In following the constant smears to real Health-care reform I can't help but notice the number of right wing and Insurance groups lobbying against reform. I start to wonder if it would have made more sense to get rid of the Lobbyists prior to the Health-care reform process. I know I make it sound easier than it is but at the same time when a country is trying to take on major issues currently affecting all Americans it makes it all the more difficult when the opposition to these issues is the mega wealthy corporate lobbyists. These Lobbyists who have unlimited finances to corrupt our politicians, distract unsure Americans of the real issues and play on fear and anxiety of those who are reluctant to change.
These groups truly take away any hope for meaningful conversation whether via a town hall, at home or in congress. How do you have a BIPARTISAN effort with so many in Washington influenced by the money of big corporations and not the voice of reason. We have some of the brightest and maybe not so bright people in America sitting on Capitol Hill and yet somehow we are all supposed to believe that we cannot even come close to compromise or understanding on the issues we face today. I know we as people have our own opinions on issues and topics and are far apart on lots of issues but I would like to believe that we all share common morals and common sense. So I ask myself in this current debate what makes us so very far apart? The answer unfortunately is simple in two parts. One is the lobbyists the other is the politicians accepting the campaign money and bending to influence of these corporations.
In closing I wonder how much easier reform would be if we were worried about our fellow Americans instead of our next election? I wonder if there would be more regulations in place on Wall Street so that Main Street wasn't at risk again. I wonder if everyone worried about our best interests instead of special interests why would they worry about getting re-elected? The fact is they would not have to. I hope we can come back to a point were the true concern in America is for the people who would do anything for it and not for those who keep doing whatever they want to ruin it.
Think about it
1. Sign up to donate blood (if you can) at any American Red Cross sponsored blood drive in the area at http:///www.opositiveprogram.org
2. Spread the word about this initiative by asking your friends, family and neighbors to donate blood. Feel free to use the attached flyer.3. If you donate blood, please revisit http://www.opositiveprogram.org, click on the drip so your donation can be tallied and send a personal note to President-elect Obama.
No More Plastic Bags Objective: To raise awareness and encourage the use of reusable bags in place of plastic bags.
Plan of Action: Educate shoppers on the negative impact plastic bags have on our environment and actively promote the use of reusable bags. Eventually eliminate the use of all plastic bags by passing township ordinances and a tie in to Earth Day. This project initiative will be targeted for a March 2009 completion and will not be included as an Inauguration effort.
How you can participate:
1. Join the Planning Committee
Contact: Project Manager Ilene Rush mice30@comcast.net
Mission statement: To continue the momentum and community-focused spirit of the Obama campaign, Be the Change Baederwood is coordinating a food drive to benefit the Abington Food Cupboard.
Goal: To collect 500 bags of non perishable food to replenish the Abington Food Cupboard.
Contact:
O+ Blood Drive Objective: To promote the donation of 500 extra units of blood between January 4-17th in celebration of the Inauguration of President Obama.
Plan of Action: The O-Positive Program will run from January 4-17, 2009 throughout the Montgomery, Bucks, and Philadelphia counties. We will also be accepting “Drip Clicks” from anyone around the country who is willing to participate in the program. Our Web site is currently built (http://www.opositiveprogram.org/) and will act as the communication, organizational, promotional fulcrum for our project. Our Media Committee will have the Media Kit done by Tuesday, December 30th, in time for our Media Blitz on Wednesday, December 31st through January 5th. We are targeting press, radio, TV on the media side, as well as colleges/high schools, regional politicians, volunteers within “Be the Change-Baederwood, and walk-up volunteers. This committee has met twice via phone conference and once at the Abington library. Once the Media Blitz commences and the program is underway, we will send volunteers to approximately one dozen of the blood drives throughout the 3-county region to help out, as well as track O+ donors, on site. This provides a great chance for people who might not want (or aren’t able) to donate blood to still be involved. In addition, the Web site will include a “Drip Click” icon on the front that will, first, tally the number of donors and, second, provide our Web site visitors the chance to provide Opt-In information, as well as a 25 words or less message to President Obama. Once the program is complete on January 17th, we will tally the number of units donated, compile all the messages, and create a final document to deliver to the White House during Inauguration Week.
