The Richardson-Obama event in Oregon sent chills down my spine- chills of fear.

Richardson delivered a speech endorsing Obama in which what he didn't say spoke as loudly as what he did say. His speech was not about moving us forward, it was about blaming White America, and specifically conservative White America for all the problems our country faces.

His efforts to blame this subtly unidentified group were evidenced throughout his speech. One of the clearest examples occurred when he spoke of the increasing anger in America toward immigrants. He is actually making a blatant effort to mislead Hispanics into thinking that White America is anti-immigrant. NO- most Americans, of every race, are opposed to illegal immigration.

After a lengthy speech by Richardson, Obama began his cheerful rant against all that is conservative.

He evoked MLK by talking about "the fierce urgency of now" and explained his belief that we can be too late. (By the way, he has now used this quote and the same language in speeches going back months- so now isn't really "now" it's rhetorically sometime soon...) He asserts that if Americans don't come together behind him, all will be lost. America will lose its opportunity to rebuild. We need HIM to save us (what did Obama say about Morgan Freeman- He was God before Obama was...)

May the real God help us...

Obama is right- we can be too late. America is in trouble but not for the reasons Obama says.

Conservatives need to step up before it is too late- before people like Obama lead us down a divisive path that will pit American against American.

Obama is right about the negative influence special interests groups can have on the government. The special interest groups that fund the 527s, the special interest groups that seek to expand entitlement programs beyond helping those who can't help themselves to include those who choose not to help themselves.

Obama is influenced by the special interest groups that would demand he propose increases in federal spending by billions and billions and billions of dollars. (click here for Washington Times article) Obama's reckless spending proposals would cripple average Americans' ability to care for their families. These families would be of every race. He is an equal opportunity taxer...

Richardson has turned on the Clintons for political expediency- and a hope he has a shot at the VP slot. Obama is a snake oil salesman who would exploit a comment by his grandmother- a woman who sacrificed much to give him the best the world could offer- to make political points. Obama is a man who asks people not to focus on race and then speaks of the "typical white person" as though there is such a thing.

The "fierce urgency of now" rhetoric should not ignore the other messages in King's important speech:



"But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."



and



"The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone."



Obama's struggle to address race will never end as long as he, and his supporters, make it an issue.



Freedom does not begin with race- it begins with the God given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Liberty includes the right to economic freedom. If people do not have economic freedom, they are not free. They can not be free. Obama's policies will not free people- they will enslave people. The master will not be a plantation owner, it will be the government.



Richardson and Obama have now joined together in their quest to expand the government and continue to move the United States further from the ideals upon which this country was founded.



Democrats have another few weeks to stop the Obama movement. (By the way, since the voters of New Mexico voted for Clinton, has Obama just stolen a super delegate from Clinton? Shouldn't Richardson use his vote to reflect the will of the people who elected him?)



Americans have until November to figure out there is no truth behind Obama's emotional and divisive rhetoric and to realize that Obama is not the solution, he is the problem...

Wow! Obama's passport record was improperly accessed! Are people really surprised that some worker with access would try to sneak a peek?

Now we know that both Clinton's and McCain's files were accessed.

I am sure that every day, people working for the government are looking at personal data of other people without permission. This is the problem with human nature- people are curious creatures who often push limits to satisfy this curiosity.

Anyone who knows someone who works at a driver's license bureau will tell you that there are always people who try to look at people's records without permission. People who work at hospitals know people who look up medical records. People who work at insurance companies know people who have snooped through insurance records.

Anytime people have access to information there is a good chance that at least a small percentage of people will explore that information.

Historically, records were kept in boxes in storerooms that were out of the way and a hassle to access. Today, all sorts of private, confidential information is kept in digital format on computer systems that people can access while sitting at a desk. Good systems flag access but those flags need to be monitored regularly and followed up on and this takes far more time than the improper access.

Encryption is getting better but hackers are always ahead of the programmers- it is the nature of the beast.

Voters should note that passport data is fairly limited. Imagine health records in the hands of the government- all health records. Do people want their records accessible to the government? Is there really accountability in the system? They may fire a person here and a person there but overall, how can the system stop these breaches? It can't completely prevent these sorts of violations because there will always be people pushing the limits.

While any government employee should be disciplined for accessing information improperly, Obama and others should focus their outrage on real problems like the growing government creep that increasingly infringes on the individual's right to privacy and economic freedom.

Let us not be distracted from the big picture by a gnat in the corner.

The flood damage across the Midwest is almost incomprehensible. If it weren't for the pictures and video, how could we imagine it? (click here for article) (click here for another article)

The people across the several states affected by the flooding are examples of great Americans. Neighbors are helping each other sandbag. There is no looting. There has not been whining. The people seem determined to get through it, together, and then clean it up, together.

