Friday, October 24, 2008
There is so much at stake in this election. I think everyone has figured this out by now. This is the election of a lifetime. It presents us all with a choice between two very distinct candidates, and two very distinct ideas about the proper course for this country. I think everyone who is paying attention, and anyone reading this, probably knows the particulars of which candidate stands for what. And if they do not, I think most people are doing what must be done to learn the facts. At least I hope that is the case. 
Unfortunately, I still see and hear from so many people out there that for some reason still think Barack Obama is a Muslim or a terrorist or both. Friends I thought I knew, TV personalities, radio personalities, pundits, bloggers, and even young people…people that I thought would not be taken in by the lies and distortions of the republican machine and the McCain Smear-Talk Express. I have some news for everyone…we have a little thing called freedom of religion in our country. That freedom covers everyone in our country, and any religion they care to practice, including no religion at all. You know what that means? It means our president is NOT REQUIRED to be a Christian. Now, I know Christianity is the major religion in the United States, and for that reason, people elect leaders who most closely reflect and embody their beliefs and values, but nowhere does it say it has to be this way. What “values voters” seem to forget is that there is much more at stake in this election than someone’s Christian beliefs. I am not advocating for any particular religion or non-religion here. I am not saying we should have a Muslim president, and I am not saying we should have an atheist president. I am, however, saying it should not matter. I am saying that I want a president that is going to address the major issues facing our country in both the foreseeable and unforeseeable future. I want a president that is going to address our strained relations abroad by communicating and using…uh…what is the word I am looking for…must have forgotten…oh yeah…DIPLOMACY. I want a leader that will recognize climate change and global warming for the problems that they are, and do something about them (because they are NOT a myth). I want a new president that is going to change our energy policy, take us off foreign oil, invest in clean renewable energy sources, and commit to increasing fuel efficiency standards. I want someone who will do something about the failed economic policies of the last eight years, someone who will cut taxes for the middle-class (the word middle-class does not exist in McCain’s lexicon). And I do not care if that president needs to ask himself, “What would Jesus do?” or “What would Allah do?” or Vishnu or Buddha or Confucius or logic or reason, before making a decision, I just care that he makes the right one. The right decision for you, for me, for your children, your grandchildren, and so on and so forth.
Guess what? The Muslim religion is not synonymous with terrorism, and being a terrorist does not automatically mean you are a Muslim. I know…I know, that was a bit repetitive, but I have to think, no, hope that…maybe if we repeat things enough, it will get through the thick skulls of the ignorant bigots who actually believe it. Once more for those with small-minded proclivities: NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS and NOT ALL TERRORISTS ARE MUSLIMS! Anyone who is still clinging to the idea that Obama is either a Muslim or a terrorist or both, is either not paying attention, brainwashed by all of the Republican fear mongering paranoia, or just too ignorant to care. 
I am sure some of those bigots out there will say, “Well he did associate with that terrorist Bill Ayers!” And to you I say what everyone already knows…Obama was EIGHT YEARS OLD when The Weather Underground was active. Which is kind of like saying, “You are a Christian, and therefore you are responsible for the Crusades of the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries.” I digress, perhaps that was a stretch, but you see my point. Obama served on a bipartisan education board with Ayers. It was a committee that was funded by Walter H. Annenberg, a well-known philanthropist and education advocate, and friend and advisor to Republican icon, President Ronald Reagan. Some people will say he was raised Muslim. So what if he was? It does not mean he is still a Muslim. Besides that…all of this is making me stray from my main argument: It should not matter one-way or the other. That is why we have a little thing called Separation of Church and State.
Now we are all entitled to our opinions, I will not deny that. However, a right to your own opinion does not make it a good opinion. I am sure everyone who still thinks Obama is a Muslim, still believes it, and thinks that my opinion is a bad one. That is fine. I do not expect to change your mind today or tomorrow or maybe even ever, but I have said what I believe to be true, and call it a hunch, but I think there are a few others out there who would agree with me.
I will let you all be the judge. Tell us your thoughts.
Until next time,
Your trusty neighborhood-misguided-idiot-liberal-nutjob-anti-American-socialist-communist-(insert Republican talking point insult here)
-LoOK
Post Script
Colin Powell on this issue from Meet the Press this last Sunday:
"I'm also troubled by - not what Senator McCain says - but what members of the Party say, and it is permitted to be said: such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is he is not a Muslim. He's a Christian; has always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, "What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?" The answer's "No, that's not America." Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be President? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own Party drop the suggestion he's Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery. And she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards - Purple Heart, Bronze Star; showed that he died in Iraq; gave his date of birth, date of death. He was twenty years old. And then at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross. It didn't have a Star of David. It had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Karim Rashad Sultan Kahn. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey, he was fourteen years old at the time of 9/11 and he waited until he could go serve his country and he gave his life."
