One thing I love about twitter is that you can find some great blogs that you never would have found otherwise. Yesterday I found Random Alien Musings. I noticed this post on MLK called "Livin' The Dream." I thought I would share his thoughts. Kunta Evans has this to say about his black community:

The day we decide that no political party will hold sway over us and tell us we need the gov't to intervene on our behalf will be the day that changes our current destiny. The day we decide to collectively commit to thinking for ourselves without regard to petty partisan politics and culturally accepted schools of thought will be the day when history will be made. The day we decide that we aren't entitled to a handout or owed something by the gov't or any other entity will be the day that changes our current trajectory. The day we decide to expect greatness from ourselves because we feel like that's a reasonable expectation for us, the day Black men decide to collectively step up and deliver the goods for their families the way they were created to will be the day not only the Black race, but the world will be better off.

The only thing I would add to that is that almost all that he wrote applies to every American of any color.

The government will never make us better. The government will never make us happy or prosperous. The most profound sentence in Kunta's essay is where he writes, "The day we decide to expect greatness from ourselves because we feel like that's a reasonable expectation for us.." Each one of us has a calling and a purpose. We need only to find it within ourselves.

Several years ago Tom Brokaw wrote a book called, "The Greatest Generation." It was about the men and women who grew up during the Depression, and went on to fight World War II. Brokaw says of them, "It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced." Why? Because they suffered hardship, fought a terrible war, and came back to America to rebuilt it into a superpower. They were hardworking, determined, self made men and women who got up every day ready to do their job the best they could. A generation of incredible people of all colors, that stood up to terrible things, and overcame them. They lived through depression and the war. They didn't give up. They moved forward. They came back from all that, worked hard, and made America great.

What is important in the book is how each of them helped the other. Not necessarily in a phyiscal sense, but they were there for one another. I think this is maybe what we have forgotten. Do we reach out to one another? Do we take care of our family? Extended family? Do we help another person in our daily lives? Do we listen? Do we understand?

The greatest generation went through terrible things together, and came out of it strong and ready to work hard. We need that feeling today. We need to depend on one another, not the government. Instead, we fight and argue about the government and politics. We waste our time not caring about each other.

The day we decide to care for one another, is when things really will change.

Here is an interesting story, and since this is one issue that I go back and forth on, I thought maybe you could give me your thoughts on what the law should be on legalizing pot or not.

In California there will be a ballot initiative in November to legalize recreational marijuana use. Surprisingly, the state chapter of the NAACP is endorsing this initiative.

A black pastor there is not happy with that:

"Most African American pastors are disappointed, absolutely disappointed with the decision," said Allen, bishop of the Greater Solomon Temple Community Church in Oak Park. "If anyone should know the effects of illicit drugs in the black community, it should be one of our most respected civil rights organizations."

The NAACP chapter contends that young black men are targeted more in marijuana possession arrests. Legalizing it would alleviate that. There is also the argument that taxing it would bring in revenue and keep it off the streets.

Here is my quandary. Although I have never smoked pot, I had many friends in college who did smoke. To me, it never seemed as bad as drunkeness. I honestly don't see it as any worse than alcohol. On the one hand I can see the pastor's point. Drugs have ravaged the inner city communities. Making it legal would only promote drug use. Not good. But on the other hand there is racial disparity in arrests, convictions and imprisonment when it comes to pot. The terrible thing is that once you have an arrest on your record, it tends to follow you your whole life. I see young people, both white and black, arrested for pot. I think it is an unnecessary waste of time for our police and courts. It seems to me that it should at least just be a ticket with a hefty fine. Arrest and jail is ridiculous. Maybe that could be the compromise?

Nah. Makes too much sense.

Anyway, give me your thoughts on it. I could be swayed either way. I don't see pot as a "gateway drug," although that pastor said that is how he started doing drugs that brought him to his knees. He sobered up and found God, but so many do not.

We allow drinking though. How is that different really?

Let's hope we all learned the lesson we should have from the Sherrod affair (see post below if you aren't familiar with it). The lesson is that both sides need to stop with the deeming those that disagree with them as "racist."

