I Have A Dream

"I have a dream where one day my four little children are judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin." - Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. (here)

Dr. King made that statement on August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington DC.

Election Day, 2008, was that day. Enough voters judged Barack Obama by the content of his character, not the color of is skin, that he was elected President of the United States.

Let's hope for the same in November, 2012, and going forward.  And that all are judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.  As Dr. King said,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

You Can Judge a Man by His Friends, part 2

Here we see Russian President & Dictator Vladimir Putin and American President Barack Obama at the G 20 Summit in Mexico in June, 2012. Unlike the pictures, below, of Putin with Assad and Ahmadinejad, these men are not smiling. They don't seem pleased to be in each other's company.

As an American, I am proud that the President of the United States does not seem happy to be in the company of the dictator of Russia.

Thanks to the NY Times for the image of Obama and Putin. 

Mittens and He Who Should Be Neutered

Why is Buddy Roemer excluded from the GOP debates? It's not that I don't like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul, it's that I have nothing but contempt for Mittens, he who should be neutered, and Santorum (who's name doesn't really mean what Google says it means) and ... Ron Paul is a white supremacist. Or he may not be, but he's their boy.

Gingrich cheats on wife 1, Jackie, with Other Woman 1, Marianne, who becomes Wife 2. Then cheats on Wife 2, Marianne, with Young Intern / Other Woman 2, Callista, who becomes Wife 3. This last while blasting Clinton for having a relationship with an intern. What Hypocrisy! What Arrogance! I mean "The Gingrich Wives" - sounds like the title of a film - a porn film.

Romney may be 'Wall Street.' But Gingrich is a lobbyist for Wall Street. Oh, I forgot- Gingrich is an historian.

Why don't I like Romney? He's not Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, Tom Watson, Henry Ford, Bill Hewlett, Dave Packard, Walt Disney: They created stuff. Romney looked for companies to raid.

Romney on Obama: "He had no jobs plan." But he saved all the union jobs at GM and Chrysler. "He never even managed a corner store; he was a community organizer (helping poor people). Romney didn't create jobs; he created poor people.

Mittens, Newter, Santorum, and Ron Paul will solve poverty by eliminating food stamps, Medicare. They will save poor people by allowing them to die.

So the problem with the Republican Party is that it has become the party of the lunatic fringe. Why is Buddy Roemer exlcuded from the GOP debates?

Romney: “Obama apologizes for America.” How, Mitt? By killing bin Laden? By going after Quadafi? Romney should apologize for driving for 12 hours with his dog strapped to the roof of his car.

 

John McCain was called a "Maverick" because he actually worked with Democrats.

Republican field narrows in the 2012 Race to Lose to Obama

The loss of Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump leaves Republicans Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Michelle Bachmann, Chris Christie, Herman Cain, and Ron Paul in the race to lose to Obama. On the Democratic side, Russ Feingold has indicated that he will challenge President Obama. Dennis Kuchinich is also said to be contemplating a run for the White House. Martha Coakley, who recently lost her bid to represent Massachusetts in the United States Senate, is also planning on registering as a candidate. She is not, however, planning on running an actual campaign.

The Democrats are planning Primary Debates in the historic Fraunces Tavern, in New York City, and the Green Dragon Tavern, in Boston, Mass. These are symbolic: a victorious General George Washingon said farewell to his troops, at Fraunces Tavern, and was inaugurated a block or two north, on the balcony of Federal Hall, on the Corner of Wall and Broad Streets, in 1789. (click). John Adams, Sam Adams, Paul Revere, and other Sons of Liberty ate, drank, and planned the Revolution at the Green Dragon. Before, after, or during their debates, someone, somewhere will say, "A black man, a Jew and a Pollack walk into a bar. The bartender asks 'What'll ya have?' The African American says 'Oval Office, straight up.' The bartender replies 'It's on the rocks.' The Jew and the Pollack say 'We'll have what he's having.' The bartender says, 'I can only serve one every four years, and he has dibs.' "