This is what America is really all about- pulling together to help ourselves and others through tough times.

What a shocker- Bill Richardson endorses Obama.

Is there at least a slight chance Obama will look to Richardson as a VP choice to help bring the Hispanic vote to the Obama table?

The most disturbing thing about Richardson's comments on his endorsement of Obama related to Richardson's response to the Obama race speech. Richardson was touched by Obama's comments. Unbelievable...

Richardson also said Obama is a "once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America's moral leadership in the world" in his endorsement. The rhetoric rings hollow when contrasted with reality.

I don't know who, besides Democrats, Obama is bringing together and even that doesn't seem to be going so well right now. The Democratic Party appears more divided over Obama/ Clinton than it has been in my adult lifetime, which is fine with me. I hope the infighting continues for months.

If Obama is THE once-in-a-lifetime leader are there no more great leaders in the making in the Democratic party? Is Richardson so concerned with the up and coming Democrats that he thinks if Obama falters the Party is lost?

Just how will Obama restore America's moral leadership? By criticizing White people? Or "typical" White people? By blaming the old America for all of the troubles in the world while promising to build a new America led by those who detest the old America? What is he talking about? Even he doesn't know.

The use of words is important and Richardson's endorsement proves the point. The efforts of people like Richardson to use words that sound great to promote candidates and policies that aren't should raise flags for all Americans. People need to look beyond the words to learn about the substance, and often the lack of substance, in the actions of these people.

Ironically, Bill Clinton led the Party down the wordsmithing path upon which Obama and Richardson seem to dance.

Words can create the smoke and mirrors that hide the truth or words can help to shine the light of truth on people and governments. It seems many Democratic leaders are increasingly using words to create smoke and mirrors.

All Americans must pay attention because the future of America really is at stake.

Obama's lack of judgement in regards to his pastor should raise concerns about his ability to assess other relationships in his life. How could a guy who belonged to a church for more than a decade not recognize his pastor's anger towards white people and the United States? Obama is either a liar or a complete idiot. No matter how the coin lands, he is a disgrace.


Obama's efforts to convince the public that his pastor's public, hateful comments are basically no different than his grandmother's private confessions to Obama... his poor grandmother deserves better than her disrespectful grandson offers.


I don't believe that Wright is representative of the Black community. Wright represents extremist viewpoints that seem to be at least partly supported by Obama as evidenced by his ongoing active membership in his church.


The Obama speech sounded pretty but offered no substance. His suggestion that those of us with an untrained ear (I think he meant "white people") wouldn't understand the singing and shouting and whatever else that goes on in Black churches. I couldn't care less about the singing and shouting. I do care, however about the tone of the preaching and about whether or not, at the core of Obama's beliefs exist ridiculous policy positions that are sympathetic to the ideas clearly held by that preacher.


In the end, Obama seems to suggest that if the country is ready to move beyond race he will be elected. The election of Obama will not end this issue. And a vote for John McCain isn't necessarily a vote for the white guy.


I will vote for McCain because he is right on the majority of issues facing America. This vote will be just as much a rejection of the ideas embraced by Obama (and Clinton) as it will be a vote for McCain.

The people voting based on race are much more likely to be in Obama's camp. These are all of the people saying they want change but can not identify a single issue or policy that Obama has successfully influenced or even attempted to influence to achieve this change.

Obama is a modern day Music Man- his policies, the non-existent instruments. Only in real life there can be no Marion to lead him towards the right path because he already has a wife, and she encourages the sales pitch.

We are in trouble folks. Trouble with a capital T that rhymes with B that stands for Barack.

Either Obama regularly attended church and knew his minister, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, was a hater and a racist or he didn't attend church regularly and didn't know the man who married him and baptized his children and who served as his mentor. (click here for Chicago Tribune article)

Based on Obama's relationship with this man, it seems impossible the truth is the latter.

If a person attends a church that that teaches views that violate that person's beliefs, then that person should change churches. This is what I did. It was very difficult to walk away from the church I had considered home my entire life but as the church became more political, I felt I had no choice. There are hundreds of churches in Illinois. (click here for link to possible churches) Is Obama a Christian? Is there such a thing as "Black Christianity" that is devoid of all things White? Does Obama need to attend a "Black" church to be accepted by Black Americans?

One might think that church would be a place we could all come together. Apparently not, at least not in Chicago.

Why did the media make such an issue out of Romney's religion while ignoring the hate filled rhetoric of the minister at Obama's church. Is it possible Rev. Wright stepped down and retired to try to minimize any fallout for Obama because of their relationship? Could a White minister say the sorts of things proclaimed repeatedly by Wright and not face consequences? Is the fear of talking about race minimizing the media's ability to address this story?

