I have a confession to make. A confession that I'm ashamed of and that I know, if it weren't for the spirit and drive of my fellow Americans, a confession that may have ruined our journey, our promise, and our nation.
My confession? Is simply this, I've been on vacation since the election, and I see now that I couldn't afford to take one. The fate of this country, the state of the economy, and fighting the opposition to change is too important for any of us to take a vacation.
I am so proud of those of you who have not. Those of you who realized that in order for President Obama's agenda for change to come to pass, he needs all of us and he has needed all of us. Yes, I've signed petitions to senators to vote "yes" on the last two budgets, but through a simple email. I've read the reports and debated with friends, but there was so much more I could have done. Attended meetings, or made calls, send emails, and knock or doors, but thank God for the statement that President Obama uttered on more than one occassion, "I am my brother's keeper." All of you have kept me and helped to keep our promise, and now I'm back to join you and replace those others that may make the mistake as I have in thinking that our job is done. YES WE CAN!
Looking for LIVINGSTON descendants of slaves from Orangeburg County, South Carolina and the following towns: North, Livingston, Elizabeth TWP, Bull Swamp P.O., Neeses, Norway, Willow.Also in Cannon, Newberry County, SC.
Tony Livingston - 1820 Wesley Livingston - 1862 John W. Livingston - 1896 Ernest Livingston - 1915 Idella LIVINGSTON - 1916 Victor Livingston - 1919 Charley Livingston - 1900 Herman Livingston - 1924 Howard Livingston - 1953 (me) Paul F. Livingston - 1897 Pauline LIVINGSTON - 1918 Gertrude LIVINGSTON - 1920 Paul F. Livingston, Jr. - 1922 Edith LIVINGSTON - 1925 John W. Livingston - 1928 Clifton Livingston - 1929 Phillip Livingston - 1901 Dorothy LIVINGSTON - 1919 Dan Livingston - 1903 Clifton Livingston - 1904 Emily LIVINGSTON - 1905 Lonnie Livingston - 1906 Wilson Livingston - 1908
Aberdeen * Alcester * Alexandria * Arlington * Armour * Ashton * Avon * Baltic * Belle Fourche * Beresford * Big Stone City * Blunt * Bonesteel * Bowdle * Box Elder * Brandon * Bridgewater * Bristol * Britton * Brookings * Bruce * Bryant * Burke * Canistota * Canton * Carthage * Castlewood * Centerville * Central City * Chamberlain * Clark * Clear Lake * Colman * Colome * Colton * Columbia * Conde * Corsica * Crooks * Custer * Deadwood * Dell Rapids * Delmont * De Smet * Doland * Dupree * Eagle Butte * Edgemont * Egan * Elk Point * Elkton * Emery * Estelline * Eureka * Faith * Faulkton * Flandreau * Fort Pierre * Frankfort * Freeman * Garretson * Gary * Geddes * Gettysburg * Gregory * Groton * Harrisburg * Hartford * Hecla * Herreid * Highmore * Hill City * Hitchcock * Hosmer * Hot Springs * Howard * Hurley * Huron * Ipswich * Irene * Iroquois * Jefferson * Kadoka * Kimball * Kosmos * Lake Andes * Lake Norden * Lake Preston * Lead * Lemmon * Lennox * Leola * McIntosh * McLaughlin * Madison * Marion * Martin * Mellette * Menno * Milbank * Miller * Mission * Mitchell * Mobridge * Montrose * Mount Vernon * Murdo * Newell * New Underwood * North Sioux City * Oldham * Onida * Parker * Parkston * Philip * Pierre * Plankinton * Platte * Presho * Rapid City * Redfield * Roscoe * Salem * Scotland * Selby * Sioux Falls * Sisseton * Spearfish * Spencer * Springfield * Sturgis * Tea * Timber Lake * Tripp * Tyndall * Valley Springs * Veblen * Vermillion * Viborg * Volga * Wagner * Watertown * Waubay * Webster * Wessington * Wessington Springs * White * White Lake * White River * Whitewood * Willow Lake * Wilmot
http://religion.info/english/articles/article_385.shtml
Source: Religioscope
Author: Richard Cimino
While there have been allegations in the past of government investigation of mosques on issues relating to terrorism, the recent report, first featured in the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, is said to be the first confirmation that surveillance is taking place.
