The Problem, As I See It

One of the greatest problems with America today is the division amongst the citizens. I see a great rift, perpetuated by those with a vested interest in keeping the wedge of partisanship firmly in place. Once a people are split, it is virtually impossible to heal that rift.

Such rifts expose the hatred, kept securely under control normally, and shows it to the world with great speed. This is, of course, exactly what those in true power want. They want us to fight and disagree. They want us to be at one another’s throats.

It is this controlled chaos they create which allows them to move along their hidden agenda. One only has to ask who would benefit the most from such chaos in America to find the answer to this question of Who.

Those on the Right will, of course, answer that it is Barack Obama and his “socialist, fascist, communists” who are the problem. The Left will demonize the mouth pieces of the Right: Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and others.

In truth, all these are at fault in some measure for the chaos which has been allowed to spread. As I am. As you are. We are all responsible for the chaos which grips this country, if for no other reason than we will not stand up and counter such depravity with calm resolution.

When hatred is spread, we should be spreading love. When idiocy and ignorance is put forth in the public dialog, we should respond with facts, logic, and rational discourse.

Yet, we don’t. We allow ourselves to be drawn by our short hairs into a firestorm of controversy which pervades our culture. We have, in short order, been manipulated by forces unknown into hating our brothers and sisters. Our mothers and fathers. Our sons and daughters. We demonize those who disagree with us, based solely on their political opinions! What madness this is!

I ask you, point blank, can you rise above the hatred? Can you see past your petty concerns and see that we should all be united, as a people, as AMERICANS, and find a path that all can agree with? Are you capable of it? Or do you prefer to continue the hatred and the fighting?

How soon until we mature as a country, as a people, and truly grasp the greatness which lies before us?

Barack Obama: 44th President of the United States of America

Senator Barack Obama has secured the Presidency of the United States with a landslide 338-156 victory (with 44 Electoral votes to be assigned). His victory was announced and confirmed at 11:00 PM November 4th, 2008.

President-Elect Obama gave a speech in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois to a crowd estimated at over 100,000 people. His message focused not on past glories, the hard fought campaign, or what we did. Rather, President-Elect Obama spoke in his eloquent manner about what we must do to continue the fight for a better America. A brighter America for our children.

As we were sitting and watching this history taking place, my wife said something profound and I’d like to share it with you. She said: “I get it know.” When I asked her what she meant, she said, “I finally understand what the people who supported John Kennedy felt when he was elected President. That feeling of hope and optimism. Things will get better.”

All I could do was nod in agreement. Things will get better, but it will be a tough road. As President-Elect Obama said, (and I am paraphrasing here), the real work starts now.

I want to shift gears here and talk a little about Senator John McCain. As Keith Olbermann said, ‘let’s call him the runner up,’ I can’t bring myself to call him a loser. Yes, he lost the campaign. Does this make him a loser? No.

Senator McCain did the right thing in giving a quick concession speech. Of course, this was a clear Obama victory, so any move McCain made would be seen as political suicide. In his speech, the John McCain of old, the knowledgeable, wise man whom I once held such great respect for, came once again to the surface. He was secure, I think, and happy, that the long and arduous fight was over.

In his concession speech, John McCain regained his humanity, and the courage to stop his followers from shouting nasty things or getting ugly. This is the John McCain I respected; the true Maverick of Washington.

I want to publicly thank John McCain for not dragging this country through the mud in a long drawn out process of litigation and Supreme Court rulings. It would’ve been bad for the country and I am glad and heartened that John McCain recognized that and graciously stepped aside when he did.

I’ve been critical of you, Senator McCain, and I apologize for the harsh words. It was a campaign, after all, and these things are done in a political campaign. Sure, I wasn’t exactly the front lines here, but my obvious support of Barack Obama was, I think, helping out the cause in some small way. I honestly don’t know if I changed anyone’s mind or not by what I wrote here. If I did, fantastic. If I didn’t, well that’s okay too.

Senator McCain, you are a classy man and a fine opponent.

The next four years will be difficult. None more difficult than the next few months when the changeover of power will occur and the swearing in ceremony. I will watch on TV and see the man I helped elect lead this country to new heights.

In retrospect, and by the numbers, this is what the 2008 Presidential Election means to me.

Barack Obama: He was born in 1961, three years before the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act.
WonderGoon: I was born in 1971, 7 years after the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Barack Obama: He is 47 years old.
WonderGoon: I am 37 years old.
Barack Obama: He was born at a time when America had never heard of a place named Viet Nam.
WonderGoon: I was born at a time when America wished they’d never heard of a place named Viet Nam.

