All last week, OFA volunteers, energized from the House vote on the health insurance reform bill, said thank you to Arizona’s members of Congress that supported health insurance reform. Thursday and Friday, volunteers intensified their efforts and held events all over the state. From Sierra Vista to Flagstaff, supporters got out into the community and let their appreciation and support be known.
In Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University students Emily, Aleks, Blekk, and Blaise got a life saver floatation device and went out on NAU’s campus. They asked students to sign the life saver and call Rep. Kirkpatrick office thanking her for her support.
In Prescott, Sierra Vista and Scottsdale, volunteers went directly to the Congressional Offices. They brought with them thank you notes expressing their sincerest appreciation and passed them along to the staff of Rep. Kirkpatrick, Rep. Giffords, and Rep. Mitchell.
In Sedona and Tucson, supporters held rallies on street corners waving signs and American flags. Rep. Giffords made a surprise appearance at the Tucson rally and took time to speak and take pictures with the crowd. She spoke about the importance of health insurance reform legislation and how hearing from her constituents played a critical role in helping her make her decision.
Please contact your Representative and Senators by CLICKING HERE. Let them know you support health insurance reform and you want them to support it as well. Then CLICK HERE to sign up for an upcoming health care event and join the fight to pass ground breaking health care reform.
Check out this slide show of pictures from all the “Thank You” Events.
This posting is pasted here from USACAN source. There have been a deluge of email traffic via the listserves and consequently the effectiveness of communication amongs members became glazed over because of the sheer volume. We are encouraged by national administrators to utilize postings on our group blog sites where the communication should really taken place. This media offers benefits other than only an information exchange. On our regular monthly gathering we can easily retrieve all the discussion threads from a single source that we may need to bring up for talking point.
Dear Friends at "Change Begins with YavapaiC";
I'm logging in "Organizing for America" (my.barackobama.com) at least twice daily to find postings by our group members. To my disappointment there are practicaly no postings available. I thouht that this would be the wall that we would all visit from time to time as a bulletin board as means for our communication.
Chip and Lou Ann, also Keren Clark do inform us via email as events are being planned, but I think our group members are missing out by not sharing thoughts as deemed necessary for good exchange prior to any gatherings.
I propose to agree on some form of exchange of thoughts regarding the unfolding of these historical times with Barack. There must be lots of ideas, questions, unknowns, doubts and the like that we together could get some light shed on or questions answered, anxieties calmed. We are missing out here and since we all want the Barack Obama Administration to succeed, we must have a closer tie to be developed amongst our like mindset.
I hope I'm not coming on too strong, but really want to get beyond wishful thinking or just waiting for the next gathering.
Another observation; we have to get to that website, desktop, laptop or mobile and read those posts. I see posts that are begging for replies but there are NONE.
I'm looking forward to see you guys March 1, Sunday at Casa Bonita! See you there.
Please be informed and take part in this planned presentation at Prescott High School cafeteria between 1-5 PM, Sunday 02/22/09.
Prescott Vision 2050 was created several months ago by the Mayor of Prescott on behalf of all city residents. A steering committee was formed chaired by William E. Arnold, Ph.D. A citizen group has was involved, forming Sub Committees to work on the Vision Project. A final report has been given to the Mayor at the end of 2008.
There were participating contributors to this effort. Amongst were the knowledge base of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Yavapai College.
This presentation is the first of 8 that's planned, entitled: Looking Forward.
Interested residents will hear recommendations that would facilitate our city in many ways toward a future as laid out in this Vision. I've posted on their website, if interested, please read and make your own judgement how I commented the program (http://prescott2050.org/). We'll hear yours on the 22nd!
Let me introduced a vital issue related to Transportation safety.
I'm advocating a massive latest tech electrical mass transit system throughout the country as inter and intra community connecting scheme, moving population, goods and services. Beyond increased safety factor, this means much wider allocation of human minds and labor than the much mentioned "roads, bridges, govt building and schools".
Massive is the word to be used in connection with my proposal. In addition this idea also supports massive electrical grid modernization and distribution, again in massive scale of solar, wind, etc. sources to build and tap. Renewed concept of cities could also be done in a"massive" extent; a no-vehicular traffic concept that is not really new but only few places are available on the planet.
There are so many new ideas around, but it seems to me that all may get buried in bureucracy, Washington politics, etc. Please Mr. President & VP, consider our ideascoming from here, "level #1" With all the respect and concern for our great country.
Thank you
At 5 p.m. on Saturday February 7, I began an experiment in social action. Actually the experiment had begun about a week before when, with trepidation, I pressed the “create event” button on the Organizing for America website. Thus my Economic Recovery House Party was born.
