On the Monday of this last July 4th weekend, I was driving back from visiting my brothers family. I passed the time listening to the satellite radio, particularly both Left and Right political talk channels.

The talk shows on the liberal channels were very similar to the talk shows on the conservative channels. They were talking about the same topics, they had the same sponsors, the same sound bytes, the same timed commercial breaks, the same news at the top and bottom of the hour…for the entire seven hours. I couldn’t take it that long, but I did listen long enough to make some observations.

The liberal channel was making the following complainants:

• Obama isn’t doing anything on gun control
• Obama isn’t advancing gay rights enough
• Obama is putting more troops in Afghanistan
• Democrats in Congress aren’t adequately addressing health care
• Sotomayor is too moderate

The conservative channel was making the following complaints:

• Obama is going to take away your guns
• Obama expanded gay rights for federal employees
• Obama is pulling troops out of Iraq
• Democrats in Congress are pushing health care reform
• Sotomayor is a liberal activist judge

If you knew absolutely nothing about American politics, and listened to these shows, the listener would have to conclude that that Obama, Democrats in Congress, and Sotomayor are hopeless moderates that can satisfy no one; not by their actions and not by their inactions.

Pundits that deliver the news via a “commentary” format usually hold extreme views (the most successful pundits anyway). Yet, polls show that 80% of Americans agree 80% of the time (actually heard that on a left wing radio program). I have coined this political tactic ‘rubberbanding,’ a term used in racing games. They preach their extreme views to those leaning to right/left, in a effort to pull the listener away from the center.

At anytime of the day, I guarantee you can turn on the radio, scan a bit, and find a political pundit talking for hours on end; 4 hours a day, 20 hours week, with listeners numbering in the millions….and there are dozens of radio pundits. Joseph Goebbels did this. So did Big Brother in George Orwell’s 1984. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury repeats the same idea using television and drugs as the medium for of social political control.

Think “incrementalism”….on meth. As Rage Against the Machine says “weapon of sound above ground.”

I believe they do us a great disservice by keeping us divided. They talk about where we differ. And where we agree, they spin the issues and try to make us more divided.

Turn it off.

He recently did this video essay on the Health Care debate.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Tennessee Coalition of Health Care for America Now (HCAN) hosted a prayer breakfast on Saturday April 25 at Erza Emmanuel Ministries. Thirty local leaders of various faiths were in attendance. The event highlighted the campaign for quality, affordable health care reform and began the process of awareness about the additional resources coming to Tennessee as a result of the Economic Stimulus Package (American Recovery and Reconstruction Act) passed earlier this year by the congress.

“We can no longer afford to wait to fix health care in our country. Too many families, too many businesses, too many of you are struggling to make ends meet. No one should have to choose between seeing a doctor when they’re sick, and putting food on the table, or paying rent,” said Rico X, TN organizer for HCAN.

Overseer Danelle Stephens, the Pastor of Erza Emmanuel Ministries believes that the faith-based community can play an extremely important role in achieving health care reform. “If there ever was a time to come together, it is now. The faith-based community must seize this opportunity to help and enhance our community.”

Health Care for America Now is the nation’s largest health care campaign. It is made up of more than 850 organizations representing more than 30 million people nationwide. President Obama and more than 190 members of Congress have expressed their support for the campaign’s principles for reform, which include quality coverage that people can afford with comprehensive benefits that meet your needs, the choice of private or public health insurance plans, and equal access to care in all communities.

Bob Corker

Many of us who have been paying attention to the economic crisis were somewhat amused when Senator Bob Corker proceeded to take the Big Three automakers to task as they appealed to Congress for a bailout late last year. Where was Bob Corker (or any Republican senators, for that matter) when the financial and banking industry came to Washington with its hand out? Was Corker as tough on them as he was on GM?

This is a rhetorical question, of course. Nobody with a passing familiarity with Bob Corker’s career in public office would ever accuse him of trying to tell business what to do (except, of course when it comes to companies who have unions).

Still, perhaps Senator Corker can teach us all a lesson in corporate responsibility. Let’s examine how another one of America’s corporate titans stands up to scrutiny after it extended its hand to receive a welfare check from Uncle Sam. Let’s take a look at Bank of America.

Bank of America Logo. (Used without permission)

Despite taking $25 billion in taxpayer dollars, Bank of America has not used their bailout funds to increase lending and revitalize the U.S. economy. Instead, BofA has cut credit to consumers and businesses, it has announced plans to lay off 35,000 workers, and has continued to displace families by foreclosing on homes.

We are now getting a picture of what Bank of America’s version of “economic recovery” looks like:

Less lending. A company spokesperson admitted at a November Senate hearing that BofA is “lending less than we were a year ago.” Recent reports indicate that the company has pulled back its consumer lending, raising rates on existing credit card balances and cutting lines of credit even for creditworthy borrowers.

Layoffs. Since 2004, Bank of America has cut more than 34,000 jobs. Now, after receiving its $25 billion in bailout money, it has recently announced plans to eliminate up to 35,000 jobs over the next three years—one of the largest rounds of layoffs in the history of the financial services industry.

Low wages and benefits. At its branches, Bank of America has a record of paying low wages to its tellers. According to a 2008 salary survey by PayScale.com, the median salary of BofA bank tellers was only $23,597. The bank is also letting taxpayers foot the bill for healthcare. In Massachusetts alone, more than 1,800 Bank of America workers received Medicaid at an estimated cost to taxpayers of $2.5 million.

Corporate excess. Major expenditures at BofA included foreign investments, dividends to shareholders, corporate jets, and even $10 million to Washington lobbyists who get to “talk business” with people like Bob Corker. Did I mention that Corker received $5,000 in campaign contributions last year from Bank of America – a year in which he was not even running for re-election?

Displacing homeowners and families. Bank of America is one of the leading banks opposing national legislation that would rewrite U.S. bankruptcy laws and help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosures.

