We who have supported Barack Obama...we who dreamed and hoped and finally cried tears of joy when he was elected....now have an even BIGGER job to do! Are we all up to the challenge? I believe in my heart that Barack Obama will go down in history as one of the greatest presidents this nation ever had! Do YOU believe it, too? Then we must ask what we can do! He will continue checking in on this website...and I'm ready and willing to do whatever I can to help his presidency succeed in insurmountable fashion.
I'm not sure what we can do yet exactly, but I know we can all be PATIENT...we all have our personal preferances and agendas and problems and fears. He cannot possibly address the mountains of big problems he faces the second he walks into the oval office. So I think patience is the first thing. The second thing would be to follow his presidency every day...there will be hints of what we can do...he's already telling us we need to turn out those lights and do what we can at home to help conserve energy. He's already told us to turn off that t.v. and take away those computer games our kids are addicted to and get them to playing sports and reading and doing homework instead. He's already told us that DADS need to be there in their kids' lives, that there is no honor in deserting them. When it comes time to volunteer in my community for his programs, I will be there, one of the first in line. Will YOU be there, too? Will YOU be able to say "I was a part of his amazing first term of office" just like you said, "I was a part of his amazing victory to become President of the United States"?
This is our challenge....I hope we all can not only rise up to the challenge...but to bring many, many more Americans for change into the fold!
At last. The last. The end. The real character of folks always emerges when they are faced with some sort of defeat. John had one of his many cronies get to the Immigration Service – and like a bunny out of a hat – they produce something. The evil Aunt. Won’t work. That John would try is, (excuse the word), vindication that McCain left his honor somewhere, a few years back. An American tragedy.
When John went to the absolute bottom to get a running mate – I believed the election could have been called at that point. Or I should probably say should have been called.
Sarah soon proved me correct:
One can see “Russia from Alaska”, making her a foreign policy expert.
As President of the Senate, she would be running that institution.
Proved over and over she reads nothing.
Has a minimum higher education. BS after six colleges.
Practices witchcraft. Watch it on You Tube. That was the source of Rev. Wright.
Has no understanding of our Constitution. Latest gaff – got the first amendment turned around 180 digress.
You know all of that stuff, but how about being “punked” by a couple of DJ’s from Canada? In case you didn’t hear it: A dumber than dirt staffer takes the call saying President Sarkozy of France was on the line. Like a family on vacation in some hotel room, Sarah is handed the phone - : “it’s the President of France”. Like a sixteen year old, our Sarah grabs the phone and “carries on a very odd conversation with “Sarkozy” for seven minutes.
There were so many clues in that prank virtually anyone would have caught on in the first thirty seconds. Not Sarah. Even with give-a-way lines, she was still on the hook. There is no other answer but dumb. Strong word, but I know of no other to use.
I've been doing canvassing for our local campaign office in Woodland Park, Co. (although this doesn't seem to show up on my dashboard). I find that people that I have encountered thet are pro McCain - Palin, by and large, do not want to discuss issues. I guess even they recognize that the issues are not in their favor. The undecideds that I have talked to have been my greatest challenge, but also the most fun. The face-to-face campaigning with people has been great. The reasons for the undecideds are more varied than you might expect. Teller county in Colorado has been highly Republican leaning. Many of the undecideds are people who formerly voted Republican, but who have just come to acknowledge that the Republican administration has been a disaster. These former Repbulican supporters find it hard to change. Some hate to admit they have made a mistake or have been so mislead. Some simply don't trust Democrats. Some are plainly afraid because of all of the smears that they have been subject to.
I am not sure that I have been able to assuage the fears of these Republican-leaning people. In the last few weeks, they seem to have become more receptive to logical arguements. They profess to detest the negative aspect of the McCain and RNC campaign, yet somehow the smears create a fear that is hard to overcome. The fact that I am a volunteer who is a registered independent (I frequently carry my registration card) seems to help them to believe that this is not a left wing conspiracy! The truly undecided seem to either not know enough about the issues or they don't turst any campaign. I was amazed to find one woman who wasn't going to vote, not because she thought it wouldn't count, but because she had "voted wrong" in the past. I think that I was able to convince her that not voting is always the wrong choice. She had simply gotten all of her information from the sound bites and campaign ads.
I try to uncover each individuals concerns and address them with my own knowledge and experiences. I had been hard pressed to understand how anyone could be undecided. I found some truly thoughful individuals who were really interested in why I was supporting Obama-Biden. Not everyone who is undecided is uninformed, but many are. I discussed healthcare at length with a small business owner who doubted that Obama's reforms could pass. He noted that Clinton tried to accomplish it and failed. We discussed the grass roots funding of Obama's campaign and how that would make him less beholding to large businesses like insurance companies. I was able to convince him that the time was certainly right for the reforms now. People more widely recognize the our healthcare system is broken. He also agreed that Obama's plan would make it easier for him to upgrade his heathcare.
