Washington:
Who we are: Approve Referendum 71 is the campaign to preserve domestic partnerships in Washington State. By voting to approve, voters retain the domestic partnership laws that were passed during this year’s legislative session, including using sick leave to care for a partner, adoption rights, insurance rights, and more.
What we need: We need phone bankers to get our supporters out to vote. Washington is an all mail-in ballot state, and we need to ensure our supporters put their ballots in the mail. Also, youth turnout is a critical component of our campaign, and youth turnout historically drops in off-year elections. So we need a lot of help to turn them out.
How you do it: Sign up here to make remote calls for Approve 71. We’ll then contact you for a training, and you can make GOTV calls.
Maine:
Who we are: The No On 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign is working to protect Maine’s recently-passed law legalizing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Our opponents have put the issue on the ballot for Nov 3, 2009. Because of Maine’s early voting election laws, people are already voting at the polls, so we need help immediately to turn out our side at the polls.
What we need: We need you to devote a few hours to Call for Equality. Call for Equality is a virtual phonebank set up so that you can call Maine voters wherever you are. Much of Maine is rural, where canvassing isn’t effective, so we need to reach these voters- along with other supporters- by phone. All you need is a phone and internet connection. No experience required! We’ll provide the training, and all you need is a a few hours to help get a win in Maine.
How you do it: Click here to sign up for a training and your shift. There are lots of times available for your convenience.
Kalamazoo, MI:
Who We Are: The Yes on Ordinance 1856 / One Kalamazoo campaign is working in Michigan to support the City Commission of Kalamazoo’s twice approved ordinance for housing, employment, and public accommodation protections for gay and transgender residents. Opponents forced a public referendum on the ordinance so dedicated local volunteers, led by former Stonewall Democrats Executive Director Jon Hoadley, are working to ensure voters say YES to fairness and equality and keep Ordinance 1856.
Why The Urgency: In the final weeks, the opposition has gone all out with aggressive disinformation and misleading red herrings to try to defeat the ordinance. This includes signs that say “No to Discrimination” (even though voting No actually supports continued discrimination of GLBT residents), transphobic door hangers and fliers, and now radio ads that falsely suggest that criminal behavior will become legal when this simply isn’t true. The Yes on Ordinance 1856 supporters are better organized but many voters who want to vote for gay and transgender people are getting confused by the opposition.
How To Help:
1) Help the One Kalamazoo campaign raise a final $10,000 specifically dedicated to fight back against the lies on the local TV and radio airwaves and fully fund the campaign’s final field and GOTV efforts.
Give here: http://www.actblue.com/page/3-2-1-countdown
2) If you live nearby and can physically volunteer in Kalamazoo sign up here. If you know anyone that lives in Kalamazoo, use the One Kalamazoo campaign’s online canvass tool to remind those voters that they need to vote on November 3rd and vote YES on Ordinance 1856 to support equality for gay and transgender people.
Contact voters: http://www.onekalamazoo.com/tellfriends2
Definitions
Life: the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body
Liberty: the power to do as one pleases; freedom from arbitrary or despotic control
Happiness: a pleasurable or satisfying experience
The Declaration of Independence was written to explain why the colonists had the right to revolt against England and seek its independence. The colonists had no representation and their voices were not heard in their government.
Many believe that health care should not be a right, but a privilege or a luxury, I think much differently. If you look at the standard definition above, it states that life is a vital and functional being. Without proper health care for many, they would in turn be dead! Simple isn’t it? Well maybe for some, but for others they need a little more clarification. Here are 2 more definitions on why health care is not a privilege.
Vital: critical; urgently needed; absolutely necessary
Functional: fit or ready for use or service
Now many state that if health insurance was a right it would have been written into the constitution. I beg to differ. Health insurance was first created in the 1920’s at a hospital in Dallas and they called it “The Blues” to help poor people. This company later became Blue Cross Blue Shield. So if democracy is more of an idea than a static law, how come the constitution has been amended on several occasions to fit the needs of the people at the time? Here are a few examples. We now have The Federal Reserve, slavery has been abolished, women have the right to vote, blacks have equal rights, and many other things we now know as amendments.
Many people scream and yell, usually without much merit, that it is government control, yet many believe it is government protection. Without proper and affordable health care, or the denial of services by the health care cartels, tell me how will you have life if you are left to die, better yet, where is your pursuit of happiness when you are left handicapped and immobile? Where is the pursuit of happiness when these corporate behemoths are nickel and diming you to death? Well, there isn’t any.
We can also go a step further with gay marriage. Where is the pursuit of happiness when many are fighting to write them out of the constitution with blatant discrimination while they enjoy their federal government rights of tax breaks and legal protections? Many feel it is a religious right, yet in reality, it is first a federal right because they must first be licensed by the government to get married. They must also go to the government to either annul or divorce completely in the eyes of the law. If marriage was a religious right, wouldn’t they be getting divorced in a church instead of the court of law?
What if the homosexuals fought to take away your right to worship, would you not be screaming foul and state that it is your constitutional right to worship in the way you see fit? Or do you sit with a blind eye and say why should I care, it isn’t happening to me?
Many people believe in survival of the fittest, I call them the biggest fools. These fools that want to live that way fail to realize that without the medical advances some enjoy today, they probably would not be here because I bet you any money their parents or grandparents probably had some life saving surgery or medication. Yet the dumb choose to stay dumb.
So why do you hate freedom? Why are you not fighting to keep freedom intact for all and not just some?
We all see the commercials day in and day out. We are bombarded by these commercials on how to get rich quick because you can sue. Yes, it is quite pathetic that we as a society have become so greedy that we must have more and more, even if we really do not deserve it. Yes I do feel that we need to reform our current system because mankind just can’t be trusted.
But have you thought about the dark side to this? Do we not already have a judicial system in place – the people? Sure there are greedy trial lawyers, crooked defense attorneys, but in a trial, is there not a jury of the people?
How much are you willing to give up to further the profits of corporations who probably have none of your interests at hand? Now I am not saying all these court cases have been fair, but how many of these court cases were fair and very necessary to protect the victim? Are you also rallying to cap the amount of money an industry can sue you for? Look at some of the outrageous settlements that have been awarded to record industry alone for digital rights theft.
So before we all jump on board to protect the corporations, who is jumping on board to protect you? You fear socialism, but capitalism can be just as dangerous, if not cut throat. There needs to be a balance and I fear many of you do not understand that. Wait till you need to go after the company that wrongs you, how much do you think you should be awarded for a lifelong disability? What if that award is not nearly enough to cover the expense of your medical care for life, but just a few years?
You gave us a place to hide from those who persecuted us;
and we turned around and persecuted others.
You gave us a land where we could be equal;
and we chose to deny it to others because they were different.
You gave us freedom, and the pursuit of happiness;
and we enslaved nations and impoverished them all in the name of greed.
You gave us a home for the brave;
and we have forgotten them and let them become homeless.
You gave us miles of wilderness, lakes, and wildlife;
and we poisoned it with our pollutions.
You gave us the right to choose;
and we became mindless and let fear control us.
You gave us a place to be united;
and we chose to be divided.
