I am surprised at all the pundits calling out Obama because he hurt their feelings. What is going on in this country? Where are the grown-ups? A huge majority of the people have either gone back in time or TRULY wish they could travel through some portal stopping time, then reversing said time to another time "back when".

Everybody is talking about feelings. Well people, feelings won't get the job done. We have to THINK about where we are going, NOT where we've been.

They say Obama's not empathetic. He hasn't connected personally. Yes he has. He's connected by getting as much done as he possibly could. Yes, nostalgia for the good ol days is tempting and fun when sitting around the kitchen table. But we are talking about serious issues. Shouldn't we move through emotion to some grown-up clear thinking?

Come on people. There are still enough of us around who remember how hard it is to change. How much work it takes to Change. How many sleepless nights and agonizing days go into change. We must focus! Going in reverse is no solution.

Barack Obama was good enough for you two years ago, but now because you're mad at him, you want the country to suffer for it. You want seniors to lose their Medicare. You want Social Security to go to Wall Street. You want the Insurance Industry to have a say about your life in lieu of Government oversight and protection.

Wow! How angry are you? And how many people have to suffer for it?

A woman tells Obama that she's tired of defending him. She's tired because she's had to make choices. At least she has choices! So many people don't. She should be tired. Look at him he looks tired. He is almost completely gray in the span of two years!

You see this is what Obama means by "buck up". That is a "me" attitude and not a "we" attitude.

All of us should be tired. We are supposed to be knocking down the status quo. We are supposed to be so attentive to what's going on in this country that we don't allow ANY politician to get away with bending, twisting, or mangling the FACTS. We the People have to do it. Our journalists no longer work for the people. They work for the very same corporations trying to silence us.

When Obama took office he spoke of working together for change. When is the last time you sailed through drastic change?

When Clinton was in office, we all thrived and we got very used to having all the THINGS we wanted. Maybe we weren't rich, but we were living really well. Then Bush took office and we were still living really well...ON CREDIT. Obama didn't say I'll do all the work and you just go back to living the same way you did before Bush took office. Our country is in trouble and he is not able to do it alone.

It's like Obama is the mean principal that gets results but everybody hates the way he does it. A grown-up in a country full of
children in temper tantrum mode. "I won't vote because Obama is ineffective." He's only as effective as the people supporting him. He is a reflection of this country. We all are being thwarted by Corporate America. If you don't vote, you should get used to putting Corporate before America.

Change takes attention. That's why some don't want it. They don't want you to pay attention.

Could it be that Congress is ineffective? Could it be that the Republicans in Congress are playing games with the Middle Class and the Poor? Could it be that because Mr. Obama is a constitutional lawyer, he knows and understands the reach of his office and that the power of the Veto is ultimately all he has?

We as a country made this recession. We allowed it to happen because of our complacency and general greedy thirst for things. Now we are paying the piper through tough times and the first thing we do is look around for someone else to blame.

It's Obama's fault. Yes it's his fault, but it is also YOUR fault. Let ye who are without sin cast the first stone. It's in the Bible. Look it up. By the way, this misplaced anger should be directed at Bush and Cheney and Rove. The PM of Iceland is gonna do a perp walk for destroying their economy. So should the three stooges of the Bush era. They should have been prosecuted for gutting our political and economic institutions.

The Republican Party should be ashamed. How can they even look in the mirror after what they did with this economy? It's just sad. The perverse amount of money being spent on trying to buy the congress could be spent to help victims of the oil spill or any number of disasters that have happened in the last few years. They've already taken over the courts and you're not even paying attention.

They are blocking Obama's appointments so they can further destroy our democracy.


But you're angry and your eyes are closed and your lips are pursed. You will not see anything that way.


Pay attention people.

This is money spent to stop progress. Stop change. That means NO saving the planet. No investing in new technologies that advance the planet and its people. Both parties are spending obscene amounts of money simply in a game of political power. Now it’s possible for persons/forces outside the country to influence our Democracy.

