Voices in the Desert

ONE Campaign Los Angeles Team Members joined others in the California desert on Tuesday, December 4th for the filming of a television ad as part of an initiative to make extreme poverty and global disease central issues in the 2008 primary election. “The ad will be broadcast to millions of people in early primary and caucus states like Iowa and New Hampshire and on cable channels across the country. Millions of Americans and the 15 presidential candidates will see it and be reminded of the power we have to end extreme poverty and global disease.”

Responding to an invitation to all ONE Members, we hoped we would be joining hundreds of LA ONE Supporters for this amazing opportunity to reach millions of people. Surprisingly, less than a dozen members of our team made the trek but the ones who did come were passionate & energetic and I feel like they felt like they were really participating in something special for ONE.

The premise of the ad is that ONE voice crying out is difficult to hear but if millions of voices cry out — those voices cannot be ignored. The images were so powerful that I was moved just watching it being filmed.

Any opportunity to raise our voices for the world’s most vulnerable, especially for the children, is an opportunity we must try to seize if we can. I do hope that in the future more of our team will realize how very important their own voice is. We were all standing around in the desert looking at each other, saying – “If only these were all members of ONE out here – imagine how different it would feel – how much more powerful it would be if all of the people here knew why they were here – what The ONE Campaign stands for – how much harder would they be crying out?” I myself was screaming to be heard. I am so thankful for the many opportunities the ONE Campaign has provided me with to raise my voice.

-Amy Quinn, LA ONE member

What the Dr. Ordered: Action on the Farm Bill

I had the extreme personal honor this month of being invited to a morning with Dr. David Beckmann, the President of Bread for the World. It was unexpected and I was delighted: I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. The big issue up for discussion was the Farm Bill. It’s time to raise awareness and mobilize for real change.

Before we got started, I asked Dr. Beckman’s assistant if I could pass around the ONE petition, and thank the good Lord, before I left I stuffed a fistful of ONE bands in my bag, too. After we circled the room with introductions, I was asked by Dr. Beckmann to please pass ONE bands around the room, and the a sign-up form for ONE. I’m so glad I didn’t have the embarrassment of not having any on me! Well, this is interesting: all but one person in the room was already signed up and getting the action items and emails. That is so cool!

Bread for the World is an original ONE partner. The early ONE volunteers in our regions are indebted to their offices for taking our calls during 2004 and 2005 prior to an interactive yahoo site with groups and regional leadership, training, and toolkits.

I was anticipating a large sanctuary-full of people. Instead, I found myself in a comfortable setting with about one dozen other active members of the anti-poverty movement. The interaction with Dr. Beckmann and among the local activists proved invaluable. The partnership with ONE was commended often for our participation in hunger and extreme poverty and campaigns, such as ONE Vote ’08.

The Farm Bill is anticipated to hit the floor of the Senate later this week or the beginning of next week. We have been encouraged to contact our senators and ask them to support the “FRESH” amendments to the Grassley/Dorgan amendment, that would cap commodity payments to $250,000 per household, and the Lugar/Lautenberg Amendment that broaden the agricultural safety net by making a free revenue insurance program available to all farmers, saving billions of dollars to be used for nutrition, conservation, the McGovern-Dole international school meals program and more.

As noted in a previous blog, we either need to act now or we will have to wait five more years until the Farm Bill is revisited again. This Bill also addresses non-domestic agricultural trade issues, and as we enter the holiday season, we indeed can use our voice on behalf of the extreme hunger, to truly “feed the world, let them know its Christmastime.”

Stay Close,

Sammi in Seattle =)

“On The Record” site is live!

Throughout November 2007, ONE members sent tens of thousands of petitions to the presidential candidates asking them to go on the record with their plans to combat extreme poverty and global disease.

Now we have their replies - and we’ve put them into ONE Action’s brand new “On The Record”website.

Use the site to watch each of the candidates’ personal video responses to ONE members and their 50-word plans on:

* Reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis;
* Eradicating malaria;
* Improving child and maternal health;
* Achieving universal primary education; and
* Cutting in half the number of people without clean water or enough food.

Then, use ONE Action’s “On The Record” tool to compare up to three candidates’ plans and send that comparison to your friends.

COMPARE THE CANDIDATES

You may have noticed that a few candidates haven’t sent in all of their materials yet. If you haven’t already, sign the petition and urge them to send in their plans.

SIGN THE ON THE RECORD PETITION

By getting every candidate to go on the record, we’ll be able to be smart voters as we head to the polls, and no matter whose elected in 2008, we’ll be able to hold the next president of the United States accountable to his or her plan.

(I’ll go ahead and post a bunch of their plans and videos next.)

-Virginia Simmons

ONE Sabbath in the Midwest

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