Linux Users for Obama

Possible Loss of liberty: Bill would give president emergency control of Internet

cantormath — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:08:09 EDT

"Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.

They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency."

Looks like the EFF is looking into this.
http://www.eff.org/press/mentions

Any politician that votes for, or is in support of, this bill (or any resemblance of this bill) will lose my vote and should lose every vote. DO NOT MAKE THIS MISTAKE Washington. I will personally go door to door and convience any and all voters that all supporters of this idea should be fired. I know I will not get them all, but I have a feeling no one can afford the votes. What good is health care without liberty (on or off the net)?

CNET SOURCE:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10320096-38.html

Wow isn't this Cool!!!

Daniel — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:55:15 EST

Dreams really do come true. What a fine day this turned out to be. Thank you all who have joined together to make this new day for us all happen. I know there is a lot more to go but heyb this is such a great start.

What a Wonderous sight at the County Recorders Office in LA

Daniel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:47:41 EST

Went to the polls and what a wonderous wonderful site, Lines!!! Long, Long, Long lines what a sweet site it was to see! Beautiful, America voting taking back its country. Thank You Mr President Barack Obama

What a Wonderous sight at the County Recorders Office in LA

Daniel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:47:40 EST

McCain Envy

Keptin — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:37:39 EDT

Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/104

McCain envy is the term used to describe a candidate's negative reactions towards another candidates success in fund raising activities. While this type of envy is nothing new it definitely has reached levels never before seen and therefore this term was coined in response to the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, John McCain. During the race Mr. McCain consistently failed to realize that the success of his opponent, Barack Obama, was a result of Obama's ability to reach out to the people. McCain could not comprehend how his own misguided Republican philosophies had proven to be dangerous and how they had nearly bankrupted the United States. Being unable to recognize these facts and being incredibly jealous of Obama, he began to imagine sinister alternatives which included Obama accepting funds from foreign entities and illegal donations, exceeding the federally mandated maximums, from the super wealthy. It was impossible for McCain to accept that millions of people from across the country all made relatively small contributions which gave Obama an unprecedented financial advantage.

McCain-Palin a Dangerous Proposition

Keptin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:42:38 EDT

Originally Posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/103

Today, Sarah Palin and John McCain started ranting about a connection between Rashid Khalidi and Barack Obama. The dual are claiming that Khalidi and Obama were “friends” and that this is disturbing since Khalidi is a PLO spokesman. First of all ties between Khalidi and the PLO have not been proven, they are just allegations. However, most importantly, there is no proof that Obama and Khalidi are friends. The connection between the two is because they both worked together at the University of Chicago and the event that Palin and McCain are alluding to in their propaganda was a going away party for Khalidi.

I myself have been present at many going away parties and at them I have always spoken favorably of the person. It is considered the professional thing to do, even if I was overjoyed by the fact that the person was leaving the organization. I myself have had many friends who have held beliefs which I find bothersome and have worked with people who's political views were definitely opposed to my own. I believe that this is true of most people in the world considering the numerous people I have met and interacted with during my college and working years.

The danger of people like McCain-Plain is that they try to draw conclusions for the most tenuous of relationships. We should not only be appalled but also realize the danger of having elected officials which hold these views. Based on their rhetoric most of us should be investigated and have our views and patriotism questioned simply because we may have talked to someone who held extreme fringe views. I would ask everyone who is currently supporting McCain to think seriously about whether or not this country can survive another four years of this hateful rhetoric. I would ask you to support Barack Obama but if you can not then please vote for a third party candidate or write someone in.

Senator Palin?

Keptin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:04:52 EDT

Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/102

While nothing is certain when it comes to the presidential race it does look like Obama will be our next president – as long as we all do show up on November 4th and cast our ballots! Consequently many of us are celebrating that Sarah Palin will go back to Alaska and hopefully never be heard from before. However, the conviction of Senator Ted Steven may change all of that. Sarah has asked that he resign should he win so that there could be a special election. There is a very real possibility that Sarah could use this as a chance to run for the open senate seat. By working together we can act today and block her for even having this opportunity and save ourselves from even having to fight that battle! Please join me in supporting Mark Begich by making a donation at http://action.begich.com/page/outreach/view/blazers/saveourcountry

ACORN: The Making of a Mountain Out of a Mole Hill

Keptin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:04:02 EDT

Originally Posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/101

After listening to John McCain and his Republican allies one would think that the organization, ACORN, set out to systematically perpetuate voter fraud on a grand scale. Firstly, no one questions the fact, even ACORN, that there were hundreds of voter registration forms that were turned in with false names. Some of these names were obvious, like Mickey Mouse, others were not since they were of people who recently departed this plane of existence. Obviously this is a problem and there does need to be an investigation of how it occurred and those found responsible must be held accountable. The problem is that McCain and his allies are making it sound as if someone is trying to “steal” this election and generate votes for Obama, since ACORN is a left leaning organization.

However, McCain, in a truly Republican tradition, is only telling you part of the story and exaggerating the potential impact of these “false” voter registrations. ACORN hires people to participate in its voter registration drives and these people, in an attempt to fulfill their quota's and keep their jobs, created false registrations. ACORN not only acknowledges this occurred but also flagged registrations it believed to be problematic and agreed, up front, to work with officials in vetting them. ACORN did not want to simply throw these registrations away as this would be illegal. Simply put, how would you feel if you filled out a voter registration card and an organization threw it away. If it turned out a Republican's voter registration card was thrown away I guarantee you McCain and his allies would be making a fuss about that.

It is truly unfortunate that these events occurred and it is going to require government resources to deal with these false registrations. However, a false registration does not equate to a fraudulent vote. First of all there is no risk that Mickey Mouse will be leaving his imaginary land to come and cast a vote for either McCain or Obama. Second, even for the names of the deceased, it would be required that someone to actually know that the deceased is on the voter rolls and then be able to obtain false identification to cast the vote. The penalties for casting a fraudulent vote are steep, ten years in prison, it would be irrational for someone to go through the expense, trouble, and risk to simply add a single vote in an election where tens of millions will participate. Finally, there is not a single documented incidence where a false registration led to a fraudulent vote. This is just another example of where the Republican's are wrong on the issues and knowing this are trying to fabricate a scandal.

The Choice of Sarah Palin by McCain Highlights Serious Danger

Keptin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:16:31 EDT

Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/100

There is an old adage about how “bad times” bring out the “worst” in people or rather it will highlight there worst traits. This fact can be clearly seen within the McCain-Palin campaign and the reports of how Sarah Palin is behaving. First of all there are the attacks on Katie Coric, that somehow Katie is solely responsible for Sarah's inability to answer questions pertaining to national security or the economy. This is now followed by Sarah and her cohorts now blaming her handlers, those from John McCain's campaign, for how poorly the public perceives her. Most alarming are the statements referring to her as a “diva” and that as a diva she refuses to take advice from anyone.

