I do not like conspiracies but if the shoe fits

If you watched Rachel Maddow Monday night, she had some very interesting facts about the banks that received TARP funds. The following questions were asked of these banks: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#283583121. How much has been spent?
2. What was it spent on?
3. How much is being held in savings?
4. What’s the plan for the rest of it?
It would seem that these are all good questions and certainly since we are talking about “tax payer monies” it would seem only appropriate that the questions should be answered. JP Morgan Chase however, have stated to the AP that they are declining to give the information out. The Mellon Bank asked the AP to please not say that they were refusing to give out any information and that after receiving 3 billion of our dollars.

The application for TARP funds is a one and a half pages and asks the name and address of the institution, it’s federal id numbers, address and city and oh yes, there is a line asking the amount requested. The last time I borrowed any money to purchase my home, it was at least 5 different documents, the longest which was probably 8 pages. It would seem that when the loan was in the billions, it would at least be as many pages as it takes to buy a home------or how about a car. When the Congress was debating whether or not to bail out the auto industry, it would seem they wanted the CEO’s to drop compensation, the union to give up benefits, all the suppliers, dealers, and parts people to come to the table and yet when it is the banks, they receive a blank check, and “how dare you question how we spend YOUR money. It would seem that Vice-President Cheney, in his admission to torture is not the only arrogant person around. One thing that has been reported about how the money was spent is the admission that the various banks that have received bailout money have paid out over 1 billion in bonuses. When we were all told of the consequences of not doing this bailout, we were led to believe that if something was not done, we would face an entire breakdown of the whole monetary system and throw the country into a financial disaster greater than the Great D. I for one was not willing to take that chance and so stated my position a dozen different times. Now, it appears, that we are in the financial disaster, perhaps greater that the dreaded GD, with the only difference being the 350 billion given to a few banks.

I have spoken, written, and screamed my position on conspiracies, in that I simply am a disbeliever but it has become much harder to maintain that opinion. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we were lied to about Wad’s, Cheney now admits that we were lied to about torture, it has been admitted that there are billions missing that was moved by our government from N.Y. to Baghdad, so one must begin to grow suspicious. Amy Goodman just did an interview with Mark Crispin Millerhttp://www.alternet.org/election08/114674/rove%27s_it_guru_warned_of_sabotage_before_fatal_plane_crash%3B_was_set_to_testify/ , about the recent crash and death of Mike Connell, a Rove operative. Connell, an experienced pilot, who died under suspicious circumstances, was Rove’s IT specialist and was under subpoena regarding the Ohio vote in 2004. His company, GovTech, was one of three so called “middle men” companies that after the votes are cast, they are then sent to a server, in the Ohio case it was located in Tn., and then back to the Secretary of State. People that follow the electronic voting issue are quite familiar with this but it appears that this is the opportunity to “shave the vote”, thus Fl. 2000. Connell was present in Florida at that time, as well as Ohio in 2004, and Alabama in 2002. All of these races were decided in favor of Republican candidates and all were extremely close. A whistleblower by the name of Stephen Spoonamore broke the story and according to Spoonamore, Connell said he “did it to save the babies”.
I have to admit, there is a lot of evidence out there that supports a lot of dirty laundry and although I have spoken out loudly about conspiracy talk on OEN, my case has become much weaker. I may very well need to apologize to Mr. M and Mark Sashine, as I have criticized them for their conspiracy thinking-----they may just be right.

