Sunday, January 27, 2008
Senator Ted Kennedy Endorses Obama
This is great news. Not surprising if you look at where Kennedy stands on the issues. The democratic icon had, like Obama, the good judgment to vote against the illegal pre-emtive Iraq war from the beginning. He has long stood for the middle class and the underprivileged, raising the minimum wage and voting against unfair tax breaks for the richest corporations. He has long fought for equality regardless of sex, race or sexual orientation going even further than Obama and as far as Al Gore in gay rights issues. His wealth of experience in the senate as the second-longest serving member comes as a huge boost to Obama's credibility. With Kerry also on his side, some of the older more conventional democrats might come around and give Barack another look.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
BARACK OBAMA wins South Carolina
I celebrate Obama's victory tonight with the same excitement I celebrated his victory in Iowa. With Kucinich out of the race, Obama takes the lead as my favorite in this election.
My favorite of Obama's speeches so far is this one from Martin Luther King Jr's church on Dr. King's day. In it Obama holds the mirror up to the community listening directly and to us all when he denounces discrimination among and between minorities. "The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community," Obama points out in this great speech "We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them," and "for too long, some of us have seen the immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity." Hear. Hear.
I wish he went as far as Ted Kennedy and Al Gore in gay rights issues though. Like Dr. King I believe that "We need a government determined to end discrimination" of ALL KINDS.
Tonight we also saw a big boost for Obama from the Kennedy camp:
A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY
Published: January 27, 2008
OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama. (Click to Read more)
South Carolina Victory speech:
My favorite of Obama's speeches so far is this one from Martin Luther King Jr's church on Dr. King's day. In it Obama holds the mirror up to the community listening directly and to us all when he denounces discrimination among and between minorities. "The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community," Obama points out in this great speech "We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them," and "for too long, some of us have seen the immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity." Hear. Hear.
I wish he went as far as Ted Kennedy and Al Gore in gay rights issues though. Like Dr. King I believe that "We need a government determined to end discrimination" of ALL KINDS.
Tonight we also saw a big boost for Obama from the Kennedy camp:
A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY
Published: January 27, 2008
OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama. (Click to Read more)
South Carolina Victory speech:
Monday, January 21, 2008
A loyalty to Mankind as a whole: What we can learn from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr today
The great Martin Luther King Jr. paved the way for greater equality in this country and around the world. Although we have long ways to go in many aspects, his victories over racism and segregation were so immense that we now take them for granted. Thankfully it's hard to imagine this country without his influence. And Dr. King achieved such changes through non-violence, through the virtue and truth behind his words, through his sacrifice and courageous resistance of so many of his followers. He stood valiantly against the unjust war in Viet Nam. What would he say about our world today?
Senator Obama recently gave a great speech in which he said "We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them," and "the scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community," also "for too long, some of us have seen the immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity." Very important words and Obama deserves a lot of credit for addressing these issues. It is unfortunate however, that unlike Kucinich, Obama doesn't back his indictment of homophobia with support for true equality for our gay brothers and sisters who deserve the right to marry under the law if not necessarily under the gods of those religions that remain homophobic for whatever reason. "We need a government determined to end discrimination" of ALL KINDS.
It baffles me when those who are part of communities that have endured discrimination, don't come together against the discrimination of all others. The fight for equality must be a fight for justice, not just self-interest.
Some people have told me that type of equality in the the United States of today is simply unrealistic. It isn't here today. But there was a time when a woman's right to vote was unlikely, and racial integration was a dream. I believe that if enough voices unite for society to completely remove prejudice from law it will be forced to.
Hope and hard work can get you real change.... And leaders and their words will continue to inspire and educate. Courageous politicians can, as in they have in the past, excise prejudice from law. It took regular people like you and me to join M.L. King's dream and create the kind of pressure that Kennedy eventually recognized and supported and that led Lyndon B. Johnson sign the Civil Rigths act of 1964 into law( following the late Kennedy's wishes). We should never forget what can be, what is worth striving for.
Dr. King's message was one of peace of tolerance. Tolerance we should have for those of different color, religion or sexual orientation.
Dr. Martin Luther King was a follower of Ghandi's teachings and like him he waged a peaceful battle against prejudice. Unlike Bush, who would have us believe that one spreads peace through violence, and democracy by bombing nations preemptively, illegally and unilaterally whenever we want their natural resources. Dr. King knew that our ways must reflect our true goals. For us to have any credibility, our words must be consistent with our actions.
I think what Dr. King would have thought of this war in Iraq is evident when we listen to him speak about the war in Viet Nam:
Senator Obama recently gave a great speech in which he said "We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them," and "the scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community," also "for too long, some of us have seen the immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity." Very important words and Obama deserves a lot of credit for addressing these issues. It is unfortunate however, that unlike Kucinich, Obama doesn't back his indictment of homophobia with support for true equality for our gay brothers and sisters who deserve the right to marry under the law if not necessarily under the gods of those religions that remain homophobic for whatever reason. "We need a government determined to end discrimination" of ALL KINDS.
It baffles me when those who are part of communities that have endured discrimination, don't come together against the discrimination of all others. The fight for equality must be a fight for justice, not just self-interest.
Some people have told me that type of equality in the the United States of today is simply unrealistic. It isn't here today. But there was a time when a woman's right to vote was unlikely, and racial integration was a dream. I believe that if enough voices unite for society to completely remove prejudice from law it will be forced to.
