NationStates

Gordano and Lysandus wrote:

New Cobastheia wrote:"I'll never forever Frankston for his last-minute de-sponsorship, and I'd say [Not-Collins] but given her recent actions that's probably a no go. Kost or Bragg maybe?"

"Have Merriam lean on them, they're more likely to respond to a fellow Republican. As for Frankston? I think he's honorable for the most part, I think Warrick probably told him he's out as Whip if he kept backing your bill. But he should have been up front with you rather than just run away."

New Cobastheia wrote:"Either way, the man pissed me off. Good idea on Merriam pushing them though."

Gordano and Lysandus wrote:

New Cobastheia wrote:"Either way, the man pissed me off. Good idea on Merriam pushing them though."

"If I take over as Speaker, Kathleen, I'd like to bring back the Democratic Weekly Addresses where members of the Caucus address the American people directly through our social media presence. I'd love it if you were our ambassador on voting rights and congressional reform."

New Cobastheia wrote:

The Orion Islands wrote:Senator Colbert: “I’m glad to hear that. I hope he is able to finish his term, for the good of America.”

"As do I Senator, as do I."

The Orion Islands wrote:

New Cobastheia wrote:"As do I Senator, as do I."

Senator Colbert: “Thank you very much. If you can, let me know if I can do anything for you.”

“When you’re born, you get a ticket to the freak show. When you’re born in America, you get a front row seat.” - George Carlin

Main Nation Ministry wrote:

“When you’re born, you get a ticket to the freak show. When you’re born in America, you get a front row seat.” - George Carlin

July 4th, 2019

Ben Montgomery
Fourth of July Celebration
Carmichael, California, United States

The 4th of July. Dubbed the birthday of the United States of America, it is the time where many patriotic revelers engage in barbecue, get drunk on some beer, have an increased risk at being burn or maimed by fireworks, the glory of celebrating the independence of America. Ben Montgomery wasn't going to drink a single ounce of alcohol, that was for sure. For 4th of July, the whole neighborhood comes together to help do a picnic, as everyone likes to call it.

Some houses had flag banners in fine red, white, and blue draped out in front of their windows, hanging from their rain gutters. One woman from the other street was playing an acoustic guitar, while sitting on a white plastic chair, as people walked by. A bunch of families laid out picnic mats on their front yards. One guy had forgotten to turn off his sprinklers, now he was hanging his clothes from a clothesline. Mr. Benico Acosta and his girlfriend were lounging in private at his backyard, as he had a hot tub, which the two were enjoying the warm water and bubbles. Sarah Jennings was more focused on sending her kids to a better area for fireworks, even though they were still visible from the suburbs. The Goodhughs were trying to cheer up from some private bad news, though both were mingling with the other neighbors. Stan Manishek was doing a barbecue on his lawn, while Ben had the same idea. Stan had the idea of wearing a "Kiss The Cook" apron on him, as he was grilling up a bit of a low-fat 4th of July meal of beef kabobs and some baked beans to serve to other people. Manishek had a bunch of fresh fruit for everyone to eat as well.

For Montgomery, if there is anything related to him and baseball, it would be hot dogs to grill and a popcorn machine that he rented. His wife Monica made some coleslaw and some corn of the cob if anyone wanted it, where there was also a cooler for ice cream and some frozen treats. Ben looked around the neighborhood, admiring the lively feeling in the air. Vanessa appeared, where she was getting herself a cherry ice pop, where she walked towards Ben. "Dad, when are you going to get me a car?" Vanessa asked him. "Vanessa, it will be this month. Today is a special day for us, as you may learn in college history! You should be celebrating more."
"I need to show all of this on Instagram, though."
"I'm the one who helped you pick out The Last of the Mohicans for your English Project last semester, so I recommend that you take my advice again."
"But I barely understood that book!"
"You still passed English with my help, Vanessa. Now step aside, your neighbors want some hotdogs."

