Backyard Politics: Benches for Barack
Here’s one way for Democrats to make a campaign contribution that promises immediate payback. For 40 bucks, Benches for Barack — a grassroots fundraiser advertised on lampposts and on Craigslist — will build you a garden bench. $25 goes toward building supplies and the remaining $15 gets donated to the Obama campaign. A pair of…
Here’s one way for Democrats to make a campaign contribution that promises immediate payback. For 40 bucks, Benches for Barack — a grassroots fundraiser advertised on lampposts and on Craigslist — will build you a garden bench. $25 goes toward building supplies and the remaining $15 gets donated to the Obama campaign.
A pair of bright neighborhood kids, 18-year-old high school grads Harry Fishbein and Emma Dillon, build these sturdy benches in the basement of Harry’s Cobble Hill home and cheerfully deliver them to doorsteps around Brooklyn, free of charge. The benches are 18 inches tall, 4 feet long, and about 10 inches wide, and turnaround is quick. We received ours, which is painted a muted sage green, within hours of sending an email to Benches for Barack.
Harry and Emma made their first sale on Friday June 20 and by time tomorrow’s deliveries are done, they’ll have sold 38 benches — enough to donate $570 to the campaign. They don’t have any furniture-making background, but during Harry’s high school career, he built “a suspension bridge out of cardboard and fishing line that could hold 800 pounds and was 25 feet long,” and “a 7 foot tall geodesic dome out of electrical conduit.” We’re not entirely sure what that means, but one can safely assume that the kid’s benches are gonna hold up.
They’ll be buidling benches and other custom carpentry projects — like wooden trash can containers, sheds, picnic tables, and kids’ bathroom stools — throughout the summer, but in the fall, Harry’s going to Lafayette for engineering and Emma’s heading to Tufts for international relations.
STOP CALLING THEM KIDDIES.
THEY ARE NOW 18
THEY ARE ADULTS
THEY DRIVE
THEY HAVE STARTED THEIR OWN BUSINESS
THEY HAVE CONTRIBUTED MORE TO THEIR COUNTRY THAN MOST OF YOU CYNICAL FOOLS
7:23- Let’s be perfectly honest here- Nowhere did I ever equate you with a nazi, whereas you called me a “useful idiot of a fascist”. Among other lovely names you called me. Don’t put words in my mouth, thank you very much and as for what I’ve done- a lot of volunteer work with 9-11, FDNY, NYPD, Veterans and Wounded Warriors. And I work for an organization that works with soldiers and first responders to help them. On top of being under the Towers on 9-11 when the second plane hit and then spending 9 months volunteering in the recovery effort.
As I told you, you deserve every respect from me due a soldier, but I don’t have to respect your politics. I think this country owes everything to its soldiers and one of the things we owe is not to treat them like an expendable piece of meat. Do you honestly think George Bush cares about soldiers? Do you think McCain does? Then explain to me why Bush tried to cut veterans benefits and McCain voted against the new GI benefits bill for veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. And thanks to pressure from veterans all over the country it passed, meaning soldiers actually have a real chance at being able to afford a college education.
9:05- thanks. I promise to never talk real estate again. Er….actually I don’t remember really talking real estate. It’s not my forte but I enjoy reading the rest of the posts and getting raked over the coals at every chance. 🙂 … well, maybe not that part.
bxgrl – nice post – you’re better when you aren’t talkin’ real estate.
Aside from the myriad reasons it is crucial for Obama to defeat McCain, one is larger than all the rest, and I’ll say it in three words:
Supreme.
Court.
Appointments.
Screw higher taxes–I’ll take them if I have to (not that Barack has made any grave threats of instituting them). How about we get back to checks and balances, separation of powers, protection of civil liberties, separation of church and state, and–for those of you lady-types who’d rather make your own decisions about what happens to your bodies than to leave it in the hands of old white Baptist and Catholic men–Roe vs. Wade, much?
Thank you.
Thanks for equating me to a Nazi for my service. I spent two years protecting ethnic minorities, what have you done?
No one on this thread knows what it was like in Iraq before the coalition of the willing liberated the country.
The twisted fact that these factions are able to fight each other publically today is progress and democracy at work. Believe it or not people.
When Saddam was there (so I heard) it was his way or a mass grave. Maybe I’m being fooled by the TV as well….but those Time magazine pictures of thousands of bones are real.
Let the Iraqis tweek thier government. They have funds pouring in from all corners of the globe and lots of that sticky icky black gold.
Shout outs to the bench kids and the solider dude. You people Rock!
5:59- He didn’t. It’ll take a smarter guy than him to do that. And that isn’t you either.
3:56 guest- you can tell yourself anything you want. And if you need to justify your belief that we did the right thing going into Iraq- fine with me. Goose step right along with the Bush administration, why don’t you. As for blaming our soldiers- I most certainly do not- I blame the moron who put them in an untenable position and made them fight.
“We were attacked by Iraq via proxies in international terrorist incidents and direct fire in the no fly zone. Saddam wasn’t involved in 9/11,”- But the reason Bush gave for going into Iraq? Terrorism and 9-11. Meanwhile Al Qaeda is coming back in Afghanistan, and where is Osama? We’ve strained our military, we didn’t give them all the equipment they needed, they have undergone multiple deployments- and you think I’m the twit? Sorry, Pal- I have quite a few military veterans in my family. Your deployment to Iraq doesn’t mean I don’t get to have an opinion.
You may not have like Saddam but if you think the condition we are leaving Iraq in is any better that you’re the one who is deaf, dumb and blind. Destroyed infrastructure, greater factional infighting, nearly daily bombings in civilian areas- And don’t give me crap about being a liberal- I do enough volunteer work with veterans and I see and hear first hand what they think. And a lot don’t think like you do. Nor does the majority of the country.
I certainly don’t like the idea of millions living under a dictator- but you are such a hypocrite. The Iraqis had it much better than some of the countries in Africa and excuse me, are you getting on a plane to fight in Darfur to save anyone?
So don’t get on your high horse that because you were in Iraq you know everything and it’s all good- it ain’t. And don’t presume to tell me about respect. I don’t believe in disrespecting soldiers by sending them into a made up war to satisfy a lying jerk of a president who wants to play G.I. Joe. I’m not getting into a flag waving, you’re the soldier, I’m not party with you. You can demand my respect for your military service- and I’ll freely give it, but it’ll take a hell of a lot to make me respect your politics.
I’m done- I’ll let you and the trolls have at it. You always do.
3:56: Thank you for putting that little piece of trash, bxgrl, in her place.