Video: Obama Raising the Bar
I made this video during the campaign and I think it still has relevance, maybe even more so right now during our country's crisis of trust.
What do you think?
Fear is a spirit. In fact, there are multiple spirits of fear. Fear is the devil’s salesman. If a person gives in to the spirit of fear, their faith is cancelled out. Fear and faith are polar opposites. People who are afraid, are rendered powerless and can only be tormented by endless scenarios of what “might happen.” Fear will make people commit crimes as a result of having a “fixed delusion” that their well-being is in jeopardy. Fear has hatred as its “wingman.” If you are afraid, you have been imprisoned within your own mind.
The reason that the religious Right is afraid is because they labor under the spirit of fear & torment. Its been awhile since ”so called Christians” have spewed out such hatred. Scripture says that, “he who hates his brother has the spirit of murder.” Is this who stands in so many pulpits today? Fear is riding bareback upon humans. Those who are suceptible to the spirit of fear will do anything to relieve the fear that has a grip upon them. The whole show of guns at a Presidential townhall has less to do with the Second Amendment, than a projection of defiance within the delusion.
How is president Obama going to be an “illegal alien,” a “Marxist,” a “socialist,” a “communist” a “Muslim” the “Antichrist,” “the Beast,” and the “False Prophet?” Come on people, those who have these fears are imprisoned by the spirit of fear. None of these claims can be born out in the Scriptures. The pastors of those churches preaching this should have their tax-exempt statuses checked. Unless, of course, there is a church called fear which enjoys this status with the IRS. The pulpit should not be the platform for political “bomb throwing.” This has to stop because those who participate are not Christians according to the New Testament. These people worship at the altar of the “False Church.”
Just received --->
Counter Fear... (Live and) Laugh Out Loud!
It was once said that a black man would be president "when pigs fly" ...indeed 100 days into Obama's Presidency...Swine Flu!!!
If it's not apparent to you, you're not paying attention. The republican agenda, and philosophy of most modern American conservatives, is based entirely in response to new deal democrats. Oooh they hate us sooo much. How dare we force hard working executives to give back to those free-loaders down on the line. That's why they pick the Sarah Palins when a women loses, and Michael Steele when a black man wins. And this response has created a party that is disgustingly disillusioned, and dangerous to a progressive future.
Modern conservative thought flies in the face of all established belief amongst the greatest thinkers in history, including the lord of the religion they claim to follow. Jesus, Buddha, Mohamed, and Confucius; all agree that the way to an enlightened society is to strive for something bigger than ourselves.
To believe their mindless babble a conservative must go to great lengths to justify their greed and heartlessness. Lindsay Graham hates earmarks but uses them frequently. Rush Limbaugh has been divorced twice but rails in defense of marriage's sanctity. Gay bashers are gay. And worthless bank executives foreclose on thousands of homes but coming running when the hammer's coming down on them.
They don't stand for personal responsibility. They just don't want to be responsible for YOU. They don't stand up for smaller government. They don't want government helping the poor. They think poor is by choice and they are certainly not giving up their hard-earned money to help out those bums on main street. And for all their professed patriotism, they sure do seem close to secession... again.
I fear your revolution, patriot. You revolt against the brotherhood of man. Your is a reformation against knowledge. Your cause is self-interest, and your enemy is the universal right to the pursuit of happiness.
To the conservative it is a sin for companies to sacrifice a little short term profit to provide a quality product at a decent price. That's disloyal to the shareholders. Teachers are only in it to put forth a liberal agenda. Artists create works for the money. And unions should shut up and take pay cuts when the companies going bad, but executives need us to stand up for their contracts when they run it into the ground. Oh, wait, most house republicans ended up voting to tax the contracts anyway.
The neocon transformers want us liberals to be their bogeyman. They want to scare you with stories of socialism. But we will not apologize for a literate society, a 70 year life span, a car in every garage, and highways from New York, to San Francisco, and even to Freedom, Ohio. We take pride in Universal Suffrage, and we relish in the scientific revolution. Liberal spending put a man on the moon and it will one day mine asteroids and explore deep space. And we will not back down from that.
