Beth Roberts's Blog

Keeping Positiveness Alive: Dealing with Blog Trolls

Beth from Albany Oregon — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:38:46 EST

Since Election night when Obama became President-elect, there has been an atmosphere on this blog that has nearly put me in a position to decide between staying here, or leaving and going elsewhere. I have struggled with this for many days. I had hoped that it was a temporary condition and all I had to do is be patient, or join the blogging at a different time of the day. It has become obvious to me, time, makes no difference.

Here are the issues that I have such concern about.

1. It is obvious to me, and I am sure the majority of us ObamaCANS that we are being invaded by trolls. This is a fact based on my own observations throughout the previous days and nights.

2. These trolls are unlike the periodic ones who use to interfere prior to the election. They are way more disrespectful, and are being blatantly rude and abusive, hiding behind what they call “their opinion” by calling people names and using swear words, etc.

3. This is the most bothersome part for me, all us diehard O-bloggers are engaging them when they show up. I don’t understand why anyone would want to engage to provoke the trolls to stick around and use up our valuable space on the blog, especially since we only get 1 or 2 forums a day to blog on, and it has been difficult for some of us to post or read because the whole blog site is running too slow.

4. The negativity the trolls bring to this blog, increases exponentially as anyone chooses to engage them.

5. I have even noticed much tension between our own O-bloggers; something I had not noticed b/f election. I am not sure if this is a result of the negativity being left behind from the trolls or there are other factors I am not aware of. This is only a hypothesis.

6. We, the O-bloggers, had in the past, set up a set of “rules of engagement” when trolls posted but those “rules” according to my own observations have not been followed by many here.

7. I have also noticed that as the engagement between O-bloggers and trolls increased, our other world-wide O-bloggers have quietly disappeared or came to the blog only to post how negative our blog has become.

8. An example of what I have listed occurred sometime late last week when several trolls hijacked our blog and as time progressed, nearly all O-bloggers, disappeared, but a couple kept engaging them and the trolls became more and more abusive. I even posted my one and only troll response about “bless the ignorant, that they may see themselves as others do, …” I use this post only to shake them up and hopefully they “get it” but I was abused for that and that had never happened b/f. So I posted one last time, not on a troll post but generally, I asked all our ObabaCANS to meet me at our “secret site.” I hope that is self-explanitory, don’t want trolls to know about it. I do believe most did get it, because not too long after, only a couple of O-bloggers were left on the site.

9. Today, I signed on, once again with hope that I could visit with my O-friends and have some positiveness in my day, only to find once again, trolls, trolls that were being engaged so the trolls kept trolling and engaging. I am at a loss. I so want to come here for so many reasons, but especially for positive support and communication.

10. Since I am not just an observer, but also I am a solution oriented person, I will state my observations and recommend an action plan that anyone is welcome to accept or change or whatever. So it is time for me to give all of our O-bloggers my recommendations to return our blog back to its original mission.

(i) re-institute the “rule” of “shock and awe” not really, “ignore, report, no engagement, PERIOD!”

(ii) O-bloggers need to be responsible to investigate suspicious posters by checking profiles and reporting back to O-bloggers if a post is likely to be a troll.

(iii) Some have started the donate in honor of troll visits, which is a very creative idea. However, I believe that the other night, it would have drained many of our bank accounts. I would still recommend that those who want to, please do it and post that you have right on the trolls post. THEN no matter what, DO NOT ENGAGE, no matter what.

Rational for these specific set of rules:

Consider these two documented behaviors from bullies, and two-year-olds:

Bullies- have issues with their own self image, they may have been or are being bullied by their own parents, or they may just be born to be a bully. (I actually know one) what a bully is attempting to get from the one they are bulling is engagement of any sort, verbal or physical. They want to have and be in control- this creates a false positive self-image and the more they get the desired response the more they seek it out of their victims.

Two-year-olds – at this developmental stage, they throw temper-tantrums. Now each child will hit this stage early or late or somewhere in-between, but it is inevitable and it is how these tantrums are dealt with, that will set up future behaviors through-out their remaining parenting years. I realize this only applies to anyone who is a parent, or use to be parenting children. But it is a pretty easy concept to understand.

Two-year-olds are also trying to get any response from a parent, and if they get any response, negative or positive, their temper-tantrum behavior will continue, and continue, and … you get the idea. The very best way to extinguish this particular behavior is by IGNORING it completely. Now, I know it is way harder than that, so you say, but, if you can learn to walk away, or very, very calmly walk, carry, or drag the child to another room and close the door, it is amazing how fast they get over it, because you did NOT ENGAGE, so they realize that behavior will not work.

Recently for me this was a very big issue with my grandson. It didn’t last very long because of the way it was handled from very beginning I won’t go into the whole story, except to tell you that there were two incidents, where there was not a “room” so he was put into time out in his car seat while he was already sitting in it, just by telling him he was in time out, and in a target store he was put on the floor right by the cart. Somehow me and my daughter made him think that just the word “time-out” was sufficient for him to “believe he was” ;)

Now apply these particular set of behaviors from both bullies and tantrums and find similarities. Both are seeking control through a specific mode of behavior whether it is verbally, or physically abusing a victim or by screaming so loud and for so long that it pushes a parent’s ability to deal with it. In both situations, they are seeking response because that gives them “perceived” control. Now, you can’t put bullies in time out, but you should not respond, or engage, you can just walk or run away without a single word. This disrupts the bully’s psyche, but the behavior will probably continue for some time, in an attempt to regain control but if you NEVER respond or engage, eventually they will stop.

As for temper tantrums, it is pretty much the same except the two-year-olds in general are not being verbally or physically abusive, at least not on purpose. But the way to deal with tantrums is the same, IGNORE, walk away, do not respond, or if it is necessary remove them, without any words or anger, and walk away.

Trolls-are verbally and virtually abusive bullies who are throwing temper-tantrums and are seeking “control” and have a complete repertoire of tools to rake havoc upon each one of us. The only way to reduce or extinguish their negative behaviors are to IGNORE, walk away, put them in another “room”—REPORT – and under no circumstances ENGAGE.

Remember, this is a behavior that will continue for some time, however, if they are NEVER allowed to gain any measure of engagement (control), their need for it will not be met, and they will eventually disappear, one way or another; either they choose to, or because we have put them in a “room” of report to admin.

I know this was a long, long post, but I believe it really needed to be addressed, so that our O-bloggers who only visit occasionally do not arrive, only to see 50% of the posts are interactions and engagements with trolls. This behavior will and probably already has scared those O-bloggers off and left a negative impression on them about ObamaCANS, which is the worst thing that could happen, especially if many of the visitors are those who may be trying to connect with us since the election.

We are the example. . . . we are an extension of the man we elected, he in no way would act this way. . . so this is my plea to everyone ----------------

Check first if there’s a suspicion that a post is from a troll by checking their profile, if they are, do NOT ENGAGE, post RID, and report them, and if you so desire, add the donate thing.

Myself, and anyone who wants to join, will post once and only once, my positive mantra to the troll, even though there may be a verbal attack against me, that will be it, NO RESPONSE, NO ENGAGEMENT will come from me. Posting just that one and only positive thing, leaves people who visit with the impression we take the high road, and who knows, a troll may not know what to say or do and they leave, it has actually happened a few times.

Ok. . . . I have said it. I really welcome any response to this very long and even more long . . . post because I really, really, want to keep returning here, because I have grown to love people here. I have loved our communicating, support, and humor, I don’t want to give that up, but if all that disappears amongst the negativity, I will not allow negativity to be inundated into my life.

Peace, lots and lots of Peace

PS: Any Troll reading this, well, you’ve now been informed, any ignorance on your part, well, is your problem but I will end by saying to you . . .

Bless the ignorant; that one day they may see themselves as others see them; another human sharing this planet, which supports all of our lives the same; through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the ground we walk on.

Bless the ignorant

Windmills at the White House

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:24:42 EST

It really is not such a novel idea. Our 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, has been an advocate for America to become energy independent and to step up our efforts toward increasing our development and use of Green Technology to accomplish this goal. The promise of change our 44th President based his campaign on, will be an uphill battle unless he becomes the supreme example for all Americans to follow.

One of Gandhi’s well known quotes, “become the change you wish to see in the world,” would be the best way to govern our new and improved Nation. This would show America and the world that serious change is on the horizon. It is obvious we should not continue to rely on our energy needs from governments that don’t like us that much. Some may think that in these tumultuous times, there is little hope of resolving our energy issues; especially when the United States is already so far in debt that our grandchildren’s children will still be paying off the debt that has been created.

However, there is more hope in our world that change is coming. Millions of us are standing by waiting for our next President to tell us how we can be “useful.” We are ready to begin implementing the work that will be needed to change our Country’s path toward a better future for our children.

This will not be as daunting of a task as one might think. Change starts, not just in, but also outside the White House. Americans will be able to once again, look upon our Nations capital, and more specifically, our White House as the beacon for change, becomes visible for all to observe.

The White House is full of centuries of a rich history, yet, the past is not progressive, and it is however, the antithesis of America’s new hope for the future. There is one way that future’s history could be made now. One interesting proposal for change by example would be to employ some Americans to participate in our first Green Technology project by erecting Windmills at the Whitehouse.

The enormous energy benefits of Windmills, pales in comparison to the significant example that our 44th President would show to all Americans.

Nay Sayers may say, it would be too expensive, or would use too much of taxpayers money, or that Washington D.C. is not the “windy city of Chicago,” and they may be correct. However, Windmills do not need Chicago’s wind to be effective.

Every day, Green technologies get more advanced, there may even be better and greater Green energy sources available in the not to distant future. Nonetheless, it is an issue of leading by example, whether it is Windmills, natural gas, or clean coal technology; it is the call for change that should be leading Americans through the 21st century.

There is another great saying that comes to mind, “if you keep doing the same thing, you can’t expect a different result.” The only way we as a collective whole; citizens of these United States, are going to “be the change,” is by following the example of change.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa217/ahhbeth/microwhitehousewindmills.jpg

A first step toward the change we need, could very well be, our 44th President of the United States installing Windmills at the White House. This one gesture toward “being the change we Americans need to see,” could be the catalyst of much more change to come. It is only befitting that Windmills be the “power” which jumpstarts our Country’s economy, by providing Green technology jobs for Americans. Maybe, just maybe, our Country will become an example of how to lead a Nation by “being the change” we need; and the change we want to see in the world.

The Journey Less Spoken

Beth from Albany Oregon — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:20:16 EST

In 2004, I watched the news media declare ~~Bush~~ the projected winner; again. I knew then it was going to be the longest four years of my life. Two years later, on October 18, 2006, I was flipping through the channels on my television and decided to stop and watch the Oprah Show, which was all ready in progress. Since I started watching sometime after the show began, I had no idea who the man was that Oprah was talking with, or what they had been talking about. However, something about this man fascinated me and I began to listen to what he was saying.

I watched this man, a man who was discussing ideas about his vision for a better America. I was very intrigued with his comments about “beneath the surface, we all have the same hopes and dreams and fears and that the human story is universal.” I also heard him discuss what we needed to instill in our country and in our children was a sense of “are you useful, to others and are you making other people’s lives a little bit better." Are you Useful? That statement was such a novel idea for me. By the time he said “there's a wonderful saying that…the most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen;" this man, had my complete attention. I was so captivated by his progressive ideas that a quite unusual thought crossed my mind; “I wish that man would run for President." I had now idea at the time my wish would set me on a journey less spoken because my support and admiration of this man could cause trouble for me if people were to discover that I was supporting an African-American who may become the President of the United States.

I knew nothing at all about the man I was introduced to for "the very first time" when Oprah was interviewing him about his book. At the time of the interview, I had tuned in too late to know what this man’s name was or the name of the book that I now know was “The Audacity of Hope.” Although I knew nothing about him or his life, I did know one important thing about him; he needed to become “my” President.

Several minutes after I had made my wish for this unknown man to run for President, Oprah spoke up and asked him, “would you run for President?” So, now there were at least two people who wanted him to become President, but one of us had no clue who he was. Although I didn't know anything about the man, I wondered if he could become President; not because of the color of his skin, but because I was clueless about the political process and if there were any rules and qualifications for a person to become President; other than you had to be a naturally born citizen of the United States.

Time past; and as the months went by, the memory of my introduction to this man faded. So when he announced he would begin a campaign to become the President. I recognized him immediately. I don't know how I knew it was him, but I knew. I paid close attention and found out his name was Senator Obama. I don't think I heard his first name; just "Senator Obama." There that man stood; at last I knew his last name and I discovered he was a Democratic Senator from Illinois. Not only did I feel something greater than me had heard my wish; but my journey less spoken had begun and I was committed to make my wish come true!

As soon as I heard his announcement on that cold February day, I began my search for a way to become involved in his political campaign. I need to say that prior to Senator Obama’s announcement, I had never participated in any political campaign, nor had I ever volunteered or donated to any political party. I had at least voted, but as an “unaffiliated voter,” I was usually voting for the “lesser of two evils,” not “for” a candidate I actually wanted to be President.

My first involvement with Senator Obama’s campaign was during the Oregon primaries. Now I, a lowly person, scared to talk to strangers, me, did my first ever canvass just prior to the primary elections. It took all the courage I had while sitting in a borrowed car, and I took at least10 minutes convincing myself that I could overcome my fear of talking to strangers for the GREATER GOOD of our Country. The "GREATER GOOD" won out; and I knocked on my first door. I was fortunate that who I spoke with, were kind and respectful, which gave me the courage to knock on that second door.

Since I had my first experience with canvassing, I continued to face my greatest challenge; stepping out of my home, and even more so, talking to complete strangers. I have knocked on hundreds of doors, spoke to over one hundred complete strangers at outdoor community events, and participated in phone banking. Even after having doors slammed in my face and in one instance, being run of a man’s property, I pushed forward with my fear stuck in my back pocket and continued to knock on door after door.

The night of the Primaries I was glued to the TV to see Obama win the state of Oregon, which for one of the first times, our state mattered to the outcome of an Election. Since the Primaries ended, I became a political junky. I started my personal fund-raising on the Obama website, continued to canvass and make phone calls. I continued to be committed to our Democratic Candidate. Even through all of the attacks against him, I saw him stay firmly committed to his vision and message that drew me to him in the first place. I was confident that when Obama was elected, he would begin the healing of our Country, and little did I know at the time, he would become the healer and President of our world.

Soon after the Oregon primaries, we were assigned an area organizer in my small town. We put on an acceptance speech party that turned into a great resource for volunteers. From that time forward, up through Election Day, we were working night and day to get every Obama vote we could in our “red” rural county.

