Living Life Abundantly

Ok so I know this speech was for the kids but I found it motivating and inspiring. I can’t believe people kept their kids home from school for FEAR of what the Black President might say.

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update 2/20 at 10:20 am: Thanks Steve for pointing out the error in the title of this post…which had the Washington Post. It’s NY Post, the correction to the titles has been made.

Yesterday my hubby was worked up about a political cartoon I hadn’t seen.  I caught a glimpse of Al Sharpton talking about it on MSNBC but I immediately tuned out. I was in my own world not wanting to take in anything that wouldn’t make me feel good. I have days when my theme song is Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News… Over the past couple of weeks its been bad news with good news sprinkled in between across all fronts.

But last night after my girl Marci called upset too about the same cartoon, I knew I had to SEE what the heck was going on.

The Cartoon by Sean Delonas As Seen In The NY Post

What’s Wrong With This Cartoon?  What’s The Big Deal?

Before I get into MY interpretation of this VILE cartoon, I want to make sure that we are all clear on a few things:

1. I Love White People.

2. Some Of My Best Friends Are White.

3. I am a Black woman from Compton with preconceived notions about POLICE (to put it mildly NWA was my favorite group growing up…get the picture?)

It’s important that we all understand these three points because there is a tendency for people to see my picture in all my blackness and assume that I’m a terrorist fist bumping militant Comptonite looking for ways to blame “the man”. Thats not me! I want to make it abundantly clear here and now. The the 3rd is an important point because oftentimes our experiences do play a part in shaping our perceptions.

What is obvious to one person may not be so obvious to another.  While it’s extremely hard for me to see how anyone else might see something different from what I see in this image…. I know its possible and that in some crazy way this may be like a paradigm (but I doubt it).

Now Here Are My Thoughts On The Cartoon:

“Don’t piss on my head and tell me it’s raining.” — Unknown

That drawing is very offensive. I would even go as far as calling it a borderline (tap dancing in gray areas) treasonous  domestic terroristic threat.  In my opinion the drawing published by the NY Posts boldly suggests that the Commander and Chief (our 44th President not the 43rd) is a monkey deserving to be shot and killed for passing the Stimulus Bill. For the past two weeks or more the stimulus bill has been referred to as Obama’s stimulus bill ….the text on this cartoon reads:

“They’ll Have To Find SOMEONE Else To Write The Next Stimulus Bill.”

The word someone is singular (meaning ‘someone’ refers to one person). The cartoonist could have said “some other people” or “some more people” etc… but he deliberately chose the word someone. Clearly this cartoon is not about any of the people (plural) that had input and/or supported the Stimulus Bill. This cartoon is a about someone in particular!!!  Someone! Which one? That one? SOMEONE! Have we forgotten the whole Curious George t-shirt thing?

Here’s the bottom line:

The shot up bleeding dead monkey laying on the sidewalk (next to probably Main Street) in a city near parked cars and a beware of dog sign shot by the white police officers represents the person that signed the Stimulus Bill, President Barack Obama.

This is not the first time that monkey imagery has been used with regards to Barack Obama.  It is certainly not the first time that monkey imagery has been used to depict a Black man. (*note to anyone thinking but Barack Obama is 1/2 white… yes we all know and acknowledge that he’s biracial.  However, historically in this country dating back to slavery a drop of black means you’re black period…I didn’t make the rules.  Apparently, it’s the American way.  When you fill out a job application, the bubbles on the SAT, or the forms at the dentist… there is no box for biracial).

The Two White Police (Overseers) Officers in the cartoon represent the white supremacy system that has ruled this land with an iron fist for centuries (YES I SAID CENTURIES). Police are supposed to serve and protect (who and what is often the question).  In this cartoon, the police are serving and protecting not just “the establishment” but the establishment of white supremacy.  The officers have no other way to subdue or over power the animal (its stronger faster and has more power), so they shoot it!  A lot of power comes with being President of the United States and while a great number of us are happy with our current president, there are still those that feel threatened by his Presidency. (Especially white supremacists).

