We do NOT need a third Bush term!!
We do not need more LIES!
We do not need more WAR!
We need the TRUTH!
We need HONESTY!
We need to say ENOUGH is ENOUGH!
END THE WAR... NOW!!!
Vote OBAMA!
Showing posts with label VOTE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VOTE. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Reason #1968 to vote "NO" for McCain
America cannot afford more of the same.
America cannot afford to continue Bush's administration.
America cannot afford to continue Bush's war.
America cannot allow our military men and women
to continue paying the price for our ignorance.
America cannot afford to continue Bush's administration.
America cannot afford to continue Bush's war.
America cannot allow our military men and women
to continue paying the price for our ignorance.
Ask yourself:
How can we continue to fund the war, but not the casualties?
How can we continue to allow defense contractors to profit even beyond their OWN expectations? Especially after all of the misuse of the funds they've been given so far?
How can we pretend that the war in Iraq is about OIL and not 9/11?
How can we allow the war based upon lies to continue for the next ten years?
How can we continue to demand we "win" in Iraq... when we can't even define "win", are NOT winning, and have never even been CLOSE to winning?
How can we continue to send our damaged and broken soldiers back to the war zone? (At least the ones who haven't committed suicide...)
How can we continue to allow this administration to lie to us and bury information?
How can we continue to pretend that the financial and human price that we are paying for the war in Iraq is keeping America safe?
How can we afford the price we will be paying (and NEED to pay) to take care of our veterans?
How can we continue to say the surge is working when our troops still can't come home and are still being killed at alarming numbers?
How can we even consider a "pause" in troop reductions... haven't we been lied to enough?
How can we continue to deny that we are in another Vietnam?
How can we even THINK about starting another war?
How can we continue to allow defense contractors to profit even beyond their OWN expectations? Especially after all of the misuse of the funds they've been given so far?
How can we pretend that the war in Iraq is about OIL and not 9/11?
How can we allow the war based upon lies to continue for the next ten years?
How can we continue to demand we "win" in Iraq... when we can't even define "win", are NOT winning, and have never even been CLOSE to winning?
How can we continue to send our damaged and broken soldiers back to the war zone? (At least the ones who haven't committed suicide...)
How can we continue to allow this administration to lie to us and bury information?
How can we continue to pretend that the financial and human price that we are paying for the war in Iraq is keeping America safe?
How can we afford the price we will be paying (and NEED to pay) to take care of our veterans?
How can we continue to say the surge is working when our troops still can't come home and are still being killed at alarming numbers?
How can we even consider a "pause" in troop reductions... haven't we been lied to enough?
How can we continue to deny that we are in another Vietnam?
How can we even THINK about starting another war?
When will America say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!"?
In November 2008... VOTE OBAMA!
Reason #1967 to vote "NO" for McCain
Go ahead, make fun of me for believing in "HOPE" and having dreams for my children... but you will not convince me that this man should be the next leader of America.
Vote OBAMA!
Monday, February 11, 2008
If you vote for McCain, please head straight to the recruiters office... don't forget to bring your children and grandchildren...
Watch this video and feel inspired...
Then watch this video and cry...
Then watch this video and cry...
If America screws up yet again, it will be YOUR brothers and sisters, YOUR children and grandchildren who will pay the price...
Friends don't let friends vote STUPID.
Even the DEAD endorse Obama!!!
Mitchell Van Yahres, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, who died Friday, February 8, 2008, in Charlottesville, aged 81, tended trees for a living and people for a lifetime. [...]
His friends, who nearly included everyone who met him, are asked, in lieu of expenditures on flowers and the like, to make a healthy and significant contribution to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama or, if they insist, the charity of their choice.
Go to Raising Kaine for the commentary... there is a personal anecdote about Mr. Van Yahres that is quite touching...
Hypocrites Need Not Apply
Here on my blog and out in the real world, some people keep talking about Obama's faith... he isn't Christian enough for them or something. One comment here on my blog stated that Obama should have his picture taken holding a Bible in order to prove his Christianity.
I want to remind these "Christians" about what the Bible says about "hypocrites":
Luke 11:39
And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
Ezekiel 33:31-32
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.
Matthew 15:8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Matthew 23:27-28
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Matthew 6:1-61
Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:16
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
If you really think about it, Obama is following God's law... and following Christ. He doesn't need to carry a Bible around as a photo op to remind people ... he is following Christian Principles by through his actions.... and that is what matters.
I want to remind these "Christians" about what the Bible says about "hypocrites":
Luke 11:39
And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
Ezekiel 33:31-32
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.
Matthew 15:8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Matthew 23:27-28
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Matthew 6:1-61
Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:16
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
If you really think about it, Obama is following God's law... and following Christ. He doesn't need to carry a Bible around as a photo op to remind people ... he is following Christian Principles by through his actions.... and that is what matters.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Veterans: NO to McCain!!!
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: VoteVets.org
RE: Senator McCain’s Real Record on the War in Iraq
DATE: February 8, 2008
Senator John McCain presents himself as a maverick and a critic of the Iraq war. But a close read of his record indicates that his position on the Iraq war has consistently matched President George W. Bush’s.
Before The War:
McCain used many of the same arguments as Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Cheney and President Bush when advocating going to war with Iraq.
McCain co-sponsored the Use of Force Authorization that gave President George W. Bush the green light – and a blank check - for going to war with Iraq. [SJ Res 46, 10/3/02]
McCain argued Saddam was “a threat of the first order.” Senator McCain said that a policy of containing Iraq to blunt its weapons of mass destruction program is "unsustainable, ineffective, unworkable and dangerous."
McCain: "I believe Iraq is a threat of the first order, and only a change of regime will make Iraq a state that does not threaten us and others, and where liberated people assume the rights and responsibilities of freedom.” [Speech to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, 2/13/03]
McCain echoed Bush and Cheney’s rationale for going to war. McCain: “It’s going to send the message throughout the Middle East that democracy can take hold in the Middle East.” [Fox, Hannity & Colmes, 2/21/03]
McCain echoed Bush and Cheney’s talking points that the U.S. would only be in Iraq for a short time.
McCain: “It’s clear that the end is very much in sight. … It won’t be long…it’ll be a fairly short period of time.” [ABC, 4/9/03]
McCain said winning the war would be “easy.” “I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women.” [CNN, 9/24/02]
During The War:
Senator McCain praised Donald Rumsfeld as late as May 12, 2004, after the Abu Ghraib scandal.
Asked if Donald Rumsfeld can continue to be an effective secretary of defense, McCain: “Yes, today I do and I believe he's done a fine job. He's an honorable man.” [Hannity and Colmes, 5/12/04]
Senator McCain repeatedly supported President Bush on the Iraq War – voting with him in the Senate, defending his actions and publicly praising his leadership.
McCain maintains the war was a good idea.
