* Intangibles – On Saturday, in between errands and chores, I followed on television the Barack Obama train ride from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Reminiscent of the night that Obama was elected I watched the faces of people in large gatherings and listened to some of their comments that celebrated the rise of the next leader of America. The pride, hope, relief and renewed spirit were palpable. With a glistening eye I shared in this historic moment and the aspirations for a better future for my country. All eyes will be on the tangible programs that the Obama administration will try to implement to energize the economy, heal our environment, correct foreign policy and make affordable health care available to all citizens – something I believe is a right within our national community. The challenges are daunting but not insurmountable. The spirit of the American people is so often noted in political speeches that it had become a tagline. The failures and errors of the last eight years have brought Barack Obama and the American spirit to the forefront. I expect that each will be a vital force in America going forward.
* Tangibles – “The goal is to take those who volunteered during the president-elect's campaign and organize them to "work for change" in communities.” This is how USA Today described the initiative announced by Obama during his weekend train ride – “Organizing for America.” Obama said, “I'm asking people like you who fought for change during the campaign to continue fighting for change in your communities." By visiting barackobama.com and change.gov one can learn more about taking a role and responsibility in Our communities.
* Transitions – On Sunday the Meridian Star, a Mississippi newspaper, published a remarkable editorial that offered an apology for its past coverage of civil rights issues. "There was a time when this newspaper – and many others across the south -- acted with gross neglect by largely ignoring the unfairness of segregated schools, buses, restaurants, washrooms, theaters and other public places…We did it through omission… That was wrong. We should have loudly protested segregation and the efforts to block voter registration of black East Mississippians.” The entire editorial can be read at this link. While America has been one of the noblest and most successful experiments in freedom it has not been without ignobility. It is a proud time to be alive in America witnessing the gains we are making to form a more perfect union. While perfection is an ideal perhaps never realized, we have taken another step closer.
* Our tax dollars at work at the Department of Agriculture ~ more seed was being planted than the Department knew. “A former USDA statistician in Kansas City is accused of running a prostitution ring from her work computer,” according to federal prosecutors. Yes, there is merit to the old saying about the taxpayer getting screwed. One trial defense could be that the federal worker took it upon herself, in such a bad economy, to create windfall jobs. A positive note we can take from this is that there are at least some government employees that can multi-task, even as they lay down on the job.
* Fear that is well-founded ~ a glimpse at recent history – For decades the Republican Party mantra has been that government is the enemy and should be minimized, balance the budget and strictly adhere to the rule of law. Following Republicans controlling congress from 1992 to 2006 and holding the White House for the last eight years one can see why Republicans are afraid of government. During this period they exploded the national debt. They expanded government and especially its invasiveness. They sold government policy to special interests and alms-like handed over a portion of the government agenda to religious fundamentalists. If you were not either wealthy or a member of a narrow group of ideologies your interests were abandoned in Washington D.C. Almost every principle Republicans claimed they stood for imploded like the World Trade Center on 9/11. Republican fear of government is well-founded, especially when it is under their control.
* There is a new posse in town – On Sunday Chris Wallace of FOX News interviewed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Wallace kept coming back to the question whether Democrats were being bi-partisan in legislative proposals. Are they listening to the Republicans? He mixed in Republican talking points that we have heard for the past eight years. If Mr. Wallace had watched other stations besides FOX News he would have noticed that the American people have rejected Republicans and their failed policies. The political transition to Democratic Party control began in the 2006 congressional elections and continued through the 2008 elections. Democrats now control the House, the Senate and the White House. Republicans have been rejected while conservative thinking was proven defective in areas such as economic and foreign policy. If bipartisanship means watering down progressive initiatives needed to restore our wounded country than I say leave the Bush Republicans whimpering in their shrinking ideological corner until their constituents vote them out of office and put them (and us) out of misery.