A Show Of Confidence From The Top Will End Economic Turmoil
By Ben Stein
Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/08/sunday/main4852193.shtml#
March 8, 2009
I have been reading of the rise in participation of some parts of our population in survival communities. Men have begun to come out of the woodwork (mostly out in the traditional 'survival' enclaves of America in Idaho and Montana) to advertise their small communities, as redoubts against coming economic chaos. This chaos, as they portray it, will consist of riots, gang violence, starvation and death from a whole assortment of social disorders. These self-appointed experts and leaders are all in search of people to come and follow them. They have the same line, long ago lifted from the lips of snake oil salesmen: "This is the cure for all of your worries and ills, this is your only way to salvation." Some religions, and many cults, preach the same lines using different words. But the thrust of their message remains the same. And, what is more, they always portray the motivation for their siren song as being related to their own need to help, support and care for humanity. That most of them look and act like morphs of Charles Mansion and Anthony Hopkins playing his role in Silence of the Lambs does not seem to deter everyone from joining up. Sometimes, and it is rare, but it does happen, whole populations answer these siren songs. Who could possibly forget the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany? Fear of the unknown. Fear of the partially known. These motivation forces are among the most powerful social forces in existence. People will do things out of fear which only moments before they would never consider. And there are men and women who prey upon such victims of fear. In fact, they carefully help in igniting it's embers, blowing upon it's glowing coals and then fanning it into destructive flames. Think about these people. The one's who open their arms to welcome the fearful masses. Think about the motivation they might have to gather as many people in as they can hold and control.
I went out, unwittingly, in search of a new friend this morning. He is a Lithuanian physicist named Vasilia and lives on the water near a local lake. Not my lake, but one not far away. This happened because I needed new tires. The tire store could not change the tires right away so I was stuck without a ride. I called my friend, the professor, to come get me. He is utterly dependable, usually available and always entertaining. He came for me. When we were both ensconced inside the marginal warmth of his battered Mercedes (which, although mentally gifted as we both are, we can never figure out how to operate the climate controls of) the professor informed me of this wonderfully brilliant man he had met at his country club. The professor is not a country-clubber, however, but he does work out at the club. Anyway, this aging and impressive scientist, and he, had had this sparklingly wonderful discussion the day before, and the professor thought he might make a great addition to our friendship group (which currently consists of only the two of us). The man had not given him the address where he lived, however. But, the professor was in a rare mood so he decided to drive us to the lake and make an adventure out of tracking the physicist to his lair. I, of course, being nothing like a normal human being, instantly agreed to this quest.
We lit off into the countryside. We had only the briefest of description's of the man's home. He had described a house with huge windows along the side of the lake. He had stated that the windows were so huge that the house was known to all who frequented that lake area. The professor drove while I fiddled with the climate controls. Upon our arrival at the lake, it became apparent that we might drive all day on the back roads and never find the place. The professor decided that we should stop at a few houses and ask about. I told you that the professor was in a rare mood, did I not? Having sold life insurance at one point in my life, I was ready. Outside sales makes approaching strangers fairly easy. The more you do the easier it gets. But professors? No. This did not stop my friend. We stopped and he was the one who went to the front doors. I waited in the car, my vaunted sales skills left to lay fallow. There was no joy to be had, however, until we accidentally happened upon a home with large windows. The professor disappeared inside and was gone for ten minutes. At that point, I could wait no longer. Fearing that my friend had been waylaid by some terribly horny young housewife, who's husband was at work, I charged to the front door.
The door opened and I was let in. By the noted and aged physicist, no less. There was no mistaking him, right down to the ancient tweed jacket and uncontrolled long white hair. I stepped in to find myself encircled. The whole extended Lithuanian family was present. The professor was talking away, obviously way out of his element, and I instantly understood why. My entry, as Falstaff, had not helped at all either. I sensed this as well. I saw shock and fear on everyone's face, and in each speck of their non-verbal body positions and movements. My friend just keep right on talking, introducing me as a former student of the Los Alamos physicist Hans Bethe (which I had been, but oh so long ago). As the professor continued his rapid nervous dialogue, I smiled, nodded, and guided him back towards the front door, where Vasilia stood with extended arm (as in, here is the door...use it). The professor was still running on as the physicist ushered us all the way down the long walk, and then down the driveway to the Mercedes. He told us that it was his custom to guide all visitors all the way to their cars. Right. It was seven degrees with a fifteen mile an hour. This man is at least seventy-eight and was wearing no coat!
