brightly and celestial voices of proud Americans are raised in chants of YES WE CAN, the old guard, the powerful elites, those with the most to lose, who fear this wave of transformation, will be revealed for what they truly are: frightened and angry children.
Think back to when you were a child. Or think of your own children. What is it that children do when they are scared or threatened? They lash out. They hit. They often become bullies. They tell lies. They call names. They throw stones. They cry and rant and even throw tantrums.
They try to hurt others as a way of taking their focus off of how scared and hurt they feel.
As the mother of a precious four-year-old it is easy to scoop her up in my arms and offer her love and forgiveness if she acts outs in anger or fear of not getting what she wants. When grown adults who are really scared little children on the inside act out with press releases like we've seen lately, it's a bit harder to reach out in love and forgiveness.
But that is exactly what we are called to do as people of HOPE. We simply cannot respond with anything other than what is the true remedy for this situation. That does not mean we condone the behavior. It means we MUST NOT legitimize the behavior by giving it any more importance than a child's temper tantrum.
Teachers and parents often use a tactic called extinction. This means that NO ATTENTION is ever given to the undesired behavior and the desired behavior is heavily praised and reinforced. The point of the undesired behavior is to get attention. The best intervention is to refuse to give it.
Unfortunately for media outlets, many visitors to their website, calls or emails on a story, even if it is to criticize such a story, is good news. They live for attention. They do battle daily for the attention of our hearts and minds. Only we can choose who we will give such a precious gift to.
But more importantly, we must think of the instigators with compassion. While it may not appear so initially, they are the ones who will be most hurt by their attacks. Again, think of the bully at school. How many friends (real friends) did they have? Didn't most kids just end up hating the bully? Most bullies feel ashamed and fearful on the inside, as well as lonely. Hatred is like a cancer that eats away at a person from the inside out.
These people are and will continue to suffer on a spiritual, emotional, and physical level for their anger, bitterness, and hatred. It cannot be otherwise, for the human heart was made to be open. It was made to love. And when the mind/ego shuts it down, leaving room for anything-goes behavior toward others, the consequences are dire. Scientific and medical research is proving this out. And I believe that if this kind of content continues to come from official and unofficial Republican sources, we will witness an actual implosion and dissolution of key aspects of the GOP.
What's more likely is that cooler, more calculating heads will prevail and the most vocal fringe will be reigned in by the party leaders. Frankly we are better off it they are allowed to speak their honest feelings. Perhaps we will finally get out on the table the shame of our nation’s past treatment of people of color and how it continues to bind us. Perhaps we will finally be able to speak with honesty of the mighty wrong-doings which continue to cripple our national heart. Perhaps we will finally be able to start the long hard work of forgiving each other and forgiving ourselves.
There will of course be those who cannot take this journey with us. And it is for them we must feel most compassionate - for they will be left behind in the hell-prison of their minds while the rest of us move on as a new day dawns in America.
In closing I will leave you with this prophecy/poem that is attributed to an elder of the Hopi Nation (another group of people whom our nation treated shamefully):
"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered . . . Where are you living? What are you doing? What are your relationships? Are you in right relation? Where is your water? Know your garden. It is time to speak your Truth. Create your community. Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for the leader." Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, "This could be a good time!" "There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are torn apart and will suffer greatly. "Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
"The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. "We are the ones we've been waiting for." -- attributed to an unnamed Hopi elder Hopi Nation Oraibi, Arizona http://www.communityworks.info/hopi.htm
PS - Please join us on March 4 and invest from 10 minutes to 1 hour visualizing President Elect Barack Obama on inaugural day and being sworn in with Michelle by his side. See the flags flying, hear the crowd cheering! BE in the feeling of joy and celebration of such a triumphant moment.
It is not lost on me how Barack Obama's candidacy has been so very GENERATIVE - it has generated incredible participation, creativity, ingenuity, and unexpected brilliance on the part of his supporters. There is now a vast array of positive, uplifting and inspired/inspiring art and music on YOU TUBE that has been created in love and support for this candidate. And this blogger inspired a poetry jam session:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/cindyb/gGgxWj
When we are inspired to create, it builds up Life. More often than not in the past, political leadership has told us our power comes through our ability to create death.
I believe one of the most fundamentally critical aspects of Obama's amazing rise has been his ability to inspire life-affirming choices and give us back our power to create and to thrive together.
I reject the politics of death. I reject the politics of disease. I reject (and denounce) the political of hate. I do this because I CAN - with Barack Obama there is a NEW WAY emerging.
This is indeed a new day dawning in America and the world.