If there are still some doubters as to Republican ineffectiveness and incompetence look at the administration of the $350 billion recovery stimulus package that congress approved in the fall. Under Bush and former Goldman Sachs executive and current Treasury Secretary Paulson the money went to the financial institutions that played a protagonist role in the economic implosion with the following results: the money did not get into the hands of homeowners and borrowers, it was doled out in secrecy with no apparent accountability, the person appointed to assure the funds were used productively and responsibly was shut out of being able to police the funds. At least for a while I am not buying bipartisanship. Republican snake oil hucksters will have to re-earn my patronage.
* “Proud” Moments in History ~ Achtung! – “On April 17, 2005, at the southern California Anaheim Angels sports stadium thirty thousand Saddleback Church members, more than ever gathered in one spot, assembled to celebrate Saddleback's 25th anniversary and listened as Rick Warren announced his vision for the next 25 years of the church.” Anti-gay activist Warren will deliver the invocation at Obama’s inauguration. Let’s hope that his words differ from that spoken to his flock four years ago when he said, “be as committed to Jesus as the young Nazi men and women who spelled out in mass formation with their bodies the words ‘Hitler, we are yours,’ in 1939 at the Munich Stadium, were committed to the Führer of the Third Reich.” The above link has the video. Anyone not fitting the mold of this religious fundamentalist’s world view should be wary as Obama so “graciously” provides Warren with a world stage. There are analogies that further one’s point and then there are analogies as odiferous as week-old bratwurst left sitting in the southern California sun. I wonder if Jesus is holding his nose while recalling that 55 million people died as a result of Hitler-generated hysteria. Achtung!
* Derriere Orifice of the Week ~ aka, Bring in the Clowns – Meet Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). During the primary this southern end of a bull “predicted Al Qaida would be ‘dancing in the streets’ if Barack Obama were elected president.” He told the Associated Press that Obama’s middle name was among the reasons Islamic terrorists would rejoice over his election. This week the deep-thinking Hawkeye told Geraldo on FOX News that he doesn’t like the fact that the president-elect will be sworn in using that middle name Hussein during Tuesday’s Inauguration. Imagine being some down on his luck resident in Iowa who can’t pay his mortgage or maybe his medical bills or perhaps find a viable job and learn that your congressman is concerned about the next president’s middle name.
* "Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed."
Abraham Lincoln August 21, 1858
* "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1956 sermon
Showing posts with label Rick Warren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rick Warren. Show all posts
Monday, January 19, 2009
Thursday, December 25, 2008
If I were Santa Claus I would have delivered the following stocking stuffers:
* A brain for Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. While appearing on Face the Nation he said of the economic meltdown: "Unfortunately, it was allowed to be portrayed that this was a result of deregulation, when in fact it was a result of overregulation."
* A jar of jalapeño Vaseline for the SEC employees who watched porn rather than "protecting investors and maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets," as is their mission.
* A rasher of humility for Stephen Views the News to embrace reader comments such as, “You sir are masterfully demonstrating your own ignorance.”
* An imported deluxe kerosene heater for Wal-Mart’s heart. On Tuesday the company said it would pay between $352 million and $640 million to settle lawsuits across the country claiming that it forced employees to work off the clock.
* The 2009 Sarah Palin Calendar for John McCain, even though he is setting land speed records running from his former running mate.
* A shiny house-arrest ankle bracelet for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for auctioning the senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.
* A bar of mouth soap and truck driver’s license for Mrs. Blagojevich for her picante comments recorded during a federal wiretap investigation of her husband the governor.
* A yuletide apology to truck drivers for associating them with the First Lady of Illinois.
* A basket of experience for Caroline Kennedy seeking to inherit Hillary Clinton’s senate seat in New York.
* A ride on Santa’s sleigh for the auto executives embarrassed into abandoning their private jets.
* A sleigh full of Pepcid for president-elect Barack Obama as he embarks on the journey of leading a country beset with a multitude of serious challenges.
* A duly elected Senator for the citizens of Minnesota and preferably not the candidate under federal investigation.
* A time-out for the Obama administration before deciding to commit tens of thousands of U.S. troops to Afghanistan. The complexity of that country’s politics and the corruption of its leadership demand extreme caution.
