The whole Pakistan thing

See my DC Blog here.

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:52:18 EST

I dont have pictures up yet because I am not home. But they will be up soon.

http://todcandback.blogspot.com/

Human Connection

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:16:28 EDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBIVGskTjpU

The Obama Cart Story

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:03:41 EDT

When I saw the story of the Obama Cart and the Johnsons (Bill and Dixie) I thought how great it would be to be part of it but figured that my little town is never a place "on the way" to anywhere. I emailed Bill and he wrote right back that they would be pleased to come through our town. I could not believe it! They were coming here!

Let me tell you about Bill and Dixie. They are down to earth and the sweetest people, "salt of the earth" some may say. Proud Americans. Easy to talk to and ready with a smile and a story. They instantly connected with the people at the event and mingled easily.

Bill and Dixie made me proud to be an Obama supporter. I have been lagging as the campaign drags on. I have always been a supporter and I always will be. But as you are involved with a campaign I have found the rollercoaster ride can make your stomach sick!

These people, Bill and Dixie not only bring the Obama Cart with them, they bring the heart and souls of all die hard Obama supporters with them. The true America that is in them and around them is something to see and feel.

Everyone that was there was so impressed with the journey that these two have decided to take for all of us. The miles and meals on the road, the new people and the attention. I think that what I took away from this visit is that the America we used to know is still here, it is just hidden away from the light. Barack Obama will bring us all back into the light. He will give the people that are willing to hold up the least of us the tools and resources they need to get it done. He will give the least of us a chance to work and feel like there is a tomorrow to look forward to.

The parts of my heart that felt fear have begun to heal, thanks to Bill and Dixie. Two people that ask for nothing but to spread the words of Barack Obama.

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The Obamacart is coming, The Obamacart is coming!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:38:58 EDT

I have been asked to host the makers of the "OBAMACART" in my home over night during their trip across the country from Division, MT to Unity, NH. A man named Bill Johnson from Montana made this cart and decorated it with paint resembling the Obama trademark "rainbow" symbol before the primaries were held in Montana and decided that a way for people to come together in unity was to make a big statement and take us all from Division to Unity...literally! Bill and his wife will begin their trip in a few days and will make stops in small towns along the way. I e-mailed them and asked if they would like to stop here. They were all for it! So we are the lucky recipients of a piece of history. The Obama campaign is involved in this and we are getting the press here to get it all on tape and in the papers. We hope to have a surrogate for the Obama campaign here as well. This will be the biggest rally Cresco has ever seen! I am proud have been considered for this event. They will be collecting donations for Obama AS WELL as LOCAL candidates before heading out to Milwaukee in the morning.

We plan to be at Beadle park (train park) on HWY 9 in Cresco at 7pm on the 25th of August. Bring your friends and neighbors.

McCains resume

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:08:35 EDT

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- In his frivolous Paris and Britney ad, Sen. John McCain
has asked the right question: Is Barack Obama ready to lead this country?

Since last January, Sen. Obama's fitness for the presidency has been the only
question that matters in American politics. The pollsters and pundits agree that if
Obama can show the voters that he's up to the job, he'll win. If not, he won't.

But that begs another question: Is McCain fit to lead America?

That question hasn't been asked, nor has it been answered.

The assumption seems to be that McCain's years of experience in the military and in
Congress of course give him the background and tools he'd need in the White House. As
Britney might say, "Duh! For sure he's qualified!!! He's Mac!!!"

But is that true? Does McCain have the right stuff?

A careful look at McCain's biography shows that he isn't prepared for the job. His
resume is much thinner than most people think.

Here are some reasons why McCain would be a mediocre president.

Lack of accomplishments

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Like the current occupant of the White House, McCain got his first career breaks
from the connections and money of his family, not from hard work.

The son and grandson of Navy admirals, he attended Annapolis where he did poorly.
Nevertheless, he was commissioned as a pilot, where he performed poorly, crashing
three planes before he failed to evade a North Vietnamese missile that destroyed his
plane. McCain spent more than five years in a prison camp.

After his release, McCain knew his weak military record meant he'd never make
admiral, so he turned his sights to a career in politics. With the help of his new
wife's wealth, his new father-in-law's business connections and some powerful friends
had made as a lobbyist for the Navy, he was elected in 1982 to a Congress in a
district that he didn't reside in until the day the seat opened up. A few years
later, he succeeded Barry Goldwater as a senator.

McCain hasn't accomplished much in the Senate. Even his own campaign doesn't trumpet
his successes, probably because the few victories he's had still rankle Republicans.

His campaign finance law failed to significantly reduce the role of money in
politics. He failed to get a big tobacco bill through the Senate. He's failed to
change the way Congress spends money; his bill to give the president a line-item veto
was declared unconstitutional, and the system of pork and earmarks continues
unabated. He failed to reform the immigration system.

Every senator who runs for president misses votes back in Washington, so it's no
surprise that McCain and all the others who ran in the primaries have missed a lot of
votes in the past year. But between the beginning of 2005 and mid-2007, no senator
missed more roll-call votes than McCain did, except Tim Johnson, who was recovering
from a near-fatal brain aneurysm.

Shallow

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McCain says he doesn't understand the economy. He's demonstrated that he doesn't
understand the workings of Social Security, or the political history of the Middle
East. He doesn't know who our enemies are. He says he wants to reduce global warming,
but then proposes ideas that would stimulate -- not reduce -- demand for fossil
fuels.

McCain has done one thing well -- self promotion. Instead of working on legislation
or boning up on the issues, he's been on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" more than
any other guest. He's been on the Sunday talk shows more than any other guest in the
past 10 years. He's hosted "Saturday Night Live" and even announced his candidacy in
2007 on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

McCain has not articulated any lofty goals. So far, his campaign theme has mostly
been "McCain: He's None of the Above."

In the primaries, he campaigned on "I'm not that robotic businessman, I'm not that
sanctimonious hick, I'm not that crazy libertarian, I'm not that washed-up actor, I'm
not that delusional 9/11 guy." In the general election, he's emphasized that he's not
that treasonous dreamer.

No leadership

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McCain has frequently taken on near-impossible missions that go against the grain of
his party. It's the basis of his reputation as a maverick. But McCain has never been
able to bring more than a handful of Republicans along with him on issues such as
campaign finance reform or immigration. Democrats on the Hill have accepted McCain's
help on some issues, but except for a few exceptions (John Kerry and Joe Lieberman),
they've never warmed to him.

To achieve anything as president, McCain would have to win over two hostile parties:
The Democrats and the Republicans.

Living in the Sixties

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McCain is still fighting the Vietnam War. But he's not fighting the real historic
war, which taught us the folly of injecting ourselves into a civil war that was none
of our business. We learned that, in a world where even peasants have guns,
explosives and radios, a determined and popular guerrilla force can defeat a modern
army equipped with the mightiest technology if that army has no vital national
interest to protect.

Instead, McCain is fighting an imaginary Vietnam War, where a sure victory could
have been achieved with just a little more bombing, just a little more
"pacification," just a little more will to win at home. This fantasy clouds McCain's
judgment on foreign policy.

Most of the other high-profile politicians who fought in Vietnam -- Colin Powell,
Chuck Hegel, John Kerry, and Jim Webb -- aren't stuck in the past, and they don't
view the Iraq War as a chance to get Vietnam right.

No principles

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After years of honing a reputation as a guy who'll say the truth regardless of the
political consequences, McCain has crashed the Straight Talk Express. On almost every
issue where he took a principled stand against the Republican line -- taxes,
immigration, oil drilling, the Religious Right -- he's changed his views.

We ought to like politicians who change their mind when the facts change; it shows
maturity, judgment and flexibility. But politicians who change their mind to suit the
prevailing winds show the opposite.

The bottom line

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Successful presidents come from two molds: visionaries, or mechanics. The
visionaries -- think Reagan or FDR -- see what others can't and say 'Why not?" to
inspire the country. The mechanics -- think LBJ or Eisenhower -- know the ins and
outs of government and are able to harness the power of millions of humans to
accomplish great things, or at least keep the wheels from coming off.

McCain fits neither style. He's neither a dreamer, nor a detail guy. His major
accomplishment, in Vietnam and in the Senate, has been merely to survive.

Just surviving doesn't make you're a hero, or a decent president. America needs to
do more than survive the next four years.

Unite for Change Party Decorah Iowa

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:14:54 EDT

I was unable to hold a Unite for Change party of my own this weekend due to prior engagements. But I decided to check out what events were coming to my area (there are usually none, I live in such a rural area) I was happy and excited to see that in the neighboring town of Decorah there was a Unite For Change party scheduled for Sunday.

Kathy was gracious and had a wonderful home acreage. The area was carved out neatly from the surrounding corn fields and seemed like everything Iowa should be.

As people began to show up it was nice to see people I had talked with on the blog as well as people I had seen through the campaign back in Jan. Even though this party was out of my county I was happy to be involved with supporters who were proud to be helping out and excited to get things started. It gave me some great ideas for my upcoming party on July 19th.

We all introduced ourselves and told our stories about how we became "hope-mongers". Sometimes I forget that I was not involved in politics before this campaign until I tell my story and hear myself speaking the words. That "LBB" Life Before Barack seems like a million years ago.

There were people there that were close to 90 and the young and up and coming. One of the younger people there brought up the idea of a "happy hour" for Barack every week at a local bar/restaurant as an opportunity for people to get together in a "less organized" and "less threatening" way. Although calling it happy hour is out of the question she thought of calling it "Barack Hour" but thought that sounded like an evangelical "hour of power" kind of thing. I am not sure what the final name will be but what a wonderful idea to get people to be comfortable and talk about Barack and for those who may not know him to get to know him.

We decided that the biggest problem for most people is that they just have not spent enough time getting to know Barack and what he stands for, especially some of the supporters of other candidates. There were woman there that struggled themselves with the choice between the first woman and Barack as well as Edwards supporters that have all come to read up on Barack and fully support him.

I know I have not spent a ton of time researching Hillary or McCain so I assume that of others and their lack of information on Barack. We are hoping that we may, by being in a public place, pull others into the conversation or at least get the information in their ears from across the room.

There is a huge 4th of July celebration in a neighboring town and some of the people are going to set up a table with information and hope to get some attention there. I think that the opportunity we have on such a patriotic holiday, the one in which we celebrate the biggest CHANGE America ever struggled through, is a great starting point for getting ourselves out their and introducing the biggest force of change this country has seen in 40 years!

I know this is not my normal "exciting" post, but I thought the ideas we had might be shared.

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The nominee is.......

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:52:35 EDT

First I want to say I am bummed. All but 3 of my blogs have disappeared from my "space" here.

I suppose they needed the room, it was getting to full.

How can I express my feelings the other night, the night that the democratic nomination took the final turn towards Obama. The night I sat for 5 hours watching MSNBC, refusing to turn to any other station. I did not want to have any type of Clinton hype on this night. My calander was cleared, my kids were fed and watching a movie downstairs (they are 14 and 15) Every now and then they would come up and check to see how it was going.

I did not eat supper, I snacked on some crackers and squeeze cheese! lol ( I never eat it, but I needed something!)

To me it just seemed like it was just a game, sitting there and watching the number of delegates needed as it went down and down. I thought to myself, "this is like when I wanted the campaign to put up signs all over Iowa and they waited till the week before the caucuses, It made such a big impact. Much more than if they would have been there all along" They did the same thing with the super delegates. It made such an impact, it was exciting to watch 14, 13, 11, 10, 9.....4! What a wonderful plan. I decided then an there to once again have faith in the campaign, they really do know what they are doing. There are few times that I have doubted them, I knew there had to be a plan. Slow and steady wins the race.

As they announced that Barack had won the needed delegates to become the "presumtive nominee" I just held my breath. I held it in, waiting for something, something to happen. My daughter came up stairs yelling "Barack won! Barack won!" I breathed out. I cried, I smiled, I thanked God above, I sent text messages to every Obama supporter I had programed into my phone. I spent the next half hour talking on the phone and sharing the news. I still had an astrick of my own NOT next to Obamas name, but next to Hillarys name. In my brain I was still wondering what was going to happen with her.

Hillary disappointed me. I have not held much against the Clintons, trying hard to keep that bridge intact. I was saddened, but still tried to understand her point of view ONCE AGAIN! I was very sad that she leaked out there the possibility of a VP slot. Of course it took up most of the news cycle for the last several days. I felt like she was trying to steal the thunder of Baracks nomination and the monumental task that he had accomplished. What of the 18,000,000 votes that he obtained when running against a "presumtive" winner. Barack ran and WON against "THE MACHINE". There was very little talk of this. Here and there you would hear about this ground breaking accomplishment. For the last two days on MSM and talk radio, it has all been about this "dream ticket"

I no longer believe she should get this nod. She was thinking of herself and not the party. It was arrogant and stubborn. It was driven from anger and clouded judgement. We must look at this as what would have happened if she had been given the presidency and came apon a decision that angered her and one that she may not get her way with. What would her "clouded judgement" gotten us into? This was a very telling speech that she gave. I have no mercy in my feelings. One must be a good loser as well as a good winner. Of all the things that Barack has gone though in this campaign, he has shown good judgement and an even temper. I trust him with my life. I trust him with my country, and I trust him with my world.

Watching the man I have come to feel is a part of my family, tell the country he was now the nominee of the democratic party, made me feel so much pride. The pride of a nation that by majority looked beyond the color of a mans skin to the what lies beneath the surface. They took a listen to his story and a good look in his eyes. The people may not have liked everything that was said, they may not have liked some of the stories that came out about Barack and some connections he had made in the past. But what they made was a connection, a connection to someone that that was real. Someone who was just trying his best to make some really big changes, someone that had the mentality, enthusiasm and spirit to make things happen.

Barack is calm, cool and collected. I believe that to him there is no choice that is a small one. I think that Barack will never jump to conclusions because I have seen him through-out this campain, take his time, ask the right questions to the right people and deliver an appropriate and correct answer over and over again.

This is a pivitol time in American history. We have made history, we are part of history. Because of Barack Obama the man, we have become a stronger nation already. Many more people are registered to vote than ever before, people are excited about POLITICS, senate and house seats are being won by democrats!

Let us give credit where credit is due. Lets let the campain pick the VP. Lets cover ourselves in the warm light that comes with making history. Lets not worry about things we do not have control over. Lets work together to keep the light shining.

We have millions of people to talk to, we have millions of people to register to vote.

What is your plan for today? This weekend? Next weekend? We only have 22 weeks!

How Barack Obama helped me become a democrat.

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:54:18 EDT

Many of you may know me from the blogs. Lately I have been absent. Mostly because the atmosphere had become negative, but lately just because I love to be outside and the children have also had many things going on at the end of the school year. (Plus my house is a wreck now that I am looking at it and not the computer or TV! I had to clean it up! lol)

I started out over a year ago as just another carbon producing, world populating, world polluting human. I did not belong to any particular "party" let alone to any type of organization that was taking a view, stance or opinion on anything besides the normal things that parents do for their children in school..Band boosters, sports boosters ect.

Like most of the world Baracks candidacy was as surprising to me as it was to the world. When I heard Barack speak, he was speaking TO me not AT me. I realized that I had missed out on so many things in my life, chances to speak up and speak out. I missed the point so many times that I had that right to speak out. No one made me feel like I was important to the my local government let alone the US government. This one man, Sen. Barack Obama was letting me know that I was important. His life a testament to real change and hope. I know those words get used a lot in all sorts of circles. But they are the things that we need right now.

We need change in a real and decisive way. We need hope to get us there. Barack Obama will give us the tools we need, but we have to step up and take them AND use them. The real world is not a sweet and lovely place. There are people crying, starving, hurting, killing and dying all around us. We can not sit back and ignore this because it is not in most of our backyards. If we do that for much longer it will be in our back yards and it will be much harder to get ourselves right again.

Barack Obama has brought out in me the person I should have always been. Maybe you say, that if I had been active all along I would not have been drawn to such a candidate, that I would have gone right to Sen. Clinton. I think that in my heart I know for a fact that Sen. Clinton has done a lot of good for this country and during this campaign I have tried to stay mercilessly positive about her and her husband. I was not aware of the many things they had done because I was not paying attention. They did not want me to pay attention because there were also a lot of things they did that hurt the country. I think that they really did try in their time to do what they thought was right. I know that Barack will make mistakes too. I think that he will own up to them and not try to hide them. I think that he will fix the problem and not sweep it under the rug or try to blame someone else. That is the difference between the two candidates to me.

Barack Obama as asked me to do something. To be responsible for my own change and my own hope. Because if we take the responsibility of ourselves and pass it on to others the world will begin to make real changes. We have waited to long for our president and congress to do it for us. We have to be the ones standing up, we must stand up with our new president and let the world know that America is back. We are a democratic nation of hope mongers and change agents. We have always been, but sometimes it was being beaten out of us by the fear mongering they we were sold.

We have a real chance this time. There can be a landslide victory for Sen. Obama in the fall. We just have to get the people to the polls. We have to continue the excitement and the hope mongering. We have to continue to believe that we as Americans are better than what the world sees us as right now.

John Mcain is really just George W. Bush in older and stiffer clothing. He tends to fly off the handle when questioned and has changed his mind on so many things since 2001 that it is incredible for anyone to think that Barack Obama could not win against him in the fall. We must be diligent in our knowledge and in our persistence to make sure things are done right during the general election right up to the voting booths and counters. We need to volunteer to be a part of the process, we need to get in there and make sure our votes are counted. We will not be denied the White House because we had something better to do that day than make sure everyone that wants to vote, gets to vote. Take the day off work, sit at your local voting station. Get your friends to come. If you are not outspoken enough, find someone who is. We must STAND UP. Stand up and not be held down. We are the people! I can not say that enough. It is in our hands, win or lose it is in our hands.

So yes, Barack Obama took a woman who had no way of knowing what the political world meant and made me look it up, become involved and yes, save the world. I am a democrat, I am a proud democrat.

Thank You Sen. Barack Obama. I was almost lost to the world. You helped save me. And for this I am eternally greatful. I will repay you with my help in securing you the highest office in the land. President Barack Obama.

Now doesn't that sound great?

Laura

Laura

Barack is back in Iowa, May 20th 2008.

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:14:09 EDT

Ahhhh back to where it all started! Finally.

Sorry it took a couple of days to get this written. BUT>>>> I did not get home until 230 AM and the alarm went off at 5AM. OUCH! I worked all the next day and came home to a sewer backed up, which by the way is still not completely fixed. But on to other things.

I was not going to go. No I wasnt. Then I was going to go. I called Sandi4Obama on Sunday night to check if she was going to go. She said she just talked to John Columbo and yes they were going to get together with a group and go. We talked about going earlier because we wanted to get up front. I went to bed happy and excited. When I was at work Monday and thought about how tired I would be and how much gas money I would be spending....I changed my mind and decided not to go. I did not want to tell Sandi as I knew I was the "early ride" for her since the others had to work. When I got home Sandi called me and told me to look in my email for a "pass to change" a special pass from the campain (I bet they gave out a thousand of them, I did not know that then) when I saw it in my mail, I changed my mind again and said. OK we are on!

I had to take my daughter to the Orthodontist first and then get home and get ready to go, which shirt to wear???lol. Then off I went a bit later than I wanted to leave, but I had to get somethings done like charge my camera battery! I met Sandi in Clear Lake and we were off, excited and talking all the way. Sandi is such a hoot and such a wonderful person, she does so much for others all the time, she gives blood every 60 days, and helps raise money for so many local charities I can not remember them all. We talked about our life history and have much in common. Who knew I would meet up with people from all over Iowa that I would have never gotten to know had it not been for this campaign.

We got there about 130 and went through the capitol, I had never been. We took pictures of the senate and some of the old marble fixtures and then walked down the steps all the way to the main street. We got behind the scenes and checked out where Barack would be speaking. We talked to some press and other "over excited and early" supporters. We ended up meeting up with a friend of Sandi's I can not remember his name because I am bad with names. He has a suit on in the pictures you will see. We called him Senator.(I dont think he ever was, he was a teacher-retired). We talked to him about his support of Obama and the times he had met him.

We went to a place called "The House of Bricks" and had a Coke and waited. This was about 230 or so, we kept our eyes out as the line got longer, and went outside and figured out that we had our own line for "pass for change" we met a couple of girls there that had chairs and were first in line. We talked to them and started our long wait til 730. The line got bigger and bigger and we started directing people to the correct line across the street for those without passes. Soon it was about 5:30 or 6:00. We had a problem on our hands, people were just showing up and making the line "wider" and not just getting in the back of the line as would be respectful. We had our hands full, but a sweetheart Joe the Secret Service guy who had been hanging out with us for an hour or so helped us out a bit, but people are just rude. ANYWAY....

They let us in early because the street was just too full of people. We went to our assigned area and were a little discouraged because it was in back of and to the right of the podium. But at least we were close. A band played and when they started out with Super Freak, I said...hmmmm does this make anyone think of someone in particular? (ok that was rude, sorry Hillary) we sang and danced around and watched as the MIB, SS and then the snipers all filled up the place. First a woman named Candy spoke. She had a story just like mine. A disinterested, non political Iowan. A Mom, a hard worker and someone who just went along with the tide. She too has been motivated by Baracks candiacy. She is now going back to college, in her 40s to study political science.

