You may not have read this, or if you did, you may have simply ignored it or dismissed it as liberal propaganda. However, it's truly amazing. Even with all the dissention and undermining from the "right", our prayers are being answered. We've been praying for our country, not a party or one person. We're confident that with God's help, "all things are possible". America is turning around ... whether you agree or not!Apparently, "His Annointedness" (as some have dubbed our president), with God's help, is doing something right! :)"Three months into the new administration, President Obama's approval ratings remain high. This in itself is hardly unusual for a newly inaugurated president, but today we learned of a turn-around that is far from ordinary.The Associated Press reported: For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to lift the public's mood and inspire hopes for a brighter future.Intensely worried about their personal finances and medical expenses, Americans nonetheless appear realistic about the time Obama might need to turn things around, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. It shows most Americans consider their new president to be a strong, ethical and empathetic leader who is working to change Washington.No recent president has seen such a dramatic turn-around in such a short period. The number of Americans who believe that the nation is headed in the right direction has roughly tripled since the election."
We're so happy with this news and we're so very proud of our president, Barack H. Obama. May God continue to bless him and the United States of America.
This article below is from the Israeli Coalition Against Housing Demoitions. The Director, Jeff Halper, was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize two years ago. He's an Israeli working on behalf of justice in the Occupied Territories. He's an academic as well as an activist and to me. He is an Israeli who is critical of Israel and calls it to account. Below is his organization's perspective on Gaza. This stuff does not make the Western News.
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:33:02 +0200Subject: Analysis ISRAEL IN GAZA: A CRITICAL REFRAMINGFrom: info@icahd.orgTo: friends@icahd.org
ISRAEL IN GAZA: A CRITICAL REFRAMING
Israel's core messages, listed below, argue for the justice of its invasion of Gaza in late December, 2008, cast Israel as the victim and endeavor that its "war on Hamas" not be seen against the background of prolonged occupation, closure and sanctions, but of the broader Western "War on Terror." The alternative view presented below argues otherwise. As Israelis committed to human rights, international law and a just peace as the only way out of our interminable and bloody conflict with the Palestinians, we contend that security cannot be achieved unilaterally, especially as Israel shows no signs of fully relinquishing its 41 year Occupation so that a truly sovereign and viable Palestinian may emerge. In that context, Israel's attack on Gaza can be considered merely another attempt to render its Occupation permanent by destroying any source of effective resistance. The immediate pretext of Israel's attack, rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, does not explain the disproportionality of its attack, especially given the unrelenting sanctions, attacks and assassinations carried out by Israel throughout the cease-fire. Indeed, we argue that Israel could have avoided all attacks upon it over the last twenty years, as well as the rise of Hamas to power, if it had accepted the PLO's offer of a two-state solution proffered already in 1988 and has entered into negotiations in good faith. Instead, Israel, the strong party in the conflict and the sole Occupying Power, chose to dramatically increase its settler population, construct a permanent infrastructure of separation and control, remove "Greater Jerusalem" from Palestine and encircle the West Bank with its expanded borders: that of the Separation Barrier incorporating Israel's major settlement blocs and the "security border" of the Jordan River. Israel is not a victim; it is the active perpetrator of a permanent apartheid regime over all of Israel/Palestine. It is toward that goal that Gaza is being violently pacified today, Israel's killing with impunity scores of Palestinian civilians constituting nothing less than State Terrorism.
The following pages present the essential elements of the Israeli government's framing of its assault on Gaza, followed by a critical re-framing that introduces context, policies and aims which the government's version purposely omits.
· Israeli PR: Like all countries, it has a right and duty to defend its citizens.
An alternative framing: To pursue offensive policies of prolonged occupation as well as sanctions, boycotts and closures which rob another people of its rights, aspirations and very livelihood, and to then refuse to truly engage with that people's elected leaders (a policy preceding Hamas's rise to power), is what puts your own people at risk. To expect your citizens to live in security while a million and a half subjugated people just a few kilometers away live in misery is both unrealistic and presumptive. Israel will only be able to defend its citizens – which is indeed its duty – if it addresses the causes of their insecurity, which is a 41 year-old occupation which the oppressed will resist, by "legitimate" means or not.
· Israeli PR: Israel had no choice but to attack in response to the barrage of 8,500 Hamas rockets fired from Gaza into Israel over the past eight years that have killed 20 Israeli civilians.
