Great Lines For and About Obama

A Post-election Story About President-elect Obama

Bill Marjenhoff — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:49:41 EST

The Norwegian newspaper VG has reported a truly amazing story about a newly-wed trying to get to Norway to be with her husband, and the stranger who helped pay an unexpected luggage surcharge. The blog 'Leisha's Random Thoughts' has translated the story.

It was 1988, and Mary Andersen was at the Miami airport checking in for a long flight to Norway to be with her husband when the airline representative informed her that she wouldn't be able to check her luggage without paying a 100 surcharge:

When it was finally Mary's turn, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness.

“You'll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway,” the man behind the counter said.

Mary had no money. Her new husband had traveled ahead of her to Norway, and she had no one else to call.

“I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions,” says Mary.

As tears streamed down her face, she heard a “gentle and friendly voice” behind her saying, 'That's okay, I'll pay for her.”

Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before.

“He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive. The first thing I thought was ‘who is this man?’”

Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man.

“He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants,” says Mary.

She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.

Who was the man?

Barack Obama.

Twenty years later, she is thrilled that the friendly stranger at the airport may be the next President and has voted for him already and donated 100 dollars to his campaign:

“He was my knight in shining armor,” says Mary, smiling.

She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker in Chicago, and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard University.

Mary even convinced her parents to vote for him.

In the spring of 2006 Mary's parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided. They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.

And Obama replied:

In a letter to Mary's parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped 'United States Senate, Washington DC, ' Barack Obama wrote:

“I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I'm happy I could help back then, and I'm delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway . Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama , United States Senator.”

The parents sent the letter on to Mary.

Mary says that when her friends and associates talk about the election, especially when race relations is the heated subject, she relates the story of the kind man who helped out a stranger-in-need over twenty years ago, years before he had even thought about running for high office.

When the sun comes up

Plum Elements — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:44:38 EST

And when we all wake up on Nov. 5, 2008, to find that we have made Barack Obama the president of the United States, the world is already going to feel, to all of us, a little different, a little truer to its, and our, better nature.
It is part of the world's nature and of our own to break, ruin and destroy;
but it is also our nature and the world's to find ways to mend what has been broken.
We can do that. Come on. Don't be afraid.
Wash Post 2/4/08
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/JWZ?page=11

Thank you all, for not being afraid.
Thank you for coming on.
We DID do it.

And we are all the better for it.

Enjoy this brave morning.
Enjoy this new day.

Much to do.

John

KEEP GOING!

Lynda Woolard - New Orleans — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:08:57 EST

Let's remember Hillary's words at the convention and make this happen...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3WsngjdOVc

"By following the example of a brave New Yorker, a woman who risked her life
to shepherd slaves along the Underground Railroad.

And on that path to freedom, Harriet Tubman had one piece of
advice.

If you hear the dogs, keep going.

If you see the torches in the woods, keep going.

If they're shouting after you, keep going.

Don't ever stop. Keep going.

If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.

Even in the darkest of moments, ordinary Americans have found the faith to
keep going.

I've seen it in you. I've seen it in our teachers and firefighters, nurses
and police officers, small business owners and union workers, the men and women
of our military -- you always keep going.

We are Americans. We're not big on quitting."

The Distance Come, The Hope, The Fear and the NEED

Plum Elements — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:10:44 EDT

It has been months since I have blogged here....weeks since I even looked at my page.

I have missed it, and been blessed by more than a few messages that I have been missed.

Thank you.

While quiet here, I have campaigned. The person to person, neighbor to neighbor way.

A few uncomfortable exchanges. Some harsh words.

More smiles, agreements, sense of belonging.

After talks like that, calls across the country, emails, and blogs -

I do have hope.

I also watch too much news.

And from that...I gain fear...even when the news is good.

I am, one who can worry.

Sleep has been uncharacteristically hard for me this last week.

Focus at work wandering.

I wonder...will it all come true?

Will there be another, even worse wrenching loss.

Worse, might there be efforts to steal that work?

And what then for this nation? for this movement? for me and my spouse?

So, I needed a way to respond to that.

First I came back here.

Read.

Went through dozens of emails here and in my private account - reading words and thoughts and hopes

of friends I have made because of this effort.

And...

I donated.

Not a lot. But more than anyone would say is prudent for me to be donating at this time.

And that is what helped.

Looking around at people I know spending days on end on the phone, on the blogs, on the streets helping, working, trying, doing what they can, it became so clear that this is no time for prudence.

It is instead, a time for thoughtful abandon of normalcy, and a two day spasm of effort, built of hope, and fed by my belief that the better world I long for, that I wish for others, ALL others with no exceptions, will have its greatest likelihood, in a Barack Obama Presidency.

So I say to all of you, for all you have done and are yet to do, Thank You.

I say to all who fear and worry as I do, BREATHE, SMILE, HOPE and then ACT - it helps.

I say to the world watching us - hang on and be hopeful with us and for us. I believe we will get this right and then be better friends and neighbors again.

I say to all who may - VOTE.

I say upward and outward with all the sincere desire in my heart- Please.

John

Line on McCain and economy

Jason — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:43:46 EDT

"John McCain need to be careful, if he keeps trying to distance himself from the effects of the Bush-McCain economy, he's going to get charged with leaving the scene of an accident."

Why I Say NO to Sarah Palin

Nicole — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:04:28 EDT

As a 31 year old woman, who has for the last three elections voted Republican and am now a registered Democrat. I believe I speak for many.I belive that the country is ready for a woman to hold the highest office in our government. However, I do not believe in voting for a candidate just because they are a woman. As a woman I want to be the one who makes decisions about my health, about my body. I do not believe the government has the right nor the need to make that decision for me.

I am a high school teacher. I've seen what our lack of a sex education program has done to our teenagers. It has created a lot of teenagers with one or more children, who as much as they try not to often drop out of school. Is this what you want? I know we want to believe that this education should be provided at home, but let's get real. It's not happening. For the most part, we as educators see these children more than their parents do and for a lot of them we may be the only person who listens, who gives them a hug, who notices that they need new shoes or that they are even pregnant.

I want to believe that mother nature takes care of herself and will adapt to us. But, we have gone and created things that no one thought was possible. These chemicals destroy the environment and the eco-systems around us. It's time for us to give back and that includes creating alternative energy sources. I mean even the biggest oil baron T. Boone Pickens has said that we can no longer rely on oil as our sole source of fuel. Someone give this lady a clue.

There is so much more I could say about her inexperience, about her ability to stand up with no remorse and lie to the American public about what she has and hasn't done as Governor or even the fact that she mocks the community activism that this country was founded on. ALL of which have nothing to do with the fact that she is a WOMAN and everything to do with the fact that she is the WRONG WOMAN.

We Are NOT At War....Federal Judge Makes That Clear - WSJ

Plum Elements — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:56:36 EDT

Although you would never know it by listening to the RNC, or even most of the lesser informed around us....The U.S. is not at war.If people thought we were at peace, think they might think twice about voting for happy warrior J McCain? The only war I see us at is 1. With our selves, and 2. On those at the bottom of the economic ladder. (I will post more on this later.) Whether we are or are not by legal definition (see below) I look at it this way:I do not wish to be at war.Therefore I WILL VOTE and WORK TO HELP ELECT a voice of reason, a voice of conscience and a voice for peaceful unity.BARACK OBAMA! JWZ September 2, 2008, 4:33 pmU.S. Not Currently at War, Boston Federal Judge RulesPosted by Ashby Jones

The U.S. is not currently at war, at least according to Richard Stearns, a federal judge in Boston.

The determination wasn’t just so much dicta*. Judge Stearns actually had to decide whether the U.S. is at war in order to decide whether the statute of limitations had run on certain criminal charges in a case involving the Big Dig, the massive construction project that’s been going on for years in Beantown. Click here for a copy of the opinion. (Hat Tip: How Appealing).