Hate will not prevail, but it can slow things down A LOT. No is a wall and walls fall eventually. How much damage to our world has to happen before we really take a stand. How many lives will be delegated to mere statistics in our rich vs. poor debate?

We are a people proven to be walking on a round ball in a vast solar system. Can’t we just all agree to leave it better for those coming later on?

Can you see where the "whining" thing might actually be true?

But, go ahead and punish Barack Obama for not doing enough for your cause. The stakes are high, but what does that matter when the message you send to Obama will show everyone that you are angry. Bravo.

P.S. Obama is not on the ballot. You might want to take a look at who is poised to take your representatives seat. Remember, after this election, they speak for you whether you like it or not.

Walk in beauty. Walk in peace.

Looking for Obi Wan

I'm taking a Virtual Stand. I AM A STAND FOR PEACE. I AM A STAND FOR UNITY. Understand? If you do, pass it along. Every day at NOON. I will stand for PEACE. I WILL STAND FOR UNITY. PASS IT ALONG.

Love,

Toni

I read political blogs. I understand which ones are skewed in what direction. I read them all because I try to understand why the most extreme view are the ones that get the most coverage. I see the hatred and name calling and instigating of violence. I watch our political leaders ignore basic decency for votes. I watch our public officials ignore facts. what is this doing to our children? What kind of example are we setting if our elected officials can't control themselves in their working lives. What is Senator Miller telling his kids about prostitutes and why it's ok to call a colleague that name even though he disagrees with her. Is this what Senator Miller wants for his children's generation? How does he view women and why would Sarah Palin associate herself with a man who has such disdain for a woman who is just doing her job? The world will do what the world will do, but I would just love to see someone stand up for civility instead of controversy.

I forgot

I had a realization a short time back about my Twitter addiction. Twitter is a reflection of all the crosstalk in our heads. Only now we can get different responses because we're not only answering ourselves. Mostly crosstalk surrounds the fears we have. Once I got started, I let it take hold of me and started tweeting about news stories and making snarky little comments to get my point across. I thought that I was keeping up on what was REALLY happening in the world. The reality was that I forgot that it's easier to hate than love. It's easier to find fault than shore up another. I fell for the high school mentality that is politics. I was getting my news from a bunch of different sources, but they were all pretty much doing the same thing. They were giving me a small amount of information and a huge amount of their perspective to go along. I felt myself getting depressed about all the turmoil in the country and totally losing perspective about what is really important. Until my daughter walked away from a car accident... Now I remember. The car did exactly what I wanted it to do. It saved her life and I will miss the car. Thank you Volvo. My family is well, mostly well-adjusted with a slight dose of crazy, but I wouldn't have them any other way. When I think about how one moment can change a whole life, I am able to turn off the world domination track and listen to the silence or go to this great website: themeditationroom.com and listen to guided meditations or just listen to the sounds of nature. It is so much better than listening to the sniping that is politics. I wish everyone who wants to be a political figure good luck and God speed. I have grown up and finally understand that fear will always be the driving force behind every political agenda. I also understand that love is the only thing powerful enough to overcome fear. Any fear. The country will do what the country does. In my little world, I choose to listen to different sounds. To feel love instead of hatred and depression. I take a stand for Unconditional Love. Today is a good day and tomorrow will be gravy.

I want change.

I just sent letters to the White House and to my state Senator and Rep. I don't know what else to do. I have been so caught up in this Administration. I know that it's because I have too much time on my hands. I cancelled my Twitter account because I've been so filled with anxiety about what's going on in our country. I see the social unrest that is creeping into our daily conversation. It is extremely hard to concentrate on much else. I have to cut myself off from commenting or hearing comments about what is happening. I kinda want the Republicans to take over the House. I want them to take responsibility for work in this country. I do think Obama was right to tackle so many big things so fast. It gives him some room to let the Republicans do their thing and still not be able to change the direction of the country, but IT IS SO HARD TO WATCH US LOSE GROUND IN THE EYES OF THE CITIZENRY. I woke up this morning totally convinced that I would not be voting again. Ever! Why vote? Then I realized that change looks like this. Change is usually accompanied by extreme temperatures, the feeling of standing on shaky ground, etc. It's hard. This uneasy feeling is what change feels like. I just have to keep reminding myself.

