The Creating of a Self-fulfilling Prophecy?

One of the most frustrating things is to have something to say and not be able to find someone to say it to. Worse yet is to find someone only to discover that the other person wasn’t really listening. They may have become distracted and or they may just not be interested. Either way, it has virtually the same effect on the speaker. Now, when someone listens to you it can be so refreshing. We all have something to say. We all want to be heard.

It is no secret that there is much policy making going on in Washington and many people have something to say. Unless you live under a rock you would have to be aware that only certain people are listened to and those are they who praise the administration. If you disagree with your Congress persons or the administration you are likely to go unnoticed. Actually you may be slandered, made fun of, or otherwise belittled in some way, but nothing more.

This is exactly the results I have had in communicating with the President and my Congress Persons. I have found that writings have resulted in being ignored or receiving some computer generated goo that usually ignores my question or comment. From what I can tell, those people who have peacefully protested in front of officials offices have been run off, ignored, and treated like pests. That is what happened at Claire McCaskill’s office in Saint Louis.

As of yesterday, Mr. Obama had yet to treat protesters as Americans exercising their rights. If he mentions them at all it is in a derogatory or condescending manner. Perhaps Mr. Obama does not see these people as Americans. Surely as a self proclaimed Constitutional Scholar, Mr. Obama should be aware that this is the peaceful way citizens address their grievances.

In April,2009 A newly unclassified Department of Homeland Security report warns against the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty and singles out returning war veterans as particular threats.

Looking at their definition of “right-wing extremists” would qualify most Tea Party attendees. I could be easily be labeled as an extremist yet I think of myself as a moderate. Are you concerned about immigration, increasing federal power, 2nd amendment rights, abortion, or the loss of U.S. Sovereignty? Duh! These terms describe better than 50% of Americans. That would mean that the majority are “right-wing extremists”. Doesn’t that make you wonder what this administration is up to? By denying the validity of our concerns, they increase our concern. Increased concern leads to increased activity. Still the deny us their ears. Our concerns escalate.

Of late I have come to suspect that this Administration hoping to aggravate those with concerns. Daily Obama fans the flames of discord with his elitist comments and socialist agenda. Perhaps he hopes to divide our nation and use that division to accomplish his agenda. Perhaps he hopes to enrage America. He sure isn’t trying to unite it.

Evolution of a Dictator.

It has been a scary yet interesting past six months. We have inaugurated a president who seems totally removed from mainstream America even though he was elected by a majority. To me he is like the proverbial “Bull in a China Shop”. He does as he wishes, breaks what he will, and apologizes to no one regardless of how wrong he is. He recently “walked back his words” of racism and slander against the Cambridge Police Department. He did not apologize. He will have a beer. What a cool way to cover your mistakes.

When Obama has Press Conferences and Town Halls, like every few minutes (he has had more already than like anyone ever), he has orchestrated what questions will be asked. Even still his answers are long and boring and while away the time allotted. It is as if he controls the press. Oh yeah. He does. And if it were not enough to control the press, he created his own Whitehouse press at something over $4,000,000.00 per year in taxpayer dollars. It seems that having control over the press is not enough. He prefers to own it. I guess when we funded GE that we bought ABC. They sure act like they are beholding to him.

If you hadn’t noticed, Obama cannot stand a difference of opinion. During the campaign it was often leaked that he kept to himself and made sure that everyone was in their place. Those who wrote anything about him which he deemed unflattering were moved to the rear of the bus. Actually they were given poor seats on the second plane. If there is any chance there will be a demonstration, Obama has the secret service move back the demonstrators a safe distance: say to the next state or somewhere.

To date, no one has indirectly or directly disagreed with Obama and managed to keep their head. I only have my head temporarily. It is on loan from the administration. Dissent is just not tolerated and anything that came from a mouth other than his is potentially dissent.

