Many thanks to the War Room for remembering Paul and Sheila Wellstone today…

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/10/25/remember_paul/index.html

I still remember coming back from lunch and my sister calling me to tell me that their plane had crashed.  I got on the internet and started reading, the tears started immediately–I had someone working in the other room, a friend from Norway and she came in concerned that someone in my family had died.

And they might as well have been family.

Paul Wellstone was the first person I voted for who lived by his values and was actually able to get elected!  He not only worked for the people of Minnesota, but for people throughout this nation.  It hasn’t gotten lots of news, but the “rescue plan” was actually a rider attached to the Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act that Paul fought for when he was in the Senate and his family continued to work to get passed after his death.  The banks may have gotten 700 million dollars, but we got a law saying that mental illness shall be treated the same as physical illness with no time lines and limits for treatment and cure.

I can’t remember how many times I met Paul, although I do remember the last time.  He was in my town in Iowa campaigning for Bill Bradley.  He was in a small room in a pizza place and as always he took the time to greet and meet each of us and let us ask many questions.  He was a better representative for Bradley than Bradley himself–definitely more passionate!

I do remember that Paul would always ask where you were from and when I would tell him the name of my hometown in Minnesota, he would inevitably comment on our wrestling team–which was very good.

We were lucky to have him–but it was not long enough.

It’s ten days until election day.  Go and do something to honor the Wellstones.  Vote for change and progress and healthcare and economic recovery and the end of this war he never voted for and for the future of us all…Vote Obama.

Now, I generally don’t listen to Republican speeches to be uplifted and inspired, but I don’t usually expect to have my life choices mocked and denigrated.

I spent the two years between college and graduate school working for two different volunteer programs.  I was, yes, one of those dreaded “community organizers”.  And I did all sorts of terrible stuff–like trying to help people have access to affordable nutritious food and working with kids in an alternative to make sure they didn’t do things like…uh…drop out of school, take drugs, get pregnant or commit crime.

But that’s just me–out there trying to tear down the world.  As a “community organizer”.

And honestly, when Bush wants to get rid of all of these government programs and give the money to faith-based organizations to pick up the slack, who does he think does that work?

Uh…

Community Organizers.

Damn.  I think I need a t-shirt.

No, not a break from this blog–although it sure seems like I have been taking one!

I’m on vacation this week and next.  It’s the first long vacation I’ve taken in a very long, long time.  I’m out West visiting my family and it has been incredibly relaxing.

And yet, yesterday was my first day without reading and responding to e-mail from work.  And probably the only reason I didn’t do that yesterday is that I was not somewhere that I could get to my e-mail and during that day away I forgot to respond to something by a deadline and missed two other messages that were borderline time sensitive.

At what point do we really let ourselves get away?  How do we train ourselves to let go of the e-mail connection?  When do we turn off our cell phones and just let people know that we’re unavailable?

Because I think everyone should get away from it at some point.

And so I’m going to answer this one last e-mail and then I’m out…for at least a day!

I don’t have a lot of faith in my government right now. I honestly feel like two elections were messed with and we’ve had a president for eight years who has lied to us and broken laws and had very little consequence.

So, when Barack Obama comes out and calls out the fact that people have lost faith in the system, I commend him.

And I love this response he gave when the other two candidates called him out for telling the truth.

My favorite part is where he says John McCain is out of touch.

I don’t want someone to keep patting my hand and telling me it’s going to be all right. I want someone to ‘fess up to the fact that more is broken than is working and says that he or she will work every day they’re in office to fix it.

I was watching Morning Joe this am (it’s become my new routine–Sex and the City to bed, MSNBC to wake) and Phil Donahue was on promoting his new movie, Body of War.

It’s interesting, with Petraus in DC testifying and all this discussion about the danger of ending the war there were two pieces on MJ this morning about what it costs us, the danger we’re in to not end this war.

I am ashamed to admit it, but I don’t think about the war every day.  I had a friend whose husband was there in the first year and since then I haven’t known anyone personally who is serving.  I see the names of the people who died roll on the screen on Sunday morning on This Week with George Stephanapoulos, but I don’t think about it very much.

This war was wrong when it started and it’s still wrong 6 years later.  We cannot elect another president who is not fully committed to getting us out of there.  We are not more safe, Iraq is not a better place–we have totally screwed up and we need to stop before we make it any worse.

I don’t know how long it will last, but I’m thinking about the war today.

With the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses upon us, I offer my support to Barack Obama.

