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Last week President Barack Obama addressed the Muslims at the Ramadan Iftar dinner at the White House. In his welcoming address he shared his thoughts on the proposed building of the Mosque and community center in lower Manhattan. He made clear what he thought by saying…“So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. And ground zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.” He then went on to say that “As a citizen and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/in ... f_president_barack_o.html

This speech means that they, the Muslims have the right to build a Mosque and community center; he did not comment on whether they should build there near ground zero. Some people and politicians accused President Obama of as back sliding or back stepping, when the next day he said,.. “I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there.”

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08 ... dom-of-making-a-decision/

First of all, why do some people and or politicians feel that they must interpret what he said? In his speech President Obama did not say that the Muslims should build a Mosque or community center near Ground Zero; he spoke of having the right to build in lower Manhattan. I believe that many people and or politicians hear what they want; it makes for a better platform so that they can continue to criticize and attack President Obama.

There are some people that are saying, why not build the Community Center and Mosque a couple of blocks away, as if that would really matter; how hypocritical is that? Since when is a couple of blocks going to make that much of a difference? Let’s be honest; some people including some of the Politicians, from both sides don’t want a Mosque and Community Center to be built in New York City.

One doesn’t have to look far to see what was done in Staten Island. I’m sure that President Obama is aware of what happened when a Roman Catholic Church in Staten Island, which had already agreed to sell property to the Muslims, decided against this and withdrew from selling this property. Though President Obama may not speak on it, I’m sure that he’s aware of the different levels of racism that continues when people of color try to buy a house or property next to some White people and for some reason they’re turned down. I believe that President Obama knows that this country is riddled with institutional racism, which makes it difficult for some people to move forward, as do many people who are citizens and who live in this country. Whether people admit it or choose to remain in denial of these occurrences doesn’t negate these incidences. People are talking about ground zero, but the recent withdrawal of the Roman Catholic Church to sell to the Muslim community in Staten Island shows the temperament of racism against the Muslim community; this was no where near ground zero.

http://www.tldm.org/News14/StatenIsla ... onventForUseAsAMosque.htm

“A plan to sell a Roman Catholic convent on Staten Island to a Muslim group for use as a mosque is faltering in the face of community opposition.”

http://www.silive.com/eastshore/index ... --_convent_sale_canc.html

No Midland Beach mosque -- convent sale canceled

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/07/vic ... o-muslim-brotherhood.html

“Victory: Catholic Church cancels sale of Staten Island convent to Muslim Brotherhood”

The Catholic Church claims victory over selling Staten Island convent to Muslim Brotherhood. In doing so the Catholic Church was tooting its own horn for their racist policies.

I find racism horrendous and appalling, especially coming from the Roman Catholic Church, which is supposed to be a leader against racism. I find it even more inexcusable for a Church which has allowed the abuse of thousands of young boys and girls in this country and other countries worldwide, to put their stamp of approval to stop this sell. The Roman Catholic Church serves as a major Christian source for millions of people throughout the world; this action is not a way of spreading love and Christianity; adding racism to an already grim picture is hypocritical and disheartening.

It’s a sad state of affairs when someone agrees to sell you something, and then because of a biased public opinion cancels the contract. “Though Father Fennessy signed a contract last month to sell the vacant convent to the Muslim American Society for $750,000, he wrote in his letter, “I wish to formally withdraw my support for the sale and request that it not take place.”

http://www.tldm.org/News14/StatenIsla ... onventForUseAsAMosque.htm

Unfortunately this procedure is not unfamiliar to many minorities; it hasn’t stopped organizations from doing virtually the same thing. When Blacks, African-American People of Color seek employment, the tone sometimes goes from jubilant to one of remorse when some perspective employers see the face of their perspective employee, who is Black.

Let’s face facts about our prejudices and dislikes. First of all many people were livid when the Norwegian Government honored President Barack Hussein Obama by choosing him as the 2009 recipient of the Nobel Peace Price; one would think that some politicians were about to have a heart attack. One of the reasons that he was chosen for this distinguished honor, is because he had reached out to bridge the gap between the Muslim people around the world in a way that had not been done before.

It is shameful that certain politicians don’t listen to the voices of the youth, the voices of the European people or the voices of other African-American Men and Women, who seem more readily to look at our President without blinders on. I believe that when President Obama speaks, that he is being inclusive and not divisive; he is including all of our American citizens, which includes Muslims and not just some or an elite set of citizens. I believe that is why he gave the support that he did, when he said that Muslims have the right to build in lower Manhattan.

Communication is twofold; the speaker must speak and the audience must listen and not hear what they want to hear. Politicians are supposed to be intelligent; President Obama is not reciting poetry where his words might have to be interpreted, therefore politicians should listen intently and not attempt interpret what they want.

I don’t understand why some people, including Politicians are trying to interpret what President Obama said; he spoke clearly and precisely.

