Hello fellow Peorians and friends from all of central Illinois.
I wanted to update you on an event that I started a little over 3 weeks ago; Giving from the Heart
This is an ongoing event, every Sunday morning at 8:30am, we head downtown Peoria and take sack lunches, beverages and anything else someone without a place to live might need, ie. blankets, warm socks, warm clothing, any non-perishable food item that doesn't need cooked or opened with a can opener and doesn't require an eating utensil, and backpacks or tote bags.
This is a heartbreaking, yet heartwarming opportunity to do one little thing for those who don't have what we have.
This past Sunday was very special. Some of the people that I've been seeing are starting to talk to me. I even got 2 hugs. This meant a lot to me.
I hope you'll join us one of these Sundays.
There is also a need for this on Mon., Wed. and Thurs. evenings at 6pm. On those days, people who work, yet don't have a place to live, can't check in early enough to receive a dinner. Please let me know if you would be available and interested in helping on those evenings. gail.newtson@gmail.com
thanks to all of our wonderful President's supporters, we are making a difference one little step at a time.
Gail/Obama in the Heart, Peoria, IL/Illinois Chapter of Families for Obama and Phi Theta Kappa member 4 Obama.
While thinking of the entire campaign and my involvement in it for 21 months, I felt inspired to write a poem in an attempt to summarize all of my emotions. It was difficult to put 21 months and so many experiences into words but this was what came through my fingers from my brain. I hope you like it and feel free to share it with others.
One Citizen
I am just a citizen.A citizen of my town, Rock Island,Of my state, Illinois,Of my country, America.I am just a citizen.One who admired a senator.A Senator from my state.A Senator at the state level.A Senator at the national level.I am just a citizen.Who listened to a speech,Who read about his history,Who came to volunteer.I am just a citizen.Inspired by a man.Inspired by a message,A message of HOPE,A message of CHANGE.I am just a citizen.I felt it was my duty,My time to give something back,My time to help a man.I am just a citizen. Knocking on strangers’ doors,Calling people in other states,Reaching out to others with my optimism.I am just a citizen.Longing for something new.Something better for my child,Something better for my grandchild,Something better for this world.I am just a citizen.A citizen who believed.A citizen who had faith.A citizen who gave.A citizen who is proud.I am just a citizen.One of millions,One who held a piece of history in her hand.One renewed by our ability to CHANGE.To CHANGE our country, our world,To CHANGE how people act.I am just a citizen.Sitting in the background,Listening, watching, admiring.I am just one.Proud of what you represent.Proud I shook your hand,Proud I gave my time.I am just a citizen.Who thanks you!R. Kelinson01/19/2009 (cr)
To all of my friends on this website:
You have worked so hard, met so many other people with the same goals, became active in your communities and united around a common goal................and you did it!
Please find me and add me as a friend on any or all of these websites:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=651620712&ref=profile
http://www.change.org/profile/my_profile
Please add me as a friend so that we can stay in touch and continue being a part of this amazing change in America!
Gail
Welcome to the 21st century!
Our time has come!
I feel that we will, finally, be moving America into the 21st century when President-elect Obama is sworn in!
I will be watching the inauguration on CNN from my television. If you have a facebook account you can join others watching CNN here:
Congratulations to all of you who will be there in person! Enjoy, and please share your stories and photos with the group! We would all appreciate it!
As you may know, Mon. Jan. 19th is a national day of service, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Those of us who are busy on Mon. will be participating on Sat. and/or Sun.
In Peoria, on Sun., the 18th, at 8am., some of us will be going downtown, taking food, clothes, blankets, etc. for the homeless. You can sign up to join us here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpt87m
Hope, Pride, Honor, Justice: just a few adjectives that describe America's new course, to me.
What adjective would you use?
Happy New Year
Happy New Day: January 20, 2009!
I just called to cancel a hotel room that I had booked almost one year ago for the inauguration. At the time I booked it the price of the room with a king size bed was $89.00 per night. When I called tonight to cancel the room the manager told me it was now going for $300.00 per night.
WOW! Too bad I didn't auction it off on the web or this site. But I am an honest person and do not believe in taking advantage of a situation such as this. I did put it up on the site before cancelling so someone could have taken advantage of the hard to get room in DC.
Oh well, I wish the best to everyone lucky enough to be attending this huge event. I will be calling in to work, sitting in my house, and watching from our TV but my heart and my soul will be there along with the friends I have made through the Obama Campaign. Katie has promised me awesome pictures and a hug to Barack.
Way back in January 2008, right after Barack Obama won the Iowa caucus, I made hotel reservations in Alexandria, VA for the Inauguration. I have two hotel rooms at two locations. I may not be using either one of them. If interested please email me at the following email: renseema@yahoo.com I will take first come first serve and will notify individually if you are the person who is fortunate enough to get the one hotel room for sure.
