...It's not easy, but Yes We Can.
Given the mob tactics and misinformation being spread by those who seek to profit from the sick and vulnerable, we must now stand up for those who cannot. We must talk to our neighbors, friends, co-workers, union members, family, and communities of faith to create real action on Health Care Reform today.
If you haven’t already, please visit OFA’s Health Care Action Center to find simple tools that will help you make a difference from home.
Also, join President Obama for a special strategy meeting on Health Care Reform this Thursday, Aug. 20 at 2:30pm Easterm Time.
And, for those of you who live near New York City, please join me this special event:
Unity Walk and Rally for Health Care Reform
Saturday, August 29, 2009 - 2 pm
NYC - Times Square
SIGN-UP HERE!
Health Care Reform Can't Wait!
State electeds and other guest speakers. Hosted by NYCforChange in partnership with Organizing for America, Obama supporter groups, and many more! We will show the nation that New Yorkers are UNITED in support of reform at this critical time before our Congress members go back to D.C. to vote on historic legislation.
Volunteers needed! Contact allie.feldman@gmail.com
Najayca
Najcaen acacndja
I thank you SO much! I would like to ask an additional favor of you, though; could you email me at stevenvonspark@yahoo.com, so I can thank you personally? I like the personal touch! Also, I promise NOT to harrass you, spam you, or otherwise insinuate myself into your world!
I have enough to do in my own 'lil world! Most like the personal touch! And when asked are GLAD TO HELP OUT.
i like to get to know "my peeps"(not those sugary yellow chicks that make your teeth hurt just lookin' at them!) at whatever level with which they are comfortable. It has become 'round these parts, something of my signature!
I am a very open person, and delight in it!
So much so, my phone just died from lack o' power. Again, thank you folks SO much, and I SO look forward to your emails!
Well, not literally, that would totally suck. Rain as in awesome...you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, let's get out there at geting people pledged. What are we having people pledge?
We want people to support their pledge for Mr. Obama's energy, education, and healthcare plans. We want to have New Brunswick residents sign a pledge to talk to people about that support to their friends, family, and their congressman!
There are thousands of these being done across the country.
Meet at Starbucks on George street at 12 pm THIS SATURDAY!
On Saturday the 21st, I will wait for anyone else at Starbuck on George St. in New Brunswick to canvass to support three pillars of the President's plan. I will be there at 12 and wait until 12:15
Energy
Healthcare
Education
There has been push back in Washtington from those who think this is a bad way forward. That is not what the American people want though - the American people want these three key areas addressed. It is the policitians, so entrenched in their habits of doing this, who cannot grasp that this must be the direction forward. For that reason, I am hitting the streets to get people confirmed as supporters of Obama's plan. This will prove that Americans want change, and that these politicians are getting in the way.
Yap yap yap - the talking heads.
Meanwhile, we NEED health care solutions. We are not taking proper care of ourselves. We HAVE TO educate all of our children so much better than this. Our children, for goodness sake! And WE CAN invent and use new energy solutions. We could actually live to see things greener and cleaner.
There is no chance that Washington will do what we need them to do. We knew that. That is why we elected this new President -- he wants to speak for us. He wants to hear our voices.
President Obama has presented his 10 year budget that plans to invest in Health Care, Education and Energy now, on the road to Economic Recovery and to a future that we all want to live in.
We KNOW that is the right thing to do right now in this country. Whatever Congress people and media heads have to say, there is no FUTURE without planning for and investing in it. This is our chance to create the future we want to see.
"We know this fight won't be easy. But important battles never are. Together, we have the opportunity to shape our country's future. We believed in the power of people to win an improbable election victory. And we believe in the power of people to drown out the cynics and entrenched interests in Washington to bring lasting, meaningful change we can all be proud we played a role in." -- David Plouffe
So let's get busy. (1) Sign the Pledge online. http://my.barackobama.com/pledgeproject (2) Get all of your friends and contacts to Sigh the Pledge online. (3) Host a Canvass Party on Saturday, 3/21. Engage your friends & neighbors. http://my.barackobama.com/pledgecanvass (4) Go out & Canvass on Saturday 3/21. Find an event and Show up.
