2008 Denver Black Arts Festival - “A Vivid View”

July 11-13, 2008 Denver City Park

Parade: starts at 11am.Assembly: at 23rd and York, City Park, at 10 AM.

EVENT DESCRIPTION: The Denver Black Arts Festival 22nd Annual Celebration Parade.  

Dance for Barack Obama at "VIBE" THE BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL PARADE

Do the Cupid Shuffle with Campaign Staff and Volunteers,Learn the shuffle on July 7 or 8 at 999 Bannock St. office, Denver, at 6PM or March alongside the dancers with the Obama Banner

A community awaits our support and celebration as we gather together with harmonies of sound, color, and a living history to proclaim the power and joy of our movement for change. Let's assemble as many volunteers as possible to walk our walk with the promise of Barack, blending our heritages and our hopes with the floats and bands, drum and drill teams, students and leaders, assembled to honor African contributions and traditions. Let's show all that we can boogaloo too, and march with Obama gear and Obama che ers! .... Yes We Can! .... Obama '08!  

More info at http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/44hlf

SGT Jennifer M. Hartman, 21, of New Ringgold, Pa., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept. 14, 2006 of injuries suffered when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated in the vicinity of a West Baghdad Substation where she was located. Hartman was assigned to the 4th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

SGT Jeremy E. DePottey, 26, of Ironwood, Mich., died on Sept. 11, 2006 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered in a single vehicle accident. DePottey was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

SPC Matthew E. Schneider, 23, of Gorham, N.H., died on Aug. 28, 2006 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, from a non-combat related cause. Schneider was assigned to the 141st Signal Battalion, 1st Armored Division, Wiesbaden, Germany.

CPT Jason M. West, 28, of Pittsburg, Pa., died on July 24, 2006 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when he encountered enemy forces using small arms fire. West was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.

SGT Roger Pena, 29, of San Antonio died in Musa Qulah, Afghanistan, on June 14, 2006 when his convoy came under enemy small arms fire during combat operations. Pena was assigned to the 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

PFC Stephen Snowberger, 18, of Lopez, Pa., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 11, 2006 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat patrol operations. Snowberger was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

SPC Ronald W. Gebur, 23, of Delavan, Ill., died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 13, 2006 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Gebur was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

  Sgt. Aron C. Blum, 22, of Tucson, Ariz., died Dec. 28 at Naval Medical Center, San Diego, Calif., of a non-hostile cause after being evacuated from Al Anbar province, Iraq, on Dec. 8. Blum was assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.

CPT Shawn L. English, 35, of Westerville, Ohio, died Dec. 3, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations.He was assigned to the 577th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

LCpl Mike Scholl, 21, of Lincoln, Neb., died Nov. 14, 2006 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

LCpl Nicholas J. Manoukian, 22, of Lathrup Village, Mich., died Oct. 21, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Menoukian was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Cpl David M. Unger, 21, of Leavenworth, Kan., died Oct. 18, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Unger was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Haupt, 24, of Phoenix, Ariz., died Oct. 17, 2006 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Haupt was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

MSG Robb G. Needham, 51, of Vancouver, Wash., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept.20, 2006 of injuries suffered when his patrol came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations. Needham was assigned to the Army Reserve's 1st Battalion, 356th Regiment (Logistical Support), 4th Brigade, 91st Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

  SSG Christopher N. Hamlin, 24, of London, Ky., died May 4 in Baghdad, Iraq. He died of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Sgt. Wayne R. Cornell, 26, of Holstein, Neb., died Mar. 20 in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.

Staff Sgt. William J. Beardsley, 25, of Coon Rapids, Minn., died Feb. 26 in Diwaniyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Beardsley was assigned to the 260th Quartermaster Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Troop Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Pfc. Justin T. Paton, 24, of Alanson, Mich., died Feb. 17 in Taramia, Iraq, when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. Paton was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Maj. Michael L. Mundell, 47, of Brandenburg, Ky., died Jan. 5 in Fallujah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Mundell was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 108th Division (Institutional Training), Spartanburg, S.C.

