Thursday Petition and Such Catch-Up

I am very far behind in reading email. My inbox is full of petitions and such. I will list a few of them now.

Petitions:

• DefCon has several active campaigns.

• Charles Sanders has a petition to bring the troops home now. (mute first if you don’t want to hear his message)

• Demand that Ted Stevens release the hold on S2590. See, “I’m on the Hunt”

• One Campaign to Make Poverty History is asking you to add your name.

• EFF has several active petitions.

• Stop fake news.

• Demand that Women have access to their birth control.

• Tell Cheney you are proud to be a Dean Democrat.

• Protect forests and free spaces.

• Free Suzanne Swift

• League of Conservation Voters Global Warming petition

• Still trying to save the wolves.

• Tell Bush to keep his promises to the Gulf Coast.


Activities and Stuff:

• Great video on what really happens to those unused embryos.

• Campaign for America’s Future has a great new website, filled with talking points and videos.

• DefCon is asking for people to take their Real American Values survey. It is short, only a couple of questions.

• Attend a screening of “The Ground Truth”

• Make sure that you, friends and family are registered to vote.

• Democratic Governors Association needs volunteers.

• NWLC has a great blog “Nomination Watch”

• Share your concerns about Medicare Part D.

• NOW Spotlights Violence Against Women in the Military. Many suggestions on how to get involved.

• NOW has a good piece on blogging.

• DNC & Katrina related activities

• OMG _ Mother Jones article about a Gitmo detainee. This should be read by everyone.

• MoveOn asks that you attend or host a screening of “When the Levees Broke”

• Become a member of Wellstone Action and get out the vote.


Those who need financial support:

• Feingold looking for people to pre-renew their Progressive Patriot membership.

• Center for Media and Democracy – donate and receive a gift

• Today is reporting day for Dem donations, everyone needs money. The amount of money that people file today will indicate to the National orgs who they will throw their support to.

• Red Cross Katrina Fund

• DemStore There are a whole lot of items for sale here and a lot of tools for increasing awareness.

• DCCC supporting women candidates.


Upcoming Events:

• September 16th Nationwide Walk for Peace

• Department of Peace conference Feb 03-05, Washington DC

• The Trial of Don Rumsfeld Maybe it can be taken Nationwide.

• Oct -17 ACLU Stop the Abuse of Power event in DC

• Camp Democracy partnering with many other groups for National march on DC Sept 05.

UPDATE: Steve at TLC has a must read on "Dems Should Not Shy Away from this Debate"

This is Important

I am certain that all of you have had an opportunity to view Keith Olbermann’s bravery and heroism by now.

I posted last night that we need to write him thank you notes. I now hear that the wingnuts are having a “hate Olbermann” drive. We need to come out in front of this.

Please send Keith a thank you: KOlbermann@msnbc.com

And please let his producers know: Countdown@msnbc.com

We need to slam them with thank you notes. We need to make certain that there are far more thank yous than f. yous.

The Rapture is Not an Exit Strategy

This is husband’s bumper sticker caption to reframe the debate.

As much as I hate to say it, the Pukes are really good at sloganeering. However, running the Country is not a slogan and leading America to a “more perfect Union” is not contingent on constant campaigning. In fact, the campaigning must end and governing must begin.

Working Assets has a slogan contest. They are looking for something to combat the Pukes constant campaigning and take the debate back. Remind America what a disaster that this Administration has created and how they have done nothing but drag America into the ground. More specifically, pound us into the ground.

Now, at a time when those of us who are demanding accountability are accused of being “Nazi sympathizers,” we need to come out strong, hitting with both fists.

My favorite site to visit on reframing is Frame Shop.

Let’s put together some slogans. We need sound-bites that resonate with the people of this Country. As I write this, Melman is on Spit Matthews spewing his lies; telling everyone to be afraid…they will die if the Dems are elected.

This needs to stop. Let’s get creative. Let’s enter the contest. Let’s send the final list to the DNC.

I’m Just like You, Baby, I’m on the Hunt

SOS pointed out the other day that a mystery Senator has put a hold on a bill that would allow complete transparency for government contracts. Specifically, a searchable database. Yesterday this hunt for the Senator was spotlighted on CNN.