The background: In May of 2006, former employees of a concrete supplier were indicted on a handful of charges alleging, among other things, that they’d submitted fraudulent reports to the government. The defendants argued that because the alleged activity took place in early 2001 and before, the charges were time-barred by the five-year statute of limitations.

The government, however, argued that something called the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act, as the name implies, suspended the statue of limitations. The Act provides:

When the United States is at war the running of any statute of limitations applicable to any offense (1) involving fraud or attempted fraud against the United States or any agency thereof in any manner, whether by conspiracy or not . . . shall be suspended until three years after the termination of hostilities as proclaimed by the President or by a concurrent resolution of Congress.

Therefore, strange as it seems, Judge Stearns had to decide whether the U.S. is war to rule on a motion involving contractors in a highway project.

The opinion, while detailed, is a pretty fascinating read. The bottom line, according to Judge Stearns: the U.S. ended the war in Afghanistan on December 22, 2001 and ended the war in Iraq on May 1, 2003. In other words, the statute of limitations on the criminal charges hadn’t yet expired by the time the government filed its superseding indictment in June.

Busting the Myth of Off-shore drilling and ending oil addiction

Plum Elements — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:04:40 EDT

BusinessWeek: President Bush recently lifted an executive order prohibiting oil exploration in U.S. coastal waters, and many people believe the gold mine of oil in coastal areas could be tapped to lower prices. But the reality is that drilling in the now-restricted areas would require years of extensive seismic research before a single rig could operate. Even then, companies would not embark on such massive projects unless the profitability were clear, and the federal Energy Information Administration estimates that access to new U.S. deposits would not significantly affect overall domestic production for 22 years.

We are smarter than that.
In 22 years we could be largely INDEPENDENT of Oil, foreign or domestic.We need to go to renewable and clean energy NOT keep doing the same thing (Fossil Fuels) BADLY (Off-shore drilling/opening wild areas to drilling/Squeezing Coal/ETC.)

When Cathy Landry, a spokeswoman for the American Petroleum Institute Says "Every day we wait is a day further from more oil production." I say EXACTLY!

Let's get one day further away from oil production.

Then let's get one week away.

Then a month, and a year.

And finally and rightly lets get away from oil production FOREVER.

One more day not drilling is not one day further away from more oil.Rather it is one day closer to having the courage and insight to break with the wrongheaded ways of the past and demonstrate faith in our intellectual capacity to do new things, better than ever.
Let's.
John

Embracing and making the most of the BIG CONVENTION VENUE

Plum Elements — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:15:11 EDT

I pray that there are some great lines worthy of this moment and venue.

Would love to hear some from you all at http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/GreatLinesForandAboutObama

One that has kept running through my mind goes something like:
Obama points to the front few rows - You see these people...right there...at the Republican convention those seats will be filled with people who gave HUGE sums of money to be close to the nominee...here these people may have given 5$ and maybe nothing.
Obama points to a strategically placed pro athlete or Scarlet Johanson up on a middle level
The wealthy are here...they support me...but they know they are EQUAL to and in no way MORE important that the citizenry of this country.
Obama makes a gesture suggesting "out of the park"
And outside...well...that is where this campaign, your donations and belief an support has put the Lobbyist and special interests that have strangled this nation for too long and run my opponent campaign...They are outside here in Denver and they will be OUTSIDE in the washington DC you will be rebuilding when you vote for me in November.

An appeal to the best in us...

Peng in Gresham, OR — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:32:20 EDT

Obama family,

I urge you to please reach for civil discourse in your writings and discussions with others, whatever their political leanings. At the end of the day, we are All Americans, and we are all members of one American family, Team America.

One of Barack Obama's characteristics I admire most the respectfulness he shows to friends and foes. Let us strive to do the same as we address either McCain or his supporters.

Do you want others to denigrate Obama's name? NO. So please don't denigrate McCain or Bush.

Practice the golden rule.

Have a big heart.

Forgive people for being rude or obnoxious, and don't amplify their message. To truly stop hatred, stop it within yourself.

Please, when you read something that makes you angry, don't reply immediately.

Some of my favorite quotes to keep in mind:

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right." --Lincoln

"Ascribe not to malice that which can be adequately explained by folly." --Napolean

As you practice respect, over time, you might not convince someone to vote for Obama, but at least you give an impression that they have a friend in you and in Obama. At the end of the day, that person might not agree with your politics, but could respect you and your candidate.

Whether Obama or McCain for President, let's strive for a win/win November election.

(Of course, I want Obama to be our next President.)

Thank you.

The War is On...

Peng in Gresham, OR — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:49:07 EDT

The national debt is $9.4 trillion today. http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np Us youngins (+ those at heart) owe 30,000 each, but on what? For crumbling roads, schools, weak dollar, skyrocketing gas, and billions lost in Iraq. Guess how much the national debt was eight years ago? $5.6 trillion.

Woolly mammoth, under W and a Republican controlled congress lead by Sen. McCain, the debt grew by $4 trillion in only eight years!

Will you vote McCain or Obama?

Will you vote for the Senator that's demonstrated his economic acumen by irresponsibly increasing our debt by another $4 trillion, or the Senator we're not so sure of, and maybe that's a good thing this year. :^)

THE POLITICS OF DISTRACTION..........

Sandra GA — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:15:00 EDT

WORTH A RE-POST........BETTER TO STAND FOR SOMETHING THAN FALL FOR NOTHING....

June 1, 2008 | 2:02 pm

Obama and the politics of distraction
'Distraction' image courtesy mocoloco.com

Democrats have trouble winning presidential elections. One reason is that they have difficulty keeping the campaign focused on their issues. Polls show that this year especially the issues favor the Democrats, with the big ones, the Iraq war and the economy deeply in the Democrats’ favor.

But campaigns are not stately debates about issues. They are also battles over what the debate will be about. The politics of distraction can be very powerful, and Democrats have struggled with it for years. Consider how John Edwards found his campaign derailed because he had an expensive haircut. John Kerry had to deal with false attacks on his war record.

Right now, the biggest distraction for Obama is Hillary Clinton’s quixotic campaign. Even though she has no chance to win the nomination, she keeps going (at least for a few more days). Media coverage of the fairly ridiculous case for Florida and Michigan being seated at the Democratic convention distracted from Obama’s attack on John McCain for flubbing how many troops we have in Iraq.

Of course, the biggest distraction for Obama has been the Rev. Wright controversy. And since this is a real issue, he has had to deal directly with it at some length. While he has dealt fairly effectively with the story, and this week quit the church, this distraction may always be there as a kind of low-level illness. But there will be more, and the Republicans are artful at working the media to keep them alive. A good example is the misstatement Obama made about his uncle liberating a Nazi death camp. He had the wrong camp, and corrected it. It made headlines.

In order to keep the distractions from messing up your campaign, you have to speak loudly, clearly, and firmly. You have to say things that are more interesting than your haircut, or the latest distraction. And you have to say them over and over again. You can’t get caught up in the distractions. Deal with them, and move on quickly. So far, Obama is showing some skill at this, as he has directed his attacks at McCain, and not at Clinton. That’s a way of saying, without saying, that the nomination race has been over for a while. He turned McCain’s distraction of challenging him to go to Iraq into an attack on McCain’s lack of knowledge about Iraq despite his several trips there.

I expect a cascade of distractions from here on. They are like marbles on the floor, or nails in the roadway. They will keep coming. If one doesn’t work, another one will come up. They will come by viral email. They will come on radio talk shows. They will be presented on the evening news. Some will be true, if pointless. Some will be plainly false.

Obama’s road to the White House is not paved with thoughtful debates, although there will be some. It’s paved with marbles and nails. His task will be to keep our eyes on the road.