To compare President Obama’s style of speech with that of former President Bush is a ridiculous comparison; you cannot compare a brilliant speaker with one who could not pronounce some basic words.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/1 ... message/index.html?hpt=C1
It was said that, ..“While many poked fun at former President George W. Bush for mispronouncing words and stumbling through sentences, observers note that he rarely had to backtrack on his answers because he employed a simple and direct messaging approach.” Unfortunately much of the time, few could understand what it was that he was saying. Have the American Politicians become so in tune to listening to an unintelligible speaker that they now can no longer understand an intelligent speaker?

The key to understanding what President Obama said lies in his words ‘have the right to.’

Though President Obama has not come out and openly called the United States of America a racist country; I will. As I say in my book, “Born In The Wrong Country,” “you stole our history,”… When I wrote this I was speaking of White America, the slavery of this country and the biased political structure that was created. Today that history is still not taught in many of the history books or classrooms in high schools across this country. Taking responsibility is always the first step of acknowledging a problem.

Some people are saying that Muslims murdered my son, daughter, etc. What a broad statement this is, when one looks at this country I am sure there are many people that are saying that Americans murdered their sons and daughters. If people want to talk about what a group of people have done, then I could say that White Americans murdered my ancestors; it could probably be argued that this entire country was built on hallowed ground. I wonder what the American Indians are saying about building on hallowed ground. This kind of racism generates heat to an already hot fire.

How would some people feel about the Roman Catholic Church building a Church in lower Manhattan, especially after some of the recent publicity about some of their priests abusing young boys? How would some New Yorkers, this nation and some of the Republican and Democratic Party respond to that question? One really needs to think before answering that question; remember what racism is and what racism does, and then think about what the real issue or question is before answering. One needs to be very mindful that speaking before thinking isn’t the smartest thing that one could or should do.

With the situation of having a Mosque and community center built in downtown Manhattan, some people are saying that it is painful because of the close proximity to ground zero; what isn’t painful? How many buildings occupy the hallowed grounds of African slaves?

Perhaps Steven Slater was on a high because of the support that many Americans have shown him, but I believe that he’s now beginning to realize that he’s no hero. The charges and accusations of many unanswered questions aren’t helping to shed any favorable in his favor. Perhaps whatever high he was on has long since faded. What does Steven Slater want now,…“…he wants his job back - and his story is apparently springing leaks.” http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/0 ... rlyshow/main6769324.shtml

In the first place, who in their right mind would do what Steven Slater did, by supposedly cursing and telling the airline passengers exactly what he thought, grab a couple of beers and then exit by pulling the emergency slide shoot and leaving the plane? Who in their right mind would praise him for doing what he did, and who in their right mind would dismiss his actions by saying that he just had enough? This is a flimsy excuse for calling someone a hero; this is not the movie Network; this is reality. What did Steven Slater have enough of in order to justify his thoughtless or perhaps his well thought of exit? First of all we don’t know what really happened; more research and investigation needs to be done. Are some Americans that stupid that they will praise stupidity? Well it seems that there are a growing number of Americans that say that he is their hero; these people are praising this man’s stupidity, which in my opinion makes them just as stupid as he is.

I’m sure that there are many other instances where public servants have dealt with people who were far more unruly and even with more grotesque circumstances, but didn’t display such a grand style to get the public’s attention.

Many years ago when I was a waiter serving hors d’oeuvres, a woman stepped on my little toe, which had a corn on it and the pain was excruciating. This woman didn’t apologize to me either, so I said to her, “excuse me, but you stepped on my toe; she looked at me and asked me, would you like me to step on the other one?” I was silent; I would have been fired for telling her what I felt. I left the floor and stopped serving for a while; need less to say I was raging; I was fuming, so I know what some of the public can be like, but rather than saying anything I left the floor.

Mr. Slater said,.. "I lost patience after a female passenger had an argument with another passenger and then opened the bin door hitting me on the head without apologizing,..” http://abcnews.go.com/US/steven-slate ... y-slide/story?id=11367793 Whether his story is in fact true remains to be determined. There have been reports that some passengers are calling Steven Slater the rude one. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ ... e-flight-passengers-claim

Upon his release from jail, Steven Slater said "I knew there was a brouhaha about this, but while I was on the inside I didn't realize how much attention it got," …

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2 ... ttendants_rant_was_s.html

I believe that he had to wonder what reactions his actions had caused. There is a video, “where he admits that he’s thought of that exit before.” He said … “…yeah I’ve thought of that for 20 years, …. but you never think you’re gonna do it.” http://tv.popcrunch.com/steven-slater ... y-slide-exit-before-video

In another interview he says,.. “We thought about it for 20 years,” Slater told two New York Times reporters who cornered him an elevator Wednesday morning.  "We thought about it. But you never think you're gonna do it."

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local- ... -20-Years--100475439.html

I’d like to know who is we; was someone egging him on; was he going to be paid to do such a stunt, or has he already been paid for this dramatic exit escape? I believe that someone who thinks of such a dramatic exit or escape, especially when thinking of it for 20 years, is bent on committing some kind of drama, so that he can make a name for himself. Steven Slater is not a hero; heroes save lives; they put themselves in danger in order to help other people survive.