An alternative framing: Israel had a choice. In the past three years alone Israel – together with the US, Europe and Japan – imposed an inhumane siege of Gaza while conducting a campaign of targeted assassinations and attacks throughout the cease-fire that left 1,700 Palestinians dead. This war is no "response:" it is merely a more deadly round of the tit-for-tat arising out of a political vacuum. Hamas firings on Israel were for the most part, if not exclusively, responses to Israeli actions either not reported in the press or discounted as legitimate unilateral action – such as assassinating leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian organizations, often with a high toll in civilian casualties. To present the "barrage" as an independent variable disassociated from wider Israeli policies that led to them is disingenuous. Indeed, had there been a genuine political process which offered the Palestinians hope for self-determination, the rocket firings could have been avoided altogether.
· Israeli PR: Hamas is a terrorist organization that refuses to recognize Israel or enter into a political process.
An alternative framing: "Terrorist" is a problematic term. States always use it to delegitimize and demonize non-state actors who resist their oppressive policies, as apartheid South Africa did, for example, with the ANC. The term assumes that states, bad as they may be, have the right to employ military force as they see fit. If, however, we take "terrorism" to mean the killing, harming or intimidation of non-combatant civilian populations, then states are far more terroristic, kill far more innocent civilians, than do non-state groups. In the eight years since the second Intifada broke out (September 2000), almost 500 Israeli civilians have been killed by Palestinians while almost 5000 Palestinians have died at the hands of Israelis. All attacks on civilians are unacceptable, no matter how just the cause. Yet it is only the Palestinians to whom the term "terrorist" is applied.
An alternative framing: Presenting Hamas as merely a "terrorist organization" removes the political element from their struggle and presents them as a criminal organization. This not only distorts reality in a fundamental way but, by preventing negotiations, it ensures the perpetuation of mutual suffering. Hamas has its military wing – though nothing compared to the Israeli army – but it is essentially a grassroots religious-political movement that democratically won the Palestinian elections in 2006 and earned the right to establish a government – which was denied it by Israel, the US…and the Fatah part of the Palestinian Authority. It does deny Israel's legitimacy, as any colonized people would, and there is no reason why it should accept the loss of 78% (or more) of its historic homeland. But Hamas has agreed, as a signatory to the "Prisoners' Document" and in repeated public pronouncements, to respect the outcome of negotiations of other Palestinian parties (like Fatah) with Israel, if they result in a complete withdrawal from the Occupied Territories. So despite its militant and scary image, despite the fact that it will not legitimize what it considers another people's colonization of its homeland, Hamas does accept, as a practical political matter, a two-state solution. Given the fact that negotiations with Israel since the Madrid Conference of 1991 have yielded nothing – indeed, Israel's massive settlement enterprise has perhaps eliminated the possibility of a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel – Hamas's resort to armed resistance is understandable. All attacks on civilians are prohibited in international law. In this regard both Hamas and Israel engage in terrorism, with the later taking by far the greatest of civilian dead, injured and traumatized.
· Israeli PR: There is no occupation – in general, but specifically in Gaza. Israel ended its occupation of Gaza in 2005 with the "disengagement." Gaza could have flourished as the basis of a Palestinian state, but its inhabitants chose conflict.
An alternative framing: Israel claims there has never been an occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza; instead, these are "disputed" territories with no clear claimant – and certainly not the Palestinians who, in Israel's view, do not constitute a people with rights of self-determination in the Land of Israel and who never exercised sovereignty over any part of Palestine. This position is rejected utterly by the international community. Indeed, the Road Map initiative uses the term "occupation" explicitly. Neither does it accept Israel's claim that the occupation of Gaza really ended with "disengagement" in 2005, since occupation is defined in international law as exercising effective control of a foreign territory, which Israel obviously does over Gaza. To then argue that Gaza could have developed under these conditions is unfair and unreasonable. Neither Israeli control exerted over Gaza since 1967 nor the economic closure imposed upon it in 1989 ever ceased, even if Israel removed its settlers and army. Gazans were never allowed to open their sea or air ports, nor were any conditions conducive to economic development allowed to develop. And then, in early 2006, less than six months after "disengagement," Gaza was sanctioned and hermetically isolated by Israel and the international community as punishment for voting the wrong way. John Dugard, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, wrote that this was the first time in history the oppressed was sanctioned and the Occupying Power freed of any responsibility. Economic development, not to mention a political process which might have prevented the violence on both sides, was actively prevented by both Israel and its international supporters, which share responsibility for the present tragedy in Gaza.
Let us also remember Israel's special responsibility towards the people of Gaza. These "civilians" are, for the most part, refugees driven from their homes in Israel in 1948 and their descendants, people dying and suffering at the hands of Israel for the past 41, if not 60, years. This adds a particular poignancy to the assault – yet another assault.
· Israeli PR: Only Hamas violated the cease-fire, and thus it carries full responsibility.
