Occupy Wall Street; Woes and Words

by: Betsy L. Angert

Sun Oct 23, 2011 at 18:50:32 PM EDT

copyright © 2011 Betsy L. Angert.  Empathy And Education; BeThink or  BeThink.org

Occupy Wall Street?  I will not.  However, I am there in spirit.  I believe in the cause, the many grounds protesters have posited.  Countless Grievances, One Thread Howard Zinn stated this shared truth ever so succinctly years earlier, "It is not only Iraq that is occupied. America is too."  Wall Street,Schools, Classrooms, Hospitals, and Banks, these "Occupations" have gone on for far too long. People in Zuccotti Park and at the Chase Manhattan Plaza understand as most Americans do.  The myriad movement reflects the ninety-niners thirst for dignity.  The cravings are deep.  

March Forward; March 20

by: Betsy L. Angert

Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 13:45:00 PM EST

War veterans and resisters say "All Out for March 20th-National March on Washington!"

Dearest Special Beings . . .

If you have yet to see, hear, read, or feel the commitment of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans against the Middle Eastern wars, here is your chance.  If you have not experienced the pain the family and friends of troops feel, now you can.  If you think you can only show your support for soldiers by endorsing the wars, then, please ponder the words of Winter Soldier Michael Prysner.  He and the experienced troops who walk with him wish to ask for your help.  Peruse the passage Prysner presents in this mail.

Please ponder how the wars affect you personally, politically, and even fiscally.  Consider the many communities in this country and abroad deprived of funds, all in an effort to participate in and pay for warfare.  Try to imagine the many lives and limbs lost, not to mention the emotional traumatic stress.  Perhaps, you have already actively considered how our culture has changed, all because we engage in costly battles.  

If you had wanted to speak out, and have not, or if you want to communicate in a manner that might touch the President and Congress, please join our servicemen, woman, kin, and acquaintances in a March Forward.

For details, please read on.  I thank you.

MoveOn Obama Budget

by: Betsy L. Angert

Thu Mar 19, 2009 at 14:45:00 PM EDT

The mail arrived.  It was from MoveOn.org.  Overwhelmed with work, I thought to delete it.  I noticed the surname of the sender was the same as a friend of mine.  Only that [cosmic] coincidence led me to open the message and peruse.  I read Daniel Mintz's words with interest, for he spoke of what I miss in the news.  Mister Mintz did not focus on the folly of a few executives at American International Group, Incorporated (AIG).  The representative  from MoveOn offered what is more real to me, an average American.

As we've seen with AIG this week, the powerful don't give up their special treatment without a fight.  They're spending millions on lobbyists to quietly kill the provisions that would make them help pay for America's priorities. 1 And despite all the posturing in Congress over AIG's bonuses, too many senators are still listening to the banking and insurance lobbyists on the issues that aren't in the headlines.

So we need to speak louder than the lobbyists . . .

Today's Washington Post calls it "a populist budget" 2 because it cuts taxes for most Americans while ending unfair tax advantages for the richest among us.  The best part is that it takes all the money we'll save and invests it in critical national priorities that will help build and strengthen the middle class.

Obama's budget gives tax breaks to working families instead of CEOs.  And it closes the tax loopholes for special interests that cost us billions, like:

• The loophole that lets companies take tax breaks for sending jobs overseas.  This will save us more than $200 billion over the next decade. 3
• The loophole that lets hedge fund managers pay a 15% tax rate on their income, instead of regular income tax like the rest of us.  That will save us more than $20 billion. 4
• The loophole for big oil companies that gives them huge tax breaks even when they're posting record profits, saving us more than $30 billion over the next decade. 5
• The loophole that gives the richest Americans bigger tax breaks for their deductions.  Right now, a teacher who contributes $1,000 to the Red Cross gets a $150 tax break.  A Wall Street executive making the same contribution gets a $350 tax break. 6

A Critical Moment; Can Hope Survive?

by: Betsy L. Angert

Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 11:00:00 AM EST

Hope: It Could Happen To You

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

We had hope.  For some, the dream was fulfilled.  For millions more desperate and devastated by a multiplicity of issues that confront them each a day, a President, a single person cannot make a difference.  MoveOn.org understands that.  Thus, they sent out an appeal, as though that might help.

You may have received the mail.  It appeared in my cyberspace box late last evening.  I was tired.  The day had been long.  I thought to delete what seemed one more correspondence, one more plea, possibly, another request for a contribution.  As a MoveOn member I take delivery of what, at times, seems to be millions of requests for action, reactions, or donations.  With the election over, I trust there is far more work to be done.  Yet, in a moment of personal weakness or just a want for sleep, I went to bed.

