While thinking of the entire campaign and my involvement in it for 21 months, I felt inspired to write a poem in an attempt to summarize all of my emotions. It was difficult to put 21 months and so many experiences into words but this was what came through my fingers from my brain. I hope you like it and feel free to share it with others.
One Citizen
I am just a citizen.A citizen of my town, Rock Island,Of my state, Illinois,Of my country, America.I am just a citizen.One who admired a senator.A Senator from my state.A Senator at the state level.A Senator at the national level.I am just a citizen.Who listened to a speech,Who read about his history,Who came to volunteer.I am just a citizen.Inspired by a man.Inspired by a message,A message of HOPE,A message of CHANGE.I am just a citizen.I felt it was my duty,My time to give something back,My time to help a man.I am just a citizen. Knocking on strangers’ doors,Calling people in other states,Reaching out to others with my optimism.I am just a citizen.Longing for something new.Something better for my child,Something better for my grandchild,Something better for this world.I am just a citizen.A citizen who believed.A citizen who had faith.A citizen who gave.A citizen who is proud.I am just a citizen.One of millions,One who held a piece of history in her hand.One renewed by our ability to CHANGE.To CHANGE our country, our world,To CHANGE how people act.I am just a citizen.Sitting in the background,Listening, watching, admiring.I am just one.Proud of what you represent.Proud I shook your hand,Proud I gave my time.I am just a citizen.Who thanks you!R. Kelinson01/19/2009 (cr)
Figures it takes an Iraqi to throw the shoes at Bush. Why didn't we think of that earlier! Seriously, I can think of something else we should have thrown at him but it isn't that hard, in fact, it is something my dog drops out in the yard a couple of times a day!
Hillarious video. Guess I am not, have never been a fan of the liar that is still sitting in the White House. Can't wait for the Obama's to occupy the Oval Office!!!!! Now that is a first family we can be proud of everyday!!!
At this time of the year we make a concerted effort to remember our blessings and give thanks. There are so many blessings, so much to be thankful for here in America and also in my personal life. Family, friends, health, and happiness come to mind immediately.
And now we have the blessing of a smart President who will be sworn in on January 20th. I am looking forward to the CHANGE we will experiencing in the days to come. I am thankful for the new first family.
I knew in my heart that we could win this race. ANd then when it was announced, the tears began to flow. I have been a part of history.
We must not stop the commitment to change. We must stay organized. We must continue to make our voices heard. We are a major part of this victory due to the organizing that has occurred on the campaign trail. We must continue.
Congratulations to everyone who has been a part of this movement and especially to Senator Barack Obama, his family, and friends.
YES WE DID!!!
After 21 long months on the campaign trail Barack Obama is set to make history tomorrow as he becomes the next President elect.
I cannot begin to recap the 20 months that I have personally been nvolved in this campaign for the Senator from my state of Illinois. All I can say is that every minute, every hour, every door that I knocked on, every phone call I made, all of the time that I took away from the typical things that I did prior to the campaign. all of the time that I took away from family, it has all been worth it.
I was involved in my neighboring state of Iowa. Can I tell you how very fortunate I have been to be involved in Iowa. First was all of the pre-caucus phone calling, door knocking, and events. The events! How very fortunate I have been to be able to work so many events in Iowa that Barack Obama recognizes me! I had the opportunity to also meet Michelle Obama a couple of times. And let's not forget the JJ event in Des Moines. John Legend opened the night with a few songs before we marched strong into the auditorium. We sat and waited for the speeches to begin for hours and then Barack was last! They definitely saved the best fr last! He took the walls down. His team of field organizers were so on top of things, so organized, from the time we held up a sign to the cheer we were to chant.
History. I have been a part of history that my baby grand daughter will study some day in her history class. She and I will sit togethr and look through my scrapbooks. We will chat of the importance of the election. She will know that her bubbe was so involved in the campaign not only for AMerica, but for her future.
Tomorrow evening I will be blogging my election night thoughts. Right now it is time to get some sleep before the polls open at 6:00 in Illinois and 7:00 in Iowa. I still have phone calls to make! So TTFN....
