Our Voice Now

Politics has always been a down and dirty business, there is no denying that. Going back to the early days no one was spared - Lincoln was portrayed as being inexperienced and not able to run a country, much less be prepared for a war. Yet, in the 21st Century, some things still have no changed.

No matter which candidate one is for, I think it’s safe to say that McCain using the images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and trying to put Obama in that category is just, well, desperate. Is Obama perfect? No. Has he run some negative ads too? Yes. But for a candidate who has been speaking about how experienced he is and how he is far more suited to run a country, it’s pretty sad that he is the same one who resorted to exploiting the stupidity of two young women in Hollywood and bringing it into politics. Has he nothing else? He has to start making up stuff?

And why have the Democrats not fought back? I really don’t know. I agree that staying on topic is important but there comes a time when it is time to stand up and say enough is enough and it can be done in a way that is mature and not stooping to a schoolyard shoving match. For one they could start with demanding that ad be pulled as none of the people saying Obama’s name gave their permision for their voices to be used in the ad either. But that is yet another Bush GOP (because there is still a good number of Republicans who aren’t Bush Republicans) tactic - take what you want whether it’s legal or not and apologize later even though you don’t mean it.

With China cracking down on internet access during the Olympics, word has come out that they are now ordering hotels there to install their software that would allow authorities to monitor the internet use by visitors during the Olympics. That in and of itself comes as no real surprise. What is funny and ironic is that it was Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican from Kansas, who decided it was his duty to warn people. Some officials are going so far as to tell US travelers to leave their laptops at home as it would mean their computers would be allowed to be spied upon in China.

Really? Funny how it’s wrong and evil when it’s another government doing it to US citizens but it’s perfectly fine (and supported by that same above mentioned Senator) when it’s the US government spying on it’s own people. How is what the Bush administration, with their wire-tappings, no fly lists and I am quite sure internet spying, ANY different from what China does?? It’s not. It’s just more of the ‘do as we say, not as we do’ policy of the Bush group.

As someone who has dealt with the Universal Health Care in both Australia and Scotland, allow me to say it is not close to the horror stories we hear over here.

Australia was the first. Before I left the US I had been bitten by two deer ticks with lyme disease. I didn’t notice any rash until I was in Australia and, as I was going to be there for nearly two months, decided to go to the local doctor to get the necessary antibiotics. Granted, I did know what I needed and the dosage and all. But I went figuring I’d have to wait at least three hours to see the dr. I was in and out with a full months supply of the antibiotic in twenty minutes. You know what else was nice? The pharmacy is attached to the dr. office! And how much did it cost me? About $8 US - for everything.

The second time was a few years ago in Scotland. I got food poisoning - very badly. They had to take me to the hospital by ambulance. I was admitted to the hospital, had 4 saline IV’s and so on. It was a public hospital and the care I received could not have been better!! They were attentive, listened to me, knew what to do and I ended up leaving in the afternoon of my own accord. I was, however, terrified about the bill I’d have from that. How much was it? Nothing! Trust me, you’d never receive that kind of care in an American hospital (anyone see that woman who died in the waiting room??).

Their are drawbacks to any kind of healthcare program. For example - HMO’s here don’t allow you to choose your own doctor if he’s not in their plan. You need referrals even to get an x-ray if you break your arm on a Saturday night. You can’t get name brand medication because odds are your prescription plan will only cover generic. And we pay a fortune each month for coverage and yet Aetna or Bluecross can still refuse to cover a necessary operation!

So this fear about a universal health plan is unfounded and, again, made up of myths and lies. People have said that those living in countries with a Universal Plan have horror story after horror story. Here’s a news flash - so do Americans.

One other thing about these countries - yes they have a free Nationwide Plan but they also offer a private plan that you pay to be part of that allows you to go to any hospital of your choosing - public or private. So if you so choose, you can keep your private coverage. That, I believe, is what Obama is talking about in regards to his health plan. The problem is that the idea of Universal Health Plan in America is so foreign to us that most don’t understand it. That and many Americans don’t bother taking the time to learn about the world outside of our borders.

So this myth about Universal Health Care being so horrible is yet another fear that has been shoved down our throats by the likes of Merck, Aetna and lobbyists and the politicians in the pockets of the likes - similar to if we buy our prescriptions in Canada we will all die because they aren’t regulated like ours are. Yep, I see Canadians are dropping like flies due to their prescriptions.

Before assuming that a Universal system is bad because we’ve been told so without reason for so many years why not look into it and let’s be an educated nation when it comes to our options.

