Ditto your comments. I live in South Carolina. We worked day and night for Obama--to what end? I have given up on South Carolina and will be leaving the state soon after my daughter graduates from high school.
JustAnOldLady
· 1 year ago
You don't have to go too far.......NC has just elected a woman Governor (D), a woman US Senaor (D) and a gay woman State Senator........and may actually be called for Obama (I think right now it is in his favor by .2%)......
tbhull
· 1 year ago
Barney Fife was gay as was Floyd the barber.
Older_Wiser
· 1 year ago
Please! Come over the border to NC, where I live, although the county voted 2-1 for McBush, and we need all the progressives we can get. The older, conservative population is dying off, but too many Rethug banking types are moving here from Charlotte.
It's about the same as the OK described above. Oh, and the local physical therapy center on the hwy not far from me actually had McBush/Palin signs on its property. They'll get no business from me.
truebluecoondog
· 1 year ago
A lot of people in South Carolina are SO PROUD of you guys up the road!!! South Carolina is so close but feels so far - in distance AND in time from Charlotte and Asheville. I've got an Obama bumper sticker on my jeep and I can feel the pick up truck driving eyes burning into the back of my head as I drive to and from work. They vote for whomever their preachers tell them to vote for.
Advice for Okie upthread: Go hang out at libraries and book stores like Barnes & Noble. That's where I see the most progressive bumper stickers around here. And the universities. Says alot, huh?
jillette
· 1 year ago
Unfortunately Borders and Barnes & Noble are few and far between in OK, and libraries are not too hoppin either. I live just south of Durant, OK, a college town, and the only "local" bookstores are Christian bookstores. I moved here from Indiana a few years back for my employment, and my mind is looking for a way to get back home. I thought Indiana was conservative--this area is way beyond.
truebluecoondog
· 1 year ago
Baby steps, Demo. Sometimes people have to see other people - lots of other people - thinking and doing things before they feel comfortable doing the same. Working toward a worthy goal is never a waste of energy. Spartanburg County resident, here.
scottinsf
· 1 year ago
I am so happy for a lot of formerly red states.
I'm actually impressed with my senator Feinstein calling it as it is. I can see the sadness in her face.
jlsdunn
· 1 year ago
I feel your pain. Do I ever feel your pain.
I live in Tennessee.
Worse..........I live in East Tennessee.
Not only did we overwhelmingly vote red here.......the repugs GAINED seats in our state government. I wish someone would explain to me how the hell we can elect a democratic Governor, but have a house be so blood red and vote so solidly McCain/Palin.
We need help here. And I don't mean the mamby pamby Harold Ford kind of help. We need serious serious help if we are to ever be blue again.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
I feel the same way. My family has lived in Oklahoma since WAY before statehood on BOTH sides. I feel exactly the same way. Its hard to celebrate when you see a fantastic candidate like Jim Roth get defeated by despicable haters. He was defeated by a woman named Dana Murphy who had HUGE ethical problems RIGHT BEFORE the election, but Jim was openly gay so he lost.
I'm sickened by what happened in California.
I'm not going to sit idly by and get thrown under the bus after this election. This was a sea change election and there is no excuse for us to be left behind. If anything, the very least the Obama administration can do is integrate the military with gays/lesbians. Every other country does it, and the polls stand behind that kind of action.
The bullshit of placing our LGBT civil rights on ballots has got to stop, as well.
One bright spot? Marilyn Musgrace got her ass kicked by Betsy Markey! One more evil witch from congress GONE!
You are not alone. I live in the Oklahoma part of Central PA, and I echo your sentiments 100%.
soisialach
· 1 year ago
My mother and stepfather live in Woodward, up in NW Oklahoma. Small farming and oil town, very conservative. My mom has kept her "radical" beliefs to herself -- radical in the sense that she's a Democrat. Her own massage therapist, after repeatedly asking her who she'd be voting for, went off on Obama being a muslim and a communist after my mom told her she was a Democrat.
Oklahoma has a proud history of labor organising and radical politics, almost as gloried as Texas, but it's been covered up and whitewashed and written out of history books. Oklahoma and Texas both have a lot of potential, there are a lot of good groups that need support to make sure these red states start turning a little purple....
scottinsf
· 1 year ago
There are a lot of things about Oklahoma history that have been scrubbed from our history books.
Should we talk about Tulsa?
egghead
· 1 year ago
1920's horrible, horrible race riot. Although my daughter, who is 22 and now away at college, says it was taught to her.
Savage8862
· 1 year ago
I too am depressed. Although I celebrate Obama's victory, my friends Roth and Rice did not win their races. Oklahomans re-elected a homophobe Sally Kerns.
