Posts with the tag family

Taken into Custody: The War Against Fatherhood, Marriage and the Family

Visit SolidRockFaith.com! — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 10:50:04 EST

Jesus says: "What therefore God hath joind together, let not man put asunder." Mt. 19:6.
Apostle Paul teaches: "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife." 1. Cor. 7:11,12.

Whatever the Bible affirmatively teaches, modern society effectively opposes. This grievous vice causes untold suffering and enormous cost. That is why I recommend to everyone this book, so we can put on the whole armour of God and stand against the whiles of the devil.

The following book review is from John Horvat II at tfp.org

You can purchase the book here.

There is a war that is very little noted in the media. Like all modern wars, civil liberties and the lives of innocent bystanders, often small children, are at stake.
However, this war is not in some faraway land. It takes place inside America itself and is a war upon the family, especially fathers. In a well-documented 352-page book, Taken into Custody: The War Against Fathers, Marriage, and the Family, author Dr. Stephen Baskerville argues that a "divorce industry" favors America's epidemic of divorce, family breakdown, and fatherlessness. Many factors enter into this war. One driving force is the infiltration of feminist ideas that have become institutionalized in modern family law. This makes possible a penal apparatus that has proven an "effective instrument for waging gender warfare on the most personal level." Because they represent the hated "patriarchy," fathers are often demonized and automatically labeled as official villains by many social workers.
Equally important is the psychological climate that has been created around the "crisis in the family." Dr. Baskerville claims the media has created certain myths that predispose people to accept these policies that supposedly looked after the welfare of children often caught in the middle of divorce or abuse.
One of the greatest myths is that of the "deadbeat dad" which is not only a myth but a hoax, the creation of government officials and lawyers plundering parents whose children they have taken away. In fact, no evidence indicates that large numbers of fathers are abandoning their children. The author further documents the "hysterical propaganda" about domestic violence is destroying families, endangering children, and making criminals of innocent parents.
The result of feminist ideology, media myths and no-fault divorce policies is a government-run system tearing apart families, separating children from fit and loving parents, confiscating the wealth of families, and turning law-abiding citizens into criminals in ways they are powerless to avoid. The evidence is overwhelming, and the author takes great pains to cite tragic real life cases. Family courts and feminist-influenced bureaucracies trample basic civil liberties, entering homes uninvited and taking away people's children at will, then throwing the parents into jail without any form of due process or trial.
Worst of all, parents and especially fathers accused of abuse or domestic abuse are themselves victims that are seemingly guilty until proven innocent. Raising a family in these modern times is hard enough in today's hostile culture. Dr. Baskerville's devastating indictment of the divorce industry only highlights just how difficult, if not miraculous, it is that families survive at all in the crossfire of a brutal yet unacknowledged war on the family.

STEPHEN BASKERVILLE,
Ph.D., is assistant professor of government at Patrick Henry College. He holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and is a Fellow at the Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society.

I am a signer of the

to protect the right to life, the traditional Christian family and religious freedom from leftist-liberal encroachments.

The Joys of Motherhood

Visit SolidRockFaith.com! — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 10:29:38 EST

Sara's pulse quickened at the realization that within her a new life had begun. She marveled at the miracle of conception. Her heart was full of awe and gratitude to God for choosing her as a vessel through which to bring another soul into being.

Her loving glance took in two-year-old Lee playing happily with his toy animals. His „Moo, moo“ and „Baa, baa“ sounded so sweet coming from his little lips as he raised his trusting blue eyes to meet hers.

Over in the little rocker, four-year-old Jane sweetly sang as she rocked and patted her doll. Sara recalled her trusting, sincere request in her bedtime prayer. „And dear God, please give us a baby if it is Your will.“

Sara reflected upon being with child. The initial joy was followed by morning sickness, growing anticipation, discomfort, fears, apprehension, and finally the travail of birth. How perfectly Christ had described her experience in John 16:21, „A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.“ Her joy had overflowed when she had beheld her baby for the first time, cradled in her dear husband's arms. A baby was so helpless and dependant, yet so perfect, from its soft, downy hair to its tiny, pink toes.

Sara smiled as she recalled the first heart-warming smiles. Then the excitement of watching the develop, learn to sit, crawl, and finally take that first tottery step. She recalled the baby's gurgling and cooing, then the first words, followed by continual questions as its young mind expanded in knowledge.

Sara also remembered the horrifying feeling when her precious, sweet child had stiffened and screamed in clear expressions of anger. She and her husband had studied what the Bible says about child training. „The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame ... Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul“ (Proverbs 29:15,17 ). How precious to know that God, who created the child, also wrote the intructions for training the child. How rewarding to witness the change from a tyrant to a jewel when God's methods of discipline were properly administered.

Sure, there were interrupted nights, sickbed vigils, loads of dirty laundry, and heartaches to nurse and heal. But this was her God-given role. In it, she found fulfillment – fulfillment in meeting the physical needs of growing little ones, fulfillment in filling eager, open, innocent little minds with the knowledge of God, and fulfillment in seeing them respond to love and correction.

As Sara reminisced, a prayer ascended from her full heart. „Father, I thank Thee for Your gift of a godly husband and the fruit of our love for each other. O Father, grant wisdom and grace that we may mold these precious lives in Your image.“

No career, position, fame, or honor will yield the joys and rewards of motherhood. The Bible is very clear that conception is a visitation from God. When Hannah asked God for a son, „the Lord remembered her“ (1. Samuel 1:19) and gave her a son. „Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward“ (Palm 127:3).

God givs clear instructions concerning motherhood. „I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house“ (1. Timothy 5:14). Throughout history, godly women have found joy and fuilfillment in carrying out this command. A marriage with mutual love, fidelity, and lifelong commitment is essential for experiencing joy i motherhoood.

Men have become aware of the tremendous development in a young child's brain. During this time of development, the mother should be the governing influence in the child's life. A very, young child'd brain has millions of nerve cells (neurons) growing, specializing, and making connections with other cells. By age three, over one quadrillion such links are formed. Interaction between mother and child during these early, formative years greatly increases creativity and intelligence through life.

Mothers who leave their children at the day-care center or with baby sitters rob themselves and their children of many joys . The future of a nation rests withing the lap of mothers. God will abundantly reward faithful mothers who honor His will for them. „Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her“ (Proverbs 31:28).

(text from a Mennonite tract)

I am a signer of the

to protect the right to life, the traditional Christian family and religious freedom from leftist-liberal encroachments.

A Precious Bundle

Visit SolidRockFaith.com! — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 10:19:24 EST

Betty bought the blankets before the baby was born. Her baby would be well bundled when brought home, The prospect of it all flushed a surge of warmth into the expectant mother's heart. She could hardly wait. You can probably identify with Betty. Babies are indeed precious bundles. Precious in that they are ...

A Bundle of Joy

The look on your face likely spoke for itself. Do you still remember? Few joys rival the thrill of holding for the first time a newly arrived bundle from heaven. And God intended it so. Babies are to be bundles of joy.

A Bundle of Life

Ther was no question. The kicking feet and the earnest cries spoke of life. It was another miracle. From the oneness of a man and his wife there issued this new life. Wasn't it a marvel? With all the intricacies of a human being, your baby lay there a small yet complete bundle of life.But life is more than physical. When the doctor was through with the exam, he had not checked the most living part of this baby – the soul. „And the LORD God formed man ... and man became a living soul“ (Genesis 2:7). Somewhere, somehow, inside that bundle of blankets and baby there was a human spirit and an eternal soul – a soul that will live on forever, either with God or without Him. And so, this wriggling bundle of life is also ...

A Bundle of Responsibility

Maybe you thought the hospital discharge papers and the take-home packet of literature said it all. But the responsibility wrapped in receiving blankets goes far beyond diet and diapers. „Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward“ (Psalm 127:3). Children are gifts to us from God.He intends that we lead them back to Him. „Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord“ (Ephesians 6:4) is the Bible command to parents. God holds parents accountable for how they fulfill thsi responsibility. Practically speaking, what are some parental responsibilities? Let's discuss three basic ones.

To Love. To kiss, cuddle, and coo to the baby seems so natural. But the responsibility of love goes much deeper. It includes unselfish sacrifice for the child. It means pursuing what is really best for the child. True love will train and discipline.“He that spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him [early]“ (Proverbs 13:24). Wrongdoing will be punished and doing right will be rewarded, not so much with gifts as with a general sense of approval.
To Protect. „Careful! Don't drop the baby!“ It is the fear of every mother. If only every mother would sense the same urgency in protecting the child's character. „Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners“ (1. Corinthians 15:33). This is a Bible warning. How soon innocent young children are corrupted by the television, the speech of the street, or even the example of their own parents. Children's native bent toward evil drives the unprotected child all too soon into a lamentable life of sin.
To Train. „Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it“ (Proverbs 22:6). To set a child on a course that is „up“ requires quite a bit of training. It means training in respect, self-control, perseverance, submission, honesty, and courtesy. It means at times saying „No!“ in the store's toy aisle and „Yes, you must eat the carrots“ at the table. „Tell the lady you are sorry“; „Try it one more time“; „It is time to pick up the toys“; and „Come for family worship“ are all calls to character training.

To raise children in this evil world, we need the resources of heaven. And God has given them. First, is the privilege of becoming one of God's own children ourselves by a spiritual new birth. This gives us a spiritual mind enabling us to think more as God thinks even on things like child training. It also gives power to do what we know we should do. Secondly, we have the Bible; God's Child Training Manual. Following its practicval directives will go a long way toward successful parenting. Thirdly, we need the church. God expects homes to identify with a Biblical fellowship. From this setting springs a significant array of resources for child rearing. As parents, we cannot do it alone. The bundle of baby is precious. But although the scales may scarcely tip ten pounds with blanket, baby, and all, the bundle of responsibility is heavy. Nevertheless, if the responsibility is faithfully discharged, it will indeed grow into a bundle of eternal joy.

(text taken from a Mennonite Gospel tract)

I am a signer of the

to protect the right to life, the traditional Christian family and religious freedom from leftist-liberal encroachments.

A Merry Christmas Obama Family

Khaidji — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:40:43 EST

A wish to the Obama’s Family for a Merry Christmas, is a wish to the entire America family and the countries who are tied to the economy of America. I say this because, the better able the Obamas serve while in the White House, the better and sooner the state of affairs in the world will clear us.

A Merry Christmas Obama Family

A Birth long ago brought us great cheer

Miracles followed to people everywhere

Emery could never smooth the rough edges He found

Rampant sins were occurring all around

Rights contorted into personal gain

Young awkwardness lost and social disdain

Change we made when in Him we believed

His words whispered a truth we ably received

Righteousness came and the people were healed

It took His reach out to thousands and truths revealed

Savior, Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords and King of Kings

Taught lots and healed many with His wondrous blessings

Multitudes of His followers were there wherever He would go

And the Word of our Deliverer spread to places high and low

So many believed on Him, on His word they hung their belief

On the faith in the Messiah they were freed from grief

Blessed by His powers and loved through His grace

A light that glowed Eternity in His promised embrace

My God and Savior came here and while He was here

A chosen few were taught to go spread His Word everywhere

Faith in the Father and the steadfast faith in His son

Are the doctrines that the Christians taught since they begun

Merriment to all men, peace and love, happiness too

In these trying times and economic strain we wish the best for you

Lots of His joy to you, may the Father’s Blessings be near

Yuletide wishes for a great Season and Prosperous New Year

Love Translation by Joan Cartwright

Diva JC — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:32:15 EST

This video says all I can think of.

http://www.youtube.com/user/divajc#p/u/14/28KppgdX4qc

Love and music,

Diva JC

Healthcare Reform Now!

Med Pro grl CO 2009 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:20:20 EDT

Give me bankruptcy or give me death?

The Status Quo- Insurance Scam.

I work in the medical field and healthcare reform is a great idea. It's about time.

I've sat by powerless, while many people have died in my care waiting for insurance companies to authorize non-formulary medications or treatments. Most people are healthy and don't realize how small the list of authorized formulary items is, until it's too late. Bankruptcy or Death is not what Americans should have to choose between. Health Security should be a right.

Even greedy self-loathing hypocrites whom don't like being GUARANTEED protection will someday need more than they can afford, so then, its illness or bankruptcy or DEATH for themselves or a loved one. Anyone who has tried calling an insurance company knows the truth. There is almost no regulation and mostly people just dance in circles with the insurance companies until it is too late. Time is on the insurance companies’ side. For them, time is money and for us or our families it may be a matter of health or death.

Who, What we are and Why

Ginny — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:14:31 EDT

All you need to know is located at http://thepeasantscottage.com

Hello all on my Black Hattitude Blog

Black Hattitude — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:27:03 EDT

Hi Everybody,

On this blog i will go to talk about what's the black hattitude for me, Not only a skin colour, it is a state of mind, a philosophy of life.
For that purpose, several musical currents were born, as these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBlF9UhcGso

It is also the fact to share, to be opened without reserve nor a priori to discover new persons, learn of them, an exchange in 2 directions that can only be beneficial in all.

Salut tout le monde,

Sur ce blog, je vais vous parler de ce que représente la black hattitude pour moi, ce n'est pas seulement une couleur de peau, c'est un état d'esprit, une philosophie de vie.

Pour cela, plusieurs courants musicaux sont nés. Si vous avez l'occasion, découvrez cet album R.E.L.I.G.I.ON par Black Hattitude.
C'est aussi le fait de partager, d'être ouvert sans réserve ni a priori afin de découvrir de nouvelles personnes, d'apprendre d'elles, un échange dans les 2 sens qui ne pourra qu'être bénéfique à tous. See you soon! A bientot!

My request

Chad from Minnetonka, MN — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:29:53 EDT

Outside of a Sociology course at the University of Minnesota I have never had any interest in ever posting anything on the web. I am venturing into this with skepticism and limited ideas. I don't see how this could possibly help but I am looking to be inspired. IF anybody who exudes positivity accidentally reads this, feel free respond by simply stating what inspires you or has inspired you in the past. As of August 6, my son will turn 1 year old and outside of following the election, all news and politics, even the lighter side of news has seems eons away as I have been preoccupied for the majority of the last 2 years preparing for and attempting to raise a son. I am totally occupied my families existence and I fear that if I don't reach out that I will in some way be limiting my knowledge of life that I will be able to pass on to my son and share with my wife. So take a moment to share your inspirations. On second thought the one thing that I am extremely interested in finding out more is Wind energy.

Blacklist

equal citizen — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:27:45 EDT

i wanted to set up an appointment with my congressman because i was blacklisted for exercising my rights as a citizen. i was locked into an office against my will to be tormented by my supervisor. i filed a formal complaint and was terriably harrassed by the healthcare institution where i worked. not able to find a job in my skilled field; i decided to start my own business. i faxed a request a month ago as instucted. i called to find out if indeed my fax was recieved and to make an appointment. i got some information per sba etc.; but no appointment. after following up with questions, i was told to apply for welfare. what a cut down. is this the change we are suppose to look forward to?

- MAKE WHAT YOU ARE WORTH -

Doug8787 — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:25:48 EDT

MAKE WHAT YOU ARE WORTH

While working as a volunteer Fire Fighter, Douglas Ryder suffered an accident on the job, which did damage to his spine at the age of 60 right before retirement. Because Douglas was a volunteer, insurance would not cover his lost income. Now being permanently disabled, Doug, living alone and with no other income source had to do something so he could create that income. With just a phone and very little computer skills, Doug devoted himself to doing some research and this is what he found.

When you look at people nearing retirement, roughly four out of ten people aged 55 or older has less than $100,000 saved up for retirement. Most people expect their standard of living to stay the same. But with so little saved how can they expect to live the same lifestyle when they have not saved enough money? A lot of these people don't realize that there is someone like Doug, who truly enjoys helping people, as their full time mentor.

The number of people starting businesses every year is staggering but only about 5% end up surviving. Many people do not know what they are doing, getting into and have absolutely no mentoring at all.

Outside of the ability to own your own business, set your own hours, you will be building a strong financial future. You can own your own home and set up a safe and secure financial plan. People always struggle to create a new way to make money. The most successful people will tell you that they followed a plan step by step to get to a destination with ongoing proper personal guidance.

While researching, Doug also found out that there are so many scams on the Internet. Everything from get rich quick, to purchasing high dollar items that are not worth selling. The reality is that the hopes and dreams of honest people trying to make a better life for themselves are being preyed upon and shattered, day-in and day-out. Our latest findings indicate the average person looking for a legitimate work at home opportunity loses an average of $2,785 to scammers’ pockets. And the time wasted, the grief endured, and the lost income you could have made while falling prey to such scams is immeasurable.

After all his research, Doug finally found one business and being grateful he made a promise. Because this business had become a blessing to him, he promised to help as many people as possible get their prayers answered also.

He now knows, you can actually have a home based business, learn and create a reputable, honest income without being scammed or without having to inventory products.

Douglas Ryder who loves to help people, wants to share how he became now worry free of financial burdens with a proven system that has been recognized in FORBES magazine as the new "GLOBAL MEGA TREND", now doing over 100 BILLION a year globally. If you would like more information, please either call the toll free phone number or visit Douglas Ryder’s web site www.dreambudget.com. He has helped so many people reach their goals and would love to do the same for you. Your LIFE and FINANCIAL future will be dramatically affected. This is and has been PROVEN!
WWW.DREAMBUDGET.COM
1-877-678-7575

Car Culture has met it’s Match with Obama- No more muscle cars.

Peter from Carrollton, TX — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:29:52 EDT

Car Culture has met it’s Match with Obama- No more muscle cars.

Hemi’s, Mopar’s, Chevy, Ford, Roush, Shelby, Challenger, Mustang, Camaro, Corvette, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston martin, Porche, Bentley, Lexus, Acura, and other cars; sorry if I didn’t list them, will soon be dead. Obama has issued a mandate that forces auto manufacturers to create fuel efficient cars. Well most won’t be affected because they are foreign cars but U.S. made vehicles must meet the stringent 35.5 mpg limit on passenger vehicles. What does this mean to you, you ask? You won’t be able to have those Shelby GT500’s or Camaros that pump out 500+ horsepower anymorel. You can’t even get a decent luxury v6 that makes more than 300 horsepower. For example, I owned a 2003 honda civic ex; 5 speed manual. If I slowed down and went speed limit I might get close to 40 mpg. Not to mention it was a coupe. Small, compact, fuel efficient, aerodynamic cars will be our future. Car guys weep along with me as we see super cars slowly go by the wayside. I don’t want a Prius. I don’t want a Insight. Both of which are good cars by the way. But don’t fret, there is still hope. There are sports cars that use fuel cells and diesel hybrid technology out there. Not to mention Tessla has an all electric sports car. What I’m trying to say here is, the old ways have died. The new ways are just arriving. It is still too early to see what the future would be like, but I definitely know there won’t be any more 6.0 liter v8’s coming outta the good ole’ U. S. of A. American Muscle, meet green. Being a big car guy myself, trust me I LOVE CARS, it’s sad to see that is going away. But for the greater good. Just go buy a classic, fix it up, pass it on to your kids, and keep it in the family like it was your family jewels.

Might be something we will drive in the future. World's smallest car.

New Green Auto-makers in the Wake of Obama’s 35 mpg Rating increase for Passenger Vehicles

Peter from Carrollton, TX — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:27:43 EDT

PC Childs, commented some gibberish on my site that almost threw me into a frenzy. OMG did he not read the post? Is he just babbling away at me? Wait, did he almost call me an idiot? Well the point is, everything he said didn’t make any sense at all if you read my entire post. I’m sad that muscle cars will be going away just because I enjoy a nice American made muscle car. Most car guys would agree with me. But this pansy drives a 1986 VW with a 1.6 liter engine and he has the nerve to say I know nothing about cars. He’s the idiot for blasting me about new technology when hes in a 1986 car! Mercedes has a fuel cell sports car, Tessla has an all electric sports car, Honda has three concept fuel cell cars and electric sports cars and thats just some of the auto makers in the hybrid sports car arena. Mercedes has an hybrid suv that drove across Africa!! Never heard about that did you PC Child. There are motorcycle makers in California that are making all electric motorcycles. Even if you didn’t want a sports car or motorcycle, I can hypermile my 3.0 V6 coupe up to 45 mpg. So take your little 1986 1.6 liter engine that gets 50 mpg with old technology, and I’ll get my 2003 3.0 V6 with 45 mpg car and I’ll laugh at you in my luxury car all the way to the gas station. Oh by the way I give props to VW for making a 250 Mpg vehicle. It’s not as new as his spiffy as his 1986 VW but well, decide for yourself. Take a look and comment which car you would like to take.

Here’s some stats about the new VW Extreme 1.0 Liter car. The VW 1-Liter, developed in a wind tunnel, has a very narrow and very flat body configuration that necessitated tandem seating for the two occupants. Measuring in at 4.1 feet wide, 11.4 feet long, and just over 3 feet tall, the car features an amazing drag coefficient of just 0.159…even more wind-cheating than the slippery GM EV1 electric car’s 0.19 Cd. With its 235 mpg fuel economy, it can travel 400 miles on its 1.7 gallon fuel tank…all the while achieving a 75 mph top speed.

PC Child’s 1986 Golf is a POS. You guys comment and vote please. FYI this post was in response to my Car Culture Post Here.

Immigration and social justice

MariaXimena — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:31:47 EDT

Many latin and hispanic people have their hopes up for a change in social justice and fairness for families who have immmigrated to the US and have blended families, what is your view point?

A pro-family SUPREME COURT justice is needed.

FRED4JUSTICE — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:39:11 EDT

Marriage represents a substantial risk to men. Investing in a family is likely the most substantial investment of time and effort a man can make. Women typically 'win' no-fault divorces, and walk away with everything including the house, the marital savings, the car, the children, and even his future earnings. Men prudently view marriage as a unilateral debt obligation that women may 'cash in' at any time, and leave men broke and distressed over the loss of children. Accumulation of marital assets such as home equity could be viewed as detrimental as it provides incentives for the wife to divorce. Renting, secret acounts, or concealment of finances may be viewed as a financial hedging strategy for divorce risk.

The decision to be a single custodial parent is largely a financial choice made by women who perceive a benefit from filing a divorce or declining a marriage. Marriage represents risk uncertainty to women, while government programs (Child Support Collections, ADF, etc) are a sure thing. The security of government programs is more attractive than the uncertainty of getting or staying married, they are a government divorce incentive system. In some jurisdictions, 80% or more of divorces are filed by women. This is opposite to feminist propaganda that portrays typical divorces as a 1950's era phenomenon of the husband running off with the cute young secretary. Women are divorcing to secure financial benefits for themselves. The U.S.C.B. reports (Pub. P60-230) that 83.1% of sole custodial parents are female, and this knowedge is the assurance to women that she can file with high confidence in the outcome. The divorce incentive system works for women because the expectation of winning most or sole custody. It must be known that the no-fault divorce petition will most probably exclude the husband from the family for women to make this choice. This is 100% opposite to a request upon the judge for permission to leave the family, as divorces are portrayed by feminist propagandists. If women percieved a high probability of shared custody, shared assets and no support payments this would proportionally reduce the financial incentives of divorce.

