WHY MEDIA POLLS FAIL – THE CREDIBILITY COLLAPSE!

We are halfway through the silly season of the never-ending campaign for president and it is time to take a look around at all the damage that has been done. How do we do that? Well the media and politicians use a clever technique called polling to keep us informed of what we think and the big question is does it really do that? No!

Wake up media and stop trying to sway the American public opinion. It has been 40 years since I started developing campaign polling and demographic databases and the one constant through eight presidents is nothing has changed. The American people will always make up their own mind and if you try to influence them your polls will be the same disaster as always.

So why should the news media care? Because the credibility of the media is just as poor as the credibility of the president, congress and corporate America and those reporting the news should not be considered a joke. If I didn’t care about the reputation of the media I would not care, although the extreme efforts of some media to distort the public will does provide some form of entertainment.

News reporting is a protected privilege in America, it is even protect by the Constitution in the Bill of Rights. But along with such privileged status comes responsibility, the responsibility to not abuse your rights and many of the media seem to forget.

What is the purpose of polls? Polls are a snap shot at that moment of time in reaction to a specific question. No more no less. The more objective the question the more objective and honest will be the answer. The more scientific the pool of people polled the more accurate the results.

Every day political news reporters try to apply the results of daily polls to what will happen in the future. For example, they tell us McCain is equal to Clinton or Obama in the fall election. Such extrapolation is nonsense and the media knows better. When you hear such things just know there is a hidden agenda by those making such silly reports.

This is May, not November, and many people have not even started thinking about the general election. We don’t even have the final candidates for the general election. My years of polling experience have shown people wait until September to start thinking seriously about the general election.

Any poll done at this time when the final candidates are not selected and they are not running against each other could be 20-25% inaccurate. So why does the media continue reporting these results? They know better.

The only polls accurate right now are those concerning the public sentiment and they foreshadow serious change this fall. More than two-thirds of the public think the country is headed in the wrong direction, more than two-thirds think Bush is doing the wrong things, and more than two-thirds think congress is just as misguided. Barring some unforeseen catastrophe no Republican can win the presidency this year.

If McCain is running even at this time it is only because the public does not know Obama well enough and know Clinton too well. When two-thirds of the public is opposed to the direction of the country and to President Bush, and McCain is the Bush standard-bearer, Hillary should be light years ahead of McCain, not just even in the polls. Obviously the public knows her too well.

Also, there is no way the results in one state mean the same thing will happen in another state as the people of West Virginia are far different than those in Mississippi or Iowa, just as New York is different than California. Polls can also be very distorted if the people surveyed are not registered to vote, or even if they are registered does that mean they will actually vote.

If a poll is of “eligible voters” it will be wrong for 50% of eligible voters are not even registered to vote. If a poll is of “registered voters” it could also be 50% wrong for half of the registered voters are not going to vote. If a poll is of actual voters based on their actual voter record then it is getting close to right but very few polls ever attempt to identify those most likely to vote, thus polls are consistently off though the media would have you believe otherwise.

There is a final distortion of poll results if the caller identifies who employs them for if they say it is a Washington Post poll for example some people are going to be inclined to answer the way they think the “media” wants them to answer. People do not want to feel stupid so they might just make up answers, especially on issues they do not know.

As a result the economy will always be the number one issue and specifically jobs within the economy. Gas prices will follow closely. Many people will list the environment as a key issue having no clue why that is so. Global warming and related issues are too complex for most people to understand. Foreign policy will always be way down the list unless there is a war with a lot of deaths and still it will remain far behind the economy and crime.

Immigration is a quite disruptive issue as the media loves to play up the controversy but in truth it is not much of a real issue because 85% of all American citizens identify themselves as a person of foreign ancestry for example French-American, Irish-American, German-American, Hispanic-American, and African-American. That means only 15% of our citizens consider themselves genuine Americans and that is really how it should be and is. How could a nation of immigrants hate immigrants? Only the media can make that happen.

The bottom line is this. If you believe the polls published by the media you are as crazy as the media. On the other hand, if you really want to see a meaningful poll the following are the latest results from a Harris Poll on the Confidence of the American Public in our institutions.

The Harris Poll® #22, February 28, 2008

(Percent of the public having a great deal of confidence in the major institutions.)

The Military 51%, Small Business 47%, Major Educational colleges & universities 32%, Medicine 28%, The US Supreme Court 25%, Organized Religion 25%, Public Schools 20%, The Courts & Justice system 16%, Television News 16%, The White House 15%, Major Companies 14%, Organized Labor 11%, Wall Street 11%, The Press 10%, Law Firms 10% and Congress 8%.

It would appear the general public already know what they think of the media and their polls when 84% of our citizens do not have a great deal of confidence in Television news, and they have even less confidence in The White House, Major companies, Organized Labor, Wall Street, The Press, Law Firms, with Congress bringing up the rear in terms of the American institution with the least confidence of the American citizens.

BARACK BUSHWHACKED BY BUSH LEAGUE BUSH MOVE

So we all heard about President Bush traveling to Israel for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the nation and then we heard about his speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, where he took a cheap shot at presidential candidate Barack Obama. "Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said.

The president went on to smugly mention terrorists, Nazis, Hitler and Iran implying he was talking about Obama although that implication was later denied by the White House Press Office in a most sarcastic manner. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino stated: “"I understand when you're running for office you sometimes think the world revolves around you. That is not always true. And it is not true in this case." That seems like a rather calculated and nasty response from the spokesperson for the president.

So Obama wanted to meet with those we don’t agree with in order to try and resolve our differences. Bush says that is bad. Of course Ronald Reagan, John Kennedy and many other presidents have entered into direct negotiations with the enemy to resolve conflicts and even people in the Bush Administration have met with Iran, Korea, Syria and others the Administration once called enemies so what in the world was Bush thinking?

Since it has always been an unwritten rule of American politics that we do not attack other politicians on foreign soil these statements seem little more than the typical bullying tactics that have helped drive the popularity of the Bush Administration into the ground making it the most unpopular presidency ever recorded. I wonder why?

McCain, who more and more sounds like a stalking horse for Bush in a failed race was quick to come to the defense of the president elevating the issue to a headline story but I am yet to understand how trashing an opponent is helping to explain the policy differences between candidates for president.

The White House must feel concerned that McCain needs help three months before he even becomes the official candidate for the Republicans, a good sign that the lame duck president has serious doubts about the new GOP candidate.

Bush has chosen to not stay above politics and has jumped into the action always eager for a fight whether there are any weapons of mass destruction or not. McCain has chosen to parrot the president so we can only hope his shoulders are strong enough to carry the sins of the president in the campaign.

The Democrats demonstrated that differences or not between their candidates, the most unifying force in America to bring the Democrats together in the fall is the president himself and the presidents’ own tendency to bully the opposition may just be the best advantage Obama needs to be the next president.

TODAY’S TOP MEDIA SCAM – AMERICAN IDOL VOTERS

The American public has been getting conned by the media for far too long and since we have all become to desensitized to realize when we are victims the Coltons Point Times is going to give you the truth. Today’s con artist is Fox Television and the wildly popular American Idol show with a great deal of help from the news media of all networks.

Last night the three surviving contestants were reduced to the final two, both Davids (Archuleta and Cook), as over 56 million votes were cast by viewers according to the show. This morning on the various morning news shows the 56 million voters were mentioned over and over again but did anyone explain the vote? Nope.

Not to take anything away from the show because it is a slick production but American Idol is no amateur contest like it is billed and there are not 56 million people voting as the media would have you believe. Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts went so far as to say at least more people voted for president in America.

Guess what Robin and the rest of the news media, there are not 56 million voters because each person can vote ten times and then call back and vote again. It’s possible just 5.6 million people voted. The Idol producers are careful not to mention individual totals or the number of actual voters, the results would be far less impressive.

