Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

Catchy title, don’t you think? Bet you’re wondering what they could possibly have in common.

Well, before I go there, let me first say that I’m a life-long registered Democrat who has never voted for a Republican Presidential candidate. I have no ax to grind and no agenda here, other than to face life with eyes wide open as opposed to eyes wide shut.  To that end, Campbell Brown, CNN anchor and columnist, posted an interesting article today on CNN.com.

Ms. Brown notes that a year ago, Barack Obama publicly vowed that he would accept public financing and “work with the Republican nominee to ensure they both operated within those [spending] limits.” Problem is… Obama didn’t keep his word. Now why he didn’t keep his word is almost as important as the fact that he simply didn’t. The reason is that he quickly realized how much more money he could raise outside the constraints of the Federal Election Law rules. And since money not only talks in America, it also buys elective office, that observation wasn’t going to slip past a Harvard Law School graduate.  Hence, he reneged on his word.

So why Nixon?  Well, 19 years before Richard Nixon was elected President of the United States he had earned himself the nickname “Tricky Dick” based upon his campagin tactic against Helen Douglas for a United States Senate seat…which he won.

Now I never understood how people were shocked and surprised by Watergate and all that it encompassed, or Nixon’s erasing of the tapes, or his patent lying, when they had knowingly elected a man nicknamed “Tricky Dick.”  The only rationale I ever came up with was that despite the discernible facts, voters just didn’t want to know. And I think it’s happening again.

I’m not saying Obama is Nixon, or has his character..or lack thereof. I’m not even saying much about Obama… mainly because I don’t think this is about him.

I think it’s about Us. 

I think we need to wake up, rub the sleep from our eyes, get past the campaign slogans, and hold ourselves accountable for what is knowable vs. what we only want to know. 

And I think we’d better hurry.

There is too much at stake here to cry “poor me” after the fact if what we wind up with is exactly what is known before hand, but also exactly what we chose not to ponder too long or too hard.  As Michael Douglas said in the movie, An American President…. “Citizenship isn’t easy. You’ve got to want it bad.” 

Well, we’re still blessed with it…Citizenship, that is…admittedly within a system that’s less than perfect and which, lately, is more out of balance than is healthy. But while we still have a voice and a vote it’s our responsibility to call them as we see them…not as they tell us it is.  If you’re running on “Change” but fueling it through age-old-slight-of-hand and deceit…well, shame on me if I let you get away with it.

And shame on me if I help you get there.

Our choices aren’t great this time around. I’ll grant you that. I like Joe Biden but I’ve got to elect Obama to get to him. And I like John McCain but he is up in years and Sarah Palin worries me greatly. So does no check and balance with the prospect of a Democrat Congress and Executive Branch.

So, what to do?

I have no easy answer. Each of us has to privately come to that moment of truth on November 4th. That’s the beauty of it. My sole purpose here is to make enough noise to startle you into opening your eyes to all that’s knowable.

Once you do that, at least you can make an informed decision. Then you can take pride in knowing you  made a conscious choice… and let the chips fall where they will.

REMEMBER to click here to download a FREE copy of my e-book, “Too  Many Secrets.”

Just when you’re thinking there’s nothing you can do to help the world economy, save the environment and promote peace… up pops a simple way to do all three at once! 

Think I’m kidding or just delusional? Read on.

Lots of people have theories about why the former Soviet Union collapsed when it did and most Republicans, not to mention Americans, like to say it was President Ronald Reagan’s in-your-face-cowboy-stand that did it. But Thomas L. Friedman, author of “Hot, Flat and Crowded” has put forth an intriguing and, I dare say, logical alternative that is based less on hubris and more on economics and the environment.

In his latest book, Friedman shares a conversation he had in 2007 with Vladimir Mau, director of Russia’s Academy of National Economy wherein Friedman posited whether it was “$10-a-barrel oil, not Ronald Reagan, that brought down the Soviet Regime?” Mau’s unhesitating reply was that it was actually “$70-a-barrel oil followed by $10-a-barrel oil that killed the Soviet Union.”  The high oil prices of the 1970’s that resulted from both the Arab oil embargo and the Iranian revolution seduced the then Soviet Union into living off of the rich oil revenues it was the beneficiary of while at the same time promoting and subsidizing all kinds of inefficient industries rather embark upon real economic reform. When the price of oil then collapsed in the 1980’s and 1990’s, an ill-prepared and antiquated Soviet Union collapsed along with them as it had neglected to make the real changes that would have allowed it to bring it’s economy and it’s industries forward into a global marketplace.

