Ignorance is never a rich soil to plant seeds in. And we have a lot of cultivating ahead of us.
What's a smart grid, and if there were a build one as part of a massive stimulus package to build infrastructure, what could be built in a 2 year timeframe?
How does Tom Daschle's idea of quasi-governmental agencies relate to Health Care?
If you relied on pundits, you'd never know. Maybe Wikipedia... but wait- the information there is pretty slim pickens too. The agenda list on Change.gov generates a lot of questions for people, and ignorance about the fundamentals of the problems and solutions will make the task ahead much harder.
As an idea to not let the huge army of obama volunteers disipate and to get some real e-democracy collaboration going, on Wikipedia I have created a Wikiproject named Obama administration to strengthen the Wikipedia articles that will be referred to in response to Barack's agenda items as the legislation comes up for hearings etc.
The location is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:J_JMesserly/WikiProject_Obama_administration
Sign up in the participants section if you'd like to help people to be well informed on the topics that the Obama agenda is focused on addressing.
Thanks
I'm excited to hear the news that the Obama website is going to remain. People are going to be studying it for years (centuries?) to come as an example of how social media was used to harness grassroots efforts.
I'm hoping to see social media brought into the federal government on a wide scale. This website and change.gov are great harbingers of things to come.
In my local paper someone sent in an editorial condeming a negative cartoon about Palin in the editorial section and called the newspaper unfairly biased to Obama. They also praised McCain for his military service and denounced Obama for his lack of military service. Here is my editorial response:
To the Editor:
I response to Hawksley of Foxboro's editorial on Oct. 9th.
First let me say in defense of The Sun Chronicle, who may or may not be in the Obama camp. The job of a newspaper is to report the news as it comes, and to let the local people express their views. I believe the cartoon your speaking of was in the editorial section which directly represents the opinions of the people. They did publish you letter. Keeping that in mind you would have to agree that the lack of pro-McCain ramblings in the Sun Chronicle would be due to the peoples lack of support for the Republican Ticket.
Secondly as far as the attacks against Palin, which are pale in comparison to the fraudulent attacks on Obama. Her speeches lack substance and resemble pep rallies not presidential addresses, and that is causing the attacks. Yes she has been a good Governor of Alaska, but she has not been extraordinary. Not to discredit Palin's experience but Alaska has about the same population as the City of Boston. Would you be just as supportive for Mayor Menino as VP?
Now I do respect McCain for his honorable service to our country, but it is not an entitlement to the presidency. My disgust lies with the lack of respect for Obama's humble beginnings, and the view of him as an elitist. He was son to a poor single mother on food stamps, and somehow graduated from Harvard. Instead of choosing a high paying job on Wall Street he choose to serve his community. You said Obama has not fought for his country, I disagree. He has most certainly fought for his country by fighting for its people and their livelihood. America would be nothing without its work force. Who do you think supports the troops overseas? Is this not honorable? Obama's personal story is proof that the American Dream is still alive and it displays the possibilities available to all American citizens.
You are right Palin does deserve respect and so does Obama. A man who rose from nothing and is spending his life giving back.
Paul GaudreauSeekonk, MA
What is Patriotism? What does it mean to be Patriotic? I love this country and I would like to consider myself a Patriot, but I have one problem, I'm a Democrat. I am very confused by this notion that only Republicans can be Patriots. Is it true that Republicans are the only ones to put "Country First". If so what are Democrats putting first?
Maybe Democrats are putting "Economy First" by sponsoring government regulation on big corporations to keep them from taking advantage of Americans. Deregulation has lead to the biggest housing crises our country has seen since the great depression.
Actually Democrats are probably putting "Security First" because they disagreed with the Iraq War and wanted to spend all of our efforts going after Al-Qaida and Osama Bin Laden. Spending everything in Iraq, and neglecting the War in Afghanistan, allowed Al-Qaida to grow in strength.
No I know what it is, Democrats are putting "People First" by sponsoring government aid to actual struggling Americans rather than big corporations. Democrats will raise taxes on those who can afford it and lower taxes on those who need it. if you make $40,000 a year could you use an extra $1000? An if you make $3,000,000 a year could you afford to pay $700,000 in taxes to help your fellow Americans?
Patriotism is supporting your fellow Americans who are having trouble. Patriotism is defending your fellow Americans from invading enemies. Patriotism is protecting your fellow Americans from greedy corporations. I believe Patriotism is a love for your country and a passion for it to be the best it can be.
On November 4th, 2008 I am going to prove my Patriotism and I will be putting my "Country First" by voting for a Democrat named Barack Obama.