Vanessa had to leave, as Curtis Manishek and his daughter Louisa wanted food from Montgomery. "Happy 4th of July, Montgomery! I see your famous slugger hotdogs are here!" Curtis said, as Ben was serving them from his grill. "Fresh from the grill and ballpark. Hope you two enjoy!"
"Hang on, Mr. Montgomery! Can I have a rocket pop? It has all the colors of the flag!"
"Sure you can, sweetie!" Montgomery said, as he fetched a rocket pop for Louisa to have with her hotdog.
"Louisa, you should head to your papa to make sure he's doing ok with the grill. Me and Montgomery are going to have some grown-up talk." Curtis said, as Louisa nodded before heading over to the front lawn of the Manishek's.

"So you getting wind of the presidential debates?" Curtis asked Montgomery, though it was a bit of a stingy conversation to talk about politics at an event like this.
"I'm still waiting on what these 'fireworks' that Wolf is planning. I just want a good Democratic candidate, if either Porter or Prendergast get a lead."
"You can always vote for the Green Party!"
"Green Party? That's a third-party. Everyone always vote for Red or Blue. Republican or Democrat."
"But what if there isn't any good primary candidate for the Democrats?"
"...Well..Maybe the Green Party is still a good option!" Montgomery said to Curtis, as both were waiting on the fireworks to appear above in the skies.

Federal States of Xathuecia wrote:

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Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.
June 28th, 2019

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(Image)

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"Well, I guess if you have nothing to offer me right now, we can end this right here." replied Sullivan.

"Unless you have any other things you'd like to talk about Barry?"

Gordano and Lysandus wrote:

Alozia wrote:"I agree that this is a far better course of action..." Tawney replied. "But I am not sure the President can be made to see it that way."

"He has a myopic hatred of Iran. As such, I can't be sure if he's acting out of hatred or misunderstanding, and that's a difficult line to navigate."

Gordano and Lysandus wrote:

Greater Arab State wrote:“Well, the overall aim of the bill is a repeal of Dodd-Frank, which I realise would be troublesome for your Party to be able to agree to, however, I was hoping to see whether we could find some general agreement for a bill that worked on rolling back aspects of the bill, such as interchange fees and the Volcker rule.”

Caroline blinked somewhat. "Congressman, the President has torn away just about every protection for the stability of the economy that he can, the car loan industry is just as unstable now as the mortgage industry was before the 2007 crash, and you want to repeal Dodd-Frank? And even then, the two parts of Dodd-Frank you most want to unpick are... the Durbin Amendment, which reduces how much stores have to pay banks to process credit and debit cards, and the Volcker rule, which stops banks from playing the stock market with customer's money, which contributed to the crash. Could you explain your reasoning why? Beyond pleasing your donors?"

Greater Arab State wrote:

Greater Arab State wrote:
"I'd definitely say what we're doing at the moment is on the right course, Mr President. We've been needing to get tough on Iran for years and I think what we're seeing in the Middle East is simply showing that we're moving on the right course, rather than appeasing the Iranian regime." The Secretary replied.

Urquhart then began to give the dossier another read through before responding.

"Although I must admit, Mr President, undertaking such an action at this point may be unwise, I would advise that we merely strengthen sanctions against Iran at this stage in order to try and force them to acquiesce."

The Orion Islands wrote:

Dentali wrote:

"I would like to know if you had any ideas regarding energy policy?"

Senator Colbert: “We need to protect our fossil fuel jobs and stand against the insane Green New Deal. What is your plan?”

Sanabel wrote:

Greater Arab State wrote:
Urquhart then began to give the dossier another read through before responding.

"Although I must admit, Mr President, undertaking such an action at this point may be unwise, I would advise that we merely strengthen sanctions against Iran at this stage in order to try and force them to acquiesce."

Wolf shook his head. “Arthur, I thought you’d be better than that. Look, we’ve tried sanctions. We’ve tried them. They don’t work- we’ve tried, they don’t work. We have to show them who’s boss, and that’s final, aArthur. That’s final.”

New Cobastheia wrote:"I'd be honored to serve as our ambassador on those issues, although I hope they aren't the only issues I end up making a name for myself out of here."

Alozia wrote:"It is." Richard agreed. "You have said something about the First Lady, right? Is she involved?"

Greater Arab State wrote:"Well, it's not that those are particular elements, I'm merely seeing whether there might be areas of Dodd-Frank that we might be able to have a general agreement to roll back on to a degree, with the Representative who had met with me to discuss the concept of the bill suggesting both interchange fees and the Volcker rule as a basis to start on."

