Hello fellow Obama Supporters: Support the Houston Resource Directory by subscribing and adding your Social Skills Set. MyHoustonTexas.Info - is an INFORMATIONAL website and a RESOURCE directory; developed by a group of Houston campaign workers for President Barack Obama; 2008 Presidential Campaign [www.My.BarackObama.com]. Similar initiatives have been started in other States. Social skills set are similar to interests, hobbies, qualifications and competencies; which highlight marketable skills and work experience.
Examples: (a) Betty listed her Social Skill Set as retired, clerical, and bookkeeping. Shelia is a small business owner who lives in the same neighborhood, and needs assistance managing her business finances so; she contacts Betty about her bookkeeping services. (b) Willie listed his Social Skill Set as painting, yard-work, and mechanic. Jose lives in the same neighborhood, and needs assistance cutting a tree (from a natural disaster) so; he contacts (interviews) Willie about his yard-work services.
This social skills set concept is indicative of community empowerment, community development, and sustainable communities, and representative of President Obama's goal of empowering communities to work together. For information about collaborating or developing a similar community resource mechanism; please contact: Darryl.Riser@MyHoustonTexas.info
I can remember growing up in the 50’s, when our communities were more self-sufficient. To me, Affirmative Action divided and destroyed what semblance of togetherness we had as a people. Affirmative Action was designed to Window Dress, creating a crabs in the barrel black society.
Affirmative Action is kinda like the Pyramid schemes. Most of those educated and skilled, who understood the scam, took advantage of the opportunity. They were the ones, who were serving as role models, that began moving on up and out of the neighborhoods.
When Malcolm talked of self-sufficiency, he was accused of separatism. The reality is that within the 50 states we are many nations in one nation. During this presidential campaign it was made clear that family and social values were paramount in connecting with candidates. We African Americans are a family and it is time that we begin working toward our own families’ interests. “Charity begins at home”, is not separatism nor selfishness. The neglecting of ourselves and relying on others to provide for us, nurtures that negative perception other families have of our community.
Until we as a people take ownership of our own financial, political and social destiny we will be seen as not deserving of others’ respect. Today it is not a whole lot about fighting for our rights: it is more of how we should exercise our rights. For one, making sure that we are being treated fairly with the allocation of government contracts, loans, grants, scholarships, etc. and with the contracting of capital improvement projects. With a unified voice some of these infrastructure projects will be developed and buil[t]d by us in our communities.
This new world market, which can only expand, provides opportunities that abound; we have family and in-laws around the world, and when the companies and industries begin finding that potential clients and customers are looking to patronize businesses that are more reflective of their family members, those qualified will be in high demand and will be represented from the top executives to the receptionist.
Those of us who are more fortunate should become entrepreneurs in revitalizing our communities. We as a family need to get out of debt and pool our resources, and make our children, our elders and the legacy of our Ancestors, Proud!
Ivan Butcher II
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 supporters in Durham - have you been to the home page for the Durham County Democratic Party? It's a great resource to share information, news, and planning as well as to keep up with all of the downticket races in North Carolina. For instance, to help President Obama get things done next year, let's help give him a blue Senate by electing Kay Hagan to knock out the Bush crony Senator Dole. And we can't afford to take our eye off the ball on the Governor's mansion at the same time - we need to elect Bev Perdue to keep North Carolina moving in the right direction.
If you're sitting down to write a letter to the editor somewhere and weren't sure where to start, I'd like to suggest that you check out my personal blog where I've been giving a reason a week to vote for Barack Obama as President. Aside from the text itself, which you may or may not want to adapt, each entry has links to issue pages and other materials you might find helpful.
To see the "Why Vote Obama" entries, visit:
http://alaskanlibrarian.wordpress.com/category/whyvoteobama/
If you're writing about some issue where you need a particular fact or quote, feel free to e-mail/message me and I'll see if I can find it for you.
