Obama Speech — ‘A more perfect union’
Posted on March 19, 2008 - Filed Under News, President
Full transcript of Obama’s speech on race as prepared for delivery
“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.”
Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.
The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.
Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.
Independents Fighting On
Posted on March 15, 2008 - Filed Under Elections, News, President, Third Party
by Joseph Oddo
The beginning of March 2008 has begun with mixed results for independents. First Ralph Nader continues our fight for ballot access and is getting a little less abuse from the mainstream media than usual. Then Mayor Bloomberg announced that he was not seeking the White House. That was a setback to those who support sought a self-financed, credible and capable individual to perhaps fuse the splintered minor parties.
Bloomberg issued an accurate statement that “an independent approach really can produce progress on the most critical issues, including the economy, education, the environment, energy, infrastructure and crime.” We interpret this a call for candidates to get on the ballot as the most influential election-altering strategy to impact the national dialogue. But news changes quickly and certain deadlines have passed showing several congressional races (including all the Arkansas congress members) will once again go unchallenged by the big two parties. This is indicative of the established parties lack of commitment to being opposition parties. And it could be a good sign for third parties and independents if we can field candidates and have one-on-one challenges. Though often times the incumbent refuses to debate the non-established party candidate even if they are on the ballot.
all to support Verified Voting in NJ! Hearing Trenton Monday
Posted on March 6, 2008 - Filed Under Elections
Dear DFA Friends,
A bill is going before our State Assembly to delay, past the November 2008 election, the implementation of the Voter Verified Paper Ballot for all votes cast in NJ. As you know, once your vote is cast on an electronic voting machine, it cannot be re-counted should there be a glitch, error, malfunction or worse. Only verified paper ballots provide an avenue for votes to be recounted and verified.
Please read the e-mail below from Irene Goldman from CFPA, a group very involved in this issue.
Accurate, verifiable voting is the core of our democracy! Contact your state legislator today!
PLEASE CALL BY THE END OF FRIDAY, MARCH 7 SPONSORS TO WITHDRAW THEIR BILL; CALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO OPPOSE THE BILL. See phone numbers for all below.
S1381. VOTING MACHINE CONCERNS.
Co Primary Sponsors:
Sen. Stephen Sweeney, D, 856- 251- 9801
Sen. Tom Kean, Jr., R, 908- 232 -3673
Brought before the NJ Senate State Government Committee.
Monday, March 10, at 10am, Room 7, Second Floor, State House Annex
Chair, Nicholas SCUTARI, D, 908 -587 -0404
Vice Chair, Loretta WEINBERG, D, 201 -928- 0100
Jennifer BECK, R, 732- 933 -1591
Kevin O’TOOLE, D, 973 -237- 1360
Jim WHELAN, D, 609- 393- 1388
Thank You!
Dear Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) Contact,
If you are a CFPA supporter in New Jersey, please take the actions below as soon as possible. Make your call(s) by this Friday, March 7; and if possible, attend the Hearing in Trenton at 10 AM on Monday, March 10.
URGENT: CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TO OPPOSE S1381. Details at end of this email.
COME TO N.J. SENATE STATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE HEARING on MONDAY, MARCH 10 at 10am. State House Annex, Room 7, Second Floor. To OPPOSE, S1383.
S-1381:Seeks another extension of the Voter Verified Paper Ballot requirement for yet another six months (past the November General Election!), the deadline for establishing a Voter Verified Paper
Ballot in the New Jersey Assembly.
CFPA has been calling for requiring a Voter Verified Paper Ballot (VVPB) for all votes case in New Jersey since October 2004. A law mandating that has been in place since 2005. There is no justification for giving yet another extension that allows a further delay in implementing Voter Verified Paper Ballots in New Jersey!
10am on Monday, March 10 at the State House Annex. See details below.
S-1381, Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D) and Tom Kean Jr, (R), bill to extend the Voter Verified Paper Ballot (VVPB) deadline to Jan. 1, 2009, will have a public hearing before the Senate State Government Committee on Monday, 3/10/08. The committee will meet at 10am, in Committee Room 7on the 2nd floor of the State House Annex on West State Street in Trenton. As you face the front of the State House, the Annex is the next building to the right.