An alternative framing: Israel and Hamas agreed to a truce (through Egypt) by which Israel would allow the opening of the Gazan border crossings (at least partially) in return for a end to rocket fire on Israel. Hamas largely, though not entirely, kept its part of the bargain; Israel almost never did. Killings of Palestinians from the air continued, and on the American election day in early November it attacked the tunnels (which functioned as alternative means of supplying Gaza in the absence of open borders, which would have allowed control over the movement of arms), killing a number of Hamas people. In response Hamas launched rockets and….the truce began breaking down.
· Israeli PR: There is no humanitarian crisis; Israel is only attacking the "infrastructure of terror."
Alternative View: Being the elected government, all the infrastructure, from traffic cops (non-combatants under international law) to schools to military installations, "belong" to Hamas. It is clear that Israeli attacks go beyond "the infrastructure of terror." Gazan sources claim that some 5000 homes have been demolished and the Islamic University has been severely damaged. According to the UN OCHA report of January. 5, the tenth day of the war:
ü "More than a million Gazans still have no electricity or water, and thousands of people have fled their homes for safe shelter;.
ü Gaza's water and sewage system is on the verge of collapse, 75% of Gaza's electricity has been cut off;
ü The sewage situation is highly dangerous, posing serious risks of the spread of water-borne disease;
ü Hospitals are unable to provide adequate intensive care to the high number of casualties. There is also an urgent need for more neuro-, vascular-, orthopedic- and open heart surgeons.
· Israeli PR: Israel only targets Hamas fighters.
An alternative framing: Who's a "Hamas fighter?" The graduating class of traffic cops that was slaughtered in the first aerial attack on Gaza? Professors and students who attend the "Hamas" Islamic University? Family members of Hamas military figures? People who voted for Hamas? Attacking a grassroots political-religious-social movement engaged in military resistance to occupation in densely crowded urban settings makes it either impossible or inconvenient for an invading army to distinguish between civilians and fighters.
· Israeli PR: Civilians may die, but it's because Hamas hides its fighters and weapons factories among ordinary people.
An alternative framing: Gaza being such a barren, exposed and tiny area (360 sq.km./223 sq. miles, half the size of London), separating civilian from military areas, though desirable, is impossible, especially since, in concept, Hamas is a people's militia. It's worth noting, however, that Israel's military headquarters are located in the center of Tel Aviv, the military headquarters over the West Bank are in the densely populated Neveh Ya'akov neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel's center for biological and chemical warfare is located in the town of Ness Tziona, close to Tel Aviv, its main weapons development centers or in Haifa, and most settlements in the West Bank have military camps embedded within them – or vice versa.
Hamas, of course, as both a government and a military organization, carries responsibility for protecting the civilian population and keeping the fighting away from them. In a situation where this is impossible, as in Gaza, an invading force like Israel should avoid engagement, or engage only when legitimate military and political aims (such as defense) are genuinely endangered – which is not the case here. Israel has political and negotiating options that can end both the immediate threat of rockets and the longer-term conflict, but it chooses not to use them.
A terrifying development: According to the Israeli press, Israel has decided to ignore the distinction between civilians and combatants which lies at the root of international laws of warfare. Citing what the IDF calls the "Georgia rules," the two military correspondents of Ha'aretz (Jan. 6 and 7) explain:
[IDF Chief of Staff Gabi] Ashkenazi had said in earlier discussions that use of major fire power would be inevitable even in the most densely populated areas. The Israeli solution was thus to be very aggressive to protect the lives of the soldiers as much as possible. These are 'Georgia rules,' which are not so far from the methods Russia used in its conflict last summer. The result is the killing of dozens of non-combatant Palestinians. The Gaza medical teams might not have reached all of them yet. When an Israeli force gets into an entanglement, as in Sajaiyeh last night, massive fire into built-up areas is initiated to cover the extraction. In other cases, a chain of explosions is initiated from a distance to set off Hamas booby-traps. It is a method that leaves a swath of destruction taking in entire streets, and does not distinguish military targets from the homes of civilians….
The incident in which some 40 Palestinian civilians were killed when Israel Defense Forces mortar shells hit an UNRWA school in the Jabalya refugee camp Tuesday surprised no one who has been following events in Gaza in recent days. Senior officers admit that the IDF has been using enormous firepower. "For us, being cautious means being aggressive," explained one. "From the minute we entered, we've acted like we're at war. That creates enormous damage on the ground ... I just hope those who have fled the area of Gaza City in which we are operating will describe the shock. Maybe someone there will sober up before it continues." What the officer did not say explicitly was that this is deliberate policy. Following the trauma of the war in Lebanon in 2006, the army realized that heavy IDF casualties would erode public (and especially political) support for the war and limit its ability to achieve its goals. Therefore, it is using aggressive tactics to save soldiers' lives. And the cabinet took this into account when it approved the ground operation last Friday, so it has no reason to change its mind now. Nor is it likely that Tuesday's incident, with its large number of civilian deaths, will result in an immediate cease-fire…. Until Tuesday's incident, the world appeared relatively indifferent to Palestinian civilian casualties. On Monday, 31 members of the Samouny family were killed when a shell hit their house in Gaza City; that same day, 13 members of the Al-Daiya family where killed by another Israeli bomb. Yet international media coverage of these incidents was comparatively restrained.