We knew that Barack would be there soon. We thought he would come from the left but he ended up coming from the right, with Michelle, Sasha and Malia. What a wonderful and beautiful family. They did not quite get to us. I was bummed....but more to come. As Michelle and the girls left the stage so Dad could do some talking the girls came running down and I have a great shot of that in my pictures, they were ready to get out of there, being little girls I am sure they tire of the whole ordeal. The girls waited right in fron of us with the SS and then Michelle came over and shook hands and gave an older woman a big hug. People just love Michelle. She is absolutly gorgous. That Barack is a lucky man considering he is so skinny and he has such big ears...lol

Baracks speech was one that showed what a statesman he is. Very gracious to Sen. Clinton and to her accomplishments. I was proud. He thanked Iowa and went on to tell us that he now had the majority of pledged delegates. The crowd went wild! It was like something I had never felt. We all have worked so hard, we have litterly put blood, sweat and lots of tears and sleepless nights in for this one man. To tell me that we should not believe in him is just like saying that I should not believe the sun will come up tomarrow. I have thrown in so much of my life in this, it is truely something that I have staked so much in. The fact that some people can not see the light, does not mean that EVERYONE will not see it if given the chance. I know now more than ever that this fight is the one worth fighting.

Barack took on McCain with an iron fist, I for one have been so glad to see Barack going after McCain. This fight will not be easily won against the right sided wing nuts, but we ARE GOING TO DO IT! That is what we are all here for! I am ready and I know that you are too. Nothing can silence the voice of a million voices calling out.

Michelle came back out and when they left the stage they went forward and I thought we missed our chance again to shake his hand. But slowly they came back towards us. I shook his hand and smiled at him smiling at me. Sandi talked about her being a Obamacain. And Barack was pleased and said "Thank You". I got a great picture of Barack coming towards us, but his ears look like they are glowing because of the lights.

We watched him leave and I realized that never in my life had I met a president 4 times personally in my life. I had just done it. I have seen him 6 times. I thanked God again that I lived in Iowa. Then I thought to myself that Barack knows how lucky he is that we love him so much here. Iowa started it all. I had a part in it. We all did. Wow!........

Sandi, the man we called senator and the girls whe had met in line decided to go back to "The House of Bricks" as I was leaving I heard someone call my name. I did not recoginze anyone, then she introduced herself as Meave! I was so happy. I wish I could have spent more time talking. I felt kinda bad but the crowd was moving and my group was leaving. We went and watched the results come in and watched some people singing Karoke. We left about 11PM and I got home about 230. It was all worth it. What a night to remember.

I know I am probley leaving some out. But Sandi can fill you in with a post or two. I may update it as it comes back to me. Right now I need to catch up on some sleep! lol

Here are the pictures!

http://community.webshots.com/album/563536255VHoQVZ?vhost=community

We are the bridge.

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:24:41 EDT

I know I am gonna get jumped on but here it is.

I really think that Hillary Clinton really really thinks that she is the best. I do not think that she holds any real contempt for Barack except for the fact that he is young, exciting and is winning right now.
She believes that she has the knowlege, connections and experience to get the job done. She believes that out of all the people that were running for president, she really is the one who can get things done.
I used to believe that she hated Barack. But I think this does not come from contempt, but just from the fact that she feels in her heart that she has worked for this most of her life. And she has.
She and Bill can not understand why others just cant see that, and it makes them mad. They only know how to fight this fight politically and the people they are trying to reach out to are not politicians so thier arguement falls flat. Barack is talking to a new audience, one that is immune to the political process and really is new to it all together for the most part. Barack has a hard time getting his arguement to stick with those who are politial because they can not and do no want to believe that someone can change things and that Hillary is the one who knows the ropes and is the best bet.

These two groups of people have a large divide and somehow we have to get a bridge there. Hillary and Barack can not do it. We have to. We have to be the bridge. We need to stop the divide and stop harping on one another.

If anyone can bring this together is it us. And it only can be WE THE PEOPLE.

Need ID in IN?

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:39:02 EDT

Indiana BMV office extends hours today and tomorrow!!!!!
---------
**If you do not possess an ID that is acceptable for voting purposes, Public Law 109-2005 requires the BMV to issue an Indiana State ID Card free.**

Need A Photo ID To Vote?
Indiana’s BMV branches will be open extended hours Monday and Tuesday for voters needing government-issued identification cards or driver's licenses.

The new hours follow this week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding Indiana's voter identification law. It requires most voters to show photo IDs issued by the state or federal government before casting ballots. Indiana's primary is Tuesday.

Full service license branches, normally closed on Mondays, will be open the day before the primary from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., local time. On the day of the primary, branches will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Normal Tuesday hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Applicants must provide a primary document, such as a birth certificate or passport; a secondary document, such as a pay check stub or a signed credit card; and proof of residency, such as a utility bill. Regular business hours will resume Wednesday.

Link

Site for update on Iowa delegates

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:05:33 EDT

Here is the site to Iowa state conventions: Looks like Edwards got one from CD1. I think they fell for the Clinton "deal".

http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/04/iowa-update.html

District 4 convention: Boone Iowa

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:32:07 EDT

Back from the district convention yesterday!

Day started at 5 AM for me, in the shower and ready to go by 530. Waited for the two peole riding with me.

In the car and on the road at 6AM. It takes about 3 hours to get to Boone from where I am. As we drove we talked about everything you can think of...(ME TALK???lol)

After enjoying a week of 70 degree weather it was actually spitting flurries this morning~ But it went away as we were driving. We got there about 830 (so we did good on time~~fast driving!)

Waited in a short line and checked in, several of the people running for congress where there passing out water and coffee(no cream and sugar~~my complaint!) as we went into the room and people were checking us in by alphabet(last name) I noticed that a majority of the people checking in folks were wearing Obama shirts and buttons (yay). I of course had lost my letter to get in (I have EVERY OTHER piece of paper from this campaign, but not that) I used my voter registration and drivers licence, they let me in. the next table we spent 7 dollars on a box lunch, to be decided later, so we got a ticket.

As we walked in the main room, it looked like a mini National convention. Our counties were up high on signs, alphabetical. I found Howard Co. and we set our things down. We then were approached one by one as the morning went on by the people running for national delegates from both sides. Mostly Obama people. They need to have at least 6 signatures from delegates to be recognized. You can sign any sheet, but do not need to vote for that person in the end, so I signed them all.

There was a young girl with a mini booth set up with her picture and other pictures of her doing her Obama thing, setting up students for Obama in her school, canvassing, calling, meeting Obama and the like. Some people had business cards and one woman had a very elegant long card with "I Believe" and the Obama "circle" on the back and her story on the front. some had flyers. All would need to give a speech after the alignments were final and we knew how many delegates we were sending. Some of those peole were so impressive. A 50 something woman with the last name Miller was there, she is the first elected woman and the first elected black woman to represent any county in Iowa! She was awesome. I voted for her in the end. I hope she went. I left before it was over.

Here in district 4 it was 3 delegates for Barck 2 for Clinton and 1 for Edwards. We had 507 people there, all alternates were seated because of missing delegates for each side.

there were 274 people for Barack 187 for Clinton and 56 for Edwards.

As the day went on we heard from representatives for both candidates and voted on special platform groups. People that wanted to go on to nationals had flyers and cards, free cookies and pens to give away (it was pretty cool)

By 130 in the afternoon we were ready to spit into groups.

Then we split into preference groups and cast our first vote on a ballot after one hour of deliberation(not needed). The votes were counted.

The people in the Edwards group went into a special room. The chosen few from Obama and Clinton went in to talk to these people. There were rumors flying everywhere as to the deals. Then the Clinton group on the other side of the room cheered and we were a bit dejected as a few Edwards people came to them. We thought thru the rumor mill that they had accepted a deal that Clinton then offered them 12 delegates to make them viable. That was all the talk! We were dejected, but knew that we at least would not lose a delegate.

The story that came out from the Edwards people was that indeed the Clinton people had offered them 12 delegate to keep them viable, but that was only if they choose one of those people to go to nationals! Then the Edwards people asked if they would stay with them at the state level to keep them viable and the Hillary people would not do that. We offerd them 5 of the 6 platform committee spots at state since our platforms are the same essentially and that the reason they were there for Edwards is because they want him to have a voice. We gave it to them, and they came to us.

As time went on suddenly the doors flew open the Edwards people came out and all the rest came to us! We only needed 25 people to get to another delegate, we got it as we recieved 32 of them! They were gladly received and were smiling, I of course hugged all that would be hugged!

The final count 306 for Obama, 199 for Clinton and 2 for Edwards (non viable)

SO now district 4(there are 5 districts in Iowa) is Obama 4 Clinton 2!!!!

Pictures here:

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563227563CUrRuS?vhost=good-times

I am dying to know how the other 4 districts went? I heard rumors that Hillary picked up a delegate? But from what district?

FIRED UP!

I am not going on to nationals,,,but to state. There were people MUCH MORE deserving and qualified than me to go I can assure you! Let me tell you something. Be careful who you send to nationals. Study those people and assure yourself that they will not be swayed. If there is any chance they can be swayed and I am sure the national convention will be much more contintious than this district was, there will be some dirty deeds trying to be delt there. Make sure you send your strongest!

Iowa Democratic Party

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:09:22 EDT

This is the address to the Iowa Democratic Party:

http://www.iowademocrats.org/ht/d/Home/pid/315115

here you can click on your county and print off your convention information (mine was 57 pages long!) and get other information on how to get more involved with your county and state.

Lets do this for Senator Obama( President Obama) lets join, get our "activist" on and make some changes! It will take all of us to be a part of this movement of taking America back!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!! (not pushy am I? lol)

Cant wait to meet you all!!!

This weekend Iowa district conventions!!!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:01:23 EDT

I am reposting my response to an other delegate. I hope this answers a few questions. I am new to this too, but from what I understand:

NO worries. This is going to be like a HUGE caucus. Come and find me Ill be the one with the Obama shirt on! LOL. Really, give me a call on my Obamaphone 319-231-4396.

There is nothing special you need to do except show up and keep the people from your county fired up and ready for Obama. If we win PA, it will be such a turn over I believe. But it will also be a time for those "angry" Hillsters to take it out on some of the weaker Obama supporters. So lets be strong and keep an eye on the Obama supporters the best we can. We need them not to be bullied into believeing something wrong. At this point, no one should be wavering.

Lets keep it positive. I mean, nothing but policy differences with Clinton, NO NO NO arguments about pant suits and hair color ect. Nothing personal. Only personal stories about what makes you know that Obama will win in November. This is the questions that NEED to be answered!

Please give me a call anytime! I can not wait to meet you!

PA Debate watching party Mason City Iowa

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:14:58 EDT

Here are some pictures from the PA debate watching party. We were joined by a few of those running for office in the 4th district. And the local news.

Although it was a unsatisfactory debate, something I would hardly call a debate, we had a good time connecting with everyone. I was so happy to see Sandi Lincoln, and Native there! Everyone was so nice and it was just as I imagined it would be if all of us got together. I still think the campaign should send the top 200 people on here somewhere to meet.

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2746047490101683170hRKdKV?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2308154540101683170VLbWHC?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2336935580101683170UBeHmA?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2343394340101683170BKODhU?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2370792660101683170NhCiyi?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2105417290101683170AEFYXV?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2639035370101683170FjAZHs?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2170939700101683170IslGzx?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2986645210101683170UGeCEF?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2819519820101683170xEQknQ?vhost=good-times

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2601790010101683170JiUnLO?vhost=good-times

HI this is me! just wanted to say HI

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:08:24 EDT

I just got a video camera for my computer, and have had fun listening to myself talk!

Just wanted to make a personal HI! to everyone here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNt3cCVeczA

Who are we?

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:35:27 EDT

have you found yourself pondering what happened to you?

I sometimes wonder what happened to the woman who ran her job, her children and life with skill. The woman who watched the local news at night just for the weather. The woman who had absolutly no idea that Iowa voted first. I did not even know that there were primarys and the general election. Why? what? who? where?

How did the television programs like "Morning Joe", "Hardball", "Countdown", "John Stewart"," Steven Colbert" "Dan Abrams" and any other show end up on my TV. I just figured out that FOX was republican, WHAT?! I also found out that Carvel is married to that Mary lady....

I am finding out more and more everyday, and I am totally bitter! I was the American that the Clintons and the republicans dreamed of. I was totally unaware and they were counting on me to just stay in my little world and trust them to "just take care of everything" with thier hedge funds, corperate contracts, dirty money and fake promises.

Why should they tell the truth? no one is payiing any attention. No one wants the truth, it is way to scary. We are just to stupid to handle the truth. We will all get scared and start asking questions.

Then came the skinny black guy with the funny name. I heard him speak. He was different. He is different. I have heard this man get attacked over and over again for telling the truth. This only makes him stronger in Americas eyes. An American president that stands up and tells the truth, what a breath of fresh air.

We have lost over 4000 Americans. LOST. as in not getting back, ever. This is a deep scar on America. A wound that can not be easily healed. Thanks to the republican rule of the last 8 years we can not take time off of work to march in the streets, lord knows we can not afford the gas money to get to D.C!

I want to make pertectly clear that my intention on writing this is out of pure frustration and bitterness. I want to let the world know that I am an average American. I am not a latte drinking, Prius driving, white collar, Birkenstock wearing liberal. I am new to this. I am as I said, the average American. I work full time, I raise children, I own my home, I drive a American car. I have 4 dogs that live outside on my farm. I was raised in California, I have lived in NV, MD, DC, FL, NC, VA and IA. I know who I am. Or at least I think I do.

I know who I used to be. I was a sleep walking through my life. A walking political dream. Now I am considered an "activist" for the entire hospital I work for. WHAT!! everytime someone comes to talk to me, I smile. I think it is funny. Especially when they ask me a question and I have the answer....easily. I spent a day traveling with my boss. We rarely have the time to talk at work. AS soon as I got in the car, she started on the political thing "so" she said "tell me about this race, so like, who is who and what is going on" I let her ask me questions for the entire hour. If I did not know the answer, I passed on the question and let her know that I did not have the answer. I then decided that thank God she was with me asking questions and not someone who was republican, then I was taken back by my thoughts. "I am a liberal" I am influencing people. I need to make sure I am keeping up on this stuff. I need to be right! I now have a responsibilty. It is a huge one. If I misspeak just once, I will lose credibility. I was a little freaked out. I have really gotten myself into it deep.

I am proud of myself and of everyone who has gotten involved in this movement. I am glad to take this on. I will raise my awareness of this process like I have raised my children, to the best of my abilty, with the best of intentions and with the upmost of hope for the future.

Thank you Barack Obama for this opportunity. Thank you fellow bloggers for the encouragement to keep it up. Thank you to my husband and children for putting up with me and listening to me.

Welcome Kevin ,district 4 organizer!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:26:35 EDT

I would like to welcome Kevin to our group. He is the Iowa district 4 organizer!

Here is his name and contact information

Contact: Kevin Geiken
515-745-4969
kgeiken@gmail.com

If you are a delegate for district 4 and have any questions please contact him. He is a member of this group and you can also directly contact him by clicking on his name in the "members" area of this group and send him a message!

I hope to get the other organizers to join as well.

District Convention sites, and contact information

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:57:24 EDT

Let us know you're attending your Congressional District Convention

On Saturday, April 26th, Iowa's five congressional districts will each hold a Congressional District Convention. We need as many Obama supporters as possible to attend and help make sure we win as many delegates as possible.

Convention locations are below.

Please note: by signing up below, you are NOT registering for your Congressional District Convention.

Iowa Congressional District Convention Locations

Congressional District 1
Dubuque Senior High School
1800 Clarke Dr.
Dubuque, IA 52001
Contact: Nathan Blake
515-783-6190
nblake@barackobama.com

Congressional District 2
Mt. Vernon High School
731 Palisades Rd SW
Mt. Vernon, IA 52314
Contact: Kevin Geiken
515-745-4969
kgeiken@gmail.com

Congressional District 3
Valley High School
3650 Woodland Avenue
West Des Moines, IA 50266
Contact: Nathan Blake
515-783-6190
nblake@barackobama.com

Congressional District 4
Boone County Fairgrounds
Community Building
Boone, IA 50036
Contact: Kevin Geiken
515-745-4969
kgeiken@gmail.com

Congressional District 5
Mid-America Center
1 Arena Way
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
Contact: Kevin Geiken
515-745-4969
kgeiken@gmail.com
RSVP to let us know you are coming

The first unrevised portion of my speech for state. Please leave comments and suggestions

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:35:40 EDT

There was a time when politics meant absolutely nothing to me. I was like everyone else I knew. I sat around and complained about what was happening but felt like there was nothing I could do. I am scared of the way things are changing for the worse. I am tired of America trying to save the world by going over to other countries and bombing them. I know, just like most of the rest of the world, that this has not worked and will not work. We have a chance, a once in a generation chance, a chance to choose something different. I call it real change.

How can we as Americans, look real change in the face, and let the chance pass us by? How do you argue against change? Why would you argue against positive change?

Just because someone has many years being exposed to politics it does not give them the building blocks for change. Not for positive change. I know that not being involved for most of my life makes be seem like a naïve fool for making these statements to those of you who are dyed in the wool democrats. But I am a citizen of the United States of America and I have lived here my entire life. I have lived in 8 states from coast to coast. I have visited more than 23 of those states and met people from all 50. I like to talk, and have engaged in many a conversation. I have been a student, a military veteran who served my country for 10 years, I have worked in hospitals for 24 years. I have lived an American life. Married, divorced, remarried, children, birthday parties, insurance payments, house payments, living paycheck to paycheck. I have done it all.

I feel that maybe my life spent away from politics has given me a perspective that matches that of 90 percent of the people in America. I believe that what we have seen in America this primary season is the activation of so many people, people are watching. Do you think that this many people would have registered to vote if Barack Obamas campaign, driven by a strong grassroots organization, was not in action? Can you not see what he and his message are doing?

People all over the country are tuning in. Some 600,000 more people have voted for Sen. Obama than Sen. Clinton so far. That is not just a few. By the end of this race there will be probably be over a million! Republicans are switching to democrats just to vote for Obama. Yeah, I know, there are those Rush Limbaugh Republicans that switched to vote for Hillary. But not for the general election, they are there to bloody up Obama for now. This should tell you all something. The republicans are afraid of Obama. They know he can win. And I believe so do you.

Right now there are so many people upset because they want their candidate to win. So many are saying “I won’t vote for Obama if Clinton is out or I won’t vote for Clinton if Obama is out” We really have to think this through. McCain is getting free reign right now. Have you heard what he is saying? He said he was in Germany the other day with their president Putin! Putin is in Russia! He said that Iran is training Iraqis! He was corrected by Lieberman 4 times in one week with this! He admits that he doesn’t know anything about the economy, the people he has surrounding him for advisors are Bush clones! We do not need a puppet for a president. I know Clinton is better than even this. But she too is a puppet with many debts and favors owed to many lobbyists and other high profile politicians. This is what being in politics has done to her. She is political minded and this does not work to our benefit. We need someone who is not afraid, for political reasons, to do what is right. We need someone who does not distance themselves from the truth just because it would be politically damning. The truth can hurt when you’re doing the right thing. But once it is out there, the relief is wonderful. We would not have gotten this far in our nation without all of the voices calling for change. The Civil War, The World Wars, Vietnam, the civil rights movement, the 60’s, all voices calling for change. Here we sit 2008 calling for change. Will that call be answered? Or will we be stuck in the past refusing to move on? I do not think the people of this nation will allow it. If I have to I will start a people’s movement. I am one person yes, but it only takes one voice calling for change to start something big.

Barack Obama has asked us not only to stand for him, but first he has asked us to stand up for each other. His call to service is something I have not heard in my lifetime. I am 43 years old. How can this much time have gone by without someone asking us all to give something? Everyone has it in them to make a difference. We were just waiting for someone to make us feel that doing something would actually make a difference. That someone is Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton does not move me to do anything for my country. She makes me want to stay home and let her just do whatever it is she does. We need a president that makes our country work for itself. Not someone who just wants us to sit back and not pay any attention while they do whatever it is that they do in Washington behind closed doors. We have a better chance at becoming a great nation again with Barack Obama at the helm.

I am not alone in my belief. I am not alone. There are millions of “me’s” all over the country. We will not be silent!

Keep in Touch!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:06:09 EDT

I know that there is a little more than a month till our district conventions. But I suggest that you keep in touch with the other delegates that are going to the convention with you. I suggest you get a list of the delegates with at the very least the phone numbers. Make sure ALL alternates are kept in the loop as well. You never know when they will be needed and they need to be included because they too stood up for Barack at the county convention!

Stick close to each other. We all have a common purpose. We all have a resolute dedication to making Barack Obama the 44th president of the United States. It is going to take every last one of us to make it happen.

This is the time to pull together like a family. Get to know each other and have at least one meeting or more before the convention. There are prob. people that have attended a convention before. If there is not one among you that has gone before, contact your local Democratic party and try to find a supporter amongst them that has attended before so you will know how it works. It is going to be a lot like your county conventions but to a much bigger degree.

Figure out how you are all going to get to the convention, who is going to drive, where you will stay, ect. Get each others cell phone numbers and pull from each other strengh when you are down. We need to be strong at the conventions, each and everyone of them.

Stay strong. We will stand up for Barack till the end!

Black Box Voting. Have you heard about this?

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:17:26 EDT

The video below provides bits of the backstory for our discovery of a potentially devastating method of rigging MAIL IN VOTES, AUDITS and RECOUNTS. Black Box Voting is currently doing proof of concept testing on our "Theory of a crime" and will release details next week on how it's done, so that preventive measures can be put in before November. We'll see how the ballots and the special "optical scan marking pens" being sold by vendors actually perform in our tests. Any information you can provide on the specific paper stock and especially, the paper coatings used by ballot printers will be much appreciated right now.

