Presidential Candidate Buddy Roemer Speaks The Truth

"You can't tackle the jobs problem, the budget problem, the tax problem, or America rising without tackling the first problem: Money in politics.

It is institutionally corrupt. They spend their time getting big checks from big special interests. It's the special interests who write the tax code. You can't read it. It doesn't work for America. It hurts jobs; we give them away. They're being stolen by unfair trade, and nobody does anything.

You know why? Corporations have never made more money than they are right now. They wrote the tax code and they really don't give a damn about the rest of America."

--Buddy Roemer, Former Congressman & Former Governor of Louisana

Happy 235th Birthday, America!

Happy 235th Birthday, America!

All the political strife, angst, and drama out there is merely proof that our democracy is working as intended! The Founding Fathers intended for there to be heated debate, discussion, dissent, and disagreement. That is what democracy is!

NEVER close your minds to new ideas or new ways of thinking! NEVER dismiss a different viewpoint without careful consideration! NEVER stop learning! NEVER stop growing! EDUCATE yourselves in the issues of the day and the citizens of your community, state and country! NEVER rely on the dogma and doctrine preached by evangelists, political parties, or pundits!

Realize that your friends and family may be giving you BAD advice or information! It is up to each one of us to educate ourselves and act accordingly.

Remember that while YOU may subscribe to a particular religion, belief, or creed, AMERICA DOES NOT. America is NOT based on Christianity or any other religion.

Diversity of thought is the cornerstone of democracy. Closed-mindedness and uniformity of thought is the path to Fascism.

Remember that freedom, justice and equality are for EVERYONE! Not just people who look like, think like, or act like you! No matter the gender, race, creed, orientation, affiliation, religion, belief, persuasion, or ability, we are ALL Americans!

Educate yourselves and participate in your government. It is our RESPONSIBILITY as Americans! Remember the words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy: "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."

Lies, Damned Lies & Israel

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, in a joint press conference with President Obama, said today that Israel "cannot go back" to the 1967 borders with its neighbors in its negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. He cited over 300,000 Israeli settlers in disputed territory as the reason.

What he did not say was that this was Israel's plan all along. While pretending to negotiate in good faith with the Palestinians, Israel was building settlements in lands claimed by the Palestinian Authority. A LOT of settlements.

Angry Palestinians would send rocket and mortar fire into these settlements as a means of expressing their pent-up rage at Israel. Israel would counter by shutting down the West Bank and Gaza, rolling in tanks and delivering harsh "justice" while shouting to the world that the PA could not be trusted because it could not control its own people. While the world was focused on the plight of the peoples in the West Bank and Gaza, Israel was quietly approving new settlements, seemingly on a daily basis.

Benjamin Netanyahu would smile and shake hands with US Presidents and talk of peace with the Palestinians while expanding Israel's territory by shoving the Palestinians off of their lands. Now, he claims that he "cannot go back" because there are just too many settlers and too much of an investment made.

Someone PLEASE tell me why we continue to support Israel. They've been lying to us for DECADES. It's obvious by their actions that Israel is not interested in peace with the Palestinians or a Palestinian state, despite all of the lip-service they give the ideas.

Here's what President Obama (or ANY US President, for that matter) should do: cut off ALL funding to Israel. Stop ALL trade with Israel. Deliver the message: Make peace with the Palestinians RIGHT NOW, or you're on your own.

Will the President do this? Of course not. It's political suicide. But this kind of tough love is exactly what Israel needs so we can put this Middle East  "problem" to bed once and for all.

A Rebuttal To "The Osama Bin Laden Exception"

AP Photo

In an opinion piece in Salon.com entitled "The Osama Bin Laden Exception," columnist Glenn Greenwald argues that the US was wrong to kill Osama Bin Laden. He says that not only was it wrong, it was illegal.

In Greenwald's piece of May 9th, and in his subsequent appearance on NPR's "Talk Of The Nation," he says that US and international law prohibits the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and that he should have been brought to trial instead. His argument is that under international treaties and precedent, Bin Laden should have been given a trial and the US should have presented evidence of his guilt before passing sentence. As an example, he cites the war crimes trials of World War II, and the fact that we still have Khalid Sheikh Muhammad locked away in Guantanamo Bay - ostensibly awaiting trial.

Greenwald says that we are going against our own principles and our own sense of fairness and justice by executing Bin Laden without a fair trial in order to satisfy a thirst for revenge. He says that we would not feel the same if the situations were reversed; that is - we would not tolerate a foreign military operation on US soil designed to kill the President as a form of revenge for the deaths of thousands of people killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says that President Obama went against his own words by carrying out a military operation without notifying Pakistan first and giving them the opportunity to turn over Bin Laden.

