Romney Defends Accusations of Tolerance

Mitt Romney Defends Himself Against Allegations Of Tolerance

mitt and the objectifying of humans beings ;)

mitt has been accused of many things.  i think it would suck to be a politician because people feel like they can just say whatever they want about you.  one becomes the scapegoat for many other's ire.  s/he start to represent what others hate in their parents or grandparents and 'what is wrong with society today'.  there are lots of things that could be fun about politics, but its the transference that would suck the most.

in part because you know that people are going to see your true self too.

i'm dedicating this song to you brother romney:

when you become a public figure you are opening up all of your wounds to the world ... these days.  so every weakness you have will be known to the entire world, should you ever have a momentary lapse of reason ... kaputz.  so, public figures really are doing their best to keep themselves prudent and patient and kind.  what you are seeing in public is the best shadow or version of the wo/man.  if you are in that kind of light for too long eventually we actually do kinda know you.  we know your real strengths and real weaknesses.

this is what it seems like i know about mitt ... and this is why i not only won't vote for him, but i feel like my church cannot withstand having both of us claiming to be members.  one worships ayn rand and one worships Christ.  you be the judge.  i don't know that mitt has been out about actually being a mormon.  has anyone asked mitt if he is a mormon?  

i don't think mitt actually believes in mormon doctrine. i would love to hear mitt bear his testimony.  does he attend church on sundays?  does he campaign on sundays?   does his staff work on sunday?  

here is what i know about mitt and why i wonder if we really believe in the same doctrine:

• he denies the human capacity for altruism

• he sees life as wholely linear.  it begins. it ends. its finished.  this life is not important. 

• he is a nihilist

• for romney the purpose of life is to get as much money and power as we can and then when we die we can leave money and power to our children 

• to romney wealth is evidence of work and goodness -- poverty is evidence of weakness, laziness, and sinfulness

• women are for having babies with and are considered pregnant 2 weeks prior to conception

• contraception is a terrifying scorge
. 

• to mitt the perfect form of human is a robot without feelings -- he tries, you can tell.  he really wants to feel something, but he really just can't (emotional constipation); and yet something tells him not to feel.  seems like he is trying so hard to please everyone that he has no idea who he is or what he believes.  

• humans are of no value -- to mitt human beings are sometimes invisible inconsequential collateral that have to be paid periodically to keep them from getting too restless.  sometimes you just have to fire or kill the ones that you don't like.  ESPECIALLY if they aren't american.  if you are born in another country, you better watch your back because in Mitt Romney's america we can conceal a weapon, pull you over under a citizen's arrest to question your immigration status.  if you don't look right or you aren't at the right place at the right time, i might have to kill you ... sometimes you just have to stand your ground, right mitt?  and when people start going from one place to another without permission, you have to wonder ... why aren't you white?  only white people who are rich can do that???!!! right?  
 

• he has impotency issues --  i'm pretty sure that the reason mitt and bill o'reily think you have to take a "contraception pill" each time you want to take pleasure is because they don't know how or can't it take pleasure without a pill. -- probably one of the sadder revelations into the personal lives of 2 of the GOP favorite dudes.  i hope some sex therapist out there sends both of them some books.

• only heterosexual romantic love really matters -- even though he was a missionary teaching people the Word for 2.5 years in paris, when he talks about his service he says the best time of his life in france was with his wife.  how many missionaries feel this way?  i've known missionaries from every faith you can imagine, all of them understand the sacredness of the love one can feel for a community.  did you miss how powerful it is to love an entire community?  
 any true missionary, from any faith or purpose, knows that there is something sacred and special about that time as a missionary.  the singleness in mission and focus.  the camaraderie -- its like being the military.  in fact, we sang songs that were pretty Sousa style.  missionaries from every church, and volunteers around the world can testify that there is a power of love that comes from being in the service of your fellow beings that is a wee bit transcendent.  not that romantic love isn't also amazing, but to demean the love of service and the love of God that way only means you don't understand it.  

• mitt believes that religious proselyting is community service.  if you exclude ecclesiasitcal work, mitt has done no service.  if you look at his charitable giving, it is primarily to his proselyting buddies ...

