Post Election - Can We Truly Be 'United' States?

Image courtesy Senator Obama Press Kit.
The election is over and Senator Barack Hussein Obama has been declared the 44th President of the United States. His term will begin in January of 2009 and run for four years.

There are strong emotions on this day after the election on both sides of the political fence. What happens from here on out is not just up to our leaders, but to 'we, the people', as well.

One friend who was strongly pulling for Senator McCain very graciously posted a statement to the effect that as people who love this country, we should now pray for President-Elect Obama and his family, and show our support to our president. That we should not behave as some have toward President Bush, but we should honor the office of President and treat our leader with the respect he deserves as our leader, regardless of our differences in philosophy or values.

A writer for whom I have tremendous respect wrote a beautiful article calling for unity and expressing some of the same sentiments: "A Call for Unity - Bridging the Political Divide for a Stronger America".

In a day and age of disrespect and ignorance, can we live up to the call for 'Change' that was such a huge part of our new President's campaign?

Americans Attacking America: Why America is Great

I am getting quickly tired of listening to Americans attacking America. Its one thing to disagree with policies and politicians. It is something entirely different to lump all the citizens, the policies, the culture, the politicians, the beauty, the glory, the history, and the traditions of this country into one big target for their hate and disappointment. The level of disrespect and ingratitude I hear in the voices and statements made by the whiners who attack this, their own country, deeply saddens me.

I, personally, am not going to apologize for my existence, my love of my country, and my willingness to die for the rights of each and everyone of these whiners to their free speech self-serving whining. I am tired of hearing it, and I am tired of seeing otherwise intelligent people spewing it – but I will always defend the right to free speech, which includes their right to whine.

And that, dear fellow citizens, is one of the great things about this country – we all have the right to whine. The government doesn’t kill our families because we say we think the government or any politician in particular sucks. The government doesn’t torture and kill us because we have posted real images of or breaking news about our leaders caught in the act of committing crimes.

We have the right to publicly spew orally and in print idiocy, falsehoods, unflattering truths, opinion, fact, and pretty much anything we want – short of hate speech, libel, and slander.

We have the right to pursue our education as far as we wish, and to work in the field of our choice. We have the right to have as many children as we wish, to marry whom we wish, and to live as we wish. We can freely travel across the country with no need for papers or permission. We have the right to freely move to another country, and even freely give up our US citizenship, if we so desire. We have the right to vote as we wish; and we have a voice in the creation of laws and in the election of our leaders.

We have the right to a fair trial and to representation. Our rights as citizens of this country are graciously extended to visitors to our country. Many nations and peoples worldwide view our own Declaration of Independence as the model for their own freedoms and laws.

Every year, we welcome into our fold citizens from other nations who choose to come to our country to have and achieve what they feel they cannot in their own nation. Every year, we send billions of dollars worth of aid in the form of money, resources and supplies to other nations in need. We quite freely share our abundance – moreso than the oil rich nations.

We are a relatively young country, and yet – look how far we have come. We have gone from a group of rebels wanting to be free to one of the most powerful countries in the world – and a world leader in many regards.

Our nation is blessed, and of course it is not perfect. That is because people are not perfect and people are the heart and lifeblood of what makes this country great – and imperfect. For all of our imperfections, we still have much to be proud of and much for which to be grateful.

I, for one, am proud to be an American and to live in this magnificent country where I am free. Cue Lee Greenwood:


Video courtesy of Fuzzy700

I wish you all a happy and safe Independence Day weekend.

Susan Saradon - Unwitting McCain Supporter

Susan Sarandon's threat to leave the country if Senator John McCain becomes our next president has the potential to sign, seal, and deliver his win. McCain supporters everywhere thank her for her unwitting support to their cause.

Most average citizens are sick to death of the Hollywood elite spouting off about things they nothing about, and whining about not getting their own self-involved way.

Ms Sarandon is not concerned with what the regular folks in this country want - for if the majority elects Senator McCain, then clearly the majority want him in office. Ms Sarandon is only concerned with getting what she wants and if she doesn't get what she wants she will display her childish tantrum by moving to Italy or Canada.

Goodbye. Sayanora. Farewell. Bon Voyage. Adieu. Ciao. Antio sas. Aloha. Selamat jalan. Au revoir. Arrivederci. Itte irasshai. Nwenda kiambote. Tikala malamu.

I support free speech, and I support the rights the citizens of this country have to not only publicly disagree with the government, but to freely leave this country for any reason they choose.

Contrary to what the mouthy Ms. Behar says, Ms Sarandon and Mr Robbins do NOT fit the definition of "Patriot". The official definition of a "Patriot" is one who loves, supports, and defends their country.