For me, these are striking numbers. Sure, they don’t mean squat to anyone else, but its interesting to note them for the fact that these numbers mean I feel a kinship with Barack Obama that goes deeper than party affiliation. We are of the same generation and that’s one reason, one of the main reasons why I supported him for President.

It brought home a sense that I can accomplish great things, too. In Barack Obama I see what America could be; it’s greatness restored on a world stage. “We can once again be a shining beacon of democracy for the world,” President-Elect Obama said in his acceptance speech.

In Barack Obama I see that shining light, that moral example, of how great this country once was, and could be again.

President-Elect Obama has given a lot of Americans hope. Hope that, we too, can have a better future, a brighter future, not only for us, but for our children, and their children as well.

And if you are one of those Americans who think that we Obama supporters signed your death warrant, all I can say to you is please give President Obama a chance to prove you wrong. I honestly believe that Obama was the best choice for the Presidency, and I hope that after a few months in office, you will see that things are looking up. And things will get better. Life, like politics, economics, etcetera, is cyclical. We’ve had a downturn. Soon, an upturn will occur. It’s the way of the universe. Just have patience and everything will be fine.

I know this is a rambling post, and I covered a lot of ground, but I felt I had to say these things. I felt the need to wax poetic, if you will, on the state of this country and the future we all share.

May whatever Gods and/or Goddesses you pray to bless you with prosperity and joy for all the days of your life.

Edited to add video of President-Elect Barack Obama’s victory speech.

The Courage of Those Willing to Stand Together

Here’s a video of a group of Muslims, and one self-identified Conservative Christian who stood up to a couple of racist hate mongers outside a McCain/Palin rally. I applaud the courage of these Americas to stand up and shout down the racist elements in Senator McCain’s campaign.

If everyone in America stood up and shouted down the racists, what a country we could be.

Here’s a link to the video:

ANP Video

The sad part of this story (beyond the race hatred and fear mongering) is, one of the gentlemen in the video, Daniel Zubairi, a Muslim who works for the McCain campaign, was scheduled to talk with CNN’s Rick Sanchez via a telephone interview. Someone at the McCain campaign made the decision to pull Mr. Zubairi off the interview for unknown reasons.

I just have to wonder why the McCain campaign would deliberately avoid a chance to clear the air regarding these racists comments. What are they trying to do?

It makes you wonder, or, if it doesn’t, it should.

A Message from John Cusack and MoveOn.org

Can you tell them apart?

Cause I can’t!

Democracy in Action

Sarah Palin: Republican Pawn

It’s too bad that Sarah Palin has become nothing more than a Republican pawn to retain the White House. Her selection as a vice presidential candidate is nothing more than a last ditch ploy by John McCain to attract voters to an otherwise failing campaign.

McCain’s blundering will cost him the White House and the Republicans a lot of credibility that will come back to haunt them in the future.

Of course, the Alaskan Governor has problems of her own. With headlines raging about how her child is her grandchild, thus implying she’s older than she has reported, (is she a shortstop from the Dominican Republic all of the sudden?), her daughter’s unwed pregnancy, and, of course, her stances on abortion and religion.

I wonder, if a McCain/Palin ticket is elected to the White House, will these questions will ever truly disappear? The answer is, yes, of course, but this has more to do with the short attention spans of the American people, than any spin control the Republicans have. In fact, it’s what they are counting on to get McCain elected in the first place. After all, President Bush has been quiet these past few weeks, perhaps knowing instinctively that his poor grasp of his mother tongue would harm his lackey.

In the end, what religion Sarah Palin is, or why her daughter is not wed, or how old she is, or if she’s hot or not, is all irrelevant. I don’t feel the Republicans have a chance to win this year, simply because President Bush has handled his personal Crusade (i.e.- The War on Terror) in a poor fashion.

The Democrats can’t help but win. Barack Obama simply needs to choose his words carefully and appeal to as many people as possible, and forget race, religion, or sexual orientation. He has to appeal to AMERICANS who are fed up with lies, deceit, and war profiteering.

Of course, whomever wins this election will be in the pocket of Big Oil. That’s an open secret. It’s too bad the American people don’t have the courage to stand up and change their government for good.

So long Sarah Palin. We barely knew ye.

Thank the Gods.

DISCLAIMER: The statements made in the preceding blog entry are protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution (regardless of what the USA Patriot Act says.)