I know that any mention of white supremacy causes discomfort for some folks but you would have to be in extreme denial or living under a rock in another galaxy far far away to not be aware of the system that many blacks and whites have fought side by side to overthrow. YES I SAID OVERTHROW!!!!!  That cartoon reeks of white supremacy imagery all the way down to the “beware of dog” sign. I’m surprised there was no fire hydrant and hose!

Right here in America, dogs were used to hunt down runaway slaves and later to attack Civil Rights Marchers.  They still use dogs (don’t you watch Cops).  That “beware of dog” sign in that drawing screams ugliness.  I know some people think Black people need to get over it and move forward (I never hear anyone say anything like that about my Jewish brothers and sisters)…My answer to ‘Black people getting over it and moving forward’ is most of us have… but the fact that we have does not erase or rewrite the past. History is what it is!  We teach history in schools because we should LEARN from our history right?

History teaches us that Police Overseers have not been kind to Black folks.  In fact, we hear about cases of police brutality and killings almost every day!

Many of us have an inherent distrust of Police and it usually takes a friend or family member to become one for us to even open our minds to the possibility that all police are not the same…. (Sad huh?) So if it’s like that for some Black people, how must it be for some White police officers?

The fact that the cartoonist chose to show cops shooting a monkey on a city street is bothersome for the above reasons but also another reason… while there is no street sign in the drawing, that scene appears to be Main Street.  You know the hypothetical street that every day Americans live on that President Barack Obama and others often refer to…  If the monkey was shot for presumably wanting to help those on Main street, what would the officers rather happen with the folks on Main Street? (Let Them Eat Cake I Guess)

BOYCOTT:

To abstain from or act together in abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with as an expression of protest or disfavor or as a means of coercion.

So why boycott?  Well it’s a means of hitting them where it hurts (their pockets). They being those responsible for publishing the cartoon. (see the note from The Color of Change below).

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” — Marcus Garvey

Color of Change

Yesterday, the day after President Obama signed his stimulus bill into law, the NY Post ran a cartoon depicting the bill’s “author” as a dead monkey, covered in blood after being shot by police. You can see the image by clicking on the link below.

In the face of intense criticism, the Post’s editor is standing by the cartoon, claiming that it’s not about Obama, has no racial undertones, and that it was simply referencing a recent incident when police shot a pet chimpanzee. But it’s impossible to believe that any newspaper editor could be ignorant enough to not understand how this cartoon evokes a history of racist symbolism, or how frightening this image feels at a time when death threats against President Obama have been on the rise.

Please join me and other ColorOfChange.org members in demanding that the Post apologize publicly and fire the editor who allowed this cartoon to go to print:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=2148-349821

The Post would have us believe that the cartoon is not about Obama. But on the page just before the cartoon appears, there’s a big picture of Obama signing the stimulus bill. A reader paging through the Post would see Obama putting pen to paper, then turn the page to see this violent cartoon. The imagery is chilling.

There is a clear history in our country of racist symbolism that depicts Black people as apes or monkeys, and it came up multiple times during the presidential campaign.

We’re also in a time of increased race-based violence. In the months following President Obama’s election there has been a nationwide surge in hate crimes ranging from vandalism to assaults to arson on Black churches. There has been an unprecedented number of threats against President Obama since he was elected, with hate-based groups fantasizing about the killing of the president. Just a week ago, a man drove from Louisiana to the Capitol with a rifle, telling the police who stopped him that he had a “delivery” for the president.

There is no excuse for the Post to have allowed this cartoon to be printed, and even less for Editor Col Allan’s outright dismissal of legitimate concerns.

But let’s be clear who’s behind the Post: Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch, the Post’s owner, is the man behind FOX News Channel. FOX has continually attacked and denigrated Black people, politicians, institutions at every opportunity, and ColorOfChange has run several campaigns to make clear how FOX poisons public debate.

I don’t expect much from Murdoch. However, with enough public pressure, we can set the stage for advertisers and subscribers to think long and hard before patronizing outlets like the Post that refuse to be held accountable.

