Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright Jr. vs Terrorism in The Main Stream Media

March 18, 2008
5:10 a.m.

Much ado about nothing!

The controversy surrounding Barack Obama's association with his Pastor, Jeremiah Wright, Jr. has opened up a huge dialog in our house. We have both been supporting Hillary Clinton, but even we disagree about the relevance of Pastor Wright's speeches in Obama's run for President.

Is it relevant? Only if you appreciate someone who sees racism and injustice and would rail against it. Personally, I'll take Obama's affiliation with Pastor Wright over McCain's affiliation with the Christian gay bashing nut job, any day.

It makes no more sense to tie Obama to Wright's remarks than it does to tie Ted Kennedy's to the Pope's, or Romney to the Mormon Wizard. Deep down, I trust that if John McCain, God forbid, were elected, he would not run amok with an anti-gay agenda.

Obama is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. A few short weeks ago, people tried to derail his campaign by implying that he was Muslim. Sheesh! Now that we know he's a Christian, we're all gonna be scared of him because of his Minister.

Ok. Here I go, talking about things that I may not completely understand, or have any right to say. I'm not black and I'm also not too crazy about churches. My limited qualifications? I'm a middle class, middle aged white woman, living in a racist country. I'm the antithesis to John Howard Griffin's, "Black Like Me", privy to the winks and nods of other white people as they go about the business of discriminating in jobs and housing, feeling free to assume that I agree with what ever disparaging remarks they care to dish up, whether it be about Blacks, Gays, Jews, or Mexicans. Very few white people won't know what I'm talking about.

Pastor Wright's remarks, that have been played endlessly in sound bites, ring true. The more I listen, the more I understand and agree with what he said. The United Church of Christ, one of the most liberal of the Protestant Denominations, are known for social activism, diversity, and inclusiveness. I think that this type of sermon, or speech, is perhaps more common within African-American churches. More emotional, and, ah, a little bit louder than, say Episcopalians ("the frozen chosen") are accustomed to.

He didn't say anything that I haven't heard discussed before, by friends and co-workers who are African American. Do I believe all of it? No. Do I believe some of it? Yes.

We've heard conspiracy theorists within our own gay community, speculate about the role that our Government may have played in the AIDS epidemic. One of Reverend Wright's defenders, when asked to reject Wright's statement about the possibility that the Government orchestrated the HIV virus, replied that it was not that absurd, as our own Government was known to have intentionally infected a black population with syphilis!

Someone on FoxNews asked, how Obama could attend a church where even his mother would be uncomfortable? The insinuation, of course, being that the church would not welcome white people, and/or someone who is white could never appreciate Pastor Wright's sermon. Ridiculous! Not only were there white people in the congregation, they appeared to be receiving Wright's message positively.

At first, when Wright said, "God damn American", I admit that I had a little twinge. Kind of a knee jerk reaction because of my Christian fundamental background. Of course, it wasn't meant literally. Shocking and attention getting, yes. But the intent was to stir his congregation's emotions and move them to action.

I'm not scared of Reverend Wright, and, I'm not scared that Barack Obama might have some type of over riding "black agenda". Repeated attempts at provoking antagonism between races, genders, sexual orientation, disabled persons, and religions are distractions aimed at keeping those groups from achieving liberty, and equality. The notion that if one group gains, another group will lose, must be rejected. As one group gains, we all gain.

As a lesbian, if I were running for elected office, I could scare the hell out Rita Mae Brown with my own rhetoric. I'm sick of being discriminated against, of not having full and equal rights in this land of supposed equality. I can put on a pretty good rant. But if you knew me, you'd know that I don't harbor any ill will against the general heterosexual population.

Knowing people on an individual level is what allows us to transcend labels and stereotypes. We learn to know each other as human beings. This is how we've hoped that our country has been able to look at Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as candidates. It's been said that Obama has been able to transcend the racial issue with voters. However, demanding that he, or Hillary Clinton should relinquish their individual identities is absurd. Clinton and Obama are not the ones who need to transcend. We are.