Is this the way some Americans respond to such a stupid action, giving praise for stupidity? Someone could have been injured. Perhaps this is the way some of these same Americans responded to former President Bush’s illegal war in Iraq, which killed over 4,000 American soldiers. Applauding stupidity is not a great way to make a good impression to the world.

Those who think this is really funny and think that Steven Slater is a hero should read my book, “Born In The Wrong Country;” I even have a section where I talk about “America’s Sick Humor.”

I for one didn’t realize that JetBlue was meant to function as an amusement park; I’m sure that there must be a ride where Steven Slater would be able to slide down a shoot if that’s what he really wanted to do. Of course it would have been without the hoopla and fanfare that he is receiving now, but he wouldn’t have gotten arrested and charged with any felonies either.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/201 ... offers-details-of-flight/

All of a sudden there’s talk about a movie deal, and there’s a buzz going around already about who will play Steven Slater? http://www.thefablife.com/2010-08-12/ ... vielaw-and-order-episode/

People go berserk when they think money can be made off something; I guess stupidity breeds stupidity. Something does not meet the eye; something isn’t being told; was this man drunk or on drugs, or does he have some kind of psychological disorder? I don’t buy all of this hype that people are making over such drama, which could have ended terribly by injuring someone.

Now Steven Slater says that “he wants to go back to work.” http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/0 ... ational/main6769013.shtml

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/08/12/flight.attendant/index.html

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20412856,00.html

It is said that,.... “Steven Slater wants to resume flying, even for his former airline.” 

Mr. Slater should have thought about this before he decided to concoct this elaborate dramatic scheme to entertain his passengers; he should have thought about this before leaving the plane in such a grandiose but dangerous manner.

Slater’s actions don’t make for hero; they do make for fool who should suffer the consequences of his actions. On the other hand is it possible that Mr. Slater is a troubled young man, who is calling out for help and who should undergo a thorough psychological evaluation? Whatever the case may be, he should never be allowed to get a job with JetBlue or any other airline where the public would be at risk.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2 ... _now_he_wants_his_jo.html

This incident should prove that the airport security needs fine-tuning; the ground control must not have been ready, otherwise they would have been able to apprehend Mr. Slater sooner. Mr. Slater should have never been allowed to make it all the way home before being arrested. “Prosecutors said Slater's actions could have been deadly if ground crew workers had been hit by the emergency slide, which deploys with a force of 3,000 pounds per square inch.”

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbc ... /NEWS/8110354/0/FRONTPAGE

Steven Slater’s rude awakening should be an example that being grand is not at all what it’s hyped up to be.

Steven Slater’s rude awakening should be an example that being grand is not all that it’s hyped up to be.

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In order to give a very brief overview we must first talk about what you think you know about racism, and what Shirley Sherrod knows about racism. As an African-American Person of Color, her perspective deals with growing up in the south amid immense racial discrimination. Racism is very important to this story because one needs to understand just a little bit about this dreadful disease.

Unless you’re a minority, a minority of color, an African-American Person of Color or of Hispanic origin, then you really don’t know what the sting of racism feels like. For African-American People of Color, Black people, whose heritage is largely based on the slavery here in America, you probably never felt the full brunt of this disease, which is based on hatred of your people. And unless you’re like Shirley Sherrod, who grew up in the southern part of this great country, and whose father was killed by a White man that was never charged in that murder, then you don’t know how Shirley Sherrod really felt after this tragic event or how it molded her. If you consider yourself a Christian, but don’t understand how Shirley Sherrod overcame her views of the White man, then you really don’t know Shirley Sherrod and you definitely don’t know how God works.

Unless you had a cross burned on your lawn and were denied simple things like using a common bathroom, eating at any restaurant of your choice, being able to go to any hotel that you wanted to, being able to sit downstairs in the movie theater, or drink from a public water fountain of your choice, and go to any school in the United States of America, then you really don’t know what racism is all about, and you definitely haven’t felt the sting of racism.

The timing couldn’t any be better for the person or persons who were trying to destroy the career of Shirley Sherrod, an African-American Person of Color. What was done also caused a huge distraction to President Obama’s Wall Street Reform Bill, which he signed into law. There was also the Republican Party’s refusal to vote again on the Unemployment Extension bill, which passed, but do to what is called cloture, the Republican Party was able to hold up the final vote and the signing of that bill by this 30 hour rule. http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/cloture.htm

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cloture

There is a ‘how to’ do everything. As I said in my book “Born In The Wrong Country,” … “So you see one needs to be responsible.  You see there is a ‘how to’ do many things that we do, things we do every day but take for granted.” The key is being responsible; even when you fire someone you need to be responsible because there is a ‘how to’ involved in firing someone too. It’s too bad law enforcement can’t apprehend a criminal as fast as the USDA fired Shirley Sherrod; “…..she says she was called on her cell phone while driving and told to pull over. Her resignation was then demanded.” This is unheard of; it sounds like something from a movie script, but it wasn’t; this was real.

