Hi FriendThere is a new group that just started on Facebook that I thought Organizing for America members may be interested in joining. Please see United Against Racism -
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/354956/80588439?m=9dc74a6eUnited Against Racism
posted by David Apperson
As President Obama recently related to me regarding local service; "Now is our time to work together, reaffirm our enduring spirit, and choose our better history."
It is our responsibility as Americans to vote, and vote we must. And now is the time to prepare for the next election. I invite all citizens of Arizona to post a message on the Arizona Election Blog.
Arizona Election Blogarizona-election.blogspot.com
During the first 100 days of the Obama presidency we have seen outstanding leadership in tackling the many issues facing our great nation. And it seems that overwhelming poll numbers indicate that America agrees with President Obama. see THE WHITE HOUSEThe question remains; What can we as fellow Americans do to help our neighbors and countrymen? Included are nine things you can do to help the President celebrate his first 100 Days in office:1. Donate unused suits to the Salvation Army2. Donate time to Americorps3. Donate toys for children at Toys for Tots4. Donate blood at the Red Cross5. Donate a can of food each week to a Local Shelter or Food Pantry6. Donate money to Save the Children7. Donate time at local a Veterans Hospital8. Donate an hour a day to your Child9. Donate to the Make a Wish FoundationParticipation is greatly appreciated. What you do for the least of our brethren, you do for yourself -http://donate.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxWJh
Barack Obama First 100 Days posted by David Apperson
Presidential Inaugural Address Delivered by President Barack Obama on 20 Jan 2009
My fellow citizens -I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.President Barack Obama
My fellow citizens -
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
President Barack Obama
Presidential Inaugural Speech - A message for all peoplehttp://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxHqT
source: David Apperson, webmaster
The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.
Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.
Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when
Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
Obama-Biden PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is giving all people a voice in the administration -
The PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is doing a great job. Thank the Almighty Creator that this is a new day in the history of this great nation.
Internet Webmasters, Designers and Developers
If you are an independent webmaster, designer or developer and have linked a business, personal, or political website or blog to your barack obama posts or other barackobama.com web pages and would like to be recognized for your efforts let me know. Mail your contact and other pertinent information to: David Apperson, Webmaster 10336 Loch Lomond Rd PMB 105Middletown CA 95461or email contact information to yofast@gmail.com
YES, WE CAN!!I have been such a cynical person. I realized that tonight as Barack Obama-President Obama, was giving his FIRST PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH!!!! What he said tonight made me realize how I need to do more. It is not over. It is just the beginning. I have supported Obama since he announced his candidacy. I heard about him, I read his books; I examined his Senate voting records. I "VETTED" him. And even though I voted for him in the primaries, encouraged (and harassed) my friends to vote for him, tortured my children and husband with the news for close to 2 years, bothered people in Pennsylvania for a few nights, wore an Obama-mama shirt every weekend to my daughter's volleyball games, stuck bumper stickers all over the back of my car, (even after I have said for years people that did that were attention-seeking), fought with my conservative parents multiple times, begged my conservative brother, schemed with my little Democratic sister & aunt (on how to convert them), I donated a what little bit of money I didn't really have to his campaign every month, BUT tonight-I realized that I had totally prepared myself for Obama to lose. I was ready for a fight. I was remembering 2000. I was remembering 2004. I was expecting problems, and I was waiting for something to happen. I was so sure something bad was going to happen. I have to say, I stayed up last night to see the Dixville Notch election. When he won there, when they have not voted for a Democrat since H. Humphreys, I seriously saw that as a sign. When they showed Ohio and Pennsylvania, I felt like maybe was starting to happen. And then something did happen - and it wasn't bad. I slopped some dinner on the table for the kids (4) and then I glued myself to CNN. Somewhere in between the kids tattling on each other, finding the Halloween candy that I JUST hid, taking baths, signing homework, and the 52 minute lecture from my Dad about why we are in the War in Iraq, and that we need a balance of power in Washington, D.C., Barack Obama became President of the United States. Barack Obama won. It happened so fast. When I logged onto CNN live, and I saw Jesse Jackson crying, and I saw the enormity of the crowd at Grant Park, I knew. I ran back to CNN, and un-paused (I love TIVO!!!) CNN, John McCain came out & conceded. And I'm going to pull a Michelle Obama here- "For the first time in (this election), I have been proud of Arizona." John McCain was truly a gracious man, and proved himself to be a servant of his country. His concession speech could not have been better. He truly vindicated himself with that speech. I realized when I saw President Obama come out with