Friday, September 19, 2008
I was hoping it was ignorance, or just plain stupidity. However, if that was true I feel it would pass, and the truth is people still try to convince others that he is Muslim. There are still emails surfacing that claim he is Muslim with facts and pictures, and eyewitness accounts and blah, blah, blah.
The fact that so many people still believe Obama is a Muslim is distressing, and actually very sad. The truth is its racism. To borrow from Clarence Thomas, Obama is dealing with a “high-tech lynching.”
I know people don’t like to talk about race. I know it stirs up past anger, and instantly divides. But the truth is that there are voters who live in this country who WILL NOT vote for Obama because he is black.
Now of course these voters won’t say that. They don’t want to be called a racist, because they would “never say something racist,” not in this day and age. So what do they do? They take swipes at his religion. People call him Muslim because his father is from Kenya. He must be Muslim because his name is BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA. They call him Muslim because his pastor said things that were anti-American (so of course he can’t be a true Christian). But most importantly they call him a Muslim because they are allowed to.
The truth is “Muslim” has been stigmatized much like the N-word. The truth is that “Islamic terrorists” attacked this country. They were Muslims, so that means people feel it is okay to be afraid of them. September 11th was “just seven years ago,” it hasn’t been long enough to stop being afraid. There has not been enough time for people to stop and say wait a minute, not all Muslims are bad people. Because of fear mongering...Muslim is now used to evoke fear and evil. We don’t need to be afraid of them.
Like the N-word, so much hate is tied to Muslim that when we hear it people cringe, and look at Muslims as if they are going to hurt us, when in fact they won’t. The saddest part is that the term Muslim shouldn’t be offensive. I understand that the N-word should have and will always be offensive, but Muslim?
Let’s be honest here. Senator Obama doesn’t have the Muslim problem in big cities, and states like California and New York. His problems lie in small towns and the South. That’s right the South, the region of the country that still flies the confederate flag. The South is the region of the country where Martin Luther King fought tirelessly for so many years to rid our nation of the N-word and the culture around it.
Now I’m not saying that everyone in the South is racist. I know that is not true. I’m not saying all Republicans are racist, and I certainly know John McCain is above this issue. However, as I said it is in these small rural towns with very few black people, and even less Muslims that these stereotypes and hatred get rooted.
Senator Obama has (unfairly) had to fight this issue over and over again. He has dedicated entire web pages and campaign stops to it. Remember saddleback with Pastor Rick Warren?
I believe if Senator Obama had been running in the 60’s for President the N-word would be shouted at him everywhere he went. Today no one would dare call Obama the N-word or be caught dead around anyone saying it (in public and “on mic” anyways). However, people call him Muslim without thinking twice.
We have come so far, yet have hardly moved forward at all.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Since September 11th 2001, I’ve learned that freedom isn’t free. It costs $12.3 billion a month in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I’ve learned that we must never forget that day. The easiest way to remember of course is to, as President Bush said, “Shop.” We can never forget if we buy 9/11 t-shirts and bumper stickers and of course the yearly commemorative coin.
I’ve learned that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction.
I’ve learned that Osama Bin Laden is living in a cave in Pakistan and we don’t seem to care.
I've learned that Osama bin Laden is good for business.
Since 9/11, I’ve learned that these colors don’t run, unless of course you count the blood of the 4,155 servicemen dead in Iraq, and the 584 dead in Afghanistan.
I’ve learned that these numbers will not stop rising.
I’ve learned that George W. Bush has done such a good job as President that we elected him again.
Since 9/11, I’ve learned that 9/11 can be used for political gains during political conventions.
I’ve learned that the Taliban are regaining strength in Afghanistan.
I’ve learned that in Iraq, if we pay the insurgents enough, they will stop attacking us.
Since 9/11, I’ve learned that the Iraqis want us to leave.
I’ve learned that President Bush wants to stay.
I’ve learned that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
Since 9/11, I’ve learned that my government can detain people without any rhyme or reason.
I’ve learned that torture is okay.
I’ve learned that spreading democracy is the American way, and that the best way to spread said democracy is at the end of a rifle.
I’ve learned that spreading democracy apparently, is our mission from God.
I’ve learned that democracy cannot be forced on people whose government must be ruled by religion.
I’ve learned that people still think 9/11 was an inside job.
I’ve learned that Americans don’t care about energy independence.
I’ve learned that America is no longer respected in the world as it once was.