In a move that may disappoint social Conservatives, Mike Huckabee, Republican Governor turned Fox News commentator / entertainer announced that he is not running against President Obama in 2012. "I lost to McCain in 2008, I don't want to lose to Obama in 2012. Maybe I'll run in 2016. I should be able to beat Biden. And I'm making $2 Million at Fox. Why give that up?" Like most of the Republicans, he spends most of his time pandering to the far right and groveling to would-be kingmakers. But when he is candid and honest; he's refreshing and almost charismatic. Like Pres. Reagan, who raised taxes 11 times over the course of his Presidency, Huckabee, as Arkansas' Governor, raised taxes to pay for schools. He also referred to the "Club of Growth" as the "Club of Greed." Conservative kingmaker Grover Norquist seeks to apply to the United States the "Starve the Beast" tactic, a variation of the "Feed it till it Bursts" tactic Reagan applied to the Soviet Union. This has resulted in a terrible loss of infrastructure in the United States as our roads are full of potholes, bridges are crumbling, schools are declining and as the Europeans, and Chinese are pulling ahead in manufacturing, solar power, wind power, and railroads.
Donald "The Donald" Trump, the real estate mogul from New York City, in a move that was sure to disappoint comedians, also bowed out of the race. Despite giving more support to Democrats than Republicans while George Bush was President and Republicans had a majority in both the House and the Senate, Trump was talking about running as a Republican and was proud of his major accomplishments: inheriting a fortune, going bankrupt once or twice, marrying three models, divorcing two, firing people on television, hiring people to write trivial books about Donald Trump, and demanding that President Obama ask Hawaiian authorities to release his birth certificate. As profoundly important as these accomplishments may be, "The Donald" appears to believe that he was trumped by the President's recent accomplishment - authorizing the successful "Capture or Kill" mission against Osama bin Laden, which resulted in bin Laden's death and the capture of a treasure trove of information, albeit with the loss of one American helicopter. Trump will return to what he does best, firing people and boasting.

Disappointing both her supporters and the comedians, Sarah Palin has been strangely quiet. This is particularly upsetting to Tina Fey and the writers and producers of Saturday Night Live. Palin's last known public statement, that former President Bush deserves credit for the mission President Obama authorized that killed bin Laden, can only be described as a "gift" to comedians and "baffling" to rational people.

That leaves Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Michelle Bachmann, Chris Christie, Herman Cain, and Ron Paul.
Newt Gingrich, the 69 year old former Congressman, college professor, and intellectual, who married and divorced as often as Trump, but who did not marry models, is eminently qualified to work with John Boehner and Paul Ryan as they work to end Medicare, privatize Social Security, and dismantle the government. Gingrich is committed to, as Seth Meyers put it, "stop using my tax dollars to take care of me." As the force behind the 1994 "Contract On America," Gingrich is credited with shutting down the U. S. government, and helping Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election. Maybe Gingrich's real goal is to help Obama win re-election and thereby pave the way for a Republican to lose a challenge to Joe Biden in 2016. Gingrich, who began his campaign with a Twitter note and a Youtube video, wants to hook up with young people. Depending on the age of the young people he hooks up with, Gingrich could be looking at charges of statutory rape, or just being creepy.

However, by describing the Paul Ryan budget as “Radical” and “Right wing social engineering” Gingrich, while telling the truth, may have shot his campaign in the foot. (click). What the Republican and Tea Party rank and file seem to have just found out, is that the people funding the GOP and the Tea Party LIKE Radical right wing social engineering.
Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, looks to this self-styled pundit as the putative Republican front-runner in the campaign to lose the election of 2012. While Romney opposed the Cape Wind offshore wind farm that will generate electricity without pollution, he can honestly be credited with passing the Massachusetts Health Care Plan, also known as Obama-Care 1.0. (click). Voters, however, will have to ask themselves "why elect a moderately liberal Republican like Romney when they can elect a moderately liberal Democrat like Obama.
Tim Hosni Pawlenty is an American of Polish and German, not middle-eastern origin. While he can count on the support of Hosni Mubarek, and Republicans of middle eastern-origin, he probably cannot count on the support of Democrats or independents of middle-eastern origin.
Michelle Bachmann, stepping in to fill the void left by Sarah Palin, aspires to be the next hot middle aged babe on the Republican ticket. It really doesn't matter what she says, as long as she smiles appropriately. This is terrific news for Saturday Night Live. Sources tell us that Kristen Weig is rehearsing echoing platitudes, staring into space and looking away from the camera.

