Liberty Lost is Lost Forever

Newborns for Barack!

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:25:39 EDT

I became a Great Aunt today at 5:30 pm and besides being a happy family event it has only served to strengthen my resolve to see Barack Obama elected! My new Great Niece deserves a better country and future than John McCain represents. She deserves to live in a country that cares for people more than war or corporate profits. She deserves a President who will protect her reproductive rights and give her equal pay; who will improve her educational opportunities; who will make sure her family has adequate healthcare; who will help to protect the environment she will grow up in so that she won't suffer the health problems associated with pollution or poisoned food or a planet in peril from global warming. She deserves an economy that values the work done by her parents and provides jobs so that one day she won't face the economic hardship that comes from being unemployed. She deserves to be valued more than just as an incidental worker bee for some corporate slave master who makes billions while employees struggle to get by. She deserves to live in a country that does not live in fear of harm from nations we have attacked unprovoked or that we have tried to micro-manage for our benefit without regard for their people, their culture, and their own needs. In short, she deserves a President whose ambition is to protect the rights and welfare of his countrymen and country rather than seeking power and wealth through cronyism at the expense our childrens futures. My new Great Niece's future is more important than John McCain's selfish ambition.

Why Should Women Care?

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:23:00 EDT

[reposting from an email I received]

HOW QUICKLY WE FORGET.....IF ....WE EVER KNEW......

WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE

This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.

Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.

Lucy Burns)
And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.
Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

(Dora Lewis)

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.
Thus unfolded the'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.
For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

(Alice Paul)
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks
until word was smuggled out to the press.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf

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

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

All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote.
Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.

My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said.
'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again..'

HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.

It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.

The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.

History is being made.

Biden v. Palin: No Contest!

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:22:19 EDT

To even consider putting Palin on par with Joe Biden is an absolute OUTRAGE and insult to Senator Biden who has been in the Senate nearly 40 years, is Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a Constitutional law expert, has been involved in thousands of policy initiatives throughout the years, knows and has known global leaders personally from all over the world. WHAT in heavens name are these people thinking who took CNN's poll and have a more favorable rating for Palin than Biden? What dream world do they live in??? I interned for Joe Biden when in high school (way back in the 70's) and Palin was a CHILD then!! The difference in their world and political experience is NIGHT AND DAY! Heck, there are more people in the tiny state of Delaware than ALL of Alaska!

What experience does she have with a global economy, the war, healthcare, education, immigration, crime, the mortgage crisis and the impending credit crisis to follow, campaign finance reform, pending legislation on numerous issues of policy, or anything else ON THE ISSUES? Why is she hiding from the press? Do you know why; so she can be coached on all these issues where she has NO EXPERIENCE, and knows NOTHING. Granted McCain is the top of the ticket but seeing as he offers nothing new beyond the Bush Administration, and is elderly, has senior moments, and has cancer....what happens when he dies in office and we are left with this neophyte to run the country???

Palin Media Avoidance Countdown Clock

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:04:00 EDT

Days since Palin has refused to talk to anyone in the media following the RNC:

Countdown Clock

FROM A WASILLA RESIDENT

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:11:55 EDT

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks. :)

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

[ This was already posted on Washington Independent comments area,
with a controllable hotmail account, and was obviously meant by the
author to be read. ]

Thanks,
Anne

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she's like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out
there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin's kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She's smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's
surplus, borrow for needs.

She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren't generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State's top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's Police Chief because he "intimidated"
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't
fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn't
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club" when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to
nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork".

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State's
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior's decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there's a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
."Hockey mom": true for a few years
."PTA mom": true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
."NRA supporter": absolutely true
.social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
.pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
."Pro-life": mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
."Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
.political maverick: not at all
.gutsy: absolutely!
.open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
.has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
."a Greenie": no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
.fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
.pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
.pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
.pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla's history.
.pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen
when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out
of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that's life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are
swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The
day Palin's selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90's.

Anne Kilkenny
annekilkenny@hotmail.com
August 31, 2008

Palin & Company

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:29:03 EDT

A heartbeat away....

   1) She is presently under investigation in Alaska for abuse of power

   2) She strongly supports big oil (her husband works for oil company BP)

     3) On August 14, 2008, she claimed she really doesn't know what "the plan" is or too much about Iraq or foreign policy. Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   4) She is adamantly opposed to reproductive rights for women. She is against abortion even in cases of rape an incest.

   5) She's willing to pump out 5 kids as long as the nanny will raise them while she's away doing government business.

   6) She is pro-war, pro gun and . . . pro life?

   7) She believes creationism should be taught in public schools

   8) She supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and anywhere else big oil wants

   9) She supports Pebble Mine which will destroy the richest salmon run in the world

   10) She supports aerial shooting of bears and wolves in Alaska

   11) She believes global warming is a farce and is opposed to listing the polar bear as an endangered species

     12) She has no federal or international experience. Prior to being governor (for less than two years) she was only the mayor of a
     small town and a beauty pageant contestant!

     13) She stands for everything that Hillary Clinton stood against.

14) And she says "NOOK-ya-ler" and "EYE-RACK" just like BUSH!

