Posts with the tag integrity

Obama's liberal base

Ruth from Boone, NC — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:03:32 EST

I am disappointed that the Obama administration has not been able to fulfil more of its campaign promises.

However, I am very proud of his response to the terrorist threat and am reminded that he is about 2000 per cent better than what we had the past eight years.

I am also reminded of the troubles Clinton had in his efforts for a more liberal agenda, especially the defeat of his proposed health care reform which was an excellent plan.

So, dispite previous complaints, this liberal will be supporting Obama for the long run.

Honor In Office

Larry Gordon — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:20:00 EDT

Jerrrol LeBaron, a resident of Los Angeles, has created Honor In Office for those Americans who want laws passed to make our representatives in Congress read bills before they are allowed to vote on them. This group calls for honesty, integrity, common sense, and a focus that the members of Congress work for the People, and not use their office to further their own interests.

A higher standard for our members of Congress is demanded. Ethics have to be central to all those who aspire to represent the American people.

Passing bills in the dead of night before other members of Congress can object is not the American way. It is amateurish, and does not have the professional stance Americans want from their representatives at the highest levels of government.

WHO IS THAT GUY BARACK OBAMA? HE IS US.

Alex Karoub — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:27:43 EST

..... Contact: http://Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

(orig. posted 11/7/08)

We have made historic headway by together pointing our nation in the right directions. After decades, we have America focused on the issues of fundamental importance. Now, each of us acting in concert can together move our country to lead the world to the fruitfulness of moral goodness. I have no doubts about my abilities and the abilities of fellow Americans to work smart and hard to achieve these goals.

Barack Obama has the visions, leadership, and integrity for us to correct and redirect our country to once again lead the world for the fruitions of good. Let's closely listen, learn, and move forward based on that which we know deep inside is good and which we can validate with our hearts.

I hope that those who had but a few reasons to support Obama, look further into the other issues more deeply. I found the more I explored, studied, and listened to Obama the more I found us in agreement. The couple of issues that I did not have depth of knowledge of, quickly became obvious in need. This was unusual for me since I have always refused to be any kind of a follower, and still am not. I find Obama to be a deep thinker who is articulate and inspirational; and, of most fundamental importance, Obama makes excellent moral sense.

Hopefully, our country has learned lessons from the past of mistakenly following leadership blindly, as was done with Nixon and Bush. There are leaders who are simply in it for themselves and will cater to individuals or groups in order to grab for their own benefit. Corrupt and bad leaders hide at all levels. This is especially true in city government as well as county and state government. The corrupt deals of politicians need to be exposed, and those responsible need to be weeded out in the coming local elections. Others need to be investigated by law enforcement and be prosecuted for illegal dealings; for deals they often make for their hidden personal agendas. Let’s look at the bad experiences of the past as bitter medicines, let’s eliminate the need for such bad medicine in the future. Let us use what we know is good to go forward.

I believe we have chosen wisely, not by greed and not by misguided retaliatory anger. I believe this time our country has chosen with open eyes, with each of us listening and examining our choice of leadership closely, driven and validated by our hearts.

I hope we can continue to make our efforts even more inclusive (in many more ways than I touch on here). Far right republicans will be stubborn to change, but we will need to include them to change if we are to succeed. Sure a few more will leave our country, but that is not the American way. No, we really don't need their false fronts of power, money, insider knowledge, or other trappings that they have taught many to 'respect?'. Let's recruit as many as we can, that's the American way, evolving and changing together as one nation. Try to be understanding as we move forward; by better understanding each as individuals and people with various desires and needs we will find ways to reach out with friendship and have them join our causes of good.

Be on the lookout, and root out bad leadership in government and business. Do not be intimidated by those who use the false fronts of power and give a false sense of security in order to lead. Be extra leery of those who say or imply ‘Trust me’; those who give a sense that they somehow omnipotently know better. No longer will Americans be dazzled by phony displays of brilliance or baffled by baloney. There are government aristocrats and business leaders who still believe in the old adage of: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle em with bullshit”. We can embrace complexity by demanding true, fundamental, and understandable explanations. We can root out falsehoods by not accepting double speak. We as Americans know how to grow ourselves by first believing in ourselves. Don’t be a follower. Don’t be a follower of followers.

However, when we find leaders who are good; a leader that thinks, speaks, and acts from their heart; one that is honest, has integrity, and leads by sincere examples; then we need to in a big way, join them, support them, and promote their causes of good. From much research, investigation, and scrutiny, I believe Barack Obama is such a person. I hope we search for and find many more who are similar, who we can add to service at all levels of government. We need to add/replace leaders in business with ones that have honesty, integrity, and show quality in leadership. We need more people in leadership roles who are moral, like Barack Obama.

Remember, we are not fighting a battle, we are the artisans and sculptors of the future for ourselves and generations to come. Rarely do societies have opportunities to make such dramatic moves forward as we now have in this opportunity of today. Take pride and practice in being inclusive as we stride forward. In moving forward, create opportunity not only for yourself, but also for all. Hope is a wonderful thing to behold; but without opportunity, hope can become but a dream never achievable. We can, will, and must, create opportunity.

In the coming year I hope that we do not lose our spiritedness, but instead continue to build and make headway. I hope we all continue our campaign for change in government and business. We will succeed in moving forward once again, it will take much effort and good oversight on the part of each of us. We will make great strides in the months and years ahead in order to achieve the fruitions of good. Let's keep our enthusiasm progressing through these coming toughest of times. Let us use the light of goodness and love to motivate us with historic momentum.

I have chosen Barack Obama because he best represents my deepest beliefs in America. Please take time to read the issues that Barack Obama has published on this website. Also, give your attention to see how he leads us to move our nation forward in the time ahead. Most importantly, be part of America's great future, participate in the greatness that together we will make. Participate!

We will each and all flourish, if we think, speak, and act, by using the love in our hearts.

Your reply is welcome. Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

The Lagoon

James — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:44:35 EST

I have written and received so much correspondence over the past year. There is also my participation in online media resources using the internet. There is Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed and blogging. There is email. I remain aware and learning, while I flow back and forth across this strange surging ethereal sea of communication. I reflect on what I read, process the reflections, and then write works of analysis and consideration. One of the most common strains of conversational tone I run across is the one of integrity declared. This is my phrase (integrity declared) for the people who constantly tell me that they tell the truth, no matter how much it hurts. They tell me, and write around me, of the necessity required by both business and relationship to always be honest and truthful. That no great success in either area can be had without it. They tell me that they only tell the truth and would never be dishonest. I have to admit I am frequently vexed but more often entertained by this kind of delivery. And it is a constant, never changing, litany that seem to cross all cultural borders and barriers. Only this evening I was reminded of this by a woman who works out in Hawaii. She had written a short missive on Twitter about how it appeared that the market in Hawaii was on the way to recovery, with much activity over the last few days. When I commented that I had never heard a realtor every say, at any time, that right now was not the best time to buy, I got the integrity presentation delivered hot and fast over the net. I backed off. I am not out here to confront, or make miserable, the people who correspond with me. Sometimes my blog here might indicate otherwise, but in reality I do not seek to attack individuals for what they think or believe. I do like to disagree with them, however.

In light of the subject I have chosen to discuss herein, I would like to tell you a story. It is a true story, and it happened several years ago on the shore of a place called Bainbridge Island. That Island lies seven miles across the Sound from the city of Seattle in Washington State.

The Lagoon

It was early morning when I looked out from the deck of my second story office, which was located in my home on the shore of Puget Sound. It was already a fine day, with the sun rising behind the spit of land my house was located on, and Mount Ranier half lit on the Southern horizon across the gently moving waters. I looked down to the Lagoon below. It was a rather large lagoon, spanning about forty yards across the narrowest of it's oval shape. Earlier in the year I had built a wooden pier that reached out about ten yards straight from the house on my side of the shore. I had built the pier so that the triplets, living at the other end of the lagoon could come visit on a paddle boat I had purchased for that purpose the summer before. The triplets were three children six years of age. Two boys and a girl. They had named the paddle boat 'Bubbles' so I had dutifully painted the name on both sides of the pontoons which kept it afloat. Some days they would vigorously paddle over to my pier, be greeted by Harvey, my dog-like cat, and Tank, the large seagull who always sat on one of the high poles at the end of the pier. I kept a supply of those popsicles, the ones with the funny idiotic sayings printed onto the sticks, in my freezer, as the trips' parents would not let them have such sweet things.

This morning I noted that the Lagoon was faintly aromatic. I looked over toward the far shore and confirmed my suspicions. The far shore abutted the Sound itself. Normally, there was a narrow inlet of water that ran between the Lagoon and the waters of the Sound. The constantly working tides usually kept the small stream open and running. That movement of water allowed the lagoon to be refreshed and healthy. I noted, with a frown, that the stream was no more. A bad tide had moved the small, golf ball sized stones, just enough to close the gap. I sighed. Something would have to be done.

I threw on my jeans, boots and logging shirt, went to the back door, selected a pointed shovel, then made my way down to the shore along the bracken, following a well worn path Harvey and I took at least twice a day. I found the course of the old outlet and began to dig. Harvey found a large flat rock nearby to recline on, and provide moral support from.

The work was hard. The stones did not take to shoveling at all well. It took a full hour to dig half way to the Sound. I sat against one wall of my four foot deep trench to rest and reflect. I saw a line of miniature people approaching from the South. It was the triplets. They were walking in a single file, each with a small shovel over their shoulder. I waited until they arrived. "Hey you guys," I said, and waved with a big smile. One of the boys, Mark, was very expressive and yelled back, as they approached "Hi, Mr. Strauss, we've come to help you." I laughed aloud at that. The other boy, Tom, just smiled his usual little smile, while Anna, the triplet leader held up an arm. They stopped mid-way down the finished part of the trench. "We'll begin work here, Mr. Strauss," she stated imperiously, with no smile or wave. I nodded at this industriousness and set back to work. I threw rocks for another fifteen minutes before I had to rest. I leaned on the shovel and looked back.

Anna was sitting on one edge of the trench watching her two brothers. Mark and Tom had worked to drag a pile of driftwood to the edge of the divide and were carefully assembling some sort of edifice right in the center of the trench. I shook my head and walked back to where they worked. "What are you two doing?" I asked, with a moody serious expression. The boys looked up at me, then bent down and continued their efforts. "They're building a fish trap, Mr. Strauss," Anna said from her position nearby. The boys continued to work. I looked down at them in exasperation. "You can't build a fish trap out of wood. The wood will just float away when the water comes through," I argued, to no avail. "You can't catch a fish in such a contraption." I tried again. Anna appeared at my side and grabbed my hand. She nodded to me when I looked down, then applied some pressure to move me back in the direction I'd come. When we got back to where I had been working she let go of my hand. I looked back at her laboring brothers and was about to speak. She shook her head at me, so I said nothing. She reached up carefully and grasped my shirt near the collar. I bent down to her pull. Very seriously she looked into my eyes. "Mr. Strauss, the fish does not have to be real," she said.

What Anna said to me resounded out of that Lagoon, across the Sound and echoed straight into the marrow of my life. And the lives of almost everyone who has come into contact with me. At my company the expression "the fish does not have to be real" is stated over and over again. It is applied to situations wherein people are just being too damn serious. To situations wherein people are claiming that they have the highest integrity. That they never lie. That truth is this precious commodity that is just of too much value to do anything other than be admitted to and recognized.

Physics is real. Gravity is real. Water boiling at a certain temperature and pressure is real. But this phenomenal world we have created to survive in is not. Even the physics of that phenomenal world do not necessarily have to be real. It all depends upon perspective, belief, needs, wants and desires. And therefore, once this is realized, the world becomes a different place altogether. To survive in the real world we need to lighten up in the phenomenal. We need to become more flexible about understanding this place we inhabit and the fellow travelers we run with. The next time that somebody around you tells you that they have never told a lie, then tell this story and say these words: "The fish does not have to be real."

from-the-chateau-dif.blogspot.com

http://www.themastodons.com

The Most Important Part of a Strategic Plan is Building Trust

Medical Whistleblower — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:44:58 EST

Within our Medical Whistleblower Organization trust is one of the most important assets we have. It is also the easiest asset to lose and very hard to rebuild. Trust is the key ingredient which leads to relationship building, which in turn leads to cooperative, collaborative opportunities to advance our goals and objectives.

How many of you have developed strategic plans for a non-profit organization? What is the first question one needs to ask in regards to strategic planning? Is it to define what goals and objectives they want to achieve? Where do they want to be in three years or five years from now? And how do you plan to get there?

Some will state that grant writing is the answer. Others have ideas for more direct grass roots ways to raise funds. Often I will hear that money is the answer. Other times I hear that political power is the answer. Many will say that creating strategic alliances or relationships with other organizations is the way to reach our goals, or by increasing our media coverage. Certainly we can improve our direct mail campaigns or other fund raising activities. We can certainly conference with others and discuss how important it is to work cooperatively to reach our common goals. But ultimately we must recognize that the motivating force behind deep social change is a shared emotional bond or trust between people.

In communication it is important to not get lost on focusing on achieving your goals and objectives and thereby failing to recognize that trust is the foundation of all our efforts. When someone goes as far as to ignore the trust factor and move forward with their own agenda, they undermine their own forward progress and will fall short of their ultimate goal.

If increased funding is one of your organization's key strategic goals but you engage in unethical fundraising behavior - such as false advertising or deceptive practices then you might gain in the short run but in the long term you will erode the trust of the public and lose your good name. These unethical practices do not bode well for a non-profit organization’s long term survivability.

We need to look long and hard at ourselves and ask “What are we going to do to earn the trust – both inside and outside of our organization –that will help us form the kind of emotional bond with others that will enable us to achieve our goals and objectives?”

We need to ask who our partners in this fight are. Who are the stakeholders who care about Medical Whistleblower issues? There are of course, the Medical Whistleblowers themselves. But there are also patient advocates. Of these two groups, who do you believe have the greatest number of people, financial resources, or grassroots political power? I assert that it is the Patient Advocates that win that comparison without a doubt.

So we, as Medical Whistleblowers, need to build trust with those who advocate for patient rights. Medical Whistleblowers must be found to be the ultimate safeguard for patient care, safety and human rights. This means we must listen to the patient advocate concerns if they express a lack of confidence in our ability to determine who should have advocacy as a Medical Whistleblower. We also must ask for them to understand the need for restraint with public allegations especially when there may have been Bad Faith Peer Review against a Medical Professional. There will be cases where our advocacy for the medical professional will seem initially to be in conflict with the advocacy for the patient, but on more careful reflection will reveal a commonality of purpose to safeguard the public’s health and safety. Medical Whistleblowers will be found to be the ultimate safeguard for patient care, safety and human rights. Individual cases present many problems which we must face with humility and honesty. It is a sad fact that there are medical professionals who do need to be disciplined, some who even need their medical licenses revoked.

True Medical Whistleblowers are for the integrity of the medical system and the protection of patients.

Dachale must go

Dr. Ling — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:35:25 EST

I have worked for Barack, gave money to his cause, walked miles in Nevada, evaded dogs and angry republicans. Now he must be consistant with the message of change which we all believed in and worked for. Tom Dachale did not pay his fair taxes. He has questionable ties with health care industries. His nomination for Health Secretary must be denied. If Obama continues to support him, The thing with feathers that perches in my soul (Hope) will have flown again, and I doubt I will be able to get it back again.

“You’ve come for the wedding, now stay for the marriage.”

Andrea from Kirkland, WA — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:03:39 EST

“You’ve come for the wedding, now stay for the marriage.” Father Miles O’Brien Riley

On Tuesday, I watched with a renewed sense of hope and excitement the Inauguration of our 44th President of the United States. While each Presidential Inauguration represents an important moment in our nation’s history what struck me at this time was the especially exuberant levels of energy arising out of our citizens. I couldn’t help but get the feeling, like those who gathered in Washington DC and around the country, a keen sense of optimism.

At the same time, I was reminded of a meaningful phrase that was communicated to the guests at my wedding, “You’ve come for the wedding, now stay for the marriage.” Our priest, Father Miles O’Brien Riley went on to advise our guests that while it is important to celebrate and take joy in the moment, the long term success of our marriage included the support and participation of our guests — our family and our friends — to help foster our commitment to each other and our marriage, in good times and bad.

I find this advice is fitting today for us as a nation. We have many challenges ahead, many of which are quite daunting to imagine. No single individual, political party or institution can alone make our country strong. Rather, it will take each one of us to do our share and take responsibility for our country’s success. It is a privilege to live in the United States. While some of us haven’t always felt proud of our past, we can certainly influence and shape our future. If we want it to be better, let’s make it that way. In addition to looking to the leaders before us, we need to look inward and ask ourselves what is our responsibility in making this country great. Instead of always looking to others to solve our problems, how can we, each day, do our part?

How can we do this you ask? We can begin by staying involved in our government. By voicing our standards for a better nation. We can take part and lead in our communities, schools, churches and places of employment. It is we who embody these institutions. We need to work to put aside our differences and seek common ground. We need to open our hearts and our minds by talking less and listening more. No matter what our role, we need to become better examples for each other. We all contribute to the success of our country and the new administration going forward.

America, we came for the wedding, now let’s stay for the marriage.

Andrea Spudich
The Responsible Leader Group, LLC

Abandon the Retirees and save todays workers ?

Richard Owl Mirror — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 01:28:41 EST

The Rationale for allowing the US Auto Industry to fail ~ Can it be applied the US Federal Government?

Republicans Kill $14B Rescue Plan in effort to dismantle UAW Union

Within the above article is a discussion and a point of view I find interesting and wish to explore how people feel about it and it's implications.

Stu P., "The only way the Big 3 can compete with Toyota, etc. would be to get out from under the massive pension and related obligations to retired and soon-to-be-retired UAW workers."

Richard, Given the plight of the economy and the Debt incurred by the American Taxpayer, should the US Government rescind the benefits of US Service men and women? Revoke the health benefits and retirement of the millions of individuals in order to make the Federal Government a more financially viable entity ?

Let's start with those costly Survivor benefits
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/family_resources/online_hbml06_payandbenefits_otherbenefits1/

Then we can move on to money for housing and Education benefits.
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/

Imagine a leaner Federal Government without Military Veteran OBLIGATIONS to burden them.
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/health/

~@~

Given the tremendous debt out government is carrying and which the American citizen is libel to repay w/interest, I'm wondering if these Senate Republicans would be prepared to rescind the benefits to each and every Military veteran in an effort to trim the wasteful spending by our Government?

If it works for GM, Ford and Chrysler, wouldn't it also translate into a cost-savings effort by the Federal Government?

I really think these Senate Republicans are on to something, throw out any promises of care for services rendered and allow the former employees to fend for themselves.

After all those 300,000+ Auto Retirees are most likely service members from WWII, Korea, Veitnam who are drawing these Federal Benefits as well as Pensions from working their entire lives in the factories. If America is willing to toss them under the bus, why not go the whole way and assist the Federal Government in relieving itself of this burden?

Tad W. said, That's brilliant! When can we start?!

I'm afraid this measure would be met with resistance, calling it unjust because they earned the rewards of Health and Retirement benefits by their service.
I just wonder why those same people can't apply this measure to the Retirement costs burdening the Big 3?

I don't know the financial answers to these problems but, our entire social fabric was paved by people such as these 300,000+ retirees. People who fought in World War Two, returned and went to work creating the US Middle Class. Others remained behind and worked in those factories building the needed equipment for the war Effort, then continued working their whole life, retiring with dignity and financial security.
They were the pioneers of citizen involvement of the Stock Market. Their pension funds built the vast wealth which makes up the majority of investments.

Why are some so willing to throw them under the bus ?

I find it shameful and appalling. Republicans Kill $14B Rescue Plan in effort to dismantle UAW Union

Failed Bailout Batters Asian Stock Markets
Auto Bailout Bust Fuels Wall St. Anxiety
New Unemployment Claims Reach 26-Year High
White House May Ride To Detroit's Rescue

"The current weakened state of the economy is such that it could not withstand a body blow like a disorderly bankruptcy in the auto industry," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

The Senate's rejection of the $14 billion rescue plan and further evidence of a deepening global recession made world stock markets plunge. U.S. stock index futures pointed to a big sell-off later on Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average was projected to drop 278 points, or 3.2 percent, to 8,292, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index was forecast to fall 33.80 points, or 3.9 percent, to 840.70.

"This is a colossal failure in leadership," Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said on The Early Show. "It puts the economy closer to the cliff and I think we see that already in the reaction."

"I find it highly ironic to have Congress people lecturing the UAW about cutting their wages," Bernero told the The Early Show. "Why don't we put Congress people and senators on merit pay and see what they would be making. What has their productivity been? Give me a break."
Am I to understand that the approximate "332,000 retirees whose health care is covered by generous benefits negotiated since the end of World War II. " should simply lose those benefits in order to afford the current workers retain their jobs? Eliminating those benefits, would GM be competitive? Is that the solution. Kick all 332,000 retirees to the curb and tell them the promises made are null and void ? Imagine the effect on our economy when these 81,000 active UAW workers and 332,000 retirees default on their mortgages and file bankruptcy ? Add to that all the small businesses that depend on the local economy that these 81,000 active UAW workers and 332,000 retirees and their extended families frequent?
Those who believe they will be untouched by the failure of these three companies are in for a rude awakening. When the supply chain fails, those companies also supply Toyota, Honda and the others. Will Toyota, Honda have a supply problem leading to worker lay-offs in Alabama too ? Given the plight of the economy and the Debt incurred by the American Taxpayer, should the US Government recind the benefits of US Service men and women? Revoke the health benefits and retirement of the millions of individuals in order to make the Federal Government a more financially viable entity ?

