TIME MAGAZINE: The Destroyer of Compassion

Before reading this article I ask you the remember the day that Hurricane Katrina occurred? What were your feelings? Were they of sorrow, empathy, or compassion? Did you wish to help? Were you worried about the economic set backs due to the possible loss or delaying actions set on the New Orleans ports?
The cyclone of Burma wiped out nearly to what Red Cross has been stating as upwards of 100,000 victims. Total towns wiped from the map. Families, businesses, livelihoods lie in ruin. Myanmar a military run country, controlled by a small group of military commanders known as the Junta, set, control, regulate, and suppress freedoms, all production, and product value.
The Junta, has stopped, prevented, and or delayed aid relief's deliverance to the devastated population of Burma. Their reasoning though lacking definition is obviously due to the now devastated industry and the possibility of now selling the aid relief to the already impoverished victims at a price they cannot possibly meet. This has lead to international pressure to force, coerce, or possibly sanction Burma and the Junta to allow aid in with uncontrolled capacity.
TIME magazine offered a new interpretation on how to deal with the Junta. In all of their brilliance, one of their journalists, Romesh Ratnesar, stated that it might be "...time to invade Burma". Well, lets just say TIME magazine gets their way. What exactly is their plan of of action, or more over what is Ratnesar's plan? This brilliant journalist maybe should enlighten us on how this completely qualified, not so much over paid, genius would run his "humanitarian effort". Thats right this genius refers to the military invasion throughout his entire article as "the humanitarian effort". Well maybe its time for TIME magazine to actually start looking for journalists that don't have twisted ideals.
Let me get this strait. Invasion of a country equals more suffering.

Gustavus

Gust oh Gust
Dancing on your way.

Lavish passes at those striking dresses
Never satisfy your ways.
Masked beauty, no matter
Place, Grasp, Spin

Gust of Gust
Dancing on your way.
Future butcher of the new French way.

Sweat and blood fill your hands
but all you see is gold.
While you dance your people only watch
quietly, waiting, stern.
But still you spin, grasp, spin

Gust oh Gust
Dancing on your way.
Bringer of sins and fear.
You care little.
But they care much.
Whiskey, Wine, then Beer.
Prancing dances that tires the senses.
Moderately working tenses.
But you still grasp, spin, bow

Gust of Gust
Dancing on your way.
Tired grow friends that sit and wonder.
Romantic dancing of sword playing fancies
Never knew to begin.

Gust of Gust.
No more dancing.
Tonight you will see.
What it means.
To be looked on cornered and murdered.

The Two Giants

It seems like only yesterday that Hillary Clinton announced her bid for the White House. Wait. No, it doesn’t. No one would have ever guessed that such displeasure and out right anger could have ever been brought by the former first lady’s bid for the U.S. Presidency.

Hillary Clinton, wife of the former President Bill Clinton, who saw unprecedented economic growth of the U.S. economy during his Presidency, would naturally be a major contender for the premier position of the government. But, who would have guessed that the junior senator from Illinois Barack Obama Jr. who was only two years into his senatorial position when he announced his own candidacy for President, would have made her work every step of the way. Who would have also thought that one speech at the Democratic National Convention in early 2003, would spring board him to a position of celebrity.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton advocate almost the exact same platform: both argue against the War in Iraq, both have become increasingly critical of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), both advocate for the United States to become energy independent, both state a primary goal of Universal Health Care, and still more important both have an agenda to support economic incentives to jump start the U.S. economy.

It seems to be such a startling feature of this Presidential Primary that one (Pledged Voters) cannot identify themselves as a Democrats anymore. Clinton and Obama’s daily insults and pardon me for the reference but, “drive by character assasinations” has destroyed the unity that was so evident after the 2006 Mid-Term Congressional Elections, where the Democrats without a leader, swept the Republican majority from the House of Representatives and the Senate ending 22 years of Republican control. This lack of a leader came to the fore front of national debate when Hillary Clinton stepped out as the “chosen leader” and Obama soon stepped out as the “Underdog”. Why have two fundamentally the same politicians broken undeniable unity that the Democrats had shown in 2006? The reasons are very simple but yet very troubling they include: unfair media coverage, racial and sexist tensions, character assassinations, and the long dead locked campaign.