Like so many politicians he is not bound by the commitments he made during the campaign. Statements like no taxes for the middle class evaporated like a drop of water on a hot griddle. One of my favorites is his commitment to transparency. I just love that. Obama has yet to pull back the curtain and let us see him pulling the handles that makes the Oz Wizard puff and blow smoke. I suspect he thinks we are stupid. Perhaps he thinks he can get it all done without Americans co-operating with his plans. Actually, that is what I think. Why else all the rush?

Lastly, Obama seems to want government to have control over everything. I forget. What do they call that again? Oh yeah: communism! How silly of me. Some people think that communism is where everyone moves in together and eats at the same table. Obama’s idea is different. He is planning to take all the tables from rich people and give them to poor people. Now he will keep his rich table because after all we do need someone to look after us and since we have all these czars, who better than that friggin’, left-wing, America overthrowing, wealth redistributing, Constitution destroying, racists and divisive, socialist Dictator: Barack Hussein Obama?

So what is the Congressional Black Caucus?

For so many years I have been one of those Americans who were comfortable in letting the system govern itself. That was until this year. This year the whole political system seemed to beg for my recognition. I have always voted for the President and tried to know their basic philosophies. I just never was interested in how the whole thing works, or as it is now, how it doesn’t work.

It seems that our government has broken itself into diverse groups with special agendas. One such group is the “Congressional Black Caucus”. Until Senator Obama joined the group it had been made up solely of legislators from the House of Representatives. Senator Obama was its first Senate member and the caucus’s first member elected president. Their second Senate member is Obama’s Senate seat replacement Roland Burris.

While they are not a Partisan group they currently consist entirely of Democratic Party politicians. It is not a rule. It just happens that way. Only four black Republicans have been elected to congress to date with J.C. Watts of Oklahoma refusing to join the group. Apparently Mr. Watts became labeled as an Uncle Tom for his refusal:

"...they [Jesse Jackson, et al.] said that I had sold out and Uncle Tom. And I said well, they deserve to have that view. But I have my thoughts. And I think they're race-hustling poverty pimps."

Officially you do not have to be black to be a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, but it seems that there has never been a white Black Caucus member even though there have been some interested in applying. However when pressed on the issue of whites joining the caucus, former and current members of the Caucus agreed that the group should remain "exclusively black." Rep. William Lacy Clay, Jr., D-Mo., the son of Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, is quoted as saying, "Mr. Cohen asked for admission, and he got his answer (referring to Rep. Steven Cohen D-TN). He's white and the Caucus is black. Some in Congress (and anyone else with half a brain) have seen these groups as divisive and called for their disbanding.

Representative Tom Tancredo, R-Co., spoke out against the continued existence of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as the Democratic Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Republican Congressional Hispanic Conference saying, "It is utterly hypocritical for Congress to extol the virtues of a color-blind society while officially sanctioning caucuses that are based solely on race. If we are serious about achieving the goal of a colorblind society, Congress should lead by example and end these divisive, race-based caucuses.”

During his presidential bid, Ralph Nader accused Rep. Melvin Watt of using an “obscene and racist epithet” when Watt supposedly said "You're just another arrogant white man - telling us what we can do - it's all about your ego - another f--king arrogant white man." It seems that the Caucus raised a ruckus when Nader wouldn’t step down as a candidate.

The National Leadership Network of Conservative African-Americans called for an Apology from Rep. Watts and the Congressional Black Caucus. I believe Mr. Nader is still waiting. Is it me or does there seem to be a large number of African Americans groups? Surely this can't be good for unifying this country. To quote 2 things from the late (African American) Booker T. Washington:

“I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.”
Booker T. Washington

“There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs-partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.” Booker T. Washington

Obama Surprised by furor over his Racist Comments

On Wednesday Mr. Obama stated in his press meeting that the Cambridge police “acted stupidly” when they arrested his friend Louis Gates Jr.. A reporter asked about the arrest. Obama said he wasn’t there and he didn’t have all the facts. Rather than quitting at that he followed his (now evident) racial bent and made a judgment (without facts) and inferred that the arresting officer was racially motivated. He followed that with more of his usual meanderings intending to prove his case (the case without any facts).