Hope and hard work can get you real change.... And leaders and their words will continue to inspire and educate. Courageous politicians can, as in they have in the past, excise prejudice from law. It took regular people like you and me to join M.L. King's dream and create the kind of pressure that Kennedy eventually recognized and supported and that led Lyndon B. Johnson sign the Civil Rigths act of 1964 into law( following the late Kennedy's wishes). We should never forget what can be, what is worth striving for.
Dr. King's message was one of peace of tolerance. Tolerance we should have for those of different color, religion or sexual orientation.
Dr. Martin Luther King was a follower of Ghandi's teachings and like him he waged a peaceful battle against prejudice. Unlike Bush, who would have us believe that one spreads peace through violence, and democracy by bombing nations preemptively, illegally and unilaterally whenever we want their natural resources. Dr. King knew that our ways must reflect our true goals. For us to have any credibility, our words must be consistent with our actions.
I think what Dr. King would have thought of this war in Iraq is evident when we listen to him speak about the war in Viet Nam:
Friday, January 11, 2008
The US candidates VS Science
Where do the candidates stand on Evolution?
From ReasonOnline
and the Carpetbagger Report
REPUBLICANS:
* Mike Huckabee — Rejects evolutionary biology, but says it shouldn’t matter.
* John McCain — Has rejected, embraced, and rejected again intelligent-design creationism.
* Mitt Romney — Believes in evolution. “In my opinion, the science class is where to teach evolution.”
* Rudy Giuliani — Refuses to say and “successfully discouraged key advisors from speaking to Science about specific issues.”
* Duncan Hunter — Told the Creation Studies Institute that he would “support and encourage a more open approach to education in the presentation of scientific facts that contradict the theory of evolution.”
* Ron Paul — Rejects biological evolution as “a theory.”
* Fred Thompson — Has apparently never said publicly either way.
DEMOCRATS:
* Hillary Clinton — Believes in evolution.
* John Edwards — Believes in evolution.
* Barack Obama — Hasn’t been quoted on modern biology, but rejects intelligent-design creationism.
* Dennis Kucinich — Hasn’t been quoted on the subject.
* Mike Gravel — Has been rather emphatic on the subject. “My God, evolution is a fact, and if these people are disturbed by being the descendants of monkeys and fishes, they’ve got a mental problem. We can’t afford the psychiatric bill for them. That ends the story as far as I’m concerned.”
From ReasonOnline
and the Carpetbagger Report
REPUBLICANS:
* Mike Huckabee — Rejects evolutionary biology, but says it shouldn’t matter.
* John McCain — Has rejected, embraced, and rejected again intelligent-design creationism.
* Mitt Romney — Believes in evolution. “In my opinion, the science class is where to teach evolution.”
* Rudy Giuliani — Refuses to say and “successfully discouraged key advisors from speaking to Science about specific issues.”
* Duncan Hunter — Told the Creation Studies Institute that he would “support and encourage a more open approach to education in the presentation of scientific facts that contradict the theory of evolution.”
* Ron Paul — Rejects biological evolution as “a theory.”
* Fred Thompson — Has apparently never said publicly either way.
DEMOCRATS:
* Hillary Clinton — Believes in evolution.
* John Edwards — Believes in evolution.
* Barack Obama — Hasn’t been quoted on modern biology, but rejects intelligent-design creationism.
* Dennis Kucinich — Hasn’t been quoted on the subject.
* Mike Gravel — Has been rather emphatic on the subject. “My God, evolution is a fact, and if these people are disturbed by being the descendants of monkeys and fishes, they’ve got a mental problem. We can’t afford the psychiatric bill for them. That ends the story as far as I’m concerned.”
Monday, January 07, 2008
Iraqis: conflicts caused by US military presence
From Juan Cole's Informed Comment Blog:
2. Myth: Iraq has been "calm" in fall of 2007 and the Iraqi public, despite some grumbling, is not eager for the US to depart. Fact: in the past 6 weeks, there have been an average of 600 attacks a month, or 20 a day, which has held steady since the beginning of November. About 600 civilians are being killed in direct political violence per month, but that number excludes deaths of soldiers and police. Across the board, Iraqis believe that their conflicts are mainly caused by the US military presence and they are eager for it to end.
Click here to read his post: Top 10 Myths about Iraq
2. Myth: Iraq has been "calm" in fall of 2007 and the Iraqi public, despite some grumbling, is not eager for the US to depart. Fact: in the past 6 weeks, there have been an average of 600 attacks a month, or 20 a day, which has held steady since the beginning of November. About 600 civilians are being killed in direct political violence per month, but that number excludes deaths of soldiers and police. Across the board, Iraqis believe that their conflicts are mainly caused by the US military presence and they are eager for it to end.
Click here to read his post: Top 10 Myths about Iraq
McGovern says : Bush must go.
Although I'm very happy for Obama's recent and future victories... ( he did vote AGAINST the war!) Here is one issue in which I think Kucinich displays much more courage... His position on Impeachment for Cheney and Bush, an action also supported by former United States Representative, Senator, and Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern in a recent op-ed in the Washington Post.
Click here to read the article.
Click here to read the article.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Barack OBAMA wins in Iowa
It was great to see Obama clean up in Iowa and to see such extraordinary turnout for democrats, twice the Republican turn out, which tells me the US is ready for real change, away from this administration's bullying foreign policy, and the economic policies that benefit the few. A move towards greater equality, intelligence and diplomacy.
Here's Barack's stirring Victory speech:
Here's Barack's stirring Victory speech:
A dead soldier's last post from Iraq
In respect for Andrew Olmsted's wishes I'll refrain from writing commentary other than to say that we mourn him and the thousands who have died in this war. Click Here to read the last post written by a real United States solider now dead, Major Andrew Olmsted.
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