The fact is each week there are fewer people watching American Idol as the regional fan favorites get dumped one at a time. We are now left with the two Davids, one from Utah and one from Missouri. Kids from all major media markets have been eliminated which could explain the loss of ratings.



Last night 22.24 million people watched the 1st half hour and 25 million watched the 2nd half hour. The numbers are down from earlier in the season and from last year although they did increase slightly over last week. Last week 21.8 million people watched last Tuesday's competition, the smallest Tuesday audience in more than five years. The show did better the last Wednesday with 22.9 million, but that was the smallest Wednesday audience in three years, according to Nielsen Media Research.

While it is still the number one show on television the loss of 7 million viewers over the years would indicate the public is tiring of it. Part of that may be caused by the fact the kids are no longer kids and the amateurs are no longer amateurs as most of the top ten finalists came equipped with voice coaches, previous record deals, previous records released, years of performances and a team of advisors making this a lot more like a casting call of professional singers for a Broadway Show than an amateur talent competition.

Long ago when there were 24 competitors the Coltons Point Times predicted the top two males and females and our four picks finished four out of the top 5. Our number one pick, David Archuleta, the 17 year old from Utah is in the last two. Next week we will know.

DEMONS AND THEIR BLACK GOLD - OIL

Enough of the accusations and finger pointing, how about taking action to stop the nonsense before the world becomes the victim of the hoarders of black gold. Oil prices continue to set daily records while politicians, industries and economists twiddle their thumbs and speculate on the speculators while accomplishing nothing.

More than anything else the spiraling price of black gold is a reflection of the attitude of the world toward the United States foreign policy and the last few years America has taken a beating in international relations. What we as a nation do in the Middle East, in Asia, in South America and in Eastern Europe has directly impacted on oil prices as many nations that produce the precious oil oppose our foreign policy.

Take the Middle East for example where we have propped up the Saudi Arabia kingdoms for decades, a Muslim nation, while giving a blank check and unlimited arms to Israel to oppose the Muslim nations. Along the way we save Kuwait from an invasion by Saddam Hussein and Iraq and then we obliterate Hussein because of phony “weapons of mass destruction” intelligence. Now we occupy Iraq and after five years nothing is even approaching the life they had under Hussein.

First let us look at oil production in the world. As of February 2008 the following are the top oil producers shown in millions of barrels per day. Russia 12.93, Saudi Arabia 8.81, United States 7.40, Iran 3.93, China 3.82, Canada 3.50, Mexico 3.46, UAB 2.59, Venezuela 2.44, Norway 2.44, Iraq 2.37, Kuwait 2.29 and UK 1.65.

These are the top oil consumers of the world again in millions of barrels per day. United States 20.7, China 6.5, Japan 5.6, Germany 2.6, Russia 2.5, India 2.4, Canada 2.3, Korea 2.1, Brazil 2.1, France 2.0, Mexico 2.0, Italy 1.9, Saudi Arabia 1.9 and UK 1.8.

Finally these are countries with the most oil reserves in the world reflected in billions of barrels of oil. Saudi Arabia 266.8, Canada 179.0, Iraq 130.0, Iran 105.0, Kuwait 100.0, United Arab Emirates 100.0, Venezuela 80.0, Russia 60.0, Libya 41.5, Nigeria 36.2, United States 21.0 and Mexico 20.0. Five of the top six are Arab OPEC members and they control 55% of the world oil reserves, while all of OPEC controls 70% of all the world reserves.

Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserves in the world, while Iraq has the third largest oil reserves in the world. The United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars defending those countries yet these two countries have made little effort to help us during the recent oil price increases. Iran is yet another oil giant and ever since our ill-fated backing of the Shah of Iran over the people we have struggled to benefit from their oil reserves.

In fact, of all the Arab countries with substantial production and reserves, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, UAB and Qatar, only Iraq which we occupy has not reduced oil production this year and over the past year. In the case of Iraq they were producing 2.6 million barrels per day under Saddam. Five years after our invasion they are still only producing 2.3 million barrels a day with the third largest reserves in the world. Oil experts have predicted Iraq could produce up to 6 million barrels a day in four years but they didn’t count on the extent of corruption in the Iraq rebuilding budget. All the other Middle East nations have lowered production. Some friends.

Hopefully our leaders understand when people have the reserves and they lower oil production it means they are probably trying to cause economic damage to the USA. Venezuela seems to hate us and they have lowered oil production. On the other hand, we alienated Russia but they still increase oil exports. Our relationship with China is not particularly good but even China has increased production while lowering their projected oil needs. Canada and Mexico, our neighbors, have increased production yet we seem to ignore them or take actions against immigrants for example that contributes to our negative image. In spite of that Canada and Mexico are still trying to help.

So we can count on our friends Canada, Mexico, Russia and China to help with the oil price mess. I doubt many people consider Russia and China friends of the USA but at least they are working to minimize oil prices. In Russia they took care of the speculators and crooked oil companies by nationalizing the companies. It seems to work as they produce nearly 10 million more barrels than they need and refuse to be part of OPEC.

So is there a problem with inventories? Not really. Although U.S. crude oil inventories may be down according to Tim Evans, an energy futures analyst at Citigroup's Futures Perspective, the gasoline inventories are at their highest level since March 1993. In spite of OPEC world oil production was up 2.5% in the first quarter of 2008 over the same period in 2007 while world oil consumption rose just 2%. World production is projected to be 3.3% higher in the second quarter and 4.1% higher in the third quarter than the same periods a year ago while world demand is projected to rise by just 1.6% over the next six months.

The tenuous nature of the economy has caused oil demand to fall in some countries. According to economist John Kemp at the commodities firm Sempra Metals, the U.S. consumed 4% less petroleum in January 2008 than it did the year before. With China reducing the expected increase in oil demand world surplus oil production capacity has gone from a very tight 1.5 million barrels per day a couple of years ago to more than 3 million barrels today, says petroleum economist Michael Lynch.

So supply is up and relative demand is down. Inventories are up and reserves are more than adequate, yet the price of oil continues to rise. Why? Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson blamed a third of the recent run up in oil prices on the weak dollar, another third on geopolitical uncertainty, and the rest on market speculation.

I have my own reasons and they can’t be any worse than Mr. Tillerson. We can blame a fourth of the rise on the Demon Retribution for Bush foreign policy, a fourth on the Demon Manipulation for oil company tax and refining capacity shenanigans, a fourth on the Demon of Deceit for conflicts of interest in our financial institutions, banks and media where expert oil analysis profits the companies with no disclosure of the analyst ownership conflicts, and a fourth Demon of Greed in market speculators who are probably the same financial institutions, banks and media experts manipulating the price through the futures markets.

Note that I have not mentioned congressional inertia, Administration bungling, the federal agency non-responsiveness nor the media ignorance as major factors in the price run up because I can’t imagine they have any ability to react quickly to anything while the coffers of the national political parties and candidates are so bloated from oil company contributions their reaction would be highly impaired. As for the media, well look where the advertising revenue comes from to pay for the network news team that covers the news.


Is there hope? Sure. The Mayan calendar says the world will end in the last year of the new presidents 1st term, 2012. That would certainly bring an end to foolish politics, haphazard enforcement of corruption laws, rampant greed and spiraling oil prices.

IN SEARCH OF GENUINE AMERICANA

“THE VINTAGE SOURCE”

By Jim Putnam

I went in search of a needle in a haystack. You see, I love old things starting with my late grandparents, cars, furniture, clothes, houses, and anything associated with them. Make no mistake I am an All American Baby Boomer, and not just any old Baby Boomer but one born in the very first year of the Baby Boomers, 1946. It is truly MY generation.

The 1950’s were my education, the 1960’s my graduation, and things have pretty much been down hill ever since. To be born in an era when people took pride in their work, when a work ethic was really a work ethic, when the things you needed were supposed to last, and when honesty prevailed seems like such a long time ago. I grew up when extended warranties weren’t needed because what you bought lasted.