Hope & Change Site

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:28:57 EDT

blog@barackobama.com - Tell HQ to post this one!

Here is our submission for the Hope & Change Site: (the kitty in the picture is no longer with us)

Submit your own here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/photos1

Story With a Message

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:09:08 EDT

The storm raged outside young Justin's window. The thunder sounded like explosions and rattled the old wood frame windows. The lightening threw frightening shapes on the wall in his bedroom just long enough to make his heart skip a beat wondering if what he had seen was real or imaginary. He wanted this night to be over. He wanted to run and crawl in bed with his parents but his ego wouldn't allow it. He was a big boy now and had finally gotten his own room separate and apart from his baby brother Adam. No, he would tackle this fear of storms and the dark by himself.

Thank heavens he had his trusty Monster Shield quilt, handmade for him by his Aunt who had also been afraid of the dark and storms as a child. She told him it would ward off monsters and evil spirits. That it would keep him safe until the morning light. He snuggled further down under his Monster Shield quilt, pulling it up over his nose. He dared not cover his eyes with it in case something lurked in a dark corner and he couldn't see it.

His Aunt had sewn a special token onto each square to combat any type of monster there may be stalking children in the night, in the storms. There were scenes of sunny days, prayers to keep one safe, hearts to radiate love and friendship. She gave him a special prayer to recite in his head, "Lord, keep us safe this night, secure from all our fears; may angels guard us while we sleep,
till morning light appears."

The morning broke with radiance and birdsong, streams of sun pouring through the window. Justin awakened and realized he was safe and had weathered the monsters and the storm alone...with the help of his angels and his special Monster Shield quilt. Proud of his accomplishment, he silently thanked his angels and his Aunt for their help while he made his bed and headed down for breakfast.

Remember when a quilt could make you feel safe, and warm, and comfy? Well a group of talented ladies across this great country have been hard at work making a quilt for one lucky Obama supporter who will win this special treasure in a drawing. While it will be warm and comfy, it won't bring back the memory of fighting monsters in the night but it will make you proud to be an American voting for Obama, voting to take this country in a new direction. It will be a Presidential collectible for sure. Check it out here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/maingroup/QUILTERSFOROBAMA

Piece By Piece

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:58:23 EDT

Has everyone seen the top border piece yet? After fits and starts; disasters with a dirty-pawed cat, power outages, a fussy machine, and a dead duck (don't ask)...here's what resulted in the end. Will have bottom and sides to share soon.

Open Obama Thread With Graphics

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:33:53 EDT

Tired of not being able to share your own photos with the bloggers? Want to show everyone a video you made? Got some interesting charts on economic trends or energy usage you want to show to make your point? Can't use those on the main Obama blog but you CAN over on the new Open Obama Thread on Current TV's site, current.com. I set it up and moderate it so I can remove any offensive troll posts.

Current TV is on CH 366 for Directv users (don't know cable). It was founded by Al Gore among others. The site is safe and you won't be hacked or spammed. In fact, I'm surprised the Obama campaign does not have an official presence there seeing as they cater to his Youth demographic.

Please come join me: http://current.com/items/89071973_open_obama_thread

Unite For Change-Cooper City, FL

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:14:54 EDT

Slideshow:

http://s162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/barkway/Obama/?action=view&current=27f46956.pbw

(DON"T KNOW WHY, BUT SITE NO LONGER ALLOWS EMBEDDING OF SLIDESHOWS)

Across the country, volunteers held Unite for Change events today. Two such events took place in the small housing development of Rock Creek in Cooper City, FL. The first was at the home of Steve Wall, a former Republican turned Obama supporter. There were approximately 17 people, each of whom took a turn introducing themselves and explaining why they had come. The group went on to have a lively discussion of the issues, the candidates, issues specific to Florida and voter registration. There was a mix of young and old, former Republicans , Independents and Democrats. There were former Hillary voters and those who had not voted in the state's Primary. The Mayor of Cooper City Debbie Eisinger addressed the gathering and answered questions.

Later in the day, there was another Unite for Change event in Rock Creek, this time at the home of Marty and Caryl Shuham. The Shuhams also hosted the introduction of the Obama Fellow for Cooper City, Eduardo Lara, a young Hispanic man from Los Angeles who will be in the area with the other Fellows flown in from across the country to help organize volunteers. Mr. Lara is an adjunct Professor from Pepperdine University who graduated from George Washington University and participated in the Teach for America Program.

There were approximately 31 people at this event who were surprisingly more subdued than those at the earlier event. They listened as Mr. Lara introduced himself and told his personal story as Fellows were trained to do. Mr. Lara had seen Barack Obama's speech at the 2004 Convention and was impressed with his knowledge and demeanor. His grandfather had helped to raise him and being interested in politics, discussed the issues of the day that he had read in the newspaper with Mr. Lara. Shortly before he was to join the Fellowship program, Mr. Lara's grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. Even as he lay in the hospital, he would ask his grandson how Obama was doing. Shortly before he died, he told each of his grandchildren to follow through on their commitments and dreams. Though Mr. Lara had to request an extension on joining the Fellows to attend his grandfather's funeral, he followed through because of his grandfather's dying request.

