Our economy is suffering, our school systems are questionable, natural and man-made disasters are all around us, crime is at an all-time high and our morals seem to be as low as ever.  We clearly need some things to take a positive spin.  But we knew this was coming and here we go.

What kind of adults would have and/or allow to chant about killing someone?  I think that speaks directly to where our morals are and what is allowed to go on in school systems that clearly need to be more $elective - teachers need to make more for this to happen so the “$” is not an accident.  Paying teachers more will draw better teachers and will result in a smarter nation (my opinion).

From California to Maine, police have documented a range of alleged crimes, from vandalism and vague threats to at least one physical attack. Insults and taunts have been delivered by adults, college students and second-graders.

What and who this refers to is poor sportsmanship, poor losers and (again) questionable morals.  Specifically, this is the type behavior on the rise since Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.

There is a large subset of white people in this country who feel that they are losing everything they know, that the country their forefathers built has somehow been stolen from them.

Like cancer in remission, racism is never totally wiped out it is just not out in the open.  The election has changed that for many.  For example, Grant Griffin, a 46-year-old white Georgia native, said, “I believe our nation is ruined and has been for several decades and the election of Obama is merely the culmination of the change.  If you had real change it would involve all the members of (Obama’s) church being deported.”

“The day after the vote hailed as a sign of a nation changed, black high school student Barbara Tyler of Marietta, Ga., said she heard hateful Obama comments from white students, and that teachers cut off discussion about Obama’s victory.

Tyler spoke at a press conference by the Georgia chapter of the NAACP calling for a town hall meeting to address complaints from across the state about hostility and resentment. Another student, from a Covington middle school, said he was suspended for wearing an Obama shirt to school Nov. 5 after the principal told students not to wear political paraphernalia.

The student’s mother, Eshe Riviears, said the principal told her: “Whether you like it or not, we’re in the South, and there are a lot of people who are not happy with this decision.”

I’m not going to give some of these racists the satisfaction of even listing all the terrible things that have went on since the election.

I can respect someone who has a problem with the policies and plans Obama has for our country, but racism is just wrong regardless of who the target is.  I hope we can get through this without anyone, including the president-elect, getting killed.

When Bush was elected and astonishingly re-elected, people who didn’t vote for him basically lived through 8 years where they had to shut up and color.  Well, there will be plenty of crayons to go around. 

Wow, when it rains it pours! Senator Ted Stevens has now lost his lead to Anchorage mayor, Democrat Mark Begich. Stevens is only in the race because he is highly revered for his decades of public service. That has to explain it right?

Last month, a federal jury in Washington, D.C., convicted Stevens of lying on Senate disclosure forms to conceal more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations from an oil field services company.

Begich would be the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in Alaska since the mid-1970s, and a win would put his party one step closer to a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority in the Senate.

This is where it gets kind of cruddy. If Stevens were to win he could face expulsion if he declines to step down. Fellow senators have already called on Stevens to resign if he wins. The reason this is of interest has to do with Governor Palin. Yes, that same Palin.

A special election would more than likely be necessary if Stevens wins and Palin is interested. I think that is rather opportunistic of her, but it may fit into her grand plan. “My life is in God’s hands,” Palin said. “If he’s got doors open for me, that I believe are in our state’s best interest, the nation’s best interest, I’m going to go through those doors.” I wonder if God has it planned for her to step on Stevens’ neck on the way to the Senate.

The only other question I have is, how long does it take to count ballots anyway? They must have had some hanging chads in Alaska or something. I know for a fact all absentee ballots were to due a long time ago. I know this because I voted, absentee, in Alaska.

First, is there really such a thing as a good politician?  There are probably good politicians from the standpoint of being good at being a politician, but what about a politician that does/is good?  I’m not so sure about that.  It seems like now more than ever, politicians are getting their dirty laundry aired to the point of not being elected or even going to jail.

Although not an athlete, Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was recently convicted on seven counts of trying to hide more than $250,000 in free home renovations and other gifts from a wealthy oil contractor. He is asking his Senate colleagues as well as Alaska’s voters to stand by him as he appeals the verdicts.  With 99% reporting, he held a 1.5% lead.

