If the Shoes Fit Bush, He Should Wear Them

Average Americans, including this writer, have been conspicuously silent on political issues since the ascendancy of President-elect Obama… But we were forcibly shaken out of our Obama euphoria this past Sunday thanks to a pair of imprudent Baghdad loafers hurled at soon-to-be ex-President George W. Bush.

Iraqi journalist Muntather Zaidi delivered 2 shocking statements to President Bush, and all other Americans in the form of shoes. The first statement delivered by Zaidi said Bush broke Iraq with his misguided war causing much death and destruction; the second statement was directed at all Americans prompting us to heed our views of other cultures. We should value and respect the world hereafter by not electing Presidents like George W. Bush ever again.

Because Bush is our President, we abhor the sight of some foreign correspondent throwing shoes at him. We come to his assistance and offer him protection out of respect for the Office of the President of the United States. But as we do when we offer our own children protection and representation even though they have done wrong, we say to our President, ‘You have done wrong and you need to apologize!’

Mr. Bush has clearly been mistaken. His foreign policies have caused the United States of America to lose face in the eyes of the world. His presidency has destabilized an already fragile world, and has caused the country itself to slide into disrepair. This has all been punctuated by 2 shoes thrown at Bush’s head by an Iraqi citizen filled with disdain that most Americans have felt over the last 8 years...

This does not endorse Mr. Zaidi’s actions, but underscores them.

The problem for the rest of America is the Bush Presidency has given rise to many Iraqis who now feel justified in evening the score. Instead of throwing “flowers and candy and being greeted as liberators,” according to Dick Cheney after he and Bush invaded Iraq, an Iraqi is brazenly throwing both shoes at our President's head; a symbol of ultimate disrespect among the Iraqi people.

I doubt that Bush is willing to take any responsibility for this unfortunate incident. Already he is making jokes about it, but if he understood the Iraqi culture he would become more introspective about it… Actually, if he understood the Iraqi culture he never would have invaded their country from the beginning.

All we can hope for at this point is… if the shoes actually fit President Bush, he will wear them for a long, long time. He will one day come to a full understanding why he received them in the first place, and maybe that understanding will prove sobering for him.

According to Native American proverb: "Never judge a man harshly until you walk a mile in his moccasins..." Especially if he's willing to throw them at you.


G.L.M.

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The Rise of American Soul

The election of Barack Obama ushers in a brand new meaning of the term, "American Soul." Voters examined themselves and their true values as American citizens on November 4, 2008 and collectively decided that "soulfulness" was a far better way than fearfulness. Americans were willing to hire a new leader with more promise than years of service, but one who had the credentials and temperment to garner public respect and trust...

His journey to the White House is chronicled in this video.

G.L.M.

"Obama Effect" Delivers Presidential Victory to Democrat Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama has defeated John Sidney McCain, III to become the 44th President of the United States… Oh yes he did! America has changed overnight, and forever… Oh yes it has!

Our nation has embarked on a bona fide journey that has moved away from pipe dreams and wishful thinking. From dreams that were once about “40 acres and a mule…” Dreams that once whispered the words, “Separate but Equal..." Suddenly, America has opened her doors wider enabling all of her citizens access to her most prized institutions. Tonight, Obama’s dream became total reality. Tonight, we better defined the terms “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

The old “Bradley Effect" has been replaced by the new “Obama Effect.” Long live the “Obama Effect!”

America now writes a new narrative sequencing its beginnings from bitter cultural and racial divisions, to a more inclusive and truly American society. This is only the beginning, folks… but it has finally begun.

What remains clear is there are still pockets of American society that prefer not to change with the times. This Presidential campaign exposed millions willing to hold on to old hatreds regardless to how unfounded those beliefs may be. The Obama presidential victory is no doubt frightening to individuals who prefer fear over change.

Nevertheless, Obama has opened the door for more Americans who share his determination. He has single-handedly put success in reach of many Black, Asian and Latino Americans just by his own example. He has caused a spark in the hearts of many, and has forced millions worldwide to take notice of his strength of character.

No doubt an Obama Presidency inspires all of us, regardless of color and creed, to reach deeper into our own imaginations and to seek goals that would have been too lofty for our ancestors to seek or grasp… But seek and grasp we must for the sake of the nation... A frightening thought for anyone who is not for change…

Congratulations President-elect Barack Obama. You ran a valiant campaign and achieved the mandate you sought after.

G.L.M.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

More Than An Obama Presidency At Stake

For all intent and purposes this election has become a forum on Barack Obama and John McCain. We have discussed their qualifications ad nauseam, and now it is time to make the choice… But there is more at stake than who wins the Presidency.

Considering that all politics are local, there are many local government and state propositions that could drive future congressional and judicial agendas. With that being said, also consider the Supreme Court that Bush will leave behind to oversee many of these issues. It is very important that voters have just as much knowledge about these local issues as they have on their choice between Obama and McCain.

Another consideration in voting for or against the local-state propositions is who does or does not supports them, and why they give or withold their support? Many of these propositions, like Propositions 5, the Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act (or NORA), in California are funded by groups who benefit financially or politically from their passing or defeat without regard for the public good.

California’s prisons are overcrowded with a mixture of high and low security prisoners. Most of these inmates deserve their sentences, but thousands are incarcerated for minor drug violations or for drug usage that require treatment more than long prison sentences. The cost to California tax payers to run an overcrowded prison system is over $10 billion a year; about 10% of the State budget. This price tag is about the same as what the State of California spends on higher education.

Think about it… California spends just as much to keep people in jail as they do to graduate students from college!

It is clear that the nation’s criminal justice system needs a revamping because our prisons nationwide are overcrowded. But one group who lobbies against Proposition 5, and supports the prison status-quo is the powerful California Correctional Peace Officer’s Association, who directly benefits from all of the overtime needed to guard all of these inmates. They have contributed $1.8 million to defeat Proposition 5.

There are many other local issues that need local scrutiny. More ballot issue research might be required to get a better understanding of the local issues, but as the saying goes:

“An ounce of knowledge is easily outweighed by a ton of ignorance.”

G.L.M.

Obama Has Done His Part. We Must Do Ours

I gave my best
And plowed that field
The seeds are sown
I await the yield.

I bore my soul
And tilled each mile
My voice is parched
It scraped the vile.

Though night is short
And morning nigh,
The Day is near
With harvest high.

G.L.M.