I have discussed the "Joe the Plumber" nonsense with business owners. Most owners are not fooled by this baloney. It seems to be more effecitve with the workers than with the owners in my experience. The owners tend to be sharper people who know their interests. When you point out that most jobs in this country are created by small businesses and that most of them make less than $250,000 per year the fallacies of McCains tax arguements become apparent to even the least economically knowledgable people. I ask them how many small businesses they have heard of that opened overseas operations. It's the large corporations that seem to sacrifice American jobs for a few more percentage points on the bottom line. If Obama's plan favors the small businesses and McCains' favor the large, how do you expect him to create more jobs here? Many have said, "I never thought about it in that way".
Most people seem to appreciate calm and rationed arguement. The people that I have encountered who have been rude and irrational have been for the most part avid McCain supporters. I have running email discussions with relatives who support McCain. When presented with facts, they become emotional and arguementative. Emotions are hard to overcome. I will have considered it a success if I convince even one of them to vote Obama. I think that I have succeeded with at least one. Don't forget to contact all of yor family and friends in these last days. Tell them to vote for the future and to try to learn from the past. We don't need to repeat this country's recent past.
I've heard a lot of talk lately about socialism. Ignore, if you will, the ridiculousness of a campaign in which everyone in the VP's state receives a cut of oil revenues. A windfall oil tax that is good enough for hockey moms but not good enough for soccer moms. Next ignore the fact that when he ran in 2000 the presidential candidate said that once people reached a certain level they should pay a little more. For a moment lets just talk about how John McCain's economic policies will lead us straight to socialism.
It, and by it I mean the US, began like this. . .
"So far as we have already formed engagements let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop."
This was the beginning. This was George Washington speaking of operating in good faith with other nations. Many have looked to Washington's farewell address to the nation as an endorsement of isolationism but to me the focus is on the statement "with perfect good faith."
This emphasis on "good faith" was the practicality of Washington. This was not a warning to never involve ourselves in the affairs of other nations, rather it was an emphasis on the necessity of being honest with ourselves, and our nation as to what were the true intentions of all parties involved. This practicality, now more than ever in our nation's history, needs to be applied not just our concerns but to the concerns of all nations. This warning needs to be heeded in all matters, military and economic.
Socialism has traditionally taken root in nations that have a rigid separation between the ruling and the ruled coupled with a high concentration of wealth in the upper classes. The risk of socialist control also goes that much higher in nations with no respect for property rights. Oh I hear what people tell me, look at the wild successes that we have in this country, anyone can make it. To a degree that is true, but not everyone can make it and therein lies the tear in the illusion that blinds so many. A child born into poverty in the US has little to no chance of getting out of the lower classes. This wasn't always the case, indeed it is the result of something that was hinted at by President Eisenhower, but more on that in a little bit.
I hear John McCain saying that the people that Obama wants to give a tax cut to those who don't pay any taxes. Alright John I'll give you that but how the heck did we get here? Many of those people work. Why aren't they making enough that they have to pay for roads? Why aren't they making enough that they have to pay for schools? How did we get to the point that all the money is so concentrated into the hands of so few that they now have to pay most of the taxes because they have most of the money? When did we become old Europe with all the gold in the hands of the lords and the people working the fields and weaving the clothes have nothing where the lords can use their wealth to buy favor with the king and his court?
So you are in a country where much of the wealth is concentrated at the top. The schools are falling down. You are recovering from a war that devastated your nation, bleeding the coffers dry. You look around at people who have no healthcare. People are getting sick and dying with little to no care. You are faced with a new and radical threat from the east. Fanatics are intent on crushing the great democracies and replacing them. This was Europe at the end of WWII and it is us now, the question is how will we proceed?
When wealth becomes heavily stratified at the top of a civilization at the expense of vast swaths of underutilized and undervalued people, particularly in democratic societies, methods have traditionally been taken to prevent democratic principles from being over run by self interested exploitation seeking to transform itself into aristocracies. The entanglement of our society within its current scenario will determine the severity of the response. John McCain's policies will follow principles that have long concentrated wealth in the hands of the few. This will lead to a further endangerment of our way of life. How will this happen? How will John McCain take more money from Americans so that the only option left for our people will be to vote for socialistic reforms or face a future as slaves?
