Facts about Barack Obama

As most of you know, I am a proud member of Jews for Obama http://www.jewsforobama.com which in my Orthodox neighborhood does not always seem to be popular. Yesterday, someone actually ripped my Jews for Obama bumper sticker off my car. I live in a cul-de-sac...hard to believe one of my neighbors felt so strongly. (For the record, I have since ordered a bigger and better one).
Anyway, as this election gets closer to ending, at least the nominating process, I am gearing up for the big fight still to come. With that in mind, and as a member of Obama's rapid response team, I want to remind all my friends out there about the folly of listening to false claims. We may not all support Obama, but if you don't, let it be on the facts, not the lies. Below is a statement created (not by me, but by our Jews for Obama team) to help parse the truth from the rumors:
As we know, the Internet has become a powerful tool for obtaining information. Unfortunately, it has also become a tool for spreading misinformation and hate. Often this misinformation comes to us from trusted friends, family and colleagues who've fallen victim to the well-worded and convincing prose. When we receive something like this from someone we trust, sometimes we don't take the time and effort to ensure its validity and accuracy. All too quick to react to our greatest fears, we accept at face value, things that really deserve to be viewed with skepticism.

Everyone needs to come to their own opinion as to who will make the best President of the United States. The intent here is not to endorse Senator Obama, but to ensure that the decision to support him or not, is not made based on malicious lies and outright falsehoods. As victims of this type of campaign ourselves, those of us in the Jewish community have a duty to debunk and destroy these smear pieces, and not fall into their trap, regardless of who they're waged against and whether or not we agree with their politics.

In an unprecedented move, Nine Jewish organizational leaders signed on to a letter that spoke out against rumors about Barack Obama. The signatories were the top executives of the United Jewish Communities, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America , the American Jewish Committee, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Congress, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. From that letter, "These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates."

They were joined by seven Jewish United States Senators who wrote a letter of their own. "Over the past several weeks, many in the Jewish community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo about Senator Barack Obama's religion and attack him personally. As Jewish United States Senators who have not endorsed a candidate for the Democratic nomination, we condemn these scurrilous attacks. We find it particularly abhorrent that these attacks are apparently being sent specifically to the Jewish Community. Jews, who have historically been the target of such attacks, should be the first to reject these tactics."

For the full text and names of signatories to both letters, see here: http://www.pjvoice.com/v32/32101obama.aspx

Please also see, "Behind the letter on Obama: Why the Jews entered the fray" on the website of the JTA, http://jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/article/20080122obamaletter20080118.html

Barack Obama is PRO-Israel. From his website: Barack Obama strongly supports the U.S.-Israel relationship, a mutually beneficial bond strengthened by common values, histories, and dedication to democracy. Obama believes that our first and incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be to the security of Israel, America’s strongest ally in the Middle East. "Our job is to renew the United States' efforts to help Israel achieve peace with its neighbors while remaining vigilant against those who do not share this vision. . . That effort begins with a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel: our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy. That will always be my starting point."

For Senator Obama's position on Israel and his plans for helping Israel attain peace inside her borders, see here: http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/IsraelFactSheet.pdf

From an article published in the Jewish Journal, Mel Levine, a former Member of Congress from California and a former member of the board of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee writes: "As a state legislator, a Congressman, and a private citizen, I have been politically active in Jewish causes, including pro-Israel causes, for over forty years, and have observed many presidential candidates. But Barack Obama is the first to so thoroughly capture the imagination of Jewish Americans. . . Obama's vision of unity makes him a natural ally to the Jewish community. Likewise, he has been a strong ally to Israel. . . In his speeches and public statements, his legislation and his voting record, he has proven himself to be a stalwart friend of Israel, committed to helping Israel in its search for peace with its neighbors, while standing strong with Israel against those who do not share this vision."

Read the entire article here: http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=18832

You can also read the complete text of his March 2007 speech to AIPAC, at this link: http://obama.senate.gov/speech/070302-aipac_policy_fo/

Barack Obama rebuffs George Soros, the billionaire Democratic contributor who called for the U.S. to pressure Israel to negotiate with Hamas, even without recognition of Israel's right to exist. From an article published in the New York Sun, "Yesterday, Mr. Obama's presidential campaign issued a dissent from the Hungarian-born billionaire's assessment. "Mr. Soros is entitled to his opinions," a campaign spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said. "But on this issue he and Senator Obama disagree. The U.S. and our allies are right to insist that Hamas - a terrorist organization dedicated to Israel's destruction - meet very basic conditions before being treated as a legitimate actor."