At the 2004 Republican National Convention, McCain, focusing on the war in Iraq, said that while weapons of mass destruction were not found, Saddam once had them and “he would have acquired them again.”
McCain said the mission in Iraq “gave hope to people long oppressed” and it was “necessary, achievable and noble.”
McCain: “For his determination to undertake it, and for his unflagging resolve to see it through to a just end, President Bush deserves not only our support, but our admiration.” [Plain Dealer, 8/31/04]
Senator McCain: “The war, the invasion was not a mistake. [Meet the Press, 1/6/08]
Asked if the war was a good idea worth the price in blood and treasure, McCain: “It was worth getting rid of Saddam Hussein. He had used weapons of mass destruction, and it's clear that he was hell-bent on acquiring them.” [Republican Debate, 1/24/08]
McCain defended Bush’s rationale for war. Asked if he thought the president exaggerated the case for war, McCain said, “I don’t think so.” [Fox News, 7/31/03]
McCain has been President Bush’s most ardent Senate supporter on Iraq. According to Michael Shank of the Foreign Policy in Focus think tank, McCain was at times Bush’s “most solid support in the Senate” on Iraq. [Foreign Policy in Focus, 1/15/08]
McCain voted against holding Bush accountable for his actions in the war. McCain opposed the creation of an independent commission to investigate the development and use of intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq. [S. Amdt. 1275 to H.R. 2658, Vote # 284, 7/16/03]
McCain praised Bush’s leadership on the war. McCain: “I think the president has led with great clarity and I think he’s done a great job leading the country…” [MSNBC, Hardball, 4/23/03]
Senator McCain has constantly moved the goal posts of progress for the war – repeatedly saying it would be over soon.
January 2003: “But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” [MSNBC, 1/22/03]
March 2003: “I believe that this conflict is still going to be relatively short.” [NBC, Meet the Press, 3/30/03]
June 2004: “The terrorists know that this is a very critical time.” [CNN, 6/23/04]
December 2005: "Overall, I think a year from now, we will have a fair amount of progress [in Iraq] if we stay the course.” [The Hill, 12/8/05]
November 2006: “We’re either going to lose this thing or win this thing within the next several months." [NBC, Meet the Press, 11/12/06]
Senator McCain opposed efforts to end the overextension of the military that is having a devastating impact on our troops.
McCain voted against requiring mandatory minimum downtime between tours of duty for troops serving in Iraq. [S. Amdt.. 2909 to S Amdt. 2011 to HR 1585, Vote 341, 9/19/07; S Amdt. 2012 to S Amdt. 2011 to HR 1585, Vote #241, 7/11/07]
McCain was one of only 13 senators to vote against adding $430 million for inpatient and outpatient care for veterans. [S Amdt. 3642 to HR 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06]
Senator McCain has consistently opposed any plan to withdraw troops from Iraq
Senator McCain repeatedly voted against a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. [S. Amdt. 3876 to S.Amdt. 3874 to H.R. 2764, Vote #438, 12/18/07; S.Amdt.. 3875 to S.Amdt.. 3874 to H.R. 2764, Vote # 437, 12/18/07; S.Amdt.3164 to H.R. 3222, Vote # 362, 10/3/07; S.Amdt. 2898 to S.Amdt. 2011 to H.R. 1585, Vote #346, 9/21/07; S.Amdt. 2924 to S.Amdt.. 2011 to H.R.1585, Vote #345, 9/21/07; S.Amdt.2 087 to S.Amdt. 2011 to H.R. 1585, Vote #252, 7/18/07; S.Amdt. 643 to H.R. 1591, Vote #116, 3/27/07; S.Amdt. 4320 to S. 2766, Vote #182, 6/22/06; S.Amdt. 4442 to S. 2766, Vote #181, 6/22/06; S.Amdt.. 2519 to S.1042, Vote # 322, 11/15/05]
Senator McCain has consistently demonized Americans who want to find a responsible way to remove troops from Iraq so that we can take the fight to al Qaeda.
McCain: "I believe to set a date for withdrawal is to set a date for surrender.” [Charlotte Observer, 9/16/07]
McCain called proponents of a congressional resolution opposing the troop surge in Iraq intellectually dishonest. [Associated Press. 2/4/07]
The Future:
Senator McCain now says he sees no end to the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq.
McCain: "[M]ake it a hundred" years in Iraq and "that would be fine with me." [Derry, New Hampshire Town Hall meeting, 1/3/08]
McCain on how long troops may remain in Iraq: “A thousand years. A million years. Ten million years. It depends on the arrangement we have with the Iraqi government.” [Associated Press, 1/04/08]
FROM: VoteVets.org
RE: Senator McCain’s Real Record on the War in Iraq
DATE: February 8, 2008
Senator John McCain presents himself as a maverick and a critic of the Iraq war. But a close read of his record indicates that his position on the Iraq war has consistently matched President George W. Bush’s.
Before The War:
McCain used many of the same arguments as Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Cheney and President Bush when advocating going to war with Iraq.
McCain co-sponsored the Use of Force Authorization that gave President George W. Bush the green light – and a blank check - for going to war with Iraq. [SJ Res 46, 10/3/02]
McCain argued Saddam was “a threat of the first order.” Senator McCain said that a policy of containing Iraq to blunt its weapons of mass destruction program is "unsustainable, ineffective, unworkable and dangerous."
McCain: "I believe Iraq is a threat of the first order, and only a change of regime will make Iraq a state that does not threaten us and others, and where liberated people assume the rights and responsibilities of freedom.” [Speech to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, 2/13/03]
McCain echoed Bush and Cheney’s rationale for going to war. McCain: “It’s going to send the message throughout the Middle East that democracy can take hold in the Middle East.” [Fox, Hannity & Colmes, 2/21/03]
McCain echoed Bush and Cheney’s talking points that the U.S. would only be in Iraq for a short time.
McCain: “It’s clear that the end is very much in sight. … It won’t be long…it’ll be a fairly short period of time.” [ABC, 4/9/03]
McCain said winning the war would be “easy.” “I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women.” [CNN, 9/24/02]
During The War:
Senator McCain praised Donald Rumsfeld as late as May 12, 2004, after the Abu Ghraib scandal.
Asked if Donald Rumsfeld can continue to be an effective secretary of defense, McCain: “Yes, today I do and I believe he's done a fine job. He's an honorable man.” [Hannity and Colmes, 5/12/04]
Senator McCain repeatedly supported President Bush on the Iraq War – voting with him in the Senate, defending his actions and publicly praising his leadership.
McCain maintains the war was a good idea.
At the 2004 Republican National Convention, McCain, focusing on the war in Iraq, said that while weapons of mass destruction were not found, Saddam once had them and “he would have acquired them again.”
McCain said the mission in Iraq “gave hope to people long oppressed” and it was “necessary, achievable and noble.”