Benefits: Besides enhancing the efficacy of Red Cross Blood Drives in our region, this project keeps the Obama team working and on-task until after the inauguration. Some other benefits of this program are: it will create a Media Committee for the BTC-Baederwood group as a whole, it will generate good public relations for BTC-Baederwood, it will generate a Web site that can be used as a project model, and it will provide a testable model to determine if this program should be expanded to a national/international audience.
Leadership
Dr. John G. Duesler, Jr. jgduesler@opositiveprogram.org
Janice Winston janicewinston@opositiveprogram.org
Julie Haywood juliehaywood@opositiveprogram.org
Media Committee
Donna Lima-Montero donnalima-montero@opositiveprogram.org
Tricia Shore triciashort@opositiveprogram.org
Judy Sherman judysherman@opositiveprogram.org
Natalie Lavelle natalielavelle@opositiveprogram.org
Volunteer Coordinators
Graphic Artist
Tim Ehlenbeck timehlenbeck@opositiveprogram.org
Be the Change Baederwood Hello Baederwood! Thank you all for your enthusiasm and interest in continuing working together for change. Attached and below please find the notes from our December 10, 2008 meeting. Key things to note:
INAUGURATION DAY PROJECTS:The “Change is Coming” team requested groups find a project to complete before Inauguration Day. We came up with three. Contact the Project Managers if you want to help plan the event. More information will follow to all on how we can participate.
Help stock local food banks. Project Managers: Kathleen Joyce Kjoyce_ward9@comcast.net 215-738-6025 & John Spiegelman Spiegs@speigs.net 215-740-4306
O+ Blood Drive to collect 500 units. Project Managers: John Duesler jgd@greendiscgolf.com 215-913-0569, Julie Haywood woalex@aol.com 215-715-6852 & Janice Winston janicewinston@yahoo.com 215-806-0300
Eliminating the use of plastic bags in Cheltenham. Project Managers: Karen Synnestvedt Karin-sunshine@comcast.net 267-994-3161 & Ilene Rush Mice30@comcast.net 215-470-2998
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, January 14th at 7PM at Jay Cooke Hall, Elkins Park PA. Come prepared to make a 60 second presentation of your ideas about what our organization should be and do.
JOIN BE THE CHANGE BAEDERWOOD: (Temporary Working Title)You must REQUEST TO BE ADDED TO OUR EMAIL LIST.Please send an email with your name, email address, telephone number and township to dbernstein218@gmail.com. Spread the word because we won’t have access to the campaign lists much longer.
Katie Maher
katiemaher@comcast.net
215-782-8889
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. Mohandas Gandhi
MEETING MINUTES 12/10/08 – Following is a high-level recap of the meeting.
Participation
2. Select short-term project(s) we can complete by Jan 20th (Inauguration Day) ·
Lorraine Marino facilitated the group through a process in which we identified 3 projects. First she provided criteria for the project(s): Any project would have to…
o Be simple enough to be doable by January
o Have a positive impact on the community – address a real need
o Be of interest and accessible to a majority of us
o Not duplicate or interfere with an existing organization’s mission ·
The process
o The group first tossed out some potential ideas so we could get a feel for people’s interest and ideas.
o We then broke into smaller groups to discuss ideas.
o Then, in the large group, people identified suggestions from their group, which were charted for everyone to see.
o The group then boiled this list of potential projects down to the Top 3 Projects for completion before Inauguration Day through a voting process. These include:
o We had team lead(s) volunteer for each project. The role of these team leads includes: Calling the first meeting, at which time team members would think through what’s achievable in the time given; and to organize how to manage the project and involve others.
o Everyone signed up for the projects they wanted to be part of. Key points that came from the group’s discussion
(A list of the team leaders as well as the additional project ideas is provided at the end of these notes.)