When someone wants to try and harm a person’s reputation they’ll do just about anything, and Andrew Breitbart did just that, or did he? Whether he acted on his own, and without any help from anyone else seems suspect to me; there are just too many in the political circle, who refuse to give President Obama the praise that he deserves. I wouldn’t be surprised if this went much deeper; the timing was just too perfect. Though the focus is on Andrew Brietbart, this could also be a distraction of a mass cover-up; politics is dirty. The Obama Administration must be stay on guard to prevent his administration sabotaged. When he was running for the Presidency, one major roadblock that was throw into the midst of his campaign was his association with Rev. Wright; however, he was able to rise above all of his obstacles becoming the first African-American Person of Color to win this prized office. Though he won this battle, his winning infuriated those that were out to stop him; now that he’s President, his opponents have not become any less angry or aggressive; racism works that way; it is relentless.

First of all, the incident of Shirley Sherrod being forced to step down from her position is shameful; it’s unconscionable. Evidently there was a rush to judgment by someone who did not have her best interest in mind. People’s lives are very important and deserve to be preserved to the best of ones ability. It is a crime that this was not done, but more of a crime what this person, Andrew Breitbart tried doing to ruin Shirley Sherrod’s reputation. What he did was mean spirited, hateful and racist. It’s shameful that the NAACP believed what was shown them and hastily commented before watching the entire tape. I know that they retracted their statement, but had they done their homework, their eyes would have opened widely before making such a mishap. The NAACP should be aware of these underhanded schemes; their organization has been in business for over 100 years, and having gone through all kinds of racial strife and the Civil Rights Movement, there just isn’t any excuse.

What the White House did in forcing Shirley Sherrod to resign is equally as bad in another way. Who ever was in charge of this and forced Shirley Sherrod to resign sounds like someone that does not believe in the justice of a Black woman or perhaps in any African-American People of Color. Homework and research need to be done before hanging a person out to dry. It is evident that the research wasn’t done; they didn’t listen to her plea and they didn’t listen to the entire tape; I did and I understood exactly what Shirley Sherrod was saying; it’s too bad that they rushed to judgment and did not consider the source from which it came. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9NcCa ... p;feature=player_embedded

http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod/

Andrew Breitbart comes across not only as a mean spirited, hateful racist, but also stupid; his ego must have really gotten to the best of him. When one mixes ego with their arrogance, it makes for a volatile cocktail. Anyone who believes that the truth will not be found out must really be arrogant, or an ego maniac who believes that they are the smartest person, and that they could get away with such a plan. Evidently he took Shirley Sherrod to be stupid; he should now see how much smarter this African-American Person of Color trumps his intelligence.

Unfortunately I don’t think America is ready to admit that we are a racist country, but it is necessary that we first admit who we are, and for many that means admitting that we are racist, if not on a large scale, a small scale. In order to overcome racism, we’ve got to be honest about what racism really is. It’s sort of like an alcoholic admitting that they are an alcoholic before they can begin to get the help that is needed. Both Whites and Blacks have been in denial for years; when you deny that racism exists just because you think that things are going well at work or in this country, not only is that naïve, but it is also ignorant. There a fire that remains lit underneath the temperament of both people. Look at the Police and Fire Department, and look at the tests that are given and those that were found to be racially biased, in favor of the White Police Officers and White Firemen.

http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/curren ... america-v.-city-new-york-(previously-vulcan-society-v.-city-new

United States, et al. v City of New York is a federal class action lawsuit originating from Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charges filed by CCR on behalf of the Vulcan Society and three individual African-American firefighter applicants, charging the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) with racially discriminatory hiring practices.

http://gothamist.com/2007/05/22/fdny_sued_over.php

http://www.trentonian.com/articles/20 ... b46b1123bb6e412411314.txt

Who in their right mind could deny the police brutality against Blacks and Hispanics across the country? This police brutality is what is called racism. When you look at the unemployment in this country, in New York City and other cities, one will find that the number of Blacks unemployed is far greater than that of Whites. http://www.alternet.org/economy/147452/can't_call_it_progress%3A_african-americans_are_earning_less_than_their_parents_did

When it comes to foreclosures, Black and Latino are foreclosed at a far greater number than are Whites. http://minnesotaindependent.com/60416/foreclosure-crisis-race

You see this is a racist country whether you want to believe it or not; if one cannot see this, then these people who believe that this country is not racist must be some of the most unintelligent people in this country, or just plain stupid Americans.

Look at the educational system across the country, and look at what is being taught in the schools across this country, and see how many states have a Black History course in the public school systems for high school students.

When you want to believe the worst of someone and believe what the opposition is saying without checking out the facts first, then you fall into this category of being racist in some of your thoughts and possibly some of your behaviors and actions as well.

Let’s first admit that this is a racist country; take the bull by the horn, being in denial will never solve anything. Be like that alcoholic or that drug addict that needs help; admit your problem, then you can begin to get the help that is needed.

