Fear of Lying

There is an old joke which used to appear frequently on plaques, bumper stickers and T Shirts. "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they really aren't out to get you." In today's political environment there are all kinds of adaptations that could be made to that old one-liner. "Just because you're a liar doesn't mean you never tell the truth" might be one iteration that could apply to Donald Trump. One of the most effective ways a pathological liar achieves both success and a perceived authorization to continue lying is to mix a degree of truth in with the blatant lies so that where one begins and the other ends becomes muddled and difficult to extricate. As people begin to show their willingness to endorse the lie because it is hidden within the truth the liar becomes emboldened to lie even more.

Truth: Much of our population is confused and fearful of the upsurge in attacks by avowed radical Islamists.

Lie: The recent attacker in Orlando, Florida was part of a worldwide, organized plot to attack Americans.

While the details concerning the background of the attacker are still emerging it seems pretty clear that this man was mentally unstable and his attraction to a movement that couples hate with violence was a manifestation of his mental illness rather than an ideological choice or conviction. His claim to be a member or supporter of organizations that are actually enemies of each other furthers the understanding that in his incoherent derangement he grasped at ways to justify his abhorrent actions. See THIS ARTICLE from the Washington Post for more detail.

So, what does Donald Trump do? He makes an impassioned speech at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, lauded by Trumpsters, defending his desire to ban Muslims from entering the United States. FACT ALERT: The Orlando attacker was born in New York. Does he plan on making his ban retro-active? Are we looking at another bout with internment camps, as in World War II? How else would his proposed ban affect the likes of this most recent attacker? Many pundits have drawn parallels between the presumptive Republican candidate for President and Adolf Hitler...if that statement alone isn't enough to sober the reader, contemplate the 8th demand of Hitler's Nazi Party, published February 24, 1920:

8. All non-German immigration must be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans who entered Germany after 2 August 1914 shall be required to leave the Reich forthwith.

Mr. Trump uses the truth of our fear of irrational and violent behavior from proponents of ISIS and radical Islam to support bigotry. Ignoring the threat of unbridled and unmatched terrorism, no matter the source, is not a sane course of action, but equally; fanning the flames of fear and hatred toward a body of people based solely on the religion they profess is insanity and not what the United States stands for.

Level the playing field. Let's draw a correlation here. On June 17, 2015 a white male from Charleston, North Carolina committed an act of "domestic terrorism" and was later charged with hate crimes for the murder of nine church members during Bible study. He admitted to hoping that his actions would incite a race war. He was an avowed supporter of white supremacist groups and had been in direct contact, via the Internet, with several of these organizations. He is quoted as having said something vaguely similar to Mr. Trump's inflammatory remarks against Mexicans before shooting his victims,  "I have to do it. You rape our women and you're taking over our country. And you have to go."  Should we, following Mr. Trump's logic, begin to round up all the white supremacists we can locate in our country? Should we consider that their connection to any organization that espouses anti-social behavior makes them suspect and therefore appropriate for incarceration until their intentions can be clearly established? Or does the presumptive Republican candidate suggest that white supremacists should be deported to the countries from where their ancestors immigrated? According to Ancestry.com that would make the perpetrator more than likely headed for Germany.

Radicalized Christians? Christian Americans have been responsible for a large number of crimes against clinics and individuals that provide abortions. Cases of abduction, murder, arson, anthrax threats and bombings have consistently plagued abortion related individuals and locations. Perpetrators claim devotion to their understanding of Christian doctrine as justification for these actions to protect the lives and souls of unborn babies. Just as radicalized Muslims believe they are defending the tenants of their interpretation of Islam, these radicalized Christians are CONVINCED of the righteousness of their actions. Again, following the logic of the fear mongerer some sort of control mechanism should certainly be mandated. Let's start monitoring Fundamentalist churches, perhaps we could put phone taps on any communication device used by the pastors and their activist supporters? Anyone wearing a cross or bearing a tattoo of Jesus Christ would need to be watched and placed on an FBI list warranting possible internment and deportation to the country of origin of their ancestors.

