We've embarked on a "War on Terrorism" that doesn't have fronts on a map, or massed armies. Fighting to win means engaging in ways that win the hearts and minds of people half-way 'round the world from us, people who listen to neither Jon Stewart nor the Fox network to inform their opinions of the USA.
Foreign policy:
more than insuring oil supplies and limiting nuclear proliferation.
All our military strength and intelligence gathering wasn't enough to stop the terrorist attacks in 2001.
"It's easy to assume the Obamas connections to Chicago are driving their interest, but the reality is they're using that obvious familiarity to the advantage of our entire country in this case.
Plain and simply, this is a great chance to put our American principles on display, and it's just a fortunate coincidence that the President and First Lady have personal ties to the only U.S. city in the running for the 2016 games."
The reason Tokyo, Rio, and Madrid are still in the hunt for the summer Olympic bid for that year is that world opinion matters, and hosting the Olympic games boosts any country's image.
Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, and political analyst who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.
(Topics: John Hughes, Chicago, movies, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Zennie Abraham)
When I learned that John Hughes passed away, SFGate.com referred to one of his films "Sixteen Candles" and I thought: What?! Heck with that; the best John Hughes film ever was "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"! That is one of my top 10 movies of all time. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is tops in my movie collection and when I think of Chicago, my hometown, that's the movie I think of.
Why?
Because "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was and is the ultimate "coming of age" story but with a twist. Ferris Bueller already came of age before the movie; we come of age watching Ferris take over Chicago for a day, even as he was thought to be very sick by everyone at his school except the principal and his nosy sister.
That movie was the epicenter of popular sayings like "Who do you think you are? Abe Froeman?" (The mythical "Sausage King of Chicago" that Bueller claims to be while trying to worm his way into an expensive Friench restaurant), or "Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy... Ssssswwiiiinng batter!" , which Alan Ruck, who played Cameron, was actually ad-libbing "He can't hit-he can't hit-he can't hit-he can't hit". It had, front and center, every young man's fantasy: to drive a hot red car all over the place, have your hot girl friend and best friend in it, and absolutely no responsibility for paying for it (because your friend's parents own it).
(Of course, it took Cameron to cause its destruction, just as he was going through his pivotal change where he's ready to argue with his dad.)
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was Chicago: big, brash, bold, old and yet young, all in the body of Ferris Bueller. We saw every inch of the downtown of the City with The Big Shoulders, from State Street and Michigan Avenue, to The Sears Tower (I refuse to use its new name) and Grant Park and the Lake Front. It was a moving, wonderful travelogue of a city I love to this day.
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was our introduction to one of America's bad boys: Charlie Sheen. Playing a drug addict who makes the moves on Ferris' sister (played by Jennifer Grey), Sheen's "James Dean" take was the hit of the show behind Matthew Broderick, who is Ferris Bueller.
I've got to admit because Broderick played his role so effortlessly, it's hard for me to think of him as anyone else he's played in his long and distinguished career. As much as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was a coming of age movie, it was Broderick's coming of age movie.
More at chicagotribune.com: “WASHINGTON - Roland Burris and Democratic Party leaders headed toward a symbolic showdown at the door of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday as the former Illinois attorney general presses his claim to a disputed seat.
Burris said in an interview Monday evening that he intends to try to walk onto the Senate floor to be sworn in with incoming senators when the Senate convenes Tuesday despite declarations from party leaders that they will prevent the 71-year-old, longtime politician from entering the legislative body's ornate chamber.
The imagery of authorities stopping a graying African-American man at the threshold of political power promises to be a moment of high drama in a controversy that has joined the complicated politics of race with the sensational corruption scandal swirling around Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The governor, undeterred by criminal charges that he sought to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, picked Burris last week.”
-- I can't understand the ego of a man like Roland Burris, who knows damn well he's not going to be confirmed or accepted by the Senate and is just opening up a major can of worms. Burris can't be that stupid, which leads me to think something else is up. What, I don't know.
What bothers me even more is that Burris seems to be doing it in the face of his "good friend" as he put it President-Elect Barack Obama. If he were Obama's good friend, he'd have elected not to be Blagojevich's designated selection. Something's afoot.
More at Chicago Breaking News: “Like many Americans, Barack Obama spent today getting things organized so he could head back to work after an extended holiday vacation.
But the president-elect's departure from Chicago's Midway Airport for a flight to Andrews Air Force Base brought with it some emotion, as he left behind an empty home and the city most associated with his historic political rise.
