Powell Endorses Obama Again

I've always respected General Colin Powell and I still do after he endorsed President Barack Obama for another 4 years. It should come as no surprise since for almost a year the former Secretary of State has been in disagreement with the Republican Party on nearly every foreign policy and domestic issue. General Powell a moderate conservative or Republican with conviction.

While many might try to paint the General as a loyalist who gave an ill advised speech about Iraq's weapons of destruction on the United Nations floor on behalf of the Bush administration, he is in fact not that at all. In fact, I believe the General gave that speech based off of information or intelligence that he believed was concrete and accurate. However, as we now know the information was flawed. So since that day, General Powell has been trying to rebuild his image of diplomacy and not the neo-conservative war hawk speech that diminished his once spotless image. Therefore, Powell's endorsement of President Obama for another 4 years is not surprising since Governor Mitt Romney has failed to provide any real details of his foreign policy plan.

The General's endorsement shouldn't come as no shocker and less than 2 weeks left in the campaign, it comes at a to late too little time perhaps.

All Elections are Important!

Many people think that Presidential elections are the only important elections in the world. Millions of people turn out to vote in Presidential elections that don't ordinarily vote in other elections. What's even more frustrating is that even when people vote in these Presidential elections, they forget to vote on many ballot proposals that will affect their everyday lives more so than what the President of the United States proposes to Congress. For example, one ballot proposal in my state of Michigan this year, would give healthcare home workers the right to unionize and another ballot proposal would eliminate Public Act 4, which is the creation of an Emergency Financial Manager that can do practically anything.

Also there is the case of the non-partisan side of ballots where people get to elect judges to the various courts in their city and state. Thus, when I tell you every election is important it's no joke. While voting for President every four years is good, what really counts is voting in every election and voting on every ballot proposal as well as the rest of the ballot. Who you put in Congress is just as important as who sits in the White House? Who you elect to the United States Senate is just as important as who chooses the next Supreme Court Justice? Who you cast a vote for to be the Governor of your state is just as important as changing your states constitution by voting yes or no on a state ballot proposal?

When you vote, you make a difference in deciding who will not only be the next President of the United States but who can be the next Mayor, City Council member, State Representative, State Senate,  and even the next County Executive, Sheriff, or Prosecutor. Voting in every election whenever there is one can decide if your property taxes go up due to new bond mileages to build new schools or to pay for the community colleges in your county. Voting should be contagious and it should not only be done for the President of the United States of America but it should be done on a consistent and continuous basis in every election year.

So vote every year because every election is important.

Fact is Fact

What bothers me more than anything when it comes to politics is the notion that all politicians are liars or to be a politician you have to be a liar, tell a lie or believe in lies.  Well I'm here to tell people that you don't have to be a liar, you don't have to deal in lies or believe in lies to be a politician. In fact it is shameful that many politicians and political candidates distort the truth in order to get elected to office. What's even more shameful is that many supporters of the candidates continue to spread the lies even after the lies have been proven to be a lie.

Just look at Tuesday's Presidential Debate and you can find all types of lies told by both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney.  However, it is good to see that even liberal blog/news sites such as the Huffington Post are not allowing either candidate to get away with the constant lies or misgiving of information they give.  Now I always expect conservative blog/news sites to give me half the truth but lately most liberal blog/news sites have been just like the conservative sites. So on Wednesday when I read the following article by the Huffington Post entitled, Fact Check: Presidential Debate Claims By Mitt Romney, Barack Obama Scrutinized, I gained new hope that perhaps the fact checking of political candidates on both sides of the aisle will begin back up again.

Still I caution those who support candidates or politicians on either side of the aisle to do your own research on certain topics and issues before posting what the candidate, politician or political website tells you to post. Facts are facts people and regardless if we like it or not, we cannot change that. So no matter what, don't just post on your social networking page information that you have not taken the time yourself to fact check or research.

Its vital we do not feed into the lies that are told by sharing the lies with others who won't actually take the time to do the research on their own but will rather believe what you or I say based off of what we post. Its time to start a truth telling squad and I am the first member. No more lies, just facts and the truth. Join me.