The crowd was shown a brief video from the campaign which described why Obama is running for office and depicted volunteers from across the country explaining why they were volunteering. One older woman in the video explained that "for the first time in her life, she felt compelled to do something like this." Another woman, a young mother, choked back tears as she explained why she was doing this for her kids' futures.

The Mayor of Cooper City addressed this second gathering as well and stressed the importance of grassroots organizing. After a brief answer and question period where there were few questions, Mr. Lara closed by saying, "let's have our desires be put forth into action."

Obama at US Conference of Mayors

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 22:45:31 EDT

Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama was the keynote speaker at the luncheon for the Us Conference of Mayors in Miami, FL. While the Mayors' issues and Obama's address were the issues and highlight of the day, there was a special group in attendance by invitation for whom The Senator's messages truly hit home. In the back of the luncheon hall was a gathering of high school students from Miami's Young Women's Preparatory Academy, the first single sex public school in the County. (Cont'd below pictures)

Countdown to End of Worst Presidency Ever

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:12:19 EDT

The official George W. Bush Countdown Clock!

http://www.backwardsbush.com

FAT LADY SINGS

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:36:23 EDT

Courtesy of Foster & Lloyd

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aG6w72Q-dUE

RNC Plays Twister

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:26:41 EDT

In its most recent twisting of words to suit their needs, the RNC is now putting out a press release "Obama's Reversal on Iran", trying to make Senator Obama look like he's flip flopping on meeting with the President of Iran because he has said that just because he said he would meet with world leaders who may not be our allies doesn't guarantee those leaders a meeting with him.
http://newsblaze.com/story/2008052706130300002.pnw/newsblaze/POLITICS/Politics.html

This will be the issue being touted this week and that we will need to combat by stressing that Obama never said he would guarantee these leaders an audience with him. The opposition is replaying the debate tape where Obama said he would meet with leaders of non-ally nations in defense of their postion. Obama was stressing that by NOT talking to your enemies, you virtually guarantee they will remain your enemy and NOT that he would take on as his first order of business in the WH, the meeting of leaders of hostile nations.

Sunrise, Fl Rally-VIDEO

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 25 May 2008 20:20:29 EDT

Sheesh! Four hours to upload these videos to Google Video but they are finally up and viewable!

Part 1

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8774046036119530055&hl=en

Part II

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8774046036119530055&hl=en

Rally Pics: Sunrise, FL

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 25 May 2008 12:45:37 EDT

Ok, I'm a little late but my camera and PC were not cooperating in getting the pics off one medium onto the other so I'm posting my sister in law's photos that she sent me in email. They're not as exciting as those from our group who secretly got chosen to meet the Senator at the airport but we had a blast nonetheless. If I can get my video up on photobucket, I'll add a link later.

Freedom of Expression, Politics, and the Law

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:34:18 EDT

When the NY Times appealed the lower courts decision in Times v. Sullivan, the US Supreme Court overturned the Alabama decision. Writing for a unanimous high court, Justice William Brennan said, "Alabama's libel law did not adequately safeguard freedom of speech and press as required by the First and Fourteenth Amendments." At issue was a "profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials."< [367 U.S., at 270 (S.Ct. 39 1964)]

Because the TOS includes the limitations to freedom of expression as laid out by Times v. Sullivan, it necessarily implies a right of freedom of expression under pertinent law notwithstanding any implications or application of FEC law.Also see: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.4900: *Please join me in encouraging the administrators and moderators of this site to honor our Constitutionally protected freedom of expression.
**(All posted work reflects the opinions of the various writers and artists and does not necessarily express the opinions of Barackobama.com, its organizers, or the candidate that is the subject of the site. No postings made are intended to offend or otherwise harm or defame and are the sole responsibility of the author of the post. If any reader of any post by the writer is offended, please accept apologies in advance. )

blog

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sat, 17 May 2008 21:29:14 EDT

blog

Even the Animal Kingdom is Unhappy with Bush!

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:23:59 EDT

Ducks Storm the White House: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24548042#24548042

(they must be members of our Ducks for Obama group! hehehe)

Requiem for the Gulf States

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:17:37 EDT

Given Mayor Ray Nagin's endorsement of Obama, I thought I might revisit that awesome storm in pictures for those who did not live through it or help in its aftermath. Here she is in all her awful, yet awesome glory: Katrina as she rolled across the States. The last picture is of the storm surge as it made its way ashore. (wait for slideshow to play)

A Duck Named HOPE

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:21:01 EDT

This little duckling had about a 20% hatchability/survival rate and yet pulled through. Mama duck didn't want to wait for it to hatch when it was the last one left in the nest and went off and left it. We put it in an incubator and prayed. A week later, the egg began pipping and today.....

Meet a Duckling Named HOPE!

It's in the Can for Obama!

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:51:41 EDT

Our Bengal cat, Jazzy demonstrates her sentiment about this race.

It's "in the can" for Obama!

