To all who worked so hard to make the election of Barack Obama possible and to restore hope:
Thank you. It's no exaggeration to say that you have made history.
Thank God for the chance to make a better world for us all. :)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I Didn't Vote For Obama
by kentuckyscott
I'm a middle-class white guy living in Jacksonville, Florida. I've got a wife and two kids. Because the kids had no school today, I took a vacation day from work, and took the kids downtown to vote early. Fifty-nine minutes later, two smiling children and I proudly sported "I Voted" stickers.
But I didn't vote for Obama.
I voted for my ancestors, who believed in the promise of this country and came with with nothing as immigrants.
I voted for my parents, who taught in the public schools for decades.
I voted for Steve, an acquaintance of mine from Kentucky. (Killed by an IED two years ago in Iraq).
I voted for Shawn, another who's been to Iraq twice, and Afghanistan once, and who'll be going back to Afghanistan again soon -- and whose family earned eleven bucks a month too much to qualify for food stamps when the war started.
I voted for April, the only African-American girl in my high school -- it was years before it occurred to me how different her experience of our school must have been.
I voted for my college friends who are Christian, Jewish, Mormon, and yes -- Muslim.
I voted for my grandfathers, who worked hard in factories and died too young.
I voted for the plumber who worked on my house, because I want him to get a REAL tax break.
I voted for four little angels from Birmingham.
I voted for a bunch of dead white men who, although personally flawed, were willing to pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, and used a time of great crisis to expand freedom rather than suspend it.
I voted for all those people and more, and I voted for all of you, too. But mostly, I voted selfishly. I vote for two little kids, one who has ballet in an hour, and once who has baseball practice at the same time. I voted for a world where they can be confident that their government will represent the best that is in this country, and that will in turn demand the best of them. I voted for a government that will be respected in the world. I voted for an economy that will reward work above guile. I voted for everything I believe in.
Sure, I filled in the circle next to the name Obama, but it wasn't him I was voting for -- it was every single one of us, and those I love most of all.
Who else is there to vote for?
I'm a middle-class white guy living in Jacksonville, Florida. I've got a wife and two kids. Because the kids had no school today, I took a vacation day from work, and took the kids downtown to vote early. Fifty-nine minutes later, two smiling children and I proudly sported "I Voted" stickers.
But I didn't vote for Obama.
I voted for my ancestors, who believed in the promise of this country and came with with nothing as immigrants.
I voted for my parents, who taught in the public schools for decades.
I voted for Steve, an acquaintance of mine from Kentucky. (Killed by an IED two years ago in Iraq).
I voted for Shawn, another who's been to Iraq twice, and Afghanistan once, and who'll be going back to Afghanistan again soon -- and whose family earned eleven bucks a month too much to qualify for food stamps when the war started.
I voted for April, the only African-American girl in my high school -- it was years before it occurred to me how different her experience of our school must have been.
I voted for my college friends who are Christian, Jewish, Mormon, and yes -- Muslim.
I voted for my grandfathers, who worked hard in factories and died too young.
I voted for the plumber who worked on my house, because I want him to get a REAL tax break.
I voted for four little angels from Birmingham.
I voted for a bunch of dead white men who, although personally flawed, were willing to pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, and used a time of great crisis to expand freedom rather than suspend it.
I voted for all those people and more, and I voted for all of you, too. But mostly, I voted selfishly. I vote for two little kids, one who has ballet in an hour, and once who has baseball practice at the same time. I voted for a world where they can be confident that their government will represent the best that is in this country, and that will in turn demand the best of them. I voted for a government that will be respected in the world. I voted for an economy that will reward work above guile. I voted for everything I believe in.
Sure, I filled in the circle next to the name Obama, but it wasn't him I was voting for -- it was every single one of us, and those I love most of all.
Who else is there to vote for?
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Life Begins At Rape: Ask Sarah Palin (Link)
Thanks to Shannyn Moore for reposting this. It should not be lost in all the noise.
