Corner Politics

Joe Wilson, "You Lie!"

2009-09-15T05:23:00.000-07:00

FOX News Sunday Interview:

WALLACE: Are illegals banned from the president's reform plan or not? Let's take a look at House Bill 3200, perhaps the main House bill.

Under the title "No Federal Payment for Undocumented Aliens," it says, "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow federal payments for affordability credits or subsidies on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."

Congressman, as you read that, wasn't the president right and you wrong?

WILSON: No, because there's no enforcement, and that's why they've agreed and so did the Senate on Friday adopt enforcement provisions. And then the White House itself on Friday had said it will be changed to have enforcement provisions.

I'd read the bill. I was familiar with the amendments. I knew it didn't have any meaning at all.

By now you’ve all heard about the Joe Wilson heckling story, his apology to Pres. Obama; now known to have been forced on him and more apparent so from his unapologetic stance on his video.

Wilson yelled that Obama lied; this is directly refuted by House Bill 3200 (see quote above) in addition to many a publications already. Let me iterate; the bill does not allow illegal immigrants to benefit from government subsidies meant to help out the low income Americans. However, Wilson insists he was protesting enforcement. So why didn’t he just bring that up with the white house? Because Joe Wilson just like Joe the Plumber, Sarah Palin and the people who can’t sleep without listening to Rush; is desperate. They are so desperate for a piece of the political cake they’ll do anything, even scream to get attention.

What Wilson has exposed is not the desperation of the right wing, (that was established when McCain arrived on stage with Palin on his arms); but the extent of this desperation. The how low can you go; how many lies can you tell, how many people can you rile, approach. If enforcement is really the issue, you have to wonder why the right does not push to enforce the employment of illegal immigrants even though it is against the law? Why is the right after illegal immigrants when it is the citizens of this country that are hiring illegal’s with full knowledge that they shouldn’t be? Do the right wing political arm benefit from business both small and large that hire illegal immigrants routinely?

As for health care benefits, to say that this bill (even with enforcement added) should prevent illegal immigrants from getting health care is not only inhumane in it’s doing but thankfully a lie. No human being should be denied health care.

The facts are these: as long as illegal immigrants are here, the American people will continue to pay for their health care. If not through a government plan, it’ll be with expenses as a result of emergency room visits that illegal’s won’t and can’t pay for. What’s sad is that the ultimate payment for some will be through long waits, inadequate service in emergency rooms leading to unintended health consequences for Americans; legal ones. That coupled with higher costs which will lead to lost jobs and hence lost health care for citizens battling comprehensive coverage will be the final fee we’ll all suffer. Does the right wing, health care reform hate mongering constituents get that?

US health care – questions every one must ask themselves.

2009-08-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Heath care intrinsically implies taking 'care' of your 'health'. But does the US allow one to do that?

In the past weeks several senators re-iterated their favorite tag line: “the US has the best health care in the world”. Is this true? According to the World Health Organization in 2000 the US was ranked 37, behind the UK and Canada; whose health care systems are favorites when it comes to expressing what American’s don’t want (i.e. government funded health care). The Infant mortality rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country. In 2006 the US was ranked number 33 (behind UK, Australia and NZ). And cost? The US has one of the highest costs of health care in the world. Even the opponents of health care reform don't dispute that.

How about access to health-care vs. coverage? Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison wrote, “They (Obama administration) are essentially gambling away health care access to achieve health care coverage”. So what is the point of having access to health-care if you don’t have coverage? This essentially means that you can get health care only if you can afford it. So would the under-insured and uninsured not have coverage if they could afford it, or is it that they can’t afford coverage and hence have no access? Let’s say you don’t have (sufficient) coverage, would you rather have coverage that allows some access to health-care, or is the fact that ‘great care is available to you’ at the expense of bankruptcy more desirable?

A ‘public health option’ would cover all citizens of the US, but the opponents of this plan say it would diminish the “best in class” health care standards of the US, due to the lack of resources. This implies that if everyone had coverage, the quality of health-care would suffer (fewer doctors, nurses and hospitals distributed amongst more people). Does that not equally imply that the majority of people that have coverage today have access to ‘better’ care at the expense of the under-insured and uninsured? Why do these people who have coverage today deserve access to care over the rest?