How About Just Vote Youth, Vote

           Every 4 years, it seems to be a new voter slogan comes out to entice young voters to vote.  We’ve come from “Rocking the Vote” to “Vote or Die” to “Yes We Can!” to “Shut Up & Vote”.  However with each voter slogan comes opportunist’s willing to gain a profit because of good old capitalism.  Now I’m all for capitalism and for making a profit but what affect if any has any of these movements had on youth voting outside of the Yes We Can! 2008 was a rare occasion not expected to repeat itself this year because many millennium voters have become discouraged over the past 4 years due to what they see as a lack of change or progress.

           Thus the real question is why youth voters just can’t tell each other to vote because elders marched, fought and dead just for us to have a right to vote.  Why can’t youth voters just tell each other to vote because it’s the cool thing to do, it’s the new "it" trend, and it will be all anyway talks about on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and any other social network site on Tuesday, November 6, 2012?  We don't need anyone  to tell us to rock a vote when the vote won’t be rocked in no shape or form unless every single American in this nation actually votes in an election.  Simply having youth vote more won’t rock the vote but it will tip the scale of balance from more attention being paid to the elderly and middle classes to perhaps the millennium voter in future elections.

           When P.Diddy or Diddy, whatever he goes by today launched the whole “Vote or Die” campaign in 2004, it was cool, trendy and thought provoking.  Many youth across America sported the shirts and others who didn’t sport the original sported knockoffs.  Nonetheless, the message on the shirt at the time was never questioned.  However I’m going to question it because actual people actually dead trying to vote when they weren’t allowed to vote but in 2004 was that the case.  Nobody’s life was in danger in 2004 by casting a vote, in fact, no one would die by simply voting at the time of the slogan debut.  Still 8 years later and Diddy still a millionaire with a trademark on “Vote or Die”, has not been actively involved in the political process the last 8 years whatsoever.  In fact, more “Vote or Die” t-shirts are being sold yet alone the slogan is not even been mentioned until I just brought it up.

           We all know what happened in 2008 where there was a spike in the millennium voting with the “Yes We Can!” slogan.  I don’t have the actual statistics but last I checked at The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)—http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/FactSheets/FS_08_exit_polls.pdf—estimated that youth voter turnout rose to between 52 and 53 percent, an increase of four to five percentage points over CIRCLE’s estimate based on the 2004 exit polls.  However 2004 was considered a large turnout for youth compared to 1996 and 2000.  However the 52-53% is almost identical to that of 1992.  Even further research shows just how much the youth vote changed in 2008:http://www.civicyouth.org/quick-facts/youth-voting/.

           As we approach the 2012 election season and I look on my twitter feed and see Shut Up and Vote, I have to question does that mean if you don’t vote you have to shut up or just vote and shut up.  Either way I have to question, does that mean everyone who was eligible to vote in previous mayoral elections, state elections and so on have to shut up since they didn’t vote in 2011, 2010, or 2009 since they have been eligible to vote.  How does telling someone to shut up and vote encourage anyone to vote when voting is about exercising a right and it is a freedom of expression?  Therefore if we truly believe in the voting process than we couldn’t want to be disrespectful by telling people with different opinions than us to shut up and vote especially if you want that person to vote for the candidate you like. I’m just saying.  Nonetheless while the slogan looks good on a t-shirt, it doesn’t push the needle to get youth to vote.

           If we truly want the youth to vote than why not have a discussion with all your friends and you all encourage each other to not only register to vote but to vote not in just this election but every election.  If people are serious about voting and not just selling slogans on t-shirts what about telling people to vote and they will get a free t-shirt at certain polling stations.  If people are serious about getting the youth vote out than what about have a party on college campuses or at clubs near universities and colleges that offer discounts to those sporting I voted stickers or if you have the sticker stub from your ballot.

           The truth is youth have voted in a decent amount in Presidential elections since 1972 (40% or above) and at almost the same rate of (20% or above) in every midterm election since 1974—http://www.civicyouth.org/youth-turnout-about-20-comparable-to-recent-midterm-years/.  So why do the news media and everyone like to make it seem that we as youth aren’t voting.  While the truth is, those of us between 18-29 years of age, make up one of the largest voting blocs yet we are not one of the most sought after votes because we don’t vote consistently in every election.  If we as youth voted more constantly and could be depended on to vote in every election from mayoral, county, state legislature, U.S. Congressional and Senate races as well as Presidential and ballot proposals than perhaps more ads will be geared toward us similar to how campaigns gear campaign ads toward the elderly in Florida or Hispanics in Texas, Florida, New Mexico, etc.

