Thursday, February 14, 2008

YES, WE CAN!

Click on image to enlarge - Logo © Obama '08
Modifications conceived by Peggy Otterstrom and rendered by Jim Otterstrom on Valentines Day, 2008.

~An Open Letter To Our Friends~

Dear Friends,
Many of you know Peggy and I don't usually get involved in political campaigns, but I believe this election is the most important of our lifetime.
As Americans, we have a clear choice in how we face the next several years. Very difficult years where we must deal creatively and constructively with huge challenges, including climate change, environmental degradation, growing anti-American sentiment, increasing resource scarcity, peak oil and a faltering economy.
We need new ideas, and a sense that America can cooperate with the rest of the world in addressing our very urgent problems, by some means other than unilateral pre-emptive perpetual war.
Right now we have the chance to choose a president who is honest, personable, intelligent, courageous, wise, and hopeful, a man of the people with fresh ideas. Or, we can continue onward with politics as usual and the failed policies of the status quo.
Barack Obama spoke eloquently against the War In Iraq from day one, while Hillary Clinton voted for it.
This is a needless and costly war where nearly 4,000 Americans have already lost their lives, along with countless thousands of innocent civilian Iraqi men, women, and children.
We have squandered nearly a half-trillion dollars of our hard-earned money on this war so far, enough to have rebuilt much of the deteriorating public infrastructure of the United States, our crumbling highways, bridges, levees, power grids, hospitals etc.!
America was once respected around the world as a Beacon Of Freedom, but now we are more often feared as self-serving war-mongers bent on world domination.
We need strong visionary leadership that also understands the struggles of the average person. Someone who believes in Democracy and will work to restore our credibility on the world stage with good will and diplomacy instead of threats and violence.
A lot of people have stopped believing that is even possible, but we support Barack Obama because we believe he can be that leader.
His grassroots funded campaign for the presidency is unparalleled in history and our need for an honest, fresh-thinking leader could not be more urgent.
Americans are hungry for change and Barack Obama will bring that change when he is elected.
If you still believe that ordinary people can make a difference please take a moment now, and click here to visit our Obama '08 fundraising page, to make a donation of any size, $5, $10, $25, whatever you can do.
It all adds up, and this is how Barack Obama has come so far, with support from average people like you and I.

Thank You,

Jim & Peggy Otterstrom


A few days ago Peggy asked me to design a T-shirt for her with the Obama Campaign Logo.
She wanted one created in rainbow colors over a sunburst with her own slogan, "Obama Gives Me Hope".
I took a picture of the sun and then spent a couple of hours playing in Photoshop to turn her idea into reality. The designs above, and on her T-shirt below are the results.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY HONEY,

YOU GIVE ME HOPE!

Click on photo to enlarge

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10 Comments:

Blogger CoCargoRider said...

I really like the shirt and design. I believe that you allow to people to use your designs as long as they are not changed, so if this is correct I am going to make this into some homemade lawn signs.
Thanks,
Devin

6:07 AM  
Blogger Jim said...

Hi Devin,

I like that Everyday Is Bike Day graphic you have there too, and yes, you are welcome to use our design to promote Obama.

The original logo is, of course, property of the Obama Campaign and I'm sure they don't mind us using it for their benefit, but if anyone were to produce shirts, stickers, or lawn signs for sale, any profits should be sent to Obama '08.

Depending on what you print our design on you may need to lighten or darken it from the file you save.

It shows up brighter on the screen than on paper, I had adjust the brightness up quite a bit for Peggy's iron on T-shirt transfer.

7:34 AM  
Blogger Paul said...

Julie and I support Obama. It appears more people are watching this election than the last two. I hope enough people follow through and he's elected.

7:45 AM  
Blogger Jim said...

Hi Paul-

I'm happy to hear you and Julie are Obama supporters.

And I hope he wins this thing too!

I would feel much better about our country, and I believe he would steer us along a more positive realistic course.

8:05 AM  
Blogger David Edward said...

nice artwork, lovely lady!

9:26 AM  
Blogger Linda Navroth said...

Dear Jim & Peggy,

Your most eloquent post pretty much sums up the way a lot of Americans feel, including myself. I'm willing to give Obama my vote even though I am a Green--but I sure hope he doesn't let us down. I don't think the American people could endure another sell-out.

It's nice to see people getting involved in something besides the status quo! You two are an awesome inspiration to me. My life has changed singnificantly since I first read your blog late last year. It made THAT much of a difference. I've re-dedicated my life to environmental causes and am striving to make my tread on the Earth a lot lighter.

Keep up the great work--and keep being, well, YOU!

Kind regards,
Linda

4:35 PM  
Blogger Deb said...

I'm with you, I believe Obama is the leader we need at this moment in history.

6:45 AM  
Blogger Jim said...

David-

I definitely agree with you about the lovely lady...

Linda-

Peggy and I have been registered Greens for many years but the Green Party can't get us out of this cruel ugly expensive war, and I'm HOPING Obama will.

Thank you for your kind words!

There are many people and websites listed in the Earth Home Garden links who have helped guide us toward living closer to our ideals.

We are all in this together...

Deb-

I liked Dennis Kucinich too, and Bill Richardson, and to a lesser extent John Edwards. And, for an anti-corporate radical crank like myself, Ralph Nader would be a good choice, but he's not electable.

Barack Obama has proven himself to be an inspirational orator who now has a chance to actually win the Presidency.

If he does get elected, my hope is that he can use those persuasive oratorical skills to somewhat change the course of America.

Diplomacy instead of war, policy based on good science rather than political rhetoric, and some restraints upon rapacious corporate greed.

The next president will be dealing with the very real consequences of climate change, the stark reality of peak oil and a faltering economy.

I don't envy the winner...

I don't expect lower oil prices or a booming economy in the next four years, but I do expect we'll be facing some very blunt truths, no matter who's elected.

Let us hope we can face our future with some civilized empathetic human decency, instead of continuing in our desperate spiral toward all-out war-mongering barbarism.

10:13 AM  
Blogger Birsen Şahin said...

My heart is with you, as the Iraqi war is very closed to us and I know what it is to loose your citizens due to we face it with the pkk, democracy is not bleeding, democracy is giving the people a hope to live in peace. I hope Obama'll succeed and gives the world a new vision.

Wish you all the best

2:41 PM  
Blogger Admin said...

Thank you for the post. I just discovered your blog.

5:12 AM  

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