Looking at Bank of America’s behavior, even Senator Corker should agree that it’s time for them to shape up, just like the Big Three have had to. What should Corker and the rest of us be asking of Bank of America?

First, they must commit to providing affordable healthcare for their employees and their families so that taxpayers aren’t forced to subsidize its payroll costs because workers rely on state-funded healthcare programs.

Bank of America must try and help families hold on to their homes, if for no other reason than to protect their own (and now taxpayers’) investments. They should pledge to support legislation to relieve troubled mortgage owners from having their homes foreclosed.

Just as importantly, Bank of America needs to guarantee whistleblower protections in order to ensure greater accountability. Whistleblowers could have saved taxpayers billions of dollars in the current banking crisis and would have helped protect consumers.

The answer is simple: Bank of America must use its stimulus money to make the economy better and provide healthcare for its 247,000 workers—or they should give the bailout money back.

To find out more about how we can force Bank of America to be more responsible with taxpayer money, visit http://www.seiu.org/change-that-works/bank-of-america/.

I still cherish and remember fondly these dedicated people. They included Luther and Beth, retired medical doctors from South Africa; and  Mary, the 30-year church treasurer and retired school teacher who chose to remain single but assisted nieces and nephews with college expenses. They include Ida, who lived in HUD housing and at the age of 80 passed on. She was a source of sunshine though “as poor as Job’s turkey.” Upon her demise, she deeded to the church her one source of passing the time: a record player and a set of 78 rpm records.

These dedicated Christians and residents of the small community, even in retirement, brought hope to their neighbors, and especially their pastor. Also, 50% of this congregation had earned BA or MA degrees. I officiated at the burials of some of them in my eight years as their pastor, friend, confidant and counselor.

On this day, though, my pleasant memories are of how at their ages they were a blessing to both church and community. They are still my role models for productivity in retirement. In our retirement years we too can be a source of encouragement to our neighbors, family, friends, and especially grandchildren. Upon my departure, I believe my daughters and five grandchildren will be imprinted with good by my entire life, but especially with the positive things I did in my own retirement.

I have been retired from the US Army for 22 years, and from the United Methodist Church for 10 years. This phase of my life has been enriching.

How can we enrich our lives while in retirement? One principle to implement for immediate benefit is a conscientious attention to your state of health. At any cost, have regular medical check-ups; in other words, don’t neglect your health. Medicare encourages retirees toward a decision to prolong our lives. Seventy-year-olds are in need of preventive care just as much as a 40-year-old. In these closing months and years of life, it is wise not to neglect  your physical, psychological  and emotional well-being. My own program of preventive health care includes regular eye exams and dental care. Select your care providers carefully, and follow through on your appointments. As I write this I am reminded of an upcoming appointment with an optometrist for a six-month exam. Cataracts or other diseases of eyesight in aging won’t sneak up on me unknowingly.

I am also reminded as I write this narrative of our very own Cassie, a 16-year-old Pug. Over the years she has been a delightful companion and a source of joy to us. I see her health declining now; she is partially blind now. In these closing days of life she still has regular appointments with her vet, Dr. Tina Winn.

Preventive care in retirement is beneficial no matter how much longer we live.

I am satisfied with the publicity that medical care for everyone is getting from our politicians. I desire for everyone the extended medical care that I have had under Medicare and Tricare Prime. I appreciate the goal of Senator Barack Obama on medical care. He convincingly states his plan for all Americans to have similar health care to that of our representatives in Congress. To this proposal, I sing “Amen, Amen, Amen!”

More about our retirement years in next weeks’ Sunday article. Meanwhile, make and keep an appointment with your health care provider.

Okay, when McCain first popped on the Election 2008 radar back in that early New Hampshire primary, I was next door in Vermont, wondering with a bit of perverse pleasure how McCain managed to dislodge the likes of Romney, Giuliani, and others in a presidential nomination bid. It just got interesting, I thought. Little did I know…

I know now, though, that his nomination has been a boon to the Democratic Party, a boon magnified orders of magnitude by his choice of Palin as VP. Thank you, John for handing over so many states to the Dems. Three times in a row, I watched the debates, and watched the post debate charts fade from red to pink to yellow to light blue…you get the idea.

Senator John McCain

I am dumbfounded that in three debates, McCain never found his footing, never managed to get the knock-out punch in, not one, not on any subject. All Obama had to do was break even to win. The first debate was not the showstopper it should have been; the subsequent and much heralded town meeting was a colossal bore with more action on the streets of Nashville than the under the lights at Belmont University. In both cases, Obama came out ahead, though not with the power of his early campaign speeches and interviews. One more shot, I thought. They have one more chance to get it right.

Wednesday’s final debate in New York, which was deftly moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS, was the right format with the right moderator. It was the right fit for Obama, who both looked and sounded presidential, who exuded the right levels of charm and intelligence (not hard considering the competition), who had the answers to the questions, even when the answers were tough for some viewers to swallow. McCain entwined himself in the life of “Joe the plumber” (perhaps not the same Joe six-pack of Palin fame) and hammer that poor man to the ground. Once, twice a mention, maybe. But for heaven’s sake, John, give it a rest.

Senator Barack Obama

What America saw Wednesday night was an articulate educated black man who was at ease with himself, his opinions, his ideas, a man who looks at America with a reality check, not a blank check, and looks and sounds presidential while doing it.

What America saw Wednesday night was a war hero who despite his honorable service to his country was now incapable of staying the subject, unable to pronounce or string words and sentences together without rambling off the issue and changing the subject, a man who resurrected old themes and could not give any genuine assurance that he was not still a participant on the GOP/Bush playing field.

What distressed me the most?