It seems silly, really, that somehow Cindy McCain is ‘off limits’ in this race. Why? Was it not McCain and the GOP who went after Theresa Heinz-Kerry for having inherited part of the Heinz fortune when her first husband died? She wasn’t even born into it!

So allow me to do what others refuse to.

John McCain is going around trying to convince us that he understands what the working person is going through - he understands our suffering. Really? His pension is $57,000 a year! That’s more than most people make working 40+ hours a week. He married into money - big money! Today it was reported (in the UK because at least they still understand the concept of journalism) that Cindy McCain stands to gain quite an addition fortune from this buyout. So exactly how is a husband and wife who has never had to work for anything in their lives expected to understand what we are going through financially? His own economic advisor accused us, the American people, of imaging the economy is so bad.

However, more importantly, what comes into play the fact that in a time when we are losing so many jobs and companies to Europe, Cindy McCain is now part of that problem. She is a chairwoman with Hensley - a distributor of Anheuser-Busch products. There has been no mention of if she tried to stop the sale of the beer company to Belgium. There has been no mention of the fact that the wife of a Presidential candidate is now responsible for the sale of one of our major companies to a foreign nation.

Cindy McCain is fair game when it comes to her part in the selling out America and shipping jobs and the economy overseas. Cindy McCain is now officially an outsourcer of American jobs.

By now most people have heard about the cover of The New Yorker. They claim it is a satire. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t but I doubt they would do that about McCain.

But that real issues plaguing America goes far deeper than being offended over a magazine cover. On Friday night, on CNN’s Election Center, they did a piece where one of their reporters is now travelling around the nation finding out what the average voter thinks. During the West Virginia primaries three elderly woman shocked many by blatently stating they would not vote for Obama because one believed that Blacks were a problem and why would she vote for a race we have problems with. One said he was a Muslim and she would never vote for a Muslim and the other said she was sick of Hussein.

Fine, people laughed, figured they were old women from West Virginia (which played into the stereotype of W. VA) and figured they were in the minority. Their comments did not represent the South by any means.

Until Friday… their reporter went to a minor league baseball game in Nashville. The first person they interviewed was again an older woman who has voted Democrat for 18 years. This year she is voting for McCain. Why? I was waiting for the age issue or that she was a bitter Hillary supporter - lame but acceptable reasons. No. Her reason? He’s a Muslim. She then referred them to her friend who is more politicially involved. He was 50-something. He was not voting for Obama because, and I do quote “I’m an old Southern Boy. I don’t see a black man making change. The only black man I’ve seen make change had a cup in his hand.” Yes, he said that. On camera. And said it as if there was nothing wrong with it - that everyone in the world says it.

THAT is what is wrong with America. The South for far too long has been laughed at as a bunch of inbred rednecks who’s opinion and voice doesn’t really matter and it’s okay that they stay racist and ignorant because they are the south. Well maybe it’s time we force the South into the 21st Century. Maybe it’s time we stop laughing at them and start holding them accountable for choosing to remain ignorant and hold onto the views of the 1950’s.

We have chosen to ignore that racism is a problem in this country because no one wants to talk about it. It’s an uncomfortable topic that will get both sides up in arms and fighting but the fact is, it needs to be dealt with. Whatever one’s views are regarding Obama the fact is that maybe he had to run to make the rest of us see what we have been ignoring and allowing to be acceptable practice in this country for far too long.

How do we, as a nation, have a right to invade other countries and tell them how they are supposed to run their government and how they are to work for peace when we are ignoring so many major problems and issue in our own country with our own people?

How do we, as a nation, expect to move forward when we allow such a large part of our nation to remain in the past?

The New Yorker should be held accountable for their cover. There is nothing funny about it when it is a cover made up of lied. But we should all be held accountable for not dealing with the real problems in this nation on an individual basis.

And why have none of the people who make such an issue that Obama did not wear a flag lapel pin gotten up in arms over the fact that The New Yorker’s cover shows a burning flag?

EDIT: I would like to clarify that my response wasn’t so much to the fact that The New Yorker used that cover but the double standard that a) they probably wouldn’t have done that to McCain and b) if they had heads would have rolled before the ink was dry. And yes, my comments regarding the South are a bit hypocritical it would seem and not all Southerners are like that but that guy in Nashville really, really ticked me off. Yet on the flip side - there is still a lot of that going on in the South (and yes, some in the North and West) whether we like to admit it or not.

It appears that for once the basic statement made by Sen. Phil Gramm is correct - America is a nation of whiners. However, when one digs a little deeper, he was referring to Americans ‘whining’ about the cost of gas, the cost of food and the economy. He, as Sen. McCain’s Economic Advisor for his presidential campaign, believes that the average American (or peasant to him) is imagining the economy is so bad. Apparently when we pay no less than $50 to fill our car (and that’s just regular!), we aren’t really paying that much - it’s only in our head.