McCain: “For his determination to undertake it, and for his unflagging resolve to see it through to a just end, President Bush deserves not only our support, but our admiration.” [Plain Dealer, 8/31/04]
Senator McCain: “The war, the invasion was not a mistake. [Meet the Press, 1/6/08]
Asked if the war was a good idea worth the price in blood and treasure, McCain: “It was worth getting rid of Saddam Hussein. He had used weapons of mass destruction, and it's clear that he was hell-bent on acquiring them.” [Republican Debate, 1/24/08]
McCain defended Bush’s rationale for war. Asked if he thought the president exaggerated the case for war, McCain said, “I don’t think so.” [Fox News, 7/31/03]
McCain has been President Bush’s most ardent Senate supporter on Iraq. According to Michael Shank of the Foreign Policy in Focus think tank, McCain was at times Bush’s “most solid support in the Senate” on Iraq. [Foreign Policy in Focus, 1/15/08]
McCain voted against holding Bush accountable for his actions in the war. McCain opposed the creation of an independent commission to investigate the development and use of intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq. [S. Amdt. 1275 to H.R. 2658, Vote # 284, 7/16/03]
McCain praised Bush’s leadership on the war. McCain: “I think the president has led with great clarity and I think he’s done a great job leading the country…” [MSNBC, Hardball, 4/23/03]
Senator McCain has constantly moved the goal posts of progress for the war – repeatedly saying it would be over soon.
January 2003: “But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” [MSNBC, 1/22/03]
March 2003: “I believe that this conflict is still going to be relatively short.” [NBC, Meet the Press, 3/30/03]
June 2004: “The terrorists know that this is a very critical time.” [CNN, 6/23/04]
December 2005: "Overall, I think a year from now, we will have a fair amount of progress [in Iraq] if we stay the course.” [The Hill, 12/8/05]
November 2006: “We’re either going to lose this thing or win this thing within the next several months." [NBC, Meet the Press, 11/12/06]
Senator McCain opposed efforts to end the overextension of the military that is having a devastating impact on our troops.
McCain voted against requiring mandatory minimum downtime between tours of duty for troops serving in Iraq. [S. Amdt.. 2909 to S Amdt. 2011 to HR 1585, Vote 341, 9/19/07; S Amdt. 2012 to S Amdt. 2011 to HR 1585, Vote #241, 7/11/07]
McCain was one of only 13 senators to vote against adding $430 million for inpatient and outpatient care for veterans. [S Amdt. 3642 to HR 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06]
Senator McCain has consistently opposed any plan to withdraw troops from Iraq
Senator McCain repeatedly voted against a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. [S. Amdt. 3876 to S.Amdt. 3874 to H.R. 2764, Vote #438, 12/18/07; S.Amdt.. 3875 to S.Amdt.. 3874 to H.R. 2764, Vote # 437, 12/18/07; S.Amdt.3164 to H.R. 3222, Vote # 362, 10/3/07; S.Amdt. 2898 to S.Amdt. 2011 to H.R. 1585, Vote #346, 9/21/07; S.Amdt. 2924 to S.Amdt.. 2011 to H.R.1585, Vote #345, 9/21/07; S.Amdt.2 087 to S.Amdt. 2011 to H.R. 1585, Vote #252, 7/18/07; S.Amdt. 643 to H.R. 1591, Vote #116, 3/27/07; S.Amdt. 4320 to S. 2766, Vote #182, 6/22/06; S.Amdt. 4442 to S. 2766, Vote #181, 6/22/06; S.Amdt.. 2519 to S.1042, Vote # 322, 11/15/05]
Senator McCain has consistently demonized Americans who want to find a responsible way to remove troops from Iraq so that we can take the fight to al Qaeda.
McCain: "I believe to set a date for withdrawal is to set a date for surrender.” [Charlotte Observer, 9/16/07]
McCain called proponents of a congressional resolution opposing the troop surge in Iraq intellectually dishonest. [Associated Press. 2/4/07]
The Future:
Senator McCain now says he sees no end to the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq.
McCain: "[M]ake it a hundred" years in Iraq and "that would be fine with me." [Derry, New Hampshire Town Hall meeting, 1/3/08]
McCain on how long troops may remain in Iraq: “A thousand years. A million years. Ten million years. It depends on the arrangement we have with the Iraqi government.” [Associated Press, 1/04/08]
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Call to ACTION!! Si Sue Puede!
Have you heard? Idaho had 22,000 Democrats around the state attend our caucuses on Super Tuesday. That is more than 4 times the turnout in 2004!
What does that mean?
The Idaho Democratic Party sent out an email last week asking Democrats to get involved, and the response has been fantastic. Idaho Democrats are ready to get into the act. They have great program that will make it easy and fun for you to make a difference in 2008.
What does that mean?
IDAHO IS READY FOR CHANGE…
ARE YOU?
The Idaho Democratic Party sent out an email last week asking Democrats to get involved, and the response has been fantastic. Idaho Democrats are ready to get into the act. They have great program that will make it easy and fun for you to make a difference in 2008.
Become a Neighborhood Leader Today! Click here to sign up!
Or visit www.idaho-democrats.org
You can also sign up directly with our Field Directors. You can contact either Shelley at shelley@idaho-democrats.org or Randy at randy@idaho-democrats.org
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Super Tuesday: Idaho update!
Many Idaho bloggers will be reporting on their local caucus activity over at New West/Boise so check throughout the day and night, share the discussion, and report on your own local caucus experience!
Julie will be keeping us informed (and providing a forum for discussion) regarding national results over at Red State Rebels.
The Idaho Democratic Party will report statewide numbers on their website.
Julie will be keeping us informed (and providing a forum for discussion) regarding national results over at Red State Rebels.
The Idaho Democratic Party will report statewide numbers on their website.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Names you will recognize...
UPDATED 2/2/08 8:40PM:
After the original posting, Gov. Cecil Andrus has added his support for Senator Obama. He introduced Obama at today's event... watch it here!
Larry Grant has also provided his endorsement for Senator Obama.
After I made my decision to support Barack Obama, I put forth even more effort to learn more about him. AFTER I decided to campaign for Obama, I found out who else in Idaho is publicly endorsing him.
I can't tell you if knowing this before hand would have hastened my own decision, but I can tell you that once I saw these names below... I knew I had made the right one. -drp
ENDORSEMENT
Jerry and Rickie Brady
ENDORSEMENT
Boise City Mayor, Dave Bieter
After the original posting, Gov. Cecil Andrus has added his support for Senator Obama. He introduced Obama at today's event... watch it here!
Larry Grant has also provided his endorsement for Senator Obama.
After I made my decision to support Barack Obama, I put forth even more effort to learn more about him. AFTER I decided to campaign for Obama, I found out who else in Idaho is publicly endorsing him.