I know that President Obama has a lot on his plate, but when it comes to a judgment call that involves Civil Rights, especially concerning race relationships, I believe that this should be run by him first. Whoever makes those quick decisions to fire someone before investigating the entire story needs more training. Shirley Sherrod, an African-American Person of Color lost her job on a wrong judgment call; who will lose their job for making this terrible decision? I would like to know what people in his administration forced her to resign or ill advised him; perhaps they should be the ones that should be terminated. Perhaps President Obama should reconsider whether Secretary Vilsack is capable of doing his job; the facts in this case don’t give his judgment much weight.

When asked if she would take the job that Secretary Vilsack offered her, she said,… “I would not be that individual that the department, everyone is looking to solve the issue of racism in USDA. It takes a lot more to get that job done." She also pointed out ….. “that other USDA officials have not lost their jobs for discriminating against minority or women farmers.” http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fede ... herrod_wants_to_talk.html

Here is that double standard of which I often speak about. Like I say in “Born In The Wrong Country,”… “There has always been a double standard in this country, one for Whites and another for Blacks.  Mind you, the higher standard was set for Blacks, making it harder for us to achieve the same mark as the Whites. Our government gave other Whites from other countries far more opportunities than were given to Black people and many of us were born and raised here. Unfortunately, when some people like Andrew Breitbart see that obstacles hurled against the African-American-People of Color aren’t effective, they become more enraged.

You see job security comes with a price; when a Black woman like Shirley Sherrod can be forced to resign because of what a racist person does, something is very wrong with how our system works. Unfortunately, slave mentality is still at work with certain White people as it is with Black people. When one doesn’t do their homework and investigate something, then they are acting negligently; in a racial situation this negligence if done on purpose is called racism. Let it be known that people like that don’t change; they are bent on doing harm, and hate that the African-American People of Color have elevated themselves to higher jobs through-out our country. This kind of behavior is what I call slave mentality of Whites, and Blacks who don’t believe this haven’t lost their slave mentality either; they should know better, especially the NAACP.

“Shirley Sherrod said that the one person she would like to get back at would be Andrew Breitbart, who posted the three minute NAACP clip, which resulted in the loss of her job.” http://www.examiner.com/x-53781-US-He ... t-Sherrod-speaks-to-Obama

Though some people would probably say that wouldn’t be the Christian thing to do, I believe that sometimes one has to help oneself by putting an end to any kind of blasphemy in order to keep such blasphemy from being repeated. Christians need to be empowered; this is what real Christian empowerment is all about, striking down racism wherever it pops up.

What transpired with Shirley Sherrod should never have happened and it didn’t just happen. Someone, either Andrew Breitbart, or a number of people caused this huge infraction to occur, and they knew exactly what they were doing. The Obama administration cannot allow something like this to ever happen again. Wanting to believe the good of all is wonderful, but this belief can make for a disaster in politics.

Perhaps some day people will realize that spreading the truth is easier than they think; it's the only way of killing a lie and racism.

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When speaking in terms of what the American People are worth, spending comes to mind. It seems that the Republican Party is averse to spend money and continue helping the American people that have lost their jobs, and who have been out of work for some time. Their reluctant behavior brings to mind how much money the Bush Administration spent on the illegal Iraq War, a war which was neither sanctioned by Congress or the UN. I’m thinking in these monetary terms because the Republican Party is holding back the Unemployment extension for about 2 million Americans who have lost their jobs and are on long term unemployment. By the end of July that number could rise to over 3 million Americans. Does the Republican Party believe that the American people are worth at least as much as what the Senate appropriated for the Iraq War?

France, Germany and Russia didn’t sanction the Iraq War. The people of England and Italy staged huge protests to no avail, as did many Americans; there were demonstrations all over the world protesting against this war; millions protested against this war including Spain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_to_the_Iraq_War  This was the largest worldwide mass protest in history. For the United States, the debt caused by this war is astounding.

The political structure of the United States government is not that forgiving; perhaps the Republican Party is intent on making the American people pay by not immediately passing the last Unemployment Extension, which was put forth by the Democratic Party. To put it mildly, it is said that payback is not kind. In politics the forgiveness level is not a friendly one, and with a war which was definitely not sanctioned by the American people, perhaps this is a form of payback from the Republican Party to the American people.

Billions of dollars were spent on the Iraq War, in fact it was multi-billions of dollars, over ¾ of a trillion dollars; if you count what was spent on the Afghanistan War, well then the government spending tops 1 trillion dollars; this money was approved by Congress and the Senate of the United States of America. http://costofwar.com/

As of Thursday, July 15, 2010, the amount of money spent for the Iraq War totaled $734, 056, 000,000.00 and counting; for the Afghanistan War, it was $284, 116, 000,000.00 which totals $1,018,172,000,000.00; this is since 2001 and the count continues to be tabulated.

