Poetry Session #5

I REMEMBER

I remember when I was in undergrad on a typical day that went bad. It was still morning and I was checking my e-mail in the computer lab.

I remember the chain e-mail around ten in the a.m stating there has been been a plane hijacking and there were hostages, so please pray for them.

I remember heading to my first class an hour later and being one of only five people there. The professor didn't even show up, something wrong was going on and we were not aware.

I remember a classmate walked in suggest that class was cancelled as a matter of course. She said that everyone was to stunned by the attacks in New York.

I remember rushing home to my dorm wondering what could have possible occurred to upset the norm.

I remember getting home to see my roommate glued to the T.V. The events on the box were so intense that he didn't even see me.

I remember one- no two planes hit one- no two buildings. I felt a rush of emotions but was too numb to be in touch with my feelings.

I remember it was like watching a movie with a familiar plot and then to our collective horror and shock the buildings dropped. All those citizens, firefighters, and cops. It was like time stopped.

I remember the screams, the tears, the dust, the bodies, the blood, and the fears. I knew this day have aftershocks that would knock us around for years.

I remember predicting how things were going to go about from here on out. This country would be determined to inflict and endure anything in order to regain its clout.

I remember when the culprits were being named. Foreign, Muslim, and brown was enough to get patriotic hearts inflamed. Nothing would ever be the same.

I remember my roommate and I likening these events to “The Siege”, but this time there was no Denzel Washington to help when the rights of a minority would be aggrieved. At that moment I thought about American born Japanese.

I remember being assured that we would be going to war in order to payback these attacks with devastation multiplied by four. But I didn't fully appreciate what was really in store for our young men and women doing tours.

I remember in the face of such pain no soothing words would avail. We would follow a path of force ans stay the course. Cooler heads would not prevail.

I remember the fury of the debates. I remember the consensus to go on the offensive and the hate for those few who said, “Wait!”

I remember the mistakes that were taken for granted, because granted, emotions were still raw. In seemingly quick succession there was a nearly unified expression, followed by projections, faulty connections, threats, and finally "Shock and Awe!"

I remember not truly the widespread and long lasting devastation that one day could cause. I remember us holding to flags and buzz words instead of addressing our flaws.

I remember lost freedoms, renditions, water boarding, terror alerts, two wars, and the rampant Islamophobia being troubling to me. Even in the era of Obama I remember that Osama is out there somewhere still hiding, still plotting, and still free.

-Noface

White House Corespondent's Dinner

What the hell was Leno doing up there? Next year they should get Conan (I'm with Coco).


-Noface

As Secure As The President Of The United States?

I see the above picture (after knowing the story behind it) and can't help but wonder how safe is the First Black President of the United States really is. I mean, come on! With all the threats on this mans life, these "uninvited guests" just walked in like they were supposed to be there and the secret service just let them do it. It is simply disgraceful. I just don't want there to be a day when people will look back on this incident and see it as a sign of a failure in security that ultimately led to our President being harmed (or worse). WHITE HOUSE SECURITY DETAIL...YOU NEED TO DO BETTER!


-Noface
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

I WAS...BOOOOOOOOORN IN THE U-S-AAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Some topics are just too ridiculous for me to even address directly. That's why it's good to know that a man like Jon Stewart is around to take on this type of tom foolery and the buffoons who endorse it.

I give you Jon Stewart on the Birther Movemnent:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Born Identity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day

"I don't want a nigger as my President!" is a statement that is less disingenuous and less stupid than "He's not a native born American citizen so he is not legally the President of the United States!" Just saying...

-Noface

West Meets Mid-East: Obama's Speech To The Muslim World

In case you missed it...



*Update:

In my opinion, this speech is a good first step in establishing a real dialogue between the Middle East (particularly the Muslims in that region) and the West. It is not a world changing speech in the sense that it will automatically make all Muslims love the US and her policies (but then, it was never meant to be). I saw it as an overt effort on the part of the Obama administration to not only speak to (as opposed to speak at) to Muslims in the Middle East and around the world, but to do so in an even handed and honest way. In that respect I believe that Obama succeeded in his speech.

This success is made clear in my mind, by the response that he's gotten from those representing the extremist thoughts in the Muslim spheres, the American political spheres, and Jewish spheres. the outrage that they express in response to certain parts of Obama's speech drives home the fact that he had praise and rebuke for everyone in his address.