On Thursday Mr. Obama said that:

"I have to say I am surprised by the controversy surrounding my statement," Obama said in an interview with ABC News, "because I think it was a pretty straightforward comment that you probably don't need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who's in his own home."

Still operating without any facts, Obama is surprised that people would be offended that he rendered a judgment without facts and essentially played the “Race Card”. Doesn’t he know that when you accuse someone of racism, that accusation is racism? To say that a white guy did something only because he was white is Racism. To say that the black guy was arrested by a white man only because the former is white is RACISM. What part of that is hard for you to understand Mr. Obama?
For years many, many non-black people have had the race card played upon them. My wife worked for many years with the public and would often come home saying that someone said, “If I wasn’t black you would do this or that for me.” Of course this hurt her deeply. Her decision was not made upon race it was made upon facts. We struggled with a way to handle people who like to use race as the “reason” when they don’t get what they want. It is a difficult statement to counter without being rude or intolerant. If you respond at all, you risk their entire wrath.

Without the facts Obama judged. To that I say, if that officer wasn’t white you wouldn’t have called him a racist Mr. Obama.

Get it now Mr. Obama? Do you understand why so many are offended by your statement? Do you even care?

Stimulus Package a.k.a.: Friends of Obama Fund

There has been quite a bit said and published about the success of the Stimulus package. Cited below is from Politico.

""Politico reported on June 5 that the “Stimulus tour” — visits by Mr. Obama and other administration officials “across the country to tout the massive spending program or hand out stimulus cash to grateful local officials” — overwhelmingly took place in states that voted for Obama: “52 of the 66 events were in states that backed Obama.” The other 14 events were in states that Obama lost only narrowly. A new study released by USA Today also finds that counties that voted for Obama received about twice as much stimulus money per capita as those that voted for McCain.""

Consider the above. Obama is in fact rewarding those who voted for him, wooing those who almost helped him get elected and punishing those states who did not vote for him in large majorities. He has totally ignored the Southern States and with these actions shows himself to be the “Chief Pork Barrel Promoter” (also called earmarks). When conservatives pointed out that the Stimulus bill contained these earmarks he dismissed them as old business. Now we see that the money that has been distributed has not been spent on the basis of need but to the Gigantic Obama Pork Program to promote him and increase loyalty to him.

Never in my life did I ever expect to see so dangerous a politician in the presidency. I might have expected to see someone like this in some ideological socialist group. (Consider his Chicago roots.) Obama is not only in power but he is wielding as a hammer and sickle. The presidency is not for personal politics but is for benefit of the American people as a nation: all of us.

The Stimulus Program has of late been reported as ineffective in helping the American economy. I am not so sure it was ever intended to.

Reflections upon Discrimination and Prejudice

One would have to pretty simplistic in their thinking to believe that America has not gone through great pains because of prejudice, racism, and discrimination. In fact, I dare say that anyone who is different in any way will be singled out and treated differently. It was true for the Irish, the Italians, and the Vietnamese. It has been true for every tribe or nation that has chosen to live in our great nation. Humans seem able to discriminate on any imaginable basis including race, gender, creed, national origin, and yes even Vietnam Veteran status.

As a child I wittnessed discrimination and even participated based upon the whomever seemed vulnerable at the time. Attacks were made on the poor, the homeless, the obese, and those who were just a little more different that others. Surveys and studies have shown that "pretty and handsome" people have better chances at good jobs and obtaining help in times of need such as when a car breaks down. People having a bad hair day or no hair are the brunt of jokes. Having bad teeth or a cleft palate will surely end your hopes for an acting carreer.

To be sure, many of the reasons why people are discriminated against can be helped. Sometimes surgery or new set of clothes, or learning to speak in a socially acceptable way or using the proper language at the proper time would be of help. Some could loose weight, put on weight or get a tan. Others might try practicing casual or business communications to help aleviate some of the pressure. Many may they have little they can do, however I suspect that everyone can do a little something to lessen their plight.

