When people by a Prius on other similar cars the number one reason is not to help the enviornment, rather its because having a Prius "says something about me". I think that a lot of people will go into the booth and vote for Obama to prove that they are not racists, and that America has gotten over that past. This will be especially true of younger voters.
Why does Hawaii have anything to do with it? Its America. BTW, Punahou is one of the best college prep schools in the country. Where he got the money to go there is a mystery however. No way he would have done so well at Columbia/Harvard without that Punahou background, or an equally impressive high school education someplace else. Yes, Hawaii is my native home.
Interesting "Second Open Letter to Senator Barack Obama Dear Senator, My name is Leon Weinstein. I am an American. I am also Jewish. I was born in the Soviet Union, was fortunate to get out in 1974 and lived in Israel until my second immigration to the US in 1986. I have family in Israel, including my brother, parents, and my bellowed nephews. As you see I have a stock in Israel, and wouldn't want this country to be bombed by nukes (or conventional rockets), annihilated or buldozered to the Mediterranean, all of the above being proposed by the esteemed leaders of practically all neighboring Israel nations. I am not a partial and neutral bystander. I am one very angry and concerned citizen and below I will try to explain to you why I am angry and concerned. You might become our next President, Leader and Commander-in-Chief, but we the people know precious little about who you are, your ability to withstand pressure, your philosophy, sympathies and preferences, your experience and your judgment. During your recent campaigning we hear from you many wonderful words like 'unification of America', 'no more blue or red states', 'help to humanity', 'care for those that need care', and I applaud those words. If your words are supported by your past actions, then you might be the man for the job. If your words contradict or are unsupported by what you did before the Presidential race, then you are not what you say you are, right? In order to find that out I attempted to examine whom you hang out with, what words you and your friends were saying in private and in public and how all that can affect our lives. First, I decided to look who is endorsing you (according to the information that can be found on Internet), who likes where you stand on issues. I found among others a scaring host of anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli people and organizations: - Louis Farrakhan (Nation of Islam Leader, racist, anti-Semite) - Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (Islamic Terror Organization) - Raila Odinga (Fundamental Islamic Candidate, Kenya, some say he is your cousin) - Daniel Ortega (Marxist Sandinista Leader, Nicaragua) - Raul Castro (Hard-line Communist Leader, Cuba) - Socialist Party USA (Marxist Political Party) - The New Black Panther Party (Black Militant Organization) - Hamas Terrorist Organization (Islamic Terrorist Organization). I was really surprised to find so many American enemies routing for you (Hamas, Sandinistas, Cuban Marxists), but what really frightened me was that there is a well-organized effort on the Middle East to call American voters at random asking them to vote for Obama. Who pays them for the expensive phone calls to America? Who trained them what to say and who gave them names and phone numbers of the American voters? This was reported by Al Jazeera: 'After studying Obama's campaign manifesto I thought this is a man that's capable of change inside of America.' said one of pro-Obama Middle Eastern organizers. 'But may be' I was arguing with myself, 'I can't blame you for that, since you didn't ask for their endorsements or their help? You may be even do not know about it, or do you? On the other hand if our enemies (Hamas, Sandinistas, Cuban Marxists) love you so much, may be it says something about your agenda?' Enough about those that like you. Let's look at whom you like, whom you planning to bring to the White House to govern America. You invited Zbigniew Brzezinski to become your chief political advisor. Brzezinski signed a letter demanding dialogue with Hamas, whose charter calls for Israel's destruction. He has also an interesting view on Communism that I am afraid you may share: 'Communism has the intellectually tantalizing possibility that for the world at large. It was ... a blessing in disguise'. WOW! 'Blessing in disguise?' Half of my family was murdered in Gulags. My beloved grandfather died after a stroke at the KGB headquarters. Your advisor on nuclear policies Joseph Cirincione in response to reports that the site in Syria that Israel bombed was a potential nuclear facility being established with the help of North Korea, said that the reports were the product of two nefarious, agenda-driven groups: (1) Bush administration hardliners seeking to derail 'the U.S.