I had the great opportunity to meet Barack Obama last fall when he came to speak in my town. I want to tell you how impressed I was with him–how real he is and how I think he is the person who can turn our nation around. I think that he will make real change for every single one of us.

In case you didn’t see Barack’s speech in South Carolina,check it out:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/CGxdg

There are a number of reasons why I believe that he is the right person, right now.

I first was intrigued after reading his first book (about his experiences growing up and deciding to work as a community organizer in Chicago and the fact that he came back after Harvard Law School and continued to work in that community rather than cashing out on Wall Street.

As a politician I think that he has been able to stay committed to his vision, but at the same time does listen to those around him that don’t agree with him and works with them to come to a consensus. I think we’ve become way too partisan in the House and Senate and it just locks up things for everyone.

Both Democrats are really close on the issues: healthcare, the war, the economy, civil rights, etc. but I think he’s the one who can get elected and can get things done. I was really impressed with his campaign staff here in Iowa–they listened to people and didn’t just come in and tell us what to do. They were also incredibly well organized and did things in sensible ways.

Then it’s the other things–I got to meet him in person in October when he came here and he was just so normal. And it’s the people that I see him getting fired up–my sister and I listened to his speech after the South Carolina primary in a bar and the bartender was right there with us, listening and commenting on it. He’s a guy in his early 20s, just the kind that’s usually totally disengaged in politics. My sister pointed out that this is why Barack’s candidacy is so powerful–people who are not traditionally engaged in the electoral process are following him in a way that has never happened before.

Many of you are lucky that you live in Super Tuesday states. As you know, I really believe in this candidate and what he can do for us, this country and the world. I’d be happy to respond to any questions or concerns that you might have.

I hope you will join me in supporting Barack Obama and if you do, please talk to your friends and neighbors and go out and vote on February 5th!

The Iowa caucus is in 3 days. 3 days!!!!

I’ve been working pretty much full-time at the Obama office since the 27th. I think I’m ready to chuck my 9 to 5 and go into politics. I’m working with such an amazing group of people–both local and also from all over the country, from California to DC. It’s pretty cool how much people believe in Barack, how much they think he can turn our nation around and I believe it too.

It’s also getting a little scary because I’m a little afraid of what happens if we don’t win, but I have to just tuck that in the back of my head and keep moving forward, doing everything that I can to make this happen.

So, if you’re from Iowa, get out there and caucus on Thursday and if you’re not, find out when your state is having their primary or caucus and then find out what you can do for Barack because this guy is the real thing.

Okay, I think it’s only fair to follow-up on my last post–the Christmas party was one of the nicest I’ve been to.

And I brought one of the many Christmas mugs that I have lying around and that was lovely too.

I’m all for saving the environment. I would rather drive a more efficient car, I want to get a tankless water heater for my house, I have a refillable coffee mug that I dutifully carry to lunch every day that I remember (generally 4 out of 5 days).

But I think things have gone too far…

My employer is having a Green Christmas party this year. And I didn’t mind the invitation on the recycled paper (although I was wondering why this particular office still had letterhead with our old logo when we changed it about 4 years ago) and I think the “Green” Christmas carols will probably be a lot of fun, but the point at which I draw the line is the point where they asked me to bring my own mug.

And decorate it for a contest.

I don’t want to carry a mug to lunch each day that’s dressed up like a Christmas tree! And so I’m going to decorate a new mug and that’s a better idea because of why?

Plus, honestly–I don’t want to go to a party with my skanky coffee mug that I use for lunch every day and then I’m going to carry it home rather than have it in my office where I’ll remember to use it the next day…and seriously, it’s not like we use paper cups anyway! They have a dishwasher…and do I have to put punch and coffee and water all in my skanky coffee mug?

There’s a cash bar for the first time. Do I have to put my glass of wine in my skanky coffee mug?

Seriously, I don’t know if I can do it.

Headed out to wash said mug because now that I’ve called it skanky that many times, I’m not sure I can drink from it!

My first intro to trendy boutiques for the plus-sized came from Weetabix and her love for Igigi. And then today in the Star Tribune there was an article about sisters in the Twin Cities who have started their own plus-size boutique, selling their clothes online through their website.

So, I had to go and look immediately!

The story told about sisters Chris and Lucie Shol who started their clothing company B&Lu in 2000.

I also went to check out their site: B&Lu.

Great clothes and the jeans look amazing! Prices are really super and I like that it’s a smaller business so not every single person is going to be wearing the same thing. Most of the clothes are made in the states and they actually show them on plus-size models!

Now if I just hadn’t taken that vow of no new clothes for a year…