Food Democracy Now

Obama will be picking a new Secretary of Agriculture (Food & Agriculture?) soon. This is a hugely important post. Transitioning away from petro-chemically intensive factory farming would have profound impact on sustainability, security, and rights issues. I have covered this at length before, so I will not go into great detail here. I will recommend a few books though; Farming With The Wild, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Biomimicry.

My recommendations for the Secretary's position are Michael Pollan, Wes Jackson, and Fred Kirschenmann.

Please click on the title link and sign the petition (include these 3 names in the comments section if you agree, or at least trust my recommendations) and perhaps go to change.gov and reinforce your message. We have a receptive President coming in and a very compelling reason to become proactive (survival). Please add your voice and thoughts to the conversation.

As The Dust Settles

I have been waiting for a change like this for many, many years. We are on the doorstep of a new world. I have been so wrapped up in this election that I have only now begun to come down from the rush of seeing us move past fear and selfishness and embrace hope, service, and possibility.

I was awake all night leading up to election day, in order to be first in line to cast my vote for Obama. I must admit to being skeptical about the process and to feeling an overwhelming surge of relief when watching McCain's concession speech. I had been bracing for voter suppression, rigged machines, legal challenges, etc. This has finally given me confidence in our process. As Churchill said "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.".

Where do I even begin to focus on the profoundly positive results of this change and the unbelievable global response to it? Let's begin by examining the international response. While traveling in South America this summer I was presented with the idea that citizens of the world, and not just citizens of the U.S. should have a voice in selecting our president. This is because of the huge and disproportionate impact that the post has on the fate of the entire globe. The international response was much more jubilant than (even) I expected. People were literally dancing in the streets and crying tears of joy across the planet.

I have the feeling that this is like an overnight transition from The Dark Ages to The Renaissance. We, as a people have finally gotten to the point where the inherent unsustainability and unfairness of our course under (the thumb of) Bush became blindingly obvious to the majority of our citizenry. Much to my delight (and a bit to my surprise) the people stood up to the corporate interests and fearmongers to cast off the chains of oppression.

We are being presented with an historic opportunity, but we must work to realize it's potential http://change.gov/. The link provided is to the transition team's solid website which offers a lot of information while also soliciting input from visitors to the site. Transparency and an opportunity to directly contribute your voice to the governing of the nation, change indeed. To quote my dear friend Daisy May Erlewine "There is work to be done in the dark before dawn, there is work to be done so you've got to shine on.". Get to work!!!

Ronald Reagan Endorses Obama

Oh my! This is brilliant! Straight from the mouth of the Republican hero Ronnie Raygun. I want everyone in this country to ask themselves the same questions Ronnie asked us in 1980. Simply look around and unless you are in the top 10% financially the answers are obvious. Poverty is violence. Think about it. Do some research and go to the polls as an informed voter.

A question for the Christians: Who would Jesus be in support of here?

A system created to terrorize and impoverish is unjust, immoral, and in need of overhaul. It is way past time to address this, but here we are, so let's start now.

If the World Could Vote

Click on the title for the link. :)

Yes We Can - Barack Obama Music Video

Darkness cannot persist in the presence of light, and the stronger the light the further the darkness must recede. Please add your light and your gifts to the effort to push back the darkness and cynicism of recent years and replace it with the realized potential of a truly United States of America. Let's bring forth the untapped creativity and energy of the people who've been exploited by the establishment for so long now (we are much stronger united and cooperative than we've been under the neocons). We are on the brink of an historic opportunity. Will we allow the cynics to pull us down, or will we finally take the leap and soar? Whose vision of the future do we most want to create? For my future and that of my children the answer is perfectly clear. Move toward the light, it's really that simple. As my dear friend Daisy May says, "Shine On!!!".

61 Nobel Laureates Endorse Barack Obama

On September 26, 2008, 61 Nobel laureates announced their endorsement of Barack Obama. More info available by clicking title link. Obama is my choice for many reasons, not the least of which is his position on the global environmental change and what he proposes to do to begin addressing it.

Obama Rally 2 October 2008

Let me begin by thanking Amanda Narvaes for my VIP ticket. 'Amanda, you are my hero.'

Barack took the podium at approximately 10:00 and spent half an hour on a message that addressed the serious situation we are facing, while coming across as optimistic and inspiring.

The economic crisis could not have occurred at a more opportune time. I hate that it has had to come to this, but..... People, even in the belly of the beast (West Michigan), have become so frightened by the possibility of a complete economic meltdown that we finally have a strong probability of breaking the Republican stranglehold that's been throttling us for so long now.

Obama pledged to stop hemorrhaging billions each month in Iraq and bring U.S. troops out. He spoke of 50 billion dollars a year pumped into transitioning the U.S. to sustainable energy. His other major points concerned world-class universal healthcare and education.

I met John McCain this spring and found him to be very creepy. In contrast, Barack Obama is someone that I was impressed by and trust to do what he says. Barack is a man that I would be happy to have as a mentor to my children, something I take very seriously.

We face a decision of almost incomprehensible magnitude in about a month. Do we, as a nation, continue to inflict more of the same on ourselves and the people of most of the rest of the world, or do we vote for change and someone who has a positive and progressive message and agenda?

Obama wants to stop fighting unnecessary wars and end the free ride for the corporations that have been destroying this country. He plans to redirect those currently misspent resources (human and capital) toward the healing and rebuilding of our nation. This is a necessary first step toward restoring us to a position of international leadership, both technological and moral.

He intends to utilize the currently misdirected energy and capital on setting our course toward sustainability and justice. We need to begin educating and caring for the people of this nation and Senator Obama recognizes and heartily endorses this reality.

We can create a radically improved future for ourselves and for the generations that will follow us. I am a veteran and I unhesitatingly and enthusiastically endorse Barack Obama for President of the United States!