We are taught, from our earliest years, that lying is a very bad thing. Children lie for many reasons; to avoid punishment, to embellish accomplishments, to seek recognition, to gain favor, and just because. Maturity is supposed to lead us away from this childish behavior; to learn that as we enter adulthood we can no longer rely on the winking away of our transgressions and that if we ignore this mandate there will be consequences. Mr. Trump constantly and consistently mixes slight truth with great lies, uses opinion in the place of facts and willfully misleads with misinformation. And yet, the consequence he faces is election to the highest office of the nation. This is the FEAR OF LYING...that his ability to mesmerize a population will be successful. His need to avoid punishment for his past frauds, to embellish his own achievements, to seek unending recognition, to gain favor with the voting public that is already fearful is leading kind and thoughtful people toward division, bigotry and division.

Petition to Rush Limbaugh

The recent content of Mr. Rush Limbaugh's nationally syndicated radio program has irked many and provided him with even more fodder for his negative approach to program content. Many of us believe that party affiliation has nothing to do with patriotism; that constructive criticism is crucial to building sound platforms and a future that will sustain the promise of American freedom of thought, speech and the pursuit of happiness. Destructive criticism, on the other hand, is employed solely to ensure that the noise created by the criticizer is heard at a greater distance. Please consider copying the petion you will find below and sending it to those on your mailing list. Mr. Limbaugh loves to pound his chest concerning the large number of people who listen to him. Perhaps we can make him listen to a large number of people too.

Petition to Mr. Rush Limbaugh
Please be quiet. Please take a solemn moment and consider history, consider where the nation you purport to love finds itself at this moment. There are many things you and each of us CAN do. We the undersigned, hope that you will choose to be quiet. We hope that you will recognize that wishing for the failure of your president is NOT patriotic. We hope that you will recognize that creating dissention and vitriol is NOT patriotic. We hope that you will recognize that what you identify as humor and wit is nothing more than cynical anger that is often vulgar. We hope that you will recognize that calling women "babes" and environmentalists "whackos" plays to the lowest component of your audience but fully defines the height of your cultural contribution to our national reality. We the undersigned do not wish to silence dissent, we do not wish to eliminate authentic voices of conservative reason, and we do not wish to pretend that all is well or that the current government can do no wrong. Our sole wish is to recognize that the severity of our present situation demands that the majority of us pull together in the same direction, that the painful sacrifices we make today will protect us from greater, deeper sacrifices tomorrow and that fertilizing acrimony is not conducive to healing. Rush Limbaugh; PLEASE BE QUIET. Your mouth is the source of much of the fertilizer.

Please, be quiet.

Coolidge, Hoover, FDR, Bush and ?

It's time to draw some comparisons...Take a piece of paper, make two columns and label them 1929 Wall Street Collapse and 2008 Wall Street Collapse. Now, put these facts where you think they belong. You may place each fact in as many columns as you think applies.

This isn't a pop quiz, there is no prize at the end for whoever gets the most correct answers, and no one will rap your knuckles if your answers don't agree with mine.
Here are the facts:

1. Excessive speculation led to the crash and subsequently the depression
2. Artificially high valuation led to the crash and subsequently the depression
3. Mass failures of banks led to the crash and subsequently the depression
4. Reduction in availability of loans followed the crash and led to the depression
5. Massive loss of jobs followed the crash and led to the depression
6. Unbalanced foreign trade levels followed the crash and led to the depression

Once you have completed the exercise I recommend reading a little about the Great Depression and perhaps learning how to make dishtowels out of flour sacks...oh! Wait. Can you use paper bags to dry dishes?

As we prepare to vote for a new administration it might be wise to look back at the arguments that prevailed during the times of Coolidge, Hoover and FDR. Coolidge embodied the "let the market solve any problems" and it was conditions that existed in his administration that led to the problems inherited by Hoover. Hoover believed that volunteerism and pacts between the private sector and government would avoid dependence on government and he spearheaded a Mexican Repatriation program in response to uncontrolled Mexican immigration. FDR's administration created the programs that now shake and tremble despite the role they played in History...the SEC, the FDIC and Social Security. It all sounds too hauntingly familiar.