Disappointing Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and Progressives in New Jersey, Chris Christie is steadfast and adamant that he is not running, yet. "I wish he'd run," said a gay, Vegan, tree-hugging community organizer, on the condition of anonymity, "it would limit the damage he'd do here in Jersey."
Herman Cain, the Pizza Guy, one of about 1.1 million African Americans in the 55 million strong Republican Party, said, "Hey, I know I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of beating Obama. And I don't know if I want to. He's doing a good job, and all those black kids look up to him. But can you imagine how many pizzas I'm gonna sell with this? Do you have any idea of the Return On Investment of this 'candidacy'? Man, it's huge. Huge! And I'm talking to Murdoch about my own reality show. We'll call it 'Pizza Man' or 'President? or Pizza Man?' or Pizza Man President! I'll get Eddie Murphy to play me."
Ron Paul, the uncompromising libertarian physician turned Congressman, who's medical practice was devoted to Medicare patients, wants to legalize all drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, LSD and heroin, and eliminate all government programs, including education, research, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, NASA, NOAA, the ATF, the IRS, the CIA, the NSA, the FBI, and the Defense Department. "Fergit the 1950's, we need to return to the 1850's," he said. When it was pointed out that the US in 1850 had about 23 million people, and about 3.2 million were slaves, the wiley Texan said "Yep, so, what's yer point? I mean, we're all slaves to our hearts and our debts."

-

Copyright © 2011. Larry “XB Cold Fingers” Furman. This is a work of satire. Any resemblance to the facts is tragic, or hilarious. I report. Or I make it up. You decide.

Obama and Palin - the Best of Both Worlds

Obama and Palin - the Best of Both Worlds

Washington, DC, April 1, 2011. The White House announced that President Barack Obama has appointed former Governor Sarah Palin as "Liaison to the Conservative Community." The White House also appointed professor and "former" radical Bill Ayers "Liaison to Socialists, Progressives, and Other Kooks."

Bill McKibben was briefly considered for the job of "Sustainability Tzar" however Tim Geithner, Larry Sommers, Steven Chu and Ken Salazar persuaded the President that "we don't need a Sustainability Tzar, we need more growth of GDP and unregulated derivatives, and more consumption of fossil fuels coupled with Rube-Goldbergian carbon sequestration technologies, to be invented soon, and nuclear fusion, which is only 50 years away, maybe less."

Quoting Alan Greenspan, they said, "with a syncopatedly integrated interperiodic boom-bust bubble-pop series of macroeconomic cyclical events we will sustain high employment with simultaneous episodic high unemployment, causing elevated productivity and de-elevated wages, giving many people almost enough purchasing power to buy most of the necessities they need to live productively, work their entire lives, creating terrific debt, and give their children all the education they will need, unless they get sick." Obama took two aspirin and sent them away, calling for Palin and George W. Bush, saying, "bring me some real Amaricans I can understand."

Ayers could not be reached for comment. However, we were able to locate him using radio signals from his cell-phone. He is on a hunting trip with Mike Huckabee and Dick Cheney, and is expected to resurface re-educated and working with the Tea Party Movement.

Palin, however, said, "I'm a former 'Weather Girl,' so I can work with a 'Weather Man.' However, I'm not sure I can take the job because 'liaison' is a French word and I make more money egging on, I mean 'speaking to' the Tea Party activists."

Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh, on Fox News and other conservative oriented comedy broadcasting called it "a trick," missing the point that it was "a joke."

Obama v Bush - Cheney, Happy New Era

In response to the Christmas Day attempted terror attack, President Obama's actions and former Vice President Cheney's comments highlight the difference between the two administrations: The Obama Administration investigates first. On 12/29/9 President Obama said it was a systemic failure (Christian Science Monitor). On 1/3/10 he said the attack was planned in Yemen (NY Times).

The Bush / Cheney Administration shoots first, ask questions later. In response to the Christmas Day attempted terrorist "incident" the former VP attacked the President and the Administration, but oddly enough did not condemn the attack itself (Politico)

I think Obama should send Cheney to Guantanamo as a special investigator. I don't think he should be sent to Kabul, Baghdad, Gaza, or S. Lebanon - those areas are too volatile, and besides, he already knows all the answers. That's the difference. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, etc believed they knew all the answers, and the answer to every question was either coal, oil, or war. Obama and his team know that these are complex developing systems.