As a former community leader involved in a few human rights organizations in Oklahoma City, we had asked national organizations to come in and help us out. They all refused saying Oklahoma is not a "winnable" state. They do help individual candidates but as far as fighting initiatives like our gay marriage amendment that passed by an overwhelming 73 percent - they did not help. Also we have other members of the community who are active but do not want to rock the boat and want to work behind the scenes - which is good but at the same time we also need to work out in the open. Cimarron Alliance Foundation is a good organization, Central Oklahoma Human Rights Alliance (COHRA) is a good organization, as well as a few others. They all need help in getting their message out. It is nice to have outside help but change also happens from within and perhaps if all fair minded Oklahomans get involved - we can make a difference.
justinfeed
· 1 year ago
You're not alone. I'm one of those 34% of Oklahomans who felt isolated and embarrassed as I watched our nation overwhelmingly embrace change while we ran backwards.
Oklahoma has a strong and proud progressive movement, but we are simply overwhelmed by those folks who don't want progress. We need a catalyst, and simply put, there is no one in Oklahoma politics that even comes close.
Yes, that is a good description of what Oklahoma did. We ran backwards for sure.
nanoboy
· 1 year ago
Another Okie. I don't know what can be done. I look out at my state, and I see several things that make it seem impossible for the short-term or the mid-term to turn things around. Here, working people have been successfully bamboozled into thinking that their enemies are immigrants and Muslims and not the companies that outsource their jobs and keep wages pitifully low. The churches, which tend to be the social glue here, focus primarily on the hot-button social issues when it comes to politics. There is a palpable fear of gays here. Hell, there's a fear of intellectuals, something that is maddening.
At this point, there are many Okies who see Oklahoma as part of the South, the Real America as Palin put it, and not the Northeast and West Coast, which are somehow unAmerican. When I left for college at MIT, a man in my church genuinely warned me to be wary of Northerners, as they were not to be trusted. I married one. It's another division here. It's us vs. them.
The Democrats appear to not know what to do. We get some capable candidates from time to time, like Brad Henry and Jeri Askins, but there is no core message from the Democratic Party. It's listless. It's like the 1990's on the federal level, but we've been in it since the 1980's. The thing is that the Republicans have so wrapped Oklahoma in their noose, it appears to be difficult to get out of the conservative ideology.
Two examples of how the noose works are Right-to-Work, which was passed in the 1990's, and the requirement that any tax increase requires a ballot initiative to pass. Unions are weak (and appear too xenophobic to do the right thing and organize illegal immigrants) and we can change our tax laws to make the system for progressive and fair to the poor. The sales taxes in Oklahoma are quite high, as municipalities are forced to use them instead of increasing property taxes or some sort of income tax. These sales taxes are charged to everything, including food. It is grossly unfair to the poor, but they think that it's the Democrats and their liberalism that is the problem.
We need a cavalry to come in, but I have no clue whatsoever what it can do here. Someone needs to have a plan in place to work on changing minds. Yeah, racism is dying here, but we're behind almost everyone else in this arena, and we have to wait for a lot of old people to die before that's no longer one of our bigger problems.
Kansaskitty
· 1 year ago
As a Kansan and a lifetime Dem, I completely sympathize. My ancestors came to KS in 1869 and I'm a Kansan through & through and will not leave here, but it sure is discouraging. Our Congresswoman Boyda, who beat Jim Ryun in 2006, lost her bid for reelection - sad, sad day for Kansas Dems. There were some bright spots here and there, so HOPE springs eternal! I am so very elated over Obama winning though, and I am hopeful that his Presidency will eventually win the respect of the willfully blind Repubs & troglodytes of the midwest. They are pretty much asses, though...
skeptic
· 1 year ago
"We need help" This whole country needs help! It is time that America begins to walk the talk and stop BS'ing how wonderful it is and how democratic we are. This is a myth that needs to be corrected and hopefully Obama election will start to turn things around for all citizens and not only the fat, white, affluent types. Many of whom should be in jail for a complete lack of integrity if nothing else.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
A fantastic Senate candidate, Andrew Rice, was ALSO defeated by the hateful idiot Jim Inhofe. Yes, I think its time for an Oklahoma Project along with a boycott of California to punish them for their hateful ballot iniative. California can ill afford a boycott right now. I've notified all my European gay friends to start boycotting trips to California. Their gay euros will not be spent in California.
skwcw2001
· 1 year ago
it is odd here in okc see when bush won we seemed to buck the trend and progress now obama won and we turned in one night back to the keating years it is odd this state is stuck in time again
AdrianBrowne
· 1 year ago
I've thought about how difficult it would be to return to west Texas after living in NYC.
All I can say to the Reader in Oklahoma is:
You are NOT crazy.