his family, it was real. It was really happening. No "recount", no Supreme Court. It was here, and it was real. I can't remember a time in my life, besides the days my children were born, that I have been so moved and so inspired by something. I realized that this election has changed me, and there was no way to hide behind my cynicism anymore. I was so happy for my children, that they would be able to grow up in a country with so much HOPE. But with President Obama's words of hope, and inspiration about what we need to do, to come together, to serve our country, I knew that this movement isn't over. There's more to do. This is just the beginning of CHANGE. Our country spoke tonight, and it spoke LOUD!!!We are all really good at something. I think after tonight, if everyone thinks about it, what they think is especially important to them and their lives, (education, the environment, healthcare, the economy, jobs, the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan) if you dedicate yourself to that cause in the best way that you know how - then our country will be better off, a little bit, everyday. If we keep moving toward our goals, together, and never forget what we did in this election, we can CHANGE THIS COUNTRY. I think tonight is the first night that I have really believed that.
My self-appointed task for the last six months has been to write on-the-ground stories about the coming election. So when a friend put me on to the US 89 Society, it only took a day or so before my imagination had fired up a plan for traveling its 1,800 miles from the Mexican border to Canada.
Here's the list of 12 articles along with the names of the people who voiced their thoughts and a link to each of the twelve reports on OMNI (Oh My News International, Seoul, Korea).
I have to tell you, today I voted for Barack, and I cried. After I wrote this, I remembered that there was a wonderful video during the primaries, and I really did not feel the intensity of it until I voted in the general...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBVKsartJFs At the U of A Student Union, I was just a few blocks from where I was when I heard that Dr. King was assasinated, and less then that far away from where I was when I heard that Bobby Kennedy was assasinated. The lifelong friend I was with on both of those days (and actually on the day we got the news about JFK), has since died of breast cancer. We had our children, passed middle age, and I wish she, and my Nana, who took me to my first civil rights march in Oakland, could be here now, and go with me to the polls. There, at the Union, I was right on the Mall where I helped plant 444 crosses for Arizonans killed the Viet Nam war, including several classmates. While walking back to work, I passed a corner where two ROTC students in uniform had tried to take a box of black armbands from me, that I was taking to my department faculty for that Viet Nam moritorium day observance. One of our linebackers, "Bad Brad" who was in my English class, appeared suddenly, put his massive hand on my shoulder, and asked "Do you have a problem with my little friend here?' Brad was as tall as a tree, well over 300 pounds, and very black. Needless to say, these two little bullies scurried back into whatever rat-hole they had crawled out of to shove me up against the wall. I moved back here in 2000. I work for right on the UofA campus. I am so blessed to be able to vote for Barack in a place where I was such an young college student activist, and to walk by these places that are connected to that past. I know Barack is not the perfect progressive candidate, but I believe that he can bring us together, and heal many of the ancient wounds. The odd thing is, that McCain missed all of these years of the American Experience. I had friends and family members on the ground and at risk during the entire Viet Nam war, and prayed for there safe return every day. But two, two-year, tours were the max. John was in the hell-whole when Dr. King and Bobby were assasinated. He missed, through no fault of his own, the terrible shootings at Kent State, the Democratic Convention Riots, watergate and the impeachment hearings - he has failed to connect, and possibly this has a lot to do with it... I also realized, when he seemed so unpreturbed by the horrible crowd behavior at the Palin rallys that he missed the horrible Wallace campaign, and all of the ugliness of those years. He just doesn't get it, because he missed the experience. Anyhow, I started this to tell you how I cried. I have been off-line since just after the primaries, unless I go by a café, or stay late at work...and I can't deal with the negativity of the dem HQ crowds here, as I am more like my candidate in terms of knowing that inclusion and reaching out are only harder after all this division has become entrenched. I hope all the wonderful bloggers that I spent most of last winter, spring, and summer with are well, and I appreciate all you have done. I would like to see a landslide! Every few decades, it seems as though we check into recovery with a democratic slate, and everything gets balanced back, we DO redistribute and life gets better... Presidents FDR, Kennedy, Clinton...and then we always go back to the republican addiction to power and greed, until we get so sick, and have to go back to rehab again.... Having watched this silly cycle for more than half a century I pray that we can cross back to being a great nation again, and finally kick the colonial attitude, and all this false pride that just gets us in trouble. Just to rekindle the hope, and keep us all energized over the next few days, one of my favorite campaign videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBk32JsV9l8
Barack, YES WE CAN! And we all need to, and will take up our part in rebuilding this great nation...
