How many more, Mr. McBush?

Good Lord! The numbers are making me crazy!

A total of 4,496 military men have died in the Iraq War; 4,182 of them are from the US. Another 160 felt conditions were so bad that they took their own lives. Some 43,528 civilians in Iraq are now dead as a result of the war; 8,712 have died in the Iraq military.

As for the other war, in Afghanistan, 988 soldiers have died; 611 are members of our US military.

As of 11 am today, roughly $562,416,852,000 dollars have been spent on both wars and that number is growing by the second.

I thought of those 56,000 people this morning, all who have died in this five-and-a-half year invasion, all under the premise that we must be kept safe from the terrorists that attacked the US on 9/1/01 as well as those that were allegedly stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. (In all, 19 hijackers + 2,974 people died in the 9/11/01 attacks bringing our number of dead up to nearly 60,000.)

The reason for reflecting on these lost lives is rooted in a news story I read on the growing number of suicides due to our now historic financial crisis.

I am angry. Why isn't everyone angry? We all should be more angry than we have ever been before. Of course, we simply can't agree on the culprit, which only makes me more angry.

Some people, loved ones even, say they think John McCain will do a better job at protecting the United States in these times of conflict. His military history, which dates back to his father and grandfather by the way, somehow makes folks feel more comfortable.

His history makes me less comfortable. This man has spent a lifetime in the military, using his military experience as a foundation to his role as a Senator. He is proud of his maverick maneuvering, his ability to bully his way past what his colleagues on both sides of the aisle have agreed to for the good of the people. When a decision will be required - and it will be required - in the wars that have already cost us as many people as the population of Greenville, South Carolina, John McCain will not back down. He'll proudly tell you that. He's ready to fight and continue fighting. When another "enemy" rears its ugly head - and they will - John McCain will go after them as well, despite our strained troops that are already tired and needing some relief. McCain will rattle his saber and call for more of our young to protect us from the axis of evil. If necessary, and what you and I consider necessary is undoubtedly not the same, John McCain will not just be bold enough to respond to the call at 3 am; he'll do it will glee, with a vengeance for which he has waited since his days in North Vietnam. I can see it in his eyes. I can hear it in the tone of his voice, in his gaffes where he calls his supporters fellow prisoners. He defends the Bush wars, the Bush Doctrine, the lack of presidential judgement in forever changing the reputation of our country.

John McCain has said too little of our financial crisis other than conveniently portraying himself as one who can fly to Washington and solve it.

And he didn't.

And neither did his mentor. Why can't Bush, in the last pitiful days of his presidency, just go away? Instead, he keeps pushing for a financial solution that should scare the be-Jesus out of all of us, let alone a Republican Party that until now has claimed big government is part of the evil axis, a form of socialism from which we all mus be protected.

McBush's solution? Print more money. New money is being printed at record rates, insuring that the bucks you currently have in your pocket will buy less and less everyday.

And what about the out-of-work money manager in California, who lost a fortune, and then wiped out his family in a murder-suicide? Or the 90-year-old Ohio widow who shot herself in the chest as authorities arrived to evict her from the modest house she called home for 38 years?

In Massachusetts, a housewife who had hidden her family's mounting financial crisis from her husband sent a note to the mortgage company warning: "By the time you foreclose on my house, I'll be dead."

Across the country, authorities are becoming concerned that the nation's financial woes could turn increasingly violent, and they are urging people to get help. In some places, mental-health hot lines are jammed, counseling services are in high demand and domestic-violence shelters are full.

"A lot of people are telling us they are losing everything. They're losing their homes, they're going into foreclosure, they've lost their jobs," said Virginia Cervasio, executive director of a suicide resource enter in southwest Florida's Lee County.

But tragedies keep mounting, according the report I read this morning.

Dr. Edward Charlesworth, a clinical psychologist in Houston, said the current crisis is breeding a sense of chronic anxiety among people who feel helpless and panic-stricken, as well as angry that their government has let them down.

More than 4 million Americans were at least one month behind on their mortgages at the end of June, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

A record 500,000 had entered the foreclosure process. And that trend is expected to continue through next year, despite the current programs from the government and the lending industry to refinance delinquent homeowners into more affordable loans.

Enough!

This must end.

McBush is no McChange.

God help us all...

Do Pastors truly validate Presidential competency?