Margaret F. Brinig, in "These Boots Are Made For Walking: Why Most Divorce Filers Are Women", describes "expectation of sole custody" and its effect on divorce filing decisions. Much of the analysis is biased, for example it presumes all reports of 'cruelty' made in a divorce are true. It still provides some fairly reasonable conclusions: "filing behavior is driven by self-interest at the time of divorce..... We have found that who gets the children is by far the most important component in deciding who files for divorce, particularly when there is little quarrel about property, .... custody coefficients were the largest by far, family law reformers may want to concentrate on formulating custody rules that will alter the spouses’ relative gains from marriage." In other words, they did a study, ran a regression on divorce filers, and found that that child custody was by far the largest determinant causing the divorce. The parent that gets cusody is almost always the parent that files for divorce. If skewed determinants such as 'reported cruelty' were dropped the custody determinant would likely increase further.

The basic premise underlying the women's studies - radical feminist perspective concerning fathers is that they view dads as inherently bad parents, and only useful to provide income payments to women, and programs run feminists and feminist ideology. Radical feminists oppose marriage and the 'traditional' 2 parent family. Men are berated and profiled as 'Deadbeat Dads' , regarded little more than child support slaves, and 'irresponsible' for not providing women and the feminist nanny state with income sufficient to meet their demands. This logic breaks down on many levels, the least of which is the fact that non-custodial moms tend to be even more behind on child support than non-custodial men.

A rational analysis of the child support issue is more helpful in explaining the child support problem than is the typical feminist demagoguery that claims to own the issue. Page 40 of The Law and Economics of Child Support Payments By William S. Comanor addresses the phenomenon of the 'Deadbeat Dad' starting with the welfare scenerio. Dads pay money to the state, and AFDC pays the mother, and there simply is no incentives for a father to pay support thru the system. Every $1 paid contributes $0 additional benefit to the child. Only payments 'under the table' directly to the mother or child have any real benefit to the child.

Populist 'Child Support Civil Disobedience' reaches a similar conclusion. Many Non-Custodial-Parent's (NCP) argue that all parents should and do have a responsibility to care for thier child, but that making payments to the state is the least responsible course of action, because doing so funds a corrupt and evil machine that feeds off of the destruction of families, and keeps parents away from children. This argument further holds that the only 'real' support a NCP gives a child is the time and money actually spent with, and on a child. In other words, the forced 'child support payment' to the state has little or no benefit to the child, while 'direct' payments such as time and money spent during 'visits', going on outings, buying the child clothing, schools supplies, etc.. is viewed as the only 'real' means to satisfy a parent's moral obligation to support their child.

The book by Comanor explains 'Child Support Civil Disobedience' phenomenon thru an analysis of the difference between individual and collective consumption preferences. In a marriage, many 'collective' economic decisions are made by parents, which reflect not only the individual preference of each parent, but each parents concern for the 'collective' preferences of the household. Likewise, the amount each parent allocates to spend on the child is likewise dependant upon collective resources. Child support payments raise the income of the custodial parent, thus raising the consumption preference of that parent, so that only a portion of the NCP's child support payment is now allocated to the child. Each $1 dollar of NCP support payment is no longer $1 going to the child, but rather only a fraction now gets apportioned to the child, with the remainder enhancing the consumption of the CP due to the increased income. Thus, the NCP views 'off the books' support payments directy to or on the child as the only 'real' dollar for dollar contribution to the child, while forced state run 'child support payments' are viewed as contributing little or nothing to the child.

In the case of high conflict divorce, a NCP’s state run 'child support payment' may be viewed as doing nothing at all for their child. The Wall Street Journal published a recent study showing the average legal fees for divorce to be about $78,000. In other words a $500/month child support payment by the NCP to the CP would in turn only make payments on the legal fees (assuming 0% interest). In this example it would take 13 years to payoff typical legal fees needed to 'win' the custody battle and resulting child support payment. Thus the $1 of 'lawyer support' payment goes to creating the non-custodial parent = $0 benefit to the child. The cost of a typical custody dispute legal fees is also about the cost of sending a child to a decent college for 4 years. Both the consumption preference and expenditures on children by the NCP must diminish accordingly.

A custodial parent frequently must enroll a child in daycare, hire a babysitter or other paid supervision after divorce, to replace the child caring role of the NCP who has restricted contact after divorce. In this scenario the 'support payments' do not enhance, but instead decrease the benefit to the child. This is a transfer of both the income and the role of the NCP to a third party, often against the wishes and preferences of the NCP. When a NCP shares the care of a child, he may have preferences to vountarily care for the child and spend say $500 a month on the child, and the child directly benefits $500 and quality parental care and guidence. When forced out of the family by the state, the forced, involuntary, $500 a month 'support payment' taken from the NCP pays a 3rd party, babysitter or other minimum wage quality caregiver, to replace the father's natural preference to care for the child. In this common scenerio the child recieves $0 benefit from this transfer. The child is actually deprived the $500 benefit previously provided willingly by the NCP, and quality parental time is replaced by lower quality institutional care.

Matching federal funds, and other programs funded by removing one parent is a main source of income to the often corrupt and abusive family law 'machine' that profits from, and is responsible for, divorce incentives and destruction of parental bonds. States are beneficiaries of a federal program (42 U.S.C. 658a) that pays them money in proportion to the size of their Child Support programs, which is dependent on the number of divorces. More divorces or more single parent households with child support payments = more money for states. Creating sole or unequal custody results in greater child support collections, and also increases the 'kickback' earned by the states and courts. States have an incentive to preserve the preference for mothers in sole custody awards, in order to enhance the numbers of divorce, and the inbalance of custody awards, as both enhances income to the states, and directly enhances funding of the Judge’s salary. The need to strike down 42 U.S.C. 658a is a no-brainer. There should never be a financial incentive for states to destroy families, period. If the federal government really wants to do something to help families or children, it should simply provide funding on a straight and simple per capita basis of the numbers of children residing in a state, a simple dollar per child funding program. If any 'incentives' are offered, they should be in the form of a bonus for reduced administrative and legal costs, and rewarding states that allocate the most money directly to children and families that need it the most.

Rather than viewing child support as a sort of competetion between states on who can generate the most support payments, we should view child support payments as a last resort, and a very poor substitute for direct parental care. We should view collection of child support payments as an example of a failure in our society, and one of those necessary evils that we may have to tolerate in some instances, but our efforts should try to minimize, rather than encourage child support payments.

BallTown (screenplay)

Vincent Williams — Wed, 06 May 2009 10:40:46 EDT

The family that sings together, clings together (and, by the way, maybe reads together and provides the kind of safety and security required). I have written a family screenplay titled "BallTown" which is briefly described below:

When URTH and MOONICA whirl your way, T. D. FOOT, TIPPY the VOLLEY GIRL, DUNCAN BASKET and all balls discover to their terror that the villain SLIME has resolved to destroy their bounce, their roll and even their soul.

URTH narrates this audience interactive musical invention. Designed for ages 2 to 12 with parents and grandparents, well-known classics such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "You Are My Sunshine", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", etc. invite all to sing along.

There are two heroes in this story and they are honored to be recognized by (since this is "BallTown") President O-Ballma.

When families have fun, they enjoy sharing.

PROPOSED LEGISLATION PERTAINING TO CHILD ABDUCTIONS BY FAMILY MEMBERS

Please Help Missing Children — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:50:45 EDT

CAPITOL CONNECTION
A Weekly Update of News and Views
For Opinion Shapers and Policy Makers
Congressman Gary G. Miller
42nd District, California

Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Prevent Kidnappings by Family Members
This week, Congressman Miller joined Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey in reintroducing the Family Abduction Prevention Act. This bipartisan legislation will crack down and prevent the abduction of children by family members. Annually, approximately 200,000 children are abducted by family members, compared with 58,000 incidents involving nonfamily members. Despite the fact that such incidents account for over 75 percent of all child abductions, most local law enforcement agencies lack written guidelines for such cases, or do not have the protocols necessary to help facilitate a child’s recovery. The Family Abduction Prevention Act would address these weaknesses by providing matching grants to state and local agencies to strengthen family abduction prevention programs and raise awareness of this ongoing issue. He is proud to support this legislation and believes that it is crucial we provide states with the resources necessary to guard children from this real and prevalent threat.

Initiated by:
Myra Spearman,
Founder of The Weaker Vessel.
http://www.domesticviolencedatabase.org/

Contact:
Illinois State Rep. Bob Pritchard
bob@pritchardstaterep.com

The push for Duncan and Jack's Law came as the result of the deaths of Duncan and Jack Connolly, at the hands of their non-custodial father, Michael Connolly. Michael had a documented history of mental instability, threats of violence and death, domestic violence and family violence that forced the boys mom, Amy Leichtenberg, to repeatedly obtain Order's of Protection.

There were far too many errors in the Judicial System that preceeded the abduction of the boys. And then, after they were abducted... the ridiculous errors continued.

help someone out

Margaret — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:59:48 EDT

Im Margaret a single mom who needs help. I believe this is a way for us to work together. I am seeking help within my community to open a new business. A new way to do something, because its time to do something new. Check me out, email me, get to know me. I have plan an opening party at Preisdent park located in Wheaton, May 2, 1 to 4pm. I am hoping to get familys to join me as i share this day with my community. I hope you can help me out. I hope to be a good example in this time where all things are hard to do.

My Highly Educated Techy Husband is sitting at his desk with a box outside his cube.

Christine from Washingtonville, NY — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:19:24 EST

My husband is IMing me from his office at his tech job in NYC for a hedgefund. They just put a box outside his cube. I have a 4 year old daughter and I'm just hoping we'll be able to hold onto this house. I hope we can find a rental that will take two cats and a dog.

All the tech jobs are getting outsourced at an alarming rate. You NEED to put a plug in all of these US jobs going to other countries. They are so blatant about it.

Look at the ad someone on the tech boards found: A job ad that said "only whites need apply" would clearly be discriminatory. So why is this ad - posted on linkedin - legal?

-------------- Opening for Indian professionals in US with Valid H1 Visa. No green card Holders Pls. Hi! Folks, I m looking out for Indians currently based out of US with a Valid H1.

People who are willing to relocate to India once the task/assignment isover as per the duration(1- 2yrs). I m looking out for people in the following skills:

1. Siebel Lead/ PM Exp 6- 10 Yrs Loc: Santa Clara CA Vast hands on experience in Siebel and eConfigurator Must have lead a team minimum 10 or more

2. DBA Exp 5- 7 Yrs Loc: Sunnyvale CA Oracle 10G DBA (5+ Years), PL-SQL, Shell Scripting, Datastage (Nice to have), Leadership and Coordination

3. DW ETL Admin Exp 5- 7 Yrs Loc: Sunnyvale CA Datastage (4+ years) with Admin Experience, Oracle 10G, PL-SQL, Shell Scripting, Leadership and Coordination

4. Application Service Lead Exp 5- 7 Yrs Loc: Sunnyvale CA Datastage V8 (3+ years), Oracle 10G, PL-SQL, Shell Scripting,Analytical & Problem Solving Skills, OBI EE (nice to have),Leadership and Coordination

5. Monitoring and Application Administration Lead Exp 5- 7 Yrs Loc: Sunnyvale CA Datastage V8 (2+ years), Oracle 10G, PL-SQL, Shell Scripting, Analytical & Problem Solving Skills, OBI EE (nice to have)

6. Sr QA Analyst Exp 5- 7 Yrs Loc: Sunnyvale CA Oracle/PL-SQL, DW-BI fundamentals, Understanding of SDLC, Defect and Test Lifecycle, Should have domain expertise in finance area Hence, if you fit in the bill & have the relevant credentials,kindly share your updated profile. Alternately, you can refer yourfriends or colleagues for the same Thanks & Regards Amit Sharma amitsharma@focusonit.com

Before Affirmative Action

Ivan from Christiansted, VI — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:57:21 EST

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

Love Life:Barack & Michelle

Aia — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:35:18 EST

Recently, I questioned marriage and swore away the idea of giving birth. When I look at the two of them, I see a couple who loves beyond what many of us have yet to imagine or realize. In light of other opportunities to branch out and grow intimately with another, they seem to share a mission and it consumes their relationship, family and life. Do Barack & Michelle inspire you to love intimately? Do they give you hope in finding true love? Do you believe your love will soar with a greater sense of purpose? Do you believe you'll CHANGE your mind about true love, marriage or family? I have. How do you envision "the new family structure" or your future love life?

event; Giving from the Heart, a heart warming experience

freedom4u_n_me — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:58:55 EST

Yesterday, Sun. Jan. 18th, 5 Peorians, met downtown and searched for homeless and/or hungry people in our community. We handed out 35 sack lunches, 48 bottles of water and 3 bags of clothes to those in need. This was our service project for today's National Day of Service called for by our, soon to be, 1st Family.

We met 28 men, 5 women and 2 children in downtown Peoria. It was heartbreaking while it was heartwarming, as well. It was a small deed. But to see their smiles, and hear their words, is an experience that I will not forget, nor will my niece, age 19, and her boyfriend, age 23(who started this project over a year ago), my daughter, age 20 and my 'adopted' granddaughter, age 10. It was a family affair! I am thankful and proud of my family. I wonder where the families of those we met are.

We will continue to try to end hunger one little step at a time. Fellow Peorians, will you join us?

I know that many of you have or will be participating in a service project that is near and dear to your heart. Let me say to you, keep up the good work, don't slow down, continue to spread the word and the love to others. TOGETHER we can "be the change that we've been looking for."

My stimulus package idea

Deeply Concerned — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:39:32 EST

I read something on this website tonight, it hit home for me. "build a movement for change from the ground up" My sentiments exactly, I have a very innocent and simply stated stimulus package that does just that, builds from the gound up, giving us a chance to make the difference. Let the big guys wait and see how we spend our money. Let them work for us, instead of us working for them.

INSPIRED time to UNITE not FIGHT its not ME its WE, be free

A.D.D. Poet — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:38:13 EST

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release

Contact: Ron Sorenson/Kathy Kafka PHONE 954 632-8495

E-MAIL: sorensonbuilders@mac.com and kathy1000kai@yahoo.com

SOUTH FLORIDA’S “A.D.D. POET” HEADS TO INAUGURATION WITH AN OBAMA TRIBUTE

Former Home Builder Turned Poet Will Be At The Inauguration With A Truck-load of His Poetry Honoring Barack Obama

Ron Sorenson has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.)—he says his condition is at the core of his talent

Miami- The week of January 20th millions will arrive in Washington DC to witness Barack Obama become the 44th President of the United States. In the crowd will be South Florida poet, Ron Sorenson. The former homebuilder has been diagnosed with A.D.D (Attention Deficit Disorder). Recently he began a diet and exercise program to manage his ADD. The side effect of this non-prescription treatment of ADD has been a creative explosion. Ron now creates poetry that has received recognition and applause from academic institutions such as Rutgers University, Stanford University, Jonn Fee Okford University, San Francisco Art Institute Suzanne Olemsted Addmissions,The Bereavement Society and his celebrity fans include Jonny Depp, Red Hot Chlie Peppers Jewel, Elle, Coda Ray, Evanescence, Soul Bomb, Siva Noir, Oliver Stone, Denzel Washington, Ian Lewis Inner Circle Band, John Sally NBA, Charles Johnson Baseball Great, Eddie Johnes Basketball Great, Larry Hendricks Hendricks Racing, Jeb Corbis Daredevil, Evil Knevil, Anjelo Dunde, Muhamad Ali, Mark Clayton, John Tesh Yoko, House of Zaccardi Artist, many more and names of some that would not or frienship open and not private anymore.

This past year Ron has become caught up in the Obama campaign and to honor his presidency, Ron created a poem titled Persistence True Dream. Ron teamed with Coral Springs artist, Tony Hall—in an almost impossible way they met and the two have created a framed limited edition and a poster to mark the historic event.

Ronald Sorenson was born a twin on September 26, 1957 on an Army base in Columbia, South Carolina. His twin brother Donald passed away at three months old. Ron found out when he came across a photo of two babies in a crib. His beloved grandmother told him when he was ten. Ron always believed his brother was his guardian angel, and has had a difficult job watching over him. With his high energy level, risk taking, and other traits he possessed, Ron felt different from everyone else. He describes the inside of his brain as Jimmy Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock in his head 24/7. On June 4, 2005, Ron met Kathy Kafka—both are divorced with children. On there first date during the evening conversation, Kathy described Ron as gifted and having A.D.D. Ron had no idea what Attention Deficit Disorder was. The journey began, he had to find out what it was, during the week he was tested and diagnosed with A.D.D. Finally he had a description of why he felt different. Kathy saw a person in Ron that he never noticed. He was intelligent, creative, enthusiastic, and sensitive. Now aware of his gift of A.D.D., and the love and understanding from Kathy, his life is only getting better. Ron has been a building contractor, building beautiful homes for over 25 years. Because of his boredom and the poor economy, Ron has grown significantly tired of the construction business. Now aware of his gift, and Kathy’s love and understanding, life is only getting better. With Kathy’s knowledge of health and natural herbs, she has transformed Ron’s poor health habits. Ron is now eating healthier, consuming herbal blends and teas, resulting in positive energy. This has brought out his inventiveness, and creativity, and he is now writing beautiful philosophical poems, which he never thought he could do. Ron began writing poetry for Kathy. She noticed his talent and with the positive reinforcement he began spreading his poetry to others. Ron is now referred to as the “A.D.D. Poet.” Poetry is a way to go deep inside and express him self. Life is only getting better for Ron who has been living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida most of his life. He is unleashing the artist that resides in his heart and brain for all to enjoy.

Tony Hall was born on December 26, 1950 in Kingston Jamaica. His family moved to Mt. Vernon, NY in 1966. Attending Parsons School of Design, he majored in Graphic Design. After being drafted in the Army in 1971 and his interest in art, Tony started to paint in the evenings as a hobby. He would paint for his friends. After the release from the Army in 1978, a person noticing his talent, offered to sell his works. He gave this man several of his painting, which he never saw again. Discouraged by what happened, Tony stopped painting for three years. Then in 1981, a man commissioned a painting, but after the work was completed, the man was killed. Discouraged again, Tony stopped painting for several years. He began another hobby, base guitar, starting his own group called Mystique. Then in 2000, a co-worker requested a pencil drawing of his two children that both passed away after their birth one year apart. He asked Tony to draw the one child without the deformities he was born with. The look on his co-workers face when he gave him the drawing of his two children, put both of them in tears. Inspired to do art again, Tony created many pieces in just the last year and a half, but has not been able to sell any of his work. Tony and his wife are in jeopardy of losing there home because of the poor economy. Tony works for a printer who reduced his hours and his wife is in real estate sales. Tony and his family live in Coral Spring, Florida. Ron says along with Tony nothing can go wrong and every wrong turn ends up being the right way, He believes if you can dream it you can do it and he is living proof. Anything is possible no matter the economy your situation its what you belive and choose for your journey.

What Obama's inauguration means to me!

mrcsmitty — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:40:31 EST

This inauguration to me means that we have hope for an Honest Government ! That ideas and Facts will be real and not just based on what the highest bidder wants to be fact. That trampling our "lesser" citizens to fill certain pockets with wealth by lies and greed will stop! That ruining our great planet with petroleum products and chemicals only because of bias studies and greed will come to an end! That thousands of Law Enforcement and Border Guards can stop losing their lives over lies and greed! That thousands of Innocent-Honest-Hard Working Americans won't have their Lives and Families ruined by unfair laws funded by lies and greed! That America will be what our Founding Fathers intended it to be, FREE! That our Economy can Flourish with Savings from our bias War on our own people if it were to stop! That Millions of Jobs can be created and sick could have natural relief! That we can end our current failed wars on our people and stop the injustice! That prohibition on our rights will end! That prohibition will end! I know we can do it! YES WE CAN!!! We can be back to an America that's government is OF the people, BY the people, FOR the people and not OVER the people! YES WE CAN!!!

Breakthrough

Robert from Buford, GA — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:50:58 EST

Breakthrough

Robert Ferrell

A little over four hundred years ago in a hot cotton field an already drained tired old woman dropped a seed of blood from her dried hard hands into the soiled dirt of mother Earth. No tears, no fears. The blood like the old woman refused to cry and die in the blistering sun. Instead it soaked and steadily rolled deep into its mother never to stop never to wait for death was not a fate.

Somewhere on the same plain under another owners name was another slave, feeling the burn from the crack of the whip being ripped from his back. And if that isn’t enough pain the word nigger replacing his African name by a man of another complexion. No shock here that a tear or two full of hopes and dreams rolled off his hot salty face and drill themselves into the calm sands. As he prays that his children somewhere in this unknown land don’t feel the same affliction.

Not calm for long is this unfertile dirt as the tears and the red seed that moved constantly finally meet in the underneath. Never a fight between mother and father, as they began to composite with one another deep down in their mother. After some time in the dirt’s clutches a root of Will broke through. It seems that through all the infinite numbers of tears. Tears of hope, and fight from above began to find ways to seep through the significantly thick pavement being poured on top layer after layer.

Through all the turmoil above the rapes, beatings, lynching, mutilations, bombings, and assassinations, was a loud thought that echoed deep into the grains causing the root to feed rapidly. In time the root replied to this thought but not by sound. Not by the speeches not by the violence. The root was never judgmental of the two. For they never out weighed each other in their time of struggle. The root heard the calling from the two. The root heard the songs being sung while marching, and felt the pressure from the hoses, and the teeth of the protected German Shepherds break through the skin of the young men and women. The root felt the tremble of the body that fell in the Audubon auditorium for bringing meaning to the phrase “by any means necessary”.

As the root began to feed on these acts and ideals it grew a stem that started to push itself through the cracks of the controversial pavement. The bottom from which the root came softened from the resurrection of the tears of hopes and dreams and the Will carried by the seed.

Yet after overcoming all those obstacles the seed still toils to get through the gravel. The sharp edges of laughter pointed at a young black man who has the audacity to think he can become a senator let alone the idiocy to dream of being a presidential nominee.

The summer of two thousand and eight is just about over and the stem inched its way above the blistering pavement. Now the sun that harassed the seed so long ago finds itself supporting the seeds beliefs. The senators’ peers no longer laugh, but cast a ballot under his name on their behalf.

