Winning the right way, the Obama way.

A little fact finding goes a long way!

LV Duckworth — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:57:49 EDT

This is the response I sent to an editorial that appeared in my local Newspaper, The La Crosse Tribune. Hopefully it will be published but I fear it is too long to make it. None the less I submitted it for consideration.

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A little fact finding goes a long way!

After reading Faith Blum's, "The truth about Obama" - I came to one conclusion - Faith Blum doesn't know much about doing research and nothing about fact checking. ---------- For the purposes of this rebuttal FB wrote: will refer to Faith Blum's supposed facts, RE: will refer to my rebuttal.

FB wrote: I’ll start with his buzz word, "change."

FB wrote: Dr. Jerome Corsi’s book, "The Obama Nation," and specifically Saul Alinsky, the father of community organizing, for the definition of the word "change".

RE: According to www.factcheck.org (Jerome Corsi's "The Obama Nation" is a mishmash of unsupported conjecture, half-truths, logical fallacies and outright falsehoods.)

RE: Additionally, in March 2008 Corsi reported in WorldNetDaily that a "Muslim terrorist group with ties to criminal drug networks and "al-Qaida" has given "strong support" to John McCain. (This guy is a total crackpot!)

RE: However, in this case Corsi is correct that Saul Alinsky, the father of community organizing, did use the word "change' in describing the political practice of organizing communities to act in their own common self-interest. Alinsky is sometimes said to have coined the term "think Globally, act locally."

RE: As to whether Saul Alinsky was a radical or taught radicalism is wholly a matter of perspective. Saul Alinsky was the labor (union) organizer that fought for worker rights during the 1930s in the Chicago meat packing district and stock yards. The horrific working conditions of those people were made famous in the Upton Sinclair novel, "The Jungle." I am sure the meat packing industry that was forced to pay a fair working wage and limit child labor among other things considered Alinsky to be very much a radical reformer, but I doubt the many workers whose lives he saved or made drastically better would agree..

Discussion between brothers.

LV Duckworth — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:49:04 EDT

Yesterday, I had a debate with my eldest brother, he a conservative and I an avid Obama supporter.

He began, "Just thought I would stop by to hear what your thoughts are all this."

I responded, "You mean Barack Obama?"

He said, "Yes of course, just thought, well, I would get your perspective."

I said, "I am understandably upset because people are unable to see the manipulation of the press, unwilling to except an honorable man at his word, when even his opponents have acknowledged "Obama does not hold the political opinions of his Pastor."" and "That he certainly is no racist".

My brother asked, "But what about the speech?"

I said, "Profoundly beautiful."

He then suggested, "But it didn't answer the question."

I was perplexed, I didn't understood what question he thought was supposed to be answered.

I thought for a moment and asked, "What question did he not answer?"

"Well, the only question that matters of course." he pushed, with a grin.

Again I asked, and he finally said, "Is he a patriot?"

In honest surprise I questioned, "Thats what you think everyone is asking?!".

I questioned, "How could someone think him not a patriot?"

Knowing my brother to an intelligent and reasoning man, I was shocked at what he said next.

He said, "Well he doesn't wear a flag pin and he doesn't put his hand on his heart when saying the pledge of allegiance?"

I stated, "Really! You believe that? Of course Barack Obama is a patriot."

I offered, "Barack has explained why he does not wear a flag pin, he has said that he believes that such symbolism is far too often used as a cudgel, a means to project a false patriotism for political ends and that he prefers to show his patriotism through his deeds, not symbolism." and in response to the other, "That picture of him standing without hand on heart was not taken during the Pledge of Allegiance, it taken while listening to the National Anthem, Hand on heart is not tradition, rising is. - you agree that is correct?"

He nodded in the affirmative and said, "How come I haven't heard that?"

I said, "I don't know, he said it, its out there, others have reported the anthem thing as well. Perhaps you need to expand your sources of info?"

"Here we go again, your gonna attack Rush, right?." he quipped.

I replied, "Rush is not a news source, he is an opinioner, nothing else and I dislike him for what I believe are his rantings, but will not allow you to change the subject to him."

"Hmmpf." he muttered.

I will tell you why I believe Barack Obama to be a patriot, "Barack has spent his life proving his patriotism, from his first days of working on the streets of Chicago, promoting and supporting the homeless and less fortunate." "Each and every step in his life's journey has reaffirmed his commitment to making this nation a more perfect union and a better America." "He has dedicated himself to the study of law to further benefit those that he strove to aid, he chose to teach rather than pursue a more lucrative legal career, because he believed that people should give back to the community from which they came."

Then I asked rhetorically, "How can that be seen as anything but patriotic?, but didn't allow him a chance to respond.

Again I continued, "His expertise is Constitutional Law, chosen because he believes in its precepts and in its being the most important document left us by our founding father, within it contains everything that it means to be an American. He ran for the Illinois Senate not just advance himself, but saw it to be a logical step in his desire to change a system he thought needed improvement. Not because he wanted to tear down a system, but to build it up, to make it more closely represent the perfect union. True, each step lead to greater power, but never did he wield that power to damage the system of government that we love. You may not see it that way from a political aspect, but you must at least acknowledge it as reasonable to assume."

