America, land of social justice - the saga continues

I've spent a lot of time lately reading about Arizona's new immigration law, and I find myself feeling confused. What exactly is going on down there? I know Mexico is a country in turmoil, and I understand the fear and concern about illegal immigrants, but it seems Arizona has gotten wacky.

There are some legitimate fears here. Drug trafficking from Mexico is a problem and with the drugs comes crime. I understand these things but I think the answer is a more secure border, not Arizona's turn towards xenophobia.

I'm not just talking about the immigration law. Today, Arizona's legislature passed a bill banning ethnic studies programs. The justification? Ethnic studies courses promote "ethnic chauvinism." I'm not kidding, that's actually what they said. It seems that the only people being culturally chauvinistic right now are the ones with white skin. Apparently, if you're a minority in Arizona, it's not okay for you to be proud of your heritage, instead Arizona will force feed you their version of history.

It gets worse. A Californian Republican, Duncan Hunter, is advocating deporting the children of illegal immigrants! Those children are, of course, American citizens since they were born here. That's right, Representative Hunter wants to deport Americans. I'm not sure where he would advocate sending them, but have we really sunk that low? Duncan, he doesn't deserve to be called a Representative - and those who voted for him should hang their heads in shame - points out that "It takes more than walking across the border to be an American citizen." That's true Duncan, you have to be born here, like the people you want to deport.

Newsflash to white people - especially those in Arizona. We're immigrants. You want to start deporting people? Well then all us white folks can head back to Europe. This is embarrassing. The people of Arizona have a legitimate grievance. Violence from the drug wars in Mexico affects them and the government should do a better job of protecting our borders and our citizens. Their failure to do so is not an excuse for fear and xenophobia.

Immigration is what makes America great. People from all over the world want to come here. They want to come so badly that they will sneak in if they have to. Because of the freedoms we hold so dear we have become a magnet for the world's best and brightest people. White, black, brown, yellow, green, purple, red and even orange people want to be in America. We should be proud of that and we should encourage it because all of us make our society and our country better. Forcing people to prove that they belong is not what America is about. Forcing people to assimilate by denying them the opportunity to learn about their past is not what America is about. Dreyfus Affair anyone?

We live in the greatest country in the world, and what makes it great are the people. America is the best country in the world because Americans are the best people in the world, and Americans come in all shapes, sizes and COLORS. If you care about America you have to care about Americans and you must understand that we're all in this together. In a country full of Americans there is no "other" to fear.

Let's make America better today by preaching tolerance instead of fear. Yes, our borders need protecting, but we cannot live in fear of people seeking the same dream we are. We must let them chase it too and hope that they, like all of us, will do their part to make America better. If you delved a little bit into ethnic studies, you'd find that a lot of them already have.

Great Success!

Someone was listening to me! After nine years, yes, that's right, NINE YEARS, America is going to build an offshore wind farm! As much as I'd like to take some credit for this, it has been in the making since I was 15 years old. I'll step away from the pedestal, but this is reason to celebrate.

Nevertheless, we cannot rest. We have a long way to go. And yet, there is still more encouraging news. Our seemingly broken and almost completely partisan government may have gotten the ball rolling on a green energy bill. Senators Joe Lieberman (independent), John Kerry (Democrat) and Lindsay Graham (Republican) have sat down together and agreed on something important for the future of our country. Is that a novelty or what?

Rejoice, America. We may yet save our economy and our planet. Now, go check out the Pickens Plan. Smart people are doing big things and we need to support this effort. Three cheers for America and three cheers for Mother Earth! I smile as I write that America got a little bit better today.

On board the train to a better society

Well America, if you're worried that we missed the boat on green and alternate technology, fear not, we can still catch the train. The only problem is that the train is coming from China.

That's right, while the world's most innovative and prosperous country sits on the sidelines the Chinese will be building our railroads...again. Except this time, we're not importing Chinese workers to lay track across the country, we're importing Chinese technology because we're too stubborn to embrace the future.

Now I know that SUVs are cool and every real American needs a truck - a Chevy or a Ford, of course - but while we cruise across the interstate in our Hummers getting 12 miles to the gallon, the country that seems destined to supplant us as the world's largest economy is building bullet trains, the kind that travel at speeds up to 215 miles an hour in an efficient and environmentally-friendly manner.

As an American patriot this frustrates me. I feel as though I'm pleading here, but it's time to get on this train, even if it is being built in China. While we're at it, we should start building our own, or, even better, start investing in the development of similar technologies that we can produce here in the United States.

