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 Mississippi to post a message on the Mississippi Election Blog.
Mississippi Election Blogmississippi-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
My friend Ben Greenberg and I share activist fathers in civil rights during the 50s and early 60s. He sent me the following. Ben is actively pursing the murderers who are still alive, and is mentioned below. He has tremendous respect for Jerry Mitchell who wrote this column. I support Ben 100% in his work, and I will report on the results as they come in.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090215/NEWS/902150356/1001/news#pluckcomments
This is important work and I am glad to know Ben.
Regards, David Fillingham
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
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1960
Mom Robinson lives in an apartment building for seniors in Cincinnati Oh. My father and mother grew up in Mississippi but moved our family to Cincinnati in the early 60s. My family was part of the migration of African Americans North to obtain better opportunity including exercising the right to vote without intimidation.
Fast forward to 11/4/2008
Mom Robinson's building also serves as a polling center for elections. She got up to vote in at 6:30 am to go down the hall to the community room in her buiding to vote. She said that there was already a line stretching out into the parking lot . She and the other elderly ladies cast their vote (yes for Obama/Biden) and then took up seats to watch the waves of people roll in to vote during the day. She counted over 2,000 people enter to vote.
She was absolutely thrilled to see all the "young folks" and voters of all races. Mom (age 87), said it was one of the most joyous days of her life to see so many young people , enthusiastic about voting and to cap it all off the elcetion of President Obama.
Thank you Obama /Biden!
Senator Obama, when are you coming down South? Two of the debates were held in southern states, but we would love to see you in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, or Mississippi, on the campaign stump. I personally felt it was a bad decision on your campaign's part not to campaign in West Virginina during the primary. Please do not concede these southern states to McCain without a token fight!!!
First and foremost, I know that Mr. Obama is a busy busy man, but I pray that he actually takes the time to read what his supporters have to say. If not him then someone very close to him that can from time to time read what we have to say and share it with him.
As far as the debate I think Mr. Obama did very well. He was poised, well spoken as usual and hit some very important and key points that really needed to be stressed. My only issue was that sometime you could see him getting a little frustrated and I know that is sometimes a hard thing not to show, I just wish he would get better at not letting it show. When he knows it's starting to get a little rough or he feels he's about to get a little hot in the collar...just slow down...think first and proceed in a calm collect manner.
John McCain has to know that he did not have a chance at being the winner of the debate last night after pulling that stunt of suspending his campain! I if not everyone in America thought he had lost his mind to do such a foolish thing. Do not get me wrong, I am all for Obama but I want to see this done right, I want him to fight for this position. I want it to be given to him legit not handed to him because the villiage idiot made so many mistakes and errors that it's just handed right over to the opponent. McCain did not and could not look Mr. Obama in the face not one time! I was so glad that Obama stood tall and talked directly at him and said his name as he made his points and stated the wrong doings and thoughts of McCain.
All in all I wish they both would have had a clear YES or NO answer regarding the economy crisis, however I do understand that this takes time and they absolutely need to take their time on this and do it right. How they will come up with a solution by the weekend is beyond me, but I pray for your sake and mine that they do something soon because in the end we are the ones that are going to suffer. I pray that as the days and weeks approach to the election, we all make it known and heard that Barack Obama is the person that is going to bring about the change we need in this county!
Peace and Blessings,
Rachael
They had a note attached to his paycheck last week. They were filing chapter 11 bankruptcy. After 5 years of working hard, little time to relax, and no benefits... he is about to lose his job. So, that leaves us, his 4 children and his wife to wonder... What's next?
I guess I need to start with a short bit of background for it all to be understood. My husband and I have 2 children together, as well as the 2 children he fathered by his ex wife. The ex wife has an addiction to cocaine and alcohol. She pays no child support. She does not see her children. We take care of a family of 6, on only a grill cooks wages ($8.00 an hour, -2 meals a shift even if you dont eat them, and applicable taxes)
I am a full time student at Meridian Community College, where I have a 4.0 GPA, am vice president of Phi Beta Lambda, Kappa Delta chapter (Future Business Leaders of America). I am also an advisory board member for Care Lodge, Inc. (a local non-profit womens advocacy organization that provides 24-hour emergency assistance call lines, and also provides a safe shelter for women and their children). Even with all this on my resume, along with previous experience in the feild, I have not been able to find a job since college started, and I had to leave my previous job in order to take care of my 4 girls and attend school full time)
I look at the situation, and I have faith. I believe that Barack Obama will be elected the next president of this great country. Despite the fact that my government has done little for me, I still believe it is great. I still believe that this country is the Land of the Free. I still believe that this country has great people in it. The great people of this country are truely what makes it great. The people that have helped me, and the people that help others. People like the family that took me in as a single mother with nowhere to go, in an unfamiliar state, with no family. When the local government told me they could not help because I was not 21 years of age yet, and my emancipation was not complete. When the shelters told me they could not help because I was not 21 years of age yet. When I was going to be homeless, with a new born infant, this family took us into their home, and fed us, and helped clothe us. They helped me get my GED, and a better job after I healed from my c-section. They taught me about faith. Faith in my neighbor, and faith in my country.