In all seriousness, at first glance Cheney doesn't appear to know what he's talking about. Obama is not talking about closing Guantanamo and setting the incarcerated suspected terrorists free, he is talking about closing Guantanamo and putting the suspects in jail until they are tried in a court of law. (Politico).

Cheney bears an uncanny resemblance to the character of Senator Bob Rumson, played by Richard Dreyfuss, in "The American President," (IMDB)

the 1995 film by Rob Reiner (IMDB) starring Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd, Annette Benning, as Sydney Ellen Wade, an environmentalist lobbiest, Dreyfuss, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, etc. In a terrific monologue at the end of the film, President Shepherd says (YouTube)

"Being President of this country is entirely about character.

"For the record: yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. ... This is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question: Why would a Senator, his party's most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution?...

"You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free".

"I've known Bob Rumson for years, and I've been operating under the assumption that the reason Bob devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong. Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's problem is that he can't sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only:

• Making you afraid of it and
• Telling you who's to blame for it.

"That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.

"You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family and American values and character. And wave an old photo of the President's girlfriend and you scream about patriotism and you tell them, she's to blame for their lot in life, and you go on television and you call her a whore."

Has FOX News Gone Too Far?

• 6/30/09 Glenn Beck agrees with a guest who urged bin Laden to attack U.S. with nuclear weapons.
• 7/25/09 Neil Cavuto and a guest say health care reform will impose universal euthanasia like "Soylent Green."
• 7/28/09 Glenn Beck says "The President has exposed himself as a guy ... who has a deep-seated hatred for white people ... or the white culture... This man is a racist."
• 8/6/09 Glenn Beck "jokes" about giving Speaker Pelosi a glass of wine with poison.
  Has FOX News gone too far?

I'm an American and a patriot.

Whether or not you voted for, agree with, or like Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi, he is the President and she is the Speaker of the House. Calling for her murder, spreading lies and propaganda about proposed health care policy to scare people, and calling for nuclear terrorist attack on this country are unacceptable. These statements are akin to shouting "fire" in a crowded theater. Fox's FCC licenses should be revoked. The network should be thrown off the air. Beck, Cavuto, their guests, producers, writers, and the Fox "News" executives responsible for these shows should be sent to Guantanamo, tried for advocating and inciting terrorism, and if guilty, punished to the full extent of the law. Ditto for Rush Limbaugh, his writers, producers, and those responsible for his "hate media."

Tell FOX News advertisers to cancel their ads

Here's a list of Fox News Advertisers / Enablers, (as of 8/31/09)
Accu-Chek / Roche
BuyWaterJet.com
CancerCenter.com
Carbonite.com
Cash4Gold.com
Cooney & Conway
Dannon.com
DiscoverEasyWater.com
EmpireToday.com
EncoreDental.com
ExploreHumana.com
GoToMeeting.com
Johnson Law Group / Contact Us
LearCapital.com
LibertyMedical.com
Merit Financial
NecklineSlimmer.com
OxiClean
Pearle Vision
PulaskiLawFirm.com
Rosland Capital
ServPro.com
SmartBalance
TDAmeritrade
The Villages
VeteranMeso.com
Video Professor
ZeroWater.com

Native American Indians and Native Born Americans Whos Parents are From India

But here's an important question. Do native born and naturalized US citizens who's parents are from India, Pakistan, Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka, etc. consider themselves American Indians? My parents - and my wife - were not born here. Yet, I'm an American. My kids are American. If my parents were Indian, Bengali, Pakistani, or from some other part of the sub-continent, I'd be an American Indian. As it is I'm a native American.

Even tho President Obama is an African American, prejudice and race remain problems. Colin Powell rose thru the ranks to very high positions. Condi Rice and Clarence Thomas prove that even incompetence is color blind (as long as it's politically expedient). America is changing. Mixed race couples don't raise an eyebrow. Same gender couples don't raise an eyebrow here, while in Baghdad and Gaza fathers are expected to kill their homosexual children, to preserve honor.

