Americans speak of the divide within this country. Most accept the labels. We are a nation of Red states and Blue regions. People define themselves as Conservatives or Liberals. West Virginian primary election voters, who were asked, reinforced the notion in this nation we are not unified. One fifth of those polled stated, skin color influenced their decision. Former Senator John Edwards often expresses his distress for what he sees as "Two Americas." The one time Presidential candidate reminds us of why the common folks clamor. The rich get richer while the poor become more impoverished. For some of those who fight to endure, a "gas tax holiday" is thought essential. Others believe such a measure will negatively effect the infrastructure and the environment. In Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 14, 2008 a Black man and a white man stood on a stage together united and equal. Some, in this splintered nation of ours, thought this was a sign. Perhaps, Americans would finally come together as one.
Clerics and parishioners are in the news. In truth, Reverend Pastor Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama are discussed each day, in most every hour. The quality and quantity of familiarity within that relationship is the topic of much conversation. Hillary Clinton espouses, moral issues matter. Many within the electorate agree. The ethical principles of a Presidential hopeful will have a profound effect on the nation, and the planet. As Jennifer Wills ponders the scenes as they play out before an eager public, she reflects on her own life. She thinks of the trials, and tribulations that she feels when she loves friends as much as family.
At times, what is true for us, is not valid for those we cherish. The individuals we love most, who may have guided us through our life travel, do not experience the world as we do. People, even Pastors, are not always [W]right; nor are they necessarily wrong. People have perspectives, perceptions, and pain. Sadly, we humans, breakable beings that we are, are easily hurt. We rant and rage as we fight to survive. Souls are fragile. No one can save us, not G-d, or self. The enemy is within. The Almighty may give us tools. However, he cannot lead us from the temptation to defend ourselves when we believe we are wounded. Nor can the Lord help us to understand how, when we harm one, we injure many. Barack Obama understands this to his core. The hopeful Presidential aspirant addressed this truth.
Democrats are divided. Progressives once certain that they would support the Party nominee, are now, no longer sure that they can. People on the Left for the first time in their lives are looking to the "Right." Staunch Liberals state they will vote Republican in 2008 if the candidate of their choice is not the Party's nominee. Many Democrats say they will not vote at all. Much damage has been done. The political process has become a play for power or an attempt to create chaos.
I'm starting to get worried about the Democratic race - and about the increasingly nasty tone of both candidates. At the end of the day, this election isn't really about them. This week's toon, "A Word From the Middle Class," tries to put that in focus.
He was a beautiful bouncing baby boy. He was born to two parents that love him dearly. Even before his birth, indeed, prior to conception, this little fellow was the apple of his parent's eyes. His biological beginning was carefully calculated. As the seeds of life developed into a bright-eyed baby, the people he now knows as Mom and Dad thought of little else but Maxwell. The soon to be proud Papa and Momma anxiously anticipated the day they could hold this bundle of joy. Each of his parents was eager to meet and greet the small, sweet face of the guy that they would call Max. Maximum value, supreme significance, marvelously magnificent, all this was and would be their son. After Max was delivered and during any political season, such as this, Mom and Dad feel certain Max is issue number one.
In March 2008, as Americans pay homage to the thousands of soldiers and civilians lost in five years of battle we discover that the Administration and the elite allied with earlier Executive Branches are more contemptuous of the citizenry than we ever thought possible.
A telephone fills the screen. The deep blood red hue warns us war is eminent. Little light shines on the barely visible instrument. The tone is ominous and foretells the future. The audience is aware there is trouble in the world. Slowly, the table turns. A yellow bulb in the center of this contrivance communicates doom. It glows and pulsates. We concentrate on the orb shaped object squarely in the center. The dominance of this display is foreboding. Our future is in the hands of the person who picks up the receiver. The question reverberates through our mind. Who will we place in this most powerful position?
Barack Obama stopped for a campaign appearance in downtown Wilmington, DE, earlier today. My wife and I were privileged to be among the several thousands (estimated at 20,000 on local radio) in attendance. We live just north of the city and were worried about parking and access and all the matters that go with large crowds. We were very surprised and pleased at what we found and heard at Rodney Square today.
Ambition is a passion, at once strong and insidious, and is very apt to cheet (sic) a man out of his happiness and his true respectability of character.~ Edward Bates
Bates who went on to become Abraham Lincoln's attorney general was speaking of his personal perspective at a time when he and others including Lincoln were being considered for nomination to the Presidency. We all today might find a measure of wisdom in the thought.
The night was young, and yet, the messages were old. The top-tier Democratic hopefuls huddled together around a round table. The stage was prepared and the performance would be unparalleled. Each character in this play reveled in an accepted reality. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, or Barack Obama, are "right" for the country. No one else could compare to this cast of characters. In truth, the three were one. The dramatic debate was cordial and quaint. The candidates were polite, prim, and extremely proper. The production was well-managed. No one was scolded. Regrets were expressed. Geniality grew as the hopefuls promised to do no harm to the others.
For quite some time now I have been feeling like a lost soul wandering in the wilderness. Life has changed over the past few years from what I believed we as a nation had become in past times. I grew up in small town America where everyone in town knew everyone else. People in need in those days were often looked after by a neighbor or a friend. The government stood as a last safety net for those who fell through the social cracks. The general feeling was one of respect for one another and of well wishing toward one another.
Copyright 2007, Paul Kane. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
For the past few years the Bush administration in concert with Congress has led America down a path based on fear backed with little in terms of real facts. As the truth begins to be seen over time we find much of what we were assured was factual in nature was in honest truth distorted or fabricated in many instances. We, the people, were misled into a war of aggression in Iraq. Today we find our military stretched to the limits as the situation collapses before our eyes. Violence within the country continues with attacks against civilian populations on a near daily basis. American deaths are increasing and now exceed 3800. Death of and injury to military contractors are increasing in numbers, too, even though those numbers are not in the news these days.
What does it mean to be a Progressive? A long time ago, those in America who thought it best to work for the greater good, defined themselves as Liberals. However, in the late 1980s that term was given a negative connotation. Liberals lost their way. Then, they [we] progressed. The tem Liberal went through a metamorphosis. Now, those who actively express their concern for society as a whole identify themselves as Progressive.
The week will begin with a bang as a band of ideologues invade the characteristic campus calm. Those that spread hate will invoke the term "awareness." They will prophesize enlightenment as they share words of derision. I offer only this scant information, for I too wish to advance awareness. However, mine contrasts with that of David Horowitz, Rick Santorum, Michael Ledeen, Ann Coulter, and their ilk.
Decades ago, Americans watched a televised spoof of current events, the Rowan and Martin Laugh-In Show. A cast of characters sang "What is the news across the nation?" Then they assessed the antics of politicians and celebrities alike. Serious situations were satirized; silliness was glorified. Americans were given an opportunity to reflect and see how sadly corrupt and irrational our competitive Capitalist system is. Exuberance envelops us. Avoidance advances. Americans consume, compete, and settle into complacency.
This week, as we again set aside time to honor laborers in America, this reality seemed ever-present. Labor's failure is perhaps industrialism at its best. Free enterprise follows the market or perchance it creates a product for America to buy.
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