Posts with the tag Ignorance

Young Not Dumb

Connie Camaro — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:52:17 EDT

Hey, just because Im young does not mean I do not understand and unfortunately see the world of today in all its corrupted and selfish shame.

Many people are and have been ignorant and greedy, and our world, our planet is suffering for it. I have seen a lot of cowardly and unfair shit in my 17 years already. Its all about the money, isnt it? Well guess what? Theres more to life than money. I hear that many people of America are complaining against the New Health Insurance Proposal and im a little shocked as to why? I may be British, but Im not stupid and I take pride in NOT being ignorant.

Im aware of the political and global 'goings-on' in the world; and I think more people should be. There are many people who do not know who their own President/Priminister is, which is quite shocking, mostly because they CHOOSE not to care. This health insurance issue IS IMPORTANT.

Just because other less fortunate people cannot afford insurance DOES NOT mean they should suffer. How can anyone, regardless or their beliefs or backgrounds stand up and admit that they believe this. My mother is quite ill at the moment and will be having an operation in October. If we had no health insurance, we would not be able to afford it, and her illness may turn terminal.

They are far worse cases out there but i have offered you a personal example. People need to realise that money and looks or whatever only get you so far, but whats in lack of supply at the moment is common sense, honesty, compassion and generosity.

All I can say to those that are lacking is this:

Sort your life out you disgraceful excuse for a human being. >:( !!!!!

How to Protect Yourself When You Suspect Racial Profiling

Eric from Covina, CA — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:08:42 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

How to Protect Yourself When You Suspect Racial Profiling

Well, racial profiling is in the news again.

Prominent Black scholar and Harvard professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. was recently arrested after a forced entry into his own home. Dr. Gates alleges that he was arrested for spite after he'd presented his identification, then repeatedly insisted that the officer provide his name and badge number.

Racial profiling cannot be defended. It is a horrible affront to the constitution, the rule of law, and to every law-abiding citizen, but I'm not addressing that issue here. The one issue that is at least as important as racial profiling itself, is how to best protect yourself if you suspect you're the victim of racial profiling. After all, that could become a matter of life and death.

A Simple Question: Would God Condone Torture?

Eric from Covina, CA — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:05:14 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

A Simple Question: Would God Condone Torture?

Maybe I'm missing something but I find it uniquely ironic that some the same people who clamor for prayer in school, claim that same-sex marriage is an abomination under God,who insist that America is a Christian nation, and fight for the Biblical version of creationism over science, are also the very same people who demand the right to be armed to the teeth with some of the most destructive private weapons on Earth, the right to slaughter and bring the most excruciating kinds of death upon God's other creatures for nothing more than their own entertainment, and now, condone the torture of other human beings as a legitimate tool of government. Is it just me, or does anyone else see this as the very height of hypocrisy?

...the 'German's point of view on Islam' rant...

The Ranting Dream — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:54:03 EST

I’ve also posted this blog entry on my blog: http://www.theparadigmshiftshere.com

...we all need to dig much deeper - in unity, compassion, tolerance, forbearance, understanding, generosity, and respect - to first understand one another and then to realize and accept that we are essentially from the same 'mold' - if we are divided today, it isn't because of anything other than our own ignorance and choosing...

...it's very easy to point fingers and lay blame, but extremely difficult to take ownership...

...I am very tempted to rant on this in my trademark 'tongue-in-cheek' style, but in re-reading Barack Obama's 'Audacity of Hope', I'm beginning to resonate with his wise choice of speaking the language of inclusion, of conversation rather than confrontation...so, here's my humble attempt...

...as The Aga Khan eloquently pointed out in an interview: "...Rather than shouting at each other, we should be learning to listen to each other..."

More Plumbing Connections

Lorrie — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:57:36 EST

For me, Joe the Plumber has a negative connotation. In the Nixon years the White House Plumbers went to prison for their dirty deeds! Just use Wikipedia to search for "Nixon Plumbers" and you'll see the story of deceit as they tried to get Nixon elected. They became known as the White House Plumbers or "the plumbers".

Why does the current "Joe the plumber" want to have this kind of association? Is he ignorant of political American history?

Senator Obama wants education to flourish in our country again. Without education, ignorance will bring our country into a black hole. Joe the plumber appears to be a prime example why we need to make education a priority.

Leader to look up to

S Joy — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:43:32 EDT

Unity or Seperatation?

Last night at a church gathering we go to every Wednesday night, a woman who just found out I was voting for Barack started spewing anger, lies and hatred. I was dumbfounded. She said she saw this all on Newsweek and that it was a fact. Of course, there was nothing I could say. It took everything in my power to stay seated and not leave and never look back. I was shocked, saddened and horrified at the anger in her voice.

The Klu Klux Klan had reared it's ugly head this month in my town. They wrapped their propoganda around the only newspaper here in Ada and distributed that around some neighborhoods here.

There is only one reason why such hate comes out. There is only one man who created this. Ignorance is such a sad thing.

The core of my belief system is that we are all equals. My faith is based on Love where Hatred is seen as that being without alignment with God.

As I try to deal with this, I have someone to look up towards. Someone who creates unity rather than preying on ignorance and propogating hate.

No one is exempt from their faults. No one is exempt from having a gift either. Some of us are fortunate enough to share our gifts with those around us.

Mr. Obama, Thank you for sharing your gift with us. :-)

I'D LIKE THE DEEP-FRIED PALIN FEAST WITH A SIDE OF PALIN, THE PALIN RINGS, AND A LARGE PALIN JUICE

Texas Treehouse — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:49:56 EDT

In no way will I ever be able to explain to you how crap these past few weeks have been for me. But, suddenly, like a rodent poking its snout out of the crack between the stove and the wall, good things have started to creep into the room. I seem to almost be about to be employed in some fashion. And now, this little ray of sunshine has arrived. I sincerely hope someone nominates Ms. Westfall for something. I am posting the article in its entirety:

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20235099,00.html

People Exclusive

Sarah Palin: My Wedding Hope for Bristol

By Sandra Sobieraj Westfall

Now that Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter has celebrated her 18th birthday, the GOP vice-presidential candidate says she's hoping Bristol and fiancé Levi Johnston – who are expecting a baby in December – will tie the knot well before the date next summer the young couple had been eyeing.

"Hopefully before that," Sarah Palin tells PEOPLE in an Oct. 15 interview for the issue on newsstands this Friday. "Bristol turns 18 in a few days [Oct. 18]. That's what we wanted her to wait for: 18, and a decision on her own about how she's going to go forward, her and Levi, at this point."

Taking a break between campaign speeches in New Hampshire, Palin and her husband, Todd, both 44, spoke about Bristol, Tina Fey and sex ed. They also responded to PEOPLE readers' questions about politics, life with five kids – ages 6 months to 19 years – and what's next for the Alaska governor, win or lose:

Do you two ever look at each other and just go, This is insane?
Sarah Palin: I haven't had time to yet. (She clicks her tongue twice and pats Todd on the knee.)

With the kids traveling, how do they keep up with school?
SP: They've been going back and forth and bringing schoolwork with them. Yeah. It's workin'. With our help and Grandma's and Grandpa's help.

Your crowds are adoring but the criticism is sometimes tough. Todd, Elizabeth in Nashville asks, Is it hard not to stick up for Sarah?
TODD PALIN: When you get into this business, it's expected. I do [feel protective] but it's just entertainment.
SP: They take their shots; that's some people's entertainment.

We've seen her as the Supermom and Power Chick, if you'll pardon the expression. You've seen her softer side.
TP: When she's working for me out there in my fishing boat, she's pretty vulnerable. It's my element.
SP: He's the boss out there on the boat while we commercial fish. Yeah. That's a different story then.

You're not one of those I-broke-a-fingernail outdoorswomen?
SP: No time for that, no. You have to be tough out there. You don't come back on the boat if you're going to whine and complain about being cold or tired. You do what you have to do to get the job done.

Tina Fey's got you locked up. Who would play Todd?
SP: Tim McGraw. That's what they say back home, anyway. Some of the kids tell our kids, "Your dad, when he wears his hat, he looks like Tim McGraw." It's good.

What types of things do you argue or bicker about back home?
SP: We don't have a whole lot of time to argue and bicker. It's a team effort how we get from point A to point B every day with everything that needs to get done.
TP: The normal challenges, it's the kids' schedules, where they go and who's coming over.

And that's mostly fallen to you now –
TP: Well we've always shared that responsibility, especially with my [oil-drilling] slope job. So, when I'm gone with work, she's got both hats on. When I come home, I try to carry both hats, as long as I don't disrupt their schedule.

In normal times, who does what around the house?
SP: Todd grew up helping to raise a lot of sisters and it was expected that he would be a helpmate to his parents and siblings. It's just par for the course now that he does as much as I do around the house. In fact you probably do more [laughs], with my busy schedule. Todd has an unconventional work schedule: gone summers commercial fishing and then week-on, week-off in his [oil] job. When he is home, he takes over.
TP: I have to. If I don't then there's no Iron Dog [snowmobile racing], there's not all the good stuff.

Mm-hmm. The payoffs.
SP: No. It's truly a partnership where we share the workload because … We've never really looked at it as a workload. It's a pleasure to be home, it's a pleasure to be working with the kids. We enjoy cooking, we enjoy cleaning up together. It's just what we do.

Who's the better cook?
SP: It depends on what we're cooking. I'm a better –
TP: She's a good cook.
SP: I'm a better cooker. You're a better, like he can smoke salmon better than anybody else that I know. And can salmon. We eat a lot of wild Alaska seafood and we're trying different recipes all the time with that. You do a couple of those dishes better than I do.
TP: Barbecue, yeah.
SP: Barbecued salmon.

Tina Fey plays you sort of bubble-headed. You obviously –
SP: That's funny, I play her bubble-headed, too, when I imitate her.

– but you don't get to be governor without being smart, so how would you describe your smarts?
SP: How would I describe my smarts?

Do you think you're intellectual?
SP: Yessss. And you have to be up on not only current events, but you have to understand the foundation of the issues that you're working on as a governor. I had to do the same thing as a mayor. So it is not just current events but it's much more in-depth than that to understand how, in the case of me being governor, how did our state get to the position that we are in order for a decision to have to be made. You can't just go on what is presented you. You have to know the background, you have to know the players involved before you make a policy call. So, um, it's uh, it's a good job, it's a tough job and it's a very, very serious job. And no. You don't get to be a governor by being –
TP: – going with the wind.
SP: Yeah definitely. You don't just go with the flow and take a political pulse on policy. You have to go with what the foundational knowledge is that you have on issues in front of you and you have to put the people you are serving, put them first. You put them before partisanship you put them before special interests. That's how you make decisions as governor.

How do you get that knowledge?
SP: I'm a voracious reader, always have been. I appreciate a lot of information. I think that comes from growing up in a family of schoolteachers also where reading and seizing educational opportunities was top on my parents' agenda. That was instilled in me.

What do you like to read?
SP: Autobiographies, historical pieces – really anything and everything. Besides the kids and sports, reading is my favorite thing to do.

What are you reading now?
SP: I'm reading, heh-heh, a lot of briefing papers on a lot of issues that are in front of us in this campaign.

What about for fun?
SP: Do we consider The Looming Tower something that was just for fun? That's what I've been reading on the airplane. It's about 9/11. If I'm going to read something, for the most part, it's something beneficial.

Some national issues are different than what you've focused on in Alaska. Now that you've been at this national campaign for a while, are there areas you've discovered you'd like to study up on more?
SP: The overall mission here in a national campaign is the same mission that I was on in a state campaign and in my job serving the state and before that, in a local city campaign and in my job serving a community and that is making sure that the people who hire you are going to be put first in all the decisions that you make. Overall, it's the same mission that I'm on and in this case also it's supporting I think the perfect running mate, someone who is ready to lead our country through the economic crisis that we're in right now, lead us into victory in these wars that we're fighting. So same mission, that being serving the people who will hire us.