A little over four hundred years ago a fearless seed was planted and hopes and dreams nourished it. The dreams became a belief and the hopes were raised to a promise. On a cold night in November two thousand and eight something unspoken had taken place. The stem grew a leaf when it was expected to freeze. That young senator now a little older stands center stage on a cold night in Chicago. That little stem flexed its roots and broadened its stance.

All these roots, all the martyrs, and all this pain endured by so many others, hint a grin to one another of the sacrifice put forth along the way. Now today is a breakthrough that is our honor to speak his name by stating first “the forty-fourth president of the United States of America”. A country shouted the word “change!” and now the world speaks his new name. President Barack Hussein Obama, the man who has challenged a planet of many to think about the single leaf growing on a very young tree in need of company.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

WEBMASTER — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:26:14 EST

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

individuals and organizations understand that alternative energy technology exists and
when people see the economic benefits of using alternative energy technologies

Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.

Alternative Energy
Source: David Apperson

url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy

Families United for Change

GranPa Chuck — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:09:16 EST

“We are joining forces with all persons affected by Parens Patriae to include parents, extended family, foster parents and father's and mother's rights groups. While this is a difficult endeavor due to various divisions, the focus will be on challenging the system with the unified goals and commonalities that each is suffering under in family courts and through CPS.”

May YOU find Strength in YOUR Higher Power, GranPa Chuck
Visit our NFPCAR Site

Thank-You Barack Obama

Charleen — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:32:47 EST

During this election, I kept thinking back to a few years ago, when I saw an episode of Oprah, in which the special guest was Barack Obama. It was a political episode, and was no so struck with it. Until I started hearing what this man was saying. All he believed in. I could hear the passion in his voice. I could feel his soul speaking out. I could see that he truly realized what an impact he had made on Oprah Winfrey, that she would have him on her show. Some Senator. And I, like the rest of the world, started thinking, what an amazing politician. What incredible strength. What charisma. What an understanding, and great concern for our countries real, vital issues. And what.. this man should be our president. This is the one. The one that I have been searching for to lead my children and children's children and theirs into a successful, peaceful future.

On the show that day, Oprah made that comment, that with all his ideals, and experience, passion and will, he should run for president. That comment got a standing ovation.

But he broke our little American hearts even more... by saying that that was not a plan he had for the future. I was sooo crushed. I thought, finally, a man who knows what he's doing, and cares about us all, and he has the opportunities that some would kill for, and the know-how, and the support obviously... why wouldn't he??

Anyway when I heard hge was running. I knew without a doubt that he would be our next president. I pray everyday for him and the entire Obama family for their success, and happiness for the journey before them.

I pray that ignorant cluster of humans in the world to have less power, less opportunity and less of a voice. Nothing better screw this up. it's time.

FOSTER KIDS SUPPORT OBAMANATION

WEBMASTER — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:35:13 EST

TEN REASONS WHY ANGELS SUPPORT THE MESSAGE OF HOPE BY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

I was born into a poor and hungry family in 1959 and lived in Cuba from 1961 - 1963.
Like many FOSTER CHILDREN, I was raised in an abusive household, being physically tortured and tormented, having nearly died of a head wound suffered on my 10th birthday.
I spent time in over 30+ foster homes throughout CALIFORNIA, OREGON and WASHINGTON,
And later, spending many weeks in solitary confinement in reform school, my crime was I ran away from the pain and suffering of home life. - government laws no longer allow this type of treatment.
I HAD NO HOPE, . . . TILL YAHWEH GAVE ME HOPE 35 years ago as a 14 year old boy in a ranch in the STATE OF OREGON for children who had been previously mishandled by the system.
I am an ARMY VETERAN, having served on the DMZ in the REPUBLIC OF KOREA [ ROK ] at the age of seventeen, celebrating my eighteenth birthday as part of the Unit Police security detail of the 1/32 REGIMENT, 2ND INFANTRY DIVISION. Yes Folks, the US ARMY gave me a badge.
I am a minister of the 'MESSAGE OF PEACE' - see Isaiah 49:8-9, Isaiah 61:1-2, and Luke 4:18-19.
A dream I had at fifteen has come to fruition. NOW I SEE HOPE FOR EVERY CHILD.
Compassion demonstrated and shown to me by members of the DEMOCRATIC PARTY. My special thanks to SENATOR MARIA CANTWELL and COMMAND SGT MAJOR KERN for their assistance.
THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS IS TRULY THE GUARDIAN OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS.

WE HAVE HOPE FOR PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, WE HAVE HOPE FOR THIS NATION AND WE HAVE HOPE FOR A BETTER WORLD. see SCRIPTURE DEDICATION

11-4 TRULY A DAY that God designed from the foundation of the world and 11-4 can be, will be, and must always be known as 'A DAY AMERICA BECAME ONE NATION'.

Thank you Mr. President.

NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER LOSE HOPE, NEVER DOUBT, DREAMS DO COME TRUE

IT IS TIME FOR ALL NATIONS TO JOIN IN A MORE PERFECT UNION - GENERATION OBAMANATION

Supporters are encouraged to SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWS FEED

Congratulations Mr. President! (Elect)

BVanB — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:35:35 EST

It was an awesome sight to watch you walk onto the stage and accept the Democratic nomination. I cried that night. It was a spiritual experience to watch you and your beautiful family walk to the stage the night that you gave your Presidential acceptance speech. I have that picture saved as my desktop background. I smile everytime I glance over at it :)

A Grandmother's Love

Brandi Lou — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:36:49 EST

Gift Of Love: An Appreciation Of Obama's Relationship With His Grandmother

Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks

Posted November 4, 2008

In an earlier post, we celebrated the relationship between Michelle and Barack Obama. Now, in honor of his grandmother's passing, we want to honor his relationship with Madelyn Dunham and to celebrate the profound effect it had on his life and the lives of all of us.

Because of being raised primarily by his grandmother, Gay had a strong reaction to the moment: "Like many of you, I felt waves of sadness when I heard of the death of Barack's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham. I was in my car, but the feelings came so strongly that I pulled over to the side of the road to honor it until it passed. As the sadness resonated through me, I could feel that it was not only for Obama's grandmother but also for Rebecca Delle Canaday, my own grandmother, whose loving presence in my early life shaped every moment thereafter."

"As I sat in my car, deep in reflection while cars whizzed by on the busy street, I realized something I hadn't seen before: One of the reasons I liked Obama from the start was the quality of the love he expressed for his grandparents. I made a point of learning about his relationship with them, partly because his early life so closely resembled my own. I was born at a difficult time in my mother's life, and when hardship required her to relinquish her care of me, my grandmother was there to take me in. I can't imagine what energy source she drew on, at age 63, to care for a newborn baby, but I know that during my first seven years, the period of time she cared for me, I never once heard her complain of being tired."

"As I gave attention to the sensations inside me, I felt the sadness thaw and melt into gratitude. Of all the gifts I received from my grandmother, there's one gift that affects me as deeply today as it did 60 years ago. Wherever Barack is today and whatever he is feeling, I bet he also is feeling grateful for the same gift. It was the gift of love, a gift that continues to open and flower throughout life. Because of his grandmother's love, Barack Obama could attract as remarkable a woman as Michelle into his life. Because of my grandmother's love, I was able to attract as remarkable a woman as Kathlyn into my life. Because of his grandmother's love, Barack could run a positive campaign that inspired hope in the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Because of his grandmother's love, he could show us something we very much needed to see again: Proof that love could overcome fear, not by fighting against it but by embracing it in the wholeness of love, and by so doing liberate the exploration of a new galaxy of creative possibilities in the world."

Wherever Barack is in the world today, he knows that he would not be there without his grandmother's presence in his life. Wherever he is in the world today, millions of us join him in feeling the deep sadness of loss, the warm glow of gratitude for Madelyn Dunham, and the joyful celebration of a life that gently and with no fanfare would change the world.

Click here for a slideshow, photos and video of Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathlyn-and-gay-hendricks/gift-of-love-an-appreciat_b_140833.html

For the love of Toot

Brandi Lou — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:51:02 EST

i cried yesterday when i learned about your grandma's passing and again when i read that Hawaii was going to count her absentee ballot. that made me so happy.

my heart is heavy this day and i am keeping you & yer beautiful family close. you are all in my thoughts this day, election day, and everyday!

for those who want to send cards, flowers and the lot... may i suggest that you make a contribution to support cancer research instead, in honor of Barack's mother and Toot and for all who have been touched by this disease! just a thought <3<3<3

** reposted from myspace blog **

www.myspace.com/ramona_grey

An E-mail to Friends

Andrew — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:21:39 EST

I recently wrote a positive e-mail to all my friends and family letting them know I have my reasons for supporting Obama. I'm not some mindless college kid following a trend, but am really invested in this thing. The response has been great! From Republican and Democrat alike. I'm glad I did it, you should too!

Here's what I sent maybe it can inspire your own:

Hello Everyone,

I hope you will read this; I will try to be brief. I have been doing some volunteering lately for the BYU Democrats and especially for Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change. A key point in the campaign’s philosophy is that we make sure we share with everyone our personal story for why we support whom we support. It’s important to me that everyone know I’m not behind Obama because I’m young and impressionable but because I feel that we as Americans have a vested interest in seeing this man become President.

I’m a junior at BYU majoring in Middle East Studies with the goal of one day serving the United States as a Foreign Service Officer. Diplomacy to me is key to American security. Soldiers are a precious resource, they’re individuals with husbands and wives and families who love them, and should be used only as a last line of defense. Senator Obama understands the need to use diplomacy first and warfare last. America has lost too much credibility on the world stage doing the reverse. I want my boss to be someone who understands that important balance.

Second, Kennedy encouraged his countrymen to “ask not what your country can do for you [but to] ask what you can do for your country.” The reason that statement lives on almost half a century later is because it’s an emboldening principle, an ideal of American civic virtue. After 9/11, despite the fact that we as nation felt a huge swell of solidarity, few outside of the military were asked to sacrifice much of anything, we were asked to shop; that was a wasted opportunity. Obama will build-up programs like the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and Teach for America, programs that encourage our best and brightest to give back to the nation that gave them so many opportunities. Educated people make countries stronger, and help with tuition in return for helping the country only makes sense.

Third, from just a personal viewpoint, when Obama says he believes in every American’s potential and that America’s brightest days are still ahead, I believe him. All I did was give the campaign my name, my number and a pledge to volunteer and they gave me a list of people to talk with. For those people I was the voice of the Obama Campaign, even though Barack Obama has no idea who I am. Yet because of his beginnings as a community activist he entrusts millions of us to be his ears and voice rather than rely on something maybe more accurate and infallible (like robo-calls). To me that spells trust and real confidence in the American people.

So those are just some very simple reasons why I’m so excited to see Barack Obama become our next president. I don’t think he’s a Messiah, he’s not a pop-culture icon for me, but he does give me hope for the future and he does make me excited to be an American and to represent this incredible country abroad. I’m linking this to Obama’s Blueprint for Change, which sums up the campaign’s position on most of the major issues (and some you might not expect). I know my few little reasons won’t apply to some of your major concerns so I’m encouraging you to take a look at the ones that do.

And if you’ve already made your decision for McCain I think that’s great. I hope you won’t mind getting this from me, I’m so tired of partisanship and I hope we can still be friends (politics isn’t worth dividing friendships over). One day the time of wars and nations will be over and all we’ll have left is our friends and families, so I hope we can all keep our priorities straight ;) Thanks for reading.

Much love,

Andrew

Grand Parents are Special

Omitunde — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:38:05 EST

I have not been blogging very much on this particular blog because I have been blogging all over the internet.

We are on the eve of electing our new President Barack Obama. We know he can win because we can feel it in our hearts and minds and we know he can get the job done.

Never before has history been made in this way. Many of us grandparents have dreamt of the possibility of a president being a Black man but did know that we would see it happen in our lifetime.

Thanks to everyone that campaigned and did whatever they could to see this through. For the first time in history the country has come together for a common cause.

We have alot to be proud of. Here in Maryland we do not have early voting so we will be supporting each other tomorrow by passing out water and holding a space in line for each other for bathroom breaks.

God Bless and see you at the polls!

Our thoughts and prayers are with you....

ShaVonne — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:12:31 EST

May our thoughts and prayers go out to Barack Obama and his family for the loss of his grandmother. Let us continue on her spirit and make this happen. He MUST be the next President.

Let us know that she passed on knowing in her heart that things were going to be alright. She is at peace with her savior. She raised an outstanding man and should have been as proud as all of us as the man, the father, the husband, the leader that he is.

May God Bless Barack, Michelle & family.

ShaVonne

Heart breaking... My Condolences to Senator Obama and Family

Cliff Sharples — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:51:56 EST

I just heard the news that Senator Obama's grandmother has passed away... All of our best thoughts and good wishes go out to the Obama Family. With just hours to go before Election Day, this is particularly hard for a man that has lost all of the people that have raised him.

The sacrafice that Senator Obama has made for all of us is beyond comprehension... Thank you for everything and we all will make you proud tomorrow.

New Hampshire, Guns & Election Day

Kelly Salasin, citizen — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:52:05 EST

A tall vibrant looking man in a flannel shirt held his dog back, only slightly, while he asked if we were Jehovah Witnesses or Mormans.When the four of us answered "No" to each question from behind our car's doors, he told us we could approach his house, a beautiful log cabin overlooking fields with a long view of distant Vermont hillsides.
He softened a bit at the sight of Lloyd and Aidan in Obama "Change" t-shirts (the ones they bought in Unity) before telling us that someone had already been to his house twice that week from the campaign. We apologized for the intrusion, explaining that we weren't meant to be duplicating efforts, and he said that the others- a young couple and a two college students had said the same thing. More apologies followed after which he explained that he was a lifetime Republican of 40 years- until this election.
Clipboard in hand, Lloyd asked if he would be voting for the NH democratic candidate for Senate, to which he firmly replied, "No." When he told us that he was voting for Obama however, we all relaxed. He shared how nervous he was about the election and asked us if we thought Obama could win. "Watching the television is making me crazy," he said. We commiserated with him. We didn't have tv.
"You could call your friends or email them," we offered in consolation for his anxiety, "Especially if they live in Pennsylvannia or Ohio."
"That won't help," he explained. "They're all like I used to be... making six figures. They just won't get it."
Aidan offered him some campaign materials which he politely refused before we said our goodbyes on almost friendly terms. Just as he stepped onto his porch, he turned back and asked if anyone needed to use the bathroom. There was a pause and then a "Yes, thank you!" from me whose bladder had been full after the first road we canvassed. He invited everyone in to see the house as Casey had shared that he had wanted to build a log cabin at one time.
His unsuspecting wife was in the kitchen emptying groceries when four strangers poured in through the mudroom. "Just some Jehovah Witnesses," I joked before slipping thankfully into her bathroom. She winced when her husband offered to take Casey and the boys upstairs. "The bed isn't made," she said to derail him, but he headed onward, engaged in a conversation with Casey who had appreciatively noticed his collection of antique pistols.
By the time I was out of the bathroom, she was giving the kids handfuls of leftover Halloween candy and he was pouring everyone lemondaide. They seemed to admire what we were doing for the campaign and held onto this brief connection with us. "It's so great you're doing this, especially with your boys," his wife offered, almost guiltily. My own sons are grown but I called them and reminded them to vote. My oldest works on Wall Street. As she and I talked, her husband invited Casey downstairs to see his WWII machine gun. The boys quickly followed behind. "His brother gave it to him," his wife explained as we discussed how far she had to travel for groceries and how much we both liked the Obama website. When the men returned, we said goodbye, refusing even kinder offers for lunch, and they walked us to door with a warmth typically shared with family. He waved as we pulled down the road and wished us luck.
The next stop was a horsefarm across the road. A man in coveralls told us it was his cidering day, and we offered to make it quick while he dropped apples into the grinder. He politely but firmly refused and his young daughter stared as we drove away up the dirt road. The split level a quarter mile down was the next one on our list and we were almost turned away there too. It was nice day for early November and as we pulled into the driveway, we came across a man strapping a kayak to his Subaru. We hadn't even gotten out of the car before he complained that they had already been visited that week, twice. We apologized and once again explained that we didn't know why they'd send us to the same places. Checking the democratic polling sheet, we asked if we had his name correct, only to discover that it was his son's name that we had down. "This household was divided up until a month ago," he said with some lingering angst. We've always voted Republican. My son is out at sea.
"Oh," we replied cautiously, figuring we were heading into dangerous waters having a political conversation with someone whose son was in the service.
"Not in the service," he said, seemingly reading our faces. He's out on a "Semester at Sea." He pointed to his baseball cap that said, "SEA." He told us all about his son and how he had gotten interested in Marine Biology after a childhood visit to Sea World and how he had combined Psychology with that major to work with dolphins. My other son's in college too. "We're all voting for Obama now," he told us.
"What changed?" we wondered. He spoke of McCain's age and Obama's ability to relate to the people, of Sarah Palin and of the economy. "My friends and I all owned businesses during the Clinton years and we did really well for ourselves, really well. None of us are doing that well now."
We told him that we had heard a similar Republican-Democratic shift from his neighbor up the road. "Who, Stan?" he asked, taken aback. We didn't recall the name and didn't feel right saying who. "The guy with the shooting range?" he pressed increduously while my sons' heads bobbed. My own boys used to go up to his place and shoot, he said. "Wow, Stan's voting for Obama, who would have thought!" he said with a sheepish grin that grew bigger and bigger. "You know, one of the last things that kept me from voting Democratic was that I didn't want to loose my guns." he explained.
"Did something change?" we asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, yeah," he answered. "Biden said that no one is taking away his Glocks "
He went on to reiterate that he wanted a President that could relate to the world and to our day to day lives. He said that Americans needed a wakeup call. He thought we all needed to reconnect with what makes this country great.
Guns aside, we all agreed.

Fun not Frustration at the Polls

Dena "Robin" — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:39:41 EDT

Family there are 3 more days to go before change comes! My prayer... 1. Be PATIENT at the polls (7 am to 7 pm in Huntsville)
2. Set up like a Tailgate Party in case the lines are long you can eat and socialize while you wait 3. Take folding chairs with you and if you have extra allow an elder to use it even though they are getting in ahead of everyone else. 4. Meet your neighbors in line with you 5. PLEASE BE PATIENT 6. If you do not know what to do at the polls (how to work the machine) ask one of the poll workers, not your family or friends, to help you. 7. DO NOT WEAR ANY POLITICAL PARAPHERNALIA INSIDE THE POLLING AREA, e.g., buttons, hats, shirts, etc. 8. CAR POOL...take your neighbors and the young-heads with you; besides, you can have a lot more food in line. 9. Fast and pray from 12 pm to 1 pm (not long but you can be strong!) 10. SMILE ALL DAY AND PRAISE GOD FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS! I don't know about ya'll, but I'm ready to vote! Peace,Dena Robin

Why I'm Voting for Barack Obama

Lynne from Miami, FL — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:54:57 EDT

A while back I received an anonymous email from a McCain supporter, in which he questioned why anyone would vote for Obama. This was my reply.
...................................................

Hi XXX,

My name is Lynne, and I can tell you why I'm voting for Barack Obama. Enumerating each of the many reasons is the difficult part.

First and foremost, I am voting for Barack Obama because I have children and grandchildren, and I love my planet dearly. We are members of the global community, and my intention is to protect my family, my brethren throughout the world, all inhabitants of our magnificent earth, and this majesty with which we've been blessed.

I am ready for a president who is smarter than me. I am ready for a leader who not only respects the constitution, but understands it, cherishes it, models his behavior on its very tenets, and can recite every passage, as he has many times in his twelve years of teaching constitutional law.

I am adamant about electing a calm, level headed, deep thinking, individual who is a master of negotiation and has the sensibility to win over enemies with his gift of diplomacy.

I need a leader who is committed to alternative energies and regards the planet, as well as the facts when he makes policy. I will choose a candidate who will bring balance to the Supreme Court, rather than secure it as a bastion of right wing extremists for generations to come. I trust a man who refuses lobbyist influence as opposed to one whose campaign and prospective cabinet wreaks of Washington's most high profile lobbyists, yet who claims to be a maverick and reformer.

My candidate will do everything possible to protect the social security in which I've invested my whole adult life, and will not ask me to risk the loss of everything with privatization. My president will not ask my loved ones to dodge bullets and bombs in preemptive wars, and will not invade Iran as a first option rather than the last. If and when war becomes the only choice, his advisors will not be paid lobbyists for the government we choose to protect (i.e. Georgia).

My family's crisis ... and our hopes.

Sean — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:58:44 EDT

I am the father of two special needs daughters, 9 and 7. Their diagnosis is an extremly rare genetic disorder called Trichothiodystrophy,or T.T.D. Since 2001, my wife and I have seen our daughters funding taken from them by more and more bills and policies, stripping our children of the things needed to help them with their problems. After many years of struggle, the out of pocket expense plus the cost to my workplace health insurance coverage, the girls medical bills cost me my hard earned career. Just before my oldest daughter's scheduled surgeries my company abruptly let me go and would not claim why. They were in an ‘at-will-state’ for termination policies and were tight lipped about the release. The termination came following several months of being badgered by the HR department wanting to know the extent of my daughters medical conditions and the dates of the surgeries. Two weeks before my daughters first surgery I was let go by the company with them stating "we are an at will state and do not have to say anything.”

Since the termination of employment I am the stay at home parent for past 4 years. One of us MUST stay home due to the girls fragile conditions and the other cannot make more than $15k a year before we lose our benefits to keep the girls healthy. My wife and I are unable to afford health insurance for ourselves and sacrifice things for ourselves daily to ensure the girls are taken care of. We are constantly struggling to keep our house, amenities and vehicles. Every billing cycle we have to be creative to make sure the basics are paid for while also having to maintain dependable vehicles for ensuring safe trips to hospitals 4+ hours from our home that we visit on a frequent basis.

Last month we were at the National Institutes of Health where they have a seven year long study of Trichothiodystrophy. During our week at the N.I.H. the specialist and Dr's found that the girls have a condition no other patient they have seen with the diagnosis. They have retinal degeneration and will go blind. The findings point to another condition (dystrophy/syndrome) underlying the Trichothiodystrophy that is yet to be determined. We are going through heavy testing again to try to find the answers to the new questions about the girls health. Our new visits are more than we can afford. With hospital stays and the cost of food and gasoline I am not sure we will be able to weather the added costs being so close to losing everything as things are currently.

I do not have the room, or heart, to include all the hardships my family have gone through over the past 10 years and continue to go through. My hopes have dwindled. Struggling with my daughters well being has cost us dearly. The only spark of hope I have seen is resting on Barack's shoulders. This year is the first year I have voted in my lifetime, I am 37 years old. I have never felt so strongly about change being needed and needed now. I place my hopes and my family’s future well being with Barack Obama. I expect him to be the man he claims to be and do his best to make our country the best it can be FOR its people. The government is broken and has been for a long time. We need Barack to take the helm and challenge the broken government and correct the wrongs and make us the country we were meant to become.