Posted by Raphael Sonenshein

Natural High!!!

carolmaama — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:24:18 EDT

With tears of joy still in my eyes, I want to thank you Mr & Mrs Barack Obama for restoring the premise that hope, faith and compassion for our American political system was first a dream, now a plan, and, with alot of hard work from all facets of our American culture, will soon be a reality!!! This is the ultimate natural high!!! Thank you for your dedication and service to make my world, your world, our world a better place for all mankind...In my Prayers,E Carol Miracle

Note of Thanks To Keith Olbermann - Please write and thank him

Plum Elements — Sun, 25 May 2008 08:20:54 EDT

On Friday night Keith Olbermann again did what he does better than anyone else in the MSM.He spoke truth to power with conviction, reason and passion.If you have not seen it you must.Try here - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24798368#24798368

Once you catch your breath, write him here:

KOLBERMANN@MSNBC.COM

Thanks.

JWZ

--------------

Keith-

While I do not know you well enough to call you Keith, I feel you know

me that well for almost nightly I hear you speak my heart.

Never more so than on Friday May 23, 2008.

Your special comment was compelling, masterful, and unfortunately

absolutely necessary.

It was also heart wrenching. Your efforts to support the Clintons in

the past are well documented. The obvious and painful disappointment

you feel in her massive, repeated, and inconscionable actions creates

in your delivery a different tone and cadence than when you more

gleefully rail against President Bush.

Thank you for both what you do and how. Please keep it up. This

nation, this world, and this individual are in desperate need of your

reasoned and empassioned voice.

Thank you

John W. Zinsser

Rove in WSJ and My Response - Take action and Respond as well...

Plum Elements — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:43:48 EDT

All -

I have been quiet for a while.

Chalk it up to personal and professional demands, not a loss of interest and desire.

The good news is I have a bunch of things I want to write about and look forward to your thoughts and responses on.

But first this unbelievably surreal piece of politics.

Yesterday the WSJ carried a piece by Karl Rove entitled "Obama's troubling instincts."

If it was not so painfully partisan and attack driven, it could be the opening to a SNL skit this week.

I wrote a comment to the WSJ website and it follows. Encourage you all to do the same.

Do it nicely. Be like Obama - respectful, thoughtful, maybe a little funny, but courteous.

But do act.

We all know this is but the tip of the iceberg. But this bad dog needs to be shown that we, the master, will not accept this form of bad behavior. So roll up that newspaper and please take a respectful discplining swing at Rove and the WSJ.

Best-

John

My Response -

_______________________________

Wait... Karl Rove is titling a piece "(anyone else's) troubling instincts?" Karl Rove who is under supboena from Congress for his troubling ACTIONS not instincts - but ACTIONS? Karl Rove (and others associated with him) who either instinctually or with great personal fore thought continue to choose to thumb their collective noses at the legislative branch of government in hereto fore unseen ways making a mockery of our form of government and balance of power? Karl Rove has no right to question any one else's instincts these days. Something about those in glass houses seems right here. I laughed so hard at the headline, had to wait for the tears to clear from my eyes before I went on to the article. Troubling Actions Karl...how about you write us a meaningful piece about your very troubling, offensive, and possibly illegal actions. That, or show up on July 10, and tell us all about it. Someone will be there to write it all down for you in the congressional record. SIDE BAR - The WSJ's editorial slant has so declined and shifted since the purchase of the paper and realignment of leadership there, that I can almost not read it anymore. It is quite sad to me. Like watching a good, trusted friend, one who was smart and intelligent and helpful, loose that capacity to some insipid brainwashing or disease. A real loss to the business community and America as a whole. Thanks. John

Being One With Obama

skidog — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:19:11 EDT

"Its important to win, but, just as important is how you win."

Senator Edward Kennedy

carolmaama — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:05:17 EDT

My prayers not only go out to Senator Edward Kennedy and his family and constitutes, but to all Americans at this time. Senator Kennedy has touched all of our lives, whether you are democrat or republican, male or female, young or old, regardless of our race creed or color! I believe he has probably influenced and impacted all of the earthlings' lives in some way, shape or form, even though some do not care to admit it. This devastating news reminds us all of our own human mortality. You are a champion Teddy!!! I appreciate your life of service and your fortitude in fighting for what is correct in this world. I pray for you with the utmost love and respect...As their entourage left the hospital today, it was the fierce lion protecting and encouraging his cubs, young lions and lionesses of his pride. Then, he went sailing!!! As I observed Mr Kennedy today, realization struck me that we must make the most of today, not because tomorrow may not be promised, but, because we only have one chance at today. Live in the moment and bring out the best in yourself so it permeates to all you contact…I know this man is human and has many embarrassments, some of which are being stirred to the surface at this time of honor and respect. Now, if this is really the new beginning of change in America, and I believe we are all so ready for rebirth, let us rejoice in our American warrior for social justice for all people. I am thankful for the entire Kennedy family’s sacrifice righting the wrongs in our world. This family could be “all about them”, as many in all statures of humans are. Instead, they choose to live with social conscience.It is time to for Senator Kennedy to hand off the baton of social responsibility to our next generation and Barack Obama has been sprinting for quite some time, readying his mind, body and spirit for his leg in this great relay of American life. He began his training many moons ago with his coach, cheerleader and biggest fan training along his side, lending encouragement and direction. Michelle Obama beams American values in all she does. Barack & Michelle Obama have their homelife in order. If our country gets a taste of the structure, perseverance and discipline exemplified by this family, there is a light at the end of our tunnel.In honor of this great American spirit, flowing throughout our society, encourage a stranger and then lift up your family and friends. Kiss your children if you have been so blessed.Sincerely,E Carol Miracle

Encouragement

BENTON GRIMMETT — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:29:20 EDT

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

King James Bible
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Great new line from a new group Member...MORE LIKE THESE!!!

Plum Elements — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:04:59 EDT

“Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.” - Arthur Schopenhauer

Won't it be nice to actually have a family living in the White House again?

Bill Marjenhoff — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:31:36 EDT

Yes We Can!

Which is the More Compelling Argument?

Bill Marjenhoff — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:09:43 EDT

Sen. Obama has told the American people that they need to become involved if they want real change. Sen. Clinton has said that we need her. Obama has said he needs us. Which is the more compelling argument?

A Good Friend for these times...

BENTON GRIMMETT — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:36:11 EDT

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend" (Proverbs 27:17).

His wisdom has awakened and sharpened us. Obama is our friend. He sees our needs and he is being positioned to address our needs.

McCain the War Hero, Obama the Peace Hero

Bill Marjenhoff — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:04:52 EDT

John McCain is campaigning as a war hero. America needs to recognize that those who oppose dishonorable wars, like Sen. Barack Obama, are also heroes. Surely, their courage should also qualify as a character virtue for the highest office in the land. The peace hero – even more than the war hero – should be the ultimate moral force in the world we now inhabit. That’s the conclusion of Charles Derber and Yale Magrass, coauthors of Morality Wars: How Empires, the Born Again, and the Politically Correct Do Evil in the Name of Good (Paradigm Publishers, 2008). Full story here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080414/cm_csm/yderber_1

Put on the Armor of Truth

BENTON GRIMMETT — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:47:31 EDT

How do I "put on" God's Armor?This life in Christ begins with learning, affirming, and trusting in each part of the armor. The first part is truth--God's revelation of all that He is to us, all that He has done for us, and all that He promises to do for us in the days ahead. This enduring truth is written in the Bible, revealed by the Holy Spirit, and realized through Jesus Christ. It cuts through all the world's distortions, deceptions, and compromises. When you study, memorize, live, and follow truth, it enables you to see the world from God's high vantage point. Putting on the first piece of the armor means feeding on truth through daily Bible reading and making it part of yourself. God's ArmorKnow the Truth about...Affirm key ScripturesBelt of TRUTHGodDeut. 4:39; Psalm 23:1; 18:1-3Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESSThe Righteousness of Jesus in youPsalm 100:3; Rom. 3:23-24, 6:23; Gal. 2:20-21; Phil. 3:8-10.Sandals of PEACEInner peace and readinessRom. 5:1; Eph. 2:14; John 14:27, 16:33, 20:21.Shield of FAITHLiving by faithRom. 4:18-21; Heb. 11:1; 1 Pet. 1:6-7Helmet of SALVATIONSalvation through Christ today and foreverEach day: Ps. 16, 23; Heb. 1:3-6For eternity: 2 Cor. 4:16-18; 1 Thess. 4:17; 1 John 3:1-3Sword of the spirit GOD'S WORDGod's Word countering spiritual deception and accusationsHeb. 4:12; Matt. 4:2-11; 1 Pet. 3:15; Ps. 119:110-112

http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/Armor.htm --Reference and source

Is "truth" despised?

