Totally hypothetical, but what if Obama was a guest star on the TV Show Heroes (if you don't watch it I suggest you start NOW!)? First off, I think it would be a good appearance for him to make because he would connect with a lot of independents and young voters. But aside from that, if he was on the show, he would have a special power. So what would that power be? I guess you could say something like "hope," but that isn't that interesting a power in the context of the show. I think it would be sweet if he had the power to make people speak the truth. If there was REAL truth in the political system and in the show you could cut through all the false motives and lies of everyone in the world and do things that are great for all people, not just lobbyists. Also, when debating McCain I think ol' John would be much more careful if Obama had the truth seeing powers. Anyway, what do you guys think? The power of truth, hope, change, what?
There can be no infallible criterion for defining the nature of a government, except its acts. If the acts of a monarchy, aristocracy and democracy are the same, these forms of government are to a nation essentially the same also. To contend for forms only, is to fight for shadows. The United States did not go to war for nothing but forms. A government is substantially good of bad, in the degree that it produces the happiness or misery of a nation. I see but little difficulty in finding a mode of detecting the fallacy of form, and the frauds of profession. If we can determine the quality in human nature, from which political evil has chiefly proceeded under every form of government, this quality is the cause which can corrupt any form. Instead of amusing ourselves with these forms, not to be confided in, it behooves us to search for a remedy, able to remove or control the cause itself.
Cupidity, greed or monopoly, both in the savage and civilized state, is the quality of human nature, always requiring control, and always striving to break down the restraints imposed upon it. To resist this quality, the United States endured the evils of a long war with a powerful nation. They had seen a limited monarchy tried in the parent country, as remedy for this bad quality of human nature; but ineffectually; because a considerable power remained with the king, and an absolute power was conceded to or usurped the government, of distributing property. The hostile principles, of leaving men to be enriched by their own industry, or of enriching them by the favors of the government, were to be weighed against each other; that which made many poor to enrich a few was rejected, and that which encouraged industry was preferred, in the most distinct manner, as I shall hereafter prove.
Read More »Many people believe the Nostradamus fortells what is to come. They consider the lost books to be a glimpse into the future. Perhaps in a way, it does just that. I have spent many years fascinated by the pictures and the stories. And today I have finally cracked the secret Code.
It's a History of oppression... And the age of enlightenment... Christianity gains popularity, and most who follow the Old Testament begin following the teaching of Christ. It's important to point out that Christianity as it is taught today is not the teachings of Christ. Christianity was rewritten in order for the old ways to remain in power. If you read the book of Nostradamus, and understand why he wrote in secret, it was because History was not suppose to survive throughout the ages. Many years of manipulating the people of the world to fall in line with a new version.. A new chain of events. But this isn't a story of Jews vs. Christ, rather a story about Man vs. Man.
Read More »Marketing has existed for as long as long can be. You could say that the snake in the biblical "Garden of Eden" was the first example of marketing. Then business required that people know of their product. No different than a political campaign. There is no doubt we expect the straight forward truth regarding the subject. The expectation often leads people putting their faith in that information.
So when I hear promises made by a campaign, I can't help but wonder to myself... by what Constitutional Authority do you suppose grants the executive a power to accomplish that? The truth is, there is no such power. Then why do Presidential Candidates run on such promises? I believe the answer is... Because if they don't meet those expectations, they can blame congress. If the 'other party' controls congress, it is warfare to take over seats in congress.
We need to stop listening to what programs they are going to offer, and find out more about what kind of person they are. You can find that out by asking questions.
If you ask a Republican if they believe in abortion, they will tell you "no, it's wrong, and there should be laws that make abortion illegal."
If you ask a Democrat if they believe in abortion, they will say, "I believe a woman has a right to choose, and no law should be passed violating that right."
Why don't we ask another questions.
Republicans & Democrats: Do you believe that the federal government has the power to take away a persons rights?
When a Bill of Rights was suggested and enumerated before congress, one comment made was that "The Constitution doesn't grant any power to restrict the freedom of the press." Nor does it grant any other power to restrict the actions of people.