Let's start with those costly Survivor benefits

Then we can move on to More money for housing and Education benefits.
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/

Imagine a leaner Federal Government without Military Veteran OBLIGATIONS to burden them.
http://www.militarytimes.com/benefits/health/ I think we need to cut off all benefits for every veteran.
After all, they got paid while they were employed, why should the Federal Gov. continue paying them after they quit or retired ?The Federal Government is the largest employer in this Nation, it too operates in a huge and ever expanding deficit. If We, the people were to eliminate this OBLIGATION, wouldn't OUR Company function better? Do US autoworkers really make $70 or more per hour in wages and benefits ?

Contrary to an often-repeated myth, UAW members at GM, Ford and Chrysler are not paid $73 an hour. The truth is, wages for UAW members range from about $14 per hour for newly hired workers to $28 per hour for assemblers. The $73 an hour figure is outdated and inaccurate. It includes not only the costs of health care, pensions and other compensation for current workers, but also includes the costs of pensions and health care for all of the retired workers, spread out over the active workforce. Obviously, active workers do not receive any of this compensation, so it is simply not accurate to describe it as part of their "earnings." Here's a very Partial list of media e-mail addresses.
Use it to contact the media.
http://www.opednews.com/mediacontact.htm

Terrorism is a Crime

Josh and Kade — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:16:42 EST

July 28, 2005 Terrorism is a Crime

What does a “war” on terror mean? It means incessant warmongering against those in the “axis of evil” and against many other nations. It means building a militaristic society and giving up many of our precious freedoms. All of this is wrong because the “war” on terror is metaphorical. Committing a terrorist act is not, or should not be, a war but a crime - an international crime against which all nations can be enlisted to fight against, thus building international cooperation.

I said all this way back in January of 2004. I was called a fool. I'm bringing the issue up again because I think the climate has changed enough so that maybe people will listen. If I'm not mistaken, Bush and his administration seem to be coming to a similar conclusion. Administration officials no longer talk about the "war on terror"; they speak of the "struggle against violent extremism."

Declaring ourselves as being at war with terrorism is detrimental to our goal of conquering terrorism. Terrorism is an international crime and should be treated that way. By calling it a crime, I do not condone it or minimize it. I am merely suggesting another, and I think more effective, way of fighting the terrorism scourge.

TERRORISM AS ENDLESS WAR

Our current approach to terrorism is militarizing our life. Some time ago, the Department of Homeland Security asked 3 companies - Northrop Grumman Corp, BAE Systems Inc. and UAL Corp's United Airlines - to develop plans for a missile defense system for passenger jets. A contract worth $1 billion will be awarded. It is expected that the cost per airplane would be $1 million each.

Get this. We plan to arm PASSENGER planes so that they would be protected from portable surface-to-air missiles. Do you think this will help? Could the "defense system" be used by some erratic pilot for "offense"? Could it interfere with navigation? Whom do you think this system would help more? The passenger? Or the defense company that gets the contract?

After the planes, do we arm ships, subways, busses and trains? Do we arm private office buildings, hotels and factories? And supposing we do, will we be more safe? Or more afraid?

Fear stalks the land, is growing and will grow more as militarization proceeds.

Militarization is accompanied by destruction of our civil liberties. Start with the 3-hour or 4-hour wait at airports to get on a plane for a 1-hour flight. Now the government is talking of checking a huge data base to see if you are a "security risk." But these inconveniences pale in comparison with what two words from the president can do. All he needs to do is call you an "enemy combatant" and suddenly you have no recourse to the judicial system. You are toast!

The war, of course, is between U.S. and those who "harbor terrorists," possess "weapons of mass destruction" or are part of the "axis of evil." We started by declaring war against Afghanistan. Soon after, we were and still are at war with Iraq. Some are advocating war with North Korea, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan. Where does it end?

Unfortunately, bin Laden is getting his way. He wanted to start a war between Muslims on one side and Jews and Christians on the other. If you look at the countries we are targeting, he appears to be winning.

Unfortunately too, the war is isolating the U.S. from the world community. We have trashed the UN and drove allies away from us. People all over the world who previously loved the U.S., now hate us. Our universities used to attract students from all over the world. Now we have erected barriers to prevent them from coming. The gloss on the land of liberty is tarnished.

All because we are fighting a war!

TERRORISM AS A CRIME

A war takes place between two or more nations. Al Qaeda is not a nation. A war is executed over a period of time after which there is settlement of some kind. Terrorism will be with us for an indefinite period of time.

Terrorism should not be considered an act of war but a crime. A heinous crime, but a crime nonetheless. People or groups attacking other people or groups of people constitutes a crime. Terrorism is as much a crime as drug trafficking or arms smuggling. Mafia gangsters kill people. The "war" on the Mafia is metaphorical, however, like the "war" on poverty or the "war" on drugs.

Crime will always be with us. All we can do is diminish it. The same is true of terrorism. By the way, terrorism is not solely a Muslim activity. An American named Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist. We did not declare war against McVeigh. We arrested him, tried him in the courts and punished him. We should do the same with other terrorists.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

We all know what happened after September 11. We were so shocked that we were eager for revenge. We declared war against Afghanistan. This is understandable. Then we got further worked up and declared war against Iraq - where we are currently stuck. And our society is gearing up to face an endless succession of wars.

Here is an alternate path we can still follow to achieve a happier America and a more peaceful world. The approach is based on calling terrorism an international crime:

DEFINE INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM - We should go to the UN and enlist all nations in the definition of international terrorism as a crime. This will make terrorism something reviled by the entire world community.
COORDINATE INTERNATIONAL INTELLIGENCE - At the UN, we could arrange coordination among all national intelligence agencies for the purpose of apprehending terrorists and bringing them to justice.
JOIN INTERNATIONAL COURT - We should become a member of the Court so we may use it to try apprehended international terrorists.
COOPERATE WITH OTHER NATIONS - In addition to cooperating with other nations about terrorism, we should also work towards an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement and to mitigate catastrophes like AIDS in Africa and Asia.

CONCLUSION

Calling terrorism an international crime and working hand-in-hand with the UN to conquer it will have many positive effects. Here are a few:

World terrorism will be diminished significantly
Instead of a militarized and fearful society, the U.S. will be its old self: a civil-liberties society
Our world will be more peaceful
U.S. will have more friends in other countries

Posted by Paul Siegel at July 28, 2005 06:02 PM

http://www.watchblog.com/democrats/archives/002514.html

[I concur. If the US government treated terrorism as a crime instead of just focusing on collecting "intelligence about the attack..", maybe then we would be able to combat against it. Until the US government starts investigating, arresting and prosecuting these criminals, in no way shape or form will we be able to prevent terrorism from escalating.

Integrity driven investigations, with the use of the court system to prosecute these terroristic criminals, is the ONLY way the war on terrorism can be deemed as legit.

Terrorism is currently about blaming innocent people for wrongs they did not commit, after the fact. in order to prove the US governments world leadership. Iron fist, Stalin style.

America is no Russia]

Kade and Josh

The Case for Colin Powell

Pam Hayes — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:45:35 EST

Barack Obama is my hero as of some time in 2008. Before him, I considered Colin Powell to be a hero – a Republican four-star general with integrity.

So long, John McCain

Pam Hayes — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:34:18 EST

I wrote this back on October 15th, right after the final presidential debate. The final presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama has just concluded. Hallelujah. It is over. No more McCain for me. I am hearing that it is unlikely he will win. If that is true, then tonight could be the last time I ever have to hear his voice or watch him speak. I can't make intelligent comments about him tonight because he leaves me with a very bad visceral feeling, not a thought.

Change? No, Looks Like More of the Same

SkyMarshal — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:06:49 EST

I agree with this Bloomberg article, so far Obama is bringing on board many of the exact same people who either created the financial crisis or have been involved some kind of corporate fraud or another. This is NOT the change we want. There are plenty of good, innovative candidates for Treasury and other financial posts - Luis Zingales at Chicago GSB, Nassim Taleb, Nouriel Roubini, Janet Tavakoli, for example. Why are the people who foresaw and understand the financial crisis being ignored in favor of those who either created it, or failed to foresee it and still don't understand it??? C'mon Obama, we didn't work so hard the past 2yrs to get you elected for this, we expect better.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=aNCFKvAMUQ6w&refer=home

Obama's Bailout Bunch Brings Us More of the Same: Jonathan Weil

Commentary by Jonathan Weil

Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) -- It's hard to believe Barack Obama would even think of calling this change.

Take a good look at some of the 17 people our nation's president-elect chose last week for his Transition Economic Advisory Board. And then try saying with a straight face that these are the leaders who should be advising him on how to navigate through the worst financial crisis in modern history.

First, there's former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. Not only was he chairman of Citigroup Inc.'s executive committee when the bank pushedbogus analyst research, helped Enron Corp. cook its books, and got caught baking its own. He was a director from 2000 to 2006 at Ford Motor Co., which also committed accounting fouls and now is begging Uncle Sam for Citigroup- style bailout cash.

Two other Citigroup directors received spots on the Obama board: Xerox Corp. Chief Executive Officer Anne Mulcahy and Time Warner Inc. ChairmanRichard Parsons. Xerox and Time Warner got pinched years ago by the Securities and Exchange Commission for accounting frauds that occurred while Mulcahy and Parsons held lesser executive posts at their respective companies.

Mulcahy and Parsons also once were directors at Fannie Mae when that company was breaking accounting rules. So was another member of Obama's new economic board, former Commerce Secretary William Daley. He's now a member of the executive committee at JPMorgan Chase & Co., which, like Citigroup, is among the nine large banks that just got $125 billion of Treasury's bailout budget.

There's More

Obama's economic crew might as well be called the Bailout Bunch. Another slot went to former White House economic adviser Laura Tyson. She's been a director for about a decade at Morgan Stanley, which in 2004 got slapped for accounting violations by the SEC and a month ago got $10 billion from Treasury.

That's not all. There's Penny Pritzker, the Obama campaign's national finance chairwoman. She was on the board of the holding company for subprime lender Superior Bank FSB. The Chicago-area thrift, in which her family held a 50 percent stake, was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in 2001. The thrift's owners agreed to pay the government $460 million over 15 years to help cover the FDIC's losses.

Even some of the brighter lights on Obama's board, like Warren Buffettand former SEC Chairman William Donaldson, come with asterisks. Buffett was on the audit committee of Coca-Cola Co.'s board when the SEC found the soft-drink maker had misled investors about its earnings. Donaldson was on the audit committee from 1998 to 2001 at a provider of free e-mail services called Mail.com Inc. Just before he left the SEC, in 2005, the agency disciplined the company over accounting violations that had occurred on his watch.

Telling Stories

So, by my tally, almost half the people on Obama's economic advisory board have held fiduciary positions at companies that, to one degree or another, either fried their financial statements, helped send the world into an economic tailspin, or both. Do you think any of that came up in the vetting?

Let's say we give Buffett a pass -- smart move he made, skipping the group photo-op last week in Chicago. What about the rest of them? Donaldson, for one, was chairman when the SEC voted in 2004 to let the big Wall Street banks, including Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Bear Stearns Cos., lever up their balance sheets like drunks. Talk about blowing it.

And whom did Obama tap for White House chief of staff? Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois congressman who was a director at Freddie Mac in 2000 and 2001 while it was committing accounting fraud.

Ideally, this job would go to someone who can't be easily fooled. Think about it: Of all the people Obama could have chosen as his chief of staff, couldn't he have found someone who wasn't once on the board of Freddie Mac?

Renewed Confidence

The president-elect needs some new advisers -- fast. We are in a crisis of confidence in American capitalism. These aren't the right people to re-instill its sense of honor.

Many of them should be getting subpoenas as material witnesses right about now, not places in Obama's inner circle. Did Obama learn nothing from the ill-fated choice of James Johnson, the former Fannie Mae boss, to lead his vice- presidential search committee?

Does he think people like Robert Rubin or Richard Parsons will offer any helpful advice on how to stop crooked bankers or sleep-walking directors from sinking our economy? Or that they won't mistake the nation's needs for their own corporate interests? Or that the people who helped get us into our long financial nightmare have any clue how to get us out?

Obama has created hope that our nation can stand for all that is good in the world again. It's not too late to change course.

Start by scrapping this board.

My Obama Book is Titled: The Audacity of Integrity

SRG_Legal — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:56:31 EST

Why Obama will win this election:

America is thirsting and starving for integrity and truth and justice and to restore theoretical American values.

Every time the Republicans do something dumb his numbers go through the roof because people are getting sick of the BS. As an attorney working in the United States of America, Barack Obama knows that if someone accuses him of something, the burden of proof is on them to prove it out. He doesn't have to do anything or say a word. So, he sat back and watched those Republican piranha eat themselves alive. It's classic textbook legal courtroom know-how and savvy, true American-style.

I wish I had enough money to pay him to represent me in my own court case. I'd pay him a million-dollar retainer just from having watched him work in real life. Classic. Helluva lawyer.

He's even got trained volunteers all over the country (including Florida) positioned to watch the polls on Tuesday, along with the sheriff's, cops and lawyers in each polling precinct that were already assigned there. He was Ready on Day One.
If that's not a man who would have been prepared to go into Afghanistan and kick bin Laden's asz and get the hell out without very much loss of life, I don't know who is.

Preparedness always matters -- and so does an exit plan.

He had this campaign mapped out when he threw his hat in the ring. I can tell it by the way he's run it and kept people inspired through two whole LONG years of one hellacious battle after another. He already knew what was coming, he prepared himself, his family, and his supporters, and argued his case before the people like a true American lawyer, betting on the fact that there are more people out here with a little money than the few who have a ton of money. He was right. Even that Andy Martin nutcase backwoods lawyer who challenged him on his Hawaiian birth certificate has GOT to know my now that Obama would knock him cold out in a courtroom, if he ever had the privilege. I mean McCain wasn't even born on US soil and not once has Obama asked for his LONG FORM birth certificate with a raised seal on it.

They've thrown everything at Obama's character and integrity BUT the kitchen sink and he's not even feeling it, at least not in public. He doesn't even have smoke billowing from the coals they tried to burn him with. Looks like America has finally gotten the message that racism doesn't work for ANY OF US, but our thanks go out to McCain, Palin, and especially to Hillary Clinton, for trying it out this election year, and to Obama for addressing it before it went too far with the only people who count. Those who are voting for him.

While the Rethuglicans were busy acting the asz over petty personal crap just because they could find no fault with him politically, he stayed fresh, low-key, focused and on-target...and he didn't let anyone or anything slip out of his razor-sharp aim while he was at it.

He's got the same staff he started off with--nearly zero fallouts, if any. He told people to vote early and vote absentee (basically, because they can choose where they want to vote AND because sheriff's, lawyers, law students, and policeman watch the count on the absentee ballots and "vote counters" are sequestered like jurors on an OJ Simpson trial during the entire process -- LOL!!! Theoretically, I could guess any number of reasons Obama told us to vote early and vote absentee, but that's another book for another time.)

In the meantime, McCain has had to start over with a new staff every 2-3 months. Nobody trusts him and his own people don't like him -OR- Sarah Palin. The people on McCain's OWN campaign call him a nutcase and called her a moose-killing "diva."

The man Obama did not go to law school for nothing and he's been as cool as a cucumber in spite of all the attacks. Whoever paid for his law degree, it was obviously worth every dime.

He just smiles and keeps rolling because he knows he's above reproach and has nothing to hide. What he is "hiding" someone made up just like those people who threw tainted evidence in OJ's trial in California and ended up killing their own case just for trying to be sneaky about it.

If Obama was hiding something, like Sarah Palin did with those governmental Yahoo emails, no one would be able to find it so easily. Yet, his record is right out there for anyone who has internet access and a newspaper or even an old dialer radio to see. That's why he doesn't respond to the attacks unless he has no choice: His whole attitude is 'check the record for your damn self, I've got a campaign to run'.

Funny how people use christianity to manipulate people, then don't act like christians after they get what they want form the idiots who are being played. That's proof positive that America wasn't a christian nation from Day One. However, getting back to my point here:

Not once did Mr. Obama ask to see John-boy's birth certificate, though McCain wasn't even born on American soil, period. Obama has worked in America all of his adult life, and has always paid his taxes here as a citizen, as well. He had to have his birth certificate and social security card to get a driver's license and do anything and everything else he has done as a US citizen, but that wasn't enough for them. He passed their OWN system of checks and balances; then just because he did, they had the audacity to challenge the crap THEY invented. His integrity in attacking McCain on issues ONLY speaks volumes.

The fact that he never once attacked McCain's personal character or his integrity as a man and a citizen of the USA has sent a long and wide viable and visible message to the people who support him, as well as those who weren't supporting him before who have now bailed on McCain.

It says a lot about a man's character when he can stay focused and on point and on message, with a few minor adjustments here or there--because Obama is 'finally' starting to sound like a broken record--which means he is at the closing stages of his argument that not only can America get back on track and fix this Republican-made mess; but yes, we can get past our racial and ethnic and religious differences and be the One America that we should always have been from the start. It's a good thing he sounds like a broken record these days: It means he never lost sight and never lost track of his original goals and intentions. In two years, he never once allowed himself to be side-tracked by the BS. True textbook application of legal theory. Argue your case directly to the jury and to hell with the judges--in the end, the people, the jury of peers, are the ones who get to decide. If OJ WAS guilty, Obama is the man who could have put him behind bars for life.

McCain on the other hand, changes his message depending on who he is talking to and what mood they are in at the moment. Obama stays on message and on point no matter who's yelling "terrorist" and McCain shifts his message depending ON who's yelling "terrorist."

Now, let's see McCain and Palin keep themselves above reproach like that at least until Tuesday: (my guess is, they can't. They started a hailstorm of racist activity by not addressing it from Day One and they have to stay with it or risk some more troublesome news in the next two days).

From what I, Ye Olde American Citizen, have seen so far and for the past two years, the only way they were GOING to take Obama down was if they had managed to rattle enough skeleton bones, dunk enough Klan-type boogey men, slam enough Netherworld coffin lids, and roll out enough short-sheeted ghosts to scare the hell out of everybody. Apparently, they didn't have enough money to buy all of their costumes, props and equipment for the season because they were too busy spending it on Sarah Palin's clothes.

Halloween's over.
It's been real.

Time to move on and get down to the REAL business of electing a president.

Obama 08

Need Replacement Yard Sign - Stolen!

Martie from Boca Raton, FL — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:03:03 EDT

Well - tacky tactics by someone - my yard sign was stolen a week after it was put up! Another example of lack of integrity. Seems appropriate to put up your own sign to show support rather than remove someone else's. Talk about old energy...suppressing my point of view isn't going to work as a tactic to change my vote. What do you think they were afraid of? OMG, someone might have driven by and seen that I was taking a stand for what I think. Can't have that, can we?

How do I obtain a new sign - or several?

Interesting article found by: Jodie Floss at X~Ray Your Soul~1 she is the Founder of United In Spirit

Josie from Riverside, CA — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:18:31 EDT

The predominant claim by political entities that campaign against the character of the opposition candidates is that they are protecting the character or integrity of the office. In fact, they degrade the
character of the office as much as they degrade the character of the voter. Political culture of character assassination does not improve character of the office or of the country, but lowers it to the level
of pettiness, nastiness, maliciousness, vileness and ugliness. And that does not improve the character of the office or of the nation; it degrades both.

To create a political culture of character assassination, is to create a political culture of abuse. Abuse then becomes the way of the political process, putting into office the people who are most skilled
at abuse - and frequently at nothing else. That leads to wrong people being in the office and implementing wrong policies - in many cases, given the way they got into the office, policies that are completely destructive and injurious to the people. So that, when a Rick Santorum claims that "sometimes it's good that people struggle" as he votes for a bill to make it harder for single mothers to have their children in babysitting while they are working, we see the product of the abusive
character in politics and what it stands to do to the people.

It is not only the ones in office that end up being encouraged toward wrongful action. The politicians' abusive behavior also trickles down to the voter. It influences people to behave in abusive ways to their
families and to the people over whom they have influence. And that by itself is a source of needless suffering for millions.

The constituencies that are abusive, or that want to be abusive, thrive on such politics. The more abusive the constituency, the more drawn it is to the politics of character smear. The level to which an
individual or a constituency supports character smear campaigns is a good measure of the individual's or constituency's embrace of abusive practices in their own lives. And the more political life is based on
abuse, the more people take the example, the more abuse becomes the reality of people's lives.

The abusive character of the political culture trickles up to the office-holders and down to the regular people. And then not only is the character of the political discourse diminished, but people's own
character gets worse and worse, as does the lot of people at the receiving end of their behavior.

That, is the true degradation in character that has taken place in politics of America. And the way to restore both statesmanship and American character, is to see through abusive smear tactics and demand dignity in the political process. The people who practice character smear campaigns, are themselves the worst character in the country and commit by their actions a far greater wrong than anything that the people whom they attack could be conceivably accused of having committed. Not only do they bring abuse into politics, but they also influence people to become abusers themselves. And that not only injures the credibility of America; it also injures countless millions of people who stand to be at the receiving end of abusive behavior by people influenced in such a way.

So whenever one sees character smear campaign, it can be said with accuracy that the person doing such campaigning is an abuser, just as it can be said that someone who supports such campaign is likewise possessive of an abusive frame of mind. And bringing dignity and respect back to America requires growing beyond such despicable tactics and creating a culture of dignity in the political process. A person who truly is interested in character will concern himself with character which he encourages in the people. And if he campaigns abusively and influences people to be abusive, then it is him that exhibits the truly unworthy character and does true violence to the character of the political office and of the country itself.

