Saturday, September 10, 2011

A Day of Remembrance

 


Ten years ago while getting ready for work I turned on the television as I often do in order to check the local weather and traffic report just like most commuting suburbanites who have to travel some twenty plus mile or more to work and back, we had no idea that this terrorist attack would for ever change the lives of millions of Americans for ever.

Our local Los Angeles newscast was preempted by a live video feed from New York City and what first seemed to be just a containable fire coming from a floor in the World Trade Center soon became a story about a possible small Cessna airplane that flew off course into on of the Twin Towers in Manhattan.  

The Video Footage Changed the Story

Within minutes of the first live journalistic assumptions and questions, a video footage showing a large (high jacked ) passenger transcontinental air plane crashing into the north tower of the WTC,  the public later learned it was American Airline flight 11 caring 92 passengers of which there were no survivors.

While observing the live feed from New York a second plane crashed into the south tower once I witnessed this tragic event  before my very eyes, I knew right away, this was no accident, and my family and I were now witnessing in real time one of the most horrific and heroic moments in our nations ever changing history.  The second plane was United flight 175 caring 60 passengers as well as the hijackers. Two other flights were also hijacked on the same day  flight 77 which was en route for the Pentagon in Arlington Virginia ,  and flight 93 which was assumed to be en-route for the White House.  

Like many Americans I was worried that this was not the end of attacks. I was raised with a strong faith in God’s sovereign ability to watch over our nation, knowing we as Americans would have to rely on each other and Gods mercy to get us through this painful moment for years to come.

What Have We Learned ? 

As a result of what took place on September 11, 2001 multiple lives have been affected worldwide. Each year since we still mourn those whose lives that were taken on that fateful morning, and we honor the thousands of service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our nations freedom.

Today I am saddened and disappointed in the way some have used this terrible moment in our history to excuse their bigoted remarks, and physical and verbal attacks on innocent citizens and others who are seeking a peaceful solution to the bitter narrative of anger, racism, and revenge.


Recent news stories shed some light on how 9/11 has become a tool of manipulation to further the political, monitory, and racist agenda for those who continue to fan the flames of division in our nation and the world. We are still learning how to accept what happened it is a process but we must not turn on each other because that would play into the hands of those who committed this horrendous act.

How do we pay our Respect?

Some will use this solemn day of remembrance to offer service to others donating their time and skills, such as helping in a shelter for the less fortunate, assisting in building homes, donating or serving food at a food bank, giving monetary assistance to a charity or church out reach program. Whatever we could do to offer some menial service to those in need, cannot in any way comparing to what our service men and women encounter each day on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.


This week rather than focusing on the negatives of those who have used 9/11 for their personal agenda, (which in most cases has some negative slant), I choose to offer a narrative of respect and honor to the lives of those lost and to my country as a whole.


Billy Graham in one of his last national appearances with a sitting president Reverend Graham stated " We come together today to reaffirm our conviction that God cares for us, whatever our ethnic, religious or political back ground may be." 


May God Bless the 9/11 Families, the men and women of the Armed Services and their families, and our President and Congress and finally May God Bless the United States of America.


K. Gerard Thomas

Monday, September 5, 2011

Can He Find His Voice?





Is president Obama playing possum or is the real battle over? This is a concern by many voters almost a year before the November 2012 presidential election.

The upcoming September eighth presidential speech on jobs before a joint session of Congress is causing some in the Washington beltway to nervously wonder what the president is going to say, and if the president does not offer a big bold plan to increase employment, would he run the risk of causing many Americans to become tone deaf to his message or plans?

If he offers the same intellectual highbrow speech or plan that is over the head of the average Joe or Jane citizen it could back fire, Obama already is having a problems convincing some that he is a willing and able fighter on the behalf of the people, and not since his March 2008 speech on race has there been as much hype or concern about what he will say or do.

Obama was perceived to be a strong fighter during his 2007-08 campaign run, but three years later that perception has come under serious attack by some of his most loyal defenders. With unemployment stagnant at 9.1 percent and zero job growth in August 2011 it is affecting the Obama brand. 

Consumer confidence is at an all time low and what appears to be the administrations inability to connect with a large segment of the American public is now (according to different national polls) having a strenuous negative affect on the president’s re-election campaign.    

President Obama’s latest speech before union workers in Detroit, MI on Labor Day 2011 is by all accounts a foreshadowing of his upcoming national speech and he appeared to show a new - fresh willingness to stand against the tea party members of congress and their regular desire to say no to any compromise.  Some are still worried that the presidents speech or plan will offer the same rhetoric and he will cave and offer more concessions to the Republicans and Wall Street leaving the middle class Americans and the jobless with very little hope to latch onto.


