Flying to vote #3

Again, more reasons.

Here we are 22 million African Americans eligible to vote and yet 8 million didn't vote
1% of the population controls 42% of the wealth. 10% of the population controls 93% of the wealth.
Banks get bailouts from loans with our money with no interest and the banks turn around and lend us our money back with interest. These are critical times and we need to vote now.
I don't know if Republicans are going to show up. I don't know if Democrats are going to show up
but the sons and daughters of slaves we better “the hell” show up!

Our parents did more with less than we have today
with less they beat slavery
with less they beat Jim Crow
with less they beat lynching
with less they beat the KKK
with less, Harriet Tubman got 500 slaves out of slavery
she didn't have email, she didn't have text or Facebook……..she didn't have [???]

We must do more with more so from now until November email everybody you know. Tell them to show up.

Text everybody, tell them to show up. Tweet everybody, tell them to show up. Tell your friends on Facebook to show up. Call everybody you know and tell them to show up. When we do what we are supposed to do, God will show up. God will bless our efforts. He always has and He always will. When we work our faith, there are miracles and movements.

Faith without works is destitute and devoid, but faith with works is dynamic and can change a destiny. Whenever we work our faith, God shows up.

When Moses stretched out his rod, God showed up, the wind came down and the Red Sea opened up Pharaoh was brought down when they marched around Jericho, God showed up, walls fell down.
When David threw the rock, God showed up, Goliath came down.
When Daniel went in the lions' den, God showed up, the lions calmed down.

When Esther went to see the King, God showed up and evil plans were turned around.

When a woman touched the hem of his garment, God showed up and her blood disease slowed down.

When a boy gave the Lord fish and five loaves of bread, God showed up and a buffet came down.
When Jesus went to the cross God showed up, Satan's kingdom was torn down. Early Sunday morning resurrection happened and the angels had a holy ghost throw down.

When Thurgood Marshall went to the Supreme Court, God showed up and America's segregation was brought down.

When Rosa Parks sat down, God showed up, and Jim Crow had to step down.
If we vote the tea party and the GOP will be voted down. Every time we put our faith and our works together, evil is shut down and God shows up! What's in your hands? Use what you got—God will give you what you need! If we ever needed to vote we need to vote right now!" and God will show up!
We had an excellent voter turnout in November 2008, let's do it again!

Flying to vote #2

More reasons to vote.

We have been through too much and seen too much and fought for too much. If we ever needed to vote.......we need to vote right now!
Not only have we been through too much, there's still too much to fight for...
27.4% of African Americans in poverty. 12 million children red, yellow, black and white in poverty
27 million Americans unemployed, 14% of African Americans unemployed.

49 million Americans uninsured. 1 out of every 5 African Americans uninsured.

1 million African Americans incarcerated.
Politicians can say "elect me and I'll take your healthcare"
"elect me and I'll take your voting rights"
"elect me and I'll take your social security"
"elect me and I'll re=segregate your public schools"
"elect me and I'll ignore your poverty" ….and still get votes!

Flying to vote #1

Please go out and vote. Many people have fought, bled, and died for us to have the right to vote. Honor their struggle. 

WE MUST SHOW UP
If we ever needed to vote we sure do need to vote now. The right to vote is not just a constitutional matter but a right borne out of struggle, out of sacrifice and a gift from God. Think for a moment where we are now here today...