Finally, Greenwald says that by taking this action, the US is setting a precedent: that we say that we are a nation of laws, but we will ignore those laws when it suits us. What's to stop us from assassinating ANYONE we deem a threat?

And technically, legally. . . he's right. But here's why he's wrong:

1. Assassinating a foreign head of state has been illegal since 1976, and the US has not assassinated any foreign heads of state since 1973
2. We did not assassinate a Pakistani citizen on Pakistani soil - we assassinated a known and wanted terrorist and fugitive, officially wanted by both the United States and Pakistan
3. A trial would have given Bin Laden and Al Quaeda the very publicity and notoriety they are looking for - giving them the chance to spread more of their message of hate and terror to more people
4. It would have legitimized Bin Laden and Al Quaeda
5. Executing Bin Laden and burying him at sea prevents believers from visiting his gravesite and enshrining him as a martyr

The war crimes trials in The Hague were prosecuting individuals who were part of a government sponsored war. Those trials were designed to show the world just how evil the Nazi regime was, and to bring to light the war crimes and atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis. Additionally, those people on trial were for the most part official representatives of their government.

Anyone on the planet with a radio, television or newspaper could see for themselves the terror, destruction and murder brought forth by Bin Laden and Al Quaeda. Not only in the United States, but around the world. Al Quaeda claimed responsibility for their actions, boasted of the murder of civilians and encouraged others to do the same. They have convicted themselves by their own words and deeds.

Do our actions set a precedent? Do they "send a message?" Yes, they do: We ARE a nation of laws. We will defend your right to believe what you want to believe and say what you want to say - but don't fuck with us or our allies or we'll hunt you down, pop two rounds of ammunition into your head and dump your sorry ass into the sea. It's basically the same message we've been sending out to the world since day 1 - only more up-to-date.

There's A Hole In The Bottom of the Sea

Everybody sing along!

♫ There's a hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a hole, there's a hole
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea


There's a well in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a well in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a well, there's a well
There's a well in the hole in the bottom of the sea

. . . continues. . .

There's a failed blowout valve in the well in the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's a pipe in the failed blowout valve in the well in the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's oil and gas in the pipe in the failed blowout valve in the well in the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's a mess in the ocean from the oil and gas in the pipe in the failed blowout valve in the well in the hole in the bottom of the sea

There's dead animals from the mess in the ocean from the oil and gas in the pipe in the failed blowout valve in the well in the hole in the bottom of the sea


Add your own! Here are some examples:

Finger pointing
Job losses
Public outrage
Dog-and-pony shows
Name calling
Protests
Stonewalling
Political posturing
Endless news coverage
Failed barriers
Destroyed wetlands
Political outrage (genuine)
Political outrage (fake)

Fear Strikes Again

As the photo on the right clearly shows, the debate about healthcare reform has a long, long way to go.

What amazes me is that up until the moment photo was taken, nobody bothered to tell that poor chap that his sign makes absolutely no sense. Did anyone bother to read his sign, or did the rest of the protesters he was with actually think his sign made sense?

Serious intellectual debate over healthcare cannot take place when we have people like the man in the photo believing that "government" needs to get out of his Medicare. Without education, we cannot make informed decisions. This unfortunate man was probably told by his friends and neighbors that the "government" was going to mess up his Medicare, and instead of doing a little research, fell victim to fear mongering.

I see signs like this from people protesting all across the country - people who are afraid of what they don't understand. Instead of educating themselves, they lash out in anger. The talking heads on TV and radio are aware of this, and they do their best to stir up the pot by twisting the truth, spreading rumors and telling outright lies. We the people have been told what to think and how to feel by these morons, and we hang on their every word - unable or unwilling to question what comes out of their mouths.

Healthcare is a big deal. The healthcare bills moving through congress right now have the potential to affect every single American for the rest of their lives. Healthcare should be argued, discussed, lampooned, inspected, rewritten and amended. It is the responsibility of every American citizen to educate themselves - not from political talking heads, neighbors, pastors or friends, but from non-partisan independent sources. Think about who the winners and losers are in the current system, and how that will change under the proposed new one. See how other countries are running their health care systems and think about what would work here and what wouldn't - and why. And don't just think about yourself - think about how the current and proposed systems affect your friends, neighbors, co-workers, family and community.

Both Democrats and Republicans have told half-truths and made misleading statements in order to win your support. Dig through the fluff and rhetoric to get to the truth. There are many web sites that thoroughly fact-check statements made by politicians. There are also independent news organizations in print and online that will give you the facts without putting a political spin on the news.

Don't be that dude in the photo. Think.

Photo credit: reconstitution.us

Proud To Be An American

A friend recently commented on my Facebook status message in which I said that I was "proud to be an American on this day." My friend's comment was: Weren't you proud before???

I'll answer that question this way: Sometimes.