-North Korean agreement' and (2) Israelis who 'want to thwart any dialogue between the U.S. and Syria.' WOW again! Your financial backer billionaire George Soros repeatedly says in his speeches: 'The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.' How many times in one letter I can repeat WOW! Another obstacle he considers Israel. If you have an obstacle on your way, you remove it, right? Do you share the same ideology that Soros professes? As a matter of fact, looks like your wife does. Soros is the power behind moveon.org, and this is he who puts money in your campaign coffins. In the old world we had a saying, 'he who dines the girl, is dances her as well'. What dance you promised Soros? 'The world powers established this filthy bacteria, the Zionist regime, which is lashing out at the nations in the region like a wild beast.'- this is what President of Iran Ahmadinejad says of Israel. He consistently calls for destruction of Israel and the 'Big Satan', the United States. Iran harbors and finances terrorists around the globe. At the same time your most senior military adviser retired Gen. Merrill McPeak says President Bush and Israel is to blame for Iran's bad behavior: 'It was us that insulted them by including them in the 'axis of evil' and making sure they understood we didn't like them very much. That drove us apart,' says McPeak and continues: 'Obama's idea is, why not talk to them. Why not see if there isn't some common ground. Certainly, the fight against al Qaeda would be one of them.' Dear Senator, hate of Israel would also be a good common ground with Iran, Hesbollah and Hamas. I remember the overwhelming joy on the Iranian and Palestinian streets when they heard about 9/11. Same joy I recall when Hezbollah dragged on the streets of Gaza killed Israeli soldiers in front of TV cameras. The same joy they experienced when masked terrorists beheaded Americans and many other infidels they kidnap, torture and videotape their murders. Simon Malley, another of your foreign policy advisors loathes Israel. The anti-Israel activism became a crusade for him. He spent countless hours with Yasser Arafat and became a close friend of Arafat. He was, according to Daniel Pipes, a sympathizer of the Palestinian Liberation Organization --- and this was when it was at the height of its terrorism wave against the West. His efforts were so damaging to France that President Valerie d'Estaing expelled him from the country. Now you want him to give you an advice regarding Middle East and relations with Israel. ...My big question to you is â usually we surround ourselves with like-minded people. Didn't you notice that all those people quite contradicting your public speeches? Or may be they express your hidden thoughts and agenda? During an ABC interview Stephanopoulos asked you: 'So you would extend our deterrent to Israel?' your answer was: 'As I said before, I think it is very important that Iran understands that an attack on Israel, is an attack on our strongest ally in the region, one that we -- one whose security, we consider paramount. And that would be an act of aggression that we would -- that I would consider an attack that is unacceptable. And the United States would take appropriate action.' It is important to notice that you didn't say, 'We will come after them and will respond in full force'. Dear Senator â what is this 'appropriate action' of yours? We already know that your mentors Reverend Wright and socialist billionaire Soros think that the US and Israel stand in a way to the 'progress'. May be the appropriate action, as you and your team understand it will be to tell Iranians 'Good job, guys'? ...I want you to read exerts from two articles written by Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, who is an expert on U.S. Middle East policy: Former secretary of state and NATO supreme commander Gen. (ret.) Alexander Haig refers to Israel as the largest, most cost-effective combat- experienced U.S. aircraft carrier â one that does not require American personnel, cannot be sunk and is located in a region critical to U.S. national security interests. In 1967, Israel defeated a pro-Soviet Egypt/Syria axis. In 1970, Israel forced the rollback of an invasion by pro-Soviet Syria of pro-U.S. Jordan, preventing a pro-Soviet Domino Effect in the Persian Gulf. In 1981, Israel destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor, enabling the U.S. to proceed with conventional military options in its wars against Saddam Hussein. In 1982, Israel destroyed Syrian-operated Soviet surface-to-air missile batteries, which were considered impregnable. Israeli-developed unmanned aerial vehicles have been employed by U.S. Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq, providing otherwise unattainable intelligence and preempting terrorist strikes. The Israeli-developed Light ning Pod navigation guidance system eliminated Al-Zarqawi, the arch Al-Qaeda terrorist. Absent Israel and its contribution to U.S. national security, Washington would have to deploy, to the eastern flank of the Mediterranean, aircraft carriers and tens of thousands of servicemen, costing scores of billions of dollars annually. ... Do not even think about positioning the United States of America against Israel and Jews. Sincerely, Leon A.Weinstein Los Angeles, CA leonweinstein@hotmail.com PS I can't imagine being a Jew and voting Obama. I can't imagine being an Israeli supporter and voting Obama either. I can't imagine voting Obama period.
