Sunday, March 23, 2008

A "Bumpy" Ride!

(Will Obama recover?) I hate to say it, but NO. I could have dealt with the preacher issue alone, but when Obama added the thoughtless comment about "typical white people," he lost my vote.

I had looked froward to supporting him. If that comment slipped out as easily as it did while he was campaigning and supposedly choosing his words carefully, how much more of his feelings would have emerged later in office?

I'm not voting for Hillary---her motives are somewhat self-focused---so it looks like McCain in '08. I hope the Democrats are pleased with themselves.

Another reader comments:
Yep, Obama just keeps digging the hole deeper. He is such a disappointment. I think most of America has realized his judgment skills are seriously lacking. What kind of man would expose his daughters to the likes of "Rev" Wright??

Obama may be down, but he is far from out! Luckily, Reverend Wright has been put out to pasture where he can do no more harm; however, Obama's "typical white person" comment was certainly prejudicial and a poor choice of words. Both of these issues will continue to haunt Obama's campaign.

There are many miles to go before the election and all candidates are being scrutinized like no other time in history. We seem to dismiss sexual scandals as par for the course... the newly appointed governor of New York proudly revealed in his second press conference that both he and his wife had participated in numerous extra-martial affairs while he served as lieutenant governor. Perhaps being both black and legally blind offer some special dispensation?

Presidents (and candidates) are human beings subject to all of the foibles and sins of their past. Lest we forget, Bill Clinton not only disgraced the office of Presidency, but was publicly impeached for his "sins" and poor judgement. Many consider breaches of personal trust and honesty to reveal much about a person's worthiness for public office. A man (or woman) who will lie to his/her spouse and family would not hesitate to lie to his country to protect himself.

Richard Nixon was the quintessential liar. He lied to everyone, about everything and when caught by the public in a lie, he lied his way out of it. Nixon will be recorded in history as one of our greatest Presidents!

My best advice to the American public is to "buckle your seat belts; it's going to be a bumpy ride" to the White House!

Forthright

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

"Wright" and Wrong!

Fed up with the Obama nightmare...

The media nor anyone else chose Obama's church and pastor for himself and his family. HE DID. Obama has been a faithful member of this "church" (and I use that term lightly to describe the maniacal definite non-Christian behavior) for at least 20 years. There is no way on God's green earth Obama didn't know what was being preached.

ABC news bought many sermons, they all contain racist remarks that damn America. We are not talking about a preacher who is having a bad Sunday. So, rd, go ahead and down play the entire fiasco. There is no way I would ever put my trust in a political candidate who openly and independently supported this organization and leader full of hate for our United States. And, laugh if you like at Joel Osteen. He's not my pick either, but at least he does not proclaim, "God Damn America" from the pulpit.

So don't blame the media, don't blame anyone but Obama for choosing to be a sheep in this lunatic's pasture. It is hard to believe that all of a sudden he wishes to "distance" himself from this pastor...I mean he has been his spiritual advisor for two decades and is a part of his official campaign? Hopefully this will be a sign for Americans to wake up and see past the white veneer and the eloquently delivered motivational speeches.

And all I have to say is GOD BLESS AMERICA.

As the saying goes, "we can't choose our parents"... but we can choose our pastors. Most who have heard the sound bites from Reverend Wright's sermons would agree that this man is a bit over the top. What concerns me is why would Obama, an intelligent man with a firm grasp of the English language, tolerate such blatant racism, hatred and bigotry from his "spiritual" leader of 20 years?

Wright's sermons aren't the equivalent of a Trent Lott, "Whoops" ...they are cold and calculated words from an ignorant hate monger. Obviously, Obama does not control what his long time friend and pastor espouses from the pulpit, but why should he tolerate or excuse such outrageous racism in the name of religion?

I am not ready to write off Obama as our next President, but I think his campaign was seriously damaged by his association with Reverend Wright. True, Obama is an eloquent speaker and his views on racial equality were quite ground-breaking in his speech on Monday; however, there is no justification for ignorance and hatred being spewed by anyone, regardless of his race or "association" with God.

