Obama's First Press Conference as President Elect

With wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Elect Obama did not field a question on the topic of withdrawal from conflict. He did however take a question pertaining to what schools his daughters will be attending and in what dresses.

The focus of the press conference was on the economy. This appears to be the Democratic Party's current tactic in an effort to distract Americans from the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It should be noted that the Democrats took control of both houses of congress in 2006 by pledging to end the war, a commitment they have not followed through with.

With regards to the economy, Obama pledged to rebuild from the bottom up. While this is a refreshing change from talk of top down economics, Obama is yet to state in more specific terms how his rebuilding plan will be accomplished. The only example Obama gave of economic relief while addressing the press pertained to extending unemployment benefits. While this will be useful to many unemployed Americans, it is not a solution that strengthens the U.S. economy.

Despite his talk of building from the bottom up, it is important to remember that Obama voted for the Wall Street bailout bill last month which sent $700,000,000,000 of taxpayer dollars directly to the companies who are largely responsible for the financial meltdown. $40 billion of that sum will go directly to the CEOs of the failing enterprises they oversaw. It is also of importance to note that the bailout bill did not provide any further regulation to prevent the same problems from reoccurring.

So while Obama talks of bottom up economics, his voting record shows that he is prone to being a proponent of top down, Reagan-era, economics. It will be the American people who Obama called on in his victory speech to help him lead for the change we need and believe in and to abandon the ways of the recent past.

Obama also fielded a question pertaining to a letter he received from Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in which he was congratulated on his victory. Obama struggled to find the most politically correct words to respond with, but did communicate that he did not want to have a "knee jerk reaction" to the letter. Before finishing his answer, Obama stated that it was unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapons program - rhetoric that reminds us of what we've experienced for the last 8 years.

One would hope that this is dialogue which will not have to continue much further into the foreseeable future. However, just yesterday, Rahm Emanuel, an Israel hard-liner accepted Obama's invitation to be the White House Chief of Staff. Our support of Israel and their nuclear weapons program flies in the face of our shouting down of Iran's. Further, it is Israel's military presence and nuclear arsenal which provides Iran's reasoning for having a nuclear weapons program of their own.

Barack has the backing of the majority of the country currently. He now needs to have the political courage to undo the ways of the past and to help create a better tomorrow. Instead of pointing the finger at Iran, he needs to ask what we can do as a country to help resolve the tension in the Middle East. Instead of blindly supporting Israel while Palestinians are suffering and Muslims are in turn outraged, we need to revisit our policies and find a way in which all suffering is limited.

This is the change Obama has made us want to believe in. It is time to incur that change. It will only be accomplished through our participation in government. Barack Obama made this clear in his victory speech and we need to acknowledge his words and follow through with his request. Chanting, "Yes we can!" isn't enough. So pick up your pencils, pick up your paper and write your representatives, your senators and your president.

In Chaos There is Opportunity.

The two party system has failed us. Since FDR's departure, corporate America has become intertwined with government and bought out the highest offices in the land. The laws and regulations which were originally designed to protect America from economic collapse like what was seen in the twenties and thirties have been chipped away at or outright eliminated. The Glass-Steagall Act, an act which was created to keep commercial banks separate from riskier investment banks among other safeguards is no longer in existence. The consequences of this are now coming home to roost. Banks which invested in risky mortgage bundles and lost and are now no longer in existence or are being bought out by banks who are also on the verge of collapse are perfect examples of this.

Before long the lending capacity of all banks in this country will be void. Without funds being put forward to expand the economy, the stock market will collapse. Our entire economy is built on constant growth. When the growth stops, the economy implodes.

The next step is our assets being consumed by the debt holders, who are China, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the Saudis and others. What is left for us, the hardworking taxpayers who've kept out heads down and done as we've been asked by our government? A depleted dollar with no purchasing power of foreign goods that we are now almost entirely dependent on. Our food, our energy, our clothing, our tools, you name it - we're importing it.

The good news is that this will be a massive wake up call that American's won't soon forget. It is too bad the majority of the country doesn't see what is coming and hasn't yet abandoned their faith entirely in the Democrats and Republicans. But the time is coming. New parties will emerge. New trains of thought will become prevalent in this country. In the long run, it will contribute to us living more sustainably and with better safeguards. At least, that is what one can hope.

The Two Party System is Failing Us

I've been talking to friends, family, acquaintances and even strangers about the upcoming election. Overwhelmingly, liberals, some who prefer to be called progressives, are supporting Barack Obama with only knowledge of his rhetoric. They haven't researched his voting record or his means for accomplishing the ideas he rarely discusses on the campaign trail. They can't answer the question, "What cause does he want us to become united for or against?" You'd think they would at the very least know what Barack's talk about unity is directed towards. What they can do is repeat the empty slogan, "Yes we can!"

I've done some research for the sake of having a general understanding of what accomplishments Barack has achieved and what his plans are should he become the next president of the United States. It is the least I could do with regards to forming an opinion of who deserves my vote for such an important office.

In my digging I've discovered some discouraging information which I've shared on this blog since its inception. Barack is a supporter of the Bush White House's Energy Policy Act of 2005. His proposed energy policy should he become the next president involves subsidizing big oil, coal and nuclear energy at a far more substantial rate than renewable sources such as solar and wind. Barack is for limiting damages awarded to those who suffer from medical malpractice. Barack is opposed to creating caps for interest rates charged by credit industries. Barack has said he is committed to growing the military budget which already consumes half of our tax dollars annually. The list goes on. The question this brings to my mind is - is this truly the candidate of change? It seems to me that at best this is the candidate of marginal improvement from what we're experiencing currently. And is what we're experiencing now not a tragedy for humanity? Will this era in America not be viewed as a blunder on behalf of human civilization for as long as history texts are in existence?

