Swiftboat America or a Transformed Leader of the Free World

The types and the forms of elections reflect whether country is evolving for good, bad, or ugly. The election results reflect the quality of electoral state of mind good, bad, or ugly. Democracy is as good, bad, or ugly as its electoral mass. A well informed educated electoral is essential to preserve the high value democratic concepts such as freedom of speech, freedom of press, separation of state and religion, equality, civil rights, human right.

Whether in 2008 American political leaders and electoral will transform themselves from the politics of cultivating ignorance, swiftboating, bigotry, racism, and xenophobia remains to be seen.

Is America ready to accept the challenge to rid itself from the politics of cultivating ignorance, swiftboating, bigotry, racism, and xenophobia?

Is America ready to transform itself and reassert it's moral leadership across the globe?

A time to ponder.............................

Lift The Nation, Lift The World

A nation with great potential....is surrounded by news not so great. Clueless in America, writes Bob Herbert; The great Escape, dreams David Brook; Inmate Count in U.S. Dwarfs Other Nations, dreads Adam Liptak; The Accidental Rebel, justifies his noble deeds Paul Auster. These are examples of very telling articles and Op-Ed's published in New York Times April 22-23, 2008. The writings present the samples of intelligent men with reflective potentials who are making a living by justifying their claims of good deeds. The underpinnings of their thoughts demonstrate nation's ailment.

A young fertile nation with a creative constitution and rich diversified collection of human resource from around the globe has remarkable potential to lift itself, and with it lift the world, yet nation's journalists true to their ailing time are either justifying their existence or dreaming escape.

The question of the day is: What's ailing the nation?

A time to ponder....................

And...That's It....

The concepts of preserving life and waging wars to preserve life, ironically paradoxical contradiction, are the socio-cultural rationalized concepts to justify power, control, and killing. The genesis of the evolution of these concepts lies in the evolution of psychological and biological evolving evolution. The concepts of preserving life and waging wars to preserve life both have common genesis in the concepts of fear of unknown. The concepts of fear of unknown have their genesis in the concept of intellect (human or otherwise). The concepts of fear are intellect generated, and socio-culturally capitalized and controlled. And so are the evolving varied forms of socio-cultural concepts of preserving life and waging wars to preserve life. To capitalize the concepts of fear, the concepts of power and control evolved in order to sell the so-called relief from fear. The morals, not the ethics, of preserving life and the morals of waging wars not the ethics to preserve life gave rise to good business for power and control seekers. Rest is history of bits and pieces of precepts, civilizations, cultures, wars, and products created, consumed, and destroyed.

The explanatory rationales for all precepts, forms of civilizations (good, bad or indifference including the mickey mouse Disney world), cultures, wars, and the products created, and destroyed are products of limited yet evolving intellect. The limited intellect generates paucity, and continuous evolution generates sprinkles of imagination to spice up the paucity a little. And...that's it.....as of now....


A time to ponder.....................

April 19, 2008 The Pulse of The New York Times Op-Ed

Collins and Herbert in their respective Op-Ed's reflected the state of politics in their respective ways. Both seems a little down. Collin has written about Bush and how he is handling or not handling at all the global warming. According to collins Bush gave his the so-called report in Rose Garden in which he said "the wrong way is to raise taxes, duplicate mandates or demand sudden (should have said precipitous....rather than sudden) and drastic emission cuts." Well, what do you expect from a good beer drinking easy going Crawford guy who has been charged by the supreme court's questionable jurisprudence pronouncement to do the so-called democratic presidential things which to Bush means saving the corporate interest at the cost of whatever including global warming. So... president Bush is doing a heck of a job.

Herbert is down, and being down on Obama, Clinton, and democratic party. Herbert thinks Obama should have played some political games rather stir things up. He did not use these words but meant the same. This is election time. A time for catharsis, so let it out Herbert. Bottom line, the elections and election results demonstrate the pulse of its populous thinking and feeling at a given time and place. So don't get disheartened as of yet, wait and reflect on election results.

A time to ponder............

