The American Dream Deferred

The American Dream Deferred

“America was established not to create wealth but to realize a vision, to realize an ideal - to discover and maintain liberty among men. “-Woodrow Wilson

It has been many years since the time of American Dreams realized. It would seem, since the birth of this great nation, that we the people have forgotten to realize the vision. A vision , that sculpted the mountain of the American way and made the U.S. the pinnacle of the World. Founded on the principles of liberty, freedom, and justice for all, we have throughout history contradicted the very principles that made us who we are. We as America have been the wind that has carried democracy, natural rights, and freedom throughout the valleys of the world, yet we deny many who are our fellow the natural right for well being.

Today’s America has matured from the days of slavery, denial of women’s rights, civil rights for all Americans, and public discriminatory racism to childish bickering of democrats versus republicans, conservatives versus liberals, and patriots and terrorism. When will the debauchery in America end. When will our greed and selfishness be replaced with Americanism and selflessness. People elect their representatives for irrational views than for the commonwealth of people and our nation. Our country bled the blood of countrymen for rights of freedom of religion but dictated politicians to the code of “Christianity”. Our spite of our fellow man and self interest blind our founding principles of the American way. The American dream.

Somehow we as a people have tarnished the glorious western light of liberty with pettiness and and foreign bullying. We arrogantly borrow from countries whose governmental ideologies differ from one another and then shove democracy in to nations whose culture and religion that conflicts with our concepts. The American Dream has evolved into the nightmare from the west, who dictates and forces our religion and democratic ideologies on the very difference that we cherish as America. How have we stray so far from home. Why do we roam for fear and force instead of exploration and innovation. We have allowed our fear to distort our vision of the world and manipulated Christianity to justify the cause.

It is that clouded judgment that has somehow made Christianity a qualification to be a real American. In a country founded on the bases of freedom of religion, we have become a nation that persecutes and isolate those whose religious preference differs from our own. In today’s world, we fight the crusade against Muslim nations and label it the war on terror so we can have a clear conscience. when we go to bed at night. Subsequently. we have become the very terrorist we despise and seek out. Not to point fingers but, it seems since Conservative Republicans took office eight years ago, hate, fear, and deception has been the fuel that drove our military into the heart of Muslim nations to wage war with and idea.

From observation of this nation’s past decade, one notion is true the American dream has been lost, abandoned for hate, diminished by fear and discouraged by deception. When will she return, when lady America grace American shores with her glory. It is not certain the time nor the hour, but merely determined by the minds and hearts of the American People who dream the dream of dreams.- William R. Gilbert, Jr.

Wake Up America

Why America? Why?

What are we fighting for in Iraq?

What are we trying to win?

What are we trying to accomplish?

What are we winning?

Where is the honor in fighting in Iraq when we invaded on false pretenses?

What is the mission we are trying to accomplish?

We used the names and the lives who were lost on 9/11 in vain to validate a dishonorable war in

Iraq.

What are We doing America?

Why have we lost sight of our true American Ways?

When will America act like America and have the unity that makes us the “United” States?

We all must be able to compromise on our views,feelings, and opinions in order to do good for the Whole.

“He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it. “- Confucius

We as a Nation must grow together as one. Since the days of our founding fathers we have been

the light of the world’s horizon and to ensure that our light shines into the future collectively as

one we must resound the voices of liberty across the world.

Wake Up America.

- William Gilbert, Jr.

Dear America

Dear America,

“For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. “- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

We have come to a time in American History, where the hour of change is at hand for every American citizen. It is now apparent that we as Americans have allowed the past administration to neglect the very nation we hold so true. Under the administrations past have allowed our troops to fight for honor in a dishonorable war and our economy slip into economic peril. For far too many years we have bled our economy with two wars and as a result we have lost jobs for hard working Americans, neglected our infrastructure , and crippled our credit market. We have fed the bellies of fats cats in Washington and Wall Street to the point that the entire U.S. economy is suffering from economic starvation.

“Don’t forget what I discovered that over ninety percent of all national deficits from 1921 to 1939 were caused by payments for past, present, and future wars.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt

The war in Iraq alone has unmercifully bled our economy dry and set of a chain reaction of economic calamity across the entire globe. The Iraqi war was founded on false and dishonorable pretenses and has adversely strained our alliances across the world. Many believe that if we stay in Iraq that somehow we can win a fruitless war and leave with our dignity and honor. Yet, the reality is that we must admit and apologize for our dishonorable intrusion of Iraq ,for that is the true honorable way. The definition of Honor is as stated: honesty, fairness, or integrity in one’s beliefs and actions. A nation with honor is a nation who is honest in it’s values to be truthful to its people and the world. A nation with honor has the fairness to allow other nations to live in peace and prosperity. A nation with true honor is a nation with integrity, integrity to admit to their mistakes and take pride in correcting them. This America is Honor.

