Happy Independence Day for all my American friends and followers. Have a nice day and enjoy all activities.
Erik
Video of Barack and family in Butte Montana. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGwHMDFQImw&feature=user
My sister e-mailed me a few days ago and told me that the Obama family would be spending Independence Day in my hometown of Butte, Montana. I'll admit that I was skeptical and I'll admit that I still don't know what motivated Senator Obama to choose my hometown. But I spent the day in my adopted home of Minneapolis receiving text and photo messages from my family and being intensely jealous. My parents, aunt and uncle, sister and niece are all visible in this video... I thought I would impress them in January when I saw Senator Obama at the Target Center but they've now seen him up close twice.
Senator Obama, thank you for going to Butte today. You chose to spend your day in a state that has a state that is the fourth largest in square miles and one of the smallest in population. A state with a meager 3 electoral votes. A state that almost never votes Democrat in presidential elections. In a city that was the lone blue speck in a sea of red in 2004. I don't know why you did it but I know my family is buzzing over it.
Senator Obama, I believe you will win this election. My daughter will be born in to the last days of the Bush administration (due date August 5th), but I believe she will grow up in an Obama administration. I know my new home state of Minnesota will vote for you (don't believe anybody who says this is a swing state - this is Obama territory). But you did a lot today to make my birth state vote for you and if they do I can't imagine the pride I will feel in knowing that Big Sky country spoke out for a new kind of politics.
I will be making another donation to your campaign today in honor of your trip to Butte.
I hope you enjoyed your stay in the mining city, I hope Malia had a great birthday and I wish you and your family the best of luck on the campaign trail.
July 4th is the day we celebrate the indictment of acts of tyranny by King George written by Thomas Jefferson and approved by Congress. I think one of those charges backs up my belief that Jefferson would oppose FISA immunity:
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
Giving corporations immunity from consequences of helping George Bush break the law seems to be the height of folly. Give the telecoms full immunity in exchange for their testimony at Bush and Cheney impeachment hearings. Giving it to them for nothing is a bad idea, a bad deal and bad politics.
Best wishes to everyone for a Happy Independence Day.
On Independence Day, I played a mix of music on my station that I associate, for better or for worse, with our national holidays:
http://player.spacialnet.com/players/skins/default/player.html?stationID=29825&relayID=-1&publisherID=0
I hope you enjoyed it!
In any case, I hope that you'll consider contributing to my Pre-Convention(al) (was "Indpendence Day) Obama Campaign Fundraiser:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4gddt
Thanks.
Henry M
Thank you Benny Kennedy, for putting together tomorrow's Unity BBQ, an for reminding us what it is all about:
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separateand equal station to which the Laws ofNature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinionsof mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
“That to secure these rights, Governments arei nstituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effectt heir Safety and Happiness.”
“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
I keep hearing from people who supposedly have the same social/political concerns that most Democrats and other people who have supported Obama or HRC have, but who threaten to not even vote for Obama in the fall, much less support him now, unless he supports ______ (their particular single-interest) more vocally. One has even exhorted a group through a mail-list to bombard the Obama campaign phones with calls asking to speak with the people who advise and help Obama at the top of the organisation! Would you flood FEMA's phones during a hurricane with bright ideas on how they could be doing a better job!
I’m still considering the possibility that some of these nay-sayers may simply be passionate, hard-headed, people who want everything to be right for rights, right now. But the only right that benefits from drowning out the Obama story with noise is the right-wing. Those of us who went through the fire of ’60’s politics remember the dirty tricks, sometimes played by dupes who didn’t know any better, and sometimes...
This July 4th weekend is going to be a great time to enjoy our independence with friends, family, and neighbors, at one of the hundreds of events across Iowa. We’ve compiled a list of events across the state and wanted to make sure that everyone knew that our campaign would be at the events registering voters and helping answer questions about voting early in Iowa. Click the image below to find an event near you, and join us to celebrate this holiday weekend!
Here are just a few of the events going on today---- click the links for more details and to RSVP!