Senator Obama has the potential to become a true leader in the campaign for racial equality in our country, but he will never succeed until he distances himself from those continue to preach separatism and hate.

Forthright

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Just Plain..."Duh?"

With Eliot Spitzer's career and reputation sizzling on the grill, at least nine other rich -- and likely powerful -- men have already begun to sweat. The federal complaint that describes the sexual and financial history of Client 9, otherwise known as Spitzer, also gives tantalizing details about the nine other men caught in the same net.

Spitzer, who may have spent as much as $80,000 on the call girls according to some accounts, announced his resignation today.

Judging by the complaint, each of the clients were wealthy, traveled a great deal, liked to meet the women while on the road and were willing to pay a lot of money for time with a beautiful woman. While the complaint does not identify the men or their professions, it has to be giving a great deal of heartburn as the prostitution case makes its way through the legal process and the media pry out details.

The court papers provide an inside view of the exclusive world of the Emperors Club, its customers and its employees. One man asked that a woman be flown from Los Angeles to Chicago for an evening, while another requested one of the high-priced prostitutes to be flown from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

One apparently lusty client had the Emperors pimps scrambling Feb. 2 because he was looking for "three girls, possibly four, for four hours each." Those guys were cheapskates, however, compared with Client 7, who was quoted a price of $25,000 to have a woman join him in Vienna.

Client 7 "has enough credit that they can take their time this evening and tomorrow morning," wrote one of the Emperors Club's pimps, who was caught by the feds text messaging another club manager. "She ... doesn't necessarily have to race out @ 9 a.m." Aveline, who made the Vienna rendezvous, was one of more than 50 women whom the club allegedly had available to its high rollers in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Paris and London.

Hooking was often a sideline for the women and they sometimes asked for shorter assignments because they were answering casting calls the next day. One griped that she wasn't being paid enough. "This is the kind of money I make very easily in photo shoots," she complained in an e-mail to the club's managers. The men who hired the women were generally wowed. Client 4 told the agency he was delighted with his last two dates. "Two A+s in a row ... I don't know where you get these young ladies."

It is hard to believe that anyone could be so stupid. Spitzer is a brilliant attorney who has spent his life prosecuting people for the same types of crimes and has authored several articles on how these crimes can be easily detected. What hypocrisy... what nerve... what a "schmuck"!

This "public servant" ought to be tried on every single count including the Mann Act, for which HE convicted numerous wrong-doer. I am sure that when the full "role" is called, there will be many more elected officials who believe that they are "above" the law.

The truth is that "prostitution" and "politics" are pretty much the same concept in our country today. Both deal in lies, deceit, illicit behavior, cover-ups and the exchange of "favors". Spitzer not only violated his public (and private) trust, but did so with our money! We will have allowed a great travesty of justice if this man is permitted to quietly disappear into the footnotes of corrupt politicians.

And what about Spitzer's wife... Silda. In standing by her man, she evokes an even more frightening concept of blatant stupidity. Have we grown so accustomed to this gross indifference for corrupt politicians, that we expect everyone to be cleansed by a public apology? If I were Silda Spitzer, the only public appearance the Governor would have made today would have been telecast from an ICU bed in Albany!

THIS is what is wrong in America! The norm is for politicians to be liars, cheats and thieves. If you are "caught", you simply wave good-bye to the suckers who supported you, retire to the talk show circuit and hope for a Hollywood mini-series on your life!

Spitzer needs to stay on the "spit" until he is fully roasted!

Forthright

Saturday, March 08, 2008

From Mania to Marx

Anonymous posts:

This article is the perfect opposite to the Clinton/Dick Morris -FoxNews.com

I totally agree with this fella!

OBAMA MANIA
Ken Blackwell - Columnist for the New York Sun

It's an amazing time to be alive in America . We're in a year of firsts in this presidential election: the first viable woman candidate; the first viable African-American candidate; and, a candidate who is the first front running freedom fighter over 70. The next president of America will be a first. We won't truly be in an election of firsts, however, until we judge every candidate by where they stand. We won't arrive where we should be until we no longer talk about skin color or gender.