I can't tell you if knowing this before hand would have hastened my own decision, but I can tell you that once I saw these names below... I knew I had made the right one. -drp
ENDORSEMENT
Jerry and Rickie Brady
Democrats have a host of qualified candidates who could win in November and be exceptional presidents. However the person best suited to our times is Barack Obama.
Why?
The next president must reverse the catastrophic decline in America's moral leadership in the world, a decline that has made us among the least admired nations in the world. Barack Obama can do that.
The next president must cut through the partisanship and divisiveness that have poisoned our public life for 30 years to achieve the unity craved by most Americans. Barack Obama can do that.
As a legislative assistant to Senator Frank Church in the l960's, I had a front row seat for the cascade of critical legislation that followed the death of John Kennedy. Something on the scale of Lyndon Johnson's accomplishments is needed today. If anyone could do that it would be Barack Obama.
The Bush Administration has placed America in a deep financial hole. Any responsible Democrat must reverse the catastrophic rise in the national debt piled on our children while mobilizing a national consensus for universal health care. Those who dug this hole and oppose health care for all will use the filibuster rule in the Senate to resist. In my judgment, Obama has the best chance to rally the nation to override this resistance and renew our country.
Some say Obama should have waited his turn. I say we cannot afford to wait. On many of our challenges, the hour is late and conditions dire. Obama offers the best hope for a breakthrough. Bush, Clinton, Bush and-once again-Clinton does not.
Rickie and I are packing our bags to work for Obama in Nevada come January. We hope Idaho Democrats will do all you can as well.
ENDORSEMENT
Boise City Mayor, Dave Bieter
Dear Obama for America in Idaho:
First, I want to thank the many Barack Obama supporters who turned out in numbers to help me be successful in my reelection as mayor of Boise. Your work made a big difference in my decision of whom to back for president.
But I admit that I took the time between my campaign and before the Iowa Caucus to decide between the candidates. After weeks of following each of them, and before any vote was cast in Iowa, I concluded that I will do whatever I can to ensure that Barack Obama be the next president of the United States.
This is a contentious and often bitter time in America. He is the only candidate who inspires us to push for a future that fulfills the promise our country has always had but too often has failed to fulfill.
Most of all, he is the only one with the courage to speak with hope in a cynical time. He is the right person at the right time for our country, our state and the City of Boise.
IDAHO STATE LAWMAKER ENDORSEMENTS:
State Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett: Dist#25, Blaine, Camas, Gooding, Lincoln
State Senate Assistant Minority Leader David Langhorst: Dist 16, Ada
State Senator Diane Bilyeu: Dist.29, Bannock
State Senator Mike Burkett: Dist. #19, Ada,
State Senator Edgar Malepeai: Dist. # 30, Bannock
State Senator Elliot Werk: Dist.#17, Ada
House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet: Dist.#25, Blaine, Camas, Gooding, Lincoln
House Assistant Minority Leader George Saylor: Dist.#4, Kootenai
House Minority Caucus Chair John Rusche: Dist.#7, Lewiston
State Representative Les Bock: Dist.# 16, Ada
State Representative Liz Chavez: Dist. #7, Nez Perce
State Representative Margaret Henbest: Dist.#16, Ada
State Representative Nicole LaFavour: Dist.#19, Ada
State Representative Anne Pasley-Stuart: Dist.#19, Ada
State Representative Donna Pence: Dist #25, Blaine, Camas, Gooding, Lincoln.
State Representative Shirley Ringo: Dist. #6, Latah
State Representative James Ruchti: Dist. #29, Bannock
State Representative Jerry Shively: Dist. #33, Bonneville
OTHER IDAHO ENDORSEMENTS:
· Paul Woods, Ada County Commissioner
· Jim Hansen, Former State Representative, Executive Director - United Vision for Idaho
· Gail Bray, Idaho's National Committeewoman - Super Delegate, Former State Senator
· Grant Burgoyne, Idaho's National Committeeman - Super Delegate, Private Attorney · Mike Kennedy, City Councilman - Coeur d'Alene
· Steve Scanlin, Former State Representative, Private Attorney
· Brian Cronin, Ada County Democrats Chair, 2004-2007
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Governor Andrus: Obama's message is the right one for the country
Former Idaho Governor Andrus Endorses Obama for President
BOISE - Former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus announced today that he is endorsing Barack Obama for President. Andrus said that Barack Obama's message of change, hope and unity for the future is the right one for the country.
"The people of America are thirsting for a change. Barack Obama is the one candidate who can take on the special interests, reach across party lines and unite this entire nation around a common purpose so we can finally start making progress for all Americans," Andrus said.
Andrus served four terms as Idaho's Governor. He also served as the Secretary of the Interior under the Carter Administration. He is a leading advocate for land and wildlife conservation and education.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2008
Contact: Chani Wiggins, 208-871-4934
Communications Director
Idaho for Obama
208-345-6210
202-236-7750
BOISE - Former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus announced today that he is endorsing Barack Obama for President. Andrus said that Barack Obama's message of change, hope and unity for the future is the right one for the country.
"The people of America are thirsting for a change. Barack Obama is the one candidate who can take on the special interests, reach across party lines and unite this entire nation around a common purpose so we can finally start making progress for all Americans," Andrus said.
Andrus served four terms as Idaho's Governor. He also served as the Secretary of the Interior under the Carter Administration. He is a leading advocate for land and wildlife conservation and education.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2008
Contact: Chani Wiggins, 208-871-4934
Communications Director
Idaho for Obama
208-345-6210
202-236-7750
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
My path toward Obama
I support Obama as President of the United States of America.
There. I said it.
It was easier to say than it was to decide, that’s for sure.
First of all, my personality type is ENFP... there are lots of academic ways of describing an ENFP (here and here!), but in simple terms, I “go with my gut”.
In addition, I am not astute at political issues... I'm more of a KISS type of person. I struggle to overcome the barrier that creates and really do try to make an effort to educate myself about the areas I'm most concerned with.
However, as a responsible voter, I know that I owe it to myself, my children, my country, and my candidates to not leave it at that. I really need to do my research before I make a final decision.
I went to Glassbooth and compared my priorities and positions on the various issues with ALL of the Presidential candidates.
Surprise… the results were all Democratic candidates!!
Another surprise, as addressed in another post: the top two in which I had the most in common were Kucinich and Gravel. Then it went Clinton, Edwards, and finally Obama. There was only a percentage point or two apart in difference, but Obama was ranked #5!
But my gut still kept leaning for Obama…
So I looked into the two areas in which Obama and I held different positions… and I researched his argument for his position and compared it to mine. He made sense… I didn’t necessarily agree with him, but I could respect the basis of his position.
