Charities are one way that people can show their concern for the environment, handicapped people and for animals. There are numerous animal charities that can be found in various parts of the world. These charities range from care for abused domestic animals to endangered animals to many others.

For these many different charities you will find that the donations can be given in different ways. Fundraisers, charity balls, television advertisements and stickers are just a few of the ways that people donate money to animal charities. For the people who wish to know more about the type of charity that they are donating to, they have the option of asking the charity hosts about it.

They can also do a web search to see if there is any information about the charity itself. While they are looking for information about the charity, it is possible that they will find information about the work that charities perform. This is sometimes a necessity due to the fact that there are people who can defraud you by citing cases of hurt animals to raise your sympathy levels.

Once you have found out all of the relevant information that you require, you have the option of deciding upon the amount of money that you will be able to donate. This amount does not have to be in the millions, unless you have that amount of money and you love helping animals!

Even a few dollars can help animal charities care for the animals that they have designated as needing some concern from people. Some of the charities can be for endangered animals such as the tiger, sea turtle and the bald headed eagle. With these types of charities there are many things that need to be done

Who will be the new Assistant Secretary for Children and Families?
<p>I know, you're probably trying to figure out why that even would matter. Honestly, I hadn't heard of the position myself until I started doing some research last night.&nbsp;</p><p>According to Wikipedia: </p><p>&quot;The <strong>Administration for Children and Families</strong> (<strong>ACF</strong>) is a division of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Health_and_Human_Services" title="United States Department of Health and Human Services">United States Department of Health and Human Services</a> (HHS). It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, which from 2001 to 2007 was Dr. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_F._Horn" title="Wade F. Horn">Wade F. Horn</a>. It has a $47 billion budget for 65 programs that target children, youth and families. These programs include assistance with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_%28financial_aid%29" title="Welfare (financial aid)">welfare</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_support" title="Child support">child support</a> enforcement, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption" title="Adoption">adoption</a> assistance, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster_care" title="Foster care">foster care</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childcare" title="Childcare">child care</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_abuse" title="Child abuse">child abuse</a>.&quot;</p><p>So, this is the position that has the most direct power over the DHS/CPS, and thus the lives of poor families. Who knew an assistant secretary could be this important?&nbsp;</p><p> Bush appointed Dr. Horn, who believed strongly in abstinence until marriage, and that for women, finding a husband was a better way out of poverty than getting the skills needed for a good job. Since he left, Daniel Schneider has stuck with the same idealologies as Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. </p><p>Now, it's Obama's turn. I trust that he will pick someone who understands the struggles of families trying to get out of poverty, and the relationship between poverty and child maltreatment, and who views all people as having basic human dignity. In other words, someone with a clue. <br /> </p><p>I know Obama doesn't believe the stereotypes about &quot;Welfare Queens&quot;, and I'm sure he understands how broken our child protection/foster care system is.&nbsp; I know that in the last decade, Illinois has drastically reduced the number of children in foster care, while keeping children safe. Wouldn't it be great if Obama could appoint someone who'd get the rest of the country to follow Illinois' lead? &nbsp;</p><p>He's probably got some ideas already, and I'm sure that anyone he picks will be a huge improvement, but I'd like to suggest <a href="http://www.nccpr.blogspot.com/">Richard Wexler</a> or <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/fostercare/inside/guggenheim.html">Martin Guggenheim</a>. Both of them get it. They understand that it's not that poor people are stupid and lazy and don't love their children, it's that being poor SUCKS, that minor problems become major catastrophes when you don't have the money to fix them, and it's hard to be a good parent while dealing with all the stress and instability that are an inevitable part of poverty. At very least, consult Mr Wexler and Mr Guggenheim about who to put in charge of the Administration for Children and Families, and what changes need to be made. They'll have some great ideas, and it will be very much in line with Obama's basic policy of &quot;We'll do what works.&quot;&nbsp; </p>
Front Pages of Newpapers Highlighting Obama's Victory
<p>Here are the front pages of the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, and the Times-Picayune.&nbsp; I went around to three stores before I could find any newspapers.&nbsp; These are collector's items.&nbsp; People&nbsp;were buying them by the stack full.&nbsp; I purchased a stack of them for myself.</p><p><a href="http://media.freep.com/documents/freep11052008/index.htm">http://media.freep.com/documents/freep11052008/index.htm</a></p><p><a href="http://www.detnews.com/legacy/editions/pone400_11-05-2008.png" title="Front Page: Wed, Nov 05, 2008 | &lt;a href=http://www.detnews.com/legacy/editions/TheDetroitNews_11-05-2008_1A.pdf&gt;view PDF&lt;/a&gt;"><img src="http://www.detnews.com/legacy/editions/pone125_11-05-2008.png" alt="" /></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://blog.nola.com/news_impact/2008/11/11050801national.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://blog.nola.com/news_impact/2008/11/medium_11050801national.jpg" alt="" /></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT ELECT OBAMA!!!!!!
<p>Lets give a Big Congratulations&nbsp;to President Elect Barack Obama!!!!&nbsp; Wow!!!&nbsp; This feels more like New Year's Eve than a presidential election.&nbsp; My relatives are calling me on the phone.&nbsp; I'm have been calling relatives.&nbsp; People are driving through the streets blowing their car horns.&nbsp; This is a historic moment.&nbsp;&nbsp; The United States of America as we know it is going to change.&nbsp; I can't help but feel that I played a part in this victory.&nbsp; I am not a political person and I never been involved in a presidential campaign.&nbsp; I volunteered and I wonder if the phone calls I made or the doors I knocked on helped make a difference.&nbsp; </p><p>I tried to post some fireworks to celebrate, but I'm not that good at computers or html code.&nbsp; So I will just post the links below for you to see them.</p><p><a href="http://www.amazing-animations.com/animations/fireworks20.gif">http://www.amazing-animations.com/animations/fireworks20.gif</a></p><p><a href="http://www.amazing-animations.com/animations/fireworks21.gif">http://www.amazing-animations.com/animations/fireworks21.gif</a></p>
My Voted Counted!
<p><img class="reflect" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/3002816653_9ac8186607.jpg?v=0" alt="Election Pic by you." width="400" height="300" /></p><p>I voted at&nbsp;Pershing High School today.&nbsp; <u>Everybody</u> was there from the barely 18 year old, first time voting group, all&nbsp;the way up to senior citizens.&nbsp; Plus everyone in between.&nbsp; It took nearly two hours for me to get through the line.&nbsp; I got there at about 10:15 AM and by the time I was done voting, it was 12:00 noon.&nbsp;&nbsp;The senior citizens, my parents included,&nbsp;got to go straight to the front of the line so they wouldn't have to stand in the long line.&nbsp; Lucky them!&nbsp; After voting, I went and got something to eat.&nbsp; I passed by Van Zile Elementary School, another polling place, and there were about 200 cars parked in front of the school.&nbsp; So in all my years of voting, this is the largest voter turn out I've ever seen.&nbsp; In past elections, it took me no longer than 20 minutes to vote but today was nearly two hours.</p>
McCain Supporter Denies Candy To Children Of Obama Supporters On Halloween (VIDEO)
<p>I figured I'd share this with you all. </p><p>This lady really needs to get a grip.&nbsp; Denying the babies Halloween candy if their parents don't support the right candidate.&nbsp; This is the mind set we are up against.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/01/mccain-supporter-denies-c_n_140075.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/01/mccain-supporter-denies-c_n_140075.html</a></p>
My Deepest Sympathy goes out to the Obama Family
<p><a href="http://my.barackobama.com/photos/23900409@N06/3000323361/" title="CB048755"><img class="pc_img" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/3000323361_56799c4694_m.jpg" alt="CB048755" width="192" height="240" /></a></p><p>I am deeply saddened by the loss of Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham.&nbsp; What makes it even more sad is that it happened the day before Election Day.&nbsp; Tomorrow is going to feel so bittersweet. I am going to keep the Obama family in my thoughts and prayers.</p>
Barack Obama's Grandmother is very ill. :-(
<p>Let's say a prayer for Barack and his grandmother.&nbsp;</p><p>(((Barack Obama)))</p><p>(((Madelyn Dunham)))</p><p>Please read the following article.</p><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081021/ap_on_el_pr/obama_grandmother">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081021/ap_on_el_pr/obama_grandmother</a></p>
McCain and Bush are two of the same
<p XSSCleaned="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">The fact that Sen. McCain all of a sudden is trying to distant himself from the incumbent simply because he wants to be the next commander in chief is tantamount to fabrication, betrayal and machination of the worst kind.</p>&nbsp; <p XSSCleaned="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Within the horizon of realism Sen. McCain and President George Bush are in fact the same on issues that confront the people of this country and not on the bases of their personalities, genetic and or phenotypic composition. In other words, McCain is not the twin brother of Bush in context of biological offspring, but nevertheless an extension of the later policies and articulations.</p>&nbsp; <p XSSCleaned="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">On taxes the both have the mentality that helping to make the American people live at least a life without much discomfort and burden of paying excruciating taxes to the government is absolutely uncalled for when dealing with the poor and middle class Americans. On the contrary they both favor tax breaks for their campaign financers and oil corporations that are too wealthy for comfort and in some cases at the detriment of the people.</p>&nbsp;
Big ballot boo-boo: Osama for president?