Hey-
Welcome to the High Country for Barack Obama newsletter! I’m Wayne Braffman, and from now through November 4th you can expect an e-mail from me each week to help keep you up to date about the campaign. Below you’ll find links and attachments to get you started. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions or ideas for the newsletter, or to subscribe to it (HighCountryObama@BellSouth.Net). This is our movement!
Obama/Biden...YES WE CAN!
-Wayne
(ps: e-mail me at HighCountryObama@BellSouth.Net if you want any of the attachments mentioned below.)
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First, this notion that non battleground states are not equal in priority to battleground states is both risky and false. Yes, from a practical standpoint, you need those electoral votes; but from the point of view of momentum and grassroots mobilization you need these intangible values that cannot be so easily quantified but are equally responsible for a successful campaign. I heard this from Obama’s media affairs department and from local political operatives in New York, “New York is not in play so we don’t have to devote resources or energy to the effort here, we can count on “X” amount of voters in this state. How specious and hollow this argument appears to me; what would happen if these voters you take so casually for granted simply refused to show up on election day? I worked for six, ten-hour days at the St. Lawrence County Fair and, along with the most dedicated volunteers, registered 70 new voters. Why should I have bothered to work at this fair in upstate, Republican terrain? One person queried whether I could even register 30 voters and I replied my goal was at least 50. From the response that I received, soldiers (Fort Drum is relatively nearby) who are fed up with the war, to even Republicans fed up with the current administration, to working class people who are wondering how they will pay their next bill, to seniors worried about the future of their country, it was clear that these people deserve the same outreach as any other area. When I hosted my first house party, a few guests traveled all the way from Watertown. I was very surprised, “Surely, you have an Obama political presence there?” “No,” they replied, “We are very enthusiastic about the Obama campaign but have no official organization or direction and we are willing to participate and contribute in any way we can.” So, I created the Watertown Area for Obama group and last Saturday held the first “Obama Startup” meeting in the Watertown Lincoln Building where Sean Hennessey, the Jefferson County Democratic Chairman attended.
This brings me to my second peeve with the Obama strategists, at my house party and other events, we were told by the Obama campaign that we had to print out our own fliers or order Obama merchandise from the online store. That may work with a small house party but when you are working the St. Lawrence Fair; this is ridiculous and patently unfair to expect your volunteers to pony up the several hundred dollars out of our own pockets for this event. But, let me back up to my own house party, my wife spent nearly one hundred dollars for the food and supplies, I paid for advertising for this event in the local paper (which is encouraged by the Obama campaign), and used all my ink cartridges printing out fliers and other Obama information. Okay, I agreed to do it, so I can’t complain; but when it comes to large events like voter registration drives, this is an entirely different matter. First, one volunteer, who used the online store to order Obama buttons, ended up, three weeks later, with Obama stickers instead; so now we have a delay. Second, he could only afford so much for merchandise and we quickly ran out of buttons, stickers, bumper stickers, and the literature. Another point concerning the literature, it was a homegrown batch that cannot compare with professionally printed material and, to me, this does not reflect well on your organization. I had to tell so many people who wanted Obama merchandise that we did not have any, sorry, but that also looks bad.
To return to the Obama startup meeting in Watertown, Sean agreed to contact Mr. Pollak, the Obama State Director in New York, to request that the Obama campaign, in his words, “throw us a bone,” in the form of palm cards for a proposed literature drop. He argued that he understood that yard signs, buttons and bumper stickers may have to be our expense but literature should not. I am awaiting the response from Mr. Pollak’s office to see if we can even get this material.
I have worked on many political campaigns and I do not recall ever being in a position of nearly begging for campaign material, even in areas that were not expected to be competitive, and this, ironically, is a campaign that has raised more money than any other in presidential history.
To me every vote counts in every state, battleground and non battleground and every Obama group should be provided with all the resources it needs so that we can be successful in gaining new voters in support of Obama’s candidacy.