The morning came.  I awoke.  Still, I did not return to read the MoveOn mail.  When I did I realized the weight of this written communication.  I was asked to consider as millions were, what are we to do.

We have some important decisions to make together. Our country is at a critical moment: The opportunity for change has never been greater. But there's a lot that needs to be done and we have to decide where we should focus first. Click below to nominate a big goal for us to focus on next year:

As I traveled through the net neighborhood, what did I behold.  An inquiry.
1. What should MoveOn's top goal be in 2009? (10 words or less)

60 Minutes with the American People

by: Betsy L. Angert

Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 09:00:00 AM EST

CBS Video. 60 Minutes 11.16.2008

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

On Sunday night, November 16, 2008, twelve days after an historic Presidential Election, Americans watched the couple who represents the culmination of their efforts.  Barack and Michelle Obama appeared on 60 Minutes.  Journalist Steve Kroft sat with the President-elect and his partner and pondered all that had occurred and would possibly be.  Television screens flickered.  People felt elated, exhausted, energized, or just excited.  Few knew what would come.  However, most agreed, after the 2008 Presidential Election, everything was different.  

Myths Move On

by: Betsy L. Angert

Fri Aug 15, 2008 at 11:00:00 AM EDT

Special Election Briefing: 5 Things You Should Know

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert

MoveOn.org presents this production with a desire to seek donations.  This self-proclaimed "Progressive" organization hopes to advance the Democratic candidate, and look for dollars to do so.  In essence, MoveOn would wish the public to think that if we advocate for Barack Obama then the Party platform will be fulfilled.  As one who does not necessarily see these two entities as equivalent, I offer this audio-visual presentation more as a tool to inform than a request for a contribution.  

Netroots Nation 2008; A Dream Realized

by: Betsy L. Angert

Sun Jul 20, 2008 at 23:00:00 PM EDT

Netroots Nation 08 - Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi Keynote

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert

Welcome Home Netroots Nation attendees.  You may recall, it began with a dream, an impossible hope for a future unforeseen.  It was your wish, his want, her desire, and my aspiration.  Together we were the inspiration.  We imagined greatness would be if we worked together.  The issues of import to us were and continue to be the Environment, Education, Energy, Ethics, Wars in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and of course Peace.  Health Care, and the fragile nature of medical coverage in the United States, does not escape our gaze.  While we may embrace Free Enterprise, we are not ignorant of the inherent flaws within a system that rewards the rich and punishes the poor.  The Courts, and Congress do not escape our scrutiny.  Those of us who are far from apathetic examine the Executive Branch of government as well.  Indeed, citizens that actively care inquire of and study every subject, deeply.

An Open Letter to Barack Obama on Iran

by: Betsy L. Angert

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 08:00:00 AM EDT

I offer a correspondence intended for the person we hope will be our next President, Senator Barack Obama.  Please ponder the possibilities, and if you choose, I invite you to add your signature. You fellow Americans appreciate your consideration.

By Many Authors

Dear Senator Obama . . .

We the undersigned may have different views on U.S. foreign policy with respect to Iran. We all, however, are deeply concerned about the stories in the press in the past few weeks suggesting that the Bush administration might be considering a military strike on Iran, that it might give a green light to such an attack by Israel, or that it might engage in other acts of war, such as imposing a blockade against Iran.

We welcomed your stand against the war on Iraq in 2002. And we were encouraged by your early campaign statements emphasizing diplomacy over military action against Iran. Today, you have an opportunity to forestall a repeat of the tragic Iraq war. We hope you will use that opportunity.

We agree with the conclusion of Muhammed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, that "A military strike ... would be worse than anything possible. It would turn the region into a fireball..." A military attack, he said, "will mean that Iran, if it is not already making nuclear weapons, will launch a crash course to build nuclear weapons with the blessing of all Iranians, even those in the West." (Reuters, June 20, 2008.)

We don't know, of course, whether an attack on Iran is in fact being considered, or if there are serious plans to initiate other acts of war, such as a blockade of the country. But we call on you to issue a public statement warning of the grave dangers that any of these actions would entail, and pointing out how inappropriate and undemocratic it would be for the Bush administration to undertake them, or encourage Israel to do so, in its closing months in office.