As usual, Shannyn presents her facts in a rational, concise manner.
LIFE BEGINS AT RAPE: Ask Sarah Palin
As usual, Shannyn presents her facts in a rational, concise manner.
LIFE BEGINS AT RAPE: Ask Sarah Palin
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Open Letter From Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Kevin Liles and Diddy
Open Letter From Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Kevin Liles and Diddy
Where it stands today, we are on the verge of making history, the kind of history that will be apart of our cultures legacy.
It ain't over, until it's over. There is still so much work to be done. The thrill of victory is just 1 week away. We hear it in the streets, we feel it in our hearts and it's burning in our souls. Together we have successfully registered the most young voters in the history of the modern political process.
We called a State Of Emergency on October 3rd at 6:00AM and our culture stood up and recognized the importance of registering millions of voters. From 1st time voters who have just come of age to vote, to those who are participating for the 1st time in the voting process. Your commitment to Change will continue to ring across our America, because we all are in the Right State Of Mind
Where it stands today, we are on the verge of making history, the kind of history that will be apart of our cultures legacy. The kind of history that bridges the gap between race, religion and culture, the kind of history that will ignite a light that shines bright from generation to generation, screaming that our voice does matter and our vote does count.
The kind of history that will enable the next generation of leaders to encourage vision, not division, to encourage hope, not hopelessness, to encourage the power of the people, not the power politics of the few.
With only 7 days left before we vote for change, let's hold ourselves accountable and responsible. No more excuses, no more mistakes and no more time to waste. If you have the opportunity to vote early in your state then vote today. If you are voting on November 4th, make preparation today.
Bring your family and friends and plan for the party at the poles. Make November 4th the day we celebrate change - The day we celebrate freedom of choice. The day we celebrate power of all people. Lets all come together on November 4th, because it's a family reunion. It's our time and we are all in the Right State Of Mind.
We have 7 days to Vote for Change. 7 days to Vote to Make History. We can not slow down. We can not let up. We must push through to history until the final vote is cast and the last ballot is counted. We can, we must, and we will Make It Happen. Vote Obama/Biden on November 4th.
God Bless,
Diddy
Jay-Z
Mary J. Blige
Kevin Liles
VIBE.com
Where it stands today, we are on the verge of making history, the kind of history that will be apart of our cultures legacy.
It ain't over, until it's over. There is still so much work to be done. The thrill of victory is just 1 week away. We hear it in the streets, we feel it in our hearts and it's burning in our souls. Together we have successfully registered the most young voters in the history of the modern political process.
We called a State Of Emergency on October 3rd at 6:00AM and our culture stood up and recognized the importance of registering millions of voters. From 1st time voters who have just come of age to vote, to those who are participating for the 1st time in the voting process. Your commitment to Change will continue to ring across our America, because we all are in the Right State Of Mind
Where it stands today, we are on the verge of making history, the kind of history that will be apart of our cultures legacy. The kind of history that bridges the gap between race, religion and culture, the kind of history that will ignite a light that shines bright from generation to generation, screaming that our voice does matter and our vote does count.
The kind of history that will enable the next generation of leaders to encourage vision, not division, to encourage hope, not hopelessness, to encourage the power of the people, not the power politics of the few.
With only 7 days left before we vote for change, let's hold ourselves accountable and responsible. No more excuses, no more mistakes and no more time to waste. If you have the opportunity to vote early in your state then vote today. If you are voting on November 4th, make preparation today.
Bring your family and friends and plan for the party at the poles. Make November 4th the day we celebrate change - The day we celebrate freedom of choice. The day we celebrate power of all people. Lets all come together on November 4th, because it's a family reunion. It's our time and we are all in the Right State Of Mind.
We have 7 days to Vote for Change. 7 days to Vote to Make History. We can not slow down. We can not let up. We must push through to history until the final vote is cast and the last ballot is counted. We can, we must, and we will Make It Happen. Vote Obama/Biden on November 4th.