If you haven't yet signed up to join us on March 4 for a powerful NON_LOCAL activity. Please do:
You are invited to invest from 10 minutes to 1 hour visualizing President Elect Barack Obama on inaugural day and being sworn in with Michelle by his side. See the flags flying, hear the crowd cheering! BE in the feeling of joy and celebration of such a triumphant moment.
Our goal is 1,000 people committed to this action. We have nearly 400 people signed up - including people from all over the world! JOIN US! Sign up for this event here:
Campaigning for President is hard - hard on the body and taking every ounce of energy, mental toughness, and heart one can muster. And when it's over, you go right to work solving the world's most challenging problems.
Barck has battled through colds, hurtful negative attacks, and even threats (and we're just getting started). Many people have wondered if he will be safe in this process. I encourage people who voice their concerns to shift their focus from worry to confidence, from doubt to belief, and from fear to faith. Words and thoughts do matter. Let's be careful about what we say and think.
One easy way to make the shift is to say this blessing (which can be modified to reflect your tradition) anytime you find yourself in worry, doubt, or fear. It's also great for our loved ones overseas, or even our world as a whole. My daughter and I say it with "us" every night at bed time:
THE PRAYER OF PROTECTION by James Dillet Freeman
"The light of God surrounds me; The love of God enfolds me; The power of God protects me; The presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am, God is!"Re-written for our purpose today it might go like this:The Light of God (or insert any word for the Divine) surrounds the Obama family,The Love of God enfolds them,The Power of God protects them,And the Presence of God watches over them.Wherever they are, God is. And all is well, and we are grateful!You can add Amen if you wish - which means "And so it is!" Let's promise to utter this blessing on this beautiful family whenever we catch ourselves thinking anything but positive thoughts about their health and well being. Write it down and take it with you so you can share it with others who express their concerns to you.
THIS IS THE TIME. WE ARE THE ONES!
Also, please join us on Tuesday, March 4th and invest from 10 minutes to 1 hour visualizing President Elect Barack Obama on inaugural day and being sworn in with Michelle by his side. See the flags flying, hear the crowd cheering! BE in the feeling of joy and celebration of such a triumphant moment.
Blogs are wonderful as they have given millions a voice and reach that hasn't been possible before. You Tube is awesome for the same reason.
At this time when our words can heard around the world in an instant, I believe it has never been more imporatant that we understand the power we wield. As Barack, Deval, and many others have said many times over "Words Matter!"
Masters and teachers throughout history have advised us to be cautious with our words; to make sure we are taking the high road in our communications, or to "take the log out of our own eye before pointing out the splinter in another's."
Why?
Because every word have creative energy behind it. Every thought begins the process of making something happen. NOTHING happens until a thought or idea comes and we put it into words for ourselves and others. Not only do we have the anecdotal proof of our lives that this is true, Quantum Physics now has physical proof that our attention and intention create the world around us.
SO - let's reflect on what this means for how we support Barack's campaign.
I think it means we must be INTENTIONAL about our language when writing on the blogs and when talking with others. We must be vigilant not to become that which we wish to change. We must keep our energy on moving TOWARD something GOOD not away from something else.
Moving toward a vision of greatness feels uplifting, joyful, opening and energizing. If you don't get that feeling when you are writing your blog, making your video, talking to someone on the street then you may be heading in the wrong direction. Pushing back at those you disagree with, trying to persuade someone who isn't open, all create frustration, anger, resentment and close down our hearts.
That's why on our upcoming prayer/meditation/visualization day, we are specifically holding a VISUAL IMAGE in our minds and hearts, We are choosing to have ACTIVE FAITH. Knowing that it will come to pass, seeing it, feeling it. You know you're doing it right when your heart becomes so energized with joy and love that you can hardly stand it. You may cry for joy, you may barely be able to stay sitting in your seat. You will be so utterly moved at the vision of President Elect Barack Obama being sworn in that time will practically stand still.
Please join us on March 4 and invest from 10 minutes to 1 hour visualizing President Elect Barak Obama on inaugural day and being sworn in with Michelle by his side. See the flags flying, Hear the crowd cheering! BE in the feeling of joy and celebration of such a triumphant moment.
I was so proud of Barak Obama's steadfast refusal to attack Hillary Clinton during the debate last night. He stayed comepletely aboev the fray even when there were wide openings to discredit her, and even when she swung low.
The question is whether WE THE PEOPLE will do our own reseacrh about the differences between them and about Hillary's record and see for ourselves what we like or do not like. I believe that if Obama stays forcused on sharing his approach and talking about how and why he's a coalition builder and how and why he can get the Republicans to work with him, the people will continue to be drawn to him.
Let's keep giving and reach that million person mark before next Tuesday!
If you support the HIGH ROAD and Obama Spirit please help me reach my fundraising goal here: Yes I want to donate now!
