Top Ten ReasonsWhy President-Elect Obama is Like a Greyhound
10. He's elegant.
9. He's lean.
8. He's smart.
7. He listens really well.
6. He knows how to handle a crowd.
5. He surrounds himself with smart people.
4. He loves his family.
3. He looks you in the eye when he talks to you.
2.He's unfailingly polite and well-behaved.
1. He knows how to run a race and win.
The Obama family needs a greyhound in the White House. Thousands are discarded yearly, so this would be a 'shelter' dog, needing rescue. They are perfect for people with allergies. They are quiet and don't bark, so wouldn't interrupt any major decisions being made. They don't shed a lot, so the White House furniture would not be destroyed. They look as gorgeous in public, as the Obama family, and so would fit right in, though Obama may have to budget for the greyhound's clothing. This Greyhound Guide tells more about what they are like as pets. A Washington, DC local greyhound rescue organization can answer questions and more.
I. and others in Greyhound Rescue, know we change the world for the better, one greyhound adopted at a time. We know "we must be the change we want to see" (Gandhi). We know President-Elect Obama is the change we need.
Claudia Presto & Greyhound Gang
Dear President-Elect,
Harry S. Truman once said, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." What better way to thank the Chicagoland area than to adopt your new friend from the premier south side shelter, the South Suburban Humane Society. We would be privileged to accommodate any needs or special requests. Please feel free to contact me on my cell phone at 219-742-2289.
Warm regards, Jamie Cole SSHS Board President South Suburban Humane Society www.sshspets.org
You'd never know from the recent Republican convention that America was about to remember the terrorist attack on New York, when 411 city firefighters, police and medical personnel died trying to save people they had never met.
I just finished watching Governor Palin's speech at the Republican Convention this evening, and I am stunned by the ease with which she fell into the pattern of lies and sarcasm established by the two speakers who preceded her--Giuliani and Romney. I've never heard so many lies in one evening. At one point I wondered if we were watching storytellers instead of politicians....
However, my primary problem is with the exploitation of her son with Down Syndrome. So she gave birth to an infant with Down Syndrome at 44 years of age. So she knew in advance the child would be born with a disability and chose to carry him to term anyway. Good for her. I would do the same, though I am pro-choice all the way.
In fact, my late husband and I took this farther than Governor Palin. In 1986 we adopted a newborn girl with Down Syndrome and congenital heart disease. She is now twenty-two and the light of my life. Most people call her "Princess Bonnie." My late husband often said she was born missing the mean gene.
People often say we're so brave and "good" for bringing her into our lives. On the contrary--we are the blessed ones, as she has brought us nothing but joy.
I am simply appalled to see this issue used by the Republican party as a feather in Governor Palin's cap. It isn't. It's fate.
In my case, it was a choice--a real one. My late husband was also a democrat, by the way.
Furthermore, no parent of a special needs child in the United States of America would ever vote for a Republican president. It is blatantly against the best interests of the most important people in their lives--their children.
A friend asked me how I would respond to those who question Governor Palin's ability to be a good mother while serving as governor or vice-president. Some have critiized her for returning to office so soon and "leaving" the infant. I said, "I'm the wrong person to ask, as I would strap the baby on and take him with me, since I believe in attachment parenting." I even breast-fed my adopted children. I believe a woman's right to be a mother should not prevent her from doing or being anything she chooses. That is not what makes Palin unqualified for this office. There are many, many other reasons.
Governor Palin would serve her children--especially her youngest--better by voting for Barack Obama for president.
Photos of Princess Bonnie can be viewed here: <http://www.debstover.com/family.html>
~Deb
When I was 3 days old it was time for my mother to go home from the hospital, she went home, and I didn't. She tells me it was the hardest thing she has ever done and she regrets that decision every day and will for the rest of her life.
My mother was very poor, she had many brothers and sisters, and my father was not there for either of us. Their house was over crowded and in her opinion, they didn't have what it took to care for me. Her sister was also pregnant, and due just a few short months after my birth. She would decide to keep her son and they found a way to make it work. Together.
