BlackLiberalBoomer

Laid-off Workers at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago IL (AP Photo)

While the Detroit Big Three Auto Makers have to grovel for government-backed loans, Bank of America was one of the banks outright given billions of dollars in Federal bailout monies with no preconditions or oversight. So what does Bank of America do with all of that money which was supposed to HELP small businesses? It promptly canceled the credit-line of an established company in Chicago, Republic Windows and Doors, causing that company to lay off its 300+ workers–some with 17 years on the job–with only three days’ notice.

This series of events is so egregious that the governor of Illinois and the President-elect of the United States are supporting the $14 per hour laid-off workers, who are engaging in a sit-down protest at the factory–they have not even been given their earned vacation time, health care, or severance pay; meanwhile the bigwigs at some of the financial companies can keep their exorbitant compensation packages and go on expensive junkets to exotic locations on the taxpayers’ dime.

It is becoming painfully obvious that these “bailouts” ARE white-collar vs blue-collar. The white-collar financial companies had billions of taxpayer dollars just thrown at them without question. Meanwhile, the blue-collar auto companies are being vilified by Republicans and put through the wringer; and a once-stable American small business which not only employs hundreds, but manufactures energy-saving windows and doors for other businesses is allowed to fail.

It took a year for the Federal Government to “officially” declare that the United States is in a recession (d’ya think?); how long will it take for “officially” announce a “depression”? Why are banks and other financial institutions given money and then allowed to just hold on to the money; while manufacturing companies are made to beg, prove themselves “viable” before being awarded loans, and made to submit to tons of regulations?

Does anyone else see something very wrong with this picture? Workers in manufacturing factories are taxpayers, too!

The United States Supreme Court today declined to hear an appeal from a lower court concerning whether Barack Obama is or is not a true natural-born citizen of the United States and therefore qualified to be elected President of the United States of America.

The people who keep bringing this issue up grasp at straws such as:

* His father was a British citizen at the time of his birth (since Kenya was still a British colony in 1961), so Barack had dual-citizenship. Barack declined his own American citizenship when he moved to Indonesia when he was a 5-year-old CHILD.

* His mother was only 18 when Barack was born so she was “too young” to “give her citizenship” to her son.

* The “Certificate of Live Birth” that the State of Hawa’ii has produced was forged.

* The fact that Barack was born on United States soil doesn’t matter.

* If Barack can be President, so can Arnold Schwarzenegger–even though the “Goven-nator” was born and raised in Austria of Austrian parents.

Factcheck.org has actually seen and touched the actual birth certificate in Hawa’ii.

Some people have even suggested that the birth notice printed in the Hawa’ii newspaper right after Barack’s birth was “planted” there by his grandparents just in case their little grandson decided to run for President over 45 years later!

The bottom line is, there is a group of Americans who just can’t believe that a 1/2 American white, 1/2 Kenyan black man named Barack Hussein Obama has been duly elected President of the United States, with a clear majority AND an Electoral College landslide, and they will try anything to de-legitimize the election. The 2008 election was the first time since Ronald Reagan that a candidate has received more than 50% of the popular vote!) As Barack Hussein Obama said a few months ago, he “doesn’t look like any of the other Presidents”…but the 44th President of the United States also said: “It’s time for a CHANGE!”. So, get with the program!

The Washington Post reported about the Supreme Court denying the case here:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/12/08/supreme_court_declines_to_hear.html

The BBC also reported here, since it involved a former British citizen (Barack Obama, Sr.):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7771937.stm

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is going to waste time and taxpayers’ money hearing a case on whether President-elect Barack Obama really is or is not a “natural-born United States citizen”. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is the one who actually put this case on the Court’s docket.

There are people who have been trying to undermine President-elect Barack Obama from the time he announced his candidacy. He’s a Muslim, he’s a terrorist, he’s not quite “one of us”; on and on ad nauseum. First, people tried to get the Supreme Court to stay the December 15th Electoral College vote (didn’t work) in the “national interest”. Now, they are trying to say that because Obama’s father was a Kenyan national, and his mother, though a U.S. citizen, was only 18, that she could not “bestow” her citizenship on Barack. Then she re-married and moved to Indonesia with Barack and her new Indonesian husband, so there is no way that Barack could be natural-born because his mother wasn’t “old enough” to give him her citizenship and then moved him out of the country when Barack was five years old.