These traits are those of a poor leader, pure and simple. Without doubt Sarah does not have much in the way for foreign relations experience nor does she have much experience with addressing national level issues. As a governor her duties would not have exposed her to these types of issues and we know, from past presidents, that it is possible for a governor to become an effective president. However, the only way this transition can be made is if that person is willing to listen to others and to take advise. To do this a person most be able to admit when they are wrong and admit when they are “out of their league”. A good leader has the capacity to realize their short comings and then are capable of selecting advisors who can worth with them in overcoming their short comings. No leader, no matter how long they have been around, will have all the experience necessary to run this country. We must, as citizens of this great country, have a leader who is capable of relying on others for assistance.

For the last eight years this country has been run by a man who has been arrogant and who has led this country into the predicament it is in today. We can ill afford to end up with another who is like him. While John McCain is the name, on the ballot, as president we must face the stark reality that there is a high risk he will not be able to complete his term. However, what is more important than this, is the fact that he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. A good leader must be capable of choosing advisors who will be capable of assisting him in times of turmoil. A good leader must be able to depend on his/her advisors in times of turmoil and not be concerned with having them going behind his/her back. Given that John McCain failed to properly vet and choose a running mate who he could depend on gives us very little confidence that he will be able to choose the remainder of his cabinet in a manner which will be beneficial to this country.

Help Al Tinklenberg Win in Minnesota!

Keptin — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:13:56 EDT

Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/98

As a life long resident of Minnesota I must admit that I am deeply embarrassed by Michelle Bachman's recent remarks calling liberals "un-American". It is time we, as Americans, must stand up and face down this type of senseless rhetoric. The "American Democracy" exists because our country was built on the foundation of free speech and the open exchange of ideas. The idea of calling someone un-American because they disagree with you just a method of suppressing free speech and this open exchange of ideas. Furthermore, promoting the investigation of anyone with these different ideas is an even strong method in achieving this. The problems faced by this country exist because not enough people spoke up loud enough when they began and a big reason for that was fear. Fear of being fired, fear of being called un-American, and fear of having your patriotism questioned.

We need members of the US Congress who will stand up for the basic rights laid out by our founders and for which many have died to protect. Please join me in supporting Al Tinklenberg for US Congress in the MN's sixth district. He is the candidate who is best suited to represent the needs of all of the districts residents and we know that he will not call you “un-American” for disagreeing with him!

Al's website is located at: http://www.tinklenberg08.com

Limited Edition T-Shirt! (or get a Special Magnet!)

Danny Daemonic — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:47:34 EDT

As I'm sure you have heard over and over, tonight's the deadline for donations to be factored into the campaign budget for the last week and a half. That doesn't mean this is the last day you can give, but if you were waiting for the last minute to throw in a couple more bucks, this is the best time for it so your donation can be worked into the closing strategy and budget. Also there are two three new freebies you can get by donating now.

Republicans Conceding Presidential Race?

Keptin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:38:49 EDT

Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/97

While it may seem like good news if they are it is more likely just a ploy. The Republican party is saying this as a method to encourage independents and undecideds to vote for Republican senators and house candidates. Sending the idea that one party control is a bad thing since it was when the Republicans had full control. The other reason why they are using this ploy is that they are hoping that Obama supporters will decided to not vote. There are many who may think, “why bother voting, Obama has it in the bag.” However, this is by far the most dangerous line of thinking one can take, the only way Obama can win is if we all get out there and vote!

Also, Obama still needs donations to combat the lies that the RNC and McCain are pushing with their robocalls!

John McCain: Mortgage Crisis Avoidable

Keptin — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:41:10 EDT

Originally posted at: http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/96

Today John McCain made the claim that if he had been president that the mortgage crisis which ultimately is responsible for dragging the whole economy down, would have been avoided if he had been president. Here is the problem, John McCain has been an active supporter of the deregulation that led to this mess. The reversal of regulations that were put in place after the great depression that would prevent banks from over investing the money of others in risky areas. Based on his long history of deregulation it is impossible to believe that he would have acted any differently than if he had run against Bush and won. It is clear that John does not understand how we got in this mess and that his policies were a direct cause!

Hello, I am Scott - the Future Guy

Keptin — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:57:32 EDT

Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/95

Hello, I am Scott the future guy, I am 85 years old and I just got off of a ten hour shift and now I am going to baby sit my grand children while my son goes and works his ten hour shift (can't afford a baby sitter). Unfortunately for me there is no longer any social security left because all our taxes are going to make the interest payments on the national debt. My 401K plan, which I thought would help me through, all but evaporated after successive blunders by executives who were running it. By the way, they all now live on some island they built using the money they collected from their golden parachutes (couldn't buy an island anymore because all the rest are under water - global warming).

Unfortunately all of this could have been prevented back in the election of '08, all we would have done was not have voted for the candidates that claimed the “other guy” was going to “spread the wealth”. I kinda feel like my wealth was taken from me and spent a few decades ago!

Hello, I am Scott the guy living in '08 – please help me avoid having to meet this future Scott by support Barack Obama for president. We can not afford another four years of tax cutting at the expense of increasing the national debt, we can not afford another four years of name calling, we can not afford another four years of questioning the patriotism of others just because we disagree on the issues, we can not afford another four years of calling those we disagree with terrorists, but the bottom line is our future can not afford it!

Please join me by support Barack Obama by making a donation at http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/saveourcountryus and also please post a message at http://www.saveourcountry.us/forum/4 telling us why you support Barack Obama for president!

Network neutrality

cantormath — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:38:00 EDT

Does anyone know Barak Obama's or Joe Biden's position on Network Neutrality?

As stated on Wikipedia........

Network neutrality (equivalently net neutrality, Internet neutrality or simply NN) is a principle that is applied to residential broadband networks, and potentially to all networks. A neutral broadband network is one that is free of restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, on the modes of communication allowed, which does not restrict content, sites or platforms, and where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams.

Network neutrality in the U. S. is a contentious issue. Currently there is generally network neutralityUS, meaning that telecommunications companies rarely offer different rates to broadband and dial-up internet consumers based on internet-based content or service type; however, there are no clear legal restrictions against this. Some broadband services, for example Verizon's Fios, block port 80, preventing consumers from running a website on the standard http port unless they upgrade to a "business" account. In recent years, advocates of network neutrality have sought to restrict such changes while publicly criticizing proposed changes by telecommunications companies. in the

In 2005 and 2006, corporations supporting both sides of the issue spent large amounts of money lobbying Congress. In 2006, representatives from several major U.S. corporations and the federal government publicly addressed U.S. Internet services in terms of the nature of free market forces, the public interest, the physical and software infrastructure of the internet, and new high-bandwidth technologies.