The left needs to stop trying to paint the Tea Party as racist. It isn't. At all. Are there elements that may be? Sure. Just as there are elements that may be in the NAACP.

The Tea Parties are about reigning in government. It isn't about color, and really isn't even about party. I think Tea Party members would vote for a Democrat that promised to stop this insane spending, and limit the scope of government.

The most fascinating part of this entire story is the fact that when Sherrod was driving, she was called on her cell and told that the White House wanted her to pull over on the side of the road and "resign now!" She then says she was told it was because she was going to be on Glenn Beck that night.

Is this how the White House reacts? They don't investigate to see if it's true. They just FREAK at the name 'Glenn Beck.' Geeze. Isn't that a bit ridiculous?

This White House needs to stop worrying so much about every story that comes up the pike, and just worry about leading this country.

The irony is that Glenn Beck was the one defending Sherrod while the White House was attacking her. Here is what he said on his show yesterday:

Beck said on his show that he is "puzzled by this," and compared the situation to "taking a videotape of me at an AA meeting where I say, 'And you know what, I have to tell you something. I was drunk everyday. I was completely out of control," and stopping the tape before he said he found Jesus.
..................

"Now if she is relating a story from1986 to make a point about how her racial perceptions have changed, this woman deserves her job back. Again, me at AA. Something is definitely wrong here,"

So the White House freaks out thinking that Beck will make Sherrod look bad for the administration, when in reality it was Beck who was defending her (as I was, even before Beck did, I might add).

This is what happens when one is constantly on the defensive, and trying to control the narrative. Pres. Obama and the left need to stop worrying about Fox News, the blogs, and radio talk show hosts, and DO THEIR JOB.

Start creating an economic atmosphere where people can get back to work, and I promise you, the good narrative will follow.

By now you have probably heard of USDA's Shirley Sherrod's video where it appears she is admitting to not helping a white farmer just because he was white. The YouTube clip shows a portion of her March 27 speech at an NAACP banquet.

This comes on the heels of the NAACP continuing the false narrative that the Tea Party members are racist.

Why would the NAACP do such a thing? It seems that is what members of the Journolist do when they want a person or organziation to stop making progress or speak the truth. Throw out the "racist" stigma, and watch the conservative or organization defend itself. Better to have that conversation than the reason why our economy is in deep trouble.

From the Daily Caller:

According to records obtained by The Daily Caller, at several points during the 2008 presidential campaign a group of liberal journalists took radical steps to protect their favored candidate. Employees of news organizations including Time, Politico, the Huffington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Guardian, Salon and the New Republic participated in outpourings of anger over how Obama had been treated in the media, and in some cases plotted to fix the damage.
In one instance, Spencer Ackerman of the Washington Independent urged his colleagues to deflect attention from Obama's relationship with Wright by changing the subject. Pick one of Obama's conservative critics, Ackerman wrote, "Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares - and call them racists."

Yeah, just pick one. Doesn't matter who. Just smear them. Unbelievable. Absoutely dispicable.

I suppose it started with Congressmen Andre Carson and John Lewis and other Congressional Black Caucus members who staged a walk through the Tea Party crowd in front of the capitol the day before the health care vote. The Congressmen's aids (note that the actual Congressmen never said they heard slurs) claimed that the N word was hurled at them fifteen times. Since then all video of the incident shows no such thing occurred, and an offer of a $100,000 award to anyone who can prove it was said has not been claimed.

To me it was clearly a manufactured plan to paint the Tea Party as racist so the focus would be off the cost of the bill, and the government takeover of health care.

What happens when the left starts throwing around the term "racist"? They get the same thrown back at them. But this time an innocent woman (it seems to me) got caught in the crossfire.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture demanded the resignation of Shirley Sherrod after this video surfaced. But like a lot of videos and out of context statements, there is more to this story. Yes, she did let race keep her from helping the farmer as she would have if he had been black, but this happened 24 years ago when she was working for a non profit. This is what she told CNN:

SHERROD: I was speaking to that group like I've done many groups, and I tell them about a time when I thought the issue was race and race only. And I tell them the story of how I've worked with a white farmer back in 1986. I was not working for the Department of Agriculture. I was working with a non-profit organization assisting farmers throughout South Georgia and the Southeast. And this farmer came to me for help. I was telling the story about how working with him helped me to see that the issue is not about race, it's about those who have versus those who do not have.

