I can't imagine what it must feel like right before the Christmas holidays you must ship out to Iraq. That is the overt feeling in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and there is no getting over it. Not only does death come back here, war begins here. With the largest military installation in America on her border, Fayetteville will never have the "feel" of any other city. It can't. That is because America's soldiers are trained here. We must ask ourselves why a city such as Fayetteville can't be like every other city. Do other cities' host compounds designed to train men to kill the enemy? No, and we can't fault it for that. National defense as we see today is imperative to the War on Terror. The United States spends hundreds of billions of dollars equipping the military, so the United States can be a worldpower. Do we really need to be a worldpower, or could we just be? It would save us a lot of money. The Cold War is over, but it appears other "rogue" nations are stepping up where Russia defaulted. War it seems is an unpleasant fact of life. Imagine living in a city where thousands of soldiers being prepared for war are unleashed on a weekend. There are unnecessary murders, because drunken soldiers unknowingly stumble outside a strip club at 2:00 a.m. and get rolled. Instinctively they resist and are murdered in cold blood while they are drunk. It is a disturbing thought. Not too long ago a man was out on the town with his girlfriend. A drunken soldier had called a cab, and the man pulls up in a Crowne Victoria. Thinking it was his cab because it looked like it, the soldier crawled in the back seat. The driver, afraid for his life, pulled out a gun. When they got out of the car the soldier hit the man out of fear he was going to be shot. As a result he was, in the head. Now he is a vegetable. Nonsensical violence in a violent town. The town is not pleasant, because war is near. The ground shakes with force as the howitzers rumble. You can hear machine gun fire. The constant whine of a turboprop plane is always in your ear threatening to deposit the 82nd Airborne in your backyard. During Dessert Storm Fayetteville almost went under. The soldiers it seems finance the town, and do they ever. Million dollar homes are a common site around the streets of Fayettenam. How can there be so many millionaires when there are so many poor people, so many street people?

Captain Ahab and the Black Jewel

What a disservice to the American people and an utter reinforcement of a “Campaign of Fear and Intimidation” is the suggesting that recent Somali pirating is connected to terrorist activity. It is an over reaction. While it is the job of intelligence officials to speculate, exaggerating a situation can be fatal. The Somali pirates should be applauded for cutting through Wall Street's ridiculous financial escapades and taking action into their own hands. Merchant shipping is operating at a loss because of the recent financial downturn, but that 100 million dollars worth of oil American’s have been buying now seems worthless? It is this shock therapy scare tactic economics that has destroyed our economy. If corporate America had been busy producing goods and services and selling them at a representative value this would not be happening. We are over thinking the problems losing sight supply and demand. Just because the price of oil has dropped at the pump in the last month does not suddenly mean oil is worthless. Any company that operates wisely within economic limits such as Americana oil companies that have posted record profits, would have no problem spending a few million dollars to hire Blackwater to go secure their ship. Maybe this pirating is a needed poke in the ribs to make the world understand wasting NATO troops in a snipe hunt is benefiting no one. Here’s the test. Mobilize and go seize that oil.

Serious Petroleum

The recent capture of the Sirius Star raises an interesting argument as to the world’s priorities. It doesn’t make sense. The United States would go to war and spend billions of dollars a month on a country far across the Atlantic ocean, yet when the direct hijacking of the prized commodity occurs the response is as failed as FEMA’s to hurricane Katrina. The question exists what is at stake. With the price of oil rising to above $150.00 a barrel in the last year you would think reacquiring ownership of 100 million dollars worth of oil would be a priority for someone. Evidently it is not, because no one has recommended a viable solution. The term “international waters” is at play, and that seems to scare someone. If I were a multi-billion dollar oil company, I would take some of the money I am siphoning into the creating of beachfront property and equip a navy. Is this all it takes, a few rag tag Somali fisherman to show the acute vulnerabilities of the world’s superpowers? Government officials have been saying all along the United States is overtaxed in terms of military personnel. We have too many forces deployed to cover our own asses in America. As we struggle to maintain power in a war in which we started that is gaining naught, $100 million dollars worth of oil is sitting in Somalia. Seems our troops are in the wrong place, again.

In light of Congress's adamant rejection of Term Limits, the term "Clinton Re-treads" is a misnomer. With America's current chronic state of ADD it would be surprising if anyone other than political analysts remembered who was in the White House eight years ago. According to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute's recent civic exam administered to both law-makers and citizens, both groups scored poorly. What did score in the 99th percentile has been the federal government's stalemate in Congress. The governing body of the United States, while under a huge blanket of civilian employees, is not that large. There are 100 Senators. There are 435 Representatives. That makes a grand total of 535 law-makers in Congress. Considering the aforementioned rejection of Term Limits, America's recent apathy over the effectiveness of voting, and political lobbying that means the pool of Republicans and Democrats that run the nation is relatively small. It stands to reason it could be represented as Bill Clinton's eight years in the Presidency as opposed to George W. Bush's eight years in the Presidency. Television media in particular uses this platform to fuel their Right Wing propaganda. It is inappropriate, and the better programs use a greater historical survey upon which to draw conclusions about current political issues. In the short run "news" shows are no different than webcasts by Al Qeada. They just shout antagonisms and air interviews with unknown politcal analysts. Republicans are using Hillary Clinton's nomination as Barack Obama's future Secretary of State as a ridiculous argument to refute the "change" for which Americans voted in the recent election. Let it be understood Americans did vote for change, but that change was for the Democratic Party. They voted for change from the disabled politics of a stalled Republican-led Congress. While resurrecting an anachronistic argument over Bill Clinton might incite anger on television, America has no real interest. What is obvious is there is a tenacious Clinton-Haters camp with sour grapes, and they are lining up to receive the next blowjob from Monica Lewinsky. If they instead would use Elliot Spitzer's example instead resigning from public office first, then maybe their selfish misgivings might be quelled. In England, the country against which America rebelled citing religious difference, prostitution is legal. The prudish, tight-lipped, conservative English allow the buying and selling of sex. Do we as a country use simple, biological needs to topple our political governing system? Are we the only country naive enough to let personal infidelities ruin our government? It seems running the country into trillions of dollars worth of debt is a more impeachable offense. If America indeed is a superpower, the way we have been branded by the rest of the world, then we are a childish, selfish, arrogant country that has never grown up enough to realize Socialism by definition is a socio-economic system meant to take care of the masses, not empower the elite. While sexual promiscuity is a personal failure, it does not predicate a law-makers intellectual ability. If we truly were the world's superpower, we would start by invigorating sex education in the public schools. We would not wrap ourselves in tunics, hide behind puritan beards and hats, and refuse to embrace modernism. Liberalism is the key to America's future success, and the longer we belabor the process the longer our resurrection will be delayed.