--
Founder of United In Spirit
"Uniting like minded people in oneness, providing a higher level of spiritual education"
http://unitedinspirit.wetpaint.com/
http://unitedinspirit.ning.com

Sister Site of Xray Your Soul:
"The Site For Business and Spirit~An Award Winning Site"

http://xrayyoursoul1.wetpaint.com/

-----This is my Friend from Austrialia who is deeply concerned for all of her Friends here in the States. Please make sure we all make a dedicated effort to do what we can to inform our neighbor and Friends. An informed choice is the BEST choice.-----

It is time for something new.......

actionsauce — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:40:49 EDT

I have been thinking very hard about the next 18 days and how american's are viewing both campaigns.
More and more I have seen that americans are turned off from negative and accusatory campaign ads.
I have spoken to so many americans who have resoundingly stated that they are tired of the back and forth of both party's accusations.
Any ads that distract from the issues of the economy, healthcare, and education are damaging to both campaigns.
Damaging in that they fuel doubt in american's minds as to whether either party will live up to their campaign promises.
Most voters have made up their minds by now. Those left undecided are often because they have become too cynical to believe either candidate will strive for the plans that they have set down and campaigned for. What these people need now is some assurance that Obama will put his money where his mouth is. That HE will put country first. What we need is a demonstration of integrity and compassion.
Here is my proposal:

The Obama campaign issues a statement saying that they will suspend broadcasting of negative campaign ads as of now.
They will continue to air ads that lay out Barack's plans to lead the country, and speak of rhetoric that delivers hope to our disillusioned nation. In addition (and this is the most important part) the Obama campaign will redirect monies intended for negative campaign ads to selected shelters, food banks and relief funds to provide much needed assistance to those impoverished, homeless, hungry and forgotten families immediately. In addition, the Obama campaign will donate all monies unspent after the election to these same organizations for the sake of compassion.

THAT is a no risk, effective campaign strategy. THAT is putting country first. THAT will influence and change opinions of countless undecided voters. THAT will show america something that they have never seen. Something that may pull cynical voters to our cause.

I surely hope that something of this nature will be implemented. A true gesture of compassion is not a roll of the dice!

Why Barack Obama and Joe Biden Have My Vote

Robin Z — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:54:18 EDT

Nice work, Senator McCain. You can't give the American people a straight answer about what you'll do to improve this country, yet you'll do whatever you can to smear your opponents as a way to try to win the election.

We were all expecting it, I suppose. But the saddest part is that in the next four weeks until Election Day the American people are going to get dragged along with you through the mud, millions of dollars will be spent, and the Obama/Biden ticket will win anyway.

America is tired of the same old politics. We desperately want to see a brighter future where our leaders are truly interested in making the country a better place for all its citizens, not just an elite few. Enough of the pandering, enough of the deceit, enough of the negative campaigning.

I am continually reminded that you are an American hero and you served our nation with great honor and distinction during the Viet Nam war. That does NOT make you qualified to become our next president. I am truly disturbed by the campaign you have run. I will not vote for you.

It would take a perfect world for any politician to be able to deliver on all their promises. But where you must start is with HONESTY, INTEGRITY, and VISION. A vision that includes an economy that works and isn't broken. Job opportunity. Affordable housing. Affordable college education. Better cost of living. Affordable and dignified retirement. Promise for the next generation.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden have this vision, which is why they have my vote. I don't have a clue what you would do to improve this country, despite months of watching your campaign. You've been all about showing us your glossy tactics to win, but unfortunately I have seen little substance beneath the showmanship.

Please do America a favor and don't take the remaining four weeks of this campaign into the gutter. We need hope and security from our leaders, not more of the same tired politics.

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Vote? ~ Will Dress Code Affect Your Right To Vote?

Richard Owl Mirror — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:53:36 EDT

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Vote? ~ Will Dress Code Affect Your Right To Vote?

(CBS/AP) In Pennsylvania, two Pittsburgh-area elections officials are suing to permit a dress code at polling places, after a Pennsylvania Department of State memo advised counties last month that voters' attire doesn't matter.

In Virginia, where backers of both Barack Obama and John McCain are pushing for registration of college students in this battleground state, many students were wrongly advised by officials that registering could adversely affect their parents' taxes.

In Michigan, campaign officials are suing to prevent lists of foreclosed homes being used to prevent voters from voting at their local precinct.

And in Ohio, a legal skirmish over same-day registration and voting has not prevented hundreds from casting absentee ballots a month before Election Day, even though they do not plan on bring out of state come November 4.

Across the country, voter registration leading up to a highly-anticipated presidential election has been up, but so are concerns that bureaucracy, misreadings of election law, or just plain stupid mistakes may cost many Americans their right to exercise their vote.

continued . . .

~@~

Interestingly, the four states mentioned are states that Senator Obama is leading in the Polls.

Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan and Ohio

Pennsylvanian Sue Nace thought election volunteers were joking last spring when they told her she would have to remove her T-shirt to vote in the U.S. presidential primary.
But it was no laughing matter to the poll workers-turned-fashion police, who said Nace's Barack Obama shirt was inappropriate electioneering - and made her cover the writing before casting a ballot.
At least four states - Maine, Montana, Vermont and Kansas- explicitly prohibit wearing campaign buttons, stickers and badges inside polling places, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and state officials.

In Kentucky, elections officials last month told poll workers they should admit voters decked out in campaign apparel, after e-mails circulated warning that Obama supporters would be turned away if they wore shirts and pins.

Sorry, You've Been De-Registered

To obtain an absentee ballot, an absentee application form may be submitted. Because of a printing error on an application form sent out by the McCain campaign in several states, thousands of voters who requested absentees were rejected if the voter failed to check a box that needn't have been on the form in the first place.
http://www.canivote.org/
http://www.votersunite.org/info/RegInfo.asp

Lost Your House, Lost Your Vote?

Michigan election officials say they will remind local clerks that home foreclosure lists are not sufficient to challenge voting status.
State elections director Chris Thomas said foreclosure lists alone aren't enough to contest a voter's residence. A person whose home is in the foreclosure process still could be living at the address on the foreclosure list.
The notice could ease an ongoing flap about disputed allegations of possible challenges to Michigan voters in Macomb County, considered a possible key area in the presidential contest between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.
The Obama campaign filed a lawsuit to prevent the Michigan GOP from using foreclosure lists as a residency challenge.
Marion County GOP Chairman Tom John told the Indianapolis Star that while his party has no plans to pursue such challenges, he wouldn't rule it out.
"I think it would be a solid basis for asking someone to vote provisionally," John said.

Old Enough To Vote, But Not Here?

In late August, a notice by a Montgomery County election official aimed at clarifying the voter registration process for Virginia Tech students actually mislead potential voters, creating a firestorm. It read in part,

"The Code of Virginia states that a student must declare a legal residence in order to register. A legal residence can be either a student's permanent address from home or their current college residence. By making Montgomery County your permanent residence, you have declared your independence from your parents and can no longer be claimed as a dependent on their income tax filings."

The statement also warned that students could lose their scholarships as the result of an address change.

After the IRS disputed the tax claims, the official released another notice which clarified some aspects but still caused concern that students would not be allowed to vote, in part because of the vagaries of declaring an "abode" and a "domicile."

~@~

Who in their right mind, anywhere in the United States could vote for a candidate who will resort to such tactics as trying to keep citizens from voting through deception? I hope you will pass along these tips to inform people who might be affected as well as letting voters know the lengths the Republican Party and John McCain are willing to go in preventing them from their Constitutional Right to Vote.

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/news.php

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/states.php

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/topics.php

Concerned, But Decided

Brian Kesecker II — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:02:42 EDT

I am a fairly young American at the age of 30. Throughout my various jobs since I was 16, I have been saving money every paycheck to someday have a wonderful down payment on a new home. However, with the current state of the economy, just one month away from Election Day, I have great doubts whether I will be able to use that savings for what I intended. The thought disappoints me beyond words. Furthermore, I am ashamed of the United States administration being run by George W. Bush. For our world to be a truly wonderful one it will take communication, teamwork, and integrity; not oil, not puppets. Barack Obama and his campaign's plan explains concisely what Americans need, as well as what America itself needs to flourish. The blinders of injustice must be torn away from our ogling eyes. My eyes have seen truth, honor, and integrity in Barack Obama, and that is why I will be supporting him for President of the United States of America. Help us bring the American spirit back into the spotlight!

Congratulations Joe Biden!

Robin Z — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:26:46 EDT

Thank you for your honesty and professionalism in tonight's debate. What I saw was one extremely smart man debating a character actress who's not all that great at memorizing her lines.

It's stunning our political process has come to this.

You and Barack are running your campaign for the White House with the utmost integrity, while we see nothing of the sort from the other side, who mirror George W. Bush in every way, from mimicking his failed policies to his penchant for lying to the American people.

Thank you for caring so much about the American people, and working so hard on our behalf.

We look forward to seeing you and Barack on Inauguration Day!

PALIN SAYS BIDEN TOO OLD

Madera Strong - Team Co-ordinator For City of Madera — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:27:14 EDT

McCain better watch out - Palin stated yesterday that Biden was too old...."I've been hearing about him since I was in second grade." Crowd laughs

Palin is now in dangerous territory. The AARP and Boomers do not appreciate negative speech about older Americans. McCain is older than Biden - so it comes back to haunt the McCain/Palin ticket. Biden as the Vice Presidential candidate has a wealth of knowledge and can help and advise President Obama on successful implementation of his platform.

OBAMA HAS ALWAYS TREATED McCAIN WITH RESPECT AND HAS NEVER MADE JOKES ABOUT McCAIN'S AGE. OBAMA IS A GENTLEMAN WITH INTEGRITY AND RESPECT FOR ALL AMERICANS, YOUNG, OLD, AND IN-BETWEEN.

PLEASE VOTE FOR OBAMA

E-Verify program @ the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security and it's effects on immigrants and refugees

Richard Owl Mirror — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:35:09 EDT

~@~ National Security Debate ~@~

There are many facets which make up National Security and Immigration, I would like to focus on the E-Verify program @ the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security and it's effects on immigrants and refugees.

E-Verify (formerly the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program) is an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Participating employers can check the work status of new hires online by comparing information from an employee's I-9 form against SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases. More than 69,000 employers are enrolled in the program, with over 4 million queries run so far in fiscal year 2008.

E-Verify is free and voluntary, and is the best means available for determining employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.

~@~

Employment Eligibility Verification and Antidiscrimination Protections

NILC Advocacy and Services
Since 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) has been dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of low income immigrants and their family members. In the past 20 years, NILC has earned a national reputation as a leading expert on immigration, public benefits, and employment laws affecting immigrants and refugees. Our extensive knowledge of the complex interplay between immigrants' legal status and their rights under U.S. laws is an essential resource for legal aid programs, community groups, and social service agencies across the country.

WHAT WE DO
Policy Analysis & Advocacy.
Impact Litigation.
Building Coalitions & Capacity.
Technical Assistance.
Trainings and Conferences.
Publications.

NILC's Website.
Our website contains NILC memos and analyses, articles from our newsletters indexed by topic, community education materials, and links to key organizational and government web sites.

http://www.nilc.org/immsemplymnt/ircaempverif/

~@~

http://www.cato.org/videohighlights/index.php?highlight_id=84

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10X7BO6uvPo
Fact-checking Glenn Beck

~@~

Immigration of individual human-beings across imaginary borders has occurred throughout mankind's existence. Hunters and Gatherers crosses into competitors fields and farms. Industrious human-beings create commerce opportunities, which in turn demands the employ of a workforce. I believe my description is an example of a basic human right.

This function within any society should not be impeded yet, it must be managed due to National Security concerns. It is obvious that the one requirement necessary to manage such a function is the ability to identify all individuals who are within our National borders. With the advent of technology, this task has become easier. The core problem with implementing such a program so it functions efficiently is cooperation by all parties.

I do not believe the millions of people who cross over our border, under extremely dangerous conditions are all criminals. It's simply the method of least resistance due to the rules for application of entry to our country is impossible for most to comply.

I have advocated that using technology such as an Identification card which can be produced as easily as we obtain our drivers licenses, preferably one-day service which would be valid for a 6-month employment stay could relieve this problem.

This identification card could also be used as the holders Employment ID card at their place of employment. As easily as an ATM card, the user slides it when they are clocking in and again when clocking out at the end of the day. This way, the government can verify constant employment and be alerted if the individual is not complying with the agreement for obtaining the entry card.

Most immigrants come to America to work as seasonal workers, therefore I believe a 6 month time-frame would be an agreement those seeking entry would voluntarily comply with. Cooperation is the key to success.

I believe granting honest, hard-working people the opportunity to purchase this entry card for $183 plus a background check, would relieve much of the problem of illegal immigration. Employers would be more able to be in 100% compliance with the Immigration laws because they need only opt-in to using the Immigration Time Clock system. Naturally there would be penalties for non-compliance yet, I believe companies would welcome such a solution as a safeguard against improperly being accused for hiring illegal workers. Perhaps we could also collect $1.00 for every hour worked by a migrant worker rather than them paying into Social Security. This money could be designated towards a specified program or budgetary need.

~@~

What have the candidates said about resolving the National Security implications of Immigration ?

http://www.barackobama.com/ vs. http://www.johnmccain.com

Let's be clear: John McCain is offering nothing of substance

Richard Owl Mirror — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:16:15 EDT

Senator Obama will strive to provide tax cuts for the middle class, affordable health care, and a new energy economy that creates millions of jobs. He will seek to end the war in Iraq responsibly, focus on defeating al Qaeda and the Taliban, and restore America's standing in the world.

Senator John McCain offered no solutions for the challenges Americans are facing in their daily lives. Nothing but more of the same failed Bush policies at home and abroad that he has supported more than 90% of the time in the Senate.

An example of how failed a Leadership role John McCain would bring to the Presidency is Obama's assertion that McCain "said the other day that he would not meet potentially with the prime minister of Spain, because he -- you know, he wasn't sure whether they were aligned with us," a reference to McCain's repeated refusal -- during an interview with Radio Caracol WSUA 1260 AM in Miami -- to say that as president, he would refuse to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. As evidence of the truth for this claim, McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann reportedly wrote that "there is no doubt Senator McCain knew exactly to whom the question referred" and that McCain in fact "refused to commit to a White House meeting with President Zapatero in this interview." Indeed, during the debate, McCain did not assert that he "misspoke" during the Radio Caracol interview, but rather responded to Obama by saying, "I'm not going to set the White House visitors schedule before I'm president of the United States."

Questions exist, whether McCain forgot which country Zapatero leads, got confused about Spain's geographic relationship to Latin America, or confused Zapatero with the Zapatista rebels from Mexico. In either instance, this incident reveals a danger of possible confrontation could explode due to his complete lack of understanding World Leaders and events.

During the debate Obama said, "Senator McCain mentioned Henry Kissinger, who's one of his advisers, who, along with five recent secretaries of state, just said that we should meet with Iran -- guess what -- without precondition. This is one of your own advisers," and, "When we talk about preconditions -- and Henry Kissinger did say we should have contacts without preconditions -- the idea is that we do not expect to solve every problem before we initiate talks." During the debate, McCain repeatedly purported to correct Obama by saying Kissinger would not support presidential-level talks with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Each time, Obama made clear that was not his contention -- that, instead, he was accurately saying Kissenger supported talks between the United States and Iran at levels below the president.

Was John McCain simply confused or was he attempting to provide a misdirection because Senator Obama clearly showed how Senator McCain doesn't even understand what his own Advisors are advising ?

Obama's comments during the debate accurately reflected Kissinger's comments during a September 15 forum. Kissinger said, "Well, I am in favor of negotiating with Iran. And one utility of negotiation is to put before Iran our vision of a Middle East, of a stable Middle East, and our notion on nuclear proliferation at a high enough level so that they have to study it. And, therefore, I actually preferred doing it at the secretary of state level so that we -- we know we're dealing with authentic -- with authentic proposals." Asked by CNN's Frank Sesno, "To put at a very high level right out of the box?" Kissinger responded:

Initially, yes. And I always believed that the best way to begin a negotiation is to tell the other side exactly what you have in mind and what you are -- what the outcome is that you're trying to achieve so that they have something that they can react to.
Now, the permanent members of the Security Council, plus Japan and Germany, have all said nuclear weapons in Iran are unacceptable. They've never explained what they mean by this. So if we go into a negotiation, we ought to have a clear understanding of what is it we're trying to prevent. What is it going to do if we can't achieve what we're talking about?
But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations. We ought, however, to be very clear about the content of negotiations and work it out with other countries and with our own government.

One final observation I have regarding John McCain

McCain Suspends Campaign to Work on Wall St Plan

The Arizona senator announced he would suspend his campaign, pull television advertising, halt fundraising and return to Washington on Thursday to try to help negotiations over a stalled $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street.

"We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved," McCain said, urging Obama to join him.

~@~

I believe Senator John McCain made a strategic blunder in his forcefully and public move in going to Washington DC for discussions on the Financial crisis. John McCain used Bluster to place his actions into the limelight and boxed himself in to a retraction. I believe if he had true concerns as a servant of the people, he could have silently traveled of his own accord to Washington DC and offer his assistance toward solving a problem, then not having acheived his objective, simply call and cancel his participation in the debate at the last moment.

This shows me a lack of thoughtful planning and leads me to view his actions as reckless. It's akin to someone going out publically and making sure their neighbors see them praying to God or announcing they have performed good works, all the while seeking the approval of those witnesses alone.

A senior McCain adviser made clear McCain would not attend a Friday debate unless a congressional rescue deal was sealed.

"If the package is reached and the country is saved, there will be a debate," the aide said. "But if there's no deal, how can you get on a plane . . . for a debate?"

Is this the type of Leadership America wants or deserves ? I think not !

Let's be clear: John McCain is offering nothing of substance in his political rhetoric, same as his running to Washington even though he had nothing of substance to add in resolving the crisis.

He is what my Grandfather would call a Flim-Flam Man

LEHRER: Afghanistan, Senator McCain?

MCCAIN: First of all, I won't repeat the mistake that I regret enormously, and that is, after we were able to help the Afghan freedom fighters and drive the Russians out of Afghanistan, we basically washed our hands of the region.

And the result over time was the Taliban, al Qaeda, and a lot of the difficulties we are facing today. So we can't ignore those lessons of history.

The Geneva accords of 1988, which ultimately led to the withdrawal of the Soviet forces in early 1989, left the Afghan government in ruins.

Senator John McCain said he would not repeat the mistake made by Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush ? I thought both of these Leaders were his Hero's and mentors ?

Have you folks heard the latest news out of Alaska ?

September 26, 2008
Palin should step down, conservative commentator says

(CNN) – Prominent conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, an early supporter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, said Friday recent interviews have shown the Alaska governor is "out of her league" and should leave the GOP presidential ticket for the good of the party.

The criticism in Parker's Friday column is the latest in a recent string of negative assessments toward the McCain-Palin candidacy from prominent conservatives.

It was fun while it lasted," Parker writes. "Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who is clearly out of her league."

~@~

McCains claim of taking out Bin Ladin

**Senator McCain said it most concisely in June.***

"Look," he said. "I know the area. I've been there. I know wars. I know how to win wars. And I know how to improve our capabilities so that we will capture Osama bin Laden. Or put it this way, bring him to justice. We will do it. I know how to do it." Sen. McCain seems to be quite serious, that he and he alone, not the CIA, nor the U.S. Military, nor the current President can capture bin Laden. Thus we must take him at his word that this is no mere ludicrous campaign boast. We must assume Sen. McCain truly believes he is capable of doing this, and has been capable of doing this, since last January. "We will capture Osama bin Laden. We will do it. I know how to do it."

If John McCain knows how to accomplish this task, why hasn't he told anyone how to implement his plan of action NOW rather than waiting until he is elected Commander in Chief ?
Does he simply want all the Glory and Praise for himself ?

Policy of twisting the truth?

Christine C — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:39:48 EDT

I've been an Obama supporter since the state Senate election, and have excitedly been looking forward to being led by President Obama. And I've admired and looked up to Senator Biden for even longer.

But it's getting really hard to look people in the face and talk about how our party has the kind of integrity that others in Washington lack when I go to FactCheck.org every day and find a new example of another ad that distorts McCain's words or record. Or when I go to Politifact.org and see Obama's now got more "False" ratings and even a "Liar, Liar"!!

Come on - don't stoop to these games! We're better than that. There's so much truth out there to use 'against' that ticket, why even go there?

Please keep it clean so we don't have to hear "they all lie - you can't believe anything any of them say", and then have nothing with which to dispute it!

Sticking to the Facts: The Burden of Integrity

William from Matthews, NC — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:25:05 EDT

I am a big fan of fact-checking. Skepticism has served me well and I am quite persistent in my attempts to instill a healthy inclination toward incredulity in my two young daughters. Some of my favorite websites, especially during election season, are Snopes.com, FactCheck.org, and Politifact.com. These and others do a fine job of wading through campaign rhetoric and analyzing claims with an academic discipline that includes actually referencing sources of information and quoting those sources in full context.

The Daily Show is good at fact-checking. John Stewart is quick to classify his show as a comedy not a news program, but I am consistently impressed by the quality of research that goes into many of the sketches. The ones that especially get me riled up are those that juxtapose video of politicians, pundits, or advisors making statements that blatantly contradict statements they made just a while ago. Don’t these people realize that they are being continuously recorded? I wish the real news shows were as diligent in questioning and then validating the words of our politicians and then confronting them with these “inconsistencies”.

One of the primary reasons I support Barack Obama over John McCain is that he has done a pretty good job of keeping himself and his words off of sites like FactCheck.org and out of The Daily Show episodes.

Time For Real Change

Dianna — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:11:17 EDT

Although it’s hard to believe that there is anyone living in this country for the last 8 years that isn’t ready for a big change I fear that there are still some that think a McCain/Palin presidency is a change.

At one time I actually thought that if I had to vote for a republican McCain may not be a bad choice. But this McCain is not the man he once appeared to be.