Fireblazes(CheetohsandCatfood)
· 1 year ago
In San Juan county NM, the 4 corners region, Barack Obama lost by 10,000 votes. The issues that killed us were evangelical churches ordering their members to vote for McCain the 2 Sundays before the election. Catholic churches demanded that Pro- Abortion candidates not be voted for the 2 Sundays before the election. Gun owners were totally fooled by the McCain propaganda here. All these issues played also to the very conservative Navajo Tribe. The other thing that hurt was the local oil industry "helped" by telling their employees that if Obama gets elected they would lose their jobs to alternative energy. Seems to have been a threat implied also. All in all it has been a hard fight, the really good news is that Obama won! We won, and even Okies won.
henrythefifth
· 1 year ago
Yeah, OK, you are now more red than UTAH?!?! Dang. I feel for you 34 percenters!
GardenHead
· 1 year ago
As a proud Tulsan I feek yr pain OKC. But do not despair or remain silent! Continue to calmly confront ignorance with the truth, and at the very least you will feel better. Us Okies have always been out of the mainstream. Do not forget that Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land was more about Communism than it was about the Democracy that led to so many Okies being tractored out by the 'cats durring the dust bowl days!
Speakout
· 1 year ago
Here is the first part of Obama's victory speech:
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
We can't fix everything overnight. But all things are possible.
loona_c
· 1 year ago
We need a Texas project too. Disappointed that Cornyn won again. Although Houston (and Dallas and Austin and San Antonio) did pretty well as far as voting for Obama. Houston also voted out most of the republican incumbent local politicians and judges. I guess there's hope?
Goto the 2nd slide and you can see where the counties were located that voted more repub in '08 than in '04. Oklahoma and Arkansas did not like Barrack Obama.
What could possibly explain this? My bets are on racial animus and fundie backwoods baptists, assuming these factors are distinguishable.
Indigo
· 1 year ago
You bet! The Oklahoma reader has a point. It's a problem. Just remember, people have feet, trees have roots. The Eastern Bloc Soviet citizens often voted with their feet and walked away from the commissars. It's possible to walk away. Don't ask permission, just go.
If the writer of the letter could come on board and identify themselves on the list, that would be great.
HereinDC
· 1 year ago
Well......Obama has a 50 State base. You won't be left out Okie.... Barack will be looking out for you.
truebluecoondog
· 1 year ago
REPOST. DOES ANYBODY ELSE FEEL SLIGHTED HERE?
I have been behind Obama since his infamous speech at the Dem Convention. There are so many reasons why I believe we NEED him as our president right now. The fact that he has an African father is just that. A fact. Not a reason to vote for or against him.
However, it really pissed me off how the media, after successfully keeping race out of the race, once Obama was announced as the clear winner, focused on the fact that he is black and only that fact. Cameras showed people of color celebrating and crying tears of joy at black colleges in Atlanta, Chicago and in Harlem. We saw Oprah, Jessie, black congressmen etc. all talking about how amazing it is that we just elected the first African American president. This is historic, yes, but it misses the point entirely.
Seems to me that alot more Barack voters were not black than those that were. And the REASONS for those votes had nothing, nothing, to do with color or descent. WTF?
maxallen
· 1 year ago
Although I no longer live there, I was born in NE OK and lived there until I was 32. I was so proud of my home state in 2002 when Brad Henry defeated that hateful Steve Largent for Governer. I really thought there was some hope back then, and I was so happy.
Now I see that OK was the reddest state in this election. Redder than Wyoming; redder than Utah for cryin' out loud!
My family still lives there, and are probably near suicidal over Obama's victory. Sometimes I don't know how I came out of that family or that state.
smallhandff
· 1 year ago
Election 2008 was a Progressive bummer. Look at the list of AMERICAblog names in the upper right corner of the home page. Eleven names/titles to be supported. How many won? Three. Thats 27% success. The Democratic Party House/Senate gains were no where near the expectations. Obama had very short coat tails.
Stevious
· 1 year ago
I think I know how this reader feels, while the rest of the country is turning blue, Texas voted almost straight red. Cornyn got re-elected as well as Carter, and the state went for McCain, except in the urban counties that include our biggest cities. And throw in the losses on same sex marriage in three more states on top of the heap. Its not such a great day here today.
sconset
· 1 year ago
I have plenty of room at my house in Massachusetts--you'd feel right at home--our politics are quite liberal as we believe in the philosophy of "live and let live"--we are not our neighbors keepers and we have the lowest divorce rate in the country (both gay and straight) and the highest educated people in the country. (Take that!!! Pat Robertson and Dobson). Also, the people here are very nice, polite and more than willing to help a friend in need.! Contact John Aravosis if you're interested--he can find me!
sunnyjim
· 1 year ago
I stayed at a motel in Central Pennsylvania the other night and was very surprised to find that MSNBC was not included in the basic cable package for that area. That meant that folks who lived there could not see Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann's shows. Both of them have been cutting through the McCain/Palin/rightwing bullshit every weeknight for this entire election season with eloquence and great humor. Their shows air consecutively and are then repeated in a four-hour time block whose ratings are now surpassing that of Fox's.