These are obviously rhetorical questions as any honest person knows the most likely truth: Obama made a political decision to attend a Church that promotes hate because he believed it was expedient to belong to this particular congregation. He should be honest about failure to pick his church carefully and stop pretending that he somehow missed all of the hate-filled, racist rants.

Maybe when Obama says he wants change- he means he wants to change his story or history...

A four year old little girl was shot to death by her half brother. The little girl was the daughter of rapper Juvenile. Her 11 year old sister and mother were also murdered. (Click here for article on death of child)

I wonder if Juvenile will consider what role the "gangsta culture" may have played in the life and death of his daughter and her family. Was he aware of the life his daughter lived? Will he assess what role the culture he lives and encourages played in the death of his innocent child?

I tried to paste some lyrics into this post but frankly they were too obscene and violent. (Click here for link to Juvenile lyrics- caution they are obscene) How many of his millions of records are purchased by children? How many children download his music onto iPods and mp3 players? While I can not imagine how any parent could allow a child access to music put out by Juvenile, I am sure that a generation of children do access this auditory garbage because their parent(s) pay no attention to what they are doing.

I wonder why a sheriff's deputy, the mother of the little girl, would become involved with someone who promotes anger and hate the way Juvenile does through his music. She had two children before she got involved with this man. How could a mom get involved with someone like Juvenile? Women who put their children first would not choose to become involved with people who promote hate, drug use and violence. What can society do to educate women about the importance of healthy relationships?

Juvenile's songs seem to glorify drug use. Were drugs involved in the shooting? Did the 17 year old use drugs? Did the mother know her son was involved with drugs? Were social services involved with this family? Did the fame of Juvenile impede social service involvement?

Juvenile should be ashamed of the insidious influence he has had on young people. His words have an impact. Does he care? Can he care? Will Juvenile change his behavior and become an advocate for change in the rap community? Will anyone in the Rap community come out to condemn the violence?

Now is the time for Juvenile and others to step up and begin condemning the negativity in the music they sing.

Juvenile should mourn the death of his daughter and her family by committing his life to an effort to undo the influence his music has had. He should lead the young rap lovers away from the violence and encourage them to stay in school, stay off drugs, avoid gangs, take care of their children, work for what they want...

He should, but I am fairly sure he won't...

Senator Dianne Feinstein made an appearance on Fox News Sunday and really went out on a limb in her efforts to show her support of Clinton:

When asked by Chris Matthews if there is their gender bias in the campaign, Feinstein responded:

"I do. I do." She then lamented the focus on Clinton's hair and her suits... What gender bias? Does she not remember the focus on John Edwards hair? Seriously, it may have helped to end the Edwards' campaign... (click here for the I feel pretty video on YouTube)

Then she went on to assert a more ridiculous point:

"If anyone is qualified to run for this office, Chris, Senator Clinton is. Eight years in the White House- sure as First Lady, I know that. You know Hillary. You know her interest in policy. You know her care and concern about people and most important, right now, I think it is the economy and her knowledge of what's happened to the middle class in the last eight years and how you mend that and bring people up into becoming economically upwardly mobile. That's what we should be talking about. Instead of I read a lot of stuff which is really irrelevant to the kind of President she will be and I think some of it is driven by the fact that it's easy to hit at a woman."

Unless Hillary plans to educate people how to turn $10,000 into $100,000 I am not sure what knowledge she has about helping the middle class become upwardly mobile.

Hillary has not taken any serious media hits and the failure of the MSM to target her record and lack of experience and success is demonstrative. When the going has gotten tough, Hillary has gotten tearful- raising issues about the stereotypes of women being unable to control their emotions.

8 years as First Lady counts as experience that merits a White House run? Imagine Nancy Reagan running for president in 1988? The media would have gone ape.

The points made by Feinstein do nothing to prove Hillary's competence to hold the most important job in the world. Note, Feinstein did not call attention to all of Hillary's successes in the Senate- she hasn't had any. Note that Feinstein had nothing to say about Clinton's success in the private sector- that would raise the issues of the Rose Law Firm.

If a person wanted to be the Chief Executive of any company in the United States, there would surely be some sort of job description requiring a resume boasting of accomplishment. If only we had a job description for the Presidency.