As much as I could, between watching my grandson so that my daughter could attend college, and taking care of my own special needs son, I was volunteering for the Obama campaign. As Election Day got closer, I donated more and more hours at the O-office. Since I have bad asthma, once the weather changed, I had become an office “assistant.” I had already participated in canvassing, phone banking, data entry, and preparing canvas packets, but as our pool of volunteers grew, the area organizer became extremely busy. He was either training new volunteers, or when the focus of contacting people would change he would have to re-train volunteers.

It soon became obvious to me that we needed someone to organize the check-in and check-out process and assist volunteers with their paperwork when they returned. I decided that I would just do it. I saw the need, I knew I had the skills, so it was natural for me to just step up and do it. I went about making the whole process more efficient and organized; at the time, I had no idea how important that organization would become until one night, even with three of us in the office, it had been so busy that even with all my organization, I was close to being overwhelmed. In the seven hours that I was there we had only one fifteen minute lull in one of our busiest nights. I can’t even begin to explain how exhausted I was; yet I didn’t let it deter me from showing up the next day and night to do it all over again.

I also assisted in another endeavor that many of us were asked to participate in. We were asked to start submitting “letters to the editor” and “Op-eds” targeting battleground states. Our efforts started with few volunteers, but rapidly grew into a movement. We had much success publishing in those battleground states and I regained my writing skills that I use to have before I had a brain injury. As a result of participating in this, I was able to publish many articles, a couple of columns, and had some success in posting in some Florida online newspapers. This volunteering work played a huge role in my increased self confidence and gave me more than I can ever express.

One night, after a very long day and after everyone had left; our area organizer set down on the table, one of the many cell phones he was messing with, and put it on speaker. At this point my area organizer just turned and looked at me with this sheepish grin, but didn’t say a word. All of the sudden a man started talking and said that Obama would soon be on the line to speak with us. I think my mouth dropped clear to the floor. I thought to myself “no way.” But within just a few minutes, I heard his voice. As he spoke to the 20,000 listeners around the Country, I could hear in his voice that he was tired. He had just landed and it was about 10pm in the time zone where he was about to give another speech.

There may have been many defining and memorable moments in my life, but, other than the birth of my children and grandchildren, this was one of them. I had not been able to go see him speak when he was in Oregon, but here I was listening to him on a cell phone. His words were supportive of our efforts, and to remind us that we were not to let up with our efforts, not for one minute. Just having the opportunity to hear his voice, filled me with intense joy and it took everything to keep from having tears run down my cheeks. I was on such an emotional high that I didn’t sleep at all that night. Yet, I went right back to the O-office the next day to work another 7 hours.

The evening before the election it was announced that Obama’s grandmother had passed away. I cried, I sobbed, and cried some more. I wanted her to see her grandson become the 44th President of the United States of America, and she lost her battle with cancer just one day to soon. Then that evening I watched a very moving moment, as Obama spoke about her, I saw him wipe away his tears; as he wept, I cried. But what stirred inside of me, was how could anyone not see, he was “of the people,” no different than the rest of us, and had wept, not just in front of a large crowd of people who had come to see him, but in front of every viewer watching him on TV. I knew the answer to my rhetorical question, but I asked myself, had anyone ever, I mean ever, seen a President or someone who would become President, weep in front of millions?

The day and evening of Nov. 4th there were many volunteers helping us so much, taking two or three packets at a time, and would return to tell me their most moving moments, which made every day they had volunteered worth their effort. I was fortunate to hear their stories as I continued to work hard in the office on up to election night and the excitement and buzz was increasing every hour. We still had volunteers on the phone and canvassing, up until 30 minutes prior to Oregon’s polls closing. Once again I was manning the office, only this time, I was honored that the area organizer had trusted me enough to give me that responsibility. However, in accepting that responsibility, I had no idea, what that meant for me on election night.

I am probably one of two billion around the world, which actually missed all the fun leading up to the media projecting that Obama would be our next President of the United States. For Election night, I had been manning the County Democratic Office of all those who were running for positions in my city and county that were already at the Election party, while I was without a television or the Internet. I was unable to leave until someone returned to lock up and relieve me thirty minutes after the polls closed.

It was a long couple of hours for me, with no contact with another human, and without any idea how the election was going. It soon became evident that having the honor of being trusted by the area organizer to "hold down the fort" while he stayed at the elections office to be a "watcher," would cause me to miss what everyone else, all the volunteers, all of those running for local office were watching at the election party.

In my predicament, I did experience one bit irony that momentarily brightened my night. The phone rang, thinking it was my area organizer, I answered it. However, it was actually a young republican volunteer, doing last minute phone banking. He was as confused as I was about why he called the Country Democratic office to talk to a “republican” about making sure that their “republican” ballot got turned in before the polls closed in fifteen minutes. He really was quite baffled, but I was cordial and said, “I realize that you are just doing your phone banking job, but I don’t think you realized that you have called the County Democratic office,” I heard a awkward laugh from him and I ended the call saying have a good night. I couldn’t hang up the phone fast enough before I fell on the floor and laughed my head off.

Eventually I was relieved of my duty and arrived at what was left of the Election party, just one minute before our President-elect’s acceptance speech. As I watched, I was astonished at the beauty of all the faces that looked upon this man, as their new great hope. I saw tears of joy not only on women and young ones faces, but on the cheeks of grown men who were openly sobbing; a sight I had not seen before. Not only was it the grandest moment of the accumulation of nearly two years of my effort, but it was an amazing, historic event that I was thankful I had been given the opportunity to be a part of.

On my drive home, after his historic speech, I had some time to reflect upon my journey less spoken, and how my journey had come full circle. I started my less spoken journey two-years ago not knowing who this great man was, but having an unspoken wish that someday he could be my President; that night, November 4th, 2008, he became everyone’s President; and while on my journey, I was thoroughly introduced to that man I once knew nothing about. I am so grateful that my unspoken wish from two-years ago has now become our 44th President of the United States of America, President Barack Obama.

Post Election Trauma Syndrome (PETS)

Beth from Albany Oregon — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:05:46 EST

Reflecting upon the “day after” election 2008, I found myself feeling like I was standing between my yesterday life and a vague facsimile of the life I had pre-campaign. I was still; and there was no movement of time. I discovered the promises I had made to myself that I would finally clean my house, do the laundry and get the shopping done just after election night, are still left undone. Yet, I mindlessly wander around feeling an anxiousness, as if I was suppose to be doing something, but there was no motivation to do much of anything.

Over the last year or so my whole body, mind and soul has been focused on one goal; to do everything within my ability to be a part of history and see the first African American be elected as our 44th President of the United States. Now that it is a reality, I am discovering I was living an alternate life that ended quite abruptly on November 5th, 2008. The announcement that Barack Obama was the projected winner of the election was such a surreal experience but that event rapidly turned into an abyss of emotions.

Although, a day and night had passed, there seemed to be something going on. I was really mystified by my emotions and behavior, or in my case, the lack of behaviors until this feeling of familiarity bubbled up into my consciousness; I had experienced this before. Some time back, I had volunteered over 100 hours at the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the days following the closing ceremonies of that very meaningful world-wide event, I meandered around my days as if I was in a thick fog, and no matter how much I tried walk around or out of it, the fog continued to wrap around my life.

There had been approximately 25,000 people volunteering for the 2002 Olympics, and most of them were in the same patch of fog that I found myself in. This phenomenon actually became a story in the local news media. The news media dubbed the volunteers’ experience as Post Olympic Blues. I was pessimistic about such a description because I wasn’t feeling depressed, I was feeling like my purpose in life had been ripped right from under my feet.

Since the 2008 election process began, most of us have been living on a constant flow of the hormone adrenaline. This hormone has helped us push our bodies to be super-human by living on little sleep, constantly walking, door knocking, and talking to exhaustion; motivated by the hope that change was on the horizon. After the election, the body no longer needed the constant secretion of adrenaline, and so we soon felt the physical and mental crash that occurs when the body stops producing adrenaline in constant high volumes. This crash most of us experienced is an inventible consequence of a swift transition from high motivation and energy to “nothing.” The nothing we are experiencing, is the beginning of what can now be known as the “Post Election Trauma Syndrome,” or (PETS).

PETS has similar features to a well-renown concept known as the Kubler-Ross “Five Stages of Grief” model. This model was developed for the purpose of understanding how people grieve and process a significant loss in their lives. Most people believe that “grief” only applies to the loss of a loved one through death, or the loss of a love relationship, or even to the loss of a beloved pet. However, any significant personal change in circumstances is considered a loss and the change does not always have to be viewed as a negative one. The change just needs to be significant enough to elicit the response of loss.

It is pretty easy to notice that all of us, who have had a considerable investment into this year’s historic election, have experienced a “significant personal change” in our lives that may have caused a cluster of symptoms related to PETS. Our collective and diverse efforts and experiences dissipated soon after November 4th, 2008 and most of us, to some degree, have had some feelings of this loss. Even though the outcome of all our hard work and prayers had a positive result, gaining an understanding that we are suffering these symptoms of PETS, may help us reintegrate ourselves back into our family, friends and the society in which we once belonged.

There are specific symptoms that are identified with the PETS disorder which are identified below:

Numbness (mechanical functioning and social insulation)

Denial (this isn't happening to me!)

Bargaining (If only, then I will be OK, if …..)

Depression (moping around, no motivation)

Acceptance (I'm ready for whatever comes)

Reorganization (re-entry into a more 'normal' pre-campaign life.)

We may recognize some of the above symptoms as something we are currently experiencing, or have recently experienced over the last many days. The list above is a collection of symptoms related to PETS and if we are able to identify with at least two of these symptoms we may be suffering from PETS.

Let’s examine each of these symptoms separately by starting with the symptom of feeling “numb.” If we are wondering around our daily life functioning as a mechanical robot and insulating ourselves from any emotions that may want to surface, then we are most likely suffering from the symptom of numbness. Eventually, the numbness will wear off and we may move toward a natural defense mechanism of denial to protect our psyche from the reality that our efforts and work are no longer needed; and the life we had been living for the last year and a half or so, is no more. We may feel some anxiousness as if we are suppose to be doing something but we are bewildered as to what that might be. If this sound like you or any of us, there is a high probability we are suffering from the symptom of denial.

At some point denial will begin to dissolve into one of the other symptoms of PETS. Nearly all of us were ecstatic when we heard the announcement that the media projected Barack Obama had won the election. The extremely positive feelings we were having may have lasted for hours or even for days since our ultimate goal had been realized. Eventually though, we all began to participate in the symptom known as bargaining as another way to cope with PETS.

This symptom translated into a worry of “if only” Obama’s Head Quarters doesn’t shut down the campaign site, we will be able to keep in touch with the many virtual friends we had made. This symptom became quite noticeable when all of us blogger’s began posting a very similar theme of concern. Many of us started to consider the possibility of losing the site and started posting “if only” the Obama Head Quarters could provide an alternative site we would all be “OK” because we would still be able to stay in contact with all of our virtual friends we made during the Obama campaign. The Obama Headquarters must have noticed all of our worried posts and posted a forum that stated they would not be shutting down the site and they also notified us that they had created a new sight so that we may continue on our journey of participating in our government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Even though we had been reassured by Obama Headquarters that they had not forgotten about us, some of us may have started to suffer from some level of depression. This may have started the day after the election or at any time after and co-exist with any of the other symptoms we were experiencing. Although this mild form of depression can be a natural part of the loss process, the symptoms should dissipate in a short period of time. If for some reason, someone continues to be depressed or the feelings of depression dramatically increase, it is important that we seek professional help immediately.

Eventually we will begin to accept this significant change in our life. At first, the symptom of acceptance related to PETS, may be tempered and we may be somewhat aloof about returning to our pre-campaign life. There will still be occasional waves of emotions that can be triggered by any number of experiences, which is very normal and is evidence that we are beginning to heal from what we perceive as a loss. As time passes, we will eventually reorganize our thinking by incorporating our loss with positive memories of the long, hard fought battle of the campaign. We will no longer be sad about this significant change in our lives, as the experiences are now a part of us and the feelings of loss will no longer keep us from functioning as we once did in our pre-campaign lives.

(PETS) is not a neat list of absolutes, it is a wide range of emotions and behaviors that are as individual and varied as those of us who are dealing with the disorder. What is important to remember, is PETS is not a pervasive condition and will subside as time goes by. Armed with the knowledge of PETS, we can now better understand ourselves and others who are going through many symptoms of PETS. Recognizing that we’re not alone in our suffering can increase our empathy and support for others and provide permission for us to go through the process in our own way and in our own time.

By now all of us may be wondering how we can help ourselves through this period of suffering from the PETS disorder. There is actually a barrage of activities that can improve our mood and increase our ability to recover faster. Just like people who suffer from PETS that will have diverse and unique symptoms, there are also as many unique ways of improving our ability to recover from this disorder.

Some ideas to promote our healing process may be to take a day to pamper ourselves in whatever way that we know how to pamper ourselves. Start making that scrapbook of your campaign experiences. Meditate/Pray, read both of Obama’s books for the first or second time. Give your pets’ extra special attention. Volunteer at an animal shelter, or a homeless shelter. Look for your local Democratic office and become acquainted with your local leaders. Begin emailing or writing letters to your state representatives about issues that you and our President-elect Obama have been passionate about.

It may be worth mentioning that the Obama Headquarters have already developed a new website to keep “we the people” involved in the restoration of our government. The site link is http://www.change.gov and may be a great way to start the process of reorganization and reentry into our pre-campaign life.

This is not the time of wondering where we go from here, but a time to adjust and move forward. Since this is a specialized disorder, it can be comforting to know we will eventually succeed in healing ourselves from PETS. This will become obvious when we are able to see ourselves stepping back into our pre-campaign life. The one difference between pre and post campaign involvement though, is that we will have brought with us a richer life filled with positive memories of our widespread involvement with our children’s and grandchildren’s history.

Although, we have all participated in making history, there is a possibility there may be another outbreak of PETS four years from now. However, next time we will have all been vaccinated and thus be armed by our understanding and knowledge of PETS disorder, which will greatly reduce the symptoms that we may suffer. If we decide to get involved in the political process once again, it will be inevitable that we will have that sudden and significant feeling of loss that will occur after re-electing President Obama in 2012. In the meantime, one way we can heal faster from PETS, would be by collecting all of the memorabilia that has been scattered around our homes that we thought would be cleaned up by know, and start making our scrapbook of memories we promised ourselves we were going to do as soon as this election was over!

(Loosely Based on the Grief Cycle model first published in On Death & Dying, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, 1969 and the Interpretation by Alan Chapman 2006-08.)

