FINDING A DIFFERENT WAY

Television misinforms everyday. It is part of the corporate mission to keep the customers (i.e. consumers) in a constant state of agitation. Agitation works. Being dissatisfied is a perfect state to foist upon you new products, or sometimes simply new concepts, that you did not know about until you found that you must have them, no matter what. Movies. I-Phones. Drugs for conditions that you were unaware existed. Restless Consumer Syndrome. Ask your doctor if RCS is right for you.

Sadly, the corporate huckster approach is applied to nearly everything. Politics, militarism, you name it, becomes a package that often has to be repackaged. Media consultants, bloggers, pundits, and celebrities become an essential part of the mix, creating illusions within delusions. Mission Accomplished. Doing a heck of a job. Victory with honor, dead or alive.
Unfortunately, reality has a way of exposing its fangs. There is an energy crisis. It is exacerbated by the Iraq occupation, along with the other missions, as they are called, in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The agitated customers become even more restless when they discover it now costs real money to run their automobiles.

But the corporate state is not interested in any kind of national response. If there was such a thing, you would have the President of The United States declaring a national emergency. Saving and reducing fossil fuel use would be job 1. Natural gas would be nationalized. Extravagant indulgences such as stock car racing would be banned. Other recreational indulgences, such as all terrain vehicles and boats, would have to pay an extra tax for their waste. The automobile as consumer fetish would be seen for what it truly is: an unnecessary marketing gimmick. The use of lawnmowers would be reviewed.

Of course none of this is going to happen. Especially in the "you are going to feel some pressure" form I speak of here. American culture is simply too fond of corporate branding and the way of life it implies. The capitalist cornucopia promised, is what President Bush called "our way of life" that they (the evil ones) hate us for. The freedom to shop till you drop. But even that has become more difficult recently. The rising price of food is partially blowback for the increased use of Biofuels. As Geoffrey Lean of The Independent pointed out: "Just one fill-up of a 4x4's tank with ethanol uses enough grain to feed one person for a year."

The squeeze is on in one form or another, for everyone accept those of the ownership class. The political response to this situation, has so far, been incredibly lame. The so-called economic Darwinism that free marketeers wax poetic about, what the late Hunter Thompson called "the punishment ethic" embraced so readily by the Republican party, has become in fact, a security threat to the stability of this nation. How this country is more secure by a having a substantial segment of the citizenry squeezed to the point of monetary oblivion, is truly incomprehensible.

The same can be said for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. If this was about oil, then the amount of money wasted on this war, could have purchased all the oil needed, without all the loss of life. But if that wasn't the point, then the neocon abstraction of "coercive democracy" as Scott McClellan put it, becomes the cruelest reason of all. Outrage at this stage, is a moot point.

If the United States, which spends more on weapons than nearly the rest of the world combined, would redirect all that energy to constructive purposes, the economic outlook would change, and certainly for the better. The need for infrastructural improvements is like a house literally screaming to be painted. The expansion of intelligent technologies brought about by the mass production of optical components and the improvements wrought from digital measurement... these areas of development are still in their infancy.

Strangely, despite all the information that is easily available, both current and historic, there is an astonishing number of people who are misinformed. Calculated misinformation has been perpetrated by those seeking to further their false agendas. As a result, we have people who believe that Saddam Hussein was behind the September 11 attacks, and that the Muslim faith is out to destroy America. The internet, and especially Google, is what you make use of it for. Obviously it can be a tool for education, probably the greatest in human history. Or, it can be used for games, social netweorking and of course, porn.

When it comes to open source applications for the internet, the majority of American desktop computer users are just not that interested. I once mentioned that most of the problems with electronic voting is caused by using proprietary software. The puzzled response to this was like I had arrived from another planet. Come to think of it, maybe I have.

If the goal is, not only for this country, but the entire planet, a prosperous survival, then finding a different way is not only necessary, it is vital. The old time dishonored responses of ideological violence have become as useless as they are dangerous. This is difficult for some to grasp how many easily accepted notions, were nothing more than unconscious myths. We are certainly in unfamiliar territory. The road maps of the twentieth century are obsolete.