McCain’s opinion that we “need to reward these good teachers.” Hey, nothing wrong with that. Oh wait, here’s the rest of that story:

• “We need to encourage programs such as Teach for America and Troops to Teachers where people, after having served in the military, can go right to teaching and not have to take these examinations which — or have the certification that some are required in some states.” ~~ John McCain
  

And then there was:

• A little detail of McCain’s not knowing the difference between Down’s Syndrome that affects Palin’s youngest son, interchanging that diagnosis for autism, which is an entirely different issue. If he does know the difference, he failed to articulate that.

And then there was:

• That detail of the $5,000 taxable tax credit for health care. Oh, yes, somewhere there is a plan available for $5,800 a year. How many families will actually find a $5,800 plan that covers all their needs? I certainly haven’t found one yet. And probably don’t have the difference to fund a realistic plan that would run me, at my present age/health, somewhere in the vicinity of $10,000-12,000 a year. McCain has also said nothing about pre-existing conditions.Is that $5,000 tax credit something you have to spend before you can claim it and then have it taxed? Or am I missing something here?

And was anyone else bothered by the fact that McCain simply could not stay on point? That he stumbled through words and phrases in a way that rivals George Bush? That he meandered across his own view of the political landscape, which holds a wide disconnect from middle America reality? That he fumbled and stumbled through a number of questions just as Palin did in several of her interviews? McCain simply did not look or sound presidential and that’s a trickle down effect on Palin. Or did it surge up from her?

My belief is that college needs to be made affordable, that the bar in educational standards must be raised significantly higher, that everyone has a right to health care and prescription medications, that we need to build a new economic structure for America that will include green jobs and a return to industry that has for some time been shifted offshore. My belief is that women need to have a right to choose, not have reproductive choices made for them by people who do not have to deal with the realities or circumstances behind these choices.

My belief is that no candidate is going to fix America’s problem in four years of a first term presidency. The only thing a new president can do is start working on the problems we face as a nation, and as individuals. The only thing a new president can do is have a plan rooted in reality that can be implemented in a progressive series of laws and actions for the long term. Investments in education, energy, industry, small business, take time to mature: we have lapsed in many areas, and there is no quick fix, no painless recovery.

What I saw Wednesday night was a candidate, Senator Obama, who had a reality check and a plan to fix what ails America. I’m not exactly sure what McCain was offering that would be of any use to middle America.

The format for the debate will consist of policy and platform questions concerning the economy, foreign policy, health care, the environment, civil liberties, the federal budget, reproductive rights, international trade, gun rights, campaign finance reform, immigration, education and race and gender.  Each candidate will be given two minutes to make introductory statements and then one or two minutes per question to answer policy and platform questions.  The debate will end at 8:30pm with a candidate’s reception to follow in the lobby of the Stephenson Center.

For more information about the Presidential Candidate’s Alternative Debate visit their web site.

Attending this event will be Charles Jay of the Boston Tea Party, Brad Lyttle of the US Pacifist Party, Frank McEnulty of the New American Independent Party, Brian Moore  of the Socialist Party, Darrell Castle of the Constitution Party and  Gloria La Riva  of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.  Bruce Barry  will serve as moderator for this event.

Debate Format:

7:00 PM:    Introduction and Opening Statements (2 Minutes Per Candidate)
7:15 PM:    Policy and Issue Questions (1 or 2 Minutes Per Candidate)
8:20 PM:    Closing Statements  (1 Minute Per Candidate)
8:30 PM:    Debate End and Candidate’s Reception

Ground Rules: Candidates are encouraged to keep within time limits announced. A time keeper will present placards to candidates showing time limits of response. Once over time moderator has discretion to close comments and move on to next candidate.  Moderator has discretion to clarify candidate’s response and encourage dialogue between candidates.

Topic List: (Data Source: Project Vote Smart)

The Economy: Americans are concerned about the safety of their retirements, pension and ability to obtain a mortgage.  The value of the dollar is dropping and investor confidence is at an all time low, what will you do to improve our nation’s economy?  What will you do to reduce our national indebtedness and in doing so restore world confidence that investing in America is a good option?  What is your solution for the thousands of Americans who are facing foreclosure or have lost their housing? Do you support increased funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today’s job market?  Would you support an increase in the federal minimum wage?  What are your feelings about the rights of workers to form unions?

Federal Budget: Americans want to know where their candidates stand on the federal budget.  The allocation of funds for federal programs is one of the most important roles the president plays in shaping public policy.  How would you have voted on a federal bailout of Wall Street?  What conditions would you attach to such a bailout?  What are your budget priorites on federal issues such as defense, education, the environment and health care? Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?  Please indicate your plans for the social security system?  Would you work to ensure the viability of the social security system?  Would you raise the retirment age for individual eligibility to receive full benefits?

Foreign Policy: What is your foreign policy agenda for the United States?  Would you support an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan?  What would you do if elected President regarding US relations with Iran?  What are your feelings about pre-emptive use of military force as an instrument of national policy? Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas?  Should the United States provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?  Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?  Do you support greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea?  Finally, should the United States be involved in peace keeping activities in countries like Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Burma?  Do you support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives?

Health Care: The issue of access to quality, affordable health care is a concern for many voters.  Nearly fifty million Americans do not have access to health care but at the same time some people advocate that the United States has the best health care system in the world.  What are your thoughts on the issue of access to health care?  Do you support universal single payer health care? What would you do to reduce the costs of prescription drugs for Seniors? Do you support the legalization of medical marijuana?

Education: Please indicate your policy platform on the issue of education. Would you support increased funding of our nation’s k-12 public schools. What are your feelings about mandatory standards and testing requirements for students?  What are your feelings about the use of vouchers?  What will you do regarding federal funding and support for our nation’s public college students? Do you support increased or decreased funding for pell grants for college students?

Abortion and Reproductive Rights: Many Americans have strong feelings about issues related to reproductive rights and abortion. Do you feel that abortion should always be legal, should only be legal within the first trimester, when the woman’s life is endangered, in the case of incest or rape, or should always be illegal?  How do you feel about federal subsidies being used on abortion procedures? Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines?  Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos?