"I gotta say I choked up a little bit leaving my house today," he told reporters aboard a military aircraft that transported him to Washington.”
More at FOXNews.com Transition Tracker: “CHICAGO -- The Illinois House committee investigating a possible impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich won't subpoena two incoming White House advisers, the committee chairwoman said Saturday, shutting down a request from the governor's attorney.
In a letter received by the committee Friday, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald asked the special investigative committee specifically to not subpoena President-elect Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Nils Larsen, a Tribune Co. executive vice president.
Fitzgerald said any such subpoenas "would interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation into the activities of Governor Rod Blagojevich and others."”
-- To me this is evidence that it was a member or members of the Obama camp that "outted" Blago to begin with. They're being protected and rightly so. Blago should not have disrespected the President-Elect with his behavior.
More at SFGate.com : “In a move intended to force public testimony from President-elect Barack Obama's inner circle, a lawyer for Gov. Rod Blagojevich has asked the legislative panel considering impeachment of the governor to subpoena more than a dozen witnesses, including Obama's incoming chief of staff.”
-- Blago knows where the bodies are buried, but not with Obama's people. Things will get interesting when -- and if -- Blago turns to the Illinois legislature in the other issues surrounding the ethics charges.
If you're on Twitter you may have noticed - or may not have seen -- that I just landed in Denver. But here I am after having caught a flight from Oakland to this hub with the intent of catching another flight to Atlanta. That flight, UAL 7515, which was to leave at about 7 PM, was delayed to 9:19 PM, giving me time to catch up on stuff like blogging.
I think this is the fourth time I've been at DIA this year, the other three trips courtesy of my work at the Democratic National Convention. But regardless of the city -- Denver, New York, Chicago, Atlanta -- I love to fly. To me, since air travel became so accessible to so many people due to low fares, one can gain the measure of America in an airport: fashion, concerns, and overall mood.
The mood I would describe as "mellow". It certainly feels like the holiday season but it's almost like people are going through the motion of traveling but don't have a lot of gifts to give. I don't see a lot of gift bags or bags that look like they've got gifts in them.
I see a lot of kids and families and college students traveling alone, presumably to see their parents. And of course there's an occasional single person, like me.
Hard Times Without Studs: A heartfelt blog post. Tom Englehardt rightly points to radio host Laura Flanders mention of the Chicago Labor protest by over 200 workers and how President-Elect Barack Obama supported their efforts. It's a new day; a shock to a generation raised on the idea of union-busting without even knowing what unions are, let alone why they exist.
Chicago Business News, Analysis & Articles | Illinois' top lawmakers to strip Blago of senate pick power | Crain's: “(Crain’s) — The state’s top two legislative leaders Tuesday said they will move fast to seize control of the process of selecting a replacement for Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, taking that power away from Gov. Rod Blagojevich. In separate statements, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones said they will call a special legislative session next week to repeal the state law that now gives the governor the power to fill Mr. Obama’s seat. Both said they will press instead for a special election to fill the remaining two years of Mr. Obama’s term. “I am prepared to convene the House next Monday to change state law to provide for a special election for the U.S. Senate replacement,” Mr. Madigan said. “I would urge U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin to take note of this action.” Mr. Durbin earlier on Tuesday had called for such action in the wake of Mr. Blagojevich’s arrest on federal corruption charges.”
While people around the country were peacefully celebrating now President-Elect Barack Obama's victory, there were groups of African Americans that were not able to do so without attack, and all of this happened right in the backyard of President-Elect Obama: Chicago.
Here's one video explaining the events that led to a class-action lawsuit:
In this video below, it's claimed that five White police officers on Chicago's West Side broke into her home and brandished a gun then cursed at her. According to reports, the officers were off-duty and yet went over in unmarked cars to terrorize these Chicagoans. This is the second of three lawsuits filed and not for the same neighborhood, but for another incident in Chicago:
Something must be done about this and ASAP. President-Elect Obama's selection has sparked a rise in U.S. Hate Crimes , and it's particularly unacceptable for police officers to be involved. The Chicago Police should fire these men without pay.
No allegations against Obama in Illinois: official | Politics | Reuters: “CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama was in no way implicated in the federal corruption charges against the governor of his home state of Illinois, a fellow Democrat, the U.S. prosecutor in the case said on Tuesday.
"I should make clear the complaint makes no allegations about the president-elect whatsoever," said U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.”
