PRESIDENT OBAMA'S VICTORY SPEECH

President Obama's Victory Speech, Nov. 7, 2012 -- Transcript from the Federal News Service with video from The New York Times:

00:00 Elected Because of 'You'

00:28

Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward. (Cheers, applause.)

00:50

It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people. (Cheers, applause.)

01:32

Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.

02:07

(Cheers, applause.) I want to thank every American who participated in this election. (Cheers, applause.) Whether you voted for the very first time -- (cheers) -- or waited in line for a very long time -- (cheers) -- by the way, we have to fix that. (Cheers, applause.) Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone -- (cheers, applause) -- whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference. (Cheers, applause.)

02:58 On Speaking With Romney

02:58

I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. (Cheers, applause.) We may have battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service. And that is a legacy that we honor and applaud tonight. (Cheers, applause.) In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward. (Cheers, applause.)

03:55

I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America’s happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden. (Cheers, applause.)

04:21 The First Family

04:21

And I wouldn’t be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago. (Cheers, applause.) Let me say this publicly. Michelle, I have never loved you more. (Cheers, applause.) I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you too as our nation’s first lady. (Cheers, applause.)

04:58

Sasha and Malia -- (cheers, applause) -- before our very eyes, you’re growing up to become two strong, smart, beautiful young women, just like your mom. (Cheers, applause.) And I am so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now, one dog’s probably enough. (Laughter.)

05:26

To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics -- (cheers, applause) -- the best -- the best ever -- (cheers, applause) -- some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning. (Cheers, applause.)

06:04

But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together. (Cheers, applause.) And you will have the lifelong appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way -- (cheers, applause) -- to every hill, to every valley. (Cheers, applause.) You lifted me up the whole day, and I will always be grateful for everything that you’ve done and all the incredible work that you’ve put in. (Cheers, applause.)

06:49 On Campaigns and Staff

06:49

I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics who tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym or -- or saw folks working late at a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you’ll discover something else.

07:31

You’ll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who’s working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. (Cheers, applause.) You’ll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who’s going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. (Cheers, applause.)

08:00

You’ll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who’s working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home. (Cheers, applause.)

08:24

That’s why we do this. That’s what politics can be. That’s why elections matter. It’s not small, it’s big. It’s important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy. That won’t change after tonight. And it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty, and we can never forget that as we speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter -- (cheers, applause) -- the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.

09:42 Hope for the Future

09:42

But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America’s future.

09:53

We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers -- (cheers, applause) -- a country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation -- (scattered cheers, applause) -- with all of the good jobs and new businesses that follow.

10:12

We want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt, that isn’t weakened up by inequality, that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet. (Cheers, applause.)

10:31

We want to pass on a country that’s safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this -- this world has ever known -- (cheers, applause) -- but also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being.

11:05

We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America open to the dreams of an immigrant’s daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag -- (cheers, applause) -- to the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner -- (cheers, applause) -- to the furniture worker’s child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president.

11:48

That’s the -- (cheers, applause) -- that’s the future we hope for.

11:52

(Cheers, applause.) That’s the vision we share. That’s where we need to go -- forward. (Cheers, applause.) That’s where we need to go. (Cheers, applause.)

12:06 Finding Common Ground

12:06

Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock, resolve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward.

12:42

But that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. (Cheers, applause.) A long campaign is now over. (Cheers, applause.) And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you. I have learned from you. And you’ve made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead. (Cheers, applause.)

13:37

Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. (Cheers, applause.) You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours.

13:50

And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together -- reducing our deficit, reforming out tax code, fixing our immigration system, freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We’ve got more work to do. (Cheers, applause.)

14:18

But that doesn’t mean your work is done. The role of citizens in our democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us; it’s about what can be done by us together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self- government. (Cheers, applause.) That’s the principle we were founded on.

14:50 What Sets America Apart

14:50

This country has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores. What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth, the belief that our destiny is shared -- (cheers, applause) -- that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations, so that the freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights, and among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great. (Cheers, applause.)

15:58

I am hopeful tonight because I have seen this spirit at work in America. I’ve seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I’ve seen it in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb and in those SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back. (Cheers, applause.) I’ve seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm. (Cheers, applause.)

16:59

And I saw it just the other day in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care. (Cheers, applause.) I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd, listening to that father’s story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes because we knew that little girl could be our own.

17:55 Optimism

17:55

And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That’s who we are. That’s the country I’m so proud to lead as your president. (Cheers, applause.)

18:17

And tonight, despite all the hardship we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future. (Cheers, applause.) I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope.

18:40

President Obama

I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the road blocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight. I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. (Cheers, applause.)

19:19 Progress

19:19

America, I believe we can build on the progress we’ve made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunities and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love (ph). It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight. (Cheers, applause.) You can make it here in America if you’re willing to try. (Cheers, applause.)

19:19

President Obama

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. (Sustained cheers, applause.)

20:05

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will be, the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.)

20:30

And together, with your help and God’s grace, we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you, America. (Cheers, applause.) God bless you. God bless these United States. (Cheers, applause.)