Same Sex Marriage: What are your feelings regarding the issue of same sex marriage?  As a candidate for federal office, do you believe that same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?  Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry or do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman? Should sexual orientation be included in federal anti-discrimination laws?

Crime and Punishment: More Americans are incarcerated now than at any point in our history, what role do you believe the federal government should play on issues of crime and punishment?  Do you support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released?  Do you support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs?  Do you support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment?  Would you support the decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of marijuana? How do you feel about reduced prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes? Do you support the elimination the use of the death penalty for federal crimes?

Race and Gender: Race and gender continue to be defining issues in federal policy.  As a candidate do you believe the consider race and gender in government contracting decisions?  Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions?

Campaign Finance Reform: As you know, campaign finance reform has continued to be an issue of importance to voters.  Currently seven states have adopted some form of campaign finance reform which involves the allocation of public dollars for candidates.  On the federal level one candidate has said that the current system of public campaign finance is broken, while another candidate has accepted campaign finance limits.  How do you feel about the issue of campaign finance reform and elections?  Do you support campaign finance reform of the current election financing system? If elected would you support public taxpayer funding for candidates who comply with spending limits?  Do you support instant runoff voting or election day as a national holiday?

The Environment: What would you do regarding the environment and energy policy?  Please indicate your policy issues regarding offshore oil drilling and drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.  What will you do to move America towards a clean energy future?  Do you support strengthened fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel powered engines?  Do you support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel?  What will you do to increase development of alternative energy?  Do you consider nuclear energy to be an alternative energy source that needs to be developed for national energy security? Do you support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming?

Gun Rights: Please indicate your position on the issue of the second amendment.  Do you believe that Americans should be allowed to carry conceal weapons?  Should current enforcement and restrictions on the purchase of guns be strengthened?  Should individuals be allowed to carry guns on college campuses?  Do you support a ban on the ownership of handguns except by law enforcement or other government officials?

Immigration: Please indicate your policy platform on the issue of immigration.  Would you support amnesty for undocumented workers who are already working in the United States?  Do you believe that undocumented workers should be offered a path to citizenship?  Do you support harsher punishments for employers who knowingly hire immigrants who are not in this country legally?  Do you believe that people who are not here legally should be returned to their countries of origin, even if it means breaking up their families?

International Trade: Please indicate your position on matters of trade?  Do you support economic globalization and free trade agreements such as NAFTA, CAFTA and GATT?  Would you work to withdraw the US from international free trade agreements?  Would you support the continued participation of the United States in the World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund and World Bank?  Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China for human rights abuses?

Civil Liberties: Civil liberties are of the utmost concern to many Americans.  The Bush administration has argued that there must be a balance between respect for civil liberties and the need to fight the terrorists.  Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications?  Do you support a repeal of the patriot act?  What role should the department of Homeland Security play in national affairs?  Would you support the creation of a federal level Department of Peace?

For more information contact Chris Lugo, 615-593-0304, ; Elizabeth Barger, 931-964-2119, ; or Eric Schecter, 615-414-4572, .

Terry McMoore

The last day to register to vote in Montgomery County is October 6.Early voting begins October 15.

The right to vote and exercising your right to vote is the most valuable constitutional right we have. It is both a right and a privilege.

If you don’t vote, you deserve the government you get. It doesn’t matter which side of the political fence you’re on, because all Americans have the same issues and concerns for their families and their country.

The economy, the war, taxes, education, health care, social security, women rights and, especially in our community, veteran’s rights are at the top of the list in every household.

Many people over the centuries have fought, marched and even died so we could have the right to vote, yet many still don’t vote. In the August primary election in Montgomery County, fewer than 12 percent of voters participated. With this kind of turn out how do we expect to ever hold our elected officials accountable to the public?

Some say the system is broken, so that is why they don’t vote. There is some truth about the broken part, but by not voting we allow the same governmental practices to continue regardless of which party is in power.

Your vote is your voice. I am starting to take the same position as most politicians: If you don’t vote then I don’t want to hear your complaining. Ever wonder why your calls, letters and e-mails to your local, state, and national representatives don’t ever get answered? It’s because any smart politician checks to see if you are a registered voter first, then your voting record over the years and how you voted.

This information is public record and if I have it — which I do — then you can bet the politicians have it, too.

Another excuse I hear for not voting is the claim that “my vote does not count or does not matter.” Well, let me give you a little history lesson.

In 1800, when the results of the electoral college votes were opened by both Houses of Congress, there was a tie vote for President between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. That threw the election of president into the House of Representatives where Thomas Jefferson was elected our third president by a one vote margin.

In 1824, the House of Representatives defeated front runner Andrew Jackson by one vote and elected John Quincy Adams as the nation’s sixth president.

In a 1999 city election in Hillsborough County, Fla., one of the city council candidates won by a single vote.

And in 2000 the U.S. presidential election was decided by less than 1 percent of the vote.

Even felons don’t have an excuse for not getting registered to vote.

In 2006 our Tennessee state legislators passed a bill that specified the following: If you are off of parole and have paid all your fines and restitution to the courts and state, and if your child support payments are up to date then you can apply at your local election commission to have your voting rights restored.

Folks, it does not get any simpler than that.

Many election commissions allow you to register to vote online, but personally I prefer that you visit the election commission in person or just drop by the headquarters of the political party headquarters of your choice.

Either way you need to get it done! Register to vote by the Oct. 6 deadline. It sets a good example for our youth and it’s your personal responsibility!

“Yes we can.” Yes we can.” The mantra of the Obama for President campaign.

Cheers, applause as the audience begins its standing ovation for Sen. Barack Obama's DNC Convention Speech

Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters rang out with cheers and applause Thursday night as a full house watched Sen. Barack Obama address the nation and lay out the issues facing America today. Invesco Stadium in Denver was tightly packed with an estimated 4,000 Democratic National Convention delegates and another 80,000 every day Americans eager to watch as a new page in American history was written.