An attack on Iran would violate the UN Charter's prohibition against the use or threat of force and the Congress's authority to declare war. Moreover, the public right to decide should not be foreclosed by last-minute actions of the Bush administration, which will set U.S. policy in stone now.

We were heartened by your earlier comments suggesting that an Obama administration would act on the understanding that genuine security requires a willingness to talk without preconditions (something Iran has offered several times to no avail), and that threats and military action are counterproductive. We hope you will follow through on these commitments once in office, but also that you will speak out now against any acts of war by the Bush administration.

Sincerely,

Please review the list of signatories below or follow the path provided . . . Impressive!!!!!!!!
Please join the signatories by traveling through this link

• An Open Letter to Barack Obama on Iran. Petition.
  
• U.N atom watchdog chief says to quit if Iran attacked. Reuters. June 20, 2008

Boca Peace Corner Participants Cultivate Harmony

by: Betsy L. Angert

Wed May 07, 2008 at 23:43:24 PM EDT

MoveOn Iraq War and Recession Report Release - Boca Raton, Florida

© copyright 2008 Betsy L. Angert

"The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Toiled ever upward through the night."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Peace comes upon us without much fanfare.  Most await an announcement or seek a moment of resolve.  However, the message never comes.  In this country, in our local communities, and perchance planet wide, a small number of people acknowledge goodwill is not created in an instant.  It grows.  The transition from warfare to common welfare is invisible.  Tranquility enters; and no one stands triumphantly.  Buglers do not blow their horns.  Twenty-one guns do not salute.  Serenity is a state of being.  This is true for individuals and for the world as a whole.  Harmony, once achieved will be but a hush.   Peace grows as a tree does, from the roots up.

Job Opportunity; Field Organizer for Local Working Families Win Project

by: Guest Author

Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 16:00:00 PM EDT

Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is the nation's most experienced independent advocacy organization whose lobbying philosophy is based on democratic action - motivating our grassroots members to lobby their Senators and Representatives as constituent-advocates.

Working Families Win is ADA's community-based organizing project.  The program is based on the belief that for working families across the country, the economy is not working.  Good jobs continue to leave our communities and are replaced by lower wage jobs, often without benefits.  Daily living costs are skyrocketing, yet wages for most workers are stagnant at best.  Many of the workers who are suffering the most from the current economy are not meaningfully engaged in the political process.

Americans for Democratic Action believes that when working people are organized to support real alternatives to today's economic policies, demand that candidates support these alternatives too, and persuade their neighbors that we have a clear choice, real change will occur.

Position: WFW is looking for energetic self-starters to do local issue organizing.  Candidates should have previous organizing experience in issue and/or candidate campaigns and a desire to help support progressive issues.  Local ties a plus.  This is a unique opportunity to play an integral role in a dynamic project.

The position reports directly to the WFW project director and/or the national field coordinator.

Blessed Unrest and Wiser Earth; Paul Hawken and Us

by: Betsy L. Angert

Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 16:11:09 PM EST

Paul Hawken, Blessed Unrest and Wiser Earth

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert

Each day you and I work towards peace.  On occasion we stand in protest.  At times, amongst a throng of individuals we march.  We demonstrate and proclaim global harmony is possible.  Some of us research before we rant.  Numerous read.  Millions reflect in isolation, then, share their thoughts with a few like-minded souls.  Thousands write.  People reach out.  Individuals invite discussion.  Yet, it seems only one or two respond.

A New Year's Wishing

by: Guest Author

Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 21:00:00 PM EST

For quite some time now I have been feeling like a lost soul wandering in the wilderness.  Life has changed over the past few years from what I believed we as a nation had become in past times.  I grew up in small town America where everyone in town knew everyone else.  People in need in those days were often looked after by a neighbor or a friend.  The government stood as a last safety net for those who fell through the social cracks.  The general feeling was one of respect for one another and of well wishing toward one another.

I Am One, Many, More Than Enough

by: Betsy L. Angert

Wed Dec 19, 2007 at 09:00:00 AM EST

One.org One-By-One

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert

They tell me to vote, to speak, to write, to shout, to act.  However, I am but a grain of sand, a wave in the vast blue-green of the ocean.  I have no power over those that hold greater might.  I have no weaponry, no wealth, and no strength to wield.  I am but a cog in a giant machine.  I am a drone, a worker, a peon, and a pupil.  I learn only what I am taught.  Those who instruct me, invest in me, also intentionally inhibit me.  I am a slave, enslaved.  As industrialists capitalize on me, the commodity of a free enterprise system, I waver at  their whim.