Any other senator would have been tarred and feathered, and facing criminal charges for what he is doing. This article documents years and years of John McCain's corruption and crime perpetrated in his home state of Arizona!
From an article titled "McCain Pushed Land Swap That Benefits Backer" by Matthew Mosk of the Washington Post.
Quote
PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers.
Unquote
After reading the entire article, In my not so humble opinion what John McCain is doing is unethical, illegal, and is definitely a conflict of interest. McCain and his cronies have been making a huge bundle of money for many many years illegally. There should be an immediate investigation. He should be expelled from the Senate and disqualified as a Presidential candidate!
To read the article in it's entirety please visit this link.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/08/AR2008050803494_pf.html
An Article titled "McCain Secured Sweetheart Land Deals for Lobbyist & Fundraising Pals"
Also discusses McCain's unethical Land Deals!
He got a sweetheart deal for his fundraising pals at Suncor, a local land developer. With McCain's support, the feds paid between 2 - 4 times its appraised value
Suncor donors are among McCain's biggest campaign contributors, lobbyists & fundraisers. They have raised over $225,000 since 1999. Steve Betts, who was McCain's former campaign lawyer, is now the President of Suncor. Betts got that job a few weeks after the windfall land deal where the government paid Suncor millions more than the land's appraised value.
To read more about it please visit link below
http://cranegirl.newsvine.com/_news/2008/09/06/1833894-mccain-secured-sweetheart-land-deals-for-lobbyist-fundraising-pals
Juli Norwood
It's definitely within Obama's grasp. McCain’s biggest opposition comes from those who know him, and the Arizona political establishment knows him all too well.In Arizona John McCain is viewed as a carpetbagging opportunist. They even refer to McCain as an elitist congressman and senator.
With accolades like that I'll wager McCain will be constantly looking over his shoulder as the gap between him and Obama closes in the polls. I must ask why there isn't a noticeable groundswell of volunteers backing him on his own "home" turf in Arizona? Obama's office in Phoenix, Arizona on the other hand is rockin and rollin with the massive support of Phoenix Arizona volunteers! Obama's Arizona offices are bustling with supporters while John McCain's Arizona offices look like ghost towns... I can see the tumble weeds blowing by and the dust building up on McCain's unsold yard signs.
Arizona's lack of support and excitement for John McCain during this Presidential Campaign speaks volumes. When Republican Rob Haney (state party chairman in Arizona) goes door to door to stump for candidates and asks them to rate John McCain on a scale from 1 to 10. “The people who don’t know much about politics rate him a 9 or 10,” says Haney, “The people who know what’s going on rate him a 1 or a 2, or ask, Can I rate him a minus?” McCain did score big in one survey the GOP group did: Reportedly 59 percent of the Republican activists named him an “unacceptable candidate.”