Within moments of sending I regretted it. However, as the sign-ups came in I got down to organizing and on Saturday evening 18 people gathered in my living room in Prescott, Ariz.; two of them were friends of mine, the rest were strangers who quickly became friends. Organizing for America asked that we tell our stories of hardship, perseverance, dedication and joy.
The conversation in my house that night ranged from how the current economic and mortgage crises have affected us to health care and the president’s economic recovery plan. It was infused with both frustration and hope and as the evening sunset lengthened into night we talked.
Erin Owen is a recent transplant from California. She moved to Prescott with her husband and two young children. “There are a lot of issues that are being addressed in this plan that he [President Obama] is trying to push through as quickly as possible and still have it be an effective plan,” says Owen. “The money that we live off comes in by my husband going out and raising private equity. It’s people who have a lot of money. Nobody is investing anything right now. My husband flies around the county and shakes trees and no money is falling out of the trees right now. They are scared to invest money right now because companies are going out of business.”
Paula of Prescott Valley is concerned that financial relief will not come soon enough for many people. “I want a job. I want a real job,” she says. “My point is timing. It’s just not going to happen fast enough for a lot of people. They are relying too heavily on tax cuts. I don’t see anything in there that is immediate relief for a lot of people. I get a small pension from General Motors and I have a part time job; eight years ago I was making close to 6 figures.”
Audrey Ciraulo of Prescott says, “I was in the mortgage business. I couldn’t sit across from someone and give them a loan I knew they couldn’t pay. I’m just a regular person and I can see it. I’m amazed those at the top couldn’t. I’m glad they are taking their time.”
Joanne Olmstead and her husband Duke made the journey to my house from Congress, AZ. “I personally am in a situation where I am not working. I lost my health care,” she says. “I have diabetes. I just recently went to pick up some of my medications and they cost $200. Duke piggybacks Joanne’s story with, “not to mention $4000 in tests.”
“I had Cigna,” Joanne says, “I was pre-approved for tests. I got notified that I was dropped after I had gone in and gotten the tests. Cigna is notorious for dropping people. I contacted the insurance commission. Filled out paperwork and there was nothing I could do.”
Joanne’s situation sparked a discussion about the state and cost of health care in this country. “I am fortunate enough to have VA health care. That is the most efficiently run organization I have ever been to. If I have an appt at 10:00 I am in at 10:01. Anybody that says the government can’t run a health care organization is just repeating the Republican BS,” says Vietnam War veteran Bill King.
William and Marlene Crutchfield came up from Yarnell. Bill is a potter who recently opened a gallery there. “As a small business person, we’re in this dilemma – if we don’t produce now we won’t have anything to sell when it gets better,” he says. “We’re trying to decide how much to invest. I think the way the election went is incredible and it has given me hope to move forward. The rest of the world is looking at him [Obama] like they have never looked at a president before. Maybe it took this eight years to wake us up.”
Cynthia Villarreal, a long-time Prescott resident, echoes Crutchfield’s hope despite hard times, “My husband was an executive chef. He got hurt. He could still be an executive chef but he can’t find a job in that field. We went through everything we had. I’m disabled. He is working full time in security,” she says. “It’s been tough right down to my daughter saying, ‘there’s no milk.’ I have so much hope but it’s been a rough year and a half.”
In my darkened living room with the fire flickering on the wood floor and our faces; after sharing our stories of struggle, fear and hope, we moved on to the question of, “What next?”
Owen suggests we look to the example of our president, looking to, “Barack’s history as a community organizer.” She says, “He’s come up with the idea of these community meetings. He’s come up with this recovery plan. Conventional notions of nuclear family are not what they used to be. Can our safety net be part of these meetings? Can we share our contact information? Can we put the word out, where it’s comfortable, about jobs, etc.?”
We brainstormed; we shared tips about possible job prospects and ideas for health care. We explored the notion of a community garden, barter and the hope for the future of green jobs and a greener and healthier economy. And we agreed to keep in touch, to meet again, to refine our mission and try to join with other groups in the Prescott area to support one another and further President Obama’s goals for economic recovery and the healing of America. Owen says, “He’s the right person. Whatever he says I’m going to do. I just believe. He makes me believe that I can do it too.”
The following is copied from an NBC report
February 12, 1809:
Today it's not only Abraham Lincoln's birthday; it's also Charles Darwin's.
A brand-new Gallup poll tied to Darwin's birthday finds that just 39% of Americans believe in evolution. As expected, Gallup notes, education plays a big role here: 74% of those with post-graduate degrees believe in evolution. That's compared with only 21% of high school grads (or those with less education) who believe in the theory.
Ditto religion: 55% who don't attend church believe in evolution, versus 24% of weekly churchgoers who believe in it.