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Gender Gyrations

Wearing skirts has just become de rigeur in the Republican party. Did anyone else notice that all the important women who addressed the convention were clad in very nice, gam disclosing dresses or suits? Nothing androgenous or reminiscent of the Hillary Clinton Pantsuit Pandemonium! No pantsuits in this crowd...Thanks to the interested viewpoint of the cameramen I got to see many DOM bearing lapel buttons that proudly proclaimed "Hoosiers for the Hot Chick." Way to go, old dudes! You have unthroned the proud poser of questionable questions, the "chick" who asked Clinton if he prefered jockeys over boxers! How enlightening that the "conservatives", defenders of all that is moral, religious and patriotic in our great nation have found that resorting to good, old fashioned sexism is the best way to support their candidate for the Vice Presidency.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum it is undeniable that Senator McCain did a remarkable job in his selection of a running mate. I say this not based on her qualifications, though I think there are many; not based on her politcal wisdom, though I am convinced she has a solid supply; not based on her youth and attractiveness, though that is obvious...I say this based on the how much positive effervescence has been caused by her nomination. As far as charisma and ability to cause excitement goes, Obama had McCain flat out like a pancake. There was no way McCain could have ever hoped to garner even a small percentage of the visibility that Obama takes for granted. Obama sneezes and there is a new flash in Australia. McCain could have fallen down a flight of stairs in women's underwear and barely have been noticed. And this absence of visibility was a built in black hole for the Republican Party...any message McCain wanted to get out to the light was being sucked in to the black hole!

Until Sarah.

Sarah is the center of attention, not only because of what she brings to the table in her own right, but because of what HE DOESN'T. She is celebrated because she is clearly defined in who and what she is, HE ISN'T. Is McCain a liberal conservative or a conservative liberal? Is he an independent aligned with the right or homeless Democrat whose only port in the storm was the Republicans? There is no doubt that he is a respectable man who endured great pain and indignities for his country, but he lacks a clear, identifiable personna that allows the voter to get to know him. Sarah is his solution to this lackluster predicament.

And while the conservative right rejoices in the excitement caused by this formidable woman, let the rest of us remember that her bright smile and painted pit bull tenacity only dress up the fact that she has chosen to cast her lot with a party that is more dictatorial than republican.

Personally, I find the upcoming months cannot help but be the most entertaining politically; it will be great fun to watch a true Washington outsider transform before our very eyes and become the very thing she has spent her life NOT being!

Democrat Defined

Thursday, August 28 marks the day that the definition of a democrat was wrested from the jaws of Rush Limbaugh and people of his ilk, cleaned up to remove the dirt and grime with which it had been plastered by those whose purpose is to malign and dis-align truth and once again brought into focus by those who proudly bear the title.

There are many, many reasons why the acceptance speech by Barack Obama as the Democratic Nominee for the Presidency of the United States of America will be recorded and remembered as a historical and transcendent moment in the American story. The faces of the many who gathered in the Mile High Stadium showed that for each and every beaming face that moment was a distinctly personal moment...a moment that for one reason or another marked a milestone in a personal journey.

So it was for me.

My journey is one of an American citizen born in the United States, raised in many different places in and out of our nation and long term resident of the island of Puerto Rico; a territory of the USA without the right to vote for President. In my now 60 years I have never been afforded the privilege of casting my vote for President. While my excitement about finally being able to cast my vote is genuine and overpoweringly emotional my rational self has been in turmoil. How to commit to a candidate who faithfully reflects my views and positions? Each candidate seemed to have elements with which I agree AND disagree; both parties seem to have squandered and abused the power with which the people entrust them.

I can now say that my turmoil is over. Barack Obama has defined a party mission and vision that answers my longing for a clear definition. It is both truthful and too easy to say that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats live up to the ideals the parties' vaguely represent, primarily because the ideals of both have become fuzzy, vacuous, floating images that waft between one pole or the other depending on the breezes produced by one poll or the other.

Democrats, the body of people called democrats not the party, have allowed themselves to be defined by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and ultra conservative media. We have heard that Democrats are liberals, are leftists, are commies, are socialists, are doomsayers, are invested in defeat, are lazy, are whiners, are irreligious, are immoral, are amoral, are uneducated and uncultured, just to name a few!

Well Barack Obama looked at that same body of people and told us differently. He identified both the promise of the people and the promise of the party. In his words:

What is that promise?
It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.
It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs,
look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road. Ours is a
promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should
do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide
every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest
in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.
Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should
ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for
every American who's willing to work.
That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's
keeper.
That's the promise we need to keep.