BENTON GRIMMETT — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:59:56 EDT

'But the truth is despised and attacked by fools who refuse knowledge and wisdom."

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 23:9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

What do you think?

Obama's mother

Tom Hayes, working for change — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:37:17 EDT

Unlike her son who has been teased and queried about his middle name, Ann Soetoro had an atypical first name: Stanley. Her father wanted a boy.

"It turns out that Obama's nascent career peddling hope is a family business. He inherited it. And while it is true that he has not been profoundly tested, he was raised by someone who was.
In most elections, the deceased mother of a candidate in the primaries is not the subject of a magazine profile. But Ann Soetoro was not like most mothers."

Indeed, her son is not like most sons, either. Time magazine had put Obama on their cover in December 2007. Now, as we head for the Pennsylvania primary on April 22nd, the magazine turns to examine his mother in an article full of information about the woman who first shaped the person we know today as U.S. Senator Barack Obama.

find audacious blogs | read the TIME article | digg story

Camilia Paglia from today's Salon - Solid and Scorching of hrc

Plum Elements — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:11:24 EDT

Hillary's slick willies

Does Hillary surround herself with girly men? Obama and the experience question. Plus: Lincoln, Madonna's new face and a Bush with real authority.

By Camille Paglia

I would like to get your feedback on the subject of those who end up in Hillary's orbit. Can you conceive of a strong, leader-type male ever working under her? An alpha, if you will. And if the answer is no, then why do you think that is?

The men you always see under her are to a person passive-aggressive, sadistic, mean, little, petty beta-male pieces of work who would not naturally succeed in a common male-type hierarchy. By that I mean an environment that values straightforward achievement rather than the darker political arts.

That statement is in no way meant to exclude women. In fact, I work with many women who succeed just as well in this environment. It is just a shorthand for an environment that values achievement and straight talk. Hillary's persona is simply not compatible with another strong will, male or female -- but definitely male, and that itself is a big red flag.

What kind of person would go to work for a Clinton in the first place? A naive true-believer? Everyone knows what they would be getting into: constant war rooms, personal attacks, spin, daily damage control, a boss prone to temper tantrums, placing your own integrity out on the ledge as a shill for a fundamentally dishonest person. I would argue that nobody who hasn't already sold their soul years ago would ever want to be a part of that mess.

Your thoughts?

Chris Richard
Agoura Hills, Calif.

You have succinctly expressed one of the most unsettling aspects of Hillary Clinton's character and modus operandi. There is a strangely static and claustrophobic quality to the fiercely loyal cult she has gathered around her since her first lady years. Postmortem analysts of this presidential campaign will have a field day ferreting out all the cringe-making blunders made by her clique of tired, aging courtiers who couldn't adjust to changing political realities. Hillary's forces have acted like the heavy, pompous galleons of the imperial Spanish Armada, outmaneuvered by the quick, bold, entrepreneurial ships of the English fleet.

I agree that the male staff who Hillary attracts are slick, geeky weasels or rancid, asexual cream puffs. (One of the latter, the insufferable Mark Penn, just got the heave-ho after he played Hillary for a patsy with the Colombian government.) If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say Hillary is reconstituting the toxic hierarchy of her childhood household, with her on top instead of her drill-sergeant father. All those seething beta males (as you so aptly describe them) are versions of her sad-sack brothers, who got the short end of the Rodham DNA stick.

The compulsive war-room mentality of both Clintons is neurosis writ large. The White House should not be a banging, rocking washer perpetually stuck on spin cycle. Many Democrats, including myself, have come to doubt whether Hillary has any core values or even a stable sense of identity. With her outlandish fibbing and naive self-puffery, her erratic day-to-day changes of tone and message, her glassy, fixed smiles, and her leaden and embarrassingly unpresidential jokes about pop culture, she has started to seem like one of those manic, seductively vampiric patients in trashy old Hollywood hospital flicks like "The Snake Pit." How anyone could confuse Hillary's sourly cynical, male-bashing megalomania with authentic feminism is beyond me.

I have no idea whom I will vote for next November. Everything is open to me, and I am watching, listening and thinking. Regarding your comments on Sens. Clinton and Obama in your most recent article, I thought you were a little tough on Hillary in that you did not discuss any of Barack's shortcomings. No mention at all that the man who claims he will clean up Washington, D.C., was involved in a real estate transaction so questionable even my 7-year-old understands the implications.

Sen. Obama, a graduate of Harvard Law School, claims he did not break any laws, that he was only guilty of being "boneheaded." If I were Sen. Clinton's campaign manager, every ad would have the video of Sen. Obama saying that over and over. He claims his judgment is so good that he knew we should never have gone into Iraq, yet he had no qualms going into the real estate deal with Mr. and Mrs. Rezko. No mention that he has very little experience in politics.

I look for experience when I select my doctor, my CPA, my dentist, my child's teacher. Why can't I ask for some in my president?

Anonymity requested
Houston, Texas

Obama's Rezko embroglio is certainly troublesome. But the splotches on Obama's record are few and relatively minor compared to the staggeringly copious chronicle of Clinton scandals, a mud mountain that the media have shown amazingly little interest in exploring during this campaign cycle. For all their grousing about media bias, the Clintons have gotten off scot-free over the past year from any kind of serious, systematic examination of their sleaze-a-thon history from Little Rock to Foggy Bottom.

Obama has actually served longer in public office than Hillary has. It's very true that he lacks executive experience, but so does she. Her bungling of healthcare reform, along with her inability to control the financial expenditures and internal wrangling of her campaign, does not bode well for a prospective chief executive. Beyond that, I'm not sure that your analogy to professionals like doctors, accountants and teachers entirely applies to presidents. There is no fixed system of credentialing for our highest office. On the contrary, the Founders envisioned the president as a person of unpretentious common sense and good character. Hillary may spout a populist line, but with her arrogant sense of dynastic entitlement, she's a royalist who, like Napoleon, wants to crown herself.

I too wish that Obama had more practical experience in government. But Washington is at a stalemate and needs fresh eyes and a new start. Furthermore, at this point in American history, with an ill-conceived, wasteful war dragging on in Iraq and with the nation's world reputation in tatters, I believe that, because of his international heritage and upbringing, Obama is the right person at the right time. We need a thoughtful leader who can combine realism with conciliation in domestic as well as foreign affairs.

Full disclosure: I have contributed small sums to Obama's campaign twice this year. I was lucky enough to see him up close as he spoke at a recent rally in the Philadelphia suburbs, where he answered policy questions in great detail. I was very impressed by his easy, relaxed authority and quick humor as well as his classy elegance. I'd love to have a woman president -- but slippery Hillary, stolidly pumping and pumping her narcissistic bellows like a steam engine, just isn't it.

A Line and A Half!

