Whose Eyes Were Opened More By A President Obama?

Just having my coffee and watching a little morning Joe, and they were just talking about how this is a historic day because, among other things, the first black American has become President. They made the point that this changes how every black child or parent looks at what they can do in life now. I would agree on both points, but, I would also add that this changes the way white Americans think as much as black Americans think.

If we look at things only by the numbers, black Americans could not alone vote in a black candidate. So who is the one that didn't think a black American could be President? I would say, President Obama has changed the way white America thinks more than the way black America thinks. He may have made black America more proud and confident then they were a year ago or 10 years ago, but he isn't the first black that woke up one day and said I want to be President of The United States, and he certainly won't be the last. I guarantee, that there were as many white Americans, right or wrong, who woke up one Wednesday morning in November 2008 and said, he actually did it?

So let's forget the color of my skin, your skin and President Obama's skin, and let's worry about the colors that matters in America right now, red, white and blue! We need people of all colors, backgrounds and status to come together and fix the huge issues that are ahead for our Country.

For Republicans Who Have A Problem With Terrorist Connections...

You already voted three times for a family with ties to terrorist #1, Bin Laden. How's that glass house?

I've Only Been Saying This For 5 Years

But it is nice to see that the MSM and not just a nobody like me finally has the courage to say it.

(NYT)Who knows how long it will be before the U.S. disengages in any significant way from Iraq. What you can take to the bank is that this country will not make any major advances in energy policy, in health coverage, in rebuilding its infrastructure, in improving its public schools or in curtailing runaway public and private debt until our open-ended commitment to this catastrophic multitrillion-dollar war comes to an end.

And let's not forget that Iraq has severely limited what our military could do in Afghanistan, where the real terrorists are. Not to mention our response capabilities, say if Russia or China decided to play USA and invade a country full of natural resources.

A little more planning and a little less gut reaction would have done this country well over the last 7 years.

Oil, Nation Building And Propaganda Are Why We Are In Iraq

So says McCain and former Bush loyalist Scott McClellan.

For 6 years, myself and others were ridiculed and called every name possible by those who were fooled by the Bush Administration(Cheney). But today, it is them that have to accept that what they were promoting were nothing more than lies and propaganda to reshape the oil rich Middle East into a more American friendly area. And by more American friendly, I mean more friendly to companies like Haliburton. I think what is clearer than ever is, that Dick Cheney has been running this country like a war for profit business over the last 7 years.

And unfortunately, revelations like this by McClellan will do nothing to quiet any theories that the WTC attack was an inside job or if nothing else, was not stopped because of what they wanted to do in Iraq and the Middle East.

And if you want to have 20/20 hindsight, take a gander at this.

Rev. Wright....YAWN!!!

Oil still is above $115.

The Taliban attempted to assassinate Karzai followed by suicide bombings over the next few days.

Iraq has gone so well, we sent a second carrier into the gulf to ratchet up the tension with Iran.

Homes losing value at a pace not seen in two decades and foreclosures rising.

Millions being wasted on a so called virtual fence that doesn't work and, btw, still doesn't solve an immigration/border security issue in this country.

I can go on and on, but it is Rev. Wright and this mindless shit that the media forces down our throats.

So Much For The Air Marshall Program

Less than one percent of flights in the US have an air marshall on them. It's not like anything will get pass the well qualified and highly trained TSA workers.

(CNN) The investigation found those low numbers even as the Transportation Security Administration in recent months has conducted tests in which it has been able to smuggle guns and bomb-making materials past airport security screeners.

Good thing they are not following us home, because it doesn't look like anyone would notice

Happy Friday!

Oil still over $100 and ricin was found in a Las Vegas motel.

Very Special Comment

Six Years Ago On Tuesday......

Me and my Father were coming off the 18th green and heading into the 19th hole for our free coke and hot dog, when we saw the TV. The buildings had just fallen and the dust cloud was encompassing Manhattan. My Father, who had grown up in Brooklyn, looked like someone who was just told his friend was killed. Six years later, and those who committed this act are still free and alive. Good thing Saddam and his sons are dead.

Fort Dix Attack Stopped By Attentive Clerk

It's somewhat scary, or frustrating depending on your view, that a store clerk is what enabled law enforcement to the arrests. And I did say law enforcement not military because the whole "fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" rhetoric failed.

(AP/ABC) The unidentified clerk is being credited with tipping off authorities in January 2006 after one of the suspects asked him to transfer a video to DVD that showed 10 men shooting weapons at a firing range and calling for jihad, prosecutors said.

"If we didn't get that tip," said U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, "I couldn't be sure what would happen." FBI agent J.P. Weis called the clerk the "unsung hero" of the case.