John McCain wants to cut taxes on the wealthiest citizens in America. This will pull money from schools, from medicare, from social security and social services just when Americans are hurting most. John McCain plans to cut pentagon spending to pay for his tax cuts without a plan for ending any wars. John McCain has said that he will not renegotiate trade agreements because it would upset other nations and he called acting on actionable, clear intelligence to capture Osama Bin Laden "reckless." This is where the issue of, "perfect good faith" comes into play.
John McCain appears to be under certain illusions. Let us first look at the matter of Osama Bin Laden. It is perfectly legal to go after Osama Bin Laden if one has actionable intelligence, even in foreign nations. It is a principle called hot pursuit. Hot pursuit allows nations to cross the borders of other nations to capture and detain imminent threats if the nations in which that threat exists are unwilling or unable to act. Make no mistake if Pakistan were to refuse to act on such intelligence it would be because it was in their best interest. If we were to have such information it would be in our best interest to go in and take out Osama Bin Laden. All efforts should be made to secure good faith relations but it is deceptive and immoral, not only to our troops, our nation, but also to other nations to not acknowledge when those points diverge. Had such clear and honest assessment of our national interest been observed we would not have made many of the same choices over the last eight years for we would have viewed clearly the illusions of the past and the challenges of the future.
The next area in which John McCain has illusions is in dealing with the economy. Our nations, and I do mean nations because this is not strictly an American problem, face another imminent threat as a result of the nearly thirty years of deregulation that has been championed by John McCain. This deregulation has marched hand in hand with socialism, not the socialism of Europe but the socialism produced by the deregulated market that funneled tax payer money into the hands of the wealthy, while making it more and more difficult for the entrepreneur to compete and while do nothing to help the poor people who actually helped build these now corporate titans. As in the case of Eisenhower's warning against the military industrial complex, we are compelled to be a guarded and enlightened society, to protect against the encroachment upon our freedoms and our democracy so that freedom and security can coexist. This flies in the face of the decimation of our civil liberties by the current president and the man who has voted with him 90% of the time. It flies in the face of our values to protect the property and profits of the wealthy while allowing them to exploit our citizens, and the citizens of other nations for what is wealth for the few if it comes at the expense of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for the many? I am an old-fashioned, pig-headed, ass when it comes to property rights and I believe that the most important property that we have is our lives and our freedom to determine a better future for our children.
It is at this point in our nation that we must exercise "perfect good faith" to recognize the conflict of members of our own society who are not in fact operating in our nation's best interest. We must do this and not just to protect against a stratification of wealth that will lead to socialism. We must also exercise logical and concerted restraint, with other free and just nations, against those forces within and without that would seek to abandon our people and the people of other free nations. We must guard our liberty and our nation against all threats and for that we need someone who will not walk into the oval office with closed eyes. We need someone who will not be either blissfully unaware or willfully dismissive of the interests of our great nation and the interests of a free and better world for the generations to come. We cannot afford another four years of blindness. We need Barack Obama for the security and liberty of the entirety of the American people and the integrity of the great nation of America.
Joe Wurzelbacher. Handyman. On the McCain payroll. Not a plumber. Candidate for Congress. Under the handling of a publicist. Working on a record deal in Nashville. Uninformed. Had his facts wrong and called out by none other than Fox News. A tax dodger. A not so carefully vetted McCain staff plant. (However we know now that vetting is not something the McCain folks care to do). Ed Rollins, one of the most respected political names in the Republican Party said: “I will never understand what was in their heads. I can’t prove it, but I do believe it was another case of John completely losing all reasoning in a fit of anger”. (Don’t forget the 3:00am call !!!!).
Politics in America. John McCain style. Without honor. Say anything. Do anything. Constantly play the voters as a bunch of fools. Lies. Distortions. Pretend to be back n third grade – call names.
Republicans must be so very proud of their party and candidates. Not all of them. Many Senatorial and House candidates are jumping in bed and pulling the sheet over them. “Tell McCain I have gone fishing”. “Tell Sarah anything – just make her disappear”.
Hello?............You guys still alive?..................What day is it?................It’s Friday. Halloween. Witches. Did I say witches? Anyone see the videos on You Tube with Sarah being rid of the witch’s spirit? Lord I am a wreck. Can’t sleep or eat. I often find myself drifting into a “what will I do if we don’t win this thing world”. While in that drifting state I can see myself moving to jolly old England. New Zealand might be nice. But then I awake from unreality, to Sarah blabbering away. Something about Todd and dog racing. Putin rearing his head. Then I just begin to shake again. Please – we must all help one another through these next four days.