3. Preparing for the January Meeting Though specific plans for the January meeting may be refined by the interim leadership team, the main goal is to share and consider ideas for how we might continue to leverage ourselves as a group longer term. At the January meeting, anyone who has an idea should get their thoughts together and come prepared to give a 30-60 second pitch for that idea. We’ll have a process to follow, so that others who are interested in one or more of those ideas can gather to talk more about them. We don’t need to come to any final decisions in January. But we want to begin the process. Lorraine presented some categories based on input from Art Haywood -- to help us think broadly, not just about service-oriented projects:
Political - Related to the political process – identifying and influencing elected officials; party infrastructure, making or changing legislation or public policy. etc.
Civic - Related to local/township or regional citizen committees; these are not related to a political party. (For example, there are many openings on Cheltenham’s Citizen’s committees, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act Advisory Committee, Economic Development Task Force, Environmental Advisory Council, Historical Commission, Human Relations, Library Board and many others.)
Service/charitable - Community service projects, support of non-profit activities, works of charity, etc.
Issue-based - Focused on a specific issue, such as health care, education, energy, environment, etc – at a local, state, of national level.
Other - An initiative or idea that does not fit in the previous categories. If there is something you are eager to work on – or an idea you’d like to put forward -- come to the January meeting prepared to give a 60-second description of your idea at the meeting. Then, people interested in working on that idea with you will have a chance to meet with you in a break-out group to talk further.
4. Identify Interim leadership
· Katie proposed that we identify an interim governance structure so we can work for the next 4-6 months – until we have more clarity about our direction.
· The group discussed this and we proposed an interim steering committee format, of 6 to 10. People were then invited to sign up for this committee.
· Katie explained that she is committed to launching the organization but needs others to provide leadership and administrative support. Once the group defines the organization over the next few meetings, an appropriate leadership group can be created.
· Deb Bernstein has volunteered to manage our membership list.
· Mike Lazrus has volunteered to address our technology needs.
Next steps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83lum1XcOug
Here is a video that will get you ALL Fired Up!
Here is a list of Talk Radio Programs for your chance to speak out to the public while it still matters
http://phillytalk.com/talk-radio/talk-radio-stations/talk-stations.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_radio_stations_in_Pennsylvania
It is worth just fiddling around on your dial with your phone nearby!
Yesterday I was driving in Montgomery County fiddling with the radio for another NPR election fix. They were playing soothing music so I turned to AM. On 860 I hear a request for people to call in and vote for either McCain or Obama. I called just to say "Obama" and they said Patricia from Cheltenham, you are on the air! Who are you voting for?" Turns out I'm talking to Councilman Frank Rizzo, Jr. WWDB 860 AM where he co-hosts a show with Senator Bob Rovner on Saturdays from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Without any hesitation I spooled out my reasonings with an ease that suprised me! They're like, "Wow, so who are you voting for?" I didn't get the Philly sarcasm so gave a few more reasons, like how with Governor Rendell, Senator Specter and Mayor Nutter plus President Obama the political planets will finally line up so we can get some things done around here! Like how my son is a Marine I first came to Obama because and of his position on the Iraq war, but then I learned about his economic policies, his character and the organization he's built over this campaign and know he will be a great president.
They asked if I was going to vote democratic all the way and I said "Yup! Strait ticket! The Republicans had their chance to lead and they led us down a path to a place we don't want to be."
Then I got a little delirous and said "It's like the Phillies, ya gotta believe! I hope everyone votes for Obama!"
They were eating it up with a spoon AND I tied up the vote 6 to 6. They thanked my son for his service (which always warms my heart as he was decorated for his service in the Al Anbar province and made Sergeant!)
What a thrill! The whole thing from dialing the number to the end of the call took seven minutes, tops.
You can hear what I sound like, it is going to be rebroadcast next week at the same time same channel. I figure that counts for at least a hundred door knocks for yesterday.
-- Let us then try what Love can do. William Penn
Thinking for yourself, apparently, is a sinful thing to do. Nowadays, it is not "hip", "cool" or "politically correct" to have an opinion contrary to those of others and, if you do have one, you automatically must be wrong for having it; for thinking differently than everyone else. In America, during an election year, democracy has been replaced by the politics of fear.
