As the campaign proceeds I continue moving further towards Barack Obama. And now Barack Obama has thrown his support towards the most important issue to me, North Korean human rights.

His letter to the Korean Church Coalition for North Korea Freedom (KCC) can be found here. Below I have quoted an excerpt.

As we work to ease tensions and improve security on the Korean Peninsula, we must remember one of history’s most important lessons: that true and lasting peace can only be built on a foundation of human rights. North Koreans should not have to flee their country just to enjoy the most basic rights of life, liberty, and conscience. When they do leave, they should not be forced back to persecution; they should have the protection to which refugees are entitled under international law. These issues should be on the table when we talk to countries in the region, including China.

Tags: obama
Categories: North Korea, Politics
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Today CNN published this article, Obama says he’s ‘outraged’ with pastor’s comments.

In his harshest criticism yet of his former minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama said he was “outraged” by Wright’s comments at the National Press Club Monday, and “saddened by the spectacle.”

“I have been a member of Trinity Church since 1992. I have known Rev. Wright for almost 20 years,” he said at a Winston-Salem, North Carolina press conference Tuesday. “The person I saw yesterday is not the person I met 20 years ago.”

I for one have lost respect for Barack Obama.  I think he is caving into pressures to distance himself to maintain his electability.

But wouldn’t he be more electable if he did the courageous thing and stood by his pastor?  I do not believe that Reverend Wright is not “the person I met 20 years ago.”  I think he’s the same person, the person who prayed and cared for Barack Obama for 20 years and it’s just wrong to now suddenly cut that man off.  Reverend Wright even was at his presidential campaign announcement to pray for him and his family.

It speaks poorly of Barack Obama’s character and his faith.  I’ve steadily been losing faith in politicians and I was hoping Barack Obama was different.  I guess I was wrong.

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Categories: Politics
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Yesterday I watched on CSPAN Reverend Jeremiah Wright defend himself. He was eloquent and intelligent. I learned much about the perspective of an oppressed group that distrusts its governments and struggles for rights within the context of Christ’s love and desire for reconciliation. I did feel during questioning he was a best defensive but I do not fault him for this and overall I am a bigger admirer of him and Barack Obama too.

Here are some of my observations from yesterday’s talk.

• Reverend Wright is being unfairly characterized as unpatriotic using a couple of taken out of context statements and no one is talking about his six years of service in the military and the other ways he has served his country. Also his church has sent many people into military service including several serving in Iraq for this “unjust war.”
• Reverend Wright explained that it is the American government and its policies that he has issues with, not the country nor its people.
• Reverend Wright asks why the American government has not apologized to the African-American people for its enslavement when Britain has apologized to the African nations, Germany has apologized to the Jewish people and Israel. It’s more than a fair question and the same as my asking why the Japanese government has not apologized for its atrocities during the Korean occupation of the early 20th century.
• Reverend Wright believes the American government may have created the AIDS virus. I find this somewhat preposterous but this kind of thinking reflects such an incredible distrust of this government and I can’t help but believe this comes from deep, personal and painful episodes in his life.  A friend pointed to a 2005 EPA study that was to study the effects of known toxic chemicals on children and which would have targeted low income children.  Though this doesn’t necessarily substantiate Reverend Wright’s claim it seems to add least a little bit of credence to the black community’s suspicions.
• Reverend Wright pointed out injustices such as blacks serving much longer prison sentences for possessing crack while whites get shorter sentences for possessing cocaine, the whie drug. My wife pointed out studies showing the much higher proportion of blacks on death row. You can just go on and on listing injustices visited upon the black people.
• Reverend Wright pointed out that one of his quotes where he said the U.S. is culpable for 9/11 was actually him quoting the Iraqi diplomat.
• Reverend Wright said it’s Biblical that God condemns the nations for their iniquities and that condemn is the same as damn, hence the infamous quote “Damn America.” He also correctly quotes Jesus calling the Pharisees as a “brood of vipers.” He also quoted another “bombastic” quote of Jesus’s but I forgot what it was.
• When Barack Obama was asked why Reverend Wright was not at his Presidential campaign announcement, he said he chose not to have him there because of his sometimes inflammatory remarks. But Reverend Wright said he wasn’t there because it was a political view. However before the event started he was downstairs with Barack and his family praying for them. This is something Barack obviously failed to mention.
• When asked how can whites and blacks reconcile Rev. Wright pointed out that the underground railroad was done by white Christians and gave many other examples of white Christians helping their black brothers.
• Rev. Wright explained that he does not necessarily agree with everything that Louis Farrakhan believes but that Louis Farrakhan is a very influential person in the black community and that when he speaks people listen.
• Rev. Wright said he is being unfairly characterized as anti-semitic and that he has said that he expect God’s people, the Israelis, to reconcile with the Palestinians.
• Rev. Wright pointed out he’d like to be Vice-President. I think he was 50% serious.