Information leading up to this discovery came from a frame-by-frame analysis of video, including these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txoLlfrBENk (pay close attention to the last segment)
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOESAfrPSKI

We believe it is possible to undetectably alter thousands -- possibly tens of thousands -- of paper ballots, using a technique known as "check washing." This would require applicator bottles (for ballot alteration in a vehicle during transport), paper towels, and in central ballot storage locations, for large quantities, cans of odorless paint thinner, denatured alcohol, or acetone. Our upcoming tests will show if our theory is correct, whether it can be done in a van, how many ballots can be done per hour, whether the special "AccuVote marking pens" sold by LHS Associates and Diebold (Premier) are easier to "wash" for remarking.

These two "ELECTION REALITY TV" videos above are prequels; video of our demo will be released next week. Maybe our theory of a crime won't work. We'll see.

The new video, linked above, shows top-level New Hampshire state officials lying about chain of custody matters. In one particularly bizarre incident, they attempt to hide the fact that ballots are sitting right there in an area of the warehouse (at 5:20 pm) that they have emphasized is "closed" at 4:30 pm. When a citizen catches them on video in the "closed" area, they simply deny that the ballot boxes are ballot boxes!

Earlier, they had staged a bit of public theatre in which they made it a point that "Hoppy" of the Butch and Hoppy ballot transport team, will have trouble going back to get his bag because the area is "closed" at 4:30. But after dark at 5:20, a Connecticut citizen named Walter Reddy caught top state officials and Hoppy on film in the very area that was supposed to be "closed", and the next night at 6:54 pm, a Florida citizen named Jeannie Dean caught them again.

Apparently the state officials did not realize the ballot boxes (empty and otherwise) had been caught on video, and after saying "those are not ballots" they hurriedly turned out the lights! Imagining state-level public officials standing there in the dark would be comical if it didn't represent the rape of our democratic republic.

The same boxes identified as "NOT ballots" are later identified, on camera, as Rockingham County ballot boxes, by the same state official who claimed they weren't ballots the night before. Of course, we knew they were ballot boxes, because we followed the ballot pickup van during Rockingham County pickups!

So what did they do? Open it up and deal with ballot intake and chain of custody in a properly public and transparent fashion?

Nope. The next night, New Hampshire state officials engaged the services of a police dog to obstruct citizens from looking in the window -- aROOH-ROOH-ROOH! (Nice doggy.)

Sarasota citizen Jeannie Dean, teeth chattering in the frigid New Hampshire night, zoomed in with a camera and boosted the sound on her video and once again, caught 'em in the act of secretive ballot delivery in the dark, wandering around in areas already proclaimed "closed after 4:30 pm."

"They" included New Hampshire Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan, New Hampshire Archives Director Frank Mevers, Archives Records Manager Brian Burford, and of course, "Butch and Hoppy" -- Armand "Butch" Dubois and Peter "Hoppy" Falzone.

A public records request by Black Box Voting for documents pertaining to the assignment of the K-9 unit has elicited "There are no records." We asked for phone bills, New Hampshire officials have said it will take 90 days to find them. We have asked for checks, credit card receipts, etc. for cleaning supplies, paint thinner, smocks, latex gloves, etc. They say it will take 90 days to find them. (Or find which ones to purge? Guys: We have your stuff on video.)

Much of what I've just told you relates to next week's proof of concept testing. What you will see in THESE videos is the backstory that helped us figure out the mechanics of how a massive ballot-tampering operation could be accomplished with just a few key people.

This project, funded and produced by BLACK BOX VOTING, used the concept of a rolling calvary of experienced citizen voting rights leaders. We collaborated on video targets and shared our videotape. Using combined evidence captured by several different citizens were we able to piece together how the New Hampshire primary could have been stolen.

CHAIN OF CUSTODY AND VOTE SUBSTITUTION: Along with voter eligibility fraud tactics and computer tampering, these will be "all the marbles" this November for mail-in votes (Oregon, Washington: nearly 100 percent; California, Arizona: approx 50 percent; Ohio, New Mexico, approx 30 percent.) Chain of custody and vote substitution can defeat any manual spot-check and, as we saw in New Hampshire, can nuke the validity of any recount.

IS THERE ANY WAY TO SECURE ELECTIONS?

YES. Citizen controls! "Get it right on Election Night." This is not about "bipartisan" observers who are political party operatives and hacks. This is about CITIZEN CONTROLS. Because the instruments of government that we have created, and our votes -- our method of exercising control over the government that we have created -- belong to US, not "them" -- not the government, not political parties. US. U.S. We the People.

AND NOW, ABOUT THOSE COMPUTERS...

Following another investigation, requiring months of diligence and plenty of computer and public records experience, JIM MARCH, JOHN BRAKEY, MICHAEL SHELBY: Maricopa County Arizona have produced an in-depth citizen evaluation: http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/73271.html

The article above provides the overview for a number of issues discovered in the largest location in Arizona, the most systemic -- national in scope -- being their discovery of an illicit component in the Sequoia voting system. Pay special attention to Appendix A in the full report: http://www.bbvdocs.org/sequoia/Maricopa-County-Elections-Report.pdf

* * * * *

And as for the many locations that still use paperless DREs or fail to audit chain of custody and procedural safeguards, as they say in New York, "fahgeddaboudit." There is no reason whatsoever to trust those elections.

YOUR DONATIONS ARE NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER, TO WATCHDOG 2008:

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/donate.html or mail to:
Black Box Voting
330 SW 43rd St Suite K
PMB 547
Renton WA 98057

Black Box Voting is supported entirely by individual citizen donations.

The Speech

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:18:46 EDT

The Speech:

That is what people will say, "The Speech" of the 21st centry was the one that Barack Obama gave on the 18th day of March 2008. The speech was one of truths, a one that opened up the conversations between all races. The speech also opened some wounds, wounds that will heal more completely once the scar tissue is removed and the old and tired tissue is gone. The new fresh wound will take care to heal completely. It is a big wound, it will take time to heal. With proper care it will heal though. There will be a scar there so that we will all remember what happened so that we will not return to that horrible past and repeat our mistakes. We will be able to look apon that area and tell our children and grandchildren about it.

We can cry over things lost, people hurt, hearts broken and the bitterness that may linger in our heart of hearts. But the truth remains. Although Barack did not HAVE to give this speech, he did GIVE it. He gave it to us all. A present. What we choose to do with it is our choice. What are you going to do?

I plan on thinking about what I say, what I do. Tiny little things that I still hold in my mind. I am a white woman. I do not consider myself racist. If I go to a bigger city and pass by a group of black men, yes, I too feel a bit of fear. Why? because I have watched to much TV, I have been taught to be afraid, I have lingering thoughts. I wonder now, how would I feel if everytime a woman walked past me and a group of friends she grabbed her purse and looked away and walked a little faster. I would wonder why? What have I done? Imagine a lifetime of this treatment. I would begin to resent those type of people. Next time, I must look up and look at each one in the face. It will be hard, I will be learning.

This is a great time in this country. That this man would take the great leap of faith in the American people. He has nothing to gain from this except the knowledge that maybe someone learned something today.

I did Barack, I did. I let your words get to my heart, my soul. I sat and cried, I prayed that everyone in the world could hear your words. I wanted a healed America NOW! I must be patient. I must do what I must do to get you to the White House.

Please let this be done!

Hillarys tax problem (From Huffington Post)

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:47:55 EDT

Arianna Huffington

On Clinton's Tax Returns, a "Frankly Disturbing" Lack of Transparency, and Surrogate-ancholy

Posted March 17, 2008 | 12:33 PM (EST)

It's hard out there for a surrogate. Especially for a Clinton surrogate being asked why Hillary Clinton has not released the last eight years of her tax returns.

...

There are 20 years worth of returns that have been released. What's missing are the last 8 years -- years in which Bill Clinton has been making money hand over fist, and involving himself in all kinds of interesting financial deals (see Ron Burkle, Yucaipa, and the ruler of Dubai).

Lowry then quickly pivoted away from tax returns (clearly the 20 year line, as lame as it is, was the only arrow in her quiver) to make points about earmarks and the terrific work Bill Clinton's foundation has done on HIV/AIDS in Africa -- neither of which Russert had asked her about or have anything to do with tax returns.

...

While Clinton has been tossing verbal bouquets to McCain and attacking Obama for not being "vetted," Obama has been living up to his promises about making government more transparent. Not only did he release his latest tax returns in April 2007, he also just made public his list of earmarks, and sat down at the end of last week with the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times to answer all their questions about Tony Rezko.

...

to ask what her policy as president would be regarding the transparency of huge donations from foreign interests to her husband's charitable fund (see the $31.3 million donation and additional $100 pledge to Bill Clinton's foundation after he helped a Canadian mining mogul secure a massive uranium deal with Kazakhstan)?

...

In short, it's well past time for Hillary Clinton to be as "vetted" as she claims to already be -- and to have this vetting done now by Democratic voters rather than later by GOP hit squads. She needs to live up to the standard she laid out for Rick Lazio, the opponent in her 2000 Senate race. At that time, she said it was "frankly disturbing" that Lazio was holding back on releasing his tax returns.

What a difference eight years -- and tens of millions of dollars (some of them from questionable deals) -- can make.

Some keys to becoming a good delegate

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:29:28 EDT

Please feel free to add more!

The key is organize, organize,organize! Be the first to do jobs and keep people informed in your area about upcoming events, regardless of the candidate. Being a delegate does not just mean being a delegate for Obama. It is about being a person that best represents your county and is aware of the issues concerning your area. You have to be well informed and very fired up to catch peoples attention. I make sure I am at the front when people are checking in and help them find thier names and help them organize the meeting. Being a delegate is a responsibilty to your community as well as your candidate.

I spend a lot of time helping all the people in the room. Smiling and being cordial making sure everyone feels comfortable that I am not there just to promote my candiate, but to ensure that our countys platforms are represented. At least here in Iowa we bring our platforms (Iraq war,clean air and water, hog farms ect..) to be discussed and voted on as well. I listen to what people have to say and become informed on those issues.

Obama Iowa County Conventions

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:19:04 EDT

As Campaign Manager David Plouffe announced last night, the incredible turn-out and support at yesterday's Iowa county conventions resulted in a net gain of 10 national delegates for Barack. Many of the gains came in the form of John Edwards delegates who decided to realign with Obama, but none of it would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our many Iowa supporters and staff.

Throughout the day yesterday, a number of you posted your personal county convention experiences in the comments of the HQ blog. Here are just a few of the incredible stories:

From indyia in Buchanan County:

This morning was our county convention here. I was an alternate delegate for Obama. A lot of people showed up. For our county they said normal turnout is around 15-20. Today it was over 100.

After all the delegates were seated including the alternates we had 60 for Obama and Hillary had 50 something. Edwards (around 30 people) grouped together and stayed uncommitted until the last minute. I think some realized their voices weren't going to be heard unless they committed. We asked one last time if they wanted to realign; Obama gained 17 and Hillary 3. So we did really well. Obama got a total of 10 delegates from our county. There were so many of us wanting to move on to the next stage which is districts that they had to draw out of a hat. I was one of the lucky ones and am going to districts on April 26th. I really enjoyed myself and am looking forward to representing Obama again on the 26th of April.

From John in Cerro Gordo:

The results for Cerro Gordo amazed me, we went from being down by 8.41% to being up by 8.69% a change of 17.1% over Clinton. I remember as a precinct captain that it wasn't so good for Obama in Cerro Gordo back in January. It looks better now!

From Helen in Benton County:

Benton County, Iowa gained 13 new supporters today at our convention! Our delegates were happy, civil and FIRED UP!

In Howard County, Obama finished third in January with 16 delegates, behind John Edwards with 18 delegates and Hillary Clinton with 25. Laura and her fellow supporters remained undaunted however, and at yesterday's county convention their hard work paid off:

I did my phone calling over the last two weeks reaching out to the Edwards people.

I prayed for everyone to show up.

I went to convention early and got an Obama sign put up. I did not want to be obnoxious. I was waiting to see how the Clinton campaign set up. I helped sign everyone in. Looking up names and taking time to smile and laugh.

The house was packed. The "old timers" that have been coming forever were shocked. They came to me since they knew I had been calling everyone to remind them, and commented on how happy they were to see so many people committed. One woman in particular, the secretary for the Howard Co. Democrats seemed to be really taken.

We went through the platforms for the county (no smoking in public places, stop the Iraq war, stop poverty, etc.) I had no idea those issues were dealt with at such a level. It was good to see these things voted on. It took nearly 3 hours as we had 25 things on the agenda to vote on.

Next was the separation into preference groups. The chair asked for the candidates' representatives if they wanted to speak ... I raised my hand and told them the story you have all heard so many times. The one about me being 43 and never having voted before. I heard Barack's name on TV one night...

Everyone listened as I talked about what I thought Democrats are, what drew me to be active, how I did not care before. It was Barack Obama that opened my eyes, the campaign he was running and the people he trusted on the ground to make a difference. I said that Obama has the ability to bring us together.

Then we split into groups. We have 9 delegates at stake now.

The room split and a lot people came to my side. Some said my speech made a difference in the side they chose.

The final count:

5 delegates for Obama
4 for Clinton

I am one of the 5! I am going to regionals! And....I was voted in as Vice Chair to my county Democrats!

County Conventions

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:01:59 EDT

Iowa has all of the county conventions on March 15th. This is coming up fast! Here is some information for you.

All the pledged delegates for Obama are allowed to go to the convention(as wellas the pledged delegates for the other candidates) There have been robocalls from the Clinton campaign to Obama delegates telling them they can switch. Which is true. But we need to be strong and hold on to every delegate we have plus try to move the other delegates from Edwards, Biden, Dodd, Richardson, Kucinich over to our side. Then we will have a bigger margin then we initially won Iowa with. We have to try to "stop loss" of any Obama delegate. Beware of games that may tried to be played by the other candidate.

I have been told by the campaign after I had obtained the list of all the pledged delegates to call only the Obama delegates and the Edwards delegates. It appears that the other campaign thinks they can win by somehow out doing us and making robocalls to "remind" people that they do not have to stick by Obama. This is unfair and makes a mockery of what we all stood for in Jan.

The conventions should be much more organized and civil. They will start out like the caucus with registration and then a vote to align with a candidate. after the final decision is made on viability of each candidate then they will move on to the platform committee and resolutions. Depending on what you signed up for on caucus night you will be required to stay for that meeting.

We need to be strong and fired up! We need to be good examples for the campaign as we are representing Barack. Do not stoop to any funny business and always play fair and square. If you see anything happening that is questionable please report it to HQ or to me and I can pass it on. Make sure you include your name precinct and a number to contact you at.

Laura

The state of the race (according to me!)

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:25:01 EDT

There was a time that I did not believe in the country. I did not believe in the people that lived in it. With the exception of the people in my own little circle.

Since I have been involved in this campaign and put myself out there to the people of my community and the people of my state and others. I have spent hours on the phone and went out and bought "Excel" for my computer so that I would have the ability to make spread sheets and communicate with the campaign more easily.

Talking to the people of this country I have made freinds that I would have never had made if it were not for this campaign. I have not been involved before so I dont know if this is something that happens to the "popular" campaigns. But I am assuming from what I have been told, that this is not the normal, this is not what "usually" happens.

I just wanted to tell eveyone that this blog is read by, everyone that is feeling doubt, that I am very hopeful. I feel that everyone that has touched this campaign has been pulled into something that was laying just beneith the surface of our concience. We have pulled together as a country from one coast to the other from north to south. We have traveled the country and made phone calls and knocked on doors. We stepped outside of our "boxes" and touched others with our hopes and dreams. We let it be known how we feel. We have learned about ourselves and how far we will go for something that is right. We all know deep down inside that we are working for the betterment of our country. The betterment of our lives. The betterment of the world.

We are not alone in this. We have seen on the blogs, people from all over the world calling to us for change. We talk to each other on the blogs and feel connected to something good. It has been very hard for me to watch the blogs being taken over by negitivity and spite. This is not what we come here for. People need to stop telling Barack what to do through the blogs. We have to trust in the campaign. They have not made a misstep so far. I know that they have a plan, and that plan is a winning one. The blogs, I believe, are a place for US to communicate, to pass information and to help each other when we are feeling scared, threatened or down. It is a place for us to tell our stories from the ground so that all of us feel like we are "there". It is a place to come and get pumped up. The blog is open for EVERYONE to see, even the other campaigns (yes even Mccain). So putting "plans" on there is counter productive for the campaign. Send them to HQ, dont give those good ideas to the other side! (lol)by putting it out there for all to see.

After NH everyone was on there asking for Barack to "attack" Hillary. He did not, and he won all of the following states for several weeks. We would be kidding ourselves if we thought it would not go negative, so we should have known it was going to go there. The Clintons are smart politically. They know how to hit hard. Barack is a smart man and his advisors are smart politicallyas well. He has and will stay above the frey.

Relax a little and bask in the glory that Barack is doing well, He is in first place! Could we have seen this leading up to Iowa? We always hoped. But maybe never really imagined it. Lets just keep working. Lets spread our hope, love, and change to everyone that we encounter. Lets keep up with our own Obamamania going.

So, the state of the race (according to me): WE ARE DOING GREAT! WE ARE WINNING! WE ARE SMART! WE ARE GREAT! WE ARE WONDERFUL! WE ARE GOING TO WIN!!!!!

(reposted from my Friend Annie) addresses, phone numbers and emails to most of MSM!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:05:23 EST

Sender: annie

Subject: next
Received: 3/5/08 3:17PM

Okay. We will continue.

Barack Obama said last night in his speech...

Well we are here tonight to say that this is not the America we believe in and this is not the future we want. We want a new course for this country. We want new leadership in Washington. We want change in America.

John McCain and Senator Clinton echo each other in dismissing this call for change. They say it is eloquent but empty; speeches and not solutions. And yet, they should know that it's a call that did not begin with my words. It began with words that were spoken on the floors of factories in Ohio and across the deep plains of Texas; words that came from classrooms in South Carolina and living rooms in the state of Iowa; from first-time voters and life-long cynics; from Democrats and Republicans alike.

If I am the nominee of this party, I will not allow us to be distracted by the same politics that seeks to divide us with false charges and meaningless labels. In this campaign, we will not stand for the politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon.

I owe what I am to this country I love, and I will never forget it. Where else could a young man who grew up herding goats in Kenya get the chance to fulfill his dream of a college education? Where else could he marry a white girl from Kansas whose parents survived war and depression to find opportunity out west? Where else could they have a child who would one day have the chance to run for the highest office in the greatest nation the world has ever known? Where else, but in the United States of America?

Hope. Progress. Barack Obama.

The time is now.

Please get involved.

Back Obama up with knowing where he stands on the issues. http://www.barackobama.com/

Please call five intelligent people and ask them to get involved.

Ask each of them to call 5 people.

Donate (No donation is too small) - http://my.barackobama.com/p...

Go to the Library of Congress and look at what bills Obama has introduced, written and or co-sponsored. http://thomas.loc.gov/

Write mainstream media about their presentation of the facts (below is a list)

Contact Howard Dean and say no to changing the signed agreement on Florida and Michigan & to not allowing this vote be decided by "Superdelegates" - http://www.democrats.org/co...

Encourage endorsements of unions, congressman, governors, and public officials.

I do hope you'll all get involved - even if it is donating $5.00 or contacting Main Stream Media or forwarding this email.

I know it takes effort. But anything worth having is worth fighting for - in a dignified way.

This is from a blog. Hopefully the info is correct.

"If you want to be heard, and I mean REALLY heard, you must bombard the main stream media with your notes of disgust about them handing the day to HRC yesterday by allowing her negativity and false rumors to dominate the news cycle. If we make can make 1.5 million calls, I bet we can send 1 million e-mails too!

Contacts are as follows:

ABC News

77 W. 66 St., New York, NY 10023

Phone: 212-456-7777

General e-mail: netaudr@abc.com

Nightline: nightline@abcnews.com

20/20: 2020@abc.com

CBS News

524 W. 57 St., New York, NY 10019

Phone: 212-975-4321

Fax: 212-975-1893

Email forms for all CBS news programs

CBS Evening News: evening@cbsnews.com

The Early Show: earlyshow@cbs.com

60 Minutes II: 60II@cbsnews.com

48 Hours: 48hours@cbsnews.com

Face The Nation: ftn@cbsnews.com

CNN

One CNN Center, Box 105366, Atlanta, GA 30303-5366

Phone: 404-827-1500

Fax: 404-827-1906

Email forms for all CNN news programs

Fox News Channel

1211 Ave. of the Americas

New York, NY 10036

Phone: (212) 301-3000

Fax: (212) 301-4229

comments@foxnews.com

List of Email addresses for all Fox News Channel programs

Special Report with Brit Hume: Special@foxnews.com

FOX Report with Shepard Smith: Foxreport@foxnews.com

The O'Reilly Factor: Oreilly@foxnews.com

Hannity & Colmes: Hannity@foxnews.com, Colmes@foxnews.com

On the Record with Greta: Ontherecord@foxnews.com

NBC

30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112

Phone: 212-664-4444

Fax: 212-664-4426

NBC news programs

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams: nightly@msnbc.com

NBC News Today: today@nbc.com

Dateline NBC: dateline@nbc.com

MSNBC

One MSNBC Plaza

Secaucus, NJ 07094

Phone: (201) 583-5000

Fax: (201) 583-5453

CNBC

2200 Fletcher Ave.

Fort Lee, NJ 07024

Phone: (201) 585-2622

Fax: (201) 583-5453

List of Email addresses for all MSNBC news programs

Hardball with Chris Matthews: hardball@msnbc.com

PBS

1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: 703-739-5000

Fax: 703-739-8458

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer: newshour@pbs.org

National Radio Programs

National Public Radio

635 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001-3753

Phone: 202-513-2000

Fax: 202-513-3329

E-mail: Chantal de la Rionda, assistant to the Ombudsman ombudsman@npr.org

All Things Considered: atc@npr.org

Morning Edition: morning@npr.org

Talk Of The Nation: totn@npr.org

I understand it is difficult to remain positive in light of the recent attacks this campaign has seen from Clinton. I too woke up this morning unhappy with the results but after some orange juice, cereal, and some news I am reluctant to call for a change in battle strategy in this campaign.