           So until we as youth reach that point of just vote, we need to stop with the gimmicks on t-shirts as if they are actually going to persuade someone to vote.  Simply having the discussion of voting in one’s vocabulary is the first step to getting the vote out.  Just tell people to vote but not who to vote for.

The Pastime I used to Love

           Since 1992, I have been intrigued with politics from campaigns to governing to elections and voting.  However each year my intrigue has dwindled to disguise and quite frankly it has to a point of complete disdain for a process that I once endured.  As a little boy, I couldn’t wait to actually vote but I refused to allow my age to stop me from participating in the political process.  In fact I was encouraged by my parents to get involved in my community.  I was encouraged to speak out any injustice that I saw at the age of 7 and even more than that, I was brought along to community, neighborhood watch, political and all types of organizational meetings by my parents.

           It was those moments that defined my political interest.  In was during that grooming phase of my life that I saw what right and wrong was and how passionate people were about not just people voting for a particular candidate but for issues that affected the majority of us.  Now granted I grew up in a impoverished neighborhood on the eastside of Detroit but it was in that neighborhood that we stood up for community issues.  It was that community that fought against city government, state government and even against those in the community who tried to sell it off, write it off and give it away.

           Now as I watch politics in 2012, I’m ashamed to call it the pastime I love anymore.  I hear most politicians and their talking heads today talk about the middle class and how they want to help, however they ignore the fact that it’s not just the middle class that needs help, it’s the poor.  Most Americans are living in poverty today so who is going to fight for them.  I hear most politicians talk about getting Americans back to work but most of them don’t understand that Americans don’t just want jobs, they want careers and the jobs that are available aren’t good paying one’s so how will they fix the problem.

           I hear politicians talk about the importance of making higher education more affordable but not one person has suggest raising the Pell Grant maximum to $10,000 or more as the cost of living is steadily going up thus the cost of tuition, room & board, books and more things in higher education are steadily increasing.  How can higher education become more affordable and attainable when parents and students are being forced to take out more student loans due to the fact Pell Grants and other federal grants don’t cover the full cost of an education at a university or college?  Some might say more people need to seek scholarships but even getting a scholarship isn’t that simple and most scholarships are attached to certain majors, stipulations of GPA standards, etc. so even more added pressure are added to students seeking a higher education.

           Don’t let me even get started on issues of healthcare, equality, minimum wage, immigration reform, and a host of other issues.  My point is simply, politics has changed not for the better but for the worst.  Even the two party majority political system has lost its way as each side steadily blames each other for the problems our nation faces but when their guy is in office, they make it seem as if all is rosy or that it’s the previous party in control fault.  The fact is that Democrats and Republicans are to blame for America’s mess, like it or not, they both had added to our  nation’s deficit, have ignored fixing illegal immigration and have even ignored curving the cost of healthcare at the expense of just passing a healthcare bill to say we finally did it.

           You don’t have to believe it or like what I’m saying but if you look at the tone of every political ad running today on television: they are not ads of hope, prosperity or positivity.  Quite simply they are ads of despair, fear mongering, and negativity that cast their opponent or the other party as evil and full of dislike for a certain group of people or issue.  Is this the way politics has always been?  Whatever happened to ads that displayed where candidates stood on the issue?  Whatever happened to ads that discussed a candidates plan for the future?  Whatever happened to candidates standing up for the people and being held accountable for their word?

           The pastime I love has become a sporting event where even the media are picking sides, which leaves people like myself who are unbought, unbiased and unwilling to give in to one side or the other feeling betrayed.  The media used to be one of the most unbiased things to go but even the news they give out is tailored to make things seem one way when it actually isn’t.  Therefore the news reporters on television and even the investigative journalists are even taught to chose sides and stick with it, all in order to ramp up ratings.  This used to never be.

           Now as I sit hundreds of thousands a miles overseas, I realize now more than ever that the pastime of I used to love has politics has definitely left me behind but I’m not willing to go away without a fight.  I’m not willing to conform to the norm just because the masses say so.  I’m not willing to stand by and allow candidates, politicians and political parties to ignore the real issues plaguing the people.  I’m not willing to allow the news media to betray the sacred trust to give the news to the people unbiased and full of the truth.  Therefore I encourage all of you to not give to what the majority is doing because the majority is not always right and the masses don’t always know what is right.