K Gerard Thomas  

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Camp David


Editorial

According to Bloomberg Business Week  President Barack Obama is  entertaining the idea of having the negotiation meetings over the debt ceiling at Camp David of which the Republicans are refusing to do as of late.
  
Since when does the president of the United States need to go to Camp David to raise the debt ceiling?  The president most often uses Camp David for vacation or for the purpose of negotiating with foreign dignitaries of nations such as China, Russia or Israel.

Camp David has never been needed to negotiate with our very own members of congress in order to raise the debt ceiling, how ridiculous is that?      

Unfortunately we now have members of congress who are willing to place our nations financial standing at risk for the sake of their lust for power.

Unfortunately we now have a democratically elected president who is forced to treat our Republican members of congress like foreign dignitaries who need to be swayed to a more peaceful resolution for the sake and safety of the civilized world. 

Most of these same congressional (so-called leaders) raised the debt ceiling for George Bush seven times.  Now to keep them from screwing up our country even more then they already did under Bush and their Wall Street Lords we have to endure this foolishness because they have a mandate destroy Obama at all cost even if it means Rome Burns.   

K. Gerard Thomas


http://www.toledoblade.com/Nation/2011/07/12/Debt-limit-talks-testy-as-deadline-closes-in.print
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-07-14/obama-may-summon-lawmakers-to-camp-david-to-save-debt-talks.html

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Who Gives A Damn about the Un-employed


 
The unemployment crisis in our nation is staggering and those of us, who care, are asking is there a foreseeable solution, and if there is a solution, who out of our nations elected leaders will make a courageous attempt to work together to attack this problem head on? 

In a free labor and free market society our citizens are not forced to work, but it is the greater majority often forgotten , middle class, law abiding,  union supporting or not, working Americans , who are the heart and soul of our country, and they assure our nations posterity is secure and have done so for decades.     

Our politicians from the White House on down to the community activist all say the same thing, "we need to find and offer better jobs for our nations unemployed citizens", this has been the mantra of both parties especially since the most recent unemployment rate stats showed a jump from 9.1 percent to 9.2. so question for both parties " Where are the Jobs?"     

Democratic Agenda for Change

In 2008 presidential candidate Barrack Obama made mention of the need to build new infrastructure jobs right here in the United States, he forged ahead to concentrate on green jobs that will be the wave of the future he has in many ways made a concerted  effort to fulfill his campaign promise but he seems to constantly be distracted with Washington grid lock.    

President Obama believed that he was able to build some bipartisan agreement between both parties,  but as of yesterday Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner made it clear there will be no working together with the president for raising of the debt ceiling and as of now a jobs bill does not seem likely before the 2012 elections. 

I’m sure Obama or his young administration never dreamed that the Republicans would oppose him on such a monolithic scale that elder Republican statesmen from served under the Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush1 and Bush 2, administrations don't recognize this new( Throw the baby out with the bath tub)  conservatives.

You can’t blame the president for trying, after all he is an optimist, (almost to a fault) according to some progressives and Democratic leaders. He campaigned on Hope and Change but that was not what Washington wants for it’s citizenry.  


Republican Ideological Agenda for Change

In 2010 with the Tea Party controlled Republican Party beat out most of their Democratic rivals on such large scale that it was a national game changer and put the Republicans in charge of the House of Representatives, now some are having buyers remorse.  

Many in America thought it would be a good idea to have both parties share in the responsibility in running our nations government, but, to our great disappointment the election of 2010 turned out to be more of the same old chicken and gravy and sound bites for the camera.

House Majority Leader Speaker John Boehner promised that he would work on Job growth, yet up to this day we do not have a jobs bill from the Republicans, even after Boehner chided Obama by asking Mr. President where are the Jobs”?     

They are however passing laws against Planned Parent Hood, Acorn, Workers Unions, Black, Latino, elderly, and  young college age voters, text books, gay marriage, the minimum wage, Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security , Head Start, Pell Grants, Legal Representation and any other organization or person who does not fit into their warped Christian Americana ideological thinking.                          

Bipartisan Compromise ( Never )

The problem with the White House and its spokes people is the nation is not buying their talking points and as a result it is causing great doubt in rather the Obama administration could actually deliver on their promises.

This does not mean that they are not making an effort, it just means they have to amp up the sounding board, When was the last time there were more Democrats or progressive spokes persons then Republicans or tea party members on a Sunday political talk show or cable network.?                           

