Giving Thanks Amidst Adversity

Tomorrow our nation will celebrate a day of Thanksgiving, first signed into being by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the War Between the States in October of that year and written by then Secretary of State William Seward. Its purpose was to "set apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm

Something for which we can all be grateful this year is that, for the first time, our nation will add another long awaited, highly important observance: On October 8 of this year, the Native American Heritage Day Act of 2008 [Public Law #110-370 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=hj110-62] was signed into law to honor the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to the United States on November 28, 2008 and every year thereafter. At long last we have set aside a day on which to celebrate the People who were here before any of us, and whose iconic cultures have set the standard for honor, courage and reverence for the natural world.

Today, as then, our nation faces multiple major crises, perhaps even more serious than ever before: an unending war, loss of world stature, financial and economic crisis, human rights violations and indeed our very way of life at risk, as our Constitution and Bill of Rights remain under constant assault through the abrogations which have already occurred throughout the tenure of the present administration and already the next, with their insistence on running a candidate whose previously held citizenships in Kenya and Indonesia automatically render him ineligible, not being a natural born American citizen.

It can be difficult indeed to summon an attitude of gratitude and thanks while we labor under this cloud of chaos and fear. Interestingly, late last night as I surfed the channels for a brief distraction, "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" appeared...it is too good a film to pass by, so I watched. After that came "Fast Food Nation," followed by "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Shawshank Redemption," all of which I had seen before, and all of which are so compelling as to make it impossible not to see them again. Like a tongue obsessed with seeking a broken tooth, films like this compel us to watch them, again and again. Why? Because they tell the truth. Regardless of outcome, the Truth is all we have, and if we don't accept it we cannot begin to set things right. As painful as it is, we cannot ignore it, lest it happen again, lest we become so dead to reality as to become bigger pawns than we already are.

And so, I watched. Strange as it may seem, and painful as it is, I salute those about whom these films are made; I salute the actors, directors and producers who are willing to make them, and thus spread truth to the mainstream, where action takes root. And, often, just when I find it most difficult to bear, I remember that, no matter what, we shall always have truth, and for that alone, I have gratitude. Truth is always there, if we let it in and share it. It may be brutal sometimes, but it is always clean and direct, and provides the ground from which to build.

Yes, there are still thousands of troops in the Middle East and still more waiting to deploy, many for their third and fourth tours; our nation is still plagued with all manner of crisis, our government has instituted rendition torture policies, [if you do nothing else today, see SusanunPC's NoQuarterUSA article on "Alienable Rights," http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/11/24/alienable-rights/#comment-1062483] trampling our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Staggering amounts of money continue to be funneled to ailing corporate institutions who have failed to observe sound business practices and now demand--and GET!--humungous bailout after humungous bailout as our deficit soars, and main stream media has completely abdicated its responsibility to report any of it, its most recent transgression being the refusal to carry the biggest news in election history: namely, there are some 17 lawsuits going forward to challenge the president designee's citizenship eligibility, two of which have now landed in the U.S. Supreme Court. The issue is not about where the president-designee was born; it is the fact that he is NOT a natural born American citizen and thus by running, has violated Article II Section 1 Clause 5 of the United States Constitution. [See http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/news/articles/alankeyesobama for an excellent explanation] The fact that our Constitution has been abrogated is horrifying; the fact that there ARE people who realize that and are working to protect it is a source of eternal gratitude.

Be that as it may, we still have much to be thankful for: the love, support and delight of friends and family; duty, honor, courage and integrity; love and compassion wherever we may find it; the special brand of creativity, innovation, commitment, passion and patriotism that can be found in so many--the list can be endless, and, in times like these, it is ever more important to remember to give thanks every day. And, always and all ways, it is Truth we must hold most dear, for it is only in Truth that we can find our way.

The PUMA Spirit Lives!

steve_in_kc posted a terrific piece on todays NoQuarter http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/11/23/the-year-of-the-puma/.