Being positive, honorable and dignified is always harder to do - it is always harder to embrace your opponent knowing that she is going to turn around and try and cut you down.

It is more expensive to maintain the moral high ground in elections because some people like hearing Gloria Steinem belittle John McCain's struggles as a POW.

Some people like seeing a big-mouth challenge the front-runner and then they forget all about that challenge when the time came to talk openly and debate.

Some people like half-answers and machiavellian innuendo when talking about a man of devout Christian faith.

Some people like taking patriotic, open and honest dialogue and twisting it into something un-American, grotesque and demeaning. Some people like it even more when they can target a black woman of the caliber of Michelle Obama - slander her in anyway they choose - and then simply write it off as politics as usual.

Some people like seeing the smallest hint of impropriety being blown up and used to smear a honorable and noble man.

Some people like mocking statesmen.

Some people like tearing down heroes.

Not THIS hero. Not THIS time.

I would urge all of Obama's supporters, official and non-official, to resist the temptation to go negative in this primary election. That is the Clinton way. That is the Bush way.

That is not the Obama way."

Why Obama?

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:18:49 EST

This is a little something I use (with permission from a friend on here) Barath.

Please feel free to use these talking points on WHY BARACK?

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/barath/CBh9

All Texas Newspapers Emails- Write some letters!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:27:54 EST

I realize the list below is similar to another list just sent to
TexasforObama, but the following list of emails represents EVERY Texas
newspaper which makes itself available to opinion letters via regular
email. Note: College newspapers come at the end. Note also, if you
see on a given line something like x, y@z.com, that means you can
address the email to x@z.com, y@z.com. Third note: Only submit to
emails labelled SPANISH if your email is in SPANISH :)

letter@reporternews.com,
nicole.perez@aliceechonews.com,
rmann@acnpapers.com,
editor@alpineavalanche.com,
alvinsun@swbell.net,
joanne.gosselin@amarillo.com,
sam@basinbroadband.com,
john@mybulletinnewspaper.com,
editor@aransaspassprogress.com,
news2@athensreview.com,
austin@bizjournals.com,
la-voz@sbcglobal.net, --SPANISH
bccourier@sbcglobal.net,
news@banderabulletin.com,
ttaschinger@hearstnp.com,
beepic@sbcglobal.net,
editor@bigspringherald.com,
editor@blancocountynews.com,
blueridgetribune@verizon.net,
news@boernestar.com,
joyce.kepley@fcspecial.com,
editor@borgernewsherald.com,
bsh@centex.net,
editor@breckenridgeamerican.com,
danny@brenhambanner.com,
timestribune@consolidated.net,
news@brownfieldonline.com,
gene.deason@brownwoodbulletin.com,
editorial@theeagle.com,
newscopy@highlandernews.com,
herald@cameronherald.com,
editor@timesguardian.com,
editor@hillcountrynews.com,
news@clarendononline.com,
dgosser@trcle.com,
hcnonline@hcnonline.com,
news@cliftonrecord.com,
news@colemancdv.com,
editor@coloradocountycitizen.com,
editor@thebulletin.com,
info@corpuschristidaily.com,
belcher@corsicanadailysun.com,
leon@lonestaricon.com,
cuerorecord@nodial.net,
dallas@bizjournals.com,
mark.donald@dallasobserver.com,
adriana@elheraldonews.com AND aebarbosa@yahoo.es --SPANISH,
editor@elhispanonews.com --SPANISH,
waters@parkcitiesnews.com,
businessnews@dallasnews.com,
news@deleontexas.com,
tgriffith@wcmessenger.com,
mtrimble@dentonrc.com,
manager, cedarhill, desoto, duncanville, and lancaster@todaynewspapers.net,
publisher, editor@dublincitizen.com,
editor@moorenews.com,
elgram@hilconet.com --SPANISH,
editorletter@leader-news.com,
cedgren@elpasotimes.com,
success@myeldorado.net,
rainsleader@earthlink.net,
dfisher@wylienews.com,
reader@wcn-online.com,
floydada@amaonline.com,
publisher@fspioneer.com,
rconnor, mprice@bizpress.net,
harral@star-telegram.com,
masterwebmaster@fwweekly.com,
news@frankstoncitizen.com,
cathy@fredericksburgstandard.com,
HCNonline@HCNonline.com,
frionastar@amaonline.com,
dmonk@acnpapers.com,
eaglepress@amaonline.com,
dailyregister@ntin.net,
editor@gatesvillemessenger.com,
news@gonzalesinquirer.com,
editor@hcnews.com,
editor@heraldbanner.com,
news@gonzalesinquirer.com,
news@cedarcreekpilot.com,
kmiller@herald-news.com,
lucioc, ramonr, pbinz@valleystar.com,
tfloyd@hendersondailynews.com,
editor@hondoanvilherald.com,
lcarter@forwardtimes.com,
houston@bizjournals.com,
viewpoints@chron.com,
hcnonline@hcnonline.com,
editorial@diariosrumbo.com --SPANISH,
jermis, lindseyv@itemonline.com,
newsdesk@thehuttonnews.com,
editor@jacksonvilleprogress.com,
jcnews@moment.net,
editor@thecountywide.com,
egardner, timesnews@katytimes.com,
mgresham, ccampbell@kaufmanherald.com,
knhedit@kilgorenewsherald.com,
bobodom@kingsvillerecord.com,
letters@lampasasdispatchrecord.com,
cperkowski@acnpapers.com,
editor@lexingtonleader.com,
lindalenews-times@etcnonline.com,
thenews@tstar.net,
awalker, jelizondo, plitterski@longview-news.com,
eleditor@sbcglobal.net,
joe.hughes@lubbockonline.com,
aadams, jpownall, lufnews@coxnews.com,
publisher@themonitor.net,
arogers@star-telegram.com,
newscopy@highlandernews.com,
democrat@marlindemocrat.com,
masonnew@tstar.net,
editorial@diariosrumbo.com --SPANISH,
dsorter@acnpapers.com,
bporter@acnpapers.com,
gott@hearstnp.com,
editor@mineralwellsindex.com,
news@progresstimes.net,
news@montgomerycountynews.net,
lou@dailytribune.net,
editor@mt-vernon.com,
editor@muleshoejournal.com,
news@murphymonitor.com,
dryan, krogers@coxnews.com,
editor@navasotaexaminer.com,
editor@olneyenterprise.com,
ebauer@orangeleader.com,
editor@palaciosbeacon.com,
editor@palestineherald.com,
news@pecos.net,
kat, john@thepaperweb.com,
editor@postsignal.com,
1kevin@plainviewdailyherald.com,
jmillender@acnpapers.com,
selizondo, gblack@pleasantonexpress.com,
panews@panews.com,
cfinn@plwave.com,
cengbrock@wylienews.com,
robert@raymondvillechroniclenews.com,
news@recordstar.com,
mike@rockdalereporter.com,
editor@rockwallcountynews.com,
newsroom@fbherald.com,
tfleischer@saladovillagevoice.com,
sanantonio@bizjournals.com,
rrivard@express-news.net,
jsandoval@laprensa.com, tinoduran@laprensa.com, --SPANISH/BILINGUAL,
ewolff, alindstrom, jherrera, ggarcia@sacurrent.com,
amiller, rray@sanmarcosrecord.com,
editor@tcnewsleader.com,
posteditorial@sbcglobal.net,
editor@sealynews.com,
gcarter@heralddemocrat.com,
editor1@snyderdailynews.com,
hpo@antden.com,
kari@countryworldnews.com,
editor@ssecho.com,
editor@sweetwaterreporter.com,
news@TaylorDailyPress.net,
lminor@texarkanagazette.com,
theprogress@hughes.net,
editor@tribunenews.com,
opinion@tylerpaper.com,
cgarnett@uvaldeleadernews.com,
feedback@vicad.com,
editor@weatherforddemocrat.com,
bensharp@journal-spectator.com,
watsond@timesrecordnews.com,

TEXAS COLLEGE NEWSPAPERS
optimist@acu.edu,
Lariat@baylor.edu,
editor@delmar.edu,
thresher-news@rice.edu,
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He is a Doer!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:20:43 EST

Let's take a closer look at who's really qualified and or who's really working for the good of all of us in the Senate. Obama or Clinton. Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term - 6yrs. - and another year campaigning, has managed to author and pass into law - 20 - twenty pieces of legislation in her first six years. These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress www.thomas.loc.gov, but to save you trouble, I'll post them here for you. 1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site. 2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month. 3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. 4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall. 5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson. 6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea. 7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day. 8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day. 9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death. 10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship. 11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship. 12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program. 13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda. 14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death. 15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty. Only five of Clinton's bills are, more substantive. 16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11. 17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11 18. Assist landmine victims in other countries. 19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care. 20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system. There you have it, the fact's straight from the Senate Record. Re: WOW! Now, I would post those of Obama's, but the list is too substantive, so I'll mainly categorize. During the first - 8 - eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced 233 regarding healthcare reform, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control, 6 veterans affairs and many others. His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These inculded **the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 - became law, **The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, - became law, **The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate, **The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, - became law, **The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, In committee, and many more. In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096. An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no record according to some who would prefer that this comparison not be made public. He's not just a talker. He's a doer. Pass it on....It's impressive

FBI, Some nasty news. NOT OBAMA RELATED. But please pass on!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 17:02:30 EST

From The Sunday Times
January 6, 2008
For sale: West’s deadly nuclear secrets
Insight: Chris Gourlay, Jonathan Calvert, Joe Lauria

A WHISTLEBLOWER has made a series of extraordinary claims about how corrupt government officials allowed Pakistan and other states to steal nuclear weapons secrets.

Sibel Edmonds, a 37-year-old former Turkish language translator for the FBI, listened into hundreds of sensitive intercepted conversations while based at the agency’s Washington field office.

She approached The Sunday Times last month after reading about an Al-Qaeda terrorist who had revealed his role in training some of the 9/11 hijackers while he was in Turkey.

Edmonds described how foreign intelligence agents had enlisted the support of US officials to acquire a network of moles in sensitive military and nuclear institutions.
Bhutto was killed by bomb blast

Among the hours of covert tape recordings, she says she heard evidence that one well-known senior official in the US State Department was being paid by Turkish agents in Washington who were selling the information on to black market buyers, including Pakistan.

The name of the official – who has held a series of top government posts – is known to The Sunday Times. He strongly denies the claims.

However, Edmonds said: “He was aiding foreign operatives against US interests by passing them highly classified information, not only from the State Department but also from the Pentagon, in exchange for money, position and political objectives.”

She claims that the FBI was also gathering evidence against senior Pentagon officials – including household names – who were aiding foreign agents.

“If you made public all the information that the FBI have on this case, you will see very high-level people going through criminal trials,” she said.

Her story shows just how much the West was infiltrated by foreign states seeking nuclear secrets. It illustrates how western government officials turned a blind eye to, or were even helping, countries such as Pakistan acquire bomb technology.

The wider nuclear network has been monitored for many years by a joint Anglo-American intelligence effort. But rather than shut it down, investigations by law enforcement bodies such as the FBI and Britain’s Revenue & Customs have been aborted to preserve diplomatic relations.

Edmonds, a fluent speaker of Turkish and Farsi, was recruited by the FBI in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Her previous claims about incompetence inside the FBI have been well documented in America.

She has given evidence to closed sessions of Congress and the 9/11 commission, but many of the key points of her testimony have remained secret. She has now decided to divulge some of that information after becoming disillusioned with the US authorities’ failure to act.

One of Edmonds’s main roles in the FBI was to translate thousands of hours of conversations by Turkish diplomatic and political targets that had been covertly recorded by the agency.

A backlog of tapes had built up, dating back to 1997, which were needed for an FBI investigation into links between the Turks and Pakistani, Israeli and US targets. Before she left the FBI in 2002 she heard evidence that pointed to money laundering, drug imports and attempts to acquire nuclear and conventional weapons technology.

“What I found was damning,” she said. “While the FBI was investigating, several arms of the government were shielding what was going on.”

The Turks and Israelis had planted “moles” in military and academic institutions which handled nuclear technology. Edmonds says there were several transactions of nuclear material every month, with the Pakistanis being among the eventual buyers. “The network appeared to be obtaining information from every nuclear agency in the United States,” she said.

They were helped, she says, by the high-ranking State Department official who provided some of their moles – mainly PhD students – with security clearance to work in sensitive nuclear research facilities. These included the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory in New Mexico, which is responsible for the security of the US nuclear deterrent.

In one conversation Edmonds heard the official arranging to pick up a $15,000 cash bribe. The package was to be dropped off at an agreed location by someone in the Turkish diplomatic community who was working for the network.

The Turks, she says, often acted as a conduit for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s spy agency, because they were less likely to attract suspicion. Venues such as the American Turkish Council in Washington were used to drop off the cash, which was picked up by the official.

Edmonds said: “I heard at least three transactions like this over a period of 2½ years. There are almost certainly more.”

The Pakistani operation was led by General Mahmoud Ahmad, then the ISI chief.

Intercepted communications showed Ahmad and his colleagues stationed in Washington were in constant contact with attachés in the Turkish embassy.

Intelligence analysts say that members of the ISI were close to Al-Qaeda before and after 9/11. Indeed, Ahmad was accused of sanctioning a $100,000 wire payment to Mohammed Atta, one of the 9/11 hijackers, immediately before the attacks.

The results of the espionage were almost certainly passed to Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani nuclear scientist.

Khan was close to Ahmad and the ISI. While running Pakistan’s nuclear programme, he became a millionaire by selling atomic secrets to Libya, Iran and North Korea. He also used a network of companies in America and Britain to obtain components for a nuclear programme.

Khan caused an alert among western intelligence agencies when his aides met Osama Bin Laden. “We were aware of contact between A Q Khan’s people and Al-Qaeda,” a former CIA officer said last week. “There was absolute panic when we initially discovered this, but it kind of panned out in the end.”

It is likely that the nuclear secrets stolen from the United States would have been sold to a number of rogue states by Khan.

Edmonds was later to see the scope of the Pakistani connections when it was revealed that one of her fellow translators at the FBI was the daughter of a Pakistani embassy official who worked for Ahmad. The translator was given top secret clearance despite protests from FBI investigators.

Edmonds says packages containing nuclear secrets were delivered by Turkish operatives, using their cover as members of the diplomatic and military community, to contacts at the Pakistani embassy in Washington.

Following 9/11, a number of the foreign operatives were taken in for questioning by the FBI on suspicion that they knew about or somehow aided the attacks.

Edmonds said the State Department official once again proved useful. “A primary target would call the official and point to names on the list and say, ‘We need to get them out of the US because we can’t afford for them to spill the beans’,” she said. “The official said that he would ‘take care of it’.”

The four suspects on the list were released from interrogation and extradited.

Edmonds also claims that a number of senior officials in the Pentagon had helped Israeli and Turkish agents.

“The people provided lists of potential moles from Pentagon-related institutions who had access to databases concerning this information,” she said.

“The handlers, who were part of the diplomatic community, would then try to recruit those people to become moles for the network. The lists contained all their ‘hooking points’, which could be financial or sexual pressure points, their exact job in the Pentagon and what stuff they had access to.”

One of the Pentagon figures under investigation was Lawrence Franklin, a former Pentagon analyst, who was jailed in 2006 for passing US defence information to lobbyists and sharing classified information with an Israeli diplomat.

“He was one of the top people providing information and packages during 2000 and 2001,” she said.

Once acquired, the nuclear secrets could have gone anywhere. The FBI monitored Turkish diplomats who were selling copies of the information to the highest bidder.

Edmonds said: “Certain greedy Turkish operators would make copies of the material and look around for buyers. They had agents who would find potential buyers.”

In summer 2000, Edmonds says the FBI monitored one of the agents as he met two Saudi Arabian businessmen in Detroit to sell nuclear information that had been stolen from an air force base in Alabama. She overheard the agent saying: “We have a package and we’re going to sell it for $250,000.”

Edmonds’s employment with the FBI lasted for just six months. In March 2002 she was dismissed after accusing a colleague of covering up illicit activity involving Turkish nationals.

She has always claimed that she was victimised for being outspoken and was vindicated by an Office of the Inspector General review of her case three years later. It found that one of the contributory reasons for her sacking was that she had made valid complaints.

The US attorney-general has imposed a state secrets privilege order on her, which prevents her revealing more details of the FBI’s methods and current investigations.

Her allegations were heard in a closed session of Congress, but no action has been taken and she continues to campaign for a public hearing.

She was able to discuss the case with The Sunday Times because, by the end of January 2002, the justice department had shut down the programme.

The senior official in the State Department no longer works there. Last week he denied all of Edmonds’s allegations: “If you are calling me to say somebody said that I took money, that’s outrageous . . . I do not have anything to say about such stupid ridiculous things as this.”

In researching this article, The Sunday Times has talked to two FBI officers (one serving, one former) and two former CIA sources who worked on nuclear proliferation. While none was aware of specific allegations against officials she names, they did provide overlapping corroboration of Edmonds’s story.

One of the CIA sources confirmed that the Turks had acquired nuclear secrets from the United States and shared the information with Pakistan and Israel. “We have no indication that Turkey has its own nuclear ambitions. But the Turks are traders. To my knowledge they became big players in the late 1990s,” the source said.

How Pakistan got the bomb, then sold it to the highest bidders

1965 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan’s foreign minister, says: “If India builds the bomb we will eat grass . . . but we will get one of our own”

1974 Nuclear programme becomes increased priority as India tests a nuclear device

1976 Abdul Qadeer Khan, a scientist, steals secrets from Dutch uranium plant. Made head of his nation’s nuclear programme by Bhutto, now prime minister

1976 onwards Clandestine network established to obtain materials and technology for uranium enrichment from the West

1985 Pakistan produces weapons-grade uranium for the first time

1989-91 Khan’s network sells Iran nuclear weapons information and technology

1991-97 Khan sells weapons technology to North Korea and Libya

1998 India tests nuclear bomb and Pakistan follows with a series of nuclear tests. Khan says: “I never had any doubts I was building a bomb. We had to do it”

2001 CIA chief George Tenet gathers officials for crisis summit on the proliferation of nuclear technology from Pakistan to other countries

2001 Weeks before 9/11, Khan’s aides meet Osama Bin Laden to discuss an Al-Qaeda nuclear device

2001 After 9/11 proliferation crisis becomes secondary as Pakistan is seen as important ally in war on terror

2003 Libya abandons nuclear weapons programme and admits acquiring components through Pakistani nuclear scientists

2004 Khan placed under house arrest and confesses to supplying Iran, Libya and North Korea with weapons technology. He is pardoned by President Pervez Musharraf

2006 North Korea tests a nuclear bomb

2007 Renewed fears that bomb may fall into hands of Islamic extremists as killing of Benazir Bhutto throws country into turmoil

A tiny ripple of hope (forwarded letter) had to pass it on!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:14:00 EST

Below is a letter my father has approved and written that we have collectively decided to release as the time is now! Contact me for a PDF copy that contains a picture. Thanks! Go Obama. . .Sweep Texas!

It Began as a Tiny Ripple of Hope

"Hand in hand with the freedom of speech goes the power to be heard, to share in the decisions of government which shape men's lives. Everything that makes man's life worthwhile - family, work, education, a place to rear one's children and a place to rest one's head - all this depends on decisions of government; all can be swept away by a government which does not heed the demands of its people. Therefore, the essential humanity of man can be protected and preserved only where government must answer - not just to the wealthy, not just to those of a particular religion, or a particular race, but to all its people."

Robert F. Kennedy

(Speech given June 6, 1966 to young people at the University of Cape Town, South Africa)

It was 1968 and there was a feeling across the land that despite the enormous challenges facing our country at that time, change was right around the corner. It was a time of turmoil and despair, with race riots engulfing our cities and anti-war protests erupting in violence. Yet in the midst of the chaos, 'a tiny ripple of hope' began to spread through the ghettos and barrios because of the words of a charismatic man running for the office of President of the United States.

His name was Robert F. Kennedy and he was mobbed by enthusiastic supporters at every campaign stop, especially by racial and ethnic minorities. And why wouldn't they? He would hold rallies in the midst of where they lived and his speeches awakened the dormant dreams of the forgotten and disenfranchised of this country. When he won the California primary, it was no longer 'a tiny ripple of hope,' it was a movement gaining momentum and seem destined to land Robert F. Kennedy in the White House. Sadly, an assassin's bullet ended the dream, and the vision of a government serving all of its people was put on hold.

Today, 40 years later, there is once again a charismatic man on the political scene that is arousing similar feelings of hope and possibilities within the populace. Feelings that government will once again respond to the will of the people. Rising expectations of a government that works for all of us- regardless of race, religion or national origin. His name is Barack Obama and he has inspired great numbers to believe change indeed is possible.

The enthusiasm and excitement that he is greeted with at every campaign stop can't help but remind me of 1968. I was 18 years old and just out of high school. Our generation was going to end the war in Vietnam, bring about racial harmony, restore government and eliminate poverty. In effect, we were going to change the world. However, fate stepped in and change was postponed. It has taken four decades, but we once again have an inspirational leader ready to take up the cause. In 2008, Barack Obama is making us believe that change is not only possible, it is inevitable.