Look at the "WE" - from all around the world who loves President Obama

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:56:38 EST

"WE," the people known collectively as, ObamaCANs, do hereby declare our love and abiding devotion to, the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, as witnessed by our virtual signatures below:

1. Beth, Albany, Oregon, U.S.A. (me, of course)

2. Simone, Geneva Switzerland

3. Theresa. I live in Rockport, Maine, born in Geneva, Switzerland, now a US citizen who voted for OBAMA

4. Yvette, Delaware

5. Michelle, Smithfield, NC

6. Julie R., Logan, WV

7. Jackie, Phoenix Arizona

8. Heidi, New Haven, CT

9. Maria & Dante, St. Petersburg, Florida

10. Beth, Chicago, Illinois

11. Emma, Uppsala, Sweden

12. Maria, Porto, Portugal

13. Jacqueline, Lakeland, FL!

14. Sheri, Williston, ND

15. Linda, Brewster, WA

16. Karleen, Miami, FL

17. Trina, Etowah,Tn.

18. Marti, Portland, OR

19. John, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA

20. Suzanne, Raleigh, NC

21. Kristin, Honolulu, HI

22. Vicki, Marshalltown, Iowa

23. Verdene C. California

24. Helen, Mt. Tamborine, Queensland, Australia

25. Betsy, Helena, MT; USA

26. Debi ("I keep peeking at the blog"), Rock Island, IL, USA

27. Stanley Krute, Camp Creek, Siskiyou County, CA

28. Nate, Long Beach, CA

29. Suzie Mckay, Las Vegas, Nevada

30. Jim, Meadville, PA.

31. Arlene, Buxton, Maine

32. Sherrie, Eugene Oregon, USA

33. Margareth, Queens, NY

34. Helaine, Beaufort, SC

35. Michaele, AZ

36. Reggie, Living in Germany via New York, N.Y.

37. Cece Bulkley

38. Haleiwa, HI

39. Sykie, Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA

40. Stan Z, Sayreville, New Jersey

41. Mary Bailey, Chicago, IL

42. Livvy. Sydney, Australia

43. Angelika from Berlin, Germany

44. Lemeki - Suva, Fiji Islands

45. Johnnie in Saratoga Springs, NY

46. Connie, Phoenix, AZ

47. Regina, Virginia Beach, VA USA

48. Larry, Fargo, North Dakota

49. Anne Melbourne, Australia

50. Manica, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

51. Marcello, Lantana FL

52. Judy, Coloma, Michigan

53. Robyn, Fort Lauderdale, FL

54. Sharon Gibson City, IL

55. Denelle, Marion, Iowa

56. Georgette, DeKalb, IL

57. Bert, Las Vegas, NV

58. Cheryl, Cambridge Ontario, Canada

59. Sampo, Helsinki, Finland

60. Jessica, in Ottumwa, Iowa

61. Cindy, Tucson, AZ

62. Lace, Neenah, Wisconsin

63. Ethel Harrisburg, PA

64. Robin, Sparta, NJ

65. Cilla, Jamaica,NY

66. Katrina, Fanwood, New Jersey

67. Doris, Germantown, MD

68. Sarah Moberly, MO

69. Glenn,Lakeland, FL

70. Toni, St. Louis, MO

71. Carol, Charles Town, Jefferson County (blue county), WV

72. Carrie, Winter Haven. FL

73. Glenn, Lakeland, FL

74. Toni, St. Louis, MO

75. Lawrence, Atlanta, GA

76. Carole, Lancaster, PA

77. Sandy, Baldwin, NY

78. Robert, Memphis, TN

79. Millie, Badenton, FL

80. Loretta, Stockton, CA

81. Becky, Jacksonville, FL

82. Coli, Columbus, OH

83. Emma, Gashen, NY

84. Marti, Syracuse, NY

85. Samantha, Southaven, Mississippi

86. Chris, Ted & Shelly, Sun City Center, FL

87. Steve, Aurora, CO

88. Joan, Latham, NY

89. Donna, Gorham, NH

90. Chuck, OK

91. Anita M., El Cerrito, CA

92. Ed, Sandy, UT

93. Felicia, Detroit, MI

94. Paula, Tollesboro, KY

95. Peggy, Eugene, OR

96. Matt M., Georgetown, KY

97. Art, Kay, Tempe, AZ

98. Sonia, Folsom, CA

99. Tori, Greenville, SC

100. Jay G, Indianapolis

101. Vicki, Lewisville, PA

102. Asmeret, London, UK

103. Chele, Hillsborough NJ

104. Holly, Eugene OR

105. Janet, Media, PA

106. Debbie East Sussex UK

107. Mary K., Front Royal, Virginia

108. Luevonia, Anderson, South Carolina

109. Doreen, Canada

110. Wanda C, Chesapeake, VA

111. Cherylene, Hartford, CT

112. Janet - Greenville, SC

113.

1000.

Signed,

All ObamaCANs

Thoughts to Words

Beth from Albany Oregon — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:56:27 EST

“Be the Change you wish to see in the World”

– Gandhi said it

– Obama guided it

– We believed it

– The World is seeing it

– And future generations will live it!

. . . as history writes itself, the Greater Good of Humanity prevails.

by, B. Roberts (Nov. 5, 2008)

Who’s going to be elected on November 4th, 2008?

Beth from Albany Oregon — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:49:21 EDT

The time for answering this question may go down in history as the longest wait ever.

Nearly two years ago, one by one, candidacy announcements for both parties started trickling in. One of the least of these candidates was given a “slim to none” chance of being the democratic nominee, let alone be in this general election. Yet, with his announcement he brought a message of hope, which Americans could cling onto until this historic election came to a close on November 4th.

Starting with just a speech, little money, minimal recognition, and with only a “wing and a prayer,” Barack Obama started on a Journey; a journey that would be unprecedented and will be in future history books for all students to read.

Obama has been publicly open about his life, which resonates with everyday Americans. He rose above his humble beginnings to believe that he could aspire to his greatest potential if he stayed dedicated and worked hard.

As he succeeded in his life, he felt a great desire to use his intellect, education and experience to serve the underprivileged and their communities. It has been through many years of concerted efforts that he has continued to help improve many who have fallen into unfortunate circumstances. He truly believes that all Americans can improve their lives and strive to attain their greatest potential, if only they are given a hand up, not a hand out.

His message of hope for much needed change is unwavering. He passionately believes that “WE the people”; is how his message of change will come to fruition for all Americans, not just for the some.

Obama could not possibly have known that his life-changing decision to serve, rather than become one of the financially elite, would send him on a path: a path that would propel him in a direction that has lead him closer to one heartbeat away from becoming the first African-American President of Our United States of America.

The history making, long awaited answer to the question of who will be elected on Nov. 4th, 2008 will be Senator Barack Obama.

Who is going to sit in the Seat of the Oval Office first?

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:52:31 EDT

It is quite interesting the contrast between the rallies of McCain versus Palin. It is a no brainer who is drawing the biggest crowds by ten/fifteen to one. There is something fundamentally wrong. Who are voters actually going to be voting for on November 4th? Is it McCain or is it Palin?

If the majority of voters are planning to vote for Palin or is only voting for McCain because Obama is African American, then they are not even considering, nor do they understand the dangerousness of this woman being in the White House. She has made it pretty obvious where she is going and what she is planning to do; and that is the scariest thing, which all Americans need to be concerned about.

Palin has slowly pulled away from McCain’s true message to the point of the frustration of McCain’s own advisors. They are cringing in the background, wishing that she had never been allowed to be a contender for the VP.

At her rallies she incites radicals and she stops speaking, and looks around the audience with her piercing smile, without saying a word. She is pulling the very conservative women into a hypnotic state of submission so that they hang on her every word and they forget that McCain is the one they would be electing, not Palin.

However, you can see it in her eyes, you can hear it in her speeches, you can feel it in your bones; this woman is not speaking to get McCain elected. She is however, giving speeches to endear her to become President; either by default due to the demise of McCain, or to run against Obama in 2012.

What are voters thinking? A better question, what are voters NOT thinking? She already has a proven record of abusing the power of her office by violating the ethics of her current elected office as Governor of Alaska.

She is such a sleazy, dodger of the truth, and a very domineering woman. McCain on the other hand has become a puppet. It is not that high of a leap to believe who will be running the Oval Office from the first day of 2009 or who maneuvering herself into a position to fight Obama for that Oval Office seat in 2012.

Again, who is going to sit in the Oval Office Seat first? On November 4th, it better be Obama. If not, or our Nation can expect we will be headed for Change; just not the “Change we Need,” not the Change we asked for, and not the change we want. It is imperative that Palin not step within one hundred meters of the White House Gate, let alone within one foot of the Oval Office Seat!.

Get out the vote today. Make that vote count for our future. Give that future the opportunity to change; you just need to make sure it is the “Change We Need.” Go to the voting booth and remember just one thing, “Who do you want to sit in the Oval Office Seat first?” And then VOTE!

Who’s Running Against Who?

Beth from Albany Oregon — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:18:51 EDT

It is quite interesting that since Palin was put on McCain’s ticket for VP, the dynamics of the election has changed. After the nuance, luster and “fresh” Washington outsider wore off; the media started their own negative campaign against Palin. However, there is a greater story; one which has been missing in this election; who is running against who?

McCain choose to use his “Pit Bull”, lipstick smacking, Barracuda to run against Obama & Biden; attacking them with misleading rhetoric, outright lies, and just plain off the wall remarks, unrelated to any issue that Americans are concerned about.

So who IS McCain running against?

Not Palin; she’s his VP; even though he has had to clear up some things that she has “misspoke” recently.

Not Biden. McCain’s attacks against Biden have been nearly non-existent except for when Biden has made a few gaffs, which he is well known for doing. However, it has been Palin, for the most part, which has gone after Biden for these gaffs.

Not even Obama. McCain is so busy trying to separate himself from the last eight years that he is losing respect from republicans left and right. Many of those republicans have stated recently, the McCain they see today is not the McCain they use to know, and their not even sure who McCain is running against either.

Now Obama has stayed steady in his message to Americans. He has, from the beginning, continued to show the Nation how he is so much different than McCain and the Republican's “old boy” politics. Any remarks against Palin have only been to clear up any of her unscrupulous attacks against him.

Biden has also stayed on message about how Obama will be a better President than McCain. The only times he has gone against McCain/Palin would be when McCain/Palin have used their lying oratory to stretch the truth until it becomes an outright lie about a few gaffs Biden has made Other than that, Biden’s platform has continued to stay on target against McCain.

It has been reported recently that McCain is starting to run against Bush. Yet, since the general election began, it has been obvious that McCain has beentrying to separate himself as being different than Bush; much like what opponents do in an election.

So is McCain running against Bush?

With such a short time to go until November 4th, it is no wonder that electoral maps are slowly turning bluer and bluer by the day. Someone needs to be asking McCain if he remembers who his opponent is and why he isn’t running against him and showing how he is different than his real opponent, Obama, rather than hopping around Washington trying to convince Americans he’s NOT Bush!

I’m Not Your Friend!

Beth from Albany Oregon — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:11:59 EDT

And you’re not mine.

Why is it that politicians feel the need to say “My Friends” to an entire crowd of people? Why do they say it over and over again in just one speech? Politicians are using the phrase “My Friends” in hopes that the word would endear the crowds to the politician, and not the other way around. However, there are politicians who choose to use the word “We,” creating a feeling of unity between themselves and the crowds.

American’s have friends. The difference is that “Their Friends,” are genuine. Their friends are not in the thousands or tens of thousands, and many Americans may only have one “best friend.” What the word “Friends,” use to mean, at least for most people, is a person that they actually spend time with, that they have similar interests with, is there when they need them, and so much more.

However, this term “My Friends” has been so overused that it is causing so much terror for the word “Friends” that the word may have to go to court and get a name change.

In comparing the two candidates in the 2008 elections, one uses the phrase “My Friends” and the other one uses the phrase or word “We,” so If you have been conscious over the last many months, you know who has used the phrase “My Friends” and who has used the word “We.”

After November 4th, the word “Friends” is going to need a major makeover in order to regain its true meaning, and most importantly its status in the lives of nearly all Americans.

Try to hang on the word “Friends,” November 4th, is just around the corner. “We” will be there to retrieve you for a serious intervention. We, as Americans and he who speaks the word “We,” will be joining together to restore “Friends” to its original meaning. Then from there and forever after, we shall protect and honor the original meaning of the word “Friends.”

Voted this Day! October 18, 2008, 9:30 p.m. Pacific time

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:06:14 EDT

I have been waiting for this moment; this Now, and for the Greater Good of our Country, to complete what started as only one thought, one naïve wish, and one unimaginable dream since “the very first time” I met a man. . . . http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/the-viery-first-time-596514.html

I had no idea that filling in that oval to the left of this man’s name on my personal ballot would bring so much emotion that a tear began to trickle down my cheek. Why a tear? A tear for the millions of Americans who shared my impossible dream of a new future; A tear for our tireless efforts to finally witness our dream become our new reality. A tear for every moment of every day of the last two years that I have not wavered in my devotion for this man whose name I did not know; this unnamed man who has continued to spread his message of hope that I heard for the “the very first time” http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/the-viery-first-time-596514.html when I had that one thought, that one naïve wish, and that one unimaginable dream, that this great man, Senator Barack Obama, could become President of the United States.

A Perspective of “Jane the Plumber”

Beth from Albany Oregon — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:15:27 EDT

John McCain has been harassing, and pointing fingers at Barack Obama even after it has become evident that voters were running to the polls to vote for the change America has needed. McCain has continued to push non-issues about contributors, past supporters, and alluding to registration fraud, in hopes that no one will notice he knows “jack” about economical issues Americans are struggling with. I guess he figures he can change some independent voters by claiming there’s something scary about this the thoughtful, calm, intelligent man, we know as Obama. For those of you, who are still buying into McCain’s rhetoric, let me enlighten you. Prior to this 2008 election, I was a non-affiliated voter who made a decision the moment Obama announced his candidacy for President to register as a Democrat. I'm an Obama contributor. I'm probably not the kind of contributor John McCain is used to. I didn't go to an exclusive fundraising event and write a check for the maximum amount. I'm not a CEO who pressures his or her employees to contribute, nor am I one of the financial criminals whose greed has stolen nearly a trillion dollars from our Country.

I am a single mother of a special needs child, living on a fixed, low-income; most importantly I am an American. I have been an upstanding citizen, who has never been arrested, nor have I been an addict, nor have I associated with any questionable people other than many years ago when I was a professional counselor doing my job. I am like so many other American women who have experienced working in environments which have been paid up 25% less than a man when I was more qualified, more educated, or had more seniority over those men. I am struggling just as most Americans are, and I am just tired of how McCain keeps using rhetoric in which he believes me, and probably every other American, are stupid. We are all intelligent Americans, who want and need a great change in our Country. We are suffering in so many ways that McCain has never been able to connect with because he has NEVER been in our shoes, not even in “Jane and Joe Plumbers” shoes.

