BLOG December 8, 2008
Just opened a communiqué from Keri Anne, an acquaintance in Canada, which says that in her part of the world they are reviewing international Social Watch reports published by the United Nations and a pattern is increasing exponentially, they are finding:
“The Government of Canada must ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable citizens don’t lose their right to shelter, food, health and education in order to balance the books,” said Nancy Baroni, Gender Budget Coordinator with the Feminist Alliance for International Affairs.
Consequently, the US citizens aren’t the only people on the planet highly concerned over the global financial situation effecting their daily existence. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The North South Institute, and the Feminist Alliance for International Affairs are reporting similar points of view when they speak to heads of state. “The poorest are the most vulnerable” during such recessionary economic times and this goes even beyond Canadian borders and is a great concern in 59 nations. When the economy drops “shelter, food, health and education” needs which are needed considerably in all nations diminish. Those individuals and programs that were sharing and donating become more protectorate of their own home front hence, the charity slows down and those programs dependent on assistance start scrambling for other means of sustenance or disappear. And though the services may disappear the people in need aren’t. Isn’t it interesting that the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights will occur on December 10th., that international budgets are being cut for social services so do we really have much to celebrate? As we wait on January 20th getting here, which isn’t getting here fast enough for some of us, President elect Barack Obama will undoubtedly come into office with the highest need of mounting human services responsibilities in the world, and we don’t see human social needs decreasing anytime soon.
Todd and Minerva Hoover, Santa Clarita Valley
What would be done with Bill to keep him under control? Will Hillary do as she's told willingly?
What kind of "change" is this? I would personally feel a lot better about this if Obama would explain his thinking here.
Dear Sir:
Do NOT make deprecating remarks either about yourself ("Mutt like me") or others (Nancy Reagan seances). They WILL come back to bite you in the ass.
Like it or not, you have a dignified persona to keep up now, and you must keep it that way. Words, like bullets, like struck bells, cannot be taken back.
I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first. We just made history. And I don't want you to forget how we did it. You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change. I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign. We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next. But I want to be very clear about one thing... All of this happened because of you. Thank you, Barack
Find a polling place near you at Last Call for Change.
To learn more about what Ryan's volunteer effort and how you can get involved too, watch below and then go to Last Call For Change to find a phone bank near your house.
For more posts with pictures see my ObamaBidenUSA blog. Working to backfill that site with archived, perhaps blog-worthy, posts, photos and episodes from the trail (or trial), but there are simply too many current events to comment on to allow for that now.
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This from October 11:
Requested Zeiss Starmaster; unfunded by Congress
If we find an answer to that [why it is that we and the universe exist], it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we would know the mind of God.
There is not now, nor has there ever been, a greater source of imaginative space than the idea of the universe, the heavens, the galaxies, the cosmos, the Biblical “world without end”, our outer space. International efforts to explore space involve unprecedented levels of capital investment, an unselfish exchange of intelligence in anticipation of conditions and goals that, literally beyond us, cannot be defined. Manifestly these explorations affirm that we are one planet, Shakespeare’s “pendent world”, with a unique set of natural laws and a unique place in the universe. Symbolically, without any standard measure of return value, space exploration is an investment in hope, innovation, cooperation and curiosity.
I call on fellow educators, the intellectually curious, the believers in ingenuity, those dwellers in the unknown and purveyors of creativity to protest the suffocation of the American imagination as promoted by John McCain and Sarah Palin. Their dismissive ignorance of poetic and scientific curiosity is an affront to progress and a promise to further erode America’s once unchallenged leadership in technological and creative innovation. In repudiation of McCain’s embarrassing and disdainful rant against the “3 million dollar ‘overhead projector’” for the Adler Planetarium that Barack Obama supported (with a bipartisan group of Congressional representatives from Illinois), we must declare, “Enough! Enough of your embodied support of arrogant stupidity, your fear of research, your vow to manifest a lack of education.”
Just as McCain/Palin have a right to adhere to their own narrative of the creation of the universe, with no further exploration desired, we have a right to expand our knowledge of the natural world and explore uncharted territories both literal and poetic. I dare them, in their myopic world-view, to reject as non-existent what they simply have no ability to imagine. I riot on behalf of those who hold that ability sacred.
Our inner cities with occluded night skies and insular pockets of poverty hold extant venerable institutions built to share the kind of knowledge that metaphorically transports, and we should take pride in upgrading them to standards that dignify the information they present. None are more iconic than Chicago’s Museum Campus, and the Adler Planetarium, the oldest planetarium in the western hemisphere with its 40 year-old projector. Planetariums alone, as convincing simulacra, powerfully showcase the achievements of space exploration and feed the imaginations of curious visitors including millions of school children from whom the next American visionaries will likely emerge.
The planetarium experience is unlike any other, a world view made possible by the insistent commitment of centuries of visionaries, and actualized through the initiative of a few leaders willing to gamble on potential. The return on the gamble is a sure bet - that by acknowledging that all courageous advances are first conceived of in the limitlessness space of the human imagination - future innovators are encouraged to reach for the stars.
HI Friendsand Neighbors,
It’s yourweekly phone bank reminder.
We will becalling swing states SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
Come be an integral part of this historic election.
There areonly 11 days left until the election. The phone calls we are making this weekend are allintended to “get out the vote” in early voting states.
If you are shy, or worried aboutgettting angry people on the line, don’t be. We are calling to give people valuable information ofhow and where to vote this weekend and most of them appreciate it.
The food isgood, the energy is wonderful and it’s worth a couple hours of your time.
If callingisn’t your thing. Bring some food. Bring some theater tickets to raffle to callers, do on-lineresearch to answer the questions that are raised on the phones. There are a lotof way you can help.
Thisweekends opportunites to call are as follows
SECONDSTREET PHONE BANK
Saturday10-6pm, Sunday 11-6pm
1221 2ndStreet, fourth floor, Santa Monica, CA 90401
(parkingin the city structure next door to office)
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/lastcallforchange/gshkjh
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs5bkd
Don’tforget your cell phones and chargers.
There isalways food to eat and something to do.
Thiselection is too important to sit out.
Hope to seeyou ALL there.
Stephen
Last weekend, I traveled with 150 friends to the battleground state of Nevada, joining thousands of Californians in campaigning for Senator Barack Obama. Over the weekend, our group knocked on over 5,000 doors. We spread out across Las Vegas, meeting people in their homes and talking to them about their hopes and concerns. What we heard is that Nevadans, like many of their fellow Americans, are worried. They are yearning for change and strong leadership to put our country back on track. Most were responsive to Senator Obama's economic plan of tax cuts for the middle class and smarter regulation of our financial sector. I know that an Obama administration would bring renewed focus toward reviving our urban centers, and I will be working to bring that message to other voters between now and Election Day. Join us on another Drive for Change for the final Get Out the Vote Weekend.
LIST OF POLLING PLACES can be found by putting in your address at the following URL: http://www.spyfu.com/UrlRedirector.aspx?d=lavote.net