Plum Elements — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:17:14 EDT

"Freedom from fear and freedom from want." This is an FDR line. As timely today as ever.

From an excellent article by Spencer Ackerman:

"Freedom from fear and freedom from want. What if we actually offered that? What if we delivered that in the developing world? That would be a transformative agenda for us." The end of the Iraq War mind-set, it turns out, may be the beginning of America's reacquaintance with its best traditions.

This is a line I think we should work with.

My Open Letter to PA. Feel free to copy, improve and distribute there.

Plum Elements — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:28:56 EDT

My Dear Friend PA.

It has been too long since I wrote. I do apologize.

While my visits have been few in recent years,

you continue to occupy a special place in my heart.

The school years I spent outside of Philly in Bucks County

matter as much to me as anytime in my life.

That time, and you, had a big part in making me who I am.

Writing that I think to, how much of a role you had in making our nation what we are.

You hosted the continental congress that birthed this nation.

It is a signature event our nation's past. Thank you for hosting so ably.

It could not have happened anywhere else.

I recall as well how you changed the course of our nation some 4 Score and... years later. A deep red scar. A singularly costly time. A turning point. No joy in hosting that moment. But recognition of its necessity.

And that is why I really am writing. I wanted to ask...can you do it again?

Now the "fighting" of the last few weeks can not compare to the loss of life and treasure in the early 1860s. But I find it hurts me none the less. In fact, I think it has hurt us all.

We may no longer wear blue or grey. But whether we are decked in blue of a pale or fuller hue - and even for those who would wear red - the last few weeks have hurt more than helped. All of us are less I feel

PA, can you help?

Yes You Can.

I believe.

Why don't you show us again your capacity and import.

Help us emerge into a whole new political reality and positive era.

You have done it before. Would you please do it again?

You can be THE deciders.

You can end the rancor.

You can end the acrimony.

You can make peace and foster quiet amongst that blue party.

So it and all of us, may go forward.

BUT, Only if you choose to vote for Obama.

If she wins...it goes on and I fear gets worse.

More blood spilled in PA's rich soil, no one needs.

This would not be the blood of soldiers...

but rather, the life blood of a chance too rare to squander.

If he wins...it is over.

The chance to progress would again be saved on your land.

Through your hands, hearts and minds.

So, PA, I have to ask -

What are you going to do?

Who do you want to be?

A nation turns its eyes, tired and pained by the last few weeks, to you.

I wish you great good luck and much providence in your choosing.

With deep affection and high hopes.

JWZ

Alright...I admit it -

Plum Elements — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:39:56 EDT

I like to write snarky, biting lines about HRC as well.

BUT I WONT LET THIS GROUP BECOME AN INSULT GENERATOR.

Some how, when one uses classical language, it seems more acceptable to insult...

To wit:

"Egoists do not see the world with them in it, but see themselves with a world around them." Herbert Samuel

Whose favorite sniper dodger does this bring to mind?

And this...

"Anger is a short madness" Horace

I feel she has every right to be mad about somethings in her life...her husband...for one.

But...she has no right to be angry about this race. Her team and she have made a mess of the "inevitable".

How utterly painful.

But she seems so mad...so often...so completely... i do fear for her...mental health in fact.

Enough of this...

Back to our regularly scheduled positive hopefulness.

JWZ

A line to the Media - Biased (as if there were any other kind) or not

Plum Elements — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:30:30 EDT

"A man may dwell so long upon a thought it may take him prisoner" - Lord Halifax.

You have dwelt more than long and dotingly enough upon Rev Wright and this whole matter.

Part of why the story lives, is you keep breathing life into it.

Some of the breath - purposely agitating (See Fixed Noise <Thank you Keith Olberman>.

Others of it less targeted to destroy, meant only to sell copy or ad time - but by that, no better in quality.

You cut away from Obama's economic speech this morning.

But not last weeks Race speech.

Tell me why?

Race matters more to this country than the economy? I think not.

While Race matters, I think it is not as central as the current and deepening economic tumult we are enduring.

Let it go.

So we all may go forward.

Think on that which does in now matter.

And build toward a better and clearer choice.

The right one being...Obama.

JWZ

Another classic line perfect for this moment -

Plum Elements — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:26:47 EDT

"Keep cool, and you command everybody." Louis De Saint-Just

One key aspect of Obama's appeal is his calm demeanor, at almost all times.

I do believe, that a piece of what got so many of my kind (color-less that is) worked up about the Rev. Wright, is not only what he said, but how he said it.

One thing that thrills so many of all types about Obama is the cool way he says so much...especially the very difficult, the very challenging, the very most necessary. That is in part where his "command" comes from.

When I hear hrc say things, I always hear this...grinding, scratchy, edgy, angry quality. It is part of why I can not believe in her...her voice belies the inner turmoil I believe she is now and has almost always been in.

Barack's "cool" makes me more comfortable - that he is aligned with himself and that others can therefore align with him.

I ask you...can you do it as you work on his behalf? Can you muster the resolve and the cool to be strong, smart, careful, and clear in the face of adversity and support alike? Can we all be that "cool and commanding?"

I am game to try...how about you?

JWZ

A useful classic line?

Plum Elements — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:35:04 EDT

" Know how to listen, and you will profit, even from those who talk badly." - Plutarch -

Given the language of others - opponent, detractors, media, etc. I do see this as a great challenge.

But many many many people I talk to site as Obama's greatest strength, his ability to listen and include the thoughts of others, even those with whom he does not agree.

It is exemplary in my opinion. Which is why I so often here, encourage and exhort all of us who support him, to behave more like him.

What will you do today to help Obama?

and

How will you do it? Like him? or in some other (lesser) way?

JWZ

So, What do You Think?

Hovering Dove — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:02:13 EDT

For Great Lines For And About Obama:

Obama--His time has come, and your time is his
time.

Barack Obama--Because your time has come.

Obama--When you care enough about your country to elect the very best.

Barack Obama--Capable, Contemporary, Concordant.

Barack Obama--Capable, Contemporary, and Concordant.

Obama--Contemporarily concordant.

There are many ways of tweaking things, but first I want to know if you guys think I'm on the right track.)

Extension of Inversion - Does this work?

Plum Elements — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:35:44 EDT

Obama - Ready to tell the truth from Day One, At 3:AM, and even when sleep deprived?

This was outside of acceptable so here is the inversion

Plum Elements — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:58:31 EDT

UNACCEPTABLE - TO NEGATIVE AND CLOSE TO INSULT:

Hillary Clinton: Ready to Make Stuff Up, on Day One!

INVERTED FOR ACCEPTABILITY:

Obama: Ready to Tell the Truth on Day One and Every Day!

Thoughts

JWZ

What about this one...Right at the EDGE of my acceptability quotient

Plum Elements — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:56:11 EDT

Sure appears that Obama has been under more sniper fire lately,

than Clinton ever was.

Thoughts?

JWZ

Are there lines here? I think so. Tell me what you think.

Plum Elements — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:34:02 EDT

Prof. Kmiec states elequently what brought me to this campaign...

A man, capable of respectful disagreement, and the ability to explain, what he is thinking, why he makes the choices he makes. I do not agree with Obama on everything either. That is not whay I need in a President. What I do need is to understand why he reached the decision he reached. What I need is the chance to present my ideas and have them respectfully heard, whether they are in fact adopted or not.

What lines are there in here?

JWZ

March 25, 2008, 2:13 pmDouglas Kmiec, Conservative Professor, Defends Obama EndorsementPosted by Dan Slater

Yesterday, the Law Blog mentioned that the Pepperdine con law prof, Douglas Kmiec, had endorsed Barack Obama’s bid for the presidency on the Slate Convictions blog – a surprising move for the high-profile Republican who was a lawyer in the Reagan and Bush I administrations.

