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Something Simple Can Make A Big Impact Shredding the constitution… Torture... My thoughts after listening to Daniel, a "Lost Boy of Sudan" It's not over... Guest Speaker, Daniel Garang of "Lost Boys of Sudan" (Forum) Save Darfur Walk Show your support for Senator Obama! 10 Facts on the Texas Primary-Caucus February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 
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I just did something simple that will make a big impact on someone's life. I signed the International Rescue Committee's Iraq Humanitarian Pledge at http://ga3.org/irc/helpiraq... Over 4 million women, men, and their young children have been uprooted by violence and chaos and have no hope of returning home soon. Families are growing destitute and struggle to find shelter. They desperately need food, medicine, education, jobs, and safe places to live. The IRC is on the ground providing lifesaving relief. And today, we can help. For each person who signs the IRC Iraq Humanitarian Pledge, one of their supporters will donate $1 to provide additional lifesaving services to vulnerable Iraqi families caught in the crossfire of violence. That means additional food, mattresses, clothing, and medical and housing assistance. Will you join with me and sign your name? It might be simple. But together, we can have a lasting impact on someone's life: http://ga3.org/irc/helpiraq... Peace. Don't Sleep. As a concerned citizen of the United States I feel the need to speak out on this issue. We have one last chance to prevent the FISA bill from becoming law. It lies in the hands of the senate. Please act now and stop the senate from making a terrible decision which takes away one of the most fundamental and progressive values, the right to privacy. Do not let the Senate give the phone companies and the Bush administration a free ride for past and future violations of our basic civil liberties. Ask your senators to stop this bill by supporting a filibuster and voting NO against a bill that gives the phone companies amnesty. Protect your privacy rights. As a Barack Obama supporter I also feel the need to speak out to other Obama supporters who are pissed off about his support of the so-called FISA compromise. I too share your concerns. I am an independent who has financially supported the Barack Obama campaign from the very beginning. I am a volunteer for his campaign. I've phone banked, canvassed, was precinct captain, served as precinct secretary at the primaries, attended the county convention as a delegate, and continue to be involved in his campaign. So again, to all of you, who are as pissed off as I am, please think about the full consequences of your actions. There are some who want to bail out of supporting the Obama campaign and are considering voting McCain, Nader, or not voting at all. Please reconsider. I am an activist and believe in the power of your voice. Let's continue to voice our opposition to issues we disagree on, but let's not lose sight of the ultimate goal. Barack Obama is the best candidate and needs to be in the White House. Would you, in good conscience, vote for McCain? Do you want McCain as president of the United States of America? Are you at peace with getting McCain in the White House? If you aren't (because I know for sure that I DO NOT want that), then let's continue to use our voice and speak out on issues, but lets be careful about bailing out of this campaign and throwing in the towel. Barack said it himself; we are the ones we've been waiting for. We have to continue this fight for a better America and for a better world. It's not going to be easy. There will be many challenges ahead of us...this is just the beginning. Sign the petition. Deliver a handout to your senators stating your opposition to the FISA bill. Please download the handout, sign it, and deliver. Make some intelligent noise.
March 8, 2008, President Bush vetoes H.R. 2082, the Intelligence Authorization bill, which prevents the CIA and other US agents from using simulated drowning - waterboarding, sexual humiliation, dogs and other techniques that amount to torture and ill-treatment. These methods of interrogation have been labeled alternative, harsh, and enhanced in an attempt to conceal what our government is really committing…acts of torture. People, please take a look at this closely. We are ultimately responsible for what our government does in our name. This kind of blatant disregard for human rights causes us far more damage than any benefits we receive from it. Torture is wrong everywhere, all the time, regardless of what agency or country does it. We are breaking the rules we as a country fought to establish in the first place. The Bush Administration has stated it does not torture, yet has to redefine its definition to condone its own actions. This bill was backed by 18 former national security experts including secretaries of state and national security advisors along with 43 retired admirals and generals. It would have left the 19 interrogation techniques in the Army Field Manual available to the CIA. It isn’t clear that the use of torture has prevented a repeat of 9/11. It is clear, however, that the use of these practices hasn’t captured Bin Laden or stabilized Afghanistan or Iraq. Torture by the US makes our own servicemen susceptible to the practice by our enemies. The debate on torture was put to rest years ago. It’s what separated us from the bad guys. Condoning torture decays our moral standing, endangers our troops and our society. “Some may argue that we would be more effective if we sanctioned torture or other expedient methods to obtain information from the enemy. They would be wrong. Beyond the basic fact that such actions are illegal, history shows that they also are frequently neither useful nor necessary. Certainly, extreme physical action can make someone ‘talk;’ however, what the individual says may be of questionable value. In fact, our experience in applying the interrogation standards laid out in the Army Field Manual … shows that the techniques in the manual work effectively and humanely in eliciting information from detainees.” That was Gen. David Petraeus in an open letter to troops in Iraq last May. Our troops have served with honor, our president has not. Stand up for what is right and work to overturn the president’s action. Learn more and take action at http://denouncetorture.amne.... http://www.speaker.gov/legi...