She ended up being close friends with the farmer in question.

She was describing a teaching moment. If one listens to the rest of the speech, we understand that. It said to me that she had learned her lesson on not looking at the race of someone, but who they are.

I'm ashamed that Breitbart has sunken to the level that the left play. The left routinely take sentences out of context, cut audio or video, and vilify people like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity. Not to mention Sarah Palin. We've come to expect it. But we don't need to cut audio or video. If we start doing that, then we become what we hate.

The administration and the NAACP quickly denounced Sherrod without giving her a chance to explain or to watch the full tape. It's sad that we have come to this.

How about this. We all stop throwing around the term "racist?" Enough is enough. The left needs to stop trying to change the conversation with untrue accusations on race, and conservatives need to not get on the bandwagon of this tit for tat smear campaigns.

Update: I saw Breitbart on Sean Hannity last night and he did say that this wasn't about Sherrod. It was about the reaction of the NAACP crowd. He said he never asked that she be fired. Still, this woman did get caught in the crossfire.

I think Breitbart was trying to say to the NAACP that conservatives aren't going to take charges of racism lying down anymore. He proved that we can play that game too. There will always be racists or insensitive people out there on both sides. We are tired of the false narrative. In that respect I can see Breitbart's point. I just wish a woman hadn't been fired because of it.

You gotta love how political writers, who see themselves as completely unbiased as Politico writers do, miss the obvious. Taake Mark Penn's observation on the devastating Obama poll numbers:

By far, the most alarming numbers this poll presents for President Barack Obama are the reelection figures; against a generic Republican candidate, he loses by 5 points, 37-42.

The most alarming numbers? Try the most wonderful numbers. If we can manage to not re-elect Pres. Obama, we may can save ourselves from this downward spiral.

And this is the heart of the issue -- Obama is managing one legislative victory after another, yet his poll numbers keep sinking everywhere except with D.C. elites.

That's because his "legislative victories" have been victories for the D.C. elites, and NOT the American people. He slams through these bills or appointments with no consideration of how the American people feel about it. When it's clear they are against the bills, Obama brushes it off implying they don't know what's best for them, or they really don't understand the bill.

Speaking for the administration, Vice President Joe Biden had this to say to ABC News:

Asked by ABC's "This Week" host Jake Tapper in an interview aired Sunday if the administration "is getting enough credit" for the Wall St. bill, the health care bill, and the economic Recovery Act in light of polls showing the majority of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, Biden said: "The vast majority of the American people and a lot of people really involved don't even know what's inside the packages."

"People don't know a lot of what's going on in The Recovery Act," Biden said

Oh, we know sir. That's why we are so upset. I don't think the American people have ever been MORE informed on bills passing Congress.

Pointing to jobs growth in recent months, he added that when the "country is in trouble, all [people] want to know is... that we're moving in the right direction."

"But they don't think that we are, " Tapper replied.

We are just stupid. Dunces, really. Thank God we have Obama and Biden to show us the way, right? This is typical of the liberal way of thinking. They are the only ones smart enough to lead us. The American people are treated like teenagers who just don't know what is best for us.

But let's continue on with the Politico article:

Obama suffers from the perception that he lacks the strength and leadership to deal with our biggest problems -- unemployment, deficits and the two wars. And many believe he has moved to the left, abandoning the center to embrace a return to Big Government.

Perception problem? I think that would be a reality problem. He has lacked the leadership to deal with our biggest problems. That is not a perception. That is the reality. Many believe that he has moved to the left and embraced Big Government?? The fact that the National Debt has increased over a trillion dollars since President Obama took office less than 2 years ago, and he approved a $787 billion stimulus plan, a $700 billion bank bailout program, and $829 billion health care overhaul, would kind of lead people to "believe" that he has embraced Big Government because he has.

