When Angels Leave Too Soon

On this the one year anniversary of the passing of a sweet young lady whom I have known since she was six years old. I would like to take this opportunity to re-post the January 7, 2010 memorial in her honor.

On December 30 2009 , Emerald Arias was taken from us in a terrible car accident . The Santa Clarita Signal News Paper report... An 18-year-old North Hollywood woman died this morning after being injured and trapped in a car in a traffic collision, officials said.Emerald Arias was pronounced dead at 3:14 a.m., according to a California Highway Patrol report.Coroner's officials said Arias died at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital.

Emerald was a sweet caring young lady who was bright beyond her years, and was completing her senior year at Grant High School in the San Fernando Valley.

Emerald and her older sister Sarah would spend Christmas time with my children relatives and friends participating in a Thomas family tradition of making Christmas Cookies, Popcorn Balls, watching holiday movies, looking at Christmas lights and making Tamales ...added by Sarah and Emerald.

Birthdays, graduations, and the celebration of her La Quinceanera was a wonderful experiences shared with her. Our families would take trips to Magic Mountain , sleep overs with my daughter, going to the movies.. all of these wonderful times our families have shared together for many years. My son and Emerald had a special relationship she was one of the few who related to him and was his motivator from the first grade to high school.

How do we mourn the death of a child ? it is one of the most difficult experiences that any family would suffer. The pain of the senseless passing of a person who is still a teenager will never totally dissipate, but as long as we hold dear to the memory of the wonderful time we had in sharing our lives with those who have passed it helps ease the the pain in a small way.

Our Thoughts and Prayers are with the Arias Family.

Our Loss is Heavens Gain.

K. Gerard Thomas

I'm Back..." Now What "

It has been quite some time since I have written on my blog . I was in the hospital in October. It has been a interesting time of of recuperating and watching some of the dumbest programs on television. All the judges on day time TV , the political talk shows on cable , and less we forget all the half hour commercials spreading it's way from station to station.

Lets Talk Politics

November News


TEA PARTY ( "DUH... LETS DO IT AGAIN" )

The Tea Party protesters are proof enough that there is a serious lack of education in some parts of America, it is hard to believe these angry republicans cant' or won't read the Health Care Bill and why should they? many of their cognitively challenged Republican leaders in congress refuse to read it too. How many pay for play protest are they going to have in Washington before they finally get it ...most of main stream America wants Health Care / Insurance Reform.

They lack the ability to construct a reasonable argument or debate against health care reform, and what is truly sad is that their so called real leaders of the GOP, Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, the Questionable Christian Right and all of Rupert Murdoch s minions at Faux News seem to relish in their ignorance of the facts.

Sarah Palin Holy Book Tour

Amazing that this woman can still stir up enough attention that every television network such as Fox, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS continues to allow her lie all book to get press, many in the msm are not allowed to ask any questions this goes especially for the public. The Christian Right has embraced her (lies, racist idiology and all ) as the greatest leader since the Holy Apostles.

Her book is promoted and sold at Christian book stores , advertised on Christian radio and television stations. Most surprisingly she is touted by many so called Christian leaders as a viable candidate for President in 2012, so was Alan Keys, Pat Robertson, and Gary Bauer who all were considered to religiously conservative to even receive the nomination by the Republican Party.

It's All About Looks ( Looks Sell )

Bottom line... if a less attractive woman made half the dumb, lying, statements Sarah Palin is accused of making she would be yesterday's news. She would not be on the front page of "News Week Magazine" posing in a short pants jogging suit. People don't care whats in that wacky brain of yours as long as you look good spouting your ignorance and will pay money to read it.


Motor Mouth Matthews ...Get it Right


On his MSNBC November 20th airing of "Hard Ball" Chris Matthews questions if president Obama is " dithering " on a decision regarding an Afghanistan troop surge?

OK lets look at the numbers of dead men and woman who bravely defended our nation in both campaigns of war in Afghanistan , Iraq According to i Casualties.org there have been a total of 4,371 soldiers who paid the ultimate price in " Operation Iraqi Freedom" and in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan the US fatalities is now 936 soldiers.

The Washington Post gives a slightly different count of 4,356 soldier fatalities in Iraq and 932 in Afghanistan as of Dec 22, 2009. There is a a total of injured or wounded is over 31,557.

Since President Obama's Dec 1 announcement he is sending 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan the next question by the talking heads of cable news is will he be able to keep his time line for ending the war? and how is the surge of troops going to work ? and why is he?, and will he?... it never ends with these so called political pundits.

Some of these TV pundits get on my last nerve they are afraid of the GOP or Palin but will go toe to toe with the most powerful leader in the free world and question every little thing he does from eating a chili dog to his not wearing a lapel pin.

http://www.icasualties.org/Iraq/Index.aspx
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/fallen/

Bottom line after only one year in office facing the biggest financial crisis since the "Great Depression" taking on other issues like Health Care which has a direct link to our economy making every effort to repair our standing in the world.