Obama powers to re-election despite weak economy

Obama powers to re-election despite weak economy

THANK YOU, MR. ROMNEY

I want to thank former Gov. Mitt Romney for one of the best and most congenial political concession speeches I have ever heard. In the wake of a harrowing 2012 election, I hope that we will join Mr. Romney's prayers and hopes for a better America. More than ever, we need to get behind President Obama and his vision to bring America back to its true glory. We need a bipartisan House and Senate, working together to help each and every citizen of our country to realize the promises of being a bright light, a shining example to the rest of the world. Citizenship is greater than politics. Citizenship offers truth and justice.
Here, I want to share Romney's words, delivered through his personal sadness and disappointment that any of us might feel at such a moment in the nation's history:

The following is the full text of Mitt Romney’s concession speech on Wednesday (Transcript courtesy of the Federal News Service and published in The New York Times).
MITT ROMNEY: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, my friends. Thank you so very much. Thank you. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you. Thank you.

I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory. His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. I wish all of them well, but particularly the president, the first lady and their daughters. (Applause.) This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation.

I want to thank Paul Ryan for all that he has done for our campaign -- (cheers, applause) -- and for our country. Besides my wife Ann, Paul is the best choice I’ve ever made. (Cheers, applause.) And I trust that his intellect and his hard work and his commitment to principle will continue to contribute to the good of our nation. (Cheers, applause.)

I also want to thank Ann, the love of my life. (Cheers, applause.) She would have been a wonderful first lady. (Cheers, applause.) She’s -- she has been that and more to me and to our family and to the many people that she has touched with her compassion and her care. I thank my sons for their tireless work on behalf of the campaign, and thank their wives and children -- (cheers, applause) -- for taking up their slack as their husbands and dads have spent so many weeks away from home. (Cheers, applause.)

I want to thank Matt Rhoades and the dedicated campaign team he led. (Cheers, applause.) They have made an extraordinary effort, not just for me but also for the country that we love. And to you here tonight and to the team across the country -- the volunteers, the fundraisers, the donors, the surrogates -- I don’t believe that there’s ever been an effort in our party that can compare with what you have done over these past years. Thank you so very much. (Cheers, applause.)

Thanks for all the hours of work, for the calls, for the speeches and appearances, for the resources and for the prayers. You gave deeply from yourselves and performed magnificently, and you inspired us and you humbled us. You’ve been the very best we could have imagined.

The nation, as you know, is at a critical point. At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work. And we citizens also have to rise to the occasion. We look to our teachers and professors. We count on you not just to teach, but to inspire our children with a passion for learning and discovery.

We look to our pastors and priests and rabbis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the enduring principles upon which our society is built -- honesty, charity, integrity and family. We look to our parents, for in the final analysis, everything depends on the success of our homes. We look to job creators of all kinds. We’re counting on you to invest, to hire, to step forward. And we look to Democrats and Republicans in government at all levels to put the people before the politics.

I believe in America. I believe in the people of America. (Cheers, applause.)

And I ran for office because I’m concerned about America. This election is over, but our principles endure. I believe that the principles upon which this nation was founded are the only sure guide to a resurgent economy and to a new greatness.

Like so many of you, Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign. (Cheers, applause.) I so wish -- I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction. But the nation chose another leader. And so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation.

Thank you, and God bless America. (Cheers, applause.) You guys are the best. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks, guys. (Cheers, applause.)

TONEY ATKINS: WHAT I THINK ABOUT THAT: BEYOND JUST SAYING 'THANKS' TO VETERANS

TONEY ATKINS: WHAT I THINK ABOUT THAT: BEYOND JUST SAYING 'THANKS' TO VETERANS

Re-posted.

THE SUPERSTORM: REPUBLICANS, CHRISTIANS, LIARS by TONEY ATKINS

By TONEY ATKINS
www.toneyatkins.com/

I am writing this one day before Election Day 2012, so no one can say I’m doing it as a matter of “sour grapes,” whoever may win the presidency after all votes are counted – if, indeed, all votes are counted. Consider this a preface to a more elaborative commentary to come that has been on my mind for months. This is only a rough draft, with editing to be done later.
**********

Quit blaming God, homosexuals, women who want control over the health of their own bodies, and the U.S. president, who happens to be black, for the natural disasters and other unpleasantness and tragedies that our country – and the rest of the world, for that matter – has endured over the past decade or so, prompting many to believe the end of the world is at hand. 

Perhaps we should blame that man or woman in the mirror. We have become a nation of liars and hypocrites. If God were indeed vengeful, He (or She) would have every right to cast every plague possible upon us.
 

