I am 47 years of age and have lived in Northern Ireland, England, Norway, and Sierra Leone, West Africa.  Living and working abroad absolutely changed my perspective and values. 

In my opinion, we have a candidate for the office of the President of the United States who understands that we are all part of one human family. It is clear that Barack Obama sees that we are all in this together. Quoting Barack Obama, "Part of what we've lost is a sense of empathy towards each other." We have lost a sense that we must stand in others' shoes,  that we must see through their eyes. We need dialogue, but the desire for world dominion and conquest of resources has been allowed to push diplomacy and the desire for peace aside. Misguided "leaders" listen to money instead of the citizens of the world. That has to end or the American dream will cease to exist. We are our brother's keeper. We are our sister's keeper. And we long for peace.  The Us vs. them worldview of Barack's opponent is passé; it is old-school. Its time is done.

Barack Obama will bring the people of the world together. Barack Obama will do the most for peace.

Like many others, I was stirred by Barack Obama's speech at the Convention in 2004.  When he began mulling a run for the Presidency, I began to study him in earnest.  Finally, setting everything else aside, I began working full-time as a volunteer for the Obama candidacy on May 1, 2007, and I have not stopped.   I worked hard helping with Barack's Electric Factory event on May 22, 2007.  I worked as hard as possible with the main Southeastern PA campaign event on June 9, 2007, and then continued through the summer of '07 doing everything that I could do.

I served as Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Field Team organized with Chicago's direction over the six months prior to the campaign's arrival.  I organized and lead the two Pennsylvania Canvassing and GOTV (Get Out The Vote) trips to New Hampshire.  There is always work to do.  I have focused on Philadelphia and have done what I can to help out. 

To win Pennsylvania in the Presidential general election, we have to turn out the vote in the biggest way in Philadelphia.  The key to winning Philadelphia in the manner that we must in November is listening and connecting existing networks.  This is something that a campaign that parachutes into town has a difficult time doing. 

They will do some of this, but it really is up to us.  It is the job of the campaign staffers to push hard for numbers of voter registrations and phone calls.  But we cannot assume that they can and will keep our ward leaders and our community organizers completely connected with the campaign.  We have to make that our job.  It is our job to politely make sure that complaints are heard and issues are resolved.  We need to politely insist that the down ticket is featured at least to a degree by the Obama campaign.  We need to make sure that sample ballots with all the Democratic candidates listed are handed out at all the polling locations, and if this is not being taken care of by local candidates, then the DNC and Obama campaign (now joined) must step into the void.  It is our job to make sure that the campaign hears and listens to Philadelphia and all of Pennsylvania.

(I was selected by the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party to be an At-Large Alternate Delegate pledged to Barack Obama for the Democratic National Convention, August 25-28, 2008 in Denver.  As an At-Large Alternate Delegate, I will be in the arena, in this case the Pepsi Center in Denver, and will be able to be on the main floor of the convention to vote if a delegate wishes to leave the floor or chooses to not make the trip to Denver. With many caucus meetings elsewhere in convention cities, delegates apparently do choose to leave the floor.)

You can contact Sheldon Motley at pennsylvania.delegate.for.obama@gmail.com
and view his fundraising website for Denver at www.barackobamadelegate.com/Sheldon