Both rooms are at nationally known hotels. Hampton Inn and Days Inn are the hotels. I will know by the end of this week if I am using either one of them.
Thanks and good luck.
Figures it takes an Iraqi to throw the shoes at Bush. Why didn't we think of that earlier! Seriously, I can think of something else we should have thrown at him but it isn't that hard, in fact, it is something my dog drops out in the yard a couple of times a day!
Hillarious video. Guess I am not, have never been a fan of the liar that is still sitting in the White House. Can't wait for the Obama's to occupy the Oval Office!!!!! Now that is a first family we can be proud of everyday!!!
We are so PROUD of Barack Obama and the entire First Family.
We are so embarrassed by the idiot we have as Governor!
I knew in my heart that we could win this race. ANd then when it was announced, the tears began to flow. I have been a part of history.
We must not stop the commitment to change. We must stay organized. We must continue to make our voices heard. We are a major part of this victory due to the organizing that has occurred on the campaign trail. We must continue.
Congratulations to everyone who has been a part of this movement and especially to Senator Barack Obama, his family, and friends.
YES WE DID!!!
After 21 long months on the campaign trail Barack Obama is set to make history tomorrow as he becomes the next President elect.
I cannot begin to recap the 20 months that I have personally been nvolved in this campaign for the Senator from my state of Illinois. All I can say is that every minute, every hour, every door that I knocked on, every phone call I made, all of the time that I took away from the typical things that I did prior to the campaign. all of the time that I took away from family, it has all been worth it.
I was involved in my neighboring state of Iowa. Can I tell you how very fortunate I have been to be involved in Iowa. First was all of the pre-caucus phone calling, door knocking, and events. The events! How very fortunate I have been to be able to work so many events in Iowa that Barack Obama recognizes me! I had the opportunity to also meet Michelle Obama a couple of times. And let's not forget the JJ event in Des Moines. John Legend opened the night with a few songs before we marched strong into the auditorium. We sat and waited for the speeches to begin for hours and then Barack was last! They definitely saved the best fr last! He took the walls down. His team of field organizers were so on top of things, so organized, from the time we held up a sign to the cheer we were to chant.
History. I have been a part of history that my baby grand daughter will study some day in her history class. She and I will sit togethr and look through my scrapbooks. We will chat of the importance of the election. She will know that her bubbe was so involved in the campaign not only for AMerica, but for her future.
Tomorrow evening I will be blogging my election night thoughts. Right now it is time to get some sleep before the polls open at 6:00 in Illinois and 7:00 in Iowa. I still have phone calls to make! So TTFN....
I am tired of getting the stupid McCain robo calls. I mean every night around 9:00 the phone rings, I jump to get it, and it is a stupid robo call. So far I have had Hockey mom, Tom Ridge, and tonight some other dumb robo.
Get these jerks off of my ILLINOIS phone lines.
This campaign has been so exciting! I am so proud of everyone and all the work they have done! I'm especially proud of the young people and kids who are paying such close attention to this historic election and doing whatever they can to make Senator Obama our next President! I'd like to share a few short stories about some of the kids in my life that are making a difference!
My grandson turned 2 yrs old today! He doesn't talk much yet, but he says Hi, Momma, Dadda and Bama! He's been saying Bama longer than Hi! My daughter, his Mom, has an Obama calendar hanging on the wall, so, when he sees Barack on TV, he gets so excited saying "Bama" and pointing to the TV and then the calendar!
My granddaughters watch everything they can about the Senator! Then they call me, "Grandma, did you see Obama on TV?" Then they tell me what they liked about his speech or interview and ask me if I liked it. They talk to their friends, too, and if they don't support Barack, they talk to them about it and then call and tell me all about what they said to convince them that Barack is the best candidate!
My 10 yr old cousin is very convincing with her friends and their families. If they don't support Barack she says, "Do your parents make more than $250,000 a year?" Not too many say yes, but if they do she still tries to convince them to vote for Barack or tell their parents to!
My daughters attend rallies, talk to everyone they know about Barack and have done some canvassing and voter registrations!
I'd love to hear stories about your Obama Kids!
Gail/Obama in the Heart
I felt it today. Did you? It was a gust of wind telling me that CHANGE is in the air. CHANGE is right around the corner. I felt it today. I will feel it tomorrow. Will you?
GOTV!!!!
Thank goodness for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives for cutting to the top and the bottom of this horrible group who wanted to kill 88 black students and behead 14 others before attempting to assinate Barack Obama.
Thank goodness for the intelligence that we have these days!
Please join me in a silent prayer for Barack and his family.
I feel a breeze. Actually I feel a gust. It is a HUGE gust that is sweeping this nation. I hear it rattle the shutters. I hear it shaking the window panes. I smell something fresh and new. I can smell this fresh wave of something new permeating through every crack and crevice of every house, every building. I see something awesome happening. I see millions of people on phones and knocking on doors. I can taste something. Something sweet. Something so new it will send a shock wave through this world.
