My story starts at the end of February 2008. My niece, a University student, has just discovered that Barack Obama, will be making an appearance in Beaumont, Texas. She called her dad and he, being the all-star dad he is, gets her tickets to the hottest show in Beaumont on February 28, 2008. The venue is small, holding less than 2000 people. We have been warned there may be more tickets printed than the fire marshall will allow in the building. The college girls have a problem, a morning test that can’t be skipped. I am conscripted to travel early to Beaumont and stand in line for the girls.
At that time, only days before the Texas Primary, I was still basically on the fence. I had just been at a Hillary event a week or so earlier, when President Clinton was stumping on her behalf and actually wrangled my way into the meet and greet and had the opportunity to talk and shake hands with the man himself. My friends and family were almost evenly split between the two candidates.
So I went to Beaumont that day as mostly uncommitted, as a matter of fact our core group at the precinct convention level, had just about decided to take our precinct caucus to the County Convention as uncommitted delegates if possible.
I waited in line, visiting and laughing with new friends. We were finally in the building and the candidate was there. Barack Obama. He changed my mind. He energized the crowd. He energized me. I had long watched and listened to him on television, I liked the message of Change. I heard him talking about gay and lesbian rights in the bible belt of South East Texas. I heard his message of personal responsibility to the parents of school children. I heard his message of taking the economy back from the powers of wall street and taking care of main street.
But most of all I remember him talking about energy responsibility and climate change in the oil soaked Golden Triangle of Texas, the birthplace of Spindle-top. In refinery country this man was talking about wind and solar power and about restoring the U.S. leadership in climate change policies.
I remember. I remember all the reasons I decided to not take my precinct delegates to the County and State conventions as uncommitted. I remember spending the next week convincing the Hillary supporters around me to give change a chance.
I am going to Washington D.C. on November 6 to stand in front of the White House and ask the President to remember, to remember what he said as a candidate, to remember the promises he made. I am also asking him to do the same thing he asked of the parents in the audience that day in Beaumont which is to show some personal responsibility. I am going, with hopefully a few thousand of my newest friends, to ask him to shut down the Keystone XL pipeline. http://www.tarsandsaction.org/=