Tara in SB said: Where to start.... what plan do you see from McCain that will elevate this great country of ours? 100 years in Iraq? Bombing Iran? Tax relief to the wealthy? Borrowing more from China to pay for all that? Talk about naive.... our infrastructure is in dire need; states are cutting budgets to the bare bones; there is no more money in the coffers. Bury your head in the sand and hope that lottery ticket wins this time (obviously Iraq oil isn't going to pay for the war). For once in a long time we have someone who promises change; who has run his campaign differently; who has ignited the masses. I will NOT lower my expectations --- did that under the Reagan admin in our school system. I will pray and pray and then pray some more that the masses stand up and continue to send our Chump Change so that will change the face of this country and in doing so positively affect the world. It's amazing what MASSES of $109 donations can do! YES WE CAN from a 45yo white woman to anyone who cares to join minds and hearts

S. Johnston said: In response to Wil.I.Am's first post on this topic...... Where is America's power? You squandered it. All of it. For many many years to come. Stop electing criminals like the Bush family to run the country. Thats not rocket science. Not once but twice !!! The American people have had the power time and time again and they have squandered it on an ideal called blind patriotism. Now even the Russians control Space. (At least for the next 5-10 years). Trillions and trillions of dollars to go beat up on Iraq. The never ever ending war. And Y'all elected him "Twice" So lets see what the mighty America does with Barack Obama, the most common sense voice to come from America in just over 400 years. The only possible way to slay the racism dragon is to elect Mr. Obama by a landslide. Not tit for tat with Clinton. Not tit for tat in the Presidential Election with McCain. But thoroughly trounce the competition. Let us not confuse the fact that not all democratic policies are palatable. But, the man is. The world is watching just what will you do?

Angie said: To Lockett: Thanks for repeating all of our statements so that they show up twice. If it was worth posting once, then twice is even better. Glad you have a forum for your thoughts here, as we all do. But, do you do anything else during the day? Such a bitter tone in your words. Maybe a nice walk in the sunshine would help. Yes, we can.

Lockett said: To Original Patriots: "Is anyone watching the HBO miniseries “John Adams”? In the second episode, the Continental Congress receives a message from the King of England during a session, and it is a reply to an “olive branch” sent by the CC to England in hopes of a peaceful solution to conflict in Massachusetts. The president of the CC reads the message, which is a declaration that the Massachusetts colonists are rebels, and any and all who support them shall be hung as traitors to the crown. As he reads this last line, he says “God save the King”. In reaction, one of the other delegates shouts, “God Save the King? God DAMN the King!” Sound familiar? True patriotism, and the desire for the right for all individuals to be free and equal, doesn’t always come in a pretty, bow wrapped box, but can contain unbridled passion and uncensored emotion. And our forefathers had enough respect for the rights of individuals to express themselves freely and without the fear of censorship by codifying it into something we now know as the First Amendment." Right. If I remember correctly, they also ended up seceding from the British Crown. That's patriotism, too, right?

Original Patriots said: Is anyone watching the HBO miniseries "John Adams"? In the second episode, the Continental Congress receives a message from the King of England during a session, and it is a reply to an "olive branch" sent by the CC to England in hopes of a peaceful solution to conflict in Massachusetts. The president of the CC reads the message, which is a declaration that the Massachusetts colonists are rebels, and any and all who support them shall be hung as traitors to the crown. As he reads this last line, he says "God save the King". In reaction, one of the other delegates shouts, "God Save the King? God DAMN the King!" Sound familiar? True patriotism, and the desire for the right for all individuals to be free and equal, doesn't always come in a pretty, bow wrapped box, but can contain unbridled passion and uncensored emotion. And our forefathers had enough respect for the rights of individuals to express themselves freely and without the fear of censorship by codifying it into something we now know as the First Amendment.