Polls look good. Until the AP tells me there is a 14% undecided factor. Then another pundit points out the undecided’s always go Republican. I think I have an idea which just might get me – and you can feel free to join - through these days. I will TiVo Keith and Rachel’s shows – then just watch them over and over. But then there’s sleeping and eating. I simply don’t know. I no longer have a dog to kick, and my wife does not take kindly to being kicked. I took care of the cat months ago.
So now that you can see the state my mind and body are in, perhaps we might go ahead and discuss issues. There’s a quaint idea. I see now that McCain is opposed to blogging. May want to outlaw it. John, you would first have to understand what it is before you go preaching against it. Could someone close to McCain sit down with him and explain how we changed over to a new century? What’s that? Oh, right. We are much to smart to be close to McCain.
I broke out of my retirement to speak out on “redistribution”. Now I must come back one more time. Problem is I am at a loss for words. Not due to a shortage, but where to begin. We will just have to see where this goes.
The election is still a few days away, and the “other side” has thrown hopefully all they have at us. Most of it had little effect. They still have time. Now, as if we didn’t have sufficient opponents – the media has begun the drum beat to the tune of He Bought The Election. Now you can see why I am at a loss for words. My very first reaction when I first heard it was to say “EXCUSE ME?” I was standing at the time, so I immediately took a seat. Thinking about it further, I realized that the accusation was not only aimed at Barack – but at all of us here on this network.
Not once had I ever given a single nickel to any political candidate until Obama. You and I have given an average of $86 – and I will admit up front that I am slightly below the average. But I can hardly wait to make a trip to Washington to pay President Obama a visit. I just have to decide what I will ask for. I mean he will owe me, right? And all the others here. We each have an agenda, and that is why we turned over that $86. We certainly intend to collect. Get our payback.
Participatory democracy only works if we participate. That means knowing the rules and watching out for tricks.
Oct. 27, 2008--Since January, excitement has been building around this historic presidential campaign. But now our nation faces a crucial test as Election Day approaches—some states now have strict identification requirements for voters, a move that could stymie the anticipated growth in political participation.
Whatever the motive for the tougher voter requirements, public officials, civic leaders, activists and media outlets must work to ensure that voters in their states understand the rules about what constitutes proper identification at the polls. It would be a serious blow to our democracy if droves of voters, perhaps excited for the first time about their participation and choices, are turned away at the polls. Given the low voter turnout rates we have witnessed over the past 30 years, our democracy cannot afford to disillusion people participating for the first time.
And given the current economic crisis, it is more important than ever that the American people participate in the voting process and feel vested in selecting the path for the nation's future. This is especially true for those who believe that change is needed in Washington and that our current public officials and representatives have not necessarily acted in the best interest of our families, our communities or our future.
Already, restrictive rules in many states that do not allow prisoners or even some formerly incarcerated individuals to vote have raised questions about the fairness of the electoral system. It is estimated that about 5.3 million prisoners or ex-prisoners won't be allowed to vote. This disenfranchisement strikes a contrast to other democracies around the world where ex-felons are generally encouraged to vote once they return to their communities. Why? In part because voting is commonly recognized as one of our most effective tools for positive civic engagement and responsibility.
In Texas, where the laws have been changed, there are over 800,000 formerly incarcerated individuals now eligible to vote, who are unregistered, because most don't realize that the laws have changed and that they are in fact eligible to participate in our democracy.
The debate over extending voting rights to the formerly incarcerated who have paid their debt to society will, no doubt, continue well past this election. But there is something we can do now to prevent onerous ID requirements from discouraging voters in general. We need to actively educate the entire electorate.
In Arizona, for instance, proof of citizenship is now required for new voters. To satisfy this requirement, new voters must bring a driver license or a non-operating identification license and a copy of a birth certificate. New voters can also bring their U.S. passport. New Native-American voters will need their Bureau of Indian Affairs card, tribal treaty card or tribal enrollment number.
In Florida, meanwhile, a photo ID is required to vote. Acceptable identification includes a driver's license, U.S. passport, debit or credit card, military ID, student ID, retirement center ID, neighborhood association ID or public assistance ID. Similarly, photo IDs are required to vote in Michigan. What's clear overall is that just as more Americans appear poised to participate in the electoral process, there are more rules and regulations that they must follow.
It's the responsibility of our public servants, as well as dedicated activists, media outlets and other leaders, to inform the public of what they need to vote. Let's make sure everyone can participate. There are many organizations and campaigns underway that are actively working to educate voters, and it is up to each of us to actively support such initiatives.