Prayers for America - Election 2008

PrayersForAmerica — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:54:41 EDT

By Julie Redstone

Prayers for America are greatly needed at this time as the presidential election draws closer and as campaign rhetoric on both sides becomes more heated. Where anger and derision hold sway, there, forces of darkness can gain an easy foothold to defeat the purposes of light and of upliftment of a nation and a people.

America needs our prayers. She needs each person who cares, to pray for the light to be revealed within the heart of each of the presidential candidates and also within the American public. For the tenor of the public debate currently taking place could not be what it is if the American people were determined to have it be different. As long as we are enthralled by a ‘good fight’, fighting is what we will see. And as long as we judge strength by the force and success of combativeness, whether outright or through innuendo, we will reduce our leaders to the lowest common denominator.

There are many forces of negativity that are at work during the current campaign season – forces that would divide parties, divide the country, create fear within us so that one section of the populace feels threatened by another. As we witness these forces of division at work and the fear that is generated in their presence, we must be careful to neither succumb to the anger of criticism and accusation, nor the fear that is based on mistrust and on seeing only dreaded outcomes. Rather, we must remain in a place of love and trust that light will ultimately hold sway over darkness, and that America’s future is therefore secure, no matter what the outcome of this election. It is this love and trust that can act as an antidote to fear, and it needs to remain with us during a stormy ride that promises to become even stormier.

In addition to remaining anchored within trust, we need also to tune our hearts and our ears to listen for the sound of truth – for the feeling of truth. For much that is said by one or another in this campaign season partakes of only partial truth, and some of what is said may be entirely false. At a time when advertising, soundbites, patriotic fervor, and accusations of one to the other are meant to sway our emotions and alter our thinking, we must be courageous enough and confident enough in our heart’s discernment to always be listening and looking for the deeper layers of truth and rejecting the shallower.

There are many things to be concerned about during this election year, and many scenarios that flit through the mind’s eye that we would rather avoid. There is also the presence of greater hope for us, for a future that can be transformative and liberating. As we pray, we must pray for our own hearts and conscience as well as for that of the American people, so that we remain united in love and truth, and so that the emotional currents of the moment that divide and separate are seen for what they are, no more and no less.

May the light of God that shines through all planes and dimensions shine into every heart at this time, bringing a great illumination to the people of this country as they prepare to exercise their sacred right to vote and to elect a new President of the United States. Amen.

If you have not done so already, please consider saying aloud the Invocations, in whole or in part, at the beginning of ‘One World Meditations’ or regularly throughout the week. These prayers and invocations are powerful, and join each individual and group prayer with those beings of light praying within the Realms of Light for the future of America.

To learn more about the spiritual purpose of nations and the role of each in the spiritual economy of the Earth, see Prayers for America - The Family of Nations within the Sacred World Newsletter. This article conveys the role of the Realms of Light in this current electoral season.

* * *

From Light Omega newsletter

Negative Campaigning: What You See Is What You Get

Susan from Kalamazoo, MI — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:38:47 EDT

In a recent television ad, John McCain said Barack Obama supported teaching sex education to kindergarteners. This is an outright lie. I read the legislation for the proposed bill, which did not support explicit sex-education for kindergarteners. Rather, to help protect children from sexual predators, the bill would have allowed that only age-appropriate material— such as good touch/bad touch—be taught to kindergarten students. The bill also included an opt-out for parents who didn’t want their children to receive such information at school. John McCain knows the truth about the bill and is deliberately trying to confuse and misinform those voters he hopes won’t bother to check the facts for themselves. Websites like FactCheck.org (www.factcheck.org)—a non-partisan, non-profit group— monitor the factual accuracy of what’s being said in the political arena and then report the truth about those statements to the public. As responsible citizens, we have a duty to educate ourselves instead of relying on the media or the even the candidates to do so.

Many are outraged—myself included—at these recent attacks. Some are calling for Obama to step up and retaliate with his own negative ads. I, for one, would find it much more satisfying and effective if Obama would simply tell the truth about John McCain’s character. If John McCain is willing to lie to the American people about his opponent, and when confronted, lie about those lies, what else is he willing to lie about? Haven’t we been lied to enough these past eight years? When asked about the attack ads, John McCain has said this is a tough business, as if to excuse any personal accountability. Isn’t John McCain himself riding the coattails of “Change” in his campaign? If he really believes in change, why is he running his campaign with the same old-school-politics-as-usual mentality?

So Much for Palin's Energy Expertise

signsSansSignifieds — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:39:14 EDT

Sarah Palin is being touted by John McCain as an expert on energy issues. Well...

Factcheck.org notes that Palin and McCain both overstate wildly Alaska's share of U.S. energy production.

Yep, more of that McCain & Palin integrity. Ready on day one. You bet.

McCain's Smear Campaign

IndependentVoter — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:07:06 EDT

McCain is playing dirty, dirty, dirty. The Republicans need voters such as me, the Independents, to win the election. However, they will not be getting my vote. Why? First, McCain has lost his integrity as far as I'm concerned. Some of his campaign ads have been insultingly idiotic and cheap. What happened to the honor he talks so much about? And Palin? Good heavens. The think that she is an acceptable candidate for this country? She has NO foreign policy knowledge...well other than what she has currently learned and been drilled on.

McCain's camp needs a big ol' can of whip-ass. It's time to play hardball, as being nice is not going to win us this race. I found a great article on the New Republic website that outlines some new plays we can put into practice. Read up and learn:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/09/12/how-obama-should-frame-mccain.aspx

Lies and Deceit - Same Stuff, Different Day

Lady Beryl — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:33:34 EDT

A comment was made today in the mainstream media that the Democrats have not lied in this race where the Republicans have frequently done so. If the Democrats had lied, the Republicans would have quickly called them on it.

Congress was deceived into believing that Iraq was associated with those who harmed us on 9/11/2001. We now know the truth but the cost of the deception was over one million lives all to bring one bad man to justice.

In this race we are faced with similar lies and deceit authored by the same people. Nonpartisan fact checkers have proven the Republican assertions to be lies but they continue to lie. After each lie has been refuted, new lies surface thereby confusing the electorate. Just as congress was deceived 6 years ago, US citizens are being deceived about the Democratic Presidential Ticket.

It is time for the Democrats to emphatically cry in the way Obama did during his acceptance speech, "ENOUGH!" It is also time for Obama or a respected surrogate to take this issue head-on. A speech or forum on integrity could put this all in perspective for the voters.

Conservative Blogger Gives Up on McCain

JeffW — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:20:13 EDT

Andrew Sullivan, the British born conservative blogger, was looking forward to an honorable campaign of real ideas between McCain and Obama. He's given up.

He had been worried about McCain backsliding and catering to what he calls the Christianists base. No more. The deal is done. John McCain just wants to win too much.

As a former distant admirer of McCain, I tell you he isn't the man he was in 2000. Heck, he isn't even the man he was in 2006. He just wants to win too much.

Check out Sullivan's blog entry for yourself.

Former McCain enthusiast Andrew Sullivan Lashes Out At His Lack of Integrity

jgabriel — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:07:15 EDT

Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic has a scathing article lambasting McCain's integrity. Here it is, in its entirety:

For me, this surreal moment - like the entire surrealism of the past ten days - is not really about Sarah Palin or Barack Obama or pigs or fish or lipstick. It's about John McCain. The one thing I always thought I knew about him is that he is a decent and honest person. When he knows, as every sane person must, that Obama did not in any conceivable sense mean that Sarah Palin is a pig, what did he do? Did he come out and say so and end this charade? Or did he acquiesce in and thereby enable the mindless Rovianism that is now the core feature of his campaign?
So far, he has let us all down. My guess is he will continue to do so. And that decision, for my part, ends whatever respect I once had for him. On core moral issues, where this man knew what the right thing was, and had to pick between good and evil, he chose evil. When he knew that George W. Bush's war in Iraq was a fiasco and catastrophe, and before Donald Rumsfeld quit, McCain endorsed George W. Bush against his fellow Vietnam vet, John Kerry in 2004. By that decision, McCain lost any credibility that he can ever put country first. He put party first and his own career first ahead of what he knew was best for the country.
And when the Senate and House voted overwhelmingly to condemn and end the torture regime of Bush and Cheney in 2006, McCain again had a clear choice between good and evil, and chose evil.
He capitulated and enshrined torture as the policy of the United States, by allowing the CIA to use techniques as bad as and worse than the torture inflicted on him in Vietnam. He gave the war criminals in the White House retroactive immunity against the prosecution they so richly deserve. The enormity of this moral betrayal, this betrayal of his country's honor, has yet to sink in. But for my part, it now makes much more sense. He is not the man I thought he was.
And when he had the chance to engage in a real and substantive debate against the most talented politician of the next generation in a fall campaign where vital issues are at stake, what did McCain do? He began his general campaign with a series of grotesque, trivial and absurd MTV-style attacks on Obama's virtues and implied disgusting things about his opponent's patriotism.
And then, because he could see he was going to lose, ten days ago, he threw caution to the wind and with no vetting whatsoever, picked a woman who, by her decision to endure her own eight-month pregnancy of a Down Syndrome child in public, that he was going to reignite the culture war as a last stand against Obama. That's all that is happening right now: a massive bump in the enthusiasm of the Christianist base. This is pure Rove.
Yes, McCain made a decision that revealed many appalling things about him. In the end, his final concern is not national security. No one who cares about national security would pick as vice-president someone who knows nothing about it as his replacement. No one who cares about this country's safety would gamble the security of the world on a total unknown because she polled well with the Christianist base. No person who truly believed that the surge was integral to this country's national security would pick as his veep candidate a woman who, so far as we can tell anything, opposed it at the time.
McCain has demonstrated in the last two months that he does not have the character to be president of the United States. And that is why it is more important than ever to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president. The alternative is now unthinkable. And McCain - no one else - has proved it.

Priorities

Kay — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:29:32 EDT

I must admit that attempting to determine which of the issues facing us today is central to my desire for our government is like determining which pea is the most perfect in a pound of them. There are so many things wrong with our country today - and so many that are right as well! I suppose that the core of what I want for America is integrity and responsibility. All of the harm we are doing to one another and to the rest of the world could be seen as coming from the lack of these two qualities.

More later...

Is It Truly "Country First?"

One of Those Women — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:56:13 EDT

I try to be fair, but looking at the actions that go with the motto, "Country First," in this campaign are in total opposition. I hear them talk about character, judgment and leadership.

First, when they say "country first," how can one who has lived already his God given years and is old and gray, first, run for President, then nominate another who is obviously not ready to be President, say they are thinking about this country. Everyone knows the stress that a President endures, we have watched every President gray while in office but in McCain's case, that won't be possible.

Second, how can they say, "country first," when they chose a Vice president who in this case may very well be the President because of the latter, who has more issues, many of which demoralizes the very morals the United States of America was birthed from.

Senator Obama said to all those who support him, "Hands off the family." I am in agreement with that, however, there can be no hands off the implications of having a dysfunctional and immoral family in the leadership of this country. I am sure everyone remembers the Clinton situation which shot our country into ultimate immorality. The executive families set the example for the people in this country and other countries are watching. So how can we as a people accept all the dysfunction, immorality and the questionable integrity.

They say "country first," so how can you nominate someone who obviously is having issues keeping their own house in order, has a baby who will require extensive time and care, a person who is under investigation for their integrity and work ethics, and who has a child in trouble despite the shot gun wedding planned, setting the children up for failure. Is this really "country first," or a political ploy just to be President. There was no thought about what all this drama would do to the presentation of our government. Is the women’s, pro-life and evangelical vote worth the already damaged reputation and presentation of America? "Country first," huh?

They say "country first," because McCain went to Louisiana, for what? It was just a photo opt because emergency people know more is not better. Filling a few boxes is not country first. In this case it definitely wasn't at all because why would one spend money to clog up the system to get the attention of them and take away the focus on the people who needed it. That is why we have government programs in place and evidently they worked. So now what is McCain doing about getting the people back home since he was so proactive to help in Louisiana, maybe they can use his plane to get home quickly (LOL).

They say "country first," because Mccain was a POW and refused to depart before others. I honor him for his service and his loyalty. However, this same loyal man has been loyal to the last political regimen, he said himself that he voted with President Bush 90% of the time, and look at the state we are in. Is this country first?

This is just a statement reference Senator Lieberman, who obviously has no loyalty to anyone but himself because I am sure as a best friend of McCain he sees a good position for himself since his Democratic Vice Presidency didn't happen. Again, is it "country first?"

The only way anyone can actually say 'COUNTRY FIRST," is to go back to the standards, the morals, the values and the principles of our fore fathers. We must return to the Constitution and elect the one who truly is not just running for President but one who has the welfare of this country as their primary focus and has the character and support system to support the office.

The McCain-Palin ticket is definitely not “Country First.” Palin is an extreme extremist who seeks to takes books out of the libraries that she disagrees with, take away the people right to choose what they do with their bodies, a God given right no less, unless it’s having sex without a marriage covenant and so much more. People really need to check out her true history and politics and ask IS IT TRULY COUNTRY FIRST?

On another note, who is actually going to be President, because the people that support them are voting and ranting and rallying for Palin not McCain and this move is detrimental and dangerous for the preservation and success of this country we call AMERICA.

Cynthia A. Williams LFIBA DDG FABI
Author of "One of Those Women"
2007 Woman of The Year (Globally)
2007 Ambassador of Poetry
New Face Model for Model Productions

www.myspace.com/oneofthosewomen

Norwegian landslide for Obama

American in Norway — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:16:13 EDT

There was a poll in online version of Norway's largest daily newspaper, Aftenposten, on Wednesday. 3 September - Who would you vote for in USA if election were held today? Over 80% chose Obama.

The Daily Show clip showing Rove and O'Reilly's hypocrisy is making the rounds here via internet. Norway's national broadcasting network, NRK, airs the Daily Show on weeknights, one week after premiere in USA, so it'll appear on TV here this coming week.

My wife and I laughed until we cried. The segment is not only good comedy, but excellent journalism. My Republican sister in Oregon even sent us a link to the segment.

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=184086

Arrr, there's gold in them thar coffers, and we'll be takin it all fer ourselves, ARRR!

Clint Pickney — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:28:01 EDT

When the current cabinet convenes, I see them in my mind's eye as pirates gloating over their booty. Lustful in their pride at having pulled off the greatest coup in the history of political power, having turned the most powerful, respected nation on earth into a cash cow for a very few individuals and corporations (read Haliburton), they are the scourge of humanity. They have stolen the sovereignty of our nation; they leave ignorance and shameful lawlessness in their wake. They are the barbarian hoarde, looting and pillaging; they are the Inquisition, punishing heartfelt truth and rewarding adherence to the bold lie.

That they stole the Office in the first place, that they have broken thousands of laws and turned the constitution into a mere piece of paper, that they have ignored the domestic economy and general well-being of the citizens of this nation while spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a war that was initiated on false pretenses... that none of these things have been seriously investigated in the media leaves me cold and angry and heartbroken. I grieve for the lost dignity of the Office of the President. I grieve for the rampant, aggressive ignorance that has cropped up in the media and now dominates "newscasts." I grieve for the millions of Americans who believe what they hear on Fox News, who are blind to the farcity, feeding the voracious fire of fear with their ignorance.

I ask myself, "How can anyone sincerely believe someone like Rush Limbaugh, or Donald Rumsfeld, or Dick Cheney, or his mouthpiece, George W. Bush... or John McCain?" How can anyone identify with these people? Where is their reason, thier self-respect? How can so many people be blind to their own active ignorance of the injustice that is being perpetuated behind the glossy, seamless narrative of popular culture? How did this situation become status quo?

We can't afford to stand by any longer, allowing this to be. It's time to honor the soul of America, to disenfranchise the marauding pirates, to restore Honesty and Integrity to their rightful places at the fore of the American psyche.

Just as one must transcend ego in order to become fully human, we must let go the carcass of fear, security blanket though it seems; in every I am recognize me, embracing the fact that we are all in this life experience together.

Barak Obama provides us with the viable means of dissolving the false pretenses that have come to define government in America. I hold a vision of prosperity under his leadership, and I hope that anyone reading these words will join me.

What is Unity?

PrayersForAmerica — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:27:29 EDT

By Julie Redstone

Unity cannot claim to be true to its origins and meaning if it allows even one other to be held as less worthy than the rest.

___________________

Today, in America, the call to unity has become louder and more vocal, emblazoned upon the banner of current presidential politics, and awakening within the heart a feeling of hope and of striving. Unity moves with the new vibration of spiritual light that is arriving. But what is unity?

There are many people hungry today for a vision of the world in which people do not hurt each other, in which anger and indifference no longer take the toll in human life and in human pain that they presently do, and in which conflicts between people, groups, parties, cultures, and nations can be resolved peacefully, without recourse to violence, force, or denial of the right to respect that each human being must be accorded.

This vision of unity is awakening in the hearts of people everywhere. It is a hunger for cooperation instead of enmity; for brotherhood instead of separation; for compassion instead of indifference; and for the perception of a world in which the human family includes all persons, no matter what their political, social, or sexual orientation, and no matter how reprehensible we feel their behavior to be.

For this vision to become real, the heart must find a way of remaining in a state of love, and of extending compassion even to those with whom we disagree vehemently – even to those who are our adversaries, recognizing in their opposition, the underlying causes of desperation, outrage, and helplessness, rather than evil. As our hearts become more expansive, we do not need to expand our acceptance of wrongdoing, for justice must still hold all people accountable for their actions, no matter how they feel. And individuals, while forgiven for their feelings, cannot be excused for their behavior where it impinges on others.

Despite such behavior, the heart and soul of all beings must be recognized. It must be recognized and it must be honored, no matter how culpable the outer behavior of another, no matter how painful to the heart. Unity can only be inclusive for all or it is not unity, but only a new and more subtle form of prejudice which cannot find respect or accord equality to all.

Within America, ‘unity’ cannot tolerate disdain toward those who disagree with us while we maintain a position of superiority and relegate others to an inferior position.

Unity cannot claim to love all, while denouncing those who are skeptical or disillusioned, or who seek a different goal.

Unity cannot sanction prejudice of any kind, and must be firmly rooted in an honest appraisal of the means, both subtle and obvious, by which people are treated unequally.

Unity cannot speak with a voice of sarcasm, derision, innuendo, ridicule, meanness, backbiting, or disrespect toward others, even while others may pursue such a course.

In a word, unity cannot claim to be true to its origins and meaning if it allows even one other to be held as less worthy than the rest.

For this to be realized as part of a political system, national ethic, or personal creed, it is necessary to stop justifying our anger and to stop acting out of fear. These are not simple things to do, however. They are deep and profound adjustments of the psyche that require us to place love in the supreme moral position within our hearts, allowing no other motive, feeling, or response to compete with it.

For this to take place, we must feel strongly the pricelessness of each human life and each human heart, and must seek to honor and uphold each.

Furthermore, we must seek to go beyond the words we use which may articulate the ideals we cherish, to a more honest appraisal of the tone of voice we use and the feelings we display. This self-scrutiny must take place both in public and in private, within individuals and within nations, to determine whether we are just speaking of unity or practicing it as well.

This movement toward unity may not happen all at once. It may not happen without difficulty as the counterforces which create special interests and selfish motives continue to seek their day in the sun. But it will happen, it must happen, because the time for unity’s expression is now, and we are witnessing, even amongst the division and discord that still cover our interactions with others, the birth of a new way of being in the world and of a new life for the heart. This new life is infusing the deeper layers of consciousness of many people in many places, and will one day make itself visible as the dominant ethic that governs a free society and the dominant motive that governs each human heart.

For today, we participate in this transition by examining the motives of our own heart, and by allowing ourselves to notice where we have set another apart from the rest – apart from our compassion and forgiveness. When we reclaim our own hearts and allow them to beat to the new vibration of unity with greater purity, we simultaneously elevate our own consciousness, and contribute to the advent of greater peace in the world around us.

* * *

From Light Omega Newsletter August 30, 2008

STRUGGLING AMERICANS TAKE HEED

Michelle — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:20:19 EDT

Fellow Americans!

We our reaching a point in the campaign were everyone needs to come together and do whatever is possible. Whether it is calling people, donating to the campaign, speaking truth to power, sending video's that show the "truth" were Barack and Joe stand.

Wednesday, Sarah Palin made her speech. She basically said, grass roots, hard working Middle Class Americans are unimportant!

John McCain and Sarah Palin are OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY!

JOHN MCCAIN AND SARAH PALIN WILL CONTINUE THE BUSH POLICIES.

WE, AS AMERICANS, CANNOT AFFORD FOUR MORE YEARS OF THE SAME.

TIME OF URGENCY IS NOW:

Independants, Democrats and Regan Democrats need to COME TOGETHER for the ULTIMATE CAUSE; ELECT (BARACK OBAMA) FOR PRESIDENT!

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WORK FOR THE PEOPLE...NOT AGAINST.

BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN WILL CHANGE WASHINGTON, TURN OUR ECONOMY AROUND, HELP STRUGGLING FAMILIES, CREATE JOBS, ALTERNATIVE FUEL, BRING OUR TROOPS HOME AND RESTORE RESPECT AROUND THE WORLD.

WE, AS AMERICANS DON'T HAVE TO EXCEPT THE STATUS QUO....WE CAN VOTE FOR CHANGE!

ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008, VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT!

OBAMA/BIDEN 08

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

GOD BLESS THE OBAMA AND BIDEN FAMILY!

"I'M MAD"

One of Those Women — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:05:05 EDT

Yes, I'M MAD and so should every individual in the United States of America. I am mad to think that someone, anyone, who would say they love this country and want to serve it's people would present such an example for everyone to see to base their opinion of us on. Have we gotten so immoral and dishonest that we would even accept the thought of such. I am Mad!.

