Sep

6

Jon Stewart: LOL

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This is a must-watch; I was LOL throughout the clip.

Sep

6

Joe Biden: “What I didn’t hear”

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Senator Biden is a fiery orator and he effectively argues how the RNC failed to address the issues affecting everyday people in America. I am fired up, ready to go and prepared to put my community organizing skills to work! :-)

Jan

28

7 Days and Counting

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In about 7 days we are set to experience a “watershed” moment in history. In a conversation with the Lt. Governor, we discuss state and national politics and pondered what Tuesday, February 5 would bring.

Change is what next Tuesday is going to bring. A change in our state politics; a change in our national politics and a change in the hearts and minds of people.

On Saturday, Senator Obama rocked the South Carolina Primary. I was in Yosemite at the time. Reception was poor enough so I did not learn of the results until Mayra and I left the snow-covered park and returned to Merced.

I was happy to spend the day with Mayra in the place John Muir called “The Yosemite.” A majestic place of absolute amazement.

Standing with Mayra in the frigid air, looking at the snow-capped Half Dome and basking in the glow of the sun, I was at peace.

Jan

5

Words Do

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Jan

3

Hope

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“Hope is not blind optimism. It’s not ignoring the enormity of the tasks ahead or the road blocks that stand in our path. It’s not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight, hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.” - Senator Barack Obama the Night of the Iowa Victory

Visit http://www.barackobama.com/, sign up for My.BarackObama.com, and stand for change!

Jan

2

Time for Change, 382 Days from Today

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Today, Thursday, January 3, 2008, is the beginning of the time for change. In the state of Iowa, hundreds of thousands of folks will be leaving the warmth and comfort of their homes and walk to a neighbor’s residence, walk through the old doors of their high school gym, walk downstairs into the basement of their church, or meet in the hall of the community center and caucus for change, caucus for a new direction, and caucus for a new America.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 12:00:01PM noon Eastern Standard Time, President Barack Obama will be our nation’s new face, our country’s new leader, and our history’s new visionary who will begin the arduous process of reorganizing our government, redefining our values, reshaping our nation, rebuilding our image around the world.

I look forward to that day, some 382 days from now. And the first step in our journey to that moment begins with tomorrow’s caucus in Iowa.

Go Obama!

Nov

20

Experiences as a Youth

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Experience, we all have it. Over the past few days, experience has become a more hotly contested issue in the 2008 Presidential Race.

I think our experiences as a youth matter a tremendous deal in shaping who we are, the values we hold and the beliefs we maintain about the nature of our fellow human. Growing up, I remember when Ramon’s (my older brother) friend was told he couldn’t cross the main street (4 lane main street instead of a 2 lane side street) because it was dangerous or something to that effect.

Robert, his name is, was my brother’s age, so I was confused as to why I, someone younger, could cross the street but he couldn’t. I suppose my parents didn’t realize I was regularly running across four lanes of asphalt at such as young age. (They probably still aren’t aware, but I will be sure to confess to them when I get home for Thanksgiving. ;-))

At first, I wasn’t afraid of running across the street; I eagerly did it to follow my brother, but also to play Super Nintendo at Mason’s (another friend of my brother) house. But, for whatever reason, after I heard Robert’s mom tell him he couldn’t, I was hesitant. After enough coxing from my brother, I ran across the street anyway, always certain to follow the advice my parent’s to look both ways.

I was reminded of that experience when I read a day ago that Senator Barack Obama mentioned that his time in Indonesia as a child helped him develop a greater appreciation of cultures and understanding about how others may view the United States as invaluable experience to him as an individual and as President.

Following, Senator Hillary Clinton pointed out such experience as a youth does not matter because it ignores the complexity of things. I have a simple retort to her claim: sometimes somethings just are not that complicated nor do they need to be.

International relations may seem like something beyond the minds of some, but in reality, it is not. Like anything, how someone performs in any realm of human interaction, from the individual to the global level, depends on how they communicate with, how they relate to, how they appreciate, how they disagree with and how they judge character, heart and intentions of the other person. In other words, strong inter-personal communication skills and sound judgment are key to interacting with others.

Senator Obama’s childhood is rich and varied. He has crossed social, economic and political boundaries at a young age and interacted with a wide array of individuals, societies and cultures, whether those of Southeast Asia or Midwest America; this is the kind of experience our next President must have and only Senator Obama has it.

Oct

7

The Future of the Democratic Party

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The Future of the Democratic Party is at stake with the 2008 Presidential Election. Our system of politics is one of parties and the two predominate parties are the Democrats and Republicans. As the Republican Party continues on a path leading to its redefinition, recomposition and reorganization, the Democratic Party is nearing the pinnacle of its preeminence. The Democratic Party is considered more inclusive, tremendously diverse geographically, linguistically, ethnically, racially and philosophically speaking, and ultimately the Party that will provide the change American society is looking for and considered by some, desperately, in need of.