What have you heard from your son overseas? [Track, 19, is deployed with the Army in Iraq.]
SP: He's doing well. Not a complaint. I visited the troops over there, and I was so pleased and appreciative of our troops, my son included, where you don't hear them complain. You don't hear them complain about the heat or the dozens of pounds of equipment that they're carrying, none of the conditions that we would consider adverse and burdensome. I've never heard any of our soldiers complain and my son has been the same way in discussions with him.

Jessica of Yucca Valley, Calif., wants to know, When someone screamed, 'Kill him,' at your rally, why didn't you say anything?
SP: I haven't heard anybody scream 'Kill him' at a rally.

Have you read that people in your crowds yelled hateful things about Barack Obama?
SP: With 23,000 people at a rally it would be difficult to pick out one comment. If I heard somebody say something like 'Kill him,' I would certainly not condone that… and I would say something.

Your future son-in-law –
SP: What I have heard though are comments like Barack Obama has made outright asking his supporters to go out there and argue with us and 'get in their face.' I've heard things like that directly from, of course, Barack Obama via the news waves. But I haven't heard such a mean-spirited and ugly comment as you mentioned at one of our rallies.

Your future son-in-law told the Associated Press that Obama seems like a nice guy. Tammy of Nashville asks, Do you like Obama as a person?
SP: I've never met him.

Is there anything you like?
SP: Oh, I admire that he has dedicated three years to serving Americans in the Senate. And anyone who is willing to put so much on the line—in terms of giving up privacy and, at least in our case, almost being in a position of having to allow your family to take unfair shots – because they're committed to a mission, as Barack Obama obviously is, I can respect that. Yeah.

Alicia in New York City asks, Do you think about having more children?
SP: No-o-o-o. We got our starting five. That's the final five.

Alicia also wondered if you had any more unique names up your sleeve.
SP: We did. We never got to get our Zamboni in. I always wanted a son named Zamboni.
TP: I don't think that would have flied.

Shelli of Charlotte, N.C., was curious about your favorite family vacations?
TP: To the cabin. Safari Lake. New Year's Eve.
SP: Up to the cabin, yeah. That's when all the family gets together and lots of our neighbors from Wasilla, we all pack up the trailers—the snow machine trailers—and head on up about 70 miles north so we can ring in the new year out in the snow, in the great outdoors, and under the Northern Lights. It's been an absolute beautiful night each night we've been out there.

Have you traveled with the kids anywhere in the lower 48?
SP: Yes. Many, many, many times. Yes. Yes. We go to Hawaii often. That's a good trip for Alaskans because it's a direct flight down there. We've been to California quite a few times. Washington State quite a few times to see relatives.
TP: We enjoy our road trips –
SP: We LOVE road trips.
TP: – driving from Alaska to the lower 48.
SP: Our son a few years ago was playing hockey in Minnesota, and we missed him so much that we jumped in one of our four-door trucks and drove from Alaska to Minnesota so that we could see him for a few hours. It also gave us a good excuse to travel that part of the country with the girls also.

How long a drive is that? A week?
SP: Not the way Todd drives. And Todd never sleeps!

Will everyone move to Washington if you win?
SP: Well, Bristol will be starting her own family and Track will be [with the Army] still fighting the war, but the little kids and Todd and I will.

You're not the first parents to cope with a teenage pregnancy. How did you get that news and what was your reaction?
SP: Just a very quick acknowledgement that Bristol and her fiancé will have to grow up a lot quicker. But she is quite mature, very kind-hearted and a very strong young woman. She's also kind of an old soul who's beyond any desire to be out there partying. It will all be good. We look forward to another life coming into our family.

Do you worry about her finishing high school or going to college?
SP: No. She's a very smart girl. She's got great grades. She's always been a very good athlete, very plugged into school. These are less than ideal circumstances, but she is making the most of this and she will be a very, very good and loving mother. And Levi will be a very good father. And it's going to be good. And certainly, of course, as you point out, we're not the first.

Has this changed how you talk about sex with your other children?
SP: I've always been a proponent of making sure kids understand – even in schools – they'd better take preventative measures so that they don't find themselves in these less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps Bristol could be a good example to other young women that life happens and preventative measures are, first and foremost, the option that should be considered –

Do you mean abstinence or contraception?
SP: Well, both. Ideally abstinence. But we have not been ones to say that students, should not know what preventive measures are all about. I've been taken aback by some criticism that mainstream media has thrown my way saying, Oh, what a hypocrite she is and she's now learned her lesson because she's been against sex education in the schools. And I'm like, when? Where? When have I ever said that there should be no sex education taught in our homes or even in our schools?

STAFF: One more question.

Carlie from Winston Salem, N.C., asks, If Sen. McCain doesn't win, will you run for President in 2012? I will be old enough to vote then and you have my vote.
SP: Awww. That is so nice to hear. But our focus is between now and November 4.

But have you been bitten by the bug? Can you go home again and just be an Alaskan?
SP: I can always go home again and just be Mom and be perfectly happy and fulfilled with the blessings that God has given us. And with a great marriage and great parents and siblings and children, I could today go home and just be Mom.

Wedding next summer, is that right?
SP: Um. Hopefully before that. But Bristol turns 18 in a few days. That's what we wanted her to wait for: 18 and a decision on her own about how she's going to go forward, her and Levi, at this point.

Are you disappointed that he's dropped out of school?
SP: He's working right now full-time, but there have been a lot of very successful, hard-working American families led by men and women who have received their GED and have figured out through home-schooling and alternative schooling how to get that high school diploma and Levi will be on that road to get his education, also. But in addition to that, they're not going to be looking for anybody to hand them anything. They're going to be working for provisions for their new family and I respect that Levi is out there working hard. He's got a good job right now, working hard, ready to take care of his new child. I respect that.

STAFF: We've got to get going.

As a new Grandma, it's going to be hard if you're in Washington and the new baby is going to be so far away–
SP: We've always had very flexible schedules –
TP: Very flexible schedules –
SP: – and probably quite unconventional, but it's always worked and our family and our faith and those things that we so believe in comes first and we've always made this all work.
TP: And Uncle Trig [Sarah's and Todd's 6-month-old son] needs a little buddy to play with.
SP: (sing-songy) That's right! Trig does.

We've gotten so many questions from people who saw Trig at the convention and the debate and worry about his bedtime.
SP: If you notice in those evening debates he's usually sound asleep in all of our arms and he manages to sleep and eat like any other baby needs to, on their own schedule.
TP: He's a good Alaskan kid.
SP: He is an Alaskan kid. He's already tough and you can already tell he enjoys being outdoors also. Man, that's when he wakes up; he just enjoys it. He's perfect.

And he's got more frequent-flier miles now than–
SP: And he's got more arms to hold him and feed him than any child could ever hope for. He's got a lot of love.

STAFF: We've got to go.

Do you miss him, though, as his Mom?
SP: Well, he's just a couple of floors above me right now, so thankfully he's there with me. When you guys aren't looking at me, Trig is with me. Thankfully, it all works.

Have you prepared Bristol for the sleeplessness?
SP: She has helped with Trig for these months and she helped with [7-year-old sister] Piper all those years. She's also been a very good babysitter for nieces and nephews and cousins. She knows what it's all about. Yeah.

Do you have a favorite childhood book you'll be passing on to your new grandbaby?
SP: Awww. Gosh. That's a good question. Piper and I read lots and lots of nursery rhymes, of course, and we still do. There's a couple of really good Alaskan child books, also, about the Iditarod, the sled-dog race so, in fact a couple of those – and I'm reading one of them to Piper right now – we'll be passing those on.

Is that a series?
SP: No, different books. Susan Butcher, she was one of the Iditarod champions. She had written a book before she died. It was a beautiful book that she and her husband, Dave Monson, wrote. It's called Granite and it's a good one. And a lot of the Alaskan-oriented books because our kids are Alaska native, they're Eskimos, so it helps them understand more of their culture, the history there in Alaska.

The problem with Republicans changing the rules at this stage and the main consequences of it

Ms CYPRAH — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:31:33 EDT

There are four crucial weeks left to the American elections, a very long time to test political fortunes. To the Democrats it must feel like the end is so tantalisingly near yet so achingly far away, in view of what is possible for both sides of the race up to then. Already, the Republicans are baring their nasty fangs. Bereft of innovative ideas, deprived of any real leadership and with no obvious solutions to any of the country's pressing problems (goodness knows there are many!), the intreprid Republicans, headed by John MCcain and Sarah Palin, have decided to take leave of their collective senses and get stuck into the mud instead.

The problem with accusing your opponent of anything at all that smacks of smear, slander or simple nastiness, is that two can play the same game. Having been in the line of 'terrorist for friend' fire all weekend, Barack Obama's team is now hitting back with a short documentary about McCain and Keating, an association that would have been better left unearthed in view of what is happening in the current economic meltdown.

McCain Supporter wants him to Die Soon?

SamS — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:58:56 EDT

My son tonight, upon returning home from work, had an interesting story to share. He was quite anxious to share it, which is not like him.

My 20-year old son works part time for a large electronics chain store while going to school for a civil engineering degree. Today at work he was assisting a gentleman (he described as a large man in desperate need of a shower and deodorant) and out of the blue the man starting talking politics. Of course he had to hold his tongue, but was definitely upset by the man's words.

My son was told by this man that he was voting for McCain. He used the typical conservative talking points accusing Barack of not being American, being a terrorist, and being a liar. But then he stated something much more shocking. He stated that he is voting for McCain for all those reasons described above, but HOPED MCCAIN DIES RIGHT AWAY because he wants Sarah Palin to be President and thinks McCain is crazy.

My son was in disbelief, and I had to explain to him how many of these people think. It is a sad state to explain how ignorant, how hateful, how sheep-like so many people in our beloved country are in this era.

Autism is a joke

Allison — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:05:32 EDT

No, this is not another comment from Michael Savage. It is a comment from Andrew Wiltberger, who seems to think individuals with the disorder need to "have a few beers and get laid" because we are indeed a freak show. He is voting Republican, but that's still no reason to view Republicans as a whole as bad people. He is not a senator nor a govenor. He is little more than a landscaper from Northern Il. The point I'm trying to make here is that it doesn't always matter what your stature is in life. If you know enough people and have enough influence you can do a lot of damage. I've already seen the effects of hateful ignorance across the internet from average citizens claiming many wrongful things of Barack Obama, chiefly among them is the old tired diatribe about him having terriorist ties. Seriously, if anyone involved in government was suspected of subversive activity they'd have been investigated by now. Any parent, teacher and ASD individual knows autism is real. They don't need a study to prove it. They live it every day-and guess what folks-they ain't laughing. They're going broke. Parents take out mortgages, lose their homes or sell them to pay for the various autism treatments that insurance won't cover. Adults struggle to work, keep a roof over their head. Some like me cannot due to severe hyperacusis and extreme difficulty with social interaction. Some develop co-morbid disorders like Bi-Polar. Still others will commit suicide. Il still doesn't have insurance parity for autistic children while a handful of states have passed that legislation. Andrew Wiltberger is (sadly) a relation of our family and has been throughly educated about autism and Asperger Syndrome. Still, education doesn't equal compassion. I've come to find the more education one has, the less compassion and vise versa. The hypocritical thing about Andrew Wiltberger is that he has ADHD and demands respect which I have always shown as long as I have received the same. To ask for less would be to debase myself and now the autism community. He is a desprate person who will stop at nothing to inflate his megar sense of (false) self-esteem. Tonight I read a story on Yahoo News that stated the McCain/Palin campaign is going after Barack Obama for excepting campaign donations in excess of the FEC rules and from Foreigners no less. The RNC admits to having no facts aside from Newsmax. 30 days to go and all they care about is their pride. Barack Obama cares for you. No joke.

