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.

Mike Gravel and Joe Lauria to join Think Youth for an interview.

Mark your calendars! Think Youth will be conducting what promises to be an exciting interview with Former United States Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate, Mike Gravel. Also joining us will be renowned investigative journalist, Joe Lauria.

Senator Gravel and Mr. Lauria will be discussing their book, “A Political Odyssey, The Rise of American Militarism and One Man’s Fight to Stop It,” which chronicles Senator Gravel’s life and career.

The interview will be published on Think Youth, both as an audio podcast and a written transcript, on Friday, August 15.

Election 2008: Ralph Nader in Athens, Georgia

On July 25th, 2008, my father, my thirteen-year-old brother, and I went to go see Ralph Nader, consumer advocate and 2008 Independent Presidential candidate, speak at “Master’s Hall” on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. I had been incredibly excited to see that Nader was coming to Georgia on his “Southern Tour”, and no more than forty miles away from my town, no less! My father, being the good open-minded fellow that he is, agreeably drove myself and my uninterested brother there and paid the $10 each to get in. We each received a free Nader/Gonzalez ‘08 pin for this payment. There was a long table set up just outside the hall for this practice of collecting money, and for collecting signatures on a petition to get Ralph Nader on the ballot in Georgia. The number of signatures necessary to get Nader, or any Independent candidate, on the ballot in Georgia is inane: 42,489 signatures by July 8th. Such ballot access laws are implemented so that independent candidates cannot make a significant challenge to the two major parties in power (who are the ones that make the laws, of course).

The event was at 5:30 in the afternoon; we three were situated in our seats by 5:00, and we watched as the hall filled up with likely about two hundred people. Since Ralph Nader had held an event in Columbia, South Carolina, at 12 o’clock that afternoon, and since he had run into some bad traffic on the way to Athens, he did not arrive at the hall until about 6 o’clock that evening.

After giving a brief press conference upstairs, Nader arrived, amidst a burst of applause. He walked down the aisle, right next to where I was sitting (close enough that I could have touched him, if I lacked judgement and prudence), towards the podium. Nader sat down and briefly rested from his busy schedule while a young African American campaign volunteer, a “concerned citizen”, gave an earnest introductory speech. In this speech, the young man affirmed how much he cared about the country and the issues at hand, and how important it is for everyone to care and be civically involved. And then he said, “And now I am proud to present a more-than-worthy 2008 presidential candidate, Mr. Ralph Nader.” The crowd erupted into applause. This was the moment that we had all been waiting for. We three were not disappointed.
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Think Youth invited to “The Big Tent.”

In May, the Think Youth staff received word that the site had been granted credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Today, we are pleased to announce another development. It has just come to our attention that Think Youth has also been granted passes to “The Big Tent.” This is very exciting news. For those who have not yet heard of The Big Tent, here is some information about it from the website:

The Big Tent will be the place to be for new media journalists, bloggers, reporters, and non-profit leaders covering the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer.

We’re creating a 9,000 square foot, two-story structure that will house the work space for journalists, bloggers and new media, a Digg Stage with prominent national leaders, as well as a Google Retreat with a YouTube kiosk where you can make your own YouTube videos. The Big Tent will be open throughout the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 25- 28.

In the New Media Lounge, your pass will be a ticket to to enjoy all the benefits of the blogger / new media lounge, including free WiFi, work space, television-coverage… And you get to hang out with some of the top bloggers, new media journalists, and non-profit leaders in the country.

The Big Tent is being made possible by a number of sponsors including Digg, Google, New Belgium Brewing, and The Wright Group. We would also like to recognize the hosts of The Big Tent: ProgressNow, Daily Kos, and The Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado.

On a personal note, we couldn’t be more thrilled or grateful that Think Youth has been given this opportunity. There is no doubt in our minds that having access to The Big Tent facilities for the duration of the Democratic National Convention will greatly increase our ability to provide readers of Think Youth with coverage of the highest quality.

- The Think Youth Staff

Politics of Insanity

Over the past couple decades, the American people have seen the incompetence, corruption, and inability to get anything done among the collective group of their elected officials. These elected officials find themselves indebted to lobbyists and corporations who donate to their political campaigns, rather than their constituents, and so they often find it necessary to represent and work for their corporations rather than their constituents. Many Americans these days are probably now wondering, “How do I go about picking a candidate who is competent and able and who is not corrupt, so that I can then vote for them and work for them, so that they can get into office and work for me?”

It is difficult attempting to scrutinize each candidate to try to determine what exactly they are thinking, so I have come up with a better solution to ascertain that the candidate that you elect will work for you, and work hard. For those candidates running for elected office, what the constituents need to do is to all get together, have the candidates in front of them, and then everyone stand back and each throw one dart towards the candidates. I almost can guarantee you that the candidate who receives the most darts will work, and work hard, for his or her constituents. They shan’t want any darts thrown at them again.

But, seriously, friends, there is an incompetence, corruption, and ineffectiveness that seems to be held collectively among our elected officials, with a few exceptions. It also seems to be held, generally, among both of the major political parties. What we, the American people, have essentially been doing these past several decades is swinging back and forth between the Democrats and the Republicans, reverting from one to the other when one does not satisfactorily execute its promises. When we tire of one party, the other party shouts, “Here! We can do all of the things that you want, and more! We shall be a ‘change’ from this other useless party!” But this new party does not deliver on its promises either.

