A SOCIETY THAT WILL TRADE A LITTLE LIBERTY FOR A LITTLE ORDER WILL LOSE BOTH AND DESERVE NEITHER ~ THOMAS JEFFERSON

“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” Howard Zinn

It is a time when "common sense" is so uncommon, that it is rare. And in the USA, justice for the federal administration is just an obstacle to dodge. Fabrications of stories are a daily routine to hide the truth of what our government is doing, not only behind closed doors, but blatantly in front of our faces. President Bush and Vice President Cheney are banking on the fact that we are too busy with our lives to notice. And our media stopped investigative reporting on 9/11. *Torture is being redefined so that the torture that Bush has already approved of, even though it is illegal, can be legal. Our freedoms have been thrown out because it is claimed that we have to forfeit our liberties, constitutional rights and the backbone of our shared values for the sake of our security.

* “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” Confucius quotes

I believe that when we are told we have to sell our souls to save our souls that something is drastically wrong. We need to get a grip. We need to get our noses into our government and change some things. William Wilberforce to Thomas Clarkson in the movie Amazing Grace: "You must never speak of revolution in my presence ever again." But Clarkson calls Wilberforce on this very issue of revolution. Thomas Jefferson said: “Every generation needs a new revolution.” And I think we have allowed our government to flail without our oversight for far too long and need a revolution within our nation. But first we must be informed. “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.
Thomas Jefferson

More relevant Thomas Jefferson quotes...

“If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions.”

“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.”

“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.”

“A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither.”



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New York City Comes to Hear Barack Obama

I don't want to hear
"But HOW are we going to pay for it?" when it comes to the ideas to make this nation stronger in any way other than militarily. No one talks about the cost of the war. And the costs are enough to strangle us. If this was Osama_bin_Laden's goal to get us into this state, then George W Bush and Dick Cheney cowboyed us right into the palms of his hands.
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click here to learn more

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“Indifference is the essence of inhumanity".” George Bernard Shaw

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein

"Constitutional liberties ~ use them or lose them." Sandra Hammel
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"...I think the American people should know whose paying for people's politics....I bring the experience of speaking out, even when it's not comfortable...standing up to special interests, speaking truth to power ~ those are the experiences, I bring to bear to the Presidency of the United States of America"

Obama for America

"THIS CAMPAIGN HAS TO BE ABOUT RECLAIMING THE MEANING OF CITIZENSHIP" BARACK OBAMA

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Let Justice Roll Down Like Water

"...We've changed this country before....

...this campaign can't just be about me, it must be about us...

This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship... and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change......"
Barack Obama

BARACK OBAMA IN IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE

So, it's Christmas time and my son and I will be celebrating it as we have been doing since the second year he moved in ~ on Christmas Eve. The first year he was picked up from his foster family on Christmas day at 4:00 p.m.

So I wrapped his presents last night and bought some more today. Tomorrow, I will be cooking in advance.

But at the same time, I am preparing for my first ever campaigning participation. I will be driving up to New Hampshire January 3rd to help the Obama for America campaign throughout the night January 8. Iowa's caucus is January 3rd and New Hampshire's primary is January 8th. As this is my first time ~ I am excited.

And you can join us ~ New Hampshire ~ Barack Obama
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Our Moment is Now

The Rhode Island Secretary of State's Office has officially certified enough of the signatures given to them by local boards of canvassers to qualify Barack Obama for the March 4th Rhode Island primary. When we hit the finish line, others were just getting out of the gate. The Hillary Clinton supporters were in second place with 178 of the required 1,000 certified signatures. But now Hillary Clinton has gained more signatures: Rhode Island Secretary of State ~ Candidates for President Petitions for Ballot
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Lilah Bell of Iowa is going to be 100 years old in July and is caucusing for Barack Obama. It is her first time to participate, too.

We the People need to be a part of the process or our government will continue to belong to the paid lobbyists.

OBAMA ~ FIRST PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TO TURN IN VOTERS' SIGNATURES IN RHODE ISLAND

EXCITED! FINALLY. SO STARVED FOR THIS!


Craig Robinson (Michelle Obama's brother) and Joe Fernandez submitted the petitions of registered voters' signatures for Barack Obama to be put on the Rhode Island ballot for the March 4th primary. The Obama '08 Chicago office is very excited about the news and put out the release below.

Press Release:

Obama Files First for Rhode Island Ballot with More than Twice Required Signatures

Providence, RI - Through the work of hundreds of volunteers, the Obama campaign became the first campaign to file for the Rhode Island state ballot today with more than twice the number of required signatures. Craig Robinson, Obama's brother in law delivered the paperwork to the Providence Board of Canvassers this afternoon.