So I set out to find those things. My journey has taken me from the Great Plains to California, New York to Canada, Mexico to Ireland and Scotland to Russia. I searched the world over for the magical combination of quality and service, pride and competence, the things we used to find in the 5&10, the soda fountain, the auto dealers, and the repair services, things that lasted and people who cared.

Well one day I found it in the strangest of places. You see, after driving through the entire continental USA, Canada and Mexico over and over staying off the super highways and scouring the back roads I was about to toss in the towel and give up. It was when I came to a sleepy fishing village in southern Maryland where time seemed to have stood still that my hopes were finally raised.

How many of you live in a place where there are no sidewalks, no streetlights, no stoplights, no water lines, no sewers, no cops, no politicians, no strip malls, no Wal-Mart’s, no through streets, no plethora of bars and churches, and no fast food joints? Somehow the Potomac River front in St. Mary’s County, Maryland has survived the so-called advance of civilization and remained frozen in time, a time long ago.

One day while driving the country roads and avoiding the Amish and Mennonite horse drawn buggies I came across a remote intersection with a softball field, a lively bar and eating place, and lo and behold, a little store called The Vintage Source. I pulled in, got out, and found the door locked with a sign that said open the third weekend of every month.

This is the 21st century; no one is only open one weekend a month! Stores stay open 24 hours a day to bleed you out of every last buck. Looking through the window of the old storefront I could see there were interesting things inside, everywhere inside, and was determined to come back and see what treasures lay within. Since we were still in the metropolitan Washington, DC area I was also determined to see what outrageous price might be on these treasures.

I returned that 3rd weekend and was in for the shock of my life. It was as if I followed the White Rabbit down the tunnel into Alice’s Wonderland where nothing was as it seemed as I stepped out of my car back into the 1950’s, or 1940’s or earlier. The Vintage Source was no 21st century antique store but a trip in H G Wells Time Machine to an era of ice cream socials, people helping people, no stress and wonderful artifacts of the past to take home with you.

The little store was packed with people but there were no fights over the bargains, no pushing and shoving to get a deal, and no arguing over prices. People were happy, were friendly, courteous and all the other things you no longer find while shopping. This was not a shop full of grandmother’s antiques, those things so uncomfortable they could only be used for display. There was a lot of vintage stuff in there, but it was all things that could be practical in your home.

Now I had often heard that when it come to antiques, Americans have a Neiman Marcus taste and a Sears & Roebuck imagination meaning they love antiques but have no clue how to incorporate them into their homes. They need someone to tell them what to do. If you did not have the imagination to figure out how to use the vintage items, there were pictures all over the place showing how to incorporate them in a home.



The Vintage Source is the brainchild of Michelle Combs Radez, and if central casting ever showed up she would be cast as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind. Her ancestors came from England about 200 years ago and she is the modern reincarnation of the beloved Scarlett O’Hara. Tough, she was the only girl with five brothers; the Iowa farm girl background of her mother influenced her.

After back packing around the country her first job at 15 was working in an antique store. It was there and traveling with her mother she began to appreciate the need for primitive antiques with character, maybe aged and bruised even, because they could be used for practical purposes without fear of losing their value. She did not fall in the trap of focusing on high value antiques, the items that remain in shops without selling. Appeal to people with high taste but limited budgets and you could succeed she believed.

Like Scarlett, she set out to learn all there was to learn and Michelle set up a tent one weekend a month on her front lawn to chase her dream. It was a wedding tent she found at a sale. A year later she leased an old storefront not far from her family home, then bought the old store, and three years later the business is booming. She still sets out for auctions, garage sales and estate sales in search of the items her clientele is seeking with her trailer and the tireless help of her husband.

She also realized if some minor repairs were made to the items the people were more likely to buy them and she learned wood repair, stripping and painting old items, and became so good at repairs she was asked to teach classes on restoration at college. In the store they tell you how to make repairs and sell items to help you. Michelle never stops learning about antiques or how to use them and never stops trying to find new ways to recycle old items.

But even Scarlett O’Hara could not do it alone so Michelle invited two people to be in house dealers in her shop. One is Sheryl Tort, from the Texas panhandle where life is tough; ingenuity is essential and self-sufficiency the lifeblood of survival. If you were to imagine the star of the story O Pioneer by Willa Cather about the pioneer woman who saved the family farm it could have been Sheryl rather than Jessica Lange.

Married to a Navy man, her story is one of creativity, hard work, a love of salvaging and recycling furniture, and a heritage of packrats. Her uncle back in Texas was a collector and salvager of furniture and her sister also has an antique store in Texas. It was a way of life down there and a passion she would never lose. First she built up a business of sewing slip covers for furniture and then became a dealer in Michelle’s store specializing in finding prized antiques on the Internet through eBay and Craig’s List.

The other dealer invited to join the store was Cathe Chiomento, the Auntie Mame of The Vintage Source who hailed from a comfortable Pennsylvania family whose father was one of the first Arbys franchise holders on the east coast. While Michelle and Sheryl may seem quiet and thoughtful at times Auntie Mame is a fireball of energy and activism. She was also a Navy wife but her journeys throughout the world left a wealth of programs behind that she helped organize to aid military wives and families in fighting drugs and alcoholism, and addressing the many other problems of military dependents.

This same sort of activism and energy was directed toward her obsession with antiques and once she settled in Maryland she decided to give it a try as a leisurely side job. After a couple of starts exploring the waters she came across Michelle’s store and decided this was the place she want to be.

So Scarlett O’Hara let Auntie Mame and the O Pioneer woman be dealers in her store and the result is a store they describe as classic to funky, eclectic to non-traditional. The atmosphere is like a social event or a happening and the once a month opening gives it a mysterious quality unlike most commercial traps.

Make no mistake, this is a very successful business but it is far from typical with very reasonable prices, being environmentally sensitive as it seeks to restore and revitalize furniture thus saving the unnecessary destruction of trees for new and cheaper furniture, and it shows people how to use the antiques and collectibles in ways they never knew.

You owe it to yourself to make the sojourn to The Vintage Source on the 3rd weekend of the month. It is so unlike the crass commercialism, the unfriendly service, the inferior product quality and the stressed out shoppers you encounter every other day it is like therapy for the soul and just might restore your faith in the forgotten quality of American entrepreneurs.

The Vintage Source is located at 22080 Newtowne Neck Road, Compton, Maryland.

From the DC area: Take 495 to Rt. 5 south, towards Leonardtown. Turn right at Rt. 243 (at the McDonald’s and Dash-In stores). Travel three miles. We are on the left, just past the BackRoad Inn Bar.

From the 301 Potomac River Bridge or LaPlata area: Take Rt. 301 north to Rt. 234 south (at Whitehouse Motel). Exit onto Rt. 5 south. Turn right at Rt. 243 (at the McDonald’s and Dash-In stores). Travel three miles. We are on the left, just past the BackRoad Inn Bar.

From South of Leonardtown: Take Rt. 5 north towards Leonardtown. Turn left at Rt. 243 (at the McDonald’s and Dash-In stores). Travel three miles. We are on the left, just past the BackRoad Inn Bar.

From Calvert County:Take Rt. 4 south over the Solomon's Island Bridge. Continue straight on Rt.4 towards Leonardtown. Exit onto Rt. 5 north through Leonardtown. Turn left at Rt. 243 (at the McDonald’s and Dash-In stores). Travel three miles. We are on the left, just past the BackRoad Inn Bar.

Lost?? Call 240-925-1060

FROM ROSES TO A TRIPLE CROWN

In my article called Run for the Roses I told you about Big Brown and how he had a chance to make history just like Barack Obama, by proving the critics wrong. Well the Big boy sure did it right coming from the 20th post position to run away with the Derby. While he was the betting favorite it means little in the Derby as the favorite only wins about once every ten years. But this horse is special and how often can you make money on a favorite. Magically the horse converted my bet of $50 to win to $170, a payoff three times the bet.