<p>Everybody!&nbsp; Read your ballots carefully because there is more trickery going on.&nbsp; They will do this mess and then the ballots won't count.&nbsp; So check, double check, and triple check your ballot.</p><p><a href="http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=728326">http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=728326</a></p>Big ballot boo-boo: Osama for president? Rensselaer County gaffe makes national news after absentee ballots misspell Barack Obama's name &nbsp;By <a href="http://my.barackobama.com/TUNews/author/AuthorPage.aspx?AuthorNum=52"><strong>BOB GARDINIER</strong></a>, Staff writer <br />First published in print: Saturday, October 11, 2008 <p>&nbsp;</p>TROY &mdash; It could have been Ovama or Ofama. Or even Olama. <p>&nbsp;But with one &quot;s&quot; the Rensselaer County Board of Elections turned a single wrong letter into a national embarrassment Friday. </p><p>Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's last name is spelled &quot;Osama&quot; on some 300 absentee ballots mailed out this week to voters in Rensselaer County hilltowns. </p><p>Is it a Freudian slip, intentional gaffe or a mistake? Voters are sure to have opinions, and one politician pointed out that the letters &quot;s&quot; and &quot;b&quot; are not exactly keyboard neighbors. </p><p>&quot;Of all the letters to hit by mistake,&quot; County Democratic Chairman Tom Wade said. &quot;Unfortunately it is a mistake which negatively impacts our Democratic candidate for president.&quot; </p><p>The typo was first reported Friday on timesunion.com, and quickly grabbed national attention. </p><p>&quot;It was crazy, everybody across the country called,&quot; said Edward McDonough, the county's Democratic elections commissioner. He said calls came in from The New York Times, the New York Post, Daily News, Wall Street Journal and Court TV. </p><p>McDonough said he was one of the people who received a misspelled absentee ballot at home, and he didn't even notice it. </p><p>Elections officials on both sides of the aisle insist a simple typographical error caused the national embarrassment. &quot;It was a mistake innocently done,&quot; McDonough said. &quot;We catch almost everything.&quot; </p><p>Republican officials were apologetic. &quot;We have three different staff members who proof these things and somehow the typo got by us,&quot; said Republican Commissioner Larry Bugbee. &quot;We really apologize.&quot; </p><p>On Row 1A, Barack Obama's name is spelled Barack Osama &mdash; a name bearing an unfortunate resemblance to terror mastermind Osama bin Laden - but further down on the Working Families line it is spelled correctly. </p><p>The Obama camp took the controversy in stride. </p><p>&quot;We're glad officials are working to correct this error and we assume it won't happen again,&quot; Obama spokesman Blake Zeff said. </p><p>McDonough said the absentee ballots with the error went out to voters in Brunswick, Nassau, Sand Lake, Schaghticoke and Schodack. Three voters called to report the error. </p><p>By day's end, officials decided to issue new ballots to all 300 voters. They realized some people might cross out the misspelling and write in the correct spelling. </p><p>&quot;Election law is quite clear that any corrections done on a ballot will nullify the vote, so to be safe, we re-issued them,&quot; McDonough said. </p><p>One Sand Lake resident who caught the misspelling, and who asked to be anonymous, was skeptical. &quot;It's a little suspicious and at least grossly incompetent,&quot; the voter said. </p><p>District Attorney Richard McNally said the incident is unlikely to produce a criminal investigation. </p><p>&quot;Both sides are saying this is an honest mistake, so unless we find out otherwise, I don't see it going that way,&quot; McNally said. </p><p>Rensselaer County is the only county in the state that prints ballots in-house. </p><p>&quot;It saves the taxpayers a lot of money,&quot; McDonough said. </p><p>Wade said it might be time to rethink that practice. </p><p>Bob Gardinier can be reached at 454-5696 or by e-mail at bgardinier@timesunion.com. </p>
Sarah Palin really has her nerve!
<p>I take that back.&nbsp; She doesn't have nerve.&nbsp; She has gall.</p><p>Says Obama will diminish the prestige of the presidency. Yet, this is somebody who says &quot;doggonit&quot; during an&nbsp;interview and can't pronounce the g's at the end of her words.</p><p>Also says Obama is far out of mainstream America.&nbsp; Yet, her running mate can't even mention &quot;middle class&quot; during his speeches or debates. So who do you&nbsp;really think is out of the mainstream?</p><p>Here is the article.&nbsp; I will let you read it for yourself:</p><a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14429.html" target="_blank">http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14429.html</a>Palin: Obama not telling &lsquo;total truth&rsquo;By <a href="http://www.politico.com/reporters/AndyBarr.html" target="_blank">ANDY BARR</a> | 10/9/08 2:28 PM EDT&nbsp; Text Size: <img src="http://f346.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=1%5f3433695%5fAI1Ev9EAAQV7SO5rRAZ6HHfrkAo&amp;pid=2.2&amp;fid=Inbox&amp;inline=1" border="0" alt="" align="absMiddle" />&nbsp;<img src="http://f346.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=1%5f3433695%5fAI1Ev9EAAQV7SO5rRAZ6HHfrkAo&amp;pid=2.3&amp;fid=Inbox&amp;inline=1" border="0" alt="" align="absMiddle" />&nbsp;<img src="http://f346.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=1%5f3433695%5fAI1Ev9EAAQV7SO5rRAZ6HHfrkAo&amp;pid=2.4&amp;fid=Inbox&amp;inline=1" border="0" alt="" align="absMiddle" /> &nbsp; <p>Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin attacked Barack Obama Thursday for not being honest about his association with 1960s radical William Ayers. <br /><br />&ldquo;Barack Obama hasn&rsquo;t told the American people the total truth about that, about his association with Ayers,&rdquo; Palin said on conservative radio host Laura Ingraham&rsquo;s show. &ldquo;Doggonit, he fails to tell the American people with candor and with truthfulness what his associations are and we have to know.&rdquo; <br /><br />Palin blamed the media for not providing what she characterized as the same level of scrutiny to Obama that it has applied to her and running mate John McCain. <br /><br />&ldquo;I don't see the other ticket being asked to be truthful and give details,&rdquo; Palin said. <br /><br />&ldquo;Some in the mainstream media are saying that, well, we&rsquo;re taking the gloves off unfairly. No. You know there are only, what, 26 days to go. We gotta start getting answers to these questions that are paramount here so that voters have a choice in front of them that is based on truthfulness and candor. They deserve it.&rdquo; <br /><br />The Alaska governor told Ingraham&rsquo;s listeners that if those questions were being answered, voters would find Obama &ldquo;out of the mainstream,&rdquo; adding that the Illinois senator would diminish &ldquo;the prestige of the United States presidency.&rdquo;</p>See Also <ul><li><a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14413.html" target="_blank">Dem strategists see landslide in the making</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14423.html" target="_blank">Richardson: &lsquo;Permanent fissure&rsquo; with Bill</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14430.html" target="_blank">Critics: McCain housing plan 'half-baked' </a></li></ul><p><br />&ldquo;What does it say when Barack Obama says he would sit down unconditionally with Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong Il and others, unconditionally, and I guess sort of hand over some of the prestige of the United States presidency and validate, I think validate, some of the positions that these dictators have taken,&rdquo; Palin said. <br /><br />&ldquo;Barack Obama is so far out of mainstream America. And the policies I fear that he would support, that are so far left, that are maybe today in the campaign are packaged up to look real pretty and mainstream, they are not.&rdquo; <br /><br />Obama accused the McCain campaign of trying to score &ldquo;cheap political points&rdquo; by hitting him on Ayers Wednesday during an interview with ABC. <br /><br />&ldquo;I'll repeat again what I've said many times. This is a guy who engaged in some despicable acts 40 years ago when I was eight years old. By the time I met him, 10 or 15 years ago, he was a college professor of education at the University of Illinois,&rdquo; Obama said. <br /><br />&ldquo;The notion that somehow he has been involved in my campaign, that he is an adviser of mine, that . . . I've 'palled around with a terrorist', all these statements are made simply to try to score cheap political points.&rdquo;</p>
McCain sounded like a broken record all during the debate
<p>All throughout the debate in the answers to various questions.&nbsp; All night long, McCain said &quot;I understand...&quot;&nbsp;, &quot;I understand...&quot;, and &quot;What Obama doesn't understand is...&quot;.&nbsp; </p><p>Just like &quot;maverick&quot; was the buzzword in last weeks debate with Palin.&nbsp; In this debate the buzzwords&nbsp;are &quot;I understand...&quot;</p><p>I also think that Tom Brokaw had a bias toward McCain.&nbsp; He would let McCain speak longer than his alloted (sp)&nbsp;time.&nbsp; But he would cut Obama off when his time was up.&nbsp;</p>
McCain and Social Security Privatization
<p class="MsoNormal">I am just tired of the McCain&rsquo;s campaign accusing Obama without substantiating the facts of their ads and campaign of calumny and maliciousness against him. On the other hand, Obama has continued to meticulously and articulately hammers McCain on issues of national concern and all we get from the McCain&rsquo;s is a dogmatic and archaic mentality of reciprocating by denigrating and fallaciously accusing Obama of distortions.</p>&nbsp; <p class="MsoNormal">How does McCain respond to the fact that he had voted and is indeed in support of the privatization of social security? As Obama rightly pointed out in Florida, let to McCain the Millions of dollars accruing as benefit for those who had earned it may as well be down the drain as a sequel to the near collapse of the financial market. </p><p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p><p class="MsoNormal">Read Obama hammers McCain on Social Security by visiting the link below: </p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/20/campaign.wrap/">http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/20/campaign.wrap/</a></p>&nbsp; <p class="MsoNormal">In his zeal to present to the people of this country his maverick nature- which in reality may be synonymous to the stubbornness and pigheadedness that we have often seen in the fading Washington that he has been part of for close to three decades, McCain has as a matter of fact catapulted his mediocrity to such an alarming peak in context of his economic articulations and understanding that I believe the country will not be able to find any logical excuses to return the Republican Party back to office again.</p>&nbsp;