So, what’s that got to do with you? 

Well, current seemingly dark times can have a “silver lining” too. Check out today’s CNN story about falling oil prices http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/26/gas.prices/index.html . It seems that the shaky world economy is having it’s impact on oil. For several reasons. But your contribution is that you’re using less gasoline and watching you oil consumption because dollars are in short supply and you’re not sure what the future holds.  The resulting decline in the price of oil is hurting guess who? That’s right. The producers and sellers of oil…all those countries that would like to see the United States, and the rest of the free world, brought to their knees. So to the extent that countries such as Iran and Venezuela have neglected addressing real economic reform and other necessary changes because they have been resting on the laurels of their oil revenues….well, you get the picture.

Now, if you use less oil and oil related products, thereby causing a continued drop in the price of oil, you may just make a difference in the economic stability of oil-producing nations similar to what occurred in the former Soviet Union.  And if you destabilize those regimes you may make way for new and alternative means of governance. Perhaps more humanitarian and more peaceful governance. And, if you use and consume less oil and oil-related products you positively impact the environment and reduce CO2 emissions.

So, there you have it.  You’ve just helped the economy, the environment and promoted world peace just by the choices you will make today around oil consumption.  It’s not a guarantee, of course. It could just be my fantasy or a mixed metaphor. But just thinking it might work gives you something to mull over and perhaps, even something to do (or not do) today.

In a world so seemingly out of balance with so many challenges, I like having something I can actually do that may make a positive difference. It’s empowering. 

When was the last time you felt empowered?

REMEMBER to click here to download a FREE copy of my e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”

I’m like most Americans. I’ve watched both debates thus far, I’m fed up with business as usual, and I still don’t know for whom I will vote come November 4th. And as I ponder this, one other question keeps turning around in my mind.

Are these two tickets upside down?

Whether or not you agree with their politics or their policies…whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat…do you also have the feeling that Joe Biden and Sarah Palin are at least two people who say what they mean and mean what they say? Doesn’t Biden seem knowledgeable and doesn’t Palin seem real? And aren’t they each in stark contrast to their up-lines? I mean, does Obama seem knowledgeable and does McCain seem real? Or is it just me who feels that while I’d never wish harm or illness on anyone… in the event of the unthinkable…where would be the downside of either Biden or Palin rising to the office of the Presidency?

Sure, as I’ve said earlier, you may not agree with their politics or policies. But in an era of disgust with managed and staged candidates who are (in the instant Presidential case) either inexperienced or past their prime, how refreshing to listen to two bright, gutsy, V.P. candidates who aren’t afraid to wear both their intelligence and their passion on their faces and their sleeves.

As I write this entry, all of the post-debate commentators
are busy scurrying to say which one of them scored the points they
needed to score and which of them came out on top. What I don’t hear
any of them saying is that these two were more intelligent, more
interesting and more provocative in their forthrightness than either
McCain or Obama have yet to be. Or may ever be, for that matter.

Now, what are we voters to do? No matter how much we may be moved by Biden’s and Palin’s respective effort and sincerity, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin are in supporting roles. We do not get the option to make them our first choice. And it’s probably reckless citizenship to vote into the Office of President of the United States an individual based upon who’s in the second slot. 

I think it’s our individual responsibilities to, for once if never before, actually read as much as possible about what John McCain and Barack Obama stood for and who they were up until the time they ran for the Presidency in 2008. Both the limelight and political expediency have a tendency to cause candidates to temporarily deviate from who and what they have always been and stood for. I think this is particularly so for McCain and Obama.

While I would prefer a viable third choice there is none at the moment. As is so often in Life, and as the song says, “You say you get what you want. I say you get what you need.”  So, let’s take a positive approach and assume that either Barack Obama or John McCain is who we need to lead us at this time. But let us approach the question of “which one?” with intelligence and passion. Something we saw tonight in Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. Now that’s what I’d call leadership.

size=”2″ color=”#111111″ face=”Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif”>

On May
18, 1986 Ivan Boesky, the Wall Street arbitrageur who amassed a fortune of over $200 million dollars illegally using insider information to bet on corporate takeovers, gave the commencement address at the University of California at Berkeley’s business school.  “I
think greed is healthy,” he said.  “You can
be greedy and still feel good about yourself.” 