UN High Commission of refugees helps care for Darfur refugees. Iridimi Refugee Camp in eastern Chad with 20,000 people since its start in 2004 is on its own and is trying to become self-sustaining. Water supply is low Wood is scarce. Buildings are made of branches. Cooking is done by foil solar "stoves." Iridimi is mostly a flat dry arid piece of barren land. Water is collected around 5 in the morning. The water cans are filthy. Watching life in Chad, Darfur, and Sudan makes me thankful for the life I live in America.
We have two good U.S. presidential candidates and hopefully we will not waste our natural resources such that conflict grows both inside the U.S. and internationally.
See these links for all the offical information you need about Barack Obama for President 2008.
A special thanks to Karen Young of Delaware for Obama for sending this information!
DNMP
Obama information sources:
- *A Comparison of Obama's and McCain's tax plans which you can print off: http://vt71443.com/materials/taxes.html
- All the Obama Issue Flyers: http://my.barackobama.com/content/resourceflyers/
- Policy Issues: http://my.barackobama.com/acissues
- People Pages: http://www.barackobama.com/people/
- Get the Truth about Rumors: http://www.fightthesmears.com/
- Check the Facts: http://factcheck.barackobama.com/
- Newsroom: http://my.barackobama.com/acnewsroom
- BarackTV: http://www.barackobama.com/tv/
- Speeches: http://my.barackobama.com/acspeeches
- Meet Barack: http://www.barackobama.com/learn/meet_barack.php
- Fundraising Guides: http://my.barackobama.com/acresources
- Widgets, Logos, Icons, and Other Downloads: http://www.barackobama.com/downloads/
* Please note that this link does not come from the Obama website and therefore it may not have come from the campaign (however the information does have a source that is referenced).
My dear friends,
on the newspapers the news of the day is that Sen. McCain will propose a mass reduction of the oil price, due of the problems Us citizen have now with gas prices.
So, more explorations near the borders, with the propose to find new oil resources...
Money are very important now, and people are very concerned about that !
It will be the task of this Presidential Campaign...maybe the Power of Dreams VS. the Power of Money (Obama VS. McCain).
We will see...
Your italian friend,
Simone
Not sure if everyone knows this is on the Obama site, but here are a list of informational flyers in PDF format that can be printed out:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/resourceflyers/
Good Evening, everyone:It was truly a pleasure meeting everyone today. The energy and positive spirit are inspiring. We will be rocking and rolling through November and to the White House. We have made great progress planning for the July 4th voter registration event. I will send a more detailed email on Sunday night about the Unite for Change meeting today and the Food for Thought meeting on July 12th. (Heads up nomination party on Aug 28th). Mark your calendars. Tonight, I am forwarding a list of resources ahead of time. (See Below) My brain can only hold so much! ;) Here goes...and Good Night! CheersCrystal Thompson Videos Viewed on June 28, 2008 Yes We Can! Song with will.i.amhttp://www.yeswecansong.com/Speech to Staffers after nomination (You Tube)http://www.youtube.com/v/bnhmByYxEIo&hl=en Unite for Change Videohttp://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid900881681/bclid900480414/bctid1636542631David Plouffe's Strategy Video (Did not show)http://my.barackobama.com/page/m/7d1a4b451aa40372/uvAFrQ/VEsE/Marion, I am still searching for that video. Voter Registration (for July 4th event)Nationwide Voter Registrationhttp://www.registrationbyworkingassets.com/register/?ms=sidebar&api_key=gQKGZ9xr0iTIct4XGnRHB1ALGT4Voter Registration Guide (Attached PDF)http://obama.3cdn.net/827b7bcad16ba000a8_fdm6bhg2e.pdf
Obama Stances on Most Issues Full Position Listhttp://origin.barackobama.com/issues/Stance on Healthcarehttp://www.barackobama.com/downloads/files2/Flyers/Issue_Flyers/healthcare.pdfhttp://youtube.com/watch?v=5ZSY2YG-cSkEnergyhttp://www.barackobama.com/downloads/files2/Flyers/Issue_Flyers/energy.pdfEducationhttp://www.barackobama.com/downloads/files2/Flyers/Issue_Flyers/education.pdf Iraqhttp://www.barackobama.com/downloads/files2/Flyers/Issue_Flyers/iraq.pdf Downloads for Posters and Event Flyershttp://www.barackobama.com/downloads/
Recommended videosMeet Barack Obamahttp://youtube.com/watch?v=WNaFb58C63o Walk a day in my shoeswww.walkadayinmyshoes2008.comA More Perfect Unionhttp://youtube.com/watch?v=zrp-v2tHaDo
Any one who cares about the planet and wants to know whats really going on must watch Crude Impact' click on this link to You Tube you really need to know whats going on "
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fLzelMyjBOw&hl=en"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fLzelMyjBOw&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> "you can also watch a 56 min web video about this on www.filmsforaction.org "
Film maker and environmentalist James Wood explores the interconnection between human domination of the planet and the discovery and use of oil. It also exposes our deep-rooted dependency on the availability of fossil fuel energy and examines the future implications of peak oil, which Wood describes as “the point in time when the quantity of oil extracted from the earth begins to irreversibly decline.”