But I also believe Big Brown is going win the most difficult of all sporting challenges, the Triple Crown. Three races of over a mile against the best horses in the world during a five week period is the true test of champions. In the 134 years since the Kentucky Derby began only 11 horses have won the coveted Triple Crown. It has been 30 years since the last Triple Crown champion, Affirmed in 1978, the longest drought ever between Triple Crown champions.

Since Affirmed won in 1978 ten horses have won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes but none won the Belmont Stakes to claim the Triple Crown. The closest was Real Quiet in 1998 who lost by a nose in the Belmont. This year Big Brown could put an end to the long wait as he seems to run stronger in each new race and so far in just four career wins he won by about 33 lengths. You are not going to want to miss these last two races.

Now no horse will ever be the champion like Secretariat in 1973 who blazed to glory winning the three races by a record total of 36 lengths. It had been 25 years since the previous Triple Crown winner and to this day Secretariat holds the records in the Derby and Belmont, and would be the record holder in the Preakness except for a freak breakdown of timing devices in the race.

As for the last winner, Affirmed, his legendary races against Alydar rank as the best competition of all time. Alydar was the only horse to ever finish 2nd in all three races and in the Belmont when Affirmed was going for the Triple Crown they were nose to nose at the finish line with Affirmed winning in a photo finish by a nose. In all three races the two horses finished just two lengths apart.

The tragic story of Alydar pictured below with Affirmed at the finish of the Belmont, the horse who went from 2nd place in the Triple Crown to the most successful breeding thoroughbred of all time before a mysterious murder at the fabled Calumet Farms and an insurance payoff of $50 million will be a subject of a later expose in this paper.

AN OPEN LETTER TO BARACK OBAMA

As you stand on the threshold of history 148 years after a fellow Illinois favorite son named Abraham Lincoln did I would appreciate a moment of your time to remind you of the expectations we Americans have of our leader.

When the dust has settled from your very trying primary campaign, the confetti has been swept away from the boisterous national conventions and the final tally certified from the general election we have elected a president who instantly becomes the most powerful person in the world.

At that point in time you assume the mantle as the leader of all Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents and non-voters alike. You will lead a nation that is the citadel of freedom, the defender of human rights, the provider of equal opportunity, and yes the melting pot of the world where diverse people, cultures, ethnic backgrounds, religions, philosophies and politics can flourish. No other place in the world can make such a claim.

When you take the Oath of Office as the President of the United States you will become the 44th person in history to accept the responsibility inherent in the office. All Americans will be watching you, and so will all of the people of the world. The path you choose to follow as president will determine how many of the 300 million Americans will stand firmly behind you.

It won’t be easy but it does not have to be hard if you realize as so few politicians do that you, as our chosen leader, represent the heart and soul of what is good about the United States.

As a people far removed from the egos and thirst for power so often seen in our nation’s capitol we long for a leader who cares, who possesses genuine empathy and compassion, who will create an administration dedicated to helping people and solving problems rather than perpetuating a bureaucracy, and who will bring about long overdue meaningful change.

We want a leader willing to learn about our needs rather than tell us what is best for us. Someone who can accept responsibility and admit mistakes and then you will always receive our support and forgiveness.

We are a people whose Declaration of Independence and Constitution made clear that we are One Nation Under God while distinguishing the difference between God and religion and we hope and pray you will not shrink from the rights and responsibilities inherent in being One Nation Under God and the inalienable rights we enjoy.

Our nation was founded out of love of freedom, respect for God and justice for all. The path has been bumpy at times but our strength comes from the will of the people to never lose sight of our goals. If you lead the people down that path you will discover the secret of our nation, the power of the people.

We the people in defense of our country and other nations are willing to sacrifice our sons, our daughters and ourselves to preserve our precious freedom and way of life and we have proven it throughout our history. We are the most charitable and forgiving people on Earth who will never hesitate to help another in times of need. No nation on Earth comes close to the unselfishness of Americans to volunteer their time, donate their money and offer their prayers for the good of mankind.

We expect you Mr. Obama to be yourself and Americans will stand behind you. Be America’s First Family looking out for all families in America and you will earn our respect. Show your devotion to your wife and children so the world will know what is important in America and you will earn our trust. Let the First Lady be an advocate for the forgotten needs of our people and your children a model for the love so desperately needed everywhere and you will earn our support.

Be our heart and soul, the heart and soul of all Americans, and you will take your rightful place in history as one of our greatest presidents of all time, not just the first African American to be president. We expect a lot, but we are willing to give a lot in return. Together we can return America to its rightful position as the model and leader of the world. Together we can demonstrate the strength of our conviction, the power of our will, and the value of our freedom to a world in need of hope.

God Speed.

Jordan Christopher

OIL ANALYSTS DRIVE OIL PRICE RECORDS HIGHER

Today, Tuesday, May 6 oil analysts again predicted more records for the oil prices and in response the market again set a new record reaching over $122 per barrel before settling at $121.84 a barrel. The analysts predicted prices could reach $150 and then $200 per barrel. Sure enough the market responded with a new record.

A team of analysts from Goldman Sachs made the prediction in the media and triggered the price increase and NBC News then had their own oil specialist, John Kilduf of Fimat USA confirm the numbers. So what do you think?

Well, Goldman Sachs is an investor and the lead broker for the IntercontinentalExchange, Inc., owner of the London Futures Exchange one of the two leading oil futures markets in the world. In the old days such action by Goldman might be construed as a conflict of interest and an effort to manipulate the price of oil.

Then there is the NBC news report. It seems their independent analyst works for Fimat whose name has been changed to NewEdge who just happens to be a wholly owned subsidiary of a wholly owned subsidiary of Societe Generale (SG), one of the largest banks in the world from Paris.

Surprise, Societe Generale was a founding partner of the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) and benefits significantly every time the price of oil increases. So now both Goldman Sachs and NBC have offered experts whose companies directly benefit from the oil chaos and neither Goldman, NBC or Societe Generale disclosed the insider position they have in ICE and the oil prices.

Now where is Congress, the Justice Department, the Bush Administration, the presidential candidates, or even the news media in exposing this farce? How long do the American citizens and citizens of the world have to be victimized by such tactics before someone says “Stop” and investigates? Before you vote for any congressman or candidate for president ask them why they are not stopping these market manipulations.

If they continue to ignore them or you then vote them out of office. This is still the country of the people, by the people and for the people, we just have too many politicians who forgot.

THE CLINTON LEGACY – WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN

Well Hillary certainly did gain some degree of experience during the Bill Clinton years in the White House. She learned the art of media misdirection, the ability to double cross any bridge when she came to it, and the ability to deny the past if it is the politically expedient thing to do.

Where does her training come from, President Bill Clinton of course? Last night in his whirlwind tour of small town America in North Carolina on behalf of his wife he claimed that his Clinton years as President were the best years in “Modern American History.” I thought it was up to historians to make that determination but clearly Bill Clinton has already written the history books.

These were the best years in modern American history? If the Clinton years were the best years in modern American history then why doesn’t the public agree? In 1992 Clinton was elected with the smallest winning percentage in modern American history only 43% of the vote, tying Richard Nixon in 1968 for that dubious distinction.

By 1996 Clinton still failed to capture half of the vote winning 49%, but one half of the eligible voters were so disgusted with politicians they didn’t even vote. That means Clinton won with less than 25% of the eligible voters. Does that sound like the most successful presidency in modern history?

What happened during those Clinton years when Hillary was serving as assistant president according to her resume and campaign claims? It seems as if Bill Clinton had an epiphany and figured out how to out Republican the Republicans. Clinton became the first Democrat to be the darling of the business community as first the poverty stricken were victims of the Clinton epiphany, then the minorities, then the immigrants, and then labor unions, the core of the Democratic party.

Clinton slammed through the NAFTA Free Trade Agreement, with the help of his wife the First Lady, that led to the loss of millions of American jobs, a transfer of the production of American goods and services to foreign countries, and the failure to set in motion controls and testing that would protect Americans from poor quality, unsafe and dangerous foreign products.