You can help, by making clear that the Post’s behavior is unacceptable, and by asking your friends and family to do the same. Please join me:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=2148-349821

Walking To The National Mall:

Once we emerged from the L’Enfant Plaza metro station and got over our initial shock… we were greeted with the bone chilling cold outside and even more shock!  The streets were packed. There were people walking in every direction as far as the eye could see… There were police cars, emergency vehicles, cops on foot, cops on horse, news vans, chartered buses, helicopters over head, and people people people every where and all over.

The streets were blocked off and navigating through the crowds was almost impossible. Willae and I had to figure out where to go and how to get to the Silver Ticket gate section as indicated on our tickets. Our big brother Marcus agreed to meet us at the Merry Go Round after the inauguration as we went on our quest to find the Silver Section…

It was no easy task by any stretch of the imagination… It was still dark and it was very cold but we pressed on…

When we finally found the line for Silver Ticket holders we were stricken with thoughts of would’ve could’ve should’ve…. We couldn’t help but think that we should’ve took our chances and camped out…but we knew we would’ve probably froze to death… so we really did make the best possible decision considering the circumstances.  That cold air was whipping through my body as we waited in that line and all I could ask myself was:

Was it Worth it?

Of course it was and I embraced it and waited with Willae and unlike many ticket holders we made it in!  Our day started early and now it was a wait game.  The gates opened at 8am (which meant we’d be waiting in the cold until close to noon for the swearing in ceremony to actually begin).

Well we were not as close as we’d like but again, we were grateful to be there.  The National Mall was completely filled with people.  The jumbo screen panned the entire area giving us an even better appreciation and perspective of how many of us were actually out there.

What we saw was breath taking and what we felt was amazing…  If there has ever been a Kumbaya moment this was it!

For those that don’t know, Kumbaya is a song.  Kumbaya means Come By Here.  Here’s an excerpt of the lyrics:

Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya……

…..Someone’s laughing, Lord, kumbaya….

….Someone’s crying, Lord, kumbaya….

….Someone’s praying, Lord, kumbaya….

…..Someone’s singing, Lord, kumbaya….

It is fair to say that in every direction we looked there we were people laughing, crying, praying, and singing (including us).  God was in the midst. The overall vibe at the National Mall was surreal, serene, and serendipituous. You could FEEL the LOVE. That Love is what sustained us all through that monstrous cold.  I believe it is that Love that will rebuild and reshape this country.

The Change We Can Believe In showed its face a million times over at the National Mall and all over the world!

TO BE CONTINUED…

Majority Of The Photos From The Inauguration DC Adventure Are Provided Courtesy Of The Wonderful & Talented Willae Ivory

A combined 37.8 million Americans watched the inauguration…

I received this thought provoking and perhaps controversial article via email forward today. I say controversial because I’m certain some will object to the opinions expressed. No matter where you stand on the issue the author certainly provides some serious food for thought. Looking forward to your thoughts on the subject. Thanks for sharing this Coach Ace.

When are we going to get over it? by Andrew M. Manis

For much of the last 40 years, ever since America “fixed” its race problem in the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, we white people have been impatient with African-Americans who continued to blame race for their difficulties. Often we have heard whites ask, “When are African-Americans finally going to get over it?” Now I want to ask “When are we white Americans going to get over our ridiculous obsession with skin color?”

Recent reports that “Election Spurs ‘Hundreds’ of Race Threats, Crimes” should frighten and infuriate every one of us. Having grown up in “Bombingham,” Ala., in the 1960s, I remember overhearing an avalanche of comments about what many white classmates and their parents wanted to do to John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Eventually, as you may recall, in all three cases, someone decided to do more than “talk the talk.” Since our recent presidential election, to our eternal shame, we are once again hearing the same reprehensible talk I remember from my boyhood.

We white people have controlled political life in the disunited colonies and United States for some 400 years on this continent. Conservative whites have been in power 28 of the last 40 years. Even during the eight Clinton years, conservatives in Congress blocked most of his agenda and pulled him to the right.