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The following is my comment;
Their common birthdates is an incredible coincidence, for two such exceptional individuals, who both have had breakthrough impact over the social concepts and the theory of evolution in the natural world.What saddens me is the above poll result which tells me how much lack in science based education exists and that religious dogma has so much influence over rational thinking.
Since September 11, 2001 we have been living in a climate of fear. Not only that but we have used that fear to continue to justify covert and unethical use of force to attain our ends.
We no longer live in a simple world where people separated by oceans don’t know what is happening in the other’s country.
We have instantaneous access to information and images from our neighborhood, our country and all corners of the earth.
The challenges we face as a nation are reflected all over the world. Our economic woes are not confined to our shores. Climate change and its attendant melting ice and rising sea levels threaten all coastal areas of the planet.
Species loss is occurring in unprecedented levels.
As a people we face challenges unimaginable a decade ago.
We have more reason to be afraid for our future and our children’s future than any generation in recorded history.
Yet living in and reacting to this fear in knee jerk and unthinking ways has been ineffective in promoting change.
The election and inauguration of Barack Obama signals a sea change, a paradigm shift, from fear to hope, from denial and secrecy to openness and accountability, from unilateral action to connection and communication.
As he said in his inaugural address, “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”
Humans retain the capacity for great evil. We also possess the capacity for immense compassion and powerful good.
Our great spiritual and political leaders, Jesus, Mohammed, the Buddha, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Roosevelt and Mandela were all people of remarkable insight, compassion and possessed of an unrestrained willingness to make necessary sacrifices.
President Obama goes on to say, “Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.”
We have a choice. We can continue to see anything strange and new as a threat. We can choose nationalism over globalism. We can retreat in terror into the caves of our fearful minds and deny the heroic side of our nature.
Or we can accept the challenge posed by our new president to face an uncertain future with grit and optimism, with realism and a dream.
If this sounds paradoxical, it is. We must accept that we face questions to which there is no clear “right” answer. We must look for effective solutions to the challenges we face as a species rather than the ones we choose out of fear.
In the words of our president, “…we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.”
Hosted by:
DEMOCRATS OF THE RED ROCKS & DEMOCRATS OF THE VERDE VALLEY
YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE INVITED TO WATCH AND RALLY AT THE SECOND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DEBATE, TUESDAY , OCT. 7 2008. START GATHERING AT 5:30 PM at the SEDONA COMMUNITY CENTER TO WATCH THE DEBATE ON A HUGE HD TV.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:MATT CAPALBY FROM THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN WILL BE PRESENT TO GIVE UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON THE ARIZONA AND NATIONAL CAMPAIGN.
The Sedona Community Center is located at 2645 Melody Lane in West Sedona (928) 282-2834
Democrats of the Red RocksNorm Sunstad, Pres.P. O. Box 1165Sedona, AZ 86339-1165Office Phone: 203-5858
1%, or 1 vote out of 100There have been 12 Presidential elections that were decided by less than a 1% margin; meaning if less than 1% of the voters in certain states had changed their mind to the other candidate the outcome of the entire election would have been different. More than half were decided by less than a 2% margin.
In 2004, 57,787 votes would have given us President Kerry.In 2000, 269 votes would have given us President GoreIn 1996, 575,515 votes would have given us President Dole.
From ABC News:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/09/squeakers.html
=========="Squeakers"Ned PotterABC NewsSeptember 29, 2008How close have Presidential elections been? Closer, perhaps, than we ever guessed. Mike Sheppard, a grad student in statistics at Michigan State, has done a mathematical exercise that shows it.He ran a computer program to answer this question: "What is the smallest number of total votes that need to be switched from one candidate to another, and from which states, to affect the outcome of the election?"The answer: in some years, very, very few. Take a look at his analysis HERE. It shows the powerful interaction between the popular vote and the electoral college.[...]==========
Full article here:http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/09/squeakers.html
Detailed analysis here, including colored maps:https://www.msu.edu/~sheppa28/elections.html-Mike Sheppard
This development is a victory for democracy and emancipation from the mentality that nothing good could even come out of the voting process as long as the status quo and systemic maneuvering of the special interest remained influential in the current dispensation.
Americans have the right to be registered and vote on the same day as long as the meet the eligibility requirements. Furthermore considering the fact that many “homeowners’” may not even be guarantee the benefit of knowing what will become of their home tomorrow, there is no question that the action of the U.S. appeals Court in Ohio amount to the most pragmatic and patriotic verdict to ensure fairness and accountability.
In light of the above development, my thinking is that the Republican Party and its cronies should stop treating the current political dispensation as if it were just a win or loose situation. As a matter of fact this is serious business and not just about Obama or McCain but the fundamentalism and idealism that have made the USA the pinnacle of democracy and envy of the world.