           If the pastime I love is to come back, it will have to do it by the people demanding more from the political process than the two bit sound bites we are getting that a small majority want the masses to hear in order to manipulate us into thinking one way instead of the other way.  Enough is enough, it’s time to change the culture for the better.

Malcolm X Day

I recently read an article by Toure in Time magazine discussing should Malcolm X have a national holiday and it made me realize just how powerful and iconic Malcolm was in the sense of what the American Dream really is. Malcolm came from poverty as well as hardships such losing his father to death while being young than being snatched from his mom and being put in foster care where he was thought he couldn't be a lawyer. Thus encountering all of that which led to a life of crime before hitting prison where he was reformed and started to become a dynamic civil rights leader in the north. So Toure asked what ideals would we celebrate on Malcolm X Day, May 19, his birthday? Many. Malcolm’s not a static intellectual figure — his mind journeyed throughout his life, he held firm to his principles but was also strong enough to re-evaluate his beliefs and change when he deemed change is right. He was far from a flip-flopper who moved because it was politically expedient — and thankfully not an intellectual mule who refused to change when he uncovered new information and perspectives. Malcolm was intelligent and bold enough to be open-minded. His courage to be a truth seeker is part of what we’d celebrate — his willingness to reconsider his principles, to be protean, to challenge himself and be willing to grow and thus embody the transformative potential of American life. We would celebrate not just his willingness to journey but also his journey itself, which concludes with militancy being defeated by humanism and with racial hatred being defeated by globalism and multiracial acceptance. While we celebrate Dr. King and praise him year end and year out it was a time when King was considered a threat to our society. So as Toure says, "Surely some will not be able to wrap their heads around supporting a Malcolm X federal holiday because they will get stuck on the image of Malcolm as violent. This misunderstands several things. King was, at a time, considered dangerous and was hated too and, more importantly, Malcolm merely proposed that oppressed people had a right to armed self-defense — an inherently American principle. King, who preached steadfast non-violence, represents America as it wishes it were, while Malcolm symbolizes America as it is. Malcolm never equated self-defense with violence for its own sake and he never fomented violence. He was wiretapped and followed inside and outside the United States by the FBI, the CIA and the NYPD for years and years — if he had incited violence, even in a private conversation at home, he would surely have landed in legal trouble. Indeed, the FBI noted its difficultly in neutralizing him because he did not conspire to break laws and lived by a stringent moral code. A New York police officer surveilling him went to his bosses and told them they should be helping Malcolm — such is the righteousness of his positions to someone who truly listened." Malcolm was a man unreservedly committed to the cause of liberating black people by any means necessary and his fierce but loving advocacy helps move the country forward as much as King’s Gandhi-ist movement. We cannot separate Malcolm from his era in that he conveyed the righteous anger of the black masses during his time but linked it to an articulation and a brilliance that was inspiring as well as a geopolitical, economic, spiritual and religious strategy. Malcolm was angry because we were, but instead of sparking riots he incited deep self-pride and linked the civil rights struggle to human rights. His militant advocacy was as stunning as it was necessary, to force the issue and imbue millions with the confidence and spirit and strength needed to overcome. He knew power gives up nothing without a demand and inspired millions to not accept victim status and imbued them with the agency to force America to become as democratic as it claimed to be. Malcolm is the true father of Black Power (and its son hip-hop), which deeply inspires all identity freedom movements that follow it. so without a doubt Malcolm X was just as important to America and the civil rights movement as well as black nationalism and humanism world wide than King, Ghandi, and Mother Theresa. It is clear that if America is to celebrate Malcolm X than more about his legacy and impact needs to be talked about to show the positive side of the things not always discussed. Malcolm's impact still lives on today and as, "Think of Malcolm not as an intellectual thug but as a Mandelaesque figure who advocated righteous and political-minded self-defense when that was necessary and later grew into peaceful humanists." Read more: http://ideas.time.com/2012/01/20/we-need-a-malcolm-x-day/