He posed some provoking questions and shared some salient thoughts with respect to the issues we face:

1. What exactly is PUMA and is it still relevant?
2. Is the PUMA thing a thing of the past with the passing of the election?
3. And am I a closet Republican now?

to which I replied with the post below.

Yours are questions we all entertain from time to time, especially now, as what I like to call our Phase III, or ongoing Movement Forward begins to take form. FWIW, PUMA is indeed a spirit..it is organic and embraces everyone [or should!] and anyone who resists being defrauded, manipulated and compartmentalized, marginalized and ignored by an old party line, regardless of who is perpetrating it; who long for change and are willing to work together with others for it; who embraces true unity from diversity, eschews sexism and partisanship and can be registered or not registered with any party. There is a significant majority of Americans--about 80%--that favors centrism and moderation, and it is this segment of Americans who have been ignored and forgotten by both the Republican and Democratic parties. Each coalition under the PUMA/JSND umbrella is free to address these issues in their own way and my hope is that we can all continue to work together in a loose coalition, toward our shared goals.

There is absolutely NO doubt that the PUMA Spirit lives, alive and well, and continues to grow exponentially. We have just begun to fight--for our country and its people, for its Constitution and Bill of Rights, for all of those things for which our forefathers and mothers fought and risked so much. I am thrilled by the incredible successes we have had in a very short time since we pounced into being in June 2008! The 300 Delegates, the branding and exposure of the PUMA name and spirit--our movement has been covered and recognized all over the world and in all 50 states! I have no doubt that we will continue to be a growing force in American political and media reform.

As for including men in the PUMA spirit, it is imperative! To me, one of the most significant roles of PUMA is to teach ourselves and others to be INclusive--to embrace both men and women of all ages, creeds, races and cultures--to value human rights and accord everyone dignity and respect, irrespective of whether we always agree. I recommend all those interested in promulgating these values to visit and join The New Agenda http://thenewagenda.org and http://Together4US.com, and, beginning the first week of December, http://SpiritofPuma.com. All are non partisan, with The New Agenda's focus primarily on the eradication of sexism and the others tackling political and media reform as well. All welcome BOTH men AND women! Visit and join, and urge your friends to do the same, for this is where I believe our futures lie--with all people, creeds and genders, working together for the common good of our country and its principles of democracy and human rights for all.

Again, my thanks to Steve for his most constructive and compelling post. It is from posts like his that we can all continue to evaluate ourselves and our progress, our participation and our effectiveness, and to remember that basically, we all share mutual concerns and goals, and need to embrace one another in working together for them.

Hope Floats...and Dreams DO Come True!

From FOX News, Nov. 18: Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been indicted on state charges involving federal prisons in a South Texas county that has been a source of bizarre legal and political battles under the outgoing prosecutor.

The indictment returned Monday has not yet been signed by the presiding judge, and no action can be taken until that happens.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/11/18/cheney-gonale-indicted/

Although no action has yet been taken, it is a significant step forward into holding Messrs. Cheney and Gonzalez accountable. Few administrations save those of Grant and Nixon have been as rife with criminal indictments as the Bush administration and the worst of those have as yet gone unaddressed despite myriad calls for arrest, indictment and conviction. Dennis Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment, so well contstructed, got little attention except for House Speaker Pelosi's condemnation.

However, the most noteworthy and most disturbing issue here is that mainstream media has yet to give any of this it the attention it deserves. Like the 17 cases now pending against Obama, not one of which has made the news, the Cheney case lies in wait, hidden, for the most part unreported, along with all the rest of his indictable offenses. Worse yet, and even more frightening, is that the cases against Obama primarily involve his ineligibility to hold the office of POTUS because he has offered no proof that he meets the full criteria to run--namely, that he is required to be a natural born American citizen--an issue which has never before in our two century history been at issue!