Yet never in that period did I read any headlines suggesting that anyone was calling for the assassinations of Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan or either of the Bushes. Criticize them, yes. Call for their impeachment, perhaps. But there were no bounties on their heads. And even when someone did try to kill Ronald Reagan, the perpetrator was a nonpolitical mental case who wanted merely to impress Jodie Foster.

But elect a liberal who happens to be black, and we’re back in the ’60s again. At this point in our history, we should be proud that we’ve proven what conservatives are always saying “” that in America anything is possible, electing a black man as president. But instead, we now hear schoolchildren from Maine to California are talking about wanting to “assassinate Obama.”

Fighting the urge to throw up, I can only ask, “How long?” How long before we white people realize we can’t make our nation, much less the whole world, look like us? How long until we white people can — once and for all — get over this hell-conceived preoccupation with skin color? How long until we white people get over the demonic conviction that white skin makes us superior? How long before we white people get over our bitter resentments about being demoted to the status of equality with nonwhites?

How long before we get over our expectations that we should be at the head of the line merely because of our white skin? How long until we white people end our silence and call out our peers when they share the latest racist jokes in the privacy of our white-only conversations? I believe in free speech, but how long until we white people start making racist loudmouths as socially uncomfortable as we do flag burners? How long until we white people will stop insisting that blacks exercise personal responsibility, build strong families, educate themselves enough to edit the Harvard Law Review, and work hard enough to become president of the United States, only to threaten to assassinate them when they do?

How long before we start “living out the true meaning” of our creeds, both civil and religious, that all men and women are created equal and that “red and yellow, black and white” all are precious in God’s sight?

Until this past Nov. 4, I didn’t believe this country would ever elect an African-American to the presidency. I still don’t believe I’ll live long enough to see us white people get over our racism problem. But here’s my three-point plan during the Obama administration: First, every day that Barack Obama lives in the White House that Black Slaves Built, I’m going to pray that God (and the Secret Service) will protect him and his family from us white people.

Second, I’m going to report to the FBI anyone I overhear saying, in seriousness or in jest, anything of a threatening nature about President Obama. Third, I’m going to pray to live long enough to see America surprise the world once again, when white people can sing of our damnable color prejudice, “We HAVE overcome.”

Andrew M. Manis is associate professor of history at Macon State College in Georgia.

I received this heads up via email from my friend Shannon:

WENS-TV, is producing Internet video for five days from Washington, DC, featuring stories, events and people around the inauguration of Barack Obama. The video is available by subscription. It will tell stories that mainstream media may not likely cover. It will present features about the people who sacrificed to make the pilgrimmage for this once-in-a-lifetime, historic event. Just a variety of things you will likely want to see but won’t likely see anywhere else. The link where you can subscribe is listed below. And if you have friends, family and other associates who accept your e-mail submissions, please tell them about the production. Here are details:

www.the44thinauguration.com presents: THE MOUNTAINTOP: Five Historic Days,  A Production of WENS-TV (Webcast Events News Sports TeleVideo) Jan. 17-21, 2009; Washington, DC.  We are producing the exclusive Internet video from a strategic location near The Capitol.  If you are going to be in DC or know of others who want to stop by and share their stories with us, please let me know. The location will be announced soon on the subscription website.

I am already packing my bags and ready to go to Washington DC in January for the inauguration…I don’t even have a plane ticket yet but I’ve got friends in the area willing to open their homes so that I can witness history with them. My grandmother and her sisters are over joyed and planning to take the trip too.

I just got this in my email:

Senator Feinstein Announces 2009 Inaugural Theme

“A New Birth of Freedom”

SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), today announced the theme for the 2009 presidential inaugural.

“A New Birth of Freedom,” commemorates the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The words come from the Gettysburg address, and express Lincoln’s hope that the sacrifice of those who died to preserve the nation shall lead to “a new birth of freedom” for our nation.

The inaugural theme, which was selected by Senator Feinstein and the members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, will be woven through the inaugural ceremonies. The theme is traditionally linked to a major anniversary, and in her announcement Feinstein spoke of the appropriateness of the chosen theme to our present day circumstances, particularly in light of the historic election of Senator Barack Obama.

