Former President Bush Wants Son Jeb To Continue Family Legacy of Becoming a President

President George H.W. Bush has lost his mind if he really thinks that voters, including myself, would vote for another Bush to grace the White House. This job is pretty much closed to another in the Bush political dynasty. If you ask me, Jeb Bush probably should have been the president and not his brother, who will go down in history as one of the worst presidents to be elected.

Jeb Bush is the current president’s younger brother and a former popular governor of Florida. He is mulling a run for Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla.

Asked in a broadcast interview about Jeb Bush’s consideration of the Senate seat, Bush 41 said: “I’d like to see him run. I’d like to see him be president someday.”

When asked if he was serious, he said: “Or maybe senator. Whatever. Yes, I would. I mean, right now is probably a bad time, because we’ve had enough Bushes in there. But no, I would. And I think he’s as qualified and able as anyone I know on the political scene. Now, you’ve got to discount that. He’s my son.” The former president spoke on “Fox News Sunday” in an interview that was taped Friday in Houston. He will be at the White House on Wednesday for a lunch with President George W. Bush, President-elect Barack Obama and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

The senior Bush said he does not plan to offer advice to Obama and mainly wants to wish him well. “I talked to him right after the election and did that then, assured him that he was my president,” Bush said. Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution.

It seems that Bush has not taken into to consideration the economic collapse that happened under his son’s watch. It seems that there is a sense of entitlement in the political arena these days, a dynastic mindset, if you will. Suddenly Caroline Kennedy wants to become a senator, though she spent most of her life ducking the cameras.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Caroline Kennedy, Jeb Bush, NY Senator, Political Dynasties, President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush

Barack Obama Flies on Presidential Plane, Lands in Washington D.C.

Seeing Barack Obama alighting from one of the presidential planes was profound. I actually choked up for a moment. This was the culmination of years of struggle for African Americans to be treated fairly and given a chance. It must be an awesome feeling for his family have made history. There are no words to describe how they must be feeling. Barack Obama has landed in Washington D.C. to begin the next chapter in his life–as the next president of the United States of America. This isn’t just about race, but about hope and a deep desire for change. Barack Obama will bear the weight of us all and it is my fervent belief that he will do just fine, despite all the odds that are stacked up against him.

As he boarded plane in Chicago, Obama waved to press and said he would see them in D.C. He went to the back of plane and said, “Well guys, I am looking forward to seeing you guys in Washington … I gotta say I choked up a little bit leaving my house today. Obama said a friend of his daughter Malia “had dropped off an album of the two of them together. They had been friends since pre-school and I just looked through the pages and the house was empty and it was a little tough, it got me.”
Obama ordered a cheeseburger on the plane, which is a Boeing 757 with big leather seats. He met Col. Scott Turner, who will be his Air Force One pilot.

Obama said he had taken a government plane before. He said his wife Michelle and their daughters were “having fun” and that he was looking forward to going to Washington. “Although living in a hotel for two weeks, we kind of did that for two years,” Obama said. Source: Chicago Tribune

I am reminded of the poem Maya Angelou recited at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. I was moved by the words then and they capture the essence of Barack Obama’s historic win. It is indeed time to say “good morning!”

‘On The Pulse Of Morning:’ An Inaugural Poem by Maya Angelou

A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon,
The dinosaur, who left dried tokens
Of Their sojourn here

On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly,
forcefully,

Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow,
I will give you no hiding place down here.

You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness
Have lain too long

Facedown in ignorance,
Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.
The Rock cries out to us today,

You may stand upon me;
But do not hide your face.
Across the wall of the world,
A River sings a beautiful song. It says,
Come, rest here by my side.

Each of you, a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.

Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet today I call you to my riverside,

If you will study war no more.
Come, clad in peace,
And I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I and the
Tree and the Rock were one.

Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your brow
And when you yet knew you still knew nothing.
The River sang and sings on.
There is a true yearning to respond to
The singing River and the wise Rock.

So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African, the Native American, the Sioux
The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek,
The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheik,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They hear. They all hear

The speaking of the Tree.
They hear the first and last of every Tree
Speak to humankind today.
Come to me,
Here beside the River.
Plant yourself beside the River.

Each of you, descendant of some passed-
On traveler, has been paid for.
You, who gave me my first name, you,
Pawnee, Apache, Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet,

Left me to the employment of
Other seekers — desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.