One of the things people in these areas can do - right now in fact before you turn off your computer - is to contact NBC and demand that your area start receiving the MSNBC feed if it currently does not. With these two nightly shows I'm sure you will feel more connected to kindred spirits.
Cheers.
sisterfaith
· 1 year ago
Thanks for this post John. I'm in Georgia....still mostly red.
My daughter just called me because she was so down over all the redneck fundamentalist garbage she has been hearing all day at work. Even trash reports about "riots" in schools.
We've still got a long way to go down here and as long as there is Russ Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Fox News, and the likes of Sarah Palin...it will continue to be an uphill battle.
Peace.
DAB
· 1 year ago
I spent the first half of my life in Oklahoma (Tulsa, then college in Norman). My dad (who voted for Obama) still lives there, as do my brother and sister-in-law (McCain) and niece (too young to read, let alone vote). It makes me sick to see how Republican and conservative Oklahoma has become. (Tulsa has always seemed a somewhat slightly more progressive corner of the state, but even it is very conservative; just read the letters to the editor in the Tulsa World.)
Even more depressing: With this election, the GOP gained control of both chambers of the state legislature for the first time SINCE STATEHOOD. Which means, with the 2010 Census, Oklahoma will be safely Republican for many years to come.
The one, small, saving grace may be found in the fact that Obama didn't lose Oklahoma any worse than Kerry lost it: 66%R - 34%D both elections, according to electoral-vote.com. So perhaps Oklahomans aren't any more racist than they are just anti-progressive? That's the best news I can find for Oklahoma out of this election. Meanwhile, the state has a higher divorce rate, a higher teenage pregnancy rate, and a higher abortion rate than most other states. And they pay their teachers less than almost any other state. No company, other than those looking for the lowest cost possible for labor, will want to move or stay there.
via
· 1 year ago
I'm in Tulsa and campaigned hard for Andrew Rice, our state senator, but we were unable to unseat that loathsome dinosaur Jim Inhofe. I agree, we need an Oklahoma Project.
tlsintx
· 1 year ago
I'm right there with you, Oklahoma.
Texas really makes me sick most of the time. We'll just have to keep at it.
lovepeaceandallthat
· 1 year ago
Although I live in Oregon, I feel what you are saying. It is simply frustrating to know that so many people are so unenlightened. I don't think we expect everyone to agree with "us" (and of course we all don't agree among ourselves). We simply wish for people to be told the facts, and for them to be open-minded enough to think for themselves and stop voting against their best interests.
Also, we all hope for people to grow morally -- that is, become more loving, accepting, giving, truthful etc.... and less fearful, hateful, selfish, simple minded etc. It seems millions of Americans are remain unenlightened in this moral sense. And that is simply scary. Even after this huge win, to know how many remain basically brainwashed is depressing.
Today in my local paper (Salem) there was a young woman who attends a local community college. She said that yesterday afternoon one of her professors asked how many had already voted, or planned to vote. Only a very few raised their hands! Their "reasoning"? "I am not political" and "it won't make any difference". This in the midst of a surge of young people becoming very, very political and in the midst of Obama's call for engagement. Obviously there are large groups of young people who are still utterly clueless.
But, hey, what would Obama do? :-) Organize, set goals, get creative, have a plan, get to work. And he would never let the depression and frustration get a toe-hold on his spirit! May we all aspire to be as enlightened as Obama.
LanceThruster
· 1 year ago
I'm very glad you included this letter here and was quite moved by it. I got so pissed when I heard radio personality Bill Press at a SF Dem party last night say something to the effect of,
"You know which states voted for the McCain ticket? Utah! Wyoming! Kansas! Alabama! Mississippi! Who would want to live there?!? Ha-ha-ha!!"
I was so disgusted as it is the same "real America" bullshit the other side tried to spout, and it seemed pure elitist bigotry as if their regions are somehow deserving of ridicule. I live in So Cal and work in LA and know there are plenty of spots in the places he mentioned that I think are wonderful. Also, though I'm in a so called "enlightened" state, many of my neighbors had "Yes on 8" signs (the anti-gay marriage prop) and McSame/Failin.