In addition to Senator Feinstein, the members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies include: Senator Bob Bennett, Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer; and House Republican Leader John Boehner.

“At a time when our country faces major challenges at home and abroad, it is appropriate to revisit the words of President Lincoln, who strived to bring the nation together by appealing to ‘the better angels of our nature’,” Feinstein said. “It is especially fitting to celebrate the words of Lincoln as we prepare to inaugurate the first African-American president of the United States.”

“On January 20, as President-elect Obama takes the oath of office, he will look across the National Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial, where many of the sixteenth president’s immortal words are inscribed. Although some inaugural traditions have changed since Lincoln’s time, the swearing-in ceremony continues to symbolize the ideals of renewal, continuity, and unity that he so often expressed.”

I’ll See You There

This is an amazingly awesome moment in time! Our next president is Barack Obama! He won Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania etc….etc… I am so happy beyond words. I wish I could articulate what I’m feeling but I am truly at a loss for words!

I’m inspired, encouraged, hopeful, happy, and more!

Just when I think that the McCain camp or its supporters have stooped to the lowest levels possible someone some where goes even lower…LIAR! LIAR! PANTS ON FIRE!

“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.” ~Demosthenes

Ashley Todd, a McCain/Palin volunteer, jumped through hoops to get people to believe that a big Black Obama supporting man assaulted her and etched the letter B for Barack on her face…

She admits she made the whole thing up… What was her motive?

Some say its a sick twisted race baiting scheme.

Others say she’s a mole from the Obama camp and secret ACORN operative who was instructed to create a distraction.

The second theory, while not impossible but extremely unlikely, sounds like a poor attempt at spinning this out of this world. The Obama camp has had a great week why would they need to use this disturbed young lady to play nasty race baiting fear mongering politricks?

Ashley Todd’s big unoriginal lie fills America’s unhealed wounds with alcohol. Can you feel the burn?

When I first heard the story I was somewhat numb… but the more I thought about it, the more I thought about American history. We’ve seen and heard these types of lies many times before… two of the most infamous cases being:

Fannie Taylor 1923 (Rosewood)

Susan Smith 1994 (South Carolina)

Now here we have Ashley Todd in 2008… getting people all riled up with her nonsense!

Why do people make up such sensational stories and pin them on Black men? Stop lying!

I know that this young woman supposedly has a history of mental issues, however, that does not take away the sting in our already infected wounds. It seems like she knew exactly what she was doing. If she just wanted some attention, she’s got it…The McCain campaign made sure of that before the police could even verify her story… I hope she gets the professional help she most certainly needs just as fast.

I’ll be glad when this election is over its driving people insane.

“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived and dishonest — but the myth — persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.” John F. Kennedy

“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived and dishonest — but the myth — persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.” Virginia Woolfe

“People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election.” Otto von Bismarck

In times like these people need to laugh to keep from crying!

“A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones” ~ Proverbs 17:22

“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” —Mark Twain

“The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.” —Shirley MacLaine

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the world a better place…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

I enjoyed both candidates speeches last night. Barack Obama and John McCain both delivered the comic relief needed during this heated and often down right nasty campaign.

My friend Dan shared this via email, enjoy!

A Woman’s Worth

We’ve come a long way baby

Tuesday, September 09, 2008
By Goldie Taylor

I have been a mother all of my adult life. A single working mother. I put off dating, took menial jobs far beneath my qualifications and baked my share of ginger bread cookies for PTA Night, all so that three incredible children could have better.

I chose their lives over mine. I don’t have to tell you that it wasn’t easy. Unfortunately, my story, our story, is not unique. We slept in cars, bought groceries with food stamps and prayed for a better day. When that wasn’t enough, I put myself through school at Emory University and took a part-time job as a staff writer at the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

That was over a decade ago. Along the way, things got better. I’ve been an executive at two Fortune 500 companies and a practice director at two multinational public relations firms. Today, I own an advertising agency and I’ve authored two novels. A third and fourth are on the way, God willing. All of this was possible because somebody laid a brick or two on the road for me.