Back then the comment got lots of media play. When I read his speech, I remember thinking that Boesky and Paul Revere had two things in common: both were prosperous businessmen and both, by their actions, were harbingers that trouble was on the way. For Revere, it was the British. For Boesky, it was an unprecedented time of selfishness, denial and corruption in America. But that’s where there similarities end. Their differences, on the other hand, could not be more striking.

Revere was a patriot who, when his country was in need, set aside his personal business to serve the greater good. The message he (and others) carried that famous night from Boston to Lexington was to warn of British troop movements toward Lexington to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams. His actions were to preserve and protect the will of the people and the emerging nation. His personal dedication and sacrifice were indicative of so many at that time who understood that much of what was familiar would have to be relinquished, on faith, in order to gain the freedom and fairness for which they hungered.

Boesky was the bearer of quite a different message. His focus was personal. The greater good was of no concern to him. Contrary to Revere’s personal sacrifice, Boesky crossed ethical and legal boundaries, without concern or conscience, in a rabid quest for endless personal gain. What he wanted he wanted for himself and damn those obstacles along the way…and damn his country as well. He had the audacity and smugness to advise college graduates, about to make their mark in the world, that more is never enough… and how you acquire it is of little consequence.

It seems self-evident which man is to be admired. And yet, for the past 22 years we, as a nation, took up Boesky’s call and instead of seeing it for what it was (and him for who he was), a bright light shone upon a dark problem, we revered (no pun intended) his quest for material gain combined with diminished social conscience, and sought to emulate the worst of what we are capable of when we become lost in our own egos and lose sight of personal responsibility.

The current financial and energy crises are not the fault of Republicans or Democrats or Wall Street or Main Street. They are the fault of Republicans and Democrats and Wall Street and Main Street. We are each responsible for thinking and acting as if all that matters is acquiring more, newer, better and faster “things” with total disregard for how our methods of satisfying our endless hunger infringes upon every other life form on the planet…not to mention the planet Itself. We have behaved with impudence and without conscience. We have worshiped at the feet of false idols most clearly represented by the Ivan Boeskys of our world. Even those of us who saw through the illusion and knew better were too long absent and too long silent in our dissent.

Now the hour is late. Now it is time to be counted. Now it is time to be heard. Now it is time to say and do, as the Colonists and Funding Fathers did, that the greater good can only be accomplished when we understand and accept that more never is enough because it cannot satisfy the only longing that matters…that of the Soul… which is to return to Oneness and provide for All.  Not to provide equality for All, but equal access for All. What one does with that access is the prerogative given each of us by Free Will. But so long as we allow people to starve and governments to remain corrupted and the environment to be destroyed…all in the name of profit and progress…we say through word, deed and inaction that Ivan Boesky was right and the Founding Fathers were wrong…and by so doing we are a nation writing its own epitaph.

I believe in the highest good.

I believe, at this moment in time, we are confronted with the opportunity to aspire to the greater good.

I believe it is an opportunity we welcome and one at which we will prevail.

>I couldn’t help wondering why I was so taken with the CNN photo image of Lehman Bros. headquarters on Wall Street this past week as the news broke of its pending bankruptcy following failed efforts to have it rescued by third parties. Then it hit me. It was almost seven years later, to the day, that the Lehman skyscraper image, with words of its pending financial collapse printed below, appeared on CNN…seven years to the day after 9/11.

What I was so taken with was the irony, no, not the irony but the connectivity, between the financial buildings on Wall Street that literally came tumbling down seven years ago and the ones now figuratively tumbling down… both before our very eyes.

I think one was a precursor of the other. It’s time we paid attention to the message, don’t you think?

I have listened in the past few days to Alan Greenspan and Suzy Ormond, the former being the “official” financial guru and the latter being the “populist” version, and I think they’re both wrong. Well, not wrong, just misguided. Remember when during the 1992 Presidential campaign Bil Clinton said, “It’s the economy, stupid”? Well, it’s sort of the economy now only not the way Clinton meant it. Back then he meant that George H.W. Bush was out of touch with the challenges faced by most Americans because Bush was a blue-blood elitist. 

