Ok I have raised $135 dollars so far. That is a far cry from the $1000 that I am requesting. I will match you dollar for dollar until we reach a $1000 donation from small donors. Total out of pocket for me will be $1000, total out of pocket for you can be as little as $5. Just log into my personal page and donate and I will match your donation.
Thanks!
Travelingmanrick
We want to thank all of the new members to the site. It is a pleasure to have all of you here after the long road we had getting here. If you need a friend give me a shout and I will help you out in anyway that I can. We look forward to hearing from you and again Welcome to Barack Obama's website.
Rick Owens
Visit my blog at:
http://travelingmanrick.blogspot.com/
The definition for bitter according to Merriam Webster 2 : marked by intensity or severity a : accompanied by severe pain or suffering b : being relentlessly determined : VEHEMENT C : exhibiting intense animosity d (1) : harshly reproachful d (2) : marked by cynicism and rancor e : intensely unpleasant especially in coldness or rawness 3 : expressive of severe pain, grief, or regret.OK so now we know what it means to be bitter. It is important to include the definition as it applies to Barack's comments that are flying around on the Internet and on television this weekend. The pols will twist it as Hillary did to accuse him of talking down to the voters of Pennsylvania, or as McCain would have us believe that he is an elitist. The irony of them calling Barack an Elitist is laughable.The truth is not whether voters are bitter, the polls prove that much of the electorate is not only disillusioned but they are bitter with the politics of yesterday, the real challenge is how does Barack tap into that bitterness, cross that bridge to the electorate and show them that he understands their pain.
For most Americans like myself we have been bitter for some time, for being lied to by the current administration for 7 plus years, for the congress and the senate for not forcing an end to this war, for the exportation of jobs at alarming rates, for the response to Katrina...the list could go on and on.Most important is how anyone who is running for public office could not realize the truth when they hear it. We could parse words all day long about how Barack could have better framed the words that he used. That said, the truth is still the truth. We can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig, pretending that the good people of Pennsylvania and this country are not disenfranchised does not make it any more real than Hillary rewriting her history with regard to sniper fire.
Any candidate running for office who cannot see that the electorate is angry and bitter is out of touch with the heart and soul of the American people, this makes the argument that it is time for change all the more real.Thanks,Rick OwensVolunteer for Change
Visit My Blog at: http://travelingmanrick.blogspot.com/To watch CNN pundits discuss this honestly watch here:http://youtube.com/watch?v=BwG4BlK8w_Y
Dear Group and Friends of Barack Obama,
First and formost we want to thank everyone who has been volunteering all over North Carolina. So far we have done an incredible job getting organized. It was through our grassroots organizing that we were able to manage to get over 700 volunteers to show up for the opening of the Charlotte for Obama HQ here. This event even made it onto the Barack Obama website, if you missed it have a look at the story.
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/03/29/post_13.php
We have registered volunteers, registered voters, helped to get the HQ up and running and have done a great job. We want to thank everyone who has been working so hard to help the effort. One additional and very important part of this effort is Fundraising. Here are some cold hard numbers:
Charlotte NC for Barack now has about 500 members - yet we've raised only $90.16 on the group's fundraising website. If we all give just $10 each we will meet our fundraising goal of $5000. PLEASE DONATE TODAY. The campaign has shown their commitment to North Carolina. Let's show North Carolina's commitment to the campaign by meeting our group's fundraising goal.
It is very easy to make a donation. Just click on the red "Donate" button after you click on the link below and then you can make your donation online. To view the Group Fundraising Page please visit the following link:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/maingroup/CharlotteNCforBarack
If you cannot afford to make a donation there are still lots of other ways that you can help, you can forward this email to five of your friends and encourage them to donate. You can also continue to help by volunteering your Time and your Talents to the Charlotte for Obama HQ. To find out more about those opportunities please contact the Charlotte for Obama HQ at 704-332-9987.