This is an absolutely unacceptable development in modern warfare – particularly urban warfare which involves and entraps large populations of civilians – and must be condemned and rejected by the international community. If the Israeli-Georgian "rules" become a de facto norm of warfare, the entire edifice of human rights and international which has been constructed over the past 60 years will collapse and we will enter into a new age of barbarism. Again, All attacks on civilians must be opposed, whether sanctioned or not by military doctrine.
· Israeli PR: Hamas is a global problem, part of Islamist fundamentalism together with Iran and Hezbollah.
An alternative framing: Hamas was allowed by Israel to develop as a political force in Occupied Palestine in the late 1980s in order to counterbalance the secular PLO, which Israel regarded then as its real enemy but today considers a "moderate" force which should be supported in order to counterbalance Hamas(!). It has roots in the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, but is a particularly Palestinian phenomenon that arose in response to increasing Israeli repression, the loss of Palestinian land, rights and honor, and the corruption and high-handedness of the ruling Fatah party. It cannot be conflated with the Shi'ite Hizbollah (which emerged in Lebanon only in the wake of threw 1982 war), al-Qaida (which has a completely different global agenda and ideology) or Iran (in which the theocrats were an organized but quite small political force until the U.S. overthrew Iran's democracy in 1954 and installed the repressive regime of the Shah – for whom Israel trained his dreaded SAVAK security police, noted for their widespread torture of "dissidents"). Painting Hamas as part of a global conspiracy when it's a product of the Occupation itself is disingenuous and a gross distortion of history. Indeed, as the history of Hamas, Hizbollah and the Iranian clerics shows, Israel itself had played a significant role in the rise of political Islam.
An alternative framing: have to get beyond such simplistic and self-serving terms as "terrorists" and "terrorism" – especially since the Western politicians that use them refuse to apply them to themselves, as in the case of Israel in Gaza. It will do no good to dismiss Hamas as a "terrorist organization." The issues, grievances and demands upon which it arose must be addressed. From the point of view of its voters, who include many who do not share Hamas's religious or political agenda, Hamas is a quintessential liberation movement, a Palestinian liberation movement. Attempts by Israel to delegitimize Hamas and disassociate it from the Palestinian people, even to have the gall to suggest that the carnage created by Israel in Gaza will benefit the people by "releasing them from Hamas's grip," only serve – as they are intended to do – to neutralize Hamas as an effective source of resistance to Israel's Occupation.
· Israeli PR: In attacking Hamas in Gaza, Israel is only doing its part in the West's War on Terror.
An alternative framing: This brings us to why Israel actually attacked Gaza and why the slaughter has gone on far beyond Israel's declared goal of ending the rocket fire through negotiations. Immediate causes played their role, to be sure. Public pressure to end the rocket fire, especially in an election period, could not be ignored, nor the need to assert national pride. But this does not explain the immense scale of the operation; the rocket firings were the immediate trigger (and Hamas may have erred in its brinksmanship), but not the true reasons, which were several.
First, the invasion of Gaza was an exercise in pacification. On one level, it is an attempt to destroy Hamas as a political force, the only effective Palestinian resistance to Israel's ability, through the Annapolis Process, of imposing an apartheid regime on Palestine. On another level it seeks to pacify the Palestinian people by delivering "a message:" If you keep resisting, this is what is waiting for you. You have no hope to force Israel to withdraw from its settlements and expanded borders. Second, it is an attempt to resuscitate Israel's image as an effective ally in the War on Terror after the humiliation of the Second Lebanon War in 2006. This is crucial for Israel's security politics, especially vis-à-vis the US, and the Palestinians are paying the price for Hizbollah's success. Third, it is an exercise in urban warfare, an opportunity to field-test new weaponry and tactics of counterinsurgency in dense urban environments that can be exported – both as part of Israel's security politics (earning its place with the Big Boys at the table of the War Against Terror) and as part of its economic export strategy (60% of Israeli export firms deal in security). "Tested in Gaza" (or Nablus or Fluja) is one of Israel's most effective marketing pitches.