WINDING DOWN!

Choices (Caribbean Woman) Intercessor — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:05:12 EDT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CAMPAIGN WIND DOWN 2008~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~PRAYER~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the elections campaign season winds down and early voting continues on to November,4th “ELECTION DAY” my prayers goes out on behalf of all of the people of these UNITED STATES of AMERICA and the world, young and old, rich and poor, black and white,and all other ethnic groups that makeup this beautiful country “America.”

I pray that we all continue on in harmony with each other (PEACE and LOVE) for the well being of America and the rest of the world.

I pray for all the people who worked diligently throughout the campaign, all those who gave of their time, energy, and resources, totally believing in a better America.

I pray especially for the candidates:Senator Barack Obama and his family,Senator Joe Biden and his family,Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin and their families.

As we move on let us put away differences of opinions and truly get on with the real task/business of taking care of this beautiful country.

Land of the Free,

Home of the Brave,

From Sea to shiny Sea.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, MY HOME SWEET HOME!!!

Janet OlivierreOctober,28th, 20084:37 PM

For the Elders

Leslye J Allen of Atlanta, GA — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:12:25 EDT

Back on January 25, 2008, I received a phone call from my mother telling me that her closest and dearest friend and mentor—and my “Nana”—had passed away. Her friend, Mattie P. Harris died the day Barack Obama won the South Carolina primary. She was one month shy of her 106th birthday. She had witnessed more history than most of us can imagine. The minute Mama said that Nana was gone, I immediately uttered that Barack would win South Carolina. Mama asked me what I had just said, and I repeated the statement. “Are you all right?” Mama asked. “Yeah, it was just a thought,” I answered. It felt extremely weird to have that sensation. I am not one to believe in a lot of hocus-pocus; I have no real superstitions. I do believe, however, in ancestral signs.

This past week I took my mother to the dentist. A retired school teacher and early childhood specialist, at 87 years of age and with two mild strokes behind her, I do not expect my mother to be spry. She has always been a busy body with a keen wit and fierce independence, only recently acquiescing to my demand that she have a housekeeper come to clean up her house. Yet she looked extremely frail to me this week. As an only child, I worry much more than I care to admit. My mother admitted to me that she forgot my phone number the other day, but she has always managed to find her Barack Obama buttons when we are headed out for the day. When I took my mother to vote a month ago, I heard an elderly black man say that he was voting early for Barack Obama just in case he “kicked the bucket before November 4th.” Everyone laughed, but the statement worried me.

Back during the Democratic convention, my cousin Billie, an 83-year-old director, actor, and drama coach called me as if to reinforce how historic and unbelievable this moment in time was. She talked about how she never dreamed she would see such a day. This was coming from a woman who has not only performed with the very best actors of any era, but who has trained some of the best that Hollywood and Broadway have to offer. I worry about her health in almost the same way as I worry about my mother’s health. She admitted that she had endured some recent health problems but was seeing a nutritionist that had prescribed a diet that had improved her overall well-being. She sounded good on the phone, so I worried less. Yet I still worry. In addition to being a supremely talented director, actor, and drama coach, she is a skilled diplomat and when necessary, a gifted liar (smile)—all great actors are! I have heard her skirt around the truth to deter me from worrying. Sometimes it works; sometimes it does not.

This week I found out that Barack Obama’s grandmother Madelyn Dunham was in declining health. The fact that Barack’s grandmother is a year younger than my mother Syble, and only a few years older than my cousin Billie made me a bit more anxious. I am not worried about Barack’s ability to win the Whitehouse or his ability to chart a new course for this nation. I do admit, however, to worrying that there might be some people who might not be around to see it.

I want Obama to win, not simply for myself, and all of us who have made phone calls, donated money and time, but for all of those old folks who never thought such a day would happen. My older relatives have seen this nation at its absolute worst. They remember having to keep silent as they endured the insults of racist whites; they remember being beaten and jailed for looking in the wrong direction or for staring at some white man's ugly cousin. And, too many Black women remember a time when any attractive Black female had to be cautious around white men. Rape was often the payback to a black woman who had spurned the attention of any white man. There was not likely to be any trial, and if so, there would be no conviction of the rapists. These Black elders, male and female, have waited their entire lives for a moment like the one we will see in less than a week. As an African-American, I have heard all the varied responses to a potential Obama presidency. I even heard one misguided white woman admit that she feared Blacks would retaliate against white Americans for past grievances. Oh well.

I do not know any black person who wants to settle two-hundred-year-old plus scores. All that I, and they, wish is to see Barack Obama win this election, and then strut himself, and his wonderful, brilliant wife and two daughters into that Big House on Pennsylvania Avenue. I personally wish this for my country and my elders who have paid the fullest measure for this moment in time!!

Peace and Love!

YES, WE SHALL!!

Students and the Home Stretch

Mikaela — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:03:07 EDT

Okay, guys. Only a matter of days left until November 4th. It's time to do your part and really rally all those around you to vote for the Obama-Biden campaign. Do anything you can to elect the right person to the White House. I myself am not old enough to vote, but I am telling every adult in my life to vote for Obama, and I am not afraid to show my support for him frequently. PLEASE do the right thing and spread the word NOW. We don't have any time to waste.

Barack Rocks!

VObamaTE NOW!

Homeless Felons Need Section 8 and Foodstamps too

L from Saint Louis, MO — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:10:44 EDT

We have a local newspaper called the Saint Louis American http://www.stlamerican.com. It's a pretty good newspaper, devoted to stories and news of the local black community. I recently submitted this letter to editor I hope they display it in next week's issue.

Homeless, Felonies, & The President

I am currently homeless and sleeping from pillar to posts (I'm sleeping among relatives, in shelters, and sometimes in my condenmned home that is void of heat and electricity). My children are apart of the Division Family Services system and live among relatives, foster care, and children's group homes. I recently completed a Family Reunification program provided by DFS that allows me take parenting courses with a social service agency called Redevelopment Opportunities for Women (ROW), and at the end of this program I am eligible for a Section 8 housing voucher so I can reunify with my children in our own home. One of my peers competed the program with me and will not be elegible for the housing voucher. She was once addicted to drugs and had gotten a felony for drug possession and prostitution. She is a clean, sober, loving mom with a 2 month old child and had recently gained employment in restaurant and hospitality industry. She is in much need of section 8 and/or low income housing. She also has children in the DFS system. When you choose your next president, governor, or political official, please be mindful of how important social service programs are to our community and how current laws that prohibit felons from getting low income housing, housing vouchers, employment, foodstamps, and other social services impact our community. Please be mindful of how laws terminating parental rights after having children in the system for more than 16 of 22 months affect our community, our family, and our children. People like us need a voice that will understand us, speak for us, and speak with us. Thank you. (Name)(City State) (phone )

End

I don't mention who they should vote for, but it might be obvious to vote for Obama (we got dicks running for gov, nobody good). Obama might have a more of an understanding because he had a single momma who was on foodstamps, struggling at one point to raise him and his sister. He got African sibs struggling in Africa right now. McCain and Palin have no idea how social service programs and federal and local laws affects the poor, the Blacks or people of color, and those of us who live in very stigmatized urban areas.

On Life & Faith, please share this video

Ms_CongenialityHI — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:19:19 EDT

This is a timely, thought-filled conversation with Martin Sheen, actor, devout Catholic and Obama supporter. Please share the link and bookmark the page:

"Can you be pro-life and support Senator Obama?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IczsKEe6es0

Thinking of you, Barack, your grandmother, and your family

Jill 4 Obama — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:03:22 EDT

Dear Barack and Family,

My heartfelt thoughts

go to you and your grandmother

during this most precious time

you have to visit her with love and to remember.

She was there for you, and now you will be there for her.

With empathy, love, and respect for your whole family

and for you, Senator Obama, our next President,

may God be with you and your grandmother,

Jill Gochanour

The campfire.

Xander — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:24:26 EDT

I never post in blogs, never have felt the need to. I talk to my friends basicly every day, and most anything I have to say I feel I can say to both them, and my family. At least, until one side of the families end of summer campfire just this past Saturday.

So, here's the setup. Big family get together, spend most of the night outside under the stars watching the fire burn and talking back and forth. For the most part, that's just what it was too, overall it was one of our better get togethers we've had recently, except when politics where eventually brought up. It was then that I couldn't help but sit in silent horror at some of the hate that was spewed toward Obama, and the democratic party in general. To top it off, most of the talking points being used, I quickly realized, where pulled strait out of a McCain campaign rally.

This was the night my support for Obama was set in stone.

the only democrat in a republican family

Kaitka — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:16:36 EDT

Almost every day, I get e-mails from my mother. They say things about how Barack Obama is a Muslim, how he's going to join efforts with Taliban members to destroy not just America, but the world if he is elected President. They say he is the Anti-Christ. That he's friends with terrorists. That he hates America.

I retort every time. I tell her factual information. I correct her errors. She doesn't want corrected. She wants a reason to hate. She's always had a prejudice against Muslims, since she moved to Detroit in 2003. Not only is she prejudice, she's also a fanatical Christian. And for whatever reason, Christianity has become synonymous with Republican anymore, compliments of George W. Bush and his holy war.

My entire family - every one of them, even extended, are die-hard Republicans. They pray for the Republican party. They spread their right-wing propaganda to all their friends and to their churches. What used to be "vote issue" has somewhere along the way turned into "vote party", and has reached it's pinnacle at "vote for the old, white, Christian guy who's ordering wars while giving you tax cuts."

I live in Ohio, like all of my extended family with the exception of my parents in Detroit. I don't worry about my parents' vote, since it's unlikely that Michigan will go to the Republicans. It's the moral of it when it comes to my parents. They think they're preaching God's love, but they're siding with, dare I call them, warmongers. They loyally defend Bush and his decisions as President. They see no wrongdoing there. They base nothing on any real data, and spew prejudice rumors. Even my sister, who couldn't care less about politics, forwards the propaganda right-wing e-mails to everyone she knows. I ask her why, since she doesn't care. She has no answer except that I should "drop it".

It's always been frustrating being a part of a family who doesn't think. Who are so weak that they cling to lies and what appears to benefit them most on the surface. I am married now, to a man who cries when he reads the U.S. Constitution, with two daughters of my own. We are breaking the chain of thoughtless following. I am campaigning for Barack Obama. I have printed out fliers with information in them taken directly from barackobama.com, info that I think really applies to people in our neighborhood. People without a ton of money. Elderly people who are retired or are trying to retire. Twenty-somethings like myself with very young children. I am taking Obama-Biden '08 stickers to my college and handing them out. I want Obama to win this election, not because I want to team with the winner. But because I want the best for our country, for our future, for our children, for the world. My children are insured through Medicaid. I am looking toward grad school. Our world is pointing fingers our way and protesting our actions.

Something has to change.

Now.

Obama-Biden '08

Some of McCain's relatives support Obama

Jacob Fran�ois — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:54:29 EDT

www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=12401

Fighting the smears

Sharpstick — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:12:22 EDT

It has taken several months of dialog, but my Mother now sends my the "scare tactic" emails that she gets from her friends and alows me to do research on them and give her another point of view. I don't know if she will vote for Obama, I just don't want her to live her life in fear of her President.

Barack Obama, Marilyn Monroe, The United States Of America & The American Dream

Mark from Los Angeles, CA — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:39:01 EDT

Barack Obama & Marilyn Monroe, The United States Of America & The American Dream By Mark from Los Angeles, CA - Sep 5th, 2008 at 9:17 pm EDT

To view this blog post with music and Barack Obama messages taped on his podcast in the past access this link

                                                            By Mark Bellinghaus


We at 'Our Marilyn' Blogcast & MARILYN MONROE PRODUCTIONS, LLC, WE SUPPORT Barack Obama, the truly gifted speaker and the most charismatic politician, since John F. Kennedy.

We encourage you to please consider to also cast your vote for Mr. Barack Obama.

Ladies & Gentlemen, the next, the 44th President of The United States:

Barack Hussein Obama II

Barack Obama Speech - 2008 DNC Denver: 8-28-08 Part 1

google.y={first:[]};window.setTimeout(function(){var xjs=document.createElement('script');xjs.src='/extern_js/f/CgJlbhICdXMrMAc4AiwrMBg4Aiw/tOvl6yWhIRk.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(xjs)},0)Barack Obama Speech - 2008 DNC Denver: 8-28-08 Part 2



Marilyn Monroe & Barack Obama ©2008 by Mark Bellinghaus

Because you know, that Marilyn Monroe would vote for Barack Obama if she was still alive.
Marilyn Monroe was fighting racism, and she was supporting the Democratic Party, she was fighting for women's rights, and she opened her own company. Since Mary Pickford, she was the first actress who would take her faith into her own hands.
She was considering to adopt a baby, in 1962, shortly before her untimely death and decades before it became almost 'fashionable' for Hollywood actresses to adopt kids.
Marilyn Monroe was her time ahead, always.

The close friendship between black & white in 1950's racist America!


Ella Fitzgerald & Marilyn Monroe, in 1955 (above) and in 1962, (below), the year Marilyn Monroe passed away. In 1955, when racism was still a big issue in the United States of America, Ella Fitzgerald became the first African-American to perform at the Mocambo, after Marilyn Monroe had lobbied the owner for the booking. The booking was instrumental in Fitzgerald's career. Marilyn would promise the owner that she would appear every night (and be on time), and this way also fill the house--and she did, she was there every night, and she filled the house and: she was always on time! Their close friendship lasted for many years and Ella would sing Marilyn Monroe's famous 'My Heart Belongs To Daddy'in honor of her wonderful friend Marilyn Monroe, who died almost 34 years before she passed on in 1996, at age 79.

       Marilyn & Ella
Please vote for Barack Obama!

Show the world that racism in the United States Of America is now a defeated chapter from the dark past of this country, where an organization such as the KKK is still existing.

Show the world that change is possible, that the future is here.
The future is now, and the future is in your own hands.

Vote for the right candidate and make your voice heard and be counted.

On November 4, 2008, please give your vote to the only person who can turn this sinking ship that is covered by greed and stupidity, by a President who is still denying GLOBAL WARMING, while the Asthma cases for children in the USA are on the sharp rise...this person has arrived. And he was making a sensational entrance four years ago, when he spoke at the Democratic Convention, where hopes were high for John Kerry. Barack Obama stands for the American dream, more than any politician, more than anyone who has been running for President.

PLEASE VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA, the President of Change, Hope, Progress and Charisma.


h1 = document.getElementById("title").getElementsByTagName("h1")[0];h1.innerHTML = widont(h1.innerHTML); Funny Quotes from Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

By Daniel Kurtzman, About.com

"They say I need to be seasoned; they say I need to be stewed. They say, 'We need to boil all the hope out of him -- like us -- and then he'll be ready.'" (Watch video

********************************

"I have nothing to hide, I enjoy being myself. I'm not going to change who I am just because it's Halloween." –appearing as himself on Saturday Night Live as part of a skit that featured Hillary Clinton dressed as a witch at a Halloween party

                         *********************************

"It's like I was shot out of a cannon. I'm so overexposed that I make Paris Hilton look like a recluse."

                 ****************************

"Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare 'Mission Accomplished' a little too soon."

                  ****************************

On his Democratic Convention speech, in which he said that "we coach Little League in the blue states and we have some gay friends in the red states": "Well, here's an update. Since the election, that gay couple I knew in the red states? They've moved back to the blue states."

                *****************************

On excitement in his father's native Kenya that his election would mean the building of billions of dollars in new roads, bridges, hospitals, and schools in their country: "I've tried to explain how it works these days. First comes the invasion, and then billions in aid."

                    ***********************************

"It's been a great ride. But I know how quickly these fads can pass. You all remember the pet rock, the mood ring, Howard Dean."

                     ***********************************

"You notice that people who've been in Washington too long, they don't talk like ordinary folks,. We had this debate in Las Vegas, and somebody asked me, What are your weaknesses?' So I said, Well, you know, I don't keep track of paper that well, I'm always losing paper, my desk is a mess.' And then they asked the next two candidates. And one candidate says, Well, my biggest weakness is I'm just so passionate about helping poor people.' And then the other one says, I'm just so impatient to help the American people solve their problems.' So then I realize well, I wish I'd gone last and then I would have known.. I'm stupid that way, I thought that when they asked what your biggest weakness was, they asked what your biggest weakness was. And now I know that my biggest weakness is I like to help old ladies across the street."

                    ************************************

"That's what he talked about yesterday, 'I want to drill here. I want to drill now.' I don't know where he was standing. I think he was in a building somewhere." --on John McCain's energy plan

                    ************************************

It is finally time for the 'White House,' to turn black. With pride, unity, happiness and.....hope.

Please support, please vote for Barack Obama on November 4, 2008.

Thank you and blessings to all of you.

Mark Bellinghaus, Ernest W. Cunningham & Jennifer J. Dickinson

Los Angeles, CA, USA, August 31, 2008



                Marilyn would vote for Barack!

YES, WE CAN! - SI, SE PEUDE! JA, WIR KÖNNEN!

MARILYN MONROE PRODUCTIONS, LLC, left to right:
Ernest W. Cunningham, author of The Ultimate Marilyn & plaintiff of the Queen Mary Marilyn Monroe fraud class action lawsuit 2006 / 2007--pointing out and ultimately stopping the biggest exhibition fraud / hoax in history which would have traveled the world for the following twelve years.
Jennifer J. Dickinson, journalist & mother of two who for the past two years has fought for justice and against corruption and criminals who fabricated fake Marilyn Monroe and other entertainment memorabilia.
Mark Bellinghaus, actor, activist, collector, debunker, entrepreneur & expert witness in the Queen Mary Marilyn Monroe fraud class action lawsuit 2006 / 2007 - the case against the biggest exhibition fraud in history: 'Marilyn Monroe: the exhibit,' which could have created a minimum of $100 million within the twelve years this exhibition was scheduled to travel around the globe.

We contested many different criminal frauds and deceptions which would have damaged the public--you, some way or another, we were able to expose and ultimately close down exhibitions, based on fraudulent memorabilia on display or for sale.
We contested hoaxes frauds and criminal pranks, which after our exposure were ultimately shut down, due to our proof based exposure.
We never wrongly accused anyone of being a criminal fraud, if the people were actually innocent.
We never failed - our accuracy is still at 100% for three years now.
WE SUPPORT BARACK OBAMA
Marilyn Monroe definitely would have voted for Barack Obama.
Please support Mr. Obama in his run for President.
Please support Barack to become the 44th President of The United States of America.

Credit for the 'YES WE CAN' Video:
Song & video, featuring a star cast, by will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. Inspired by Barack Obama's 'Yes We Can' speech.

----------------------------------------
08/28/08 Note: Congratulations to the the official Democratic Party nominee and the next President of the United States, Barack Obama!!

Official song site:
http://www.yeswecansong.com

Obama Campaign Site:
http://www.barackobama.com/

Yes we can what?:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

Is it true that he....?:
http://factcheck.barackobama.com/

Be a part of the video at:
http://www.hopeactchange.com

-Lyrics-

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.
Celebrities featured include: Jesse Dylan, Will.i.am, Common, Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriquez, Kelly Hu, Amber Valetta, Eric Balfour, Aisha Tyler, Nicole Scherzinger and Nick Cannon

Also check out this other great song and video inspired by Barack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyJ72i...

Life is all about signs...seeing the signs....understanding the signs...acting upon the signs

--Mark Bellinghaus

About:
'OUR MARILYN' BLOGCAST
&
MARILYN MONROE PRODUCTIONS, LLC The Mark Bellinghaus Marilyn Monroe CollectionAbout me
Mark Bellinghaus, CEO, MARILYN MONROE PRODUCTIONS, LLCLos Angeles, California, United StatesMark Bellinghaus owns the biggest, most comprehensive, and 100% authentic Marilyn Monroe memorabilia collection in existence. Part of his collection is an original copy of Marilyn Monroe’s last will and testament, including many important documents, which he shared in 2006 with the lawyers of three famous Marilyn Monroe photographers estates which were suing Anna Strasberg and CMG Worldwide (Mark Roesler) for several years. The documents that Mark Bellinghaus delivered served literally as the key to this groundbreaking success for the defense and the savior of the legacy of Marilyn Monroe. In 2006, Mark Bellinghaus closed down the biggest exhibition fraud in history: a $100 million project was exposed with his first blog on ‘blogcritics,’ and he also stopped a $15 million movie project, exposed Mary Jane Popp and June Alpino aka “DiMaggio’s” book as nonsense. He also exposed Dolores Hope Masi, Bebe Goddard, Robert Otto, Jeanne Carmen, etc. The list goes on and on.
In Oct. 2007, he successfully exposed, together with journalist Jennifer J. Dickinson another exhibit, this time in Great Britain (the ‘lost’ Marilyn Monroe William Travilla costume collection) as a complete hoax. Mark Bellinghaus owns a real & authentic Monroe worn Travilla costume.

Marilyn Monroe William Travilla Costume 'Prototypes' Hoax in ... May 26, 2008 ... MARILYN MONROE NEWS ENTERTAINMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Marilyn Monroe William Travilla...
www.pr-inside.com/marilyn-monroe-william-travilla-costume-r607845.htm - 23k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this Costume 'Prototypes' Hoax in Bexleyheath,

Trademark ™ and Copyright © 2005 - 2008 by Mark Bellinghaus & MARILYN MONROE PRODUCTIONS, LLC All rights reserved. Do not copy or redistribute in any form.

Barack Obama For President!

MARILYN MONROE NEWS ENTERTAINMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Marilyn Monroe would have voted for Barack Obama

Marilyn Monroe and Senator Barack Obama Photo compilation ©2008 by Mark Bellinghaus 2008-10-07 00:00:19 - By Mark Bellinghaus, CEO, MARILYN MONROE PRODUCTIONS, LLC

Opinion & Support

Because you know, that Marilyn Monroe would vote for Barack Obama if she was still alive.
Marilyn Monroe was fighting racism, and she was supporting the Democratic Party, she was fighting for women's rights, and she opened her own company. Since Mary Pickford, she was the first actress who would take her faith into her own hands.
She was considering to adopt a baby, in 1962, shortly before her untimely death and decades before it became almost 'fashionable' for Hollywood actresses to adopt kids.
Marilyn Monroe was her time ahead, always.

The close friendship between black & white (Ella Fitzgerald & Marilyn Monroe) in 1950's racist America!

