An American Story!

What is the American story? Stories where the impossible become possible, the improbable are probable and the ironic become iconic! That is the American story. The story where dreams come true. Where nightmares can turn into enlightened realities.

That is what we witnessed this week, when the world looked on as we elected a President for the people, by the people who also happened to be an African American. Who would've thought it!

But we did it, all of us. Well not quite all but a huge majority said we were ready for a change. That the status quo was no longer acceptable and that our past does not have to equal our future. Doesn't that feel great!

If this was only the story of one man who came from humble beginnings and went on to become elected the President of the United States, it would be motivating and inspiring. However that is not the only story to be told here. No, that's not the main story.

What makes this story so extraordinary and unique is that this man was born to a white woman from Kansas and a Kenyan father. Yes, this man who has achieved so much and inspired millions of Americans and those from around, is a product of a country who has a history of slavery, injustice, and discrimination against a segment of its citizens.

The country that embraced policies such as "separate but equal", Jim Crow and constitutional enslavement and whose racial ideologies created a civil war, civil rights movement and racial riots.

But only in American can this story be told. Can this story reach such a dramatic turning point in our history. After hundreds of years of stereotypes, ignorance and fear that we as a collective voice insist that our country turn the page and travel a new path.

We are sure to continue to fight for inequalities and injustices toward our citizens, whether for women, Hispanics or the gay and lesbian community as well as racial issues as it pertains to African Americans, but we must all agree that the country moved a huge step forward on that historic night on November 4, 2008. Congratulations America, you did good!

Check out "An American Story"


An American Story from Gail on Vimeo.

Get commemorative T-shirts and buttons from this historical election.

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Start the Party Early and Pull In Every Vote!

Here is an excerpt from an email article I received from "The Color of Change.org". Some great suggestions. I'm sure you can come up with even more. Be creative, use your imagination and have some fun. Let's "spread the wealth around".

With all the energy and excitement about Obama and this election, the reality is that some folks will have to wait in line before voting. But there's no reason for it to be a downer. With your help, we can turn it into a party!

Why a party? So many people showing up and voting for change is a reason to celebrate. And, of course, we need everyone to stick it out and vote.

Here's the idea: If we can make the lines at polling places fun and entertaining, more folks will stay in line and vote. It's easy: after you vote (or while you're waiting), you can bring food, water, and entertainment for your neighbors who have a long wait. Just a few words of kindness and encouragement could mean the difference between a vote being cast or thrown away.

To learn more and sign up, click below:
http://colorofchange.org/party08/?id=1783-681299

How to Start a Party at the Polls

You can do this while you're waiting in line yourself, you can come back after you've voted, or you can go to other polling places in your area where you hear there are long lines. Here are some ways you can make the wait easier and more fun for voters:

Bring water, food, snacks. A lot of people might not have realized how long they'd have to wait. A little food and water can help give people the energy they need to power through. Cook something the night before, buy some bottled water to share. Healthy snacks are good, but you can also use the opportunity to get rid of extra Halloween candy.

Bring some folding chairs. Some people may need a break from standing; you can give them somewhere to sit.

Rain? Bring umbrellas, ponchos, plastic bags. Help people stay dry.

Tell jokes, juggle, provide some other kind of entertainment. Are you a comedian, dancer, or street performer of some kind? Put on a show! Make sure it's family-friendly.
Play some music or bring a boombox. Play an instrument? Bring it to the polls and play some songs. Bring a boombox. Take requests. Avoid music that might be offensive or abrasive to some people. Keep in mind that not everyone may like your music, so pay attention to how people are reacting; you don't want to drive anyone away.

Be prepared to cover up campaign t-shirts, buttons, etc. Some places have rules against campaigning within 100 feet of the polls. Wearing a t-shirt or button can be considered a form of campaigning, so if you're wearing gear from a particular candidate, be prepared to cover it up or change into different clothes if someone asks you to.

Above all, have fun, and spread it around. Help everyone out, not just people supporting your candidate. This is about making sure everyone has the right to vote. Voters disagree on many issues, but we should all be able to agree that participation in our democracy is an exciting thing.

Help bring a festive spirit to the polling place.

Please let us know what you plan on doing, and read our tips for making sure we do this in a responsible and inclusive way. It just takes a minute:
http://colorofchange.org/party08/?id=1783-681299

Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team November 3rd, 2008

7 Ways to Steal Back Your Vote!

7 Easy Steps To Steal Back Your Vote

From Greg Palast's and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s investigative comic Steal Back Your Vote!

Copy it, print it out, spread it everywhere - and download the complete 24-page comic for free at www.StealBackYourVote.org. Hope isn't enough. Rove-proof your ballot.

And get a stack of print copies before we run out. Hand'm out on the voting line - non-partisan, so it's OK. We'll send them out via priority mail in time for the election. (Donate $100 and get a free copy of The Election Files DVD)

1. Don’t don’t don’t Mail In Your Ballot—unless...

For those of you who mailed in your ballot, please tell me, what happened to it? You don’t know, do you? I can tell you that officially, three-fourths of a million absentee ballots were never counted last time, on the weakest of technical excuses. And you won’t even know it. Furthermore, tens of thousands of ballots are not mailed out to voters in time to return them - in which case you’re out of luck. Most states won’t let you vote in-precinct once you’ve applied to vote absentee. Every time I hear of a voter going “absentee” to avoid computer screens, I want to “go postal” myself.