Generation Smug

Dr. Keith Ablow recently reported our current generation of young people should be called “Generation Smug.” After an in depth study of the habits of America’s youth, the conclusion was reached a majority of adolescents suffer from delusions of grandeur. They are overconfident their underachievement will result in some type of safety net for their lives. Traditionally this was behavior reserved for the wealthy children of celebrities. With a trust fund securely in the bank, what is there to worry about in life other than addiction? Jail has become an issue as has the overdose. The trend in pop media has fueled this perception. The movies in particular have embraced the modern superhero as both a mentor and an icon. Is it a good idea to continue suggesting human beings can fly? While pundits will continue to argue pop media violence doesn’t effect our youth, America knows otherwise. Our public schools have regressed into gangland battlegrounds as teachers have continued to lose respect in our socioeconomic system. Since Bush senior and his reemphasis of the three “R’s” education sorely has been neglected in America. The proof is all around us, and not just in the test scores. It has been reported that America has no real work force. With the outsourcing of traditional manufacturing jobs and the decline of labor unions, America’s youth have been sheltered. The internet has contributed to the decline of social skills, and corporate America and government have failed with their responsibility of both training and employing new workers. Interactive video games, online pornography, reality and talent shows, and pop music all have built an unrealistic portrait of adult life in America. This coddling and procrastination of adult life could prove fatal to some. Education, church, and parents traditionally have been the sources for information on life. Today instead there is pop media, and the media of the Internet has been brought into the classroom. The traditional role of the Internet, a networking of databases for the Department of Defense concerning nuclear development during the Oppenheimer tenure, is valid. A T3 line at a university is a blessing for scholarly research. Similarly a laptop can be a self-contained library providing not only scholarly research, but an encyclopedia, a dictionary, and a word processor all in one. No one can dispute the value of the PC, but the personal computer cannot instill ethical and moral values in our youth. Neither can slime TV. The issue still exists, if Conservatives continue to resist the passing of the torch of America to America’s youth, there will be no one trained to operate the infrastructure of our country. The example all ready has been set in our federal government. The hole has been dug and the shovel is being passed empty and begrudgingly to a contingency seen as the enemy. It is because of an attitude like this the Civil War was born. It truly is unfortunate the model of preservation of life includes death. While God did sacrifice His only Son, the message of Christianity preaches peace and serenity.

The Future President of the United States, Ms. Palin

Why Jeannie should not be the future vice-president elect of the United States can be seen on You Tube. While the political satire of pardoning a turkey from its destiny as a Ben Franklin-esque treat on Thanksgiving sounds like a prudent and opportunistic media event, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin proved such an event also could reinforce the concept of “tunnel eyes.” “Damn Governor. They got you again!” Her pardon of the turkey was speculation, but her mindless, morning, caffeine induced rant was documented clearly in the foreground of mischievous Alaskan punksters. As she obliviously documented her elation at being asked to “pardon a turkey” for Thanksgiving, workers at the farm proceeded to slaughter turkeys in the background no doubt headed for America’s Thanksgiving tables. Not without savoir faire the Alaskan butcher beheaded two turkeys and inverted them in a crude bleeding bin while Governor Palin spoke. While this insensible image, like many championed by Al-Qeada, could offend Mainstreet America it clearly confirmed the future destiny of Ms. Palin. Paris, Tyra, and Sarah should form their own network devoted to mindless, heart-stopping, cheerleading.

Ayman al-Zawahri, Newt Gingrich in Drag?

Upon reading Ayman al-Zawahri words on Yahoo News after Al Qaeda posted their first web broadcast in response to Barack Obama’s win of the United States Presidency, it was clear his pitch was no different than the Extreme Right in American government. After witnessing media’s coverage of the fall out of Obama’s cabinet appointments, it was extremely clear that tactics that Al Qaeda uses are no different than those used by Newt Gingrich. Obama’s transition team has been faced with the dredging of ex-president’s Bill Clinton’s impeachment, an absurdity that cements the fate of the Republican National Party and its failed “Contract with America.” George W. Bush’s fate was sealed the same way with a shallow policy of “Take power no matter what.” His last eight years in the White House vicariously re-living his own childhood schoolyard antics with Osama Bin Laden are enough. The United States needed more than what has become a lifelong feud between recalcitrant spoiled children fighting over who gets the oil. While probably it is necessary to question whether Bill Clinton’s post-presidential philanthropy could effect Hillary’s effectiveness as the future Secretary of State, the bigger question taunting America is how two candidates that spent two years running against one another now effectively can work together in the future president’s administration. The answer is simple. It is the definition of the word politics, something our current slate of lawmakers in Washington have forgotten. Without effective politics America can expect nothing more than the stalemate that has plagued the federal government for eight years. While it is a true test of the American peoples’ sensibilities to see Barack Obama offer amends so quickly to John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Lieberman, acutely he understands that to solve the existing problems facing America good politics is needed. Carrying the competitive tone of a presidential campaign into the White House may not prove as effective working with an incumbent Congress. The media has made that clear with its reporting in the last two days. Not only has Al Qaeda appeared for the first time, but the vetting of Bill Clinton’s Foundation has resurrected Newt Gingrich’s crusade against the Clintons. In retrospect does anyone have respect for a man who wasted the country’s time and money impeaching a president for actions that should have been kept personal? Gingrich’s politics are startlingly similar to Al Qeada’s. He simply throws mistruths at his adversary as antagonism. It will come to pass what opened the door of the White House to Barack Obama will prevail in helping him solve the problems of America.

Being Green in the Credit Crunch of the Housing Bubble

The issue of the auto industry bailout is credit. Auto makers are not selling cars simply because the credit industry failed. To put the credit industries' fault upon the auto makers is wrong. The question the federal government must ask is whether the product the auto industry is producing, like the housing bubble, is worth the price of the credit that is being sold. The answer is unequivocally no, and that is the reason why the Democrats are procrastinating voting for a bailout. The financial responsibility of the federal government, in light of the recent economic crisis, predicates lawmakers vet fully the issues surrounding such a financial loan. Because of the results of the recent presidential election, lawmakers are reticent to act upon any future burden of the American taxpayers' dollar. Because of monetary constrictions it is true American auto makers have not championed a course of environmental conservation. The question to be asked is, "Is the survival of the auto industry and its subsidiary employees more important than 'Being Green?' ".