While the controversy surrounding remarks made by his Pastor, Jeremiah Wright Jr., brings us closer to a much needed discussion of racism in our country, this is more than unfortunate timing. This is not intended to initiate valuable discussion, but to invoke fear. The main stream media are skewering Obama, intentionally, and white Americans are left gasping, and grasping their Bibles, without any understanding of the social tradition within the black Christian community. By implying that Obama would hold the United States to an agenda that would be to the detriment of our Nation as a whole, the terrorist media are holding white middle American voters hostage.

Here's the link to Obama's church. Trinity United Church of Christ

BTW, I'm still going to vote for Hillary in the PA primary on April 22. But if Obama is the Democratic candidate, he will have my vote.

Kwame Kilpatrick-Party At The Manoogian, or A Toppling House of Cards?

March 14, 2008
11:40 p.m.

What must it be like to be a fly on the wall at either the Kwame Kilpatrick, or the Eliot Spitzer households? Those guys are so busted. Kilpatrick, the Mayor of the City of Detroit, even lied under oath about his affair with his former chief of staff Christine Beatty. I'd probably lie too, facing the wrath of Carlita Kilpatrick, the Mayor's long suffering wife. But infidelity is not his real problem. The real problem is what lies beneath.

THIS INVESTIGATION MAKES SPITZER LOOK LIKE A CHOIR BOY

Kwame Kilpatrick, the wild child of U.S. Congresswoman, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, was elected as the youngest Mayor of Detroit in 2001. His term as Mayor has been plagued by criticism, including complaints that he has misused City funds. Personal charges incurred on his City of Detroit paid credit card included spa massages, expensive dinners, expensive champagne, and an SUV leased for the use of his family. He eventually paid back...Wait, wait, till you hear this. He paid back $9,000 out of the $210,000 that he racked up on the taxpayers tab!!!!

Even though Kwame's downfall began long ago, I still believe that the tipping point came in a cover up that could almost be considered noble, were it not so horrifying. I believe that he had Tamara Greene killed in order to protect his wife, Carlita Kilpatrick, from facing prosecution in the assault of Tamara Greene. Less noble, and more self serving perhaps was the Mayor's thought of avoiding a personal scandal.

This is not a unique idea and I'm hardly alone in thinking this. It's just that the cover up goes so deep, it may take the FBI to sort things out. Local officials are evidently unable to make any kind of headway in the case.

The rumor of a wild party at the Mayoral Mansion, the Manoogian, has been consistently been dubbed an "urban legend". Michigan Attorney General, Mike Cox, was unable to verify the party during his own personal investigation. He was so sure of himself that he even denied supoena's to investigating Michigan State Troopers. Detroit Chief of Police, Emma Bully-Cummings also denies that such a party ever occurred. She threw the whole investigation into the Cold Case Files, after only a year and removed Detective Alvin Bowman from the case. (A whistle blower case that cost Detroit about a quarter million.)

Finally, a report on Monday, March 10, 2008, that former City Police Records Clerk, Joyce Carolyn Rogers, has signed an affidavit in the $150,000 million dollar lawsuit filed on behalf of Tamara Greene's teenage son, for covering up the facts in her murder. In her affidavit Ms Rogers recalls that a criminal complaint crossed her desk

“According to the report, the mayor’s wife walked into a room and witnessed Ms. Greene touching Mayor Kilpatrick in a manner that upset the mayor’s wife,” Rogers, 65, said in the affidavit. “The report further states that the mayor’s wife witnessed this, left the room and returned with a wooden object in her hand and began assaulting Ms. Greene.”

The report indicated Greene was taken to the hospital because she was injured, Rogers said. “It was clear to me as a clerk working in records that Ms. Greene wanted to press charges against Carlita Kilpatrick,”

Here is a Fox News Report on some of the text messages. Notice the text message that the Mayor sent five days after Tamara Greene's murder. May 5, 2003 Midnight.

"That's the first time I couldn't fully seduce you. My game is off."

Hmmm...Performance problems? Oh man, I hate that!! You have that little nagging thought of murder in the back of your mind and just can't quite get off!




Video of Police Chief Joe Thomas recalling an invitation to the Manoogian party. I'm posting again because I see this information as crucial. Why can the news media find these witnesses, but the Keystone Kops can't?




Just a little review.