We switch back and forth, finding each party unsatisfactory over and over again, and we expect different results each time the Democrats or each time the Republicans promise to bring different results. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is, according to Albert Einstein, the very definition of insanity.
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I Am An Angry Voter

I am an angry voter. I worry that a McCain or Clinton administration will continue the same Washington politics that are destroying our nation. Like politicians getting free vacations trips to tropical destinations for signing free trade deals at the request of lobbyists.

There are many blacks like me that share this same anger, and even bitterness.  Some blue collar workers might look at some blacks as lazy, destructive people on welfare and wonder why we’re surprised Wal-Mart won’t open and bring employment opportunities in black neighborhoods. And then some blacks might look at the white male factory worker as getting what he deserves, because for past generations he had a free “white male” card.

But in the end the white father and the black father are both angry when they find it hard to place food on the table. Whether as Americans, they scrape money from the grandparents or from the federal government, the shame of not being able to provide for your own family creates anger at the system.

But the media (which is funded by corporations) and selfish politicians are seeking to divide Americans that are affected by the same failed economic policies, so that they can rake in more money and profits. They’re creating “voter outrage” of Barack Obama’s “bitter” comments.

His statement was intended to help a group of elitist California fund raisers understand what the unemployed American feels. Every election cycle presidents and senators pose against shuttered factories and promise jobs. And the January after each election cycle we see more American jobs sent to places like Asia and South America.

The Washington and corporate establishment is scared that a candidate has finally called politicians on their economic BS. The establishment is worried that blue collar America and urban America might realize our economic issues are the same. If Americans are able to look past the small differences that separate us, and exercise our right to make America a better place, corrupt politicians and companies looking at short term and selfish gains will be forced to change or leave.

Bitter is not a bad word. I am “Marked by resentment or cynicism” as the dictionary says, when it comes to politics. When watching you, your family, your community, and your country slowly dieing because of irresponsible decision making, it is no shame to be a bitter voter.

Cross posted at my personal site.

“Democracy”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqo7KWEP41w[/youtube]

Executive Efficacy Expanded

Many, many people in these united states long for the day upon which George W. Bush will vacate the Presidency. During Bush’s terms in office, he has gotten us into a Quagmire in Iraq (and has engaged in a generally arrogant and foolish foreign policy), deftly removed many of our civil liberties from us, racked up record deficits, exploited the people’s fear of terrorism (which helped him to win elections, achieve his agenda, and rob us of our apparently undeserved liberties), and, most importantly, greatly increased the power and influence of the Executive Branch. The People long for Bush’s exit because they are tired of these repeated abuses and usurpations, and with the hope that, once Dubya leaves, we’ll be able to get a Democrat or at least a moderate in office and get America back onto the right track. This perspective is not in agreement with my own; in point of fact, I disagree with it very strongly. It seems to me that this belief is the product of the very ignorance which allowed Bush to expand his office and worsen the state of the country in the first place. Let me take just a few moments in order to explain my thoughts more clearly on this matter. Read more

Voting in the Potomac Primaries

I voted. Today I could wear that little sticker without feeling like liar. But best of all I could cast a confidence vote. Even though in 2004 I couldn’t vote I still wanted John Kerry to win. Not because I loved John Kerry but because I hated Bush. I assumed this election would be similar. But now there’s a candidate I can be excited about. Read more

Corporate Control

It is a well-known and unfortunate fact in the United States that businesses, corporations, and special interests play a much greater role in our politics and government than we would certainly like it to. There has been, for decades, if not centuries, the element to our politics that is the corrupting influence of money. It has become particularly pronounced in recent years, especially in this 2008 Presidential Election, where candidates of both political parties are raising millions and millions of dollars each in campaign cash. In fact, this could be the first billion-dollar presidential campaign in our country’s history. That is, assuredly, not a positive sign.

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The Illogicality of Perpetual Wars

Throughout human history, humankind has been fond of waging perpetual wars, the meaning of which being a war waged upon an enemy that can never be definitively defeated. We likely do this because we are rather illogical creatures, creatures whose passions and prejudices can easily trump logic. In modern times, one place in the world where this illogicality of perpetual war has fully taken root is the United States of America. Given, all countries behave illogically to some extent (as they are all governed by fallible human beings), but America is the one that I know the most about. This illogicality is illustrated perfectly by two “wars”, one military and one not, that America currently is waging: the War on Terror and the War on Drugs.

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The Halo Effect

In the science of Psychology, the concept of a “halo effect” exists, in which people who have one positive characteristic are assumed to have all kinds of other positive characteristics. There is also such a thing as a “reverse halo effect”, in which people who have one negative characteristic are assumed to have other negative characteristics. These two concepts very often play a role in the social interaction of human beings.

One example of this is a job interview. Hypothetically, let’s say that two people, Mike and John, are applying for a job. They both set up an appointment to be interviewed for the job by the company or individual who wishes to do the hiring. Mike dresses very casually for the interview, wearing jeans, sandals, and a t-shirt. John dresses very formally, wearing more expensive clothes such as a suit and tie. In this interview situation, which person is more likely to get the job? Using the principle of the halo and reverse halo effects, the interviewer will have a more favorable impression of John, who was very well dressed. Because John was very well dressed, the interviewer would have assumed that he had all kinds of other positive characteristics as well, even though that might not necesarily be the case. This situation is why interviewers must always be very careful and cautious in judging people, and beware of the halo effect and the reverse halo effect.

Why is this relevant? You’re probably asking yourself that by now. Well, this is relevant because it has a direct bearing on our United States presidential elections today.

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