can't imagine

"A supporter of Iran's moderate presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi holds a piece of paper that reads "We write Mousavi, they read Ahmadinejad" " -Reuters

over the last few days I have been listening to reports on the election in Iran. Wow. Can you imagine the fury people are feeling at having the sense that their election may have been tampered with/stolen and then discover that texting, cell phone and internet access had been blocked? Rallies have been banned, but people are gathering anyway, in spite of riot police and retaliation.
I keep trying to put myself in their place - what I would have felt like if our election last November had gone differently and then we were denied the ability to connect and express ourselves about it. It is younger, more moderate people who will now feel disenfranchised. Truly horrid.

The good news:

Source: www.npr.org

State television quoted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordering an investigation into allegations of election fraud, marking a stunning turnaround and offering hope to opposition forces protesting the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

why is this night...

why is this night different from all other nights? Because our president will host and attend a Passover seder at the White House. There have been seders there before, but no sitting president has ever attended.

From Politico:

A year ago, Barack Obama and a dozen of his campaign staff gathered in the basement of the Sheraton in Harrisburg, Pa., for an impromptu Seder to mark the start of Passover.

After proclaiming the traditional “Next year in Jerusalem” refrain at the end of the meal, the future president, who was still in a heated battle for the Democratic nomination, raised his glass and added, “Next year in the White House."

crunch time

I feel like it's finals week or something...that's how jacked up about the election I am. I'm finding it hard to concentrate on much of anything else, though I did try to distract myself with some Tivo time today. I mean, I found myself being annoyed that I had to take a day (ok, part of a day) to focus on Halloween - how sick is that? The upside (but also the downside) is that there is plenty of leftover candy to nervously snack on as I make calls to local voters to remind the of polling times/locations & swing state voters to remind them to get out and vote. Maybe I should offer them some candy? If they are at all like me, they are doing the exact opposite of what you are supposed to do when stressed - get plenty of rest & eat well (though I am exercising, since I'm practically vibrating anyway). I'm all diet coke & "fun size" candy bars (I know - ironic, right?) and middle of the night Huffington Post, Bob Cesca and Fivethrityeight. I'm wishing I could head back to PA, but I have people due. I will try to be content with being an official poll watcher on Tuesday.
I'm more than a little worried about myself. If things go my way and Obama is elected, I'm hoping I'll be so elated that I won't feel a let down at the drop in adreneline and election focus frenzy. And if things don't go my way, oooh boy. Perhaps I should put fresh sheets on the bed, since I'm sure I would have to climb in and pull the covers over my head in order to ride out some depression. I'm a wreck.
But I'm not alone, I know. Still - I'd love to hear from some kindred souls. What are you doing to get by? How are you coping?
And for anyone who isn't an Obama supporter (huh?) yet isn't all that psyched about McCain/Palin but is leaning that way out of habit or something, I'd like to offer my name as a write in. Just trying to be helpful - patriotic duty & all that.

jealous?

I'm off to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart today...VIP tickets, baby! Hoping to deliver a copy of the new issue of The MotherHood, hot off the presses today...the God & Politics issue! In it is my column, DoulaMomma, Speaking Truth To Power (scroll down, but not without reading the incredible Because I Said So column by Helena Holgersson-Shorter entitled, Barack: The Great "What Are You?" Hope...it's fantastic, truly.)
The publisher, Lisa, will label the envelope containing the magazine, "Born in NJ, just like you, Jon!"...
Hard copies can be found here.

Should be a fun show...man how I love Jon Stewart!

please

Words can't express how worried I am about voter suppression and tampering. It's one thing for a candidate to lose fair & square, but quite another for a country to feel that an election was stolen from them. There are many people, myself among them (big surprise!), who feel that that happened in 2000. It took a long while for some of us to get back to a place of feeling that they could make a difference.
This election has been so incredible in terms of grass roots efforts and voter involvement. I have spent a great deal of time at calling parties and Obama campaign HQ just calling volunteers to mobilize other volunteers...and all the while more people were walking in and asking to be put to work. People are desperate for lawn signs or stickers.
People want a piece of history, yes...but I also think they want to truly believe that they have a stake in the future of our country.
Stories of rigged machines, people being told by the GOP that the election is actually Novemeber 5th and all sorts of potential butterfly ballots for 2008 are surfacing.
I pray that my candidate wins, but more than anything, I pray that whomever wins, the results are beyond reproach. I fear for our country if fraud is discovered.

