I love you all. I love the United States of America. I love our Constitution and Bill of Rights. I love our flag. I love our planet and all of creation. I want to see our country continue to move forward, however slowly that may be at times, to what it can become and not slip backward to what it never was. I don't want to see our country turn back to a time when the only people who had rights were white men. I don't want to see our country destroy our little corner of the planet along with the creatures, trees, flowers and plants with whom we share our land. I don't want to see our country take part in the destruction of this plant that is our home. I know you don't either. But there are people who do and they vote.
I want to see our country take steps to ensure the equality promised in The Declaration of Independence is extended to all people. I don't want us to continue to use skin color, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or no religious beliefs to prevent anyone from being treated fairly and equally and receiving all the same benefits and protections under the law. Too many people still struggle with civil rights. As a gay woman, I am all to aware of the rights I do not share with my heterosexual family and friends. When my partner died, I could not receive her pension because we were not married. We registered as domestic partners in Broward County Florida. But the company handling her pension did not recognize same sex domestic partnerships. I know you all love me and support me. I cannot imagine that you would vote for people who want to make it even more difficult for gay people. But there are people who do and they vote.
I want us to be proud that we are a nation of immigrants who came to this country in search of something better than what they had in their own countries. I want us to understand that the people who are risking their lives to get here are not doing so for a handout from our government. They would rather die trying to get to the United States than stay where they are because that is how difficult life is for them. I want us to embrace the words of Emma Lazurus' New Colossus and with open arms shout out in a loud voice "Send them! They will be welcome here!" Many of us are the descendants of immigrants. I cannot believe you would be anti immigration. But there are people who are and they vote.
I want all of you, my family and friends, to be able to see a doctor and to be able to receive medical treatment. I don't want to see you have to use the Emergency Room as your doctor as so many people have had to do in the past because they had no insurance and could not afford to go to the doctor. I know our current system is not perfect, but more people have insurance now than in the past. People with pre-existing conditions can finally get the help they need because they cannot be turned down. The system can be fixed, but not if those who seek to destroy it and replace it with something worse are elected. I don't think anyone's income should be the deciding factor in whether they can and should be able to get medical insurance or see a doctor. I cannot believe that any of you would really believe there are people who deserve to die or should die because they do not make enough money to pay high premiums for medical insurance. I cannot believe that you think anyone should die because they are already ill and insurance companies should not have to cover them. But there are people who do and they vote.
I want you to really think about what will happen if Social Security and Medicare end. Do you know anyone who receives these benefits? Do you honestly believe they should not receive any assistance? Why not? Do you think they should have planned better? Saved more? Had better jobs? My own parents were blue collar workers and depended on Social Security and Medicare. So will I. Do you have enough money to survive on when you retire so that you will not need Social Security? Do you have enough money to pay for medical insurance so you will not need Medicare? If your answer to either of these questions is "no" then please tell me why you would ever vote for people who plan to end these programs. Do you believe that anyone, and especially children, deserve to starve? If you do not, then why would vote for people who will do that? If your answer is, "Well, I'm not going to vote." then you will let others make the choices and decisions for you.
In 2016, we will decide whether we, as a country, want to move forward together or continue to become a house even more divided. A house where some people have rights, including the right to eat, and others do not. A house were the 1% percent thrive and have all the power rather than a house where the 100% sit together at the table to work out a way that is better for more people. There will never be a perfect system because there will never be perfect people. But we can become better and our country can become better if only we will join together. I'm joining with Hillary Clinton because I know we can move our country forward! We're not going to solve every problem. But we can and will take steps in the right direction.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
One hundred fifty years ago
On April 14, 1865 Abraham Lincoln was shot as he sat in Ford's Theater watching a play. He died in the early morning on April 15. The young country, which had just endured four years of war and was looking forward to peace, now had to deal with death of the President. The man who called on his fellow citizens to dedicate themselves to ensuring "that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth" had himself perished. The man who wanted to "bind up the nations wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations" would not be able to help his torn country reunite.
