Bremerton for Health Care Reform:
Time to talk to neighbors, 1-to-1 again! Gather the troops and meet us Saturday, August 22nd at 10 a.m. to canvas the area around Evergreen Park. We will have a script, homemade clipboards, and a list of Independent voters. We’ll start with a quick training/review, and walk the neighborhood in pairs, to gather from 50-100 signed declarations from voters in favor of health care reform with a strong public option.
RSVP here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpfcdf
Remember, we are the change we’ve been waiting for. The anti-health reform lobby is going strong, even though it is still a minority. It’s time we help demonstrate what most voters really want: reform, now, with a strong public option! Bring comfortable shoes, bottled water, a smile and a friend!
Is it just me, or are all of you members of my Obama family going through this crazy loop-de-loop, roller coaster of fear and excitement every day?
I spend half my day feeling exuberant and hopeful and excited and then the other half feeling terrified and sure the Republicans are going to pull off some big election voodoo like they did in 2000 and 2004.
I can tell you that in 2004, the day after the elction, I awoke to the image on television of John Kerry standing on the steps of Faneul Hall, giving his concession speech, and I felt like the world as I knew it, had disappeared.
For months (nay, years) after that election I felt that I was a foreigner, living in a foreign land, with a culture and society that had nothing to do with me--a culture I did not and could not understand--a culture whose values and ideals were so far removed from mine that we could neve see eye-to-eye.
Because, I thought, if there are that many people in this nation who cannot see what a terrible "leader" GWB is, then I do not share the very basic and necessary ideology of what it is to be an "american". I couldn't try to see the "gray area" of that election, for there was none.
This year, this election, the choice is even more clear. And the risk is even more grave.
I can't imagine a worse scenario if these evil clowns could somehow pull this off again.
Please, somebody, talk me down. I feel like I must be underestimating the American people's tolerance for BS and lies and division and distortion, but, after 2004....I just can't seem to warm up to that idea.
When I sit down and seriously conider what kind of change is possible under President Obama, I get kind of shaky and weepy. I feel myself floating into a hazy, dream-like state; a state of hope and excitement; of fearlessness and optimism.
Tonight I watched "When We Were Kings", a documentary on the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" boxing match between Goerge Foremen and Muhammed Ali in October of 1974 in Zaire. For those of you who haven't seen it; rent it, borrow it, or buy it: it's spectacular.
The movie highlighted a message that I've been trying to broadcast to everyone I talk to about this election.
This election is not just about the obvious choice between two candidates, or the astronomically poor choices of John McCain, or of the massive problems facing the US today. There is a larger issue that I feel so excited about, I can barely contain myself.
Some people think that Obama's race is a question mark, as if being black somehow makes him less qualified, less acceptable, or less "real". In my eyes, I see his race as an enormous plus; a bonus. And here's why...
I have heard stories fom a number of different sources about how, for the first time in our nation's history, the vast minority population will be able to have a leader who understands who they are and where they've been and the unique (and supremely unjust) struggles that minorities face in this country. This, in and of itself, is one of the most beautiful and poetic things that could happen to us as a nation.
But, more than that (as if that weren't enough), I truly believe (and try to just go with me on this journey) that we are at the precipice of ending our issue with race in the US.
I'm not kidding; and I'm not crazy. We all know someone who has been racist, homophobic, or discriminatory in some way, who has had the very foundations of their beliefs turned 180 degrees by the mere fact of working with, getting to know personally, or otherwise personally relating to the object of their discrimination. This happens everyday on main streets across this country; on factory floors and in offices; in schools and churches and hospitals and communities.
Racism, like any other form of discrimination, cannot stand up to any kind of scrutiny. We all know that. But, when we are presented with an opportunity to hear the stories and share the experiences with people who are different, we realize, on a very personal level, how connected and similar we all are.
This election is the nation's first opportunity to share this experience on a national level in a way that no other President has been able to do with mere "dialogue".
