For Jean Marie

You commented on my last post (thanks for de-lurking!) And wanted to know WHY I have choses to support Obama? You referred me to an article about Obama's position on abortion. THANK YOU! For after reading this article, I am even more passionate about supporting this man. I love his unwaivering conviction when confronted with hard issues. I agree with his stance on abortion, which I assume you do not. And that is what why this country is so great. We both have the right, ability, and freedom to express our beliefs!

While I could go on and on explaining my fervor, I will let Obama's own words speak for me. Here are some that literally bring chills to my skin, I so whole-heartedly agree with them:

"This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign – to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one." - from Obama's 'A More Perfect Union' speech on March 18th

"We think of faith as a source of comfort and understanding but find our expressions of faith sowing division; we believe ourselves to be a tolerant people even as racial, religious, and cultural tensions roil the landscape. And instead of resolving these tensions or mediating these conflicts, our politics fans them, exploits them, and drives us further apart." – from Obama's book The Audacity of Hope.

"Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America – there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America – there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America." – from Obama's Democratic National Convention Keynote Address.

CALL MY CELL PHONE - I SO LOVE THE ABOVE STATEMENT - I HAVE MADE IT MY RINGTONE!!!!

"We are a nation of many faiths and of those with no faith at all. The religious practices of all must be respected. Given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers." - Obama's 'Call to Renewal' Keynote Address

"Government alone cannot solve all of our problems – we have an individual responsibility to be our brother’s keeper and our sister’s keeper. And although government will play a crucial role in bringing about the changes we need, more money and programs alone will not get us where we need to go. Each of us, in our own lives, will have to accept responsibility - for instilling an ethic of achievement in our children, for adapting to a more competitive economy, for strengthening our communities, and sharing some measure of sacrifice. So let us begin. Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation." - Obama's Presidential Announcement Speech

I hope you keep coming back, Jean Marie. There will be more. I agree with you that there is no one perfect candidate. But for me - Barack is about as close as it comes. I agree with many of Obama's policies on the War, Foreign Policy, Healthcare, Faith, Immigration, Education, Poverty, and especially those on FAMILY....you can follow the links to learn more for yourself. I am glad you enjoyed my blog. I got lost in yours for awhile too! We both have 3 children - all of similar ages. So it is always fun for me to see how others fare in "Mommy-dom."