Let's see, why was he under oath? Because he was testifying (falsely) in a whistle blower lawsuit.

Why were the whistle blowers fired? Because they were investigating the conduct of the mayor's security detail, which led to an investigation of the murder of Tamara Greene on the night of April 30, 2003.

When text messages were discovered that proved a conspiracy to fire the whistle blowers, Kilpatrick entered into a secret deal to have the City of Detroit pay 9 million dollars, and have the text messages sealed.

Why did he want the text messages to remain sealed?

Because not only do they proved the wrongful termination of three whistle blowers, and that he committed perjury during his testimony, and that he had an affair, but the messages could also point to his involvement in the hit on Tamara Greene.

The theory: The Mayor had an idea to hold a stag party at the Manoogian Mansion. Plenty of people were invited, including The Chief of Police, Joe Thomas, from neighboring Southfield, MI, who recalls the invitation and why he declined it.

Kwame hired strippers, or dancers, for the party. His wife, Carlita, came home unexpectedly and seeing Tamara Greene with her husband, took a ball bat to her. She was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital and recovered.

When Tamara threatened to press charges, or as former Detective Bowman believes, demanded payment, she was murdered in what has been acknowledged as a "hit". What has been debated is if, in fact, the hit came from a Detroit City Police gun on orders from the Mayor, or his staff, or was completely unrelated.

Today, March 14, 2008, a Federal Judge has decided to appoint two magistrates to review the text messages in the case to determine if the city has engaged in a cover up of Tamara Greene's murder. The messages will be delivered and reviewed under court order seal and a determination could be expected within two weeks.

MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE, OR HOW KWAME LET A STAG PARTY BRING HIM DOWN

"For the want of a nail the shoe was lost;

For the want of a shoe the horse was lost;

For the want of a horse the battle was lost;

For the failure of battle the kingdom was lost;—

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail."




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I Give Up!

As an alcoholic/addict, clean and sober for many years, I still have to watch out for the occasional side trip that my brain can take. Example: There was a story, complete with photo, showing Prince Harry doing nose shots with vodka. Never heard of it. Never saw it. But of course, I'm certain that I'd like to try it. Then along come directions on exactly how to do this, courtesy of paparazzi following Amy Winehouse, and well, the thought is there.

It's always better to not keep a thought like that to myself, so I share it here.

My girl wants me to go to a Hillary Clinton rally tomorrow night. I hate shit like that but this video cheered me up so much that I might go.

I give up. When something is this entertaining, what can you do?









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Spitzer, Tobias, Vitter, Craig, etc. It's all the Same.

March 12, 2008
10:27 p.m.

You know, I don't really care about Senator David Vitter, or Tobias getting caught in the DC Madam call girl sting. Eliot Spitzer? Don't care. I also don't care that Senator Larry Craig got caught soliciting sex in a men's room. They were caught doing no worse than what many men do. (Although Spitzer certainly paid a lot of money. Will he get a refund for the money he has on account?)

It's the hypocrisy that is galling. Particularly the hypocrisy of these particular men. They have all made it a point to use their power to legislate the very morality that they violated. Tobias using his high horse as AIDS czar to preach abstinence instead of educating the public on how to safely engage in sex. These guys deserve anything that comes their way.

Do I feel sorry for their families? Young children, yes. The wives? No. Don't worry about the wives. They will still qualify for more than just sexually transmitted diseases. They will have their spouses insurance, pension, and social security benefits. (Or a nice divorce settlement.) When their spouse passes away, they won't have to pay inheritance taxes on money they have jointly earned. I, on the other hand, am still unable to pick up so much as dental benefits for my partner of 16 years.

THE MARRIAGES OF TOBIAS, VITTER, SPITZER, AND CRAIG ARE PROTECTED! Thank fucking goodness that there are laws "protecting" the sanctity of these marriages. Holy fucking shit!! Just think how all of this would have gone down if marriage between all consenting adults had been legal!

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Advice for Spitzer

March 12, 2008
11:30 a.m.

Oh man! Here I am coming out of self imposed retirement to handle this public relations mess for Governor Spitzer.

(As I write, he's scheduled for an announcement. They anticipate him to announce his resignation.)