Preventive care vs. treatment to disease: Opponents of preventive care (yes there are opponents!) say that it is more expensive than treating patients with illness. The argument is that if you provided preventive care to all people it would cost money; but not all of these people would necessarily develop disease even if they were not provided preventive care. The opponents claim that the dollars spent on preventive care greatly exceed the dollars spent on treating only those who developed the disease. If you were a parent, would you consciously deny your child preventive care (let’s say a vaccine) and take the gamble that your child probably won’t develop the disease that the vaccine could have prevented, JUST so you could save money? Because that would put you right among the opponents of preventive care.

Copyright d.i.

Bailing out your neighbor is the right thing to do; and it’s fair.

2009-02-20T19:49:00.001-08:00

There are a few things as a human you should be entitled to whether you deserve them or not; they are your God given rights. Having a place to live in, where you feel protected, and can sleep at night without fear of losing the roof above you is one of them. I don’t care how lazy you are you deserve a place to call home; even if it is the jail house.

Isn’t it funny that we humans feed, clothe and accommodate the worst among us; the murders and the rapists; yet we fume at the use of our tax dollars for helping our neighbors stay in their homes? We would rather kick them to the curb. Ironic? Not according to most people who pay their mortgages timely; you know those financially responsible types. Banks got bailouts; automakers did too; but when it comes to our neighbors it’s just not fair! Most people feel that the housing crisis bailout is rewarding financial irresponsibility and telling people who could never afford the homes they bought, that it’s ‘no problem’!

But it is a problem; and this is not just a problem for those who can’t make the payments. The popular way to appease angry on-time mortgage paying tax payers is to tell them that the overall value of their homes are being saved in the process of preventing more foreclosures. But reality goes further. Many of our neighbors were pursuing the same American dream as you and me; they wanted a home. They probably would not have bought the home they could not pay for, if they were given better advice and were prevented from taking out loans way above their means. Instead they were not only approved for these loans but to add insult to injury they were made loans at much higher rates than even you and I could afford. And therein lies the real lack of accountability.

How many lenders were punished for making irresponsible loans? For cajoling their low-income clients to refinance every year; yes EVERY year! They weren’t punished; they were bailed out. Instead of these lenders finding ways to get their clients into homes appropriate for their income level; and instead of trying to find them ways to get the best rates possible they did the exact opposite. Lenders took their client’s income as interest and left them with zero equity. That’s the price of their American dream.

If anyone deserves a bailout; it’s our neighbors. As an on-time mortgage paying, financially responsible; irritably tax paying type, I’m not angry about bailing out people who are losing their homes. Because when I miss a payment it won’t be because I’m irresponsible it’ll be because I fell on hard times; lost my job; or I was lured into a loan that I didn’t know, I'd never be able to pay back. And if I ever have to see that day; I’d want to be bailed out with dignity and the respect that every human deserves; which is a roof over their heads.

copyright d.i.

Islam bans girl's education - declare the Swat Taliban

2009-02-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

Some of the most horrendous violations of human rights are occurring in our times and we seem to be helpless to stop them. The Pakistani government succumbed to Taliban demands to implement their sick version of “Islamic law” across a large swath of northwest Pakistan in a concession aimed at pacifying a spreading Taliban insurgency.

This is not a just a major blow to any decent Muslim but a worse offence against Islam than any non-Muslim force has ever dealt. No wonder Muslims are hated, they should be. Muslims are the most morally corrupt humans on earth, living in sheer fear of reprisal from extremists and fatwas from so called “religious scholars”.

One has got to wonder what kind of perverted Islam bans girl’s education. What kind of beings condemn half of their population to utter ignorance, insuring permanent damage to their ability to reason and question rationale. Where girls are raised to surrender only to male authority; leaving them venerable to abuse; rape and unimaginable oppression.