The reality is I'm just a woman who just turned fifty, who as a voter is making wise, informed decisions. It is because, and for all the reasons stated, I support Obama as President of Our United States of America. I am one of a million Obama contributors who give a meager five dollars here or there, spending hours volunteering, canvassing, and registering new voters or reregistering those who have moved since their last registration; no matter their affiliation. I do all of this without compensation from the campaign. It is for the first time in eight years, I have hope for my son, my other children, my grandchildren, and their children who will inherit a better America; an America that believes in supporting peace, that is prosperous, that reaches out to assist Countries outside our borders in their times of need; and an America that will once again be respected by other Countries from around the world.

Our posterity is counting on this time, this year, this NOW, to be the history in their textbooks that they read how their ancestors changed their lives, by going to the polls in the largest turnout ever; knowing that their vote, every single vote mattered. It mattered to all Americans to be sure that Barack Obama was elected because Americans wanted change and to move the Country, even in the worst of time, in a new direction, it mattered that democracy prevailed and that their lives were better because of it.

Obama/Biden 2008-2024

Palin Power; Voters WAKE UP!

Beth from Albany Oregon — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:01:54 EDT

After the initial announcement of Alaska’s appointed committee that Palin violated an ethics law that governs the position of Alaska’s Governor, the media manage to give this story some minor coverage for a day and then, Poof the whole story disappeared. This was a significant ruling that affects this election, yet the media found it more important to discuss the race issue rather than how important this violation would affect a McCain/Palin Presidency.

What is a matter with people? Any reasonable person, not just all the college educated or intellectuals, would have to see the dangerousness of having Palin in the White House. Palin's entire platform of where she plans on taking our Country and how her right off the chart beliefs about government, environment, and foreign policy; should scare every voter in America. Even Alaskans are not only concerned for the lower forty-eight, but how Alaska is being poorly perceived since Palin was put on the republican ticket.

If McCain by some fluke is elected on November 4th, Palin is in a position to fundamentally change our Country by abusing the Power of the Vice President. She has already alluded to having her hands in changing all three of our branches of government and a step away from violating our Country’s Constitution. Now it wouldn't happen in one fast slap of her kid's hockey stick, but it would be a slow nudge here, and a little bit there while having her conservative base blindly supporting her every move; our founding fathers and mothers must be starting to roll over in their graves. If Palin was to somehow get within a hundred yards of our White House, the consequences could be more tragic than 9/11, Katrina, and the war in Iraq.

Voters need to remove the "lipstick" from their ears and their eyes, and check back into reality. Voters, especially Republicans, need to get more politically informed. Most voters don’t even read their voters pamphlet to vote on their state measures with enough interest to vote wisely. Why are Americans refusing to inform themselves of all the baggage she packed up in Alaska and is looking to unpack in our White House? It’s not over, more and more is being discovered about both Palin and her husband. What is it going to take to get Voters to WAKE UP!

Abuse of Power in her past is indicative of FUTURE behavior that will be brought into the White House. If anything, in Palin's case, the past behavior is only a small taste of what we would see when she promotes herself into the actual office of the President of the United States. And as has been said, that could be only one "last" heartbeat away.

A Heartbeat Away from a Landslide

Beth from Albany Oregon — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:06:43 EDT

At 4:58pm on October 3rd, 2008, a day after the VP debate, I heard it on CNN, and I could hardly believe my ears, but yes, a PUNDIT said: “yes, it is OVER!” The only way that McCain would have a chance in changing the momentum toward Barack Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States, would be if he could present a specific and believable, detailed plan to Americans on how he could actually fix America’s economy! Like that would ever happen.

After last week’s nose dive of the stock market, and watching congress bail out what many believe, are criminals of large financial institutions, Americans are completely fed up and disgusted with their government.

It doesn’t matter that both candidates voted for the “bail out” of the institutions, it doesn’t matter to Americans any more whether or not a woman or an African American becomes President, what is important to Americans, is their MONEY, or better said, the LACK thereof. Americans did not want the bail out in the first place, and now that the bail out is law, billions of dollars are being handed over to those who over the past decade have been extremely profitable and are now wanting money from every single American because they couldn’t even develop a budget and stick to it.

Bush said, “The bill I signed is a big step forward;” he is either on drugs, or has lost his mind! He is so out of touch with every man, woman, and child that will be bearing the incomprehensible cost of what was an appalling idea in the first place; criminal, just plain criminal. Does anyone really know how many people are on the fringes of criminality that are apart of this disastrous fiasco? Is anyone even bothering to ask?

This breakdown of America’s and the World’s financial stability, has unregistered democrats, registered independents & republicans alike, running as fast as they can, to vote early if possible, or joining democratic volunteering efforts, just so our new President will not be of the same party as the sitting President. Bush has presided over, an been responsible for these United States, for the last eight catastrophic years; just a reminder, President Clinton handed over to President Bush, a balanced budget, and a government without being trillions of dollars in debt. It is just so unimaginable for any American to grasp.

On the eve of October 6, 2008, there was a first ever detection by satellite, an asteroid plummeting toward earth, which will hit somewhere around Africa. Not that there is any correlation to the events of the day where the Dow dropped under 10,000 and saw for a momentary period of time, an eight hundred point loss. No, there is not a human on this planet that can predict when an asteroid is going to hit. But there were many humans who predicted what would happen today, last week, and the week before that. Actually these predictions were voiced years earlier, and one of those humans making those predictions was Barack Obama.

In the end, not that there is an end in site, those droves of voters running to vote away from the last eight years, are the same voters who are giving democrats, and our democratic presidential candidate’s current 339 electoral votes (http://www.fivethirtyeight.com), an immense boost on the way to the 375 electoral votes needed for A Heartbeat Away from a Landslide.

The Plastic Conspiracy

Beth from Albany Oregon — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:02:31 EDT

The Plastic Conspiracy October 1, 1958 American Express introduced their first credit card, which was purple and made from cardboard. Then In 1959, American Express introduced the first card made out of plastic. According to MasterCard, in the same year, the concept of offering the option of maintaining a revolving balance on the “plastic” card was introduced. This option was called the “Closed-loop system.” This new concept meant that cardholders could carry a balance on their “plastic” and make monthly payments, which included interest charges.

Fifty years to the date later, plastic has nearly bankrupted our Country, our financial institutions, and its citizens. You may be asking, how these two events, which happened a half century apart, could possibly be one of the biggest causes of our current financial nightmare. It is not that huge of a leap to figure it out. Over a period of decades, people learned that instant gratification is possible if they pulled the “plastic” out of their pocket book or wallet and purchased that “must have now” item. Generations of responsible citizens, previous to the introduction of “plastic” saved up enough money to purchase the item they desired; they just understood that it was going to take longer.

Today, our entire financial system is based on a balancing act between credit and currency. “Plastic” is not free, in actuality, there is a tremendous cost; and some of the cost is not just financial. Although much of the “plastic” pandemic is prevalent throughout all social-economic demographics, “plastic” is being spread like candy around college institutions to continue the concept of instant gratification and worry about how to pay later. Imagine a generation of Americans, the young adults of our time, who no longer have a clue how to spend within their means; or how to balance their own budget. This irresponsible and greedy act of financial institutions has created a post academic addiction to “plastic.” Now college students, not only leave college with student loan debt, but they also have “plastic” debt that may take years to pay off.

This “plastic” has become such a phenomenon that it doesn’t take much lurking around to discover whose wallet possesses “plastic.” However, herein is the hidden tragedy of this “plastic” conspiracy; millions of American homeowners are getting scammed into refinancing their home to pay off their “plastic” debt. This is where the swindling process begins. Prospective buyers are disheartened with the extensive amount of paperwork they are signing at the closing of the purchase of their home. In addition, there is little encouragement by those who know what is actually in-between the fine lines or small print of the documents, they are trying to read and sign. Eventually, homeowners discover at their peril, their monthly mortgage payments have significantly increased; but once again, they start making friends with their “plastic” they kept in their possession, with the idea of “for emergencies only”; well their emergency happened.

There have been emergencies in nearly all American’s households. Let’s list some of them:

1. Loss of employment (one or both “breadwinners”).

2. Unexpected healthcare issues, not covered by insurance.

3. Healthcare costs raising above ability to afford it.

4. Severe increase in Gasoline prices.

5. The cost of needs like food and regular household supplies, skyrocketing.

6. The tipping point when they no longer are able to stay afloat and file for bankruptcy.

7. Since the new bankruptcy laws were instituted, they are no longer able to keep their home.

8. The cost of rent is increasing as more and more homes are foreclosed on because there is a shortage of rentals

9. If they had a 401K or an IRA or any form of fixed and secure retirement fund it is slowly depleting.

10. Due to all of the above, they are now suffering from any number of psychological issues ranging from, situational anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, or even worsening of disorders they may already have.

LATER is now here. It’s rather easy to see the domino effect of the introduction of “plastic.” As people are no longer able to pay their mortgage, they lose their home to the lender. The lender now has an asset that depreciated because there is such an influx of foreclosures and they are not collecting any currency to continue operations of their respective institutions. Once the flow of currency is constricted, other businesses are affected. This sets in motion increased unemployment, which reduces the collection of taxes, and increases the National debt. The “plastic” conspiracy is more transparent as we watch the volatile financial market around the world spiral down to unbelievable lows; even though our government intervened to “bail out” the financial institutions that were part of the origin of the “plastic” conspiracy. The conspiracy has been exposed and now it is the ones who “dreamed up” such a scheme are the ones falling like a set of tipping Dominos.

Much has been discussed about the “War on middle the class” in response to our “plastic” economy. However, is it really a war; or is it a pervasive “plastic” plague that had its beginnings a half of a century ago? “Plastic” from its early beginnings, encouraged instant gratification purchases and the thoughts about a financial future began to seep into the economy; one “plastic” at a time. Now, fifty years later, “plastic” has crossed the line of credit and has tipped over the money bucket spilling what was left of real currency into the spiraling down markets, causing a crash of humongous proportions. The ultimate “plastic” conspiracy is that not only the possessors of “plastic,” but all Americans, will be carrying the burden of the concept introduced a half a Century ago known as the closed-loop system; far into the futures of many generations.

The “plastic” conspiracy needs to be thoroughly investigated if there is any chance of preventing this conspiracy from happening again.

The 2008 Big "D"

Beth from Albany Oregon — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:51:37 EDT

This is the Original article written September 24, 2008 called "The Great Depression . . . . 2008. Today I felt it appropriate to add the original, more concise version due to current stock market downward spiral felt around the world.

I'm waiting for someone in the media to interview someone in the congressional or executive branch of government, or a well-renowned economist, or a trusted financial or stock market consultant; hey anyone at all that Americans would trust, to use the big "D" word and get over the so called 700 billion dollar bail out. This wildly contested congressional action or inaction is just a distraction that is keeping us from acknowledging the big "D", I have news for the news media and anyone being affected by our current financial crisis; we are in a "DEPRESSION;" come’ on admit it; you can do it, I know you can. Here, let me help you, say "DEPRESSION." No, you need to say it like you mean it. Let’s do it again; together – say “D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N.”

OK, that’s better. Finally, it’s out. There is no more hiding from reality.

Americans and people around the world are watching the stock market decline, banks failing, and mortgage and other corporate defaults increase by the hour. These events are creating so many fear responses such as, biting finger nails, watching their blood pressure rise, their anxiety level over-flowing into their financial decision making, These and many other fear responses are fixated on watching minute by minute, millions and even billions of their tax dollars pandering away. In this ominous time in the 21st century, Americans are tired of being treated like they are stupid. How stupid of those people who think we’re stupid. No more avoiding the truth; our Nation is in a great “DEPRESSION.”

Americans are currently watching the cog mire and much lack of cooperation within congress who are assigned to fix this humongous financial problem, fearing not only the outcome, but if they will be able to understand how the proposed fix will or will not effect their lives. Every aspect of the debate process is being scrutinizing by many of those who have been part of the problem. In those we trust, both the Senate and House of Representatives and all parties respectively; republicans, democrats, and independents are those who have been part of the problem. We have entrusted ours, and our children’s future in these officials, at the very most, are only going to place a band aid on this financially devastating crisis. Regardless of which color of band aid they use, there will be an enormous cost on the current and future generations of taxpayers.

Our current financial crisis mirrors another well-known 20th century financial disaster known as the 1929 stock market crash and aftermath of the Great Depression. It began with an economic boom over a period of time with Dow Jones breaking an all time high. Within two months of that record, the spiral began. There was not just one identifiable event that occurred, but many cumulative events that eventually triggered the collapse. Let’s have a synopsis review of that momentous era which occurred in the early years of the 20th Century history. Following is a list of many of those events that were factors which lead to the crash and the following depression:

Inequality of income distribution

very high unemployment

those who were employed had a dramatic reduction of wages

rapidly decreasing tax revenues due to the price of good that drastically reduced profits

excessive (9000) bank failures and large corporate defaults

depositors attempting to withdraw their deposits en mass, triggering multiple bank runs

Federal Reserve banking regulations prevented such panics were ineffective

people still lost billons in deposits and stocks

federal deficit spending

excessive credit

consumers defaulted on loans

nearly stalled production in industries, such as mining, farming, construction, and logging, especially in rural areas

overproduction of goods that consumers could no longer purchase

international trade at a near stand still

World War I-induced international economic problems

The sad thing about the 1929 collapse and the domino effect that lead to the Great Depression was predicted by certain economists. However, no one in government believed them at the time. The aftermath of the Stock Market crash took over 10 years before there was any noticeable improvement in the Country’s economy, employment rate and prosperity of any class of American. Oddly enough, this improvement was attributed to WW2, which gave jobs to men who were drafted into the war, and the subsequent jobs created for supporting the war, which put women in the workforce.

Information Compiled From Wikipedia; the online encyclopedia

Does this sound even a little bit familiar? Even the war, different name, Iraq, same economic problems.

It is time to introduce another concept you may have heard before: If you continue to do the same thing, you will get the same result. Thus, in order to get a different result, you need to change what you are doing. In other words, we all need to learn from previous mistakes that had undesirable results then apply the knowledge gained from those mistakes to avoid similar results,

It is a well-established fact that 50% of solving a problem is admitting the problem exists. Yes, say it again like you really believe it; “DEPRESSION.” Now that we are no longer in denial, let’s take a look at what the real facts are concerning the big “D.”