Jillian Dayton
@JillianDayton

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"In no other Democracy is the concept of politicians choosing their voters treated with as much calm as in the United States." #PassFAIR

Jillian Dayton
@JillianDayton

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"The American people deserve to have their voice heard, and their representatives reflect their community accurately." #PassFAIR

Jillian Dayton
@JillianDayton

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The bipartisan FAIR Act is now facing the United States Senate, proud to be joined by @NHSenatorMerriam and @MissouriPeoplesSenator in ensuring all Americans are fairly represented in the House of Representatives. Call YOUR Senator to make sure they're on board too! #PassFAIR

Rijkenlandd wrote:

The World Capitalist Confederation wrote:Porter smiled along, but didn't interact too much with the crowd. After the crowd was out of earshot, he continued talking to Kevin.

"I just came out of a rally, so just don't mind them."

"I love the fans. Engaging with them will give you a whole lotta clout." Kevin said as they made their way in.

Both would sit down at a burger bar and the manager would be there to personally serve them. "Hey Burt! Give him and I portobello burgers. As for drinks, I'll ask him."

"You drink, my man?" Kevin asked Bernard. The sports bar would be sounding in usual Saturday night commotion; games being broadcasted on the television and the most alpha of males and females coming together and having a good time. With 80's hard rock music being played, it was peak America. Kevin would slightly glance toward a wall where he'd see merchandise from his time as the one-and-only El Diablo in the #14 Lowes Chevrolet Camaro; from an autographed Diablo Motorsports shirt to a life-sized cut of Villalobos in his racing suit to an autographed picture of him winning his 5th Cup Championship in an insanely close finish against fellow Diablo Motorsports racer Kevin Harvick.

Sarenium wrote:

(Image)
Jillian Dayton
@JillianDayton

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"In no other Democracy is the concept of politicians choosing their voters treated with as much calm as in the United States." #PassFAIR

(Image)
Jillian Dayton
@JillianDayton

---

"The American people deserve to have their voice heard, and their representatives reflect their community accurately." #PassFAIR

(Image)
Jillian Dayton
@JillianDayton

---

The bipartisan FAIR Act is now facing the United States Senate, proud to be joined by @NHSenatorMerriam and @MissouriPeoplesSenator in ensuring all Americans are fairly represented in the House of Representatives. Call YOUR Senator to make sure they're on board too! #PassFAIR

Sarenium wrote:
A slightly larger man in a suit recognized the man, "Governor Montgomery!" he said in a neutral tone.

Dentali wrote:

The Orion Islands wrote:Senator Colbert: “We need to protect our fossil fuel jobs and stand against the insane Green New Deal. What is your plan?”

"I believe strongly in the need for energy independence. Like I said earlier we need to up our refining capacity and lower regulations in general. I do believe in the importance of states rights on this issue, if South Carolina doesn't want offshore drilling then we aren't going to force the measure. I believe strongly in the importance of fracking and am very bullish on natural gas... I don't believe on the Government picking winners and losers but natural gas will likely see the most expansion under my administration."

"We also need to realize that fossil fuels are finite and get some programs in place to help people transition jobs when an area runs out or an industry such as coal is less profitable. I will protect coal certainly and do my best to preserve jobs but frankly the most I can do is slow down the decline. Heck you've seen it in Utah, ten years ago Utah switched from relying on coal to natural gas. Utah especially has some of the largest theoretical solar resources, a bunch of potential wind, hydropower, and even geothermal potential. We should be spending money on researching how to make these new energy sources practical, diversity of energy sources is a strength. I'm not Paulson being a climate warrior looking to de facto end coal."

I am also bullish on nuclear energy and want to fix the outdated permitting and regulatory red tape, so we can actually have 21st century nuclear that is safe, clean and cheap for Americans. My number one priority is to make sure gas and energy is as affordable to Americans as possible, my second priority is to protect American jobs and my third is energy independence. Real independence both to protect ourselves and to undermine Russia, Iran and a dozen other energy rich bad actors."