It is high time that Muslims set the bar for an Islamic scholar; to enforce Islam's foundation of human rights and justice. It is time for women to translate; interpret and publish their understanding of Islam and its book the Quran; before their God given human rights are taken away by men who they gave birth to.

Copyright: d.i.

Related News:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/06/25/failed-legal-system-cited-rise-sharia-support.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090216/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan

Why Muslims must team with the west.

2009-01-26T22:10:00.000-08:00

Just some of today's headlines, not a big deal compared to the widespread human rights violations across the Muslim world.

* Indonesian Muslims banned from practicing yoga
* Pakistan: A Mounting Problem for Obama: A schoolteacher in Pakistan, hanged; his father shot dead when he refused to he hike up his trousers to expose his ankles per Taliban demand.

Muslims must team with the west to save Islam.

The Image of Islam has gotten worse over the years. 9/11 gave a new label to Muslims as Al-Qaeda emerged. This label isn't a favorable one. In many parts of the world Muslims are discriminated against in humiliating and vicious ways. Some Muslims would rather keep their faith a secret; I don't blame them.

In fact the image of Islam is not only at fault. It's the way Islam is practiced all over the world and not only in radical Taliban controlled regions. Saudi Arabia has brought the biggest demise to Islam under the cover of 'Arab tradition'. Its influence propagated by its financial strength and western allies has reached every corner of earth.

Some westerners may ask why moderate Muslims do not stand up against some of the horrors of radical Islam. The answer is simple; most people would rather live then die protesting against the interpretation and practice of radical Islam. I say most because some brave souls have died trying. In fact calling it radical-Islam is a misnomer it self. There have been many Muslims and non-Muslims that had protested inhumane practices 'under the name of Islam' only to have been forced into exile and hiding. Leaving Islam is not an option, since once born to a Muslim family; always condemned being a Muslim. Most of them have taken the approach that Islam needs to change; while the real problem has been the distribution of interpretation of a certain distorted flavor of Islam; marketed as true-Islam.

Any 'way of life' can be challenged by rogue and terrorist organizations, whether it is Islam or some other. So what's left for moderate Muslims to do? It's simple really; the leadership of Islam must be taken away from the extremists. Moderate Muslims must partner with the west to wipe out terrorist organizations and leaders that are peddling and enforcing one religion (radical Islam, Arab traditions etc) under the name of another (Islam). Only western Muslims can lead this effort; because they will have both religious right and political might.

Copyright d.i.

Got Family?

2008-11-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

The Strong Family Act of America

One of the ways that the Obama Administration can stand out from all the previous American leaderships is to encourage the concept of family as a grass roots event just like the grass roots campaign that brought Mr. Obama to the white house.

Why family? Family is the building block of every society, a strong family environment eventually translates to a strong powerful nation. Family provides the strength for people to flourish and expand on their strengths and give back to society. Just think if every person in society could live up to their potential and contribute just a little bit in some way to the world outside of their immediate sphere, how different our world would be. It’s the same effect as the number of individual donors this campaign was able to reach out to and get them to part with money, it generated a lot.

The beginning of a strong family starts with good education. Most of the leadership around the world understand that education can make a major difference in a society and education is a talked about as our way to a better future for the next generation. However most educational institutions touch on many subjects of interest; science, math and the arts and unfortunately most of our educational efforts are towards awarding a degree which will enable the person to find a job. We no longer educate for the sake of gaining knowledge or building character and most importantly we do not educate to help people to function effectively in their family and social lives, even though that is the probably the biggest and most important part of our lives at least for most of us who work to live; or at least it should be.

Just like American history is a mandatory class in many states in the US. I encourage the Obama Administration to mandate family life classes for teenagers starting in 6th grade on upwards thru college. I also encourage the administration to associate financial incentives for all (tax rebates) in order to cover those who drop out of high school and college; to continue to take those classes to their completion. Of course these classes must be made available to everyone at no cost. This program however expensive would probably be the best money spent for America. Ideally I’d like to see such a program extended to the rest of the world; adapted for different cultures.