It seems unlikely that individual efforts will ever make a permanent and lasting change. People are just different and no sooner that you think you have seen it all and you will see something new. Someone will find that new thing something they can discriminate against. For those people it will be as if they are an alien race setting foot on the planet for the first time. Even those who have been discriminated will line up to discriminate against these. It would appear hopeless.

Today President Obama spoke to the NAACP. Part of what he said follows:

"But make no mistake: the pain of discrimination is still felt in America. By African-American women paid less for doing the same work as colleagues of a different color and gender. By Latinos made to feel unwelcome in their own country. By Muslim Americans viewed with suspicion for simply kneeling down to pray. By our gay brothers and sisters, still taunted, still attacked, still denied their rights.

"On the 45th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, discrimination must not stand. Not on account of color or gender; how you worship or who you love. Prejudice has no place in the United States of America."

President Obama's words call for an end to pejudice and discrimination and while he cannot mention everyone, leaving out anyone is regrettable, particularly if you are that one. You cannot help but notice that he mentioned today only the minorities he hopes to favor. If you are one he has ignored, the middle ager who has lost their job because their age, or if you are a Jehovah's Wittness and people find you offensive to work around. For every people there are differences. You can make laws and circulate petitions. We have these things now yet another speech.

Some will make speeches or write blogs and some will do nothing. Still others will continue to discriminate using none of the above, but using their place and power in life to deprive others of their freedoms. Some, because of the lofty stations can minimize and even ignore the "dull and ignorant" masses, feeling superior in intellect and therfore worthy to control our destinies. In truth all of these forms of discrimination originate in the minds of people. It is those minds that discriminate and since we all have a mind it is possible to imagine that we all discrimate and are discriminated against.

To single out a race or a religion, a people or a concept and point the finger of blame is to discriminate. Declaring your neigbor a racist, is that not discriminatory?
So who then has the right to accuse, to chose what is right, fair and just. Who can say? Whatever you choose to say or not, write or not, do or not do, nothing will happen until the heart and conscience of the hater stops hating. The solution lies within the spiritual side of man. To date there is no law that can correct that.

When Push Comes to Shove: as in down your throat

The longer one watches the approach and actions of Barack Obama the more clear it becomes that only one opinion matters to him: His. Anytime he is presented with anything he disagrees with he appoints a czar or dispatches his political thugs to handle it. Right now His supreme agenda is Health Care Reform, lovingly referred to as Obama Care. Take yours eyes off this bill for just one second and it will be passed. You will never know what hit you, that is, until you get the bill and spend hours in the clinic waiting for an aspirin.

No one argues that Health Care in America needs serious attention. Notice, I used the words "serious attention". That is not what is on the table for consideration. What is currently being propelled throught the congress is a loosely compiled pile of bureuacratic jargon that loosely translates... Obama wants this and he wants it now and he won't wait and it must be this and, and, and, and.... Neither he nor the group of zombies that are following him have the slightest concern for anyone other than OBAMA. Cost? No problem. We will create a new tax and call it something else. When Oprah called him the "one" I misunderstood. I didn't get it that she was telling us from now on there is no you, no America, no Constution, no negotiating, no freedom, no nada: Only Obama.

The change we were promised and the change we are receiving are extremely different. Obama is essentially a dictator. Even now I wonder how much room there is for Americans to make a difference in what Obama intends to do. It would appear that he has the votes and where he lacks them he sends in his thugs to threaten them. He brushes aside a grass roots movement by the people and calls them "a bunch of tea baggers": disrespect for them intended. He doesn't like what is in the press, albeit highly flattering of him, so he creates "White House TV". He now controls what information the press gets and for months now he seems to have all of the questions and attendees staged. You might say he is playing with a stacked deck. He believes American are playing with half-a-deck.