One such example is New America Media (NAM), a collaboration of ethnic news outlets that is asking television stations to air a star-studded, 30-second PSA that I participated in with other entertainers who care dearly about our nation's future. NAM has also made available broadcast-quality voting TV and radio PSAs that can be aired on-air or from Web sites, as well as voting print ads for newspapers and magazines. Collaborations such as this, to educate and encourage the electorate, are essential as we approach this election.
I believe that, in large part, what makes our country the greatest in the world is that it is a participatory democracy. But it only works if we all participate. It is up to every one of us to work as diligently as we can to ensure that every American who is eligible to vote is allowed to have their vote counted, voice heard—and participate in this wonderful democracy.
Hill Harper currently stars in the hit television drama CSI: N.Y. and is the best-selling author of Letters To a Young Brother and Letters To a Young Sister.
Also on The Root:
I wrote my final blog. Labeled it so. It was time to do some ground work. Then came the McCain flurry of attacks on “redistribution of wealth”. My first reaction was that everyone already knows about the progressive income tax – it’s just more idol chatter. But the chatter continued, and it became apparent the grand old media has no clue as to facts. Imagine that.
So, along comes ME to add another two cents. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures – like coming out of a two day retirement.
I don’t even know to whom my remarks are addressed. The McCain people obviously are simply using a phrase Barack used and are running with it. They know the truth, certainly as much as me. Maybe I just have to relieve the pressure to speak. Whatever.
Begin with a FACT: A progressive income tax is redistribution of wealth. We have been at it since a time no one remembers. It is a principle we obviously believe in – otherwise we would not have continued to elect officials who favor it. So the phrase Barack used is about as new as a 1945 Ford.
We were attacked in 2001 and the policies of John McCain and George Bush have made us less secure. We are less capable of clothing and feeding our nation. We give more money to dictators than ever before. We have cut money to our schools and the policies of cutting money from education have left all our children behind. Over three million factory jobs are gone and John McCain's response to the American people is that he values the contribution of American workers. John McCain wants to kill my daughter's future, kill my unborn son's future and he's coming for your kids next.
Since John McCain began his over a quarter of a century in DC government we have lost steel mills, textile mills, auto plants, ship yards, and Budweiser is no longer an American tradition. Industry upon industry has left one small town after another. Small shops have closed up and our neighbors have boarded up their homes. The tax code is structured to give big business and the wealthy loopholes which keep them from paying taxes so small businesses and ordinary people suffer. One small town after another has watched its sons and daughters leave. Cities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and all over America have watched the loses of manufacturing jobs get only worse since 2001. All of this has happened while the richest in this country have a concentration of wealth that rivals the nobles of pre-revolutionary France while McCain voted for less and less regulation.
Many of the companies that were built by strong hard working people in places like Scranton, Bethlehem, Detroit and Cleveland still live but those workers had to watch their jobs leave after they poured their lives and towns into companies that they trusted. Once upon a time a room full of executives with no American workers was called the unemployment office, now its called maximizing shareholder value. We are but the serfs left behind on the gutted landscape dotted with the profits of big business and big oil.
I have a college degree, my father was a military officer, his father was a military officer, his father was a laborer. Never forget where you came from. I was never ever allowed to forget the contributions of the American worker. A soldier is only as good as the person who makes his boots. An unfed soldier is a fallen soldier. John McCain has abandoned the social contract that just government is supposed to maintain with its people by leaving behind the many for the benefit of the few. The theory of the social contract was what inspired our founding fathers. It inspired Paine, Jefferson, and Washington. John McCain talks about fighting but he has never fought for the farmer or the factory worker. He will fight for the wars of the future but he has abandoned the land and peace that its solace gives to our people. It doesn't matter if an American is in a big city or in a small town, John McCain has abandoned all our children for victory.
John McCain conjures up the promise of being rich to people who are losing their homes, have no healthcare, bad schools, no good jobs to look forward to, and no savings to hold onto. John McCain has shouted about the scars that he has while ignoring the scars that he has left upon the American people. John McCain's campaign has ignored the suffering of our citizens, incited fear, and appealed to base, self-interested, greed as if it were a virtue. Barack Obama has challenged us to believe in ourselves, to believe in America once again. John McCain has no choice because everything that John McCain has championed over the last 8 years has lead us here. John McCain has no choice because John McCain has nothing to run on but fear itself.
The events in the Middle East over the next few days are no coincidence: there is every reason for us to suspect a coordinated diversion from McCain's awful mess in the polls with just days to the election.
We must be ready to discredit this subversive diversion tactic!
What McCain needs to win: a dramatic military event that can be turned into a national security argument for an intensified state of war, with a new "enemy", flaring up in the last week of October.