I still was undecided, however…
Hillary Clinton… wow, the first woman President! She does have many years of experience in the political arena. But… is being the first woman President a good reason to elect her as the leader of our country? Just because she has experience, does that necessarily mean that she’s the best choice? (Haven’t we all had EXPERIENCED bosses or teachers… who still sucked at their job?) She’s got a lot of baggage… very little do I feel is actually her fault… but I’d really like the country to focus on OUR issues… and not the Clintons’. Her interaction with others, her ego, her marital situation… can we afford to take our eyes off the ball? I don’t think so…
I have to say that one simple sentence pushed me over the fence…
I received an Obama brochure in the mail last week… In this campaign flyer, he states he will “take on the drug and insurance lobbyists to cut health care costs for the typical family…”
That leapt out to me… this isn’t the time or place to discuss “why” but it was something I was waiting to hear from one of the candidates. (You can read more about Obama’s health care plan here.)
After I acknowledged to myself that Obama WAS the candidate I believed in, I learned which other Idahoans had endorsed him. This list contained individuals who I deeply admired and respected. People who I knew were more politically astute than I am and who understood more clearly the issues.
I realized then that I had made the right decision.
There. I said it.
It was easier to say than it was to decide, that’s for sure.
First of all, my personality type is ENFP... there are lots of academic ways of describing an ENFP (here and here!), but in simple terms, I “go with my gut”.
In addition, I am not astute at political issues... I'm more of a KISS type of person. I struggle to overcome the barrier that creates and really do try to make an effort to educate myself about the areas I'm most concerned with.
However, as a responsible voter, I know that I owe it to myself, my children, my country, and my candidates to not leave it at that. I really need to do my research before I make a final decision.
I went to Glassbooth and compared my priorities and positions on the various issues with ALL of the Presidential candidates.
Surprise… the results were all Democratic candidates!!
Another surprise, as addressed in another post: the top two in which I had the most in common were Kucinich and Gravel. Then it went Clinton, Edwards, and finally Obama. There was only a percentage point or two apart in difference, but Obama was ranked #5!
But my gut still kept leaning for Obama…
So I looked into the two areas in which Obama and I held different positions… and I researched his argument for his position and compared it to mine. He made sense… I didn’t necessarily agree with him, but I could respect the basis of his position.
I still was undecided, however…
Hillary Clinton… wow, the first woman President! She does have many years of experience in the political arena. But… is being the first woman President a good reason to elect her as the leader of our country? Just because she has experience, does that necessarily mean that she’s the best choice? (Haven’t we all had EXPERIENCED bosses or teachers… who still sucked at their job?) She’s got a lot of baggage… very little do I feel is actually her fault… but I’d really like the country to focus on OUR issues… and not the Clintons’. Her interaction with others, her ego, her marital situation… can we afford to take our eyes off the ball? I don’t think so…
I have to say that one simple sentence pushed me over the fence…
I received an Obama brochure in the mail last week… In this campaign flyer, he states he will “take on the drug and insurance lobbyists to cut health care costs for the typical family…”
That leapt out to me… this isn’t the time or place to discuss “why” but it was something I was waiting to hear from one of the candidates. (You can read more about Obama’s health care plan here.)
After I acknowledged to myself that Obama WAS the candidate I believed in, I learned which other Idahoans had endorsed him. This list contained individuals who I deeply admired and respected. People who I knew were more politically astute than I am and who understood more clearly the issues.
I realized then that I had made the right decision.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Fact, not fiction: Part 3
It is so sad to see that some Americans still can't think for themselves, but instead rely on rumors, gossip, and innunendo... the truth is there, if you choose to see it.
Friends shouldn't let friends vote stupid...
Barack was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya. His mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas. Her father worked on oilrigs during the Depression, and then signed up for World War II after Pearl Harbor, where he marched across Europe in Patton's army.
Barack's grandfather taught him to say the Pledge of Allegiance and love his country.
After graduating from high school in Honolulu and attending Columbia University in New York, Barack became a community organizer working with churches on the South Side of Chicago. He then attended Harvard Law School, where he was the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review.
Barack's patriotism and profound belief in the underlying principles of this country led him to teach Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago. He also worked as a Civil Rights attorney in Chicago, protecting the voting rights of minority communities. Eventually, his commitment to the people in his community led him to run for office as an Illinois State Senator where he served for 8 years representing the 13th district.
In the U.S. Senate, as a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan.
Barack believes that you show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans and veterans.
In November of 2007, General Tony McPeak, Major General J. Scott Gration, and Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig wrote an open letter praising Barack's commitment to our troops and to US veterans. Here's an excerpt:
Friends shouldn't let friends vote stupid...
BARACK OBAMA and PATRIOTISM
Barack was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya. His mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas. Her father worked on oilrigs during the Depression, and then signed up for World War II after Pearl Harbor, where he marched across Europe in Patton's army.
Barack's grandfather taught him to say the Pledge of Allegiance and love his country.
After graduating from high school in Honolulu and attending Columbia University in New York, Barack became a community organizer working with churches on the South Side of Chicago. He then attended Harvard Law School, where he was the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review.
Barack's patriotism and profound belief in the underlying principles of this country led him to teach Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago. He also worked as a Civil Rights attorney in Chicago, protecting the voting rights of minority communities. Eventually, his commitment to the people in his community led him to run for office as an Illinois State Senator where he served for 8 years representing the 13th district.
In the U.S. Senate, as a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan.
Barack believes that you show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans and veterans.
In November of 2007, General Tony McPeak, Major General J. Scott Gration, and Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig wrote an open letter praising Barack's commitment to our troops and to US veterans. Here's an excerpt:
"We also admire his strong support for our troops and veterans. As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, he has fought to improve care for wounded troops, slash red tape, and reform the disability review process. He also passed legislation to combat homelessness among veterans. As President, he will expand housing vouchers, and launch a new supportive services housing program for at-risk veterans and their families. In addition, he will improve mental health screening and treatment at all levels: from enlistment, to deployment, to reentry into civilian life."
ASSOCIATED PRESS: "Obama said, 'My grandfather taught me how to say the Pledge of Allegiance when I was 2...During the Pledge of Allegiance you put your hand over your heart. During the national anthem you sing.'
WASHINGTON POST: "Anonymous attacks by e-mail are, or at least should be, un-American. This particular one was also wrong on the facts: the ceremony in question had nothing to do with the pledge of the allegiance.”
ST PETERSBURG TIMES: "Danzig, McPeak, Gration: 'Barack Obama Is A Patriot.' 'Senator Obama's attackers are peddling lies and smears because they disagree with his strong opposition to the war in Iraq and the rush to war in Iran,' wrote Richard Danzig, secretary of the Navy under President Bill Clinton, and retired Gens. Merrill "Tony" McPeak and J. Scott Gration. 'We have served this nation for decades, and we know a true patriot when we see one. Barack Obama is a patriot.'"