While professing Christians rush to their medicine cabinets to find some smelling salts amid the Hydrocordone, Xanax, Valium and Ambien bottles after reading that last paragraph, let me point to an intriguing few verses from the Holy Bible that could imply that God is concerned about our sins for much more than our views on abortion, gays and gay marriage:
 

1 Timothy 1:9-10

English Standard Version (ESV)
⁸ Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,⁹ understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers,^[a] liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound^[b] doctrine …

Or another translation:

1 Timothy 1:8-10

Common English Bible (CEB)
⁸ Now we know that the Law is good if used appropriately. ⁹ We understand this: the Law isn’t established for a righteous person but for people who live without laws and without obeying any authority. They are the ungodly and the sinners. They are people who are not spiritual, and nothing is sacred to them. They kill their fathers and mothers, and murder others. ¹⁰ They are people who are sexually unfaithful, and people who have intercourse with the same sex. They are kidnappers,^[a] liars, individuals who give false testimonies in court, and those who do anything else that is opposed to sound teaching.

The Good News translation of verses in Romans 1 indeed refers to homosexuality, but seems to include other things as well:

²⁸ Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. ²⁹ They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip ³⁰ and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent,^[b] proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. ³² They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.

The particular commentary that I now write is not a defense or criticism of homosexuality. In fact, it has little or nothing to do with it. I use it as a starting point because so many Christian evangelistic ministers and pastors seem to emphasize it more often than any lying, jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, gossip, hate and other so-called “sins.”

 (And, by the way, I am a member of the Christian faith. I have sinned in many ways and fallen short of the glory of God. But I believe in Christ and in the principles He taught. I believe in His salvation if I truly repent and not repeat the sins of which I have committed.)

The point is: Look at the sins and vices that are equal to homosexuality in Bible teachings. I’ll wait while you study the above verses again.

The “Law” is good if used appropriately. If people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to “corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do,” the Good News translation says.

Note that both passages refer to lying, deceit, malice, gossip, speaking evil of one another, having no conscience, not keeping promises. The 32nd verse in Romans 1 says, “They know that God’s law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.”

Right-wing preachers will tell me this only refers to homosexuality, but other passages, including the Ten Commandments, found in the Old Testament, bears out that many of us, and I am including myself, could be found guilty if we were put on trial.

All sins are created equal.

Lying is high on the list of evils that meets God’s disapproval, according to what we’ve just read from the Bible. Especially since the year 1999, this nation has seen our political system go to hell with lies, white and very darkly black, deceit (essentially the same thing), hatefulness, speaking evil of one another (especially during the past four years), having no signs of conscience (the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and who cares?), and not keeping promises.

Even the most ignorant of people, and based on many conversations I’ve had, there are plenty of those, know that the major problem with President Obama has been that he is black.
 

 Oh, many will deny racism; others will proudly defend their position of blaming everything on “the nigger president.” I now live in the deep South, and that sentiment of far too many people is prevalent. They don’t want to believe facts; they had rather believe lies that are fed to them.

When someone has uttered a blatantly false statement about Obama, I usually ask where they got their information. It’s amazing how many of them try to avoid giving an answer to that question, even when it’s asked repeatedly. Most usually can’t or won’t tell me, and some simply say it’s just the way they think. They usually end up mad at me.

The Republicans vowed as soon as President Obama was elected that they would do everything in their power to make sure that his presidency failed, no matter what damage their ensuing resentments and failure over four years to do anything to benefit the country’s populace (including their constituents) would cause. They voted against measures that could have provided work for many, but said that they knew how to create jobs if they were in power.  

If they knew how to create jobs instead of shipping them overseas, why didn’t they do it? Where were these millionaires and billionaires who could have been building factories or creating new jobs for the ones that were lost?

Plain and simple, they were playing the deception game because they didn’t want anything to appear that a black president could accomplish anything. The Republicans, and shamefully, even some Democrats, lied and essentially slandered Obama, wasting their time, energy and resources for their own selfish purposes, not giving a damn about the public they were supposed to be representing and helping.

During his campaign this season, the Republican candidate for president was like a puppet on a merry-go-round horse that had been stuffed into a moving roller coaster car. No one could keep up with what he believed, what he actually planned to do to help the country – i.e., where on earth he was going and how he was going to handle the strings of the puppeteers who were pumping money into his campaign to get the black guy out of office. He wanted more money for the military, but rarely spoke about how he would help the heroic veterans of two wars and their families.

Republican leaders across the country tried to deny people, especially Democrats, black, Hispanic and even the poor white, the right to vote in a land that is supposed to be a democracy.

Unkept promises and lies. We’ve heard many of both over the past decade. Do super storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and such portend God’s ending the world as we know it? God would be justified in doing so. Many of us deserve it.

How many of us – and I am including myself, are guilty of the sins that, according to that chapter in Romans, “deserve death”? Forget the worn-out arguments about homosexuality and the abortions some poor women felt the need to have for whatever reason, especially rape or incest.  

Look at the real problems that preachers don’t preach about: How many lies have we told today? What have we said about our neighbors that reflects poorly on them, whether our statements based on gossip or our own maliciousness was true or not?  

How many promises have we made to others – and ourselves – that we have failed to keep, sometimes on purpose? Do we hate anyone who is different than us (and we’re all individually different in some way), or do we live and let live? Do we really prefer war  and enemity over peace and love? Do we judge others but don’t want to be judged ourselves?

Perhaps we could change a lot of things for the better if Christians would be more Christian and members of other faiths would practice the positive elements of their teachings instead of denying them and considering themselves to be justified.