(From Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, August 28, 2008)

That's a promise that's meaningful and one I can feel proud to support.

The Marketing of Hope

Does Barack Obama need another commentary from a Blogger? Not really. But I can't help myself. As I read the myriad collection of sage ponderances on his candidacy, pro and con I cannot help but think that everyone is missing the point.

Oh, really? What do I see that others do not? How arrogant of me! How presumptious! Well, maybe it is just a tad presumptious, but I have the advantage of a perspective that is perhaps fresher than that of many pundits. Sometimes I feel like a modern day Rip Van Winkle; returning to the United States to discover that so much has evolved differently than one would have expected. Of course, unlike Rip separation by sleep is not the issue. While aware of the controversies and the punditry going on it was always from a perspective of an outsider looking in.

Even from that vantage point there developed a perspective of the sad demise of confidence. The American people have lost confidence in so many things throughout the years. We are skeptical about just about everything. We no longer believe what is told to us. We can't believe what major companies tell us because look at what Enron and others have done with our willingness to believe. We can't trust bankers because look what their greed has done to the housing industry. We have lost trust in our priests, our teachers, the safety of tomatoes and jalapeños, cranes, bridges, tunnels, vaccinations, health insurance, hurricane insurance, and emails from Nigeria wanting to make us millionairs. We certainly can't trust what the government tells us because (now here the list is too long so I've just chosen a few examples) they really did conduct experiments on innocent people in Tuskegee, voter registration really was tainted in the South, they really did support Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, he really did have an affair with THAT woman, there really weren't any weapons of mass destruction, there really wasn't any sniper fire to duck from ... Like the elephant in the room there is mass awareness of the death of confidence but everyone is just tip-toeing around the cadaver, hoping no one will have the audacity to mention the rotting carcass in the corner.

Along comes Barack Obama and he speaks to the the vacuum of ideology that this skepticism has created. We WANT to believe in the American Dream; we WANT to have hope in ourselves, in our government, in our future but THEY keep doing things that make it hard to keep the faith! He verbalizes ... and does it so well ... what so many of the American people want to hear and believe. He speaks to our collective need to once again believe that those in power can use the power for the greater good not just for their personal greater power. There certainly IS audacity in hope when the tangible evidence diminishes hope and doom and gloom is the message of the day on every possible communication venue.

His oratory inspires, uplifts and upholds the aspirations not just of our own people but of people around the world! Obama's recent International tour; certainly the first time the International scene has been used as stumping ground for US voters, has thrust the viability of his candidacy upon the citizens of other nations. As reported by William Kristol in the New York Times the chief editor of Der Spiegel's foreign desk stated, " Anyone who saw Barack Obama at Berlin's Siegessaeule on Thursday could recognize that this man will become the 44th president of the United States." Pretty impressive, eh? 200,000 Germans were wowed by a young candidate for president! But, why is a candidate for the highest office in the United States campaigning in Europe?

So what is the point that I think others are missing? Simply put, I fear that we are too eager to fill the void that the death of confidence has left and that we are getting carried away by euphemisms, oratorical flourish and our yearning for a return to the days where we believed what we were told. There is something to be said for experience. Idealism is only as good as the means by which it is implemented. Having great ideals and being effective are two very different things. "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" wasn't a quote from Roosevelt but from Hoover in 1928. Those living in "Hoovervilles" learned how unreal the idealism of Hoover economics turned out to be.

Like many others...I WANT to believe but there is a funny feeling in my gut that tells me something just isn't right here. Something smacks of too good to be true.

Hmmmmm.

Conservative or Liberal?

So, here I am in Texas...living close to Austin which is touted as being a liberal oasis in the vast conservative spaces of this gigantic state. I thought it would be important to be in a liberal community since I have always thought of myself as liberal. Why? Well, because I believe in the individual's right to the pursuit of happiness and too many of the things which bring happiness are rejected by the conservatives. It's that simple. My view of conservatives is one of a group of unhappy people bent on making others as unhappy as they are, assuaged only by the pursuit of capital gains. They believe themselves to be the anointed ones, in sole possession of the truth religious or otherwise. They are either sincerely convinced that any deviation from their interpretation of the truth is a sure and just road to Hell or they are equally convinced that strict adherence to the appearance of sincere passion for limiting the choices of others is a sure path to success.