So let me get this straight... In the court of public opinion, I can be judged competent or incompetent by what the Pastor or Guest Speaker says while speaking at the church where I currently have my membership? Seriously? Is this for real??

This has so many ramifications in an already historical political drama. I tried ignoring it some months ago after jotting down some thoughts following Round One with Rev. Wright.

Then Sarah - gosh darn her - brought it up again - and again - which is truly remarkable considering the videos of her being circulated on YouTube. The Church were she was raised has provided a pulpit to at least one unusual Guest Speaker, to say the least. Through his thick accent, he proudly describes his own encounters with witchdoctors and casting out demons. Other taped presentations show her professing her belief that God wants her to pursue a pipeline and other initiatives, likely hers alone but she needed a little credibility from the Guy Upstairs in order to sell it. I'm not even mentioning her church connection to the infamous Jesus Camp, the focus of a documentary several years ago that trained young kids to be Jesus Warriors with some horribly unorthodox methods.

And the Pastor of Obama's church is scary??

Rev. Wright, one of the most highly regarded African American pastors in America, speaks out about something he believes and suddenly the Democratic Candidate is under scrutiny for similar beliefs - I guess that is the implication. Who doesn't agree that "The government gives them (African Americans) the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America?' "

That must not be the controversial part - because we know that it is true. It must be the remaining part of the 2003 sermon (it's 2008, Sarah supporters): "No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

Maybe he shouldn't have said damn in church - wait, the Bible does talk about damning people to hell. In fact I have been in plenty of services where preachers of all stripes and denominations talk of God's wrath (is that a whiter version of damnation?) due to any number of "sins" be it abortion, homosexuality or yes, stern warnings against voting for a "baby killer." In fact, judging from the tapes, I would be willing to bet a hundo that Palin's church has espoused similar damnation.

I was in a service once where the Guest Speaker encouraged hundreds of people to turn off their minds, not unlike a hypnotist attempting to get another message past the gates of normal thought processing. And though I wasn't in attendance at one particularly "interesting" service, I was told that God had replaced the silver fillings of some folks with gold.

Good Lord, could any of the members of that church ever run for President?? Wait, in fact, I understand that Palin's church had a similar experience in her congregation. Let's check her teeth!

When I heard that the preaching of Obama's Pastor had caused such an uproar, it was hard not to reflect on what has been said from the pulpit at the church where I attend. I have to believe many of us felt the same way. I trust that everyone reflected on all the services, even those dating back to 2003, and came up feeling good about what is being taught during every service. (Those who now have gold teeth instead of silver probably feel even better than the rest of us!)

And therein lies the rub for me (I love that saying!): If we didn't feel proud of what was said on that one Sunday in 2005, what are we going to do when the reporter shoves the microphone in our face asking our thoughts? Are we going to risk hurting the pastor who married us, the nursery workers who tended to our babies?

I personally like the way Obama handled it. "I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial." He said. I suspect Palin would say the same. Rev. Wright/the Witchdoctor Chaser "is like an old uncle who says things I don't always agree with."

Let's not forget, however, that he did end up leaving that church - AFTER a guest speaker came and ridiculed Sen. Hillary Clinton from the Trinity pulpit. Obama said he then had to make what he refers to as a sad decision; he and his family withdrew their membership at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

Obama cut the cord to the church where he found Jesus Christ, where he was married, where his daughters were baptized--and whose pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, gave him the title of his best-seller, The Audacity of Hope. "Our relations with Trinity have been strained by the divisive statements of Reverend Wright, which sharply conflict with our own views."

This is the kicker for me: "But it's clear that now that I am a candidate for president, every time something is said in the church by any one associated with Trinity, including guest pastors, the remarks will be imputed to me even if they totally conflict with my long held views, statements and principles," Obama said.

Should we truly be judged by our Pastors? What does it say about John McCain that he had publicly endorsed the ministries of John Hagee and Rod Parsley? Does it say anything at all?

I think it says very little. People make their choices to attend a particular church for all kinds of reasons. Maybe John McCain needed Hagee's congregation to support his run. Perhaps Obama had a loyalty to the people with whom he worships every Sunday. Maybe Sarah ... Well, I'll let it go at that.

I will add, however, that unlike Obama, Palin has not yet cut ties with the Witchdoctor Chaser or her church leadership. It's with that in mind that I think Palin should simply quit imputing Obama unless she wants to be imputed upon.