An article in the Los Angeles Times (May 29) reports that information about the alleged spying surfaced in a case about classified files concerning terrorism that were stolen from a secure office used by military and civilian law enforcement officials at Camp Pendleton. Some of these classified records referred to the surveillance of Muslim communities in Southern California, specifically, the Islamic Center of San Diego. The records alleged that the mosque had been monitored as part of a federal surveillance program targeting Muslim groups, according to the Union-Tribune article.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/07/10/muslim_profiling/index.html
Source: Salon
Author: Juan Cole
The U.S. Justice Department is considering a change in the grounds on which the FBI can investigate citizens and legal residents of the United States. Till now, DOJ guidelines have required the FBI to have some evidence of wrongdoing before it opens an investigation. The impending new rules, which would be implemented later this summer, allow bureau agents to establish a terrorist profile or pattern of behavior and attributes and, on the basis of that profile, start investigating an individual or group. Agents would be permitted to ask "open-ended questions" concerning the activities of Muslim Americans and Arab-Americans. A person's travel and occupation, as well as race or ethnicity, could be grounds for opening a national security investigation.
The rumored changes have provoked protests from Muslim American and Arab-American groups. The Council on American Islamic Relations, among the more effective lobbies for Muslim Americans' civil liberties, immediately denounced the plan, as did James Zogby, the president of the Arab-American Institute. Said Zogby, "There are millions of Americans who, under the reported new parameters, could become subject to arbitrary and subjective ethnic and religious profiling." Zogby, who noted that the Bush administration's history with profiling is not reassuring, warned that all Americans would suffer from a weakening of civil liberties.
SETTING THE STAGE
The people do have the power. But due to mass-transportation and mass-communication we routinely deal with a world outside of empirical evidence, and are accustomed to relying largely on second-hand hear-say from the media. A third of the country's newspapers are owned by Gannett, Knight Ridder, & Tribune. Seven more companies own another 20%. 15 conglomerates control the vast majority of radio, with Clear Channel & Viacom alone, controlling a third of it. Six mega corporations control the vast majority of television content;
General Electric - NBC/UniversalTime Warner - CNN/HBO/Warner BrosWalt Disney - ABC/A&E/Touchstone/MiramaxNews Corp - Fox/Wall Street Journal/NY Post/20th Century FoxCBS - Showtime/Simon & ShusterViacom - Paramount/Nickelodeon/MTV
Media mergers used to be regulated. Now they are not, though many vocally oppose media consolidation. Consolidation yields huge financial dividends and power to the media. The stage is set.
HOWARD DEAN
I worked hard for Howard Dean's campaign during the 2004 election cycle. If you've done homework on him, then you know Dean is a wise and heartful statesman with sound policies and proven results. The bulk of his support came from grassroots internet communities via small donations. Individual supporters used to say "I am Howard Dean's 'special interest'". In regard to making things better, he used to say "Yes we can, and we will". In many ways he was much like Barack. Everything was more or less looking great, and he was far and away the people's favorite. He was endorsed by Al Gore, and the media embraced him.
Then, when publicly asked about his position on the subject, Dean voiced strong opposition to media consolidation. Less than two weeks later in Iowa came the utterly bogus "Dean scream". How did it happen? Well, I was there, and I can tell you. Rallying supporters after a primary, the packed hall was a deafening din of fervent supporters, and to those in the room, it was nearly impossible to make out what anyone was saying. In this chaos, Dean hollered into his mic. Correctly for the occasion, it was a special "uni-directional" mic that cuts out all sound from the sides. Only straight-on vocals register. Well, besides being fed into the PA, this mic had a direct feed to the media-pool room. Result, they had Dean hollering, without the chaotic roars, cheers, and screaming going on around him that put it in context. The media, led by Diane Sawyer, re-played this "Dean scream" 633 times over a four day period on national news networks alone. Adding local news, it was well over a thousand replays. It was viral wildfire. Commentators had a field day yucking it up, making smug comments, and questioning Howard Dean's sanity. While there were other factors to be sure, right there, Dean died. It was heartbreaking. Dean's 30% lead in New Hampshire polls vanished, and after that he was never able to rebound. Ms sawyer later apologized adding "It was not our finest hour", but it was too late, the damage was done. And people generally tend to ignore apologies and retractions. To this day, mentioning Dean to much of America, gets you a look of rolled eyes, as if to say "whoa, that nutcase". It burns me every time I experience this attitude, and I tell this story, as a matter of principle.