I think you have "local" mixed up with "hapa." Obama is hapa, but IMO he's not "local" at all. I think he lost whatever was local about him when he left, and then embraced his black half later, going so far as to indulge in some self-loathing for being half white (aloha, Rev. Wright!).
not being hapa - I was wondering about that. I have had a few friends and even a roomate who grew up in hawaii. They spoke of beat up howlie days in schools. So I was wonder if Obama even suffered much discrimination growing up in hawaii. Would the locals give him a harder time because he was half black or did he fit in better because he did not look rich and white?
Despite media hoopla pointing out the one or two times in the last 50 years that poling has given what the media thought was the wrong result in very close races (although the media was almost always wrong because they did not understand the concept of confidence limits and invariably interpreted poling results as parameters rather than statistics) the record of statistically sound polling is spectacular. It virtually always correctly predicts the winner. At the present time, statistically correct poling has Obama leading McCain nationally. What is astounding is that Obama swamps McCain among hispanics. Who would have thought? It was assumed wrongly that since Clinton did so well against Obama with Hispanics that Obama would do poorly. Oh how wrong these assumptions can be. Unless things change dramatically in favor of McCain between now and November, Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States, and very likely by a landslide. That thought strikes terror into the hearts and minds of Zionists, but why? I suppose it's because they realize Obama won't be their "step and fetch-it" the way Bush has been. If i were a rabid Israeli Zionist i would stop at nothing, to keep Obama from being elected. I would start by spreading as many unflattering lies about him as possible by spending millions on anti-Obama advertisements, and if that did not work, i would bomb Iran thinking that would help McCain, or as a last resort, attempt to kill Obama. If I were a U.S. citizen, and anything but a Zionist, i would stop at nothing to see that the motives of the Zionists were exposed. Why do Americans tolerate this interference in their internal affairs? My god!, the Israeli Zionists are almost as meddling as the Americans have been in interfering with the internal affairs of other countries.
The media tells you that Obama has big crowds. That Obama leads in the polls. The people who will come out and vote against Obama, that is, in a way, different than a vote for McCain, will not go to rallies and answer polls. But they will come out in droves to vote against Obama. The Birkenstock crowd will gather on the corner to protest a wet fart. they barely need a reason. Not the way the Anti - Obama folks are. A lot of them cannot get themselves to vote for a Black man, but don't want to say so. I don't care that he's black, but I would like to believe he's on our side. Although it is inevitable a black man will someday be President, this isn't the guy. He is too radical, and scares the hell out of most of the Country. And we're at War. That's just the way it is. Maybe a Conservative Black, or at least middle of the road guy or gal. But this guy? And Hillary is hanging around. You don't think there are more skeletons in the closet? Branch Rickey worked long and hard to select Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier. There was a tremendous reservoir of talent in the then Negro Leagues. Campanella, Doby, Don Newcomb - they all became Stars!!!! But they needed Jackie to suck it up and take one for the team. He had it all. Tremendous talent, but superb discipline. That is why he is heralded 60 years after he played. The first Black President will be an unwavering Patriot who will have to be head and shoulders above any competition. He's out there. Do the current dominant parties have the guts to nominate him? Guess not. At least yet.