Dear Mrs. Dunham,
I learned of your passing just a short time ago. I am saddened that you won’t be with us to witness the fruits of your labor. Tomorrow, with the grace of God, your grandson will become this nation’s first African American President. And you had a lot to do with that. Barack calls you the cornerstone of the family and credits you with teaching him the virtues of hard work. He says that you poured everything you had into him to make him the man he has become.
Your grandson has inspired me, and millions of others, to get involved. Never before have I been so moved to knock on doors and call total strangers in order to share a message of hope and tolerance and change. I am a different person because of Barack, and I want to thank you for that. I had the distinct pleasure to briefly meet your grandson the Saturday before Super Tuesday. He was gracious enough to take a picture with my family and me – something that we will cherish forever.
You have a lot to be proud of in Barack as well as in yourself. Some people are just raised right, as evidenced by how Barack has run his campaign. Regardless of how many half-truths, lies and personal attacks Barack has had to endure, he never responded in anger or disrespect. He has run a very dignified campaign, and we are all proud of him for that.
As proud as you must have been of Barack, he was just as proud of you. He has recounted often how you sacrificed for him and despite not having a college degree rose from a secretarial job to become one of Hawaii’s first female bank vice presidents. I see he was not the first trailblazer in the family.
Thank you once again for all that you have done to shape Barack Obama. He is truly who we need at this moment in our history. Even though you have gone on to a better place, I’m sure your spirit will remain with Barack to draw your strength and love from in good times and in bad. Rest peacefully Toot, and remember tomorrow is your day to shine as much as it is his.
So far I've raised $1,500 for the Obama campaign via my "South Side for Obama" personal fundraising page, which includes all of the proceeds raised from the sales of more than 200 SS4O T-shirts. Thanks to everyone that bought one, and if you'd still like to donate, please click here!
Cheers,kopper
There's still time to win Missouri's Editorial Pages: Please use this list at usnpl.com; OpEdNews Compendium of Major Endorsements Thus Far
taken from this "LIVE URL": http://www.usnpl.com/monews.php
Newspapers Click ( A ) for Newspaper address Click ( C ) for County summary Ashland Boone County Journal (A) (C) Bethany Republican-Clipper (A) (C) Bolivar Bolivar Herald-Free Press (A) (C) Boonville Daily News (A) (C) Bowling Green Bowling Green Times (A) (C) Branson Branson Courier (A) (C) Branson The Branson News (A) (C) Brookfield Linn County Leader (A) (C) Buffalo Buffalo Reflex (A) (C) California California Democrat (A) (C) Camdenton Lake Sun Leader (A) (C) Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian (A) (C) Carthage The Carthage Press (A) (C) Caruthersville Democrat Argus (A) (C) Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune (A) (C) Columbia Columbia Daily Tribune (A) (C) Columbia Columbia Missourian (A) (C) Cuba Cuba Free Press (A) (C) Dexter The Daily Statesman (A) (C) El Dorado Springs El Dorado Springs Sun (A) (C) Eldon Eldon Advertiser (A) (C) Eldon Vernon Publishing Newspapers (A) (C) Ellisville WestNews Magazine (A) (C) Elsberry Elsberry Democrat (A) (C) Eminence Shannon County Current Wave (A) (C) Fulton Fulton Sun (A) (C) Gainesville Ozark County Times (A) (C) Gallatin Gallatin North Missourian (A) (C) Gladstone Dispatch Tribune (A) (C) Hamilton Caldwell County News (A) (C) Hannibal Hannibal Courier-Post (A) (C) Harrisonville Democrat-Missourian (A) (C) Hermann Hermann Advertiser Courier (A) (C) Houston Houston Herald (A) (C) Independence The Examiner (A) (C) Jackson