Jeremiah was a Roadsign ... and a very good friend of mine!

The Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright

Sometimes a sign is worth a thousand words. The Internet is really quite large ... take the time to dig up the full 40-minute audio or video of Jeremiah Wright's "Confusing God and Government" sermon.

For starters, go to You Tube by clicking here!

"Outrageous?" "Destructive?" Jeremiah Wright should at least be heard. Barack Obama, you have caved to the media and abrasive sound bites!

Reverend Jeremiah Wright at the National Press Club yesterday

Former presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama has decided to put politics ahead of principal and (as the media loves to say) toss the Reverend Jeremiah Wright “under the bus.” He referred to Jeremiah Wright as both “outrageous” and “destructive” today.

But I, as a white middle class American progressive (admittedly older and flawed in many ways) would like y’all to read the full context of the “God damned America!” snippet that I have heard played and replayed by Fox News and CNN over the past two weeks. It’s only part of a very powerful 40-minute sermon given on April 13, 2003. It's titled, "Confusing God and Government" -- not "God damn America" as the media would have you believe.

“And the United States of America government, when it came to treating her citizens of Indian descent, she failed. She put them on reservations.”
“When it came to putting her citizens of Japanese descent fairly, she failed. She put them in interment prison camps.”
“When it came to putting the citizens of African descent fairly, America failed. She put them in chains. The government put them on slave quarters. Put them on auction blocks. Put them in cotton fields. Put them in inferior schools. Put them in substandard housing. Put them scientific experiments. Put them in the lower paying jobs. Put them outside the equal protection of the law. Kept them out of their racist bastions of higher education, and locked them into positions of hopelessness and helplessness.”
“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three strike law and then wants us to sing God Bless America. Naw, naw, naw. Not God Bless America. God Damn America! That’s in the Bible. For killing innocent people. God Damn America for treating us citizens as less than human. God Damn America as long as she tries to act like she is God and she is Supreme.”
“The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent. Think about this. Think about this. For every one Oprah, a billionaire, you’ve got 5 million blacks that are out of work. For every one Colin Powell, a millionaire, you’ve got 10 million blacks who cannot read. For every one Condi-Skeezer Rice, you’ve got 1 million in prison. For every one Tiger Woods, who needs to get beat at the Masters, with his Cablanasian hips, playing on a course that discriminates against women, God has this way of brining you up short when you get to big for your Cablanasian britches. For every one Tiger Woods, we’ve got 10,000 black kids who will never see a golf course. The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent.”
“Tell your neighbor he’s (going to) help us one last time. Turn back and say forgive him for the God Damn, that’s in the Bible though. Blessings and curses is in the Bible. It’s in the Bible.
“Where government fail, God never fails. When God says it, it’s done. God never fails. When God wills it, you better get out the way, cause God never fails. When God fixes it, oh believe me it’s fixed. God never fails. Somebody right now, you think you can’t make it, but I want you to know that you are more than a conqueror through Christ. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.”
He then went on to talk about the salvation of Christians through the death of Jesus Christ. The sermon ended with a song proclaiming, “God never fails.”

Though I do not agree with all of what Dr. Wright said, it surely seems to have been said with massive passion and conviction. Thank God for the all-too-few prophets in the United States of America. Some day I'm sure that we Americans will look back at this powerful sermon and the distasteful realities that it highlights and thank Rev. Wright for shining light on our darker side.

America needs restoration and counselling, but, like I had to learn while taking the first Step in AA, America must first come to realize that she needs it.

The perfect strategy ... quit while you're ahead!

While riding to and from Olympia, Washington today, my close friend Bill Puckett (who is the driving force behind UFOs Northwest) and I came up with the perfect Obama strategy: Drop out of the race this weekend!

Think about it ... for every day that this campaign goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that the Democrats are self-destructing. Hillary shows no sign of quitting, although she's behind in just about everything except her ability to embellish a dull war story. And no matter what the count might be in June or July or (God forbid!) August as regards delegates pledged to BO and HC, the party of FDR and JFK will be in no shape to beat John McCain or even Mickey Mouse, for that matter, in November.

That's right, neither one of the two finalists can win in November!

So ... all Barack has to do to insure his nomination and election in 2012 would be to state that "for the good of my beloved fellow Democrats and for the good of the nation, I must step aside!"

Of course, he should make some conciliatory statements about his "worthy opponent" and promise to support her in the general campaign, but in a Messiah-like gesture he will state that he simply cannot bear the devastating divisiveness which is threatening the Democratic Party.