The possibility of regulations designed to mandate the neutrality of the Internet has been subject to fierce debate.

More on what Network Neutrality is can be found on Wikipedia.com

40% Do Not Pay Income Taxes – The Manipulation of the Numbers and Words

Keptin — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:40:42 EDT

Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/93

Recently the republicans have been making a big deal about Obama's tax plan. They are claiming that it is socialist in nature since Obama will increase the taxes on the wealthiest and cut taxes on everyone else. The republicans claim that 40% of US citizens do not pay income taxes but this is just a matter of how you define taxes. In truth, no matter what your income, we all pay FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act aka Social Security Tax) and FMHI (Medicare) taxes, although the republican's call these “fees”. I, like many hard working people are tired of the play on words, any time anyone has to pay the government it is a tax, plain and simple. Furthermore, these taxes are based on income and therefore are “income taxes”, from working, so the claim by republicans that only 40% pay taxes is patently false! (If you do not have income from working you will not have these taxes) Obama's plan is giving people a credit for these taxes paid, they do not get a “free pass” rather they are credited $500 for having paid these taxes. Currently all workers, unless you make in excess of $100K per year, pay 7.65% of their income for FICA and FMHI, Obama's credit would effectively protects the first $6,500 from that tax.

Giving those in lower income tax brackets a tax cut is not socialism and charging those in upper income tax brackets a higher rate also is not socialism. It is all a matter of a difference in opinions of what the tax policy should be here in the US. Considering how badly those of us in the middle class are being pinched it makes good economic sense to allow us to keep more of our money. Furthermore, because we have more money we will have more money to spend thereby increasing business revenues and encouraging them to hire more employees to meet demand.

No rational employer will hire additional employees because they received a tax cut, employers increase payrolls when they believe payroll expenses will be offset by additional revenues. Employers lay people off when the current workforce is capable of producing product that exceeds demand. Employers increase workforce when the current staffing levels can not produce a level of supply which meets demand. If consumers have more money in their pocketbooks then their demand for products will increase thereby resulting in more employment opportunities and thereby increasing profits for business owners. However, this is not a “transfer” of wealth, it is all about cutting taxes for one group and returning the taxes to another group to what existed prior to Bush's tax cuts. It is about restoring government revenues to offset the budget deficits that have been brought upon us in the last eight years.

The problem with the republican policies is they cut taxes on the wealthiest and have financed those cuts with debt. In effect they are cutting taxes for a select group today at the expense of additional taxes on future generations. Someday, somehow this debt will need to be paid back, it is not going to magically evaporate. That national debt is nothing but an instrument to transfer debt from future generations to today. One would be hard pressed to even find socialists who would believe this was a justifiable redistribution of wealth!

What If...

Keptin — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:18:13 EDT

Originally posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/92

What if the supreme court had not stopped the recount and Al Gore really did win the 2000 election. How the last eight years would have been different. The United States definitely would have been in a different situation than it is in today. The nation's military involvement, its debt, dependence on foreign oil, and even the current political race would be drastically different.

First of all we probably would have been attacked on September 11th. It is possible that a President Gore would have acted differently than Bush and would have taken actions to prevent it, but let us assume nothing could have changed that. Without doubt, contrary to the rhetoric of some conservatives, he would have ordered us to take military action in Afghanistan. However, we definitely would not have attacked Iraq, a President Gore would not have had the predisposition demonstrated by Bush and his allies, to attack this country. Without doubt the primary reason why Bush and his allies “read” the intelligence in a manner which led us to believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was because they wanted to find something to justify an attack. Without the Iraq distraction, the United States would have, by now, captured Bin Laden and been able to complete its mission there. Furthermore we would have rebuilt that country, transferred power back to its people, and our soldiers would be home.

Without the enormous costs of these wars our national deficit would not be what it is today. Furthermore, a President Gore would not have given the richest, in this country, the tax breaks which Bush handed out (and Palin-McCain are calling us “socialists” for wanting to reverse them). These two facts alone would have significantly reduced, if not eliminated, the incredible increase in the US national debt. The national debt is what is causing the dollar's value to decline and does have an impact on oil prices. Simply put, as the dollar declines, the price of oil increases. The declining dollar is not the only reason why oil prices spiked last summer but it is part of the problem. The other part of the problem is the demand for oil and the United States does import 70% of its oil.

Under a President Gore, we would have, without doubt, seen a decrease in our dependence on oil. Al Gore has been a strong advocate for reducing green house gases and eliminating our dependence on oil. Under his leadership this nation would be further along in its need to utilize alternative energy sources. The carbonites (those who advocate continued use of fossil fuels) have relentlessly attacked people like Gore, claiming that moving to alternative energy sources is too costly. However, the price of energy is definitely a reason why this country economy is in a downward spiral. It may cost us, in the short term, to switch over but if we do it then we never again will be dependent on foreign nations for our energy needs and our economy would be protected from the actions of foreign entities like OPEC.

Eight years ago we all made choices, some chose to vote for George Bush, some for Al Gore, some for another person, and many chose to not vote at all. Many who did not vote believe that there was no reason to do so because it would not make a difference and there are some who believe that today. I would ask you to carefully consider how things would have been different had Al Gore won in 2000. How different the world would be today without the Iraq war, how our nation debt would not have gone from five trillion to ten trillion dollars, how the war in Afghanistan would be over, and how oil energy prices would not have caused enormous financial pain. Without doubt the world would be different, that is why on November 4th it is important to vote.

On November 4th, you will have the choice between voting for the status quo or to vote for someone who will make a change. Make no mistake, Palin-McCain claim to be agents of change, however all you need to do is examine their record in this race to see they are no different than Bush. The fact that they will question the patriotism of anyone who disagrees with their stances, call people terrorists for holding a differing political view, and calling them “socialists” for having a tax policy that taxes the rich and not the poor. While John McCain may have been a “maverick” he has forfeited any right to continue to make that claim. He has allowed his campaign to be consumed by rhetoric which has become the cancer of this great country during the Bush administration. It is no longer a campaign based on the principals he claimed to believe in at its beginning, instead it has been preempted by Republican neo-cons under the leadership of Sarah Palin. This November 4th be sure to vote and remember your vote does matter, the only way we can put this country back on track is to put Obama into the white house!

