David Marshall's Comments

A Challenge to Idealistic Progressives by David Marshall

Jul 23, 2008 | comments: 12

David Marshall Jul 25, 2008, 3:08am EDT

Just found this website some of you might be interested in, the Fannin County Texas Democratic Party website, from the Chair page from my dad, Gene Marshall:

http://www.fannincountydemocrats.com/Fannin_County_Democratic_Party/%3E%3E_From_the_Chair.html

, or just go to http://www.fannincountydemocrats.com and click the top tab menus, From the Chair. He starts: "When you hear people say that they are planning to vote for Ralph Hall, John Cornyn, or John McCain, your response needs to be, “Are you crazy? These men will continue the failed policies of George W. Bush.” Chief among these failed policies is..."

David

A Challenge to Idealistic Progressives by David Marshall

Jul 23, 2008 | comments: 12

David Marshall Jul 25, 2008, 2:52am EDT

Thanks for all your comments. I have sent them to my father, who is not a Gather.com member yet. Maybe this will convince him to weigh in directly. By the way, I am the Senior Manager for Digital Communities at Berrett-Koehler Publishers in San Francisco. We publish progressive books with the mission of Creating a World That Works for All: http://www.bkconnection.com. Check out our BK Currents (current affairs) line. David

Putting Our Differences To Work: Debbe Kennedy, Berrett-Koehler, and Me by Bonnie K.

May 6, 2008 | comments: 1

David Marshall May 10, 2008, 3:35pm EDT

Bonnie - Welcome to Gather! This is a very inspiring article. I hope we all put our differences to work in our careers and personal lives.

These are the presidents I voted for: by David Marshall

Jan 16, 2008 | comments: 8

David Marshall Feb 16, 2008, 10:25pm EST

I ended up voting for Barak Obama - Here are my reasons:

1. He has a great sense of humor. I saw him on Conan O'Brian recently when they did a repeat series of when Conan's show played from Chicago a couple years ago, before Obama declared his candidacy. He was cutting it up with Conan and was hilarious. We could use a bit of humor in the White House (an not the icky W kind).

2. After growing up in the inner city black ghetto in Chicago, where we dreamed of black men and women going all the way to the top, I feel it is my duty to vote for the Illinois Congressman who is fulfilling that destiny. One of the Order people even told me that Obama knows about Fifth City and what we all tried to accomplish there.

3. Obama may have a dark side that will come out once he is elected, but for now, I'm willing to believe he is fundamentally a good person. Hillary, by contrast, has many shades of dark that worry me, including her willingness to do anything it takes to move the ball forward in her direction. I feel she has a certain amount of "ruthlessness" about her that scares me. I am also worried that she won't be able to control Bill if she becomes President, whether due to his sexual exploits or strong-arm tactics that go beyond what Hillary might do.

4. I like Obama's wife, Michelle. When asked in a national interview this week if she was worried about the risk to her husband as Colin Powell's wife was when Colin was considering a run for the presidency, she answered that she could not in good conscience hold him back; that if Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King marched on knowing the much more pronounced risks they were taking, then who was she to shy away from helping her country move forward. Well said. And brave.

5. Obama will bring out the youth vote (18-25) and even invigorate high schoolers who can't even vote yet. Hillary will not have this effect. After many years of youth cynicism and abstinence from engaging in the political process, Obama can make a huge difference in getting this segment of the population involved in civic affairs.

6. Obama is a gifted speaker; he reminds me of a minister. As a kid I used to be awestruck when I watched my dad mesmerize Academy attendees with his oratory skills. Of course, Hitler was also a gifted speaker, so it's important to have this skill attached to the right human being. But like I said before, I believe Obama's heart is in the right place.

7. I am not sure if this is true, but I hope Obama can reach across the isle even more than previous Democrat presidents have to work with the Republicans. Even if it turns out he is not so hot at it, he'll likely do a better job than Hillary, who has built up many enemies in Washington D.C. over the years.

Since 7 is my lucky number, I leave it there. I only hope Obama stops smoking cigarettes once he moves into the Oval Office; that is a bad example he is setting for the youth of American. Anybody can quit if they put their mind to it. He knows better and can stop if he really wants to; he just hasn't made it a priority.

These are the presidents I voted for: by David Marshall

Jan 16, 2008 | comments: 8

David Marshall Jan 16, 2008, 11:06pm EST

Thanks for weighing in, Joe. I agree that free-wheeling government spending is not the answer either. If I was still a moderate Republican (the ones who don't hate), I would be interested in splitting the party in two at this point, to distinguish the ones with a heart from the ones who wear preservation of classism on their sleeves proudly.

A Photo by David Ball-Romney

Jan 5, 2008 | comments: 6

David Marshall Jan 16, 2008, 12:48am EST

A little anger in a relationship is healthy; it lets the steam out in drips and drabs so the volcano doesn't blow later. But if the lava is flowing non-stop, with clothes and objects are flying through the the air regularly, I think it's time to move on.

Family Journaling - Good for the Soul by David Marshall

Dec 17, 2005 | comments: 3

David Marshall Aug 31, 2007, 3:38am EDT

Thanks for the comment, Sandy. Great idea. Let us know if you need any help from us to encourage your friends to start writing. If they take it in small bites, one prompt per day or week, it won't seem so daunting after all.

Early Years - Family - One of Mom's traits I admired was: by David Marshall

Feb 17, 2006 | comments: 5

David Marshall Aug 30, 2007, 3:18pm EDT

Thanks for the vote of confidence, April. I need to start answering more questions myself. I am going to tackle some hard ones next, such as: "One big misunderstanding I had with a firend was:" (from Book of Myself - Middle Years, Friends section)

Iberian Nights, A Romantic Thriller by enrico a.

Aug 8, 2007 | comments: 34

David Marshall Aug 10, 2007, 2:43am EDT

Great drama and tortured romance. The bull-cow scene was riveting. I hope Allison and Jaime make it in the end.

Gramma's Rocking Chair by Cheri D.

Jul 10, 2007 | comments: 65

David Marshall Jul 11, 2007, 2:23am EDT

Thanks for adding this beautifully written piece to the THE BOOK OF MYSELF group. This is a perfect match for this family storytelling group. My grandparents on my mother's side, Mama Lou and Papa Daddy we called them, had their mama bear and papa bear rockers on their front porch in Clifton, Texas that I loved to rock in as a kid. Papa Daddy's big blue cushioned chair was so big my feet barely touched the ground. I had to get a running start to get it going.

First Chapters Writing Competitions -Stay Tuned by Carl Rosendorf

Jun 18, 2007 | comments: 98

David Marshall Jun 19, 2007, 3:55am EDT

I hope this becomes a regular series as an alternative to the traditional grueling author-agent-editor dance. There simply aren't enough good agents to go around given the volume of qaulity writing at the top of the funnel. Gather has helped break the log jam, to mix metaphors, and now other publishers besides Simon & Schuster are taking notice. Gather is changing the rules of the game.

First Chapters Writing Competition Winner Announcement - Simon & Schuster Selects Two Winners! by First Chapters Administrator

May 30, 2007 | comments: 107

David Marshall May 31, 2007, 2:38pm EDT

Terry and Geoffrey - You are making history! This is the wave of the future: peer-to-peer online vetting and pre-review before wider publishing. Good luck on your book tours.

Times I wish my mother had stood up for me, or at least for herself. by CyberGwen !

May 14, 2007 | comments: 22

David Marshall May 15, 2007, 3:40am EDT

What a powerful piece on the power of moms in influencing their children. Thanks for sharing this on THE BOOK OF MYSELF memoir group. David Marshall