Cash-Book Journal (A) (C) Jamesport Tri-County Weekly (A) (C) Jefferson City Jefferson City News Tribune (A) (C) Joplin Joplin Business Journal (A) (C) Joplin Joplin Globe (A) (C) Joplin Joplin Independent (A) (C) Kansas City Business Journal (A) (C) Kansas City Kansas City Star (A) (C) Kansas City PitchWeekly (A) (C) Kennett Daily Dunklin Democrat (A) (C) Kirksville Daily Express (A) (C) Lamar Lamar Democrat (A) (C) Laurie Highway Five Beacon (A) (C) Lebanon Lebanon Daily Record (A) (C) Lees Summit Lee's Summit Journal (A) (C) Louisiana Louisiana Press Journal (A) (C) Macon Chronicle-Herald (A) (C) Marshall The Marshall Democrat-News (A) (C) Marshfield Marshfield Mail (A) (C) Maryville Nodaway News Leader (A) (C) Memphis Memphis Democrat (A) (C) Mexico The Mexico Ledger (A) (C) Moberly Monitor-Index/Evening Democrat (A) (C) Monett The Monett Times (A) (C) Monroe City The Lake Gazette (A) (C) Mound City Mound City News (A) (C) Neosho Neosho Daily News (A) (C) Nevada Nevada Daily Mail (A) (C) New Haven New Haven Leader (A) (C) Nixa Nixa News-Enterprise (A) (C) Ozark Christian County Headliner (A) (C) Paris The Monroe County Appeal (A) (C) Park Hills The Daily Journal (A) (C) Perryville Republic-Monitor (A) (C) Piedmont Wayne County Journal-Banner (A) (C) Pineville McDonald County Press (A) (C) Platte City Platte County Citizen (A) (C) Platte City The Landmark Newspaper (A) (C) Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic (A) (C) Richland Richland Mirror (A) (C) Richmond Richmond Daily News (A) (C) Rock Port Atchison County Mail (A) (C) Rolla Rolla Daily News (A) (C) Saint Joseph St. Joseph News-Press (A) (C) Saint Louis Chinese American News (A) (C) Saint Louis St. Louis American Newspaper (A) (C) Saint Louis St. Louis Business Journal (A) (C) Saint Louis St. Louis Post-Dispatch (A) (C) Saint Louis The Riverfront Times (A) (C) Saint Louis The Suburban Journals (A) (C) Saint Louis The Vital VOICE (A) (C) Saint Robert Pulaski County Democrat (A) (C) Sainte Genevieve The Herald (A) (C) Sedalia Sedalia Democrat (A) (C) Sedalia Sedalia News-Journal (A) (C) Sikeston Standard Democrat (A) (C) Springfield Community Free Press (A) (C) Springfield News-Leader (A) (C) Springfield Springfield Business Journal (A) (C) Steelville Star - Mirror (A) (C) Stover Morgan County Press (A) (C) Sullivan Sullivan News (A) (C) Sullivan The Sullivan Journal (A) (C) Tipton Tipton Times (A) (C) Troy Lincoln County Journal (A) (C) Tuscumbia Miller County Autogram-Sentinel (A) (C) Vandalia Vandalia Leader (A) (C) Versailles Versailles Leader-Statesman (A) (C) Warrensburg digitalBURG.com (A) (C) Washington Washington Missourian (A) (C) Washington WashMo.com (A) (C) Waynesville The Daily Guide (A) (C) Webster Groves Times Newspapers (A) (C) West Plains Daily Quill (A) (C) College Newspapers Drury University The Drury Mirror Missouri Southern St. Univ The Chart Missouri St. Univ The Standard Missouri Western Griffon News Missouri-Rolla Miner Northwest Missouri NW Missourian Daily Southwest Baptist Omnibus Online St. Louis Univ University News SW Missouri State Southwest Standard Truman State New Media Index Univ of Missouri The Current Univ of Missouri The Greek Chronicle Univ of Missouri The Maneater Univ of Missouri University News Washington Univ Student Life Online Webster Univ The Webster Journal
Editorial Page Victories clarify: Obama will win 2-1 in Electoral College! 4 part compendium---Endorsements at OpEdNews: Washington Post, Houston, Detroit, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Salt Lake, Philadelphia, Portland, Bangor, Sacramento, Kansas City (4 former Red States)
OpEdNews has been the site of choice to post the growing list of major and minor newspaper endorsements for Obama. The Editorials are quoted generally in full, with interspliced commentaries from major editors and commentators, explaining what is behind the Editorials.