By doing it now, he will clearly be tossing Hillary to the sharks. The anger of the Obama teeny-boppers (and others from among the Obama purists) will be like none ever seen in an American campaign ... ever! Poor Hillary would be the butt of political cartoons for decades to come. No one will be more hated by members of her own party than Hillary--who refused to quit back in mid-March ... or earlier ... when she was behind in states won, popular votes, pledged delegates and God knows what else.

She may even select Saint Barack as her running mate, but to no avail.

It will be a landslide in November and, come 2012, when President John McCain is still promising that a victory will result from the 23rd "surge" in Iraq, Barack Obama will walk to the nomination and election effortlessly.

All he has to do is announce tomorrow that he is OUT OF THE RACE!

Hmmm ... do you suppose that's why so many otherwise savvy Democrats are racing to endorse Obama ... so that they won't go down with Hillary when Obama steps aside?

Interesting thought ...

She simply misspoke ... she meant to say "I'll do a figure eight in Milan" ... not "obliterate Iran"!!

Simply a Misspoken Word

Hillary is one tough mother! But even so, her bragging about her ice skating bravado in Milan (not Iran!) should not have the Tehran mullahs and ayatollahs quivering in their humus. First, she said that she would do that "figure eight" (hardly obliterate) only if Iran attacked Israel and secondly, she clearly stated that she would only do whatever it was she said ... if the attack occurred "while ... [she were] ... president" -- which is unlikely in this incarnation of Mother Earth.

Why, Hillary is every bit as sweet as Obama is humble!

""I would consider Obama ... uhh ... I meant Osama ... a person we must take out"

Thank God for John Sidney McCain III!!

Barack's "Bitter" comments made to the elite liberals in San Francisco the weekend before last are only symptomatic of his larger problem.

Is it just me, or does Barack Obama only appear smug?

From almost the beginning, I've felt that Barack Obama was looking upon persons like myself who would otherwise want to see us out of Iraq, as does he, and see the tax laws readjusted to support the lower income classes, as does he, as ... beneath his esteemed dignity.

A lot of it has to do with the smug look on his face during the debates--particularly since they have been reduced to two-person affairs. He may not even be aware of the condescending look on his face as he sort of tilts his head upwards and juts out his chin in a "is there anything at all being said that matters one whit to me?" look of disinterest.

But surely, his now-famous "bitter" remarks made in San Francisco seem to underscore the fact that he really is an elitist and is to be feared (in my opinion). If anyone has seemed totally out of touch with America and more "urban elitist" than the urban elite than Barack Obama, I don't know who that might be.

John McCain will eat the man alive in November, simply by being the humble "I am what you see" kind of person that he is. Yes, he might hold us in Iraq for a slightly longer duration than I would prefer, but he will listen to those around him and work hard to come to a consensus with the (likely) Democratic Congress.

And Barack? Who will even remember his name four or eight years from now as the country moves ahead?

No such thing as a "just war" ... just another war!

Dresden Street Scene -- 1945
Baghdad Street Scene -- 1980

The carnage that is taking place in Iraq and the suddenness with which we find our troops caught between Al-Maliki's Iraq Army and the Al-Sadr Militias takes me back to a very profound article written by Jimmy Carter back in 2003 in which he slammed any notion that our actions in Iraq could ever be regarded as a "just war."

I've heard many Christians, in particular Roman Catholics, argue the three criteria of a "just war." If we want to be accurate, the "Christian" view actually goes back to about 100 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Cicero was the purported author and his thinking went something along the lines of:

1. There must be a just cause (e.g., to stop an invasion).
2. There must be a formal declaration of war by the king or emperor (to give the other side a chance to put things right).
3. War must be conducted justly (e.g., unarmed civilians should not be attacked).

Early Christians (until about 300 AD) rejected this and were pacifists, much as was Jesus.

But we've come a long way from even Cicero's definition, haven't we, baby!

Happy Birthday, Edna!

Edna Parker is 115 today!

Shelbyville, Indiana has something that nowhere else in the world has ... Edna Parker, the oldest person alive--by authenticated records. Whether it's her DNA, her healthy diet or just plain random luck is something on which scientists are working.

My guess is that her gender is involved since every time a "new" oldest is named, it seems to me to be a woman.

While relaxed and reading Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku about an hour ago this evening ...

Talk about coincidence! I was startled by a phone call that awoke me to the reality of the very impossibility [sic] about which I was reading only an hour or so ago. To see what I am writing about, read the sighting report posted only in the past couple of hours by Bill Puckett.

To read more about the TR-3B (code-named Astra, but often confused with the broader Aurora Program by the likes of George Noory of Coast-to-Coast and others) you might try darkgovernment.com for starters and then dig from there. An analysis conducted about a decade ago is also quite interesting--and largely accurate.