President Obama once said “Why do we keep doing things the same way and expect a different result”;  Obama continues to meet with the Republicans in hopes of finding some type of compromise on their part that will help our nations citizenry, but, unfortunately he seems to think he is working with a Republican party of the seventies or the eighties.

A great majority of the new GOP leadership appear to believe that (Obama) is the anti-Christ so they will not compromise with the spawn of Satan.  Any thing he wants is against Gods law and as far as they are concerned he is not a real American, and does not believe in true Christianity.         

Since both political parties’ are latent with millionaire senators and representatives it is no wonder it is hard to get them to put away their limited ideological views for the betterment of our nation. 

One party has made it clear that they are only concerned about tax subsidies for the top two percent multimillionaires and billionaires who in their opinion won’t help the working class if congress takes away their tax right offs on their personal planes and yachts.

The other party keeps taking their base for granted assuming they will except any deal regardless of how many citizens it may hurt, the administration is perceived as weak when it comes to the art of negotiations and that will be an Achilles heel for the current administration in 2012 campaign.       

Bottom Line

Who Cares about the back bone of our nation those citizens who worked for years at the same company only to find their jobs have been phased out or shipped out to another country where the labor market is considered more cost effective for the company, not to mention the share holders who can reap millions of dollars in dividends in one year or quarter when will we see them on television telling their stories instead of millionaire congress men and women who seem to care very little.      

Both parties take there constituents for granted and they continue to prove that lying and deceit is par for the course in Washington DC and our whole nations needs come secondary to their lust for wealth and power bottom line many Americans feel they just don't give a damn !    


Kevin G. Thomas

Monday, June 27, 2011

Game On!










 


The latest controversy between Fox News host Chris Wallace and Michele Bachmann could have  created some sympathy and credibility for Bachmann’s presidential campaign, the best way to garner the media and the independent voters attention then by creating a web of separation between Ms. Bachmann and the GOP propaganda machine that is Fox News.

During a June 26 on air interview on 'Fox News Sunday' host Chris Wallace asked Michele Bachmann “ Are you a Flake” she was visibly annoyed by the question resulting in a supposed flood of calls and e-mails from Fox News viewers and supporters who complained that Wallace was unfair and insulting.    

 Wallace, later apologized for his statement to Bachman who eventually accepted his apology,  now, we have what the press loves.. conflict unfortunately these minor issues draw attention from the other needs in our nation such as the Debt Ceiling talks the presidents work on the economy amongst other more important concerns.              

Ed Rollins, Bachmans, campaign manager is a well known political power broker who is working overtime re branding  Michele Bachmann as a legitimate candidate for president and some in the belt way media are buying it hook line and sinker while other are waiting for her latest gaff.       


Crazy Like a Fox

 Wallace, tries to make a convincing effort to express a non- partisan ideological view by doing so he is considered to be an independent journalist and that is why this story was  guaranteed to get media attention until she blew it with another Bachmann verbal blunder as reported by the Associated Press    Bachmann flubbed her hometown history when declaring "John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa," and "that's the kind of spirit that I have, too," in running for president. The actor was born nearly 150 miles away. It was the serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr. who lived, for a time, in Waterloo.

 This was a missed  opportunity for Michelle Bachmann to dominate a positive news cycle, and  helping to address her differences from the other GOP presidential candidate unfortunately the only opportunity left in her favor is America's short term memory.         


Kevin G Thomas

Sunday, April 3, 2011

THE TRUE CLARION CALL: Time Will Not Erase Her Memory

THE TRUE CLARION CALL: Time Will Not Erase Her Memory: "Tuscon AZ- April 1, 2011 a 9ft 11inch metal memorial statue made from steel taken from the Pentagon, and the World Trade Center was e..."

Friday, January 7, 2011

Good Bye and Thank You

Now that we have entered the first week of 2011 I would like to take the time to pay homage to the lives of those who left us in 2010. Of course this list is but a small group of the lives of those men and women famous or not, but none the less these individuals will be remembered for their body of work in film, writings, conversations, politics, thoughts, photos, and in some cases our dreams.

To those named and un- named individuals I take the time to say thank you for allowing your life to be shared with those of us who are still looking into our future to discover what legacy we will leave.

K. Gerard Thomas



Art Clokey- Cartoonist creator of Gumby and Pokey

Thank you for bringing Joy to millions of children world wide.




