Tag Archives: John McCain

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The Great Debators or Great Deflators…..

   

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So here we are again with another debate in store between Obama and McCain McSame.    Lately McSame and Palin Shamelin have been trying to use the scare tactics in their campaign speeches against Obama.  She has gone with the, “This is not a man who sees American like you see America, and as I see America..” (wink wink – card) meaning that he sees the world through a “black” lense.  And he has gone to the, “Who is the real Senator Obama... translation, “You don’t really know the Negro and he’s too unpredictable card.”

According to the latest polls, Obama is increasing his lead.  And the word on the street is that McSame is going to “take off the gloves” in tonight’s debate.  Usually that means attacking Obama and not talking about the issues such as the economy, education, etc.  We all know he has nothing substantive to say on those issues. 

Just like last week’s VP debate, Shamelin had nothing more than predetermined sound bites, a few winks, oh shucks and some shout outs to offer.  Hmm, I wonder what America’s reaction would be if that were Michelle Obama talking all “folksy” that way?   Would her uneducated tone come off so endearing?  But I digress. 

On one hand it shows that many in America are relatively savvy in that they enjoy watching Tina Fey do Palin more than they enjoy Palin herself – meaning they don’t take Palin very seriously.  On the other hand while we laugh at her ridiculous presentation, in less than a month this lunatic could be a  heartbeat away from the nuclear codes.  Laugh as we may we need to take this election seriously and not sleep on the consequences.

So let’s just see what happens.  McCain says he’s going to be “bout it bout it” and Obama has been pretty much a gentleman most of the time.  I did hear him say on the Tom Joyner Morning Show yesterday morning that he may not throw the first punch, but he will throw the last one.  (That is when it comes to using hard core political attacks – see Roland Martin link) The Maverick as he calls himself is feeling a bit desperate.  And it will be interesting to see if he poses that same smirk he rocked in their last debate. 

I just want him to keep it real.  Don’t shake Obama’s hand.  Don’t whisper niceties in his ear – just be thug about it.  I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be a big hype and then the commentators are left to say the debate was “civil.”  Bring the heat McCain.. let’s see what your workin with.

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Commentary from CNN’s Campbell Brown

Commentary: Sexist treatment of Palin must end

By Campbell Brown
CNN

Editor’s Note: Campbell Brown anchors CNN’s “Campbell Brown: Election Center” at 8 p.m. ET Mondays-Fridays. She delivered this commentary during the “Cutting through the Bull” segment of Tuesday night’s broadcast.

NEW YORK (CNN) — Frankly I have had it, and I know a lot of other women out there who are with me on this. I have had enough of the sexist treatment of Sarah Palin. It has to end.

She was in New York on Tuesday meeting with world leaders at the U.N. And what did the McCain campaign do?

They tried to ban reporters from covering those meetings. And they did ban reporters from asking Gov. Palin any questions.

I call upon the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower who will wilt at any moment.

This woman is from Alaska for crying out loud. She is strong, she is tough, she is confident. And you claim she is ready to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff.

Allow her to face down those pesky reporters just like Barack Obama did today, just like John McCain did today. Just like Joe Biden has done on numerous occasions. Let her have a real news conference with real questions.

By treating Sarah Palin differently from other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves.

Free Sarah Palin.

Free her from the chauvinistic chains you are binding her with.

Sexism in this campaign must come to an end. Sarah Palin has as much a right to be a real candidate in this race as the men do.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/24/campbell.brown.palin/index.html#cnnSTCText
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The Conservative White Male/Vagina Vote – Bull Shiggidy!

I have to tell you – I have had it up to here with the McCain/Palin ticket, their media manipulators and the STUPID Americans that are still allowing themselves to be playd by their foolishness. 

You would think that when people see that the house is burning, they would have the good sense to get out.  But oh no!  Some of these fools would rather get burned than to have a black fire fighter help them out.  I SAID IT – YES I DID! 

Look all around us.  The war against terrorism as it relates to Iraq has been a dismal failure.  It was doomed from the start.  It’s so tired we don’t even talk about it anymore.  The economy is in the tank.  Freddie and Fannie are hanging on by way of welfare, Lehman Brothers, a Wall Street baller for almost 160 years is shot to shiggidy,  Merrill Lynch almost 95 years old sold out to Bank of America, and now AIG.  Unemployment is rampant, the mortgage crisis continues to swell and this fool McCain maintains that the economy is fundamentally strong.  What the fudge? 