Before I rant, which I'm going to do until they suspend the First Amendment, let me be clear in stating that I do not believe in the "one party rule" system being espoused, this year, by both the Democratic and the Republican Party. I don't think that either party should have a majority in Congress; especially one where the voice of the opposition can be easily drowned out. One party rule is a system reserved for communists (see the Soviet Union, China, Korea and Cuba), fascists (i.e. WW2 Italy, Japan, Nazi Germany, Argentina in the Peron era), petty Middle Eastern shiek-doms (Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates), and Latin American dictatorships (Hugo Chavez, Aristide of Haiti). In America, we should never have one party rule no matter what the political party's "good intentions" are. I'm sure that in 1936, even the Nazis in Germany originally had "good intentions" but "good intentions", historically, always seem to go bad.
In America, under our Constitution, until, of course, it is seen fit to be suspended, citizens of our nation are allowed to vote for whomever candidate they believe is best to sit in political office. It means that I have a right to vote for any candidate I choose for the office of President, Senator, Representative, Mayor or county dog catcher.
Today's letter to the editors
Dear Editors,
I BEG you to denounce the demagoguery in this campaign that links Barack Obama to terrorists and socialists. Terrific results will not come from creating divisiveness and fear, terrifying ones will come in ugly ways.
H. L. Mencken defined a demagogue as "one who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots."
Please see what is really happening. The tactics are reprehensible, yet I continue to see you let these claims go by and muse how it could possibly work out in their favor.
I must remind you respectfully that as opinion leaders and respected journalists YOU have a responsibility to use all of your rational facilities to make informed opinions and speak truth to the citizens. When we know better we can do better as a nation.
Thank you for reading this and may God Bless you and Keep you and may he shine his countenance upon you and grant you peace.
I am a sole proprietor and am very impressed with the plan laid out yesterday by Barack Obama on fixing the economy. I am astounded at his $3,000.00 tax break for every new employee. It's a brilliant way to grow business, expand the number of jobs, and create an atmosphere of success in this country.
The roads and schools are in sorry shape. I drive around North Philly and almost used to envy the people in Iraq getting all that new infrastructure. Granted Bush demolished Iraq, but the Republicans also demolished Philadelphia. Deregulation, softening of state rules, global incentives, and hatred of unions caused this great city to be brought to it's knees.
I understand everyone says that 'these manufacturingoba jobs won't come back'. But I disagree. Local manufacturing is a human need. An honest day of actually making something rather than a service economy where you are paid for hours of your life in case someone needs you.
I was talking about Ben Franklin to my young adult children to encourage them to get jobs. I said he started out making candles. My son said "At least he got to actually make candles, instead of being in meetings where they discuss the color of next years candles" Ha! He'd hit it on the nose, we are so far removed from the product of our work. We'd like to be closer to our work, closer to our food, closer to our families than this corporate global marketplace allows.
Small business will make things and make them well if given preference over communist gulag labor in China.
So here's to the New American Revolution!
Huzzah!
Frank Schaeffer is the author of Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back.
Speaking as a former right wing Evangelical who helped organize the Religious Right in the 1970s and early eighties, nothing instills conviction like believing you're on a mission from God. If you're going to fool others, you have to fool yourself.
It takes sincerity to tell a series of barefaced lies with enough conviction to carry the day. As we close in on the 2008 election, the increasingly desperate Republicans will do what they have learned to do best: court the sincere but misinformed Evangelical voters by lying to them. Let me explain...
The Evangelicals live in a resentment-fueled, inward-looking subculture. They are convinced that the world is out to get them and put them at a perpetual disadvantage. They equate knowledge, facts and education with an elite that they feel belittled by.
The Evangelical "base" have unwittingly become the enemy of democracy. They are democracy's enemy because a grossly misinformed Evangelical public that celebrates its ignorance is the antithesis of an informed people who can manage their own affairs. Bush was their boy... twice! Enough said.
Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric:
http://www.barackoblogger.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-not-ready-for-prime-time.html
http://www.tellingthoughts.com/us-politics/my-holiday-with-mccain
"He waxed on during one meal about how Indo-Chine women had the best figures and that our American corn-fed women just couldn’t meet up to this standard. He also made it a point that all of us should stop Cindy from having dessert as her weight was too high and made a few comments to Amy, the 25 year old wife of the honeymooning couple from Nebraska that she should eat less as she needed to lose weight. McCain’s appreciation of the beauty of Asian women was so great that David the American economist had to move his Thai wife to the other side of the table from McCain as McCain kept aggressively flirting with and touching her.