I say 'us' because Barack Obama's campaign is getting support from every demographic. Gender doesn't matter, age doesn't matter, race doesn't matter, political affiliation doesn't matter, social standing doesn't matter. To his supporters, what matters is the possibility that a 'United' States is within our reach if together we replace our broken government with one that responds to the will of the people.

It is his universal appeal that has me puzzled when I read or hear that Hispanics will not support Barack Obama because there is some kind of rift between Hispanics and African-Americans. Or that our support of Hillary is the result of us viewing President Clinton as a friend of Hispanics. Where do these assumptions come from? I cannot answer for other Hispanics, but I don't make decisions that will have profound consequences for my children and grandchildren based on such nonsense. On the contrary, I believe most Hispanics will vote for the candidate best qualified to unify this country only after a careful and thorough study of all the issues.

Hispanics in Texas will now have an opportunity to hear Barack Obama firsthand over the next couple of weeks and determine for themselves if he is an agent of change for this generation. Only then will you be able to decide for yourself instead of listening to the spin of the pundits. Perhaps you will be surprised by the 'tiny ripple of hope' aroused in your heart as a result of hearing his message. Maybe for a moment you will forget you are Hispanic and instead become an ordinary citizen about to embark on an extraordinary journey with your fellow countrymen. You see, Barack Obama does not expect to achieve anything on his own strength, but through the collective efforts of those responsible for electing him President of the United States - we the people.

We are in a season of change, an opportunity not to be missed or taken lightly. The last time I saw this much excitement and optimism for the future was 1968. During this election year, the anticipation of something better is allowing us to hope again as we dream of living as 'one nation under God with justice for all.' Robert F Kennedy, in his call to action in 1968, said, "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

Barack Obama, in 2008, is asking us to do the same and we are responding. One by one, all across America, ordinary people are aligning themselves with a cause greater than themselves. Together, these voices have become a powerful force in challenging the status quo and demanding change. After a 40 year hiatus, hope is alive and destiny awaits.

Written by:

Emilio Fuentes Jr

Dallas, Texas

Born in Mexico in1950 to migrant workers who moved to the United States when he was 2 years old. Father served in WWII in the Pacific. He began his education in Chicago not knowing English. As migrant workers, the family moved around the country before finally settling in Hereford Texas. Initially, the family had to live in a labor camp outside the city because landlords within the city limits would not rent to Mexicans. Graduated from Hereford High School in 1968. Graduated from West Texas A&M University in Canyon Texas with a Bachelor's degree in Finance. In 1987 broke his neck and although diagnosed a quadriplegic, he overcame the odds and made a remarkable recovery. Became a naturalized citizen in 1990. Married 39 years to Mary with three grown children - Veronica, Brian and Mark. Six grandchildren. Lived in Amarillo Texas for 30 plus years before moving to Dallas Texas in December of 2005.

VERONICA FUENTES

Some helpfull information to fight allegations about Baracks stance on Jews

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:19:37 EST

As we know, the Internet has become a powerful tool for obtaining information. Unfortunately, it has also become a tool for spreading misinformation and hate. Often this misinformation comes to us from trusted friends, family and colleagues who've fallen victim to the well-worded and convincing prose. When we receive something like this from someone we trust, sometimes we don't take the time and effort to ensure its validity and accuracy. All too quick to react to our greatest fears, we accept at face value, things that really deserve to be viewed with skepticism.

Everyone needs to come to their own opinion as to who will make the best President of the United States. The intent here is not to endorse Senator Obama, but to ensure that the decision to support him or not, is not made based on malicious lies and outright falsehoods. As victims of this type of campaign ourselves, those of us in the Jewish community have a duty to debunk and destroy these smear pieces, and not fall into their trap, regardless of who they're waged against and whether or not we agree with their politics.

In an unprecedented move, Nine Jewish organizational leaders signed on to a letter that spoke out against rumors about Barack Obama. The signatories were the top executives of the United Jewish Communities, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America , the American Jewish Committee, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Congress, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. From that letter, "These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates."

They were joined by seven Jewish United States Senators who wrote a letter of their own. "Over the past several weeks, many in the Jewish community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo about Senator Barack Obama's religion and attack him personally. As Jewish United States Senators who have not endorsed a candidate for the Democratic nomination, we condemn these scurrilous attacks. We find it particularly abhorrent that these attacks are apparently being sent specifically to the Jewish Community. Jews, who have historically been the target of such attacks, should be the first to reject these tactics."

For the full text and names of signatories to both letters, see here: http://www.pjvoice.com/v32/32101obama.aspx

Please also see, "Behind the letter on Obama: Why the Jews entered the fray" on the website of the JTA, http://jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/article/20080122obamaletter20080118.html

Barack Obama is PRO-Israel. From his website: Barack Obama strongly supports the U.S.-Israel relationship, a mutually beneficial bond strengthened by common values, histories, and dedication to democracy. Obama believes that our first and incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be to the security of Israel, America’s strongest ally in the Middle East. "Our job is to renew the United States' efforts to help Israel achieve peace with its neighbors while remaining vigilant against those who do not share this vision. . . That effort begins with a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel: our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy. That will always be my starting point."

For Senator Obama's position on Israel and his plans for helping Israel attain peace inside her borders, see here: http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/IsraelFactSheet.pdf

From an article published in the Jewish Journal, Mel Levine, a former Member of Congress from California and a former member of the board of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee writes: "As a state legislator, a Congressman, and a private citizen, I have been politically active in Jewish causes, including pro-Israel causes, for over forty years, and have observed many presidential candidates. But Barack Obama is the first to so thoroughly capture the imagination of Jewish Americans. . . Obama's vision of unity makes him a natural ally to the Jewish community. Likewise, he has been a strong ally to Israel. . . In his speeches and public statements, his legislation and his voting record, he has proven himself to be a stalwart friend of Israel, committed to helping Israel in its search for peace with its neighbors, while standing strong with Israel against those who do not share this vision."

Read the entire article here: http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=18832

You can also read the complete text of his March 2007 speech to AIPAC, at this link: http://obama.senate.gov/speech/070302-aipac_policy_fo/

Barack Obama rebuffs George Soros, the billionaire Democratic contributor who called for the U.S. to pressure Israel to negotiate with Hamas, even without recognition of Israel's right to exist. From an article published in the New York Sun, "Yesterday, Mr. Obama's presidential campaign issued a dissent from the Hungarian-born billionaire's assessment. "Mr. Soros is entitled to his opinions," a campaign spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said. "But on this issue he and Senator Obama disagree. The U.S. and our allies are right to insist that Hamas - a terrorist organization dedicated to Israel's destruction - meet very basic conditions before being treated as a legitimate actor."

. . .Rep. Robert Wexler, a Democrat of Florida who sent out an e-mail to Jewish supporters in his home state last week vouching for Mr. Obama's pro-Israel bona fides, said he too rejected Mr. Soros's comments. "Senator Obama says until the Palestinian government fulfills all three of the quartet requirements, the United States should not and would not recognize the Palestinian government. Senator Obama is clear, Mr. Soros appears to have a different position," Mr. Wexler said.

See the full article here: http://www.nysun.com/article/50846

Barack Obama decries anti-Semitism. In an speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church on the eve of Martin Luther King Day, Barack Obama excoriated anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry. "We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. . . Every day, our politics fuels and exploits this kind of division across all races and regions; across gender and party. . . So let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds. . ." The full text can be read here: http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/01/barack_obamas_s.html

Barack Obama denounced Louis Farrakhan, contrary to the opinions of the minister of his church. "I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan," Obama said in the statement. "I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree." http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/01/15/obama_decries_farrakhan_statem_1.html?hpid=topnews

Barack Obama is a Christian, NOT a Muslim. There's not really a need to expound on this, other than to direct those still not convinced to the Urban Legends Reference Pages, which roundly debunks this myth. http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

Thank you for helping spread the truth.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." -- Anne Frank

"Your voice can change the world" -- Barack Obama http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmUUYo9o9eg

In memory of Congressman Tom Lantos (February 1, 1928 – February 11, 2008), the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, and Democratic Delegate Mitch Van Yahres, whose dying request was for people to make significant contributions to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, please help Senator Obama by donating through 'Jews for Barack' -- http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/Fernmin

Hillarys experience: Talking points

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:19:02 EST

HRC has been telling America that she is the most qualified candidate based on her 'record,' which she says includes her eight years in the White House as First Lady and her seven years in Senate. Here is a reminder of what that record includes:

As First Lady, Hillary assumed authority over Health Care Reform, a process that cost the taxpayers over $13 million. She told both Bill Bradley and Patrick Moynihan, key votes needed to pass her legislation, that she would 'demonize' anyone who opposed it. But it was opposed; she couldn't even get it to a vote in a Congress controlled by her own party. (And in the next election, her party lost control of both the House and Senate.)Hillary assumed authority over selecting a female Attorney General. Her first two recommendations, Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood, were forced to withdraw their names from consideration. She then chose Janet Reno. Janet Reno has since been described by Bill himself as 'my worst mistake.' Hillary recommended Lani Guanier for head of the Civil Rights Commission. When Guanier's radical views became known, her name had to be withdrawn. Hillary recommended her former law partners, Web Hubbell, Vince Foster, and William Kennedy for positions in the Justice Department, White House staff, and the Treasury, respectively. Hubbell was later imprisoned, Foster committed suicide, and Kennedy was forced to resign. Hillary also recommended a close friend Craig Livingstone, for the position of director of White House security. Livingstone was investigated for improper access of up to 900 FBI files of Clinton enemies (“Filegate”) and the widespread use of drugs by White House staff, both Hillary and her husband denied knowing him. FBI agent Dennis Sculimbrene confirmed in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing 1996, both the drug use and Hillary's involvement in hiring Livingstone. After that, the FBI closed its White House Liaison Office, after serving seven presidents for over thirty years. In order to open “slots” in the White House for her friends Thomasons (to whom millions of dollars in travel contracts could be awarded), Hillary had the entire staff of the White House Travel Office fired; they were reported to the FBI for 'gross mismanagement' and their reputations ruined. After a thirty-month investigation, only one, Billy Dale, was charged with a crime mixing personal money with White House funds when he cashed checks. The jury acquitted him in less than two hours. Another of Hillary's assumed duties was directing the 'bimbo eruption squad' and scandal defense: ---- She urged her husband not to settle the Paula Jones lawsuit. ---- She refused to release the Whitewater documents, which led to the appointment of Ken Starr as Special Prosecutor. After $80 million dollars of taxpayer money was spent, Starr's investigation led to Monica Lewinsky, which led to Bill lying about and later admitting his affairs. ---- Then they had to settle with Paula Jones after all. ---- And Bill lost his law license for lying to the grand jury ---- And Bill was impeached by the House. ---- And Hillary almost got herself indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice (she avoided it mostly because she repeated, 'I do not recall,' 'I have no recollection,' and 'I don't know' 56 times under oath). - Hillary wrote 'It Takes a Village,' demonstrating her Socialist viewpoint. - Hill ary decided to seek election to the Senate in a state she had never lived in. Her husband pardoned FALN terrorists in order to get Latino support and the New Square Hassidim to get Jewish support. Hillary also had Bill pardon her brother's clients, for a small fee, to get financial support. - Then Hillary left the White House, but later had to return $200,000 in White House furniture, china, and artwork she had stolen. - In the campaign for the Senate, Hillary played the 'woman card' by portraying her opponent (Lazio) as a bully picking on her. - Hillary's husband further protected her by asking the National Archives to withhold from the public until 2012 many records of their time in the White House, including much of Hillary's correspondence and her calendars. (There are ongoing lawsuits to force the release of those records.) - As the junior Senator from New York, Hillary has passed no major legislation. She has deferred to the senior Senator (Schumer) to tend to the needs of New Yorkers, even on the hot issue of medical problems of workers involved in the cleanup of Ground Zero after 9/11. - Hillary's one notable vote; supporting the plan to invade Iraq, she has since disavowed. Quite a resume’. Sounds more like an organized crime family’s rap sheet.

Hope Warrior!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:34:49 EST

NOW is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future. If we're going to be more cheerful in the future, it's because of our aspiration to be cheerful in the present. The future is the result of what we do right now.

"if we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher."

"We think the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. The healing comes from letting there be room for it all to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy"

"Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over again to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us"

"Gloriousness and wretchedness need each other. One inspires us, the other softens us"

"We work on ourselves in orger to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves"

"The truth you cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new"

"A sign of health is that we don't become undone by fear and trembling, but take it as a message that it's TIME TO STOP STRUGGLING AND LOOK DIRECTLY AT WHAT TREATENS US."

"Rejoicing in ordinary things takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior's world"

Lets be totally positive today on this site. Lets fill those who would look on here to get a last look before they go caucus and make up thier mind that we are a good group of people, People they would like to be a part of.

NO POLLS, NO FIGHTING, Let them make fun of us because we are inspired by a MAN NAMED OBAMA. That names do not scare us, that the MSM does not scare us, that being behind in the polls does not sway our support of BARRACK OBAMA.

There are days I have my gut wrentching, and feelings of dispair. But coming here reminds me I AM NOT ALONE! WE ARE RIGHT. I HAVE LOOKED INTO THE FACE OF OUR COMPETITOR, I HAVE SHAKEN HER HAND, I HAVE HEARD HER SPEAK.

I AM NOT AFRAID. I AM AN OBAMA HOPE WARRIOR!

Delegate Explainer

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:21:28 EST

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/02/delegate.explainer/index.html

Fundraising!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:05:27 EST

YES WE CAN ~~ HOPE LIVES!

I became involved with this campaign not knowing how much this experience would touch me so personally. I have been so taken, not only with Barack Obama and his family but the extended family I have found at each and every event I have attended and on this site.

I met my first goal of 1000 dollars with great support from others. As the days passed and the fight got harder, I decided that 1000 dollars was not enough of an effort. I see people donating 5,10,15 or more dollars regularly on this site. I thought to myself. Why not set a BIG goal and make some noise about it! So here I go.

All these politicians have many millions of dollars just "floating" around in space it seems, ready to "fall" into thier laps as needed. I dont need a politican that doesnt need us! We each can have a real say in what happens in this country if we can get this genuine and wonderful man in the White House. We all know how it happens, it is not magic. A lot of us dont like the idea that we have to "give" money, but every candidate is getting donations from all over the place in this country. Sone of them are getting MILLIONS! from low places. I want to be a big piece of the REAL PEOPLE that give for him.

I am asking you to DIG DEEP in those pockets because the real race is just starting. We had two tests and he is ready to go the distance, he is ready if we give him the funds on which he can make it to the END!

I want to hear YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN.

SO, go to my page and help me make history!

Primarys- dates and info on early voting and absentee ballots

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:52:22 EST

Overseas, Absentee, and Early Voting Dates

Michigan Primary: Tuesday 15 January 2008
Absentee ballots available Saturday 1 December 2007.

Florida Primary: Tuesday 29 January 2008
Early voting begins on Monday 14 January 2007, 15 days before the primary.
Absentee ballots available Wednesday 26 December 2007.
Reference: Early Voting

Arizona Primary: Tuesday 5 February 2008
Early voting begins 31 January 2008.
Reference: Link

California Primary: Tuesday 5 February 2008
Military and overseas ballots are made available 7 December 2007.
Absentee ballots are made available 7 January 2008.
Reference: Link
Connecticut Primary: Tuesday 5 February 2008
Tuesday 15 January 2008: Absentee ballots become available.
Reference: Link

Illinois Primary: Tuesday 5 February 2008
Thursday 27 December 2007: Absentee ballots become available.

Missouri Primary: Tuesday 5 February 2008
Wednesday 26 December 2007: Absentee ballots become available.

Tennessee Primary: Tuesday 5 February 2008
Early Voting Period: 16 January through 31 January 2008
Reference: Link

Utah Primary: Tuesday 5 February 2008
Early Voting Dates: 22 January thru 1 February 2008
Reference: Link

Louisiana Primary: Saturday 9 February 2008
Early voting begins 28 January 2008 and ends 2 February 2008.
Reference: Link

superdelegate story

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:28:44 EST

Superdelegates are delegates to a presidential nominating convention in the United States who are not bound by the decisions of party primaries or caucuses. Superdelegates are elected officeholders and party officials.

Superdelegates were first appointed in the 1970s, after control of the nomination process in the Democratic Party effectively moved out of the hands of party officials into the primary and caucus process. The aim was to accord some say in the process to people who had been playing roles in the party before the election year.

As of the 2008 nominating cycle, the Republican Party does not have superdelegates. It does, however, have 463 unpledged delegates, 123 of whom are Republican National Committee members.[1]

In the Democratic primary phase of the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, Howard Dean acquired an early lead in delegate counts by obtaining the support of a number of superdelegates before even the first primaries were held.

[edit] The Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention, where the Democratic presidential ticket is formally agreed upon, has 796 superdelegates. Superdelegates to the Democratic Convention include all Democratic members of the United States Congress, various additional elected officials, as well as members of the Democratic National Committee.

A candidate needs a simple majority of the combined delegate and superdelegate votes to secure the nomination. Democratic delegates from state caucuses and primaries number 3,253. This means that the total number of votes is 4,049. The total number of delegate votes needed to win the nomination is 2,025. Superdelegates account for approximately one fifth (19.7%) of all votes at the convention. Delegates chosen in the Democratic caucuses and primaries account for about four fifths (80.3%) of the Democratic convention delegates.[2]

[edit] References

This is a good one to follow, it should update regularly:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#D

A caucus experience: Standing with Barack

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:47:45 EST

Its 10 AM. I am wandering around my house, checking and double checking my supplies for tonight. Yup, they are still in my BIG purse. NO problems. 12AM I go out to get the brownie mix for this evening, some how I let myself run out. I have my car completly covered with Obama signs, I have my shirt on, buttons on my jacket and my scarf. I am by all accounts a polictical buttetin board. I am full of nerves, but really not bad. I keep a big smile on my face everywhere I go. I am happy, I am confident.

I call my field director Million and I pick up some last minute supplies for another precinct caption. I go to drop them off in his store and only his wife is there, she says with out looking at me, oh he cant make it tonight. I start to freak a little. But I now of another great supporter in the area and tell million I will give it to her. She is not home, so I ask in town where it is she works, they say she runs her own business fixing computers out of her home, but does things at peoples homes too. I give up and decided I will catch her just before the caucus! OH MY wont she be surprised! poor thing.

I look through the stuff in the OBAMA TUBE, there are signs with UNITY and a little piece of paper with the call in numbers on it and a string attached to hang around your neck, I decide I WILL NOT WEAR this. ha ha.

I leave my house at 5 PM, stop by the other supporters house and give her the information. I tell her that I will help her when we get there. She is shocked but OK with it. Basically just hanginig up the signs and standing there to welcome supporters.

I told my people to get there at 645, Some of them needed extra time because of milking cows and work. I figured this would be a great strategy anyway. I was still praying.

I got there and set up my signs by 615 and there was a room filled with Edwards and Hillary supporters looking at me with pittiful looks. Asking me if I was ok. yeah I was ok! I smiled, no one seemed to be greating anyone, so I took over and spread the signin sheets out, helped people find thier names, gave them voter registration sheets if they needed them., still no one was there by 640. just me and my kids... Then suddenly here they came, I smiled helped them sign in and one by one stuck my stickers on them. I am not being mean here, but one Hillary supporter was staring me down so hard, but I kept smiling.

We counted the room 2 times and came up with different numbers. I decided that we should just count off, which worked well. We had 47 people. In a caucus that usually gets 1-5 particpants this was amazing! Then we seperated into prefrence groups and I was amazed at my number I had 16, Hillary 16 and Edwards 14 and Richrdson 1. The Richardson guy left. But we still had to count him as a participant. so out of 5 delegates OBAMA got 2 Hillary 2 and Edwards 1.

I cried, I was shaking and I gave every single person standing with me a hug, thinking of Auntie B and all the others on BarackObama.com that have inspired me. I thought of Barack and his wonderful family. I felt like I was a big winner. I kept my promise. I was asked to get 10 to stand up I got 16. One less phone call, one less door knock...would have made a difference. People showed up for Barack that have never ever caucused before. Out of the 16 people I had 12 NEW voters and caucus goers. I was shaking and shaking and the people that were there for me were smiling. I looked every single one of them in the eye and thanked them over and over, I told them that without them Barack would not have ever gotten close in this tiny precinct. I felt like a good friend to them. And I feel like I am.

The kids and I took down our signs. I shook the hands of the Edwards caption (it was my husbands cousin and his Aunt and Uncle were on the other side of the room) I just kept smiling! The Hillary caption came over and said, what is your name? I said Laura Hubka, he said ahhh yes you called me before. and I said, "not too much" We had you pegged as the Hillary caption about 3 months ago" and he said "oh yeah?" Yeah, so I left you alone. " He just laughed and said, you did really good. I am pretty impressed!" I think he thought that by the end of the night Hillary would be the winner. I'd like to talk to him today. ...well maybe not.

There was a little other business, I ended up getting voted in as delegate (I wanted it anyway) and then signed on for the platform committee (taking things to the county and state for the county...i.e. road work, hog confinments..ect)

We left and drove for an hour to get to the Decorah field office. I called into the Sirius channel 146 LEFT. I told them of our win and our energy. Someone called in from Des Moines saying that there is usually 100 people there, but there was 380 people there and 181 stood up for Barack 101 for Hillary and 75 for Edwards! In Decorah People were walking by, driving by honking and screaming! I parked and got in the office. I met Pete and his son from Michigan and Hugh again! We all hugged. We had the TV on and 2 computers with constant updates. WE were eating cake and talking laughing, telling our stories. It was like the blog would be if were all together on caucus or primary night! The energy was high.