If ignorance was a felony ...

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:46:49 EDT

If ignorance was a felony, Sarah Palin would be serving a life sentence ...

New Hollywood sensation: "Sarah Palin and the attack of the flat-worlders."

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:44:37 EDT

Coming soon in a theater near you ...

"Sarah Palin and the attack of the flat-worlders."

See it and weep for the Republic (but not for the Republicans, who filmed this horror movie.)

Oh Say can you See.,....

Mr. from Shreveport, LA — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:14:19 EDT

I talked about the old models of business structure .. built and based on the 1930, people who are today educated in the 90 and 70 and some in the 80's ... were taught models based on the 1930's and the late 1940's.. there was a massive amount of process that were infused with much of negative things in the 1960, when the nation fought the removal of segregations, and set up standards and practices to covertly continue segregationist mindset and policies.. and only by the force of Government put in place books, on human rights but did not push the policies, nor screen and re-screen those who held employ, from the times before...some companies have done good work.. on diversity training.. and some have not..

when it comes to financial... the system has been ridden in the ground, and if you review the pre 1929 situation, the cycle shows many similarities. it was a period of out right extravagance, and the mindset that nothing could go wrong with the glory days of snatch and grab, shell games.. and wide margins.. where none could meet the calls.. when the bell rang... and they took it to the simulation even during those times of their version.. the short Sellers golden hey day...

All models today continue to function on the old models.. and none dare stand an change.. nor move into a new day for a new way... ans the cycle continues, and the losses mount... for the Air travel Industry... when business suffers so does travel and the need to travel is far less .. surely domestically... it may heat up for the International.. as the new owners of american commodities and fixtures and corporations.. come from foreign lands.. to review their "fire sale", purchases, and come and design the payment for the basement bargains of the American corporations, and their new and now ownership of much of the landscape.. and the selling has only taken on a different tone..

None payed attention when China two years ago, told the US it would switch to a higher % of buying gold.. but what they were saying to the US was, you are borrowing from us.. and the trade with us, is billions to our good.. so why should we buy you paper... it's backed by nothing, but we will buy only enough to insure trade remains and we can sell our goods to you.. and the US never again, said another word to China about changing it's currency.. This country don't listen, and they don't gather what they hear... the haughitness of their self absorption is rattling far too loud... and again, China came back just in the past Month, and said.. You better fix your major Houses, because if they fall... we still want our money back... but this time.. the message was not only brought by China, it was supported by the Arabs, and every other Nation.. who had invested heavily in the US... and then the scramble took place.. to try and bail out these organizations.. not because it wanted them not to fail... but because Federal Borrowing has leveraged itself thru the prop up illusion, that these institutions were their backing.. and now.. on a paper situation.. there is nearly a transfer of ownership... of the Nation to a great extend.. because the same claim of bailing these places out.. is based on what??
A nation.. that is supported by the backing of debt.. held by foreign nations. Our government is fiscally broke... we've carried a yearly deficit, now for 7 years, and we have borrowed more than we can repay in the next 20 years.. and we have no industry that can bail it out by creating economic prosperity... the shot callers and ballers.. now sit in far away lands... with the coffer's filled with certificates of ownership... called IOU's...   it's a whole different type of transfer of ownership... but nevertheless ... a transfer..

the economist say it in terms to sound nice.. "when they say:.. This is the biggest transfer of wealth the world has ever seen"... people don't get what that means.

it means everything flows to the new Owners... 23 billion surplus for China ON TRADE GOODS.. 100'S of Billions to Arab Nations on a monthly basis, and Nordic regions owning many of the corporations, Canada owning many of the production units, and the income from those flow to those nations.. not to the US..
We are a nation that thought to nearly enslave other's in it's search for cheap labor.. and cheap goods.. and now.. we have become the slave we tried to make of other nations... and they are not the slave masters... We can't make auto's without Chinese products.. we can't even produce food without Chinese products..
Toyota and Nissan.. are standing only a pile of paperwork from having an massive chunk of General Motors and Ford Motors... and Chrysler.. may belong to Mitsubishi... and even the late runner Hyuandia .. now rivals even the top models made in the USA.. and it came in the 80's as the cheapest auto on the market.. selling for 8k...

We went from a Nation where business was based on substance .. to a nation of business that paid it's corporate managing leaders.. thousands of dollars a minute...   some even made to the tune near a $1000 a second.. and their corporate models .. did barely produce that much in their productions performance.   We became a Nation.. who set a Global tone, of greed.. gluttony... for every benefit taken from workers, the executive suite paid themselves millions more upon millions, and set up a perk cycle..for themselves and then claimed a corporate loss.. and stood back and said.. "i just can't understand why the people don't work like slaves for nothing"... and became so adamant in that mindset.. they took even more from them and double their workload by laying off the help that was actually needed.. and they wonder .. why they can't perform..

It's like long ago when the South Fell ... the slave could not be made to work for free, and the plantation owners refused to pay them, and so they said.. "ph the black man is just lazy... when he was not lazy, why should he work for nothing, and why should he run to the lowest job, in the most disgusting situation as if someone has thrown a bone they sucked dry... and expect him to run to it with a smile... but what they did not ask was.. Why are not the white people rushing to those plantation job.. they make of the majority of the population.. but they knew.. none would come and work for nothing, nor would they even consider to smile about abone being thrown to them... so rather than pay a decent wage and gain the black workers.. who are now by law free men... there was no way the plantation owners would share in the gain... so instead they let the plantations fail..   and this cycle has been repeated so many time.. and now.. it's American as a Nation.. that again does just what the plantations did...
the plantations owners lived well, spent lavish and had a great hey day.. till one day they awaken and found out.. the plantation was gone, there was no source of income and the money shuffle had played out , because the interest earning.. would not match with the lavish lifestyle and the cash burn, it took for them to play master games any more...   the cycle again played itself in the 1960...a1970's.. the new slave force was sought from the far east and the Pacific rim, aso they sold off all the manufacturing and production.. too arrogant to share the wealth of a nations... because now.. that would mean.. minorities and women, would gain in it.. so they sought out.. the new slave forces of Asian... never realizing that eventually... they too would find out how to liberate themselves.. only in their liberation, they had money to liberate themselves... .. Now they are the New owners of the plantations.. and they selll the goods, and they hold the money.. But America still can't see it's their bias and intent not to share the development with the minorities in this nations, nor share anything.. with the women and minorities.. and that is the downfall of the nation... they said Unions were the greatest thing in the world.. until after the 1960's when blacks and women could get in Unions, then they said.. Oh no !!! Hell NO... get rid of the Unions.. they are the worst thing in the world.. because they support equality and they have opened the doors for the minorities to be able to earn and live like us.. so away went the Unions... and away went the factors.. and the claim was... " our goods was too expensive because of union labor, when the truth is.. the world bought them before ... because they were well made and used the best materials.. and the other countries figured out how to get it, and it was prized products and the world did not mind paying for the quality..    so the US started making cheap good with foreign parts within them.. and the foreign people finally figured out.. "why should we pay top dollar for stuff we made and they put their logo on it and called it US products".. so they just began to assemble it and put their name on it, and then... it was America now buying the foreign parts.. from construction equipment, to computers to tea pots, and now to the grains that make up the food in commercial food production.

Again deep core racism has taken down a nation..and people remain unaware what is the driving force... none can think back to learn..

It too 100 years from the freedom of slavery to get to the civil right act of 1964... 100years... and in between that time, they tried to create every thing imaginable to keep the "I'm better than you, and I'm entitled mindset alive"... from segregation to the Jim Crow policies.. to the set criteria and standards for the immediate denial by unreal pre-requisits.. when they knew everyone was not being held to the same standard.. and when the laws forced changes.. the companies moved off shore.. rather than to share the equity and prosperity of a nation... Racism killed the Southern Prosperity... of the Pre 1900... Greed killed the early 20th century revelers who bask in money changing games.. and then Segregation distressed the economy of the late 1950's and Civil rights act of the 1960.. lead to the shipping away of the Jobs.. to avoid sharing..... and now.. in the 21st Century.. after the recycle of money changing games... here we are at another depressions of distressed economy...   and the cycle just repeated itself... becase racism .. was how the country was made strong .. by stealing labor, and not sharing in the gains, and again.. this cycle continues.. and none seem to be aware... that principal of "live by the sword, die by the sword... is not much different than.. " Rise up by racism, Fall by racism"..   and yet.. America is unwilling to fully learn..   we see it in the Campaign...

On one had America says it's Ivy League schools are the best.. and produce the Best.. but when a black leader runs for office.. they say.. Oh' wait a minute.. he still is not good enough... let's get a hot head.. who has been a screw up his whole life.. and let's push him as a Hero... and the man himself said, he was an arrogant asshole.. up until the Vietnamese locked his butt up.. then he came back.. and treated his family like they were nothing, and walked away.. and each act... he comes back.. and say.. OH.... Ok... I learned.. and then on to the next screw up.. even the Keating 5, then he says Ok ... I learned.. and the cycle goes over and over.. and his highest credential.. was shown in the convention.. they spent 4 days praising a old war veteran.. from a wrong way war, and showed films of a hot head.. who never would have been allowed to make so many screw up.. except his father and his fathers father was an Admiral.. so he played the "I'm untouchable game... and dumped his wife and claimed himself a rich girl... never again to even address any of the callousness.. and now today.. the Nation Highest office.. is being sought .. based on the credentials of being a POW...   and a gun slinger... tough talking to other nations.. when the world has moved on.. and is seeking out diplomacy.. he is talking about whom he won't talk to , and how and whom must submit.. to a broken nation.. as if he is the Capitan of the world...   yet he has not kept up with the times, He can't use the simplicity of e-mail.. yet we have cyber crime departments in the highest levels of a nations security, and here's a man who can't operate a basic computer.. talking about leading a nations.. where computers control the finances of the world.   and yet again.. it's claimed.. the black man, who is educated..and has ran the best campaign that has broken every record in the history book of elections and utilized the technology of today, and ran a staff that spans 50 States and has done so effectively.. had the highest voter turn out, the highest new voter registration.. and has the education to back his position.. but he is not good enough... and the opponent runs based on being a POW... when he can't even remember who's fighting whom in the middle east and has publicly stated he does not know much about the economy... yet.. he thought he knew enough when he operating with the Keating 5.. and ripped america and caused the biggest crash of the era.. of Saving and Loans..

Reality tells it's own picture.. and .. the same thing that took a nation up .. is bringing it down... " racism".. which at root.. is based on ignorance.. and we see the results of much ignorance in the manners which the economy of a nations has met it's waterloo...and people still refuse to look within the depth to get a grip on what is within the core of the model.. this nation discounted and played down the world of nations.. as if it was better than all person... and now.. it is those other nations that hold the wealth.. of the world... what we have is debt.. and have been Bankrupt now.. for the 4th time.. and just write on paper.. and say we can carry more debt.. and yet.. everything is broken.. and some beyond repair...

big pictures always show a broader view.. and the close up.. reveal more than many may see from a distance..

Americans Convinced That Obama Is Muslim

Mark Ungemach (Democratic Committee Person, Franklin Township, Landenberg, PA) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:41:29 EDT

From The New York Times, September 21, 2008

Op-Ed Columnist

The Push to ‘Otherize’ Obama, By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Here’s a sad monument to the sleaziness of this presidential campaign: Almost one-third of voters “know” that Barack Obama is a Muslim or believe that he could be.

