Whoops! (Obama and the Special Olympics)

Can you imagine if our former president had said this…they would have burned down the White House!

Gotta love when a PC Prez isn’t PC

Read the article with the White House response here

What Just Happened?

Today was a historic day in our country’s history…

Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States, and its 1st African American President.

I thought that as we looked hopefully into the future, we could take a moment to look back at the highlights (or lowlights, depending on your perspective) of the last 8 years

2000

December 13: The U.S. Supreme Court stops the Florida recount, handing the presidency to George W. Bush.

The Dow closes at 10,794.

2001

January 15: Wikipedia is founded.

June 7: The Bush tax cuts become law.

September 9: Ahmed Shah Massoud, commander of the anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan, is assassinated.

September 11: Nearly 3,000 die in the 9/11 attacks.

September 18: The first anthrax letters are mailed.

September 20: The Office of Homeland Security is announced.

October 7: The United States invades Afghanistan.

October 26: The PATRIOT Act is signed into law.

November 25: CIA interrogator Johnny Michael Spann is killed in Afghanistan; he is the first U.S. casualty in the war on terror.

December 2: Enron files for bankruptcy.

2002

January 1: The Euro enters circulation.

January 23: Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Pakistan.

May 30: Clean-up operations at Ground Zero are completed.

October 2: Congress passes a joint resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq at the president’s discretion.

The Beltway sniper attacks begin.

October 4: The Dow closes at 7,528.40, in what will be its lowest ebb in the post-Internet-boom recession.

December 9: United Airlines files for bankruptcy.

2003

March 20: Coalition troops enter Iraq.

April 9: U.S. forces seize Baghdad.

April 14: The Human Genome Project is completed.

May 1: President Bush delivers his “Mission Accomplished” speech.

June 3: The Dow closes above 9,000.

August 14: A major blackout leaves 40 million Americans in eight states without power.

December 11: The Dow closes above 10,000.

December 13: Saddam Hussein is captured.

2004

March 11: 190 die in the Madrid train bombings.

April 28: The Abu Ghraib scandal is revealed.

July 27: Barack Obama delivers his “Audacity of Hope” speech at the Democratic convention.

August 19: Google goes public.

September 8: The U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 1,000.

November 14: Colin Powell resigns as Secretary of State.

2005

February 15: YouTube goes online.

May 31: Mark Felt is revealed to be “Deep Throat.”

July 7: 56 die in the London subway and bus bombings.

September 28: Tom DeLay is indicted on conspiracy charges.

October 19: Saddam Hussein goes on trial.

October 2: The U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 2,000.

2006

February 14: The Dow closes above 11,000.

February 22: The al-Askari Mosque in Samarra, Iraq, is bombed, triggering Sunni-Shia ethnic cleansing across the country.

June 7: A U.S. airstrike kills Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

October 17L The U.S. population reaches 300 million.

October 19: The Dow closes above 12,000 for the first time in history.

November 5: Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death.

November 8: Donald Rumsfeld resigns as Secretary of Defense.

December 30: Saddam Hussein is executed by hanging in Baghdad.

December 31: The U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 3,000.

2007

January 9: The iPhone is introduced.

April 25: The Dow closes above 13,000 for the first time in history.

July 19: The Dow closes above 14,000 for the first time in history.

July 21: The final book in the Harry Potter series is released.

October 9: The Dow reaches what will be its all-time high unto date, closing at 14,164.53.

October 18: Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan.

November 3: Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf declares a nationwide state of emergency.

November 23: The Dow closes below 13,000.

December 27: Bhutto is assassinated.

2008

January 2: Oil hits $100 per barrel for the first time.

February 19: Fidel Castro announces his resignation.

March 7: The Dow closes below 12,000.

March 23: The U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 4,000.

July 15: The Dow closes below 11,000.

September 15: Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 — the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history.

September 16: The Federal Reserve lends $85 billion dollars to AIG — the largest such intervention in U.S. history.

September 25: Washington Mutual collapses — the largest bank failure in U.S. history.

October 6: The Dow closes below 10,000.

October 9: The Dow closes below 9,000.

November 4: Barack Obama is elected president.

November 19: The Dow closes below 8,000.