Am I the only one that sees that the example being set here is one of questionable integrity and ethics, has to be, or why would there be an investigation. Am I the only one that sees that our daughters and sons will think, it is okay to have sex out of wedlock and then marry when they are ill prepared. That may work in Alaska because he can go out and get a job on the pipeline, that's not true of all those in the metropolitan areas, the majority. Am I the only one that sees, a person who has a baby that will require extra care, a mother's care, not a nanny or sibling. Let's not forget the husband with the DUI.

I am mad. I served my country for 20 years and have been overseas where it was an honor to say I am an American but no anymore. We are looked at as the cesspool of the world with all our immoral acts and attitudes, and we have a 200 crediting rating. Now a public official wants to present that as the example of an American, I AM MAD.

Would one really think so low of the people of this country to think we would accept anything to represent us. I am not saying, Governor Palin, is not qualified, however, it is about more than qualifications. It is also about presentation, and she presents with drama. The drama this country does not need, and the people shouldn't accept it.

I found myself saying I would move overseas if McCain got elected, but why should I have to relocate to get away from that which is obvious. I commend Governor Palin for her service, but she is not ready to lead this country when her life is out of order right now. That is what has happened to most of our children right now. Parents are so busy doing other things then raising they're children. Motherhood is just that, a time you chose to be a mother. That is the difference between, a man and a woman, and that fact can't be argued. It's a God given assignment.

I am asking everyone to just think about what the people for the most part have invested their time and efforts to protect our children from, sex on TV, illicit lyrics in music, favoritism and poor work ethics; in this election the republican party, wants us to accept that as a standard for our future. God forbid.

On another note, who wants bullies. People who have to attack another, their fellow countrymen, to make themselves look good, all the while telling lies and confusing the people with twisted retoric. This is not a game they are playing, this is real, and our country is at stake here. Think people, think.

If you watched the Republican Convention, many of their own people were not happy with the tearing down and the lies presented. Have we stooped so low that we need to belittle and tear each down to build ourselves up. This is no game, again our country is at stake here.

Cynthia A. Williams

"One of Those Women"

2007 Woman of The Year (Globally)

2007 Ambassador of Poetry

NEW FACE Model for Model Productions

Is It Really "Country First"

One of Those Women — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:18:33 EDT

I try to be fair, but looking at the actions that go with the motto, "Country First," in this campaign are in total opposition. I hear them talk about character, judgement and leadership.

They say "country first," so how can you nominate someone who obviously is having issues keeping their own house in order, has a baby who will require extensive time and care, a person who is under investigation for their integrity and work ethics, and who has a child in trouble despite the shot gun wedding planned, setting the children up for failure. Is this really "country first," or a political ploy just to be President. There was no thought about what all this drama would do to the presentation of our government. Is the womens, pro-life and evangelical vote worth the already damaged reputation and presentation of America? "Country first," huh?

They say "country first," because McCain went to Lousiana, in the same instance it was just a photo opt because emergency people know more is not better. Filling a few boxes is not country first. In this case it definitely wasn't at all because why would one spend money to clog up the system and take away the focus on the people who needed it. That is why we have government programs in place and evidently they worked. So now what is McCain doing about getting the people back home since he was so proactive to help in Louisiana, maybe they can use his plane to get home quickly (LOL).

They say "country first," because Mccain was a POW and refused to depart before others. I honor him for his service and his loylaty. However, this same loyal man has been loyal to the last political regimen, he said himself that he voted with President Bush 90% of the time, and look at the state we are in. Is this country first?

Cynthia A. Williams LFIBA DDG FABI
Author of "One of Those Women"
2007 Woman of The Year (Globally)
2007 Ambassador of Poetry
New Face Model for Model Productions

What the Palin pick tells us about McCain: he lacks integrity

Christian Grostic — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:28:45 EDT

I'm not going to jump conclusions about Sarah Palin. It bothers me that so many people have already made up their minds about every qualification of someone 99% of them hadn't heard of three days ago, based on nothing more than which party she's affiliated with.

What bothers me very much, though, is that it tells us John McCain's primary attacks on Senator Obama's - his “readiness to lead” - are based on no principle at all, save that he thought it would help him win. It's the worst part of politics, if you ask me, and I hate that it's so blatant here and that we're apparently willing to put up with it.

A good article on the subject: http://www.slate.com/id/2199029/

MCCAIN'S IMPRUDENT HELP WITH SHADY DEALS

raoulroach — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:19:09 EDT

Donald R. Diamond, a wealthy Arizona real estate developer, was racing to snap up a stretch of virgin California coast freed by the closing of an Army base a decade ago when he turned to an old friend, Senator John McCain.

When Mr. Diamond wanted to buy land at the base, Fort Ord, Mr. McCain assigned an aide who set up a meeting at the Pentagon and later stepped in again to help speed up the sale, according to people involved and a deposition Mr. Diamond gave for a related lawsuit. When he appealed to a nearby city for the right to develop other property at the former base, Mr. Diamond submitted Mr. McCain’s endorsement as “a close personal friend.”

Writing to officials in the city, Seaside, Calif., the senator said, “You will find him as honorable and committed as I have.”

Courting local officials and potential partners, Mr. Diamond’s team promised that he could “help get through some of the red tape in dealing with the Department of the Army” because Mr. Diamond “has been very active with Senator McCain,” a partner said in a deposition.

The Need for Restoration

PrayersForAmerica — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:30:51 EDT

By Julie Redstone

When it happens that a nation finds itself on a perilous course of

action, then it behooves that nation and its people to take stock of

the options that are available to prevent unwanted outcomes from

occurring, and to set the course of the nation on a different path

altogether.

Such is the time we are in today, a time in which the nation's

honor and integrity are in jeopardy, and in which the full measure

of Divine input must occur in order that the light that is at the

heart of America regain its hold over the hearts, minds, and

practices of America's government and people.

The dialogue and discourse regarding divisions in America have

overshadowed, by far, the great unity of heart and of purpose that

are meant to be present and are still present in the center of

America's consciousness. Yet, these have become deeply buried

beneath mounds of dissent, disapproval, and fragmentation,

brought about by those who desire to create fear and disunity in

this land, rather than hope.

It is for this reason that all who seek to foster the new energy of

love and cooperation, of gentleness and compromise, must pray

for America, her consciousness, and her people, so that this

nation is brought back from the precipice upon which it now

stands, and the founding principles of heart and character that are

so necessary to her survival, and indeed, to her ability to thrive,

are reinstated.

These principles are not in jeopardy, for their life is eternal and

they are embedded deeply within America's heart and identity.

But their expression within America's life , behavior, and outer

manifestation has become clouded, so that a nation's virtue can

no longer be seen.

Those who care for this country must therefore come together in

their hearts, one in intention and one in purpose, and pray that

the nobility and honor of a great nation be restored in full

measure, and that the unity of purpose that rests so firmly within

America's heart and essence, is brought fully into the light of day

where it may be seen and felt by all.

May this nation, under God, be blessed in its Divine purpose and

in the expression of that purpose for the benefit of all mankind.

Blessings and Amen.

Reprinted from PrayersAmerica.org

U.S. "Losing" Afghanistan? ~ The difference between Obama and McCain

Richard Owl Mirror — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:38:02 EDT

101 GIs Killed; U.S. "Losing" Afghanistan?

Taliban insurgents once derided as a ragtag rabble unable to match U.S. troops have transformed into a fighting force - one advanced enough to mount massive conventional attacks and claim American lives at a record pace.

The U.S. military suffered its 101st death of the year in Afghanistan last week when Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr., a 36-year-old from Marrero, La., died of gunfire wounds while helping train Afghan police in the northwest. The total number of U.S. dead last year - 111 - was a record itself and is likely to be surpassed.

Top U.S. generals, European presidents and analysts say the blame lies to the east, in militant sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan. As long as those areas remain havens where fighters arm, train, recruit and plot increasingly sophisticated ambushes, the Afghan war will continue to sour.

"The U.S. is now losing the war against the Taliban," Anthony Cordesman, of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote in a report Thursday. A resurgent al Qaeda, which was harbored by the Taliban in the years before the Sept. 11 attacks, could soon follow, Cordesman warned.

Continued . . .

Afghanistan ~ Pakistan

~@~

Afghan/Pakistan is central front war on terror

~@~

Joe Biden on Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan (Part 1)

Joe Biden on Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan (Part 2)

~@~

McCain = War

McCain "Bush on steroids"

Pat Buchanan:"McCain will make Cheney look like Gandhi"

McCain Thinks Iraq Borders Pakistan

McCain: Bringing Troops Home "Not Too Important"

Countdown: McCain-"Not too Important" when Troops Come Home

John McCain on Pakistan and Iran

John McCain Iraq War Argument ~@~ In this video, Sen McCain says the majority of citizens are wrong to be demanding an end to the war in Iraq. Then goes on to say, a President doesn't need to follow those wishes, opting to weather the wrath until voted out of office.

That is an important statement when broken down and comprehended outside the flow of his speech.

Primary responsibility @ .45 second mark thru 1.45

He has told the American people beforehand, that he will do as he sees fit regardless if that matches the will of the people.

McCain's POW Defense: Devaluing Our Service and His Own

A vote for Senator John McCain is a vote for sustained and expanding conflict from the moment he becomes President and Commander in Chief until the day, four years later he vacates the office. Make no mistake, Sen McCain is not seeking the Presidency of the United States! He is seeking the role of Commander in Chief.

McCain: A History of Being Wrong About Al Qaeda, Iraq and Iran

John McCain Has Consistently Neglected Afghanistan

The American people must ask themselves, do they truly intend to elect an eager War time Commander in Chief ? A War time Commander in Chief who doesn't fully comprehend any of the facts yet, rules by gut instinct and a spine of steel once a decision is made ? The American electorate must be aware of the awesome responsibility their vote has on this nations future.

Personally, I prefer to elect a President who, when necessary, wields the power of the Commander in Chief. I want a full time President who is willing and able to lead this nation, not a Commander in Chief who delegates the running of this nation into the hands of his friends.

Senator John McCain is a One Trick Pony, he desires, even covets the position and authority of the Commander in Chief.

Foreign Policy expert Brzezinski discusses his support of Barack Obama

Al Gore Endorses Barack Obama in Detroit, MI

Kennedy Endorsements of Barack Obama

Barack Obama: Judgement to Lead

~@~

Vote wisely and propose the same to your friends and families.

Why retired Generals and Admirals support Barack Obama

It's a matter of temperament !

OK let's dispel this smear about the Obama~Biden ticket by McCain

Richard Owl Mirror — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:01:27 EDT

The McCain campaign is citing Sen Obama's minimal foreign policy experience and claiming his selection of Sen Joe Biden shows Obama isn't ready to become President.

Bush~Cheney was just such a match-up.

United States presidential election, 2000

"Governor Bush told former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney to head up a commission to help select a running mate for him, ..." He eventually decided on himself since he could not find anyone better qualified.

" Cheney was selected to be the Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, a position he held for all but two months of Bush's term. During this time, Cheney oversaw the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, among other actions.

On July 25, 2000, Bush surprised some observers by asking the Halliburton corporation's chief executive officer Dick Cheney, a former White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative, and Secretary of Defense, to be his Vice Presidential running mate. "

Meanwhile; the only government experience Bush had was in, "He served as the forty-sixth Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being inaugurated as President on January 20, 2001." Well, that and the time he helped his Daddy campaign.

George W. Bush was certainly not a great foreign traveler prior to his election as president, but he had made at least brief trips to many parts of the world (including Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America).

It is for this precise reason, George Bush selected "the Halliburton corporation's chief executive officer Dick Cheney, a former White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative, and Secretary of Defense, to be his Vice Presidential running mate. "

Look where that decision has gotten US; "President Bush has been criticized internationally and targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization campaigns, particularly for his administration's foreign policy. During the Bush presidency, attitudes towards the United States and the American people have become less favorable around the world. In 2006, a majority of respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as negative for world security. "

Barack Obama has plenty of experience, in truth, the question shouldn't be based solely on previous positions held but, on possession of Wisdom and Judgement.

Every Captain needs a steady rudder, able to maintain a proper course while the Captain makes decisions for the welfare of his crew.

Barack Obama is 'the leader of our generation' and is this nations only hope of a prosperous and secure future. His vision and foresight, coupled with his innate Wisdom is exactly what this and future generations need.

"In 2006, a majority of respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as negative for world security."

Why on earth would the American People elect more of the same ?

Meet Barack ~ He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard in 1991, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Soon after, he returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law.

~@~

Meet Joe ~ Since 1991, Biden has been an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on constitutional law.

Biden Leads with Justice Integrity Act

Jill 4 Obama — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:03:08 EDT

BIDEN Introduces JUSTICE INTEGRITY ACT

Establishes Pilot Program to Study Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System

July 10, 2008

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, along with Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) and John F. Kerry (D-MA), today introduced the Justice Integrity Act, legislation designed to increase public confidence in the justice system and address any unwarranted racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal process. The Justice Integrity Act will establish advisory groups in ten federal districts, under the supervision of the United States Attorney General, to study and determine the extent of racial and ethnic disparity in the various stages of the criminal justice system; make public reports on the results of their findings; and make specific recommendations to help to eliminate racial and ethnic discrimination and unjustified racial and ethnic disparities.

“Nowhere is the guarantee of equal protection more important than in our criminal justice system,” said Sen. Biden, former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The reality is that despite the best efforts and intentions of policymakers, racial and ethnic disparities continue to plague our justice system. We need to step up our efforts in order to root these disparities out.”

Studies, reports, and case law from the last several years have documented racial disparities during many of the stages of the criminal justice system—law enforcement contact with a suspect, arrest, charging, plea bargaining, jury selection, and sentencing. Nowhere is this more evident than in our prisons, according to data compiled by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. Minorities now make up more than two-thirds of persons convicted of offenses in State and Federal courts. At least 60 percent and, by some estimates, nearly three-quarters of prisoners in the United States are either African American or Hispanic. One of every three African American men born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime. Disparities in the criminal justice process like these engender a crisis of public trust in the integrity of our criminal justice system and raise the possibility that we are failing to make good on the Constitutional promise of equal protection.

“I came to the Senate 35 years ago because of the civil rights movement and because I wanted to help end injustices everywhere,” added Sen. Biden.
"America has come a long way in the fight for civil rights, but new and more subtle forms of prejudice still endure. For Americans to respect the rule of law, they must have faith that justice is attainable for everyone. The Justice Integrity Act will help us continue to fulfill the Constitution’s promise that every American will enjoy the equal protection of the laws."
The Justice Integrity Act establishes a pilot program within the Justice Department to identify and eliminate unjustified disparities in the administration of justice. The program calls for:

Ten U.S. Attorneys, designated by the Attorney General, are directed to appoint and chair an advisory group, composed of federal and state prosecutors and defenders, private defense counsel, federal and state judges, correctional officers, victims’ rights representatives, civil rights organizations, business representatives and faith-based organizations engaged in criminal justice work.

Each advisory group to systematically gather and examine data regarding the criminal process in its district and seek to determine the causes of any racial or ethnic disparity.

Produce a report on key findings and recommend a plan to reduce any unwarranted racial and ethnic disparities, and thereby increase public confidence in the criminal justice system.

At the end of the pilot program, the Attorney General will produce a comprehensive report to Congress on the results in all ten districts and recommend best-practices going forward.

Numerous law enforcement and civil rights organizations have expressed their support for Sen. Biden’s legislation, including the American Bar Association, the National Criminal Justice Association, and The Sentencing Project.

Thomas M. Susman, Director of the American Bar Association, said: “Growing racial disparities work to erode confidence among minorities in the fairness of the criminal justice system. All of us have a stake in the rule of law in our justice system, and we must continually aspire to achieve both the perception and reality that our criminal justice system is fair, unbiased and just. The ABA stands ready to work with you toward timely enactment of the Justice Integrity Act.”

Cabell C. Cropper, Executive Director of the National Criminal Justice Association, said: “NCJA members applaud your commitment to analyzing the root causes of disparity, regionally and nationally. The Justice Integrity Act will provide tools for gathering and analyzing data and exploring the root causes of inequity. Only by learning what triggers and enables the disparity can we, as a society, work to reverse it. The American judicial system is known as a beacon for countries around the world. We must look unflinchingly at weaknesses where they exist and work together at the federal, state and local levels to ensure the administration of justice is fair, ethical and unbiased.”

July 18, 2008

Senator Biden proposes "Justice Integrity Act" to study federal criminal justice disparities

Perhaps because the bill he introduced last week has gotten no press coverage, I only recently learned about Senator Joe Biden's encouraging efforts to examine racial and ethnic disparities in the federal criminal justice system. The basics of the bill are explained in this press release from Biden's office, which starts this way:

U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, along with Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) and John F. Kerry (D-MA), today introduced the Justice Integrity Act, legislation designed to increase public confidence in the justice system and address any unwarranted racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal process. The Justice Integrity Act will establish advisory groups in ten federal districts, under the supervision of the United States Attorney General, to study and determine the extent of racial and ethnic disparity in the various stages of the criminal justice system; make public reports on the results of their findings; and make specific recommendations to help to eliminate racial and ethnic discrimination and unjustified racial and ethnic disparities.

Thanks to a link from the Sentencing Project, the full text of the Biden bill is available here. Also, a Google search led me to this short letter from the ABA, which expressed strong support for the bill. The ABA letter starts this way:

[The American Bar Association and its members] express our strong support for the Justice Integrity Act, legislation to examine the cause and extent of racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system and to facilitate the development of proposals for reducing or eliminating racial and ethnic bias where it is found. We applaud your leadership in introducing the Justice Integrity Act. It provides a thoughtful approach to addressing this issue of great importance to our justice system through supporting the gathering of facts and generation of proposals for reform at the federal district level.

INTEGRITY: McCain and his wives

ABCii — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:47:37 EDT

John McCain married Carol in 1965, she was a swimsuit model. When he was captured as a POW from 1967-1973, she raised their kids in Florida for 5 years alone. She was in a crippling car accident while he was gone, but when he returned they were reunited, and over time their marriage faltered and he had extramarital affairs. He met his second and current wife Cindy in 1979 and they began a relationship while he was still married and living with Carol. John was 42 and Cindy was 24. John finalized his divorce from Carol (41 years old at the time) in February of 1980 and was married to Cindy on May 17, 1980. She got addicted to painkillers when her kids were 1, 3, and 5, for three years. Read the articles for more info, sincerely baffling the struggle both of these women went through.

Read about McCain's first wife Carol in this wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_McCain

And his second wife Cindy in this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Hensley_McCain

Bloggers of the World Unite!!!

Michael P. — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:53:18 EDT

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it any more". The reason "Network" is so popular is because it tells us what we always knew was wrong with network news. It's trivial. One of the ironies in the information age is the lack of influence blogs have on network media. As long as they get to choose the sound bites the opinions they broadcast will remain subjective, and not a true cross section of their viewing public. All too often I hear pro McCain arguments overwhelming pro Obama arguments. Opinion and voter polls are also subjective, and skewed more than the plus or minus 5% margin of error because so many Obama supporters will be first time voter registrants and the media does not believe you will actually vote. The picture they choose to market is that Obama's message is hollow and the commitment of his followers suspect.

This is the first of two blogs I am posting this morning. The other will be called "Town Meeting". I am joining my voice with those of others who are frustrated if not outright disappointed with the way campaign headquarters has mishandled part of the message and further, has not done enough to voice the supportive opinions of the faithful to the network media.

Often in this blog I feel like I am talking to a wall, even while I know there are hundreds of thousands of Obama supporters feel very much as I do. It would do the campaign some good to survey us to find out how we as a group feel about many of the issues Senator Obama is building his platform on before they start backtracking after his speeches. We are here because we are inspired and ready to follow his lead. We do not want the campaign flip-flopping on policy statements and ideas we wholeheartedly support. And bloggers, we need to flood the media blogs with our opinions so we can't be ignored. When we're watching the talking heads and disagree with their slant we have to let them know, en masse. If there are specific commentators who are especially devious regarding this we need to flood their blogs to express our disappointment with their biased commentary. Many of us do, but more of us do not. Time to make the media listen to us.

Integrity is His Middle Name

Nancy Davis — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:11:03 EDT

It has been so long since we have seen a candidate who unwaveringly displays his character and values. Obama is truly a phenomen. I can't watch him any more on CNN (don't get the channel) but caught him on "Meet the Press" as he was leaving Europe.

When asked about a running mate he replied that the person must first and foremost govern well with him. He went on to list what he valued in his consideration. His vice-president must have integrity. According to my "foot thick" Webster, this would mean someone who has "the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity.

The second characteristic Obama is looking for: someone who is independent. This would be a political man or woman independent of special interests, money and hidden agendas. Finally, the chosen individual must share his vision for the future of our country.

Whoever gets the position, be assured that he or she will be be working at a higher level than ever (although we all know that Bush was something of a knee-puppet to Cheney who we all suspect made the key decisions and edited the signing statements to change executive branches functions and legal reach). The new vice-president will be another strong force for Obama, another rock.

Thank God we have the opportunity to bring integrity back into the White House. If Obama has his way, we may even bring ethics back into government. Now that would change Washington!

The opportunity to choose a wise, compassionate leader

nerodha — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:48:51 EDT

I believe this country has been given a tremendous gift: the opportunity to choose an intelligent, wise, compassionate leader. These chances only come around from time to time and represent the potential for a true shift in society towards more positive and life-affirming ways of existing.

To be honest I don't know much about Senator Obama. I've been overseas the last couple of years, don't consume much media and I've never been politically oriented (never until now been inspired to participate). But I am positivity oriented, and I believe the Obama campaign can play an important role in furthering certain positive tendencies that seem to be gathering momentum in our world through values such as integrity, transparency and responsibility.

Clinton votes NO - What happened here?