Is he capable of trying it? Absolutely yes, he is. Does he have the connections to make it happen?
Yes, he does. The Pentagon is largely anti-Bush these days, making it harder to manufacture evidence of Syrian malevolence. However, the military itself maintains very strong ties to McCain and his cronies.
Let's not stand around saying "this isn't really happening".
It looks more and more like a reality. By 31-October we will know for sure.
Dear Syria, please have patience - we have an idiot for a president. We're working to elect a sane, educated and even-tempered man we can trust. If we ail, we will elect Idiot 2.0 and you will be justified in your mistrust of America. Please hold your anger for two more weeks.
Sincerely,
America
Hello Everyone!!!!
I JUST VOTED EARLY FOR CHANGE TODAY!!!! I ASK EVERYONE ELSE TO DO THE SAME!!!! Vote Early and avoid the November 4th lines and hassles.
Did everyone watch Obama's address in Canton, Ohio!!! It was a fantastic and inspiring speech. If you haven't seen it, go and watch it now. I saw it on CNN, but I believe that it is also on this website.
While it is wonderful to see the polls showing Barack Obama so far ahead with just days to go until Nof 4th, we must remain vigilant.
Voter suppression is rampant.
Worse, there may be a 'military' incident or a homeland security incident of some sort in the final days before election date. There is no malicious act of trickery that is beyond the McCain campaign's ability to conjure up and pull on the American people. And there is nothing they won't do to retain power.
Fortunately America is fed up of the lies and the rhetoric, os it will increasingly take an act of God to save McCain. Or, an act of grand scale decelption that might mobilize the patriotic instincts of Americans. Don't fall for it. We must be ready to respond, if suddenly we're at war with Iran or faced needing to respond to an attack on Israel. It is a lie, it is fake, and it must be treated as such.
Be ready, fellow Americans!
On September 11th my wife was supposed to be working in the Capitol. She hoped online after the first plane hit the World Trade Center and messaged me, "Is this real?" Real America is evident to me. My wife is here because of the sacrifice of men and women from all parts of America. My daughter is here because of the sacrifice of those from red and blue states. The next time a Republican talks about "real America" I want them to pause and think about the field in rural southwest Pennsylvania where United Airlines Flight 93 came to rest. I want them to think of the son of Oakland California. I want them to think of the son of San Francisco. I want them to think of the son of New Jersey and the son of Greenwich Connecticut and the daughter of Hawaii along with so many others. I want them to think of them coming to rest in that field in Pennsylvania and I want all of America to not call into question the patriotism of their sacrifice by diminishing the sacrifice of those who have died for our country by speaking contemptuously of the streets that they will never walk again.
Words are all I have to offer to the fallen. I am not so arrogant to pretend to know the political affiliations of the dead based on where they lived and thus I have excluded their names out of respect. When it comes to the sacrifices of fallen Americans, from all over America, I honor the lives of those who have given so much to me. I am humbled by them. I honor them everyday when I kiss my wife, every night when I tuck in my daughter and pray for my unborn son. We are Americans, our nation was born of defiance. I defy those who offer naught but cruelty in their contemptuous denegration of so many of the people that both liberals and conservatives have died for. We are real Americans, deserving of recognition for our contributions, if you have any doubts then you have cast aside the bonds of liberty for the shackles of hate.
CM
I have decided it is time to become a foreign policy expert. Always thought that might be fun, but until recently I believed I would need to go back to University and do lots of studying, traveling and talking. Thanks to Sarah Palin, I now understand all I need do is see the countries. From a great distance.
I’m still working on my itinerary, but if things go well, I should be highly qualified to take over the Presidency – should I be asked – by mid December. I am first going up to Alaska and take that look Sarah speaks of. I actually have been inside Canada and Mexico. So I have North America covered. I also got a glimpse of Asia back in the late 60’s – so no need to worry about that. I do need to spend ten minutes with Henry Kissinger – although I have a fear of the man. Can you recall ever seeing Henry smile? There was a time during the Nixon Administration I developed a phobia about both Dick and Henry. Were I to run into either of them – what would I say? I was paralyzed by fear. I got over it.
There is a spot high in the Alps where one can see into five European countries. I have booked a trip over there in November. Then I will do a fly-over of a couple of Middle Eastern nations. Bingo. An instant foreign policy expert. Sarah has only seen two. I am way ahead of Sarah.