Ironically, I seem to have made frequent use of the phrase, "one can only hope" during the course of this election cycle. The words which I have come to suspect and loathe, and which were the unfortunate buzz words of the Obama campaign, have come to mean nothing concrete, as has the candidate they buoyed: everything is relative, and MY idea of hopey changey may not be HIS. However, the spirit of that four letter word simply cannot seem to die within any of us: try as I might, I cannot extinguish the hope within that flickers ever so perilously amidst the tsunami of what many of us fear about ObamaChange. Because whatever our hopes may be, we all must admit that hope floats; hope springs eternal; and hope is what keeps us all coming back to fight another day. And so, today, as Hillary accepts her appointment to Secretary of State, and Cheney and Gonzalez are indicted, it continues to be my hope that some good things will continue to happen: Hillary will get the chance to redeem our country in the eyes of the world; she will be given free rein to rise and soar above the fray and accomplish great things for her country; and that, perhaps one day, the criminals in our government will be called to task.

Rise, Hillary Rise!

A long time poly-sci junkie, nothing surprises me much anymore except the expected. That being said, present day politics has become a wilder ride than ever. Who could imagine that Hillary’s most virulent foes–much less Kennedy, Obama and Reid–would suddenly do a 180 in less than 10 days [after Mr. Kennedy so mean spiritedly refused her request to head a health care committee] and, after trying to rid their envious, misogynistic selves of her for years, are now vying for her favors?! It is testimony to their perfidy–and to her ability to endure and prevail triumphantly in the face of even the worst scoundrels. I have long said and long believed, like Maya Angelou, that Hillary will indeed continue to Rise, far above that madding crowd of scrabbling, shapeshifting politicians.

As for where she will finally land–-only the Universe--and perhaps, she herself--knows. It is left to the rest of us to worry and watch, hoping for the best, preparing for the worst, and fighting for the rest.

SOS: Picking up the Pieces and Moving Forward

Many of us have suffered the wrath of friends and family who blindly supported the most corrupt, childish, unintelligent and, yes, evil party in the history of our country. The jeopardy in which our country and its people have found themselves has interested none of these people one whit. The bias, lies, cheating, thuggery, intimidation tactics and blatantly illegal acts interested almost no one save the PUMAs.

We have stepped back from some relationships, realizing that they are not of the type that will withstand the test of time and differing opinion. It has saddened me, but much more saddening and frightening have been the realization that we, at least for the moment, have lost our system of democracy through DNC collusion, illegal acts, voting fraud, and media bias.

What has heartened me and helped me continue my work in the Movement of Reform has been the incredibly high number of wonderfully committed, hard working, brilliant people who share our mutual concern and love for our country, its people and our Constitution. It was an SOS of another kind that brought us all together and continued to help us sustain one another in the frazzled, frantic months of the campaign. So, one door closes...another one opens...a few go out that first door...and many many more enter the second. It is with those kindred spirits that I have now cast my lot. My thanks to all who have entered and my sympathy for all who have left.

And so, another SOS: Hillary Clinton has been offered, and, purportedly accepted the cabinet position of Secretary of State. Much has been said about this issue; there are many opinions. Some say that Hillary should not be accountable to Obama, that she should let him sink in his own stew and stay in the Senate. Being a New Yorker, I would be only too happy to have her continue to represent me in Washington, but in view of Reid, Pelosi and their minions, who openly loathe her and with whom she must try to work, she would be far better served [and so would the American people] to serve as Secretary of State where she would outrank them and be able to put her vast diplomatic currency to work to repair our faltering image in the eyes of the world. Say what you will about the Clintons, but the World loves them for their humanity, their service and caring and their love of humankind.

There are those who would prefer to see her in Congress because the joint efforts of the nonpartisan, moderate Clinton- McCain team would form a formidable and productive force. There are those who felt she should have given them all the back of her hand and refused to work for the Democratic party at all. But Hillary is a grown up in every sense of the word: she knows how to put personal differences aside; she knows how to scale obstacles, take the long view and bide her time. She has information that few, if any of us have about the big picture, and she is one of the most politically astute people of her time, if not in our entire history.