Lemons To Lemonade

Dear Mr. McCain:

I would like to thank you for the masterful job you have done at prodding the American conscious during your 2008 presidential campaign. It is without a doubt the most significant thing you have done in your political career; perhaps even more important than your capture and imprisonment during the Viet Nam War. You have singlehandedly raised the level of political discourse to a fever pitch especially among your Republican base, and you have galvanized support for Barack Obama greater than any of his political rivals put together.

Your recent accusations against Barack Obama, notwithstanding your selection of Sarah Palin as your running mate, have polarized the nation in such a way that it has insured your own presidential defeat... As you and Mrs. Palin are aware, there are still those in America who have issues of unreasonableness and bigotry, and your campaign has been very instrumental in bringing those individuals out in the open especially to your political rallies.

With the news media present, we all get to see the unfiltered base of your support… It is now very easy to see that your campaign is fueled by people who would call for the death of Mr. Obama, and would consider him a terrorist because he disagrees with you. We hear the racial slurs directed at Obama and watch you feebly trying to quell the lynch mob mentality that you and Palin have empowered. Your supporters now “boo” your efforts to quiet them... We now understand that your presidency would be a repeat of the dark past, and would unearth some of the most hate filled ideology known in American history. We all recognize that unreasonable people would expect unreasonable behavior from your presidency in favor of their support which you gladly receive.

Your campaign allows Americans to make a clear choice for Barack Obama, and also frees up those independents and thinking Republicans who were once confused about your fundamental misunderstanding on national issues such as the economy and the Iraq War. Your only response during these trying times has been to sew fabricated stories about Obama with the cheap thread of innuendo and guilt by association, and lie about your roll in solving the nation’s economic crisis… Never mind that you are one of the Keating 5 who caused the biggest bank failures in history up to that time…

Never mind that you and Mr. Abramoff were closely aligned in the corruption of American political arenas during the tenure of George Bush. Never mind that you are being advised by the likes of Karl Rove whose corrupt associations outed a CIA agent Valerie Plame, and sent an innocent man to prison in the person of Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. Never mind that your running mate Sarah Palin has been found guilty of using her office as governor of Alaska for inappropriate abuse of power…

There is no need to bring up your record, however. The recent behavior of your supporters and your campaign in general have been the greatest blessing to all Americans… We clearly see the truth and understand that you are incapable of governing as a fair minded leader, and we clearly hear and see by your own words and actions that you lack the temperament to lead America out of the sorry state George W. Bush and a Republican Congress put us all in.

What confuses me is, despite all of these issues, you still had the nerve to run for President and believe you could win… It is a fact that over 80% of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track as a result of years of Republican leadership… You are a Republican who helped Bush drive the country down the wrong road.

By characterizing Barack Obama as “that one!” in your recent debate with him, we immediately recognized the notion of turning a “lemon into lemonade.” You meant that statement as a criticism of Obama, but it turned out to be your own downfall. You looked more like an undisciplined bigot, while your polling numbers went down even further as a result of your misguided statement.

Many believe that your defeat is providential; that the tenure of George W. Bush, which you were a big part of, could only turn out this way since right always wins in the end. I believe that the Universe is based on order. Republicans have been out of order for so long that the rule of universal law has taken hold of your presidential aspirations.

You have failed simply because you have tried to defy the rules of decency for far too long. You have run afoul of time and order just as other demagogues and undisciplined leaders have before you. Your campaign efforts were a necessary evil for all to witness how wrong it would have been to elect you President of the United States. You served a greater purpose than you will ever understand, but in failure you served us better than George W. Bush ever did....

Of course, nothing you have read here should be news to you, but it is written in the simplest format that will help you understand the defeat you will suffer on November 4, 2008

Sincerely,

G.L.M.

Richard Trumka of AFL-CIO on Racism and Obama

Republicans For Obama

Blueprint For Change

Get Out and Vote!

Keating plus McCain equals McFraud!

REVITALIZING CHANGE or REPUBLICAN FOSSILS? Young Voters Give Obama the Win

It has become a great season reminiscent of the winter holiday season when millions get into the spirit. Only, millions of Americans now have visions of political victories and defeats dancing in their partisan heads. But it has become so serious that even Santa Claus could become an unwelcome guest depending on his own political leanings.

The cold world of politics has become colder and more rancorous every day. Mother against daughter, father against son, lipstick against pig... McCain has ramped up his “Lie Machine” while his running mate Palin prepares to meet the press like students who cram for exams when they have not attended class all semester… Obama has loaded his quiver of arrows to shoot down all of the lies sent his way while Biden lays in wait for newcomer Palin, his deer in the headlights.

Several national polls tell a different story, but those stories should be disregarded. The real numbers have yet to be counted…

The polls cannot and do not account for the millions of voters added to the Democratic coffers... Democrats have added over 2 million new voters in 28 states that register voters by affiliation, while Republicans have lost 344,000 voters. That includes Ohio and Pennsylvania, two states that have recently voted out several Republicans in congress. These numbers include young voters who have never voted and are not accounted for in the national or state polling.

According to published reports Ohio alone has over 750,000 eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 22 who will vote for the first time; Colorado has 293,000; New Mexico 145,000; Virginia 465,000; Michigan 690,000 and Florida has over 1 million. Consider how mobilized Black and Latino voters have become. Their registrations have doubled in most states Kerry lost by a few thousand votes… Now you begin to see a new narrative.

Obama wins if he maintains his Democratic base that has been regularly polled while adding these new voters. Also note that these polls are not conducted with voters who can only be contacted by cell phone or who never answer their landline phones... Democrats.

This election is about change in many respects, but not only about political change. It is also about the change in social and cultural demographics of our society. It is also about the change in age demographics too. Those who were not voting age 4 years ago now have a vote. They have very little to do with the divisive politics of generations before them. Their world is shaped by their own reality, and they have rejected the world of Washington double talk and fear mongering that has dominated the country over the last 8 years. This new generation is more educated, and much more global than previous generations. They recognize their own power to enforce the changes they need and want.

Obama has become their change merchant. He represents their future, not fossil fuel McCain or Palin. While corporations attempt to fool the masses with their corporately generated poll questions, they have not questioned all of the eligible Democratic voters including the newly registered voters.

Earlier this month the BBC asked over 22,000 people in 22 nations who they prefer as President of the United States. They overwhelmingly selected Barack Obama, and yet Obama and McCain are tied in certain U.S. polls?

Don't count on it! Obama is way ahead. Ask your children.

G.M.