Now, it’s about how we’ve prayed too long at the altar of money and material acquisitions…so much so…that we went too far astray from the meaning of Life and what loving Life, and one another, truly means. So, as with all things out of balance, our condition has required a “course correction.” 

The happenings in the financial market are a symptom…they are not the dis-ease.

We all feel it. Not just monetarily. We feel it in the stress we live with every day trying to keep pace with a reality controlled by the pace of technology. We feel it in the loss of meaningful relationships or even the time to cultivate them. We feel it in the frustrations we encounter trying to get adequate health care or even just a live person, rather than voice mail, to assist us in getting adequate health care. We feel it in the pressure of raising kids in a world where everything is so impersonal and where cheap, meaningless sex is so readily marketed in every medium.

Despite Barack Obama’s campaign slogan, it’s not about Change. Its about adaptation to change. We don’t need change. We already have it. We’re in it. Take a look around. Nothing is working like it used to. And that’s not a bad thing, either. It’s a good thing. Because things stopped “working” for us a while ago. We’ve been working for them. That change happened slowly over time…so slowly we missed the switchover. Only now are we waking up to the reality of where we find ourselves.

What we do about it is All That Matters.

In less than 60 days a new President of The United States will be elected and he (yes, it’s still a “he”) will take the oath of office a few months later.  As part of that oath he will swear to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution.  In so doing, might I suggest our next President spend less time bailing out the financial sector and trying to shore up a broken, misguided system of governmental corruption and more time inspiring this nation in what a call to greatness looks and feels like. This is the highest service he could perform for his nation at this time. To point the way out of darkness and towards the Light.  Inspiration is food for the Soul. This is what we truly hunger for…not a DOW over 13,000.

We, the United States of America, remain an experimental beacon of individual freedom, creativity and ingenuity. We have survived infancy, childhood and our teenage years. Will we now accept the personal responsibility of adulthood, seizing the moment to become the best we can be… or will we stay stuck in those rebellious teenage years where, if we cannot have it our way, we’ll just “throw a fit” and dig in our heels…until the rest of the world grows up and passes us by?

REMEMBER to click here to download my FREE e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”

>  
     Let’s start out with a disclosure: I’m a life-long registered Democrat. It’s important to get that on the table so you know I have no axe to grind here. What I am about to say is not in support of electing John McCain. Quite frankly, I don’t know what I will do come November 4th.  But there’s time yet to make that call and in the meantime, part of making that call is doing my homework and resolving, where possible, my concerns.  Now having explained this, here’s my concern.
    I’m concerned that millions of people in this country think that Barack Obama is going to save them. Save them from themselves. They are investing their energy and their hope in him rather than in themselves. So that when utopia does not finally appear by way of this particular candidate having occupied the White House, they can say yet again that politicians are all con artists and government has failed them once more.
    His acceptance speech was emotionally stirring and the visuals and lead up masterfully orchestrated. He’s a great orator oozing with charisma who is speaking the language people want to hear. Change is the word of the day and he perceived it and seized it from the get go. Good for him.
    But as I watched and listened to his acceptance speech, I heard promises of, quite frankly, miracle after miracle of what he is going to do. If you listened carefully, he’s going to fix just about every problem we have.  He’s never done the job before, or even one remotely like it; these problems have been around for decades; they are complex problems that require multifaceted solutions; they may even be problems that cannot be fixed but are instead systems and processes that are archaic and must be dismantled and replaced…but he’s going to fix them none-the-less.
    Having said all of that, it’s not him and his absolute knowing I’m concerned about. He’s a politician trying to get elected to a job he wants. He’ll say what we want to hear.
    It’s us I’m concerned about,
    It’s the significant portion of the population who thinks that change comes from anyone or anywhere other than from inside themselves.
    Our fundamental problems are social and moral.  You cannot legislate social conscience or morality. We have lost our way to technology and the endless consuming of things with disregard for the effect we have upon one another or the planet. We have not lost the capacity for compassion although we have lost the will to act upon that compassion. These are the roots of our suffering and neither Barack Obama nor any other individual can save us from ourselves.
    The job of repairing this nation is no different than the spiritual job of repairing the world. The concept, in Hebrew, is expressed as tikkun olam…repairing the world. And so when lasting change comes, it starts individually, one step at a time; one good deed at a time; one conscious choice at a time.  Lasting change happens in small ways, personal ways, once each of us decides to no longer choose expediency rather than meaning; more rather than enough; separation rather than unity; apathy rather than concern and, inaction rather than action. Lasting change is a slow and deliberate process during which we fall down many times before we are able to finally stand on our own solid footing.  It is not the single, momentary act of pulling a lever and electing a new President.
    When enough individuals continuously participate in the kinds of choices that effect lasting change, then the collective that we are as a nation will take on a different character and heightened emanation of it’s own…a character and emanation we can be proud that will show the way not only for we Americans but for the world as well.
    My caution about this election is to be alert and aware of the inappropriate investment in the illusion that Barack Obama,  or any other individual, can or will do it for us.
    Yes. The time is now. And Yes, we can.
    But this one’s for You. And Me.
    One conscious choice at a time.