At MCDP, Obama supporters gathered for a group photo with the sign calling for "Change,", an action being carried out across the country

In 1860, the Civil War erupted over slavery; it was a time when African Americans were regarded as property rather than human beings with spirit, soul and intelligence. In 1960, the heat of integration and desegregation was raging, culminating a few years later with Martin Luther King’s immortal “I Have A Dream” speech.  Civil rights. Tonight, some forty-plus years after King, three generations of my family in three different locations watched as a new page in American history was written with the acceptance speech of Senator Obama, now standing on the threshold of the U.S. presidency. Obama, though he refers to history in this speech, ingored the lines of race, wealth, education and other common denominators to see himself and all of the people surrounding him as “Americans.” Plain and simple.

First came a rousing series of speeches by both the famous and previously unknown “average American” speakers, including a middle aged worker named Barney Smith, an ordinary citizen whose job was outsourced overseas. Smith stole the pre-show with a one liner on the economy that called for the United States to “help Barney Smith, not Smith Barney.” It was a night of one liners and sound bites, with many destined for repeated play.

Al Gore delivered a solid show of support for Obama and the senator’s proposed policies and positions on and for America.  Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Biden gave an equally powerful statement targeting the issues Americans care about and the issues that matter most in the coming election. Sustainability. Economy. Education. Health care. taxes. War. But it was Obama’s night, and he delivered.

The speech was, in a word, astounding. It resonated with the live audience, and with the people packed shoulder to shoulder in a  rapidly shrinking room on Madison Street. “O-Ba-Ma.” “O-Ba-Ma” they chanted in unison with the televised crowds. “We want change.” “We want change.” Obama delivered, both the ideal and the platform to build it on. He admitted though, that the ideal was not his but was in fact the Constitution and the freedoms upon which America was built, and which have been “sacrificed” under the Bush/Cheney administration.

“Tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land — enough! This moment — this election — is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”" – Barack Obama

He held listeners in the palm of his hand, mesmerizing them with the amazing simplicity of simply doing what is right and respecting the rights and laws this country was founded on. He brought the campaign platform home, addressing issues of sustainable energy, affordable education, civil liberties, fair taxation, global policy and social issues that included a new emphasis on family responsibilities. To illustrate the points that affect the millions of middle and lower income Americans, he ventured through areas of his own life story, his grandparents decision to prioritize education, his grandmother’s death, to cost of education, the need to raise standards of learning to be competitive in the 21st century… it was a message his supporters have waited to hear.

“In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.” — Barack Obama

He also challenged parents to vest themselves in the children, to “turn off the TV,” and, referring to issues of juvenile delinquency and youth crime, urged absent fathers (and all parents) to take responsibility for their children and become part of the rearing of their children.

“John McCain doesn’t get it,” Obama said. “Now is not the time for small plans. We need world class education.”

Obama paid tribute to former President and Mrs. Clinton, and to the late President Kennedy. In fact, for those of us who remember that Kennedy era and “Camelot,” this was amazingly familiar. Not the background of wealth, but the commitment in terms of social, individual and government responsibilities. His speech could easily be described as powerful, on point, compassionate, ambitious, and aimed at healing and rebuilding the things that have gone wrong in the past eight years under President Bush.

“Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who’s willing to work.” — Barack Obama

Obama advocated a tax system that would reward companies for keeping their offices, warehouses and factories in the United States and make it less economically feasible to move business overseas.

Obama received kudos locally for his statements about the need to sustain and support our troops at home and abroad, and to not send them in harm’s way based on lies and inaccuracies.

“For while Sen. McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats that we face. When John McCain said we could just “muddle through” in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. You know, John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell — but he won’t even go to the cave where he lives.” — Barack Obama

The cheering crowd spread out to the horizon of the stadium, reminiscent of Obama’s Oregon speech that packed a field with 75,000 people. It was also reminiscent of the era of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and the Civil Rights/Vietnam protests of forty years ago. It has been that long since I have seen such passion, or seen so many respond to it.

Before Obama took center stage at 9:14 p.m. CST Thursday night, the crowd at MCDP chatted among themselves, discussing campaign events and browsing an array of food brought in for the occasion. But as the hands of the clock ticked toward “the moment” this gathering of old, young, black, white, the well-to-do and the average or low income Clarksvillians, an infant cuddled by her mom, young boys with red and blue balloons, circled their chairs to watch, listen and cheer for a candidate who comes from the people and created a strategy that works for the people.

Today, the real campaign begins.

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All Photos by Bill Larson

The complete text of Obama’s speech:

Barack Obama: To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation.

With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of the United States.

Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest — a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and yours — Hillary Rodham Clinton. To President Bill Clinton, who made last night the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.

To the love of my life, our next first lady, Michelle Obama, and to Malia and Sasha — I love you so much, and I’m so proud of you.

Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story — of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.

It is that promise that has always set this country apart — that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

That’s why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women — students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors — found the courage to keep it alive.

We meet at one of those defining moments — a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can’t afford to drive, credit card bills you can’t afford to pay, and tuition that’s beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government’s making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.

We’re a better country than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he’s worked on for 20 years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.

We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.

Tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land — enough! This moment — this election — is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”

Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and our respect. And next week, we’ll also hear about those occasions when he’s broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.

But the record’s clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Sen. McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time? I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change.

The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives — on health care and education and the economy — Sen. McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made “great progress” under this president. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisers — the man who wrote his economic plan — was talking about the anxieties that Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a “mental recession,” and that we’ve become, and I quote, “a nation of whiners.”

A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud autoworkers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and they give back and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know.

Now, I don’t believe that Sen. McCain doesn’t care what’s going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn’t know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people’s benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?

It’s not because John McCain doesn’t care. It’s because John McCain doesn’t get it.

For over two decades, he’s subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy — give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is that you’re on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. You’re on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You’re on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps — even if you don’t have boots. You are on your own.