Extract & Photo caption/description posted on OUR MARILYN BLOG - you can find the entire blog article here:
blog.ourmarilyn.com/2008/08/31/marilyn-monroe-would-have-voted-f ..
and also here:
my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/markbellinghaus/gG5W75
Ella Fitzgerald & Marilyn Monroe, in 1955 (above) and in 1962, (below), the year Marilyn Monroe passed away. In 1955, when racism was still a big issue in the United States of America, Ella Fitzgerald became the first African-American to perform at the Mocambo, after Marilyn Monroe had lobbied the owner for the booking. The booking was instrumental in Fitzgerald's career. Marilyn would promise the owner that she would appear every night (and be on time), and this way also fill the house--and she did, she was there every night, and she filled the house and: she was always on time! Their close friendship lasted for many years and Ella would sing Marilyn Monroe's famous 'My Heart Belongs To Daddy' in honor of her wonderful friend Marilyn Monroe, who died almost 34 years before she passed on in 1996, at age 79.

Barack Obama Quotes:

'They say I need to be seasoned; they say I need to be stewed. They say, 'We need to boil all the hope out of him -- like us -- and then he'll be ready.'

'I have nothing to hide, I enjoy being myself. I'm not going to change who I am just because it's Halloween." -appearing as himself on Saturday Night Live as part of a skit that featured Hillary Clinton dressed as a witch at a Halloween party

*

'It's like I was shot out of a cannon. I'm so overexposed that I make Paris Hilton look like a recluse.'

'Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare 'Mission Accomplished' a little too soon.'

Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy, who was a Democrat

Barack Obama:Stand By Me

Nia "Hussein" J. — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 02:30:26 EDT

I came across this video and it was just the boost I needed, please share with other whom you think might need a boost to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLV-G8nR7nk&feature=related

John McCain's healthcare plan is lose-lose

George A Sanders — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:13:00 EDT

In the latest edition of BusinessVoice (The York County Chamber's newsletter Oct 2008, Vol 5, issue 10, page 4), there is a graphic showing the difference between John McCain and Barack Obama on Taxes, Healthcare, Trade, and Startup Incentives. The information provided was an excellent effort by the Chamber to educate business owners and encourage us to get employees registered and out to vote. One major thing lacking in both the article and in the graphic is an explanation of how the plan by John McCain will switch health insurance from an employer based system to an individual system and the impact of the resulting taxes on businesses and our employees.

Health insurance premiums under John McCain's plan will not be pre-tax income. Businesses will thus have a new tax that many of us will not be able to pay. My company's premiums for a single employee are around $200/month. For a family it is close to $500/month. If we had to pay income tax, social security and Medicare on the health insurance premium, a single person would add $100/month in taxes to our business’ bottom line - for a family it would be more than $200/month.

My company as a whole would see $700 per month or more in additional tax. How is this a pro-business plan? As a small business owner my family's insurance is part of that plan. How is this a pro-family plan?

Family Adventure Road Trip to Vote Early

GigiIam.com — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:46:05 EDT

Hi Friends,

Here's my road trip, I'd like to share our experience with you. Thing's are moving fast. How exciting!

http://www.gigiinc.net/family_adventure_road_trip_to_vote.html

I'll see many of you this weekend at the Culver City phone bank.

See you there!

Gigi Iam

Donate, talk to your friends, support Obama, FISA

BigSean — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:35:19 EDT

After the FISA vote, I stopped donating and suspended blogging here. Mostly I was bitching about FISA anyway. While I'm not happy about that vote, I firmly believe that Barack Obama will make a great President and have renewed my financial support for his campaign. I hope that you will do the same.

http://my.barackobama.com/townhalldebate

Louisiana is now a tossup state based on current polling data, one that has been deep red for a long time. As an independent voter, one who does not belong to any political party, I remain encouraged about this as I think that a change in the political landscape presents an opportunity for those who are all over the political spectrum.

There are a few points of disagreement I have with Barack Obama and while he will not always make decisions I agree with, I believe that those decisions will be made with due consideration and in consultation with people who view different angles of an issue. This stands in stark contrast to the leadership we've had for the last few decades.

Louisiana can deliver her electoral votes for Obama. Vote, encourage your friends, families, and colleagues to vote. Make your voice heard.

If you have the means, chip in a few bucks here: http://my.barackobama.com/townhalldebate

The finish line is within sight. Let's get there and get ready to run the marathon.

Chance and Opportunity

FreshStart, LLC — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:57:11 EDT

Webster's defines: Chance as something that happens unpredictably without discernible human intention or observable cause; the assumed impersonal purposeless determiner of unaccountable happenings: luck; the fortuitous or incalculable element in existence.Opportunity is a favorable juncture of circumstances; a good chance for advancement or progress.As living beings we are provided a myriad of chances during each moment of our lives, the chance to meet someone new, the chance to win the lottery, the chance to create something successful, etc. However, without the opportunity the outcome runs the risks of being unfavorable. It is a given that chances will come and go but in order for there to be success opportunity must meet at the right place in time and circumstance to create a successful juncture. A premise of psychology is that during a human life span we are provided opportunities for success, windows – if you will – that lead to prosperity, riches and dreams unimaginable. A window opens in our early 20s we are young, vibrant, courageous and energized to change the world; in our mid 30s we have made a few mistakes and learned from them and are now prepared for accomplishment; in our late 40s we are wise and vibrant enough to employ the energy necessary to succeed; in our early to mid 50s we are ready to enjoy the fruits of our labor and not necessarily prepared, physically, for "do over’s" but wisdom, clarity of purpose, family and friends make this a joyous time to be alive love is not, so much, the mystery it once was and life challenges are taken with a grain of salt; in our mid 60s we are secure in whatever state we are in an have reached a state of contentment, satisfied with our station in life and, if so blessed, we are sharing our wisdom of days with grandchildren and young people alike – this is the latter stage of life and is filled with chance and opportunity to share and give back. The ideal scenario, I know, doors of opportunity suddenly close in our faces because of bad decisions, failed relationships and other life changing events. This is the time to rely on our intestinal fortitude to get up, make ourselves over and begin again. This would not be such the daunting prospect if it were not for the fact that with each misstep time passes and we are growing older and wearier in the process. Let us recall the story of the tortuous and the hare, a nursery rhyme that makes a poignant point – the race is not given to the swift or the strong but to the one who stays firm to the path and steady to the goal. Therefore; let us be encouraged to develop a solid plan for recognizing and capitalizing on each Opportunity, mapping the steps necessary to reach our goals by recalling the Chance moments of the past, be assured that chances are inevitable – as long as we are alive we have a chance; Opportunity is what we want to meet up with, let us keep our eyes open, our hearts pure and our souls engaged with the courage to take the Opportunity when it collides with our Chance, for success, happiness, love, etc.

Hope...

FreshStart, LLC — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:26:19 EDT

Webster’s defines Hope as:to cherish a desire with anticipation <hopes for a promotion>2archaic : trusttransitive verb1: to desire with expectation of obtainment2: to expect with confidence : trustHope is that driving force that creates anxiety and euphoria in our attempts to obtain or reach specific goals. We hope for many things, winning the lottery, making positive life changing decisions, getting a better job, etc. However, all too often our hope is without the work required to obtain the goals we establish; to me Hope and Faith, are synonymous, an invisible motivator that calls on a higher power to influence the outcomes of our desires, fueled by prayer and supplication to a higher power for intervention on our behalf.Scripture (KJV) dictates that “faith without works is dead…” a guiding principle to obtaining and reaching our goals – no plant can grow without being seeded and fertilized – we must employ the full efforts of work in order to reach the desires that we Hope for. To merely desire, mention, dream of or speak an idea is fruitless. Pain, sweat and tears are necessary fuels to the obtainment of our hearts’ dearest desires. The greater the goal the more intense the work, a healthy love affair, financial security, a positive lifestyle, these things require and demand varied levels of labor. Some would say righteous living is the key to attainment; I contend that, good living alone will not make our dreams realities; just as buying a lottery ticket does not make us a winner; however, it does put us in the running.Let us put ourselves in the position to attain our deepest and dearest Hopes and dreams, through internal and external repair. Internally we can plant the seeds of opportunity through forgiveness, positive thinking, extending love and fairness to our neighbors and loved ones and empathy for the human condition – externally we can labor for that which we desire through self-improvement, learning new skills, sharpening old skills and a deeper commitment to keeping our word to others. Simply put “let us clean up our acts” taking the responsibility of our conditions and our actions; no longer placing blame or pointing fingers at a perceived oppressor and seeking to be victors over our cause and condition. We are often encouraged to “hope for a better tomorrow” implying that, by some miraculous occurrence tomorrow will be the answer to our prayers – to the contrary, tomorrow will be better if we start today, from where we are right now, the change we desire begins with acknowledgement and acceptance for our fate and a determination to root out all that keeps us from reaching that which we so desperately hope for. Today, right now, resign to make personal and constructive change our first Hope.

Open note to Senator Joe Biden and Family....

Patti — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:56:58 EDT

As you and yours go through this trying and sad time, my family and i would like to wish you all the hope that we possibly can send to you...

May you have peace, comfort and love in abundance during this time of need....

Thank you for all you do and have done for our Country.

Happy 16th Anniversary Barack and Michelle

Nia "Hussein" J. — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:53:17 EDT

Hello everyone. Given that today is the Obama's 16th wedding anniversary today and I adore them as a solid couple, I just thought that I would put together what I could find on them and share. I'm also going to donate $16 (years married) to the campaign and I hope that you would to. Take care and please share as you see fit:Articles:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathlyn-and-gay-hendricks/the-obama-relationship-a_b_128896.html

And

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/02/obama-reveals-anniversary_n_131305.html

Videos:

**Barack & Michelle: Happy Anniversary**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QAvfXeISzI

**Barack and Michelle: 16 years**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9-bCSfH1XU&feature=related

**Barack Loves Michelle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdFLJXkG0_w&feature=related

**An Obama Love Story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPYMaF2vAmg&NR=1

** Barack and Michelle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeuJwNP8zCU&feature=related

**Barack and Michelle Obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grwX34qqpLA&feature=related

And of course Who Could Forget This Moment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAmLwiGkma0&feature=related

"YES WE CAN!!!!!"

amanda — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:37:44 EDT

i get so emotional when i hear obama speak about his issues. i've never believed in someone as much as i believe in him. i really think that he can make a difference. having to deal with my husband getting laid off, was hard, but he got a job the next day, but it's a $400 a week pay cut. my husband got laid off 2 weeks before i had our son. that was the most stressful time of my life. my son is now 3 1/2 months old, and having to take care of him and pay the bills just isn't happening. i've tried to find a night job so my husband can take care of the baby, but no one is hiring. we had to move out of our home we had for over a year, to move back into our parents house. yes the grandparents get to see the baby everyday, but we can't live as a family that way. there is nothing affordable to rent, and if it is, there is windows broken, or it needs a new roof, or something is wrong with it. i do believe obama can get us out of this slum that we are in. having to struggle another 4 years is a nightmare i do not want to face. i am voting obama 100% and my family is voting obama 100%. i am telling everyone that i know they really need to vote for obama, he is our only hope. this is why i get so emotional when he speaks, i really want other people out there to realize the he's going to help us, and if you don't vote for him, there will be lots of families out there like mine who have reached the end. i cannot stress how important it is to just drop your gaurd and actually read what the candidates goals are, and watch the debates. obama put mccain in his place, and mccain wasn't even answering the questions, he was so off subject. we do not need him in office if he can't even pay attention. WE NEED OBAMA!!!!!

A Letter to My Relatives in the Swing States

Citizen J — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:54:05 EDT

Hello. I'm a Filipino American living in Brooklyn with my wife and daughter. I have several relatives living in swing states (Ohio, Michigan) who traditionally vote Republican, and I thought one way I could make a small contribution to Barack's campaign was to start a conversation with those relatives about our different political views. So I recently sent each of them a respectful letter to get the conversation started, laying out my opinions and asking for theirs. If even just one letter sparks a discussion that ends up persuading them to at least consider voting for Barack, I feel the effort will have been worth it.

I thought I'd share that letter here in case it's useful for anyone else out there who's wondering how to broach the subject of politics to their families. This approach is what I feel works for me, although it may not for you. I tried to research my points as well as I could, but if you see that I'm wrong on any of my facts, please feel free to comment. Following an introductory "How are you?" paragraph (personalized for each relative, of course), here's the text of the letter:

Palin's office refuses MomsRising's letter

jean in Raleigh,NC — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:53:49 EDT

Governor Sarah Palin’s Office Refuses to Accept Letter from America’s Moms

MomsRising.org Attempts to Deliver Letter Asking Governor’s Positions
on Family-Friendly Issues

See pictures of the attempted delivery here

Fifteen DC-area moms and MomsRising.org Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner were turned away this afternoon when they attempted to deliver a letter to Governor Sarah Palin asking her to share her positions on issues like health care, paid sick days and flexible work options. The group was attempting to deliver the letter to the State of Alaska office in Washington, DC.

The letter was signed by nearly 22,000 moms, dads and others from across the United States who would like to know what a McCain/Palin administration would do to support America’s families.

“We are extremely disappointed that we were not even allowed to deliver this letter today,” said Rowe-Finkbeiner. “Health care, paid sick days, paid family leave and afterschool programs are among the issues that are top-of-mind for many families. We were told that we need to mail in our letter and we’re going to do that. We are still counting on Governor Palin to respond to us. ”

The letter says in part:

“It was dazzling to see a mom on the stage at the Republican convention accepting the Vice Presidential nomination. There are too few mothers in the boardrooms and high levels of political office. As members of MomsRising.org we celebrate your path from PTA to Vice Presidential candidate, but we didn't hear much in your speech about what you and your party will do for mothers and families.

“… Our nation can’t afford to ignore the issues of mothers and families any longer. We want to know where you stand on the issues which are critical to mothers like healthcare, fair pay, paid family and medical leave, afterschool programs, childcare/early learning, paid sick days, and flexible work options.

“With now three-quarters of American mothers in the labor force, but a societal structure which hasn’t caught up to that modern reality, we, as a nation, are at a crisis point for our families. Bottom Line: Mothers want to ensure the well-being of their families. No mother should have to choose between taking care of a sick child and feeding her child. And no mother should have to choose between taking her child to the doctor and paying rent.

“Governor Palin, if elected Vice President of the United States, how will you support mothers and families?”

The full text is available on the MomsRising.org web site at www.momsrising.org. MomsRising.org will mail the letter to Governor Palin’s four regional offices, her Washington, DC office and McCain/Palin campaign offices.

The letter is part of MomsRising.org’s MomsVote ’08 effort, which includes Get-Out-the-Vote activities, debate watches, voter registration and educating the candidates about issues that matter to America’s families, like paid family leave, flexible work options, afterschool programs, health care for all children and affordable child care.

___________________________________________________

Moms Need to be Heard

The MomsRising. org team has written five questions we'd like to see posed to both Palin and Biden in that debate (see the questions below (2)). Let's get these questions to the debate moderator so the American public gets a chance to hear both candidates, side-by-side, answering the same questions.

When you click the link above, you'll send a message to Gwen Ifill and cc both of the presidential campaigns to let them know that over 21,000 voters want to hear them talk about these issues (which impact millions of Americans) at the debate.

Tell your friends to email Gwen Ifill, too! She needs to know how deeply important these issues are for millions of Americans--and that we demand they be addressed now!

Thank you!

--Kristin, Joan, Mary, Katie, Laura, Roz, Ashley, and the entire MomsRising. org Team

1. MomsRising members are tracking all of the candidates' speeches, tallying any mention of issues that impact moms. See their tallies at www. momsrising. org/candidatesbingo. If you plan to watch the presidential debate tomorrow, September 26th, you can tally the issues, too! Get your scorecard at www. momsrising. org/bingocard -- and keep an eye out for opportunities to get involved as the campaigns continue!

2.
Our questions:

* Right now, the birth of a child is the number one cause of a "poverty spell" in America, and 1/4 of families with young children are living in poverty.
Do you support a policy to provide paid family and medical leave to parents following birth or adoption of a new child?

* Nearly 1/2 of all full-time, private sector workers in the U.S. have no paid sick days.
Do you support a policy to provide paid sick days for workers to use when they or their children get sick?

* In most American families, both parents work outside the home.
Please tell us what your administration would do to help parents secure excellent, affordable childcare?

* Studies show that moms are paid 73 cents and single moms are paid about 60 cents to the dollar for doing the exact same job as men.
Do you support the Fair Pay Restoration Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act?

* A child is born every 41 seconds without healthcare.
What kind of Health Care Policy could Americans expect in your administration?

How to get 2.5 million votes in two days.

Marchitect — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:24:30 EDT

Dear Obama supporters,

I have come up with what I believe to be an unusual and yet obvious way to garner votes for Barack. I am calling it the 'Friends and Family plan'. Choose an issue close to your heart, and simply write a general, personal letter to your friends and family to whom you think may be on the fence this election season.

Send the letter regular mail...NO EMAIL! It will have greater impact. In the letter, simply ask for them to vote for your cause this time around through Barack. Sounds a little crazy, I know. But you would be amazed at how many times I hear how some republican and independent friends are just not thrilled with McCain. So why not simply ask them for their vote this year? If they do not exhibit passion about voting this year, but plan on voting, ask them to throw the vote your way this time.

The secret is to be non-political, contrite, polite and personal. When it’s personal and not ‘Us’ versus ‘them’ people will respond because you have put a face to this election.

If every one of the 2.5 million Obama contributors convinced one person, that would be the election right there!

Here is my letter:

Dear (Friend, or Family member),

Everyone knows that it is perhaps not polite to discuss politics with people to whom you are not sure of where they stand. I have utmost respect for the personal act of voting. If you have made a decision this year for whom you will be voting, then you have thought this election through, and I commend you for that. However, if you have not made a decision, and are not particularly happy with your choices this year, then I wanted to take the time to do something very unorthodox. I want to explain to you my reasons for voting for Barack Obama.

As many of you know, being Gay or Lesbian in this country we are not entitled to thousands of rights that most non-gay people take for granted. For years, Sam and I have had to jump through hoops in terms of attaining some of those rights through proper channels. Here is a small example of what I had to go through one day. I was riding my bike and a car cut me off, I landed on my head and had to be hauled away in an ambulance. My first reaction was that I would be in the hospital alone, and Sam would not be able to get in. I remember asking the staff there, while in shock to be sure to allow him to see me. Now, my first reaction should have been, what is the extent of the injury, and how do I heal. Not wondering whether or not I will be alone for all of this because of some archaic Florida law. That is one example. The fact of the matter is, simply by virtue of my birthing order, I have had to jump through unnecessary hoops, constantly. Hoops that if the general public had to deal with on a daily basis, there would be no less than rioting in the streets. I have many reasons for voting the way I do, this is one very personal example.

It’s no secret that this election year is important, however if it does not exactly matter to you who you vote for this time around, I am asking you to throw your vote my way, and Sam’s way. It means an opportunity to get the wheels of our cause moving again in a major way. A cause that has been ground to a halt for eight long years.

I know your major concerns are small government and taxes. So take it from one who has truly done his homework on this election. Your taxes will actually decrease under Barack Obama’s plan, and our government will be fixed by someone who is not beholden to special interests and lobbyists. There is little to no conflict of interest.

Thanks for your time-

Love,

Mark

Family of Obama Backers

brandon — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:00:39 EDT

Dear Barack and Supporters:

There was a very inspiring article, Obama Backers from DC Go West, by David Nakamura in the Washington Post this past Sunday. It was about DC volunteers who answered Barack's call to get people registered to vote in Virginia. The article spoke of volunteer, Aaron Johnson, a Howard University student, avid Obama supporter and my cousin!! I wanted you to know that entire families are making enormous efforts to support you. As my cousin, Aaron, volunteered, my aunt in that same part of Virginia set up a phone bank in her home for volunteers to make calls on your behalf, my step mother works diligently for your housing committee, my 15 year old sister, though to young to vote, follows your campaign, and I have gone door to door to tell people why I will vote for you. In the primary election I actually changed an undecided woman's mind. By listening to her concerns about broken communities and unsafe streets for her children, I explained how your wife is apart of the National Student Partnership Organization. I told her that young children just like hers volunteer to help people find jobs, and other resources, which not only helps those in need but it teaches children from a young age to have a responsibly for their community's prosperity. This woman's eyes lit up as if that was the information she needed to make her final decision to vote for you.

The article in the Washington Post was my inspiration for writing, but you are our inspiration for giving them something to write about. Continue to break new ground through your integrity, intelligence and compassion! As you are for us, we are here for you!

Obama Backers Go West - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/20/AR2008092002059.html?hpid=topnews

An open letter to Mr. Obama

Unknown user — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:56:16 EDT

September 18, 2008-09-18

Dear Mr. Obama

After watching the news and the pundit’s last night weigh in on the state on the Presidential race so far I decided to make my way to bed. After tossing and turning for a few minutes I realized that wasn't going to fall asleep any time soon as thoughts of the economy and the day to day concerns not only for my family but for every American were keeping me awake.

Thanks D&D!

Karen — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:03:59 EDT

I want to give thanks to the first contributors to my online fundraising! Who else, family. So now you are part of getting the change we need! *hugs! We are seperated by lots of 1000 miles but linked in heart and our desire for the Democratic ticket to win!

My goal is whatever I can raise to help the campaign win battleground states, there are many. Barack Obama is not taking public funding, so, it is each individual donation, no matter the size, that will bring him and Joe Biden to the White house. That is WE will make it happen.

I myself can only give small amounts but do not feel diminished in that. If you have reached my page please try to make a donation if you can but if not, still leave me a note if you wish, especially if you are local and have campaign ideas. In our unity , we are strong. Peace out!

Who I am...

Tim — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:25:56 EDT

I am a 34 year old physics teacher in Denton, TX. I teach the entire spectrum of physics all the way from AP to sheltered ESL physics classes. I also sponsor the campus Peer Assitance, Leadership and Service group. I also started an after-school group, saavy (students against a violent youth), that works with at-risk kids to keep them out of trouble.

I am the father of five beautiful girls, Reagan, Kenedy, Taylor, Nixon and Carter. They range in age from 12 to 3 year old twins. They are my life and my purpose.

I am the husband of one of the biggest Barack supporters I have the pleasure of knowing. If it wasn't for her dedication to finishing her degree and commitment to our family, she would be out there from now until election day getting out the vote. She pulled me out of class during the Texas primaries and I have to admit, it was one of the most rewarding events of my life to not only campaign for someone I believe in, but to caucus for him too.

I am the son of a single mother who left an abusive alcoholic to raise me on her own. She worked hard all her life and currently lives with me and my wife and kids and I am proud that she trusts me enough to move away from her brothers and sisters to allow me to care for her to the best of my ability.