Am I proud that America gives tens of billions of dollars a year to help fight the spread of AIDS, end world hunger and promote democracy around the world? Yes. Am I proud that America champions human rights and the rights of women around the world? Yes. Am I proud that this is a land of opportunity and promise? Yes. Am I proud of the freedoms granted our citizens that are the envy of many in the world? Yes.

However, America tends to ignore the plight of peoples in which it has no military, political or business interest in. Genocide in Darfur? Send in the UN! Genocide in Rwanda? Send in a token force, get our butts kicked, and then never show up again. Government sponsored murder in Haiti? Nada. Taliban oppressing people in Afghanistan BEFORE the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001? Diddly squat. Tens of thousands of homeless people in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina? No help there. On those counts, I am NOT proud to be an American.

And then there's the giant pink elephant in the room that no one dares talk about: race. There's a difference between SAYING that anyone can be President and actually DOING it. One of the basic founding principles of this country is that ANY American citizen can be President. Yet 43 out of 44 times, we elected a caucasian to the office.

This election changes EVERYTHING. Why? Because the majority of peoples around the world are what? Not white.

Seeing a young* non-white person as the President is inspiring to tens of millions of Americans and billions of people around the world. It means that America not only talks the talk, she walks the walk. It is vindication for every single non-white American that has ever been slighted, insulted, stereotyped, left behind, ignored, attacked, jailed or enslaved by whites in this country. It means that leaders of nations around the world see someone that is NOT the "establishment." They see someone who looks like them. They see someone who they may share a history or common ancestry with. They see someone who may understand them. Young minority children in America can look at the president and realize that all the rhetoric is REAL. That YES, they CAN achieve anything they put their minds to. Nothing inspires like a hero, but he's not a hero if you can't relate to him.

Now as great as all of this is, we are still leaving out a HUGE portion of the population. Who? Women. Hillary Clinton came closest to breaking that glass ceiling. Geraldine Ferraro merely touched it.

America has been SLOW to elect people to office that are anything other than white men. Indira Ghandi was Prime Minister of India in 1966. Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1979. Benazir Bhutto was Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988 (and she was a MUSLIM). ALL were successful leaders. The same "good 'ol boy" propaganda that's been holding back minorities for all these years also applies to women, and we are a lesser nation because of it.

So, on this day, I am proud - especially proud - to be an American. This day signifies part of America's promise made manifest. This day marks America's first steps into the 21st century. From before the day the Constitution was signed, America has been a nation of change. The need for change brought the Puritans to this continent. The need for change brought America's manifest destiny. The need for change brought and end to slavery. The need for change brought civil rights, the right to vote and freedom from discrimination. And the need for change has brought women and minorities into positions of leadership and power.

Go America.




Post script:

My friend also mentioned that she is "afraid Obama will be assassinated and this country will erupt in civil war." I understand that fear is a powerful motivator. Fear can even be good when you use it to focus your mind - ask any soldier. But allowing fear to make your decisions for you is a guarantee for failure - again, ask any soldier. Imagine all of the missed opportunities this country would have had if we had NOT done something out of fear of what may have happened as a result. Fear is the true enemy of success, and fear is part of what holds this country back from being all it can be. If an attempt is made on Barack Obama, it doesn't mean that we were "wrong" to elect him or that the country wasn't "ready." It means that we need work HARDER to stamp out intolerance and racism in this country. There is NO going back.



*Young: Only 9 Presidents ever elected before Barack Obama were under 50.

When did "elite" become a bad word?

Americans are a funny bunch. We like to claim that we are the best, richest and most powerful country in the world. We say that our form of government is the best and that our way of life is second to none.

That is the textbook definition of the word "elite." Don't believe me? Here you go:

From the American Heritage Dictionary:

elite (ĭ-lēt', ā-lēt')
n. pl. elite or elites

1. a. A group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status.

b. The best or most skilled members of a group.

A US Army Ranger is an elite soldier. Special Forces units are considered elite.

So, we Americans seem to like the term "elite" . . . as long as it doesn't apply to our President. For our President, we seem to want the "average Joe," or the guy we can "have a beer with."

Am I the only one here who seems to have a problem with this? Our president is the Commander In Chief of our armed forces, speaks for our interests around the world, meets and negotiates with foreign leaders, leads our country in times of war and conflict, directs economic and social policies, influences world affairs, and is the embodiment of America as seen by nations around the world.

For this we want "Joe President?" We want an "average" guy? What happened to the best of the best? Why does the "best" apply to our soldiers, athletes and businesspeople but not our President?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "elitism" as: "The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources."

So, when Barack Obama says something that speaks to his education and experience, people will say that he's being "elitist." And your problem with this is. . .what exactly? Do we NOT want our President to be the MOST educated, have the BEST judgment, have the SMARTEST ideas, be the MOST brilliant and creative, and have the SHARPEST mind? And isn't this person, this "elite" the BEST choice to lead the nation?