03/11/2008 -- Our representative and how they voted- Senate Supports Torture Ban: House Supports Torture Ban: House Fails to Override Veto of Torture Ban:
Peace. Don’t sleep. The New Year is a great time for looking back and then moving forward. I have to admit, when the year began and I doubted myself, questioning my actions and efforts. A lot of my free time is spent reading and writing letters about human rights issues, death penalty cases, genocide in Darfur, and maintaining my Save Darfur website. After years of efforts you begin to question whether or not signing petitions, writing letter to congressional representatives, attending rallies, and raising awareness really makes a difference. It's not like I took up arms and died for human rights. In the end I cling to hope. I have to believe that I will make a difference somehow. Last year I attended (as volunteer and participant) an event in San Antonio which was held to raise awareness about the genocide taking place in Darfur, Sudan. I thought there would be a huge turnout being that one of the groups hosting the event was STAND (A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition). That wasn't the case. Including volunteers, participants, and speakers, there were probably 25 people attending. I could go on and describe the many details of that morning, but I'll just point out this one thing. We stood there and listened to stories from genocide survivors of the holocaust, Rwanda, a Sudanese from Congo, and a Sudanese from the Darfur region. To add to their disturbing stories was that there were just twenty Americans there to listen to their stories. It was heart wrenching that they were there describing horrific events in their lives to help us understand what genocide is and to inspire us to act and put an end to the first genocide of the 21st century and there were so few people there to listen, to learn. It's been several years that Sudan has been apart of my life. I try to educate family and friends about what is taking place there. I read as much as I can, maintain a website dedicated to Darfur, watch documentaries on the subject. Sometimes I can deal with what I read/watch, sometimes it's overwhelming. On the day of the rally, it was overwhelming. I have a child now. I try to place myself in their shoes so that I don't lose site of what's important. This should not be happening. This genocide can be stopped. My recent experience with Sudanese refugees was just last week. I attended a forum given by STAND. Daniel Garang, one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" was the speaker. Lost Boys of Sudan is a name given by aid organizers to the more than 27,000 displaced and/or orphaned during the second Sudanese Civil War (1984-2005, about 2 million killed). Again, the crowd was small, but my experience was intense and overwhelming. I sat in the front row and I listened. Daniel's mother and father were murdered when he was just six years old. He fled to the forest where he joined other children. He didn't know what direction to go, so he just ran, and ran, and ran. His month long journey of hunger, thirst and search for safety led to the Ethiopia border where he was taken in and cared for at a refugee camp. He said he thought he was going to die, but this is when God saved him. War began to affect Ethiopia four years later and he had to flee once again. They walked for days, many dying along the way. They reached a town in Sudan where the children lived in hunger drinking only water until they received help again. 6 months later gunmen forced them to flee again. They walked for months before reaching Kenya where he lived for eight years. Then, he was brought to America where he now lives in Houston, Texas. He shares his story of loss and pain with the hope that we will help the people of Sudan. All they want is peace in their land. I heard his experience and listened to another refugee, a husband/father who just recently arrived to Houston from Darfur. Personally, this experience was good for me. I don't know what the others in the room will do with the information they received. My hope is that they will act. While I listened to Daniel, he looked into my eyes and said, "Everything you do matters. Every little thing makes a difference." Tears filled my eyes many times that night, but that moment hit hard. For years, I didn't know if I'd find my calling, or more specifically, if I had a calling. This is my calling. I hear the voices of the people of Darfur. I can't escape the images of their children or the knowledge of what's been done to them. The people of Darfur once lived a simple life. That's what they want back. It's not asking for a lot, just what was rightfully theirs. While Daniel spoke I imagined my own child at age six going through this life Daniel had to endure. It's difficult listening to these stories. It's difficult watching the documentaries. It's difficult being here, where it's safe, while children are starving and dying in Africa. This is all very difficult for me and I cried the whole way home after listening to Daniel and the others. It's like they are my family. This is how personal this issue is to me. I can't explain it. I can't live my life without Africa apart of it. There is so much work to be done in Sudan, Congo, and Chad. I hope somehow, if you are reading this, you too will be affected. No one deserves this kind of life. Peace. Don't sleep.