You Scum, Scott McClellan. Why did you wait so long?

I received this, as did thousands of others from Congressman Robert Wexler:
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Last night, significant news broke that directly impacts our push for Impeachment Hearings and a possible Inherent Contempt charge for Bush Administration officials such as Karl Rove:

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan has revealed in his upcoming book that:

• Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, and Vice President Cheney lied about their role in revealing the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson – actions easily amounting to obstruction of Justice.
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Easily amounting to obstruction of justice? Are you kidding me? Clinton was impeached over the definition of the word “is”. We the People spent $70 million of tax payer’s money to determine the origin of a stain on a blue dress. Rove, Libby, and Cheney participated in outing a covert CIA agent. An agent that specialized in making sure Iran did not get nuclear weapons. [1]

United States Code at 18 U.S.C. § 2381 states "whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States."

It seems to me that outing a CIA agent that is working to prevent a nation our President has termed “Evil” from getting nuclear weapons is giving the aid to our enemies. Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, and Vice President Cheney should all be immediately be investigated by Congress on charges of Treason.

It seems only fair if found guilty, to sentence them to death just as this Texas herd of criminals has imposed the ultimate penalty on so many on Texas’ death row.
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McClellan also admitted that:

• There was a coordinated effort within the Bush Administration to use propaganda to pump up the case for the Iraq war and hide the projected costs of the war from the public.

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The Bush administration paid reporters to tilt their reporting to support administration policies on several occasions. [2] If they would be so under handed as to pay for spin on “No Child Left Behind”, a bogus issue to distract people; then is it a stretch at all to think that they intentionally fed the MSM the exact text and tone of the message they wanted the American people to get? Just look back at the TV footage. Every network uses the same buzz words. Every major network used similar graphics and banners that conveyed not only overt propaganda supplied by this administration, the images and sound bites used were designed to send subliminal messages of fear.

Fear to keep us in line 9/11. Fear to make us follow their lead 9/11 to where ever they want to go. Fear of the world 9/11…Has one day yet gone by that they have not said or referred to 9/11?

As for the cost of the war, what profit is there in making it quick?
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Scott McClellan must be called to testify under oath before the House Judiciary Committee to tell Congress and the American people everything he knows about this massive effort by the White House to deceive this nation into war.

Last week, a subpoena was issued for Karl Rove to testify before the Judiciary Committee. It appears he will take every legal action to block this subpoena. The truth is that Congress has the right – and obligation – to hold him accountable now - not months or years from now. It is long past time to pass Inherent Contempt and bring Rove, Libby and others before Congress.

We simply cannot ignore these recent developments, nor should we postpone serious inquiry until after the next election.
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Unfortunately Speaker Pelosi took impeachment off the table, and seems to be determined to keep it off the table. The Democrats are taking an enormous risk by their laise-faire attitude toward upholding the Constitution. Do they not realize the 2006 win was a mandate to stop this administration from doing further harm?

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Your commitment to accountability for the Bush/Cheney Administration, and the support of 230,000 other Americans who signed up at wexlerwantshearings.com, has inspired and motivated me in my effort to hold impeachment hearings for Vice President Dick Cheney and Inherent Contempt for Rove and others. During the past months I have been a tireless and dogged advocate of this vitally important cause.

Many of you have written me, asking for an update on where we stand with regards to impeachment hearings. I know most of you believe - as I do - that impeachment hearings for Vice President Cheney – are not only justified, but that it is our constitutional obligation to look into the serious allegations of wrongdoing that have been raised. This is especially true based on the newest revelations from Scott McClellan.

I believe that it is the duty of Congress to pursue impeachment whenever there's significant evidence of wrongdoing, be it by Republicans or Democrats, regardless of the timing of elections or the current political environment.