I stand with decent Americans/people everywhere regardless of your geographical location. In fact, I honor you for the much more difficult task of standing firm as a minority viewpoint in the midst of such collective ignorance. You have my deepest respect and gratitude. If we are to make progressive change, it will be because of people like you manning the remote outposts.
Be well.
aibi
· 1 year ago
The same goes for Kansas, but in this election, even more so. Obama even has roots in Kansas, but neither Obama nor the DNC's 50-state strategy made any effort to turn Kansas blue - or even pink. Obama only showed up here once during the primary, at El Dorado, which is fairly close to where his mother and grandparents were from, and that was with no advanced notice so that people could even travel to his event.
In 2004, Kerry and Edwards took a train form Missouri to Colorado that passed through Kansas late into the night. At 2 or 3 am, I, along with maybe 40 or 50 others, was at the train station just to watch the train go by. There were so many people at the train station in Lawrence that Edwards returned the next day and had a rally that thousands attended.
Those of us in the Great Plains are almost completely left out of national politics, and I honestly believe that the first Democrat that makes the tiniest effort to make us feel like we are a part of national politics could turn the Great Redneck Sea a deep blue. We mid-westerners (which is not Ohio to us) are not all Republicans by a long shot.
Bill Press can kiss my a**.
LanceThruster
· 1 year ago
Bill Press can kiss my a**.
----
Amen to that!
freshpaint
· 1 year ago
This letter is so unbearably sad. Being from urban Illinois, about the bluest place on the planet right now, have never considered what it's like to feel like a captive stranger in a land you love, but that seems alien to you.
I wouldn't know how to start moving it in a different direction. Perhaps if young people grow up in a successful Obama administration, some of the distrust of democrats will ease. Hope US infatuation with ultra-radical religious movements abates (it does come and go in waves, and always has since nation's founding).
Rather than establishing campaign offices, sounds more like we should establish embassies in the super red states -- with aid, outreach programs, etc. , as though they were different countries.
Hmmm. Is an interesting thought.
LanceThruster
· 1 year ago
Rather than establishing campaign offices, sounds more like we should establish embassies in the super red states -- with aid, outreach programs, etc. , as though they were different countries.
---
That gave me quite the belly laugh. I'm all for a little "foriegn aid" for our own people!
gumbygirl
· 1 year ago
I live in Birmingham and I am a student at UAB (48 year old college senior!) I was talking to a nice kid in one of my classes who was horrified and embarrassed to find out how many racist haters he has as friends on Facebook. He said this stuff never came up before-he just assumed they were reasonable people like him. He was so disillusioned, I felt sorry for him. But I know, and he knows, that there are some good people here too. I am grateful that the mandate that Obama got last night will go a long way towards ending the racial divide in our country.At least we can drown them out now, with our message of hope and change!
interlude
· 1 year ago
i live in Oklahoma and can agree with the letter writer from my state. i live in Norman, which is a liberal island in a rightwing sea. and when i see that we gave a higher percentage of support to McWar than any other state, it is discouraging. i would love to leave, but i have family and friends here. the rest are in arizona, which, outside Phoenix or Tucson, is not much better.
woodka
· 1 year ago
"Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too. ”
-- Barack Obama
anarchy
· 1 year ago
much love to all of y'all Okies from Chicago.
try not to despair: we're all with you in the spirit!
cherish life. love family and teach your children right and wrong. try your best to turn other's hate into something harmless by showing love. culture is changing, we're all going to get there just maybe not in our lifetimes, but the children's and children's children.. all of you guys have the unique and difficult position of leading the pack, albeit in an obtuse way.
y'all aren't crazy but it sure can be a chore to be smart in a dumb world.
in some of our local elections the hateful crooks retained their offices and/or won their elections. but some (hopefully) good people seem to have been elected as well. and so it goes. one part of the government investigates and occasionally prosecutes people in other parts of the government, that's what we've got in Illinois. a state so rife with bad politics that the masses are largely immune to politicians being crooks, liars, and openly self-serving weasels because they think "that's the way it is" so we've got a lot to deal with on a state as well as local level here in IL in terms of doing something other than enriching the politically-connected.
we're different states but we're all one country, really we are. there's good folks and not-so-good folks and folks who think they're right when they're wrong and every which way else you can think of. it's just impossible that EVERYBODY is going to get on board one way of thinking or another at any point so try to approach this as if you'll setting the example for others to observe a rational, thinking person as opposed to a nutjob / bigot / wacko / couch potato or whatever (if they can't or more importantly won't see, it's not worth getting bent out of shape - that's what I'm saying. their mindset will eventually become irrelevant.)