So what would this class teach? The content of this curriculum should be put together with experts in education and family life including counselors, social workers, doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists and should be regularly modified, adjusted and revised to the times. As an engineer I can’t claim to know how to structure the content or the way this class should be taught, but I can talk to what this curriculum should aim to achieve.

The goals should be:

1. To highlight the value of family and family life, and convey our responsibilities towards each other in our family units
2. To teach citizens on how to handle different and difficult family situations
3. To help parents realize the responsibility of having and raising children while not dismissing the joys of the experience
4. To make each citizen aware of the options available to them to help build a strong family
5. To enable every person to achieve a certain level of social skills, manners and courtesies required to be effective in a family

A stronger family unit will lead to better societies, countries and eventually a better world for our next generation. I think this is line with Mr. Obama’s vision for America and beyond.

copyright d.i.

Dressing Palin in designer

2008-11-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

First it was the 150K worth designer clothes to make Sarah Palin look good, this was bearable to hear, but now to hear “Palin sorts clothes to see what belongs to the RNC” is plain ludicrous. I can’t believe this is actually happening! This is media bullying at its best.

What exactly is so wrong with using money to make a candidate look appropriate for her job by the people who want her to do that job? What exactly is 150K with respect to 1B used to reach the hearts and minds of voters? Not much! To ask back for clothes is probably the meanest, rudest and most inappropriate action taken by the Republican campaign if anything. It is at this time the campaign should have defended Palin with everything they had. Where are her supporters now?

I may not agree that Palin is the best choice as a leader of America, I may also mock the fact she is not worldly and doesn’t have basic US historical and political knowledge, putting aside world geography. But there is no way I can agree that taking back clothes bought for her is the right thing to do. If the campaign can buy jet-fuel, pay for hotel rooms, and laundry bills why are the clothes on a candidates back off limits? They shouldn’t be! Clothes make a person, no matter which way you argue it, and if that’s what’s required to express who you really are as a leader and as a candidate, donors should be happy to shell out the cash for just that purpose. No; really!

Who does Obama want to be?

2008-10-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

The Obama enthusiasm is felt by many in America and is definitely felt by more around the world. The real question is what kind of leader will Obama be? Will he be a talked about US president long after his presidency that re-defined US politics, foreign relations and brought prosperity to America and fixed domestic American problems, along the likes of JFK, Lincoln, Roosevelt or even like Washington? Or will he be a transformational world figure like Gandhi that the world will talk of centuries later? This remains to be seen, and he can go either way. So far he has not shown us his deck.

One can argue either way. So far the senator has voted along party lines for major legislation. He went back on his word on accepting public financing for his campaign. He admitted to doing drugs as a youngster, he attended a church where the Pastor has turned radical and he did have some sort of drive-by with Chicago thugs and Bill Ayers; maybe none of these were significant, but used as a way to greater good? One can argue he is your run of the mill astute politician that knows his way to the top and knows how to make it happen. Well I’d argue he needed to be all that to become more. But will he be more?

On the other hand there are indicators that he is extraordinary. His ability to motivate people of all ages and talk about and confront issues like race, that no one will touch. His audacity to take on the world stage in Germany before even elected president. His judgment not just to stand up to something to establish the title of maverick but to stand up to the one thing that reflects depth in character; a war that almost everyone supported when he opposed it. Not just any war this is the illegal occupation of the century.

Then there are indicators that he did not use his position to better the agenda’s of certain special interest. For example he had the opportunity to change the image of African Americans in Harvard. He had the power to do a lot more than he did for their cause, and he chose not to. Was he carefully ensuring that no bias skeletons ever emerged from his closet? It would be an oversight not to consider it.

The prismatic sides to Obama clearly state he is not all that you see, there’s more to this person than we know. We do not know how Obama will lead, what he will do, who he wants to be. But we can speculate or at the least encourage him to be who he can be and should be and who we really need and longingly want him to be.