It would seem that somehow we are having a mass hallucination.

In one regard, America has become a nation of whiners. People whine about smoking in restaurants, people whine about not smoking in restaurants. We whine about too many developments, yet many of those whiners are the same people who have only recently moved into said developments. We whine about what words are allowed on tv, we whine about what words are not allowed on tv. We whine about not feeling well, we whine about working out to feel better.

So yes, the basic statement by Mr. Gramm is correct.

What is not correct is that facade that somehow McCain and his team have a clue about what the average American is going through. Mr. Gramm would not have made that statement in reference to our legitimate complaints about the way this administration is running things if he had to live paycheck to paycheck. Sen. McCain would have been more disgusted by Mr. Gramm’s statement if he hadn’t married into billions.

Once again the GOP has only proven they are completely out of touch with the American people and with reality. If the Economic Advisor for a campaign has the audacity to belittle the American people AND claim the economy is not doing badly at all and we are just imagining it how, exactly, will the economy get better under their administration?

On a different note, do you think the credit card companies will accept “you are only imagining I have a bill” if we refuse to pay? Probably not.

I realize I’m a bit late in regards to the ‘horrible’ news that Ed McMahon is facing living on the streets - if he can’t sell his $6.5 million dollar home that is.

What a sad, heartbreaking moment to watch him beg for sympathy (and apparently financial help) from the American people on Larry King. How nice it was to hear Mr. McMahon relate to the millions of fellow Americans also facing foreclosure of their homes… homes that cost nowhere near $6.5!

Really? What, exactly, was he thinking by trying to get sympathy from the very people who are not just losing their homes but are also having to give up their pets in hopes of keeping their modest home for their children to live in? When many people are currently having to work two to three jobs just to make enough to pay for gas and food did he really think we’d all collectively say “Oh, that poor man. We must send money to him so he can keep his home that cost more than we will ever even dream of seeing in our lifetime”?

Once again another example of the elite being out of touch with reality (Hollywood or otherwise). The following night on Entertainment Tonight he proceded to give a tour of his home for all the world to see what he may have to live without if it is foreclosed. The best part? He mentioned it’s been getting more difficult to pay his landscaping bills and his housecleaners. Here’s a thought - do it yourself? Get your kids to help out? Make the plastic wife work for her surgeries?

Much like Bush acting as if he understood the pain and suffering those affected by Hurricane Katrina (I’m guessing he meant the pain of losing his favorite local bar), Ed McMahon has no understanding of what it’s really like to lose a home and tell your young children they will have to live in a shelter with strangers.

Can we now please stop admiring celebrities and start celebrating the hard-working man or woman?

In reading the editorials for the last few weeks and watching coverage on television, I felt it was time that I, as a conservative, Baptist woman, write in with why I am supporting Senator Barack Obama.

I’ve heard the arguments from the right-wing.  I’ve heard the bashing from the Republicans (a party of which I was a member until 2005).  Many undecided and former Hillary supporters are also asking “Why?  Why this man?” 

While I can’t speak for others, I can give my answer.  The simple answer is we need a change from old politics.  We also need a change from only those over the age of sixty running the country.  We are in the 21st Century now and things move a lot faster than they did even five years ago.  There is no more room for the old “We are number one and the rest of the world can worship us” attitude.  Ask your children.  Odds are they have many friends around the world now thanks to the internet.  We need to accept other cultures as they are and not condemn them simply because they seem so foreign to us.  Senator McCain has admitted he does not even know how to work a computer!

One common concern I hear is that we know nothing about Senator Obama.  That his followers are simply “drinking his kool-aid”.  I will be the first to admit that when he first announced he was running for office I was excited remembering the powerful speech he gave at the Democratic Convention back in 2004.  As more and more crowds were drawn to his speeches I, too, took a moment to take a hard look and wondered if, in fact, he might turn out to be another Jim Jones.  But then I took it a step further.  I prayed about it.  I read “The Audacity of Hope”.  I watched the debates and was careful to pay close attention to his reactions, his mannerisms, any sign that he might not be practicing what he was preaching so to speak.  And after all that I found that I truly believe his is sincere and, more importantly, who we need to lead this country right now.

So, as a Baptist and conservative and former Republican, why am I voting for him?  Because for the first time in a very long time, probably going back to before I was able to vote, Senator Obama is the first candidate whose actions reflect the Biblical teachings of Jesus more than any other in the past.  I will wait a moment for those who just gasped to catch their breath.  No, readers, the Republicans do not own God nor are they the only ones who can be Christians.

