My New Article! Check it out! NASCAR drivers support President Obama's address to schools: http://digg.com/d3138VH?
Some of the most popular NASCAR drivers have made a PSA (public service announcement), in support of President Obama’s message to America’s school children. They are encouraging children to have the drive to win, the drive to stay in school, and for parents to help our children succeed in their educational goals. It’s an amazing message that should be applauded and supported by all parents of school aged children and citizens of our country.
It is unbelievable that people are making a stink out of the upcoming Presidential address to our public schools. As stated by ED.gov, “During this special address, the President will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.” And yet, there are people who are questioning the President’s motives and calling his address “a very troubling turn of events, giving rise to the very legitimate fears of political and social indoctrination.”
The Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, has sent a letter to schools with suggested “classroom activities” so that students can begin preparing for the President’s address. Some of these activities include things like making posters setting out “community and country” goals, and encourages kids to read books about past presidents and President Obama. Can someone please explain to me how these are BAD things?
Not only have our children been addressed by past presidents, they were addressed by two Republican presidents, and one with a political message. President George W. Bush did so in 1991, and President Ronald Reagan was the one who talked politics with students in 1988. But, some people are still saying this is unprecedented and an unacceptable thing for a President to do.
It is absolutely shocking to me that people are turning a positive “stay in school, study hard, and learn everything you can” message, into a partisan fight about possible indoctrination. All I can say is that if the indoctrinated message to my children is “stay in school, study hard, and learn everything you can about your government, your country and our history,” I’m all for promoting that indoctrination.
Let’s get serious people. Our President, like all presidents in the past, is simply trying to inspire our children to learn as much as they can and do their best in school. He is trying to show them that they too, can rise up from any situation and possibly become President of the United States of America. There is no way you can convince me that’s a bad message for our children to hear.
Please, my Republican friends out there, and there are MANY, join me in support of OUR President’s message to our children. Let’s not turn our partisan fighting over healthcare and other social and economic issues into something that could damage our children. Let’s work together to make our children smarter, want to do better, and be the best people, and citizens, they can be.
In the grand tradition of...uh, tradition, outgoing president George W. Bush left something for Barack Obama on the Oval Office desk. And no, it wasn't a steaming pile of excrement. It was note wishing the new president well and offering some advice on life in the White House.
The content of the note is supposedly a big secret, though luckily, our spies in Washington were able to sneak past White House security, infiltrate the Oval Office, make a copy of the letter (portable scanner, natch) and get it back to us so we could post it for your reading pleasure. What advice does 43 have for 44? Take a look.
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!
Obama Women,
Now that we have made our choice for the 44th American president, let us make sure that our voices and concerns are known. With the provided link, he is asking US to relay our ideas, comments, and suggestions regarding the executives, educators, healthcare workers, advocates, administrators, service reps, clerks, assistants, etc. whether we are blue-collar, pink-collar, or white-collar.http://change.gov/page/s/womensissues
I know, you're probably trying to figure out why that even would matter. Honestly, I hadn't heard of the position myself until I started doing some research last night.
According to Wikipedia:
"The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, which from 2001 to 2007 was Dr. Wade F. Horn. It has a $47 billion budget for 65 programs that target children, youth and families. These programs include assistance with welfare, child support enforcement, adoption assistance, foster care, child care, and child abuse."
So, this is the position that has the most direct power over the DHS/CPS, and thus the lives of poor families. Who knew an assistant secretary could be this important?
Bush appointed Dr. Horn, who believed strongly in abstinence until marriage, and that for women, finding a husband was a better way out of poverty than getting the skills needed for a good job. Since he left, Daniel Schneider has stuck with the same idealologies as Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families.
Now, it's Obama's turn. I trust that he will pick someone who understands the struggles of families trying to get out of poverty, and the relationship between poverty and child maltreatment, and who views all people as having basic human dignity. In other words, someone with a clue.
I know Obama doesn't believe the stereotypes about "Welfare Queens", and I'm sure he understands how broken our child protection/foster care system is. I know that in the last decade, Illinois has drastically reduced the number of children in foster care, while keeping children safe. Wouldn't it be great if Obama could appoint someone who'd get the rest of the country to follow Illinois' lead?
He's probably got some ideas already, and I'm sure that anyone he picks will be a huge improvement, but I'd like to suggest Richard Wexler or Martin Guggenheim. Both of them get it. They understand that it's not that poor people are stupid and lazy and don't love their children, it's that being poor SUCKS, that minor problems become major catastrophes when you don't have the money to fix them, and it's hard to be a good parent while dealing with all the stress and instability that are an inevitable part of poverty. At very least, consult Mr Wexler and Mr Guggenheim about who to put in charge of the Administration for Children and Families, and what changes need to be made. They'll have some great ideas, and it will be very much in line with Obama's basic policy of "We'll do what works."
(from NPR's News & Notes- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97019614&sc=nl&cc=nn-20081114 )
News & Notes , November 14, 2008 · When and how do children look in the mirror and ascribe race to their identities?
As part of News & Notes' month-long series on race, Farai Chideya takes an in-depth look at how kids develop a racial consciousness.
For insight, she speaks first with Christia Brown, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky.
Then, we hear from Marti Guzman, a mother of two bi-racial children living in Anchorage, Alaska.
Plus, independent journalist Sara Catania opens up about her childhood as one of the only whites at a predominantly black Chicago school.
I am writing a book on Obama volunteers’ experiences. This text will focus on meaningful and inspiring stories from your phonebanking, canvassing or other campaign journeys. If you have pictures or stories of volunteering that were significant to you and you think would have meaning for others, please send submissions to:
AdeleNicols@yahoo.com orP.O.Box 494, Waitsfield, VT 05673
I have a particular interest in the "phonebankers". Making cold calls throughtout the United States was a unique opportunity to get to know the diverse pockets of individuals and communities that exist within our nation. I personally had some amazing discussions that I know must have been echoed by other volunteers. I am better off from the experience...and am eager to showcase your personal experiences.Chosen submissions will be notified by January 10, 2008 and full acknowledgement will be given in the publication.