It has been said that 50% of solving a problem is admitting the problem exists. Let’s say it again, say it like you really believe it, “DEPRESSION.” Now that we are no longer in denial, this financial crisis is 50% solved. Now let's roll up our sleeves and get started solving the other 50%. This begins by listening to those who have had insight and have applied their insight and knowledge from previous events to our current crises. However, we all need to have selective hearing and be as informed as possible so that we trust those who can be trusted to lead all Americans out of the dyer catastrophe.

From the beginning there were warning signs and alarms going off a couple of years ago. These observations were voiced and expressed that if action wasn’t taken to avoid what we’re now experiencing, America would tumble right into the financial crises we are suffering from now. One of these alarmists, a fairly unknown man at the time, was Barack Obama. Obama saw a problem brewing and could see its future consequences. However, as before, no one listened; no one gave him the time of day because he was a “junior” Senator from Illinois. Nevertheless, Obama did not let his perceived lack of experience stop him from developing insightful ideas on how to avoid the financial crisis or actions that could be taken when then the crisis could no longer be averted. Now our Country is spiraling down the path he had previously warned congress about.

As events became more urgent, Obama began talks with experts and trusted individuals to receive sound economic and financial advice concerning our current disaster. With the input of these individuals, in his quite, thoughtful way we used his insightful judgment and outlined a detailed proposal of principles. Foremost on his agenda, was to make sure all taxpayers, great and small, were going to be financially protected. Obama was invited to participate in one of the first vital negotiations which was convened by congress. During these extremely important deliberations Obama proposed HIS detailed outline of the principals that he strongly recommended the committee to adopt.

Notably, Obama did not leave his campaign; he did not grandstand, nor become erratic in his behaviors or cancel any previous commitments he had made. Unlike his opponent, he waited until he was invited to participate. After the adjournment of the meeting he participated in, he gave a short statement to the media about the progress of the day’s events. He spoke to the media calmly and was believingly reassuring to the public. After his comments, he left as unassumingly as he arrived to prepare for the first Presidential debate of this general election. During these earth-shattering days since the Great Depression, Obama has proven he can lead our Country, through his calm, thoughtful insight while multi-tasking and without frustration or lack of intelligent judgment. As a result, members of congress have adopted, in principle, Obama’s plan to resolve this financial calamity.

Now, even under these uncertain times, a leader has shined. As citizens of America, not just democrats, but all citizens, need to support Obama and those of congress who are working hard to resolve these humungous issues we all face. This leader is one great man. He possess great abilities to act upon issues with thoughtful judgment, seeking input from other experts and knowledgeable individuals then making decisions based on trusted information he collected then using his insightful intelligence to make decisions based on his sound judgment. We need to trust and believe in those individuals that are doing everything they can to protect our interests and to safeguard ours and our children’s future inheritance of our Country.

The time is now. Millions and millions of Americans, and even so many others around the globe are watching the makings of a phenomenal President in these historic times. It will only be through our own involvement, voices and support that we will see the great change and hope for a new Country, a new world, and a new planet through the obvious leadership that Obama will provide.

Hi. my name is America, and I am in a Great. . . say it "DEPRESSION.”

As what Obama would say, “Let’s change the world and solve these problems together.”

Written September 24, 2008

Those Darn Goosebumps!

Beth from Albany Oregon — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:28:38 EDT

I started watching my grandson at my daughter’s home again so that my daughter could continue to attend college to become a Nurse. After the four hours of tending him, I decided that I couldn’t possibly listen to another 4 teletubbie’s, 3 Caillou’s, and 2 Barney’s. Although, he is very happy to play by himself and loves watching these shows, my only part in this tending experience of a two and a half year-old is to be there to comfort him when he decides to be superman, and it doesn’t go very well. I am his Nana; however, I new I was going to need to entertain myself with more adult-like activities, or my daughter would return home to see her mother in a catatonic state with my grandson taking full advantage of non-supervision.

The next day, with laptop and earphones in hand, I signed onto the Obama site and started watching the video of Obama’s speech he was giving in Nevada; and as usual, just the words he speaks and the presence that he projects is remarkable. While watching the speech, I could hear the cheering crowds in the background, which at times was deafening. The massive crowd that was in attendance was responding to his words with cheers as much as I was. But today, while my grandson was going about his two and a half year old business, I started, for I don’t know how many times before, feeling Goosebumps creeping up throughout my body; but I also noticed something else; tears running down my face.

I have had these Goosebumps nearly every time I have heard Obama giving a speech, but the flowing tears running down my cheeks, took me by surprise. I started to reflect upon my response to watching Obama’s speech, when I came to the conclusion that the tears were not for myself, but for my sweet little grandson’s uncertain future. I knew without a doubt that we, everyone of us, have been given Obama in this time, in our Country, on this earth, and in this NOW, not just for us, but for our children and for their children, who will be inheriting the world we leave them. It is my fervent belief that the only chance we have to give our children and their children a better Country, an environmentally friendly planet, and a more prosperous world, will be through the leadership of this great and awesome man.

Obama is here for our NOW, and for the future NOW of the next generations of Americans. It will take the efforts, not only from him, but the efforts and scarifies of all Americans to succeed in our common goal for change. Voting for Obama to be President of these United States is the only responsible action we should be taking on November 4th, 2008. With Obama as President, we will be given an opportunity to invest into the ideology of this new era Obama is ready to lead us into. It will only be through the actions of the many, rather than the actions of the unscrupulous few, to commit such effort towards the next eight years, and to be an interregnal part of this new ideology of change. As Americans, we need participate in this immense personal investment in order for this global inheritance to have any chance of trickling down to our posterity’s future.

As I watched my grandson go about his two and a half year-old day, I felt this overwhelming responsibility for the future he would eventually inherit. I am taking this responsibility very seriously. It is my conviction that the bright future I want, not only for my grandson, but for all the future grandchildren of America, will only come to pass if we very enthusiastically vote for the one and only man that we could possibly entrust our grandchildren to. This man, Obama, is the only person I know that can reach inside the innermost part of my soul and stir up these darn Goosebumps and sometimes the tears, just enough for them to escape; This is the man I am entrusting all of my grandchildren’s future to; the man I am voting for; and his name is Barack Obama.

I urge all of you who have, or will have, grandchildren, to vote on November 4th, 2008. It is our responsibility to vote for all those children who are too young, or are yet to be born, and to entrust their future in the next President of the United States, and his name is Barack Obama.

The Great Depression . . . . .2008

Beth from Albany Oregon — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:40:36 EDT

I'm waiting for someone, hey anyone that Americans would trust, to use the big "D" word. This wildly political race for President and the action or inactions of Congress is just a distraction to keep Americans and citizens around the world, from acknowledging the big "D", I have news for the news media and anyone being affected by our current financial crisis; we are in a "DEPRESSION;" come’ on admit it; you can do it, I know you can. Here, let me help you, say "DEPRESSION." No, you need to say it like you mean it. Let’s do it again; together – say “D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N.”

OK, that’s better. Finally, it’s out. There is no more hiding from reality.

Go online a review the events of the 1929 stock market crash and the aftermath at Wikipedia; the online encyclopedia and you can see how those tragic times mirror our 21st century financial mess. The propaganda that is being spewed at you on every channel on your TV, are just efforts to keep you from doing what people did in 1929 when depositors attempted to withdraw their deposits en mass, triggering multiple bank runs, which triggered the domino effect of the Great Depression.

If you are conscious and breathing, you know how we have been suffering over the last several years. These events are creating many psychological responses in all of us such as, biting finger nails, watching blood pressure rise, anxiety level over-flowing into our financial decision making, and many other fear responses. Americans know any actions by congress is only a temporary band aid and regardless of which color of band aid congress uses, there are going to be enormous costs for current and future generations of taxpayers. In this ominous time in the 21st century, Americans are tired of being treated like they are stupid. How stupid are those people who think we’re stupid. No more avoiding the truth; our Nation is in a great “DEPRESSION.”

The sad thing about the Great Depression that began in 1929 is it was foretold some years prior to the event. However, no one in government believed these alarmists. There is a parity in their warnings to our current catastrophe. There was an alarmist, a fairly unknown man at the time, Barack Obama. Obama had insight that a problem was brewing and what the future consequences could be if action wasn’t taken immediately. However, as before, no one listened; no one gave Obama the time of day because he was a “junior” Senator from Illinois. Nevertheless, Obama did not let his perceived lack of experience stop him from developing insightful ideas on how to avoid the financial crisis or actions that could be taken if this financial crisis could no longer be averted.

Does this sound even a little bit familiar?

If you continue to do the same thing, you will get the same result. In order to get a different result from the previous Depression, we need to CHANGE what we are doing and learn from previous mistakes an apply the knowledge gained to avoid similar results,

There’s an idea that 50% of solving a problem is admitting the problem exists. Yes, say it again like you really believe it; “DEPRESSION.” Now that we are no longer in denial, 50% of the problem is solved. Now it is time to roll up our sleeves and get started solving the other 50%. We can start by having selective hearing; only listening to a trustworthy individual who warned us some time ago.

Over the last week, Obama, used his insightful judgment and outlined a detailed proposal of principles in a hearing to congressional individuals. Later, it was announced that Obama’s plan would be used as an outline for the bill that was to resolve, in part, this financial calamity.

Notably, unlike his opponent, Obama went about his previous commitments once his assistance was no longer needed. During these earth-shattering days, A leader has brightly shined. Obama proved he could multi-task without frustration, and use his intelligent judgment to lead us through this dramatic financial crisis.

In these historic times, we, and people around the globe are watching the makings of a phenomenal President. Once he is elected we will bring back hope for our Country, the world, and the beginnings of a new planet through the obvious leadership that Obama provides.

Hi. My name is 2008 America, and I am a Great. . . say it "DEPRESSION.”

As what Obama would say, “Let’s change the world and solve these problems together.”

Written September 24, 2008

The First and Last Effect:

Beth from Albany Oregon — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:44:18 EDT

There is a psychological concept known as the primacy and recency effect. In layman’s terms, it is the "first and last" effect. Basically, messages we hear first are stored in our long-term memory. And messages we hear later go into short-term memory and can be accessed shortly after their occurrence. Clearly, this effect will be of special importance as we get closer to Election Day.

When Senator Obama announced his candidacy, that defining moment was burned into everyone's long-term memory. His message, who he is, and where he started from were so refreshing that people stood up and noticed—not just Democrats, but Independents and Republicans too. This impression is now stored in their long-term memory; it is the primacy effect, whether they like it or not. It has helped him go from a virtual unknown to a household name in this country. Of course, Senator McCain also announced his candidacy. But how memorable was that moment, really?

Much of what was said or has occurred since the beginning of the campaign, even if it is in our long-term memory, has faded over time. It will not have much effect on persuading voters in the voting booth, especially not those who are still undecided.
.
For that, the recency effect comes into play. The media always operates largely on short-term memory; in fact, media seems to have the shortest term memory in America. But the significance of the regency effect really kicks in toward the end of the campaign.
.

So, what will get those undecideds voting for Obama? It will all hang on the last week or two before the election. This is when Obama needs to shine, shine like he has never shined before. If he does, that message will be what the media captures, and what voters will take with them into the voting booth. If his message of hope and change comes through strongly at that time, the first and last effect will come together, and as he says, “turn the page” for this country.

Becoming truly informed; what our legislative branch of government is doing everyday

Beth from Albany Oregon — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:14:42 EDT

If you ever want to know what our elected officials are voting on every day you may want to read further.

I have come to realize that it is my responsibility and is so important to keep apprised of what our elected officials are debating and voting on every day. I grasped how vital it is for me to be the most informed person that I can be in order to have any influence or say in any of these proposed bills, I would need to stay up to date with the daily floor activities of each the house and senate activities.
Additionally, I felt it was very important that even before these bills are offered for debate on the legislative branch’s floor, I would like to know what bills were being considered, who was on the committees for these bills, if any, and how the bill is written. This also includes the political issue calling for transparency of earmarks or lobbyist influence or even who is supporting a specific bill.
The average citizen either does not know how to get information about bills from inception to floor debate, how the bill is voted upon, or lastly, who voted for or against the bill.
I found that C-Span does cover some of the daily activities of these legislative events, without interruption or commentary. I found this insight into the operations, rules, and design of how bills are presented and voted on in both the House and Senate. However, it is not something that I would suggest anyone to watch for more than a day or so; mostly because after awhile, it becomes monotonous and very boring.
After a day of watching, I decided to google the possibility of finding the current day’s presentation and debate of each bill. It took some time, but I eventually found just such sites for each the House and the Senate. Both have the current day’s proceedings and previous days also. These sites are reporting in nearly real time, thus you can know what is being presented with a small description of the proposed bill and other such actions and debates concerning the bill at nearly real time.
I felt that this information has become so extremely important because of concerns of our current state of affairs in this Country. Today, September 23, 2008, there has been some movement toward helping “Main Street” rather than “Wall Street.”
In the senate however, debate is ongoing concerning the Wall Street bailout. C-SPAN has not been covering too much of these debates, but what little I did see, was very contested by many Senators. Also their website shows they have not passed any bill since, yesterday, thus the Senate is spending their entire day on a resolution to a problem that has occurred in this historic period of our Country.

Below are the two Web sites for each legislative branch that gives information in regards to this discussion:

House of Representatives' daily Bills proposed and the actions of those bills Link: http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.html Select the date you wish to view.

Senate’s Bills presented on the floor for vote recently Link: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/g_three_sections_with_teasers/legislative_home.htm

Under "Recent Floor Activity," Choose a date within the last five days, then select “Daily Digest.” Currently, today’s activities are not appearing on the site; you can only select yesterday's date. However, I believe this is because this entire day, September 23, 2008, has been devoted to the 700 billion dollar bale out.

The First and Last Effect Academic Review

Beth from Albany Oregon — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:03:24 EDT

The First and Last Effect

There is an actual concept that those in psychological academia call "the primacy and recency effect." In layman terms, the "First and Last" effect.

Just ask Dr. Phil ;)

This concept addresses two different parts of our memory:
1. Long-term memory, where the primacy effect (the beginning) is important.
2. Short-term memory, where the recency effect (the end) is just as important.

You store memories in a combination of ways; what you hear, what you see, and what you feel. Although we use other senses for memory, they are not addressed here for the purpose of the disscusion of this effect. The "primacy and recency effect" theorizes that you are more likely to remember more about the first and last of a message or information, but the recall of these will be accessed and available to you in different ways.

