One year ago from today, children, students, and adults gathered in the heart of Dover Plains to campaign for then-Senator Obama, as he ran for President against Republican John McCain. The aim of the gathering was to be noticed. The young people wanted to show the world that even in firmly conservative town of Dover Plains, in the unshakably blue state of New York, students found a reason to be excited for change.

With the of some very good friends, organizing Register for Change was my last action in Dover Plains before heading off for college. To this day, it’s the personal project I’m most proud of. Watching students stand on street corners, yelling desperately at the top of their lungs, hoping to overcome eight years of mistakes from the Bush administration, is an image that will never leave me.

One year later, I’m re-acknowledging the accomplishment and re-thanking my friends. Without the truly motivated and resourceful people who organized the event with me, we wouldn’t have helped Dover register for change.

As always, I quote it below for posterity’s sake.

Students raise political awareness with ‘Register for Change’ rally

DOVER – Students and recent graduates from Dover High School held a political rally on Aug. 9 in the Town of Dover to promote the importance of voting, as well as to inform the public about presidential candidate Barack Obama’s policies.

Bumper stickers, pins and signs were given out at the “Register for Change” event, and voter registration cards were available for residents to fill out.

A couple weeks before his graduation from Dover High School in June, Valedictorian Richard Mondello, 18, created a group on the social networking Web site www.facebook.com advocating to host a political rally during the summer. He received a large amount of feedback from his fellow students wanting to participate and join the group.

“I wanted to do something that would show that the young people of Dover are getting really involved and excited about the upcoming election,” Mondello said.

“I feel like young people hardly ever get good press, and I wanted us to do something positive and constructive,” he said.

After the event’s date was confirmed, Mondello and Dylan Young, 18, went to a town board meeting to get permission to assemble.

Mondello also contacted the Barack Obama campaign about the event, which is how he received the bumper stickers, pins, signs and voter registration cards that were available at the rally.

“There have been a lot of great people coming out to support us and coming up to the tent registering to vote,” said Justin Schneider, 18.

“I’ve been here since 8:30 for the cause. I’m not necessarily for a candidate. I’m for change and involvement in the political process. That’s what all of us are really trying to promote,” he said.

Congressman John Hall (D-Dover) also attended to help promote involvement in the political process.

“The wonderful turnout for this event is proof that bringing people into the political process will make a difference. I think it’s a great message to publicize,” Hall said. “The first step is to be involved and to vote.”

I’m practically speechless in trying to describe how successful our event was – so I’ll let photos help me do the talking (and cheering). The exceptional photos in this post, taken by Renee, are only a sampling of what you can find on facebook.

On Saturday, everything that could have gone right, went right. Everything that could have gone wrong – didn’t.

Coming on this journey, I’ve learned so much. From the rally’s conception a few weeks before graduation, to Saturday’s execution of the idea, I have so much to share. Here, I write my impressions from the day itself. I’ll have more to share in the days ahead.

I begin by saying with clearly added emphasis that I’ve never been more proud of myself and my friends. Yes, this notion deserves its own paragraph. Without the support of these special people, Register for Change would be an idea without action. The list of people to thank is far too large for this blog post, and I’ll be trying my personal best to recognize each and every contributer over the next few days in a private context.

Grassroots, Really

On Saturday, I witnessed grassroots politics in action for the first time in my life. Guided by common beliefs, more than thirty students came out to support Barack Obama’s bid for the Presidency. Ranging from ages sixteen to twenty, these men and women dominated the days events, but they weren’t alone. For instance, a girl around three years of age asked to borrow a rally sign I was holding so she could stand alongside the students. One Dover resident shared her experiences campaigning for women’s rights during her political heyday, a compelling story. An older gentleman, born before the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, sat beside us, ecstatic to campaign for change.

Watching the organic excitement spread from person to person, the genuine camaraderie form between people of all ages and backgrounds, continues to inspire me. The effect of this inspiration on me was visible – rather, audible – at Register for Change. I cannot count how many times I shouted, “I’m fired up!” to which the everyone enthusiastically replied, “I’m ready to go!” Although I began the day physically exhausted, a natural energy powered me through the whole event as head-cheerleader.

This will sound obvious to a certain audience of this post, but “grassroots” isn’t just a term that news reporters and bloggers throw around. It is the energy and vitality that I just described leading to positive outcomes. To see this vigor focused in the center of my traditionally conservative town is the change that I had hoped for.