It is Time to Up the Ante

Keptin — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:18:09 EDT

With Obama ahead in the polls it would be all to easy to become complacent but Obama's lead is resulting in even more accusations from Palin-McCain. Every day we are seeing an increasing number of smeers from calling Obama a terrorist to calling him a socialist because he wants to roll back Bush's tax cuts. We need to get the truth out there and we need to push hard to make sure other voters do not fall prey to these lies.

The bottom line is this, we can vote for a ticket (Palin-McCain) that will transfer wealth from future generations to ours by continuing to grow the national debt or we can vote for Obama-Biden who will work to make sure that we pay our bills today. Palin-McCain come from the same fabric of Bush and Bush has thrown the biggest party for the rich of all time. Then when that party came to screeching halt and the bill came due we the US people had to shell out $700 billion dollars to keep the entire economy from tanking. While we all benefit from a healthy economy its the rich that have gained the most from this bail out, the CEOs who get multi-million dollar parachutes while the middle class and poor see their 401Ks drop.

Having higher taxes on the rich is not just wealth distribution but its about having those most able to pay to help out. It is about paying back into the kitty for the privileged in living in a society and under a structure that allowed you to obtain that success. The problem with today's rich is that they are all too willing to pull the ladder up after they get to the top. They are all too happy to receive hand-outs that benefit them (ie the bail out) but decry any assistance that will benefit others.

For the record, I am a small business owner, I pray for the day when I will be impacted by Obama's tax plan!

A Vote for Obama is NOT Unpatriotic

Keptin — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:10:16 EDT

While there are many reasons why I would never support the Palin-McCain ticket there is one that stands out above all else. The ongoing insinuations that voting for anyone else is putting country last and anti-American. This can be illustrated when these candidates claim they are visiting “pro-America” parts of this country and that we can put “country first or Obama first”. These tactics of calling us the “bad guys” is simply wrong! I know that I for one love my country and I can honestly say the same of everyone that I know who supports Obama!

I support Obama because I fully believe his policies will be what works best for OUR country. I support Obama because I believe that his policies will be what will put OUR country back on the right path. I support Obama because I believe he will bring prosperity back to OUR country. I support Obama because I believe he will be the one who will pursue the best policies to bring OUR country energy independence. I support Obama because I believe he will once again make OUR country a bright beacon in the world.

Most of all, I support Obama because I fully believe he is the one candidate who will not question my patriotism or the love I have of OUR country just because we disagree.

This November please vote and please vote for Obama even if you live in an area where he will surely win. We must send a very strong message that the era of questioning the patriotism of others just because we disagree is OVER!

That One

Mike Ely — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:53:24 EDT

"That one" what, Senator McCain? That one there? That one who's going
to be our next Commander in Chief? That one there who didn't grow up
the privileged son and grandson of admirals? That one there who had to
take out student loans in order to become one of the eminent
constitutional scholars of our time? That one, who has actual, detailed
policies that put the USA and all her citizens before the selfish
demands of the extremely wealthy? That one there, who actually knows
how to address a fellow Senator with respect? That one there, who just
showed the nation a "steady hand at the tiller" while you paced in your
agitation about the stage?

Yeah, that one. And that one has my vote in this election for the
Presidency.

Obama '08: That one, for everyone.

Dictator McCain?

Keptin — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:33:26 EDT

I invite you to listen to the video I have posted at http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/84. I found it disturbing, to say the least, when McCain said, "I’m not saying this is the perfect answer. If I were dictator, which I always aspire to be, I would write it a little bit differently." Its is possible that McCain was just trying to be funny but this is not something which we, as members of a Democratic Republic, find acceptable.

McCain-Palin Ticket Loses Ground!

Keptin — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:45:22 EDT

Originally Posted at Save Our Country

First, at 12:34 PM ET CNN reports that Huckabee stated that McCain made a huge mistake when he even floated the idea of cancelling his plans to attend the debate. The full article can be found at (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/26/mccain-made-huge-mistake-huckabee-says/) but essentially he stated what I previously did in my blog entry "When a Crises Occurs the World Keeps Turning" (http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/80). Although McCain has since agreed to attend the debates it is still of grave concern that he tried to duck out of his responsibilities as a presidential candidate.

Now conservatives are calling for Sarah’s removal from the ticket (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/26/palin-should-step-down-conservative-commentator-says/)! Not long ago McCain’s campaign criticized Obama for choosing Biden as his running mate, they made the claim that Obama screwed up one of the most important responsibilities as a presidential candidates (although McCain himself later came out and complimented Obama on his choice - http://www.saveourcountry.us/node/50). It will be interesting to see if his campaign will acknowledge their blunder and how they will get past it.

Truthfully, this proves that McCain is in no way ready to lead this country!

When a Crisis Occurs the World Keeps Turning

Keptin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:37:06 EDT

Originally Posted at Save Our Country

No matter what the crisis or emergency the rest of the world will continue moving on. Even though our economy is in crisis a war still rages on in Iraq and Afghanistan, the polar ice caps are still at the second lowest point in history, and the energy crisis continues. We have a major crisis that has the potential of dragging us into a deep recession or worse, a depression. However, it not, by any means, the only thing we are facing. With that said the presidential debates must go on!

Nothing is going to change the fact that we have a major election rapidly approaching and we have a right to hear the two candidates debate. Their ability to debate in a time of crisis will be a test of their ability to operate as president when there is a crisis. In an emergency the president does not have the luxury of taking a break from everything else to just focus on that crisis. Obviously he or she will need to focus on that emergency and other items will not receive as much attention but they can not be ignored.

The most important aspect of our country are our elections and our ability to choose a new leader. We have a right to hear our candidates square off and answer questions pertaining to issues they will fight for. Without doubt we can not rely on the campaign ads as even Rove pointed out, they do not pass the 100% truth test! John, if you want to show us you are presidential material than prove to us that you can handle the stresses of a crisis and still fulfill the full obligations of the job!

What next?

Patrick from Columbia and Florence, SC — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:44:10 EDT

So what will we do after FISA is resolved tomorrow? Many of us on here are major Obama supporters and despite our disappointment with Senator Obama's stance on the FISA "compromise" bill, will still support him. I will continue my support because of Mr. Obama's commitment towards education, research, and development. Never before have we seen a major candidate run on a platform that contains a major commitment to the sciences as well as technology and in particular, open-source. That he stated that DARPA will be fully funded is more than enough to balance out my disappointment over FISA.

That being said, many of his supporters are watching Obama more closely, and if let down again many may possibly just stay home November 4th.