Art Linkletter - "Kids Say the Darndest Things "
Thank You for showing a humorous & wholesome side of Reality TV and even though sorrow and tragedy came to your family , you never quit as a humanitarian and entertainer.


Barbara Billingsly Actress -"Leave it to Beaver " and "Airplane"

Thank you for being a wise Mom that was the model we all wanted even though it was television. Thanks for one of the most funniest moments in motion pictures talking " Jive " in Airplane.



Robert Culp Actor- "I Spy" and "The Greatest American Hero"

Thank You for being apart of a ground breaking era on television in which
an African American co star ( Bill Cosby ) was equal in his ability to lead
and make decisions not just comedy relief.


Peter Graves Actor - "Mission: Impossible " and "Airplane"

Thank You for entertaining us with intellectually savvy spy and espionage
programing and your ability to express humor with a straight face.


Fess Parker- Actor "Davy Crockett " and "Daniel Boone"

During the fifties a movement among children was started as a
result of the popular Disney motion picture as real life frontiersman
and politician
Davy Crockett and in the sixties Daniel Boone.



James Macarthur- Actor "Hawaii Five-O"

The real one and only "Danno" who respected the authority
of his captain. "Book Em Danno" is a quote that is part of
television lore.



Patricia Neal Actress - "The Day the Earth Stood Still" "The Walton's Homecoming" Overcoming a stroke and being one of the most respected actresses in the industry watching her tough as nails roll of the Walton's mother is always a memorable part of my Christmas holiday.





Ms. Dorthy Height- Civil Rights Leader

At a divisive time in our nations history she used her God given ability to organize others for the common good, as a leader she was instrumental as a significant voice for African American women and men. Thank You for helping in giving a voice to those of us who would have been ignored if not for your willingness to stand on our behalf.



Tony Curtis Actor- "Some Like it Hot " and "Spartacus"

A tough guy with the heart of a kindness and a willingness to challenge
boundaries thanks for the many years of entertainment of which my
favorite was your portrayal of "Houdini" .




Tom Bosley Actor -"Happy Days"

"Mr C" to all of us late "Baby Boomers" a quintessential representation
of understanding fatherhood Thank You for helping me as a father in
learning how to communicate with my children with out getting to
flustered especially those bed side chats.




Teena Marie- Musician, Singer, Writer , Producer A powerful voice that rocked the music world and before Mariah and Christina there was only Teena your willingness to keep going during the early years allowed us your fans to experience your wonderful gift ..Thank You.


Teddy Pendergrass- Singer

The romantic rough yet smooth Voice of the lead vocalist of " Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes" to a successful solo career that may be responsible for launching multiple births in the late seventies and beyond. Thank You keeping romance going and even today Teddy can set the mood unlike any other.




Gary Coleman - Actor "Different Strokes"

The tough but extremely cute child star who in spite of his personal
physical challenges kept pushing forward to entertain us weekly
Thank You.



James Mitchell - (Palmer Cortland ) "All My Children"

Best known as Nina Cortlands father and the thorn in the side of "Pine Valley"
during my early years in college he was the main reason I watched AMC. Strong but loving his family almost to a fault some of his qualities reminded me of my father...Thank You for staying true to your character.



Ron Banks- Lead Singer of the "Dramatics"

The high falsetto voice others try to mimic but strain themselves because it

is not natural but Ron made it seem effortless, capturing our attention from
beginning to end of a song. " Be My Girl" "Me and Mrs Jones" and a host of
others showcased his true talent as one of the founding members of the
" Dramatics" Thank You for giving me joy and memories of eight tracks in
my car singing your music to my self and to others ...especially girls.




Leslie Nielsen- Actor  Naked Gun and Air Plane
Starting as a serious leading man he parleyed is ability
to entertain in a more successful venue comedy.. a cross
generational entertainer that captured the hearts of from
children to the more senior members of film goers.
Thank You for the many years of laughter you have given
to your audience.




John Forsythe Actor -"Charlie's Angels and Dynasty"


The original voice of "Charlie" and "Blake Carrington" the patriarch of a Denver
multimillion dollar business empire. Surrounded by a bevy of gorgeous but crafty
women was not easy to pull off but John held his own as the symbol of secure man
hood.    






Lt Col Lee Archer- Tuskegee Airman


One of the many of the  heroes of WWII who passed this year
our nation is forever thankful for your service.   


 


Elizabeth Edwards - Humanitarian

As the true backbone of leadership you fought for those
who were less fortunate and at a time of great trial you
demonstrated to us all what dignity and courage looks like. 

Thank You