I would add, that a patriot is also one, who in their love of country, finds positive and respectful ways to make changes when the leadership shows it is comprised of less than perfect people, or when flaws appear in the system.

So, fare-thee-well to Susan Sarandon and, I am assuming, Tim Robbins. I wonder if we can give their space here to two immigrants who would be thrilled to live here?

For the record, she is not the first celebrity to make such a claim, but she would be among the very very few who have moved elsewhere if she followed through.

Source:

Goodbye in 450 Languages. http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/goodbye.htm

Huckabee's Delusion

This article on CNN had me laughing out loud. Through his entire campaign, this man has taken multiple potshots at Mitt Romney. He has railed on Mormons and used his own religion as a card in the race - though clearly the word "Christian" has not translated well into his behavior towards Mitt Romney and Mormons.

Many claim that Romney's only or strongest support is coming from Mormons.

Now, Huckabee is refusing to see the writing on the wall, and claiming that Romney supporters may well come his way.

Let's see - you continually took pot shots at their candidate. If they are LDS (Mormon) you were taking potshots at them and their religious beliefs. You have used your own religion as a tool to criticize and condemn those of other religious affiliations (isn't that what the terrorists have done?).

Yeah, I can see Romney supporters coming to you in droves! *please note the sarcasm*

For those who are considering this man as the next president; does none of this bother you? Is this the kind of leader YOU want running our country and dealing with various world cultures and religions?

Any chance this man had of getting my vote has been lost by his repeated poor sportsmanship, clear bigotry, and refusal to deal with reality. This country needs a strong leader who stands up for his beliefs, but not by antagonizing and alienating a large chunk of the country he is sworn to lead. Our leader needs to be one who unites us, not divides us. We already have the ACLU doing that job.

Chess Wiz for President? Not in Russia

I first became acquainted with chess master Garry Kasparov when he was interviewed by Bill Maher in 2007. Though I recognized him by name, I had no knowledge of him other than his chess wizardry prior to that interview.

Watch the short interview here:

video from YouTube user KLbrezhnev

From that interview and the others I have seen and read since, I have discovered a man who is not only obviously highly intelligent, but a man who is brimming with common sense and candor. He has an amazing sense of humor, as well. Mr Kasparov has many fine leadership qualities, and I believe would create, as president of Russia, a better alliance between the USA and Russia.

However, Mr. Kasparov has also been a very vocal critic of current Russian President Vladimir Putin which has resulted in hardships for him and his family. Though Russian official deny harassment of Mr. Kasparov and his family, there is an unmistakable trail of persecution coinciding with his outspokenness, and increasing with the announcement of his intent to run for president. Due to the harassment which has caused him, like many others, to be unable to meet the requirements of official candidacy, he has withdrawn his bid for president. More about this may be viewed online in this Washington Post article by Peter Finn.

It is a true shame that politics has become not a simple matter of opposing viewpoints and beliefs representing different groups of people, but a means of harassing anyone who would dare to go against the grain.

More about Garry Kasparov may be seen in the following video clips:

WSN TV Interview

With Charlie Rose

On 60 Minutes, Part 1

On 60 Minutes, Part 2

So, what is YOUR take on Putin, Kasparov, and Russian politics?

Which Presidential Candidate is Compatible with Your Beliefs?

Photo by Chance Agrella
Once again an online test has been constructed which is supposed to help users quickly determine which presidential candidate is most compatible with their own views and beliefs. This is based upon the user’s answer selections and the candidates stated views, which may vary widely from their actual voting or practice behaviors/track record.

At the very least, with it narrowed down, it will be easier to focus on one or two candidates and research the real deal behind their campaign before actually voting for them.

15 questions are presented and users rate them by importance according to their own belief system.

To take the test from Minnesota Public Radio, click HERE

I took the test myself, and while many of the candidates were unknown to me, the major players ended up in the actual order in which I had already personally ranked them. That was comforting to me, in some weird way.

While I don’t think those lesser known ones have a real chance of winning, I am now interested in learning more about them, as several of them beat out all of the major players, in my results.

Want some unbiased info about the candidates? Here are some links to check out:

Your Next President

Person Not Party

Vote Smart (click on the candidate’s name, then their bio or voting record, etc. This site is a work in progress)

On The Issues (click on the candidate's name to get the scoop on their stand on various issues)

Open Congress (you can track issues, congressional voting records, and more)

Most importantly, please learn the issues, the real deal about the candidates, and vote. We have no right to complain when we have done nothing to improve things for ourselves. Every vote can make a difference, as previous elections have shown.

Like what I wrote and want to buy me a cherry coke?