SOS led me to Porkbusters who have been actively asking their readers to find the Senator by calling the Senator’s offices to see if they have in fact placed the hold on the bill (S2590). As of 8:52 am PT the list of suspects has been reduced to 5.

TPM Muckraker is also following this story and has been asking their readers to join in the hunt.

An amazing aspect of this story is that the left and right blogosphere have come together to fight this anonymous hold. Both sides of the blogosphere have been calling Senators and reporting back responses.

Join in.

In addition, I know that there is legislation that would change the rules so that these ‘secret holds’ can no longer be put on bills. I do not remember who introduced this legislation (I remember a floor speech regarding it, that is all.)

If you can help me find this bill number, and who introduced it, that would be fantastic.

UPDATE: I was out for a while. CNN has confirmed that it was Senator Stevens. Stevens denies that the hold was "secret"...if it was not secret then why not come clean days ago when the hunt started? Just Sayin'.

What I Should've Said

I had considered doing a weekly piece on Progressive candidates that I like. Hopefully encouraging people to throw a few bucks their way and bringing attention to what the future of our Country will be when we elect Progressive people to the Congress. Excuse me, while I attempt to get my shit together and stay focused on this daily blogging thing…this is what I should’ve said, before the rest of the blogosphere beat me to it.

Mainsailset reminded me this morning that I should’ve written about this guy a while ago; now he is all the buzz on WA State blogs.

Peter Goldmark (Dem WA 5th), first came to my attention last week when eriposte at TLC linked to the AFL-CIO political portal.

I thought that I would check out Washington State races. I had pretty much written off everyplace east of the mountains as red. It really did not occur to me that we had a chance of turning them blue. Peter Goldmark offers me hope that we can turn the whole state blue. Just look at his face – it oozes sincerity.

His race is gaining traction and I think that we can help to give it a kick.

Horses ass reminds us that he has been upgraded by CQ.

Evergreen Politics has a great rundown on Goldmark.

Peace Tree Farm says it all, with great links.

I also ran across this site, which is a great portal for Lefty Blogs, sorted by state.

Today’s action item is to support Peter Goldmark in whatever way possible. If you cannot throw a few bucks his direction, consider writing a letter to the editor of some of the papers in his district. This is an excellent site for sending letters to the editor. You can send as many as five at a time all through this website.

So much Progressive Action to take. So little time.

Sitting on Your Ass Can Also Be Action

Now that I have your attention, let’s explore.

One of the biggest difficulties with public perception is that the people are subject to never-ending propaganda via the traditional media. It is extremely unfortunate but it is the truth of the American society today.

We can no longer count on the media to be the fourth estate. The media conglomerates have too many conflicts of interest to report the truth. We have [Saint] Reagan to thank for the abolition of the Fairness Doctrine. Although it started with Reagan and Bush I,we have Clinton to thank for the deregulation of media consolidation.

Representative Slaughter has introduced legislation to restore the Fairness Doctrine. HR 501. Please contact your Rep and ask them to cosponsor this legislation. 1-888-355-3588.

Anyway – back to sitting on your ass and doing Progressive Action at the same time. How about we take it upon ourselves to educate people? Why not invite your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers over for a Progressive movie night? Make it a potluck; then you only need to provide a DVD player and a TV and a couple of places to sit. Brilliant, huh?!

What movies to show?

There are a few movies out there who are asking for people to host a screening:

• The Big Guy – Tom Delay’s Stolen Congress

• Sir No Sir!

• Iraq For Sale

• Why We Fight

There are several examples of coordinated Progressive movie showings. These sites can offer ideas for what to show:

• Progressive Movie Screenings in Vancouver

• Portland Alliance Movie Night

• Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies

Here are a few Progressive Movie makers:

• Michael Moore dot com

• Iron Weed Films

• Stone Soup Studios

Here are a couple of sites that offer some downloads and some trailers:

• Brasscheck TV

• Information Clearing House dot info

Here is a cool subscription movie org where you keep the movies (these movies are labeled “Spiritual” vs “Progressive” but it is pretty cool that you own the movies.) I am partial to Netflix dot com, but there are several ways to get great movies.

• Spiritual Cinema Circle

Sit on your ass, host a movie night, educate the populace. This will provide a tremendous service to the American people.

Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.
Thomas Jefferson

The Case for Impeachment

Last night on the SPAN Book TV they finally covered “The Case for Impeachment” by Dave Lindorff and Barbara Olshansky.

This was an enormous step towards educating the American public.

When one compares the incessant media coverage of the Clinton consensual affair, and the numerous investigations that led to absolutely no charges, with the lack of coverage of the many crimes of the Bush Administration we have to conclude that the traditional media is complicit in the destruction of this Country, our democracy and the abolition of the Constitution of the United States of America.

We are in the greatest Constitutional crisis of our history and the majority of the people have no idea of the numerous crimes committed against us.

The majority of the Country does not read alternative media. Typing “The Case for Impeachment” into a search engine leads to over 4.2 million results. From Counterpunch to John Dean in Alternet to Common Dreams, cases have been made for Impeachment for a number of years.

Representative John Conyers has done extensive research and has created a report

Which turned out to be the purpose of his House Resolution 635—not a high-minded tilting at windmills but the production of a report, 182 pages, 1,022 footnotes, assembled by Conyers's staff during the six months prior to its presentation to Congress,

According to the two authors last night the investigations themselves are the most important aspect of the Conyers Resolution. They stated that at the beginning of the Nixon hearings only about 26% of the American people supported Impeachment. It was the sunshine on the many activities of his administration, the giving light to all that he had done, that led to his eventual resignation. Currently over 50% of Americans and over 80% of Democrats support Impeachment of George W. Bush if it is shown that he misled us into war, according to Lindorff.

Critics of Impeachment usually cite political obstacles. An argument can be made that Americans still sting from the absurd abuse of power during the Clinton years, when the Republican congress continued ridiculous investigations one after another. They made such a mockery of our system of government that a lot of Americans might be turned off by considering going through that again.

What we must continue to remind our elected officials of is that this is not a bogus investigation. This is the very foundation of our democracy and that the precedents set by this Administration place us all at risk for an America that resembles nothing of what we had before.

The Center for Constitutional Rights offers a brilliant opportunity to send your Congressperson a copy of Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush while asking them to sign on to Conyers Resolution, HR 635.

VFP offer a lot of Impeachment related material as well. In an earlier post "Tuesday Petitions and Such” I linked to several other Impeachment petitions.

It is important to understand that High Crimes and Misdemeanors means ‘violating the public trust.’

From This Can’t Be Happening dot net here a just 10 of the Bush Administration crimes.

We absolutely must do everything possible to ensure a Democratic majority this November. It is only through a Dem majority that we will be able to have the necessary hearings to investigate the Bush crimes thereby ensuring that the American public are made aware of them. We are only a democracy because we follow the rule of law we must fight for the laws of our Country to be fully reinstated.

So, They Gave Us a Day

I mentioned yesterday that Saturday, August 26, 2006, is National ”Women’s Equality Day”.

Yes, it is only a day, but I’ll take it.

It seems that I never create a post that represents the original post that I was going to create, today is no exception. Being that today is a day dedicated to women; I will share some Action Items having to do with women.

Note: These items are not restricted to women only…everyone is invited to participate.

I wandered into the DNC website, looking for something else, and found an entire page dedicated to getting women out to vote.

As I read through it I found several great suggestions and several good organizations.

The League of Women Voters has been around as long as the women’s right to vote has been guaranteed.

The Action Items listed by the LWV are substantial.

For those who are able and willing to hold a community forum the LWV has a fabulous guide for organizing events. (PDF) This particular guide is titled “Local Voices: Citizen Conversations on Civil Liberties and Secure Communities.” I cannot coordinate such an event; there is a cardinal rule for facilitators that instantly disqualifies me: keep your own opinions out of the discussion.

A huge block of voters, who will primarily vote Democratic, are unmarried women. The difficulty is getting these women to the polls. There is a link on this page to register to vote.

I have been reminding my friends and family to make sure that they are registered. This is important. Especially this year. I have the feeling that there will be many, many people disenfranchised. It is important to confirm with your Secretary of State that you are registered to vote. The more people who get to the polls the larger the Dem vote will be. We have to get enough people out to insure that the elections cannot be stolen.

Here is a great article reminding us what we are up against. We have always played by the rules, but we have not fully understood who we are up against.

In honor of Nation Women’s Equality Day NOW has a petition to remind our Representatives that Women’s Equality must be remembered every day.