More reading on the subject of polls and cell phones:

http://www.pollster.com/blogs/cell_phones_and_political_surv.php

http://www.campaignline.com/stories/?StoryID=46659C9C-1422-17E0-F89D46ADC2F9FF81

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/962/story/309088.html

An Open Letter to Obama

Dear Mr. Obama:

In offering my support to your candidacy for President of the United States, I also applaud your efforts in bringing positive change to America's recently broken government. Indeed, you have the support of Democrats in general, and your voter base is strong. Nevertheless, this support alone might not be enough to get you elected in November. You will also need the support of thinking Republicans, Independent and undecided voters.

In your recent interview with Keith Olbermann of MSNBC, you stated that “the American public is not stupid” regarding the blatant lies coming from the McCain-Palin camp. The American public cannot be characterized as stupid, but the American public certainly has a short attention span when it comes to remembering things wrought by Republicans over the last 8 years. How else could you explain John McCain keeping this presidential race so close when he should be very far behind you in the polls?

Those many controversies leading up to the Bush victory in 2000 were overshadowed by his great Iraq deception in 2004. Yet he got another four year term in office… Unfortunately for you there seems to be more than enough Americans with short term memory issues willing to give John McCain another undeserved victory in 2008.

Mr. Obama, the American public has overdosed on The Simpsons, American Idol and sports programming. Most Americans do not know who their congressmen or congresswomen are, and they do not even care to know. In general, the American public is willing to believe what they are told by those they trust the most. So this issue is now about the quality of information the electorate receives on a daily basis.

Voters trusted Bush and Cheney for the simplest of reasons. It is now clear that those reasons never really existed. Many of those same voters are now willing to trust McCain and Palin for reasons that are even simpler, and more devious. These voters are either uninformed, or unwilling to be informed; unwilling to change... You still have access to those who are willing to be informed, and/or willing to change.

How do you get people to listen to truth even as they are being bombarded with lies about you and your political ambitions? How can you reach a population that is so consumed with foolishness that they would be willing to vote in McCain who says this election is not about the issues that face us, but about his image as he arrogantly shields Palin from press scrutiny?

First, you must spell the truth out to voters in the language that they understand. Make your accusations plain and clear. Remember, you are dealing with people who are gullible enough to believe Sarah Palin when she tells them she sold a jet aircraft on EBay, a complete fabrication.

Second, you must realize that you are not running against Vin Scully and Venus Williams… You are in a dogfight with McCain and Palin; two glorified thugs that would sell Jesus a false bill of goods for 30 votes. You must sharpen your words and let them cut with precision. You must get the public accustomed to the truth according to Obama.

Right now, those who are not in your camp are getting a steady diet of lies at every turn because McCain and Palin know they cannot beat you if the public voted on the real issues. Lying is their strength and it makes your candidacy weaker, especially when the public does not see you carefully tearing each lie apart.

Third, you must not look for assistance from the press. The press just wants a headline but not necessarily the truth. Take your headlines to the people and let the press follow along… Your press is the American public, and that is why you are so successful today. Make them angry at McCain. Pin ALL of the public’s troubles on Bush-McCain. No time to be Gentleman “O.” You are fighting the most devious of politicians.

Finally, show your public that you care enough about matters to get indignant about it. Get offensive. If you remain as passionate as you were in your acceptance speech then you will get the undecided voters on your side. There are millions of people losing their homes, or about to lose them. Even the memory of losing a home or a job many years ago counts today.

Americans are angry and blame Bush for America’s troubles. Bush is slinking away pretending he never took part in the crime, while his right hand man McCain tells everyone he was not accessory to Bush's failed legacy. McCain is telling all of America that he is a maverick who fought the Bush system.

Mr. Obama, you must make certain the public knows that McCain helped drive Bush’s getaway car with Karl Rove and Scooter Libby in the back seat! He endorsed the Bush policies 95% of the time, and that is not change. You must regularly tell the American public that McCain and Palin are nothing more than poster children of Republicanism under George W. Bush. They represent everything Bush and his administration stand for which is deceit, corporate greed and political corruption.

Remind the American public that it is not enough to just believe, but we must regularly think about what we believe in. McCain and Palin both are unbelievable…

I am looking forward to your inauguration on January 20, 2009. I will be in attendance.

Sincerely,

G.M.

Palin: The "Faint" White Hope

In watching the Republican National Convention, I have observed that mostly white men and women are there cheering and waving American flags… Despite the eventual spattering of brown and black faces that I finally saw in the crowd, this RNC celebration makes me realize even more that the Republicans have their own version of what “America” looks like, and how it should remain…

Republicans realize they must reach in their vast bag of tricks to get the attention of Americans if they plan on turning this election around in their favor. As usual, their bag of tricks consists of items that are never useful to the larger public, but chock-full of goodies that work magic on people who are easily swayed by the most divisive and least inclusive issues that face Americans… at large.

Issues of sex, religion, race and gender have been the hot button topics of this country since its inception. Though it is very possible to discuss these topics with reasonable discourse, Republicans bellow these facets like crazed people yelling “fire” in an overcrowded evangelistic tent. And what better way to fire up the Republican troops when you are about to lose a Presidential election to a Black opponent?

First, they bellowed “Muslim,” because his name is Barack Hussein Obama… Then it was “anti-American,” when he did not wear a lapel pin… Soon Republicans took him to task over “anti-white” sermons his minister preached. Underneath it all was their Obama rallying cry, “lack of experience.”

Tonight the Republicans presented Sarah Palin as their Republican Vice Presidential Nominee. This was the first time most Americans actually heard her speak or got a glimpse of her. We know she is the Governor of Alaska for less than 2 years, and has 5 children. Her husband is a fisherman and member of the Teamsters Union… She is under investigation for political crimes. She believes that Obama is inexperienced and that McCain is the “right man for the job…” What more do we need to know…?

Republicans are hoping for that “Palin Assist.” But since she brings little to the Republican ticket other than partisanship and drama, they are hoping that Palin will assist them in winning over white Americans, especially white Hillary Clinton supporters. They are banking on the likelihood that whites across the country leaning Obama’s way will become so incensed after they witness Obama jab Palin and McCain that they will turn Republican….

On the surface Republicans will characterize it as an “elite” Democrat challenging “American values,” but under the surface and in their hearts and minds it is all about the "uppity" Black Man disrespecting a White Woman who has now become the Republicans’… “Faint” White Hope!