Jesus has told us to love our enemies.  He taught us to love one another.  Through His actions, he was ridiculed by the religious leaders of His day when He chose to associate with the Gentiles, befriended a prostitute, and chose to make common people His disciples instead of those who spent their lives studying the Old Testament.  Those same religious leaders are the ones who spread rumors about Jesus, did their best to condemn Him for His actions, tried to turn people against Him even as large crowds were drawn to His speeches on the Sea of Galilee.   

We are constantly reminded by churches of the initials WWJD?  Well, my question to all those who are so busy commenting on the lives of people you have never met is exactly that - what would Jesus do?  Would He tell us to go right ahead and judge people based on our own personal beliefs?  Or would He tell us to follow His words and let others see Him through our everyday lives by compassion and understanding?  How many of the ones who are doing the most complaining about the decline of civilization are spending a few hours a week volunteering at a homeless shelter, a community cupboard or lending an ear to those who have been abused?  We are ALL God’s children around the world.  God didn’t just create Americans and the rest of the world ‘happened’.   

So back to why I am for Senator Obama - he reaches out to everyone no matter what social status they have, what income level, what race, religion or gender.  He understands that America can not and will not move forward and catch up with the rest of the world (a world that has long since left us in the dust) until we recognize we are all Americans in this together.  The Bush administration has done a fine job at dividing us by state color, by ethnic background (in what other country to you hear people say they are Italian this or Irish that?  Have you ever heard someone say they are African- British?).  We, as a nation, need to start focusing on our similarities and are like goals and not try to dwell on our differences.  Obama sees that.  He understands that.  He does not get up in front of crowds to say he is the only one who can do that.  He gets up and tells people that he cannot do it alone - no one can.  That we, the voters and citizens, need to do it. 

Senator Obama understands that we cannot go into other countries and demand that they believe what we believe or that they run their country like we run ours.  We are one of the youngest countries out there.  He understands that diplomacy, yes, even talking with those we don’t agree with, is the only way to get change.  We can no longer afford to play the schoolyard bully who throws a hissy fit when things don’t go his way or refuse to talk to someone because they said something we didn’t like.  If we are to be a part of this world, economically and otherwise, we need to open lines of communication.  He understands that kindness and talking accomplishes far more.   World and people experience can be far more important than office experience at times.

Senator Obama also puts family first.  He is home for PTA meetings, for dance recitals, for soccer games even with his busy schedule.  That right there speaks volumes for the kind of man he is and what his values are.  He’s not simply a ‘call-in dad’, he is there for his daughters.   

For those still believing he is a Muslim and, for whatever reason, find that offensive.  First of all, we are a nation founded on the Freedom of Religion.  Second, how could anyone still think that after all the controversy regarding Reverend Wright - the pastor of the church the Obama’s have been members of for twenty years?  And in addressing the Rev. Wright concern - how is he any different than Jerry Falwell, Oral Roberts or any other fundamental pastor?  He’s not. 

For those still believing that his real first name is Barry and that he changed it to Barack for whatever reason - no, his real given name is Barack.  Hussein is a common name in the Mid-East as well, about as common as naming someone John here. 

I would like to take a moment to address the Hillary Clinton supporters who are still threatening to vote for Senator McCain.  You are free to vote for whomever you wish but please remember this.  McCain will overturn Roe v. Wade and RvW is far more than simply an abortion issue - it’s a women’s rights issue.  If you are willing to send the rights of women back into the dark ages then please don’t complain about it when it happens because you were upset that a woman was not elected.  It will happen it just wasn’t the right time this year.

I would also like to respond to a few specifics written recently.  One person recently wrote in about how horrible it is that women some countries are forced to cover their faces.  That is part of their culture and religion.  Do all women like it?  No.  But that statement is equal to someone in another country stating how sad it is that Americans are forced to place our hands over our hearts during the Pledge of Allegiance.  We don’t even give it a second thought because it’s just what we do. 

The other is that some have expressed concerns about how their children and grandchildren will be unsafe if same-sex marriage is allowed or if Roe v. Wade is not overturned.  I ask - how?  How will either of these affect your life?  These are religious choices NOT government.  To base the good of the country and the people from ALL walks of life on two religious and personal choices is among the most unbiblical things one could do.   

So I am supporting Barack Obama not because he is the ‘history making candidate’ or because he gives good speeches.  I am supporting Barack Obama because, as a Christian, a woman and an American, I know he is the best choice for getting our nation back on track and restoring our respect in the rest of the world and is truly the best person for the job of uniting this nation and that his life and his decisions and choices are made with his faith in God and compassion for all people being two of the biggest factors.