I think holding politicians accountable is a great sign of possibly cleaning up what some would consider a dirty profession to begin with.

But what about the athletes that turn to politics after their careers on the field, court or stage are over.  We know about people like Arnold Schwarzenegger (Body Builder), Heath Shuler (Football), Steve Largent (Football) and Jesse Ventura (Is wrestling a sport?).  There is a new successful athlete-turned-politician and he is quietly one of my favorites.

Although on a much smaller scale than Barack Obama, former Phoenix Suns guard Kevin Johnson was victorious after Tuesday’s runoff for mayor of Sacremento.  Mayor Johnson is the first African-American to be elected mayor of Sacremento and will take office on November 25th.

“Obama and myself, we ran on the promise and the theme of change.  No more business as usual,” Johnson said in a Sacremento Bee report.  “I am so ready and so humbled to accept this great honor that has been bestowed upon me today.”

From 1993-1996 I lived in Phoenix - during this time the Suns went lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the NBA finals.  Phoenix is a big city, but people travel in the same circles, not always a good thing.  Several members of the Suns like Charles Barkley and Richard Dumas were regulars a different nightspots around town, but we never heard much about Johnson off the court.  In fact, I know about him going to a local church and his brother moving to Phoenix to live with him.

On the court was a different story.  He was a little guy, by NBA standards, who let it all hang out on the court.  I liked the fact that he would sacrifice his body to make whatever play needed to be made.  Similar to Allen Iverson, this is probably something that isn’t good for a basketball career.

Will he make a good politician?  The odds are definately in his favor to do so and I have faith in him.  He was considered a little guy and more importantly a good guy.  Apparently the city of Sacremento thinks enough of him to elect him as their leader and I think they made a wise choice.

Good luck Mr. Mayor.

I’m sure your first thought was, “Yes, he can and he was just elected to do so” and you would be right on both accounts.  But read on and you will see what I’m talking about, hopefully agree and if not state your case as to why not.

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by influence and recognition. The President leads the executive branch of the federal government; his or her role is to enforce national law as given in the Constitution and written by Congress. Article Two of the Constitution establishes the President as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and enumerates powers specifically granted to the President, including the power to sign into law or veto bills passed by both houses of Congress. The President also has the power to create a cabinet of advisers and to grant pardons or reprieves. Finally, with the “advice and consent” of the Senate, the President is empowered to make treaties and appoint federal officers, ambassadors, and federal judges, including Justices of the Supreme Court. As with officials in the other branches of the United States government, the Constitution restrains the President with a set of checks and balances designed to prevent any individual or group from taking absolute power.

I read this a few times and didn’t see anything in there about the President being for or against a particular race.  You may ask why I’m mentioning this and the reason is I feel as though some people believe President Obama will lean toward black people.  That would be a monumental mistake.

• Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about equality.  A land where black kids and white kids could play side-by-side.  Nowhere in his words does he mention a black person presiding over several races with a bias leaning towards those who have the same color of skin.  People lived and died equality.  Shame on anyone who thinks the president is going to lean towards black people.
• Let’s say President Obama was to lean towards black people.  That alone would set black people back so far it may take hundreds of years to rebound.  Is four years of advantage worth equality for the rest of our lives, our childrens’ lives and our childrens’ childrens’ lives?  I think not.
• On a lighter note (pun intended), Obama isn’t completely black anyway!  If you want to really talk about equality, how about a president who is both black and white?  Along with equality, people need to stop letting a percentage of African-American blood be the deciding factor.  We are truly becoming a melting pot and a President with mixed heritage might be appropriate representation of the United States.
• Because Obama is a Black man who managed to obtain the most important job in America, the President of the United States, he represents hope to a significant amount of Black people.  But what Black people have to remember is that President Obama represents hope for ALL people, not just one race of people.

Without a doubt, there were people literally dancing in the streets when the results came out, but I hope they were rejoicing for the right reasons.  Reasons like equality, change and the knowledge that our country is willing to do the best thing for our country, regardless of race, should be the soundtrack for this Presidential two-step.