We, as a country, do not commemorate these days. We used to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday as a holiday, but then a decision was made to combine Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays into President's Day. Perhaps it is fitting that the "father of our country" and the man responsible for saving the Union are celebrated on the same day. So why should we recall the day Lincoln was assassinated? Or the day he died? Why think about Abraham Lincoln at all?
President Abraham Lincoln believed that the United States of America could not and must not be divided. Rather than allow the southern States leave the Union, he called on the citizens of the northern States to come together and preserve the Union. Certainly letting the States secede might have been easier than engaging in a war. But he could not allow this "last, best hope of earth" to fail because he feared it would be the end of any chance of democratic government. He understood the horror of a war the lasted much longer than anyone expected. Photographs of Abraham Lincoln throughout his term as President show the toll the conflict took on him. But he was determined to preserve the Union.
So why should we care about Abraham Lincoln? Because he showed us what determination can do. He was primarily self-taught with little formal education, yet his words are often included in literature books. Despite being ridiculed and insulted, Lincoln kept moving forward. He showed us that against all odds, we can achieve more than is expected of us. Most important is that he cared about us, yes, us in this century. He wanted to ensure that our country, our democracy, continued and he died for his beliefs.
Shouldn't we care enough about him to recall his assassination and death? Shouldn't we care enough about him to dedicate ourselves to preserving our country and not allowing The United States of America to be once again torn apart by those who want to stop us from moving even one step closer to the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence?
We, as a country, do not commemorate these days. We used to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday as a holiday, but then a decision was made to combine Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays into President's Day. Perhaps it is fitting that the "father of our country" and the man responsible for saving the Union are celebrated on the same day. So why should we recall the day Lincoln was assassinated? Or the day he died? Why think about Abraham Lincoln at all?
President Abraham Lincoln believed that the United States of America could not and must not be divided. Rather than allow the southern States leave the Union, he called on the citizens of the northern States to come together and preserve the Union. Certainly letting the States secede might have been easier than engaging in a war. But he could not allow this "last, best hope of earth" to fail because he feared it would be the end of any chance of democratic government. He understood the horror of a war the lasted much longer than anyone expected. Photographs of Abraham Lincoln throughout his term as President show the toll the conflict took on him. But he was determined to preserve the Union.
So why should we care about Abraham Lincoln? Because he showed us what determination can do. He was primarily self-taught with little formal education, yet his words are often included in literature books. Despite being ridiculed and insulted, Lincoln kept moving forward. He showed us that against all odds, we can achieve more than is expected of us. Most important is that he cared about us, yes, us in this century. He wanted to ensure that our country, our democracy, continued and he died for his beliefs.
Shouldn't we care enough about him to recall his assassination and death? Shouldn't we care enough about him to dedicate ourselves to preserving our country and not allowing The United States of America to be once again torn apart by those who want to stop us from moving even one step closer to the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence?
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Truth about who receives assistance
I saw a picture of a highway with cars headed away from the photographer and north out of Florida. When I saw the word "goodbye', I was expecting the picture to be about the annual exodus of the snowbirds. I was wrong. The original poster wrote about gleefully saying goodbye to all the "deadbeats who don't want to work and drug users" who would be leaving Florida to go to States where drug testing is not required to receive public assistance. I am still stunned, though I shouldn't be, at how many people not just here in Florida, but across the country, really do believe that drug users and deadbeats are the largest group receiving public assistance.
There is a reason so many people believe this misconception about who receives public assistance. Fox News, Right Wing television and radio personalities and the Republican Party have made this one of their biggest messages in an effort to gain support to destroy social service programs. Painting a vivid picture of deadbeats and drug users really does have a tremendous effect on how people perceive those receiving assistance. Would anyone really feel so angry about senior citizens on Social Security, people with disabilities or veterans receiving assistance? Of course not, unless a person is so heartless as to really believe people deserve to starve.
Some working people also receive public assistance because they are unable to find full-time work or find a job that pays enough to feed their family. Raising the minimum wage would certainly help. But that is a difficult conversation to have when wealthy corporate owners are spending so much money to prevent that from happening. There is also the impact raising the wage would have on small business owners who would struggle to meet payroll demands. The tendency is always to focus on the big corporations as though big corporations own and operate every business.