SGT Thomas E. Vandling, 26, of Pittsburgh, Pa., died Jan. 1, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on combat patrol. Vandling was assigned to the 303rd Psychological Operations Company, Oakdale, Pa., a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.

  Sgt. Ronald L. Coffelt, 36, of Fair Oaks, Calif., died July 19 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 503rd Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Master Sgt. Randy J. Gillespie, 44, of Coaldale, Colo., died July 9, in Herat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered during small arms fire outside of Camp Stone. He was assigned to the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

Lance Cpl. Juan M. Garcia Schill, 20, of Grants Pass, Ore., died July 2 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Staff Sgt. Michael L. Ruoff Jr., 31, of Yosemite, Calif. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. He died July 1 in Ta'meem, Iraq, of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire.

Pfc. Justin A. Verdeja, 20, of La Puente, Calif., died June 5 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by insurgents using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Spc. Alexandre A. Alexeev, 23, of Wilmington, Calif., died May 28 in Abu Sayda, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Lance Cpl. Jeffrey D. Walker, 21, of Macon, Ga., died May 14 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

US soldiers in Iraq mark Fourth of July with focus on work, thoughts of home

MAYA ALLERUZZO
AP News

Jul 04, 2008 12:25 EST

It's Staff Sgt. Edgar Covarrubias' second Fourth of July in Iraq. No family barbecue, no fireworks, but Covarrubias says he'll call his mom, wife and kids to share the day anyway.

Across Iraq, America's Independence Day was a normal work day for most U.S. troops. But the military threw in a taste of home at larger bases with ribs, corn on the cob and red, white and blue cake.

The holiday is even leaner at smaller outposts closer to the violence, where it comes with a can of meat, some cookies and a job not yet done.

"We are not going to stop our operations to celebrate the Fourth of July," said Sgt. Mark Johnson, 26, at a small joint U.S.-Iraqi outpost in the city of Iskandariyah, some 30 miles south of Baghdad.

"Nothing special is planned for today and that's OK because we didn't expect anything," added the 3rd Infantry Division soldier from Waterport, N.Y.

He heads home later this month on his mid-tour break to be with his girlfriend when she gives birth to their first child.

At least things were quiet Friday at the outpost, giving the men who weren't on duty time to watch movies on their laptops and instant message with friends back home.

  Cpl. Joshua C. Blaney, 25, of Matthews, N.C., died Dec. 12 at Forward Operating Base Curry, Afghanistan. He died in Afghanistan from wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy.

Spc. Hugo V. Mendoza, 29, of Glendale, Ariz died of wounds sustained when he came in contact with enemy forces using RPG, machine gun and small arms fire during combat operations on Oct 25, in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.

Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Blaskowski, 27, of Levering, Mich., died Sept. 23 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.

Spc. Thomas L. Hilbert, 20, of Venus, Texas, died Sept. 7 in Mosul, Iraq, from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations Sept. 6 in Mosul, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Regiment, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Maj. Henry S. Ofeciar, 37, of Agana, Guam, died Aug. 27 at Forward Operating Base Naray, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit during combat operations in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Sgt. Stephen R. Maddies, 41, of Elizabethton, Tenn., died July 31 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 473rd Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar Platoon, Tennessee Army National Guard, Columbia, Tenn.

Pfc. Juan S. Restrepo, 20, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., died July 22 in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.

On Friday, our country will celebrate July Fourth, or Independence Day.

So fred started thinking about patriotism and what that means. What can kids do to be good citizens, year-round?

Fred decided to chat with a local expert about this: Alison Mansfield, 13.

You might have heard about Alison, who will be an eighth-grader at Summit Middle School this fall. She started a project called “Operation Socks for Our Troops” last year – she collected more than 5,000 pairs of socks and sent them to soldiers in Afghanistan.