I am the grandson of a single mother who left her alcoholic abusive husband to raise her 11 children. Despite the fact that she was completely illiterate and only spoke Spanish, she managed to graduate around half of her children and all of her grandchildren while still alive. Her passing was one of the most devastating events in my life. Her attending adult literacy classes left a lasting impression as to the importance of education on me and eventually led to my decision to become a teacher.

As someone who grew up in small town, Oklahoma, I know the difficulties that lie ahead and hope America can look to the core of the issues and pray that the old school tactics of the Republican party will not work this time around. If I could afford to take the time off and campaign, I would. It would expand the example I try to set for my girls from local service at my high school into the arena of politics.

I do believe that change comes from the bottom up. I do not believe America is ever going to change because it is the right thing to do, it never has, it never will. I have lived my entire life not believing that anything would ever change in this country. Now for the first time in my life, I believe there is a chance. I have always loved this country, but have never been blind to her faults. I believe in Amercan and I believe in Barack Obama.

Sarah Palin's Family and Gender Not The Disqualifing Issue

coachcaptain — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:25:15 EDT

Sarah Palin was a red herring- a grand pander to the religious right from the get go. Choosing her for the ticket was just another way the Republican disinformation machine avoids talking about the issues and keep the focus away from McCain's loyalty to the wealthiest of us at the expense of the rest of us.

The most relivant fact we should know about Sara Palin is that she is a religious extremist but you wouldn't know it from following the media's obsessive focus on her family and her gender. The most important question we want to ponder is whether we want a religious extremist in charge of the nuclear launch codes. Common sense, the instinct for self preservation and concern for the survival of the human race should disqualitfy her outright.

New Stump Concept - "We Will Run America Like You Run Your Family"

Simon Gornick — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:05:00 EDT

You know, there's a lot of talk that the Republican Party is the party of family values.

Over the last few years they acted as if they owned the idea of family.

But I'm not so sure those days aren't over.

Family Values this. Family Values that.

They keep talking family, but do they deliver?

No way.

American Families have suffered terrible hardships over last eight years.

Bush and his pals talked a real good game about family and what did American Families get out of all that?

Lower real wages, higher food prices, skyrocketing health costs, more foreclosures than ever before, and four dollar gas.

Not much of a deal.

Just a lot of hot air.

Bush and McCain told us that if we cut taxes a little for you, and a lot for the rich, all American families would get richer.

Didn't happen that way.

I suppose that's what they mean by family values.

Rich families are just more valuable than yours.

With Bush and McCain at the wheel, Wall Street cleans out the trough, and then hit you up for the bill.

Could've seen that one coming.

I suppose that's what they mean by family values.

Your family is only valuable to them when it has to bail them out.

And if McCain and Palin ride their Double Talk Express into the White House I guarantee you it will be four more years of the same.

There will be more big talk about family.

And zero action to help American families.

More hot air about how important you are to them.

As long as they can keep picking your pocket to keep their rich lobby friends happy.

It's our job to make sure that doesn't happen.

Because the American Family deserves way better than that.

The American Family deserves more than lip service.

The American Family deserves to be heard.

So I've been doing some thinking and it occurred to me that it's time Democrats started to listen.

Not just to hear you out.

But to learn.

Because the way the American family works is the way America should work.

It has optimism, it has guts, and it has faith.

It has energy, it has intelligence and it has joy.

It has justice, it has wisdom, and it has courage.

Rich or poor, black, brown or white, it doesn't matter.

There wouldn't be an American dream without the American family.

Because the American family is the heart and soul of this country and we in the Democratic Party honor that.

The Democratic Party has been fighting for the American Family for generations.

We're the party of FDR, Civil Rights, and the Great Society.

The Democratic Party has always protected the American family during times of crisis

During Depression, during war...

And we're here for you now during the Wall street meltdown that Bush and his buddies have so kindly delivered.

But we won't stop at just protecting you.

We won't rest at that.

We need to go further.

We must recognize that what we need to do to solve the great problems that face this nation is already part of the experience of every good and strong family in America.

We need to learn from the families of this country, to build the family that is America.

So what is it you do we need to learn?

Your family tries to balance the books and spend what it can afford.

That's what America must do to improve its economy.

A tax cut for the middle class. No more programs we can't afford. A cleaner tax code.

We need to learn from you.

When someone in a family strays, tough love brings them back.

America needs tough love too

For Wall Street, for Big Pharma, and for Big Oil.

We need to learn from you.

Your family teaches its children wisely, and give them wisdom and love.

That's what America must do to create the citizens of tomorrow.

Creating good jobs. Nurturing innovation. Paving the way for success.

We need to learn from you.

Your family doesn't waste energy or fuel. It recognizes their value.

And so should America.

A comprehensive energy policy. No more dependence on mid-east oil.

We need to learn from you.

American families are open and honest and fair.

Washington should take a leaf out of your book.

Bush kept you in the dark. We'll turn the lights on.

We need to learn from you.

American Families watch where their money goes.

Washington needs to do the same.

When I am President you will be able to tell us how you want some of your taxes are spent, right on your 1040 itself.

Because we must learn from you.

When your son or daughter is sick, you do everything you can to make it right.

So should America.

We need a fair health policy that protects everyone and gives them choice.

We need to learn from you.

Your family keeps its house and yard clean and safe.

So must America protect its environment and show that it's serious in the fight against global climate change.

Let's put American ingenuity to work to build a greener economy and save our environment.

We need to learn from you.

When a neighbor needs help, your family offers it, gladly, willingly, and without condition.

So must the American Family.

Strengthening social security, helping people on welfare back to work.

We must learn from you.

When American families make mistakes, they get it right next time.

America needs to pay attention.

Three years after Katrina, FEMA is still an accident waiting to happen.

We need to learn from YOU.

Your family is a good friend to its neighbors, but knows how to protect itself.

That's what America must do on the world stage.

Rebuild America's standing. No more wars without end. No weakness in the face of terror.

We need to learn from you.

Every day, the families of America strive to make their worlds better and brighter.

Every day the families of America persist and prosper.

Every day the families of America work hard.

We need to do this as a nation.

And together we will.

Let me make it real plain.

When I am in the White House we will run this country like you run your family.

Because decisions that affect your family are more important than any other decisions a president can make.

So let me say this loud and clear from Los Angeles to Louisville, from Phoenix to Pittsburgh, and from Alberquerque to Atlanta.

Let us one and all join together to build a better, stronger, more hopeful American Family that will once again turn its American dream into reality.

(end)

Post Camp Obama

Michele — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:53:43 EDT

This past week I have decided to take a step that is quite unusual for me. I have never been the type to get directly involved in politics, preferring to have an impact from the margins through grassroots work and through my media endeavors. But this time things are different. And these last two weeks have changed my perspective. I enlisted with the Obama Campaign and participated in Camp Obama. It was a life changing experience. I came out of that camp knowing with even more certainty that we cannot afford to lose this election. And our bordering state, Pennsylvania, is a critical player in the ultimate outcome. I have committed to do as much as I can with whatever free time I can muster to have an impact -- for myself, for my kids, for the future. My reaching out to friends and family is one of those small steps towards winning the election in November. The urgency of now is upon us and I am asking them to get involved in any way they can to help get Obama elected. More to come later. Let's make change happen now!

More Racism from the Republicans and so-called "Values Voters"

Chris — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:11:08 EDT

If this is what these backwards racists value, they can keep their UnAmerican values!

Back to Story - HelpForum sells 'Obama Waffles' with racial stereotype

By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press WriterSat Sep 13, 4:14 PM ET

Activists at a conservative political forum snapped up boxes of waffle mix depicting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as a racial stereotype on its front and wearing Arab-like headdress on its top flap.

Values Voter Summit organizers cut off sales of Obama Waffles boxes on Saturday, saying they had not realized the boxes displayed "offensive material." The summit and the exhibit hall where the boxes were sold had been open since Thursday afternoon.

The box was meant as political satire, said Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, two writers from Franklin, Tenn., who created the mix. They sold it for $10 a box from a rented booth at the summit sponsored by the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council.

David Nammo, executive director of the lobbying group FRC Action, said summit organizers were told the boxes were a parody of Obama's policy positions but had not examined them closely.

Republican Party stalwarts Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney were among speakers at the forum, which officials said drew 2,100 activists from 44 states.

While Obama Waffles takes aim at Obama's politics by poking fun at his public remarks and positions on issues, it also plays off the old image of the pancake-mix icon Aunt Jemima, which has been widely criticized as a demeaning stereotype. Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.

Placing Obama in Arab-like headdress recalls the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.

On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for "Open Border Fiesta Waffles" that says it can serve "4 or more illegal aliens." The recipe includes a tip: "While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?"

The novelty item also takes shots at 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, Obama's wife, Michelle, and Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

The Obama campaign declined to comment.

Wearing white chef's aprons, Whitlock and DeMoss were doing a brisk business at noon Saturday selling the waffle mix to people crowded around their booth. Two pyramids of waffle mix boxes stood several feet high on the booth's table.

"It's the ultimate political souvenir," DeMoss told a customer.

Asked if he considered the pictures of Obama on the box to be racial stereotypes, Whitlock said: "We had some people mention that to us, but you think of Newman's Own or Emeril's — there are tons and tons of personality-branded food products on the market. So we've taken that model and, using political satire, have highlighted his policies, his position changes."

The socially conservative public policy groups American Values and Focus on the Family Action co-sponsored the summit.

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Declining Marriage Rates Aren’t Just a Black Family Thing – They're an American Thing

Solomon's Wisdom — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:05:25 EDT

"The Moynihan Report"
When Politics and Sociology Collide

PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON: Let this session of Congress be known as the session, which declared all-out war on human poverty and unemployment in these United States.

BEN WATTENBERG: But it was not to be an easy war, and there was more to poverty than just a lack of money. In 1965, a young academic in the Johnson administration began a serious study of how culture and economics were intertwined. Daniel Patrick Moynihan examined the data and wrote, "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action." The report, published by the Department of Labor, used data to focus attention on the problems of black families.

DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN: These are accurate statistics, most of them government statistics. Most of them are available if you dig through those Census volumes. The issue is, what are we going to do about these facts?

BEN WATTENBERG: Scouring the Labor Department's statistics, Moynihan found, unsurprisingly, that when unemployment went up, more people went on welfare, and vice-versa. This correlation seemed to be set in stone. But Moynihan noticed that something was changing.

SENATOR DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN (D-NY): In 1963, that correlation had disappeared. Suddenly the unemployment for minorities, as well as everybody else, was going down, and the dependency rate, if you want to put it that way, was going up. Now, what was this all about?

BEN WATTENBERG: According to Moynihan, "at the heart of the deterioration of the fabric of Negro society is the deterioration of the Negro family."

DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN: It seems to me that there are a great many Negro Americans, perhaps half the population is securely in the middle class, doing very well, taking care of itself, needing no help from anybody, thank you very much. But the slums are also filling up with a lower-class people, unemployed, ill-educated, ill-housed, for whom the cycle of no jobs and bad education and bad housing just reproduces itself and takes its most pregnant personal form in the great tragedy of the family lives of these men and women and of their children.

GLENN LOURY (Boston University): The Moynihan report takes up the question of what would be necessary to bring African-Americans into a status of equal opportunity in American society and argues that a major impediment would be that the family structure among blacks was weaker and was becoming a major problem.

BEN WATTENBERG: Out-of-wedlock births among blacks had gone up from 17 percent in 1950 to 26 percent in 1965. By 1970, that figure would reach 39 percent. More children were being raised without the presence of fathers.

DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN: At any given moment, two-thirds of the Negro families are husband-and-wife families. But over the lifetime, only about a little more than a third of Negro children come of 18 having lived all their lives in such a family. And that hurts people. That deprives them of opportunities. Not to have a father, not to have a mother, you've lost something that helps you in life. And so this process feeds back into the cycle.

BEN WATTENBERG: For Moynihan, the issue was more than just one of dry social science. From the age of 9, he had been raised in a single-parent home.

JAMES Q. WILSON (UCLA): It was his view, a man who grew up in a female-headed single-parent family, quite sensitive to this issue, that without an intact family, the problems of manhood, of establishing true manliness among some black Americans, would prove to be very difficult, possibly insoluble.

BEN WATTENBERG: Moynihan's argument convinced his boss, President Lyndon Johnson.

PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON: Perhaps most important, its influence, radiating to every part of life, is the breakdown of the Negro family structure. And when the family collapses, it is the children that are usually damaged.

BEN WATTENBERG: The Moynihan report stirred the pot. Was the erosion of the black family the consequence of a culture that was broken or of discrimination or of an economy that could not produce enough good jobs?

FRANCIS FUKUYAMA (George Mason University): What Moynihan did was to notice that perhaps the family itself ought to be addressed as an explicit issue for social policy and not simply the economic issue of having enough jobs and opportunities.

BEN WATTENBERG: Opportunities had been growing for blacks during the 1960s. Civil rights legislation killed Jim Crow. The black poverty rate declined, and the black middle class grew. To many civil rights leaders, Moynihan's views were heresy.

GLENN LOURY: We had the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which had been enacted, a great victory for the civil rights movement. We had the Voting Rights Act of 1965, bringing African-Americans fully into the body politic. Now along comes someone who says, "Yes, hold on, but wait just a minute. Have you noticed these social trends?"

JAMES Q. WILSON: Now, the reaction, of course, was "Moynihan is blaming the victim." The inundation of criticism of him in the early 1960s was ferocious.

BAYARD RUSTIN (Civil Rights Activist): The interesting thing is that if one considers the Moynihan report about the breakdown of the Negro community, one needs to look back to the Irish and to the Italian experience, which is really simple, that as the heads of families were permitted by this society to have economic independence, all of the so-called defects of crime, illegitimacy and the like disappeared.

BEN WATTENBERG: Another key study of the time looked at the importance of the family, this time in relation to education. Sociologist James Coleman's report was called "Equality of Educational Opportunity." It had been mandated by the 1964 Civil Rights Act to study the effects of school segregation.

CHRISTOPHER JENCKS (Harvard University): Coleman had two big expectations when he did his report. He thought he was going to find that the schools that black children attended got far less adequate resources than the schools that white children attended, and he thought that he was going to find that the resources that schools got made a big difference to students' achievement.

BEN WATTENBERG: To test these theories, Coleman and his researchers surveyed over 600,000 students and 4,000 schools. It was one of the largest social science projects ever undertaken. Working day and night on a tight deadline, holed up in a hotel room, Coleman and his team crunched the numbers.

CHRISTOPHER JENCKS: This was really a mammoth undertaking. The number of social scientists, some living today, who could claim to have ever written a major piece of work in three months is extremely small. In fact, it may be zero other than Jim Coleman.

BEN WATTENBERG: By looking at the numbers, Coleman ended up challenging conventional wisdom as well as his own previous views.

DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN: Early one evening, there was a reception at the Harvard Faculty Club, and Seymour Martin Lipsett, the incomparable Marty Lipsett, walks in, sees me, comes over and says, "You know what Coleman's finding, don't you?" I said, "No." He said, "It's all family."

BEN WATTENBERG: The Coleman report pointed to the family as the most important indicator by far of how a child would perform at school. And since the Moynihan and Coleman reports were published, the American family, black and white, continued to change, but not necessarily for the better.

CHRISTOPHER JENCKS: I think today most social scientists would agree with Moynihan's view that single-parent families really have adverse effects on children and that this contributed to the problems of African-American communities in the 1960s and since, but also now there are the problems of Latino and white and other communities.

BEN WATTENBERG: Not only did black out-of-wedlock birth rates skyrocket, but so did white rates. In fact, by 1999, the white illegitimacy rate was equal to the black rate when the Moynihan report was written. And black out-of-wedlock births reached almost 70 percent.

But there is some good news. The teenage birth rate is down. This may well lead to lower out-of-wedlock birth rates in the future.

GLENN LOURY: If we ask the question today of how the Moynihan report looks, now we look back 35 years later, I'd have to say it's looking pretty good. A fairly prescient piece of social forecasting would, I think, have to be a fair-minded person's judgment. I wish I could produce the document that would look as good 35 years from now.

BEN WATTENBERG: Out-of-wedlock births were not the only problem. Social scientist Francis Fukuyama has called the phenomenon "the great disruption."

FRANCIS FUKUYAMA: I think that in many ways, a lot of the problems that occurred during the great disruption were the result of a much too expansive sense of individual entitlement and, you know, almost total absence of responsibility for your spouse, for your children, for your neighbor, country, all of the communities in which we're embedded.

BEN WATTENBERG: And we can measure that disruption. Here's just a sample. The nature of the family was changing. In the 1960s, divorce rates spiked. Once it was rare and called "living in sin." The number of men and women living together without the benefit of marriage went up six-fold between 1960 and 1970, and then another six-fold between 1970 and 1998. Today, about half of all those getting married have lived in a cohabiting relationship.

A third disruption concerned drugs. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the use of marijuana increased by over 400 percent; mind-altering hallucinogens by over 800 percent; cocaine, 2300 percent.

The worst part of the great disruption was crime. Pat Moynihan warned that if more children grew up without the presence of fathers, the result would be social chaos, including crime. Crime rates soared, and crime and punishment became one of the most important issues in American life.

A Letter from a Concerned Citizen Regarding Sarah Palin

Jesse from Cambridge, MA — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:33:41 EDT

A Letter from a Concerned Citizen

I believe that because we are all Americans before any other political affiliation it is our duty to scrutinize heavily all of our candidates, regardless of party. Senator McCain's surprise pick late in the game leaves us with little time to perform the scrutiny that we as citizens must perform of all our candidates, especially since the media spotlight (which itself we can never count on) will waver back to a focus on Senators Obama and McCain shortly.

In this interest I have included the following internet links to broaden our understanding of our fresh, skilled VP candidate and her recent speech. In addition to the following considerations, I believe we all must solemnly investigate whether she has the wisdom and worldliness it takes to conduct foreign relations in today's world:

An opinion piece discussing the choice of Governor Palin in relation to the pitfalls of affirmative action:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/08/uselections2008.sarahpalin2

Karl Rove describing why picking an inexperienced governor for VP could be good politically but not necessarily good for our nation (video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4qEynSx19E

A re-reading of Governor Palin's speech focusing on ending partisan rancor, why to care about community organizers, and why we can't forget about criminal rights in a scary world (drawing what should be a clear distinction between Senator McCain and the Governor):
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/4/11525/73205/547/586256

This article from a year ago explains that congress removed the earmark (or federally imposed restrictions) on the multi-hundred million dollar check originally meant for the famous "bridge to nowhere." Governor Palin kept said check for Alaska, which was obfuscated in her speech.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/22/alaska.bridge.ap/

At the time, Senator McCain himself was outspoken against this flow of funds into Alaska, and said, referring to the Michigan bridge collapse that killed 13:

"Maybe if we had done it right, maybe some of that money would have gone to inspect those bridges and other bridges around the country," McCain told a group of people in a town-hall style meeting in Ankeny, Iowa.

"Maybe the 200,000 people who cross that bridge every day would have been safer than spending $233 million of your tax dollars on a bridge in Alaska to an island with 50 people on it."

More than anything, however, we must focus on Sarah Palin's international experience. I have found it difficult to find that she has any! Can we afford to have a candidate with no foreign policy experience possibly leading the free world?

Please spread the message to your friends and family. We need to keep America safe and free! Obama-Biden is the only way!

Honest chain letter to send to conservatives+independents who like Palin

Jesse from Cambridge, MA — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:20:24 EDT

Hi anybody,

I'm looking for conservatives and independents that might be interesting in helping spread this (honest) chain e-mail containing internet links and information on Sarah Palin that is simply not reaching many Americans. It's intended audience includes anyone wondering more about her, and even those who have already made up their minds to support her and McCain for choosing her. This includes the staunchest conservatives.

I disavow any rights to it (do chain letters have rights?). Please edit as seen fit, and feel free to send critiques to me. And if you can help me get this word out at all, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

-Jesse

a vote for the current republican presidential ticket is a step towards loosing America's most precious freedoms.

David from Glendale, CA — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:34:05 EDT

I would like to see Mr. Obama, Mr. Biden or Ms. Obama point out that the big government the republican party claims the democratic party is prescribing (which I do not believe they are) is far preferable to the controlling government the republicans always try to place on Americans. I would take a big government as opposed to a government that takes away one of our greatest freedoms; freedom of choice. If it were up to republicans I would not have the freedom of choice for my body (abortion), the freedom of who I marry (gay rights issue), what I read (Sarah Palin's desire to have the government control what books are in my library as opposed to having parents decide what is best for their children), freedom to choose what religion my children are taught in public schools (republican party's desire, Sarah Palin in particular) to see creationism taught in public schools instead of allowing parents to decide what religious teachings my children are exposed to. The republicans even claim giving anyone anywhere access to any gun is a freedom. I see this as more of the reverse to be true. The knowledge that anyone anywhere without any type of screening could posses any type of weapon is frightening. The republican party and the government over all cannot raise my children and cannot take away my freedom to choose. They cannot take away what makes America free, successful and a leader in the world - the right to choose, the right to raise my children the way I see fit. Please make sure the democratic party does everything they can to get the message out that a vote for republicans brings us another step closer to loosing these things.

WE ARE VOTERS AND WE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHO PALIN IS

Yolanda — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:30:27 EDT

Hey Guys, I'm so confused. I'm just so appalled with the idea that there is a vice presidential contender who we absolutely know nothing about. I don't care about her family issues if she's a hockey mom or how many mooses she's killed. The fact that she was a mayor of a town as big as Baracks campaign and a Governor of Alaska?? common Alaska? This is beyond me. This is what I care about. What does she know about middle America? or Elite America? Has she ever visited an inner city school or the inner city in general? What does she know about the markets? How about foreign Policy? Can she explain her views on the economy, healthcare and the struggles of the average American? People.. right now this woman is being briefed about everything she doesn't know. The longer she shys away from the media gives her study time to catch up with the real issues. The problems facing America is not something you need to study or an essay you are preparing for..IT'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW IF YOU ARE RUNNING FOR 2ND COMMAND OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! "I just had to take a deep breath ".................... Listen.. We've had 19 to 20 months to vet Obama. We know him as well as we should because we are voters. Biden is a creature of washington and I love that, he's been around the world and knows America. The job of the VP is to protect the president, Advise the president and take over should something happen. So the fact the Obama and Biden are lawyers, graduates of prestigious schools, senators and smart professionals with a proven record is not enough to consider them executives? They are not qualified enough? For god's sake this woman has never left the country. Someone please respond to me and give me something to hope for cause at the moment I'm over this Palin shit. We're not the mafia, We're Americans. Why is the MCcain campaign hidding this woman? Listen, I'm voting for Obama. Nothing is going to change that. I'm concerned about the swing voters. This woman has suddenly given them a fine line to lean on. They just might sway her way because of the hype and not the issues. I don't mean to say swing voters are stupid, I'm sure they can see pass the bullshit but some could easily fall for the hype. I was all for the hype with Obama, I was Elated. First black president, he's good looking, nice family, something new, etc etc. I forgot about the issues then the scandals came out and I had a bit of doubt. It made me ask myself "What do you know about Obama? And as a voter I had the right to know. What are his solution for America? Well, I Guess Obama read my mind because days even hours after each scandal Obama was explaining himself, he was an open book. Overtime, Obama opened up his whole life to us and never ran away from the media. He stood up and fought the Pundints and addressed Americans with the issues facing America today and what he plans on delivering. Not to mention he spiced it all up with a little inspiration here and there to give us Hope. It was so personal, It was so beautiful how Obama managed to communicate with us all. What makes this Palin person so special? Really, I'm concerned because MCcain is old and fragile..Should they take office and he gets ill we just might have a student of Washington running our country. An intern for Gods sakes. I'm pissed! I'm ready to rally up some people and take this to the streets.