December News

December 24 the Senate passed the last hurdle in the 25 day debate over health care in a 60 to 38 vote to move the Senate version of the Health Care Bill H.R. 3200 to committee in order to now compare both senate and house bills and see what stays or goes or is added to the final bill.

Health Care has been an issue since Teddy Roosevelt called for health care reform back in 1912 the same year the Titanic sunk.

Bottom Line

Rather then get all flustered about the issues within the two bills we should see what the House and Senate work out. Some say that there may be some type of a Public Option in the bill that will offer a better health care choice for those insured and un insured citizens.

Some unhappy progressives and new voters want to "Throw the Baby Out with the Bath Water", but keep in mind that we have never done this before and it will be a growing process much like the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 under Lyndon B.Johnson. Democrats are so used to not being in the majority and loosing that they want the whole Enchilada or nothing at all, and bottom line is politics don't work that way.

Beware of Lying Revisionsits.

After the death of Senator Edward Kennedy on August 26, 2009 many mainstream, cable news pundits and reporters seized the opportunity to show their so called bipartisan efforts to take shots at the current leaders of congress for not being like Ted Kennedy, who was able to befriend some particular members of the Republican party even if they were diametrically apposed to each others political standings.

We must keep in mind that Republicans and Democrats of the fifties and sixties had the ability to be civil to one another, even going to dinner or lunch and able to express kind jesters between the two parties. It was not uncommon for these two party members. Both parties may have had different ideas or opinions as to what was best for the country but they were able to compromise for the betterment of the nation.

This may not have happened often but there were cases where men like the former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neal and former president Ronald Reagan would share time together. Tip respected the office of the president and even though he did not agree with Reagan’s policy they were able to find some common ground, this is not so today.

It is true that Ted Kennedy was a reasonable man when it came to governing and working on the behalf of his constituents and the nation as a whole, but never let it be forgotten that he was liberal to his core and our nation is much better as a result.

When ever a political leader passes away there is this need for the press to over indulge in how this person lived and concentrating on the all the negative and some of the positive issues in their lives, friends, enemies, and such.

Now, that the country is in a tough battle over the need for Health Care reform, Senator Kennedy's new best friends have some how become the conservative right wing who are making an effort to invoke his name and memory to better their attack on president Obama and the democratic leaders in the house and senate.

They are claiming that if Ted Kennedy was in better health many months ago he would have compromised and come to a so-called bipartisan agreement with the republican leaders. These same republicans are now trying to hijack Ted Kennedy’s funeral by using a talking point against anyone speaking about politics at a politician’s funeral.

These People have no shame to think that Ted Kennedy's funeral is going to be something other then political is the height of stupidity. These people who galvanized their political agenda off of the death of Ronald Reagan.

If those men and women who are our elected leaders in the House and Senate had half the back bone and courage of Ted Kennedy … not worrying about polls, Limbaugh, Fox News, the powerful Insurance lobbyist and all of those of whom the main stream media has not the journalistic savvy to investigate .

I believe emphatically that his dream will not be forgotten and the work that he started will continue just as assuredly as we honor the works of his brothers and Dr. King, one of the highest cause's of Senator Kennedy life will be the passing of a bill for true health care reform.

K. Gerard Thomas

Good Bye Teddy !

Today Senator Edward Kennedy 77 passed away from brain cancer that was discovered in 2008 shortly after his endorsement to the presidential campaign of President Obama.

Senator Kennedy passed away in the early morning of August 26, 2009 in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts at the Kennedy family compound just two weeks after loosing his elder sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver 88.

Senator Kennedy was the last of the Kennedy brothers who were often called America's royal family. Senator Kennedy followed his two elder brothers into politics both President John F. Kennedy (President from 1960-1963)and Robert Kennedy who would assuredly have been elected president in 1969, if it were not for an assassins bullet that took his life as his brother John.

He was called the Lion of the Senate a nick name he earned because of his true fighting spirit he also was a strong advocate for the rights of minorities. His 40 years in the senate helped to change laws that all Americans benefit from.

He was a powerful force in Washington and it was his endorsement of then presidential candidate Barrack Obama that caused many to follow his leadership and also endorse Obama even over Senator Hillary Clinton who was a personal friend of the Kennedy family.

Ted Kennedy's list of accomplishments in his many years in the senate affected change in students access to loans for college , equal rights for all minorities, poverty concerns, health care issues,veteran concerns, and much more.

Ted Kennedy championed the cause for affordable health care and the need for coverage for all, yet it seems that the proponents of his desired Health Care Reform have been hit hard by the lies and distortions instigated by the likes of the..( GOP, big insurance companies, special interest groups, and the average ignorant citizenry who follow Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Sarah Palin, and a host of so called members of the press who are too lazy to take the time to investigate a story ) but this should not cause them to quit or give up hope as he never did.