The world is a big mess and the disarray is headed up by the US. The world needs a leader who can cure the ills but more importantly the world needs a savior in all sense of the word. We talk a lot about re-establishing America’s image as the beacon of justice and peace and model for the rest of the world. We talk about fixing the American economy, helping the middle class and brining greater prosperity to America. Can Obama do this? Yes, but so can many others. This won’t set him apart. But he’ll need to do this so he can do what we really need him to.

Obama is the one hope to see real world progress in our generation. Not world peace, not a world without borders or religion, but a hope for a life for all humans on earth with their basic needs met. A life not amidst a raging war, with bodies, perpetual fear of death, destruction and pain but a life, with a place and a family to come home to. Is this possible? I don’t know. But I can hope and this is my hope of change that I’ve been waiting for Obama to deliver and I can certainly nurture my hope 8 more years, I’ve waited many more and read of the greater wait of others. Barak Obama be that person that transforms our hopes into dreams that become reality. You can do it.

Palin ships women back into the dark ages.

2008-10-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

Palin attended a total of 2 community colleges and 3 universities over 5 years to complete her BS in communications-journalism. Her resume summery per Wikipedia is as follows:

• Sports Reporter 1988
• Family Business (dates unknown)
• Elected twice to the city council of Wasilla, (1992 and 1996)
• Mayor of Wasilla, 2 Terms (1996–2002)
• In 2002, Palin ran for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor and lost.
• Governor Murkowski appointed Palin to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission 2003 – 2004
• Served as one of three directors of "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc. (2003 to June 2005)
• In 2006, Palin defeated incumbent Frank Murkowski to become Governor of Alaska
• 2008 – running for VP of USA

The problem with Palin is not so much that she is not prepared to be publicly interviewed by some very knowledgeable and sharp journalists but that she does not really know what she believes in or what she stands for. Even if she does know; she is not confident enough to stand up for it or to communicate it effectively. Most people realize that she is product of what her advisers are telling her to do. Being someone you are not and saying things you really have little knowledge about, land you; well about where Palin is today.

Palin seems ridiculous when pushed on any issue primarily because of her lack of basic knowledge on what McCain and the Republican Party stands for. She was picked; this is not a job she aspired to nor is it a job she’s contemplated doing before she was picked barely 9weeks before she was up for judgment. So although her youth, charisma and newness are inspirational (to some) it wears off very quickly since there is no substance underneath it all.

This lack of understanding wouldn’t be a problem either if she had any vision for herself or even if she shared McCain’s vision. Palin is a disgrace to all women who have a vision and really care deeply about something. Even if it is managing the family budget which many stay at home moms do. When you care about something you take the time to understand it well. Palin seems to not understand anything well. This is why she can’t connect with anyone unless they just want to connect with her photo and who they think she is. It’s is like a love affair with a movie star and imagining what they are like to date in real life. They just aren’t the same person.

The biggest problem of all not that Palin is so unfit to be VP of the United States but that she is actually quite unfit to be the Governor or in any leadership position in politics. She clearly demonstrated she doesn’t know the basics of the US constitution which you would think should be a requirement of all politicians. She is clueless about McCain's actual voting record and is unfamiliar with basic American foreign policy. I expect that Palin would fail a US history or a US government test which is a required in many states as part of their High School curriculum.

If you watch Senator Obama, Biden or McCain, you‘ll notice that in their interviews they do not necessarily talk in very difficult terms to demonstrate their understanding of difficult issues; because they know they have to talk to the Joe-six-packs as well. However when pinned down on those issues by tough journalists who know what they are getting at; these politicians deliver. Note I said “deliver” not necessarily answer the question. They not only know exactly how to avoid answering the question they also know how to answer it without giving away exactly what they think, yet expressing their passion for solving the common-man’s problem.

Palin grossly and unbelievably caves into blabbering silly words when pushed; she doesn’t even know how to avert the question! For a communications-journalists major, come mayor, then Governor that’s pretty hard fall to swallow for any woman, elite, educated, housewife or not. Even a housewife knows how to break a shopping a spree on a tight budget to her husband with grace and sometimes enough argument to make it absolutely commendable. But not Plain, she makes you want to hide under your desk and illustrates why women in America still have to prove themselves every single day of their life on any job, professional or not.