In the process of fighting them there, we have created a whole new group that hates us.

Weis said the U.S. is seeing a "brand-new form of terrorism," involving smaller, more loosely defined groups that may not be connected to al-Qaida but are inspired by its ideology.

"These homegrown terrorists can prove to be as dangerous as any known group, if not more so. They operate under the radar," Weis said.

But let's keep believing that the war in Iraq is making us safer.

NRA Losing Credibility

Like I have said before, I am a liberal who doesn't want to see guns banned in America. I do feel certain guns should not be legal for everyday Americans to have. Assault rifles and fully automatic weapons are for law enforcement and military use. They are not for hunting or home protection. Although if a burglar came around the corner and I was holding a M-4, I am sure it would stop them in their tracks. With that said, the NRA has lost their minds.

(SF Gate/AP) The National Rifle Association is urging the Bush administration to withdraw its support of a bill that would prohibit suspected terrorists from buying firearms. Backed by the Justice Department, the measure would give the attorney general the discretion to block gun sales, licenses or permits to terror suspects.

In a letter this week to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, NRA executive director Chris Cox said the bill, offered last week by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., "would allow arbitrary denial of Second Amendment rights based on mere 'suspicions' of a terrorist threat."

Mere suspicions of a terrorist threat? Are you kidding me? We're not talking about no-fly lists with screw ups on names or buying cell phones here, we are talking about keeping weapons out of the hands of people who might be dangerous.

If the President gives in to the NRA, then everything else they do in the name of homeland security is hogwash. We need to read your emails, but here are some guns. We need to listen to you calls, but here are some guns. We need to see what you checked out at the library, but here are some guns. We need to see where you have been on the internet, but here are some guns. We need to see your credit card history, but here are some guns. I think you see where I am going here.

A Safer World. Thanks W!

Just another reason to roll your eyes when the President says the world is safer because we invaded Iraq.

(ABC/AP) In its annual global survey of terrorism to be released Monday, the State Department says about 14,000 attacks took place in 2006, mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan. These strikes claimed more than 20,000 lives - two-thirds in Iraq. That is 3,000 more attacks than in 2005 and 5,800 more deaths.

Altogether, 40 percent more people were killed by increasingly lethal means around the globe.

The article also mentions that Iran CONTINUES to be the largest state sponsor of terrorists. I'm so glad Iraq was at the top of the list of countries to get tough with.

Online Poker Coming back?

Rep. Barney Frank introduced a bill that might lift restrictions on online gambling.

(ZDNet) "The existing legislation is an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans and this interference should be undone," Frank said. His bill is called the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act.

You are a good man Mr. Frank. A good man.

What Does FDA Stand For?

F'n Disastrous Agency. Apparently the FDA knew about the tainted peanut butter and spinach well before it sickened people across the country.

In the peanut-butter case, an agency report shows FDA inspectors checked into complaints about salmonella contamination in a ConAgra factory in Georgia in 2005. But when company managers refused to provide documents the inspectors requested, they left and failed to follow up.

Earlier this year, a salmonella outbreak traced to the plant's Peter Pan and Great Value peanut-butter brands sickened more than 400 people in 44 states. The likely cause, ConAgra said, was moisture from a roof leak and a malfunctioning sprinkler system that activated dormant salmonella in the plant, which is now closed.

The 2005 report shows FDA inspectors were looking into "an alleged episode of positive findings of salmonella in peanut butter in October of 2004 that was related to new equipment and that the firm didn't react to ... insects in some equipment, water leaking onto product, and inability to track some product."

During the inspection, the report says, ConAgra admitted it had destroyed some product in October 2004 but would not say why.

Apparently the FDA lacks some teeth. With all the controversy about what powers the Patriot Act gives certain agencies, one agency that deserves all the power needed is the FDA. How can the security of our food sources, and subsequent safety of Americans, be overlooked?

First Bird Flu Vaccine Approved By FDA

Sanofi Aventis SA has created the first bird flu vaccine approved by the FDA. The vaccine will only be used if there is an outbreak in the U.S.

(AP/MSNBC) The Sanofi Aventis SA vaccine already is being stockpiled for use in an outbreak of bird flu. It will not be commercially available. Approval came on the recommendation of FDA advisers, who in February said the vaccine would be better than nothing.

“The threat of an influenza pandemic is, at present, one of the most significant public health issues our nation and world faces,” FDA commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said. “The approval of this vaccine is an important step forward in our protection against a pandemic.”

The government plans to buy and stockpile enough bird flu vaccine for 20 million people, including emergency and health-care workers. It also could be given to military personnel before they are deployed abroad.