Surely demonizing people is not the answer, yet that is what is happening. Worse is that the lie is being endorsed by staunch, proud conservative Christians who quote from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians that people who do not work, should not eat. They, of course forget all about Jesus saying sell what you have and give to the poor. (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:33, Luke 18:22) There are also verses in the Old testament as well as the other verses in the New testament about feeding the poor, caring for the elderly and taking care of the sick. All of which are conveniently ignored in an effort to destroy life saving programs.
If only people would actually take time to find out if the information they pass along is actually truthful instead of allowing their emotions to be manipulated, this country might actually move forward, rather than backward. If only this outrage at all those drug dealers and deadbeats who refuse to work who are receiving so much public assistance, which in fact is not the millions about which conservatives rant and rave and whip people into a frenzy, was directed at those who are not paying their fair share in any type of taxes, the deficits would drop and social programs would be infused with life giving money. Where is the outrage about this?
Where is the outrage about children who are starving/ Where is the outrage about the elderly who have to choose between eating and paying bills? Where is the outrage about veterans living on the streets? Where is the outrage about anyone living on the streets? Where is the outrage about people digging in dumpsters for food?
There is a reason so many people believe this misconception about who receives public assistance. Fox News, Right Wing television and radio personalities and the Republican Party have made this one of their biggest messages in an effort to gain support to destroy social service programs. Painting a vivid picture of deadbeats and drug users really does have a tremendous effect on how people perceive those receiving assistance. Would anyone really feel so angry about senior citizens on Social Security, people with disabilities or veterans receiving assistance? Of course not, unless a person is so heartless as to really believe people deserve to starve.
Some working people also receive public assistance because they are unable to find full-time work or find a job that pays enough to feed their family. Raising the minimum wage would certainly help. But that is a difficult conversation to have when wealthy corporate owners are spending so much money to prevent that from happening. There is also the impact raising the wage would have on small business owners who would struggle to meet payroll demands. The tendency is always to focus on the big corporations as though big corporations own and operate every business.
Surely demonizing people is not the answer, yet that is what is happening. Worse is that the lie is being endorsed by staunch, proud conservative Christians who quote from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians that people who do not work, should not eat. They, of course forget all about Jesus saying sell what you have and give to the poor. (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:33, Luke 18:22) There are also verses in the Old testament as well as the other verses in the New testament about feeding the poor, caring for the elderly and taking care of the sick. All of which are conveniently ignored in an effort to destroy life saving programs.
If only people would actually take time to find out if the information they pass along is actually truthful instead of allowing their emotions to be manipulated, this country might actually move forward, rather than backward. If only this outrage at all those drug dealers and deadbeats who refuse to work who are receiving so much public assistance, which in fact is not the millions about which conservatives rant and rave and whip people into a frenzy, was directed at those who are not paying their fair share in any type of taxes, the deficits would drop and social programs would be infused with life giving money. Where is the outrage about this?
Where is the outrage about children who are starving/ Where is the outrage about the elderly who have to choose between eating and paying bills? Where is the outrage about veterans living on the streets? Where is the outrage about anyone living on the streets? Where is the outrage about people digging in dumpsters for food?
Saturday, April 11, 2015
we can not give up
Once again, the inspiration for this blog post came from a conversation with my sister. We were talking about the influence Fox News and the right wing conservatives have on the voters. As my sister pointed out, millions of dollars are constantly being poured in to advertising to promote a very specific message that appeals to a group of people who vote in every election. Along with the money, there is also the problem of gerrymandering which is not a new issue but has certainly become more prevalent. All of which seems to bode well for conservative Republicans and doom the Democrats.
But money cannot not vote. Corporations cannot vote. The 1% can not cast more votes than the 99%. Yes, the corporations can try to persuade their workers and the conservative Christian preachers can often sway their parishioners. But I still believe there are more people who oppose the policies of the Right Wing Republicans than support them. The problem is that all those people do not always go out and vote. The core voters in the Republican Party, the ones that will vote in every election, out-number those same voters in the Democratic Party. Why? The simple answer is that the Republicans are much better at getting out their message than the Democrats are at getting out their message.