When I listened to Senator Obama's plans and ideas, they made sense. Some of his speeches relay thoughts that I have always had about the problems we face as Americans, and race relations.
Living in Mississippi as a white woman with a black husband, 2 mixed race children, and 2 black children... life is not easy. I never wanted to have to sit my 3 year old down and explain why some people treat her different, or say mean things about her hair or skin.
I have always thought that people were just people, and we are different in many ways, but that difference is what makes us beautiful. We are all children of God, yet individual players with specialized skills, and each player plays a key role in this, the game of life. Though it seems to me that we the people have forgotten; that, for every action (and I mean EVERY action), there is an equal and constant reaction. That when we classify people, then sterotypes emerge. When stereotypes are present, they bloom into prejudisms. Then, it just goes downhill from there.
The people of this great country have also forgotten that everything they do, somehow affects the greater good. When you commit a crime; for example, shows this theory. It is not only the victim who is affected, but every person of this country who pays taxes that pay for the encarseration and services to the offender.
The government of this country; at some point, had also forgotten that every single thing that they do, effects the citizens of this great country.
My friends, I STILL have faith.
I have faith in this country, and I have faith in Barack Obama. I pray every day that in November, the people of this country will open their eyes as wide as they can and see the big picture. I pray that they will see what is important, and see the great potential in my candidate, the great senator Barack Obama. Because a change MUST come.
One thing that impressed me with the MyBarackObama web site was the plethora of online groups. From national groups with high member counts like those for Barack Fans in the Colbert Nation to the myriad dozen or more groups just focusing on Mississippi, my current state of residence. Group themes range from single-payer healthcare to pastors in Mississippi. There is a group for every variety of Obama/Biden supporter, and the sheer variety immediately serves as evidence of the heterogeneity of the party and of Obama's following. There is a place for everyone with every need at this table.
Needless to say, this made me curious to see what was up in the McCain/Palin corner of the web: McCainSpace. I expected a similar environment to entice would-be Obama voters back to the conservative fold. I found a very different environment. The website content for McCain's campaign resembles the GOP website of 2004: a lot of generalities and requests for donations, with no content or detail as to how their goals would be accomplished, nor indeed any details regarding their plans for us. The number of total online groups is not much more than the number of groups focusing on Mississippi alone on the Obama site. Groups have already been set up for each state--and only one per state. The memebership numbers for Mississippi is barely a fourth of some sub-groups for Mississippi on the Obama site.
Yes many McCain/Palin supporters may be connecting on other sites, and the RNC is one-week behind in its calendar from the DNC convention. But the relative "silence" is telling. The largest McCainSpace group, Generation 2008, has less than 1/2 the membership than Barack Fans in the Colbert Nation. The membership in many of the other groups is pitiful. While this may simply be a reflection of the homogeneity of the GOP, it also reveals the stagnation of the GOP. 50 of the 58 groups that exist as of 9/7/08 are those that are assigned one to each state. There is no group for varieties of faith, lifestyle, or political concern.
Using these group templates as the Rosetta Stone by which we can see party priorities, the GOP is concerned with being vague regarding those who have served in the military (group "Greater Cause Than Self" if that’ what it refers to), promoting Sarah Plain (group "I Support Sarah Palin"), having some sort of presence in each state, and more vagaries ("Future Leaders For McCain" and "Generation 2008"). Indeed, it lacks bite. No wait, it has one bite left: the group "Hillary Supporters for McCain" which as of this posting boasts 51 members, some of whom dissent in the blog noting that choosing Palin was insulting to those who had supported Hillary Clinton and the occasional post reminding others that they are fooling no one and that the Left is already aware of the phony PUMA tactics since a supposed PUMA was seen at the DNC Convention getting into a Hummer limo (sighting made by radio journalist Randi Rhodes).