So when congressman offer up bills to be passed into law, I think the phrase "& for other purposes" should be excluded from all bills. It means there are other provisions that aren't being discussed, and have nothing to do with the title of the Bill itself. They should also be required to state as part of the Bill the Constitutional Power that allows such a law to be passed. Any congressman opposing a bill should state any constitutional clause that forbids such a law to be passed. If you pass a bill contrary to the Constitution, then it was passed Unconstitutionally, since all laws must be made pursuant to the constitution, and bills contrary to the Constitution cannot have any affect and are immediately null and void, then why do we continue to allow ourselves to be kicked around?
Perhaps it's a lot like the beaten wife syndrome. After a while, we will protect the person inflicting the pain, and continue to blame ourselves for what has happened.
Super Rich Tax Cheats Outed by Bank Clerk --Technician in Liechtenstein Turns Over Names of Americans With Secret Bank Accounts 15 Jul 2008 Hundreds of super-rich American tax cheats have, in effect, turned themselves in to the IRS after a bank computer technician [Heinrich Kieber] in the tiny European country of Liechtenstein came forward with the names of US citizens who had set up secret accounts there, according to Washington lawyers investigating the scheme.
US soldier who deserted over Iraq is deported 16 Jul 2008 Canada yesterday deported to the US the first American army deserter fleeing the Iraq war across the US-Canadian border. Robin Long, 25, faces a possible court martial and jail, and even redeployment to Iraq. He joined the army in 2003, after the invasion of Iraq, but became troubled by the war. In 2005 he fled to Canada and applied for refugee status, because the US army wanted him to participate in what he called an "illegal war of aggression in Iraq."
16 Jul 2008
President [sic] Bush has the legal power to order the indefinite military detentions of civilians captured in the United States, the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., ruled on Tuesday in a fractured 5-to-4 decision. But a second, overlapping 5-to-4 majority of the court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, ruled that Ali al-Marri, a citizen of Qatar now in military custody in Charleston, S.C., must be given an additional opportunity to challenge his detention in federal court there. The decision was a victory for the Bush regime, which had maintained that a 2001 Congressional authorization to use military force after the Sept. 11 attacks granted the president the power to detain people living in the United States.
US plans to station diplomats in Iran for first time since 1979 --Washington move signals thaw in relations 17 Jul 2008 The US plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years as part of a remarkable turnaround in policy by President [sic] George Bush. The Guardian has learned that an announcement will be made in the next month to establish a US interests section - a halfway house to setting up a full embassy. The move will see US diplomats stationed in the country. Cases against Iraq IG, deputy, end without charges 16 Jul 2008
The government has cleared the top U.S. watchdog of Iraq reconstruction projects and his deputy of fraud and abuse allegations lodged by former employees, officials said Wednesday. On July 3, federal prosecutors alerted the office of Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen that a grand jury declined to indict him or deputy Ginger Cruz. A complaint to the presidential council filed by anonymous former staff members in 2006 focused on a number of fraud and abuse allegations, as well as descriptions of possible workplace violations, including sexual harassment. Bush won't give Congress papers in CIA leak probe 16 Jul 2008
President [sic] George W. Bush, asserting executive privilege, has rejected Congress' request for documents on FBI interviews with Bush and Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney from a probe to find who leaked the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson. The Bush administration said on Wednesday that turning over such records would violate the president's rights to counsel from his staff. Bush claims executive privilege on CIA leak
Let's start talking about the real economic root of the problems we have. The current monetary system (Federal Reserve). If anything, Ron Paul brought these issues to light and it's a topic the Democratic Party should start to address. I urge you to learn more about the Federal Reserve and urge our leaders to start talking!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-466210540567002553&q=federal+reserve&ei=SZV1SMO6LY_UqAK0kL3EBQ
"OKAY, RALLY ROUND CHILRENS , RALLY ROUND AND LISSEN"
Source: Huffington Post
Snip: ** UPDATE BELOW: OBAMA CAMPAIGN REJECTS AP REPORT **
UPDATE: An Obama campaign official told the Huffington Post that the AP's claims about Obama allowing hiring or firing based on faith are false. From a portion of Obama's speech today:
"Now, make no mistake, as someone who used to teach constitutional law, I believe deeply in the separation of church and state, but I don't believe this partnership will endanger that idea - so long as we follow a few basic principles. First, if you get a federal grant, you can't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can't discriminate against them - or against the people you hire - on the basis of their religion. Second, federal dollars that go directly to churches, temples, and mosques can only be used on secular programs. And we'll also ensure that taxpayer dollars only go to those programs that actually work."