This "primacy and recency effect" is best explained below:

1. The primacy effect addresses messages or information that occurred first. This message and/or information with a combination of some memory repetition, will most likely be stored in long-term memory. Whereas,
2. The recency effect addresses messages or information that occurs last or was most recently received, or has occurred closer to the end of a message, will more likely be stored in short-term memory, so that it can be accessed shortly after their occurrence. This effect may be an important issue as the days to the election get nearer to election day.

So Read On. . .

In an article, "Order-Effect Theory,"1 the author compiled and examined extensive research concerning the "primacy and recency effect" in the area of persuasion. It was noted that their was "no support for the placement of any important information in the middle of a message."1 However, evidence seemed to show "a slight preference for the use of persuasion in the final position known as the recency effect."1

The "Order-Effect Theory"1 article also noted "the most recent and the last chance to influence the (voters) and grab their attention is through (voters') most recent exposure, when a message is designed to get action; the strongest call for action usually comes at the end . . .this includes issues that are seen as very important are more likely to produce a recency effect."1

The whole point of examining the "primacy and recency effect" can be related to Obama and the start of a new movement in the history of the world when he announced his candidacy for the President. The primacy effect is the sum total and the repetition of the memories of those defining moments that are very much burned into everyone's long-term memory. This wasn't just democrats, but independents and republicans too. Obama's message, who he is, and where he started from, is such a refreshing part of him that everyone stood up and noticed; even those who were against democrats or African Americans, had this primacy effect, which is now stored in their long-term memory; whether they like it or not.

However, we store long-term memories through personal filters. Thus we have voters who see, feel, and hear things differently. Because of this, we find Americans either divided, or unsure who they want to vote for. This is where the recency effect comes into play in this election. In addition there is another component of the "recency effect" worth noting; this component can be attached to either positive or negative messages that voters are exposed to. These messages produce emotions that may sway voters one way or another as election day approaches.

Negative vs. Positive

Bruno,2 uses this 2008 election as an example of positive and negative "persuasion" messages in the article "Can you Persuade?"2 Bruno states that there are two types of persuasion: Positive or Negative. "Positive persuasion is honest, truthful and principle-based" (Obama). "Negative persuasion is where a person will say and do practically anything, including misrepresenting the truth (lie) in order to move someone over to their side of an issue." (McCain) Additionally, Bruno states, "the phrase "I take my direction from you" empowers the individuals you represent."2

As was stated earlier, much of what has been said or occurred since the beginning of the campaign, even if it is in our long-term memory, will fade away and not have much effect on persuading voters in the voting booth unless they have made a clear decision that will be unchanged; even if the selection of their candidate used negative and/or positive messages.

I would argue that there are exceptions. I can honestly say there are three specific events that are stored in my long-term memory that I can access at any time. These three events are the day Obama announced his candidacy, his entire international trip, and his acceptance speech. I may not remember any details, but I have what I call feeling and snapshot memories. All of us have them. Test this out yourself. Sorry for this example but it is the most universal one I could come up with:

Just say in your mind 9/11. Do you have a feeling and a snapshot attached to this iconic event? What happens? Do you start to see a snapshot of yourself; of where you were the moment you became aware of what was going on? Do any feelings surface? This tragic epic in time, is in the long-term memory of nearly everyone on this planet, and can be recalled at any time; especially on the anniversaries of that awful day.

Now we are getting closer to the end of the campaign where the recency effect comes into play with voters. However, much of what is going on now is still considered the "middle" as the previous article noted above; the middle of a message, or a speech, or an event has little to no effect of the message on our most recent memories. Therefore, these election messages, positive or negative, will have little effect when we all are walking into the voter's booth.

Just ask the media.

All of the media involved in this campaign have the most short-term memory in America. What happened or what has been said or viewed last week or the week before is not really staying in the media's memory for long; unless of course the media wants to keep it alive in our minds. As an example, I will share a personal experience of how this has been for me. There were a few scandals that involved both candidates which was some time ago, involving religious leaders speaking out. For me, it is rarely, or not at all, that those events show up in my brain; and if they do, it is only because of a reminder from the media that brings it to my attention.

Right now of course the media and blogs everywhere are being inundated with McCain’s VP pick, Palin. Up until this week, she could do no wrong in the media's circus, thus creating positive "feelings" in many voters; but not in all voters. However, starting seven weeks before the election, there has been a big shift into negative portrayals of Palin and if these messages continue over the next few weeks, according to the "recency effect" voters will bring these negative portrayals of her into the voting booth.

In the book, "Persuasive Communication,"3 the Author suggests that there is a range of processing activity available to (voters). One view "represents message processing." When (voters) use a “peripheral route to persuasion, such as when a (voter) is not being inundated with campaign rhetoric, positive persuasion increases their acceptance of the message, whereas, negative persuasion decreases message acceptance” (p. 218).3 This idea can be applied to (voters) that are behind the curtian of the voting booth, where they may have zero distractions while making the most important decision they have made in a decade.

Persuasive Campaign Messages

If Obama can bring back that first day when he announced his candidacy, and the democratic convention, and his trip aboard, and his acceptance speech, then combine them in a blender and spew the combined experiences out to our Nation, voters will push and shove and run to vote for him. Yet, unfortunantly for McCain we have not yet seen any of those moments from his camp, and it is unlikely that there will be any grand change to his or Palin’s behavior.

Obama has continued to be positive and stay on the issues; the other side doesn't even know what the real issues are. However the voters do, and the last thing that they hear, see, feel, etc., it will be the recency effect that may tip the scales to stepping into Obama's camp. Then in the secrecy behind the curtian of the voting booth, (voters) will be putting a check next to Obama's name.

What will get those undecided's and defector repubs voting for Obama? It will all hang on the last week or two before the election. This is when Obama needs to shine; shine like he has never shined before. If Obama has any understanding of the recency effect he can sway voters over to our camp. Obama will need to cleverly persuade people, even those who have their personally filtered stored memories, to go into that voting booth with "feelings" and "thoughts" that are positive and encouraging, which will cause (voters) to check his box on the ballot.

In the book, "Psychology and Law," Brewer & Williams4 asserts that the process involved in the primacy and recency effects of information has shown that although "information presented first is the most effective overall, it is the information presented last is more effective if the recipient (voter) NEEDS TO MAKE THEIR DECISION SOON AFTERWARD” (p. 301)4 capitalization added for effect.

This assertion alone by Brewer & Williams4 should fire us all up and let us all get busy working on the best part of the last part of Obama's campaign and have all voters going into the polls with Obama's message; the message that he is running for the highest office of the Nation for us, all of us, not just Democrats, or Independents, or Republicans, but for all Americans.

And on election day, while voters are behind the curtain, in the privacy of their booths, or in some cases their homes, Obama's message of hope and change for our Nation, and for all the world, is whispering in voters' ears, giving them the positive feelings (warm fuzzes) they need to check that box next to Obama's name on November 4th.

Please Note: The word “voter(s)” was intentionally inserted in place of the word “receiver(s)” for the purpose of the discussion of this election.

Bibliography:

1 "Order-Effect Theory”
online: http://www.ciadvertising.org/studies/student/97_fall/theory/order/index~1.htm#THIRD
accessed: September 16, 2008.
email: smhong@mail.utexas.com

2 Bruno B., CPC, CTS(Apr 2008) “CAN YOU PERSUADE?” Good as Gold Training, Inc., www.staffingandrecruiting.com.

3 Stiff, J.B. &Mongeau, P.A. (2003) “Persuasive Communication,” 2nd edition.

4 Brewer, Neil & Williams K.D. (2007) “Psychology and Law”.

Petition for Peace 2001

Beth from Albany Oregon — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:19:04 EDT

• By the evening of 9/11, after a little bit of the shock and disbelief had dissipated, I realized that many people needed comfort and to not retaliate against any Legal Muslim Citizens.

• That one thought started another thought, which began an event I called "Petition For Peace 2001."
• First off, I secured a large baseball field and invited over 20 different races, cultures, and religious organizations to this event and gave each of them 5 minutes to give a prayer, read words of comfort, sing, dance, or whatever way of communicating their unity of peace at the event.

• The most important people that I invited were two Muslims I found from their place of worship. This event was announced and covered by the media. Out of over 20 invited guests 17 showed up. Some of them included, besides the two Muslim men, were Buddhists, Native Americans, a Hispanic City Councilmen, etc. Additionally, my son, who was 7 years old at the time, had a small speech for the children of the world; even at his young age, he was greatly affected by the events of 9/11.

• Two police officers were there and said to the two Muslim men that they did not have to worry, that they were there to protect them.

• Each person had their 5 minutes, and at the end of the event, we all sang "Give Peace a Chance," don't remember the artist, sorry. At the end of the event, I was asked to be interviewed; I don't do public speaking, big fear of mine, but I agreed. I didn't recall a single word I said, but whatever I said, others said it was memorable; even the manager of the baseball park came up to me and said that our event was the most well organized and flowed with such perfection that he had ever seen since allowing non-baseball events to use his ball park. I was speechless.

• All I could think was this event was meant to be. Every aspect of putting the event together, went so smoothly, especially since I had never in my life attempted such a lofty goal. I found out that I was good at delegating certain responsibilities to different people who were good at that particular part of the event, and even though I probably didn't sleep for four days, I had others helping me.

• The most amazing thing that happened is I asked a woman if she woule make a flag. I gave her a colored copy of what I wanted it to look like and she gladly to it on. I didn't get to see the flag until the day of the event and I was totally blown away. She bought I would say 25 yards of fabric and lots of fabric paint and made an approximately 6 foot by 9 foot flag that had poles on each end of it! We were able to shove the poles in the ground and used it as a backdrop while each person had their five minutes.

• After the event was over, the two Muslim men shook my hand and thanked me for inviting them and state how much they appreciated the opportunity to participate in such a special event. Later that week, the two of them along with their religious leader (? Not sure what to call him) emailed me a lengthy thank you note. I still have that email stored with all the other memorabilia of that day.

• When I returned home, a strange thing happened to me. I started having this overwhelming feeling that I had completed my life purpose and if I died the next day, I would have died with joy in my heart. It took me days to shake that feeling.

• Since then, on the anniversary of September 11th, I hang a smaller version of the homemade flag which was made for the event. It has a golden background, and a red heart with a white circle around the heart, with the words, "One Humanity United in Spirit" written around the white circle.

• Today is no different. I proudly hung the flag just outside my door. I will hang it there every September 11th to remind me, and anyone who sees the flag, that peace not war, will always PREVAIL!

• . . . That feeling I had of completed my life purpose has continued to be replaced as time has gone on. There have been other opportunities in my life to volunteer and make a difference, even if ever so small. With each new volunteer event I have participated in such as donating 100 hours in the 2002 Winter Olympics; and currently, for the first time in my life, volunteering for a political campaign, I have had the same feeling of a "affirming life experience."

• Now maybe the most important event ever, OBAMA/BIDEN in the White House; this affirming moment, is occurring after my near death incident in a roll over automobile accident; that is very telling. Even though much has been taken away from my life since the automobile accident, I continue to receive more life affirming opportunities that I gladly participate in and hope there will be many more to come.

WHERE THERE IS PEACE, CONFLICT DOES NOT EXIST.
WHERE THERE IS WAR, PEACE WILL NEVER BE FOUND.
B. Roberts (September 2007)

ONE Action ONE Plan Solves it ALL.

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:35:46 EDT

One Plan Solves Every Issue that Americans are facing

Don’t tell them what you’re going to do. Tell them HOW you are going to do it.

Promises are the usual Political Rhetoric;
an Action Business Plan is Revolutionary!

Well actually, the first thing to do is to get out of Iraq so that our government stops investing in war we should never have started in the first place, which stops the flow of our valuable tax dollars. This will free up the money needed for this ONE plan.

Our Nation needs to become completely energy efficient, independent, and green in the tiered order that fixes them.

Here are the details of the ONE “Action (Business) Plan that solves everything:

Education
• Invest in each child from early childhood through college.
• This shall also require all parents to be proportionately responsible for each of their children.
• Each state shall provide and strictly enforce collection of courted ordered child support through wage withholding, intercepting tax refunds, and by any other appropriate means necessary.
• Encourage and provide opportunities so all that want the opportunity to achieve their career goals can.
• Promote science & technical curriculum in colleges related to all the new green energy jobs that will be created.
• Support Intern and Externships to provide on the job training. • If needed, provide parents with education on proper child-rearing skills, and even include this education in High School and college.

Unemployment
• Invest in those who have lost jobs due to out-sourcing to other countries or loss of employment due to the poor economy, especially those in old energy jobs.
• Reeducate these people in new technologies so that they have the ability to compete in the new energy related jobs; giving those who lost those jobs, a priority advantage in being placed in these new green energy jobs.
• Keep these new energy & related jobs in the USA, giving companies tax credits for not outsourcing the work needed to provide all these newly created jobs.
• Reclaim as many as possible, those jobs that have been outsourced to other countries, to provide more employment opportunities and giving tax credits for those companies who comply.

Infrastructure
• Use monies saved from investing into other countries to updating our Nation’s Infrastructure and adding more mass transit systems throughout the Country. This also will provide more employment.

Health Care
• All Americans have access to the same health care as enjoyed by our congress if they are unable to afford or get insurance for other reasons, such as not provided by employer or for pre-existing conditions.
• Have people pay for the above based health insurance based on a small percentage of their income.
• All those who are disabled, retired, veterans, or unemployed are covered without any monthly premium.
• Health care should focus on preventative care and include the same benefits for mental health diseases.
• Anyone who chooses not to participate in this health insurance program, provide a tax break so they have help in paying for their selected insurance provider.

Crime Rate
• Invest more funds to states and counties for developing crime prevention strategies that actually work.
• Provide mandatory 3year designed programs for substance abuse/addiction people. If necessary, provide educational opportunities, which shall include reintegration into society. Those who choose to continue their substance abuse behaviors shall be incarcerated for lengthy stays until such time that professionals determine that the individual is ready to participate and succeed in the program.
• House career criminals indefinitely, especially those who are murders, pedophiles, and other major crime activities.

Reduce the Trillions of dollars of debt America owes to places like China and Russia.
• Use new tax dollars being received by the creation of 5 million new jobs.
• Reduce wasteful government spending.
• Revamp the tax code and reduce taxes on middle class, increase taxes on others, and tax large corporation’s windfall taxes, unless they are willing to invest their windfall into green renewable energies.
• Develop a balanced budget with a payment plan to get out of debt in the least amount of time possible.

Reduce or eliminate all unwarranted wars over our dependence on other Countries Oil.
• Develop or start producing all of our nations energy needs inside our borders.
• Promote and Invest in Research and Development of any new renewable energy sources.