It makes sense that to him things are fine.  Hell, he has 8 houses neither of which I am sure are in danger of being in foreclosure status, and his wife has more money than God.  His finances are quite “fundamentally strong.”  I ain’t hating.  But damn come on America.  Some of y’all are still going for this crap?  I work on the trading floor of one of the biggest securities exhange firms in the world, and I hear the rumblings every day. 

As for Palin, this woman who has no freggin idea what she has gotten herself into – makes a fool out of herself while interviewing soft ball throwing Charles Gibson saying that we would actually fight Russia because Georgia is a part of NATO.  WRONG!  And yet the polls in mid September are still close and some of y’all want this woman in the VP’s chair?  She has all kinds of shiggidy going on at home that she refuses to answer to.  After 8 years of corruption you would think Americans would have had enough.  It’s one thing for rich people to vote for the McCain/Palin ticket.  They obviously think their coffers won’t get touched.  Recent history shows otherwise.  If a rising tide lifts all boats, surely if you keep drilling holes in the Titanic it will eventually sink too.  I can see if they are blind to this.  But for middle to lower class Americans to even consider this foolery is beyond me.

Many Americans played themselves when “W” got into office.  They thought Gore was old time Washington and an extension of Clinton.  “W” came off as the hick guys wanted to have a beer with.  So never-mind he seemed out of touch with the basic needs of the nation – they just wanted a good ole’ boy, a cowboy like Ronald Reagan to be in office.  The second term was more of the same.  They allowed scare tactics about terrorism and swift boat ads to down Kerry, who was a war hero.  I know Kerry was not the idea candidate, but you picked a man who ran from service over a man who served with honor.   If you felt that service in war was not enough to be pres.,  what the hell happened to that thinking?  How did McCain’s service record over the same period become such a virtue for the presidency?  Speaking of Gore, are the McCain people saying this dude invented the Blackberry now?  But I digress. 

Some women are still bitter about Obama’s victory over Clinton. So they are willing to vote with their vaginas and going with Palin, a woman who stands for everything Hillary doesn’t.  What kind of shiggidy is that?  Black folks did not endorse Clarence Thomas for the supreme court because he was black.  We know that everyone who is our skin folk are not necessarily our kin folk.  We would rather have had another white man who was fair than a black man who is a garden tool for neo-conservative interest and a puppet of Justice Scalia’s.  Women need to learn the same message.  Making history is one thing, damaging your future for the sake of making history is another.  You think she is a friend to the average woman?  Check how how she deals with rape and domestic violence against women in the state of Alaska. When she was mayor of Wasilla, women who were raped or sexually abused had to pay for their own rape kits.   

I’ve already made it known to some and I will say it publicly.  If McCain/Palin get the White House, and we find that the difference were Clinton supporters who decided that they didn’t want to vote for a black man, even a black man who has their economic interest at heart – a man who has the best ideas for this country who happens to be black – you will get exactly what you deserve over the next 4-8 years.  I’m telling you NOW don’t cry on my shoulders cause I ain’t gone have NO love for ya!  When your jobs go bye bye , you can’t put your kids in college and fuel and food cost push crime to an all time high… I don’t want to hear it!  It’s amazing how racism is such a cancer and yet people would rather die from the self inflicted sickness of it than do something to help themselves – simply because the help may come by way of the dark hand that they are not used to.  AMAZING! 

SIDE NOTE: White Democrats who voted for Hillary but who choose not to vote for Obama should remember that it was the black vote that put the Clinton’s over the top TWICE.  It was the black vote that stuck with Bill through Whitewater and Monica Lewinski.  Why do you think he went around thinking he was the first black president?  It was black women who stood by Hillary when Bill was gettin’ head in the Oval Office and said she was courageous.  And now some of y’all act like you can’t vote for the black man who beat her?  If you can’t do right, never again ask me to participate in putting another white democratic nominee in the highest office.  My vote will not be whored out to those who can’t appreciate or represent me when the time comes.  Back to the issue at hand. 