Goals & Outcomes

I had three goals with Saturday’s event. The first was to register people to vote, which certainly happened. I have twenty voter registrations cards to bring to the Board of Elections, and other residents took cards home to mail in themselves. Although that number may sound small, it isn’t. If even just half of those people vote regularly, I’ve accomplished my first goal.

My second goal was to promote Senator Barack Obama, which we couldn’t have done better. The literature that fellow coordinator Matt created and distributed was targeted and well-received. Although we were met with resistance at some points of the day from people with hateful comments or gestures, I’d say that 90% of feedback was positive. Like the students running the event, it seems that people driving by were fired up; passengers from seven different states showed their enthusiasm.

In my original announcement of the event, I wrote that I wanted to,

…show Dover Plains and its surrounding communities that the young people of Dover can do something positive. I want to send a clear message that Dover’s young people aren’t all about gangs, drugs, or fighting.

Although I can’t measure our success in this effort, I couldn’t imagine an event that could send a clearer message. Hopefully, together, we put a dent into the negative image emanating from Dover recently.

Surpassing Expectations

In my original goal-setting, I forgot a very simple aim: to have fun. Luckily, I can’t name a single person who didn’t really enjoy themselves on Saturday. I’ve been bombarded by comments from students who genuinely couldn’t think of a better way to spend their entire Saturday, which is heartwarming.

A certain treat of our afternoon was a visit from our district’s Congressman, John Hall (D, 19th district). The fact he had the time to make an appearance at Register for Change was amazing; although he actually lives in Dover, finding time between passing legislation and running a Congressional campaign is difficult.

Surpassing expectations, a theme of the day, Mr. Hall had a conversation with us about issues he’s tackling in Congress, spanning from veterans benefits and the climate crisis to equal pay for women in the workforce. We were delighted to meet and speak with the Congressman.

Moving Forward

I relied on a lot of people and experiences to help me pull this off. Everything that I’ve worked on over the last several years came together in one day’s events. Whether it was the ability to be a cheerleader that I picked up at HOBY several years ago, or the organizational skills I acquired by managing my high school Student Council’s records, it seems like my four years at Dover High School prepared me to start and execute something very constructive.

After witnessing this experience, I have many fewer worries as to the future of Dover High School, something I’ve written about extensively. On Saturday, I saw many of the students I’m leaving behind accomplish amazing things. I’m excited to see what they’ll do for Dover in the months to come.

Final Thoughts

A question that’s had me preoccupied for some time is, what do I do now? I’ve been using my job and Register for Change to procrastinate leaving for Tufts University. I no longer have any excuses; only a scant fifteen days separate me from a new life in Boston. In that time, I have so much to do – items to purchase and pack, affairs to settle, and people to value.

In the last several weeks, months, and years, I’ve established the friendships and connections that made Register for Change possible. Now, I “pause” these relationships, excited to resume them later. This prospect, now at the center of my thoughts, is both frightening and exciting. As I travel eastward, Register for Change is an experience that I’ll carry with me, one which I’ll always be able to bring to the table in all my future endeavors.

Again, I couldn’t be happier. The notion that students in a traditionally conservative town mobilized to promote something they’re passionate about, register people to vote, and change the image of their town to the world is change we can believe in.

—

Hey, crew! Everything is finally coming together and things are looking great. We’re having a final preparation meeting tonight, 6:30, at Boyce Park. Below are some of the things we’ll be talking about. We’ll be discussing much more than these key items tonight, so I highly encourage you to come.

Where to Meet / When to Meet
Although our event actually starts at 9AM, we’re going to start setting up at 8:30 at Country Cafe (Route 22 and Mill Street). Once that’s set, we’ll send people down to our second station, Freshtown Plaza. We’ll be cycling people throughout those two stations all day.

What to Bring
I recommend that everyone brings something to eat, like a bag lunch. However, the great people at Country Cafe are letting us use their property for the event, so I *fully encourage* you to buy food or drinks there. Because we’ll be out in the sun, think about sunscreen, sunglasses, or hats. We need chairs – either fold-up or camping-style. If you have any, bring them with you. Finally, I’m still looking for a small fold-up table to use in the Freshtown Plaza. If you have one, call me ASAP – 845-453-3571.

Dress Code
Wear red, white, and blue or a combination thereof. We want to look as patriotic as possible, which we truly are.

Conduct
We’re professionals, so act professional at all times, no matter what happens.

If a rude person yells at you or gives you a rude gesture, react gracefully or don’t react at all. If someone starts harassing you or something feels wrong, find one of the coordinators. Don’t take it upon yourself to handle any problems that came up.