Ultimately, Hillary Clinton is the only one with sufficient information and insight to be able to make an educated decision about whether to accept the post of Secretary of State. She is over 21 and perfectly capable of making that decision without our help. If she wanted it, she would ask for it. Until that time, we must accept the fact that this is her call, and trust in her to make the best decision for all of us, for she is, above all, a brilliant and dedicated public servant.

Berg v. Obama: Union, Justice & the Blessings of Liberty Ordained

Today I must pay tribute to drkate and her well framed, beautifully written No Quarter article. http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/11/13/four-questions/#comment-1034220 We have suddenly found ourselves at a place that we not only never expected, but didn't even know existed: the extreme, chillingly frightening HUBRIS of an individual and his promoters have almost succeeded in not only violating the tenets of the most hallowed document in our history, but, worst yet, keeping it from the American people to such an extent that, when the issue is raised, the messenger is either dismissed as insane or labeled a racist.

The very idea that such an outrage could even occur is disturbing; the fact that the plan got this far without being reported is bone chilling.

This case is historic--the United States Supreme Court has granted certiori. The decision to grant certiorari is solely at the discretion of the justices. This, in itself, is monumental: Of the approximately five thousand cases a year for which review by the Supreme Court is sought, fewer than 5 percent are granted certiorari. Clearly, and especially after their last involvement in a presidential election, [in which the Opinion stated that their 2000 decision was in no way intended to set precedent for future involvement in election decision]the Court has been reluctant to hear such issues. Even more interesting is that the writ was granted by none other than Justice David Souter [one of the dissenters in the 2000 case, and the one who suffered the most: he nearly resigned over it]. That in itself speaks volumes.

Never in our history has a Pretender risen so fast from a such a vastly steaming, swirling pile of mist, completely unknown, undetected, and unrepentant. And yet--not one "news" outlet has even reported it! Tass, Pravda and the Geobbels propaganda machine http://www.psywarrior.com/Goebbels.html have nothing on the American media. The chronic propagandizing and cover up as they assisted his assent has been, in itself, mind numbing.

And so, we who have awakened from the hopium hangover, and we who never imbibed are compelled to seek, find and speak the truth as never before. I thank everyone who is willing to take a stand and fight for our country and our Constitution and I am moved to my core with the vast numbers of New Patriots that join our ranks every day.

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece...

As this year's election cycle progressed, we heard increasing rumbles of speech, media and voter supression, truth squads, loss of First Amendment rights and other potential horrors. Election day has come and gone, leaving us nervously glancing around, wondering how and to what extent, if any, our rights to free speech will be affected under a new administration. Thus far, even before massive voter fraud helped The Annointed One seize office, any hint of question or criticism has been strongly discouraged, and, in some cases, severely punished. Witness the endless threats and strong arm tactics, cyber terrorism hacking and street corner thugs working the crowds like so many bouncers in a barfight. On election night, a young man was arrested for wearing a McCain Palin tee shirt on the street near an Obama rally; had it not been for the bravery and integrity of its governor, Missouri would have enacted Truth Squads to arrest anyone who criticized the Democratic Candidate during the campaign.

As truth and facts have been scrubbed like so many web pages in Google land [in exchange for a promise to its owner for a seat in the new administration], so have they been kept out of media. Investigations into voter fraud have been tepid to non-existent, as have those into questionable [illegal] campaign funding, and no one is really sure what is going to be left [no pun intended] of our First or even Second Amendment rights when this administration gets through with them. Thus, trepidation rules in many camps.