These tactics of gender and race divisions might work in some parts of the country. It certainly worked in Tennessee Bob Corker’s favor when he beat Harold Ford in 2006 by less than 5 percentage points. Remember the white woman in Corker's television add beckoning Ford? Informed Democrats want to make sure these divisive tactics do not influence this election…

Ethnic times have changed for the majority of Americans. Someone needs to tell the Republican Party leadership that these are now “multi-ethnic” times. And if they are not sure how to change with the times then they should learn from the Democratic National Convention… Every race and ethnicity got some face time at the DNC. They all considered themselves uniformly patriotic and willing to change the look of American government.

But all those in favor must vote to bring about this change…

G.L.M.

Glass Heads and Glass Houses

Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin today announced that her 17 year old daughter was pregnant, and that she would eventually marry the father of the child. It was also announced that Palin has hired a defense attorney to represent her in an Alaska State investigation regarding allegations that she misused her state office to fire her ex-brother-in-law from his Alaska State Trooper job…

Palin’s spokesman Steve Schmidt issued this statement: "Life happens in families. I think that if people try to politicize this, the American people will be appalled by it," Schmidt said."The fact is that the American people, who are decent people, don't appreciate intrusions into the private space of good families -- of families who are dealing with real problems."

Was Bill Clinton's family dealing with a real "Lewinski" problem?

Now let’s be real… If you have been an Evangelical Republican for the last 10 years, as Sarah Palin has been, you cannot claim that exemption, “life happens,” when you miserably fail your own code of moral ethics; the same code you harshly imposed on the Clintons and others of their Democratic Party... You cannot be an Evangelical Republican, that has shown little compassion towards the poor Black unwed mothers of America, and expect to hear nothing when your own Republican-Vice-Presidential-Candidate's teenage daughter comes up pregnant with no husband…

Unfortunately, when you live in a glass house you are always repairing broken glass. It is unavoidable. Truth is we all live in glass houses. Our lives are filled with see-through panes that are easily shattered once we start throwing stones. The problem for Republicans rests in their belief that they are the only ones entitled to launch stones without return fire.

Republican policies are generally geared towards blaming the victim. They preached this false gospel that the victims of Hurricane Katrina were either being punished by God for their lack of morality, or because they were too stupid to get out of New Orleans before it was too late. Republicans threw those stones from church pulpits, and conservative talk radio shows. Those stones came back to further shatter Bush’s image and the Republicans who supported him in Congress. Pictures of President Bush and Senator McCain eating birthday cake while the people of New Orleans were drowning in 2005 eventually surfaced.

Bush is now in Texas coordinating the efforts for Hurricane Gustav victims in an attempt to make up for his Hurricane Katrina failures. But his glass house is broken beyond repair...

Republicans have shown little compassion for women issues in the last 8 years. They are run by older White males who want control over the bodies of American women by reversing Roe vs. Wade. The Republican Party has been hijacked by the “Christian Right,” therefore the Republican party has become intolerant of issues that go against what they consider “Christian Values.”

Enter Sarah Palin, a relatively unknown quantity that has risen to prominence within the male dominated Republican Party. She is the female equivalent to Alan Keyes; a token who is willing to be used by those in power who would do anything to keep power… presenting a false choice...

Apparently McCain does not realize that by selecting Palin he has exposed his own judgmental weakness. In throwing her out to the public McCain has exposed his own head, and those of the entire Republican leadership to a barrage of hard hitting questions that ask, “Is McCain fit to lead this country?” Are Republicans serious in presenting John McCain and Sarah Palin as their answer to Barack Obama and Joseph Biden?"

"Thee shouldst not throw Stones, who hast a Head of Glass thyself " [1754 J. Shebbeare from Marriage Act II. lv.]

GM

Wake, Forgotten Sleepers!

Wake forgotten sleepers…
Lift your faded hues
Loose your earthen comforters
Hear the latest news.

Brother took your mantle
Wears it proud and grand
Shook the dusty ages
With a noble stand.

Said he was the leader
Fights the rebel brand
Holds your grievance to the light
Claims he has a plan.

Speaks to seats of power
Things you could not say
Walks the Hall of Justice
Makes the masses pray.

Bares your blessed colors
Red, white, black and blue
Lives the hope you died for
Saw your dream come true.

Wake forgotten sleepers…

G.M.

watch: Mr. O & Mr. Joe
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=21fWpET45ww

Evangelical Incite

Yesterday, Barack Obama and John McCain squared off in Orange County, CA. The battle took place in a church; an “Evangelical” church in ultra conservative “Orange County, CA.” It was more like a job interview with Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church. Obama interviewed pretty well, but it was clear to me that McCain got the job just by judging the congregation’s reaction to every thing that he said.

That raises these questions in my mind:

Why do 67% of all White Evangelicals want McCain to win while only 23% want Obama? Why are “Christian” churches in America segregated along racial lines while the people who attend them swear they are all going to heaven to be together with Christ?

I listened to the Obama-McCain forum on the radio. Rick Warren asked softball questions for the most part. He touched on the issues that concerned White Evangelicals like abortion, moral failures and Supreme Court Justices. He even gave both candidates the opportunity to tell the world how much of a Christian they were. But it sure seemed as if the pitches McCain got were slower and right down the middle of the plate. For instance, McCain had the crowd believing that he and one of his North Viet Nam jailors together expressed their love for Christ before the jailor took him back to the “Hanoi Hilton.”

That was hard for me to swallow… I was once a prison guard.

What was missing from the forum was any discussion on the war in Iraq, and the number of innocent civilian women and children that are now dead or permanently injured because of it. There was no mention of the fact that McCain supported Bush’s great lie which plunged the nation into a conflict that brought great moral consequences to America’s standing in the world, and has given a big assist to Russia as they now invade Georgia. Obama did mention that the American government cannot keep its promise to educate its own while spending billions of dollars each day in a “war that never should have been in the first place,” to polite applause.

But no-matter what McCain or Obama say, race will be the driving force in this election… White “Evangelicals” will vote for McCain simply because he is more comfortable for them since he looks talks and feels like the White Brethren who attend church every Saturday and Sunday. He is White like the images of Jesus Evangelicals and others have grown to believe and accept as the true image of Christ... McCain will not betray their trust when his policies cost them nothing by way of more taxes or financial sacrifice, and he will keep them singing songs and hymns that have convinced at least 67% of White Evangelicals, and many other Christians that they are favored by God above all others simply because they have misconstrued the teachings of Christ for their own benefits…

You know: “McCain said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me!”

GM

Dealing a Deck of Race Cards Not According to Hoyle

So the McCain camp finds itself short on ideas, short on enthusiasm and short of real support… They are faced with the enormous challenge of taking on the Obama camp rife with ideas, youthful vigor and standing-room-only throngs that are full of energy quite willing to use it towards Obama's election. This leaves the McCain camp with only one real choice: throw mud in everyone’s eyes and hope they do not see the real truth about who McCain really is.