We're all the same under the skin. Compatible blood types, identical neurotransmitters, complimentary DNA. Every human from every culture recognizes smiles, joy, and tears. Those who don't hug, deep down, wish they could.

Rachel Maddow - Tied Up With Coal Rope? Anthracite Handcuffs?

In Strasbourg, April 3, President Obama summed up the challenges we face:

"We know that the pollution from cars in Boston or from factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, and that that will disrupt weather patterns everywhere. The terrorists who struck in London and New York plotted in distant caves and simple apartments much closer to your home. And the reckless speculation of bankers that has now fueled a global economic downturn that’s inflicting pain on workers and families — is happening everywhere, all across the globe.

And told us what he wants to do:

"... what I want to be able to do is not only fix the immediate crisis, but, working in partnership with other countries, create a path for sustainable, responsible growth. And I think we can do that. There are a lot of people who benefit from globalization, but there are also people who have been harmed by globalization. Globalization in and of itself can be good, but can also be destructive.

"... we could have just spent the money on the same old ways of doing things. But part of what we decided was if we're going to be spending a lot of government money anyway, why not spend it to double the amount of renewable energy? Why not spend it on retrofitting existing government buildings so that we drastically reduce their energy consumption?"

I agree with Al Gore that we should move from coal and 100% solar, wind, geothermal, marine kinetic, and other renewable, sustainable energy systems in 10 years. I believe that President Obama's stated goal, to double the amount of renewable energy, is a good start.

I wrote on this at Popular Logistics, and e-mailed Rachel Maddow (rachel@msnbc.com)

Burning one ton of coal creates about 3.5 tons of carbon dioxide. According to Robert Bryce, the U S burned about 1.1 billion tons of coal in 2007 creating about 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide, not to mention the fly ash, arsenic, mercury, etc. Is that not a problem? When she was on Air America Rachel criticized the coal industry. Why did Rachel ignore Obama's comment on sustainability? Last night the coal industry ran an ad on The Rachel Maddow Show. Rachel's hands are tied with coal rope, she is bound by anthracite handcuffs.

So while the good news is that the progressive agenda has become so mainstream that two nightly TV news programs are blatantly left of center; the bad news is that the buy-partisan coal industry is co-opting the progressive tv news. I guess it's back to the NY Times which covers all the news that's fit to print, SNL Weekend Update which is still not ready for Prime Time, Jon Stewart, where nothing is sacred, and The Colbert Report, where Stephen Colbert is sacred, and NPR.

The Republicanista Garbage Must Stop

I am shocked and dismayed, but not surprised, by the actions of high ranking Republicans. Ken Blackwell, candidate for RNC Chair, urged people to oppose Obama's reinvestment and stimulus plan. Not on it's failing, but because, according to Blackwell, “it could create a major electoral advantage for Democrats" (click here). John Bohner, House Minority Leader, is toeing this line with his opposition to the Democrats' proposed stimulus plan (click here). Republican Senator Arlen Specter opposes the confirmation of Eric Holder for Attorney General ostensibly because of the Rich pardon, but really because Holder acknowledges that waterboarding is torture, and Holder opposes torture, and could hold Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld Rice, and Rove to account (click here).

Two Million people attended President Obama's Inauguration in Washington. An estimated 38 million televisions and 8 million computers were tuned to the event, which probably means 100 million watched the Inauguration in living rooms, classrooms, conference rooms, offices etc. across the country. Regardless of the number of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who watched or were there to wish Obama and America success; opposing the President because his success will mean your failure at the polls, opposing his nominees because they oppose torture; these are what I would expect of Stalinists and Sandanista, not Americans. This “Republican-ista” garbage must stop!

Landslide - Liberal Mandate

Obama and FDR - I have been saying that we need an FDR, and that Obama has the resolve and the intelligence to be as good a President as FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt won by landslides in '32 and '36. Herbert Hoover believed in "rugged individualism" and, in '32, that the philanthropy of the wealthy would solve the nation's economic problems. He did not pull the U. S. out of the Depression. FDR did, and did it, in part, by creating the safety net and regulatory infrastructure that George W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan have dismantled.