So what should we do to protect our interests? As most of you know, the get fisa right group became the largest on mybarackobama.com within about a week. Members have made thousands of calls to their representatives, many numerous times.

Because of this groups familiarity with technology, we have been able to organize in a way never before seen. We have for the first time the ability to form a consensus and send thousands of emails and phone calls. Many of us spend several hours a day communicating with each other and letting others know what we think.

It is for these reasons that we should stick together after the FISA vote to protect our other interests. I know that many on here are interested in topics such as Net Neutrality and education reform. If we throw our new found weight, our time and energy, towards what we believe in, we can acheive great things.

It is time for us to come together, using the power of technology as well as our personal dedication, to create a better world to live in.

Thanks for taking the time to read this,
Patrick Laban
Columbia, SC

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

Patrick from Columbia and Florence, SC — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:56:16 EDT

Dear Senator Barack Obama,

An article has appeared on the popular technology site slashdot.org that states that you may be planning to support the "compromise" telecoms immunity bill. Today I am writing you to ask that you continue to vote against telecoms immunity for warrantless wiretaps.

As you are no doubt aware, you have the support from a large majority of people withen the open source community, myself included. The reason for this is your support for the open source movement as well as your efforts to preserve the internet openness through supporting net neutrality and voting against the telecoms immunity act.

Sir, I beg of you as an ardent supporter not to vote for this no bill. Let there be no supposed compromises as long as telecoms get immunity from lawsuits.

The Fourth Amendment grants us protection from unreasonable searches and seizures. When President Bush authorized warrantless wiretaps, it is my opinion that he blatantly violated the fourth amendment. By giving the NSA private user data without a warrant, the telecoms violated the law. Only by punishing them for this act can citizens be protected.

Let me reiterate. I ask that you do not vote for a bill that gives telecoms immunity from lawsuits by individuals who have had their private data given to the NSA without a warrant.

100% Pure Offtopic Post

Mike Ely — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:29:40 EDT

So this evening, I was having the sort of high-faluting thoughts that parents sometimes have, thinking about the amazing trancedental importance of raising a child (something I do alone), and marveling at the mysteries such thoughts brought about. It was at that point that something told me to actually look at my six-year-old - the one who was inspiring such thoughts. She was fully engrossed in her own realm, enthusiastically practicing a skill I learned at her age (but did not teach her - honest!): armpit-farting.

Yes, it is truly a procession of wonders, this parenting thing. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

History (and why I welcome this primary (and why Obama needs to win))

Mike Ely — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:23:53 EDT

I can't sleep. It's late, and I'm very tired, but I can't sleep. Has to do with the sunburn that currently covers the top of my head, and a complete 360-degree circumference of my face, ears, and the back of my neck. Such is the price of canvassing in beautiful weather, and frankly I enjoyed the experience enough that this logy discomfort I currently feel isn't enough to dissuade me from a repeat, although I may well wear a hat and some sunscreen next time around.

(very lenghthy blog post below the fold)

The Way We Talk

Mike Ely — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:54:43 EDT

Spent the better part of the day browsing news sites, and pretty much every one has comments sections attached to their stories. One of the things I've noticed is that there is more and more of the sort of immature name-calling type of communication that I've typically associated with a subset of Republicans and other conservative AM-radio listeners, but this time coming from Democrats arguing about the primary.

The More There Is To Do...

Mike Ely — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:43:24 EDT

Have you ever noticed how sometimes, when life is filled with more business than there are hours in the day, we can rise to the occasion, prioritize, and get the lot of it done? And then, when you really don't have a lot to do, you leave the TV off because you can't be bothered to get the remote?

Throwing The Hat In

Mike Ely — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:30:48 EDT

I've been a nonaffiliated voter for many years now, in large part due to my own disillusionment with the Democratic Party, which I’d felt had abandoned its principles in favor of winning at any cost. To my mind, that was the tactic of the other big party, and the inevitable result was anti-democratic (spelled with both cases of “D”).

These days, I probably have a lot more to lose by throwing in for a particular candidate, so why did I finally choose to step forward?

1 month to the next primary...

Rev Bry — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:21:21 EDT

How are you preparing??

March for Obama

Kyle — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:41:38 EST

I found out through my local group that HRC's compaign is attempting to organize something they are calling a "Million American March" next Saturday 3/1 all across the country. It's time to mobilize. Everyone get with your local groups to march for Barack Obama at the same time. We want to come out in much greater numbers than HRC's people, since we already know there are much more than a million of us.

This is a great way to spread the word and grow the movement as well.

Fired up and ready to go!

YES WE CAN!!!!!!!!

Why Linux users should support Barack Obama

Kyle — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:46:20 EST

I just checked netcraft.com for all the major candidates for president. It should come as no surprise to those of us who use Linux on a regular basis that Barack Obama runs his web site on Linux. But the real surprise comes when looking at the other candidates. Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Mike Huckabee are all running their sites on Windows Server 2003. This information is all correct as of today according to netcraft. I did see a couple of weeks ago that netcraft said that barackobama.com was running FreeBSD, but it says Linux now, and FreeBSD is still much better for running web sites as sophisticated as this one than Windows Server 2003.

Obama for America! Obama for Linux! YES WE CAN!!

Sweeps week for Obama!

Kyle — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:23:24 EST

Barack Obama has won mightily in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. These weren't even close races, these were landslide victories. TKO Obama! I just want to take this moment to thank everyone who volunteered to campain and phonebank for Barack Obama and those who continue to pray for him. Keep up the great work and thank God for Barack Obama!

CNN confident Obama wins Virginia!

Kyle — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:23:14 EST

The polls have only just closed in Virginia, but CNN is already reporting Barack Obama as the winner there. A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped me make this big win possible in my state of birth. Keep praying for and supporting Barack Obama in every way you can.

US should move to open source EHR

Bryan — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:21:50 EST

Barack Obama is not unique is not unique is advocating increased use of electronic health records. As a physician, I ahve some reservations and suggestions about a nationwide move to EHR.

Create renewable, cleaner energy.

*Richard Zack* — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:53:30 EDT

"The United States has 3 percent of the world's oil reserves. We use 25 percent of the world's oil. We can't drill our way out of the problem. What we can do is create renewable, cleaner energy sources for the twenty-first century. Instead of subsidizing the oil industry, we should end every single tax break the industry currently receives and demand that 1 percent of the revenues from oil companies with over $1 billion in quarterly profits go toward financing alternative energy research and the necessary infrastructure. Not only would such a project pay huge economic, foreign policy, and environmental dividends - it could be the vehicle by which we train an entire new generation of American scientists and engineers and a source of new export industries and high-wage jobs."

