What "Change" Has Occurred Mr. President?

I'm not seeing - this great "change" that was supposed to happen once President Obama took office. We are still in Iraq with no signs of pulling out. Gays still have to remain silent about who they are to remain in our military and cannot obtain the same rights under the law through marriage. North Korea and Iran still flaunt their missile and nuclear technology without consequence. And now, just like the Bush Administration, President Obama wants to withhold the names of people who have visited the White House (the people's house) since he was sworn in.

Who is this man? He certainly is not the same one who campaigned on issues of transparency, equality, and ending the war in Iraq. Has he been ordered to "play ball" by some higher powers? Has his life or the lives of his family members been threatened by people within the upper echelons of society? Has he been paid off? I don't know, but I know that he is not the same Barack Obama of a year ago. And I know that I do not like this Barack Obama. It appears that the ultimate "bait and switch" has been pulled on the American public.


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Republicans Playing Election Year Games

Seen these headlines?

• White House Threatens Housing Veto
• Paulson: Wall Street Needs Stronger Oversight By Fed
• Bush Blames Democrats For High Gasoline Prices
• Fraudulent Mortgage Crackdown

This is such a joke. Let's take a look at each story.

The White House is threatening to veto a bill designed to slow down the spiraling rate of foreclosures saying that it needs to see how large mortgage lenders would benefit from the legislation. WHAT?!? What about the Medicare Pharmaceuticals Bill? How much investigation was done into how the largest pharmaceutical companies would benefit from the bill? Answer: None. The same goes for all of the Energy Bills passed during the past 8 years. Who investigated the benefits that would be reaped by Big Oil? Nobody. This is a farce.

And how about this one?

"Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson urged quick action to give the Federal Reserve explicit authority to step in to protect the financial system if its stability is threatened."

QUICK ACTION? Who are they kidding? This administration has caused the current economic conditions. They have had almost a decade to dig this hole and now they want "quick action" and "explicit authority" to save our financial institutions. Sorry, but this is sounding too much like the rhetoric we heard after 9/11.

"Bush Blames Democrats For High Gasoline Prices" - This is probably the most ridiculous headline I have read recently. Bush is more to blame than any other single individual for the rise in gasoline prices. From the lies told post 9/11 goading us into war to the energy bills he has signed into law, President Bush has loaded the pockets of his bedroom buddies in Big Oil who have caused the precipitous rise in gasoline prices.

Finally, the "Fraudulent Mortgage Crackdown" - can you say "too little too late"? What will happen to those who are convicted or make plea deals? Fines - maybe at best. The HUGE majority of them will WALK. Mark my words.

And all of this is just an orchestrated effort by the medical/financial/military-industrial complex - a.k.a. the Republicans - to defame the Democrats in the run-up to the presidential election.

The Forgotten Soldiers

As we hear the daily news from Iraq, many of us pay attention to number of soldiers killed in a recent attack. However, most of us ignore the other number - the number of wounded. This war is creating an epidemic. As of this date, September 10, 2007, the Pentagon has reported 27,767 soldiers wounded in Iraq. However, some experts believe that this number is low because it may not include those soldiers who are sent back into the field after recovering from an injury. These experts have estimated the actual number of wounded to be anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000. Still, if we accept the Pentagon's official count, it is certainly not negligible. These are soldiers who need extended medical treatment and rehabilitation. Many are not able to hold jobs after returning to civilian life. According to a recent AP article, thousands of soldiers have suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and 20% of them will suffer "prolonged or lifelong symptoms and need continuing care." The article focuses only on that one type of injury - TBI. There are thousands more who have lost vision, hearing, use of limbs, etc. also facing the same need for continuing care. Does Bush care? No. The funding under his administration and the former Republican controlled Congress allowed horrendous conditions to exist in our Veterans Hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Things are improving, but the deficit created by GWB and company is monstrous and will take decades to correct. Of course, that is assuming that Americans are intelligent enough not to put another war-mongering puppet into the White House. And that is a big assumption to make.