Anticipation

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:44:59 EDT

Anticipation. It seems to be the common theme these days. Anticipating our son's grades, anticipating the hatching of our baby ducks (one is still peeping from INSIDE the egg!), anticipating the results of each and every state's primary and caucus, anticipating the debates (though thank GOD, they're over) to see if Obama would do well, anticipating the results of all my father-in-law's medical tests and will it be good news this time or bad? I could go on with the endless list of anticipations but one thing is for sure about all of them; at some point in time there is an end, an answer, a sigh of relief with some, a sinking feeling of dread with others. But anticipation also brings hope along for the ride in nearly every case....so won't you join me in our journey of hope....hope for change....with Barack Obama as our presumptive nominee and our 44th President of the United States? YES WE CAN!

Custom Embroidered Shirts for Students

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:12:36 EDT

Ok, all you high school and college kids who are coming out in droves for Obama; In your honor I have designed a special embroidered shirt just for you. Here is a pic of the design. If you want one, PM me!

Floridians 4 Obama!

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:15:44 EDT

See the election....BE the election....Obama as POTUS!

Floridians 4 Obama; just another day in paradise.

Have Embroidery Machine? Create Your Own!

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:27:59 EDT

Pre-Convention Antics!

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:24:17 EDT

Twas the night post-Inauguration, when all through the White House

Every creature sighed relief, to soon be rid of Bush Louse;

The wire taps were hung by the chimney with care,

So future generations could finally clear the air;

The soldiers were nestled all snug in their cots,

While visions of homecoming would soon be their lot;

Obama in his kerchief and Michelle in her cap,

Had just nestled in for the Presidential Family nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a shriek,

Obama sprang from his bed to see an abominable freak.

Away to Security he flew like a flash,

Tore open the door, and with skinny legs dashed.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow

Gave a frightening sight of the horror below,

When what to his incredulous eyes should appear,

But Hillary Clinton with lobbyists, and spears!

With an angry Old Hubby, so gouty and thick,

He knew in a flash it was Willy The Slick.

More rapid than her lies, their lapdogs they came,

And they snarled, and beat them, and called them by name;

Now Boxer! Now Bosley! Now Bradley and Easely!

On Gephardt! On Feinstein! On Rendell and Berkley!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!

Now steal away, steal away, steal away all!

As hypocrisy before the lame journalists fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, grow to a lie,

So up to the White House, the delegates they flew,

With a cache full of PAC's and Hillary too.

And then, in a twinkling he heard on the roof

The scratching, and gnashing of each little sleuth.

As he drew in his hand to avoid being bitten

Down the chimney came Hill(ary), and man was she Bitchin!

She was dressed all in yellow, from her head to her toe,

And her clothes shined neon with a sickening glow.

A bevy of Senators she had flung in her bag,

And they screamed and kicked, "put us down you old Hag!"

Her eyes, how they glowered, her teeth they did gnash!

Kiki McClean beat them back with a lash!

Her back-stabbing mouth was drawn up in a sneer,

And there was an aroma of whiskey and beer.

The stumps of her foes, she held in her teeth

She severed and grinded their bones like a beast;

She had a broad ass and a ginormous belly

But don't poke fun, or she'll turn you to jelly!

She was spiteful and snide, a right nasty old cow,

No wonder she lost! Obama's President now!

A wink of her eye and a twist of her head,

warned to be careful or else to be dead.

She whispered some words, from behind a man perked

Oh look, it's her husband, Bill Clinton, that jerk.

Up to his lips, the doobie, it rose

And he DID inhale, you foolish Bozo!

Down Penn Ave they did scamper, no more to be heard,

Michelle and Barack were rid of the bird.

I heard her exclaim, as she fled from the press

God Damnit, Bill! TAKE OFF THAT BLUE DRESS!!

Money Talks

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:34:23 EDT

It's a shame but it's true. Money talks....both in campaigns and everyday life. So here's an idea: Would it be possible to start assembling a master list of all CEO's, Presidents, big whigs of major corporations who have donated (via the many routes they have for laundering funds) to THAT WOMAN'S campaign and we boycott their companies and products and spread the word all over the Web so others will join? They need to remember just WHERE they got the millions that they both use to pay their own salaries/bonuses as well as dole out to political campaigns. That's YOUR money people....being used against you to elect the OTHER (white) meat! Let's hit them in the wallet.

Donkey Pride

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:17:00 EDT

Need I say more? What a hilarious idea for a T-Shirt!

(In keeping with the "Change" motto!)

PA Union Dissent Against Hillary!

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:09:09 EDT

Well here it is, folks. Video of Hillary speaking to a crowd of Union members who vocally disagreed with her assesment of Obama's comment about rural Pennsylvanians. Watch it and judge for yourself. They apparently disagree with Mrs. Clinton.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24109989#24109989

Toward Resolving the "Bitter" Debate

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:17:38 EDT

The best way Obama can resolve this "elitist" accusation (other than pointing to Clinton and McCain's tax returns) is to go out into Western PA and find Obama supporters from working class families who ARE bitter about the losses they have suffered at the hands of the GOP and its economy crafted for the wealthy and international trade. He needs to let these people speak for themselves about their feelings, and how Barak's comment spoke to them, identified how they are feeling.