This man, Barack Obama, the man I support is a Patriot, he showed it again with the speech he gave on Tuesday, that he wrote and delivered - he presented to us, his understanding that this Union that we call the United States of America, can fulfill its prophesied destiny, but only if we face the things that still divide us with honest discourse."

I have no doubt that my brother will still vote for McCain, but at least he now understands where I stand and why!

The right-wing media agenda!

LV Duckworth — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:43:11 EDT

I am feeling a need to address the attacks that have been running rampant against both the HRC and Barack Obama campaigns of late. The things I am about to write are my own opinions and as such can be accepted by you, the reader, or rejected outright.

I believe we are being manipulated by those with a right-wing, conservative agenda and the main stream media. When I say we, I refer to Democrats as a whole, not one campaign or the other. This manipulation, although proffered for different reasons, political gain by the first and audience/monetary gain by the later, can only work if we allow them to succeed.

If we accept this proposition as true, we must then realize that it is more important than ever that we, the members of both candidacies, turn away from attacking each other and instead focus on debunking the notion that our internal problems are insurmountable.

Certainly, both candidates will at times say things that anger the other’s constituency, this is called politics after all, but it is a wholly different matter to have these differences dredged-up, piled, sorted, rescattered and rehashed over and over and over.

Additionally, we must not allow innuendo and guilt by association to become the direction of our political discourse. The Republicans have taken us down that road before and it served no one well. If you doubt this, search for the term "McCarthyism" on any search engine and learn a lesson from history.

We, today, are in the midst of our own historical renaissance. Either nominee for the Democratic party will bring about an abrupt and everlasting change to this nation’s political psyche.

It is my belief, because of Barack Obama’s stance on unity, on agreeing to disagree without being disagreeable, that he offers our nation the most prophetic and uplifting change.

(Prophetic: We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal...)

Obama ‘08

Yes We Can... and We Must!

Hang Tough!

LV Duckworth — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:45:26 EST

We must stand unified in our support of Obama, that is how we will win - not by disparaging comments, not by becoming hostile toward party officials, not by threatening to vote outside the party, but by making it clear - that we will support Obama and no one else - then the super-delegates will understand what they are risking if they overturn the pledged delegates.

This is more than a movement of hope, despite the Naysayer's allegations.

This is a movement of understanding, an understanding that a better America, the America of our dreams, can only be achieved through the application of ethical and moral conduct, through the acceptance of our diversity and a willingness to use that diversity for the improvement of us all.

But, it is also about the Democratic party.

A party which will inherit a new generation of voters that possess a passion, a drive and a belief in the future, that it has long been lacking.

The super-delegates risk much with a wrong decision here and they should know it.

We must stand vigilant.

We must stand together.

Yes We Can! and We Will!

Go Obama! '08

Boycott!

LV Duckworth — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:42:37 EST

We need to fight the conservative radio talk show hosts - their envolvement in the Democratic primary elections is historic and unamerican.

If anyone deserves boycotting its the advertisers that support the Rush Limbaugh show. He has taken the position of having caused HRC to win the Primary in TX and of extending the lead in Ohio.

This may well be true - people in voting lines throughout both states report hearing Republicans joking and talking about how they were voting for HRC to keep this battle going.

Rush thinks its funny to corrupt the democratic process - isn't it fair for us to retaliate against those that support his show?

I am not suggesting that we spend mass amounts of time or money on this process, but a few e-mails from each of our members to his advertisers in indignation threatening to no longer participate in or purchase their product might make him change his position?

These conservative radio talk show hosts have overstepped their place in society and need to be put back in their place.

Yes We Can!

I believe a few of those advertisers are:
Lifelock
Zicam
Quickbooks.com
Select Comfort Beds
Thermal Massuer (spelling unsure)
There may be others -
The radio stations and local advertisers as well.

Looking for insights.

LV Duckworth — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:18:57 EST

I was just watching MSNBC and couldn't help but notice that every time they speak about the republican primary, they also make reference to the upcoming battle between McCain and Clinton.

Now I realize that the republicans would prefer to go up against Hillary Clinton in the election for obvious reasons. Primarily that she has more baggage in tow, including: scandals, dirty dealings and of course, Bill Clinton. But why does the media want Hillary - do they feel thier revenues will be higher because the campaign will likely be more devisive or is there some other reason?

If Super Tuesday proved anything, it most certainly proved that the Clinton machine isn't running as well as the media expected. Unfortunately, it also proved something else. That being, that the media has chosen Hillary over Obama. I say this because there has been nearly no press coverage of the disenfranchised independent voting in the Los Angeles area.

Are they (the media) afraid that if they cover this unfortunate story, that they might actually help Obama gain the votes needed to win in California? My guess is yes!