Americans in France for Obama 2012 Logo

Obama 2012 Paris France Eiffel Tower Logo

Given that I will be in France over the next two years of the 2012 presidential election campaigns, I won’t be able to volunteer very much for the local campaigns in either NYC or Los Angeles (that didn’t stop me from bringing in a couple thousand votes in the last election between my personal campaigning and the Obama Facebook application that we built). Given how many Americans I’ve met in France who are either working here temporarily, living here with their French family or enjoying the retired life, I want to organize as much expat participation as possible. Democrats Abroad does great stuff and I look forward to seeing the resources that they put in place. I’ve created an Americans in France Obama 2012 Campaign group on My Barack Obama and felt like giving it its own little campaign logo.

There’s also the official 2012 Obama Campaign Logo, if that’s what you are looking for.

Crayola multicultural crayons - Arizona Special Box

Crayola Multicultural Crayons – Arizona Limited Edition Set

Crayola multicultural crayons - Arizona Special Box

This image of the Crayola Multicultural Crayons Set has been making its rounds on Facebook and I thought I’d repost it for the 3 of you not on FB.  Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the country’s toughest illegal immigration bill into law on April 23, 2010.  Among other things, the law makes it a state-level criminal offense (a misdemeanor) to not carry immigration documents or proof of citizenship at all times.  Police will have the power to stop people at will and request these documents (passport, drivers license, green card…).

Living in Europe, specifically France, and traveling internationally, I’m used to the fact that other countries allow the police to stop you and verify your residency/visa/immigration status.  While racial profiling can happen, it is not common, and document checking is much more tolerated in countries that have numerous neighbors just several hundred kilometers away.  In the US, we just don’t have the same international mindset and have gotten quite used to living in a very large country with little interactions with foreigners. President Barack Obama has strongly criticized the law and numerous cities, like Los Angeles and San Francisco, have passed measures barring city agencies from signing/renewing contracts with Arizona-based companies.

Barack Obama to Announce VP Choice by Email and SMS

From an email by Obama’s Campaign Manager, David Plouffe:  Barack Obama is about to make one of the most important decisions of this campaign — choosing a running mate.  Want to be the first to know Barack Obama’s choice for VP?

The Obama campaign is announcing Barack’s running mate to supporters via email and text messaging.

Sign up to be the first to know at  http://my.barackobama.com/vicepresident

You will receive an email the moment Barack makes his decision, or you can text VP to 62262 to receive a text message on your mobile phone. 

Once you’ve signed up, please forward this to your friends, family, and coworkers to let them know about this special opportunity.