There was also 9 billion dollars of the American people’s tax money that was lost and unaccounted for. http://usliberals.about.com/od/homelandsecurit1/a/IraqNumbers.htm

U.S. SPENDING IN IRAQ

Spent & Approved War-Spending - About $900 billion of US taxpayers' funds spent or approved for spending through Sept 2010.

U.S. 2009 Monthly Spending in Iraq - $7.3 billion as of Oct 2009

U.S. 2008 Monthly Spending in Iraq - $12 billion

U.S. Spending per Second - $5,000 in 2008 (per Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on May 5, 2008)

There were tractor trailers, weaponry and equipment on a massive scale that was unaccounted for, which total 1 billion dollars.

How many American people could have been employed with those billions of dollars? How many American people could have paid their electric bills with the 1 billion dollars? How many insurance premiums, doctor’s bills, college tuitions, day care center bills, grocery bills, medical bills and phone bills could have been paid with those multi-billions of dollars that was spent on this illegal war? ¾ of a trillion dollars could have paid for a lot of things in this country, things that the American people need.

You might wonder, what does all of this have to do with what the American people are worth; simply put, it’s all about the American people and it’s about spending. It is about American people here at home, many who are unemployed like me, and the American people who are having difficulty paying bills. When the Republican Party is reluctant to what the Democratic Party is suggesting to help the American people, then the question comes up as to how much are the American people worth?

This dilemma is about some people that were once thriving, who are no longer thriving; these people are in the same position as some of those who were working to make ends meet; they both lost their jobs. Unlike those who were struggling to pay their bills all along, those who once thrived are looking at their homes, some of which have foreclosed and others that are foreclosing. The banks and big corporate businesses were bailed out with 800 billion dollars by this government; long term unemployment seems to be the only bailout for many of the American people. The Iraq War cost over ¾ of a trillion dollars, so did the bailout for the banks and big businesses; why has it been like pulling teeth to continue helping the American people who make up this country? This is not the first time that the Republican Party has stalled in passing an unemployment extension.  Politicians must make a decision; will they save their citizens or will they let them drown and blame President Obama instead of past President Bush, who stole two elections, invaded Iraq, who caused over 4,000 American soldiers to be killed, and over 31,000 to be injured, and who sank this country into the economic disaster that we’re now in; what will it be?

America could feed, clothe and provide housing for many of its citizens with 800 billion dollars; a lot of ills could be solved with that amount of money. Perhaps the American people aren’t corporate, but as a whole they do generate a vast amount of money and power; this amount should be enough to more than substantiate their worth to the Republican Party. Look at what the American people have in the banks, in their savings accounts and other accounts that generate money, and then think about what if the banks didn’t have the American peoples’ money to work with in order to make more money. Without the investment of the American people, the banks could not make the billions of dollars that they make daily. It’s the same in businesses, without the administrative assistants and other support staff, the management and CEOs of these huge corporate companies would never be able to bring in the millions or billions of dollars that they do. However, they pay the support staff a fraction of their salary, which run into the millions minus their millions of dollars in ridiculous bonuses; the support staff is paid a mere pittance, not what they really are worth. America must stop treating their citizens as support staff and step-children. We all know that it’s about the “Haves and the Have-nots,” who want to keep their monetary stronghold in their favor at all times no matter what it costs, but so at some point the American people are going to have to wake up and demand their share. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7180618

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/593/haves-have-nots

Is the Republican Party telling me and the American people that we aren’t worth the price of this war ticket; are they saying that we’re not at least worth the amount of money that the illegal Iraq War has cost our country? Are they saying that the American people don’t deserve to be extended a continued helping hand from the government which they have help to build and continued to support when times are beyond hard, when jobs have been downsized and other jobs have been outsourced and sent overseas? Is this what the Republican Party and now the Tea Party are now telling America? With all of the jobs and money that has flowed and continues to flow out of this country, perhaps these parties are insinuating or telling America what I wrote in my book “Born In The Wrong Country,” when I wrote, …. “Perhaps the United States of America is moving, and it’s just that they forgot to inform its people.” I spoke of this in reference to what was being spent here at home as opposed to this war. The greed of big business and the Bush administration’s arrogance, along with their power made me think of many things; it is about the American people who are suffering here at home. The American people are alive; but our war seems to be right here in our own country; we’re fighting to stay alive, to eat, and pay our bills.

