Abolish modern day slavery

From FreetheSlaves.net:

Free the Slaves logoMany of our supporters have told us that they would really like to help out when there is something specific they can do. This week is one of those times. A 3-minute phone call from you today can make an incredible difference for the anti-slavery movement. This week the US Congress is considering groundbreaking legislation, and I’m writing to ask for your assistance. Would you join us in phoning our Representatives to request their support?
Free the Slaves and others have helped write legislation that would form a year-long Commission on the Abolition of Modern Slavery. The Commission would take a close look at how the US government can enhance its anti-slavery efforts, be a global leader in the fight against slavery and make clear recommendations for improvement. It is a non-controversial project that will yield concrete results for very little money.
The bill has both Republican and Democratic support. Both parties recognize this as an historic opportunity to focus the US government on ending slavery for good.
But if Members of Congress do not hear from voters—their constituents—they will not act.
Now is the time to show your commitment to fighting slavery. Call your Congressional Representative and challenge them to show a similar commitment by co-sponsoring the Commission bill, HR 2522. When people like you from across the country are calling with the same message, Congress will pay attention.
These three minutes on the phone will make an actual difference in the fight to end slavery. We know your time is valuable and appreciate you taking the time to make this call.
Calling your Representative’s office is quick and easy, even if you’ve never done it before (see below)!
Sincerely,
Jolene Smith
Executive Director
Free the Slaves

You can find your Representative and their phone number on the House website. (There you’ll select your state, type in your zip code and the correct info will appear.)

Sample script for your phone call to your Representative, for you to personalize as you wish:

“I am a constituent calling about the bill to create a congressional Commission on the Abolition of Modern Slavery. I would like Representative to co-sponsor this bill, HR 2522. There are more people in slavery today than at any other time in human history—27 million by conservative estimate. I believe that the US should take a firm stand against slavery and that our government should fight it in the most effective way possible. This Commission would be an important first step. Ending slavery is a non-partisan issue. We can all agree that slavery must end. I would like to see Representative take a leadership position by co-sponsoring this bill.”

If the staff at your Representative’s office have further questions about the bill, you can tell them that they are welcome to call:
Meg Roggensack at Free the Slaves, 202-638-1865
Edan Lichtenstein at Rep. John Lewis’ office, 202-225-3801

As Free the Slaves’ supporters are phoning their Representatives, our Policy Director Meg Roggensack and I will be following up with in-person meetings on Capitol Hill, so we would love to hear about how your phone calls go. It helps us strategize. You can reach Meg at 1-866-324-FREE or roggensack@freetheslaves.net.

To read the text of the bill, see our website. Please let us know if you have any questions!

Photos of Gracelyn

We’ve been looking at photo ideas the last week or so and Amber and Richard showed us some new pictures of Graceyln Tuesday night.
I’m not sure why we don’t have hundreds of people lining up for our community group with her being a part of the group.
It’s been a blast to watch her grow over the last seven months.
See the sneak preview

New Man Magazine: Huckabee best man for the job

According to New Man Magazine, Mike Huckabee is the best man for the job.

One Of Our Own
Mike Huckabee is pro-life, pro-family and the happily married father of three who is a former pastor. After being governor of Arkansas for 10 years, he may be the best qualified candidate to become U.S. president in 2008.

By Thomas J. Harrington and Anthony Bonna

His name might not be familiar yet. You haven’t seen him on Oprah or spotted his face on the cover of Time magazine. Yet when it comes to character, experience and the qualities of a great leader, Mike Huckabee has them.
Don’t be misled by the news coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign. Based on the media’s whim and the ever-changing mood of a drama-hungry public, an artificial top tier of presidential candidates is being presented.
These “frontrunners” often have more style than substance and better marketability than morality. Catapulted to prominence, they steal the spotlight from more worthy candidates, who suffer the silent death of media neglect.
This image-making affects even Christian voters. Rather than supporting someone who represents our core values, we compromise, opting for a candidate simply because we are told that he or she can win.
Let’s stop this trend. As Christian men we have a duty to help shape the future of our country. In the articles that follow, New Man lays out the case for Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas who on January 29 entered the 2008 presidential race by officially launching an exploratory committee.
We aren’t telling you how to vote. You should vote your conscience.
But because Huckabee isn’t as well-known to many Americans as some of the other candidates, we’re taking this opportunity to introduce him to you.
New Man thinks he’s the right man for the job.

Read the full article

Photos tomorrow

So… because this is the way we roll.. Laurie and I are going to go take some more wedding photos tomorrow. Yeah it’ll be three months since we were married on Saturday but we thought it would be fun to get our tux and dress on again and go take some more cool photos. The downside is… it’s supposed to rain tomorrow. DOH.
We were debating on going back to Las Colinas (see our engagement photos) or going to downtown Dallas somewhere to take pics.
We might do both – but we’d love to hear some suggestions for cool locations from you guys.
Send us your ideas – hurry! quick! jump on it!

Junky Car Club

Got a junky car club – or know someone who does? Join the Junky Car Club.

The club has pretty basic membership requirements:

Basic Membership
1. You are wanting to live with less so you can give more and looking for ways to be more generous to those in need.
2. You care about the issues of poverty and social justice and want to bring awareness to these important issues.

Chrome Membership
1. Your car is paid off and you have no car payments.
2. You are wanting to live with less so you can give more and looking for ways to be more generous to those in need.
3. You care about the issues of poverty and social justice and want to bring awareness to these important issues.

Elite Lemon Membership
1. You are currently sponsoring and helping a child who is living in poverty. If you want to sponsor a child now, please click on the COMPASSION banner above.
2. Your vehicle is 10 years old or older and MAY have trouble starting on cold mornings, have a funky smell inside, and have an annoying hum coming from the radio.
3. You are wanting to live with less so you can give more and looking for ways to be more generous to those in need.
4. You care about the issues of poverty and social justice and want to bring awareness to these important issues.

Check out the website and sign yourself or someone else up.