We stuck around for the final numbers and all hugged Victoria for her hard work. I cried knowing they were leaving. I called Million who was in New Hampton he was all caught up in the evening and could not talk long.

I havent seen them since. I miss them already.

I am ready to be a delegate! Especially at the national convention. I have to talk to get my way to that, but I think I have the words! Especially if Barack is the nominee!

I Love you all!!

The Difference is clear

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 08:19:37 EST

Paul B. Hertneky: Let's compare the public accomplishments of Clinton and Obama

By PAUL B. HERTNEKY

Monday, Dec. 24, 2007

INSTEAD OF COMPARING Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's experience -- a vague set of claims -- I turned my attention toward accomplishments. Not what they've accomplished for themselves, but what they've accomplished for others.

In doing so, I excluded purely personal gains. I also eliminated all distinctions or honors. For similar reasons, I ignored the elections they've won. These credentials are well-known.

Also, like any alert prospective employer, I am informed by what they support, worked on, worked toward and fought for, but I am more interested in what they have accomplished for their constituents.

After graduating from Columbia, Obama went to work with churches that organized job training and other programs for residents of a massive housing project in Chicago. He persuaded the city to provide summer jobs, remove asbestos, repair toilets, pipes and ceilings. He went door to door, offering help for three years, then went to Harvard Law School.

Upon graduating from Wellesley, Hillary Rodham made a commencement speech that moved her audience. She went immediately to Yale Law School.

Obama returned to Chicago to lead Project Vote, which signed up about 150,000 new African-American voters. He also joined a big law firm.

Following Yale, and a year in Washington, Rodham moved to Arkansas and married Bill Clinton. She taught at the University of Arkansas and joined a big law firm.

Clinton established a legal aid clinic at the university, where she taught for two years. Obama began teaching at the University of Chicago, where he would continue to lecture for 11 years. I mention teaching because I consider it an accomplishment in the service of others.

During her time as an attorney in Arkansas, Clinton gave birth to Chelsea. Her husband ran unsuccessfully for Congress, successfully for attorney general, and governor. During Obama's time as an attorney in Chicago, he became a husband and father of two daughters. He entered the Illinois Senate in 1994.

As a member of the minority party of the Senate for six of his eight years there, Obama wrote a health insurance law that covered an additional 20,000 children, a welfare reform law, an earned-income-tax-credit law for working-poor families, and death penalty reform that passed unanimously. During his last two years in the majority, he sponsored 780 bills, 280 of which became law.

As first lady of Arkansas, and of the United States, Clinton served on many boards. She chaired only one: the Task Force on National Health Care Reform, which failed, accomplishing only political traction for Republicans and a setback for her husband.

She fended off prosecution involving the White House Travel Office and her investments with Whitewater. Although these are personal accomplishments, they also served constituents by protecting her husband.

A year after Clinton became a senator, she secured $20 billion for New York City in the wake of 9/11. Among other funding measures she directed toward her state, she prevented the closing of a military base there. Although she is considered to be one of the most influential Democrats in the Senate, most of her sponsored legislation has been symbolic -- naming two post offices, two courthouses, honoring and congratulating sports teams and historic figures from New York.

Since Obama entered the U.S. Senate in 2004, he has joined Republican Richard Lugar in writing a law that funds the destruction or securing of loose nuclear and conventional weapons (shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, for example) throughout the world. He also introduced the first bill, that soon became law, to fund and address pandemic flu preparedness.

In one inspiring discovery, Obama and Clinton teamed up to pass a law that helps hospitals disclose medical errors. It goes a long way toward serving patients while reducing malpractice claims.

There is no way to assess the value of each candidate's participation in collective efforts to serve our country. Clinton has given time to many efforts and lived approximately 5,000 more days than Obama, amassing supporters, money and fame. But time spent achieving such goals can hardly be seen as accomplishments for the good of the people.

Obama's accomplishments show greater efficiency and clarity of purpose, forming productive alliances, making the most of his comparatively short career.

People talk about his charisma, but give me that skill and focus, trained on a four-year term, and we could see unprecedented results.

I had to repost this from the blog. A "snapshot" from Iowa

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:45:09 EST

I repost this from the blog. Great impression of some Iowa people and how they work.

So I’ve had a few glasses of wine so forgive me if I’m a little less diplomatic and circumspect than usual. I am naturally a fairly reserved person, though you might not know it since I am so FIRED UP! And Des Moines is such a small town. This really came home to me at the JJ, when the state chair came out and I thought, wow, his wife looks a lot like my son’s preschool teacher. And then I put the last name with her last name, and sure enough, it’s Mrs Brennan! Anyway, I was just at my husband’s organization’s holiday party. His organization focuses on a very progressive cause, so the sample might be a bit skewed. And being a spouse, I didn’t necessarily want to make my politics the center of the evening. I loved Aunt Becky’s video welcome, where she talks about how she Barack-ifies Jehovah’s Witnesses, wrong numbers, et al. I know others of you do the same, and I am so grateful to you for it. But that isn’t me. Once somebody makes a move, then I am all in, but generally speaking I am a bit more reserved. But I didn’t have to make the first move. I had given a fair number of them tickets to the Obama-Oprah rally. And they were eager to tell me not just how grateful they were to have gone, but how much it had affected them, how Obama had touched them, how they had realized the power of possibility, how FIRED UP they were by him. I had faith this would happen. I got on board as soon as I heard him speak, back in 2003. Many of you have gotten on board after hearing him speak. It isn’t just what he says, it’s the way he says it, and the fact that he has honored his words with action throughout his whole life. You aren’t just impressed, you’re inspired, and you want to get involved. Not just by caucusing for him, although that’s huge enough. You want to tell everyone you know about him, to give them the opportunity to believe and to act, too. And this happened with pretty much everyone I had given tickets to. (more to come, sorry this is so long) Re: Holiday party | Report to Admin Reply By IA for Obama Today at 1:44 am EST There was one holdout, a woman for whom I have all the respect in the world. She is exceptionally intelligent, and her field is political science. She is very involved with the caucus, in a non-partisan way. She, however, is personally for Edwards. This isn’t something she discusses publicly, due to the nature of her position. And it isn’t something she talks about much at work, given office politics. But I really like and respect her as a person. And I have to say, I am genuinely puzzled by Edwards support. And, as I said, I had a few glasses of wine. So I started to ask her questions about why she’s for JE and not BHO. This is a woman who could argue circles around pretty much anyone, but her arguments completely fell apart. First she said that she hasn’t heard anything substantial from BHO. I challenged her on his foreign policy forum from yesterday, his call to serve, and other examples. She basically said she didn’t know enough about them (and she knows more than 99.9% of the populace about everything that has to do with the caucus), or that there wasn’t anything terribly innovative about them. Trust me, I challenged her on that too, and she couldn’t really respond. Then she said that Edwards’ health care proposal was superior. Oh, how I took her to task for that, pointing out just a few of the problems with mandates and why BHO’s was not only more responsive to the needs of the people but was far more likely to get enacted. She agreed that that might be true, but then copped out by saying that there really wasn’t much difference between any of the democratic proposals. Then we discussed the Iraq war. She said BHO’s objection to the war didn’t really count because he wasn’t a US Senator at the time, and that senators need to honor the wishes of their constituents. I pointed out that JE did more than merely ride the tide (which would’ve been bad enough) but he was a co-sponsor of the resolution. She said that was due to public sentiment. I said that BHO spoke out forcefully and eloquently in the face of such public sentiment, and that that clearly pointed to sound judgment, solid understanding and a willingness to speak the truth when it was unpopular. (more to come) Re: Holiday party | Report to Admin Reply By IA for Obama Today at 1:47 am EST She again tried to dismiss it as irrelevant as he was not in a position to actually vote on the war. She said Barack has not shown how he would lead on any of the issues. I pointed to a number of laws and reforms he has helped enact as an IL Sen and as US Sen, such as health care, judicial issues, ethics, education, providing specific examples of how this affected his constituents. She copped out by saying that since I was from IL I had followed his career for much longer. After I had taken her to task for pretty much everything (in a reasonably polite, diplomatic way, as she is my husband’s co-worker and someone I respect), I challenged her on something that has long bothered me about Edwards, something extremely obvious, the huge gap between his rhetoric and his record. I have raised this issue in pro-Edwards forums before, and basically gotten no response. She responded that it was an unfair characterization, as he has fought consistently for health care reform and education reform, among other things. I pointed out that No Child Left Behind was yet another of his mistakes that he has apologized for, then asked for other specific examples of his reforms, but she provided none. As it was clear I think to both of us that she really wasn’t on solid ground as to why she supports JE and not BHO, I asked what was the single most important issue to her. She said electability, and that she couldn’t support someone who was not willing to go negative because they could not win. This is not a nasty person. But it is someone who is too immersed in politics as usual to appreciate politics as it can be, as it should be, as it is with Barack Obama. This person is probably not indicative of the vast majority of Iowans. But at the end of the discussion I had the feeling that she is probably fairly indicative of a lot of Edwards voters. Basically, he won her vote in 2004 and she just loves what he has to say. She is so jaded by politics as it has been that she is not bothered by what I see as blatant hypocrisy, the gap between Edwards’ record and his current rhetoric. (more) Re: Holiday party | Report to Admin Reply By IA for Obama Today at 1:50 am EST Realizing this, I excused myself from the conversation but others kept it up, even those whom I had not given O-O-O tickets to. The support Edwards already has might be his to keep, but other Iowans aren’t buying it. A couple of other things. The only way HRC was spoken of was as an agent of negativity, someone trying to claw a victory out of the corpses of her fellow Democrats, and how nasty and un-American that was. And I wasn’t even the one saying that! Also, I raised the issue of whether IA would be or should be first in the future. On the pro side, I am impressed by how seriously Iowans take the process, how thoroughly they vet the candidates before making up their minds, how solid their priorities are, and how genuinely decent and solid Iowans are, how less prone to negativity and partisanship they are (as I’ve said, I moved here from Chicago, and I’ve also lived in CA, CT, WY and UT). But on the con side, I think other states just might take it as seriously if they went first, as there is no inherent superiority in Iowans, and I find it somewhat disingenuous to argue that Iowans really take it all that seriously if only 6% of them caucus (though the numbers may well be higher this time around, though the highest number suggested by the gathering was 12%). The group, the vast majority of them lifelong Iowans, felt that Iowa should go first, basically because Iowa has handled the responsibility well, and was prepared to do so again. They said that pretty much come January 4 it would all be about 2012, to which I replied that we can then start planning Barack’s re-election. They laughed, but I told them I am so there, baby! Sorry for rambling on a bit (a lot!), but I thought that others might appreciate this snapshot from Iowa, especially as so many posters keep asking for updates from Iowa. This maybe should be filed under too much information, but I think it is useful for gauging the mood here, HRC has her supporters, but I hear from them less and less. Edwards has some pretty sincere commitment, but he’s not really winning over new supporters. Barack, however, inspires peoples imaginations and their confidence.

Read about Scott.

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:43:18 EST

Scott reached out to me on my MYSPACE page NE IOWA for OBAMA 08.

This is what he wrote:

Members of the 110th US Congress Campaign Letter, State Governors and Lt. Gov. what have you done to enforce this legal precedents set by the Supreme Court in your state. To make them aware of Nationwide Problem! The Supreme Court Olmstead decision, Presidential mandate Executive Order 13217 of June 18, 2001 Community Based Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities which are federally funded by Medicaid and Medicare Census 2005 50 million families reporting at least one person with disability in family or more. Scott G. LaLonde Slow Website: http:/sglalonde.tripod.com/ MySpace Group Disabled civil rights

All Honorable Presidential Candidates, November 18, 2007

I am writing about an extreme situation affecting people with disabilities in the State of Florida. This denial of basic civil rights has led to individuals such as myself who are contributing members of society to be confined to their beds 18-20 hours per day against their will. I am asking that you as an elected official tell me how you can help to remedy the situation.

I am a 42 year old man with an extreme case of muscular dystrophy known as Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy. I volunteer at a local elementary school working with young children. I am a mentor, a friend, and an educator. I live in my community, I shop here and I play here just like you. Yet I am dependent upon others for my care as I only have function from my neck up and can not tend to my functions of daily living. Each day I require assistance to bathe, prepare meals, and to be put into and out of bed. Because of things such as the Olmstead Decision and Presidential Executive Order 13217, I have been given the right to live in the community and receive services, rather than being institutionalized away from my family and the community. Medicaid waivers have helped make this a reality for many individuals like myself. Unfortunately, I fell through the cracks as have many other individuals in my situation. Even though I was placed on the waiver program, was protected by Presidential Executive Order 13217 which entitles me to care in the community, and dollars were set aside for my care, my county subcontracted out these care services to an organization that only did business from 8:00-5:00 daily. This meant that I would be taken out of bed in the morning at 8:00 and put back in bed around 4:00 each evening to face 16 hours in that prison. This is unconscionable. I suffered this unbearable fate for about 8 years and was even forced to pay out of my own pocket if I wanted to get out of bed at all on weekends or on holidays when the agency was closed. Recently I was placed on another program known as CDC+ which is working well for my care and puts more choice and decision with the individual. However I can not remain quiet as so many others still face the awful fate that I endured for 8 years. Even worse Governor Charlie Crist is now cutting the waiver programs so that many people are being forced off or will have reductions in care. I want to know what you will do to stop these cuts, and also to ensure that those who are on the Medicaid Waiver program will have care that goes beyond the 8:00-5:00 Monday-Friday schedule and that no one will be forced against their will to spend 16 hours per day in bed. I eagerly await your reply.

, Scott G. LaLonde

O O O OH MY~~~~~Obama, Oprah, Obama Cedar Rapids

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 12:10:02 EST

I was at the Cedar Rapids event last night with 9,575 people. I got there early and volunteered. What an event.

The most striking thing to me was as I stood there watching Oprah "stump" for Obamam was that is was really not like stumping at all. Oprah and Obama are really so much alike (besides the funny names) They bring thier message and you dont feel like they made it up or have some sort of alterior motive. They are real down to the core. As Oprah sat there in her chair along side Michelle, it was as if she were litterally star struck by Barack. At one time she was almost out of her chair she was leaning so much. I know that feeling as tears streamed down my face for the 100th time this year as I listened to the greatest man I have ever witnessed speak in my lifetime. There have been other great men, but I have not been afforded the opportunity to see them live.

I stood there with my Obama 08 sign over my head, I could not put it down. This speech was like his JJ speech. There were so many people there and the air was full of hope and inspriation. What a wonderful opportunity we have as a nation to make a REAL impact on the world.

As I left the area, I still had my "volunteer" tag on and some people were leaving and asking for signs and whatever else they could get thier hands on! I gave them my signs and dug thru my purse for whatever buttons I still had buried down there. They could not get enough. People were singing and dancing there way out of the sadium and I wanted to cry again! (I am a big baby)

THE HOPE, THE HOPE, THE HOPE! is all I could think. I sit here still with goosebumps and tears streaming down my face.

Thank you Ms. Winfrey. Thank you from my very core, from my very being. (even though the wait in the car garage was over an hour to get out! LOL)

I love my country and I love the idea that I was able to meet MARYTNURSE and give her a hug, and I saw my man Hugh from NC and several of the people who live in my town there.

BARACK 08=REALITY!!

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Caucus Pros names in Iowa Paper Look for yours

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:54:56 EST

Obama Campaign: Announces "Caucus Pros" to help train first-time caucus goers supporting Obama
11/16/2007

Contact:
Josh Earnest, 515.229.9571 / 515.883.2008
Tommy Vietor, 515.418.7972 / 515.883.2008

DES MOINES - The Obama for America campaign today announced the creation of the Caucus Pros program, which will tap Iowa seniors and veterans of the caucus process to help train supporters who are first-time caucus goers of all ages. The program is designed to help Senator Obama build a strong grassroots organization that will be successful on caucus night. There are currently 73 active Caucus Pros in 36 different Iowa counties. The average Caucus Pro is 62-years-old.

"The way to build a strong, grassroots organization that will be effective on caucus night is to have seniors and veteran caucus goers train first-time caucus goers about how the process works," Obama said. "That's why we're bringing together seniors and long-time caucus goers across the state to train supporters who haven't caucused before."

"As someone who has attended five caucuses, I understand the importance of having well-trained precinct captains and supporters who can be leaders on that cold night in January," Obama Caucus Pro Nancy Bobo said. "I look forward to working with the campaign to ensure that we're successful on caucus night."

The Obama campaign is committed to building a true statewide, grassroots operation. The next step in building that organization is ensuring that supporters are equipped with the knowledge they need to participate in the caucus process and understand how to stand up for Barack Obama on Thursday, January 3rd.

Below is a list of Caucus Pros ready to work to support Senator Obama's campaign:

George Appleby, Polk County, age 60
Susan Bangert, Kossuth County, age 50
Marno Batterson, Jasper County, age 60
Jan Bauer, Story County, age 49
Elizabeth Belden, Linn County, age 73
Patricia Bernau, Kossuth County, age 67
Jake Blitsch, Fayette County, age 60
Nancy Bobo, Polk County, age 55
Linda Boston, Washington County, age 64
Timothy Bottaro, Woodbury County, age 49
Mark Brandsgard, Polk County, age 55
Alice Breemer, Poweshiek County, age 67
Barry Bruner, Carroll County, age 56
Ron Brunk, Grundy County, age 73
Dottie Butts, Polk County, age 72
Joyce Carman, Johnson County, age 72
Kenneth Choquette, Polk County, age 65
Stephen Conway, Polk County, age 63
Patrick Devries, Osceola County, age 57
Dalene Dolan, Hardin County, age 67
Rick Engel, Polk County, age 57
Thomas Furlong, Muscatine County, age 58
Carol Gordon, Grundy County, age 65
Wendy Gronbeck, Iowa County, age 62
Sherida Heiland, Guthrie County, age 54
Howard Heisterkamp, Carroll County, age 68
Jennifer Herrington, Page County, age 47
Mary House, Jackson County, age 60
Nancy Huisinga, Wright County, age 52
Janice Jay, Polk County, age 60
Ruth Keraus, Henry County, age 75
Kathryn Kilbourn, Linn County, age 63
Steven Kraus, Carroll County, age 43
Gordon Liles, Lee County, age 60
Jean Lloyd-Jones, Johnson County, age 78
Eileen Lundberg, Polk County, age 61
Rebecca Lyon, Boone County, age 57
James Maloney, Polk County, age 69
Lyle McIntosh, Harrison County, age 64
Marian Meyer, Jackson County, age 53
Estella Michels, Delaware County, age 73
Joyce Monahan, Dubuque County, age 65
Patrick Mooney, Clinton County, age 64
Richard Myers, Johnson County, age 73
Julia Naylor, Webster County, age 75
Christopher Odonohoe, Chickasaw County, age 57
William Oliver, Jones County, age 63
Cecelia Parks, Jones County, age 57
Donald Paul, Cass County, age 85
Mona Paul, Cass County, age 75
Mary Peacock, Van Buren County, age 65
Kathleen Richardson, Carroll County, age 56
Joan Roberts, Polk County, age 68
Carol Roemig-Heusinkveld, Iowa County, age 52
Ruth Scharnau, Dubuque County, age 74
Nancy Schulte, Des Moines County, age 65
Charles Shelabarger, Polk County, age 53
Arnold Shileny, Scott County, age 62
Nancy Shileny, Scott County, age 62
Elizabeth Slappey, Linn County, age 55
Paul Specht, Jones County, age 60
Rodney Sullivan, Johnson County, age 41
Pat Taylor, Fayette County, age 56
Daniel Turner, Union County, age 58
Grace Walsh, Polk County, age 79
Janet Wee, Polk County, age 65
Raymond Wee, Polk County, age 72
Charles Weller, Taylor County, age 53
Debra Willaredt, Scott County, age 53
Georgianna Williams, Polk County, age 69
Sally Williams, Linn County, age 52
Ann Wilson, Carroll County, age 66
Elizabeth Young, Henry County, age 71

Meeting Michelle

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 13:32:11 EST

What an incredible experience! Metting Michelle Obama was two in one. First and foremost I was totally excited when the field oranizer took me upstairs to meet her personally and I of course cried.(felt stupid couldnt help it) We took a picture and talked. Secondly and most impressive was the fat that she was JUST A NORMAL PERSON in most ways. But yet she spoke for an hour with no notes but from the heart. She made those people (including me) cry.

She touched on thier lives growning up, thier families and the wonderfull experiences she had in her life and how she was told over and over again that she should not, could not and would not be who she is today. How that experience helped shape her opinions towards the things people say that Barack should not, could not and will not be president of the United States.

She touched on education and child care. She made us feel that putting them in the white house will make us part of thier family. And that is a place I think we all would like to be. A part of the United States of AMerica family. Knowing that we can go to the top if we need to and get strong and right answers to the problems we face as an American family.

She touched on the fact that the impossibilty of Barack becoming president was not even in the play book. (not her words but mine). That we all have doubts but that it is normal, they do not choose to think like that. There is nothing that is impossible for anyone. We just have to have the dream and the STRENGH to make it a reality.

It is this STRENGH that makes us all a family. It is our WEAKNESSES that pull us together. It is our HOPE that makes us work harder. It is our AUDACITY that makes us Americans. It is BARACK that makes it so.

CNN Debate

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:06:35 EST

For being new to political life, I am starting to get so disgusted AGAIN with politics. When you run against someone and there are no rules how can you win? I am sick and disgusted once again.