Now is our time

Is it the fact that this is such an historic election that the turnout is so great; or is there something else going on? I voted for the first time 44 years ago and I have never seen the same sort of feeling that people are expressing across the country. No doubt, the young voters are turning out in mass and that is maybe the most positive sign of all, for these voters are the future, not only of this country but also of the world. After the last sad, corrupt, and depressing 8 years, people are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Not for a minute do I believe that the hopeful election of Barack Obama will solve the many problems we are facing, but at least perhaps the healing can begin. Healing our economy but also healing us, and at the same time contributing to the health of the rest of the world. Tomorrow this election is over, and regardless of the outcome, history will have been written. The ads will be over, the debates, signs will come down, campaign offices across the country will shut down, and people will return to their more normal routines. The economy will still be bad, troops will still be in Iraq and Afghanistan, and people will still be dealing with job loss and no health care. There is a lot of work ahead and if the Obama Administration is to be successful, it will take us all to be part of the solutions. We are going to have to take a new approach to things, in that we are going to have to begin to solve problems on the local level, and not always expect “them” to do it. We are going to have to begin giving our time to local needs, without expectation of “what is in it for me”. We are going to have to work on helping those on the bottom, to find a way out of poverty and thus become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Young people will need to think anew about public service, and instead of a rush to get to Wall Street, work on main street a few years giving back.
Even though our country has been severely injured from the last miserable 8 years, there is a sign of change that is sweeping the country, a sign of hope, a belief once again that America can still be great. There are those that are frightened by the election of Obama and those people must be made to feel comfortable in an Obama Administration, for if they are not, we are leaving out and losing a very important part of our society. Just like those on the bottom, the people that vote for John McCain, need to know that their security is just as important as anyone else’s, and they will not be asked to do anything that will destroy their peace and happiness. We have to face some highly divisive issues, and we must make sure that all voices are heard and that everyone’s position is acknowledged. If we can come together, realizing that it is ok to disagree on some issues, but in the end, as Obama has so eloquently put, “we are not just Republicans, or Democrats, black, white, urban, or rural but we are all Americans and together we can accomplish anything. There will be people over the next weeks that will damn either candidate, feed on negativism, offer nothing other than some absurd position that will be completely irrelevant. These people will be like the flu, in that they will be out there but like the flu will also disappear. As Barack Obama has said, “now is our time” and it is our choice what we do with it.

Two days on the ground with the Obama campaign

TWO DAYS ON THE GROUND WITH THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN:

Like many Obama supporters, I have been receiving emails with information, requests for support etc., for many months. Living in Alabama, where McCain has more support than any other southern state, the outcome is fairly certain, so other than a few dollars I felt my contributions were limited. Then, last week I got an email asking if I could come to Florida, and seeing that I live less than an hour from Pensacola I answered in the affirmative. A national person called me and asked if it would be possible for me to go to Destin, a high-end resort town about 2.5 hours to the east, as they really needed some more people there. Going to Pensacola is easy but Destin would require over night, packing, and of course the expense of spending a night or two away. But, I thought, how many times have I told my grown children that, “democracy is not a spectator sport” and therefore maybe I should get off by butt and do something besides talk. So I did. The following is a short replay of my two days.

I got to the campaign headquarters and it looked just like I would expect a Democratic “job sight” to look like. An older vacant real estate office, maybe 25 years old, basic all the way, no frills at all. The young man in charge was a 26-year-old Iraq veteran, tired looking, nursing a broken tooth that obviously was in need of a root canal. The rest, mostly women in their 50’s and 60’s, made me feel right and home, gave me a phone and voter list and said today was the last day for early voting, and start calling. After 130 calls, the poll was soon closing, so I started collating my calls. Just about what you would have guessed, working from a list of supposedly Democrats, and independents, in that some wrong numbers, some McCain supporters, some already voted, some that did not want to talk. In the end, my Obama supporters were probably 3 to 1. I guess it was around 7 that the conference call from Barack came through. I was told that there were 20,000 people on the call, which I guess in my case in a room of maybe 20, there were at least 400,000 people listening. Quite a ground game it seemed to me.

The next day started out at 9:00 with me following Justin to the Fort Walton campaign office. Once again, looked very Democratic, a step down from the other office, and more young and more black. This office----use that term loosely, outside restroom and all----was on a busy intersection, and we began our day putting out signs on the edge of the street. I was told that the day before, a protester was standing across the street holding a sign that read “Obama a baby kiler. When he opened the office, we saw two McCain signs on the floor and Justin commented that “they should not have done that”. Seems the owner of the bait and tackle shop in the other part of the building was a McCain supporter and was displaying his signs on his part of the property. Justin immediately returned the signs to the owner apologizing and “Bubba” dressed in overalls graciously acknowledged the return. Bubba was certainly close in age to me and we shook hands and talked a bit. I was struck by his remarks that one thing was for sure, this campaign had gotten lots of new voters involved, and that was a good thing. I thought, good thinking Bubba and I bet you and I could enjoy a day of fishing together, and is not that something we need in today’s politics.