"Swift-boating" only works with people who don't do their political homework. Past elections have shown how stupefyingly pliable public opinion CAN be. Too many voters are fickle, and base their votes on a handful of sound-bites and a few headlines. As John Kerry and Howard Dean can attest, ignoring "swiftboat" moments is not an option. It's appaling that people respond to this garbage, but they DO.
OTHER FACTORS
We all know that media is business concerned with the "bottom line", which means attracting sponsors, which means getting viewers to watch by whatever means. But sometimes we lose sight of how deeply this goes. The vast majority of news anchors do not actually do ANY investigative journalism. They are more acurately news models, who simply read what is handed to them, commonly feigning concern and empathy. Exceptions in varying degrees like Walter Chronkite, Dan Rather, and yes Tim Russert, are rare. What's more, many shows that pose as news outlets, are more acurately variety shows. Fox news is NOT news. Like what Hi-C is to real fruit juice, it's 10% news to validate their name, and the rest is junk posing as news. It's entertainment and tranquilizers for fearful anal small-minded folks who do NOT like change. O'reilly, Hannity & Limbaugh do not believe much of what they spout. Nasty as they are, they're too smart for such simple pablum. They see an entertainment nitche, and are making big money off of fear-based anger-expressed dysfunctia.
Media loves a close horse race. Look closely. They consistently knock the leader down a peg, and give the flagging candidate a "leg-up". When the flagging party takes the lead, it isn't long before the media moves to undermine it. Anything to keep things "neck in neck" so you continue to watch. When all else fails, media will make provocative statements to get you worked up. That's why Wolf Blitzer will float rediculous suppositions that make you just want to slap him. Remember always, these guys are ACTORS at WORK who's bosses generally don't care a wit about right, wrong, up, down, or ANYTHING other than that you WATCH. They don't stand for anything, except their business interests.
BARACK TODAY
I'm thankful Barack has learned from Dean and Kerry to respond quickly and efficiently to lies. We need to as well. Don't get caught up in media BS, and don't let it define you. The trick is to not get rattled, yet quickly, calmly, firmly, and efficiently respond. Then don't dwell, move on, looking to restore the focus to positive and productive things. Barack does this, and that gives me confidence.
Think for yourself, question authority, and do your own homework. We need to network and stay in touch. We need to be vigilant about the media. We need to steer IT, rather than it steering us. The internet has given us this power.
TV & RADIO ARE A ONE-WAY CONVERSATION! They boom to the world en masse, and we as invisible individuals powerlessly listen. By contrast, THE INTERNET IS A HEALTHY DIALOG. It is the great equalizer, leveling the playing field. Real people, seen and heard, decide what sinks and what swims.
The internet is the SINGLE and ONLY medium that truly and equally empowers the public. No one interested in manipulating the public appreciates the internet. I am convinced that the potential power of the internet to the average citizen went virtually un-noticed by the "powers that be" until it was too late to stop. The floodgates are open. NEVER NEVER NEVER let ANYONE regulate or legislate anything about the internet for ANY reason. It must remain utterly and equally available to anyone and everyone at all times. Powerful entities will try to convince us that various regulations are for our own good, to protect us, to make it better, safer, nicer. They will play on our fears, and economics, etc. Don't buy it. Let it stand as it is, warts and all. Net neutrality is your friend and the answer.
How do we get where we're going, where Barack is going? By networking, and the most effective networking tool is the internet. This site is our first networking hub to effect positive change from the ground up. It's part of the plan, and Barack is on our side, our partner reaching from the top. We are working together, as a family. We can do this. Yes we can.
PS - I highly recommend the movie Network to anyone who has not seen it. It is a classic. Prophetic, informative, yet comedic and thrilling. It addresses how TV desensitizes and corrupts everything it touches, while being thoroughly entertaining in the process. I know it sounds dry or preachy, but trust me, you won't regret it.
All Good Things, Greg
http://atlanticfreepress.com/content/view/4016/32/
Source: Atlantic Free Press
Author: Stephen Lendman
Yassin Aref is a 37 year old Albany, New York resident and one of many Muslim victims of police state justice in post-9/11 America. They've been hunted down, rounded up, held in detention, kept in isolation, denied bail, restricted in their right to counsel, tried on secret evidence and trumped-up charges, then incarcerated as political prisoners or deported to where they face possible arrest and torture.