* Harvey the imaginary rabbit for Malia and Sasha Obama as they seek solitude from the harsh world of celebrity they will encounter over at least the next four years.
* Fifty billion days of homelessness on the streets of New York City for Bernard “Bernie” Madoff. He is one of the all-time goniffs (crooks) of the investment world. His soulless greed wreaked economic havoc and, in some cases destruction, on schools, charities, pension funds and so much more.
* A punch bowl of common sense for Madoff’s Ponzied investors who believed that Madoff was Santa Claus.
* A wake up call for the inhabitants of planet Earth to not be misled by low gasoline prices. Santa cannot reverse limited oil reserves or a debilitated environment that is ignored.
* A revised mission statement for the IRS whose audits of large companies declined for the third year in a row. Santa’s trust of business and government also declined for the third year in a row.
* A slightly used and toxic post-Katrina mobile home to transport departing Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff to a lucrative book signing deal. In America incompetence has its rewards.
* A mega-warehouse for the U.S. Department of the Navy to store $7.5 billion in UNNEEDED parts. One of the factors contributing to the unnecessary purchases was “inefficiency in the Navy's inventory management.” No surprise to Santa who understands “overstocked” with a North Pole laden with unsafe toys outsourced from Asia.
* Light-blocking window drapes for American banks accepting billions of dollars of bailout money sans accountability. Santa does not blame the banks – at least on this account. He does have queries for the little elves on Ritalin running the Bush administration and running around the halls of Congress.
* A cruise on the Titanic for the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). This conservative “think” tank spawned much of the neocon nonsense and “free” market malarkey that dominated Bush administration strategy.
* A set of barbells to put more muscle into credit card reform regulations scheduled to go into effect in 2010.
* A chapel for the gay citizens that Pastor Rick Warren suddenly “loves” but is not likely to welcome to his church.
* Public financing of elections legislation to improve an electoral process that has become the antithesis of democratic principles.
* A frontal lobotomy for Rush Limbaugh for positing his conspiracy theory that the economic crisis was created by Democrats to generate a financial panic and ensure the election of Obama.
* Thorazine prescriptions for Bill O’Reilly and Karl Rove. They have suggested the conspiracy theory that journalists deliberately manufactured the financial crisis so that Obama would be elected.
* A lump of coal for the energy interests spending millions of dollars to convince the American public that there is such a thing as “clean coal.” Perhaps they can donate some of this money to residents in Tennessee to recover from the flood of sludge that broke through a dike at TVA's Kingston coal-fired plant Monday. This could prove to be an environmental disaster of very significant proportions. Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection and the “Reality” coalition have a new ad about the myth of “clean coal.”
* For those that can, websites to help those in need:
~ Feeding America is a network of over 200 food banks covering all 50 states.
~ Operation USO Care Package provides care packages of needed and requested items for our troops overseas
These websites are noted in Michelle Obama’s Holiday Greetings.
* Peace, goodwill and wisdom for a world on multiple brinks.
* 2009 hugs and best wishes for the New Year to readers of Stephen Views the News.
* “I don't make jokes... I just watch the government and report the facts.”
Will Rogers (1879 – 1935) Cherokee-American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor.
* A brain for Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. While appearing on Face the Nation he said of the economic meltdown: "Unfortunately, it was allowed to be portrayed that this was a result of deregulation, when in fact it was a result of overregulation."
* A jar of jalapeño Vaseline for the SEC employees who watched porn rather than "protecting investors and maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets," as is their mission.
* A rasher of humility for Stephen Views the News to embrace reader comments such as, “You sir are masterfully demonstrating your own ignorance.”
* An imported deluxe kerosene heater for Wal-Mart’s heart. On Tuesday the company said it would pay between $352 million and $640 million to settle lawsuits across the country claiming that it forced employees to work off the clock.
* The 2009 Sarah Palin Calendar for John McCain, even though he is setting land speed records running from his former running mate.
* A shiny house-arrest ankle bracelet for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for auctioning the senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.