One has to be realistic; this Iraq War didn’t do what it was supposed to do; it didn’t stimulate the economic growth of the United States of America; this war along with the Bush Administration’s policies destroyed our economic stability. Someone got richer during this war, but it wasn’t the American people, and it wasn’t our soldiers; they paid the ultimate price with their lives. Over 4,000 came back in body bags, and over 31,000 were injured, many very serious injured and without limbs.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties.htm

http://usliberals.about.com/od/homelandsecurit1/a/IraqNumbers.htm

These statistics aren’t imaginary; the Iraq War is not imaginary, and the unemployed and jobless in the United States of America are not imaginary. Over 7 million jobs have vanished since the recession began in 2007.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06 ... ent-growing_n_601930.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/a ... l-transform-america/7919/

When one looks at these statistics, one might ask are people worth more dead than alive? One might say that this is a harsh and perhaps a cynical question, but look at the reality of the situation in this country. People have committed suicide because they can no longer provide for their families, just meditate on that; this is a grim reality. President Obama has been saying from the start, that American people need our help and that he needs the American people’s help; this was not just talk of the election campaign; this is reality. When reality strikes a nerve, sometimes it gets the opposition to do what is right. When politicians do what is right, in turn the people will re-elect them and help our government move forward to solving other issues. One should not expect the lame to walk with ease or run swiftly after being hit with a devastating injury like job loss. Incentives are needed but more than that, the American people need a healing, this healing has to do with having jobs, full time jobs which provide job security, but until then we need our government to continue extending its arm to help us survive. One should never throw out a rope to rescue someone and then cut it before the rescue is complete.

The government didn’t say no to big business, and without the American people there would be no big business. America cannot and will not survive without the strength of its people, and politicians need to realize how important the American people are; moreover the American people also need to realize how important they are to the growth of this nation.

The arrogance and stalling tactics of the Republican Party will not feed, clothe, buy medicine, pay mortgages, pay rent, insurances, car notes or any other bills; unemployment extensions will at least keep the some of us afloat. The stability of this country depends on the stability of its people.

In a recent article that I wrote entitled, “President Obama, A Unique Black Man,” I said that,… “How America Thinks of You is Exactly How America Sees You.” This was taken from my book, “Born In The Wrong Country,” which on one hand depicts some of the issues of unwelcomeness from a country who bought and stole Africans from their homeland and forced them into slavery. A similar statement can also be used when referring to people, whether they are White, Black, Asian, Indian, Iraqi, English, Pakistani, African, Israeli, Norwegian, Russian, Chinese or Afghanistan people; the same holds true. How people think of you is exactly how they see you. These are strong statements, but it goes back to when Black people, African-American People of Color were enslaved by the former colonies, which became the United States of America. Whether one wants to believe it not, much of this has been carried over and still holds true today, especially in politics.

Before reading any further just think about those statements for a moment; think about how you’ve thought or think about someone who is not like you. Think about how you think of them and how you see them. After you’ve done that, think about how you see people in your own life, close friends, parents, and siblings and see how you’ve talked about them in certain ways, but later came to regret what you said, mostly because you got caught. Did you really regret what you said, or did someone expose what you said about certain people or groups? If the latter is true, if someone exposed what you said, outed you for your comments, and now you’re saying that you have regrets of what you said, then you’re really not sorry; you’re sorry that you got caught, and that is not being remorseful. You intended to say exactly what you said, and probably had done so many times before.

Now think of certain groups, different ethnicities, organizations, religions, races, and groups that differ from you in their sexual orientation, such as lesbians, gay, bisexuals and transgender people. Think of what you’ve thought when you’ve encountered these various groups of people, and then ask yourself how do you see them? Perhaps what you said was not so nice, but you didn’t get caught or maybe some of you did. When you say things that aren’t nice, you’re responding to exactly how you think of these people, so if you say that you’re sorry, you’re being hypocritical. You say these things thinking that no one will hear you or repeat what you said because you’re a coward, but you know that if you do get caught, you can always fall back on I’m sorry, and some people will believe you. You see Gen. Stanley McChrystal was probably thinking, I’ll just say that my words were inappropriate and offer my resignation; he probably thought that would be enough. Did Gen. Stanley McChrystal apologize to the President or did he just offer his resignation? It is said that he should apologize to the military men and women in Afghanistan. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2 ... n/25/let-the-big-dogs-run

“Ultimately, Gen. McChrystal should publicly apologize to the military men and women who are left behind to carry out their duty in Afghanistan.”

It is also said that he offered a public apology. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-fg-mcchrystal-20100623,0,3114733.story

….“McChrystal offered a public apology Tuesday. He also met with Karzai, Holbrooke and Eikenberry and privately apologized.”… It is also said that Gen. McChrystal apologized to for the article. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/24/ ... l-apologized-for-article/

Apologies to others included were cited in an article on the following website. http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2 ... /25/a-general-gone-rogue/

“Although McChrystal issued a public apology and telephoned all those who were the objects of his scorn, except the president, it did not carry much weight.”

Let’s be very clear, a General that offers his resignation to the President is not the same as a General offering his apology to the President; the two words have two distinct meanings, neither is even similar in word origin.

Many people don’t want their comments divulged because they are cowards, and they really would rather not have to eat crow and apologize. In essence they’re just like the KKK, the White Supremacist Group here in America; it is evident that they don’t want to be outed, otherwise they wouldn’t hide behind those white sheets.

Look at the rapists you see in the headlines; you see their faces and once you see them as being marked as being a rapist, whether it is true or not, it is hard for you to get that out of your mind. Look at the pedophiles; there is even a National Sex Offender Registry where one can find out if any sex offenders are living in their neighborhood. http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Conditions.aspx

If they’re found to be innocent later, it really doesn’t matter; they’re lives and or reputations are ruined. We can go on with murders, liars, thieves and so on; their reputations and lives can be ruined because the way that you think of them is exactly how you see them.