"The Work Goes On , The Cause Endures ,The Hope Still Lives and the Dream Will Never Die"

Senator Edward Kennedy 1932-2009

Philly Comes to LA

Recently I had the distinct pleasure of going to see The Mighty O'Jays and a number of other acts who were part of the Philadelphia sound of the sixties and seventies acts such as Eddie Holman, The Intruders, The Jones Girls,The Delfonics, Harold Melvin's BlueNotes, Jerry Butler, Russell Thompkins Jr. and the New Stylistics, and last but not least The O'Jays.

Each performance left it's own significant mark on the evening bringing back to the memory of songs that have caused relationships to start or end and less we forget songs some call baby making music. There were a few groups that stood out and took you back to what is considered the innocence of real R&B music where a parental warning was not needed to enjoy the lyrics .

Eddie Holman performed his hit " Lonely Girl " in his classic faucet o style that made girls scream. The Intruders and the Jones Girls gave the audience a well tuned performance, expressing energy and excitement that drew the audience into their party .

The Iceman Mr. Jerry Butler exemplified a special vocal integrity that still remains after all these years. The Delfonics were a highly anticipated act who showed signs of vocal in cohesiveness within the group, howbeit if there performance skills were as flashy as their wardrobe it would have been more pleasing. Harold Melvin's Blue Notes and Russell Thompkins Jr. and the New Stylistics did not show any audible or visible signs of age all the right notes were hit. Both groups were flawless in sound and style , these so called balladeers coming up today could truly learn from them.

The show stopper of course was the Mighty Mighty OJay's... Eddie Levert who opened the show with a hardy dose of levity but also spoke of the sadness in the loss of Michael Jackson a friend and acquaintance, this was even more special coming from a father who has lost his own two sons Gerald and Sean in recent years

The Mighty O'Jays took the audience to a place where Gods gift of song and music resides Rev Walter Williams and the Right Rev Eddie Levert preached a musical sermon like no other. If it were just the O'Jays alone it would be worth the show.

It was an exciting moment to witness all of the acts who performed their hit songs from back in the day bringing back memories of my youth when love & relationships were taken for granted we had fun and we had some sad times but bottom line is this music is a map of our lives.

K Gerard Thomas

Good Bye Michael We Will Miss You.

It has happened... what those of us in our late forties and early fifties who were fans of Motown and Michael Jackson dreaded, the death of our hero has come Michale Joseph Jackson died today on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles at the age of 50.

We are of course bombarded with information regarding the negative issues that he had to confront in his later years , and now the word Icon will be over used by every news cast on television but he was much more then just an Icon.

The Michael Jackson that we knew was the little boy who revolutionized the way America and the world respected and recognized young black talent he and his brothers put the sounds of black youth on the map.

Michale Jackson of the late sixties and the seventies captured the hearts of America and especially black America , Black Americans didn't have many celebrities on television then, and if a person of color was on television momma would get on the phone and make a call to family and friends to tell them the Jackson 5 or Diana Ross and the Supremes were on television.

The Jackson 5 were the first R&B Soul group to have their very own cartoon and the first black cast cartoon. Michale Jackson was was a lighting bolt of energy and talent that had not been seen since Sammy Davis Jr to whom Michale paid homage shortly before Davis death in 1990.


Thriller Album Sold 26 million



Bad Album Sold 8 Million

I can go on with the same info that the news casters or Wikipedia can offer but I choose to remember the positive gifts that Michael brought to the world , such as his USA for Africa humanitarian out reach and many other philanthropic charities he has been apart of for many years.

It is hard for me to continue writing because of the sorrow that I feel , and I am in a state of shock it is hard for me to take in.

I will miss him forever.

Iran Showing Signs of Possible Progress

As hard as it may seem to believe even with the reported seven dead and numerous people who have been injured in the alleged voter fraud uprising that this may be a sign of possible progress for the middle east. After President Obama's Cairo Egypt speech it was questioned as to how it would play out across the Muslim countries in the region now we see that there are those who want the same democracy that the west enjoys and some have credited Obama as being the western leader who is affecting change.

The right wing extremist in our country has tried to use this to their Obama hating advantage even to the point of saying that it is Obama's fault with exception to any thing that would be a positive out come...then of course the right will take the credit, even now Ari Fleischer former Bush White House Press Secretary is setting up some wacky response by stating that (only if it is a positive outcome) that it was Bush's hardliner approach to Iran that caused this voter uprising.

Ari Fleischer emailed fellow Post reporter Glenn Kessler before any results had been issued in Iran’s hotly-contested presidential election to give credit to his former boss for the “reformists’ surge” there. “[O]ne of the reasons there is a substantial reform movement in Iran — particularly among its young people — is because of George W. Bush’s tough policies,” Fleischer wrote. Direct quote from Think Progress Web Blog By Ben Armbruster on Jun 15th, 2009.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/15/fleischer-bush-spin-iran/

Accusing George Bush of being one of the most disliked men in the Muslim world would not be far fetched, he is despised by many in the Mid east region.