A New Approach???

Dear Friends,

Perhaps this interruption of a President Obama fundraiser is the approach that we should take to get candidate Obama instead of President Obama.  Here is the link to the article about the incident.  The interruption was done respectfully, and I would hope that it made an impact.  Here is the video of the song:



It is hard to hear the words of the song, so here they are:

Dear Mr. President we honor you today sir
Each of us brought you $5,000
It takes a lot of Benjamins to run a campaign
I paid my dues, where's our change?
We'll vote for you in 2012, yes that's true
Look at the Republicans - what else can we do
Even though we don't know if we'll retain our liberties
In what you seem content to call a free society
Yes it's true that Terry Jones is legally free
To burn a people's holy book in shameful effigy
But at another location in this country
Alone in a 6x12 cell sits Bradley
23 hours a day is night
The 5th and 8th Amendments say this kind of thing ain't right
We paid our dues, where's our change?

I am not sure that I want to pay $5,000, but there will be less expensive fundraisers.  I also do not like the idea of paying people to protest, but we need to find a way to get our message to President Obama.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal

Candidate Obama is Back

Dear Friends,

I am happy to see that candidate Obama seems to be replacing President Obama.  His speeches and appearances lately are reminding me of how well he can speak about liberal issues, and that he really seems to believe in them.  I am trying to keep an open mind. 

I am troubled by his comment today that he understands the frustration that we liberals feel.  It just seems to me that he is preparing us for more give aways as we approach the debt ceiling debate.  I have not heard him speak about the debt ceiling in his recent West coast speeches.  It seems to me that he needs to talk to the American people about how irresponsible it is to even be debating whether to increase the debt ceiling.  In any case, it is nice to have candidate Obama back.  I certainly hope he stays around.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal

Why Would You Vote for This Guy? Volume 3

Dear Friends,

On the anniversary of the start of the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we should look to see what the Obama Administration has done about issuing new permits, making drilling safer and/or eliminating offshore drilling.

According to a report on NPR (here), the Obama Administration has issued 10 new permits for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico since the moratorium was lifted.  In addition, here is President Obama's plan for drilling as summarized in an CBS article (here):

Reversing a ban on oil drilling off most U.S. shores, President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced an expansive new policy that could put new oil and natural gas platforms in waters along the southern Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and part of Alaska.
Speaking at Andrews air base outside Washington, Mr. Obama said, "This is not a decision that I've made lightly." He addressed the expected outcry from disappointed environmentalists by saying he had studied the issue for more than a year and concluded it was the right call given the nation's voracious thirst for energy and the need to produce jobs and keep American businesses competitive.

Unfortunately, the Bureau of Energy Ocean Management, Regulation and Enforcement is not ready to do its job.  Michael Bromwitch, the head of that organization is quoted in the NPR article as follows:

We have barely 60 inspectors to cover 3,000-plus facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. If it weren't so troubling, it would be laughable.

Yet his agency is issuing new permits some using disaster plans written before last year's BP oil spill and some using similar technology.  He claims with pride that blowouts can be stopped in 17 days. Even if he is right, given the fact that his agency does not have the resources to do its job and the history of abuse by drillers, there can be no assurance that the drillers will do what they have said they will do. 

There are two conclusions that you can draw from President Obama's actions.  One is that he lacks any real interest in preserving our environment, or two that he has once again suppressed his values and caved into political pressure.  I do not want to vote for that person regardless of which conclusion you reach.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal