Friend of mine emailed today to tell about how well she's working through the phone calling for the Barack Obama campaign. I am not trying so hard to be persuasive when I'm canvassing (comes off as confrontational when I do it) But if people ask me questions, I give them answers.

I don't know how you all do it, talking to strangers and being persuasive.

I admire that in anyone who can do it.

Within family and coworkers (odd thing all my friends are Obama supporters) I think I have more opportunity and influence: Little things here and there.

This week I've been asking people to answer this question:

"How does rebalancing the tax code so that middle income people are not paying a higher rate than Warren Buffett amount to socialism?"

That one has been carrying a lot of weight.

And here's another one:

"How are Barack Obama's tax policy proposals 'socialism' and 'communisim' and 'marxism' while Sarah Palin's policies in Alaska aren't? Being as Sarah Palin manages the state owned resources (oil) and profits giving checks to all Alaskans in the name of 'government' that 'owns' the resources .... and all Barack wants to do is make it so Warren Buffet's secretay isn't paying a higher tax rate than Warren Buffet pays himself?"

Maybe I should be the dummy blond that you-tube and all are poking fun at for asking Joe Biden if Obama's a communist or something...I'm dummy like that actress in "Born Yesterday" she's incredible and awesome and I'm sorry I can't remember her name. The movie was profound.

Melanie Griffith that's her name. Good lady, she does Gracie Allen proud

:)

ANYWAY

On the Catholic groups I belong to as well, I've been posting a PDF from the Catholics United people "Pro-Life means all life" and a newsweek article about how Catholics can vote for Barack Obama and know they are voting their conscience.

I've had to post that two times because there's a wierdo on the site who replied with a bunch of incomprehensible stuff (bible verse and "interpretation") which they say proves that life doesn't begin until the person takes their first breath. Esoteric b.s. in my thinking. Bizzare too.

So on that note, I'll give you a last thought here....

Do you all realize that these "radical Christian right" people go to church two and three times a week, and listen to scholarly-sounding imposters posit tenuous if not non-existant connections in the Bible that anyone could make with any book big enough ("War and Peace", "Trinity"/"Exodus" - I'm a big Leon Uris fan)??

It's a cult and it's fanatical. Right now, the activity of this sort that goes on in Taliban and Al-Queda is all the rage -- but the seeds of this intolerance and willfully ignorant closed mindedness exists within each and every institution of faith practice. . .that is to say - within each and every single one of us. At this time, it's the Christian right that is next up to bat after Osama Bin Laden and his group - Next most likely to promote and perpetuate world terrorism. I wonder what's next? And suspect that Judeo-Christian roots might be attacked soon or even now for being the roots of all evil. But I need to say to somone who will hear and understand -- It's not that, and it's not some other (Muslims or Pagans or Buddhists or Atheists or what-have-you) -- it's not faith systems and belief systems and systems of practice that we are up against -- We are up against the institutionalization of any and all of these. I think of the story of the tower of Babel and it totally brings out a warning about the human habit of institutionalizing in any way shape or form. Now there is a true "necessary evil" if ever there was one -- "Institutionalizing"

Goodnight :)

and as Keith sez

and Good Luck!

-Marion