Some of you have written me demanding that I deliver hearings or impeachment. As hard as I have been fighting for this cause, I cannot make impeachment happen by myself. What I can do, and what I have been doing at every turn, is trying to communicate two simple messages to my colleagues:

• the serious allegations of wrongdoing and the clear-cut rationale for impeachment hearings;and
• the fact that the public will support our efforts when Congress boldly acts on the side of justice and accountability.

Unfortunately, to date, these arguments have not been enough to convince even a majority of the liberal and progressive Members of Congress to support impeachment hearings. In addition, the leadership of the Democratic Party in Congress genuinely feels that pursuing impeachment will jeopardize our congressional agenda and threaten gains in the November elections. Although I genuinely disagree with this view, to date I have been unable to convince them to change this policy.

I understand the challenges that we are up against, and I recognize the odds that we face. Nevertheless, I remain unfazed and unyielding.

This new evidence from Scott McClellan could be the tipping point – but we must move quickly. I will use the McClellan admissions to help convince my colleagues that we must hold impeachment hearings.

Regardless, I will continue to fight for progressive values and our Constitution. I will do everything I can to pursue accountability for criminal actions taken by this Administration and this Vice President. I will be a furious opponent to any expansion of this misguided war, and I will fight against the use of torture by our government and to protect our civil liberties here at home.

Most of all, I will continue my efforts to convince my fellow members of Congress and voters, that we should not be a party of passivity - but that we succeed when we present the public with stark choices that are based on the guarantees in our Constitution, and not on the politics of the moment.

I will continue - at every pass - to call for impeachment and accountability. While I wish more of my colleagues supported our movement, we must not let our discouragement lead to apathy and distraction in this important election year when we must break free from eight long years of illegalities, corporate handouts, and a tragic and devastating war.

We should not end the calls for impeachment. I will push against the crimes of the Bush Administration whenever I am provided the opportunity. I will use my role on the Judiciary Committee to take on Administration officials – like I have done with Condoleezza Rice, Attorney Generals Gonzalez and Mukasey, and FBI Director Mueller.

I have not given up our fight to hold this Administration accountable and neither can you. I am grateful for your patriotism and your support. I'll continue to keep you informed and part of the conversation.

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This administration has lied to us, endangered us, and has done so willingly. These are not the actions of bumbling idiots that are just making dumb mistakes. The actions of this administration were planned and implemented for reasons I cannot fathom.

I feel that it is my duty as a citizen to take a stand to defend the Constitution against all enemies, even if those enemies are our highest ranking officials. I have written my Congressman. I ask you to do the same.

https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml
Address your email to The Honorable Member of Congress Representative ___________.

Use your own words, be polite and state clearly your reasons for supporting impeachment of Vice President Cheney and the indictment of Karl Rove and Scooter Libby for crimes against the United States in the form of Obstruction of Justice, lying to Congress and the American people about the reasons to go to war, and treason for the outting of an active covert CIA agent.

You will feel better after you do. Keep on writing. They like getting mail.

[1] Muriel Kane and Dave Edwards, "CBS confirms 2006 Raw Story scoop: Plame's job was to keep nukes from Iran," Raw Story (20 October 2007).
[2] http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/26/politics/main669432.shtml

THOUGHTS ON JOHN McCAIN

By; thebeerdoctor

There is an uneasiness about the Senator from Arizona. You see it on his face when a lesbian television host asked him about same sex marriage. Its a kind of whole body nervous laugh that suppresses uncomfortable anger. “My friends, my friends,” he will often say, that is almost his trademark, like Richard Nixon’s let me make one thing perfectly clear.

Identity and clarity have become a problem for the Republican Presidential Candidate. In this hyper-driven media universe, perception has become a constant concern. Not only are there tiny camera phones, microphones etc., but there is the 24/7 internet, ready to swallow it whole. So endorsements from crackpot pastors and former lobbyists with dubious connections, becomes a kind of odd parlor game, to see who is the next in line to be thrown to the curb. This of course is bipartisan.

