On Sunday, March 21st, Health Care reform was passed by a vote of 219-212. A momentous day in history for sure, especially after decades of many failed attempts at reformation. We now have some of that “change” we voted for in the 2008 presidential election. Thank you, Mr. President, your staff and especially the congressional democrats who chose to do the right thing on behalf of the American people. It was a proud moment to see the majority of our Congressional leaders put people first, and their political careers second. As for the republican constituency who consider this bill to be un-American — guess what? You, too, will receive the benefits of HR 3590.

This is a turning point for our country. Health care no longer remains a luxury that is only for those who can afford it. Health care is a necessity for all people — shame on those who believe otherwise. Now we can begin the process of building on something that needed to be reformed decades ago. God Bless Our Country!

Why didn’t the public know about the collapse of the economy before it collapsed?

There must have been signs indicating an economic meltdown way before the end of the Bush administration? Why did financial experts Ben Bernanke and before him, Alan Greenspan who were the bean counter experts, fail to warn us about the future financial woes? Why were we not aware of the fallout on Wall Street before it spilled over on Main Street? How did the banking business become so aloof in handing out credit to those who could barely afford to pay their debt? Back in the 80’s people could only qualify for a house mortgage that was 3x the amount of their annual salary, plus they needed to have at least a 20% downpayment. How and why did these financial institutions become so lax in their lending criteria? Could it be that they all knew they’d be bailed out?

What about Tim Geithner? The fact is that, when he was the chairman of the New York Federal Reserve Bank he had racked up millions when he made an undisclosed purchase of Goldman Sachs stock, “a violation of Federal Reserve policy,” as stated by the Wall Street Journal. This activity occurred at a time when the New York Fed was supposedly overseeing the actions of the Wall Street firm. Why didn’t that antic of Geithner’s raise an eyebrow from the SEC, Congress or the MS Media?

Not only did Goldman Sachs receive a huge cash infusion from the Government, Goldman also received an additional $8.1 billion that the taxpayers will never receive back. Could this be a gift of sorts engineered by then-N.Y. Fed president Geithner of AIG, which listed Goldman as its top insured credit-swap customer?1

According to a Wall Street Journal article, The US Treasury has bailed out AIG several times since last September to the tune of at least $180 billion. No one knows for sure where the money went. Regulators refuse to identify AIG’s counterparties. The bailout giveaway has been going on since last September whereby no one from Congress has bothered to be truly concerned about until recently. Now they’re crying outrage, after the milk has been spilt — a little late don’t you think? WE, the taxpayers, are going to pay for the greedy bankers who are laughing all the way to the bank.

Now to another unanswered question:

Why are we still fighting two unnecessary wars? Besides stretching our armed forces to the limit, there is also the war on drugs that we have been fighting in our own country for donkeys years — a necessary war, and one that we can’t seem to get control of. Yet, while our troops are in Afghanistan, the opium poppy business has skyrocketed.

As an industry, the farming and harvesting of the opium poppy has taken over every other form of agriculture in Afghanistan, making millions for the opium drug lords, keeping innocent families in poverty, and augmenting the strength of the Taliban. This situation will not change by foreign troop occupation, nor will we succeed in wiping out the Taliban or Al Qaeda. These faction groups will simply pop up somewhere else. These guys are not like any military we have ever fought.

So the premise from President Obama is that our forces will train an Afghani police force that will tackle the problem of illegal drug trade and enforce the law against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Okay, just how many years will that effort take in order to show some slight progress? The Afghanis are not your everyday enlistees. Most of them are illiterate, poor, desperate and do not like being told what to do by outside parties. Good luck. Meanwhile the burden of another triple billion dollar bill gets paid for by the taxpayers. And just where are all the taxpayers going to find the money to do this if they have no income? To add insult to injury, we still have the huge debt of the Iraq war, which by the way has there been any mention of a withdrawal date yet?

Why hasn’t the Obama administration called for a criminal investigation of George Bush, Dick Cheney and the rest of the Bush cabal for invading a country based on lies and causing the deaths of thousands of innocent people? And for creating the worst financial mess since the Great depression?