Palin: Another standout woman, but not an ally for community

Wanda from Birmingham, AL — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:21:08 EDT

Not that I plan to vote republican, but I must admit, I admire her standing there in all of her "messy mom" glory. The unnecessary media feeding frenzy on her family matters, brings to light what regular working women have to face on a daily basis. Raising a family in 2008 is hardy a neat and tidy process. Perhaps the type of attention given to the govenor will give both men and women a moment to pause and be more compassionate when dealing with co-workers, friends and other family members who must make the tough choices needed to truely put family first.

Govenor Pilan lost my good opinion when she denigrate the commitment, accountability and responsibility of community organizing. Apparently in her world with the cloak of "doing my highly visible, civil servant's job", she did not have to worry too much about back lash from the powers that be. She represented one of those powers. Often community based organizers rely on people who commit everything they have and by default, everyone they love to secure a better future for their community.

One of the most famous community organizing effort in this country, the civil rights movement had men and women and children of many races (not just black and white) and socio-economic stratta putting their lives, their personal safety, their livlihoods, their homes (and also those belonging to their family members) on the line and in the hands of other like minded community people. Talk about commitment and accountability to one another. That's commitment and accountabilty born of compassion, dedication and love.

Lets move to modern times when ordinary citizens left their lives to go to the Gulf Coast give of their time and resources to assist those so tragicly impacted by Katrina. What about moms and dads who have to fight to (maybe, maybe not) get their jobs back after taking extending time off to care for a dying loved one?

As a nation and an "American cultrue" we as a people still have a lot of work ahead in order to achieve "a more perfect union".

But Sarah, in one short sentence, you proved that you just don't get it.

Are Families "Off Limits" in Political Campaigns

Coleman Colla — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:08:54 EDT

In response to the publicity re Sarah Palin's family and the difficulties it is dealing with, Barack has made statements to the effect that the candidates' families are "off limits" for debate and questioning in this election. And that he expects his campaign workers and staff to honor this directive.

I think this is too simplistic a response. If it's OK to have Michelle speak at the DNC, and to have their children on stage, and participating, then they are by choice part of the campaign and part of the discussion. Of course, Biden and the Republicans do it also.

How a person is as a spouse, as a parent, as a child are part of who that person is. We can't be expected to say that the candidate's family and family relationships can not be discussed or considered.

What we can do is treat each family respectfully, and understand that these aspects of who the candidate is, and his or her fitness for the job, are just one of many factors that we take into our considerations.

Dede's story

Jenn Prosser — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:36:12 EDT

This past summer, over one hundred people joined the Colorado Campaign for Change as Obama Organizing Fellows, spending six weeks of their lives helping Barack win the state of Colorado. Many of these fellows stayed with the campaign and became field organizers - others returned home afterward, staying involved with the campaign as volunteers.

I met one of the fellows, Dede, last week. After her fellowship ended Dede's husband, Shawn, left for his second tour in Iraq. Dede had to leave the campaign after Shawn was deployed so she could take care of their two year-old son, Michael.

She explained why she supports Barack. She said:

The main reason I was drawn to Obama was because he was the first politician to actually care about the families of soldiers. He cared if my family was together and he understood that when a soldier is deployed, the whole family is deployed -- the soldier's life isn't the only life that is put on hold. I know soldiers that the first time they got to see their child was when they were two. It's not right.

I'm really for any candidate who is for bringing the troops home and not having us over there indefinitely. How I feel about the war in Iraq right now is that it's not really designed to be won, it's designed to be maintained. And every soldier I've talked to who has been deployed over there and has come back has said that they don't really know why they're there - that they don't really have a clear mission. Even when I ask my husband, "what's the mission?" He's like "I don't know."

Dede talked about being a military wife. She said:

My husband and I met after he came back from his first tour of Iraq, he was there for a year. And then we got married. And then a month after this little guy was born, he was deployed to Afghanistan for a year. When he got back he only had a year left of his enlistment of his six year enlistment. So then three days before he was supposed to get out, two days before Christmas, we found out he was going to get stop loss -- he was going to be deployed again to Baghdad for fifteen to eighteen months. He didn't want to do that obviously. It was a pretty bad Christmas.

Being a military wife is hard. My husband and me, we really love each other, and maybe we're still in the newlywed phase because we've had to be apart for so long. But I've seen a lot of marriages crumble, just because of the time. Husbands come back and they're angry. It's definitely hard. We have one child and that's difficult enough -- we want to give him so much, that's why we're stopping at one for now, but I see families that have three or four children and the father or mother gets deployed for two, three, four tours. It's a strain. Usually the spouse that's not in the military ends up not being able to really work, which is what happened to me.

Dede and her husband moved from to Colorado Springs in April, she joined the campaign two months later. She told me about working for the campaign. She said:

When I first started on the fellowship, I wasn't sure if I could do it -- so much goes into a campaign, but then I realized it's got to be done, someone's got to do it. And I said I would, so I'm going to do it. Once I got the hang of it, it was a breeze. And it was fun.

The best thing about it was just meeting all the different people who I would have never had the chance to talk to or meet otherwise. You really build relationships with people, and you really care about people. Even though I'm not heavily involved with the campaign anymore, people still call me and invite me over for dinner. I feel like it wasn't just a fellowship, it really was building community - something that I haven't felt since I was little.

Even though she had to leave the campaign, Dede says she still comes into the office.

I still try to come in and do data entry for as long as Michael can stand it. I don't think I've come to terms with it being over. I just really hope that with all sacrifices everyone's making -- the time and energy and seeing how hard everybody works, that Barack gets elected, because it will horrible if he doesn't.

Why I Was a Republican

Quentin Robinson — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:58:00 EDT

This whole election cycle has had me thinking a lot about my own politics, trying to figure out why I ever thought I was or should be a Republican. I had to dig really deep to come to some understanding of this on a personal level.
I guess some of what I figured out applies to a lot of people. You hear so many people say they would rather die than support a (fill in the blank). They throw out the terms "liberal" or “conservative” as a negative adjective. Two perfectly good words reduced to gutter language. Supporting a party that for the most part works against your own self interest. That's the kind of thing that just doesn't (or didn't) make a lot of sense to me. I can understand someone supporting a party when the policies that it espouses would be a direct benefit ....it is the others who seem to go into the voting booth suffering from what amounts to political schizophrenia that I wonder about.

One more thing....

HeidiB — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:12:07 EDT

If people believe the media is being harder on Palin because she is a woman...those people are expecting special treatment. McCain's people talked to the media about Clinton as if she was whining because the media was targeting her during her campaign bid because she's a women.

The GOP is always instituting a double standard. They don't want anyone to talk about Palin negatively because she's a woman, but they can be as negative as they want to be. They don't want anyone to say anything about Palin's family, but she used her son last night as a campaign tool. If it's in their favor, they'll do it, but if anyone from the media or the Democratic party does what they do...it's unfair and out of bounds.

I was just talking to some friends and they said that since Palin is the only one with a kid in the war, she's using that as a tool for her candidacy. They didn't realize that Biden has a son going to war...because he has dignity and doesn't use the fact that his son is over there as an attempt to get the sympathy vote.

Arghhh...how frustrating that the GOP always takes the low road, and has double standards.

McCain's Record On Women, Children, & Families

DoctorTodd — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:37:47 EDT

www.YesWeCanOregon.com

When it comes to service to this country’s military, John McCain has an honorable record. His dedication to the flag is unquestioned.

But when it comes to service to this country’s women, children and families, Senator McCain’s record leaves little to be honored. His disregard for them is unconscionable.

In 1990, McCain was the deciding vote upholding the first President Bush’s veto of the 1990 Civil Rights Act, which addressed discrimination against women and minorities. His lifetime rating from civil rights groups? An “F”.

Since 1983, McCain has cast 130 votes on reproductive rights issues, and 125 of these votes have been against the right of choice. His lifetime rating from pro-women’s groups? Again, an “F”.

In 1990, McCain voted against extending the Title X federal family planning programs, which provided low-income and uninsured women and families with health care services ranging from cancer screening to birth control.

In 2003, he voted against requiring health care insurance providers to cover birth control and hormone replacement therapy. He opposes comprehensive sex education, and publicly supports President Bush’s policy on sex education, which promotes abstinence-only programs rather than modern family planning methods.

McCain opposes making affordable health care coverage available to all Americans. He has repeatedly voted to cut or end various children’s health programs. He has even chosen, in 2005, tax cuts for billionaires over health care for children. He said President Bush made “the right call” in vetoing an expansion of health care for kids.

He has voted seven times against raising the minimum wage. He surely knew that most minimum wage earners are women. Earlier this year, he opposed a Senate bill that would have secured equal pay for women, saying instead that women needed “better education and training”.

McCain thrice voted against school breakfast and lunch programs for low-income students. He has voted against college tuition tax credits, against tax credits for teachers seeking further certification, and against federal funding to recruit and train new teachers nationwide to reduce classroom sizes. He even voted against additional funding for Title I that would have been fully offset by eliminating certain corporate tax breaks.

John McCain’s voting record is clear. He has proved himself consistently anti-choice, anti-education, and a reliable vote instead in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy and tax breaks for corporations. No one should be fooled by his media-graced reputation as a “maverick”.

Women, especially, need to learn more about McCain’s abysmal record on matters most important to them. And anyone who cares about reproductive rights, family planning, education, and issues relating to equality for women and health care for children need to become more familiar with the new Republican Party standard bearer.

Seventies rock legends The Who once sang: “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” On issues affecting women, children, and families, it is not hyperbole to say that John McCain is in lockstep with George W. Bush. While running as somebody different, McCain is really just more of the same.

The Eye Catcher

JJ — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:29:48 EDT

Another note on shallow things that caught my attention and made me a believer in the Democratic side of things rather than the Republican or some other indie platform: Joe Biden and Dr. Biden.

My appreciation of Joe Biden is for true-blue reasons. He has done a lot, his record is clearly impressive, he's a no-nonsense kind of guy. I like to think that part of the reason Obama wants him on the ticket is because Biden was one of the first to state that he thought Obama wasn't ready for the job.

I can appreciate what Obama did here. He chose the guy who had explainable reasons for not thinking he was choice #1 and he brought this person, with all his experience, to his side to ensure that he was ready, that he was prepared for disbelievers.

This honestly sounds like a brilliant move to me.

Dr. Biden doesn't hurt the message at all, either -- she's one of my excuses for appreciating the ticket on a shallow level. I love Michelle Obama. She pretty much owns. But Jill Biden is an ENGLISH PROFESSOR at a COMMUNITY COLLEGE. My heart FLEW when I read this.

What educators are more bare-bones and underrated than community college professors? I started off college in a big state school in an Honors program. Sure, I loved the hell out of at least one of my professors, but when I screwed around and had to tame my social life back down, I returned to school as a community college student. I've now graduated from a four-year university, but I swear if I had the spare change for it, I'd go back to my local CC every year just to dabble in something new. I did for a while -- hospitality, cooking, baking, security, foreign languages -- but for sure the most versitile and worldly of my English professors (and I've had quite a few as a Lit Major) were my community college professors. And so I just plain love Dr. Biden for this. Mrs. Obama is a strong, kickass speaker in her own right, but Dr. Biden's story just stands out to me.

After "meeting" the candidates and their families, the thing that clinched it for me was the "Issues" section of the website. You can go directly to the things that need to make the most sense to you.

This is also how, in a long, heated conversation yesterday, I also got my mom to start thinking away from McCain. She's already frustrated with the Palin decision and was convinced, before, by the fact that all her mom's friends and relatives back in Chicago are making sure others are registered to vote just so that they can convince them to vote anti-Obama.

Though she feels she is beyond the concerned age, my mother still despises the fact that old men feel they have a right to rule over the reproductive organs of women. In the "Issues" section, this site makes it clear that Obama does not intend to try and force the disappearance of the Roe v. Wade decision and that's one of the biggest reasons he has my vote.

My mother also felt that McCain would do more to keep money in her pockets and that Obama planned to take more money away from her paychecks for social security. I explained to her that I wasn't sure about that - I'm never very clear on money issues and I'll admit that as soon as people start talking in numbers, my brain switches off - but what I am sure about is that, one way or another, your money always disappears. And it's never going to go exactly where you think it needs to go, but how about this: her entire paycheck goes to the monthly cost of gas for my father's commute to and from work. McCain is a proponent of offshore drilling, which won't actually yield any relief to our economy for *years.* Obama wants us to find another way.

For obvious reasons, this got her attention. What is taking more out of her pockets than gasoline these days?

I feel that my mom is really ready to vote for McCain. She voted for Bush the last two times even though she's a Democrat. I don't know where she thinks these last eight years have really worked out so stellar for her.

I'm still boggled.

America does not need Sarah Palin

Erica R. — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:48:38 EDT

America does not need Sarah Palin, but her family does!!!! It is irresponsible as a mother to go traipsing around the country with a man too old to run anything, including a vacuum, when her family is falling apart!

First, we learn she has a four month old baby with Down Syndrome. Now we learn she has a 17 year old pregnant, unmarried daughter! She needs to go home and be a mom. She can resume her post as governor, and be able to go home every night and care for her family!!!!!

Sarah, stick with your decision in June, 2008, not to run for the vice presidency, and go back to Alaska!

Changing American Politics and how it's covered!

Omar Dyer — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:20:01 EDT

We need to get away from the same old politics of yester-year. Read my article-like speech and please let's get on the issues.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1002074/changing_american_politics_and_its.html

Blood is not always thicker than water (Allison's story)

Allison — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:49:52 EDT

Last night I was making some Barack Obama window signs on my PC while news of Hurricane Gustav reported from CNN in the background. This got me to thinking about what I could do as basically a shut-in to help. I am not a religious person, but I figure praying never hurts. I wanted to extend the message so I went online and got some AP photos of parents in Hati and the Bahamas who had lost their children. I composed words of sympathy and hope for New Orleans. I then e-mailed my family and friends. In my inbox tonight was a sickining shock. My cousin Andy, a person I thought to be troubled but kind in spirit briefly told me that he hoped all those people died down there due to their race and socio-economic background. By the way, he is voting Republican. Still, I can't believe hate is the name of their game. I have another cousin who asked me why was I voting for that (calling Barack Obama a raccoon)? I told him I'd rather have the (raccoon) than the coot. I did not think EVER that racism and downright hatered existed in my family. Really. Some in my family are tempermental and opiniated, but I've never known anyone to be HATEFUL. This really hurts my efforts to assist the campaign, because such people are obviously of no help and the rest of the family will stick by them right or wrong. I'm a different breed altogether. You want my love, respect, my vote? You EARN IT. Barack Obama has earned my vote over the campaign season. My mother is the only person I love. She has earned my love and respect for 29 years. The 2 of us together discuss world events each day and have been the only ones in our family to fundraise for the Obama campaign off-line. I have loved and admired others, gone now and likely not to be replaced: my farmer grandfather, a lifelong Democrat who served on his local election committee and my dad who grew up in the Great Depression and served in WWII, also a lifelong Democrat. Would they have loved to see this campaigh-you bet! Maybe they're looking down for a peek. Be so glad, Sen. Obama, that as painful as it was to be dissed by your pastor, that it was not your sister or brother-in-law and that you have a supportive and loving wife. I won't even go into my sister. Let's just say that trying to amend anything with her (again) would constitute "more of the same". There is no speech in the world that will win over people (if you can call them that) like Andy. They are lost causes. I believe Barack Obama when he says he believes there is such a thing as too late. I've felt that weight drop and settle. Time and tide wait for no man. There is nothing I can do but breifly lament and move on to greener pastures. Onward and upward! Obama '08

From the Campaign Trail: Saddleback, Biden, and Traditional Family Values

Jay Garrano — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:35:23 EDT

(from Revolution newspaper #141, August 24, 2008)

From the Campaign Trail:

Saddleback, Biden, and Traditional Family Values

Barack Obama’s mission of “bringing us all together” included three major events over the past two weeks, heading into his acceptance speech Friday night at Mile High Stadium.

First, on August 16, Obama participated in the first exchange between the two Presidential candidates at Saddleback Church in Orange County. Participating in what was, in essence, the first debate of the ‘08 election at Rick Warren’s megachurch was a major move on Obama’s part to embrace and legitimize the imposition of Christian fundamentalism into all realms of society. Then, on Saturday, August 24, Obama announced that Joe Biden, would be his running mate. A long-time ruling class insider, Biden has not just been complicit with, but a key player in the whole development of the so-called “War on Terror,” a war for empire that has brought a million deaths to Iraq, and bloodshed and suffering across the Middle East. And Michelle Obama’s August 26 speech to the Democratic National Convention was a major statement—an acclamation of oppressive, patriarchal traditional family values.

Each of these events provoked new rounds of outrage from many of Obama’s supporters. But the basic question for those people is: Are they betrayals of Obama’s principles? Or examples of what Obama’s mission is all about?

McCain's "Victor/Victoria" Strategy: More of the Same

jude jones — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:16:31 EDT

If like me you're old enough to remember the movie "Victor/Victoria" (a 1982 Blake Edwards gem), you might be feeling a strange resonance between the film and the current campaign season, and yet be a little unclear about what that resonance is. Today, that resonance became much clearer to me with John McCain's astonishing selection of Sarah Palin as VP.

Victor/Victoria Go to Washinton

To refresh memories, "Victor/Victoria" was a musical comedy about a struggling singer named Victoria Grant (played by Julie Andrews) who teams up with a gay nightclub singer named Toddy (Robert Preston, RIP) to pull a fast one on the Paris cabaret circuit and make a boatload of money. When he watches Victoria--hair slicked back after a bath--break his ex-lover's nose (long story), Toddy has an epiphany and hatches the plan: Victoria will pretend to be a female impersonator, and Toddy will manage her as they perpetrate the associated lie that they are lovers. Victoria will become "Count Victor Grezhinski" and Paris will go wild! Victoria objects to the preposterousness of the idea. "A woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman--it's absurd--they'll know he's a phony!" Toddy replies, "That's right--they'll know HE'S a phony." Under Toddy's sparkling-eyed persuasion, Julie Andrews becomes Victor/Victoria.

Often over the past several years I've found that exchange rattling around in my mind as a description of Bush/Cheney politics. I realized that the preposterousness of the behavior of the Bush administration was calling into my suspicions the sense that a gigantic charade was being perpetrated on us. The strategy of Bush/Cheney has been to do or say the most outrageous things, and count on people's gullibility to not think too hard about the picture before their eyes because to suspect the extent of the lie represented in our government would ruin the entertainment of thinking we are a democracy, as well as ruining the usual entertainments of everyday life. They have made a lot of money and power for a handful of people while we in the audience watched and wonder what on earth we were watching, but hoping in the end it was all for our gratification.

McCain's 'Preposterous' Lies

More recently, I've found myself thinking about the Victor/Victoria deception as McCain has morphed into someone unrecognizable to those of us democrats who used to consider voting for him one day. But it never quite fit.....sure, there were preposterous claims, like "Obama wants us to lose in Iraq", which part of the willing public would eat up because a certain portion of that public thinks Obama is in league with dangerous Arabs (!). "Obama wants to raise your taxes" which is utterly false for 95% of the public, but seems believable enough to a public weaned on the myth of the tax and spend democrat during this era of tax-hating but fanatical spending republican administrations. Surely the public would see through all this? But no, the entertainment was too engaging and the charade just far enough on the other side of preposterous as to appear true. Still, tho, the "Victor/Victoria" fit felt imperfect.

Gender-Bending Takes Shape in McCain Nation

Today, however, the fit took shape. By announcing Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain has stepped out on the other side of preposterousness in full gender-obscuring Victor/Victoria form. Playing the consummate "Toddy," McCain rolled out his "feminist" running mate designed to capture the attention and the allegiance of disaffected Hillary voters. She walked up to the microphone with her hockey-mom narrative all in place (a narrative which, unlike Victor/Victoria's, has been getting crafted over several months as an official self-descriptor for the governor-of- Alaska-qua-potential-VP), and made her pitch to all those women who still had glass in their hair from putting all those cracks in "highest, hardest glass ceiling" as she called it. That Mrs. Palin enunciated "highest. hardest" with a male sexual suggestiveness complete with fist pump was not even the worst of the gender lie taking shape. It was the utter charade of this Vice Presidential pick being trotted out as entertainment for an over-stimulated media (un)fresh from the Democratic Convention and for the for-profit duping of women who dream of one day having the role they so deserve in the Executive branch.

Sarah Palin is woman, pretending to be a "woman" pretending to be a feminist. No real feminist would stand with the policy agenda of George Bush, much less the policy agenda of PAT BUCHANAN, for whom Palin was a member of the cozily-named "Pitchfork Brigade" in the late 90's as he sought to kick American culture back into the 1940's. This policy agenda, now ensconced wholesale in the platform of John McCain, has eviscerated the dreams of millions of American families, taken the lives of the children of 4000+ sets of parents whose kids never came home from Iraq, and made sure that national health care would remain a mere distant rumor in our lifetime. This before we even consider the issues of reproductive rights about which McCain has just served ultra-right-wing notice. Hillary feminists and countless women of honor are being asked to believe that this "female runningmate"--the "woman" on the ticket--represents their dreams' fulfillment, when in fact it represents the reinforcing of the glass ceiling they have spent so much energy cracking for so many years. Women are being asked to accept that a certain configuration of secondary sex characteristics is all we care about as we consider our sacred votes. Last I checked, that was more what certain men--especially misogynists like John McCain--care about.

The Cynical Betrayal of Women With a "Woman"

But breasts and a vagina and a near six-pack of children no more guarantee a defender of the needs and interests of Hillary women than Victor's overdone frilly skirts meant that the successful lounge-singer was a woman, or even a man pretending to be a woman.