Well it’s time for them to own their failure. It’s time for us to change America. And that’s why I’m running for president of the United States.

You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.

We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president — when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of go down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without losing her job — an economy that honors the dignity of work.

The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great — a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.

Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton’s Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.

In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.

When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.

And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business or making her way in the world, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She’s the one who taught me about hard work. She’s the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she’s watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.

Now, I don’t know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped my life. And it is on behalf of them that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States.

What is that American promise?

It’s a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.

It’s a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, to look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.

Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves — protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and science and technology.

Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who’s willing to work.

That’s the promise of America — the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.

That’s the promise we need to keep. That’s the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president.

Change means a tax code that doesn’t reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.

You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

I’ll eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

I will, listen now, cut taxes — cut taxes — for 95 percent of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

And for the sake of our economy, our security and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East. We will do this.

Washington’s been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years, and by the way John McCain’s been there for 26 of them. And in that time, he’s said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil that we had as the day that Sen. McCain took office.

Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.

As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I’ll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I’ll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I’ll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy — wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced.

America, now is not the time for small plans.

Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. You know, Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don’t have that chance. I’ll invest in early childhood education. I’ll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I’ll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American — if you commit to serving your community or our country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don’t, you’ll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.

Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their job and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.

And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day’s work, because I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities as your sons.

Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I’ve laid out how I’ll pay for every dime — by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don’t help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less — because we cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy.

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America’s promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our “intellectual and moral strength.” Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can’t replace parents; that government can’t turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility to provide love and guidance to their children.

Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility — that’s the essence of America’s promise.

And just as we keepour promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America’s promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander in chief, that’s a debate I’m ready to have.

For while Sen. McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats that we face. When John McCain said we could just “muddle through” in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. You know, John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell — but he won’t even go to the cave where he lives.

And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush administration, even after we learned that Iraq has $79 billion in surplus while we are wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.

That’s not the judgment we need. That won’t keep America safe. We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.

You don’t defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries by occupying Iraq. You don’t protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can’t truly stand up for Georgia when you’ve strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice — but that is not the change that America needs.

We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans — Democrats and Republicans — have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.

As commander in chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.

These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.

But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other’s character and each other’s patriotism.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America — they have served the United States of America.

So I’ve got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can’t just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose. That’s what we have to restore.

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. You know, passions may fly on immigration, but I don’t know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. But this, too, is part of America’s promise — the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that’s to be expected. Because if you don’t have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters. If you don’t have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

You make a big election about small things.

And you know what — it’s worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn’t work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it’s best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.

I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don’t fit the typical pedigree, and I haven’t spent my career in the halls of Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don’t understand is that this election has never been about me. It’s about you. It’s about you.

For 18 long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us — that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it — because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I’ve seen it. Because I’ve lived it. Because I’ve seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I’ve seen it in Washington, where we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorist.

And I’ve seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and the young at heart, those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they’d pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I’ve seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day even though they can’t afford it than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.

You know, this country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit — that American promise — that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

That promise is our greatest inheritance. It’s a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours — a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln’s Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could’ve heard many things. They could’ve heard words of anger and discord. They could’ve been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead — people of every creed and color, from every walk of life — is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

“We cannot walk alone,” the preacher cried. “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise — that American promise — and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.

Clarksville For Obama met recently to do its part in crafting this new national party platform. About 50 people converged at “Get Some Coffee” at the Great Escape Theater Complex along Trenton Road for Clarksville’s “Listen to America” event. Jim Robertson and Tyrone Taylor, Clarksville for Obama and Tennessee for Obama members, respectively, co-chaired the event. The meeting objective was to choose five topic areas, brainstorm to finalize, prioritize and develop enactment of those particular interest proposals. Five brainstorming groups were formed to consider the specific topics.

The final work product as developed by Clarksville area residents, concluded in the following the proposals:

War:

• Improve foreign relations with the international community and NATO.
• Reinstate Baker-Hamilton
• Address improving the Veterans Administration: elevate it to full presidential cabinet department status and non-discretionary funding
• Upgrade soldiers and veterans health care; command leadership must recognize its responsibility to support soldiers in all aspects of health care, including casting aside negative connotations regarding seeking mental health care
• Aggressive support for improving support systems for active duty military families and the families of service member casualties

Education:

• More funding of regularly budget-reduction targeted curriculum subjects of music and the arts.
• Increase funding and support for counseling and counselors.
• Support calls for quality teachers nationwide
• Encourage a 100 percent high school graduation rate.

Environment:

• Lessen dependence on foreign oil and petroleum-based energy
• Support and fund alternative energy generation and fuel development.
• Look beyond corn-based ethanol and bio-diesel development
• Wind and solar energy technologies must also be made part of the national energy profile
• Encourage and promote local recycling programs to prolong and extend useful lifespan of local landfills

Health Care:

• Establish universal health care coverage
• Exclude pre-existing condition penalties
• Include dental and mental health care coverage in addition to physical health care
• Shift Medicare and Medicaid to a universal insurance plan

Economy:

• Aggressive support for mass transit nationwide
• Insist on concentrated attention to infrastructure needs fund repair of roads, bridges, levees and waterways
• Institute a living wage and universal child care
• Encourage small business development and operations
• Encourage private individual savings and aggressively reduce the national debt

These five proposals were formalized and forwarded to the National Obama Presidential Committee for inclusion in a final report to the National Democratic Committee. This action is being repeated across the nation as the American people come together to formulate their party’s national focus for the next four years. Such initiatives truly represent citizen empowerment.

For more information on the local Clarksville for Obama group, or to sign up to host a house party, get assistance in hosting such an event or otherwise support the Obama campaign, visit their website at: <www.clarksvilleforobama.com.>

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The Clarksville-Montgomery County Voters Council has thrown its support to Senator Rosalind Kurita (D-Clarksville) in the Democratic Primary for Senate District 22. The endorsement was made at a rally held at New Providence Outreach Center. The council is a voter advocacy group focused on minority issues.