Lockett said: That was the funniest, saddest thing that I've read today. So, unless I'm mistaken, the basic gist is that: Stanza: "let’s look at america’s past… it was racist… it practice slavery… it murdered… and there wasn’t justice for african americans…" Meaning: America as a country was racist in the past, and discriminated against blacks. OK, that's true. Grammatically flawed, but true. Let's take a look at the next stanza: Stanza: "now let’s look at america’s present… it is racist… and there is injustice not just for african americans.. but latinos, and women, and gays, and even whites… and it still continues to murder… none of that is false..." Meaning: America as a country is even more racist now, and now discriminates not only against blacks, but against everybody with a pulse. Not only does America discriminate against everybody, but it kills them, too. Wait, what? That's scary. I didn't know that there were still laws that discriminated against blacks. I didn't know that I, as a white, am also discriminated against. I don't even know who's getting treated better than us! At least I know that my Hispanic friend's recent death was ordered by the American government - they'll pay when Obama's elected! Of course, the above was obvious sarcasm. The fact is that there has always been injustice in the USA - indeed, in EVERY country that has EVER EXISTED. Heads up - electing Obama will not magically kill injustice. Also, American blacks have enjoyed more rights in recent years than ever before - even more so, some might say, when affirmative action is taken into account. Yep, blacks are trampled on by the white masses every day; never mind the fact that rap - an unequivocally black form of music - is one of the most popular genres in America. What's next? Stanza: "but we can change all that… that can all change… but running from the truth isn’t going to change it… and just because Obama goes to a church that points out those truths doesn’t make Obama a racist…" Meaning: We, as an entity, can change all of that. We can make America a better place by voting for Obama. Obama's pastor is not racist for pointing out the aforementioned truths. And Obama is not a racist for going to a church where that pastor preaches. Well, well, well. Disregarding the fact that absolutely none of "those truths" is actually true, would any sane person honestly say that statements that the evil whites in the American government genetically engineered the AIDS virus in a plot to kill off the blacks, that the same whites also hooked blacks on crack in order to put them in prison, that the abbreviation "USA" should be changed to "USKKKA", and that America as a country should burn in hell - his actual words were "God Damn America" - are not even slightly racist, or even traitorous? Also, if Obama goes to that church, he almost certainly agrees with his pastor's sentiments - people don't stay in churches who don't believe the pastor's words. If Obama didn't agree, he would have left. People leave churches all the time based on obscure theological issues with no real-world applications - Wright's views most certainly DO have real-world implications. Therefore, Obama agrees with every racist speech uttered by his pastor. Blacks can be racist, too. There is so much drivel that I don't have the attention span to comment on every stanza, so I will skip through the rest of the "poem": Line: "what is racist is what happened in “new orleans” and mississippi…" Meaning: Blacks were discriminated against in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. That's so ludicrous that I don't even know how to answer it. What is it based on? It can't be any statistic. Also, what's with the quote marks around New Orleans? Are you saying that the true name, originally coined by the morally superior blacks, has been superceded by a horrible, white French-derived name? Line: "a 3rd world country is recovering from “FAR” more water damage quicker than we are…" Again with the quote marks? Anyway, Indonesia's recovery wasn't weighed down by the bloated bureaucracy called FEMA. The fact that the population density was much lower might also have been a factor. But, as we all know, the real cause is that Indonesia isn't America. That last sentence was sarcastic, if you were too dim-witted to get it. This stanza has to be read as a whole: "racism doesn’t exist on the streets between common people like it use to… it exists secretly in the “office”… it exists subliminally in the “media”… it exists cleverly in “government”… but actually it’s not racism anymore… it’s called “finance”…" Meaning: It's impossible to tell. Either there are Jim Crow laws against working, reporting, and government office; or that was just a stupid paragraph. I'm inclined to agree with the latter interpretation. It could be the former, though - although that doesn't increase its credibility! Back to the one-liners: Line: "and we are not stoooooopid anymore…" Meaning: We as an entity aren't "stoooooopid" - we're just stupid enough to spell it that way. GAHA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! Line: "let’s make a difference!!!" Meaning: By uniting as one, interracial voters can transcend the traditional breaches between their societies, and make a better America possible by letting Obama do it. If only I could be so blissfully naive. Now, I have to respond to some comments. To Kevin Chancellor: "in this present time and space I ask the lord to here my case. my case for freedom from a land full of so so much hate freedom from rullers that that controll everyone well being preventing humans from being humans. I asked the lord to bless the contry with a somone that chan bring about change. someone that knows my struggle someone that knows my pain. someone that knows how this should be ran and could be ran. I ask my lord to send bless this contry with a powerful person that has compassion and understanding. someone that comands atention somone that can get through to