Here's an example from some of the more extreme (if not drunkenly stupid) responses to Obama's speech to the Muslim world.

*

-Noface
* Hat tip to Siddity

Of Terrorists, Detainees, And Super Criminals!

*

As an adolescent I loved reading comics (especially superhero comics). The stories pretty much went as follows: 1) Super criminal commits a "super" crime; 2) Superhero fights super criminal; 3) superhero beats super criminal; 4) Super criminal goes to jail (or dies); and 5) Super criminal busts out of jail (or comes back from the dead) to start the "fun" all over again. Super hero comics rarely deviated from that formula, but for me the fun wasn't about knowing what would happen in the end, but about the "journey". This particular post however is not so much about the stories found in super hero comics as it is about the particular aspect of superhero comics. That aspect is detention of super criminals in those comics and how it does not correlate to the detention of (possible) criminals in the real world.

In times past (golden age of comics), when a superhero like Superman caught a bad guy like Lex Luthor, he'd hand him over to the authorities to be hauled off to prison. A criminal like Lex Luthor would then break out of prison because those prisons were not able to properly handle said criminal. As time progressed, comic publishers began to realize that "Hey, these guys are super criminals and regular prisons! WTF!?” The thinking was that since these villains were so beyond the normal order of criminal that regular prisons couldn't possibly hold them for long. So then the concept of Super Prisons came into play. These prisons were often of shore and fitted with the latest futuristic comic book) technology capable of properly dealing with these villains and their powers/abilities.


**

In comics these places are necessary because the world portrayed in those comics had villains who could fly, move cities with their minds, build dooms day weapons, etc. This is not the case in the real world. In the real world, there are no "super" criminals that can not be contained by normal (maximum security) prisons. In the real world, terrorist (or GITMO detainee) does not equal super criminal. Are terrorist deranged zealots with little regard for human life (even their own)? Yes! Are they super humans or super geniuses, just waiting for a chance to get sent to a normal prison only to bust out and wreak havoc on our fragile population? NO! Let me say that again...NOOOOOOO! Sending these guys to our prisons (after a proper display of due process of course), will do no more damage to our national security than say Charles Manson (serving a life term), John Gotti (died serving a life term), or even Zacarias Moussaoui (serving a life term). Knowing that, I am not worried about prisoners in GITMO being prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced within the boarders of the United States.



Am I supposed to be mortally afraid of this guy being in a supermax prison in my back yard? I mean he doesn't even have a mask seared onto his face or a purple helmet meant to thwart telepathic intrusions. What's so scary about this guy? Nothing!

I'd like to think that the majority of my fellow Americans are as discerning as I am on this issue, but it appears that this is not the case (if we go by what the Senate has done this week). I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, seeing as how people started walking around in surgical masks in PUBLIC, in response to the Swine Flu scare. A popular saying (via twitter and other soc-net-sites) during that time was "People will wear masks so they won't catch the flu, but won't wear condoms so they won't get AIDS!" I agree with the sentiment of that statement. We tend to favor jumping at shadows instead of concentrating on real threats. But that’s what fear does to us, it makes us incapable of putting things in perspective and sometimes as a result we say and do things that in hindsight would be regarded as foolish.

We have the tendency to get frightened into absurdity and the belief that among the detainees in GITMO, there is a villain of the caliber of Dr. Doom or Magneto is beyond ridiculous. If we really stop and think about what kind of prisons America has along with the type of prisoners housed in them, we will realize how ridiculous the "Not in my backyard!" argument is. The truth is that those detained in GITMO are no more dangerous than the rapists, murderers, pedophiles, gang members, and yes terrorists in our prisons within the boarders of this country.

-Noface
* via Marvel.com
** via Marvel.com

Torture By Any Other Name, Would Be Just As Wrong!