Feinstein's job description for the Office of the Presidency:

• personal experience observing spouse serve as leader of the free world
• interest in public policy
• care and concern about people
• knowledge of the middle class

Other than the spouse part, I am very interested in policy. I have a tremendous amount of care and concern about people. I am very knowledgeable about the middle class- I live in it. Unlike Hillary Clinton, I actually understand the impact policies in Washington have on people in the real world- a world Clinton hasn't lived in for a very long time. I would argue that I have personally run programs for non-profits and coordinated the care of my children who have very severe disabilities. (Trust me when I say that I am confident Clinton would struggle to perform my duties.) I have assisted families of children with disabilities access services from many different government agencies and I am certain that is more difficult than writing the bills that lead to those services. Perhaps I should be running for President...

Just kidding- this is unbelievable!

If Feinstein really believes that if anyone is qualified to run for President it is Senator Clinton then the people of California should consider her competence.

The race to be President of the United States should not be a popularity contest like we see in campaigns for President of a Senior Class. Candidacies should not be owed. No one should be entitled to the support of the party.

While the President should be likable, likability should not be determinative. While the candidates should be able to articulate their beliefs, the ability to give a speech, often written by another person, should not be determinative. While the person should be of good character, character alone should not be determinative.

In addition to the less important qualities noted above, the person we elect President should have the proven ability to lead through times both easy and hard. The President should be a person who can face challenges with dignity and strength. Male or female, regardless of race, the President should be a person of great personal achievement.

Senator Feinstein's support of Hillary Clinton seems unrelated to her belief that Clinton meets any of these requirements as she failed to raise any example of Clinton's personal achievements. She has a longtime friendship with Clinton and that seems to be enough for her.

I hope that this is not enough for the voters.

While I think Hugo Chavez is a brutal dictator who has brought much pain to Venezuela and the surrounding countries, he does understand the importance of a country protecting its borders.

In response to the conflict over border incursions by Columbia into Ecuador, Chavez withdrew Venezuelan diplomats from Bogota and has strengthened the military presence on the border between Colombia and Venezuela. (click here for article)

Chavez proclaimed:

"May God spare us a war. But we are not going to allow them violate our sovereign territory."

As more and more illegal aliens cross over our seemingly nonexistent border, our sovereignty becomes less and less clear.

In the Texas debate, Clinton and Obama both said they support not enforcing the Secure Border Fence Act and that President Bush has been too aggressive in building a fence. (click here for article) While they both supported the bill when it came up for a vote, they now think that it was wrong. They were for it before they were against it...

Meanwhile, Homeland Security has announced plans to build 57 miles of border fencing near El Paso. (click here for AP article)

Pat Buchanan offers a sad but accurate portrayal of the immense failures of our government in regards to border security. (click here for his commentary) The government's recent admission that technical problems will delay the construction of the virtual fence demonstrated the need for a much more comprehensive approach to border security.

The citizens of the United States deserve a government that will seek to protect and defend the country's borders. We must all hope that our politicians recognize the importance of border security and begin to secure the border before it becomes a moot issue

It should be more than a little demoralizing that Hugo Chavez is more right on the issue of border security than the elected representatives of the citizens of the United States...

The Jack Nicholson ad (click here to view) can not have been created by Clinton supporters. If Jack Nicholson, apparently helped by Rob Reiner, created this ad to show his support of Clinton, he has demonstrated an incredible lack of judgement. If his intention was to help Obama, he has struck gold...

First the Joker clips highlight that those with criminal backgrounds, felons, perhaps, support Clinton. While Clinton may want felons to have the right to vote (click here for info on her pro-felon stance), Democrats don't usually like to call attention to their support of these lawbreakers.

Then we have the delusional Jack Torrence, a husband who wants to kill his wife and child, telling the bartender "Things could be better" which raises thoughts of another husband who at times may have thought things could be better...

Then Nicholson showcases his character Col. Jessep, a pompous military leader who covered up the "code red" that resulted in the death of a soldier. Who can forget the scene between Jessep and the young, idealistic attorney played by Tom Cruise? After the badgering of this young, articulate, hopeful attorney who believes he can CHANGE the military by forcing the old guard to admit the failings of their policies and procedures, Jessep cracks and shows his true and ominous leanings:

Jessep: You want answers?

Kaffee (Tom Cruise): I think I'm entitled to them.

Jessep: You want answers?

Kaffee: I want the truth!

Jessep: You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

Kaffee: Did you order the code red?

Jessep: (quietly) I did the job you sent me to do.

Kaffee: Did you order the code red?

Jessep: You're goddamn right I did!!

(click here for text of exchange)

Hillary should ask them to pull the ad and hope the thousands and thousands of people who saw it haven't forwarded it to their friends.

Obama's people should be forwarding this ad to all of their supporters before it is pulled.

And Jack Nicholson suggesting that Hillary Clinton would be the sexual fantasy of military men is just too much to ponder...

Honestly, Obama must be laughing himself silly..