What is referred to as mainstream media long ago dubbed John McCain as a Maverick. This designation has been kind to the Arizona senator. For those who know the meaning of the word, he is perceived as an independent thinker, a straight shooter as it were, ergo, the straight talk express. For those who do not know the word’s meaning, it invokes a cool riverboat gambler, a young Jim Garner, long before he became a shill for reverse mortgages. Whatever the perception, the label has helped in the past, and even now it is still trying to be applied.

Unfortunately, the archive of time has a way of catching up with you. Difficult transgressions from your past can suddenly resurface. The Keating Five scandal of 1989 was about the perception of corruption. John McCain said: “The appearance of it was wrong. It’s a wrong appearance when a group of senators appear in a meeting with a group of regulators , because it conveys the impression of undue and improper influence. And it was the wrong thing to do.”

It appears that conveying the wrong impression is a top priority to avoid. The recent release of Mrs. McCain’s tax records, despite her desire to keep them private, was done so there is no appearance of trying to hide something. As song writer Leonard Cohen once said: “soon there’ll be a meter on your bed, which will disclose what everybody knows.” Psychologically, presidential politics is a very tough arena, especially with all this, all inclusive, all invasive technology. For a man over seventy years old like John McCain, sometimes it must be bewildering.

So it is not too surprising that in a poll conducted with voters over 65 years of age, over seventy percent thought that John McCain was too old to be president. That is not age discrimination but a more honest assessment of what we are capable of, in different stages of life. This review of the job resume is important.

Senator McCain’s efforts to unite with the Republican party are difficult. Having to pander and subsequently abandon the more toxic extremist elements that usurped the Grand Old Party, has made Senator McCain appear awkward at best. The Middle East gaffe, with Senator Lieberman whispering in his ear, was quickly dismissed by big time media, as simply the Senator was having a moment.

One of the biggest assertions that attempts to make McCain’s biography bullet proof, is the claim that he is a genuine American hero. This is of course based upon his harrowing years as a POW during the Vietnam war. Never mind that he was participating in an illegal war by dropping bombs on a country with mostly agricultural peasants. If he had been put into an American prison for refusing to follow unconstitutional orders, citing the Nuremberg War Crime Trials as precedent, he would be a hero, but not in the Republican party.

Senator McCain often appears to be a thoughtful man, but other times, seems to head in the opposite direction. This is the famous temper that is whispered about, of an angry man with expletives flying out from his mouth. Then of course there is his rather weird sense of humor, that some of his colleagues have commented to not be very funny at all.

On Halloween, 2005, John McCain paid tribute to Rosa Parks from the floor of the Senate. “Rosa Parks was a civil rights icon,” John McCain noted, “who galvanized the American civil rights with her simple act of protest. She will be dearly missed but her legacy will never be forgotten.”

Certainly this was a somber tribute to a historic person. McCain, being a seasoned politician, knows how to wear different hats for different occasions. Ten days before the Halloween elegy, he was all fun and games at the Al Smith Memorial Dinner, with “my good friend, Mike Bloomberg.”

“I’m glad the Mayor, my fellow Republican is here.” The Arizona Senator remarked. “But Mike, I think we’re all relieved that the organizers decided against holding this dinner at the Apollo Theater.”

Some folks say that the straight talk express is a riot.

It will not be surprising if some new archival material, be it audio or video, will emerge to reveal the Senator from Arizona, in a hard to explain, off color moment, designed to betray his strong leadership image. No, it would not be surprising at all. The party that John McCain professes to belong to, does not actually exist any more. To maintain political survival, McCain has had to kiss the blarney stone of Bush. When running against George W. in 2000, he soon discovered he did not have the big steam money of the House of Bush. The very same evangelical knot heads he attempts to embrace now, spread vicious lies about him and his family then, the South Carolina primary being a glowing example. It would be kind if someone close to the Senator said: “John, this is not your father’s republican party.”

But that is not going to happen. The Big Wheels at Republican Central have some problems with some of McCain’s views, but these can be adjusted. He is wealthy, but he is not Big Money, so he is forced to do a dance for contributors. Attempting to pilot the ship of state, after the Cheney-Bush junta, is a formidable task. My friends, John McCain wants you to know, is ready to take on the job.