The liberal groups on Facebook constantly post about what the Republicans are doing and how harmful their policies are. But that didn't seem to matter enough to prevent Republican victories in the last election. So what does matter? When people choose to stay home rather than vote, they allow others to make choices for them. Why do they choose to not vote? Some people do not think their vote will matter, but it will, if only they would cast it. If only they would add their votes to all the others who also believe their vote will not make a difference.
We are stronger when we stand together. We can create change when we work together to make the change happen. We can not and must not give up because that is what the conservatives and billionaires are counting on to happen. They want us to believe that we are defeated. They want us to believe that our votes do not count. But the only way our votes will not count, the only way we will be unable to create the change we want, the change that is what our country needs, is if we stay home and do not vote!
Stand up, stand together, go to the polls, vote and with each vote we will echo the words of Abraham Lincoln "that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from this earth."
But money cannot not vote. Corporations cannot vote. The 1% can not cast more votes than the 99%. Yes, the corporations can try to persuade their workers and the conservative Christian preachers can often sway their parishioners. But I still believe there are more people who oppose the policies of the Right Wing Republicans than support them. The problem is that all those people do not always go out and vote. The core voters in the Republican Party, the ones that will vote in every election, out-number those same voters in the Democratic Party. Why? The simple answer is that the Republicans are much better at getting out their message than the Democrats are at getting out their message.
The liberal groups on Facebook constantly post about what the Republicans are doing and how harmful their policies are. But that didn't seem to matter enough to prevent Republican victories in the last election. So what does matter? When people choose to stay home rather than vote, they allow others to make choices for them. Why do they choose to not vote? Some people do not think their vote will matter, but it will, if only they would cast it. If only they would add their votes to all the others who also believe their vote will not make a difference.
We are stronger when we stand together. We can create change when we work together to make the change happen. We can not and must not give up because that is what the conservatives and billionaires are counting on to happen. They want us to believe that we are defeated. They want us to believe that our votes do not count. But the only way our votes will not count, the only way we will be unable to create the change we want, the change that is what our country needs, is if we stay home and do not vote!
Stand up, stand together, go to the polls, vote and with each vote we will echo the words of Abraham Lincoln "that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from this earth."
Thursday, March 26, 2015
another shooting children killing children
Last night, in Florida, a mother of four lost two of her children Her thirteen year old son shot and killed his six year old brother, then committed suicide. A sixteen year old brother was also shot. An older brother was not home. The mother was at work. I cannot imagine the grief that comes with losing just one child. But for this mother, the grief must be and will continue to be unimaginable. How will she deal with the unspeakable horror that two of her children are dead because of a murder then a suicide?
The news account suggest that a food fight led to the deadly shooting, Why would a thirteen year old boy believe that a gun was the solution? Was he just trying to scare his brother? Did he know the gun was loaded? Was the shooting an accident? Did he take his own life because he could not deal with the shock and guilt of having just killed his brother? All those questions will remain forever unanswered, buried with the young teenager who chose to handle a problem with a gun.
There will be questions about the gun. Where was it kept? Why wasn't it secured so that an angry boy couldn't use it to shatter his family? There will be endless days and nights of grief and wondering why this tragedy happened and could it have been prevented. There will be yet another debate about guns and gun safety and the need to ensure that those who have guns ensure that those weapons are kept secure and out of the reach of children. But many children are exposed to guns at an early age and taught how to shoot. So where do we draw the line? How to we stop this tragedy from happening again and again?
What will be even more appalling than this tragedy will be the people who will still believe that nothing should be done to try to prevent this from happening again. This is not a second amendment issue. This is not about wanting to or trying to take away anyone's guns. This is about children killing children. This is an epidemic that we can and must stop!
The news account suggest that a food fight led to the deadly shooting, Why would a thirteen year old boy believe that a gun was the solution? Was he just trying to scare his brother? Did he know the gun was loaded? Was the shooting an accident? Did he take his own life because he could not deal with the shock and guilt of having just killed his brother? All those questions will remain forever unanswered, buried with the young teenager who chose to handle a problem with a gun.