I not only believe that Obama is the best candidate for President right now -or at any time on our history- regardless of race, I welcome the opportunity this country has to grow up and out of it's long history of racism and to embrace the genius and leadership that can only come from equal representation.
For the first time, we are facing the possibility of a leader who can represent the best America has to offer, in a package that makes that representation meaningful to everyone.
So, let's roll up our sleeves a little further, dig deep in our pockets, and do whatever we can to make this dream (and it is a dream come true) a reality.
We've got about 15 days left until we can wake up to a brighter, more just and rational world...
Im so excited!
I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....
* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.
* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.
* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
* If you want to teach children about sexual predators, you are irresponsible and eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.
* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that hates America and advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
OK, much clearer now.
I've always found it curious how many Americans are so disinterested in, or indifferent to, our political process. We have this somewhat unique opportunity to be as involved as we want to be and to guide our nation's path...for many, that "opportunity" is boring, dubious, or overwhelming; for others, it is a pleasure and a right that we hold sacred; a responsibility we see as fundamental.
Writing letters, sending emails, or making phone calls to members of congress is a great example of the kind of power that we, indiviual Americans, have. In my own life, I have seen policy changes based on nothing more than protests, civil disobedience, and simple activism in the form of a letter-writing campaign. It is awe-inspiring when you witness hundreds or even thousands of people joing together with a common voice, sharing their concerns in a public way, demanding justice, peace, or action from our nation's leaders. It is especially incredible to realize that within these groups of hundreds or thousands of individuals are many differing opinions and lifestyles; ideologies and faiths; races and ages and genders; and yet, for that one moment-- on that one subject, they can find a common ground on which to meet to make change.
It is even more incredible when you recognize that that group of 300 or 3000 is such a small percentage of our nation's vast population, and yet they can still effect change; they can still make thir voices heard.
That's why I find it so curious when so many people feel that "it doesn't matter" whether they vote, or that their vote "doesn't mean anything". This is, in part, because of the past eight year's insular and devious administration, but it's also because the American people long ago gave up their responsibility to make this nation "by the people" and instead, handed that responsibility, and it's power, over to Washington.
I was thinking about Obama's morning nes blog and this agreement he's made to close the remianing "Enron" loopholes and how few Americans even know what that truly means; myself included.
So many people have complained that Obama doesn't speak specifically enough on the issues, but when he does, there are vast numbers of people saying (to themselves), "I don't really understand this, so I'll just gloss over it and look for some juicier news". We cry out, "We don't want to hear speeches, we want to know exactly what your plans are!" and then our lo attnetion spans begin to make our eyes glaze over while we wait for the next video or song to ease our sufferng.
On political bloggin sites, if you look at the number of comments on "real news" stories versus those on "gssip"-type stories, the difference is both huge and disturbing. In the time it takes those gossip stories to garner hundreds of comments and reads, the real news gets 10 or 0 and can barely keep the AMerican interest.
We need to be more involved not just in our politics but in the common threads that bond us all together, here in America and around the world.
It isn't enough to know every time McCain says something stupid or without flair; e must also care about what happens in our own Midwest and around the globe and have the same passion for all people, everywhere because we all share the same humanity, the same dreams, the same needs.
Caring and being involved isn't somethng to be proud of; it is our responsibility as members of the "greatest nation". We can't keep calling ourselves something like that, and using the American brand as a defining tool when over half of our population can't be bothered to spend 1/2 an hour, once every years, voting; and over 80% of our population can't do it once every two years.
As AMericans, we should be willing to spend AT LEAST as much time being involved in our politics as we are in shopping for clothes, watching sitcoms, or surfing the web.
If not, the change we seek will only be a slogan. Obama can't do this by himself, and helping him win the elction in November will be only the beginning of our job, as Americans.
This FISA bill vote sure has a lot of people crying, "I'm outta here!"