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

By: PeaceMonger

Is there anything new going on in Washington with the Republicans and the Democrats? Nothing is ever going to change until there are more than two viable political party’s.

Are you against the war?

Do you care about the environment?

Do you think everyone should have equal rights?

Do you want single payer universal healthcare for all?

Do you think it is time to stop the War on Drugs – and legalize marijuana?

Are you concerned about the national debt?

If you answered yes to most or all of these questions you need to be looking at the Green Party of the United States. I urge you to read their lengthy and in depth party platform.

Then I suggest you Google for Republican Party Platform. There isn’t one for 2008 that I found, and the others that pop up are not official platform statements, just speeches; in particular at Regan’s funeral. No platform statement? Is that because they don’t want us to know what it is, or because they are ashamed of what they are doing? I’m guessing the former.

The democrats do have a platform statement from the 2004 convention.

Although it is far better than the nothing the Republicans offer, it does not consider universal health care a right due all citizens. It continues the drum beat of war by increasing troop numbers, although it did not say how. It says a lot of things that now with 20/20 hindsight we can see that the Democratic Party platform is just a bunch of talk with no action.

Only the Greens have plans for ending poverty, and stopping the war, and the creation of a Department of Peace. Greens offer solutions not just spin to the energy crisis, but also resource management, and cleaning up the environment.

So please put on your calendars 7:30 each Tuesday night - meetings in Nashville at Bongo Java, 2007 Belmont Blvd.

Meet other Greens or folks just drinking coffee.

This election cycle, particularly here in Tennessee, we have Green Party candidates running against a weak democratic opponent that doesn’t really expect to unseat Senator Lamar Alexander.

Folks, if you are fed up with the crap in Washington, one nice way to send the establishment a shit burger is to vote for Green Party candidates. No matter what State you are in, there is a Green Party there. Get in contact with them, and get active.

Come meet other Greens:
Tuesdays
7:30 PM
Bongo Java
Nashville

Back on Top, Back in Business

by thebeerdoctor

First thing, I am no longer banned on The Huffington Post. Why I was, and the speculation, lead to a piece for which I received excellent support from readers of Streetalker.com and Truthdig.com. My speculations over content, may in fact have nothing to do with it. It could have been some technical glitch in their system. Since I never received any feedback from Huffpo, I guess I will never really know. To all who sent me encouragement I say Thank You.

But this blog is not about that. Now that the occupation of Iraq grinds on into its sixth year, I would like to tell a true, personal story, that happened to me on May 2,2003; One day after George W. Bush strutted out his flight suit on the aircraft carrier, under the banner MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

It is difficult for some to remember what a jackbooted mentality prevailed at that time. The subservient media were all too complicit in going along with whatever nonsense the government threw out as reasons for this insane aggression. It was generally accepted that overwhelming violence (shock and awe) was not only a tactic but a solution.

At the time, then as now, my business is beer. A new Hofbrauhaus had just opened in Newport, Kentucky. At that time, the Hofbrauhaus in Hong Kong had recently closed, so there were only two in the world: Munich, Germany, and Newport, Kentucky. I was going to make my way over there that evening. I knew, being May 2, they would have their marvelous Maibock on tap. For The Beer Doctor, this was a very good thing.
I should also note that I am an “ale and safety” kind of person. I do not believe in drinking and driving. So I took a metro bus downtown and literally walked across from Cincinnati, using the old L&N bridge that had recently been repainted, as a bicycle and pedestrian thoroughfare, known as The Purple People Bridge. This was mostly an initiative on the part of the commonwealth of Kentucky. The Cincinnati entrance side had not been refurbished yet; in fact it was a kind of public works blight, where the remnants of a bicentennial display of printed metal sheets where either torn off, or degraded by graffiti spray paint. There was busted glass, thrown away cans and the smell of ancient urine. It would be months before the city got around to making the Ohio entrance presentable.