As Bill said to me over the phone, "these may be the first actual photographs of the TR-3B (or its successor by now) ever seen!"

Some serious photo analysis will follow ...

Bitter Pennsylvanians turn to violence and church ...

If the economy weren't in such awful shape, we'd be living in downtown San Francisco and voting for Barack Obama!

Maybe ecocide would be less offensive to "anonymous" than genocide and horrid executions ...

Admittedly, the scenes shown in the most recent posting were ugly and graphic. But the results of the ecocide imposed upon the Tibetans, although not so disturbing to view at their inception, is just as sad to endure by the Tibetans and the world. Such crimes as deforestation and desert-ifacation of Tibet by the PRC are something that disturbs a tree-hugger such as myself as much as any other of the crimes inflicted in Tibet. I've read of the sad scenes in the Min Valley (a tributary valley off of the Yangtze River) where hundreds of miles of logjams and dry mud suggest that it might be a century or two before the land will be as it was before the Chinese invasion.

Tibet was once known for its forests and big game ... plus lush valleys and happy people.

That was the atrocity, "anonymous"!

Peace on Earth ... why some are supporting a boycott of the Beijing Olympics this summer

But unfortunately ... it's not only about the treatment of animals or lead in children's toys ...

We might really think hard about whether our President and his entourage should attend the Beijing Olympics and support a government that has crushed both the spirit and the lives of our brothers and sisters in Tibet ... Yes, talk with the PRC leadership about their continuing support for the extremists in Iran and elsewhere, but let's not reward the PRC with our support! [Don't scroll down unless you are prepared for some disturbing images!]

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Thank God for someone with the balls to at least talk to Hamas ... three cheers for Jimmy Carter!

Former President and "will at least talk guy" Jimmy Carter

My brother Richard in Connecticut and I rant often enough about the way in which the US Government is sliding ever further into the wings/comfort zone of the Israel Lobby--to be distinguished from the "Jewish Lobby." Well, former President Jimmy Carter's seeming decision to visit with the leader of Hamas during this coming week is a genuine step in the opposite direction and he seems to be doing what Obama says he'd do, but, in reality WON'T.

Like me, Carter is willing to look "at both sides" of the Hamas-Isreal argument and has been pretty critical, in my view, of the settlements ... coming a good while after he brokered the 1978 Peace agreement between Isreal and Egypt. The Pro-Israel lobbyists in America have cowed almost everyone else (Democrats, Republicans, etc.) to where no one wants to even talk to Hamas and try to put a stop to the violence there.

Three cheers for Jimmy Carter!

I say all of that without having yet read the actual full book he wrote...that is, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. Hopefully Obama will have the audacity to hope for peace there too--to the point of reversing his statements of yesterday and going there himself to at least talk with Hamas.

Two pictures from about thirty years ago ...

Before ...

After ...

These photos were taken of my four oldest sons (four of six) about thirty years ago ... at a moment in their history when Johnny was slo-o-o-owly passing out. Jacky, David and Joey seem to be enjoying the moment to the fullest.

Hope y'all weren't bothered by a little sentimentality on my part.

PS: A quick correction--see the comments! It was actually a lot closer to forty years ago ... yeesh! Am I getting old or what?

From where in God's creation did this new "Dream Team" come?

McCain and Rice as the GOP's "Dream Team"?

Some screwball poll (WSNB/Marist) showed that a McCain-Rice ticket would actually beat either an Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama ticket in the Azure Blue State of New York, of all places. Of course, Secretary of State Condoleeeza Rice has assured all Americans that she would not lower herself to the status of a politician and run with the likes of a former Naval Pilot (we all know what they are like, right?) -- but still, one wonders if she can be convinced that for the good of the country, the world and freedom/love/truth/the American way, she just might sacrifice her credibility, class and academic credentials to run as a Republican Vice-Presidential candidate.

One has to at least wonder after seeing that (admittedly nutty) poll and in spite of my brother Richard (the one in Connecticut) with his beliefs in The Keys to the White House.

China's executions (soon to be by lethal injection) and its treatment of Tibet are seriously bad ...

... but on a per-1000 basis, Texas probably executes more each year than China--in about the ratio suggested by the sizes of the two flags above. And I'm sure you all noted the resemblance of the flags of the One Star State and the People's Republic of China.

But more to the point of today's events surrounding the Olympic Torch, if you'll excuse a nonsequitor--I am finally sliding into the corner of those who would just as soon boycott the Beijing Olympics.

For the reasons why, I will take some advice that my brother Richard in Connecticut once gave me and delay for a couple of days--only so as to give you fair warning: Don't visit this website for a day or two; the photos may very well disturb you, as they have me.

