October 31, 2008
Dear Anne and Carter:
Today is Halloween, my favorite holiday. I like it much better than Christmas; but this year I didn’t even get dressed up. Larry and I took a break from the video we are making, turned the lights off and went to a movie. We didn’t want to stay home and give more candy than they need to the “trick-or-treaters”.
Know why? Because this very important election for President has been consuming all our energy and taking our time. Are they talking about it in your school? It is soooo important that people vote!
Unfortunately in 2004 only 55% of people in the U.S. who were eligible (old enough & citizens) to vote, did so. In 2000 only 51% did. To my shock and dismay, somehow they elected a man who will go down in history as the WORST president ever! President George W. Bush really got only 30% of eligible voters! Don’t get me started his administration was the worst ever. Democrat Bill Clinton left the budget in the black, meaning no deficit and debt; and now 8 years later the United States is 9.6 trillion dollars in debt, the economy tanked because of corrupt greedy bankers, and we’ve killed over 4,400 US soldiers in a war that Republicans led us into for all the wrong reasons.
If you were around I’m sure you’d hear lots of political talk, must of it loud, these days. What I really wanted to write you about is what I am doing to make sure people vote. Two things: I am working with a group called ‘moveon.org’ and making phone calls to voters in ‘swing states,’ (that means states with lots of electoral votes that could make or break the election), to make sure they vote. Moveon has lists of registered voters that are undecided and/or voted independent or Republican last time.
Also, we are distributing to every state Democrat organizing office, and other big media groups, a new recording of a song The Impossible Dream by one of our favorite singers, a big black Blues singer named Sister Monica Parker. It is very famous from a Broadway Play called The Man from La Mancha. If we were somewhere this musical was in a theatre, I’m sure I would’ve taken you by now. It is the inspiring story of Don Quixote, a kind of loner, but brilliant guy back in the 17th century who went on a quest no one believed in. Much to many people’s surprise he actually did accomplish his dream because he believed in it and himself.
Sister Monica’s new version of this epic song weaves the voices of both Dr. Martin Luther King (surely they’ve taught you about him in school: there’s a holiday for him every January) and Presidential Elect Barack Obama, in between her words of the song. Larry videotaped and edited this you-tube version. Look at it. The woman on the right side of the screen is ‘signing’ the words for deaf people. Isn’t that terrific? We were only able to get it up a day before the election and it’s gotten 30,000 hits already.
So, regardless of how your mom and dad vote, know that your Invisible Grandmother has great hope for change for America, when (not if) Barack Obama is elected the winner and becomes the first black president of the YOU-knighted-states!
May you dream many “impossible dreams,” and have them come true!
Love,
Your political Grandma Pat
REFERENCES
http://www.icasualties.org/
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04mlGzHyjmg