-- From The Audacity of Hope, page 169, by Barack Obama

Health Care woes!!

**Pinkie~Pie** — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:03:57 EDT

i AM A MOTHER OF 5 CHILDREN RANGING IN AGE FROM 13-3YEARS OLD. ICANNOT BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW FED UP I AM WITH THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM!! MY OLDEST CHILD HAS ADRENAL INSUFFUCCIENCY, AND IS ALSO GH DEFIEICIENT. HE ALSO SUFFERS FROM ADHD AS WELL AS CHRONIC SINUS ISSUES.SO JUST IMAGINE.. WE ARE ALWAYS IN NEED OF SOME KIND OF SPECIALIST. OF COURSE WITH 5 KIDS, ONE JOB, AND ONE CHILD WITH SO MANY ISSUES.. I CANNOT AFFORS HEALTH CARE FOR HIM, SO HE HAS MEDICAID. WHAT A JOKE!! THEY ACTUALLY THINK THEY ARE DOING US A FAVOR BY PROVIDING US WITH MEDICAID? WE NEED A REFORM SO BAD!! THE HMO CRAP SUCKS SEVERELY!! I SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO TO ANY SPECIALIST I FEEL LIKE MY CHILD NEEDS WITHOUT A DAMN REFERRAL. SOME DOCTORS DONT EVEN WANT TO TEST YOUR CHILD FOR CERTAIN DISEASES...HOW STUPID IS THAT? IF THERE WAS A DOCTOR/PEDIATRICIAN WHO ACTUALLY CARED B4 HAND.. MY SON WOULD HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED A LOOONG TMIE AGO B4 3 YEARS AGO. HE UNDERGOES DAILY INJECTIONS AND MEDS. WHICH SOMETIMES B/C OF THE HMO I DONT GET MY SONS INJECTINS ON TIME .. AND MAYBE UP TO A MONTH LATER!!!

SOMEONE HAS TO HELP WITH THIS MEDICAIS SITUATION FOR OUR CHILDRENS SAKE! THEY ARE TRULY OUR FUTURE!!

Sending out more copies of The Audacity of Hope

*Richard Zack* — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 02:14:51 EDT

The mission.. Barack Obama for President 2008!

The goal.. help people learn more about Barack Obama..

The way.. enable and encourage people to read it straight from him..

The method.. provide free copies of The Audacity of Hope to voters who currently are not convinced that Senator Obama should be elected President!

So far, ten copies of The Audacity of Hope have been given to voters who would not otherwise have purchased the book. Five to Democrats who are undecided or are supporting someone other than Senator Obama, and five to Republicans who need the truth, unaltered by the conservative media. The results after three days? TWO more Senator Obama supporters!

I've ordered more books and am looking for more people who could benefit from them. Remember, must be voters who are currently undecided!

Please support my efforts! By making a small $5.00 "thanks for sending out the books" donation under my name at http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/acclivous it will mean a lot to know that the community is supporting this effort.

Also, leave a comment to express your opinion!

And finally, if you have a lightly used copy of The Audacity of Hope that you would like to recycle to potential voters who are undecided, please message me!

Finally, everyone make sure to get out and Canvass for Change on October 13th. Reach out to your community and spread the word that it is time to Turn the Page on Iraq. Barack has a plan to start bringing our troops home, but he needs your help to share that message with friends, family and neighbors. More information on www.barackobama.com.

Sending out free copies of The Audacity of Hope

*Richard Zack* — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:50:51 EDT

My latest effort to contribute to the campaign came from this thought.... what inspired me to support Barack Obama?

Watching his YouTube videos got me interested, but the biggest impetus to act was reading his book, The Audacity of Hope. It convinced me that Barack Obama should be our next President. His plans and philosophies were laid out in a concrete and compelling fashion.

So.... The other day I ordered ten copies of The Audacity of Hope from Amazon. They just arrived, and I've begun sending copies of these books to various associates.

Five of them are going to Democrats who are still undecided.

Five of them are going to Republicans who need to hear what he has to say.

If you know anyone who you think could really benefit from a free copy of the book, please let me know who and why, and I'll make it happen!!

The NYC Rally... so inspiring!

*Richard Zack* — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:15:18 EDT

The NYC rally was incredible... the culmination of weeks of work from all the volunteers (including myself) and staff members. It was so fulfilling to see and hear Obama show us how together we can make a difference and how we can change the world. Several people in the audience (including myself) were moved to tears at the event. I never in a million years thought that such a candidate would step forward in my lifetime. Barack Obama is the most sensible, balanced, wise, charismatic, practical, and realistic leader of our time.

As a volunteer, I helped get the event setup and then walked around doing voter registration. Our team of ten volunteers signed up almost 500 people to vote. That in and of itself is amazing.. but it was just one small part of the tremendous effort everyone put into the campaign. While I personally only registered 17 new voters (wow is it difficult when so many people are already registered), I couldn't help but feel like I was part of something bigger.. part of a real movement to change the world for the better.

Barack Obama is truly a hero and a role model. His stances on Iraq, universal healthcare, universal education, and ending the game-playing of partisan politics that has plagued our country for decades, is truly on-point and is what our country needs in this new millenium.

A huge thanks to Barack Obama, all his staff members and volunteers for putting tremendous effort into making this a wonderful event for our city, and our nation.

A media on time and for our time

Nick Winlund — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:24:30 EDT

There's a few problems with the way the independent media works today -- either left-wing, right-wing or made of independent subsets within our political spectrum.

The first and foremost issue is full use of protocol and standards. On an American technological level it is relatively easy to design and implement protocol. The Mozilla/Firefox Web browser and the professional standardization of hierarchical computer filesystems has made it possible for people of most income stratas to get online and continue working or playing online.

To give an example from home, on barackobama.com's blogs why does javascript insert its own paragraph breaks and indentations? If as programmers and designers we can fuse the why and what with a demand economics-based ratio of value over incentives then the politicians and people who handle money can markedly understand where the what is, who is behind the qualifying "what is" and how actions extrapolated from why are tied to money and make a profit.

The next issue is largely a microcosmic political hurdle to overcome. Our change zooms in on all the City Council and state employee hacks, corrupt businessmen with regional control of the Chambers of Commerce, our counties resources and the policy directions of local ISPs. These fossils, sociopaths and crooks are in denial about change. They fear change and they fear us. They confuse the message and launch personal attacks. Many lawyers will have to help fully reconcile the economic and legal damage that the crazy people in industry have done.