So, the Obama camp is heterogeneous and active, with millions of emails flowing back and forth daily between members offering information, support and ideas. While the McCain camp is gumming the single useless weapon it has: Hillary Clinton, and it had to borrow her from the Democrats. Never mind the emails from McCainSpace, none of the groups has an email link. Users may post to the blog for each group. One-way, stagnant communication. No connections, no dialogue. No community.
To quote she whom the GOP think is their greatest asset: no way, no how, no McCain.
Here is something I am absolutely certain of: The only reason we're poised to achieve once-in-a-lifetime change in the Senate is because our grassroots - people just like you - have done everything we've asked to give the DSCC all the campaign resources we need to execute our proven campaign plan.For that, you have my deep, sincere thanks. And if we elect that filibuster-proof majority in November, you'll have the gratitude of an entire nation.Let me tell you where we stand.There are 11 battleground states. [OREGON, ALASKA, COLORADO, NEW MEXICO, MINNESOTA, KENTUCKY, NORTH CAROLINA, VIRIGNIA, MISSISSIPPI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND MAINE]
And that doesn't even count the five other states just on the horizon that we'll all be talking about on Election Day. Here are just a few examples of the success we're seeing this cycle.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. All told, the DSCC has already spent $28 million of your money to put us in position for a monster November. Like I've said before: there is no doubt we are in such a strong position to deliver a filibuster-proof Senate majority entirely because we have you on our side.Thank you so much. Sincerely,
Chuck SchumerP.S. We're ahead in 5 races for current Republican seats. But that's only halfway to a truly filibuster-proof majority. We can't get there without your continued support.
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2008 Senate BattlegroundsAlaskaAnchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) vs. Sen. Ted Stevens (R)The corruption scandal sweeping through the Alaska Republican Party has put Ted Stevens - a 7-term incumbent - on the brink of losing his seat in November. Democrat Mark Begich has opened up a lead in the latest polling, but nobody is under any illusion that this race is over. Alaska has always been a Republican stronghold, and with Governor Sarah Palin on the presidential ticket, the party is sure to be energized to turn out in November.Begich is doing everything necessary to hold on to his lead. He's raising money and reaching out to voters. Just this week he launched a new ad to drive home his commitment to repeal the disastrous No Child Left Behind law.Stevens won't let a 40-year career end without a fight, so we won't let up for a second before Election Day. With your help, the DSCC will do everything possible to ensure that Mark Begich wins in November.ColoradoRep. Mark Udall (D) vs. Rep. Bob Schaffer (R)Six months ago, this race was neck and neck. Now, Mark Udall leads by 10 points in the latest Denver Post poll.What happened? First, Bob Schaffer was discovered to have been the recipient of an all-expense paid tropical vacation from a front group for convicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Then, it was revealed that when he was vice-president of Aspect Energy, he negotiated an oil deal in Iraq that the State Department officials specifically identified as detrimental to stability in Iraq.Then there were two different DSCC TV ads paid for by grassroots supporters like you. Our investment here is another key reason Udall enjoys a strong position heading into the stretch run. Colorado will be a battleground state in November, so we're not taking anything for granted in this race. In fact, Udall has already seen more third-party attack ads than any other Democratic candidate this cycle. It's our job to help him fight back.KentuckyBruce Lunsford (D) vs. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R)No matter how much money Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spends, he can't shake the tough challenge posed by Democratic business leader Bruce Lunsford. McConnell is even getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in help from corporate Republican third-party organizations.None of it is slowing Lunsford, who is on the air with a devastating straight-to-camera indictment of Republican failures in Washington.Let's be blunt. It's always tough to beat an entrenched incumbent, but Mitch McConnell has been the man responsible for all of those Republican filibusters blocking progress on health care, energy costs, and the housing crisis. It's critical that he is held accountable in November.MaineRep. Tom Allen (D) vs. Sen. Susan Collins (R)Republican incumbent Susan Collins likes to portray herself as a voice of Republican moderation, but the truth is that she's been a reliable cheerleader for even the worst of George Bush's policies.Democrat Tom Allen is ready to hold Collins accountable for her record. He has built a formidable campaign organization and has more than $3 million in the bank for the stretch run. He will have the resources to bring his message of change to Mainers.Allen and the DSCC have both taken to the airwaves to push Allen's proven record of results. This race is poised for a strong finish.MinnesotaAl Franken (D) vs. Sen. Norm Coleman (R)The race between Al Franken and Norm Coleman is a dead heat, and the massive TV blitz has begun. Coleman has launched attack ads against Franken, and corporate special interests are blanketing the state against Franken. That's why the DSCC has unleashed a striking new ad this week that apes a blockbuster movie trailer to make sure that every Minnesota voter knows Norm