A few weeks ago, I woke in tears. It was my 40th birthday and certainly not a time for sadness. Rather, I cried in joy because for the first time I realized and could embrace the value of the struggle. The bright little girl, who once cried in my arms because we didn’t know where we were going to live, was headed off to Brown University. The small boy who had been the “man of the house” far too soon was now truly a man. And the tiny, angelic baby who had come to this world precious and innocent just 15 months after him was now a 16 year old girl headed out to her first job interview.

For all of this, maybe I should be proud of a woman like Sarah Palin. Maybe, just maybe, I should be rejoicing in John McCain‘s selected running mate.

But I’m not.

I’m not “bed wetting liberal” nor am I a “right-wing zealot.” What I am is a working mother. And I cry foul. I won’t, for a moment, denigrate her experience or lob spit balls at her family. I will, though, take issue with what she knows. Or more succinctly, what she does not know. Living in Alaska, I’m not sure how much she knows about the people living in inner city Baltimore. I don’t know how much she cares about the 125 murders this summer in Chicago. I have no idea what she believes about HIV/AIDS and the havoc it wrecks on Black women or the cancer rates in East St. Louis. She hasn’t said nary a word about Hurricane Katrina or the infant mortality rates in Appalachia.

I do know that she’s a life-time member of the NRA, a proponent of individuals who wielded the very weapons that killed my father and brother. I do know that she “lives really close to Russia“, but I’m not so certain she is ready for Putin. I know she wanted to ban books for public libraries and sex education in schools, but that her 17 year old is pregnant and preparing for a shotgun wedding. I know that she loves her husband enough to allow him (and probably did herself) use her office to settle a personal score–one that the McCain campaign would now like to cover in under a blanket of Juneau snow. I know that the Alaska Independent Party, and its secessionist platform, was enticing enough for her to attend its conference (and for her husband to become a card carrying member). Does she love her country? I’m sure. Enough to support those who want to leave it.

But I have no earthly idea what she knows (or could possibly know) about national domestic policy or foreign diplomacy. For all of her working class values, she never once mentioned the Middle Class in her diatribe that mocked her opponent’s experience. Having been the mayor of Wasilla (pop. 6,000 at the time) and governor of Alaska (a state a smaller than the county I live in) for a little over a year, she felt she was qualified to do that.

And obviously, so did John McCain.

If she’s qualified, then so am I. But in this country I love, she has been afforded the ability to run. The very constitution she says doesn’t apply to the men at Guantanamo says she can. But this is about more than that.

As Gloria Steinem said in a recent Los Angeles Times editorial, “Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It’s about making life more fair for women everywhere. It’s not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It’s about baking a new pie.”

The good news is thanks to Shirley Chisholm, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Angela Davis, Condoleeza Rice, Anita Hill, Madeline Albright, Maxine Waters, Kathleen Sebelius, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and a slew of others, there are 18 million proverbial cracks in the ceiling. Our collective political and economic power is due to the strides (and leaps) they, and others, took on my behalf.

I am grateful. I am deeply humbled to stand on the bricks they’d laid before me.

But, whatever our struggle was (and is) that last thing I want is to be patronized. Just as I cannot support just any African-American who decides to offer themselves up for public service, I will not toss my vote to someone just because we share the same chromosome mix. To do so would dishonor the vow I made to my children, to myself. I did not vote for Al Sharpton, wasn’t old enough (nor would I have) voted for Jesse Jackson and I certainly will not support Sarah Palin. Identity politics, especially in this case, are a sham of the worst order.

When I cast my vote, it will be for people who will lay more bricks for people like me. It will be for people who will put diplomacy before war, challenge us all to provide healthcare for the sick, help another child go to college, and check the special interests in Washington. This fall, I’m not looking for a woman.

I’m looking for a brick layer.

I could care less if that person hasn’t spent “enough” time in Washington or can “properly field dress a moose”. I could care less if that person likes hockey, soccer, football or table tennis. I could care less if they graduated from Harvard or the University of Iowa. I’m a Christian, but I could care less if they are down with Deuteronomy, Leviticus or Numbers. I want them to uphold the Constitution.