Palin has disintegrated American woman decades back into time and it’s no wonder that America has yet to see equality in pay even though it positions itself as advanced in every way, specifically socially and gender wise. When America can produce an Indira Ghandi, we may see improvement in the status of American women, until then the Palin image will haunt American women in their aspirations to lead. In America they talk about equality but in reality they still see women in the kitchen or a strip club. Women in leadership positions still float assumptions of having gotten there via some disreputable means and unfortunately Plain reinforces that unflattering image.

Vote McCain-Palin, if that’s your fancy...

2008-09-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

The Republican's McCain nomination was a dreary one. There is a lot to admire about McCain's sacrifice as a solider but for the most part McCain is leftovers from 8 years ago. A 72 year old senator best known for failing to pass the immigration bill or as the right wingers like to call it the amnesty bill. Yes he failed, with a majority republican senate and house, even while Bush held his hand through it all. This is just the tip of his failure iceberg. It seemed as if Obama could not defeat McCain then he really did not deserve the Presidency anyways.

No one in their right mind would vote for McCain except the rich, the stubborn and the racist; people who don't really care about America in the first place. They each have their rock they live by: the rich won’t pay taxes; the stubborn are stuck in the dark ages of "pro-choice"; and the racist? They're just allergic to black. The Republican’s have always reeked the opposite of change, they are better known for taking American to war, creating havoc, smothering their friends in your tax dollars and going at 60 on reverse every time they are put in the drivers seat. That's just a formula to crash and burn and that's where America is today. Now they want to embrace change to get you to vote them into doing more of the same. They even have a secret weapon.

Enter Palin. She turns heads with her pretty face and mesmerizing smile, energetic stance and God blessed political success. Cindy McCain got it right: Palin is a "reform-minded ... hockey-mommin' ... basketball shootin' ... moose huntin' ... pistol-packing ... mother of five." Even an Obama gushing admirer could have a slip-up with Palin around. I almost did.

People who think Palin should not be running for VP for a host of mute reasons, listen up: there is nothing wrong with Palin having 5 kids including a special needs child and her ability to do her job, if she needs a nanny so what? A lot of special needs parents need extra help to raise their kids. Plus she has a husband people, the kid is his too! Surely the husband can fill in while his wife takes on a career? And there is nothing wrong with Palin having an unwed pregnant daughter; this is not alien in America! Frankly you shouldn’t expect any better! C’mon people your leaders come from the masses. Americans have got to stop asking for perfection when the majority of the population comes from imperfect families! Just like you, your leaders cheat on their spouses and date other people while still married and McCain is no exception! They preach abstinence while they fornicate fearlessly. Grow up America this is you, just learn to accept it.

So what should the American people be asking? Why won’t the McCain-Palin ticket have my vote? Why doesn’t Palin do it for me? After all as a woman I do admire Palin.

They should be asking what makes Palin right for the job. Can she along with McCain deliver what American needs and subsequently what the world needs? After all if America is to stay the superpower of the world they NEED to cater to their non-superpower subjects too. Right wing war mongers seem to fail to understand that part of the equation. The fact is the McCain-Palin ticket is a disaster for America, and that is why you should not vote for them.

Palin is reform minded alright, given her way she'll reform us all back to the dark ages of banned books and forced pregnancies no matter how brutal the rape. She'll not only have her way but force her ultra right wing, success-at-any-cost way right on to you. Choice? No such thing in a Palin democracy. She's an extremist and that's a fact, her record makes it so.

Palin will do anything to win, she supported pork barrel spending when it was needed for her personal gain, and she stopped supporting it when it didn’t help her personal gain. She is a person who will not stop even if it has to be at the expense of her kids. If she had to pimp out her daughter's private life to ensure rumors did not get in the way of the second highest office, she would. Oh wait...she already did that! Yeah she's ruthless, and if you think Cheney was the root of all evil, imagine Palin with his kind of power. The problem is not that Palin’s beliefs are more in par with Fundamentalists, but that like the extremists Palin is of the type that don’t just want to able to practice their faith they want to force on all of us and if that means having to sacrifice us – it’s no big deal to her.