Make our voices heard.
Yes We Can!
Putting Obama in office was just the beginning. We’ve won a major battle but not the whole war. Now we have the equally daunting and critical challenge of making sure that Obama is able to fulfill the promise that he represents. We need to keep working to take back our democracy and advance Obama’s progressive agenda.
That’s why I’m working with a network of progressive people throughout Maryland to get communities across the state organized and mobilized to in support of building a new clean green, inclusive energy economy and bold federal climate action – two major priorities for president Obama. We’ve teamed up with an amazing national grassroots climate campaign called 1Sky whose goal is to build volunteer climate action teams in every community that will push our congressional leaders to be champions of bold federal climate and clean energy policy. For more info go to http://local.1sky.org/en/.
As you may know, Maryland Congresspeople including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Chris Van Hollen, and John Sarbanes are extremely influential and will have a big impact on the type of climate policy that congress passes. By influencing them we can have a huge influence on the climate fight, but we need to act now because Congress is working on climate legislation as we speak.
2009 is going to be the pivotal year for climate action! If you care about the issue this is the year to act. You can make a difference in just a few hours a month. Help us make history. Please contact me today to let me know if your interested in joining our local 1Sky climate precinct team!
Keith Harrington
MD 1Sky Field Organizer
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
240-396-1985
keith@chesapeakeclimate.org
Part 1 of an article I wrote for jewishinstlouis.org
Every art student learns about the fair use principle, granting us permission to use any image in our artwork as long as we transform it so that it conveys new meaning. But beyond that all-encompassing definition, we don’t know what transgressions, if any, we are actually committing.
Recently in the news is the preemptive lawsuit artist Shepard Fairey filed against the Associated Press. According to Fairey the AP threatened to sue him unless he pays royalties for the image that he used as source material for his now famous campaign poster of Barack Obama. Fairey argues that he is protected by the fair use principle. He claims that his intention was not to reproduce any particular image, but instead was to capture a specific gaze representative of the ideas of hope and change.
In an interview on NPR, Fairey declared he was going forward with this suit on behalf of all artists, the thousands of artists that created their own campaign images in the same grassroots manner, pulling images from the web in support of the message of hope, change and a new administration in Washington.
screen shot of: first page of google image search results for "Barack Obama"
I am fascinated by Fairey’s implication that the process of appropriating and re-contextualizing Google image search results might be considered a grassroots action. As an artist, I frequently use images that that I find on Google. Like Fairey suggested, my motivation for using these images is to highlight the search itself, not the derivative image.
Perhaps then, these cyber Robin Hoodian actions—using and transforming Google image search results—are capable of changing the structures that control the dissemination of information. After all, the order that information appears in Google searches is determined by the amount of people searching any given topic. And as a result of the Fairey’s appropriation, his campaign poster may be forever linked to Obama’s presidency.
email from President Obama
Obama’s popularity can be credited to his skillfully constructed presidential campaign that effortlessly linked his name to hope. I was quick to jump onto Obama’s online campaign message of hope. Like many others, I subscribed to his twitter, facebook, and YouTube pages. I now get weekly emails from him and I even have a blog on his site…
Closing tax loopholes, scaling back on tax breaks and liberal write-offs, and generally expecting big business to contribute to this nation's economic recovery by sharing more of their profits with the American people rather than top management all fall under the heading of "the right thing to do."
However, I sincerely hope the Obama Team has a plan for fighting back when big business instead raises consumer costs to make up for the "losses' these business will incur as a result of these policy changes. We all know that instead of sharing in the pain they will continue to find ways to covertly line their proverbial pockets while publicly proclaiming, "See, the president's economic policies are not working. They are serving only to increase costs to you, the consumer. What a shame..."
How successfull the Obama Team is in exposing and counteracting big business half-truths and deceptive tactics is the key to it all: the economic recovery, the power of the grassroots movement, the ability of the democratic party to lead this country and, ultimately, President Obama's re-election.