REMEMBER to click here to download my FREE e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”
    
    
    
    
  

>
     Joe Biden presents a stunning opportunity to speak to the question of
whether a politician’s private life matters in relation to his or her
public service. In recent history, the likes of John Kennedy, Lyndon
Johnson, Gary Hart, Barney Frank, Bill Clinton, Jim McGreevy and most
recently, John Edwards have all been the object of scrutiny and
analysis for behavior in their private lives.  In fact, if time and
space permitted it, we could compile a list back to and including
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
    So the question is:
When electing a person to public office, how much does it matter who
they are privately vs. how well they perform their public service?
Personally I am conflicted on this issue and my conflict was renewed
yesterday by an e-mail I received which was then followed by Joe
Biden’s introduction at the Democratic National Convention by his son,
Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden.
    As a parent, it was
incredibly moving and heart-warming to see the obvious love and respect
that this young man has for, as he put it, “my hero, my father.”
Biden’s exemplary parenting and dedication to his two sons who survived
the auto accident that killed Biden’s wife and daughter is remarkable.
His priorities seem to be on very straight.  Commencing at age 29, he
made his boys his mission, all the while diligently tending to the
duties of his job as a United States Senator. And because I had the
privilege of working with him briefly in the 1980’s, I have some
personal knowledge of his character and commitment. And he’s got that
down-to-earth charisma going for him as well.  So it was exhilarating
to see him chosen as Obama’s running mate.
    Then came the e-mail.
    It was from a friend who is a strong advocate of U.S. support for
Israel and a hawk in relation to Iran and other Islamic fundamentalist
nations.  The content of the e-mail were actual cites to legislation
that Biden did not sign onto that were either pro-Israel or
anti-terrorism or anti-Iranian.  There were also links to articles that
address Biden’s voting record vs. his rhetoric, that raise the question
of how realistic he has been, or how effective his approach has been,
to dealing with the threat of Iran and it’s leaders.
    So here’s the dilemma.
    I was very outspoken on the shame that Bill Clinton brought to the
White House by his adulterous and adolescent behavior. I believed then,
and still do, that he set an appalling example and lowered the moral
bar for many.  And the contrast with the Bush’s marital relationship
and their apparent values is undeniable. But here’s the thing. Both men
were elected to lead and manage the nation.  And it’s indisputable that
in almost every analysis, Clinton did it better both domestically and
internationally. So while I prefer the public image of the Bush
relationship and both the dignity and mutual respect they project, in
the end I’m voting for an effective public servant who positively
impacts, and ideally improves, national and foreign policies. With that
criteria, Clinton trumps Bush hands down.
    Now, back to Joe Biden.
    He’s a decent man. An admirable father. A dedicated public servant.
And his choice and nomination as presented on television was stirring.
But governing isn’t about image or made-for-TV-character videos or
theatrical productions. Governing is about moving the county on a
continued trajectory toward it’s highest good while protecting it from
external harm. It’s about policies, not patinas, that get those two
missions accomplished.
    Next week, the Republicans will have
their turn (along with their media experts) to dazzle us with glitz and
glamor and similarly tug at our heartstrings. My suggestion is that
when all the hype is over, and all the candidates in place, we actually
investigate and read their public service records…their congressional
voting records…determine their real stance…on the issues that
matter to us before we vote.
    As a former divorce lawyer
who marketed a video for people going through divorce, I used to tell
women that generally, unless they are educated in advance,
they tend to pick a divorce lawyer on personality. Without knowledge of
the process and their needs, on what other basis could they possibly
choose one? And I would always follow-up that observation and say to
them “that’s how you pick a date. Not a lawyer.” 
    The same hold true for a President or Vice President.
    It’s not how they play on TV, it’s not how their personal story
moves us, it’s what issues have they championed? When have they stood
up and been counted? And for what have they stood? Its not who they
tell us they are but what, in fact, they have done about what they
believe in…and how long have they done it with consistency.
    I really like Joe Biden.
    Now I’m really going to read the record.