Everytime that we have asked for help you have been there for us. We really want to show how strong the support is here in North Carolina and we hope you will help.
Thanks,
Rick OwensVolunteer For Change!
Yes We Can!Visit my new Blog at:http://travelingmanrick.blogspot.com/
Thank you for your support!
We are meeting up daily until Friday to send out teams to register new voters. We will be having three shifts per day thru Friday. First Shift: 10 am to 1 pmSecond Shift: 1pm to 4 pmThird Shift: 4 pm to 7 pm
Please be sure to sign up at this link:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/427t
Watergate-Era Judiciary Chief of Staff: Hillary Clinton Fired For Lies, Unethical Behavior
As Hillary Clinton came under increasing scrutiny for her story about facing sniper fire in Bosnia, one question that arose was whether she has engaged in a pattern of lying.
The now-retired general counsel and chief of staff of the House Judiciary Committee, who supervised Hillary when she worked on the Watergate investigation, says Hillary’s history of lies and unethical behavior goes back farther – and goes much deeper – than anyone realizes.
Jerry Zeifman, a lifelong Democrat, supervised the work of 27-year-old Hillary Rodham on the committee. Hillary got a job working on the investigation at the behest of her former law professor, Burke Marshall, who was also Sen. Ted Kennedy’s chief counsel in the Chappaquiddick affair. When the investigation was over, Zeifman fired Hillary from the committee staff and refused to give her a letter of recommendation – one of only three people who earned that dubious distinction in Zeifman’s 17-year career.
Read the full article here.
http://www.northstarwriters.com/dc163.htm
This makes Bosnia look like a non story.
Charlotte NC for Barack Members,
Update Obama HQ:
A great big thank you to everyone who turned out for the Charlotte for Obama Head Quarters registration of volunteers, your participation made this event a HUGE success. We made the papers, and it was even posted on the main page of BarackObama.com!
There are four main ways that we can help the campaign:
Please contact Obama HQ if you are interested in volunteering to register new voters.
For new voter registrations to count towards the “Meet with Barack” competition you must turn in Voter Registrations at HQ.
Get new voter registrations from Board of Elections when possible.
Links:
Find your precinct number and polling location:
www.meckboe.org/AddressSearch.aspx
www.sboe.state.nc.us/pollingplace/
Check your voter registration:
www.sboe.state.nc.us/votersearch/seimsvot.htm
3. Charlotte for Obama Head Quarters Wish List:
Please contact Rick Owens or Susan Higgins if you can provide any of these items on the list. Contact Rick at: travelingman.rick@gmail.com or Susan at: shiggins@carolina.rr.com
4. Splinter Groups that have evolved from our original group need to contact us so that we are communicating.
Group Links:
www.obamvoice.com
charlottencforbarack@gmail.com
Today I got a great link about Valor Theft, I had never even heard of such a thing until the stink about Hillary and duck and run to our cars junk. This is a great letter to the Pennsylvania Progressive from a veteran who served in Bosnia at the time of the visit. The following was pulled from their website at: http://pennsylvaniaprogressive.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/bosnian-vet-acc.html there is also a running thread on The Daily Kos as well. I do not think this is going away quietly. It is about time someone called her on her words, cause words do matter.
A veteran of Bosnia who was at the event in Tuzla where Hillary Clinton falsely claimed to have landed under sniper fire is accusing the Senator of theft of valor. As General Walter L. Stewart Jr. of the Pennsylvania National Guard said earlier today on a conference call, soldiers who actually have been in war zones and performed under fire deeply despise those who falsely claim such valor. They feel this way because it attempts to cheapen or make less, their real and actual valor.
The General pointed out "this wasn't an emergency resupply mission to the Alamo. If there had been any danger that mission wouldn't have landed."
Common sense tells us the First Lady and Chelsea would never have been put in harms way by our military. Hillary's tale of bravery and valor, because it was false, is finding resentment among those who actually did serve and Tammi K. (nee Jann) Hertherington who was at Tuzla when Senator Clinton landed is one. Here is her story.