Now that Barack Obama steps to the front of the Democratic field, we need to stop talking about his race, and start talking about his policies and his politics. The reality is this: Though the Democrats will not have a nominee until August, unless Hillary Clinton drops out, Mr. Obama is now the frontrunner, and its time America takes a closer and deeper look at him.

Some pundits are calling him the next John F. Kennedy. He's not. He's the next George McGovern. And it's time people learned the facts. Because the truth is that Mr. Obama is the single most liberal senator in the entire U.S. Senate. He is more liberal than Ted Kennedy, Bernie Sanders, or Mrs. Clinton. Never in my life have I seen a presidential frontrunner whose rhetoric is so far removed from his record. Walter Mondale promised to raise our taxes, and he lost. George McGovern promised military weakness, and he lost. Michael Dukakis promised a liberal domestic agenda, and he lost.

Yet Mr. Obama is promising all those things, and he's not behind in the polls. Why? Because the press has dealt with him as if he were in a beauty pageant. Mr. Obama talks about getting past party, getting past red and blue, to lead the United States of America .

But let's look at the more defined strokes of who he is underneath this superficial "beauty." Start with national security, since the president's most important duties are as commander-in-chief. Over the summer, Mr. Obama talked about invading Pakistan, a nation armed with nuclear weapons; meeting without preconditions with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who vows to destroy Israel and create another Holocaust; and Kim Jong II, who is murdering and starving his people, but emphasized that the nuclear option was off the table against terrorists - something no president has ever taken off the table since we created nuclear weapons in the 1940s. Even Democrats who have worked in national security condemned all of those remarks.

Mr. Obama is a foreign-policy novice who would put our national security at risk. Next, consider economic policy. For all its faults, our health care system is the strongest in the world. And free trade agreements, created by Bill Clinton as well as President Bush, have made more goods more affordable so that even people of modest means can live a life that no one imagined a generation ago.

Yet Mr. Obama promises to raise taxes on "the rich." How to fix Social Security? Raise taxes. How to fix Medicare? Raise taxes. Prescription drugs? Raise taxes. Free college? Raise taxes. Socialize medicine? Raise taxes. His solution to everything is to have government take it over. Big Brother on steroids, funded by your paycheck. Finally, look at the social issues. Mr. Obama had the audacity to open a stadium rally by saying, "All praise and glory to God!" but says that Christian leaders speaking for life and marriage have "hijacked" - hijacked - Christianity.

He is pro-partial birth abortion, and promises to appoint Supreme Court justices who will rule any restriction on it unconstitutional. He espouses the abortion views of Margaret Sanger, one of the early advocates of racial cleansing. His spiritual leaders endorse homosexual marriage, and he is moving in that direction. In Illinois , he refused to vote against a statewide ban - ban - on all handguns in the state.

These are radical left, Hollywood , and San Francisco values, not Middle America values. The real Mr. Obama is an easy target for the general election. Mrs. Clinton is a far tougher opponent. But Mr. Obama could win if people don't start looking behind his veneer and flowery speeches. His vision of "bringing America together" means saying that those who disagree with his agenda for America are hijackers or warmongers. Uniting the country means adopting his liberal agenda and abandoning any conflicting beliefs.

But right now everyone is talking about how eloquent of a speaker he is and - yes - they're talking about his race. Those should never be the factors on which we base our choice for president. Mr. Obama's radical agenda sets him far outside the American mainstream, to the left of Mrs. Clinton. It's time to talk about the real Barack Obama. In an election of firsts, let's first make sure we elect the person who is qualified to be our president in a nuclear age during a global civilization war.

I must agree that we are suffering from a bit of "Obama mania". I think that everyone is so tired of George W. that we are being persuaded by the "anything but Bush" mentality. McCain's biggest obstacle will be Bush's personal endorsement. There are very few died in the wool, partisan voters left in this country. I view Americans as more "intelligent" voters today who look beyond party rhetoric to the character and personal views of the candidates.