Ship Rupert, Newt, and Simon to an Island off the Coast of Italy

Dan Rather has been out of the limelight recently. Like John Edwards, Newt Gingrich and the Republican National Party, and one hundred retired army generals he is making his opinion known. He actively is pursuing a court case suing his past employer CBS News for mistreatment. Is it all a run for the 2012 presidential campaign? The eternal feud between the Right and the Left continues to be the stage upon which media performs. As Dan said recently on C-SPAN program addressing the issue of media in politics, new comer Barack Obama was the good story. It was the reason why he received more favorable media coverage than his current contender for Secretary of State in his future cabinet. The issue that is clouding Hillary Clinton’s acceptance for the post is the same fragile issue media continues to peddle. Although aptly qualified for the position, Barack in the tradition of past president Abraham Lincoln, is creating the necessary tension in his transition team. It is understandable because members of his “transition team” were also part of his campaign, they have not received the memo from Lincoln. How is it a political ally and foe, after being defeated for the democratic nomination to the United States presidency, should be appointed to an important cabinet post in the Obama administration? It is because Barack like Lincoln is a prudent politician. Understanding the quintessential definition of the word he saw fit to include political adversaries in his cabinet. What is interesting is the smoke and mirrors that have been created as a result. Gingrich, after his failed Contract with America succeeded in shutting down the federal government twice, all but disappeared from politics. Like John Edwards his extramarital affair sanctioned his living incognito. Under persecution from the RNP Bill Clinton was impeached for having promiscuous sex in the Whitehouse. Do we want to see either face again? The government’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy of homosexuality in the American military has been all but mum until now. Is it fair that this soon after the election and during a sensitive war-time transition, Newt Gingrich has empowered himself as a martyr for the Republican National Party? Doesn’t the newly elected president have enough to worry about with a chronically ailing auto industry, a credit crisis, and two wars abroad? Is this really the time to ask the federal government to deal with sexuality? Evidently slinging mud at the new president begins as soon as the accolades subside, even before he is inaugurated. This spectacle is the personification of the proceeding and consistent stalemate in the United States federal government, and is a disgrace. As one political pundit expressed on Chris Matthew’s show Hardball, “Who cares?” It is fair to devote adequate air time to each party, whether the American people demonstratively chose democratic or not. It seems the licking of wounds of the RNP is the reason why Governor Sarah Palin remains in the news. If the Republicans in eight years have been unable to re-invent themselves, find middle ground with the Left, and solve some of America’s problems now is not the time to focus on it. There is a new, capable, and energetic party in power. For them to succeed in serving the American people the RNP should cooperate. Eight years is a long enough test, and the Republican National party failed. Hopefully Dan Rather will win his lawsuit, “Don’t ask, don’t tell” will remain as military policy, and Gingrich, John Edwards, and Elliot Spitzer will throw a newly-divorced party employing a reputable escort service to mend their wounds. Because they are not employed by the people, they will be immune from impeachment.

The Right to Choose.... a Mate?

Gay marriage is in the news, because in the recent presidential election there were referendums in eleven states asking voters if they did or did not support gay marriage. Overwhelmingly the American people spoke and passed state constitutional amendments that ban gay marriage. This legislation denies a state court the ability to rule and therefore allow gay marriage, such as the decision that was passed and subsequently overturned in California. Supporters of the referendums want an amendment to the United States Constitution, denying the Supreme Court a possible later ruling allowing gay unions nationwide. That means the burden will fall on the Congress of the United States of America to write, propose, and vote on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in America. Good luck. With Congress’s recent record of problem solving, no such legislation will come to pass. Maybe it is appropriate that the states retain the right to rule in such cases. With that authority comes a freedom also offered in our Constitution. That freedom is the right to the pursuit of happiness. It could have been when the founding fathers of America penned our Constitution, they understood a democratic republic and the relationship between state’s power and the power of the federal government. With state governments comes a degree of liberation, a term vital in defining freedom and happiness in America. Liberty. Liberal. In most cases these words are synonymous with freedom. Conservative on the other hand usually drums up images of a staid and stagnant bureaucracy. Conservative ideals are ones reserved for those both in power and who are rich. When your circumstances are positive, why would you need to change? In the recent presidential election Americans' chose liberty and liberal. While abandoning all of a country’s traditions does not seem prudent, abandoning the ones that are ineffective does. For a country to evolve, a complex growth process that often painfully sheds an old skin for a new one, it must change. As in the arts, one cannot become a better artist without pain. While pundits will dispute this, religion gives this concept credence. Bill Maher does not understand why anyone would worship a God who sacrifices his only Son. Unfortunately as intelligent as Mr. Maher is, the term hedonism applies. It may be that many Hollywood celebrities fall into this category. Religion on the other hand shows us that life is not all pleasant, but with strife and adversity often can come wisdom and happiness. God's offering of His only Son was the creation of the ultimate human soul. It was the ultimate altruistic offering to His people. It was what He was willing to do to show Christians and others that chose to follow Him how deep his love was. It was the ultimate sacrifice. It is of no consequence how great our adversities become, because God allowed his son to be crucified. Jesus was nailed to a cross and left to suffocate from the weight of his own head. While this could seem depraved, seen in the proper perspective it gives the human race its soul. Love is a complex emotion, but it is a fundamental component of Christianity and other religions. God loves us, and therefore He would like for us to acknowledge His presence and ultimately praise and worship Him. It is a two-sided coin. From that love comes our own salvation and serenity on earth. If we were left to hope for humankind to solve our worldly problems, then surely another Dark Ages would ensue. Letting your only son die on a cross shouldn’t be man’s pinnacle ambition, but it should provide us with humility. Humility is the maturity to be able to acknowledge man did not create us and the world. It is interesting leading scientists to this day dispute the existence of God. Instead they believe the great sciences of chemistry, biology, physics, zoology, and astronomy somehow created themselves, and men were the great minds that discovered them. Narcissism is defined. The Bible was God’s word, and although it was compiled over many centuries by many scholars it gives humankind insight into many of life’s situations. The Bible should be interpreted in a modern context, which brings up the issue that is in the news. When God says marriage, both a holy sacrament and a civil institution, is a union between man and woman should we believe Him? I think God is saying, “Be cool and don’t press the issue.” Humans can get away with many sins, as long as we feel accountable for them and ask for forgiveness. We should not be proud of our sins, and maybe God is saying, “Be gay but don’t expect narcissistic hedonistic humans to re-write My words. Be humble and hide.” The benefits gay couples seek are monetary ones that are acknowledged by local and federal government. It seems fitting the states retain the authority to rule in their own provinces. That allows Americans the freedom to choose where they live and along with that destination the values to which they ascribe. If Congress passes legislation that bans gay marriage nationwide, it may be many of our other freedoms are soon to be truncated as well.

