Filmmaker and activist Michael Moore

Friends,

Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.

In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.

There was another important “first” last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.

It’s been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That’s because most Americans haven’t really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here’s their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.

But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country’s greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.

We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, “gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?” Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We’ve entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.

An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.

We really don’t have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.

I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It’s been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won’t be easy.

But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.

Yours,
Michael Moore

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=240

About the Author: Award winning filmamker and activist Michael Moore has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq War, the Bush Administration in general and in particular, the health care system (or lack of0 in America and myriad other issues. His acclaimed films include “Bowling for Columbine” and “Sicko.“

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!

The Montgomery County Democratic Party, in partnership with Clarksville For Obama, will host a Democratic Convention Watch Party on August 28, 2008 at the Montgomery County Democratic Party headquarters building, 534 Madison Street (on the corner of University and Madison street) starting at 7:00 p.m.

Clarksville-Montgomery County will join the millions of people watching across the country and around the world as Democratic Party Presidential nominee Barack Obama officially accepts the nomination. Along with the hundreds of Montgomery County supporters scheduled to attend this watch party, another 75,000 supporters will be packed into the INVESCO Field at Mile High, the 76,125-seat stadium that is home to the Denver Broncos football team, for a huge, free, open-air event where Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech to the American people.

Obama’s speech on August 28 will be on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s historic “I Have a Dream” address in Washington.

Obama is known for drawing huge crowds to many of his speeches. In May, a record 75,000 jammed into a riverside park in Portland, Ore., to hear him speak shortly before that state’s primary. Delegates from the Clarksville-Montgomery County Democratic Party will be on hand at the convention to view the history making event.

As if this unprecedented move was not enough, the Obama campaign team will seize the momentum from the convention to bring millions of new voices into the political process by conducting the Biggest phone banking rally ever! That means the conventioneers won’t be there just to whoop and holler on television. They’ll form the world’s largest phone bank to boost voter registration.

All 75,000 stadium attendees will be given a list identifying 55 million unregistered voters across the country and with the use of cell phones will start calling them and registering them to vote. This state of the art Voter Building Micro Targeting technology being used are some of the same techniques credit card companies use to track people’s spending.

The public is invited to celebrate as Barack Obama accepts the nomination as the Democratic candidate for the position of President of the United States of America. Join fellow supporters of this historic campaign as they gather to watch the Democratic National Convention on T.V. while enjoying food and political discussion.

For additional information please call (931) 378-1999

RSVP at http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/conventionwatchparty/gpgsgm

At the behest of Mr. Bush, who was then governor, Texas enacted a law in 1997 that gave its governors the right to name an alternate depository for their official papers. But details of such a transfer remained murky under the law….

Based on his reading of the Texas law and its legislative history, Mr. Cornyn wrote that the law gives the governor “the power to designate an alternate repository for his gubernatorial records, but according him no other authority to alter the manner in which such records are preserved or made available to the public.”…

This means that the public can now get copies of records from Bush’s Texas administration.

Records should be requested in writing from:

Public Information Access Act Officer
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum
1000 George Bush Drive West
College Station, TX 77845

Voice: 979-260-9552
Fax: 979-260-9557
Email: .gov
Web: bushlibrary.tamu.edu
Refer to this sample letter for using the Texas Public Information Access Act.