The media and the Clinton campaigns CANNOT be allowed to continue their one-sided attack on Obama over this soundbite taken out of context and twisted into something ugly when its intent, as anyone with half a brain cell has figured out, was to demonstrate to working class voters that Obama understands their issues.

Catherine Crier Said It Best

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:58:40 EDT

In lieu of summarizing Catherine Crier's most excellent blog on the McCain/Clinton response to Obama's "bitter" comment about Pennsylvanians, I will simply post the link to her article here and encourage you all to read it. I could not have said anything better:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-crier/punished-for-the-truth_b_96358.html

Meeting Mrs. Obama

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:47:35 EDT

One of our County Commissioners hosted a small, intimate gathering at her home for Mrs. Obama that I was able to attend today. I ALMOST didn't make it because the directions that were given to everyone were WRONG and when I was still driving around at the appointed "start" time, I nearly went home but decided to ask a local utility worker alongside the road for directions and he saved the day! The funny part is that when I got there, we saw many of the same faces of the drivers we had seen passing us numerous times as they too drove around, lost, looking for the house. We all had a good chuckle out of that. There also was quite the traffic jam and "keystone cops" routine at the entrance to the gated community where it was being held because apparently a few journalists had tried to slip in uninvited so we all had to be buzzed in and ID's one at a time! I felt so bad for the poor folks who lived there trying to get home at the end of a long work day only to sit in our traffic nightmare.

I took my high school aged son with me both to have him experience grass roots politics but also because I was hoping to be able to ask a question about education while there since we have had such a horrible experience with trying to find the right educational environment for our son. I think he only agreed to go because it got him out of school early for the day so we could be there on time (which as I said above, no one was because of the directions snafu). He was not overly thrilled at first but soon warmed up to the affair once he had food and soda offered to him!

Mrs. Obama was greeted warmly by the attendees and spoke briefly, introducing herself and her husband as people; describing for us just how they see themselves as people, what they believe in, what they stand for, and the impact this election process has had on their family and the country. She was genuinely warm and personable, a great story teller in terms of talking TO us rather than AT us. I loved her sense of humor about it all as well as her humility: In describing her husband, she said he was brilliant, and articulate, and educated, and full of great ideas but that " I don't tell HIM that!" The gathering enjoyed that joke as well as her poking fun at campaign officials who kept trying to schedule events for her on the weekends which she always flatly refused saying she was the designated parent and would be home EVERY weekend with their girls....but she told them , "but BARAK can! HE can go!" Another joke that brought a chuckle to all attendees was when she talked about the translation of Barak's books into 20 languages and relayed the story of how her eldest daughter came to her one day in amazement and said, "MOM! There's a book by Daddy in the store and it's not even in English!" to which she said she replied, "Yes, honey, we know."

The Q&A session that followed held the prerequisite comments of why folks were inspired by Barak Obama and how honored people were to be in Mrs. Obama's presence. There were also comments of how Democrats finally felt like they could win this time and not be voting for the ultimate loser in the general election. One touching and poignant moment came from a woman who described herself as being one of the millions of uninsured with health problems and, choking back tears, how she felt such hope for herself, for healthcare, and for the future with Barak Obama as her chosen candidate. Mrs. Obama spoke to the woman's suffering the nightmare of enduring health issues without adequate coverage in a very personable and compassionate way, adding that it people just like this woman that Barak's proposed healthcare policies aimed to help. Mrs. Obama then stepped forward to give the woman a hug and to reassure her that she understood the woman's pain and suffering.

I finally got to first make a comment of my own and then a quick question on education. I first told her that my father-in-law who is a lifelong Republican and retired school administrator told my husband just this week that he has been turned by the Obama's, and that he was particularly impressed with MRS. Obama. I then told her how our son had been in a multitude of different schools, public, private, and homeschool in an effort to try to find the best educational environment for his particular needs and I asked her, given the multi-faceted problems surrounding education, what did Barak Obama see as the priority needing to be dealt with should he win the election? She agreed that the problems were numerous and covering many different issues from funding, to accountability, to teachers, to early childhood education, and more. She seemed to hit on the funding and accountability issues as being a priority. She said unfunded mandates caused problems for schools, as well as inequitable funding among districts. She said accountability was important but that she knew teachers didn't like to hear that even as parents seem to want it.

I had to leave the event before Mrs. Obama did so I missed anything thereafter. I enjoyed the gathering immensely, was honored to meet Michelle Obama, and only wish Barak had been in attendance as well....but there is always the general election to go after he wins the Party nomination so I am FIRED UP to work on behalf of his campaign and hopefully get to meet him when he will need to return to sunny Florida to seek votes. Oh yes, that's another thing Mrs. Obama stressed today; how glad she was to be here because back in Chicago, the weatherman was calling for snow! We are at a balmy and breezy high 70's today, blue skies, palm trees rustling in the wind.

The accompanying pictures were taken with a cell phone so I apologize for the bad quality.

Let's Rise Above the Fray, Shall We?

