July 4, 2006

There is perhaps no word, so powerful, and yet equally enigmatic. Everyone has their own meaning for this concept. Is it the the right to religion, to speech, to pursue ones dreams, or even more basic? Perhaps as follows the debate of ecclesiastics, the question of freedom is simply the ability to choose right from wrong.

Perhaps the greatest success of the Reagan administration, was that it clearly defined the Republican economic strategy. Trickle Down Economics; we all know what it means. That if we stimulate the economic growth of the corporations, then this will in turn stimulate the economy.

In contrast, the biggest failure of the Democratic party is that we have failed to articulate our own economic strategy. In so doing, we have allowed the Republicans to define it for us, to our detriment. Hence, the popular phrase, Tax and Spend Democrats.

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama

(As prepared for delivery)

Apostolic Church of God

Sunday, June 15th, 2009

Chicago, IL

I have seen the light, so yesterday, I filled out the paperwork, and sent it in. Surprisingly, my credit card came in the mail today. I thought it would take awhile, however, when it comes to spending other peoples money, my conservative colleagues, are streamlined with businesslike effeciency.

Over 1 Billion charged daily!!!

Two decades of silence
It sometimes seems like yesterday, I pulled myself out of a ditch and walked away. As I awakened from the nightmare, I realized that nothing would ever be the same.
Finding my way home, I took the obligatory shower, and cleansed my body, if not my soul. As I hid between the covers, I kept repeating it didn't happen, it didn't happen. And when I awoke, it was true.
Yet ever-lingering, in the back of my mind, the memory remained, and as the years passed, I watched the violence continue until at last I found the courage to speak.

In his first address to the U.N. General Assembly, Pope Benedict XVI touched on several broad themes, among them: a call for bedrock ethical and moral principles as a guiding force even in pluralistic societies, a human rights agenda that encompasses religious freedom and the sacredness of human life, and the responsibility of first-world nations to aid developing ones. Here is the entire text of the speech, which the pontiff delivered in French and English:

In the year 2021, ring-shaped hyperspace gateways (also referred to as "astral gates") were constructed across the solar system, allowing easy interplanetary travel. Unfortunately, the gate network contained a fatal instability that was ignored by the contractors who built the system. The instability grew until a gateway near Earth exploded, releasing a powerful burst of energy that cracked the Moon. In a cataclysmic disaster referred to as "The Gate Accident", meteoric debris from the devastated Moon rained down on the planet, destroying much of Earth's surface. The death toll was by far the most catastrophic in recorded history; around 4.7 billion lives were lost in the initial incident alone. Decades later, debris from the disaster still falls on Earth with the same frequency as rainstorms ("rock showers" are a part of daily weather forecasts), forcing those remaining on Earth to live mostly underground.

Recently Newt Gingrich gave a speech in reply to Obama, The More perfect Union in regards to race.

 If we are to have a genuine dialogue on the issue, then I think we should take the time to listen, and respond to a more conservative view.

(I apologize for the length of this text)

There are things that will "trigger" or upset a survivor.

Most people don't have a clue what to say or do. It's a hope that this list will help. We're still your friends, family, wives, moms, students, husbands, teachers, doctors, brothers and loved ones. There's no need to back off or be scared of us.

For the most part these suggestions are pretty easy to avoid, as you will see in a minute. Please don't...

Angels and Demons dancing in my head
Lunatics and monsters underneath my bed
Media messiahs preying on my fears
Pop culture prophets playing in my ears

These words an anthem it would seem to the times we live in. A time of fear, a time of hope, a time of reason, a time of illusion.

It rained today in Memphis. Perhaps that is fitting. I remember the story told to me not long ago by a friend. He told me of a day, 40 years ago, when he was child. he told me that he rode his bicycle home through the streets of Memphis. And what he remembered most, is that the clouds had never been so dark.

 It is the mystery of the storm. Raindrops fall, tears from the sky. Tears sometimes of sorrow, and at other times Tears of joy. And yet always, these tears serve to cleanse the land, and to heal its many wounds.