McCain has called Obama "a socialist." He has also tried to equate Obama with Hoover. If this is correct, then Obama is a "free market socialist," a "capitalist socialist." But McCain was wrong on both counts. And it is John McCain whose ideals echo the failed policies of Hoover, along with his predecessors Warren G. Harding, and Calvin Coolidge, and their contemporaries, George W. Bush, Phil Gramm, Dick Cheney.

Describing the Republican Administrations of Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, FDR said "the Nation looked to the government, and the government looked away" and "government by organized mob." This is what we have seen again during the last 8 years; both abroad and at home. In the war in Iraq and in the response to Katrina, in firing prosecutors, in wiretapping Americans, and in the "signing statements, and executive orders with which George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney have governed by fiat. And they have not governed well. Maybe they meant well, but that's not good enough.

We need effective government. As Lincoln said, "government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

L is for Landslide!

New York. Election Day, 2008. 6:00 PM.

In Missouri 100,000 people went to see Barack. In Ohio last week 6,000 went to see McCain, and 4,000 were children taken out of school and bussed in. So it doesn't look to me that there are people waiting on line for 2 or 3 hours to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin.

McCain Endorses Obama

St Paul, MN. On Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Republican National Convention, US Senator John S. McCain, the Republican Party's nominee for President, endorsed his rival, Senator Barack Obama, for President of the United States. Talk about ending partisan politics and reaching across the aisle, this is what McCain, who prides himself on "plain speaking" said "Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first, country-second crowd: change is coming."

The Republicans have held the White House for 20 of the last 28 years, and the White House or the Congress for 26 of the last 28 years. And McCain had the chutzpah to walk into their stronghold and say "Change is Coming!"

What a guy.

He has earned my respect.

Not my vote, but my respect.

Speaking from an undisclosed location, Vice President, "Big" Dick Cheney said "What the F*ck? Does the "S" stand for "Stupid?" Or "Sh*t-head?" President Bush said "At's Right. What's Wrong?"

The Democrats v The Republicans in a Nutshell – Rudy Giuliani

Almost every speaker at the DNC said three things. Each said:

First that they respect John McCain.
Second that they disagree with McCain's vision of America.
Third that McCain's policies will be just like George W. Bush's.

I am waiting for any of the speakers at the RNC to have a noble, a charitable, or an honest word about Obama, Biden, Gore, or any of the Democrats. A “Christian” word, if you will.

I will not hold my breath waiting for a Republican to say 'Obama is a patriotic American with whom I disagree. His policies will be the policies of Bill Clinton, John Kennedy, or Franklin Delano Roosevelt.'

Thus far Lieberman lied about Obama when he said Obama "has not reached across party lines to get anything significant done." He has reached across the aisle, and he has gotten things done – help for veterans.

Guiliani belittled Obama's service as a community organizer, law school professor, Illinois legislator and United States Senator. As I see it, Guiliani has tarnished his own reputation.

But he and Lieberman are illustrative of McCain and the Republicans. They believe that they hold a monopoly on patriotism. They may be monopolists in terms of energy - that's why they favor nuclear, coal, and oil - and they may believe that they are patriotic, but just as an abuser “loves” his spouse, their policies are disastrous.

And just as the spouse of an abuser must leave and protect the children, we must seek shelter from the Republican party.

Questions on Obama v McCain
The President must understand the Constitution of the United States of America.
Every Citizen must understand the Constitution of the United States of America.
Work as a Community Organizer is Service.
Monopolists are not Patriots. Nor are people who outsource jobs.
Bush was the worst President of the United States, and McCain will be just as bad.
Bush was the worst President of the United States TO DATE, but McCain will we worse.
Bush was bad, McCain will be worse, and Sarah Palin will be even worse, unless you own stock in oil companies.
Lieberman should be stripped of all his committee seats in the Senate.
McCain's economic brain, Phil Graham is right - we are a nation of whiners.

The Mind of McCain

If something happens to me, this little lady can take over. But I'm only 72. I'm tough and I'm strong. I was a P. O. W. for God's sake. And Obama:Columbia, Harvard Law, taught Law School. Big deal. Sara went to college. Got a Bachelor's in Journalism from Idaho. Was Mayor of her city – 9000 people, and Alaska's Governor for almost 2 years. She supports Stevens and she fired that guy Manegan cause he wouldn't fire her sister's ex-husband. She's loyal and she understands power. That's all I ask. That's what I need.