The Politico, meanwhile, describes Obama's new plan not as an expansion of Bush's Faith-Based Initiative, but as an effort to tear down what Bush created and establish a new program with a new set of goals:
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) slammed President Bush's faith-based program as "a photo-op" and a failure on Tuesday, and said he will scrap the office and create a new Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships that would be a "critical" part of his administration.
Obama, unveiling a plan to overhaul and expand Bush's faith-based program during remarks at a community ministry in Zanesville, Ohio, said the White House Office of Community and Faith-Based Initiatives - which Bush founded during his second week in office - "never fulfilled its promise." [...]Reaching out to evangelicals who are non-plussed by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Obama declared: "I still believe it's a good idea to have a partnership between the White House and grassroots groups, both faith-based and secular. But it has to be a real partnership - not a photo-op. That's what it will be when I'm President. I'll establish a new Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships."
"The new name will reflect a new commitment," he continued. "This Council will not just be another name on the White House organization chart - it will be a critical part of my administration."
FROM OBAMA FOR AMERICA. Visit that site to learn more. There is McCain's rhetoric and the Republican claptrap, and then there is the truth. Opt for the truth. Check it out.
MCCAIN RHETORIC: Obama Will Enact the Largest Tax Increase Since World War II. “No matter which of us wins in November, there will be change in Washington. The question is what kind of change? Will we enact the single largest tax increase since the Second World War as my opponent proposes, or will we keep taxes low for families and employers? This election offers Americans a very distinct choice about what kind of change we will have. This is especially true for the small business community.” [McCain speech to the NFIB, 6/10/08]
THE FACTS: BARACK OBAMA IS ACTUALLY PROPOSING A MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUT. JOHN MCCAIN WILL PROVIDE NEARLY $2 TRILLION IN CORPORATE TAX CUTS AND WILL MAKE PERMANENT THE BUSH TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY. ORDINARY AMERICANS WILL ONLY SEE A SMALL FRACTION OF THE TAX CUTS JOHN MCCAIN IN PROVIDING. Read More »The Chicago Tribune has an IQ test for knowledge about John McCain. I didn't do that well; but I think ONE of the answers is wrong.
You can find it here and take it yourself:
IN THE 1980s, On a $2,000 investment in a cellular phone franchise deal, Hillary made $44,000 by taking advantage of the FCC's preference for minorities and women, and subverting the purpose of the preferences, by turning around and then selling it to McCaw a cellular Giant almost immediately.
On her flawed memory
IN 1996, Congressional investigators and the special prosecutor were seeking billing records of Hillary�s, Rose Law Firm. After searching for two years, they were located at the White House in a back room of the Clintons personal residence. Hillary claimed she had no knowledge of how they got there.
IN 2000, Hillary's Senate campaign fundraiser held in Hollywood by Peter Paul. It seems that she didn't report the true amount of monies she received. In a settlement reached with the government, $800,000 was claimed. Peter Paul the one who put the fund raiser together, maintains the amount was closer to 2 million dollars. Hillary's defense was that she didn't remember it that way.