I do not believe that the tragic Superstorm Sandy, other destructive hurricanes or any other natural disaster are God’s way of getting back at us for our “evil” human ways.

But on the other hand, it is something to think about. If we keep going on the same path we’ve been traveling, God only knows what kind of hellish darkness awaits us, and maybe He doesn't care any more.

 

SPECIAL PLEA FROM VETERANS FOR PEACE

To: Our friends in the Faith Community and elsewhere

From: Phil Restino, Chapter Co-Chair, Central Florida chapter of Veterans For Peace (VFP Chapter 136)

 

RE: URGENT HELP NEEDED WITH CONTACTING CHURCHES ASAP, ASKING THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN NOVEMBER 11TH (ARMISTICE DAY) BELL-RINGING TO HONOR PEACE AND DENOUNCE WAR

 

 

Hello,

 

My name is Phil Restino and I am the coordinator for the Central Florida chapter of Veterans For Peace, which I helped create and organize back in 2005.  Sadly, over the years since then and due to burnout and a variety of other reasons, the membership of a few dozen veterans that we had in our chapter has over the last couple-few years dwindled down to basically a one-man operation (me) and a handful of chapter members who will come out to an event when they can ... and/or at least renew their national membership dues with Veterans For Peace so as to stay listed as a member of our chapter.  If you go to our chapter website at www.cflveteransforpeace.org you will see that we also need whatever help we might be able to get in updating our own chapter's website.

 

That said, I am seeking your help to promote the November 11th (Armistice Day) campaign initiated by the Twin Cities, MN chapter of Veterans For Peace to encourage churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and other houses of worship to participate in ringing of their respective church bells on November 11th (Armistice Day) to remember the original intent of the day so as to honor peace and denounce war.  I was able to get some of your email addresses through various links at the website for the Florida chapters of Pax Christi and am including you in our appeal for help in passing on our Media Alert dated October 15th (see below and attached) to whatever churches and other houses of worship that you can.

 

For more on the November 11th (Armistice Day) bell-ringing campaign, please go to the report on their website at http://www.vfpchapter27.org/bells.htm ... and to view a copy of the Mayor of Minneapolis, MN official proclamation regarding the ringing of church bells on November 11th (Armistice Day), go tohttp://www.vfpchapter27.org/PDF/proclamation.pdf.

 

On another note, we would appreciate it if you would also take a few minutes to mail out whatever information or brochures that you might have concerning your own respective organization to us at the following postal address:

 

Central Florida Veterans For Peace

P.O. Box 9012

Daytona Beach, FL  32120-9012

 

 

Thank you in advance for whatever help you might be able to offer in this effort.

 

God Bless,

 

Phil Restino

Chapter Co-Chair, VFP Chapter 136

Central Florida Veterans For Peace

ph/fax: (386) 788-2918

 

 

Please note that ...

 

 

Central Florida Veterans For Peace is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational and humanitarian organization dedicated to (a) educating our fellows to the costs of war, (b) restraining our government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations, (c) ending the arms race and reducing and eventually eliminating nuclear weapons, (d) seeking justice for veterans and victims of war, and (e) working towards the abolishment of war as an instrument of national policy.  Our chapter covers from the Greater Orlando area, east to the Greater Melbourne area, and north to the Greater Jacksonville area.  We urge all people, veterans and non-veterans alike, who share our vision to join us.  Telephone us at (386) 788-2918, write to us, or visit our website at www.cflveteransforpeace.org to find out more about joining us and/or what you can do to help.

 

Contributions to Central Florida Veterans For Peace are tax deductible.

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South Florida County Extends Early Voting — But Only In One GOP Stronghold | ThinkProgress

Why The Lines Are So Long In Florida And Ohio | ThinkProgress

Why The Lines Are So Long In Florida And Ohio | ThinkProgress

Post-storm construction hiring may aid US economy

Post-storm construction hiring may aid US economy

SANDY MAY CREATE MANY NEW JOBS. THINK ABOUT IT. Toney

President Obama: We repeat, he's bringing America back - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

President Obama: We repeat, he's bringing America back - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

SEAL TEAM SIX: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden | National Geographic Channel

SEAL TEAM SIX: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden | National Geographic Channel

2012 Hurricane Season Filled with Oddities - weather.com

2012 Hurricane Season Filled with Oddities - weather.com

THE ABOVE LINK HAS VIDEO AND AUDIO.

