Independence Day

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In order for every Americans to realize “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” we must become advocates for world peace and cherish the self-evident truth that our common humanity is vastly more important than national origin, political party affiliation, class, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Those that cherished the self-evident truth, that all men are created equal would never have approved of the preemptive invasion of Iraq. Our troops were sent to kill and be killed. The purpose of the invasion was to enable multinational oil companies to loot Iraqi oil.

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” will never be realized by the 4,113 American that have been killed, and their families will endure a lifetime of grief. Many of the 30,247 Americans, that have been wounded in action may find the pursuit of happiness an impossible challenge.

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” will never be realized by 1.2 million Iraqis that have met violent death, since the invasion. Happiness has eluded the four million Iraqis that have been displaced from their homes and the eight million that have no water, sanitation, food or shelter.

More than 1.2 million desperate Iraqis fled to Syria. Facing starvation, as many as 50,000 women and girls have been forced into prostitution, because this is the only work available. Eighty percent of the girls working as prostitutes in Damascus today are Iraqis, some as young as 13 years of age.

Some believe that I’m being unpatriotic by pointing out these facts on Independence Day. However, before passing judgment consider the words of a man that was born a slave. In a speech entitled: “Love of God, Love of Man, Love of Country,” American abolitionist Frederick Douglass said: “I make no pretension to patriotism. So long as my voice can be heard on this or the other side of the Atlantic, I will hold up America to the lightning scorn of moral indignation. In doing this, I shall feel myself discharging the duty of a true patriot; for he is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins. It is righteousness that exalteth a nation while sin is a reproach to any people.”

Qualifications

General Wesley Clark spoke honestly and bluntly about what it takes to be Commander in Chief. He said that while Senator John McCain’s service made him a hero to millions, including Clark himself, McCain’s experience doesn’t trump the poor judgment that he’s shown on some of the most important issues in recent years.

The media has twisted his words and accused him of saying things he didn’t say. CNN even went so far as to accuse Clark of “swift boating” McCain. These characterizations are totally false. Here’s what General Clark actually said in response to Bob Schieffer’s questions:

Schieffer: “How can you say that John McCain is untested and untried?”

Clark: “Because in the matters of national security policy making, it’s a matter of understanding risk. It’s a matter of gauging your opponents and it’s a matter of being held accountable.”

“John McCain’s never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in the armed forces, as a prisoner of war. He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he has traveled all over the world.

“But he hasn’t held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded—that wasn’t a wartime squadron. He hasn’t been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn’t seen what it’s like when diplomats come in and say, I don’t know whether we’re going to be able to get this point through or not. Do you want to take the risk? What about your reputation? How do we handle this publicly? He hasn’t made that calls.”

Schieffer: “Well, General, maybe—could I just interrupt you?” Clark: “Sure.”

Schieffer: “I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences, either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down.”

Clark: “Well, I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.”

Fox News

Fox News has tried to paint Barack Obama as foreign, un-American, suspicious, and scary. They’re sending the message that our country’s first viable racially mixed candidate for president is not “one of us.”

Isn’t it interesting that, Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter, who like Obama are racially mixed are almost never referred to as that black professional golfer or that black Yankee shortstop.

After Senator Obama won the nomination, he and his wife gave each other a fist “pound.” Fox News anchor E.D. Hill called the act of celebration a “terrorist fist jab.” Obviously, E.D. Hill doesn’t watch the N.Y. Yankee’s celebrate a victory at the end of a game, with fist jabs.

A Fox News on-screen graphic referred to Michelle Obama as “Obama’s baby mama,” which is slang used to describe the unmarried mother of a man’s child. It was an attempt to associate the Obamas with negative cultural stereotypes about black people and an insult not only to Michelle Obama but black’s in general.

A guest on Fox News pretended to confuse Obama’s name with “Osama,” thereby associating him with terrorism. Then, she said that the assassination of both Osama and Obama would be a good thing. It’s unconscionable for an organization that calls itself a news network to advocate the assassination of a presidential candidate.

These aren’t one-time incidents, but a pattern that continues no matter how often Fox News is forced to apologize. Their producers and on-air personalities uses innuendo to prey on fear and racist stereotypes that ridicule the progress, politics and personalities of Black America.