In short, the political campaign to transform Mr. Obama into a Muslim is succeeding. The real loser as that happens isn’t just Mr. Obama, but our entire political process.

A Pew Research Center survey released a few days ago found that only half of Americans correctly know that Mr. Obama is a Christian. Meanwhile, 13 percent of registered voters say that he is a Muslim, compared with 12 percent in June and 10 percent in March.

More ominously, a rising share — now 16 percent — say they aren’t sure about his religion because they’ve heard “different things” about it.

When I’ve traveled around the country, particularly to my childhood home in rural Oregon, I’ve been struck by the number of people who ask something like: That Obama — is he really a Christian? Isn’t he a Muslim or something? Didn’t he take his oath of office on the Koran?

Karzai Agrees To Meet With Palin

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 11:09:16 EDT

Maybe Karzai can explain a little something to Palin about the reality of countries she cannot see from her back porch!

We're losing - Free Barack Obama!

UpsideDown — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:07:19 EDT

From the moment Obama wrenched the primary from Bill and Hillary’s cold dead hands, our Obama has been lusting after votes he’s never going to get. Let’s call it the mean and ignorant vote. Isn’t that what it is, the flat earth society? Mostly this part of the great American electorate wonders how a black guy can run for president.

No amount of sticking up for the death penalty, guns, and huging the anti-abortion, anti-peace, greed-is-good-lunatics will put lipstick on him. Look, he’s black, did you notice? Case closed.

However, the tremendous cost of media, polling and campaigning for this effort has made a lot of the Obama team rich. The question is: are you guys now rich enough that you can go back to getting Obama elected? The world hopes so.

Our guy as is - this is the product. And the best salesman for this super product is Obama himself. Once he starts selling again – not pandering - then the rest of us will wake up. And we’ll sell too. And our enthusiasm, our conviction will win over the fence sitters. The fence sitters who haven’t even yet registered, and or might not even vote. Especially if the pandering and parsing continues.

The fence sitters, that’s the part of the electorate that will cancel out the flat earth folks. Let our Obama go!

Education not Anger

Dreamer2008 — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:59:08 EDT

Evil Within

When we perceive

Evil in others

The evil resides

In the darkness

Of their ignorance

And our own

We must speak

With those

We perceive

To be evil

With honesty

With integrity

And with transparency

To illuminate the darkness

And rob evil

Of a refuge

In their hearts

And minds

And in our own

Matthew T. Groff

Evil

If evil is a warrior
Anger is its sword
And ignorance its shield

Matthew Groff

Educate the ignorant with enough compassion and respect for them to hear. Anger cannot conquer evil.

How about Chelsea?

Colette from Denver, CO — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:55:46 EDT

People are asking, "Where's Hillary?" as a counterpoint to Palin's aggressive, bitchy, naive, ignorant presence.

How about Chelsea does an ad where she is superimposed in front of Palin's more ignorant, strident remarks, saying something to the effect: "My parents raised me to be a free thinker. Yes, to think for myself...to research and thoroughly understand the issues that matter to me...Sara Palin's selection as candidate for VP is pandering of the highest order, insulting to assume that intelligent, caring, informed voters, would vote according to gender? Really?"

And thereby give up and disregard all that my mother, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Michelle Obama stand for? Or the insights of all the outstanding women from history or who live and work among us today? Or for that matter for any man in history whose values you admire and hope to emulate? If Sara Palin was a man who was this uninformed and this inexperienced and this astoundingly ignorant, yet this (show strident, overconfident comment by Palin as Chelsea watches) egomaniacal...the man would be a laughingstock...!...I'm not buying it...What do you care about?"

Note: This presentation would appeal to the younger generation and all thinking women...and men. Why not give it a shot?

why?

takeresponsibility — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:28:32 EDT

On Monday, I saw a bumper sticker on a white truck that said:"Vote Obama, I can come out from hiding" it had a picture of Osama Bin Laden on it. To me, that screams ignorance. I know the person who was driving the truck has every right to have that view on things, but it seems so wrong. I look at all the ads that McCain has running, or the e-mails I get about the untrue things he's saying, and it's quite frightening to think that people are falling for his lies. I just wish that with the whole country on the line, that people would take the time to research what's going on with the election.

September 11 Lessons I Cannot Teach

Katie Loud — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:15:31 EDT

Two weeks into my student teaching experience, 9/11 brought the country to its knees.

I spent weeks trying to process with my Freshman English students. We chatted, discussed, journaled, debated, debriefed, and then started all over again. During that time, when I wasn't with my students, I barely slept; instead, I watched cable news all night as I waited for the other shoe to drop. 9/11 shaped my life as a teacher in ways that I am just now starting to realize.

Since September 11, 2001 I have been teaching English to secondary school students. I have watched students pledge allegiance to the flag then actually take the required moment of silence seriously on this day for seven years now. Although the fear that lives in my students' eyes is not as close to the surface as those long ago ninth graders on that not-really-so-long-ago day, it is still present. The world has changed for these kids; it will never sparkle with innocence for them.

Absence of the feeling of safety, of immunity from danger that I remember vividly from my own childhood makes me deeply and irretrievably sad for the children I teach. Even worse, though, are the lessons someone else taught these children, lessons I cannot undo because they came from home, a higher authority than any New Hampshire schoolteacher.

"All Muslims hate Americans," they say. "I'd hate to live in a big city where there are those Arabs everywhere you look." "They flew planes into the World Trade Center." "My dad says we should just throw every Muslim into jail, then we'll be safe."

These kids take to heart what their families tell them about the situation in Iraq, too. "We can't leave Iraq until we catch bin Laden," I once overheard a student say in a hallway debate. I've received more essays than I count about the need to stay in Iraq because "We're freeing the Iraqi people. Life is so much better for them now that we've gone to help them." Perhaps most disturbingly, several of my former students, honors-level juniors and seniors, truly believed that Saddam Hussein had possessed weapons of mass destruction (or WMD, a phrase they preferred perhaps because of it's likeness to their own vernacular--OMG!) and, worst of all, that Saddam Hussein was part of the 9/11 Terror Attacks.

There is a line of moral judgment that I cannot cross as a teacher. Much as I want to tell these students that their facts are wrong, their opinions have been thoroughly debunked by the media and credible sources in the government, I know it is not my place to do so. That the current administration plays on these inaccurate statements and beliefs only makes the matter more tragic.

September 11, 2001 was a horrible, tragic day. We were attacked on our homeland by radical Islamists who had been told untrue, misrepresented ideas about America by people they honored and respected. The attackers knew only what they had been brainwashed into believing.

I'd like to think that a lesson our country could learn from 9/11 is the importance of rising above senseless hate, of trying to solve problems with words, patience, and tolerance instead of violence.

But this is a lesson that I can teach only to my own two daughters. My students all have their own "teachers" when it comes to September 11.

The Word is Pundit not Pun-dant!

Bill in HI — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:57:02 EDT

The word is actually a simple one. It is two syllables. PUN-DIT, like in dih dah dih dit. This is the third Republican I have heard in two days show their ignorance. Doesn't anybody want to admit they don't know? You would think that at least one of them would have bothered to get the facts before they opened their mouth. I can understand Fred Thompson, he is used to reading the lines as they are written. But John McCain and Sarah Palin?!

But I do get it. The Republican spin masters have made up a new word which can mean whatever they want it to mean. They have been doing it for decades. Damn the truth, damn reality, full speed ahead with fuzzy thinking and misinformation!.

pundit - from Sanskrit for pandita meaning learned, conversant with. 1) A Hindu learned in Sanskrit and in Indian philosophy, religion, and laws. 2) A learned expert or teacher; a person who makes knowledgeable and authoritative pronouncements on current affairs.

The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 1993.

There is no excuse for ignorance

Colorado "Hussein" Mamma for Obama — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:55:59 EDT

Nor for being biased about a candidate because of gender, race, creed, religion, etc.

I don't feel that we as Americans should be voting for the president because of their race or their gender. We should base our decisions on the policies - international and domestic - that will improve our lives. If you base your vote on one of the above issues, you obviously haven't gotten to know each candidate. I'm tired of hearing that "no one knows Barack." Until three days ago, no one knew Sarah Palin either. But once her name was out, many people were quick to "Google" her and do their own research.

That should be even more true for the POTUS.

If you don't know either of the candidates, then read their books and go to their websites where they tell us all what they plan to do if they become president.

Fallopian tubes neither qualify nor disqualify any one for something as serious as President or Vice President. Its what their values, goals, and ideals are-- and which candidate is most in alignment with your core values, goals and ideals.

With the internet, one can no longer use ignorance as a defense.

"Patriotic" Propaganda and the Ignorance of America...

James Zahn — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:27:47 EDT

This a re-post of a blog originally appearing as a post on my official site on June 16th. Partially inspired by the infamous "Who is Barack Obama?" chain letter, I thought some of you may enjoy it. There's also a section covering some of my personal views on several hot-button issues, so you'll get to know me a little better.

6.16.2008 "Patriotic" Propaganda and the Ignorance of America...

Last night I was checking my email when one arrived from a cousin of mine. "Maxine" was the title, and the contents were just enough to prompt a response.

I get a lot of the "forwards", the "chain emails", etc. I've always hated them, and usually just delete them without opening. For the most part it's not the contents of said emails that bugs me (I usually just don't care), but the fact that the senders usually forget a little something called the"BCC" - Blind Carbon Copy. Due to that little error, my email ends up publicly displayed to an onslaught of recipients that I don't even know. Factor in a few of them with trojans or spyware on their machines, and the next thing I know there's a few thousand more unsolicted "Spam" emails heading straight to my inbox.

I should've known better than to open the email last evening, but coming from a cousin - I did. The first thing that caught me was that she did indeed omit the use of BCC, and in scrolling though it realized that several prior senders had done the same. I now had email addresses for a couple hundred people that I didn't know. In turn, they had mine. That irritation aside, the email itself was the latest in a long line of what I like to call "Rah Rah Patriotic Bullshit."

Around six months ago, in the midst of planning a family reunion (which actually takes place next weekend) a cousin-by-marriage of mine managed to forward a copy of the now-famous "Who is Barack Obama?" email to all members of the extended family and beyond. If you haven't seen it for yourself, it's the one that rants about Obama being "a Muslim" and questions whether someone bearing the middlename "Hussein" should be our next President. Snopes.com did an excellent piece that debunks it in full. Regardless, the individuals that forward such a message (cousin included) are the prime examples of what's wrong with this Country.

That email prompted another cousin of mine to send a reply to the entire list of recipients. A former member of the United States Army, and having served around the Globe as a Military Police Officer in war-torn regions including Iraq and Afghanistan - he took offense not to the blatant attacks on Obama himself - but to the underlying message of hatred to those who are not American, White, Christians (I'll get into that later). His lengthy retort sent shockwaves through the family, for no reason other than the inability to acknowledge their own ignorance. His response eloquently described his experience discovering other cultures abroad, and learning to respect his fellow man regardless of their differences. Within a short period of time (and a few angry response later), my Christian-raised cousin announced that he and his Jewish wife and child would not be attending the reunion.

The email tonight was supposed to be a "Support our Troops" type of affair, but the message was diluted by childish jabs at our neighbors to the south. I have no problems with "supporting" our troops - but I refuse to do it at the expense of someone else. While I chose to write this blog, my sister surprisingly took it upon herself to send a retort covering much of the same material. It should be interesting to see how much hatred is sent back in her direction.

Q: If members of the same (very large) extended family cannot get along, how can we expect Nations to peacefully co-exist?

A: We can't.

Peaceful co-existence will never be 100% possible. Human Beings are animals by nature - albeit evolved (some would dispute that as well), and have primal instincts that can only be supressed so much. Many forget that The United States of America is a Nation that was born with blood on it's hands. A simple history lesson would do wonders for some people but here are a couple cold, hard, facts.