236 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence,
176 years since Texas revolted because they wanted to keep their slaves,
163 years since Harriet Tubman escaped slavery,
149 years since the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation,
147 years since the end of the Civil war,
118 years since the riots of Wilmington North Carolina to stop black political power,
108 years since the riots in Springfield Illinois,
68 years since Smith v. Allwright opened up primaries for black people,
68 years since Primus King was denied the right to vote in Georgia in a primary,
46 years after Barbara Jordan was the first African American to sit in the Texas Senate,
48 years since Fannie Lou Hamer said there comes a time when you get sick and tired of being sick and tired.
51 years since Dr. King said to the AFL CIO that the only voting platform that could transform America would be for blacks, poor whites and Latinos to learn how to work together,
49 years since the murder of Medgar Evers,
49 years since the March on Washington,
49 years since the bombing of four girls in a Birmingham church,
48 years since the signing of the Civil Rights Act,
47 years since Bloody Sunday,
47 years since the Voting Rights act,
47 years since Malcolm X was killed,
44 years since students at South Carolina State were massacred,
44 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King,
44 years since the signing of the Fair Housing Act,
43 years since conservatives dismantled the Office of Economic Opportunity,
43 years since my parents fought to integrate public schools,
3 years since Barack whose name means Praise the Lord was sworn in to be President of these United States.
1 year since Troy Davis was murdered by the state,
4 months and 11 days since the shooting of Trayvon Martin,
4 months since the secret documents revealed by the National Organization on Marriage that they started the same sex marriage fight not for moral reasons but to split the black and LGBT community in order to defeat President Obama.

Flying ONE day before the election

Care about health care? Read below (taken from http://www.thebostonchannel.com/presidential-race/index.html):

McCain's view: McCain wants to allow people to buy health insurance nationwide instead of limiting them to in-state companies, and permit people to buy insurance through any organization or association they choose as well as through their employers or directly from an insurance company. He proposes a $2,500 refundable tax credit for individuals, $5,000 for families, to make health insurance more affordable. He wants no mandate for universal coverage. And he would no longer shield from income taxes those payments that businesses and their workers make toward employer-sponsored health insurance.

Obama's view: For the uninsured, Obama wants to create a voluntary national health plan for adults that has guaranteed eligibility and that will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care, and offer federal subsidies going to those who can't afford the group rates. He also favors catastrophic insurance to help businesses and families avoid bankruptcy and reduce premiums.

For those with private insurance, Obama wants to create a watchdog group that would establish rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums that would not depend upon health status. He says the package would cost up to $65 billion a year after unspecified savings from making system more efficient. Raise taxes on wealthier families to pay the cost.

Which one would you choose? Decide and go vote!

Flying with pumpkins 4 days before the election

Let me get my vote message out first, GO VOTE! Okay on to something different. Many people are no longer celebrating Halloween, I decided to focus today on the pumpkin. I still like Halloween, but I can be sensitive to those who chose not to celebrate it. I do not think anyone would be offended discussing pumpkins. Don't worry, I will not repeat this for Thanksgiving. This was taken from http://www.history.com/minisite.do?

Pumpkins

Pumpkins are fruits. A pumpkin is a type of squash and is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitacae), which also includes squash, cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.

The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in 2005 and weighed 2,020 pounds.
Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years. They are indigenous to the western hemisphere.

In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region of North America, he reported finding "gros melons." The name was translated into English as "pompions," which has since evolved into the modern "pumpkin."

Pumpkins are low in calories, fat, and sodium and high in fiber. They are good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, potassium, protein, and iron.

The largest pumpkin ever grown was 1,689 pounds. It was grown by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, Rhode Island.

Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. Their seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next year.

Now you know more about pumpkins than you ever wanted to know, but no one has been offended!

Flying 5 days before the election

Here is another reason to vote. If you don't vote, you are allowing someone to make decisions for you. Why would you do that? We have been told that we are lazy and we don't care enough to vote. Prove them wrong. We have to take a stand. We have to make our government take notice. My 91 year old aunt voted last week. That's right, she did. She waited over an hour, but she voted. Now, what is your excuse for not voting? Actually, I do not want to hear it. It is a right so use it. Many people died and are still dying in other countries for this right. Don't let their blood be shed in vain. This election we have an opportunity to make significant chances. Don't sit back and let history repeat itself. Isn't it time to try something new?

Need another reason? What about taxes?

McCain's view: McCain opposed temporary tax cuts enacted by President George W. Bush in his first term, and voted against extending them in 2007 because they did not rein in spending. He has since changed his position on the tax cuts, and now wants them made permanent. McCain favors repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax, cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent, banning taxes on the Internet and on new cell phones. He supports raising the personal exemption for each dependent from $3,500 to $7,000. And he has talked of establishing an alternative, opt-in tax system that offers one "generous" deduction and a system that he says would be simpler to manage.