Take a cue from some masterful politicians. From those who have walked this road before.

Do not resign. You don't have to. That's the beauty of elected office. Make them recall you or prosecute you. It will be extremely time consuming. The public has a short attention span and will be distracted by the next scandal.

1. Don't say anything! No more news conferences. (Detroit Police Chief Bully-Cummings just left the press hanging for an hour and a half after an announced press conference. Then she sent someone out to say there had been a mistake and there would be no press conference.)

2. Do not resign! It worked for Larry Craig.

3. If the press gets out of hand, shouting questions, get State Troopers in riot gear to move them back. Arrest a few of them. They will get the idea and back off.

4. Give the repentance speech. You know..."Who among us has not sinned and had the occasional hooker?" Bill Clinton's speech was absolutely masterful but vastly under reported. Perhaps that could be plagiarized. What's Bill going to do? Say, "Hey! That's the same speech I gave after I jized all over Monica's dress!"

5. When all else fails, tell everyone to "Go fuck themselves!" Cheney did.

6. Use personal references. David Vitter had that lovely reference from a professional woman who was unrelated to the DC Madam. Spitzer too, has been fortunate enough to have another prostitute stand up for his "clean" habits and generous history for tipping. This is a wonderful reference. Use them!

7. Fixing this mess up with your wife and kids? You're on your own, buddy.

No charge for the first consultation.

Kwame Kilpatrick/Tamara Greene/ Emma Bully-Cummings

March 6, 2008

Current Detroit Police Chief, Emma Bully-Cummings, defends her department's investigation into the cold blooded homicide of Tamara Greene, a rumored associate of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

"There is no cover-up in this police department into the death of Miss Greene," Bully-Cummings said, standing on the front steps of police headquarters. "Our officers are doing everything that they can to bring the killer to justice."

Here's video of her press conference from March 5, 2008:



In fact, it is rumored that Kwame Kilpatrick and Tamara Greene associated during a party at the Detroit Mayoral Mansion, The Manoogian, where Tamara Greene was working as a stripper. The party, while still not proven to have occurred, was supposedly interrupted by the unexpected return of the Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's wife, Carlita, who may have taken a ball bat to Tamara Greene. Again, rumors of a trip to the hospital for Tamara have yet to be proven, although there were plenty of witnesses at the Emergency Room and one would think that Detroit Receiving Hospital records could be subpoenaed.

Emergency Room Witness, Michigan Attorney General Michael Cox, and neighboring Southfield Police Chief, Joe Thomas. This video, which I posted before, is still worth watching, again. (Is Michael Cox rumored to have been at the Manoogian party?)



Detroit City Council announced that it's independent attorney will subpoena all of Kilpatrick's text messages from his City leased SkyTel pager. SkyTel's rep says they will not turn them over. Council has gone to a judge for a ruling. Previous text messages released by the Detroit Free Press prove of a relationship between Kilpatrick and his Chief of Staff, Christine Beatty, a relationship denied by both, under oath. Beatty has since resigned her position. The messages did not come to light until after testimony last summer in a lawsuit filed by two police officers who alleged they were fired for investigating claims from two former bodyguards that the mayor used his security unit to cover up extramarital affairs.

The jury in that case awarded 6.5 million dollars to the two officers.

This case is such a mess that I don't know if there is any hope in straightening it out. City Council members, who wanted to pass a resolution asking the Mayor to resign, have been threatened. Suddenly, many members changed their votes, so for now Council wants to wait until they have more information before proceeding with the resolution.

One of the most interesting comments that I read on one of the Detroit newspaper messages boards, speculated that Christine Beatty, who has remained out of sight since her resignation in January 2008, may turn State's witness in all of this.

Oh man, if it was me??? I'd make sure that I had some kind of Witness Protection Program lined up, perhaps out of the Country.

Hey Detroiters!! I've been reading your comments on this. I know you have plenty to say. Feel free to say it here.

Plum Boro Gas Explosion Levels House

March 6, 2008

Here's a nightmare from yesterday afternoon's news. A horrible home explosion, due to natural gas. A 62 year old man and his 4 year old grand-daughter were thrown outside into the street. Sadly, the man died but the little girl has survived with multiple injuries, including a broken leg.