Gaza demonstrates in microcosm the shift in Israeli priorities and policies as its long-standing commitment to hold onto the Occupied Territories for both nationalist and security reasons comes into conflict with its broader regional and global agendas, centered today around its campaign to neutralize Iran's nuclear potential. The Saudi Initiative, endorsed by the Arab League, holds out the tantalizing offer of Israeli integration into the Middle East – meaning that Israel, whose foreign policy interests match those of the "moderate" Arab states, could assume a regional role. But because of public opinion in the Arab and Muslims worlds, this offer is good only if Israel relinquishes enough of the Occupied Territories that the Palestinian leadership could sign off on an agreement. Hence Israel's courting of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Mubarak and even Assad of Syria and the Saudis. And hence Israel's readiness to offer Abbas yet another "generous offer – short, however, of dismantling its major settlement blocs, relinquishing control over "greater" Jerusalem or giving up control of the border with Jordan, for which no Israeli government has a mandate. Caught between the necessity of maintaining its settlements – a position Netanyahu still endorses – and its desire to assume a role as one of regional hegemons, Israel is trying to find a way to finesse its way through. This explains Olmert's sudden readiness to change direction and talk of the necessity for a two-state solution, as well as the hasty Annapolis Process. Hence Abbas and Mubarak's support for Israel's action in Gaza (with mild, perfunctory criticism of its excesses). Their virtual collaboration with Israel raises even further in the eyes by many Palestinians and other Arabs the standing of Hamas as the only genuine source of resistance.
So there are high stakes involved in the Israeli-Hamas war, which diminish the seemingly decisive role the firing of rockets into Israel had. We do not believe that Israel can either impose an apartheid regime on the Palestinian people nor sustain its Occupation. If anything, as is becoming obvious, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emblematic as it is throughout the entire Muslim world and beyond (among, for example, progressives civil society on every continent), will impact negatively on European and especially American efforts to stabilize the global system, and in particular the volatile Middle East where the US remains bogged down. It is our role as proponents of human rights, international law, decolonization, the integrity of cultures and a just peace in Israel/Palestine and elsewhere to highlight the injustice and unsustainability of Israel's Occupation both on the ground and globally, the quicker to bring it to an end. May the suffering of the both peoples in this war on Gaza, one oppressed and the other held hostage to an image of the Palestinians as "permanent enemies," be the last straw. A just peace in Palestine will relieve a major obstacle towards global justice.
· Israeli PR: Israel, acting as any life-loving nation would, has a right to be a normal country living in peace and security.
An alternative framing: By now you should be empowered to provide a critical response of your own.
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions is based in Jerusalem and has chapters in the United Kingdom and the United States.Please visit our websites:www.icahd.orgwww.icahduk.orgwww.icahdusa.org
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rootscampPittsburgh
What is RootsCampPittsburgh?RootsCamps are participant driven events or forums, using the "unconference" or "open space" format that is born from the desire for activists, organizers, leaders and politicians in the progressive sphere to share and learn in a productive, fast-paced, open environment.
Think of it as a cross between an election debrief and grassroots organizing skills share. The progressive community — everyone from the "netroots" to precinct captains to field organizers to national message consultants — come together to share successes, failures, impart old wisdom and new discoveries.
Find out more about RootsCampPittsburgh at http://rootscamppittsburgh2009.pbwiki.com
When is RootsCampPittsburgh?RootsCamp will be held at the United Steelworkers Building, 5 Gateway Center in Pittsburgh on January 24, 2009.
Who should come to RootsCamp?RootsCamp will be for anyone who played a role in the 2008 elections and/or working in progressive politics. As fellow organizers, we'll be meeting each other, reuniting with team members, discussing the innovations and challenges from this cycle, and most importantly, celebrating!
RootsCamp 2009 will bring together the best and brightest organizers that were engaged in 2008 campaigns, including staff and volunteers from:
Presidential CampaignsDown ballot racesLaborNon-partisan GOTV and voter registration operationsOnline organizationsAdvocacy organizationsTech supportBlogs and other mediaMedia, message, polling and targeting consultants
· Share stories and knowledge with each other from all over Pennsylvania, especially the western part of the state.
· Teach others from the progressive movement what you did and how you did it. Brainstorm ways that the methods you practiced can be exported to unions, advocacy organizations and community organizations.
· Strategize about how to help progressive institutions to sustain what you've started.