You, the Turk, the Arab, the Swede,
The German, the Eskimo, the Scot,
The Italian, the Hungarian, the Pole,
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought
Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.

Here, root yourselves beside me.
I am that Tree planted by the River,
Which will not be moved.
I, the Rock, I, the River, I, the Tree
I am yours — your passages have been paid.

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.
History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.

Lift up your eyes
Upon this day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream.

Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands,
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts

Each new hour holds new chances
For a new beginning.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space

To place new steps of change
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out and upon me,
The Rock, the River, the Tree, you country.
No less to Midas than the mendicant.
No less to you now than the mastodon then.

Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister’s eyes,
And into your brother’s face,
Your country,
And say simply
Very simply
With hope —
Good morning.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Inauguration, Maya Angelou, Presidential Plane

Bill Richardson Withdraws Nomination as Commerce Secretary Due to Ongoing Investigation

NBC News has reported that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has withdrawn his nomination for the next Commerce Secretary due to an ongoing investigation over whether he exchanged government contracts for campaign contributions, essentially, “pay-to-play.” He has denied any wrongdoing in the matter, but said that the on the investigation won’t be finished before he has to go to Senate confirmation hearings.

“Let me say unequivocally that I and my administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact,” Richardson told NBC News.

“But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.” Barack Obama also told NBC he accepted Richardson’s decision to withdraw with “deep regret.”

“Governor Richardson is an outstanding public servant and would have brought to the job of Commerce Secretary and our economic team great insights accumulated through an extraordinary career in federal and state office,” Obama said. Source: NBC News

Richardson is withdrawing because of questions raised by federal investigators, who have been looking into whether Richardson and his administration improperly steered state contracts towards CDR Financial Products, a Beverly Hills, Calif.-based firm founded by David Rubin, who is a major financial contributor to Richardson.

In 2003 and 2004, around the time CDR was awarded nearly $1.5 million in state contracts, Rubin and CDR donated $100,000 to Richardson’s political action committees. I believe that where is smoke, there is a fire and this isn’t close to being resolved. Funny, Bill Richardson wanted the Secretary of State position, knowing that this investigation was a potential threat. Stay tuned folks, there will definitely be more to come on this RichardsonGate scandal.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Campaign Funds, Commerce Secretary, Ongoing Investigation

Ann Coulter Sets Sights on Michelle Obama, Says She a Freakish Imitation of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Ann Coulter, A Fashion Horror Show

Well, right-wing nutjob Ann Coulter is at it again. She has written a new book entitled “Guilty: Liberal ‘Victims’ and their Assault on America,” in which she accuses the liberal left of playing victim when in fact, she states, they are the victimizers. Huh? She blasts incoming First Lady Michelle Obama as a freakish imitator of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Really Ann? You could never dream of looking as lady-like and dignified as Michelle Obama. You are skin and bones. Rough on the eyes too. The world is relieved that you will never be our First Lady.

Lashing out at the Michelle O, she wrote, “Her obvious imitation of Jackie O’s style – the flipped-under hair, the sleeveless A-line dresses, the short strands of fake pearls – would have been laughable if done by anyone other than a media-designated saint.” Where has she been? From the moment Michelle hit the scene her look has been the same. But Coulter has a lot of praise for Cindy “Barbie Doll” McCain. She said of Mrs. McCain, “dressed well without freakishly imitating famous First Ladies in history.”

What I find abhorrent with Ann Coulter is the childish name-calling. She facetiously and snidely refers to Michelle as a “saint” and “Mother Teresa” and suggests that her public service career “advanced in lockstep with the political advancement of her husband.” Wow, tough words coming from a lady who has served the public well–as a nuisance. Now, there are many choice words to describe Ann Coulter, but most people dismiss her as an insignificant distraction. She also states that the media “literally wanted to have sex with him.” Too bad Ann Coulter won’t be on the receiving end of such a fantasy. The thought of Ann Coulter having sex with anyone is nauseating. Yuck!

Filed under: Ann Coulter, Barack Obama, Cindy McCain, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, John McCain, Liberalism, Michelle Obama, New Book

Rep. Bobby Rush Engages in Race Baiting in Selection of Roland Burris to Replace Barack Obama in the Senate

Photo: The Three Stooges–Blago, Rush & Burris

Rep. Bobby Rush has pulled the race card. Funny, had a white man made those comments, he would have all the so-called civil rights leaders landing on him like a ton of bricks. Well, Rush said he doesn’t think any U.S. senator would be caught turning a black man away from serving alongside them. Really? Even if this candidate, Roland Burris, does not have a good shot at winning a senate race in his state? Wow. He thought wrong.

No Senate Democrats responded to his racial challenge. They got support from President-elect Barack Obama, who will be the first African-American in the White House. Rush, D-Ill., dared Senate Democrats to block Roland Burris from becoming the Senate’s only black member, urging them not to “hang and lynch” the former state attorney general for the alleged corruption by his patron, Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Obama was having none of that mess. He sided with Senate Democrats who vowed to turn Burris away should he show up in Washington to be sworn in.

“They cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat,” Obama said in a statement. “I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it.” Obama voiced disapproval for the spectacle unfolding in his home state. “I believe the best resolution would be for the governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place,” Obama said. Source: Huffington Post

On Tuesday, Blagojevich declared himself the ultimate decider, defying the leaders of his party and naming Burris, 71, the next senator from Illinois. At a news conference in Chicago, he urged the Senate not to allow the charges that he tried to sell the same Senate seat to taint a well-respected man. Rush stepped up to the microphone to offer his challenge.

“Let me just remind you that there presently is no African-American in the U.S. Senate,” he began. “I will ask you to not hang and lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer,” he added. “I don’t think that anyone – any U.S. senator who’s sitting in the Senate right now _ wants to go on record to deny one African-American for being seated in the U.S. Senate.” Source: Huffington Post

What a moron. I am all for an African American being in the Senate, but to suggest that because there are none you hand the seat to the first idiot chosen by a suspected criminal, is simply unconscionable. The fact is that Roland Burris ran for the governorship three times and lost. He is clearly not the best candidate to put forward for that seat. I will venture to say, he would not win a senatorial race. You can’t bully your way to a senate seat just because of the color of your skin. That is insulting on so many levels. Blago, Rush and Burris are playing a dirty game of race baiting.

“The people of the state of Illinois should not be denied representation” when the new Senate convenes in January, Rush said on CBS’ “Early Show.” Democrats said the dispute is about the Senate’s constitutionally granted power to decide who is seated as a member, and whether anyone appointed by Blagojevich would have the credibility to serve.

“This is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat,” Majority Leader Harry Reid and his deputy, Sen. Dick Durbin, said in a statement. “Anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic caucus.” Burris said Wednesday that Blagojevich “has the constitutional and statutory authority to make those appointments … and I have absolutely nothing to do with those problems.” “I will not be tainted because the governor has followed the constitution,” Burris told NBC. “And I am confident that when all is said and done, I will be a United States senator.”

This man just doesn’t get it. What Gov. Blagojevich has sought to do is the hijack the selection process. Considering the charges leveled against him, he has no right to select a replacement for Barack Obama. Roland Burris should be ashamed of himself and do the right thing. He is the weakest link in the entire field of potential candidates. He isn’t a serious and strong opponent if he runs in an election. That seat would surely go to the Republicans.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Bobby Rush, Governor Blagojevich, Roland Burris, Sen. Dick Durbin, Senator Harry Reid

Dan Barker, Co-President of Atheist Group Freedom From Religion Foundation, Files Lawsuit Against Prayer at Barack Obama’s Inauguration

Dan Barker, co-president of atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation, has filed a lawsuit against prayer at Barack Obama’s upcoming inauguration. He said that the government is picking a winner between “believers” and “those who don’t believe” and subjecting atheists and agnostics to someone else’s religious beliefs. Wow, so I am guessing that we must walk on egg shells around atheist and promote their beliefs at the expense of ours. He has joined with Michael Newdow, who fought to have the words under God removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, in a federal lawsuit seeking to enjoin the Presidential Inaugural Committee from sponsoring prayers at the official inauguration.

The 34-page legal complaint similarly seeks to enjoin Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr., from adding the phrase “So help me God” to the presidential oath of office. “We’re hoping to stop prayer and religious rituals at governmental functions, especially at the inauguration,” Barker told FOX News Radio. “The inauguration is not a religious event. It is a secular event of a secular country that includes all Americans, including those of us who are not Christians, including those of us who are not believers,” he continued.

Barker, who said government’s not picking sides on the issue of religion is “hard wired into our Constitution,” called the 29 members of the suit all atheists and agnostics who love their country and participating in the inauguration. “Yet we are subjected to someone else’s religious views with the endorsement of the government, which makes us feel like second class outsiders,” he said.

Barker argued that by allowing religious phrases to be used in the ceremony as well as inviting Revs. Rick Warren and Joe Lowery, who are named as defendants in the suit, to participate in the inaugural festivities, the government is picking a winner in the dispute over religion and atheism. “Those people who do pray do believe in God and they are in fact trying to use the government to pick sides. In America we are free to disagree. We can disagree with Rev. Rick Warren but we’re not free to ask our government to settle the argument,” Barker said, adding that government causes harm when it takes on “the mantel of religion and expresses religion as an official governmental function.” Source: Fox News

So, here is another group trying to influence the belief system of others. The gay and lesbians had a problem with Rick Warren and now these atheists have a problem with prayer. It is time for Christians to make their positions known, since every other group seems to be throwing their weight around. The last time I checked, the United States of America was built on religious principles. Dan Barker and his posse are fighting a losing battle. Yes, I am not ashamed to say, “in God we trust.”

Filed under: Atheist, Barack Obama, Dan Barker, Freedom from Religion Foundation, Inauguration, Joseph Lowery, Michael Newdow, Prayer for Bailout, Rick Warren

Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney’s Relief Boat Rammed by Israeli Ship

Why Cynthia McKinney decided to go on a mercy mission to the Gaza Strip is beyond me. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, a boat carrying international peace activists, including Ms. McKinney, and medical supplies to the embattled Gaza Strip sailed back into a Lebanese port on Tuesday after being turned back and damaged by the Israeli navy, organizers of the trip said.

The boat, according to media reports, wanted to make a statement and deliver medical supplies to embattled Gaza. The trip’s organizers said the boat was clearly in international waters, 90 miles off the coast of Gaza, at the time of its close encounter with the Israeli navy.

“Our boat was rammed three times, twice in the front and one on the side,” McKinney told CNN Tuesday morning. “Our mission was a peaceful mission. Our mission was thwarted by the aggressiveness of the Israeli military.”

Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, denied there had been any shooting although the two ships had made “physical contact.” Palmor said there was no response to a radio warning to the Dignity, and the vessel then tried to out-maneuver the Israeli patrol boat, leading to the collision. Cyprus state radio said the Cypriot government would seek explanations from Israel over the incident.

McKinney called on President-elect Obama to address the Gaza crisis, saying the weapons being used by Israel were supplied by the United States. McKinney denied that the incident was an accident. “What the Israelis are saying is outright disinformation,” she said. “What happened to us last night was a direct threat to our mission, but not our cause.” Palmor called those allegations “absurd.” “There is no intention on the part of the Israeli navy to ram anybody,” Palmor said. Source: AJC

Cynthia McKinney had me up until this point. She is calling on Barack Obama to intervene. Really Cynthia? News flash, he isn’t the president yet and there is really nothing he can do about this mess. It will be on his brunch plate first thing January 20, 2009, after he is sworn in.

McKinney, who ran as the Green Party candidate for president, sees the voyage as a humanitarian mission, said her father, former Georgia state Rep. Billy McKinney. “Her mother did not want her to go,” he said, referring to concerns at home for her safety. “But I think that certain people have missions in life and you can’t deter them.”

The activists, organized by the Free Gaza Group, said their 66-foot yacht called “SS Dignity” would defy an Israeli blockade of Gaza and ferry 16 activists and three tons of Cypriot-donated supplies. The supplies are intended to help treat the wounded from Israeli bombings against targets in Gaza, in retaliation for rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns. McKinney had sent an e-mail days ago to friends and supporters saying she intended to go to Gaza, said Hugh Esco, a Decatur resident who ran her presidential campaign Web site. “She has stood with people all over this planet against oppression,” said Esco. Source: AJC

Personally, I don’t think she should have gone, given the volatile situation. I hope this wasn’t a self-serving move on her part, but a geniune humanitarian effort. If the allegations are true, then the Israelis have played a dirty hand. On the other hand, Cynthia McKinney is no stranger to controversy–pandering for money from Saudi prince after 9/11 when Rudy Giuliani said no, to slapping a Capitol police man, plus the myriad of ridiculous antics in Atlanta–I take her actions with a grain of salt. Did she expect to descend on the Gaza Strip like Moses parting the Red Sea?

Filed under: Barack Obama, Boat Damaged, Cynthia McKinney, Gaza Strip, Humanitarian Efforts, Palestinians

Northeastern University Study Reveals Murders Among Black Youths Have Risen Sharply Since 2000

I have always been very vocal and critical of the high crime rate within pockets of the black community in cities across the United States. I was not surprised to see the results of a study by criminologists at Northeastern University in Boston. The study, to be released Monday, found that the number of young black men and teenagers who either killed or were killed in shootings has risen at an alarming rate since 2000.

The study found dramatic increases in shooting deaths among black teenagers. Last year, for example, 426 black males between the ages of 14 and 17 were killed in gun crimes, the study shows. That marked a 40 percent increase from 2000. Similarly, an estimated 964 in the same age group committed fatal shootings in 2007 — a 38 percent increase from seven years earlier. The number of offenders is estimated because not all crimes are reported, said Northeastern criminologist James Alan Fox, who co-authored the study.

“Although the overall rate of homicide in the United States remains relatively low, the landscape is quite different for countless Americans living, and some dying, in violence-infested neighborhoods,” Fox said. Seizing on President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming administration as an opportunity for more funding, Fox added: “There is an urgency for reinvestment in children and families. In essence, we need a bailout for kids at risk.”

The study partly blamed Bush administration grant cuts to local police and juvenile crime prevention programs for the surge in crimes by young black men and teens. Incoming Vice President Joe Biden has promised funding to put 50,000 new police officers on the street to help bring violent crime rates back to a decade-long annual decline that began in the mid-1990s, after then-President Bill Clinton provided local officials with money to hire 100,000 new cops.

Nationwide, the number of murders and violent crimes overall dropped last year after increasing in 2005 and 2006, according to annual data compiled by the FBI. Overall, however, murders have risen by about 8 percent between 2000 and 2007. The FBI reported 10,067 arrests in murder and non-negligent manslaughter cases in 2007. Half of the people arrested – 5,078 – were black. Almost 10 percent of black people arrested for murder were under age 18, the FBI data show. Source: The Huffington Post

This is alarming and we must take back our communities from the thugs that roam the inner city streets. We must also not give up on the young people. Something drastic must be done to get them off the streets. There should be stricter gun laws. It is unconscionable that the thugs on the streets have more sophisticated firearms than the police officers. There must be zero tolerance for criminal behavior. You can’t let a repeat offender back out on the street with just a slap on the wrist. The recidivism rate is often high. There is no justification for this alarming pattern of behavior and something drastic must be done and quickly. The politicians need to start visiting these high crime areas more frequently and not just when they are up for re-election.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Black Males, Black on Black Crime, Murder Rates, Northeastern University Study

National Retail Federation Wants in on the Stimulus Plan, GMAC Hits Pay Dirt

National Retail Federation, the largest retail trade association in the United States, has asked President-elect Barack Obama for a pie of the stimulus pie. I knew this was going to happen. The federation asked Obama to add a series of sales tax-exempt shopping days to a coming economic stimulus package in an effort to revive consumer confidence and spur spending. Wow, since everyone is forming a queue for economic assistance from the taxpayer, then where is Main Street’s share?

The National Retail Federation called for three periods of sales tax-free shopping that would last 10 days each in March, July and October 2009. The trade group estimates that it would save consumers about $20 billion, or $175 per family.

Under the industry group’s proposal, which would exclude alcohol and tobacco sales, the federal government would reimburse states for the lost tax revenue. State sales tax rates range from 2.9% to 7.25%, the group said. The five states without a sales tax — Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon — would also receive monies.

In a letter signed by the chief executives of retail chains, including J.C. Penney Co., Saks Inc. and Petsmart Inc., the NRF warned the situation was “critical,” with consumer confidence in October falling to the lowest level in the 41 years data has been collected.

“Without swift, additional Congressional measures, the current economic weakness could worsen, creating a more rapid downward spiral — beyond what economists are predicting for 2009 — in the years ahead,” the NRF said.

The group said it supports Mr. Obama’s efforts to create a long-term stimulus plan to generate jobs by rebuilding the country’s infrastructure and investing in public schools and alternative energy. However, the NRF said short-term incentives are also needed to encourage consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of the U.S. economy.

In the third quarter, spending by consumers fell 3.7%, the biggest drop in 25 years. The fourth quarter’s results are expected to fall even more. Source: Wall Street Journal

This Christmas season will be dismal for the retailers as well. But exactly where do we need to draw the line? People are hurting in this country and Main Street needs assistance before the retailers. Everyone is looking for a handout these days. President Bush and Hank Paulson handed billions to the banks to stimulate the economy, but that has backfired. Wouldn’t it have been better if they had given some of that money to homeowners to pay down their mortgages or to put measures in place to freeze foreclosures? Who is going to line up next? The grocers?