Who is John McCain anyway? We know that he was a Navy pilot who got shot down in Viet Nam. We know he is a man short on temperament. We know that he is married to a wealthy woman who owns a large beer distributorship in the U.S. We know he is a Republican who now supports every decision George W. Bush made. But who is he? He said he was a “straight shooter,” and a “no nonsense Republican.” In 2004 he approached Democrats with the idea that he would consider being John Kerry’s running mate. Go figure!

For a while McCain seemed to have trouble convincing even Republicans that they should support him in 2008. Even they wondered who he really was. Because he was not Republican enough McCain got the thumbs down from famous Republicans like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Even Ann Coulter dropped her support for McCain early on. But all seems well with McCain and his Republican base these days… What happened?

John McCain, the maverick Republican has now become John McCain, the Republican card shark. McCain now plays with “marked decks.” You can find these marked cards now at any official Republican gathering. Some are collectors items handed down by the likes of Lee Atwater (the "Willie Horton Commemorative Box”), and Strom Thurmond (the “Jim Crow Forever! Pack”)… During the election of 2000, one of these classic marked decks were also played on John McCain by George W. Bush himself. That deck was called the Karl Rove “McCain Has a Black Baby, South Carolina Edition.”

History tells us that when a Republican presidential candidate plays marked decks of Republican race cards according to Republican Hoyle, they usually win that election. Therefore, the choice has become clearer for McCain... He must pick up the deck of cards marked with Republican racial divisiveness and Republican dirt; then, play it on Barack Obama and hope to beat him in November. The mud that Mr. McCain slings must be laced with the powerful poison of race baiting, and also be strong enough to blind the willingly ignorant voters. Its potency must be capable of reaching the bloodstream and do further damage to the core of a person who might already be plagued with bigotry and hostility towards non-white people, preferably blacks or Muslims.

Fortunately, these Republican marked decks will not decide the presidential election of 2008. Obama seems to have a fresh and unmarked deck that has more aces to play than McCain has “races” to fray... According to recent polls and the enthusiasm he generates around the country, Obama will have enough votes to beat McCain, but nothing is for certain considering how the major corporations like funding Republican card games...

All Americans, not just Black Americans, have suffered under a George W. Bush administration. Foreclosures are at an all-time high as are gas prices. Job losses are at an all time high as are American factory closures... All Americans, not just Black Americans, have endured the politics of personal destruction and the politicizing of the American justice system under the leadership of George W. Bush and his enablers such as John McCain. All Americans, not just Black Americans are appalled at the presumptuous behavior of Republicans who ran the economy into the ditch while trying to sell a war that never should have been in the first place.

John McCain is now asking for four more Republican years in the White House suggesting that Americans should trust him because he is white while Obama is not? Surely you jest Mr. McCain! Even Edmond Hoyle, the foremost authority of card games and writer of detailed card playing rules said, “When in doubt, win the trick.”

The McCain card game seems full of dirty cards and tricks.

GM

Southeast Symphony Sparkles at Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles

The African in America has left a definite and prosperous brand on American culture. But the ever changing world of Black awareness in this country has reached for even greater heights in recent days… CNN is now broadcasting a series entitled, “Black in America,” which airs nightly... Barack Obama gave a speech to over 200,000 cheering Germans in “Deutschland…” On a more local note, the Southeast Symphony, under the direction of Charles E. Dickerson, III celebrated its 60th year with a sold out concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra… Significant, indeed!

The Southeast Symphony was founded in 1948 with the expressed purpose of affording opportunities for musically inclined African Americans to play in a symphony orchestra. Since people of African descent were not allowed to join the established orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Pasadena Symphony, the Southeast Symphony provided the vital experience in the Greater Los Angeles Area for Black musicians with orchestral talent.

On July 20, 2008 the Disney Hall was filled to capacity… Better yet, on that date the Disney Hall was filled to capacity with African-Americans who love and appreciate the musings of George Gershwin as interpreted by Charles “Chuck” Dickerson and the Southeast Symphony Orchestra…

There are one thousand and one subtexts that could be written under this heading, however the one that counts most is this one: The Southeast Symphony of Los Angeles filled the Walt Disney Concert Hall with Black faces and polyphony that would have thrilled Gershwin himself while he took pride in knowing his music stood the test of time…

No orchestra sounded better, and I have experienced Bernstein personally. Under the direction of Dickerson the orchestra offered unblemished works of art to match the acoustically perfect ambiance… Each piece offered a different dimension of the composer as it also showed the sensitivity and understanding of the interpreter and conductor Dickerson…

“Cuban Overture” presented many challenges with its rhythmic patterns suggesting Cuban dance, and attention to musical color and instrumental technique. “An American in Paris,” beckoned me to those days when all seemed well and life was only about your favorite song. It has been a favorite of mine for life and perhaps would have been my most favored of the concert if I had to choose one.

Pianist Althea Waites, a graduate of Yale University School of Music, performed “Rhapsody in Blue” with soulful precision, and as a master musician who comprehends the alliances between classical and jazz interpretation.

Finally, the Southeast Symphony with soprano Victoria Burnett, and baritone Cedric Berry were joined by the chorus to perform venerated selections from “Porgy and Bess.” Ms Burnett, well known in the Los Angeles community of singers, balanced sophistication and musical radiance to add to the many fine solo performances as “Bess.” Mr. Berry, a performer with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and a "first place winner" of the Metropolitan Opera Western Region Competition, continued his musical prowess with renditions as “Porgy" and "Sportin' Life.”

Seekers of music can be its worse critics, but true musicians are angels among us capable of turning their listeners into true lovers of their art… Walt Disney Concert Hall found itself full of lovers and beautiful symphonic music. For a couple of hours we listeners believed that life was only about our favorite Gershwin symphonic pieces… We were willing to forget for a moment that 60 years ago this same Southeast Symphony was born out of discrimination towards black classical musicians in the Greater Los Angeles Area who could not find work…

Under the masterful direction of Charles E. Dickerson, III, all was well; all was peaceful. It was ALL Southeast Symphony…
BRAVO!

GM

Wedding Day Pixels

It was such a tremendous day that I went home with a headache, and my eyes full of tears. My heart was nearly shattered from the day’s emotions, while my mind was overrun with images of the never-to-be repeated past…

The wedding day of my first born… The tiny baby girl that I would rush home from work everyday just to hold and kiss and sing to… My little Britany… The heart and soul of me is now someone’s wife!