Let's face it...we are headed for a major recession. Six hundred dollar checks mailed in May will barely offset the "price at the pump" for most of us, let alone stimulate an economy which has hit all time lows. The "sub-prime" mortgage scams were another failed attempt to stimulate our economy by asking Americans to once again, roll the dice. Well, they did and 95% lost.

No candidate wants to address the real problems with our economy... graft, corruption, kick-backs, political perks and secret deals. No one can survive in DC unless they play the game. What game you ask? Go rent "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and study it. Fifty years ago it was considered entertainment. Today, it should be considered a "documentary film in the reality category". Today, the only difference is that the little man can never win against the political machinery that exists.

Karl Marx once noted in his writings that, "No democracy has ever survived throughout all of history, because a true democracy will feed upon itself, until it is completely consumed by the freedoms on which it is based."

Think about it.

Forthright

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

A Daunting Task!

Present at the event said...

I attended the Delta Economic Development Center's meeting tonight, there was an excellent turn out of members. Good news and renewed hope was heard during the evening through the new goals and economical plans of CEO Ed Johnson's for the Delta.

He has a lot of work ahead of him bringing hope back to this community, so far he appears to be the man for the job. Time will tell. He has some great ideas for the delta area and economy. I think the main thing is the community has to have open minds and be willing to work together to turn things around quickly.

Our City, Economic and County leaders have to get over themselves (and their own self-importance) and start working together for the common good of the community, not just the city, but the county, the delta. The main thing is the "follow through", a lot of balls are dropped in the community leaders' offices, because those who should be taking care of business at home are too busy following their own political or financial agenda at the expense of the region. Never being available, forever traveling for self promotion, ignoring the public needs, ignoring the needs of their own employees/staff in getting things done, forgetting promises made, all those things are major obstacles to a better Greenville.

Our leaders HAVE to be accountable, accessible and listening to their community to know what is needed. Focusing only on their needs and their gains can only lead to more political embarrassments that we have been seeing in the last few months. Greed and conceit are two evil components in a leader with access to public/business funds or resources. We need to get honesty, integrity and good work ethics back in the requirements of our leaders and in the mind of our community citizen's demands and self behaviors. Otherwise, we will only continue down this over trodden path of destruction.

I was not present at the Economic Development Center's event the other night, but I have heard mixed reviews of Mr. Johnson's views for the Delta. The author above makes some good points about what it will take to unite and change Greenville. I have also spoken to those who feel like there is nothing new about Mr. Johnson's ideas, plans or talents.

What qualifies Mr. Johnson to be CEO of our EDC? Is he a skillful grant-writer or economic wizard? He looks a bit young to have a lengthy track record as a proven change agent. Is he from the Delta and does he understand that "we" are truly like no other place on earth?

The downtown revitalization song has been sung by everyone from the Garden Club ladies to slick talking con men promising a bogus "Beale Street" concept. Sure, "downtown revitalization" has become a buzz word for promoting Greenville... but is it something we really want or need?

Grant money is a great quick fix to get an idea off the ground, but without public support, its fruits die on the vine as soon as the grant money disappears. Federal and State grants are intended to demonstrate that a program or idea works or doesn't. If successful, the community has to take the ball and run with it... and support it.

The Delta has a long tradition of the "entitlement" mentality. The truth is that no one outside of the Delta is going to invest in a culture that doesn't respect itself. I wish Mr. Johnson the best of luck in his very difficult role. I suggest that he think outside of the box when it comes to developing Greenville; otherwise, his voice will be just another whisper in an ever-growing chorus.

Forthright

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Limited Powers; Limited Choices

Hilary in the news said...

HILLARY UNMASKED
By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN
Published on FOXNews.com on February 28, 2008.

The real Hillary Clinton stood up at the Democratic presidential debate this week: angry, sarcastic, stubborn, secretive, arrogant, mired in the past, victim of the media, and still firmly convinced that she is uniquely entitled to the Democratic Party nomination and the presidency.