I’ve learned that there is a candidate standing for change and half the country stands against him.
I’ve learned that this country can be controlled by fear.
I’ve learned that Muslims are evil because they wear turbans and have beards.
I’ve learned that all of the hijackers were clean shaven and turbanless.
I’ve learned that Iran and North Korea, like Iraq are evil.
Since 9/11, I’ve learned that Republicans know what is right because they haven’t been wrong in seven (make that eight) years.
I’ve learned that we have the best military in the world. There is nothing they cannot do.
I’ve learned that our military cannot force a country to create a stable government.
I’ve learned that the global war on terror will be fought forever.
I’ve learned that we can claim “mission accomplished” without achieving victory.
Since 9/11, I’ve learned that our military is not built by a draft, and because of that, no one cares about the consequences of war.
Since September 11th 2001, I’ve learned that this country has reached a new boiling point. I have learned that we have been waiting for the moment that we can turn the page and attempt to reclaim our place in the world. To return our nation to a place that is looked up to and not down at. I have learned that Americans are tired of failed policies and hawkish administrations.
I have learned that our nation must become stronger, smarter, and better.
Because if we do not, we have learned nothing at all.
Always learning,
LoOK
Sources:
http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/securityspending/articles/gwot_spending_burn_rate/
http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/
Friday, August 22, 2008
It is the 21st century, nations do not invade other nations…we occupy them…for 100 years if needed.
It is the 21st century; Iraq and Afghanistan share no borders…unless you consider the country of Iran one big border.
It is the 21st century; the average 72-year-old man knows how many houses he owns…because the answer is one, not seven.
It is the 21st century; the average American knows how many houses they own because the answer is one, not seven.
It is the 21st century; Presidential Candidates do not enter their 55-year-old wives in wet t-shirt contests…or joke about it.
It is the 21st century; Britney Spears and Paris Hilton have nothing to do with the presidential election.
It is the 21st century; Paris Hilton has a better energy policy than you.
It is the 21st century; Americans are better off than they were eight years ago…wait…no, no they are not…or are they? Wait what was the question? I’ll have my people get back to you on that one.
It is the 21st century; the president cannot serve more than two terms in office, so why are you trying to run again? Oh…wait…must have mistaken you for the other republican with no brain.
It is the 21st century; Al Qaeda, Iran, Iraq, Sunni, Shia, and extremists are not all the same thing.
It is the 21st century; we need a president who is already educated in economics and the state of our economy, not someone who needs to be educated.
It is the 21st century; you vowed to follow Bin-laden to the gates of hell…apparently those gates are in Iraq?
It is the 21st century; we need a president who realizes that offshore drilling is not an answer in the short term or long term.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Can someone please explain to me why our Presidential candidates are participating in a forum held at Rick Warren’s Christian mega-church? Will they then attend similar forums at an Islamic mosque, Jewish synagogue, Buddhist temple, Hindu temple, and even a Scientologist church?
It would only be fair wouldn’t it?
Shouldn’t the candidates want to transcend above the “politics of religion” and speak to everyone not as a Christian, but as an American? Shouldn’t we want our leader to be able to reach out to all and not be shunned by one faith because he believes in another?
I am not here to argue that Christianity is right or wrong. I am here to point out that this is America, a country that supposedly was based on the freedom to choose your religion and to not be persecuted for it. We are supposed to be open minded, and accepting of all. So why is it that every four years the person we choose to lead this nation HAS to be a Christian?
What happened to separation of Church and State?
I do not understand why we as a nation demand that our leader conforms to certain biblical values. How about human values? If you took out the Christianity from Senator Obama (and McCain) would they stop believing in all things good? Would they immediately start spewing words of hate and “preaching” death and anarchy?
Of course not.
They would continue to believe that murder, lying, cheating, stealing, and other evils are wrong because they are wrong. These beliefs are not only Christian beliefs, but they are also Hindu beliefs, and Islamic beliefs, and Jewish beliefs, and Buddhist beliefs, which make them Human beliefs.
Heaven forbid that we have a leader who believes that all humans are equal no matter what faith they practice. A leader who strives to unite not just Americans but humans in order to create what all religions truly believe in: Peace and Love.
But who am I kidding. This is America, and all those other religions are not just weird, they are wrong. As the song goes it’s, “God Bless America” it isn’t “Allah Bless America,” or “Vishnu Bless America.” So our candidates must cater to the one true religion in America: Christianity.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
About 80% (depending on which poll you read) of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. 80%. That really says something about the leadership of this country. I think we need a bigger change than anyone is really ready for, or willing to do. If I were running for president I’d have very open and honest thoughts on every issue we now face.