Barack on Letterman Sept. 10 -- watch the video clip
<p>My favorite CTA performer (and new bud), Albert Griffith/GQ/Tha Teacha, told me about Barack Obama's appearance on Letterman on Sept. 10. I missed it on TV, but found a video clip on the CBS web site. Here's the <a href="http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/dave_tv/highlights/index/php/bigshowhighlight.phtml" target="_blank">link to Letterman</a> -- click on the picture of Dave and Barack to play the clip. </p><p>Also on Sept. 10, NPR played audio clips of John McCain and a host of other politicians using the good ol' &quot;lipstick on a pig&quot; phrase. McCain himself used it during the primary season to criticize Hillary Clinton's heath care initiative. <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94481288" target="_blank">Listen here to NPR clips</a>. (Ugh, I can't believe even I am posting about this stupid non-issue.)&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Thanks for the tip, Albert!<br />Albert on this site: <a href="http://my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/public/grQfx" target="_blank">http://my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/public/grQfx</a><br />Albert on TPM: <a href="http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/profile/gq" target="_blank">http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/profile/gq</a> </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Democracy is not a spectator sport<br />Obama needs your help to win<br />Click on <em>Events</em> at the right side of this page --------- &gt;<br />Volunteer for the campaign today&nbsp;</p>
Free Obama button, free shipping! Over 2 million ordered.
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Free</strong> Obama button, free shipping: <a href="https://pol.moveon.org/obamabuttons/?rc=homepage" target="_blank">https://pol.moveon.org/obamabuttons/?rc=homepage</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Free</strong> Obama/Biden oval sticker, free shipping: <a href="https://pol.moveon.org/barackstickers/" target="_blank">https://pol.moveon.org/barackstickers/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p><p class="MsoNormal">Get yours today and show where you stand.</p><p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p><p class="MsoNormal">Today: Emailed and called a new contact about finding housing for MoveOn trainees coming to Chicago later this month. Invited three people to join mybarackobama.com. Edited and uploaded photos from Tuesday's calling party event for attendees to see. </p>
Free Obama T-shirt from American Apparel and MoveOn.org!
<p><strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage">500,000 Young Voters for Obama (click me, I'm a link) </a></strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage"></a><strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage">&raquo;</a></strong></p><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage"></a><p>We're spinning up a massive program to register half a million young voters in swing states. If you donate $12 or more to help get this program going, we'll send you a hip Obama T-shirt for free, with free shipping, too.<br /> </p><p> <strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage">Donate &amp; get your T-shirt </a></strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage"></a><strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage"> (click me, I'm a link)</a></strong><strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage"> &raquo;</a></strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage"></a><strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage"> </a></strong></p><p>&nbsp; -- from MoveOn.org&nbsp;</p><p>+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +&nbsp; </p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cybermelli/2821681613/" target="_blank">See another shot of the T-shirt on someone's Flickr </a><strong><a href="http://pol.moveon.org/obamatshirts/?rc=homepage">&raquo;</a></strong></p><p>Democracy is not a spectator sport. Volunteer today to help put Senator Obama in the White House. There is too much at stake to sit on the sidelines!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Today: Attended three-hour MoveOn.org calling party for Obama -- called Democrats in Midwestern swing states and asked them to step up and volunteer at their local campaign office. Took photos at party. Emailed two people and asked them to donate a small amount through my fundraising page. Invited several people to join mybarackobama.com.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>
"Sarah Palin Gender Card" video from The Daily Show
<p>If you haven't seen this clip from <em>The Daily Show</em> yet, watch it. Unlike the McCain-Palin ticket, it's a winner, with 2,750,000 views so far on ComedyCentral.com. <br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086">Sarah Palin Gender Card</a> </strong>(video clip, ~5 minutes)<br /> <br />Democracy is not a spectator sport. We can't afford to lose another election!<br /><br /> </p><p>Today: I made five calls for the campaign, got two people to watch the Sarah Palin video above, and got someone (very special!) to donate to MoveOn.org's GOTV efforts to register 500,000 new young voters. </p><p>&nbsp;</p>
Don't just complain, join the campaign!
<p>According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 28 hours of TV each week. If you haven't yet volunteered to help the campaign, can you find one hour a week to help Obama win this election? C'mon, just <em>one </em>hour a week?</p><p>You can use this web site to locate volunteer opportunities and activities. </p><p>How about writing a short letter to the editor of your newspaper? Reference one of their recent articles on the campaign or a candidate, and tell the editor what you think of it. You can do this from home in 20 minutes. </p><p>You could take a friend or family member and spend a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon helping register voters. It's fun and rewarding.</p><p>Not working? Sign up to be a Nov. 4 election judge in a local precinct.</p><p>Two evenings a week, spend 30 minutes making phone calls for the campaign.</p><p>Get involved through MoveOn.org. I've volunteered with them on two previous elections. They are very well organized.&nbsp; </p><p>Attend a rally or potluck for Obama with other people in your area.&nbsp;</p><p>Think of what is at stake here. There are tons of different ways you can help. So come on, pick one and just do it. Every single volunteer makes a difference, and together we can change this country for the better by putting Barack Obama in the White House. </p><p>Democracy is not a spectator sport. With your help, <strong>Yes We Can</strong> win this election!<br /> </p>
Crawling back out of my abyss
<p>I have a confession to make. I've been living with clinically diagnosed &quot;Major Depression&quot; for more than 3 years. For the most part, the meds do their job and I'm a functional member of society. For the most part... Sometimes, however, the meds don't quite do the trick and I find myself spiralling downward into a very dark place. I'm fortunate, I have health insurance with reasonable mental health coverage. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I didn't. I know that one of my prescriptions costs over $700 a month of which we currently pay something like 20% thanks to prescription coverage. I know that, given that price tag, I would probably be living without medication. This is part of the reason that this election is so important to me. Health care. As seems to have been my habit before falling over the edge, I'm up way past when I should be in bed and my mind is running in circles around things that I want to say but can't type fast enough to pin down. Consider this a place-holder... Let's talk about health care... </p><p>After that, let's talk about education. I've been thinking a lot about education recently, since my daughter just started her academic career with her first day of preschool. </p>
Palin - Largest Threat to Animals is not only the environment