The same holds true for the way some people look at African-American People of Color, Black people in this country, who have become doctors, lawyers, judges, a Supreme Court judge and even our President of the United States; there are so many White people in this country, who still visualize Black people as being subservient to White people. You can’t get the thoughts of our servitude out of your minds and or the fact that we were once slaves in this country; you see how you think of us is exactly how you see us. This is called racism because so many Whites from earlier generations were taught that they shouldn’t associate with Black people because they were lower them. There was a time when Black slaves were only thought of as being 3/5 of a person.  http://parablemania.ektopos.com/archives/2010/04/three-fifths.html

Today there are certain so-called religious sects that teach this same kind of exclusion of the (LGBT,) Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. Again how you think of someone is exactly how you see them; whether you think it on your own or whether you have been taught how to hate, the same holds true. The brainwashing of our psyches will have a great effect on how we see others.

When someone says things like Gen. Stanley McChrystal, it is quite evident that he meant exactly what he said when speaking about President Obama and his administration; there are no misstatements here and even though he doesn’t deny those statements, there are some people who will believe that he misspoke. Had he not visualized President Obama as he thought of him, he would have never said those words. In my opinion he thought and resented the fact that this African-American Person of Color was not only the President of the United States, but was his boss. Simply put, he decided to show his arrogance, and as I say in my book “Born In The Wrong Country,”…… “Arrogance is not a friend of mine; to me it is almost the equivalent of someone showing their a.. to you in public”…; his display wasn’t a pretty sight. Perhaps he thought that he could possibly get away with this, so he offered his resignation in advance; perhaps he thought that his boss would not accept it because there was no one to take his place. Wednesday, June 23, 2010, Gen. Stanley McChrystal got a rude awakening.

I believe that McChrystal decided that his ego and arrogance were more important than doing his job. I also believe that he didn’t have any respect for his Commander and Chief and our President of this United States of America. Though President Obama has gained respect worldwide, and has been building America’s image back up after it had fallen because of the Bush administration. This President who he refused to respect was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize because of his Nonproliferation of Arms agenda and bridging the gap to all people of the world including Muslims. Unfortunately there are some people who resent that the fact that President Obama is being hailed a world class leader as he continues building bridges where ever he can.

Stanley McChrystal was called down earlier on Air Force One by President Obama because of his attitude, and things that he said regarding Vice President Biden; he should have taken that as a warning, but decided to continue to temp fate.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/119236

McChrystal gave more than one odd statement; why would he make such an odd statement before going to a French Dinner even if he didn’t really want to go? It is said that he said,… "I'd rather have my ass kicked by a roomful of people than go out to this dinner," McChrystal says.  He pauses a beat.

"Unfortunately," he adds, "no one in this room could do it."

With that, he's out the door.

"Who's he going to dinner with?" I ask one of his aides. 

"Some French minister," the aide tells me. "It's f…… gay."

Statements like these show a man that is dwarfed by his own ego, who doesn’t have respect for others or his job.

He and his staff also dismissed Vice President Biden with a rude remark, saying, .…

 "Are you asking about Vice President Biden?" McChrystal says with a laugh.

"Who's that?"

"Biden?" suggests a top adviser. "Did you say: Bite Me?" ……

These statements sound like they might come from a mimicking buffoon, high on some drug, more powerful that his ego; they shouldn’t be part of one of the top ranking officers in the United States. McChrystal acted as if he didn’t have to answer to anyone; why else would he be so crude, rude and dismissive of the Vice President of the United States and now the President of the United States of America, especially after being forewarned? I believe that he really thought that he was invincible, believing this he offered his resignation.

This is one time when a White man didn’t get away with talking about the President and his administration; perhaps it’s a first time that a White man was fired for saying something they so often have gotten away with when speaking against his boss. In the work place of yesterday, Whites were able to say things against their bosses or to their bosses and get a way with it, but when a Black person said the same thing he was reprimanded and perhaps fired. Just as I said in my book “Born In The Wrong Country,” when speaking of who had free speech and what White people could say that Black people couldn’t say. … “We also realized that they had free speech; they were able to say things that we could never say just because they were White.  For instance, if they became angry and cursed at their supervisor, many times they were never even reprimanded, but you let a Black person do the same, and they would not only be reprimanded, but they would probably have been fired on top of it.”

In the final analysis I guess Gen. Stanley McChrystal isn’t a good poker player, and if he was playing Russian roulette he lost; President Obama showed him exactly who is boss. By firing him, President Obama showed him and others what he would not tolerate as President of the United States and as Commander and Chief of the Armed Forces; there would be no game.  Bravo Mr. President, bravo President Obama for the way that you continue to teach America; thank you for letting the world know that you will not be played for a fool, and that you will not stand for insubordination from anyone.