Pul-leeze. First and most importantly, because Barack was born on U.S. soil he is automatically a natural-born citizen. It doesn’t matter whether one or both parents was or was not a U.S. citizen. The Constitution states that a natural-born citizen is one who is born in a U.S. state or territory. Hawa’ii had been our 50th state for two years before Barack was born. The state of Hawa’ii has verifed Barack’s birth certificate, but people actually think that the State of Hawa’ii is lying or that Barack “paid them off”. People are even trying to say that if Barack is “allowed” to be President, then Arnold Schwarzenegger should be able to run for President, too! Of course, it doesn’t matter to these “haters” that Governor Schwarzenegger (R-CA) was born in Austria of Austrian parents and didn’t come to the US until he was an adult! The same with Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), who was born in Vancouver, Canada of Canadian parents; although she and her family moved to California when she was a child. They are not eligible to be President.

The people filing these cases are ridiculous. President-elect Barack Obama is 1) a Constitutional scholar, and 2) not stupid. He would have known if he were not a natural-born U.S. citizen. Of course, those same people refuse to believe that Barack ran for President, not for himself, but for the greater good of the country. Not everyone is only out for himself.

Although people tried to say that John McCain wasn’t eligible because he was born in the Panama Canal, and that Barry Goldwater wasn’t eligible because he was born in Arizona before it was a State, both of those court challenges were thrown out; both the Panama Canal and the Territory of Arizona were “under the U.S. Flag” at the times of their births. Even if Hawa’ii had not been a state yet (which it was) when Barack was born, all people born in U.S. territories, commonwealths, and districts such as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, world-wide U.S. military bases, etc.–even Washington, D.C.!–are U.S. citizens. ‘Nuf said.

But this case would not even had come up if Barack Obama wasn’t 1/2 Kenyan with the middle name of Hussein; let’s be clear. For more clarity, I looked at snopes.com which has a page-long explanation.

However, the bottom line is: Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. was born in the U.S. State of Hawa’ii on August 4, 1961. His mother had never even been to Kenya. He may or may not carry dual citizenship with Kenya; but he is a natural-born United States Citizen because he was born in the United States, no matter how young his mother was at his birth. Case Closed. Believe it or not; but just call him “Mr. President”.

‘Tis the Season for the annual fight over whether “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” is the right greeting! Every year recently, people on the Religious Right have raged a war against those who say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, contending that NOT saying Merry Christmas is a slap against Christianity and “Jesus is the reason for the Season”!

Well, I submit that both greetings are appropriate for this time of year, and neither is an affront against the other. First of all, the official Holiday Season in the United State actually lasts from Thanksgiving to New Year’s and also includes Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, as well as the actual Christmas Day. The entire six-week time period is supposed to be a time of celebration and good times with family and friends. To say “Happy Holidays” acknowledges the overall time of celebration that lasts for more than a month; and is not intended to either slight or favor one holiday over another.

On the other hand, to say “Merry Christmas” should not be intended to make people feel that if they don’t celebrate Christmas the way the Religious right feels it should be celebrated, or if some Americans don’t celebrate it at all for any reason, that they are “wrong-thinking”. “Merry Christmas” should be used as a greeting of “peace and goodwill” whenever it is said, and can and should be said to anyone, whether they are Christian or not, as just a joyous “hello”–not to force one’s beliefs on another.

I could insert a little history lesson here about how the date of December 25th was chosen to celebrate Christ’s birthday is based not on Biblical mandate but as a response to ancient pagan winter solstice celebrations; or I could remind the Religious Right that celebrating the birth of Christ isn’t biblically based at all, but just comes from centuries of tradition, but I have a feeling that they wouldn’t listen to me!

Meanwhile, I will say both “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” this season, and I will mean “Peace and Joy and Happiness” to whomever I am greeting! I should not be get in trouble with anyone for wishing everyone Good Tidings!