David Rothmiller — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:12:06 EDT

I'm sorry, Sen. Obama, you missed a HUGE opportunity to create a moment in time that is worth remembering - a time you stood in the Senate and taught the world what the US stands for... Fairness and Integrity, well... fairness at least!

Your time on the Senate floor could have been brilliant - speaking in your most eloquent tones of hope and dream becoming one. Healing our broken national spirit, you could have said that the Constitution binds us to a principal larger than our government - wiser than our representatives in Congress. Because even though the measure would have passed - You would have been on the moral and ethical side, the side that says our laws have consequences. And that no one is above the law.

But I guess you didn't see the moment before you.

Too bad.

It's Plain and Simple...

ldasteelworker — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:55:29 EDT

Even though I desperately want to actively support Barack Obama for President, I will not blindly support any candidate because other choices are even worse! It is up to Barack now to keep his word...

This is my reply to the July 3, 2008 Response from Barack on FISA and Discussion with Policy Staff: [ http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/rospars/gGxsZF/commentary ]

It's plain and simple... Our founding fathers of the United States required one simple thing of members of Congress; that is to take an oath to protect and defend our Constitution.

Specifically to; "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."

Since the FISA compromise's retroactive immunity will also apply to violations of the law and citizens' constitutional rights prior to the attacks on 9-11, I have to conclude that this isn't about "keeping America safe" but rather about making crimes disappear!

So it's simple:

Don't cave to "Fear Politics" on national security issues.

Do keep your pledge and Oath of Office intact and do your duty to; "protect and defend our Constitution" and not weaken it.

Don't let crimes against the Constitution and citizens of the United States go uninvestigated and unpunished.

Do what you said you would do; in your plan to change the Ethics in Washington, D.C. [ http://www.barackobama.com/issues/ethics ], and your campaign’s word that you will filibuster the FISA bill if it includes retroactive immunity provisions [ http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2007/10/obama_camp_says_it_hell_support_filibuster_of_any_bill_containing_telecom_immunity.php ]…

Don’t compromise your base of most active supporters on this matter of law and your integrity.

I want to actively support and contribute to your campaign to become the next President of the United States of America. However, exactly what you do on the FISA Compromise legislation will directly determine the level of my involvement. Here is your chance to put your words on Change and Ethics into action!

In Solidarity;

It's Plain and Simple...

ldasteelworker — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:55:29 EDT

This is my reply to the July 3, 2008 Response from Barack on FISA and Discussion with Policy Staff: [ http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/rospars/gGxsZF/commentary ]

It's plain and simple... Our founding fathers of the United States required one simple thing of members of Congress; that is to take an oath to protect and defend our Constitution.

Specifically to; "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."

So it's simple:

Don't cave to "Fear Politics" on national security issues.

Do keep your pledge and Oath of Office intact and do your duty to; "protect and defend our Constitution" and not weaken it.

Don't let crimes against the Constitution and citizens of the United States go uninvestigated and unpunished.

Don’t compromise your base of most active supporters on this matter of law and your integrity.

In Solidarity;

Obama Not Flip-Flopping - by Lynette McGrath

Jill 4 Obama — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:15:33 EDT

OBAMA NOT FLIP-FLOPPING
by Lynette McGrath

In all of the right-wing and left-wing chatter about Obama having shifted his position on a number of issues since he began his campaign for the presidency, I think we've lost sight of who Obama is, what his history tells us, and what he himself has told us.

What was clear from the moment of Obama's speech to the Democratic Convention in Boston in 2004, was that he was ready to lead a new movement that would unite Americans, speak to them all, lessen paralyzing partisan divisions, negotiate across the aisle-Democrats and Republicans together, and forge a new way of making decisions that would be inclusive. His legislative history and his comments throughout the primary campaign tell us that he favors a pragmatic compromise system of doing politics. He also sees himself as an appropriate embodiment of this message, emphasizing the way he himself unifies the diversity of black and white, Ghanian and American, humble origins and personal success.

I believe that progressives downplayed this message of unity and compromise and made Obama into something he never was. They thought the message of change was about a far-left progressivism that would ride over the right because that's what they themselves wanted and needed, after years of being battered by the right-wing agenda. But change is not necessarily about revolution. Obama has always been about inclusion, which isn't possible if only the progressive agenda is pushed. Now progressives are disappointed that their image is not being acted out. I remember being with friends during the primary who were talking Obama up as a left-wing progressive and thinking that wasn't quite what I heard him offering. Yet I felt happy with his candidacy because he seemed to me to be talking about the sensible compromise politics I understand from British ways of doing political business. It's a method that, when it works, gets things done to benefit the greatest possible number, but not all, and usually not those on either end of the spectrum.

Obama's commitment to the idea of unity, of valuing all and including all, is fundamental to his message and goal. He is not a liberal ideologue. He is a liberal open to compromise. He is also a sensible, rational, responsible leader who takes care to work out pragmatic solutions to difficult problems. Unlike George Bush and even Bill Clinton, who packaged his speeches as simply as possible and whose vocabulary count in his public speeches was even less than Reagan's or either Bush's, Obama acknowledges and takes account of nuance and the subtleties embedded in complicated issues. "What I don't do when I'm campaigning is to try to press a lot of hot buttons and use a lot of cheap applause buttons, because I want people to get a sense of how I think about this process," said Obama. "I think that one of the problems with political speeches is that we all know what folks want to hear. We know who the conventional, stereotypical enemies are on any given issue, and we have a tendency, I think, to play up to that. And I actually think that we're in this moment in history right now where honesty, admitting complexity is a good thing."

Psychologists tell us that when people first fall in love they go through a process called cathexis, in which the lover makes the beloved into something he or she wants and needs the other to be. After a period of time, both lover and beloved begin to see each other as they really are. This is what is happening with liberal progressives and Obama now. A relationship reality check is going on. It is not that Obama is "flip-flopping," but that liberal progressives are coming to see him for who he is-a grownup, thoughtful, non ideological politician who offers Americans a balanced, inclusive, and cooperative political future.

In his speech to the 2004 convention, Obama said,

"Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America, there's the United States of America. . . . We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America." And "[W]e are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief, "I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's' keeper," that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum. Out of many, one."

Christopher Wills, 6/25/2008 6:00:10 PMBookmark and Share, looking back on Obama's history in the Illinois legislature, writes that, "As an Illinois legislator, Barack Obama fought to expand aid to the poor-and backed legislation to withhold welfare from parents abusing drugs. He opposed making it easier to impose the death penalty on gang members, and supported it for people who kill volunteers in community policing programs. He consistently supported gun control. He also voted to let retired police and military personnel carry concealed weapons.

Just how liberal was he?

In all, Obama's record from nearly eight years in the Illinois Senate suggests someone who believes strongly that government can make life better for people, whether by offering financial help, banning dangerous guns or providing health care.

But Obama, now the Democratic candidate for president, was no ideologue. He often cooperated with Republican lawmakers, co-sponsoring their legislation and working with them on compromises. "People on both sides of the aisle would find him to be someone who would reach across to find out why people think the way they do," said William Mahar, a former Republican state senator. "He wouldn't talk just to people who agreed with him."

On Iraq, from the beginning, Obama has said that we need to be "as careful getting out as we were careless getting in." He told George Stephanopolous in a "This Week" interview in May, 2007 that he could support a war-funding bill that includes benchmarks but lacks a timetable for withdrawal.
Obama has emphasized his support for withdrawing American troops from Iraq, but also says his policy would need to accommodate to the ongoing situation in Iraq.
"I think we have some moral and humanitarian responsibilities to the Iraqi people," says Obama. "And that has to be factored in. I can't anticipate what Iraq will look like a year from now, because so much depends on how we carry out this phased redeployment and how effective we are when it comes to diplomacy."

In his health care program, Obama also hews to a workable middle ground. Rather than mandating universal health coverage and trying probably futilely to mandate coverage for all, he will set up a new, subsidized, government-operated insurance plan for people who aren't covered by their employers or Medicare. He acknowledges the difficulty and expense in potentially criminalizing young healthy people who refuse to sign up for health insurance.

His economic policy is also a compromise between the classical economic theories of Keynes and Friedman. On the whole, he seems to accept a theory that allows the free market system to operate freely as long as it continues to correct itself, but the government will intervene when it fails to do so. All credit card and mortgage issuers, and other financial services firms, will be forced to disclose all their charges clearly, fully, and in plain language. Firms that don't issue 401 K plans for their employees would be required to open a direct deposit retirement account for their workers, with an opt-out clause. For the first $1000 in savings that an employee contributed, the government would provide a $500 tax credit.
Further reading from Karen McCool:

he has had a long history of working across the aisle (compromise) ... here's a rundown of his bipartisan legislation (oct 06)
http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/10/barack_obama.html

Obama takes bipartisan approach (Jan 08)
http://dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/jan/17/obama-takes-bipartisan-approach-people/

Obama calls for bipartisan approachto health care (Nov 07)
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/459705/barack_obama_calls_for_bipartisan_approach.html?cat=5

Here's a good article on his history in chicago politics... and his "collaborative" approach
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0417/p01s07-uspo.html?page=2

and you have to read this one...from Fox news no less:
Obama's state senate years show bipartisan record
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/25/obamas-state-senate-years-show-bipartisan-record/

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0707/5171.html
excerpt (Jul 2007)

Here's an interesting one from Feb 06

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1158975,00.html

Obama Not Flip-Flopping - by Lynette McGrath

Jill 4 Obama — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:41:31 EDT

The FISA and the Flag Pin

Shawn — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:47:38 EDT

America is not a place on the map. America is not a bunch of people. America is a dream, remembered in the midst of nightmares, and written down with the hope and determination that it one day might be realized. Our forefathers fought and bled and died that their children might live to see that dream come true. Generations have toiled and struggled and faced overwhelming odds to share in and defend that dream. With a righteous spirit and the wind of liberty at their backs, true patriots have spoken out in defense of that dream, no matter what the personal or political costs.

How truly sad then, that craven politicians could preach the dream, but be so readily willing to trade it for fleeting political gain. How sad that the rights our ancestors fought and died for are political currency in an unlocked vault. "No one will notice if I borrow a few bills here and there." "I can always pay them back after I get elected." "I can always pay them back after I get reelected..." And so it goes until our vault is empty and our freedoms spent.

Mr. Obama, be the patriot of our dreams, and not the politician that trades them away. Your reversal on FISA and subsequent milquetoast defense are lacking in every way. Lacking in vision, lacking in integrity, and lacking in common sense. FISA was already violated by the President's actions, and merely reiterating FISA's authority will not keep it from being violated again, especially when it is apparent there will be no consequences for doing so, thanks to the Immunity provision. The further allowances for warrantless spying on Americans only compound the damage.

It would be better to have no new telecom spying bill this summer, than to suffer the abomination of a "compromise" that you have settled for here. After all, what are we defending if not our way of life, our civil liberties, and that one dream that we all share? Show us that you share our American dream, and don't let this bill pass. Don't let that flag pin you started wearing be a substitute for your own true colors.

Seeking Voters

Rock on Mr. President!! — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:04:54 EDT

Here is the text to an ammendment I was curious how you all would have voted had you the opportunity:

Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 2947 to S.Amdt. 2011 to H.R. 1585 (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008)
Statement of Purpose: To reaffirm strong support for all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and to strongly condemn attacks on the honor, integrity, and patriotism of any individual who is serving or has served honorably in the United States Armed Forces, by any person or organization

Senator Obama: Please talk to us

Corey — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:41:14 EDT

I just sent this to the Campaign:

I'm very distressed (along with at least 6000+ Barack supporters) about the Senator's turn-around on the FISA bill. Regardless of the merits of pro or con positions on the bill, I'm confused by Barack's silence as his most loyal supporters suffer through the disorientation and possible alienation that's been growing recently.

People in the new group on this website formed a few days ago around this dilemma are voicing increasingly grim conclusions from BO's turn-around and his subsequent silence. I am not ready to believe that he is "just another politician," feeling so secure in the support he's built during the primary -- the support of independents, progressives and activists who have been pouring their lives into this campaign -- that he can now afford to "move toward the center" and embrace so-called "moderate" positions which are nothing less than pieces of a right-wing agenda. Barack himself has told us again and again to judge him by his walk, not just his talk. It's clear that many of us have taken that stance to heart, no matter how uncomfortable it feels. As much as I'd prefer to dwell in that post-primary ebulliance and joy at being part of something unprecedented, I'm not able to ignore Barack's silence about his turn-around on FISA. Please, please, talk to us!!

An Open Letter on the impending FISA vote

Michael — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:06:15 EDT

http://baltimorechronicle.com/2008/063008Laskin.shtml

No One Said It Would Be Easy!

MikeT — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:29:20 EDT

In the car yesterday I heard the news about the compromise vote on FISA-Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (which very much seems to be a "DISA"- a "DOMESTIC" Intelligence Surveillance Act!) and I felt betrayed by Our(?) side of the Congressional Isle! Is Obama making the majority of incumbent Democrats more than a little uneasy (as he should be!) with all his talk of "Change" or is he really just another one of the boys? WHERE is our Candidate on FISA?

ON ONE HAND he is quoted:
"There is also little doubt that the Bush Administration,...(has) undermined the Constitution by intercepting the communications of innocent Americans without their knowledge or the required court orders." Taken From: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/obama-mccain-reluctantly-endorse-surveillance-deal/

Are we a nation with integrity and congruent action under our Constitution and Laws?...OR NOT!

ON THE OTHER HAND... When the Nation's Law "Makers" opt to support and retroactively exonerate "Law Breakers" implicitly endorsing an "End Justifies The Means" principle of Legislating, Governing and Foreign Policy! What does OUR Candidate do?

In such a world TRUTH is the First Casualty (see Scott McClellan's insider "confessions"); NEXT, people die or are maimed in opportunistic unjustified wars and ultimately Citizens' Freedoms (OUR Freedoms!) are reduced and eliminated, National Trust is fractured and destroyed, DEMOCRACY FAILS, and THE NATION FALLS!

Wake Up Obama Team! Wake Up Senator! The Democratic House Vote on the FISA compromise is a potential disaster for your Presidential Campaign and for the Country!

Where is the insight?...the Integrity?! Where is Congruent Action? Where is LEADERSHIP?!!

Get Thee back to the SENATE in Washington to LEAD! Support a return to the Rule of Law in the Halls of Congress on FISA! YES YOU CAN !

(There are other ways to manage the Telephone Companies' problems following their misguided (but I'm sure patriotic actions) other than trashing this Country's Rule of Law! (no money exchanged hands for these "Patriotic" wire taps -no matter how illegal- RIGHT?!!

MikeT
A County Democratic Grassroots Organizer & Volunteer
A County Democratic Precinct Chair
A Precinct & County Democratic Party Delegate for Obama to the TEXAS State Democratic Convention.
A Texas Democratic "Presidential Elector" to be certified to The United States Electoral College for 2008 (When the Democratic Presidential Candidate wins the Plurality of the Popular Vote in Texas in November 2008!)
A Financial Contributor to the Democratic Party at County, State and National Levels
A Sustaining Financial Contributor to the Obama Campaign!
A Vietnam Veteran!
A Telephone Company Retiree?!!
A Father and Grandfather
A Concerned Citizen

Reclaiming the Word Politics: Come On Up for the Rising (05.20.08)

scotthpayne — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:35:41 EDT

http://politicsofscrabble.org/?p=144

It warms my heart a little to see Obama cap off the most soaring and uplifting of his speeches in recent memory with Bruce Springsteen’s The Rising, one of the most inspiring songs I know.

Obama’s speech was… typical. I keep waiting for Obama to take people to some kind of new rhetorical plateau, and perhaps that is unfair of me. Obama is presenting a certain vision for America and that vision is essentially the same one he laid out back in January, so tonight’s speech is reminiscent of those in New Hampshire and South Carolina. I think it’s a good vision, an inspiring vision, and it is a vision that is causing many Americans to hold heir heads a little higher, which is hard to argue against.

One of the things that I think Obama’s vision may be able to achieve is a small reclamation of the word politics. It sickens me how often you hear politicians say something like, “Oh, he’s/she’s just playing politics…,” or, “That is pure, unadulterated politics!” as if the word contained only four letters. Perhaps explicable by Thomas Barnett’s contention that the “weakest links” of the boomer generation wound up in politics, this strikes me as a deeply sad state of affairs, especially given that politics can, and has been a force for good in the world.

However, we need to reconcile ourselves to the fact that politics is difficult and requires integrity, intelligence, and determination, which is all so out of vogue in our sarcastic and cynical world. It is a great deal safer for people to assume that politics always has, and always will be, just about the maintenance of power structures, but this needn’t be the case. Politicians ought to be willing to do their work proudly and diligently, and I think that, secretly, most politicians do believe that they are in it for the right reasons, but lack the courage to articulate the real challenges around governance and course charting.

For all his failings, Barack Obama has had the courage to come out and propose that Americans have reasons to be optimistic and believe in their leaders. It is evident that Obama believes in his message, as imperfect as it may be, and that belief has been contagious, giving people the feeling that they are part of something real. I agree with critics that Obama, if elected, will likely fall short of people’s expectations, but at least he will do so with a degree of sincerity. That, in itself, is perhaps change we can believe in.

HE MAY BE A WAR HERO, BUT . . . . .?

new day 4 us — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:47:01 EDT

Evidently, Sen. McCain does not have the illustrious military career that he claims to have and brings into question his integrity. He destroyed 5 planes ( 5?) and the issue of his quitting the Navy right before he was to make admiral could not be.

This is extremely interesting reading . . .

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-klein/mccains-secret-questionab_b_107409.html

Right On!

Dianne — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:00:18 EDT

We are way past due for some measure of joy and demonstration of integrity. Thank you Obama for giving us back the gift of hope. YES WE CAN! No matter what happens now we have accomplished a great deal and Obama has made history. Good for him and by the way shame on Hillary for her inflated ego and her inability to selflessly give Obama credit at a critical time that in the end may sway voters away from a democratic presidency. Her supporters should pressure HER to finally do the right thing and get behind Obama and give HIM her complete support instead of playing her political hard ball to try to strong arm him into doing what is on her agenda. Thank you Obama for your grace, your humiity and for giving us a new American Hero. Just when it felt when all was lost there you are.....Thank you for your message of inclusion - as a 46 year old "working class white woman" I felt that you were talking to me. You are a true leader.

Hillary as VP just doesn't add up ...

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:47:59 EDT

New politics, new math:

Hillary doesn't add, she divides ...

It has been said that there is nothing more dangerous than civic revolutions that do not carry out the postulates they themselves generate, and nothing more unfaithful than the public man who, when at the height of power, shows himself to be in disagreement with the doctrines that he sustained when he was in the political wilderness, and that had determined his ascent.

Politics has again become what Bobby Kennedy liked to say it was--an honorable adventure--with Barack Obama at the head of the Democratic Party.

Hold the line on integrity and honor!

No Hillary!

Obama and the joyful task of enriching lives ...

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:34:18 EDT

It is written in Mark 8:36:

“For what is a man profited, if he shall have the whole world and lose his own soul?"

The difference between the Clintons and Barack is that Obama did not lose his soul, he enriches ours, and now stands to gain the whole world ...

What a great lesson for the kids and grandkids, no?

Honor, duty, integrity: Obama-Webb, '08!

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Sat, 31 May 2008 23:12:00 EDT

Tonight, for the first time in a long time, Democrats have a reason to celebrate belonging to the Party!!!

Honor and integrity have been restored with the eclipse of the Clintons.

Obama-Webb, '08!!!

Should we intervene where we were not invited?

Steve, the old man — Sun, 25 May 2008 00:57:08 EDT

A note: parts of this post is a reprint of an article I wrote for Helium.com. I have all rights to print, reuse all or in part of that article. SDW

As an American, I can tell you that there are few countries that have the pride that my country embraces. We have an all volunteer fighting force, and also the best trained. Those are things to be proud of. We are a world power, one that can cause countries to pause before continuing down a war like path. That being said, we need to take care of home first, and foremost.

Recent years, and wars, have shown what kind of damage we can do if we intervene where we weren't invited. We are occupying countries that did not ask for us. We have created terrorists because of our occupation of those countries. They have only one goal, to terrorize both their countrymen and women, but us as well. The sad reality really is that over 4,000 young people gave their lives for a lie. There are countless stories of how we are trying to help in Iraq, and we are helping. For the most part the citizens of Iraq like what we have provided. I also want it to be clear, I do support the military, just not our Commander in Chief.

While we have been at this war we have become numb to the violence. The death toll barely makes it into the evening news broadcasts. It isn't that we don't care, we are just tired of being the worlds police force.

We need to refocus on what is important, our country. Our schools are in shambles. Teachers work in fear most of the time, and some have asked if they can carry sidearm’s in class to protect themselves. Teachers cannot teach under these circumstances. Children of our country cannot tell you who or what our heritage is, they do not know our history. As an example school children don't know the capitals of each state, something we were required to learn in past generations. Other countries know more about us than we do.

Our national debt is higher now than any time in the history of our country, even adjusting for inflation. The homeless are growing, as are the helpless. Our health care system is at best confusing at worse incompetent. Doctors worry more about what kind of insurance a patient has than they are about the patient. Our injured warriors have to suffer through the most confusing bureaucratic mess just to be treated like a person or get basic care. We all know this, and most do nothing about it. We say "what a shame" and shake our heads, but we do nothing. We depend on the politicians to solve our problems, most do nothing. Others try but are shouted down because of partisan rhetoric and self serving pride.

Our once proud and powerful country, a beacon of democracy, is rapidly changing into a shell of its former self. We all wait for the other guy to do something, all the while the other guy is waiting for us do to something. The current Administration decided we had to be the police for democratic reforms, bring our way of life to people in all countries, no matter if we were asked.

We hold others responsible for human rights violations, yet we condone torture. One of the greatest things other countries admired about us, was how we treated our enemies. We did not stoop to their torturous level, we treated their people with respect and dignity, and in turn our men and women were expected to be treated better. Not any longer, we are now feared because we act no better than those we persecute or despise.