To find out more about RootsCampPittsburgh or to register, go to: http://rootscamppittsburgh2009.pbwiki.com
George Francis born in 1896, the oldest man in America cast his vote for Obama.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6189921
To God be the glory. Amen
God bless USA
God bless Obama
Monday night, we drove three hours to see Barack in Manassas, Virginia. We had fasted all day and prayed the beautiful prayers written and shared by our prayer group! My cousin, who voted early, saw Obama in Charlotte, North Carolina just a few hours before. Traffic was heavier than usual - Redskins' game, breakdowns, and 90,000+ people headed to the fairgrounds! We took three of our children with us [the others were working or away]. Barack was fabulous. My husband almost cried he was so touched by Barack's words and the courage he displayed as the news of his dear grandmother's passing was still fresh. We were both close to our grandmothers so we really have compasssion for him. Barack told the story of the woman in South Carolina who turned a dreary rainy day into something special when she kept saying to him "Fired Up - Ready to Go!" That's how we felt in Manassas, the night before the election of the century! We felt an urgent sense of purpose - and Fired Up! Ready to Go!
When the event was over - 90,000+ slowly left the fairgrounds, encouraged and determined to vote - no matter the lines, the rain, the wait, no matter what. We got home at 2 am in the morning. On the news, they said as late as one in the morning, people were still inching slowly off the fairground where the last rally before today's election was held. Wow. We had just left Virginia after canvassing all day in Winchester on Saturday and canvassing in Pennsylvania two weeks before. What a week! What a month! What a year!!!
6 am Tuesday morning, I was back in the car, picking up our daughter in DC, checking on my 85 year old father, checking in with my sister, my cousins, my aunts and uncles in Virginia and North Carolina . All was set. We all went to vote. In DC, we stood in a line this morning that wrapped around the block for two hours - it didn't feel like it. Cars honked as people drove by on their way to work. People waved, people screamed "OBAMA. " It was festive. It was emotional. It was transcendent. We were all so happy to be in line for THIS VOTE. I took pictures of my neighbors. We took pictures of the line. We took pictures placing the ballot in the box. My daughter did the electronic thing - this is her very first Presidential Election! She said, "Mommy, I'm so glad this election is my first time." My niece told her mom 'thank you.' She said she finally understood why we had rallied, and argued, and protested, and knocked on doors, and fought so hard all these years. She said we did it so that she, my daughters, our children, all of us could see this day. It was an amazing day. My father was dressed as if he were going to work. At 85. and a veteran, he's in great shape. He walked briskly to the car and drove himself to vote with great pride and determination [he's at a different precinct than me]. Daddy was so proud of what he had to do today! I know he was proud watching his daughters and his granddaughters going to vote, too. Isn't that what he fought for? Thank you GOD. I witnessed three generations voting all together on this most historic day! It was amazing. Thank you GOD for blessing this process. Thank you GOD for your protection, your love, your faithfulness. Thank you GOD for your peace. Thank you GOD - you are so AWESOME and WONDERFUL. We are thankful to be your children. Bless Barack Obama, his family, his staff, the campaign, the workers, the voters and all the people of America! Thank you GOD for your divine providence. Thank you Father. Thank you for the sacrifice of your people and mostly, for the sacrifice of your dear son, JESUS. Thank you for all you've done, and for all you will do. Our GOD is an AWESOME GOD!! We must still pray without ceasing. We must fill the White House with prayers! Father we Thank You! Our hearts are filled with PRAISE!! Thank you for the Victory of Barack Obama as the new President-elect of the United States of America - the Whole United States of America. One Nation, under GOD!! We Thank You GOD!. In Jesus' name. Peace to my fellow Prayer Warriors - Rita
I am thrilled right now.
It is perhaps fitting that the day of our election takes place during the same season in which we observe what was known in ancient times as the “Liminal”. This word refers to that special moment when we recognize the great “in-between” in our lives. Children have their feast on the eve of Halloween, a secular holiday that hearkens back to an older rural tradition that believed that this part of the year was an occasion when the veil between the world of the living and the realm of the dead was either separated or very thin. Agrarian cultures realized that the harvest period was when we entered into a space that was unknown and then would lead to the dawning of a new year. It was a time of fear for many, wondering if the storehouses held enough to make it through the winter. In the Christian tradition, “All Saints” day celebrates the liminal space by remembering the lives of those who have entered the mystery of death in courage and have become symbols of a holy way of living. In a deeper way, it calls forth the story of the Christ meeting his disciples in a ghostly form on the road to Emmaus, calling them out beyond their fear into a new and abundant life. In the Buddhist tradition, we observe the fast of Segaki or the “Feeding of the Hungry Spirits”. In this rite of reconciliation, we offer up in a fire ceremony all of the fears that keep us from letting go and moving on into healing, restoration and peace. This offering in olden times was believed to help ‘feed’ the souls caught in-between the darkness of their old world and the shining light of the new.