Right now CFPA Chair, Irene Etkin Goldman; CFPA Voting Issues Task Force Chair Stephanie Harris; and Penny Venetis, our attorney from Rutgers Constitutional Litigation Clinic for our Law Suit seeking to mandate VVPB are planning to testify. We urge you to attend, either to testify (you just sign up to request the opportunity before the Hearing starts) or as support. If you do go, please connect with Irene and Stephanie.
WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN ATTEND, PLEASE CALL BY THE END OF FRIDAY, MARCH 7 SPONSORS TO WITHDRAW THEIR BILL; CALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO OPPOSE THE BILL. See phone numbers for all below.
S1381. VOTING MACHINE CONCERNS.
Co Primary Sponsors:
Sen. Stephen Sweeney, D, 856 251 9801
Sen. Tom Kean, Jr., R, 908 232 3673
Brought before the NJ Senate State Government Committee.
Monday, March 10, at 10am, Room 7, Second Floor, State House Annex
Chair, Nicholas SCUTARI, D, 908 587 0404
Vice Chair, Loretta WEINBERG, D, 201 928 0100
Jennifer BECK, R, 732 933 1591
Kevin O’TOOLE, D, 973 237 1360
Jim WHELAN, D, 609 393 1388
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR IMPORTANT ACTION.
Irene and Stephanie
—–
Irene Etkin Goldman, Chair, Steering Committee
Stephanie Harris, Voting Issues Task Force Chair
Coalition for Peace Action
Princeton, New Jersey USA
contact
Irene Etkin Goldman
45 Nursery Road
Titusville, NJ 08560
tel: 609 882 9186
fax: 609 771 4177
email: Goldmani@aol.com
Obama vs McCain
Posted on March 5, 2008 - Filed Under Elections, President, Third Party
by Mike Krauss http://www.opednews.com
In an earlier essay I argued that Barack Obama would be a more formidable Democratic candidate for president than Hillary Clinton, because of his demonstrable ability to attract independent voters and because he does not have the high negatives that attach to Senator Clinton. If the polls can be believed, even many Republicans say they “like” Senator Obama.
Now, John McCain has emerged as the Republican nominee. Assuming Obama secures the Democratic nomination, how might he fare against Senator McCain?
The odds are fifty-fifty, at best.
First, a number of Obama’s victories were in states that held caucuses, where the small number of voters who participated is not representative of those states’ far larger voting age population. And in other states his support was often concentrated in cities and university towns.
This does not suggest that he will have an easy time moving Republican “red” states into his electoral column. In fact, it looks like a fairly standard Democrat/Republican contest.
Second, John McCain has demonstrated that he can compete for those independent, swing voters.
Third, John McCain is not Hillary Clinton, and is unlikely to repeat the mistakes of her campaign.
Senator Clinton clearly did not see Senator Obama coming until it was too late. Senator McCain will come to the fight ready. He is already on the offensive.
Bloomberg bows out.
Posted on February 28, 2008 - Filed Under Elections, President, Third Party
After teasing Americans for more than a year, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he would not be pursuing any independent candidacy for the Presidency.
Bloomberg wrote in a
New Jersey is #1
Posted on February 27, 2008 - Filed Under Elections
According to the Tax Foundation:
State and Local Property Tax Collections Per Household by State, Fiscal Year 2005
New Jersey Property Tax Collection Per Household: $6,110 Rank: 1
Property Taxes on Owner Occupied Housing by State, 2006
New Jersey Median Property Taxes Paid on Homes: $5,773 Rank: 1
Property Taxes as % of Income: 7.03% Rank: 1
Let this open your eyes
Posted on February 24, 2008 - Filed Under Economic, News
This is only one state. If this doesn’t open your eyes, nothing will!
From the L. A. Times
1. 42% of all workers in L. A.County (
2. 96% of warrants for murder in
3. 78% of peopl e on the most wanted list in
4. Over 2/3 of all births in
5. Nearly 40% of all inmates in
6. Over 350,000 illegal aliens in
7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in
8. Nearly 70% of all occupants o f HUD properties are illegal.
9. 21 radio stations in L. A. are Spanish speaking. 10. In L. A. County 5.1 million people speak English, 4.3 million speak Spanish.