I made my way across on foot, wearing a white cotton barn coat without its lining. I also wore a 100% wool brim outdoors hat from California.

When I arrived at the Hofbrauhaus in the early evening, there was already a line formed of people waiting to get in. I went up to the entrance and said: “I am the Beer Doctor, and I am here to review your beers.” I was immediately ushered in.
What followed was a wonderful couple of hours. I ordered a stein liter of their Maibock which lasted me during the entire visit. I ordered some food which was delicious. The patrons were friendly but there was slight uneasiness. I then realized the cause: I was the only one in the hall wearing a hat that was not a baseball cap.

After a wonderful time, I left, and then I remembered Mother’s Day was only nine days away. I knew that the gigantic Party Source, located about 6 blocks east, sold some of the best greeting cards in the entire area. So sauntered my way over there. A long time patron because of their extensive beer collection, I decided to go to the beer department to see what new brews had come in. This is where the trouble began.

A fairly tall, state trooper looking chap suddenly appeared. I said: “How’s it going?” He said: “I want you to leave.”

Robert Ringer once said that when people with guns talk, he listens. I said: “OK” and immediately proceeded to leave. A shuttle from Newport to Cincinnati stops across the main street from The Party Source. I saw one coming, so I hurried across the four lane road to reach the stop. Then I heard: “He’s fleeing!”

It was the local police. Four prowlers appeared at the intersection, with eight cops in tow. They proceeded to drag me back across the road, where they started flailing me with their batons, studiously avoiding my face, but everywhere else on my body was fair game.

Fully aware of Rodney King and other law enforcement horror stories, I thought what a strange way to die. But then my instinct for survival kicked in, I thought I better play possum. Which I did. I closed my eyes and just laid there as they continued to beat me. Finally, a Sargent I later learned, leaned down and started smacking me in the face, saying: “Hey buddy wake up!” I did not respond. One of the younger members of this police posse, a plumb face patrolman fresh out of high school, nervously laughed out loud: “maybe he’s dead!”

Finally realizing I was not resisting arrest, or for that matter, anything else (talk about satyagraha!), they proceeded to pull me up, throw me into the back of a prowler, where I was taken to the Newport jail.

At the Newport jail there was a person in charge ( I am not making this up) named Officer Slocum. I asked Mr. Slocum if I could make a telephone call. He responded by knocking me down on the concrete floor of the holding cell, where I landed on my left forearm, which began to swell. There were six other “prisoners” in that cell. What crime did all of us share? None of us were driving a car. I had heard of places where they consider pedestrians to be criminals, if not terrorists, but this was the first time I saw it in action.

I will spare you dear reader much of the gory details. Suffice to say it took another day and a half to get out of jail, and another week to get the matter settled, several hundred dollars lighter. It seems they had attached the ridiculous charge of “fleeing” to being publicly intoxicated. This was no small matter, since the local legislature had enacted a law that made fleeing a mandatory one year sentence. All of this was because of another drug war horror story, where a man escaping with grass in his pocket, jumped from the road onto a walkway bridge, where an officer in hot pursuit, attempted the same jump but missed. falling and dying into the frigid Ohio river.

Since the only lawyer who can represent you is one you purchase in the commonwealth of Kentucky, I decided to represent myself. I explained what happened to the judge, and the prosecutor immediately dismissed the fleeing charge. I was fined, which, when you get right down to it, was what this was all about: money extraction. It was most certainly traumatic to say the least. I was terrified to go out of my house for nearly half a year. What was the most difficult part was sensing this new gestapo type America was here to stay. Bush was claiming he knew best. The Microsoft corporation were making claims that they owned the content on the internet. The government had decided that anyone that might be Muslim, could be a person of interest. People were (and still are) being detained, tortured, and never charged.
But much good has also happened in the ensuing five years. People, and I mean the vast majority, no longer consider the Bush-Cheney administration to be valid. There have been too many lies exposed: weapons of mass destruction, Pat Tillman’s friendly fire death, etc. There is only so much BS that anyone can stand.