A voice of a middle aged, respectable man would narrate the ad as various clips of Richardson saying "Wolf" and Paulson saying "Reagan" play in the background.

Narrator: "There's two names that are on the candidates' lips in the Republican presidential primary."

The clips of Richardson and Paulson flare up in volume for just a moment, before fading out completely.

Narrator: "But only one candidate who shares the vision of those great conservative thinkers."

Jonah Prendergast's voice would ring out over photographs of a younger Jonah with Ronald Reagan at a 1980 fundraiser...

Prendergast: "The Republican way. The capitalist way. The radical path tread by Reagan and Thatcher and Wolf, which pivots around the central notion that American people know how to handle their money a damn sight better than the government does!"

...and with Arnold Wolf at a 2016 rally.

Prendergast: "The partisan system was practically smashed in 2016, when we saw a new, more diverse, cross-class coalition of Republicans deliver Arnold Wolf, a conservative revolutionary, to the White House. A man who has shattered and splintered the Washington elite, and left the dusty skeletons rattling in his wake!"

The pictures fade out to be replaced by the narrator standing in front of a scene depicting a battleship cruising at low speed, an active trading port, and trucks shuttling goods in and out.

Narrator: "If we're going to keep America strong, if we're going to keep America safe, if we're going to keep America winning, we need the candidate who has learned the best from the example of our greatest modern Presidents. If we're going to guard our Greater America, we need to pick Prendergast."

Fade out to PrenderPAC logo.

Disclaimer: "This ad was composed and paid for by the PrenderPAC Special Political Action Committee with no input or contribution from any candidate."

The Orion Islands wrote:

Dentali wrote:
"I believe strongly in the need for energy independence. Like I said earlier we need to up our refining capacity and lower regulations in general. I do believe in the importance of states rights on this issue, if South Carolina doesn't want offshore drilling then we aren't going to force the measure. I believe strongly in the importance of fracking and am very bullish on natural gas... I don't believe on the Government picking winners and losers but natural gas will likely see the most expansion under my administration."

"We also need to realize that fossil fuels are finite and get some programs in place to help people transition jobs when an area runs out or an industry such as coal is less profitable. I will protect coal certainly and do my best to preserve jobs but frankly the most I can do is slow down the decline. Heck you've seen it in Utah, ten years ago Utah switched from relying on coal to natural gas. Utah especially has some of the largest theoretical solar resources, a bunch of potential wind, hydropower, and even geothermal potential. We should be spending money on researching how to make these new energy sources practical, diversity of energy sources is a strength. I'm not Paulson being a climate warrior looking to de facto end coal."

I am also bullish on nuclear energy and want to fix the outdated permitting and regulatory red tape, so we can actually have 21st century nuclear that is safe, clean and cheap for Americans. My number one priority is to make sure gas and energy is as affordable to Americans as possible, my second priority is to protect American jobs and my third is energy independence. Real independence both to protect ourselves and to undermine Russia, Iran and a dozen other energy rich bad actors."

Senator Colbert: “Impressive. Now tell me why I shouldn’t endorse Diane Paulson.”

---

Tim Westra 2020
Des Moines, Iowa
June 27th, 2020

"Thank you, everybody! Wow, what a crowd. Thank you for being here, this is great. Hello, Council Bluffs!"

"Over the past few days, I've had the privilege of speaking with some of Iowa's best - some of our nation's best. I've spoken with meatpacking workers in Storm Lake, soybean processing workers in Sergeant Bluff, small business owners in Sioux City. This is the beating heart of America. This is our heartland."

"But I've also seen the dark side. I've seen the result of decades of Washington neglect that has led to stagnant wages in Iowa's plants, vanishing unions in the factories, and a widespread economic injustice that allows the folks on Wall Street and Silicon Valley to be seeing record returns while the American worker suffers."

"In Storm Lake, a meatpacking worker used to make $16 an hour in 1980, and worked in a unionized job with a solidly middle class life. Today, that worker would still be working for $16 an hour, but with no union and he'd be grasping onto the edge of the middle class. If his wages kept up with inflation, he'd be earning $47. But alas, that's just not possible. After all, Jeff Bezos needs his $8 million an hour!"