White, Christian, Europeans invaded North America and murdered countless thousands of Native Americans (not "Indians"). These settlers or "Pioneers" were refugees themselves, fleeing their homelands due to religious persecution. Seeking a new place to call their own, they arrived in North America and stole land from the indigenous peoples that had lived here for generations. As early as the 15th Century, they took their land, raped their women, and devoured their crops. By 1830, the U.S. government had passed the "Indian Removal Act" - a forced relocation & "removal of the Indians beyond the white settlements." In celebration, we now have "Thanksgiving" and occasionally name a street after a dead tribe. When you hear of land being "given back" to Native Americans and "Reservations" being created...You can't give something back that wasn't taken to begin with.
The same people that founded this Country establishing a "Separation of Church & State" and allowing residents to be "free of religious persecution" still managed to inscribe "In God We Trust" on our currency - and proceeded to burn "Witches" at the stake. Nothing like contradiction.
Many of these same people were also Slave Traders, and brought with them thousands upon thousands of slaves - creating a culture that just 50 years ago still had "Whites Only" toilets and drinking fountains.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The email tonight specifically targeted "illegal border-jumping Mexicans" in it's text, further stating that they should not be allowed into our country - nor provided the same rights as their "American" counterparts.

But what makes an American? For me, a true American is one who is born on American soil. I am an American of German descent - but I would never call myself a "German", nor a "German-American." I was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois. I am an American. Once again, I have relatives that commonly refer to themselves as "German, but have never stepped foot on German soil. I'd like to challenge them to visit Germany and proclaim themselves "German." I'm sure the folks living their would find at least a little amusement in the claims of the "stupid American."

We were all spawned from people that were at one time immigrants. Legal or otherwise, unless you're a Native American - your ancestry can be traced to a location somewhere else on the Globe. As for the hatred spewed forth toward those "illegal immigrants" and their children? I've got news for you - If those kids were born on American soil - they are 100% American. If you'd like to dispute that, I'd like to direct you to the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Granted, there is a process to achieve "Citizen" Status - and those that wish to live here should take the steps to make that happen - but sometimes the "proper" option isn't an option at the time. For some, fleeing into a foreign land is the immediate response to a life of despair. Who are we to close our borders to immigrants, when our Nation was born of them? Instead we immediately raise a call to arms to defend our land from outsiders - much like the Native Americans whose land was stolen from them and turned into the "United States" by our White, Christian, ancestors. President Thomas Jefferson once said that the "Indians" could stay living amongst the colonies if they would become "civilized." In those days that meant speaking English and adopting Christianity.

And we wonder why people still say things like that? There is no official religion or language in the United States of America.

I could go on for days about my thoughts and feelings on the "State of the Union" but I won't. What I will do is leave you with a few bulletpoints on some issues that always come up and where I stand.

The Military: We need it - not only to address real threats - but to assist in domestic issues here at home. If we weren't sending our men and women into countries they don't belong to fight wars that don't need to be fought - perhaps activating troops to assist after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the south would've been something done with a lot greater urgency. We should not forget that our soldiers put themselves in danger the moment they signed up for the job. If they did not want to engage in combat or be stationed in a war-zone, they should not have joined the Military. In addition, Military Recruiters often prey on those living in low-income areas where joining them may seem to be the only option available in order to support a family.
Republican or Democrat? Neither - Independent. I choose to align myself with individuals. I've played both sides of the common coin, and the reality is that both main parties are a joke. Unfortunately, we've not reached a point where a third-party candidate can achieve the Presidency. While I cannot agree on 100% of the issues, I believe that Barack Obama should and will be our next President.
Job Market/Outsourcing: Do not blame people from other countries for taking jobs away from America. Blame the CEO's of the American Corporations that chose to outsource jobs - to close plants and factories - to put people out of work. We have no problems with international companies setting up shop and creating jobs here - so don't hold it against someone in another country when we set up shop there. The CEO's are the villains of this equation. They are the same people that often still receive millions in bonuses and severance when terminated from their positions, or driving their companies into bankruptcy.
Religion: Don't force your beliefs on others. Let them research, learn, and choose for themselves.

And with that, I'll close this one out. Just remember next time you're at Wal-mart picking up the latest Toby Keith CD and admiring that rack of $9.99 "American Flag" t-shirts that there's likely a child somewhere in China, Tawain, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, or some other "foreign" land making those shirts for about .07 a day so that you can proudly display just how "free" you are. Remember that we all have roots outside America - and that all people deserve to be treated with respect - even when their thoughts and beliefs differ from that of your own. Remember that your definition of "right" is another man's "wrong". Remember that generations of Hatred and Fear-mongering can only lead to more of it. It's up to all of us to change that. If we don't start to make things better on our own - who will? And the next time you get one of those forwarded "chain emails?" Think before you click.

Onward,

James

http://www.jameszahn.com

http://www.myspace.com/jameszahn

Ignorance is Bliss?

North Branford Supporter — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:24:45 EDT

I am amazed that in this day and age with all the information available via television, radio and internet that people are still making choices based on limited information. Someone told me today that she is voting for McCain because Michelle Obama is prejudiced against white people. I emailed her the link regarding the "smear" lies. I am hoping to educate her about what Barack stands for and that he represents people like her. She is young, her and her husband both work full time and have to spend alot of money on daycare. I think she has no idea who McCain is.

I cannot believe how many voters do not know that Barack was raised by a single white mother. The focus is so much on the fact that he is the first African American to be nominated that some voters are focused on that as if it was an issue or will effect how he leads. It is incredible how ignorant some people can be. I suppose the media is doing their job and it is working well as many people hear it on TV and assume it is so.

I just want people to get out there, get on the internet, do some research before you make a decision.

THEN GET OUT AND BaROCK THE VOTE!

A Day in the Life

Joe — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:01:44 EDT

Today I was having a conversation with people at the corner store near my house. As usual the topic of politics came up and the first thing they jumped out was how Barack has " no class" and " isn't trustworthy". I tried to ask why they felt that way and nobody had a real answer. The small group went on to say that John McCain is a honest man who has the highest moral standards in politics today which I found a bit strange. So in my response all I said was "keating 5" and with that their collective faces turned red and they started throwing words at me about Barack that I wouldn't repeat. Just goes to show that even when people are confronted by facts they can still turn away from it in ignorance.

The Idiocy of John McCain

David Drissel — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:12:19 EDT

The Idiocy of John McCain

Over the past few weeks, I’ve grown increasingly tired of John McCain’s negative and often dishonest attacks on Barack Obama. Among other things, McCain has often accused Obama of lacking “the knowledge and judgment” to be President. This past week’s ad depicting Obama as a vacuous celebrity akin to Britney Spears or Paris Hilton is the most recent example of such sophomoric absurdity coming from the McCain campaign. In reality, Obama is one of the brightest and most knowledgeable candidates for President to come down the pike in decades.

But in this blog I want to focus on McCain, not Obama. It’s high time that McCain is revealed as the one who is truly ignorant and uninformed on a wide range of issues. Despite his vaunted “experience,” it is painfully obvious that McCain is not only unknowledgeable about many important domestic and international issues facing the country, but lacks even a rudimentary understanding of the economy and foreign affairs.

Certainly, all candidates make occasional gaffes in their speeches and press conferences. But in contrast to most politicians, McCain never seems to learn from his misstatements. Instead, he repeats the same erroneous comments over and over again.

It’s high time to list the Top Ten Reasons why John McCain is idiotic:

1. By his own admission, McCain “barely passed” his coursework in college. He also finished at the very bottom of his class in the U.S. naval academy. He was ranked 894th out of 899 among academy graduates in the class of 1958. Can the guy even read and write? I wonder sometimes.

2. One thing we know for sure is that McCain has never really used the Internet and lacks any basic knowledge when it comes to information technology. He revealed as much at last year’s Republican YouTube debate. McCain’s Internet ignorance and technophobia is not only embarrassing, it’s inexcusable for anyone working in government to not know how to use the Internet. Do we really need a modern-day Luddite in the Oval Office?

3. Maybe if McCain could surf the web he might have discovered that Czechoslovakia no longer exists. He has mentioned this “country” several times in recent weeks, even after the media reminded him that the “Velvet Divorce” of 1993 resulted in the end of Czechoslovakia. Of course, his inability to remember such “details” is readily apparent. Ironically, even George W. Bush caught McCain making the same mistake in a 2000 Republican presidential debate. You know it’s pretty bad when Bush’s knowledge of world affairs apparently exceeds that of McCain. I doubt that even Bush believes that Iraq and Pakistan share a border, or that Vladimir Putin is the President of Germany, as McCain has stated recently.

4. Speaking of Bush, McCain was a zealous supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq – the most idiotic foreign policy decision in recent American history. By his own admission at a Republican presidential debate in June 2007, McCain voted to authorize the U.S. military invasion of Iraq without even glancing at the formal National Intelligence Estimate. If he had read the report he might have discovered that the intelligence community was divided over whether or not Saddam was developing WMDs. Once again I ask: Can McCain even read?

5. Apparently, McCain never anticipated any kind of insurgency in Iraq. As he famously said at the time of the 2003 invasion, the U.S. military will be “greeted as liberators.” Of course, in recent months McCain has repeatedly confused the Shiites with the Sunnis. His favorite lap dog, Joe Lieberman, had to correct him on the ground in Iraq by whispering the facts into his ear. But then McCain continued to confuse the two sects in the days that followed, even noting erroneously on a couple of different occasions that Iran (which is Shiite-dominated) was supporting (Sunni) al-Qaida in Iraq.

6. McCain’s confusion about Iraq has also been apparent in his claim that the surge of U.S. troops happened before the Sunni (Anbar) Awakening. But as all military experts acknowledge, the Awakening preceded the surge by several months, thus contributing to the current decline in sectarian violence. Despite such facts, McCain’s has so far refused to acknowledge his mistake about the war’s chronology. Not only is he idiotic, but also apparently too stubborn to admit any factual errors.

7. McCain’s ignorance about the Middle East is compounded by his juvenile sense of humor – which could be quite dangerous as President. Echoing Beavis and Butthead, McCain responded gleefully about the prospect of “bombing” another country. Asked at town hall meeting in April 2007 if there was a plan to attack Iran, McCain began his answer by changing the words to a classic Beach Boys' song. As he stated to the crowd, "You know that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran?” He then preceded to sing, "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran." Can someone please say “diplomacy for dummies?” Is this sophomoric behavior really what we want or need to see in a future commander-in-chief?

8. For months, McCain has been touting his support of a “gas tax holiday” for the summer months. This particular policy has been roundly criticized by virtually all economists and energy experts as fallacious and ill conceived. But McCain – out of stubborn ignorance or political pandering – has refused to abandon this foolhardy initiative.

9. Of course, by his own admission, McCain doesn’t know much about the economy. As he told the Wall Street Journal in November 2007: “I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated.” Judging from McCain’s previous dismal attempts at being “educated” while in college, I don’t have high hopes that his knowledge on economic issues will improve in the Oval Office.

10. When it comes to the economy, McCain never seems to miss an opportunity to tout the Bush tax cuts that have disproportionately benefited the very wealthy. Despite such tax cuts having fueled the largest federal deficits in American history, McCain blithely ignores such facts. Out of ignorance, dishonesty, or both, McCain appears to be totally unaware of the economic damage such uncontrolled tax expenditures have caused.

Well, I’m sure there are many other reasons that could be cited as proof of McCain’s ignorance, idiocy, and ineptitude. Talk about vacuous – the guy reminds me of Grandpa Simpson, or maybe a geriatric version of Beavis from MTV. Let’s just hope that Americans are wise enough to realize that McCain is indeed the latest American Idiot to hit the national political scene. Hmmm…I wonder if McCain is considering Dan Quayle as a possible running mate?