The New White House Massah

Could the Mason Dickson line of political demarcation be more polarized? Could media images be more deceptive? Could the now defunct television show “Spin City” be more relevant to American society? The answer is yes, and now with the election of a young, black, entrepreneurial president the extreme right is having to make some changes. Nowhere can that be seen more than “Meeting the Press.” While Keith Olbermann and MSNBC appropriately once represented Barack Obama’s liberal views, their network like the rest of tabloid news media has been susceptible to the contagion of selling soap. With the ensuing economic crisis news reporting on television will become more bipolar as desperation sets in the networks. The bottom line, while tactfully obscured during the Bush administration, will become exposed for what it is. No longer can media afford to “spin” the news to sell their product. The jig is up. The fat lady has sung. Media has met her maker. The “checks and balances” of Capitalism have weighed in ironically as millionaires’ vacation homes burn in a fiery inferno in Montecito, California. Is satan making his last appearance from the pit of purgatory? From watching the tube with the sound turned down, it would difficult to tell the political affiliation of the accompanying traveling salesman. At least Larry King wears suspenders lending a remote reminder of what he represents. With the age of Political Correctness these lines purposefully have become obscured. Media, with the backing of corrupt forces in government firmly ensconced in corporate America, have “spun” reality keeping the American people in the dark. It is similar to Hank Paulson’s handling of the credit lending industry’s bailout. “Watch the hands of the magician! First is goes here, then it goes there, like magic the balls disappear.” Keeping the people in the dark has been the name of the game of the Bush administration. You can hear Vice President Dick Cheney guffaw at the thought of leaving behind the White House’s “private” documents. Expose Halliburton? The media is struggling with their new identity. “You mean we no longer have to rail on President Bush for enacting unconstitutional legislation? We no longer are responsible for having Barack Obama elected the new President of the United States? What are we to do?” When the quintessential philosophical qualifications of media return, suddenly it becomes a different game. “Pop” sensibilities disappear like Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus. Simon is sent packing back to the U.K. to start his own boy band. Rupert Murdoch returns to Australia to, “Put some more shrimp on the barbee!” With a reputable, intelligent, forward-thinking president in the White House, media becomes a different game. Class could return to the airwaves. Classical music and jazz could return to Washington, DC. Society could return to its earned placed in American history. The cobbled path of slavery, littered with men’s souls singing work songs in fields of cotton, has been trekked by Barack Obama straight to the doors of the White House. Symbolically resembling a huge plantation home, Barack Obama navigated a riverboat of Chicago dreams right up to master’s doorstep. Ding dong! “Excuse me sir, I deserve my mint julep. I’ll take it on the White House lawn. Now let’s see if all them white folk in media can sing a song for me.”

The Network of Palintology

The state of Alaska best could represent America’s failure in the arena of conservation. Not only have we failed in the “lower 48,” but we raped and pillaged a vast wonderland of natural resources. Now the federal government must subsidize Americans to live in Alaska. Domestic violence is common, although ordinary crime rates are lower than continental North America. Alaska is an uncommon state and Roy Parker Jr., a veteran writer for the Fayetteville Observer, characterizes Alaskans having, “Minds that are as narrow as their landscape is expansive.” He erroneously calls Governor Sarah Palin a “yahoo,” a term usually reserved for Aborigines hunting and gathering food in the outback of Australia. The press is having a field day with Sarah Palin’s ex-bid for the United States vice-presidency, probably because of speculation she might declare herself a candidate for president in 2012. Could nothing be more absurd? Just because she accepted John McCain’s camps offer to be his surrogate running mate in the 2008 campaign does not ascribe Ms. Palin higher political rewards, or does it? Her continued press coverage at the Republican Governor’s convention and on daytime television talk shows does not mean she has such ambitions. It just means her presence in American politics is good fuel for "Reality TV." She should learn from the legacy of Martha Stewart. Whose glasses came first, Keith Olbermann or Sarah Palin’s? It is interesting such a woman can provoke such a vehement response from one political faction in America. John McCain lost. She is out of the race. Let it die. That is not the case. She is an enigmatic figure too ripe for the fodder of American media. They must have subject matter, and who else is there to chose? A woman was awarded the army’s first fourth star general rank, and she has received less media attention than Governor Sarah Palin. Is it because Sarah Palin is sponge, I mean media-worthy, or is it because she is available? Is it because the Republican National Party saw fit to buy her designer clothing? She has become a celebrity, and there is nothing wrong with that. It is just that television media over the last decade has blurred the boundaries between entertainment and news. Cable News Network’s inclusion of D.L. Hugley’s show in prime time is an example of this mistake. How can America take the news seriously, when ten seconds before there is a comedy routine on the same network. Somebody must cry wolf. It is schizophrenic, or in today’s extinct P.C., bipolar. Television is a large part of the problems present in politics and society today. Is this trend in television subconscious or conscious? Is it a childish and irresponsible reaction to what is around us on a daily basis, or is it an attempt to sell soap? In either case allowing television media to become Newspeak is a grave mistake. Google may have changed the standards for news media. They may have rendered the art of television extinct with their idea of selling advertising on the internet. Barack Obama used this internet connection to his advantage exposing the great potential of web-based media. Television still today remains a vital and viable source of news media and entertainment. With the deregulation of media and the selling of television networks on Wall Street, news has become diluted to the point of absurdity. Time Warner’s merger with AOL created a corporate monopoly that has doomed the television industry. The television set has become a pot roast of “feed the masses” losing its once conceptual vision of artistry. Networks have replaced shows diluting the necessary production crucial to the success of a particular program. There simply are too many channels and too little quality programming. What is next, the Sarah Palin network?

