Exit 30

Maybe you are right, maybe having relationships with those that would, very much, like to bring our Country to it's knees, is a bad thing. The last guy pretty much proved that.

As a young man I visited those same places as Obama, Karachi, Calcutta, Bombay, the Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia and Shiraz, Iran among others. In late '78, before the Shaw fell, Shiraz was one of the most westernized cities in the Middle East. It had a large American population dating to the 50's. Most were Texans working in the oil bidness. A high percentage of Iranians that have immigrated to the U.S. come from that southern Persian Gulf coastal area. They were western educated, free market entrepreneurs who suffered great economic and personal losses when Komani, in a deal brokered by George the Elder and Time Magazine's "man of the Year" in '78 or '79, returned from exile in Paris. I still maintain friendships with Persians from that region who would like nothing more than a return to the old days there. Their wealth, determination and influence may be the key to normalizing relations in Iran.

Karachi...worst food poisoning I have had. The asshole of the world(actually, it's a tie with Calcutta). Paranoid and militaristic to the max. They hate India way more than us. Not thought of very highly in the Arab world, many Pakistanis were employed as domestics through out the Middle East. Most notably in Saudi Arabia, our Middle East allies(hows that working out?). During the 80's, our compounds were staffed by Pakistanis who were systemically recruited and "educated" by Bin Laden's and similar western and Saudi Royal hating organizations. The Paki bashing that was pervasive in London's West End during that time didn't help much, either.

It was a right of passage in the 60's, 70's and 80's for young college students to travel to Asia, Europe, Africa and other exotic locations. Youth Hostels and cheap rail passes made it a very reasonable and broadening experience. It is paranoid and naive to think that Obama's travels at that time were a precursor to the Arab world having influence over him now. At a minimum it gives him more balanced global insight than McCain, who spent his formative years bombing rice paddies and being tortured while being held captive. An experience that I'm sure has fostered a great deal of animus and anger to help McCain better deal with our enemies. By the way, why are they enemies and not global partners?

By a large margin, I'm not sold on either of these cats. McCain scares me because I really don't think he will be able to physically handle the job. A lot of you here were in the military. Some of you may have been wounded. Others still may have been POWs or know someone that was. Ain't a one of you can tell me that seven years in the Hanoi Hilton(where I know the room service sucked) didn't take 20 years off that man's life. At best, he is dottering old man. At worst, he is Reagan at the end of his 2nd term. I don't know about y'all but I really don't want MoosePort Palin or the well dressed thin lipped Cindy running this country during the, what most of you will agree, most pivotal moment in our history.

For me, Obama brings to mind those pre-pubescent beauty pageants. Obscenely poofed and polished, thrust into the spotlight without benefit of maturity or experience. He is way too packaged, following some secret formula that came out of some cookbook on how to win the Presidency. I do admire his education, though...how ever he paid for it. With education we can have intelligent dialog, learned discourse between statesman and diplomats. Education should be our national religion. Schools should be our cathedrals. We can find tolerance and cooperation to solve some of the worlds most vexing problems. We need youth and energy, insight and experience. Compassion and understanding. The world has changed. They don't want or need us to lead anymore. But we must lead if our way of life is to survive. We need reasonable, responsible educated men and women to do that. Not whether they wore a uniform...or didn't. Nor whether they are black...or not. But whether they understand our place in the world. That they understand the freedoms we enjoy here at home can not be compromised while maintaining our place as global citizens and leaders. And not just where our interests are concerned, but where the worlds interests matter, also.


Those that have lead us to this edge, to the brink of global economic disaster, have done us a great dis-service. They have compromised our freedoms and endangered our way of life. The relationships they forged out in the world have brought us four dollar a gallon gas to our pumps and terrorism to our shores. They have put our children in harm's way in those same hell holes I visited in my younger years. Places only coveted by mad men and politicians. At home, they have worsened our elementary and secondary schools. They have left 40 million Americans without health care. Whole suburban neighborhoods have been foreclosed on. Abandoned inner cities that are rotting away the promise of whole generations of minorities. Drugs and gangs and violence so horrific that the local TV news has had to expand to 90 minutes just to get it all in. A 700 Billion dollar bail out(do any of you think that if Bush had used "rescue" instead of "bailout" we could have saved a trillion or two in our 401ks?). We all know that's just the tip of the iceberg, don't we? They have dug us a 20 year hole. Thank you for your service.

Blame who you want. Spin it anyway you want. It comes down to leadership. And we are being led around by our noses. And you and I voted them in there. It is the job of those we elect to serve and protect us. They have not. As Harry Truman said..."the buck stops here." Or maybe as some of you pickup truck drivin', wal-mart shoppin', camo wearin', got six kids with three daughters who are already aptly named to get jobs as pole dancers can relate to Larry the Cable Guy when he says "git 'er done." Well, they ain't gittin' it done. It's what we pay 'em to do. Find solutions. It's what our bosses pay us to do. Why can't they?


This election shouldn't be about abortion, which should be legal and safe and a whole lot rarer. Or guns...everyone that wants to, should own a shotgun and teach their kids how to use it safely for hunting and it should be locked up otherwise. Does anyone really need a hand gun or an Uzi? Really? This election shouldn't be about religion. Why is it that those with the most religion are the least tolerant? And, I'm really not sure why your personal relationship with God is a public matter. Mine isn't.

This election is about leadership. This election is about our place in the world and the worlds place here.
Don't let those who oppose you shout down your opinions and ideas. Be informed. Be educated. Whatever you do, please vote. Exercise your right to choose our leaders. Please do so with an enlighted mind.