This pattern grew even more noticeable when Barack Obama became a serious presidential contender. Fox’s smears against Obama are part of a much larger effort, which includes anonymous emails and fear-mongering ads paid for by local chapters of the Republican party. These tactics are designed to take advantage of the racist fears and prejudices ingrained in our society.

Alternative to Gasoline

John McCain suggested a plan to build 45 more nuclear reactors and Obama has said that he’s not opposed to nuclear power. Wind power has become much cheaper than oil, but wind and solar power are only small substitutes, for the energy we will need. If we would push nuclear energy in this country, we could begin to unhook ourselves from oil.  Nuclear is coming and if people have to choose between the risk of nuclear power and the near-term reality of high gasoline prices that are killing the average family economically, they are going to go choose nuclear.

Our nuclear powered ships have steamed 90 million miles without a reactor accident or release of radioactivity. The state of New Jersey gets 50% of its electricity generation from nuclear power plants. However, France has become 80% nuclear for electricity generation, because they have no intention of being held hostage by the oil-producing countries that support terrorism.

Unfortunately, the earliest, we could have a new nuclear power plant on line in this country is 2014. Like it or not Democrats and Republicans politicians will eventually have to agree that nuclear power plants operate much cheaper than coal plants and can be our salvation.

At the time, General Motors’ chairman unveiled the EV1, at the Detroit International Auto Show, it appeared that there was an alternative to gasoline. GM built only about a thousand EV1’s, which were available only in California and Arizona. EV1 was the car of the future, but it has become a thing of the past. General Motors pulled the plug on its electric car, after ten years and investing over a billion dollars.

They only leased the car and later demanded every EV1 be returned. Greg Hanssen, who leased the EV1 said: “I could out accelerate most of the cars on the road without using a drop of gas.” Greg Hanssen led a campaign to save the little cars from the crusher.

When the EV1 was introduced California was setting tough new standards for cutting air pollution from cars. Unfortunately, General Motors and other automakers went to court delaying those standards and with the pressure gone, the EV1 went, too.

Senator Collins

The following excerpts are from an oil policy proposal by moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins:

“1. Terminate Purchases for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. I was joined by Senator Carl Levin of Michigan in passing a bipartisan amendment that directs the Department of Energy to by requiring the Department to avoid filling the SPR when prices are high....It is a bad deal for taxpayers for the Department of Energy to be purchasing oil when prices are so high....I have called on the President to stop filling the SPR until prices drop. It simply does not make sense for the Department of Energy to be purchasing oil for the Reserve at a time when oil prices exceed 100 dollars per barrel. The federal government is taking oil off the market and thus driving up prices at a time when consumers are struggling to pay their fuel bills.

“2. Extend Federal Regulation to Oil Futures. “Excessive speculation on futures markets may well be another factor pushing up oil prices. Unfortunately, there is a lack of publicly available data to track the effect of speculation on prices, and manipulation can go undetected on certain electronic markets that are unregulated. Experts testifying before our Investigations Subcommittee all agreed that greater transparency and better reporting of trades could help prevent abuses such as occurred in the natural gas markets in 2006. One witness noted, “the current high oil prices are inflated by as much as 100 percent... driven by excessive speculation.”

“3. End Tax Breaks for Oil Companies and Direct Funds into Alternative Energy. Congress should repeal unnecessary tax breaks for big oil companies and use the billions of dollars instead to fund the remaining proposals in my Ten-Point Energy Plan....My proposal would redirect that revenue to support renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives. My amendment was accepted as part of the Senate-passed Budget Resolution. We need to continue that momentum and quickly take up legislation to enact this proposal.

“4. Fully Fund and Restructure Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. LIHEAP, is a federal grant program that provides vital funding to help low-income and elderly citizens meet their home energy needs. Nationwide, over the last four years, the number of households receiving LIHEAP assistance increased by 26 percent from 4.6 million to about 5.8 million, but during this same period, federal funding increased by only 10 percent. The result is that the average grant actually declined from $349 to $305. Since crude oil prices have soared from around $60 per barrel in August 2007 to over $100 per barrel today, a grant buys less fuel today than it would have just months ago.

“5. Improve Energy Efficiency. I have introduced legislation, S. 1554, which would double funding for the Department of Energy Weatherization Program, reaching 1.4 billion dollars by 2010. On average, weatherizing a home reduces heating bills by 31 percent and overall energy bills by 358 dollars per year. My bill also would provide predictable funding for the valuable Energy Star Program, which helps consumers buy energy efficient appliances.