Because of his faith and ethnicity, Aref was victimized by US "justice" in a post-9/11 climate of fear. He's an Iraqi Kurd who emigrated to the US as a UN refugee in 1999 with his wife and three young children. He's now in federal prison but committed no crime. He's also the author of a poignant memoir/autobiography titled "Son of Mountains: My Life as a Kurd and a Terror Suspect." He wrote it in custody at Troy, New York's Rensselaer County Jail after his wrongful conviction in October 2006.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_C_muslim30.426eaa8.html
Source: Press-Enterprise
Author: Paige Austin
A civil-rights group and a coalition of Muslim activists headed by a Corona man called on Congress this week to investigate a report that military and law enforcement officials stole surveillance records of Southland Muslims from Camp Pendleton.
The request stems from a news report that military officials and law enforcement members of the Los Angeles County Terrorist Early Warning Group illegally took the top-secret documents from the base's Strategic Technical Operations Center.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Gary Maziarz has been court-martialed and convicted for his role in the thefts.
While the details of the surveillance and the alleged theft remain largely unknown, the incident provides confirmation that the military and law enforcement groups have been gathering information about local Muslim communities, said Michael German, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington Legislative Office.
MIAMI, FL, 6/4/08) - On June 2, 2008, Florida Muslim leaders met with Doudou Diène, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, at a Miami hearing to discuss Islamophobia and anti-Muslim discrimination.
For photos of the event: http://picasaweb.google.com/bedier/UNMiamiHearingOnRacism
Special Rapporteur Diène is visiting several cities across the United States to "gather first-hand information on issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia."
Reuters: U.N. racism investigator to visit U.S.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL16843098
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004444827_iraqgospel29.html
Source: McClatchy Newspapers
Author: Jamal Naji and Leila Fadel
At the western entrance to the Iraqi city of Fallujah on Tuesday, Muamar Anad handed his residence badge to the U.S. Marines guarding the city. They checked to be sure he was a city resident, and when they were done, Anad said, a Marine slipped a coin out of his pocket and put it in his hand.
Out of fear, he accepted it, Anad said. When he was inside the city, the college student said, he looked at one side of the coin. "Where will you spend eternity?" it asked.
He flipped it over, and on the other side it read, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16."
Also cross-posted on DailyKos (be sure to rec!)
As we all know, the Clinton campaign has had some financial difficulties. I did some reading today to get a better overall picture of the Clinton finances, and I am sharing my findings in this diary.
While I didn't uncover much new information, I did get a better overall picture of the Clinton campaign finances, and I came to the realization that the Clinton campaign's financial standing is worse than it appears. The Clinton campaign lost its edge in fundraising much earlier than it should have, mismanaged the funds on hand, and operated consistently in the red for all of 2008 and in part of 2007. This is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts -- when you look at each of the financial problems individually, it looks bad, but when considering all of the financial problems combined, the big picture is devastating.
Join me below the fold for a comprehensive review of Hillary's primary campaign finances...
Drop Bess a line and let her know if this email excites you!
Hoosiers for Obama:
Hello! My name is Bess Evans and I am a staff member with the Obama campaign. First and foremost, thank you for all the hard work you have been doing for Senator Obama here in Indiana. A small percentage of our staff just arrived on the ground a few days and more will be arriving in the coming days. We are extremely excited to be working here in Indiana for almost 2 months, a much longer period of time than we have been able to dedicate to some of the other states. This means we will be able to build an organization similar to those built in Iowa and South Carolina, but we will need your help!
We are currently looking for housing, both long term and short term, for our staffers in Indianapolis, and later, outside of the Circle City. If you have an extra room, bed, area to place an air mattress, etc. in your home, please let me know! Also, as our need is so great, please let me know if you have friends or family we should contact as well!
Also, if you know of any office space available throughout the state that someone would be willing to donate or discount for our campaign, please let me know. To build the Indiana movement in the way we would like to, we want to open an office in cities and towns all across Indiana.
Thank you all so much in advance for your generosity and kindness. We look forward to working with you!
With Hope,
Bess Evans
Obama for America
eevans@barackobama.com
Mr. Dean and staff,
I am writing with an urgent heart. Myself and many of my friends are quite worried about the state of this primary season -- which I'm sure is no surprise to you.
However, I want to offer some insight into my stance on the primaries. Two things mainly concern me:
1. I am 28 years old. I was born in 1980. Mr. Dean, do you realize that there has been a Bush or a Clinton in the White House, either as President or Vice President, every year that I have been alive? I'll be 30 in two years. That is a very long time to have two families, and two specific types of leaders, in power.