Welfare and poverty programs were victims of budget cuts while immigrants, legal and otherwise, were denied benefits and legal representation. Prison populations increased rapidly from the law and order attitude of the president to the point that the death penalty was extended to cover many new crimes and actions such as the Waco FBI attack on a religious sect resulted in the deaths of 86 men, women and children.

Clinton ordered a bombing attack on Baghdad, Iraq just six months after taking office. Several times during the Clinton presidency Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the World Trade Center 9-11 bombings and worldwide terrorism network that would haunt us until this day could have been captured by the USA but each event was bungled by the administration. Is that a sign of the best presidency in modern American history?

Clinton maintained the military establishment although the Soviet Union was gone and there were no more wars. He courted the Republican business community with tax breaks, trade agreements, and other favors throughout his two terms. When it became necessary to cut government expenditures to balance the budget the Clinton White House approved eliminating $5 billion in educational spending to repair crumbling schools and rejecting a proposal to extend health insurance to 10.5 million uninsured children leaning on Congress to back his rejection.

Of course there is also the personal actions during the Clinton presidency like Jennifer Flowers, Monica Lewinski, Paula Jones and Whitewater to name a few that disgusted the public to the point of impeachment of the president. Only three times in our history have impeachment charges been brought against a president. Just twice in our history did the House vote for impeachment and send it to the Senate for trial. The two cases were Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1999. Clinton was acquitted after the trial on a tie vote.

This was the Clinton presidency that Bill now calls the greatest of modern times and that Hillary says was her training ground for presidential experience. It also led to her election to the US Senate and to her failing to disclose $24 million in Bill’s income over a three-year period (2004-2006) not to mention their joint income of $109 million

In the eight years since he was president Bill and Hillary earned $109 million including lucrative consulting contracts and six figure speaking engagements, hardly a sign of the people’s candidate. What companies can afford to pay over $100,000 to hear him speak? It is doubtful many struggling non-profits are on his itinerary. This is what makes the Clinton presidency the best in modern history?

One can only hope the traditional Democrats will see how they have been duped, the labor unions, immigrants and minorities will see how they have been taken for granted, and the general public will see how they have been used. Can we really afford eight more years of double talk, double crossing and double dealing at the highest levels of our government? If this is the legacy of the greatest presidency of modern times then I believe the last thing we need is experienced people like Hillary who were running the country through those years.

THE RUN FOR THE ROSES – 134TH KENTUCKY DERBY

In a world that has gone completely mad it is reassuring to know there are still some things that never change like the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. For about two minutes at 5 pm Saturday what happens in the rest of the world ceases to be important as the horses break from the starting gate.

This year there are 20 horses in the Derby, a huge field, and the odds on favorite is the one horse no one thinks can really win because of a host of excuses. Big Brown has only run three races in his career. The picture shows Big Brown taking the lead and winning the recent Florida Derby.



Only one horse in history won the Derby after just three races and that was back in 1915. Just two horses have won the Derby with just two races as a three year old and Big Brown only raced two times this season. Such inexperience seldom gets rewarded when you are running against the best horses in the world.

Big Brown drew the 20th Post Position, the farthest horse from the inside position. Only one horse ever won from the #20 position way back in 1929 and that was before starting gates were installed. Big Brown would have to fight through 19 thundering horses to get to the lead.

So we have an inexperienced big-hearted horse trying to make Derby history in many ways and the experts saying he can’t do it while the people want him to win. I guess the Kentucky Derby is a microcosm of this years’ presidential race. As Obama tries to make history the experts believe he will somehow not be able to live up to the dream.

Have another Mint Julep, the official drink of the Derby.

Perhaps the experts will be wrong and history can be made. We shall see.

THE REVEREND WRIGHT IS DEAD WRONG

There is a curious thing about religion in America. In no other country of the world are there more so called spiritually enlightened reverends, priests, fathers or preachers whose calling got mixed up in the party line to God. Somewhere along the line they got so caught up in their rhetoric, their ability to interpret for the Almighty, and their ill-conceived role as the gateway to salvation that they became bigger than the God they served.

The very God they claim to represent became secondary to their own ego driven need for recognition of their supernatural connections, for the accumulation of wealth, and for the worship by the masses, that their mission was lost in translation. They preach fire and brimstone, right and wrong, blame and judgment as if they were the authors of the Bible. These preachers of earth with their earthly ways in the course of leading the masses jettisoned forgiveness, humility, compassion and caring, all traits inherent in the teachings of Jesus.

So I guess to Reverend Wright we are not all God’s children. The sins of the past cannot be forgiven. Revenge is a more appropriate response than turning the other cheek. The most important reward we can gain is feeding the ego. Humility has no place in the pulpit, and God help anyone who would dare question the holiness of the Omnipotent One and I don’t mean Divine Providence.

What our Jeremiah chose to say from the pulpit in the past caused damage to the historic presidential campaign of one of his very own flock, Barack Obama. Substantial damage control by the Obama campaign reduced the impact but did not put out the flames of doubt Wright’s words planted in Americans. But what he is saying in the present could very well drive a fatal stake into the historic opportunity Barach might have had to give equal rights meaning and equal opportunity significance in our society.

Reverend Wrights’ whirlwind tour and incessant press conferences to “defend” his reputation are ego-driven nonsense that will only hurt the Obama campaign and give Clinton and McCain more ammunition to shoot at Obama. Of course the media is driven to expose every last morsel of nonsense from the preacher man out of loyalty to Hillary or a desire to slam the door shut on equal opportunity.



Perhaps the preacher is confused about his own role and thinks he is the reincarnation of the original Jeremiah, the Biblical prophet. Called by God to speak for him at an early age, Jeremiah was scorned and even tortured by fellow priests and politicians for his prophecies on the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. When it came true Jeremiah’s own people forcefully took him to Egypt and stoned him to death according to Old Testament teachings although details of his death are not certain. Jeremiah was a prophet of doom but looked beyond this judgment to a day when religion, no longer national, would be individual and spiritual. This new kind of religion would result from God’s "new covenant" with His people.

Our modern day Jeremiah leaves no such lasting legacy nor offers such hope for reconciliation between peoples but chooses to demand attention for his own reputation and teaching. To risk such self-serving actions whose consequences could destroy the first legitimate chance for America to fulfill the promises of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights along with the sacrifices of President Lincoln and many others surely could not be the work of a humble servant of God.

What a shame that healing and forgiveness do not share the same attention from the preacher as protecting his provocative words of the past. What a pity that his concern for his own reputation can override any concern for helping to advance the evolution of the American dream of freedom and equality for all. What a coincidence that this preacher of our people can be the very instrument that can destroy the dreams of those from his own congregation. Are we ever going to hear a discussion of policies to address our problems and concerns?

AS THE WORLD WATCHES DIVIDED DEMOCRATS MAY SELF-DESTRUCT

So Hillary wins Pennsylvania and declares only she can win the big states against the Republicans this fall. The big states for Democrats are California, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey. Guess what Hillary, every presidential election since 1988 has been won by the Democrat in all of those states, no matter which Democrat won the nomination.

Who is she trying to kid? If every Democratic candidate the past four elections has won, then why in the world does Hillary think only she can win them? This is just more example of the campaign spin that has been out of control since the Clinton campaign fell behind on Super Tuesday and the closer we get to the end of the campaign the faster the spinning.

Political pundits said Hillary needed a double-digit win to make it a race. Hillary declared a double-digit victory. Yet the final results show Hillary won by just 9.2% of the vote after leading by over 20% a few weeks earlier. Then to add insult to injury she declared after the primary she now leads in total votes cast in the nation, while forgetting to mention that she included the votes from two states she had agreed not to count in the first place, Michigan and Florida.