Dear Sir,
I am quite angry that what I and my fellow soldiers worked to achieve should be used as a playing card to build up a political nominee and tear down another. This is not what those of us who actually risked our lives were working for, we were trying to maintain a Peace Keeping mission in a country that had been ravaged by ethnic cleansing. To trivialize the atrocities suffered by the real people I met in that country for political gain is beyond my ability to comprehend. I met mothers who had lost their children and children who had lost their parents. The sheer leap of credibility that the First Lady would have brought her daughter into an active war zone is an insult to the people there who suffered more than real risk, they suffered real loss.
Tammi K Hetherington (nee Jann)
(formerly)
SPC
141 Signal Battalion, 22nd Signal Brigade, 1st Armored Division, US Army
Task Force Eagle
I will attempt to tread lightly here as I really do not wish to for one minute to offend anyone. As a white male I have no experience in Black Churches. That said, I did live in downtown Detroit for two years when I was in my early twenties. This was my first real exposure to being a minority. The building I lived in had about 80 units, and I was one of three whites who lived in the building. The grocery stores I shoped at were mostly african-american. This was an incredibly valuable experience for me.
For the mot part everyone was very kind to me, a neighbor lent me his car when mine died, I was invited to attend "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Fox theater by my next door nighbor. The appartement manager would hire me to help with odd jobs around the building because I was indeed very much struggling to make ends meet. I always look back fondly on those days, not only was I financially challenged, but my heart was full of hope that life would some day get better for me.
My family warned me not to live there, I saw their concern but also knew on some level that it was out of fear that they felt that way. As a twenty year old I was young enough that I did not have that ingrained fear of the unknown. I would like to add that my reason for being on my own at twenty was because my mother was very unhappy that I had recently come out as a gay man. At that time I thought that my family was just incredibly bigoted. Looking back now as a 40 year old man I really think that it was more so that they were just afraid of the unknown.
I have watched my family slowly begin to embrace my sexuality, embrace my partner and yes even adjust their views on african-americans. I do not think either my family nor myself can ever fully understand that experience, but we can emphathize. My mother is now angered when she sees an injustice directed towards me, it has opened her eyes to discrimination in a way that she was never exposed to. It was the conversations we have had over the years that led her to a place where she can finally talk about discrimination with a sincere understanding.
This all correlates to my opinion about Rev. Wright. Let me say that I am not going to judge his statements, they have been replayed ad nauseam in the media. In my humble opinion I think it took far more courage as a parishoner to stay in the church because of those kinds of remarks. Were I to be in attendance and witnessed those kinds of remarks by someone that I admired and respected it would have inspired me to talk with them to see if maybe I could help them in some way to heal their wounds, talk about their anger, work to find solutions to the problems going on that would inspire such words.
This was how I managed to repair my relationship with my family. It took me nearly twenty years to do that so I can understand why Barack did what he did. Just because someone you like is saying something you do not agree with does not mean you have to kick them out of your life. Taking years to talk with them and to counsel them is far more couragous than just walking out of the church forever and abandoning them to their heartfelt pain over the wrongs that have failed to be addressed within our society.
I really hope that I have not offended anyone here, I just think that it is important to think about this issue from a broader perspective. It took me many days of heartfelt thinking to come to this conclusion. Now I get it, now I understand why I can so identify with this candidate.
Volunteer for Change!
Yes We Can!
As some of you know there are several of us who have been volunteering here in Charlotte, NC for Barack Obama with the "Charlotte NC for Barack" group. We were all very excited that he was coming to Charlotte for a Town Hall meeting this past Wednesday.
The most exciting thing about this was that the Campaign called me to find someone to introduce him for the event and to see if we could find 60-80 volunteers to sign up. This was the first time I had actually gotten to formally talk with anyone from the campaign. We had a meet up at Jillian's on Tuesday and 200 people showed up to ask to become volunteers for the event.