I was talking with my husband this morning about our land line telephone. It costs a hundred dollars a month to keep a line for the fax and one for the phone. We rarely use the fax, so do we really need to keep paying for that line? We each have Smart Phones, but somehow having it makes me feel, what, secure? Are we emotionally tied to the phone simply because it's what we've always known? Remember the days when there were phone exchanges? The days when there was a real person sitting behind a panel full of holes connecting every caller by hand? I'm not quite that old, but I did work at a company as a receptionist and I had to handle an updated version of that phone system for the building. Those were innovations at one time too. I think about the attachment to the familiar and I begin to understand the state of this country. The discord is a by-product of change. Change happens. It happens to everything. In our discussion about losing of the phone, I felt discomfort. Having a phone sitting in the same place at all times that you know will never run out of battery feels safe. It's not comfortable letting go of the things that made YOU feel safe. The things that defined YOUR life. We've just always had a phone attached to our house. And when I hear people say that they've gotten rid of theirs, I cringe a little. We still write checks when a large majority of people do their checking on-line. It feels safer. I'm sure the changes that are happening in our country feels wrong for some people, but holding on doesn't stop the generational push and pull. I notice that the people making the loudest noise right now in the world of politics are some of the same people who made the loudest noise in the sixties and seventies. The "love and peace generation" seems to have grown into the "Me" generation which grew into the "Free Trade/Corporate/wealth generation and now it's the "No" generation". Is that me? I hated Twitter at first and now I tweet all the time. I went from PC to Mac. I have a "Crackberry". I welcome new technologies. I want cleaner energy sources. I want to own a flying car. If I have to let go of the old to get to those things, I will try very hard to stay open and make the leap. Now we just have to convince my father-in-law who lives with us. He's a different matter all together.

Barack Obama Took Another Step

Watching the President tonight gave me the impression that this man knew that he was on the road to calling the American people into service once more. He was calling on us to detach from the institution known as BIG OIL. It was a very risky move. While all the pundits screamed about not hearing the "how" when referring to his plan of attack in the Gulf disaster! They want to know how he's going to stop a leak that cannot be stopped. The screaming was so loud they barely heard his footfalls as he walked out into the middle of traffic. No other President has been able to convince this country to wean itself from Oil. The look in the President's eyes said it all. It said, "Oh, hell, there is no turning back from this." It was a truly brave and unselfish act. He's is on his way into battle and he may not survive politically. Today, it seems to me, that Barack Obama has thrown down the gauntlet to Big Oil. The politicians on both sides of the isle are entrenched, so I wonder where he will find support? The people who once believed in him have become restless and confused about where this country is headed. I keep saying that change is difficult. And it truly does seem that when it rains, it pours. I understood what the President meant when he said that we'd get there. His speech was about the opposite of war. His speech was about life. Big Energy rules the world. Obama has no wealth. Like Lincoln, he traveled the road to greatness without a "Trust". When Big Oil took over the White House for eight years, they started a chain reaction that will be felt for years. Perhaps the only thing Barack Obama can do to flex his muscles is to keep the moratorium on deep water drilling and just for the hell of it, he threw in an energy overhall. That takes BALLS! Either do business with him or stay shut down. I see an idealist, a lover of his country, just doing the best he can.

Is there anyone out there who can see what I see? There is love in this country. If I look for it, I will find it more and more often.

Could Obama really take-over BP?