I was disappointed in the media’s coverage of this event. NPR said Rev. Wright did nothing to help his image and that it would hurt Obama even further. The New York Times was not too kind either and both of these are liberal media sources.

The TV Watch
Not Speaking for Obama, Pastor Speaks for Himself, at Length
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY
Published: April 29, 2008
It turns out that the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. doesn’t hate America, but he loves the sound of his own voice.

In general what stirs me about this situation is that immediately after 9/11 many conservative Christians, including myself, questioned whether what happened was a sign of God’s judgment for the U.S.’s many sins. Jerry Falwell was one of the most famous conservative evangelicals who talked about this. (Note I don’t hold to this belief anymore as my theology has changed to believe that we are in a new covenant and that Jesus has taken upon all of God’s punishment for all our sins, the most unfair and gracious exchange ever.)  Pastor David Wilkerson of Times Square Church in a service that I attended said that New York city was worse than Sodom and Gomorrah.

Yet no white politician was sullied by those words. George Bush was elected because of his overwhelming support amongst conservative evangelicals.

Admittedly it is a little different, Jerry Falwell is not any politician’s personal pastor. On the other hand how much Barack Obama is being associated with his pastor’s views is unbelievable to say the least. If I ran for office and was being judged based on my pastor’s views I would be flabbergasted. This is why I think there is a tinge of racism here. Obama is black, Wright is black, it’s a black church, this must be how those blacks think. We can’t trust them. They’re not patriotic. They’re not us.

My opinion of this situation, which Rev. Wright alluded to, is that Barack is distancing himself from Rev. Wright because he knows white America is not ready for Rev. Wright. White America is not ready to hear just how hurt Black America is. I myself was never really aware of it. And I’m grateful that Rev. Wright has communicated this to me.

(This reminds me of a story I heard where at a church planting conference they spoke about multi-ethnic churches. One black woman said she saw no reason for why she needed to worship with whites. I am not sure exactly what she said but a white friend of mine who was there heard her words and her heart, I am sure there was much more than what I am saying, and just started crying and apologizing on behalf of whites. That’s the beginning of reconciliation in the name of Christ).

I more than ever hope Barack Obama wins. This country needs to heal and I am hoping that electing a multi-racial man as President will do just that. Unfortunately I believe that mainstream white America is not ready for a white President and that he will go down as the media continues to character assassinate.

Tags: obama
Categories: Christianity, Politics, Society
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This is the third time Ralph Nader is running for President. And unlike the last two times this time I am a little less pleased.

In 2000 I was interested in Ralph Nader’s candidacy because I felt he was highlighting issues that were not being brought up by the two candidates who I felt were both rather unappealing and somewhat indistinguishable.  History tells us otherwise as Bush moved from the center where he campaigned to the right.

In 2004 I was more interested in Nader’s candidacy because I really felt Kerry was not much different from Bush, both voted for the war, both seemed to be part of the establishment.

In 2008 I feel things are different. We have three extraordinary candidates of which I am gravitating towards Obama the most. I feel like Nader might take away from their candidacies but then I realized that while in the past people voted for Nader basically as a protest vote I think this year his impact will be much smaller. In fact I think Obama is going to sweep to victory, it won’t be close. And if Ron Paul runs as an independent candidate, it’ll be even harder for McCain to win.

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Categories: Politics
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This piece on CNN is typical of the poor, sensationalistic reporting I have seen throughout this political campaign. The networks continue to try to divide groups and make generalizations though this piece does acknowledge that Asian Americans are a diverse group and that though 75% of Asian-Americans in California voted for Hillary Clinton, 25% did vote for Barack Obama.

One Asian group started a petition to protest this. I did not sign the petition myself since I think it’s a bit of an overreaction. What do you think?

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Categories: Politics, Society
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Wow, Super Tuesday was lots of fun. Here are some thoughts I have and predictions.