The most important step is the media itself. Strategic or collaborative media occurs at the public profit level with groups like PBS' "NewsHour". Collaborative media can happen within the for-profit corporate boundaries of news channels such as CBS News, AFP and news.google.com but for the most part within those conscripted ( or should I say pre-scripted ) boundaries it's collaborative and exploratory only to the point of benefiting corporations and their parent holding companies.

As a people we must together serve up a framework with the help of full time contributors, scholars, temps and collaborators which will construct, enable and keep sustaining a media " bridge " that we all can cross at full speed, with leisure or at our pace. Nobody can be pushed off the bridge once they've decided to take the path. Everyone can lean over the bridge and see how it is built; how many bolts, beams, arches, clasps and concrete foundations this crossing has metaphorically speaking. With both full disclosure and notice, us engineers can periodically maintain this creation, take pride in our work and get paid for it.

The bridge is there to facilitate travel or the free flow of information which can go both ways. People should be able to talk to, link in, connect with or bond to each other directly in a safe, comfortable and secure manner or indirectly with each other by some intermediary manner as long as there's commissioned protocol, ethics and morals in personal and professional dealings notwithstanding.

The money is there. This is America not China or some banana republic. It's now a matter of getting our lawmakers to practice full diligence. It's up to them and us to instill accountability and transparency even when the feds are applying maximum amounts of resistance with their kicking and screaming. It's up to the intellectuals who have always been honest about academics and academic finance and been denied a college education, the smart pundits who don't use empty rhetoric and personal attacks to make their message and all the others who want a better tomorrow, today. VOTE OBAMA in 2008.

Quoting Sen. Durbin's online remarks:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/6/13/135538/117

"One thing I know we have to do is communicate and coordinate more -- because only through an open exchange of ideas can we truly develop an agenda and an overall message that all of us can get behind and promote in our own ways. What's more, by blogging and communicating and producing other forms of rich content (like web video, podcasting, and the like), we're not just mobilizing our existing community, we're bringing more people into our movement .."

Selection of MidWest Large Minded or Million Goal Groups including a Midwest Top 150! Join One Million MySpace Friends for Obama'08 here and on MySpace. See URLs below. Thanks!

One Million MySpace Friends for Obama'08 in Minnesota! — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 12:36:52 EDT

1.) My.BarackObama.com: Link (PLACE HOLDER)

2.) Official MySpace profile: Link (under construction)

3.) Official Group profile on MySpace: Link (PLACE HOLDER)

****************************************************************************************

PLEASE DONATE WHATEVER YOU CAN TO ONE MILLION MYSPACE FRIENDS FOR OBAMA'08'S MIDWEST $10,000 CAMPAIGN COFFER DRIVES!

****************************************************************************************

<A href="Link />
<A href="Link />
<A href="Link />
<A href="Link />
<A href="Link />
<A href="Link />
<A href="Link />
<A href="Link Dakota!</A>

<A href="Link Dakota!</A>

<A href="Link />
<A href="Link />
<A href="Link />
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MIDWEST'S TOP 150! If you would like your group to be added or deleted from my list please let me know.

Hooray for Women of the 21st Century! Eric Keroack Resigns! Hooray!

One Million MySpace Friends for Obama'08 in Minnesota! — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 12:33:15 EDT

Washington">Link Post

Family Planning Official Resigns

Friday, March 30, 2007; A07

The doctor in charge of the Bush administration's family planning programs resigned yesterday after revealing that state Medicaid officials had taken action against his private medical practice in Massachusetts.

Eric Keroack, an obstetrician-gynecologist, became deputy assistant secretary for population affairs in November, advising Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt on matters such as reproductive health and adolescent pregnancy. He oversaw $283 million in annual family planning grants designed to provide access to contraceptive supplies, especially for low-income people.

Family planning advocates panned the pick, noting that Keroack also had served as medical director of A Woman's Concern, a nonprofit Christian pregnancy counseling organization in Massachusetts that on its Web site opposed the distribution of contraceptives as "demeaning to women."

In an e-mail to colleagues yesterday, Keroack said he was resigning to focus on appealing the action by Massachusetts Medicaid officials. HHS officials declined to provide more details, and state Medicaid officials could not be reached.

"It's a good day for women's health," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "Keroack was unqualified to run the nation's family planning program. . . . The nation's family planning program should be run by a champion for women's health and safety."

-- Christopher Lee

Fox News Horrible Record Attacking Black People Ban the Presidential Debates Deal! Please sign letter!

One Million MySpace Friends for Obama'08 in Minnesota! — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 12:30:17 EDT

Dear Friends,

Fox News has a horrible record of attacking Black people, politicians,
and cultural institutions. But, at this very moment, the Congressional
Black Caucus has agreed to partner with Fox News to host presidential
debates prior to the 2008 elections.

For the CBC Institute to partner with an organization like Fox
News--given its hostility to Black political interests--is
shameful. I've signed on with ColorOfChange.org to help prevent them
from making this serious mistake. Will you join us in calling on the
Institute to drop its talks with Fox?

Link />
The CBC Institute, an organization led by Black members of Congress,
claims to share ColorOfChange.org's goal of politically empowering
Black America. But after being presented with the case against Fox
and hearing vocal opposition from over 12,000 ColorOfChange.org
members, the CBC Institute elected to complete a deal with Fox.
We'd expect that they would recognize the obvious: that validating
Fox News as legitimate hurts Black America, and undermines the
CBC's credibility.

Fox's record is horrible. Their on-air personalities and regular
guests consistently marginalize Black politicians, culture, and
institutions. In fact, Sen. Obama has stopped giving interviews to Fox
reporters because of repeated attacks on his character and intimations
that he has connections to terrorism. Even the Democratic Party in
Nevada backed out of doing a debate with Fox because of remarks about
Obama, but the CBC Institute hasn't moved.

And it's not just Obama. Here's a sampling of the kind of offensive
messages put out on Fox News:

* Commenting on Hannity & Colmes about the speakers at Coretta Scott
King's funeral, featured guest Mary Matalin said, "I think these civil
rights leaders are nothing more than racists" who are keeping "their
African-American brothers enslaved."

* Jesse Lee Peterson, a regular guest who is Black said: "Kwanzaa is a
racist, pagan, Marxist holiday" and then claimed that the "so-called
seven principles of Kwanzaa are socialist, Marxist, separatist
ideas... if a white man started a white holiday, seven-day white
holiday, black folks would be burning down America."