From Susan F.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Hello Animal&nbsp;Advocates,We must unite to see that every animal advocate understands what this woman is capable of.&nbsp; Sarah Palin is considered an abomination to every group who works for animal welfare and rights. She is one of the worst politicians in a thousand areas, but her disregard for animals is simply disgusting. We all feel the same way, as does every animal welfare and advocate organization. This doesn't even begin to address the complete disregard this woman has for the environment. I hope she suffers every tragedy she has imposed upon the polar bears by fighting against their protection, and that the American people leave her behind on a piece of melting ice.However, on this site, we are democrats as well as animal lovers. We need to figure out a way to reach animal loving Republicans (you know the ones that aren't out shooting them). They must be out there. There must be Republicans who care about the environment.&nbsp; How can we join together to reach out to them?&nbsp; Her bloodthirsty desire to shoot and kill Alaska's native animals, or to see to it that they are removed from endangered lists should be appalling to some of the Grand Old Party. Any ideas?&nbsp; I was thinking of joining their sites to ask if anyone cares. And your advice is??? I just can't stand the thought of this brutal woman being on a ticket with an elderly man which could&nbsp;leave her&nbsp;as the Commander and Chief of the United States. She majored in journalism! &nbsp;She goes out in the morning to shoot caribou and moose, skins them, guts them, and cooks em up to feed her ever increasing brood. <strong><u>Please</u> check the Top 11 things about Sarah Palin below!</strong>&nbsp; She is not a stranger to me. I support the Sierra Club, and the WWF. I have spent a good deal of my time&nbsp;before and&nbsp;after becoming immersed&nbsp;in Barack Obama's campaign, working&nbsp;to influence every&nbsp;member of congress and the senate to stop her from&nbsp;aerial shooting the wolves (because she loves to kill the caribou herself - seriously - &nbsp;and doing&nbsp;everything in her power to see that the&nbsp;polar bear do not survive). She is an enemy to nature and the environment. <strong>Surely, if animals had a religion, a woman like this would be their Satan. </strong>Check out the pictures in the links below (I wish I could have sent the pictures through because they are so disgusting. She poses with her friends (<strong>she pays $150 dollars for every wolf shot, and the bear are also her prized game) as they wear outfits made of the wolf and bear skins. This is in addition to her determination to take the polar bear off the endangered list</strong>. She is a lifetime member of the NRA and uses an automatic weapon to shoot her dinner.&nbsp;&nbsp;I will continue to send the articles about her that are so horrifying to me, that even the slightest<u> chance</u> she could end up as the Commander an Chief to the US is enough to make me check out real estate in Canada.&nbsp; She insists that intelligent design be taught in public schools and is a an evangelical zealot. <p>Also, Palin is being introduced even as the Alaskan Legislature is investigating her firing of the state's public safety commissioner in July. The commissioner has said he was pressured by the governor's office when he refused to fire Palin's brother-in-law, a state trooper who was involved in a messy divorce from Palin's sister. The investigation is expected to wrap up around the time of the election, or unfortunately soon after. </p>How dare she think that any one of the women who have come so far in securing the rights of women could support a woman who is against everything we have fought for.&nbsp;&nbsp;She is a leader in Feminists for Life...an anti-abortion group who believes that from the moment of conception <strong>the child's right to life supercedes even the health of the mother, <u>rape, and incest.</u>&nbsp; </strong>She compares herself with Hillary? She has nothing to do with any democratic values. Is her right to Hillary's supporters because of anatomy, or that she was runner up in a beauty pageant before being a mayor is a small town?. Ridiculous! If woman are voting because they admire Hillary's making cracks in the ceiling and want to see Palin,&nbsp;break through the ceiling as she stated, I will feel completely disconnected from our female population. Disgruntled Hllary supporters are anticipated to disregard everything they value? &nbsp;This is&nbsp;so insulting to women. Does McCain believe that any woman will get the women's vote regardless of platform, because we are that stupid?&nbsp; Her lack of experience is frightening given McCain's age and health history.&nbsp;The sum total of her education is that in 1987 she graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Idaho. That's it! This, however,pales in the light of the fact&nbsp;she completely lacks any knowledge in any area of foreign relations,&nbsp; And since McCain currently can't remember which country borders which, it is horrifying, we would be in deep trouble!. We have to work hard, double, triple our efforts and protect this country from the unthinkable. We must see to it that Barack Obama and Joe Biden will prevail!&nbsp; Nothing is more important to America!&nbsp; We must not become complacent - not for one minute!~&nbsp; PLEASE HELP ME WITH YOUR SUGGESTIONS. DisgustedSusan F<strong>TOP ELEVEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SARAH PALIN</strong> <a href="http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm" title="http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm">http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtilB1teksc" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtilB1teksc">YouTube - Sarah Palin: 'What is it exactly that the VP does every day?'</a> <a href="http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/08/john-mccain-pic.html" title="http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/08/john-mccain-pic.html">http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/08/john-mccain-pic.html</a><a href="http://environment.about.com/od/environmentallawpolicy/a/sarah_palin.htm" title="http://environment.about.com/od/environmentallawpolicy/a/sarah_palin.htm">http://environment.about.com/od/environmentallawpolicy/a/sarah_palin.htm</a><a href="http://www.akwildlife.org/content/view/116/61/" title="http://www.akwildlife.org/content/view/116/61/">http://www.akwildlife.org/content/view/116/61/</a>
McCain / Palin
<p>So there's a lot of speculation about whether or not Palin will be able to bring in the women's vote - simply because she's a woman.&nbsp; </p><p>Personally - I think Democrats are smarter than that and that few - very few - would consider voting for a woman of another party for the sole reason that she is a woman.&nbsp; We tend to vote on issues, the platform.</p><p>Can't speak for all women, of course, but a few of my friends were texting me during the Barack Obama's acceptance speech Thursday night.&nbsp; These are all Democrats who supported Hillary in the primary.</p>
Feeling proud
<p>I am a Democrat and I've never been prouder. </p><p>This week, I watched as Hillary Clinton was officially entered into the books as the woman who has come closest to the American presidency, the first serious woman candidate of a major political party. If you think we haven't come that far where sexism is concerned, you might remember the tone of the dialogue years ago, when Geraldine Ferraro was selected as the VP pick for Mondale. (Comments like &quot;I don't want someone with PMS to be second in line to the nuclear button&quot; -- and worse -- were commonplace.) But Senator Clinton was taken seriously as a candidate because she had the credentials. And I am proud of that and I am proud that my party was able to smash that glass ceiling. Or at least bash a very large crack in it. </p><p>&nbsp;I also watched last night as Barack Obama was officially named the Democratic nominee for president. I've made no secret of my admiration for Obama, but even if he's not your first choice, please celebrate with me that our country, or at least one major political party, has nominated a person of color for president. Less than two centuries ago, people of color were officially considered less than human (3/5 of a human, to be precise), pieces of property, disposable things rather than human beings with rights and dignity. (By the way, women were also considered chattel, without equal rights to men and they had to wait fifty more years to get the vote and an extra ten years for their civil rights movement. But I digress.) Last night, we saw a barrier break open and I will tell you that it brought tears to my eyes. </p><p>There's still a lot of nastyness out there -- racism, sexism, homophobia, and so on -- but today I'm basking in the glow of a dream at least partially realized: </p><p><em>I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: &quot;We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.&quot; I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.</em></p>
Looking for The One
<p class="MsoNormal">Remember what it&rsquo;s like when you first fall in love with someone?&nbsp; Everything they do is cute or charming or endearing.&nbsp; You are struck, over and over again, by how alike you are:&nbsp; &ldquo;When Harry Met Sally&rdquo; is your favorite movie, too?&nbsp; You like margaritas but hate gin-and-tonics?&nbsp; You&rsquo;re liberal on social issues but want a balanced budget and a strong defense, just like me?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Oh, those days of infatuation are fun.&nbsp; You keep finding things that you have in common, shared interests, ways in which you see eye-to-eye on the big issues.&nbsp; You want to learn more and more about the other person, and as you do, you&rsquo;re even more amazed at how much you like them.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s exciting, exhilarating, affirming.&nbsp; Even things that might otherwise irk you (say, snoring) are turned on their head, into something charming (his snoring is so cute! It&rsquo;s like a reminder that he&rsquo;s next to me in bed!)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But then one day, reality strikes.&nbsp; You discover something about that person that is different from you.&nbsp; Maybe it&rsquo;s something little:&nbsp; he is passionate about golf and you think it&rsquo;s a waste of a perfectly good park.&nbsp; Or something big:&nbsp; she goes to church every Sunday morning without fail, and you&rsquo;re an atheist who likes to sleep &lsquo;til noon on Sunday.&nbsp; That endearing little habit of snoring suddenly starts keeping you awake at night.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I used to share a beach house with a bunch of single professionals, and a great many of them only stuck around in a relationship while it was in the exciting, exhilarating, infatuation phase.&nbsp; &ldquo;What ever happened to Kathy?&rdquo; we&rsquo;d ask.&nbsp; &ldquo;I found out she had a nose job when she was younger, and now she just seems so fake to me.&ldquo;&nbsp; &nbsp;Or &ldquo;How are things with Ryan going?&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;We broke up.&nbsp; He was really into camping, and who wants to sleep in a tent when you can stay in a perfectly nice hotel?&rdquo;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal">But real life isn&rsquo;t like that.&nbsp; Anybody who&rsquo;s been in a relationship measured in years instead of weeks can tell you that with every couple, there comes a time when you stop seeing all the similarities and start seeing all the differences.