• he does love america tho
: especially the water, the lands, the cars, the michigan ...

this isn't exhaustive, but most obvious.

so ... maybe this is the problem.  this is how this poor fellow is perceived. i'm sure it isn't all true, it just seems like this is what we know ... maybe, depeche mode,  people hate people because we start to focus on what is different about us rather than what we have in common.

instead of building on common beliefs, we tear each other down like crabs in a bucket.  we don't have to do it like this.  mitt probably has some interesting economic ideas ... heaven knows tim geithner could use some help!

could this stay about the issues or is this going to get pushed into the world of mud like crazy?  remember peeps, "rolling around in the muck was never the best way of getting clean."  

Athenas On Air talk Women's Health

Newt Fights for Medical Marijuana

Here’s what Newt Gingrich wrote to the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1982:

Legal Status of Marijuana

To the Editor:

The American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs should be commended for its report, “Marijuana: Its Health Hazards and Therapeutic Potential” (1981;246:1823). Not only does the report outline evidence of marijuana’s potential harms, but it distinguishes this concern from the legitimate issue of marijuana’s important medical benefits. All too often the hysteria that attends public debate over marijuana’s social abuse compromises a clear appreciation for this critical distinction

Since 1978, 32 states have abandoned the federal prohibition to recognize legislatively marijuana’s important medical properties. Federal law, however, continues to define marijuana as a drug “with no accepted medical use,” and federal agencies continue to prohibit physician-patient access to marijuana. This outdated federal prohibition is corrupting the intent of the state laws and depriving thousands of glaucoma and cancer patients of the medical care promised them by their state legislatures.

On Sept 16, 1981, Representative Stewart McKinney and I introduced legislation designed to end bureaucratic interference in the use of marijuana as a medicant. We believe licensed physicians are competent to employ marijuana, and patients have a right to obtain marijuana legally, under medical supervision, from a regulated source. The medical prohibition does not prevent seriously ill patients from employing marijuana; it simply deprives them of medical supervision and access to a regulated medical substance. Physicians are often forced to choose between their ethical responsibilities to the patient and their legal liabilities to federal bureaucrats.

Representative McKinney and I hope the Council will take a close and careful look at this issue. Federal policies do not reflect a factual or balanced assessment of marijuana’s use as a medicant. The Council, by thoroughly investigating the available materials, might well discover that its own assessment of marijuana’s therapeutic value has, in the past, been more than slightly shaded by federal policies that are less than neutral

Newt Gingrich
House of Representatives
Washington, DC

Letter from Georgetown Profs to Congressman Paul Ryan

for more see: Catholic leaders skewer Paul Ryan budget plan http://bbc.in/JBCKSK

Dear Rep. Paul Ryan,

Welcome to Georgetown University. We appreciate your willingness to talk about how Catholic social teaching can help inform effective policy in dealing with the urgent challenges facing our country. As members of an academic community at a Catholic university, we see your visit on April 26 for the Whittington Lecture as an opportunity to discuss Catholic social teaching and its role in public policy.

However, we would be remiss in our duty to you and our students if we did not challenge your continuing misuse of Catholic teaching to defend a budget plan that decimates food programs for struggling families, radically weakens protections for the elderly and sick, and gives more tax breaks to the wealthiest few. As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has wisely noted in several letters to Congress – “a just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons.” Catholic bishops recently wrote that “the House-passed budget resolution fails to meet these moral criteria.”

In short, your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her call to selfishness and her antagonism toward religion are antithetical to the Gospel values of compassion and love.

Cuts to anti-hunger programs have devastating consequences. Last year, one in six Americans lived below the official poverty level and over 46 million Americans – almost half of them children – used food stamps for basic nutrition. We also know how cuts in Pell Grants will make it difficult for low-income students to pursue their educations at colleges across the nation, including Georgetown. At a time when charities are strained to the breaking point and local governments have a hard time paying for essential services, the federal government must not walk away from the most vulnerable.

While you often appeal to Catholic teaching on “subsidiarity” as a rationale for gutting government programs, you are profoundly misreading Church teaching. Subsidiarity is not a free pass to dismantle government programs and abandon the poor to their own devices. This often misused Catholic principle cuts both ways. It calls for solutions to be enacted as close to the level of local communities as possible. But it also demands that higher levels of government provide help -- “subsidium”-- when communities and local governments face problems beyond their means to address such as economic crises, high unemployment, endemic poverty and hunger. According to Pope Benedict XVI: "Subsidiarity must remain closely linked to the principle of solidarity and vice versa.”