Lets compare and contrast.  McCain supporters refer to Obama as being a glorified speech maker with no real solutions.  McCain hasn’t even spoken on the issues, cause he’s too busy distracting us with lipstick comments about Palin.  McCain supporters call Obama elitist.  What?  Are you saying a man who has achieved great things like becoming the first African-American head of the Harvard Law Review, and taught 12 years of Constitutional law is elitist?  What – because he’s smart?  What?  You don’t want him upholding the constitution?  You would rather have a dumb or lesser informed person in the White House?  You are just like the kids in school who put down the kids making straight A’s saying they are “acting white.”

Let’s be clear.  This race isn’t about issues.  It’s all about race and gender… mostly race.  I hope for the sake of the nation the majority of us make the right decision – but if not – I don’t want to hear any more bellyaching from the folks who put these clowns in charge after they flub up the rest of the country.

This is some Bull Shiggidy!

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White Priviledge: Tim Wise

 I got this from a friend in an email.  Tim Wise has been the leading critic of white priviledge in America.  This post is yet another reason why. 

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION

By Tim Wise

For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you’ll “kick their fuckin’ ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office–since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s–while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you’re black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do–like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor–and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college–you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it, a “light” burden.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem.

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BB&G Special Column Feature – Sylvester Brown

I pulled this column from the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  Sylvester Brown owned and operated a newspaper called “Take Five.”  It was the best source of local news this city has ever seen.  Unfortunately the paper went under.  Now Sylvester writes three times per week for the only mainstream newspaper in the city.  I have always enjoyed his pieces – and in this case he saved me the brain energy to express some of these thought.  The media is clearly NOT doing their job on the Palin thing.
This isn’t Venezuela, you can’t stifle the media
By Sylvester Brown Jr.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has got some nerve.

He uses state-run media as his bully pulpit to attack privately owned media
outlets — television, radio and newspapers — that his administration defines as
“hostile and manipulative.”

Chavez interrupts regularly scheduled programming to broadcast whenever he
wants to rail. In recent speeches, Chavez called his opponents “ridiculous,”
said they need “psychological help” and labeled them “little Yankees,” or
flunkies of the United States. He’s been accused of using his privileges to get
re-elected.

Just who does Chavez think he is anyway, a Republican?

Oh, I can hear the wailing now: “You can’t compare true-blue Americans to a
foreign tyrant!”

Well, let’s review.

Days after John McCain announced his vice presidential pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah
Palin, his party pulled out the tried-and-true “biased liberal media” card.

When Palin was asked about her foreign policy experience, religious
affiliation, gubernatorial decisions or the pregnancy of her unmarried
17-year-old daughter, GOP loyalists accused the media of being elitist, sexist,
hostile and downright mean.

Hours before Palin’s highly anticipated convention speech, McCain’s senior
adviser, Steve Schmidt, released a pointed statement saying the campaign would
no longer answer questions about Palin’s background check. The press, he said,
was only trying to create a “faux media scandal” designed to “destroy the first
female Republican nominee for the vice president of the United States.”

During her convention speech, Palin accused the media of crucifying her because
she’s not a member of the “Washington elite.” When hearing this, Tennessee and
Illinois delegates stood up, pointed fingers at the NBC booth and jeered
newsman Tom Brokaw.

The party has a willing ally over at Fox News Channel. A few days ago, former
Bush strategist Karl Rove, now a Fox News analyst, opined with colleague Bill
O’Reilly about the media’s attempts to “wipe out” Palin so Obama could win.

On another episode of O’Reilly’s show, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
trotted out results from a recent Rasmussen survey indicating that more than
half of U.S. voters (51 percent) think reporters are trying to hurt Palin and
help Obama.

Gee, are these folks talking about the same media outlets that ran month after
month of coverage on Obama’s alleged ties to Islamic extremists or Nation of
Islam leader Louis Farrakhan or convicted developer Tony Rezko? Wasn’t Obama
pilloried when he flip-flopped his stance on wiretapping?

Was it Obama-loving media outlets that pushed story after story about missing
flag pins, Michelle Obama’s patriotism and Obama’s so called “elitist
attitude”? And remember what happened after he called some white, working-class
voters in Pennsylvania and Indiana bitter and frustrated?

Of course, who can forget Obama’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The
minister’s controversial rants were played continuously on the airwaves for
days. And everywhere Obama turned, reporters demanded he explain his
relationship with Wright or declare his unequivocal allegiance to America.