Torture*
Pronunciation: \ˈtȯr-chər\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French, from Old French, from Late Latin tortura, from Latin tortus, past participle of torquēre to twist; probably akin to Old High German drāhsil turner, Greek atraktos spindle
Date: 1540

1 a: anguish of body or mind: AGONY
b: something that causes agony or pain

2: the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure

Water Boarding**

A technique that consists of immobilizing the victim on his/her back with the head inclined downwards, and then pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages. By forced suffocation and inhalation of water, the subject experiences drowning and is caused to believe they are about to die. As early as the Spanish Inquisition it was used for interrogation purposes, to punish and intimidate, and to force confessions.
In contrast to submerging the head face-forward in water, water boarding precipitates a gag reflex almost immediately. The technique does not inevitably cause lasting physical damage. It can cause extreme pain, dry drowning, damage to lungs, brain damage from oxygen deprivation, other physical injuries including broken bones due to struggling against restraints, lasting psychological damage or, ultimately, death. Adverse physical consequences can start manifesting months after the event; psychological effects can last for years.

Let’s be clear, water boarding is torture. It has always been torture and it will always be torture. It doesn’t matter who is doing it or why it’s being done. There is no debate (or at least there shouldn’t be) on this issue. It is a fact and facts are not subjective. Like humans need air to breathe, a technique where a person is not getting that air to breathe (i.e. drowning) causing that person pain and /or agony is by definition, torture. So stop asking if water boarding torture. We should be asking if America does (or has done) torture. Well, America does (or has done) water boarding. So…There goes that moral high ground on which we were so precariously perched.



-Noface
*via Merriam-Webster Online
** via Wikipedia

Tea Parties, Taxes, And Tea Bagging...Lots And Lots Of Tea Bagging!

Someone help me out. What is this tea-party stuff all about, really? I mean, I think I understand the theme. Back in the 1770's a bunch of well to do land owners from Boston, dressed up as Native Americans, and dumped a bunch of imported tea into the Boston harbor, because they were protesting "taxation without representation". So today's tea baggers are protesting taxation without representation? No, that doesn't sound right. It has to be something much more relevant, right?!

It turns out they are protesting tax increases (which is not happening for a majority of Americans), BIG Government, that huge bailout bill that was passed a couple of months ago, and (let's be honest) Obama himself. Where was the outrage over big government spending, failed economic policies, and (yes) huge bailouts (with little oversight I might add) under the Bush Administration? Maybe the difference was that it wasn't a black man doing all of this to (for) America (I'm just thinking out loud here). I'm going to call bovine excrement on this one, but I'll wait until the end of the day to see how successful this whole "thing" was.

A word to the wise, just because you tea baggers are supposedly protesting taxes doesn’t mean that you don’t have to pay them (unless you’re willing to take the protests to the level of civil disobedience and risk jail time for tax evasion).



-Noface

That's Not The Kind Of Persistence I Was Talking About!

In case you missed it here is the video of tonight's press conference with the POTUS.




My favorite line of the night (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) was when the POTUS said in response to Ed Henry's question about why it took so long for the administration to speak out (in outrage I presume) about the bonuses at AIG, "I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." Talk about one line zingers. That was essentially a verbal backhand to the face of (with all do respect to CNN’s Ed Henry) a reporter who keeps asking a question to which he has gotten the answer. The best part is that he did it with a smile (albeit with a stern tone). He was essentially saying that he wasn't elected to be outraged, he was elected to be a leader in tough times and such leadership requires a cool head and all the information that can be obtained in the time allowed. I like that!


-Noface

Stimulus Package: Stimulating Dissent

The stimulus package (stim-pack for short) was recently passed and signed by the President this week (no thanks to all of the republicans in the house and most of them from the senate). This is the first major bill passing into law under the new administration coming after the first (failed) attempt at bipartisanship on the part of the White House. I will be honest; I only have a general idea of how the stimulus package will be implemented. I do believe that this country's economy needs some kind of government spending to "stimulate" growth in our ailling economy (and attention to our infrastructure is long over due). This however is naught more than a shot in the arm to keep us going long enough for those in charge to devise long-term strategies to get us out of the recession. In that sense, the passage of the bill is good news and I am hopeful that this all will work on some level (hey, things can only get better from here right?). This post however is not about the package itself (we’ll have a chance to see and discuss the outcome of this package in the months to come). My focus is on all of the drama surrounding the passing of the stim-pack.

The republicans were a trip weren’t they? It is as if they did not get the memo about this being a new day and the old game of political posturing won’t cut it in these serious times. The Democrats were not any better. They already seem to be taking it for granted that they have a majority in both houses and that they can get almost any bill passed with little involvement from the other side. The only person that seemed to truly want bipartisanism in the passing of the stim-pack, was the new President. He seemed genuinely interested in ideas from the other side and making certain concessions just to get more elephants on board.