Fall Out from The McCain and Palin Racist Hate Speeches
McCain and Palin's "Hate Talk Express" has had a deeply profound effect on one of Arizona's businessmen. A local Arizona restaurant owner, Mike Terrell whom supports Obama and just happens to be black came to work one day only to find that it had been defiled by graffiti of hate and racist remarks including the N word, White Power, and swastika's etc.While he has pride and is not a quitter and has already poured in a quarter million into his restaurant he is considering closing his business because he fears for the safety of his family.
http://vodpod.com/watch/1091434-%E2%80%9Cn%E2%80%9D-word-swastikas-spray-painted-on-arizona-restaurant-the-hate-talk-express
Kerri is a small business owner in Tempe, Arizona.
When you own your own business, no matter how small it is, you know you've got to reinvest in your company to make sure it continues to grow. The same thing is true with the infrastructure of this country -- we've got to reinvest in ourselves to make sure we continue to grow. That's what is so important about Barack's healthcare plans, his plans for small business owners, and his plans to give working class families some tax relief. We've got to invest in ourselves. That just makes sense.
When you own your own business, no matter how small it is, you know you've got to reinvest in your company to make sure it continues to grow. The same thing is true with the infrastructure of this country -- we've got to reinvest in ourselves to make sure we continue to grow. That's what is so important about Barack's healthcare plans, his plans for small business owners, and his plans to give working class families some tax relief.
We've got to invest in ourselves. That just makes sense.
She laughs when she thinks about working class families being convinced they're supposed to vote Republican.
Look at us -- we're as working class as they come! We're both the kids of blue collar workers -- my father was a machinist, and my husband's father laid railroad ties. Furthermore, my husband Phil is a Vietnam veteran. But what's important is that we both know this country is going in the wrong direction, specifically because of policies that John McCain endorses. Things have gotten too much about big corporations and special interests, and not enough about salt-of-the-earth-people.
Look at us -- we're as working class as they come! We're both the kids of blue collar workers -- my father was a machinist, and my husband's father laid railroad ties. Furthermore, my husband Phil is a Vietnam veteran.
But what's important is that we both know this country is going in the wrong direction, specifically because of policies that John McCain endorses. Things have gotten too much about big corporations and special interests, and not enough about salt-of-the-earth-people.
Kerri (who is also a nurse, a flight attendant and very active in the airline union) first heard Barack Obama speak at the 2004 convention, and liked that he had such an eloquent vision of the kind of country she wanted to live in. And when she looked into him some more, she found that he was a real advocate for the working class, as a state senator and a U.S. Senator -- but first as a community organizer.
You know, as a nurse, I really respect the work Senator Obama has done for his country even before he got involved in politics. Community organizing is so important. Community is really what America is all about -- trying to make a living, trying to take good care of our families, and making sure we take good care of our communities. That's the American Dream, plain and simple.
You know, as a nurse, I really respect the work Senator Obama has done for his country even before he got involved in politics. Community organizing is so important. Community is really what America is all about -- trying to make a living, trying to take good care of our families, and making sure we take good care of our communities.
That's the American Dream, plain and simple.
So, with just 46 days left before this historic election, what does Kerri think needs to happen?
Shake everyone you know, and tell them to go vote. If they're on the fence, educate them. This election is too important to sit on the sidelines.
OK. We can do that.
Click here to register you and your friends to vote.
Click here to get involved, knock on doors and make phone calls to the people in your community.
And click here to invite someone new to the process, and help us reach our goal of 50,000 new donors by this Friday.
Finally, Kerri wanted to say one last thing that she likes about Barack Obama:
He takes the high road.
We can do that too. Call, register, donate, and spread the word. That's the kind of campaign this has always been, and that's how we're going to win this election.
Voices for Change is a series featuring profiles of Barack Obama's grassroots supporters from across the nation. The people who make up this movement come from all different backgrounds, but they share a common goal of helping bring about fundamental change in Washington.
Arizona, show your support for Barack Obama ALL day Saturday 10/4!
Below are just a few ideas:
SIGN UP NOW! Tell your friends! Let's show everyone how blue this state really is. All you need to do is put on your tee/hat/sign/etc and get out and about.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs7b2r