Can you imagine the media backing off if Obama had a pregnant teen daughter? I
have to agree with author Dan Savage, who said the news would be nothing short
of all-out feeding frenzy.

Obama has been especially challenged on the experience question. Despite the
efforts to exaggerate her credentials, Palin lacks foreign policy and hands-on
national legislative experience. If it’s fair for Obama to be questioned, Palin
needs to face the fire, too.

If elected, Palin would be a heartbeat away from running the country. We need
to know everything about the exciting but relatively unknown VP candidate.

I want to know exactly what she meant when she told church members that troops
fighting in Iraq are on a “task that is from God.” Now that she has a pregnant
daughter, will Palin advocate shrinking national funding for programs aimed at
helping pregnant teens? That’s what she did as governor when she cut money for
Covenant House Alaska, a transitional home for teenage mothers.

Palin needs to be asked how she’s going to deal with a bungled war, bloated oil
company profits and ballooning food and gas prices.

I hope my colleagues grill Palin as hard as they’ve grilled Team Obama.

Her GOP supporters can’t pre-empt the media, not yet anyway. Friends, stand
your ground, look ’em in the eye and boldly ask:

“Just who do you think you are, Hugo Chavez?”

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BB&G C-Notes Week Ending Aug 22-25 – Politics And More

Whats up family!  I normally do this blog by myself.  But recently I ran into an old school mate, (actually he’s a bit older than me) named Charlie Bubba.  Charlie is an old school cat from the East Side.  I used to watch him shoot hoops when I was a kid.  Great guy!  I mean, he was not just some neighborhood bum.  He didn’t have much, and if you look at him it would seem with his old rags, baseball cap and missing teeth, this southern fried cat didn’t look as if he would have anything to say worth listening to.  But I tell you what… Give this guy a 40 and just sit down for a minute and he has a way of kicking the philosophy down like the ghetto Langston Hughes or something.  Hmm.  I sat down with Charlie Bubba, and asked his opinion on the Obama campaign.  Here’s what he had to say.

Well I’ll tell ya what C… I been watchin this young cat Boma.  And I have to say that up until this point, he has shown the smoothest pimp game I ever saw.  I mean damn!  I never thought I would see the day when a brotha man really had a chance to paint the White House black you know what I’m sayin… But Chicago got it goin on.  I have to give him props.  First he ran for the senate and made a damn fool outta that punk ass Alan Keyes.  Next thang ya know, homie is upstate announcing he’s running for pres.  Shiiiit!   (As he takes a puff of the Budda) After that he runs a pimp ass program against Bill’s wife.  And you know, his shit was still on point during some crucial challenges.  He gave the speech about race, which was pimp – Amerikka tried to argue wit it but you know them Fox watchers can see a nigga shine and gone always try to throw shade on him.  He shook off his preacher which normally would be a death sentence to the black community.  But I mean we got past that cause the Reverend showed his ass at the press club.  So he played the game the way he had to… smooth.  He has to be that non-threatening vanilla ass brotha so he wouldn’t scare middle America white folks away. 

Now that shit was smooth then.  But a nigga need to know when there is a change in the weather you know what I’m sayin?  He needs to change the game a bit and get with the program cause vanilla got him this far but he’s gonna have to flip the script now if he wants to be the man – cause that soft ass ambassador shit ain’t gone get it with this nigga McCain.  I mean look C, he did what he had to do with Bill’s wife.  Shit that gal did damn near everything in the book to break a nigga down.  And he had to smile for the most part cause he couldn’t be seen as too harsh on Miss White Pantsuit lady.  Oh hell 2 the naw America wasn’t gone stand for that.  So he smiled and gave her the olive branch, acted all diplomatic and shit.  He was smart enough to know that Luda could call her a bitch but he couldnt.  And it got him through.  But this nice shit done got the nigga lookin weak now.  I mean Bill ain’t calmed his ass down since the primary’s, and him and his wife got prime time spots in the convention next week ya dig?  I can see he want her voters, but damn how much is he gone kiss that ass?  Now McCain is all in his ass about his patriotism and comparing him to them skank hoes on TV.  And there is Boma sayin, “Well I ain’t gone question the man’s patriotism and shit. He’s a great American”  Hell fuck that shit.  Look man Boma needs to come with it cause this nigga McCain’s numbers are coming up and its cause he’s making Boma look like a punk.  See this here’s the big show.  And hell McCain and the ‘publicans playin for keeps!  Shit.  I know he’s been trying to avoid looking like the angry negro, but hell at some point he needs to show America that he got some nuts.  McCain’s been belittlin his ass from the git go.  Makin fun of him and shit.  Time for Boma to show that nigga he is from the South Side of Chicago and get gangsta with that ass.  (politically speaking of course) 