. . .Rep. Robert Wexler, a Democrat of Florida who sent out an e-mail to Jewish supporters in his home state last week vouching for Mr. Obama's pro-Israel bona fides, said he too rejected Mr. Soros's comments. "Senator Obama says until the Palestinian government fulfills all three of the quartet requirements, the United States should not and would not recognize the Palestinian government. Senator Obama is clear, Mr. Soros appears to have a different position," Mr. Wexler said.

See the full article here: http://www.nysun.com/article/50846

Barack Obama decries anti-Semitism. In an speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church on the eve of Martin Luther King Day, Barack Obama excoriated anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry. "We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. . . Every day, our politics fuels and exploits this kind of division across all races and regions; across gender and party. . . So let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds. . ." The full text can be read here: http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/01/barack_obamas_s.html

Barack Obama denounced Louis Farrakhan, contrary to the opinions of the minister of his church. "I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan," Obama said in the statement. "I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree." http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/01/15/obama_decries_farrakhan_statem_1.html?hpid=topnews

Barack Obama is a Christian, NOT a Muslim. There's not really a need to expound on this, other than to direct those still not convinced to the Urban Legends Reference Pages, which roundly debunks this myth. http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

Thank you for helping spread the truth.

An Open Letter to Superdelegates

Dear Superdelegate,
I am a 30 year old, married, mother of one. I am a Modern Orthodox Jew and a STRONG believer in Barack Obama. Although I am now a PhD student and a working member of the middle class, it was not always so. I grew up in the poor inner city outside of Boston. In my childhood world, children and adults alike didn't beleive that there was anyone to help people like "us". No one cared that we couldn't go to the doctor or dentist, no one was interested when we couldn't pay rent or untilities, no one noticed that each day we fell further and further behind. I grew up, I found a way, through education, to get out, to make a new life. Unfortunately, not all of my family and friends were able to do the same. There are millions of people in this country,like those in the communit where I grew up, with no hope, millions of children who don't think anyone cares, can or will make a difference in their lives. Barack Obama can and will change all of that. As I have visited old friends, talked with my family, my brother who is a single dad and still can't afford health and dental insurance, I have heard them begin to hope, begin to believe that there really may be someone who cares and who can change their lives. That person is Barack Obama. The people in state after state are speaking out for Barack. My college aged sister has been engaged into canvassing her campus to ensure that students vote. I have begun to believe too, believe that when Barack is elected, fewer children will grow up like I did, fewer families will sleep with no heat or electricty, and more children will have hope and believe in our country and their own futures. Please listen to the people, use your vote to support the candidate that the people want and that we all need...Barack Obama.

Fired Up...Ready to Go!!!

Although many of you know where my political allegiances lay, I do not generally push anyone else to believe as I do. But at this moment in time I think it is incredibly important to *speak up*. Barack Obama is not just a man with a dream, or the candidate of hope, he is the best chance this country has seen in a long time. He represents the views of those of us breathing idealism. He has engaged and motivated a whole new generation without which democracy will not continue. Please, if you have not considered him, do and if you have and have not decided on him, reconsider.
Here is a link (http://www.barackobama.com/index.php#) to the video of Barack that you may have seen on CNN last night. It was not made by his campaign, but by supporters, or as I call them *believers*.
Please take this moment to help change history, to elect the person who will lead with dignity and justice and put the *United* back into the United States.

My Education Policy Rant

No child left untested, as I fondly call it is the subject of today's rant. Someone very close to me sent me a message about an issue with her daughter. Her daughter is 5 and is currently in kindergarten in a public school. The school is telling her that her child should go back to Pre-K because she is not reading yet. For those of you who know me, you know, this make me FURIOUS. Anyone with any background in education knows that this is ludicrous! First of all, developmentally, five year olds should not be pushed to read...most kids pick it up around 6ish and the average kid reads smoothly at 7! That is a year and a half from the little girl mentioned above.
The problem, as I see it, is that NCLB (NO Child Left Behind- the current education policy) is requiring so much testing that even kindergartners are being tested. As I have mentioned before, in looking for schools for D, I visited the local elementary school. They told me that they test their kindergartners three times a year for reading! This is ridiculous. The first grade curriculum has been moved into kindergarten. So much is being pushed at our children that the preparatory nature of kindergarten is being lost. Another friend, who is a teacher in a local public elementary school bemoans the way the new testing has changed the curriculum. She has been teaching for many years and says that kindergartner's creativity is being dismissed. School is all about reading (and for those in half day kindergarten, there is time for nothing else). She talks about how she has to close her door so they can practice plays and have free play...the things that kindergartners *should* be doing. Kindergarten was meant to help children adjust to the structure and discipline of a classroom, sitting in a desk, lining up, etc.
Now, someone has the nerve to say this little girls is "immature and not ready for kindergarten" because she is not reading? I know this child pretty well and have seen her interact, she does her "homework" without problems and clearly knows the basic academic things. This push to push our children, beyond their developmentally appropriate capabilities is going to land us with another generation of children who hate school and feel like failures.
For all these reasons, D is likely to go to private school. We had our meeting with the private school on Tuesday and it went really well. After telling them our life story (ugh)it seems that they are very likely to give us some kind of financial aid which will make it easier for us. So, as I eat my big bucket of crow that my child will go to public school, I really resent the current policy. I resent that I have to make this choice. Still, at the end of the day when it comes to my child- I will always make the choice that is best for him, regardless of how much I want to support and believe in public schools. Instead, I will continue to work and fight to make our public schools a better place for all children, mine and yours included.