God Bless,
Diddy
Jay-Z
Mary J. Blige
Kevin Liles
VIBE.com
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Sarah Palin: The rape kit controversy (Wasilla Project)
The following is a repost from http://matthewtime.livejournal.com. I didn't quite intend this to be a blog of links, but whatever helps spread the truth about Sarah Palin.
Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago I shared and idea I had with my old friend and colleague Paul Lundahl. "Wasilla is only about 45 minutes north of Anchorage Paul," I said. "We could do a video production there over a weekend and capture a deeper understanding of Palin and educate voters about her record". We quickly put together a team of highly respected Bay Area producers, camera operators, editors and musicians and the Wasilla Project began.
The goal of the project is to produce a series of short video portraits of Sarah Palin and her hometown that could be a valuable addition to the national debate and the mainstream media news coverage. A secondary goal is to produce videos that can speak to issues that touch undecided voters on main street.
We determined before we arrived in Alaska that we were going to interview both republicans and democrats -- what mattered most to us was getting to people who knew her and had knowledge about her policies and beliefs first hand.
Our team has just completed out first video that focuses on victims of sexual assault that have to pay for the gathering of forensic evidence for their criminal case. Although this story has received national media attention we wanted to interview people involved in the issue to speaking directly on camera and make their interviews available online.
Please view the video now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCx7A2lwCWE
You can also watch the video on our website:
http://www.wasillaproject.com/
We still have not covered all of travel costs so we welcome donations of any amount, we have setup a link to a Paypal on the website to capture your support:
http://www.wasillaproject.com/index/donate.html
Thank you for your interest and support and stay tuned!
Please forward this!
Erik
--
Erik Johnson
Executive Producer
Madera Group, LLC
Phone: 415-531-6002
Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago I shared and idea I had with my old friend and colleague Paul Lundahl. "Wasilla is only about 45 minutes north of Anchorage Paul," I said. "We could do a video production there over a weekend and capture a deeper understanding of Palin and educate voters about her record". We quickly put together a team of highly respected Bay Area producers, camera operators, editors and musicians and the Wasilla Project began.
The goal of the project is to produce a series of short video portraits of Sarah Palin and her hometown that could be a valuable addition to the national debate and the mainstream media news coverage. A secondary goal is to produce videos that can speak to issues that touch undecided voters on main street.
We determined before we arrived in Alaska that we were going to interview both republicans and democrats -- what mattered most to us was getting to people who knew her and had knowledge about her policies and beliefs first hand.
Our team has just completed out first video that focuses on victims of sexual assault that have to pay for the gathering of forensic evidence for their criminal case. Although this story has received national media attention we wanted to interview people involved in the issue to speaking directly on camera and make their interviews available online.
Please view the video now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCx7A2lwCWE
You can also watch the video on our website:
http://www.wasillaproject.com/
We still have not covered all of travel costs so we welcome donations of any amount, we have setup a link to a Paypal on the website to capture your support:
http://www.wasillaproject.com/index/donate.html
Thank you for your interest and support and stay tuned!
Please forward this!
Erik
--
Erik Johnson
Executive Producer
Madera Group, LLC
Phone: 415-531-6002
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Memo to media: The Palin rape-kit story has not been "debunked"
As much as I've written on this subject and the research I've put into it, I feel this article does the best job of getting the facts straight.
The only thing they missed was the curious phrasing of Charlie Fannon's quote:
"In the past weve charged the cost of exams to the victims insurance company when possible." (Emphasis mine.)
Presumably, when a rape victim had no insurance, that left the burden on her. Regardless, it was a despicable policy, and indicative of Sarah Palin's bizarre policies.
The only thing they missed was the curious phrasing of Charlie Fannon's quote:
"In the past weve charged the cost of exams to the victims insurance company when possible." (Emphasis mine.)
Presumably, when a rape victim had no insurance, that left the burden on her. Regardless, it was a despicable policy, and indicative of Sarah Palin's bizarre policies.
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