Improving our Planets Environment, global warming, deforestation, endangered species.
• Do 1-7 above.
• Provide incentives for individuals and companies and corporations to go green, by participating in recycling, using green energy, building green homes, making existing homes more energy efficient.
• Tax companies and corporations that are not complying with green standards.
Economy
• succeeding in 1-8 will fix the economy.

Benefits:
1. Early childhood education and support through their formative years, reduces the prison population and reduces crime.
2. Highly educated citizens that can compete for employment within the USA.
3. Very low unemployment rate with higher wages and better benefit packages.
4. Less expensive commuting costs.
5. Safer roads and bridges.
6. Healthier citizens, less days missed at work.
7. Not having to file bankruptcy because they couldn’t afford their healthcare costs.
8. Mentally Healthy people are more employable.
9. People that have secure jobs will have money to invest in buying a home, preparing for retirement, and financially contribute to organizations that provide help to disaster victims, global issues, wildlife, etc.
10. Those who are disabled, veterans, retired, or unemployed will not have to spend their fixed income on medical and prescription costs.
11. Employed people are less likely commit crimes.
12. Happy people, those who have hope that there life is going to be better or is better are less likely to commit crimes.
13. Those that commit the worse crimes are not in society to continue their behavior.
14. Reducing government debt provides more monies to do all of the above.
15. Global perception and respect for our Country will be more positive than it has ever been.
16. A greener, healthier ecosystem, greatly reducing global warming, reclaiming the planet’s naturally balanced system.
17. A HAPPY economy reduces global and personal stress, and a stable way of life.

Universal Positiveness Wins

Beth from Albany Oregon — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:43:26 EDT

Just 2 months away until this very Historical Election, we as a Nation need to focus completely on having positive thoughts, attitudes, and deeds. It will be through our positiveness that we will begin the healing of our nation and how the rest of the world will begin to believe in us once more.

Focus all, focus on the positive, being troubled and having negative feelings even such thoughts as not this, or won’t that; are negative.

Just rephrasing how you think and state things makes all the difference. Obama will, Obama is, Obama has, works; McCain can’t, Don’t want McCain, etc. It is just as easy to say and think Want Obama, than Don’t want McCain. Just remember, enough of us WANT the same thing.

All of us as ONE will make that happen. Ignore the opposition, completely ignore. This action in and of itself, will cause our “enemy” to falter. Completely focus, I mean completely focus on Obama/Biden; they know what they are doing, trust them, they have been brought here to this time, this place, this NOW for a reason; for all of us, democrats, republicans, Independents, and all others who live in our Country.

WE are our best HOPE for theirs and our future.

When you awake every morning for the next two months, think of what you can do and say and think of any positive action you can do that will assure the future we all want will happen.

I am there. I have let go of those negative thoughts, feelings and actions. Being positve is a freeing experience. Since I have turned to the positive, I am free of anxiety, I am calm, and I feel peace. When that little slight negative speck of a feeling tries to slip in, I take a deep breath and then blow it away.

It is so amazing how this works. All of you are capable of being at this place of positiveness, all of you.

I truly believe that Obama/Biden already do this; every single day when they awake. They carry such a great responsibility for us all, and they know it. They see where they are taking us; they lift us all to a higher place by their own integrity and their own positive thoughts and actions.

Obama’s smile and the sparkle in his eyes will tell you if you ever have a doubt.

The past no longer exists and the future never actually happens because when it arrives, it becomes the NOW. This is what we have, we have the NOW, and this is where our greatest work occurs.

We have already reached our goal, we all just need to stay positive in all we say and do to enjoy what is happening NOW. Soon the future will be NOW and we will be there right beside President Obama as he leads us to that New Hope of a Changed Nation.

Ethics vs. Morals

Beth from Albany Oregon — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:34:13 EDT

I’ll start the short version of the discussions I have been in. Ethics and Morals are not the same. Ethics are rules of conduct set up for and or by an organization, or government, or other non-religious affiliations. In most cases, violations of an ethical rule may actually have a legal consequence. Morals, are personal, they are the rules that an individual lives by. These morals may or may not be influenced by religious organizations or non-religious affiliations. If affiliated with some religious organization, there may or may not be any consequences, such as ex-communication, thrown out of the church, etc. However, those who are not affiliate with any religion or organization will still have their own set of morals. These are not monitored by anyone or any organization, no one. These people answer to themselves. However, their morals may have been developed through their formative years, experiences, and suffering of consequences that created within themselves identification with a new personal moral standard. There are people who are socio-paths, those without a conscience; you may say that they do not have a personal standard of morals to live by. These people are already incarcerated or on their way there. Another portion of them live in society and may be pretty easy to recognize. They are the ones who don’t see any problem with lying or stealing, or hurting other people; their moral compass is off. In this political campaign we have seen issues concerning ethics and morals. Each side has had to deal with associations of people who have not abided by either. However, to elect a person (man/woman) who has serious ethical and moral issues, with government, other organizations, with religion, with her own family, I am MYSTIFIED how she was ever in somebody’s universal radar, let alone now the GOP VP Nominee. Hands off her children and her family; we all support Obama and if we support him we must also abide by his request and belief that they should not be a part of any political agenda. That said, Palin VP maybe, has so much to answer for on all levels and from ethics of law and being congruent with her religious organization and most of all having a personal morals check. The GOP VP Nominee ISSUES and only the ISSUES should be evaluated through these two filters and what comes out of the other side, will be the true Palin.

The Régime Ticket Now Available

Beth from Albany Oregon — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:43:39 EDT

The Régime Ticket Now Available

Reserve: Your Palin Ticket Today

Availability: for ALL Americans

Destination: Any Middle Eastern Country’s Mentality

Non-Stop flight: To all local Voting Venues

In-Flight Entertainment: “Voting for McCain/Palin,” with an in-flight preview of “Loss of Constitutional Freedoms,” a documentary on loss of most Women’s rights, less freedom of speech, and re-instituting militia rule.

Arrival Date: November 4th, 2008.

Price Includes: “baggage fees,” higher taxes, more drilling, environmental damage, less American Wildlife, and Continued Political Corruption.

Return Ticket – NOT AVAILABLE

Résumé for VP

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:44:17 EDT

Master’s Degree Mental Health CounselingDual BS Degree Criminal Justice & PsychologyCertificate Degrees in Paralegal Studies and Computer Programming I once belonged to the middle class, owning a home, two cars, with only one working parent; then losing it all to be a single mother raising five children. I pulled up my “BOOTSTRAPS” and rose above it all. I pursued my college education but still made time for my children, the youngest suffering from an autistic disorder. We had a place to live, food to eat, a car to drive, and clothes on our back and help from the government. After college I was not able to find a job in my field that paid any more than I was making prior to going to college. Five days after 9/11 I organized a “Petition for Peace 2001” which supported peace over war and included all cultures, religions, races, including Muslims. This and donating 100 plus hours at the 2002 winter Olympics, were the most rewarding experiences of my life. I assisted a few women who had escaped the Polygamy cult to help them integrate into the society in which we live. Two of my children are in college; the other two are employed in high paying jobs and the youngest, special need child still at home doing very well. I have been outside of the United States four times, although not in warring hot spots. My education and experience of thirty years produced strong abilities in budgeting, taxes, the volatile economy, early childhood development & education with a special needs child, rising college costs, healthcare, violence against women, promoting peace and diplomacy over going to war. Did I miss one? Oh yea, I had a childhood that was barely survivable as a child. I too, rise above it all to live here in the present and not in the past. My entire life has been in the service of others, my children, my friends, my community, my planet, and those I don’t even know. I’m an advocate for our planet, and all our natural resources. The only shooting of animals I have ever participated in has been with a CAMERA. I have never participated in any beauty contest, although I have been told I am attractive. I am your story. Anyone one of your résumé’s would qualify you to be a VP. I am NOT Palin’s Story.

Responsible Blogging

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:04:24 EDT

A blogger watcher, (N. in CA) brought to my attention, something I had been lacking since I started posting on the Obama Forums; Obama’s attitude, premise, and whole-hearted belief in HOPE. I received this message very humbly because what Obama is all about is what I have been looking for in a President but I have not been “acting like the change I want to see in this the world.” - Gandhi I have had strong feelings about those who are trying to break us down or make Obama look incompetent, etc. I want to defend him. However, my ways, have not been in the spirit I believe that the world needs to go. I am committing to myself that I will be that person that I have always been and expected of others; be the person who wants the change, the change Obama will give this Nation and the World. My Obama shoes and I will return to the street and knock on those doors with the SMILE that I had before I became so negative. I truly believe the best way to change is not through negativity; I really know that it is through the positive actions of many.

To Whomever I end up sending this to:

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:19:38 EDT

I have been canvassing and volunteering for Obama since the primaries; I have talked with Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Non- affiliates. The one theme many seemed to say, mostly the Independents and Non-affilates was they were going to decide who they were going to vote for after McCain chose his VP; they even said that if it was one specific VEEP they would vote for Obama and if it was another they would vote for McCain; Palin was not even on their radar.

Some of the people I spoke with said they were going to wait until the debates to make a decision. I supported their choice and thanked them for sharing how they were going to make their decisions. However, I am pretty to almost completely confident that anyone waiting for the VP pick has made up their mind and it will not be McCain; and for those who were waiting for the debates are not even going to bother to listen to them. There were many of them who voted for Hillary, who were still wavering a bit because Obama did not pick her for VP. However, they said they would “probably” vote for him. Guess what – I am also pretty to completely sure they WILL be voting for Obama. They are women and even men, who believe that no man or woman has the right to decide how a woman will treat their reproductive organs or any other part of their body.

Those in many Countries that already have men controlling women’s dress, and what they can and can’t do, are fighting; sometimes with the loss of their life, just to be able, for the first time, to have the right and freedom to have complete control over their own bodies! I met some of these people from many cultures and religious backgrounds; they came to this Country legally to escape oppression and control over them, and it is a complete insult to have another leader(s) take away what they were running from in the firsts place! - I registered those voters too. I am one of those women, I would rather move out of the United States, even if I had to walk, to a new country, than to have any Constitutional right taken away from me. A right that all men have enjoyed here since the Constitution was first drafted.

Apparently, McCain made this big decision for VP to put this entire nation in the worst place as possible in the whole worlds opinion. A VP that believes in controlling women, the one who has animal trophies all over her parent’s living room, the one that would prefer to protect a fetus than a live baby that has special needs; a woman who knows NOTHING about this world nor has even visited countries in peril or involved in war. may have an opportunity to become the leader of this Country. So when seventy-two-year-old McCain, keels over dead in the Oval office, I hope when he takes his last breath, who he really has served all the years he was alive and who he left to lead and manage this Country. So, McCain, THANK YOU for your lying words of "Country First" and choosing Palin as the VP because every woman, including me, would rather vote for Obama who supports our fundamental freedoms and will NEVER allow the two of you to have any right to take that most precious right away from us.

All Americans, the United Americans are still FREE!!

Signed, Beth R., Albany, OR

And Supporter of Animal Rights since I was born (all animals, even the scary ones)

New History in the Future

Beth from Albany Oregon — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:25:17 EDT

On the 88th anniversary of women’s suffrage, and the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” and in my 50th year of life, the most historic time since the revolutionary war for America’s Independence, I have had the privilege to be a part of walking and knocking on doors and talking with people about the importance to register and vote in this historic election; the election that will change our Country. Yes, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, our new hope since JFK , Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks are the new hope and change we have needed as citizens for a decade. This history will be in our children’s and their children’s history books. This pivoting moment in time shall be in the heartbeats of millions and billions of citizens of the world, and will have lasting effects around our planet. Let us keep our promise for a better world for our children and grandchildren and all those children thereafter. All of the least of these shall look upon this time and be grateful for the sacrifices we all have been making and will continue to make in order to leave our Country, and just as important our planet, healed of violence, wars, selfishness, greed, and inhuman practices. In our hope and promise the generations to come will be breathing the pure air and keeping our planet green and promoting the survival of our most beautiful resources of this planet; the fields, the mountains, the artic, the lakes, the wildlife, and the seas. Imagine that world. Close your eyes and see it. When our nation was young, our first Americans took great care to preserve the balance and to honor this great blue glob of the universe as this planet honored their effort. Since those times, we have all been responsible for the imbalance and destruction of our planet, the world and all the citizens who live here. There is greater hope that this new world we are creating for the future will not be taken for granted; that our future citizens will continue to honor our service and scarifies so that they could continue to enjoy and care for this planet as our first Americans have done; where selfishness, greed, and destruction are attitudes are just a minute blip in their distant past. Our new hope is that we, all of us, follow the words of Gandhi –“ To be the CHANGE you wish to see in the World” and that we pass this inspirational message to all our future generations.

My Obama Shoes

Beth from Albany Oregon — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:54:47 EDT

I had to retire my first set of tennis shoes today; they were already over a year old before I started knocking on doors, but if I was to continue canvassing, I was going to have to get real “walking shoes.” Today I took my son to get his school shoes and funny thing they had a buy one get one half off sales event – his shoes $23 – mine $6. They are bright white (for now) and I am considering finding some way to get Obama/Biden stickers to put on the outside of each shoe. They are real walking shoes; they have at least an inch and a half of a sole. My goal is to see how many doors it takes to wear off a ¼” of the sole ;)

I have been going door to door for some time, during the primaries, prior to the VP pick and after Biden was put on the ticket. One of the biggest surprises to me is how many people are registered voters and are planning to vote. I would estimate about 97% are registered or got registered by me.

Secondly, nearly all people I met now matter who they were voting for or if they were still undecided, were cordial at the very least, but many thanked me for taking time out of my life to do what they didn’t have time to do. I have had offers of bottled water or an air conditioned house during the 100 degree day I was canvassing on, to even, believe it or not, a 20 year younger guy flirt with me (still made my day :)

Third, the vast majority were concerned with oil prices and energy. Many made the connection that if we fixed our energy issues, it would resolve foreign policy/war issues and return and or keep more of monies for our nation rather than countries like china and other Oil producing countries that are financially draining our Country a the while they are raking in billions.

Additionally, most were grateful to have someone to talk to about politics without it turning into an argument. They felt respected for their current views but were willing to still be open to the possibility of voting for, or leaning toward Obama. Nearly all but 3, wanted change in America and they definitely did not want more of the same.

I am currently at about 162 contacts, 26 of those were during the primaries, 110 during a River Rhythms concert the remaining yesterday and I have 40 more to get to this week. I may not be able to support our new President financially, but I will give him as much time as I am physically able to do. After yesterday’s four hour canvas event and only getting ½ way through my list, I knew I had to take a break. Yep today, my body let me know this was going to be a data entry day only.