"This campaign is not about me, it is about the hundreds of volunteers across Rhode Island who gathered signatures, and the millions of people across this country who want change we can believe in," said Barack Obama. "I look forward to continuing to get to know the people of Rhode Island so that together we can change this country."

Obama's signature total, achieved without relying on paid help, reflects his strong grassroots support across Rhode Island. Rhode Island law requires 1000 signatures for the presidential candidate in order to qualify for the state ballot. The Obama campaign filed with more than 2500 signatures. The campaign will file with signatures in 36 of the 39 cities and towns in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island primary will be held on March 4 ^, 2008.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 10, 2007

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O and O Meet

on the Obama '08 Campaign

in Iowa

New Hampshire

and South Carolina

"For the very first time in my life, I feel compelled to stand up and to speak out for the man who I believe has a new vision for America."

- Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey joined Barack and Michelle Obama at free public rallies in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina this weekend.

In total, they electrified nearly 70,000 people across three states and brought thousands of new volunteers into our crucial early-state operations. Thanks to everyone who came out and made these events such a success.

Here's a video with excerpts from both Oprah's and Barack's remarks
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM9Wwc7G5eo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS6yLQbzjjY
Barack's full speech in Des Moines, Iowa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrOpKOrQDsk
Oprah's full speech in Des Moines, Iowa

Want to help get out the vote in New Hampshire? I am and I'm from Rhode Island!
http://nh.barackobama.com/page/s/newegotv

Pictures of the New Hampshire Obama and Oprah campaigning December 9, 2007
http://nh.barackobama.com/page/content/nhhome#top

PICTURES ON THIS POST ARE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE DECEMBER 9, 2007

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Call 1~800~GENOCIDE
this week
and ask your U.S. Representative and Senators to pass the funding fully
for the UN Peacekeepers for Darfur

President Bush's Comment Phone Line
202-456-1111
He needs a push to do something right.

Investors Against Genocide
http://investorsagainstgenocide.googlepages.com/

Thank You!

RACISM IS NOT A GOOD THING FROM ANY SIDE OF IT

God Created All People Equal ~ It's Just That We Can't Get There From Here Unless We Lose the Fear
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http://youtube.com/watch?v=swmlc5avUy8

As I walked today with my white skin with a Barack Obama pin on my coat, I felt something. It was just my sense of what was going on. But I trust my intuition. I sensed racism.

I have written about this before: Personally I have experienced racism in my own family. The two times in my life that I experienced it, was when my family found themselves confronted with the issue because I had a black male in my personal life. This happened when I was eleven and when I was thirty-six. You might think that my parents would have let the first one slide because I was only eleven and chances are I wasn't going to marry him one day. But no, that is not what happened. And you might think that when I was thirty-six, that my parents would have realized that it was none of their business, because I was well-beyond the years of being raised by them. But that was not the case.

I no longer am in the 15 year relationship with my former "significant other", but I still adore his family. His family was a blessing to my life and they continue to be a blessing to the son that we adopted together, who is white.

There was one time that he and I attended a concert and I was about the only white person there. That was a revealing and new experience of feelings for me. That is exactly what my former significant other has to live every day for his entire life. We, white people, have no idea what it is like to live with racism every day.

And as much as I love Barack Obama as a Presidential Candidate, I am sobered by the realness of racism that we have in the "United" States of America in 2007. This country will never be the "grown-up" that it has the potential and responsibility to be, until it confronts its racism toward the American Indians, the blacks, the Mexicans, "immigrants" and on and on. We don't really "need" to have another group of human beings to look down upon, in order to "lift our own opinions of ourselves up". We can find our worth without knocking someone else down. But we can't do that unless we are willing to face our internalized racist, bigoted covert or overt ways.

We are better than this. We can do better. But not without asking the questions that will require the courage to face the ugly truth that we are bigots.

Barack Obama bleeds the same color of blood that every other person bleeds. We are all the same in the most human and valuable ways. But many will pass him up because they see his skin.

Racism comes from fear. People controlled by fear about their own worth are most likely to be racist.

One of the last songs that my dad sang to me before he passed away May 10, 2007 was the childhood song:

"Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."

Okay, so I never did get the color thing. I mean who is yellow or red? And I always thought that black people were more brown than black. And I'm not really white. And that "flesh-colored" crayon ~ really was a racist, bigoted statement in a box of crayons. But the idea of that song is that if we are Christian, then we should love and accept everyone equally. But that has not been my experience in my so-claimed Christian family.

I am disappointed to put it mildly that many people won't vote for Barack because of one thing. And it isn't that he lacks experience. Bush didn't have "experience", as well as other qualities and yet he has been the president for two terms. So ~ it would be a really good thing for people to get to know what integrity Barack has and accept him accordingly.

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http://youtube.com/watch?v=HFBUgPNcCcE
This Little Light of Mine
Sung by Bruce Springsteen