Principles Worth Valuing Yet Difficult to Practice

There is a mortal danger to life of freedom and it's expression once distracted from being valued by leaders and journalists alike who are injecting the symbolic issues such as flag in national debate. However, although they are misguided they have right to do so, should they choose. In paradoxical irony exists the existence of freedom and freedom of expression, even.. when badly used by the so-called journalist.

An enlightened electoral is needed to differentiate what is of value and what is the product. Products can be created and recreated freely only until the freedom exists. We must continuously remind ourselves that the value is in the principle of freedom and it's expression rather than symbol. It is the freedom and it's expression that our glorious and beautiful flag symbol represents. By each passing day as society limits freedom and it's expression... it is limiting the glory and the beauty of flag.


A time to ponder.................

Glimmers of Old and New Politics

Maureen Dowd a New York Times Op-ED columnist in her April 16, 2008 Op-Ed "Egghead and Cheese Balls" used the word Egghead more frequently in one colum than George Wallace ever used in any single Presidential election speech. Maureen you have won George Wallace Egghead award.


It is good to reminisce the good old soap operas of Clinton era, and some great statements of our great former progressive president Clinton such as "All these economically insecure white people..." or "I did not have sex with that woman.." or statements by our esteemed former first lady "screw 'em" pointing to southern working class whites, and other statements including some thing about baking cookies or some thing to that affect, puts things in perspective doesn't?


In general, small town Pennsylvanian and many others across the country have not done well during this boom period, and have lost jobs, pension, and health care due to lack of balanced economic policies promulgated by politicians such as Clinton and McCain. Small town Pennsylvanians have suffered and are suffering economic pain. Barack did not say "screw 'em", did he?

Time to ponder.........................

Nation Needs a Balanced Economic Policy

Elections do indeed provoke thoughts and deep rooted feelings towards each other, towards self, and towards candidates of differing parties. American voters are indeed expressing their thoughts and feelings in greater number. American democracy has been evolving since it's inception. The present day democracy is little better with a touch of tendencies to slip back from time to time. A tendency to slip back and move forward with all our human fragility seems to be the nature of evolutionary human democracies. The last two presidential elections provided glimmers of how elections are won or lost. Elections were by and large won or lost based on who was able to sway voters based on topics that had nothing to do with their self interest or economic well being of great number of Americans. What happened during the last two presidential elections is nothing new than what has been happening for quiet some time. Political leaders, the nation's policy makers, have failed great number of Americans as they did not provide a balanced leadership in channelling American labor energy into emerging new 21st century industrial base including new technology and energy while signing off on concepts such as free trade agreements.

The issue in current election aught not to be as much for or against free trade as it aught to be the development of a balanced national policies which must not leave it's labor force behind and diminish it's quality of life. The issue is the lack of balanced policy that has left an important segment of American population behind. The issue aught not to be the cost effective by cutting the quality of life of American labor force. The issue aught to be the cost effective by improving the quality of life of America labor force by building a new 21st century industrial base based on new 21st century quality K-higher education and research. Productive and progressive business is not based on types of cost cutting that destroys the quality of life. It is based on improving the quality and productivity based on improved quality of life. This is what aught to be the American way. This is what aught to be the value to be valued. This is what aught to be the model for the world. The underlying sad principle behind cheap labor lies the roots of poverty and diminished human value.

Both Bush and Clinton dynasties have failed a great number of American. Mr. McCain is trying to bring back the next Bush term by trying to win based on war, and tax cut for few. Neither war nor tax cut for few will bring prosperity for America or for a large number of Americans. Mr. Obama with all his faults is the best choice for America. Is America ready for this new change?


Time to ponder.............

Angry and Bitter

A nation which has created lots of wealth for few also has inhabitants who have seen down sizing in their standard of living including the loss of jobs, pension, and health care. Our great nation also has political leaders such as Senator McCain and Senator Clinton whose policies helped in down sizing the standard of living including the loss of jobs, pension, and health care. However, they think it differently as their wealth has not seen any down sizing. Now either Senator McCain and Senator Clinton are in denial or have lost their intellect to figure out that the disappointment, anger, and bitterness is real. Or....they are trying with their political artistry.... rather to be said with their political trickery to send a segment of population in denial. Or...worse of all they are hoping to divert the justified frustration, anger, and bitterness from themselves where it belong to others so they can win, politics as usual, no change. Of course, politicians will stop using some of these methods once voters begin to respond otherwise, and begin to defend their economic well being.