West Des Moines Parade
Clinton River Boat Days Parade
RED, WHITE, & BOOM
Dubuque 3rd of July Airshow and Fireworks
Dyersville Fireworks
Yesterday, Barack was in Colorado Springs, Colorado and talked about our need to come together to help make a difference in the direction of our country. Watch the video below, on a call to service.
“We need your service, right now, at this moment – our moment – in history. I’m not going to tell you what your role should be; that’s for you to discover. But I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current of history. I am asking you to change history’s course.” - Barack Obama, Colorado Springs, July 2, 2008
Join us and start making the difference in your neighborhood today! Click here to Stand Up for Change in Iowa.
The huge parade in downtown Flagstaff begins at 9 a.m. Friday.
Democratic Headquarters -- the spot to get Obama signs, stickers, and buttons and to meet other Obama supporters -- opens at 8 a.m. Stop by to visit before or after the parade!
March with other Democrats and enjoy the parade in a new way.
4 S. San Francisco -- the place to be July 4 8 a.m. to noon!
The day reaped more than good cheer for the Obama campaign. All along the parade routes potential caucus-goers committed to Senator Obama by signing supporter cards, far more than anyone at the events expected. The ever growing groundswell of grassroots support for Barack was readily apparent on the Main Streets of Ames and Iowa Falls.
In Ames, a college town, students intending to caucus for the first time showed their excitement for Barack. One student from Iowa State University said, "Obama! Yeah, I'll sign a card! What can I do to help!?" The enthusiasm surrounding the day’s events was energizing.As Americans in Iowa celebrated our independence, a time when colonists stood up to injustice and decided it was time for monumental change, the urgency for a new direction was evident once again. In a true Fourth of July spirit, yesterday showed that Iowans are prepared to take action. Looking through the crowds, at the throngs of Obama supporters signing up to volunteer, committing to caucus, and showing off their support, it was clear that people across the state feel inspired by Barack’s message of hope. What better day to talk about hope for change than the Fourth of July?
Nothing says summer like Independence Day. In New Hampshire, the events on display range from the traditional parades and fireworks to distinctive New England touches like public readings of the Declaration of Independence, fairs, Pots and Pans parades and Rubber Ducky races. Of course, the major parades of the day are in Amherst and Merrimack, but the story doesn’t end there. In New Hampshire, the "Fourth of July" extends from the night of July 3rd clear through to the July 8th, and every event has its own unique history, culture and crowd.
So this year, we decided to go to all of them.
Energized crowds of staff, interns, supporters, volunteers, and Obama fans showed up to over fifty of New Hampshire’s most important Independence Day events saw vocal and enthusiastic participation on behalf of Barack and our movement for change. Last night alone, over 40 supporters attended festivals and fireworks shows in Greenville, Rochester, and Portsmouth.
Today, this shared celebration continued as Obama volunteers fanned out across the state.
Over a hundred and fifty volunteers turned out to form an energized, boisterous contingent of Barack supporters for the celebrated Independence Day parades in Amherst and Merrimack. A makeshift marching band led the way as the sun beat down upon the thousands of people hugging the parade route with their lawn chairs and drink coolers.
The volunteers and staff danced to the band’s beat, handed out stickers, and blew bubbles as they made their way along the parade route. As the first parade in Amherst kicked off, Howard Morris, the “M” in a human “OBAMA” sign, told me he was here because Barack represented “change we deserve.”
I sprinted ahead of the Barack train in both Amherst and Merrimack to speak with parade-goers as our musical contingent approached. The Kunkel family of 6, natives of Amherst, tried to shake me down for stickers and shared that they viewed Barack’s candidacy as presenting an “exciting and refreshing” alternative to what they had seen before.
In Merrimack, Elizabeth P. of Nashua told me that Barack’s time working with communities gave him a “unique brand of experience that we need in the White House more than we need another Washington insider or big-state governor.”
There’s much more still to come, including fireworks across the state (weather permitting). Check back later for additional photos and video of the day's events. Happy 4th of July!