DES MOINES REGISTER: "Still, when a reporter in Iowa asked presidential candidate Barack Obama why he wasn't wearing a pin, it turned into a national news story. The pin, Obama said, 'became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security. I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest.' He rightly noted that some people wearing lapel pins don't act very patriotic. Staff from other campaigns criticized him. One political analyst said the absence of the pin might hurt him politically. Reporters started asking other candidates about the whereabouts of their pins. Perhaps in an image-fixated world, a flag secured to one's lapel speaks louder than words or actions. But Obama is right. It shouldn't."
Fact, not fiction: Part 2
It is so sad to see that some Americans still can't think for themselves, but instead rely on rumors, gossip, and innunendo... the truth is there, if you choose to see it.
Friends shouldn't let friends vote stupid...
After graduating from Columbia University in New York, he became a community organizer working with churches on the South Side of Chicago. After studying at Trinity United Church of Christ, he was baptized and remains a committed and active Christian. He continues to attend regular services with his family at Trinity United Church of Christ.
Barack has never been a Muslim or practiced any other faith besides Christianity, and in January 2005 he was sworn into the U.S. Senate on his family Bible.
Friends shouldn't let friends vote stupid...
BARACK OBAMA and FAITH
Barack grew up in Hawaii with his mother and his grandparents, and he lived in Indonesia with his mother and step-father for four years when he was in elementary school.
After graduating from Columbia University in New York, he became a community organizer working with churches on the South Side of Chicago. After studying at Trinity United Church of Christ, he was baptized and remains a committed and active Christian. He continues to attend regular services with his family at Trinity United Church of Christ.
Barack has never been a Muslim or practiced any other faith besides Christianity, and in January 2005 he was sworn into the U.S. Senate on his family Bible.
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The Rumors About Obama Are "False And Vile." The Los Angeles Times wrote in an editorial, "That the rumors are false and vile is self-evident...Presidential candidates of both parties have a duty to denounce not only the smear against Obama but the bigotry that underlies it."
NEWSWEEK: "Dueling chain e-mails claim he's a radical Muslim or a 'racist' Christian. Both can't be right. We find both are false. If these two nasty e-mail messages are any indication, the 2008 presidential campaign is becoming a very dirty one. One claims that Obama is 'certainly a racist' by virtue of belonging to Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, which it says 'will accept only black parishioners' and espouses a commitment to Africa. Actually, a white theology professor says he's been 'welcomed enthusiastically' at the church, as have other non-blacks. Another e-mail claims that Obama 'is a Muslim,' attended a 'Wahabi' school in Indonesia, took his Senate oath on the Koran, refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and is part of an Islamic plot to take over the U.S. Each of these statements is false. These false appeals to bigotry and fear remind us of the infamous whispering campaign of eight years ago, when anonymous messages just before the South Carolina primary falsely accused Republican candidate John McCain of fathering an illegitimate child by a black woman."
THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: "'Trinity UCC is rooted in and proud of its Afrocentric heritage,' [Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president] said. 'This is no different than the hundreds of UCC churches from the German Evangelical and Reformed stream that continue to own and celebrate their German heritage, insisting on annual sausage and sauerkraut dinners and singing Stille Nacht on Christmas Eve. Recognizing and celebrating our distinctive racial-ethnic heritages, cultures, languages and customs are what make us unique as a united and uniting denomination.' While Trinity UCC is predominately African American, it does include and welcome non-Black members. The Rev. Jane Fisler-Hoffman, Illinois Conference Minister, who is white, has been a member of the congregation for years."
PROMINENT JEWISH LEADERS: "As leaders of the Jewish community, none of whose organizations will endorse or oppose any candidate for President, we feel compelled to speak out against certain rhetoric and tactics in the current campaign that we find particularly abhorrent. Of particular concern, over the past several weeks, many in our community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo to mischaracterize Senator Barack Obama's religious beliefs and who he is as a person. These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates."
JEWISH U.S. SENATORS: "Over the past several weeks, many in the Jewish community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo about Senator Barack Obama's religion and attack him personally. As Jewish United States Senators who have not endorsed a candidate for the Democratic nomination, we condemn these scurrilous attacks. We find it particularly abhorrent that these attacks are apparently being sent specifically to the Jewish Community. Jews, who have historically been the target of such attacks, should be the first to reject these tactics. We won't dignify these falsehoods by repeating them in order to refute them. Instead, we will express our outrage at these tactics, which are being used to demonize a good and decent man and our friend and colleague. Attempting to manipulate voters into supporting or opposing one candidate or another based on despicable and fictitious attacks is disgraceful. These false and malicious attacks should not be part of our political discourse."
Fact, not fiction: Part 1
It is so sad to see that some Americans still can't think for themselves, but instead rely on rumors, gossip, and innunendo... the truth is there, if you choose to see it.
Friends shouldn't let friends vote stupid...
BARACK OBAMA and HIS CHURCH
Barack was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. Barack's father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya. His mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas.
After graduating from Columbia University in New York, he became a community organizer working with churches on the South Side of Chicago. After studying at Trinity United Church of Christ, he was baptized and remains a committed and active Christian.
Trinity United Church of Christ is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ. It is part of a liberal denomination that was the first to ordain an African American, a woman, and a gay man. Congregants have described it in the New York Times as a "warm and accepting community," and while it is in a predominantly African American congregation, people of all backgrounds attend and are enthusiastically welcomed.
Barack was sworn in as a U.S. Senator on his own personal Bible and continues to attend Trinity United regularly with his family.
Friends shouldn't let friends vote stupid...
BARACK OBAMA and HIS CHURCH
Barack was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. Barack's father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya. His mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas.
After graduating from Columbia University in New York, he became a community organizer working with churches on the South Side of Chicago. After studying at Trinity United Church of Christ, he was baptized and remains a committed and active Christian.
Trinity United Church of Christ is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ. It is part of a liberal denomination that was the first to ordain an African American, a woman, and a gay man. Congregants have described it in the New York Times as a "warm and accepting community," and while it is in a predominantly African American congregation, people of all backgrounds attend and are enthusiastically welcomed.
Barack was sworn in as a U.S. Senator on his own personal Bible and continues to attend Trinity United regularly with his family.
THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: "'Trinity UCC is rooted in and proud of its Afrocentric heritage,' [Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president] said. 'This is no different than the hundreds of UCC churches from the German Evangelical and Reformed stream that continue to own and celebrate their German heritage, insisting on annual sausage and sauerkraut dinners and singing Stille Nacht on Christmas Eve. Recognizing and celebrating our distinctive racial-ethnic heritages, cultures, languages and customs are what make us unique as a united and uniting denomination.' While Trinity UCC is predominately African American, it does include and welcome non-Black members. The Rev. Jane Fisler-Hoffman, Illinois Conference Minister, who is white, has been a member of the congregation for years."