REMEMBER to click here to download by FREE e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”
   

>   First, the disclosure: I have not seen “Dark Knight.” That’s not to say I don’t know what it’s about or what the message is. My daughter has seen it and the media is replete with reviews so I feel sufficiently informed to write this entry. What I have seen is Christine Amanpour’s CNN special “Buddha’s Warriors.”  These two media presentations pose a stark and illuminating contrast in how we get to choose the way in which we view the world and the way in which we respond to that choice.
    In “Buddha’s Warriors” Amanpour traces the history of Tibet (and it’s peoples devotion to the Dalai Lama) through the present occupation of Tibet by the Chinese and the non-violent effort by thousands of exiled Buddhist monks to return to their homeland with full religious autonomy. In the face of violent military crackdowns in Tibet and Burma (Myanmar) that have resulted in the beating, torture and killing of civilians and monks alike, the Tibetan people, their monks and the Dalai Lama himself continue to both preach and practice the highest principles of Buddhism…compassion, joy and non-violent civil disobedience.
    Not so, Batman Bruce Wayne. Here, in “Dark Knight” we enter the reality of George Bush and others who view the world as a place of terror to be dealt with by affecting vigilante justice to meet evil with evil. While this approach momentarily satisfies our basest instincts for revenge and getting the outcome we want at any price…several thousand years of historical patterns bear witness to the fact that all war and hatred get us are more war and hatred. War doesn’t end war. Peace does.
    Which brings us back to the Dalai Lama, his monks and the Tibetan people.  They too, like the people of Gotham City, are in the fight of their lives. For the Tibetans it’s not cinema, it’s real. And yet, faced with a potentially devastating and irreversible outcome, the annihilation of their culture, they remain heart-centered and mindful even, on occasion, praying for their captors while yet imprisoned and beaten. As one young Tibetan “activist” said, “it is our silence that will change the hearts and minds of the Chinese.” He refers not to the silence born of fear but a silence born of Love and Certainty. It is the silence of Jesus, Mahatmas Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Rosa Parks…messengers whose message is eternal.
     Batman or The Dalai Lama? A vision based upon terror and war or one of compassion and peace? More time wasted on hatred and separation or a future built upon Love and Unity?
    We each get to choose and as we do, the power of our choice and our thinking gets added to the collective consciousness. When enough of us choose Love and Unity I believe that young Tibetan activist will experience the “victory of silence” he envisions.
    So may we all.

REMEMBER to click here to download my FREE e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”
    
    