Blagojevich arrested on federal charges - Chicago Breaking News: “Updated at 9:17 a.m.: Blagojevich also was alleged to be using a favors list, made up largely of individuals and firms that have state contracts or received taxpayer benefits, from which to conduct a $2.5 million fundraising drive before year's end. Even Blagojevich's recently announced $1.8 billion plan for new interchanges and "green lanes" on the Illinois Tollway was subject to corruption, prosecutors alleged. The complaint repeatedly makes reference to conversations secretly recorded by federal authorities. The criminal complaint alleges Blagojevich expected an unnamed highway concrete contractor to raise a half-million dollars for his campaign fund in exchange for state money for the tollway project. "If they don't perform, (expletive) 'em," Blagojevich said, according to the complaint. Updated at 9:08 a.m.: Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., according to the FBI. They were transported to FBI headquarters in Chicago, where they remained at 9 a.m. Updated at 9 a.m.: Blagojevich is slated to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan today at a time that has not yet been scheduled, according to Randall Samborn of the U.S. attorney's office. Updated at 8:57 a.m.: On the issue of the U.S. Senate selection, federal prosecutors alleged Blagojevich sought appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama administration, or a lucrative job with a union in exchange for appointing a union-preferred candidate. An Obama spokesman had no immediate comment. Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co. Blagojevich and Harris, along with others, obtained and sought to gain financial benefits for the governor, members of his family and his campaign fund in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state jobs and state contracts. "The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement. "They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism." Updated at 8:48 a.m.: Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges.”
--- This has nothing to do with President-Elect Obama as by law, the Governor and not Obama selects the next Senator.
Ok. So you're wondering what President-Elect Obama's weird and little known likes and interests are? Here's a list just presented by Denise Hawkins on the Obama listserv:
He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics
• He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball
• His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili
• His favourite meal is wife Michelle's shrimp linguini
• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams
From My Father
• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed
• He has read every Harry Potter book
• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali
• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now
can't stand ice cream
• His favourite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars
• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in
Indonesia
• He can speak Spanish
• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports
channels on instead
• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea
• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president –
he didn't
• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia
• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs
• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed
by his full name
• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his
Somehow we received a ticket to the Election Night party, good for a guest and myself. I thought this was no big deal, but learned later, when I was doing some work Election Day that many people had requested tickets and almost no one was lucky enough to get them. So, I figured the stars were shining on me. After rushing to pack a few things, as we were staying overnight in our downtown condo, I took the El, which became progressively more crowded until the subway became jam-packed. I got off to see streets blocked off, a million policemen and women, hustlers hawking t-shirts, and people everywhere. I hurried to the condo to put away my things.
My husband and I ate a quick meal and made our way to Grant Park, where we were happy to see that ticket holders had an easy entrance. We hurried along a maze that moved quickly until we hit a sudden stop. Oops. Security. After a long, long wait, we went through TSA (yes, the same people who do airport security) and also noticed the watchful eyes of the secret service. After opening a pillbox of mine and spilling my medications on ground (thank you so much), TSA sent us on on our way to the crowd. And I mean crowd. Having tickets only mean that we were in the throng closer to the stage than the hoi polloi back in the hinterlands by Balboa street. Being short, I could not see the stage for the life of me, so I had to crane my neck to watch the Jumbotron all night. Someone told me there were seats, but those had been taken long ago--probably by people who lined up hours ago.
When things really started going and CNN started calling the states, the crowd started hollering every time Obama took a few electoral votes. The espirt de corps was high. We were all one, and Obama was our guiding light. We cheered the Democratic senators who won. Every time polls closed in new time zones, we counted down, and new numbers started spilling in. My husband held a portable TV to his ear and told us that other stations were calling states earlier than CNN. Even Fox called Pennsylvania faster than CNN. But eventually CNN did call PA, and McCain's road became more and more unnavigable. Victory for Obama was looking good.
Whenever the camera switched to us in Grant Park, we jumped around hollering like crazy people, even though there was no chance anyone would recognize us in that crowd. We still wanted to world to know that Chicago was having the biggest party in the country. Any doubts about Obama winning were obliterated by this time, and we could see the landslide coming, We knew if was only a matter of time. We grew wearing of waiting for Virginia and Ohio, especially since all the other networks had called Ohio. Eventually, the Ohio call came, and people were dancing in place. Calls of O-BAM-A went sweeping through the throng. McCain was winning the South and there were some boos, but it was pretty restrained. It was a polite crowd, all things told. No one expected Obama to win Mississipi or Texas, anyway.
Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and, of course, Illinois, all came in and the crowd became delirious. So close, so close. What was going on with Colorado? What was wrong with Virginia? And Florida? Too close to call. We wanted Florida badly. My stomach was tightening up with anticipation. When would it happen? When?
Then like a scene change in a play, everything was transformed. The countdown came for the polls to close in the West Coast. Five, four, three, two, one. Polls closed. And then, filling the screen: Obama wins the Presidency! Shrieks went through the crowd. People were hugging and kissing each other. It was like New Year's Eve. People jumping in place. Yelling. Dancing. We listened respectfully to McCain's concession speech, which was amazingly good-natured and full of hope and promise. We applauded his spirit of camaraderie and good sportsmanship. Then sound system started playing music (including "Signed, Sealed and Delivered," which is the Obama ring tone for chief strategist David Axelrod). Even though people were jammed in shoulder to shoulder, we danced. We sang. A bishop prayed. We said the pledge of allegiance. Someone sang the national anthem and butchered the words, so the crowd joined in and sang it correctly. There were tears.
Striding on the stage came the president-elect. Oh my goodness, could we actually be saying those words? President-elect Obama? Obama spoke so eloquently, so rapturously, that I cannot remember the words. I only remember the chills going down my back. Not only did he inspire me about the nation, he inspired me about my own life. Never have I ever felt so passionately about candidate as I have about this man. We were all practically lifted off our feet by his towering oratory. Then the family came on stage. We wildly applauded Michelle and Biden and everyone else. We even cheered for their plans to get a puppy. It was joy piled upon joy. Suddenly, like all dreams, it was over.
We filed out, a bit starstruck, and on this unusually warm night, we just wandered around in the streets, which were too full of people for any cars. It was a bit like a street fair. Some restaurants stayed open. Everyone loved everyone else. Smiles all around. I headed up to the condo to talk late into the night to my son in Florida, who told me all about his experiences down there. And then I turned in, not sure if what I had experienced was real or not--but happy, incredibly, zooming-to-the-moon happy. And when I woke up, I had to remember all over again, that what I had experienced was real.
To see my photos, got to www.xanga.com/bastetmax .
This is historic, and not just because Obama is African American, but because of the sheer reach of this campaign and the number of people involved in it.
FULL TEXT of SPEECH:
PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA: If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
Its the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
Its the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nations promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nations next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy thats coming with us to the White House. And while shes no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what youve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didnt start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generations apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didnt do this just to win an election and I know you didnt do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how theyll make the mortgage, or pay their doctors bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who wont agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government cant solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, its that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldnt vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when womens voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
After the rainiest day in recorded Chicago history, residents across the area faced more storms, closed roads and flooded basements Sunday as the remnants of Hurricane Ike were expected to arrive. Saturday's rainfall, as measured at O'Hare Int'l Airport, was at least 6.63 inches, breaking the city calendar-day record of 6.49 on Aug. 14, 1987
National Review Contributing Editor Stanley Kurtz either has little to do, or has taken something which caused his intelligence quotient to fly South for the Summer. He's trying to link Senator Barack Obama to the alledged terrorist group of 1960s Chicago called "The Weather Underground" through the fact that in 2002, Obama and William Ayers, one of its members, were on the same board of directors of a Chicago non-profit.
There's one problem. Barack Obama was a kid in the 60s and not even living in Chicago. But I was in Chicago in the 60s and was born there -- proudly. So to look at Kurtz logic, I'm as much if not more a real Weatherman than Obama. In fact, why not count every Black male and kid in Chicago at the time!
See how silly Kurtz' argument is? More proof that conservatives are fishing for anything that they think will stick to Senator Obama on his way toward the presidency, even if it's just totally stupid.
My Auntie Jan has been a member of Trinity United Methodist Church for years. After some proding, she sat down to talk with me about a man she admires so much, the Hon. Rev. Jeremiah Wright. She explains that he's been misunderstood -- and deliberately because one of his parishioners, Senator Barack Obama, is running for President -- and that America does not understand much of its history. I would add that America does not understand its own culture.
We've embarked on a "War on Terrorism" that doesn't have fronts on a map, or massed armies. Fighting to win means engaging in ways that win the hearts and minds of people half-way 'round the world from us, people who listen to neither Jon Stewart nor the Fox network to inform their opinions of the USA."It's easy to assume the Obamas connections to Chicago are driving their interest, but the reality is they're using that obvious familiarity to the advantage of our entire country in this case.
Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, and political analyst who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.