Ah, and last but not least, The Tiger is loose. Yes, I mean Tiger Woods. OMG, he’s committed adultery, not once, not twice but more times than he would care to admit and with different lasses. Of course, this is putrid fodder for the news media and all those opponents he’s beaten mercilessly on the golf course. I’ve never been more appalled at the media than I am now – and let’s not forget the one important thing here, Tiger Woods is not a world leader for humanity – he is a sportsman, plain and simple. He does not influence world, national or regional policy, and that’s that. Leave the man and his family alone to work it out the way they see fit. Besides, I really don’t know of any male celebrity that can keep staving off the she-bears out there that would sleep with a married man in order to secure some infamous dalliance that they can brag about later on; plus make a few bucks from some rag-tag media outlet. Enough about Tiger Woods and his groupies.

Ask this question: Why is the private life of Tiger Woods more important than the failing economy? Or the environment? Or man’s inhumanity towards man? Or illegal wars? Or a lying bunch of politicians hell-bent on ruining the fabric of society? Or how about milking the taxpayers so the very few rich can maintain their ultimate lifestyle? Or how about the thousands of people who, everyday go hungry, are sick and are fearful of the future?

Aren’t those questions more important to address than the life of Tiger Woods?

Congratulations to President-elect Barack H Obama and Vice President Elect Joe Biden!

Yes! I am a bona fide Obamacan I’m only just beginning to reel in from the greatest election of all times and certainly one of the most emotionally overwhelming events in my lifetime. As I sat watching the MSNBC general election coverage with my husband when the news anchor crew had announced that Ohio turned Blue – I thought, do I dare relax in believing that Obama would win? I tempered my hope and excitement and decided to wait for the polls to close in California, Oregon and Washington. When those three states voted Blue and after the guys at MSNBC announced that Obama/Biden were declared victorious– my heart skipped many beats, my breath was stunted and I thought I’d burst from sheer happiness. Tears of joy and relief welled up just like it had for everyone else in the country and across the world for those who were watching.

The buzz. The inspiration. The excitement. The Unity. The speech. This was the “Big One” and the country pulled it off – we all came together: young and old, rich and poor, Asian and Hispanics, Indians and middle-Easterners, Black and White — people from all walks of life had united for a common purpose which was to scream out “Yes we can and we did”! I couldn’t be prouder of my fellow countrymen.

Obama’s victory meant many things for different people. For me it is symbolic that a positive transformation has occurred in the hearts and minds of people by recognizing in a man the depth of his character and intelligence and not the veneer of his skin. The days of electing a man who I would not want to have a beer with nor pal around with are over — “ finito“ gone! That we can participate in, and support a movement that engendered the ideology of the people in how we choose to be governed, by who is the best person for the job and that it transcended racial barriers is a movement which had spoken loudly and clearly and was heard on the night of November 4th, 2008, all over the world.

Now that all the hopes and dreams have been realized on that historic day and after the honeymoon is over, what is next? Does racism suddenly disappear? Does the economy quickly rebound? Will the war in Iraq stop tomorrow, next week, next month? Will the violence in Afghanistan cease and the Afghan people hug each other and forget about it all? Will the Taliban stop hating the infidels? Will Al Qaeda stop being our enemy? Will our national debt morph into a surplus soon? Will my friend, who is unemployed be able to find a job again? Will the widows of fallen soldiers be able to cope with the grief and loss of their loved ones because the war may soon be over? Will she or he be taken care of? Will the poor people in America wake up on January 20th 2009 and have hope instead of despair?

Will the people who have not yet realized that in the 21st century, bigotry is a thing of the past belonging in the dark ages along with chattels, chastity belts, feudalism, fascism, and religious crusaders?

Is there a quick answer or remedy to all of these challenges? Probably not. But at least we have a leader who understands these obstacles and knows that each of these challenges requires tolerance and perseverance. Like Barack Obama stated in his acceptance speech: “The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can’t solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.”

We may not be able to overcome all of these obstacles in any given period, but at least we can recognize that without unity and faith in each other and in our leaders, a positive change will not be possible. And if there is any one real truth it is this: Change begins in the minds of people and the heart is where we get our strength.

I don’t believe for one minute, any one president can mitigate the damage that has been done for the past 8 years, in a short time. However, we can give President-elect Barack Obama our support and encouragement by rolling up our sleeves and doing what we can to help him achieve the kind of life we hope to live in a world that has been ravaged by war, prejudices, poverty and violence.

We need a break. We deserve one.

Obama In Germany

So, what do we want in our president besides being a strong leader? How about brains for starters? I want my president to be smarter than me. I couldn’t take another four years of another moron in the Oval office. I would want my president to be compassionate and strong, flexible with nerves of steel, an embracer of change and a champion of the downtrodden and one who will put the interests of his citizens first over the agendas of special interest groups, as well as not back down from a fight but he will not start one.