Along with this letter, we have included a copy of the Vatican's Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, commissioned by John Paul II, to help deepen your understanding of Catholic social teaching.

Respectfully,

Thomas J. Reese, S.J.

Senior Fellow

Woodstock Theological Center

Maurice Jackson

Associate Professor of History and African American Studies

Department of History

Angelyn Mitchell, PhD

Associate Professor of English and African American Studies

Department of English

Dolores R. Leckey

Senior Research Fellow

Woodstock Theological Center

Raymond B. Kemp

Senior Fellow

Woodstock Theological Center

Thomas Michel, S.J., Ph.D.

Senior Fellow

Woodstock Theological Center

Rita M. Rodriguez, MBA, PhD

Senior Fellow

Woodstock Theological Center

Hope LeGro

Director, Georgetown Languages

Georgetown University Press

Jackie Beilhart

Publicist

Georgetown University Press

John Langan, S.J.

Professor of Philosophy and Catholic Social Thought

Georgetown University

John F Haught, PhD

Senior Fellow

Woodstock Theological Center

Karen Stohr, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Philosophy, Senior Research Scholar, Kennedy Institute of Ethics

Department of Philosophy

Ilia Delio, OSF

Senior Fellow

Woodstock Theological Center

Joseph Schad, Mdiv

Chaplain, Mission and Pastoral Care

Georgetown University Hospital

J. Leon Hooper, S.J.

Director, Woodstock Library

Woodstock Theological Center Library

Joseph A. McCartin

Associate Professor of History; Director, Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor

Department of History

E. Hazel Denton, PhD

Adjunct Professor

School of Nursing and Health Studies

James Walsh, SJ, Phd

Associate Professor

Department of Theology

Scott Taylor

Associate Professor

School of Foreign Service

Sarah C Stiles, PhD, JD

Professor

Department of Sociology

Katherine Marshall, MPA

Visiting Assistant Professor

Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs

William C. McFadden, S.J.

Associate Professor of Theology

Georgetown University

Alan C. Mitchell, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins

Georgetown University

Rev. Dr. Joseph Palacios

Adjunct Professor of Latin American Studies

Center for Latin American Studies

Julia A Lamm

Associate Professor of Theology

Theology Department

Peter C. Phan, Ph.D., D.D.

Professor of Catholic Social Thought

Georgetown University

William Rehg, SJ, PhD, MDiv, PhL, MA

Professor of Philosophy

Saint Louis University (visiting, Georgetown University)

Diana L. Hayes, JD, PhD, STD

Professor Emerita of Systematic Theology

Georgetown University

Edward Vacek, S.J.

Visiting Scholar

Woodstock Theological Center

Anthony Tambasco, PhD

Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Ethics

Theology Department

Mark Lance, PhD

Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Justice and Peace

Georgetown University

Robert J. Bies, PhD, MBA

Professor of Management

McDonough School of Management

Benjamin Bogin, PhD

Assistant Professor

Theology Department

John W. O'Malley, S.J., PhD

University Professor

Theology Department

Lauve H. Steenhuisen, PhD

Visiting Assistant Professor

Theology Department

Linda Ferneyhough

Theology Dept. Administrator

Theology Department

Marilyn McMorrow

Visiting Assistant Professor International Relations and Political Theory

School of Foreign Service

Matthew Carnes, S.J., PhD

Assistant Professor of Government

Georgetown University

Diana Owen, PhD

Associate Professor

CCT/American Studies

Friederike Eigler (Ph.D.)

Professor of German

Georgetown University College

Ricardo L. Ortiz, PhD

Associate Professor of English

Department of English

David J. Collins, S.J., S.T.L., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of History

Georgetown University

Peter C. Pfeiffer, PhD

Professor

German Department

Julie Finnegan Stoner

Publishing Assistant

Georgetown University Press

Mary Helen Dupree

Assistant Professor of German

Georgetown University

Lan Ngo, S.J., M.A., MDiv.