There will be questions about the gun. Where was it kept? Why wasn't it secured so that an angry boy couldn't use it to shatter his family? There will be endless days and nights of grief and wondering why this tragedy happened and could it have been prevented. There will be yet another debate about guns and gun safety and the need to ensure that those who have guns ensure that those weapons are kept secure and out of the reach of children. But many children are exposed to guns at an early age and taught how to shoot. So where do we draw the line? How to we stop this tragedy from happening again and again?
What will be even more appalling than this tragedy will be the people who will still believe that nothing should be done to try to prevent this from happening again. This is not a second amendment issue. This is not about wanting to or trying to take away anyone's guns. This is about children killing children. This is an epidemic that we can and must stop!
Saturday, December 20, 2014
The importance of knowing Early American History
During a telephone conversation with my sister, she mentioned that she had started reading one of the books I sent her, A Brilliant Solution Inventing the American Constitution written by Carol Berkin. We talked about the how much the beginning of the book and the issues that the new country faced were similar to issues we are dealing with now. Part of the problem we face as a country today is that many people do not have enough knowledge about our country's history to be able to distinguish between what is factual and what is mere opinion which people then believe to be factual.
A perfect example of misinformation is The Tea Party which claims to be carrying on in the tradition of the colonists who took part in the dumping tea in Boston Harbor. The present day Tea Party claims that their opposition to taxes is similar to the colonists opposition to taxes. But the colonists were not opposed to paying taxes. They were opposed to paying taxes placed on them by the British parliament because they had no direct representation, a violation of their rights as English citizens. The taxes we pay today were passed by members of Congress who represent the citizens of the United States. So whatever the present day Tea Party represents itself to be, it is certainly not carrying on in the tradition of the colonists prior to the American Revolution.
The factions that have divided and rendered both the House of Representatives and the Senate incapable of getting much passed were concerns of the citizens of the newly formed United states when the Constitution was drafted and sent to the States to be ratified by the people. Hamilton, in Federalist Number 9, used the words of the philosopher Montesquieu to demonstrate that larger governing bodies can be an effective force against factions gaining control because the other members of the governing body would act to stop that from happening. Hamilton chose to quote Montesquieu directly because the Anti-Federalists used Montesquieu's writings to oppose a central government. Montesquieu believed in very small republics.
Madison, in Federalist 10, acknowledged that factions and parties will form. He defined a faction as: "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community." Madison believed that "if a faction consists of less than a majority, relief is supplied by the republican principle, which enables the majority to defeat its sinister views by regular vote." The faction could "clog the administration". Madison also knew that factions could gain a majority and believed that "the form of popular government, on the other hand, enables it to sacrifice to its ruling passion or interest both the public good and the rights of other citizens." But Both Hamilton and Madison believed that Congress would ultimately do what was right and best for the citizens. Both men were proven wrong especially by the government shutdown as well as the inability of the most recent Congress to enact much of anything substantial..
The present day Conservative Republicans and Tea Party members also share something in common with the Know Nothing Party from the 1850s: opposition to immigration. The rhetoric of the Know Nothing Party prompted Abraham Lincoln to write in a letter to Joshua Speed August 24, 1855: When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty-to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy (sic). The same opposition to immigration is still alive and well today only the ethnicity of the groups has changed and ironically is being voiced by the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those immigrants who were allowed into the United States.
The Republican Conservatives and Tea Party leaders along with conservative commentators, while attempting to represent themselves as carrying on the tradition of the 1776 have, in fact, been for several years now engaging in rhetoric similar to the dialog of the 1850s. Just as plantation owners, who were the party leaders and held positions in Federal, State and Local government, convinced poorer whites in the South that protecting a system that they would never be a part of was in their best interests, so Republican Conservatives and Tea Party leaders along with conservative commentators continue to convince many groups that any policies which would really be good for them, are in fact bad. Much of the talk has called for resistance in such a way as to be seen as a movement to destroy our American democracy.
Some of the Framers of the Constitution were deeply concerned that voters who were not well-informed might be misled or swayed by their emotions and not make the best choices when voting for elected officials. Part of the problem we face today may very well be a lack of knowledge among voters about our country's history. This lack of knowledge can make it difficult for people to understand that opinions expressed by commentators are not always factually correct. Additionally, politicians, who either deliberately or because they, too, lack historical knowledge, provide incorrect information which people all too readily take as factually correct.