Lastly, I have officially retired my previous Obama walking shoes. I’m writing Obama on each shoe. I haven’t exactly decided what I am going to do with them, maybe save them and write my story of this history making event and sticking the story in the shoes. I may pack them away until one day when my children/grandchildren discover them. They will read about their Country’s history and a personal story of how one person participated in paving and literally walking the roads into the new era they would then be living in long after I am gone.

So for mine and yours posterity, and the nation’s future, I will continue wearing out My Obama shoes through the night Obama wins the Presidency, and for the next time I will be called to report for duty.

Easy Nation Wide Obama Event

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:59:38 EDT

Hey all, last night a blogger friend got an idea about an event to show support for Obama. I suggested she actually make it an event to sign up for. It only requires you to wear Obama supportive buttons, pins, shirts, etc. on a specific day. just go to the link below to sign up. That's it!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpgyjf

Hope you can join in the fun!

Beth

Albany, OR

River Rhythms Voter Registration Event

Beth from Albany Oregon — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:20:42 EDT

August 14, 2008

Albany, OR

Voter Registration Event

At the 25th Anniversary of the River Rhythms Concert Series

Band playing “The Grass Roots”

In 100 degree heat, 6,000+ people ranging in age of 2weeks to 91 years of age, all gathered in our small town river park; a small city hardly noticed by any metropolis city. They still came to listen to the last concert of the summer. The “Grass Roots” band was playing; very appropriate for what I was there to do. People young and old, danced on the grass and sang along. There were all the regulars from the tri-county areas and many visitors as close as Idaho, Arizona, and Illinois and as far away as Canada, Pennsylvania and even Australia.

110 people were approached during a two hour period and asked if they were registered to vote. All who were registered answered with a very enthusiastic yes. The amazing thing was there were only ten people that were not registered. Of those, six did not want to register, three were never going to vote, and one was registered on the spot.

Most all were asked if they wished to say which way they were leaning in the upcoming election. Of those who were willing to tell – the ones voting for Obama were very excited to tell they were definitely voting for him. Many however, did not want to say, some were on the verge of being rude. Many, by the looks on there face, knowing I was an Obama supporter, just kept their mouth shut. Out of all the registered voters, not a single one would admit they were actually going to vote for McCain, it seemed as though many really were not all that thrilled about him, but they were republicans so they were voting republican; they all seemed to be somewhat grumpy to me as though they were annoyed that I asked. Yet, all that admitted they were Obama supporters, were very positive and animated about their choice for the Presidency. In one instance a retired couple had a split household; the wife was for Obama and her husband was a republican. The wife was actively doing here best to persuade him to her side.

I would say the strangest discussion came from a woman who was undecided. I believe she was about 38-45 years old. It was the reason why she was undecided that was strange to me. She liked Obama, but because he is a family man, she felt that if he became President the job would take him away from his children too much. She also said she thought that Mrs. McCain would make a better First Lady the Michelle Obama, but she was not to keen about McCain himself. This was such a foreign idea to me, because here was an individual evaluating what her decision would be on circumstances rather than on the Candidates themselves then I saw her friends arriving and felt it was a good time to make my exist. I could see that the conversation was going to continue for quite some time and I was on a mission to register voters.

For others who were still undecided or felt they really needed to hear more from both of them, I let them know of the first debate that was going to air on CCN Saturday the 16th at 5pm Pacific Time. I explained that both candidates would be in the same room and it could be very informative and may help them make an informed decision.

Believe it or not, I actually ran into two women who voted for Hillary in the primary, one of them was from Pennsylvania, she was asked if she was going to vote and who she was going to vote for now, her answer, ‘well I’m certainly not voting for that McCain!” The other woman who voted for Hillary, was asked the same question, she was on the fence about voting, then her husband spoke up and stated “you know you’re going to vote for Obama.” And she nodded yea I probably am.

I noted that our town is mostly Caucasian, however, there were many non-whites who were asked if they were registered; they were, when asked if they wanted to share who they were going to vote for, ALL of those I was able to speak with were Obama supporters.

It was evident that the older generations were unwilling to share anything about how they were voting, and those approximately 35 years old and younger, were more likely to be Obama supporters.

This was a very enlightening experience for me. There is still much work that needs to be done to register more voters or sway voters to vote for Obama. Hillary received the Linn County votes in the Primaries; this was personally upsetting to me because of all the canvassing I did prior to the Primaries that showed it would be an Obama win. I did not take into account that the city of Albany proper were more likely to vote democratic, however, we live in the Willamette Valley; farming capital of our great state. These voters tend to vote republican. I believe they can be persuaded to consider voting for Obama if he can convince these voters that his comprehensive “business plan,” includes their concerns also.

I was the lone Obama volunteer at this event; I talked with 110 people, listened to their stories, and to their concerns, and gave them information about how they could learn more about the Candidates. It was a very rewarding experience for me. My only wish was that I hadn’t attended the concert alone. However, I chose not to dwell upon my situation as I looked over the whole park and saw people, lots of people, gathered in families, or with friends. Even an the elderly couple that was sitting in front of me, they were so sweet to each other, and I saw that through all their years they had obviously been together, the husband still went to get his wife an ice cream bar, then sat there enjoying the cold bars together. They sat close, holding hands and talking softly to each other. I may have been alone, but that gave me the unique advantage to see love that comes in all families; great and small, of many cultures, and from many places. This was something I would have my missed out on if I had been there with my daughter and my best friend.

On to my next event . . . I have been ask to host a voter registration canvas in my home this weekend. Step by step, volunteer to volunteer, vote by vote, our hard work over the next couple of months will show the fruits of our labors when our President, President Obama is sworn into office in January. Yes We Can, Yes Well Will, Yes He Will be our next President of the UNITED States of all Americans.

Simple Fix to all the issues - An Energy Plan:

Beth from Albany Oregon — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:10:56 EDT

Simple Fix to all the issues - An Energy Plan:

Government and Private Companies invest significant monies into Solar, Wind, Natural Gas, including alternative fuels for more efficient automobiles that are environmentally friendly; and to some extent bio-fuels (just saw one on “echoli(sp) bacteria for diesel fuel) weird. Additionally, improve our infrastructure and adding more energy efficeint mass transit systems across the country, even supporting smaller cities.

Most important – All investments stay in the U.S.A.; nothing is to be out-sourced to NAFTA countries . . . we need to support our own Country. Only if we have 100% employment for all those who are looking for a job, could our leaders even consider giving some of these jobs outside of the U.S.A.

Invest a lot of money into any Community Colleges that offer a 2 year degree program focused on training in these newly created jobs that will assist all those displaced workers as their jobs start being phased out during this change-over process. Give all of these workers the option to be educated in this new field of alternative, green energy jobs as this field requires more and more employees. Additionally, financially support these workers while they are being trained and then give them priority consideration for any and all of the new jobs being created; matching their previous income or even pay higher wages, with required full benefits. Give any of the companies many special tax credits for operating, developing and producing new, alternative, green energy and hiring these newly trained workers.

Support Companies that continue to invest earnings into research and development for any new discoveries that also will produce energy that facilitates our Country to become more independent from foreign energy supplies. Additionally, use tax money to invest in our own infrastructure instead of using our tax dollars to rebuild other countries. This would be less expensive for taxpayers, safer for workers to stay within our borders, and it will create even more jobs for Americans.

Give all Americans who participate in using these new sources of energy and participate in other environmentally green-energy behaviors, such as buying and driving a green automobile, or building a green house, or recycling, etc.

This plan could start today. All that is required is to begin by setting up incremental goals for compliance of these endeavors, such as 5 – 10 – 15, but no longer than 20 years (one generation).

Once America is truly green and self-sufficient, the cost for going green will be significantly cheaper and the tax credits can reduce incrementally over time without Americans feeling the crunch because their energy costs will have decreased also.

For any one company or person that does not comply with these new green, independent-energy sources once completely implemented, they will be taxed accordingly, applying these monies back into research and development of even more possible energy sources.

Notice that this does not include building any Nuke plants (dangerous) or using any Off-Shore drilled oil (environmentally unwise). This is because Americans need to change their life habits. All of us need to be totally invested by seeing and participating in the larger goal of becoming independent.

Other than the obvious benefits, one of the many unrelated benefits is no longer will the U.S. of A be pulled into stupid wars with nations that produce and currently supply 70% of our oil and energy sources. Just this one empowering change will prevent those Countries from having any power or control over our Country. We could begin to buy back America from such countries as China and Japan and eventually balance our budget through ceasing the borrowing of money from other countries. Adopting a budget that we only spend money that we actually have (its called living within our means) hmm, sound familiar?

Side note, after watching the parade of countries participating in the Olympics (over 200), it can be noted that about 95% of them are not, and probably never have been, involved in starting or participated in the warring business. Some, maybe many of them, are already self-sufficient in their own way, and really have no need or desire to participate in any business of genocide, or religious and economic wars.

If we stay out of wars, we could also invest Billions of dollars into what matters to all of us; those being, education, health care, poverty within our borders, general economic issues, and “homeland security.” Yes, Homeland Security. If we spent more money on securing Americans in our country within, instead of invading other Countries, we would be safer than we are today.

Obama will have (8) years to put much of this into action. He has the understanding that delegating responsibility to those who are best at what they do will accomplish these goals faster. Therefore, more will get accomplished in a shorter amount of time. Then if we elect another President with the same platform as Obama’s, they could continue his work, and we could have another 8 years to be close to completion of this all-encompassing plan; a plan that addresses nearly every issue that is currently being discussed in the campaign.

Realize that none of what is stated above will happen tomorrow, or next month, or maybe not next year – It is highly possible however, that next year will be the beginning. If every American supports this plan, including senators and representatives (vote for the ones who already buy into this) and would being willing to wait it out, there will be an end to our economic and security woes. Eventually, we could once again be a beacon of light to the rest of the world in promoting self-sufficiency, peace, and all-around growth and posterity.

Instant fixes rarely work; patience in implanting change does succeed in the long run. Who is willing to get on this train of change for all of us; for our children and for the legacy we would leave to our grandchildren? Today! Today. Now is the only time we have. Some of us have already started; some of us have been participating in some form of becoming green for years. Let’s get everyone believing and participating in this doable and urgent program; for the good of Americans, and the greater good of our Country.

Oh, the most important reason for implementing this plan; it’s Simple – fix the energy problem, this one problem, and it trickles into fixing all of the other issues Americans are concerned about today.

Does anybody have more input into the outline of this very specific plan that addresses so many of our concerns? All suggestions are very welcome.

Now is there anyone in blogsville that has contacts or a way of getting this plan to the Obama Campaign? Does anyone have a connection? I certainly don’t. I am just a grain of sand on Obama’s beach, but my ideas have been swirling in my heard for years. I am grateful to finally have an opportunity to express those ideas where they may get some consideration.

I Feel so Honored

Beth from Albany Oregon — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:45:09 EDT

I have been and still volunteering for Obama here in Oregon, and I signed on today to read that I am one of who knows how many others who will get to know the "BIG VP SECRET" before the rest of the world. Now I realize, if I am not online the moment he sends the email, then I won't get to know before the world does, but I appreciate that he appreciates all of us. So, thank you very much. I can hardly wait until November, this is the most excited I have ever been about any political campaign in my entire life! Oh, there goes those darn goosebumps again :D

Albany, OR

WISHES

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:55:44 EDT

During the contest for a free trip and backstage pass event, I choose to give my second ever donation. I was in a particularly mischievous mood and decided to donate $7.47. Ask why? Well, I just like those numbers. After I made the donation I was left with a feeling of peace in my heart; I just let go of the winning or losing part and enjoyed that momentary feeling of calm. It was after my donation that I came up with an idea. Everyone who wants to have some fun is invited to join in. Choose (3) of your favorite number(s) combine them in any configuration that you want. Then CLICK on the link below and as you complete your donation, make a wish. The wish is now yours, or you can give it away, it matters not; just sending your wish out will make a difference for you, someone else, our nation, or our world. So is there anyone out there who wants to make a wish? Your Wish http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/BethsWish

WISH DONATIONS

Beth from Albany Oregon — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:12:56 EDT

I am getting more focused and serious about supporting Obama for his (8) years as President. To my surprise, I keep getting ideas to assist in that endeavor. My most recent is “Wish Donations.” I hope that everyone that sees this will feel inclined to join in the fun. The convention is getting close and I will continue to be more and more active with volunteering and fund raising events. LET’S GET THIS DONE everyone!

Suffrage: Our grandmothers and Great-Grandmothers

Beth from Albany Oregon — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:51:51 EDT

Subject: FW: This is the story of our Grandmothers, and Great-grandmothers,

As they lived only 90 years ago, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote. Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. The women were innocent and defenseless; and by the end of the night, they were barely alive.

Forty prison guards wielding clubs and with their warden's blessing, went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.' They beat Lucy Burn, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cell mate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.

Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat, and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because--why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?

Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient. My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use--or don't use--my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'

HBO released the movie on video and DVD. I wish all history; social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum. I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order. It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave.

That didn't make her crazy. The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - REMEMBER TO VOTE.

Anonymous (woman)

To all you women --- From a woman who votes because she knows, every woman’s vote DOES matter!

Words humanity could choose to live by . . .

Beth from Albany Oregon — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:38:48 EDT

One Planet One People One Purpose One Peace One United World I want to see a Candidate that could stand by this motto and get into the role of President; Obama is who our nation needs. He is the most real person for this job just based on how he was raised and how he has persevered through those humble beginnings and has become a successful human being. So YES! Get out of the warring business and spend the money on getting into the peace business - it is so much less expensive and better for the planet, the people and the world. If our current politicians are unable or unwilling to get with the program for promoting peace in our world and in our own country then step aside and let those who are capable and willing, step in to do the job. PLEASE!! No more death for peace- peaceful actions – promote a peaceful planet. More of our nation’s soldiers have died in this current tragic war than who died on September 11, 2001. What if – Gandhi was right? What if – We as a nation were to become the leaders of true peace by not responding to ANY real or perceived threat toward our Nation? Has anyone even noticed that there are many countries out there that do not get involved in any warring business and they rarely, if ever have a problem with terrorist nation’s political agenda’s? I would love to see zero media on “the war on terror” it gets the most attention of any other subject in the whole entire world and because of that the terrorists win every single day. They just laugh and are pumped up more because of it. We need to treat this like we would treat a child who is having a temper tantrum, completely ignore it and in time they will stop. If they quit getting attention for their bad behavior, it will eventually diminish. Imagine what the world would be like if our Nation as a collectively whole did what Gandhi did; respond toward aggression with non aggression. Eventually the aggressors begin to look like fools. Then what? Beth
Albany, Oregon