Accountability of the U.S. Treasury

No one would like to be in Hank Paulson’s place, even John Snow. While Mr. Snow lacked affability, his credentials made up for it. His fit as Treasury Secretary was not good. In 2004 it was revealed Snow’s private brokers had bought ten million dollars worth of debt from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Two years later in May of 2006 he resigned as Secretary of the Treasury. It seems John Snow had an eye for economics. Does Henry Paulson? According to Wikipedia in 2006 Goldman Sachs' mortgage-bond division issued 83 home-loan-backed bonds valued at $44.5 billion. In the “Sub Prime” sector it grew its business by 59% from 2005, offloading some $12.9 billion onto fund managers. In the midst of a George Bush lame duck presidency, is this man appropriately qualified to decide where billions of tax-payers dollars are spent to ensure the future economic health of the United States? This dilemma is a metaphor of the problems within the Republican party. When the federal government is coerced into loosening regulation and a majority of those in government also wield power in corporate America, only God can save us. God has been aced out of the picture along with the American taxpayer, and now we are paying the price. Although no one may remember, there was an “Energy Crisis” in the l970’s. Lines for gasoline stretched around the block. Highway speed limits were reduced to “double nickels,” and automobiles almost immediately became more economical. Toyotas and Hondas flooded the market as the Japanese proved their prowess at making cars. (The Japanese also held the upper hand producing affordable quality electronics.) How did these vehicles come to fruition so quickly? Ask Bill Gates, because he tried to do a similar thing forcing his Internet Explorer into the Windows operating system. (Netscape was the leading web browser at the time) As a result Microsoft was indicted, convicted, and regulated by the federal government. Another example of this divestiture was the l984 break up of AT&T into smaller Baby Bell companies. There was a period in United States history where affluent business connoisseurs also were our law-makers. Anti-trust legislation always should be enacted to prevent these corporate monopolies from bankrupting our country while becoming rich. In recent decades there has been a distinct pattern of foul play in the private sector markets beginning with the Savings and Loan Scandal of the l980’s and 90’s. Enron followed in 2001. It would behoove Hank Paulson, the federal government, and the American people to review these scandals, because they are not dissimilar from the credit crisis we are having today. What is interesting is these diverse industries are failing at the same time. It was not until the Chrysler Corporation began to fail in the late l970’s that America began to pay attention to this Energy Crisis. What would prevent these failures? Americans are and should be asking whether these industries should be bailed out by our federal government. Evidently the patron of the Cape Fear Barbecue and Chicken Restaurant who booed Barack Obama thinks, “No.” Dennis Miller feels the same way. Should a Capitalist nation continue to bail out fraudulent and irresponsible investment in the private sector? The question is being asked why these companies are failing, and what should have been done to prevent it. In terms of the automakers it is clear. After the Energy Crisis of the l970’s the legislation that was enacted to solve the problems slowly was repealed. The speed limit crept back up to 70 m.p.h., and gas-guzzling Sport Utility Vehicles became the rage. Prudence and conservation were abandoned and for over a decade we in the United States have been living in excess with no fear of energy repercussions. The United States has fallen behind in all of our markets including energy. The majority of our time and money has been spent on one man, Osama Bin Laden. One man brought down the world’s Super Power. Oversight in terms of historical perspective is imperative to the success of any nation. Immediate gratification on any level results in eventual failure. Religion attempts to teach us these things, but that too has been “spun” by media and corporate America. A free market is the ultimate litmus test for responsible behavior, and if companies fail it is because they are not looking out for the best interests of the nation. As economic stimulus money seeps into the hands of AIG and others, still it is continuing to be spent on stockholder dividends, salaries, and benefits. This is the plague of making companies public on Wall Street, because the former philosophical foundations of each industry seem to wane in lieu of corporate “Get Rich Quick” schemes. America’s economy has become moving money around rather than producing goods and services. This ailing economy will not be resurrected until we once again begin to produce money from goods and services. America is and should be a role model of industry, because like Great Britain once we excelled in assembly-line manufacturing. Allowing Henry Paulson to decide how his own industry should be disciplined and repaired is like asking General Motors and General Electric how to fix global warming. You are asking the cause of the problem to find a solution. Until accountability surfaces the spin will continue.

Roy Parker's American Freedom

A recent Editorial in the Fayetteville Oberver by Roy Parker Jr. failed to hit home. The gist of the piece meant to do the same thing Keith Olbermann has been trying to do since Sarah Palin entered the national political arena. He was offended by Sarah Palin’s visit to North Carolina and suggested her phrase, “Being in real America” was patronizing. Where the term hillbilly came from was confusing. Parker was trying to dispel a stereotype that modern states of the Old Confederacy still adhere to anachronistic traditions. These could be flying the confederate flat over the statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina. They could be mounting a gun rack on the rear window of your pick up truck. They could be eating hog jowls and collard greens. The stereotypes of the American South are endless, but none of them hits home more than what transpired when now President-elect Barack Obama campaigned in Fayettevillle, North Carolina. Upon entering the Cape Fear Barbecue and Chicken Restaurant, he was greeted with words similar to, “Socialist. Get out of here!” No where else on his campaign trail was such a recreation of the Civil Rights Movement of the l950’s more succinct. A black man enters a restaurant in the American South, hillbilly-land in terms of Mr. Parker, and he was greeted with anger and a tone of reluctance to serve Mr. Obama. Could modern day ramifications of the civil strife present for blacks in America’s past be more stark? Strikingly enough deomcrat Mr. Obama proceeded to win North Carolina by 13,692 votes or four tenths of a percentage point. Directly in the face of what appeared to be blatant racism, Mr. Obama did what millions of other blacks did in the l960’s. He kept his cool, ordered his sandwich, and went on with his vigil. The traditions of the Old South are deep, and they define the world conservative. Not everyone agrees with the lifestyle of the American South, and that is why America had a Civil War. For a country to divide into two factions and literally begin to fight each other over civil liberties means sentiments run deep. Abraham Lincoln, a past great American President, was forced to grieve for thousands of lost lives over the freeing of American slaves. It did not happen easily. Thousands of his soldiers lost their lives emancipating the Negro slaves in America’s civil war. For a black man to be elected the leader of the free world means America has come full circle and has embraced civil liberties once again. At the Cape Fear Barbecue and Chicken Restaurant, it seems they did not get the memo. It also seems Roy Parker and Keith Olbermann think Sarah Palin didn’t get the memo about the rest of America. Mr. Parker called Ms. Palin a “yahoo,” and described Alaska as a place where, “Minds are as narrow as the landscape is expansive”. Name calling seems to be to what we are resorting. Having been born and reared in the American South it is difficult to see why Mr. Parker was so insulted by Governor Palin’s words. Wouldn’t it seem logical living in a state that hosts the primary military bases that scrutinize the Soviet Union may seem un-mainstream? It could be Gov. Palin was sincere in her remarks that she was elated to be in a geographic region enriched with such American cultural history. She was south of the Mason-Dixon line. I’m not sure the word hillbilly ever came up. Certainly Mr. Parker, a long-time writer for the Fayetteville Observer, felt the need to qualify a certain populace in Dixie. What is unclear and was clarified in the recent Presidential election is the demarcation between Democrats and Republicans. John Kerry’s campaign failed adequately to structure the political make up of the United States, because it was changing. The once clear boundaries between the donkey and the elephant have become unclear in the recent decade in America, but in light of the series of recent crises American’s saw fit to elect Obama. What seems to be clear upon reading Mr. Parkers editorial is the majority of Americans in the South vote Republican. Barack Obama changed that in North Carolina for the better. It is mystifying looking at the map of red states and blue states. The American South is swathed in red in an offset sweeping bell curve that apexes on the Canadian border. The Great Lakes states, New England, and the Pacific North West make up the majority of blue states with the inclusion of Florida, North Carolina, and “Old Virginny.” It would seem the majority of metropolitan areas, i.e. Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York voted blue. The mainly tourist state of Florida, reversing its decision in the 2000 election for a Republican, also voted blue. With all of these things in mind I still did not get the drift of Parker’s piece. He seemed to favor the electing of Obama to the Presidency, and he seemed to be chiding Governor Sarah Palin. Palin has been a scapegoat. She was chosen as the Republican candidate for the Vice-Presidency for certain reasons. First, although we know upon the disability of the President the Vice-President assume responsibility for America, we also know the Vice-Presidency is a lame duck job. Al Gore remarked it was the loneliest time in his life. Have we forgotten Dan Quale? John McCain needed a refresher in his campaign, and what he chose was a soccer mom. It is not that confusing. She was attractive, energetic, and foremost willing. Upon reviewing the offers many notable Republicans were not. Considering how American media revels in dismantling careers, it is understandable. She was not chosen for her intellectual prowess, and I think most Americans understood that. What is interesting is that the American South is a majority Republican, and Republican today is not what it used to be. George Bush changed that. Roy Parker was concerned that Southerners have been stereotyped, and they have for good reason. Just ask Jeff Foxworthy. What he was attempting to describe is a much more complex network of local politics specific to Fayetteville, North Carolina. Fayetteville is unique in one major way. It is the host town to Ft. Bragg, the army’s largest military installation. With Ft. Bragg comes local revenue, revenue that has made a small populace of Fayettevillians rich. These were the people of which Mr. Parker was speaking. The majority of people that live in Fayetteville are poor. There are ghettos, there is violence, and there is the railroad. The mainline of CSX-T passes through Fayetteville, one reason why Ft. Bragg was situated in such close proximity. The Strategic Rail Corridor Network is a cornerstone of our national defense, and because we are at war with both Iraq and Afghanistan it is in constant use. For these reasons citizens with money have invested in local businesses supported by the military. They are successful and have formed their own community or “Old Fayetteville.” It was of these people Mr. Parker spoke, and as anyone who lives in Fayetteville knows they are not hillbillies. They are red-necks with money. No amount of money can give “class” to people who have not earned it through liberal scope. Liberal scope is not John McCain. Although “Old Fayetteville” attempted to elect John McCain to the presidency, Barack Obama defeated them proving owning money is not American freedom.

