Obama’s Lead Narrows From Six to Four Points

It is still anyone’s race to win according to a Reuters political news report. A Zogby poll placed Obama’s lead at 48% to McCains 44%. That would equal a decrease of two percentage points. However, the two point drop does not signal an official shift. McCain still has much to repair within his campaign which is largely out of touch with the majority of American voters. Right now, our biggest concern is the economy. It is no secret that the economy is not McCain’s strong point nor that of the republican party. What is needed is an administration who can combine prior knowledge with the needs of Americans on “Main Street.” These “Main Street” voters include independents, women of all races, and minorities. It should not be a surprise that Obama enjoys a significant lead over McCain among those groups. There is also evidence that McCain is not as strong among traditional republicans as a GOP candidate should be. With only four weeks left, we still cannot be sure who will come out on top.

Austria’s Fascist Renewal

A young dark-haired blue-eyed Austrian with fascist ambitions rises through the ranks. Does that sound familiar? It is quite understandable if it does. However, we are not talking about Adolf Hitler but his possible reincarnate Heinz-Christian Strache. Not only is he the charismatic leader of the far right Freedom Party, but he is a mentee of the party’s former leader, Jörg Haider. Before we draw conclusions on the ideological posture of Strache, there is one pivotal question that must be asked. How can a country that should have learned from the horrors of World War II vote 18% in favor of a party susceptible to fascism? Together with Jaider’s Alliance for the Future of Austria taking 11% of the votes, it amounts to 29% supporting far right ideologies. Keep in mind, the nation in question is Hitler’s homeland. Therefore, it has to be said that Austria itself is susceptible to reverting back to the sentiments of its most notorious son. If that were not the case, neither the Freedom Party nor the Alliance would have gotten the second highest number of votes combined.

The percentage of votes may sound like very little until you put them in perspective. Here are the results including other political parties:

The Social Democrats, a centrist party, won approximately 30% of the votes along with the election itself.

The conservative People’s Party took 26%

The Freedom Party took 18%*

The Alliance for the Future of Austria, 11%*

These numbers alone tell us that in Austria, fascist principles are second only to centrist ideals. Therefore, the world should be vigilant.

Should we be concerned about Strache? We are talking about a man who calls Muslim women who wear the burka female ninjas. There are also claims that he insults homosexuals in his spare time. The accusations do not end there. He is a man believed to be closely tied to neo-Nazis. He does of course deny any such link. The primary evidence at this time appears to be a picture of Strache giving a three finger Nazi salute. He defended himself by claiming it was simply of picture of him ordering three beers. That “evidence” itself cannot tell us if this man is in fact a Nazi. Further observations of his actions as a politician will.

What Is The Biggest Threat To Our World Today?

Living in a “paradise on earth” like America could cause you to become oblivious to what is happening around the world. We’ve had terrorist attacks along with a few wacko domestic extremist, but we don’t face such threats day in and day out. With that said, I wonder what is a bigger threat to our world, Islamic extremism, “Euro” fascism, or paranoia.

I watched a short film today, by Dutch politician Geert Wilders, called Fitna. It’s a film that depicts Islamofascism at its worst. First I’d like to caution anyone who clicks on the link that there are some very disturbing images in the short film. If you are easily disturbed, as am I, do not click on it. Some will be quick to brand the film as nothing more than racist propaganda. I’m not here to argue if that labeling is justified or not. As far as I’m concerned, Wilders just might be another Eurofascist who doesn’t want nonwhites in his country. But does that take away from the fact that there may be some truth in the film? What’s disturbing to me is that racists are high jacking legitimate concerns about Islamic extremism. Why are we allowing this? It is because we are afraid of being called racist. There is nothing racist about wanting to stop the spread of a potentially dangerous worldview. We must stop viewing Islamic radicals as nonwhites who are victims of western imperialism. They’ve got their own oppressive agenda and we must confront it.

It is crucial that we take back the fight against radical Islam from the far right extremists of Europe. They include the British National Party, the Freedom Party (Austria), Vlaams Belang (Belgium), and the French National Front to name a few.

So what is the biggest threat to our world today? It’s not radical Islam or Euro fascism. It’s paranoia plain and simple. We are too darn paranoid to be called racist or culturally insensitive so we allow third world extremism to flourish. It’s time to stop handling Islamic radicalism with kid gloves and call it what it is…another form of fascism.

Are Arab Women Suffering As Much Oppression As We Think?

According to Queen Rania of Jordan, the issue is blown way out of proportion.

Admittedly, I was one to believe that there are more cons than pros to being a woman in the Middle East. Honor killings, forced marriages, etc. are pretty much all we ever hear about. As Rania points out, 1 out of 3 women are victims of violence throughout the world. Why is all the focus on Arabs? This is something I’d like to explore in depth. It is important, however, that I may end up coming to believe that the queen is sugar coating the issue. I’m more inclined at the moment to believe that she does have a point. I’ll wait to come to an informed conclusion once I hear from a broad spectrum of Arab women. She always appeared to me to be an independent woman who has nothing to cover up about her culture. We could possibly take her at her word.