“The ramifications of peak oil are terrifying,” Wood says, “and they reverberate all across the globe.”
Journeying from the West African delta region to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, from Washington to Shanghai, and from early man to the unknown future, Crude Impact chronicles the collision of our insatiable appetite for oil with the rights and livelihoods of indigenous cultures, other species and the planet itself.
Woods drew his inspiration for the film from his work with the Pachamama Alliance, whose mission is to preserve the Amazon rainforest by empowering its indigenous people and promoting a new global vision of sustainability.
This exclusive sneak peak of Crude Impact is a 60-minute excerpt from the 98-minute full-length feature film.
LEARN MORE:
Learn how to get Carbon Neutral in three easy steps here. Join a petition urging the U.S. Congress to support meaningful global warming legislation here. Support the proposal to list polar bears as threatened here.
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Obama is for the healing of our home, Our Mother EARTH
Greetings Colleagues:
To the extent that individuals, lawmakers and given agencies and entities can, I urge the science community, non-government organizations, stakeholders and our region’s policy makers, to watch the CBS 60 minutes story referenced below. We have a shared responsibility to help CBS tell an accurate and complete story and, if necessary, to provide additional information or other perspectives.
The upcoming story byline below conveys a focus on quotations such as“…waste of taxpayer resources…”.”Further, the byline makes an unattributed and universal claim stating: “…scientists tell us [salmon recovery actions] are extremely unlikely ever to work [Emphasis added].” Finally, CBS will report on “...ineffective programs that are failing to restore an endangered national treasure - wild salmon of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. While there are versions of truth in each of these statements, the way in which they are presented will be important within subjective context. If the story is told in an inaccurate manner it actually poses a threat to the material resources necessary for success. One question to consider could be: Are the programs themselves failing, or…are the resources necessary for success a fundamental cause for the claimed failure? This would be an interesting and necessary question.
Thus, it is indeed our responsibility as leaders and scientists to make certain that the 60 minutes producers know all the facts and are able to present them to the public judiciously. If the CBS story inadvertently neglects to identify the full span of actions taken to date, the anthropogenic and natural sources of salmon decline, and the unsurpassed level of stakeholder support, cost control measures, effectiveness and performance monitoring, then a response is warranted and necessary to protect the public and private investment. Our regions economy and revered natural character depends on this story, especially as it is presented from the most-watched documentary news program in media history.
In closing, this issue encompasses ethical and moral issues, a vast regional economy, thousands of lost and threatened family-wage jobs. It deserves nothing less than diligent, thorough and accurate reporting. This requires that CBS go beyond the byline; it must consider existing and long-held legal requirements our government holds to its citizenry, its trustees and neighboring Country’s. A balanced story will include the full measure of actions and examine the monitoring and reporting that is occurring in the Pacific Northwest when it comes to salmon, humans and the environment.