Should Barack be elected, as I indeed hope, I have serious doubts that I will become Secretary of State – but I will throw my hat into the ring. I don’t want Defense. Actually I need to email Sarah and see what it takes to qualify for that job – but I don’t really thing I would accept. I presume that shooting moose from a helicopter with an AK-47, as the good Governor does – just may qualify her for Secretary of Defense. I avoid killing snakes, so I would never qualify.
While I’m at it, I may as well tell about the skeletons in my closet. The press will find out sooner or later. I once drove past the prison where Ted Bundy was being held. Then stopped for a bite to eat in the same town, and had a chat with a resident of that town. Using the John McCain Character Measurement Machine – I assume I have palled around with criminals and serial killers. Then there was that speeding ticket I received in 1965 in Missouri. That’s about it. As a matter of fact that is it. I know they will make Robo-Calls saying awful things about me, but I’m innocent.
Ever have a name get stuck in your brain and you just keep coming back to it? The name G. Gordon Liddy is swimming around in my head, but can’t place him. Good pal of John McCain’s. I will call John later this evening and discuss the matter with him. There is another name which creeps in from time to time. A pastor. Man by the name of Muthee from Kenya. Practices Witchcraft and by golly laid his hands all over Sarah in an effort to chase away the witch – in order that God would make her Governor. Isn’t it strange how we heard so much about Rev. Wright and nothing about Pastor Muthee?
Barack and Hillary are appearing at a rally just 20 miles from my location as I inflict unnecessary damage to my computer. I work one day, actually one evening a week, and of course today is the day. I did send an email, as I know they will be looking for me – especially now that I will soon be a foreign policy expert.
Don’t let my “light” attitude mislead you. We have two very tough weeks ahead of us. I won’t let up until at least November 5tth. I say at least, because you know the GOP will not give up just because of the voting. They stole 2000 from Al Gore and 2004 from Kerry. We win 310 electoral votes and John will be jetting all over the country. Fire Rick. Get an investigation started. Call for a recount. Cry fraud.
In total seriousness – and if you have ever read any of my dribble you will know I have discussed this before. I have pity for John McCain. I have been a life-long left-leaner, but I used to respect McCain. Something happened after the 2000 election. The old McCain has not been seen nor heard since that defeat. I pray he loses this election – but also that he is able to find peace and live for many more years. However, I truly believe he did what he accused Barack of doing. He is willing to sell out his country to win an election. Thus the Palin stunt. It is a stunt, and nothing but. For that, John McCain has lost the respect we was owed – and paid.
Robert Boseley
rboseley@tampabay.rr.com
rdbozz@att.blackberry.net
Text 8633079244
Racists see things in terms of race. Hello? That is what makes one a racist. I have never listened to Rush Limbaugh, but just through osmosis I have been well aware of his racist viewpoint for years. So Rush would predictably say that General Powell’s endorsement was based on race.
Rush comes out of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. I worked in St. Louis for thirty years. I know Mr. Limbaugh’s background. He was basically a mouth looking for a way to earn a living with it. He failed at many radio formats. Then a friend of his suggested “pushing the buttons of the political right wing”. Bingo. For at least the first several years it was pure showmanship. Rush had no political leaning. His remarks were purely and simply “pushing the buttons”. The right side fell for it, and the rest is history. To this day, I do not think Rush has any true political conviction. He found a way to make a ton of money. I don’t fault Rush for that. I do question how his many followers have been deceived for so long with apparently no clue.
Let us put every single issue to the side. Take them all off the table. Now let’s reset the table with one item. Sarah Palin. Candidate for Vice President – awaiting the call to become President. That, as General Powell pointed out, is the job of a Vice President.
People compare Mrs. Palin’s experience level to that of Mr. Obama. I fail to see how one can even put down a set of criteria by which such a comparison could be made. Should anyone believe this is gender based – I will point out that had Senator McCain had the GOOD JUDGMENT to name Senator Hutchison – I would have nothing to say. I may not agree with Senator Hutchison’s politics, but she is well qualified.
Is there nothing to be said for education? A world-wide view? A vast knowledge base of matters domestic and foreign? Sarah Palin is most likely a fine wife and mother, and Barack Obama is a fine husband and father. That’s about where the comparison ends. Professor Tribe of Harvard Law for many, many years, and one of the most respected constitutional experts ever, has called Obama the brightest student he has seen. Barack has clearly used that “brightness” to soak in knowledge well beyond the rules of law. Sarah on the other hand struggled through five schools to obtain a BA degree.
I am not about to knock the Alaskan way of life. I often think how nice it might be to live that life myself. However, Sarah Palin simply did not operate in an environment which caused her to expand her world view. Is she capable of such absorption? I have no idea, and that is a real problem. A very real problem.