We have witnessed and are poised to be a part of a historic time in our country.  We, people of all races, have overcome one of the biggest hurdles ever.  For that we should be proud.  But if people are happy just because we have a black president I have news for them:  Barack Obama can be a black president, but he cannot be a Black President.

Here are the results of the latest poll:

• Obama, 53%.
• McCain, 42%.

Now these results are from a Gallup poll and this was part of an article on USA Today’s website.  I forgot one thing: this poll consisted of a whopping 2,472 people!  With that many people participating in the poll Obama has it in the bag.

Of course, that was some of my sarcasm.

This election has allegedly caused several people to vote for the first time or exercise their right to vote after failing to do so previously.  That is understandable when we look at all the dynamics involved - we are hurting financially, a woman is on the ticket for vice-president and a (half) black man is running for president.

It seems like nobody really knows how many people have voted up to this point - via early voting and absentee ballots - or who will go and vote tomorrow.  That being the case, can someone tell me how Gallup, or anyone else for that matter, can accurately conduct a poll?  Of course they can’t since they had less than 3,000 participants!

I’m kind of surprised USA Today would even put something like this on their site since the number of participants is so small.  ESPN holds polls with a better sampling and those polls ask important questions like who will win the NBA championship, who should start for the Dallas Cowboys at quarterback, etc.  Shouldn’t a reputable news outlet keep their mouths shut when they only have such a small percentage of voters to go by?

Sometimes I think polls are just put out their to be smoke screens or cause some people to relax.  If the wrong people read those polls, don’t you think they would figure they shouldn’t waste their time and would just stay at home instead of voting?  This way of thinking does happen and it could hurt either candidate.  Uh, the possibility of 2008’s version of hanging chads doesn’t give voters confidence either, but that is another story altogether.  

One of the most positive things to come out of this election is the serious push for people to get out their to register and vote.  It seems like some polls do nothing to help, but could ultimately have a negative impact on the number of people who actually vote.

How about one more day with no more polls?

We are almost to the end. Tuesday will probably be the most important election of my lifetime and maybe the most important of my 2 month-old daughter’s life. Racism, sexism, religion, bias against old(er) people and even a little politics/issues have all been part of this campaign and getting excited. At the same time I’m getting nervous because the next president could keep us right where we are or even lead us to worse times. Scary isn’t it?  

There is still some time left to take some pot shots at the credentials of those who have went on record and endorsed the candidates.

Today I read an article concerning endorsements - John Cheney endorsing McCain to be exact. Click here to read the short article.  Here is what this article made me think of:

• Racism is still alive and well in the US - anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional
• Some people - for some strange reason - think an endorsement from Dick Cheney is worth something
• Looking at the comments, some people are willing to open their mouths (or use their keyboards) and show just how ignorant they are. 

I just heard on my local news station here in Mississippi that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has broken up TWO plots to kill Obama. In addition, these groups were going to go on a Tennessee murder spree, killing 102 Black people by either shooting them or decapitating them. These groups are located in Tennessee and they are described as Neo-Nazi skinheads. In my opinion, this is not going to stop - these types of threats and plots. They are just going to intensify! Case in point, didn’t someone yell the N word at a McCain-Palin rally? To all of those people who think racism is not alive and well — think again!

Yesterday we got the latest edition of Time magazine in the mail.  I’m tempted to make this the last magazine we get from Time due to the cover.  I hate it - hate is a strong word but applies here - when someone does or says something to persuade opinion and assumes those they are trying to persuade are too dumb to realize it.  This cover left me feeling this way and I will tell you why.

Senators Obama and McCain are on the cover along with two former presidents.  The cover mentions temperament - one of the former presidents presumably has a temperament similar to Senator Obama’s and the other similar to Senator McCain’s.  I immediately get what they are trying to say/do and I don’t like it.

It doesn’t matter who you think is more qualified to run the country, the candidates are who they are and discussions on temperament are clearly coming from someone who wishes to dismiss on of the candidate’s temperament - Senator McCain.  Say what you will about their plans for our country’s future, but one would have to admit that Senator McCain has come across bitter, sarcastic and basically like a jerk on more than one occasion.