Graduate Student

Department of History

Francis J. Ambrosio PhD

Associate Professor of Philosohy

Philosophy Department

Joseph H. Neale, Ph.D.

Paduano Distinguished Professor of Biology

Georgetown University College

Elizabeth Velez

Academic Director, Community Scholars

Professorial Lecturer, English Women's and Gender Studies

Georgetown University College

Astrid Weigert

Assistant Professor of German

Department of German

John Rakestraw, PhD

Instructor of Theology

Center for New Designs in Learning & Scholarship

Susan F. Martin, PhD

Donald G. Herzberg Associate Professor of International Migration

School of Foreign Service

Eli S. McCarthy PhD

Adjunct Professor of Justice and Peace Studies

Center for Social Justice

Veronica Salles Reese

Associate Professor

Spanish Department

Francisca Cho, PhD

Professor of Buddhist Studies

Theology Department

Marcia Chatelain

Assistant Professor of History

Georgetown University

Heidi Byrnes, PhD

George M. Roth Distinguished Professor of German

German Department

Steven R. Sabat, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

College of Arts and Sciences

Marianne Lyons

Assistant Dean

School of Nursing & Health Studies

Ladan Eshkevari, PhD, CRNA

Assistant Professor

Georgetown University

John Kraemer, JD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Health Systems Administration

School of Nursing & Health Studies

Jose R Teruel, MD, MPH

Professor of International Health

School of Nursing and Health Studies

Elizabeth H. Andretta, Ph.D.

Visiting Associate Professsor

Georgetown University in Qatar

Jo Anne P Davis, PhD

Assistant Professor, Nursing

School of Nursing & Health Studies

Irene Anne Jillson, PhD

Assistant Professor

School of Nursing and Health Studies

Jeanne A. Matthews, PhD, RN

Chair and Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing

School of Nursing and Health Studies

Justin M. Owen, BSc(Eng)

Director of Medical Technologies

School of Nursing & Health Studies

Laura Anderko PhD RN

Scanlon Endowed Chair in Values Based Health Care

School of Nursing & Health Studies

Michael A. Stoto, PhD

Professor of Health Systems Administration and Population Health

School of Nursing & Health Studies and Pubic Policy Institute

Ronald Leow, Ph.D.

Professor of Applied Linguistics

Georgetown University

Rosemary Sokas, MD, MOH

Professor of Human Science

School of Nursing and Health Studies

Carol Taylor, PhD, RN

Professor of Nursing

School of Nursing and Health Studies

Robert J. Barnet MD, MA

Adjunct Professor of Medicine

School of Medicine

Leona M Fisher, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of English

Department of English

Jane Fitz-Simons MS,RN

Adjunct Faculty Nursing

Georgetown University

Mary Jane Mastorovich, MS

Asst. Professor, Health Systems Administration

Georgetown University

Edilma Yearwood, PhD, RN

Associate Professor of Nursing

School of Nursing & Health Studies

Wilfried Ver Eecke

Professor in Philosophy

Department of Philosophy

Sylvia E. Mullins, M.A.R in Theology

Graduate Student

Department of History

Terry Pinkard, PhD

University Professor

Department of Philosophy

Bryce Huebner, PhD

Assistant Professor of Philosophy

Georgetown University

Judith Baigis, PhD, RN, FAAN

Professor Emerita

School of Nursing & Health Studies

Patricia Mullahy Fugere

Adjunct Professor, JD Program

AB '81; JD '84; E.D., Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless

Henry Schwarz, PhD

Professor of English

Georgetown University

Judith Lichtenberg, PhD

Professor of Philosophy

Georgetown University

Joseph A. Chalmers, PhD

Retired Dean

Georgetown University

E. J. Dionne, Jr., D.Phil.

University Professor

Georgetown Public Policy Institute

Marlene Canlas, MA, MPH

Assistant Dean

Georgetown University

EMS: the British Church take on the American Church

tolstoy called mormonism the "american church".  by which, we believe he meant it is the american orthodoxy of ancient christianity, thus a sister to the roman catholic church the same way the russian orthodox church is.

remember, brits don't believe in the separation of church and state, supposedly.  only the real truth is, the queen of england is not the head of state any more than she is the head of the anglican church.  it is just that through her the biggest decisions have to be run, which means she becomes the balance between church and state.  england has a church and state check and balance in addition to all the american checks and balances.

so, here is how the british broadcasting company under the rule of her majesty the queen of england feels about mormonism:

EMS: Earth Day

the mormon theology on the planet?  ever wondered?   the quote below is the seventh lesson from the nursery manual (children 18 months - 2 years old).  it is the first lesson a child in the mormon church will hear about the planet earth in church.