I felt it today. Did you? It was a gust of wind telling me that CHANGE is in the air. CHANGE is right around the corner. I felt it today. I will feel it tomorrow. Will you?
GOTV!!!!
Thank goodness for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives for cutting to the top and the bottom of this horrible group who wanted to kill 88 black students and behead 14 others before attempting to assinate Barack Obama.
Thank goodness for the intelligence that we have these days!
Please join me in a silent prayer for Barack and his family.
I feel a breeze. Actually I feel a gust. It is a HUGE gust that is sweeping this nation. I hear it rattle the shutters. I hear it shaking the window panes. I smell something fresh and new. I can smell this fresh wave of something new permeating through every crack and crevice of every house, every building. I see something awesome happening. I see millions of people on phones and knocking on doors. I can taste something. Something sweet. Something so new it will send a shock wave through this world.
I feel CHANGE.
I hear CHANGE.
I smell CHANGE.
I see CHANGE.
I taste CHANGE.
It is happening right now. It will be here soon.
Can You Feel it, Hear it, Smell i, See it, Taste it?
Today I voted for the next President of the United States of America!!!! It feels SO good to cast that vote after 20 long, hard, months!!!
The lines were long and I had my eyes peeled for any voter fraud. There was none that I was aware of during the 40 minutes I stood in lines.
12 days left! YES WE CAN and YES WE WILL.............
To Barack, Michelle, and family-
I am praying for you tonight and alwats, but tonight especially because the grandmother who played such an important role in your life is ailing and I know that all of you are hurting right now. You are doing the most honorable thing by postponing events. I know your grandmother is so very proud of you all! Be with her and be safe.
McCain is squirming. Have you seen him trying to look Presidential! He is not. He continues to go off of the question, tries to be negative toward Barack in every chance he gets, or takes, and cannot be honest at all.
McCain is a fool. I think he looks nervous, out of touch, and dishonest. This should bring us even more votes.
He looked at Barack like he had never even heard about Barack's health care plan. Barack looks like he would really like to tell John where to go.
Republican attack, fear, and lies.......
A friend saw this and sent it to me today knowing that I have been trying to reach out to the still undecided voters, which blows my mind that someone can still be undecided after everything that has been taking place.
I thought it was worth sharing with all of you so you to can give people something to think about.
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said 'I do' to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5? What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.You are The Boss... which team would you hire with America facing historic debt, two wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc. Educational Background:OBAMAColumbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum LaudeBIDENUniversity of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.) vs. MCCAINUnited States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899PALINHawaii Pacific University - 1 semesterNorth Idaho College - 2 semesters - general studyUniversity of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalismMatanuska-Susitna College - 1 semesterUniversity of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in JournalismNow, which team are you going to hire ?
Went up to Madison this weekend to knock on some dorrs, hand out fliers, do what I could to find supporters or undecided voters. We started out early and with a bit of a chill in the air near the lake, I decided to wear my white, zip-up sweatshirt which has Barack's quote about HOPE printed on the left side of it in black. The quote for those of you who are not familiar with it says this, "In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about HOPE."
An elderly man made a comment to me about the quote being a fabulous quote. HE obviously couldn't see who the quote was from because he asked me, "Who said that?" When I replied, "Barack Obama", he said , "Oh, who did he steal that quote from? All he does is steal lines from other speeches." I said, "I beg your pardon sir, Barack Obama did not steal this quote. HE spoke those words from his heart and from his love of his country." At which point I said to him, "It is obvious you are not a supporter nor a person who is interested in listening to the truth. Sorry that I interrupted your day and on Nov. 5th remember our chat and my face because I will be the one celebrating the victory of the election of Barack Obama."
I had to go there. I had to and there was no stopping the words flowing my my mouth.
I emailed so many people yesterday about the documentary film, "Who is this Guy?" and I thank everyone who has gone out to Blockbuster to purchase or rent the movie.