The fire in the yard that is along side of the parked car, follows the path of the gas line feeding the house. It is actually gas burning that is coming up from the ground.






KDKA had some really good video of the scene. Since it's not on YouTube, I have to link it.



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Patrick Swayze Pancreatic Cancer Confirmed By Spokesman

March 5, 2008


First reported in the National Enquirer, the rumor, now confirmed by Patrick Swayze's spokesman, has spread throughout the Internet. Confirmed by Swazye's publicist, he has reportedly undergone a procedure and chemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer. From MSNBC:

“Patrick Swayze has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. Patrick’s physician Dr. George Fisher states, ‘Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far. All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.’

What a fabulous actor and dancer! I really wish him the best.

Someone should tell him about treatment options for Pancreatic Cancer that are available in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Randy Pausch, diagnosed in September 2006, has kept a blog of his treatment, as well as his continuing celebration of this life. His is a remarkable story, in more ways than one.





Randy Pausch, February 2008




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Clinton vs Obama Prediction For Super Tuesday II

March 4, 2008




Here's my prediciton for today's primaries:

Ohio- Clinton

Texas- Clinton

Rhode Island- Clinton

Vermont- Obama

Clinton will get the surge today, that she needs to stay in the contest. She will go on to win the nomination, and then the White House.

Tamara Greene/ Kwame Kilpatrick's Nightmare

March 4, 2008

If Detroit Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick notices that his office seems a tad smaller, it's because the walls are finally starting to close in on him, and perhaps a few other people.

A wild party, rumored to have been held at the Detroit Mayoral Mansion, has never quite been documented. Yet. Rumors of an altercation, perhaps between the Mayor's wife, and stripper, Tamara Greene, or some type of injury, landed someone from the party in the Emergency Room of Detroit's Receiving Hospital.

Shortly after, Tamara Greene was killed. Overkilled really, by way of a total blizzard of eighteen .40 caliber bullets, fired from a Glock pistol. The same type and caliber issued to Detroit Police Officers.

Tamara Greene's 15 year old son has file a Federal Lawsuit against the City of Detroit for interfering in the investigation of his mother's death, in the drive by shooting, on April 30, 2003. The lawsuit charges obstruction of justice, for political reasons.

A 10 page affidavit by former investigating officer, Lieutenant Alvin Bowman, filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit last Friday, reads like a laundry list of clues from a badly written whodunit movie. The cartoonish signs all point one way, toward Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Unlike the childhood song, "Farmer in The Dell", the cheese doesn't quite stand alone. This big cheese has had some help. A lot of it.

As a former Homicide Detective, Lieutenant Alvin Bowman (retired, Detroit Police Force) makes several stunning allegations.

1. During the investigation, it was his opinion that Tamara Greene was murdered by a City of Detroit police officer.

2. Detroit Police Executives sabotaged his investigation.

3. Michigan State Police have telephone records indicating Tamara Greene was in contact with high ranking Detroit officials shortly before her death.

4. Michigan State Police also claim that their investigation was derailed by Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who denied some of their subpoena and search warrant requests. Cox also excluded investigating officers from interviewing Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, BY INTERVIEWING HIM, HIMSELF!! (Cox cited privacy concerns for those not involved, for these refusals, saying that there were other avenues available to investigators.)

Bowman says that former Police Chief Jerry Oliver repeatedly asked for the Tamara Greene file, only to return it with missing interviews and reports. Oliver says he never asked for the file and doesn't even know Bowman!

Lt. Bowman also asserts that Police Chief Ema Bully-Cummings, who became Chief of Police, after the investigation started, called him into a high level meeting of police commanders and, according to the Detroit Free Press:

said she was aware of the connection between the Greene probe and the mayor, and “due to the nature and sensitivity of this case, that this case was not to be discussed outside her office.”

From the Detroit News:

Another officer on the homicide squad, Sgt. Marion Stevenson, said her case notes on the Greene murder "were erased from her computer hard drive" and "her zip storage files disappeared from a locked cabinet inside the police department," Bowman said.