Weddings are very special events that not only mark the passage of time, but announce the beginning of new life. On June 29, 2008 Britany and Marc Alexander began their new life together… Mine ended and began anew the same day. It was a journey that only a protective father can make, and he does it in the secret of his own joy and pain.

The walk “down the aisle” was brief, but at the same time very long. You hold your little baby-now-woman by the hand and take her to her new life; her new man… He is now “the man” and you are now a memory. If you raised your daughter right, and if your investment in her was unconditionally and significantly love based, then you’ll be a very pleasant memory. You also get the privilege of knowing for certain that your baby-now-woman does not really need you like she once did, and that your purpose has been fulfilled… You go home and cry some more…

It is one of the greatest moments of fatherhood, and as my ace dog Roger would say, “You’ve got to be a man just to look at it!” This is what every father wants: to know that his daughter can say goodbye to childhood relationships and matriculate into the world that awaits her; a world of open arms and sharp teeth.

On my baby’s wedding day, I observed a world with open arms. I saw a man after my own heart embrace her with love and humility. My new purpose in life is to embrace them both as one and love them as if they both still need me…

I do…

GLM

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A Father's Day Perspective

From childhood I have been told it is better to give than to receive. That kind of thinking has its disadvantages on “Father’s Day” if you are looking for praise… You would rather not sit around all day seeking recognition from your children for doing what you were supposed to do in the first place.

If you helped bring kids into this world, you were supposed to support them. You were supposed to teach them lessons that would save their lives, like looking both ways before crossing the street. And if you had special talents like being kind, getting along with others, and going to work everyday, you were supposed to hand those special talents down to those who called you “father.”

Truth is, not all fathers do what they are supposed to. As with all human endeavors, failures and imperfections are part of the fatherhood landscape… Every father knows that all too well, unless you are one of those phony brothers living a lie.

Take the “Father of Father’s Day,” Civil War veteran William Smart… He was the father of 5 young children, and became a widower when his wife died while delivering their 6^th child. Mr. Smart raised his children all by himself, including an infant, on a rural farm in Washington State. His daughter, Sonora Smart Dodd, after becoming an adult and realizing what her father had done, decided to honor him and all the fathers of her church who did what they were supposed to do… Sonora’s dream was realized, and in Spokane, Washington in 1910 the first Father’s Day was observed.

Mr. Smart had been given a difficult task to perform. Those 6 children bore the lifelong scars from losing their mother, I am sure… But like Mr. Smart, all fathers are given the task of “caring” for others in a world determined to make it as difficult as possible. It is the caring part of fatherhood that turns duty into acts of love.

The real pleasure of Father’s Day is in knowing those who you fathered really care about you. The real pleasure in this day is in knowing your children believe deep down that you did more than just what you were supposed to. As a father you actually want the pleasure of knowing that your children believe and understand that you cared so much for them that you gave your all for their survival…

My dad did that… Thanks Pop.

Dad and Uncle Charles

GLM

To The Moon and Back

In an age of rocket science and planetary explorations, our high water mark for American space travel is still the successful transport of Americans to the moon and back… Since, there have been noble deeds performed by American astronauts in space. But “One small leap for man. One giant leap for mankind” still trumps any machine that digs into the soil of planet Mars…

We have gone to the moon and back. We have conquered centuries old myths surrounding planet Earth’s moon. Now, we embark on a journey just as terrifying to some, and mythical to others: Electing a Black President of the United States of America…

The presidential launch of Barack Obama has potential to be one of the most spectacular events of American history, or as divisive as the Iraq War itself. It could unmask the collective American spirit for future success, or could cause the nation to consciously take a giant leap into the dark past.

Where were you when Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface of the Moon? How about when Obama won the Democratic nomination? If you were like me, you were in a state of disbelief and celebration. I was able to fully appreciate the words of Martin Luther King when he said his children would "one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

It was content of character that took Armstrong to the moon and back.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, an American man, went to the moon and gave identity to a space program that began as a simple dream of mythical proportions. On June 3, 2008, Barack Obama, an American black man, won the Democratic Presidential Nomination that was once a mythical dream of his black ancestors, and gave simple hope to future generations of Americans that ALL men and women are created equal.

If Barack Hussein Obama proves himself to be worthy, then Americans of all colors and creeds should take a giant leap forward and elect him President... Character, and not his race must determine his fitness to lead.

It will be content of character that takes Obama to the White House. A feat as difficult as going to the Moon... and back.

GLM

CHOICE: The Most Important Word of All

Choice is the exercise of free will. It is what drives the human spirit. However, choice is the most powerful word, and potentially the most dangerous action known to mankind. The fact that not all people regard choice as a good thing lets you know how precarious a “choice” can become.

On the subject of choice, noted philosopher Dr. Frederick Bailes said: “Man’s power of choice enables him to think like an angel or a devil, a king or a slave. Whatever he chooses, mind will create and manifest…” Even if you do not subscribe to the theories of Dr. Bailes, you have to admit that his “choice” theory is on target.

Nevertheless, you should take note that unlimited choice can lead to psychological problems. Unlimited choice could cause you confusion, conflict and regrets brought on by illusions one might develop through believing unlimited choices also means unlimited control, and unlimited access to unfettered desires within an unstructured existence…

Some sports and religious fanatics may fall victim to the reality of unlimited choice in an unstructured existence, i.e. a person beating or killing someone else because their team lost the Super Bowl Game; inflicting physical or psychological injury to another person because that person refused to follow certain religious teachings or practices. Seekers of political office and their supporters often find themselves in a state of unhealthy conflict and delusion due to the belief that their choices give them unfettered control or access to laws and government using structurally criminal logic based on an anti-social agenda.

The power of “choice” is nothing to play with, but is everything to consider with the deepest of respect. Choice engages the pathway of thinking with the process of judging the subsequent choice options, leading to a selection of appropriate or inappropriate action. Here is where one personally unleashes his or her “angel or devil, king or slave.” But when uninformed people make uninformed choices, they usually unleash the very thing they thought they were trying to contain.

Whomever the American public chooses to serve as their next President, let that choice be based on an informed public engaging its pathway of rational thought with sound judgment, so that the subsequent action brings forth an appropriate choice for our nation… and not just for the most vociferous members.

Let not this choice be based of skin pigmentation or other misnomers such as “hard-working white people," war service records or religious misinformation. Indeed, when making your Presidential choice for 2008 think like a restless slave who was once an angel. Remember how it was in contrast to how it is. Look at your choices and select the person who represents the kind of change required to get this nation back on the right track. Select the person who can actually add structure to the government that you would be willing to make appropriate choices towards its betterment…

And remember: “Whatever you choose, mind will create and manifest.”