Working under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ created the beautiful world we live in (see Moses 2:1). The purpose of the creation of the earth was to give us a place where we could be tested and gain experiences in order to become more like our Heavenly Father (see Abraham 3:24–25). The wonderful beauties of the earth bear witness of the power and great love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (see Moses 6:63).

in the LDS scriptures in the Topical Guide, you will find entries for:

• Renewal of Earth: "desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose"
• Destiny of Earth: his seed, the meek, shall inherit it
• Purpose of Earth: replenish, subdue, "be as gods"; "knowing good and evil"; "that ye may be partakers of the divine nature"

during the first general conference of the new millennium elder nelson said:  

Grand as it is, planet Earth is part of something even grander—that great plan of God. Simply summarized, the earth was created that families might be.

i'm not sure about the goal being only families, since we are taught that "men are that they might have joy" :) ... but i do believe that we are all a part of something much greater than us as individuals, and yet at the same time i believe that the worth of one individual soul is infinite.

i've known my whole life what joseph wrote in the doctrine & covenants: “The earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I (the Lord) prepared all things.” (D&C 104:17)

to me, this means as a true disciple of Christ one would need to be sure to do all one can to help the earth and make it possible for all of the souls here on the planet to "have joy" and inherit their divine right.

i'm guessing, that is part of the reason we were told to only eat meat sparingly and only during times of winter, war, or famine.  so this earth day, lets try to follow the word of wisdom more fully by giving up meat for one day a week.  meatless mondays anyone?

if you have little ones, this is a fun and free coloring book about earth day

here is a documentary called Meat the Truth

the spaces between

i've been hoping mormons would stand up and show who they really are.

we are not mitt romney!

we believe that only people are people.  that people have infinite worth.  worth more than money and power for sure.  corporations, including our own vertical vatican, are abstractions of man. designed to remind us of the order of God ... in mysterious ways. (or maybe just keep power ... i'm not sure.)

a few mormon friends have started making videos expressing their take on the state of our country.

we want this election to be about real issues.  ending the wars; protecting children; helping restore the country to its greatness; getting healthy and happy; etc.

some do it to steer the election away from "faith flavor of the month" and focus it on defining America's valus.

others really want to end the painful mormon bashing.  personally, i'd love the national bullying-fest against mormons to stop.

here are some real mormons speaking on the "Far Between" campaign.  i'm not totally sure where the campaigns name comes from.  my take on it come from professor sullivan taught that we "are in relationship to".  basically:

• i smell good, when i smell better than you and everyone around me.  
• i'm slow,  when i run with people faster than me 
• i'm dumb, when i hang out with people smarter than me.  

since human conflict is mostly about gaps of understanding between people, i'm happy they started from a wide chasm.  enjoy ... more to come, i hope :)

Pay off your student loans while serving communities in need.

If you are a health professional and would like financial assistance during these rough times, the National Health Service Corps has scholarships and loan repayment options for  Americans willing to work in undeserved neighborhoods.  The NHSC Loan Repayment Program (LRP) offers primary care medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health providers the opportunity to have their student loans repaid for serving communities in need.The NHSC Scholarship Program (SP) awards scholarships each year to students pursuing careers in primary care. In return, students commit to serving for two to four years, upon graduation and completion of training.

Veterans History Project

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in partnership with the Library of Congress (LOC), is proud to present the Veterans History Project (VHP).  This LOC Project was created by the United States Congress to give veterans the opportunity to share their experiences.

American war veterans’ personal stories will be collected, preserved, and made accessible to the public so that present and future generations will have the opportunity to hear directly from veterans to better understand the realities of war.  HHS encourages all veterans to participate in the VHP so that their personal stories can be shared.