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:37:52 EDT

Recent accusations by Barak Obama supporters that Hillary Clinton lied when relaying the story of the new mother who first lost her baby and then her own life because she had no health insurance which proved to be false made me take a step back and re-examine our purpose in this fight. Because the stakes are so high and the race so close, I believe some supporters have fallen victim to the pitfalls of irrational exuberance. In defense of Mrs. Clinton, she merely repeated a story told to her by a member of the public and did not knowingly lie. The story could not be verified because of privacy laws that protect patient information.

Folks, while Barak Obama has promised to "shine the light" on corruption and special interests in politics, we do not want to use Clinton tactics of making wild accusations in our zeal to secure the White House in 2008. Many such attempts by the Clintons have already cost her votes and alienated some voters and we would be shooting ourselves in the foot and hurting the Obama cause by using the Rove-come-Clinton playbook.

One of Barak Obama's core strengths that has catapulted him to frontrunner status has been his unwavering dignity and unflappable character. We would all do well to adopt these character traits into our own public support of our candidate. We can rise above it all, take back the People's government, and maintain our own honor and character. Yes We Can!

Clinton's April Fool's Joke

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:07:26 EDT

I'm glad Hillary's life is so easy, the election is so unimportant, and that she doesn't have to worry about the very real crisis this country is in to take time out to poke fun at Senator Obama's bowling skills on this April Fool's Day. Someone should tell her how many homes were foreclosed on today; how many people lost their jobs today; how many people found no work today; how many children IN THE US went hungry today, how many high school kids dropped out today; how many people without healthcare died today. Very funny. Humor is but a luxury for some....

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:07:35 EDT

Dan Abrams of The Verdict on MSNBC reported tonight that the Clinton campaign has stiffed their health insurance company $290,000 for health claims by staff. She wants to make it mandatory to pay premiums for all of us (and thus criminal if you don't pay) but doesn't pay those of her campaign staff? Nice.

Not Ready For Prime-Time Leadership

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:09:30 EDT

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! Ignore the fact that Clinton lied about her Bosnia trip (and Lord knows what else) despite knowing there were witnesses including journalists to contradict her version of events!

Now Hillary however has a real credibility problem with her "misstatements" and botched recollections concerning her experience and resume...and rather than try to address her OWN mistakes there, her camp is circulating a memo of what they feel are Obama's equally "mistaken" claims in his experience/resume. Hillary, dear, that is a very childish response. Reminds one of when we were all kids and got caught doing something bad and then would try to dilute the blame by pointing out siblings' equally naughty mistakes from the past. That is certainly no way for a potential future leader of the United States to behave.

One reaction I found on the Democrats.org website blogs to claims that she should be given credit to admitting her lie is as follows:

SLBW43 says:

"BS, she did NOT take responsibility. She dug a deeper hole by saying she "mis-spoke" and blaming it on being tired. She and her camp were simply lying and got caught--foolishly. Now she wants to try to change the subject by attacking Obama and the black culture (and I am a black man) over this Wright issue. She may as well give it up. She can't get elected without the African-American vote and after today, trust me, she will NEVER get it. I for one will be waiting for the the day I can support anyone with my own funds running against her Senate seat. That's just how deep this cuts. Time will NOT heal these wounds."

Seems Clinton's exaggerations may doom her to wooden puppet status for a good long time in some voters' eyes.

Post-War Economies: Then & Now

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 11:00:05 EDT

Happy Easter to all.

From The Archives: Concerns About the Post-War Economy After WWII.

The CNN ticker this morning was reporting that our economy, and this recession is the worst it has been since WWII. In light of this, I found it interesting to review these archival government films concerning our economy following WWII. Take some time and review them, taking note of the many similarities as well as differences to our situation today.

What alarmed me most in watching those was that it was the remobilization of the industrial base from military production to consumer/mass production with the cooperation among all socioeconomic groups & the government that revived the economy and staved off depression. We don't have that industrial base anymore so what is there to remobilize to create jobs or to reinvigorate our economy? These stupid tax rebates? I don't think so.

Part One.

Part Two

The Great Rebate Redux

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:31:31 EDT

The first day of spring is around March 20 or 21, depending on what day the vernal equinox occurs. This is when the sun sits directly above the equator on its apparent trip northward. It also is the harbinger of the dreaded Tax Season; a time of confusion, frustration, and anger for the average person and a windfall for those pencil-pushing accountants who not only bothered to pay attention in math class but made it their life's work.

To make the throwing away of your hard-earned dollars to a wasteful government more palatable this year, the thieves in D.C. have voted in a scheme disguised as an "economic stimulus package" in the form of a tax rebate. The idea here is that Americans couldn't hold on to a dollar if their life depended on it so the government can benefit from that weakness by making a loan back to the populace of their own money (borrowed from China because the politicos already spent our initial remittances) so that we will then run out and give it back to the corporate Robber Barons to whom we are all indentured....so that they can then purchase an even larger share of our collective soul and sell that for even more profits to sovereign wealth funds.

A new poll sponsored by CreditCards.com says half of Americans don't plan to spend the money at all, and those who do are more likely to pay existing bills. If this poll holds true, it will reduce the effectiveness of the stimulus on the plan to enrich the corporate Robber Barons even further. It turns out Americans may not be so dumb and spendthrift after all.