(There are 10.2 million people in
(All 10 of the above are from the
Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 37% are on welfare.
Over 73% of the
34% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.
We are a bunch of fools for letting this continue. When will our Goverment take responsibility and STOP this.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Send links of this post to at least two other people . 100 would be even better.
The Forgotten Voice of Independents
Posted on February 24, 2008 - Filed Under Elections, News
I was engaged in a heated debate with a friend a few days ago. I was arguing that the value of Independents is taken for granted by both parties. That they often allow for their candidates to run from the ‘fringe’ and then expect independents to ‘rally’ behind these wacky candidates.
My case was highlighted by the following:
1) Democrats. They have 2 remaining candidates that are both as far-left as any candidates that they have ever ran. The moderate middle that Bill Clinton ran as … was lost. Both are ‘out-promising’ the other on social welfare program expansions. They both have forgot that tax receipts are paid by tax payers. They have both forgot that our sovereign security is paramount to our survival.
2) Republicans. They just ‘hate’ their remaining candidate. They view him as a lost and lone maverick. Not espousing any ideals that they (the Republicans) hold dear. He too is now running for the fringe, between moments of running in the opposite way. His age, while not preventive about ability, the issue of continuity is just being ignored.
Independents are (for the most part) left out of the primary process. Some may argue that they should be. It is the parties themselves that are nominating their candidates. Who would want some outsiders (independents) playing spoiler?
So that leaves us, those independent of mind and voice, to pick from the scrap heap of those nominations. We get to choose from two low quality and poor candidates. What we need, need as a people, need as a nation is a person of character, one who is willing to look after all of our needs (and not the special interests) and make America great again.
Ralph Nader, as well meaning as he is, is not him.
It is time that Mike Bloomberg step up. Step up and save America from its selfish ways. Make us great again. This is just one-lone-voice in the wilderness looking not for a savior but a Leader.
The Rise of Independents
Posted on February 17, 2008 - Filed Under President, Third Party
“The future lies with those wise political leaders who realize that the great public is interested more in Government than in politics . . . The growing independence of voters, after all, has been proven by the votes in every Presidential election since my childhood—and the tendency, frankly, is on the increase.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1940
Urgent - your support needed!
Posted on February 14, 2008 - Filed Under Activist Actions, Elections
I’m writing today to ask you for your help.
Over the last six weeks, CUIP volunteers have been making thousands of phone calls to supporters in all fifty states to raise funds for our 2008 annual campaign. We set a very ambitious goal this year - $405,000 by February 20, and we are almost there.
I know you are a supporter of independent politics. Your support these past years has made all the difference in the world. And we need your help today to meet this important goal.
$405,000 is a big stretch for us. We took on this challenge because, to quote my colleague Jackie Salit’s post-Super Tuesday analysis, “a notable development is the extent to which organized independents are becoming recognized as a force with power and connections and roots in a mass movement that is growing significantly.”
With recognition comes opportunity – to grow, to impact, to recruit new supporters and spread our message of political independence and non-partisanship.
In the last six weeks, CUIP has invested thousands of dollars in local organizing campaigns in Kentucky, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Georgia, Alabama, Idaho and Oregon. Many of our local leaders are now interfacing directly with the Barack Obama campaign. Most importantly, independents have had a direct influence on the public debate in campaign ’08.
Because we are growing, we need more financial support than ever.
Our fundraising team has been doing an inspiring job of raising funds, hitting the phones day in and day out. The average donation has increased from $381 in 2007 to $589 this year – an increase of 54%! Because of their hard work, we’ve raised $382,500, just $22,500 short of our goal.
We’ve not been able to reach you on the phone to renew your support, and I want to ask you to do so today. To give on-line, just click here. If you want to make a pledge, please send me an e-mail with the pledge amount and I will send you an envelope.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Most Sincerely,
John Opdycke
Director of Development
jopdycke@cuip.org
PS – our goal is to raise another $22,500 in the next 5 days! Please take a minute now and either give on-line or send me an e-mail with your pledge. Thank you!