“Hope as a Strategy” by Rev. Peter Friederich

Rev. Peter Friederich

In his speech attacking Obama at the Republican National Convention, Rudy Giuliani said that “Hope is not a strategy.” Well, he’s dead wrong about that. Since 9/11 the Bush administration has used fear as a strategy. As a strategy to rationalize the use of preemptive military action that has decimated our economy and our standing on the world stage, a strategy to eviscerate our constitutionally-guaranteed personal liberties, a strategy to justify the use of torture, a strategy to manipulate and control us.

I reject fear, and instead choose hope as a strategy. A strategy to develop alternative fuels that will gain us energy independence. A strategy to lead us out of an unjustified war in Iraq. A strategy to provide health care coverage for every American. A strategy to save the middle class and to bridge the ever-growing chasm between the haves and the have-nots. Barack Obama is offering us hope, but he isn’t offering just hope. Or even just “hope and a prayer.” He is offering hope, and a prayer, and a plan. Contrary to what the Republicans would have you believe, he isn’t just “full of empty rhetoric.” (And, by the way, when did it become a crime to be a well-educated, erudite and inspiring speaker?) If you’re not familiar with the particulars of his plans to get us out of Iraq, to promote energy independence, to provide health care coverage for all, to provide tax credits to the middle class, I urge you to visit www.barackobama.com and learn more.

And I urge you to join me in working to elect Barack Obama, and choosing hope over fear.

With love and faith,
Rev. Peter Friederich
Unitarian-Universalist
Swarthmore, PA

“More than Party Allegiances” by Rev. Wes Jamison

Rev. Wes Jamison

This election is about more than party allegiances.  It’s about the future of this country and this world.  It’s far too important to sit idly by and do nothing, or worse yet, allow the rhetoric of fear scare us into quietly agreeing to four more years of the same failed politicial and economic policies.  The next President will appoint at least one and possibly as many as three justices to the United States Supreme Court.  With the justices Bush has appointed, that will ensure a tight conservative grip on the court for at least the next 20 years.  We CANNOT let that happen.  McCain keeps talking about drilling as a means of solving our current energy crisis.  You and I both know that isn’t going to work.  Even if we drill and find a few more pockets of oil within the borders of this country, we won’t see a drop of that oil reach our markets for at least 5 to 10 years.  We need to begin moving toward an alternative now.  T. Boone Pickens has suggested converting our cars to run on natural gas–a more abundant, cheaper, cleaner alternative to gas distilled from crude oil.  It’s an excellent idea for a bridge to carry us while we invest billions in research, something the Bush administration has refused to do.

I went on a forum on faith sponsored by the Obama campaign last night.  The speaker was an ethics professor from Wesley Theological Seminary and an ordained Church of Christ (not UCC, but acapella Church of Christ) minister named Shaun Casey.  He shared a frightening statistic.  During Bush’s administration six million additional people have fallen into poverty in this nation, bringing the rate to it’s highest level since the 1960s.  Currently, as many as 52 million US citizens are without health insurance.  Due to changes in the bankruptcy laws under the Bush administration and the former Republican controlled congress, medical bills can now be charged against a person’s credit.  This means that one major medical event in the life of a family can ruin their credit for years to come, thus preventing them from gaining adequate housing, transportation, and even loans to help their children get through school.  ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.  This has to end.

If you’re already working for the campaign, please, keep working.  Talk to everyone you know, even if you don’t think your state will go for Obama.  We need EVERY vote we can get.  If you live in a battleground state, then PLEASE, PLEASE do everything you can.  We have about six weeks left until the election.  Go to www.barackobama.com and register if you haven’t already done so.  You can generate a list of people who live near you and print off a script to use to either call them or go visit them in person and talk to them about this election.  You can also find Barack Obama’s platform, including his plans for education, energy, foreign policy, and everything else.  Even if you don’t feel confident on the issues, you can read up and feel more confident.  We need every vote we can get, especially in Virginia, Ohio, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and Florida.

We can and will win this election!  Don’t give up hope.   This election is FAR TOO IMPORTANT to sit idly by and do nothing.  We saw what happened when we did that in 2000 and 2004.  Please, talk to EVERYONE you know and encourage them to vote.  If anyone needs to register to vote, send them to www.voteforchange.com and the website will guide them through the process.  Also, if you know of anyone who needs to vote absentee, then send them to that website as well.  They can register to receive an absentee ballot on there.

Grace and Peace,

Wes Jamison,

B.A. Milligan College
M.Div. Emmanuel School of Religion

“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each [one's] life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“One More Thing” by Rev. Holly McKissick

My Dear Fellow Clergy:

Rev. Holly McKissick

Ask Nellie—bright, spirited, engaging—why she moved to Kansas City this summer to work on the Obama campaign—why she gave up her home, her job, her boyfriend, and she says: 

“I have worked on a lot of campaigns, stumped for a lot of candidates, but, I’ve never felt this kind of hope…. I knew I could not wake up on November 5th and wonder if there was ONE more thing I could have done to change the outcome?”

I can’t wake up on November 5th, either, and think, “Was there one more thing I could have done?”

I’ve been working on the Obama campaign since July—following the lead of my 13 year old daughter who is a campaign intern.

But it hit me last Monday—we have to do more.

In his acceptance speech on August 28th, Senator Obama stirred our deepest longings for a country that works together for a common good. His speech reminded us of something important: Americans deeply believe, “Our government should work for us, not against us.  It should help us, not hurt us.  It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who’s willing to work.  That’s the promise of America, the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation, the fundamental belief that I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper.”

The last two weeks, we’ve seen the politics of fear and anger rising up…threatening the hope and promise that the Obama campaign embodies.  Many have asked, why isn’t Obama “striking” back harder in the face of attacks and lies?  A part of me wonders, too: Who are the strategists? What are they doing?

But, this is the truth: Barack Obama is a brilliant leader. Absolutely brilliant. He knows what he is doing. By not striking back, he is making a place where you and I, as clergy—as leaders in our communities—have to step up.  He is creating a space where all Americans have to take responsibility for their communities.

Obama is a skilled community organizer. This campaign has been grassroots from the beginning, built on lessons in community organizing learned in Chicago neighborhoods working their way out of poverty.  As Clergy, we are full time community organizers. We know it’s about building relationships, helping folks to name their dreams and needs, and then building alliances and strategies to make them real.

Anyone who has been involved in this campaign “gets it.” This is not about Barack Obama. It’s not about November 4th. It’s about changing this country we love so dearly.  It’s about making a world where all of God’s children live in peace, no matter where they live.

It’s about embodying the change.

Join me. And wake up on November 5th ready to get to work.

Rev. Holly McKissick
Leawood, Kansas

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