Here are some other organizations dedicated to Women:

• NARAL

• Equal Rights Advocates

• National Women’s Law Center

• Feminist Majority Foundation

• Feminist dot com

• Planned Parenthood

Feel free to list more in the comments section.

Proud Aunt Post

Special extra Friday edition of Proud Aunt Post.

There is hope for the future of our Country.

THIS was created by my 16 year old nephew.

They are paying attention!

Plan B Still Not Completely Set Free (or Just Another Feminist Post)

I am certain that most of you know by now that the FDA has finally made a decision to release Plan B for over the counter sales, to women age 18 and over. The fight has not ended.

The sub-title of this post is meant to remind all women that our fight for an Equal Standing in this Nation is seen by many as just more ranting and bitching from the feminists. There are people who still wish that we would just shut up already and be grateful for the little morsels of leftover equality that are thrown to us by the majority of our decision makers.

We still do not have equal representation in the Congress.

It seems fitting that some movement towards allowing women control over their own body, and therefore their own destiny, would fall so close to the anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment.

What has really changed for women over the last 158 years since the Seneca Falls Convention? A bold statement was made then and many of the whereas clauses still ring true today.

From the Resolution:

The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world...

I recommend that you read the entire Resolution.

…Resolved, That such laws as conflict, in any way, with the true and substantial happiness of woman, are contrary to the great precept of nature and of no validity, for this is "superior in obligation to any other."

Resolved, that all laws which prevent woman from occupying such a station in society as her conscience shall dictate, or which place her in a position inferior to that of man, are contrary to the great precept of nature and therefore of no force or authority.

What must be repeated, today as well as 158 years ago, is the truth about laws that force women to incubate an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. Anti-choice laws are “such laws as conflict, in any way, with the true and substantial happiness of woman,” and are “laws which prevent woman from occupying such a station in society as her conscience shall dictate, or which place her in a position inferior to that of man,…”

August 26, 2006 has been named “Women’s Equality Day,” by proclamation, from President Bush. (I won’t link to the WH press release; it just bothers me too much.) Isn’t it nice that he can name a day as “Women’s Equality” when his actions at blocking birth control – equal control over her body – are still his primary focus? We don’t want a day, we want control over our entire lives.

What I also found, in researching the 19th Amendment, is a very active petition to repeal the 19th Amendment. I won’t link to that either, it is even more bothersome than the WH. This petition spews such hatred as “women are to blame for government spending and male incarceration…” It really is too disgusting to repeat – but the feelings are out there and they like to use their god to perpetuate this hatred.

So, the fight is not over. I do agree that we should thank the FDA for the little morsel of leftover equality that they threw at us, but I believe that we should remind them in our comments that we will still be fighting for complete release of Plan B.

We will still be fighting retailers to demand that Plan B is made available.

We will still be fighting for the right of young women to have access to Emergency Contraception.

We will still be fighting to make certain the EC is available at military facilities.

We will still fight pharmacies that refuse women access to their prescriptions.

To give up now and surrender to those who prefer that our choices are limited, to celebrate something that science dictated should have been done three years ago, is limiting us to a morsel when we are guaranteed, via existence, the entire 12 course meal.

Thursday Progressive Org Spotlight

I might make it a weekly feature to spotlight some Progressive Organizations. Or not. Let's just see which way the wind blows.

Today there are two Organizations that deserve a mention.

I believe that the only way that we will be able to take our Congress back from the moneyed interests (calling them "Special" Interests gives them respect they do not deserve) is to have Public Financing of Elections.

Just 6 Dollars dot Org is a movement fighting for this.

There is a concern that limiting the amount of money in campaigns, or limiting where the money comes from, might be unconstitutional. There is an equal concern that the amount of time that Representatives must spend campaigning might also be unconstitutional. Constant campaigning removes their attention from serving their constituents - serving their constituents is their job.

Just6Dollars has several action items to support their movement.

The second Organization that deserves mention is Read the Bill dot org.

The fabulous thing about Read the Bill is that it not only requires that the legislators have 72 hours to read the bill, it also requires that the bill is put online, so that the public has 72 hours to read the legislation.

Read the Bill legislation is H Res 688. You can call your Representative (1-888-355-3588) and ask them to co-sponsor, if they are not already. You can also sign the petition here.