“Mr. President, the servant’s have arrived to clean the house. Excuse me, I mean the newly-elected President of the United States and his wife have arrived to peruse their new premises.”

The Leader of the Free World

A third star was awarded the Army’s newest leader of the Special Forces at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Why is it the town of Fayetteville, North Carolina seems as violent as Compton, Watts, or Harlem? Is Harlem really violent, or was it a place the black community reserved for their own cultural enjoyment and seen by White Supremacist America as a threat to their undeveloped artistic values? There was an article in the Fayetteville Observer today about the former jazz district in San Francisco. Eminent Domain was used by local financial elites to eliminate that cultural area replacing it with high rise condominium housing unaffordable to the blacks who formerly occupied it. Katrina, a natural disaster, virtually wipe out the Ninth Ward in New Orleans and along with it the cultural heritage of jazz music. The federal government, using Eminent Domain, is attempting to replace the birthplace of jazz with high priced elite housing. The housing bubble burst and irresponsible credit lending has left housing sales at their lowest in decades. America is losing touch with her cultural roots. What is happening? Financial dealing has replaced culture in America, because it promises to make a few very rich. The rest of America has been abandoned, and what once lended them cultural and therefore soul enriching nourishment to be able to cope with a void of existence, is being napalmed. Violence has taken the place of religion, culture, and the arts, and the rest of the world has responded with the same. America is reveling in a new leader that promises to restore some of America’s former glory, but that journey will be long and cobbled. The election of America’s first black President has resurrected the Civil Right Movement of the l950’s, and it is a shock. While America made great strides in Multiculturalism during the Clinton Administration, the War on Terror sidetracked that progress. Now America seems more violent than ever as Americans flock to gun stores to purchase weapons they believe will be outlawed by Barack Obama. It has never been more clear the ignorance of the American people. The populace that voted for John McCain saw a name resembling Saddam Hussein. They saw a black prophet confusingly similar to Muhammad, and George W. Bush’s War on Terror had them spun and frightened. It is an amazing feat that over half of the American people saw through this spin and elected Obama the new President of the United States. What is to transpire is still the same. Medvedev immediately threatened the United States with Russian missile deployment near its Polish boarders. The American news media, in its newfound tradition, is fueling the disparity between national security and hope attempting to frighten America with images of a weak and inexperienced president. Suddenly and with intensity images of a once dormant America have rekindled. The mob is now running drugs in San Antonio Texas through Los Banditos as reported by the History Channel. An eight year old child killed his father. Circuit City is filing for bankruptcy. General Motors will run out of cash to fund their businesses in 2009. Could the news be worse? Could media paint a more positive picture of life in America? Their spin machine successfully masked these domestic issues during the Bush rein, and only as he is waning from power are they being exposed as challenges for the new President. Bill Clinton, with his formidable intellectual prowess, sees it as a challenge. Many past Presidents yearned for greatness, and were not able to secure their places in the hallmark of American history for lack of great burdens. Who would want to change places with Barack Obama? Was John McCain up to the task of salvaging America? America is divided as she ever was along racial lines, but the media kept that secret because their chosen government officials were in power. Now for the first time in American history a black man has been elected the leader of the free world. What is forthcoming truly will make history.

A New Time to Change Gears

Wouldn’t it be nice if the American people could “wish off” television news media? You would think Keith Olbermann might develop a conscience over his slanderous comments about ex-vice presidential candidate Governor Sarah Palin. How is it television has developed into an antagonistic shouting machine? Is it that every television news commentator was an attorney in a previous life? Are they living this previous delusion of grandeur vicariously through their news anchor image? Observing a prosecutor for the first time in court might wise up the American people. Americans do not want to be prosecuted or persecuted when they turn on the television set. When did the long-standing tradition of television as pleasant escapism change into berating propaganda? As the War on Terror rages on, albeit in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the terror continues in our homes on the television set. Because television has been iconic in the cultural heritage of the United States, it is difficult to accept that Extremism has taken over the airwaves. The Iraq War continues, yet if we solved the problem of Extremism in America as a world superpower other countries may follow. Populations of so many countries have yearned for “Americanism,” yet what American media has become is not fit to cover the wiping of American asses. Stop the yelling! Stop the intimidation! Stop the provocation! The American people get it, and they understand what is happening in the world. The sloth of slanted, slanderous, newspeak is doing nothing but embarrassing our country on a global scale. We now have a President elect of which we are proud. Can we not have a media that stands up to the same expectations?