For more videos, see QueenRania on YouTube

Is The Iraq War An Insult To The American Troops?

Phil Donahue seems to think so and I concur 100%. Below is a video courtesy of The Young Turks (TYT) where Donahue discusses his view:

I do think that an important point deserves mentioning. We can be against this futile war, but it is important not to bash the troops in the process. Remember, they are for the most part young kids who simply thought of the military as a way out of difficult circumstances. Even for those who felt called to do military service, respect is deserved. I didn’t make up the following quote, but it is fitting here:

“If you can’t stand behind our troops then stand in front of them.”

Obama And The Economy

Just about everyone I know is concerned about the economy. Some will even go as far as saying that the American middle class is disappearing (Just watch any and every episode of Lou Dobbs). As the days go by, I see the evidence of this. Everything is getting ridiculously expensive from the price of milk to gas. I would not be surprised if self-service regular gas hits $4 a gallon this summer. So what does Obama plan to do for the economy? Well, no one can work miracles but there should be a plan.

Under an Obama administration, millions of workers will receive some type of tax relief. This would take the form of what he calls the “Making Work Pay” credit of up to $500 for individuals and (up to) $1000 for families. I personally would welcome any type of relief since we are practically slaughtered via taxes (I wish that I could show you all my paychecks as evidence).

Obama plans to raise the minimum wage to such a level that working families will be able to provide basic, day to day needs. I’m wondering if certain parts of the country such as the NY metro area or LA would have to have higher minimum wages than others. This is important to consider since the cost of living varies depending on where you live.

Obama is a strong supporter of unions. As a union member myself, I can attest that workers need advocates who will not pander to employers. Obama cosponsored the bipartisan Employee Free Choice Act which guarantees workers their right to organize. If elected, he will fight for it to pass and sign it into law. Not only does he support worker’s right to organize, but he believes in protecting our right to strike if we need to.

In addition to the above, he wants to crack down on predatory credit card practices. It is my humble opinion that this should begin with not allowing credit card companies to canvas college campuses. Students generally have to deal with astronomical college tuition and other fees, credit cards only add to the migraine.

Overall, Obama has a pretty good vision for the economy. For more information about his economic plans (and there is much more), visit BarackObama.com. Until next time, ciao.

Barack Obama And His Plans For Our Country…

Just in case you haven’t noticed, I support Barack Obama for president. Why? It has nothing to do with his being “black like me.” Okay, let’s not get into the technicalities of him being a mixed race man and me being a full-blooded black woman. But really though, his race has nothing to do with it. After all, I didn’t even consider voting for Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson during their presidential bids. What first attracted me to Obama’s candidacy was the consistency in his views against the war in Iraq. As a member of a military family, including an Iraq war vet who survived two tours, his stance against the war was and is critical. Yet, his keen insight to the futile nature of this war is not his only strength. So what exactly does Obama stand for? I’ll begin with education.

As far as Obama is concerned, No Child Left Behind is an utter failure. He does not feel the need to abandon it, but reform it. Under his plan, failing schools would receive support rather than chastisement. Note, that does not mean schools will be free from responsibilities. He also plans to push legislation that will fund intervention programs to alleviate the dropout crisis.

I especially like the sound of his Zero to Five plan which would establish Early Learning Challenge Grants to states in an effort to implement voluntary universal pre-school. It’s no secret that birth to the age of five are crucial years for child development. Why not create programs to nurture them during that stage?

I currently teach at a high school with a gang problem. Providing teens with activities during after school hours could lead to an alternative to gang involvement for many. So I am pleased that Obama plans to increase funding for after school programs even if it can only be for approximately one million more children at this time. Hey, we need to set realistic goals.

And why not reward teachers for the hard work we do? That’s right, reward us for our success in the classroom. Yes, that reward would be to increase teacher salaries. My critique would be that there is a potential downfall as it relates to this measurement. How will we define success? The only thing that a teacher can truly be successful with in a classroom is managing student behavior, not necessarily getting them to succeed academically. As an educator, I have seen over and over again that academic success is achieved through the hard work of students, not teachers. That is why in any given classroom, you will find both top notch and low performing students. All credit for academic success goes to the kids.

This is only a snippet of Obama’s plan for education in America. So what part of his plan shall I blog about next? The economy? Defense? Healthcare? Stay tuned…

Barack Obama ‘08.

Attacks On Barack Obama Are Getting More And More Desperate Everyday

The whole Jeremiah Wright Fiasco is getting tired. Just leave it alone and get on with the campaign already. I’m quite sure my “friends” over at The Young Turks would give me a whole hearty Amen on that note!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nFpK-_A4Ws&hl=en]

Rev. Jeremiah Wright In His Own Words

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX1y6Q9PYcg&hl=en]

Should we not dialogue with people we disagree with?

AMERICAN MEN BY AKIN SALAWU

Below is a moving video, by Akin Salawu, highlighting prominent men who support Barack Obama for president.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPjXqkZXbQ4&hl=en]

Visit this website for more information on the Akin.

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