Books such as Pauline Maier's American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence, Jack N. Rakove's Original Meanings POLITICS AND IDEAS IN THE MAKING OF THE CONSTITUTION., Carol Berkin's A Brilliant Solution Inventing the American Constution and James McPherson's Abraham Lincoln and The Second American Revolution are excellent sources for anyone interested in learning more about American History.
A perfect example of misinformation is The Tea Party which claims to be carrying on in the tradition of the colonists who took part in the dumping tea in Boston Harbor. The present day Tea Party claims that their opposition to taxes is similar to the colonists opposition to taxes. But the colonists were not opposed to paying taxes. They were opposed to paying taxes placed on them by the British parliament because they had no direct representation, a violation of their rights as English citizens. The taxes we pay today were passed by members of Congress who represent the citizens of the United States. So whatever the present day Tea Party represents itself to be, it is certainly not carrying on in the tradition of the colonists prior to the American Revolution.
The factions that have divided and rendered both the House of Representatives and the Senate incapable of getting much passed were concerns of the citizens of the newly formed United states when the Constitution was drafted and sent to the States to be ratified by the people. Hamilton, in Federalist Number 9, used the words of the philosopher Montesquieu to demonstrate that larger governing bodies can be an effective force against factions gaining control because the other members of the governing body would act to stop that from happening. Hamilton chose to quote Montesquieu directly because the Anti-Federalists used Montesquieu's writings to oppose a central government. Montesquieu believed in very small republics.
Madison, in Federalist 10, acknowledged that factions and parties will form. He defined a faction as: "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community." Madison believed that "if a faction consists of less than a majority, relief is supplied by the republican principle, which enables the majority to defeat its sinister views by regular vote." The faction could "clog the administration". Madison also knew that factions could gain a majority and believed that "the form of popular government, on the other hand, enables it to sacrifice to its ruling passion or interest both the public good and the rights of other citizens." But Both Hamilton and Madison believed that Congress would ultimately do what was right and best for the citizens. Both men were proven wrong especially by the government shutdown as well as the inability of the most recent Congress to enact much of anything substantial..
The present day Conservative Republicans and Tea Party members also share something in common with the Know Nothing Party from the 1850s: opposition to immigration. The rhetoric of the Know Nothing Party prompted Abraham Lincoln to write in a letter to Joshua Speed August 24, 1855: When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty-to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy (sic). The same opposition to immigration is still alive and well today only the ethnicity of the groups has changed and ironically is being voiced by the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those immigrants who were allowed into the United States.
The Republican Conservatives and Tea Party leaders along with conservative commentators, while attempting to represent themselves as carrying on the tradition of the 1776 have, in fact, been for several years now engaging in rhetoric similar to the dialog of the 1850s. Just as plantation owners, who were the party leaders and held positions in Federal, State and Local government, convinced poorer whites in the South that protecting a system that they would never be a part of was in their best interests, so Republican Conservatives and Tea Party leaders along with conservative commentators continue to convince many groups that any policies which would really be good for them, are in fact bad. Much of the talk has called for resistance in such a way as to be seen as a movement to destroy our American democracy.
Some of the Framers of the Constitution were deeply concerned that voters who were not well-informed might be misled or swayed by their emotions and not make the best choices when voting for elected officials. Part of the problem we face today may very well be a lack of knowledge among voters about our country's history. This lack of knowledge can make it difficult for people to understand that opinions expressed by commentators are not always factually correct. Additionally, politicians, who either deliberately or because they, too, lack historical knowledge, provide incorrect information which people all too readily take as factually correct.
Books such as Pauline Maier's American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence, Jack N. Rakove's Original Meanings POLITICS AND IDEAS IN THE MAKING OF THE CONSTITUTION., Carol Berkin's A Brilliant Solution Inventing the American Constution and James McPherson's Abraham Lincoln and The Second American Revolution are excellent sources for anyone interested in learning more about American History.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Did you know the Nuns are back on the Bus and riding for us!