“These small things we take for granted … can help. It’s really good for them to know they’re appreciated. They’re protecting our freedom every day,” she says.

She’s doing it again this year, and she needs your help. She’ll have a booth at the Allen County 4-H Fair, if you want to drop off warm socks in adult sizes. She’s also collecting letters, snacks and personal care products, like toothbrushes and soap. She’ll send the items to troops she finds on www.anysoldier.com.

The project involves a lot of time and organization, but Alison plans to keep it going for as long as it’s needed.

“As long as people are willing to donate supplies, I’m willing to take them,” she says. Right now, she organizes the project on her own, with some help from her parents. Maybe someday she’ll turn it into a non-profit organization.

She also plays volleyball and is a member of 4-H. Alison was a semi-finalist for Build-a-Bear’s “Huggable Heroes” contest. And she placed third in the 2007-08 Patriot’s Pen essay contest in which she compared herself to Paul Revere, because “he delivered important supplies to the military and supported them.”

If you want to start your own project to help others, Alison has some advice: Find a cause you really like and follow through. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from others, even by asking for donations of supplies or money. Start small; one letter can go a long way.

“Every little bit can help,” Alison says.

sscarlett@jg.net

Laura J. Gardner | The Journal Gazette

Alison Mansfield sent more than 5,000 pairs of socks to soldiers in Afghanistan.

Here are just a few that have given their life in War.

  Spc. Ryan J. Connolly, 24, of Vacaville, Calif., died June 24 in Khogyani, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck a suspected landmine. He was assigned to the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany.

Staff Sgt. Christopher D. Strickland, 25, of Labelle, Fla. died June 25, while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Staff Sgt. Chad A. Caldwell, 24, of Spokane, Wash., died April 30 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained while conducting dismounted combat operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.

Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C., died Feb. 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat related cause. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The circumstances are under investigation.

Staff Sgt. Jerald A. Whisenhunt, 32, of Orrick, Mo., died Feb. 8 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Sgt. Reno S. Lacerna, 44, of Waipahu, Hawaii, died Dec. 31, 2007 in Al Qayyarah, Iraq, of a non-combat related illness. He was assigned to the 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Sgt. Peter C. Neesley, 28, of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., died Dec. 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, of an undetermined cause in a non-combat environment. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

I am in USA Today's site on their Candidate Match Game II of course played the game. While reading where both Obama and McCain stand on appointing Supreme Court Judges I was reminded again that Obama is a Constitutional Lawyer and Professor and it made me wonder again why he says he opposes same sex marriage. Especially after reading Hollywoods pm to Jack that he posted for all to read during the GLBT Forum last night. 

This is what just hit me...what if Obama knowing the Constitution as he does is pandering to those on the right on this issue all the while knowing the "right" Supreme Court Judges would rule against all these new bans? That they are all unconstitutional and it is a matter of church and state.

Something to think about. 

Barack Obama’s dad was such an important but absent figure in his life that he devoted his first book, “Dreams From My Father,” to the search for details about his father’s life and how the quest helped forge a son’s identity.

Now, a long-forgotten essay written 43 years ago by Obama’s father has surfaced, and its contents reveal much — not only about the senior Obama’s grasp of economic theory but also about the iconoclastic politics that, his son would later write, sent him into the spiral of career disappointment that concluded with his death in 1982 in his native Kenya.

Parts of the article, titled “Problems Facing Our Socialism,” have been making the rounds on several small blogs over the past week, but Politico.com is now, for the first time, reproducing the entire piece in its original form.

The scholarly eight-page paper, credited to “Barak H. Obama,” is never mentioned in “Dreams From My Father,” nor has the candidate discussed it in any of his many public speeches. (Politico brought the article to his campaign’s attention late last week, but aides did not respond to a request for comment from Obama.)

The paper’s substance, though, offers insight into the mind and the political trajectory of a man described by his son largely through his emotional life, his family and his traditions.