people regardless of the race, color , creed or sexual orentation. someone that had so much hart that he can never run out of love for his people, and people everywhere. The LORD gave us BARAK OBAMA. the loard gave us a man that exudes the same strength, compassion, understanding, lover and vocal power as the great Martin Luther King Jr. THE LORD gave us this gift now we must do all that we can to protect this gift. to respect this gift to honor this gift. I now ask the lord to walk into this battle with our gift and see to it that he will make a safe a glorious journey." That sounded more like a prayer to Obama than to the Lord. To Paula: "Barack’s up by 5 o’clock Barack’s givin’ it all he got Barack’s job is six to nine but Barack’s home by nine O five Barack helps to cook the steak Barack helps to wash the plates Barack puts the kids to bed Barack reads a book to them (Why cant you be like Obama?) Barack loves Michelle so Barack puts her on a pedestal Barack’s wish is her command but Barack don’t make no demands Barack’s always back in time Barack’s not the cheatin’ kind (Boo ya Hillary) Barack’s full of compliment Barack’s such a gentleman (Why cant you be like Obama?) Barack’s carryin’ a heavy load but Barack never really ever moans Barack’s not a wealthy guy but Barack pays the bills on time Barack’s got ideas and plans Barack’s what you call a real man Barack always will provide ’cause Barack is the family type (Why cant you be like Obama?) Maybe I need someone (Bill Clinton could sing this part) Someone who isn’t undone Maybe an older woman Will tolerate me Maybe that certain someone Older and wiser woman Maybe the perfect someone To satisfy me Barack keeps his body clean Barack don’t use nicotine Barack don’t drink alcohol Barack use no drugs at all Barack don’t eat any sweet Barack don’t eat pig feet Barack’s frame is mighty strong Barack make love hard and long (Why cant you be like Obama?) Barack loves Michelle so Barack walks her to the sto’ Barack likes to hold her hand Barack’s proud to be her man Barack stands for decency Barack means formality Barack’s the epitome Barack stands for quality Barack Obama Barack Obama Our love will be…" New National Anthem pending approval by His Grand Exalted Interracial Majesty Barack Obama. To Laura: "Keep it up, will.i.am! They will keep attacking, and we will keep fighting. The American people WILL be heard this year. People like “Concerned” and “Razed” will continue to spread hate, distoritions, lies, and fear. Obama gives us the strength and courage to say, “Enough is enough! We WILL take our country back!” Corporate greed is the reason we are in a recession, gas will soon be $4.00 (devalued) a gallon, the government is bailing out banks instead of millions of homeowners, the war is out of control with no end in sight, our infrastructure is crumbling, and we pay more than anyone in the world for subpar health care. Mohandas Gandhi: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. YES WE CAN 08AMA 08 08AMA 08 08AMA 08" I have three questions: What "hate, distortions, lies, and fear", exactly, have Concerned and Razed "spread"? Who will take the country back? From whom? What country has better health care than the USA? How is ours below average? What IS the average? To Leona: "Dear Barack, This is in response to Pastor Wrights venting of some of his views. That is exactly what they were, his views. You should not be held accountable for his comments. He made those comments in what he thought was his sanctuary…his own church. Who knew someone would buy all of the cd’s, and dvd’s from the last 20 years of his sermons to get a 3-minute sound byte, to use against you. This did not happen by chance. It is a strategic move by your opponents to divide and conquer the Democratic Party, and a negative campaign to perform a character assassination on you. As you can see there is a movement by the black ministers and their churches to stop supporting you. That is ludicrous. This comes just before the Pennsylvania primary. That is no accident! You should not have to apologize everyday for being black. They won’t be happy until you have denied and separated yourself from everything and everybody black that has a negative opinion about the U.S. Please don’t let that happen, Ever forward, Leona" Again, three questions: How, exactly, does "the sanctuary of his own church" make anything that Wright says fine and true? Who cares about when this material was exposed? Elliot Spitzer got away with adultery for TWO YEARS before it was unearthed. Why does Barack have to "apologize everyday for being black"? WHEN has he apologized? To Angie: "Well, I’m not really sure about this poem. I love the song, “Yes, we can,” because it is so poetic. I love that Barack quotes Faulkner. But, when poetry like “The Race Card” starts to sound more like someone just yelling at you, is it really poetry? We know about the ugly past. Even the racists know it deep down. So, if you are going to bring it up, try making it a little more artistic. Artists don’t just preach to the choir, they transcend that and reach the hearts of their enemies because what they say is so beautiful even if it is sad. Obama knows that. Obama knows the past will never be the past. He said so in his speech on Tuesday. Take a cue from Langston Hughes and Dr. King and Obama, and reach for a metaphor rather than a hammer in your poetry. Inspire everyone to carve a stone of hope out of the great mountain of despair. Remind us what dreams are and why they are important. Tell us a story. Give us an image to cling to. But, don’t just yell. More people will listen." No amount of prose can cover up a spineless campaign. What's Obama's platform? CHANGE. What's Obama's opinion on the Iraq war? CHANGE. I change every day - from my boxers to my jeans and back! How does Obama change what, and why? Who knows? Who cares? I really don't understand this "Obamania" that's sweeping the Democratic party - it has no basis that I can see!