Mi famiglia di Italiano

This is mi famiglia di Italiano (my Italian family). In the picture, from left to right is E, D, Salvatore (my Italian father), Nunzia (my Italian sister), Maria (my Italian mother) and me! These are the most amazing people you will ever meet. They are so kind and gracious. In the deep poverty that is Napoli, they work hard to make an honest living. They brought us into their home, made us an amazing Italian meal, and shared the best Italian desserts on the planet. I am trying to convince them to let Nunzia come to America for a year and study here- she graduates this year. I just hope it is not another three years before we see them again. I have suggested to E that rather than us take another vacation, we purchase tickets for them to come here.
As for the rest of life...E has a terrible cold and an eye infection... D is fighting a cold and I am *still* having issues with my eye...ugh! We are also still working on falling into a regular schedule although now I have added going to the gym to my regular schedule. Still not working on comps...bad! bad! bad! I am getting close though :)
We are also still awaiting word on E's job. As some of you know he applied for a new position and it appeared that they offered it to him last week. I say appeared because now that he called them to accept it, he hasn't heard anything back. He called yesterday and they said okay, we will get back to you and then nothing today. IF this job falls through, it will not be good...he has already made the mental break from his current job. We have already (after they said "we want to offer you the position") begun to figure out how our new schedules would work. More than anything, E is not the type of person who goes into change easily and this has been a long journey for him. For him to be knocked down now would be devastating. It is SO stressful!
In addition, today we have meetings at the Jewish Day School (JDS) where we are considering sending D. It is such a hard decision- the public school here is great, but still subject to NCLB. We went to visit and saw that the student to teacher ratio is about 20-1 where at JDS it is about 6-1. Not to mention they told us at the public school that they test kindergartners two to three times a year in reading...in kindergarten! I do think JDS is the best place for D...he is creative, independent and not a conformist...the issue is the $$$$$$$$$. It is $17,000 a year! ouch! We are applying for financial aid, which is one of the meetings today. Wish us well
I will post an update on both situations soon.

Warning: Don't mix politics and love!

So today ends the first day of my first week working full time in the last 5 years. I am so exhausted :) It has been good...E has survived morning parenting alone, D has survived late stay (only two days) and our house is still in shape since C has been home! Still, I need a bedtime!

Last night I went to see the Moisyev Ballet...check it out http://www.moiseyev.ru/ (be sure to click on English in the top right corner- unless you read Russian :)) It was AMAZING!...not like your typical ballet...no Swan Lake here...it was colorful and beautiful. When they come through again I am gonna take my sister and maybe even D....

Since I am still avoiding completing my comps (I know, I know...get to it)- I have been obsessed with the elections. As most of you know I am supporting Barack Obama. Although his charisma and eloquent speech are inspiring, I also believe his message is vital to us right now. I wish he was a little more liberal about gay marriage and am not completely convinced that his healthcare program will be sufficient. Still, his ability to work together with people will be a fresh change for the White House- someone who doesn't claim to know everything, but is willing to work with others, even those who subscribe to other political philosophies. Anyway, anyone interested in discussing the issues or wanting more information about him, let me know.

I will state as an aside that I am likely to support whichever Democrat gets the nomination since I think all three would be good presidents and I am a bleeding heart :) .....Unlike my husband.

So my big issue of the week...can your significant other, the one pledged to spend the rest of his/her life with you, your soulmate, the one who you know was made just for you...the other half of you...hold diverging political views? As a tree hugging lefty, I believe that I should be tolerant of everyone's views...and generally I am. One of my closest friends (RH) is a lifelong Republican and I really respect her views...it does not affect our friendship, if anything it helps both of us from becoming too narrow minded. Anyway, since we moved we had to update our voter registration and my soulmate decided to change his lifelong affiliation with the Democrat party and instead register as an *independent*. Now, rationally I get this isn't the end of the world- but coupled with the fact that he has been moving to the more socially conservative side for the last 3-5 years, I am upset.