In 2008, After using her Bosnia Trip as First Lady to bolster her supposed Foreign Policy experience, she boasted how she bravely had to duck and cover upon arriving is a war zone awash with incoming fire. Video tape of the arrival showed that to be absolutely not true. Her defense was that she mis-remembered. Read More »
Now, I am discouraged and sickened. Not about my candidate but because of all the divisiveness, name calling, fact distorting going on and it's not between the dems and repubs, the left and the right, conservative or liberal... we're doing it to ourselves and each other.
There are those that say it's politics. Perhaps it is but perhaps Barack is wrong and we have become so divided that there is no way to heal us. Perhaps instead of the great nation that we like to hear ourselves called, we have become a nation of selfish small interests. I was appalled when those first swift boat commercials came out and the Karl Rove campaign politics got nastier and nastier. I couldn't believe comments like those made by Ann Coulter against dems. But now we are doing it to our own and it makes me want to vomit.
I don't believe Hillary will ever get her version of universal healthcare because realistically republicans and conservative democrats will not vote for it. Period. Besides, mandatory insurance with penalties for not being able or willing to participate just doesn't seem American to me. I've read some about a plan by Sen. Peter Ryder of Oregon ( I hope I'm remembering his name correctly) and it sounds like his plan, not being tied to employers and reducing costs, just may be workable.
We bemoan the high cost of gasoline and look for a scapegoat but it just may be us... we want our fancy cars with 10 miles to the gallon and want to pay a dollar a gallon but it's never going to go back to that as it's the rising demand in China and emerging 3rd world countries that are also helping raise the cost due to supply and demand. We've needed alternate fuels since the late 70's but no one has been willing to bite the bullet and reallly get it going... some progress has been made but until WE all call for it, we'll go on destroying the oceans with oil spills, polluting the air we breath and paying a small fortune at the pump... which raises the price of food and all those items that are trucked or flown across the nation. A freeze on gas prices from May to Sept will not solve a thing.
I heard someone say that "They" (I'm nost sure who they are) are trying to destroy the middle class. It sounds silly but it may be true. There is becoming a larger and larger divide between us economically as well as socially and it's starting to scare me as with only a rich and poor class, it's easy for government to take control. Add that to the illegal wiretapping and approval of torture and this country sure doesn't look to me like it used to.
I have also been trying very hard to find products made in the USA and I can't find them. Even large American companies are outsourcing all manufacturing to 3rd world countries.
But even with all the problems we are facing that we all know about, the one that scares me the most is the fact that we can't seem to have a civil debate. We do talk about the pros and cons of resolving an issue. Instead, we're all trying to find things to slam the other candidate, show them in the worst possible light, take things about them out of context and divide, divide, divide to conquer.
Someone please tell me I am wrong.
Related: Source:
PA Small Town and Rural Leaders Reject Clinton and McCain Attacks
Twenty-one elected officials and community leaders from small towns and rural areas throughout Pennsylvania today released an open letter asking fellow Pennsylvanians to set aside Senators Clinton and McCain’s recent attempts at political point-scoring and consider who will fight for them as President.
Read the full text of the letter below, then sign on to the letter and share your story of how you've been frustrated by Washington politics.
Dear Fellow Pennsylvanian,
We live in small towns and rural areas throughout Pennsylvania and we support Barack Obama for President.
A few days ago, Sen. Obama made some comments that his opponents are now using to make him appear as if he is something he is not. Instead of speaking to us honestly about how they intend to solve the problems we are facing, they are playing the same old Washington games that accomplish nothing.
What Sen. Obama said is that over the last 25-30 years, working class people in places like Pennsylvania have been falling behind, and that politicians in Washington haven’t been looking out for them. He also said that, as a result, many people have become frustrated, angry and even bitter about all the broken promises.
He was right.
The politicians who are now saying that we shouldn’t be frustrated are the ones who are out of touch.People in the towns and communities we live in have seen their jobs shipped overseas. We’ve seen our pensions disappear. We’ve seen our health care costs skyrocket. We’ve seen everything from the cost of gasoline to a gallon of milk go through the roof.
Continue reading the letter . . .