In hearing all the reports on BP, some thoughts out there in the maze are that Obama should just seize control over BP and do what Americans are expecting. They want America to show its might and move heaven and earth to protect America. It seems now, that some 70 percent of Americans want Mr. Obama to wave his magic, socialist wand and make everything normal again. Being pulled in two directions, our President finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Well, I would like everything to be normal again. I would still like to have a job. I would like to pay my bills on time. I would like to have a country that isn't filled with such hatred and violence. But, I am alive. Thanks for that. I have a great family. Thanks for that. Everything else, is just life going by. There are those who will never get over the initial feeling that Obama didn't do enough. They will dwell on that negative rather than cheer him on in his efforts to do all he can right now. I say, "Good for you, Mr. President." You may not have known what to do in the beginning, but you are learning and that is what I see as the mark of an intelligent person. A person who looks at a situation that is clearly beyond the scope of anything done before, and rolls up his sleeves. He has taken responsibility for this crisis. He has apologized for his ignorance at the start and now his is doing his best to make things right. That's more than I can say for a whole lot of people in this country. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the fat-cats who own this country are sitting back laughing at the nerve of this Black man. He really thinks he runs the country. A quick look behind the curtain would prove them right.

On This Memorial Day

Dear Mr. President,

What a day it will be when our children don't have to fight the wars of their fathers. Are we living strictly for ourselves or do we have a responsibility to generations to come? The Iraq and Afghanistan wars are no longer viable solutions to the old war on terror. The hardest part about war is ending it. Please end the economic drain on this country. Bring our children home. Everyone over there is somebody's child.

Critical Thinking

What does LeMieux want the President to do? Stand around, wringing his hands, beating his chest? He's the President of the ENTIRE United States. Would you have him drop all the other crisis happening right now to come and stand around and watch while the experts supposedly do their jobs. A little critical thinking from the people in this country would go a long way to cleaning up a lot of the disasters that have befallen our great country. The blame game only goes so far. If LeMieux has ANY ideas about how to stop the destruction in the Gulf, he should be in the Situation Room letting everyone know. This seems like a clever way for the Republican party to take the responsibility off Big Oil and blame a man who only uses oil, not profits from it. The action is making sure people are taken care of during and after a crisis such as this. To imply that the President is incompetent because he delegates the jobs that need to be done is hogwash. Grow up people.

A love injection

I just want to inject a little love into the waves. I send out love to our country. In particular, I send love to the Republican Party and the Tea Party ( I know, sometimes they are one). I truly want them to find peace of mind sooner than later. I am a stand for this country being the best that it can be. I am a stand for Peace and security being the predominant feeling in every state of this glorious union. All is well.

Wall Street/Las Vegas, One in the same.

Barack Obama is the coolest man on the planet.

President Obama gets it. Watching the coverage of him at the Nuclear Summit was another first for me. I've said before that although I never took my vote for granted, I didn't have any real interest in what my government was doing. Until Bush. His election got my attention and not in a good way. Obama has me writing about politics. I never thought I would do that. President Obama handled the press after the summit with careful, well-thought-out responses to sometimes curious questions by the press. (You know, it's amazing how the press wants to be taken seriously, but how can we take them seriously? (...real news coverage is only had by those who seek the truth. That means picking through the blog-0-sphere.) The mainstream media has gulped down the reality TV kool-aid and is licking the last few drops from the punchbowl. It's unbelievable. America is getting a very small percentage of what's really actual news and still we have the press acting like a pack of hungry wolves snatching at the most inane aspects of a story and leaving the meat on the ground. Maybe because their salaries are paid by the corporations who influence the country through them. This behavior seems (to me) to diminish the history that's happening right before our eyes. Is no one watching what I'm watching? Pardon me for gushing about having the coolest man on the planet for a President. History is being made in a big way because of this man and the negative side of our society is what gets covered. But I'm hopeful. I think that having a 24 hour news cycle is actually going to help with the race issue in this country because it will shine a light on heartbreaking moments like the one that had shoppers hearing from their neighborhood store speakers that all the blacks should leave (a teen dipped in an intolerance coating... yummy). When I look down the road I don't see the current intense racial issue. It seems this is the residual energy from the civil rights movement.

(I think the Christian community should be really careful about who they associate themselves with. If Christians are watching and supporting the Glenn Becks and the Tea Party Patriots, the violence and vitriol is going to hurt image-wise.)