The following is NOT an endorsement for anyone…it is simply my thoughts.
On Iraq:
The simple truth is what everyone seems to be afraid to really say. We can’t get out of Iraq as easily as most people think. Getting out of Iraq is complicated. Do we need to? Absolutely. Should we just pick up all of our soldiers and get out yes! There is no reason we should have gone in the first place or should be there this long. We cannot police this war forever. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice our men and women for reasons that can’t be solved with more violence. However, that being said the truth is that if we do just pack up and leave the country will turn towards civil war. I know most people say that it can’t get any worse; well I believe it could get much worse. When we leave the Sunnis will fight the Shiites and the nation will collapse. Why? Because the government is not taking the necessary steps it needs to create stability. I believe that if we actually do give the nation a deadline that the government might finally get their heads out of the sand and do something if only for the fear of their nation turning on itself.
On religion:
I consider myself a man who has studied many religions and doesn’t believe one religion is or should be put above any other. I don’t believe in any one religion but I am not an atheist. I do not build my life around the belief that there is no god. I like to go outside and look at the stars and I like to believe that someone created all the beauty that is around me, but the simple truth is that I just don’t know, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. Since I do not know I am not living my life by a code that tells me someone is evil or wrong because they do not believe in the same things I do. I do not feel that I am better or worse than anyone because of this and that is a good thing. I feel the worst thing in the world is someone who has religion and damns people because of it. I used to go to church until I heard my minister, a man I respected give a sermon on the evil of homosexuality. Some of my friends are gay. These friends have been there for me when I needed them most, when I truly needed a shoulder to cry my friends have been there. Which brings me to...
Gay marriage:
I challenge anyone to offer a logical and legitimate argument against gay marriage. Don't you dare come at me with, “Well the bible says it’s wrong.” Don’t you dare try to tell me that a government has the right to say two gay people can’t get married? I’ll agree that a church won’t marry two gay people because that is what their beliefs are. I, as someone who wants to change this government can’t tell a church what to do. That’s what separation of church and state is all about. If that church wants to openly practice discrimination and hate that is within their right to do so. However, don’t for a second tell me that my gay friends cant go down to city hall and find a judge/justice of the peace and get married because that is something that I (as someone who wants government to change) can change. I can ask my government to stop practicing discrimination and hate. I should be able to force my government to follow one of the documents it was based on called the declaration of independence that promises everyone the pursuit of happiness. Don’t for a second tell me that marriage is not something one can pursue to be happy. I know what some may be thinking, and that’s that “gay marriage will ruin ‘the family.’” I think that is simply pure bullshit and only homophobic people believe that. They say that it isn’t an ideal place to raise children. I say how many fathers in straight marriages are alcoholics or how many parents now are drug addicts? We still allow them to get married. The simple truth is that there is no logical or legitimate argument against gay marriage and the only thing stopping this equal right is people’s fears of speaking up and demanding more from our leaders.
On gas prices:
I read an article that talked about why 50 mpg won’t happen in America soon, and frankly I think that’s crap. There are 50 mpg vehicles in Europe; I see the bmw commercial for the hydrogen car. The real reason we can’t get this done is again, because our leaders are not forcing any change to happen. Now I know some will say we cannot force car companies to make changes because it’s a free market and capitalism and all that other BS. However, we already are demanding that they change, but only to 35mpg. 35 mpg? That’s a joke! We should not only demand that they raise it to at least 50 but demand that they stop using gas altogether! I know some people will say we can’t do that, that a government can’t have control over business, but what if that control is to help the people it was elected to govern? Can’t the government demand better transportation for its people, can’t we demand less pollution for our planet? The truth is that government does have control over commerce and companies for the good of the people. We have OSHA and equal pay act and maternity leave. All these things demand that companies conform to certain things for the people, why cant we as a people and as a government demand that there be a better way for gas to be used or demand that we strive to get rid of it once and for all?
I wish I could say I want all Americans to read this so that I could believe again that we could become a nation that can be proud of itself, but the truth is I am not old enough to say that I believed before.
I was not there when Martin and Bobby and John asked the nation to question, to hope, and to dream. I was not there when we raced to the Moon and back again. I was not there when freedom was earned with blood in the streets. However, I am here now. I am here hoping that the leaders I have to look at will not become men and women whose names are simply placed on airports and schools. I am here now hoping that my leaders will not be full of lies and letdowns. I am here now hoping that all my beliefs will one day be realized and that the simple truths can be achieved. I am here now not waiting for change, but wanting it. Because if I do not want change and demand change, change will never happen.
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