Guest Writer: Obama in '08

I recently received an email from a friend who expresses her support for Obama's campaign for presidency. I appreciated her political energy and gained her permission to publish it here to reach a different slice of cyber space. I am still an undecided voter and open to conversation. As you may recall, we recently jaunted up to New Hampshire to see McCain speak. I would love to see ALL the candidates. Sadly I missed the debates this past Saturday as we had theater tickets. I did read all the coverage on Sunday. In short, write me. Tell me who you are voting for and why. Inform me. Persuade me. Word of mouth is a powerful tool.

Below is the letter, the second in my series of guest writers. (You can be the third!)

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

In an e-mail to friends and family, DJ wrote:
Hey, peeps,

Refill your coffee mugs, void your bladders, and settle into a cushy chair, because I'm about to gush at length, and you are a captive audience.

I'm en fuego for Obama in '08, as I think each of you knows from my spazzing about him over the past few months. (I just had an odd dream last night in which Barack and his lovely wife Michelle were house guests at my mother's house and had to sleep head to toe on a sectional sofa because we didn't have a guest bedroom; you will be relieved to learn that they were considerate guests and rose before the rest of the house to fold up their bed clothing so that the household would have full use of the sofa during the day; if that doesn't say Should Be Leader of the Free World, I don't know what does. But, then again, I've never studied policy. . . .)

Anyhoo, back on track for a minute, my hubby has been following Barack Obama's federal political career with great interest for years now. I remember where I was standing (the kitchen, near our sensible Consumer Reports--rated, bottom-of-the-line Sear's oven) when he first said to me, "Honey, keep your eye on this Obama guy. He's going places." Because of my Caro Sposo's excellent judgment, we've been following Barry's upward progress since the first half of this decade and were thrilled when early last year El Obama threw his hat in the ring for president. We've been his staunch supporters from the beginning.

After seeing Barry's inspiring first-place finish in the Iowa caucuses on Thursday night, I was moved to the height of armchair philosophy and ordered Obama in '08 t-shirts at CafePress.com for our little household. And then Chris Matthews (or Keith Olbermann or someone) made an off-hand comment about The Youngins Not Doing Anything to Effect Political Revolution Other Than Wearing Snarky T-Shirts. I felt the sting of the rebuke and got online and joined the 'Bama'bandwagon officially. And so, I write you, my intelligent, passionate, idealistic, exquisitely practical family and friends.

I know it seems early to make a decision about presidential candidates. This is a DEADLY serious issue (just ask our be-camouflaged buddies hanging out in Iraq), and of course I support your taking the time appropriate to weigh the issues at hand. But I urge you to begin looking closely at the candidates (on both sides) now and to especially consider what Barack Obama's candidacy has to offer.

From the beginning, Barack Obama has marshaled his intelligence, poise, and power to stand up for the disenfranchised. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, inspired by the policies of Harold Washington, Chicago's first African American mayor, who vowed to be "fairer than fair" to all of his constituents who had suffered for decades under the imbalanced administration of the Daly dynasty.

As a state representative, Obama cooperated with Republicans and Democrats to craft legislation on health-care, ethics, welfare, and death-penalty reform.

Since his election as Illinois state senator in 2005, Obama has championed environmental, border-security and immigration, and lobby reform and has worked to deescalate the war in Iraq and improve health care for children.

His presidential platform promises

1. universal health care by the end of his first term in the Oval Office,
2. greater transparency in governmental decision making (a welcome relief from the Bush administration, frankly),
3. increased funding for child education (with an emphasis on math and sciences, which I think is critical for our nation's long-term security),
4. tax-code reformation (repealing taxes for the poorest retired and increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent), and
5. environmental reform (targeting big-business polluters and national oil dependence).

Unlike other politicians, from 2002, the beginning, Obama has opposed the war in Iraq, accurately predicting that entering into a conflict without adequate troop numbers or strong international support would only heighten the tensions in the Middle East and imperil American security. In the face of the war, entering into its fifth year (can you believe it?), Obama would phase out deployment of troops from Iraq and pursue aggressive diplomacy with Syria and Iran, coupled with harsh sanctions. He believes the United States of America should not arrogantly seek to bully the international community into submission but should rather regain military, diplomatic, and moral leadership through example. Putting his money where his mouth is, Obama has removed personal financial holdings from Sudan-related stock and from companies that do business with Iran.

I believe in this guy. I believe that his administration will effect great change in our nation. I believe that he can unify the bitterly divided. I believe that he represents some of the best of the United States of America. I want him crafting policy. I want him as a world leader.