I know that personally attacking Hillary Clinton is not the aim here. I know that being negative IS NOT my forte'. But this makes me want to crawl in a hole. I want to move to Iceland or Greenland.

The debate was out of control. I have been to debates this year and you are told to keep quiet. This audience was clearly filled with Hillary supporters. Wolfe was biased and the questions from the "audience" was a joke. They could not remember what they were supposed to say it was quite obvious.

This is what we have to fight. I am going to go out and work even harder. We need some people in Nevada and NOW! I wish I could go.

Luckally most "normal" people do not watch the debates. Obama did fine. But putting two past Clinton advisiors on after the debate to critique was beyond stupidity on CNN's part.

I guess maybe this was good for us all. We will all go out and work harder and faster to get this job done. The one that needs to get done. The truth must rise to the top no matter how hard it is to get it there!

Calling group results

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:43:32 EST

I have not gotten a lot of response from the people in this group. Some of you have done calling and have had mixed results.

I have started calling from the top of my list again and have found that quite a few people are really leaning hard to Obama. The Hillary supporters seem to be losing thier confidence in thier candidate.

It also seems that there will be very low caucus attendance for my precinct BUT of the 10 caucus goers I have spoken to 6 will activly caucus for Barack 2 are leaners and 2 are Edwards supporters that will switch over if Edwards is not viable(which he willnot be at this rate) so I am in good position to get all 5 delegates for my precinct!!

If I gave you numbers that start with 641-394--you can stop calling they are out of my precinct now!

Thanks everyone!

Pre Rally and JJ- The true story(pictures included now)

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:11:39 EST

This is gonna be long folks!

We got there about 1130 am. When we went around the corner. My jaw dropped. HRC signs everywhere...everyone elses???no where. There was poor Shannon holding a huge HOPE sign on the corner. I stopped and asked what was going on. She said we are not supposed to put up small signs until 12 noon and bigger signs until 2pm. I said, well then what the heck is going on? And she said "who knows, they are not making them take them down".
We were off to the Pre event, they were setting up and giving out t shirts to volunteers. We walked around and checked things out. (my hubby has not been a verbal supporter, but even he said we need to go check into our hotel and get back here! I knew then he was in) I smiled! I was fired up and mad!

We hurried to the hotel and got ready and went back. We went right up to the front doors of the Vetrans Memorial Auditorium. LINED WITH HRC signs. big ones, BIGGER ONES.. all lined up with smaller ones stuck in the ground below them. Some of the poor Obama supporters were trying to stick little yard signs with HOPE on it in front of the big signs and these two very angry and pushy young girls (20-24) were sticking signs in front of every HOPE sign and staring at us daring us to put up another one. Finally I got mad and grabbed a hope sign and stood in front of HRC signs then my sister in law and hubby did the same. Everyone that came by smiled. I looked at those young girls and said, HONEY, SHE MAY HAVE SIGNS BUT WE HAVE REAL VOTERS LIKE ME!, she just scowled and walked away. I was steaming. It was so juvinille, considering they got there at 5 am and put up signs- CHEATING!

We went to the pre event with John Legend. It was awesome. I did not wear my boot because I thought I would be ok, well, my foot swelled up so big and I could not stand anymore so I had to sit back to the side and did not see most of it, but when I heard Baracks voice I cried. I was just so overcome with the "fight" I had outside with these rude pushy people. I was overcome with the thought that Barack just might not win because how can he fight when there are no rules. My husband gave me a hug and I felt full of fear.

When the preevent was over we went outside to march with Barack and Michelle to the event just a couple of blocks away. As we got to the site where we were to march from I turned around still fearful. But what I saw was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. The streets were full of people all the way down the block all the way up the other block and down the street. I almost fell over. Where did these people come from! Thousands, and thousands! All of us screaming FIRED UP- READY TO GO! my mind lifted from the bottomless pit of dispair! We really do have the voteers. We marched we talked we all were in awe of the sheer numbers. I can not believe what it must have been like in Central Park. But here we all were true supporters, voters, IOWANS!!

We marched and sang, and chanted. I even lead the FIRED UP- READY TO GO for a block or so before my voice gave out. As we went past the HIllary supporters in thier area we out numbered them 300 to one on the street. We could not even fit into any of the space left for us all. They did not fill up thier space. Across the street Dodd was giving away free beer! We thought about switching for a few minutes (ha ha)

We went inside and all we could do was talk about the sheer numbers, The Hillary people had a look of horror on thier faces. I am not kidding, they were litterly disgusted! and pissed off. I was happy. I we waited in the hall (we had floor tickets the rest of the people had balcony tickets)I talked on and on about how many people we had and how Hillary cheated. I could not help myself. I was on my phone calling my friends that are voters and exclaming that we have won Iowa. We Have WON! That this was just a small cross section of voters. A lot of people there for Hillary were from out of state!

While we waited we held our Barack OBama signs and saw many many others with signs. Then...in comes the rowdy crowd with these blow up bat like things, they are beating on them with DODD right in front of them, they just kept beating on these things. It was loud and gave me a headache. We had to wait for about 45 min to get in. Once we got in, the Hillary people also had those bat things and were beating them in chant. They did not stop for at least an hour. I reminded me what it would be like if she were president...very irritating and nothing I could do about it! They also had switched to bight yellow t shirts with "turn up the heat" on them. All I could think was. OK she was complaining a couple of weeks ago about being picked on and now she wants to turn up the heat. What ever. The first thing I did notice is the number of people we had lost from the march. We could have fit everyone in there. Where were those tickets! WE still out numbered Hillarys people by two full statium rows. But her people had prime seating on the floor and up in the stands (and those darn bat things) I felt like I was at a football game.

As each candidate went on stage with introduction the roars got louder and louder. Hillary's bunch was LOUD, but as Barack came out before he was even introduced, I almost jumped at the sound of our cheers! The house nearly came down! We chanted and chanted and chanted.

The speeches went on and I fell asleep during Harkin (sorry I have a hard time with the guy) then came Clinton with her "I am very comfortable in the kitchen" speech and her cronies with the "Turn up the heat" chant. It was impressive.

Then they called out Barack like he was a prize fighter! the house was on fire! A lot of people were gone from the balcony because after Edwards and the rest spoke, most of thier supporters left. I was sorry for that because then they would not have the opportunity to hear the next pres. talk!

A supporter from the audience called out "we love you Barack" and he called back " I love you too" We were on our feet constantly, we were on our chairs, I was again in tears! Barack was on fire! The crowd was in awe. I even saw some of the yellow blow up bat things beating for Barack! Maybe some wanted to switch? (I can only hope)! We were given a "scipt" as I suppose the Hillary people were. It had the times for things to happen like standing up and raiseing certian signs. We felt like it was some sort of game. It was fun, more fun than I thought it would be. Very entertaining for sure. Just to see what the big campaigns (Edwards, Clinton and Obama) had planned was very entertaining. On the floor seats we got supper and desert, in the balcony they had to buy thier food ..hotdogs ect.)

As it was over and Barack ended his speech we all chanted for quite awhile and would not let Madam Speaker Pelosi speak. She had to wait and so did the HRC supporters. They were quiet then and stayed that way. I ran to the front and waited and positioned myself near the place where Barack would be coming down, of course he went to the other side. But I got myself down there and when he came by I said, can I have 5 seconds? I passed him my circle sign and he almost seemed put off, but then I realized he was looking for a pen. I had one and handed it to him and he said thank you. I walked to my husband that had been looking out for me and my HUGE ankle and I smiled. I said OK we can go

I suddenly realized why the rest of the country listens to us Iowans and why we have such a HUGE responsibilty to this country. We have so many opportunites to meet these candidates and get to know them on a personal level. We have the awesome responsibilty to move this country. We as Iowans are the place the world is looking to to make the decision. I wanted to get home and call the world. Tell them that Hillary cheated..yet again! and no one was going to talk about it AGAIN! I wanted to tell them that Barack talked of the issues not just of being mad about the current situation of the world. We know we are all mad. But Barack has the answers or he knows where to get them.

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56 days and a wake up!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:45:00 EST

I saw the first "HOPE" signs in yards today in my local town. I have been lookin at HER signs for 4 weeks now. SHE only has 4 in town. I saw one Mccain. I was suddenly overcome with joy and happiness. Then I realized that there are 56 days and a wake up (military term)till the Iowa caucus!I went up to the door of the person who had the sign and they were not home. I happened to have an extra "OBAMA CIRCLE" sign in my car and I wrote a thank you note on the back and left it in thier screen door. I hoped to cause enthusiasm for doing the 'Right thing" and supporting Barack. Hoping they would show others that putting that "HOPE" sign in thier yard was a smart choice.

I have so much work to do. What would I do if I have to pick HER name on the ballot? I mean really what are the chances HER name will be there. Well I guessed that the more hard work and effort I put into this the more I lessen those chances. I have to devise a plan. A good one to get all those people around me to caucus for Barack. I HAVE to do it and SO DO YOU!

This is the most vaunerable time for all the candidates. One slip, one lack of support can mean a bus ride home. There has to be a solid line of support in every town, in every city in every home across IOWA. We have the chance to do that because our candidate is truely spotless. SHE may be running a "perfect campaign" but our candidate is as close as it gets to being "perfect" as any one would want a normal human being to be. We all have faults and flaws, but non of us are perfect in all ways. There is going to be SLAMS and DUNKS from the other sides but Barack and his campaign leaders are on the right track.

The movement is strong but we have to keep those chins up and positive. We are all responsible for making the news about Barack come out to the light even though the MSM may not want it there.

My heart is in this campaign as I believe that many of you feel the same. This is America and we are all in this together. Everytime you are scared of calling or canvassing or you are tiered of walking to the next door to ask what they think about Barack. Think of yourself at the voting booth having to choose HER name.

You will straighten up quite a bit and fast.

Love from Iowa,

Laura

Clintons flip flop

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:25:08 EST

Clinton's answer is below, but note she didn't say I oppose Spitzers plan, or the NH editorial board reported wrong, she said:

CLINTON: Well, what Governor Spitzer is trying to do is fill the vacuum left by the failure of this administration to bring about comprehensive immigration reform. We know in New York we have several million at any one time who are in New York illegally. They are undocumented workers. They are driving on our roads. The possibility of them having an accident that harms themselves or others is just a matter of the odds. It’s probability.

So what Governor Spitzer is trying to do is to fill the vacuum. I believe we need to get back to comprehensive immigration reform because no state, no matter how well intentioned, can fill this gap. There needs to be federal action on immigration reform.

Then Russert asked the other candidates the following:

RUSSERT: Does anyone here believe an illegal immigrant should not have a driver’s license?

DODD: This is a privilege. * * * The idea that we’re going to extend this privilege here of a driver’s license I think is troublesome, and I think the American people are reacting to it. * * *

We need to deal with security on our borders. * * *

But a license is a privilege, and that ought not to be extended, in my view.

CLINTON: Well, I just want to add, I did not say that it should be done, but I certainly recognize why Governor Spitzer is trying to do...

Read her first answer she was asked about her statement to the editorial board where she said "it makes a lot of sense to give an illegal immigrant a driver’s license."

(UNKNOWN): Wait a minute...

CLINTON: And we have failed. We have failed.

DODD: No, no, no. You said—you said yes...

CLINTON: No.

DODD: ... you thought it made sense to do it.

CLINTON: No, I didn’t, Chris. * * *

She did say that it made sense, and then she lied, yes LIED. Apparently she thinks voters are so stupid or deaf, that she could get away with this.

Then Dodd and Clinton argue the merits of the issue.

* * *

DODD: That’s a bureaucratic nightmare.

CLINTON: ... it’s not the full privilege.

RUSSERT: Senator Clinton, I just want to make sure of what I heard. Do you, the New York senator, Hillary Clinton, support the New York governor’s plan to give illegal immigrants a driver’s license?

You told the New Hampshire paper that it made a lot of sense. Do you support his plan?

CLINTON: You know, Tim, this is where everybody plays “gotcha.” It makes a lot of sense. What is the governor supposed to do? He is dealing with a serious problems. We have failed. And George Bush has failed. Do I think this is the best thing for any governor to do? No. But do I understand the sense of real desperation, trying to get a handle on this? Remember, in New York, we want to know who’s in New York. We want people to come out of the shadows.

He’s making an honest effort to do it. We should have passed immigration reform.

Tim Russert didn't play gotcha. He asked a question about a statement Clinton made, she didn't dispute her earlier statement, she even elaborated, but when another Democratic candidate said I disagree she's wrong on this she Lied and said she didn't say what the transcript and my ears heard her say.

Hillary was not swift boated, that is reserved for an unfair attack on a war hero. Hillary got caught trying to have it both ways. To defend Hillary on this, or attack those who say no we aren't going to stand by and put up with this, is evidence of blind faith. Blind faith is rarely wise, and it certainly isn't here

How is it going?

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:29:08 EST

I know that what I have asked you may have been a lot for some of you. Making these phone calls to an area that is used to being left alone is hard. Please do not get discouraged. If you do not feel comfortable jus let me know. This area can be daunting I KNOW!

There is so much work to be done and so little time to do it in. With the time change and it is dark at 6pm the canvassing thing is HARD!

I did it!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 09:28:19 EST

I have now got you all your numbers! I finally now realize the hard work that goes into data entry. What a job, not that it was extremely daunting, but keeping my eyes trained to those numbers and making sure everyone got just 7 ect...

I just can not go on enough about this group and the possiblities it holds for me. You are all helping me to get to my goal of taking all the delegates in my precinct! I will not be able to stop smiling if I fill the place up with Barack Supporters! What a message will go out to those HIllary supporters in my area.

I cant stop smiling NOW!

Love always,

Laura

I am getting the numbers out there

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 12:34:09 EDT

I have numbers out to two of you so far. I have been having a rather hectic week, and I have to canvass today. I will add more later today. It is a bit more time consuming than I thought. (of course) I may actually put the numbers on here as a blog with the names of the callers on the top of each list of 7-10 numbers.

I dont know how the campaign does it. Well, if I had excell it would be a lot easier, sorry just rambling!

Love you all!!

Laura

Ranking of results and how it is done

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:22:10 EDT

If you have ever called or canvassed before you will be familar with this scoring system.

1-signed supporter

2-verbal supporter

3 undecided

3L-leaning and the 1st inital of the candidate they are leaning to. ex: 3LO (leaning Obama)

4-support other candidate and the inital of candidate. ex: 4C

5 stongly support other candidate

Please strongly suggest that they caucus and that we can find a ride for them to get there and back, that there will be food and drink(non alcoholic)lol. If they dont want to go because they think it is some crazy old person polictical fight, it is not. I will meet with them and explain how it works.

If they are going to caucus give them my name and number and I will meet with them personally to explain how it works.

So I should get back something that looks like this

John Jones - 3LO- will not caucus

Mary Picker-2 will caucus

Hillary Clinton- 1 will caucus (ha ha)

Prissy MooCow- 4 E- will not caucus

I have the numbers!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:09:49 EDT

I just got the numbers and I will be sending them out to each of you 10 at a time. Do not feel pressured. If you do not think you can do it just let me know. I think you will be pleasently surprised. These numbers are targeted Democratic or independents. No Republicans.

I can not thank you enough for helping me. This is an incredible experience for me!

Give me until Sunday to get them to you.

Sample Script

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:46:27 EDT

I need the answers to these questions in particular
1. who they support if anyone, or who they are leaning to. if they are undecided or split between 2.
2. if they have caucused
3. if they will caucus
4. if they want more information.
Please email me with the name of the person and the answers with the questions. If not home just put NH.

I think with the back ground that people are calling from all over will be impressive to an Iowan. Some in my area have not been out of the state! Very easy going people if you open up with something that is funny. But feel free to speak ad lib. This is something I open up with sometimes.

SAMPLE SCRIPT:********************

"Hi! I is this ________? this is _______. I know everyone just loves to get calls from people they dont know, they wonder OK what am I in for now? laugh laugh.....well I am just a normal everyday person volunteering from _______ for Barack Obama and we are just really thinking about Iowa lately. We would like to know your take on the Senator? Have you heard of him and some of his issues?

How do you stand on the election? Do you support anyone in particular?

Do you caucus? Will you caucus?
Do you know how the caucus works and how important it is to the nomination?

Would you caucus if you had a guarenteed ride there and back?

Your local precinct caption is Laura Hubka You can give her a call with your questions!

1-641-985-2856

Video to help understand the Iowa Caucus

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:11:03 EDT

This is a very nice animation video that has a great simple explanation to the Iowa caucus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxZYwcoBPhA

HI everyone!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:52:52 EDT

In the coming few weeks I will be posting when I have available listed numbers of my local neighbors and those in surrounding community that will be available for the caucus on Jan 3rd! I will give each person as many phone numbers as they think they can handle in a given time period. I just want an email back with the information such as

1. Who the people are supporting/leaning towards

2. if they will caucus

3. If they want to help with the campaign.

I can not believe they moved the date up! So there is a lot of work to be done. Some of these people may not have even heard of Barack Obama and it is our job to get them acquianted with the Senator!

This may seem to be a daunting of a task to be "cold calling" these people. But I have started doing it just today and it has been not to darn bad. I was on the phone for 56 minutes with one man. I think I got him though! I will be going over to his house in the next couple of days to visit, he invited me so he could hear more! I kept BO site open so that I had the issues at hand and any of the speeches that Barack has available to look at for inspiration.

I appreciate so much the help you will be giving me!

Lets keep our eyes on the prize!

A guy named Hugh

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:20:47 EDT

Hi there. This is my blog about Hugh the guy from North Carolina (he is a transplant there from the NE) He is a retired faculty member from a college.

Hugh saw my plea for help here in NE Iowa, and being the avid supporter (and retired) he decided to DRIVE up here some 1,300 miles! He will be here a total of 10 days!

Hugh has found out first hand just how hard it is to get those Iowa voters to break their shell and tell you who they stand for. Everyone seems enthusiastic, but to get that soft gooey center of the Iowa voter it takes some real skill and persistance!

Hugh has been canvassing and tonight making his first phone calls. I can not say enough about this kind of help that is SO DEARLY needed in rural Iowa.

My hats off to Hugh and all those of you who travel outside your own states and away from your comfortable home to help us get the job done

The office

HUGH

Hugh's car

Million on a 45 min call to get a precinct capiton! HE DID IT WOOOOOOO

HI from the Ankle injury zone

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:30:23 EDT

I have begun to realize the reality of what I have done to myself. Day 9 is better than day 8 by just a tiny itty bit. So I have decided to sit up a bit. I was stupid to spend so much time in the upright position last week. But I had to see Barack and I am glad I did. Although being home and watching TV as been discouraging for me. EVERY MSM is all about Hillary being crowned queen. I really am sick of it. But I also have found that this is why we have to work so hard. VERY hard to get the word out. MSM NEver puts out the things that I see on here! I have to print them and bring those articles with me. I do it everytime something comes out about her that is negitive. And NO ONE knows about it...anywhere. I am glad that you continue to keep me updated. And I hope that eveyone is doing the same, print out those articles and show them to everyone. Leave them on coffee tables, leave them in McDonalds, or other coffee shops or morning stops you go to. People will read them! Make sure it has the name of the paper shown on the top so that people do not think these are planted there falsely.

Finally some of the newspapers are starting to put out some positive stuff about our guy. Lets make sure EVERYONE sees it.

New Hampton Iowa- More Barack

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 21:58:01 EDT

This was a great event with 250 expected and about 800 there! Once again the record crowd comes to Barack.

This crowd was of an older group of Iowans and a mix of High School seniors. Three schools were represented! I was happy to see that the teachers let them out to see him. They are not being let go to see any other candidate that I know of.

Barack did his stump, and then answered many more questions at this event. He had some hard core questions of Darfur and Abortion. He gave great off the cuff answers that had the crowd clapping. We did not get many supporter cards at the opening but many came to get them as they left. I was very encouraged to see the turn out and hear the applause to all of his answers.

The bummer was that when people left a few came back to us with Hillary event flyers that were left on thier cars! They were disgusted with this. Thanks Hillary supporters! another straw on the camels back.

Luther College Barack sighting!! Pack the Yard!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 21:12:14 EDT

Hi all! Barack was his normal usual self. Awe inspiring and off the hook! (lol) he had those kids eating out of his hands! We expected 1,500 and we got about 3,500! It was a beautiful night and Barack was up beat and the kids were all about O O O OBamna!
First I would like to say to all of you who are on him about not taking on the experience thing- he did it he took on Hillary by name tongiht! He was very specific about his experience and the type of experience that he had was real life experience. . He was very energized and the crowd helped. Barack went on to tell them how important it was to caucus and also eluded to what an experience it was to do so.

The field office people and those of us that volunteered were there to explain how it worked and how important the caucus was and how we would get them there that night. People were very swayed and we got a lot of people coming to get supporter cards!

House Party Oct 2nd 2007

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:53:04 EDT

Hi ya'll!

We had a house party for the first time here in Howard Co.

It was storming and I mean storming that night. But we had some great people show up that were from several of the towns surrounding Cresco. It was very nice to meet them all.

We talked about how we became involved in the polictical process. Each of us had very different stories but we all felt very very attached to Barack Obama mostly from hearing him speak and feeling the hope and inspiration that he brings to every place he goes.

We ate some food and planned to meet again in one month and bring more friends. This is going to be a tough nut to crack here in Howard CO. But we are going to get the fire started!