My father used to tell me, "Don't go messing around with someone else's house till yours is in order." That is true today as it was in the 70's. Our house is crumbling on it's foundation. We cannot afford to not focus on ourselves for a time, shore up our house. Then, if all is well with us, other countries will follow our example. I repeat that, other countries will follow us, willingly, passionately, and with the knowledge that they are following a country that is a just country, run by honorable people.

We do not need to isolate ourselves, we need to unite, become a country of people dedicated to the fair and humane treatment of all people and cultures. We need to cross the political landscape and respect differences while being respectful of others. Senator Barack Obama is the only person running now that has shown that ability, and promises to continue this when he is OUR President. Senator McCain used to do this until he decided to become the nominee at the expense of his integrity. In my opinion, we can not afford to trust someone that will do or say anything to win an election. We must elect the right person now, we cannot afford another 4 months, much less 4 years of this type of administration.

Barack Obama, Authentic!

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:53:06 EDT

It has been said that there is nothing more dangerous than civic revolutions that do not carry out the postulates they themselves generate, and nothing more unfaithful than the public man who, when at the height of power, shows himself to be in disagreement with the doctrines that he sustained when he was in the political wilderness, and that had determined his ascent.

Barack Obama, authentic!

Hold the line on integrity and honor!

No Hillary!

Barack Obama Authentic!!!

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:59:14 EDT

It has been said that there is nothing more dangerous than revolutions that do not carry out the postulates they themselves generate, and nothing more unfaithful than the public man who, when at the height of power, shows himself to be in disagreement with the doctrines that he sustained when he was in the political wilderness, and that had determined his ascent.

Barack Obama authentic! Hold the line on integrity and honor!

No Hillary!

Joy!

California Hoper — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:48:52 EDT

What a joy it was to hear Senator Obama set the goal for our country to achieve its highest ideals during his speech in Iowa.

I was visiting my parents in San Antonio, TX. Mom and I tuned in to watch the election results and we were thrilled that Senator Obama won. We realized that if he could win there, he had a real shot at the presidency. Then came his speech. We shouted to my dad, who was downstairs watching basketball, that he had to hear this speech. We called my brother in Cincinnati to make sure he was listening. My uncle called us from Michigan. We were proud Americans, proud African Americans, and thoroughly inspired.

That night I dusted off my hopes and dreams for a new direction for our country and set my sights on a "more perfect Union." Mom, Dad, my uncle, my brother and I are all on the Obama train.

I am so excited to vote for a man with great vision, and the integrity and leadership ability to make that vision a reality. November, January, here we come!

Becoming a 'Majority of One'

PrayersForAmerica — Sat, 03 May 2008 21:22:16 EDT

There are times and places where one's voice needs to be heard above the clamor of others who may think differently or wish to go in a different direction. The need to raise one's 'voice' is not a call to shout or to shout down others, but to preserve one's integrity of belief and feeling so that one can become a 'majority of one'.

Such a majority does not depend on numbers or on the approval of others in order to gain legitimacy. It does not seek to sway others to its own point of view in order to gain momentum for holding its own. Rather, such a voice is based on the firm foundation of spiritual integrity, and feels a moral calling to declare the beliefs by which it lives – beliefs which no other can undermine or alter through outer pressure, but which can only be altered through a change in inner perspective.

To become a 'majority of one' is to replace reliance on numbers of those holding a point of view, by the single depth of commitment of one.

It is to replace the gathering of outer force with the gathering of inner force.

It is to sanction and uphold the values of the inner being with a steadfastness that comes from alignment with inner truth and with the light that upholds this truth.

Many times in our social and political life, we turn to outer numbers in order to legitimize and give credence to a point of view that would otherwise not be listened to. Many times, we do not hear those who speak firmly but in a small and gentle voice. The need for the 'outer' majority will always be, for it is the way of establishing the creative foundation for a democratic and pluralistic society. Yet, the need for the 'majority of one', the single voice that upholds truth, must become the sure foundation for such an outer majority. Indeed, the 'majority of numbers' must become one in which every individual represents its own point of view faithfully, and with full adherence to the deepest beliefs it is capable of locating within the self.

There are many kinds of pressure that are applied, today, to get people to join the 'majority of numbers' - to get them to move in a given direction. There is the pressure of appearance, where one who looks differently or sounds differently is made to seem foolish or 'out of step' with the times. There is the pressure of dogma – where one who thinks differently is made to feel like a heretic, treading on long-established or sacred values. There is the pressure of force – where one who remains faithful to their own 'voice' begins to feel endangered by doing so through the loss of relationships, work, financial support, or other context which forms the external structure of a life. There is also the pressure of moral conflict – in which those who hold different views from oneself feel equally strongly about the moral integrity and depth with which they hold them.

This last is the most difficult kind of pressure for a 'majority of one' to contend with. For moral truths come in many sizes and dispositions, and it requires great clarity and great love to see that others who hold different perspectives may also hold a portion of the truth, yet be different from oneself.

In the end, a 'majority of one' is not an isolated individual, but one who is committed to the future of humanity and who seeks to improve that future in whatever ways are possible. This occurs through the commitment to a way of thinking and feeling that influences the consciousness of others by its very strength and depth, and by the force of its truth.

For this reason, it is up to each of us who cares about the future of humanity to become a 'majority of one' – a single voice of integrity and vision that exists within the larger majority of numbers. Such a voice arises out of spiritual depth. With a firm conscience, it continually pursues the deepening of truth and understanding through the seeking of inner clarity, and through the ongoing effort to align with the Source of all truth and light.

By Julie Redstone of LightAmericaSpirit.org

Hillary sells hot air and calls it "gas relief"

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Sat, 03 May 2008 04:48:05 EDT

I hope that in the next debate, if there is one, someone will ask Hillary the following question:

"Ma'am, your husband's presidency was marked by scandals running from the salacious to national security, you've run a campaign based on race coding, and both you and your husband have scant regard for the truth.

"Personal responsibility is the key to government accountability. And now you are selling hot air and calling it gas relief.

"What could you--or your husband--say to young people, what could you possibly bring to the table, for those who need to hear a message of honesty and integrity?"

NOW Is The Time!

Jill 4 Obama — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:22:12 EDT

Now is the time for the Democratic Party to show their integrity.

Now is the hour for the Delegates to show the People of this United States of America that we have a Party of Honor, Honesty, and Integrity that will commit themselves to Senator Barack Obama without question.

Now is the minute for Those "supers" to show us, the People, that they have Integrity, and that they will never support a nominee who stands behind racial divides, supports negativity, and lies in the name of politics as usual.

Now is the second to stand up for Senator Barack Obama as the Presidential Nominee of the Democratic Party who can best bring our country and our world together with empathy, integrity, and honor for Change and Unity!

Right now, This Day, This Hour, This Minute, This Second We Have the Oppportunity That comes Around only once in-a-lifetime!

Stand up and Show Us, the American People, What Is Strength of Character and What Democrats Stand For!

Is It Lies, Myths, and Tearing the Party Apart ?

Or is it the Strength to Uphold Change and Integrity to Support Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States of America?

We the People Stand For Change and Integrity, only Barack Obama for President!

The Diogenes Project, Dr. Paul Ekman -- An Alternative to Debates -- "FACE OF TRUTH 2008" -- OBAMA WINS AGAIN!

Hope4Unity — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:39:40 EDT

...and now She wants another debate...

How about face-reading the candidates instead?

"The Diogenes Project" of Paul Ekman was a study of gifted face readers. The project was named after Diogenes, the Greek philosopher of antiquity who use to wander around Athens with a lantern, peering into peoples' faces as he searched for an honest man.

Dr. Ekman and colleagues spent about 7 years categorizing facial expressions to give a definition to the "hunch" you have about someone -- Truth or Lies?

http://www.paulekman.com/

Continued:

If You Meet Barack, You Vote for Barack!

Jill 4 Obama — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:16:38 EDT

Meet Barack Early Years

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya, where he grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British.

Barack's mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression, and then signed up for World War II after Pearl Harbor, where he marched across Europe in Patton's army. Her mother went to work on a bomber assembly line, and after the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program, and moved west to Hawaii.

It was there, at the University of Hawaii, where Barack's parents met. His mother was a student there, and his father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya and pursue his dreams in America.

Barack's father eventually returned to Kenya, and Barack grew up with his mother in Hawaii, and for a few years in Indonesia. Later, he moved to New York, where he graduated from Columbia University in 1983.

The College Years

Remembering the values of empathy and service that his mother taught him, Barack put law school and corporate life on hold after college and moved to Chicago in 1985, where he became a community organizer with a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment.

The group had some success, but Barack had come to realize that in order to truly improve the lives of people in that community and other communities, it would take not just a change at the local level, but a change in our laws and in our politics.

He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard in 1991, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Soon after, he returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law. Finally, his advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate, where he served for eight years. In 2004, he became the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

Political Career

It has been the rich and varied experiences of Barack Obama's life - growing up in different places with people who had differing ideas - that have animated his political journey. Amid the partisanship and bickering of today's public debate, he still believes in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose - a politics that puts solving the challenges of everyday Americans ahead of partisan calculation and political gain.

In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent. He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.

As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.

Whether it's the poverty exposed by Katrina, the genocide in Darfur, or the role of faith in our politics, Barack Obama continues to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century. But above all his accomplishments and experiences, he is most proud and grateful for his family. His wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, live on Chicago's South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ.

Check out this 'Movie': Baracky

Sharon from Minnesota — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:10:22 EDT

Have you seen this great 'Movie' called Baracky. It's the rave all over the blogosphere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyhIBXNfqMA

I've watched about 20 times. It's rich. Pass it around.

Anyone angry about Wednesday's debate?

Beth — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:40:12 EDT

I have never seen a more inane waste of two hours of television time. All of us who participate in this toxic media environment should be ashamed....

and that's not even touching on the apparent conflict of interest of having Stephanopolous host the damn thing, regardless of whether the Clintons like him anymore.

go here:

http://pol.moveon.org/enoughdistractions/?id=12458-2247306-rKQWEW&t=4

let'em know you're mad.

then do anything else with your time other than watch the news.

Really. I gave it up a few weeks ago and now wish I hadn't waded in again. The media's treatment of this campaign has become a joke.

I think Obama's best point of the evening was his insistance that his campaign was built on betting that the American people are tired of this climate and the petty nature of media reports in his closing comments.

Are we really tired enough to give it up?

Integrity.....A Lesson

BENTON GRIMMETT — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:56:09 EDT

What does the Bible have to say about integrity?

Integrity means treating people fairly and honestly. (Leviticus 19:35-36, Deut 25:15, Proverbs 16:11-13)
Integrity is giving your word and keeping it. (Exodus 8:28-32)
Integrity will protect you. In Psalm 25, David prays that integrity and uprightness will protect him. How can it? (Psalm 25:21, Proverbs 2:7-8, 10:9, 11:3, 13:6)
Integrity is more valuable than riches. (Proverbs 28:6)
The Lord will test and judge your integrity. (1 Chronicles 29:17, Psalm 7:8)
The Lord hates lies and lack of integrity. (Zechariah 8:16-17)
It may be difficult to maintain your integrity. (Job 2:3, 2:9, Proverbs 29:10)
Your character can be corrupted by bad company. (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Integrity will be rewarded. (1 Kings 9:4-5, Nehemiah 7:2, Psalm 41:11-12)
Your integrity should set an example. (Titus 2:7)

Source: http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Bible/Integrity.htm

ABC NEWS POLL

BRGHTSD1 HOPE & COURAGE — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:17:29 EDT

Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama squared off ahead of next week's crucial Pennsylvania primary.

Who won the Democratic debate?

Sen. Barack Obama
7,892Sen. Hillary Clinton 3,072It was a tie 829

Total Vote: 11,793

Feel free to go on their site and place your vote...then TURN THEM OFF...SHAME ON ABC...falling into Springerization of news at a time when our country and the world need truth more than ever.

Stick to your guns!

Paul de Jong — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:55:59 EDT

Mr. Senator Barack Obama,

It made me very sad when I heard you say that you would not talk to Hamas. I grant you that you did caveat it by saying "under current circumstances". I also applaud you for refusing to criticize Jimmy Carter for his continuous work towards peace in the Middle East.

Please Mr. Senator, the vast majority of the people know that you have to have dialog to solve a problem and the current path of the Palestinian/Israelian crisis is mutual annihilation! The only way to solve the problems in the Middle East is through peace and you can not achieve peace without negotiations.

I really thought you would say something like "my goal would be to achieve peace and if that means we have to talk to Hamas, then we will talk with them. Once the dialog stops the problems only get worse." I am sure you would be far more eloquent, but that is the basic message I have been hearing from you thus far. It is the truth and it IS what people want to hear!

I view you as a lone voice of reason in a crazy cesspool of ignorance led by mass hysteria. The media will pick up on reason and the reason will overcome the ignorance as long as it is done with integrity, as with your race speech, that even the Daily Show praised.

Thank you Mr. Senator for the hope you have given me, please keep up your good work!

Sincerely yours,

Paul de Jong

I Am A Woman Speaking My Truth!

Susan M — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:32:38 EDT

I am a woman who believes that what we need is an inspirational, intelligent and effective leader in the White House who can bring us ALL together and can help us to recreate our government in a way that it becomes once again a government of the people, for the people and by the people.

I am a woman who believes that the best President, be it at 3:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m., is one who possesses and consistently demonstrates sound judgment, integrity, authenticity, transparency, compassion and accountability.

I am a woman who believes we deserve a President who believes in us and who engages and inspires us and who would never think of mocking or belittling us for our beliefs, our passionate commitments, our geographic locations or our brand preferences.

I am a woman who believes that we do not have to buy into fear mongering and scare tactics and who is grateful that one presidential candidate is choosing to transcend those energy draining, win-at-all costs, throw the kitchen sink at them, old-style political tactics.

I am a woman who will not be bullied, belittled or guilted into voting for a candidate who does not demonstrate values, ethics, morals and integrity...just because she and I happen to share the same gender.

I am a woman who is choosing to actively speak my truth, to make an informed decision and to vote my conscience for the individual, not for the gender or race, who I believe will most effectively lead our country forward in a new direction and who will truly help to unite us all and advance us all.

I am a woman speaking out and standing for transformative change and who is voting and campaigning for the candidate that is in alignment with my values and who I believe will best deliver on my genuine hope and dream for a better tomorrow for all women, men and children.

That is why I am a woman standing tall and speaking out in support of Senator Barack Obama and that is why I am so committed to helping in every way I can to ensure that he becomes the next President of the United States of America.

Integrity

Maria — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:55:44 EDT

Barack Obama symbolizes a lot of what Washington has been lacking for decades and that is Integrity. A lot of the people in Washington, including the Clinton's have sold their souls to the devil in order to get into political positions. Mrs. Clinton will spend the rest of her life fulfilling her political I.O.U.'s.

The Clinton party speaks of Barack's lack of experience, but they fail to mention that John F. Kennedy did not have much prior experience either, nor did a man by the name of Bill Clinton prior to his taking Presidental office.

GRATEFUL

BRGHTSD1 HOPE & COURAGE — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:05:45 EDT

Good evening,

Let's be grateful for what is going right in the nation, in our world and with this fantastic movement.

I'll start with five things I'm grateful for today:

I am grateful for a candidate who's not swayed by the "silly season" who is focused on the message and his intention for the country.

I am grateful for the campaign personnel and the volunteers who give of themselve selflessly in the direction of this lofty goal and courageous effort.

I am grateful for the people who come here sincerely with their hearts and minds directed toward a better way and a better day.

I am grateful for the wonderful people of the Trinity United Church of Christ who were vilified in the media unfairly and with malice; who I know have forgiven.

I am grateful for Nancy Pelosi who has stood fast against those who threatened her.

What are your five today?

Wallstreet needs Mainstreet

InsideOutPat — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:44:18 EDT

This is a post I did on the main blog regarding today's OBAM's speech on the economy. If you have not read it, please do, It was brilliant!

OBAMA has a real plan, when you hear people say he has no substance the strategy in this speech needs to be discussed with non-believers. He is talking about the integrity of Wallstreet and how the fiduciary responsibility of board directors has been replaced with the concept of "how big will my bonus be this year". A good example is Washington Mutual, who paid their top 4 executive huge bonuses even though the company financials were not good and the stocked tanked. Why did they pay the bonuses? Because the subprime mortage mess was not in their yearly business plan goals so their board did not think the directors should be held responsible. WHAT?????? If they could not see what was happening in the mortgage market and did nothing to protect their stockholders and bank assets they should have been docked and not bonused. Tell you friends, OBMA gets the economy and it will get better not business as usual. As president of an S corporation, I want big business to be held to the same standards my stockholders hold me to and I am glad they do.

Once-in-a-lifetime Candidate - Obama or bust??!

Darrell Ross — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:28:13 EDT

I clearly must clarify my argument in my previous post. I tried in a comment response but ran out of characters. I also feel the need to poke some of the commenters in the eyes with a sharp stick. Please read on. :)

I am asking if, in the unlikely event of a Hillary democratic nomination, would you vote for Hillary? Or would you vote for someone else? My point is if you vote for anyone besides Hillary, you are giving McCain a vote. Perhaps not literally but consider the Republicans who, although many are mean-spirited, understand a competition and know how to unite to win it.

I would gather the definition of "integrity" you are using is as follows: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. [From Dictionary.com definition #1]

I'm glad to see that you will stick with your integrity but you seem to be applying it oddly. I fail to see how voting for Hillary (again in the unlikely event she wins the Democratic nomination) is a show against personal integrity. She has admirable goals and plans that are, both sides have said it, 95% the same as Obama's.

Are you implying that I lack integrity? Obama speaks about uniting people, you all want "Obama or bust", I ask about a united Democratic party, and you call this a lack of integrity? While I am glad that you celebrate your individuality and right to vote, I will morn the inability of Democrats to unite behind a single candidate; their inability to put differences aside and agree that we need McCain to lose. If you agree that we need McCain to lose and the impossible happens and Hillary gets the nomination, then you should agree that we would need to vote for Hillary, the lesser of two evils.

Every response to my previous post is a reflection of the fact that Obama supporters are just as divisive, if not more, than Hillary supporters. What do you have to say to Hillary supporters who feel the same as you do? You cannot simply throw arguments at them about who has been the nastier candidate because they believe the same about Barack that you believe about them. However, you can appeal to their morals or perhaps their integrity or maybe Democratic unity or at the very least, unity against McCain.

Did you actually understand the meaning of Obama's speeches? He wants to unite people, not divide us. The four responses to my previous post seem, to me, to disagree with Obama's goal and still stuck on the "sore loser mentality" that so many on both sides seem to suffer from. I not only hear Obama's speeches and believe in his message, I will carry on trying to unite people. I would prefer to join together with Hillary supporters be it for Obama or for Hillary rather than thumbing my nose at them.

Obama is a once-in-a-lifetime candidate and he's winning.

The first four comments on my previous post made it pretty clear that they are stuck on the "throw a tantrum" stage of their voting careers. Grow up! Or if your candidate loses, maybe you could help get the next best one that can possibly win instead of throwing your vote away. My inflamatory remarks aside (and there are a lot of them in here, hehe), you think that not voting for the democratic nominee will help? If Hillary wins the Democractic nomination and then loses against McCain, we will have you to blame.

Obama 2008.

send back your white strips and smile smile smile

BRGHTSD1 HOPE & COURAGE — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:37:07 EDT

Hello again...here's the letter I put in with my 1/2 package of white strips I'm sending back.

March 22, 2008

Proctor & Gamble

1 or 2 Proctor and Gamble Plaza

Cincinnati, OH 45202

Attention: Customer Service

Hello Sir or Ma’am;

I am sending you back the remaining contents of a box of Crest White strips that I purchased. The reason is not that they haven’t worked or that I didn’t like the product. It is simply because I cannot have integrity about using this product or purchasing like products since I learned that this is one of the sponsors of FOX NEWS. FOX NEWS has long been known for being far right in its opinions and that’s part of the American experience I defend (free speech). However, of late, I have seen more hate mongering and bigotry coming from this station and it’s pundits than I have heard since my youth in the 1960’s. I simply can’t abide it and cannot support any company that is in support of this negative, destructive behavior.

I thank you for your good work in the community, for employing Americans. I hope you’ll consider removing your ads from the FOX NEWS NETWORK.

Integrity, Balance and Fairness in Journalism (Why we need to act)

Franchee — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:28:55 EDT

I am writing this blog post to ask each of you to write a letter to the media outlets in your area. It is the responsibility of the media to report in a fair and balanced way and to report their stories with integrity. This has not occurred in regard to the Reverend Wright issue. I have written the letter below to the NY Times to express my concern about this issue. I have also highlighted below why I believe we must ask the media to correct this situation. I hope you will join me in my effort.

To the Editors:

I believe the media has an obligation to move beyond the soundbites to report on the full context of Reverend Wright's sermons. To date only one reporter has bothered to do that, Roland Martin of CNN. If we look at the full context, we find, for example, that when Reverend Wright said "God damn America," he was speaking about how people confuse government and God. Sometimes people place all their faith in government, which fails us, and little faith in God. He was not condemning America, he was saying, in an over the top manner, America should not be the highest source of your faith, God should be. The role of journalism is to report the facts.

These soundbites are not the facts. They are distortions of the facts to drive up TV ratings. If the media wanted to improve its standing, ratings and profits, it begins by performing the role with integrity. That integrity includes reporting the news in an accurate and factual manner. It also includes balance and fairness in reporting. This would include reports that discuss the religious ties of all candidates, including Senators Clinton and McCain. It would be refreshing to see some leadership in that regard.