On Wednesday I woke up at 4 AM because I could not sleep. So I got up, made some coffee, read the newspaper, showered, shaved, iorned my shirt and got ready to go to the office. I really debated telling my boss or not as I am certain he is a republican. Since I was leaving early and I was afraid I might be on TV I figured that honest was the best policy. My boss gave me a bit of a hard time, but told me to go and have a good time.
I arrived to the venue pretty early because I wanted to soak it all in, I watched the press corps setting up, the secret service doing last minute checks, armed police officers with dogs going through the building. It was kind of surreal for me as I have only seen it on television. I watched as the venue began to fill up from my seat at stage right. They had reserved a section for various supporters, politicians, delegates, VIP's and there I was right in the middle of it, me, just a regular guy who is inspired by Barack to get involved.At 3:15 a member of the campaign staff showed up and asked myself and two of my fellow volunteers to follow them along with Raheem & Tammi who were going to introduce him. To be honest none of us knew what to expect. They lead us through a winding path, back behind some curtains, then along a long hallway and suddenly we were backstage. From there we could hear the crowd getting anxious to hear the Senator speak and we were able to peek through the curtains and watch the crowd doing the wave. Suddenly I looked up and there was Anderson Cooper, a newscaster from CNN who was tagging along with Barack all day. The cameras went up and then in a split second Barack appeared at the door. We all just stood there as he came bounding onto the back stage area and it was just the six of us with the camera's and two staffers and of course the Secret Service. He said lets get a group photo and he came over to us quite quickly and he went to the center (I always do the same thing because I am tall too.) this put him right next to me. He laughed and said ok everybody squeeze in as he pulled each of us beside him closer. Then he shook each of our hands, smiled broadly, and seemed so genuine to me. Then after he shook everyones hand in an instant he was gone...
The same staffers who brought us out to meet him then appeared and led us back to our seats. We sat down just as he came onto the stage. What surprised me the most was that the first thing he said was that he wanted to thank some super volunteers who had been working really hard here in Charlotte and he thanked myself and Susan Higgins, then he made us stand up and get recognized by the crowd with a round of applause. Susan and I both were totally shocked by this, and it was incredible to be recognized for your efforts. All that I can tell you is that, no matter what I do, it will never be enough in my book. Every day I realize there is so much to be done, so much I can do. To be recognized for my effort was so humbling to me and only inspires me to work that much harder. I hope you enjoy what I have written, but more than anything I hope that it can help to inspire you to know that no matter what we all need to be involved, we all need to work together and we all need to volunteer.
Later when I came home and turned on CNN I was watching myself shaking hands with the next President of the United States of America. Today was a day that will never be forgotten. There are so many stories like mine in this campaign, this is so not about me and anything I have specifically done. This is about how when ordinary people like us get together we can do extraorginary things. Please get active and participate.
Hi everyone,
I wanted to take a few minutes to actually write a thoughtful blog about how I got here and how I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be a part of this Campaign.
I first saw Barack Obama like most people when he delivered the speech to the DNC when Kerry was our nominee. Having been a political junkie since I voted for Jimmy Carter in a "mock election" at the ripe age of nine years old I think that qualifies. I said to my good friend Linda after watching that speech that someday he would be president.
When Barack Obama won in Iowa I was like there is just no way on earth...how? I started to sit down and look at everyone, democrats, republicans alike. I wanted to know where they stood on my key issues. I watched debates and like a sponge I took it all in. I actually liked all of the candidates pretty equally back then. I found myself attracted to John Edwards strong history as a fighter for the common man. I liked Hillary's experience in dealing with conservatives. Barack Obama...well this 40 year old white guy had some questions about electablity...
My assumption had been that Hillary was going to win the nomination and John Edwards would do a repeat as the younger VP, to her older established persona. I had also heard about this huge war chest that she had raised. My overall memory of Obama at the time led me to believe that he was just going to get his name out there, and would run "for real" at a later date.