Obama love

'Cause who doesn't love a man who is natural with children...he just seems comfortable...

Change My World

The Agape Children's Chior
"Change My World" is a non-partisan effort to remind voters that while children may not be able to vote in this election, they still have a voice. They depend on us to do what is right for them, not just for today, but for tomorrow as well...

mini-me not required

Recently there has been some discussion on a local message board in my town that Republican children (can children already be Republicans?) have been feeling uncomfortable with the overwhelmingly Democratic vibe at schools. OK - not cool. But I know also that I have had to do damage control when my kids have come home with some crazy misunderstandings - like when a local (Republican) family discussed with my children how Saddam planned to blow up America so we had to go to war. That was certainly a teachable moment.

When I was growing up, my recollection is that my dad didn't believe in revealing political affiliation. I assumed it was because he was conservative (being a proud former-Marine and all) - he would play devil's advocate a lot with me. We discussed the news, I was expected to read the paper, and much to my dismay, NPR played throughout our house on an intercom (along with Paul "Good Day" Harvey). In looking back, I think my dad was pretty moderate, though he has evolved into a raging liberal, as has my mom, and he actually carries his ACLU card just so that he can call himself a "card carrying liberal". But as a kid I was encouraged to pick my own candidate. I still remember feeling disbelief that my best school friend in forth grade, Corky Dodge, could be for Ford instead of Carter. Somehow I identified as a Democrat early on even without a firm pronouncement from my parents.

I don't provide a non-biased household - my kids know who I'm voting for and ride around in a car bearing a sticker and magnets that tell the world. They live in a house sporting a few signs. They get taken to voting booths with us. And yes, NPR is on a lot. But if anything, I wish my kids cared a bit more - they are not super interested in politics at this point. Perhaps if the candidates were skate boarders...

Hopefully many of us, as parents, do go out of our way to encourage our children NOT to simply adopt our political views and certainly not be disrespectful. I recall 4 years ago, we then lived on a main street that was heavily traveled by high school kids and general traffic & our Kerry/Edwards sign was knocked down a few times...we picked it back up. When we found our next door neighbor's Bush sign on the ground, in the busy street, we picked it up for them. My oldest son, only 6 or 7 then, asked why we should since it's for the guys "we" don't like & I got to have a nice teachable moment. I got to tell him that having signs for different candidates next door to each other and supporting our neighbor's ability to express his view is one of the very good things about America, and it's also just better karma. I got to tell him that the sign was mine - it could be his too, but it didn't have to be. He also wanted to be George Bush for Halloween at some point & we had a talk about how, given his intentions/reasoning, this was disrespectful & inappropriate (at least for us).

I think it's important for kids to think for themselves, as annoying as it feels sometimes! I have one son, 7, who is extremely interested in the military right now. This scares the hell out of me, being the mother of three sons. But I buy him the books he asks for while I also write letters of complaint to the local theaters for playing military propaganda music videos during preview time at movies rated appropriate for kids and as I build their conscientious objector files just in case they want or need them.

When my oldest had to do a report on why he was supporting a candidate, he looked at the candidate's websites. But yes, he wrote about Obama. And yes, if my youngest wants to make me smile and laugh, he sings the Obama chant* he made up. I believe we can let our kids know what we believe in without making them feel they MUST have the same beliefs. But I also understand that kids want to please us, at least when they are little. And I know that it takes effort and restraint to make sure to use those teachable moments when they present themselves.

For more on kids & politics, check out a recent Nick News/Linda Ellerbee story, Kids Pick The President, on kids working for the candidate of their choice...these kids (though especially the kids for Obama, IMO) were thoughtful, fair-minded and respectful. The Obama piece was filmed in my town. These kids for Obama are as amazing in person as they appear in the program.

* O
Obama
O O
Obama
(repeat) (often!)

Waiting for Nov. 4th

Want a good laugh? (and are an Obama supporter...): check out Larry David's piece on Huffington Post

don't be that person

Funny video from MoveOn.org

hopeful

I love this view, by Time Magazine photojournalist Callie Shell, of Obama on the campaign trail. I read that

Four years ago Time photographer Callie Shell met Barack Obama backstage when she was covering presidential candidate John Kerry. She sent her editor more photographs of Obama than Kerry. When asked why, she said, "I do not know. I just have a feeling about him. I think he will be important down the road." Her first photo essay on Obama was two and half years ago. She has stuck with him ever since.