The Liberal Arts

While the election of Barack Obama to the United States Presidency quite probably will invigorate the arts movement, his election cannot replace what has been lost in the last eight years of darkness. The traditional educational movement of the liberal arts have been swept under the rug and with it has gone its power to move the American people. Was this a conscious attempt to neuter the most powerful force in the arts? Was the Bush Administration, like the Nazi party, afraid of American jazz music? Did his ruling faction, like the Communist party, attempt to nationalize the media for their own personal empowerment? The answer is yes, and it like Bush’s election win in Florida, was accomplished with Republican grace. His win in Florida, although deceitful, still may be the best model of the Republican National Party. While this party squirms in disarray after a staggering defeat by the Democrats, how could it be so easy to lose their political prospectus? It is because like America, the party has changed for the worse. What once was a savvy, stealth, and slick business suit now is an arrogant, ignorant, Texas redneck. You can’t teach manners to cowhands. You can’t preach jazz at country music fans. What has to happen is this majority in media, like the government, must be replaced with more educated, enlightened, and liberal thinkers. For America actually to move forward new blood must be transfused into the system of America, if not voluntarily then by force. The power of moving people’s minds and feelings by media must be restored for this country to progress. The empty shell of political conservatism, the blank void of atheism and agnosticism, and the absence of passion from the American’s people’s lives through religion are over. Let humanity revive and with it the clear and present path of economic recovery. No longer can America live like slave androids, afraid for their own existences. Instead let the passions of their minds and loins invigorate what used to be a great Capitalist nation.

Artistry in Media

Why do I keep talking about a “Media Conspiracy?” It is because when I went to school for music a large part of my education in music came from film and television. Deep in my heart I always wanted to compose for the symphony orchestra. I knew finding a job scoring music for movies was an impossibility, because the television and film industry are like most things in the American Capitalist system. Take for example the FBI “sting” that occurred in Columbia, South Carolina in the late l980’s. Local lawmakers were caught on videotape taking bribes at a downtown hotel. “Onesy, twosy, threesy….,” were the words spoken as legislators accepted hundred dollar bills peeled from a bank wad by an FBI plant. Talk about the “Good Old Boy” system. This is the reason I moved from the South to the Midwest. The history and lineage of the American South were cemented in stone, unwavering, and oppressive. To make money you had to move elsewhere. Nothing much has changed, and all that “Old Money” still is sitting in those plantation houses. A geographic region that said to me, “What boy, you think you can make it when the rest of us are stuck here in Columbia?,” I left sitting in the dirt. It was not easy, but changing your environment is half your battle of success. Opportunism only works if you go to places where there is opportunity. For most of us this can be difficult, because learning to be transient usually is reserved for military families. Starting over in a new geographical location can be difficult, because often the people in a new area will not let you bring your previous identity. They require you to acclimate to their community and relate to them how they are capable. If that means you must grow a new skin then so be it. The media industry has become conspiratorial because opportunities that once existed are gone, much like many of America’s manufacturing jobs. If the Republicans that kept yelling, “Socialist” at Barack Obama would take a moment to consider that the private sector itself systematically has eliminated many of the jobs Americans need to survive, then that word would not frighten them. American automakers asked the federal government for 15 billion dollars in aid this week to fend off their ailing businesses. Is this Capitalist? Is giving Wall Street 700 billion dollars of American taxpayers’ money Capitalist? No, it is Socialist, and who did it? Not Barack Obama. The media industry has been rooted in hypocrisy and propaganda for the eight long years Mr. Bush has been in the white house. Media, being television, film, and music has been a driving force of our economy since its inception. With the influx of the Extreme Right into our governmental system, the Extreme Right also invaded our media industry. Hypocritically all of the things Mr. Bush’s administration were shouting about all ready were ensconced in our media system. Reality TV must have been the beginning of it. Whence did this come? The media became successful at diverting America’s attention away from its own shortcomings, spinning it like a top. All of the precursors to working in the media industry were dismantled along with its jobs. People ask where the jobs are? When media moguls buy up American media for their own personal gain, eventually it will become apparent that the industry they have purchased is not autonomous. It takes blood, sweat, and tears, and mostly artistry. Artistry vanished from the airwaves like an invisible death ray. The jobs that once were responsible for making American media successful were removed, and with them went the result. Media has been trying to cover this up for eight long years. Talent? No where was this more apparent than in the presidential election coverage. The production, the stage, the theatre of politics disappeared with the media industry. Art, the tangible thing that studies, interprets, translates, and embodies life has been removed for monetary reasons. It was too expensive for media moguls to fund. Like the swath of greed-ridden CEO’s in America’s recent history, media moguls want to keep all of the money for themselves. In the early days of America it was called a corporate monopoly, and in fairly recent years it used to be illegal. A particular administration was responsible for loosening these shoestrings, allowing the mouse to play. Now the mouse has been eaten by the cat, and the cat is hungry.

Driving a Hybrid

Freedom? Is this not what all Americans crave? What defines freedom? Comparably speaking how does the United States differ from the “Third World?” We were not the first democratic republic, although pundits may like to believe it. If you look far back enough in history with thousands of years from which to choose, it is likely you can find a model for enlightened thinking. It also is likely you can find the Dark Ages. Freedom may best be an idea, a concept represented by absence of human oppression. That would define freedom as Christian, because Christianity and Islam both represent and attempt to spread humanity. The founding fathers of the America knew this, and for this reason they included the concept of God in our Constitution. Therefore we must be a Christian nation, because Christianity defines freedom. The recent turn away from religion and God has been a travesty that defies American definition. That is why the current governing political regime seems inexplicable. Is it that in responding to Extremism and Terrorism we also sunk to this level? The military detention camp at Guantanamo Bay is a perfect example of this lowbrow ideology. Because for the first time since the bombing of Pearl Harbor in the South Pacific we were the recipient of a heinous attack on our native soil, America responded with brute force. Before trying to understand what our attackers wanted, our government used our recent history to justify an exemplary attack as an offensive. They mistakenly extrapolated Saddam Hussein, because he invaded Kuwait, was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. In due time it turns out Osama Bin Laden claimed responsibility, an infidel rejected by Saddam and his home country of Saudi Arabia. This angry rebel masterminded probably the greatest terrorist attack in history with the aid of money produced by the petroleum industry. Oil and drug money have been the monetary support of Extreme Islam since its inception. Does it not stand to reason that reliance upon these two things empowers the Extremists? The price of oil was a major factor in the fall of the Cold War, because oil produces great revenue. With recent price gouging by oil companies in America it seems petroleum, black gold, and Texas tea seem inherently evil, or at least how it is managed. It has lead to an artificial American dependence on the automobile, a fight that has persevered through American history. Wouldn’t it be nice to see president elect Barack Obama ride to his inauguration in a hybrid vehicle?