As our families have struggled to make ends meet and our communities fought to stay intact, how has Washington responded? By giving tax breaks to the wealthy, rewarding corporations who ship jobs overseas, and turning the levers of power over to the lobbyists and special interests.
I was in a gym in Terre Haute, and heard him speak about this, there were no boos from the crowd. These were working class folks. The crowd agreed with him, we are all bitter.
Why shouldn't we be. We have been lied to for 7 years. Our children are dying in foreign wars. Our jobs are gone and our bills are up.
Many people here do cling to one or two things which override all others and fog the big picture. Loss of faith in elected officials is part of it but how they are portrayed by the media plays a role. We have lots of FOX and religious programing. There are no cable lines. Can't afford satelite.
In my area "family values"and "war on terror" are used.
Tee-shirts saying "My mommy is a woman, my daddy is a man" were passed out during the last election. Fear tactics.
Those gays will destroy marriage. LOL
Those terrorists are going to blow up your school. LOL
People here are working for a living, there are no jobs. If you get part time work , you need at least 2 jobs to pay the bills.
When I say "they", I mean my friends, my family, pretty soon, me. My husband just lost his job of 13 years.
These folks have no time to worry about government. They hear sound bites on the news. If the news spins, they don't have time or energy to sort it out. If they do vote, they vote for what they believe in. "family values" or "war on terror". Never mind it is an empty concept. Never mind that it means different things to different families. Never mind we have had no "terrorists" here.
People here are concentrating on survival. The government is not helping. Role backs in food stamps, red tape and pride keeps people from getting assistance. Forget about heathcare.
They don't have time to worry about it. The baby needs milk, gas is $3.50, and your job is 40 miles away.
I live here.
Rural Indiana is no better off than rural Pennsylvania or Ohio.
If Obama can't even tell the truth without getting slammed, what kind of politician do you want? We had better wake up. The neg. spin is on. It will take all of us to win the GE.
He told the truth, I know because I live here.
peace to you all,
marsha
I find my opinion changing about the current status of the Democratic Primary. I was like many of my fellow Obama supporters, hoping that as I got dressed for class there would be some news report that said the primary was over because a candidate (Hillary Clinton) had decided to take herself out of the race. I looked forward to hearing that news report. But alas, it never came. As time went on, I became more and more upset that this report was not being broadcast. I would say to myself, "She's behind in delegates, in votes, in states, she needs to give it up already!" Needless to say, it caused me some stress. I felt that the longer the contest went on, the more damage was done to the Democratic Party, the more time that John McCain had to plan his entire campaign and do some serious fundraising (because everyone knows he needs to get his campaign money together)....but something happened to change my mind...just a little bit.
In the democratic process, we as a populace do have the right to vote for the candidate whom we support in an election. Whether it be Barack or Hillary, John or Mike or Mitch, it is our inalienable right to vote, and vote democratically. So, reason says that with so many states left in the primary, that there should be a choice. So, I began to feel that Hillary should not be pressured to quit. Then, in my well-known fashion, I had yet another moment of clarity.
Mathematically, I don't see how Hillary could win the delegates. The only way Hillary would stop Barack's lead and gain on him is to get ALL the delegates in every single contest from now until the Denver convention. Given the history of the primaries and caucuses so far, it won't happen. While I encourage healthy competition, I am not in favor of mud-slinging, attacking one person for addressing issues that the other instigated, LYING, and just overall not making much sense....does nothing but belittle the party overall.
Regardless of my feelings, as long as the money comes in and the checks clear and the bills get paid, the campaign and their attacks will continue. I just hope the damage to the Party is not everlasting when the general vote happens in November.
As long as Bush is out of office and someone is elected who can fix the errors of his eight years as President, it doesn't matter to me. (However, I feel that Obama is the only one who can do that.)
Ashley
newsweek sheds light on some myths surrounding the legislative records of hillary clinton and barack obama. this will be VERY eye-opening for some people here....
from today's ny times:
http://www.nytimes.com:80/2008/04/01/opinion/01muscatine.html?th&emc=th
Posts