Keith Wolf, Past President
American Fisheries Society International Chapter Society
P.S. In my personal and professional opinion, we, as taxpayers, professionals and citizens have all made tremendous personal investments of time, expense and energy. We have collectively taken, and are implementing, thousands of what I believe to be conscientious actions to protect and restore the environment. I also believe that we are at the beginning stages of achieving success, and clearly, that we have not succeeded and will not without an increased and increasing level of actions across the political, biological and physical continuum. That said, we have all labored to lay out sensible, reasonable and painstakingly developed paths to restore, protect, and conserve salmon. We have also worked closely to develop and implement programs aimed at mitigating many of the human-caused impacts to the salmon resources and watersheds they, and we, inhabit in a sensitive and respectful manner. The regions publics, stakeholders, and the assiduous state, federal, local and tribal government’s story is compelling in its commitment to this issue, and, it is interesting—to say the least!
ACLU, Lee disappointed by Supreme Court Ruling on Voter ID April 29, 2008, Washington, DC Decision Will Harm Eligible Voters, But Leaves Door Open To Future New Legal Challenges
April 28--In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court today rejected a challenge to Indiana's most-restrictive-in-the-nation voter identification law. The American Civil Liberties Union's case, Crawford v. Marion County Election Board --consolidated with Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita--is an appeal of two lower court decisions that upheld the state's law requiring voters to present government-issued photo IDs in order to vote. The ACLU argued that the Indiana law creates an unconstitutional burden on voting rights. "Today's decision minimizes the very real burden that Indiana's voter ID law places on tens of thousands of eligible voters who lack a government-issued identification while accepting at face value Indiana's unsubstantiated claim of voter fraud," said Ken Falk, Legal Director of the ACLU of Indiana and lead counsel on the case. [more]
Scott Sakamoto of Ronin Studios has set up a site:
This site was created in response to the general shortage and long waits times for Obama SWAG. This website was established by other local Obama supporters who are trying to offer an opportunity for the general public to print their own SWAG.
The swag is specifically for Oregon and does not include material for other states for further info check out the explanations on the site.
The url of the site is http://oregon4obamaswag.googlepages.com/
This was a really great interview. Listen to it, and if anybody you know still thinks we can go on with business as usual and the environment will be just fine, MAKE them listen to it! I can't wait to read the book.
James Gustave Speth: "The Bridge at the Edge of the World" (Yale)on The Diane Rehm Show, WAMU 88.5 FM American University Radio (NPR) Mar. 27, 2008 11:00
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/08/03/27.php#19158
A leading environmentalist explains how American-style consumer capitalism harms the planet and what must be done to save the earth for future generations.
James Gustave Speth, dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University and co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
CD | Transcript
Senator Barack Obama, I see your greatest strength as having a beginners mind (aka open mind).
No man is an island and the US president does not lead alone. As the nation's leader the president has unlimited resources in the people that he turns to every day for information and advice to make his decisions. This calls for wisdom and good judgment more than experience. Too much experience can lead to decisions without adequate consultation. A good manager, president or leader should gather information and make decisions with tempered personal bias rather than knowing what to do from experience. If experience is so important then how did the country get into it's current difficulties? People who are 60 think they know better than people who are 40 because of all their experience but now that they are 60 can they listen as well as someone in their 40s? The longer you are in government the more likely you are insulated from the first hand reality of the average person's life. It's not easy to bridge the gap and too much experience doesn't help. About that call at 3 in the morning: By the time the president is awoken there are unlimited resources at full alert ready to consult and advise. Good organization and good judgment are what is needed. Experience is just rhetoric. All too often experience can only tell you what didn't work last time. This country needs something far more powerful than experience. Remember the old adage that history repeats itself and what is experience other than history?
Often one is in the position of assisting others with much greater experience who couldn't fix the problem because it was one that they had not yet experienced. Experience has value but more important is understanding and good judgment not to mention the integrity that it seems Senator Obama alone demonstrates every day.
Senator Obama, please consider campaigning on these strengths that far outweigh your opponent’s experience in any situation, even at 3 AM.