Both of these orgs have email updates that you can sign up for and are accepting donations.

What's Your Sign?

As we near closer to the midterms, election signs are filling the sides of the roads. What I have noticed, while out and about, is that the number of signs for Republican candidates far outweigh the number of signs for Democratic candidates.

This is no surprise, the Republicans, due to their policies that benefit the wealthy and the large corporations, have a lot more money to spend on yard signs.

What I have also noticed is that the majority of signs that are in people’s yards are for Democratic candidates. This also makes sense; the majority of the people, where I travel day to day, support the Dems. Signs in a person’s yard make a greater impact than signs placed willy nilly on public lands.

The disparity: it is very easy for one guy with a hammer and a pick-up truck full of Republican signs to drive around and place them in free spaces whereas the majority of people who individually support Dem candidates may not yet have yard signs.

Today’s action item is to stop by your Dem candidate’s offices and pick-up some yard signs and display them proudly. While there, check out some literature and see if there is anything else that you might do to help the campaign. For good measure, try paying for the sign (they are at least $3.00 a piece) and offer enough funds to pay for a few more.

It might be fun to actually find out who all of your Dem candidates are. Not only for National races but local and State races as well.

What I have found, while living on a busy street, is that my signs are viewed hundreds of times a day, but they are also subject to being stolen (yes, they do that.) They do not, however, take signs that are on windows. Putting signs on windows is also a good solution for apartment dwellers.

Let me know what your experience with yard signs has been and let me know if you pick them up. This should be a fun activity.

Tuesday Petitions and Such

There are several orgs today who are asking that their petitions be signed and money be donated.

Recently a blogger commented that reading the news of the day and watching our Country move closer and closer to a dictatorship was so depressing and debilitating that he was losing the desire to participate at all.

My theory is that even a small action, like signing a petition, will move us out of the despair and into a place where we feel like we are contributing and making a difference. Action is the cure for depression.

Petitions:

Support Prop 87 that requires oil companies in CA to fund clean energy technologies.

US Action has several active petitions.

Act for Change is working to stop the Specter (Cheney) "its OK to break the law" wiretap bill.

Defenders of Wildlife has several active petitions.

NARAL has several petitions to demand a decision on Plan B and to tell pharmacists to provide equal access to women's healthcare.

Sanders for Congress has an Impeachment petition.

ImpeachPac also has a petition.

ACLU has a petition to stop Specter's bill.

Vote to Impeach has a petition.

National Women's Law Center has some action items.

Acivities and Funds Request:

Progressive Patriots Fund asks you to vote on a candidate.

DCCC seeking donations for their get out the vote campaign. (I have been picking a few Progressive Candidates and supporting them directly vs. sending money to the DCCC; their websites are available through the DCCC on the "races" tab.)

Code Pink seeking donations for their Troops Home Fast campaign.

Progressive Majority is looking for volunteers to help build a new future. A More Perfect Union.

Wellstone Action has a PDF download for training on how to organize how to get out the vote.

MoveOn looking for funds for their get out the vote call bank.

Can You Say "Civil War"?

Admitting the obvious might not seem like a very big accomplishment. In most quarters of Washington DC, however, where delusion seems the preferable mental state, admitting the obvious is contingent upon constant reminders that the public is paying attention. As long as we stay asleep – the Congress Critters see no need to wake up.

The most simple definition of Civil War is “A war between factions or regions of the same country.”

Do not look behind the curtain, nothing to see here, move right along.

As public opinion shifts, many of the former Iraq war supporters, the pundits, are willing to utter the words “Civil War”.

The New Yorker offers a little rundown on those who are changing their tune.

“It is now obvious that we are not midwifing democracy in Iraq,” Thomas L. Friedman wrote, in the August 4th edition of the Times. “We are baby-sitting a civil war.” Friedman may not be another Walter Lippmann (just as any number of Stewarts, Olbermanns, O’Reillys, and Coopers don’t quite add up to a Cronkite), but he is the most influential foreign-affairs columnist in the country, and from the beginning he has been a critical supporter of the war. His defection is a bellwether. “The Administration now has to admit what anyone—including myself—who believed in the importance of getting Iraq right has to admit,” he wrote. “Whether for Bush reasons or Arab reasons, it is not happening, and we can’t throw more good lives after good lives.” In a Washington Post column a day earlier, the relentlessly centrist David S. Broder, citing his colleague Thomas E. Ricks’s new book, “Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq,” admitted that “the hope for victory is gone” and deplored “the answer from Bush,” which he characterized this way: “Carry on. Do not waver. And do not question the logic of prolonging the agony.”