I also say you're doing your state and our country proud and you're a lot more valuable that you're feeling right at the moment.
good people, good people: you can find 'em everywhere.
mikecoatl
· 1 year ago
I feel for you here. Though I now live in Dem-leaning San Antonio, I am originally from Midland, TX (yes, George Bush is from my hometown). It is just about the reddest place in the country - I think there is a Congressional district in Utah that is slightly more red. But it's ok. Because I really believe that Obama's victory was as much a repudiation of the far right as it was an affirmation for real change. The demographics in this country are changing rapidly, and these changes are working overwhelmingly against the Republican Party. For the GOP to have any relevance ever again on a national scale, they will have to return to the pragmatic conservatism of Eisenhower and Ford. I think that, as the old segregationists and red-baiters die off and this becomes a more open country (the mess in CA notwithstanding), the neocon movement will be pushed back into the margins where they belong, and we can begin to truly fulfill America's promise.
jamesnimmo
· 1 year ago
In Oklahoma Coporation Commissioner Roth was defeated thanks to the help of extreme bible-bangers and assorted homo-haters. There is no gay electricity or lesbian truck weight rules; there is no gay agenda for utility rates.
I recommend the story at the link below that tells about the shady dealings of Sally Kern and the Gee-sus Mafia she runs with.
We gay/lesbian people need to stop thinking that if we're nice to our enemies somehow we can calm their fears and we can all learn to "tolerate" one another. It ain't gonna work with these irrational flat-earthers. We must fight back with all the legal weapons at our disposal.
SALLY KERN CONNECTED TO SUPREMICIST GROUPS
COMES THE EXECUTIONER: SALLY KERN’S NEO-FASCIST AND DOMINIONIST LEADERS WANT YOU LIQUIDATED
All Comments
It's about the same as the OK described above. Oh, and the local physical therapy center on the hwy not far from me actually had McBush/Palin signs on its property. They'll get no business from me.
Advice for Okie upthread: Go hang out at libraries and book stores like Barnes & Noble. That's where I see the most progressive bumper stickers around here. And the universities. Says alot, huh?
I'm actually impressed with my senator Feinstein calling it as it is. I can see the sadness in her face.
I live in Tennessee.
Worse..........I live in East Tennessee.
Not only did we overwhelmingly vote red here.......the repugs GAINED seats in our state government. I wish someone would explain to me how the hell we can elect a democratic Governor, but have a house be so blood red and vote so solidly McCain/Palin.
We need help here. And I don't mean the mamby pamby Harold Ford kind of help. We need serious serious help if we are to ever be blue again.
I'm sickened by what happened in California.
I'm not going to sit idly by and get thrown under the bus after this election. This was a sea change election and there is no excuse for us to be left behind. If anything, the very least the Obama administration can do is integrate the military with gays/lesbians. Every other country does it, and the polls stand behind that kind of action.
The bullshit of placing our LGBT civil rights on ballots has got to stop, as well.
One bright spot? Marilyn Musgrace got her ass kicked by Betsy Markey! One more evil witch from congress GONE!
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20081104/...
Oklahoma has a proud history of labor organising and radical politics, almost as gloried as Texas, but it's been covered up and whitewashed and written out of history books. Oklahoma and Texas both have a lot of potential, there are a lot of good groups that need support to make sure these red states start turning a little purple....
Should we talk about Tulsa?
As a former community leader involved in a few human rights organizations in Oklahoma City, we had asked national organizations to come in and help us out. They all refused saying Oklahoma is not a "winnable" state. They do help individual candidates but as far as fighting initiatives like our gay marriage amendment that passed by an overwhelming 73 percent - they did not help. Also we have other members of the community who are active but do not want to rock the boat and want to work behind the scenes - which is good but at the same time we also need to work out in the open. Cimarron Alliance Foundation is a good organization, Central Oklahoma Human Rights Alliance (COHRA) is a good organization, as well as a few others. They all need help in getting their message out. It is nice to have outside help but change also happens from within and perhaps if all fair minded Oklahomans get involved - we can make a difference.
Oklahoma has a strong and proud progressive movement, but we are simply overwhelmed by those folks who don't want progress. We need a catalyst, and simply put, there is no one in Oklahoma politics that even comes close.
Justin
justinfeed.com
At this point, there are many Okies who see Oklahoma as part of the South, the Real America as Palin put it, and not the Northeast and West Coast, which are somehow unAmerican. When I left for college at MIT, a man in my church genuinely warned me to be wary of Northerners, as they were not to be trusted. I married one. It's another division here. It's us vs. them.
The Democrats appear to not know what to do. We get some capable candidates from time to time, like Brad Henry and Jeri Askins, but there is no core message from the Democratic Party. It's listless. It's like the 1990's on the federal level, but we've been in it since the 1980's. The thing is that the Republicans have so wrapped Oklahoma in their noose, it appears to be difficult to get out of the conservative ideology.