Coleman is a classic Bush Republican. We think it's pretty terrific and will break through the noise in this race to get a lot of attention from voters. Take a look and see for yourself. MississippiGov. Ronnie Musgrove (D) vs. Sen. Roger Wicker (R)The polls in the race for Trent Lott's old seat are just about as close as they can get. Democrat Ronnie Musgrove and interim Senator Roger Wicker have been trading the lead for months.Make no mistake. Mississippi is top territory for Democrats. But Republicans always do well in the Deep South, so Musgrove is working hard to persuade independent and even Republican voters. Both sides are blitzing the state with TV ads.What's going to make the difference in this race? You are. Thanks to your support, the DSCC is already running ads in Mississippi to expose Wicker's sordid record. As long as we can count on you along the way, the DSCC will be able to make the investments necessary to win on Election Day. This is going to be one of those races - like Montana and Virginia in 2006 - where we win by just a few thousand votes. You helped the DSCC make all the difference before and I know we will do it again.New HampshireGov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) vs. Sen. John Sununu (R)Jeanne Shaheen is another big target for third-party attacks ads. By our count, seven different groups have spent more than $2.5 million trying to drag Shaheen through the mud.These groups don't have to disclose their donors, so they can't be held accountable. Instead, the DSCC just has to fight back. With our new ad this week targeting John Sununu's dismal record on supporting funding for Medicare, that's exactly what we're doing.The DSCC's job is to level the playing field when our candidates are under attack, and it's working in New Hampshire. Shaheen has sustained a strong lead in this race, and John Sununu remains the most vulnerable Republican incumbent in the country.Still, New Hampshire is another presidential battleground state, and John Sununu has a history of taking advantage of dirty political tricks to win. We can't take a moment off if we're going to elect Jeanne Shaheen.New MexicoRep. Tom Udall vs. Rep. Steve Pearce (R)Democrat Tom Udall holds a solid lead in the latest polling and has more than five times as much campaign cash on-hand as Steve Pearce.While Udall continues to connect with voters and run TV ads focused on the middle class squeeze, the NRSC has all but given up in this state. They cancelled a $2.3 million planned ad buy and have essentially told Pearce that he's on his own now.The Washington Post has called a Udall victory a "done deal" and the venerable political handicapper Charlie Cook has declared that Pearce doesn't have a "fighting chance" in November. Very good news for Democrats. However, the United States Chamber of Commerce - one of the most reliable Republican attack organizations - didn't get the memo and is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads against Udall. We haven't seen much movement in the polls as a result, but the DSCC watches this race every day. You know we'll be ready to support Udall whenever he needs it. North CarolinaState Sen. Kay Hagan (D) vs. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R)Senator Dole is scared. We used to call this the sleeper race of the cycle. Now, it's just another terrific opportunity to pick-up a Republican held seat in one of the most closely-watched races in the country.After trailing by as many as 12 points in recent months, two new polls give Democrat Kay Hagan a slim lead in this race. The Republicans are launching a major counter-offensive. Dole fired back with her first negative attack against Hagan this cycle. Even the NRSC is spending some of their meager budget attacking our candidate. They will not go down without a fight.At the DSCC, we always say we can level the playing field for our challengers facing well-financed incumbents. The race in North Carolina is a perfect example. We'll need your help along the way, but you better believe that we'll do everything in our power to defeat Elizabeth Dole in November.OregonSpeaker of the State House Jeff Merkley (D) vs. Sen. Gordon Smith (R)Oregon remains one of the hottest Senate races in the country. Republican incumbent Gordon Smith is clinging to a single-digit lead despite outspending Democrat Jeff Merkley by a wide margin. In fact, in numbers released Wednesday, Smith scored the highest disapproval rating of his career in the Senate. It really makes for a strong pick-up opportunity, which is why we've already seen the Republicans' third-party friends taking aim at Merkley. Remember, these organizations don't have to disclose their donors and therefore can't be held accountable for the mud they sling.Again, one of the keys to Democratic victory in this state will be a strong and vibrant investment by the DSCC. We've known Oregon would be a strong pick-up opportunity months ago and we have been airing TV ads statewide week after week since May.In our latest spot, we are directly responding to Smith's claims last week that he's a strong opponent of the war in Iraq. The DSCC immediately launched a new ad reminding Oregonians that no matter what he says now, Smith supported George Bush's failed Iraq policy for 1,518 days.In 58 days, we can show Gordon Smith just what we think about that and send him packing. When you make a contribution, winning states like Oregon is exactly where your money goes.VirginiaGov. Mark Warner (D) vs. Gov. Jim Gilmore (R)Mark Warner has maintained a strong, double-digit lead in the polling in this race, and it's easy to see why.Warner has more than $5 million in campaign cash on hand. Gilmore is nearly broke. Warner has been running TV ads emphasizing his bipartisan record of accomplishment. Gilmore has been reduced to sleazy personal attacks.