I'm confused and disappointed at the fairweather support for our candidate. I understand the importance of holding these telecomms accountable fo thier illegal activities. If we lived in a country where our leaders ere held accountable, we wouldn't need Obama s much as we do today.
But, alas, we are in a conundrum, aren't we? We need Obama to be elected in November becasue of the nasty, vile, divisive and distractive campaiangs and agendas of the Republican, and yet, becasue of those same things, we need him to support a compromise bill on FISA. If h didn't, the Republican smear and spin machine would have all the fodder necessary to label hm "weak on terrorists" and we have learned, the hard way, that they don't need anymore than that to win electons.
It's precisely this kind of scilla and charibdis we an expect more of in the future with a country so deeply divided. we better get used to the idea of compromise; not just because there will be a lot more of it, but also because we live in a country with a wide variety of belief systems and none of ours is more importan than anyone else's. We need to brig something to the table to negotiat with, and sometimes that means compromising some of our values for the greater god.
I'm no constitutional law scholar and I don't pretend to have all the answers; but I do know that we need to have passage of a FISA bill so that the illegal and unwarranted wiretapping of innocent Americans will end. If this means compromising on our abilit to pursue civil litigation against these corporations, I am willing to make that tade-off; especially if if means the differece between another BS election or Obama getting into the white house.
We must choose our battles and stop pretending that Obama is the answer to all of our society's ills. He is not. He will do his best fo us, all of us, and we must trust in that and then become active participants in this democracy. We are responsible for holding our lected officials accountable...
Will the Clintons do that same:
http://www.slate.com/id/2187402/?GT1=38001
Often overlooked is this section of barackobama.com that provides convenient rebuttals to the vicious attacks being circulated against our candidate:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/factcheckactioncenter/
http://www.outfoxed.org/
The Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, released the following statement on March 17 on the rhetoric of preaching, in light of recent news coverage of Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., and Chicago's Trinity UCC.
What Kind of Prophet?Reflections on the Rhetoric of Preachingin Light of Recent News Coverage of Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.and Trinity United Church of Christ
The Rev. John H. ThomasGeneral Minister and PresidentUnited Church of Christ
Over the weekend members of our church and others have been subjected to the relentless airing of two or three brief video clips of sermons by the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ for thirty-six years and, for over half of those years, pastor of Senator Barack Obama and his family. These video clips, and news stories about them, have been served up with frenzied and heated commentary by media personalities expressing shock that such language and sentiments could be uttered from the pulpit.
One is tempted to ask whether these commentators ever listen to the overcharged rhetoric of their own opinion shows. Even more to the point is to wonder whether they have a working knowledge of the history of preaching in the United States from the unrelentingly grim language of New England election day sermons to the fiery rhetoric of the Black church prophetic tradition. Maybe they prefer the false prophets with their happy homilies in Jeremiah who say to the people: "You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you true peace in this place." To which God responds, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. . . . By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed," (Jeremiah 14.14-15). The Biblical Jeremiah was coarse and provocative. Faithfulness, not respectability was the order of the day then. And now?
What's really going on here? First, it may state the obvious to point out that these television and radio shows have very little interest in Trinity Church or Jeremiah Wright. Those who sifted through hours of sermons searching for a few lurid phrases and those who have aired them repeatedly have only one intention. It is to wound a presidential candidate. In the process a congregation that does exceptional ministry and a pastor who has given his life to shape those ministries is caricatured and demonized. You don't have to be an Obama supporter to be alarmed at this. Will Clinton's United Methodist Church be next? Or McCain's Episcopal Church? Wouldn't we have been just as alarmed had it been Huckabee's Southern Baptist Church, or Romney's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?