Part I Obama's Editorial Endorsements: including Washington Post, Fidel Castro, Richard Lugar, Chuck Hagel, & more!
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-s-Endorsements-The-by-Stephen-Fox-081016-633.html
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Part II Editorial Page Endorsements of Obama Denver Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francsico Chronicle, Los Angeles Times
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Editorial-Page-Endorsement-by-Stephen-Fox-081017-544.html
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Part III New Endorsements: Salt Lake City Tribune, Bangor and Brunswick, Maine, Philadelphia, Miami, Portland, Kansas City
http://www.opednews.com/articles/EndorspLements-Salt-Lake-Ci-by-Stephen-Fox-081018-476.html
More Obama Endorsements IV: Sacramento, Katie Couric, Malaysia, Houston Chronicle, Detroit, Waco Tx (sort of)
http://www.opednews.com/articles/More-Obama-Endorsements-IV-by-Stephen-Fox-081019-492.html
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO COMMENT AND SHARE YOUR INSIGHTS, which become a vital part of a larger on-going dialogue.
Thank you,
Stephen FoxFounder, New Millennium Fine ArtContributing Editor New Millennium Fine ArtSanta Fe, NM
The news is getting ugly -- not only because of the precipitous drops on Wall Street, but also because of the barrage of smears and attempts to discredit Barack that are coming from right-wing extremists. I believe these attacks are rooted in fear, and the anger that is erupting at recent Palin and McCain rallies is another symptom of this fear. Americans are losing jobs; Americans are losing health care; Americans are losing their retirement savings... and we're worried about what might come next.
In this context, Barack Obama made another important speech today -- and his words stand in stark contrast to those you see coming from other quarters. I wanted to call your attention to his words, because when we're standing on our neighbors' doorsteps over the next 25 days, we need to anchor our efforts and our responses in Barack's example. We have an AMAZING candidate here -- someone with the extraordinary character, intelligence and talents needed to steer us toward extraordinary solutions to the crises we face.
I encourage you to read this speech as you prepare for the next 3.5 weeks. They will be difficult weeks, but we stand at the threshold of a new era, and it's up to us to make this historic opportunity a reality. Our future, and the future of our kids and grandkids, is in our hands -- let's stay positive and speak from our hearts. If we do that, we're gonna change the world.
Read the speech here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gGgK27
"Now is not the time for fear. Now is not the time for panic. Now is the time for resolve and steady leadership. We can meet this moment. We can come together to restore confidence in the American economy. We can renew that fundamental belief – that in America, our destiny is not written for us, but by us. That’s who we are, and that’s the country we need to be right now. " -- Barack Obama, 10/10/08
I am admittedly a latecomer to activism. Prior to this election, the time I call BB (Before Barack), my notion of participation was to write a check. Now, AB (After Barack) I find myself at rallies and calling total strangers at Obama phone banks. However, today (Saturday) I did something that I had not done before, which was to canvass a neighborhood with the hopes of registering voters. This is not novel nor am I trying to imply that I did anything special -- hundreds of thousands of supporters have been doing this for many, many months and I personally thank them all.
What I'd like to share with you, in this post, though is my experience. I went to the designated location, received training, got matched up with a small group and marched out to do my best. A lot of people weren't home (or they didn't answer their doors), but all of the people that we approached and spoke with were nice, polite and appreciative. Many people smiled and waved from their passing cars and one conscientious young man pulled over, got out of his car and asked us to register him. Plus I made a couple of new friends. It was just a few hours, but extremely rewarding and I never felt more connected to the campaign than today.