Being Liberal has always meant to me that one was willing to live and let live...to embrace that one person's pursuit of happiness is not equal to another person's but that each individual is guaranteed the right to pursue whatever flavor of happiness they see fit. In the recognition of the individual's right to an opinion or belief that may be dramatically different from one's own lives the sweetness of loving your neighbor as you love yourself, of being willing to help others when they are in need of help because rather than passing judgement on others' choices one need simply acknowledge a real and present need.

All pretty much theoretical because quite frankly the application of the labels had never been applied in real life U.S. political nowness until the present election year because I lived outside of the continental US and my understanding of these labels had never been put to any test.

Never having been much of a fan of labels to begin with, the dizzying aspect of trying to label an individual's conscience based on an ever moving target defining political parties seems insane to me. Theoretically. But come November I will be entering a voting booth to participate in the election of our next President so like it or not I had better get a grip on some of these labels.

I have been exposed to many different views of what Liberal and Conservative means since returning to the States. Sadly, the most verbose and voluminous array of definitions come from the ultra conservative media. How is it that the liberals have allowed the conservatives to define them? It offends my ideals that liberal is equated with leftist, socialist or communist. It is offensive to hear that to be religious you MUST be the Religious Right, or that if you are liberal you are invested in losing the war in Iraq. It is nefarious, to me, to have the "spin-sters" tell the world that my choice in political direction makes me un-American and a danger to the future of the nation. I am awed by the conclusion that anyone who fears that the collective effects of man's presence on Earth may endanger the safety of the planet is by definition a "Whacko". For the first time in humanity's existence we have had the knowledge to understand that climate change is happening, whether it is of our making or not, but trying to do something about it is apparently a communist plot of the new world order. This is very unreal to me.

So help me out. Here are some of the things I believe in...where would you put them?

1. I believe that matters of conscience cannot be dictated by laws. Taking a life is not a matter of conscience, but determining when life starts...at conception or latter IS. Approving the RIGHT to an abortion does not mean that I approve OF abortion. It means that I approve of one's right to make a mistake. Either a mistake by getting pregnant or a mistake by eliminating the pregnancy. Apparently that makes me a liberal.
   
2. I believe that parents should actually relate to their children rather than simply being related to them; they should be involved in their lives, shape their choices by helping them understand the consequences of their actions and allowing them suffer the consequences when the need arises. Apparently this makes me a conservative.


3. I believe that the best case scenario for #2 is one loving mother and one loving father. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. Life happens. But the consistent factor is LOVE. One loving mother or father is better than none, and two loving mothers or two loving fathers is better than a dysfunctional mother and an incompetent father. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


4. I believe in being personally responsible for one's decisions and one's choices in life. A drinker or a smoker must be accountable for the sum of their choices. A thief, whether it is money, credit or identity that is being stolen should suffer the consequences of the crime committed. Equally, a hardworking, dedicated individual should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Apparently, this makes me a conservative.


5. I believe that the state of an individual is not always attributable to the sum of their choices. Children are born into dysfunctional families and become dysfunctional students out of no fault of their own. Families are split apart by financial difficulties borne of illness, overall economic downturns and other situations that are not of their making. These people, who for all I know could be me someday, deserve access to tools that will allow them to survive, flourish and renew. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


6. I believe that mistaking lack of motivation and neediness for true need creates a weaker individual who in turn creates more weak individuals. Many people in need are only victims of their own choices and decisions and should be held accountable for those choices. Apparently that makes me a conservative.


7. I believe that those who are enriched by the labor of others should share their good fortune proportionally based on the effort, capital invested, creativity, etc. that created the wealth. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


8. I believe that entrepreneurs take risks that employees do not and that Capitalism provides greater reward for greater risk. Income derived from employment requires little more risk than the continued success of the employer. And while no employee should be taken advantage of, neither should any employer be unfairly exploited just because they may have more capital than their employees. Apparently, this makes me a conservative.
   
