Speed of Life

Sandra Fluke's remarks as prepared for delivery Some of you may remember that earlier this year, Republicans shut me out of a hearing on contraception. In fact, on that panel, they didn’t hear from a single woman, even though they were debating an issue that affects nearly every woman. Because it happened in Congress, people noticed. But it happens all the time. Many women are shut out and silenced. So while I’m honored to be standing at this podium, it easily could have been any one of you. I’m here because I spoke out, and this November, each of us must do the same. During this campaign, we’ve heard about the two profoundly different futures that could await women—and how one of those futures looks like an offensive, obsolete relic of our past. Warnings of that future are not distractions. They’re not imagined. That future could be real. In that America , your new president could be a man who stands by when a public figure tries to silence a private citizen with hat...

Sister Simone Campbell, left, on her "Nuns on the Bus" tour (J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photos) 2012 Democratic National Convention: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director, Roman Catholic Social Justice Organization, NETWORK The following is a transcript of a speech, as prepared for delivery, by Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director, Roman Catholic Social Justice Organization, NETWORK, at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, September 5, 2012.  (Full Text and Video) Good evening, I'm Sister Simone Campbell, and I'm one of the "nuns on the bus." So, yes, we have nuns on the bus. And a nun on the podium! Let me explain why I'm here. In June, I joined other Catholic sisters on a 2,700-mile bus journey through nine states to tell Americans about the budget Congressman Paul Ryan wrote and Governor Romney endorsed. Paul Ryan claims his budget reflects the principles of our shared Catholic fa...

Full text and Video of First Lady Michelle Obama’s remarks to the Democratic National Convention on Sept. 4 in Charlotte, as prepared for delivery. photo by Doug Mills for The New York Times Thank you so much, Elaine…we are so grateful for your family’s service and sacrifice…and we will always have your back.  Over the past few years as First Lady, I have had the extraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country. And everywhere I’ve gone, in the people I’ve met, and the stories I’ve heard, I have seen the very best of the American spirit.  I have seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth that people have shown me and my family, especially our girls. I’ve seen it in teachers in a near-bankrupt school district who vowed to keep teaching without pay.  I’ve seen it in people who become heroes at a moment’s notice, diving into harm’s way to save others…flying across the country to put out a fire…driving for hours to bail out a flooded town. And I’...

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.“ — Republican President Abraham Lincoln,  Message to Congress, December 3, 1861 Labor Day, 1942 by Charles Henry Alston,  the first African American supervisor for the WPA Federal Art Project Today, in honor of Labor Day in the United States,  Denise  Oliver Velez posted a moving tribute to  work and workers  on the  Daily Kos.   Inspired by the words, images and music that Velez put together, I have spent much of this Labor Day in deep consideration of the struggle and sacrifice of the brave laborers who worked together to build this country.  Peter Clothier on his site,  Vote Obama 2012 , has also been considering the meaning of this holiday. Clothier writes: "How much thought, I wonder,...

Republican women share their history with the Republican Party and how the party's views are no longer aligned with their own. They don't support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and share how Romney and Ryan are wrong for women.  As they share: "If you truly believe in a small government. That government shouldn't be deciding what I can and cannot do with my own body." "There is no way on God's green earth that I would consider voting Republican."  "I don't even want to think about them having control—as a woman I don't." "If you're a conservative woman, and you believe in small government, then Barack Obama is your candidate because he's keeping the government out of the decisions that should remain between you and God, and you and your own conscience." "My voting record: 92 Bush, 96 Did not vote, 2000 Bush, 2004 Did not vote, 2008 McCain, 2012 No question in my mind--- Obama The GOP has turned into ...

The President Responds via Twitter to Romney's Ill Advised Birther Joke: Barack Obama  ‏ @ BarackObama Song of  the  day:  Born   in   the   U.S.A.   http://OFA.BO/irL3ZV Retweeted 1388 times Love that our President has a great sense of humor and great taste in music! Gregg Chadwick American Dreams: Obama Study

Gregg Chadwick Studio View of Fire Sermon, With Annick 44"x36" digital photograph on paper On Exhibit at the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art   August 9 -September 1, 2012 "Within the scale of the life of the cosmos, a human life is no more than a tiny blip. Each one of us is a visitor to this planet, a guest, who has only a finite time to stay. What greater folly could there be than to spend this short time lonely, unhappy, and in conflict with our fellow visitors?" -His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Beyond Religion , 2011 I am honored to announce that my photograph  Studio View of Fire Sermon, With Annick will be included in the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art's Electron Salon exhibit which opens this Thursday, August 9 at LACDA. The artist's reception runs from 7-9pm as part of the Downtown Art Walk. The gallery is located at 102 West Fifth Street, Los Angeles, California 90013 Hope to see you there! los angeles cent...