Million CAN March

THE CHALLENGE: To collect one million cans of food for our nation's food banks, food pantries and shelters by July 4, 2009.

WHO: Progressive bloggers with a special invite to conservative bloggers.

HOW: Act locally. Here are some examples:

• Take a bag of food to a local pantry
• Organize a food drive where you work or play, your church or motorcycle club, etc.
• Organize some friendly competition amongst a group of blogs
• Challenge your Facebook & Myspace friends and your twitter followers
• There's no one right way to get involved. Look around you, see the need and do something about it.

WHAT: Nonperishable food items. Note: We've already had a cash donation to a relief agency reported (and I know this is a good way for some folks to participate) so if you report your cash donations we'll run a tally of those as well.

SPECIAL CHALLENGE TO OUR CONSERVATIVE READERS: Bring the drinks! Ask your readers to donate cannisters of premixed tea, lemonade, koolaid, etc. You could even set up collection barrels at your next tea party. After all, it wouldn't be a party without the drinks. And it'd probably give you a little better publicity this time...just saying. Now aren't you wishing you thought of this first?

Happy 200th Birthday, Mr. Lincoln

We Celebrate with Pride His Vision and Another NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

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Missed the Superbowl ?

as Big Games go, this one was good.

But the Crapauds loved the commercials.
Some that were truly funny--

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Let America Be America Again

The more things CHANGE.....

Let America Be America Again A POEM BY
LANGSTON HUGHES 1938

Enthrall

Lincoln said, "We must disenthrall ourselves,
and then we shall save our country."

Meaning, snap to, pay attention
Lest you lose your moment to act.

But of all the days of my life
This might be the one to enthrall.

To stand for an hour, transfixed, awed, engaged
By a movement to greatness.

Where we can feel the transcendence
Of the past toward the mature moment
Of finding in ourselves the capacity to create,
To make new, to be brilliant.

Today let us stop and consider
How we didn't stop growing,
How we thought and acted anew,
How we challenged ourselves,

And, unlead, WE lead
And found a way forward,
To bring a young man
To the Capitol steps
This electric and enthralling morning,
And seek in him a reflection
Of the greatness in us.

So, 71 years later, a new young man brings hope
to the capitol steps, and once again, we can be enthralled!

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Tribute to Brother Outsider Bayard Rustin

One of the most overlooked and shunned aside leaders of the modern Civil Rights era in the second half of the 20th Century was a gay man. Today Crapaud takes a break from caviling to pay tribute to Bayard Rustin. Here's a peek or two at his relevance for today's domestic human rights issues

Learn more Here

////// ERA OF RESPONSIBILITY \\\\\\ The Agenda

Click HERE to go to White House.gov to view THE AGENDA
It'll blow you away.

See particularly LGBT Rights under Civil Rights

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The New Era of Responsibilty: TAKE THE PLEDGE

MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst present The Presidential Pledge

Bienvenue, M. Le President! Soyez Le Change!

Welcome, Mr. President ! BE the Change !

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A New Year, A New Era

I am filled with Hope today. Maybe that's why I decided to create this Blog at this time. I usually make no New Year resolutions, having learned the lesson many years ago that human frailty and the lack of continuing resolve often lead to a case of the 'shoulds' and little else. But I do hereby resolve to keep my bloggin' brief, if not pithy. So here goes my only thought for today.

Deadline Poet says that Bush's à-goin'
The whole world ceases its mo'nin and gro'nin'
As BHO transits us to a place of Hope
We rejoice that we know we won't miss the Dope.


Pithyly yours, Crapaud