I bring this all up simply to remind folks that there is only one month left before election day. The poll numbers look good now, but in politics a lot can happen in four weeks (and the time will fly by). Even though voter registration will end soon, there is still a need to continue these outreach efforts to talk about issues and ensure that people actually vote. And from a selfish perspective, for those (like myself) who may not have extended themselves before today there is still time to actively participate and personally connect with the campaign. I must have caught the bug because I printed out a Neighbor-to-Neighbor list that I'm going to work tomorrow. Yes We Can!
As we get ready for the VP Debate here in St. Louis, I don't know whether to prepare myself to watch a scene from the movie Gladiator or Nell. Not only is Sarah Palin clearly not qualified to be VP, she is not qualified to be in the situation she now finds herself in. While I am not a sadist and will find the spectacle agonizing to watch (hence, my Nell reference), I will also take some pleasure in watching Joe Biden (aka Maximus) dismantle her (respectfully) in the debate.
The reason is because many people are still not convinced of how bad a choice she was, and they need to be made painfully aware of this. In my opinion, McCain's VP pick illustrates his lack of judgment (specifically, as it relates to his recklessness) and his abundant disregard for the majority of the American people. Country First? Yeah, right!
For related commentary please read my blog post entitled, "We're not Gullible Anymore" dated Sep 28th at The Wright Sight (Blogger). The link is: http://thewrightsight.blogspot.com/
Thanks
John McCain has lost credibility and has not run an honorable campaign. He has presented voters with nothing more than one gimmick or stunt after another (e.g., the gas tax holiday, the tire gauges, telling Congress to return from vacation to vote on offshore oil drilling, Sarah Palin and most recently the suspension of his campaign to go lead the charge on the bailout). And when he's not pulling a stunt, he's talking out of both sides of his mouth -- an ardent deregulator, now he says corporate oversight is what's needed and he knows how to get it done. And then, there are the lies; even Karl Rove said that McCain has gone too far -- beyond the 100% truth test.
We all support the Obama-Biden ticket, but if you're as disgusted with McCain's tactics (reported as one of the sleaziest and most dishonest presidential campaigns in modern history) as I am please read my blog post entitled, "Mad As Hell" dated Sep 27th at The Wright Sight (Blogger). The link is: http://thewrightsight.blogspot.com/
New "South Side for Obama" T-shirts will be available soon! Pre-orders yours today... Copy/paste this URL into your browser:
http://www.myspace.com/southside4obama
Just $12 plus $5 S/H. Sizes available: S, M, L, and XL. Visit the Myspace page above (add us while you're there!) and use the convenient PayPal button. You don't have to live in South St. Louis to wear one, but it wouldn't hurt! Thanks, and please spread the word...
from Julie 2008POLITICS@cableone.net
Please vote on this petition – I need 1,000,000 signatures by 10/1/2008.
Please, make this viral. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/fair-2008-election
5:26 pm PDT, Sep 8,
Bobbi Miller-moro, California I am so glad there is this opportunity to be able to voice our opinions here on this blog. I am a 35 year old mother of five, a filmmaker, live in California, and have been a Republican helping four presidents get into office. My ancestor is the great Richard Stockton from Princeton, one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. I come from a long line of devoted and proud Republicans. I began the Bush administration hopeful, proud, and stood by Bush's side through thick and thin, until I started to see American unravel around me. Financial devastation has hit home, not only to our family, but to every family I know. This of coarse, is just one of the many, many situations that have happened in the Bush administration across the board, including the war on oil. I have been listening to Obama closely, and watching him and Michelle very intently. This Democratic Convention has captured me at the very soul of who I am. From Jessie Jackson Jr, to Obama's sister, to Teddy Kennedy and the rest...I have been close to tears this whole time. I have NPR news, I have CSPAN, I have two other Am & FM stations I am toggling between.
The more the Republicans are talking, the more disgusted I am becoming.