2. Mr. Dean, I can assure you -- from the standpoint of someone who is young enough to not be jaded but old enough to be teetering on the brink -- we cannot afford to put the excitement that has been generated by Senator Obama on the back burner for eight years. He has brought a new sense of life, a new sense of urgency to politics that has created, in itself, almost a brand-new constituency. Young people, independents, even Republicans are voting for him in record numbers.
Mr. Dean, this momentum cannot be bottled and then brought out again 8 years from now under expectations of the same results. The young people getting involved in the process now will not do so eight years from now if they feel they have been "had" this year. Senator Clinton eking out a win in this primary season by pressuring superdelegates will only serve to shatter our party and disillusion the majority of this new rallying force. It will ensure not only victory for the GOP in November, but possibly for many more elections to come.
Mr. Dean, I have nothing against Hillary Clinton. It's true that I support Obama but my words come not from a place of vitriol against her. It's merely common sense. We cannot allow this to go on for several more months while the GOP coalesces to defeat us. There have been reports of Republican voters crossing party lines to vote for both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama -- but for different reasons. The Obama voters are voting because they believe in him and actually want him to be President. The Clinton voters are voting for her because she will be an "easier target" to beat in November -- and in November they will switch back to John McCain.
I know that you have little hand in determining how the superdelegates vote. You can't force them to vote one way or the other any more than I could, but it is possible that you could explain these situations to them. If they are true Democratic Party loyalists, I doubt they'd want to see their party splintered at such a crucial moment in history.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message, Mr. Dean. I may be a little scared of the current prospects, but I'm also confident that together we can unite the party behind Senator Obama and ensure a win for the Democrats in November.
Sincerely,
Jessica Sharp
i read a post complaining about the democratic nomination process. i say, at least democrats do not allow winner-take-all states. i would hate to lose all the delegates from a big state like georgia because i lost by 2 or 3% of the vote.
i would not worry. the country would never accept back room deals to nominate the president. then again, i never thought we'd let the supreme court decide the general election... thanks florida. to any end, the party can't afford to wait until august to debate the nominee.
one thing to remain aware of is that the associated press and other news sources are reporting the "expected" delegate count following the super tuesday showdown. however, super delegates do not officially submit a vote until the convention. what the AP and others are showing are pledges which puts hillary ahead. according to bloomberg, obama has the official lead, albiet statistically insignificant until you know... tomorrow when we rake in a few more. msnbc is another good source for accurate reporting.
super delegates are designed to give the perception of a landslide victory for the nominee selected by the country, usually after super tuesday.i am of the mind that ohio and texas will be key states and on 3.5.08 clinton will suspend her campaign... assuming that barack performs as aspected in the the february primaries and the two key states aren't split like missouri and new mexico.if clinton doesn't do it on her own, the public should call for it and write to howard dean to act on behalf of the party. if hillary really loved america, she would appreciate the movement underway and be inspired to step aside on sunday after polls close. she should throw support behind the more qualified leader... the only person in decades to excite americans to unite and be excited about changing washington.if i'm wrong and obama loses his foothold, i reserve the right to recant. either way, howard dean is on record that he will not allow super delegates to debate this decision.the press likes to present these suppositions to gain ratings. i mean, it is entirely possible, but even the press knows they are using the super delegate stories to gain ratings and keep tuned in after the commercial. sensationalism sells. but let them have their fun. the news is generally pretty boring and it beats hearing about britney spears.~ j
The past two weeks have been busy ones for Baltimore area Obama supporters, beginning with the first summer concert in Patterson Park on Sunday, June 17th, where we passed out Obamagear and supporter Katie White fine-tuned her salsa moves with friend Theresa. On Tuesday, June 19th, several supporters, including Herb Graves and Bonita Phinney, heard Senator Obama give an electrifying speech at the Take Back America Conference in Washington, D.C.. Later the same day, Herb, Bonita and I attended a D.C. area organizational kick-off with Ray Rivera, Hans Reimer, and Josh Orton. Cathi Forbes hosted Happy Hour at Zen Cafe on Thursday, June 21st. On Saturday, June 23rd, we held our third Baltimore multi-group organizational meeting at the home of Valerie Lim and Tim Chng. Sunday, June 24th found Herb and I at our weekly visibility event, the Farmer's Market near City Hall. On Tuesday, June 26th, a second concert, this time a blues band, was held in Patterson Park. On Thursday, June 28th, Bonita and I attended a luncheon for Michelle Obama in Washington, D.C., where I was (almost) equally excited about presenter Dominique Dawes, and Bonita managed to get Michelle's autograph. Later, we joined fellow supporters Nancy, Aidah, Lynda, Alyson and Sarah at a pre-forum rally for Obama outside the Howard University campus. We were thrilled when Senator Obama stepped out of an SUV, and waded into our crowd, smiling broadly. Bonita was able to shake his hand! We watched the Democratic Forum, hosted by Tavis Smiley, from a very warm gymnasium. Senator Obama did a superb job, as did the moderator. The live audience was filled with famous faces, including Cornel West, The Honorable Maxine Waters, Reverend Al Sharpton, Sonia Sanchez, and The Honorable Sheila Lee. News of the Obama campaign's phenomenal fund raising capped off an exciting two weeks!!!