So no, I will not sit idly by as they attempt to suspend habeas corpus at Guantanamo Bay, engage wiretaps on American citizens without a warrant, and hide behind executive privilege when they are caught firing attorney generals based on how well they tow the Republican line. I won’t let them cost us $12 billion a month fighting a war that should have never been authorized and never been waged. Not while working people lose their homes to predatory lenders and watch as we bail out the financial institutions that created the housing crisis.

I will not, in the name of history, vote for a woman like Sarah Palin who does not share my values.

But here is what I will do.

I will continue raising money for Barack Obama. I will get on the phone again and call people in distant states I’ve never met. I will e-mail, call, and knock on doors until the final vote is cast. I do this, not because he shares my skin, but because I admire his principals and he shares my values.

I do this because Barack Obama is more than a community organizer, he is a bricklayer. And he sees — just as he sees the light in Michelle’s eyes — my struggle, my worth as a woman.

The Obama ’08 Volunteer Campaign Headquarters in Compton is fired up and ready to go!

On Saturday September 20th 2008, Southern Californians from cities all over the state will gather, go door-to-door, and rally to show support for Barack Obama.

I spent two days at the headquarters and I witnessed the energy and excitement firsthand. People from every where were coming to pick up yard signs, window signs, flyers, and to make donations. The phones were ringing… Its a busy place where there is never a dull moment.

Here are some videos I took this past Saturday:

Video 1» Video 2» Video 3» Video 4»

I will be at the rally this Saturday and I hope to see you there too! The more the merrier! This is history in the making. Bring your family, your friends, and your neighbors. There are only a few more weeks left before election day and plenty of work to be done. Roll up your sleeves and get involved!

Saturday September 20th 2008
9:00 am – 9:30 am Early Greeting
9:30 am – 11:30 am Door to Door
12:00 pm – 1:00pm Senator Barack Obama Rally!

Obama ’08 Volunteer Headquarters
1100 W. Compton Blvd
Compton CA 90220
(310) 886-0999
Office Hours Mon-Sat 12:00pm-5pm
Precinct Captain and Coordinator
Emily Hart-Holifield
http://www.youtube.com/user/obama08volunteers

More Things You Can Do Right Now!

» Donate today.
»Make calls from home with Neighbor to Neighbor.
»Attend a grassroots event.
»Fight smear email campaigns by joining our Action Wire Team.
»Make sure you are Registered to Vote.
»Join the online community, My.BarackObama.com.
»Sign up to get information on official campaign events.
»Read HQ Blog or the Obama Bulletin to stay informed.

I received this thought provoking email forward from my friend Willae, enjoy

How Racism Works

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said ‘I do’ to?

What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to painkillers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the ‘Keating 5′?

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

Author – Kelvin LaFond, Fort Worth

Don’t forget: What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter…
daughter……

“I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities.” —Sarah Palin

I understand that Sarah Palin’s remarks were an attempt to discredit Barack Obama while showing that she’s qualified to be John McCain’s running mate, but to scoff at community organizers in the process was out of line and indicative of her ignorance and/or disregard of American history.

If it hadn’t been for community organizers Sarah Palin wouldn’t even be where she is today! Hello, the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Movement were lead by who? COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS…people that believed in change and were determined to make a difference.

Community organizers have always been instrumental in righting wrongs and taking on the responsibilities that elected officials (including small town mayors) have either ignored, swept under the rug, or were unable/unwilling to handle.

Sarah Palin is wrong to suggest that community organizers have no actual responsibilities.

The responsibility that community organizers accept and assume comes down to: Am I My Brothers Keeper? The community organizer says YES I AM! The community organizer actively addresses social disparities and fights to make a positive difference.

While a small town city mayor might be concerned with banning books in local libraries, a community organizer is concerned with empowering people with knowledge, resources, self help programs, and more!

Whereas a former small town mayor turned governor might use a line-item veto to cut funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live, the community organizer works diligently to meet the needs of even struggling teen mothers.

Community organizers have always spearheaded change in this country. Many of America’s greatest leaders to date were and/or are community organizers! I am a community organizer.