My cousin, who lives in Florida and is typically a Republican voter, went right out yesterday to rent the movie, brought it home, watched it, and then emailed me to say that she thought it was absolutely fabulous! In fact, she even admitted to me that she had been trying to learn about all of the candidates prior to the Primaries and she had been impressed with Obama. Her true Republican blood had some doubts, but she went along with an open mind.
She watched everything going on in the news, the polls, and especially in Florida how the candidates were progressing and winner over voters. As voters clearly gave us the two candidates that we now have, she waited patiently for the DNC and RNC so she could finally be won over by one or the other. Although Obama clearly moved her, she liked the idea of Palin on the Republican ticket.
And then....Palin goofs up on interviews, doubt starts coming back into her mind, and finally my email to her. After watching the documentary she made her decision to vote for Barack and not only that to show the film to other friends of hers who are still undecided.
What an impact! I am so thrilled that this documentary film has effected my cousin and who knows how many other undecided people out there.
Thank you!
It is crunch time. Time to make phone calls and knock on doors. Time to get voters to vote early or mail in early voting ballots. Time to make sure that when I wake up on November 5th, whatever time that may be, I wake up knowing I did everything possible to ensure that our country has a Democratic President who can and wil lbring REAL change to America.
Go to your dashboard and sign up to make calls to battleground states. I have no time to find friends, email friends, join groups, or blog. IT IS CRUNCH TIME!!!!!
I had to read this letter over and over again today when it was sent to me from another supporter and friend. WOW! She really puts this into eloquent words to express why Pallin did not deserve the VP and why we as women should not support her just because she has the same anatomy as all other women. Besides the fact that she is republican and we are democrats who are supporters of Barack.
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have.
A Woman's WorthWe've come a long way baby Tuesday, September 09, 2008 By Goldie Taylor I have been a mother all of my adult life. A single working mother. I put off dating, took menial jobs far beneath my qualifications and baked my share of ginger bread cookies for PTA Night, all so that three incredible children could have better. I chose their lives over mine. I don't have to tell you that it wasn't easy. Unfortunately, my story, our story, is notunique.We slept in cars, bought groceries with food stamps and prayed for a better day. When that wasn't enough, I put myself through school at Emory University and took a part-time job as a staff writer at the Atlanta Journal Constitution. That was over a decade ago.Along the way, things got better. I've been an executive at two Fortune 500 companies and a practice director at two multinational public relations firms. Today, I own an advertising agency and I've authored two novels. A third and fourth are on the way, God willing. All of this was possible because somebody laid a brick or two on the road for me.A few weeks ago, I woke in tears. It wasmy 40th birthday and certainly not a time for sadness. Rather, I cried in joy because for the first time I realized and could embrace the value of the struggle. The bright little girl, who once cried in my arms because we didn't know where we were going to live, was headed off to Brown University . The small boy who had been the "man of the house" far too soon was now truly a man. And the tiny, angelic baby who had come to this world precious and innocent just 15 months after him was now a 16 year old girl headed out to her first job interview.For all of this, maybe I should be proud of a woman like Sarah Palin. Maybe, just maybe, I should be rejoicing in John McCain's selected running mate.But I'm not.I'm not "bed wetting liberal" nor am I a "right-wing zealot." What I am is a working mother. And I cry foul.I won't, for a moment, denigrate her experience or lob spit balls at her family. I will, though, take issue with what she knows. Or more succinctly, what she does not know. Living in Alaska , I'm not sure how much she knows about the people living in inner city Baltimore . I don't know how much she cares about the 125 murders this summer in Chicago . I have no idea what she believes about HIV/ AIDS and the havoc it wrecks on Black women or the cancer rates in East St. Louis . She hasn't said nary a word about Hurricane Katrina or the infant mortality rates in Appalachia . I do know that she's