My friend and I drove off, the Lithuanian left standing in the ice cold of his own driveway. He did not wave. "Well, that could have gone better," my friend finally got out, stating the simple fact in a more normal tone and cadence. I agreed. As we drove along I asked him if he knew what had happened at that house. He went on about friendship, new intellect in the neighborhood, etc. before he finally asked me what I meant.
"They were scared to death back there," I told him. "Every move and every step was one of fear. How could you not have seen that?" Of course, I knew he had seen all that, hence his running nervous dialogue while we were there, but I also knew that he did not understand. I have spent a long time abroad, working in back country regions and dealing with populations long subjugated by brutal regimes.
"They are wondering who the hell we are, right this minute. And they are hiding their identity papers and their valuables even as we drive away. Some of them were probably here on over-extended visas or maybe had no papers at all. And some of them lived in Budapest when the Soviets rolled in. They will be in fear for some time. No one has confronted them in 'their cave' in this way since they moved here. And here we role up, two aging white males, well dressed, intelligent, and saying we are looking to make a new friend."
My friend, who does not swear (unlike me) said "shit." I was not sure he believed my take on the results of our adventure, however. The Lithuanian even called him on the cell phone only moments after we arrived back at our coffee shop. I shook my head. "That was him, worried," I said. "He was making sure that the number you gave him was real, or was not answered by immigration or Homeland Security." I am not sure, even now, that my friend, really understands (or wants to understand) what happened at the Lithuanian's residence.
We do not have this fear burned into the marrow of our cultural bones. We do not think, first and foremost, when the doorbell rings, that it might be the police. We do not think that way because, except for amazingly few incidents in our life, it is not. That is not the way that other cultures function. No matter what the raving I do about the loss of American liberties because of the idiocy of the Patriot Act, or the utter stupid and depraved behavior of the Bush administration, our culture does not have fear as a part of it's normal foundational belief system. We do not fear the authorities. We argue with traffic cops. We yell at the tax collector, the mailman and sometimes even parking authorities. We do not fear them. Do not forget this. Do not help instill this basal fear into the foundation of our culture.
Do not heed the siren call of these survival nuts. They only rise up when things are a bit off kilter. Yes, things are going to get worse. But they are not going to totally fall apart. Look at the credentials of the people singing these songs. You will not find higher education or quality life experience as a part of their backgrounds. Remember, from my blog called Look Away, that we do need the fiber of the tenor of strength and stubbornness of such men and women, but we do not need their leadership. No, they, in point of fact, need ours. Remember how we came to be as a culture. Let's repeat the experience, not quiver in fear over the arrival of potential new friends.
from-the-chateau-dif.blogspot.com
You may be putting a lot of pressure on yourself to keep going, pushing, doing something - anything. However, before you work yourself into a frenzy, it may be more helpful to take some time and allow yourself to stabilize and gain your bearings.
One way to explain what’s happening is to think of the process of change as a bowl of Jell-O. If you keep stirring it up, it won’t form properly. So it’s important to learn how to chill a little, so to speak. Times of stress require a commitment to take breaks and get your mind off of work, regularly.
With that idea in mind, let’s release the collective contract behind some of the stress we’re experiencing via Wall Street, the media and the politicians.
Today’s Sacred Cow is:
"Keep the fear going by fueling it with speculation, uncertainty and psychodrama."
When our minds and bodies are kept under continual stress, we are like the Jell-o that won’t set. We are more susceptible to illness, paranoia, misinformation, fantasies and accidents. Tipping this Sacred Cow will calm down the external noise a bit. Then finding some time to rest and still your mind will be a tremendous help in being able to see the situation from a new perspective.
Rheanni Lightwater © 2008
Fear is all John McCain has left and he is spewing it all over Pennsylvania in a last-ditch attempt to win the state.
Also, a huge polling day for Obama in Iowa and Palin's prank call is ALL over the news.
And, the Arizona Daily Star endorses Obama.
Rebecca Traister at Salon looks at the rampant fear mongering at McCain's rallies in Pennsylvania:
There are a "couple of hidden factors" in this election, said Specter. "The first is that people answer pollsters one way, but in the secrecy of the ballot booth, vote the other way." Yes. That is what he said, to a chorus of hopeful affirmation. Arlen Specter was openly -- in public, into a microphone -- crossing his fingers, and hoping for racism.
and:
Specter followed Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, who had blustered about his hunting down of thousands of drug dealers and defrauders of senior citizens, as well as those people who would "go on the Internet and try to touch our children in a way that should never be allowed." It was the same kind of fear-mongering that the Republicans have been doing all over Pennsylvania in these last weeks, but on Saturday it felt more shameless, more swaggering, more exploitative of those Americans perceived as weak -- the old, the very young.