I am looking for stories that will exemplify the broad scope of voters that were either for or against Obama. My primary interest is to showcase the heart of the Obama campaign by revealing personal and transformational stories and images that were at the core of this successful campaign.
Thank you in advance for your participation. Feel free to contact me with any additional questions you may have.
Sincerely,We did it!Adele
A historic and amazing time in history.
On Nov 4, 2008 we elected Barack Obama. A Mullato Black man from Hawaii. Both parents where not always around. Both parents died young. Grandparents raised him, and his grandmother died the day before he won the biggest election of our life. Against all the odds. He persevered. Believed in himself. Educated himself, and went without. Lived in South Chicago to learn about his community. Never stopped, or gave up. He was the first Black President at Harvard. He is an American. He reached out across racial lines, bridging the gap between the ages. We have now been propelled into the future, and we have now experienced a country just transforming itself. Thank you to all the Americans who voted. Take enormous pride in your actions. We fighted for our positions. We have made our choice. It's now time to come together.
By
Bobbi Miller-Moro
OK, we worked hard, rode the rollar coaster of this election through to success for Barack and ourselves. Now what? Here's what I'm doing. I'm reaching out to McCain supporters with the hand of friendship. Today I am taking a pink rose from the mixed boquet I bought myself yesterday after voting and giving it to the mother with the McCain/Palin bumper sticker whose son is in the same pre-k class as my son (who hugged both Barack and Joe in the 48 hours before polls opened! Kid gets at least one benefit from having a disabled mother - close-up seats at political rallies by sitting on my lap while I'm in a wheelchair and praying that none of us have to go to the bathroom before the rally ends and the crowd thins out). Open the walls of this tent and invite the rest of the country into to help with this work, by extending some personal kindness to someone you were trying hard not to sneer at for their lawn signs the last month or so. Live the kind of world you want to reside in.
(please feel free to forward this on - this out-reach message is "open source")
DragonMama in Cleveland, mama of the kid with the monkey backpack (which is a harness/leash) and his little brother D.
Hi! We made history. When Barack Obama was elected President today it was because of a trillion small acts from millions of Americans ovet the past 2 years that has brought us to this moment. Every little thing we do has an impact be it big or small. Every little thing can matter a great deal. A little push is all it takes to set off a chain of dominos.
Each of you has contributed to this moment in history. We've each given what we could. Please take a moment to reflect and write down some of the things you did that mattered most to you, or write down everything you did. It doesn't matter. Then, pass this on to everyone you know who contributed time, energy, and/or money to this effort so they can be included.
Please cc meltzer7@charter.net . We'd like to see how the list grows.
Jess in MA: Phonebanking, postcard writing/organizing, event hosting, and lots of other stuff. Jonathan Meltzer (Berlin MA) Standing in the rain with 700 other volunteers listening to Barack speak before heading out to door knock on the first day of canvassing in NH April 2007.... Convincing a woman in Nashua at 5:30 PM primary day who was not going to vote to go to the polls and vote for Barack.... organizing a massive student outreach in MA, VT, NH, NY and RI to get college students from NH to register and vote absentee in NH....
Emma RUddock (mass HQ) - pulling an all nighter at the Mass Headquarters with some amazing people and entering data, my amazing college dems leaders who's enthusiasm is so incredible and inspiring, realizing after the NH primaries that this was not going to be easy but that we were going to do it anyway, succeeding in convincing my parents to let me take the year off from college to work fulltime on the campaign, meeting some of the most incredible people that I have ever gotten to know, voting in my first presidential election
To my unborn children and grandchildren, Tonight we watched history unfold and we will always remember these months, these moments.
Many of us are thanking Barack Obama. Many of us are also thanking God.
Tonight we realized that a small, committed group of citizens CAN change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. (Eleanor Roosevelt) TONIGHT Tonight we realized that our friends in Canada and South Africa and Italy and Switzerland and all over the world still had faith in us. After eight years - they still let us be a shining beacon of hope. They had more patience in us than perhaps we had in ourselves. I'm touched by the international love we have all felt through this. They knew before we did that we are the ones we have been waiting for. WE WERE ASKED TO STAND FOR CHANGE and WE DID. Yes We Can. Echoing Barack and Biden We were asked to stand up for Change and to stand up for a better America. yeswecan. We knew there could be a better America. yeswecan. We knew we deserved a better America. yeswecan. We knew we should be a country of love not hate. yeswecan.
What We Realized
What we realized after we heard him tell us what we must do is -- what we realized after we poured our hearts into his (our) election strategy --- and our five or ten dollars into his (our) campaign and what we realized after we made the calls for him (ourselves) and put up the signs for him (us) what we realized after we saw him and his daughters and his wife upon stage after we elected him (ourselves) is that he (We) are the ones we have been waiting for. Indeed, he had (we've) been here all along. yeswecan. Indeed, we ARE the better America. WE ARE THAT BETTER AMERICA WE HAVE YEARNED FOR. yeswecan. This one man pointed out to us the greatness that lies within. We are all champions. yes we can. We are America. WE ARE ALL AMERICANS Today, we are all Americans. Tomorrow we can all be simply humans. yeswecan. It took one man to bring together millions upon millions of Americans and people all over the world, with all eyes watching to see what we could do to help us sing out in a chorus of beautiful voices in thousands of languages from the mountaintops to the seas: YES WE CAN. YES WE CAN. YES WE CAN.