That's just my thought. This country really has tried to move past race and yet there are still places where the old ways are still practiced. When the Baby Boomers who still harbor feelings of rage and doubt become smaller and smaller in number, it will be a thing of the past and the children who thrive in a multi-cultural society will outnumber the children who still cling to the old ways. All societies must evolve in order to survive. It's exciting and I'm pleased that the country made a course correction from the Neo-conservative war and world domination agenda. These are just my thoughts. I like to keep it positive for the most part. I read that the majority of the country thinks we're going in the wrong direction and that boggles my mind. All signs point to the economy getting better. All signs point to our standing on the world stage being one of respected prominence once more. All signs point to the possibility of future space exploration that is more spectacular than the Apollo program was. Reforming our educational system will produce great thinkers and inventors. We will have colonies on other planets. (OK, maybe that last one is a little dreamy, but dreaming is what this life is all about. Dreaming and then making those dreams a reality. This is just what I see. True, it's what I want to see, but what's wrong with that. It's said that there is so much bad in the world. There is so much good in the world as well. I would say that the good outweighs the bad. I'm sitting at my desk listening to CNBC. The news is the consumer has turned. The economy is getting better. Yippee!!! Let's hear more about the good things that are happening. We could collectively choose to dream a different dream. I like the dream that President Obama is dreaming. It's so much better than the nightmare we were living a mere year ago.

Jobs, Mr. President

Dear Mr. President,

It's very easy for me to sit in my easy chair and tell you how to run the country. I know that you have very smart people in Washington telling you how to do it. Maybe one reason independents are wary about you is because your message is being lost amid Sarah Palin's soundbites. The only way to be heard is to get America back to work. If more and more people have jobs, they won't have time to protest. Protest what? Their success? More money in their pockets? You figure out a way to get people focused on work and you'll get a positive reaction. I know what you've done for the economy so far. Giving people 288 billion dollars in tax cuts and helping students by making 275 billion dollars available for student grants and loans is a giant step in the right direction. This along with HCR is going to turn our country around faster. I try not to pay attention to the negative talk. I voted for change and I'm seeing change. As long as that is the case, I'm good. This country was stripped bare in the eight years that Bush was president. I honestly don't expect one man to solve all the problems on day one of this journey to change. I expect to see steady progress. I expect it. So the Republicans can make all the noise and they want. They can tell horrible lies and try very hard to stall progress. The law of attraction says that you get more of what you give your attention to. They are focused with a razor sharpness on Barack Obama. They can shout NO all they want. They will most certainly create the most effective president this country has ever seen. Then, they'll have no one to blame but themselves. As if they would.

"The Republicans wear no clothes"

It must be so frightening for those who look to the possibilities of the future and see destruction. That must be so scary for them. These people believe they see what they believe. The reality doesn't matter. There is nothing to do except make sure they don't hurt themselves or anyone else with tantrums and acts of violence. "They know not what they do." Most of those don't have a clue that they are being lied to by the status quo. But, I see a country that refuses to allow a small group of people destroy it through violence. At a time when there are two wars being waged we cannot allow our homeland to fall apart. I see that we as a country stand for progress and prosperity for everyone. I am a small voice proclaiming "The Republicans have no clothes!"

The Republican Cliche'

I have the crazy idea that people in the Republican party are decent, law abiding citizen who want the best for this country. Watching the news and seeing these people who attend church, work in our public schools, even represent us in Washington treat other citizens so badly, I have to think that it's because they must in some way play out a horrible cliche'. Obviously, they've never seen any of the many movies that favor the underdog. The movies where the bully gets humiliated and repentant in the end. Obama is the very portrait of underdog. The odds have been stacked against him every step of the way. All I can say is the story is as old as time. The Republicans will reap what they have sown. They will see a further decline in their party. Its possible destruction depends on how quickly they decide to act like adults instead of petulant children. Now they are refusing to do any work at all? Why are they in Washington? Why are they even going into their offices? Why have we voted them into office so they can walk out on the job? Are they getting paid for a full day of work? Who is keeping tabs on how many hours are actually hours worked? I say we petition Washington to put our political leaders on notice. If they don't put in the time, they will be FIRED!

Whew! That was close. I almost got angry.