What is it with the Clintons and their twisting of the truth? Bill Clinton says he doesn’t inhale pot, had nothing to do with Jennifer Flowers and most certainly was innocent with Monica. Now Hillary says she won’t use race as an issue, counts votes she agreed not to count and that she is the only Democrat that can carry big states. Have leadership and honesty been completely forgotten?

More ominous for Democrats is the polarization of the respective supporters of the candidates. Twenty-five percent of Clinton supporters say they will not vote for Obama if he wins the nomination. At the same time sixteen percent of Obama supporters say they will not support Hillary if she wins. Somewhere between 18-25% of the American public say race will be an issue in the general election. If the Democrats’ polarization stays this way McCain is the next president. There is no way the GOP will fail to capitalize on the Democratic bloodshed. So where does that leave us now?

So here we have the Democrats, the party with the more liberal leaning platform, more social oriented agenda, and with the majority of the minorities in America on the precipice of self-destructing this fall and once again handing the election back to the Republicans. What is it about Democrats that gives them an attitude that if I can’t win the primary my opponent won’t win the general election?

Of course this election is all about race, whether America has matured enough to be able to elect a minority, African-American in this case, to the presidency? The Clinton campaign has been ingenious in the ways they have subtly raised the issue and the results could prove devastating to the party chances in the general election.

Certainly the media has helped foster the polarization in the Democrats with the excessive hype paid to non-issues and self-generated drama to sensationalize normal mistakes made by aspiring politicians. For example the media demands a knock out blow from Obama to prove he can win. How stupid when the convention to decide the candidate is still four months away.

If I were at the DNC I would want the race to go down to the wire and continue dominating the national and world media coverage of my candidates until the fall campaign begins while forgetting the Republican candidate even exists. Did we forget the citizens are supposed to select the candidates, not the media or the political bosses?

What a terrible shame if the racial polarization within the Democratic party reverses over 140 years of political evolution since the Republican party under Abraham Lincoln was the dominate voice for equal rights for minorities in America. It is time the media report the news and the politicians demonstrate party loyalty. If not, then it is time to get rid of the two-party system in America so every vote counts.

There is still time to turn this around and make America proud. The electorate is still waiting for both candidates to demonstrate they are in touch with issues that concern our citizens and they offer hope for our future. There is still time for either candidate to show that they can be the inspirational leader of all the Democrats, all the Republicans and all Americans. As for the rest of the world, there is still time to demonstrate why America is the only super power left in the world. The time is now!

POLITICIANS and the OIL CRISIS – The SILENCE is DEAFENING

So America is faced with the fastest, most unjustified oil price spike in history, a situation that is having a devastating effect on the economy of America and the world. We have three candidates for president, 435 Congressmen up for election, 100 Senators, a few hundred specialists in the DOE, EPA and Agriculture not to mention the plethora of so called “energy experts” in banking, stocks, finance and the oil industry yet no one is telling us how to deal with our current crisis.

The laws of supply and demand have been obliterated by the forces of greed and the price of oil continues to increase every day setting new records driving the price of gas, diesel and aircraft fuel to record highs. Americans drive less, consume less, and spend less and still the price spirals out of control. So why are the people we entrust to lead us silent?

Why are we spending $500 billion to save Iraq in which they were going to repay yet we can’t get the revenue from the oil now being produced by Iraq? Did you know Iraq was producing 2.6 million barrels a day of oil before the American invasion? Just last February production reached 2.4 million barrels a day. In spite of the Bush military surge the oil production can range from 1-2.4 million barrels a day depending on the latest bombing targets by Al Qaeda.

The Bush boys tell us oil was not a factor in the war but did they also mention Iraq has 112 billion barrels of oil reserves, second in the world to Saudi Arabia? They also have 112 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves. Economists expect Iraq to reach 6 million barrels a day in production in four years yet none of it seems reserved to repay the USA the $500 billion plus or supply some of the USA needs. In fact, if Clinton or Obama get their way and we pull out of Iraq China or Russia will step in and take control of the 2nd largest reserve of oil in the world.

If refining capacity is a problem, which it is, why aren’t we fast tracking new refineries? No new refineries have been built in America since 1976 when crude oil sold for $12.37 per barrel compared to $112 per barrel today. Based on our military and aircraft needs alone increased refinery capacity should be a matter of national security. Perhaps American oil companies should build refineries in secure friendly countries as well?

Reduce our plastic use in fast food containers, bags and the many other uses, all which are very detrimental to the environment, and oil use goes down. A dual benefit and no one seems to be calling for the change. Paper bags always worked well and hemp stands ready to fill many of our needs if the federal government ever realizes you can’t smoke the stuff.

Any oil producing country dependent on our food should be selling us oil at a discount and most countries of the world are dependent to a large degree on our food. Fact is food is the one commodity more important to world stability than oil as you can see from the current food riots around the globe.

Require one third of all cars sold in America achieve 50 miles per gallon in 3 years and a substantial drop in demand will be achieved. Current regulations concerning the average mileage for an auto manufacturer’s fleet are ludicrous with the truck and SUV exemptions. Forget the fleet averages, the economy and cost of fuel will dictate buying patterns.

Besides, let American consumers decide if they want to pay extra for gas, it is supposed to be a free society. If a high mileage car is available consumers will buy it. We know it can be done because I have a 1946 Austin (UK made) that got 50 miles per gallon. If we could make them 62 years ago we can make them today.

Encourage Americans to stay home and take local trips rather than long vacations, subsidize mass transit to reduce autos on the road, and increase train use for up to 500-mile trips. When it comes to intercity travel trains come out on top of all other transit modes other than walking or bicycles.

Extensive data and statistics are available which show that passenger trains consume just one-quarter to one-third of the energy which automobiles and airliners consume, a fact the DOE refuses to acknowledge. Buy more trains and subways, we already own the facilities and right-of-way, and save on energy use, emissions and road maintenance.

Oh yes, what about the tax on gasoline and diesel fuel? State taxes can range from 14 to 45 cents per gallon and combined with federal taxes that are 18 cents a gallon the government gets an average of 45.9 cents per gallon, with states typically ranging from 32.5 to 63.5 cents in taxes per gallon. How about suspending taxes and not just the federal like McCain said? Perhaps a tax credit or full deduction for gas taxes paid might help.

Now these are just a few of the things politicians could be saying to help our short and long-term energy needs. Why are they silent? They are the office holders or want to be our elected representatives. I guess even experience doesn’t help politicians solve problems.

HILLARY STRANGELOVE TO "OBLITERATE" IRAN

On the eve of the Pennsylvania primary Hillary Clinton gave us a better idea yet of what she would do when the phone rang at 3 AM during her watch as president. In an interview airing on "Good Morning America" ABC News' Chris Cuomo asked Clinton what she would do if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons.

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran," Clinton said. "In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

We don't know why she spoke for the next ten years unless she has plans to violate the Constitution and run for a third term. We do know that 71 million Iranians would be dead as a result of her early morning call. We also know that Israel would be wipe out so most of the Middle East and much of the world oil reserves would be gone. It would be nice if we could prevent such an attack rather than respond after the fact but some people just don't get it when it comes to intelligence and security.

According to a new survey by the WorldPublicOpinion.org, WPO found Iranians markedly more open — by some 10 percentage points or more in most cases — to exchanges and diplomatic discussions with the U.S. than in December 2006. For example, seven out of 10 respondents said they favored more tourism between the two countries, compared to less than five out of 10 some 15 months before.

Nearly six in 10 Iranians said they favored direct talks between the two countries on "issues of mutual concern," compared to 48 percent who took that position in December 2006. Seven of 10 respondents said they favored talks "to stabilize the situation in Iraq."


It has taken a couple of decades for Iranians to begin to soften their attitude toward the USA and the positive change in Iranian youth is even stronger. Is this the time for our new president to be threatening to obliterate a nation of 71 million people? Hillary just might be colder than the cold war. Is that what experience teaches?

GEORGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DANCING

If President George Bush had been dancing with the people rather than with his advisors he might have had a chance to leave behind a positive legacy for his presidency but he didn't. The closer the president gets to his final days in office the worse his legacy grows as it appears more and more likely that he never should have been president in the first place. No doubt Bush is a good guy at heart. There were even some things he tried to do that were right. But he was too easily influenced by the relentless right to remember he was elected to serve all the people not just a few.

So here we are, in the twilight of his 8 years leading the most powerful nation on earth, and where do we stand? The leaders of the international terrorist group that brought us 9-11, the worst loss of human life in America since Pearl Harbor, remain free and continue to cause international chaos. Two wars have been fought costing us nearly a trillion dollars to stop them and both wars are nowhere near being won nor the terrorists caught. There is no stability in the Middle East, the same situation he inherited in 2001.

We are back to being suspicious of Russia, more suspicious of China and still waiting for Castro to die. Thanks to the commitment of Bush to carry out NAFTA which was passed under Clinton, millions of manufacturing jobs have moved from the USA to Mexico where poor wages, the lack of health care and high crime rate have caused the number of illegal immigrants to increase, not decrease.

World opinion of America has dropped to the lowest ever while the approval rating of the president is also the lowest ever recorded. With approval for Congress falling far below that of the president it seems government in general has fallen out of favor not only with foreign people but also with the people of America.

Our wars without end have driven up prices for consumer goods, led to a major economic retrenchment nationally, and pushed the entire world to the brink of economic catastrophe. The Bush administration failed to see the futility of war, failed to see the dark clouds in the economy, failed to see the price of oil, gold and food reach historic highs and failed to police the rampant corruption in the housing and financial industries.

On the home front he failed to address immigration reform, one of his top priorities. He instituted a wholesale attack on individual rights and freedom with his domestic efforts to stop terrorism. Every effort to aid big business from tax cuts to the war efforts have failed to accomplish anything except line the pockets of the rich and assure multi-million dollar bonuses for the corporate leaders who stole America blind.

In terms of protecting America he has worn out the heroic members of the military, abused the domestic National Guard by sending them across the world to fight wars, and destroyed families by continuing to extend the time the National Guard was stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With this kind of a legacy Bush might want to see the End Times come fast so his administration cannot be judged to unkindly by historians. Then there is VP Cheney, yet another of the many advisors to Bush senior whose ideas were worn out and totally unsuited to the treacherous waters facing Bush the Younger.

Anyway Jimmy Carter can tell you all about nice guy former southern governor presidents and the price they pay for trying to help out. Don’t get me wrong, it is not as if everything about Bush was wrong. He must have done some good things. Certainly First Lady Laura was a bright light in the long night and his kids were entertaining. The fact Jenna refuses to get married in the White House might indicate just how she feels about life in the fishbowl.

So dance away George and just maybe a few things can go right in the next few months. You really have nothing to lose.

ABC NEWS LOSES DEBATE – HILLARY LOSING ELECTION

It seems as if the ABC News attempt to trivialize the election and make the Pennsylvania voters sound like political idjits, as the Irish would say is dominating the primary for next Tuesday. The Gibson-Stephanopoulos mud wrestling at the Democratic debate continues to dominate the election news as well it should for if politicians are not talking about the issues it is because the news media is incapable of asking about it.

Stephanopoulos has been fiercely defending his bizarre performance, as any good Clinton staffer should. Hillary is acting as if the debacle never took place, as any good Clinton should. Obama, who got bushwhacked by the Clinton machine, retains his good humor in spite of the underhanded tactics used against him. The Pennsylvania voters, who have been dealing with idiotic politicians and media since the founding of America 232 years ago are still waiting for the apology from ABC News, the commentators or perhaps Mickey Mouse on behalf of Disney (owner of ABC).

So what resulted from the latest Clinton tactics to insult the intelligence of America? Well post debate polls show Barach has pulled to just 4 points behind Hillary, well within the margin of error to make this a dead heat going into the last weekend. That is a remarkable surge since a couple of weeks ago Obama was over 20 points behind in the polls.

One good policy has resulted from the debate; Obama has said there will be no more debates with Hillary. Praise God Almighty the American public will finally be spared the senseless babble and tactics demonstrated over the last year and a half in 21 performances by the candidates. Finally voters will be allowed to make up their own mind about the candidates, not do what the media tells them.



As for Hillary’s message that only she can beat McCain, nonsense! Polls show Barach can just as easily beat him and Hillary has far higher and more deeply based negative numbers than any recent presidential candidate. Perhaps the fog is finally lifting on the Clinton candidacy allowing people to see through the rhetoric and double talk, see that it is a year when history should be tested and the history is whether a minority candidate can become president of the greatest nation on Earth.

Pennsylvania voters have a chance to set America on a historic course this fall, to send a message that the old school political tactics of the past have no place in our future, and that it is the policies and personalities of the candidates, not the antics of the moderators that will decide the election. The birthplace of American Freedom can once again free us from the errors of the past.

NEW MADRID MEDIA WAKE UP CALL

Perhaps the media in America has been in a long slumber or something but the coast-to-coast headline today about the 5.4 earthquake in Illinois should be no surprise to the informed media. New Madrid just south of St. Louis in the midwest has had three or four of the strongest earthquakes to ever hit the continental United States.

Over a three month period starting in December 1811 there were at least three quakes all nearly a magnitude 8 that destroyed this area ringing church bells from Montreal to New Orleans and felt over nearly the entire eastern half of the United States. Only the San Francisco quake of 1906 comes close.

The New Madrid quakes were so strong that an eyewitness account said the Mississippi River, the largest in the USA and one of the most powerful in the world, actually collapsed causing the river to run backwards and a 50 foot waterfall appeared out of nowhere.

California gets all the attention but New Madrid is the real danger to America. Oh yes, in a normal year there is just one 8 magnitude earthquake in the ENTIRE WORLD.

Histories Mysteries - The Miracle of St. Clement's Island

The citizens of Coltons Point, St. Mary’s County, the State of Maryland and the United States have a rare opportunity to correct an oversight of history and help celebrate one of the greatest events in the history of Christianity. After acknowledgement of the role of St. Clements Island in the history of the Roman Catholic Church and all of Christianity during the Mass with Pope Benedict XVI in our nation’s capitol the time has come to recognize the historic events.

St. Clements should have a Shrine built to honor the series of events and miracles that surrounded the 1634 landing and sainthood should be granted for the work of Father Andrew White, the first Jesuit priest in English speaking America, the first priest to conduct a Mass with the Eucharist, the first to consecrate America to the Holy Mother Mary and the Will of God and the first to bring a relic of the True Cross of Jesus to America, a relic that saved the son of the Native American Emperor and led to the conversion to Catholicism of the Emperor and his family along with many other Native Americans.



In 1930 North America got our first canonized martyrs, the North American Jesuit Martyrs who were murdered in Canada and New York around 1646. Father White’s historic achievements 12 years earlier made the martyrs achievement possible. While these Jesuits were being killed Father White had been captured and taken back to England where he was tried for conducting a public Mass in the colonies, a crime punishable by death. If anyone deserves to be the first saint from North America it was Father White.

In 1634 when the Ark and the Dove landed at St. Clements Island just off Coltons Point it was a far more historic moment than you might realize. Not only did the first Catholic settlers arrive in the colonies on the ships, so did the first Jesuit priest, Father Andrew White. Father White was responsible for the first charter in the world guaranteeing religious freedom. He carried a relic of the True Cross of Jesus with him when the boats miraculously survived storms at sea and Father White healed the dying son of a Native American Emperor with the relic.


Father Andrew White, who helped George Calvert put together the migration of Catholics to America, led a life worthy of a major motion picture. He grew up in England in a time when the Catholics were being driven out of the country. Shortly after secretly becoming a priest he was discovered and banished to Spain. After six years in Spain he heard his friend Calvert back in England was putting together a group to settle lands in America left to Calvert, lands Calvert intended to use to achieve religious tolerance in the colonies and for the first Catholic settlement in America.