We’re going to be near Route 22, a very dangerous road. If you plan on crossing the street, do it legally! No jaywalking, period.

Study Up
Matt made us a nice flyer to educate ourselves and other voters about Obama’s policies and goals. I’m asking everyone to print a copy for themselves and briefly review why it is we love Obama. If you have a good printer, please print as many copies as you can and bring them to distribute to others.

Money
So far, I’ve spent a lot of my own money on putting this event together. I’m hoping everyone can help me out by paying me back five or ten dollars per person. If you honestly can’t afford to throw me a few bucks, I understand, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask.

And Finally
I’m really looking forward to Register for Change, everyone. All of our hard work is about to pay off. Let’s go show our support for Obama and get some people registered to vote!

Yes we can.

Register for Change Flyer (.pdf)

If you’re local, you owe it to yourself to come out, collect campaign materials, hold signs, and have some great conversations. We’ve got 24 volunteers signed up on Facebook right now, but I’m anticipating more to follow.

What’s amazing about this whole thing is how many people are fired up and ready to go – people who I wouldn’t have expected. Barack Obama has energized my peers, which is both positive and significant.

The feedback I’ve been getting thus far is amazing. My friends, family, and other community members are very supportive, and I’ve been meeting some really great people. I even received a heartfelt email from one of my old teachers who saw a Register for Change flyer at the local train station.

I love it when a common cause brings people together. It’s great.

With his permission, I repost his Facebook note below.

I have never been so politically pleased or confident in my generation’s political destiny as I am now in anticipation for our group to conduct ‘Register for Change.’

“Register for Change, Rally for Hope, Learn about Obama,” will be a voter registration drive and Consciousness raising event in support of Barack Obama. Simply witnessing my town’s youth participating in this election has brought back the Hope which I lost after the 2000 election.

That fateful year marked seven subsequent years of distrust, anger, pain and shame. There were moments when I was brought to tears watching my nation fall upon its sword while the meanings of words like patriotism, ‘americanism’ and the like were defiled and the people of America mislead.

It all began when I walked into my 5th grade classroom in which I had stood alone against my entire class in support of Al Gore. From such young ears I heard my calls of “Gore won,” “Gore won,” rejected. Sadly I had fallen asleep too early to know that Florida became a legal quagmire.

Then, like so many Republics before it, America put upon its highest seat a tyrant.

I will not attempt to say that I understood the ramifications of that morning in its fullest prowess. I was a young boy without much life experiences or an understanding of politics or democracy beyond lofty textbook definitions. However I believed in democracy; I believed that people got to choose their leader in this country.

I suppose that it was my mistake but I believed in those ideals. And instead of watching Democracy I saw Oligarchy. As Spartan overtook Athens, I watched history repeat as a war mongering, conservative, restrictive, hateful, vengeful and near fascist regime overtook what was meant to be Democracy reborn. This oligarchical action was displayed in the unconstitutional move taken by the Supreme Court to call and end to vote counting in Florida and hand the election to Bush. These nine sages long robbed of wisdom clad in moth-eaten robes chose the President instead of the 300 million American citizens upon whom falls that right and that responsibility.

For what I have said since my fall from confidence and since what I saw as this nation’s final fall from grace, I have been called a “fucking hippie” an “unamerican” a “traitor,” and even “treasonous.” But I will never leave my post as a warrior for the good fight.

This Good Fight as I see it is keeping the government of the “World’s Most Powerful Country” in check. I do this because I believe that in the saying, “My Country Right or Wrong is Like my Mom Drunk or Sober.” Patriotism in a republic is based on Socratism and the willingness and ability to remain loyal while loudly pointing out when your Country is Fucking Up or doing something wrong and often something criminal and furthermore being willing and able to do something to make sure that your voice is heard and that your country listens and acts on your call.

I witnessed in 2000 lies, mistruths, untruths, distruths infect the thoughts of Americans to the point of violating their own best interest. And in this, I do not mean to interpret America’s political beliefs, but I mean that in, even in the area of taxes they were lied to; they were fed lies about tax cuts and “stimulus packages” and believed that they would be in a better position because of them and received instead a government in record debt, an economy on the verge of collapse and a debilitating energy crisis. Most voters are, very understandably, politically selfish: they support what supports and helps them while facilitating what they wish to see occur and yet the goals for which the voted were neither achieved nor sought.

I witnessed in the first four years of Bush, the power of Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld’s machine as it turned a moment of national pain and global strife, a moment of death and suffering, a moment of fear and anger into an open door for their imperial goals of Middle Eastern Democratization. The first question out of Rumsfeld’s mouth at the National Security Meeting in response to the 9/11 attacks, which occurred on 9/12, were, “What about Iraq?”