These conclusions were based on my brainwashing by years of training that in politics change never really happens, everything is incremental. I learned this from the Clintons. I helped elect Bill twice. Twice... and both times was disappointed in him on LGBT issues. First there was the whole "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy that was an appeasement to the right, then the fatal blow for me was the "Defense of Marriage Act" sold to the American Public as the right thing to do to prevent LGBT people from having the same rights as Heterosexuals. Legalized discrimination is always such a good policy I guess.
Over the years those wounds had healed to the point that their were pretty solid scars, the scabs had fallen off, I had almost forgotten about thoses failures by the Clinton's to deliver on their campaign promises. Fast forward to South Carolina, Barack won. I watched his speech and I was so impressed.
Then I watched Bill Clinton make his comments and those old wounds that had scared over were ripped open anew for me, I was so angry I got online and made my first donation to Barack Obama's campaign.Since that day I knew I wanted to be a part of this campaign. I had failed to have real true hope since Bill Clinton was elected. It is funny in retrospect that I became so cynical because of the Clintons, not because of republicans.
We have watched the Clinton's throw every thing including the house at him and he is unflappable. His recent speeh in Philly is a prime example. When given the opportunity he always seems to take the high road. The speech inspires me to be a better person and shows me that he understands racism from both sides of the spectrum.
As a gay man I have been fired from a job, denied housing, and prevented from having the same rights that other couples share. What does that mean to me? It means that I have had to have lawyers draw up papers, get wills put in place, get living wills and have deeds drawn that are specially written to address my situation. What does that say to me as a forty year old man. For me it is very sad that I have spent my whole life being a good citizen, paying taxes, being responsible and doing everything I know how to do but yet if I died my partner would never be able to recieve any social security benifits in that situation, no matter how many years we were together.
My experience with discrimination in no way can ever compare to the rampant discrimination in our society that exists. I saw this when I lived in Detroit. A city that I am proud to call home is one of the most segregated that I have ever seen. A city separated by income levels, race, and yes even sexual orientation. In 1993 I moved to Charlotte, NC a diverse city, also with it's own issues. While it is much better in 2007 it is still not where it needs to be.
This is how I got here...please join me in my effort to be a part of the campaign.
Dear Charlotte Groups,
We are having an urgent meet up for you to attend this Tuesday March 18, 2008 at Jillian's, at 7:00 pm. We are having a guest speaker from the campaign who will have some news to share with us. For further details about the event please visit the website and sign in. We encorage everyone to come and to bring a newcomer to this event. We will have some brief comments regarding precinct organizing at the beginning of the meeting, we will be welcoming new volunteers and registering volunteers for an upcoming event and we will hear from someone who is working with the campaign about an event here in Charlotte that will be happening very soon. Please make every effort to be at this meeting. In the event that you are unable to attend on Tuesday, please be sure to keep checking back on the group website or at the following links for information about the upcoming events: Tuesday Event signup link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/meeting/4m3d Group Website Meetup Link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/CharlotteNCforBarack Our offsite Website Link: www.obamavoice.com Facebook at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=25274746792 Meetup at the following link: http://barackobama.meetup.com/278/calendar/7546258/ As always we want to thank everyone for participating in this grassroots process and our efforts are paying off! Please come on Tuesday to hear some great news! We encourage you to either eat prior to the meeting or to wait until the conclusion of the meeting to eat in the restaurant. The staff will be able to bring us beverages, but unlike our previous meetings we will not be able to interrupt the meeting with food service. When we are made aware of new information or we need to contact you please know that you will recieve multiple emails. They will come from either myself, Obamavoice, or the listserver with the CharlotteNCforBarack in the "from header". Please look for these emails so that you can be aware of upcoming events. Please do no reply to this email, instead please contact me directly with questions at this address: travelingman.rick@gmail.com I will try to answer any questions you have as soon as possible.
