In the wake of the hate, anger and untruths (video) that threaten to separate our nation and it's people, let's join together. I refuse to believe that my children will grow up in a world of separatists, ignorance or hate. These scenes (video) from the rallies in Pennsylvania literally brought tears to my eyes and I pray my children never see this degradation of our culture. Rather than let this break my spirit, I believe we can work together.
So, whomever your candidate, whatever your party, please spread messages of hope. Please spread messages of community. Please tell your children stories about how to work together, to bring peace to our country and to care about one another. Please spread the hope!
1 week ago
20 comments:
*sigh* I wish I could vote for Obama. I can't stand McCain or what so many of his supporters do. I have had lots of them rude to me first for supporting Ron Paul and now for not supporting McCain, mind you I don't support Obama either but that doesn't matter.
I makes me wish even more that I could register third party in Oklahoma.
I'm with Lisa. Not a fan of either side.
Lisa / Joyce -
Vote, please vote! For someone you can believe in! My message with this post was to spread hope and positive messages - no matter who your candidate is! Please vote for someone, knowing that for every vote we cast in this country there are thousands who wish they could vote in oppressed countries and societies around the world.
VOTE!
Through the Obama campaign I have become a community organizer! I volunteered as the Neighbor to Neighbor GOTV coodinator for my area. I've taken my 17 year old and 13 year old daughters to canvass neighborhoods with me. They have witnessed first hand an instance of ignorance and hate. To them I am spreading my message of hope......
Oh, I always vote. There is always a lesser of two evils, and the local elections are very important, as well.
ib mommy - good for you! Knocking on doors is hard work and it's so wonderful that you are exposing your kids to activism!
Joyce - Phew, I figured you for a voter! I do however know so many that say, meh, I don't like either candidate so I'm not voting. Scary, isn't it? And, agreed, there are so many local issues that need local support!
I already voted (yay absentee!). There's no chance that the Republicans can fix the mess they created - and more Republicans means a deeper/faster slide into fascism.
Sweetie - thanks for these links! Could you note parenthetically (video) - I actually started the one in your post and opened another link in another window and nearly brought down my computer. :)
Hi Jenn - Sorry, you're right, noting those links are videos is a good idea. I will fix. And, I agree. The republicans gave us this great mess of an economy, environment and war and then shot themselves in the foot with their veep nomininee, so it should be a no brainer. But those youtube videos scare the bejeebus outta me! Crazy that people still feel that way!!
This is your blog and you can say/link whatever you like... With that said, I don't understand how you can encourage us to vote for whomever we wish and then bash the republications. Just because you found a video on you tube does not mean we are all hate mongers, and there are plenty of them on both sides. I also don't understand the personal attack on Sarah Palin if you don't feel "we" should be personally attacking Obama.
We can all have our opinions and still be kind to one another. I think that is what you were getting at in your post, but you sort of undid it when you bashed "the other side"
Did I miss something here? How did she bash the Republicans?
jenn,
ego 'burben mom said
"The republicans gave us this great mess of an economy, environment and war and then shot themselves in the foot with their veep nomininee, so it should be a no brainer."
That is what I was referring too, but...I did not post to get into a back and forth. I was just trying to make the point that we, as humans, tend to say one thing and then do the other.
One more quick point: Barak Obama himself (not any of his supporters) said that rural America clings to their religion and guns...that is not spreading peace and understanding. I am not saying McCain is perfect and has never said something he wishes he could take back, I am saying both sides are guilty of intolerance.
hs mommy - I didn't feature a single republican, independent or green party candidate or even a name in this post. If this same brand of hate, racism and ignorance was evident at another candidate's rally, I'm sure the opposing party(s) would be right on top of broadcasting it to the media. If you noticed, I have only asked that those ignorant enough to spread hate and anger around a political election change their tune to support their candidate in a positive manner that our children can follow. I can't imagine these incidents are helping McCain in the slightest, I would think it would be a republican's dream that more people asked for a truthful and positive campaign. Strange that you feel this is "bashing", I think it's a good step toward seeing the best of both sides.
Jenn - thanks for seeing through to the true message - hope and positive messages for our children!
hs mommy - my comments are my personal opinion as response to other comments. If you feel my ideals waffled from one thing to another, so be it. However, I'd be a little more concerned their are folks out there screaming obscenities and hanging effigies. That's a little scarier, don't you think?
eco 'burban mom,
Maybe I could have been more eloquent in my wording, maybe I should not have posted at all. Like I said, it is your blog, your opinion that counts here. I truly was just trying to raise the point that we are all guilty at some point, not to the same extreme of course. You did give mention to the veep nominee in a less than flattering light however, and that seemed, to me, to be a little on the bashing side of things. With that said, I agree, that NO ONE should be hurtful when trying to make their point, and they should not be dragging their kids down with them. I do, as a republican and as a peaceful person, wish people, like the ones in the video, would just be quiet. That is all I will say, for fear that I myself am causing a problem... ;)
hs mommy, the quote you pulled is not what I would consider bashing.
Here's what I would consider bashing: McCain is a racist bigot who lies about his family not owning slaves and refuses to acknowledge his black relatives. Can't be too hard on him for that though - even my own grandmother and her siblings, who know nothing of their own father's family except the town where he was from deny relations to folks with the same uncommon surname because "Oh, we can't be related to them because they're black."
People have all kinds of delusions it doesn't necessarily make them bad people. You know, like people who earn less than $200K/year and think the Republican party is looking out for their best interests.
Now, if I had just left out "racist bigot" in the first sentence - that would make it a statement of fact.
The "bashing part" comes in when you throw out slurs, insults and oh - things like screaming until you're hoarse about how Obama is "Obama bin Laden" in front of cameras. If I said that people who are voting for McCain are a bunch of brainwashed puppets -- that would be bashing.
But we're grown ups and we can let the facts stand for themselves - Sarah Palin is not qualified. McCain's "maverick" ways and lack of coordination with his own campaign management team lead him to call upon "Joe the Plumber" TWENTY SIX TIMES in the final presidential campaign. How could he have made such a blunder -- any sensible person would have checked out that person's background before invoking him as some sort of representative (seriously - the guy is a scab plumber who doesn't have licensing, training, lies about his income and doesn't like to pay his taxes - not different from other guys I know like that from Toledo or Ohio but that's another story).
The Republic party has done a lot more than any other group to get us into this situation and they are ill equipped to dig us out. They are also continuously taking away our civil liberties and restricting our lives in ways that are easily demonstrated and have been carried out in other fascist regimes throughout history. In fact, there are 10 clearly defined steps to take us toward a completely fascist state.
Read outside your normal circles - there are plenty of people just like you, hs mommy, who are voting for Obama and who would never dare think that voting Republican served their interests.
Whoa. I'm a peaceful Republican, too. I'll be back after the election.
Rock on, Jenn, ROCK ON! Excellent! I couldn't agree more!
Thanks - there's a big difference between being criticizing and bashing - and it requires the skill of critical thought.
I am with you in being completely disgusted and apalled by these images.
Sadly I believe that there will always be individuals who will hyjack and exploit any opportunity to ignore the truth, and exhibit their own deep ignorance and fear. I also believe that fringes such as these represent a small minority of our population. This will become all the more clear on election day when Obama wins by a landslide!
Honestly, I'm not a huge political person. I will definitely cast an educated vote and feel I could hold my own in support of my candidate. What I really love is that we are having real conversations about important issues - a nice break from who's pooping where and what preschool am I trying to get my kids into.
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