It has taken Obama only months to disarm the checks and balances we have in our government. Soon, his "Wise Latina" will be confirmed and he will be one step closer to "Obamerica". In Obamerica he will rule in the manner of his idols and Congress will become unnecessary. (I wonder if congress knows they will soon be unemployed.) Still, I suspect that this will not satisfy him. What will? Perhaps he wasn't visiting World Governments. Perhaps he was surveying his territory.

Is President Obama an Elitist?

President Obama has been called an Elitist. Hearing about this I thought it an interesting topic on which to blog. As I often do when challenged with a controversial subject I researched the word “Elitist” in the dictionary; which in turn led me to a web search, which resulted in numerous opinion pieces. They covered this very question with most speculating about the why; even to the point of essentially psychoanalyzing their motives; the ones who originally called him an Elitist? My research produced a thinly veiled charge of racism. They argued that to say Elitist and Obama in the same sentence was racism. Numerous sites were explored with the bulk of them making this same declaration. Go figure.

Apparently, using highly trained skills they were able to deduce from one definition of Elitist: one who considers themselves as superior. From there it was just a hop, skip, and a jump through the imagination to equate superior to uppity. Uppity? A rather archaic choice don’t you think. Albeit! I could stretch and use uppity in a sentence if forced to. Now, take a very liberal left turn and you will find yourself at the quite old concept of “an uppity black” (actual word offensive and not used). Those using this logic concluded that obviously that who said that Obama was an elitist were in fact calling him an Uppity N…. It is supposed to be some sort of conservative code language. I must have missed that class.

My impression is that much of what politicians say is untruthful. They speak in velvety and often slippery language. Some might say that they speak without saying anything. In fact the very word Politic is literally translated as shrewd. But then when I think of shrewd my mind immediately thinks of that furry rat-like creature with the long nose: the shrew. That could account for my immediate dislike of things political.

Still, it is fair to say that Obama is a shrewd politician (No redundancy intended.) and he does seem to carry himself with a sense of entitlement; the way someone might who thought themselves superior to bring about the future of America. That being the crux of the matter the question really is no longer “Is Obama and Elitist” but is he your brand of elitist?

America is a Christian Nation

God is alive and well in America.
For some the issue of religion is a difficult subject. Still, there is no denying that the US was founded using Judaeo / Christian principles. To this day we are a largely Christian nation and the polls bear this out. One of the most wonderful concepts found in Judaism and Christianity is the concept of Grace. It is this concept of Grace that gives America its religious tolerance. It is what makes it possible to believe whatever you like and remain here. Tell me that exists in other nations and I will show you a basically Judaeo / Christian nation.

Tolerance is what makes it possible for agnostics and atheists to believe or not to believe whatever they want. It is this tolerance (Grace) that made it possible for Jeremiah Wright to preach his gospel of hatred and do so without fear of reprisal. In America you can believe whatever you like. You can even believe that we are not a Christian nation as stated by president Obama: albeit incorrectly.

On this Judaeo / Christian foundation a nation was built that prospered as no other in the history of man. Doubtless, America is the greatest nation on earth. Yet, even now Grace is at work allowing every citizen of this great nation to believe as they wish. For some that is not enough. For some they must have control and every American must be forced to believe as these people do. They are forever bringing lawsuits to take God out of schools, out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and out of the very fabric of our culture, if that were possible.

In my thinking I am content to let you believe whatever you like. That is, until what you believe begins to infringe on my right. Once you cross that line then I no longer am bound to think kindly of you. You are no longer allowing “live and let live” but are trying to dictate life on your terms. This is totally unacceptable, not only to me but to millions of Americans. To be sure, we will stand up against you.

You do not have to pray my prayers nor worship my God. You will however respect my right to do so wherever I go and as I see fit within the bounds of Grace. When you wish to remove God from my schools, my books, my government, or dare say my Constitution you shall find a much less graceful adversary.

Be advised. I and millions of Americans choose to leave peaceably with all men. Take it at that, but be not deceived. We will stand for God and Country. In our minds it is God that gives us Country. Should you find this hard to hear let me suggest one thing. Trying to destroy Christian principles is to destroy your freedoms. That’s insane.