Angie said: Well, I'm not really sure about this poem. I love the song, "Yes, we can," because it is so poetic. I love that Barack quotes Faulkner. But, when poetry like "The Race Card" starts to sound more like someone just yelling at you, is it really poetry? We know about the ugly past. Even the racists know it deep down. So, if you are going to bring it up, try making it a little more artistic. Artists don't just preach to the choir, they transcend that and reach the hearts of their enemies because what they say is so beautiful even if it is sad. Obama knows that. Obama knows the past will never be the past. He said so in his speech on Tuesday. Take a cue from Langston Hughes and Dr. King and Obama, and reach for a metaphor rather than a hammer in your poetry. Inspire everyone to carve a stone of hope out of the great mountain of despair. Remind us what dreams are and why they are important. Tell us a story. Give us an image to cling to. But, don't just yell. More people will listen.

Lou said: If you like Will.i.am's song, then you'll love this new one. http://www.obamarocks08.com

Christopher George said: This is a message for Leona. “Who knew someone would buy all the dvd’s from the last 20 years?” Um, anybody who went to the church website and saw that they had them for sale? So using somebody’s own words against them is now character assassination? How will you ever transcend issues of race if they are your only frame of reference for understanding the world?

Leona said: This is a message for Barack Obama. Dear Barack, This is in response to Pastor Wrights venting of some of his views. That is exactly what they were, his views. You should not be held accountable for his comments. He made those comments in what he thought was his sanctuary…his own church. Who knew someone would buy all of the cd's, and dvd's from the last 20 years of his sermons to get a 3-minute sound byte, to use against you. This did not happen by chance. It is a strategic move by your opponents to divide and conquer the Democratic Party, and a negative campaign to perform a character assassination on you. As you can see there is a movement by the black ministers and their churches to stop supporting you. That is ludicrous. This comes just before the Pennsylvania primary. That is no accident! You should not have to apologize everyday for being black. They won’t be happy until you have denied and separated yourself from everything and everybody black that has a negative opinion about the U.S. Please don’t let that happen, Ever forward, Leona