Here is the factual information Roland Martin has begun to undercover.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-wright’s-“god-damn-america”-sermon/

Why we need a letter writing campaign:

To persuade the media to report the religious views of the candidates in a fair and balanced way that reports on the facts, not sensationalism, and to ask that reports be performed with integrity.

Why this is important:

We believe the sensationalistic manner in which the religious relationship between Reverend Wright and Senator Obama has been reported has not been done with integrity, the reporting has not been fair and balanced and that this needs to be corrected. When Senator Clinton felt that she was not being treated fairly, the media, appropriately, responded. As a consumer targeted by the media, I feel the media has not maintained that same sense of fairness, balance and integrity in regard to the Reverend Wright story. We are asking that this oversight be corrected.

What we expect from these actions:

We would like to see a report (or series of reports) that details the sermons of Reverend Wright in their intended context. This reporting should include the religious ties of all the candidates so that the reporting is fair and balanced. It should include a discussion of the historical context of the misguided ideas on both sides the black and white divide. We would also like to see a discussion of the nature of bias which could include a discussion by some of the leading thinkers in the field such as Mahzarin Babaji and R Bhaskar of Harvard University.

Why the media should act:

The media has become far too complicit in the 30-second knowledge economy. We no longer seek to understand the truth of a situation; we seek a 30-second impression of a complex reality. Yet, we constantly lament the fact that many in our population don't know or understand the basic facts that underscore our history and reality in America. The media can change this situation. The challenge which Senator Obama set before America gives the media the opportunity to change this dynamic while it has the attention of the public. The media, like the rest of America, can lament the lost of knowledge in our society or take this opportunity to act and enhance its standing with the public in the process.

Bill Richardson

BRGHTSD1 HOPE & COURAGE — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:17:10 EDT

Good Morning and I mean Good Morning....just heard about the addition of Governor Bill Richardson to the list of endorsements and I couldn't be happier. In my mind Obama/Richardson is THE dream ticket. Thank you Governor Richardson for courage of conviction and integrity.

Before Anyone Votes Consider This

Nelson Smith — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:33:47 EDT

For years politicians have had the ornery audacity to run campaigns with disregard for other candidates, their families and supporters. for the first time in my 32 years I have come to love a candidate with respect for not his abilities but his outstanding moral fiber. Obama has run his campaign with integrity and fervor. Obama has continued to talk about what he can and will do for America as President while his opposition only talks about what he cannot do. The one thing they all have in common is a focus on Barack Obama. I have pledged my support, my vote, my voice, my money and my time to support Barack Obama For President of the United States..How about you?

Experience

Unknown user — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:17:27 EDT

Senator Barack Obama, I see your greatest strength as having a beginners mind (aka open mind).

No man is an island and the US president does not lead alone. As the nation's leader the president has unlimited resources in the people that he turns to every day for information and advice to make his decisions. This calls for wisdom and good judgment more than experience. Too much experience can lead to decisions without adequate consultation. A good manager, president or leader should gather information and make decisions with tempered personal bias rather than knowing what to do from experience. If experience is so important then how did the country get into it's current difficulties? People who are 60 think they know better than people who are 40 because of all their experience but now that they are 60 can they listen as well as someone in their 40s? The longer you are in government the more likely you are insulated from the first hand reality of the average person's life. It's not easy to bridge the gap and too much experience doesn't help. About that call at 3 in the morning: By the time the president is awoken there are unlimited resources at full alert ready to consult and advise. Good organization and good judgment are what is needed. Experience is just rhetoric. All too often experience can only tell you what didn't work last time. This country needs something far more powerful than experience. Remember the old adage that history repeats itself and what is experience other than history?

Often one is in the position of assisting others with much greater experience who couldn't fix the problem because it was one that they had not yet experienced. Experience has value but more important is understanding and good judgment not to mention the integrity that it seems Senator Obama alone demonstrates every day.

Senator Obama, please consider campaigning on these strengths that far outweigh your opponent’s experience in any situation, even at 3 AM.

New York Shock!!

Venkatesh — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:40:15 EDT

What a shocker from New York. One of the promising young stars of the Democratic Party looks like he's had his career cut short by his own indiscretion. The fact that he's apologized to his family in public leads me to believe that the allegations against him (of having solicited prostitution over the phone) are not without merit.

I don't want to pile on the guy (especially his family) at this trying time but I'll just say this: When a person carries around a holier-than-thou attitude, we need to be extra careful with placing our trust and confidence in him/her. We've seen it time and again in the past few years in the case of many republican congressmen and senators (Duke, Craig et al) and if anything, this goes to prove that such glaring weaknesses cross party lines. We the public, have to be very cautious before we elevate someone to a rock star status.

Whatever action Spitzer needs to take should be taken soon (within a week, I'd say), whether it be resigning or trying to clear his name.

Hillary on tax returns then versus now

Lenny Sharlet — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 04:48:19 EDT

Just another example of how this candidate and this campaign put political expediency high above common sense, principle, and integrity.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2008/03/flashback

Between this and the NAFTA fraud she threw at Obama along with the Kitchen Sink last week... wow.

Who does this woman think she is? We do not owe her the Presidency. She has to earn it, just like everyone else.

What Really Matters in Selecting a President

Keith from Rockwall, TX — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:43:43 EDT

There has been a lot of talk recently by Hillary Clinton that Senator Obama lacks the experience to be Presidnet and Commander in Chief. I beleive this is a shallow argument especially in light that none of the canidates including Senator Obama have Executive Experience. If we were to use the measurement criteria of MS Clinton then we should elect Senator McCain but as stated this is shallow thinking. What we should be evaluating is those qualites that will provide the best leadership. I beleive that the qualites written by Warren Bennis best potray what we need in our leader and only Barrack Obama meets this criteria.

Integrity - Integrity means alignment of words and actions with inner values. It means sticking to these values even when an alternative path may be easier or more advantageous.A leader with integrity can be trusted and will be admired for sticking to strong values. They also act as a powerful model for people to copy, thus building an entire organization with powerful and effective cultural values.
Dedication - Dedication means spending whatever time and energy on a task is required to get the job done, rather than giving it whatever time you have available. The work of most leadership positions is not something to do 'if time'. It means giving your whole self to the task, dedicating yourself to success and to leading others with you.
Magnanimity - A magnanimous person gives credit where it is due. It also means being gracious in defeat and allowing others who are defeated to retain their dignity.Magnanimity in leadership includes crediting the people with success and accepting personal responsibility for failures.
Humility - Humility is the opposite of arrogance and narcissism. It means recognizing that you are not inherently superior to others and consequently that they are not inferior to you. It does not mean diminishing yourself, nor does it mean exalting yourself.Humble leaders do not debase themselves, neither falsely nor due to low self-esteem. They simply recognize all people as equal in value and know that their position does not make them a god.
Openness - Openness means being able to listen to ideas that are outside one's current mental models, being able to suspend judgement until after one has heard someone else's ideas.An open leader listens to their people without trying to shut them down early, which at least demonstrates care and builds trust. Openness also treats other ideas as potentially better than one's own ideas. In the uncertain world of new territory, being able to openly consider alternatives is an important skill.
Creativity - Creativity means thinking differently, being able to get outside the box and take a new and different viewpoint on things.For a leader to be able to see a new future towards which they will lead their followers, creativity provides the ability to think differently and see things that others have not seen, and thus giving reason for followers to follow.

We need to all be shouting that this is what really matters and not the nonsense that comes out of the Clinton Campaign

Integrity

awakenings76 — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:31:26 EST

I have read the St. Louis for Obama postings everyday for months now, but never posted, until now. I read a few things I found discouraging, and I decided to put my unsolicited 2 cents in :)

I have never been very politically involoved or very politic savvy. American politics have typically left me feeling discouraged and apathetic. But, this election has been different. I saw something in Obama that reminded me of myself...faith and hope in what we could be.

The Clintons have gotten pretty nasty to the point that their desperation is hard for me to watch. It makes me uncomfortable because I feel badly that she would humiliate herself in this way, and really just throw integrity out the window. I sincerely pray for Obama and this movement to maintain their integrity. I don't care how many "kitchen sinks" Hillary finds to pull out, I would be hurt and disappointed in the Obama movement if we felt justified to fight fire with mud-slinging fire. Somewhere in me I have to believe integrity and fairness will be enough. If not, I don't know why I have been so excited by this election.

There is no change letting another candidate strike up fear in us by these dirty tactics to the point we feel "we have" to retaliate in a similar fashion in order to win the nomination or the presidency. Honestly, as sad as it might make me, I wouldn't want Obama to win if it meant campaigning like that. If I want politics as usual I can vote for Clinton or McCain.

Naive? Maybe. But, at least I would know I stood behind something that had the guts to honestly stand up and say I have to much integrity to win at any cost.

Pissed off in Ohio.

Becky in Bexley OH — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:18:37 EST

It's hard after Tuesday's loss in Ohio not to hear echos of the time when Ohio Democrats were saying, "Kerry on!" to encourage each other after that election was stolen. I was so disheartened after Kerry lost, and it has taken me until this primary election to even give a damn again about politics. Hillary and her ilk are so deft at disenfranchisement of the rank and file, that it doesn't seem worth getting involved in.

I've resisted writing a big, complaining, ranting tome somewhere, but this seems like the place to leave it. I am just so pissed about the Clinton campaign's dirty tactics on the day before two important primary elections (Ohio and Texas). Further, her idiot supporters here in Columbus were wasting their time picketing Obama's Columbus Campaign HQ with NAFTA signs. We saw the very same people who'd been picketing us, at the Board of Elections on Tuesday night with Clinton signs instead of "Fix NAFTA Now signs." Whatever that means.

This mult-layer BS about who leaked what to whom and who then twisted it beyond recognition to suit their own best interests, is maddening. It's a very simple tenet: It is dishonorable to win by using dirty tactics. If you fear your oponent's abilities so much that the only way to win is by deception rather than honest, forthright competition, then you don't have much going for you. Like those picketers: what we said was, "well, while they're busy picketing, we're busy canvassing." It's just fundamental good sportsmanship 101: Play Nice. This is probably why I'm not in politics; the same reason why I don't watch ice hockey: it moves too fast and I have no way of guessing what is coming out of right field next, or even where right field is. (please pardon the jargon - i'm just writing out of my thoughts on a first draft basis).

I just hate it that a person can't win under their own steam without dragging their opponent down and standing on their head. That's how nuclear pissing contests get started: I can't best you, so I will insult and infer and then you will be "guilty" before the thing even starts, so you might as well pull a nuclear punch, and then my bullshit becomes reality and "I win." Great, Hillary, so you win. Just great. Not at all the kind of leadership I've been working towards. This is why I will never vote for Hillary or any other Clinton or anyone in their gang.

At least with McCain there is some kind of road map of consistency. At least he has a firm stance on the war, and is consistent with that message. Hillary will say whatever the handlers tell her to say and somehow slip out of the part where facts are checked and it turns out that she has contradicted herself. Agggggghhhh. As long as politicians can overcome their own contradictions and keep on keeping on, it will be politics as usual.

Barack Obama offers something else. He offers honesty and integrity. None of the existing politicians wants to come to that dance, because their honesty and integrity have been shoved to the back of their closet for so long they don't even fit any more...

Well, I could go on forever on this, but to what end? I gotta go make some phone calls to Wyomin'.

Open Letter to CNN and Jonathan Mann

June Edvenson — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:14:07 EST

Subject: What Hillary's "wins" in Ohio and Texas really 'mean'

Position: Slander has several names, and Jonathan Mann's article for CNN must qualify as one of them.

Jonathan Mann reports, for CNN, that "The growing American infatuation with Barack Obama had to pop eventually and this week, the cult of personality finally got punctured. Obama's run for the presidency is hardly over, but it's a little deflated. For now, the fun is over and the fight is on."

The "cult of personality"? I know it is popular to underestimate the intelligence of the people, but let's assume that most average persons have a rather good handle on assessing a candidate based not only on their words, but their deeds, in fact also their speech, in fact also, their demeanor. Mr. Mann, you would have us believe that the over half-decade of research into the meaning of signs and symbols, linguistics and language meaning, also the entire study of phenomenology and its significance to us as humans imbued with multi-leveled experiences in language, simply must stand down to your evaluation of the status of things. Am I correct? You would have us take the talents we already own and, since we are informed by a myriad of feedback and evaluation techniques including double-voicedness, metaphor, daily-life intentionality, and psychological evaluation talents, including our own genetic memories and perceptions of who is good for us and who is not - you would have us take these talents and... drop them in the round file? You would inform us that we cannot muster enough information to inform ourselves of what we should value? do? merit? Perhaps we are about to get stuck on a farm in Waco and be shot out by the ATF? Perhaps we were about to drink our last communion, a cup of poison, with some wayward leader?

It seems to me, Mr. Mann, that our own perceptions are all baseless, given your evaluation. We are all suffering from a 'cult of personality.' We should be disgusted - and crawl away in shame.

Mr. Mann, You can share your opinion, but not as if you are speaking for those who know what is happening here. You don't have to hear me, but you might try to listen to the sound of a million others: Barack Obama is not a 'cult of personality.' He is a flesh and blood person whom we happen to like - for any number of reasons. These reasons happen to include his modesty, humility, groundedness, sincerity, intention to win, willingness to give it all, . . . (I am only mentioning the ways in which his candidacy is especially distinguished from Mrs. Clinton's). . . continuing: honesty, directness at handling conflict, directness at addressing challenge, ability to put together a winning team, ability to administer an efficient and effective operation (absolutely critical), chances of winning the general election, and chances of being distinguished from an aged establishment politician.

I'm sorry, Mr. Mann, but you were saying, "Looking back, the Illinois senator with the illuminated smile had it pretty good. The media were gentle and admiring, party leaders felt pressure to embrace him, and ordinary Democrats got more excited about him than any politician in at least a decade."

And, then you were saying? "Cute new catch-phrases made the rounds about "Oba-mania" and America's new "Barack-star." And what is your point about catch-phrases? We Americans do not actually live our daily lives by catch-phrases, unless they are "Do it" and "Be the best you can be." Does Hillary know these? But I guess we were interrupting your run at a history lesson: "Obama won 11 consecutive primaries and caucuses, and he won again this week in the state of Vermont. But that was as far as his extraordinary charisma and expertly run campaign could get him."

I'm going to leave the slander and innuendo out of this report that you go on to detail. It had to do with some staffer, a phone call, Canada. Are we supposed to take that seriously? You - and Hillary, can throw mud, and the more you throw, the more it appears that the only candidate I can support does not have her initials. Your reported hearsays and they-saids continue. It's all he-said and she-said at the campaign level. And then you were concluding, "Expect fewer funny new Obama phrases and more talk about that now infamous imaginary phone call. It had to happen."

Touche, Mr. Mann. But, I am sorry. I believe the man is a good candidate, and both a better choice and a better candidate than his Democratic opponent. And so....what had to happen, Mr. Mann? Precisely what "had to happen"? You see, when someone wants to defame another party, the most common and easy way to begin is to point at some small incident, blow it up out of all proportion, and then claim that it is indicative of a deficit in skill-tact-talent-ability that is incurable. This is then communicated to someone else who, when they hear it or read it, have a tendency to believe that the entire person's reputation has been negatively affected, and will tend to disassociate themselves from that person. Nice try. But why don't you find more useful things to do with your writing talent? Why don't you study the upcoming convention issues and help us understand what our topical platform choices are going to be? Why don't you try to do something helpful? Helpful and useful around here?

From my kitchen table to yours,

June

Looking for Answers

Debra from Oelwein, IA — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:28:55 EST

I have several questions concerning the behaviors of those driving recent events. The news media has not seen fit to ask these questions and I find it disturbing.

Why didn't Hillary read the report before voting for the war? To me, that's the most important question she needs to answer and goes directly to the 3 a.m. claim that she's experienced and qualified. Not reading the report before voting on an issue that has caused the death of thousands of Americans seems a blatant disservice to our country.

Did McCain read the report before voting?

Florida's governor said he moved up the primary date to give Florida an equal voice. He said the decision was democracy in action. How is that an equal voice or democratic when it disregards all the states it jumped ahead of? No one asked him why, then, in the name of fairness, wouldn't all the states move up their primary dates? And, if Florida knew (and by forging ahead accepted) the consequences, why, after the fact, cry foul unless the whole thing was intented for the purpose of a recount?

Would there be such a cry if Hillary had lost Florida? Does she wield such power? Or is she and the Republicans "using" each other and the people of Florida and Michigan to get what they want?

Why didn't Clinton remove her name from Michigan's ballot when the other candidates did so? Is there any indication that she had a hand in orchestrating this whole event? Or saw a chance to exploit it and acted on that?

Why did the news media rush to appease Clinton when she began whining about favoritism? Why not treat her like they did Gingrich with the "Cry Baby Newt" headlines? Is it because she's a woman and they fear being accused of "hitting a girl"?

Why doesn't the media keep hammering at her blatant distortion of facts? Why, in admiration, do they perceive it as "brilliant" campaigning tactics when it should be considered offensive and immoral? Why isn't the "moral" majority weighing in on this? Is it because, for the moment at least, it serves their purposes?

Why doesn't the media insist on transperancy? Are the corporations that own the various stations charting the course and/or pulling the strings?

Everything Clinton has said and done since Texas and Ohio has seemed all about Hillary's willful ambitions instead of about what best serves the people. And, if she is strong-arming events now, while we are still in election process, what would her years in office be like? And why doesn't anyone ask her why the citizenry of the United States could ever trust someone who (for any reason) finds it acceptable to distort fact to get what they want? If she truly loved the people, she would have been deliriously happy that so many were responding to the democratic agenda. So much so that she could not have kept herself from throwing her hat into that ring. She certainly wouldn't want to disenchant, disenfranchise or disillusion those millions of first-time voters, or any of the Independent and Republican voters who were responding to the Obama message. She is, quite literally, telling us we don't matter -- at least not nearly as much -- as her own ambitions. She reminds me of the sibling that grabs the toy out of your hands and cries, "Mine!"

I do not understand why there is not outrage from her own constituents when we, the people, are told that this is well within the rules of the "game" and that this is just the "nature of the beast". If she can turn on your neighbor -- when it suits her, she can also turn on you.

Integrity matters. Truth matters. We, the people, matter. Without integrity and honesty, we are flagrantly reminded that politicians and elected officials either do not believe that, or are not willing to live by that. Those two should be the first qualifications for office. Any less than that, we should have the right to fire such holders of office immediately. We should also be able to file suit against anyone in service to the American people (including the Supreme Court) for intentionally misleading, outright distorting, covering up the truth, or strong-arming the populace to complete or satisfy their own (or their party's) agendas.

We should also be able to file charges against corporations or lobbyists who "pay" elected officials to serve them instead of serving the United States as a Whole -- one nation, indivisible. We use to call such attempts and behaviors "bribery." Which, of course, is punishable, by law.

Glass Houses

DocMobley — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 01:21:36 EST

Barack has started and should continue to remind the Clintons that "you should not throw rocks when your own house is made of glass." Thin, brittle glass in the case of The Clintons.

If Michelle Obama is fair game to be scrutinized then so is Bill Clinton. Family values resonates with many Americans. A positive family portrait of Barack and family and more about family values cannot be left out of this campaign.

Integrity and trust should be brought front and center. Any person with a sense of integrity knows that she did not "win" Michigan without Barack's name on the ballot. How can any person of decency go around saying she won Michigan? This person will do anything to win. Can you trust someone like that? Same for Florida, all the candidates signed a legal document that they would not campaign in Florida and acknowledged in writing that there was no contest there. Again, how can any person of decency go around saying she won Florida? This person will do anything to win. Can you trust someone like that?

BTW, I voted for Bill twice and was considering voting for Hilliary early on. Hilliary has lost her sense of decency and fairness, if she ever had it. She should be reminded, however, that "you should not throw rocks when your own house is made of glass."

Senator Claire McCaskell of Missouri is very positive. We need to see more of her in upcoming contests. We need to see more of our "big guns" Oprah and Caroline.

I hope to meet some of the Obama Hopemongers on the ground in Pennsylvania.

DocMobley in AZ - Yes We Can

RE: Maximilian Eberl's post on A better proposal

Sue — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:31:11 EST

Absolutely positively no! Anyone who supports Barack knows that the agenda's of Barack and Hillary have one very distinct difference. Hillary's agenda is backed by old politics, dishonesty, corruption, secrets, etc, etc. Barack's agenda is backed by his integrity and his insistence on changing the way we manage our government and politics - no more special interests, no lobbyist agenda, no behind closed doors negotiating, no corruption! The media keeps stressing how alike the two candidates are, but they could not be more different from each other!

I would never consider a proposal of 4 yrs of Hillary before Obama. And I doubt very much that Obama would want to be her VP, or that he would want her as his VP. Why can't people see Hillary as she truly is? Some of her supporters have come to see her as she really is, and have come to Barack's side, but those who have not seen, are blind. There's a multitude of factual information out there about Hillary that should leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth if they have any belief in integrity, honesty, and consistency.

So, what we need is not Hillary and then Barack, what we need is to continue letting the world know who Hillary really is. Barack deserves the presidency, and he will be the best commander in chief we've ever had! I propose that instead of your suggestion that we start with 4 yrs of Hillary, with Barack as VP, then giving Barack 8 yrs (you know darned well that Hillary would want the full 8 anyways!), that we skip the first step with Hillary, and go directly to the 8 yrs of Barack right now. I also propose that we supporters of Barack commit to enlightening the rest of the electorate about the real Hillary, and keep in the forefront the biggest difference that Barack represents: honesty, integrity, and reversal of bad government and bad politics. The rest of the issues are just an aside, because they both want similar results, only thing is, I prefer the one with integrity and honesty to be at the White House desk working for what we need. I won't vote for the corrupt Hillary.