Time to ponder....................

Warren Buffet the Polygamist?

Mr. Warren Buffett appears to be a man with a sense of generosity, a successful business man, and has a sense of humor. Recently, Mr. Buffett admitted that he had promised to support Senator Clinton, then he said he also supports Senator Obama, then he said that makes him a bigamist. Now he says that Senator McCain will make a good republican president. Would that make him a polygamist? If so, please send in the Texes Rangers to protect under mature investors from Mr. Buffett who needs them to support his unsustainable paper wealth.




Time to ponder............

New York Times Has Been Worried?

This morning (April 14, 2008) in New York Times an unnamed editor of an editorial titled "How to Judge a Would-Be Justice" stated that... "And we have worried, especially in recent years, that nominees are far too carefully packaged and couched on how to duck all the hard questions."
It is amazing that the unnamed author of the editorial, as it is perhaps written by a group of New York Times cartel editors who seems to like themselves to be unnamed as much as possible or may be forever...if possible, has expressed it's worriness.... so to speak, or should it be said that the editorial expresses their worries since it is written by the so called unnamed multiples. Their worries have been expressed in past tense "..have worried" as stated above to signify as if they have been worried for some time, and indeed they are such a good care taker of significant worries for us mortal. In any event, their worries now can be expressed in good conscious though they have been worried for some time because they have an empirical research "An Empirical Analysis of the Confirmation Hearing of Justices of the Rehnquist Natural Court"---published in Constitutional Commentary. Of course as if, New York Times never publishes or has ever published anything unless it is research based. Some of it's research is it's own home grown when it suits their packaged couched intent. It is interesting that New York Times is worried about "carefully packaged and couched" things when New York Times itself is well packaged and couched.

Time to ponder............

Democracy

A successful democracy (by the people and for the people) requires at a minimum a good education system and a vibrant thinking voters dedicated to improving quality of life for all, not just for a select few.

Our education system is faltering, and a good number of voters have been hijacked by swift boat politics.


A time to ponder...............

Truth Hurts

It is true that an important segment of American population has voted for issues the ones did not help them economically as their jobs went south, further north, or across continents. It is true, as they lost their jobs, pensions, and health care they became angry. It is true that instead of addressing the misguided choices they had made during elections some of them are expressive their displaced anger towards groups such as immigrants rather than towards elected officials they helped to elect, and towards the elected official those who failed to protect their economic well being. Truth hurts, it is true some people voted for causes such as gun and against their own economic well being.

Mr. McCain and Mrs. Clinton are making an issue over Mr. Obama's recent statement in which Mr. Obama used the word bitter yet addressed the truth. Mr. McCain and Mrs. Clinton are being disingenuous in their political effort to identify with a group of American who have lost their jobs, pension, and health care. It is their politics of the past which failed to address the issues such as lost jobs and pension.

A time to ponder............

Charles Rose with John Burns and Dexter Filkins

Charles Rose interviewed John Burn and Dexter Filkins on Wednesday, April 9,2008. The concepts discussed during conversation implicitly centered around advocacy favoring against a precipitous withdrawal and expected need for realistic expectation and accommodation by political leaders..... meaning stay in rather than engage in a precipitous withdrawal. An advocacy against a precipitous withdrawal started in 2004, and this 2008. How many more years will it take to withdraw which would not be called a precipitous withdrawal? What happened to the concept of redeployment?

In general, the discussion regarding Iraq demonstrated lack of all rounded views, and definitely lack of knowledge and understanding of other cultures. There were moments of positive reflections, however self serving, self righteous, and presumptuous statements dominated the entire discussion.


A time to ponder..................

Eight Hours of Testimony

Eight hours of testimony by Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker before US Senate, and Some Senators response summed it all as follows:

Quotation of the day cited in this mornings New York Times: "We haven't turned any corners. We haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel." Gen. David H. Petraeus

Senator McCain with all his claims of experience, and the years of the so called experience on key US Senate committees continues to demonstrate his lack of knowledge and experience regarding the difference among Sunni, Shia, Al Queda, and Iran.