Given the assertions above, the argument I intend to advance is that for the Democratic Party to have a viable, long-lasting future, some fundamental changes in the political, policy and philosophical structure of the party need to be made.

First, the selection of a presidential candidate is by and large the most defining component of the party because the candidate is considered the de facto leader of the party. The leader is granted the power to redefine the party’s platform, composition and organization at a macro level. Therefore, the question is which presidential candidate will be able to positively affect the party and the society as a whole? I believe the answer is Barack Obama.

Without a doubt, Senator Obama brings new energy, new ideas and a new generation into the political world. No other candidate can argue persuasively of such a stake. The current guard of the Democratic Party must recognize the need to replenish its ranks with new people. By selecting Senator Obama as the Democratic Party’s candidate for President, a massive wave of young and old, novice and seasoned political beings will come into the throws of influence. Over 350,000 people have given 500,000 contributions to Senator Obama’s campaign: this is more than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican. These numbers cannot be ignored nor denied their importance in highlighting the Senator’s ability to inspire people in ways that has not be experience since the 1960s.

Secondly, Senator Obama’s policy positions offer a new direction in many realms, but especially in foreign policy. Willingness to engage others of an unlike mind is a prerequisite to being president of the United States, plain and simple. To think that by ignoring the problems or the so-called problem people of the world is going to result in a solution is unexplainable and leads to the kinds of disasters that my generation and several generations after me will have to endure. In other words, communication is a powerful tool at the disposal of a leader and to think that we should not communicate directly, engage in a healthy discussion and ultimately establish a connection with another person who wields tremendous influence over their particular portion of the global community is the type of thinking that leads to wars, to death and to the breakdown in the exchange of information and knowledge.

Speaking in broad terms, this is the first time in our society were generation old truly meets generation new. In times past, the current generation was able to maintain its power because it would needlessly send the generation following it into conflict-ridden regions that would result in the loss of a significant portion of the generation following population. Fortunately, we will not repeat the error of the Vietnam in creating a lost generation. The Internet Generation is alive, it is well, and it is seeking what we all seek, a greater ability to affect positive change in society for the immediate, short and long-term.

I am of the opinion that for the Democratic Party to solidify its standing as a Party of the People and its long-term viability, it must ensure that the up and coming generation has a seat the table and the way to do that is to seat the next generation at the head of it.

Aug

6

Turning the Page on American Foreign Policy

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Last week, Senator Obama discussed American foreign policy and there is one part of his speech in particular that struck a cord with me:

And we know what the extremists say about us. America is just an occupying Army in Muslim lands, the shadow of a shrouded figure standing on a box at Abu Ghraib, the power behind the throne of a repressive leader. They say we are at war with Islam. That is the whispered line of the extremist who has nothing to offer in this battle of ideas but blame — blame America, blame progress, blame Jews. And often he offers something along with the hate. A sense of empowerment. Maybe an education at a madrasa, some charity for your family, some basic services in the neighborhood. And then: a mission and a gun.

We know we are not who they say we are. America is at war with terrorists who killed on our soil. We are not at war with Islam. America is a compassionate nation that wants a better future for all people. The vast majority of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims have no use for bin Ladin or his bankrupt ideas. But too often since 9/11, the extremists have defined us, not the other way around.

When I am President, that will change. We will author our own story.

We do need to stand for democracy. And I will. But democracy is about more than a ballot box. America must show — through deeds as well as words — that we stand with those who seek a better life. That child looking up at the helicopter must see America and feel hope.

Turning the page on American foreign will require a new perspective, a new strategy, and new story of what America is, who America is, and what America can and must be. Senator Obama is the only one, so far, who has articulated a vision of presenting a new America to the world; an America of both words and deeds.

We do not need more of the same, but rather more of the different because this is a new day that requires new thinking.

If fundamental change is to occur in this country at the highest levels of government, then we need a leader who looks beyond what is political probable to what is practically possible. Senator Obama is that leader.

May

30

Elections Are About Change

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Elections are about change.

Change in leadership, change in individual and collective sentiments, change in views of our self, each other and our world, and ultimately change in trajectory for the nation.

The 2008 US Presidential Election may seem a long time coming, but it is not. The election is here; the election is now.

In this election I adamantly support Senator Barack Obama because he represents a truly new generation of politics, he symbolizes the notion of hope, and understands that change does not come from the top-down, but the bottom-up.

My hope is that people get more involved in the election which will define the course of our country, our people for generations to come.

To learn more and get involved in Senator Obama’s campaign, visit http://www.barackobama.com/.