It's not just the PRC's treatment of animals that is sickening, ugly and shattering to the mind ... it's much, much more ... and the victims are all too human.

My nephew, John, has an interesting blogsite ...

Money for the John ... uhh ... make that "Money for John!"

That gigantic "whoosh" you all hear coming from nearby Milwaukee is the sound of dollar bills flowing in that direction from around the world. One of my nephews has begun to host a blogsite that just might revolutionize marketing in places like Kenya, Zaire and Somalia.

If nothing else, he has me totally curious to peek into his 1,075 (going on 5,000) page novel (second editing).

John McCain said it this morning: Obama is absolutely qualified to be ... uhhh ... President of the United States?

POTUS in January 2009?

Listening to Sen. McCain this morning on "Fox News Sunday," I was suprised to hear him state that Sen. Barack Obama, would be "absolutely" qualified to be president, should the voters elect him.

Realworldview more realistically listed as Obama's [ears!] qualifications for becoming our president as

"Of all the candidates, Obama is best equipped to listen to the people; second, the Secret Service will never lose a President Obama in a crowd; third, just think of how much gas money the country could save by doing away with Air Force One - added benefits re global warming, too; fourth, we'll never have an instance where only one advisor has the President's ear - there's plenty to go around; and fifth, in the event of global war, Obama could tin foil his ears and be a one man command and control center thereby ensuring the integrity of the chain of command." ... RealWorldView

Whatever, there seems little doubt in my mind this afternoon that Mr.McCain is by far the most qualified of the three (I guess Hillary is still a mathematically slim possibility) to pick up the job and run with it next January. I may very well change my mind (again) and decide otherwise, but with Huckabee as his running mate, Senator McCain would be a landslide winner in November, notwithstanding my brother Richard's constant harping on those idiotic "Keys to the White House."

Who the hell is Bob Barr?

Well, for one ... Bob Barr might just be the "Jack" who will bring down the Democrat's beanpole ... I mean "beanstalk"!

The Republicans were looking for a candidate who stood for the Neanderthal ways of its most ardent conservatives, but were dished up John McCain instead. With all likelihood that the Democrats beanpole, BHO, just might beat the obsessive liar, HRC, who could they come up with to stand for America uber alles, Bob Taft and a return to 1927?

Well, if Bob Barr manages to land the nomination of the Libertarian Party--as thinks my funny brother Richard in Connecticut--the Neanderthals among the right-wing of the Republican party will have their man!

And Barack Obama just might become the POTUS in January of 2009 after all. I'd venture to say that 50% of the Ron Paul crowd will flock to someone as articulate and Ron Paul and as Ron Paul-like as Bob Barr, and that might just allow my brother's damnable "Keys to the White House" to shine once again--for the third straight election cycle, as I understand the book.

And BTW, Bob Barr no longer opposes medical uses of Marijuana in the District of Columbia ... for whatever that tidbit is worth.

Hillary Might Still Win Under Some of the Possible "Runoff" Thoughts

She could count Barack's gutter balls in a "Bowl-Off," as one of her suggestions ...

Seriously, I heard it with my own ears while driving home from my late-night class last evening. Hillary Clinton apparently challenged Barack Obama to a "bowl-off" on Tuesday. The clip I heard went something like the following (Hillary speaking):

"I have a proposal ...

"Today, I am challenging Sen. Obama to a bowl-off, a bowling night, right here in Pennsylvania. Winner take all. I’ll even spot him two frames! It’s time for his campaign to get out of the gutter ... (I could hear laughs from the audience at this point) and allow all of the pins to be counted.

"And I am prepared to play this game all the way to the tenth frame. And when this game is over, the American people will know, when that phone rings at 3 am, they'll have a president who's ready to bowl on Day One."

Admittedly, she concluded this little piece of nonsense with a "Happy April Fool's Day, everybody!"

But even so ... after Obama bowled a 37 last weekend, I'm not sure I'd want him leading our nation in this time of serious crisis and war ...

Would you?

Hillary might still become the first Secretary of Household Affairs ...

Between Hillary's "Bosnia" and Bill's "meltdown" (my brother Richard in Connecticut referred to it as a "meltdown"), I'd say that Mr. Obama has it about all wrapped up.

What our former POTUS, Bill Clinton seemed so upset about last weekend was the apparent (and sudden) slide of superdelegates towards Senator Obama. My, my! If Obama leads in pledged delegates, popular votes, states won and superdelegates too ... what's left for Hillary?

Well, for one ... President Obama might nominate her to be the first Secretary of Household Affairs--and she would gladly accept that post after her meltdown (my brother's word) this winter and spring.