I applaud the President for extending a hand to the other side of the aisle, but like the saying goes, you can lead an elephant to water but you can’t make him drink. In fact it seems that, opposition to the bill was the Republican game plan from the start. Admittedly, the majority party in both houses of congress could have included the minority in the creation of the stimulus bill (that type of partisan exclusion will not help you in the future Speaker Pelosi), but I’m getting the impression that the GOP would not act much differently than the way they are acting now. They seemed too focused on what they felt was wrong with the bill instead of offering ideas (besides FREAKING tax cuts) on how to make the bill better. They knew that this thing would pass with or without them, so now they are hoping that it will fail so that they can say "I told you so!" This strategy does not seem to be working, as current approval ratings for congressional Republicans are pretty low while the congressional Democrat's approval ratings are getting a boost (whether deserved or not).

My advice to the GOP in the house and the senate is; next time the President offers an olive branch and starts talking about bipartisanship, you all should act more like legislators and less like politicians (yes there is a difference). Yes, you can and should stand by your principles, but you should not be too afraid of pissing off your own party to make compromises for the good of the nation (and its economy). Scoring political points (or missing political points if you will) at a time like this is akin to cutting off your nose despite your face (and to no avail).


Also, what the hell is this about?


*Cartoon courtesy of the New York Post


-Noface

P.S If you want to see for yourself where all of the stim-pack money is going click here.

Poetry Session #3

View From The Mountain Top

We stand as a witness, man in all shades of American
Coming both male and female with belief that we can
Overcome and indeed overrun the dysfunction of the old ways
That sought to deny the causes of freedom rides in the old days
That corrupted the ballot when it could not use the bullet
When change came from the courthouse and the pulpit
When our lightning rods were struck and a movement got stuck
A social conscience deadening and threatening to self destruct
Turmoil that seems ages ago, but all true sages should know
That the story is not finished for we still have pages to go
This has been a long time coming, but it is here now
I will not say that we have arrived, but we’re near now
Closer than ever before because never before have we seen
A clearer representation of the incarnation of a King’s dream
A dream too long deferred but at this moment much preferred
Over a nightmare with but a single flare of hope, burning undeterred
Seen from the mountain top by a prophet and revolutionary King
As bells in the valley of the Promised Land sound with freedom’s ring
It’s a view from the mountain top that we can all now see
The visible truths infused with the palpable power of “we”
Swirling around Uncle Sam’s first black son
A view from the mountain top of a people as one

-Noface

MY PRESIDENT IS BLACK!

The following song has a refrain that we can all sing along to, come Tuesday...




Have fun celebrating folks and remember to be safe out there.


-Noface

BURRIS BURNED!!!

Well, it looks like Burris was not allowed on to the Senate floor to be sworn in with all the other senators. At least he didn't make a big scene (that's always a plus, right?). You can read the full story here.

I'm not going into a long tirade about ethics, proper conduct, the injection of race, or anything else that is seriously irrelevant to the Burris Situation at THIS moment (they certainly were important before today and will be relevant again tomorrow). At this moment, it’s all about the law. As it stands (as far as I know) the Senate has no legal basis or authority to deny Burris the seat formerly held by President-elect Barrack Obama. This move by the Senate was a bold one, but ultimately it may not work (because of a little thing called the law).

So what happens now? Well, I'm reminded of those old Looney Toons cartoons where Bugs Bunny manages to get Daffy Duck's bill blown to the back of his head. The little black duck rearranges his bill back to its proper position and declares, "Of course you know, this means War!" This does indeed mean war. If Burris had the moxy to accept an appointment from a Governor(whom by all accounts, he barely likes)under investigation for corruption concerning that very same appointment, travel all the way to D.C. from Illinois, walk up to the capitol building, and attempt to be sworn in; then I'm sure he's not finished with this issue just yet. Indeed, as I said before, this is a matter of law and this is going to the court (Supreme Court if all bets are sound).

Should Burris fight for his seat? I personally feel that Burris should have never even accepted the appointment and the fact that he did points to a flaw within himself that makes him unfit to take Obama's former Senate seat in this manner(a little extreme and judgmental I know, but that's how I feel and Burris has not done anything to change my disposition about him). Despite my feelings about what Burris should have done, I also want the law to be respected and authority (or lack thereof) to be recognized. Yes, Burris should fight for his seat and obtain a small victory in what I predict to be a long defeat (only so that a precedent will be set and that the boundaries for the Senate concerning this matter are clearly defined).