For the third time, Sr. Simone Campbell and a group of Roman Catholic Sisters decided to get back on the bus and visit ten States. Their first bus trip, in 2012, was in response to Representative Paul Ryan's Budget, which they felt would have a devastating impact on the elderly and disadvantaged. The Roman Catholic Sisters disagreed with Representative Ryan's statement that his budget fell in line with Catholic social teaching. That road trip led to Sister Simone Campbell speaking at the Democratic Convention where she said, "I am my sister's keeper. I am my brother's keeper." A reminder to us all that we are all in this world together and must care for one another.
In 2013, Sister Simone Campbell and the Nuns on the Bus went on the road in support of immigration reform. Their theme was "RAISE YOUR HANDS. RAISE YOUR VOICE. They visited fifteen states, spending several days in Texas, Arizona and California, hoping to reach out to residents in those States to help them understand that those crossing the border meant no harm. They were just trying to to survive and make a better life than what they had. As a nation of immigrants, most of us are here because our ancestors also came to this country to make a better life. We might want to to remember that fact.
On September 17, Sister Simone Campbell and the Nuns on the Bus began their third road trip in Iowa. Their theme is We the People, WE THE VOTERS. They have already traveled to nine States and will conclude with a visit to Colorado. They are speaking about the 100%. The need to engage everyone in the discussion, not just the one percent, two percent or ninety-eight percent. Sr. Simone said "You cannot buy our table of democracy." Sister Marge Clark said "All are welcome at the table, but the table can't be bought." Both were alluding to the billions of dollars poured into political ads for conservative Republican and Tea Party candidates. Ads that are filled with distortions and misinformation.
The Nuns on Bus spent time actively engaging in voter registration prior to the deadline and since have been encouraging people to vote, reminding us all that "we the people" must participate in order to bring about the change we want. Sister Simone has written a few Op-ed pieces. She tweets often about the need to vote. Her quotes should be on Memes and filling Facebook, but they are not. Instead many liberal groups simply repeat the same things over and over. Fortunately, filmmaker Melissa Regan is filming the events as part of her Nuns On The Bus - The Movie documentary.
These Sisters are not riding on a bus because they have nothing better to do with their time. They are riding on a bus because they believe that this is the best thing they can do with their time. They are riding on a bus because they care about our country, our democracy and want us to become "that more perfect Union." Shouldn't we care that much, too? Just imagine what would happen if we all did!
In 2013, Sister Simone Campbell and the Nuns on the Bus went on the road in support of immigration reform. Their theme was "RAISE YOUR HANDS. RAISE YOUR VOICE. They visited fifteen states, spending several days in Texas, Arizona and California, hoping to reach out to residents in those States to help them understand that those crossing the border meant no harm. They were just trying to to survive and make a better life than what they had. As a nation of immigrants, most of us are here because our ancestors also came to this country to make a better life. We might want to to remember that fact.
On September 17, Sister Simone Campbell and the Nuns on the Bus began their third road trip in Iowa. Their theme is We the People, WE THE VOTERS. They have already traveled to nine States and will conclude with a visit to Colorado. They are speaking about the 100%. The need to engage everyone in the discussion, not just the one percent, two percent or ninety-eight percent. Sr. Simone said "You cannot buy our table of democracy." Sister Marge Clark said "All are welcome at the table, but the table can't be bought." Both were alluding to the billions of dollars poured into political ads for conservative Republican and Tea Party candidates. Ads that are filled with distortions and misinformation.
The Nuns on Bus spent time actively engaging in voter registration prior to the deadline and since have been encouraging people to vote, reminding us all that "we the people" must participate in order to bring about the change we want. Sister Simone has written a few Op-ed pieces. She tweets often about the need to vote. Her quotes should be on Memes and filling Facebook, but they are not. Instead many liberal groups simply repeat the same things over and over. Fortunately, filmmaker Melissa Regan is filming the events as part of her Nuns On The Bus - The Movie documentary.
These Sisters are not riding on a bus because they have nothing better to do with their time. They are riding on a bus because they believe that this is the best thing they can do with their time. They are riding on a bus because they care about our country, our democracy and want us to become "that more perfect Union." Shouldn't we care that much, too? Just imagine what would happen if we all did!
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