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Contact Me: jacquelyn.k.thompson@hotmail.com

Welcome

Hello and Welcome:

Over the summer of 2010 I began to ask myself, "what do you do if two of our Rights, as citizens of these United States, are diametrically opposed?" I came to the only viable conclusion: you compromise. Our great Nation works when there is compromise.

Right now most of you will agree with me that our political system is broken. What we currently have is: the politics of destruction; special interest groups who have the power and money to dictate policy; politicians who must spend their time raising money for the next election instead of doing the People's business; and, there are those who are so concerned about getting re-elected they cede their responsibilities to the citizenry to those groups making the loudest noises and the greatest threats.


The attacks that we were inundated with during the this election cycle belittled the democratic process. Shame on everyone involved. And, shame on the political obstructionists who are more interested in gaining and maintaining power than doing the people’s business. During these very difficult times all of us should be supporting our President. The challenge for all of us is, how do we improve upon this imperfect union that we call the United States of America? One thing I know for certain...it is not by dividing us.

I can remember when I was sixteen years old there was a day when my father called out to me, "Jackie, come quickly. You have to hear this. It's Winston Churchill. Come listen." I raced to the radio and for the first time heard a recording of Churchill's speech to a Nation standing alone against the greatest evil the world has ever known: "...we shall defend our island no matter what the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; and we shall not surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until in God's good time, the New World, with all it's power and might, steps forth to the rescue and liberation of The Old."


That day my hero was born. Where are our heroes today? jkt

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Voter Suppression

Ohio Republicans are attempting to end early voting, which is favored by minority voters, over the last weekend before the 2012 election. 93,000 Ohio voters voted the weekend before the election in 2008. Our Republican Secretary of State says we don't need it this year because he is mailing out absentee ballots to everyone. Well. What about all of the voters who have moved in the past year? How many of those will not receive ballots?

In 2000 the Ohio Republicans thwarted many Democrats who went to vote by putting too few voting machines in the precincts that favored Gore (e.g. in the inner city and on campuses) and packed Republican-leaning precincts with machines. People waited in line for up to 8 hours. Many had to leave and never got to vote. I was a poll watcher for MoveOn in a heavily Republican Precinct that day. At some point I went inside. There I espied a room full of voting machines and not one voter, while elsewhere Democrats were waiting for hours to exercise their right to vote.

OLIGARCHY. "A government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes; also: a group exercising such control." -Merriam/Webster-

Make no mistake about it, the American Corporate and Wall Street Oligarchs are making a final grab for complete and total power, abetted by the Republican Party.