The past five years of war has severely wounded the American economy and to heal these wounds we must end our campaign in Iraq. The economic hemorrhaging of the Iraq war has crippled this great nation and strained our foreign stance in the world. We as a nation must unify under our founding principles of Liberty and Freedom to restore our glory and democracy.

“I am concerned about the whole man. I am concerned about what the people, using their government as an instrument and a tool, can do toward building the whole man, which will mean a better society and a better world. “- Lyndon B. Johnson

Together as a nation we must mature in to one and at this time in America we have lost sight of the unity that made us into a nation. For America to survive the test of time must open our minds and allow the bells of liberty ring into the 21st Century.
Sincerely,

William Gilbert, Jr.

Two Thirds of Americans Live in Constitution Free Zone

If you live in a metro area close to an international border like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, or Miami you now live in a constitution free zone. That’s at least what the ACLU says in a new map released which hopes to raise awareness of a little known law passed by congress after 9/11 that allows the Department of Homeland Security to set up immigration checkpoints within 100 miles of a border, and that includes the oceans.

In the meantime Homeland Security has set up at least 33 checkpoints deep inside the United States. They have at least two cited two incidents in which a San Diego music professor with an all American name, Craig Johnson, and a San Diego retiree who with his wife, were stopped by the authorities on a road east of San Diego, at least 15 miles from the U.S. border. In other instances people using purely domestic ferries in Oregon were searched by border patrol agents.

This is clearly a violation of the fourth amendment because the border exception was meant to only protect borders, it never was meant to allow two thirds of Americans to be covered in a zone where at any moment federal border agents could demand to search your vehicle and see your passport.

Sarah Palin 2012?

In all likelihood, readers have already heard about conservatives suggesting that Sarah Palin could run for president in 2012. At first, I didn’t think anything of it. It was too scary a thought to entertain.

Then I realized something: The republicans suggesting that Palin run in 2012 must think that either a. McCain is likely to lose the election, or b. McCain will win the election and then he’ll die.

If they are thinking McCain is likely to lose, that is great. Obama has been doing great in the polls, but it couldn’t hurt if McCain’s own base is doubting his performance.

On the other hand, they might think that McCain is going to die in office. How can his supporters, in good conscience, vote for a man that they believe is going to die before his term is up? Do they really want this this happen? I really hope not.

Virginia Bans Partisan Clothing

There have been emails circulating recently that warn supporters of Barack Obama not to wear anything related to him to the polls on election day because they will be turned away. Well Virginia has clarified this and the State Board of Elections has banned “Clothing, hats, buttons or other paraphernalia that directly advocates the election or defeat of a specific candidate or issue.”

Just to play it safe no matter where you vote, don’t wear any clothing that might lead to being banned.

What do you think of this, is this a violation of free speech or is it better to make sure voters are not influenced by peer pressure?

[poll id="20"]

Koko Chassid’s Electoral Projection

Polls show that Barack Obama is winning in most battleground states. This is not counting the infamous “Bradley effect” which the AP projects can effect 6% of Obama’s vote.

So is he winning?–

Wisconsin

Barack Obama–51%(-) BRADLEY EFFECT (-6%) = 45%

John McCain –46%(+) BRADLEY GAINS(+6%)=  52%  — McCAIN WINS.

_____________________________________________________________

Ohio

John McCain–48(+) BRADLEY GAINS(+6%) = 54% — McCAIN WINS.

Barack Obama–46%(-) BRADLEY EFFECT(-6%) = 40%

______________________________________________________________

Pennsylvania

Barack Obama–48%(-) BRADLEY EFFECT(-6%) = 42%

John McCain–38%(+) BRADLEY GAINS(+6%) = 44% — McCAIN WINS.

________________________________________________________________

Michigan- McCAIN CONCEDES- OBAMA WINS.

_______________________________________________________________

Florida

Barack Obama–49%(-) BRADLEY EFFECT(-6%) = 43%

John McCain– 44%(+)BRADLEY GAINS(+6%) = 50%– McCAIN WINS.

_______________________________________________________________

Virginia

Barack Obama– 51%(-) BRADLEY EFFECT(-6%) = 45%

John McCain– 39%(+) BRADLEY GAINS(+6%) = 45%— TIE (history shows it will go to McCain.)

______________________________________________________________

Minnesota

Barack Obama– 47%(-) BRADLEY EFFECT(-6%) = 41%

John McCain– 46% BRADLEY GAINS(+6%) = 52%– McCAIN WINS.

