To Him Who Overcomes...
Many people in the Civil Rights Era, sang a theme song, an anthem if you will, of "We Shall Overcome" and that old Baptist Hymn, inspired and galvanized the movement.
When President Obama & Vice President Biden were elected in November, 2008; to the surprise of some and the regret of others; it was a manifest destiny of equal rights prayers having been answered.
Yet we all know that the Presidency is not the man or woman that occupies it, but it is the living tradition of American Government, in continuity, and if God will it, in perpetuity.
I asked a question of those "Big Think" experts and contributers: "Where is the place in the whole world that has the best quality of life for Black people?" Not one reply. The silence spoke volumes, of world wide oppression, and economic suppression of a people. The truth is that we are already here. In most countries even the right to ask the question could mean a death sentence. ...But we have elected a diverse Government of representation of every group ever factionalized in our culture.
What looms on the horizon may very well be; the sunrise of the only ethnicity that we think of no matter what color or costume, or religion is presenting is "I am an American."
When our point of origin is less important than our current state of being; then we truly have "Overcome." Then every division, and every prejudice has melted away like so much ice in a springtime sun. The winter of our disconnection is soon to be over...and our connection has begun. The content of our character, and the quality of our interactions will be what truly matters.
We will still be myriad colors, and have a kaleidoscope of experiences, but sharing the same light of unity, within our right to diversity. I don't want a homogenized world; do you?
Instead as the French say: "Viva le difference..." and it really is okay to be different and still be respected, and respectful of the difference of others. We are all in this country together, and hurt to one, ultimately hurts all, because injustice tends to have a cumulative negative effect.
Thanks for reading my blog; and thank God for the United States of America.
As an active volunteer in the Pottwattamie County Democratic Party and during the campaign here in Iowa, Susan Slauson has become one of President Obama’s most prominent supporters in Western Iowa. When Organizing for America was first starting, Susan naturally began leading health insurance reform events in June, and has become our Community Organizer for Council Bluffs.
Susan has led some of our most successful events in Iowa, including phone banks, health care discussions, and a health care organizing workshop. The picture below is from our “Send Off” event for Congressman King, where Susan helped organize a dozen residents to present thousands of signatures of support for health reform to Congressman Steve King.
Susan hopes to continue building relationships with potential volunteers in the area, and continue to creatively build support for President Obama’s reforms as they come up over the next year.
Many people want to go to heaven but many people don't want to put forth the effort to practice the physical responsibilities that will get us here and I'll be the first to say that "the right activities" take commitment, persistence and practice. And this is taking into consideration that you believe that heaven does exist! I find that fighting for Democratic principals isn't any more simple.
Obama has a lot of responsibility since he came into office. Freedom doesn't come free, people who are going to Afghanistan is requiring us to share sacrifices to help them get to their victorious goals.
I am not a hawk, quite the contrary, however we need to get our butts out of Afghanistan and Iraq remembering that we owe the people in these countries those promises we made . . . getting out and leaving the people whole isn't an easy task but requires sustainability.
Tea Party members are projecting all that they can to be a force of negative force towards Obama. They are against any progress coming from him. The Republicans are looking for the unpopular war to continue, they are energized by the unemployment numbers falling, they aren't supporting the healthcare insurance reform because their politicial leaders are receiving huge contributions and donations when they run for office. This doesn't excuse those Democrats to too are fighting the insurance options and watering down the initial national healthcare bill. Whistleblower Wendell Potter, the former CIGNA marketing executive has said, "if there isn't a public option included in the insurance reform, then tha insurance companies have won" the healthcare battle. Many of us heard this and we believe since Potter wrote many of the policies that the insurance companies practice, that he should know truth from fiction.
Just another obstacle that OFA will have to overcome! It is profoundly amazing how so many people sat eight years watching our country go into absolute free fall and said nothing. And now that we finally have an opportunity to apply wisdom, commitment and arriving at the truth, the masses want to trash President Obama and those still seeking change. We have always understood that change is gradual, requires time and persistence through: Voter registration, phone calling, writing letters to our politicians, letters to the editor, petition signing, community education, video presentations, resolutions, rallies, subject events, voting smart and continual strategic action... May God provide Obama the guidance and wisdom to continue making decisions that lead to international alliances and to win the battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. OFA understands that there is no substitute to "victory". . . Obama has a strong hand to play and we hope he can find the money, resources and sustainability to pull our nation through . . .
Happy Thanksgiving . . . Peace out, Minerva and Todd Hoover, Santa Clarita Valley
This will be my final act as a volunteer for the Demorcatic Party. I have spent years volunteering for the Democratic Party and have thouroughly enjoyed each experience. I have always learned something from every volunteer opportunity I have been a part of. That's what I expected when I asked a member of OFA for a phone list for an upcoming phone bank.