Published in the esoteric East Africa Journal in 1965, the year after Kenyan President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta took power and the country declared independence from British rule, the paper takes a gently mocking tone to the Kenyatta government’s key, controversial statement of economic policy, titled “African Socialism and Its Applicability to Planning in Kenya.”

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign apologized Wednesday for asking Muslim women not to stand or sit behind the candidate at a rally in Detroit this week out of concerns about the appearance of traditional Muslim dress in published and broadcast visuals of the events.

The incident is one of a series involving the use of Islam as a symbol throughout the presidential campaign, and Obama has been dogged by false assertions that he is Muslim.

"This is of course not the policy of the campaign," spokesman Bill Burton said. "It is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run. We sincerely apologize for the behavior of these volunteers." Obama's campaign also pointed to a number of published and broadcast images that include women in hijab, a traditional Muslim head scarf intended to signify and promote modesty, as part of the faith.

But, Sharif Aref of Bloomfield Township, a law student at the University of Detroit-Mercy, said the incident occurred when he and friends attending the rally Monday night at Joe Louis Arena were invited to stand behind Obama on the stage

"We said OK, but that we had to bring my sister with us," Aref said. "But, when we told the woman that my sister had a head scarf, she was immediately denied and we were told she was not allowed to come sit there."

About an hour before the event, Aref said, a friend, Shimaa Abdelfadeel, who works at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in an office that encourages diversity, called from outside Joe Louis Arena to say she also was approached by an Obama volunteer and told she could stand behind the candidate, but only if she removed her scarf.

Abdelfadeel's experience was reported Wednesday morning on Politico.com.

"I was saddened," Aref said. "I just thought it was a very unfortunate event to take place at an Obama rally, of all places. Obama is sitting there and teaching new politics and change and saying he is going to gather people of every faith and race and ethnicity, and going to bring us all together as one, and at the same time, you have discrimination tactics against Muslims taking place at the same event."

But, Aref said he, his sister and those involved in the incident, remain supporters of Obama and intend to vote for him.

"We just want to make it clear, we still support Obama," Aref said. "We don't have any negative agenda other than we just want to get the story out because it is an important issue to acknowledge.

"I highly doubt that Obama was aware of what was going on, and I think he just needs to know what goes on at his rallies so he can correct it."

Aref said he and the others involved had been contacted by "right wing groups, including Sean Hannity and the Fox News network," and they had decided not to cooperate with them.

"We don't want this to be used by anyone with a far-right or far-left agenda," Aref said.

Thank you for your donation

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:18 pm

This week the Senate Republicans stopped a Democratic proposal that would have hit the big oil companies with a windfall profits tax and taken away billions of dollars in tax breaks.  Their reasoning was it would punish Big Oil, making them angry and causing them to increase gas prices.  The energy package would have imposed a 25% tax on any “unreasonable” profits of the five largest U.S. oil companies and rescind 17 Billion Dollars in tax breaks. Together they made 36 Billion Dollars during January, February and March of 2008.

Republican Bob Schaffer, a former Colorado U.S. Congressman who helped give many of those tax breaks to Big Oil is now running for the retiring U.S. Senator Wayne Allard’s Senate seat.  In fact, Bob Schaffer has now taken over $190,000 from Big Oil and gas companies just for this election to help him gain that seat. This is the third of the Bob “Big Oil” Schaffer series.

Even if you don’t read the article, watch these three very short and to the point you tubes on Big Oil Bob Schaffer and Big Oil Bob and one more Why Spoil Beauty?

Denver: With Vice-President Dick Cheney due to arrive in Colorado tomorrow for a fundraiser for Bob Schaffer, ProgressNowAction launched a multimedia campaign to raise public awareness of Schaffer's personal ties to big oil and war profiteering. The group called on Schaffer to immediately disclose how much he and his oil company are making from an oil contract Schaffer lobbied for in Iraq.