I witnessed that Power ignore facts, debase truth and defile the names of it’s opposition in order to fire up a nation of hurt and understandably vengeful Americans so that they might support a war which could not otherwise have been facilitated. They were so successful that they were able to convince 60 percent of the population that Saddam Hussein, the ideological opposite of extremists like Osama Bin laden, was directly responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

I witnessed a war meant to funnel money to Halliburton. Again, I will not back away from my beliefs and I hold this belief. They ignored military strategists and the facts which they presented. Therefore they went into the war undermanned, underequipped and without leadership prepared for the task. And this was both in the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq. I saw Afghanistan first as a war not meant to be won, not meant to achieve goals but to segway to the more profitable war: the one which fit better in the neoconservative agenda

In this moment I feel most shameful in the face of America’s soldiers. I am not akin to past generations who spat at soldiers. I realize that they join for reasons of their own and are charged with the high minded job of “protecting freedom and every American’s rights” and that once in battle most soldiers fight to survive, to return home and to keep their compatriots alive as well. Therefore my shame stems from the fact that this regime has usurped Rights and restricted Freedom at home thus loosing the war and disallowing the fulfillment of the soldier’s charge.

Furthermore, I witnessed the establishment of what I see as a dangerous precedent. This is the massive use of private military and security firms . Mercenaries under another name and built on a better business model, corporations like Blackwater have changed the face of the battlefield and sidestepped the rules of War like the restrictions on torture. Documented accounts of Blackwater employees using Iraqi civilians as target practice display the new face of Global Warfare.

I do admit that it is more than likely that many Blackwater-type Firms and their employees follow modern conventions on war-time conduct as policy and as a measure of goodwill. But, there are bad apples both on the corporation and footsoldier levels. Currently these “businesses” are unregulated by any national, international or global conventions, meaning that the go unchecked and I am sure that they are responsible for much of the unspoken of and unspeakable crimes. I am sure because when the subject arose, my friend, a veteran of the marines and of, what he named, “mercenary work” in Iraq, confirmed the truth of Companies like Blackwater conducting torture.

Returning to the domestic side, I watched the hand of neoconservatism extend through pocketed News Outlets. FOX is of whom I speak. As the Bush mouthpiece, the parallel to Stalin’s Soviet Pravda, FOX 5 “News” spread lies in the face of contradicting facts and open falsehoods.

However, all blame does not fall upon FOX while the brunt of the crime does. The supposed “liberal media” played along, following pre-made lists of questions. Instead of forcing accountability the press crucified their right to freedom and abandoned their responsibility to maintain and even force democratic process.

Those reporters, journalists and editors do not carry all the blame; it also falls on the American people who blindly accepted and violated the Socratic Mission they were charged with. But perhaps those with the most blame to bear behind the Neocons, their puppets and allies are the Democrats whom have been in Congress the entire time. They gave no fight to the PATRIOT ACT, to the poor planning of the Afghani War, to the crime of the Iraqi War, to the tax cuts and stimulus packages. They did not respond to the grassroots movement of protests, the cries of the intellectual elite or the pleads of the citizenry to help them regain their country.

Moments like when Nancy Pelosi said that Impeachment was off the table was crime enough, in my belief, for her to be recalled from her office. However, even I made allowance for this because I believed that the impeachment system is archaic and would not work in time. I thought that the Congress was then to made greater change or at least to fight the good fight, force Bush to veto bills which the American people would want passed. Therefore the corrupt and undemocratic nature of that leadership could be entirely unveiled. THEN, there would be less of a question about whether that leadership’s continuation in the candidacy of McCain could be positive or not.

Nevertheless: I have found my hope again with the candidacy of Barack Obama. With missions of Change, Socratism and furthering the Good Fight, I can throw my support beyond the man from Illinois.

With a strong basis in grassroots movements and a, I think, believable promise to listen to the American People, I find my hope in him. In his interview with Rolling Stone Mr. Obama put forth an expectation that the American people, especially the youth will, through the gift of the internet, organize and protest if he does not fulfill his promises. Furthermore, Obama has given a promise to attend to the people’s calls and to respect the responsibility of the Presidential Office to the citizenry. These promises represent Change that I Can Believe In.

Despite what McCain may attempt to do with the Republican Hate Machine, I hold my hope that Barack Obama will ascend to the Presidency and revert our nation to a home of civil rights where the Constitution and Bill of Rights are still the highest law.