They know they are in trouble. They klnow the end is near, in their voice you can hear defeat. They are trying everything from that lame first McCain commercial at the first break-to their try at exposing Biden's comment that Obama 'Wasn't ready for the Presidency' at the primary. They are reaching, and grasping. What happened is that we are fed up. The working middle class, the lower middle class, the hard working business owners are fed up.
We not only want change, but we want unity. We want to come together and be heard. The way Barack has approached this election campaign is unprecedented. He is at the heart beat of this country. He gets where our future is going, he gets the younger generation. Listening to McCain, and I hear the same ol redirect, the same ol games. Nothing new. I could NOT EVEN DREAM of another four years with this administration. This is my country. I have five children that I am raising to be leaders with my son being the most highly decorated Lieutenant in the California Cadet Corp at 16 years old. He just came back from Washington DC at the Lead America. He has plans to attend next year.
My other kids are smart and strong, and as I lead them into their adulthood with the help of my family and friends I want to show them what being American is all about. If in some unseen way, Obama does not win the presidency-he has already won. He and Michelle has won our hearts, he has given us hope, and has enlivened our spirits for the future. We will never be the same because Barack Obama. WE NEED FRESH. WE NEED CHANGE. WE NEED NEW. WE NEED TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK. And this is why I am no longer voting Republican after 100 years. I am voting for democracy. Bobbi Miller-Moro www.MoroFilms.com
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I do not appreciate the way the Republicans are handling the election. 11:41 pm PDT, Sep 8, Colleen Clark, California I was a Republican until this year when I could no long play dumb to what happened to the party, or fool myself into believing George Bush was a mistake made by well meaning people. It wasn't a mistake. The same people now support Palin. There's no way we as a nation can afford that. Our world image is shot, our economy in ruins, yet......the only thing that matters to the party at this point....is RoeVWade and dismantling the public school system. An illegal war continues, McCain believes we can win. There's no such thing as global warming, polluted air, or any environmental issues. I;m certain McCane means to do all that off shore drilling off the coast of South Carolina.....and not California, Oregon or Washington. Palin is a bad joke. It's down right scary to think of that woman as President of her daughters PTA.....and the damage she could do there....to think she could become President of the United States if McCain died......is unimaginable. She's embarrassing, to say the very least.
And, anyone who would compare her to Hillary Clinton....has been living under a rock for the past 30 years...and likes it there. Colleen Clark age 65 Rancho Bernardo, CA
No, I absolutely do not like the way the Republicans operate, think or feel.
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6:15 am PDT, Sep 9, Elizabeth Bailey, Texas
Dear Republican Party, As a life long Republican, and a middle aged white woman, with a career and children I am appauled by the choice of Palin.
I'm more appauled by the mean spirited attitude of both she and McCain. I've reserached claims by both candidates and find most of what they are claiming to be untrue. I'm even more appauled by the sudden love affair the media is having with Palin - I thought the media was to be biased?? apaprently not. So, I will now vote for Obama and Bidden. At this point I can't imagine ever voting for the GOP again! Julie 2008POLITICS@cableone.net LET'S GET IT DONE!
The Obama campaign just posted a story about our 15th Ward team on the home page. In case you missed the headline, here's the full story:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/mollyclaflinblog/gG5rL9
Not in the 15th ward? Don't fret! Similar efforts are happening all around the city. Click on "events" and type in your zip code to find out what's happening in YOUR neighborhood. (And if you're in the Tower Grove South area, please come join us at Hartford Coffee Company one day soon!)
-- Jen G.
Yesterday's rally was great (though way too hot). Everyone was so energized, and Joe Biden did a great job with his first speech as a member of the Obama team. Check out some of my pics from the rally here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7295954@N03/
www.crooksandliars.com/2008/08/07/daily-show-off-shore-drilling-has-already-saved-us/
Hey everyone,
I'm the new campaign Field Organizer for Wards 12, 13, 14, 16, 23 and 24 in St. Louis City. Please contact me to get involved in the campaign!!
Linden
LWeiswerda@mocampaignforchange.org