The Stars Align for Obama

Every once in a while the stars align just perfectly and we get a government filled with bureaucrats united in a common goal. To me they look like sperm cells. They all wag their tails hoping to be the one that gets the nod. This is one of those times. Congress, the administration, and the president are all together for the common goal: themselves.

It is during these times that we are reminded of how good it was in the olden days; back when the constitution was viable and there were 3 branches of government. If we would have known then what we know now we would have held Barack’s feet closer to the fire until he told the truth. As it is we now have a president that went from birth to the congress with nothing of interest in between.

True. He did have those friendships with has-been SDS organizers and bomb makers but that was of little interest to much of America. Yes, you are right he did sit for 20 years in a church that believes that Christianity is a tool of the white man (can I say white man) to keep the black man down. While attending that church they gave their lifetime achievement award to Louis Farrakhan. Yes the Louis who believes that white people are not in fact “human” but have the hope of becoming human. Doubtless Obama came away without any of these things being of interest to the voters.

I remember it so well. To consider these times was to judge guilt by association. Oh well. Like dad always said. “Son you have no business hanging out ‘til 4 in the morning. All that’s out there is pimps and prostitutes. You ain’t the one boy and you don’t need the other.” He always said wise things even if he somehow made them common as clay. He was right, but I digress.

Fortunately, Oprah proclaimed Obama as “The One” and made the whole thing possible. Oprah has that golden touch you know. Now it is completely possible for our country to be formed into something entirely different without us having to say anything. In fact, we are not supposed to say anything. We should just take the pill they give us and go “sleepy sleepy”.

When you awaken there will be this brand new government: A government “of the government”, ‘by the government”, and “for the government”. Of course we could all stand up at once and say NO.

Is it cynical in here or is it just me?

Once upon a time in a land not too far away you could pretty much trust most anything that was told to you. People actually preferred trust and pleasantries and found disdain in the opposite. I can hear mom saying to me that if I had nothing nice to say about someone then I should say nothing at all. Mom is not alive these days and I am thinking even she might find herself speechless if she were.

Back when, people took great pride in what they said and many a deal was made with only the spoken word and a handshake to seal it. Phrases like “my word is good” and “he is good for it” and “I’ll be right back” were taken at face value: nothing more, nothing less. I think things began to change about the time my uncle Louey went out for a quart of milk and wasn’t heard from for 20 years.

It was about then that President Nixon was elected and within a few years we began to really learn how not to trust people. To be sure, politicians’ words were taken with equal measures of cynicism and hope, with hope being the operative word in casual conversation. Still it is my firm impression that former president Nixon could be credited with the blooming of the modern age of skepticism.

Well of course Nixon appointed Ford as VP who then pardoned Nixon, and then Jimmy came along with that peculiar family of his. Although I don’t think folks thought Jimmy didn’t mean well. I think they just thought him unable to deliver. Ronald Regan seemed honest enough and just about the time folks began to trust again we heard things like “read my lips” and “I never had sexual relations with that woman”. Of late I have heard “change you can believe in”.

It seems that it is not enough to just play fast and loose with the truth but it has become some sort of art form to see whom you can shame with your word. Whole careers are made for people to come up with clever ways to say things. They call it spin. Mom would have called it something else and would’ve washed their mouths out with soap.

Tea Parties

While I am nearly old enough to remember the original Tea Party I must confess that I have yet to attend one: then or now. It is not that I don’t care or that I think it wouldn’t matter it is that I just didn’t know. Since ignorance of the law isn’t an excuse I suppose my ignorance is unacceptable as well. Still, my ignorance is all that I have.

Even in my ignorance there are some things I do know. I know that you cannot spend money that you don’t have and not have consequences down the road. I have lived long enough to see what happened when I or the government did that very thing. For me personally it resulted in bad credit and bills I couldn’t pay and for the government… actually it was exactly the same. The government had one big advantage over me: anonymity. They are like the proverbial “They”. “They” said that you cannot… “They” said we won’t. Voicing an opinion to the “Government” is about as effective as trying to figure out who “They” are.