Below is an e-mail I received from that OFA representative. Apparently, I was a member of two opposing Democratic clubs. I think he was suggesting that I was spying for the opposing group. This is not what I signed up for and as a result of the following e-mail, I have stepped down from my post as an Assembly Delegate and I will no longer invest my time as a volunteer for the Democratic Party.
"Karen. Got your voicemail. Respect, Empower, Include. Don't Lie. Don't canvass in the dark. Which part of Community Organizing do you not understand?
It was shocking! I write this not to promote negativity, but in the hopes that the Democratic Party will use this as a teaching tool on the affects one negative e-mail can have on your team of volunteers. Years of hard work has been forgotten and I walk away as a hurt volunteer. As I said to the OFA representative, Obama promotes bringing people together and so should Organizing for America.
This is a sad farewell!!
It has been widely reported across the news wires that Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee has released a financial regulation reform bill. Through tough regulation, it will seek financial stability and consumer financial protection and justice.
We in the working/middleclass are being stripped of what little equity we have accumulated. We are forced to accept sub-standard wages, less employer benefits and in millions of cases...under/un-employment.
You can bet, the republicans and blue dog democrats are already planning on voting NO and introducing countless amendments to weaken or water down the legislation. You can be assured, they are planning endless delays. They will follow the same game plan as they did and are doing with health care. Joined by the wallets, the republicans and blue dog democrats will be relentless with their shady tactics.
We OFA members must become active again and counter their corruptive efforts. We cannot and should not expect President Barack Obama to fight this second front alone. It is time to gather the troops and bring re-enforcements to the already tired progressives on capitol hill. Stand-up and plan a strategy on how to bring aid to our fellow progressives. I still have hope, I know you do to. Stand-up, smile and be proud of what you are doing. You are not alone.
To who ever might be lucky enough to read this,
I am super excited about our office grand opening this Saturday Nov 14 at 2pm. Congressman Paul Tonko will be there. It is an open event so all are welcome.
Please RSVP now. Here are the details: What: OFA New York Office Grand Opening Where: OFA Offices - Albany 90 State Street, Suite 602 Albany, NY 12207 When: Saturday, November 14th 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. http://ny.barackobama.com/NYOfficeOpening
Click For Obama is asking all Obama supporters to help us raise funds by clicking on our website sponsors. Just click, visit the site, and click out. We can raise $100,000 dollars for the month of November 09.Times are tough and money is tight, but if you Click For Obama we can generate funds without having to pay one penny. Click here then click around the sites links. Tell your friends and make this link viral.Thank you,
Click For Obama Team
The link to the event is listed below... please RSVP!
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpchqf
I have always viewed politics and politicians with a skeptical eye. Do not misunderstand, I have always been interested in the American political process but had never been so interested that participation in the process encouraged anything more in me than voting. I remain instinctively skeptical of anyone who spends tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars to get elected for a job paying a salary in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is something wrong with that math indeed. I suppose I can equate my skepticism to my feelings toward something like…multi-level marketing where someone may spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars and is guaranteed to earn absolutely nothing except: sequestered family members and friends in hiding to avoid hearing yet another sales pitch about a fantastic “business opportunity”...
Finish this Blog Post at http://wiseguyeddie.blogspot.com/
After the great day in Denver, we hopped back on the bus and drove all night through Colorado and Nebraska. When we pulled into Des Moines Saturday evening, hundreds of health care reform activists were gathered at the steps of the state capital.
One of the earliest supporters in the Obama campaign was Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. He reminded us that when Obama was campaigning in Iowa, then-Senator Obama knew it wouldn’t be easy — and nor would governing be easy, if elected. Miller said:
This health care issue is not easy. But Barack didn’t get elected to do the easy things. He got elected because he could do the hard things that are important to us.
Des Moines was a perfect example of this ethic: regular people coming together and organizing not because it’s easy, or because the odds were in their favor. The people in Des Moines—just like those in Phoenix, Albuquerque, Denver, Austin, New York, and cities all over the country this week—are here because they refuse to let the health care reform debate be dictated by talking heads on cable TV or political pundits in D.C. Iowans and others are organizing for change not because it is easy, but because the status quo is unacceptable.
As OFA Deputy Director Jeremy Bird wrote yesterday, over 1.5 million activists from OFA and other health insurance reform coalition groups have taken direct action over the past 11 weeks. And after seeing supporters of health care reform across the country firsthand, it’s even clearer that we have a historic opportunity to ensure that all Americans have quality and affordable health care.