Thusly, it was my wish which I shared with Richard Mondello, Dover Plains for Obama’s founder and the head coordinator of Register for Change, that we can do our part to help Obama ascend and raise the consciousness of our neighbors while changing the image of our hometown’s youth from little gangbanger punks with a drug habit to politically active, intellectually engaged and liberally minded citizens with a goal of fulfilling our civic duty to withhold our government to its responsibilities and remind the nation that we do not owe our government loyalty because in a Democratic Republic the government owes it loyalty to and derives its power from the people.

Register for Change.

-Dylan Young
Dover Plains for Obama
Yes We Can
Si Se Puede
Fight the Good Fight

Thank you, Dylan.

Click the preview below to download the full-size PDF.

Let me fill you in.

It’s no secret that I enthusiastically support Barack Obama as the next President of the United States of America. From the moment he spoke at the Democratic Convention in 2004, I’ve always kept him in my consciousness. Soon after its release, I read The Audacity of Hope and again fell in love with Barack’s policies, personality, and eloquence.

When there were close to a dozen Democratic Presidential candidates, I publicly supported Senator Obama. Much later, a week before Super Tuesday, I made time in my hectic life to put up signs around Dover Plains in support of his candidacy.

If you don’t recall, it was clear that Hillary Clinton would claim a clear majority of the delegates in New York state. Nonetheless, I still felt compelled to show support for Barack. There was virtually no political presence in the town from any political party and I found this apathy to be disgraceful. I couldn’t do much, but I did something.

Now, let’s fast forward. Obama’s deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, announced that the campaign will compete all over the country this fall, as opposed to solely in swing states.

Today, I am proud to announce that our presidential campaign will be the first in a generation to deploy and maintain staff in every single state.

The Obama campaign is following Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy, an idea with merit. I share the contention that by campaigning everywhere, a truly powerful grassroots movement can take hold.

Before graduating high school some weeks ago, I created a Facebook group called Dover Plains for Obama. There, I threw around the idea that progressive Dover students should organize a campaign event in support of the Illinois Senator. Fifty-four students joined the Facebook group, and a vocal subset agreed with my idea.

That’s when I started doing some serious research. I went to BarackObama.com’s social network, MyBo, and searched for campaign events within 50 miles of Dover Plains. Here’s a map of the results:

Notice something? There’s a geographic hole in that map, a gap where seemingly no events are being held. That void is Dover Plains and its surrounding communities. This is unacceptable, but luckily, we can change this.

In the last two weeks, I made some calls to the Dover Town Hall to check up on a group’s right to peacefully assemble, say, in the middle of town. After a well-received presentation at the public Town Council meeting this last Wednesday, I obtained the town’s blessing to hold an event of some sort.

Here are the details as they stand right now:

• Name: Register for Change
• Tag-line: Register for Change, Rally for Hope, Learn about Obama
• August 9th
• All day (9AM to 6PM)
• Intersection of Route 22 and Mill Street in Dover Plains (map)
• Voter registration drive
• Information tables about Barack Obama
• Encouragement of Obama supporters to honk horns as they drive by

My personal goals for Register for Change are straightforward. I’d like to…

• Encourage people to participate in the democratic process. Our right to vote is our most important and powerful asset as Americans.
• Clear up misconceptions, often caused by hatred and intolerance, about Senator Obama.
• Show Dover Plains and its surrounding communities that the young people of Dover can do something positive. I want to send a clear message that Dover’s young people aren’t all about gangs, drugs, or fighting.

It’s easy to respond that an event like this won’t have a tangible effect on the election. One can say, “New York state will vote Democratic, no matter what you do. What’s the point?” To that, I have a simple response.

If we can register one person to vote, it will be worth our time. If we can correct one misconception about Senator Obama, it will be worth our effort. If we can get one person to start thinking, we’ve made change.

I hope you can join me in preparing and executing Register for Change. I’ve made events on the major social networking sites. I encourage you to sign up.

BarackObama.com: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/44kjt
Facebook.com: http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=68562510053
Upcoming.org: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/933115/

Let me know if you’re coming and how much you’d like to be involved. If you just want to show up, that’s fine. If you’d like to be involved with the planning, setup, and execution, please get in touch with me as soon as possible. Anyone is welcome to email me with questions, ideas, or much-appreciated offers of help. If you contact me, please leave a phone number so I can stay organized and get back to you as soon as possible.

My Doverian friends, and my friends in Dutchess County, now is our moment. Let’s do it.