As we prepare for the threshold fast of Election Day, we as citizens also enter into an unknown space of anticipation, awaiting the outcome of the democratic action of our votes. For many of us, the war and the current economic crisis has caused great fear and trepidation. We long for our loved ones to return home and for our financial woes to come to an end. It is most definitely a very real and contemporary form of the “Liminal”.
It is especially at this time that we have a great choice before us. We can choose to listen to the pessimistic voices of gloom that feed our doubts. We can choose to cling to the ways of the past, no matter how they have failed us, or we can move into this space with a renewed sense of hope and determination. We can leave our fears behind and embrace the boundless opportunity of great change. We can stand up and enter this space of “unknowing” with great faith in a new way of being that focuses not on our weaknesses, but rather calls us out beyond our limitations, prejudices and tribal identities into the noble fullness of all that we as a country can be.
The writer H.P. Lovecraft once said that, “Fear is the most primal human emotion and fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all.” We do well to remember then the words of a great leader of our country who admonished us that, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
On November fourth, let us be not afraid but rather let us courageously move forward into a new day.
For all of my blogs go to:
BMLS.org and WITF (Public Radio)
Unlike McCain, Obama has the potential and capacity to bring about the kind of humane globalization that could see the USA leading the committee of nations in dealing with issues that affect humanity for the common good of mankind.
The past eight years clearly epitomizes the campaign and articulations that are unilateral and purely based on militarism rather than diplomacy and multi-lateralism and the entire world was not happy about that kind of leadership model coming from the greatest nation on earth.
In light of the recent inclinations and opinions coming even from the United Nations, it is almost clear that the world is likely to welcome an Obama presidency than any other person.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/25/AR2008102502011.html?referrer=emailarticlepg
By and large, America will be better off with Obama than McCain, since the later is almost synonymous to President George Bush's policies that have isolated the country from both allies and foes and painted the United States of America as a hypocritical state that say one thing and go ahead to do exactly the opposite as manifested in its policy and articulation in Iraq and the handling of domestic issues such as the Katrina hurricane, healthcare for middle class family and the treatment of prisoners that undermine the essentiality of fundamental human right.
God bless Obama & Biden
Upon arriving at the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Cincinnati to vote early today I happened upon some friends of my mothers - 3 small, elderly Jewish women. They were quite upset as they were being refused admitance to the polling location due to their Obama T-Shirts, hats and buttons. Apparently you cannot wear Obama/McCain gear into polling locations here in Ohio.... They were practically on the verge of tears. After a minute or two of this a huge man (6'5", 300 lbs easy) wearing a Dale Earnhardt jacket and Bengal's baseball cap left the voting line, came up to us and introduced himself as Mike. He told us he had overheard our conversation and asked if the ladies would like to borrow his jacket to put over their t-shirts so they could go in and vote. The ladies quickly agreed. As long as I live I will never forget the image of these eighty plus year old Jewish ladies walking into the polling location wearing a huge Dale Earnhardt racing jacket that came over their hands and down to their knees! Mike, patiently waited for each woman to cast thier vote, accepted thier many thanks and then got back in line (I saved him a place while he was helping out the ladies). When Mike got back in line I asked him if he was an Obama supporter. He said that he was not, but that he couldn't stand to see those ladies so upset. I thanked him for being a gentleman in a time of bitter partisanship and wished him well. After I voted I walked out to the street to find my mother's friends surrouding our new friend Mike - they were laughing and having a great time. I joined them and soon learned that Mike had changed his mind in the polling booth and ended up voting for Obama. When I asked him why he changed his mind at the last minute, he explained that while he was waiting for his jacket he got into a conversation with one of the ladies who had explained how the Jewish community, and she, had worked side by side with the black community during the civil rights movements of the 60's, and that this vote was the culmination of those personal and community efforts so many years ago. That this election for her was more than just a vote...but a chance at history. Mike looked at me and said, "Obama's going to win and I didn't want to tell my grandchildren some day that I had an opportunity to vote for the first black president, but I missed my chance at history and voted for the other guy."
source
This guy sums up many of my thoughts on musings on the way to a decision for a Presidential pick.
Following on NBC, live-blogs on Sullivan, Coates, Ambinder, ThinkProgress and the dials on CNN.
Cafardi recently issued an endorsement for Obama and claimed the pro-life movement is dead -- drawing a strong rebuke from pro-life advocates.
Franciscan University issued a statement saying Cafardi did not represent the views of the college, but it appears Cafardi has resigned on his own without pressure from university officials.
Read the rest here
Without an iota of doubt, the McCain articulations that its campaign must do all within its power to dehumanize, denigrate, distort and perpetuate the campaign of melancholy and acrimony coupled with character assassinations and defamation may as well be the final straw that breaks the camel back!