HAPPY NEW YEAR: Be Independent

Today marks the beginning of 2012 and this is yet another Presidential election year. However I want to take this time and ask everyone to be independent. Don't allow yourself to be trapped in the political vortex known as the lesser of two evils between the two headed monster known as the Democratic and Republican Parties. It is time for a revolt in America from the two party political system that has left us as a nation crippled and left for dead not just the past decade but for several decades now. For all those who like to point to the glorious 90s, they fail to mention that our nation's national debt was even growing even with a balanced budget and a national surplus for a year or two. Still many political pundits fail to take into account that a surplus for a year or two does not wipe away a growing debt that has been in the making for decades and with each passing decade as Republicans and Democrats jockey for control of Congress and the White House, we the American people are left to wonder how have we arrived at this point in our nation's history. It's not as simple as blaming one political party or President when both parties contributed while several Presidents have added to this point of a crippling economy and poverty at an all time high. For years we the people have been caught in the ponzi scheme of politics as campaign finance laws have been shattered, our financial and banking system continues to get rich off the backs of the less fortunate and healthcare has yet to arrive to all Americans yet but the cost of it increases daily for those that do have it. All the while Congress continues to get an automatic yearly increase in its salary while it's suppose to be a pay freeze on all federal employees. Then don't mention the fact that those who defend our rights and freedoms abroad and at home, our troops, benefits and pay are being cut every chance Congress and the White House gets but they support the troops. You should laugh at any politician in Washington, D.C. that says that but voted to cut military benefits. So once again I tell you don't be fooled in 2012 by the two headed political monster known as Democrats and Republicans. Be independent in 2012 and break away from the political party system. Start doing your research and take back your country from the Democratic and Republican political parties that have been bought by the bankers, financiers and other rich as well as power brokers while forgetting about the poor, needy and less fortunate in the process. Now is the time to be independent and not fall for the trap once again during this election year. BE INDEPENDENT!

Troops

We are sons and daughters!
We are mothers and fathers!
We are brothers and sisters!
All bonded to serve our nation!

We are courageous!
We are strong!
We are selfless!
All bonded with a mission to protect our country from harms way!

We work 24 hours a day!
We work 7 days a week!
We work 12 months out the year!
All bonded 365 days to build a better America!

We fight on land!
We fight through the sea!
We fight in the air!
All bonded on Earth to fight for the great old USofA!

We are America's troops!
We are our nation's line of defense!
We are patriots and heroes to some!
All bonded by our faith to service and  loyalty to country!

We are the Army!
We are the Air Force!
We are the Marines!
We are the Navy!
All bounded to form America's Armed Forces!

We sacrifice our lives!
We miss out on birthdays!
We sometimes miss child births and funerals!
All bounded as troops that become a battle family to lean on forever!

We are the troops so honor us don't forget about us!
We are the troops so love us don't hurt us!
We are the troops so support us don't dismiss us!
We are the troops so take care of us as we protect everyone's rights and freedoms both abroad & at home.

Stop the Politics

The American people don't want to hear that the $2 billion we have spent to liberate the Libyan people is less than what the previous administration spent to liberate the Afghanistan and Iraqi people. Clearly stop the politics because we need to jobs in America and that $2 billion that was spent liberating Libya could have went toward improving our schools, our infrastructure, etc. Thus stop the political games and acting like over the last 3 years we aren't still spending billions of dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan because we are.

It's time out to politics and its time to restore America back to the people who are the one's suffering.

Vote No to Detroit Charter Revision on November

Citizens of Detroit, vote no to the Detroit Charter Revision on November 8, it is taking rights from us the citizens while empowering elected officials. So let's vote no and revise this revision to restore rights to the citizens.

MSNBC misleading Public

Once again the national news media particularly MSNBC puts out false and misleading information in order to make Detroit, Michigan look back. Brownstown Township is not Detroit, Michigan so why would MSNBC begin a news cast by saying in Detroit, a 9 year old girl is seen driving her drunk father. This type of media misleading attacks has to stop.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44932952/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

http://www.newsytype.com/12869-9-year-old-girl-appointed-designated-driver-by-drunk-father/

Herman Cain

Hermain Cain's Presidential campaign is rewriting Presidential campaign history books similar to how President Barack Obama rewrote the whole political landscape in 2008. I'm not saying that Hermain Cain will win the GOP Presidential nomination but am I am saying that for a person who has never ran for a political office before yet alone held one to be in the top tier of any of the two major political parties Presidential nomination, is impressive.