That Hillary hasn’t really been on display much since the debacle of her disastrous health care plan and the end of Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial, when she haughtily flaunted her combative personality.

But make no mistake about it — that’s the Hillary Clinton that we’ll see if she somehow manages to steal the Democratic nomination.

She’s found her voice. The one that so alienated everyone she came into contact with over her health care plan that her own party destroyed it. The one that publicly and loudly defended Bill and arranged for attacks on Monica Lewinsky when she knew the complete and sordid truth.

She’s always had a chip on her shoulder and a strange paranoia, but it’s definitely gotten worse. Now it’s not just the vast right wing conspiracy that is out to get her. Now it’s the mainstream media. How are they doing that? By asking her the first questions at the debates!

Hillary’s snide comment about whether Barack needed a pillow to be made more comfortable was downright embarrassing. The anticipated applause line on her script never happened. The audience was silent. The press was amazed. And Barack seemed genuinely startled by her nuttiness — he looked over at her as if he was viewing a dotty old aunt at a family dinner, the one that everyone politely humors.

Her lifelong pattern of secrecy was once again evident. While publicly promoting transparency in government, she steadfastly refuses to release her personal income tax returns. That’s a clear tip-off that there’s something to hide. Recall that the Clintons selectively released tax returns in Arkansas, but refused to go back to 1980, when Hillary had her windfall in cattle futures.

During the debate, Hillary suggested that she’d release the returns “soon,” but her staff quickly backtracked. She implied that she’s been too busy to deal with releasing the returns. Does she really think anyone believes that it will take more than simply making a copy of the return? She’s stalling and there’s a reason for that.

Most likely, the return will show how much Bill has been making from his partnership with the Sheik of Dubai and his other business ventures. Should the spouse of a presidential candidate be in business with a foreign leader who needs favors from the U.S. Government? Definitely not. That’s why we’ll never see those returns.And then there are the Clinton Library records that document her schedule as first lady. She doesn’t want them released either because they will definitively show that she was never the co-president. The Library has been stalling on the release of those documents for years. During the debate, she said that she wanted them released as quickly as possible and seemed to blame the Bush administration for the delay. But today, the White House indicated that she had made no requests for any expedited release.

The old Hillary, the real Hillary, is back.And there’s apparently been no one to stop her from acting on her own worse instincts.Underneath the veneer of the practiced smile and the strategically used giggle, there is a rage that is always close to the surface. It was on display in the debate.Hillary Clinton is furious that America has not agreed to her coronation. She doesn’t understand why voters are rejecting her and embracing Barack Obama. She just doesn’t get it.

Never one to engage in self reflection, she can’t blame herself or even her incompetent strategists and advisers. They’re too close to her. She can’t accept the sorry fact that her campaign has been a disaster because it was based on the past and not the future, because it was premised on her phony experience and maintaining the status quo, and because her negative outlook is completely out of step with the mood of America. And finally, because in the positive message of Barack Obama, Americans see a stark contrast with her doom and gloom view of the world.

So, she’ll blame the media. It’s their fault.

And she’ll keep screaming about what a fighter she is.

More like a bully.

Obama is an eloquent orator. Clinton is a cheer-leader. The difference is simple. An orator can read the back of a box of Cheerios and make us want to believe that it is true and buy into the dream. A cheer-leader depends on mass persuasion to promote her beliefs, hoping that the "game" will end in her favor.

The primary issue in this election is becoming quite clear: It is time for a change. McCain offers a different perspective than Bush, but not one which is significantly different. Even Bush supporters are tired of his ineptitude and ignorance on foreign policy and everyone is ready to "move on".

Obama or Clinton... either will do. Keep in mind that the President is little more than a figure-head in our democracy. There are many checks and balances to keep "his/her" powers at bay.

If I had to bet on a gifted "orator" or a "cheer-leader" , my money would be on the former... which is why Al Sharpten and Jesse Jackson pose no threat to our democracy. Racism is any form should be rebuked!

Forthright