Mary, a black Air Force sergeant was my canvas buddy for the day and off we went, complete with Amiriah (I’m told princess in Arabic) her 2 yr. Old. A bonus I had not expected. This was the poor part of town. Our first stop was a housing project that had just about emptied out, as people were being moved away. A mixed area, but one thing in common was everyone was poor. Young white kids that looked like you might not want to meet on a dark street at night. Young black kids that seem a bit nicer but not many McCain supporters here. And probably not a lot that were voting at all. I have grumbled about how much we have lost in the market, but these people were more concerned about the next meal and I realized once again, it is the economy stupid and these are the ones that get kicked first and hardest. I know Barack Obama saw many of these people in his community organizing days and somehow, I don’t think he will be able to forget them. I know I cannot. But there was the occasional person that had already voted and the ones that said they were going to vote and in this neighborhood, there were not many McCain signs.

That afternoon I rode with Aaron, a retired Air Force officer who had also taught government and politics. Nice to be with someone my age and mindset. We went to the other end of the spectrum, in that on the water, the price of homes is quickly in the millions. Lots more McCain signs here but also some Obama ones as well. All and all, I would say a split between the two candidates.
On my way back home, I mulled over the past day and a half and came to several conclusions. What we have heard about the “on the ground game” that Obama has-----is exactly the facts. No matter how much money he has raised, I did not see any waste. I could imagine that was stressed more than once by him, as he came from roots that were careful not to waste. Seems the opposite of what the government does. The “hope” that he has built so much of this campaign around, was palpable with these folks. Let me be clear here, there were people working so hard, neglecting family time, tired but still going strong, and some obviously financially very well off, that it was that hope that Obama keeps talking about that was making the difference. I also felt that I should have done more, than give a few dollars and a day and half of my time and how talk is so cheap but getting off the chair is where it is. I do know this, I am a bit wiser for having spent some time with these good folk and once again, I am reminded of why I tend to cast my vote with the Democrats. They do not always get it right, but who does. I want to see a political system that sees me and Bubba both make our points and then go fishing together. If Barack wins, I would hope Republicans like Powell and Hagel step forward and take the Republican Party in a new direction. This country is facing great difficulties and no matter who is elected, those difficulties will be waiting. There has never been a time that we needed more for people of all political persuasions to come together. Tomorrow can be the first step in a very long journey and it will be time to put all party’s aside and reach out as Americans. God bless America.

The Great Race

There is no doubt about it----this race IS about race. There are lots of remarks out there about Barack Obama; he is too inexperienced, too young, he’s a Muslim, he will raise taxes, and yes some even because he is black. The people that say outright, “I am not voting for any damn”------- are probably amongst the most honest. NPR reported and interview done in York, Pa. with 15 people, 7 of which were people of color and in the beginning the majority said they did not believe that race would be a factor but by the end of the questioning period most admitted that they did think race was definitely a factor. One woman went on to say that she “just did not trust him and once a Muslim, always a Muslim and only if dead would he not be so”. I am reminded of my years at the University of Alabama in the early 60’s at the height of the civil rights movement. There was a lot of very strong language, George Wallace standing in the door defying Federal troops and the first black student being escorted to class. I had a history professor from Arizona who had been a Calvary officer in WWI and he stated very clearly that the “only good Indian, was a dead Indian”. When the woman being interviewed on NPR made the remark about Obama, I had cause to hear the words of my old professor. Depending on what part of the country you are from does make a difference as to how explicit the remarks. In the deep South, where race has been an issue for well over a 100 years, you are much more likely to hear racial slurs than you would in Boston; but there are people in Boston that hold the same views, it is just not as politically correct. The same difference exists in the South between the cities and the rural areas, whereas in the cities you see numerous black mayors and other governing officials and very few in the rural areas. Segregation when it comes to housing is less likely in the city, than in the country where both seem to stay more in their own area of town. This is certainly not to say, that there are not people in all 50 states that will not vote for Obama based on his color, because they certainly are and the last time I heard the home of the KKK is in Indiana.

