minerva kalenandi's Blog

1/10 ACTIVITY LEVEL??? :( IN MY DEFENSE

Minerva K — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:52:16 EST

[WARNING- WHINE ATTACK FOLLOWS] HMMMMMMM Looking at my profile page i see right there in bold blue in large type, for everyone to see and judge me. for every one to make decisions on whether or not i am worthy to join their action group. for me to look at and feel guilty because i dont do enough, call enough, give enough. to shame me into doing more, giving more. to mmark me as a political slacker, a poseur, a wanna-be. a non-entity.

In my defense- I am mostly homebound disabled person, and i did try very hard to attend houseparties, but so many were NOT accessible. i did hold two house parties myself in my b uilding's commons room. And, while my donations page only shows 5 "official" dollars, i bought 6 bumper stickers and plastered them on my wheelchair; and 3 t shirts @ 25 each, and, at my small income- 600/month, that's a large contribution.

I didnt go door to door. I tried one afternoon and between lack of sidewalks, sidewalk ramps, steps, and low battery yield, it was just not feasible. I didn't make many calls. i made some, unofficial- to friends, family, contacts, but they didn'yt count. i have no home phone and very limited cel minutes, and use most of those for drs and social service business. i could not justify the extra expense of gpoing over my basic plan by 40 cents a minute. i do have free broadband with my rent, so i forwarded videos and emails and speeches and news articles instead.

What DO/DID i do? i talk to everybody i know, online and in person, discussing events as they come up, i pray. i kept and keep myself and others around me informed. i voted and i email my reps in gov from mr obama on down to keep them on their toes. i do whatever i can whenever i can and i consider myself very active politically. to hell with the 1/10 judgement call!</whine>

help for disabled in stimulus package??? NOPE!

Minerva K — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:37:26 EST

[update- march 4, 2009- there is evidently a 250 extra payment for some persons on ssi and veterans- i've tried to find out exact details but kinda hazy. at least its not in mixed up tax refund and my estranged husband can't get his hands on it, like he took my stimulus in 2008.... but, alas, i am not holding my breath. i know it sounds greedy of me, but the rise in inflation and decrease in non-profit ngo help available, including decreasing amounts in food box contents- due to reduced amounts of people who can manage to donate and increased amount of people needing extra help- have made things very difficult. i've been against gambling all my life but i find myself buying scratch tickets when i get groceries, as an investment, not an entertainment....the only chance to get anything extra...] I have loooked and loooked at the stimulus package and there is help for ppl able to work and have jobs, ppl able to work who are unemployed, ppl in school, but no direct help for the disabled who cannot wolrk and are on SSI, SSD, or VA Disability. looks like you have to earn a certain amount before you are "really" affected by the recession/depression... No refund or refundable credit on taxes, as it says a percentage of taxes or 500, whichever is LESS, and i guess "zero" is less. i dunno bout the rest of the ppl on disability, but the folks i know living at a fraction of the poverty level are smacked down by this recession/depression pretty darn bad, especially w state benefit and assistance cuts, shortages at foodbanks and depletion of community sources of assistance

i guess we just don't really matter to the new pres and dems... after all my partner and i make a combined total of 900 a month and only were able to donate about 70 dollars over the course of the campaigns, so we don't count...

Score Card Registration Deadline for Oregon

Minerva K — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:15:52 EDT

So far, I've only been able to work from hme in my apartment building, but I've gotten 12 registrations on Democratic side, Identified several Obama Supporterts and 3 volunteers, and gotten at least 10 ppl to come to my May 10 house party. Not much, I'm sure, as many have accomplished much more, but I believe every little bit helps us get over the top to beat Hillary. What are YOU up to?

Please Sponsor an ACCESSIBLE House Party/Event

Minerva K — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:02:20 EDT

On Saturday May 10, in Hillsboro, OR, I will be sponsoring a accessible house party for Barack Obama. If you are able to, I encourage you to make sure any events or houseparties you sponsor are also accessible, especially if you yourself are mobility impaired or have other impairments and live in accessible housing. Please sign up as soon as possible, so you can have access to a speaker.

Persons with disabilities have long been invisible and I think we have a lot to offer this campaign!