I wonder about that often. I wonder if it was my loss, that made the family realize they would have to do what it took to raise my cousin. I wonder what it was like for him growing up, we are so close, yet so far apart at the same time due to my adoption and his being raised in our family. Like me, his father was not there for them either.
I would spend the next 6 months in the foster care system while the courts took the necessary measures to terminate my fathers parental rights to that I could be legally adopted. In Sept. of 1980 I was adopted into the family I would grow to love and call my own and I wouldn't find or speak to my family lost by adoption for another 21 years.
My adoptive parents love me so much. In the posts to come I will be questioned on my love for them, due to misunderstanding and confusion from my positions on the adoption industry. So i want to clear any misconceptions up on that now.
Advocating for child rights and a child centric system when dealing with the placement of children and adoption of child is not about my love for my adoptive parents. Its about seeing things that need change because they are not in the child's best interests, and advocating for those changes. I LOVE MY ADOPTIVE PARENTS. I LOVE MY PARENTS WHO SURRENDERED ME TO ADOPTION. This is not about any grudges I have against any of them, for they are all incredible, compassionate, amazing human beings.
I will post about my search in my next blog...
Watching the convention these past four nights, and especially Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last night, I felt something stirring that I haven’t felt in a long time: Hope.
“John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench.”
“This work must continue and government must find new ways to empower and strengthen these armies of compassion.”
“As President, John McCain will nominate judges who understand that their role is to faithfully apply the law as written, not impose their opinions through judicial fiat.”
“John McCain believes that the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right that we have a sacred duty to protect.”
“In 1993, John McCain and his wife, Cindy, adopted a little girl from Mother Teresa's orphanage in Bangladesh.”
“The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.”
All of the above quotes are from John McCain’s website. Now I would like to give you my feelings on the subject and I will gladly listen (or read, it is a blog after all) to every argument that is brought forth.
McCain feels Roe v. Wade is flawed, but the courts said abortion fell under the 14th Amendment "right of privacy, whether it be founded in the Fourteenth Amendment's concept of personal liberty and restrictions upon state action, as we feel it is, or, as the District Court determined, in the Ninth Amendment's reservation of rights to the people, is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy" as stated by Justice Douglas in the sister case of Doe v. Bolton. So if the constitution says “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” and it also says “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” then who is John McCain to say that the decision was flawed. The justices made their decision. But I can see what direction McCain is coming from when he later states that judges should faithfully apply the laws that are passed. As if to say they should not perform their most fundamental role of checks and balances, not interpreting laws and deciding if they are even legal according to the great Constitution of the United States of America. They should faithfully apply the law as written. But the word faithfully. I associate faithfully with trust without question. Who wants judges in place that will not question? I guess John McCain does. He also wants RvW reversed so he can find ways to strengthen the armies of compassion. Is that like the Army of God, who set off bombs at the Olympics in Atlanta, the same army that hid Eric Rudolph afterwards for years? Huh, talk about domestic terrorism. But has anyone thought if judges were put into place that ruled this way, how many other things might get overturned? Civil rights? Women’s rights? But John McCain fully stands behind the second amendment. I agree with that amendment as well, but how can you agree with part of the constitution and not the rest?
I applaud McCain and his wife for their adoption, and from the future Saint, Mother Teresa herself. What a wonderful thing to do, but why not adopt one of the thousand of children in America who need homes? Why not provide for a child in need in his home town- which ever home out of the 6 he chooses to call his home town. Why are those kids not good enough for him? But what about the people in America who are trying to provide for those kids? They want to provide loving homes with everything the child needs to grow up and succeed in life. Who cares if those people are of the same gender? We can not dictate to those people how to live their life (read the amendments above). If two people can provide the essentials for a happy home, who are we as a society to say they can not. Who are we to say that those people do not deserve all the benefits of being together? If they are viable members of society, they pay taxes, put money back into the economy, are involved in the community, why can we not afford them joint healthcare at no additional “partner” premium? Who are we or better yet who is John McCain to say that people of the same sex are not worthy of the descriptions of parents in raising children, or even a “married couple”? A parent is a person who chooses a stake in a young persons life to help ensure that child will grow up appreciative of what they have, of what their forefathers achieved for them, not just a man and a woman. I believe a married couple to be two people who have decided to live the remainder of their years together, through whatever may come, while loving one another and the people the cherish most. Not just a man and a woman.