Many of us would prefer to avoid the stark and startling language Pastor Wright used in these clips. But what was his real crime? He is condemned for using a mild "obscenity" in reference to the United States. This week we mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, a war conceived in deception and prosecuted in foolish arrogance. Nearly four thousand cherished Americans have been killed, countless more wounded, and tens of thousands of Iraqis slaughtered. Where is the real obscenity here? True patriotism requires a degree of self-criticism, even self-judgment that may not always be easy or genteel. Pastor Wright's judgment may be starker and more sweeping than many of us are prepared to accept. But is the soul of our nation served any better by the polite prayers and gentle admonitions that have gone without a real hearing for these five years while the dying and destruction continues?
We might like to think that racism is a thing of the past, that Martin Luther King's harmonious multi-racial vision, articulated in his speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 and then struck down by an assassin's bullet in Memphis in 1968, has somehow been resurrected and now reigns throughout the land. Significant progress has been made. A black man is a legitimate candidate for President of the United States. A black woman serves as Secretary of State. The accomplishments are profound. But on the gritty streets of Chicago's south side where Trinity has planted itself, race continues to play favorites in failing urban school systems, unresponsive health care systems, crumbling infrastructure, and meager economic development. Are we to pretend all is well because much is, in fact, better than it used to be? Is it racist to name the racial divides that continue to afflict our nation, and to do so loudly? How ironic that a pastor and congregation which, for forty-five years, has cast its lot with a predominantly white denomination, participating fully in its wider church life and contributing generously to it, would be accused of racial exclusion and a failure to reach for racial reconciliation.
The gospel narrative of Palm Sunday's entrance into Jerusalem concludes with the overturning of the money changers' tables in the Temple courtyard. Here wealth and power and greed were challenged for the way the poor were oppressed to the point of exclusion from a share in the religious practices of the Temple. Today we watch as the gap between the obscenely wealthy and the obscenely poor widens. More and more of our neighbors are relegated to minimal health care or to no health care at all. Foreclosures destroy families while unscrupulous lenders seek bailouts from regulators who turned a blind eye to the impending crisis. Should the preacher today respond to this with only a whisper and a sigh?
Is Pastor Wright to be ridiculed and condemned for refusing to play the court prophet, blessing land and sovereign while pledging allegiance to our preoccupation with wealth and our fascination with weapons? In the United Church of Christ we honor diversity. For nearly four centuries we have respected dissent and have struggled to maintain the freedom of the pulpit. Not every pastor in the United Church of Christ will want to share Pastor Wright's rhetoric or his politics. Not every member will rise to shout "Amen!" But I trust we will all struggle in our own way to resist the lure of respectable religion that seeks to displace evangelical faith. For what this nation needs is not so much polite piety as the rough and radical word of the prophet calling us to repentance. And, as we struggle with that ancient calling, I pray we will be shrewd enough to name the hypocrisy of those who decry the mixing of religion and politics in order to serve their own political ends.
The Rev. John H. Thomas speaking at Trinity UCC on March 2, 2008
http://unitedchurchofchrist.blogspot.com/2008/03/profoundly-un-american-traditions-of.html
I have never before seen so many sleazy underhanded attacks on anyone as we have seen on Obama in the last few days, and with so little basis. Is this an organized hate-campaign. There is too much to be spontaneous.
I'm getting daily email from people who should know better bashing Obama for the remarks of his former pastor, for his view that discrimination against gays is wrong, for an innocent reference to scripture. Are we dominated by narrow minded whackos who spend all their time searching for things to nitpick about? Or is this coming from the McCain or Clinton camps?
https://pol.moveon.org/pac/donate/foxattacksobama2.html
Don't look to FOX NEWS for NEWS! FOX is but a propaganda outlet for the Republican Party.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/on_my_faith_and_my_church.html
Obama's cool headed and reasonable response to the remarks of his former pastor demonstrates his leadership ability and his abiity to lead our country. Hillary took days or weeks to repudiate the remarks of Geraldine Ferraro. McCain has yet to repudiate the extreme remarks of his far-right supporters. Obama responded immediately, cooly and properly. This shows the leadership and good judgment we need in the White House.