_____________________________________________________________

New Mexico

Barack Obama– 45%(-) BRADLEY EFFECT(-6%) = 39%

John McCain–  40%(+) BRADLEY GAINS)(+6%)  = 46%– McCAIN WINS.

______________________________________________________________

*originial poll numbers were give by CNNPOLITICS.COM and + or - 6% was done by a Stanford University study.

__________________________________________________________________

My electoral count shows McCain taking a landslide victory with 338 electoral votes and Barack Obama with 200 electoral votes.

President: John Sidney McCain III

Vice President: Sarah Louise Heath Palin

McCain’s Michigan Pullout a Tricky Manuever

[cross posted at Michigan Youth Political Alliance]

Just several hours before the vice presidential debate, McCain withdraws his campaign troops from Michigan to redeploy them in other battleground states such as Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Clever decision? This campaign tactic could be so much more than what it appears to be at the surface.

Aside from the obvious move to minimize the media attention on his decision by announcing his decision when the media spotlight was clearly focused on the vice presidential debate, there is a lot more suspicious activity behind the scenes. On the surface, McCain’s pullout appears as a sign of weakness for his campaign. Prior to his pullout, McCain began losing traction in the polls, ceding to Obama approximately a 7 point lead. Michigan was a state that had swung blue in the past 4 presidential elections. Obama was picking up support because of his stronger economic focus and more concrete economic policy proposals in comparison with McCain–a huge issues to a state dominated by economic hardship and seeking to escape it.

In his national and state campaign, McCain was inconsistent with his economic positions: declaring the fundamentals of the economy to be sound in one moment then halting his campaign to focus on the bailout crisis in the next. Obama capitalized on this inconsistency to weaken the legitimacy of McCain’s campaign platform. Even during the vice presidential debate, Palin found such inconsistency to be hard to defend, and Biden hit this point home.

However, Michigan was not lost for McCain. In the previous two elections, Michigan could have swayed to either side. Michigan is home to the historical Reagan Democrats, a voter bloc that could easily be captured by McCain. Michigan’s Republican Party is one of the less ideologically extreme conservative factions in the nation, attracting much support from a wide array of people. Obama’s campaign was strong among the youth in Michigan and people were unsatisfied by McCain’s economic solutions, but Michigan was still a battleground state. It could be swayed, perhaps, with more powerful backing from Mitt Romney and other political figures Michigan voters could identify themselves with. Michigan was still on the edge.

The most visible effects of this consists of two parts–McCain is turning away from a focus on the economy, and Michigan Republicans are going to be significantly hindered in their own fight for seats at the state Capitol. McCain’s withdrawal is a sign of dropping attention on Michigan’s sole issue, the economy, and that might even benefit McCain, considering his weak platform on the issue. However, for the most part, McCain is revealing his cowardice in trying to avoid the elephant in the room (as if voters can’t see it). If he can’t deal with economic issues (voter’s number one issue for this election), he won’t be able to win voters back with foreign policy experience, a reform agenda, or his other pluses.

Michigan GOP is going to face an uphill battle in upcoming races–especially the most critical ones for “Joe Knollenberg’s 9th District seat in Oakland County and Tim Walberg’s 7th District seat stretching from western Washtenaw County to Battle Creek.” Plenty of GOP voters could stay home because McCain’s move hurts party mobilization and support. And since turnout is key for the GOP to win the seats on those two Congressional races, McCain’s move will directly hinder party strength on the Capitol.

Now, let’s talk about the juicy material: what is going on McCain’s head? What is his real strategy? Democrats are absolutely justified in being skeptical about his move–considering it a feint to weaken Obama’s campaign in Michigan, a key swing state for this year. McCain is definitely trying a sneaky tactic. According to the Detroit News:

The Obama campaign source expressed surprise that McCain, who had been airing a massive TV ad campaign in Michigan, abruptly decided to pull back. But the source noted that the Republican National Committee was still airing roughly $1 million worth of ads in Michigan markets, and that the National Rifle Association and other independent groups are continuing to attack Obama with TV and mailed advertising.

There is a strong possibility that McCain will return to Michigan in the few days before the general election and pummel Michigan hard with money, advertisements, events, etc. when the Obama campaign least expects him to. Such a tactic could barely shift the polls in his favor, winning him Michigan’s 17 electoral votes. Thus, I highly doubt McCain has completely pulled out of Michigan. If he still has so much money here, it is unlikely his withdrawal of his campaign staff is a sign of weakness. By appearing weak in Michigan, however, McCain could and probably will pull off an “October surprise” to pick up its votes.

[cross posted at Michigan Youth Political Alliance]