John Sidney McCain III, son of Admiral John S. McCain Jr. and grandson of Admiral John S. McCain Sr. – was to be another Admiral John McCain. The plan was laid at the feet of John very early in life. Funny things happen when plans are made too soon. John Sidney McCain was not “born” to be an Admiral. His only way into Annapolis was through the family legacy. He did not do well, and most likely (according to the recollections of friends) would not have graduated were it not for that legacy. Nothing wrong with any of this. Most of us were not born, nor did we develop into the stuff Admirals and Generals are made. Fine. We went on to do other things. We did not have “the tradition” to live up to.
John McCain did graduate from Annapolis, and went on to earn his wings as a Naval Aviator. All of us pretty much know the history of John McCain.
Not many years after retiring from the Navy, John was elected to the House of Representatives and later to the U.S. Senate.
Honor. John McCain’s twenty-six year career as a member of congress has not been without bumps along the way. The most notorious bump was his close association with Charles Keating who owned the Lincoln Savings & Loan. The friendship between the McCains and the Keatings was from all accounts very close and personal. Charles would often fly the entire McCain family to Bermuda for “relaxation”. And talk. And the exchange of money.
It was a period when the S&L Industry was going through a mini version of today’s Investment Bank fiasco. Charles needed lots of help on Capital Hill to get legislation favorable to him and the industry. Five U.S. Senators would eventually be called before the Senate Ethics Panel to be rebuked. Keating himself was not so lucky. He was sent off to prison. Lincoln S&L failed, costing thousands their life savings. Senator McCain got a lecture; and were it not for the Senator in front of the name – could well have served time for his part in the high-class robbery.
He later said it was a huge lesson learned. Duty. Honor, Country. Hardly a new working framework for McCain.
Since becoming an Admiral had passed him by, John McCain apparently decided that becoming President of the U.S. might be just as good. He had become a respected Senator, as Senators go, and served on many major committees.
In 2000, John jumped into the primary race, and was holding his own against one George W. Bush. Then came the South Carolina primary. Bush hired one of several companies, who for a price, would produce so-called Robo-Calls and run the auto-dial operation. They hit McCain very, very hard with totally false accusations. The people of South Carolina bought it hook, line, and sinker. Bush won S.C. and went on to the big prize as we know all too well. Would John McCain have been a better president? We had no way of knowing until now. Now we know he would have been equally horrible.
This we also know: John McCain was forever a changed man as a result of that defeat.
Let’s go ahead and jump to 2008. John McCain would try again for the White House. Early in the primaries, his campaign in disorder, it looked as if he would not make it half way. A little shuffling of campaign leaders – bringing in Steve Schmidt to work with former top man Rick Davis. Karl Rove was just outside the door. For reasons yet unknown, McCain beat back his rivals and won the Republican nomination. Schmidt and Davis would remain. Others would join the happy group.
Another person would join the group. Sarah Palin, less than two years into being Governor of Alaska. However she had been mayor of a small village. From certain points in her state one can see Russia. Sarah says she learned much about foreign relations from that view. Not a single person who looked at this selection could come up with anything approaching understanding. By all measurements, she was not only not qualified to be VP – but what about that job the VP is always ready to take? I indicated, that in my view, John McCain came out of the 2000 race a changed person. Not for the better. I wrote a blog about Palin’s selection and said that John McCain would rather lose his country – than lose this election. I stand by that. I believe further that McCain lost the honor he was due and paid over the last thirty years. I have zero respect for the man.
Now, after being beaten by Barack Obama in all three debates, and the tide beginning to flow against him – John McCain is out to validate my opinion. After calling the Bush operation in South Carolina some very bad names – John Sidney McCain has now hired the very same firm to produce Robo-Calls against Obama. They are playing in at least five states. A recorded voice launches into how very much a terrorist Obama is, and that America would not survive his presidency. Where is John while this goes on? Where does a man with lost honor go to seek refuge? He knows that every word in the Robo-Call is pure fiction. But oh if it could only propel him to the White House.
Make a special note wherever you make such notes. The Barack Obama campaign has stayed out of the dirt – never even mind the gutter. When many of us screamed for Charles Keating to be brought up – a man of real honor refused to go there. Some of us wanted to bring up John’s very close personal relationship with G. Gordon Liddy. (A man who had plans along the same line as Ayers). Again we were led by a man of real honor.
John McCain – I feel nothing but pity for you. You through actions which cannot be blamed on anyone else, have thrown your honor in the toilet and flushed it many times. It is gone. You cannot have it back. You always thought you failed your father. If only he knew. If only he knew. Robert Boseley
