Dear America

Dear America,

“For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. “- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

We have come to a time in American History, where the hour of change is at hand for every American citizen. It is now apparent that we as Americans have allowed the past administration to neglect the very nation we hold so true. Under the administrations past have allowed our troops to fight for honor in a dishonorable war and our economy slip into economic peril. For far too many years we have bled our economy with two wars and as a result we have lost jobs for hard working Americans, neglected our infrastructure , and crippled our credit market. We have fed the bellies of fats cats in Washington and Wall Street to the point that the entire U.S. economy is suffering from economic starvation.

“Don’t forget what I discovered that over ninety percent of all national deficits from 1921 to 1939 were caused by payments for past, present, and future wars.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt

The war in Iraq alone has unmercifully bled our economy dry and set of a chain reaction of economic calamity across the entire globe. The Iraqi war was founded on false and dishonorable pretenses and has adversely strained our alliances across the world. Many believe that if we stay in Iraq that somehow we can win a fruitless war and leave with our dignity and honor. Yet, the reality is that we must admit and apologize for our dishonorable intrusion of Iraq ,for that is the true honorable way. The definition of Honor is as stated: honesty, fairness, or integrity in one’s beliefs and actions. A nation with honor is a nation who is honest in it’s values to be truthful to its people and the world. A nation with honor has the fairness to allow other nations to live in peace and prosperity. A nation with true honor is a nation with integrity, integrity to admit to their mistakes and take pride in correcting them. This America is Honor.

The past five years of war has severely wounded the American economy and to heal these wounds we must end our campaign in Iraq. The economic hemorrhaging of the Iraq war has crippled this great nation and strained our foreign stance in the world. We as a nation must unify under our founding principles of Liberty and Freedom to restore our glory and democracy.

“I am concerned about the whole man. I am concerned about what the people, using their government as an instrument and a tool, can do toward building the whole man, which will mean a better society and a better world. “- Lyndon B. Johnson

Together as a nation we must mature in to one and at this time in America we have lost sight of the unity that made us into a nation. For America to survive the test of time must open our minds and allow the bells of liberty ring into the 21st Century.
Sincerely,

William Gilbert, Jr.

My Parents Voting for John McCain?

I was talking to my mother yesterday because Senator John McCain had recently made a visit to my hometown of Fresno, California. She said that actually she was unaware that he was even in town until after it happened, but she wished she knew. She will be voting for John McCain. What!? She will be voting for John McCain! My mother has been a Democrat since she knew what the word meant. She has NEVER ever even considered voting for a Republican. So what could get her to vote for one now?

Let me tell you, it is not because John McCain has used his charm and political leadership to win over her vote. For my father, who has likely been voting Republican for years, it wasn’t anything new. What was new on that front is that he might NOT vote for McCain but a third party. For my mother it was Hillary Clinton. During the days that at times Sen. Obama called the divisive days of the 90’s, my mother stood tall in her support of President Bill Clinton. She loved his leadership, and felt he was being wronged. In 2008, when Hillary launched her campaign, my mother was right on board. She even refused to give my younger brother a ride to the polls because he might have voted for Obama. As the campaign went on, and the attacks got greater, my mother got more mad. When it seemed to come to an end, lets just say she was pissed off. Those wounds haven’t healed, and in my mothers words, “They won’t, unless he picks her.” Picks her? Yes, my mother won’t vote for Sen. Obama unless he selects her to be his running mate as Vice President.

I don’t think that my mother is unique. I think that she represents the voice of millions of women and other voters who gave their time, tears, and painfully helped wage a historic campaign for the White House on behalf of Mrs. Clinton. To many of them, she should be awarded with the Vice Presidential nomination, and I am proud to announce I agree.

Senator Clinton has spent her life fighting for people in poverty, people who look like me. She has spent a career advocating for just what America needs at this time, and that is healthcare for all Americans, that is affordable and works. Her experience on the details of this issue that cripples many family budgets, is bringing down budgets of states and local governments nationwide, and is the largest expense of businesses that drive them to other countries, is what he needs. Her willingness to fight for things that are important regardless of what the storyline might be tomorrow is what he needs. Her ability to seek compromise, but only good compromise, and have friendly relationships with countless numbers of people on the other side of the aisle is what he needs.

So when it comes to who should be selected to the job of inquiring daily as to the health of the President, and preside over the proceedings of the Senate, I nominate Hillary Clinton.

Tha-Kid JK

tha-kid@revkitchen.com

Why Hillary Clinton should be Obama’s VP

Throughout this entire campaign I have agreed with Barack Obama that America is in need of a desperate change. During the last eight years under the Bush administration, the only change our families have are the dimes and nickels left over from paying four dollars for a gallon of gas. But, I also believed that change cannot be accomplished without a leader who is ready, willing, and able to take on the task realizing that change. The American people have spoken, and the Democratic Party has decided that Barack Obama is that leader.

Surely, the argument can be made that Barack Obama has valuable experience to offer America. His eight years as a member of the Illinois State Senate, his ten years as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago, and his three and a half years as a United States Senator would be a welcome relief for America looking for a president who knows the legislative process, and the Constitution, and what it truly means.