Obama's view: Obama said he wants an income tax cut for American families making less than $250,000 a year and individuals making less than $200,000. And he is seeking $80 billion in tax breaks mainly for poor workers and elderly, including tripling Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credit for larger families. He would raise corporate taxes and eliminate tax-filing requirements for older workers making less than $50,000. A mortgage-interest credit could be used by lower-income homeowners who do not take the mortgage-interest deduction because they do not itemize their taxes. He opposes making the Bush tax cuts permanent.

Read, research, and VOTE! Read about this and other issues at http://www.thebostonchannel.com/presidential-race/index.html

Flying 6 days before the election

What is the electoral college and why should you care about it? Americans elect the President and Vice-president through a method of indirect popular election. On November 4, 2008, voters cast their ballots for a presidential candidate. However, votes actually count towards a group of electors who pledge to vote for a specific candidate when the Electoral College meets in December.

The "Electoral College" is the unofficial term coined in the 1800s for the group of citizens selected by the people to cast votes for President and Vice President.The presidential/vice-presidential pair who wins the popular vote in any given state receives all* of the state's number of Electoral College votes.

A state's number of electoral votes equals the number of the state's Congressional delegation [the number of U.S. Senators (always 2) PLUS the number of U.S. Representatives.] The District of Columbia receives three electoral votes, as determined by the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution.

Still confused? Maybe this will help. If a Democratic presidential candidate receives the most votes in Texas, the 34 Democratic electors become the voting block representing the Lone Star state. Therefore, the Democratic presidential candidate receives 34 of the 538 total votes in the Electoral College. The winner of the 2008 Presidential Election is the candidate who collects 270 votes, the majority.

In the end, the winner of the race is the candidate who receives a majority (270) of the 538 Electoral College votes. The results of the 2008 election won't be official until the President of the Senate counts the votes out loud at a special joint session of Congress held on January 6, 2009. There have been FIVE times in our history that the candidate receiving a plurality of the popular vote did not become president. Previous instances include the elections of 1824, 1876, 1888, and of course 2000.

We should all remember 2000. Gore won the popular vote but lost the presidency to George W. Bush. He lost because Bush won a majority of the electoral votes, which are allocated to the winner of the popular vote in each state. Gore took the national vote because he received an excess of support in California, New York and other large, heavily Democratic states.

GO VOTE, DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN. I do not care which candidate you choose, just vote. Let your voice be heard.

Vote and read more about the Electoral college at http://www.votesmart.org/election_president_what_is_electoral_college.php or http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27364024

Flying 7 days before the election

Okay, the election is next week. Here is a reason to vote:

We want to be represented in our government. We need more diversity in Congress. The fact is that there is only 13% of people of color and 14% women in Congress. In this day and age we should all be represented. We do not want old white men speaking for us. They have been doing that for long enough. Before going to the polls, check out the entire ballot, not just the presidential candidates. What do you know about them? Do your homework and then vote.

Need another reason to vote? Think about the financial crisis.

McCain's view: McCain would eliminate taxes on unemployment benefits, lower the tax rate on Individual Retirement Accounts and 401(k) plans to the lowest rate of 10 percent on the first $50,000 withdrawn and reduce the tax rate on capital gains to 7.5 percent for two years. McCain has proposed a $300 billion plan for the government to buy bad mortgages and renegotiate them at a reduced price. He favors a one-year suspension of requirements that people aged 70 1/2 begin cashing in retirement accounts. And he lobbied fellow lawmakers to support the $700 billion rescue plan.

Obama's view: Obama has proposed a two-year plan offering a $3,000 tax credit to businesses for each new job created would enable people to withdraw up to 15 percent of their retirement money, to a maximum of $10,000, without penalty, except for the usual taxes. He would temporarily extend an expiring tax break that lets small businesses immediately write off investments of up to $250,000, and sweeten small-business loans at a cost of about $5 billion. His campaign estimates the cost of the proposals to be $60 billion. He also favors a mandatory 90-day freeze on some foreclosures. And he lobbied fellow lawmakers to support the $700 billion rescue plan.

Think, decide, and VOTE!

This information was taken from http://www.thebostonchannel.com/presidential-race/index.html