In a previous post, yours truly, Nostradamus, pointed out that the world will be clamoring for these new green technologies soon. Well soon is today and the people doing the clamoring are in California. Pretty soon they'll be all over the world and they'll be buying their new trains and wind turbines from...China. I don't have anything against China, but I cringe writing that because it should say the United States of America. We should be investing in these technologies here. California should be buying its bullet trains from factories in America.

Apparently, we've missed that boat, but we can still catch the train. Let's make America better today by hopping aboard. Maybe once we see how great China's trains are, we will find the fortitude to start making some of our own.

Reanalyzing the Tea Party

Could it possibly be that I was wrong about the Tea Party? A new poll shows that Tea Partiers are both wealthier and more educated than the average American. HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO WRONG?!?

I wasn't. If you really examine the poll, you will find that not only are Tea Partiers "well-educated," they are also paranoid, hypocritical, out of touch with the average American and, in fact, not so well-educated.

Let's analyze. First of all, most Tea Partiers, and by most I mean almost all, are old white men. Is it any wonder they're uber-conservative? They're also much more likely to think that the president favors African-Americans over white Americans. So much for being well-educated. I'm not sure how anyone who could possibly come to that conclusion is well-educated. I guess education and intelligence aren't synonymous. Without analyzing the president's policies, both the stimulus package and health care are for the benefit of all Americans. Furthermore, the hypocrites want smaller government and less spending but they're ok with medicare and social security so long as it benefits them. So they deserve government benefits but the black people that President Obama cares about don't? I see how that works. White people are better than black people.

Six in ten of these guys say America's best years are behind us, but all that really means is that their best years are behind them. They're old guys clinging to old values, values that clearly do not represent equality and progress. Affordable health care in old age means our country's best days are behind us? I'd hate to think what might happen if these lunatics had control. We'd return to the 1960's, an idyllic time when African-Americans had few rights and the country waged war on Communism, a foe that, although defeated, the Tea Party has reincarnated in President Obama.

How about this revealing quote from the well-educated Tea Party: “He’s a socialist. And to tell you the truth, I think he’s a Muslim and trying to head us in that direction, I don’t care what he says. He’s been in office over a year and can’t find a church to go to. That doesn’t say much for him.”

What a conclusion our scholar has drawn! I wonder if that person even knows what socialism is. And what if Obama, like many other Americans just doesn't go to church. I don't go to church and I'm neither a socialist nor a Muslim. Of course, in a country that is becoming more secular, not going to church is a sure sign of socialism. Just ask all the old white Tea Party folks.

There is actually a lot of good news to be gleaned from this poll. Tea Partiers are old. Right now the country is getting older, but only temporarily. By 2050, only a quarter of the population will be over 60. With any luck, the paranoia and out-dated values of the Tea Party will be replaced by the values that my generation espouses: equality and social justice. Perhaps the notion that social justice and fiscal responsibility are incompatible will fade into the past as well.

Of course, perhaps I'm not giving the Tea Party enough credit, when faced with their hypocrisy...

"Some defended being on Social Security while fighting big government by saying that since they had paid into the system, they deserved the benefits.

Others could not explain the contradiction

“That’s a conundrum, isn’t it?” asked Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security.” She added, “I didn’t look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I’ve changed my mind.”"

See, at least a few of them are educated!

Why aren't we doing this?

Not only is green energy clean, it's efficient too. To stubborn global warming critics, look at what we could be doing!

America, let's get it together. I've been saying this for a while, but green technology is not the future, it's the present. Trash incinerators that create clean(er) energy! How are we not doing this!

One thing that scares me as I read and write about these issues is America's stubborn resistance to help itself. Polling now shows that the majority of Americans are open to repealing health care although only 28% of those people claim to understand the new law! How is this possible? Anyone who has examined the law knows that it does a lot to help everyone in America, including - listen carefully Tea Party - the federal budget deficit. Yet here we are decrying it as socialism for reasons that hold no water and don't stand up to legitimate analysis of the law.

When it comes to green energy, I feel we are the same way. I fail to understand how it is unpatriotic to stop sending money to Saudi Arabia. How does it hurt us to create jobs in America by investing in alternative forms of energy that we can create? If you've been to the southwest, you know it's sunny; if you've been to the midwest, you know it's windy. We can capitalize on those things. T. Boone Pickens, a man who needs no introduction, understands that. He is a living, breathing American dream and a real patriot, a self-made man who doesn't want to cling to America's reliance on energy forms that will destroy our economy and our planet.

Back to these trash incinerators. I propose that we build one or more in every American community immediately. I'm serious. Explain to me how a trash incinerator that creates cheap energy while simultaneously reducing our dependence on dirty and expensive landfills is a bad thing. In fact, we should start emptying landfills and throwing the trash into these incinerators.

Let's make America better today; let's burn our trash!

Crash the TEA Party!