But the wise words of Martin Niemöller remind us that, no matter what happens, we must stand firm against the proscription of free expression. We must stand together, stand firm and stand out against any attempts at the suppression of our right to free speech, for, as Thomas Jefferson noted, we must hang together or we will surely hang separately. There is strength in numbers, and our numbers are growing daily. Much to the surprise of many [this author not among them], membership and interest in government, political and media reform continue to skyrocket; emails continue to pour in to us all en masse while new groups and coalitions continue to grow, expand and form. It appears that most Americans are not at all comfortable with the way things seem to be going, and the Designee has not yet either been able to prove his natural born American citizenship or been sworn in. Already, Buyers' Remorse appears to rule, even before any new Executive Orders are signed.

First spoken in the late 1940s after the Second World War, these simple words must never be forgotten:

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out.

Chilling words, chilling truth. Pastor Niemoller was imprisoned from 1937 to 1945 in concentration camps, and was transferred from Sachsenhausen to Dachau in 1941. He survived to spend the rest of his life speaking out. We must all continue to do the same.

Character and The Courage of Resolve

Veterans' Day 2008. November skies of gunmetal gray opened today over a nation in transition. Noted with special poignance on this hallowed day is the passing of Ed Freeman, who, in the firestorm of the Ia Drang valley in November 1965, flew a Huey into that hot zone some 13 times under heavy fire to rescue 30 wounded after the medevacs had been ordered not to land.

This is the kind of character and courage that makes humankind great, regardless of the sovreignty from which they hail. It is the same kind of courage and compassion that made my father, whose B-17 was shot into the English Channel in 1944, insist that, as an Officer, he be the last man out of the sinking plane and then, treading February waters, held up two men who couldn't swim until they were rescued because the life raft was gone. It is the dedication and love for his country and his fellow Marines that made my stepfather fight his way up the middle of Iwo Jima for 32 days, an inch at a time, and the patriotism of my friend Rod, born in England after the Second World War of an another American patriot and an English beauty, that took him to the jungles of Viet Nam. It is my friend Dean, another whom I greatly admire, on his way back to Iraq for his 4th tour with the Marines, who once said that compassion was for those who can afford it. I disagreed; I reminded him that of all people, as a Marine, his code of honor and dedication was based in the most compassionate of principles: never to leave a comrade behind. The briefest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his face for an instant before he grudgingly agreed. The humility of the Great never fails to humble me as my admiration for their courage and character grows.

We who are fighting for women's rights and to regain and reform our democracy and a free press can gain strength and take comfort in the reminder that Courage and Character abound, now and always, in all places, despite indications to the contrary during the recent campaign.

And so, while the current president-designee readies himself to "rule"--this particular, peculiarly inappropriate-for-a-democracy word straight from aide Valerie Jarrett--we find ourselves barreling blindly toward a plethora of unknowns as we learn that nowhere in his To Do List do we see anything to indicate any desire to put competent women in government, eradicate sexism, or even utilize the considerable talents of Hillary Rodham Clinton, most certainly our nation's hardest working, most informed authority on health care.

So much for the "Progressive" Left. One would have to question groups like NOW and NARAL, who blindly endorsed this ticket, which at no time gave any indication that women's rights were of any concern. The president-designee--and I say designee because he is not yet the president-elect--[that appellation only applies AFTER the Electors of the College have voted--but then...he has always presumed a great deal too much, too fast] never once spoke out against the barrage of sexism and misogyny that pervaded the campaign; he has never once indicated that he is anything but a patronizing misogynist. What is so difficult to understand is that the early feminists of NOW have designated themselves dinosaurs by virtue of their blind subservience to someone like this, simply because--can it possibly be??--this individual champions abortion rights to the exclusion of all others. Robin Morgan's outrageously out of touch, patronizing piece from October 31 labeled her forever as one whose "liberal feminism" extends solely to those who see things HER way: everyone else--Republican women, women who choose NOT to have abortions, deserves little more than the back of her hand. No one whose opinion or lifestyle differs from hers is worth her time, her respect or her empathy. She apparently forgets that people fought and died to protect EVERYONE'S rights, not just hers.