I’m talking about Senator Barack Obama. For these past few years Senator Obama has demonstrated that he can meet all of the above criteria and then some. I have not been this impressed or excited about any election or a candidate since the late Bobby Kennedy. I applaud all of the Obama/Biden supporters who have volunteered in some way to spread Obama’s campaign message whether it was by phone-calling, canvassing neighborhoods, hosting fund-raisers, etc. Whatever little part we all can do to get Obama elected as our next president will remain with us throughout our lives.

Although, I’m sure the other side of the spectrum (Republicans) feel just as strongly about their candidates. Not because Senator McCain or Sarah Palin meets the proposed criteria, but because they don’t want to lose power. Even if it means trying to elect a president and vice president that flounders, confounds, and incites fear. From what I’ve seen in the past two presidential elections, I would put nothing past the skullduggery tactics of the Republican party to pull out all the stops in these final days ahead. They will weave racial tones into their campaign, vitriolic soundbites to stir up the fear, and foment hatred pitting “US” against “Them” creating even more division in our country. Palin’s utterances are disturbing and caustic enough during her stump speeches. But when being interviewed by the press she speaks like she’s vying for a beauty pageant saying whatever comes to her mind that she thinks sounds good. She doesn’t have a clue as to what the responsibiities of the Vice President are, and maybe that’s because she’s been too busy killing bears and wolves and hunting moose. She’s been out of the country just once and that was to have lunch with the Alaskan National Guard in Kuwait. Sounds like a familiar story — George W. didn’t venture too far from the shores of America either. And they both utter nuclear in the same way “nukular”. Perhaps that is why McCain praises his running mate and claims that she would be ready on day one to step in as President and Commander-In-Chief of the US because she reminds him of George W. Bush. I can only say that his praise and choice of her is one of the defining conclusions as to the poor judgements he has made. And that my friends, is one of the reasons why he should not be elected as our president. Just once, I wish the so-called conservative evangi-Christians who are fearful of an African-American fellow human-being as our president would ask themselves this one question: What is it about having an intelligent person who just happens to have a different genetic make-up that they fear? Please, I say to you all who happen to be stuck in the dark-ages, this is the 21st century, nature’s gift to us is to evolve and diversify. Nothing stays the same. The only pure thing we have is our potential to evolve into a better species. For as history has proven, we weren’t all that great to begin with — and it has taken thousands of years for the human to arrive at this present state and we will keep on evolving — so get over it y’all! There is no such thing as a pure race — we’re all from the same wellspring of life.

I would be honored to have Barack Obama as my president. He should be given all the respect and support he deserves, for it takes a very brave man to want to be the next president of the United States in the first place given the present state of affairs we are experiencing.

Contact the Obama/Biden campaign: http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

Hillary R Clinton is losing it. Perhaps it’s one of her Sybil-like personalities that is to blame for her lack of good judgement. For she has stooped as low as any corrupt politician can go using campaign tactics taken right out of the Karl Rove manual for dirty tricks. In the words of Gollum “she’s a little trickster, she is”. She’s breaking the rules of her own party in order to become the Democratic nominee. She’s serving her own ambition in lieu of what is best for the country. I have been observing her body language during debates, listening to the tonal quality of her speeches, and frankly, she’s frightening. She’s so determined to win at all costs that she has lost sight of the bigger picture and that is “unity”. The difference between her and Obama is one simple thing – she looks through the keyhole and has a limited perspective; Obama opens the door and has a larger perspective.

One of the most detestable things she has done thus far in the campaign is to produce and air a TV ad that uses the “red phone” scenario intimating to the viewer that big scary question of, “who can you trust to answer the Red Phone if and when it rings at 3:00 AM?” Meaning that she has the experience to answer it over Obama. But how can that be? Has she ever answered it before? Or is she delusional and imagined that when the “red phone” did ring during Bill’s presidency, she was the one who answered it?

Obama retorted brilliantly by saying that it is not who has the experience, but rather who has the good judgement that makes the critical difference when answering the “red phone” at 3AM, 10PM or whenever. Another Hillary big blunder is NOT having the integrity to admit that she showed lack of good judgment in voting to support the War in Iraq. And the latest loathsome antic of her’s in showing lack of good judgement is when she said the following statement in a press interview:

“I think that since we now know Sen. McCain will be the nominee for the Republican Party, national security will be front and center in this election. We all know that. And I think it’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold,” the New York senator told reporters crowded into an infant’s bedroom-sized hotel conference room in Washington.