-Noface

MADAM SECRETARY

So, Barrack Obama chose Hilary Clinton as his Secretary of State. This is not surprising to me (not the actual choice of S.O.S, but the fact that Hilary would become a key part of the new Obama administration) and I am not overjoyed or outraged by this pick. Hilary is a sound choice for Secretary of State. There are some out there who may disagree with this (especially out there in the blogosphere). Some point to her vote for the war in Iraq. Still others still have the 3am phone call ad fresh in their memories. Of course there was also her constant hammering of the point that Obama was inexperienced (especially when it came to foreign policy). Those may be valid arguments against Obama choosing Hilary for the position, but no one can say that she is not qualified for the job or that Obama will be president and therefore her boss (and the final decision maker). We should not blind ourselves by our dislike for a person and ignore that person’s qualifications for the job. Are there better people out there for the job? Some can be argue that there are, but by that same logic some can argue that there are better people out there for the job of POTUS. My point is that our next president has decided that Hilary was the best fit for that position in his administration (just like we decided that he was the best fit for the position of POTUS).

Now I don’t know about anyone else, but one of the factors that led me to vote for Obama was his judgment and informed decisions. I am well aware of how much of a fool Hilary was acting during the primaries, but if Obama can let bygones be bygones then so can I. The man has not given me a reason to doubt his judgment before so I will not do so now ( I’m not saying that I’ve partaken in the kool-aid, just that I will wait and see how his choices pan out, before I make declarative statements). I’m sure there will be mistakes and missteps in the future, but I sincerely don’t believe that this is one of them.

-Noface

* Photo courtesy of the AP

IT IS NOT OVER!

The election is over and the results are in. America has stepped into a new day. We have turned the page--scratch that-- we have closed the book on eight years of bad policy (both foreign and domestic). BARRACK OBAMA is the 44th President of the United States. Change has indeed come. For the past two years many have shouted “Yes We Can!” and yes we did. I’m sure many of you have already started celebrating (indeed some of you have been acting a fool ever since last night), but before you break out the alcohol and call in sick for work, remember this: IT IS NOT OVER!

Obama had a spot on resume, he aced the interview, and he got the job. For that we can all (all of us…not just black folks) be proud and indeed a little emotional during this pivotal moment in history. However, I must reiterate the point that I made above: IT IS NOT OVER! In my mind, employment is made up of three phases which are the following:

- Getting the Job
- Doing the Job Well
- Leaving the Job

America has finally allowed a black man to accomplish the first phase in regards to leading this nation (and by default the free world). We are now on to the second phase. Barrack Obama now has to do the job that we elected him to do. He not only has to do the job, but he has to do the job well. In fact he has to do the job better than all of the Presidents (who were of course white) who have preceded him in recent memory (for me that would go all the way back to Regan, maybe Carter for some of you, maybe further back for others of you). It is on him (unfairly perhaps) to prove to Mainstream America, that choosing a leader, who happens to be black, was not a disastrous experiment but the right choice all along.

He is still being watched. People are stilling waiting for him to mess up so that they can say “I told you so…”! And given the state this country is in right now, Obama has precious little time to enjoy the fruits of a hard fought and won presidential campaign. He has to hit the ground running (and in a sense he is still running).

We have not arrived. IT IS NOT OVER! This is not the Promised Land. We are only at the River Jordan and it just now parted so that we may walk on dry ground. If you think about it, you will know that it’s true. The views of White America have not changed last night (indeed a large portion of White America feels like they are taking a giant leap of faith). Obama has to show them that we will land safely on the other side, thankful that we were willing to take the chance. Obama is now the Jackie Robinson of Politics.

Consider this: if Jackie Robinson was not the cool character that he was in the face of such extreme racial pressure (from both sides really), would baseball (the rest of professional team sports for that matter) be what it is today in terms of diversity? I think not. So you see, the milestone in integrating professional sports did not occur when Robinson was chosen to play for the Dodgers. It occurred when Robinson proved to the fearful naysayers not only that he was as good as if not better than the white players, but he had the temperament to remain professional in the midst of unprofessional behavior. He was clearly a black baseball player, but he had to comport himself as just a baseball player. Robinson kept his cool and as a result many other talented black athletes were given a shot in mainstream professional team sports.