These people really are unbelievable.
::::::
And it's apparent that is all they have left. No positive messages on what John McCain can accomplish, just all anti-Obama, all the time. TPM reports on a GOP mailer claiming that electing Obama will lead to "tragic outcomes for the Jewish people."
Also in Pennsylvania, McCain is once again questioning Obama's patriotism:
"My country has never had to prove anything to me, my friends," McCain insisted at a morning rally in Springfield, Va., and again at an airport hangar here in the Philadelphia suburbs."I've always had faith in it and I've been humbled and honored to serve it," he added. "I haven't been vindicated by anything."
"My country has never had to prove anything to me, my friends," McCain insisted at a morning rally in Springfield, Va., and again at an airport hangar here in the Philadelphia suburbs.
"I've always had faith in it and I've been humbled and honored to serve it," he added. "I haven't been vindicated by anything."
Idon't think it's on ideology, but more a sense of disgust over John McCain's campaigning strategy, ultra low road politics of racism and hate, pick of Sara Palin the poster child for "clueless", and the real fear America could face with the continuation of the fundamentalist right wing policies in dangerous and uncertain times that have driven so many high profile Republican figures to jump ship this election cycle. Not only to jump ship, but to endorse Barack Obama, and to actually vote for him against the Republican candidate. I'm wondering how many Republicans will say to themselves in the voting booth, "I would do most anything for my party, but I can't vote for this ticket", and vote for Barack Obama for the good of the country. I'm thinking alot, because I'm one person and I know a few. I'll let you extrapolate that. But anyway Reagan Conservative, and former Reagan Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein is doing just that rather than see the country drove into the ground by McCain and Palin. Some Republicans have standards of conduct and morality, despite our differing political views.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/31/former-reagan-adviser-endorses-obama/
If you repeat a lie long enough, people will begin to believe it. This is what has happened with the people against Barack Obama. They have been lied to by democrats and republicans for two long years. Since they were pre-determined to believe the worst and vote against Barack, it was easy for them to buy into the lies and fear his presidency. This is what we (Obama supporters) are up against and must fight. McOldness and his cronies have preached hate, fear and division long enough for some people to believe the lies even when you prove the truth to them and serve it on a silver platter.It is a waste of time to argue any more, but when ever I'm confronted with lies against Barack, I make it my business to prove the truth by showing people where to find it. Please help in directing the trolls and anyone else who needs to know the truth, to our Fight the Smears site, FactCheck.com, Snoopes.org, PolitiFact.com, Truthorfiction.com, or any other reputable sites, blogs and video you know of. Once Barack Obama is the president, we will need all of the people in America to work together and this can only happen if we can change their hearts and minds and win them over with the truth!Obama - Biden '08, Can't Wait!!!
Before I get into a very serious concern, I have to ask, who came up with the name "Civil War" anyway? It's such an inappropriate name for what, in truth, are deeply divisive, rending descructive actions against one's own....
Anyway, here goes...
The French have a saying, "Never two, without three." It basically states that all things come in threes.
During this election, I've had literally hundreds of conversations with people of all walks of life, all religions, and many ethnic groups. I've talked to Jews and Palestinians, blacks and whites, business owners, unemployed workers, and even some political commentators (soon to be unemployed). With those hundreds of people came hundreds of opinions, the most unique of which I usually dismissed as "one man's opinion". But when three people I talk to say ultimately the same thing, well, that tells me there are others of like mind out there as well.
Today was strike three.
I had a contractor working on my roof and ceiling today, and spoke to him about the upcoming election as I do everyone. This was a white contractor whose livelihood has been somewhat threatened by day workers and who has developed sufficient evidence from the experiences in his own life to inform him that certain ethnic groups are prone to criminal behavior more than others. There was no point in fighting with him on this, however untrue it may have been. It was his experience. But what concerned me more was his fear. It matched almost exactly what I've heard from others whom I consider otherwise sensible and logical.
They fear that an Obama Presidency will put them in physical danger due to the release of pent up tensions from black oppression.