“I believe that I’ve done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that and you’ll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy,” she said.

Calling McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee a good friend and a “distinguished man with a great history of service to our country,” Clinton said, “Both of us will be on that stage having crossed that threshold.”

Come on, woman, wake up or will someone paleeze throw a bucket of ice over her head. She’s spinning out of control like one of those dreadful little dirt devils that starts out small and ends up being catastrophic. She’s giving the Republicans fodder to use against Obama especially if she doesn’t win the nomination. Just because she has been on Capitol Hill longer than Obama, does not mean she should be nominated over him. It appears to me that she can’t stand the fact that Obama is taking the country and the world by storm with “Obama fever”, and she’s not. She’s seething inside that a freshman Senator can create a wave of unity and she can’t. She’s burning up with jealousy and contempt for the young Senator because he hasn’t shown signs of strain and stress even when most people would in tense situations, and she has. She’s fueled with power and ambition and Obama is fueled with inspiration. She’s already proven that she will resort to using fear-mongering and negative tactics to bring Obama down, and so far he doesn’t want to go that route. But, please kind sir, show us that you have the “metal” to outwit her, and do so before she destroys the Democratic Party. The Republicans won’t have to send in Nader to split the party, they’ll just let Hillary do all their dirty work for them and when it comes to the Gen’l Election — McCain will slip in just like his Republican predecessor.

There is an excellent post written by Gary Hart which I highly recommend for you to read. He describes Hillary-itis so beautifully:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/breaking-the-final-rule_b_90420.html

Since the start of the 2008 Presidential race, all the candidates have been talking of change. Well, we know there will be a change in the White House with another president come January 2009, that’s the first step accomplished in bringing about change. What I want in our next president is someone who can bring about change for the better, and not replace one bad set of ideas for another. What does it take to transform our moribund country? There are several dynamics which a President should embody to manifest change: Leadership through strength of character, intelligence, unity, inspiration, honesty and integrity and belief in the principles of the U.S. Constitution. Is this asking too much of our next leader?

Simply put, change means many things, not just electing a different administration but having someone as president who can meet all the requisites of change that can bring about positive results. Someone who can inspire and motivate just by their mere presence. Someone who can unite people through their words and deeds. Someone who can let vitriolic attacks pass through them without reacting immaturely and hastily, but rather through tact and diplomacy. Someone who can call upon the support of the people, and our allies when a crisis arises, and they will come. Someone who will work on behalf of the American people by creating opportunities that will benefit the whole rather than the few. Someone who can look upon racism and see it as a weakness in character, and tries to change it not through force and coercion but through tolerance and encouragement. Someone who is not tainted with the stench of power and greed; and lastly, someone who sees that the strength and richness of the United States can only be expressed through the strength in character and richness in mores of that of the American people, and not the other way around.

Of all the candidates who have taken on the enormous challenge of wanting to be the next President of the U.S., which one best reflects the aforementioned dynamics of change?

After watching all the debates and following the Iowa and NH primaries, and reading endless political blogs, so far, I can honestly say that only two of the candidates meet every one of the dynamics that was mentioned, Barack Obama and Dennis Kucinich with Ron Paul and John Edwards a close second, and Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson third. Even though Kucinich would be a great leader of peace, the media pundits and the majority of the people at large haven’t yet realized his true strength, and the needed support isn’t behind him at this time. But, we have Barack Obama and from what I’ve seen in the show of support from the exuberant young adults, the Independents, and people from all walks of life, i’m not the only one who thinks that he is the one to lead this country. Obama has motivated people to get involved in their country’s most important election who would’ve otherwise not become so engaged. Sure, he will be put through the grinder by his opponents and the media, but I believe he will show that his character is not a veneer; it is deeply rooted within, and it will guide him in the right direction. Nor is his lack of experience on Capitol Hill a major factor affecting his ability to lead a nation. I mean, Bill Clinton had no experience on Capitol Hill, even though he did govern the small state of Arkansas and the people elected him for President against an incumbent who could boast years of experience. I think we can debate on experience until the moon turns to cheese, it will always come down to who has the most support of the people. Obama will prove that his expression of unity is not a mere soundbite and that he is a person of great inspiration, integrity and intelligence. So in good conscience I can support him, believing that he has the substance to clean up the mess and chaos, the division and revulsion, and the bitter taste left behind by the Bush administration, by inspiring us to work with him as a united people and that’s what is needed in order to bring about the change we seek.