So here is an alternative plan for those tax rebates. Individuals may contribute up to $2300 to any candidate or candidate committee per election. Why not make an investment in the future of your country and ultimately your children's and grandchildren's lives by contributing that tax rebate to Senator Barak Obama's campaign for President? Even if only the 50% who planned on spending it did so, imagine the possibilities!

Passport Breach: ex-Clinton employees at State Dept

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:02:00 EDT

Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary of Consular Affairs at the State Dept was an ambassador under Bill Clinton's administration. See: http://www.clintonfoundation.org/legacy/063097-president-names-harty-ambassador-to-paraguay.htm

UPDATE: Passport Breach

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:09:18 EDT

It turns out the state dept employee involved at the management level is an ex-Clinton employee:
-------------------------------------------------
He was assistant secretary of state under clinton from 1993 - 2001. Oh yeah, one stupid coincidential breach, but three on interestingly important dates...

BS: Here's his creds: Patrick F. Kennedy
Patrick F. Kennedy is a Clinton "employee". HELLO. Was Assistant Secretary of State for Bill Clinton from '93 to 2001. Deputy Director Office of Director of National Intelligence, and went back to Department of State in May 2007

FROM Department of State Website:

BIOGRAPHY

Patrick F. Kennedy
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Administration
Term of Appointment: 05/23/1993 to present

Patrick Kennedy was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for Administration on May 23, 1993.

He joined the Foreign Service in 1973 and served his first tour as a Regional Administrative Officer in Africa. He returned to Washington DC and served from 1975 to 1977 as the Personnel Officer of the Bureau of African Affairs. Following that he was Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Management from 1977 to 1981. In 1981, he was assigned to Paris, France as Supervisory General Services Officer.

In 1985, he returned to Washington to become Executive Director and later Deputy Executive Secretary in the Department's Executive Secretariat, where he was responsible for coordinating all administrative support for the Department's principal officers. This assignment included accompanying the Secretary of State on all foreign travel. From 1990 to 1991, he attended the Senior Seminar in Foreign Policy at the Department of State's Foreign Service Institute and then was transferred to Cairo to serve as Counselor of the Embassy for Administrative Affairs.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, he received a C.S.F.S. From Georgetown University. He is married to Mary Elizabeth Swope, who is also a Foreign Service Officer.

Released on January 21, 2001

Patrick F. Kennedy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other persons named Patrick Kennedy, see Patrick Kennedy (disambiguation).
Patrick F. Kennedy is currently director of the U.S. State Department's Office of Management Policy and is the Undersecretary for Management. Formerly Deputy Director for Management at the cabinet level Office of the Director of National Intelligence, he returned to the Department of State on May 7, 2007.

Kennedy is also the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform and previously served as Chief of Staff for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. He was the Assistant Secretary of State for the Clinton Administration from 1993 to 2001.

Kennedy holds a B.S.F.S. Degree from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_F._Kennedy" BIOGRAPHY

Patrick F. Kennedy
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Administration
Term of Appointment: 05/23/1993 to present

Patrick Kennedy was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for Administration on May 23, 1993.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, he received a C.S.F.S. From Georgetown University. He is married to Mary Elizabeth Swope, who is also a Foreign Service Officer.

Passport Breach

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:07:10 EDT

> Are gov't employees so bored on the job that they snoop through passport files? Surely they had something better to have been doing while on the peoples' clock? And why did it take so long for Obama to be notified? I find that hard to believe given the timing and the fact that Obama is running for office. Someone had to have put them up to it....and someone with a vested interest in the info.

Even High Schoolers Have HOPE

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:23:11 EDT

High Schoolers For Obama

St. George's students have organized under the leadership of Senior Alex Merchant- SG for OBama. There are more than 50 in the group & Alex was recently made the h.s. coordinator for the Statewide campaign.
"In addition to weekly meetings, the group has traveled to New Hampshire and Massachusetts to campaign for the Illinois senator and held a phone-banking event during which they called voters in Connecticut."
The top issue on student minds is the Iraq war & the fact that Obama has always been opposed to it. "... students talked about health care, the economy and special interests as issues on which they most agree with the 46-year-old senator. They don’t, however, agree with those who believe Obama’s lack of experience — he’s been a U.S. senator since 2004 — will doom his candidacy."
The students consider it more of a pro-Obama movement than anti-Clinton. "...most members of the group said if Obama loses to Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary, they would vote for her in the general election."

His message of "hope" touches them along with the optimistic attitude. It's nice to see young people getting involved. I saw this also in the Whitehouse campaign. Motivating voters is the key to good government on all levels. It could also prove the key to a sucessful campaign. It certainly was with Whitehouse.

Thanks to special "Daily News" reporter Ian Holliday.
P.S. Howard Dean attended this h.s.

http://ri12.blogspot.com/2008/02/high-schoolers-for-obama.html

McCain's Economic Solutions No Solution

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:40:54 EDT

Not only is McCain a philistine when it comes to even understanding the economy (by his own admission no less) but his proposed economic solutions do NOTHING for the average American. They are nothing more than yet additional benefits to corporations....the very entities that are at the heart of our economic problems! Candidate McCain, please explain to us all how giving even MORE tax benefits to insanely profitable corporations (witness Exxon) helps Mr. Average American?