My Ankle, a sad but encouraging...funny story

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:17:53 EDT

Bad news for me. Yesterday at a band competition I fell out of a trailer. I was embarrassed and tried to get up. Well as I looked down my left foot was at a 90 degree angle to my leg. Woops! so off I went by ambulance and they took xrays, surprizing but it was not broken, but badley dislocated! it was the grossest thing I ever did see! So they put me to sleep and relocated it. The funny thing though, was that as they put me to sleep my husband heard my last words, they were "24,000 people in the park for Barack Obama" NOW THAT IS DEDICATION! I laughed so hard when they woke me up and told me. I told them I did not have the time for this since my house party is Tuesday and Barack is coming on Thursday! MAn!!! well, now I have the time off work I can see him on Friday as well!

Barack is coming to my area!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:54:21 EDT

Yeah! Barack will be in Decorah IA on Thursday Oct 4th at 7pm- Luther College! I am so excited. Wait for pictures!

MYSPACE goes political...

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:43:11 EDT

MYSPACE "TOM" brings some "events" for Presidental candidates.

Over the next several months we will be hosting an event for each Presidential candidate. Here's your chance to ask them the questions on your mind via MySpaceIM or by going to one of the live events held on college campuses around the country!

The first event features senator and presidential hopeful John Edwards. It's This <b>Thursday at noon EST</b>. <a href="http://www.myspace.com/election2008">Add the profile</a> as your friend, and watch the teaser video here! Please participate in this historic event!

<a href="http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?

Reposting -to send to more groups- Late night thinking

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:08:48 EDT

Some things from "12 Simple Secrets of Happiness"--

"our lives are shaped by those who love us--by those who refuse to love us" John Powell.s.j

The next time you find yourself in the path of critical bricks hurled you way,learn to desensitize the impact of accusations rather than stand defenseless

1. consider the source. Normally it is the person who can't dance who complains about the unevenness of the floor. Likewise, people who criticize other people are frequently hurting themselves. Out of thier frustration with life, they find someone else to blame. Dont take it personally.

2. Smile. Have you ever tried arguing with someone who is smiling at you? If you want to disarm an attacker,take a deep breath,smile and say "Thank You" One of the surest marks of good character is a person's ability to accept criticism without malice to the one who gives it.

3.Expect it but don't accept it. Epicteus said "If someone criticizes you, agree at once. Mention that if only the other person knew you well, there would be more to criticize than that"! He also believed that the best way to silence your critics and not waste energy is to agree with them and get on with life.

I think Barack may have read this. It goes on but I knew when I was reading this that Barack was a wise man and follows this wonderful way of living. Even when the sparks fly and the bad press comes. I know he believes. In US!!

I can just see him standing at the podium on inaugural day. Hands on each side of the podium with that smile from ear to ear. Michelle in the back ground the girls at her side. A single tear in her eye and Sasha asking "whats wrong Mommy daddy is president now, isnt that a happy thing"? And Michelle telling her girls that it is just the most happy thing.

Soon his smile fades and his voice rings out to us all. " Thank you AMerica, Thank you for having the trust and faith in a man like me" Thank you for believing in America, and giving me the daunting mission to bring this country back to where it used to be" I promise that I will keep my word until my dying day, even long after I am done being your president" I will keep your hearts close to mine and together we will succeed" My plan to bring us up and out of dispair, up and out of the darkness, out into the light of day will be a hard mission and I will need your help" "I will work day and night and will surround myself with the best of the best and they will advise me in the things I have yet to learn" "I will keep my eye on the prize of a better America" A Stonger America" and a United America" Where we can all say the Pledge of Allegence and know that we are "THe United States of AMerica"

of course it would go on..but I know he will cry. He will be so awe struck with the idea that he, just a normal man. Won the love and adoration of us all.

Oh OH, its late and I am thinkin again...

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:07:15 EDT

Some things from "12 Simple Secrets of Happiness"--

"our lives are shaped by those who love us--by those who refuse to love us" John Powell.s.j

The next time you find yourself in the path of critical bricks hurled you way,learn to desensitize the impact of accusations rather than stand defenseless

of course it would go on..but I know he will cry. He will be so awe struck with the idea that he, just a normal man. Won the love and adoration of us all.

Please sign the "wall of Obama"

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 23:39:40 EDT

Here is the link for those of you who do not spend half of your nights on the blogs. Boy am I tired.

But please sign this. If you have friends from Iowa. Get them on there too!

http://www.obamanh.com/

finally my pictures from Waverly Iowa with Obama

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 20:38:47 EDT

I got to see him!!! YEah!!

I listened to him talk about energy at Waverly Power. Then saw him in the debate in Des Moines. But they would not let us bring cameras in there...darn!

not a bad showing for a town of 5,890

Our "little Rally" of visability today

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 20:08:58 EDT

Today in a small rural town in NE Iowa I had a "little rally" for Barack Obama! I made cookies...

I made signs with a friend...

We lined up and caused a stir in Howard Co. No one has ever seen anything like it in my town! We got plenty of honks from our sign saying "honk for Obama in 08"

AND WE GOT SUPPORTERS!!!! IN IOWA>>>>IN RURAL America and everyone was so excited and ready to go again SOON!!!

I can t wait!!

Guess what I am doing tonight

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:43:55 EDT

making Barack cookies! I am having an event tomarrow. Yummy!

people I have met

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 23:30:53 EDT

Thanks to a blog written by someone else, I added this comment and then thought I would like to share it with you all incase you never see it there.

I have met all sorts of people since I started volunteering for Barack Obama. First I met the wonderful people who are field organizers in the Decorah, IA office= Million, Victoria, Shannon and the other guy...awwww what was his name, he left to go back to college. Ill think of it in a minute. Then the people that I have seen around town but never really talked to. I walked up to thier doors and talked about Barack and generally got a good response, never a bad one. I talked to them about thier houses and the work they were doing or had done on them, thier dogs,cats, children. It gave me a chance to meet my town face to face. Something I had no reason to do otherwise. I get smiles from people I do not know just by wearing my OBama '08 shirt, and it makes me smile just wearing it because I know if they see me wearing this shirt and having a big smile on my face, they think.. happy people like Barack and I want to be happy so I should check out Obama...(in my mind this is what I like to think they are thinking anyway)

I have found that politics and religon run on paralell roads seperated by just a few steps. They have very much in common when it comes to talking to people about them. People are scared of what they can not see. We can only trust in our own choices and the outcome of the road we choose. Hoping always that we took the right crook in the road. The sun comes up every morning and we trust that it will. Barack is my sun in the morning and I trust that if he is president he will be up and working for us everyday, because the crook in the road that I choose is the road to the caucus and the primarys and the general election that all have Barack Obamas name written all over it!

A rambling Thank You!

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 23:08:04 EDT

I have found myself spending a lot of time reposting things I see on other sites. Which I have no problem with. But felt that a post written just by me was in order.

I have really started to feel the crunch of the political process in the last few weeks. It seems like I have been involved for sooooo long. But my original "seek and find" mission for more information about Barack was only about 5 weeks ago. I registerd, they found me, I got involved and have canvassed, talked, gone to meetings, gotten my share of supporter cards, I have seen Barack twice, went to a debate in Des Moines Iowa, set up a table at a motorcycle show and I have only become a registerd voter 3 weeks ago!

I never voted before, I never paid attention before.... I Never, I never....now I find myself thinking WOW! this is going to take longer than I think it will to get to the end..and then flipping back to, WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME what can I do? What should I be doing? My field organizer has been great in keeping me more than informed and trying to rein in my OVER enthusiasm with the whole process and letting me know to be patient we WILL be running wild soon.

So I wait. very impatiently. Looking on the internet daily, every site, every news program. But this has been somewhat uninspiring at times because the press mostly is for the "woman" I dont hate her, she just makes me uncomfortable. I worry that she will make it into office and then what will I do? Will I lose my motivation to get Barack into office in 2012 after she makes all those who voted for her eat crow as she demoralizes this country for yet another 4 years? I pray for her to show her true colors and SOON!

I just want everyone to feel the way I do. SO WHY CANT THEY? yeah I know. THey are not me.

Then I come here. I read the blogs, I go to the links, I feel the love. I really know in my heart that Barack can win. From what I see and hear in Iowa, I have not met but ONE person that has said they are voting for Hillary, NOT ONE! lots of Obama and Edwards and a whole lot of leaners for OBama and Edwards. So where do they get these numbers for the polls? well my suspisions were confirmed by my own poll of people who had been called and who had not been. All the people who were on my canvassing list that were on the list as Hillary supporters HAD been called, those others.......ahhhhhh no call. Hmmmmm yeah. There is a Clinton office down the street from the Obama office in Decorah(IA) but no one has ever been in there, very strange. Just signs on the windows. So do they think if people see her name then she has some mysterious "prescence"? I am not sure.

If you have made it this far. Thank you! I believe this goes beyond what a blog is supposed to be. But again Thank YOU! for helping me believe that there is room for change in politics and that I can be a part of it.

Laura

Republicans want Hillary to win because she will be easier

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 23:31:44 EDT

GOP activists root for Clinton win
By: Jonathan Martin
August 27, 2007 05:47 PM EST

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0807/5515.html

INDIANAPOLIS — He may be on his way out the door at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in coming days. But the party Karl Rove has labored to build over the past eight years seems to have picked up his talking points on next year’s presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton is going to be the Democratic nominee and that could be the GOP’s saving grace in an otherwise uphill battle.

Conversations with Republicans gathered here for the biennial Midwest Republican Leadership Conference reflect a party unenthused or just plain uncertain about their potential White House nominee. But GOP faithful also seem quite confident and even upbeat about the prospect that the senator from New York is, as Rove put it, the “prohibitive favorite to win the nomination.”

That likelihood, they say, is good news for any hopes of keeping the White House and getting other Republicans on the ballot elected.

Asked if Clinton being the nominee would improve his party’s chances both nationally and in Indiana, Howard County (Ind.) GOP Chair Craig Dunn got excited. “Absolutely, absolutely!” he exclaimed animatedly, grinning widely. “We’ve never elected a president of the United States who started off with 45 percent unfavorable ratings!”

But from Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels on down to county chairs like Dunn, Republicans also concede that they’re still licking their wounds from the losses that took place nearly 10 months ago.

“No, no, I don’t think so,” Daniels candidly replied Friday after a kickoff luncheon when asked if the party had recovered from its dismal midterm performance. As somebody who saw three Republican incumbent congressmen in his state go down in defeat last fall and who faces a potentially tough reelection battle of his own next year, Daniels would know.

But Daniels, the budget director in President Bush’s first term, said there is reason for hope.

Acknowledging that any two-term presidency “leads to a natural tendency to change,” Daniels said he’s nevertheless optimistic because of the “array of fresh faces” running for the GOP nomination. “This will not be a continuity candidacy. And I say this as somebody who has served in this administration and is loyal to it. A continuity candidacy, given the erosion in the party, wouldn’t have much of a chance.”

Although he got behind Sen. John McCain early and still supports the Arizonan (a longtime friend, Daniels repeatedly pointed out), the governor said he doesn’t know who the GOP nominee will be. “But our party is going to present a new face, a new program, a new look to America and it might just be one that is good enough to win.”

And Republicans here are hopeful that they’ll get to contrast that fresh look with a Democrat who they think Americans will reject as part of a checkered past and who can only boost their hopes to get otherwise dispirited GOP activists to come out and vote.

It’s why the focus on Clinton is so constant that it bordered on obsessive in both the official sessions and less-formal corridor conversations here.

In a multimedia presentation to the most diehard of GOP heartland activists, RNC Chair Mike Duncan played and replayed a video of Clinton talking about the economy in a manner he claimed smacked of “socialism.”

Duncan also offered barbs at Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, among other Democrats — but as with most of the Republicans here, the main target was clearly Clinton.

So when Duncan wrapped up his treatment of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, it was only Clinton that he admonished for being “one of only 22 senators to vote against [Supreme Court Chief Justice] John Roberts” and trying “to block” Samuel Alito’s Supreme Court nomination. And only she, as Duncan told it, “blasted the Supreme Court decision on partial-birth abortion.”

“It’s amazing,” Duncan concluded, “Hillary and her Democratic competitors have made their position clear — they’re running for MoveOn[.org] and not for America.”

The questions Duncan took from the audience reflect why Republicans so want to make Clinton the center of attention; talking about the current state of their own party is not nearly so much fun. Two of those who raised their hands wanted to know when the party will get on a unified message and one of them expressed fear that the immigration issue (which Duncan pointedly avoided during his presentation) will keep the GOP base home.

“My greatest fear is that they won’t turn out,” said the questioner. Another wanted to know just what Bush’s role will be in the election (to which Duncan said in three different ways that the focus will be on their nominee, not the outgoing president).

In an interview, an upbeat Duncan repeatedly came back to talking about the opposition instead of his own party. “We’ve got to get back to our basics,” Duncan said. “Low taxes, less government, strong national security.”

“When we get our candidate, we’ll be in good hands,” he predicted. And why? “Democrats are overplaying their hand.”

Back in the conference room, it was much the same message. “As Hillary Clinton becomes the nominee,” projected GOP pollster B.J. Martino of the Tarrance Group, pointing to charts and graphs, “Republican intensity will simultaneously spike.”

After a BBQ and fried chicken dinner at the famed speedway where former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney enjoyed lusty applause and even brought a few Republicans to their feet for offering his stock line that Clinton “couldn’t become elected president of France, let alone president of the United States,” Republicans said they liked what they heard but were still shopping for a candidate.

Asked which way she was leaning, one local Republican who didn’t want her name used hemmed and hawed before blurting out, “Anybody but Hillary!”

Todd Rokita, Indiana’s secretary of state and a Romney backer, emphasized, given his is role as the state’s election officer, that the election next year would be fair and accurate. But as somebody with further statewide ambitions, Rokita couldn’t entirely hide his delight at the prospect of a Clinton nomination. Hoosiers “have had enough of the Clintons and they don’t want a return to that,” he said.

But to Clinton’s camp, the lavishing of GOP attention on the former first lady is seen as nothing short of flattery.

Noting Clinton’s uptick in both national and state polls, spokesman Mo Elleithee said the GOP is “attacking her and making her center of attention because they see these trends”

“They’re starting to get a little nervous and are trying to stop her momentum right now,” Elleithee said. And he offered a reminder: Many Republicans also once gleefully looked forward to taking on Clinton when she first ran for the Senate in New York, too.

Barack Makes "Buzz of the Week" on ABC News

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:54:22 EDT

In a week that featured the first presidential debate that Hillary Clinton didn't win, Barack Obama emerged as the candidate most likely to be attacked by members of both parties.
Obama came to the debate ready to play "bumper cars," and he was bounced around but not bruised up. He defended his statements on foreign policy against all comers -- and delivered some zingers that pointed out that experience (when you’re talking about Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld) isn't everything.
It's worth pausing for a moment to consider the remarkable ascent that leaves Obama as a dominant force in the 2008 race for president. This was supposed to be Hillary Clinton's year, with a series of semi-interchangeable white-male senators nipping at her heels.
Obama changed that -- and this was the kind of week that showed how. He did "The Daily Show," yes, but also gave a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention that left him carrying the Democratic banner even more than Clinton herself. He also defended his wife against comments that just might be aimed at the Clintons.
Mostly, though, Obama benefited this week from circumstances beyond his control. President Bush refocused the national debate on Iraq, and that's a net positive for Obama no matter how you shake it out.
He is the only major candidate who opposed the war since before it started, and no amount of spin can change that fact. The only question is whether he can capitalize on that with a second act on Iraq -- or whether he's destined to fall short of Clinton.

Top 10 Things Hillary will not be saying on Letterman

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:40:26 EDT

Top Ten Things Hillary Clinton Won't Say on Letterman:

10. "If the Hsu fits, tap it."

9. "If you can't run your own house, run for the White House."

8. "I think it reminds us of Mark Foley and Bill Clinton."

7. "I have said publicly no option should be off the table, but I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table."

6. "To know me is to love me."

5. "I've got a crush on Obama."

4. "Lobbyists? They have feelings, too, Dave."

3. "That vote on Iraq? Whoops."

2. "Let me tell you how I would get to universal coverage."

1. "When it comes to health care, I have a wide stance, Dave, and I have the scars to show for it."

Zbigniew Brzezinski backs Obama

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:28:57 EDT

Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of the most influential foreign-policy experts in the Democratic Party, threw his support behind Barack Obama's presidential candidacy, saying the Illinois senator has a better global grasp than his chief rival, Hillary Clinton.

Obama ....recognizes that the challenge is a new face, a new sense of direction, a new definition of America's role in the world,'' Brzezinski said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's ....Political Capital with Al Hunt.''

....Obama is clearly more effective and has the upper hand,'' Brzezinski, who was President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, said. ....He has a sense of what is historically relevant, and what is needed from the United States in relationship to the world.''

Brzezinski, 79, dismissed the notion that Clinton, 59, a New York senator and the wife of former President Bill Clinton, is more seasoned than Obama, 46. ....Being a former first lady doesn't prepare you to be president. President Truman didn't have much experience before he came to office. Neither did John Kennedy,'' Brzezinski said.

Clinton's foreign-policy approach is ....very conventional,'' Brzezinski said. ....I don't think the country needs to go back to what we had eight years ago.''

....There is a need for a fundamental rethinking of how we conduct world affairs,'' he added. ....And Obama seems to me to have both the guts and the intelligence to address that issue and to change the nature of America's relationship with the world.''

Negotiating With Foes

Brzezinski also sided with Obama, who was criticized by Clinton as being ....irresponsible'' and ....naïve'' for saying he would meet in his first year as president with leaders of adversaries such as Iran and Syria. ....What's the hang-up about negotiating with the Syrians or with the Iranians?'' Brzezinksi said. ....What it in effect means'' is ....that you only talk to people who agree with you.''

Clinton has the backing of her own Democratic foreign- policy heavyweights, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke, both of whom served in her husband's administration.

Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for the Clinton campaign, had no comment on Brzezinski's remarks.

Iraq

Brzezinski, a harsh critic of the Bush administration's war in Iraq, slammed President George W. Bush for claiming progress is being made in Iraq and for asserting in an Aug. 22 speech that an early pullout would lead to the kind of bloodshed Southeast Asia experienced after American forces left Vietnam.

The addition of about 30,000 U.S. troops in recent months ....may be making some progress in some suburbs of Baghdad, but I don't think anyone claims that it marks the turning point in what is clearly a failure,'' Brzezinski said.

....And the president's speech itself was an admission of a colossal failure, a colossal failure,'' he said. ....Four and a half years after his invasion of Iraq, he's now saying that if we withdraw, Iraq ends up like Vietnam or even worse.''

A U.S. intelligence report released yesterday said the troop increase has had some success in curbing violence and there have been ....modest improvements in economic output,'' yet ....Iraq's sectarian groups remain un-reconciled'' and al-Qaeda ....retains the ability to conduct high-profile attacks.''

Brzezinski said Bush wants to ....bequeath the war to his successor.''

....As long as that war goes, we're going to be tied, handcuffed in dealing with foreign affairs,'' he said. ....Our relations with China, with Russia are deteriorating, we don't have freedom of action, we're despised worldwide.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Janine Zacharia in Washington at jzacharia@bloomberg.net

Canvassing problems.

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:11:21 EDT

I have spent the past couple of days canvassing. Anyone who has done it knows the great joy and dissappointment you can feel after each house you go to. I am new at it so I was pretty excited to get started a couple of weeks ago on Baracks birthday. I had nothing but positvie responses. This week on Tuesday I sent out to do an afternoon. I got my lists and remembered my coding system, clip board, smile and positive attitude. # 1 house- no one home. # 2 name on list..an 80 year old lady in a nursing home. I thought, wow what an oppertunity to go to a nursing home. Maybe the word will spread around and I can have a little "sit in" for Obama. I walked out almost crying.

The story is this. I walked in smiling at all the little ole folks there. Asked around for this woman and was directed to her and a couple other folks drinking coffee. I walked over to her and told her my name and what I was doing. She just looked at me. The others around the table looked at me too. Then I thought, "oh maybe she can not hear". So I repeated myself and laid down a health care phamplet from Obama. She scowled and said some not so nice words about Baracks race and how she would not have that kind of person running our country. She would not even touch the flyer. She told me to take it away and get out! EVERYONE in the whole place was looking at me. I just smiled and said thank you for your time. turned and walked through the people and left. I hitched my breath and held back the shame I felt for that woman. I told myself that it was not her fault because she was just raised that way. I told myself she was only one person. I realized that somepeople can not change, will not change. And I was sad for her and those out there that feel the same.

It was hard to knock on that next door. But I did it. And a smiling face welcomed me and greatfully took a flyer. I kept going.

Don't believe the polls

Laura Hubka ~From Iowa Where It Started and Will Continue~~~ — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:09:27 EDT

Why poll results in critical states are not as important as in previous years. Obama is attracting thousands of new supporters in these states that are not showing up in polls. A lot of these supporters are newly registered or have never voted, so pollsters do not have their phone numbers to call to ask poll questions. Many of these that Obama have attracted to politics are young people with cell phones who’ll not be called by pollsters. It’s interesting that in straw polls, for example one straw poll at a fair in Iowa, Obama came out on top. The key is, we must continue to sign up people for Obama, get them registered, and get them out to vote in Jan-Feb. If this means picking them up, finding baby sitters for them etc; we must get them out to vote.. It will be tough getting the young people out to vote in the primaries. They have let down past campaigns who relied on them, but we can change this. We must strategies on how to get EACH person we enroll in the Obama dream, out to vote! Iowa, NH, South Carolina, Nevada, and Florida are critical. Let’s individually make a difference. We all know people in one or more of these states. Think on how you can individually be a campaign manager for Obama, marshaling forces to get him nominated as the Democratic candidate. Hold those who support him close so you can get them out to vote on that crucial day. My favorite mantra is: ‘If it’s going to be, it’s up to me!