And hey, she'd look even better than Cindy as Miss Buffalo Chip!

Drilling for Solar Power and Mining the Winds

I've been thinking about George Lakoff's ideas on framing the debate, as presented in "Don't Think of an Elephant" and I think about solar power and wind power more than I think about food.

I just heard that there was a big fight in Minneapolis over drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR. The rank and file and the "machers" of the Republican Party, the people I call "Republicanista," want to drill in ANWR. Their presumptive standard bearer, John McCain, wants more offshore drilling. He wants to drill in Alaska, and in California, Florida, New Jersey, and everwhere else. McCain, however, is opposed to drilling in ANWR "at this time." (Be very careful when a politician says "At this time." This phrase, "At this time" when used during a political campaign, means "At this time during a political campaign.")

I think we should be building more solar and wind power systems, we should be using ocean current, cogen, and conservation, and figuring out how to do "Deep Geothermal." And most of the people I talk to, regardless of whether they are "conservative," "progressive," or "liberal," as long as they are "intelligent," agree that solar and wind power are available now, and are pretty good for the environment, the economy, and national security. Even John McCain. But not the movers and shakers of the Republican party.

McCain want 20% of our electricity to come from clean renewable sources by 2030. Barack Obama has a more aggressive goal: 25% by 2025. Al Gore makes Obama look conservative. He thinks we can do 100% in 10 years, sees the US "Clean and Green by 2018."

I agree with Gore.

And I have figured out how to get McCain and the "Republicanista" on my side. We should just call it "Drilling." "Drilling for solar power!" After all, the roofers, mechanics, and electricians use drills when assembling solar energy systems and wind turbines. Who says you have to drill down? Why not drill up? Google "mines" the Internet. We could be Mining the Winds.

The Monica Effect

Dateline August 8. The Ivory Towers of Academia. "Those who don't learn from history," it is said, "are doomed to repeat it." The tendency of history to repeat itself is well known, but not well understood. Considering the roles played by women named Monica in the Administrations of current and recent U. S. Presidents, specifically, the role that Monica Goodling played in the Bush Administration, the Justice Department, and the United States of America, and the role Monica Lewinsky played in the Clinton Administration, the White House, and the good ole USA, I have prepared a scorecard that compares the two Monicas; Goodling and Lewinsky. Dubbed "The Monica Effect," this phenomena, while perhaps trivial and admittedly hard to swallow, must be studied.

Monica Lewinsky: willing to do anything, Anything! for The President.
Monica Goodling: willing to do anything, Anything! for The President.

Monica Lewinsky: Bimbo, certified in many bars, worshipped The President. Still does.
Monica Goodling: Attorney, admitted to The Bar, worshipped The President. Still does.

Monica Lewinsky: Didn't know anything about the Constitution. Didn't need to.
Monica Goodling: Didn't know anything about the Constitution. Didn't want to. Altho she was an attorney.

Monica Lewinsky: wore a blue dress for a private meeting with the President in the White House.
Monica Goodling: wore a white dress for dinner with Karl Rove and a blue suit for public testimony with Congress in The House.

Monica Lewinsky: was there when The President violated his sacred vows of marriage.
Monica Goodling: was there when The President violated his sacred oath of office.

Monica Lewinsky: dismissed by The President before he got caught.
Monica Goodling: dismissed by The President after she got caught.

Monica Lewinsky: broke no law but violated the rules of decorum and good taste.
Monica Goodling: broke the law and violated the Constitution of United States.

Monica Lewinsky: stimulated the President's breaking the law by committing perjury.
Monica Goodling: allowed the President's appearing to obey the law by preserving his deniability.

Monica Lewinsky: not pardoned by The President because she committed no crimes.
Monica Goodling: in line to be pardoned by The President because she "may" have committed crimes.

Monica Lewinsky: helped George W. Bush get elected as he boasted of integrity during his campaign, and as Al Gore distanced himself from the President.