November 20: The Dow closes at 7,552.29, its lowest point to date in the global financial crisis.

December 4: In Iraq, parliament passes a law forcing all U.S. troops to leave the country by January 1, 2012.

thanks to Tim Heffernan

Its Obama’s fault…

To those of you who claimed George Bush was to blame for all that has gone wrong in the world…

Ayman al-Zawahiri (al-Qaeda’s No. 2 leader) has moved on…

He recently released an audio message blaming Obama for the fighting occurring in the Gaza strip

I am not speaking to those of you who voted for Obama because you believed in what he stood for…only to those of you who voted for him because you hated W…

What are you going to do when terrorists/enemies of the US start levying the same accusation at Obama (you know, the ones the left began to agree with, and the media began to publish) that they levied at Bush

Hopefully you can see the pure hypocrisy of defending Obama against these accusations when you used them to crucify Bush.

I am not defending Bush…only saying that I suppose I can see the benefit of a self serving and  subjective worldview that allows me to defend one and assault another without anyone pointing it out because that would be intolerant.

At some point you have to make a decision.  Not based on what is popular or feasible, but what is right and moral.

I am not a fan of ALOT of what W did, but I respect that he did what he thought was right, regardless of who said what, or what was currently popular.

That is called leadership

That is called integrity

I pray the same clarity for our incoming president

Obama, Rick Warren, and Tolerance?

Obama announced that Rick Warren will give the invocation at his inauguration.

The announcement was met with a firestorm of criticism from the gay and lesbian community.

The published reasons were…

“”We feel a deep level of disrespect when one of the architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination,”

“By inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table,”

They are essentially saying Obama is not free to have someone pray for him, who does not agree with  them!  

Why do we as human beings have such a great pension for this kind of blind hypocrisy.  When Joel Hunter prayed at the DNC, he was overwhelmingly criticized by the evangelical community…now when Rick Warren is asked to pray at the inauguration, the gay community chimes in.

This is the under belly of the “tolerance” argument.  Tolerance means, I am right and you are wrong, agree with me, and if you do not, you are intolerant.  When the shoe is on the other foot, no such accommodation is given.  

When Rick Warren reached out to Obama AND McCain, interviewing both candidates, and going to great lengths to show neutrality, he was killed by both sides.  The scrutiny placed on him would have never been accepted if that same scrutiny were placed on those who oppose his views.

“Tolerance” is a loaded deck. 

The expectation that the church will ever be offered the same “tolerance” that it is required to give is simply a pipe dream.  It is not going to happen.   

I heard someone say that “tolerance is a cheap version of grace”.  The church was never meant to show tolerance…it was meant to show grace.  The real deal, without strings, or trap doors.  Grace is the “best foot forward” of the church.  We must not expect tolerance, but we must offer grace.  It is a city on the hill, and a light from a candle.  When we attempt to practice “tolerance” we put our light under a bushel.  

The idea of tolerance as we see it in our society is fake, cheap, and one sided.  

Let’s put it aside and strive to offer the grace we received and claim.

Ever wonder what a candidate does while the votes are being counted?

I have always thought it would be interesting to see what a presidential candidate does while the rest of the country waits to see if he will be the next commander and chief.  I imagine the mounting pressure is unbearable.  (thought Obama looked like the weight of the world, the free world anyways, had just been placed on his shoulders when he came out to give his acceptance speech)  

What would you do to combat the pressure?  I would put on my sweats, load up the iPod, order the best room service they could bring me, and order every movie off of pay per view that looked even remotely interesting.  They would come to tell me I won and find me out cold under an empty box of pizza and covered in chips with ‘”Get Smart” blaring in the background, having crashed from the caffeine buzz I got from 4 Mountain Dews.  Put that on your CNN hologram.

Apparently Obama chose a different route. (to each his own)  In another act of campaigning brilliance, he chronicled the evening and put it on Flickr.  Check out his evening here.

What would you do if you were the presidential candidate on election night?