My politics are not just a hobby- they are an extension of my life mission...I believe that I have a duty to leave the world a better place than I found it...My goal it to help those that need it, to speak for those without a voice, and more than anything...to fight for equality...equality for everyone, regardless of race, sexual orientation, age, ability level, zip code, body shape, etc. I work in politics because I believe it is the pathway for creating such change (coincidentally, also the reason I support Barack). For my man, the one who is supposed to*get me* to move away from these views (that he held 11 years ago when we got together) is distressing to me. He makes comments about how many poor people (specifically his clients) think they are *entitled* to services...that it (poverty, drugs, child abuse) is a cycle and that they(poor people/his clients) have to do something to help themselves. For me, this completely disregards the institutional and structural deficits that help to cause and perpetuate inequality.

A recent event is a perfect and necessary example....someone very close to me has some MAJOR dental issues going on. This person has serious infections throughout *their* (I know not grammatically correct, but not identifying gender) mouth...they had two major abscesses removed last week, have at least 8 more abscesses still present and are likely to have ALL of their teeth pulled and then get false teeth. So I took this person to a specialist (a prostodontist) in a relatively wealthy area near where I live on the recommendation of my family dentist. It was the worse visit ever...the prostodontist took one look at this person and asked "do you even own a toothbrush?" The doctor continued to insult and humiliate the individual through the entire appointment. I believe he took one look at this individual, read that this person doesn't have insurance and assumed this person could not afford his ridiculously high fees. More importantly, he immediately assumed that this person's dental problems were caused due to "laziness, unhygenic behavior and drug use (yes he asked)". He didn't ask this person about his life, didn't sympathize for the incredible amount of pain the individual is in, didn't acknowledge that this grown adult was already incredibly humiliated by the situation. For me, this was a class issue...to judge this individual based on the individual's appearance and to treat him poorly...that is what is wrong with the world. Had he asked, he would have found out that this individual has lived indepenently since about age 15, served in the U.S. military (not overseas, but still), has worked (physical labor with no benefits) everyday of the individual's life and is a a single parent to a child and has been since the child was 2 years old, now 9. The individual has NOT had health or dental insurance, does not get paid for days off, does not have the resources, time or money to take care of the dental problem. Then, as the problem got worse, it quickly went down hill and the embarrassment factor came into play. I do not exonerate this person from all responsibility- but to judge the individual without any of the facts and treat the individual poorly (regardless of who the individual is) is the problem today.
Back to the point...I need the closest person in my life, my partner to support my battles. It helps if they are battles we fight together...especially since that was my experience for the first 5-7 years of our relationship...still, as a close friend reminded me, we all grow and change. I know that- but my beliefs are the essence of my being...just as I would never have married a racist or a bigot, or even simpler, someone who didn't want children, as that would belie fundamental differences that I do not believe are compromise-able, especially in raising children, I am having a pretty tough time reconciling his changing heart.
P.S. In trying to explain to him how I feel, I asked how he would feel if I became a die hard Yankees lover...he says he would be okay with that...right!

...And Real Life Begins

So today is my first day in my new full time position (and here I am blogging :))

I am still in the same office but have been promoted to a full time position. This works perfectly since I am now finished coursework! Still, I am a bit worried about how to finish all the disseration writing that I have been taking a break from the last few weeks.

Italy was okay..D got sick the first day, nothing like having your kid throwing up in a foreign country for 24 hours to freak you out! E got a head cold and I, get this, have a "corneal ulcer"- sounds scarier than it is..will be fine, but drops and paste in my eye (Ewww!) for a week or so. Still, it was awesome to visit with friends, visit our Italian family, eat amazing olives, drink limoncello (if you haven't had it, come on over, we brought some home), and bask in the glorious Napoli atmosphere (feels like home)!

We finally have the new house all set up, above is the picture I have been promising to put up (Soon, I will put up more inside ones now that it is set up). We really love it and feel so lucky and blessed to finally be in our "forever house". We are also eternally grateful for the amazing community we live in and thier supportive and loving nature.

Miji turned one Saturday and C is 20 today! It is so amazing, I feel like just yesterday I was braiding her hair and putting her in dresses, now she straightens my hair and makes fun of my dressing! D is doing well, wasn't so great in Italy, but that was probably lack of sleep, lack of healthy eating, and not feeling well. He starts "late stay" at school today even though I only work til 3 (he stays until 4) and decided that sounded "scary"- I know he will be okay, but I do hate having him stay later. Sigh...such is life I guess.

All else goes along well...need to be working on my comps, but having such a nice break :) Also, totally siked about Iowa...can't wait for NH tomorrow..GO Obama!