Let The People Awaken

by: Guest Author

Mon Dec 10, 2007 at 12:00:00 PM EST

Copyright 2007, Paul Kane.  All rights reserved.  Used by permission.

For the past few years the Bush administration in concert with Congress has led America down a path based on fear backed with little in terms of real facts.  As the truth begins to be seen over time we find much of what we were assured was factual in nature was in honest truth distorted or fabricated in many instances.  We, the people, were misled into a war of aggression in Iraq.  Today we find our military stretched to the limits as the situation collapses before our eyes.  Violence within the country continues with attacks against civilian populations on a near daily basis.  American deaths are increasing and now exceed 3800.  Death of and injury to military contractors are increasing in numbers, too, even though those numbers are not in the news these days.

What Can We Do To End The War?

by: Betsy L. Angert

Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 22:45:55 PM EDT

October 27th Mobilization To End The War

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert

I offer information, an opportunity,  and an option for participation.  At times, the voice of the people is muffled.  We stand alone, and are silenced by the hum of the masses.  When we join as one, we are the throng that roars.  As we walk peacefully, united in a cause, harmony is the hum.  A crowd calmly chanting, "Give peace a chance" can create a vibration like no other.  When people walk in peace, the volume is deafening.  There is no sound greater than that of tranquility.  Come together my friends and stand in support of soldiers and civilians alike.

Not In My Name? I Am An American; I am Culpable

by: Betsy L. Angert

Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 00:03:31 AM EDT

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert

I hear the claims and the clamor.  "This is George Bush's war!"  This Administration instituted a "war on science."  Federal funding for research was reduced in recent years.  Laws meant to protect the environment were repealed.  I would love to say that much of what occurs in America today is not done in my name. It is not my fault or folly.  However, I cannot make this assertion.  I am an American; I am culpable.

Cindy Sheehan. The Plea, Promote Harmony Peacefully

by: Betsy L. Angert

Thu May 31, 2007 at 14:12:40 PM EDT

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert

Dearest Cindy . . .

I meant to write this letter days ago after reading your farewell "Good Riddance Attention Whore."  I watched as the number of electronic communiqués in response to your essay mounted.  I thought my message might be lost and perhaps was not important.  I decided to forego a seemingly fruitless endeavor.

An Alert. Activism, Immigration. April 10, Here Again

by: Betsy L. Angert

Tue Apr 10, 2007 at 13:18:05 PM EDT

April 10 is here again.  We must assess ourselves, our principles, this our nation of immigrants.  As you listen to the voices, you may hear your own voice, or realize that others are thinking as you never have.  Please reflect and revisit the issue of immigration in America.  Events are scheduled in 2007.  Perhaps Immigration laws affect a person near and dear to you.  Might you participate and make a difference.

Eight Wishes. Ten Thousand Miles. Pedaling For Dyslexia

by: Betsy L. Angert

Thu Mar 29, 2007 at 23:28:36 PM EDT

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert

Paul Sanchez had a wish, a hope, a dream, and a bicycle.  In 2004, he began a quest different than his earlier diagnosis.  As a child, he was labeled dyslexic.  He was told this dire condition would hold him back.  Paul and his parents were also informed, Paul has Attention Deficit Disorder.  He struggled with these and yet, still dreamt of being more than a characterization.

Iraq, Four Years Later. All We Are Saying is "Give Peace A Chance!"

by: Betsy L. Angert

Mon Mar 19, 2007 at 21:00:00 PM EDT

It may have been a January evening; perhaps it was earlier.  The year was 2003.  I was living in Orange County, California.  I saw Gretchen as I exited the pool.  She and I were newly acquainted.  Quickly we realized we shared a solid belief; war is not an option!  On this night, Gretchen mentioned there was a peace vigil at the corner of Anton and Bristol in Costa Mesa.  Protestors were gathering across from one of the swankiest market places in the nation, South Coast Plaza.  Certainly, Americans would be there, for in 2001, after the Twin Towers fell President Bush and Vice President Cheney encouraged citizens to go shopping. 

In an afternoon conversation, Gretchen's son spoke of the event.  He had been in the past and she was on her way there now.  She asked if I would like to join her.  I am as far from spontaneous as a person can be.  Nevertheless, there are times when principles are more important than habits.  Neither of us hesitated.  Gretchen did not have to convince me to go.  We attended our first peace vigil together.  We were there within minutes.  That was the beginning of an all too long and all too important series of protests.