I want to encourage everyone involved with this campaign including Barack to please do everything possible to stay abve the fray when dealing with negativity. I think that the campaign needs to attempt to start treating Clinton like McCain treated Huckabee. As a non starter, an also ran, someone staying in just to make life difficult. Stop reacting to her bait. Just do what we do best, campaign on change.
I also read that Obama is considering going to Europe, Asia, and the middle east. I think going to Europe is a great idea, but it would be great if they could get the word out and have a huge crowd show up to see him. :) Both England, Paris, and possiblly Berlin, even Barcellona (good for the latino vote) This would give him an opportunity on the international stage and would blow the world away on his message of change in this country!
I hope that he goes overseas....when it hits the press it will steal the show before Pennsylvania!
Hey Everyone!
I am on a roll tonight. I do not know about you but I watched Rep. Steve King of Iowa make some horrible statements regarding Senator Obama today. I have to say that I was inspired to actually sit down and actually write my congressman, senators and the speaker of the house to express my sincere opinion that Rep. King should be censured for these comments.
This is the first time in a very long time that I have actually been really incredibly angry and did something about it. I wrote a letter, I complained to my elected officials and I said.
Dear Senator,
I was extremely disgusted to read and hear about Rep. Steve King's comments regarding Senator Barack Obama over the weekend.
I would say to you that any man or woman who is brave enough to run for the highest office in this land is a patriot in every way, be they black, white, male, female, democrat or republican.
If republicans cannot debate the very serious issues that face this country in this serious time of war and recession I fear that the voters are going to remember this come election time.
You and your fellow Senators should not just repudiate this kind of language in politics but you should encourage members of the house to vote for censure of Rep. King. This behavior is repulsive in the worst kind of way and is a black eye on the republican party.
We the voters expect better and you should as well.
Sincerely,
Richard Owens
We are on the precipice of change, we all believe in it, we all know what is possible. I am glad that I do not have to do the sales pitch. The fierce urgency is Texas and Ohio, we need to win at least one of these states.
What does that mean? What can you do? How can we make it happen? It is easy! Phone bank, join one of the Charlotte grops that is phonebanking, volunteer, educate, do anything you can to make sure we get a win in one of these states.
Anything is possible! Make it happen!
Dear Group,
I just want to say how great it is to be a part of this movement for change and I want everyone to know how great it is when you just step outside of your comfort zone and get involved. For me it started right here on www.BarackObama.com It is here that I was able to print copies of the Blueprint for Change, Sign Up Sheets, Volunteer Cards, logos for nametags, and anything one would need to host a meet up.
We are very fortunate to have these resources and to be able to utilize them. As we head into the primaries in Texas and Ohio it becomes increasingly clear to me that we have to keep working like there is no tomorrow. We have to continue to meet up, register volunteers, identify areas to work on and keep working to get things done.
Here in Charlotte we are gifted to have so many people who are incredibly talented in so many different areas. Within our group we are working to identify how we can best assist the campaign and continue our efforts here in Charlotte. Please let me know your thoughts on how we can better servre the campaign and you the volunteers.
As a volunteer on this campaign I have to tell you that it has changed my life. I will never be that same guy that I was before our first meeting at Rock Bottom. I owe that to you. I understand the firece urgency of now, and I hope that every member of this group does as well. We have got to continue our efforts to get out voters in Texas and Ohio. If we loose there it is going to make this battle moot.
How can you help? Right now we need volunteers for the PhoneBank efforts, we need people to register new volunteers at the next meetup on Wednesday February 20'th at Jillians and we need your input.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have a comment. My number is 704-517-0428, I want to hear from you, and I want to do everything I can to make sure that we do everthing possible to make sure that we are successful.
Hi,
Thanks for joining the group. I am looking to meet others from the LGBT community who support Barack for President. Please feel free to email me anytime. I am actively participating in the Charlotte NC for Barack group so join that group and come to one of our meetups!
travelingman.rick@gmail.com