The Washington Post agrees,

“The debate is over: By any definition, Iraq is in a state of civil war.”

Also admitting the truth, is the New York Times, which states that American soldiers in Iraq are basically just target practice for all of those people that the grand ol’ US of A has pissed off. The US foreign policy (or lack thereof) has done nothing but spread hatred towards the US all over the globe.

Enough of the obvious (I wonder who is going to tell the President?) this site is supposed to be an alternative from simply reporting the facts. This site is intended to offer some solutions to the despair that fact reading brings about.

What do we do to fight a foreign policy so devoid of reality that our starting point is forcing the politicians to admit the truth?

United for Peace and Justice has several upcoming events.

In addition, you can sign Senator Kerry’s petition here.

The Kerry-Feingold plan is a good one and can be easily reconciled with Murtha's

Murtha is quite adept at spreading reality around. A thank you note to Murtha for waking up and speaking out is also a good activity for today.

Speaking of Criminal Heads of State

While on the topic of High Crimes and Misdemeanors, Feingold’s Censure Resolution deserves another mention.

You can sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of the Censure Resolution here.

Also, while on the telephone with your Senator’s office (1-888-355-3588) telling them to denounce Specter’s “get away with breaking the law” legislation (S2453 & S2455) ask them to please sign on to co-sponsor Feingold’s Censure Resolution.

The only way that we can ensure the slide into dictatorship slows a bit is to demand that there is some accountability for the law breaking at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Imagine If We Had Had This Congress During Watergate?

I have been thinking a lot about the disaster that would be America if this Congress had been in place during Watergate.

Nixon claimed States Secrets and National Security. Nixon claimed that “if the President does it, then it’s not illegal.”

The current Republican controlled Congress has become nothing but a rubber stamp for the Bush Administration. They do not question anything that he does. They are apologists and experts at justifying and rationalizing instead of being the checks on his actions as our Founders intended.

There is virtually no oversight in this Congress and what little is done, is done for show.

There are numerous documented offenses of the Bush Administration. He has broken US law and International law and the Republican Congress is unwilling to hold a single hearing regarding these offenses.

The latest court ruling, which has found Bush and the NSA guilty of violating the law and the Constitution, needs to serve as a demand to our Congress for accountability.

The ruling and the background information on the case makes clear that this is a pivotal point in our Nation’s history. Specifically, this is the cliff for our Republic. Will we jump off into the realm of Dictatorship or will the people stand up and choose our Constitution over the manipulated and irrational fear of “terror”?

Today’s special action item is to call the Congress 1-888-355-3588 and demand accountability. Demand that your Representative sign on to Conyer’s Resolution HR 635 to investigate just a few of the crimes of the Bush Administration.

In addition, contact your Senators and demand that they do not support Specter’s Bills S2453 and S2455. Specter’s legislation was written with Cheney as a way for the Bush Administration to avoid prosecution for their illegal spying.

This is a continual action item. It should be repeated each day until there is a response worthy of your respect. Remember, we employ these people.

Today's Action Items

AFCSME asks that we tell the FEC to quit rubber stamping CEO pay.

DCCC asks you to vote for a candidate for change.

Tell the Washington State Pharmacy Board to protect women's prescriptions.

Join the One Campaign to make poverty history.

Stop more media consolidation.

Apathy is Not an Option

Saturday, August 19, 2006

The purpose of this blog is to offer a clearinghouse for petitions and action items as found in my email inbox.

I have watched with frustration and sadness as so many people have become discouraged and apathetic about the state of our Union.

Our Founders had a vision of an ever-changing society which moved always towards "a more perfect Union." These last six years have shown a decline in our Union and the America that we are leaving to our children will be far worse than the America in which we grew up. This was not the intention.

When the despair hits, a simple action can limit my feelings of powerlessness and renew my feelings of participation, meaning and effectiveness. That is what I desire to share with you.

Let this blog serve as a reminder that apathy is not an option.