Military Salute on Veterans' Day

I received this video yesterday from Go Daddy CEO and
founder Bob Parsons.  Created as a special tribute to the
United States Marine Corps (from which Parsons is a
veteran)on its 233rd birthday, it is also meant to
salute the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
Make sure you have your speakers on. This is an 
awesome video. (It's a tad slow to load, so please
be patient.) It was especially difficult for me 
to watch the second part.

Mr. Parsons added a personal note:

"Finally, a special message to my brothers and sisters
who served our country in Viet Nam; thanks for all you
did, WELCOME HOME!"

https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/holiday/usmc2008/playmovie.asp?isc=gdp1116

Even those of us who vehemently disagree with the ill
conceived war in Iraq greatly honor the military service
of those who've fought there.  They follow their military
oath by doing so.  Our government should honor them by
stopping this insane conflict and bring them home NOW.
I'm confident that with Barack Obama as commander-in-
chief this war is finally going to end!!!!

Veterans' Day

Bill Guerrant

Chu Lai Vietnam 1967-1968
Our son Matthew now has his combat boots.

On this Veterans' Day let us honor all of our service men and women. My husband served as a journalist and combat photographer with the Americal Division in Vietnam in 1967 - 1968. He remains forever changed.

The armband Bill wore in Vietnam along with his Vietnam service medal.

Free Obama Victory Sticker

Isn't this a fabulous design? MoveOn.org joined with Shepard Fairey - the acclaimed artist who designed the iconic Obama "Hope" poster - to create a special piece of art commemorating this historic, people-powered victory. To get your own sticker, click on this link:

http://pol.moveon.org/shepstickers?id=15071-7562531-HypdRkx&t=5

An Amazing Day

The words of Michael Moore express so well many of the feelings I have today. Here they are:

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

"Friends,

Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.

In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.

There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.

It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.

But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.

We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.

An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.

We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.

I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.

But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow."

Yours,
Michael Moore
MichaelMoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com

YES HE DID!!!!!!!!!

My heart is full. I've always believed Barack Obama is the only one who can save us. Now he has the chance. YES HE DOES!!! GOBAMA!!! YEAH!!!!!

VOTE TODAY!

Today's the day we've all been waiting for.

Michelle Obama greets voters in Las Vegas yesterday.

My niece Kari gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up after talking with Michelle Obama! Wow! Kari's daughter Grace attends preschool at the college where Obama spoke.

Michelle Obama grooves before addressing a crowd in Las Vegas yesterday.

I've just finished my shift at Obama Headquarters, where I made calls to voters. I'll probably spend most of the day there, as it is the place to be! The buzz - the atmosphere - the electricity are palpable. It is just amazing to be there amongst campaign workers. The place is mobbed with people on cell phones, folks on laptops, workers sending volunteers out into the field and others collecting data. The campaign plans to contact every voter today in a massive effort to get out the vote. This ground operation is indeed something to behold. I'm thrilled to be a very small part of it.

Photo Credit: Josh Chenier

Turning Dixie Blue

North Carolina hasn't turned blue for a presidential election since 1976. We hope to change that this year. If it happens, and I think it will, most of the credit will go to the absolutely brilliant ground game being waged by the Obama campaign. This is one place where experience as a community organizer shines!

My DH and I are doing everything we possibly can to get Barack Obama elected. We walked a precinct for hours Saturday, knocking on doors, talking to voters at home and on the street. We approached a huge church gathering in the park. When the minister saw our Obama literature, he handed the microphone to my DH and invited him to speak. His first words? "How many of you have already voted?" The show of hands was overwhelming.

When I last walked a precinct, in the battle between Harvey Gantt and the late Jesse Helms, I came home frustrated. Apathy was everywhere, with many citizens not even registering to vote. Not this year! Of voters who were home, 100% supported Barack Obama and more than half had already voted.

We were impressed by the precinct packet we were given early Saturday. This is a campaign versed in and taking advantage of IT. Our lists included voters' names, sex and ages. Computer-generated voter lists were bar-coded to allow for rapid tallies. Headquarters was overrun by up-beat volunteers - each anxious to do his/her part in making history.

North Carolina just finished two weeks of heavy early voting. Election officials extended voting by four hours Saturday, cutting off lines at 5 p.m. Those who were in line at that time were allowed to vote, with the last doing so at about 10 p.m. This morning's Charlotte Observer reports 2.5 million - 41% of the state's registered voters - have already voted.

The following percentage of each party's electorate has voted early:

Unaffiliated 31.31%
Republican 33.18%
Libertarian 43.65%
Democratic 44.34%

This overwhelming turnout is unprecedented. I have to believe it favors Barack Obama.

The Daily Kos reported Sunday:

Blacks made up 29.94% of the Saturday final day total of 202,854 voters at 337 sites, up from the 25.20% who early voted Friday. Both numbers exceed the 21.6% of registered voters who are Black. Two heavily Democratic counties in the Research Triangle area outperformed even that. Durham County (2004 Kerry 68%, Bush 31%) saw 97,697 early voters, 87.5% of the 2004 turnout, while Chapel Hill's Orange County (2004 Kerry 67%, Bush 32%) had 51,964 early votes, 78.6% of the total 2004 vote. Wake County (Raleigh) had 251,034 vote early, 70% of 2004 total.

I'm scheduled to canvas again tomorrow, and will probably put in a few more hours today. Can we turn Dixie BLUE? YES WE CAN!!!

KEEP THE FAITH.