The Tea Parties have had a similar effect to date. After the first round of them Obama and others in his administration made fun of them. He called them tea baggers and laughed them off without pause. He saw them as instruments of the conservative media and not as citizens. Actually, if you watch the president carefully he only has 2 ways of responding to those with whom he disagrees: He scoffs at them or he dominates them. He really doesn’t play well with others.

Anyway, I hope to make the next Tea Party even if it is in Washington. It would be very hard for the mainstream media and the Whitehouse to ignore thousands of protesters. Still, as for Obama, I will bet he makes plans to be in Luxembourg, Palau, or perhaps a place with nice beaches and great hotels. Still. I will be there with teabags in hand. I may even dress as a teabag.

When Time Isn't On Your Side

Today President Obama encouraged Americans to be patient and give his recovery plan more time to work. I suppose that is alright if you are Jetting around the World at taxpayers expense and having photo ops like a lottery winner turned tourist. If on the other hand you are out of work, facing foreclosure, dodging bill collectors, and trying to find the next meal his words have a hollow sound. What happened to all those shovel ready jobs?

In all fairness President Obama didn't really understand how long it would take to get that money out to the people. After all, he had only been a Senator for 2 years with the latter of those years spent on the campaign trail. In Washington time he was a newbie and is really still trying to get his presidential legs under him. This president made grand promises to the world and has so far made every effort to explore and woo that world. He really hasn't had time to work on the domestic issues.

I find it interesting that the only shovel ready jobs in my state is building some latrines in the state parks. Unfortunately most of the people I know who are out of work are city folk who don't know the first thing about latrines nor how to build one. I dare say that most would be hard to convince to even use one. City people tend to be fussy that way.

Still, I can't help wonder what would happen if President Obama spent a little more time in Washington D.C. and a little less time in Air Force one. On Tuesday he will be jetting to Saint Louis to throw out the first pitch at the All-Star game. Those he sees in the stadium will no doubt clap for him regardless of his athletic prowess. I doubt he will see the homeless who live adjacent to the stadium under the overpasses. I guess they should be thankful to have a roof over their heads.

So America, is this the change you were expecting?

It needs saying...

I don't know about the rest of you but as for me I am a little concerned by what is going on in our country these days. It seems that we are a little more divided than we have ever been before, at least since the civil war.

Oddly enough I tend to think that lines are being drawn over similar issues, not about slavery but about race and racially related issues. That seems odd that we have come so far as to have a African American president and yet to sense racial tensions since his elections.

Everyone knows that the President courted and won the Latino vote and that Blacks voted for him in a 9 to 1 ratio. Of itself, that is a racially motivated action. At least it would appear so. That being so, President Obama was elected upon racial lines. It would seem that even a sizable Caucasian vote did little to calm the tensions for a great number of Caucasians. In fact, it is my opinion that the election of our new president has left this country more racially tense now than prior to his election and campaign.

Throughout the campaign there was little said about the race factor other than what a historically sensational thing this was. Little or nothing was publicly said about how those who did not vote for Obama did not feel at liberty to express their opinions. Those who did were so often called racists; whether by African Americans, fellow Caucasians, or the proverbial they (whomever they are).

I myself experienced this phenomenon and found myself reluctant to express my opinions and have until this blog. Now is the time to clear the air of this matter. Regardless of one's opinion of the president and regardless of one's race, we all have the right to express our opinions without racist judgements. Why I should think that now is the right time to vet these thoughts is beyond me for as I type away I realize that there will be those who will condemn me. So be it.

If America as a nation has not reached the point where we can have a civil conversation about what trouble us then I am afraid we may be long condemned in a situation of ignoring the "dead elephant".

The election of the first African American president should be something that we all admire and remember. It should not be I dare say because he is black or I do say because he is black. We should speak the truth allowing color to take its rightful place: in art.