1. Young people don’t vote. This election was supposed to bring out the indifferent young people but when I asked in an informal poll if you voted, everyone I asked said no. On the other hand old people vote like crazy. This is probably because 33% of the federal budget goes to old people through Social Security and Medicare.
2. John McCain is going to win the Republican nomination. And I think he would be best served bringing in Mike Huckabee as his vice-presidential nominee because Mike appeals both to conservatives and evangelicals.
3. Barack Obama is going to win the Democratic nomination. What started off looking like a triumphant night for Hillary Clinton ended up swinging to Obama. Though Hillary won more delegates Barack won more states and more importantly states that Democrats traditionally don’t do well. Barack is incredibly popular with independents and the Democrats in power can see that Hillary won’t do well in a general election. Hillary also seems to be struggling recently with raising funds while the money pours in for Barack.
4. Ron Paul is going to run as an independent candidate for President. The money is pouring in for Ron Paul but he’s not spending it. I think he realizes that he can run a strong national campaign with this money and that many people, including me, like him. If he does run it is seriously going to jeopardize the Republican’s chances of keeping the White House. If McCain is the Republican nominee then Ron Paul might take a sizable portion of the conservative vote.
5. I like Dr. Dobson but his attacks on John McCain and his pronouncement that he won’t cast a vote if he is the Presidential nominee is immature.
6. The media’s insistence on explaining voter’s decisions based on race or age or gender or faith is annoying and misleading. The numbers in my opinion do not show a clear trend and saying people vote based on these factors instead of more substantial factors such as issue or character is simple minded. What’s especially annoying is how they treat evangelicals as a monolith that votes for Huckabee when in fact their vote is quite split between the different candidates and many are moving towards the Democrats. According to Christianity Today:
   

   Evangelical Republicans divided their votes nearly evenly between the top three candidates, according to exit polls. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee collected 34 percent, while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney earned 31 percent. McCain followed closely with 29 percent.

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Categories: Politics
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Barack Obama talks about his “faith, abortion, and the evangelical vote.”  It’s encouraging to read about his faith and I believe he is a born-again Christian.  I do wish though he would reconsider his pro-choice stance.  This might sound controversial but Christians typically his abortion as the measure of a politician’s faith but from what I have read about Barack Obama it would not surprise if he does have a deeper faith than George Bush who is pro-life.

Q&A: Barack Obama
“I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Interview by Sarah Pulliam and Ted Olsen | posted 1/23/2008 02:18PM

Tags: obama
Categories: Christianity, Politics
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After publicly saying I would not vote for Hillary Clinton I ended up voting for her in the California Democratic Party Primary.

The reasons why were:

1. my mother told me to
2. I was reminded by my mother of Barack’s comments at the January 3rd New Hampshire debate about how he would unilaterally attack Pakistan if they did not agree with the U.S.
3. I was also reminded by my mother about Barack’s snide comment to Hillary, “You’re likable enough.”
4. Hillary in my opinion is more experienced, more intelligent, and more prepared to lead
5. though Bill Clinton is unethical many past Presidents have had to deal with unsavory relatives, admittedly not their spouses

I also voted no on all the propositions.

No on Proposition 91 because the Yes group asked everyone to vote No.

No on Proposition 92 because though in theory it sounds like a good idea, I suspect changing the term limits currently in effect is not for term limits but rather to help the current politicians stay in office longer.

No on Proposition 93 because I am not convinced community colleges should have separate funding and guaranteed increases with no oversight especially in the wake of cuts to K-12 funding.

No on Proposition 94 through 97 because I don’t believe we expand gambling in California and have casinos that are larger than the ones in Las Vegas. Gambling is a tax on the poor and does not help the state’s economy.

U.S. / Politics
Obama Calls for Military Shift in U.S. Focus on Terrorism
By JEFF ZELENY
Published: August 2, 2007
Senator Barack Obama said that the United States should shift its military focus away from the Iraq war to a broader fight against Islamic extremism.

…

Mr. Obama, an Illinois Democrat who is seeking his party’s presidential nomination, said he would order strikes on Al Qaeda targets and withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid if the Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, did not blunt a resurging Taliban presence in the country’s tribal areas. This, he said, is the “right battlefield” to make the United States safer.

“If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act,” Mr. Obama said, “we will.”

U.S. / Politics
At Debate, Two Rivals Go After Defiant Clinton
By PATRICK HEALY and JEFF ZELENY
Published: January 6, 2008
John Edwards and Senator Barack Obama attacked Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as never before.