If Time magazine had put “McCain For President” on the cover I would have had more respect for the magazine.  What they did was try to plant a seed in the readers’ minds that temperament - in this case McCain’s temperament - may not matter.  I actually think they are right, but I didn’t need this cover to make me think so.

Both men are politicians so whose to say either one of them are going to do what they promise once elected?  That being the case, we may need a jerk or someone with “jerkish” tendencies to run the country.  We have some real problems with our economy, terrorists and many other things and this may not be the time for someone with a calm demeanor to lead us.  Either way, I would have liked it if Time magazine didn’t blatantly (I call it that) put something in my face to persuade my opinion.

Do you think that Obama is too calm or McCain is too…whatever he is?  If so, what temperment do you think is appropriate to lead our country given the current national and international climate?

I say that with sarcasm - a lot of sarcasm.

Today I found a new site and I think I will frequent it often Sodahead.  The site asks questions and people chime in with their opinions.  It is really nothing more than a blog that has a lot of participation.  By the way, if you like what we do or hate what we do we would like to have your comments on this site.

The question that prompted the title of this post is “Who’s more trustworthy Obama or McCain?”  I’m going to copy and paste some of the answers because they really show how some people think.

1. McCain

   Because, Obama’s “gift of the gab” still does not knowledge, 1. his job as lawyer, money 
   disburshment, & Communite “Job- Experience”, etc., with …ACORN!!!! 
   2. His..”ADULT RELATIONSHIP” with AYERS!!! Let’s not continue, but, ask ourself… 
   It’s… ALL… About,,, #1… INTEGRITY, HONESTY, JUDGEMENT… TRUST. 
   #2. This… ELECTION… IS… NOT ABOUT… AFRICAN-AMERICAN… HISTORY!!!
   

2. Obama

   There’s no question that I would trust Obama over McCain. Who 
   wants to be called “the Maverick?” which is exactly what I don’t 
   want, I want a person with a brain who thinks things through and 
   doesn’t make hasty “maverick” decisions, like picking that airhead 
   Palen as a running mate! She’s not even trusted by her own state! 
   Can you imagine the disaster it would be if she became President? 
   The fact is we should have picked Hillary - she would be ready on 
   day one. But as for trusting someone, I pick Obama.
   

3. Obama

   McCain is in Cahoots w/Bush Do we want to continue what Bush has started and ruined? He ruined our economy used all the Schools money for a useless war that only put money in his pockets and a few of his cohorts.
   

4. McCain

   McCain because Obama wants to destory Ameria and make it a Marxist government….Look at his history…look at his connection to Odinga of Kenya. AND I don’t mean his relative connection.
   

5. McCain

   Obama looks like a terrorist in disguise to me
   

6. McCain

   It bothers me at no one i concerned about Obamas charater i think that is just as important…But of corse soon as Gov.Palin is getting judged for her charater is everywhere the media is sooooo one sided
   

7. Obama

   McCain has offended all Americans who want unity and an end to fighting in America over racial issues. He gold is to divide this country and I now believe he is a complete racist, lacks judgment in choosing the airhead Sarah Palin and this is a very dangerous ticked. By refusing to release his health records, he is hiding his cancer risk and Palin in the Whitehouse would set America back at least 100 years.

At the debate, John McCain promised that, if elected, he would direct the government to buy up bad home mortgages, allowing strapped people to keep their property.  He called this plan the American Homeownership Resurgence Plan.  McCain said his plan would allow homeowners to basically refinance their home at the current value, with the financial institutions eating the loss.   Well, on Wednesday, he published documentation on how his plan would work and guess what?  McCain’s plan would actually be more generous to financial institutions and more costly for taxpayer!  When confronted with this obvious lie, McCain’s camp said that making financial institutions accept refinances at a loss was not “the intentions of the initiative.”  The way I see it, his camp is really telling Americans that they are really stupid if they honestly believe McCain would help them save their home!  According to McCain’s camp, it was just a simple mistake on McCain’s part to say this.