Politics and Prayers

Last night I was trying to watch a movie on HBO. Somehow I ended up watching the documentary "Friends of God".

Alexandra Pelosi did this documentary. Yes, if the last name sounds familiar, she is the daughter of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

He premise of this documentary was a road trip into sixteen of the so called “Red States”.

What she discovers was a complete different country, populated by evangelicals who believe that the Bible is God’s word and believe it should be carefully followed.
In a wide look to this population, the director shows us the beliefs of this demographic group.

Along the road, she meet ministers with claims of satisfying sex lives, wrestlers who fight in the name of Jesus, evangelical creationist themed mini –golf courses, skateboard ministry, drive thru prayer stations, even she had the chance to shows the latest trend in travel: Evangelical tourism, visiting in Orlando, the Holy Land Experience, complete with Jesus Christ as a host.
According to records this park has an attendance of 200 to 250 thousand visitors a year.

What I found most alarming, was how this religious group (50 to 80 million strong) uses his influence in politics and the way his beliefs affect the minds of young kids.

Denying the Theory of Evolution, the right to abortion, the gay marriage, etc is bad enough, but when you start telling the voters who to vote for, based in your religious preferences, you are destroying the basic fundaments of the free thinking society, you are just one step away of becoming one of those countries populated with religious fanatics, WHERE WE SEND OUR SOLDIERS TO DIE.

As a pompous Jerry Falwell stated: “ the power of this group will destroy candidates”, as it did during the campaigns of Al Gore, and John Kerry.
And it will destroy the campaign of Hillary Clinton, he said.

Leaving the politics of this great nation in the hands of religious fanatics will be the biggest mistake that a nation that always awarded the free thinkers, can make.

If these were "God's Friends," I'd hate to meet his enemies.

By the way the minister with the satisfying sex life, the Rev. Ted Haggard, then president of the National Association of Evangelicals, was forced to resign on November 2006, in the wake of a sex scandal created by his involvement with a male prostitute and the use of methamphetamine, a illicit drug that causes euphoria.

I strongly recommend to watch this documentary, to understand why is America is so divided and what is the real battle that is raging inside.

Is Iran next...?

I was planning to write about the State of the Union address from last Tuesday.
But after reading carefully the speech, I found some alarming notes , these added to some recent events make write this post.

First , previous to the State of the Union speech the President have another speech to explain to America , “The Way Forward in Iraq”.
During that speech, 6 times the President addressed Iran in different manners, mostly as supporter of the violence reigning in Iraq as well as a country emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Syria was only mentioned 1 time.

This Tuesday, during the State of the Union speech, the president again, mentioned Iran, 5 times, this time identifying Iran as a major supporter of Shia extremists, as well as Hezbollah.

This portrayal of Iran equals in the same way the portrayal made of Iraq previous to the war, just replace W.M.D for nuclear weapons and Al Qaeda for Shia extremists and Hezbollah.

The Pentagon sent a second U.S. carrier group to the Gulf; this will put 5,000 more U.S. sailors in the region, bringing the total to 16,000.

This time the battle group leaded by the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) aircraft carrier will join the group headed by the USS Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier, each flanked by nuclear submarines and battleships, carrying fleets of attack jets, and holding special Marine landing forces.

Today, the President authorized U.S. forces in Iraq take whatever actions are necessary to counter Iranian agents including capturing and killing if necessary.

Meantime, Iran, conducted tests for his Zalzal-1 and Fajr-5 missiles this past Monday.

Add this to the fact of Iran installing thousands of centrifuges in an underground facility next month.
This centrifuges will spin uranium gas into enriched material.
This will escalate the conflict between Tehran and world powers over its nuclear program.

Israel is already involved in a duel of threats with president Ahmadinejad , after the war with Hezbollah on its northern border.

With all this on mind, it should not come as a major surprise if an US-Israeli alliance decided to attack Iran.

By the end of February, president Ahmadinejad will announce the progress of Iran’s nuclear programs; it also marks the end of the 60 days period given to Iran to bring to an end their nuclear program, by the UN resolution 1713.

At this point in time, the countdown will start, because by then the US battle group will be in place as well as the extra troops provided to Iraq, who will be ready to prevent the “spill” of the insurgence to other countries, also the Patriot missiles ordered to protect other Arab countries in the Gulf will be deployed.

Apocalypse Now….?