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Voters Council,” Kurita said. “I am and will continue to be a staunch advocate for women, minorities, children and seniors in the state legislature.” Senator Kurita is speaker pro tempore of the Senate.

On the heels of that endorsement, the National Federation of Independent Business, Tennessee’s leading small business advocacy association, also announced its endorsement of incumbent Rosalind Kurita in Senate District 22. Sen. Kurita has been a strong supporter of the needs of her small business constituents, NFIB/Tennessee State Director Jim Brown said.

“I am honored to have the support of the National Federation of Independent Business. I will do everything I can to pass legislation that encourages small businesses to grow and continue creating jobs.” — Sen. Rosalind Kurita

Brown noted Sen. Kurita’s co-sponsorship of an important healthcare reform bill, SB 4014, as an example of her outstanding leadership. The legislation, which passed this year, will enable certain small businesses and their employees to join small group health cooperatives to spread risk and obtain better predictability of health insurance rates. Sen. Kurita also voted for regulatory flexibility for small business in 2006, the comprehensive workers’ compensation reforms of 2004, and the CoverTN health insurance program that offers an affordable and portable option for certain small businesses.

Kurita is speaker pro tempore of the Senate. She is vice chair of the Senate General Welfare, Health & Human Resources Committee and a member of the following committees: Transportation, Rules, Finance, Ways & Means, Joint Veterans Affairs, Joint Workers’ Compensation and Joint Select Oversight Committee on Education. She is a registered nurse.

House District 22 encompasses Cheatham, Houston and Montgomery counties. The primary will be held Thursday, Aug. 7. The general election will be held Nov. 4.

NFIB’s endorsement is important for Kurita. Small-business owners and their employees vote in high numbers and are known for actively recruiting friends, family members and acquaintances to go to the polls. NFIB has pledged it will activate its grassroots network on Sen. Kurita’s behalf. NFIB’s political support is based on the candidate’s position and record on small-business issues. Rosalind Kurita’s endorsement comes from NFIB/Tennessee SAFE (Save America’s Free Enterprise) Trust, the political action committee for NFIB/Tennessee’s membership. The endorsement brings the considerable grassroots support of Tennessee’s small-business owners to Rosalind Kurita’s campaign.

With six and a half long months left in office, President Bush and his administration, specifically the United States Department of Health and Human Services, still have time to tinker with laws and regulations that that challenge our civil liberties, human rights, and a woman’s right to choose. President Bush may soon have a new and controversial regulatory issue before him, one that flies in the face of existing laws and which does not need Congressional approval to be put in place.

“One of the most troubling aspects of the proposed rules is the overly-broad definition of “abortion.” This definition would allow health-care corporations or individuals to classify many common forms of contraception – including the birth control pill, emergency contraception and IUDs – “abortions” and therefore to refuse to provide contraception to women who need it.”

– Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Patty Murray in a joint letter to HHS

Yes, the abortion/contraception issue is back on the front burner, this time in the form of a HHS draft regulation that essentially redefines “pregnancy” and could impact every single woman in the country seeking contraceptive services. While the HHS draft is still under debate with no timetable for submission or a seal of approval, its opponents suggest that the changes in regulations fall within the ideological scope of the Bush administration.

The potential law/regulation sparks debate to the most minute moment in time: when conception actually occurs, and could place the idea of “contraception” in the category of abortion. At best, the draft proposal could restrict or limit access to birth control for millions of women. The words “barefoot and pregnant” are not that far back in our legislative history.

According to the Alex Mayer of the St. Louis Dispatch (7.31.2008), “The Bush administration is attempting to re-define ‘pregnancy.’”

Mayer uses an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal:

“The Bush Administration has ignited a furor with a proposed definition of pregnancy that has the effect of classifying some of the most widely used methods of contraception as abortion.

A draft regulation, still being revised and debated, treats most birth-control pills and intrauterine devices as abortion because they can work by preventing fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus. The regulation considers that destroying ‘The life of a human being.’”

In Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary are the following definitions:

ABORTION: The TERMINATING of pregnancy after, accompanied by or closely followed by the death of an embryo or fetus. Induced expulsion of a human fetus.

CONTRACEPTION: Deliberate PREVENTION of conception or impregnation.

The draft regulation puts both definitions on equal footing. Any change would not impact the legality of birth control pills, morning after pills or any form of contraception, but it has the potential to reduce the availability of such items to the women who need/want them.

Proposed regulations could impact access to birth control

Defenders of this proposed “adjustment’ to current regulations say it would reportedly defend pharmacists, doctors and clinicians who currently prescribe contraceptives but who, based on personal or religious beliefs, would prefer not to prescribe or dispense such medications. While more liberal states might see marginal impact from such a change, states with a stronger religious of biblical base could make a serious impact on the availability of contraception to women. The proposal has the potential to “disrupt state laws securing women’s access to birth control” and “jeopardize federal programs like Medicaid and Title X that provide family-planning services to millions of women.” It would also adversely impact woman who are victims of sexual assault.

The Wall Street Journal report noted that “some on the religious right” see this change as “creating obstacles” for women trying to access birth control and added that the draft regulation could “prompt” insurance companies to “drop coverage for prescription birth control, a move that ultra-conservative Family Research Council’s Tom McClusky said is “fantistic.” Yes, read that again: “Fantastic.” Intruding on a woman’s right to control her own health is “Fantastic.” In this case, add the concept “barefoot and pregnant.”

The proposed rule states that “the conscience of the individual or institution should be paramount in determining what constitutes abortion. This effectively places individual and institutional beliefs over patients’ rights, greatly endangering women’s health.” — David Feinwachs, chief counsel of the Minnesota Hospital Association (as reported in the Star Tribune 7.30.2008.)