So what about McCain? Isn’t he the one running for president? He is no different then an aged version of the Palin core beliefs. This is the same person who coddled the current administration through every injustice just so they would support his candidacy. He is no maverick, he like Palin is in it for him self. Country first is the most shameless statement I ever heard. Nothing should come in front of humanity; nothing should come before human beings; that includes Americans NOT America. Yes there is a difference. What is the use of a great America where veterans beg on the streets? Wanna put your country before them? Go ahead. You deserve it.

The republicans took America to war (cold or not) every time they were put in office as far as I can remember. The current Republican government misled the American people and at the expense of:
- 34,717 American lives and families (4149 killed and 30,568 seriously wounded);
- $600 billion of US taxpayers' funds, (that your hard earned money!)
- and the wrath and disgust of the entire world
led America into a never ending, never needed occupation. Was it worth it? Was your son’s live worth a war we never needed? Just ask your selves. Will your children ever forgive you for the destruction of their lives? You better hope so as you go to the polls to put more of the same in power, because that’s the real McCain.

Do you seriously want to let John McCain continue in that line of action? He certainly hugged the current administration though it all and in his own words will continue to stay in Iraq as long as it takes to win a war that was fought because of a vendetta. Listen Americans, the republicans stole your money so they could settle a personal score. Are you going to be duped and tricked again, this time by a pretty face? Go ahead vote McCain-Palin then! You deserve them.

Democrats, Independents, Republicans, Americans you’ve been warned the McCain-Palin ticket is the continuation of the Bush-Cheney nightmare that you'll never wake up from. If that what you want Vote McCain-Palin. I won’t be.

Note: Iraq war data taken from: http://www.brookings.edu/iraqindex

Why Hillary lost the nomination – my version

2008-06-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

I started out as a staunch Hillary supporter. I was excited that she was running, and I was ready for America to have a well qualified woman president. I liked the idea of universal health care – I felt it was a right of the people. I had never heard of Barak Obama, and when I did I didn’t care who he was.

I was empathetic to Hillary’s cause, and I thought she was shrewd to keep her cheating husband around, so she could leverage him for the nomination. I actually liked her sense of politics, but she left me behind. Here are the top 5 reasons why she lost her ground with me, and eventually lost the chance to be President.

1. She underestimated her opponent; this is the biggest mistake you can make about anyone. Your opponent or not; don’t judge someone by who they are, imagine who they could be.

2. She started to attack her opponent instead of telling people what she had to offer, beyond experience. The culture has changed it’s no longer about how many years you have in your resume, but about what you can accomplish despite your experience. 20something founders of multi-billion dollar corporations clearly illustrate this major change in our times, she failed to take notice.

3. She used the woman factor as a crutch instead of an asset, this turned off many who actively work hard every day to prove they are good at what they do, man or woman.

4. She used the historic factor to guilt us into votes. We should vote for her so she get’s into our history books. History is not made honey, it happens.

5. She failed to hide her frustration and anger which revealed her sense of entitlement to the job. We are all entitled to many rights, basic rights but too many of us have none. Wake up Hillary the world doesn’t owe you anything.

Rooting for Obama

2008-03-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Why Obama?

The 2008 election year is one of relief to many. Not just in the US but around the world people started to hope for an end to eight years of ennui. Like every US election year the world has started to wonder will the war end, will we see world peace? Can we actually go back to feeling like we can all live together, in harmony and not become a terror suspect anytime, anywhere? Maybe we could all be "with" the US and yet agree to disagree on many issues at the same time?

I became especially excited! Unlike the 2004 election when I wanted 'W' to take responsibly for the war like he owed it to us, this year there was no doubt the job needed someone else. Maybe the world needed a woman after all. Maybe Hilary would prove that a world where everyone felt secure didn't need war to bring that about. Maybe people would, albeit an unequal chance, have a chance to live again without fear. Her presidency would show that the fortune 500 companies in the US had been wrong all along – women were not just smart enough to lead but they were required, they were the solution. I was pumped; it was time for America to put their fate where their mouth was, time to prove they mean it when they say gender equality really does exist.