Obama’s Acceptance Speech

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

OBAMA: We are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.
It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.
Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.
I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they’ve achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
… the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next first lady…
… Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia…
… I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us…
… to the new White House.
And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.
OBAMA: And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe…
OBAMA: … the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best — the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.
To my chief strategist David Axelrod…
… who’s been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics…
… you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy…

(APPLAUSE)

… who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.
This is your victory.
OBAMA: And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me.
You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.
There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education.
There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.
I promise you, we as a people will get there.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!
OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can’t solve every problem.
But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.
OBAMA: This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.
Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
OBAMA: And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those — to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
That’s the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
OBAMA: She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can. At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can. When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can. OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can. OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can. OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can. OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have mThis is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

My many, many questions

I have to admit, tomorrow I will be voting, and I still have about a thousand questions regarding our candidates.  

Obama…

One that might seem odd, or even a little bit conspiracy theorist, is…

Why are these people clapping at this statement? Why do we need a civilian security force that is as strong as our military?  I thought we called those people police officers.  Am I missing something?  If he is referring to police…why does he over and over call them civilian security?

Also, what is the final number I have to be under in order to not get a tax hike?  Is it 250K, 200K, 150K, or 120K? Why does the number keep going down?

What does “redistribute the wealth” mean in terms of dollars and cents?  Is he really going to tax the rich in order to send a check to the poor?  How is that not called socialism, even Marxism?

Whether you like it or not, there are  a lot of bad men Obama has hung with…its not just one, or one time…its several, many times over.  Is there an explanation that is better than the political pass over?

McCain…

How are you going to fix our economy? How are you going to fix our healthcare system?  I am sure you have a plan, it is just that after listening to him many times, I still do not know what it is.

I agree the troops need to come in victory, and I understand that we should not set a date and tip off our enemies, but how long do you think it will be before we draw this war to a close?  It seems like an indefinite thing to me.

McCain is another in a long line claiming conservative values, and making promises regarding these values. What is he going to DO about them?  The words have gotten beyond trivial, to a point of seeming like nothing more than a buy off for the evangelical vote.

I could go on an on here…

Here are my last few:

McCain is largely embraced by the more mature generation, while Obama is supported by the younger generation.  When do young liberals become mature conservatives, and will that happen with this generation?

Why after so many years of doing this thing we call democracy is our system not producing candidates that I can truly get behind and support?  

Why has the church been so naive in allowing their message to become partisan?

What are we, the church, going to do to stop voting for change, and start being change?

With the election tomorrow, what are some of your lingering questions?

The Terminator calls out Obama’s pipes

Political Bias in the Media

Find full report here

Obama-mercial

As the race comes down to the last view days, most polls I have seen have the candidates with points of one another, and most people I know opted away from the incredibly boring World Series to tune into the 30 minute info-mercial from Barack Obama

With reports that his campaign paid 1 MILLION dollars (totaling almost 5 MILLION) to each network the show was aired on, I thought it was absolutely genius.  Regardless of what you think of his policies, it is hard to argue the brilliance of his campaign.  To have the opportunity to speak to the nation with just 6 days before the election, as you see fit, and without rebuttal…genius.  The commercial was smart to use struggling Americans to which we can relate, and with whom we can find common ground.  As someone who’s health insurance premiums just went up almost thirty percent before the coming hike for our 2nd baby, it was easy to relate to people feeling the squeeze.

Couple things I found interesting…

-Did you catch the clip where Obama was speaking to the lady who’s son had gone off to war just two weeks prior?  Right before the screen transitioned from him and her, you heard him say “Let me pray for you”

-Did you catch the 20% lowering of the income for families who will not receive a tax increase…from 250K to 200K?  Why is no one saying anything about this?  Are people expecting we didn’t notice?

Either way, November 5th should be an interesting day.  I am legitimately concerned for where our country is headed.  I think both men have some good ideas, and frankly wish I could combine the two into one candidate I feel I could vote for without severe reservations.  Such is politics, I have yet to find a candidate I fully agree with…maybe I should run for office, then at least I would have one politician I think has his head on straight.  

I have fear about the divide that either candidate will bring to the country, but probably more so the racial divide that I think will be widened should Obama not be elected.  Whom ever is our president, the church has a responsibility to speak prophetically into our society, while faithfully praying for our leadership.  Let’s no longer sit by while expecting our elected politicians to bring change, (hasn’t work with abortion) let’s be the change God has always intended the church to be.