Why I ReRegistered from Independent to Democrat

Minerva K — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:43:35 EDT

I first registered to vote on my 18th birthday. This was in 1983, the height of the Reagan years. I registered as a Democrat, mainly because my dad was a yellow dog, party line democrat. My first presidential campaign, I volunteered for Jesse Jackson. I felt the system was corrupt and broken and we needed a fresh start. I believed Jesse was the fresh vision we needed. He lost and the Democrats chose yet another Business as Usual candidate, who lost.

There were things I liked about both parties but more that I detested. Mainly the Business as Usual attitude. What’s good for business- lesser regulations on labor practices, health issues, environmental issues- was most certainly NOT what was good for the worker. Unions were smashed or lost their influence or even became lapdogs of the Companies. Social services were gutted. Health care, education and mental health care were gutted. The politicians of both parties were gorging on the fruits of the land. I registered Independent, rejecting both parties. I lost my youthful idealism. I lost my hope.

I wandered around the fringe groups in the late 80s and 90s. The system was broken. We needed to tear it down and start over. Once in awhile there was a candidate I could start to believe in, a few in each party. But they got stomped down quickly by Business as Usual. Even Bill Clinton was Business as Usual, passing NAFTA and other Republican policies. I always voted but felt slimy and dirtied, voting for the lesser of two evils in elections.

Then a friend sent me the you tube clip of the Yes, I Can speech. I was floored. Surely this was too good to be true! I borrowed a copy of Audacity of Hope. I read everything I could about this Barack Obama. I watched all the speeches, read the blueprint for change. A strange feeling started inside me. It was…Hope. Hope that we as voters could pull ourselves out of this black hole of wars and economic depression and growing poverty of wealth and spirit.

Many of my family members and friends had also lost hope, even stopped voting. I wanted to volunteer, but what could I do? A friend for Obama asked me- could I email my address book? Yes I Can. Could I open up my house for an informational get-together? Yes I Can. Can regular people doing small things to reach out and help Barack Obama win and create real change? Yes We Can!

Right now, Oregon has a high population of Independent, fed-up voters. We need to reach out to them with Hope and use this last week of registration- ending April 29, 2008- to spread that Hope by encouraging re-registration to put Obama over the top for the Democratic nomination. Can we do this? Can we really win? Can we really turn around this country we love? Yes, We Can!

fax sent to oregon superdelegates

Minerva K — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:24:48 EDT

Dear Senator Wyden:

I am a registered voter in the great state of Oregon, and I see what is happening in this country- Endless war draining money and more importantly, young lives, from our nation; A growing Depression where people are losing their livelihoods, their homes and their hope; A medical system that drains life savings from people unfortunate to get sick without insurance; A loss of optimism.

Just one story of many: As a disabled person, living on SSD and SSI, my income is about 60% of the poverty level for one person. Rising gas and food prices have me relying on shrinking food boxes- people can't afford to donate any more and too many of us rely on this for our regular nutrition- and selling what few items I have- cds, DVDs, clothing, books- to feed myself and pay basic bills.

Another story: My father had 70,000 saved up for his retirement. He became disabled and took his social security early. My mother has long term serious health conditions, and when he stopped working, she lost coverage. Because of pre-existing conditions it was near impossible to find affordable health insurance. As a result, in just 3 and a half years, he's gone from looking forward to comfortable retirement to poverty- relying regularly on those same food boxes, getting some limited assistance and fighting foreclosure.

I had long ago lost faith that anything would, or could change. Then I started reading Mr. Obama's book- The Audacity of Hope. I started listening to his speeches and, more importantly, reading his plans and ideas on reshaping our nation to a place I want to live in again.

In short, I believe we can change this country for the better, turn it around. I have Hope.

As a Super-Delegate, you have some heavy choices to make. As my representative to the Democratic Party, I hope you will consider backing Mr. Obama for an end to Business as Usual, which has utterly failed, and back real change for our nation. It is a tight race and when it comes time to cast your vote for the soul and survival of our nation, I hope you cast it for Barack Obama.

Thank you for your time,

Minerva K

10 things about mccain

Minerva K — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:36:45 EDT

I am reposting this from MoveOn.Org because we have to defeat Hillary then go on to the Big Battle for the soul and survival of our country...

10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't)

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5

6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0--yes, zero--from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out--forward this email to your personal network.

Sources:
1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html
"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/
2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us
"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/
3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/

4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/
5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007
"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/
6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80
"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home
7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022
"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/
8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/
"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251
9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html
"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/
"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/

10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/