If you are interested in throwing your support behind Barack Obama as my little family has, check out http://www.barackobama.com/, and join the revolution.

And I also think you ought to consider any number of super-cute t-shirts from CafePress.com, which are also snarky while on-message.

Pax and philia,
DJ the Rabid

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

Read DJ's blog at: http://justprettydeep.blogspot.com/

Guest Writer: Lovella Kelley

The following piece is from my first guest writer, Lovella Kelley, who also happens to be my mother. Enjoy!

SELL MY UNDERWEAR?

I recently received one of those pass-it-on surveys by way of cyberspace and one of the questions was: What are you most afraid of? (For some reason, I actually did not delete this one as I usually do with all those chain letter things) The answer to that is- I am afraid that someone will sell my underwear in an estate sale after I die. Now, with a statement like this, you need to look at the bottom line. Actually, though this seems rather surface, there is much to be said about the bottom line. The bottom line is- I don’t want to get old and die, at least not for a long time. At 64, it is always a mystery about how long that time will be.

A few years ago, we had a neighbor whom we were really fond of. She was lively, generous, and fun to be around. When she died, we had already moved from the neighborhood. Her husband lived a year or so longer and then he died and guess what? The heirs (they had no children) had an estate sale. I went. My friend was someone special. When I saw, laid out on tables, gifts that I had given her and things that meant so much to her, with an ambiguous price tag, I felt sick. Is this estate sale all that is left? Someone sorting through your life and putting a price on each item? Selling your most precious things in life on a long, narrow table with unknown greedy people picking away for the best price for what, let’s face it, is mostly junk to anyone other than the owner, was to me very sad. Not only that, when not everything sells, they run a hot sale and put all you can get in a bag for one dollar.

I look around my home and see things that are wonderful memories of living: love, travel, history, and a great life with lots of family and friends and I wonder what to do. A family member says get rid of all that stuff, you don’t need it. I actually enjoy looking at reminders of other days and other times, and I am not dead yet, which means I continue to enjoy just looking at them and remembering who gave me the blue dolphin and the Nutcracker and the old chiming clock on the mantle. Sometimes I think they are pleasurable to look at even with a layer of dust on them. That tends to remind me that I do not have to dust them any more to enjoy their presence.

And so, do I spend my last years sorting and getting rid of my JUNK that I enjoy or do I just dump it all because I don’t need it and, after all, I am going to die sometime and then who does what with what? I contend that I do need it. I do understand that there are some who don’t want or need reminders of other days sitting around the house. When (hopefully, if) I have to move from my home into a single room at some nursing care facility, it is time enough to dump. The same family member says to that, The kids will have to sort it all out. Well, maybe so, but I think that is part of giving up a loved one and moving on without them. Maybe I will sort and label and say, dump this, treasure this. At least, that will make their chore a little easier. Maybe something in my treasures that means a lot to me will also mean something to someone else in my large extended family. If my junk is sorted and labeled, I can continue to enjoy the things I treasure while I put the sorted things into boxes to save for someone else. For instance, due to enlarged knuckles and other physical ailments, I don’t use much of the jewelry I have accumulated over these many years. I have given some away already to be enjoyed. Last week, I went through it piece by piece, put it all into little bags, and stored it on a shelf for my family to enjoy picking out the things they have treasured with me- in due time, of course.. The next morning, I was in the ER with an erratic very rapid heart beat. Now, I am thinking, all that sorting and making decisions is enough to do me in for good even sooner than I ever anticipated. In which case, sorting and labeling becomes a moot issue.

If no one wants what is left after I sort, dump, and die, please just give it away or throw it in the trash. But don’t put a price tag on my memories. And do not put my underwear on a long, narrow table with a price on it. Actually, most of it probably won’t fit anyone else anyway (not to mention there may be holes in most of them) and my undies are not desirable since the modern day thong (we used that word in reference to what is now foot covering called flip-flops) undies are not part of my wardrobe. Victoria’s Secret never fit me so well. So there! You can’t sell my underwear because it is old-fashioned and if you do, I will haunt you for the rest of your shopping days! Oh, by the way, you don’t have to look in my socks or old envelopes or books or underwear drawers for hidden money or other treasures. It would have been too easy to forget where it was. I have it all in a nice bankbook that I can keep track of it and remember where I have put it, usually. And everything else is sorted and labeled! One more thing, it is forbidden to include my 1960 picture with my obit!