In a letter to Michael Leavitt, secretary of Bush’s Health and Human Services Department, Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray, both strong advocates for women’s health and most recently supportive of over-the-counter “morning after” pills, wrote the following:

Sen. Hillary Clinton

Dear Mr. Secretary:

It has come to our attention that the Department of Health and Human Services may be preparing draft regulations that would create new obstacles for women seeking contraceptive services.

One of the most troubling aspects of the proposed rules is the overly-broad definition of “abortion.” This definition would allow health-care corporations or individuals to classify many common forms of contraception – including the birth control pill, emergency contraception and IUDs – “abortions” and therefore to refuse to provide contraception to women who need it.

Sen. Patty Murray

As a consequence, these draft regulations could disrupt state laws securing women’s access to birth control. They could jeopardize federal programs like Medicaid and Title X that provide family-planning services to millions of women. They could even undermine state laws that ensure survivors of sexual assault and rape receive emergency contraception in hospital emergency rooms.

We strongly urge you to reconsider these regulations before they are released. We are extremely concerned by this proposal’s potential to affect millions of women’s reproductive health.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely yours,

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Senator Patty Murray

This rule change would:

• endanger a Minnesota law that requires doctors to offer rape victims emergency contraception. (Feminist Daily News Wire 7.16.2008]
• expand the definition of abortion to falsely label several types of birth control – including emergency contraception, the pill and IUDs – as abortifacients. (Feminist Daily News Wire 7.16.2008]
• deny federal funds to medical providers who will not hire doctors or nurses that object to abortion. (Feminist Daily News Wire 7.16.2008]
• affect over 500,000 medical facilities (National Partnership for Women and Families 7.30.2008)
• nullify state laws that require doctors to provide the option of emergency contraception to rape victims, would be effectively nullified.( Star-Tribune/MN)
• affect over 500,000 medical facilities (National Partnership for Women and Families 7.30.2008)

The rule change is currently being debated within HHS. There is no timetable for when the final version of the rule will be released.

We are in a funk because of economic conditions. This economic “recession,” “depression,” or “regression” is taking its toll on our optimismand depleting our enthusiasm, reducing our hopes and smashing our dreams for personal achievements.

Life for the middle class is tough (it’s that much magnified for the poor) and the outlook is more setbacks in our plans for the future. A house in our neighborhood in foreclosure, the house with the knee high weeds in the yard. Somewhere a couple has now moved on and away from this personal tragedy.

Will life for the middle class improve soon? The majority of Montgomery County residents are middle class familiesand they are being adversely affected by tooday’s sky high oil prices, falling home values, declining employment and rising prices for food and utilities.Mrs. A is an example of stress that I refer to as “our funk.” She is a single parent who quit her job in Nashville because of the price of transportation and the high cost of child care. Her salary wasn’t covering her additional and escalating expenses. What is she to do? the general public, the middle class, is overwhelmed with stress.

“More than half of Americans believe they either have not moved ahead in the past five years, or have fallen behind.”

For military retirees in the community, there is economic and psychological stress. President Bush’s budget proposed a 10% reduction in funding for Medicare and Tri-Care. This points to a funk when we have to take money from our pockets to underwrite high medical costs. There will be even further drains and demands placed upon our limited resources.

Yes, Social Security and federal retirement pensions will increase in Decmber, but the projected 4% COLA will not compensate for the economic fall of 2008.

We hold our breathe and close our eyes as the real possibilities of the future set in. In silent moments of meditation and reflection, people are upset that the prospect that their incomes or fringe benefits, pension, health and disability incomes, might vanish altogether.

We are capable in the midst of such heightened disappointment to lessen the funk of today. By caring for the community, by caring for our neighbors, by surrounding our families with understanding, we can survive this downtrurn. Definitely, the entitlements and expectations of success will be more difficult to achieve as we struggle with the economic malaise. There will be no painless remedy for our present funk. When the deliverance comes, it will be through sacrifice and discipline. 

Gateway’s new “waiting room”

To provide for a safe and efficient transfer of patients, incoming traffic to the new facility will be kept to a minimum in order to make the patient-move process as smooth as possible. Patient family members will be instructed on how to enter the new hospital property.

Other important changes:

The Emergency Department at the Madison Street location will permanently close at 6 a.m. on June 7.

The new Emergency Department at 651 Dunlop Lane will open at 6 a.m. on June 7.

These former off-site services will open at the new GMC on Monday, June 9:

• Gateway Outpatient Rehabilitation
• Business Office
• Breast Health Center

New phone numbers effective June 7:
Main — 931-502-1000
Emergency Department — 931-502-1300
Patient Information — 931-502-1010
Breast Health Center — 931-502-1510
Business Office — 931-502-1160
Human Resources — 931-502-1016
Family Birth Center — 931-502-3300
Occupational Health — 931-502-1181
Outpatient Rehabilitation — 931-502-1400
Preregistration — 931-502-1161, 1162
Medical Records — 931-502-1961
Scheduling (outpatient testing) — 931-502-1180
Sleep Disorders Center — 931-502-4090
Volunteer Services — 931-502-1055

The public will have the opportunity to view the new Gateway Medical Center at 615 Dunlop Lane in St. Bethlehem on Sunday when the facility hosts a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and Open House at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 18. Tours of the facility will be available from 1-4 p.m..

The new $200 million facility will include 128 private rooms and 65 semi-private rooms, accommodating 258 patients, exclusive of emergency room patients. The new emergency room is double the size of that at the old Madison Street Hospital with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.

Visitors will have the opportunity to view patient-friendly labor and delivery rooms, the new neo-natal intensive care unit, and all the departments that will begin serving the greater Clarksville community on June 7.

The new Gateway Hospital facility was designed by the Gould Turner Group, P.C. (GTG), a Nashville-based full-service architectural, planning, and interior design firm.

A new Gateway “family waiting room”

One of the new Women’s Center labor and delivery rooms