See that calm negro shit was cool before – hell necessary cause else they-da did him like he was Sharpton or Jesse and shit.  But that being said, even niggas like me now a days want a president that I know will kick a little ass if he needs to.  I am sure the rest of America wants to see that too.  And lets face it C, – look at what Boma dealin with.  McCain ain’t like Bush punk ass AWOL from the National Guard gettin coked out and listening to The Stones.  His ass was a fuckin POW!  Maybe he don’t know how many cribs he got, but shit this nigga used to eat lizards and bugs and shit to survive in the fuckin’ Ming-Cong jungle!  You think he won’t do any and everything to Boma’s ass to get in the White House?   Sheeeeet!  (Takes another swig from the 40)

I say he needs to go back to the cinema and put some of them old movies in his VCR-a to know how to deal with white folks like him.  Look and see how a real nigga acts.  He’s done enough Sidney Portier.  Nigga needs to go Jim Brown, “Dirty Dozen” on that ass!  Show them he can shoot the biggest guns, run the show and screw Raquel Welch at the end like it wan’t shit!  Then he may be able to finish this shit off in November. 

On that note I gave a dap to Charlie and told him later.  Before I hopped in my Jetta though I asked him if he’s watched any of the Team USA Basketball olympic coverage since I know he’s a big hoops fan.  He smiled with his toothless grin and shook his head as if to say, “Of course!”  Then he dropped his last bit of knowledge.

Yea I think them niggas gone win the gold and shit.  Hell if they don’t Shaq gone make a new record!  “Team USA couldn’t do without me!  Hey Dream Team, tell me how my ass taste!”

Charlie is a real character.  He’s always got a fresh perspective I’m not used to hearing.  Back to my thoughts now.

Rest in Peace Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones 1949-2008

and former NFL great and NFL Players Association President Gene Upshaw 1944-2008

Go to fullsize image

The last couple weeks have been tough on black folks. 

On a happier note congratulations to my Aunt Eleanor who celebrated her 65th birthday last weekend.  She is a great matriarch and a family treasure.

 

Peace~

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Pastor Rick Warren – A Faith and Visionary Leader

Senators John McCain and Barack Obama

A Model of A Man of God

This is truly a blog that I am happy to write about.  Over the weekend there was a historical event that took place.  In the home stretch of a presidential election, the pastor of a church was able to bring the two main candidates together under one roof – for one on one questioning.  Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Orange County, CA had both Obama and McCain at his church with a crowd of parishioners and onlookers.  Why am I so glad about this event?  Because in this age of extreme conservative evangelical ministers who want to stake their claim in the political game, Warren is a man who totally gets it!  

Most people know of his book, The Purpose Driven Life, after some 25 million copies have been sold.  Some may even know how he does not accept a salary from his church, how he paid back the salary the church had given him over a 20 year period one he started to benefit from the book, how he tends to preach most sermons at his church in blue jeans.  My impression of Warren took another turn when I saw him featured on Meet The Press last year.  (See Transcript) Listening to him talk about faith and politics was so refreshing.  In this day and age where men representing faith, mainly Christian faith come in the persons of Pat Robertson and James Dobson, guys who are dogmatic in their approach and single-minded in their schemes, Warren is a man who talks about his faith as a committed Christian man who has a worldview that is inclusive towards others in the country – even those who may not subscribe to his specific faith.  He understands that this time, this nation more than ever multi-cultral, multi-ethnic, multi-racial and yes multi-religious than ever before.  And yet we all have a stake in the plight of America and the direction we are to take.  He understands the big picture – and in that his love for mankind is actually a reflection of that of Christ himself.  Warren is a brother who’s spirit is attractive and therefore he is able to engage wonderfully with other people.  Now here is the best part.  Warren is not some ultra-liberal crack preacher who has an anything goes philosophy.  He has a set of values that are very fundamental to traditional Christianity.  The difference is that he does not behave as if he should damn the rest of the world to hell.  Neither does he act as if Christian beliefs are the only ones under attack these days.  Many evangelicals often play victim and act as if the whole world is conspiring against their beliefs.