My thanks to different resources used for this post:
Special Mention to the report from ING Wholesale Banking located
"HERE" (PDF format)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/
http://www.cbsnews.com/
http://news.xinhuanet.com/

The band with no guitars

I just found this in the http://torr.typepad.com/weblog/.
I think is very good rendition from Keane of the song "She Sells Sanctuary" from the original group The Cult.
Keane are known for using a pianos as their lead instrument instead of guitars , significantly differentiating them from most rock bands.

It can be found in the CD single named Bad Dream Pt.2, along with the 3 versions of the song Bad Dream .
This song has been featured in numerous commercials and films.
This song is played during one of the best "product placement" " ever done on film, on "Layer Cake" with Daniel Craig , during the scene of the Audi driving in the English countryside.
I recommend this film as well, as the soundtrack.
Very seldom the music matches so well each scene like in "Layer Cake".
This is Keane's version of "She Sells Sanctuary" [4:36]
And this the original English band The Cult with the lead singer Ian Astbury,video for The Cult's original.
Really good music...

Hispanic....?

Normally i tried not to copy text from news, but in this case it is necessary, so here we go:
"(AP) Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., said Sunday he is taking the first step toward an expected White House run in 2008, offering extensive experience in Washington and the world stage as he seeks to become the first Hispanic president. "
Mr. Richardson, governor of the state of New Mexico, should not be using the word Hispanic as a description of his ethnicity.
This based on the fact that ONLY her mother ,Maria Luisa Lopez-Collada, was Mexican. His father , William Blaney/Blaine Richardson was from Boston.
The actual Governor spent sometime in Mexico city ( until he was 13) because his father was an executive for Citibank, after that he moved to
Massachusetts, where he continued his High School.
Perhaps the use of the "Hispanic" word was appealing to the voters of New Mexico where a lot of Hispanics of Mexican descent live.
But we are now playing politics in the Big Country, where Hispanics come from different countries.
I think the most appropiate way to define his ethnic background will be
" American with Hispanic ancestors" or "American from hispanic descent."

The New President

Today, United States Senator for the State of New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton, announced on her Web site her intention to run as a candidate for the presidency in 2008.

Senator Clinton has already made history by becoming the first former First Lady to be elected to public office.

Now, she's aiming to become the first female candidate to capture the White House.

Backed by some of the best political strategists in the country ,including her husband the former president Bill Clinton, and the political experience and exposure acquired during her 8 years as First Lady and 2 terms as a Senator along with an impressive war chest, her bid for the presidency seems almost a sure win.

Some Democrats objected her stance on the U.S.-led war in Iraq, which she voted to authorize in the U.S. Senate and some sectors of the american voters don't feel comfortable with her perceived liberalism and association with Bill Clinton.

We still far away from the election day , but without a doubt , her presence , today, as a candidate makes all the other runners reconsider their strategies.

Personally, i think her statement of “I’m in to win,” represents the future of her campaign.

Because, she is not only the most qualified candidate, from the Democratic side but also the Republican side does not have a a strong contender to match .

Get Well Soon Card

Found on Flagler St. in Miami.

It says in Spanish: "Welcome to Hell."

Funeral Wreaths sent by Bush and some local politicians.

"Fidel, this is your house(crossed), Box."

An American Music Legend

James Joseph Brown, Jr, mostly known as James Brown, died on Christmas Morning in an Atlanta hospital .

He was 73 years old and suffering from pneumonia when he died.
His greatest contributions to the world of music are undeniable.
His sound, was the inspiration to a lot of today's artists.

But still, was something far away for me to understand, until....

I started to learn about the man,the shoeshine boy,the hustler, the juvenile delinquent,the singer , the band leader, the illegal drug user, the political activist and on and on..
The artist who played several instruments proficiently, including guitar, piano, drums, organ, but like many other popular musicians, never learned to read music.
In spite of that , he amassed 800 songs in his repertoire .
With 114 total entries on Billboard's R&B singles charts and 94 that made the Hot 100 singles chart.
He was for R&B music, what Elvis Presley was to rock and roll.

James Brown had many personalities, some of them good, some bad, but the one that most impacted me, was the one that presented me with the dreamer that never stopped believing in himself, against all odds.

Perhaps, in an effort to understand his determination, his drive to succeed , we have to remember the motherless child without clothes, being dressed in potato sacks for grade school , living in the rural South.
Or the juvenile delinquent, chased by the police for breaking into cars, diving in a trench and hiding underwater with an upraised reed for breathing.

From there, flash forward to "The Godfather of Soul" , "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business", "Soul Brother Number One".

James Brown was a truly American Music Legend


My thanks to different resources used for this post:
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.rollingstone.com
http://www.rockhall.com/