The Library of Congress created a VHP Field Kit to assist veterans with telling their story.  The Field Kit is available on the Library of Congress website.

happiness

a quick quip on happiness i learned last night

• if you want to be happy for an hour; take a nap
• if you want to be happy for a week; take a vacation
• if you want to be happy for a year; get married
• if you want to be happy for a lifetime; do yoga

AMEN!

also

come from the heart or don't come at all ...  sounds like the basic invitation of God throughout the eternities right?

Early Morning Seminary: Line upon Line

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have -- 2 Nephi 28

Whether understanding/feelings/impressions come from Holy Ghost or just my own crzy brain is tough to know.  Learning to use intuition as an epistemology is not easy.  It takes alot of spiritual practice.  You also have to be able to do the simple basics of being civil first.  You need to really know how to use logic, appeal to authority, obey, pray, meditate, read, listen, learn, before you can really know the difference between yourself and God.

sometimes i wonder if it is because you become less and less distinguishable.  i don't have to quote the bible when the words feel like they are my own do i?  only for emphasis?

Even on 9/11 Elder Bednar still spoke to the students of BYU, and this is one of the most important parts of his talk:

I will say, the process of discerning between our will and God’s will becomes less and less of a concern as time goes by and as we strive to rid ourselves of worldliness—and thereby cultivate the spirit of revelation in our lives. That is, as we mature spiritually, we begin to develop sound judgment, a refined and educated conscience, and a heart and mind filled with wisdom. We become ruled by love rather than fear when the love of God floods our hearts with safety and peace.  

It is not just that we have grown older, nor have we simply become smarter and had more experiences on which to draw, as important as those experiences are. Rather, the Holy Ghost has over time been expanding our intellect, forming our feelings, sharpening and elevating our perspective, such that we increasingly think and feel and act as the Lord would under similar circumstances. In short, we have made steady progress in obtaining “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). 

Salatti endorses Biddle

Dear Friends and Neighbors:
Many, many people have asked me who to vote for in the May 15^th Ward 5 Council special election.  As important as that election is (and I will announce my endorsement shortly), we another, just-as-important election this week.  I am talking about the April 3^rd primary for At-Large Councilmember.  Because we in Ward 5 know better than residents in any other ward the dire need of elected officials who are going to put you ahead of their own interests and those of the select few, I am asking you to join me in voting for Sekou Biddle for Councilmember At-Large on Tuesday. I am supporting Sekou for two basic reasons. 
First, I believe that he has the organization and the reach around the city to win this election.
Second, I know he will provide the leadership on the DC Council that we need.  I know Sekou will make rebuilding the public trust a priority through real ethics and campaign finance reform.  Sekou is also committed to bringing the focus back on to the pressing issues that affect our lives every day such as education, public safety, jobs and affordable housing. Sekou was recently endorsed by the Washington Post and the North West Current. I know from my service in the community how vital the issues of schools are to so many of our neighbors.  A lifelong education advocate, Sekou grew up in Columbia Heights and graduated from DC Public Schools.  After teaching in classrooms in New York and Atlanta, he came back home because he wants to ensure that all students in DC have the same opportunities he did when he graduated from Wilson Senior High School.  With over 18 years of public education experience, including eight years in the classroom, Sekou has clearly demonstrated his commitment to improving the lives of District students and their families. Sekou is committed to representing all residents, regardless of our ward or neighborhood as an at-large member should.  He has experience working across the District, both as the Director of Community Outreach for the KIPP DC Public Charter Schools and as a member of the State Board of Education.  I know his dedication to public service will benefit all of us as an At-Large Councilmember. There are many more reasons why Sekou should be our next At-Large Councilmember than I can fit in just one email. I encourage you to look at his campaign website www.sekoubiddle.org for more information about Sekou, his priorities, and his plans for ethics, education, jobs, public safety, affordable housing, and more.  I am happy to answer any additional questions about why I believe he should be the next councilmember.  He has been endorsed by the DC Chapter of the National Organization for Women and received the highest rating from the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC in the at-large council race. Please join me at the polls on April 3, 2012, to demand we do better than our current elected officials by voting for Sekou Biddle for Councilmember At-Large. At your service,John Salatti Together, Building a Better Bloomingdale (and Eckington)