Monica Goodling: may help Barack Obama get elected as he campaigns on "Change We Can Believe In" and as McCain distances himself from the President.


* This is a work of satire. Obama is a Professor of Constitutional Law who has demonstrated organizational skills, management expertise, and good judgment. McCain is a career politician who claims to be an independent minded "maverick" but who has voted with the Administration 97% of the time. Who would make a better President? From whom would you buy a used car?

Dear Hillary, Thank You

You and Barack fought tough campaigns, grounded in reality and hard work. You and Barack received a tremendous number of votes - more votes in the Primaries than FDR received in the General Elections when he beat Herbert Hoover and Alf Landon in the landslides of 1932 and 1936 and more than John Kennedy received in the General Election when he beat Nixon in 1960.

Could you have won the nomination? Could you have won the White House? Yes, I am proud to say. It's not about gender and it’s not about skin color. It's as Martin Luther King dreamed - it's about ideas. And it's about us. All of us. Male, female, white, black, brown, red, yellow, and green - especially Green. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Moslem, agnostic, and atheist; Native American, and immigrants; whether we came four years ago, or our forbears came 400 years ago, whether they sailed on the Mayflower, or they walked across a land bridge over what is today the Bering Sea.

Obama has won the delegates he needs to be the nominee and we, progressives, moderates, and conservatives, we the people, your supporters and Barack's, our children, and our parents; we need to help Barack win the White House. We must win. Whether by a slim majority like the 112,827 votes with which John Kennedy beat Nixon, or by a landslide like the 12 million votes and 42 states with which FDR clobbered Hoover in 1932. We must win. Not at any cost but because the cost is so high. We need to prevent McCain from serving "Bush's Third Term." Because McCain, like Bush, will serve the country to the special interests.

We must win the states you won - New York, New Jersey, California. We must win the states Barack won - Iowa, Illinois, and Hawaii. We must win the battlegrounds like Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. We don't need to win all 50 states. But we need to win by a majority large enough so that the Republicans can't steal the election - again. We need to carry enough seats in the House and Senate so the Republicans can't stop the policy initiatives we must push thru to rebuild this country. And we must rebuild so we can compete today in the 21st Century.

We must rebuild the schools, roads, railroads and factories. We must redesign the education systems and business models. We must redesign and rebuild the safety net Roosevelt, Kennedy and Johnson worked so long and so hard to build; the safety net Hoover couldn't conceive; the safety net Bush, Cheney and McCain can't abide.

We need to win where there are people who go to college, people who went to college, and people who can't afford college; people with health insurance and those who can't afford it and thus who don't have access to health care - 1 out of 6 of us - and Earth to George W. Bush and John 'W' McCain - the emergency room is for emergencies; it is not for primary care. We need to win because people are struggling to pay their bills and have to choose between food, medication, fuel, and rent.

I would love to see you as the Vice President. And I would really love to see you in the Senate for the next twenty years - in the Senate giving the Republicans a measure of what they have given us. I would love to see Bill Clinton the Ambassador to the United Nations fighting for the New American Dream - fighting for all the children of this Bush-whacked world.

So, Hillary, lead your followers from this Bush-whacked country. Campaign for Barack and for America, and ask Bill and Chelsea to do the same. Then go back to the Senate and whip Joe Lieberman into line. And Arlen Specter, Orrin Hatch, John "W" McCain and all the rest. They are stupid, pompous and arrogant - like Santorum claiming to diagnose Terri Schiavo - over TV. And Larry Craig claiming 'I'm not gay (I just fool around with guys)'. Give no quarter. Destroy Norquist the Traitor - before he destroys the country. Put them into place - out of the closet and into retirement. And if they are so aghast at government spending take away their pensions. Filibuster them into submission. Torment the so-called moderate Republicans and the hard line "Republicanista" who put Party ahead of Country, who make policy via lobbyist, who rant and rave against drugs and homosexuality and then go buy drugs and solicit gay prostitutes, who savaged George H. W. Bush for daring to raise taxes to pay for government programs, who tried to destroy your husband, these ‘chicken-hawks’ who send young people to war then take away their veterans benefits and health care. They should be ashamed of themselves. But they have no shame. They have no honor. They have only greed and false pride and arrogance.

Dare to be great. With Honor.