With Obama’s political popularity on the rise, he was convinced to step in not by his main supporters, the African Americans, but, the national media. They covered his complete background for almost two to three months before he made his decision, he was called and interviewed by almost every talk show host imaginable, each probed him with questions asking him to make his decision on their network. During all of this time Clinton laid forgotten in the troublesome setting of establishing her campaign.
Not only did unfair media coverage seem to instigate a small portion of hatred amongst Obama from Clinton supporters, due to an unfair advantage, as well as a hint of hatred due to a feeling of, “she is next in line”, but it also laid the foundation for Conservative Democrats to stray away from both of these new image icons and choose to stay away from choosing sides or possibly making them defect to Presidental candidate, Republican John McCain.

Second, though the news media refused to acknowledge it, short of the candidates or their political allies stating it themselves, race and sex is an issue. Obama is the son of a Kenyan father and a United States Caucasian citizen. Whether, you wish to deny that racism exists, or it simply does not have a major consequence in this case, denying it makes any supporter unreliable in their intellectual integrity. The primary polls in each state yells it from sea to shining sea, the black population loves Obama, the white populations loves Hillary, the Hispanic populous jumps from side to side, and those who have chosen stand quietly and wait their turn to vote Independent Ralph Nader. The 1960’s pictures of segregation, humiliation, and out right civil rights violations against the African American population is still fresh in the minds of older white citizens, who though state they wish that didn’t happen, still hold some of their pre-educational views from their parents strong at heart. Though most of these men and women, are Republicans who are located in the Republican stronghold in the South, there are still Democrats just alike that have the same background.

Though racism, is a crucial factor in an election like this, one cannot deny another crucial idea that will determine thousands if not perhaps millions of voters, sexism. Now, sexism has been argued a dying idea in the United States, but unfortunately it is not dead yet. Women’s struggle for equality still has its place in America. Women’s proportionate wage across the U.S. is on average lower than a man’s. But, again, the disenfranchisement of thousands of voters who won’t vote for a black man or a woman, are flocking away from the Democratic Party. Now, most of you Democrats are saying, “good riddance we don’t need their type anyways”. Sorry folks yes, the Democrats do need them. the Democrats, due to their locative strongholds, which are mainly in Urban areas, the Democrats need to win their own grown (urban areas mainly have liberal voting tendencies), the independent vote (mostly moderates choosing a candidate election to election), and a portion of the Republican ground (rural areas mainly filled with conservative voting tendencies). That seems to be quite a feat to accomplish especially with voters that most definitely will be defecting due to a lack of a white male running for President.

Next comes possibly the most crucial reason why unity has been broken among the Democrats, character assassination. Now, with such a long drawn out campaign during the primary, one cannot help but realize that when such a long campaign is drawn out against one side, “camps” or sides are made. Now it is not Democrats trying to establish themselves against other Democrats now it is, Hillary camp versus Obama camp, each one completely different from the other. However, they truly are not different, but because of the length of time at which they are campaigning against each other it seems like it. This leads to what I refer to in the first paragraph as, “drive by character assassinations”. They refer to each other and their sides in demeaning natures, destroying the feelings of Democratic identity, and trying to further their own agenda. However, they have not and will not realize the disastrous effect of their actions until it is to late.

By breaking Democratic unity, Clinton and Obama have given the man who they should be attacking, John McCain ground to recover and distance himself from Bush. He has had time to accept the defecting angry Democrats, and he has had time to pick up the Independent Moderates who if you have realized like some of McCain’s personal views. If Clinton and Obama do not reconcile and attack the gaining Republican machine it will be to little too late.