&nbsp; And consciously or unconsciously, at some point after that, you make a decision whether to keep going or call it quits.&nbsp;&nbsp; She likes going to church every morning but you&rsquo;re an atheist; you can either call the whole thing off, or try to figure out if that different approach to religion is really a dealbreaker.&nbsp; Maybe you have a long conversation, or several long conversations, about religion or the lack thereof. &nbsp;Maybe you discover that she has her doubts, too, but she finds it comforting to keep going to church each week, as &nbsp;a form of stress release.&nbsp; Maybe you discover that she is firmly committed to her religious views, but doesn&rsquo;t care if you aren&rsquo;t; the next thing you know, she goes to church, you sleep in, and you start a lovely tradition of having breakfast at a local diner when you&rsquo;re up and she&rsquo;s done.&nbsp; But if you bail before exploring it any further, you&rsquo;ll never know, will you?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lately I&rsquo;ve heard a lot of muttering from progressives about their waning enthusiasm for Barack Obama.&nbsp; &ldquo;But he voted for FISA immunity, and I think he shouldn&rsquo;t have.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;I hate his latest commercial with the celebrity theme!&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;He shouldn&rsquo;t put offshore oil drilling on the table, even as part of a larger energy package.&rdquo;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I agree with some of these points of dispute (e.g. FISA immunity) and disagree with others (I like the McCain-as-celebrity commercial).&nbsp; But you know what?&nbsp; I&rsquo;m not breaking up with Obama just yet.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m willing to learn more about him, to hear what he has to say about why he&rsquo;s done things I disagree with.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m willing to stay in this relationship and see how it works out.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ve been married for almost thirteen years and I know that it&rsquo;s entirely possible to disagree with someone on some things, maybe even some important things, but also to realize that agreeing to disagree on some issues is worth the many tremendous things about the relationship.&nbsp; I can put up with the obsessive-compulsive cleaning thing (You want to clean the bathroom instead of going out to dinner?!) because my husband is so patient and sweet with the kids.&nbsp; He can put up with my irrational anxiety (No, honey, I don&rsquo;t think the babysitter looks like a serial killer) because I can always make him laugh.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s possible to find a life partner &ndash; or a political candidate &ndash; with whom I agree on every issue, big and small, 100 percent of the time.&nbsp; I think it&rsquo;s possible to forge a relationship that&rsquo;s good &ndash; pretty damn great, in fact &ndash; even if there&rsquo;s times when the other person disappoints me, or hurts my feelings, or surprises me by changing his mind or expressing a different opinion than I thought he would.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That approach has worked well for the last twelve-plus years of my marriage.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m willing to see how it works when it comes to a political candidate.&nbsp; And not just any political candidate, but a political candidate who I still think has the potential to be The One.</p>
It makes me want to cry...
<p>Recently in a chatroom that I frequent, someone from Michigan told us that she plans to vote for Cynthia McKinney in the election because &quot;...in MI, due to the demographics, any vote for Obama isn't gonna make a hill of beans worth of difference. This state will go McCain - especially if Romney is his VP.&quot;&nbsp; She also stated straight up that she knew that the machines were already rigged for this election, so no matter what, Obama couldn't win.</p><p>This is the kind of attitude that worries me.&nbsp; Obama's message of Hope and Change may be coming too late for some people in this country who are already cynical because of years of &quot;new boss, same as the old boss.&quot;&nbsp; Hell!&nbsp; I remember when I first read through his Blueprint for Change, I was flabbergasted!&nbsp; There was <strong>no way</strong> someone could <em>actually believe these ideas were possible!</em>&nbsp; People think Obama is biting off more than he can chew.&nbsp; They think he's too optimistic and naive.&nbsp; Even worse, they think that he won't win, so why vote for him.</p><p>While spreading Obama's promises of Hope and Change, we also need to reenfranchise the people.&nbsp; People want to be reassured that their votes Will count.&nbsp; Otherwise, Obama will have a worse enemy than McCain: <strong>Apathy</strong>. </p>
I was just thinking...
Have you told everyone you know about this website?&nbsp; Have you posted the link in all of your online hang-outs?&nbsp; If you're on a board with regional divisions, have you mentioned us to the people in your region?&nbsp; The more people hear and know, the farther things will spread.&nbsp; Maybe someone who hasn't really thought about the election yet will come visit the site and make up their mind!&nbsp; So, go forth!&nbsp; Spread the word!
We can either all hang together...
<p>Something that many people don't realize about me is that I'm dreadfully shy around strangers.&nbsp; Groups frighten me, and there's no way I could ever knock on a stranger's door.&nbsp; So, it was with great trepidation that Thendain and I went to the Plainfield Cookout for Change.&nbsp; I grabbed my cookies and my crochet, figuring that I could keep an eye on Kat while Thendain talked to people.</p><p>So, imagine my surprise when, while hiding under a tree with my crochet, someone came down off the deck to talk to me!&nbsp; And, even more surprising, it was Natalie, our local field coordinator who had just arrived in the area.&nbsp; Why would anyone care to talk to me?&nbsp; But, she asked me about myself and my kids, and when I tried to apologize for talking too much, as I usually do when I was nervous, she smiled and told me she <strong>wanted</strong> to hear about me.</p><p>My confidence bolstered some, I eventually wandered back onto the deck and started circulating some, talking to people and listening to conversations.&nbsp; The thing that struck me the most was the diversity of the people there.&nbsp; It was then that I realized something that was both obvious and profound: Obama is attracting people both young and old!&nbsp; Now, the important thing is to realize that we are <strong>all</strong> in this together.&nbsp; </p>
Reframing issues project
<p>Here's the basic idea:</p><p>People make/decorate picture frames to &quot;reframe&quot; issues, sell them, and donate the money to the campaign.&nbsp;</p><p>Would this work better as an event, a group, or a fundraising page? Would anyone be interested in participating? </p>
Successful Platform Meeting
<p>Today I hosted a meeting to give feedback to this campaign on the DNC platform. &nbsp;What a unique and grassroots way to involve the people of the USA. &nbsp;Leave it up to someone like Barack to care enough about the entire process to involve the American people.</p><p>The meeting was very successful and our group did an outstanding job of writing our platform ideas.&nbsp;</p>
TRUST
Why I support Barack?&nbsp; TRUST.&nbsp; What does it mean?&nbsp; <br /><ol><li> Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.</li><li> Custody; care.</li><li> Something committed into the care of another; charge.</li><li><ol><li> The condition and resulting obligation of having confidence placed in one</li><li> One in which confidence is placed.</li></ol></li><li> Reliance on something in the future; hope.</li></ol>See the last word there?&nbsp; It is HOPE.&nbsp; DO not take the HOPE out of this campaign or the reason why you supported Barack to begin with.&nbsp; Trust him.&nbsp; Trust his judgment.
Ravelry Knitters for Obama Raffle
<p>Just entered the online raffle... if you are a knitter or crocheter or know someone who is (or just appreciates wonderful knitted products), check out the Ravelry KFO online raffle (located right here).&nbsp;You can contribute between July 4th and August 7th (midnight).&nbsp; The drawing will be held on August 29 and announced on August 30th at 9 AM CST.&nbsp; $5.00/ticket and what wonderful items including:&nbsp; the 50 state afghan (handknit, of course), a crocheted blanke, yarn galore (Unity, Audacity, Yes We Can, Fired UP, Tides of Change, etc), fingerless Obama gloves, knitting books, spinning packages, patterns, and more.&nbsp; Go to <a href="https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/pf?outreach_page_id=12014">https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/pf?outreach_page_id=12014</a>&nbsp;and then copy your donation receipt and send it to <a href="mailto:obamaknitters@gmail.com">obamaknitters@gmail.com</a> and tell them which items you would like to earmark for your tickets.&nbsp; It's that easy.&nbsp; Have fun!</p><p>Our last online raffle for the primary raised $9,000.00.&nbsp; Help us to surpase that goal!</p><p>Fired up and ready to go...</p>
Obama in art/craft
I was talking to someone recently and was reminded that some of the things which I take for granted as understood are not quite so transparent as I believe. For example, I had to explain to my mother (who watches Home and Garden Television 10 hours a day) that DIY meant "Do It Yourself" and that it was often used to describe "Indie" artists and craftspersons making things themselves (sometimes from found or repurposed items) rather than buying them.
Placemarker for thoughts on DIY
Do a search on Etsy.com for "Obama" and you will probably be amazed at the amount and types of art/craft being made and inspired by the Obama campaign. As we approach this landmark election season artists and craftspersons are feeling inspired to bring the grass-roots elements of the campaign into their studios. As an artist/craftsperson myself, I'm excited to see it and to participate in it.