I feel CHANGE.
I hear CHANGE.
I smell CHANGE.
I see CHANGE.
I taste CHANGE.
It is happening right now. It will be here soon.
Can You Feel it, Hear it, Smell i, See it, Taste it?
I saw this article and read it. Now I wish I hadn't because it really scares me! Please people, stop pushing your fundamentalist religious conservatism on everyone else. Keep religion in your place of worship. These groups are over the edge!
Christian right intensifies attacks on ObamaTerrorist strikes on four American cities. Russia rolling into Eastern Europe. Israel hit by a nuclear bomb. Gay marriage in every state. The end of the Boy Scouts. All are plausible scenarios if Democrat Barack Obama is elected president, according to a new addition to the campaign conversation called "Letter from 2012 in Obama's America," produced by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family Action.The imagined look into the future is part of an escalation in rhetoric from Christian right activists who are trying to paint Obama in the worst possible terms as the campaign heads into the final stretch and polls show the Democrat ahead.Although hard-edge attacks are common late in campaigns, the tenor of the strikes against Obama illustrate just how worried conservative Christian activists are about what should happen to their causes and influence if Democrats seize control of both Congress and the White House."It looks like, walks like, talks like and smells like desperation to me," said the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Houston, an Obama supporter who backed President Bush in the past two elections. The Methodist pastor called the 2012 letter "false and ridiculous." He said it showed that some Christian conservative leaders fear that Obama's faith-based appeals to voters are working.Like other political advocacy groups, Christian right groups often raise worries about an election's consequences to mobilize voters. In the early 1980s, for example, direct mail from the Moral Majority warned that Congress would turn a blind eye to "smut peddlers" dangling pornography to children."Everyone uses fear in the last part of a campaign, but evangelicals are especially theologically prone to those sorts of arguments," said Clyde Wilcox, a Georgetown University political scientist. "There's a long tradition of predicting doom and gloom."But the tone this election year is sharper than usual and the volume has turned up as Nov. 4 nears.Steve Strang, publisher of Charisma magazine, a Pentecostal publication, titled one of his recent weekly e-mails to readers, "Life As We Know It Will End If Obama is Elected."Strang said gay rights and abortion rights would be strengthened in an Obama administration, taxes would rise and "people who hate Christianity will be emboldened to attack our freedoms."Separately, a group called the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission has posted a series of videos on its site and on YouTube called "7 Reasons Barack Obama is not a Christian."The commission accuses Obama of "subtle diabolical deceit" in saying he is Christian, while he believes that people can be saved through other faiths.But among the strongest pieces this year is Focus on the Family Action's letter which has been posted on the group's Web site and making the e-mail rounds. Signed by "A Christian from 2012," it claims a series of events could logically happen based on the group's interpretation of Obama's record, Democratic Party positions, recent court rulings and other trends.Among the claims:• A 6-3 liberal majority Supreme Court that results in rulings like one making gay marriage the law of the land and another forcing the Boy Scouts to "hire homosexual scoutmasters and allow them to sleep in tents with young boys." (In the imagined scenario, The Boy Scouts choose to disband rather than obey).• A series of domestic and international disasters based on Obama's "reluctance to send troops overseas." That includes terrorist attacks on U.S. soil that kill hundreds, Russia occupying the Baltic states and Eastern European countries including Poland and the Czech Republic, and al-Qaida overwhelming Iraq.• Nationalized health care with long lines for surgery and no access to hospitals for people over 80.The goal was to "articulate the big picture," said Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director of public policy for Focus on the Family Action. "If it is a doomsday picture, then it's a realistic picture," she said.One of the clear targets is younger evangelicals who might be considering Obama. The letter posits that young evangelicals provide the margin that let Obama defeat John McCain. But Margaret Feinberg, a Denver-area evangelical author, predicted failure."Young evangelicals are tired — like most people at this point in the election — and rhetoric which is fear-based, strong-arms the listener, and states opinion as fact will only polarize rather than further the informed, balanced discussion that younger voters are hungry for," she said.In an interview, Strang said there are fewer state ballot measures to motivate conservative voters this election year and that the financial meltdown is distracting some voters from the abortion issue. But he said a last-minute push by conservative Christians in 2004 was key to Bush's re-election and predicted they could play the same role in 2008.Kim Conger, a political scientist at Iowa State University, said a late push for evangelical voters did help Bush in 2004, "but it is a very different thing than getting people excited about John McCain," even with Alaska even with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential pick.Phil Burress, head of the Ohio-based Citizens for Community Values, said the dynamics were quite different in 2004, when conservative Christians spent some energy calling Democrat John Kerry a flip-flopper but were mostly motivated by enthusiasm for George W. Bush.Now, there is less excitement about McCain than fear of an Obama presidency, Burress said."This reminds me of when I was a school kid, when I had to go out in the hall and bury my head in my hands because of the atom bomb," he said.