Moving along, the Democratic Party which Barack Obama is a member of has failed their obligation to serve as an oppositional party in this two-party system we are all suffering from. Instead of resisting the policies which have shamefully been written into law and waged against the American people as well as some unfortunate nations of the world by the Republicans, they have served as accomplices. When George demanded the authority to declare war against whoever he perceived as a threat to the United States, the Democrats did not object. When the Republicans hastily proposed the PATRIOT Act and demanded it be made law, the Democrats complied. When the Bush White House nominated corporatist judges for our Supreme Court, the Democrats helped seat them at the highest office in the land. When Bush openly admitted to championing a policy to spy on Americans all the meanwhile ignoring the FISA Act, the Democrats shrugged their shoulders and looked the other way. When those same Democrats became the majority in both houses of congress, when they were then given the full constitutional capability to hold this administration accountable, they sneezed and made excuses for why they shouldn't.

In the forefront of this spectacle is Barack Obama himself. He has said on more than one occasion that he would be opposed to impeachment for President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney should the opportunity to vote ever come across his plate. The man is a constitutional lawyer. He knows that they have committed impeachable offenses. Yet he states publicly that he is opposed to holding them accountable, the action which is recommended and provided by the Constitution of the United States of America. Is his unwilligness to do what is right political cowardice?

I believe if the public were to take the time to sift through the information they are bombarded with and extract the facts that truly matter, they'd realize that the real candidate for change, the candidate that is actually interested in serving the majority of Americans most fundamental interests, the candidate that has been doing so his entire adult life in our nation's capital, is Ralph Nader.

Take a moment to watch his running mate, Matt Gonzalez, talk about why he believes Barack Obama is not the candidate of change. Then watch Matt Gonzalez's speech which has been divided up into five segments and is posted directly below. In the speech Matt Gonzalez clearly articulate how the two party system currently in power is failing us and why we need alternative options when we elect our representatives. Then, vote your conscience come election day.



Matt Gonzalez's Speech on the Failures of the Two-Party System.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Ralph Nader Visits Portland

Last night I attended Ralph Nader's speaking arrangement which was held at Benson High School in Portland, OR. Ralph and a collection of other political activists spoke out against the ills of our society and the tragedies of our government. Further, Ralph reminded us of the shame we should be feeling for our collective political inaction. With humor and excellent storytelling, Ralph was able to explain the differences between today and the 1960's with regards to the political climate of the United States.

Ralph made the point that without political activitsts behind him who were willing to take to the streets to make their voice heard, he would have never been able to get a man such as Richard Nixon to sign bills into law which he strongly disagreed with. It was the fear of the protesters on the streets picking up their picket signs and standing in front of the White House calling out against him that made Nixon strike the dotted line with the pen.

The point was well taken by the audience. When Ralph made the point - 90% of Americans want food labeling which indicates if the food item is genetically altered but Monsanto doesn't and Monsanto gets their way, not the 90% - we understood what was collectively wrong with us as a people. There is no resistance to this corporate wrongdoing that is taking place against us on a daily basis, we are pacified.

So I guess it is time to get truly active. Personal responsibility and being informed are not enough as I had once tricked myself into believing. Each day a new battle is being waged by Coporate America against the citizens of this country. What we need to remember is that we're the majority and we have the numbers to overcome this wrongdoing if we can just exercise some effort and in turn political muscle.

The one piece of information Ralph did leave us with which was uplifting was that Google is going to be attempting to put together a debate between the Republican and Democratic candidates which will also include the likes of Ralph Nader and potentially other third party candidates. Lets all hope this becomes a reality. If it should, many Americans will get to experience a debate which truly discusses the issues and may force both the Democratic and Republican candidates to incorporate Nader's policies into their own.

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On May 12th, Ralph spoke at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California. Below is the video from that Q & A Session.

Are Our Votes Meaningless?

Things Are Worse Than We Thought

If this is the mindset in Washington, well, it explains everything.

Barack, You Took an Oath of Office

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama laid out his list of political shortcomings he sees in the Bush administration but said he opposes impeachment for either President George W. Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney.

Obama said he would not back such a move, although he has been distressed by the "loose ethical standards, the secrecy and incompetence" of a "variety of characters" in the administration.

"There's a way to bring an end to those practices, you know: vote the bums out," the presidential candidate said, without naming Bush or Cheney. "That's how our system is designed."

In case Barack hasn't been paying attention, the Bush administration has violated the Constitution, domestic law, international law and Geneva Conventions. In a just world, this administration would have been impeached at the onset of this war in March of 2003 for intentionally deceiving the congress, the American public and the United Nations. Since that illegal act, worthy of having the administration tried for war crimes, the administration has admitted to illegally spying on Americans. Their activities have been a direct violation of the FISA Act which carries a five year prison sentence. And we haven't even begun to talk about how they've used and advocated for torture.

I wonder if Barack was paying attention when he took his Oath of Office. The Oath goes as follows:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

If he was paying attention, he should be willing to live up to the Oath he swore to. Article II - Section IV gives the congress the power to do the following.

The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

Without a doubt, this administration is guilty of the acts that are worthy of impeachment. So yes Mr. Obama, please do vote the bums out, by urging the congress to do so through impeachment. Just as you swore to do. Thank you.