Be sure to keep selecting "Show More Images" at the bottom of each section of photos

proud to be an American

I sometimes feel that patriotism is hollow, that it's blind. But seeing the crowds that gathered over the weekend at rallies - wow. 100,000 people in St. Louis and more that 75,000 in Kansas City. People are inspired and they want America to be it's best self. THIS makes me a proud American - proud of these people for getting involved.

Yes We Carve

Since I'm posting from a rustic Fall weekend getaway with the girls (but with wifi!), pumpkins seemed appropriate. How cool is this? Even if you're a McCain supporter (and still reading this blog!), you have to admire the ingenuity and dag gum amazing way this campaign has been run - grass roots efforts the likes of which have never been seen before (at least not by me).
So enjoy the images at Yes We Carve...think about entering your own and showing your support this Halloween.
Thanks to reader/friend Elizabeth for turning me on to the site!

public endorsement of Barack Obama

We know that people whose names get bolded in print often publicly endorse a candidate - celebrities, unions, prominent business people and politicians. But now ordinary women - you and I - are being invited by the Obama - Biden campaign to do so.
(I do not know if John McCain is inviting such endorsement, but if you are a McCain supporter I encourage you to find out)

I learned of this effort from an email:

Subject: Fwd: Fw: join list of women
publicly endorsing Obama & Biden

Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:46:25 +0000

Send response to: krosen@paforchange.com


Next week the Obama campaign would like to
roll out lists of hundreds of thousands of
American women -- homemakers, teachers/
educators,nurses, businesswomen (non-profit
and profit), community organizers, medical
professionals, et al - who are willing to
publicly endorse Senators Obama and Biden
as the next Democratic President and Vice
President of the United States.


This list, which will be made available to
the media on request, will illustrate the
breadth and depth of support for these
candidates among American women across the
country.
Please send an e-mail - NOW - to Katheryn
Rosen with your name, profession, city,
and state at
krosen@paforchange.com 
THEN , reach out to at  least* ten
(10)* other women in your network,
by forwarding this message, ASAP.


NOTE: Women who are affiliated with
organizations that may not be
appropriate for endorsement,
can endorse on a personal basis rather
than an affiliated basis.

I relish this opportunity.  I will do as the email asks and
forward to women I think might like to sign on but you
can also copy and paste the
above text into your own email and send it today if you like. 

UPDATE:  Something is not working - emails
are bouncing back,
though reportedly went through earlier.
So this may not work...you can try.
And/or go to Women for Obama signup
page is at
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/
womensignup

how to win friends & influence people

or not. Greeting me in my in-box this morning was one of those horrible forwarded-within-an-inch-of-its-life email hoaxes. From a relative. Who believes it.

It came with the above picture and others that were even worse - I picked this one because it strikes me at ironic somehow.

I debated just deleting, as the instructions said to do if I didn't agree with it. But no - ya know what (that's me being folksy!) ? It's not OK to send something hateful to me & then say I'm not allowed to reply.
So here it is - my response:

Dear ones (not really, but I'm leaving names out),
In spite of your request not to reply, I am...because I am related to many of you and love you.

The information contained in this email is simply NOT true and is dangerous.

I looked up the author of this hate speech and found that it had been debunked on Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/allah.asp and that it has been making the email rounds since 2003.

Further, the whole jihad idea is from extremists, a tiny tiny fraction...Christianity has it's own extremists too...and they have done some terrible things as well. Please do not use God's name to promulgate hate. Our world, ever more global, needs education and understanding and love...not this. Please, let's not live our lives and make our choices based in fear and misunderstanding of those who are different from us. I'm quite certain that God expects better of us.

Sadly, I don't think my email will get forwarded to all the people who have read this dangerous made-up story. That's a shame.

with love and respect,
Kim

Why is this being sent now? Is it in regards to the election? To the wack-job insinuations that Barack Obama is not really "one of us" (wink)? This makes me sad. I know my email will get deleted. Or it may cause anger. At the very least, perhaps those who receive it will think twice about forwarding such things to me in the future.

post script:
I just received an email from my dad's cousin basically saying "right on"!