As a result he was able to have enough influence to command the audience of THE two major candidates in the heat of the campaign.  In the sermon the following Sunday he spoke of how voters should respond to the candidates. 

Don’t just look at issues, look at character. Look at the candidate and say,  Does he live with integrity, service with humility, share with generosity, or not?’

This is much different from the approach I have heard for years where unless a candidate is dead set against gay rights, abortion etc., that vote is in effect a vote against God himself.  Warren understands like many of us that there are many other issues as well that are just as important to Christian and non Christian alike.  Issues such as poverty and education – these are American issues.  I would also argue that these are also issues of faith when you look at the complete teachings of Jesus.  Regardless a president has to be concerned about all of America – not just a segment that shares his faith – even as he holds dear to his own convictions. 

As good as the forum went, it wasn’t quite perfect.  In total fairness Warren had a set of questions and he used those same questions in the same order to both candidates.  Obama answered first.  And although McCain was said to be in a room tucked away until his turn came, it turned out he was not even in the building.  Where was the dear senator?  Somewhere tuned in watching the pastor interview Obama so that he could be ready for the questions himself.  As I watched McCain’s interview, I was surprised as to how easily he answered Warren’s questions – though McCain claimed them to be hard questions.  Some of them he seemed to rattle off before Warren could get the whole question out.  So as impressed as I thought I was with some of McCain’s answers, he was cheating and thus prepared with his script.  Look at the tape.  You can easily tell that there was virtually no reflection whatsoever – but a rapid fire of ready answers given.  Warren said initially that McCain was in another room.  Later he admitted that McCain was not in the building.  For the sake of my original point, I am going to give the good pastor the total benefit of the doubt here.  I believe he conducted an interview for the American people – specifically American people of faith with total honesty and integrity.  It was McCain who messed things up.  Of course Warren is too polished and graceful to accuse the senator – but he also knows that we can judge the facts and issues for ourselves.

Keep up the good work Pastor Warren.  I hope to meet you one day and enjoy some vigorous discussions.

by

BBG C-Notes Week Ending Aug 1 – Aug 3

Can you believe we are already at the beginning of August of 2008?  It seems the older I get the faster time flies.  Several things come to mind this week that I would rather not get into deeply, but they are good for a quick mention…

On Pride and Politics

I mean is it me or does Senator McCain just get on your nerves with his constant obsession with Barack Obama.  All this guys does on his “campaign” trail is rail against Barack.  In his latest tirade he is airing a commercial that compares Barack’s canidacy and appeal to that of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.  Can this old white dude get MORE tired than he already is?  I find this reminiscent of the kind of things one Hillary Clinton used to say about Obama before he spanked that ass in the Dem primary.  In that campaign she constantly belittled and underestimated Obama’s message to Americans.   Next thing you know she is askin Obama for some loot to get out of campaign debt.  I see the same with McCain.  He thinks that because Obama is not white, that he can pretty much say anything about him including the dumb statement that Obama would rather lose the war if he can win an election.  Keep it up John.  Your making this easy.

Speaking of Obama, I hear that his campaign is all in a tizzy over Ludacris’ political rap in which he has a thing or two to say about the likes of Hillary, McCain and Jackson.  An example:

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On special perks:‘Said I handled his biz and I’m one of his favorite rappers, well give Luda a special pardon if I’m ever in the slammer. Better yet put him in office, make me your vice president.’

On Hillary Clinton: ‘Hillary hated on you, so that (expletive) is irrelevant’

On Republicans: McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed, Yeah I said it cause Bush is mentally handicapped

Obama’s campaign came out with statements against the song, and others are even calling on Obama to denounce Luda.  Memo to the Obama campaign, please do NOT go Tipper Gore on us!  Leave it alone.  The best thing you can say in this situation is nothing!  Let MTV be the judge as to whether the song sucks or not.