CAIR Calling on Obama to Invite Women to Future Rally

funkfresh01 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:33:10 EDT

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12985

Source: Catholic News Agency

In an attempt to silence rumors that he is secretly a Muslim, two Barack Obama campaign volunteers prevented two women wearing headscarves from appearing in a picture with him at a Monday campaign rally. Reacting to the news, the Council on American-Islamic Relations told CNA that they are asking for Obama to invite the women to another rally.

According to news reports, Aref Koussan and Shimaa Abdelfadeel were prohibited from sitting behind Barack Obama’s podium so that they wouldn’t appear in photographs or on television in their hijabs (Islamic headscarves) with the presidential candidate.

Wisdom from the past

Dan McNamara — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:19:28 EDT

I recently stumbled on a quotation from Margaret Chase Smith (1950), the first woman ever elected to the United States Senate (R - Maine).
Although she wanted her party to win in the next election, she said

"I do not want to see the Republican Party ride to victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny - fear, ignorance, bigotry, and smear"

Sadly, these are the very tactics the Republican party is bringing to bear against Barak Obama today by lies, distortions and cowardly whispering campaigns. Either McCain is not the honorable man he purports to be or he is too weak a leader to control his people, let alone be president. OBAMA '08

Dan McNamara

My beginning thoughts

Mary Birnbaum — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:14:16 EDT

Sadly, I live in a town where most people are very prejudice and likely will vote for a man that could possibly destroy this country, because they are affraid of someone who is different from themselves (as they view it based on skin coloration). I do not know how to deal with many of these folks because they refuse to hear any of the important information you try to tell them based on their prejudices.

I live where a friend of my son's called him the "N" word on a text message, where teachers tell their students that they should not vote for a woman because she would be too emotional, and not to vote for a black man, well, just because!!!!!!!!! My boyfriend can't stand either party because he is certain that McCain has already stolen the election, and the Democrats are too power hungery to do anything that is right. I was appalled by my son's message. I have no use for racist remarks. I am saddened by my boyfriends lack of optimism, and I am utterly amazed at the fact that people in this town would have a problem with a man because his middle name is Hussein or that he is an African American. Furthermore, they Think that if Obama is elected it will cause the wrath of God. Now, Just how silly is that.

I pray daily that these simple people with come to some kind of intelligent understanding that Jesus loves us all no matter the color of our skin, and the choices of people in whether or not they are gay or going to have an abortion is an individual matter between that person and God. I pray that I can find a way to help them understand that they are worrying over things that just aren''t as important in regards to this country and its future, as having a decent, intelligent, motivated, fair individual in the White House.

Daily people complain about the price of gas, the cost of grocerys, the lack of decent health insurance, or for that matter. decent health care, yet they are scared to death to vote for a black man based soully on a simple thing as a difference in color of skin. This is supposed to be the most progressive country in the world and look at how our fellow citizens still think.

If anyone has any advice as to how I could possibly get through to some of these people, I would appreciate any input. Please pray for this country.

On Terrorism; a real threat to America

Adam Z — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:35:44 EDT

There is a great threat of terrorism facing America. It threatens to dismantle all that we have established and hold sacred. This terror is a threat that can no longer be tolerated.

Webster's Dictionary defines terrorism as "a great fear/a person or thing that causes great fear/a dreadful nuisance, the Terror, the period of the Grench Revolution from the fall of Girondists (June 2, 1793 to the fall of Robespierre (July 27, 1794) dominated by the Committee of Public Safety. Its mass executions were intended to galvanise national resistance in the face of foreign invasions... the policy of using acts inspiring terror as a method of ruling or conducting political opposition." Muslim Extremism, a form of terrorism in its own right, is but a mosquito bite on the back of an elephant compared with the growing threat of real Terrorism.

The Real Terrorism problem is a belief among large amounts of voters in fear and hatred, of both foreign and domestic threats, and that the executive branch should be allowed to enact whatever policies they choose to deal with the percieved threat.

Large amounts of voters in this Nation support policies of backwards-talk and double-think. They voted for, and many would vote for again, an administration that told us it was building a Global Coallition when it was clear that most of the world was against us. That takes a lot of intellectual dishonesty to believe that. The administration told us, and the media repeated, continually, that we were on the "right track" economically. Years later, how is the economy doing?

The real problem is that people, knowing full well that this is exactly what was going to happen, supported the administration anyway. People can claim to represent Fredom and Liberty and then support the arrests of non-violent protestors, and bar people that disagree with them from their speeches and rallies. War is not Peace, Freedom is not slavery, Ignorance is not strength. Nobody can provide you with real safety but yourself. The book 1984 is a good lesson in the dangers of sacrificing freedom for security (so is a history book).

Terrorist administrations only derive their influence from people willing to use terror to fight terror. By doing this, we have allowed global opposition to rise, thus causing Extremism to garner support. And when this undoubtedly causes them to attack us once again, these people would allow another administration to say "see, we were attacked again. If you would have followed us, we would have stopped it." But everyone knows they neither could, nor would have stopped it. Its nearly impossible to stop such small scale plans, you simply cannot put enough security in place.

How can we, a large, proud Nation, allow ourselves to get to the point of th PATRIOT ACT? Many of us are terrified. We have come to accept the policies of terrorism as a way of keeping us safe. But it is only keeping us safe from reality.

My desire is that us supporters of the Obama campaign and the movement to bring the people back into politics shall never use, nor support, and will in fact vehemently oppose any use of terrorist politics. This is why I support Obama because I believe he feels the same way. The politics of seperatism and antidisestablishmentarianism are no way to operate a free country.

"Naturally the common people don't want war. But after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drage people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country." (And it worked Here)

This is from Herman Goerring, Hitler's Reich Marshall and second in command of th NAZI Party. It worked there too.

Adam E Zandarski

I want to have hope folks, but...

Michael — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:50:43 EDT

I get so discouraged by the effectiveness of "say anything" kitchen-sink smear tactics, incessant tabloid-media distractions passed off as real news, pandering, innuendo, and outright lies that rely on the general ignorance of the lowest common denominator in this country - confidently knowing all along that by the time the actual truth filters down to the masses, it'll be too late!... it makes me sick!

Over the weekend, my girlfriend was walking through the parking lot of our semi-rural Indiana Walmart wearing her Obama shirt, when some hayseed jackass called her a "terrorist lover"!

You know, I WANT to have hope... I WANT to believe in this country's ability to rise above the BS... But misinformed hate like this makes me infinitely frustrated, bitter, and angry! Not to mention the fact that it happened to MY girlfriend! (I really hope I'm the one that runs across you next time you redneck pr***!)

I'm no less proud to be an American, but I'm a little less proud of America - and its liars and hate-mongers from both the GOP and (yes) the Clinton campaign that continue to perpetuate their vile messages to the gullible, with absolutely no remorse what-so-ever! Stupid people shouldn't be allowed to vote, but unfortunately they are - with their evil puppet-masters happily pulling their strings all the way to the polls!

HOPE...

I HOPE the majority of people aren't this ignorant. I HOPE we outnumber the stupid. I HOPE we will collectively rise-up and politically crush the manipulative evil that runs rampant within our system. I HOPE this really IS "our time".

Rednecks 4 Obama '08
Ye-ha we can, y'all!!!

P.S.: Let's do it tomorrow Hoosiers!!! I DO have faith in us!!!

Racism, fear or ignorance?

freedom4u_n_me — Sat, 03 May 2008 04:17:46 EDT

Yes, I know that I'm biased, however, I can not understand why ANYONE would still be supporting HRC!

Coming from a blue collar working family that entirely supports Barack, I can only speculate that it is one of these 3 things:

Racism-is it because our Senator is black? If so, this saddens and dissappoints me in a way that I can not even put into words! I have stood firm in the belief that our country needs to unite; all colors, all religions to embrace the 'fabric' of our country which makes us so unique and makes me proud. This is the only way that we can bring about change and take our country back! Now we have that chance!

Fear-are people afraid of change because of the fear-mongering tactics that the Clintons and Rev. Wright have fed us through the corporate owned media? If so, what is to become of this country? We are at the lowest point that I've seen in my 50 yrs. of life. Speaking of the media, I did hear one reporter on CNN say that HRC did, in fact, invite Rev. Wright to the press conference. Also, why aren't we hearing anything about the lawsuit by Peter Paul against Sen. Clinton? Aw, yes, we know why, don't we? Just like what Chris Dodd said, " there are certain things that we can't mention, like Monica Lewinsky, Whitewater, etc..........." So, out of fear we will elect another lying, cheating, sneaking politician? NO, not again!

Ignorance- or perhaps just not thinking for ourselves? This is the only thing that scares me! That people will only listen to little sound bites from our corporate owned media, go for a name they recognize, vote for HRC because they liked Bill and not take some time to find the truth in all of this? How can any blue collar worker support Hilary when she sits on the board of WALMART!? Walmart has been under attack for how it treats it's workers...........they're underpaid and their healthcare certainly leaves a lot to be desired! Check things out for yourselves, people, please!

One last question: Why aren't we reminded about the blatant lying that Hilary does? Why aren't we seeing the Bosnia clip over and over instead of listening to Rev. Wright daily?

WE must wake up from the stupor that we have been in for the last decade (or more)!

Spread the word, get out the vote, STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT!

YES WE CAN

Gail

An apology from a former Republican from Texas

Sheri Obamacan fromTexas — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:27:34 EDT

"This is our chance to declare independence from the current Politics” that’s why I am running for President of the United States of America” - Barack Obama

I feel I need to apologize on behalf of White American’s in this country. Our history of racial bias is an example of generational bigotry taught to our children and their children. It is with sincere regret that Caucasian American’s would take their gift of a vote and abuse the privilege it offers them to make a difference in this world. Please accept my deepest sincere apology for our ignorant behavior. Education is freedom and when we can mirror the rest of the world in our tolerance of different skin color perhaps we will truly be free. I am sorry if the White vote has disappointed anyone in America. I am ashamed of our ignorance.

"First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the trade unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me. – Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984)

Poignant and inspiring quotes from great minds(well mostly)....please read

Melissa L. — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:56:13 EDT

These are a few of my favorites-

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmunde Burke

Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them. - Albert Einstein

Our 'neoconservatives' are neither new nor conservative, but old as Bablyon and evil as Hell. -Edward Abbey

It is a governing principle of nature, that the agency which can produce most good, when perverted from its proper aim, is most productive of evil. -James F. Cooper

Facts are stupid things. -Ronald Reagan

As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy. -Christopher Dawson

It is impossible to make people understand their ignornace; for it requires knowledge to perceive it and therefore he that can perceive it hath it not. -Jeremy Taylor

Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything -Frank Dane

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes -Oscar Widle

Experience teaches only the teachable -Aldous Huxley

The greater the ignorance, the greater the dogmatism. -Sir William Osler

Accentuate the positive.

Walter from Mechanic Falls, ME — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:28:53 EDT

All I am hearing is Rev. Wright' controversial comments. Why not release statements where he agrees with mainstream America? Bombard the mainstream media with examples that blunt the negative sermons. Get to the totality of the man. Just saying he is a good man is not enough for some people.

The critics who question why Barack Obama would sit through twenty years of sermons and suggest that he should have quit the church, are advocating ignorance. See no evil, hear no evil. How can any change happen in this country if we are expected to turn away every time we hear controversy. We should embrace and understand differences of opinion, especially from a military veteran/preacher/american patriot. People who remain quiet and look the other way (or walk away from controversy) are no patriots. They are puppets and easily manipulated by wealthy interests. Certainly not qualified to be President of the United States.