Rob Portman: Hurricane Sandy Could Turn Voters Away From Obama | ThinkProgress

Rob Portman: Hurricane Sandy Could Turn Voters Away From Obama | ThinkProgress

Last-Minute Ohio Directive Could Trash Legal Votes

Last-Minute Ohio Directive Could Trash Legal Votes

Rob Portman: Hurricane Sandy Could Turn Voters Away From Obama | ThinkProgress

Rob Portman: Hurricane Sandy Could Turn Voters Away From Obama | ThinkProgress

Tornado Safety & Preparedness

Tornado Safety & Preparedness

In the wake of destructive and historic Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy, we now know that Mother Nature does not play favorites in when or where she can deliver catastrophe.
As northwest Georgians, Alabamans and Tennesseans learned on April 27, 2011, areas formerly believed to be immune from tornadoes and severe wind and other storm damage in reality could be struck with weather of sometimes catastrophic and tragic ferocity. 
I found the above information on The Weather Channel's web site. You may want to use it to be mentally and physically prepared in the event that severe weather, especially tornado and wind events, threaten. -- Toney Atkins

APPRECIATING MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY, NOW AND THEN

APPRECIATING MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY, NOW AND THEN

Veterans Day 2012 is Monday, Nov. 12. If you know a veteran of World War I or World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, the Iraq War, the ongoing war in Afghanistan or any other conflict in which American servicemen and women have participated, please make it a point to tell them "thank you" in some form or fashion. We have heroes living among us who often go unrecognized and/or unappreciated. Now is the time to change that. -- Toney Atkins

BEYOND JUST SAYING 'THANKS' TO VETERANS

BEYOND JUST SAYING 'THANKS' TO VETERANS

Thanks to Phil Restino of Daytona Beach, FL, for this Veterans Day piece. Click on the link above.

Keeping Food Safe During An Emergency

Keeping Food Safe During An Emergency

Mitt Romney Ignores Troops, Vets And Foreign Policy In 'Closing Argument' Speech | ThinkProgress

Mitt Romney Ignores Troops, Vets And Foreign Policy In 'Closing Argument' Speech | ThinkProgress

171,000 Jobs Created In October, Unemployment Stays Under 8 Percent

171,000 Jobs Created In October, Unemployment Stays Under 8 Percent: pThe American economy added 171,000 jobs in October and the unemployment rate ticked up slightly but stayed below 8 percent, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Analysts had expected 120,000 jobs to be created. The private sector added 184,000 jobs, while the public sector lost 13,000. The number of jobs [...]/p

Congressional Research Service Report On Tax Cuts For Wealthy Suppressed By GOP (UPDATE)

Congressional Research Service Report On Tax Cuts For Wealthy Suppressed By GOP (UPDATE)

FactCheck.org : Romney Distorts Facts on Jeep, Auto Bailout

FactCheck.org : Romney Distorts Facts on Jeep, Auto Bailout

Yes, Romney's a Liar, But This Is Getting Ridiculous | Common Dreams

Yes, Romney's a Liar, But This Is Getting Ridiculous | Common Dreams

Romney Campaign Blames Obama For Closed BBQ Restaurant With Repeated Health Violations

Romney Campaign Blames Obama For Closed BBQ Restaurant With Repeated Health Violations: pA new ad by the Romney campaign, titled “Bill’s BBQ,” highlights a small chain of barbecue restaurants in Richmond, Virginia, which closed in September. The ad suggests that the closure of the 82-year-old company went out of business because President Obama has not improved the economy. But a ThinkProgress review of news reports and public [...]/p

National Security Brief: No 'Smoking Gun' Found In GOP-Alleged Libya 'Cover Up' | ThinkProgress

National Security Brief: No 'Smoking Gun' Found In GOP-Alleged Libya 'Cover Up' | ThinkProgress

How to help after the superstorm - CNN.com

How to help after the superstorm - CNN.com

UFO sightings in Myrtle Beach area go back to 1930s - UPI.com

UFO sightings in Myrtle Beach area go back to 1930s - UPI.com

The above link is being posted to offer something light during this very serious period of news from the tragic Superstorm Sandy and the campaigns of President Barrack Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney in what is expected to be an historic 2012 election on Tuesday, Nov. 6. -- Toney Atkins

Romney Doubles Down On Auto Industry Myth: Radio Ad Claims Chrysler Is Moving Jeep Production To China | ThinkProgress

Romney Doubles Down On Auto Industry Myth: Radio Ad Claims Chrysler Is Moving Jeep Production To China | ThinkProgress

Conservatives Bash Christie For Cooperating With Obama Post-Sandy

Conservatives Bash Christie For Cooperating With Obama Post-Sandy: pAs New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) joined President Obama today to survey the devastated shores of the New Jersey coastline, conservative commentators launched into political attacks, calling him “fat and a fool,” and claiming that the tour of the damage was a shared campaign event. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who normally reserves his [...]/p

GOP Candidate Opposes Abortion Exception In Cases Of ‘The Rape Thing’

GOP Candidate Opposes Abortion Exception In Cases Of ‘The Rape Thing’: pJohn Koster, a Republican running for Congress in Washington, became the latest candidate to opine on abortion exceptions in cases of rape and incest over the weekend at a fundraiser with Rep. Tom Price (R-GA). Koster said he would support abortion only if the woman’s life was in danger, but would not extend the same [...]/p

Romney Campaign Staged Donations At Storm Relief Event

Romney Campaign Staged Donations At Storm Relief Event: pAs the East Coast and parts of Ohio struggled to regroup in the devastating wake of “Superstorm” Sandy, the Romney campaign hastily transformed a scheduled victory rally in Dayton, Ohio into a non-political “storm relief event” on Tuesday. According to BuzzFeed, the campaign encouraged supporters to bring hurricane relief supplies and “deliver the bags of [...]/p