Needless to say I was irritated at his large ego, and his rude behavior towards his wife and other women, but decided he must have some redeeming qualities as he had adopted a handicapped child from Bangladesh . I asked him about this one day and his response was shocking -”Oh, that was Cindy’s idea - I didn’t have anything to do with it. She just went and adopted this thing without even asking me. You can’t imagine how people stare when I wheel this ugly, black thing around in a shopping cart in Arizona . No, it wasn’t my idea at all.”
I hope other people who have vacationed with McCain will pipe up and verify his bad manners. Just another indicator of the character of the Republican nominee. Evidence mounts to indicate that John McCain is a misogynist. It matters. This guy wants to be our leader, people! He has clearly made a deal with social conservatives that will hit us all in the GYN. They made gender an issue; his promise to overturn Roe v. Wade, in his choice of Sarah the Great She-Male Lifer of the North to scoop up Hillary supporters (so cynical!) saying she's so tough then his on 'deference' from the press, his ad on lipstick and his treatment of his first wife (who is from the Philly area)
In parts, this new profile of Cindy McCain in the New Yorker is almost breathtakingly sad; it certainly makes you wonder why you'd ever marry someone with serious ambitions to be president. Perhaps the amount of deception and concealment inside the McCain marriage isn't all that unusual, but it's her attempt to repackage it as a sequence of charming campaign-trail anecdotes that gives this piece its undertone of desolation. There's the now famous adoption story, which, as Ezra Klein notes, is rather strange when you look at it closely: Cindy decided to add a new member to the family but didn't consult John at all. There's the fact that they both lied to each other about their ages until after their marriage announcement was published in the newspaper. ("We started our marriage on a tissue of lies," she tells one audience "with a smile" in this article. John, as we know, was married and reportedly cohabiting with his current wife at the time he met Cindy.) Less touted by the campaign, naturally, is the story of her painkiller addiction, and how she admitted stealing drugs from a medical charity she'd established; she didn't tell her husband about her problem until she was being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Then there's the stroke she suffered in 2004 which, she seems to say here, she recovered from with essentially no companionship from John whatsoever. In light of all this, even her stump-speech story about learning to fly without informing him begins to look less merry. (She has also repeatedly called herself an only child, despite having two half-sisters, one of whom, in this piece, is plainly extremely angry with her.)
John McCain is one of only a few Senators to earn a Zero percent lifetime rating from Planned Parenthood’s Action Fund, and he only scored that high because the organization doesn’t have a lower rating…. Let’s look at his record:
He voted against requiring health care plans to cover birth control (3/22/03).
He voted against comprehensive, medically accurate sex education (7/25/06).
He voted against international family planning funding (3/14/96).
He voted against funding to prevent teen and unintended pregnancies (3/17/05).
He voted against public education for emergency contraception (3/17/05).
And he voted against restoring Medicaid funding that could be used for family planning for low-income women (3/17/05).
NPR reported (2/2/08) that, “Many Republican voters seem to believe, incorrectly, that the current Republican front-runner, Arizona Senator John McCain, supports abortion rights.”
John McCain wants us to believe that he’s a moderate who supports improving the health of women in the United States, but in fact he’s among the most extreme members of Congress who voted against common sense measures on family planning, sex education and access to basic healthcare.
John McCain calls Hillary's plans 'lipstick on a pig'. He chooses his words carefully, He shouldn't have said it.
Hi Friends,
Please pass the word about this new DA video aimed at persuading U.S. citizens abroad--especially the younger contingent--to register to vote.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch...
Academy-award-winning actress, Gwyneth Paltrow, (based in London) is one of the many Americans in the clip encouraging American abroad to register for their absentee ballot.
DA is asking ALL Democrats everywhere to pass on this video (viral marketing) and to BLOG about it.
On the first day, over 150,000 people viewed it.
More importantly, in 24 hours we registered voters in 87 different countries, voting in 45 different states.
Yes, We can!