Barack Obama has proven again that his temperament, understanding, and compassion are the attributes we need more than anything else at this time in history.

McCain's Insensitivity and socio-geographic ignorance

Kenne — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:14:06 EDT

It is apparent to many people that John McCain is possibly in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

What else can explain his not once, not twice, but three times making the same mistake about Shia's and Sunni's in Iraq? it is sad that he is the best the the G.O.P. has to offer up as an alternative to presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

And Sen. McCain, for all his purported experience and knowledge should know better than to defame an entire ethnic group. the following excerpt from an article a friend posted is just outrageous!

Sen. John McCain told reporters, "I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." Although McCain said he was referring only to his prison guards, there are many reasons why his use of the word "gook" is offensive and alarming. Here is the article it comes from.

http://www.commondreams.org/views/030200-104.htm

The pundits and Repugnicans keep harping about Sen. Obama's former pastor's remarks-which anybody with half a brain would not only take with a grain of salt, but realize that they are the rantings of an aged man who has entirely different experiences than younger people. I know my own Father would have agreed with Rev. Wright and I would never disown my Dad.

But the point is that if they denounce Obama for his former pastor's remarks, what are they GOING to do about McCain's OWN comments which defame an entire cultural group. WE KNOW EXACTLY who he is talking about. If anyone plays dumb the should be ashamed! And he said he will ALWAYS HATE THEM. I really want to hear what the Asian-American constituency has to say.

A Different Type Of Politician

Thomas Gray — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:19:16 EDT

Barack Obama is a different type of politician. Today, in his comments on the status of race in America, he framed the path forward for equality for all. He focused on the basic government institutions that give every American a shot at the dream: Quality Education, Affordable Housing and Business Loans, Meaningful Military Service and Affordable Health Care. If these institutions continue to work to be color blind then hard working African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Caucasians all get a fair shot at the dream.

This conversation was amazingly fresh and candid. Few other politicians can talk about such a sensitive subject without hurting feelings. Senator Obama knows that there is ignorance and fear in our country. Today he helped us learn a little more and fear a little less.

I believe that Senator Obama will continue to approach our nations problems with this open style. Providing us with an opportunity for national dialog and then creating real solutions. American's from all walks of life will realize that when he says "Change", its not just a slogan. He truly is a different type of politician.

Ignorance...

Byron Valle — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:50:39 EDT

Is anyone else rather upset with just the plain, blanket ignorance some people have?

I'm at one of my local Wings Plus locations here in Coral Springs, FL. Now I suppose I should have almost expected this. The owners of Wings Plus are really, really, really Republican. Really Republican. Enough to have donated a substantial amount to the Bush 2004 campaign I believe since he came to the original Wings Plus back then. They have pictures of him all over that restaurant.

Digressing... I pony up to the bar with my friends, and across the bar from us is four older gentlemen, just shooting the shit. Among the sports channels on the Televisions in the bar there is one on the news... of course FoxNews. They began to report on the Hillary-Ferrarro debacle. So these men started to comment on Hillary, which I found mildly amusing and at the same time offensive, then they turned their attention to Senator Obama. This is where I was really offended to the point of kind of just shocked at their ignorance. This is just portions of some of their statements.

"F*cking Osama."

"You mean Obama."

"Osama... Obama. What's the difference? Do you want a radical Muslim and that N***** Farrakahn running this country? You want that shit in the White House?"

"No."

"I'll tell you what. If he gets elected there will be a terrorist attack within a month. You watch."

"You know how they say all that bullsh*t about "W" and the government had a hand in 9/11? It would probably be true if that a*shole got into office."

"Hell in a handbasket if that guy gets elected."

I just kind sat there extra crispy hot garlic wings in front of me with my mouth agape. I asked my friends if they were hearing what I was hearing and two of them said yes and were kinda laughing at them. My boy O'Neil who is Jamaican, a Honorably Discharged Marine, and just recieved his citizenship recently and is now a registered Democrat (WooHoo!), didn't hear. I mentioned some of the comments and he just shook his head, nothing really phases him. Then we just kind of started bashing Bush a little and continued eating. They heard us too. It was kind of a stalemate of political ideals, we didn't want to comment to one another, just amongst ourselves.

I tell you what... I hope that ignorant Ed McMahon look alike passes or croaks or something before the General Election... Shoot. I take that back. It's kind of mean. Besides I think it would be more fun to run into him after the election is over and Obama has hopefully stomped McCain with over 50% of the vote. I'd love to have another wingies session after that.

Yes we can. Yes we will.

Is our children learning?

Mike — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:26:59 EDT

The poor use of grammar in the post title was intentional. The Education of this countries youth has been on a continuous downfall for many years. Why? Because it's much easier to control the uneducated. If you and I were raised to be ignorant, how would we know?

While I believe myself to be an intelligent person, I've come to realize that there is a lot I didn't know. I have been educating myself in American Politics and the Established government which had the Articles of Confederation, adding the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, I've even read most (if not all) of a newspaper called "The Federalist", whose soul purpose was to answer questions about the proposed changes that eventually formed the USA.

I have to say that I am surprised that we got rid of the Checks & Balances with the 17th Amendment, which assured all of our freedoms. But it explains why we are where we are. Education has been replaced by the TV. And the TV tells us what we want to hear. There's freedom of the Press, so no worries about news being all lies. The only purpose for the Press to lie would be to serve it's own interest. How can there ever be a conflict of interest?

Political Campaigns cannot be run without money to advertise, travel, produce leaflets, buttons, etc. So it's only obvious that an elected official would accept bribes in order to maintain his/her position. If an elected official doesn't show results to the highest contributors, then you can kiss the next term goodbye. But that is how it is. It's much easier for corporations to help manipulate the voting citizens, than it is to manipulate a smaller group of people that make up your state Legislature. (Washington State has one of the first states to report an attempt by a Senator to bribe the state legislature, which lead to several other allegations across the country.)

I think a good start to making sure kids understand the real process of government by modeling the process in schools to be the same process any other adult would expect. This would include trial by jury. Election of Grade Governors and making their own Constitution that will follow them throughout their education. (Similar to the U.S. Constitution). We need to teach and then apply. So why not employ these students to survey land (Trigonometry) be translators for those needing assistance. Perhaps run a cafe to earn money for a Senior Trip.

Certainly this idea needs additional planning before it can be implemented, but I am certain this would produce a better educated and experienced group of young people. A better tomorrow. What more could we ask for?

The Politics (and Ignorance) of Passion

Mister Anderson — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:03:21 EDT

This is a sad, sad day for the Democratic Party. The party that is supposed to be above trivial divides such as race and gender is starting to feel the tremors of a potential major earthquake with both acting as fault lines.

By now, you probably have heard that the Geraldine Ferraro, a former Vice Presidential candidate and a major fundraiser on Senator Clinton's campaign finance committee, gave an interview on February 28th to a small California newspaper attributing Senator Obama's success primarily to his race. She actually went a step further and said that not only if he was a white male would he not be this far along in the political process, but he would also fail as a Black or White woman.

There were actually some apologists who came out on her behalf once this story had grown some legs and said that Mrs. Ferrario had made those comments under stress and frustration before the results of Ohio and Texas were known and she believed Senator Clinton was going to lose one and exit the race. Since Senator Clinton is allowed to dictate and manipulate the rules as she go, lets pretend that those comments were "acceptable" under those circumstances even though a member of Obama's campaign staff, Samantha Powers, called Hillary a "monster" off the record under severe frustration and was immediately fired.

Well, the stupid has just become unforgivable as Mrs. Ferrario released a statement this evening standing behind her previous statements and is now making the unbelievable claim that the only reason she's being attacked for her views is because she's White! She's literally stating for the record that it's reverse-racism for anyone to perceive her ignorant comments to be ignorant or racist.

Thoughts on being positive while under attack

DocMobley — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:13:19 EDT

Sometimes in life you have to stop ignorance, fear-mongering, hate-mongering, racism, sexism etc. in its tracks. The best way to challenge ignorance is with knowledge, the best way to challenge fear-mongering is with hope, the best way to challenge hate-mongers is with love (Obama Love), the best way to challenge liars is to expose them, and the best way to fight against all these monsters is to "denounce and reject" them every God-given opportunity you get!

Obama in 08

Don't Believe all email forwards! Check Snopes.com PLEASE before passing on ignorance and misinformation!!

Aubrey — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:40:55 EDT

I recently recieved an email with the subject, "CAN MUSLIMS BE GOOD AMERICANS." Well, I knew this had something to do with Obama before I even opened it to read it. I've gotten similar email forwards before. Its amazing what people will send on without checking the validity of the information. The following response email almost word for word, I sent out to several people in my address book:

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The following is a forward email that's been going around spreading faulty information about barack obama. He is not muslim. I don't know how strong his Christian convictions are. I have no way of knowing that, that's between him and God. I hope his convictions are as strong as he claims, but he's not muslim. He never was. He's named after his father, who's parents were muslim. There's a thousand ways you can get a name. I'm not trying to make any of you vote for Obama, but please know that these claims against obama are false, and don't spread them arround. This email is closely related to another one floating around which is discussed on snopes.com, a reliable source to check if an email forward or urban legend is true, or if it has any truth to it. The subject of the email may have been "Who is Barack Obama." Please educate yourself and read it all:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

Also, feel free to do your own research. I'm sure there's plenty of other sources out there. Please don't believe all email forwards. they can be started by just one person with an opinion who was misinformed. Check all email forwards with snopes.com or any other resource you find before you send them on as fact.

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Original forward: Subject - CAN MUSLIMS BE GOOD AMERICANS
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I'm sending this to the people who I think will read it! I hope that everyone votes for the upcoming President. Carefully.
Be sure to read this before you delete. If you agree then by all means pass it on, but if you do not believe then delete. I am sending it on to everyone I think will read it. CAN MUSLIMS BE GOOD AMERICANS? This is very interesting and we all need to read it from start to Finish......... and send it on to anyone who will read it. Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities. Can a good Muslim be a good American? This question was forwarded to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply: Theologically-no. . . . Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon God of Arabia. Religiously - no. . . . Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256) Koran) Scripturally-no. . . . Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran. Geographically-no . . . Because his allegiance is to Mecca , to which he turns in prayer five times a day. Socially-no. . . . Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews. Politically-no. . . . Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America , the great Satan. Domestically-no. . . . Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34) Intellectually-no. . . . Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt. Philosophically-no. . . . Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran does not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic. Spiritually-no. . . . Because when we declare 'one nation under God,' the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names. Therefore after much study and deliberation....Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. - - - They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and good Americans. Call it what you wish. It’s still the truth. You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand. ... And Barack Hussein Obama, a Muslim, wants to be our President? You have GOT to be kidding! Wake up America ! (I know, I know, now he says he’s with the church of Christ !) Obama even says if he wins the election, he will be sworn in on the Quran---not a Bible! Footnote: He was sworn in on the Quran for his current office and he refuses to pledge allegiance to the United States orput his hand over his heart when the National Anthem is played!!!The Muslims have said they will destroy us from thin.....Hello!!!!Having a Muslim president would seem to fit the bill! Would you trust this man with our national secrets?????

Excerpt for Larry King Show 3/7/2008

I'm Inspired — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:08:56 EDT

This is the type of dialogue that make our country seem like it is not as progressive as we should be: For the WHOLE transcript go to CNN.COM;

KING: Lisa Caputo and Jamal Williams remain with us. We're joined now by Kellyanne Conway, president and CEO of The Polling Company, a Republican strategist, and our old friend Jonah Goldberg, editor at large at "National Review" online and author of "Liberal Fascism, The Secret History of the American Left From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning."

We're going to discuss John McCain first.

KING: Kellyanne, you think he is enjoying this Obama-Clinton fight?