>   I tend to think of the whole political landscape as a sort of hologram where what is actually going on at any given point in time depends on where you’re standing. Which is why in trying to write an inspirational blog I often stay away from the topic. But two political events in the past week offer such clear insight into the need for honesty that I can’t resist going there.
    First, there was Hillary Clinton’s decision to bypass campaigning in Michigan and Florida because those states had decided to move up their primary election day against the wishes of the Democratic National Committee. So while she bypassed campaigning in those states, she deliberately kept her name on the ballot in order to later demand the inclusion of those votes when she was trailing behind Barack Obama in accumulating delegate votes. Which is exactly what she has done.
    So Ms. Clinton was more about the appearance of truthfulness rather than truthfulness itself.
    But in order for her lack of ethics to not stand alone, Barack Obama provides us with another example of how “what I say only means what I say as long as I want it to and then it means something else.”
    In April, Mr. Obama said, in a much praised speech given at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, that he could “no more abandon Reverend Wright than I could abandon the black community.” One month later, he has not only abandoned Reverend Wright, he has now also abandoned the entire Trinity Church of Christ at which he and his wife attended and prayed for the past 20 years.
    The hate speech and bigotry spewed from the pulpit of Trinity Church which was previously acceptable to Mr. Obama and his wife, and from which they refused to disavow themselves, is now suddenly unacceptable. It’s so unacceptable that they are walking away as fast and as completely as they can.
    So what’s true?
    I think only one thing is absolutely certain relative to both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and that is political expediency.  They will both say whatever they have to, and do whatever they must, to reach their goal. The end justifies the means.
    Now we cannot change how they choose to live their lives or shape their characters. But we are none-the-less left with two choices we must make.
    The first is whether or not to vote for someone who exemplifies blatant dishonesty. This is not an easy question to answer, especially if you don’t want to vote for John McCain. And I have no easy answer for this one.
    The second choice we have is more clear cut and under our control.
    If we are so offended by manipulation of the truth by others to achieve their desired goals, then we must be diligent in behaving otherwise in our own lives.  Although it isn’t always the office of the Presidency of the United States that is at stake, whatever the matter and whatever the stake, we must come from a place of truthfulness. It all begins with us.
    I believe we get the leaders we deserve. So, if we are not scrupulous in being honest in our own dealings, we cannot expect to see reflected in our leaders otherwise.
    Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama present us with a choice that is much more important to the future than who is the Democratic Presidential nominee in 2008.  They present us with the opportunity to turn within and elevate our own behavior and commitment to what is true and what is good and what is in the best interest of our highest selves.
    Let’s thank them both for such an obvious display of what not to choose.

REMEMBER to click here to download my FREE e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”

>We, The People, owe a debt of gratitude to the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. He has, by example, unveiled an important Truth for us.
    For the past 20 years or so, Reverend Wright has held a position of prominence within his Church and within the African-American community in general. As a result of Barack Obama’s campaign for the Presidency, Reverend Wright began to take on yet greater prominence, culminating in his speech before the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. this week. The content and delivery of that speech brings to light a Truth so fundamental as not to be ignored.

          Ego is an addiction to the misuse of power.  
   
    Reverend Wright just couldn’t stop himself. As Obama’s spiritual mentor, he was given an opportunity by way of friendship and Fate to have the eyes and ears of America, perhaps the world, upon him. He had an opportunity to speak Truth to Power in a humble and poignant way. He failed miserably because Ego (and it’s operating principal that “more is never enough”) is an addiction to the relentless accumulation and exercise of power. In his failure to recognize the danger of the path he chose to pursue, Reverend Wright has been consumed in the burning fire of his own ego.
    Along with the felling of that tree, he may just have taken down the whole forest.
    Which may be a good thing.
    Barack Obama has finally “disavowed” himself from Reverend Wright and what the Reverend espouses. But Obama’s action, taken so late in the game, raises disturbing questions about the candidate’s veracity and judgment. Yesterday, as I watched various videos on-line of Obama’s efforts to distance himself from the spectacle and hatred spewed by Reverend Wright, I had an overriding impression that will not leave me.
    My impression was, and remains, that the candidate is in over his head.
    I am not ready to judge Barack Obama and find him a liar as some  now do. I am not prepared to conclude that he always knew who Reverend Wright was, condoned his hate speech, and turned a blind eye accordingly. That now, with so much at stake and Reverend Wright’s unrestrained behavior, Obama has no choice but to say “this is not the man I met 20 years ago.” I don’t think Obama is malevolent.
    What I observed is that Barack Obama seemed genuinely shocked and confused by his mentor’s behavior. He had the look and demeanor of one who is betrayed by his best friend. Obama could not look the camera, or the American public, in the eye as he severed that 20 year relationship before the world.
    I don’t think Barack Obama is a liar. I think he has a good heart, I think he is naive. I think he does not know himself all that well and, as a result, does not assess others all that well either.
    Because I think character assessment and good judgment are mandatory qualities and necessary qualifications for the Presidency, I think he is not ready to be President of the United States.
    We owe Reverend Wright a debt of gratitude for his gift. Let’s not devalue what he has given us by ignoring it.

REMEMBER to click here to download my FREE e-book, “TOO MANY SECRETS.”