Anti-Gay Preacher Blames Hurricane Sandy On Homosexuality And Marriage Equality

Anti-Gay Preacher Blames Hurricane Sandy On Homosexuality And Marriage Equality: pA Christian religious leader has already claimed that Hurricane Sandy is further proof that “God is systematically destroying America” as political judgment for the “homosexual agenda.” John McTernan previously made similar allusions about Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Isaac (2012), which he reiterated in his urgent call to prayer posted Sunday evening (via Gay Star News): Just [...]/p

EXCLUSIVE: Romney Campaign Training Poll Watchers To Mislead Voters In Wisconsin

EXCLUSIVE: Romney Campaign Training Poll Watchers To Mislead Voters In Wisconsin: pMitt Romney’s campaign has been training poll watchers in Wisconsin with highly misleading — and sometimes downright false — information about voters’ rights. Documents from a recent Romney poll watcher training obtained by ThinkProgress contain several misleading or untrue claims about the rights of Wisconsin voters. A source passed along the following packet of documents, [...]/p

HOW TO HELP VICTIMS OF SUPERSTORM SANDY

BY TONEY ATKINS

As we watched the live television coverage of the terrifying and historic Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29-30, and particularly observing the horrifying pictures of the aftermath in the Northeast and even into the South, with unseasonable snow and winds there, it was hard to imagine what it must have been like to go through the destructive event.

While living in Florida in the early-and-mid-2000s, I experienced several hurricanes during one season, each with its own frightening and devastating character, but none with the utter power of Superstorm Sandy, which has impacted more than a third of the eastern United States. We're still getting some out the outermost winds of the storm in northwest Georgia as I write this on the evening of Oct. 30.

There were power outages, flooded areas, damaged homes and businesses and even injuries and deaths in the storms I went through. There were the inconveniences of gas stations without electricity to pump fuel into cars; inoperable ATMs, again because of power outages, closed restaurants because foods lost refrigeration, downed trees across power lines, streets and even into homes and onto vehicles. Water in some areas was polluted undrinkable; cell phone service was sporadic. I could go on and on.

Those of us who are not there can only guess how the victims of Superstorm Sandy are feeling, what they have lost and what kind of stress they are enduring because they feel helpless, not knowing what the future holds.

Power companies from around the nation are en route to the scenes of destruction. Others are heading the same direction to help with reconstruction, medical needs and aiding the newly homeless or displaced fellow Americans.

Everyone can help in the recovery effort by making donations to the American Red Cross, the only charity my late father, World War II veteran Charlie J. Atkins, supported because of his experience with the organization during the war.

Anyone wanting to help can go to the web site, http://www.redcross.org/support/donating-fundraising/donations for information and even to make donations without leaving home.

None of us know when our lives will be impacted by Mother Nature's often unpredictable tragedies and when we might help, so it pays to pay it forward. Those who need us now will be grateful.

First Thoughts: Government's high-wire act - First Read

First Thoughts: Government's high-wire act - First Read

MSNBC's "First Thoughts" about political situation in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Click link above. -- Toney Atkins

Q&A: Riding Out the Storm Safely

Q&A: Riding Out the Storm Safely


CLICK LINK ABOVE FOR NEWS TO USE FROM WEBMD THAT CAN BE VERY HELPFUL IN THE AFTERMATH OF SANDY OR OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. -- TONEY ATKINS

Bush’s FEMA Director During Katrina Criticizes Obama For Responding To Sandy Too Quickly

Bush’s FEMA Director During Katrina Criticizes Obama For Responding To Sandy Too Quickly: pFormer FEMA Director Michael Brown offered criticism of President Obama’s early responses to Hurricane Sandy yesterday, including a dig at the administration’s response to last month’s attack in Libya. Yesterday, ahead of the storm’s pummeling of the eastern seaboard, Brown gave an interview to the local alternative paper, the Denver Westword, on how he believed [...]/p

How Romney And Ryan Would Severely Impair Disaster Relief Efforts

How Romney And Ryan Would Severely Impair Disaster Relief Efforts: pThe federal government’s ability to respond to natural disasters, like Hurricane Sandy currently bearing down on the East Coast, would be significantly hindered under a Romney-Ryan administration. At least three times, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have publicly demanded that the federal government only disburse disaster relief funding if Congress agreed to offsetting budget cuts [...]/p

Gingrich Defends Mourdock’s Rape Comments, Advising Women To ‘Get Over It’

Gingrich Defends Mourdock’s Rape Comments, Advising Women To ‘Get Over It’: pJust days after several key Republicans sought to distance themselves from Indiana senate candidate Richard Mourdock in the wake of his misogynistic comments on rape, top-level Romney surrogate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich tried a different approach, taking the time to defend Mourdock’s comment that a forced pregnancy resulting from a rape [...]/p

Condi Rice Pours Cold Water On ‘Benghazi-Gate’

Condi Rice Pours Cold Water On ‘Benghazi-Gate’: pFormer Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice broke with the majority of her party last night on Fox News, as she tried to hit the brakes on the right wing’s politicization of the recent attack in Libya. Host Greta Van Susteren asked Rice directly and repeatedly about a set of emails uncovered by Reuters. In what [...]/p

Did Climate Change Help Create ‘Frankenstorm’?