a life-time member of the NRA, a proponent of individuals who wielded the very weapons that killed my father and brother. I do know that she “lives really close to Russia ,” but I'm not so certain she is ready for Putin. I know she wanted to ban books for public libraries and sex education in schools, but that her 17 year old is pregnant and preparing for a shotgun wedding. I know that she loves her husband enough to allow him (and probably did herself) use her office to settle a personal score--one that the McCain campaign would now like to cover in under a blanket of Juneau snow. I know that the Alaska Independent Party, and its secessionist platform, was enticing enough for her to attend its conference (and for her husband to become a card carrying member). Does she love her country? I'm sure. Enough to support those who want to leave it.But I have no earthly idea what she knows (or could possibly know) about national domestic policy or foreign diplomacy. For all of her working class values, she never once mentioned the Middle Class in her diatribe that mocked her opponent's experience. Having been the mayor of Wasilla (pop. 6,000 at the time) and governor of Alaska (a state a smaller than the county I live in) for a little over a year, she felt she was qualified to do that. And obviously, so did John McCain. If she's qualified, then so am I.But in this country I love, she has been afforded the ability to run. The very constitution she says doesn't apply to the men at Guantanamo says she can. But this is about more than that.As Gloria Steinem said in a recent Los Angeles Times editorial, "Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie."The good news is thanks to Shirley Chisholm, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Angela Davis, Condoleeza Rice, Anita Hill, Madeline Albright, Maxine Waters, Kathleen Sebelius, Hilary Rodham Clinton and a slew of others, there are 18 million proverbial cracks in the ceiling. Our collective political and economic power is due to the strides (and leaps) they, and others, took on my behalf.I am grateful. I am deeply humbled to stand on the bricks they'd laid before me. But, whatever our struggle was (and is) that last thing I want is to be patronized. Just as I cannot support just any African American who decides to offer themselves up for public service, I will not toss my vote to someone just because we share the same chromosome mix. To do so would dishonor the vow I made to my children, to myself. I did not vote for Al Sharpton, wasn't old enough (nor would I have) voted for Jesse Jackson and I certainly will not support Sarah Palin. Identity politics, especially in this case, are a sham of the worst order.When I cast my vote, it will be for people who will lay more bricks for people like me. It will be for people who will put diplomacy before war, challenge us all to provide healthcare for the sick, help another child go to college, and check the special interests in Washington . This fall, I'm not looking for a woman.I'm looking for a brick layer.I could care less if that person hasn't spent "enough" time in Washington or can "properly field dress a moose". I could care less if that person likes hockey, soccer, football or table tennis. I could care less if they graduated from Harvard or the University of Iowa . I'm a Christian, but I could care less if they are down with Deuteronomy, Leviticus or Numbers. I want them to uphold the Constitution. So no, I will not sit idly by as they attempt to suspend habeas corpus at Guantanamo Bay, engage wiretaps on American citizens without a warrant, and hide behind executive privilege when they are caught firing attorney generals based on how well they tow the Republican line. I won't let them cost us $12 billion a month fighting a war that should have never been authorized and never been waged. Not while working people lose their homes to predatory lenders and watch as we bail out the financial institutions that created the housing crisis. I will not, in the name of history, vote for a woman like Sarah Palin who does not share my values.But here’s what I will do.I will continue raising money for Barack Obama. I will get on the phone again and call people in distant states I've never met. I will e-mail, call, and knock on doors until the final vote is cast. I do this, not because he shares my skin, but because I admire his principals and he shares my values. I do this because Barack Obama is more than a community organizer, he is a bricklayer. And he sees -- just as he sees the light in Michelle's eyes -- my struggle, my worth as a woman.
For all of the people who support Obama but do not support Israel here are soe things that you owe a "thanks" to the people of Israel.