Tipper Gore, cofounder of the Parents Music Resource Center

Artest Gives Yao Culture Lessons

While getting ready for the Olympic games in his home country for the Chinese national team in Beijing,  Yao Ming got wind of the acquisition of his American team of Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings.  Ron Ron was glad to go to a team with the likes of Yao and Tracy McGracy.  But Yao didn’t seem as enthused.  Asked what he thought of the oft troubled reputation of Artest, Yao said: “Hopefully, he’s not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands.”  This of course references the brawl that took place in Detroit a few years ago when Ron Ron was with the Pacers.   When Ron Ron heard this, he wasn’t upset but instead decided that Yao needed a little lesson on ghetto culture:

“I understand what Yao said, but I’m still ghetto.  That’s not going to change.  I’m never going to change my culture.  Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don’t think he’s ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture. Once Yao Ming gets to know me, he’ll understand what I’m about.”

 I’m glad Ron Ron said his culture was “ghetto” and not black or African-American.  He may have meant the two interchangeably, but I’d just assume leave it be.  I’ll take the same advice I gave Obama on this one. 

On Sports/Non Olympic

Memo to Brett Favre – Please go away!  I have been one of the few who have voiced my displeasure with this spoiled brat’s “on again off again” rants over the last several years regarding whether or not he was going to retire.  Certainly if he were Steve McNair or Warren Moon, hell Donovan McNabb he wouldn’t garner all of this sympathy nor would this behavior be tolerated.  That being said the Packers made total fools out of themselves by offering #4 20 million to stay in Mississippi as opposed to playing for some other team.  This is stupid on a couple levels.  First of all why?  If you don’t want this dude simply trade him, or release him.  Second what makes them think #4 would have taken the cheddar anyway?  If he did he would look even MORE selfish than he does now; as if all of this was about money.  Even #4 isn’t that stupid!  I don’t think so anyway.

 

 Speaking of trades and what not.  How about my man Manny Ramirez formerly of the Boston Red Sox.  Much has been said over the past several weeks by this disgruntled employee.  Manny is definitely his own man and lives in Manny World.  Sort of like Darryl Dawkins did back when he lived on Love Tron.  But Manny, the ever clever one took advantage of the news of his and #4’s trade rumors gossip.  And in the spirit of Chad Johnson broke with this clever sign in the Red Sox dugout a couple nights ago. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How good is that?  Well Manny was traded on Thursday but not to the Packers.  Instead he will wear Dodger Blue and play for old Yankee skipper Joe Torre.  I met Manny in St. Louis the day he won the World Series MVP against the Cardinals.  The guy was totally cool even as I interrupted his lunch with his wife for a picture.  Say what you want but Manny plays, and he MASHES the ball.  He will always be cool with me.  He should fit right in with other Tinseltown notables.

Quick Notes

Juno has to be one of the funniest, most clever movies I have ever seen!

Speaking of movies, finally I was able to copy The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh a DVD that a friend of mine loaned me in December.  Sorry it took so long man!  There were several failed attempts!

God By Any Other Name

In my Christian circles I often hear that Jesus is the only way to the Father.  I tend to debate that in its strict religious forms.  My theory has always been that God knows what His name is – and that it’s not what you call Him by name but what one means in his/her heart.  I believe God recognize a sincere heart that searches Him out.  Case in point – In reading the book, “Shake Hands With The Devil,” LT. Gen. Romeo Dallaire spoke about a divine experience one of his men had during the genocide in Rwanda:

Major Diagne… while transcribing minutes from meetings – “… as he sat at his desk transcribing, he felt the sudden need of prayer and slid off his chair to his knees on his prayer carpet, his head toward Mecca, as required by Islamic faith.  At that exact moment, a huge piece of shrapnel smashed through his window from a mortar explosion, flying through the space he had just vacated, bouncing off the walls and landing still red-hot near his feet.  He came within a hair’s breadth of certain death.  Always dignified and composed, Diagne reported the damage to his window and then returned to his desk to complete his tedious but essential transcribing.  (P. 313)

Say what you want, Jesus, Allah, whatever.  The man sensed his spiritual master calling and because he obeyed that voice to pray his life was spared. 

Speaking of prayers, big prayers for my man John Bass.  Pull on through!  “In Jesus name!”

Ya’ll make it a great weekend!