What a great way to kick off a campaign...
You know you've struck a chord when the Republicans' most enthusiastic cheerleader south of the equator get his beige boxers in a knot and springs into action.
"GIVE ME A B! GIVE ME A U! GIVE ME AN S! GIVE ME AN H! WHAT DOES IT SPELL??"
It spells... panic and desperation.
The Australian government has been a long and staunch supporter of the Bush Administration's policies: from climate change and Kyoto; to world trade; to tax and welfare reform; and, in particular, to the 'War on terror' and Iraq.
It was one of the first governments to support military action against Iraq, and one of the first to commit troops.
Howard has been in federal parliament for 32 years, and in government since 1996. He is the second longest serving Australian PM behind Sir Robert Menzies, who is not only Howard's political hero, but also the man who committed Australian troops to Vietnam in 1965.
But Howard's learned the lessons of Vietnam - talk big, commit small. Australia's military commitment to Vietnam at its height was 8,500, with the sad loss of 520 lives. Australia's current deployment in Iraq is 1400, and we've suffered the sad loss of just 2 since the war began.
A high, tragic cost no matter what the number. And a cost many Australians feel is misguided and unjustifiable (in most recent polls 60% of Australians do not approve of its handling of the Iraq occupation).
But Australia can't complain.
We got a free-trade agreement. We even got our very own class of US visa (the E-3), with an annual allocation of 10,500 (but you've gotta be smart - not the kind who would bother fighting in a war).
And for his part, Howard got a direct line to the Oval Office, a back-slapping endorsement on the White House lawn and sleep-overs at the Bush Ranch in Crawford Texas.
Australians have become accustomed to Howard's "empty rhetoric", but I'm glad Obama called him on it. I look forward to hearing more of what he has to say and the vision he has for the US and the world.
We're in desperate need of some leadership. Leadership based on possibility not hostility.
-------
For NY Times report Link
Little Johnny (Our valiant prime minister here in Australia) thought he would have a go at Obama, basically saying that a vote for the Democratic Party (in particular Obama) is a vote for terrorists! Well I won't bother getting into why his assertions display either lackluster intelligence or well tuned talent for scare mongering.
Hats of to Barack, the way in which he responded was both dignified and considered.
"I think it's flattering that one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me the day after I announced [my presidential] candidacy," Barack said
"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops in Iraq and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1400."
"So if he is ... to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and send them to Iraq, otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."
I'm allowing myself to now think further about the idea of an Obama presidency. It's what I want although I'm telling myself to be patient and careful and follow him closely, so that I can develop a stronger opinion.
In the days and weeks thus far, I've not been turned away and I, as many others, feel much more driven to become involved in this political process, that previously before. I'm thinking that I should use this weblog to discuss my ideas, concerns, and propositions that can make this campaign stronger.
First of all, Obama's response to PM Howard was perfect and gracious. Obama should not have to respond to all the critics, especially when they shoot vile, but to watch a candidate respond in a manner that's both aggressive, sly, and confident is refreshing. Additionally, I don't see Obama pandering to any demographic other than the millions of Americans who are fed up and that's exactly what we needed. This is what we have all been asking for. Speak to the American people like the intelligent, unified, and yet complicated people we are. His team's response to Fox News maddrassa issue was engaging as well.
A message to the Obama team: If there are any doubts about whether or not Obama should shy away from these remarks and confrontation, get rid of them. We are not looking for an arrogant man. We are not looking for another four years of trash we deal with now. We are just looking for someone to define the validity in our feelings and thinking.
Some of us fear we are no longer represented in this nation. Continue standing up for yourself Barack and hopefully your confidence in this new direction, will further influence our nation.