There is also a bias with those that have and those that do not. In the days of slavery in the South, it was often the overseers that were crueler toward the slave than the slave owner. It is the old story of the class above trying to keep the class below them from coming up to their level. Also, slaves were the property of the plantation owner and no owner in his right mind would abuse his property, plus the owner was often more educated. That still holds true today, in that it has been the blue collar group that has had to struggle more with equal opportunity than the professionals, although it was reported on the same NPR segment of white lawyers refusing to shake hands with a black lawyer. Just the other day I spoke with a woman from the north part of Louisiana who obviously had money and she openly said “if he got elected, blacks would certainly take over”.

In my opinion, the single biggest thing Obama has to overcome is simply his color. There is no doubt the majority of Americans are fed up with the Bush Administration, both domestically and with our foreign policy and here is a brilliant, 47 year old senator with a beautiful family that lacks only one thing. He is not white. Oh, his mother was white------but he remains black. One of the things we all hear countless times from pundits, campaign people, and yes Republicans is that if the Democrats cannot win this time, they never will. Disaster in the economic sector, bogged down in both Iraq and Afghanistan, heating up the cold war, the dollar in the tank, unemployment, housing crisis, high fuel costs, airline industry, and that is just not even half the list. Add to that, a 72 year old man with all his baggage and a total unknown that cannot deviate a whit from her canned talking points.

One other issue I feel that has been missed by the main stream media-----gosh that is hard to believe----is those people that compare black voters voting for Obama because he is black and white voters calling that a form of black prejudice. I say that is incorrect, simply because black voters are simply celebrating the historical event of seeing a black person nominated by one of the two major political parties. People that do not vote for Obama because of color, are just discriminating and furthering the idea that a black person is simply not worthy of being President. Black people have been voting for white presidential candidates for over 100 years. That is, if they are male. It is simply folks, he is the wrong color and I hope I am wrong, wrong, wrong.

Are we that cynical?

Why have we become so cynical? Almost instantly after Obama’s speech in Denver before 80,000 excited Americans, the blogs and pundits began attacking it from all sides. Obama spoke to health care, lost jobs, education, the environment, our tarnished image abroad, ending the war in Iraq, and solving our dependency on foreign oil. All issues that are both timely and call for a renewed effort on the part of each of us, yet there are many that say it is just an appeal to our emotions. I have heard that it “reminds me of Hitler”, to “someone will assonate him”. What has happened to us as a people that we can no longer simply disagree but we have to attack the person in the vilest manner.

“Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story – of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.”
These were the words he used so eloquently to offer his view of what America can mean and yet, there are people that would attack him for being so eloquent. He spoke to the promise of America----“It’s a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect. It’s a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.” Can anyone possibly disagree with those words? Words that describe the best of what we can be, words that offer hope to every person, no matter what color or greed. But there are people that will damn him and say, “impossible absurd, liar, cheat”, etc., etc. It seems we have lost our ability to believe in the best of man, lost the idea that things can improve, that each of us can pitch in to make a difference but rather we are more satisfied to think the worst and that this man, will not only not deliver on his word but somehow will cheat us in the process. Higher taxes is the drum they pound and yet they take for granted that highways and bridges, airports and sea ports, fire and police will be ready whenever the need. No one enjoys paying taxes but it beats having no income upon which to pay.
“But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism. The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America – they have served the United States of America. So I’ve got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.”
I do not know how good a president Barack Obama may make and I do not know how many of his ideas will work but I do know I like the idea of a America that works for all of us and not just a few. An America where the dream is not only alive but becomes reality and the very best of what we can be is shown to the rest of the world. How many times have we all complained about politics and politicians; it is almost an American pastime. Now----maybe just now is our time and instead of our usual pessimism, maybe we can join together “to form a more perfect union” The definition of cynical is-----“believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief.” Hope however, is defined as “believing that a better or positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary”. This is the stand I make and this is the America I believe in.