"We need not just a fundamental change in government policy; we need to see a fundamental shift in who our government serves. The White House needs to be directed by the mandate of the people, not the lobbyists. And that can only happen when we realize that the middle class built this country, not just Wall Street. That will happen when we realize that there's more than enough wealth in this country for everyone to live in dignity. That'll happen when we realize that every single resident of these United States deserves a share in our economy, because it's held up by the wealth that you create."

"College for All, Healthcare for All, Housing for All - these are good, but not enough. We need a new agenda in this country that reaches the ideal of Social Security for All! And we can do that with our new plan to establish an American Social Fund to provide every adult in this country with a universal basic dividend."

"According to our projections, in the first year of the American Social Fund's investments, the fund will be able to provide every adult with a $4,000 annual payout, to be collected either in monthly amounts or as a yearly lump sum, you can choose. This is huge; almost 40% of Americans don't have access to $400 on a rainy day. This could potentially end the idea of living paycheck to paycheck forever, the fund grows larger."

"For the past few decades, the failed policies of trickle-down economics have robbed the working class of their wealth. Our universal social dividend will build a trickle up, bottom-up economy, from our families, to our small businesses, to our wider communities."

"But the universal dividend will only be a payment of a minimal size at first, and that won’t be enough on its own to raise living standards and make hard work pay. Every other progressive reform we have laid out is part of that solution, part of the fight to bring true economic justice to this nation.”

“We are running the most bold, most progressive campaign in history and in this race. A universal social dividend, an EITC expansion, a federal jobs guarantee, a competitive public health insurance option, universal income-based student loan repayment, tuition free college for all, a Renter’s Tax Credit, climate justice, infrastructure development, ending the wars. Let’s be honest; there isn’t a single other campaign in this race who can stack up with us in terms of transparency! You guys know exactly what I stand for, because I am unambiguous about my policy proposals. There’s a reason others haven’t released proposals as much as we have.”

“For Christ’s sake, for all of these campaigns that are coming in and out of Iowa every day, they’re not even listening to you! Your hopes, your wishes, your dreams — they don’t care about them, they just want your votes with sweet talk. But not a single other Democrat can bring themselves to release and agriculture policy! Unbelievable.”

“Well, we have. It was an early plan we released, and it puts farmers first. Farmer suicide rates are up, farm debt is at an all time high, and farm prices are continuing to fall. This is a story Iowans know all too well, and it’s a disgrace. The farm subsidies are providing temporary relief, but they are not a long term solution. We need to have an ag policy that puts small family farms first, not Big Ag. And that means a supply management system to guarantee a good price to every farmer.”

"Folks, politicians keep saying that there isn't enough bipartisanship in Washington. That's hokum. There's plenty bipartisanship in Congress. They're bipartisan when it comes to waging endless wars in the Middle East. They're bipartisan when it comes to continuing the era of mass surveillance. They're bipartisan on fast-tracking disastrous trade deals to kill American jobs. They're bipartisan on every damn issue that isn't related to helping working Americans."

"My career in politics has been about service, bipartisan or otherwise. I get things done without sacrificing my fundamental ideals. And nothing reflected that better than the passage of Affordable Care Act. You know, tons of Senators and Governors in this race have been talking about expanding coverage, but I'm the only one who had success on a national scale. When President Baharia needed someone to carry out his vision for healthcare reform in the House, he turned to a team led by myself to get it done. And I did. We wrote and passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act - with all the provisions of the current ACA, PLUS a public option - in the House. It passed by 5 votes."

"Today, it's easy for the frontrunner to minimize the accomplishments of the Affordable Care Act. But it was not easy to get it through, and ultimately I had to work with the Senate, who rejected the bill we sent them, to create a clean law to be sent to the President. That law, while not perfect, expanded coverage to 20 million people. The biggest success in healthcare since the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid."

"President Baharia trusted me to get the ACA through, and now I need you to trust me so that we can finish the job. Our healthcare proposal, a strong public option with Medicare for America, is a direct result of listening to American workers and union leaders, and I'll tell you: they're scared. They're not just scared of the GOP's attempts to roll back the clock on healthcare, but they're also afraid of Democrats who put forward a plan that will kforce union members off the plans they like and fought for, in exchange for a fully government funded system that will likely starve the medical system of the finances it needs to be the best in the world. That's the politics of subtraction, not addition."