But for gosh sakes—don’t throw out your ballot if you have a mail-in. Either mail it in, making sure to include ID if required (you first-time voters) or, better, WALK it into your county clerk’s office.

2. Vote Early...very early

Every state now lets voters cast ballots in designated polling stations and at county offices in the weeks before Election Day. Do it. Don’t wait until Election Day to find out you have the wrong ID, your registration’s “inactive,” or you’re on a challenge list. By Election Day, there’s little to do but hold up the line.

3. Register and Register and Register

Think you’re registered to vote? Think again. With all this purg’n going on, you could be x’d out and you won’t know it. Check online with your Secretary of State’s office or call your County Board of Elections. Then register your girlfriend, your wife, your mailman and your mommy. Contact the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the League of Women Voters, and your local party organization, and commit to a couple of days of door-to-door registration, especially in minority neighborhoods or at social service agency offices. And if you’ve served the time, you can sign: in almost every state, ex-cons can vote.

4. Vote Unconditionally, Not Provisionally

In 2008, they’ll be handing out provisional ballots like candy, especially to Hispanic voters. If your right to vote is challenged, don’t accept a provisional ballot that will likely not get counted no matter what the sweet little lady at the table tells you. She won’t decide; partisan sharks will. Demand adjudication from poll judges on the spot; demand a call to the supervisor of elections; or return with acceptable ID if possible. And be a champ: defend the rights of others.

If you’ve taken Step 1 above and voted early, you have Election Day free to be a poll watcher. Run into trouble­—you’ve been caged or purged or challenged—call Election Protection at 1-(866) OUR-VOTE. Then challenge the challengers, the weird guys with Blackberrys containing lists of “suspect” voters. Be firm, but no biting.

5. Occupy Ohio, Invade Nevada

The revolution will not be podcast. Let go of that mouse, get out of your PJs and take the resistance door-to-door—to register the vote, to canvass the voters, to get out the vote. Donate time to your union (if you’re not in a union, why not?) or to the troublemakers I’ve already listed here and on our site. This may seem a stupendously unoriginal suggestion, but I know of no other method more effective for confronting the armed and dangerous junta that has seized the White House.

6. Date a Voter

Voting, like bowling and love, should never be done alone. As our sponsor, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, says, make a date to ‘Arrive with Five.’ And keep this comic book in your holster - with our 800 numbers and your photo ID in your hand. And Bobby, make sure your ID says, “Robert Kennedy JUNIOR” or your vote is toast.

7. Make the Democracy Demand: No Vote Left Behind!

I have this crazy fantasy in my head. In it, an election is stolen and the guy who’s wrongly declared the loser stands up in front of the White House and says three magic words: “Count the votes.” You can have all the paper ballots in the world, but if you don’t demand to look at them, publicly, in a recount, you might as well mark them with invisible ink. Democracy requires vigilance The Day After. That’s when you check in at www.stealbackyourvote.org one more time.

*********************

Nation Institute fellow Greg Palast and election law expert Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are authors of an investigation of vote suppression in Rolling Stone.

Go to www.StealBackYourVote.org to download the guide for free or pick up print copies of the investigative comic book by Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Every donation you make for copies of the comic allows us to send more out to low income groups in states like Ohio, New Mexico and Colorado. Get the guide now - all copies will be sent out via priority mail. If your group would like to distribute the Steal Back Your Vote guide please contact keri (at) gregpalast.com for special rates.

After you've picked up the comic book get the t-shirt. Wear it into the polling place and tell them that they can't steal your vote! Support the fund by picking up the Steal Back Your Vote t-shirt by the cool people over at Clothing for the American Mind. A portion of every purchase goes to support the Palast Investigative Fund.

Steal Back Your Vote!

Believe it or not, your vote has been stolen! Yep, that's right, it's been stolen. How? you ask, by whom? you ask. Well take a look at the information from an investigation done all year by Robert F Kennedy, Jr and Greg Palast, from the BBC.







So what are you going to do to steal back your vote. Get the right information, take a stand, and make sure your voice is heard and your vote is counted. It is your right, don't take it for granted!

Download your copy NOW!

Enough! Day of National Support

Enough! That is the battlecry of this year's election. Americans have had enough of deceit, secrecy, financial and economic crisis, war and the overall failed policies of the last 8 years. We have had it and are ready for a change.

In an effort to share our outcry and to let the nation know where we stand, we are calling for a National Day of Support. We are rallying our supporters together to turn our country Blue.

To symbolize that support, you can purchase the Enough t-shirt to wear on October 29th the day Senator Barack Obama addresses the nation in a 30 minute televised event. Let's show our country that we have had ENOUGH and are ready to take back our country.

$30.00* Enough! WHITE SHIRT w/blue imprint. The most comfortable t-shirt ever!
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*Proceeds to go toward donation of Obama/Biden campaign

This is Why We Will Win!

What Do You Really Know About Sarah Palin?