…

In the second half of the debate, which was sponsored by ABC News and Facebook, Mrs. Clinton was asked to explain why voters found her less likable than some of her rivals.

“Well, that hurts my feelings, but I’ll try to go on,” she said in a soft voice, her smile widening. “He’s very likable, I agree with that. But I don’t think I’m that bad.”

Looking her way, Mr. Obama deadpanned, “You’re likable enough.”

Tags: obama
Categories: Politics
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I believe Bill Clinton is a dishonest man, a habitual lier. He lied to his wife, his family and to America.

Now he has gone further, using his influence to peddle a deal for a wealthy Canadian businessman with a horrible anti-Christian, human rights abusing dictator in return for large contributions to his charitable foundation.

U.S. / Politics
After Mining Deal, Financier Donated to Clinton
By JO BECKER and DON VAN NATTA Jr.
Published: January 31, 2008
A Canadian financier, Mr. Giustra, who traveled to Kazakhstan with Bill Clinton and won a big mining deal later donated millions to Mr. Clinton’s charitable foundation.

…

Unlike more established competitors, Mr. Giustra was a newcomer to uranium mining in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. But what his fledgling company lacked in experience, it made up for in connections. Accompanying Mr. Giustra on his luxuriously appointed MD-87 jet that day was a former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.

Upon landing on the first stop of a three-country philanthropic tour, the two men were whisked off to share a sumptuous midnight banquet with Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, whose 19-year stranglehold on the country has all but quashed political dissent.

Mr. Nazarbayev walked away from the table with a propaganda coup, after Mr. Clinton expressed enthusiastic support for the Kazakh leader’s bid to head an international organization that monitors elections and supports democracy. Mr. Clinton’s public declaration undercut both American foreign policy and sharp criticism of Kazakhstan’s poor human rights record by, among others, Mr. Clinton’s wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

Within two days, corporate records show that Mr. Giustra also came up a winner when his company signed preliminary agreements giving it the right to buy into three uranium projects controlled by Kazakhstan’s state-owned uranium agency, Kazatomprom.

…

Just months after the Kazakh pact was finalized, Mr. Clinton’s charitable foundation received its own windfall: a $31.3 million donation from Mr. Giustra that had remained a secret until he acknowledged it last month. The gift, combined with Mr. Giustra’s more recent and public pledge to give the William J. Clinton Foundation an additional $100 million, secured Mr. Giustra a place in Mr. Clinton’s inner circle, an exclusive club of wealthy entrepreneurs in which friendship with the former president has its privileges.

As many of you might know I have been supporting Hillary Clinton because unlike Bill Clinton I do believe she is a person of character as well as intelligence and ability. I think she could be a great President.

However I have decided that I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton because of her husband. Some might say this is not fair, that I am unfairly penalizing her. But consider this.

1. When Bill Clinton was elected President in 1992 he said that the American public was getting a 2 for 1, both he and Hillary Clinton. Similarly Hillary has said the same thing, saying when you elect her you get Bill.
2. Bill Clinton has shown that he cannot be trusted and that he uses his influence for selfish gains that are not always in the best interest of the country. Putting someone like that back in the White House is not only unwise, it could be dangerous.

Sorry Hillary but it looks like in the Democratic Primary I will be voting as an independent for Barack Obama and in the general elections I will be voting for John McCain though maybe I will write in the courageous Ron Paul.

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Categories: Politics
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Senator Obama won South Carolina by a wide margin. What is interesting is that the majority of black voters voted for Obama while only 25% of white voters supported him. What does this mean for him? Will his candidacy become more and more about race, something that I am sure he does not want.

On another note, it is interesting to see the Kennedy’s endorse Obama instead of Clinton. I can feel the momentum building up for him as people see Obama as the next John F. Kennedy. I am becoming more attracted myself though I still have questions about how good of a job he could do compared to Hillary Clinton who seems remarkably competent. However I find Hillary’s husband repugnant. As one person said, Bill Clinton with nothing to do in the White House is a bad thing.

U.S. / Politics
Obama Carries South Carolina by Wide Margin
By JEFF ZELENY and MARJORIE CONNELLY
Published: January 27, 2008
Senator Barack Obama’s commanding victory over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton amid record-setting turnout sets the stage for a state-by-state fight.

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Categories: Politics
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