"There are other issues, too. Single payer would kill 2 million jobs - that's not progressivism, that's forcing people into hardship. And finally, the plan would cost us over $30 trillion! You guys know I'm not anti-spending, but that's nearly double the combined cost of all my plans. There's a reason we say our policies are progressive, popular, and paid for. Because we're not champagne socialist scammers, we've done the hard work.

"So my experience in writing the ACA makes me feel personally insulted when proponents of immediate single payer say they'll pass their plan in a matter of months. It took us 8 months and a court battle to finally realize just half of President Baharia's vision. What we need in the White House is a leader who can get really good legislation through without being an ideologue."

"Have you guys seen that ad recently? I was pretty shocked by it, when it said that the Democratic frontrunner hasn't authored a single bill this year. Leave alone his lack of accomplishment in his Senate career - he hasn't even tried to get anything done this session. I don't think we can trust someone seeking our highest office if he can't even serve the people he was elected to serve. Just talking and talking without success, that's not progressivism - that's good old Washington dishonesty."

"This year, I've sponsored four bills, some of which are bipartisan and are designed to serve the most vulnerable in my community. One is the RAISE Act, which would combat the issue of stagnant wages by doubling the hugely successful Earned Income Tax Credit. This means ending all penalties for childless workers, and growing their payments by a factor of 6 - amounting to almost $3000, and $12,000 for large families. This is a real middle class tax cut, unlike the Wolf Tax Scam that the Republicans now want to make permanent!"

"Another bill I've written with my friend, Frank Doyle, is the Protecting American Privacy Act. Right now, Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act allows the NSA to track your every phone call, your every Google search, your every move online. Even when they ended the phone records program this year, they refused to remove the possibility of reopening it someday. PAPA would turn the page on the era of mass surveillance, legally preventing the NSA from obtaining your data without a warrant."

"And the last one I'm going to talk about today is the Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Act, which is a bill I've written that actually might pass if brought to the floor. It would establish a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Education to state schools in order to establish public pre-k programs at the state level. There's a possibility that the GOP gets on board with this, since it's up to the executive branch to make grant appropriations. If we win the White House, we'll establish a public pre-k and childcare program that crosses the country, because not one working family should have to choose between their children and their job."

"Guys, this is service, not talk. I'm not an ideology guy, I don't lecture the public on who's a progressive and who's a liberal and who's a democratic socialist. That's poppycock. Real change comes with real ideas, not fluff."

"Wake up, Iowa. This is not a call for you to take a new direction from right to left. This is a call for you to go from down to up. Up with the rights of workers. Up with wages. Up with fair trade. Up with creating millions of good paying jobs, rebuilding our bridges, ports and water systems. Up with creating millions of sustainable energy jobs to lower the cost of energy, lower carbon emissions and protect the environment."

"Up with cash dividends for all. Up with health care for all. Up with education for all. Up with home ownership. Up with guaranteed retirement benefits. Up with peace. Up with prosperity. Up with our working class campaign to restore justice to the White House."

"We are all children of God. We all deserve to operate under America's promise. We all deserve to be treated with dignity. The poor. The hungry. The wretched. This is their country too!"

"The corporate fat cats buy the souls of our elected officials, so that our vote no longer counts. Our democracy died the day the parties ran away from working people and got in bed with the corporate lobbyists. But this campaign will signal to the establishment: your time is up. We have no corporate donors, no Super PAC, no closed-door fundraisers. This is powered by the people."

"As your president, I promise you: no voice of the grassroots will go unheard. I'm going to the White House to fight for you every day, not the greedy billionaire class who wants more and more at the expense of the rest of us. We need a new era of progressive governance, bringing our party back to its working class roots and away from the elitist influences that have infiltrated the Democratic Party. It's time to understand that there should be dignity in work; we are not a developing country, we are not a war zone, we are America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world. It's time to stand up unequivocally and tell the establishment: we are worthy, and we will put workers first. And I, Tim Westra, would be humbled if all of you joined our movement today."