I stumbled across something fun last night, a site called Crash the Tea Party.

This group is dedicated to taking down the TEA Party via infiltration, and I love it. Of course, while browsing on the site, I've noticed that it has already been attacked by the TEA Party; their paranoia and fear-mongering knows no bounds.

Please check these guys out. I sit here and rant but they've found a way to get involved. If we're going to keep America on the right path, we MUST beat the TEA Party. Their ignorance, narrow-mindedness and, unfortunately, ability to be heard is a detriment to the betterment of our society. As patriots, it is our duty to make America better. Fight ignorance and stand up for truth. In other words, do everything the TEA Party doesn't do.

Seriously, November is seven months away. I believe the economy will recover enough to show Americans that President Obama is looking out for us and the new health care law is a huge step in the right direction, but the TEA Party has thrown a roadblock on the pathway of progress and we must remove that obstacle and keep America on the right path going forward.

It's also worth pointing out that even the name TEA Party implies looking backwards, not forwards. I'm a history teacher and I know the value of history. History must be used to help us figure out where we are now and how to fix the problems we face currently. The TEA Party wants to return to a time long-gone when the world was a simpler place. We don't live in that world anymore and trying to cling to values that are well over two centuries old isn't going to help our country maintain it's position in the world.

Now, go crash the TEA Party.

November 2K10

I keep hearing about the political doomsday that is being forecasted for Democrats in November. The TEA Partiers, jobless and angry, are on the loose. They're taking credit for Bart Stupak resigning, and they're mounting aggressive campaigns against Harry Reid.

I must admit, I'm scared of the TEA Party. I fear their ignorance and their narrow-mindedness. Anyone who has the nerve to hurl racial slurs at elected officials because they don't understand the benefits of legislation is a force to be reckoned with, and the fact that these people don't have jobs means that they have time to create chaos in the political world.

It's time we intelligent, employed people start fighting back. This blog is committed to improving our country, President Obama is committed to improving our country. If you are a true patriot, a real American, you feel the same way. It's time to make tough decisions. It's time to realize that our country faces challenges and the solution isn't too look backwards and cling to our past. We must look forward.

Right now, I'm looking forward to November and the midterm elections. Let's face it, the Republican party as it currently exists, is worse than the "Party of No." They're pandering to a movement built on discrimination and ignorance; they've fought President Obama tooth and nail on health care reform even though many of the ideas in the law were Republican ideas that they disavowed for political reasons. John McCain even had the gall to promise that Republicans wouldn't cooperate with Democrats for the rest of the year. Does that sound like the rhetoric of someone who really wants improvement for our nation? I was upset when Scott Brown was elected vowing to defeat health care. Fortunately for all Americans, Scott was forced to eat his words. It's worth pointing out, by the way, that "Armageddon" - you can thank Mr. Always Tan, John Boehner for that little gem never happened. In fact, NOTHING bad happened.

Let's make America better by fighting the lies and the fallacies being spread by the TEA Party and the fringe Republicans aligned with them. After all, you can't spell stupidity with Sarah Palin. Or maybe you can. She doesn't know though, spelling isn't really her forte.

The point is, there is only one direction for our country and President Obama has put us on that path. Whether the TEA Party temporarily derails that or not, America will move forward. Let's not give them that opportunity. Let's not take a step backwards. Rock the vote, or whatever, just make sure you vote for the right people, the ones that want what's best for our country and the ones willing to make some tough decisions that keep us going in the right direction.

And by the way, can we please get people on board the green energy train?

Reading material from Faux News

So one cool thing about this blogging experience is that it has exposed to me Faux News. I use the terms news timidly although I've found that Faux's coverage of events is fair even though many other parts of the complete "news" experience found on their website is lacking.

Perhaps the funniest and scariest thing I've discovered on Faux News is the daily polls that they run relating to world news. I always vote in the polls and usually find myself in the EXTREME minority. After chipping in, I tend to read the comments fellow pollsters have left.

As you may know, yesterday, President Obama announced his revisions of the nation's nuclear policy. While nuclear policy is not an issue that is near and dear to my heart, I do believe the president made a good decision. Nuclear weapons are expensive to maintain and by cutting back on how many we have we will save money that can be used to make our military more flexible and capable of addressing post-Cold War threats. Besides, we have enough nukes to kill every living creature on the planet 10 times over. Doesn't that seem like overkill? Can't we just wipe out all life two or three times and be content with ourselves? Perhaps the most controversial part of President Obama's new policy is that America will not use nuclear retaliation against non-nuclear attacks so long as the attacking country is in compliance with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Judging by the comments on Faux News, you'd have thought someone had just unleashed biological warfare on New York, LA and Chicago. I've selected a few of the gems for your reading pleasure. For the benefit of the idiots who posted these, I've left out their names.