We are at the beginning of the next phase of our Movement and of the long journey back to regaining the democracy we have long cherished and now lost. While it is a frightening process to watch our rights fall away, it is an exhilarating one to witness the formation of a new army of people who care about everyone's rights, and who clearly see that the simple pandering to a single issue is nothing more than an attempt to mollify, manipulate and subjugate 52% of our population. We join together to support The New Agenda, WomenCountpac, Together4Us, and the Just Say No Deal coalition, all of whom share in the resolve to restore our country to its once-great status as a champion of human and women's rights, democracy and fair elections, and fair and balanced media. WE CAN DO THIS. IT HAS ALREADY STARTED!

Our heartfelt thanks to those who have gone before us.

Musings On The Next Step

The dust begins to settle with the emergence of a lazy November Sunday, one of the first in a long time. Election day over, we now begin to awaken from the surreal series of events that drove us all to work ourselves to exhaustion, abandon our lives, homes, families, friends, interests, and obligations to pitch one last stand for American Democracy. Although the outcome was not to our liking, it does not mean that we failed. On the contrary, we learned some very valuable lessons--life changing, heartrending AND heartening--that will serve us well as we gather and regroup to organize for the ongoing, open-ended Phase III of this nascent Movement. Now that we have time to assess our accomplishments objectively and put ourselves and our Movement into perspective, we can all rest knowing that we did our best and accomplished nothing less than a miracle, given the short time we've been working and the urgency of our task.

Yes, it has been as devastating as it has uplifting; energizing as it has exhausting. But each day, events continue to unfold, ideas continue to emerge, plans continue to form and objectives continue to solidify. We are, as the Colonies once did, finding our way toward a huge, well oiled machine of organized, interactive coalitions who share the common goals of eradicating sexism, media bias, and voter fraud, one day at a time. After all...time is all we've got...and it's on our side now.

Scoundrel Time?

As four of us drove back to NY Tuesday night, getting election results from my friend Joe's Blackberry, several things occurred to me. I was glad to be in the company of friends as the reports came in; I wondered about the degree and type of Change we are facing; and I was comforted by the thought that, regardless of the path our country will now take, nothing and no one can alter the fact that, if nothing else, we are blessed with friends and family. One of the greatest gifts one can have is the gift of humanity, the caring of friends, and the reminder that we are not alone and my work in this election cycle has brought that home to me in a big way, as never before. Never have I met and worked with so many dedicated, energetic, bright, courageous individuals from such diverse backgrounds. Never have I been more proud to be an American, or cared so much for its people. Having traveled a bit, I have seen different places and people and loved them all. At times I have even been a bit reluctant to admit that I am an American but I found that people are the same the world over. Most do not hold the American people responsible for the acts of their government. They are philosophical about government in general, and realize that there is a difference between a People and their leader. In times like these, it is good to remember that. Leaders will come and go, but a People and their humanity is there forever. Just ask those who, living in Alsace-Lorraine, were faced with mandates resulting from the change in their borders. They persevered and survived, no matter who was in charge.

In the meantime, we watch with baited breath. Biden has warned that our novice president will invite forays to prove his mettle; all manner of doom and gloom have been filling my mailbox, not all of it inconceivable. It remains to be seen. Lillian Hellman wrote of the travails of the McCarthy era, reminding us that governments, and people in them, can take a low road. She spoke of fear run rampant, and unjust government, dishonest politicians and fear driven witnesses, informants, of Nixon and the infamous Attorney General's List in which names with ties to certain organizations appeared. This was among the worst of times and yet, in time, America survived, McCarthy brought himself to ground, and life went on. http://books.google.com/books?id=VU1uJY5r-MIC&dq=scoundrel+time&pg=PP1&ots=w0ib1oLig6&source=bn&sig=5e3ZaVwaX5sJmQh9aIY7RGWC7VY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPP1,M1

In the days to come, it is possible that our fears of Truth Squads, universal public service mandates, the return of the draft, a national police force, higher taxes, and other attacks on our soil may come to pass. It is also possible that they won't. All we can do is watch and wait, and continue our activism with the resolve to educate ourselves and each other, to reform media and the tattered shreds of what was once our proud democracy, and believe that our democracy will somehow survive.