Senator Evan Bayh statements sums it up: "We'll know when we get there, and we don't know when we're going to get there."


A time to ponder......................

Wealth Making?

The current globalization game has accelerated the wealth making financial manipulation game. The game is on. Let us take a look as to how this game has been played, in sequence that is.

First game plan, Mr. Greenspan gave a green signal for marketeers to move with their game in an unregulated supply side financial market. And so they did. In order to create wealth in an unregulated supply side of the economic market, the financial markets were and still are being manipulated and adjusted by creating paper wealth in tune of multiple times and in so many forms of "creative"financial instruments that even the "smartest" financial manipulators are now having difficulty in their ways to keep up with the next "smarter" financial manipulator. The run on Bear and Stern and the inability of Bear and Stern to protect itself from the bank run is just an example.

Second game plan was created by shifting hard earn sustainable wealth such as 401K and pension plans into market place, and by mixing it with unsustainable paper wealth under the disguise of economic fancy words such as "investment" when in fact the sustainable wealth was and still is used to sustain unsustainable paper wealth of some who did not create any sustainable GNP in the first place.

Third game is being played out by using false excuse of demand and supply to increase the gas and oil price in access of 200% +.

Fourth game is being played by creating friendly state politics and ideology to print currency to sustain unsustainable paper wealth.

A healthy game for some, and gloom and doom for the rest.


A time to ponder...............

A Diverse Nation Deserves a Diverse Inclusive Leader

United States of America is one of the most diverse contemporary nation on this beautiful planet. A nation must not forget it's diverse roots. All diverse roots must be recognized with equity, equality, and candor.

Mr. Obama gave a speech in Philadelphia, to counter pastor Wright's controversial statements, in which Mr. Obama specifically identified earlier European immigrants and what he called blacks in chain and alluded that these two groups were the founders of this nation with birth defect. The real birth defect of course is the short sightedness which fails to recognize nation's all diverse groups and their contributions in founding and building this nation. We must not forget the native Americans, the original owners of this nation, and other immigrants with diverse national origins and their contributions in building this nation. It is presumptuous to consider that this nation is the outcome of earlier European immigrants and the blacks in chain. Both the earlier Europeans and the unfortunate blacks in chain have contributed in founding and building the nation, and their contributions along with other immigrants and the native Americans must be recognize with equity, equality, and candor as well. Any political position short of inclusive of all shall be considered defective.


A time to ponder...................

Political Candidates and Their Accessibility

This morning visited three presidential candidates (Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama) websites. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's sites are proactive in recruiting and raising money, and have blocked out direct contacts from it's viewers. Viewers can view standardized web format and get answers from a standardized slate of answers. There is no easy way for viewers to directly send in their questions, concerns, and comments. However, John McCain's website though under construction provides viewers to directly send in their comments, concerns, and questions. It seems Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have made themselves less accessible than John McCain. Is this what we will expect from their White House? Clinton and Obama less accessible, and McCain more accessible..........


Time to ponder..........

Elections and Mental Health

In a democratic society, elections are one of the best barometers that reflect society's thoughts, feelings, deep rooted grievances, and psychological well being or lack of it. During elections political leaders engage in controversial and convoluted statements, pastors get into pastoral pontifications, media with different ideological bents find enough material to create shows to sell advertisements, and voters demonstrate their psychological well being through their psychological traits such as identifications, affiliations, and projections towards the candidates.



A time to ponder.............

Bigotry

The question: How to fight bigotry?

Answer: Not with counter bigotry.




Time to ponder.........

Change

What will it take to bring political change to current political milieu?

1. Responsible voters exercising voting power.

2. Educated and well informed voters.

3. Two million small donors and volunteers.

4. A diverse group of advisers to advise on issues such as economics, education, foreign policy,
defense policy.

5. A diverse group of cyber geeks.

6. A diverse group of public relation and media geeks.

7. An intelligent and well educated leader with social conscious.


A time to ponder.....................