A wonderful post lost to the ether
I had this, in all modesty, fantastic post that I'd written about the significance of each and every person involved with the campaign and the ways that we can contribute to the effort to make Barack Obama the next president of the United States. It's gone. It took me too long to write it and my log-in timed out. The post, and all my brilliant insight, is lost forever. At almost 1 am, I'm too tired to try to reconstruct it. Instead, I'll post the most important part of what I was trying to get out there, a list of items needed by the Dayton, Ohio campaign office. The bulk of this list consists of things that are needed in any office environment, including the campaign offices nearest you. Check with your local campaign office to find out what is on their list of needed items. See below:
Dayton Mamas for Obama
I've had a busy week. The drop spindle that I talked about in my last post came out of the kiln yesterday afternoon. I put it together as quickly as I could and started spinning a red-white-and blue blend of wools at my knitting group last night. This afternoon, I met with a fellow/volunteer coordinator at the Dayton Obama Headquarters about my ideas about getting moms more involved with the campaign. Below is a copy of a post that I wrote in the forums at 937moms.com.
Knitting Enthusiast
<p>Not sure just how long I'll keep this up but wanted to share my enthusiasm for our Ravelry Knitters for Obama group.&nbsp; During the Primary season we knit and crocheted 100 preemie hats and bibs&nbsp;per Primary state.&nbsp; We're an amazing group of men and women of all ages and all walks of life from all over the country working together to put in action Obama's call for community service.&nbsp; We currently have two major projects underway... one is knitting and crocheting hats, scarves, and washcloths for homeless vet shelters and the other is creating an afghan to raffle off as a fundraiser for Obama.&nbsp; We have over 1700 members and are looking for more knitters or crocheters.&nbsp; So, if you want to help, let me know and we'll get you connected with this fantastic group of men and women.</p><p>I'm also involved in a group which is an Inauguaration Scarf Knitalong... knitting a little bit on a scarf until Inauguaration.&nbsp; I'm knitting a V for Victory Scarf and can't wait to wear it.&nbsp; </p><p>That's it for now.&nbsp; If you're a knitter or crocheter... come join our group.&nbsp; The more members we have, the more items we can donate to the Homeless Vet Shelters.</p>
Spinning for Obama
<p>I am, in my everyday life, a ceramic, metal and fiber artist. I have enjoyed finding ways to combine my interests (making shawl pins in bronze with ceramic accent beads, for example) in new and challenging ways. Recently, I began using my miniature potter's wheel to make wheel thrown spindle whorls for spinning. Once thrown, the whorls are decorated with carving and then fired/glazed/fired again before being placed on a shaft.&nbsp; So, what does this have to do with Obama?</p>
Donna Brazile on This Week
<p>Here's an interesting video clip.&nbsp; </p><p>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/01/dncs-brazile-says-clinton_n_104553.html</p><p>I have to say, I'm really happy that the Obama campaign behaved with dignity and forbearance over the weekend. It's another indication this is not a &quot;politics as usual&quot; campaign. &nbsp;</p>
Five For Barack
Check this out: http://fiveforbarack.blogspot.com/ Send Barack Obama five reasons why you would like to see him in office, NEED to see him in office.
Green Matters fundraising event
Envirobama is sponsoring a fundraising event TODAY, on Earth Day, to bring attention to the importance of the environment in the election.&nbsp; Donate here: http://www.envirobama.com/greenmatters/
Raffled Rasied $8,775 for the Campaign!!
<p>On April 8th, the Ravelry Knitters for Obama held a raffle for a Campaign Afghan and 18 other prizes that raised a whopping $8,775 for the Obama Campaign! We are excited and amazed at how people can come together all over the U.S. to raise funds as a collective group for the campaign.</p><p>Go <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2314/2369276403_7c26369677.jpg">HERE</a> to see a picture of the finished afghan. </p><p>Here is our press release:</p><p><strong>When Grassroots Efforts Come Together</strong></p> <p>A hundred years ago, the nation&rsquo;s political landscape included local quilting circles and Red Cross knitting efforts that produced goods to support political and charitable causes. Today, instead of gathering in a home on the town square, artistic-minded activists are harkening back to those long-ago days with the most modern of venues: the internet.</p> <p>Ravelry, a recently-founded website for knitters and crocheters, has encouraged its members to form their own subgroups based on common interests. These wide-ranging groups include a number of communities devoted to political causes. The members of one of those virtual political gatherings, Ravelry Knitters for Barack Obama, decided to turn their knitting skills into political action by creating a fundraiser: a raffle for a knitted afghan to raise money for the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama. </p> <p>The project started with a &ldquo;What if&hellip; ?&rdquo; in the early days of January, 2008, quickly became a project involving over a dozen group members who each knitted a segment of the afghan, and has been a successful fundraising campaign for the group of fiber enthusiasts. The group created a my.barackobama.com group and originally set a fundraising goal of $2,000 in the beginning of February, but quickly had to raise that goal: at the time the raffle was held the group had raised over $8,775!</p> <p>Ravelry Knitters for Obama have proven that distance between participants is no barrier when people wish to gather together for a worthy cause.</p> <p>For more information on this effort, please email one of the group&rsquo;s moderators at <a href="mailto:obamaknitters@gmail.com">obamaknitters@gmail.com</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>
Afghan Raffle - Over $8,000 and counting!
In the beginning we - Ravelry Knitters for Obama - thought that a $2,000 goal was almost reachable. Two and a half months later we've raised over $8,000!! My thanks goes out to the 15 knitters who knit strips for the afghan and to the one knitter who pieced all those strips together. In just a few days - April 1st - we will be raffling off this afghan to one lucky person. Could it be you? More photos to come, but click <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2314/2369276403_7c26369677.jpg" target="newbee">HERE</a> to see a picture of the afghan.
A terrible anniversary
Five years ago, George W. Bush led this country on a fool's errand into Iraq. He did so by lying to us. Here are some statistics: <br /><br />U.S. Fatalities: 3,990 <br />U.S. Casualties: 40,229 <br />Iraqi Fatalities: Unknown <br />Iraqi Casualties: Unknown <br />Cost: $504,000,000,000.00 <br /><br />Those statistics do not hint at the damage and devastation this war has wrought. The number of American soldiers who survived the war, but now join the legions of walking wounded grappling with post-traumatic stress. The families of these soldiers, who suffer daily whether their loved ones are home, still serving in the Middle East or deceased. The incalculable damage on our country and its standing in the world. The introduction of al Qaeda into Iraq <strong>where they were not before Bush's invasion</strong>. The deeply felt cynicism that people like me feel toward a president that would betray the sacred trust that comes with the power to send our troops into war. <br /><br />I am embarrassed to say that I believed the Bush administration when they said there were weapons of mass destruction. I now know that I was being lied to by the government, abetted by a half-ass media too intimidated by the administration to speak out or too lazy to do their jobs. I am ashamed of them. And I will never make the mistake of believing a word that comes from George Bush's mouth again. <br /><br />Please remember all the victims of this ill-begotten war today. Please resolve to fight against the forces of greed and corruption that have taken over our government. It's time for a change-- a fundamental, profound and lasting change in our government. And if anybody claims that Barack Obama is a handsome lightweight, or is not yet &quot;ready&quot; to assume the mantle of leadership in Washington, then sit down and read the words he spoke over five years ago, words that are frightening in their prescience and that still ring true today: <br /><br /><p>&quot;Good afternoon. Let me begin by saying that although this has been billed as an anti-war rally, I stand before you as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances. The Civil War was one of the bloodiest in history, and yet it was only through the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this union, and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil. I don't oppose all wars.</p><p>&quot;My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil, and he did not fight in vain. </p><p>&quot;I don't oppose all wars. After September 11th, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again. I don't oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or of patriotism.</p><p>&quot;What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.</p><p>&quot;What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income - to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression. That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics. </p><p>&quot;Now let me be clear - I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity. He's a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.</p><p>&quot;But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda. </p><p>&quot;I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.</p><p>&quot;So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the President today. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings. </p><p>&quot;You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure that the UN inspectors can do their work, and that we vigorously enforce a non-proliferation treaty, and that former enemies and current allies like Russia safeguard and ultimately eliminate their stores of nuclear material, and that nations like Pakistan and India never use the terrible weapons already in their possession, and that the arms merchants in our own country stop feeding the countless wars that rage across the globe. </p><p>&quot;You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure our so-called allies in the Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people, and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education, without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells. </p><p>&quot;You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to wean ourselves off Middle East oil, through an energy policy that doesn't simply serve the interests of Exxon and Mobil. Those are the battles that we need to fight. Those are the battles that we willingly join. The battles against ignorance and intolerance. Corruption and greed. Poverty and despair.</p><p>&quot;The consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable. We may have occasion in our lifetime to once again rise up in defense of our freedom, and pay the wages of war. But we ought not -- we will not -- travel down that hellish path blindly. Nor should we allow those who would march off and pay the ultimate sacrifice, who would prove the full measure of devotion with their blood, to make such an awful sacrifice in vain.&quot; </p>
Shame on you, Geraldine Ferarro.