Quote 1: "First he cripples us fiscally, then he cripples us defensively. The Chinese or the Muslims can now take us over without firing a shot. THAT was the real "Change" Obama intended all along to bring to America. I hope everyone feels all safe and secure now."

My Response: ...The Muslims? Which ones? The ones in Indonesia or the ones in Saudi Arabia or maybe the ones in Chicago. Everyone run and hide, the Muslims are coming. I'm not even worried about the Chinese, the Muslims are on the way. Get out of town quick! This guy does make a good point though, the Chinese have had territorial ambitions in America since...

Credit to President Obama for tricking the voters into thinking that change meant letting the Muslims take over. I could have sworn he meant making America better, but this guy has shown me the light.

Quote 2: "Nukes are like guns: You can never have enough, especially when you need them."

My Response: It's true, you can never have enough guns. Every true blue-blooded American knows that. If you don't own at least six guns you're a wuss and probably a Communist. Whatever that means, I just like throwing the term around.

One flaw in this guy's argument, you actually CAN have too many nukes. For example, you could have thousands when only a fraction of those are needed to kill every man, woman and child on the planet.

Quote 3: "thanx alot obama for kiling of all all the innocent AMERICANS! you've pretty much decided our fate. you need to be impeached, and i hope when we get NUKED, you get hit first..........."

My Response: Wait a second, Obama is killing innocent Americans!?! IMPEACH THE JERK! Who told him he could kill innocent Americans. That's not right.

I'm not sure who is going to nuke us, but do you think it's worth informing this guy that if that happens, Obama won't be the only victim?

Also, someone interpret this sentence for me: "you've pretty much decided our fate." What does that even mean? Have the Muslims taken over yet? I'm worried about that.

Quote 4: "Ghandi preached peace - he was murdered. Martin Luther King preached peace - he was murdered. Neville Chamberlain practiced appeasement - World War II came anyway."

My Response: I'll give it to this guy, peace is WAY overrated. I mean do you know what happened to Gandhi? Do you know how to spell Gandhi? That guy doesn't. What we should be doing is buying more guns...and nukes, because anytime you try to do things peacefully, you die. This historian has proven it in just two short sentences.

Quote 5: "It is no secret, this eggplant is a traitor and coward. He represents a clear and present danger to the American people. I hope the US military rises up and takes control of this corrupt and traitorous regime, dealing with the traitors accordingly!"

My Response: It is no secret that this guy is hallucinating and seeing eggplants. I also hope the US military rises up and takes control of this "regime." Actually, I hope the militia does it because military juntas scare me, but the militia is really the last line of defense for our country. Plus, they all have guns, and if they take over then we can build more nukes and then we can lob a few at the moon just for laughs.

In the meantime, I'm going to consult with our aforementioned historian to see if we can find a time when a military uprising worked out in favor of the people.

Quote 6: "Are you as willing to bow to allah as Obama is?"

My Response: It's happened already, the Muslims have taken over! Run for your lives!

Checking in and looking forward

It's been a week and I didn't want to leave you hanging. It seems like things have settled down a little bit in the wake of the health care upheaval. I'm optimistic that people have started to actually examine the new law and they realize that it is going to help them and help America.

There is still work to be done. We must continue to reinvest in America. We must continue to make our nation stronger. We need to focus on education and alternative energy and we need to do it quickly.

As Americans, we find ourselves in an awkward position. Despite being the best country in the world and the world's strongest economy, we are slipping behind in an important race, the race to secure our future. Their are some who, understandably, cling to the status quo. The status quo I'm talking about is our reliability on energy sources that are expensive and dirty. While we funnel money to the Middle East and dirty up the air, China is producing wind turbines.

Let's get it together and let's get it together right now. I fail to understand why there is a debate on this. If you can lay out an argument for why we should keep buying oil from Saudi Arabia while other countries pass us by with the technology of the future then, well then I don't think you understand the predicament we find ourselves in. Many people agree with me on this and it's time we make our voices heard. Smart and important people are saying the same thing I am, let's invest in our future; let's create jobs; let's keep the Earth clean. I suggest you check out the Pickens Plan. Nothing like someone who has made millions in oil taking a stand to improve our country. I applaud him and I believe strongly in this cause. I don't believe in prophets, but I'm going to look like Nostradamus on this one and as a true patriot, I don't want America to miss the boat.

Let's make America better today. Let's make the tough decisions, the ones that may be unpopular, but the ones that put us on the path to economic recovery as well as economic and environmental sustainability. Support the people who are willing to take these steps. Support meassures that invest American money and ingenuity in a bright future, you know, one in which we can see the sunlight.