9. I believe that Capitalism and Greed are not synonyms but that too often they have become fused and confused , aided by the jargon of talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh who manipulate the concepts to equate Capitalism with an American right to waste and excess; as if this is somehow a trait to be applauded and lauded as patriotic. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


10. I believe the forefathers were bent on creating a community of faithful who could worship God as they saw fit. As such, belief in God was an important element that guided the hands, hearts and minds of the creation of our nation. Re-writing history to pretend that separation of Church and State somehow was meant to provide freedom FROM religion or to deny the reality of its import in our communal beginnings is foolish and wrong. Apparently this makes me a conservative.


11. I believe that the world we live in today is a very different place than it was at the time of the framing of the Constitution and that the spirit of the meaning of freedom of religion has only changed enough to allow embracing ALL of humanity's various ways of worship. Inclusion vs. exclusion. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


12. I believe that the concept of the "majority rules" is the backbone of democracy. If the decision of the majority somehow offends the sensibilities of the minority it is up to the minority to use the tools of reason and education to affect the decision but not to impose the will of the minority on the majority. Apparently this makes me a conservative.


13. I believe that government should provide its citizens with national safety and security including protection from any collective means of spreading harm from forces of power; internal or external. Apparently this makes me a liberal.


14. I believe that citizenship is not to be taken lightly; it requires sacrifice and understanding of our government's structure underscored by the history that created it. I believe that it is the responsibility of each citizen to feel passion for their country, for the process that gives it continual life; to discern between politics and public service. I believe that Patriotism is not a collection of words but a series of actions and I believe that the further we drift from the origins of our nation, the more the world grieves for us because the world has benefited from our success. What does that make me?

Confused. That much I know.

What debate?

This blog is a little out of date as I have had innumberble problems getting back on to my own blog, but my frustration with Blogger is overshadowed by my frustration with the current political circus that is going on.

How is it that CNN and deign to call the YouTube Debates, debates? THAT ISN'T A DEBATE! That is a well orchestrated question and answer period. That's all. In a debate there is dialogue...there are positions pro and con and a single subject...not a smorgasbord of funky questions. I grant you that some of the posed questions were intelligent enough to be considered in a real debate, but many others were fluff...nothing but fluff. Is this what our political environment interprets as quality?

I'm very disappointed. Very disappointed indeed.

Up the Hillary and Down the Hillary

One of the most exciting things for me in this phase of my life is that I am finally going to be able to vote for President...I am 58 years old and I have never been afforded the means by which to vote for President.

I lived 38 years on the wonderful island of Puerto Rico. The island is part of the United States, called a territory by some, a colony by others, but while people born in Puerto Rico are American citizens and they carry an American passport the island is not a part of any electoral college so no one living in Puerto Rico can vote in National elections; no matter where you were born. So, a Puerto Rican who moves to the States can register and vote and a registered American born citizen who moves to Puerto Rico cannot. The exception to that is if you are registered to vote in any of the 50 states your state electoral board can allow you to vote by proxy. The trade-off, however, is that you must pledge not to vote in the local Puerto Rican elections.

So, now I am living in Texas and I am thrilled by the notion that at last I can execute my desire to vote in a National election. I have chosen, so far, to support Hillary Clinton. Not because she and I are women ( I do not support gender bias no matter what direction it takes ) but because I believe she is an intelligent, authoritative and discerning person whose entire adult life has been intimately involved with public issues and who has the experience to lead the country.

But then this Alberto González kerfuffle replaced real issues with an apparent desire to play "pay back". I have started receiving e mails from the Hillary Clinton for President group urging me to sign a petition to get González to resign. The e mails suggest that the "scandal" goes "all the way to Carl Rove and beyond." This is not the kind of activity that I would like the candidate I support to indulge in. This is precisely the type of political shenanigans that crippled the United States during President Clinton's administration and which we should be lead to eschew, not lead toward like a blinded group of rabid lemmings. Senator Clinton; I expected more from you. There are many issues facing our nation now and I agree with those who point to the decaying quality of our politicians as one of those issues. But from you I expect behavior that separates you from that decaying mass of political flesh, not behavior that classifies you as the flag bearer of it.

I hope that this is merely a sign of bad advice given to you by someone and that you will soon realize the error of your campagin's current focus. I hope that you will find your North and re-direct your intellect and your privileged talent of fostering programs that result in benefits to ALL US citizens and not just registered Democrats. I hope that I can continue to feel elation at being able to cast my first vote for President for someone I admire; for someone who tempers ideals with reality and a clear understanding of the path she is undertaking.