<p>&nbsp;Oops. Did I plagiarize, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9CRgFO2mnM" target="_blank">Mrs. Clinton</a>?&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p>While we were all agog about <a href="http://www.blankromegr.com/index.cfm" target="_blank">Eliot Spitzer</a>, news broke that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldine_Ferraro" target="_blank">Geraldine Ferarro</a> made a ludicrous and extremely offensive statement to the <em><a href="http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8489268?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com" target="_blank">Daily Breeze</a>.</em> </p><em><p>&quot;I'm on Hillary's finance committee. I've done a fundraiser for her here at my firm. And I went and worked the phone banks before Super Tuesday. I have to tell you, this is a very emotional campaign for me,&quot; Ferraro said. </p><p>When the subject turned to Obama, Clinton's rival for the Democratic Party nomination, Ferraro's comments took on a decidedly bitter edge. </p><p>&quot;I think what America feels about a woman becoming president takes a very secondary place to Obama's campaign - to a kind of campaign that it would be hard for anyone to run against,&quot; she said. &quot;For one thing, you have the press, which has been uniquely hard on her. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her. The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign. </p><p>&quot;If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position,&quot; she continued. &quot;And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.&quot; </p></em><p>Right. Because Black men hold such a privileged place in this country. So privileged, according to Ms. Ferarro, that they rank above White men in the advantages they enjoy in the United States. </p><p>Allow me to school you for a moment, Ms. Ferarro. </p><ul><li><a href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/usa/Rcedrg00-01.htm" target="_blank">African American&nbsp;men, while only 13% of the population, comprise 49% of the prison population.</a> </li><li>Due to this, and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/23/politics/campaign/23felons.html" target="_blank">discriminatory disenfranchisement felony laws</a>, <a href="http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/articles_publications/publications/losingthevote_19981001" target="_blank">13% of African American men who are free cannot vote.</a>&nbsp; </li><li><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21759075/" target="_blank">African American men's incomes have declined over the past 30 years.</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/20/national/20blackmen.html" target="_blank">50%&nbsp;African American men in their 20's were jobless in 2004.</a> </li><li>African American men are less likely to go to college, and <a href="http://www.jbhe.com/features/50_blackstudent_gradrates.html" target="_blank">if they do have only a 35% graduation rate</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty06/pov06hi.html" target="_blank">In 2006, the poverty rate for African Americans was 24.3%</a>, double the national average.&nbsp; </li><li><a href="http://menshealth.about.com/od/blackhealth/a/Af_amer_stats.htm" target="_blank">African American men have the worst health</a> and the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/omhd/Highlights/2005/HJune05.htm" target="_blank">highest death rate</a> of all races/ethnicities and both genders. </li><li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/business/20home.html" target="_blank">African Americans received the largest percentage of subprime loans</a>, and <a href="http://www.faireconomy.org/press_room/2008/state_of_the_dream_2008" target="_blank">will suffer the most foreclosures and loss of wealth due to the unscrupulous loans.</a> </li></ul><p>So you explain to&nbsp;me how it is that you think it is extremely easy for a Black man to become President of the United States, Ms. Ferarro. </p><p>Geraldine Ferarro, you should be ashamed of yourself. I understand that it might be&nbsp;hard for you to see the inequality&nbsp;from way up high on your post as principal to&nbsp;the&nbsp;Lobbying firm <a href="http://www.blankromegr.com/index.cfm" target="_blank">Blank Rome Government Relations LLS</a>, and on the Board of <a href="http://www.goodrichpetroleum.com/" target="_blank">Goodrich Petroleum</a>, but it is there. </p><p>And Hillary Clinton, you're not off the hook. I call on you to &quot;Reject and Denounce&quot; this offensive, and factually insane statement. </p><p>[Originally posted on <a href="http://www.knittingliberally.com/?q=node/59">http://www.knittingliberally.com/?q=node/59</a>]</p>
Top 10 Reasons HRC isn't worthy of your vote
<p>10.&nbsp; The right-wing's certain attempts to bring up old scandals, proven and unproved, from Bill Clinton's perjury conviction. to Whitewater to Travelgate to the health care fiasco she presided over.</p><p>9. Billary.</p><p>8.&nbsp; Her insistence that some states &quot;matter&quot; more than others and that some votes mean more than others.</p><p>7.&nbsp; Refusal to disclose donor list for the Clinton Presidential Library and for urging certain papers to be withheld from public scrutiny in the National Archives -- including materials related to allegations that Sen. Clinton's brother improperly influenced the granting of pardons by Bill Clinton.</p><p>6.&nbsp; Her Nixonian comment about false&nbsp;statements that Obama is&nbsp;a Muslim, saying &quot;not that I know of&quot; and pandering to anti-Muslim prejudice.&nbsp; </p><p>5.&nbsp; Playing the fear card right out of the Karl Rove playbook via her 3 a.m. ad, even though her own husband campaigned&nbsp;by saying &quot;If one candidate is trying to scare you and one is trying to make you think, you should go with the one who makes you think.&quot;</p><p>&nbsp;4.&nbsp; Misrepresenting her foreign policy experience when numerous sources who were actually there have stated that she did not participate in any meaningful way in foreign policy -- e.g. Kosovo (a one-day trip with Sinbad and Cheryl Crow, a day after the borders were opened for Kosovan refugees), Northern Ireland (meet and greets) and China (she gave a speech).</p><p>&nbsp;3.&nbsp; Choosing to endorse the experience of the Republican presidential nominee rather than a fellow Democrat, knowing that this will provide ammunition for the opponents of the Democratic Party.</p><p>&nbsp;2.&nbsp; She refuses to release her tax returns.&nbsp; That means we don't know where her money comes from; the source of money she &quot;borrowed&quot; for her struggling campaign; or the possible effect her financial dealing may have should she be elected President.</p><p>1.&nbsp; On the one occasion when Clinton indisputably had a chance to affect foreign policy -- the Iraq vote -- she blew it and voted with Bush to authorize military action in Iraq.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p>
Full Disclosure: Not Too Much to Ask
<p>The Clintons have not released tax returns for several years&ndash;the last may have been the year that Hillary Clinton won a Senate race by beating her opponent (Lazio) over the head with the fact that he, um, hadn't released his tax records.</p><p><strong>This is a big deal because it shouldn't be a big deal.</strong> It should take a half hour and a Xerox machine in an accountant's office to produce copies of the Clintons' returns for the past few years. So you really do have to ask yourself&ndash;why hasn't she done it? All the other candidates have, so what's the problem here?</p><p>I&nbsp;suspect the problem has something to do with Bill's business dealings, but I could be entirely wrong--and it would be easy enough to dispel that suspicion by releasing the tax returns, wouldn't it?&nbsp; Why is this not happening?&nbsp; And why is this basic request for information being met with so much pushback?</p><p>We need to&nbsp;keep asking these questions until the media gets over its <u>Saturday Night Live</u>-inspired Clinton lovefest and starts paying attention again.</p>
Come on Texas and Ohio!
<p>I've been making calls all morning for Obama all across Texas.&nbsp; It's been fun talking to other women about Obama.&nbsp; I've only had one negative feedback, so I'm guessing that is good!&nbsp; There just seems like so much is hanging on how well Obama does tomorrow in Texas and Ohio. I hope that the other states voting tomorrow don't feel left out.&nbsp; Your vote is important too!&nbsp; I'm hoping that the CNN poll is right in that Obama is going to win easily against Senator Clinton.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;If you have some time and some extra cell phone minutes (or unlimited long distance) *please* considering offering your voice to the Obama phone banks and make some calls.&nbsp; Most don't take much time since you tend to get people's answering machines and you can leave a quick message.&nbsp; It isn't hard to do.&nbsp; There is a script all made up for you.&nbsp; You can add your own personal reasons why you support Obama.&nbsp; Let's all work together today to make it to that 1.5 million call mark!</p>
Will.I.Am's We are the Ones
<p>Will.I.Am released a new video today -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghSJsEVf0pU" title="We Are The Ones">We Are the Ones</a> [<a href="http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/video-william-new-video-we-are-the-ones/" title="Think On These Things">via</a>].</p>
Is Obama a Mac and Clinton a PC?