I do not believe Obama’s experience is enough for him to have a successful presidential administration. With Hillary Clinton at his side, as his vice president, they will be an unbeatable force. It is essential to victory that we combine both coalitions that have already been established throughout the Democratic primary. And, only together will these two be able to effectively govern over a stronger America.
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Why Chris Dodd should be Obama’s VP

It is generally agreed that a presidential candidate’s running mate is meant to balance out the ticket. They are they to fill in some of the skills that the presidential candidate lacks, and to appeal to voters who might otherwise be turned of by the presidential candidate. The most persistently raised and worrying weakness of Obama’s is his lack of experience on the national stage. No doubt, this will has some effect on his support when November rolls around. Luckily, there are two people who are exactly what Obama needs. Senators Chris Didd and Joe Biden. And unlike some people, Dodd doesn’t even say vaguely racist things on camera, which is why he is Obama’s perfect running mate. Read more

Why Kathleen Sebelius should be Obama’s VP

(Note: I would love for it to be a number of other people as well, I just chose Governor Sebelius for the sole fact that not too many people know much about her)

Kathleen Sebelius is a name that is being tossed around alot now in the discussion about Obama’s Veepstakes, and I think that she would be a fantastic choice. Read more

Why Joe Biden should be Obama’s VP

Since we learned that Senator Barack Obama was the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States, I’ve been racking my brain trying to settle on the perfect running mate for him this fall. The fact is that I nearly drove myself absolutely mad trying to do this, undoubtedly because there exists a seemingly bottomless well of honorable and capable Democrats (and some Republicans/Independents) from which Barack Obama can fill the VP slot on his ticket.

I batted around between 10-15 names, with each successive name sounding every bit as appealing as the previous one (albeit, often for different reasons). However, no potential Obama running mate seemed more perfect for the ticket to me than my favorite Senator and original pick for the Democratic presidential nomination, Joe Biden. His name was the first to be batted around, but I considered advocating his inclusion on the ticket to be pointless since he has already made it clear that he’s not interested. I realized, though, that his apparent disinterest in being on the ticket doesn’t make him any less of a brilliant choice for VP.

If it’s political experience that you think Obama’s running mate should have, take into consideration that Biden has about 35 years worth of experience in the US Senate. If you’d like Obama’s VP to have Foreign Policy expertise, Biden has that, too. He’s the current chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. During the debates, no other candidate displayed a greater wealth of knowledge on every important issue facing America (and the world) today than Joe Biden. He has a career that should be applauded, and has cultivated an image as a straight-talker and, for lack of a better term, a “tough guy.” How many other elected officials could tell a story like this?

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Why Hillary Clinton should be the next President

These past few months I’ve been undecided on all Democratic presidential candidates. Unlike a lot of Democrats, this was not because I didn’t like any of them, but because I liked them all. After long deliberation and thoughtful consideration to all of the Democratic presidential candidates, I strongly believe that Hillary Clinton should be the next president of the United States. Because, when choosing a president, we have to choose someone who deserves to be president. Hillary’s years of activism and public service has made her a deserving candidate for the presidency. Read more

Why Joe Biden should be the next President

Among those in the current field of Democrats vying to become the next President of the United States are:

1. Barack Obama, a rising star in the party renowned for his inspiring rags-to-riches story and ability to electrify audiences all over the country with his charisma and oratorical prowess.
2. Hillary Clinton, a tough-talking former first lady who happens to be a capable politician in her own right.
3. John Edwards, a popular former senator who has done a good job labeling himself the populist candidate in the race whilst fiercely going after his two fellow poll leaders. His pro-labor, pro-universal health care views make him appealing to a large number of Democrats.

These 3 candidates alone provide most Democrats the opportunity to vote for someone whose views are very similar, if not in direct lockstep with their own. While it’s great that we have a diverse field, a huge drawback is that we as voters sometimes forget or ignore, with help from our media, that we have 4 more choices who are possibly every bit as, if not more, qualified and able to be President. These choices are Bill Richardson, Joseph Biden, Christopher Dodd, and Dennis Kucinich. Read more

Why Dennis Kucinich Should Be the next President

In the mid 1800s with slavery at it’s peak few actively spoke out against it. Now we consider the Quakers, John Brown, and others who championed the cause of captive peoples as heroes. Their simple ideology was that all people are equal. Dennis Kucinich embraces these same views of equality and he is unafraid to speak up about it. Read more

Why Mike Gravel Should be the next President

With these elections, it is necesary that people carefully consider all of the candidates, even though the media likes to thin out the field of candidates for us before a single vote is even cast. Do not discount any candidate immediately: it is your duty as a citizen and voter of the United States to evaluate any and all candidates to decide which one best represents you. Dispel any qualms about Gravel’s electibility: the fact of the matter is that if everyone believes that a candidate is electable, then they will be electable, while if everyone believes that a candidate is not electable, then they are not. People should vote for whom they truly agree with in the primaries, so maybe then they won’t be presented with two bad choices in the general election (and then complain about that fact). So, here, in order to inform the population, I’ve written an article detailing the aspects of Former Senator Mike Gravel’s illustrious life and his positions on various policies and issues.

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Why Barack Obama should be the next President

On February 10, 2007 Barack Obama stood in Springfield,Illinois in front of 15,000 supporters and announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for the President of the United States. With this announcement came much excitement for Barack Obama and his campaign. He promised a different type of campaign, and this message set well with a lot of voters. Obama jumped ahead of the pack in the polls and became second to only Hillary Clinton. The Obama camp has run a strong campaign, and I’ve supported them the whole way because I thoroughly believe that Barack Obama should be the next President. Read more