This appointment is a cynical plot hatched in the awareness that a preposterous lie fed to an entertainment-hungry audience just might work. Unlike the delightful ruse of Victoria and Toddy, this is an obscene instance of a woman being used by a man (or team of men) to pull the wool over the eyes of women everywhere, and to use them in turn as as stepping-stones to power and more wealth for the team of men and rich women who are in charge of the charade.

John McCain should stop running a cross-dressing campaign and figure out who he is, before he uses someone else to confuse the rest of us women about who we are. Shame on you, John McCain. And Sarah--wake up. You are no more second in command here than Dan Quayle was in 88. You should stay home and be the honorable mother of your new son and the governor of your beautiful state rather than being the tool of misogyny and a preposterous lie. Stay Victoria, rather than getting tangled up in the fictional Victor's fictional life.

An Open Letter to Senators Obama & Clinton

Unknown user — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:14:37 EDT

PROFESSOR HOVHANNESS I. PILIKIAN, B.A. in Eng. Lit. (American Uni of Beirut),

B.Sc. Hons. in Psych. (Open Uni), M.A. in Soc. Anth. (Sch of Oriental & African Studies),

Gulbenkian Foundation Scholar in Econ. (LSE) (London Uni),D.A.A.D-Fellow (Uni of Munich),

D.G.G.B, Dip. Th. Pr. (R A D A), Cert. Hum (Open),

Adamian Award (Ministry of Culture – Armenian S.S.R.), F.R.A.I.,

Contributor to Encyclopaedia Britannica

10th August 2008

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL)

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

Dear Senators Clinton and Obama,

You may like to know that my personal letter (dated 1st July, copy below) to your good selves is now an Open Letter published on the Web on

http://www.gibrahayer.com/index.php5?&page_id=21&path=29,21

My letter contains (1) A new Theory of History – that History advances by mindset-shifts,

(2) A radical historical interpretation of Warmongering – that it manifests masculinist obsessions contingent on the rape of women and the murder of ‘their’ children, and finally

(3) A proposition for a new socio-economic paradigm – universal CHILD-WELFARE, for all, to achieve global peace... with the sound-bite;

All For Child-Welfare and Child-Welfare For All

Yours truly

Professor Hovhanness Israel Pilikian.

***

Initially Exclusive to the Addressees 1st July 2008

Entirely Private and Totally Confidential

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL)

713 Hart Senate Office Building

District of Columbia 20510-1305, Washington DC

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

780 Third Avenue Suite 2601

New York, NY 10017

Dear Senators Clinton and Obama,

If only the two of you would join hands, there can be no reasonable doubt that you two shall win the forthcoming presidential election, from that moment onwards ... and assuming that you shall resist all electoral fraud from the Republicans – for the very good reason that, with baited breath, the whole world expects America to change. The horrendous neo-Cons succeeded not only destroying Iraq, with Depleted Uranium bomb-winds blowing towards the Israeli nation they pretended to defend ... the inhuman neo-Cons destroyed as much America’s good name, dragging it into the sewage of History. The American people deserve desperately your healing powers to pull them out of History’s murderous mires of genocidal sludge.

Senator Obama is absolutely right that America is ready for change – and Senator Clinton has the right idea for that change – hence this letter to provide the clinching philosophical argument and deep conceptual grounding of your cause to make it irresistible for the whole world to adopt.

I think Human civilization evolves by paradigmatic shifts in Mindset – by which I mean that a nation’s mind – meaning the communitarian-brain – is re-wired through the processes of social relations and modern communications-media into certain ways and patterns of communal thinking.

Mankind’s History hitherto, alas, has manifested the Primates’ barbaric survivalist mindset of crude brutal power for its own sake. It took millennia for the parochial Italian Renaissance humanism to follow, and several centuries for the French Revolution to reflect and universalize by then the re-wired mindset of the Renaissance humanism. The American Revolution earlier for the first time in history had affected an ethical mindset shift by exemplifying the concept of Power-To-do-Good, and not for its own crude sake. Unfortunately the neo-Con Bushites wished to revert to the Malthusean-Hobbsean Jungle Law, demeaning the principles of the American Revolution. Thus, overall, human history hitherto (even at its best with the American Revolution, never mind now in the genocidal dumps with the Bushists) has manifested the humanoid Darwinist mindset of the proto-fascist (and Nazi) masculinist brain-wiring, set on the oppression and rape of women and children, and the elimination of ‘useless people’...

I shall propose to you a new paradigm to wire-up a new mindset to evolve in our post-modern human brain, if only the United States of America, as the dominant world-power, would agree through yourselves to pioneer its globalization ... Like a panacea, it shall solve all socio-economic problems, including all dangers from Climate change, which must be turned into the single most important issue of international politics. And it is this, and where Mrs Clinton already possesses the inkling by virtue of her maternal instinct – CHILD-WELFARE – pure and simple, it must be made the single slogan, the cornerstone of ALL complex policies held together in consistency. In the immortal words of Britain’s Silver Poet, Alexander Pope – “The Child is the Father of Man”.

History hitherto has been the ruthless product of bi-gender competitiveness, the male always oppressing, dominating and ultimately raping the female – well-proven by antique myths – females, be they divine or mortal, are always ‘ravished’ against their will – and endless modern warfare – even today, now, women are being raped in ... Zimbabwe, and everywhere else where genocidal wars are active, stretching back in time to Herodotus – the first Historian who lived in the 5th c. BC, and whose very first paragraphs record the gang-bang by Phoenician sailors of the free ‘feminist’ women of Argos – thus, according to the Herodotusean historical record, the very first of the countless series of world wars have begun with a ... gang-bang, literally, a group rape by foolish men of a group of innocent women!

The only way this awful bi-polar human stupidity can be eliminated once and for all from the disturbed human psyche and sexualized Freudian mindset is by creating a focus on a deeper perspectival third-dimension ; the child-and-its-welfare.

Both genders must focus all life-force on tending a healthy child, literally and metaphorically, in a healthy geophysical and social environment – it can become the measuring stick and guideline for all ethical human behaviour and action, individually, on the micro-, and politically on the macro-levels.

Marriage throughout history and in all cultures is played out as a power-game for the benefit of the adults in the game – Divorce in the West consequently, has been riddled with adult partners’ power-obsessive narcissism – their children as mere inconvenient extensions of their egos. In Britain, child-welfare is a byword for corrupt legal practices, and serving equally as political football for governmental publicity stunts.

A new categorical imperative in the style of Emmanuel Kant, one of the great thinkers of all time, in my proposed new paradigm would be – Do nothing that will shame your children, and you in their eyes - Adopting this as the cornerstone of all social and couple relations – it may reduce Divorce, one of the great Western social ills hitherto based on parental narcissism and gratification rather than the needs of child-welfare. And Hollywood film-industry shall produce less public nudity, if actors considered the shame of their children felt at their parental pornographic exposure.

Thou shalt not do anything that harms a child – which ensures that paedophilia for example, never takes hold of society – there are serious high-powered post-modern attempts in Anglo-America to render it acceptable ... And the British American Tobacco (BAT) company would be stopped immediately from the crime of selling tobacco to African children!

Thou shalt not kill children, or their mothers, can serve as grounds for all wars all over the world to be stopped – a good reason to dismantle globally the military-industrial complexes, against the inhuman dangers of which President Eisenhower first of all so wisely warned the American nation back in the 1950’s. A very simple undeniable post-modern historical fact is that America is armed to its teeth and ... toes with thousands of nuclear bombs - it simply does not need more of any ordenance! You need not waste a cent more on further armaments - instead, release all those trillions onto societal health and well-being!!! According to the Bible, Peacemakers are the children of God – I can never understand how and why an American Christian can ever be a warmonger.

Child-welfare must force the realization of Mrs Clinton’s humanitarian policies of universal health-insurance for the people of America – the first and only one of its kind (overdue) in American History. And according to the new paradigm I am proposing, Thou shalt not kill children and their mothers, now add to it – and their fathers, and grandparents – We all are the children of God!

And now to the ultimate problem of all global problems – Climate Change, which is a deceptive turn of phrase to camouflage the horrendous evil truth of destroying the very Oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere we need to breathe second-by-second ... Never mind polar ice-caps melting, oceans rising, we are (like the foolish individuals who smoke cigarettes on the micro-level) as nations destroying on the macro-level by-the-second the very Oxygen we need to survive and live by! Such destruction is evidence of sheer human cultural stupidity – dumping each year 7 billion tonnes of pollutants in the atmosphere of this sweet little child-planet.

Even the Nobel-prize winning Mr. Al Gore won’t dare speak the truth – the global car and aviation industries are satanic evils that need be controlled, transformed and absolutely rationalized, not-expanded. There can be no stupid glee and Big Business hand-rubbing in the lunatic economic predictions that China shall be helped to have ... 900 million cars in the next decade.

Hitherto, the planet Earth was conceived as a ‘mature woman’ – Mother Earth/ Mother Nature – and messed about, abused and finally ‘proudly’ raped by the Macho-male-warmonger-idiot. At the odd occasion in history when a Woman had acquired such power – Queen Elizabeth the First of Britain, and Catherine the Great of Russia – they have strangely morphed into the macho-male paradigm – with Ms Madeleine Albright, the elder Bushite lacking any female nurturing instincts, declaring infamously to the world that the death of half a million Iraqi ... children is a price worth paying for the discomfiture of one male idiot – the banana-tyrant Saddam Hussein, ex CIA operative and ordained murderer of Abdul Karim Kassem, his predecessor.

If one conceives of this planet – a grain of dust in the vastness of the universe – as yet another little child of the great Creator – then the politicians must do EVERYTHING to save it from the violent stupidities of bi-gender power-obsessed politics, as my noble wife Clarice puts it, “child-planet is precious, in need of care and protection, like all children”.

All for child-welfare – and Child-welfare for all should be the hub of the new neural network out of which the new mindset of the future mankind can and must be wired before we destroy ourselves through sheer stupidity – narcissistic greed and waste of our planet’s resources.

Only thus, dear ... President Obama, and Vice-President Clinton, can you change America, and the rest of the world, into a new order and Pax Americana, not by genocidal warmongering all over the world that is reducing day-by-day the very Oxygen we need to breathe merely to live as God’s little children!

Yours truly

Professor Hovhanness Israel Pilikian.

8th July 2008.

P.S. Please forgive me for the awkward lay-out, as I do not know enough computers to have done a better job ...

Why I will vote for Barack in '08

mandie — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:13:41 EDT

“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.

Tears of Joy

Ms_CongenialityHI — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:28:39 EDT

It is the morning after the opening remarks of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and my eyes still burn from the tears shed last night. Speeches and presentations rich with history, and making history, before our eyes were such a moving sight. I could see that even some of the usual stoic news anchors and commentators developed flushed noses and tear-rimmed eyes as the stage makeup faded and the minutes passed. It isn't the first time I've cried during this campaign, and I know it won't be the last. In fact, it was a reminder to pull out my "crying towel" for our Convention Watch Party this coming Thursday evening.

My green towel with the character "Eeyore" embroidered on one side, was given to me as a Christmas gift from a direct "disciple" of Saul Alinsky (credited as a pioneer of grassroots community organizing today) after my third year as a community organizer. Up until the presentation of this gift, I had not known that five years prior, my pastor had pointed me out to my future mentors at a church service where I happened to tearfully ask for prayers for a friend's mother. At the time, he and his spouse (also a seasoned organizer) said, "You must be joking, she's such a cry-baby!" Even worse, there was doubt all the way around that I could handle such demands of time with a preteen, preschooler, spouse and fulltime job. Still, they kept enough of an open mind to "talk-story" with me and challenge me to take a mix of baby-steps, with a few leaps and bounds, into their world... tears, fears and all.

This is not only a story of what is possible, but another illustration of what a family can do when they support each other to reach their goals with little more than a bit of faith in things not yet seen. My tears of joy this week are for the Obama Ohana (family) who share this faith in each and every one of us!

Michelle Hits It Out Of The Park!

Mark Ungemach (Democratic Committee Person, Franklin Township, Landenberg, PA) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:36:47 EDT

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/08/26/michelle_obama/print.html

Isn't she lovely?

In her prime-time speech Monday, Michelle Obama foiled her harshest detractors and perhaps even won over Middle America.

By Rebecca Traister

Aug. 26, 2008 | Michelle Obama had one job on Monday night: to not be scary.

As the first black woman ever to make a beeline for the East Wing, Obama, a lawyer with degrees from Princeton and Harvard, has been dogged by an aura of suspicion: about her brains and politics and attitude and all sorts of things that stand in for both racial and gender discomfort. Early on, Maureen Dowd tagged her "emasculating"; she's been attacked over her patriotism; there were the insidious "whitey" whispers. The infamous New Yorker cover summed it up by caricaturing her as a slinky, Afro'd Angela Davis, saucily giving her man a so-called terrorist fist bump.

How I Spent My Weekend Defending Obama

Brian Sharma — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:04:34 EDT

How I Spent My Weekend Defending Obama

Dear friends,

I'd like to share a little story with you. I spent the weekend defending Obama. I was at a family birthday party with friends and neighbors (in Pennsylvania). It was a backyard BBQ at my sister's house (also an Obama supporter), and she invited family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. I decided to wear my Obama shirt, and brought a few yard signs and bumper stickers to hand out to other Obama supporters (I made sure to ask my sister first, she said of course!). There were also some non-supporters, and the day was filled with "lively" discussion.

Most people were shying away from political discussion, mostly because they don't want to be involved in any conflict with friends and family. However, it's an important election season, and everyone was interested enough to at least listen to this discussion. There was one person in particular that was anti-Obama, and while he also insisted he didn't care for McCain, his resentment towards Obama was very strong. But I tried to keep the conversation pleasant, while explaining why I support Obama.

I asked several questions about why this person didn't like Obama, and I would respond to each point with facts that basically shot down every misconception they had about Obama. He cited the Rezko deal, and I explained Obama was not involved in any wrong-doing, yet John McCain was definitely guilty during the Keating Five scandal. Then he complained that Obama is an "elitist", and I explained that Obama just finished paying his student loans last year, while McCain is worth over $100 million and can't remember how many houses he owns. Then he said Obama's not "ready to lead", especially in military affairs. So I explained that Obama was RIGHT about Iraq, RIGHT about Afghanistan, and RIGHT about Pakistan, and John McCain was WRONG on all counts. I told him that leadership is about Good Judgement, and John McCain only has "experience" in being WRONG!

At this point, he couldn't really defend his dislike of Obama, but still insisted he didn't want Obama as president. Then, I asked him to name ONE BAD THING Obama had done, without referencing any association to other people (like Rev Wright, Tony Rezko, or Bill Ayers). He couldn't. So I asked him to name ONE GOOD THING McCain had done since becoming senator 26 years ago. He couldn't. I told him McCain's biggest accomplishment in 26 years was the McCain-Feingold Bill on campaign reform, which he now no longer supports. McCain became popular for being a "maverick", but now supports torture, has flip-flopped on every policy position, and has become Bush's biggest supporter. McCain doesn't have any real accomplishments, which is why he constantly talks about being a POW 30 years ago, or attacks Obama with ridiculous ads about Britney, Paris, or claims about people Obama knows.

Then, I named some good things that Obama had accomplished, like his bi-partisan work to limit and control the spread of nuclear weapons, so they don't fall into the hands of terrorists. Obama has also passed an important ethics bill to publish all government contracts on a public website, so people know exactly where our taxes are being spent. You can go online and see how many no-bid contracts are going to campaign donors, and which senators and congressmen support which government contracts, thanks to Barack Obama. It might seem like a small deal, but it's a HUGE step in shining the light in politics, which is a major part of bringing REAL CHANGE to Washington. It also proves that Obama is truly a DIFFERENT KIND OF POLITICIAN! And Obama wants to take major steps to fix the country's problems, like ending the Iraq War, bringing healthcare to millions, ending Bush's tax cuts to rich people and corporations, investing $150 Billion in alternative energy, creating 5 million green collar jobs... I went on and on and on.

After all this, this person still wouldn't budge. However, at this point, there were several other people crowding around and listening to the conversation, and I could see that I was clearly winning them over. Someone else interrupted our discussion, and asked us to stop talking politics and just enjoy the party (and ease any tensions). So we decided to "agree to disagree" and laughed and joked about some other things. Later in the day, the person came over to me and quietly said... "Have you ever had to work with Blacks and Muslims? I have to work with THOSE PEOPLE every day..." It was now painfully obvious that his RACISM was the irrational reason behind his dislike of Obama. I was a little surprised, but now it made sense. That was why none of my LOGICAL arguments were making a dent.

This sparked a conversation about racism, and I told him racism is no reason to make a bad choice and help McCain win, because McCain is far worse for the country. He insisted that although I was "taking the high road", average Americans would not vote for a black man for president. He said this as if it somehow justified his racism. Well, I told him that I don't know who's going to win in November, but I do consider myself an "average American", and I consider everyone at this Pennsylvanian family gathering "average Americans". And I started to name each person at the party that I know supports Obama. One by one, I pointed around the party and told him which people support Obama. To his surprise, I pointed to almost EVERY person there. Although none of those people had spoken up about thier support for Obama, they had each told me privately that they also like Obama, even though they weren't as vocal about it as I was. Many of them even asked for bumper stickers and yard signs. He didn't believe me, and asked one of those people if they liked Obama. At this point, the other person enthusiastically replied, "YES! I really like Obama!"

Only when this person realized there was so much support for Obama among his own friends and family, that's when I could see him actually considering being at least open to the idea. I don't think that's a very good reason, but apparently, the only thing that broke through his irrational racism... was irrational peer pressure. Everyone else likes Obama... so maybe he should too. I don't really understand it, but I think after breaking down all his other reasons, showing him his real reasons were racist, and then showing him that so many other people like him also supported Obama, he began to change.

I can't claim that I converted this person right there. But I do think I made him think about it. And I hope that the next time he hears about why Obama would be a good president, he might be willing to actually listen with an open mind. I definitely got through to all the other people there. And maybe they will take some of the points I made back to their friends and family over the next few weeks. And if you read all this, I hope you take a little of this story with you. This is how change happens...

YES WE CAN!!

Resonance: Reading parts of myself in articles about Obama's past.

EMK — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:28:01 EDT

I don't know how many people are going to see this, but after reading these Newsweek articles, I feel like I am reading parts of my own past, and I nearly cried.

Senator, I understand some of these personal battles that you have gone/been going through, but -- and this is from my personal experience and understanding -- remember, your conscience and your faith (I won't prosletize any particlular religion) is the key to fighting these battles, especially now. I am still working on that!

The articles I read were: On His Own (Seven Pages) and 'I had to learn to fight.'

After reading these articles, it's like I am seeing a reflection of myself, especially with some of his personal struggles and his identity struggles!

I don't know if this post will reach Sen. Obama, or anyone else for this matter, but I felt compelled to post this, as what I had read in those articles were in resonance with me.

"The society's depriviation relies/ not on our differences/ but the separation within."
--Linkin Park, (Frgt/10)

EMK

Michelle Obama and Ted Kennedy

Jill 4 Obama — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:45:02 EDT

What these two people did tonight in their speeches was phenomenal!

They connected each one of us as Americans with Barack Obama.

For those of us who watched and heard every speaker including both Barack's sister and Michelle's brother tonight, the first night of the Democratic Convention, along with Caroline Kennedy, Claire McCaskill, and many others who worked with Barack in Chicago, we witnessed the greatness of our Democratic Presidential nominee and his family.

Ted Kennedy expressed the love of his family and his country through his deep committment that healthcare for every American is a right. He stood strong and hopeful for his deepest values while his own health stands in jeopardy.

Michelle Obama told of her Dad, her Mom, her brother, her children , and her husband, Presidential nominee Barack Obama, with love, respect, and remarkable emotion and grace that touched a nation as she spoke, "I love this country!"

Michelle, you did it!

BoBraxton — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:18:50 EDT

Flawless presentation / speech, Michelle (ma belle, sont les mots qui vent tres-bien ensemble).

God bless you all.

gObama!

The Draft and John McCain

Ruth Robbins — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:34:45 EDT

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the Draft is a big part of McCain's policy for dealing with the Middle East conflicts.

But even veternas and active-duty military personnel will tell you that the Draft is a no-win situation. As one soldier said, "If our lives are on the line I don't want to be next to a guy that never wanted to be here in the first place."

It's true -- most will agree that they'd rather fight next to their brothers that enlisted with them, trained and CHOSE to put their lives into the hands of the US Armed Forces.

Not only that, but as a mother of a teenage daughter, I am concerned that McCain wouldn't just draft young men either -- those days are gone. My daughter gets baraged with mail from recruiters all the time because she just graduated from high school and is on her way to college. It used to just be teenage boys that got those mailings.

Obama will not take these things for granted -- he has two young children and knows that parents are terrified of a draft. In fact, parents of ANY young person that enlists in this day and age BY CHOICE are terrified but supportive of their sons and daughters - who WHOLEHEARTEDLY deserve our respect.

The bottom line is that this needs to be talked about more when confronted with GOP McCain supporters. The surprising thing about the republicans in my district is that most of them are young families with children ages 1 to 18.

If we can't coerce them with the reality of what might happen to Roe v Wade (because they're already so jaded against it in the first place) then lets start hammering them about the Draft.

McCain thinks because he survived it all that anyone can do it, he's an idiot.

Without an Economic Component The Chage will Be Incomplete

Clarence Coggins III — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:56:28 EDT

I am going to vote for Barack Obama, but as a Black man I'm urging other to take advantage of this historic moment to set in motion a grassroots economic movement. It is important that we come together and utilize our time, talent and treasure to do our part to become a greater assistance to the Obama.

We must open the dialogue, act on the consensus and make sure we take the necessary measures to start our economic engine in overdrive. I encourage you to examine one option I have found.

Let's increase our ability to pay our way.

Tar Baby McCain

FRED4JUSTICE — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:22:09 EDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNGXB_qx0xk&feature=related

Tar Baby is not only a racist slur, and a euphamism regarding a sticky situation, but also regarded a most reprehensible inference to an unwanted child [of color].

Senator McCain quickly apologized for his racist remarks, but never apologized to parents for dismissing the legitimate question of Parental Rights [asked by a black man] that he responded to with this slur. Apparently, TarBaby McCain thinks that it is OK for corrupt courts and government agencies to steal children away from fit parents.

Parents, if you don't think that corrupt Government can take YOUR CHILDREN away anytime, for whatever reason they choose to fabricate, you are living a delusion. And the ghoulish child snatchers are paid hefty rewards from your TAX DOLLARS for destroying families and stealing children.

Dr. Shabaz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i53aehOT-dA&feature=related

Judge Libscomb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAvNvMcUPlY

Pastor Ron Smith http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QHZWxOYqRw