Paul Gaudreau
Seekonk, MA
Time is running out. There are only 54 days until the most important presidential election this country has ever seen. I know I don’t have to tell you that because you have already joined the Obama team. I just want everyone to know the urgency that is upon us. Yesterday I was chatting with a friend about politics. She had something very interesting and scary to say about Palin. I copied the transcript below and I changed her name so she won’t be identified. Check it out:
Jess: hey pal no offense but I’m probably voting for McCain
Me: ok cool I will stop emailing you
Jess: it’s no problem but I was just noticing all of the emails lol
Me: yeah I am going crazy with this election; I am pushing hard for Obama. I go to the campaign office every day after work
Jess: wow
Me: yeah I am a little serious about it. Also going to NH every weekend, but if you are definitely republican I won’t bother you with any of my ramblings. I just have been emailing everyone I possibly can
Jess: I was never into politics before this election, but I don’t want to complain about how things are if I didn’t do anything to prevent them
Me: exactly my thought
Jess: so I registered to vote before the primaries and voted for Ron Paul who I was hoping would get on the ballot for president. I don’t know everything about Obama but there are a few things I’m not a supporter of, and the same for McCain. But I am for his party due in large part because of his running mate Sarah Palin not because she's a female but to me she seems like a real American citizen
This is scary but true. There are many Americans that will cast their vote in November based on images and mudslinging rather than issues and facts. It is because of these Americans (the uninformed) that we have to work even harder to inform them about the real issues and the real things troubling this country. If everyone understood the necessity to change, we wouldn’t have to campaign. The truth is they are not like us, they don’t watch debates and speeches, or go online and research their political choice, or even read the newspaper. They make their choice based on the gossip they hear at work, the gym, or the bar. That is why it is so important for us to talk to everyone we can and to spread the message. The message of change. Inform them what the real issues are and how Obama will fix them and McCain will only prolong them. Point out the differences between Democrats and Republicans. Use verifiable facts and historical data, it is easy to find online.
I am begging each and every one of you to get out there and volunteer some time to this campaign. 1 to 3 times a week will help. Get to the phone banks and make some calls or go to NH and talk to some people. Do everything you can. If you need help figuring out how you can help please contact me, and I will point you in the right direction. The opportunities are endless, get out there and make a difference.
Barack Obama’s mother wasn’t just a girl from Kansas
By RICK MONTGOMERY
The Kansas City Star
Sun, May. 25, 2008
Five years before giving birth to a future presidential contender, the girl from Kansas extended her hand to Susan Botkin, a fellow ninth-grader. “Hi. I’m Stanley,” she said, rolling her eyes. “My dad wanted a boy.” He’d get a grandson, Barack Obama, who has almost locked up becoming the first African-American presidential nominee from a major party. Obama recently said that if his mother had lived to see his success to date, “she’d say, ‘Don’t let it get to your head. Just keep on working hard.’ But I think she’d be pretty proud.”
Video: Obama Draws Record Crowd Of 75,000 In Portland
Record Obama Crowd, the Size of a City
Why Is It so ''Sad''?
I have to admit that in this poem, I viewed ''life'' more like the ''afterlife'', which no person can objectively certify its existence (not to mention its nature)… This can create a certain discomfort at first, and when analyzed more precisely, build a ''great fear'', caused by the uncertainty - the total unfamiliarity of this afterlife. (I believe this is the origin of our natural fear of death… in fact, what we generally fear isn't ''death'' at all, but the ''afterlife'' itself). What I mean is, all this pushed me to write more about ''the meaning of death'' rather than ''the meaning of life'' - or, the meaning of an uncertain afterlife rather than life, with all the joy and sorrow, that come with it. It resulted in something a bit different, not wrong, but different… It turned out more ''depressing'' than I initially wanted, by erasing all the implicit more positive and cheerful thoughts… (I hope the picture of that cute little baby will bring some back, :-) However, I still have to confess that it wasn't meant to be a ''cheerful'' poem. It was more intended to be ''explicitly honest'' in any point of view, ''uninterested'' in hiding any inconvenient reality (just because it makes us feel a little gloomy). Which brings me to my final point. According to what I read in some of your replies, there is a ''gigantic'' misunderstanding between what you understood in the text, and what I meant to say ! I never intended to declare ''Our commonality as the inevitability of death''… never ! In fact, I didn't even talk about ''commonality'' in that poem (and that's certainly the mistake I made…) When I say ''Common Destiny'', it should be viewed here as a ''characteristic that every human been shares'', not as ''a set of characteristics usually positive and meant to bring together the human society, for a greater purpose'', thus commonality when applied to humanity… What some of you didn't seem to see (or perhaps I didn't emphasize enough), is the enormous question marks ! The whole poem was designed to PRESENT our ''Common Destiny'' as ''Death''; a ''tool'' of a living organism, of a Greater Conscience, of Mother Nature, or God (or whatever you call Him)… but sure NOT to CLAIM, that hopeless picture, as the only truth! - because though, there IS some truth in that depressing image - since we ought to die one day, as death IS a great part of life - It's up to YOU to decide the veracity of that whole assertion. As I said many times in the poem, I personally don't know the meaning of life - BUT I'm not saying it doesn't have one… Now and then, I think life is truly, what YOU make it to be. But then, in a general view, I just don't think we, as simple human beings, will ever be able to comprehend it. (Actually, that's why I kept asking ''Mother Nature'' to share that ''meaning'' with me, throughout the entire poem… but I think that part was clear enough, :)
Stephen
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Please read: "The Meaning Of Life (in YOUR point of view)"