Where were you?

My husband was in a high school classroom, about 3o miles from the Murrah Federal Building. At 9:02am, the class heard a loud rumble, like thunder. He asked if he could go outside to see if there was a storm, as their classroom didn't have windows outside for tornado safety. To his surprise, he walked outside to a beautiful clear sky, warm spring morning.

Several minutes later, someone came over the speaker system announcing what had taken place. Coincidentally or divine intervention, the school had scheduled a blood drive for that day. They decided to close school to allow the community to come donate blood, which they did by the hundreds.

168 deaths. 19 children. 5 pedestrians who happend to be outside the building at the time. Over 600 others injured.

The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial is a sacred place. It is a place to remember what pure terrorism is, and the strength the United States of America has. The strength of our local communities, the willingness to give, even our lives.

Camp OFA

Sarah --

Wall Street reform. Electing folks who will support the President and fight for change. Working for a clean-energy economy. Protecting the progress we've already made, while still fighting for more.

These are just some of the battles ahead.Will you be there with us?

As we continue fighting for the President's agenda and gear up for the elections in the fall, we need to make sure we're all ready to organize as effectively as possible.

So we're holding Camp OFA training sessions across the country, to make sure that OFA supporters like you have the skills you'll need to make it happen.You'll hear from local community organizers, volunteers, and staff on the best ways to organize local events and build neighborhood teams, how to make the case for the President's agenda for change, and what OFA is planning to do in the months ahead.

No prior experience with OFA is necessary, but you'll leave fired up and ready to power legislative and electoral victories in the coming months.We won a big victory on health insurance reform -- and it was because of you. Now let's keep it going, and win the fights ahead.

RSVP today to join us near you: http://my.barackobama.com/CampOFA2010

Thanks,

Nicole

Nicole Derse

National Training Director

Organizing for America

WHAT?!?! Seriously, there is a "training camp" to learn how to actually defend President Obama's agenda? I still find it baffling that there is a separate organization from the DNC for the President to do his "community organizing", let alone a "training camp" to convince the few supporters he has left why he is still Captain Awesome?! President Obama still refers back to the previous administration (most recently the mining tragedies), so lets imagine if the Bush administration had a georgewbush.com that was constantly fund-raising, organizing community teams and "training" them on his agenda. I can see the head-lines now!

Bush is Brain-Washing at the Local Level

As a non-emotional observer, I find President Obama's "community organizing" brilliant. And the advances he's made to utitilize technology will be essential for any future national leader, especially President. However, as I have said before, to have a separate organization, separate from the White House and from his party the DNC, is unsettling. He can publish propaganda without any check or balance, and is constantly fund-raising, FOR WHAT?! He's not running for two years. I wish more would be looked into with this, because it isn't sitting right with me.

Why I didn't attend a Tea Party

Last year I attended the Tax Day Tea Party at the Oklahoma state capitol, and you can see pictures here. I had every intention of going this year, but I changed my mind. There were several reasons, and for cathartic reasons, I will share them with you.

I did not want to drag my 3 kids without a double stroller (because I backed up over it, and broke it!) downtown by myself. I had offers of babysitting help, and possible people to go with. But as I thought about the concept "when there's a will, there's a way!", I decided I didn't have that same strong desire to attend.

Last year, I wanted to join others who shared the same beliefs of limited government, lower taxes for EVERYONE (including business and the evil wealthy who employ my husband), and to hopefully show power in numbers to stop the cap and tax, health care, stimulus plans the federal government was pushing through. Naively I believed that if they saw how many Americans were opposed to this legislation, they would vote with the will of the people as they are elected to do. Instead, they bought votes, strong armed representatives, used technicalities to get the health care passed. They believe they know better than the majority of Americans, and will continue to supersede any efforts of dissent. What they are doing is unconstitutional, unprecedented, and unethical. And they don't care! I know now that they only way to send an effective message is at the ballot box.

Interestingly, majority of the media coverage prior to the rallies centered around the "anger" and "racial undertones" and "violent rhetoric". To their amazement, there were no reported incidents, and in the words of the liberal leaning David Gergen who attended the Boston Common Tea Party rally: "What’s striking to me is that it’s a very friendly day out here with a lot of people who support Sarah Palin and the Tea Party. I don’t find a lot of anger out here or bitterness which I find interesting. These are good citizens, they pay their taxes, and they send their kids to war. So they disagree with the mainstream in a state like Massachusetts but they’re still citizens in good standing so I have a lot of respect." Thank you David Gergen for reporting the FACTS! Yes, there are the crazies who attend, but the vast majority are civil, friendly, non-racist, concerned citizens who want their voices heard. Speaking of race, an interview by Kelly O'Donnell for NBC with a black tea party attender can be seen here. The asks him, "Have you ever felt uncomfortable?" He politely responds, "No... these are my people, Americans." He should have responded, "I was not uncomfortable until a biased news reporter with a blatant agenda of stoking the non-existent racial fire asked an ignorant and ridiculous question!"

There are two reasons someone on the left plays the race card: 1. To put the opposition on the defense. No one wants to be labeled a racist, homophobes, bigot. They will automatically switch to defense, to try to dispel, the argument that they disagree with President Obama based on race or are apart of the tea parties because they "hate all black people". Which brings me to my second point, 2. Change the topic. If you can't play a good defense, which I believe defending the health care reform is extremely difficult because their arguments are flawed and weak and are Utopian ideological instead of factual, then make the opposing "team" play defense. If you change the topic of health care reform to race relations, it is very unlikely you will return to this health care reform monstrosity and by default win the argument or call a draw.

I didn't need an affirmation that "I am not alone" in my beliefs. I didn't need to show my representatives my opinions, because the great Senators and Congressmen of Oklahoma listen to their constituents, and those who strapped this new entitlement on mine and my children's backs don't care to listen. I am grateful that there is a forum or an outlet for those who disagree to voice their opinion. That is one of the many reasons I am grateful I am an American.