Did Climate Change Help Create ‘Frankenstorm’?: pAs the East Coast braces for a possible direct hit from Hurricane Sandy, meteorologists are closely watching the storm’s “freak” formation. They’re calling it “unprecedented and bizarre,” a “perfect storm,” and a “frankenstorm” that could cause historic storm surges, last for multiple days, and cause over a billion dollars in damage. After hitting Jamaica and [...]/p

COMING SOON: DOOMSDAY???

     Dec. 21, 2012, in reasonable theory, should be a date that we are still recovering from a definitely harrowing and historic election and preparing for a merry Christmas and a happier new year.
     However, the ancient Mayans had different visions of how we might be observing the holiday season: Doomsday or, as some believe, a day of massive spiritual awakening and renewal.
     A major problem for many people will what kind of party to plan for which scenario on the night before. (If the Republicans win the election, a prediction of apocalypse seems more favorable, with special effects courtesy of God.)
     In any event, NBCNews.com has a nonpartisan story about the prediction of earthly catastrophe at the following link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49494036/ns/technology_and_science-science/#__utma=14933801.1384125391.1350886070.1350886070.1350886070.1&__utmb=14933801.4.10.1350886070&__utmc=14933801&__utmx=-&__utmz=14933801.1350886070.1.1.utmcsr=msnbc.msn.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/id/3032128/ns/weather&__utmv=14933801.|8=Earned By=msnbc|=1^12=Landing Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing Hostname=www.nbcnews.com=1^30=Visit Type to Content=Internal to Mixed=1&__utmk=112949252&__utma=14933801.1384125391.1350886070.1350886070.1350886070.1&__utmb=14933801.4.10.1350886070&__utmc=14933801&__utmx=-&__utmz=14933801.1350886070.1.1.utmcsr=msnbc.msn.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/id/3032128/ns/weather&__utmv=14933801.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc%7C=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.nbcnews.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Internal%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=112949252

Pray for more love and peace, now and post-Dec. 21. -- Toney Atkins

Rubio Develops ‘Romnesia’ While Trying To Explain Romney’s Position On Contraception

Rubio Develops ‘Romnesia’ While Trying To Explain Romney’s Position On Contraception: pLast week, President Obama joked that some Romney surrogates are suffering from “Romnesia” — an ability to forget the candidate’s old positions on major campaign issues, in favor of his new positions. On Sunday, during an appearance on Meet The Press, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) was presenting severe symptoms of that condition, spending a good [...]/p

Ohio Secretary of State Says Restoring Early Voting Is ‘Un-American’

Ohio Secretary of State Says Restoring Early Voting Is ‘Un-American’: pDuring his keynote speech at an election law symposium at University of Toledo on Friday, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) claimed two recent court decisions restoring early voting on the last three days before the election was “un-American.” Husted has sought to restrict early voting, even openly defying a court order to lift [...]/p

At Last Night’s Debate: Romney Told 31 Myths In 41 Minutes

At Last Night’s Debate: Romney Told 31 Myths In 41 Minutes: pDuring the first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado Romney managed to tell 27 myths in his 38 minutes of speaking time. But at his second encounter with Obama in New York, the GOP presidential candidate — who has run a post-truth campaign from day one — outdid himself and crammed 31 myths in 41 minutes: [...]/p

How The Model Tax Plan Romney Cited Could Raise One Middle-Class Woman’s Taxes By $6,000

How The Model Tax Plan Romney Cited Could Raise One Middle-Class Woman’s Taxes By $6,000: pOur guest blogger is Seth Hanlon, Director of Fiscal Reform at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Throughout the campaign, Mitt Romney has refused to give details when asked how he plans to pay for his nearly $4.8 trillion in tax cuts. In Tuesday night’s debate, audience member Mary Follano asked Romney how his [...]/p

Obama Diagnoses Romney: He’s Suffering From ‘Romnesia’

Obama Diagnoses Romney: He’s Suffering From ‘Romnesia’: pPresident Obama unveiled a new line of attack against Mitt Romney during a campaign stop at George Mason University Friday, arguing that the GOP presidential candidate — who has changed his views on key policy issues — suffers from Romnesia, a condition that causes one to forget their past statements and beliefs. “[H]e’s changing up [...]/p

Number Of Gun Dealers Increased By 3000 Under Obama

Number Of Gun Dealers Increased By 3000 Under Obama: pThe moment President Obama took office, the NRA’s primary product became paranoid theories about how Obama plans to seize gun owners’ guns. Even after Obama served as president for nearly three full years without signing a single new gun regulation — his primary contribution to gun law is a minor bill allowing gun owners to [...]/p

WAITING FOR ARMAGEDDON: TONEY’s JOURNAL, Oct. 16, 2012

By TONEY ATKINS --- www.toneyatkins.com/

The world seems to be falling apart around us. Everyone seems to be pointing fingers of blame at everyone else for the natural chaos that has grown in intensity in weather tragedies (tornadoes, floods, drought) in our own country, along with what seems to be a hike in earthquakes, volcanic activity, tsunamis and  other unexpected phenomena since just before the dawn of the 21st century. Much of this has come about in just the past few years.