Obviously this is not the miracle vaccine people are looking for, but it is a positive step because finally "something" is available in case of an emergency. Whether this will be more effective then water, duct tape and plastic is yet to be seen.

Iraq And Bush Have Set Back The National Guard

Not to mention the security of the U.S. homeland. If the fact that the National Guard was going to be $24 billion in the red over the next five years wasn't enough, this little nugget should be enough proof.

(UPI) According to the service, "88 percent of the Army National Guard and 45 percent of the Air National Guard here in the United States are not ready (for disaster missions) due to lack of equipment and training."

For 50 years the Guard has been considered a "strategic reserve " force -- that is, it would be last to the fight, backfilling for the "big Army" late in a conflict. Consequently, the Guard was historically "under-resourced" on the rationale that if it was needed overseas, there would be plenty of time to catch up.

Not this Administration, they deployed the Guard right away. But with mission accomplished years ago, who could blame them, right?

Remember, Bush is for the troops. He is also fighting them there so they don't come here. And with the way he has depleted the National Guard, we better hope they don't.

Guns Back In The News

After today's shooting at V.T., the call for banning guns was bound to happen. One of the blogs I read daily took a firm, but slightly over the top, stance on guns. And the comments to the post are very interesting. The only problem with this approach is that it addresses the end result and not the problem. Instead of addressing why these things happen, we tend to only address the the final point. If people were to look deeper into things, maybe we could address these problems before they lead to a shooting rampage, without new laws while maintaining our rights.

As someone who has owned guns and is liberal, I tend to be in a small group. While I tend to believe that the 2nd Amendment is outdated, since no one is really forming a militia, I am not for changing it. The cost and time wasted in that battle might be okay in a different time, but Congress and the President have their plates full at the moment with more important issues. Plus, the Amendment wouldn't change in the long run. I do tend to lean left when we talk about what kind of guns should be legal. While I find the M-4 quite interesting and would probably enjoy shooting it at the range, it really is a weapon of offense not defense, regardless if it is semi-auto or full auto.

While many anti-gun people hate when pro-gun people say, "Guns don't kill people, people do", there is some truth to it. There is also some truth when anti-gun people say, "less people die of guns in Europe than America". So where is the common ground? Would today's killer still have been able to get a gun if they were banned? Before you say no, think about how easy it is to get illegal drugs. Would he used an ax, knife, crowbar or baseball bat instead? And would we then ban those too?

I am not disputing the fact that guns are dangerous, they are. But trying to capitalize on this killing spree seems vaguely similar to how many Democrats feel that Republicans use 9/11 to take away other rights protected by the Constitution. People need to take a deep breath before they advocate changing the Constitution, for liberal or conservative beliefs.

Who Knew Terrorists Would Use Planes?

Apparently a lot more people than what we were told. The Le Monde newspaper is reporting that France's foreign intelligence service had learned as early as January 2001 that al Qaida was planning to use a U.S. airplane in an attack. The CIA was then informed of this.

(AP/USA Today) Le Monde newspaper said it had obtained 328 pages of classified documents on Osama bin Laden's terror network that were drawn up by the French spy service, the DGSE, between July 2000 and October 2001. The documents included a Jan. 5, 2001, intelligence report warning that al-Qaeda was at work on a hijacking plot.

It probably only said something like, "Bin Laden determined to strike in U.S.". But as we have learned from Condoleezza Rice, it "was an historical document" more than a threat. Which is probably why NOTHING was done prior to 9/11 by the Bush Administration. Bush, been letting Americans down since 2001.

The Big Lie

And it is still be said today by certain people. Unfortunately for them, the evidence doesn't back them up.

(AFP) According to the inspector general of the US Defense Department, information obtained after Saddam's fall confirmed the prewar position of the Central Intelligence Agency and Pentagon intelligence that the Iraqi government had had no substantial contacts with Al-Qaeda.

This position was shored up by interrogations of Saddam, the former Iraqi president and other top officials captured by the US-led coalition forces in Iraq, the report said.

It contradicts a strong argument for the invasion made by the administration of President George W. Bush that Baghdad had a working relationship with Al-Qaeda.

But when have they ever cared about evidence?

FOX NEWS And Bill'O Imploding

In an interview between Bill'O and Geraldo on FOX NEWS, the two become unwound while discussing a girl who was killed by a drunk driver. Bill'O wants to make it about illegal immigration since the person driving was, illegal. However, Geraldo thinks it should be about drunk driving.

Maybe if this was the only person who had been killed by a drunk driver, Bill'O would have a point. But the fact of the matter is, thousands are killed each year from drunk drivers, and Bill'O says nothing about those.