Israel's Accomplishments for the first 6 Months of 2008 IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2008 ISRAEL HAS ACCOMPLISHED THE FOLLOWING: 1. Scientists in Israel, found that the brackish water, drilled from underground desert aquifers, hundreds of feet deep, could be used to raise warm-water fish. The geothermal water, less than one-tenth as saline as sea water, free of pollutants, and a toasty 98 degrees on average, proves an ideal environment. 2. Israel i-developed designer-eyeglasses, promise mobile phone and iPod users, a personalized, high-tech video display. Available to US consumers next year, Lumus-Optical's lightweight and fashionable video eyeglasses, feature a large transparent screen, floating in front of the viewer's face that projects their choice of movie, TV show, or video Game.3. When Stephen Hawkins visited Israel recently, he shared his wisdom with scientists, students, and even the Prime Minister. But the world's most renown victim of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, also learned something, due to the Israel i Association for ALS' advanced work in both embryonic and adult stem cell research, as well as its proven track record with neurodegenerative diseases. The Israel i research community is well on its way, to finding a treatment for this fatal disease, which affects 30,000 Americans. 4. Israel i start-up, Veterix, has developed an innovative new electronic capsule that sits in the stomach of a cow, sheep, or goat, sending out real-time information on the health of the herd, to the farmer via Email or cell phone. The e-capsule, which also sends out alerts if animals are distressed, injured, or lost, is now being tested on a herd of cows, in the hopes that the device will lead to tastier and healthier meat and milk supplies. 5. The millions of Skype users worldwide will soon have access to the newly developed KishKish lie-detector. This free internet service, based on voice stress analysis (a technique, commonly usedin criminal investigations), will be able to measure just how truthful that person on the other end of the line, really is. 6. Beating cardiac tissue has been created in a lab from human embryonic stem cells by researchers at the Rappaport Medical Faculty and the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology's biomedical Engineering faculty. The work of Dr. Shulamit Levenberg and Prof. Lior Gepstein, has also led to the creation of tiny blood vessels within the tissue, making possible its implantation in a human heart. 7. Israel's Magal Security Systems, is a worldwide leader in computerized security systems, with products used in more than 70 countries around the world, protecting anything from national borders, to nuclear facilities, refineries, and airports. The company's latest Product, DreamBox, a state-of-the-art security system that includes Intelligent video, audio and sensor management, is now being used by a major water authority on the US east coast to safeguard the utility's sites. 8. It is common knowledge that dogs have better night vision than humans and a vastly superior sense of smell and hearing. Israel 's Bio-Sense Technologies, recently delved further, and electronically analyzed 350 different barks. Finding that dogs of all breeds and sizes, bark the same alarm when they sense a threat, the firm has designed the dog bark-reader, a sensor that can pick up a dog's alarm bark, and alert the human operators. This is just one of a batch of innovativesecurity systems to emerge from Israel, which Forbes calls 'the go-to country for anti-terrorism technologies.' 9. Israeli company, BioControl Medical, sold its first electrical stimulator to treat urinary incontinence to a US company for $50 Million. Now, it is working on CardioFit, which uses electrical nerve stimulation to treat congestive heart failure. With nearly five million Americans presently affected by heart failure, and more than 400,000 new cases diagnosed yearly, the CardioFit is already generating a great deal of excitement as the first device with the potential to halt thisdeadly disease. 10. One year after Norway's Socialist Left Party launched its boycott Israel campaign, the importing of Israel i goods has increased by 15%, the strongest increase in many years, Statistics Norway reports. ****In contrast to the efforts of tiny Israel to make contributions to the world so as to better mankind, one has to ask what have those who have strived to eliminate Israel from the face of the earth done other than to create hate and bloodshed.
The easiest way to help Senator Obama win this election is to stay at home and make phone calls to another state or print off a wlak packet for your neighborhood and ask supporters to volunteer in a swing state.
The tools for phone calling or walking your hood are on the dashboard and easy as pie. Just click and start. When you finish the first set you can always sign up to do more.
Please pitch in and help this campaign win!!!!
While I made calls tonight I found a few people who had been supporters but were now going to vote Republican. Yes, I got on my soap box and asked why they would want to continue support of an economy that is failing, education system that needs to be redefined, etc. One voter told me the only reason she was voting for McSame was because of Barack's stance on abortion. This always hit my nerve. I cannot stand the fact that religious groups try to push their religious rights onto my freedom of choice. Yes, I did have ne of these calls tonight as well. The woman I spoke with said she knew it was sad that she was voting on one issue and not a platform. I told her that making abortion illegal is not going to stop them from happening. Okay, I'll stop.
But the tools on the dashboard are easy and a great way to participate without having to leave your couch!