The same challenge faces Obama. Once he get’s sworn in, he will be the first black president (sit down Bill, you were just a place holder in that respect) and no one will be able to take that away from him. What Obama (and the rest of the forward looking nation for that matter) have to make sure of, is that he is not the last Non-White Man to be elected president. He has to be the type of president that makes the rest of America wonder “Hmmm…Why didn’t we do this sooner?” The hopes of little girls and boys of every race and ethnicity rest on the relative success of an Obama Administration. If he were to somehow fail in this, the naysayers would be quick to point to his presidency as evidence against breaking with the norm (The Old White Man) in choosing our leaders. So, although Obama would clearly be a black president, he must comport himself as just a president (with competence, integrity, and humility). Forget all the old black jokes about, smoking weed in the Oval Office, painting the White House black, candy painting Air Force One, and other ignorant things we used to say laugh away the pain the resulted from acknowledging what was once an impossibility. This is a new day and Obama has to continue to transcend race in his leadership of America (essentially riding that elephant right out of the room) just as he did in running for the office.

This has indeed been a long, long time coming. A moment over 400 years in the making has finally arrived, but we have not…IT’S NOT OVER! Although historical and tremendously important, this moment is not the end of a long journey.

People like Douglas reminded us that we do not belong in the field. People like Tubman led the trek to the Big House. People like Parks, knocked on the door fully expecting to be let in. People like King and X (Shabazz for the enlightened), got their foot in the door. People like Jackson and Sharpton (yes even they were able to have a positive affect on progress no matter how self-serving their motives may have been) were able to squeeze through the narrow opening. It is now up to people like Obama and Us, who are now inside the Big House, to put that house in order. This is so that people like our children and our children’s children can enjoy the warmth inside, for generations to come.

History has indeed been achieved today, but we will only be able to appreciate whether the lasting affect of this moment has on the future will be positive or negative, four (or hopefully eight years) from now. Is Obama up to the task? I think so (if I didn’t think he was, I would not have voted for him) and by extension I believe that we are up to the task. So now that we got the job, it’s time to get to work, because IT IS NOT OVER!

-Noface
*Photo curtesy of CNN.com and the AP

Poetry Session #2

Just a little something to keep you going while you're waiting in (what will surely be) those long lines at your local election centers. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

CHANGE HAS COME

They say change is coming
From night almost gone
Towards the breaking of dawn
The people keep running

At the end of that dark night
We stopped following the blind
Turned around only to find
Our own Dark Knight

With a voice of Unity
Now man to man
We dare to stand
An organized community

Chanting, Yes We Can!
To the immovable all day
To the impossible, we say
YES WE CAN!

That’s why, win or lose
This moment is frozen
Not for the right to be chosen
But for the right to choose

And this is our choice
Hope is not strange
We are our change
And he is our voice

Speaking true and clear
Though we don’t stop running
Our change is not coming
Our change is here

This is promise fulfilled
Our nation’s restitution
With a more perfect union
Through hope that we willed

And though we’re not done
We are not humming
That change is coming
Because change has come

-Noface

I Had A Nightmare Last Night!

Oh man, you won't believe the nightmare I had last night! It seemed so real...




Thank goodness that it was only a dream. Let it serve as a warning though, to you guys out there in blog land. GET OUT THERE AND VOTE! Don't be THAT Guy (or gal).

-Noface

The Happy Days Of The Andy Grifith Show!

Having watched old reruns of both Happy Days and the Andy Grifith Show as a child, this little vid put a smile on my face...

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Ron Howard, Andy Grifith, and Henry Winkler for change. Awesome!!

-Noface

Personal Politics vs. Party Politics

General Colin Powell announced his endorsement for Senator Barrack Obama and gave very clear and articulate reasons for doing so. I'm not impressed with that. I don't think someone should be viewed as a heroic figure or villainous despot, just because of who they plan to vote for. I'm not going to knock a guy/gal that feels that McCain is the best man for the job (being president that is), so long as that person has clear rational reasons (for himself/herself not anyone else) for taking that position.