We’re almost to St. Louis for another rally. We can’t wait to get there. If you want to change health care in America, come down and join us.
We’re stretching our legs in Iowa this afternoon after a long night’s drive from Colorado — where the people of Denver gave the Organizing for America bus an outstanding sendoff.
Over 1,500 people joined us Friday evening to show that Coloradans want health insurance reform now. With the city skyline as the backdrop, advocates for reform — including U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter and state Sen. Betty Boyd — shared stories with the crowd that make clear why reform can’t wait.
The Denver Post has this writeup:
"This is easily the biggest crowd we've seen," group organizer Mitch Stewart said as he stepped off the touring bus at the third of 10 stops across the country. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., had already warmed up the crowd."My daughter has epilepsy, and she's being discriminated against because of her prior condition," he told the cheering crowd. "We're not going to let her get pushed aside.
"This is easily the biggest crowd we've seen," group organizer Mitch Stewart said as he stepped off the touring bus at the third of 10 stops across the country.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., had already warmed up the crowd.
"My daughter has epilepsy, and she's being discriminated against because of her prior condition," he told the cheering crowd. "We're not going to let her get pushed aside.
We picked up thousands of declarations of support for the President’s health insurance reform principles at the event. Today we pick up even more from Iowans — if you're in Des Moines, come join us at 6 p.m. at the State Capitol.
The world knows by now about the passing of Ted Kennedy — the patriarch of a storied family and a man who touched millions of lives. The news adds an undertone of seriousness to preparations for the Organizing for America bus tour that kicks off in Arizona tonight, and a note of sadness to everyone's work.
Photo by Mary Ellen Broderick
GOP Theme Team Chair Jack Kingston, G-01, held a health care town hall in Valdosta, Georgia, and Democrats came. We were only a small minority of the hundreds present, but we spoke up and got heard in the room and in the local media.
Lately some of the most interesting news bits come to me through Twitter. Check out this one from a proud Canadian --> http://stratosphear.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/33-7-million-canadians-are-not-shona-holmes/
RT @EileenLeft If you live in Canada,Britain,Netherlands,Australia, anywhere u have universal health care, SPEAK UP! Don’t let our GOP lie and thrash you!
We had our monthly local OFA steering committee meeting on July 14th. Michael Shapiro from the PA OFA Staff called in to our meeting to introduce our new Regional Director Devorah Fried. They presented information about the new healthcare reform bill congress is producing. They outlined that the next 3 weeks will be critical in the effort to make real change. Over that time we need volunteers to host phone bank efforts to recruit volunteers, canvassing efforts to pursuade our neighbors and for each of us to contact our congressmen. We need to fill up their voicemail. It is time to create a bill with the President's 3 health care reform principles.
The steering committee agreed to host several events over the next week and a half. State OFA staff will help us reach out to all our past volunteers so we can all participate in the legislative process. When you get a call, take time to help us out at an event or simply with a phone call to your elected officials in congress.
It was an exciting meeting, discussing how we could help locally and getting great support from the growing OFA staff in PA.
So I haven't been posting on this blog, and all I have to say is 'mea culpa'. Life sometimes gets in the way of all the various things you keep meaning to do.
I'm proud to say that since the election I have kept up with the first steps I took in the campaign in getting more involved. With the recent loss of my job, my parents own increasing health care woes, and the general state of everything in the months since George Bush left office, (and left a mess), I felt it was time to get more involved. Besides, since I don't have a job at the moment, what better time to get involved than now? After all, my home state of California is in a budget crises of epic proportions, my friends and family are worried about jobs and their health, and I'm so sick of listening to the doom and gloom on the news I even turn off NPR in the car as I drive around.
Enough is enough, and I want to take action.
A week after my layoff, I went to a meeting at the Lieberman House in South Pasadena. It was a stop on the listening tour for Organizing for America. I was energized by what was said there that night, about the call for us, the people to not just make a difference with out votes, but with our actions as well. And so I got on board that night with a small OFA group that covers the areas just outside of Pasadena in California 26. It's not big yet, but it's exciting to think that I'm involved in something that just might make a difference in my community.
It's a big challenge, but we've got to start somewhere. And it's crazy to think that little, old me is getting involved in something so big that could mean so much to my country.
Anyway, for those of you who haven't found and OFA group or who don't have one, start looking online here for ways to get involved or to start your own in your community. We can make change, a little at a time, and we can make ourselves heard in Washington and our state capitals. We just have to think and believe that we can do it.
Anyway, signing off for now. Perhaps I can keep a bit more constant on this thing.