GEORGIA LETS NOT GO

To most Americans, Georgia means Atlanta and maybe the busiest airport in the world but in the last few days, Georgia has been center stage with not only both presidential candidates bidding for the spotlight, but Bush and Company using all the old political rhetoric. Certainly this part of the world ranks very high in the lack of understanding by Americans. It is one of those places that is so often described as "over there" and until the present, has been of no real importance to the average American. To even attempt to understand the region, you must go back and look at it historically, and when you do, you find it was part of the Persian, Greek and Roman Empire; was overrun by the Mongols in the 13th century, followed by the Ottoman Empire and became part of Russia in the early 19th century. It had a brief period of independence after the Russian Revolution but once again became part of Russia in 1921. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the son of a well-known Georgian family, whose father was one of Georgia’s most famous writers, became president. Gamsakhurdia as a youth led protests against the Soviets, was jailed and then released and began his schooling. He earned a PHD and MD and was also known as a writer. Soon after his election as Georgia’s first democratically elected president, he was caught by a coup that plunged the country in 3 years of civil war. In 95 Eduard Shevardnadze returned to Georgia and was elected president. At this time, the two regions so much in the news today, South Ossetia and Abkhazia were fighting with local separatists and gained a de-facto independence. Shevardnadze was re-elected in 2000 only to lose in another coup, known as the Rose Revolution and Mikheil Saakashvili became president.
Georgia has had a stormy history to say the least, and although Saakashvili is seen as a duly elected president, he does have a history of suppression of the press as well as arresting those that would demonstrate. Both South Ossetia and Abkhazia have looked to Russia for protection and it would seem that Saakashvili was the first to provoke the Russians when he moved troops to the two regions. On a recent trip to Georgia, Sec. Rice told Saakashvili that "we always fight for our friends" and whether she meant support for Georgia’s membership to NATO or was she sending a veiled message to Putin, we will probably never know. In either case, if Saakashvili thought the US would have a face off with the Bear, he is far too stupid to be president of anything. It ‘ain’t going to happen’ and I would guess that South Ossetia would now be part of Russia. Both McCain and Obama of course must now make political rhetoric and it was the ideal time for McCain to espouse his knowledge of foreign policy but when he said it is not acceptable in the 21st century for a country to invade a sovereign nation, I though I was going to fall off the sofa. Of course had Russia been smarter they would have simply accused Georgia of having WOMD’S, and then it would have been ok. But we all know that Russia has always lacked finesse, they simply send in the tanks. They also found out that by sending in the tanks to Afghanistan, it could be very expensive and cause political upheaval just as the U.S. is finding out in Iraq.
To say the least, it is a complicated question and does not have a simple answer but one thing that is not the answer, is committing troops to another war. The high water mark for this country in the world was WWII and the few years after with the rebuilding of both Europe and Japan. Germany and Japan, our enemies, in this struggle are now two of the most advanced countries in the world with a higher standard of living than the U.S. History has proven Vietnam to be a tragic mistake and it will say the same about Iraq. I just returned form a month in Vietnam and it is a booming economy, people are busy, friendly and there was no anti-American sentiment, as well as no feeling of "North vs. South". Perhaps in the years to come that will happen in Iraq but at what price? At any rate, whoever is the next president he will have his hands full and I predict that within two years that either will be unpopular. There is no way that the problems we now face, thanks to the 8 Bush years will be solved. Certainly the war in Iraq will be over, as well as Afghanistan but once again, at what price?

CAN WE STICK TO ISSUES PLEASE?