GLM

Does Your Mother Know Where You Are?

Today we give special honor to all women who consider themselves "mothers." The goddesses who rescued us from harm, and nurtured us from childishness to responsibility. It is Mother's Day... Does your mother know where you are today?

Mothers are more important than presidents and presidential elections; kings or queens. Lose a mother and you will understand what I mean... Mothers come in all shapes, colors and sizes. They come with all sorts of ideas and attitudes and with purposes generally unknown by their male counterparts. They are usually smarter than the rest of the human population, but seldom get credit for the jobs that they do...

I take my hat off to my mother. I could not have done her job even if I were given unlimited funds. Her work as a mother was always performed "Pro bono publico," and usually included someone else's ill tempered kids. As thankless as the job was, I suppose she got satisfaction in knowing that she let a bunch of us stand on her shoulders while she worked hard to keep her balance. Strange I never fell from her high perch while she did that acrobatic balancing act down below...

Thanks, mom... I know you felt like pushing me off a few times. We all owe you a debt that would be impossible to repay even by today's standards...

If your mother gave you one good thing or tried her best at mothering you, this is a day you should celebrate... If you ever felt the love of a mother, even if she was not your own birth mother, you have cause to celebrate today... If anyone of the female gender ever wiped a tear from your eye, then today is your day.

The experience of being a mother is fathomless, and her importance transcends time and the universe... Happy Mother's Day to ALL mothers. Even Barbara Bush... May you enter the Pathway of Light with joy, and may your souls receive endless blessings from on High...

GLM

Happy Mother's Day!

Disarming the Haters

Time to move on…

“Those interested in fighting expressions of anger and hatred and isolation can always denounce or debate them. But denunciations and debate often do not deal with the core sense of anger. Every group of aggrieved people has some core set of experiences and beliefs, and these experiences and beliefs are difficult to rebut. The Obama approach is the one most likely to be successful. Inclusion of average citizens in the Obama coalition takes away a source of volunteers and fundraising for those consumed with counterproductive anger and hatred. Rhetoric of inclusion, explanation, understanding, and mobilization undermines the intellectual isolation that so many of the most alienated suffer from.”

These statements by State Rep. Mark Cohen, Dem. PA, are disarming and indeed reflect the hopes of millions worldwide. It truly undermines haters of all colors and political persuasions who are content with just stewing in their own confusion or discontent.

I was asked this question the other day: “What candidate best embodies the sense that Americans can pull together and solve their problems collectively?”

We will not solve a thing by staying in Iraq for 100 years. Nor would we by opposing the war but doing nothing to bring it to an end... How could any of us benefit from the obliteration of Iran? Since nothing was solved by the killing of Saddam Hussein and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, how does more war restore safety to those in harms way? What have American national and foreign policies been successful in doing these last 8 years other than dividing the nation against itself, and the world community against our leadership?

Time to move on… It is time to do more than be angry at our neighbors who differ in their opinions about the situation. It is time to do more than use irrelevant individuals, such as Rev. Jeremiah Wright, as convenient "whipping boys" to divert attention from the real work ahead. It is time to do something that would bring a "positive" change to the future of the country and the world.

Goodbye George W. Bush; Dick Cheney… See you later Condoleezza Rice… Take it slow Scooter Libbey… Don’t call me; I’ll call you, Karl Rove… And don’t let the doors hit you as you all leave the scene!

Here’s to better days ahead...

GLM

MAY DAY Mayday!

May First is a day celebrated worldwide, honoring workers with parades and festivities. But for Americans, this May Day demands a “Mayday! Mayday!” distress call... We are all in distress about things that used to not stress us at all…

The former press corps did not as much mind when high profile preachers and evangelists spoke out and said things that were unkind, or inflammatory about differing religions and ethnicities…

Take the Rev. Billy Graham for instance. In 1972, he was recorded in the Presidential Oval Office, on Nixon’s now infamous Watergate Tapes, talking about Jews and the media. Rev. Graham is heard saying: "This stranglehold has got to be broken or this country's going down the drain." Then he went on to tell Nixon: "A lot of Jews are great friends of mine. They swarm around me and are friendly to me, because they know that I am friendly to Israel and so forth, but they don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country, and I have no power and no way to handle them."

Well… I am glad Nixon had the temerity to tell Rev. Graham, “You must not let them know.” Or, as he might have said if it were Rev. Jeremiah Wright: “Be cool Jerry! Don’t blow our bigoted cover!”

History records that Nixon's and Rev. Graham’s cover got “blown,” but they both went on to more fame, or perhaps infamy… In November, 2004 Rev. Graham was lining up Christians by the thousands for baptism in the Pasadena Rose Bowl.. All the American Presidents since Eisenhower have called on Rev. Graham’s services and counsel…

In 2000, George W. Bush said he stopped drinking because of a bible study with Billy Graham…

Mayday!

How about the late Rev. Jerry Falwell? He was an outspoken supporter of the South African apartheid government? He gave much comfort and support to staunch apartheid advocate, P.W. Botha when he was elected South African President by the white minority... After Archbishop Desmond Tutu received his Noble Peace Prize in 1984, Rev. Falwell said of the Archbishop: "I think he's a phony, period, as far as representing the black people of South Africa."

In 2002, Jerry Falwell raised $1.2 million to push President George W. Bush's agenda through Congress… Approved by Bush himself.

Mayday! Mayday!

I now call the Rev. Jeremiah Wright to the witness stand...

We Americans now care about what these preachers are saying in the ears of presidents and presidential candidates... some of them, that is... We want to be sure that you, with your very divisive speech, will have little to no influence on Barack Obama who might become the next President of the United States of America…

What is your verdict “Conservative America?” “Reagan Democrats?” “Crossover Republicans?” “Libertarians?”

Should Obama be banned from the White House for consorting with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and would you be more inclined to vote for him had he joined the Rev. Billy Graham or the Rev. Jerry Falwell crusades as did Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and "The Decider?"

Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!

GLM

Disfellowshipping Religion From The Presidential Race

Hopefully people can see through much of what is being said in the media these days about Barack Obama and his former pastor Rev. Wright...

How does what Rev. Wright said years ago, or is saying now give insight to the mind of Obama anyway? Will Rev Wright's fingerprints leave as significant a stain on our nation as did Donald Rumsfeld's? Will they overshadow the bloody torture fingerprints of Alberto Gonzales? Now that is something real to think about for a change...

