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.

Gun Care

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." ~ Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution

President Obama, who has typically voted for stricter gun control, is now pushing legislation to guarantee every American the equal access to a firearm. "Having greater access to affordable firearms should not be a right of the rich, or those who hunt, or those who thump their Bibles. It is an inalienable right and dream of every mom and dad, to be able to provide for their children." As a former constitutional professor, he understands that it only makes sense that if a right that is not guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, for example health care, which is now available to almost every American, so should the rights that are expressly granted in the Constitution. "If we can grant assumed rights, such as health care, than how can we let the American people not have access to the rights expressed in the Constitution? We can't! No we can't!"

For the first time since President Obama has landed on the national stage, he has the full support of gun rights organizations as the NRA, Gun Owners of America, and People's Right Organization. The current NRA President, Ron Schmeits, happily endorses this legislation. A bewildered gun control left is speechless, and is taking some time to prepare a response.

Dr. Obama

While the wacko birthers were scavaging every dark corner in President Barack Obama's skeleton closet for the missing birth certificate, they missed one major document! His MD Certificate! He graduated from the Barack School of Medicine, also known as the B.S.M.D. Thank goodness for his background in medicine, because he has an insiders understanding of how the business works. How doctors lose money with every Medicare patient they take on. How liability insurance is one of their major expenses. How they are afraid of not administering every test possible to avoid law suit. How since the creation of Medicaid and Medicaid, medical costs per individual has almost tripled every decade, when years before it was on a slower increase. How doctors go to a decade of schooling to learn that they can make money by unecessarily amputating a diabetics foot, or a child's tonsils.

Thank goodness he knows emergency first aid, because at almost every single rally or speech he gives, someone faints. I will conceed that he is one of the most handsome Presidents, but come on people! But Dr. Obama comes to the rescue, prescribes "more room" and "take in some deep breaths" and "maybe give them some water, STAT!" What would we do with his "common sense solutions" to not only our health while attending a rally, but for the entire medical industry! And in his most recent campaign speech today in Iowa, Dr. Obama simply said that this legislation "paves the way to universal health care". All of the talk that his isn't a "government takeover" is accurate. But it is, as Dr. Obama has said along with every other democratic leader, that this paves the way or opens the door to universal health care, which is a government take over. Our country was based on free market principles, with necessary regulations from the government. This piece of legislation moves us further away from those principles than any other since the Great Society.

Good Protest versus Bad Protest

Tea Party has become synonymous with bigot, racist, hate, violent, and the likes. This past rally in Washington DC, on the eve of health care reform, didn't help our cause. There were reports of racial slurs directed at Civil Rights activist and now congressman John Lewis, homophobic insult at the outed Barney Frank, and some outrageous protester spit in Congressman Emanuel Cleaver's face. This is despicable and inexcusable behavior. Many of the attendees near the incidences, including William Owens, a black Tea Party activist from Nevada, said that in the case of Rep. Lewis, he didn't hear any racial slurs or shouts. And those surrounding the Barney Frank incident, recalled the representative walking directly over to the "protester" who had only approached minutes before Franks arrival, directed an expletive at him, and he responded with his derogatory comeback. Regardless of the claims, I will always be against using profanities or slurs and violence in place of an honest and factually sound argument. Now, the latest "Breaking News" is that Reps. Stupak and Slaughter have reportedly received death threats.

We are currently in such a volatile political environment, and ignorant outraged extremists are giving the constitutionally sound and majority driven cause a dangerously bad rap. And I believe that those in power are exploiting these typically sensitive topics to further their cause. To make those who honestly oppose this administrations efforts to expand the scope and depth of the federal government afraid of voicing their dissent, in fear of being labeled racist, violent or bigots. My fear is that isolated incidents of radical measures, like those being covered, will be accepted as typical and discredit any valid arguments opposition has to offer. We do not need to resort to violence because are educated, law-abiding, freedom relishing citizens. We uphold our laws, especially the highest law of the land, the Constitution. I pray that this is the last we hear of such violence and that the coverage received doesn't encourage those seeking publicity to use similar extreme measures. We need to fight this in the courts, on the floors of the Capitol and at our local level.

Oh, no they didn't!

Yes, they did. The House passed the Senate's version of health care reform. There is so much to cover, and so much to digest. They didn't listen, and I pray that the American people who are outraged now, don't forget by the time November rolls around. Thomas Jefferson, sums up my conservative view with our government:

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.

I must be special!

I just received an e-mail from President Barack Obama! He referred to me as his "friend"! He also included a link to his campaign website, which has been fundamentally transformed to aid in the "final march for reform", health care reform that is. I can either call, write, attend or share. I intend on using all of the options given to get my voice heard.

What I found extremely patronizing is that when you select the "write" option, after you fill in information to locate your district, it brings up an automated e-mail to send to your representative. It reads:

I'm writing to let you know that I support health insurance reform, and I hope you will reconsider your opposition.
I don't support favoring big insurance companies over the American people, and I'm not alone -- voters in our state have pledged thousands of volunteer hours to fight for candidates who support reform.
Your constituents are counting on you to place our well-being over partisan game-playing. Please support reform.
Thank you.

Just because majority of the representatives who are voting in favor of either the House or Senate bills don't read their legislation, doesn't mean that their constituents don't know how to write an e-mail articulating their opinions! How simple minded do they believe the American public is? The website suggested "personalizing the sample letter". Here was my amended letter to Rep. Mary Fallin of the U.S. House of Representatives:

I'm [RE]-writing [THIS MASS E-MAIL FROM THE PRESIDENT'S WEBSITE] to let you know that I support [YOU IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT'S] health insurance reform, and I hope you will [STAND TRUE TO YOUR PRINCIPLES AND NEVER] reconsider your opposition.
I don't support favoring big [GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS OVER] insurance companies [ESPECIALLY WHEN IT WILL] over [TAX] the American people, and I'm not alone -- voters in our state have pledged thousands of volunteer hours to fight for candidates who [REFUSE TO] support [THIS KIND OF] reform.
Your constituents are counting on you to place our well-being over partisan game-playing. [DO NOT PLAY THE DIRTY POLITICS OF THIS NEW ADMINISTRATION]. Please support [GOVERNMENT] reform. I KNOW I WILL IN NOVEMBER AND ALSO 2012.
Thank you [AND GOD BLESS AMERICA AND FREEDOMS GRANTED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION].

I highly suggest you also use the President's website to let your voice be heard about the business being conducted in Washington, D.C. Does anyone else find this type of efficient organization for campaigning post-campaign a little big-brother-esque? For this much calculated effort to be in place and still have the American people (who voted him into office) be against the health care reform bill speaks volumes of the 180 degree turn around that has occured. No matter how much calculated effort, or stump speeches you make, or easy to use spoon fed websites you create, WE WILL NOT SUPPORT THIS. Listen to the American people!