When I think back to that awful year, I was a terrified beaten individual. But no longer. I write this as testament to say, despite everything, things can get better. The internet has all kinds of open source applications created by ingenious folks who believe communication is for everyone, not just the privileged few. People are beginning to find their voices, so very soon, those who advocated compassion and reason and who were unjustly ignored, will be back on top, back in business.
Thank You is my only prayer. Carpe Diem Vita Brevis.

WHEN WRIGHT IS WRONG

By: thebeerdoctor

May 1st, 2008

He wished it hadn’t turned out like this, but there is nothing to negotiate. Jeremiah, Barack is not going to have a sit down with you. You think of yourself as top capo in your Chicago church, but the young skipper has a much bigger crew. Business is business even when it is personal. Jeremiah Wright showed deep disrespect for Obama and his posse.

Maybe all the recent attention went to the 66 year olds’ head. At the National Press Club he clearly was having a good time, no matter who it might trouble. The visual antics during the questions time revealed a I don’t give a damn attitude that was remarkable for also being hilarious. Maybe I have been observing politics too long, but I couldn’t help wonder is there a hidden sponsor for this show?

The Louis Farrakhan question completely tore it. So the good Reverend thinks Farrakhan is one of the important voices of the 20th century. When the Nation of Islam capo speaks, black people listen? I do not know much, if anything, about religious organizations, but I have known jazz musicians from Chicago tell me that the Nation of Islam is a gangster organization, part and or parcel of the prison industrial complex. Their outreach programs help prisoners to lead moral lives free of drugs, but also free of an individual personality. Proof once again, that religion in most of its myriad forms, is actually up to no damn good.

Rev. Wright’s refusal to criticize the most honorable Louis Farrakhan has probably more to do with south side Chicago local politics, than anything else. As one former AACM percussionist told me: “Chicago is a gangster city.”

It was indeed a sad moment when Barack Obama had to call in his marker on his former pastor. He had no choice. The Aids-US Government conspiracy theory is not as crazy as the Illinois Senator thinks. But defense of Farrakhan? That’s a nut that can be certified by Planters. The Obama folks with all their media savvy, should have seen this coming. But they either refused to see the implications or suffered from misplaced loyalty on the part of their candidate. Whatever it was, it was indeed a spectacle to watch Barack Obama having all his hope boiled right out of him.

Barack Obama should have known that if his pastor is friends with Louis Farrakhan there would be trouble. The very same Louis Farrakhan who teaches us “Yacub’s History”. That all the racial problems started 6000 years ago, when a a mad genetic scientist created white people. Surely, Obama had lived in Chicago long enough to have heard these stories. Perhaps he thought it could all be glossed over… is that what community organizers do? John McCain can get a free ride when it comes to certifiable nut jobs such as John Hagee and Rod Parsley because as the media continues to reminds us, the Senator from Arizona is an American hero. Never mind that John Hagee claimed that hurricane Katrina was God’s way of showing his displeasure with homosexuality, or that Parsley wants a holy war (jihad?) against the false, evil religion known as Islam.

The point is, from my observations, politics and religion do not belong in the same house, let alone the same room. John Kennedy, for all of his faults, had one thing correct: religion at best, is a personal private matter, and has no business in statecraft. This was expedient on his part, in order to make clear that the President does not take marching orders from Rome. The same man who did not even use the word God, when addressing the nation on the Cuban missile crisis. What would he have thought of the junior Illinois Senator telling those in attendance at a rally, how he prays to Jesus every night? How far this nation has fallen from its secular strength.

How ironic that this religious belief that our politicians pander to has nothing to do with spirituality. Bush, McCain, Clinton, Obama all claim Jesus as their ally. Rev. Wright stated that the God that the slave owner prays to is not the same as the God the slaves pray to. This may be true, but one thing is true, for every blessed one of them: all are talking to an invisible being. Such irrational moments should be personal, and for God’s sake, private!

I am reminded of Peter O’Toole in The Ruling Class:

“You say that you are God?”

“Yes because every time I pray, I find I’m talking to myself.”