To read the entire article in the Wall Street Journal, CLICK HERE….

General Motors just hit pay dirt. According to Bloomberg, the Fed used emergency powers on Dec. 24 to grant GMAC’s bank conversion, citing turmoil in financial markets and the potential impact on Detroit-based GM as the biggest U.S. automaker taps emergency federal loans to stay in business. So, GM will be double-dipping, if you will. The Fed said that by converting GMAC to a bank “would benefit the public by strengthening GMAC’s ability to fund the purchases of vehicles manufactured by GM,” the Fed said in its order. GMAC was shut out of credit markets this year after piling up $7.9 billion in losses dating from the middle of 2007. Really? Didn’t GMAC make it quite clear that they were not lending to anyone without an A+ credit rating?
Once again, the Feds are looking out for the big guys and not the little people.

To read the GMAC article in its entirety, CLICK HERE…

Filed under: Barack Obama, J.C. Penney, National Retail Federation, Petsmart, Saks Fifth Avenue, Stimulus Plan, Tax-Free Shopping

Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church to Give Invocation at Barack Obama’s Inauguration, Riles Gays, Liberals

The liberals and gays have another reason to fume at Barack Obama’s actions and their dissatisfaction with his transition office. Personally, I think he is doing a great job and surrounding himself with the best from the Clinton era, the Bush era and his own picks. Now the conflict has centered around his choice to deliver the invocation at his upcoming inauguration. Rick Warren, the pastor of the powerful Saddleback Church. Was I terribly surprised that Warren was chosen? No and I like Rick Warren a great deal. According to media reports, both men are very close. Obama praised the church in his second book “The Audacity of Hope.” As you recall, Warren hosted a values forum between Obama and his rival John McCain during the general election. Of course, the progressives have expressed skepticism at this choice.

“My blood pressure is really high right now,” said Rev. Chuck Currie, minister at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon. “Rick Warren does some really good stuff and there are some areas that I have admired his ability to build bridges between evangelicals and mainline religious and political figures… but he is also very established in the religious right and his position on social issues like gay rights, stem cell research and women’s rights are all out of the mainstream and are very much opposed to the progressive agenda that Obama ran on. I think that he is very much the wrong person to put on the stage with the president that day.” Source: Huffington Post

Warren’s views are generally opposite to Obama’s but that should not be an impediment to working together or even to their friendship. They do agree on topics like AIDS and poverty relief. As you know, opposites attract and you can’t surround yourself with people who share all of your views and positions. That’s a recipe for disaster. Barack Obama has shown that he has a penchant for diversity, as evidenced from his selections in his cabinet. Hillary Clinton, his arch rival, was his nominee for Secretary of State.

So, Barack Obama is supposed to tiptoe around gays and lesbians and do everything they consider right. Obama’s move, in my opinion, is a conciliatory gesture towards social conservatives who strongly opposed him in the general elections. Warren was vehemently in favor of Prop 8, which has riled the gays in this country.

“Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans,” the president of Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solomonese, wrote Obama Wednesday. “[W]e feel a deep level of disrespect when one of architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination.” Source: Politico

Really? Where did Rev. Billy Graham stand on this subject? Why the big dust-up now? Have these people forgotten that Barack Obama opposes same-sex marriage? So, who is the right person to lead Barack Obama into office? NEWS FLASH — everything in this country does not revolve around gays and lesbians, as well as progressives.

Wait, here’s the obvious fact that the liberals and gay activists have deliberately ignored. Rev. Joseph Lowery, a civil rights icon and the co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is a supporter of same-sex marriage and will deliver the benediction at the inauguration. So, why the big dust-up over Rick Warren? The gays and lesbians, as well as the liberals, are being selfish and getting touchy-feely over the fact that Barack Obama made a decision to be inclusive and not exclusive. You have to surround yourself with people you don’t necessarily agree with, but will work with towards a common goal. In my book, that is a good quality in a president. So quit whining! If you ask me, Patti Labelle should be singing at the inauguration, not Aretha Franklin, but hey, am I losing sleep over this? No!

Filed under: Barack Obama, Benediction, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Gays and Lesbians, Inauguration, Invocation, Joseph Lowery, Progressives, Prop 8, Rick Warren