CONWAY: He ought to be. I have to slightly disagree. I don't know that he showed his temper. It's not like he hauled off and let her have it, or called her a monster or a liar like the other two are doing. But she really didn't have a follow-up question, Larry. He sort of politely gave her an opening to change the subject and she was tongue-tied in doing so.

John McCain is in New Orleans tonight addressing the Council on National Policy. It's been reported these are just the cream of the crop conservatives. This is what he's doing behind the scenes now while Hillary and Obama argue about whether she should let him sit on the back of the bus of her presidential ticket, or he argues whether or not she lied us into war in 2002.

So there he is doing something out of the headlines. For all the arguments that John McCain's not a part of the headline and the byline and the story line now, he's going to suffer. Hey, if the headlines are who is a monster, McCain's better off being in New Orleans, addressing these top of the line conservatives.

SIMMONS: Larry, we have to address that. We have to address that. This back of the bus comment is beyond the pale. I think Senator Clinton, whatever our disagreements are between the two candidates, Senator Clinton has never done or said anything that would imply that she would rather have Barack Obama sitting in the back of her campaign bus.

CONWAY: No, as V.P. You aren't paying attention.

SIMMONS: No, you are not speaking clearly, because that's out of line.

CONWAY: No, she doesn't want him to be the first black president. She wants him to be her V.P. She said that this week. She would consider putting him on her ticket, but I guess he wouldn't consider putting her on his ticket, would he?

KING: Did you use the term back of the bus?

CONWAY: I did. I just said --

KING: Meaning?

CONWAY: Meaning that she wants -- she has said she would have Barack Obama as her V.P. Thereby she is denying something that many Republicans are not denying, that Barack Obama has a very strong chance of becoming this country's first black president, that someone like me respects.

SIMMONS: We can move along. I was there for a lot of Bill Clinton and Al Gore's time and Al Gore never sat in the back of the bus.

How can you argue with someone who "hates Obama because he is the anti-christ"?

Christian E Mims — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:01:09 EST

Can't say I am not a little bit bummed that Clinton ended up closing up the lead yesterday, granted we're still ahead!

Just wanted to share this story:
I was at a rehearsal on Saturday for Seussical: The Musical, which is a children's show I am doing at the Holly, a local community theatre. Well, anyway, I was at rehearsal and this little boy comes up and sits next to me saying, " we need to pray for that boy..." Why I asked. He said, " first of all, he is an Obamaican. Second, he thinks abortion is right." I turned and looked at the child, who just turned 13 and said, "I'm an Obamaican." He just glared. He said he would pray for me and that devil must be inside me. That Obama was the Anti-Christ and that I must want world destruction. Who teaches their children such things? Why is it so wrong to have a different opinion than someone else? It frustrates me to no end that people bring their children up thinking so closed minded. Yes, I think Obama is right for the job. Yes, I think we need some serious change, but if someone else doesn't believe it as well I am not going to shove it down their throats. I would speak of my thoughts and beliefs but if they have their own opinion and reasons behind it then so be it! I hate, yes, I am using the word hate, when people try to argue my choice of canidate with facts and reasons that are not logical. Talk to me of healthcare or the "War in Iraq" and your opinon of it but do not tell me the reason you do not like Barack Obama is because he is the Anti-Christ and because you do not like his middle name!

ERGH! Does anyone else have this happen to them? Sometimes I wonder if it is because I live in the Bible Belt.

Class disscusion!!

youngest supporter — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:22:04 EST

Today in one of my classes some girls were talking about how Barack Obama scared them. They said they got some random email telling them that he didn't say the pledge of alliegence. One girl said, "Maybe Obama is some,like, code name or something, and he wants to bomb us, y'know, cuz his name has "bama" in it and that,like, sounds like bomb, y'know?". It doesn't get more ignorant than that folks. W O W. I'm almost ashmed to admit that I'm friends with her. I told them the email was a fake but they didn't beleive me.

Exposing the Facts

Nancy V. Sanchez — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:46:46 EST

In the past few days I have noticed an increase in false claims of Obama's religious background. It's politics, the opposite of what Obama's campaign stands for. Obama's success and well-liked persona leaves nothing else to say about him which in turn leaves ignorant minds to wonder and create false statements. I feel that we need to get the truth out there. There are many sites such as AOL and Yahoo where people comment and express ignorant opinions based on made up emails and chain letters. They don't know! Truth is, most of these people have never bothered to find out or read a legitimate source such as "The New York Times" and instead feed off from word of mouth.

Part of the problem is the "Clinton Machine" at work as someone described it on Yahoo- Answers. I quote- "She and all of her idiotic supporters keep bringing up the false accusations of him being a racist and Muslim to stop the Obama momentum. It's pretty pathetic." I for one agree.

Ignorance can be a factor in slowing down Obama's momentum and I feel that it is one that needs to be addressed. I think people need to be better educated about the facts in order to vote for the only change we can believe in "Obama 08"

Ignorance in the name of faith

Albert McMurry — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:22:52 EST

Chuck Olsen of Blogumentary posted the raw footage of his documentary called "God in Our Governments". Olsen interviews four women from Lynchburg, TN that identify themselves as Non Denomination Christians. In it they state their support for Governor Huckabee, God in government, policy as biblical prophecy and Obama's insistence on swearing in with the Koran.

After watching, I'm sad. We, Obama supporters, have a lot of work to do but some people are beyond reach. But we can still reach many, many others.

Yes, we can.

Basic Science Exam for Presidential Candidates

rberlind — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:50:15 EST

As someone who has studied science and math and remains very interested in them, I am often disappointed that very few questions about science are asked during political debates. So, I decided to create a Basic Science Exam that Wolf Blitzer and Brian Williams could ask Presidential candidates in future “Presidential Entrance Exams”. Ideally, this would be done by having the candidates enter their answers to each question simultaneously on laptops, after which their answers would be revealed to them and the viewers along with the correct answer. Think how interesting it would be if one candidate got most of the questions right while one got most of them wrong. Would people really want to vote for a candidate who demonstrated that they were ignorant of the basic science needed to set effective health care, energy, and climate change policies?

You can see my 20 question Basic Science Exam (and see if you know the answers) here.

10 things I Hate About the World We Live In

Ms CYPRAH — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:40:05 EST

The things which annoy me tend to be those that rob us of our humanity, which do not build, but merely destroy, and which detach us from our world, like the following:

1. IGNORANCE...Lack of knowledge has the most debilitating impact on our world because, without knowledge, we are at a loss to develop our potential to fruition. Ignorance keeps behavior and appreciation of others at the most basic level and simply robs us of a life.

Barack, PLEASE Don't Stoop to Their Level!

Mary H. — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:28:38 EST

Barack,

As one of your very first supporters, as someone who has walked miles, door to door on your behalf, please do not stoop to their level! Do not let these run of the mill politicians bring you down to the level of common bickering and mud slinging.

One of the reasons we the people first supported you, was because you were different, you were eloquent in the face of intimidation.

You are our hope. You could be our future. Our dreams for a change just might come true because of you. Please do not stoop to their level at this crucial point in time. We can be passionate about our cause without being ignorant.

Faithfully yours,

Mary

Clear Up: Chain emails "Sliming" Obama

Yianni Garcia — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:08:19 EST

Newsweek Article "Sliming Obama"

Newsweek today wrote the above article clearing up the false statements about Obama's religious views that were spread around in a chain email. The chain emails claimed that Obama was a member of a racist black supremist chruch and that he was an Islamic radicalist who. Are you serious?

I actually witnessed this type of ignorance in real life.Yesterday, while I was in the shuttle on my way to work, I heard the driver talking about how Obama was a Muslim decendant from terrorist because his name rhymes with Osama. I just hope that this type of ignorance doesn't keep this brilliant visionary from becoming President.

It saddens me that in this day in age I actually fear that a significant amount of Americans are so poorly educated to believe such a thing. Critical thinking, the ability to question everything we see and hear, is the greatest gift of democracy. Use it people.

Does U.S. Tolerate Anti-Muslim Speech?

funkfresh01 — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 21:12:21 EST

Author: Omar Sacirbey

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1204/p02s02-usgn.html?page=1

Lu Gronseth listens regularly to WWTC, a conservative talk-radio station in Minneapolis, and even advertises his mortgage-loan business on the station. But when he learned that a nationally syndicated radio show host had told WWTC listeners that Muslims should be deported and made rude comments about what they could do with their religion, Mr. Gronseth pulled his ads from the station.

So have at least two other Minnesota businesses, at the urging of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C., as have a handful of national companies, including OfficeMax, JCPenney, Wal-Mart, and AT&T. But the comments by host Michael Savage in October – and previous anti-Muslim speech – have not created the furor that knocked radio icon Don Imus off of MSNBC and CBS Radio after he denigrated a black women's basketball team. That leaves many Muslims-Americans – and non-Muslims like Mr. Gronseth – suspicious that Americans have a double standard when it comes to Islam.

Help to stop an endless occupation in Iraq

funkfresh01 — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:21:42 EST

Have you seen the news? President Bush is negotiating a deal with Iraq to keep our troops there indefinitely--it could include permanent bases and a massive military presence for years! Bush is trying to tie the hands of the next president.

Congress can stop him from setting up permanent bases in Iraq and block an indefinite occupation--but they need to hear a groundswell of pressure from us immediately and loudly so they act on this quickly.

I just signed a petition demanding that Congress stop the president from committing to a massive military presence in Iraq for decades. Can you join me?

http://pol.moveon.org/endless/?r_by=11723-5077189-Cf.Eao&rc=comment_paste

Thanks!

What I've been thinking lately..

Keith from Cincinnati, OH — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 02:43:13 EDT

First I would like to start off with some background. My name is Keith Lanser, and I am not a Democrat. I am 19 years old, and I live in Cincinnati, Ohio (and I'm extremely proud of it as well). My family is generally conservative, but me and my mother are the exceptions. When I watched Obama's speech for the 2004 DNC convention, It was one of the greatest turning points in my life. Listening to that speech, that story, makes me cry every time I hear it.

"Now, don’t get me wrong. The people I meet -- in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks -- they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead, and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon. Go in -- Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn; they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things."

I consider myself a patriot. I love my country, my township, the West Side of Cincinnati, Cincinnati itself, Ohio and Kentucky-- but I believe that peace with thought is patriotic. I am trying my hardest to stand up for peace and to combat ignorance and racism in a country of ignorance and racism. I want my neighbors to respect me, and each other-- and that is why I agree that we do need to raise expectations and turn off TV's and change culture so that black kids (hispanic kids, and even male children in general) don't HAVE to be under-educated. There is something wrong when I realize that I am the only man in most of my honors college classes. There is something wrong when I see the only black man in my anthropology class simply sit in his chair everyday, not speak one word or show the least bit of any emotion. It is as if he was trained to be obedient, in a situation that does not require much obedience.

I want to live and be the change I want to see in my life, city, and society. That way, life will be a little more easy. That way Cincinnati, my favorite city, will feel a little more magical. That way my favorite part of the midwest and the upper south can move forward together, and be the world-class city it should be.

Just Getting Started

David — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 21:57:28 EST

First of all, I am very excited to begin this campaign. I hope to one day meet Mr Barack Obama, but even if I don't, if he becomes president, I know I will have done my civic duty in helping the country heal from a fissure that has cut much too deep.

I haven't quite decided in which way I will contribute to the campaign. I am not rich, but fundraising for Obama'08 is certainly an option. Hopefully, I'll also get my hands dirty getting out into the streets and letting uniformed voters know why it is in the country's best interest to vote Barack. But I will not be passive any longer. I'm young, politically vigerous, and totally outraged by what's happened to this country and the world over the past 8 years. So I will do my part to get this campaign going.