In Kmiec’s endorsement letter, he confirmed his belief in “traditional marriage,” a “limited judicial role” for the Supreme Court and that “life begins at conception.” Kmiec went on to write: “In various ways, Senator Barack Obama and I may disagree on aspects of these important fundamentals, but I am convinced . . . . he is not closed to understanding opposing points of view, and as best as it is humanly possible, he will respect and accommodate them.”

News of the endorsement quickly ricocheted around the blogosphere, eliciting moans from conservative legal bloggers like L.A. lawyer Patrick Frey, who writes the Patterico’s Pontifications blog. “Prof. Kmiec, that’s all very nice,” Frey responded. “But, you see, there is a candidate — his name is John McCain; you might have heard of him — who actually supports the principles for which you claim to stand. Why are you refusing to support him?”

The Law Blog caught up with Professor Kmiec to get a response to his critics.

Hi Professor. Thanks for chatting. Many have criticized your Obama endorsement, arguing that, based on your stated beliefs, Senator McCain would be a better candidate for you.

I have nothing against McCain. Indeed, he was my candidate in 2000, and I would still think him the better choice in 2000. But, perhaps like my time, his time has passed. John’s understanding of warfare is the understanding of, as Tom Brokaw put it, the greatest generation. Just as shock and awe did not prevail in Iraq, McCain’s under-estimation of the cost of deployments both in terms of money, life, and international standing, make him not well suited to protect our national security in a time of terrorist threat.

You worked as a lawyer in the Reagan and Bush I administrations. Do you see any qualities in common between Obama and those past presidents?

I actually think Obama and Ronald Reagan have more in common than not when it comes to qualities of leadership, communication and ability to call us to our better selves. President Reagan used to tell all of us in his administration, and the public generally, that his proudest achievement was making the country feel better about itself. I believe Obama is committed to giving us reason to feel better about ourselves. I’ve seen it in the classroom. I’ve been teaching for 40 years, and have not seen a more electric and engaged atmosphere with regard to the democratic process. We’ll be saying something quite disappointing to that generation by saying we want to continue the politics of the past.

One of your former students, writing on a conservative blog, says he can’t understand how you reconcile your beliefs with Senator Obama’s. Take abortion, for example.

Senator Obama has the interesting capacity to go to people and emphasize the values of self responsibility. So when he goes to Planned Parenthood, he says the usual things the Democrats say, but then he also emphasizes that we need to teach young people to have a reverence for what sexual intimacy means and how it’s necessarily linked to new life and parenting. That’s remarkable for someone on his side of the world to say. It’s not enough to satisfy my concerns as a Catholic and conservative who believes the Court had no business in that territory. But it is a kind of federalist reminder – that these problems get solved first in family, church and the community.

Can you talk a bit about Obama and Supreme Court appointments?

One of the hardest things to reconcile was my concern with the Supreme court, which I do think President Bush, somehow miraculously, deserves credit for. The Chief Justice and Justice Alito are unparalleled. But I view those appointments not as partisan appointments, but rather appointments that, as Roberts tried to articulate, are designed to take politics out of the Court. So when my fellow conservatives say that even thinking about Senator Obama betrays the importance of Supreme Court appointments, I think they’re smuggling in an improper premise – that there aren’t people of integrity from both parties that can do constitutional interpretation in the vision of a limited judicial role.

On blogs, some of your fellow conservatives have been quite outspoken and critical of your position. Have you received any direct responses?

I’ve received some e-mails which have been quite thoughtful. It’s a curiosity that people write in a tone on the blogosphere that they wouldn’t say to the person themselves.

We need a president, not just a commander in chief.

Plum Elements — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:33:04 EDT

From a book by Joe Brewer and George Lakoff

The conservative view of the world as a dangerous place where military threats always lurk nearby is not conducive to the tasks that make our world safer: communicating effectively with leaders of other nations, building trust and forging lasting alliances across the globe, promoting peace through diplomacy and engaging in efforts to ease suffering through initiatives that build secure communities at home and abroad.

We need a president, not just a commander in chief.

This is a workable and usable line.

I do not wish for someone ready to be Commander in Chief.

I want someone to be President.

There is only one.

OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA

JWZ

Free Ride: John McCain and the Media

Bill Marjenhoff — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:37:22 EDT

NPR just interviewed David Brock and Paul Waldman (March 25) about their new book, Free Ride: John McCain and the Media This is going to be a must read for everyone connected with the Obama campaign as we move to the general election. It’s on sale at Amazon.com for $11.16. I’ve just ordered a copy and urge you to do that, too. “The press loves McCain. We're his base.”
—Chris Matthews, MSNBC

“John McCain is clearly the Washington media's favorite Republican.” —Brit Hume, Fox News

“The media, of course, loves John McCain because it seems like he's back to the old John McCain.” —David Shuster, MSNBC

“I think every last one of them [reporters] would move to Massachusetts and marry John McCain if they could.”
—Joe Scarborough, MSNBC From the Introduction: “There's no doubt about it: John McCain is a popular guy. In an age of partisan rancor, he gets favorable ratings not just from members of his own party, but from plenty of independents and Democrats as well. He is considered both ideologically moderate and someone to whom the excesses of contemporary politics--artificiality, nastiness, preferential treatment for financial backers--don't seem to apply.

But nowhere is McCain more popular than with the Washington, DC, journalistic establishment. Indeed, one struggles to recall a prominent political figure in recent decades who has received such sustained adulation from the ordinarily cynical press corps.

How did he do it? How did John McCain manage to turn a pack of snarling beasts into obedient service animals, ready to do his bidding at every turn? As a starting point, it is important to keep in mind that it is, in fact, something McCain did, not something that happened by accident. While every politician seeks the best news coverage he or she can get, McCain employed a strategy that has been uniquely effective. And it is a strategy.”

Two More Adams' Exonerations

Plum Elements — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:51:00 EDT

When people talk of the freedom of writing, speaking or thinking I cannot choose but laugh. No such thing ever existed. No such thing now exists; but I hope it will exist. But it must be hundreds of years after you and I shall write and speak no more.
John Adams

It is now hundreds of years after Adams wrote this.

And I ask you...are you speaking or writing or thinking freely? truly?

Are you exercising the essential faculties of democratic liberty within the representative structure?

Or are you, reacting to small minds and deeds of others? Are you falling pray to that which can be brutish and bruising within us?

I ask you again to write, speak, in all its modern forms, but also those of the past, pen and paper, face to face, one person to a group...and do so freely, properly, respectfully, and hopefully.

As you do so please keep this in mind.

The happiness of society is the end of government.
John Adams

That is all there is. I wish to be happy again, proud again, of my society. I like Michelle have too long gone with too little to be proud of or happy with.

That said, I would be happy with this campaign FIRST. Happy with its tone, demeanor, purpose and passion.

I would rather be happy with the way each of us, for we are the campaign, holds ourselves, and speaks, writes and thinks, then win at the cost of that.

Be happy in what you do today for Obama and otherwise.

It may well make all the difference.

In Hope.

JWZ

Hope - The Ultimate Renewable Resource.

John Adams Lines for this, OUR moment

Plum Elements — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:01:58 EDT

If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve?
John Adams

Who indeed. To much of late has been done in the service of corporations, (who are of course only collections of some people) but not people in the purer sense.

Too much done in the name of a few, not all.

In politics the middle way is none at all.
John Adams

Have you already tired of hearing Obama painted as the MOST liberal Senator? It will become louder.

I like the line at this moment though that give we are in "Uncharted Waters" we are not in a time when the middle path makes sense. We are in a place, where in response to the rash and flawed reality of the last few years, as extreme as that was, to gain some balance we need not the middle path, but something as extremely human, intelligent, and hopeful, and the last many years have been monstrous, thoughtless, and fearful.

Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge.

Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.
John Adams

This line makes me weep. It speaks to each of us RIGHT NOW. We must DARE to read, think speak and write. To be silent is tantamount to treason or worse, a commitment to fail.

Ever wondered why education is always talked about in Presidential elections, but rarely acted on?

I do hope this time will be the dear and rare exception. For if we can elect this man, and begin on the process of again making education relevant, intellect desirable and the thoughtful use of language pertinent we have a chance to make not only our world better and safer, but our nation a finer democracy than it has ever been.

For as Adams also said -

Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.
John Adams

Please my friends, the time is now.

We may not have the chance to birth a new nation, but we can in fact deliver this one from one of its darkest periods, into a moment of great rediscovery and glory.

I am with Obama for that very purpose.

Are you?

JWZ

ADAMS, OBAMA, and US.

Plum Elements — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:50:22 EDT

I have been listening of late to the Audi Version of the Biography of John Adams.History has rarely held my attention.This does.Until recently, politics did not either hold my attention.Now I am riveted. I am also thrilled that the two events seem so intertwined.So many lines from Adams seem as relevant today as they were 200 plus years ago. I offer you as evidence this -

"Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war."

John Adams Adams, perhaps more than any other singular person, helped our nation,in both its beauty and awfulness, to be what it is.With this in mind I intend to introduce here many of Adams' lines that I think might be of value and use to each of us here and now. Obama, I believe, has a similar chance. He is much more Jefferson that Adams, More JFK than RFK. What that means to me is this - those of us who care not for a public life, but yet desire a great and good nature, must speak...loudly, fully, with intent and passion about this moment. About what we know to be right and to be of value to this nation in this moment. I feel Mr Richardson did such a thing.Hope that I may, and you too, also do so. Speak.Email.Blog.Donate. Do that which you can and that which we must.
Do it with honor and intellect.Do it with hope and the highest of your character.Do it as if no other can nor will. For if you do not, you do not know that no other will. With all hope and encouragement.JWZ

Plan for Immigration

Marcelo — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:12:14 EDT

“The time to fix our broken immigration system is now… We need stronger enforcement on the border and at the workplace… But for reform to work, we also must respond to what pulls people to America… Where we can reunite families, we should. Where we can bring in more foreign-born workers with the skills our economy needs, we should”

— Barack Obama, Statement on U.S. Senate Floor, May 23, 2007

StatesmanJournal.com: Sen. Obama talks about immigration

Please, click on the image to see more details

So what lines are there in here for us to use?

Plum Elements — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:50:32 EDT

Prior to this campaign, I did not follow or read Peggy Noonan. She has become essential reading in my opinion. I have posted on her here before. Her column this week is again insightful. It is also balanced suggesting improvements along with providing praise. But here is what I believe is most important - Look at her close, and her line about hrc and McCain "should try" giving a thinking man's speech. This is an educated, thoughtful, careful conservative thinker. She gets Obama. What is more, she WANTS to get Obama. We can count on that in the Fall with him. She does not want the woman candidate for woman's sake, nor the candidate of color for America's soul's sake. She wants what is best, brightest and most valuable for America and its future. She, like me, wants Obama. Thank you Ms. Noonan. I will work harder for Mr. Obama with your words in mind. JWZ
DECLARATIONSBy PEGGY NOONAN

A Thinking Man's Speech
March 21, 2008; Page W16

I thought Barack Obama's speech was strong, thoughtful and important. Rather beautifully, it was a speech to think to, not clap to. It was clear that's what he wanted, and this is rare.

It seemed to me as honest a speech as one in his position could give within the limits imposed by politics. As such it was a contribution. We'll see if it was a success. The blowhard guild, proud member since 2000, praised it, and, in the biggest compliment, cable news shows came out of the speech not with jokes or jaded insiderism, but with thought. They started talking, pundits left and right, black and white, about what they'd experienced of race in America. It was kind of wonderful. I thought, Go, America, go, go.

You know what Mr. Obama said. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was wrong. His sermons were "incendiary," and they "denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation." Mr. Obama admitted that if all he knew of Mr. Wright were what he saw on the "endless loop . . . of YouTube," he wouldn't like him either. But he's known him 20 years as a man who taught him Christian faith, helped the poor, served as a Marine, and leads a community helping the homeless, needy and sick. "As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me." He would not renounce their friendship.

Most significantly, Mr. Obama asserted that race in America has become a generational story. The original sin of slavery is a fact, but the progress we have lived through the past 50 years means each generation experiences race differently. Older blacks, like Mr. Wright, remember Jim Crow and were left misshapen by it. Some rose anyway, some did not; of the latter, a "legacy of defeat" went on to misshape another generation. The result: destructive anger that is at times "exploited by politicians" and that can keep African-Americans "from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition." But "a similar anger exists within segments of the white community." He speaks of working- and middle-class whites whose "experience is the immigrant experience," who started with nothing. "As far as they're concerned, no one handed them anything, they've built it from scratch." "So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town," when they hear of someone receiving preferences they never received, and "when they're told their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced," they feel anger too.

This is all, simply, true. And we are not used to political figures being frank, in this way, in public. For this Mr. Obama deserves deep credit. It is also true the particular whites Obama chose to paint -- ethnic, middle class -- are precisely the voters he needs to draw in Pennsylvania. It was strategically clever. But as one who witnessed busing in Boston first hand, and whose memories of those days can still bring tears, I was glad for his admission that busing was experienced as an injustice by the white working class. Next step: admitting it was an injustice, period.

* * *

The primary rhetorical virtue of the speech can be found in two words,endemic and Faulkner. Endemic is the kind of word political consultants don't let politicians use because 72% of Americans don't understand it. This lowest-common-denominator thinking, based on dizzy polling, has long degraded American discourse. When Obama said Mr. Wright wrongly encouraged "a view that sees white racism as endemic," everyone understood. Because they're not, actually, stupid. As for Faulkner -- well, this was an American politician quoting William Faulkner: "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." This is a thought, an interesting one, which means most current politicians would never share it.

The speech assumed the audience was intelligent. This was a compliment, and I suspect was received as a gift. It also assumed many in the audience were educated. I was grateful for this, as the educated are not much addressed in American politics.

Here I point out an aspect of the speech that may have a beneficial impact on current rhetoric. It is assumed now that a candidate must say a silly, boring line -- "And families in Michigan matter!" or "What I stand for is affordable quality health care!" -- and the audience will clap. The line and the applause make, together, the eight-second soundbite that will be used tonight on the news, and seen by the people. This has been standard politico-journalistic procedure for 20 years.

Mr. Obama subverted this in his speech. He didn't have applause lines. He didn't give you eight seconds of a line followed by clapping. He spoke in full and longish paragraphs that didn't summon applause. This left TV producers having to use longer-than-usual soundbites in order to capture his meaning. And so the cuts of the speech you heard on the news were more substantial and interesting than usual, which made the coverage of the speech better. People who didn't hear it but only saw parts on the news got a real sense of what he'd said.

If Hillary or John McCain said something interesting, they'd get more than an eight-second cut too. But it works only if you don't write an applause-line speech. It works only if you write a thinking speech.

They should try it.

* * *

Here's what didn't work. Near the end of the speech, Mr. Obama painted an America that didn't summon thoughts of Faulkner but of William Blake. The bankruptcies, the dark satanic mills, the job loss and corporate corruptions. There is of course some truth in his portrait, but why do appeals to the Democratic base have to be so unrelievedly, so unrealistically, bleak?