Tell all of the frightened people to take a big "chill pill." Barack Obama will not name Rev. Wright to his cabinet, but McCain just might make Rev. Hagee his "Secretary of Religious War."

Today I listened to a radio interview with Arianna Huffington as she promoted her book, Right Is Wrong. She stated that the "lunatic fringe has not only taken over the right, but has done so with the help of the media" which has become a mouthpiece for it's policies... She believes Democrats have weakly stood by and let it happen for fear that they would be labeled "un-American" for not backing republican war plans and war agendas...

She's right, since everything that is taking place these days is being dictated by the headlines, and the Democrats seem to have an energy crisis when it comes to speaking up for themselves and outing conservative journalists for not being completely truthful in their reporting...

Take today for instance. Obama issued denunciations for Rev. Wright based on the fear that media will injure his chances for his nomination if he did not do so. He had to do it to change the tone of the media's reporting... But why does McCain get to embrace Rev. Hagee and accept his endorsement without a media backlash? Where are the loud mouthed Democrats who need to be trumpeting this fact; this bias?

By the way, Rev. Wright was a pastor when he went on Bill Moyer's Journal, but since he has been making the press rounds and trying to influence the voting process, he is now a politician and fair game..

Quoting Arianna Huffington's article in today's Huffington Post: "Democratic leaders need to re-define the center of American politics." But I'll go a step further, 'Democrats need to fight back and stop being afraid of losing what they don't already own: THE WHITE HOUSE!'

As long as the public sees Democrats in a constant defensive mode rather than in an aggressively offensive one, voters will always have a sense that no-matter what republicans do or say wrong, they must be right since Democrats keep backing down...

Mr. Obama needs to kick Rev. Wright to the curb, and remind everyone that the Pope was once a Hitler Youth back in the day... Does that call the whole Catholic Church into question? He needs to expose Hillary for her double standards with her former ties to Rev. Wright, and point to the flawed theologies of Rev. Hagee, Rev. Dobson and the late Rev. Falwell. Also try throwing in Rev Ted Haggard for extra flavoring...

Mr. Obama needs to remind the public that it was not Rev. Wright who got us into an illegal war in Iraq; a war that both Hillary and McCain voted for... He needs to remind the public that foreclosures are at record highs, and the dollar is at a record low ALL due to failed republican policies... and he needs to say it with A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-Y! Fight them tooth and nail because the public seems to respect politicians who fight for their true beliefs regardless to their outcomes... How else can you explain George W. Bush winning the presidency twice?

The media would go Democratic if there were more Democrats with the guts of Rep. Jack Murtha or Sen. Jim Webb who will show their political teeth, or the politically incorrect Rep. Maxine Waters who would expose a republican lie faster than George Bush would tell the truth...

The media hooked onto republicans because they were/are the most outlandish and the most aggressive. Republicans forced themselves on the American people similar to the Nazis forcing themselves on the German people... Republicans systemically took over all vestiges of government and the federal court system, while infiltrating the media with their partially false neoconistic propaganda and spinmeisters...

Due to the present state of our Union, Democrats have better than a 50/50 chance at regaining the White House, and restoring a veto proof Democratic Congress.

Time for the Dems to shine a beacon light on the truth, and do it regardless to what their poll numbers say... As my mother says: "Truth always rises to the top..."

GLM

Clinton In Focus

With a sense of contrition, I confess that I was once a Bill Clinton co-dependent. I enabled him to stand before the country and blatantly lie about an innocuous sexual relationship with an equally innocuous woman named Monica Lewinsky... Bill considered the whole thing so "innocuous" that he should not have been called on it. Many of us agreed with him.

We Clinton Democrats began our long enabling journey in 1992. We ultimately elected Clinton President and endorsed his Clintonisms, while he in turn expected us to rally to his defense as he got egg on his face... Clinton's behaviors and excesses led directly to the election of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.

How? Keep reading...

The American public has long been guilty of believing politicians, especially those who look and talk like we want them to look and talk. Black Americans jumped on the Democratic bandwagon, and rightfully so since it is the party that pushes through the legislation that ultimately gives us more governmental access... We rode the Clinton express like it was the actual freedom train, but where did we go?

Clinton led us to believe he was the closest thing to JFK, and that his election would benefit all Americans who wanted a better life after the economy had faltered under Bush senior. He led some to believe that he was a man of faith who could be trusted. Since most Americans at the time were church going people, Clinton played the "faith card" to get more votes. He used multi-cultural and multi-ethnic themes to attract Americans of all hues and faiths...

However, Clinton's main support came from the black community. He hung out with Grover Washington, Jr. When he got into trouble he summoned Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. to pray with him. He played his alto saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show, and commissioned Maya Angelou to read her poetry at his inauguration. Vernon Jordan, Jr. was his "best friend," and he clowned with Bill Cosby. Clinton even calls himself the "First Black President."

On to the election of 2000... Clinton was popular still, but he was not running. Al Gore was. Because Clinton behaved so "morally reprehensible" in the eyes of the white conservative church-going public, it was easy for a scoundrel like George W. Bush to play a Texas sized "faith card" to trump Gore's. Bush won almost half of the voting public, but 5 Supreme Court Justices with the help of Jerry Falwell and James Dobson put him over the top...

Because Bush looked and sounded like the republican worshipper sitting in Falwell's church every Sunday, he convinced many, with his conservative demeanor, that it was time to get back to 1952 "American Values." The American press, owned by corporate Bush supporters, was unwilling to look deeper into Bush's character, therefore leaving the non-thinking American public at the mercy of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly.

Clinton unknowingly left the door open for Bush and the NEOCON juggernauts, using Monica Lewinsky as the door stop.

So here we are in 2008. Hillary Clinton, Bill's wife, is now running for President. Barack Obama, a black man is challenging her for the Democratic nomination. John McCain is the seated Republican candidate who will face either of them in November. We are still paying a major price for the failed Bush presidency, and will continue to do so for some time; even longer if John McCain is elected.

Bill Clinton is again drumming up co-dependents and enablers for his wife Hillary. They have both equivocated several important facts, such as taking fire in Bosnia, and have alienated most if not all of their support in the black community with their unfair and untruthful characterizations of Barack Obama. Bill and Hillary both have played a "race card" the size of Arkansas. Like the Monica Lewinsky affair, they both consider their race baiting and fear mongering "innocuous," and believe that they should not be called on it.

I think it is time for the Clinton-Bush presidential years to come to an end.

GLM