John McCain also toyed with the idea of not giving his acceptance speech at the Xcel Center. Although not yet finalized, he said he might give his acceptance speech via satellite from the Gulf region.
John McCain really wants to put that birthday cake incident behind him. If you don’t know to what incident I am referring, let’s do a walk down memory lane, shall we?
August 29, 2005, hurricane Katrina makes landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana. Although the city did not take a direct hit, the storm surge caused the levees to break and the entire city was under massive amounts of water. As people and property washed away, President George Bush and Senator John McCain were… sharing a birthday cake at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, AZ
Yes, sharing a birthday cake! While people were literally drowning in their homes, these two were eating cake.
We all know what happened after the first day of Katrina. The city of New Orleans was left on its own for days. Thousands of people took shelter in the Superdome, where they experienced the unimaginable: dehydration, starvation, rape, murder — things you would expect to see in a warring Third World country, not in the United States of America.
I guess John McCain really wants us to forget how he and his mentor President George Bush behaved on that first day of Katrina.
I don’t think I can forget, which is why I find his actions yesterday a little suspect. They smell of opportunism and desperation. John McCain was briefed on preparations and evacuations. Then he showed up in Pearl, Mississippi yesterday with his running mate Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin to state that he was "happy to report to you that the coordination and the work that’s being done at all levels appears to be excellent." John McCain could not make any executive decisions with respect to evacuation plans, shelters, or the like. The only thing he could do was go to Mississippi and tell us plans were going well. What? That really doesn’t make sense. He could have released a statement saying the same thing. Why waste time and money to go there? Why divert precious first responder time and resources?
My friends, I believe John McCain is trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
* article circulated by the Ghost Writer Guild for Barack Obama
John McCain was planning to visit Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal today in New Orleans but canceled due to the weather. This struck me as odd since Hurricane Dolly is moving inland in South Texas, hundreds of miles away, and is having absolutely no effect in Louisiana. Then I read about an enormous oil spill that occurred on the Mississippi River this morning, closing more than 30 miles of river down to the mouth for cleanup. What a gaffe! These two have been pushing to open our coasts up to new offshore drilling and have been insisting how significant oil spills never happen!
Please read this important Huffington Post article by Karen Dalton-Beninato, it was largely missed by the MSN today. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-daltonbeninato/oil-of-delay-mccain-cance_b_114620.html
This is going to be short and sweet.
We're having trouble getting folks together. I know there are Barack supporters here in the Pine Belt, and I WANT TO MEET YOU. I WANT TO WORK WITH YOU. I WANT TO FIGHT WITH YOU TO GET BARACK INTO THE WHITE HOUSE!
To that end, I created a "Unite for Change" event here in Laurel on June 28th. You can see the details at this link.
So here's the deal: Come on down to Ryan's in Laurel, get a good hot breakfast in you...and let's all get to know one another and start getting organized here in the Pine Belt to do our part to put Barack in the White House. I've got some ideas about voter-registration drives and the like, but I need friends and allies.
We're all in this together. Come on out--it'll be a lot of fun, and a springboard to bigger and better things. By all means, bring any interested family or friends, the more the merrier!
And wear your Obama gear, if you have any!
Y'all come and let's get this party started!
Chris CarlsonLaurel, MS