“6. Implement a Renewable Energy Standard. I believe we need a national renewable electricity standard which would require utilities to generate at least 15 percent, if not more than that, of their electricity from environmentally- sound renewable energy sources by the year 2020. This would boost the production of renewable energy, provide jobs in new industries, and, save an estimated 13 to 18 billion dollars on electricity and natural gas bills by 2030. It would move us away from reliance on coal and natural gas for electricity, and diversify our energy supply to provide more price stability. Twenty-eight states, including Maine, already have a renewable electricity standard. We should follow their lead and establish a national renewable electricity standard.

“7. Cellulosic Ethanol and Renewable Fuels. We must insure that as we make these dramatic changes to our energy supply and infrastructure, we do not inadvertently cause more harm than good. That is why my comprehensive energy bill, S. 1554, expands existing tax credits for ethanol to include cellulosic biomass, but at the same time insures such fuels will have a smaller life cycle environmental footprint than traditional fuels. While there has been a great deal of focus on using corn-based ethanol in order to decrease our reliance upon foreign oil, there are other renewable, plant-based energy sources that are more environmentally friendly and have greater potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“8. Tidal, Geothermal, Solar, and Wind Energy. Other clean, renewable energy sources include the tides in ours oceans and the moderate temperatures under our land. The U.S. wave and tidal energy resource potential that reasonably could be harnessed is about 10 percent of national energy demand. In Maine, a consortium of the University of Maine, Maine Maritime Academy and industry is positioned to become a key testbed site for tidal energy devices.

“9. Vehicle Efficiency and Alternatives to Gasoline....Currently, we import about 12 million barrels of oil a day. Reducing consumption of oil products for transportation purposes would go a long way toward reducing our reliance on foreign oil and decreasing overall energy prices for consumers. Flex fuel vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles can help meet this challenge. We should extend existing tax credits for alternative fuel vehicles, and consider providing a tax credit for consumers who modify their existing vehicles to be flex-fuel capable.

“10. Public Transportation Public...is one of the most effective ways we can get more passenger miles per gallon gasoline. My energy legislation would promote the development and use of public transportation by subsidizing fares, encouraging employers to assist their employees with fares, and authorizing funding to build energy-efficient and environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as clean buses and light rail.”

The Blame Game

Bush has insisted that if Congressional leaders leave for the Fourth of July recess without taking action, they’ll need to explain why $4 a gallon gasoline is not enough incentive for them to act. He expects the Democrats in Congress to fix a problem that’s been decades in the making and claims it’s all their fault.

House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi responded: “Two oil men in the White House, they put together an energy policy that drove up the price of oil to $4 a gallon. And now they’re saying you’re going to have to drill your way out.”

Barack Obama pointed out: “There’s no way that allowing offshore drilling would lower gas prices right now. At best, you’re looking at five years or more down the road.”

The price of oil will be the a burning issue in this election year, so much so, that John McCain has reversed his position on offshore drilling. Now, he believes the federal government should lift restrictions and put our own reserves to use. He blasted Obama’s plan for more efficient cars and tax incentives to drive down gas prices.

Obama replied: “Senator McCain wants to give billions of dollars in tax breaks to big oil and opposes a windfall profit tax on oil companies like Exxon to help families struggling with high energy costs.”

Obama is emphasizing alternative energies and wants to meet the immediate crisis, with another $50 billion stimulus package. McCain wants to do more offshore drilling. Basically, it’s the old production argument versus changing our way of life sort of argument.

The only new issue is the gas tax vacation. McCain favors it and Obama doesn’t. Obama considers it more of a political ploy than anything realistic A gas tax vacation of eighteen cents a gallon wouldn’t make much difference to most people, because there is no short-term fix for gas prices. Obama’s state of Illinois tried a gas tax vacation, which resulted in the oil companies raising their prices.

Idealistic Thinking

The following excerpts are from an article written by Charlie Reese, formerly of the The Orlando Sentinel in Florida.
 
“You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

“One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

“I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

“The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

“I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

“Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They and they alone, have the power. They and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

“We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!”

*****This is a very simplistic solution. If every voters followed this advice in November, we would end up with a Republican controlled Congress and Obama wouldn’t be able to implement the changes that our country desperately needs. This kind of idealistic thinking enables shrewd political operatives to negate the efforts of progressive members of Congress from making our democracy work for 300 million Americans.