I became the cynic when my mother mentioned Barak Obama – who I said? What? You mean a black man is running for president against the Clintons? Wow I was impressed that the Democratic Party was so cunning! What could make a woman look better as a candidate than putting her next to a black man? My admirations of Hilary increased immediately, "so you're gonna play to win"? Smart. Very smart – you go girl.

'Don't be so sure Hilary is the right candidate', my mother said. The presidency is her ambition, her career, her resume. You need to listen to Obama. He is coming to Austin she said, and I want to go see him. Her mind was made up and for the first time in my life I attended a US presidential nominee rally, even though I could not even vote. I walked five blocks from my parking spot to make it into the crowd. Little did I know I was becoming a part of a movement, I had only heard about such things. Ghandi, JFK, MLK --- these names were only for the history books, not to be seen in real life at least not in my era?

I was not overly impressed. I listened, the man had good things to say, he was charming for sure, but I felt I could have written a better speech. He didn't have the confidence I was looking for in my President – well not yet. I wished I could have been part of his campaign -- coached him to be a better orator. But this was just the beginning and Obama knew it too. Looking back I don't think Obama realized that the turn out in Austin would be so huge and that big things would be expected of him. We needed him more that he needed the presidency, and he would know that soon enough.

Slowly I was wooed, away from Hilary, I found myself listening intently to Obama. He was not black to me, he was not a man to me; he was my voice. The voice I had lost over the course of the last 8 years.

What Obama means to me.

Obama characterizes himself as a black man, I disagree. He is as black as he is white. His ancestry is African as much as Caucasian. To call him African-American implies an ancestry that was perpetually oppressed, discrimination that exists to this day – it is a misnomer. Obama carries no such subjugation on his back. Being the son of an international student, in my world he is the epitome of an American. He exemplifies the definition only one step less than an immigrant. Why? Because America owes it self to immigrants looking for a better life, looking for justice, looking for a dream, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it, and in the process creating a better America. Who better to lead America than someone who is close to that definition as they can get and run for the presidency?

Over the months it started to become apparent why America needs Obama more than Obama needs the white house. He means more than a Democratic Party candidate. He is capable of being a democrat and yet "fire up" hardcore republicans. This is not because he is reaching over the party lines, not because he is in the center, and not because he can reach middle ground on republican policy. It's because for the first time a politician is speaking to our hearts and expressing our minds, whether a democrat, republican or independent. No matter the race, religion or color for the first time in a long time we all feel liberated.

Obama realizes the damage done; he knows it will be long hard road to re-build the reputation of America. He knows he must rise above the politics and pre-determined 'set in stone' US foreign policy. He knows he must do things never done before. Maybe he needs to sit down with the leaders of the axis of evil to discover how change can be brought successfully. He is open to doing whatever it takes to achieve goals and this is what makes people swoon, not just his smile.

An election is not about the issues, it's not about the economy and it's definitely not about immigration or the Hispanic vote, like the political analysts would like you to believe. That's what it used to be about. This election is about leadership and leadership alone. The US President doesn't need experience; he has at his disposal all the best ideas in the world and all the best people to make those ideas come true. He doesn't need to be seasoned either, no amount of experience can prepare you to lead. You are either a leader or you aren't.

Leadership requires 1) vision, above the political norms, 2) wisdom beyond what age can bestow, and 3) strength to do what's needed no matter what the status quo.

Obama has already changed the rules, defied the critics, won over the skeptics -- he has single handedly proven he can take on any challenge and that the Clinton dynasty is not as formidable as we imagined.

Obama has given us a reason to dream of an America where people of all nations can be equal, where borders are non-existent – the melting pot and where anyone can get real justice. It's the America that not only harbors idealism, but makes it a reality. It is the America which all other countries look up to, not because of just a better life but because it can give us the life we all want for ours selves, and for our fellow humans, no matter where we are physically on earth. To me it's either Obama or the world as we know it today. You choose – what would you rather have?