Why the Sarcasm?

Both political conventions are riddled with sarcasm, more than substance. It would take me weeks to compare the political speeches. We have so many issues surrounding decency, yet our political leaders just mock the other candidates in opposing parties. The problem is the media. Consultants have catered the convention towards a television audience.
This was most evident in Palin's speech. She literally left out any substance to how she would impact decency. It was transparent that a group of writers put together a speech that would elevate her to celebrity status, and, it worked. If we seriously want to tackle the issues, we need to change the process before it is too late.

The Audicity of Hope DELIVERED!!!

The Audacity of Hope. What a week for Decency. Next week, the conservative attack on decency begins. Hopefully, media collusion will not be a part of the equation. This is the time for people not to let their guard down.

Healthcare is not a Right according to Wall Street Journal and Fox News

I watched with interest a discussion on Fox News regarding Healthcare. The debate was centered on the issue of, "Is Healthcare a Right or Privledge?" The debate involved the head of the Wall Street Journal and a Fox News Commentator. (Fair and Balanced?) As I expected, with any debate on Fox, the commentator adamantly claimed that no where in the Constitution, does it say that Healthcare is a Right. This whole argument lacks any merit.
Beware intellectual debates involving the Bible or Constitution because often, conservatives use quotes only in their context. The Bible and Constitution are evolutionary documents (I know that term stinks of irony.) If they were meant to be seen literally instead of figuratively, then lets count blacks as 3/5ths as a person like the original Constitution says. While we are at it, people should be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction, after all, they have the right to bear arms. In fact, Iran has the right to have Nuclear Weapons according to our original Constitution. Ron Paul and conservative Republicans would agree that our Constitution strictly forbids us policeing the world as a Foreign Policy.
FDR called healthcare a right almost 80 years ago. Conservatives have successfully used the Constitution to argue that it is not a right. It is time to create a new reality.

Saddleback Disgrace

How our media missed the real story of the Saddleback conversations with McCain and Obama. Yes, McCain was well rehearsed. That was evident to anyone who watched the program. I was bothered by the questions. It was brave of Obama to attend a national question and answer program anchored by a right leaning pastor. I wonder if McCain would attend a Planned Parenthood debate format? My guess is not.
American audiences have a tough time disseminating information. When a Pastor asks, "do you believe in evil?" and the candidate responds, "yes" and begins the usual rhetoric about Osama Bin Laden, then one has to wonder. Will the Pastor compare the lives lost on 9/11 - roughly 3000 to the 600.000 lives lost since then to American Aggression? Will he pose the question in context. He did not. Where was the response by the media to question the legitimacy of such a format?
Christians should be ashamed of this Pastor's lack of doctrinal analysis into thou shall not kill. Instead, I get a sense that they embrace his format. This is the challenge of 08 that fails to get media attention.
When will we embrace a format the digs deeper into human decency?

Political Affairs and Media Manipulation

Here we go again. I am so disgusted by the John Edwards coverage. I understand he made a horrible choice. Yet this is a private matter. This is used by the Republicans to distort our attention. Ever wonder how John McCain met his wife Cindy. Check out the new post in Media Bias called "Political Affairs." Interesting how we react to what we are told versus reality.

The School Shopping List - Mercy Me.

The one chapter in my book that is timely this time of year is "The Dreaded School Shopping List." It is the little inequities we create as a society that have long term consequences. It is good to see that Wal Mart and Staples have turned back to school into a profit making scheme. Yet do we understand decency and how the free market model impacts schools? My shopping list for my daughter is at least $120.00 this year. How with the high cost of gas will parents be able to afford such amenities?
Some of this years items are Toilet paper and tissues. Is this the 1930's? Think about the impact on student's from less affluent homes and ask yourself, "How did we get into this mess?"

Where Have all the Leaders Gone?

Remember Lee Iococca?
He was a former leader for Chrysler.
I read with great interest his thoughts on America today.
He's now 82 years old and has a new book, and here are some
excerpts:

Lee Iacocca Says:

'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course'
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. What course? This is America , not the damned 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore...........and it will get far worse. The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.
While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for.
I've had enough. How about you? I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, crisis being the first.) Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis.It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes A Hell of a Mess so here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no real White House plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, Mexico, China, etc., while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has ever had a coherent
energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The so-called middle class is being squeezed every which way! But when you look around, you've got to ask:'Where have all the leadersgone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the peopleof character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturin g. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we goingto do about it? Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem.The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry. I have news for the gang in Congress and in the White House. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent or deceptive while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some boneheads on Fox News will call them a name or two? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change? Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope! I believe in America In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: the 'Great Depression', 'World War II', the 'Korean War', the'Kennedy Assassination', the 'Vietnam War', the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play.
'That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to 'Action' for people who, like me, believe in America It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'