Please, I encourage any of you who read this post, to consider the character of what a good president should reflect. It’s not about 35 years of experience, or the color of his skin, it’s about integrity, unity and motivation–Obama 2008!

Obama and Edwards, in my estimation, could be just the ticket we need to bring about a positive change in our government. The two of them working together reflect the attitude and psychographics of the American people. They want to bring back unity into our country and mend the rift that has divided so many of us for such a long time. They want to pursue alternative energy resources that will produce positive effects on our environment, and better education and especially health coverage. We need someone who can lead without antagonizing and inciting fear and hatred against other world leaders just because they can. But rather show by example, how a diplomatic, just and determined leader can move forward without creating strife, resentment and more obstacles.

Kucinich, in my opinion, is a just leader in his own right. He is the only one who has had the determination to call the Bush-Cheney cabal to the mat. I would love for him to be the President, but I fear the big military honchos would do everything they could to thwart his policies. In other words, Kucinich would always have to look over his shoulder because of the insidious nature of the CIA and the Pentagon. Dodd is OK, and Biden is a hot-head — a tough nut to crack. And let’s face it, if Hillary wins the democratic nomination, the Republicans, especially the neo-cons, will do everything they can to bring her down, and then we will get stuck with Giuliani. Is that something you are willing to live with for another four years? The thought of that man as president makes my skin crawl just as much as when I look at or read about Cheney.

Although Hillary is as qualified a candidate to be the president as the rest of the lot are, we shouldn’t just support her because she is a woman, thus making her the first female president. In my opinion, that kind of support doesn’t warrant running the risk of losing to someone as dire as Giuliani. Especially when we have such incredible candidates like Edwards or Obama. Both, whom I believe are the ones who can stand up against Rudy and possibly win over some of the Republicans who are undecided. This will be a tough decision when it comes to voting, because inasmuch as I would like to see a woman become the next president, I just don’t think Hillary is that woman. I would rather vote for the right person regardless of their gender or race. We can’t afford to waste another 4 years with someone who doesn’t serve the needs of the people first, nor can we wait even a year for someone to do something about our global environment. Go with your gut instinct! Whoever sits in the oval office will determine the future for our children and grandchildren.

Cases in point for extreme duality: Republicans perceive the Democrats as the bad guys and vice-versa. Conservatives oppose the liberal’s value system and vice-versa. We have al-Qaida terrorists who would prefer to be called “freedom fighters” who loathe our Western values and more than ever, our government. We have our government doing all kinds of nasty things to people behind close doors, violating civil liberties, conducting covert operations, and then there’s Cheney pushing for air strikes against Iran’s alleged Iraqi Shiite training camps, and Bush still belying the same old song about winning the war on terror. Then let us not forget about the grand theft of the presidency in 2000, another fatal flaw in the judicial system. With all that going on, there is global warming, genocide in Darfur, AIDS in Africa, earthquakes, floods, droughts, deadly mosquitoes, declining honey-bee populations, tension between the Russians and the U.S., the poor getting poorer, the rich getting richer, and no sign of brotherly love anywhere — brotherly love being the concept of forgiveness and unity.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why there are so many crazy people doing lots of crazy things?

If we can’t trust our branches of government to do what is right, just and fair for the people they are suppose to serve, whom can we trust? So far the leaders of the United States have fallen short of these principles. Their actions are untrustworthy and contemptible serving only their personal agenda. Through their leadership, clouds of hate, anger, confusion, division and mistrust have left us all in dire straits.

In the past, I have turned a blind eye to the misdeeds perpetrated by our government and our executive branch, mumbling and grumbling to myself about their actions, thinking that that was enough to vent the frustration I was feeling at the time. But, the conviction of Jose Padilla has actually tipped the iceberg for me. It was a politically charged case to begin with, with no sense of neutrality at all from the judge and the jurors, just look at the result. I have now completely lost faith in the judicial process and my faith in the political system has rapidly deteriorated. Although I am disturbed by the chaos in the world, as long as it had not fully impacted my personal life, I was able to maintain a sense of hope that the tide would turn for the better. But hope is not enough! Only change can bring about a certain result. One day, we will all perceive that a proven liar is not someone you want to trust as a leader, a belligerent leader is not someone who wants peace, and peace is not gained through war and bloodshed.

At the end of the day, it is up to us for making a change possible. Stop believing the liars and investigate the truth for yourselves. The truth will set you free!