As the election cycle heats up, I have noticed a big increase in what I would call "tabloid" emails that will say something like "you must read this, it is scary but if you don’t have time please fdw it to all your friends". Think just a moment; would you agree to a contract without reading it? Would you agree to vote on an issue if you knew nothing about it? That is exactly what someone is asking if they ask you to forward an email that you have not read. I saw one the other day that was comparing Barack Obama to Bin Laden. I am not sure what mental dwarf came up with that but as someone said to me, "if anything were to make me vote for Obama it would be that kind of talk". At a time when the American people are sick and tired of all the political bickering, with major financial institutions failing, job loss, gas at record highs, environmental dangers, and failing infrastructures, some mentally deficient person or persons sends out such vulgar mail. It is one thing to try and attempt to make Obama an elitist, a bit weak when you consider a black man raised by a single white mother, but an entirely different thing to compare him with a terrorist. This is ugly and obscene, and to make an excuse for this type of person by saying they are ignorant and uniformed is simply not enough. It is equal to calling John McCain a coward. Hardball politics does not excuse this type of behavior any more than stupidity does.
The past 8 years has seen the Bush Administration use torture and then try and sell to the American people and the rest of the world that they were justified in doing so; a monumental national debt that now has interest of 1 billion per/day; gasoline at $4 a gal; corruption throughout the Administration; a cowboy foreign policy that has half the world afraid of us and half angry with us and we are quickly moving from the wealthiest nation to a debtor nation. The majority of the American people want these and other pertinent issues to be the topic of the political debate and not the mindless drivel so often seen on television and the ugly emails I refer to. Political debate is not only healthy but is the cornerstone of this thing we call democracy but no where does it say that civility is not also part of this process. It is often the people without facts and merit in their statements that have to resort to character assassination because they are unable to articulate a logical argument. It reminds me of growing up with a boy that would say, "I don’t like him" but when asked why, all he could say was "I don’t like his looks". There will always be people like the kid I grew up with but they are not the people that become part of the solution and the person I grew up with has long since disapered and as far as I know contributed very little.

IT MAY BE THE LAST CHANCE

The 2009 presidential election may well be the most important one in modern history. The country, as well as the world, faces unprecedented problems from environmental disasters to a nuclear holocaust, to millions starving to death. Figures just released show one out of three Americans living at or below the poverty level and that is in the richest country on earth. For years we have been warned about the future of social security and yet as 2017 approaches (that is the year the amount being paid out exceeds the amount coming in) no one in Washington is doing anything about it. The cost to the government, i.e. the taxpayers, is now 1 billion each day for interest on the national debt. That is not to mention 3 billion people living on $2/day or less, genocide and starvation across Africa, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan that has tarnished America’s reputation with much of the world, and a administration that has sanctioned torture as a legitimate way to gather information. The Dark Side, a new book just released by Jane Mayer, an investigative reporter that has been nominated twice for a Pulitzer, is an inside view of what happened in the Whitehouse, after 911. Lies to Congress and the American people, manipulation of intelligence to support the invasion of Iraq, total disregards for the Geneva Convention and the rules of war are just the tip of the iceberg. Former Senator Hollings of South Carolina spent 60 years in Congress and has just published a new book, Making Government Work and he states clearly that much of a member's time is spent in raising money from special interest groups and therefore "nothing gets done".
I am not sure what kind of President Barack Obama would make if elected but I reject the idea of being too young, inexperienced, and the biggest single factor with many, that he is black. Doubt not for a minute, that many who would use the excuse of too young are really hiding behind their prejudice. In a recent CNN piece a man in Tennessee was interviewed about Sen. Obama and stated without hesitation, "the only black man I am use to seeing with change is a black man with a cup in his hand". Obama has consistently tried to elevate the conversation from personal attacks to issues but has had to respond to his being a Moslem, his not wearing a flag pin, holding his hand over his heart, ugly comments about his wife, pastor, and his former legal clients; the McCain campaign's constant attack and yet he has kept his composure. He was criticized for not going to Iraq enough and then attacked on his recent trip to Europe and the Middle East. His over whelming reception in Europe was criticized as being "to much like a head of state" and "too many network anchors" following him. But still he remains polite and perhaps the most eloquent speaker in modern history. He talks of peace, fighting poverty and hunger, acknowledging all religious beliefs, and bringing the world to a better place.
He has also on numerous occasions acknowledged Sen. McCain's great service to his country and simply states they have a different vision for the country. Some will say, "not possible" but I say, "why not"? Some will talk about taxes going up, others will talk about being attacked by terrorist. To these people I would simply say, look at the economy under President Bush, from real estate to the automobile industry, to Iraq and Afghanistan, to Halliburton, Exxon, your mutual funds, health care, and schools and then ask your selves if that is acceptable. Also ask yourself if living with 1 out of 3 Americans living at the poverty level is of concern to you. If it is not, then ask yourself "what has happened to your humanity". I have never been hungry, never been without a place to call home, never without opportunity, but that is with the grace of God. I could have been born in a different situation and I could be one of the three. And so could you. "Now is our time". Now is our time". Peace, hope, a better world will be discredited by some that will say, "absurd", naive, ridiculous, and I say, "why not".