The case, less that a year old, was turned over to Cold Case while investigating officer, Lieutenant Bowman was on vacation. Again, according to The Detroit Free Press:

He said the officer in charge of that unit told him the Greene case was “a hot potato” that wouldn’t be investigated for fear of retribution because of Greene’s link to the Manoogian party.

(Detroit's Mayoral, Manoogian Mansion.)

Fear of retribution pretty much summarizes this whole mess that Kwame Kilpatrick has made for himself. Fearing retribution from an extra marital affair, one coverup leads to another. Now in a downward tumble, his coverups almost blown, City Council is asking for his resignation.

But this fear of retribution has a grip that extends beyond Detroit public officials. What happens when the very people that should be requesting Federal Investigative help, are the ones who are impeding the investigation?

Here's a link to Feb 28, 2008 post, "Tamara Greene-The Root of Kwame Kilpatrick's Problem?

Link to WJBK (Detroit Fox News Affiliate) Scott Lewis' Problem Solver Story, originally airing on Monday, March 3, 2008, "Who Killed Tamara Greene?"



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Saturday Night Live Video--Hillary vs Barack Debate

NBC hasn't pull their videos. Curious about why the third party copyright claim on You Tube....


Hillary's Grand Turning Point.









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Hillary Clinton's Big Turn Around

Just as I was about to post, the SNL video was pulled for what You Tube says was a Third Party Copyright Claim. WTF?????

Fortunately, I found that NBC has still made their video's available for embedding.

Maybe Obama's people whined about being treated unfairly by the media. That would be just about right, wouldn't it? Doesn't matter. As of this morning, all the news networks were airing clips and discussing it.

HILLIARY CLINTON'S BIG TURN AROUND

This might be the exact turning point in the run for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. The Clinton campaign could still use an influx of cash for the next couple of days for expenses in Ohio and Texas. If you'd like to contribute, go to her website, or use this link.

This was huge! A fun look at the Ohio Debate, with Hillary Clinton affably making fun of herself, and the Press' exaggerated favoritism of Obama.

SNL Spoof of Recent Clinton vs. Obama Debate

Enjoy!







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OBAMA--THERE HE GOES AGAIN! USING SOMEONE ELSE'S MATERIAL

FIRST HE TAKES SOMEONE ELSE'S SPEECH, NOW HE PLAGERIZES HILLARY'S COMMERCIAL...


HILLARY'S AD:



BARACK'S AD:



His judgement hasn't been all that great. Regarding the Resko land deal mess, even Obama admits that he made a mistake. And, it remains to be seen how deeply he is involved with Resko. (Who is now under indictment.) He was involved enough that Resko did him a big favor in securing more land for Obama's multi million dollar mansion. And he was able to negotiate a fabulous deal on the house, paying $300,000 under value.

The Resko deal stinks. Resko's trial is set to begin on Monday, March 3, 2008. While Obama's name is in the indictment, he has NOT been accused of any wrong doing. In fact, the whole house/property deal involving Resko's wife was perfectly legal. The Times Online has an article called, "Mansion 'mistake' piles the pressure on Obama".

Politics stink. I've come to expect that politicians and big shots will get great deals on everything from cars to houses. Deals that I will never get. It's just the way that the world works. If I had to vote for Obama, which I don't, at least at this point, I think I can. I just hate to see people led down a primrose path, expecting that Obama will operate any differently than an ordinary politician. He won't.

Let's face it. Neither of these candidates has walked in the shoes of the common people. Obama's wife, and Hillary, sitting on Boards of Directors, appoving multi-million dollar bonus' for their corporate executive friends, that you and I can't even fathom. And this, while boards were also striving to wring every penny from common workers, in wages and benefits.

These candidates never attended night school at a local Community College outreach, located in the inner city, dodging bullets going to and from class. Much like the Kennedy clan during the Great Depression, who only learned academically of starving people and soup lines, Clinton and Obama are far removed from everyday American life.

I'm still going with Hillary Clinton. Two heads are always better than one and I still think that Hillary has the best grasp on Domestic, World, and Economics.

If you'd like to read further regarding Tony Resko, here's a link to the San Francisco Chronicle article, "Obama could feel heat from developer's trial".



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