Two examples of how the noose works are Right-to-Work, which was passed in the 1990's, and the requirement that any tax increase requires a ballot initiative to pass. Unions are weak (and appear too xenophobic to do the right thing and organize illegal immigrants) and we can change our tax laws to make the system for progressive and fair to the poor. The sales taxes in Oklahoma are quite high, as municipalities are forced to use them instead of increasing property taxes or some sort of income tax. These sales taxes are charged to everything, including food. It is grossly unfair to the poor, but they think that it's the Democrats and their liberalism that is the problem.
We need a cavalry to come in, but I have no clue whatsoever what it can do here. Someone needs to have a plan in place to work on changing minds. Yeah, racism is dying here, but we're behind almost everyone else in this arena, and we have to wait for a lot of old people to die before that's no longer one of our bigger problems.
This whole country needs help! It is time that America begins to walk the talk and stop BS'ing how wonderful it is and how democratic we are. This is a myth that needs to be corrected and hopefully Obama election will start to turn things around for all citizens and not only the fat, white, affluent types. Many of whom should be in jail for a complete lack of integrity if nothing else.
All I can say to the Reader in Oklahoma is:
You are NOT crazy.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
We can't fix everything overnight. But all things are possible.
Goto the 2nd slide and you can see where the counties were located that voted more repub in '08 than in '04. Oklahoma and Arkansas did not like Barrack Obama.
What could possibly explain this? My bets are on racial animus and fundie backwoods baptists, assuming these factors are distinguishable.
If the writer of the letter could come on board and identify themselves on the list, that would be great.
You won't be left out Okie....
Barack will be looking out for you.
I have been behind Obama since his infamous speech at the Dem Convention. There are so many reasons why I believe we NEED him as our president right now. The fact that he has an African father is just that. A fact. Not a reason to vote for or against him.
However, it really pissed me off how the media, after successfully keeping race out of the race, once Obama was announced as the clear winner, focused on the fact that he is black and only that fact. Cameras showed people of color celebrating and crying tears of joy at black colleges in Atlanta, Chicago and in Harlem. We saw Oprah, Jessie, black congressmen etc. all talking about how amazing it is that we just elected the first African American president. This is historic, yes, but it misses the point entirely.
Seems to me that alot more Barack voters were not black than those that were. And the REASONS for those votes had nothing, nothing, to do with color or descent. WTF?
Now I see that OK was the reddest state in this election. Redder than Wyoming; redder than Utah for cryin' out loud!
My family still lives there, and are probably near suicidal over Obama's victory. Sometimes I don't know how I came out of that family or that state.
One of the things people in these areas can do - right now in fact before you turn off your computer - is to contact NBC and demand that your area start receiving the MSNBC feed if it currently does not. With these two nightly shows I'm sure you will feel more connected to kindred spirits.
Cheers.
My daughter just called me because she was so down over all the redneck fundamentalist garbage she has been hearing all day at work. Even trash reports about "riots" in schools.
We've still got a long way to go down here and as long as there is Russ Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Fox News, and the likes of Sarah Palin...it will continue to be an uphill battle.
Peace.
Even more depressing: With this election, the GOP gained control of both chambers of the state legislature for the first time SINCE STATEHOOD. Which means, with the 2010 Census, Oklahoma will be safely Republican for many years to come.
The one, small, saving grace may be found in the fact that Obama didn't lose Oklahoma any worse than Kerry lost it: 66%R - 34%D both elections, according to electoral-vote.com. So perhaps Oklahomans aren't any more racist than they are just anti-progressive? That's the best news I can find for Oklahoma out of this election. Meanwhile, the state has a higher divorce rate, a higher teenage pregnancy rate, and a higher abortion rate than most other states. And they pay their teachers less than almost any other state. No company, other than those looking for the lowest cost possible for labor, will want to move or stay there.
Texas really makes me sick most of the time.
We'll just have to keep at it.
Also, we all hope for people to grow morally -- that is, become more loving, accepting, giving, truthful etc.... and less fearful, hateful, selfish, simple minded etc. It seems millions of Americans are remain unenlightened in this moral sense. And that is simply scary. Even after this huge win, to know how many remain basically brainwashed is depressing.
Today in my local paper (Salem) there was a young woman who attends a local community college. She said that yesterday afternoon one of her professors asked how many had already voted, or planned to vote. Only a very few raised their hands! Their "reasoning"? "I am not political" and "it won't make any difference". This in the midst of a surge of young people becoming very, very political and in the midst of Obama's call for engagement. Obviously there are large groups of young people who are still utterly clueless.
