Limited Edition New Energy for America T-Shirt

From OFA Director Mitch Stewart:

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and because of the movement you built, we are finally within reach of bringing a clean energy economy to America.

President Obama's plan will make crucial investments in renewable and alternative energy so that we can end our crippling addiction to foreign oil, confront the global climate crisis, and create millions of new jobs.

Organizing for America needs the support of people like you to make this plan a reality and prepare America for the 21st century global economy.

Contribute $25 or more, and we'll send you a limited edition, 100% organic cotton "New Energy for America" T-shirt that you can wear to show your support for our fight.

With President Obama's energy proposal, we can break a dependence on foreign oil that has for too long undermined our national security, wreaked havoc on our planet, and strained the budgets of working families across the country.

First, we'll have to take on the same special interests that have stood in the way of energy reform for decades -- oil companies and Washington lobbyists that will fight to preserve the massive subsidies that reward polluters at the expense of the renewable energy entrepreneurs who will create the jobs of tomorrow.

This time, with your help, we can enact reforms that will create millions of clean energy jobs to revamp America's infrastructure -- jobs that will employ skilled workers who will weatherize our homes and buildings, power our towns and cities with wind and solar energy, and put more than a million hybrid cars on the road to improve our fuel economy.

The President is counting on you to help make energy independence a reality. Celebrate Earth Day and the beginning of a clean energy era by donating $25 or more, and get your limited edition organic cotton T-shirt.

We have a long way to go to, but if you can commit to the promise of a clean energy economy in the same way that you committed to electing President Obama, we can leave our children with a planet and an economy that will enable them to thrive for generations.

Thank you for being a part of this,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

P.S. -- Tomorrow, we're hosting noted green jobs advocate, Majora Carter, for a live online chat at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. She'll take questions and talk about President Obama's energy proposals. So order a T-shirt today and join us tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Eastern if you can -- I'll send more details before the chat.

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamaforamerica/gGxWP8

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A Call to Serve: President Obama Signs the Edward
M. Kennedy Serve America Act

This afternoon, President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The national service bill dramatically increases the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years, expands ways for students to earn money for college, and creates opportunities for all Americans to serve in the communities. The President was joined by Senator Kennedy, President Bill Clinton, the Congressional leaders who supported the legislation, and countless others dedicated to passage of the bill at the SEED School, where service is a core part of the curriculum. 

In his remarks, the President spoke of the importance of service and the opportunities this act will create, while announcing a major new call to service:

Ted [Kennedy]’s story and the story of his family is known to all. It’s a story of service. And it’s also the story of America -- of hard work and sacrifice of generation after generation, some called upon to give more than others, but each committed to the idea that we can make tomorrow better than today. I wouldn’t be standing here today if not for the service of others, or for the purpose that service gave my own life.

I’ve told this story before. When I moved to Chicago more than two decades ago to become a community organizer, I wasn’t sure what was waiting for me there, but I had always been inspired by the stories of the civil rights movement, and President Kennedy’s call to service, and I knew I wanted to do my part to advance the cause of justice and equality.

And it wasn’t easy, but eventually, over time, working with leaders from all across these communities, we began to make a difference -- in neighborhoods that had been devastated by steel plants that had closed down and jobs that had dried up. We began to see a real impact in people’s lives. And I came to realize I wasn’t just helping people, I was receiving something in return, because through service I found a community that embraced me, citizenship that was meaningful, the direction that I had been seeking. I discovered how my own improbable story fit into the larger story of America.

It’s the same spirit of service I’ve seen across this country. I’ve met countless people of all ages and walks of life who want nothing more than to do their part. I’ve seen a rising generation of young people work and volunteer and turn out in record numbers. They’re a generation that came of age amidst the horrors of 9/11 and Katrina, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an economic crisis without precedent. And yet, despite all this -- or more likely because of it -- they’ve become a generation of activists possessed with that most American of ideas, that people who love their country can change it.

... What this legislation does, then, is to help harness this patriotism and connect deeds to needs. It creates opportunities to serve for students, seniors, and everyone in between. It supports innovation and strengthens the nonprofit sector. And it is just the beginning of a sustained, collaborative and focused effort to involve our greatest resource -- our citizens -- in the work of remaking this nation.

Today also marked the launch of Serve.gov, a new online portal designed to help people find ways in which they can serve in their own communities, based on their interests and abilities. In his speech, President Obama called on all Americans to make their own personal commitment to service over the next week:

A week from tomorrow marks the 100th day of my administration. In those next eight days, I ask every American to make an enduring commitment to serving your community and your country in whatever way you can. Visit WhiteHouse.gov to share your stories of service and success. And together, we will measure our progress not just in number of hours served or volunteers mobilized – but in the impact our efforts have on the life of this nation.

Read the President's full remarks ...

Read The Full Article:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamaforamerica/gGxW4m

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Today's meetup rescheduled for Thursday, 4/23

Today's normal monthly meetup has been moved to Thursday.

The new Texas Director of OFA will be in Austin on Thursday at 6:00pm. His name is Luke Hayes, and this is pat of his OFA Listening Tour.

Hang out with fellow Democrats and learn about the future plans for Obama organizing in Texas.


Read The Full Article:
http://blog.texansforobama.com/diary/1429/todays-meetup-rescheduled-for-thursday-
423

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Obama open to torture memos proble

In a welcome development, President Barack Obama on Tuesday said lawyers who authorized illegal interrogation of terror suspects may be prosecuted.

Obama had suggested last week that the nation might need to move on in reference to the CIA interrogation methods, but on Tuesday he said it was up to the attorney general to determine whether or not prosecution is warranted.

"I think there are a host of very complicated issues involved here," Obama said. "As a general deal, I think that we should be looking forward and not backwards. I do worry about this getting so politicized that we cannot function effectively, and it hampers our ability to carry out national security operations."

guardian.co.uk

Obama open to torture memos probe, prosecution

The Associated Press - ?14 minutes ago? WASHINGTON (AP) - Widening an explosive debate on torture, President Barack Obama on Tuesday opened the possibility of prosecution for Bush-era lawyers who authorized brutal interrogation of terror suspects and suggested Congress might order a full ... Comment by Brad Olson, Ph.D.Research Professor, Northwestern University Obama doesn't rule out charges over interrogations Reuters

Paul Kekai Manansala is a freelance author and blogger from Sacramento, California.

 

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ObamaBlog/~3/y4QSSX1kH5Q/obama-open-to-torture-mem
os-proble.html

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