No, no...Powell gets two thumbs way up for asking himself and by extension the rest of the Republican Party some very tough questions. One of the most important (in my mind) being, "Where we going with this...?" (I am paraphrasing of course). He was essentially calling into question how this new or "neo" Republican Party was defining what and where the real America was and who real Americans were.

He is correct in stating that the right answer to the Charge that Obama is a Muslim is "No he isn't...he is a Christian". He is even more correct in stating that the better answer to that question is so what (paraphrasing again). He goes on to remind us that there are other religions in this great country of ours and the people that practice those religions have lived in, fought for, and died for America.

So am I praising Powell for speaking up about his concerns about the divisive tone that the McCain campaign has adopted? Yeah, I guess, but the bulk of my praise for Powell goes to the fact that he was willing to examine his views and how they were being represented (or not) by his party and the campaign of his close friend. That to me is very important, the fact that he's not voting out of loyalty or a desire to see his party in power but based on his wish for America to be a better more united place. That is an example; I believe we should all follow. Who is the one who is going to turn my America and your America into OUR AMERICA! I’m not saying that everyone will come to the same conclusion that Powell did but at least they will have made the effort to take a critical look at themselves and the party or person there are supporting/opposing, making up their own minds and not have it made up for them.

I feel the fact that Powell is a Black Republican makes his endorsement more poignant. I had almost lost all faith in my conservative brothers and sisters (those who are indeed brothas and sistahs), because it appeared to me that no matter how rotten the McCain/Palin campaign got, they turned a blind eye and held their collective breath while showing their support and solidarity with the ticket. Let me just say, I don’t care if some one is a conservative, liberal, moderate, or whatever. There are gems (along with turds) in many of the different political ideologies. When a person puts party loyalty and partisan talking points over their own moral compass, well…I just can’t take what they have to say seriously. This is why the look into Powell’s thought process was like a breath of fresh air to me, because it reminded me that not all Black Republicans were going the way of the “Slave Catcher” as the Field Negro likes to call them.

Powell’s endorsement and the endorsement of other prominent conservatives for Senator Obama, gives me hope in the belief that we as Americans can disagree on a lot of things but we can be united in the knowledge that we are all Americans, we all love our country, and we all want America to prosper and succeed as a world leader. Perhaps we are finally witnessing the first rays of dawn after a long, long night (eight years long to be exact).


Of course Mr. Limbaugh had to give his two cents worth, which with the current rate of inflation, really equals nothing…




-Noface

The Final Presidential Debate!

First off, let me just say that I am so glad that there will be no more debates this election season. I mean, I love politics just as much as the next nerd, but this has been a long and tiring two years and frankly I look forward to this being over with.

Now on to the debate...

It looks like (from my first impression and later the instant polls on all the major news channels) that McCain is 0-3 in terms of these debates. That is a shame too, because this was McCain's best debate performance yet. It appears that no matter how good McCain does, Obama appears to much better. Why is that? Well, here's my theory.

It all comes down to temperament (Obama called way back in Denver). McCain has managed to prove Obama's point in regards to the qualities of leadership, throughout this general election. Its not about experience, it’s about judgment. Its not about patriotism, it’s about temperament.

When it comes to the type of leadership qualities that I look want in a president I look for the following:

1. Wisdom
2. Integrity
3. Competence
4. Intelligence (including intellectual curiosity)
5. Stability
6. Charisma
7. Compassion
8. Conviction


Those are the major virtues of leadership in order of importance (to me). So far I have only seen number seven from John McCain (especially during the debate). During this final debate, it appeared to me that McCain really believed what he was saying (whether accurate or not) and became increasingly unsettled when he sensed that he was not connecting with...well...anyone but those in his base. This is when things went downhill for McCain (and when he transformed into McGrumps again).

The more unsettled McCain became the more snarky, sarcastic, and visibly upset he became. In a televised debate delivery is just as important as message, and McCain's delivery was horrible (meaning that his message suffered as a result). That's how we got the jokes that only McCain himself laughed at, Health in quotation marks, McCain informing Joe the Plumber that he's rich now (among a lot of other unnecessary references to Joe), the constant blinking, and the barely contained rage.

Meanwhile Obama remained as cool as glass of ice water in the summer time, which only made McGrumps seem McGrumpier. In the end calm and steady won the race again.

On a side note, I have to give props to the moderator for keeping the debate moving and hitting the candidates with follow up questions.

-Noface

*Picture Courtesy of CNN.com