Does Donald Trump pick the most modest, the most humble, the most self deprecating person to be his "Apprentice?" HELL NO, he doesn't! He picks the sharpest, strongest, smartest, most driven, most resourceful person of the group.

Oh, so your problem is that he actually DEMONSTRATES how smart he is? You're all afraid that his head will get too big? That by educating himself he is somehow "out of touch" with the needs of "real" Americans? So the schools, colleges and universities in America, some of which are considered the best in the world, somehow brainwash their students to forget their humble beginnings, forget where they came from and take on a new "elitist" persona, right? All that book learnin' done gone and made him one of them thar ee-lee-tists.

I blame all of this on this recent fad of what I call "new averageism." It started in the schools when we celebrated EVERYONE for being "special." Everyone gets a gold star! We don't keep score in our games anymore - we do it for fun! There are no "losers" and "winners" because EVERYONE is special in their own way! No goals to reach, no people to look up to, no competition.

Whoever came up with this dreck needs to be shot through the head. Shot through the head by one of our elite military sharp shooters.

I want the best of the best - the elite - to be the president. "Next Door Joe" can fix my car.

Barack Obama For President

I used to like John McCain. I used to like him a lot. In fact, if John McCain were the Republican nominee back in 2000, there was a very good chance I would have voted for him.

Unfortunately, he didn't become the nominee. George W. Bush did. Republicans decided that it was more important to have a president that they could "have a beer with" than a straight talking no-nonsense "maverick."

John McCain called it like he saw it, whether it was popular or not, whether it was in the interest of the party or not. He was an independent conservative who wasn't afraid to vote with the Democrats when the need arose. He was a man that I could have easily supported.

Eight years later, John McCain is again running for president, only this time, he's not the same John McCain. The independent conservative? Gone. The "maverick?" Gone. The man I used to support? Gone.

John McCain took one giant step to the right and lost my support. Instead of calling it like he sees it, he started speaking the party line. Instead of telling the truth, he started telling falsehoods and outright lies. John McCain became the very politician that he used to speak out against. "Straight talk" morphed into Republican Party propaganda - the same old fear-based politics that Republicans turn to when things get tough. They've got nothing else, so they try to scare people into voting for them.

You hear it every four years: Democrats will raise your taxes, wimp out on defense, inflate government, spend money on pork, un-balance the budget, steal your babies, destroy the moral fabric of society and basically bring the world to an end. This fear is so pervasive that I've actually witnessed Republicans openly weeping when Bill Clinton was elected - terrified that their way of life was about to become Hell on earth. It's a mindset that doesn't allow for in-between, shades of grey, or "maybe." It's "yes or no," "black or white," " good or evil," "us or them," etc. And while there ARE certain things in life that follow that pattern, MOST things do not.

The nail in the coffin for my support for John McCain was his pick for VP. It was a blatant grab for the base of ultra-conservative voters who really don't care who is running for president, as long as they're Republican. Issues? They don't care. Who tells the truth? They don't care. As long a she's "one of us," they'll support her.

I'm registered as "Independent," and I honestly try to look at both points of view when it comes election time. I also believe that this country would completely fall apart if it were run by just Democrats or just Republicans. Each party needs the other. America needs to be able to stand firm and unwavering when necessary, and America also needs to bend and be flexible and understanding when necessary.

I used to see both of those qualities in John McCain. At times steadfast, at times flexible. Now I've seen him throw his hat in the ring with the completely inflexible, unwavering, unchanging and unapologetic crowd. I've seen him tell outright lies. I've seen him come out against legislation THAT HE WROTE. I've seen him do a complete 180 on his own positions on everything from the war in Iraq to offshore drilling.

I've seen the hypocritical nature of his party and the dirty underhanded tactics they will use to get their nominee elected. They view it as nothing less than a war for the future of the country. I've seen preachers broadcasting their sermons on the Internet saying that Barack Obama is the Anti Christ and will bring about the destruction of the world. Seriously.

I'm sorry, Mr. McCain, but you are not a man that I can support, and frankly, your party frightens me.

Instead of fear from John McCain and the Republicans, I hear a message of hope, peace and prosperity from Barack Obama. I hear of energy independence, clean air and water, economic prosperity, affordable healthcare for everyone and world leadership through cooperation and trust instead of intimidation. After 8 years of trying to either intimidate or just plain ignore hostile governments, the Bush administration is doing exactly what Barack Obama said we should be doing: talking to them. Funny how Barack Obama was viewed as a traitor for even suggesting the very thing that George Bush is now doing.

Instead of outright lies, I hear reasoned debate. Instead of pandering, I see a reasoned and thoughtful choice for running mate. Instead of the same old dreck, I see a real chance for progress in America.

Go Barack.