* A bar of mouth soap and truck driver’s license for Mrs. Blagojevich for her picante comments recorded during a federal wiretap investigation of her husband the governor.
* A yuletide apology to truck drivers for associating them with the First Lady of Illinois.
* A basket of experience for Caroline Kennedy seeking to inherit Hillary Clinton’s senate seat in New York.
* A ride on Santa’s sleigh for the auto executives embarrassed into abandoning their private jets.
* A sleigh full of Pepcid for president-elect Barack Obama as he embarks on the journey of leading a country beset with a multitude of serious challenges.
* A duly elected Senator for the citizens of Minnesota and preferably not the candidate under federal investigation.
* A time-out for the Obama administration before deciding to commit tens of thousands of U.S. troops to Afghanistan. The complexity of that country’s politics and the corruption of its leadership demand extreme caution.
* Harvey the imaginary rabbit for Malia and Sasha Obama as they seek solitude from the harsh world of celebrity they will encounter over at least the next four years.
* Fifty billion days of homelessness on the streets of New York City for Bernard “Bernie” Madoff. He is one of the all-time goniffs (crooks) of the investment world. His soulless greed wreaked economic havoc and, in some cases destruction, on schools, charities, pension funds and so much more.
* A punch bowl of common sense for Madoff’s Ponzied investors who believed that Madoff was Santa Claus.
* A wake up call for the inhabitants of planet Earth to not be misled by low gasoline prices. Santa cannot reverse limited oil reserves or a debilitated environment that is ignored.
* A revised mission statement for the IRS whose audits of large companies declined for the third year in a row. Santa’s trust of business and government also declined for the third year in a row.
* A slightly used and toxic post-Katrina mobile home to transport departing Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff to a lucrative book signing deal. In America incompetence has its rewards.
* A mega-warehouse for the U.S. Department of the Navy to store $7.5 billion in UNNEEDED parts. One of the factors contributing to the unnecessary purchases was “inefficiency in the Navy's inventory management.” No surprise to Santa who understands “overstocked” with a North Pole laden with unsafe toys outsourced from Asia.
* Light-blocking window drapes for American banks accepting billions of dollars of bailout money sans accountability. Santa does not blame the banks – at least on this account. He does have queries for the little elves on Ritalin running the Bush administration and running around the halls of Congress.
* A cruise on the Titanic for the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). This conservative “think” tank spawned much of the neocon nonsense and “free” market malarkey that dominated Bush administration strategy.
* A set of barbells to put more muscle into credit card reform regulations scheduled to go into effect in 2010.
* A chapel for the gay citizens that Pastor Rick Warren suddenly “loves” but is not likely to welcome to his church.
* Public financing of elections legislation to improve an electoral process that has become the antithesis of democratic principles.
* A frontal lobotomy for Rush Limbaugh for positing his conspiracy theory that the economic crisis was created by Democrats to generate a financial panic and ensure the election of Obama.
* Thorazine prescriptions for Bill O’Reilly and Karl Rove. They have suggested the conspiracy theory that journalists deliberately manufactured the financial crisis so that Obama would be elected.
* A lump of coal for the energy interests spending millions of dollars to convince the American public that there is such a thing as “clean coal.” Perhaps they can donate some of this money to residents in Tennessee to recover from the flood of sludge that broke through a dike at TVA's Kingston coal-fired plant Monday. This could prove to be an environmental disaster of very significant proportions. Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection and the “Reality” coalition have a new ad about the myth of “clean coal.”
* For those that can, websites to help those in need:
~ Feeding America is a network of over 200 food banks covering all 50 states.
~ Operation USO Care Package provides care packages of needed and requested items for our troops overseas
These websites are noted in Michelle Obama’s Holiday Greetings.
* Peace, goodwill and wisdom for a world on multiple brinks.
* 2009 hugs and best wishes for the New Year to readers of Stephen Views the News.
* “I don't make jokes... I just watch the government and report the facts.”
Will Rogers (1879 – 1935) Cherokee-American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor.
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