NEWSWEEK: "Dueling chain e-mails claim he's a radical Muslim or a 'racist' Christian. Both can't be right. We find both are false. If these two nasty e-mail messages are any indication, the 2008 presidential campaign is becoming a very dirty one. One claims that Obama is 'certainly a racist' by virtue of belonging to Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, which it says 'will accept only black parishioners' and espouses a commitment to Africa. Actually, a white theology professor says he's been 'welcomed enthusiastically' at the church, as have other non-blacks. Another e-mail claims that Obama 'is a Muslim,' attended a 'Wahabi' school in Indonesia, took his Senate oath on the Koran, refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and is part of an Islamic plot to take over the U.S. Each of these statements is false. These false appeals to bigotry and fear remind us of the infamous whispering campaign of eight years ago, when anonymous messages just before the South Caroli na primary falsely accused Republican candidate John McCain of fathering an illegitimate child by a black woman."
PROMINENT JEWISH LEADERS: "As leaders of the Jewish community, none of whose organizations will endorse or oppose any candidate for President, we feel compelled to speak out against certain rhetoric and tactics in the current campaign that we find particularly abhorrent. Of particular concern, over the past several weeks, many in our community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo to mischaracterize Senator Barack Obama's religious beliefs and who he is as a person. These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates."
JEWISH U.S. SENATORS: "Over the past several weeks, many in the Jewish community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo about Senator Barack Obama's religion and attack him personally. As Jewish United States Senators who have not endorsed a candidate for the Democratic nomination, we condemn these scurrilous attacks. We find it particularly abhorrent that these attacks are apparently being sent specifically to the Jewish Community. Jews, who have historically been the target of such attacks, should be the first to reject these tactics. We won't dignify these falsehoods by repeating them in order to refute them. Instead, we will express our outrage at these tactics, which are being used to demonize a good and decent man and our friend and colleague. Attempting to manipulate voters into supporting or opposing one candidate or another based on despicable and fictitious attacks is disgraceful. These false and malicious attacks should not be part of our political discourse."
Road Trip, anyone???
Obama will be visiting Boise this upcoming Saturday...
If you are an Obama supporter...
If you are an undecided Democrat...
If you are an American who wants to make an informed choice at the polls...
Consider being a part of this gathering!!
{Currently, there is a group from the Gooding area who is coordinating a "road trip"... contact me for more information if you would like to join us! The song that is going through my head right now is "Convoy" by C.W. McCall! Can you picture it... from Eastern Idaho, picking more in the MiniCassia area, then Twin Falls, then at the Bliss exit, then Glenns Ferry, then Mountain Home... and then BOISE?? Wouldn't that be a sight to see!!)
If you are an Obama supporter...
If you are an undecided Democrat...
If you are an American who wants to make an informed choice at the polls...
Consider being a part of this gathering!!
{Currently, there is a group from the Gooding area who is coordinating a "road trip"... contact me for more information if you would like to join us! The song that is going through my head right now is "Convoy" by C.W. McCall! Can you picture it... from Eastern Idaho, picking more in the MiniCassia area, then Twin Falls, then at the Bliss exit, then Glenns Ferry, then Mountain Home... and then BOISE?? Wouldn't that be a sight to see!!)
It's your ONLY chance!!
If you are Republican or Independent (or ___!) and either still thinking about it or possibly leaning toward a Democratic candidate, please read the following with an open mind...
For ALL Idahoans, it is VERY important for you to know about our political process...
If you decide that you wish to support one of the Democratic nominees for President, you need to know Tuesday, February 5 is a critical day.
No matter what your party affiliation, if you support a Democratic president, Feb. 5 is your ONLY opportunity to participate in the selection of the Democratic candidate for the November election.
Yes, I said "ONLY" opportunity.
The Democratic Party nomination for President is based upon Caucus results... NOT THE MAY PRIMARY. This is new information to me... maybe not to others, but I'm still in the "learning process" of politics!
IF YOU ARE NOT A DEMOCRAT...
The Democratic caucus does not require participants to be members of the Democratic Party!!! We only ask you NOT to vote for a Republican Presidential candidate in the May primary. You can still vote on the Republican side of the ticket in the Primary—just not for President. And however you choose to vote in November is still your choice (obviously!).
IF YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE...
You can vote in the caucus as long as you are a county resident, whether you are registered to vote at that time or not. (You can register at the caucus if you choose.)
IF YOU ARE 17 YEARS OLD...
If you will be 18 by November 4, you can also participate in the caucus.
IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION...
For further information about your local Democratic caucus, please go to the Idaho Democratic Party website. If you are in Gooding County, you can contact me if you want.
For ALL Idahoans, it is VERY important for you to know about our political process...
If you decide that you wish to support one of the Democratic nominees for President, you need to know Tuesday, February 5 is a critical day.
No matter what your party affiliation, if you support a Democratic president, Feb. 5 is your ONLY opportunity to participate in the selection of the Democratic candidate for the November election.
Yes, I said "ONLY" opportunity.
The Democratic Party nomination for President is based upon Caucus results... NOT THE MAY PRIMARY. This is new information to me... maybe not to others, but I'm still in the "learning process" of politics!
IF YOU ARE NOT A DEMOCRAT...
The Democratic caucus does not require participants to be members of the Democratic Party!!! We only ask you NOT to vote for a Republican Presidential candidate in the May primary. You can still vote on the Republican side of the ticket in the Primary—just not for President. And however you choose to vote in November is still your choice (obviously!).
IF YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE...
You can vote in the caucus as long as you are a county resident, whether you are registered to vote at that time or not. (You can register at the caucus if you choose.)
IF YOU ARE 17 YEARS OLD...
If you will be 18 by November 4, you can also participate in the caucus.
IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION...
For further information about your local Democratic caucus, please go to the Idaho Democratic Party website. If you are in Gooding County, you can contact me if you want.
Honor those who sacrificed so much...
The women were innocent and defenseless. And by the end of the night they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of "obstructing sidewalk traffic."
They beat Lucy Burn, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.
Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women. Thus unfolded the "Night of Terror" on November 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.
For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food - all of it colorless slop - was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because - why exactly?? They have carpool duties? They have to get to work? Their vote doesn't matter? It's raining?
The HBO movie "Iron Jawed Angels" is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that we could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have a say - our say.
One woman, who had studied women's history saw the HBO movie too. She looked angry and she was - with herself. "One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie," she said. "What would those women think of the way I use - or don't use - my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn."
The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her "all over again."
All history, social studies and government teachers should include this movie in their curriculum. It should be shown on Bunco night and at tea parties, and anywhere else women gather. Because women are not voting in the numbers that they should be and perhaps this film might be a little reminder to how far we've come, but how far we still have to go. It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies in the film try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. "Alice Paul was strong," he said, "and brave. That didn't make her crazy." The doctor admonished the men, "Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity."
Let's keep building courage, and if they think that women are insane because of it, then let's spread the insanity.
They beat Lucy Burn, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.
Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women. Thus unfolded the "Night of Terror" on November 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.
For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food - all of it colorless slop - was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because - why exactly?? They have carpool duties? They have to get to work? Their vote doesn't matter? It's raining?
The HBO movie "Iron Jawed Angels" is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that we could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have a say - our say.
One woman, who had studied women's history saw the HBO movie too. She looked angry and she was - with herself. "One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie," she said. "What would those women think of the way I use - or don't use - my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn."
The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her "all over again."
All history, social studies and government teachers should include this movie in their curriculum. It should be shown on Bunco night and at tea parties, and anywhere else women gather. Because women are not voting in the numbers that they should be and perhaps this film might be a little reminder to how far we've come, but how far we still have to go. It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies in the film try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. "Alice Paul was strong," he said, "and brave. That didn't make her crazy." The doctor admonished the men, "Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity."
Let's keep building courage, and if they think that women are insane because of it, then let's spread the insanity.
This is a personal issue for me... my great-great-grandmother moved from Indiana to California when she was in her late 80s. She left her home and family and all she had known to make the trek across the United States because she wanted to exercise the right to vote before she died. Women in California had won the right to vote (in 1911) and she didn't know if she'd live long enough to see Indiana do the same (it finally happened in 1917).
For my great-great-grandmother and all of the others who sacrificed so much so that I may have the right to vote, I must not dishonor them by not exercising that right. I don't have to move 3000 miles or go to jail -- all I have to do drive a few blocks (and some research, of course!). Thanks to them, I have a voice in my government.Honor YOUR ancestors... VOTE!!
Christian Principles in an Election Year
I try to post this every year... as a liberal who also somehow manages to be a Christian at the same time (YES, IT CAN BE DONE!), I sure wish other "C"hristians would remember the following...
Christian Principles in an Election Year
July 14, 2004, NEW YORK CITY - The National Council of Churches USA has released 10 principles for evaluating candidates that it hopes all Christians - from liberals to conservatives - will study and apply in this election year.
Our Christian faith compels us to address the world through the lens of our relationship to God and to one another. Public discourse is enhanced as we engage civic leaders on the values and ethics affirmed by our faith. At the same time, religious liberty and the integrity of our democracy will be protected as candidates refrain from using faith-based organizations and institutions for partisan gain. We offer these ten principles to those seeking to accept the responsibility that comes with holding public office.
1. War is contrary to the will of God. While the use of violent force may, at times, be a necessity of last resort, Christ pronounces his blessing on the peacemakers. We look for political leaders who will make peace with justice a top priority and who will actively seek nonviolent solutions to conflict.
2. God calls us to live in communities shaped by peace and cooperation. We reject policies that abandon large segments of our inner city and rural populations to hopelessness. We look for political leaders who will re-build our communities and bring an end to the cycles of violence and killing.
3. God created us for each other, and thus our security depends on the well-being of our global neighbors. We look for political leaders for whom a foreign policy based on cooperation and global justice is an urgent concern.
4. God calls us to be advocates for those who are most vulnerable in our society. We look for political leaders who yearn for economic justice and who will seek to reduce the growing disparity between rich and poor.
5. Each human being is created in the image of God and is of infinite worth. We look for political leaders who actively promote racial justice and equal opportunity for everyone.
6. The earth belongs to God and is intrinsically good. We look for political leaders who recognize the earth's goodness, champion environmental justice, and uphold our responsibility to be stewards of God’s creation.
7. Christians have a biblical mandate to welcome strangers. We look for political leaders who will pursue fair immigration policies and speak out against xenophobia.
8. Those who follow Christ are called to heal the sick. We look for political leaders who will support adequate, affordable and accessible health care for all.
9. Because of the transforming power of God’s grace, all humans are called to be in right relationship with each other. We look for political leaders who seek a restorative, not retributive, approach to the criminal justice system and the individuals within it.
10. Providing enriched learning environments for all of God’s children is a moral imperative. We look for political leaders who will advocate for equal educational opportunity and abundant funding for children’s services.
Finally, our religious tradition admonishes us not to bear false witness against our neighbor and to love our enemies. We ask that the campaigns of political candidates and the coverage of the media in this election season be conducted according to principles of fairness, honesty and integrity.
A study guide to the principles is available on this Web site at: www.ncccusa.org/electionyearprinciplesguide.html.
Christian Principles in an Election Year
July 14, 2004, NEW YORK CITY - The National Council of Churches USA has released 10 principles for evaluating candidates that it hopes all Christians - from liberals to conservatives - will study and apply in this election year.
Our Christian faith compels us to address the world through the lens of our relationship to God and to one another. Public discourse is enhanced as we engage civic leaders on the values and ethics affirmed by our faith. At the same time, religious liberty and the integrity of our democracy will be protected as candidates refrain from using faith-based organizations and institutions for partisan gain. We offer these ten principles to those seeking to accept the responsibility that comes with holding public office.
1. War is contrary to the will of God. While the use of violent force may, at times, be a necessity of last resort, Christ pronounces his blessing on the peacemakers. We look for political leaders who will make peace with justice a top priority and who will actively seek nonviolent solutions to conflict.
2. God calls us to live in communities shaped by peace and cooperation. We reject policies that abandon large segments of our inner city and rural populations to hopelessness. We look for political leaders who will re-build our communities and bring an end to the cycles of violence and killing.
3. God created us for each other, and thus our security depends on the well-being of our global neighbors. We look for political leaders for whom a foreign policy based on cooperation and global justice is an urgent concern.
4. God calls us to be advocates for those who are most vulnerable in our society. We look for political leaders who yearn for economic justice and who will seek to reduce the growing disparity between rich and poor.
5. Each human being is created in the image of God and is of infinite worth. We look for political leaders who actively promote racial justice and equal opportunity for everyone.
6. The earth belongs to God and is intrinsically good. We look for political leaders who recognize the earth's goodness, champion environmental justice, and uphold our responsibility to be stewards of God’s creation.
7. Christians have a biblical mandate to welcome strangers. We look for political leaders who will pursue fair immigration policies and speak out against xenophobia.
8. Those who follow Christ are called to heal the sick. We look for political leaders who will support adequate, affordable and accessible health care for all.
9. Because of the transforming power of God’s grace, all humans are called to be in right relationship with each other. We look for political leaders who seek a restorative, not retributive, approach to the criminal justice system and the individuals within it.
10. Providing enriched learning environments for all of God’s children is a moral imperative. We look for political leaders who will advocate for equal educational opportunity and abundant funding for children’s services.
Finally, our religious tradition admonishes us not to bear false witness against our neighbor and to love our enemies. We ask that the campaigns of political candidates and the coverage of the media in this election season be conducted according to principles of fairness, honesty and integrity.
A study guide to the principles is available on this Web site at: www.ncccusa.org/electionyearprinciplesguide.html.
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