I believe Barack Obama believes the same way. I believe he will champion the good fight. The just fight. The right fight. I believe he wants a better world for my children, his children, your children. I believe that he wants a world of tolerance, acceptance, and peace no matter what your walk of life. No matter who raised you. He champions a cause of choice. Choice of freedom that was fought for by our forefathers and that John McCain still clinches to for his answer for everything. Freedom to think, debate, provide, and mentor those around us who may not have the same rights being afforded to them. I appreciate John McCain for what he did for our country and I regret he had to suffer in a POW camp doing it, but I do not automatically think that his captivity makes him the best choice to lead us into a time of acceptance. A time of economic stability. A time of conservation. A time of education. A time of change.
THE OMNIBUS FAMILY LIFE AMENDMENT
THIS AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES CONSISTS OF THREE PARTS:
SECTION 1. THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY. THIS CONSTITUTION GUARANTEES THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY OF EVERY ADULT CITIZEN ON PRIVATE PROPERTY TO ENGAGE IN ANY ACT THAT DOES NO HARM. NEITHER THIS CONSTITUTION NOR FEDERAL LAW SHALL GRANT RIGHTS OR PROTECTIONS BASED ON RACE, GENDER OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND THE RESPECTIVE STATES SHALL HAVE THE SOLE POWER TO REGULATE MARRIAGE AND ADOPTION, SECTIONS 1 & 2 OF ARTICLE FOUR OF THIS CONSTITUTION NOT WITHSTANDING.
SECTION 2. HUMAN RIGHTS. THIS CONSTITUTION RECOGNIZES THE RIGHTS TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS OF EVERY HUMAN BEING LIVING WITHIN THE BORDERS OF THE STATES AND TERRITORIES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. NO LAW OR ACT OF GOVERNMENT SHALL PERMIT THE DIRECT TERMINATION OF LIFE OF ANY PERSON WITHOUT REGARD TO PHYSICAL CONDITION OR DEGREE OF DEPENDENCY EXCEPT TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THESE RIGHTS.
SECTION 3. PARENTAL RIGHTS. NEITHER THIS CONSTITUTION NOR ANY LAW SHALL INFRINGE ON THE RIGHTS OF PARENTS TO CARE FOR THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN AND TO EDUCATE THEM ACCORDING TO THEIR MORAL VALUES OR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. PUBLICLY FUNDED SCHOOLS MAY NOT LIMIT STUDENT ACCESS TO RELIGIOUS MATERIALS OR INFRINGE ON THEIR RIGHT TO ENGAGE IN RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES IN ACCORD WITH GOOD ORDER. COMMON SCHOOL EVENTS MAY BEGIN WITH PRAYER FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD.
Today we are pleased to announce the membership of our Child Advocacy Task Force. This diverse group of community leaders, educators, lifetime child advocates, development specialists, authors and policy and research experts will coordinate outreach and advise the campaign on issues affecting New Hampshire children and families.
Barack has shown a unique commitment to the issues New Hampshire’s child advocates deal with on a daily basis. He has a proven track record and the ability to inspire people to come together around real progress on important issues. These amazing men and women add their voices and their experience to our growing movement for change.
Throughout the week, we’ll profile the members of the Task Force and discuss the issues that most affect our children and our future.
By no means is race the reason that I support Barack Obama, but something about his race occured to me today....