PSS:
I also got an email from my Dad. It was to me, the cool cousin & the close relative in question...it said "I know you are better than this". It also reminded that he is a "proud member of the ACLU and proud to wear the label of Liberal". Rock on, Dad - I love you!

I have a crush on Cory Booker...

Thought I would pass along this announcement for local folks:

Rally for Change with Gov. Corzine & Mayor Cory Booker and more
(Voter Registration Drive)

Calling all Democrats!! The time is NOW! We are only a few weeks away from the most important election of our time and Obama/Biden need our help!

Come show your support this Tuesday, Oct 7th 1:30 at Grove Park on S.Orange Ave for a Yes We Can Rally supporting the Obama/Biden ticket!

There will be voter registration for those who need to get registered and plenty of information on how to get involved in the campaign.

With Governor Jon Corzine, Senate President Dick Codey, Co. Exec. Joe DiVincenzo, Mayor Cory Booker and other democratic leaders

Hope to see you all there - Yes We Can!

snapshots of hope

We had a fun time at the family "Barack The Vote" rally for Obama over the weekend.
The note attached to the "Voting Booth" sign says, "WATCH YOUR STEP"...indeed!

Me, soaking up the humidity and good vibe, with face paint from an earlier party...one side says HOPE & the other says OBAMA...gives new meaning to "turning the other cheek"!
kids registering other kids to vote.
On the ballot:
Will you agree to be a voter when you turn 18?

Digging for treasure - Obama buttons
Bakin' for Obama
middle school band, "Grounded" rocked the house...this was "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
The kids' parade at the end of the day
Messages of hope

sign of the times

I guess even babies (and not just the politicians who act like them) have a problem with non-partisan politics...now there are party-line baby announcements, complete with mobiles of little donkeys or elephants.
The ad says they are "green" and printed on recycled paper - I wonder if that's just the democrat ones? (joking!)

Barack The Vote!

If you're local, here's an event announcement for TODAY, Sunday, September 28, 3-6p, Maplewood!

Please join us for a fabulous gathering in support of Barack Obama - Sunday, 3pm - 6pm Bring the whole family - great music, speakers, food. DeHart Park on Burnett in Maplewood. Nationally-acclaimed band "Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck," plus the kids' band "Grounded"(11-16 year-olds who know how to rock). Bring your dancing shoes!

We need supporters to join us in order to learn about ways to be active in the remaining weeks/month of the campaign to help make the difference - and to get Obama elected. Please don't assume that everyone else will make it happen. We need YOU.

This event will take place rain or shine - indoors if raining - outdoors if clear! We hope to see you there!

Check here for more.

Hope to see you there!

continuous monitoring

Did you watch the presidential debate last night? (hope so!) I did and I happened to watch it on CNN. Now CNN had an "audience reaction meter" at the bottom of the screen and do you know what? I found it mesmerizing - it was hard to take my eyes off it. Were people buying what was being said? Liking my candidate? The ups and downs - it was very distracting...I found it hard to concentrate on what they were saying, hard to just genuinely feel my own reaction and focus on the men themselves. Why didn't I just change the channel? Because I became interested in my reaction to the audience reaction and decided to ride it out, play around with the experience. See for yourself (fast forward a bit to get to the meter)

If you have read my posts before, I'm sure it's no surprise that of course this made me think about birth... and those freaking continuous fetal monitors. They can be so seductive and hypnotizing. I have seen laboring women question whether they were having good enough contractions (in spite of how hard they were working) because the monitor was not picking up well. I have seen partners, hell - I have seen myself look at the monitor instead of the woman. I've probably said ad nauseam that continuous fetal monitoring does not improve outcomes for moms & babies and that I encourage my students and clients to choose care providers who get that and are not so attached to continuous monitoring. I have also said many times, but it bears repeating I think, that while wireless monitors are great compared to wired continuous ones, the better choice for healthy women having a normal, low intervention labor is intermittent monitoring.

But what if you're stuck with a situation where continuos monitoring is what the care provider wants or some intervention like pitocin is part of the labor or it's a VBAC...or, for that matter, it's what your client wants? Well, if the family wants to control their enviromnment and make the monitor less of a presence, the carts that the monitors sit on roll and can be turned away from view (at least somewhat). The volume can be turned down or a tshirt can be tossed over it (& the clock! But be sure to mention why to the nurse and other care providers)...You do not have to let technology suck you in, unless you want it to.