This connected in my mind to the persistent feeling one has -- the fear one has, actually -- that the Obamas, he and she, may not actually know all that much about America. They are bright, accomplished, decent, they know all about the yuppie experience, the buppie experience, Ivy League ways, networking. But they bring along with all this -- perhaps defensively, to keep their ideological views from being refuted by the evidence of their own lives, or so as not to be embarrassed about how nice fame, success, and power are -- habitual reversions to how tough it is to be in America, and to be black in America, and how everyone since the Reagan days has been dying of nothing to eat, and of exploding untreated diseases. America is always coming to them on crutches.

But most people didn't experience the past 25 years that way. Because it wasn't that way. Do the Obamas know it?

This is a lot of baggage to bring into the Executive Mansion.

Still, it was a good speech, and a serious one. I don't know if it will help him. We're in uncharted territory. We've never had a major-party presidential front-runner who is black, or rather black and white, who has given such an address. We don't know if more voters will be alienated by Mr. Wright than will be impressed by the speech about Mr. Wright. We don't know if voters will welcome a meditation on race. My sense: The speech will be labeled by history as the speech that saved a candidacy or the speech that helped do it in. I hope the former.

Check out this Quote- then be hopeful and excited

Plum Elements — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:39:24 EDT

“Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back and laugh at what has passed and you will ask yourself... 'How did I get through all of that?”

I do believe we are through one more challenge.

There will likely be others.

The good news?

Hope - The Ultimate Renewable Resource!

JWZ

Alright you all - work on this...tighten it

Plum Elements — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:03:55 EDT

When Obama talks about how hard it will be

to delink special interests from washington

or the profits from the oil companies...

he knows these challenges pale beside

separating the bigot from their hatred and

the small minded from their fear

But he knows that with all our hands and minds and hearts

at work on these challenges

WE CAN

Yes, We, Can.

JWZ

What else would we want to change the Mindset of?

Plum Elements — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:43:02 EDT

I have always loved the line...

"I do not just want to end the war, I want to end the Mindset that lead to it."

The first time I heard it...I came to my feet...in front of my television...just saying yes, yes, yes.

So...what else?

I do not just want to speak on racism... I want to change the mindset that leads to it?

I do not just want to correct the failed economic principles that have crippled our nation of late, I want to change the mindset of greed that leads to it?

What else?

Want to see some lines from you all.

Best-

Hope - The Ultimate Renewable Resource.

Plum Elements — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:34:14 EDT

How is that for a line?

Green, short, workable.

What do you think.

John

A line on Race...does it work?

Plum Elements — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:55:11 EDT

Obama can speak on the racial issue, and has, like no other candidate because, he is more than black and more than white. He is both. Not divided and made less by this. He is more. And it is from that place he has asked us as Americans of all races, to honestly, accurately, and truly look at this complex issue.

Does it work?

Can it be tighter?

Feel free to edit versions and respond people.

Best-

John

How about this one...

Plum Elements — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:21:38 EDT

Part of my support of Obama is because I am thrilled to think that our president could again be admired, globally, for his intellectual rigor, overall intelligence, and personal demeanor. This is something I have not felt for so many years, and again long to.

Lets work this line as well please

Plum Elements — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:43:55 EDT

Want to work this line as well-

From NYT OP ED PIECE (See my blog for the whole article).

"Honesty feels heady right now. For seven years, we have lived with the arid, us-against-them formulas of Bush’s menial mind, with the result that the nuanced exploration of America’s hardest subject is almost giddying.

Can an inquiring mind actually explore the half-shades of truth? Yes. It. Can."

Want to push and promote intelligence here.

Things are not always pushbutton easy and if you want that in politics and from your president...you are hurting yourself and all of us.

That is what I want to develop.

Have at it.

JWZ

This is the attraction

Something to work with ...

Plum Elements — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:47:26 EDT

The point of Great Lines For/About Obama, and My Barack Obama.com, and in fact the whole campaign,

is that WE GET TO CREATE THE SOUND WE WANT, RATHER THAN SIMPLY SURVIVING THE NOISE AROUND US.

Can any of you make that work better?

Want to get across the sense that this is an act of chosen evolution, the campaign, the man, the system affords us the opportunity to create a message and a sound we want.

In contrast there is grating noise being launched all the time from MSM/Fox/ETC.

This ties into the voices of discord, a note that has been hit since Iowa. It needs a new rhythm.

Best-

John

Best Two YET!

Plum Elements — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:44:43 EDT

Men and women are limited not by the place of their birth, not by the color of their skin, but by the size of their hope.

John Johnson
American Businessman, Founder of Johnson Publishing

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

Martin Luther King Jr.

1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964

Hope and Change mixed again

Plum Elements — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:41:28 EDT

Those who hope for no better life are dead even for this.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
1749-1832, German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist

What about this given the recent events? Tie the two?

Plum Elements — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:37:56 EDT

Hope is the parent of faith.

Cyrus A. Bartol

Obama White House

DGM — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:55:24 EDT

Barack and Michelle Obama will bring to the White House the intelligence of FDR and Eleanor, the style of JFK and Jackie, and the integrity of Harry and Bess Truman.

Faith

Brian from West Chester — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:30:53 EDT

Barack Obama has faith in America. Will America have faith in Barack Obama?

By addressing the race issue head on. By not only addressing the issue of Reverend Wright but going further to talk about the disease instead of just the symptoms, Barack Obama has once again shown his faith in the American people. The question remains whether America will return the favor.

One liners from Ahmie/DragonMama:

Plum Elements — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:47:25 EDT

* Hillary says "I will do FOR you," Barack says "WE will do this TOGETHER."

* Extensive experience is to good judgment as reading list is to comprehensive understanding - the first in each does not necessarily lead to the second.

* Barack was more "present" in deeds in the Illinois Senate than Hillary was present indeed in Ireland.

* A woman without a man is like a fish without a bycicle. Unless that man is Bill Clinton, then apparently she's experienced enough to be president!

* Barack has introduced more legislation just on the subject of ethics reform than Hillary has introduced *period*. Irony, anyone?

* Six years in the US Senate, Hillary introduced 20 pieces of legislation. His first
year in the US Senate, Barack introduced 152.

* If we look to Hillary's "lifetime of experience" to know how she'll run the country, I guess we can expect it to become the Union-Busting States of Wal-Mart.

One liner re Experience

Plum Elements — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:40:36 EDT

"Saying that Hillary has Executive Branch experience is like saying Yoko Ono was a Beatle."
Cecilia in Washington DC

The Moment and a Metaphor

Plum Elements — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:39:25 EDT

I suggest we use this simple line of common wisdom, calmly stated:

You reap What You Sew.

She has cast seeds of division and negativity through out the fertile land
of America. What negative attention she gets, she creates. When she can,
she reflects that negativity on others. This is true for this campaign, and
for her, and Bill, for virtually all the years of their public life.

I am a strong believer in the power of symbols and metaphors.

It has come to me...she is a mirror....egotistical and self absorbed...where
vision is reflected back to self...and all energy returns to the same old
place.

Obama by contrast is both a lens and a prism.
A lens that intensely focuses the energies of millions,
That casts light into dark places,
That broadcasts a picture high and bright for all to see,
That expands the visibility of that which maybe small but is important,
And that brings a rich full spectrum of color to the pure energy that is our
desire for a better tomorrow.

JWZ

Encouragement for This Now

Plum Elements — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:33:04 EDT

If you would fold now

In support of that which you chose to care for before

Then do so.

But if you have in you

A glimmer of hope

Hope that can light a way

Let it flare now

So others may see and hear you

Believe

Support

Uphold

That it is better to be lead now

By a new convention

Indeed an unconventional reality

Then continued to be mired

In the fear

The anger

The gluttony

Of our consistently chosen path

of the last many decades

There remains a choice.

You have the power to make it

As I have chosen to

You may make it

Still today

Although it may be less

Fashionable or easy

Than it once was.

I beg you

Make it now

Not because it is easy

But because it is

Both

Hard and Right.

I am with Obama

For a change

I pray you are

As well.