I grew up with a mom who told me that it was okay to use the "N" word to refer to black people who were "trashy". She told me that there was such a thing as "white trash" and such a thing as "N's". Her parents used the "N" word to describe ANY black person they ever saw (whether on tv or in person). So I grew up with that word being a normal part of everyday conversation. I never used it and I never felt that it was right to use a word like that, but I ignored it because you respect your elders (and to sooth my conscience I decided that it was just natural for older people to speak like that because their parents did so). My mothers parents also taught me that you cannot trust a black person and that they are basically soulless sinful people. Now, keep in mind that I never believed any of this...but I constantly had comments like those being put into my head. These are the same people who raised me to be a Christian and taught me about the Bible. My mom told me once that her daddy knew more about the Bible than most people on earth. Jesus loves the little children....
Skip ahead 20 some years...
I cannot have children. I had a hysterectomy at the age of 21 due to complications from endometriosis and PCOS. Everyone in my family, including my mom and her parents, assured me that they would love any child that I adopted into the family. It would be as if the child came from my womb.
Eventually I get a call about a biracial boy. His mother doesn't want him, his father is in jail. He needs a family! MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!
But wait! I can't bring that "N" boy into this family. We'll all be the talk of the town, everyone will say you slept with some "N" and got pregnant. (this all coming from my "Christian" grandparents).....
I am happy to say that I am a mother to a beautiful boy. He is biracial (black and white). He is the most amazing and special thing that has ever happened to me. I also have fewer family members than before. I am short two grandparents. I would be short a mother, but she is s l o w l y changing her ways.
And my husband brought up the other day that it would be such an amazing thing for our biracial child to be a citizen of a country that has a biracial president. Our son would never have to feel like a minority. He would never have to be part of a country that doesn't accept his race as equal. He (unlike me) will be able to grow up in a colorless world!
Now race was never the reason that I decided to support Barack Obama, but I am proud to say that because of his race....my son will live a better life.
Mr. O said:
“We’ve got too many children in poverty in this country, and everybody should be ashamed. But don’t tell me it doesn’t have a little to do with the fact that we’ve got too many daddies not acting like daddies, think that fatherhood ends at conception.
I know something about that because my father wasn’t around when I was young. And I struggled. Those of you who read my book know. I went through some difficult times. I know what it means when you don’t have a strong male figure in the house, which is why the hardest thing about me being in politics, sometimes, is not being home as much as I’d like. And I’m just blessed that I’ve got such a wonderful wife at home, to hold things together.
But don’t tell me that we can’t do better by our children. That we can’t take more responsibility for making sure we’re instilling in them the values and the ideals that the Moses generation taught us — about sacrifice, and dignity, and honesty, and hard work, and discipline, and self-sacrifice.”
Yes, Mr. O. I agree. There are too many children in poverty. I also agree that there are too many daddies not acting like daddies. What you don't mention, but I will, is "why?" Why aren't these daddies acting like daddies? Let's examine the facts.
Post conception choices permitted men? None.
Post conception choices permitted women? Let me count the ways. 1. abortion. 2.Legal abandonment (safe haven laws). 3. adoption. 4. keep the baby and deny the father the right to share in that baby's life. 5. keep the baby, deny the father the right to share in the baby's life, but force him to pay child support. 6. keep the baby, force child support on the father, and allow him visitation when convenient. 7. keep the baby, share in all expenses, responsibility and time with the father.
Mr. O, if one were to put those choices on the scales of Justice, what would happen? Those scales would be etremely lopsided.
Let me re-state part of the above quote. "...think that fatherhood ends at conception..." Mr. O. Sir. Upon examining legal choices permitted men, it appears to me that fatherhood DOES end at conception, UNLESS permitted by the mother, provided she does not ABORT against his wishes, provided she doesn't abandon the child at the hospital, provided she doesn't place the child up for adoption (after applying through a never funded, never publicized state entity called the Putative Father Registry.)
Mr. O. Men have NO legal choices, post conception, and NO legal rights, post partum. Excuse me. There is one legal right called visitation. It is a right that is never enforced by the courts.
Some enjoy using the term "deadbeat" when refering to fathers. I prefer to use the term when refering to government and the judicial system. Deadbeat government. Sounds right.