Given the contemporary realism of the present political dispensation, we have all witness how the McCain’s campaign and its surrogates have relentlessly and aggressively sort to, but unfortunately in a very myopic fashion attempt to paint Obama as different from “us.” This unfortunate, unpatriotic and mischievous connotation has no place in the America society of the 21st century and McCain did not yet get it.
Mr. Maverick has manifested to the majority of American people and the world at large as to how mentally and physically unstable he can be under pressure especially in the context of lagging behind in the recently published polls. It is regrettable that rather than fashion the polls, the later has had a tremendous effect on his countenance to the extend that he is willing to return to the status quo of the kind of campaign tactics that he rejected and vehemently criticized President George Bush of running against him during the year 2000 Republican Party primary.
It strikes me as very odd that Liberty Legal Institute filed the suit to stop the Alaska Legislature's investigation of "Troopergate". Liberty Legal Institute is a religious free speech legal organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This is their mission statement:
Mission StatementTo achieve expanded religious freedom and family autonomy through litigation and education designed to limit the government's power, increase the religious rights of citizens and promote parental rights.
They also say:
About Liberty Legal InstituteLiberty Legal Institute (LLI) is a 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 1997 to protect religious freedoms and First Amendment rights for individuals, groups and churches. LLI offers its assistance pro bono to ensure all individuals and groups can thrive without the fear of governments restricting their freedoms.Liberty Legal consists of staff attorneys and a network of over 120 dedicated litigators committed to successfully battling in the courts for: * Religious freedoms * Student's rights * Parental rights * The definition of family These litigators donate their professional expertise and time to fight for these sacred freedoms. Liberty Legal Institute is headquartered in Plano, Texas with affiliate offices located in Dallas, Houston, Austin, Fort Worth, Midland and Lubbock.
About Liberty Legal Institute
Liberty Legal Institute (LLI) is a 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 1997 to protect religious freedoms and First Amendment rights for individuals, groups and churches. LLI offers its assistance pro bono to ensure all individuals and groups can thrive without the fear of governments restricting their freedoms.
Liberty Legal consists of staff attorneys and a network of over 120 dedicated litigators committed to successfully battling in the courts for: * Religious freedoms * Student's rights * Parental rights * The definition of family These litigators donate their professional expertise and time to fight for these sacred freedoms. Liberty Legal Institute is headquartered in Plano, Texas with affiliate offices located in Dallas, Houston, Austin, Fort Worth, Midland and Lubbock.
What does this have to do with Troopergate? This case stands out like a sore thumb in the list of cases they have been involved in. Just wondering....
Yesterday Sen. McCain jump the gun and in attempting to portray his campaign as being more concerned about the economy than the residential debate myopically and unilaterally suspend his campaign activity and even went as far as asking Sen. Obama to delay the already scheduled presidential debate due on Friday September 26 in Mississippi.
Unfortunately McCain has gone too far and the implications of his request represent an enormous burden on his political machinations, limitations and pathetically incapacitation. Given the fact that the country was able to function even after the terrorist attack of September 11th 2001, should have reminded him that no matter what happen this country can always salvage itself not be just two or three personalities but essentially by all Americans.
The prevailing economic meltdown was not a thing that just happens only yesterday, but rather a sequel to the cascade of events that Sen. Obama has long described as the unilateralism and lack of transparency and authenticity by the Washington led by the incumbent. What is need is a change of leadership and party in the White House and not just a meeting between McCain, the president and Obama.
Its time to A C T !!!!! This election season has remained too close for comfort and to close to call! We have 100,000 ' s of unregistered voters and millions who remain on the fence! Its time for us to come together, voice our unity, and make a difference! Tuesday September 30, 20008 everyone is asked to do two things 1) WEAR BLUE 2) REGISTER TWO VOTERS! (If you can't register two voters talk to two people who may be on the fence/ or a McCain supporter and sway them to become an Obama Supporter). LETS MAKE OBAMA BLUE DAY A DAY OF ACTION!!!! BARACK THE VOTE!!!!!! PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERYBODY WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING!!!
Its time to A C T !!!!!
This election season has remained too close for comfort and to close to call! We have 100,000 ' s of unregistered voters and millions who remain on the fence! Its time for us to come together, voice our unity, and make a difference!
Tuesday September 30, 20008
everyone is asked
to do two things
1) WEAR BLUE
2) REGISTER TWO VOTERS!
(If you can't register two voters talk to two people who may be on the fence/ or a McCain supporter and sway them to become an Obama Supporter).
LETS MAKE OBAMA BLUE DAY A DAY OF ACTION!!!!
BARACK THE VOTE!!!!!!
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERYBODY WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING!!!