John John Bad Bad

I cared the other day about John Edwards...
Today, I probably care a little less - and I wish I didn't keep checking the headlines to find the latest update about him and this situation. After all, there are more important "cares" to attend to.

Like this escalating war in Georgia. Thank God W. is in China, distracted by all the flags and female athletes. I swear, I have never EVER seen this guy more happy - and more in his element. He should be head of the Olympic Committee instead of the Country...

I think John John has more to say say. Family and friends are not bound by the same agreements that Hunter is - I think they may tell us more of the story. Shoot, when you have old boyfriends (Jay McInerney) vouching for you, I think there is more milk to be spilt. If John John ain't the Daddy, that was one friendly campaign family -- and Hunter didn't spend much time alone. My fingers say that nine months of pregnancy puts her smack dab in summer loving of '07. Campaign '06 to summer loving '07... And what about those phone calls and visits to someone allegedly kaput... I'm just saying ...

Sing, Johnny, sing...

On my mind...

Don't care...... that Suri Cruise is still drinking from a bottle! She's 2 and 1/2! Why in the world would anyone care?? As if potential speech and dental problems are the only challenges facing the child of the Scientology Puh-Bah. Her daddy thinks we came from aliens!

DO care ...
... that Flint police foolishly bragged about a decline in violent crime one day and the next four days there are four homicides! Strangely, Super Chief-y still claims the number of homicides in the city is still less than last year at this time. Didn't we learn we don't brag when there is still time on the clock?? Shut up and play! Gotta back up the smack, fellahs! Pride comes before the fall...

... that a Celebrity Chef published a potentially fatal mix-up during a magazine interview when he recommended wild henbane as a great addition to salads. The Chef said henbane, but he meant fat hen. Fat hen is a weed. Henbane extract was the poison famously poured into Hamlet's father's ear, also often called nightshade. Seems like a pretty serious mix-up. Is he a government scientist??
... Care more because I think we have some nightshade in our backyard! Do we not have a more current example - or non-fictional account actually - of the danger of Henbane? Am I on Punk'd??

... that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been released on a tether after a night in jail and after facing a felony assault charge today. I think it is a shame that he is the first sitting mayor in Detroit's 307-year history to spend a night behind bars. The Dude is having a BAAAAADDDDD year. I hate to see this happen to anyone let alone an up and coming young leader. What is going to happen to Kwame?

... that John Edwards is being accused of doing a campaign worker who eventually has his kid. I have always loved John Edwards. Now, his lack of media response is threatening his role at the convention! Tell 'em John! We need you. Repeat after me, I did not have sex with that woman!

... that Racist Groups Eye Boost If Obama Elected. Former Louisiana State Rep. David Duke has said publicly, 'We Have Lost Control Of Our Country.’ I remember when the former Ku Kluxer tried convincing folks he had changed the color of his ugly spots. Duke said Obama would be a "visual aid" to the idea that whites have lost control of America. Back in June, he posted an essay on his Web site entitled, "Obama Wins Demo Nomination: A Black Flag for White America." Obama "will be a clear signal for millions of our people," Duke wrote. "Obama is a visual aid for White Americans who just don't get it yet that we have lost control of our country, and unless we get it back we are heading for complete annihilation as a people." This just in out of Pearl, Miss., "They're not exactly rooting for him, but prominent white supremacists anticipate a boost to their cause if Barack Obama becomes the first black president." A Mississippi "scholar" said, "Instead of this so-called civil rights bill, for example, that says you have to give preferences to minorities, I think the American people are going -- once they see the 'Obamanation' -- they're going to demand a tweaking of that and say, 'You have to put the majority into office.'"
... Care more because while most Americans have little or no direct contact with white supremacists, organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center keep close tabs; the law center estimates some 200,000 people nationwide are active in such groups. That's 200,000 folks who are crazy enough to be proud of their association with supremacist groups. How many invisible members do they have?

... Finally, for the moment anyway, I ask this question: Is John McCain campaigning FOR Obama? I don't get his strategy of portraying Obama as a celebrity, comparing him to a rock star. I think it is further proof that the Old Guy doesn't get America! Dude, we love our celebrities and rock stars! Comparing him to Paris and Britney - calling him the biggest celebrity in the world? Dude, seriously, what are you thinking?? Hello ... Ronald Reagan?? Arnold Schwarzenegger? You could only dream of that much appeal!! Fire the old Dude whose creating the ads; he's a spy for Barack.
... Wait, is John McCain on Punk'd??