I would just like to thank Alex and James, the field organizers for Barack Obama’s campaign, for all of their help in the local area. Our work is far from over, but in the end it will all be worth it. My husband didn't think Barack would make it this far. He thought this was a waste of our money, that there wasn't any hope for him as president of the United States. I knew he was wrong. My husband didn’t think I should purchase a yard sign because he wouldn’t make it this far into the race. Boy was he wrong. And, he’s glad he was wrong.
Join The Save Darfur Coalition as they welcome Daniel Garang, one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan." Lost Boys of Sudan is the name given by aid organizations to refer to the more than 27,000 boys who were displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1984-2005, about 2 million killed). Garang will be sharing his experiences in Sudan. We will be discussing the current genocide and what we can do to help. Associated Groups: Designers for Darfur, karina, SAVE A LIFE;DARFUR LIFE, STAND - University of Houston, Students Against Genocide, Texans for darfur, Texas A&M for Darfur Directions: Directions to this building from I-45 South (downtown) - exit Spur 5 South - turn right on University Dr. - cross Calhoun and enter campus at Entrance 1 - the UH Visitor Information Booth is on your left - after you pass the Information Booth the UC will be on your right Parking Information To obtain a visitor parking permit, call Parking and Transportation Services in room 1 Ezekiel Cullen (713) 743-1097 Parking is available in the UH parking garage located off of Calhoun Road or in Lot 1B. There is also limited metered parking in front of the University Center. visitor map: http://uh.edu/cgi-bin/campu... picture of building: http://uh.edu/campus_map/bu... parking: http://uh.edu/visit/visitor... To sign up for the event please visit... Join the Save Darfur Coalition in a Save Darfur walk. Raise awareness, hope, and support for the survivors of the Darfur genocide. This is a city-wide, inter-faith walk-a-thon to raise funds for the Save Darfur Coalition. It is also to raise public awareness of the crisis. There will be a speaker first, followed by a 5K Walk. It is not a competitive event. You can either be an individual walker, or be a team captain and recruit 10-20 people to walk on your team. Each person or team member should get sponsors. When you raise $100, you will receive a t-shirt with the walk logo on it. Visitor parking info: (http://www.uh.edu/visit/vis...)
For more information about the Darfur Genocide please check out... Come on out this Friday, the final day of early voting, to proudly show your support for Senator Obama! Early voting lasts from 8am-5pm. We are particularly trying to have a presence from 11-2 and 4-5, but please come for as long as you can! Location: Across the street from the Early Voting Location (Forest & Glass)
1. Texas will be holding a mixed primary-caucus on Tuesday, March 4th, 2008. The process will appoint delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
2. The primary process will award 126 delegates, and the caucus process will award 67 delegates. 3. The primary voting will last from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM on March 4th. It is a private vote that is similar to any other election. 4. If a voter believes his or her name has been mistakenly omitted from the list of eligible voters at his or her polling place, the voter is allowed to cast a provisional ballot. 5. The Texas Democratic Primary is open to members of any party, but you must vote in the precinct where you are registered. You can visit the Secretary of State’s “Online Voter Central” (http://TX.BarackObama.com/T... to determine where you are registered. If you no longer live in the precinct where you registered, you can vote absentee using our online absentee sign up form (http://TX.BarackObama.com/T... 6. From February 19th to February 29th you can vote early. Anyone who is able to early vote should. Use our Online Early Vote Lookup Tool (http://TX.BarackObama.com/T... to find a location where you can vote today. 7. The Precinct Caucuses will start at 7:15 PM on March 4th. Anyone who votes in the Democratic Primary, or who votes early can participate in the Precinct Caucuses. We are asking Barack Obama supporters to get to their caucus location at 7 PM. 8. The Precinct Caucuses will be called to order by the Precinct Chair after the last person who intends to caucus has voted in the Primary. If the Precinct Chair is absent, any qualified participant may call the meeting to order. 9. You cannot vote in the Texas Democratic Primary if you have participated in the nominating process of any other party this election cycle. You must also have registered to vote at least 30 days before the March 4th, 2008 primary. 10. You must be 18 by March 4th, 2008 to participate in the Texas Democratic Delegate Selection process. 
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