Then there is this absurd observation:

Palin is the kind of highly polarizing figure that people accused Hillary Clinton of being -- only Palin is truly polarizing.

Right. Hillary isn't polarizing at all. She is just accused of being so. Give me a break. Hillary may have been playing nice since she lost the nomination to Obama, but don't think we have forgotten who she really is.

What Penn writes as perception is actually reality. There is this perception that the people in the Tea Party just don't like Obama. That's not true. It's about so much more than one President. It's about the direction of our country. It's about the overspending, which has happened with both Democrat and Republican Presidents.

When I was home this past week I talked to quite a few people who are really frightened at the direction our country is heading. And it can seem scary, but I told them that the amazing thing is that the American people have woken up. We aren't just sitting on the sidelines anymore. People who have never been involved in the political process are becoming activists, and running for office. We are making sure that we elect those who believe in our Constitution and our liberties. We are going to elect those who see "we the people" as a part of our governance, not as ignorant masses needing to be led.

Republicans may benefit from this, and they may not. It depends on whether they have learned their lessons on not being Democrat lite. But there is a growing movement of the people that want what our country to be what it was intended to be; a much smaller government than we have now, one that protects our rights, keeps us safe, provide a strong national defense, keeps taxes low, business incentives high, and provides a safety net for those unable to care for themselves. No more big spending and ballooning deficits. And this goes for both parties. The Republicans overspent as well. Now we find ourselves facing an untenable situation. If we don't reign in spending, we will face the consequences. And not in some far off future, but very soon.

And that's not a perception either. It's reality.

Good grief, I feel like I have been gone a month. I love to travel, but there is nothing better than coming home to Texas.

Now, let's review all I missed last week.

Well, it looks like Mel Gibson and Bristol Palin have lost their minds. I guess celebrity craziness reminds us that our own non famous lives are not that bad.

The Obama administration is suing Arizona for it's new immigration law. No where in the suit does it mention "racial profiling." It only addresses federal law trumping state law. But since federal law makes being in the country illegally a crime, and Arizona's law makes being in the country illegally a crime, where is the conflict with federal law?

Pres. Obama used his weekly address to once again whine about Republicans. Have we ever seen a President who whines this much? He complains that the Republicans are refusing to restore unemployment benefits (which in many cases is already extended to two years) The NYT also agreed with this whining, saying that the country is "running out of oxygen" and that we need new jobs, but that Republicans refuse to stimulate the economy by restoring unemployment benefits and sending aid to states.

WHAT? How does extending unemployment benefits create new jobs or help the economy at all?? How can Pres. obama or the NYT seriously think that more stimulus will turn things around when that last stimulus did little or nothing to do that? Since the passage of the stimulus bill, 2.3 million Americans have lost their jobs. Throwing good money after bad never works.

Also, Obama took advantage of Congress' July 4th recess to appoint Dr. Donald Berwick to oversee the Medicare and Medicaid programs. He will also play a key role in implementing healthcare reform. Why did Obama do this on the sly? To avoid hearings where Americans would hear Dr. Berwick's radical ideas on healthcare. His praise for a single payer health care system is only the tip of the iceberg. He is a self professed supporter of rationing health care.

And last, but certainly not least, Congress passed an overreaching Financial Reform Bill. It is mind boggling how in less than two years the government has managed a power grab that hasn't been seen since the great depression. Despite this financial power grab, believe it or not, the bill fails to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government sponsored enterprises that encouraged the risky mortgages in the first place.

I watched Vice President Joe Biden on the talk shows try to defend all this, and I started to feel like we are in some surreal twilight zone version of "Pinky and the Brain." Pres. Obama is supposed to be so intelligent, and when compared to Joe Biden, he does look that way. But you have to wonder if this is their conversation every night:

Pinky: "Gee, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?"

The Brain: "The same thing we do every night, Pinky--try to take over the world!"

Yeah. You laugh now.