* Erik Rush, another Black guest, labeled Sen. Obama's church as cultish
and separatist for espousing values of black unity and black
empowerment (Fox regularly selects Black guests it knows will
undermine Black causes). Rush said he replaced the word "black" with
"white" in the church's mission statement and "Suddenly, I was looking
at this really scary doctrine. You know, it was something that you'd
see in more like a cult or an Aryan Brethren church I would go beyond
saying they're Afrocentric. They're African centric. They refer to
themselves as an African people and that somewhat disturbs me from the
viewpoint of well, do they consider themselves Americans? Do they
consider themselves Christians?"

* On The Big Story, John Gibson, warned viewers that nearly half of all
children under the age of five in the United States are minorities.
"You know what that means? Twenty-five years and the majority of the
population is Hispanic." He then urged viewers to "do your duty. Make
more babies." He later repeated: "To put it bluntly, we need more
babies."

Given it's record, Fox News shouldn't enjoy the support of Black
political or cultural institutions connected to the Congressional
Black Caucus. We believe (or at least hope) the CBC Institute will
change course once it realizes that Black America, if not all of
America, is watching.

Please join us in making sure they hear us, loud and clear.

Link />
Thanks.

Obama Endorses Senator Durbin's Fair Elections Now Act!

One Million MySpace Friends for Obama'08 in Minnesota! — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 17:57:25 EDT

Presidential Hopefuls on Public Financing and FENA
The three front-runners for the Democratic nomination for
President are on the record in support of public financing of
elections. John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama have
all come out strongly in favor of a change to the system. You
can see Edwards' endorsement here
Link and Clinton's here
Link. See this clip
Link of Obama's recent endorsement
of Senator Richard Durbin's Fair Elections Now Act, and
exhortation for public pressure on the issue here. Republican
presidential hopeful, John McCain, meanwhile has been less
supportive of public financing while on the campaign trail this
year, but has supported it strongly in the past
Link at the state level as well as
for the Presidential race. He has joined Obama in promising to
run under public financing in the general election if his
opponent agrees to do the same. It's encouraging to see
discussion of and support for this policy from the presidential
field; nobody knows better than the candidates racing to raise
the millions they'll need to get to the White House that
campaign financing needs an overhaul.

- Energy for change: watch Senator Durbin's passionate speech
Link introducing the Fair Elections
Now Act on the floor of the Senate here.

Speaking of the Fair Elections Now Act, it's been popping up in
the news left and right drawing positive editorials and LOTS of
attention on the letters to editor page
Link thanks to efforts of Public
Campaign Action Fund members. You can write your own letter to
the editor using our tool here
Link />
New Mexico Close to Judicial Public Financing
Great news! New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson plans to turn
his endorsement of public financing for judicial races into
action when he signs the bill recently passed out of the state
legislature in special session that would expand the state's
public financing program to include state Supreme and Appellate
court races: Link. He plans to
line-item veto the "poison pill" provision in the bill that
would require voters to amend the state constitution to
eliminate retention elections (making those judges run in
partisan races) before the public financing system could take
effect. New Mexico already has public financing available to
candidates for the state's Public Regulation Commission, and the
city of Albuquerque approved public financing for municipal
elections by ballot initiative in 2005. Many thanks to New
Mexico Common Cause and Public Campaign Board member Richard
Romero, for their efforts in passing this bill!

Maryland Campaign in Final Days
Thousands of emails, hundreds of calls, and a pair of lobby days
later we are in the last week of the Maryland legislative
session: the moment of truth for a Clean Elections win in the
state this year Link. In fact, the
Senate is schedule to vote today on the bill that would bring
full public financing for legislative elections in Maryland --
the state Assembly is already in support. Though Senate
President Mike Miller (D) is notoriously opposed to Clean
Elections, the gossip in Annapolis is that grassroots organizing
(all those emails, all those calls) and the tireless efforts of
Progressive Maryland, Maryland NAACP, Maryland Common Cause,
Maryland Sierra Club, and The Reform Institute, have really
boosted support among previously ambivalent legislators for
passing Clean Elections. It's going to be quite a showdown -- as
soon as we get the results of the vote we'll let you know!

April Showers?
Did Uncle Sam give you a refund on your federal tax return this
year? How about turning a little bit of that around with an
investment in winning Clean Elections through a gift to Public
Campaign Action Fund Link Your tax
dollars fund the policies of the country, what better way to
ensure they are spent responsibly than by establishing Clean
Elections systems that make elected officials accountable to
you?

VOICEing Support
Public Campaign staffers checked their inboxes a few weeks ago
and found an email from National Field Director Jeannette
Galanis: "I think we need to go to Iowa." Why? Because a
dedicated group of legislators and activists from Iowa Citizens
for Community Improvement and the Clean Elections Coalition had
advanced full public financing legislation, the Voter-Owned Iowa
Clean Elections (VOICE) Act, farther than they ever had in the
state: far enough to make a win this year a real possibility.

A pair of bills, HSB 105 championed by Representative Pam Jochum
(D-Dubuque) and SSB 1173 headed up by Senator Mike Connolly
(D-Dubuque) have passed out of their respective State Government
committees and are moving on to Appropriations, where they look
to face formidable opposition. We are gearing up for a full
court press grassroots field effort; getting calls in to
legislators in support of VOICE, getting the word out through
door-to-door canvassing and phone banking, and ramping up
lobbying efforts in Des Moines to win Clean Elections for Iowa!
You can find out more about the campaign here
Link />
Blog/News Roundup
Have you been reading Paid For By?, Public Campaign Action
Fund?s blog? In case you missed this week, check out the stories
we've been following on?

- New Jersey Governor John Corzine signing the bill continuing
his state's Clean Elections Pilot project
Link />- Presidential candidates raising money any way they can --
ethics? What ethics? Link
- Energy for change: watch Senator Durbin's passionate speech
Link introducing the Fair Elections
Now Act on the floor of the Senate here.

Vote in MyDD Straw Poll

Karl — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:49:29 EDT

Right now MyDD(A popular progressive blog) is having it's monthly straw poll. We need to prove that Barack has strong e=support. He was leading 43-28 when I voted. So vote.

Link

if you really like freedom read this.

ReK2 — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 14:36:05 EST

Do you really think you own the software you are using?

and the licenses you agreed to, did you ever read them?

do you use mp3's ?

please visit our site Link Freedom is a non-profit organization (we're not 501 yet, but we're planning on getting the exemption) dedicated to helping educate people about technological freedoms and helping people get active to preserve them. We live in a time where our technological freedoms are constantly under attack, and it's time that we gather together consumers, activists, and hackers to help regain lost freedoms and ensure that our freedoms can be passed down for generations to come.

Specifically, we support:

We oppose:

if you love freedom don't let yourself be chain to any corporation that will own and decide what you should do with your software, multimedia and even your life..