I am just tired of the McCain’s campaign accusing Obama without substantiating the facts of their ads and campaign of calumny and maliciousness against him. On the other hand, Obama has continued to meticulously and articulately hammers McCain on issues of national concern and all we get from the McCain’s is a dogmatic and archaic mentality of reciprocating by denigrating and fallaciously accusing Obama of distortions.
How does McCain respond to the fact that he had voted and is indeed in support of the privatization of social security? As Obama rightly pointed out in Florida, let to McCain the Millions of dollars accruing as benefit for those who had earned it may as well be down the drain as a sequel to the near collapse of the financial market.
Read Obama hammers McCain on Social Security by visiting the link below:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/20/campaign.wrap/
In his zeal to present to the people of this country his maverick nature- which in reality may be synonymous to the stubbornness and pigheadedness that we have often seen in the fading Washington that he has been part of for close to three decades, McCain has as a matter of fact catapulted his mediocrity to such an alarming peak in context of his economic articulations and understanding that I believe the country will not be able to find any logical excuses to return the Republican Party back to office again.
I still feel we need to reframe the debate in simpler terms. Everyone is Pro choice--The question is are we Pro-GOVERNMENT choice or Pro-INDIVIDUAL choice?You don't know me and whether or not I would condone an abortion for myself or my mother or my daughter or my sister. But this I can tell you--I am pro-individual choice--because I trust myself and these women and even YOU to make our own decisions more than I will ever trust the government.Do we not trust our own American women enough to allow them this freedom from tyranny?
It amazes me that no one has brought up the failing Infrastructure, with Minneapolis just across the river from St. Paul. Here they are, have a HUGE party in St. Paul and Minneapolis remains hard to get to due to the bridge failure. They DID not invest in America and they will not in the future. They have spent all our tax money on war and making a few people rich and have NOT taken care of America first, as they hold up ther signs saying that is what is needed!! I laugh at these folks. It's like mass denial of what has transpired in the last 8 years.
What have the Repiblicans done for America in the last eight years....Hmmm...Lets see...ran up a trillon dollar debt, had thousands of our arm services killed on a lie, our ports and airways are no safer than they were before 9.11.01, our bridges and roadways are failing, our health care in worse, or schools are worse, our senior citizens have returned to the work force and our environment, the very planet that we reside on, is doomed due to denial.
Not a great track record, is it??
The Democratic National Convention in Denver is historic for many reasons. The highly objective, selfless and compassionate support from the Clinton's and the acceptance of Sen. Joe Biden speech with the many other nitty-gritty of the convention and finally coupled with the nomination of Sen. Obama as the official flag bearer of the party in the presidential election all add up to the kind of sensational and miraculous events that happens once in a life time.
Sen. Clinton has adequately and competently quiet the pundits about the speculation that she was not going to support Obama.
President Bill Clinton proclaimed before mankind, Sen. Obama is ready to lead this great nation as the commander in chief and it is profoundly unique for the former number one citizen to make such a statement. Retrospectively, he has been there and know exactly what it takes to be the kind of leader that Americans are hoping for.
New Mexico yield to Illinois, which yielded to New York and Sen. Clinton has the honor, privilege and capacity to declare that Obama is in fact the presidential nominee and flag bearer of the party!
Outstanding indeed. To God be the glory, for my family and me to witness this historic moment in the annals of the United States of America. How much more can one ask for, other than to just seat back and savor the pleasure of this moment.
God bless USA
God bless Obama & Biden
This page will contain a daily diary of the events at the convention written by your local representative, Angela Lefevre. Please send your questions and comments to convention@democratsoftheredrocks.org and they will be posted on the DORR website for all to read.
Go to: http://www.democratsoftheredrocks.org/redrocks/convention2008.php
Democratic primary voters need to write-in candidates for State Senator District 1 and State Representative District 1. Currently, there are no choices on the ballot (Coconino and Yavapai). This news is urgent especially for those of you who currently hold early (mail-in) ballots.
Here are the Democratic write-in candidates for the state primary race:
Pat Chancerelle--AZ Senate, District 1
Dennis Grittner--AZ House, District 1
Here's a place to go where they can set you up with volunteer tasks that meet your talents.
Visit Democrats of the Red Rocks (DORR) new office space and contribute your time to the state's co-ordinated campaign. Headquarters are located in West Sedona:
LA POSADA OFFICE BUILDING40 SOLDIERS PASS ROAD, SUITE 14Next to Judy’s RestaurantPhone: (928)203-5858
You can also visit the website: http://www.democratsoftheredrocks.org/redrocks/home.php