What I don't understand is how someone can live through as many changes in the status of our economy and STILL have no understanding of it; how it works, influences of the various factors, how to effect changes that are most beneficial to all, etc.

The Good Reverend (Wright)

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 01:13:29 EDT

While I did not hear the specific sermon berrating Clinton, I HAVE seen the other sermons being run on the news where the Reverend chronicles the horrors laid upon the world by the US (Hiroshima, Nagasaki, etc) as well the Reverend's views on life in America from the black perspective and I have to say that while people might not like to hear what he has to say...none of it was "untrue." I think maybe people are uncomfortable with the truth in what the Reverend speaks so they deningrate him, and by association, Barak Obama. Sure this is a great country but even we have our ugly past and aren't perfect. In fact I think one of the fundamental problems in America is the wool the country pulls over its own eyes as to its own wrongs. David Gergen's analysis on CNN of the view of history from the perspective of white people versus black people was spot on. Additionally, how many times have each of us heard "radical" views from all sorts of avenues; church, parents, community, schools, government, etc without necessarily internalizing or accepting those messages? Are we all just sponges?

Oh God, NO! Not AGAIN!

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:22:05 EDT

NO! NO! NO! They CAN'T allow Florida to to vote again by mail!!! I live in Florida and I can GUARANTEE YOU the vote will be rigged! They have done this before with absentee ballots and mysteriously ballots do not get mailed to "certain" precincts and/or they disappear once the voter mails it back, and when people complain to the supervisor of elections offices, they claim they mailed them on time and they blame the Post Office....and then the argument goes round and round while the vote stands WITHOUT counting all the votes that mysteriously went missing, or never mailed, or lost in the mail, etc...are you getting the picture? And since Hillary Clinton won the initial vote here, and since the state is controlled by powerful, voting Latinos who support Clinton as well as Republican leadership that prefers to run against her in November, there will be a lot of Democrats here (Obama supporters) who will suffer voter fraud and disenfranchisement who will not be able to do anything about it.

If the state is going to allow this, Obama's campaign MUST insist on some kind of oversight in how the mailings are conducted. PLEASE....this is the worst alternative that could have been chosen!

Obama's Past Focus on Teens

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:28:46 EDT

Barak Obama was a pioneer in fighting the rise in Chicago's high school drop out rates. I wonder what the candidate's opinions are on this new study which revealed that one in four teen girls today has a sexually transmitted disease?

If 1 in 4 teen girls have an STD...how many teen BOYS have an STD? The girls aren't having sex with ghosts! Or are they sleeping with grown men and getting these diseases? Why do these reports ONLY ever detail the girls' sexual behavior? And the Gardisil shot being recommended as prevention is too high of a risk given that there are no studies on its effect on children; it doesn't guard against all forms of HPV (so is a waste of $), and WHY aren't they recommending that BOYS get the shot too?

Who Said Racism Was Dead?

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:27:42 EDT

Geraldine Ferraro is an ass. You would think someone in her position would know better than to make racist statements in public. Tsk, tsk, tsk....oh well, she's at least better than old what's her name (Schroeder)who bawled her eyes out in public during her 1987 exploratory run for President and pretty much blew any chance she had as a result. We've come a long way, eh? Now crying wins votes!

Well, well, well...it looks like the closet racists among the country's white elite (Ferraro and by association, the CLINTONS) finally could not stay silent anymore! And people say we have moved beyond racism in this country?

Time To Get Down & Dirty

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:45:27 EDT

Yesterday's news brought word of Governor Elliot Spitzer's fall from grace over the hiring of prostitutes. Leaving all the inherent hypocrisy there aside, this event brings up a pressing need for the Obama Campaign.

Spitzer is a Super Delegate who supported Clinton. A former Obama volunteer was forced to resign over calling Clinton a "monster." This faux pas of Spitzer's is far worse than that and I hope Obama's campaign will demand Spitzer's resignation and a comment from Clinton on the character of her supporters.

Mr. Obama, while we all respect you for taking the high road in this campaign, it is now time to take the gloves off and get down and dirty in the trenches. Whether we all like it or not, nice guys finish last. Mr. Obama needs to not only continue to defend against false accusations but it's also now time to go on the offensive. We cannot allow victory to be snatched away by the Clintons' well-practiced manipulations and win-at-all costs underhandedness.

The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

Not-a-Sheep : ENOUGH is ENOUGH! — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:40:36 EDT

Bill Clinton is making the rounds of the Sunday morning news shows proposing that Barak Obama accept the position of VP for his wife, Hillary Clinton. His stated reason for doing so is that it would bring unity to the Party. It seems to me that the Clintons have had very little interest in "unity" up until now, running a win-at-all-costs campaign. This proposition also reveals their blatant disregard for the will of the People of the Democratic Party who time and time again have voted their preference for Barak Obama. Wyoming presents the latest example, where Obama took 61% of the vote to Mrs. Clinton's mere 38%. Indeed it is apparent that for the good of the Party, it is Mrs. Clinton who needs to concede to Barak Obama (and not the other way around).