People seem to be more on edge about everything, especially here in the United States. Hate, frustration and mistrust have multiplied in what seems to be an increasingly frightening world. We take advantage of, use and abuse, our friends, acquaintances, our neighbors and, even worse, our families. The whole nation needs to swallow a Xanax or some other kind of chill pill before we continue this embarkation to hurt, destroy or kill our fellow human beings.

Maybe folks should start listening to God instead of simply professing to know Him.

I will return to those thoughts in more detail as I proceed with what is the first page of a journal that I have decided to keep for the future to reflect back on the past and compare it to the then-present, especially considering the ominous predictions for a potentially devastating end-of-the-world future scenario.  This thought hinges particularly if he prophecy should come true than some kind of Armageddon or the earth-changing event arrives on Dec. 21, 2012, as the ancient Mayans believed when they created a calendar which strangely ends on that date, with an emphasis that leads many to believe that something very dramatic and potentially unpleasant may occur, even though there are no clues to the times or the places.

All one has to do is watch how people have changed since 1999 yielded to the year 2000. Yes, there was even a bizarre atmosphere surrounding the earth as partygoers danced to Prince’s “party like it’s 1999 blasted from stereo speakers in nightclubs either before or after the new year came in. There had been fears that a strange Y2K computer bug would be unleashed as each time zone reached the midnight hour that New Year’s Eve – fears that everything controlled by computers would shut down, leaving us virtually powerless in a world in which more and more of our lives were becoming dictated by the Internet and all of the things that were in some way connected to and dependent on the Internet.

Nothing dramatic happened. The world continued to turn on January 1, 2000. We still had electricity; we could get our money from ATM machines and pump gasoline into our cars. We could watch New Year’s festivities on TV, cook refrigerated foods on our stoves. We could spend hours on our computers, powered by cable TV companies or even new Wi-Fi operations. We could dance the night away, not concerned about whether all of our luxuries and creations would be there tomorrow.

Life and its trials and tribulations, joys and sorrows and its parties went on. All was relatively good in the world as 2000 rolled in. We thought.

********************

I have personal news to report on this Oct. 16, twelve years later. A small growth on my head had increased from the size of a small mole earlier in the past year to a larger, irritating and sometimes painful “something” that seemed to be burrowing into my head, with a couple of scaly mini-towers forming on top.

It became a matter of concern, especially when nurse practitioners assured that it “looked like a mole.” I was afraid to mess with it because warfarin, a blood thinner, had been prescribed after I took a tumble onto a gravel sidewalk when my vision failed to convey to my brain that there was an extra step on the doorsteps and I crashed to the ground. A week later, I was in the emergency room, where doctors determined that I had at least one blood clot and that I would need the medication to thin my blood and fight clots for an unspecified length of time. I was told that I should be careful in shaving and in using cutting instruments, because even a small cut could cause me to bleed out. Therefore, I refrained from trying to scratch or pull of the offending thing growing on my head.

I finally got a doctor to look at the protrusion, and he immediately did a biopsy.The parts he cut out disturbed him, and he sent the piece to a lab somewhere to be analyzed. A week or so later, I was called and told to see a surgical specialist. The caller would only tell me that cancerous cells had shown up in the biopsy.

Needless to say, a certain amount of stress kicked in, although I never let fear take control. How could a small knot, that was starting to break off in small pieces but never coming loose be potentially dangerous? The “c” word had me a little bit worried, but I rested my hope in that it might be benign, that it could be removed and that it hopefully would not spread.

Being without transportation, I made arrangements with some fine neighbors who went with me to consult with the specialist. As I had anticipated, he said surgery was necessary to cut a larger area than he first thought. He said any treatment necessary in the aftermath would have to be determined after the operation, which he considered to be too serious to conduct in his office.

I was put to sleep with the same kind of anesthesia that allegedly killed singer Michael Jackson because of his abuse of it, the surgery was conducted efficiently by a fine doctor and his staff, I returned to the land of the wide awake and was taken home by my caring neighbors to heal, with stitches protruding from the new spot on my already balding head.

I finally had the stitches removed this past week. The surgeon was friendly, courteous and everything that a doctor should be when he honestly revealed to me that the surgery was essentially unnecessary. While the initial biopsy had revealed some cancer cells, he said, no cancer cells, benign or otherwise, were found in testing of the larger area of scalp that he had cut into.

A couple of months of concern and some anxiety, even a bit of pain at the spot – any worry was for naught, but I didn’t know that until a good doctor removed the intruder and deemed it to be harmless. You could have fooled me. I was delighted, thanked God, felt and still feel very blessed.

The only words that disturbed me were “unnecessary surgery.” I don’t regret it. So far, I haven’t felt any unusual impacts. Hallelujah! It’s one less major thing to worry about.