The Continual Right Wing Media Conspiracy

It is discouraging half of the country still believes in George Bush’s failed politics. It is difficult to muster hope in the face of this unchanging postulate. Even at the dawn of a feasible new political awakening of America, each day we will be faced with a fifty fifty chance of failure. Could anyone guess the stalemate in Washington only was a reflection of the hard line drawn in the earth of Americans? We the people, or at least fifty percent of us, still will adhere to a failed administration. What does this say about this faction? Are we ignorant? Do we not follow politics? Is it what Tom Brokaw said to David Letterman tonight? “People under the age of 45 still are trying to live their lives under the failed administration of George Bush.” The rest of America has their lives firmly cemented on a foundation built by Bill Clinton, Bush Sr., Ronald Reagan, or Jimmy Carter. How is it that the rest of us have been the ones to suffer through such an epic saga? It is because America has always been about the Baby Boomers. America did not look favorably at Generation X, hence it description. “Slackers” they were called, and only because the Baby Boomer generation would not allow a new generation to take the reins and begin to lead America. They kept the wealth forcing younger Americans to use credit they created. Where did all that credit go? All those billions of dollars went into someone’s pockets, and it certainly wasn’t Generation X or Generation Y. It wasn’t Generation Jihad. We were duped, and we still are being duped. Everyday we get up we face half a nation that believes things are still good. “We are fighting the commies,” (or is it the terrorists?). We not too long ago were paying four dollars for a gallon of gasoline, and oil companies were posting record profits. The presidential election starkly has shown the misgivings mainstream America has about electing a black president, and nowhere could it be more evident than in television media. While a few token broadcasts with reluctance aired joyful celebrations after the announcement Obama had won, the rest showed their anchors either exhausted or disillusioned. Is it that the media conspiracy driven by the extreme right sees for the first time their days truly are numbered? The time of uncensored and unchecked journalism bought as propaganda for a corrupt government is coming to an end? Previous qualifications of art and higher thinking, morality, and ethics will return to the airwaves with a newly revived focus on education. Talent once again will play a role in the performing arts? Spoiled rich children will be forced to find real jobs? No longer will Nancy Grace be able to rely on “Where is Caylee” for two months worth of shallow programming. There is no doubt the news media was dumbfounded, and their coverage reflected this sentiment.

The New Beginning of Romanticism

The stalemate in the American federal government only is a reflection of the division along party lines of the American people. With the recent election of Barack Obama to the United States presidency one would hope the “Campaign of Fear and Intimidation” would begin to subside. Right wing conservative media coverage has become ensconced in our televisions like a cuckoo, defying the desires of its patrons. Rupert Murdoch has dripped the American people in his urine like a cat staking its turf, yet after what should be the joyous affirmation of America’s first black president the uncertainty continues. Why is this? It is because the faction America adamantly has voted out will remain until Barack Obama has been inaugurated. Slowly and with methodology Mr. Obama will restore the confidence and pride of the American people. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Republican faction could be removed as easily as its leading president? While majorities have been established in both houses of Congress and in local and state governments, the American people have no where to go. The faction that has been behind the Bush regime is going nowhere, and therefore Barack Obama has only begun his great journey as one of America’s greatest presidents. Bill Clinton remarked on the David Letterman show that this is a great time to be elected President. If the president elect is intelligent and motivated and skilled in diplomacy and enactment of policy, it should be a great time. Could there have been a time when problems were in more need of solution? Of course the answer is yes, but anyone living today might not feel that way. We in the U.S. have been living in times of epic proportions, and it is getting old. While making history may seem great, as Mr. Obama himself commented, “The time I look forward to is waking up in the morning and making breakfast for my girls.” The era of “epic proportions” needs to end, and the American people need and deserve to get back to life at hand.

The New Furor

What is readily apparent at the wake of George W. Bush is “Old Money” is not going to be spent easily. The same saving philosophy, “Get what you can, can it, and sit on the can,” adamantly is going to persevere, its tentacles entangled in the infrastructure of America. Watching while millions of newly registered voters, formerly apathetic voters, and newly disgruntled youthful voters rallied in Chicago at the celebration of Barack Obaba’s election, “Old Money” scowled at the prospect of a black man managing the helm of the world’s former superpower. Even in light of the extreme hypocrisy of “Old Money” continually squandering its own nest egg over and over, spoiled, elite, and disassociated Republicans still were holding a torch for the KKK. “Damn boy, didn’t you know that white man rules in good old America? Squeal like a pig! Take them panties off too boy. Didn’t you know Texans with oil and cattle rule the range in America?” It is not without fervor these anachronistic views will die. Ignorance has ruled the White House for eight long years, and “Old Money” is not dying without a fight. What was frightening was a comment made on Anderson Cooper’s coverage of the election. While assessing future President Obama’s victory speech, this female anchor reflected Obama’s words were similar to the words spoken by the late Martin Luther King the day before he was assassinated. The cameras panned and fortunately the subject was changed. It is difficult to tell with long and laborious hours spent covering a two year long event if joy is the major emotion of a nation. From the face of Brent Hume it appeared closure was what America was seeking. “Is it over?” From Barack Obama’s speech closure was far from the result. Conversely the fight has only begun, and “Old Money,” no matter how genuine the diplomacy of the Obama White House, is not going down without a fight.

For Tom Delay to make such a slanderous comment as, “Barack Obama want to take away our personal liberties,” only solidifies the desperation of “Old Money.” It cannot be disputed that civil liberties have been compromised more in the Bush presidency than any time in recent American history. While using wartime executive privileges to enact these breeches of the United State Constitution, it would be difficult to fathom who the enemy is. America has been divvied a short hand of personal freedoms, the very things upon which this great nation was founded. It is difficult to see how we are the good and Extreme Islam is the enemy when by fighting Islam, the same oppressions have been created for us on our native land. Diplomacy has always been defined as the art of avoiding violence and war, but a diplomat first must be defined as someone that wants nonviolence. George Bush is not a diplomat. Conversely he is an aggressive imperialist with eyes only of foreign oil for his own domestic cartel. Both Exxon and Chevron have posted record shattering quarterly profits in the midst of a global financial melt down. How is this possible? How is it possible when “credit and liquidity” have evaporated Barack Obama shattered the presidential campaign contribution record? Evidently there is “liquidity” somewhere, and someone thinks it should go toward electing Barack Obama president. Bush has failed on an epic level, and probably he was coerced there by an administration of corrupt Capitalists. Still the ill-conceived and unconstitutional legislation of Eminent Domain and Warrantless Wiretapping were enacted by the stroke of his own pen, and there is no way Tom Delay can prove otherwise. Bullying of the Justice Department for political gain has never been attempted on a grander scale, yet desperate Republicans still shout “Socialism” with no understanding of their own words. A federal judge, in the ongoing effort legally to fight Warrantless Wiretapping, has said White House memos must be disclosed. The beginning of this unconstitutional act will be reviewed by a United States judge. While this is encouraging, the democrats all ready blocked this legislation in Congress. What did Bush do? He simply went around our governmental system and did it anyway, his way. Recent air strikes in Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan can be seen as the same. Hired thugs under names like Blackwater are carrying out the covert agenda of George Bush. This is nothing new as many can remember the name Oliver North and the Iran-Contra scandal. With “credit and liquidity” quickly evaporating and the prospects of living financially secure lives in native America waning, the national presidential campaign could not have come at a more necessary time. Iran humiliated Jimmy Carter by waiting to release the American hostages until after the new president was sworn in. What is to come of George Bush?