Election '08 - The Best of Times, The Worst of Times!

The Day has finally come. Our Herculean efforts of the last year, especially those since that fateful 31st day of May, have made history and achieved miracles: everything from getting Hillary on the Ballot in Denver, forming a coalition of brilliant, committed, hardworking patriots, traveling all over the country to the Conventions and campaigning for the candidate of our choice, successfully executing organized PUMA Prowls, and attaining international recognition for the PUMA movement has brought us to the present day. We have pulled together from the bottom of utmost despair at the realization that our Party and its shallow leaders had lied, coopted our voting laws, violated our Constitution and betrayed us to form a widespread, powerful coalition of renewed initiative.

Our last act of this Phase II, as I have been wont to call the aeon between Convention and Election Day, will end with our vote and, like a New Year, ring in the start of Phase III, better known as our ongoing work for reform in our media, political system and voting system. As Heidi Li Feldman so succinctly wrote in her inspirational blog today, this is the day of New Resolve: http://tdg.typepad.com/heidi_lis_potpourri/2008/11/resolved.html I urge all to click on her link to read and remember her wise words as we move forward into our next succession of steps. And so must we remember our promise for November: We Will Remember and we HAVE!

Having cast my absentee ballot last week for McCain/Palin, I continue my tenure here in Scranton, with last minute phone banks, election transportation and emergency absentee ballots. It is an exciting day--despite the direness of CNN's All-Day-All- Obama coverage and biased "landslide" polls, we are finding about 50% of the voters we've called have voted for McCain--Up a whopping 20% from 30% 10 days ago!

More exciting still, Joe and Mike from our Main Avenue Scranton office went out to deliver an emergency absentee ballot to the hospital for a woman who delivered a baby last night! People have been stopping by to volunteer in the phone bank, sent food for our Democrats For McCain workers and drive people to the polls. Those on the emergency absentee detail met with the Lackawanna duty judge to obtain permissions--the first female judge in Lackawanna County!

Tonight we will all head toward our respective gatherings to console or to celebrate--and, regardless of what the result, we do have a lot to celebrate! Phase III =has already begun way as we finally head home for some rest and restoration before embarking on the path toward Resolve and Resolution, and celebrate ourselves for our hard work, commitment and patriotism at a time when it would have been easy to give up in despair.

Today is a perfect day to revisit our Declaration of Independence: to read carefully the words that we all hold to be self evident.

"We must indeed hang together or assuredly we shall hang singly."
--Thomas Paine

"Give me Liberty or give me death."
--Patrick Henry

These are the Times That Try Men's Souls

To borrow a phrase from the inimitable Thomas Paine, I propound a few thoughts for election eve. There are few things more stimulating than exercising the rights and privileges of American citizenship, especially in the current election cycle, where, in many places, thanks to ACORN etal, our voting rights have been threatened ,corrupted, and even negated in some areas. Thanks to the tireless efforts of thousands of incredibly brave American patriots, PUMAS, and members of both parties who care so deeply about our Constitution and Democratic System of government, we sit at the brink of another very close race. However it is not just the closeness of the race that is significant this time: We are facing a crossroads from which we may never recover unless we choose the candidate with both the longterm experience and solid track record necessary to lead us out of the dark woods of confusion into the light of the principles in which our forefathers so strongly believed and for which they so bravely fought.

Volunteers in the thousands have continued to pour into Pennsylvania--Scranton, Allentown, Philladelphia, Wilkes Barre, Pittsburgh, Bucks County and beyond. The energy is intense and positive as they work feverishly to get out the vote. You are all in our prayers and medidations of gratitude for all of the efforts exerted for our beloved country.