But, hey, what would Obama do? :-) Organize, set goals, get creative, have a plan, get to work. And he would never let the depression and frustration get a toe-hold on his spirit! May we all aspire to be as enlightened as Obama.
"You know which states voted for the McCain ticket? Utah! Wyoming! Kansas! Alabama! Mississippi!
Who would want to live there?!? Ha-ha-ha!!"
I was so disgusted as it is the same "real America" bullshit the other side tried to spout, and it seemed pure elitist bigotry as if their regions are somehow deserving of ridicule. I live in So Cal and work in LA and know there are plenty of spots in the places he mentioned that I think are wonderful. Also, though I'm in a so called "enlightened" state, many of my neighbors had "Yes on 8" signs (the anti-gay marriage prop) and McSame/Failin.
I stand with decent Americans/people everywhere regardless of your geographical location. In fact, I honor you for the much more difficult task of standing firm as a minority viewpoint in the midst of such collective ignorance. You have my deepest respect and gratitude. If we are to make progressive change, it will be because of people like you manning the remote outposts.
Be well.
In 2004, Kerry and Edwards took a train form Missouri to Colorado that passed through Kansas late into the night. At 2 or 3 am, I, along with maybe 40 or 50 others, was at the train station just to watch the train go by. There were so many people at the train station in Lawrence that Edwards returned the next day and had a rally that thousands attended.
Those of us in the Great Plains are almost completely left out of national politics, and I honestly believe that the first Democrat that makes the tiniest effort to make us feel like we are a part of national politics could turn the Great Redneck Sea a deep blue. We mid-westerners (which is not Ohio to us) are not all Republicans by a long shot.
Bill Press can kiss my a**.
----
Amen to that!
I wouldn't know how to start moving it in a different direction. Perhaps if young people grow up in a successful Obama administration, some of the distrust of democrats will ease. Hope US infatuation with ultra-radical religious movements abates (it does come and go in waves, and always has since nation's founding).
Rather than establishing campaign offices, sounds more like we should establish embassies in the super red states -- with aid, outreach programs, etc. , as though they were different countries.
Hmmm. Is an interesting thought.
---
That gave me quite the belly laugh. I'm all for a little "foriegn aid" for our own people!
i live in Norman, which is a liberal island in a rightwing sea.
and when i see that we gave a higher percentage of support to McWar than any other state, it is discouraging.
i would love to leave, but i have family and friends here. the rest are in arizona, which, outside Phoenix or Tucson, is not much better.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too. ”
-- Barack Obama
try not to despair: we're all with you in the spirit!
cherish life. love family and teach your children
right and wrong. try your best to turn other's hate
into something harmless by showing love. culture
is changing, we're all going to get there just maybe
not in our lifetimes, but the children's and children's
children.. all of you guys have the unique and difficult
position of leading the pack, albeit in an obtuse way.
y'all aren't crazy but it sure can be a chore to be smart
in a dumb world.
in some of our local elections the hateful crooks
retained their offices and/or won their elections.
but some (hopefully) good people seem to have
been elected as well. and so it goes. one part of
the government investigates and occasionally
prosecutes people in other parts of the government,
that's what we've got in Illinois. a state so rife with
bad politics that the masses are largely immune to
politicians being crooks, liars, and openly self-serving
weasels because they think "that's the way it is"
so we've got a lot to deal with on a state as well as
local level here in IL in terms of doing something other
than enriching the politically-connected.
we're different states but we're all one country,
really we are. there's good folks and not-so-good
folks and folks who think they're right when they're
wrong and every which way else you can think of.
it's just impossible that EVERYBODY is going to get
on board one way of thinking or another at any point
so try to approach this as if you'll setting the example
for others to observe a rational, thinking person as
opposed to a nutjob / bigot / wacko / couch potato or
whatever (if they can't or more importantly won't see,
it's not worth getting bent out of shape - that's what I'm
saying. their mindset will eventually become irrelevant.)
I also say you're doing your state and our country proud
and you're a lot more valuable that you're feeling right at
the moment.
good people, good people: you can find 'em everywhere.
I recommend the story at the link below that tells about the shady dealings of Sally Kern and the Gee-sus Mafia she runs with.
We gay/lesbian people need to stop thinking that if we're nice to our enemies somehow we can calm their fears and we can all learn to "tolerate" one another. It ain't gonna work with these irrational flat-earthers.
We must fight back with all the legal weapons at our disposal.
SALLY KERN CONNECTED TO SUPREMICIST GROUPS
COMES THE EXECUTIONER: SALLY KERN’S NEO-FASCIST AND DOMINIONIST LEADERS WANT YOU LIQUIDATED
complete at: http://tinyurl.com/6l9gej or http://gossip-boy.com/Sally_Kern_Associates.html