Yup. A black man gets elected and the riots break out. The criminal aspect of oppressed people would come forward, unchecked.
They ALL said it with a straight face. They're genuinely concerned. People who love their kids. People who go to church, who work for a living, people who otherwise make logical choices. They are in fear.
I tried to come up with logical responses. I mentioned Barack's Father's Day speech (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/15/obamas-fathers-day-speech_n_107220.html). Of course, they hadn't seen it or heard it. Barack has no problem calling on his "own" people to honor their heritage in how they act.
I've often said that people expect from others what they would do themselves, but I didn't get that sense here either.
So how do I best communicate to these folks that there's nothing to fear?
The Ashley Todd incident didn't help (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iidrMKZwVNDDlEtkssY6t1xxhg9QD94169T80). In fact, I can't help but wonder if it wasn't designed to reach these very people.
I would love to hear commentary on two things... have you come across people with these views? And if so, what have you said, if anything, that's worked?
I look forward to seeing your responses.
I cannot believe there are still people who are undecided. Last night the person sitting next to me in class said he was undecided. He liked Obama and did not like Palin but he was afraid that Obama would just raise taxes.
Ugh - that means the (IMHO) lame ads being run by McShame are working. He is telling everyone that Obama will raise taxes for everyone. I noticed that last night Obama changed the ceiling from $250,000 to $200,000 in his 30 minute Infomercial. The other day Biden said $150,000. Are these a slip of the tongue, is Obama reneging, or is McCain correct?
I tried to convince my classmate that the McShame assertions were not correct but I do not think he is convinced. People really do get scared when politicians play the scare card – after all that is how Bush got elected twice.
Obama at this point needs to address this with clarity or lose these undecided voters who are scared.
John McCain just made a speech in Miami Florida misrepresenting the Obama Campaigne! McCain also raised up the rhetoric of FEAR! McCain also stated Obama will be raising taxes on the middle class and specifying SPREADING the Wealth! McCain also said there was NO DANGER with Nulear WASTE!
Palin also spoke about ENERGY at a ENErGY group! The same old drill to lower oil prices!
How frustrating. So, let's go through this latest fear-tactic, shall we?
Enough Democrats will be elected into the Congress to create imbalance. Choose a Republican for president to balance them out.
A number of reasons why this irritates me:
Imagine McCain. His sneers. His air-quotes. His privatization and his flippancy towards the rest of the world. Do we really want someone who believes in supporting his private investors more than the common American people? Do we really want someone like McCain or Palin, who immediately turn to smearing opponents instead of dealing with issues? Do we think that is an effective way to lead a country?
Remember when Bush mentioned the "Axis of Evil" and we were all ashamed that our leader so brazenly bypassed diplomacy and called names? Or how about when he called the leader of North Korea, a "pygmy"? Don't we see that now, in our own country, with McCain/Palin throwing out labels and accusations of socialist, terrorist, and "celebrity"?
We aren't happy with Bush's diplomacy methods - how could we support the same in McCain and Palin?
How many times have we shaken our heads when Bush would come out with gaffes and errors in his statements? And now we want to elect McCain and Palin, the top gaffe-makers in our country today?
And how many times have we questioned the Bush tactics and strategies that deliberately lead us into situations that are designed to benefit himself and his cronies? And now McCain and Palin are using the same cronies and political campaign advisers as Bush did. How many times did we say we disliked "flip-flopping" but ignore the fact that McCain's entire campaign has been a flip-flop. He was against torture, but ended up supporting Bush in it anyway. He was for campaign reform, and now he's been taking advantage of every loophole that exists. He was against tax cuts for the wealthy, and now supports them again. He left the 2000 campaign after Bush's campaign smeared him and his family terribly. Now he's using the same people to smear Obama. He says he puts his country first, but ask Americans how they feel Palin fits that theme. He claims he's moderate, but then takes up all the most conservative ideals of his party.
He's shown his disdain for what Americans want at every turn. We don't like the negativity - he does more of it. We don't like the idea of privatizing health care, he makes it a pivotal part of his campaign. Just what does McCain stand for that Americans really want?
Fear-mongering is tiring. Our country has been at Orange Alert for so long that no one even pays attention anymore. McCain wants people to question "Who is the real Obama?" when we really should be asking, "Who is the Real McCain - and which one is trying to be president?"
(originally posted at Exponential)
