Monday, May 31, 2004
Here are Kim, Sam, and I talking with JK at the Pro-Choice Rally in April '04. He was very interested in what the girls had to say, and signed our poster. Sam's comment after he shook her hand? "I'm never washing this hand again!"
John Kerry's Memorial Day Message
Dear Ruth,
Every day as I travel around the country, I'm thinking about our soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. In times of peace, but especially in times of war, a tour of duty is hard; you spend months away from your family and friends in countries thousands of miles away, performing one of the most dangerous jobs on earth.
In Vietnam, I learned about the promises that soldiers make to each other; the meaning of leadership; the dangers of a government that is not accountable; and the knowledge of what the costs of war are for the individual soldiers, their families, and our country. We can never let politics get in the way of what is best for our troops. We have to always put the life of a private on the battlefield, the sailor on a patrol, or the airman in the belly of a plane first.
We need to make a commitment that we will never leave our veterans behind and must do our part to care for those who have faced the horrors of battle. This is not only about keeping our nation's promises; but about honoring those who defend it.
Our military must be second to none; our troops must be taken care of when sent into harm's way, and when we bring them home, they should be given the respect they're due. My Dad taught me these lessons when he served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
The Greatest Generation is passing on their torch and their sacrifice will live as long as freedom does. I remember my father and thank those who are still here for their service.
No matter how we feel about our current conflict in Iraq, no matter how critical we are of our efforts to win the peace, this Memorial Day we must have one priority: supporting our troops so they can accomplish their mission and return home as soon as possible. Those who put their lives on the line for their country deserve our support, admiration, and respect.
Today we honor all soldiers past and present who have risked their lives for our country and the values of freedom and liberty we represent. We owe them a debt of gratitude no words can possibly express.
Sincerely,
John Kerry
Every day as I travel around the country, I'm thinking about our soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. In times of peace, but especially in times of war, a tour of duty is hard; you spend months away from your family and friends in countries thousands of miles away, performing one of the most dangerous jobs on earth.
In Vietnam, I learned about the promises that soldiers make to each other; the meaning of leadership; the dangers of a government that is not accountable; and the knowledge of what the costs of war are for the individual soldiers, their families, and our country. We can never let politics get in the way of what is best for our troops. We have to always put the life of a private on the battlefield, the sailor on a patrol, or the airman in the belly of a plane first.
We need to make a commitment that we will never leave our veterans behind and must do our part to care for those who have faced the horrors of battle. This is not only about keeping our nation's promises; but about honoring those who defend it.
Our military must be second to none; our troops must be taken care of when sent into harm's way, and when we bring them home, they should be given the respect they're due. My Dad taught me these lessons when he served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
The Greatest Generation is passing on their torch and their sacrifice will live as long as freedom does. I remember my father and thank those who are still here for their service.
No matter how we feel about our current conflict in Iraq, no matter how critical we are of our efforts to win the peace, this Memorial Day we must have one priority: supporting our troops so they can accomplish their mission and return home as soon as possible. Those who put their lives on the line for their country deserve our support, admiration, and respect.
Today we honor all soldiers past and present who have risked their lives for our country and the values of freedom and liberty we represent. We owe them a debt of gratitude no words can possibly express.
Sincerely,
John Kerry
Memorial Day Weekend, 2004
It's been a long time since I've blogged. Been bogged down with work, moving, and taking care of my two great-nieces who's mom is in Iraq.
But, things have certainly been exciting for us Kerry supporters! Dubbya's down in the polls, Kerry is much more Presidential looking, and is running hard in the "showdown" states.
He hasn't picked a VP yet - some thoughts on that soon.
Last Saturday, I volunteered at Nancy Pelosi's open house for WW2 veterans and their families during the WW2 Memorial dedication. I watched the ceremony on TV with vets from Texas and California. I then watched the last part at Ted Strickland's (OH-6)reception for Ohio vets. One man had his father's steel trunk with memorabilia from his WW2 experience - lots of Nazi stuff collected during his combat experience. His dad died 2 months ago, so it was very moving to talk to his son about how much this memorial meant to his dad.
If you haven't heard Kerry's radio broadcast (the weekly Dem broadcast), here's the link:
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0529.html
Here's the link for Kerry's issues page, where he outlines his Presidential plan.
http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/
I urge you to start jumping in and supporting the campaign as much as you can. The Kerry website has lots of links where you can volunteer in your community, online, or donate as little as 5 bucks towards the campaign.
Here are the Kerry communities where you can check out Kerry's views on issues you are interested in. I'm already a member of Women and Veterans for Kerry. Pick a community and join in the most exciting campaigns of our lifetime!
Visit some of our online John Kerry Activist Communities:
African Americans for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/african_americans/
Americans Overseas for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/aok/index.php
Americans with Disabilities for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/awd/
Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/asian_americans/
Environmentalists for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/enviros/
Firefighters for Kerry: http://www.firefightersforkerry.com/
Latinos for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/latinos/
LGBT: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/glbt/
Native Americans: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/nativeamericans/
Seniors: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/seniors/
Sportsmen for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/sportsmen/
Students for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/students/
Veterans for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/veterans/
Women for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/women/
Workers for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/workers/
Young Voters for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/young/
But, things have certainly been exciting for us Kerry supporters! Dubbya's down in the polls, Kerry is much more Presidential looking, and is running hard in the "showdown" states.
He hasn't picked a VP yet - some thoughts on that soon.
Last Saturday, I volunteered at Nancy Pelosi's open house for WW2 veterans and their families during the WW2 Memorial dedication. I watched the ceremony on TV with vets from Texas and California. I then watched the last part at Ted Strickland's (OH-6)reception for Ohio vets. One man had his father's steel trunk with memorabilia from his WW2 experience - lots of Nazi stuff collected during his combat experience. His dad died 2 months ago, so it was very moving to talk to his son about how much this memorial meant to his dad.
If you haven't heard Kerry's radio broadcast (the weekly Dem broadcast), here's the link:
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0529.html
Here's the link for Kerry's issues page, where he outlines his Presidential plan.
http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/
I urge you to start jumping in and supporting the campaign as much as you can. The Kerry website has lots of links where you can volunteer in your community, online, or donate as little as 5 bucks towards the campaign.
Here are the Kerry communities where you can check out Kerry's views on issues you are interested in. I'm already a member of Women and Veterans for Kerry. Pick a community and join in the most exciting campaigns of our lifetime!
Visit some of our online John Kerry Activist Communities:
African Americans for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/african_americans/
Americans Overseas for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/aok/index.php
Americans with Disabilities for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/awd/
Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/asian_americans/
Environmentalists for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/enviros/
Firefighters for Kerry: http://www.firefightersforkerry.com/
Latinos for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/latinos/
LGBT: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/glbt/
Native Americans: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/nativeamericans/
Seniors: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/seniors/
Sportsmen for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/sportsmen/
Students for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/students/
Veterans for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/veterans/
Women for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/women/
Workers for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/workers/
Young Voters for Kerry: http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/young/