<p>Read the full NY Times article here: <strong>http://tinyurl.com/2rwm8w</strong>&nbsp;</p><p>I'm a MacGirl myself, and happily to be so aligned. </p>
Open Letter to Superdelegates
<p>I support Senator Barack Obama. I do not support him because he is handsome or charismatic. I do not support him because he is an inspiring speaker. I do not believe in the cult of personality.&nbsp; I am not an &ldquo;Obamabot&rdquo; and I did not drink any Kool-Aid whatsoever. </p><p>Instead, I support him because I am very familiar with his policies, his political philosophy, his positions on issues, and his background.&nbsp;&nbsp; He has all the tools to be a successful president without being so far removed from the &ldquo;real world&rdquo; of the average voter that he is incapable of understanding our concerns on a personal level.&nbsp;</p>
MI/FL delegates.
In this election year's primary/caucus season, there were two primaries that were punished by the Democratic National Committee. Those two states are Florida and Michigan. These two states broke the rules and moved their primaries ahead of what is allowed by DNC rules. Their punishment for this was that their delegates would not be seated (that is, counted) at the national convention where the presidential nominee is named. <br /><br />In Michigan, candidates had until October 9th to pull their names off of the ballots. Five of the candidates did this. Sen. Clinton did not. It is no surprise then, that she won in Michigan considering she was uncontested. In Florida, the same thing. She ran uncontested.<br /><br />Anyone who is not living under a rock I am sure has seen/heard the election coverage. And can see that Sen. Obama is gaining momentum. By leaps and bounds. As I write this, he has taken over the lead in TOTAL delegates. That includes superdelegates! <br /><br />Well, guess what Sen. Clinton now wants. That's right, she wants the delegates from MI and FL to be seated. I cannot even begin to get into how unfair and unjust this would be - not only to Sen. Obama, but it would be a slap in the face to the voters in these two states who were not able to vote for the candidate they felt was best suited for the job.<br /><br />As a voter in the state of Michigan, I am urging everyone to sign the below linked petition to stop the DNC from seating these delegates. Make it a fair election. I have read that the DNC would allow summer caucuses for each state that would fall under election guidelines and therefore allow candidates to campaign equally. That would be the best solution to what could easily be something that would destroy people's faith in a fair and democratic process. It would be, at the basest of all levels, cheating by Sen. Clinton.<br /><br />Please sign this <a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Give-Us-Fairness">petition </a>if you are a believer in a fair nomination process.
If you can, please vote.
<p>My state doesn't vote until April, so I'll have to just hope.</p><p>&quot;Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be. </p><p>That is what we started here in Iowa, and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down; the one that can change this country brick by brick, block by block, calloused hand by calloused hand - that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things; because we are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America; and at this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again.&quot; -- Barack Obama</p>
Why I support Obama
<p>This is copied from my regular blog, but....</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I am no Ted Kennedy or New York Times but for what it's worth, I've decided to talk about the U.S. presidential race. You know that I'm interested in politics; you also know that I am (ahem) highly opinionated. I like to think that my opinions tend to have a basis in logic and fact; I also know that my opinions also take into account my, for lack of a better phrase, gut instinct. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br />I had been supporting John Edwards all last year. Yesterday, however, Edwards withdrew from the race. Since the first democratic primary of this election season, when Edwards&rsquo; numbers were on the low side, I've been watching Obama and Clinton carefully, figuring that I might have to transfer my allegiance to one of them should Edwards drop out of the race. After the events of the past week or so, the time is here.<br /><br />I endorse Barack Obama for President.<br /><br />I look around at this country. I hear talk of blue states and red states, of voting blocs -- the black vote, the hispanic vote, the christian right, the senior citizens' vote -- and I see a country being destroyed by its divisions. I look at Washington and I see fear-mongerers trying to scare us into relinquishing our constitution and our values so that they might obtain more money and more power over us. I look at the staggering economy and I see a nation drowning in debt to pay for a war that we didn't need to fight, our president dangling puny income tax refunds in front of us while borrowing money from China to pay for tax breaks for corporations and the richest of the rich. I see one of the wealthiest countries in the world, where millions of people don&rsquo;t have health insurance. I see a Democratic-led Congress, but by the slimmest of majorities, too afraid they'll lose power to take a stand on many of the important issues that need to be addressed.<br /><br />And I look at the two front-runners in the Democratic primaries. I see two intelligent candidates, both relatively new legislators, with positions on most issues that aren't tremendously different. Either is capable and smart enough to do the job; neither has a tremendous amount of experience to draw on. Both candidates have the advantage of being a potential &quot;first&quot;: first woman or African-American President; both have the corresponding drawback of possibly tapping into irrational prejudice. How to decide between the two?<br /><br />I can point to some specific differences: I like that Obama has opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning, and I don't like that Clinton has yet to categorically state that her vote in favor of invading Iraq was a mistake. I like that Obama has refused to take money from lobbyists and I don't like that Clinton still does. I like that Obama or his surrogates have never played the gender card, and I don't like that Mr. and Mrs. Clinton have, directly and indirectly, used race to try to gain political advantage in these primaries. I don't like political dynasties -- the Bush double-whammy is proof positive of why not -- and I don't like the intimation that Hillary Clinton somehow deserves payback because her husband and his political enemies put her through the wringer or because it&rsquo;s &ldquo;her turn.&rdquo;<br /><br />But really, the most important reason that I've come to support Barack Obama is not any of the above. My head tells me there isn't that much of a difference between the positions of the candidates; but my heart tells me there is a big difference. I listen to Obama describe the problems that our country faces:</p><blockquote><br />We are up against the belief that it's ok for lobbyists to dominate our government - that they are just part of the system in Washington. But we know that the undue influence of lobbyists is part of the problem, and this election is our chance to say that we're not going to let them stand in our way anymore.<br /><br />We are up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as President comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor, and judgment, and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose - a higher purpose.<br /><br />We are up against decades of bitter partisanship that cause politicians to demonize their opponents instead of coming together to make college affordable or energy cleaner; it's the kind of partisanship where you're not even allowed to say that a Republican had an idea - even if it's one you never agreed with. That kind of politics is bad for our party, it's bad for our country, and this is our chance to end it once and for all.<br /><br />We are up against the idea that it's acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election. We know that this is exactly what's wrong with our politics; this is why people don't believe what their leaders say anymore; this is why they tune out. And this election is our chance to give the American people a reason to believe again.<br /></blockquote>It's corny and hokey and earnest, but I want a reason to believe again.<br /><br />I want a candidate who is capable of bringing us past the divisions that are fracturing our society &ndash; and Obama has consistently delivered that kind of message during the campaign. <p class="MsoNormal">I want a candidate who isn&rsquo;t so desperate to win that he&rsquo;ll say anything or do anything to get there. Obama has refused to let the Clintons and their race-baiting change his message or his tactics, even when the Clintons have tried to marginalize him as &ldquo;the black candidate.&rdquo;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I want a candidate who can get people &ndash; people of all ages, backgrounds, walks of life &ndash; excited about leadership and inspire them to make positive societal change. I see that in Obama&rsquo;s supporters.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I want a candidate who has the real-world ability to work with politicians from all parties to try to get something done, without important legislation getting stalled by sound bites or pork or extremists. I don&rsquo;t think Hillary Clinton will be able to do that effectively.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I want a candidate whose nomination won&rsquo;t serve as a rallying call for the crazy conservatives (and Hillary&rsquo;s certainly will, calling into question her ability to actually get elected) and I want a First Spouse (brace yourself; this one&rsquo;s harsh) who isn&rsquo;t a convicted perjurer who can't keep his pants zipped.</p><p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I want a candidate who believes this:</p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal">make no mistake: the choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich versus poor; young versus old; and it is not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future. </p> <p>It's about whether we're going to seize this moment to write the next great American story. So someday we can tell our children that this was the time when we healed our nation. This was the time when we repaired our world. And this was the time when we renewed the America that has led generations of weary travelers from all over the world to find opportunity, and liberty, and hope on our doorstep.</p></blockquote><p>&nbsp;</p>
rollercoaster
<p>I spent the day today at the SLC Obama Headquarters volunteering.&nbsp; We all stopped and watched the Kennedy family endorse Obama.&nbsp; I felt so proud to&nbsp;witness the moment and tears welled up as Caroline spoke so eloquently and I remembered pictures of her playing with her father.&nbsp; Now, so poised and well-spoken.&nbsp; </p><p>Excitedly expecting Obama's visit here Saturday morning, by the end of the day&nbsp;it had been cancelled out of respect for President Hinckley and his funeral that morning.</p><p>Anyway, it was so much fun calling people today and chatting with them about the primary and the issues.&nbsp; We also still need a lot of canvassers to go door to door so if you can, please consider it.&nbsp; With all the countless people I talked with today, everyone was very nice and no one slammed the phone down on me.&nbsp; I look forward to going back and continuing to be sure that Obama secures the presidency and bring honor back to our country.</p>