White snuck back into England and helped Calvert gather the necessary people to make the treacherous journey and Calvert also agreed to set aside large tracts of his American land grant for the Catholic church and for the Jesuits in hopes they would use the land to become self-sufficient in the new World and survive.

Father White’s journals during the trip are the most significant description of settling the New World in existence. His account of the pilgrims' voyage and landing, Relatio Itineris in Marylandiam, recounts the colonists' heroic and miraculous sojourn to freedom. Among other details he told of two hurricane-type storms the ship encountered on the foreboding winter Atlantic seas. The passengers and crew said only a miracle saved them from drowning.

In his possession Father White carried with him a relic of the True Cross of Jesus, the very Cross that was used for the crucifixion. It had been given to Father White by English nobility to protect him on his journey. This was the first relic of such significance to reach America and few knew he even possessed it. Perhaps it had something to do with the miracles that saved the ships during the storms?


In Father White’s own words he described the first landing at St. Clements Island: “On the day of the annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary, on the 25th of March, in the year 1634, we offered in this island, for the first time, the sacrifice of the mass: in this region of the world it had never been celebrated before. Sacrifice being ended, having taken up on our shoulders the great cross which we had hewn from a tree, and going in procession to the place that had been designated, the Governor, com missioners, and other Catholics participating in the ceremony, we erected it as a trophy to Christ the Savior, while the litany of the holy cross was chanted humbly on the bended knees, with great emotion of soul.”
The web site The Cross and the Veil tells more of the story. American Catholics have a treasury of faith now all but forgotten and hidden away in the countryside of Southern Maryland. "Mary's Land" was the third English-speaking colony of America and the first colony founded by a charter guaranteeing freedom of religion. St. Clements Island, located in the Potomac River in St. Mary's County, Maryland, is the birthplace of both religious toleration and Catholicism in the English-speaking colonies of America. Father White celebrated the first Eucharist on that same day for the many Catholic pilgrims. Later Father White was to be the first to break the Native American Piscataway language barrier with a grammar and catechism.

The events leading up to the voyage weave a rich historical tapestry. Since the English "Reformation", Catholics had suffered and died for their faith in England. George Calvert, a well-known Anglican statesman, saw the rights of Catholics ever more abased in England in the early 1630's and chose that time to publicly announce his conversion to Catholicism and intention to found a colony based on religious toleration. It was Father Andrew White who wrote a widely published defense of the founding of a colony based on a charter guaranteeing religious freedom. It was this charter that was later to become the blueprint for the Maryland Bill of Rights and also an inspiration for the U.S. Bill of Rights.

The fledgling colony of Maryland with its General Assembly composed of both Protestants and Catholics was soon under attack by Puritans who ruled but a few brief years. The colony was restored shortly thereafter only to fall yet again in the mid-1640's under the tyrannical rule of the Church-State of England. Father White was captured and returned to England in chains 11 years after his arrival to await trial for openly celebrating Mass, a crime punishable by death in England. A good attorney convinced the court of his innocence and Father White was banished to Belgium.

Returning to England as an old man, Father White spent three years in prison and later lived in a private home where he prophesied the date of his death far in advance to be the Feast of St. John The Evangelist. Sitting down in a chair at sunset on that very day, he closed his eyes and died. This brilliant academician, political theorist, activist, and missionary had inconspicuously taken up the cross past middle age to help found a colony devoted to the ideal of the separation of church and state and the idea of religious toleration. In his account of the journey, Father White relates that he consecrated the land to Mary and to the will of God.

For over 80 years, from the late 1600's until shortly after the Declaration of Independence, Maryland Catholics were cruelly persecuted under the rule of the Church-State of England. The laws rightfully established by the diverse members of the Maryland General Assembly were repealed and the colony was divided into parishes ruled by rectors appointed by the governor. Catholics were heavily taxed, prohibited from holding office or sending their children to school. Protestant widows who married Catholics had their children legally taken from them. Priests disguised themselves as traveling salesmen whose ringing bells could be disassembled to become what were called "saddle chalices" for the celebration of the Eucharist in house chapels.

During this time of persecution, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was spread via a French prayer book for men. The devotion spread like fire through the colony. At the same time, the Great Awakening was taking place in Protestant assemblies who also suffered under the rule of the Church of England. Even under terrible restraints, conversions to Catholicism were many. One historian postulates that it was the solidarity between the various denominations as well as their righteous anger that was the true catalyst for the American Revolution. It was the knowledge of their persecution that caused French Canada to join America in its fight for liberty. Without French Canada's help, American independence would have been but a dream.

Now, as the world faces ever-increasing religious intolerance and bigotry toward people of faith, Catholics can return to the roots of their own faith to learn about the sanctity of religious freedom, the heroic sacrifices of our ancestors and the preciousness of our Catholic faith and culture. Modern day democracy was first given birth at the foot of a cross, planted on a tiny island in Southern Maryland on the little celebrated feast of the conception of the Child, Jesus.

It is about time that the Church and the nation that benefited from the events 374 years ago recognize the historic occasion and the pioneering Jesuit who made it possible.

FOX 5 BLOWS AWAY COMPETITION WITH POPE

Fox Network affiliate Fox 5 in Washington, D.C., the home of American Idol and shows like House, provided Emmy quality reporting on the Mass by Pope Benedict XVI with 46,000 people in our nation’s capitol. Competitive commercial networks paled in comparison to Fox in their commitment and coverage. Unlike other networks Fox remained silent letting the Mass and the Pope speak for himself for the entire 2 hour service.

Prior to the Mass Fox provided almost 5 hours of continuous coverage with a full team of reporters with respect, dignity and class, while still managing to work in the Fox trademarks of high energy and fun. While acknowledging that many reporters were not Catholics they excelled in educating the public and covering all aspects of the historic visit by the Pope.

STEPHANOPOULOS AGAIN PROVES LOYALTY TO CLINTONS IN FINAL DEMOCRATIC DEBATE

Last night the Democrats had their last presidential debate in Philadelphia as ABC News man-child and political correspondent George Stephanopoulos co-hosted the event with the ABC Evening News Anchor Charles Gibson.

Georgie, the spokesperson and chief defender for President Bill Clinton during the Whitewater and Monica Lewinski scandals continued to be the loyal Clinton supporter as he valiantly tried to tie Barach Obama to a host of unsavory characters from the ancient Weatherman days of 40 years ago to Reverend Big Mouth of modern times.

ABC, short for A Bunch of Crap, seems intent on taking the crown from CBS for offering the most slanted news coverage possible. With such trustworthy news people as Diane Sawyer available it seems strange that a former Clinton insider would be doing the questioning for the network but when Disney owns you even the news has a fantasy spin.

We were hoping Obama would walk over and slap little Georgie for his mean-spirited questions but alas he was too much the gentleman. Hillary, clinging to a razor-thin lead in the Pennsylvania polls for the primary next Tuesday was unusually smug as she kept saying such tactics should be kept out of politics while throwing one barb after another in the typical Bill Clinton fashion.

It looked like a tag team affair between Georgie and Hillary as they once again worked to distract the media and public like they did so well during the Whitewater and Lewinski scandals. Hillary says she is experienced in the demands on the chief executive but I am not sure her experiences are what the public is seeking.

If experience is all it is about then McCain and Clinton, the only two candidates eligible for membership in the AARP, have a lot of explaining to do for all those years in public service. It is not experience that counts but what you learned from the experience. There is a real difference between working up a head of steam and being caught in a fog. Let’s hope the Clinton Steam Team can get a chance to focus on issues.

February 2, 1998

Starr Subpoenas Stephanopulous
Source says Clinton did not flatly deny December meeting with Lewinsky


WASHINGTON (AllPolitics Feb. 1) -- Former White House aide George Stephanopoulos has been subpoenaed by Independent Counsel Ken Starr to appear before the grand jury in Washington, CNN learned Monday.