Sarah Palin can sleep on the efforts of community organizers if she wants to, but it will be community organizers that will make sure that she does not occupy an office or even sit behind a desk in the White House!

Thank you Ms. Palin for further inspiring me to attend Camp Obama and become a Deputy Field Organizer as an effort to Get Out The Vote.

Sarah Palin Facts:

In Sarah Palin’s speech she said “Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons…The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it.” Well she didn’t leave the city of Wasilla better than she found it so why would we want her any where near the White House?

»As mayor, Sarah Palin left the city of Wasilla with almost $20 million in long-term debt.

»Sarah Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is “God’s task.” She’s even admitted she hasn’t thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, “I’ve been so focused on state government, I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq.”

»Sarah Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Sarah Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to “keep up the good work” and “wished the party luck on what she called its ‘inspiring convention.’”

»Sarah Palin doesn’t believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, “I’m not one though who would attribute it to being manmade.”

»Sarah Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP.

»Sarah Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn’t even support abortion in the case of rape or incest

»As mayor, Sarah Palin tried to ban books from the library. Sarah Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, “news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving “full support” to the mayor.”

»Sarah Palin DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). She claimed that she said “thanks, but no thanks” to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Sarah Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks “while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.”

My friends thought I was nuts last year when I shared my enthusiasm for outspoken Dennis Kucinich. I think his Wake Up America speech shows exactly why I have so much love for him and hopefully woke some folks up.

Dennis Kucinich’s Speech at the Democratic National Convention:

It’s Election Day 2008. We Democrats are giving America a wake-up call. Wake up, America. In 2001, the oil companies, the war contractors and the neo-con artists seized the economy and have added 4 trillion dollars of unproductive spending to the national debt. We now pay four times more for defense, three times more for gasoline and home heating oil and twice what we paid for health care.

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, their homes, their health care, their pensions. Trillions of dollars for an unnecessary war paid with borrowed money. Tens of billions of dollars in cash and weapons disappeared into thin air, at the cost of the lives of our troops and innocent Iraqis, while all the president’s oilmen are maneuvering to grab Iraq’s oil.

Borrowed money to bomb bridges in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. No money to rebuild bridges in America. Money to start a hot war with Iran. Now we have another cold war with Russia, while the American economy has become a game of Russian roulette.

If there was an Olympics for misleading, mismanaging and misappropriating, this administration would take the gold. World records for violations of national and international laws. They want another four-year term to continue to alienate our allies, spend our children’s inheritance and hollow out our economy.

We can’t afford another Republican administration. Wake up, America. The insurance companies took over health care. Wake up, America. The pharmaceutical companies took over drug pricing.

Wake up, America. The speculators took over Wall Street. Wake up, America. They want to take your Social Security. Wake up, America. Multinational corporations took over our trade policies, factories are closing, good paying jobs lost.

Wake up, America. We went into Iraq for oil. The oil companies want more. War against Iran will mean $10-a-gallon gasoline. The oil administration wants to drill more, into your wallet. Wake up, America. Weapons contractors want more. An Iran war will cost 5 to 10 trillion dollars.

This administration can tap our phones. They can’t tap our creative spirit. They can open our mail. They can’t open economic opportunities. They can track our every move. They lost track of the economy while the cost of food, gasoline and electricity skyrockets. They skillfully played our post-9/11 fears and allowed the few to profit at the expense of the many. Every day we get the color orange, while the oil companies, the insurance companies, the speculators, the war contractors get the color green.

Wake up, America. This is not a call for you to take a new direction from right to left. This is call for you to go from down to up. Up with the rights of workers. Up with wages. Up with fair trade. Up with creating millions of good paying jobs, rebuilding our bridges, ports and water systems. Up with creating millions of sustainable energy jobs to lower the cost of energy, lower carbon emissions and protect the environment.

Up with health care for all. Up with education for all. Up with home ownership. Up with guaranteed retirement benefits. Up with peace. Up with prosperity. Up with the Democratic Party. Up with Obama-Biden.

Wake up, America. Wake up, America. Wake up, America.